Kei thought parties like this were a waste of time.
Frankly, he never saw the point of them (because, in all actuality, who would want to be here when they could be getting work done?) and hated it when his father dragged him along and invited his classmates from SA to help out. Still the argument his youthful father put up was indeed valid. These sorts of events were good for the company.
Though, that didn't stop Kei from spending most of those evenings in the corner of the room after making his rounds, watching as his father, or friends in this situation, attempt to charm other rich people into supporting the Takishima company.
This particular event was pretty terrible, and that meant a lot considering Kei had spent many hours suffering in happenings like this. The stench of alcohol was overwhelming and the dancing, though innocent enough for the time being, was slowly being influenced by the substance...And was getting progressively indecent. His classmates, to their credit, did not drink (first, they were underage and second, they knew better) and tolerated both the guys and girls who tried more daring moves. When some were a bit too unsteady, they would gently put their hands on the others shoulders and escort them over to a chair, explaining that they should sit for awhile. They obeyed immediately, because most were too drunk to do otherwise.
While the SA members dealt with the young ones, Kei's father collected more support from those who were coherent enough to make out what he was saying.
Kei wasn't blind to the fact that he wasn't the most pleasant person to be around. He was quiet most of the time and even when someone managed to get him to speak, he came off as either very rude or a bit snobbish, which he couldn't understand considering the fact that everyone attending those parties would have to be rich and snobbish to even get invited. he decided that his friends and his father were thoughtful with their words and would be more effective than him.
Kei had simply accepted his position as the eye candy. Something to look at from a distance and admire.
Honestly, he didn't mind it either. He was fine with observing what was going on, seeing who was talking to who and making sure that everyone was speaking highly of the Takishima company. And, right now, his main concern was making sure a certain Miss Second Place didn't screw anything up.
Hikari looked admittedly stunning in her sky blue and white dress with her black hair swaying graciously as she playfully danced around with Akira. But, the young prodigy was not watching her because of her appearance-
Okay...Maybe he was admiring the view just a little bit.
But that was beside the point. He was mostly monitoring her actions to ensure that she wasn't doing anything reckless. She had a habit of letting her fists do the talking, which was pretty much unacceptable when it came to parties like these. She was uncontrollable and, as much as he did admire her for that, he didn't want her beating up wealthy people and giving the Takishima company a bad name.
He had to find a way to contain her, if only for a few moments, before she overreacted and ruined anything.
He watched her as she made conversation with the sons of several potential patrons. She was being smooth for once, because the boys were laughing and weren't sporting terrified expressions in her presence. Kei could see several of the wealthier supporters passing glances and nodding, so he assumed she was in the clear for now.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could she his father whispering something into Ryuu's ear, the green haired boy nodding, as if understanding exactly what he must do. Ryuu approached Hikari, startling her and dramatically offering her hand for a dance. Although Kei could feel a tug of jealousy, he had to admit that this antic of his father's was quite good. Cooperation between members always got more attention, especially in a crowd like this.
Hikari laughed as she took Ryuu's hand. Over the music, Kei could hear her exclaim: "I don't know how to dance!"
Ryuu spun her around in large circles and a crowd formed almost instantaneously around them, all happy, cheering and drunk. Even rivaling companies were clapping along with others as the dance ended and Ryuu bowed overdramatically, immediately getting rushed by a herd of girls. Kei exhaled, thankful for all the attention they had attracted and the fact that it was over. He closed his eyes and continued leaning against the wall.
"Maybe there's nothing to worry about after all..." He murmured, letting the tension that had been consuming him the entire night leave his body. Hikari appeared to be helping the cause and not hindering it, which was quite surprising. He had been underestimating her, as he found himself doing often.
He stayed like that for a while, eyes closed and listening to whatever songs that were booming from the extremely loud speakers littering the large ballroom, until someone poked his arm.
He opened his eyes, a bit taken aback to find Hikari bouncing in front of him, smiling that smile of hers that made his stomach do backflips.
"What are you doing back here?" He snapped, not bothering to beat around the bush. He mentally berates himself right after the words escape his lips because the question sounded so unbearably rude that even he is offended by the tone of his voice. He never was one for avoiding the obvious, so he gets to the point pretty quickly. Most of the time, he doesn't think about it much, but this was Hikari he was talking to and this time he sounds so offensive and regrets it. He hated that feeling.
"Oh, I just wanted to see why you're still back here." Hikari is completely oblivious towards the force in his voice, thank goodness, and replied with the exact sharpness. Usually, it was the thing he was really annoyed with when it came to her. The fact that she was so thickheaded that it wasn't even funny at this point. She made Tadashi look like the most sensitive man in the world. But, he respected the fact that she was always on her toes and could handle Kei's unintentional jabs or actions. She wasn't fragile like all the other girls who he'd encountered throughout his life. He liked that about her. "Why aren't you out talking to all these wonderful people? Aren't these parties to get support for your group?"
He was glad she remembered and such would explain her thoughtful behavior for the evening. At least she was serious about helping him...For now, that is.
"You guys are better at that." Kei shrugged. "I just keep a mental note of which guys or girls you seem to impress the most. That way I can make sure my father talk to their parents later."
"You look like a creep hanging around in shady corners like that." Hikari examined. Kei simply rolled his eyes and she chuckled in response. "Oh, c'mon Takishima! Dance with me!"
He blinked at her in disbelief. First, a part of him, the part that was desperately wanting her, hoped that maybe, just maybe, she wanted to dance with him because she liked him the way he liked her. But her eyes shown with innocence, completely dashing those fantasies immediately. She was just trying to play nice. He knew that she was much too dense for anything more than that.
"I'd rather not." He muttered, looking in a different direction to avoid the disappointed look she was about to sport. He tugged at the cuffs of his suit halfheartedly as the black haired girl raised an eyebrow.
"Why not? It'll be fun, I promise!" She took his hand and gave it a little tug. When Kei didn't resist immediately (mostly because his head was still spinning at the fact she was holding his hand), Hikari managed to drag him to the dance floor.
"Hikari." Kei had finally gained his bearings and planted his feet on the ground firmly. "This isn't a good idea-"
"Shut it, Takishima." Hikari yanked him to the center of the floor. "Don't give me that." She stopped hauling him once they had reached their intended destination, the center of the dance floor. "I'd be challenging you to a pro wrestling match if it weren't for this stupid thing." She motioned to her long, flowing dress. "So, I'll settle for a dance."
"Well, what does that have to do with me?" He huffed. Sure, he'd do anything with Hikari, but he drew the line when it came to dancing in front of a bunch of wealthy, drunk folks who were supporting his company.
"I'm wearing this dress, the most uncomfortable thing ever, and I'm still having fun. This whole thing is for your group, and yet your standing in the corner looking as friendly as a bear looking for its next meal." She smirked at him and for the first time ever, he felt self conscious. Was he really that intimidating? "We're dancing and that's final."
He shook his head. She was winning, damn it, and he hated it when he lost. "I'm not a good dancer." He explained as if that excuse would solve everything. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he had never danced with anyone. He'd turned down every single girl that approached him and suddenly he regretted it.
"Neither am I." Hikari grinned.
"But you and Ryuu-"
"Ryuu was just messing with me, Takishima. Spinning in circles isn't exactly talent. Besides, you expect me to believe my eternal rival doesn't know how to dance? As far as I know, you're good at everything, I'm pretty sure dancing is no exception." The upbeat song that had been playing ended and a new one began, slow and romantic. She looked to him in question and Kei suppressed the urge to groan.
She put a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to look at her.
She smiled reassuringly.
He'd let her have this one. Just once, he'd let her win.
"Fine." He sighed, knowing he'd regret this later. "I'll accept this challenge."
"Yes!" Hikari pumped a fist in the air before grabbing his hands.
She started to try to move with the music, but had about as much rhythm as a brick. Kei couldn't help but laugh, a soft chuckling that was deep and genuine. Hikari pouted in an impossibly endearing way.
"You are terrible." Kei teased, trying to move her in a more predictable way. He remembered some od the moves he had witnessed and, thanks to his photographic memory, he slipped his hand out of hers and rested it on her hip. She was surprised and gave him a pointed glare, but adapted to the new accommodations fairly quickly, following Kei's lead as he guided them through the music.
"You're right. I'm pretty bad." She admitted and shrugged, accepting the fact. "As predicted, you're amazing. Where'd you learn these moves, Takishima? And you said you weren't good at dancing! Like I said, I knew it was just an excuse."
Kei spun her around once before answering.
"I guess after all these years of watching others do it has rubbed off on me." He replied as he pulled her close and then smirked. He had always been a quick learner.
He hardly noticed the group gathering around them to watch. All the members of SA were there, grinning and whispering things to each other. He nearly missed all the murmurs of the typical: "Look, there goes Takishima and that Hanazono girl."
He caught the voices and faces, but he stored them away in his memory for later. Right now, he would enjoy this rare moment with Hikari where they weren't challenging each other to something pointless. He was having fun. It was only Hikari who could get him to feel this way.
And he loved her for that.
It was nice, keeping up his undefeated winning streak. He and Hikari always had this insistent kind of battle for dominance in all things. He was happy just to be with her, holding her close and seeing that smile on her face.
He spun Hikari once more. He instantly regretted that decision because she came reeling back towards him, stepping on his foot and shoving him hard, sending them both to the ground with a thud.
Kei let a small noise of complaint escape from his lips as his back hit the ground and weight was pressed to his torso. When he opened his eyes, he was met with two dark eyes, wide and shocked. Her hair tickled the sides of his face and her nose right above his. They were completely still for a moment before Kei broke the silence by laughing.
He couldn't help it. This girl...She was just so odd. The way she always rose to the challenge and never gave up. The way she was so smart in the classroom but so lost when it came to his feelings for her. The way she could completely turn things around and brighten his day was incredible.
It was even more amazing how he didn't even mind the fact that she had just embarassed him in front of a bunch of his supporters.
Hikari, though momentarily confused by Kei's break in character, soon joined in, letting her own giggles mix in with his.
Before long, the laughter spread until everyone in the room was smiling and chuckling...Well, except for Akira, who looked like she was ready to commit homicide.
Finally, Hikari climbed off her rival and offered him her hand. Kei obliged, getting up and still smiling slightly.
Kei didn't mind going to parties anymore. Not when he had Hikari there to make things interesting.
All the supporters the company got that night were pretty great too.