Prom

"Baby when we're grinding, I get so excited… Ooh, how I like it - I try. but I can't fight it… Oh, you're dancing real close; plus real, real slow… (You know what you're doing, don't you?) You're making it hard for me…"

The slow, soothing music flowed throughout the room, calming the moods of the once fiery dancing couples and bringing a sense of solemnity to them all. Across the dance floor were full of girls in beautifully colored dresses, special and unique in their own sequined designs and sparkling patterns. Their corresponding partners appeared alike one another with their coal-black suits and slicked back hair by way of gel, along with crisp, shimmering matching formal shoes. The majority of the female students had decent sized corsages of delicate flowers either encasing their wrists, or pinned above the chest level on their attire. Even the teacher chaperones seemed to relax, as most of them had paired up amongst themselves to dance to the soft, melodious tune, just keeping a casual eye on the other youths.

Chocolate brown irises settled upon the head of dark blue hair moving about the dance floor, glaring daggers at the slim, feminine hands playing in the area near his shoulders, seemingly intending to encircle his neck. The feline zoanthrope scowled a bit at the popular girl's coy teasing of her former best friend, and forced herself to look away before her anger was fueled any higher. A forlorn sigh begged to be released from her lips, but she held it back, refusing to let free any emotions that would alarm or bring suspicion to her jade-haired partner. But just then, her stomach growled quietly, signaling its hunger, and Uriko immediately flushed in embarrassment, especially when her date looked up, glancing around as if trying to detect the source of the noise.

"I-I'm feeling a little hungry after all, I suppose," she mumbled into Cronos' ear, feeling her cheeks heat up at her admission. "Sorry, I know that I told you I didn't want to eat earlier, but…"

"It is all right, my sweet," he shushed reassuringly, his fingers gently trailing down along the curve of her spine upon her bare skin. "One of my chums had spoken of a snack bar in this room, and claimed they sold little bakery products, such as cakes, chocolates, and water, soda, or alcohol as a drink. Those small tables you see aligning the western wall of this room is where peoples would take their food to and feast, with their partners, of course. Would you like to purchase something there?"

A tiny smile graced her lips. "So that's what those tables were for…" she pulled back a bit, briefly peering into his eyes. "Sure, thanks for the offer."

"It is not a problem the least bit," he answered smoothly, his palm resting against her naked back as he guided her over to the snack bar, where the two met an attendant behind the bar counter, cleaning a glass mug.

The worker finished and set the large cup down onto the surface, the white rag right next to it, and then faced the prom duo with a greeting smile on his face. "Good evening, sir, madam. May I help you?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," the seventeen-year-old male spoke, glancing quickly at his female companion. "My lady hungers for delicatessen."

The person he was speaking to raised a brow at the formality, and turned toward Uriko hesitantly. "All right. What would you like to order, miss?"

She scanned the menu, and her eyes instantly brightened when they landed on a certain selection. "Chocolate mousse… mmm…"

"If that is so you desire, you shall have it," her date proclaimed, and she blinked as his wallet somehow appeared in his hands all of a sudden.

When the bar tender had placed her order atop the counter moments after, he paid for the slice of chocolate cake without any indecision. Feeling a bit flustered at his generosity; she voiced several thanks at him before taking a hold of the plate's slim edge, and remembered to reach for two of the plastic forks bundled together in a cup. With his palm still resting against her back, the pair strolled over to one of the small, intimate tables aligning the wall that were designated for couple seating. The auburn-haired student tucked her dress underneath the insteps of her knees and sat onto the petite wooden chair that had been pulled out by Cronos in decorum. He took his own place directly across from her, almost seeming to sit down with liquid ease, and then immediately moved his hand to cover atop hers.

"Your beauty puts the other residing ladies in this room to shame," he slicked smoothly, caressing her knuckles with the callused tips of his fingers and meeting her dark pupils with his intense jade yellow pair.

"Oh… hush already…" she giggled nervously, dropping her head and breaking the eye contact, which was making her feel uneasy because of his mysterious flirtatious mode.

"Surely you jest, my lady," Cronos continued suavely, lifting his arm to stroke her cheek with the back of a single digit. "Do you not like to hear the truth? This mustn't be the first time one has paid you a compliment, after all."

To stall in giving him a direct answer, she broke off a piece of the cake with her fork, and brought the mahogany morsel in-between her parted lips, the delicious sensation exploding on her tongue. Her taste buds shivered in delight, and she inwardly squealed; how she loved chocolate, the tender sweetness of the food always lasting until at last it dissolved to nothing. All the while, her partner watched intently, stationary, waiting her to response to his earlier question, hazy irises seeming to flicker with curiosity and impatience, then disappeared. Though she wanted to wait longer before replying him, the feline swallowed the bite, joyous that the flavor continued lingering in her mouth.

"You must be truly starved," he commented just as she was forking up another piece.

"Well, yeah, a bit." She replied before inserting the soft chunk into her mouth; when a little chocolate rubbed onto her chin, her companion instantly reached across the table and wiped the smudge off with his thumb. Flush crept over her cheeks, but she gave him a weak smile in thanks, and he patiently waited until she had finished the cake, and set the fork down on the empty plate. His eerie light eyes kept gazing at her, eventually bringing a feeling of slightly curious unease upon her, and the girl merely retained a contented expression on her face. For moments, he would calmly peer at her, stationary in his seat, as if pondering, brooding about something that was related to her, although of course she could not guess what he was thinking.

Finally averting her attention away, she casually sighed and glanced around at the dance floor, sweeping over the swaying forms of her friends, briefly catching Erika's eye and the two exchanged a knowing look. Continuing on, the Kenpo student focused on the stiff, lean figure of her zoanthrope compatriot and she instinctively began to chew on her lower lip. She faintly detected impatience in his mode when the usual sliver of pale orange shade in his irises flared with noticeable emotion that only showed in times of his high annoyance levels. Tilting her head to the side a bit, Uriko wondered why he was feeling that way, and then her gaze traveled along his body length, descending until she saw a pair of hands pressed firmly on his rear.

Eww, making a move on him like that right in public… she wrinkled her nose in distaste. What a shameless slu-

"Lady Uriko?" Cronos spoke just then, interrupting her train of thought, peering at her with concern, then followed her direction of gaze. "Ah, Ohgami and Madam Wendy. They do make quite a striking pair together, yes?"

The feline didn't reply, and kept watching the duo. She felt a twinge of irritation ignite when her former friend frowned at his date's action, but made no move to distance himself from Wendy. The popular girl must have gotten bolder at his lack of resistance, because she then leaned toward his ear, and her lips moved as she said something, which made him flush with embarrassment. Scowling under her breath, the auburn-haired teenager turned back to her male school peer and was surprised to find him so close that his nose almost touched hers. He stared at her, a small flame in his hazy pupils enticingly inviting her to peek out of the thin shield protecting her being, and abandoning her doubts; she tilted her chin up and timidly met his lips.

If he can act like he doesn't care about me, then I can pretend too.

*****

Damn… stop this… Stop-it-stop-it-stop-it-stop-it…

Kenji flinched at the feel of a wet presence slicking into the spiral of his earlobe, and one of his hands clenched into a fist as he fought the defensive urge to strike against the unwanted attention. His arms were loosely wrapped around the waist of his date, but he was forced into that close of contact due to her rigid, dogged insistence of being in such confined vicinity. A noise of disapproval growled deep in his throat, and he stiffened considerably, finding it hard to continue swaying to the slow music when he was so uncomfortable. The tension in his clavicle muscles increased especially the moment he glanced off to the side and spotted his former friend kissing his confounded rival.

How could you do this to me, Uriko… he wondered, a dark frown shadowing his features as he was distracted from noticing that Wendy had started to rub his back and posed over his neck with her mouth. A pang of ugly jealousy gnawed at his insides, making the ninja grimace in discomfort and yelp in surprise when he finally acknowledged a nibbling sensation on his throat. By impulse, he shoved the girl away from him, and she stumbled back, almost losing her balance as she sprawled to hit the wall, crying out when her shoulder came into contact with it forcefully. Forest green eyes shimmering with anger, she raised a hand and whipped it toward his face, but his quick reflexives allowed him to grasp a hold of her wrist before she could strike him.

"Ooooh, how could you do that to me, Kenji-kun!" She hissed, keeping the volume of her voice fairly low so the others paid no heed to the pair's conversation. "Why are you getting freaked out just because I was kissing you? Damn, you sure as hell weren't shy last weekend…"

Just hearing the mention pricked at his patience, and Kenji's brows knit together, coupled with a hideous snarl that escaped from his tightly pinched lips. She gasped at the fire burning in his almost-black pupils, and shifted away from him as best she could, although her back already met resistance so she had little distance to separate them. His other fist remained at his side, although it was twitching, as if he were ready at any moment to attack her with the same fury that reflected in his expression. Remembering the dream he had the night before when he realized that no such occurrence happened between the two, her remark fueled his anger and he could barely recall another time when he wanted to punch someone so badly.

"We did not sleep together last weekend, Wendy, did we?" he inquired coolly, and when she hesitated, his lips curled back in malice as he demanded, "Did we?! Tell me the truth, damn it, I have the right to know!"

"Oh, calm down already," she smiled coyly, "I mean, does it really matter? You're making a big huge deal outta nothing, Kenji-kun."

"This is not nothing," he snapped agitatedly, his grip on her tightening, which made her wince and complain painfully. "I want to know! I want to hear the truth, from you especially, so that I can stop being plagued by this question lingering in a dark corner of my mind, wondering all the time whether or not I had foolishly given away my virtue-"

"Cut that freakin' crap already!" She responded with equal ire, throwing her arm down all of a sudden so that his grasp had loosened enough for her to wrench her hand free. Stepping over to the side, Wendy shot him a pouting glare and pursed her lips stubbornly as she daintily inspected her wrist, moaning in distress when she spied a faint red ring imprinted in her skin. "Great, now look what you did to me! You hurt my hand, Kenji-kun!!"

"That is your wrist, not your hand," he informed her, a slight hint of smugness in his tone. "At your age and school grade level, you even fail to correctly identify the separate parts of your body."

"Oh!" Wendy bit off crisply, her eyes narrowing in disdain and she grumbled, "Shit, whoever knew you'd get so spazzed about some stupid thing like this! All right, all right, if you're gonna get so butt-hurt about not knowing, I'll tell you. No, we didn't sleep together last weekend, okay? But!" she barreled on when a deadly glint appeared in his irises, "the other stuff I mentioned, like you going to the party and getting drunk and all, that was true! You got drunk off your ass, and we did dance together at the party, and I'd suggested that we go to a bedroom, but you said you were gonna barf, and I didn't see you after that."

"…How did I get drunk?" the mole zoanthrope inquired, direly curious about how he had reached his intoxicated state during the previous weekend. His emotions cooled down a bit, and his hands released into their default casual position, now that he was feeling less angry and hungering to discover more about the party night's events. His eyes turned pleading as he murmured in question, "Wendy, tell me, tell me all that you know about what happened at the party last weekend…"

"The hell should I know," she shrugged, exasperation dripping in her attitude that suggested she was fibbing. "Everyone gets wasted at Daki's famous parties, ever since the first one, that's why so many people go. His parties are totally free, wild, fun! It's like a college frat party, only in high school."

He blinked while a blank look inhibited his face. "College frat party…?"

"Never mind," the redhead waved her hand dismissively. "Can't believe that with all her experience, your dear friend Uriko hasn't taught you the ropes yet. I mean, seriously, with all that she knows, I thought that she'd at least clue you in on the basics! But, whatever, she never was the ideal teacher, I guess." She shrugged in conclusion.

"…All right…"

"Anyway, I gotta go use the little girls' room," Wendy giggled and curved his chin with her fingertips. "Don't run away while I'm gone, cutie." With that, she whirled around and disappeared into the crowd, proceeding to the other side where the lavatories in the room were located, leaving him standing alone.

…Damn, how I wish I could get the hell out of here right now… Kenji thought wistfully, despite her warning him not to run off during her absence. Shaking his head and accompanying the motion with an aggravated sigh, he pivoted away from the direction she had left in, eyeing the door somewhat conspicuously.

"Leaving already?" A voice asked him softly from behind.

Raising a brow but not feeling in the mood to be rude, he turned to face the speaker, his eyes widening when he saw who stood before him. "Uriko…?"

She nodded as if to confirm, then requested quietly, "Don't leave without dancing one song with me."

She wants to dance… with me… after that argument we so recently had? "…Where's your Prince Charming?" he countered, mouth set in a firm poise, and he tried to appear somewhat intimidating to her, yet wanted to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "I didn't think he would leave your side after you two were so… intrigued with each other as this whole room just witnessed a few minutes ago."

Uriko squirmed, an uneasy feeling forming in the pit of her stomach, and she wrung her hands together, wrinkling the material of her white gloves. "If you're talking about the kiss, that didn't really mean anything. I mean, it just felt like something I should do, you know, since he and I are prom dates to each other anyway… But," she glanced up at him; "he's off somewhere, playing pool with a couple of his friends in this other room with a bunch of games in it. And anyway, Kenji, I didn't come here to talk about Cronos, I just wanted to ask if you'd to dance with me, that's all."

He opened his mouth to refuse, but when he caught the silent plea in her eyes, he found himself relenting and replying instead, "All right."

She smiled at him nervously, and Kenji hid his emotions with nonchalance as he wordlessly took her hand, and led her away from the walls of the room, into the crowd of the dance floor. Stopping when they were somewhere in the middle, he faced her, an emotionless look inhibiting his pupils when he stepped in a bit closer, and placed his hands on her slender waist. Hesitancy aligned her features as the young feline gingerly slipped her arms around his neck, and fought the urge to tremble when she felt his grip on her sides tighten more securely. Her head tilted up instinctively when the two began to slowly sway to the soothing music, and their eyes locked, both desperately trying not to emit any signs of showing their hidden thoughts of slight distaste regarding the prom.

The sixteen-year-old female sighed unconsciously, staring at her dancing partner as intently as he was doing to her, warning herself in danger of drowning in his dark irises, the deep brown pools of shrouded sentiment. Able to read his moods before, tell how he was feeling, she was unsure of what was running through his mind now, and wondered if anything serious would develop between him and Wendy. Surely he could see right into her fake act and sly intentions, and would not bother to waste his time on her when he had other, much better issues to address, right? Once she got what she wanted, she would just drop him, but after having some fun first, and the moment that she got bored, he would be gone and she'd move on to her next conquest.

I can't keep worrying about Kenji, the Kenpo student thought, scolding herself inwardly. He can take care of himself after all. And even if he gets hurt by Wendy… he'll be able to easily recover, I know it. Hmm, after all, if Kenji can avoid drowning from the pain of his past, then this…thing…with Wendy should be no problem for him.

Feeling assured, Uriko let a small sigh escape from between her lips, and forgetting her current situation, she relaxed and laid her head on the chest of her zoanthrope compatriot, causing his eyes to slightly widen in surprise. He glanced down at her, the silky strands of her long brown hair almost close enough to tease his cheeks, and couldn't help the tiny smile that curved the corners of his mouth at her peaceful appearance. The tension that had stiffened his shoulders released, and he removed a hand from her waist to settle it upon her back, instinctively jolting because of the bare contact. But he quickly calmed his emotions, and rested his palm against her smooth skin, lightly tickling her when he trailed the tips of his fingers in a circular motion upon her flesh.

Deciding to fully give into the warmth and comfort, Kenji cuddled her more closely, and allowed his eyelids to slide down halfway, ignoring all the other people around. In their own private little world, the two were alone together, with no one to bother or disrupt them from their contention, and he sighed rapturously, abandoning himself from thinking, and escaping to pure sensation.