AN: I was really surprised at the way this fic was received by the readers. I started out planning a fic like this way back in high school. I never realized ballet had such a hold on me until later on when I saw my cousin dance. It was the most important day of her life because she had been in a terrible accident that had left her unable to dance for more than a year and she had to walk around in crutches. But thankfully, she is well again and she has been performing just as good as she used to, perhaps even better. It is with this reason that I have dedicated the entire fic solely to her.
Ate Iyay, your passion for dancing has never ceased to amaze me...Keep on dancing!
On a more personaly note: Please help me and my family pray for my grandfather. He had a bad accident and hit his head, and he was rushed to the hospital. He's been unconscious since last Thursday and is in the ICU. Please pray for his recovery and that he will wake up soon...
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"Dance is the hidden language of the soul."
--Martha Graham
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Monday morning dragged by for Makiko. She didn't really care for school...all she cared about was ballet. Despite that, her grades were good and she was never questioned by her parents when she stayed late in the studio for practice. This morning however, she couldn't concentrate on anything her teacher was saying. All she could do was stare blankly into space, tapping her pencil on her open notebook and humming Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers under her breath.
Ever since Madamoiselle Cardin had announced that they would be re-staging one of her favorite ballets, Makiko had been all pins and needles, walking through the corridors of her school in a daze as she imagined herself dressed in a pink tutu, flying through the air in a grand jeté, her pointe shoes flashing in the light...of the audience clapping, clapping, clapping...
"Hel-looooo! Earth to Makiko! Snap out of it girl!"
A hand stretched out to whack her lightly on the head. She snapped awake, only to find her bestfriend and fellow dancer Takeyama Yukiko smirking at her. Makiko grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry, what were you saying again?"
Yukiko laughed aloud, the sound carrying throughout the canteen like thousands of chimes clinking. Makiko smiled. Yukiko always had a nice laugh...graceful, elegant, and beautiful...she never got tired of listening to her friend's laughter.
"Just like you to space out when I'm talking about cute guys," Yukiko giggled, flipping her wavy blonde-streaked hair over her shoulder. "I really don't understand why you never show interest in any guy."
Makiko shrugged. "Maybe because I haven't found one I really like. But don't let me stop you...I'm listening."
"What're we discussing again?" Another voice came up from behind Yukiko and both girls glanced up to see another dancer from the corps and the only gaijin among them, Erika Jansen, grinning down at them.
"Ballet," Makiko replied.
"Boys," said Yukiko.
"My favorites!" Erika quipped, making them laugh as she eagerly sat down beside Yukiko. "So who's the newest one you spotted, Yukiko-chan?" she asked, wiggling her delicate eyebrows at her.
Yukiko pointed to a boy sitting at the far end of the canteen, hunched over. His back was towards them so Erika snorted in disappointment. "All I can see from here is his back, Yukiko-chan."
Yukiko smiled. "Wait until he turns around. I swear, this one's so cute, you'll be begging on your hands and knees for him to take you out on a date."
As if on cue, the said topic of discussion stood up and turned around, slinging his bag over his broad shoulders. Erika and Makiko gasped simultaneously.
The boy had messy black hair, thick level eyebrows that showed his intolerance for fools, deep-set blue eyes that were as deep as the end of the ocean, a straight, proud nose, and lips that were so sensuously curved, it could have very well been the Devil who made such lips. The only trace of imperfection on his handsome face was the scar near his stubborn chin, but it just made him even more attractive...and dangerously so, at that.
"He is so sexy!" Erika gushed at exactly the same moment Makiko exclaimed, "He is such a jerk!"
"EH?" Both girls turned to Makiko, who glared angrily at the boy.
"Makiko-chan...do you know him?" Yukiko asked, bewildered at her friend's reaction to the new cutie she had spotted.
Before she could open her mouth and explain, Erika squealed. "Oh my stars and stripes! He's coming this way!"
Makiko gathered her things and stood up, wanting to get away from Mitsui as far as she possibly could. "I'm leaving. Gotta go study in the library. The air in here is suffocating me," she said in a loud voice, turning around only to collide into the solid wall of Mitsui's chest.
"Leaving so soon?" He smoothly teased, winking at her. "I haven't been introduced to your friends yet, Makiko-chan."
"I don't need to introduce a macho jackass like you to decent people!" She shot back. "And stop blocking my way!"
Oh yes...the one thing that pissed Makiko off even more. She and Mitsui had been in the same schools ever since. And meeting him everyday in the hallways just irked her even more.
It was like an omen.
When she transferred to another grade school, Mitsui was there. In junior high, she saw him again winning the MVP and STILL annoying the hell out of her. She vowed that she would transfer to some unknown high school in order to avoid him and more of his teasing.
But once again, the fates were against her as Mitsui Hisashi, MVP from Takeishi Junior High entered the school gates of Shohoku High School. And the first thing he did upon seeing her was...
"Oi, are you going to just stand there, Makiko? I just want to get acquainted with your really pretty friends, here." Mitsui pinched her cheek, something he had been doing ever since they first fought. If looks could kill, Mitsui would have been dead in an instant with the acid glare Makiko shot him as she sat back down.
"Yukiko-chan, Erika-chan, meet Mitsui Hisashi. Mitsui, these are my friends and classmates, Takeyama Yukiko and Erika Jansen," she said rather stiffly, her voice clipped and edged with steel. Her friends giggled and nodded their greetings as the scarred junior winked at them.
"So you're Mitsui Hisashi, eh? I remember you were an MVP in junior high. You play basketball, right?" Yukiko smiled, batting her eyelashes at him. Mitsui smiled.
"Hai, Yukiko-san. That I do. It's a fun sport," he replied.
"I would loooove to see you play sometime, Mitsui," Erika chirped, scooting a bit closer to the shooting guard as Makiko discreetly coughed.
"Sure," he replied, giving them another lopsided smile. "The gym is always open and I would love to have you girls cheering on us. We're going to make the team number one this time, that's for sure!"
Makiko fumed silently in the background. She hadn't expected him to worm his way into her friends' hearts so easily, but he had done it again! Oh, she wanted very much to get her hands around his neck and choke the breath out of him if only to regain some dignity for being embarrassed in front of her peers.
She stood up, gathering her things as primly as she could possibly manage and forced another smile. "Well, it seems like you guys are having fun. I REALLY must go and do some practicing of my own." And with that, she marched off, leaving her friends to entertain Mitsui.
~*~*~
As he watched her walk off, Mitsui heard Erika sigh. "Y'know, I envy that girl...When she walks it's almost like she's dancing."
"I know," Yukiko agreed. "I can't forget how she was as Odette. She was really beautiful that night, too. Every girl in the wings just wanted to be her at that moment."
Mitsui frowned slightly. "Odette? Who's that?" He asked. Erika grinned.
"In the fairy tale, Odette is a princess who was under a magic spell that turned her into a swan, along with her handmaids. It wasn't until a handsome prince, Siegfred, broke the spell by jumping into the enchanted lake where Odette was held prisoner," she explained.
"It was turned into a ballet, and Makiko danced as Odette. Of course, roles like that always go to the principal dancers...so we knew, without a doubt, that Makiko-chan would get it," Yukiko chimed in, stars dancing in her eyes from reminiscing that particular performance night.
"I see." Mitsui looked thoughtful as he stared in the direction Makiko had gone. Yukiko noticed this and she giggled.
"Oi, Mitsui-san...you like Makiko, don't you?" She teased, slyly nudging Erika, who laughed outright.
All color drained from his face and he shook his head so hard, his eyes nearly crossed with the movement. Oh he couldn't possibly LIKE Makiko! She was a witch! She hated him just as much as he hated her! Of course, he dimly remembered why. All he knew was that everytime he tried to make friends with her, she'd snap at him the way a cobra would snap at its prey.
What could he possibly like in her? There was hardly anything likeable about her!
"I'm not really for hot-tempered women like her," he muttered, sending Erika into gales of laughter.
"Hahahahahaha! Y-you can say THAT again! Teeheeheehee!"
"Still," he mused. "I really wish I could find out why she hates me so much..."
~*~*~
As she walked home later that day, Makiko mulled over her thoughts. Mainly of her animosity with Mitsui. He didn't seem to remember the pain he had caused her, but she remembered everything like it was only yesterday. And each time she saw him brought about a sharp pang that rolled around in her gut.
"I'll show you what I'm made of, Mitsui Hisashi," she swore. "I'll show you VERY soon."
And with that, she made a mad dash for the studio. First she had to do a little convincing and planning, followed by a little choreography.
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To be continued...
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Ate Iyay, your passion for dancing has never ceased to amaze me...Keep on dancing!
On a more personaly note: Please help me and my family pray for my grandfather. He had a bad accident and hit his head, and he was rushed to the hospital. He's been unconscious since last Thursday and is in the ICU. Please pray for his recovery and that he will wake up soon...
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"Dance is the hidden language of the soul."
--Martha Graham
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
Monday morning dragged by for Makiko. She didn't really care for school...all she cared about was ballet. Despite that, her grades were good and she was never questioned by her parents when she stayed late in the studio for practice. This morning however, she couldn't concentrate on anything her teacher was saying. All she could do was stare blankly into space, tapping her pencil on her open notebook and humming Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers under her breath.
Ever since Madamoiselle Cardin had announced that they would be re-staging one of her favorite ballets, Makiko had been all pins and needles, walking through the corridors of her school in a daze as she imagined herself dressed in a pink tutu, flying through the air in a grand jeté, her pointe shoes flashing in the light...of the audience clapping, clapping, clapping...
"Hel-looooo! Earth to Makiko! Snap out of it girl!"
A hand stretched out to whack her lightly on the head. She snapped awake, only to find her bestfriend and fellow dancer Takeyama Yukiko smirking at her. Makiko grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry, what were you saying again?"
Yukiko laughed aloud, the sound carrying throughout the canteen like thousands of chimes clinking. Makiko smiled. Yukiko always had a nice laugh...graceful, elegant, and beautiful...she never got tired of listening to her friend's laughter.
"Just like you to space out when I'm talking about cute guys," Yukiko giggled, flipping her wavy blonde-streaked hair over her shoulder. "I really don't understand why you never show interest in any guy."
Makiko shrugged. "Maybe because I haven't found one I really like. But don't let me stop you...I'm listening."
"What're we discussing again?" Another voice came up from behind Yukiko and both girls glanced up to see another dancer from the corps and the only gaijin among them, Erika Jansen, grinning down at them.
"Ballet," Makiko replied.
"Boys," said Yukiko.
"My favorites!" Erika quipped, making them laugh as she eagerly sat down beside Yukiko. "So who's the newest one you spotted, Yukiko-chan?" she asked, wiggling her delicate eyebrows at her.
Yukiko pointed to a boy sitting at the far end of the canteen, hunched over. His back was towards them so Erika snorted in disappointment. "All I can see from here is his back, Yukiko-chan."
Yukiko smiled. "Wait until he turns around. I swear, this one's so cute, you'll be begging on your hands and knees for him to take you out on a date."
As if on cue, the said topic of discussion stood up and turned around, slinging his bag over his broad shoulders. Erika and Makiko gasped simultaneously.
The boy had messy black hair, thick level eyebrows that showed his intolerance for fools, deep-set blue eyes that were as deep as the end of the ocean, a straight, proud nose, and lips that were so sensuously curved, it could have very well been the Devil who made such lips. The only trace of imperfection on his handsome face was the scar near his stubborn chin, but it just made him even more attractive...and dangerously so, at that.
"He is so sexy!" Erika gushed at exactly the same moment Makiko exclaimed, "He is such a jerk!"
"EH?" Both girls turned to Makiko, who glared angrily at the boy.
"Makiko-chan...do you know him?" Yukiko asked, bewildered at her friend's reaction to the new cutie she had spotted.
Before she could open her mouth and explain, Erika squealed. "Oh my stars and stripes! He's coming this way!"
Makiko gathered her things and stood up, wanting to get away from Mitsui as far as she possibly could. "I'm leaving. Gotta go study in the library. The air in here is suffocating me," she said in a loud voice, turning around only to collide into the solid wall of Mitsui's chest.
"Leaving so soon?" He smoothly teased, winking at her. "I haven't been introduced to your friends yet, Makiko-chan."
"I don't need to introduce a macho jackass like you to decent people!" She shot back. "And stop blocking my way!"
Oh yes...the one thing that pissed Makiko off even more. She and Mitsui had been in the same schools ever since. And meeting him everyday in the hallways just irked her even more.
It was like an omen.
When she transferred to another grade school, Mitsui was there. In junior high, she saw him again winning the MVP and STILL annoying the hell out of her. She vowed that she would transfer to some unknown high school in order to avoid him and more of his teasing.
But once again, the fates were against her as Mitsui Hisashi, MVP from Takeishi Junior High entered the school gates of Shohoku High School. And the first thing he did upon seeing her was...
"Oi, are you going to just stand there, Makiko? I just want to get acquainted with your really pretty friends, here." Mitsui pinched her cheek, something he had been doing ever since they first fought. If looks could kill, Mitsui would have been dead in an instant with the acid glare Makiko shot him as she sat back down.
"Yukiko-chan, Erika-chan, meet Mitsui Hisashi. Mitsui, these are my friends and classmates, Takeyama Yukiko and Erika Jansen," she said rather stiffly, her voice clipped and edged with steel. Her friends giggled and nodded their greetings as the scarred junior winked at them.
"So you're Mitsui Hisashi, eh? I remember you were an MVP in junior high. You play basketball, right?" Yukiko smiled, batting her eyelashes at him. Mitsui smiled.
"Hai, Yukiko-san. That I do. It's a fun sport," he replied.
"I would loooove to see you play sometime, Mitsui," Erika chirped, scooting a bit closer to the shooting guard as Makiko discreetly coughed.
"Sure," he replied, giving them another lopsided smile. "The gym is always open and I would love to have you girls cheering on us. We're going to make the team number one this time, that's for sure!"
Makiko fumed silently in the background. She hadn't expected him to worm his way into her friends' hearts so easily, but he had done it again! Oh, she wanted very much to get her hands around his neck and choke the breath out of him if only to regain some dignity for being embarrassed in front of her peers.
She stood up, gathering her things as primly as she could possibly manage and forced another smile. "Well, it seems like you guys are having fun. I REALLY must go and do some practicing of my own." And with that, she marched off, leaving her friends to entertain Mitsui.
~*~*~
As he watched her walk off, Mitsui heard Erika sigh. "Y'know, I envy that girl...When she walks it's almost like she's dancing."
"I know," Yukiko agreed. "I can't forget how she was as Odette. She was really beautiful that night, too. Every girl in the wings just wanted to be her at that moment."
Mitsui frowned slightly. "Odette? Who's that?" He asked. Erika grinned.
"In the fairy tale, Odette is a princess who was under a magic spell that turned her into a swan, along with her handmaids. It wasn't until a handsome prince, Siegfred, broke the spell by jumping into the enchanted lake where Odette was held prisoner," she explained.
"It was turned into a ballet, and Makiko danced as Odette. Of course, roles like that always go to the principal dancers...so we knew, without a doubt, that Makiko-chan would get it," Yukiko chimed in, stars dancing in her eyes from reminiscing that particular performance night.
"I see." Mitsui looked thoughtful as he stared in the direction Makiko had gone. Yukiko noticed this and she giggled.
"Oi, Mitsui-san...you like Makiko, don't you?" She teased, slyly nudging Erika, who laughed outright.
All color drained from his face and he shook his head so hard, his eyes nearly crossed with the movement. Oh he couldn't possibly LIKE Makiko! She was a witch! She hated him just as much as he hated her! Of course, he dimly remembered why. All he knew was that everytime he tried to make friends with her, she'd snap at him the way a cobra would snap at its prey.
What could he possibly like in her? There was hardly anything likeable about her!
"I'm not really for hot-tempered women like her," he muttered, sending Erika into gales of laughter.
"Hahahahahaha! Y-you can say THAT again! Teeheeheehee!"
"Still," he mused. "I really wish I could find out why she hates me so much..."
~*~*~
As she walked home later that day, Makiko mulled over her thoughts. Mainly of her animosity with Mitsui. He didn't seem to remember the pain he had caused her, but she remembered everything like it was only yesterday. And each time she saw him brought about a sharp pang that rolled around in her gut.
"I'll show you what I'm made of, Mitsui Hisashi," she swore. "I'll show you VERY soon."
And with that, she made a mad dash for the studio. First she had to do a little convincing and planning, followed by a little choreography.
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To be continued...
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