A/N: Getting somewhere!


Chapter 39: Cupid Strikes Again!

Since their last competition, three months had gone by. Sayo was twenty-one now, and Yoshida was trying to decide how he wanted to end this "relationship" they had. These titles of "boyfriend" and "girlfriend". It was for both his and her sake. This wasn't doing either of them any good at all.

Sayo wiped her face off with her hand towel as she reached into her bag for her cell phone. Before even opening it, she noticed she had an unread message. So, she decided to read it really quick.

'Hey Sayo, I'll be attending your next competition with my father!

Good luck!'

It was from Melissa.


Ryu had just finished the last book he had on his shelf for the third time. He was starting to get bored of them all. He needed something else to distract him. But what?

He could find nothing.

Hayato was out at work, and he had the day off from both work and school. If he had the choice, he'd be in class this very moment, keeping his mind occupied. Keeping it off a certain person. And certain situations. But he found himself stuck with nothing to do. He was getting closer to graduation, and that made him happy. He was striving to get things done quicker so he could have a job that he went to daily. Something to keep him occupied constantly. The only thing, after these last few classes, standing in his way of graduation, was an internship. And it was mandatory.

With his brain going in twelve different directions, he somehow found himself remembering about that magazine from three years ago. Or was it four now? He couldn't quite remember, it had been so long since he'd looked at it. Curiosity getting the better of him, he dug out the old thing. Despite it being years old, he'd kept it in good condition by keeping it in a box in the corner of his closet, away from Hayato's prying eyes. God, if that guy knew he actually had gone out and bought this magazine…

Along with that old magazine was the tabloid Hayato had brought home sometime last year… Just seeing the words on the cover made his stomach churn, and anger welled up in his chest. He couldn't help but glare at those words. He sat back down on his bed and tossed the tabloid aside, he'd look at it later. If he could stomach it…

For a few minutes, he sat there on his bed, staring at the cover of the old magazine. Her in that beautiful purple dress, staring back at him. Her face still looked radiant from the lighting. He'd almost forgotten just how much the images in this magazine effected him. Once he'd had enough of staring at her back, he flipped to the article, skipping over everything else in front of it. But before he got to the article, an image of her dancing flashed in his head. Then, as the pages fell to reveal the first image of the article, that bedroom face of her flashed in his head too.

It made him hesitate to read the article.

Yet, this voice in his head was telling him to read it. That he should allow himself to be nostalgic. That it was okay to wish that things had never changed. That she had never left.

So, he read the article in full, taking his time, and fully appreciating every image that appeared in front of him. It didn't take long for the memories to invade, but he didn't stop them. He allowed himself to remember the good times, as short lived as they were, with her and the other girls from the end of his high school days.

As he finished the article, he almost didn't want to put it down. The only other thing for him to read now was that stupid tabloid. And that tabloid gave him a terrible feeling in his gut. He sighed as he slapped the magazine in his hands shut and lightly tossed it to the end of his bed. It took him a few minutes, staring hard at the cover of the thing. Then something went through his head.

'Are you happy about that?' This was something he'd asked her.

'I guess you could say that I'm happy about it…' Had been her reply.

Then, she had avoided him and the subject by running away to the reception stage. His brows furrowed as he tried to mentally decipher her actions and words. Her facial expressions from that night. He picked up the magazine and flipped to the article. As he read through, he had to fight with his urge to rip the thing to pieces while he read, and he instead tried to focus on her expressions in the article's accompanying pictures. Her smiles, he noticed, seemed a little strained.

He was sure there was a glimmer of hope somewhere.


Finally, the competition was upon them. Yoshida was finally going to meet Melissa. Sayo smiled, happy to finally be able to introduce the two to each other. After all, Melissa was the daughter of their largest sponsor. And he was the big fish out of the two of them. He really needed to meet the man that was making all of this possible.

Sayo stood on the sidelines, searching the grandstands for any sight of Melissa. So far, she wasn't having much luck. There were too many people to search through for her to find them easily. Kandi stood next to her, warming up her limbs.

"Come on Sayo," Kandi pointed her finger at her rival/friend. "You've gotta stretch those muscles."

"Oh," Sayo's attention was snapped to Kandi.

"Can't have my rival getting hurt on the job," Kandi smirked. Without her rival, things would be too easy and there would be no point in winning.

"Right," Sayo chuckled and started her stretches too. She didn't want Kandi getting mad at her.

About ten minutes later, the competition officially started. Couple after couple was called up for introduction purposes. While out on the floor giving their introductory bow, Sayo noticed a familiar face accompanied by a frantically waving hand. A smile crossed her lips as they made eye contact.

Melissa was there with her father sitting next to her.


The guys had gotten lucky today.

They had been able to spend the whole entire day together, doing whatever they wanted to do. No girlfriends to tell them where they wanted to go. No bosses giving them orders. No teachers telling them to take notes and pay attention in class. No customers spilling their sorrows to them because they're drunk… Just spending some guy time together, playing billiards and arcade games, like they used to. Although, they didn't spend as much time on the arcade games as they used to… That would just be embarrassing.

At the end of the day, in order to wind down, they gathered at Ryu and Hayato's apartment for some televised entertainment.

"What's this commercial all about?" Take asked as some commercial started with quite a hip hop styled song playing.

The guys, their attention caught by Take's question and the music, gazed at the TV. On the screen, they saw two people dancing on a white background in a hip hop style to the song. They both sported cargo pants, a baseball cap, and white converse. The man wore a white long sleeved shirt. The girl wore a white form-fitting long sleeved hoodie over a tan tank top. The girl's movements caught their eyes, and they couldn't look away. It was hypnotic and alluring.

Almost like when they had seen the girls dance together, years ago.

At the end of the commercial, two names flashed on the screen. Along with the name of a TV station. DanceTerebi. Come watch these two dance with us. And all the guys did a double take, seeing one of the names. Suddenly, it was interesting.

"Are you serious?" Tsuchi remarked, disbelievingly. How was this possible?

"She's on TV now…" Hayato mumbled, still shocked. Take only nodded his head, agreeing with Hayato's statement and the meaning behind it.

"The boss didn't tell me about this…" Hyuga mumbled to himself. Since the owner of the Dream Star was also the one who was responsible for sending the dance pair overseas, he usually updated his staff of developments in their careers. However, this one had seemed to have slipped his mind…

Ryu was the only silent one. He was completely speechless. There was no way for him to express the subtle glee he felt, or the immense curiosity he wished to fulfill.

"I wonder if they're on right now…" Take wondered aloud, pulling up the guide and searching for the channel. Once he found it, he put it on.

They saw a Japanese man and an American blonde striking an ending pose. The guys figured they were just finishing their dance. And they were right. Kandi and Kawamura broke their pose a moment later and stood next to each other to take their bow. The camera zooms in on the two as they make their way back to the sidelines while the hosts of the program comment on the dance the two had just performed. And, when the scores were ready, they commented on the scores the judges awarded the pair with.

Kandi sauntered off stage in a short tasseled skirt, bright fuchsia pink, with large purple sequins sewn on. The top of her dance costume looked like a bikini top, those same large purple sequins covering the whole front and trailing down her abdomen to the top of the skirt. A purple gem choker was around her neck. They were also able to see that her eyes were painted pink and purple. (Dress Link: i718. photobucket albums/ ww185/ KameLuvr9/ Dance % 20 Dresses/ LT163_Main .jpg ) (Make-Up Link (I Do NOT Own): therottinglab. deviantart art/ Sugarpill - 178905272 )

"Is that kind of outfit even legal…?" Take questioned aloud, voicing the others' thoughts for them, staring skeptically at the woman on the TV.

"I guess so…" Hayato mumbled, blinking. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about staring at another girl like this. He did have a girlfriend after all…

"Our next pair to dance is the Yoshida-Tsukioka pair," one of the announcer's voice came through the TV speakers.

"Tsukioka," Tsuchi repeated. "That should be Sayo-chan."

The guys watched in anticipation as the camera panned the dance floor. Sayo and Yoshida were making their way to their starting point. The announcers started voicing some of their expectations about the pair's routine, and possible scores. They also added in a little bit of trivia before the dance started.

"Tsukioka-san's dress is named Japanese Fire," one of them commented as the camera finally landed on the pair in a dark corner.

"Quite fitting, since she and her partner are both from Japan," the other added in with a bit of amusement in his voice.

"And, it looks like they're ready," the first announcer stated and they finally stopped talking as the music began.

Sayo and Yoshida moved quickly to the beat of the song, each movement matching perfectly. Both were dressed in mostly black, with blue and sliver accents in the shape of flames. Sayo was making facial expressions that none of the guys had ever seen on Sayo. Save for Hayato and Ryu, mind you, since they'd seen that video from YouTube… A close up on Sayo's face showed off her make up. Blue flames lined in black. (Dress Link: i718. photobucket albums/ ww185/ KameLuvr9/ Dance % 20 Dresses/ Japanese_Fire .jpg ) (Make-Up Link (I Do NOT Own): georgya10. deviantart art/ Blue - flames - 176871598 )

"Well," Take started, completely surprised by what they had seen on the TV. "Looks like she's doing well…"

"Yeah, she and Yoshida-san are doing really well on the dance scene," Hyuga agreed. "They've been winning a lot of their competitions."

"That's good to hear," Hayato smiled. At least it turned out to be a good decision on her part. Well, in that aspect, anyway. He was pretty sure that, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, her feelings were still going to burden her. That she would miss her family. That she would miss Ryu. He stole a quick glance at Ryu.

Ryu was just sitting there, staring at the young woman on the TV screen as she walked back to the sidelines with Yoshida, talking animatedly and smiling.

Ryu was trying so hard not to get up and walk away.


After Sayo and Yoshida had bested the competition, once again, she stood around with Yoshida, Kawamura and Kandi, talking to other competitors about the competitions. When she was off guard, a pair of hands landed on her shoulders from behind, and she jumped, complete with a tiny yelp. Sayo's head whipped around to find Melissa standing there with a big smile on her face, and Mr. Kerris standing behind his daughter, socializing with the judges.

"Congratulations on your win," Melissa greeted, moving to stand next to Sayo.

"Thanks," Sayo chuckled a little. "Glad you could make it."

"Oh, come on, I promised, didn't I?" Melissa's smile didn't waver, she was too excited about this. She glanced around a little bit and saw Kandi standing there with Kawamura next to her. She looked a little peeved. "What's with Kandi?"

"Oh, she's always like that when Yoshida-kun and I win…" Sayo mumbled, completely used to the treatment by now. "She'll get over it though, it's a passing phase."

"Oh, that's good to hear," Melissa chuckled a little. She knew Kandi could be a bit childish, but didn't know that she could be this childish.

"Kan-chan!" Sayo called out to the young, pouting blonde.

Kandi looked over, hearing her nickname from Sayo, perked up a little bit. She wouldn't admit it at a time like this, when she wanted to be mad, but she loved the nickname. "Melissa!" Kandi immediately broke out in to a smile and stepped over to greet their friend.

"Hey Kandi, congrats on placing second," Melissa smiled.

"Yeah, well…" Kandi shrugged.

"Hey, it's not that you're bad," Melissa tried to cheer Kandi up. "it's that you're also the best."

"Thanks," Kandi smiled a little at that. It was a good try. "Oh, you haven't met Kawamura yet, have you?"

"No, I haven't," Melissa shook her head.

"Hey, Kawamura!" Kandi called back to her partner, who was speaking with another pair from their dance studio. He only looked at her with question. "Come here, I want you to meet someone."

"Excuse me," Kawamura excused himself from his current conversation and joined Kandi.

"Kawamura, this is Melissa Kerris, the daughter of Mr. Kerris," Kandi explained, presenting Melissa to him. "Our sponsor's daughter."

"Nice to meet you, Kawamura-san," Melissa greeted Kawamura with a smile.

"Likewise," Kawamura nodded his head. "If you'll excuse me, I was in the middle of an important conversation."

"Go right ahead," Melissa smiled, not minding the irritated glance he sent Kandi's way. Kandi had completely ignored it, since that's just how the two of them were with each other.

"Oh," Sayo blinked a couple times, coming to a realization. A smile crossed her lips and she turned her head to Melissa. "You have to meet my partner, I think you two will get along great." And she gave Melissa a wink.

Before Melissa could even reply, Sayo stepped over to Yoshida, who was having a conversation with a man that looked important. Sayo waited for a moment where she could politely interrupt them. Although, interrupting them is hardly polite but… The man Yoshida was talking to noticed her standing there patiently with a smile on her face. A small smirk crossed his lips and he returned his gaze to Yoshida.

"I don't mean to derail our conversation," the man told Yoshida, which caused Yoshida to give him a slightly confused look. "But I think this beautiful young woman behind you would like to grab your attention."

"Oh?" Yoshida turned his head to find Sayo standing there behind him, still smiling at him. "Sa-chan, what is it?"

"Um, is it okay for me to steal you away for a moment or so?" Sayo asked, trying to look cute and innocent. She hoped it was working. This 'stealing him away for a moment or so' would probably wind up being 'stealing him away completely'.

Yoshida didn't reply. Instead, the man he was talking to smiled at her. "Go ahead, Yoshida, we can always catch up another time."

"Thanks John," Yoshida smiled back at him and turned away to follow Sayo. "What's this about?"

"There's someone I want you to meet," Sayo told him secretively, making her way back to Kandi and Melissa, who were chatting up a storm about possible party ideas. "Meli-chan," Sayo called out to Melissa.

"Yes?" Melissa looked over to Sayo with a smile on her face.

"I'd like to introduce to you my partner, Yoshida Tamaki," Sayo motioned to Yoshida, who was right next to her, staring at Melissa with a blank face.

"Hi there, I'm Melissa Kerris," Melissa greeted Yoshida with a bright, cheerful smile. "Nice to finally meet you, I've heard so much about you from these two here," Melissa referred to Sayo and Kandi.

Yoshida couldn't speak. He was stunned by this beauty that stood before him. His tongue was suddenly tied in a knot that he couldn't undo. And his words escaped him, no matter how hard he tried to form a sentence. He could certainly form one in his head, but just couldn't get it out of his mouth.

"Yoshida-kun?" Sayo leaned over in his line of vision, causing him to snap out of it.

"Ah, yes, yes, nice to meet you too, Miss Kerris," Yoshida finally got out his greeting. And he pulled himself together to give her his killer smile. That one smolder that every girl fell for.

"I hear you're a really good dance teacher from Sayo here," Melissa started the conversation, and it was on from there. The two continued their conversation until the very last moment. They were drawn to each other like a moth to a flame.

Love at first sight.

"Just look at those two," Kandi muttered, totally jealous. "They're totally into each other, and they just met…"

"Yeah, love is crazy like that sometimes…" Sayo nodded her head. Not that she was jealous of them. No, quite the opposite actually. She was happy for them, and had seen this coming from a mile away. Although, she was just a tad bit envious of them.

With this development, she would definitely be alone in the apartment more often now. She'd have too much time to think about things, and that could pose to be problematic…

Oh well. So goes life.