Story Title: Slow this Dance Down
Rating: T for Teen (but the guidelines state nine years of age and older)
Genre: Romance
Author's Note: Slow this dance down, I can stay here all night, forever. That song's really good. I decided to re-write one of my very old DNAngel fanfics. The original was about Daisuke and Riku but I like Risa and Satoshi better. Maybe I'll write another one-shot for DaiKu. Read, review, and enjoy. C:
Risa, clothed in her St. White's Day dress, stared out the window in a complete daze. She had witnessed a couple dancing beneath the fir Christmas tree and jealously wished for them to topple over each other and die. She sighed and her breath fogged up the freezing glass window. Crusts of ice made a home within the corners of it and the rushing snow pounded on the roof. The full moon hung quietly overhead, illuminating all within its glow. With all the lights in the school turned off, plus the heating, Risa shivered quietly, alone in her classroom. She looked down below, gazing at all the festivities going on outside. Everyone looked so happy…especially those girls who were holding onto their boyfriends' arms….
Risa's hand curled into a fist. Being boyfriend-less wasn't her thing. But she didn't want just anyone taking her heart. The boys at her school seemed so dumb and dim-witted that she didn't even bother with most of them. And the ones she did bother with…well, it was enough to say that in the end, they always found someone else who was prettier, smarter, nicer, funnier, and downright better than her to be with! She made an angry noise in her throat and grimaced as another couple walked out the school gates together, completely covered in cold snow but looking warm and snugly with their long scarf wrapped around both their necks.
She sucked in a deep breath of air, and let it all out, smiling as she did so. She wouldn't be overtaken by these petty feelings of envy and jealously. She knew she was better than that but as a third couple slow danced in the falling snow and suddenly became very still, their faces…no, their lips inches away, Risa couldn't take it anymore.
Moving as if she were made of nothing but adrenaline, she popped opened the window and threw toward them half of a broken pencil. But to her dismay, it flew about five feet off course and instead hit a boy who was walking by square in the face. Feeling suddenly sorry, Risa quickly shut the window and plopped down on the floor, her back pressed against the wall. She didn't want to be caught…no, not really.
Suddenly, she noticed that everything was getting colder. She breathed out and her eyes widened when she saw her own white, misty breath come alive in the air for a split second. Had the temperature dropped? She chanced a look out the window and her eyes widened in horror.
Everyone was gone. No one, not even the Christmas lights, was seen. There were distinct blinking of colors but that was all. Everything was hidden behind a wall of hailing snow. She couldn't even see the giant Christmas tree anymore and she knew it was the brightest thing in school since she was the one who helped put the lights on it. She tried to see past the rushing snow but to no avail. She had to face the facts.
She was trapped in a storm.
Heart pounding, she ran to the light switches and flicked them on but no lights came. Then she remembered that the power for the school had been shut down in order to light up the tree. She thought of turning on the school's power again but realized that the generators were outside near the gym and outside was were Risa didn't want to go.
Thanks to the moon, the empty classroom was able to pick up some light but the snow blocked most of it out. Would Risa have to weather the storm in complete darkness? She shivered at the thought. Without meaning to, her head began spinning the most gruesome ways she would die. She instantly remembered all the horror movies she had seen with her twin sister and all the bloody stories her friend had read to her. She grabbed the sides of her head with her hands.
No! She didn't want to meet a little girl who had the creepiest laugh or a man with a bloody axe! She didn't want to see anything pertaining to long, black hair or a slit mouth or a crawling hag! No, no, no, no!
Thunder roared in the background and she screamed. She didn't want to die at her school, all alone, boyfriend-less! She didn't want to! She didn't want to! Feeling panic rise in her chest, she grabbed hold of the door and flung it open but when she was about to step out and run down the hall, she stopped dead in her tracks.
The long dark hallway, that was supposed to be completely empty except for Risa, was suddenly filled with an echo…of incoming, deep footsteps. Risa froze, staring into the darkness. The steps came at regular intervals, step, step, step…. It didn't stop at the first door, it didn't pause to wander about the second, but merely kept walking onwards, closer and closer, toward Risa's classroom.
Risa's mind went blank. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't even recognize the sound that was ringing in her ears. She was too scared. Thump, thump, thump…her heart suddenly became louder, and it was beating slower, as if everything was in slow motion.
Thump, thump, thump….
Step, step, step….
Thump, thum-
Step, ste-
Everything stopped. Risa's body quivered in fear. And then, she felt something touch her shoulder.
She screamed and cried and screamed some more, flailing her arms and fighting against who knew what. She felt the entity grab her wrists and pull her back into the classroom but the sudden movement made her even more fearful. She reached out and scratched whatever it was and when she did so, she felt its grip on her wrists slightly falter. Using this moment to free herself, she scampered back toward the door but it struck again, this time grabbing her waist from behind with its strong arms.
"No! Let me go! I don't want to die!" she screamed even louder, her voice cracking with terror.
"Hey, hold still, damn it!" a nearby voice shouted back.
"It can talk! Someone help me!" Risa shouted down the empty hallway, her stomach contracting at the touch of whatever it was that was holding her back from running with all her might.
"Just shut up, Risa, and calm down!" the voice yelled back at her.
"Nooooo!" Risa closed her eyes, preparing for the worst, and then strong hands grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. She could feel someone's warm breath against her skin and she opened her eyes, tears stinging its way down her cheeks.
"Just…calm down," breathed Satoshi, staring into her eyes. He looked extremely worried and at the same time relieved that she wasn't yelling and fighting back anymore.
"Sa…Satoshi?" squeaked Risa. Her eyes moved all around his face, making sure that he was real, and not a ghost or a monster. It was then that she saw long, red scratch marks on his left cheek. One look at them and she knew that she had made a terrible mistake. Suddenly, she couldn't stop crying.
"Sa-Satoshi! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scratch you! It's just that…that I…" she sniffed and hiccupped loudly and pressed her face against his chest, "I was so scared!" She could heart Satoshi's rapid heartbeat and thought that he must have been scared too.
A hand ran down her hair and she knew he was patting her. "It's okay," said Satoshi quietly. "I'm sorry for scaring you. It's okay…."
And then Risa's tense body became more relaxed. With Satoshi's kindness, she felt her fear melt away and her terror and dread dissolve into thin air. She still felt the distant feeling of not knowing what was there, not knowing what had grabbed hold of her…but knowing that she wasn't alone anymore, she felt that much warmer. Now all she felt was stupid and embarrassed as she realized that she had been pressing her face against Satoshi's chest for quite some time now. Why wasn't Satoshi saying anything? Why wasn't he pushing her away? He was usually so cold and indifferent towards her. It was probably because she was crying that he didn't say anything….
Risa's breath stopped. Something warm was wrapped around her. What was it? She felt a tingling sensation all throughout her body and Satoshi's heart beat was pounding even louder against his chest. It was then that she realized that he had wrapped his strong arms around her shoulders, hugging her as she was hugging him. Her face turned bright red and even brighter when she thought how nice it felt to be held in Satoshi's arms.
But the magic lasted for only a moment. Risa sniffed and pulled away, smiling up at Satoshi as she did so. "Thanks, Satoshi…and sorry again for…you know…" she twiddled with her thumbs, wishing for her face to stop blushing, "scratching you," she finished in her smallest voice as of yet.
Satoshi shrugged and then fixed his glasses. "It's no problem. I was surprised at how strong you were. It's not every day anyone gets to see Risa scared out of her wits."
Risa went rigid. "I wasn't really scared out of my wits," she said robotically. Was she really that scared? Who was she kidding, of course she was! But she suddenly didn't really feel like telling Satoshi that.
"Of course you weren't," said Satoshi, a smirk playing across his lips. Risa was about to retort but Satoshi raised a hand to stop her. "I already tried going outside but the door won't budge. I suspect it's been buried behind snow, if we take into consideration of the amount falling now and its speed. Since we can't go outside, we're stuck here…for now. But how long this storm's going to last, I don't know. But if we don't find a way to keep ourselves warm, this will be no different than freezing to death in a cooler. So, our main focus is this: find a heat source."
Way to kill the mood, Satoshi, Risa thought with deadpan eyes. Her heart certainly wasn't hammering against her chest now. She glanced behind Satoshi to look out the window but only saw a wall of white.
"There's no heating if there's no power, Satoshi," said Risa wearily, looking around at the classroom. Because there were so many boxes of ornaments for the Christmas tree, all the desks were pushed to one side in order to make room. But even those boxes were stacked atop one another after they were emptied which now left a giant empty space within the room. Risa hadn't noticed that everything was steadily growing darker, as if the moon was disappearing behind a veil.
Satoshi didn't seem to want Risa's reply as an answer for he kept looking around the classroom, quietly muttering under his breath incomprehensible words. Finally, after a few minutes, he said, "I suppose you're right," and shrugged.
"You could've just said that in the first place instead of wasting time!" thought Risa angrily but when one was stuck in a blizzard, time was unlimited. She held her arms. It was really getting cold now…. She looked at Satoshi's back, just staring, not really thinking when she thought back to when they had hugged and it hit her. Her face turned scarlet. No, she didn't want to do it…not with this guy! This guy…who had always ignored her during school, who had always picked her last at anything, who had always made sure to stay away from her during cooking class, who had never said her name until now! No way!
She sighed and Satoshi heard it. He turned around but Risa's eyes were glazed over. She wasn't even paying attention when he called her name. She was thinking about why he had said her name now of all times. She replayed the scene over and over again in her head and felt…happy to hear his voice.
But before he had said her name, he did tell her to shut up…. She huffed and strode past him toward the windows, not answering his calls.
Satoshi stared at her. Why did she look so angry all of a sudden? And why was he ignoring him? Dread filled his stomach. Was she angry because he had hugged her? No, that couldn't be it…could it? Maybe she really did hate him? Was that why she threw the broken pencil at him? He pushed his hand inside his pocket and clutched onto the broken pencil. He had been walking around the Christmas tree, looking for Risa, when all of a sudden, that pencil came flying out of nowhere and smacked him right in the face. Luckily, he caught sight of Risa's guilty face before she had hid herself from the scene.
But…did she really, actually hate him? He didn't want to believe it but with the way Risa was acting, he was forced to realize that it might have been true.
But he didn't hate her at all. In fact, he really actually li-
"Satoshi," Risa called.
His heart jumped right out of his chest but he managed to pull it back into place. Who knew that someone's voice would have such an impact on him…. "W-What?" he said.
"…Nevermind." She decided not to tell him her idea. It would have been too embarrassing and plus, she was angry that he had yelled at her to shut up. She continued to look out the window silently which made Satoshi even more nervous than he already was at being alone with her.
He frowned, not knowing what to do or where to look to keep warm and because of other things. The only reason why he had said they look for a heat source was because he didn't know what else to say. He had been too panicked, seeing her scream and yell as if she were about to die…. Why was he such a horrible conversationalist? He at least wanted to talk with the person who he li-
"Risa, what's wrong?" He had interrupted his own train of thought.
"Hm? …Nothing, really," said Risa without color. She continued to hold onto her arms, wishing that the power would turn back on.
Seeing her so still made Satoshi's insides squirm. He wanted to make her look at him. He wanted to make sure that she was happy. He wanted to stand next to her but something in his heart made him stay where he was.
But he had always been standing still. Ever since they first met, he had been standing still. It seemed like she was the only one moving. Whether in life or with her friends, she was always the only one moving forward while he stayed still. Cold, calculating, and rude…that was who he was. But her. She was warm and compassionate, kind and always earnest at whatever she did. And whenever she smiled, that beautiful smile, Satoshi had made sure he caught it, even if she didn't see him smiling at her.
But because he had never felt anything so strongly for anyone, he didn't know what to do with these feelings. He became cold and indifferent toward Risa because he would always get nervous around her. She was the only one who could make him feel this way, and he was the only one who could make her feel that way.
Risa felt Satoshi's stare and her heart thundered against her chest. They were alone for the first time since they had met. She would always tell everyone she didn't want to be alone with Satoshi because he was always so quiet and mean to her, but the truth was…he made her nervous. She didn't know why. Such a mean person…and yet, she had seen his tiny moments of kindness toward others.
But he's still a mean person, she thought with a frown. Telling her to shut up like that…who did he think he was? King of the world? Hah!
Satoshi sneezed.
"Bless you," said Risa automatically.
"Thank you," replied Satoshi promptly.
And then they were silent again. Satoshi had no idea what was wrong with Risa. Why was she suddenly so quiet? Why couldn't he just ask her what was wrong?
"Do you hate me?" he blurted out.
Risa turned around, clearly taken aback. "What? Why would you think that?"
"You're suddenly quiet, and you won't look at me."
"I'm looking at you right now."
"No, that's not what I mean. I mean, you won't look at me."
"I…don't understand what you're trying to say," said Risa, shaking her head slightly.
"Then just answer my question: do you hate me?" He looked at her, afraid of her answer, afraid that they were never meant to be.
"I…" said Risa slowly. Did she hate him? Sure, she thought he was an arrogant jerk, but did she hate him? Her answer came as a surprise to her. "I don't hate you, Satoshi." And then she gave him that smile she didn't know he loved, and he felt his heart lightened by it.
She didn't hate him. She didn't hate him. She didn't hate him! Nothing could have brought down his spirits now, nothing. But then she turned around toward the window again and he felt a sharp pain stab his heart.
"Satoshi?" Risa called quietly.
"Hm?"
"I um…have an idea…to keep ourselves warm."
Satoshi blinked. He had not expected her to find one so soon. Was there something out the window? "And what's that?"
"We could…um…you know…." Risa hesitated. Should she tell him? Even if it was embarrassing, she didn't want to freeze to death and was sure that Satoshi didn't want to die here either. "Hug…" she said in an almost inaudible whisper.
She didn't even have time to take in a breath of air when it happened. Satoshi strode behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, burying his face in her hair. He pressed her against him and held on even more tightly than before, as if afraid to let go. Risa would have screamed, she would kicked and punched and done anything to get away but she didn't move a muscle. She didn't do anything but let him take her in his arms. For some reason, it felt right.
"Risa," he whispered in her ear and her body instantly began heating up. "I never hated you."
"What?" she said in surprise. "But…but you were always so mean to me!"
"I'm sorry for that, I really am. But it's your fault, you know," his voice was suddenly playful and extremely handsome (Risa's ears went red when she thought this), "you always made me nervous. I couldn't act normal whenever you were there."
"W-Why?" asked Risa.
Instead of answering, Satoshi simply continued to hug Risa, and Risa didn't mind the silence much anymore.
She didn't want him to leave. She didn't want him to stop holding her. For the first time, she didn't want the storm outside to end. Was she going crazy? The boy she had always had a bad attitude with was suddenly holding her so passionately and kindly. Maybe she really was going crazy. Maybe this night was full of crazy people like them. Crazy people living in a crazy world…she thought it seemed interesting.
Satoshi took Risa's hand and spun her around to face him like he would have done if they were dancing. He smiled at her and she stared at him.
She was seeing him for the first time.
He took her waist and she took his shoulder and soon, they were locked in a never-ending slow dance. In their eyes were each other's reflections and they knew, without exchanging words, that they felt the same for each other.
"Sorry for telling you to shut up," said Satoshi a bit awkwardly. Risa could see through the dimness that he was blushing. She smiled at him.
"It's okay. I was stupid for getting angry at that."
And then Satoshi brought her in so close that their faces were merely inches apart. His breath fell on her lips and her eyes fell on his. "Risa," he said slowly. She looked up at him, hardly daring to believe that this was all real.
"Satoshi," she cut in. "Let's slow this dance down. I don't want this to end…at least not yet." She laid her head against his chest and she heard him chuckle. They continued on dancing without music but it was the best dance she had ever had.
They didn't notice that outside, the snow was beginning to lessen, allowing the full moon to clearly light up the room. Satoshi couldn't hold it back anymore. He wanted her to know that the only reason why he showed up for the St. White's Day festival in the first place was so that he could dance with her. He wanted her to know so much more but the one thing he wanted to her know the most was that he…
"I love you."
The classroom was their stage, the snow was their audience, and the moonlight now shining in through the windows was their spotlight.