DJ Phychugirl – lol, sorry for having you on the edge of your seat for the last seven months. I just completely forgot about this fanfic. And I'm glad you liked the prologue. Hopefully you'll like the first chapter just as much.
LiDdOjApEgUrL – Again, sorry for the seven month wait. And I'm glad you like the story too. ^-^
InnocentKiss – the next chapter is up now. Lol. Again, sorry for the wait. Hehe, I just had to have the sisterly bonding. I always wanted a little sister, but never had one, just an older brother. So in the story, I picture what it would be like. That's one of the best things about writing, you can get your characters to experience the things in life you probably never will, or won't in the near future. ^-^
LunarChild – Of course I'm continuing. I can't just leave you hanging there like I did the last seven months. ^-^ Again, sorry about that.
Lol, thank you everyone. It's funny tho, I had this chapter all written and everything, I just had to touch it up a bit and add some more detail before putting it up. And I did forget about it for the longest time until yesterday when a group of my friends and I got together for the night. With the mixer of the old RPG game we played, party mix, and the sudden talk about stories, it just came to me. So I spent the last two hours re-reading this and fixing it up. Again, sorry for making you all wait.
Now, on with the first chapter….finally….
Chapter 1 ~ Break a LegComet sighed, tracing her dry lips with her moist tongue as she changed her position in her chair for what felt like the twentieth time. "I hate waiting." She muttered under her breath while resting her chin on her balled fist, "It's the only thing to do around here."
The man in a business suit sitting calmly beside the skating dancer uncrossed his legs, only to re-cross them the opposite way. "That's why it's call a 'Waiting Room', Comet."
Comet glared at him from the corner of her eyes, too agitated to decide if it was better to turn him into a diet soda or a green pepper. She could do it too, with just a single thought. Since the day she was kidnapped when she was eight, she had the unbelievable power to turn people into food just by thinking of it. It was first triggered whenever she was hungry but in the past seven years, she was able to control it. "We've been waiting for the past half an hour Daniel. Can't we go to a different room? Like the 'Games Room', or the 'Fun Room', or even the 'Snack Room'."
Daniel just rolled his eyes, lightly grinning in amusement at Comet's humorist question. The kid was pretty flamboyant, but that wasn't the only motive that made him decide to be her manger. Oh no, the talent that she possess made her an ideal contestant in the worldwide known dance competition, but her reason for dancing in this contest had hit a place in his heart. Though at times like this when she was on the verge of wincing like a baby, he regretted being her manger. "Are you always this childish?"
"Not usually. Only when I'm bored to death or had too much sugar." Comet grinned, changing her position to look similar to Daniel's crossed legs, and crossed arms pose. What was it now, an hour since those judges went into the other room? She really didn't see why it would take so long to pick who was going to go into the semi-finals. The room's atmosphere didn't help much with the waiting.
The feeling she got from the room itself was that of a monotonous office room. Walls that use to have a nice midnight color to them looked dull and flat, along with the dusky colored curtains behind the desk that were, of course, closed. Not a spec of sunlight could shine through; leaving the lighting of the room up to the four tall lamps that occupied each corner of the room. The lamps didn't help much, only giving off a dim glow. The desk in front of them was made of a hard oak, the smell of it just tickling her nose in the dry air. Contrasts to the desk were the hard oak chairs they were sitting in. Three on one side of the desk, closer to the window and four on the opposite side, which the four visitors occupied; the visitors themselves being the two dance managers, herself and her competitor, Scarlet.
Comet looked at Scarlet, who sat at the opposite end of the room with her own manger. Scarlet was indeed blessed with the talent of dance, as well as beauty that showed with her wavy blond hair and bright sky blue eyes, but Comet felt she could lose all that make-up plastered on her face. Bright red lipstick that would probably smug if toughed, midnight blue eye shadow that stretched up to skim her eyebrows and fake lashes that curled to the tips. It all took away from her natural beauty; and by the sounds of contend bickering between Scarlet and her manger in their seats, it was Scarlet's manger who had forced her to wear the make-up.
Scarlet's manger looked to be in his late 40's. His black hair was greased back, and his skin shined with smelly body oils. The smell reminded her of a gas station.
Indeed, this guy looked like the owner of a strip cub, making her overly glad that Daniel was her manager. Daniel was sweet, kind, young, and had good hygiene while Scarlet's manager looked sleazy, old, and seemed to want to jump every pretty girl that pass by. In conclusion, he looked like a perverted crème puff in a dirt caramel business suit. She didn't see how Scarlet would trust a guy like that. More then likely all his clients wore a ton of make-up and skimpy dresses to get him money; however, Scarlet seem to have won the battle between clothes, which were a simple pair of black jazz pants and a red tank top.
Comet looked down at herself. She couldn't see how she had a chance to win for she looked not of a dancer but of a waitress. She didn't have time to change into anything else because she rushed from her part time job to the studio. Upon getting there, Daniel had pulled her up the stairs and into the studio to perform against Scarlet. Daniel said that her outfit looked like a costume and would work, despite how Comet complained at how it was just a short white dress with a pink trim and a blue apron. She was just glad that all the waitresses at the restaurant wore roller blades or she wouldn't have gotten to the studio on time. Also over the last two years of working at the restaurant, she had learned to dance with roller blades on, which added to her dancing skills.
She guessed that Daniel had seen her talent, or many it was just a fluke. It had been a normal day at work, and like always, she was dancing around on her blades while delivering orders to the customers who awed at the fact she could dance in rollerblades. When she bladed over to a sandy-brown hair man in a business suit to give him his hamburger, he had introduced himself has Daniel Halkien, a dance manager on a talent hunt. She was overly surprised when the handsome, young man offered her a contract and a chance to dance in the worldwide dance competition known as 'The Bust a Move Dance Tournament'.
Her first though was how the money won in the contest would help her and Frida. She needed to pay her sister back for taking care of her when their parents left. She never understood why they left her and Frida alone to fend for themselves, nor did Frida like to talk about it, but she had to pay back Frida for giving up a lot just to keep them alive, as well as together.
So overall, she wasn't doing this for the fame like most people, but for survival of Frida and herself. Frida worked really hard to keep them alive as well as together. Without any family but themselves, and the fact that Frida was only seventeen, she had to fight to keep the police from taking them to the orphanage. While she got a part time job as a waitress, Frida dropped out of school and ran their father's dance club and bar that he left behind when their parents left. Luckily, the club and bar was very popular at day and night and helped paid the bills as well as get food in their tummies and clothes on their backs. With Comet's pay checks, her money paid for gas for the car that her mom and dad left, and all the little needs the two sisters liked. She also found out a few months ago, but not to Frida's knowledge, that whatever money Frida had left to spare, Frida put it in Comet's collage fund.
Comet was in shock at this. Her big sister that she had admired so much have given up everything, including her own life not only for their survival and to keep them together, but to help her get into collage, have a great career and to have a better life ten years from now then what Frida would have being a dance club and bar owner. Comet's little paid checks would never be able to make up for having her sister give up her life and dreams for her. 'This is why I have to win.' Comet though. 'The money from this competition can set us up for life! Then Frida can go back to school and dancing, and get Cathy to run the dance club and bar! This will make it all up to her. I just have to win… I just have to….'
The door of the Waiting room opened as the judges slipped in, knocking Comet out of her thoughts. Comet quickly fixed her posture as she watched the three judges, two women and a man; sit in the three empty chairs to the front of the room. Scarlet did the same as Comet and soon joined the group at gazing at the three judges.
The male judge, who was still looking over the results on the papers in his hand, soon looked up at the group then scanned the room. Soundlessly, he got to his feet and pulled the curtains open, finally letting in the afternoon sunshine. Comet couldn't help but note how better the room looked with the natural lighting.
An apologetic smile played on the male judge's lips as he turned his attention back to the group. "Sorry for the long delay," he said, his smile now growing affable. "But we finally picked a win."
Comet turned towards Scarlet who seemed to be calm, unlike her. Comet's heart was pounding so fast; it would have jumped out of her throat several times if she didn't swallow it back down in time. The greasy man at Scarlet's side didn't help either. Nervousness turned to anger as the man looked at Comet, his rat eyes scanned her bottom to top before resting on her face, just to give her a cocky grin before popping a cigar in his mouth; acting like Scarlet had already won.
Luckily, Daniel saw the anger boiling up in Comet, turning her skin blood red. He knew of Comet's powers along with her short temper, and knew very well the judges wouldn't like it if Comet turned the manager into a greasy pizza, even if it was an improvement. He needed to calm her down, or distract her from the grimy manger's eyes. He swiftly grabbed Comet's rising hand before she could point it at the manager, bringing it back to rest on the arm of the chair. Instead of letting go of her hand, he continued to hold it, using his thumb to rub her palm.
Comet, a bit shocked by this, turned to face Daniel with a questioning look. Seeing her reaction, he lend closer to her so he could whisper in her ear. Comet felt his hot breath on her ear, bringing a shiver of pleasure down her spine. His breath smelled of mint, cold and calming. "Don't let the guy get to you Comet. You'll do fine." He whispered. Comet nodded lightly, squeezing his hand and taking a deep breath before facing the judges again.
The judges saw the friction between the two groups, but paid no heed to it. There was no point in saying anything but the results. That's what was causing the tension between them. The sooner it the said, the sooner the conflict will disappear.
The male judge nodded to the two women judges before turning back to the two dancers and their mangers. "You both did amazingly well in the dance off. That's why we took so long to make a decision." He turned to face Scarlet, causing her manager's grin to grow even wider, displaying his grimy, rotting teeth. "You did great Miss Tsutamomiji Scarlet!"
Comet's hazel eyes widened in fear at the way the news seem to be heading. Fear turned to disappointment as she gazed at her lap. You weren't good enough. Comet mind started to taunt her, despite how she tried to fight it. This is why mom and dad left you! You're a failure! You can't even pay back your own wonderful sister for giving you a normal life. You failed her! You will ALWAYS fail her…
"But…"
Comet's head shot up like a bullet at top speed, surprised at the sudden word. 'But! A but! He said but! Does that mean…' She twisted around to face Daniel who small smile was growing a mile a minute. 'Smiling! He's smiling! So did I…'
Averting her eyes to Scarlet, she could see surprise in the women's eyes, yet a smile soon played on her lips too. Scarlet then met Comet's eyes, sky blue gazing deep into golden haze. Comet blinked in bewilderment as Scarlet mouthed "Congrats." Before turning to her grease ball manager, whose cigar fell from his opened jaw to the floor in shock? Or maybe anger. She couldn't tell, but then again, she couldn't care less.
Her eyes rotated back to the judges.
'This is it…'
"…Miss Aounabara Comet is the winner." All the judges smiled at her as the male judge proceeded in shacking the shock Comet's hand. "Congratulations Miss Aounabara. You're going to Tokyo!"
In disbelief, Comet pinched her arm. It felt like she was in a dream! She didn't want this to be a dream. She watched the small spot on her arm turn red, and a small shockwave of pain hit her arm. "Is this for real…"
The male judge laughed lightheartedly at Comet's reaction. "It's for real." The judge nearly fell backwards when Comet jumped on him, squeezing him in a bear hug. He couldn't help but laugh harder.
Comet giggled too, letting go of the judge to embrace Daniel in a similar hug. "This is a dream come true!" Comet chirped. Her heart was flying, her dreams were soaring, and now she was on her way to helping her sister.
The grease ball manager, or Mr. Shibou as his clients called him, had recovered from this unexpected conclusion. It was not what he wanted to hear. This blue haired freak bet his blond haired beauty! 'This is not what I had planned' he though, going over the situation in his mind. 'But that can easily be fixed.'
Mr. Shibou turned to Scarlet. "Come on Scarlet!" He muttered, grabbed her hand and pulling her out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
The sudden slamming of the door startled Comet, yet she brushed it off like it never happened and continued her celebration.
It was an amusing site to Mr. Halkien, seeing the young waitress dance around the room, spinning around on one blade then gliding to the next in pure joy. He watched each childish jump and took in every heart filled giggle. Out of everything, he enjoyed the look on her face, everything from her shining eyes to her wide grin. This is what he was working for. Yes, this was his real award.
He was taking out of his trance when a pair of small hands gripped around his wrists, pulling him along in a spin. Blinking, he looked down at Comet who smiled up at him while continuing to dance around. "Come on Daniel-kun, dance with me!" She laughed.
Daniel smiled down at the child-like teenager, managing to get his hands out of her grip. "Gomen Comet-chan. We can celebrate late." He quickly slipped his hands in his pockets, pulling out a chain with jiggling keys to hand to Comet. "How about you wait in the car. I'll be out in a few minute, and then I can take you home."
Comet nodded, liking the idea. The sooner she got home, the sooner she could tell Frida the good news.
She wasn't sure how her older sister would reaction to it. It wasn't like Frida knew that she was going into a competition. It was a secret. Comet wanted it to be a surprise, not letting her own hopes get up till she got into the semi-finals. The semi-finals was when she knew she had a chance to win the money, the chance to surprise Frida with a free trip to Tokyo and to get a hundred billion yen. So until now, it was a secret. It was easy to keep a secret too.
Daniel was a dancer before he was a dance manager, so Comet and Daniel acted like boyfriend and girlfriend dancers practicing some steps and moves whenever at her house. Really, they were pulling together steps and moves for Comet in the competition. Frida was always to busy to check on them, only coming into the dance hall every once in a while to bring them a snack or some drinks she had thrown together on her free time, and would stay long enough for Comet to show Frida her newest moves and get Frida's opinion on it before she went back to work. Also, when she was out with Daniel for competitions, Frida though them to be out on a date. It all worked out perfectly.
Comet took the keys from Daniel, her bright smile never fading. "Ok Daniel-kun!" She chirped, and nearly skipped out of the office.
Comet's mind started to wonder as she bladed down the marble hall. First of Tokyo and all it's wonders, then of how much fun Frida and her were going to have in a big, beautiful city like that. Window shopping, meals at cafés and fancy restaurants, all the mangas she could buy, and ending the days resting by the hotel's pool.
'Wait!' she though. 'I also have to dance. Silly me! How else am I going to win the money?' Her first plans quickly vanish from her mind, replaced with the competition she was up against. She had to dance against the top eleven dancers in the entire world, herself being considered the twelfth.
Fear started growing inside her at the thought, heading right to her stomach, making it twist. Questions shot her in the head, giving her a headache as they played in her mind. 'What if I'm not good enough? Could I hurt myself in the finals and not be able to dance? What if I don't even get into the finals? Will Frida and Daniel be disappointed with me? I know mom and dad were when I didn't win a gold metal in my tap solo two years ago, and Frida got gold for her jazz and hip hop solo. Maybe that's why they left us. I'm a failure! A silver metal bearer. I'll mess it up, just like when I was fourteen!' The questions continued to replay in her mind, keeping her lost in her thoughts.
Scarlet sat by the staircase, waiting for Mr. Shibou to come back from his bathroom brake. Sure, if she didn't need the ride home, she would have left the pervert there. Really, she didn't see why she put up with him, always trying to make her wear slut clothes and bright make up. You would think the guy would take no for an answer, but it was her only way to making it big. But Mr. Shibou always wanted it his way. This made her even gladder that Comet won. "The look on the grease balls face was worth it." she mused.
She had managed to get a short chat with the teen dancer before the dance off. The kid was sweet, energetic, and overly opened, even to strangers like herself. When Scarlet had asked why a kid like her was trying to make it big, the blue haired girl answered "I don't want to make it big. I just want the money to help my sister out. She gave up everything for me, so I wanna give something just as big back!"
Comet had told her about her parents leaving her sister and herself alone, and how the girl's older sister quit school and dancing and her dreams just so she could raise Comet. It brought a tear to her eye, and with the fearful yet determined look that shunned in Comet's eyes, Scarlet could only show respect for the wonderful kid that Comet's sister had raised.
The though of the rollerblading dancer brought her attention to the sound of roller blades on the marble floor, slowly getting closer to her. She looked up, seeing the teenager gliding down the hallway, almost in a trance. Scarlet smiled and waved to Comet, yet the girl didn't seem to respond.
Scarlet shrugged, brushing it off. The kid just got a lot of responsibility and problems thrown at her, so she understood the girl's dazed look. She decided to wait till Comet got to the stairs before trying to say 'hello' again.
Scarlet watched at Comet got closer and closer to her and the staircase, but to her dismay, the kid wasn't slowing down. Panic roused up in Scarlet. She started yelling at the girl, trying to get the kid's attention. Finally, Comet looked up at Scarlet, blinking in confusion.
"Stop! The stairs!" Scarlet screamed, pointing to where Comet was heading.
Comet followed Scarlet's pointing finger to the staircase. Her eyes widened as realization hit her. Swiftly, she turned to the side; hoping friction would stop her before she went over the edge. The wheels of her skates squeaked, the smell of burning plastic drifted in the air behind her. Just as she thought she wasn't going to stop in time, her speed quickly lessened till she stopped, right at the edge of the stairs.
Comet let out a sigh of relief, grinning at Scarlet. "Wow, that was close!" She laughed, looking warily down at the stairs before turning back to Scarlet. "Thanks Scarlet! I would have gone over if it wasn't for you."
Scarlet smiled. "No problem kid. Just be careful next…" Scarlet eyes widened in shock as a blur run up to Comet and pushed the kid. She had no time to reaction as she watched Comet roughly tumble down the marble stairs. By the time the shock wore off, Comet's body laid lifeless at the bottom of the stairs. Blood was trickling down the unconscious girl's face, and her right leg was bent in a sickly inhuman-like position.
Scarlet's gaze climbed up the staircase to the top, were the 'blur' was standing. Angry filled her at the site of Mr. Shibou grinning his face off. He proudly stuck a new cigar in his mouth, mentally patting himself on the back for a job well done.
"Problem fixed." He laughed before turning roughly away.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bust a Move/Groove, nor helped in its creation. *pouts* I do own this story, it's plot and ideas, and the following characters: Mr. Daniel Halkien, Miss. Scarlet Tsutamomiji, Mr. Shibou, and Cathy a worker at the dance club and bar owned by Frida. Thank you. ^-^