Totoro and Me: High School Romance
Chapter 6: Twilight Dance
Disclaimer: Fujimaki Tadatoshi, Miyazaki Hayao
©minnieharis
[author's note: Happy new year! As this month I'm busy working on my final paper, I will be semi-hiatus from now on. I'll keep writing this fic, but I may not be able to update it regularly. Please bear with me *cry* I also make a change from this chapter that instead of noting the mix I usually listen to when I write, I put a quote from novels which implies the chapter. I get inspirations from stories I have read, so I hope you don't mind! This chapter happens around 37Q in anime]
"To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love"– Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)
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KannouKoujiro:Yooo, Sis. What's up? Been trying to contact you but you seem busy with your school thing there so you seldom going online on Skype. Well, I've quit football. The newly team that the seniors made last year couldn't go to competitions. And guess what? The Matadors Basketball Team offered me to join them.
KTviolinist:Seriously? Well, too bad your seniors couldn't get your uni's faith to make a new football team since they discontinued the football club more than 10 years ago. You play basketball again? Teppei would be happy to hear this.
KannouKoujiro:Yeah, It's been how many years since I was into basketball? Centuries? lol Now I really need to catch up my basketball skill. I bet he's getting better. How's Totoro boy?
KTviolinist:He's fine. He's currently away training with his teammates.
KannouKoujiro:Oh? Does little sister feel lonely?
KTviolinist:Shut up.
KannouKoujiro:I'll still come, Tam. Right after my finals. Don't miss me too much.
KTviolinist:You wish!
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TAMARA: I chatted with Kou this morning. That info he joins the basketball uni team is so good to hear. I can't wait to tell Teppei. He went to hot spring with his teammates couple days ago and apparently extend their stay to train there with Riko-san's father. We text sometimes, when he's not too busy with his training menu. And Kanna, she goes to a movie convention and currently busy making a project for her directing debut.
With them away from town, I have got to say, I am a bit lonely.
I spend my half day blogging and studying Kanji.
Today the weather feels nice. I plan to go out. I tell Obaa-san and Ojii-san I want to take a walk after lunch and just hanging around alone.
The weather gets colder. Trees have drying, the leaves freely flying and falling by the wind blows. Winter is here.
I personally like walking alone. Wandering around the town without someone walks next to me is an enjoyment. I love to have friends, but sometimes being alone feels good. I'm using Maps to look for places.
My first stop is Tokyo National Gymnasium. Teppei said Winter Cup is annually held there. The first prestigious competition was Inter-High, but it seems that now Winter Cup also plays important part for high school basketball players. The building looks grand, too. I take some pictures and send one to Kanna with caption: hey! I'm strolling solo! Look who's here.
I walk around the complex, feeling a bit like an athlete.
Next, I wander around Yoyogi Park. It's a lovely day at the end of the week, a lot of people gather in groups or couples are there enjoying the day. I hike past flea market and observe people. Everything feels so peaceful. It is not too crowd, though.
There's a group of people with their amplifier plays hip-hop song. Some of them dancing, locking, and popping. Are they street dancers?
I make my way there, but my foot slips on a plastic on the ground. I guess I gasp louder than I thought. People turn at me as my bottom hits the floor. I fall so ungracefully. And my butt is aching.
One of the dancers who wears gray hoodie and sweatpants walks to me and stretches a hand.
"Are you okay?" she asks with concerned tone.
"Yes," I whimper. "Thank you."
She smiles. "I saw you were looking at us. I guess you walked to look closer, am I right?"
I simper and nod quietly. "You guys look great. Are you street dancers?"
"Yeah. We are hip-hop dancers. We come here at the weekend to dance and chat together. Are you interested to dance hip-hop?"
"Yes! I learned hip-hop once, when my brother played in street basketball in Canada," I reply. "But that was two years ago."
"Great! Come join us! We can teach you some moves if you like," the long, straight-haired girl nicely tells me.
"I'd love to!"
She takes me to her group and introduces me. She is Tamura, a college student. She has been learning hip-hop since she was in high school. I danced hip-hop before, my body still remember how to popping. Tamura-san shows me locking moves. Some of her friends join us, too. The boys show me their break dance. They're dancing like prodigies, makes me want to do some moves.
Tamura-san welcomes me. She asks one of her friend to play a song. Next to me, she instructs me to do jerk with groove. I repeat the moves until I do the jerk nice and smooth. I'm caught up in the time I match up my moves with Tamura-san. It's so fun! And I follow the song's beat which is automatically makes my body moves.
I accidentally wave my hips. I can hear Tamura-san mutters 'whoa'. I grimace at her while she gives me her thumbs up.
People are looking at us. We dance together with quite loud music in the back, but I don't care. Dancing hip-hop is way fun than I imagine.
As we finished dancing, some people applauding us. I bow at them and to Tamura-san and her friends.
"Kannou-cchi?" I hear someone calls my name when I'm catching my breath.
"Kise?"
He's waving his hand at me.
"Wow, that was cool! You can dance?" Kise beams at me.
I shrug. "Not really, but thank you."
"But you danced so well! I can't believe you almost failed in P.E class," he says.
I flush. Kise remembers I was the last one who got into the finish line at marathon a few days ago. I can't stand running. It makes my chest hurts. But I did my best for that, though I went as the last.
"Umm, yeah, that's-I'm not good with anything that involves running," I grimace.
"Well, I guess that's right," Kise chuckles. "Hip-hop is awesome."
"Hey, want to try dancing hip-hop?" I grin at him.
"Huh? Me?" he looks surprised. I nod. "But, I don't know how to dance!"
I chuckle. "That's okay. You're a fast learner. I'm sure you can do it."
I pull his hand to join me. I take some steps and moves. At first he does it coyly, but then after several moves, he seems enjoying it. We glide, we wave, and he spins me as if we were slow dancing. Kise does it good. His perfect copy is showing. We're glancing at each other and going with the flow. Tamura-san and the others are looking at us. They're watching us so delightfully. I notice Kise is having fun, too, which makes me contented to ask him to dance. We don't notice that some girls have been watching us, most likely attracted to Kise. Despite the fact that the girls come over to see him, I must agree that Kise dances fantastically.
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It's dawn. I, together with Kise say goodbye to Tamura-san and her group. She says we can come again and dance together. I would love to, and so did Kise. We leave there right after we wave goodbye.
"That was fun," I mutter happily.
"It was! I enjoyed it a lot," Kise chuckles. "Thanks, Kannou-cchi!"
"I'm glad you had fun," I smile.
We plan to have dinner together at Maji Burger. What a perfect time. I'm starving.
Kise looks cool in his casual outfit. He says he is at Shibuya because of his photoshoot schedule here. I think his modeling life holds the same role as his basketball. Or maybe less important? He always looks like he enjoys basketball and gets fired up when he talks about his Generation of Miracles friends and his teammates.
We sit at one of the table next to the window and chat. He tells me that one of his sisters is the one who makes him join modeling. He ends up enjoying it, though.
"But right now, basketball is all I can think about," he says. "I have to work hard for Winter Cup."
His gaze changes from relax to serious. He glances at me.
"I won't lose to Seirin," he smirks.
I chuckle. "That's the spirit."
"Umm, Kannou-cchi seems so close to Kiyoshi-san," Kise mutters.
I shrug. "It's been three years. He is my neighbor and my first friend in Japan."
See, as long as I don't want to remember him all the time, I would hear his name somehow. It's not like I hate it. Only I want to be distracted to something else.
I change the topic by talking about his team. Kise calms his position. He leans on his chair and informs me that his teammates practice hard. Tomorrow he will practice again before the opening ceremony of Winter Cup.
"Then, should we go back? You have practice tomorrow," I ask him while I'm sipping my milkshake.
Kise chuckles. "It's okay. We can stay just a bit more."
And we have more conversation.
With Kise, I can talk casually and naturally everything. He's very lively and outgoing. Just like Teppei, but in a different way. He says he's good at tasting mineral water which he's really proud of himself for that. I don't what I must answer when he asks me what I'm good at other than playing violin, so I tell him ice skating, though not really an expert, but yeah. And spending my evening with him, I know Kise is a very nice guy. He knows how to treat a girl friend. If only he did not show his silly side, he could be charming. No, he is charming.
After dinner, we part at the train station.
"Thanks for today, Kannou-cchi," Kise smiles.
"Same for me. I'm glad I met you today," I respond.
Before he goes, Kise turns. "Umm, I know maybe I should not ask you this. Since I know you definitely support Seirin. But would you cheer on our team, too?"
I glimpse at him, surprised. So he's worried I'm not gonna cheer on Kaijou? I can't help but giggle.
Kise frowns.
"Of course I will," I chuckle. "As much as I want to cheer on Teppei, I also want my school team to win. So don't hold back. Do your best!"
Kise beams. "Okay!" He waves goodbye before I turn.
That evening I am happy with someone other than Teppei or Kanna. I always like spend time with them, but now that I got close to Kise makes me bounce in joy. It seems that I have another close friend. I don't know if he thinks of me the same thing, though.
As I'm walking away from the station, my phone beeps.
Kise texts me!
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Kise: We should hang out together again! Next time let's go karaoke-ing together (´ー`)
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Tamara: Sounds good. Maybe when you're not so busy with practices and so am I, we should totally go.
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Kise: Yes! It's a promise then! o(^v^)o
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Thus, we keep texting each other until I get home. Kise makes me laugh by telling me he always be bullied by Kasamatsu-san. The captain won't hesitate to kick or hit him when Kise upsets him. I say maybe that is his way to show his concern. I mean, if he only does that to Kise, it probably because he's special? Like dearest kouhai or something. Kise is not sure. Nonetheless, he respects Kasamatsu-san over his strictness.
I call it a day.
Most likely I'm worn out and doze off in the middle of texting. I don't hear my phone beeping. I just smoothly alter consciousness and dream of dancing at twilight with Kise one more time.
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[Winter Cup is here! And I'm out of ideas for the time being since I'm also working on my paper and need to catch up the anime and manga. Oh I also in the mood for Kise this week, I don't know why…I've been listening to Ju Yoon Ha's Shall We Dance and imagining Kise. Maybe because lately I listen to KimuRyo's drama cds a lot so Kise keeps appearing in my head? Lol. Next chapter I hope Tamara will meet my current favorite, Aomine!]
