DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, Enix does. This story was written by a fan for
fans.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: AHH!!! I love BAM! It is probably my favorite game ever, so it only makes
sense that I would write a fanfic. Frida is my favorite character (I'm still bitter about her
not being in BAM2) so this story focuses on her. Oh, and the title was a last minute thing.
I'm not that good at titles so if anyone has a better suggestion, please let me know.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Groove Is In The Heat
by Daeryn
~*~*~*~*~*~
~*~*~*~*~*~
"I know you can do it sis!" Comet beamed and she flopped down onto a futon. "I have total
faith in you!"
"Oh, I don't know Comet," Frida stared at herself in the small bathroom mirror. She nervously
fixed her headband. "Everyone else is so flashy. They have so much talent. I'm just so..
.so plain." Frida turned and walked over to her sister and sat down next to her. She
commenced wrapping her feet with bandages. Frida found it a lot easier to dance barefoot,
she felt freer, more comfortable. But the bandages gave her better traction, so, she wore
the bandages.
"Who cares about flair? Or fancy costumes!" Comet shrieked and glared at Frida. She pointed
a finger aggresively at her older sister. "Besides, since I got knocked out of the competition
in the thrid round you have to win this for both of us." Frida smiled weakly.
"Okay Comet" Frida hugged her sister tightly. "But you gotta come with me."
"Sure!" Comet stood up, but then looked down at her Sushi Planet uniform. "Umm, let me change
first."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Frida stared up at the huge studio and began to back away.
"Nuh uh," Comet, now dressed in simple flare jeans and a white tank top but still with her
signature skates, warned her and grabbed Frida's bracelet-clad wrist. "You're going."
"I really don't want tooooo~~AAAHHHH" Frida shrieked as Comet dragged her through the doors
of the studio.
"Frida!" Comet placed her hands on her hips and stared at her sister. "What had gotten in
to you? You've gotten through four round of competition already. You've blown those other
dancers out of the water!" Frida blushed and then knotted her eyebrows in determination.
"You're right Comet," she responded. "I'm just getting stage fright. If I win my match
today, I go into the semi-finals. That's really the big time Comet."
"You ain't got nothing to be scared of!" Comet smiled.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Frida exited one of the studio rooms with a huge smile plastered on her face. Comet, who had
been waiting in the lobby hurried towards her.
"So?" Comet asked. Frida beamed and nodded emphatically. "Oh my GAWD! FRIDAAAA!!!!" The
two sisters shrieked, laughed, hugged, and jumped around the hallway, severely disturbing
several passersby. Frida fell silent as her competitor exited the room and entered the
hallway. The girl was dressed in a red flapper dress and a suppressed frown.
"Hey," Frida smiled and walked over to the girl. "That was a great match. You're a wonderful
dancer." The girl looked suspiciously into Frida's soft eyes, then smiled.
"Thanks," she responded. "Good luck in the finals, okay?" Frida nodded and quickly hugged
the girl. Once the dance left, Frida turned back too Comet.
"Well, I guess I'm off to New York!" she smiled. Comet giggled insanely and spun around on
her skates.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Okay," Frida adjusted her suitcase strap and glanced at her key card. "Room 222...202, 204,
206..." Frida read the numbers on the hotel room doors as she glided down the hallway,
struggling to keep her bag on her shoulder. "218, 2--WOAH!" she exclaimed as she walked
straight into a solid body. "Ack, sorry bout that," she apologized.
"Watch it bitch!," the man in front of her growled.
"I'm really sorry," Frida apologized again and laughed. "I'm trying to find my room, I guess
I wasn't watching where I was going..." Frida looked the man up and down. He couldn't be
more than a couple years older than her and was clad in a white jump suit with flames licking
up the pant legs and arms. His golden-tanned face was framed with chin length auburn hair,
topped off with a red ski cap. Frida found him incredibly handsome.
The young man humphed and looked at the "Bust A Groove" i.d. card Frida held in the hand
clutching at her suitcase. "You in the tourney?" he asked gruffly.
"Hmm? Oh this!" Frida dropped her bag, looked at her id, and laughed. "Yeah, but it's not
that great of a picture!" The young man smiled and chuckled.
"Oh, this is just going to be too easy," he laughed to himself. Frida raised an eyebrow in
question.
"Are you in the "Bust A Groove" tournament as well?" she asked a little nervously. The man
laughed again.
"What? You mean you don't know me?" he asked and before Frida could respond he continued.
" I'm the one that's gonna win this tourney. So, leave now while ya still got some dignity."
Frida didn't think he was so cute anymore.
"What makes you so sure about that?" Frida asked, suddenly angry.
"I'm Heat, baby." He reported with a smirk, and then walked past the blue haired girl.
"Heat who?" Frida yelled after him defiantly. Frida angrily lifted her bag off the ground
and walked to her room.
"Well he was an asshole," came a voice next to her. A young green-haired girl, around Frida's
age, peaked her head out of the room opposite of Frida's. Frida smiled half-heartedly and
nodded. "Unfortunately, he is going to be trouble."
"Who is he?" Frida asked. The teenager stepped out of the room and leaned against the door
jam. Frida's jaw dropped when she saw what the girl was wearing. She was clad in a white
spandex body suit highlighted with bright colors, knee high platform boots, and white gloves.
Out of the back of her suit came a pretend cat tail and beneath her arm she held a white
helmet with large cat ears.
"That's Heat. He's a big breakdancer here in New York," the cute green haired girl responded
. "And I'm Kitty Nakajima! But you can call me Kitty-N." Frida smiled, glad to meet a
friendly person.
"I'm Frida," the two girl's shook hands.
"Oh, hey Frida, I'm going down to the studio for a while to practice before the competition
tomorrow. You want to come?" Kitty-N asked. Frida nodded and placed her suitcase in her hotel
room, grabbed her workout bag, and joined Kitty-N on the walk to the elevator. The two girls
passed a busty blonde woman, in a business suit, banging on a hotel room that was emitting
incredibly loud rap music.
"TURN THE DAMN MUSIC DOWN!!!" she screamed. "I CAN'T HEAR MYSELF THINK!!!" She continued
to pound angrily on the door. "FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!"
"Having problems with Strike again Kelly?" Kitty-N asked the woman.
"Yes," Kelly turned to face Kitty-N and kicked the door. The door opened behind her and the
music blared even louder. A tall, well-built Hispanic man stepped out.
"Stop yelling woman! How am I supposed to practice with you makin' all this noise?" he
snapped. Kelly spun around and jabbed a finger into Strike's chest.
"If you want to practice, go to the studio like every other normal person in this tournament!"
Kelly responded. Kitty-N shook her head and continued walking down the hallway, Frida
quickly followed.
"Are they dancers too?" Frida asked. Kitty-N nodded.
"Yup, Kelly and Strike..."Kitty-N giggled. "They fight a lot. But actually, I think Kelly
likes Strike."
"Are all the dancers on this floor?" Frida inquired. Kitty-N nodded again.
"Yeah, the dance committee rented out all the rooms on the floor for dancers and crew. But,
we have to share rooms...so some tempers are flaring. I have it pretty good, I'm sharing a
room with a little girl. She's out sight-seeing or something. And, I don't think you have
a roomate, nobody else has entered your room this afternoon. Maybe they dropped out...Heat
might have scared them. Oh, hey Hiro!" Frida saw a slight flush cross Kitty-N's face.
Sitting against the wall was a handsome Italian man dressed in a white disco suit. On the
ground in front of him sat a laptop.
"Bonjourno, Kitty-N," he winked.
"Did Strike kick you out again?" Kitty-N asked. Hiro laughed.
"No, no, the music was too loud. It is much nicer out here," he responded in a smooth Italian
accent.
"Oh," Kitty-N paused. "Well, you can use my room. It's much nicer than the hallway, and no
one is in there now."
"You are too kind Kitty," Hiro smiled and stood. Kitty-N sprinted down the hall and opened
her room for the Italian man and returned to Frida. Frida gave her a knowing look.
"He's cute," Frida smiled.
"That's Hiro," Kitty-N responded dreamily.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Frida dropped onto the floor outside of the practice room and began to stretch out. She
spread her legs and leaned onto the ground, groaning slightly as her muscles protested.
"Geez Kitty-N," Frida laughed. "You're gonna be competition!"
"What are you talking about Frida? We each one two rounds!" Kitty-N laughed. She rested one
hand on a bar and lifted a leg up to her head.
"STOP THROWING THOSE DAMN HAMBURGERS ON ME!" an angry voice came from one of the practice
rooms. "I SAID NO ATTACKS!"
"Whateva man," a much deeper voice responded. "I'm outta here." A very, very large man
exited a practice room and pounded down the hallway towards the two girls.
"That's Hamm," Kitty-N whispered out of the side of her mouth. Frida backed up against the
wall warily as Hamm waddled by. Another figure exited the same room, only it was clad in a
large dark green jumpsuit and gas mask. "And that's Gas-O."
"Sup Kitty?" Gas-O asked as he walked up to the girls and smacked Kitty-N on the behind.
Kitty-N spun around and ripped four long gashed in the boys jumpsuit with her claws.
"I told you not to touch me you little perv," Kitty-N growled and spun back around, smacking
Gas-O with her tail.
"Rawr," Gas-O imitated a cat screech. "So touchy. Hey, who's your friend?" Gas-O motioned
towards Frida, who was still stretching out on the floor.
"That's Frida. Now leave." Kitty-N grumbled. "You are too young to be such a lech!" Frida
laughed as Kitty-N began to push Gas-O down the hallway. She stretched her arms above her
head and lay back on the ground. She closed her eyes and focused on loosening every muscle
in her body.
"Frida huh?" a masculine voice came from above her. Frida jumped and her eyes shot open.
Heat stood above her. He glared at her for a second and then scanned her body with his eyes.
Instead of feeling relaxed as she usually did when meditating, Frida suddenly felt very
prone. She scrambled to her feet and faced Heat.
"Yeah, what's it to you?" Frida locked eyes with Heat. He smirked haughtily and pulled his
eyes away. He focused on the wall for a second and looked back at her.
"Nothing," he responded finally. "I'm just checking out my competition. Saw you and
Nakajima dancing. Now I know I don't have anything to be worried about." Frida didn't
respond. His words cut down to the insecurity that she'd try to hide away.
"Heat, what do you want?!" Kitty-N shrieked as she returned from kicking Gas-O out of the
building. Heat's eyes watched Kitty-N for a second and then returned to Frida. He stared
at her for a moment and then walked away silently. "What did he want?" Kitty-N pulled her
helmet off and shook her green hair out.
"Oh, he was just messing with me," Frida responded, she turned just in time to see him exit
the hallway. "I really can't stand him."
"Ya know, it's weird. He hasn't exchanged more than a few words with any of the dancers,"
Kitty-N pondered. "But he sure keeps after you...Maybe he's actually scared of the
competition!" Frida laughed.
"That boy is too stuck on himself to be scared of anything," Frida shook her head and picked
up her workout bag. "Ugh, I'm starving. Can we grab a bite to eat?"
"Sure!" Kitty-N beamed. "Actually, I think all the dancers were planning on meeting at the
restaurant at the hotel."
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Kitty kitty kitty kittyyyyyyyyy!" a small girl ran up to Kitty-N as she and Frida returned
to the hotel. "I went to the top of the Empire State Building! It was soooooo cooooool! I
could see the dance studio from up there! It was awesome!" The little girl was dressed in
white overalls and an oversized blue and white striped shirt. Her extra long brown hair was
tied in two low pigtails and topped off with a backwards white baseball cap. Resting in her
front pocket was a strangely large mouse.
"This is Shorty, my roommate." Kitty-N smiled as she hugged the young girl. "Shorty, this is
Frida."
"Hello!" Shorty beamed and stuck her hand out for a handshake. Frida accepted it with a
smile. "Oh! I gotta go say goodbye to Dad and Momma!" Shorty was off in a blast, running
towards a handsome couple: a man dressed in a classy suit and a woman in a silky skirt and
flowing blouse.
"Hey Kitty-N, I'm going to go put my workout bag up. Go ahead and get a table, I'll meet you
at the restaurant in a bit," Frida announced and went to catch an elevator.
"Okay!" Kitty-N answered. "Come on Shorty! We have to go get dinner."
"Cooooommiiiiing!" Shorty called back.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Frida walked quickly past Strike's room, the walls still shaking with rap music, and down the
hall to her own room. She could hear music blasting in the room next to her's. It wasn't
quite as loud as Strike's, and she liked it a lot better. The hip hop beat was nicer and she
found herself swaying to the music as she slid her key card and threw her bag into her room.
"Ya like my theme?" a familiar voice asked Frida. She sighed and turned to face Heat. He
was standing in his doorway, one foot propped up non-chalantly on the door jam. He held an
ice container under his right arm.
"It's okay," Frida shrugged and slammed her door. "Mine's better."
"Oh really!" Heat laughed.
"Really," Frida spat. Heat's eyebrows raised in shock and he followed Frida as she walked
down the hallway. "Stop following me."
"I'm not following you," Heat laughed. "Why would I?"
"Then what are you doing?!" Frida spun and jumped, surprised at how closely Heat was following
her. She became suddenly aware again of how handsome he was.
"I'm practicing," he laughed and leaned into her ear. "I need ice." Heat shook the ice
container in her face and laughed again. Frida glowered and walked away.
"Why don't you practice at the studio like everyone else?" She asked as she continued down
the hallway.
"I..." Heat paused. "I just don't want too!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Frida! Over here!" Kitty-N called as Frida entered the hotel's restaurant. Frida walked
over and sat down at a table with Kitty-N, Shorty, Hiro, and Kelly. Hamm was seated at a
nearby table with his own plate of around twenty hamburgers and on the other side of her was
Gas-O getting a tarot reading from a tall, pink-haired, African woman.
"Hi guys," Frida smiled and sat in the chair next to Kelly, who was trying to help Shorty
decide what to get. Kitty-N was seated with Hiro, who had his arm wrapped around her.
"Hi Frida!" Shorty squeeked. "What do you like better, chicken fingers or grilled cheese?"
"Hmm, I'll have to say chicken fingers," Frida smiled and picked up a menu.
"Okay, I'll get the chicken fingers and Columbo will have the grilled cheese!" Shorty
announced. When the group finally received their food a high piercing ring sounded throughout
the restaurant.
"A fire alarm?" Kelly shouted over the insessant beeping.
"Okay!" a waitress called. "Everyone out! This is not a drill. Please exit the building in
an orderly fashion." Then she turned tail and ran out.
"A FIRE?" Shorty shouted.
"Don't worry Shortcakes," Kelly grabbed her hand and escorted her out of the hotel. Everyone
followed closely behind. As the group left the building the fire engine pulled up.
"I wonder what happened," Frida looked up the building for flames, and noticed some smoke
billowing out of a second room window. "Umm...isn't that our floor?" Frida asked.
"OH MY GAWD!" Kitty-N shrieked. "All my stuff!"
"It is going to be fine Kitty," Hiro tried to calm down the frantic girl.
"I hope Strike's okay," Kelly mentioned. As if on cue the 'gasta' made his appearance. He
was being escorted by a fireman.
"Get the fuck off me man," Strike shook the fireman off and strutted over to the dancer group.
"Damn it," he shook his head as he looked up at the smoke.
"Do you know what happened Strike?" Kelly asked.
"That damn fireboy happened," Strike mumbled and lit a cigarette. "He was practicing his
attacks and lit his damn bed on fire."
"Is he okay?" Frida asked quietly.
"Oh, I'm sure he is," Kitty-N interjected. "That idiot has a really high heat tolerance.
Fire doesn't even hurt him. My stuff isn't fire resistant though!" Kitty-N yelled up at
the second story.
"Don't worry miss," a nearby fireman said. "The fire was contained quickly, it didn't make
it past the room of origin. Everyone should be back in the hotel within a couple hours."
~*~*~*~*~*~
After three hours Pinky had given every dancer and crew member a tarot reading, Strike had
shown Kelly and Shorty his handguns and they were now playing Go Fish, and Kitty-N and Hiro
had gone off on a moonlight walk. Frida sat on bench near Kelly, Strike, and Shorty, her
legs crossed indian style, and was braiding her long silky blue hair into tiny plaits out of
boredom. Frida barely noticed as a black man walked over to her. He was dressed in a shiny
silver shirt and black cargo pants.
"Are you Frida?" he asked. Frida raised a single eyebrow.
"Yeah..." she responded slowly. He smiled a dazzling smile and sat down next to her.
"I'm DJ Kickin', the host of the Bust A Groove Dance and Rythym Action Tournament," he
introduced himself.
"That's quite a title you got there," Frida smiled and continued to braid her hair. DJ
Kickin' laughed softly and rested his forearms on his knees.
"Listen, Frida, I have a favor to ask of you," he said.
"What is it?" She asked.
"Can Heat stay in your room tonight?"
~*~*~*~*~*~
to be continued...
~*~*~*~*~*~
fans.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: AHH!!! I love BAM! It is probably my favorite game ever, so it only makes
sense that I would write a fanfic. Frida is my favorite character (I'm still bitter about her
not being in BAM2) so this story focuses on her. Oh, and the title was a last minute thing.
I'm not that good at titles so if anyone has a better suggestion, please let me know.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Groove Is In The Heat
by Daeryn
~*~*~*~*~*~
~*~*~*~*~*~
"I know you can do it sis!" Comet beamed and she flopped down onto a futon. "I have total
faith in you!"
"Oh, I don't know Comet," Frida stared at herself in the small bathroom mirror. She nervously
fixed her headband. "Everyone else is so flashy. They have so much talent. I'm just so..
.so plain." Frida turned and walked over to her sister and sat down next to her. She
commenced wrapping her feet with bandages. Frida found it a lot easier to dance barefoot,
she felt freer, more comfortable. But the bandages gave her better traction, so, she wore
the bandages.
"Who cares about flair? Or fancy costumes!" Comet shrieked and glared at Frida. She pointed
a finger aggresively at her older sister. "Besides, since I got knocked out of the competition
in the thrid round you have to win this for both of us." Frida smiled weakly.
"Okay Comet" Frida hugged her sister tightly. "But you gotta come with me."
"Sure!" Comet stood up, but then looked down at her Sushi Planet uniform. "Umm, let me change
first."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Frida stared up at the huge studio and began to back away.
"Nuh uh," Comet, now dressed in simple flare jeans and a white tank top but still with her
signature skates, warned her and grabbed Frida's bracelet-clad wrist. "You're going."
"I really don't want tooooo~~AAAHHHH" Frida shrieked as Comet dragged her through the doors
of the studio.
"Frida!" Comet placed her hands on her hips and stared at her sister. "What had gotten in
to you? You've gotten through four round of competition already. You've blown those other
dancers out of the water!" Frida blushed and then knotted her eyebrows in determination.
"You're right Comet," she responded. "I'm just getting stage fright. If I win my match
today, I go into the semi-finals. That's really the big time Comet."
"You ain't got nothing to be scared of!" Comet smiled.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Frida exited one of the studio rooms with a huge smile plastered on her face. Comet, who had
been waiting in the lobby hurried towards her.
"So?" Comet asked. Frida beamed and nodded emphatically. "Oh my GAWD! FRIDAAAA!!!!" The
two sisters shrieked, laughed, hugged, and jumped around the hallway, severely disturbing
several passersby. Frida fell silent as her competitor exited the room and entered the
hallway. The girl was dressed in a red flapper dress and a suppressed frown.
"Hey," Frida smiled and walked over to the girl. "That was a great match. You're a wonderful
dancer." The girl looked suspiciously into Frida's soft eyes, then smiled.
"Thanks," she responded. "Good luck in the finals, okay?" Frida nodded and quickly hugged
the girl. Once the dance left, Frida turned back too Comet.
"Well, I guess I'm off to New York!" she smiled. Comet giggled insanely and spun around on
her skates.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Okay," Frida adjusted her suitcase strap and glanced at her key card. "Room 222...202, 204,
206..." Frida read the numbers on the hotel room doors as she glided down the hallway,
struggling to keep her bag on her shoulder. "218, 2--WOAH!" she exclaimed as she walked
straight into a solid body. "Ack, sorry bout that," she apologized.
"Watch it bitch!," the man in front of her growled.
"I'm really sorry," Frida apologized again and laughed. "I'm trying to find my room, I guess
I wasn't watching where I was going..." Frida looked the man up and down. He couldn't be
more than a couple years older than her and was clad in a white jump suit with flames licking
up the pant legs and arms. His golden-tanned face was framed with chin length auburn hair,
topped off with a red ski cap. Frida found him incredibly handsome.
The young man humphed and looked at the "Bust A Groove" i.d. card Frida held in the hand
clutching at her suitcase. "You in the tourney?" he asked gruffly.
"Hmm? Oh this!" Frida dropped her bag, looked at her id, and laughed. "Yeah, but it's not
that great of a picture!" The young man smiled and chuckled.
"Oh, this is just going to be too easy," he laughed to himself. Frida raised an eyebrow in
question.
"Are you in the "Bust A Groove" tournament as well?" she asked a little nervously. The man
laughed again.
"What? You mean you don't know me?" he asked and before Frida could respond he continued.
" I'm the one that's gonna win this tourney. So, leave now while ya still got some dignity."
Frida didn't think he was so cute anymore.
"What makes you so sure about that?" Frida asked, suddenly angry.
"I'm Heat, baby." He reported with a smirk, and then walked past the blue haired girl.
"Heat who?" Frida yelled after him defiantly. Frida angrily lifted her bag off the ground
and walked to her room.
"Well he was an asshole," came a voice next to her. A young green-haired girl, around Frida's
age, peaked her head out of the room opposite of Frida's. Frida smiled half-heartedly and
nodded. "Unfortunately, he is going to be trouble."
"Who is he?" Frida asked. The teenager stepped out of the room and leaned against the door
jam. Frida's jaw dropped when she saw what the girl was wearing. She was clad in a white
spandex body suit highlighted with bright colors, knee high platform boots, and white gloves.
Out of the back of her suit came a pretend cat tail and beneath her arm she held a white
helmet with large cat ears.
"That's Heat. He's a big breakdancer here in New York," the cute green haired girl responded
. "And I'm Kitty Nakajima! But you can call me Kitty-N." Frida smiled, glad to meet a
friendly person.
"I'm Frida," the two girl's shook hands.
"Oh, hey Frida, I'm going down to the studio for a while to practice before the competition
tomorrow. You want to come?" Kitty-N asked. Frida nodded and placed her suitcase in her hotel
room, grabbed her workout bag, and joined Kitty-N on the walk to the elevator. The two girls
passed a busty blonde woman, in a business suit, banging on a hotel room that was emitting
incredibly loud rap music.
"TURN THE DAMN MUSIC DOWN!!!" she screamed. "I CAN'T HEAR MYSELF THINK!!!" She continued
to pound angrily on the door. "FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!"
"Having problems with Strike again Kelly?" Kitty-N asked the woman.
"Yes," Kelly turned to face Kitty-N and kicked the door. The door opened behind her and the
music blared even louder. A tall, well-built Hispanic man stepped out.
"Stop yelling woman! How am I supposed to practice with you makin' all this noise?" he
snapped. Kelly spun around and jabbed a finger into Strike's chest.
"If you want to practice, go to the studio like every other normal person in this tournament!"
Kelly responded. Kitty-N shook her head and continued walking down the hallway, Frida
quickly followed.
"Are they dancers too?" Frida asked. Kitty-N nodded.
"Yup, Kelly and Strike..."Kitty-N giggled. "They fight a lot. But actually, I think Kelly
likes Strike."
"Are all the dancers on this floor?" Frida inquired. Kitty-N nodded again.
"Yeah, the dance committee rented out all the rooms on the floor for dancers and crew. But,
we have to share rooms...so some tempers are flaring. I have it pretty good, I'm sharing a
room with a little girl. She's out sight-seeing or something. And, I don't think you have
a roomate, nobody else has entered your room this afternoon. Maybe they dropped out...Heat
might have scared them. Oh, hey Hiro!" Frida saw a slight flush cross Kitty-N's face.
Sitting against the wall was a handsome Italian man dressed in a white disco suit. On the
ground in front of him sat a laptop.
"Bonjourno, Kitty-N," he winked.
"Did Strike kick you out again?" Kitty-N asked. Hiro laughed.
"No, no, the music was too loud. It is much nicer out here," he responded in a smooth Italian
accent.
"Oh," Kitty-N paused. "Well, you can use my room. It's much nicer than the hallway, and no
one is in there now."
"You are too kind Kitty," Hiro smiled and stood. Kitty-N sprinted down the hall and opened
her room for the Italian man and returned to Frida. Frida gave her a knowing look.
"He's cute," Frida smiled.
"That's Hiro," Kitty-N responded dreamily.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Frida dropped onto the floor outside of the practice room and began to stretch out. She
spread her legs and leaned onto the ground, groaning slightly as her muscles protested.
"Geez Kitty-N," Frida laughed. "You're gonna be competition!"
"What are you talking about Frida? We each one two rounds!" Kitty-N laughed. She rested one
hand on a bar and lifted a leg up to her head.
"STOP THROWING THOSE DAMN HAMBURGERS ON ME!" an angry voice came from one of the practice
rooms. "I SAID NO ATTACKS!"
"Whateva man," a much deeper voice responded. "I'm outta here." A very, very large man
exited a practice room and pounded down the hallway towards the two girls.
"That's Hamm," Kitty-N whispered out of the side of her mouth. Frida backed up against the
wall warily as Hamm waddled by. Another figure exited the same room, only it was clad in a
large dark green jumpsuit and gas mask. "And that's Gas-O."
"Sup Kitty?" Gas-O asked as he walked up to the girls and smacked Kitty-N on the behind.
Kitty-N spun around and ripped four long gashed in the boys jumpsuit with her claws.
"I told you not to touch me you little perv," Kitty-N growled and spun back around, smacking
Gas-O with her tail.
"Rawr," Gas-O imitated a cat screech. "So touchy. Hey, who's your friend?" Gas-O motioned
towards Frida, who was still stretching out on the floor.
"That's Frida. Now leave." Kitty-N grumbled. "You are too young to be such a lech!" Frida
laughed as Kitty-N began to push Gas-O down the hallway. She stretched her arms above her
head and lay back on the ground. She closed her eyes and focused on loosening every muscle
in her body.
"Frida huh?" a masculine voice came from above her. Frida jumped and her eyes shot open.
Heat stood above her. He glared at her for a second and then scanned her body with his eyes.
Instead of feeling relaxed as she usually did when meditating, Frida suddenly felt very
prone. She scrambled to her feet and faced Heat.
"Yeah, what's it to you?" Frida locked eyes with Heat. He smirked haughtily and pulled his
eyes away. He focused on the wall for a second and looked back at her.
"Nothing," he responded finally. "I'm just checking out my competition. Saw you and
Nakajima dancing. Now I know I don't have anything to be worried about." Frida didn't
respond. His words cut down to the insecurity that she'd try to hide away.
"Heat, what do you want?!" Kitty-N shrieked as she returned from kicking Gas-O out of the
building. Heat's eyes watched Kitty-N for a second and then returned to Frida. He stared
at her for a moment and then walked away silently. "What did he want?" Kitty-N pulled her
helmet off and shook her green hair out.
"Oh, he was just messing with me," Frida responded, she turned just in time to see him exit
the hallway. "I really can't stand him."
"Ya know, it's weird. He hasn't exchanged more than a few words with any of the dancers,"
Kitty-N pondered. "But he sure keeps after you...Maybe he's actually scared of the
competition!" Frida laughed.
"That boy is too stuck on himself to be scared of anything," Frida shook her head and picked
up her workout bag. "Ugh, I'm starving. Can we grab a bite to eat?"
"Sure!" Kitty-N beamed. "Actually, I think all the dancers were planning on meeting at the
restaurant at the hotel."
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Kitty kitty kitty kittyyyyyyyyy!" a small girl ran up to Kitty-N as she and Frida returned
to the hotel. "I went to the top of the Empire State Building! It was soooooo cooooool! I
could see the dance studio from up there! It was awesome!" The little girl was dressed in
white overalls and an oversized blue and white striped shirt. Her extra long brown hair was
tied in two low pigtails and topped off with a backwards white baseball cap. Resting in her
front pocket was a strangely large mouse.
"This is Shorty, my roommate." Kitty-N smiled as she hugged the young girl. "Shorty, this is
Frida."
"Hello!" Shorty beamed and stuck her hand out for a handshake. Frida accepted it with a
smile. "Oh! I gotta go say goodbye to Dad and Momma!" Shorty was off in a blast, running
towards a handsome couple: a man dressed in a classy suit and a woman in a silky skirt and
flowing blouse.
"Hey Kitty-N, I'm going to go put my workout bag up. Go ahead and get a table, I'll meet you
at the restaurant in a bit," Frida announced and went to catch an elevator.
"Okay!" Kitty-N answered. "Come on Shorty! We have to go get dinner."
"Cooooommiiiiing!" Shorty called back.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Frida walked quickly past Strike's room, the walls still shaking with rap music, and down the
hall to her own room. She could hear music blasting in the room next to her's. It wasn't
quite as loud as Strike's, and she liked it a lot better. The hip hop beat was nicer and she
found herself swaying to the music as she slid her key card and threw her bag into her room.
"Ya like my theme?" a familiar voice asked Frida. She sighed and turned to face Heat. He
was standing in his doorway, one foot propped up non-chalantly on the door jam. He held an
ice container under his right arm.
"It's okay," Frida shrugged and slammed her door. "Mine's better."
"Oh really!" Heat laughed.
"Really," Frida spat. Heat's eyebrows raised in shock and he followed Frida as she walked
down the hallway. "Stop following me."
"I'm not following you," Heat laughed. "Why would I?"
"Then what are you doing?!" Frida spun and jumped, surprised at how closely Heat was following
her. She became suddenly aware again of how handsome he was.
"I'm practicing," he laughed and leaned into her ear. "I need ice." Heat shook the ice
container in her face and laughed again. Frida glowered and walked away.
"Why don't you practice at the studio like everyone else?" She asked as she continued down
the hallway.
"I..." Heat paused. "I just don't want too!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Frida! Over here!" Kitty-N called as Frida entered the hotel's restaurant. Frida walked
over and sat down at a table with Kitty-N, Shorty, Hiro, and Kelly. Hamm was seated at a
nearby table with his own plate of around twenty hamburgers and on the other side of her was
Gas-O getting a tarot reading from a tall, pink-haired, African woman.
"Hi guys," Frida smiled and sat in the chair next to Kelly, who was trying to help Shorty
decide what to get. Kitty-N was seated with Hiro, who had his arm wrapped around her.
"Hi Frida!" Shorty squeeked. "What do you like better, chicken fingers or grilled cheese?"
"Hmm, I'll have to say chicken fingers," Frida smiled and picked up a menu.
"Okay, I'll get the chicken fingers and Columbo will have the grilled cheese!" Shorty
announced. When the group finally received their food a high piercing ring sounded throughout
the restaurant.
"A fire alarm?" Kelly shouted over the insessant beeping.
"Okay!" a waitress called. "Everyone out! This is not a drill. Please exit the building in
an orderly fashion." Then she turned tail and ran out.
"A FIRE?" Shorty shouted.
"Don't worry Shortcakes," Kelly grabbed her hand and escorted her out of the hotel. Everyone
followed closely behind. As the group left the building the fire engine pulled up.
"I wonder what happened," Frida looked up the building for flames, and noticed some smoke
billowing out of a second room window. "Umm...isn't that our floor?" Frida asked.
"OH MY GAWD!" Kitty-N shrieked. "All my stuff!"
"It is going to be fine Kitty," Hiro tried to calm down the frantic girl.
"I hope Strike's okay," Kelly mentioned. As if on cue the 'gasta' made his appearance. He
was being escorted by a fireman.
"Get the fuck off me man," Strike shook the fireman off and strutted over to the dancer group.
"Damn it," he shook his head as he looked up at the smoke.
"Do you know what happened Strike?" Kelly asked.
"That damn fireboy happened," Strike mumbled and lit a cigarette. "He was practicing his
attacks and lit his damn bed on fire."
"Is he okay?" Frida asked quietly.
"Oh, I'm sure he is," Kitty-N interjected. "That idiot has a really high heat tolerance.
Fire doesn't even hurt him. My stuff isn't fire resistant though!" Kitty-N yelled up at
the second story.
"Don't worry miss," a nearby fireman said. "The fire was contained quickly, it didn't make
it past the room of origin. Everyone should be back in the hotel within a couple hours."
~*~*~*~*~*~
After three hours Pinky had given every dancer and crew member a tarot reading, Strike had
shown Kelly and Shorty his handguns and they were now playing Go Fish, and Kitty-N and Hiro
had gone off on a moonlight walk. Frida sat on bench near Kelly, Strike, and Shorty, her
legs crossed indian style, and was braiding her long silky blue hair into tiny plaits out of
boredom. Frida barely noticed as a black man walked over to her. He was dressed in a shiny
silver shirt and black cargo pants.
"Are you Frida?" he asked. Frida raised a single eyebrow.
"Yeah..." she responded slowly. He smiled a dazzling smile and sat down next to her.
"I'm DJ Kickin', the host of the Bust A Groove Dance and Rythym Action Tournament," he
introduced himself.
"That's quite a title you got there," Frida smiled and continued to braid her hair. DJ
Kickin' laughed softly and rested his forearms on his knees.
"Listen, Frida, I have a favor to ask of you," he said.
"What is it?" She asked.
"Can Heat stay in your room tonight?"
~*~*~*~*~*~
to be continued...
~*~*~*~*~*~
