Neru and Haku, A highschool Dance
"Can I borrow your curling iron?" Miku asked.
"Sure, go ahead," I replied, rolling my eyes. I don't know why she bothers curling her hair, it looks great in its natural straight form, but she always gets this way before a dance. She curls her hair to try to look impressive, only to straighten it again right before the dance, deciding natural is better. I know for a fact she'll be torn between two different outfits, even though she's only bought one for the occasion, she'll paint her nails three different colors before removing all of the polish and deciding on bare nails, and she'll ask me for my opinion on everything and anything just to make sure she looks perfect. I can't help but laugh at the whole situation, it's so predictable, yet, no one but me seems to notice.
"Neru, aren't you going to get ready?" Miku asks as she places two different sets of earrings against her ears, trying to decide which one looks better.
"Miku I am ready," I say. She turns her whole body to look at me.
"When did you get dressed?" She asks.
"Probably when you plucking your eyebrows or deciding which necklace to wear," I reply.
"Well, you look lovely. It's a shame you don't have a date. You should have gone with Kiyoteru when he asked you!"
"I'd rather go alone than with Kiyoteru."
"He's not that bad! Sure, he's a bit of a nerd, but he's kind of cute in that awkward geeky sort of way!"
"Then why don't you go with him," I say my voice growing sour with annoyance.
"Geez, don't be such a sourpuss. I know who you want to go to the dance with. Does she have a date?"
"No," I say matter of factly.
"Well then maybe tonight will be the night," Miku says.
I shrug my shoulders. "It's never going to happen," I tell myself. But there's still a small part of me that thinks, maybe tonight will be the night. I crush that thought with the force of a baseball bat hitting a ripe tomato.
"Neru," Miku announces, "I think I'm ready."
She steps out of the bathroom and stands in front of the full length mirror on the closet. She's stunning. Her glossy teal hair is tied back into her signature pigtails which are curled into ringlets on the ends. Her dress is a ruffley pink thing that hits above her knees. It's short enough to be classified as sexy, but long enough so she isn't letting people "see the show" before buying the metaphorical ticket. Her shoes, of course, match her dress, and her make up is flawless. She looks like a perfect princess; cute, pretty, but still having traces of a cheeky, sexual side. She's what guys dream of and what girls strive to become; she is hated, loved, desired and envied, like some sort of precious gem. She looks fantastic, although, that comes as no surprise, Miku always looks fantastic.
"Should I have picked a different dress?" Miku asks.
Suddenly, the perfect princess I just saw before me has vanished and is replaced with a 16 year old girl. Just that. A 16 year old girl, with all of her insecurities and problems and flaws. Just an awkward princess who despite all of her beauty, questions whether she's good enough to go to the ball.
"Maybe I should have done my nails," she mumbles, biting her lip.
I stand next to Miku and grip her by her shoulders.
"Miku, you know I rarely compliment anyone," I say, staring into her eyes, "but I'm going to say this. You look BEAUTIFUL."
"You really mean it?" She asks.
"I've never said a thing I didn't mean," I reply.
"So you don't think I'm wearing too much eyeliner?"
"No, you're barely wearing any!" I say, laughing, "Kaito is a very lucky guy."
"Thanks Neru," Miku says, giving me a hug, "Ya know, for only being a year older than me you sure know a lot of stuff."
I smile at her, and we both turn to face the mirror.
"You look gorgeous Neru," Miku says.
I know she means what she says, unfortunately it's not true. My honey blonde hair is slung into a side ponytail tied off with a black ribbon. My black dress has few embellishments, just a yellow ribbon tied around my waist. Black high heels and leather fingerless gloves complete the ensemble. I'm wearing too much eyeliner. I look striking, powerful, tough, but I don't look the way a girl should look going to a highschool dance. I don't look like a princess, I look like a warrior. Instead of looking fresh and innocent, I look battered and used. The reason I know a lot of stuff is because I've seen a lot of stuff, and my appearance shows it.
"I really mean it Neru, you look hot," Miku says.
I smile. My smile reflects back at me. Maybe if I smile more I'll look less intimidating. Standing next to Miku, in the safety of my bedroom, I almost do feel like a princess. I savor the feeling, knowing it won't last, but enjoying it while its there. Miku claps her hands excitedly.
"Well, we could stand her for ages talking about how pretty we all are, but we have a dance to get to!"
Miku grabs my arm and practically has to drag me out the door. Oh, yeah, the dance, I had almost forgotten. My stomach churns with a mixture of dread and anticipation. I feel my head spinning and my heart beats like an off beat drummer; hard, loud and in time with no particular rhythm. It's horrendously fitting for the current situation.
Our high heels click against the hardwood flooring in the hallway of our apartment. Really, it's Miku's apartment, she just lets me live with her given the predicament at my own home, but that's a story for another time. Miku trots ahead of me and does a little spin. Her smile is so wide I think her face might break.
"Neru, tonight is gonna be great. I can feel it!"
Miku's happiness takes on a presence of its own. You can feel it radiating off of her, filling everything she touches. It's infectious, like a virus, but the kind you'd want to catch. Miku skips ahead of me as well as one can skip in three inch heels, scattering her explosive happiness as she goes. Maybe she's right. Maybe there is something in the air tonight. Maybe something special will happen. Tonight might be the night. For once in my life, I'm optimistic and it feels brilliant. Maybe I should try it more often. I smile to myself, and walk faster to catch up to Miku. In my mind, I catch some of her happiness as if it were a tangible object and store it for later.
A/N Well that concludes the first chapter. I anticipate this story having three or four chapters, so stay tuned for more. I absolutely adore this pairing and I think that Neru and Haku's personalities compliment each other nicely. As always, R&R! I love your criticisms, comments and complaints.
Sayonara for now, good reader!
~Olivia