Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto! Those characters belong to Misashi Kishimoto. However all the OCs and the storyline I do own. I got the inspiration for this from Kaleido Star.
Heart of a Dancer
Chapter One: The Amazing Invitation
A cry of exasperation erupted from the kitchen where I was having an argument with my father. We had been going at it for hours and I was not about to back down. I was going to that audition if it killed me. "Why not? Do you know how hard it is just to get an invitation?" I yelled at him with all my might.
The invitation in question was a formal invite from the renowned Salerion Theater. They had a scout at the recital I snuck out to who liked what he saw. It was a huge honor and my father just didn't understand how much I wanted to dance there. It was a dream of mine; one that I had gotten from my aunt, my dad's sister.
My father, Damien Wood, was not a man one would cross on any level of frequency. Though it seemed that was a dangerous hobby of mine. Even now his cerulean eyes narrowed into the fiercest look he ever showed me. "If you go to that audition I will never let you back in this house. You will never return home!" My own eyes, the perfect feminine copies of his own, widened at his remark.
My breath caught in my throat threatening to choke me. Never return… I gritted my teeth and my resolve hardened. "Fine! I'll go and I'll defiantly make it in; so don't worry about me coming back!" I gave a cry of frustration and ran to my room. I slammed my door before letting my tears go. I slid down the door and sobbed for a good while.
When I finally stopped I wiped my eyes and stood. Can't waste time, can I? I grabbed my trunk from under my bed and began packing. After I had finished with my clothes I realized that I needed new dancing equipment if I was going to pass that audition.
The shoes and leotard that I had used at the recital were old and tattered to pieces. I threw them away and closed the trunk. Hopefully I could get in touch with Aunt Rachel. She would know what to do.
I pulled on a sweatshirt over my jeans and t-shirt. I grabbed my trunk and marched down the hall. A few more steps and I would be gone from this place. "Honey?" A musical voice called out. Mom. I sat my trunk down beside the door and made my way back to the kitchen. Marianne was her name and it suited her. She had long blonde hair, but it was much lighter than my golden locks. Her eyes were a beautiful green, so clear. I smiled at her, but the one in return was sad.
"Will you stay until dinner? Your father called Rachel. She should be here by then. And you can't leave without saying goodbye to your brother. Think of how Jack would take that. He and your father fight enough as it is." She sighed and went back to stirring the soup in a large pot. I sat down at the table and placed my head in my arms.
"I have to go." I said quietly.
"I know." She replied as I drifted into an exhausted sleep.
Later when I awoke Rachel was nudging me to get up for dinner. I rubbed my eyes and blinked the world into clarity. My dad was missing but beside my bowl of soup there was a small envelope filled with money. I smiled down at it. The jerk. Dinner was quiet. Jack wasn't as upset as mom feared. He got into a college in the city so he could come and see me. He promised he would.
We waited for dad but he didn't show. Mom said she would tell him goodbye for me. I nodded. I couldn't prolong the inevitable.
I hugged them goodbye and followed Rachel out to her car. She had already loaded up my trunk and held open the passenger side door for me to get in. I hurried inside and clicked on the seat belt. The countryside flew by as we sped towards the city.
"So how is the studio?" I asked casually. Rachel works as an instructor at a dance studio in the city. She taught me everything I knew about dancing. She smiled.
"It's been good. Since auditions for the theater companies are coming up more people have been coming in for help with routines and such. Oh, that reminds me. Do you have a routine yet, Hana?" She asked seriously. I bit my lip and shook my head. I was going to have to make one quick.
"I have a few but they're not good enough." I sighed. This was hopeless.
"I figured. Well, it's a good thing I have one made for you then, isn't it?" My eyes widened.
"Really? Oh Rachel, you're the best!" I sighed in relief and let out a giggle. "What's it like?"
"Well, right before the finale you're going to do four sets of eight fouettes en tournant with grand jetes in between. I think I'll have you start with a pique into a jete and then a plie into a pirouette and the finale might be an attitude en pointe. If you can hold it, that is." I was speechless. The routine sounded so cool.
"I can't wait! Let's start tomorrow if you're not busy, okay?" Rachel let out a laugh.
"I thought you'd say that. We can start before the studio opens. Then you'll have to practice on your own." I nodded enthusiastically. We continued to talk about details until we entered into the city limits. I stared out the window in awe. It was much larger since the last time I visited. "There's been a lot of development." Rachel commented. I nodded.
Moments later we parked outside an apartment complex. As we carried my stuff up to her apartment I remembered something very important. "Rachel, there's something I need to tell you." She opened her door and helped me get the trunk through.
"What is it?" She asked curiously.
"I…Well, I threw out my old leotard and ballet shoes." She stood there for a moment and then a smile lit up her features. Her chestnut hair and violet eyes made her very popular with the male dancers she worked with as well as her grace and poise.
"I have new ones for you, as well as a duffle bag and other dance supplies. I have a cell phone in it too. So you can call me or you family. Hey don't look at me like that. It was no trouble. And I give myself a bonus around this time of year anyway, so it wasn't like it was a burden or anything." I ran and hugged her tightly.
"Thank-you, Rachel. You're the best aunt a girl could wish for." She hugged me back.
"I'm just glad I had a niece who likes dancing as much as I do. You'll do great at those auditions. I just know it."
After that she showed me to the couch with ton of extra blankets and wouldn't let me peek at the duffle bag hidden away in her room. I feel asleep dreaming about all the different types of leotards that could be inside.
"Morning, Hana! Wake up, or I'll leave you here." Rachel's warning forced my eyes open. I pulled myself up from the bundle of blankets. I was wearing a very large t-shirt of Rachel's ex-boyfriend. "There's cereal on the table. Hurry up and eat." I went to the said table and quickly devoured the cold soggy substance.
"What time is it?"
"About four-fifteen. I thought you would want a shower and it takes a while for the water to warm. It's getting there right now. Bathroom's down the hall." I grabbed a change of clothes and trudged in that direction with groggy steps. A shower would do me good right now. The warm water roused me from the grasps of sleep and soon I was feeling refreshed.
I looked down at the clothes I had grabbed; jeans and a blue camisole with a white wrap. Not too bad for someone half asleep. After dressing I went back to living room. I grabbed my brush and began unknotting my long tresses. Rachel came out from her room in jeans, a violet baby-tee and a jacket. She had two duffel bags, one was beige and the other forest green. She tossed the beige one to me.
"It has one of my spare leotards, cover-sweats and your shoes. I wore them around so the box would take better to your foot. That way you won't get blisters from today's lesson." I looked at her questioningly.
"What about my leotard." I asked raising an eyebrow. She laughed.
"That's a surprise for the audition. Now, can you hurry up and put your shoes on it's already four-fifty. I want to be at the studio in ten minutes." I nodded and quickly pulled on my sneakers and grabbed a light jacket and my new duffel bag.
As we walked to her car I noticed that my bag had my name on it. It was a beautiful patch with my first name in a lovely cursive script and a blue rose sewn onto the side of the bag. I smiled to myself. Rachel was too nice for her own good.
We were late. So what? I mean it was only five-fifteen when we walked into the studio but Rachel was flipping it saying that we wouldn't have enough time for me to learn at least a fourth of the three minute routine.
"You have less than a month we have to take this seriously, Hana." I nodded solemnly and wished she would give it a rest. We went into the changing room and put on our dancing outfits.
I smiled when I lifted out a pearly white leotard. It was very pretty and dainty too. It fit Rachel. I pulled it on and began to look at the other contents. Along with everything from tape to bandages there was a pair of perfect ballet shoes. They were a gorgeous shade of blue that I figured match way too closely with my eyes. Rachel's older leg warmers and mini-shirt matched the leotard but it was apparent that the outfit was not the one for the shoes. Those laced up to my knees but the leg warmers covered the laces. The top was loose but it stopped an inch or two above where my bellybutton was hidden beneath the leotard. I pulled my long hair up into a bun and looked into the mirror. I tried to tell myself I looked like a dancer.
After dressing I joined Rachel in the smallest of the dance rooms or Studio F. "Do you like them?" She asked motioning towards the shoes while stretching." I nodded and joined her.
"I love them. They're perfect. Thanks, Aunt Rachel." We finished stretching quickly and I began learning my routine. It was difficult, no lie, but by eight we had gone through nearly half of it. The hardest part now was for me to perfect the moves Rachel had shown me.
"Okay, my first class is starting now so if you need me I will be in Studio B. Practice but don't injure yourself. If you hurt your feet then you can kiss Salerion goodbye. So take breaks okay, and rub your feet!" She shut the door leaving me alone.
At first I went through the steps without music trying to make sure I had the order and a rhythm in mind. It was difficult trying to get the pace right with the song Rachel had picked out. It was a beautiful Swedish song by Nanne Gronval called "Om Du Var Min", or "If You Were Mine" in English. It started out slow enough but it quickly sped into a blinding array of jumps and bends and kicks.
When my feet started to ache I took a break. I pulled off my leg warmers and slowly untied my silk laces before removing my precious shoes. I sighed a breath of relief when my feet were sore and red but not blistered. I started to massage them for a while and eventually the redness faded and they started to feel much better. I was about to slip my shoes back on when Rachel came in. She looked worried.
"Have you been practicing this entire time? I told you to take breaks." I frowned.
"But it hasn't been that long and I have been rubbing my feet for a while now." Rachel sighed and shook her head.
"It's already twelve-thirty. Hana, you've been in here for hours. I swear if you got sucked any farther into your own little world you'd dance until you'd die." I stuck my tongue out at her.
"No I wouldn't! My feet started to hurt so I took a break. I'm glad you started to break these shoes in. I really hate blisters." I laughed slightly. "So what did you want? Is it lunchtime?" I asked hopefully. I was starving and my stomach was growling loudly. She nodded.
"But we have to hurry. I have to be back by one for my next class."
"That was the fastest I've ever eaten. Who knew that there would be a vending machine that sold real food right around the corner from your studio? You know it took me a year after those were made to hear about them. I swear the country is like a whole different world." Rachel and I laughed as we changed back into our leotards.
As we walked out of the changing room others were walking in. One tall brunette stopped and asked Rachel if they were going to work on fouettes en tournant and attitudes. An idea popped into my head. I glanced over at Rachel meeting her gaze. When she smiled and nodded I fought to contain my enthusiasm.
Once we were alone in the hallway I turned to her. "Will it be okay for me to crash your lesson?" Rachel shrugged.
"It won't be a problem as long as you follow directions and dance your ass off." She said nonchalantly. I rolled my eyes. Like I didn't already do my best.
"But this was a fun coincidence." I said giving Rachel a knowing smile. She raised an eyebrow.
"What, I didn't plan this one. I told them the lesson plan like two weeks ago." I made a mumbled reply and stood in the back of the room as the students filed in. They were all elegant in their skintight leotards and fresh shoes. Their up-dos were even stunning.
Somewhere deep inside that ugly little monster called low self-esteem peeked a glimpse into my world. I bit down on my lip and pushed the thought from my mind. I was determined that I was not about to let some fancy looking chic in a brand new leotard show me up. Even if I wished I looked like them.
I took up a place behind them and focused on Rachel's movements. She was amazing and her skill was very high. Anyone would be lucky to be taught by her. Had the accident not happened she would have gone far in the dancing world. I focused more on the movements and continued to follow her instructions. I soon felt myself moving forward rivaling those tropical fish to challenge me for glory.
I finished perfectly in time with Rachel. The attitude was difficult true, but I believe that I nailed it. Rachel seemed to think so as well as she gave me a breath-taking smile. I returned the smile she gave me and took a quick glance over my shoulder. Going off the looks I was receiving I said that I did a fairly good job.
"If only the audition would go that easily." I commented in the changing room. I wrinkled my nose to the sweat clinging to my body. Rachel laughed.
"Honey, if it wasn't hard you wouldn't try. Isn't that why you worked so hard and strived to catch their attention?" I blushed then nodded in agreement.
That night I was dead tired. My feet never ache as much as they did that night. I soaked myself in a fifteen minute lukewarm shower. Rachel was in right after me and we chatted while I combed through my hair in the bathroom.
"I'll admit I was nervous seeing all those painted dancers walking in there. Jealous too, they looked so pretty."
"Hana, you're gorgeous, why you would be jealous of those girls is beyond me." I rolled my eyes.
"I am not gorgeous. Cute maybe, possible even pretty, but not gorgeous." I heard her laugh. "Dinner was pretty good. I mean I like Chinese food but are you sure I should be eating all this junk food though?"
"Hmm, probably not. I'll try to fix our lunches from now on and we'll eat in for dinner more often too. I want you in tiptop shape for the audition."
It was three days until the audition. Rachel was drilling me again and again trying to get the timing perfect. "There, hold it a little longer. Okay release." I collapsed in a heap of deep breaths and sweat. I met Rachel's frown with tired eyes.
"What is it? It can't be the timing. It's nearly perfect and that's a feat in itself. What else can I do?" Rachel didn't say anything for a while.
"Let's take a break. Go change." I was confused.
"What? No, I am going to do this right if it kills me. I can't go into the audition like this. I'll never make it this way." I covered my face with my hands. Salty tears flooded my vision and I fought to contain it. I wasn't usually like this; the stress of wanting to make this routine perfect was getting to me…Bad. I just wanted to get in so much. Rachel knelt beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Go change, Hana. I'm going take you to a place that will help. I promise you will understand and when it's all said and done. You'll be ready for the audition. Come on, dry you eyes. You'll need them." I looked up at her. She busted out laughing. I glared at her and stormed off to the locker rooms.
I changed into jeans and a violet tank. Rachel came in and handed me my brown leather jacket. "You might want to splash some water on your face." I grabbed the jacket and went over to the sinks. I cringed at my reflection; yeah I've had better days. My eyes were red and puffy. There were also red streaks down each of my cheeks. Rachel came up behind me. "It's not that bad. Here I have some foundation; it'll take the redness away."
I washed my face gently and took a seat to let Rachel work her magic. "There. You look great, now hurry up I have a class in an hour. Don't forget your bag." I looked myself once over in the mirror. I sighed in relief. At least I looked like myself again. I grabbed my duffel bag and hurried out the door. I met Rachel in the car and we drove off into downtown.
I wasn't familiar with the area but Rachel sped along with a determination that numbed me. We pulled up to the front of an old building. "Where are we?" I asked. Rachel smiled.
"Get out of the car and see. Oh, and take your bag." I gave her a questioning look but I did as she said. I watched as she waved and then left me stranded. I sighed and looked back at the building. I took a deep breath, pushed back my shoulders, and strutted into the building. The hall was empty except for a lone desk with a middle aged woman typing on the computer. I went over to her and hoped that she could tell me what this place actually was. She looked up and gave me a blank stare.
"Can I help you?" I nodded.
"I hope so. I was wondering if you could tell me what this place is. I was dropped off here but I am not sure what here is." She gave me a weird look but told me anyway.
"You are at the Downtown Recital Hall. It's a space that is used by anyone and everyone to practice routines or put on plays. Anything that has to deal with the arts is welcomed here. It's a free space but you'll have to sign up for a slot in order to use it. However, you can look around and see if there is anything to watch." I thanked her and made my way down another hall and into a small auditorium. There was about thirty rows of seats and a small stage in the front. I looked around and didn't see anyone.
No one would know if I used the space…If someone comes in then I'll just leave. Surely there wouldn't be a problem. I walked up onto the stage and sat my bag down at the edge. I looked around and found a small backstage area to change. I grabbed Rachel's leotard and ducked into the space. I quickly changed and then took a seat to switch out my shoes. I looked once more at the door before starting the routine. When I finished I was shaking with frustration. I slumped to the floor and sighed in a defeated tone.
Rachel said that I would understand when I got here. "I don't know what else to do." At that moment a chair squeaked. My head shot up and I looked around the auditorium. A shadowy figure came into view. All I could make out was an outline of a guy.
"In your dancing, you lack emotion. Have you even thought about what the song to the piece means?" My eyes widened. At first I was numb, I hadn't even had music playing, and then realization washed over me. That was it. I had been so caught up in trying to nail every move that I hadn't even stopped and listened to the music itself. I smile and looked up.
"Thank-y…." The person was gone. I carefully made my way to where the person was standing. The only thing there was a navy blue business card. On one side there was a red and white fan symbol and on the other was the name "Uchiha". I stared at the door as it slowly slid shut completely.
I walked back to the stage and removed my shoes. I then grabbed my clothes and changed back into my jeans and shirt. I pulled on my jacket and boots before stuffing the rest of my things back into my bag.
I quickly changed and grabbed my stuff. I said goodbye to the woman on the way out and made my way to a bus stop. While riding back to the studio I thought I saw a shadow near me but it was nothing. My mind was elsewhere. I couldn't wait to get back and let Rachel know of my epiphany.
The studio was already closed when I got there but Rachel was waiting for me in her car. "So, did it help?" She asked when she saw my grin. I nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah, there was this guy there and he said I needed to pay more attention to the emotion in the music. I never thought of that…I mean I've only listened to it a few times without dancing and then I was much more focused on rhythm than anything else." Rachel shrugged and cranked the car. She raised an eyebrow.
"So, it was a boy?" I rolled my eyes.
"That's beside the point. Anyway, I was thinking that since you like the singer so much you would know what the song stood for."
"Well, from what I can remember it is a tale about two lovers that ends badly due to some mistake they made. However, the speaker wants to stay with the person because their love is still true and strong. Unfortunately, is doesn't seem like that is entirely possible."
Hana was quiet for a moment. She frowned and thought hard about how this could affect the way the dance should be portrayed. "Do we have the cd?" Rachel popped it in and pushed play. Hana went over the moves in her head as the song played and thought about the story. She instantly connected with it and began to smile.
"Is it coming along?" Rachel asked with a smirk.
"I believe that if I don't get in we should sue." Hana remarked seriously. Rachel just laughed
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AN: Just for the record I used Google translator on the song Om Du Var Min so if this isn't the right way to go about its meaning….Sorry, I tried. So, this was the first chapter of Heart of a Dancer. Just to test the waters I am going to ask for a minimum of 5 reviews before I put up the next chapter just so I know I am not wasting my time writing a Sasuke fic that no one will read. So, review and let me know if you liked it, loved it, even hate it. I don't really care. (Honest critiques are always welcomed.)