Frida moaned groggily as she awoke. It was still dark, so she could sleep longer. Frida was all too happy to close her
eyes again pull the covers back up to her shoulders. After a few moments, she felt the blanket being taken from her and
she yanked on it to keep it in her possession. Frida heard a soft moan come from beside her as the blankets were pulled
away again. She was still half-asleep as she took a firm grip on the comforter and heaved with all the tired strength
she could muster.
"Stop iiiiiit," Frida heard a low voice growl. Frida opened her cloudy eyes to see an arm reach over her and seize and
end of the blanket.
"You stop," Frida murmured, her eyes already closing with exhaustion. "It's mine." She grabbed the hand weakly to stop
it.
"I'm cold too," Heat mumbled and gave a weak attempt to pull the covers back.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The next time Frida woke up, she could see sunlight bouncing off of the walls. This time she had to get out of bed. As
she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand she rolled onto her back. When her mind started to clear of sleep she
realized that Heat's arm was draped across her abdomen, still grasping the blanket they had fought over during the night.
Frida glanced at the red-haired boy to her right. His usually fierce expression had softened during the night of sleep
and the morning sunlight reflected brightly off his auburn locks. She smiled and closed the distance between their faces.
"Hey Heat," she whispered. "I thought you said no funny business." Heat's eyes opened slightly, only to close again.
He rustled slightly and Frida was surprised to feel herself being pulled closer to the sleeping dancer. He rested his
head on her shoulder and Frida held her breath. Frida blushed crazily at Heat's touch. Too shocked to say anything, she
tried to wriggle out of his grasp. All of the movement finally woke Heat up and he glanced down at Frida.
"Trying to snuggle up with me in my sleep, eh?" Heat smirked. Frida glowered and grabbed her pillow. With a growl she
smothered his face with it. Heat grabbed the edges of the pillow and pushed it away from his face.
"You are so infuriating!" Frida pummeled Heat's chest with her fists.
"You hit like a girl," Heat laughed. "It feels like feathers!" Frida narrowed her eyes. "It's kinda like…this!" In one
swift movement Heat had Frida pinned to the bed. Frida laughed uncontrollably as Heat's fingers tickled her ribcage. She
was unable to free herself due to the giggles that racked her body.
"Ah! S-s-stop it!" Frida managed to say between snorts of laughter. Her arms and legs flailed in failed attempts to stop
the assault. Finally Heat stopped and Frida gasped for breath. Her flushed face was surrounded by unruly blue hair and
her chest heaved with deep breaths.
"Give up?" Heat asked.
"Never," she responded.
"Oh really?" Heat raised his hands to show his intent to continue his assault of tickles.
"NO! DON'T! I give! I give!" Frida shouted and instinctively wrapped her arms around her ribs.
"Good. Glad to see you've come to your senses," Heat smiled. Frida rolled her eyes and tried to sit back up, but Heat
pinned her down again. "Wait."
"ACK! What now?" Frida's smile was still intact after the tickling, but she immediately sobered at Heat's intense gaze.
Heat stared into her eyes, but didn't say a word. Heat smoothed the hair around her face and rested his fingers on her
cheek for a moment. He finally just released her and went into the bathroom.
'What was that about?' Frida asked herself as she got out of bed. She wasn't sure if she was breathing heavily because
of the tickling or because of something else. Finally, she stretched her arms above her head and yawned deeply. 'Got
to wake up now. Big day…' Frida grabbed her clothes for the competition and waited for Heat to finish in the bathroom.
"Come on! Some of us have to shower!" Frida knocked on the bathroom door. She felt strangely invigorated, but she wrote
it off as excitement over the coming competition.
"Can't a man piss in peace!" Heat shouted back. Frida continued to pound on the door until Heat pulled it open angrily.
"For cryin' out loud! There!"
"Thank you," Frida smiled, snuck into the bathroom, and slammed the door in his face. As Frida showered, once in a while
she would hear Heat pound on the door.
"Don't use all the hot water!" he shouted. Frida eventually finished and allowed Heat to take his shower. "'Bout damn
time," he muttered as he shut the door in her face. Frida hummed happily as she brushed her long hair till it dried.
By then Heat was finished with his shower. She blushed as he exited the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his
waist. He grabbed his clothes and re-entered the bathroom.
"Oh, shoot," Frida sighed when she realized her headband was sitting next to the sink in the bathroom. She opened the
bathroom door a crack, hoping to be able to grab the headband without Heat noticing. But when she saw his reflection in
the large hotel mirror she couldn't help opening the door all the way and leaning against the doorway. Frida smiled and
exclaimed, "Hey, nice ass ya got there Heat!"
"What th- FRIDA!" Heat spun to face his roommate, covering himself with a clean pair of boxers. She laughed heartily and
quickly snatched her headband. Before Heat could react further Frida closed the door on the nude b-boy. Eventually a
fuming Heat exited the bathroom and glared at Frida.
"Hey, you peeped at me," Frida smiled and pointed at Heat accusingly. As she continued her morning stretches she started
to giggle. "I sooooo got you back."
"I'm going to eat breakfast," he muttered.
"Aww, Heat!" Frida stood up and approached the b-boy. "Don't be mad! Now we're even, that's all!"
"I'm not mad," Heat responded gruffly and picked up his hat. He pulled it over his hair and began to exit the room.
"Yes you are!" Frida laughed.
"I'm going now," Heat replied.
'Maybe I pushed him too far,' she thought to herself. 'What should I do now?'
"Hey! Wait for me," Frida called, grabbed her bag, and chased Heat out of the room. "I said wait!" Heat continued down
the hall and Frida ran after him. Without thinking she jumped onto his back.
"What the-," Heat jumped as Frida's arms wrapped around his neck, and her legs around his waist. "Get off me woman!"
"I said wait," Frida tightened her grip as Heat tried to pry off her legs.
"Let me go!" Heat shouted.
"Nuh uh," Frida shook her head and then rested her chin on his shoulder. Frida knew that if Heat really wanted her off,
he could get her off. It made her happy to know that he was not really trying.
"Ooo! Piggyback rides!" Shorty shouted as she approached Frida and Heat. "Me next! Me next!"
"I'm not giving piggyback rides kid," Heat snapped.
"But, Frida is on-" Shorty began.
"It's not my choice!" Heat tried weakly to get Frida off his back. "What did you smoke woman!"
"Nothin', I'm just trying to cheer you up!" Frida replied. "See Shorty, he's really embarrassed, cause I saw his-"
"Don't tell her that!" Heat shouted.
"Well, then lets go get some breakfast," Frida decided.
"Yay!" Shorty squeaked and entered the elevator.
"Come on Heat, Giddy-up!" Frida urged the boy forward and into the elevator.
"Yeah yeah," Heat grumbled and walked forward. Once he got into the elevator Frida leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
"Thanks for the ride Heat," she smiled and jumped off his back.
"Uh…sure," Heat stuttered.
"Ooo! Smootchie-smootchie!" Shorty giggled and jumped around the elevator.
"Shut-up kid!" Heat fumed.
"Eep!" Shorty squeaked and hid behind Frida. "Scary Heat!"
"I'm not scary!" Heat snapped. The elevator door opened into the hotel lobby and Shorty shot out.
"Come on you guys!" the child called over her shoulder.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"How can such a small kid eat so much?" Gas-O gaped as he watched Shorty gobble up a pile of pancakes.
"Mmm, they taste good!" Shorty smiled and gulped down some of her milk.
"Ooo, I'm too nervous to eat," Kelly picked at her scrambled eggs.
"There's no need to be nervous Kelly," Heat said with a mouth full of bacon.
"Why's that Heat?" Kelly asked.
"Cause we all know I'm going to win!" he smiled. The entire table of dancers glared at the b-boy. Frida kicked him
from across the table. "Hey! Watch it bi-" Heat stopped as Frida glared at him. He mumbled under his breath and
returned to his bacon.
"You really don't need to be nervous Kelly," Frida said to the blonde. "Even if you don't win, you've gotten this
far. That's an accomplishment in itself."
"What Frida says is correct," Hiro added. "We are finalists in the greatest dance tournament in all of history!"
"Yeah!" Strike shouted in agreement and took a swig out of his flask.
"Ya'll are still gonna lose," Heat laughed. "Hey, where ya going Frida?" Heat asked as Frida scooted her chair
angrily away from the table.
"I'm done," she sneered at Heat. Then she turned to the rest of the dancers and smiled, "Well, I'm finished! I
think I'm going to head over to the studio to warm up before the tourney begins."
"Hey, Frida! Wait a sec," Heat scrambled out of the booth and followed the girl.
"Heat spent the night in Frida's room," Kitty-N whispered to Kelly once the artist and b-boy had left.
"Oh! Oh! And Frida kissed him in the elevator!" Shorty piped in with a mouthful of pancake.
"Chew, hon," Kelly warned Shorty.
"Woowoo!" Gas-O whistled. "Guess Heat got some."
"Nothing happened," Pinky reported.
"How would you know?" Gas-O replied.
"I know all," Pinky stated. Gas-O rolled his eyes behind his mask. "I saw that, boy."
~*~*~*~*~*~
"What the hell is your problem?!" Heat demanded when he finally caught up with Frida.
"MY problem?!" Frida spun to face him.
"Yeah! Who else would I be talking about?" Heat replied angrily. "First you're kicking me under the table, th-"
"Because you were being an asshole! Life isn't a constant competition Heat! You don't have to act so macho and
superior all the time," Frida shrieked.
"Frida, it is a competition," Heat responded. "I'm hear to win. Nothing else." Frida looked up at Heat, her
eyes shimmering slightly in the sunlight.
"That's what I thought," she replied quietly. "I wanted to be your friend Heat. You can be self-absorbed and crude,
but I think you are a really fun guy to hang out with. But we can never be friends if the only thought in your mind
is winning. That's no way to live your life Heat. You'll never be happy if that's all you're worried about." Frida
turned and walked away from Heat.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"LOOK!!! It's FRIDA!!!" somebody shouted as Frida turned the corner towards the studio.
"Huh?" Frida looked in shock at the huge group of people that had gathered outside of Enix Studios. The masses of
young and old pushed against the police blockades that had been set up around the building. She was frozen as a horde
of individuals swarmed her. Camera flashes and questions filled the air around her.
"Can I have your autograph?"
"How bout a picture?"
"Please go out with me!"
"DANCE FOR US!"
"Umm…uhh," Frida blushed, not sure what to do.
"Hey, give 'er some space," a voice demanded. An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. Frida looked up
to see a red-haired youth.
"Heat…" Frida whispered.
"Frida, I'm s-," he began.
"OH MY GAWD! HEEEEEEEEEEEEAT!" girls shrieked and reached out hands to touch him.
"We love you Heat!" girls shouted from the crowd. Pads of paper and pens were thrust at the dancers. Both obliged the
Bust A Groove fans and signed autographs till their hands nearly fell off. Finally, the crowd's attention was diverted
to the new group of dancers that arrived: Kitty-N and Hiro.
"Hiro-kun! Hiro-kun! Hiro-kun!" girls shrieked. Kitty-N glared at the pre-teens that crowded around her new boyfriend.
Luckily, before she had a chance to harm the poor teenyboppers Kitty-N's attention was taken by a group of individuals
demanding her own autograph.
At first, Frida found Kitty-N's jealousy amusing, until she got a dose of it herself. After she signed her last autograph
Frida looked for Heat. She found him with a group of unbelievably cute teenage girls. Unbelievably cute teenage girls that
were hanging all over him. And Heat was enjoying it a bit too much.
'Am I jealous?' Frida asked herself as she watched Heat kiss each girl on the cheek. 'How can I be jealous? Sure Heat is
cute, but he is a total jerk! He's so obsessed with winning that there is no chance of a good relationship with him.'
Heat was now showing off some dance moves for the swooning teenyboppers.
'If I'm not jealous, then why is my stomach turning?' Frida frowned. 'Why is my heart pounding?'
Frida's breath caught in her throat when she saw Heat look over at her. His attention was almost immediately taken back by
one of the scantily clad girls. Frida's frown deepened, 'He thinks he's so freaking cool. No, I'm not jealous.' Ignoring
all of the requests for pictures and signatures, Frida stomped into the building.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'm not jealous," Frida repeated to herself as she bound her feet. "I'm not jealous."
"Jealous of what?" a voice asked. Frida started and looked over her shoulder to face Kitty-N.
"Nothing," Frida replied.
"Don't lie to me Frida. Cats can tell if you're lying," Kitty-N motioned to her cat-eared helmet and smiled. "It's like a
sixth sense."
"It's nothing important," Frida returned to her bandaging.
"I bet it is," Kitty-N replied and sat down next to Frida. The blue-haired dancer sighed.
"It's…it's just a stupid schoolgirl crush," Frida shook her head. "Nothing I should even be worried about. I'm too old to
have crushes anyway."
"Who is it?" Kitty-N smiled. Frida remained silent. "Oh, come on! Tell me! I promise not to tell. Cross my heart and hope
to die," Kitty-N said and then leaned in closer. "Please?"
"…Heat," Frida whispered.
"NAAAAAAANNIII?" Kitty-N snapped back, her eyes bulging out. "Are you insane?!"
"I told you it was stupid! But…," Frida shrugged. "He's cute."
"So what if he's cute! He's a complete asshole," Kitty-N shrieked.
"But he can be really fun too," Frida replied.
"Frida! Snap out of it! Heat is never nice. Even if he appears to be so, it's just an act to catch you off-guard so he can
win!" Kitty-N shook the blue-haired girl's shoulders. "Didn't you see him hitting on those fangirls outside?"
"Yes…" Frida glowered.
"AHH! You can NOT be jealous!" Kitty-N shrieked. "Oh, wonderful. There he is." Frida turned to see Heat walk into the room.
"Great…" Frida mumbled.
"Frida, listen to me," Kitty-N whispered. "Just forget about Heat. Focus on your dancing."
"Okay," Frida replied and managed to smile a bit.
"Hey, Frida?" Heat asked as he crossed the room. "Can I talk to you?"
"No! We're going to go practice!" Kitty-N stepped in between Heat and Frida and glared at the b-boy.
"Sorry, no time for practice right now Kitty Nakajima," DJ Kickin' poked his head into the room. "All the dancers are needed in
the main auditorium. We're announcing the first round! Come on!"
"Yeah! Come on!" Shorty rushed into the room and grabbed Kitty-N's hand. "Let's goooooooo!" she urged as she pulled the cosplay
dancer out of the room. Frida began to follow when Heat grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.
"Wait, Frida," Heat said. "I have to talk to you."
"About what Heat?" Frida snapped and backed out of his reach. "Do you want to tell me how bad a dancer I am? Do you want to remind
me that you're going to win and that I don't have a chance? Well, you know what? I don't care! There, now we have nothing to discuss.
So stop hassling me and just leave me alone." Frida spun around and left the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Frida waited nervously offstage with the rest of the dancers as DJ Kickin' addressed the crowd. Heat had tried to talk to her again,
but Kitty-N had held him at bay. Loud cheers and applause filled the ears of the waiting dancers. Shorty kept trying to peek out of
the curtains to see the audience, but continually got pushed back by stagehands.
"Damn it, calm down already," Strike told Shorty. The kid stuck her tongue out and returned to watching the audience.
"And now for the dancers!" DJ Kickin' announced.
"Here we go," Kelly whispered anxiously.
"You've read about them in the programs, but now you finally get to see them!" DJ Kickin's shouted. "The first competitors are Heat
and Hiro!"
"You two, GO!" the stagehand pointed to Heat and Hiro. The two dancers ran onto the stage. Heat raised his arms in an effort to pump
up the crowd.
"He's really eating it up," Kitty-N murmured. "Too bad he's not nearly as cute as my Hiro."
"Hiro-kun!"
"Hiro-kun!"
"Hiro-kun!"
"I hate it when they do that," Kitty-N growled deeply.
"Don't worry about it Kitty-N," Frida hugged her friend. "Hiro only has eyes for you."
"The next pair of dancers are Shorty and Hamm!" DJ Kickin' yelled.
"Let's go!" the stagehand urged. "Come on kid, move it!" Shorty kicked his shin angrily and she ran out on stage, followed by a
burger-eating Hamm. "OW! Damn kid."
"The third duo is Frida and Pinky!" DJ Kickin' cried out.
"Good luck Frida!" Kitty-N patted Frida on the back.
"Thanks Kitty-N!" Frida whispered as she followed Pinky up the stairs onto the stage. Heat, Hiro, Shorty, and Hamm were sitting in
chairs behind DJ Kickin's podium. She waved at the audience before she took her seat. Frida noticed Heat watching her, but refused
to meet his gaze.
"Now lets hear it for our fourth group of competitors: Strike and Burger-Dog!" DJ Kickin' shouted.
"Burger? Where?" Hamm stood, but Hiro pushed him back into his seat.
"I can't believe I'm dancing against an fuckin dog," Strike mumbled when he took his seat next to Frida. "He doesn't have any damn
elbows or knees for cryin' out loud!"
"And our fifth couple of dancers is Gas-O and Kelly!" DJ Kickin' announced. Frida nearly choked on her own tongue when she saw what
Kelly was wearing. She'd always seen Kelly in a business suit, so the latex baby suit was a drastic change.
"And our last group of dancers is Kitty-N and Columbo!" DJ Kickin' broadcast. Frida giggled when she saw Kitty-N's frown.
"Yay Columbo!" Shorty clapped.
"Let's Bust a Groove!" DJ Kickin' screamed as the audience broke into a huge round of applause.
eyes again pull the covers back up to her shoulders. After a few moments, she felt the blanket being taken from her and
she yanked on it to keep it in her possession. Frida heard a soft moan come from beside her as the blankets were pulled
away again. She was still half-asleep as she took a firm grip on the comforter and heaved with all the tired strength
she could muster.
"Stop iiiiiit," Frida heard a low voice growl. Frida opened her cloudy eyes to see an arm reach over her and seize and
end of the blanket.
"You stop," Frida murmured, her eyes already closing with exhaustion. "It's mine." She grabbed the hand weakly to stop
it.
"I'm cold too," Heat mumbled and gave a weak attempt to pull the covers back.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The next time Frida woke up, she could see sunlight bouncing off of the walls. This time she had to get out of bed. As
she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand she rolled onto her back. When her mind started to clear of sleep she
realized that Heat's arm was draped across her abdomen, still grasping the blanket they had fought over during the night.
Frida glanced at the red-haired boy to her right. His usually fierce expression had softened during the night of sleep
and the morning sunlight reflected brightly off his auburn locks. She smiled and closed the distance between their faces.
"Hey Heat," she whispered. "I thought you said no funny business." Heat's eyes opened slightly, only to close again.
He rustled slightly and Frida was surprised to feel herself being pulled closer to the sleeping dancer. He rested his
head on her shoulder and Frida held her breath. Frida blushed crazily at Heat's touch. Too shocked to say anything, she
tried to wriggle out of his grasp. All of the movement finally woke Heat up and he glanced down at Frida.
"Trying to snuggle up with me in my sleep, eh?" Heat smirked. Frida glowered and grabbed her pillow. With a growl she
smothered his face with it. Heat grabbed the edges of the pillow and pushed it away from his face.
"You are so infuriating!" Frida pummeled Heat's chest with her fists.
"You hit like a girl," Heat laughed. "It feels like feathers!" Frida narrowed her eyes. "It's kinda like…this!" In one
swift movement Heat had Frida pinned to the bed. Frida laughed uncontrollably as Heat's fingers tickled her ribcage. She
was unable to free herself due to the giggles that racked her body.
"Ah! S-s-stop it!" Frida managed to say between snorts of laughter. Her arms and legs flailed in failed attempts to stop
the assault. Finally Heat stopped and Frida gasped for breath. Her flushed face was surrounded by unruly blue hair and
her chest heaved with deep breaths.
"Give up?" Heat asked.
"Never," she responded.
"Oh really?" Heat raised his hands to show his intent to continue his assault of tickles.
"NO! DON'T! I give! I give!" Frida shouted and instinctively wrapped her arms around her ribs.
"Good. Glad to see you've come to your senses," Heat smiled. Frida rolled her eyes and tried to sit back up, but Heat
pinned her down again. "Wait."
"ACK! What now?" Frida's smile was still intact after the tickling, but she immediately sobered at Heat's intense gaze.
Heat stared into her eyes, but didn't say a word. Heat smoothed the hair around her face and rested his fingers on her
cheek for a moment. He finally just released her and went into the bathroom.
'What was that about?' Frida asked herself as she got out of bed. She wasn't sure if she was breathing heavily because
of the tickling or because of something else. Finally, she stretched her arms above her head and yawned deeply. 'Got
to wake up now. Big day…' Frida grabbed her clothes for the competition and waited for Heat to finish in the bathroom.
"Come on! Some of us have to shower!" Frida knocked on the bathroom door. She felt strangely invigorated, but she wrote
it off as excitement over the coming competition.
"Can't a man piss in peace!" Heat shouted back. Frida continued to pound on the door until Heat pulled it open angrily.
"For cryin' out loud! There!"
"Thank you," Frida smiled, snuck into the bathroom, and slammed the door in his face. As Frida showered, once in a while
she would hear Heat pound on the door.
"Don't use all the hot water!" he shouted. Frida eventually finished and allowed Heat to take his shower. "'Bout damn
time," he muttered as he shut the door in her face. Frida hummed happily as she brushed her long hair till it dried.
By then Heat was finished with his shower. She blushed as he exited the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his
waist. He grabbed his clothes and re-entered the bathroom.
"Oh, shoot," Frida sighed when she realized her headband was sitting next to the sink in the bathroom. She opened the
bathroom door a crack, hoping to be able to grab the headband without Heat noticing. But when she saw his reflection in
the large hotel mirror she couldn't help opening the door all the way and leaning against the doorway. Frida smiled and
exclaimed, "Hey, nice ass ya got there Heat!"
"What th- FRIDA!" Heat spun to face his roommate, covering himself with a clean pair of boxers. She laughed heartily and
quickly snatched her headband. Before Heat could react further Frida closed the door on the nude b-boy. Eventually a
fuming Heat exited the bathroom and glared at Frida.
"Hey, you peeped at me," Frida smiled and pointed at Heat accusingly. As she continued her morning stretches she started
to giggle. "I sooooo got you back."
"I'm going to eat breakfast," he muttered.
"Aww, Heat!" Frida stood up and approached the b-boy. "Don't be mad! Now we're even, that's all!"
"I'm not mad," Heat responded gruffly and picked up his hat. He pulled it over his hair and began to exit the room.
"Yes you are!" Frida laughed.
"I'm going now," Heat replied.
'Maybe I pushed him too far,' she thought to herself. 'What should I do now?'
"Hey! Wait for me," Frida called, grabbed her bag, and chased Heat out of the room. "I said wait!" Heat continued down
the hall and Frida ran after him. Without thinking she jumped onto his back.
"What the-," Heat jumped as Frida's arms wrapped around his neck, and her legs around his waist. "Get off me woman!"
"I said wait," Frida tightened her grip as Heat tried to pry off her legs.
"Let me go!" Heat shouted.
"Nuh uh," Frida shook her head and then rested her chin on his shoulder. Frida knew that if Heat really wanted her off,
he could get her off. It made her happy to know that he was not really trying.
"Ooo! Piggyback rides!" Shorty shouted as she approached Frida and Heat. "Me next! Me next!"
"I'm not giving piggyback rides kid," Heat snapped.
"But, Frida is on-" Shorty began.
"It's not my choice!" Heat tried weakly to get Frida off his back. "What did you smoke woman!"
"Nothin', I'm just trying to cheer you up!" Frida replied. "See Shorty, he's really embarrassed, cause I saw his-"
"Don't tell her that!" Heat shouted.
"Well, then lets go get some breakfast," Frida decided.
"Yay!" Shorty squeaked and entered the elevator.
"Come on Heat, Giddy-up!" Frida urged the boy forward and into the elevator.
"Yeah yeah," Heat grumbled and walked forward. Once he got into the elevator Frida leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
"Thanks for the ride Heat," she smiled and jumped off his back.
"Uh…sure," Heat stuttered.
"Ooo! Smootchie-smootchie!" Shorty giggled and jumped around the elevator.
"Shut-up kid!" Heat fumed.
"Eep!" Shorty squeaked and hid behind Frida. "Scary Heat!"
"I'm not scary!" Heat snapped. The elevator door opened into the hotel lobby and Shorty shot out.
"Come on you guys!" the child called over her shoulder.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"How can such a small kid eat so much?" Gas-O gaped as he watched Shorty gobble up a pile of pancakes.
"Mmm, they taste good!" Shorty smiled and gulped down some of her milk.
"Ooo, I'm too nervous to eat," Kelly picked at her scrambled eggs.
"There's no need to be nervous Kelly," Heat said with a mouth full of bacon.
"Why's that Heat?" Kelly asked.
"Cause we all know I'm going to win!" he smiled. The entire table of dancers glared at the b-boy. Frida kicked him
from across the table. "Hey! Watch it bi-" Heat stopped as Frida glared at him. He mumbled under his breath and
returned to his bacon.
"You really don't need to be nervous Kelly," Frida said to the blonde. "Even if you don't win, you've gotten this
far. That's an accomplishment in itself."
"What Frida says is correct," Hiro added. "We are finalists in the greatest dance tournament in all of history!"
"Yeah!" Strike shouted in agreement and took a swig out of his flask.
"Ya'll are still gonna lose," Heat laughed. "Hey, where ya going Frida?" Heat asked as Frida scooted her chair
angrily away from the table.
"I'm done," she sneered at Heat. Then she turned to the rest of the dancers and smiled, "Well, I'm finished! I
think I'm going to head over to the studio to warm up before the tourney begins."
"Hey, Frida! Wait a sec," Heat scrambled out of the booth and followed the girl.
"Heat spent the night in Frida's room," Kitty-N whispered to Kelly once the artist and b-boy had left.
"Oh! Oh! And Frida kissed him in the elevator!" Shorty piped in with a mouthful of pancake.
"Chew, hon," Kelly warned Shorty.
"Woowoo!" Gas-O whistled. "Guess Heat got some."
"Nothing happened," Pinky reported.
"How would you know?" Gas-O replied.
"I know all," Pinky stated. Gas-O rolled his eyes behind his mask. "I saw that, boy."
~*~*~*~*~*~
"What the hell is your problem?!" Heat demanded when he finally caught up with Frida.
"MY problem?!" Frida spun to face him.
"Yeah! Who else would I be talking about?" Heat replied angrily. "First you're kicking me under the table, th-"
"Because you were being an asshole! Life isn't a constant competition Heat! You don't have to act so macho and
superior all the time," Frida shrieked.
"Frida, it is a competition," Heat responded. "I'm hear to win. Nothing else." Frida looked up at Heat, her
eyes shimmering slightly in the sunlight.
"That's what I thought," she replied quietly. "I wanted to be your friend Heat. You can be self-absorbed and crude,
but I think you are a really fun guy to hang out with. But we can never be friends if the only thought in your mind
is winning. That's no way to live your life Heat. You'll never be happy if that's all you're worried about." Frida
turned and walked away from Heat.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"LOOK!!! It's FRIDA!!!" somebody shouted as Frida turned the corner towards the studio.
"Huh?" Frida looked in shock at the huge group of people that had gathered outside of Enix Studios. The masses of
young and old pushed against the police blockades that had been set up around the building. She was frozen as a horde
of individuals swarmed her. Camera flashes and questions filled the air around her.
"Can I have your autograph?"
"How bout a picture?"
"Please go out with me!"
"DANCE FOR US!"
"Umm…uhh," Frida blushed, not sure what to do.
"Hey, give 'er some space," a voice demanded. An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. Frida looked up
to see a red-haired youth.
"Heat…" Frida whispered.
"Frida, I'm s-," he began.
"OH MY GAWD! HEEEEEEEEEEEEAT!" girls shrieked and reached out hands to touch him.
"We love you Heat!" girls shouted from the crowd. Pads of paper and pens were thrust at the dancers. Both obliged the
Bust A Groove fans and signed autographs till their hands nearly fell off. Finally, the crowd's attention was diverted
to the new group of dancers that arrived: Kitty-N and Hiro.
"Hiro-kun! Hiro-kun! Hiro-kun!" girls shrieked. Kitty-N glared at the pre-teens that crowded around her new boyfriend.
Luckily, before she had a chance to harm the poor teenyboppers Kitty-N's attention was taken by a group of individuals
demanding her own autograph.
At first, Frida found Kitty-N's jealousy amusing, until she got a dose of it herself. After she signed her last autograph
Frida looked for Heat. She found him with a group of unbelievably cute teenage girls. Unbelievably cute teenage girls that
were hanging all over him. And Heat was enjoying it a bit too much.
'Am I jealous?' Frida asked herself as she watched Heat kiss each girl on the cheek. 'How can I be jealous? Sure Heat is
cute, but he is a total jerk! He's so obsessed with winning that there is no chance of a good relationship with him.'
Heat was now showing off some dance moves for the swooning teenyboppers.
'If I'm not jealous, then why is my stomach turning?' Frida frowned. 'Why is my heart pounding?'
Frida's breath caught in her throat when she saw Heat look over at her. His attention was almost immediately taken back by
one of the scantily clad girls. Frida's frown deepened, 'He thinks he's so freaking cool. No, I'm not jealous.' Ignoring
all of the requests for pictures and signatures, Frida stomped into the building.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'm not jealous," Frida repeated to herself as she bound her feet. "I'm not jealous."
"Jealous of what?" a voice asked. Frida started and looked over her shoulder to face Kitty-N.
"Nothing," Frida replied.
"Don't lie to me Frida. Cats can tell if you're lying," Kitty-N motioned to her cat-eared helmet and smiled. "It's like a
sixth sense."
"It's nothing important," Frida returned to her bandaging.
"I bet it is," Kitty-N replied and sat down next to Frida. The blue-haired dancer sighed.
"It's…it's just a stupid schoolgirl crush," Frida shook her head. "Nothing I should even be worried about. I'm too old to
have crushes anyway."
"Who is it?" Kitty-N smiled. Frida remained silent. "Oh, come on! Tell me! I promise not to tell. Cross my heart and hope
to die," Kitty-N said and then leaned in closer. "Please?"
"…Heat," Frida whispered.
"NAAAAAAANNIII?" Kitty-N snapped back, her eyes bulging out. "Are you insane?!"
"I told you it was stupid! But…," Frida shrugged. "He's cute."
"So what if he's cute! He's a complete asshole," Kitty-N shrieked.
"But he can be really fun too," Frida replied.
"Frida! Snap out of it! Heat is never nice. Even if he appears to be so, it's just an act to catch you off-guard so he can
win!" Kitty-N shook the blue-haired girl's shoulders. "Didn't you see him hitting on those fangirls outside?"
"Yes…" Frida glowered.
"AHH! You can NOT be jealous!" Kitty-N shrieked. "Oh, wonderful. There he is." Frida turned to see Heat walk into the room.
"Great…" Frida mumbled.
"Frida, listen to me," Kitty-N whispered. "Just forget about Heat. Focus on your dancing."
"Okay," Frida replied and managed to smile a bit.
"Hey, Frida?" Heat asked as he crossed the room. "Can I talk to you?"
"No! We're going to go practice!" Kitty-N stepped in between Heat and Frida and glared at the b-boy.
"Sorry, no time for practice right now Kitty Nakajima," DJ Kickin' poked his head into the room. "All the dancers are needed in
the main auditorium. We're announcing the first round! Come on!"
"Yeah! Come on!" Shorty rushed into the room and grabbed Kitty-N's hand. "Let's goooooooo!" she urged as she pulled the cosplay
dancer out of the room. Frida began to follow when Heat grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.
"Wait, Frida," Heat said. "I have to talk to you."
"About what Heat?" Frida snapped and backed out of his reach. "Do you want to tell me how bad a dancer I am? Do you want to remind
me that you're going to win and that I don't have a chance? Well, you know what? I don't care! There, now we have nothing to discuss.
So stop hassling me and just leave me alone." Frida spun around and left the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Frida waited nervously offstage with the rest of the dancers as DJ Kickin' addressed the crowd. Heat had tried to talk to her again,
but Kitty-N had held him at bay. Loud cheers and applause filled the ears of the waiting dancers. Shorty kept trying to peek out of
the curtains to see the audience, but continually got pushed back by stagehands.
"Damn it, calm down already," Strike told Shorty. The kid stuck her tongue out and returned to watching the audience.
"And now for the dancers!" DJ Kickin' announced.
"Here we go," Kelly whispered anxiously.
"You've read about them in the programs, but now you finally get to see them!" DJ Kickin's shouted. "The first competitors are Heat
and Hiro!"
"You two, GO!" the stagehand pointed to Heat and Hiro. The two dancers ran onto the stage. Heat raised his arms in an effort to pump
up the crowd.
"He's really eating it up," Kitty-N murmured. "Too bad he's not nearly as cute as my Hiro."
"Hiro-kun!"
"Hiro-kun!"
"Hiro-kun!"
"I hate it when they do that," Kitty-N growled deeply.
"Don't worry about it Kitty-N," Frida hugged her friend. "Hiro only has eyes for you."
"The next pair of dancers are Shorty and Hamm!" DJ Kickin' yelled.
"Let's go!" the stagehand urged. "Come on kid, move it!" Shorty kicked his shin angrily and she ran out on stage, followed by a
burger-eating Hamm. "OW! Damn kid."
"The third duo is Frida and Pinky!" DJ Kickin' cried out.
"Good luck Frida!" Kitty-N patted Frida on the back.
"Thanks Kitty-N!" Frida whispered as she followed Pinky up the stairs onto the stage. Heat, Hiro, Shorty, and Hamm were sitting in
chairs behind DJ Kickin's podium. She waved at the audience before she took her seat. Frida noticed Heat watching her, but refused
to meet his gaze.
"Now lets hear it for our fourth group of competitors: Strike and Burger-Dog!" DJ Kickin' shouted.
"Burger? Where?" Hamm stood, but Hiro pushed him back into his seat.
"I can't believe I'm dancing against an fuckin dog," Strike mumbled when he took his seat next to Frida. "He doesn't have any damn
elbows or knees for cryin' out loud!"
"And our fifth couple of dancers is Gas-O and Kelly!" DJ Kickin' announced. Frida nearly choked on her own tongue when she saw what
Kelly was wearing. She'd always seen Kelly in a business suit, so the latex baby suit was a drastic change.
"And our last group of dancers is Kitty-N and Columbo!" DJ Kickin' broadcast. Frida giggled when she saw Kitty-N's frown.
"Yay Columbo!" Shorty clapped.
"Let's Bust a Groove!" DJ Kickin' screamed as the audience broke into a huge round of applause.
