Hey, I've been trying to fix a bunch of things about the posting thing.
This fic hasn't been showing up on the website, though I figured out that
you can find it by looking under my name or under "find". But maybe this
time it'll show up on the posting page thing, you know what I'm talking
about hopefully. Anyways, by the next chapter, everything ties together,
and it'll be a pretty dramatic twist to the plot. Well, you came to read,
so read on.
Chapter 4
Practice, Practice, and More Practice
Later that day, Trunks and Serina were already on their way to the forgotten Omega School of Arts. The walked on the untrimmed lawn and gazed upon the wizened looking building.
" Not quite how I remember it," Serina said as she surveyed it more closely as they searched for a way to get in, " but still pretty much the same." She smiled slightly.
" Hmm, how to get in . . .?" Trunks thought aloud. They began to walk around the school, looking through some broken in windows. (Not a very safe place, is it?) Serina then spotted an old escape ladder, and pointed, though it looked bit high up, about a several feet out of reach for her.
" I'll get it." said Trunks, as if he could read her mind. He jumped up and grabbed the lowest bar with ease. He landed down gracefully and leaned against it with an arrogant smirk plastered across his handsome features.
" No sweat." He exclaimed as he lifted a brow with a glint of mirth in his blue eyes.
" Whoa, there. You sure showed me up . . .Bravo." Serina mused with applause, though not giving up. She was determined to embarrass him, " I guess those tight buns are good for somethin', eh Trunks?"
And embarrassed him, she did. He let out a small choking noise as he turned bright red.
" You think my butt's . . .nice?" he looked at her shyly and blushed more.
" I donno, turn around and let me see again." She ordered. He raised an inquisitive brow at her sudden boldness. But it didn't take him long to gain his cool nature back.
" If I show you mine, you have to show me yours." He said as he shook his head. She gave him a strange look.
" I don't think so." She stated firmly. He just chuckled lightly.
" Fine, you saw mine already, so I'll just sneak a peek." And he attempted to go for it, but he found that it wouldn't be that easy. A fist came out of nowhere and landed with a sickening crunch on top of his head. He grabbed at it with annoyance.
" Thank you defense class." She mocked. He scowled at her and rubbed the spot on his head that hurt.
" Oh yeah?" he questioned, " You're in for it now!" and he jetted after her.
Serina let out a scream and began to run up the ladder, but Trunks was right behind her. She went through an already opened window as quickly as possible, and Trunks came in after her. She let out another yelp and ran down the hall.
" What are you doing?!?" she yelled over he shoulder.
" Chasing you, what does it look like?" he yelled back and closed in on her. She screamed again as he tackled her down, and began a tickling assault on her stomach, absolutely showing no mercy. Tears streamed down her face as she laughed hysterically.
" Trunks-he he . . . stop-ha-please-can't breathe!" she said between her laughing.
" Only if you give up." He said in an uncaring tone, as if he could stay there all day and continue to torture her.
" N-never!" she choked out. He just shook his head and heaved a sigh.
" Hmm, well, you had your chance." And he began to tickle harder. She was laughing even harder now. If he didn't stop soon, she was going to faint.
Finally, Serina had enough.
" Alright, I give-ha, ha,--up. You win!" she cried out. He immediately stopped.
" I told you that I'd get you back." he taunted. She stuck out her tongue as he helped her up.
" Yeah, yeah. Well, let's get going. We have loads to do." She said.
They made their way down the hall, reminiscing of memories they had at the school, and pointing at things while they passed.
" God, it's just how I remembered it." said Serina in a gasp.
" It's a little creepy . . .no one's been in here for 10 years. Who knows who lives here now." He responded, giving the place a look over, as if someone was waiting to mug them as soon as they turn the corner, but smiled at the scared look on Serina's face.
" Yeah, I see what you mean . . ." she also looked around, but shook her head at the nonsense, " They really let it the place go, didn't they. The dust is a mile high. Lets go to the old practice room, hopefully it's not as bad." And they set off to find their old room.
When they did eventually find the room, they put on their ballet gear and warmed up their muscles.
Serina finished a little before Trunks and began to walk around the old room, getting familiar with it once more. She placed a finger on the balance bar, and closed her eyes. She skimmed a layer of dust as she stopped her pace. She allowed herself to think of past memories as she hummed a forgotten tune. A familiar but fading voice filtered through her head.
" Serina, how was your class today?" her older brother would ask after every practice every time he picked her up. He swooped her up in his great, strong arms and kissed her on the cheek.
" Great! My teacher says my turns are getting better." she would respond, " I wish mama was here to see me. I miss her." A brief flicker of pain would show on his handsome face, one that would be even more so if it didn't have so much pain hidden beneath it. He was much to young to bare the loss of all his loved ones. All he had left was the small child he held. But he'd put a smile on anyways.
" Me too, Serina, she would be so proud. You remind me of her a lot, you know? She loved you so much . . ."
Serina was woken up from her flash back by Trunks shaking her a little too hard.
" Serina?" he asked, worry written on his face.
" Oh, I'm sorry," she said softly, not meeting his gaze fully, " I was thinking about something."
" Are you ok?" he asked, " You look upset. What were you thinking about?"
She looked thoughtful for a moment, refusing to look at Trunks strait all the while.
" Nothing . . .being here just reminds me of a lot, you know?"
" Of your family?" he asked slowly. She finally looked up to meet gaze.
" How do you always seem to know what I'm thinking?" she asked with a sad smile on her face.
" I've been there. Would you like to tell me about it?" he said quietly. She sighed. Trunks understood her like no one else. She could tell him most anything, and he'd always have something to say to help her pain.
" My brother had to do so much . . . he would pick me up from here after each lesson." She began softly, Trunks' gaze becoming more intense, " I started lessons a year before my mother was killed. She was so proud of me . . . and he was, too. I miss him a lot. But . . ." she let a tear escape, " His voice becomes more distant every day. At first, after his death, I would stay up and cry. I felt like just giving up, I wanted to be with him, because what point was there to go on? He was the only one left who loved me, so what use was I? But I would think of him, and it helped. His voice was as strong as ever. I'd even pretend he was there, singing me to sleep. His voice was calming, and it would sooth me when I was upset. But his voice is fading with each passing day. It's as if I can't hold onto it. When I finally get a bit of it in my head, it won't make me go to sleep." her eyes went hard, "It doesn't help anymore.
" I . . . I feel so ashamed for forgetting him. I want to keep him with me, but I can't help but feel like he's slipping away all over again, that I'm watching him die. " She finished quietly, stifling back a painful sob. She turned away from Trunks. She hadn't let anyone ever see her cry about anything, especially her brother. She expected him to feel uncomfortable. But what she felt next came to quite a surprise.
Trunks' arms squeezed her tightly from behind, his breath felt soothing against her ear.
" I know it's not easy. All my life, I spent hours trying to imagine what my father's voice sounded like. A friend of mine . . .he would tell me that it's not good to only remember the pain that a loved one gives to you when they die, it's what they've taught you and what they leave behind."
" A very wise man must've told you that." Serina mused as she desperately wiped the tears off her face. 'How embarrassing.' She thought, ' I can't believe I cried in front of him. Oh, I feel so stupid.'
" He was . . ." Trunks replied, thinking back to Gohan, his old friend and mentor.
Serina turned around to face him. He gazed at her with pure support. She laughed slightly.
" I hate it when I cry." She told him, " Then my nose gets all stuffy and I look horrible."
" Oh, whatever. You look wonderful." He replied, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. A few minutes passed before Serina broke the silence.
" How about we get some work done?" she asked, suddenly remembering that they did indeed have a purpose for being there.
" All right . . . what do we do first?" he asked with a tilt of his head. She rolled her eyes.
" We develop a plot, dummy." She replied with a smirk.
" And why do we do that?" he asked in confusion.
" Because it helps us create the dance more efficiently. What are we gonna do, flap around to see what looks good?"
" Oh." Was all Trunks said in response.
" All right . . ." she said as she began to pace the room, " We have to make this a really good, mushy love story . . .thing. Madame falls apart watching Disney movies, so I think it's best if we make it really dramatic."
" Oh, damn, I was looking forward to a blood spilling kinda thing." he said with a sarcastic frown. Serina just glared.
" Oh, god you're a dork. Ok, I'll start something, and you'll pick it up when I'm done, so we both have a say in this."
" Can't you just do it?" he asked with a whine, but she gave him a look, " Ok, guess not."
Serina began to think. She needed something dramatic, something painful, but what? She looked inside herself and found what she needed. Serina knew what it was to be alone. That was her whole life, really. Sure, she had friends, but who could really understand the pain she knew? Her body shook of sad memories as she heard herself speak.
" The girl in the story, other wise known as me," she placed a hand on herself to emphasize her point, "is completely alone. She has no one to fall back on when she needs a friend. She has felt this way for most of her life. Everyone in her life always seems to disappear. She doubts herself and tries to find a way out, but it's hopeless . . ." she trailed off, indicating that Trunks should pick it up.
" I guess I'll take a stab at it," Trunks said, sensing that was a hint from her, " Uh . . . I too have been alone, waiting for an explanation about why I always seem to lose what I have. Everything I know and hold dear to me fades away . . ."
" And then we meet each other, fall desperately in love, and blah, blah, blah, it's done." she finished with a wave of her hands. Trunks snorted at the lack of sentiment.
" I always thought you a romantic, Serina." he mused.
" I am," she replied, " I believe in love, and all that great stuff. . . but I have yet to experience it from that stage. I just don't feel like getting too much into it. I might fall in love with your character."
" And that would be a bad thing?" he asked playfully.
" I'd rather not, especially if you play him." and with that, she stuck out her tongue
" Ouch. That reminds me, how was I with the whole story thing?" he asked.
" Like a true Shakespearian." She replied sarcastically. He gave a sad sigh.
" I figured as much. Well, let's get started then, shall we?" he asked as he took his portable c.d. player out of his bag. It was small and compact with big sound, and it only ran on batteries. (I guess it's a plus when you have a genius mother who invents things for a living, huh?)
He surfed his c.d. until he found a song with a good rhythm and great music qualities. He turned around to see what Serina thought of it. He raised an eyebrow in question. She nodded her approval.
" Nice," she exclaimed with a smile, " I see it's emo." (Emo ROCKS! It's a type of music, people sorta like Jimmy Eat World, though not so much any more. I like the Clarity album the best.)
" Yeah, well, I knew you'd like it." He responded as he started the song over, " Let's get started, shall we?"
Serina started off dancing alone, doing a couple of difficult moves, turning elegantly on her toes. She bumps into Trunks and it kicks off from there.
They supposedly fall in love. (or maybe they really do, hmm . . .) He picked her up slowly, and threw her up a few inches. She twirled once before landing back in his arms, face to face. She turned away slightly, but he placed tender fingers under her chin and brought her face back. (Gettin' the hang of this acting thing, aren't they?) Realizing the rather odd predicament they found themselves in, Serina and Trunks jumped away from each other, extreme embarrassment written all over their faces.
" Er, that was . . . good . . ." said Trunks, who lacked anything better to say. He blushed violently as she agreed.
" It's a little sketchy, but we'll rub all the rough edges Wednesday." She replied, also blushing.
They both stared at each other in disbelief for a moment. It felt strange to have done so well at the first go. Never had either of them had done that well with another partner. Trunks thought for a moment. Maybe it was because Serina was not like any of the women he knew. She understood him when others could not, even when he couldn't find the strength to speak. And even though she didn't know the whole story, he told Serina almost everything about how his life was without his father and . . . Gohan. Though he never told her their names, he knew she would understand, and he returned the favor by listening and relating with her.
Serina had so much hidden pain that she wouldn't even dare to tell Trunks because he knew she couldn't bare to put much her emotional stress on another person. She was always trying to help others, most likely because she was trying to run away from the darkness that lived in her. ' It's only a matter of time,' thought Trunks, ' One cannot hold in so much pain for long, it builds up, and soon enough, it'll rip out willing or not. And I'll be there for her . . .'
Well, the tryouts were in two weeks, and that left plenty of time to dwell on how the routine went. The duo knew that everyone would be working as hard as they would, so they put in all their spare time to review and practice.
**************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** ******
Over the next week, Trunks and Serina improved on their routine. Trunks kept pointing out things that wouldn't mesh well with other moves, and Serina worked new moves into it, making the whole dance even more beautiful.
Back at OSU, even then the two were discussing how well they thought they'd do.
" This is going to be so awesome!" exclaimed Serina happily. She practically skipped down the hall with a smile as wide as the Nile. Trunks smirked at her sudden happiness. Wasn't she worried just the other day?
" Yep, I have to agree." He said as he smiled back, " I just hope I don't mess up."
" I have never seen you mess up once while I was here. It's hard to imagine that you ever did." She said as she tried to imagine him screw up and fall, but she couldn't, he always seemed really graceful when he danced. At other times, however . . .she began to laugh a little at remembering him trying to jump over a brick wall. How he thought he could jump it, she never understood. The wall was about twenty feet up. It was a dare for a hundred bucks. As he attempted to go, he heard her laugh, and he turned his head to see, and WHAM! He was down faster than a dress on prom night. ( Love that expression.)
" Anyways," she continued, " I don't think that anyone could do better than us." She finished matter-of-fact tone .
" Miss confident, are we?" he mused and she glared, " Isn't that a little harsh?" He gave her a mock-astonished look to how she could say something like that.
" Well, I don't mean to be," she countered, " It's just that we've worked way to hard for it to not be the best."
They were almost at the ballet room when they saw Mike. He stopped for a moment when he saw them. He paled slightly as he continued to walk. He just stared at Trunks with a slightly scared gaze as he passed them, messing with his shirt all the while. Serina waited for Mike to leave before turning to speak to Trunks again.
" What did you do to him?" she asked him as she raised a brow.
" Nothing." Trunks grumbled darkly, his brow furrowed as he thought back on it.
" Well "nothing" scared him enough to freak out at the mere mention of your name." Trunks gave a role of his eyes, "I've been meaning to ask you about it for a while, but I totally forgot. Now you look at me." She grabbed his chin and forced him to stare at her, " I made you promise me that you wouldn't hurt him, and I have a feeling it wasn't just a threat.
" I want you to tell me the truth." she commanded at last.
" You made me promise that I wouldn't kill him." Trunks retorted.
" Trunks!" She looked at him intently as he squirmed under the intense gaze.
" Ok . . . I was just insuring that he wouldn't be bothering you again, that's all." He explained. She gave him rather unsatisfied look, and he sighed heavily. Already she could tell when he wasn't telling her everything.
" All right, I might've threatened him with a little more than just words." he said, " When he did that to you . . . well, it's over now, and I just scared him, that's all."
They walked into the room and put on their shoes. Trunks struggled a little before getting it on right, then continued his explanation.
" And, stupid strap," he muttered as he fixed his shoe, " Urm, he wont bother us again. I was just so mad that he would do that to you, and I just . . . lost it. I couldn't keep my temper in check. It's a nasty habit that runs in my family I suppose.".
" So," she said while smirking, " even cool, companionate Trunks can give in to anger." Trunks blushed a bright red. Madame came in the room just as they finished stretching.
" Ok, everyone pull out the bars." she said, her normal perk not present at that moment
So everyone did as they were told, and did the normal practice. After they were done, Madame called everyone's attention.
" I'm sorry everyone, there's been a slight change of plans." She began, " You see, I have to go to a funeral and spend some time with a close friend of mine. The tryout's have been moved to tomorrow."
" WHAT?!?" the class screamed before falling to the ground.
" Are you crazy?" Julie managed out. Everyone started shouting at once. Madame rubbed her temples slightly in agitation. But soon, the yelling got to her.
" I'm sorry, I have no control over who lives and dies!" she yelled. Everyone quieted down immediately.
" I have an obligation to my friend, and to the one who has passed on. I know you can understand; each of you had to have had a loss at or point or another. I have to ask all of you to relax and take a breather. It won't be so bad-if you practiced, instead of slacking off. I expect to see all of you tomorrow night, no buts about it, and I do mean all of you, or you're gonna see on angry professor. Let's get back to class, shall we?"
When Madame Minkaso looked around, what see saw was dozens of rather shocked faces. They wouldn't be paying attention today.
*****
"Trunks," Serina gasped as they stopped at her ballet locker, " What are we gonna do? We have no time to review or improve--"
" What happened to "Miss Confident"?" he asked as she scowled, " We've done ok so far, and I think that we're ready. What's the problem?" he replied, looking uncaring.
" I wanted it to be perfect, all right?" she said as she crossed her arms over her chest.
" Nothing's perfect, kid." Trunks said back, " And I don't want you to turn into my mom. She's a horrible perfectionist, and look where she is now."
When Trunks thought on the subject further, he soon realized that his mother was abnormally intelligent and almost ridiculously successful. Come to think of it, his mom just sent him the final results of the memory modifier that she had been working on for almost eleven years. It was just a side project that she had fun with, it really didn't hold any importance, but the mathematical equations would make any genius' head spin.
" Where is your mother now?" Serina asked curiously. She didn't want to turn into a cat lady like many lonely women.
" Never mind," Trunks said airily, " I just proved that I was an ass all by myself."
Serina couldn't help but laugh. She could never hold a bad mood while Trunks was around. She looked at him a little closer than usual.
Serina felt that she had met him before. She might not have known him personally, but she knew that she had seen him from somewhere. His soft, purple hair was cut just below his eyes, it always seemed neat and clean. Serina couldn't deny that Trunks was good looking. Well, in her mind, "good looking" was an understatement. But the one thing that caught her attention most of all was his eyes . . . they were something else.
Sometimes they were soft and full of laughter, and other times they were so unhappy it made you want to cry. And rarely did they ever get to the point of extreme anger. If they do, then the person who's under his gaze would best be careful. They'd flash maliciously and would get so cold and hard that it would make that person want to go off in a corner and die.
But at this moment, Serina was glad to find that they were calm and comforting, like a nice warm blanket when it's cold. She could almost feel the warmth from his eyes wash over her.
" How can you stay so calm?" asked Serina shyly, her voice speaking softly.
" Because with a partner like me, no way we can lose." Trunks replied sarcastically and Serina managed a punch in the shoulder as he darted around.
" All right, your pretty good, too." He exclaimed, hoping it would stop her from attacking him again.
' I have yet to figure this guy out.' Serina thought, ' He's so comfortable to be around. Once I think I understand everything about him, he proves me wrong. He's a complete mystery. Guys . . .'
*****
Later that night, Serina was squeamishly pacing back and forth, trying to rid herself of this nagging feeling in the back of her mind. She assumed it was some type of anxiety thing. Since she wasn't a very sit- still kind of person, she was doing this. It still didn't help the anxious feeling at all.
Serina suddenly got a dizzy spell and fell to the ground. Blackness surrounded her, but it left as quickly as it had came. She placed a shaky hand on the floor and lifted herself up. She breathed deep, feeling nausea creep up on her. She put a hand on her stomach as she stood up again, blinking away the sickness.
" That's weird," she said aloud to herself, " that was the third time this week. I guess I'm still a little ill from that fight with Mike, hard to imagine. That was ,yawn, ages ago. I don't think I should tell Trunks about this, he'll freak." She glanced down and frowned when she saw her last assignment, "Well, might as well start on this paper." And she sat down to start writing about "music theory". About an hour into it, Serina yawned and put the last touches on it.
Overwhelmed with sleepiness, she laid her head down on her desk and fell asleep, dreaming wonderful dreams that she would probably not recall in the morning. A smile spread along her face as she murmured " Trunks. . ."
(hmm, I wonder what THAT implies . . .)
Meanwhile, Trunks was staring out of his open dorm window. He leaned against the window frame, his eyes were distant and uncertain. He closed his eyes and breathed deep.
The landscape around OSU was nothing short of wonderful. Water surrounded the whole west wing of the dorm area, which had four main areas: North, South, East, and West, the other buildings that had the actual classes in them were also labeled like this. Well, Trunks just so happened to be in the west wing, along with Serina. That's where the boy's section ended and the girls started. Serina's dorm was down the hall bay several hundred feet. (long hallway.)
There were also several islands with many trees on them. Trunks' favorite was the largest that was located about in the middle. He had been to it several times himself. Trunks even debated taking Serina there, he recalled her telling him about how her brother would take her camping out in the middle of nowhere. She loved the wilderness as much as Trunks did.
' Serina. . .' he thought with a slight smile on his face. She was the only one who could make him truly smile in a really long time. She wasn't like anyone he knew. She had this wonderful gift of being able to shoulder his problems as well as her own. It was like the weight of the world was on her back.
' I'm doing it again,' he thought helplessly, ' I can't seem to get her out of my head lately. I know her pretty well, but I can't shake off this feeling that there might be more to her then it seems. And when she speaks sometimes. . . it's as if I heard it from somewhere already. I get a glimpse of a memory, but it leaves me before I make the connection. It's peculiar.' He walked over to his chair and flopped down, not bothering to close his window. He rubbed his eyes with exhaustion. He was staying up much later then he should've been, considering the fact that he had one: more classes then usual that day, a total of six, and two: the whole dance tryout thing. With that thought, his mind turned back to what he was thinking of before.
' I wonder is Serina is nervous. I would expect her to be a little, she's into this much more than I am. Come to think of it, she's really the main reason why I like ballet. Sure, dancing's fun, but I miss training. Not doing it so much is making me crazy. But she helps me get over it, that dork . . .' he thought, plucking lint off of his shirt. A thoughtful smile graced his face as he came to a new realization.
' She makes everything better. I haven't been this close to anyone since . . .since Gohan. And she's so weird sometimes; it confuses me, like when she fought Mike. It was like she knew that he was gonna lose before she even started the fight. And then she beats him with no trouble at all . . . though I understand that he is kinda slow in movement, and kinda stupid. . .pretty damn arrogant too, the little prat . . .
' I guess the point is that she's different, but I have no clue what it is that makes her so. She is a complete mystery sometimes. Damn it, she's confusing me without even being here. Even when she's not around me she drives me insane.' His smile broadened.
" I guess that's what happens when you like someone--" he said aloud, but stopping short after he realized what he had said
' HOLY CRAP, I DID NOT JUST SAY THAT!!!' thought Trunks while spazing out. He slapped his head several times before calming down. His eyes were wide when he began to look around to see if anyone just so happened to be his dorm at the moment. ( can I say paranoid?)
' Ok, I didn't just say what I thought I said. It's ok, I think of Serina as just a friend, nothing more . . . even is she does have killer legs and a great smile . . . and pretty hair . . . DAMN IT!!! I DID IT AGAIN!'
Instead of going psycho again, Trunks just crawled over to his bed. He fell on it, being overwhelmed with sleepiness.
" I only get like this when I don't train," he reasoned with himself, " It has nothing to do with the fact that Serina's hot . . ."
Almost everyone in the west wing woke to the loud sounds of a furious onslaught of cursing.
**************************************************************************** *******************************************************************
The next morning, Serina woke with a start. She quickly noticed that she was at her desk still. She smacked her lips to remoisten her mouth as she glanced at her alarm clock, but then doing a double take at seeing the time.
" IT'S 8:15?!? AGGHH!!!" she let out, realizing that her first class was in less than a half hour. She jumped up and ran to the shower. She turned knob, but nothing happened. She turned it a little more, but no water came out. She let out a furious scream as she ran back out.
" Damn shower's broken, grrr." She muttered as she slipped into some fresh clothes. She grabbed her hairbrush and put her hair in a rather bumpy ponytail, not bothering to look at herself in the mirror as she ran out the door.
She made it to her ballet locker, where she stuffed a lot of her extra books, and she grabbed what she needed and through it into her bag furiously. Trunks walked by Serina, but in seeing her he walked backwards to meet her.
" Bad day?" he asked as she looked up at him. She let out a small sigh. Trunks looked at her, and suddenly fought back the urge to laugh
" I guess you can say that, how'd you know?" she asked with a slight smile as she brushed a piece of hair back. She slammed her locker, which left a dent.
" Because there's a pen stuck to the side of your face." he said as he laughed hysterically, his smile reached fully to his eyes.
" Where? Well, stop laughing and get it off!" He pulled the pen off, but where it use to be now had a red mark with a blotch of black ink in its place. He was sure that he cracked a few ribs from trying to keep in the laughter. He didn't feel like getting hurt at the moment.
" Come on," he said as he looped his arm through hers, " I'll escort you to the bathroom, so you can get that mark off." He pulled her along gleefully to the bathrooms down the hall. Her eyes became wide.
" Mark?!?" she squeaked as they continued on. When they got there she ran to the mirror.
" Oh my god, it's the size of Canada." She exclaimed.
" Actually," he said with a serious tone, " it's more like the size of Portugal."
Trunks made a not so manly yelp as she attempted to punch his stomach.
" Oh, shut up, you! With the tryouts tonight, I'm a complete wreck." She yelled, her voice bouncing off of the ceramic walls making poor Trunks wince. She began to scrub furiously with a wet paper towel.
" It's gonna be ok, don't you worry. We practiced as much as we possibly could, and today will be like another practice."
" Except there's judges and people watching our every move!" she raged on as if she had been waiting for the right moment to unburden herself of all her insecurities.
" Calm down!" reasoned Trunks, " Serina, it's all right. You'll be great, I guarantee it." He smiled a genuine smile that made Serina calm down. She blushed a little and murmured a "sorry".
" How do you stay so calm, Trunks?" she asked him with admiration.
" Well, I just remember that I've done things that made me prove myself. I had to prove that I could take care of things. After I think on it, things like this don't discourage me as much." He looked rather pleased with the answer, feeling just a bit wiser.
" . . .Right . . ." she gave him a confused look, but then realizing that they were suppose to go to class," Crap, look at the time! We'll be late!"
So they ran towards their physics class, arms flailing.
********
As if Serina's day could get any worse, it did. Later on during ballet, she did yet another mind boggling thing.
The class was allowed to work on their routines because Madame Minkaso saw how scared everyone was.
" Since no one's paying attention, the rest of the period is yours." she compromised.
Serina and Trunks were most of the way through their routine. They turned lightly, doing a padaborie and a padasha. (Spelling? My French is ok, but most ballet terms are beyond me, so I just spell them on how they sound.) They were doing really good, up until some guy's foot got in the way.
Trunks tripped over the foot, suddenly pitched forward with Serina in a bad position. If they fell, with Trunks on top, Serina was going to break her leg.
It happened in no more than a blur. Suddenly, Serina was supporting both herself and Trunks. She was bent over backwards in a rather awkward position; her head was hovering three feet over the ground. She stared blankly at Trunks' surprised face, but soon realized the situation, and fell over.
" Are you all right?" he questioned, looking at her with a worried expression.
" I'm fine, what about you?" she responded back.
" Yeah, I'm fine," he glanced at her with a strange look, " How'd you do that?"
" Do what?" she asked innocently, her left eye fidgeting slightly.
" Keep us up like that. Any normal person would have broken their back."
" I wasn't that far back." She said weakly.
He looked at her incredulously before saying, " You were three feet from the ground . . . BACKWARDS!!!"
" Really? I was that far back? Well, er . . ." she thought quickly before looking to the clock, " Oh look, it's about time to go, hehe, I'll see you tonight!" and she zoomed off. Trunks looked around. It didn't seem like anyone noticed. ' Figures . . .'
" She is defiantly not normal," he said, rubbing his eyes as if they were clouded, " Strange girl . . ."
***********
After all the practicing, it was finally time for the try out's. Naturally, Trunks' mind was occupied of thoughts of the routine, so there was no time to think of the situation with Serina earlier that day. He met with Serina, who appeared rather excited, but Trunks had a feeling that she was nervous as well.
They walked to the hall outside of the practice room where they saw a couple dozen people lined up. Trunks glanced over, seeing Serina tremble a little.
" You nervous?" he asked intently. She smiled up at him.
" Maybe a little," she admitted and let out a sighed, " But I know I can pull this off."
" What's with the change of heart?" he said while smiling as well.
" Some guy told me some wise information to calm me down, but I think he was insane . . ." she looked up into his smiling eyes and laughed lightly. Trunks rolled his eyes and laughed a little too. He then looked at her shaking hand and took it, stroking the front side in a soothing manner, and gave it a re-assuring squeeze. Serina blushed violently. She had been debating about her feelings for Trunks lately. She had denied from the very beginning that she was attracted to him in that way, though now she wasn't so sure.
' Ok,' she thought, ' I guess I like him a little . . . but only a little damn it. I'm just feeling a little lonely, and Trunks just so happens to be a sweet, caring guy . . . Yeah, that's it . . .'
As the names of pairs were being called out, the hallway buzzed with nervous chatter arose. People scurried around, making sure that they had every little detail down. Frequently, people huddled together, doing weird chant things to pump themselves up. (^o^, freaks . . .)
Serina busied herself by putting on her shoes and doing some stretches to limber up. Trunks soon followed and started warming up as well. As soon as they were comfortably stretched, they sat down again, waiting patiently for their names to be called.
" Serina, Trunks, you're up." they heard Madame call out.
" This is it." Serina muttered.
" Remember," Trunks said as they walked into the room, " remember what the insane guy said, and you'll do fine." Serina just nodded her head.
" Ok, can you explain your routine a little for me please?" Madame asked.
" Sure," said Serina, fidgeting a little, " its kind of a love story. . . er, Trunks and I meet in a certain situation, and then fall in love. I guess you'll see in a minute." Madame's eyes glazed over.
" I love those kind of stories!" she exclaimed, " Is it kinda like that Disney movie, what was it . . .oh yes, Tarzan?" (hee, I love that movie. I had to fit that in somewhere. I donno about you, but I think Tarzan's kinda cute . . .)
" What?" asked Trunks with interest as he passed a c.d. to the c.d. dude.
" Never mind." She said with a sigh, " Well, let's see it." And she threw up her hand to signal the music to play. Serina and Trunks got in their places, preparing themselves to do the best they could.
The pair moved slowly, passionately throughout the whole routine. Their moves synchronized beautifully as they danced around the room. They faced each other, and Serina's eyes twinkled brilliantly with excitement as they met Trunks'. He knew how she felt, they had pulled the routine off. Now all they had to do was finish.
As they did one last pose, applause filled the atmosphere.
" Beautiful, guys!" Madame cried out as she gazed at them warmly.
Serina and Trunks raced out of the room, talking feverishly of how they did.
" God, that was amazing!" said Serina as they leaned against the wall. They still had to wait for the announcement at the end.
" I told you not to worry." said Trunks with a slight air of amusement.
" Me? Worry? . . .Nah . . ." she said and let out a ringing laugh.
" Well, I knew you'd do great, anyways." he said as he smirked. She smiled admiringly up at him.
" If it wasn't for you . . . I think I would've done horribly today. I've had so much help from you this year already, it's hard to imagine not having you here." she said softly as Trunks blushed.
" I can't be all that great." he stated modestly. Serina reached up and pulled him into her embrace. His eyes widened in shock.
" But you are . . ." she said quietly into his shoulder. He smiled lightly and slowly brought his arms to her back, closing his eyes. He hugged her tightly, breathing in the scent of her. She always smelled so good, even after dancing around. They stayed that way for a long time.
********
After everyone was done with their own routines, Madame Minkaso called everyone back into the room.
" Tomorrow, as in day off tomorrow, as in Friday, 11:30 a.m. tomorrow, the posts are going up. Sunday, I'm on my way to Tokyo. Thank you everyone for your hard work, and I'll see you bright 'n early."
The class filed out, stretching and grumbling, going to their dorms to get a good night's sleep. For tomorrow, yes tomorrow, the results are up.
**************************************************************************** ******************************************************************* I hope you liked that chapter, it was a long one. I'll try to keep them coming. I've been having hell because I screwed my knee up in ballet, and I have band camp, too. DAMN MY STUPID, STUPID BAND TEACHER!!! (Nah, I love the guy, but he looks kinda like a turkey.) How 'bout some reviews?
Chapter 4
Practice, Practice, and More Practice
Later that day, Trunks and Serina were already on their way to the forgotten Omega School of Arts. The walked on the untrimmed lawn and gazed upon the wizened looking building.
" Not quite how I remember it," Serina said as she surveyed it more closely as they searched for a way to get in, " but still pretty much the same." She smiled slightly.
" Hmm, how to get in . . .?" Trunks thought aloud. They began to walk around the school, looking through some broken in windows. (Not a very safe place, is it?) Serina then spotted an old escape ladder, and pointed, though it looked bit high up, about a several feet out of reach for her.
" I'll get it." said Trunks, as if he could read her mind. He jumped up and grabbed the lowest bar with ease. He landed down gracefully and leaned against it with an arrogant smirk plastered across his handsome features.
" No sweat." He exclaimed as he lifted a brow with a glint of mirth in his blue eyes.
" Whoa, there. You sure showed me up . . .Bravo." Serina mused with applause, though not giving up. She was determined to embarrass him, " I guess those tight buns are good for somethin', eh Trunks?"
And embarrassed him, she did. He let out a small choking noise as he turned bright red.
" You think my butt's . . .nice?" he looked at her shyly and blushed more.
" I donno, turn around and let me see again." She ordered. He raised an inquisitive brow at her sudden boldness. But it didn't take him long to gain his cool nature back.
" If I show you mine, you have to show me yours." He said as he shook his head. She gave him a strange look.
" I don't think so." She stated firmly. He just chuckled lightly.
" Fine, you saw mine already, so I'll just sneak a peek." And he attempted to go for it, but he found that it wouldn't be that easy. A fist came out of nowhere and landed with a sickening crunch on top of his head. He grabbed at it with annoyance.
" Thank you defense class." She mocked. He scowled at her and rubbed the spot on his head that hurt.
" Oh yeah?" he questioned, " You're in for it now!" and he jetted after her.
Serina let out a scream and began to run up the ladder, but Trunks was right behind her. She went through an already opened window as quickly as possible, and Trunks came in after her. She let out another yelp and ran down the hall.
" What are you doing?!?" she yelled over he shoulder.
" Chasing you, what does it look like?" he yelled back and closed in on her. She screamed again as he tackled her down, and began a tickling assault on her stomach, absolutely showing no mercy. Tears streamed down her face as she laughed hysterically.
" Trunks-he he . . . stop-ha-please-can't breathe!" she said between her laughing.
" Only if you give up." He said in an uncaring tone, as if he could stay there all day and continue to torture her.
" N-never!" she choked out. He just shook his head and heaved a sigh.
" Hmm, well, you had your chance." And he began to tickle harder. She was laughing even harder now. If he didn't stop soon, she was going to faint.
Finally, Serina had enough.
" Alright, I give-ha, ha,--up. You win!" she cried out. He immediately stopped.
" I told you that I'd get you back." he taunted. She stuck out her tongue as he helped her up.
" Yeah, yeah. Well, let's get going. We have loads to do." She said.
They made their way down the hall, reminiscing of memories they had at the school, and pointing at things while they passed.
" God, it's just how I remembered it." said Serina in a gasp.
" It's a little creepy . . .no one's been in here for 10 years. Who knows who lives here now." He responded, giving the place a look over, as if someone was waiting to mug them as soon as they turn the corner, but smiled at the scared look on Serina's face.
" Yeah, I see what you mean . . ." she also looked around, but shook her head at the nonsense, " They really let it the place go, didn't they. The dust is a mile high. Lets go to the old practice room, hopefully it's not as bad." And they set off to find their old room.
When they did eventually find the room, they put on their ballet gear and warmed up their muscles.
Serina finished a little before Trunks and began to walk around the old room, getting familiar with it once more. She placed a finger on the balance bar, and closed her eyes. She skimmed a layer of dust as she stopped her pace. She allowed herself to think of past memories as she hummed a forgotten tune. A familiar but fading voice filtered through her head.
" Serina, how was your class today?" her older brother would ask after every practice every time he picked her up. He swooped her up in his great, strong arms and kissed her on the cheek.
" Great! My teacher says my turns are getting better." she would respond, " I wish mama was here to see me. I miss her." A brief flicker of pain would show on his handsome face, one that would be even more so if it didn't have so much pain hidden beneath it. He was much to young to bare the loss of all his loved ones. All he had left was the small child he held. But he'd put a smile on anyways.
" Me too, Serina, she would be so proud. You remind me of her a lot, you know? She loved you so much . . ."
Serina was woken up from her flash back by Trunks shaking her a little too hard.
" Serina?" he asked, worry written on his face.
" Oh, I'm sorry," she said softly, not meeting his gaze fully, " I was thinking about something."
" Are you ok?" he asked, " You look upset. What were you thinking about?"
She looked thoughtful for a moment, refusing to look at Trunks strait all the while.
" Nothing . . .being here just reminds me of a lot, you know?"
" Of your family?" he asked slowly. She finally looked up to meet gaze.
" How do you always seem to know what I'm thinking?" she asked with a sad smile on her face.
" I've been there. Would you like to tell me about it?" he said quietly. She sighed. Trunks understood her like no one else. She could tell him most anything, and he'd always have something to say to help her pain.
" My brother had to do so much . . . he would pick me up from here after each lesson." She began softly, Trunks' gaze becoming more intense, " I started lessons a year before my mother was killed. She was so proud of me . . . and he was, too. I miss him a lot. But . . ." she let a tear escape, " His voice becomes more distant every day. At first, after his death, I would stay up and cry. I felt like just giving up, I wanted to be with him, because what point was there to go on? He was the only one left who loved me, so what use was I? But I would think of him, and it helped. His voice was as strong as ever. I'd even pretend he was there, singing me to sleep. His voice was calming, and it would sooth me when I was upset. But his voice is fading with each passing day. It's as if I can't hold onto it. When I finally get a bit of it in my head, it won't make me go to sleep." her eyes went hard, "It doesn't help anymore.
" I . . . I feel so ashamed for forgetting him. I want to keep him with me, but I can't help but feel like he's slipping away all over again, that I'm watching him die. " She finished quietly, stifling back a painful sob. She turned away from Trunks. She hadn't let anyone ever see her cry about anything, especially her brother. She expected him to feel uncomfortable. But what she felt next came to quite a surprise.
Trunks' arms squeezed her tightly from behind, his breath felt soothing against her ear.
" I know it's not easy. All my life, I spent hours trying to imagine what my father's voice sounded like. A friend of mine . . .he would tell me that it's not good to only remember the pain that a loved one gives to you when they die, it's what they've taught you and what they leave behind."
" A very wise man must've told you that." Serina mused as she desperately wiped the tears off her face. 'How embarrassing.' She thought, ' I can't believe I cried in front of him. Oh, I feel so stupid.'
" He was . . ." Trunks replied, thinking back to Gohan, his old friend and mentor.
Serina turned around to face him. He gazed at her with pure support. She laughed slightly.
" I hate it when I cry." She told him, " Then my nose gets all stuffy and I look horrible."
" Oh, whatever. You look wonderful." He replied, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. A few minutes passed before Serina broke the silence.
" How about we get some work done?" she asked, suddenly remembering that they did indeed have a purpose for being there.
" All right . . . what do we do first?" he asked with a tilt of his head. She rolled her eyes.
" We develop a plot, dummy." She replied with a smirk.
" And why do we do that?" he asked in confusion.
" Because it helps us create the dance more efficiently. What are we gonna do, flap around to see what looks good?"
" Oh." Was all Trunks said in response.
" All right . . ." she said as she began to pace the room, " We have to make this a really good, mushy love story . . .thing. Madame falls apart watching Disney movies, so I think it's best if we make it really dramatic."
" Oh, damn, I was looking forward to a blood spilling kinda thing." he said with a sarcastic frown. Serina just glared.
" Oh, god you're a dork. Ok, I'll start something, and you'll pick it up when I'm done, so we both have a say in this."
" Can't you just do it?" he asked with a whine, but she gave him a look, " Ok, guess not."
Serina began to think. She needed something dramatic, something painful, but what? She looked inside herself and found what she needed. Serina knew what it was to be alone. That was her whole life, really. Sure, she had friends, but who could really understand the pain she knew? Her body shook of sad memories as she heard herself speak.
" The girl in the story, other wise known as me," she placed a hand on herself to emphasize her point, "is completely alone. She has no one to fall back on when she needs a friend. She has felt this way for most of her life. Everyone in her life always seems to disappear. She doubts herself and tries to find a way out, but it's hopeless . . ." she trailed off, indicating that Trunks should pick it up.
" I guess I'll take a stab at it," Trunks said, sensing that was a hint from her, " Uh . . . I too have been alone, waiting for an explanation about why I always seem to lose what I have. Everything I know and hold dear to me fades away . . ."
" And then we meet each other, fall desperately in love, and blah, blah, blah, it's done." she finished with a wave of her hands. Trunks snorted at the lack of sentiment.
" I always thought you a romantic, Serina." he mused.
" I am," she replied, " I believe in love, and all that great stuff. . . but I have yet to experience it from that stage. I just don't feel like getting too much into it. I might fall in love with your character."
" And that would be a bad thing?" he asked playfully.
" I'd rather not, especially if you play him." and with that, she stuck out her tongue
" Ouch. That reminds me, how was I with the whole story thing?" he asked.
" Like a true Shakespearian." She replied sarcastically. He gave a sad sigh.
" I figured as much. Well, let's get started then, shall we?" he asked as he took his portable c.d. player out of his bag. It was small and compact with big sound, and it only ran on batteries. (I guess it's a plus when you have a genius mother who invents things for a living, huh?)
He surfed his c.d. until he found a song with a good rhythm and great music qualities. He turned around to see what Serina thought of it. He raised an eyebrow in question. She nodded her approval.
" Nice," she exclaimed with a smile, " I see it's emo." (Emo ROCKS! It's a type of music, people sorta like Jimmy Eat World, though not so much any more. I like the Clarity album the best.)
" Yeah, well, I knew you'd like it." He responded as he started the song over, " Let's get started, shall we?"
Serina started off dancing alone, doing a couple of difficult moves, turning elegantly on her toes. She bumps into Trunks and it kicks off from there.
They supposedly fall in love. (or maybe they really do, hmm . . .) He picked her up slowly, and threw her up a few inches. She twirled once before landing back in his arms, face to face. She turned away slightly, but he placed tender fingers under her chin and brought her face back. (Gettin' the hang of this acting thing, aren't they?) Realizing the rather odd predicament they found themselves in, Serina and Trunks jumped away from each other, extreme embarrassment written all over their faces.
" Er, that was . . . good . . ." said Trunks, who lacked anything better to say. He blushed violently as she agreed.
" It's a little sketchy, but we'll rub all the rough edges Wednesday." She replied, also blushing.
They both stared at each other in disbelief for a moment. It felt strange to have done so well at the first go. Never had either of them had done that well with another partner. Trunks thought for a moment. Maybe it was because Serina was not like any of the women he knew. She understood him when others could not, even when he couldn't find the strength to speak. And even though she didn't know the whole story, he told Serina almost everything about how his life was without his father and . . . Gohan. Though he never told her their names, he knew she would understand, and he returned the favor by listening and relating with her.
Serina had so much hidden pain that she wouldn't even dare to tell Trunks because he knew she couldn't bare to put much her emotional stress on another person. She was always trying to help others, most likely because she was trying to run away from the darkness that lived in her. ' It's only a matter of time,' thought Trunks, ' One cannot hold in so much pain for long, it builds up, and soon enough, it'll rip out willing or not. And I'll be there for her . . .'
Well, the tryouts were in two weeks, and that left plenty of time to dwell on how the routine went. The duo knew that everyone would be working as hard as they would, so they put in all their spare time to review and practice.
**************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** ******
Over the next week, Trunks and Serina improved on their routine. Trunks kept pointing out things that wouldn't mesh well with other moves, and Serina worked new moves into it, making the whole dance even more beautiful.
Back at OSU, even then the two were discussing how well they thought they'd do.
" This is going to be so awesome!" exclaimed Serina happily. She practically skipped down the hall with a smile as wide as the Nile. Trunks smirked at her sudden happiness. Wasn't she worried just the other day?
" Yep, I have to agree." He said as he smiled back, " I just hope I don't mess up."
" I have never seen you mess up once while I was here. It's hard to imagine that you ever did." She said as she tried to imagine him screw up and fall, but she couldn't, he always seemed really graceful when he danced. At other times, however . . .she began to laugh a little at remembering him trying to jump over a brick wall. How he thought he could jump it, she never understood. The wall was about twenty feet up. It was a dare for a hundred bucks. As he attempted to go, he heard her laugh, and he turned his head to see, and WHAM! He was down faster than a dress on prom night. ( Love that expression.)
" Anyways," she continued, " I don't think that anyone could do better than us." She finished matter-of-fact tone .
" Miss confident, are we?" he mused and she glared, " Isn't that a little harsh?" He gave her a mock-astonished look to how she could say something like that.
" Well, I don't mean to be," she countered, " It's just that we've worked way to hard for it to not be the best."
They were almost at the ballet room when they saw Mike. He stopped for a moment when he saw them. He paled slightly as he continued to walk. He just stared at Trunks with a slightly scared gaze as he passed them, messing with his shirt all the while. Serina waited for Mike to leave before turning to speak to Trunks again.
" What did you do to him?" she asked him as she raised a brow.
" Nothing." Trunks grumbled darkly, his brow furrowed as he thought back on it.
" Well "nothing" scared him enough to freak out at the mere mention of your name." Trunks gave a role of his eyes, "I've been meaning to ask you about it for a while, but I totally forgot. Now you look at me." She grabbed his chin and forced him to stare at her, " I made you promise me that you wouldn't hurt him, and I have a feeling it wasn't just a threat.
" I want you to tell me the truth." she commanded at last.
" You made me promise that I wouldn't kill him." Trunks retorted.
" Trunks!" She looked at him intently as he squirmed under the intense gaze.
" Ok . . . I was just insuring that he wouldn't be bothering you again, that's all." He explained. She gave him rather unsatisfied look, and he sighed heavily. Already she could tell when he wasn't telling her everything.
" All right, I might've threatened him with a little more than just words." he said, " When he did that to you . . . well, it's over now, and I just scared him, that's all."
They walked into the room and put on their shoes. Trunks struggled a little before getting it on right, then continued his explanation.
" And, stupid strap," he muttered as he fixed his shoe, " Urm, he wont bother us again. I was just so mad that he would do that to you, and I just . . . lost it. I couldn't keep my temper in check. It's a nasty habit that runs in my family I suppose.".
" So," she said while smirking, " even cool, companionate Trunks can give in to anger." Trunks blushed a bright red. Madame came in the room just as they finished stretching.
" Ok, everyone pull out the bars." she said, her normal perk not present at that moment
So everyone did as they were told, and did the normal practice. After they were done, Madame called everyone's attention.
" I'm sorry everyone, there's been a slight change of plans." She began, " You see, I have to go to a funeral and spend some time with a close friend of mine. The tryout's have been moved to tomorrow."
" WHAT?!?" the class screamed before falling to the ground.
" Are you crazy?" Julie managed out. Everyone started shouting at once. Madame rubbed her temples slightly in agitation. But soon, the yelling got to her.
" I'm sorry, I have no control over who lives and dies!" she yelled. Everyone quieted down immediately.
" I have an obligation to my friend, and to the one who has passed on. I know you can understand; each of you had to have had a loss at or point or another. I have to ask all of you to relax and take a breather. It won't be so bad-if you practiced, instead of slacking off. I expect to see all of you tomorrow night, no buts about it, and I do mean all of you, or you're gonna see on angry professor. Let's get back to class, shall we?"
When Madame Minkaso looked around, what see saw was dozens of rather shocked faces. They wouldn't be paying attention today.
*****
"Trunks," Serina gasped as they stopped at her ballet locker, " What are we gonna do? We have no time to review or improve--"
" What happened to "Miss Confident"?" he asked as she scowled, " We've done ok so far, and I think that we're ready. What's the problem?" he replied, looking uncaring.
" I wanted it to be perfect, all right?" she said as she crossed her arms over her chest.
" Nothing's perfect, kid." Trunks said back, " And I don't want you to turn into my mom. She's a horrible perfectionist, and look where she is now."
When Trunks thought on the subject further, he soon realized that his mother was abnormally intelligent and almost ridiculously successful. Come to think of it, his mom just sent him the final results of the memory modifier that she had been working on for almost eleven years. It was just a side project that she had fun with, it really didn't hold any importance, but the mathematical equations would make any genius' head spin.
" Where is your mother now?" Serina asked curiously. She didn't want to turn into a cat lady like many lonely women.
" Never mind," Trunks said airily, " I just proved that I was an ass all by myself."
Serina couldn't help but laugh. She could never hold a bad mood while Trunks was around. She looked at him a little closer than usual.
Serina felt that she had met him before. She might not have known him personally, but she knew that she had seen him from somewhere. His soft, purple hair was cut just below his eyes, it always seemed neat and clean. Serina couldn't deny that Trunks was good looking. Well, in her mind, "good looking" was an understatement. But the one thing that caught her attention most of all was his eyes . . . they were something else.
Sometimes they were soft and full of laughter, and other times they were so unhappy it made you want to cry. And rarely did they ever get to the point of extreme anger. If they do, then the person who's under his gaze would best be careful. They'd flash maliciously and would get so cold and hard that it would make that person want to go off in a corner and die.
But at this moment, Serina was glad to find that they were calm and comforting, like a nice warm blanket when it's cold. She could almost feel the warmth from his eyes wash over her.
" How can you stay so calm?" asked Serina shyly, her voice speaking softly.
" Because with a partner like me, no way we can lose." Trunks replied sarcastically and Serina managed a punch in the shoulder as he darted around.
" All right, your pretty good, too." He exclaimed, hoping it would stop her from attacking him again.
' I have yet to figure this guy out.' Serina thought, ' He's so comfortable to be around. Once I think I understand everything about him, he proves me wrong. He's a complete mystery. Guys . . .'
*****
Later that night, Serina was squeamishly pacing back and forth, trying to rid herself of this nagging feeling in the back of her mind. She assumed it was some type of anxiety thing. Since she wasn't a very sit- still kind of person, she was doing this. It still didn't help the anxious feeling at all.
Serina suddenly got a dizzy spell and fell to the ground. Blackness surrounded her, but it left as quickly as it had came. She placed a shaky hand on the floor and lifted herself up. She breathed deep, feeling nausea creep up on her. She put a hand on her stomach as she stood up again, blinking away the sickness.
" That's weird," she said aloud to herself, " that was the third time this week. I guess I'm still a little ill from that fight with Mike, hard to imagine. That was ,yawn, ages ago. I don't think I should tell Trunks about this, he'll freak." She glanced down and frowned when she saw her last assignment, "Well, might as well start on this paper." And she sat down to start writing about "music theory". About an hour into it, Serina yawned and put the last touches on it.
Overwhelmed with sleepiness, she laid her head down on her desk and fell asleep, dreaming wonderful dreams that she would probably not recall in the morning. A smile spread along her face as she murmured " Trunks. . ."
(hmm, I wonder what THAT implies . . .)
Meanwhile, Trunks was staring out of his open dorm window. He leaned against the window frame, his eyes were distant and uncertain. He closed his eyes and breathed deep.
The landscape around OSU was nothing short of wonderful. Water surrounded the whole west wing of the dorm area, which had four main areas: North, South, East, and West, the other buildings that had the actual classes in them were also labeled like this. Well, Trunks just so happened to be in the west wing, along with Serina. That's where the boy's section ended and the girls started. Serina's dorm was down the hall bay several hundred feet. (long hallway.)
There were also several islands with many trees on them. Trunks' favorite was the largest that was located about in the middle. He had been to it several times himself. Trunks even debated taking Serina there, he recalled her telling him about how her brother would take her camping out in the middle of nowhere. She loved the wilderness as much as Trunks did.
' Serina. . .' he thought with a slight smile on his face. She was the only one who could make him truly smile in a really long time. She wasn't like anyone he knew. She had this wonderful gift of being able to shoulder his problems as well as her own. It was like the weight of the world was on her back.
' I'm doing it again,' he thought helplessly, ' I can't seem to get her out of my head lately. I know her pretty well, but I can't shake off this feeling that there might be more to her then it seems. And when she speaks sometimes. . . it's as if I heard it from somewhere already. I get a glimpse of a memory, but it leaves me before I make the connection. It's peculiar.' He walked over to his chair and flopped down, not bothering to close his window. He rubbed his eyes with exhaustion. He was staying up much later then he should've been, considering the fact that he had one: more classes then usual that day, a total of six, and two: the whole dance tryout thing. With that thought, his mind turned back to what he was thinking of before.
' I wonder is Serina is nervous. I would expect her to be a little, she's into this much more than I am. Come to think of it, she's really the main reason why I like ballet. Sure, dancing's fun, but I miss training. Not doing it so much is making me crazy. But she helps me get over it, that dork . . .' he thought, plucking lint off of his shirt. A thoughtful smile graced his face as he came to a new realization.
' She makes everything better. I haven't been this close to anyone since . . .since Gohan. And she's so weird sometimes; it confuses me, like when she fought Mike. It was like she knew that he was gonna lose before she even started the fight. And then she beats him with no trouble at all . . . though I understand that he is kinda slow in movement, and kinda stupid. . .pretty damn arrogant too, the little prat . . .
' I guess the point is that she's different, but I have no clue what it is that makes her so. She is a complete mystery sometimes. Damn it, she's confusing me without even being here. Even when she's not around me she drives me insane.' His smile broadened.
" I guess that's what happens when you like someone--" he said aloud, but stopping short after he realized what he had said
' HOLY CRAP, I DID NOT JUST SAY THAT!!!' thought Trunks while spazing out. He slapped his head several times before calming down. His eyes were wide when he began to look around to see if anyone just so happened to be his dorm at the moment. ( can I say paranoid?)
' Ok, I didn't just say what I thought I said. It's ok, I think of Serina as just a friend, nothing more . . . even is she does have killer legs and a great smile . . . and pretty hair . . . DAMN IT!!! I DID IT AGAIN!'
Instead of going psycho again, Trunks just crawled over to his bed. He fell on it, being overwhelmed with sleepiness.
" I only get like this when I don't train," he reasoned with himself, " It has nothing to do with the fact that Serina's hot . . ."
Almost everyone in the west wing woke to the loud sounds of a furious onslaught of cursing.
**************************************************************************** *******************************************************************
The next morning, Serina woke with a start. She quickly noticed that she was at her desk still. She smacked her lips to remoisten her mouth as she glanced at her alarm clock, but then doing a double take at seeing the time.
" IT'S 8:15?!? AGGHH!!!" she let out, realizing that her first class was in less than a half hour. She jumped up and ran to the shower. She turned knob, but nothing happened. She turned it a little more, but no water came out. She let out a furious scream as she ran back out.
" Damn shower's broken, grrr." She muttered as she slipped into some fresh clothes. She grabbed her hairbrush and put her hair in a rather bumpy ponytail, not bothering to look at herself in the mirror as she ran out the door.
She made it to her ballet locker, where she stuffed a lot of her extra books, and she grabbed what she needed and through it into her bag furiously. Trunks walked by Serina, but in seeing her he walked backwards to meet her.
" Bad day?" he asked as she looked up at him. She let out a small sigh. Trunks looked at her, and suddenly fought back the urge to laugh
" I guess you can say that, how'd you know?" she asked with a slight smile as she brushed a piece of hair back. She slammed her locker, which left a dent.
" Because there's a pen stuck to the side of your face." he said as he laughed hysterically, his smile reached fully to his eyes.
" Where? Well, stop laughing and get it off!" He pulled the pen off, but where it use to be now had a red mark with a blotch of black ink in its place. He was sure that he cracked a few ribs from trying to keep in the laughter. He didn't feel like getting hurt at the moment.
" Come on," he said as he looped his arm through hers, " I'll escort you to the bathroom, so you can get that mark off." He pulled her along gleefully to the bathrooms down the hall. Her eyes became wide.
" Mark?!?" she squeaked as they continued on. When they got there she ran to the mirror.
" Oh my god, it's the size of Canada." She exclaimed.
" Actually," he said with a serious tone, " it's more like the size of Portugal."
Trunks made a not so manly yelp as she attempted to punch his stomach.
" Oh, shut up, you! With the tryouts tonight, I'm a complete wreck." She yelled, her voice bouncing off of the ceramic walls making poor Trunks wince. She began to scrub furiously with a wet paper towel.
" It's gonna be ok, don't you worry. We practiced as much as we possibly could, and today will be like another practice."
" Except there's judges and people watching our every move!" she raged on as if she had been waiting for the right moment to unburden herself of all her insecurities.
" Calm down!" reasoned Trunks, " Serina, it's all right. You'll be great, I guarantee it." He smiled a genuine smile that made Serina calm down. She blushed a little and murmured a "sorry".
" How do you stay so calm, Trunks?" she asked him with admiration.
" Well, I just remember that I've done things that made me prove myself. I had to prove that I could take care of things. After I think on it, things like this don't discourage me as much." He looked rather pleased with the answer, feeling just a bit wiser.
" . . .Right . . ." she gave him a confused look, but then realizing that they were suppose to go to class," Crap, look at the time! We'll be late!"
So they ran towards their physics class, arms flailing.
********
As if Serina's day could get any worse, it did. Later on during ballet, she did yet another mind boggling thing.
The class was allowed to work on their routines because Madame Minkaso saw how scared everyone was.
" Since no one's paying attention, the rest of the period is yours." she compromised.
Serina and Trunks were most of the way through their routine. They turned lightly, doing a padaborie and a padasha. (Spelling? My French is ok, but most ballet terms are beyond me, so I just spell them on how they sound.) They were doing really good, up until some guy's foot got in the way.
Trunks tripped over the foot, suddenly pitched forward with Serina in a bad position. If they fell, with Trunks on top, Serina was going to break her leg.
It happened in no more than a blur. Suddenly, Serina was supporting both herself and Trunks. She was bent over backwards in a rather awkward position; her head was hovering three feet over the ground. She stared blankly at Trunks' surprised face, but soon realized the situation, and fell over.
" Are you all right?" he questioned, looking at her with a worried expression.
" I'm fine, what about you?" she responded back.
" Yeah, I'm fine," he glanced at her with a strange look, " How'd you do that?"
" Do what?" she asked innocently, her left eye fidgeting slightly.
" Keep us up like that. Any normal person would have broken their back."
" I wasn't that far back." She said weakly.
He looked at her incredulously before saying, " You were three feet from the ground . . . BACKWARDS!!!"
" Really? I was that far back? Well, er . . ." she thought quickly before looking to the clock, " Oh look, it's about time to go, hehe, I'll see you tonight!" and she zoomed off. Trunks looked around. It didn't seem like anyone noticed. ' Figures . . .'
" She is defiantly not normal," he said, rubbing his eyes as if they were clouded, " Strange girl . . ."
***********
After all the practicing, it was finally time for the try out's. Naturally, Trunks' mind was occupied of thoughts of the routine, so there was no time to think of the situation with Serina earlier that day. He met with Serina, who appeared rather excited, but Trunks had a feeling that she was nervous as well.
They walked to the hall outside of the practice room where they saw a couple dozen people lined up. Trunks glanced over, seeing Serina tremble a little.
" You nervous?" he asked intently. She smiled up at him.
" Maybe a little," she admitted and let out a sighed, " But I know I can pull this off."
" What's with the change of heart?" he said while smiling as well.
" Some guy told me some wise information to calm me down, but I think he was insane . . ." she looked up into his smiling eyes and laughed lightly. Trunks rolled his eyes and laughed a little too. He then looked at her shaking hand and took it, stroking the front side in a soothing manner, and gave it a re-assuring squeeze. Serina blushed violently. She had been debating about her feelings for Trunks lately. She had denied from the very beginning that she was attracted to him in that way, though now she wasn't so sure.
' Ok,' she thought, ' I guess I like him a little . . . but only a little damn it. I'm just feeling a little lonely, and Trunks just so happens to be a sweet, caring guy . . . Yeah, that's it . . .'
As the names of pairs were being called out, the hallway buzzed with nervous chatter arose. People scurried around, making sure that they had every little detail down. Frequently, people huddled together, doing weird chant things to pump themselves up. (^o^, freaks . . .)
Serina busied herself by putting on her shoes and doing some stretches to limber up. Trunks soon followed and started warming up as well. As soon as they were comfortably stretched, they sat down again, waiting patiently for their names to be called.
" Serina, Trunks, you're up." they heard Madame call out.
" This is it." Serina muttered.
" Remember," Trunks said as they walked into the room, " remember what the insane guy said, and you'll do fine." Serina just nodded her head.
" Ok, can you explain your routine a little for me please?" Madame asked.
" Sure," said Serina, fidgeting a little, " its kind of a love story. . . er, Trunks and I meet in a certain situation, and then fall in love. I guess you'll see in a minute." Madame's eyes glazed over.
" I love those kind of stories!" she exclaimed, " Is it kinda like that Disney movie, what was it . . .oh yes, Tarzan?" (hee, I love that movie. I had to fit that in somewhere. I donno about you, but I think Tarzan's kinda cute . . .)
" What?" asked Trunks with interest as he passed a c.d. to the c.d. dude.
" Never mind." She said with a sigh, " Well, let's see it." And she threw up her hand to signal the music to play. Serina and Trunks got in their places, preparing themselves to do the best they could.
The pair moved slowly, passionately throughout the whole routine. Their moves synchronized beautifully as they danced around the room. They faced each other, and Serina's eyes twinkled brilliantly with excitement as they met Trunks'. He knew how she felt, they had pulled the routine off. Now all they had to do was finish.
As they did one last pose, applause filled the atmosphere.
" Beautiful, guys!" Madame cried out as she gazed at them warmly.
Serina and Trunks raced out of the room, talking feverishly of how they did.
" God, that was amazing!" said Serina as they leaned against the wall. They still had to wait for the announcement at the end.
" I told you not to worry." said Trunks with a slight air of amusement.
" Me? Worry? . . .Nah . . ." she said and let out a ringing laugh.
" Well, I knew you'd do great, anyways." he said as he smirked. She smiled admiringly up at him.
" If it wasn't for you . . . I think I would've done horribly today. I've had so much help from you this year already, it's hard to imagine not having you here." she said softly as Trunks blushed.
" I can't be all that great." he stated modestly. Serina reached up and pulled him into her embrace. His eyes widened in shock.
" But you are . . ." she said quietly into his shoulder. He smiled lightly and slowly brought his arms to her back, closing his eyes. He hugged her tightly, breathing in the scent of her. She always smelled so good, even after dancing around. They stayed that way for a long time.
********
After everyone was done with their own routines, Madame Minkaso called everyone back into the room.
" Tomorrow, as in day off tomorrow, as in Friday, 11:30 a.m. tomorrow, the posts are going up. Sunday, I'm on my way to Tokyo. Thank you everyone for your hard work, and I'll see you bright 'n early."
The class filed out, stretching and grumbling, going to their dorms to get a good night's sleep. For tomorrow, yes tomorrow, the results are up.
**************************************************************************** ******************************************************************* I hope you liked that chapter, it was a long one. I'll try to keep them coming. I've been having hell because I screwed my knee up in ballet, and I have band camp, too. DAMN MY STUPID, STUPID BAND TEACHER!!! (Nah, I love the guy, but he looks kinda like a turkey.) How 'bout some reviews?
