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When they flipped a coin to decide where the stage would be, Mika nearly died of relief when it was the floor with her stage on it. She now knew, what the door across from her room was for...
She was also very sad because her floor was almost near the top of the building...
Once again, she went into the elevator.
Once again, she was found face first crashed into the floor...
Her stage was decorated to look like a kind of kendo dojo, the paper screens decorated with cherry blossoms and branches. There was also a tank of small koi fish along the wall.
"Oi! You awake?" Mika seemed to snap out of her trance and peered up at the worried faces of Frida, Shorty and Columbo.
"Ah! Yeah, I'm fine." Mika said quickly, "Why do you ask?"
"Your eyes are starting to go out of focus, you're going cross eyed." Shorty said, "Are you nervous? Is this your first dance battle?"
"Well, yes... I'm up against someone named... Pinky..."
Frida seemed to get a look of understanding and nostalgia, "You'll be fine." she said with a smile, "Just don't let her psyce you out with her tarot card junk."
"Yeah, and watch out for any of her clothes that'll come flying into your face! She works as a stripper if I remember!!" Shorty shouted. Mika shrank away and shuddered, "Uh... You'll be fine?"
"Shorty stop scaring her..." Frida sighed, "You'll be fine!"
"You both keep saying that." Mika said and shrank down into a ball, "Now I'm even more worried!"
"ALRIGHT!! Let's get this little tourney started!!" the DJ shouted, "It's Pinky, versus Micky!!"
"It's Mika!!" Shorty yelled, "Yeesh, I'm 13 and I can read better then him..."
Frida pat a shivering Mika on the shoulder, "Go on, Break a leg!!" she gave her a light push to the stage.
"I just might..." Mika whimpered as she climbed up. She stopped when a card reading DEATH was shoved into her face.
"This is your fate, child." Pinky smirked.
Mika giggled nervously taking her place beside Pinky. She peered at Frida and Shorty, who were waving and jumping up and down with the crowd.
Frida: D
Shorty: n.n
Mika replied by holding up a sign.
Mika: TTwTT
While she was taking deep breaths to try and slow her racing heart, she looked among the crowd, trying to pick out any faces she recognized. She saw nearly everyone she had met the day before. Frida, Shorty, Heat, Strike(?)
She wodered why he was there for a moment, then continued scanning.
Everyone was there, except Kitty N. Everyone except her and...
There was a loud banging that made everyone in the room turn and look as Gas-O suddenly dropped out of the elevator.
He let out a soft, "Oww..." Dusting himself, he got to his feet and after catching sight of Mika, leaned against the doorway and nodded at her with a small wave.
Mika's mouth curled up into a grin and she got ready, flexing her fingers and arms.
"3...2...1... GO!!"
The quick beat started and they competitors danced. (If you all need a heads up on what kind of song it would be, think of Real Emotion from FFX-2 by Jade Sweetbox)
Pinky with her bar dancing, and Mika with her...??
"What the hell kind of style is that?" Strike asked watching Mika's dance. It was first somewhat slow, and graceful, then was linked to a few fast movements thrown in with a hip hop style.
"Least her Groovetron is filling up fast." Heat said, his arms crossed.
"So is Pinky's." Kelly, "The kid doesn't stand a chance."
"Come on, be supportive." Frida said. Sure enough, Pinky had pulled out a few tarot cards.
"This match is mine!" she said tossing them and they grew in size, "You can't fight fate child!"
"Oh no!" Shorty covered her eyes with her giant sleeves. There was the sound of shearing paper and there was a few flashes.
"I can't fight Fate? But it's so much more fun then just letting someone mark out my course for me." Mika smiled as she twirled a pair of katana's in her hands and continued with her dance style.
Gas-O smiled from behind his mask.
Heat was grinning ear to ear.
"Man, I just..." he watched Mika tuck the swords back into shealths that were on her back under her coat, "Can't wait to face her...!"
'Neither can I...' Gas-O thought as the match was finished and the victory went to Mika.
"Nice match, you almost had me with that card before the whole thing started." Mika smiled shaking hands with Pinky, "I tend to be a bit superstitious..."
Pinky smiled and Mika felt her spine tingle.
"You're a lucky person, to be able to survive this long." she said, "Hopefully your luck doesn't run out."
"Ah, I hope so too." as Pinky walked away, Mika quickly ran up to Frida and the others, "Did, I do ok?"
"You were cool!! Your swords went like, WHOOSH!! And we all totally went like, WHOA!! and WAAH!! Like a swoosh swoosh thingy!!" Shorty was shouting in hyperspeed. Mika rubbed behind her head in embarassment.
"Think it was abit much...?" she asked as they all made way to the elevator. Mika smiled as Gas-O approached, "Hey, you came!!"
"I was curious about your style." he replied, "So, mind sharing what it is?" they walked in the shaft and Mika latched herself onto the rail. The others meerly took hold of it casually and Shorty pushed the button.
"First, mind sharing why you fell out of the elevator?" Heat asked. Gas-O was silent and just as the elevator started to move, he knocked Heats hand off the rail and the Flame boy smashed up into the ceiling, his facebeing pulled by from the gravity going against him.
"That's why." he peered down at Mika, who was crouched on the floor, trying to prevent herself from flying up to join Heat, "I forgot to grab the rail earlier, kinda was in a hurry." He made sure to face her completely to avoid any eyecontact with Bi-O.
"O-Oh..." Mika said quietly, still clinging on for dear life.
DING.
Heat fell to the ground and grabbed Gas-O's ankle.
"You... Bastard..." he growled, "I'm gonna set you on fire..." Gas-O pulled his leg out of Heat's grasp.
"Good luck to you then." he said, "You all mind dragging him out? We're heading down."
"We? Who's we?" Frida asked pulling the profanity spouting Ex-Racer out. Before she could get her answer, the door had already closed, "Man, what a creepy kid..." Bi-O meerly sighed, shrugging and shaking his head while trying not to lose it.
"He hasn't changed..."
-0-0-
"You can let go now, the elevator only goes fast when going mutliple floors, we're just going down one." Gas-O said. Mika slowly let go of the rail and stood up with a heavy sigh.
"Oh man, I still feel a bit sick from the battle..." she said rubbing at her hair.
"You're just suffering from a bit of a nervous shock, you'll be fine." Gas-O said. Mika cocked her eyebrow at him.
"Why has everyone been saying that to me all day...?" she pondered outloud and shrugged, "Oh well." The elevator came to a halt and the two of them jumped down the giant fan. Gas-O went to the controls typing in commands and Mika removed her dark green coat, throwing it onto a nearby chair and started unstrapping her swords.
"So, what style do you actually use?" Gas-O asked looking down at the screen. He froze when a shining blade was held to his throat.
"I'm what they call..." Mika's eyes seemed to glow, the color glinting off her katana, "A sword dancer." Gas-O stared back at her through his goggles.
"I see."
Mika smiled withdrawing her blades and tossing them to the side, "So I just stand in this room right??" The room was small, and the walls were made of glass. There was a metal on the top that seemed to be ready to open up with all kind of...Instruments.
"Yeah."
"Well then, shall we get started then?"
What happened the night before repeated itself. A kind of gas rose up from the grill that was the floor in the glass room and Mika took a breath in.
"Remember, just breathe normally." Gas-O said from a kind of intercom. Mika did as she was told and after a moment, something flashed into her mind.
"...You really... do... This??"
"...Yes..."
"Just... Normally...Won't... Calm."
COUGH COUGH!!!
"You... Didn't tell...!! COUGHCOUGH... tell me... would... this...!"
"Mika!!"
The dark lashes fluttered back open and Mika found herself staring up at Gas-O's mask, her reflection on his goggles.
"H-Huh...?" she sat up and Gas-O moved aside to give her space, "What happened...?"
"You fainted." Gas-O scratched at his mohawk, "The test came out negative too, dammit..."
"What was wrong with the formula? Did you fix it yet?" Mika asked almost frantically.
"I replaced a few of the elements, but-"
"Great! Test them out again."
Gas-O stared hard at her.
"Go up, get some rest."
"Huh?? But-"
"You can come back again tonight. For now, your body needs time to recover." Gas-O said, "Wouldn't want anything being screwed up just because your body was in severe condition."
"It's ok! See? The burn on my neck from just now is healed." she pointed out.
"It would be a waste of expensive chemicals. It would be a shame if my test subject dies."
"But..!" Gas-O grabbed her arm, and dragged her to the stairs.
"Go sleep." he ordered, "NOW." He shoved her into the elevator pressing the button and listened as her scream and a loud BAM! was heard and was slowly drowning out as the box raced up the shaft.
Gas-O sighed taking a seat back in his chair and before letting his head rest on the table, he pulled off his gas mask taking a deep breath.
"Tough day honey??" a voice from inside the room said through the speakers.
Without looking up, Gas-O replied, "Yeah... I just can't seem to find the missing element... I balanced out the solutions, converted the states. Hell I even measured by moles and pH for gods sake..."
"Ah ah, no swearing like that." the voice said gently scolded, "And please, don't talk about chemistry, it still confuses me."
A snort of amusment came out of Gas-O.
"You're a super computer, and you're getting confused with Grade 9 Chem?" he said, "Ah, sometimes you're too funny..."
"I'm onlt being honest, it's been years you know."
"Heh, I'm sure..." Gas-O got up from his seat and made his way to the elevator, "I'll be back, just grabbing some food."
"Alright. Be careful dear, and don't stay out too long." the voice said, "You're little friend will come back at possibly 7:30 this time."
Gas-O turned back, replacing his mask.
"Sure thing mom."
"Have fun!!"
A smiley face appeared on the screen and Gas-O smiled entering the elevator.
a/n: Wow, I was able to put about a third of the concepts that I studied in chem... My teacher would be proud... XD;;
