Switchblade Sweeties

Chapter 1: Dreams

IBUKI

"Come on, Ibuki!" the grey-haired girl called to her. The wildflowers around her ankles swayed in the breeze and the sun lit up her ruby eyes like stained glass. She was beautiful, and Ibuki felt a need to go with her. She took her first step and- *BANG*

Ibuki shot up with a gasp. A bump in the road. She groaned and lay back down, throwing her arm over her eyes to block out the sun. She never slept well on the tour bus, especially with recent vivid dreams. She just couldn't place the red-eyed girl she'd been seeing every night, but Ibuki was always drawn to her like a magnet. Like she was supposed to be with her.

Ibuki yawned. Might as well eat some breakfast, she thought, since I'm awake now. She sat up and stretched her arms, then reached into a bag on the floor for an energy drink and a protein bar.
"Hey, Souda, how much longer?" she called to the front of the bus. "A couple of hours!" he shouted back. She took a sip of her drink. "Hmm. Start getting ready now?" she asked herself.
With a sigh, Ibuki got up and reached for her hairbrush. This was a bigger concert, so her makeup had to be better than ever; she always liked to top her last look. "You think we'll see the usuals?" She sat close to Souda while she worked the tangles out of her hair.
"Probably! They're the usuals for a reason," he said.
"Yeah, that pink-haired girl, the Victorian goth... too many lesbian couples to keep track of," she listed with a grin.
"Well, the band is four pretty girls, and three of you are lesbians," Souda pointed out, turning to her for a second then back to the road. Ibuki looked out the window at the trees surrounding them. "Ha, yeah, that might be it."

She glanced back at her bandmates, who were just beginning to wake up. Hiyoko was resisting Kaede's attempts to pull the blanket off of her, and Sayaka the morning person was nearly ready for the day. Sayaka came to sit by Ibuki and Souda with her cup of coffee."Morning, Ibuki!"
Ibuki smiled. "Mornin', Sayaka. Get your beauty sleep?"
"Of course." Sayaka sipped from her pink mug and looked out the window.
Sun shone on their faces, warm and welcoming, a fine start to a busy day. Today they were playing at a club close to home, the end of a long tour. Titty Typhoon awaited their return.

The hours flew by on the bus as Kaede helped the grouchy Hiyoko get ready, and Sayaka and Ibuki did vocal exercises together. Before anyone realized, they were pulling up to Titty Typhoon, a black box of a building with a packed parking lot.
Ibuki howled with excitement when she saw it and launched out of her seat to stand next to Souda. "We're here!" she shouted. "Whooo!"

8 HOURS LATER

Ibuki finished the last song with a howling screech and a dissonant final chord, then stood panting as she looked back at her band, flushed and grinning, all looking as wide-eyed euphoric as their first concert. With an exhilarated shout, she turned back to the audience. Girls cheered, declaring their love with arms in the air. The moshpit pulled each other off the ground. And a few rows from the front, a girl with silver hair and red eyes stood watching her intently.
Oh shit, she thought. That can't be her. Have I been dreaming about a fan?
She waved and blew a kiss to the audience, followed by a chorus of screams. Sayaka stepped forward with her pink mic and called out, "Thank you! I'm Sayaka Maizono and we are Switchblade Sweeties! I love you!"

Ibuki pushed sweat-matted hair out of her face and watched the girl reluctantly turn away to join her friends. Gotta get that girl backstage.
Suddenly, Hiyoko threw her arm around Ibuki's waist and started to pull her along. "Hey, 'Buki, c'mon! Wanna find Mahi with me?"
"Course I do, afterparty wouldn't be the same without her," she said with a grin.
"I think she brought friends tonight! You'll love 'em, some of them are really cute," Hiyoko said, raising her eyebrows at Ibuki. Just as they were walking out, Mahiru was headed for the door with a familiar girl in tow. Ibuki stopped in her tracks behind Hiyoko and widened her eyes at the grey-haired girl holding Mahiru's hand.