Tears of Success 10 (final)
AN: Hope this is okay for your guys. You'll need to use your imagination wisely when you read this chapter. Yep it involves lots of skating.
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Since this morning, time had zoomed past like the click of a finger and already it was six in the evening. Makoto and Trowa didn't know how it happened like that. It just did. They had, as suggested, practised their skating routines for one final time, which was an hour before the show was due to be on. Naturally the skaters who were set to perform had to eat as much energetic food as possible to keep them awake and not tire out as soon as they got on the rink to begin their entertainment.
Makoto and Trowa had spent time together at lunchtime, discussing on how the audience would react to particular movements they intended to use. Makoto wasn't exactly certain whether showing off all her moves would be enough to make the audiences go 'wow' as they watched and she had to remind Trowa that this wasn't a competition. The last thing she needed was another Sakuya talking about competition and being the best. Makoto never liked to call herself the best. People thought she was one of the top skaters in this area but she wasn't too fond of giving herself the title of number one skater in Juuban. What was the point?
You'd be trying too hard to sell yourself to the media and it would be possible that they would make some silly gossip columns up about you if you weren't careful. Truthfully, the attention was automatically being drawn towards Makoto though she didn't ask for it. She didn't want to gain so much attention and she couldn't stop it from coming occasionally in front of her face. At time she wished she were as clumsy as Usagi in her life. Then no one would take notice of her anymore. However she sometimes enjoyed experiencing chunks of local showbiz. At least she was aware people liked her talent in figure skating and she had to show how grateful she was in return for their kindness.
Rika was on a tight schedule tonight. She had been sorting out everyone's costumes non-stop and had had to measure some of the teen amateur skaters to note down their heights. Funnily, everyone except Makoto and Trowa were all small-sized in an identical way. Hence it made finding the right clothes for the skaters a little less hard to do. Makoto had seen Rika breeze by the ice rink and occasionally checking on how the younger ones were doing in their practise skating. Understandably, everyone was nervous, especially to those who had only skated for the first time one night ago. They had to do it again for the second and they still had ounces of anxiety brewing around their stomach.
Makoto told them they would be fine and that when they had to perform in a show for the fourth time then their confidence would rise. She knew exactly how it was on her first show. She was definitely scared and worried on making a mess on the ice. With enough confidence and perfection, she was successful in her first performance and the audience were sure she was going to be a star when she turned twenty or above. At first Makoto thought they were joking…but look where she was now. She was about to (hopefully) prepare for a more precise performance tonight without making any mistakes. Along with an anonymous partner - well he wasn't exactly anonymous. He was a popular clown in the circus who jumped and spun in the air in front of excited faces, showing no fear against throwing knives that Catherine Bloom threw to him.
Makoto sighed satisfyingly when the water splashed onto her face as she leaned her head over the sink. So many things had happened in one day. So much bad luck had attacked over the last week. She wouldn't know how the audience would react when they see her again and remember her from before. She hoped she wouldn't trip over her blades carelessly or have loose shoelaces blocking her gliding. No she was slightly cleverer than anyone here. Let alone one of the most stylish skaters.
Mia had recovered from the facial injuries Sakuya had left behind on her. Nancy and Naoko weren't seriously hurt by the crazy drug junkie's actions this morning but were emotionally unstable right now. No one was aware that Makoto and Trowa did get briefly physical with her this morning when she attempted to start cosmetic surgery on Makoto. Though she became vulnerable through intense concentration and didn't keep an eye on Trowa. Makoto and Trowa had both agreed to keep their little fighting tricks to themselves and not tell anyone else in the club what they had done to knock out Sakuya. They didn't need to have more attention rising when they had to get ready for the ice-skating show tonight.
This time Makoto was really confident and with Trowa as her partner, things should run smoothly. The audience would be in astonishment when they see the light acrobatics that would take place especially from Trowa. Makoto was sure the crowd would recognise him from the circus. Anyone could, right? He stood out from the stage. Makoto knew that already because that was how she first saw him. Rika came running into the changing room, quickly said hi to the other girls then breathed out in fast pants.
"Wow the crowd are early," Rika said. "It's not even time yet."
"Rika, I can't help having the shivers," Nancy whined, "and I can't wear this dress properly." She displayed the messy state of her glittering zebra printed dress. "My fingers keep shaking."
"Get a hold of yourself, Nancy," Makoto assured, "just pretend it's a déjà vu of the previous show. Don't get too nervous…" Nancy whined louder. OK that didn't help Makoto thought and noticed Rika gesturing her head to leave the changing room. What did she want to say? Her coach flicked her wrist to stare into her leather strapped watch's face. This was what was special about Rika. She always kept an eye on the given schedule and focused on being a very organised person in tight situations.
"Trowa's in his costume. He's waiting for you by the rink." Rika handed Makoto her skating costume in a plastic bag. "You'll both be after Mia and Seth, ok?"
"Gotcha," Makoto replied confidently as Rika marched off down the hallway. She could hear the audience's footsteps trampling into the arena and feel the high number of spectators walking to their seats. Wow there was so many people here. I've got to focus. Don't get nervous or you'll mess up like last time. You have NO headache. Repeat! You have no headache and you won't get dizzy Makoto almost forgot she hadn't taken a peek at her costume. It primarily involved a pink frilly skirt that combined with a long-sleeved shirt. I've gotta get my blades and tights on Suspiciously, she looked at the costume one more time. There was something familiar about the colour and style. Her usual costume was green shaded most of the time but tonight she was given rose pink instead.
Makoto controlled her tempting shriek from her throat when she recognised the green dress. Of all people! Catherine Bloom was the circus star and she had given one of her own dresses to a complete stranger. This was unbelievable. Makoto had to thank Catherine afterwards. She had to! No one was this nice to her except Rika. She ran back to the changing room to try the dress, her body filling up in excitement.
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It was a surprise to see a circus costume could pull off as a piece of clothing for a female figure skater. Why didn't Makoto think about that before? The other female skaters had dressed already and were standing around by the ice rink to watch their friends show themselves to the crowd. Makoto found the dress fitted her perfectly. Wow, she didn't expect Catherine to be the same size as her in terms of weight. She twirled her body round to see the tiny, frilly skirt move along with her. What would Trowa say? He'd probably laugh, right?
She was about to find out his reaction after she found him standing in the dark side of the corner, away from the noisier crowd. People cheered on and waved to their peers while the performers skated away. Trowa came into the light when he noticed Makoto in her costume. Instead of seeing his face like normal, Makoto spotted the well known half-mask he wore at the circus. So he was going to dress as a circus, wasn't he? However when she looked at his clothes, they weren't based on baggy trousers or striped shirts. He wore a tight, white jacket and white trousers that showed the outline of his athletic legs.
"How's it going?" Makoto smiled shyly, blushing tremendously at the formal clothing her partner was wearing. He looked like a superstar.
"For a minute I thought you *were* Catherine," Trowa admitted, "but then Sis doesn't have a ponytail." He held her hand gently, "That dress suits you. You look…wonderful."
Makoto cupped the masked side of his face and kissed the other cheek, "Thanks. Um, what's going to happen with the mask?"
"I'll throw it to the audience."
She raised her eyebrows curiously, "Ooh I bet you all the girls are gonna go after it." They both laughed heartily.
"Three minutes you two," Rika's voice pitched over the loud classical music playing in the speakers. Her head turned to a right angle when she saw the two dressed up skaters. "I knew the dress suited you. Catherine says you can have it."
"But I…" Makoto glanced to Rika then to Trowa, unsure on how to react. Why was Catherine being so kind to her? This wasn't her dress for goodness sake and she would have to pay for it if she was going to keep it. It would be paying a favour back. Whose idea was it to wear Catherine's dress? Then it hit her. Back at the circus tent, Catherine was treating her like a true guest. Of course. She knew I liked Trowa and he liked me. So that's why she's being kind. Because she's doing it for Trowa Makoto was about to cry suddenly when she finally worked out why Catherine let her have a dress Catherine Bloom, thank you very much.
"Makoto, we're up," Trowa said and dragged her to the rink. Freeing herself from a silly daydream, Makoto rubbed her eyes widely before presenting herself to the patient audience. Cheers of 'Good luck' beamed into her ears as her blades hit the ice. Trowa skidded at the front, doing tiny turns as part of the warm up.
"Trowa, don't forget – spins first then the lifts," Makoto whispered as she skated to the right in her position. Trowa held his arm highly while he stood on the left. Makoto inhaled in her focus. She knew all eyes were on her and Trowa, staring with intensity as well as expectation. They couldn't afford to make any mistake in this. If she did do something wrong, Rika would lose interest in being Makoto's coach undoubtedly.
The jazzy music was on. The skaters went into forward crossovers. Makoto was in the lead as they held their hands in loose grips. This show had to be done slowly in the beginning. It would be too soon for the flashy stunts to come. The best always came at the end. Follow my lead, Trowa. That's right Makoto nodded lightly to motion her male partner to move in forward strokes. She kept telling herself to take it easy. The cool stuff will come later. Their hands let go and they sped up into side-by-side camel spins. Small sounds of clapping echoed. That was the first sign of a good show so far. Trowa lifted his right foot behind his back and his left hand touched the edge of the blade gently. Good, his curly camel was fine. Now it was Makoto's turn to do an individual spin. Her body bent backwards into a smooth layback spin, which caused an impressive applause.
This was the reason why she was one of the favourite skaters in Juuban. Her laybacks were fabulous and so were her spins. The music was too loud to speak above so Makoto winked at Trowa to signal another move. Their arms extended to grab each others hands and they went into camel spins, moving round in a full circle. The timing of their spinning was accurate per minute.
"Mako-chan, you go girl. Woo-hoo check out their laybacks!" Mia cheered excitedly. No one seemed to have listened to her as they stared wide-eyed at the two amateur skaters dancing around the ice. Clearly everyone's message in their minds was 'Keep going, guys.' They were supporting Trowa and Makoto all the way. Makoto smiled briefly at her partner while they were in a forward spirals. Trowa skated away slightly to perform a quick forward scratch spin. Girls gasped in delight, which was likely to mean they recognised him as the clown. He took off his mask and threw it into the front row as he spread his arms gracefully. The crowd thought he was definitely graceful.
"Lift," she mouthed quietly when she moved closer to him. Expectedly his hand readily positioned round her hips. Now wasn't the time to get all mushy and cuddly with him. That would have to wait until the end. Trowa prepared himself then pulled Makoto into the air by the hips into a strong waltz lift. There were lots of 'Ahs' and 'Oohs' mixing in the crowd. Makoto was in perfect balance as Trowa gripped her tightly. It was almost like he was giving her a piggyback. You two impress even more Rika giggled. As she came down onto the ice, Makoto's eyes met Trowa's deeply, their right arms holding each other's hips. They spun slowly to catch their breaths and slow themselves down.
"This is great," Makoto whispered. Trowa's lips turned into a pleased grin and broke his body away to take her to the air again. This time in a tabletop lift. Makoto's arms spread like wings while she turned round to look at the dazzling faces. Seeing the enjoyment on the crowd was making her even happier inside. Makoto came down from the lift, took Trowa's vacant hand and skated to the front. They went into a large circle round the rink again, ignoring the fast flashlights from the cameras in the middle rows.
"Shall we do the death spiral?" Trowa's voice wasn't audible from the cheering but it was loud enough for Makoto to pick up in time. Her free hand bent inward to signal one quick thumbs up sign, meaning a 'yes' as her reply. Trowa tightened his grip on Makoto's hand as she lowered her entire body downwards, almost touching the ice. The edges of her blades turned to the side while she went into a forward inside death spiral. People thought she was in a deep trance at such a low position. She was in fact relaxing. Trowa lifted his free arm up to show they were here to entertain and wanted to let the audience know they were thankful for them being here.
Applause came again but at a louder volume. Makoto came back to her normal posture and joined Trowa in simultaneous flying sit spins. They slowed down into one-footed spins, moving nearer to each other. The applause was continuous.
"You rock, guys. Yeah!!!" Rika clapped her hands crazily. "I should have let the clown join earlier. Damn you, Rika." After the flying sit spins faded, Trowa dragged Makoto into his arms, in time to the finale of the music. Her right arm wrapped round his neck and her eyes looked up victoriously. Their breathing was fast and exhausted. They turned to the audience to bow. The crowd jumped off their seats as they clapped and even whooped noisily to show they truly enjoyed their performance. So…they were the stars tonight, weren't they?
The other skaters ran up to Makoto and Trowa as soon as they came backstage to meet their friends. Rika hugged Makoto proudly and said, "You were fantastic."
"Trowa, you're not a silly clown after all. You're a super skater!" Naoko winked.
"Aww guys, stop the complimenting. I'm blushing again," Makoto uttered innocently and covered her red face. Rika sneakily stared at her. She hated it when her coach raised her eyebrows like that. It meant she wanted to play around or make a sarcastic joke about a certain clown. Catherine made an unanticipated presence in the noisy atmosphere. Makoto saw she was smiling brightly.
"You do look great in my dress," Catherine said nicely, "I bet it made Trowa blush when he saw you. Didn't it, Trowa?" She turned to her younger brother who grinned gently and held Makoto's hand closely.
"You were the best act tonight," Rika explained joyfully, "I'm proud of you both."
"Expect the unexpected with Trowa. He's not just a clown for nothing," Catherine added. Trowa found he was the one blushing now. Sometimes that was what one would get when he or she did something successful. They had to endure non-stop comments on how great they were even when it had a personal side effect. Soon people were going to say how cute Makoto and Trowa looked when they kissed privately.
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Once the arena emptied and the rest of the skaters changed and went home, Trowa, Makoto and Catherine decided to walk back to the circus together to have a little celebration. Rika was too tired to eat anything and went back home. She must have been too happy to do anything Makoto assumed as she sat in by the table outside the tent. She couldn't believe how night had come by instantly. Why did happy times have to go so quickly? She wanted to experience this great day over and over again. All the movements she did were spot on and it made her feel good.
Trowa came in with cups of hot cocoa in his hands. The chocolate smell filled Makoto's nostrils and her thirst came to life as the hot cup entered her tired fingers. She hadn't had much liquid to fill her stomach since the show finished. Good thing she met Trowa and Catherine. Or else they wouldn't be giving her this delicious drink. It was a fact that Trowa and Makoto's relationship did start by Catherine. She was the one who said it would be a good idea to go watch the ice-skating show. If she didn't, Trowa wouldn't have been able to talk to Makoto at all.
As they had their drinks, Trowa and Makoto looked at each other for a while as they sat apart around the table. Their energy was back in their bodies after their performance ended an hour ago so they were awake everywhere.
"Trowa, you're the greatest," Makoto could only say. She placed her cup on the table to hug him while he stayed seated, feeling his fringe brush against her arm. He looked up to her face and said, "It was fun being a skater."
"You have to join my club. They love you," She responded and bent her head downward to murmur something else, "And I… love you - my sweet Doukeshi." A large teardrop emerged from her left eye as she was about to kiss him. It was the first time she was crying of happiness.
Trowa softly flicked away the watery substance, "Don't cry…I love you too." Makoto laughed for a minute then kissed him deeply. They were going to be partners for life – on or off ice.
END
Thanks for the reviews, people. Glad you liked it. The inspiration to write this story came from watching a music video of a Robbie Williams song, 'She's the One.' It doesn't matter if you don't know the song or who the heck this singer is (ex-Take That member who were finished long ago in the UK). I'm not a huge fan of him but the video to this song was just awesome because it did involve ice-skating and when I saw it I thought, "Hey Mako-chan can do this!" Then BINGO a story idea came up.
The problem was finding a special partner for her. And the first boy I came up with was Trowa. It could have been Heero though he would be better as a ballroom dancer in my eyes. Trowa is a clown so he generally shows off more of his acrobatic skills. Figure skaters do lots of turns and I considered Trowa to be the right person. I'm weird, aren't I? LOL. OK where I got the information on the moves…^_^;; I had to do my own research in the library and found this great book on figure skating. Tada that's where I got the moves plus the basic outline on common sequences from lifts to spins etc. There were pictures too to go with the explanations.