Title: The Red Shoes
Chapter 3: Minuet
PG-13
Summary: Catherine sees something is missing in one of her dancers.
A/N: Handel's Minuet performed by Vanessa Mae


It was the fourth day of rehearsals and Catherine was watching as Juri performed the routine for the second scene of the show. As always Juri moved with near technical perfection, and the sort of near perfect Catherine couldn't find fault with since Juri was never a professional dancer. There was clear room for improvement, but however masterfully Juri managed the routine there seemed to be something missing.

Catherine scribbled a few notes into her journal just as the music ended, and then looked up at the stage. She could see the expectation on the faces of her company. She looked back down at her notes and sighed. Then she said, "One more time from the top, and then we can all go home for the night."

There was a general groan of consternation from the company. They had all been there since early that morning and the rehearsal was now looming towards midnight. Catherine remained seated as her two dance captains rallied the cast with a small pep talk. She was amazed by how well the chorus seemed to respond to Shiori's leadership, and also very proud.

The music began again, and Catherine fixed her concentration on Juri. Something was missing. A step. A move. Something just beyond her view that would make the scene perfect. The routine ended once more, and Catherine reluctantly released the company for the evening. She watched as the cast filed out of the theater and leaned against a row of seats. She looked over as Trowa made his approach and shook her head.

"I know...I know," she began. "They'll never reach my level of perfection. What production ever does meet every expectation of its director?"

"I wasn't going to say anything about it," Trowa replied.

"No?"

"No." He pursed his lips and then asked, "So, what is the problem?"

"I don't know," Catherine lied and then said, "Juri...maybe. There's something...something missing. Or I might just be a rotten director."

Trowa nodded. "What about everyone else?"

"Well, Ruka is up tomorrow so I'm not sure about him yet but- No, at this point in time I'm happy with everyone's performance. It's hitting all the right marks. The emotion is there."

"Maybe you expect too much from Juri. Projecting a little more of yourself in her than there really is," Trowa suggested. The he said, "You know everyone else in the company pretty well from before, but you never really worked with Juri. Maybe you don't have a clear sense of her Girl yet."

"Maybe."

"You could always ask for an inside opinion."

"From who? Ruka? Spike?"

Trowa shook his head. "No. Not them. Not ever. They barely understood her when they dated her."

"Then who," Catherine asked wondering if there was anyone at the Road Rage who hadn't been involved with another member of the cast or crew.

Trowa looked over at the door at the final group of dancers leaving the theater and pointed at Shiori.

"I'm not sure that's wise," Catherine stated, "I know there's some sort of-"

"It's not about affairs. It's about gut reaction, and Shiori's will tell you a lot." He smiled slightly and added, "Of course the other option would be to actually hang out with the cast for a bit of fun. Maybe get to know your dancers outside the studio and stage."

"Oh Trowa, I'd love to. They just aren't ready for me yet."


Dorothy was being remarkably well behaved which made Ruka slightly concerned. He moved across the small space of the dance studio as the class ended for the evening, and waited to be accosted by whatever it was that seemed to be bothering the pale blonde.

"You looked perplexed," Dorothy stated coolly.

"I was expecting you to have a string of complaints about your teacher."

Dorothy looked over at Shiori who was stretching. She shrugged. "I hate to say this, especially to you, but... The girl is good at this."

"Oh?"

"She probably should have followed a dancing career instead of mere stage acting."

"I see."

"Oh, I know that look. You're thinking about why she probably didn't go that route." She smiled. "You're probably right, but she's a good teacher. And anyone who can improve my kicks has my very limited respect." She paused and added, "For the moment."

"Of course."

"And how are your lessons going," she put her hand on his chest. "No problems."

"None." He broke away from her. "The part is very... It was conceived to be considerate of my condition."

"You sound disappointed."

"I'm not." Ruka took her arm and walked her towards the door.


Catherine stood on the stage with her notes at her feet. She performed half movements with her arms and legs, then she did a relatively clumsy turn before she stopped and sat on the stage. Her knee throbbed, and she took a deep breath.

"Shouldn't you have someone do that for you," a voice called from up in the rafters.

She put her hand up to her eyes to block some of the glare from the lights. There was a general fluttering of movement and then Utena, the stage manager, appeared in the balcony seats.

"What on earth are you doing here so late," Catherine asked.

"Rounding up props," the young woman replied. "I was trying to see if we had any of the props from your run still hanging about." She glanced around and then said, "One sec."

There was another chorus of commotion as Utena ran down the stairs and into the main theater. Catherine had to give the girl credit for having an abundance of energy, though, considering the current cast, Utena probably needed it to keep everything running smoothly.

"I found these," Utena said with a huge smile and scrambled up to the stage. She held out a well worn pair of red ballet slippers. "There's a box of them. Too small for Juri maybe, but perfect as props."

Catherine looked at the outstretched shoes and stood up. She moved forward and then backed away from them.

"They need some cleaning up," she said distantly.

"Well, sure, but they'll work. Right?" Utena asked enthusiastically.

"They'll work. I suppose they'll have to."