Arrive
"Holy shit-!"
"I ain't seeing things, right?"
"That…that limo is gold!!"
Hearing those words even through the thickness of the black windows, the Kenpo student ducked her head down, feeling her cheeks flush in embarrassment at the unwanted attention. Apparently, she and her date had not arrived at the hotel early enough, and now there was a small group of students, all in formal attire, crowding around the limousine as closely as they could without being run over. The driver must have been extremely patient, taking time and being cautious to weave through the scattered teenagers, trying to not hit anyone. Cronos merely smiled at the praises and exclamations, and lowered his window to reveal his identity to the others, beaming with pride when he heard a few of the others whistle in compliment. The feline zoanthrope sank lower into her seat, and intently focused her eyes on the tall, looming building hovering above, the stone structure stretching high into the sky.
"You go, Daki! Awesome limo!"
"Hey, who's his date? Can't see her face!" The people surrounding the male who said that comment laughed.
"She's hiding from ya, Daki!" Another scholar chimed in, "What'd you do, scare her?"
Scowling in annoyance at the previously made remark, Uriko straightened her posture and tentatively peeked out the glassy black surface on her side, peering into the sneering, yet awed faces of her schoolmates. Many fingers pointed at the long vehicle, most specifically on its golden paint job, and she could catch a hint of jealousy emitting from several of the girls. She shook her head while sighing in defeat, and averted her attention to the shadowy outline of the hotel that was quickly approaching. The other students had obviously parked some distance away, as there were dozens of cars aligning the sidewalk, and she was displeased about the twenty minutes it took for the driver to find enough free spaces to fit the limousine into.
The lengthy period of time just presented the opportunity for outside bystanders bustling about in the city to stop and admire the golden car, and the sixteen-year-old could quickly feel her nerves tingling with irritation. Not to mention she felt like she was in a show, put on display for others to admire and jabber at whenever they pleased, not caring what she thought of the situation. Finally, the limo slowed a stop a few blocks from the hotel, and relief spread over her expression; her date flashed her a proud grin, and took a gentle, but possessive hold of her forearm. Deciding to let him have his way for the moment, Uriko shrugged slightly and allowed the jade-haired teenager to lead her out of the vehicle, after the driver opened the door for them.
The pair walked down the sidewalk for at least two blocks or so until they were mobbed by some of the same students that had watched them arrive and eyed the limo covered with the unusual colored paint. Jeering questions were fired at Cronos, and his female companion hung back, remaining silent as she waited for him to finish answering the inquiries from the others. Her black kitten purse clutched tightly in her free hand, she quickly slipped the strap over her shoulder, and impatience aligning her features as she and her partner leisurely walked. They were making very slow progress strolling along the pathway heading to the hotel, as schoolmates lingered about the new student, chattering with him excitedly regarding his unique vehicle.
…Sigh… she thought, feeling slightly agitated when she saw that he was enjoying the attention, while she dreaded the inquiries that were directed at her. Leaning toward his ear, she whispered quietly, "Cronos, let's get to the hotel soon… The prom will be starting before we know it."
He turned to look at her, flashing a dazzling smile and a barely noticeable wink. "Yes, of course, as you wish, my sweet." Glancing at the others, he announced aloud, "My friends! Though we are enjoying your marvelous company, the lady and I wish to arrive at the hotel this moment; we are eager to begin this wondrous, unforgettable night called the prom." His head tilted to one side a bit. "I am sure that all of you are equally elated to join us at this gathering, so might this whole group journey across the distance to the building together?"
A few guys laughed while the girls giggled at his usual strange word usage and sentence structuring. "Daki's always Daki!"
But even as they shook their heads, the teenagers complied with his request and the entire crowd began moving in the direction of the hotel in a lot faster speed than before when they were stalled with conversation. With a sigh of relief escaping under her breath, Uriko gave her date a brief, grateful look, receiving a kiss on her knuckles in reply, and then she averted her gaze forward, light blush tainting her cheeks at his previous action. When she caught sight of a tall dark shadow illuminated by the bright glow of the street lamps around, she knew that they had arrived at the hotel, and immediately her tension ceased. As soon as the prom officially started, there would only be a mere couple of hours that prevented her from returning home, escaping the embarrassment of being the center of attention.
The sixteen-year-old could not help the pleased smile that curved her delicate lips at the view of the sparkling lights dotting along the long, stretching sides of the building. Maroon marble paint decorated the outer appearance, the walls shimmering by the moonlight beaming rays down coupled with the light sources tucked along the sidewalk. A ruby-colored carpet that was rolled out on the street led into the double doors of the hotel, while two workers stood by each side and collected the prom tickets. After the students got the stamp of admission, they were welcomed into the dance; Cronos and his companion, followed by the crowd, raised the eyebrows of the bellhops but they made no move to refuse their entry.
"Wow…" The feline gasped quietly when she stepped into the room where the event was being held, and halted to a stop to gawk while her date unhooked their elbows to reach for her hand, grinning at her reaction of awe.
Her large brown eyes reflected the sparkling of the chandelier that hung from the ceiling above, colorful sparkles glimmering from the crystalline shards. Pale light purposely set to that shade shone from the bulbs aligning the walls enhancing the clear, transparent ice sculpture sitting inside a flat tub that sat across the room atop a wooden stand. Adjacent to the bar counter were small tables intended for two people each, well-hidden by dim candles that provided more shadow than the default effect. Techno melody drifted out from the multiple speakers tucked in the upper corners of the room, inhibiting the entire area and enticing many people out to occupy the dance floor.
"This place is beautiful," she whispered breathlessly, her gaze flickering over the numerous couples already beginning to shift to the beat of the music with their partners.
"Yes, I must agree," her male peer spoke, turning to face the teenage girl and starting to daintily stroke her cheek, a smile dancing about his lips.
She fought the impulsive instinct to flinch at the feel of the back of his knuckles curve a cool path down the side of her face, and instead forced a grin upon her expression. Tugging on his wrist all of a sudden, she pulled him away from the door when more students began to pour in as it was quickly approaching the official opening time of the prom. Her action made him retract his arm and the sixteen-year-old inwardly sighed in relief, quickly waving to a few of her friends as they passed by with their dates in tow. Awaiting Erika's arrival, she sneaked a look at Cronos, whom was conversing with some guys presumably about his gold limousine, and she rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Hey!! Uriko!" A voice called out nearby the entrance, barely audible due to the chattering from the others and the music that filled the room.
"Erika!" the Kenpo student replied, rising on her tiptoes to gaze over the crowd, jumping up slightly startled when a hand clamped on her shoulder.
"Hi, girl! I see you made it here in one piece!"
Instantly, she pivoted to face the speaker, "Hey there! Yeah, so did you!" She flashed a smile at the tall boy standing next to her best friend, "Hi Joseph, how's it going?"
"Good, Uriko, what about you?" Joseph Riley grinned; nodding at her in greeting, his arm securely slung around his date's shoulders. "What's this I hear about you and Daki arriving like royalty?"
"Royalty?" Erika laughed. "Oh no, what did Cronos do this time, huh?"
"Umm, nothing really," the feline zoanthrope answered absentmindedly. "People are just kinda… shocked by the color of the limo we came here in."
The other girl giggled, while the male senior snorted. "Oh yeah? Why, was it gold or something?"
Uriko shot him a curious glance before looking at the jade-haired teenager out of the corner of her eye. "Actually, yeah. How did you guess?"
He shrugged. "A couple times last week after basketball practice, he said something about possibly renting a gold limo to go to the prom 'cause it'd catch the other guys' attention. Didn't think he was serious about that though."
"He… Really?" A small frown marred her brows and she pursed her lips a bit. "Huh, yeah, I guess he was being serious, heh…"
"I know you hate attention, girl, sorry about the bad luck," Erika offered her a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, no one'll remember the limo by the end of the night; they'll all be too busy thinking up an excuse to tell their parents so that they can stay here at this hotel overnight. I mean, seriously, some people just come here for the sake of-"
"Erika, let's dance." Her date suggested just then - chuckling and waving to her friend, she nodded, so he took a hold of her hand and led the girl to the dance floor where the two of them disappeared into the mingling students.
Sighing, Uriko stepped back into place with her date, waiting for him to finish talking with his friends, the corners of her lips curving up just a bit, although the mere gesture felt artificial. Her gaze danced about the room, scanning over the people she knew from school, briefly catching their eyes and smiling at them in salutation. She continued glancing above the many heads of different-colored hair moving as the teens danced, but her eyes came to an abrupt halt when it settled upon dark blue tress. Mouth falling open slightly, the young feline felt a soft moan gurgle deep in her throat, and she immediately turned away to focus her attention back on her prom companion.
Kenji… she thought wistfully, unable to fight the urge to glance at the pair that just entered the dance once more. …So he did come. With Wendy. She absorbed his appearance, how well the raven-black suit fit his lean-cut form, noticed the white collar of his presumed undershirt encircling his neck. As usual, his face was serious and emotionless, and she could not read his expression, but almost was able to detect a hint of unease in his attitude. His cobalt bangs bobbed before his forehead, periodically stooping down to graze against his eyebrows, swinging around to bounce against his cheekbone when he pivoted to peer at Wendy. His lips moved as he said something to her, and the auburn-haired girl wished her acute hearing were good enough to listen in on their conversation, but the noise level from the others hampered her senses.
"Cronos," she tapped the arm of her date, jolting him out of his conversation.
After dismissing the other guys, he turned to face her with a pleased grin. "Yes, my sweet?"
"Let's dance," Uriko commanded, giving him a dazzling smile as she quickly adjusted the strap of her purse over her shoulder before reaching for his hand.
"As you wish," he bowed slightly, obeying her request and gripping her elbow, leading her over to where the others were dancing.
*****
How many hours long is this prom thing again?
Grimacing at his date's death grip on his forearm, Kenji shifted a bit in discomfort and glanced at the red-haired girl, seeing that her emerald eyes were looking right back at him. Realizing that she had probably been gazing at him on the sly when he had not noticed until now, he groaned silently and averted his attention elsewhere, hoping to discourage her from continuing to stare at him as he were a figure of godly significance. He faintly acknowledged the exotic designs of the beautifully decorated room, but his main focus wavered, then locked upon the slim, red-clothed hourglass form moving about the dance floor. A black object bounced off her hips as she twirled around with her partner, and loose strands of her long brown bangs hung casually next to her eyes.
…Uriko. He peered at the bright-haired girl adjacent to him, thankful that she was currently busy with chatting to some of her other friends that had arrived at the prom. She appeared so plain in comparison to his former best friend; her fiery red tress was dull and did not shimmer as much, while too much foundation was dusted upon her cheeks. A dark coat of tan color covered her lips, and her eyelashes were thickened with mascara, almost clinging together at the closeness in which they were forced into. His forearm began to tingle, especially in the area where she clutched him so tightly, and he gently reached across to untangle her hand off, gripping her in his palm instead.
"Kenji-kun!" Wendy squealed right into his ear, making him flinch in reflex. "C'mon, let's get down there with the others and dance! It must already be past nine o'clock 'cause the doors are closing so the prom has officially began!"
This is over at twelve, right…? "All right," he reluctantly agreed, allowing her to drag him over to the dance floor. I assume that the minutes will tick by very, very slowly… Grinding his teeth in irritation, he placed his hands on her waist, careful to place solid distance between the both of them, and fought the urge to step back when he felt her arms snake around his neck. Her action was an attempt in pulling him closer to her, but he stood his ground, refusing to budge only unless it was to shift about in dancing sync with the music.
The popular girl had been upset with him earlier because he had not rented a limousine, and instead arrived at her house to pick her up in his normal convertible. And then she complained about him not getting a corsage to strap around her wrist, continuing on with how she wanted to go to a fine dining, expensive restaurant for dinner, and was disappointed when he told her that he had a spending limit. One thing he could credit her with, she knew how to pay compliments, as she had praised him regarding how well he looked in his suit, and cooed over the gelled style of his hair. But the ninja saw through her transparent comments, since he could easily tell fakeness when it was being displayed, and was not fooled when she showered him with sugarcoated compliments.
He was brought back to reality when Wendy began sliding in, decreasing the space separating the two, tucking her face next to his throat, and insistently pressing her cheek against his. His brows raised, but when he tried to move back, he felt her hands curve to his sides, gripping and holding him in place so that he had no choice except to remain immobile. While he was distracted by that gesture of hers, the mole zoanthrope neglected to notice when her body aligned with his, her curves bending into the crevices of his form. It made him feel smothered and not right, as if the pieces of a puzzle were being forced into fitting together, and a frown crossed his expression at her persistent action.
Some first year prom for me this is… He thought wistfully, sneaking a look at his zoanthrope compatriot, noting the delicate smile gracing her lips as she was gazing at her partner, which unconsciously conjured up a bad taste in his mouth. Spying his jade-haired rival, Kenji could not help but scowl and glare at the back of his head, direly wishing that he could activate his fire beast drive on the annoying, manipulative cur. His fist started to tighten, but he quickly fought for control over his anger, since he did not want to alarm his date into being frightened if he should unleash his emotions. Yet then again, the redhead female was oblivious, slowly beginning to grind her hips against his pelvis, rubbing near an area in which he was extremely sure that he wanted her nowhere near it.
"Wendy-!" he hissed out from between sealed lips, forcibly pushing her back but keeping a grip on her arm so she would not be shoved into another dancing person nearby. His dark eyes narrowed as he continued lowly, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Dancing, what else??" She flickered her eyelashes at him innocently. "This is how other people dance, you know!"
He glanced about the place and shook his head. "I don't see anyone else right now dancing in the same motion as you were."
"Oh, they're just being wet blankets," Wendy answered matter-of-factly, a coy glint winking at him in her emerald green irises. "Just because a couple of teachers from school are chaperoning us doesn't mean that we have to act all formal and prissy to please them. This is our prom night after all, we're supposed to have fun!" She placed her hand over his wrist, and her fingers glided up and down his skin convincingly.
"Even so…" he murmured, gazing at her solemnly, "I would prefer it if you didn't do that… whatever you just did now… for a while. I'm not comfortable with it, and I'm sure you understand."
"Oh, yeah, sure, I suppose so," she wrinkled her nose in distaste, but moved into the previous distanced position, letting him he have his way.
Kenji smiled faintly, relieved that she was not going to argue, or try and convince him further of how they should be dancing the same way as everyone else was at the other social gatherings. Yet as he gently grasped her waist again, he felt her body sag, as if she was trying to subtly shift away from him, and he frowned in confusion - what exactly was it that she wanted? The girl acted strangely, seeming to want to entice him one moment, but then retracting from his hold the next instant; and of course, he could not calm the suspicions of his mind that she intended to bed him by the end of the night. The male student suddenly suspected her dancing excuse was just to get close to him, and he inwardly resolved that no matter tricks she might have up her sleeve, he would not allow his guard down again.
In the adolescent world of shrouded deception and cloaked intentions, the only outcome I can expect for myself is to be swept away the moment I show any signs of relenting. He glanced at his date, noting the way that she avoided his gaze, and was instead peering over his shoulder at goodness-knew-what, and not like he could immediately turn around and find out either. This Wendy, she was a mystery, and he somehow felt that if he did not catch a glimpse of her enigma soon, she would blur his vision, and duck his head underneath the clear, glass surface, preventing him from looking down the right path.