Two whole months in rehab made it almost two years since she joined the club.
When she was released, she told her friends that she'd been overseas on a surprise trip, and tried not to let the guilt overcome her.
She trained hard to get back into the swing of dancing, used foundation to cover the scars around her ankles, and was grateful that the syringe scars in her arms were too light to be noticeable.
Her first reappearance on stage was a surprise to the audience, to say the least.
Akashi made the more money that night than he ever had before – and he realised that perhaps having Satsuki as fallible, as human, able to become victim to temptation like everyone else – made her more alluring than ever.
It was only three months away from her 21st birthday when Akashi spoke to her.
"Satsuki," he muttered, just before she was to perform, "I excused your mishap in rehab last time. One more slip up and you won't be working for me."
She nodded, and headed out, losing herself to the music.
If Kagami Taiga was anything, it was a good officer.
He was sharp, fast on his feet and determined.
So when his father, the owner of a prestigious down town club, asked him to scout their competing opposition, Akashi Naitokurabu, he supposed it'd be just like an investigation for work.
He showed up at the rowdy high-class club with Tatsuya, and awkwardly made his way to the bar, unsure of how to act.
He ordered their drinks from a bartender, wondering what all the commotion around the stage was about.
"First time here, eh?" asked the man making his drink.
Kagami nodded, shoulders hunching in an attempt at making himself invisible – he'd never really been comfortable in clubs, not even his own father's club.
"I'm taking him out," grinned Tatsuya, coming to the rescue as he thumped him on the shoulder.
"Ah. You're in for a treat tonight, my friends," smirked the man behind the bar, "the goddesses are here."
"Goddesses?" questioned Kagami as his drink was set in front of him.
He took a swig.
"You've never heard of them? They're practically celebrities in the elite world!"
The red haired man shook his head and finished his drink, noting that his adoptive brother was doing the same.
"Hurry to the front, if you want a good view," the bartender nodded to the stage.
Standing quickly, the officer was grabbed by the arm by Tatsuya and shoved roughly to the front of the crowd just as the lights began to dim.
The song began – and the lights flashed on as the beat dropped, and the invasive words blared over the speakers.
And the world faded for Taiga when he saw the pink haired goddess.
Wide eyed, jaw-slack, numb.
Hypnotized.
She spun around a pole on the right of the stage – and Kagami knew she had a partner on the left, but he had eyes only for her.
She didn't remove any clothing, nor did she pretend to mouth words, or attempt to sing.
No, she expressed her passion through the roll of her hips, a flick of her cascading hair, an upside down split.
And then she looked at him – right at him – and his breath caught in his throat.
Half-lidded pink met dark red, and it was a colossal collision.
"She looked at me – like, right at me," Kagami found himself spluttering as he and Tatsuya stumbled back to their seats at the bar.
"Ha!" laughed the bartender, "Momoi Satsuki does not make eye contact with the audience, buddy.
But Kagami shook his head and took another drink. He needed to see her again.
It was almost closing time when Tatsuya left, proclaiming he had to report back to Kagami's father.
Taiga, on the other hand, somehow navigated his way backstage and was looking for Momoi's dressing room.
"Oi! You!" grunted a buff looking man down the hall, "What're you doing here?"
Rolling his eyes, Kagami shrugged, "I was looking for the bathrooms. Someone threw up in the other ones."
Luckily the man wasn't too intelligent, and so he shrugged and let Kagami pass – and then the red head spotted her room.
Quickly, as to not arouse suspicion from the guard down the hall behind him, he opened the door, spun into the room and closed it quietly behind him.
Letting out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding, he turned to survey the room.
"What?" asked a pink haired woman from her seat at the dresser, a light blue cardigan over her shoulders as she surveyed him in the mirror.
That was when Kagami lost his professional cool.
"Uh – well- you see-" he stuttered, face slowly but surely turning redder and redder, "I – I saw-"
"Tch," she clicked her tongue, "spit it out, already."
"I think you're a beautiful dancer!"
At the 'd' word, she spun to face him.
"I-I think you're the most beautiful dancer I've ever seen."
"Yes?" she seemed eager, waiting for what he was to say next.
"C-Can you teach me how to dance?"
Where the hell did that come from?
Kagami was so flustered and frustrated with himself that he literally face palmed right in front of her.
"I'm so sorry, that was stupid as hell-"
"Okay," she said suddenly, "I'll teach you if you really want to know."
And she scrawled her number onto a piece of scrap paper and tucked it into his shirt pocket as she made her way out of the room.
"Than-"
But she was gone by the time he found his voice, and his heart was beating so fast and he really couldn't believe she was real.
He put the number into his phone as he left.
"Put down your goddamn phone!" cried Riko as they took a quick break.
Quickly checking her phone once more, Satsuki threw the mobile into her bag and spun to Riko, "Whatever. Come on, let's go-"
"What fucking idiot did you give your number to, hm?" asked Riko as she tapped her foot on the floor impatiently.
"No one," said Satsuki quickly, turning her back on her partner as she stretched.
"Cut the bullshit," snapped the acrobat, "tell me."
"Uh… just… this guy…"
"And?"
"Well… he kinds broke into my dressing room and asked me to teach him how to dance."
"You're a fucking idiot."
"I know."
"Hello, Momoi Satsuki speaking."
"M-Momoi-san, uh – th-thank you for picking up, it's really kind of you even though you don't really know me or anything and I really hope I didn't come off as weird because that's the last thing I wanted I just really think you're beautiful and – oh gosh I sound like a creep."
"…is this the guy that broke into my dressing room the other night?"
"Y-Yeah. About that, I'm sorry – but I just had to ask you-"
"What's your name?"
"K-Kagami Taiga."
"Alright, Kagami-san. Meet me at AIDA dance studio tomorrow evening."
"O-Okay, Momoi-san."
Satsuki waited patiently for her student to appear.
Leotard on, shoes off, she put her music on shuffle and twirled around the mirrored room effortlessly.
The door opened, and a figure stepped in behind her, but she didn't stop her movement until the song was over.
"Hello, Kagami-kun," she said, looking at his reflection in the mirror.
"H-Hi, Momoi-san," he greeted, awkwardly rubbing at the back of his neck.
"Call me Satsuki," she smiled, taking his bag from his shoulder and setting it beside her.
"Okay."
She took him through some stretches, trying to ignore his broad shoulders, so easily seen through his tight singlet.
His sculpted body was unlike anything she'd ever seen – and that was saying a lot, seeing how she had danced with many male partners before.
"Now, what did you want me to teach you?" she asked, sitting on the floor in a split as she watched him.
"S-Sensual dancing," he blurted out with some embarrassment.
"Aha. Okay, we'll begin small," she said, "show me how you dance."
She reached for her phone, still in a split, and pressed play.
Awkwardly, Kagami stood, and – to Satsuki's utmost surprise – began breakdancing.
She whistled lowly at the tricks he pulled, grinning.
"Wow," she applauded when he was done, "you've got great potential. Firstly, though, you've got to learn to roll your hips."
She stood and showed him a breakdancing move in her style, being sure to roll her hips into a crouch and pop her chest as she stood.
He gave it a try – but he was too focussed on not embarrassing himself that he ended up embarrassing himself.
His teacher laughed and shook her head, "Kagami-kun, you've got to be careful about it."
Her explanation had him at a loss, and so she elaborated.
"Treat every movement as though you're making love to someone. You've got to feel and be encompassedby your need to seduce, to be tender or rough or however you usually make love."
His face was redder than his hair by that point.
She put on another song, and sat on the floor to watch him.
Slowly, he began to dance again – but was stopped when Satsuki came to stand before him, and grabbed his hips, "Maybe I should start with teaching you how to roll your hips first."
Kagami felt like he was going to faint.
She turned her back to him and grabbed his hands – and placed them on her waist.
Her shirt rode up, and he could feel the silky, soft skin of her hips.
Struggling not to tug her to him and hold her there, he copied the roll of her hips with his own.
"Gentle," she commanded, "you need to roll, not jerk."
He tried to follow her instructions, but in the end she spun around to face him and grabbed his hips.
"Like this – bend your knees and accommodate for how I pull you, okay, Kagamin?"
He noted the nickname, but merely nodded and let her hands guide him.
She tried to ignore how good his hands felt on her.
He tried to remain unfazed as the sweet peachy scent of her hair reached him.
"You did well, Kagamin!" Satsuki praised him as they were putting on their clothes.
"Thanks, S-Satsuki."
Smiling kindly up at him, she held open the door and let him walk out of the dance studio before her, locking up behind her.
"So," she began, "where'd you learn to dance like that?"
Looking up to the darkening sky, Kagami sighed, "America. I spent most of my childhood there."
"That's amazing!" Satsuki cried, looking up at him in awe, "I've never left Tokyo."
Kagami spared her a nervous smile, but said no more.
"Where do you work, then?" she asked after a few moments as they were nearing the car park.
"Police Department. But I used to be a firefighter."
She nodded as they reached her car, "Well, I'll see you this time next week?"
"Yeah. Thanks for agreeing to this."
"My pleasure, Kagamin!"
He was addicted to the lines of her body, addicted to her smell and her laugh and her name.
She found herself liking the sound of his nickname on her lips.
She found herself warm whenever their fingers brushed.
She found excuses to touch him in some way, every lesson.
"Hey, Kagamin," she called as he was getting to his car.
"Yeah?" he called back.
"Would you like to come over?"