A/N: Yay! Another chapter up~ So happy that I'm finally getting somewhere! Enjoy~
Chapter 28: Why Would I Wear That?
A few weeks after the first party, Kandi got another invite from Melissa Kerris. This time it was for a cocktail party at a beach side resort. Kandi was seriously stoked for this.
"You can't say no, we're going!" Kandi grabbed Sayo's shoulders at the dance studio just before practice. She had just told Sayo about the party.
"Uh," Sayo blinked her eyes, not sure to laugh or cower.
"You just have to come with me," Kandi shook Sayo a little bit.
"Ok, I'll go," Sayo agreed, getting a little dizzy from the shaking.
"Great!" Kandi let go and bear hugged Sayo immediately after. "We'll go shopping again in a few days."
"Right…" Sayo nodded, short on breath from the squeezing.
"See you later," Kandi released Sayo and bounded out of the room to the one across the hall, where she and Kawamura were going to practice.
Sayo sighed, slumping her shoulders a bit. "Another party?" Yoshida asked her from behind.
Sayo blinked and turned to face him. "Oh, yeah," Sayo nodded.
"Just don't get too distracted," Yoshida smirked. He had seen just how eager Kandi was to go to that party. There was no way he was getting in her way. Kandi's wrath didn't seem like a pleasant thing.
"Yeah, I won't," Sayo shook her head with a small laugh.
"Don't forget we have to go shopping for our next set of costumes for the competition next week," Yoshida reminded as he motioned for her to join him. It was time to practice.
"Right," Sayo nodded. The two began their practice session for the day.
Miku told Takeshi about the article journal her boss had her doing while she was planning the wedding. She decided that the photos she wanted to go along with the article were photos of Saya, Sayo and their friends in wedding gowns. Western wedding gowns. And she wanted them to pick them out themselves. It would give each girl a sense of originality, and make the article easier to read. So, as the photographer and stylist of his own shoots, Takeshi had to first find a place that would let them rent the wedding gowns for a day or two.
However, the girls had to find the gowns first. So, Takeshi sent Saya and Sayo an e-mail with details of Miku's vision and wanted them to relay the message to the rest of the girls. Sayo had replied, asking if her two friends over in America could also join them.
"What do you think Miku?" Takeshi showed Miku the e-mail.
"Hmm, I don't think it would be a bad idea," Miku shrugged her shoulders.
"I'll let her know," Takeshi began to reply to Sayo when Miku stood from the couch in his apartment. She stepped toward him slowly, waiting for him to finish the e-mail. As he hit the send button, she slid her arms around his neck in an embrace.
He blinked and looked over at her. Miku had her face half buried in his neck with her eyes closed. She was humming, content. Takeshi only smirked and brought his hand up to her arm to touch her gingerly.
Sayo smiled at the e-mail before hopping into her comfy bed. In the morning, she was to awake and go shopping with Kandi for a cute cocktail dress for the party. Kandi picked Sayo up that morning and they headed over to Vanessa's Boutique again. Neither were as impressed this time. They had seen the store before and knew there were tons of dresses inside.
"Welcome back ladies," Lily Thomas greeted Sayo and Kandi as they entered the boutique.
"Thanks," Kandi and Sayo greeted back with smiles.
Lily had a true smile on this time. The girls' previous visit had been quite pleasant, and Lily got the commission for selling them their dresses. The two were surely here for another party held by the Kerris family. This was a nice time to be working here. And to think she was so close to quitting. "So, what are we looking for today?"
"We need cocktail dresses for a beach side resort party," Kandi's smile got wider as she said 'beach side resort'.
"Cocktail, I see," Lily nodded her head and led the girls further into the store. There were several racks in the middle of the floor holding cocktail dresses from all different designers. "Just pick out what you think you'll like, and we'll get you a dressing room."
"Thanks so much," Sayo smiled as Lily went to the back of the store to get the keys for the dressing rooms. There were already a few groups of girls and young women inside searching for prom dresses. Yes, prom season was not yet over.
Left to their own devices, Kandi and Sayo picked out many dresses each. They even picked some out for each other. Lily finally came back with the keys and found the two girls waiting with their arms full of dresses to try on. Lily only chuckled as she unlocked two of the six dressing rooms for them. Lily took the dresses and placed each selection in a separate dressing room.
"Kandi, you go first," Sayo sat down in the chair in front of the dressing rooms.
"Alright, I'll go first," Kandi nodded and headed in, closing the door behind her.
Once again, Kandi was drawn to as much color as she could possibly handle. A lot of pink, blue and purple this time around. She remembered from last time that the oranges, yellows and reds weren't so great with her complexion. So she stayed away from them. Kandi came out, one dress after another, frilly tutus, pleated skirts, and even a bubble skirt or two. They were all shot down.
Kandi finally decided to try on the one dress Sayo had picked out for her. It was a black and silver spaghetti strapped dress. The designer was Sherri Hill, and the dress was called "Miranda Lambert". The top half of the dress was a boned corset, black, with clasps in the middle for accent. The waist of the dress was accented with a silver beaded belt. And the skirt of the dress was two layers of silver material. The dress was really cute, and quite comfortable. Kandi walked out with a huge smile on her face. (Dress Link: s718. photobucket albums/ ww185/ KameLuvr9/ Fancy % 20 Dresses/ ?action = view & current = SherriHill-MirandaLambert .jpg )
"Sayo, you are great," Kandi complimented her friend as she stood on the pedestal to gaze upon herself in the dress. "This is amazing."
"I had a feeling," Sayo smirked, nodding her agreement. She had a good eye for dresses.
"Okay, this is the one," Kandi turned around, already decided on the dress and pointed at Sayo. "It's your turn."
"Alright," Sayo sighed, standing from the chair and heading for the dressing room her selection was in.
Kandi quickly changed out of her dress so she could watch Sayo. Lily greeted her as she exited the dressing room and took the dress from her. She was to place it in the back. That would reserve the dress for Kandi. So, done with her shopping, Kandi sat in the chair and waited for Sayo to emerge in her first dress.
Sayo had chosen a different palette this time around. Silver, blue, and purple. Those were the colors she had chosen this time around. This was a cocktail party, and cocktail dresses were flirty and fun. So, Sayo wanted to seem like she was having fun. Most of the dresses had pleats or a straight skirt. Nothing really fun or flirty. Until she got to the dress Kandi had picked out for her.
Kandi's choice was silver, with a hint of blue in the color. A Tony Bowls creation. The bodice was beautifully detailed with swirls of boning and rhinestones. A single strap over her right shoulder held up the dress, a grey-blue tool material folded into flowers. From the strap, all the way down the bodice, a single piece of the tool draped down in elegant folds. The skirt was the reason Sayo would never pick the dress. The skirt was ruffled with two layers of the same tool over the bottom half of the bodice, which cut off at mid-thigh and served as an under layer to the slightly transparent tool. (Dress Link: s718. photobucket albums/ ww185/ KameLuvr9/ Fancy % 20 Dresses/ ?action = view & current = TB-TS11288 .jpg )
"Now that, is cute," Kandi stood up from the chair with a giant smile on her face. She felt like patting herself on her own back. "Not to mention fun and flirty." Kandi winked.
Sayo got up on the pedestal to take a gander herself. Sayo was quite surprised. She actually liked the way the dress looked on her. She loved it. She felt like she would be able to get the attention of any guy she wanted. Maybe even Ryu's attention… She sighed at the thought of him, but tried to banish the thoughts away. "This is it." Sayo turned and smiled at Kandi.
Sayo changed back into her own clothes and handed Lily the dress so she could reserve it for her. Lily rang them up and told them a date that they could come back to pick them up. Kandi needed to have some slight alterations again.
The two left the boutique with their date set. Sayo remembered the e-mail from the previous night. "Oh, by the way," she started, getting Kandi's attention.
"What's up?" Kandi smiled as she turned the key in the ignition.
"Would you mind doing a photo shoot with me?" Sayo asked, a smile on her face.
"Photo shoot? For what?" Kandi asked, intrigued, leaving the car in park so Sayo could explain.
"My cousin's fiancé is a writer for a magazine over in Japan," Sayo began, relaxing in her seat a bit. "Her boss has her writing a journal article about planning her wedding."
"Uh-huh," Kandi nodded, understanding so far.
"She wants my friends and I to pose in wedding gowns for her article," Sayo continued, getting to the point. "The photos are really just for accentuation, but she wants them."
"Okay," Kandi nodded once more.
"I asked my cousin if he wouldn't mind you and Melissa being in the photos as well," Sayo began to finish up. "And he said it was okay."
"Wow, really? I can be in a magazine article in Japan?" Kandi's eyes widened with excitement. She looked like a little kid.
"Yeah, so do you want to?" Sayo asked.
"Do I want to? Of course I want to, sign me up! I'm ready!" Kandi cheered, so excited she couldn't stand it. "So what do I have to do?"
"Well, we have to pick out our own gowns," Sayo told Kandi. "That's all I know."
"Hm…" Kandi hummed as she began to back out of the parking space she was in. The two were quite silent on the way back to Sayo's apartment, aside from the music on the radio.
In the Zest Cantina, it was quite busy for the first time the entire day. Kiri, Mitsu and Maki were all working when Saya and Juri entered the establishment, smiling widely at their friends bustling around. Of course, there were quite a few other girls who worked there too. All the college students were finally done with their spring semester classes and celebrating their passing grades on their finals. There was nothing like a good cup of coffee to celebrate a victory over the books.
Saya and Juri sat down at the bar and waited for their friends to finally get a small break. While they waited, another of the waitresses took their order and brought them their drinks. The plan was to tell the others about the wedding dress photo shoot they were invited to. Mitsu was the only one who knew since she was Saya's roommate.
Half an hour later, Kiri, Maki and Mitsu got a break. No one was ordering anything, and nothing needed to be taken out to a table. So, they joined their friends at the bar with smiles of relief on their faces.
"It sure is busy in here," Juri greeted with a large smile. It was always good to see Kiri working hard.
"Yeah, no kidding," Mitsu scoffed, shaking her head.
"So, I have news for you," Saya started, looking at Kiri and Maki. Mitsu knew what was coming, and decided to watch the reactions of the others.
"What news? Is it about Sayo?" Kiri asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"No," Saya shook her head sadly. She hadn't heard much from Sayo in the past few months. With the time difference, it was really hard for them to get in a good phone call.
"Oh…" Kiri mumbled, feeling a bit bad about bringing up Sayo. Ever since she'd left for America, it had been hard for the girls talk about her at all. They had hardly hung out with the guys, let alone each other.
"Anyways, Takeshi wants us to do a photo shoot for Miku's new article," Saya smiled broadly.
"Really?" Kiri's eyes sparkled. She was finally going to be in a magazine article.
"Awesome," Maki smirked. She had always wondered what it was like to be a real model. Their graduation photo shoot was okay, but there wasn't a professional air to it at all. This time, it was for real.
"What will we be modeling?" Juri asked, a sweet smile on her face. The others could see through her though. She was super excited about this.
"We're going to be modeling western style Wedding gowns," Saya answered with a smile on her face.
"Wedding gowns," Juri mumbled in awe. She had seen them on television, but never thought she'd wear one herself. She had always thought of herself as the traditional type. The one to wear a Kimono.
"Yeah, and we get to pick our own," Saya nodded her head.
"Sweet!" Kiri squealed, pumping her fists by her side. "I am so excited about this."
"Wow, Western style Wedding gowns," Maki breathed, still taking in the fact that she would have the opportunity to wear one.
"Takeshi-kun still has to look around and find boutiques that would allow us to rent the dresses we pick out," Saya further informed them. "So it won't be anytime too soon."
"Still, this is awesome," Kiri gushed, feeling extremely giddy.
"Just remember it," Saya sighed, overwhelmed by Kiri's overenthusiastic reaction. "I'll let you know when the shoot is at least three weeks before so you have time to ask for the day off."
"When are we going to look around at the dresses?" Kiri prodded, she wanted to start looking already. She was way too excited about this, and it wasn't even happening for a while yet.
"As soon as Takeshi-kun finds a boutique we can rent form, slow down Kiri," Saya furrowed her brows, slightly irritated at the hyperness of her friend.
"Sorry…" Kiri mumbled, looking down at the floor like a puppy. She still had a smile on her face.
"It's okay," Saya shook her head and sipped at her drink.
Just as the conversation was ending, more college students entered, and a few tables were calling for their check. It was time for the girls to get back to work. What impeccable timing they had.
Two days later, Sayo and Kandi were off to the beach side resort party, all decked out in their dresses. As they neared the resort, Sayo couldn't help but stare in awe at the sight. Gorgeous crystal clear blue waters, tan sandy shores, white foam from the crashing waves, a beautiful blue sky with not a single cloud in it. The party was set up like a Hawaiian luau, with tiki torches lining the area, a tiki themed bamboo bar, bamboo tables under giant umbrellas to ward off the heat. However, no one was down on the beach.
Kandi parked her car and the two headed inside to find out where they were supposed to be. Luckily for them, the resort had been rented out entirely by the Kerris family for the party. All of the staff was there to greet and direct them to their destination. On the backside of the resort was a wooden patio that had steps that led down to the luau themed area of the beach behind the resort. Much to their comfort, they were not overdressed for the occasion. Despite the beach being a part of the party, every guest was still dressed to the T.
Even Melissa was wearing a delicate cocktail dress with heels. Sayo and Kandi spotted her standing with her father while talking to some guy and what looked like his son. She looked really bored too. Her rose pink Mori Lee dress caught their eye. A halter top, with silver crystals embroidered all around the neckline, the torso of the dress fabric pulled together, making the wide tulle skirt stand out. Small single crystals were sewn onto the skirt, making it look like the dress had glitter on it. (Dress Link: s718. photobucket albums/ ww185/ KameLuvr9/ Fancy % 20 Dresses/ ?action = view & current = ML-9119 .jpg )
Kandi and Sayo smiled when Melissa turned her head and spotted them. Melissa held up a single finger, signaling to them to wait for a minute. "Please excuse me," Melissa excused herself from the conversation that she was only an accessory to and walked away from her father. The guys didn't even notice she had gone, and continued on with their conversation.
Melissa joined Kandi and Sayo over by the drink station. "I'm so glad you two made it," Melissa smiled sincerely. They knew she meant it too. At the last party, after they met, Melissa stayed with them for the rest of the evening until they left. Sayo knew this would turn into a great friendship.
"Hey, thanks for inviting us again, this is awesome," Kandi gestured around to the décor and scenery around them.
"That's all my father, believe it or not," Melissa chuckled, filling her cup with punch.
"Wow, he's a great party planner," Sayo complimented, holding her cup delicately and making sure she didn't drop it.
"Oh yeah," Melissa nodded her head, lowering her cup from her face.
"The bar looks so tempting," Kandi sighed, staring at the bamboo bar down on the beach.
"Have you ever drank before, Kandi?" Melissa asked, an amused smirk on her face.
"Yeah, with some of my old friends back in high school," Kandi answered, sipping her punch. "They spiked the punch at our prom."
"You had the trouble-maker friends, huh?" Melissa smirked, taking another sip of her punch.
"Yeah, they did all kinds of crazy shit," Kandi chuckled, thinking back on her high school days, that seemed to be such a long time ago.
"Kandi, you're such a rebel," Sayo smirked at Kandi's reminiscent face, as she too remembered the kinds of troubles the guys had gotten into when she had known them. Although, they never drank alcohol or anything like that.
"But Kandi, you're almost 21 aren't you?" Melissa asked.
"Yeah, I seriously can't wait for my next birthday," Kandi answered, giving off this desperate aura.
"Why?" Melissa asked, plainly out of curiosity.
"Because, then I can do what I want, go where I want," Kandi explained, her need for independence showing.
"But aren't you living alone now?" Melissa couldn't see the value in it. If she were living on her own, she'd feel great, and wouldn't need the reassurance of a number to feel independent.
"No, I'm living in the second building on my family's property and paying rent," Kandi answered, shaking her head.
"Oh," Melissa nodded her head, understanding a little bit of where she was coming from. After all, Melissa was 22 years old and still living with her parents. Granted, Melissa's family is rich and has a large house with multiple rooms in it.
"Besides, I love the bright lights of Las Vegas, and the look of the casinos with their delicate architecture," Kandi explained a little further with stars in her eyes. "There's so much more to do there than to just gamble and drink."
"That is true," Melissa nodded, understanding just what Kandi meant by 'so much more'.
"Las Vegas…" Sayo mumbled, feeling a little out of the loop. She had only heard the name once or twice, but never really knew what it was. Or where it was. Since she didn't grow up in America, she didn't understand what they were really talking about at all.
"Oh, it's a city in the state Nevada, that's famous for the gambling casinos," Melissa began to explain, having a feeling Sayo was unsure of what they were talking about. "It's a great place for nightlife, and is known as the City of Sin."
"Oh, kind of like the Ginza district in Tokyo," Sayo nodded her head. She gained a little bit of understanding after the explanation.
"Yes," Melissa nodded her head. She had only heard about Ginza, but never actually been there.
"You've been to the Ginza district?" Kandi stared intently at Sayo, silently demanding an answer.
"Yes, of course I have," Sayo answered, closing her eyes and taking a long sip of her punch.
"I am so jealous…" Kandi muttered, a steamed expression on her face.
"Anyways, how are your competitions going?" Melissa questioned with a smile on her face, quickly changing the subject before Kandi got out of hand.
"Sayo here has been dominating the floor," Kandi held her cup in one hand and jabbed her other thumb at Sayo.
"Wow, that's great," Melissa smiled widely. "I really want to come and see you perform sometime."
"You should, it's really fun," Sayo smiled back, eyes open again.
"I'll have to find a time when I'm not busy to go see you then," Melissa nodded.
"Yeah, and just wait until you meet her partner," Kandi waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "He is so sexy when he dances."
Sayo rolled her eyes at Kandi and shook her head. The most she could ever think of Yoshida as was a brother. Although, she knew he had some feelings for her, she could tell. She just hoped she wouldn't have to endure the awkwardness of him acting on those feelings of his.
"I can't wait," Melissa smiled, her eyes twinkling enthusiastically.
Later that week, Sayo and Kandi were in another competition. This would be Sayo's third competition in America. Yoshida had taken Sayo to shop for their costumes this time around. She usually lets him go and pick out whatever. However, this time he insisted she come with him to meet the one who he got them from. That's how she found herself in the heart of the city of Los Angeles.
"Why did I have to come with you again?" Sayo muttered her question lowly as they stood in the doorway of the costume shop. Yoshida ignored her question blatantly and took large strides into the room with a giant smile on his face.
"Marc~," he sang into the empty shop.
Sayo stepped in and took a gander around. So many fabrics laying around. Lace, silk, chiffon, you name it, it was there. Scissors and wire also littered the counters. On the walls hung photos in delicate frames of dance costumes she assumed were designed at the shop and won an award. She slowly stepped closer to Yoshida and heard some rustling coming from a doorway behind the counter. Then she stopped as she got a better look at the framed photos by said doorway. Almost all of them had Yoshida in them. And two of them were of her and Yoshida from their previous competitions.
"Tama-chan?" A guy half groaned as he stumbled up to the back side of the counter.
"Hey, did you fall asleep back in the work room again?" Yoshida teased the guy with a smirk, leaning on the counter.
"Been doin' all nighters, gotta sleep every now and then, you know," Marc answered, pulling out a stool from under the counter and hoisting himself on it to sit.
"I hear ya," Yoshida chuckled, a wide smile on his face.
Marc looked past Yoshida and spotted Sayo staring at the photos on the wall. "You must be the 'Sa-chan' I've been hearin' about these past few months," he greeted, startling Sayo a little and getting her attention.
"Oh, yes," Sayo nodded and bowed, feeling a bit embarrassed by her spacey behavior. "I'm Tsukioka Sayo, it's nice to meet you."
"I'm Marc Knox, it's nice to finally meet you too," he smirked at her formal tone. She was Japanese, alright. "I've heard a lot about you from Tama-chan."
"Good or bad?" Sayo asked, an unpleased expression playing her face as she made her way to stand next to Yoshida.
"What do you mean by that?" Yoshida turned his head to her, surprised by her question and expression. "Why would I say anything bad about you?"
Marc only busted out with laughter. Yoshida and Sayo both looked at him in question, a little confused. He calmed down quickly, giving her a confident smile. "All good, I promise."
"Good…" Sayo muttered under her breath.
"So, you're here about your next competition, correct?" Marc did a complete 180, going full out into business mode.
"You got that right," Yoshida smirked.
"All right, shall we start the sketching process?" Marc pulled out a sketch pad, charcoal pencil, and a box of colored pencils from under the counter and flipped the pad to an empty page. He gave Yoshida a smirk as they began to discuss details.
"Kiri!" Tsuchi called over to his girlfriend who was just approaching the station. He had been waiting for her for about fifteen minutes by now. It was just like her to be late.
"Tsuchi," Kiri smiled, spotting him and bounding over. "Sorry I'm late, Maki-chan had me doing the dishes…" she stuck out her tongue.
"It's alright, I know you're not always on time," Tsuchi smirked, razzing her for her bad habit.
Kiri only stuck her tongue out at him childishly in response. She quickly forgave him, reminding herself why they were meeting up in the first place. They were finally going on another date. It had been forever since the last time the two had a free day at the same time. Tsuchi had hinted in the most subtle way ever that they should go on a date when he set this up with her. She had to beat the bush to get the snake to reveal itself, almost literally. She gave him a sincere look before reverting to her normal, playful mask. "So, where are we going?"
"I was thinking maybe we'd go for lunch," Tsuchi started, receiving a bored look from his girl. "And then, maybe we could catch a movie or something."
"Okay, that's a good plan," Kiri smirked playfully at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Let's see how closely we stick to it…"
"Oh, really?" Tsuchi continued the banter with her, sliding his fan open and fanning himself.
"Really," Kiri nodded, turning around and heading toward the station. Tsuchi only chuckled and followed after her.
After they had boarded the train, Kiri followed Tsuchi around, almost like a little lost puppy. He hadn't told her where they were going, after all. So she didn't know when to get off, which direction to go in, or even which district they'd end up in. Her only option was to follow him and keep him in her sights.
The two ended up at a little café that sold sandwiches, crepes, croissants, and other brunch foods that are usually associated with France. Kiri's face lit up at the options of crepes. Her most favorite one to get at vendors in the park was chocolate strawberry. But, this was lunch, so maybe she'd get a sandwich with a small salad on the side. Tsuchi, on the other hand, he was ready for a big sandwich. The bread that this café used for their sandwiches may be small, but they certainly did put a lot of filling in it to make up for the size. He figured he'd either go for two sandwiches, or get a sweet treat he could share with Kiri. He saw her eyeing the crepes with a bit of drool. He could only smirk.
The two stood in line for a few minutes, mentally deciding what they wanted to order. When it was their turn, they both stepped up. "Hello, how make I take your order?" the girl behind the counter asked with a kind, service smile.
"I'd like a BLT," Kiri answered her since Tsuchi hadn't spoken up yet. "With a medium Coke."
"Okay, and for you sir?" the girl asked as she tapped away on the cash register's keyboard.
"I'd also like a BLT," Tsuchi answered, quickly taking into consideration that Kiri had not ordered the crepe that she desired. "With a medium Coke, and also a chocolate strawberry crepe."
Kiri looked up at her boyfriend wide eyed. How did he know she wanted the crepe? And how did he know which flavor she wanted? She could hardly believe he'd ordered it on his own.
"Okay, that's two BLTs, two medium Cokes, and one chocolate strawberry crepe, correct?" the girl read their order back to them. Tsuchi and Kiri both nodded in answer. "Your total is 944 yen."
Tsuchi pulled out his wallet and gathered the appropriate amount of money for the order. He handed it to the girl behind the counter and she printed their receipt. "Your order number is 15, it will be called when your food is up," she informed them as she handed Tsuchi the receipt. On the very bottom in large print, it had the number 15.
Tsuchi and Kiri found a table near the front window. Outside the café, people walked past, mostly businessmen in suits, and businesswomen in pencil skirts and blazers. Some, however, were younger people like them. Some were even couples, and groups, heading toward something exciting no doubt.
"So, how's your film studies going?" Kiri asked, looking straight across the table at Tsuchi, who was fanning himself yet again.
"It's going pretty well," Tsuchi answered, nodding his head. "We're mostly learning about film history at the moment, but it'll get more hands on later."
"That's cool," Kiri smirked. She could imagine it already, Tsuchi with a big, heavy, professional video camera on his shoulder.
"How're your classes going?" he asked in return.
"Oh, I'm mostly getting the mandatory general studies courses out of the way first, so I can focus on the more important of my courses later and not have to worry about math homework…" Kiri answered. Her lengthy reply almost caused Tsuchi to miss their order being called.
"Order fifteen up!" a male voice boomed throughout the café's interior.
"I'll be right back," Tsuchi snapped his fan shut and stood before she could say anything. A moment later, Tsuchi returned to the table and set their tray down on the table between them.
Kiri grabbed one of the BLTs and Cokes, leaving Tsuchi's on the tray. She pulled the paper off of it, revealing an oval sandwich with freshly baked bread on the outside. It looked so delicious, she just couldn't wait to dig in. But, she restrained herself and waited until Tsuchi got back and opened his sandwich.
"You know," Kiri started while Tsuchi was still getting situated. "I was shocked that you ordered the crepe…"
"Well, you were looking at the ones in the window like a kid at a candy store…" Tsuchi muttered, pulling the paper off of his sandwich.
"But how did you know chocolate strawberry was my favorite?" Kiri asked, her face showing true curiosity, and just how puzzled she was.
Tsuchi only shrugged while picking his sandwich up. "Lucky guess." he told her before taking a bite into the soft bread.
Kiri only blinked twice before shrugging her shoulders, picking up her sandwich and taking a big bite.
After they finished their sandwiches, Tsuchi got up and grabbed two forks for them to use while sharing the crepe. The thought of sharing a sweet with Tsuchi made Kiri extremely happy. Maybe it wasn't ice cream, or spaghetti, or even a drink with a heart shaped straw in it, but it was good enough for her. Even though the memory wasn't romantic, she thought back to their junior year in high school when the girls all shared a crepe on her insistence. She couldn't help but wonder what Sayo was up to in America at that very moment.
At that very moment, Sayo and Yoshida were taking the dance floor in their third competition in America. Kandi and Kawamura had performed a little bit ago and got pretty high scores. Yoshida was a little nervous, since this was probably the only dance that Kandi would possibly beat Sayo. Of course, that was because Kandi had been sexually active for a few years and wasn't afraid to be sexual in front of a large crowd. Sayo, on the other hand, was completely innocent in that area. The closest she had ever come to sexual contact was that day at the pool party when Ryu fell on top of her by accident. Not that Yoshida knew about that.
At any rate, their costumes were really amazing. Marc had done a spectacular job on them in just a week.
Yoshida had on a shirt that was nude colored and had spider webs all over it. Red and black piping lined the shirt, giving it shape. His pants were black, with red stripes down the outer sides, which could hardly be seen underneath the black tassels that were attached to give him movement.
Sayo matched, in her dress that she had decided to name Ancient Secret. The whole of the dress was the nude color with black spider webs all over. Red studded piping ran along the neckline, as well as the straps on the back holding the dress onto her body. A few gold accents were on the neckline, on her waist, and the backside of the dress. In the middle of all the spider webs were black tassels held on by the red studded piping. The hem of the dress was anything but symmetrical. Four points, one on each side of her body, in two different lengths, made up the hem. Her hair was down, and her eyes were painted with heavy eyeliner, a spider web on the outer edge of each eye to match the dress. (Dress Link: s718. photobucket albums/ ww185/ KameLuvr9/ Dance % 20 Dresses/ ?action = view & current = ancient1_1 .jpg )(Make-up Link (I do not own this): browse. deviantart traditional/ bodyart/ cosmetic/ makeup/ ? qh = & section = &q = What +Catches +You %3F#/ d1tpl30 )
The two of them standing next to each other was really cool. You could completely tell that they were a pair. Their outfits matched completely.
"Dancing the Merengue," the announcer called over the intercom, "Tamaki Yoshida and Sayo Tsukioka."
Sayo and Yoshida stood in the middle of the floor, poised and ready to start, just as the announcer made the call. A second or two after the announcement, the music started, no vocals, completely instrumental, and the pair began their routine. As they moved, the tassels flew as Sayo twirled and Yoshida stepped along to the music. To Yoshida's surprise, Sayo had done pretty well on showing sexuality even though they were in front of a large crowd. Apparently Sayo was quite capable of dancing like no one was watching.
Kandi's eye twitched as she watched the young Japanese woman move. "I really don't know why I watch them dance," Kandi muttered, turning her head away from the dance floor. "She always pisses me off…"
"You're just jealous of all the attention she gets," Kawamura commented, keeping his eyes glued to their competition.
Kandi's head whipped to him, an irritated expression displayed on her face. But, she decided to let it slide.
In the end, Sayo and Yoshida ended up in second place, despite of how well Sayo did. Kandi and Kawamura had beaten them by just a few technical points. Sayo didn't care too much, she was happy as long as they placed well. Kandi on the other hand, was as smug as she could possibly be. She had finally beaten Sayo! And even though he wouldn't show it, Kandi knew that Kawamura was extremely happy about beating Yoshida as well.
The next competition would definitely hold high hopes.