9. 17. 2017
"A terre!"
The dancers move their feet to the ground, stretching out one leg alongside one arm.
"Arabesque allonge'!" Gracefully, Ara stands on her toes, one leg lifting up elegantly as she raised both her arms.
Her silky black hair was pulled back into a bun, her posture perfect as she curved her back.
"Magnifiquement fait, Ara!" The ballet teacher clapped her hands, nodding in approval at the maiden's movements, "You live up to your esteemed family's name well!"
"Merci Arlea," Ara replied, smiling gently as she lowered her legs and arms.
It was the same old routine everyday: violin lessons in the morning, study sessions in the afternoon, and ballet practice in the evening. The routine in which she lived her life every single day. It was boring. It was repetitive. It wasn't the life she desired, but- it was the life her parents wanted her to live. It's not like she didn't enjoy the many wonders of music and dancing. She loved ballet, finding it to be elegant and regal, well-suited for her slender body. But she also loved the other forms of dancing: tap dancing, modern dancing, folk dancing, ballroom dancing, but most of all, break-dancing. The very form scowled upon by those around her.
"That shall be all for today my little ducklings! Please try to improve your posture and movements by following mademoiselle Ara's example!" Arlea said, clapping her hands twice to signify the end of ballet practice.
Murmurs of thank you and goodbyes fluttered into the atmosphere from the rest of the students as they left the practice room. However Ara always stayed behind, the reason left unknown to most. They never questioned it, perhaps believing that she remained to continue her ballet practice; after all, the dance studio was owned by the maiden's family. Once the last of the students left the room, Ara took in a deep breath, crossing her legs and folding her arms. Slowly, she released that breath, her feet beginning to move as she swayed along. She raised her arms, her legs lifting onto her toes as she twirled beautifully. There wasn't any music to follow, yet her dance followed a rhythm with perfect precision.
"Chasse'," She whispered, her steps began to chase one another in a sequence as she lifted her head confidently, "en Couru…"
With those words, she began to sprint lightly, her step sequence remaining regal and perfect as she twirled along within the room, enjoying the vast space left behind by the ballet students. For some odd reason, murmuring the terms necessary for her movements greatly helped her when it came to dancing, a habit that she had picked up on when she was young. It wasn't too long until Ara was running and jumping, her arms and legs moving on their own as she twisted her body. After a few more movements, the maiden took a final jump, landing with a twirl as she slowed down. Her body remained within a position of absolute grace, one leg and arm in the front and one leg and arm in the back. Sweat dripped off her face and down her neck, loose strands of hair falling out of her bun as she took a bow.
By now, the sun was setting, glimmers of the last light filtering in through the windows. Ara reached up gently to undo her bun, letting her long hair flutter down her back as she walked over to the window, pushing it open. Gazing out, her heterochromatic eyes took in the lush green grass and stone steps that encircled the ballet studio, a yellow-ish red hue bathing its colors into the greenery.
"It's almost time…" Ara murmured, brushing a hand through her hair as she leaned against the window.
A refreshing breeze blew past, bringing with it leaves and flowers petals which had fallen off the surrounding trees. With a content smile, the female watched as the remaining sunlight flickered out of sight, the moon emerging from the clouds to shower the night with light. This is the time when the Ara that's beautiful, polite, soft-spoken, and elegant goes to sleep, while the A.C.E that's strong, confident, and bold awakens.
This was the time of reflection.
"En guarde!"
The two take their stance, raising their swords to the air as a greeting.
"Pret… Allez!"
With lightning quick speed, one male lunges forward, striking rapidly with his sword as the other futilely tried to parry it. Each attack was valid, relentlessly hitting accurately on the chest as the victim stumbled backwards. The duel was over as soon as it had started, the losing gentleman toppling to the ground at a final blow to the shoulder.
"Arret! The winner is Monsieur Add!" The director sliced his hand downwards, signaling for the two opponents to stop.
Those watching started to clap as Add pulled off his helmet, reaching a hand upwards to wipe away the sweat which dripped down from his hair to his face. His magenta eyes were tinted with boredom as he outstretched a hand to help the other male up, barely keeping up a smile. In the end, everything he did was an act. No one matched up to his skills. No one matched up to his interests. No one matched up to him in general. It was boring. But he kept up the facade, keeping his opinions to himself. Once his opponent was standing on their own two feet, he turned around without another word, dusting off his white uniform as he made his way to the sidelines.
"Jeez Add, no mercy on this match either, huh?" The male's eyes shifted over at the sound of the red-haired boy's voice.
"Don't give me that crap, Elsword. It's not like you hold back either." Elsword smirked.
"Not really, I do hold back. Just not against you," The swordsman grinned devilishly, "You're the first person to ever fight on even footing against me,"
"Even footing, huh? At least you're the only one with actual skills in this dump," Add muttered, shaking his head.
"Wow, as cold as ever. True though, not everyone in here has what it takes to even hold a sword let alone fence with one."
"Well, even though I acknowledged your swordsmanship skills, you might want to tweak that brain of yours to live up to it," A smirk flew across Add's flawless face as a frown fell upon Elsword's.
"Wow rude~! I am hurt Add~!" The red-haired squealed sarcastically, a smirk beginning to decorate his lips as well.
"Yeah yeah, sure. I'm out for tonight, see ya Elboy."
"Au revoir~" Elsword said, flashing a peace sign before turning back to watch the remaining matches.
Answering the peace sign with a slight wave, Add exited the room, letting out a heavy sigh. The hallway was rather dark now since the sun had gone down a few minutes prior to him entering. With light steps, his shoes clicked against the marble floors, emitting a soft sound that echoed off the walls. The other beings within the building turned their heads to him respectfully, admiring his handsome looks and elegant appearance. But of course they would, he was Add, a young gentleman who exceeded in every field possible, heir to the Grenore Institution, and a genius at fencing. Those who didn't respect him were fools who didn't know of his family's accomplishments.
They're all fools either way.
A soft scoff escaped his lips as he rounded the corner, pushing open the glass doors to exit outside. He wondered what the appeal of being in the center of attention was. There wasn't anything great about it. It was just expectations, expectations, and expectations. One burden after the other. You're forced to act a certain way, look a certain way, and do things a certain way. And if even once, you strayed from those ways, those who looked up to you now looked down at you. Honestly, a life like that was the farthest thing Add wanted, but- it was the life his parents wanted. His eyes raised up to the sky, taking in the midnight blue that was littered with stars. Atleast...
"It's almost time," He finished aloud, those simple words pulling a grin to his face.
Indeed it was almost time. The time when the Add that was handsome, polite, and elegant went to the sleep, and the E.N.D that was sarcastic, cool, and bold awakened.
This was the time of reflection.
"ARE YOU READY?!"
The crowd erupted in loud screams and yelling, the neon stage lights flashing wildly as everyone raised their hands up. Outside, hidden in the back alleys of several buildings was a place like no other. A place where anyone and everyone could let loose. A place where no one knew who the other was, where identities didn't matter, and where everyone came under a different name. A place for drinking, for partying, for grinding; but more importantly, a place for the best breakdancers to show off their moves.
"LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE READY! AND HERE THEY ARE, OUR FAVORITE A.C.E AND E.N.D!" At those two names, the crowd once more blew up, their shouts filling the air.
The stage in front of them was soon blasted in orange and purple gas, two lean silhouettes appearing from the shadows to the front. Standing sexily to the left was a girl with long black hair, dressed in a tight orange crop top and loose black sweatpants that showed off her well-toned abs and arms. A mixture of orange and black paint was smeared over her face, stopping at her nose. Her heterochromatic eyes opened at the fangirling of the mob, a smirk flying across her flawless face. Right next to her on the right was a male, dressed in a tight purple tank top and black sweatpants. The tank top, though covering his whole upper portion, was tight enough that everyone could see his abs through it. Silver and purple paint also covered his face, his amethyst eyes flashing with amusement as he turned his eyes to meet A.C.E's. The two shared a cocky and excited look, waiting for the DJ to start this night's time.
"LET'S BEGIN! THE BREAKDANCE SHOWDOWN BETWEEN A.C.E AND E.N.D!"
A/N:
Welcome welcome to [Reflection]!
This story came to me randomly one night while
I was in bed listening to music lol I was like, WHAT IF
ARA WAS A BALLERINA AND ADD WAS A FENCER AND AND AND...
Yeah, you could see where that's going haha
Now then, I wonder where this story will go considering that
the title does play a huge role behind the plot of this story c:
Also no cover image since I can't find one that has
Add and Ara andddd fits with this story x.x
Hopefully, you guys enjoyed this short intro chapter~
Next chapter will definitely be a lot longer haha
Please review and spread the Add x Ara love!