remialcsid: Whatever.
(heh, always on the lookout for new ways to present my disclaimer! ^_^)
So, here is the third installation of Save the Last Dance. I never knew writing was so much fun! Instead of reading non-stop, I've been itching to rush home to my computer to write this story! An interesting change, don't you think? And btw, in case you are wondering, no, Matt and Tai are NOT gay in this fic. I am not against the Taito pairing (in fact, I quite like it) but you should not assume two guys are gay just because they are sharing an apartment. Note the difference between "apartment" and "bed". Just in case you were having..."thoughts". ^_^
On with the story, I say!
(And you are actually listening to me!)
SAVE THE LAST DANCE CH 3
"Can I have your attention please?"
Mr Fujiwara waited patiently for his class to quieten. He cleared his throat. "As you all know, the exams are over, and we have nothing else to teach you. This does not mean you will be allowed to do nothing but prepare for your graduation dance for the rest of the week. Various activities have been planned for you." The students groaned. Mr Fujiwara held his hand up for silence. "Allow me to continue. You'll be given plenty of time to "decorate" in the afternoons. During the mornings however, you will be participating in... Dancing lessons." He fought to keep from smiling at the shocked looks on the students' faces. "After all, it would be a shame if some of you had to sit out for the whole night just because you couldn't dance, wouldn't it?" The corner of his mouth twitched. "Your teacher will be here in a moment," he said shortly, before sitting down abruptly at his desk and hiding his smile behind the piles of books on his desk.
Kari turned to TK, disbelief written all over her face. "I know," TK said, before Kari spoke. "Dancing lessons. Unbelievable, isn't it?"
"Hey TK," Davis, who was sitting on the other side of TK, interjected. "Take a look at your fanclub."
TK turned to look at the group of girls Davis was pointing at and grimaced at the predatory looks on their faces.
"I really do not envy you man," Davis continued. "They look like they're going to eat you."
They were interrupted by a red-headed woman entering the room. Mr Fujiwara smiled at her and gathered his books. "They're all yours," he said, and left the room.
"Well," the woman said brightly, when he was gone. "I am Ms Kinomoto, your dancing teacher. This classroom is a little small for what we will be doing, so we are going to move to the hall, which coincidentally is also where the actual dance will be held on Friday night. You will not have a lesson with me on Friday, to give you time for last minute preparations and adjustments, so we have three lessons together. Let's head down to the hall. I'll tell you more about these lessons there."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Okay, class," Ms Kinomoto said as soon as they were all in the hall. "I've been told that we don't have an equal number of boys and girls, so just pair up as best you can. I'll give you five minutes to work everything out."
TK watched, smiling, as Yolei grabbed Ken's hand and narrowed her eyes at the other girls who had moved to do the same, as if to say, "Back off, he's mine." He tapped Kari on the shoulder and pointed in their direction. Kari turned, and giggled at the what she saw. "Look at Yolei's face!" she laughed.
Ken was looking in mild surprise at Yolei, who was rapidly turning a deep shade of red.
"Uh, TK?" Davis tugged on TK's sleeve. "You'd better watch out. Fanclub at three o'clock!"
TK looked quickly in said direction and then raised his face to the heavens. "Why me?"
"TK," Davis warned. "You'd better stop standing there and do something, quick. They're coming closer, and fast! In fact, I think I'll leave now, just in case one of them eats me by mistake!"
"Oh, gee, thanks Davis!" TK called sarcastically to Davis' back. "Kari?" he pleaded.
"All right, TK," Kari said, amused. "I'll save you. You'd better not step on my feet, though."
TK smiled gratefully at her and slid his hand into hers, showing the rabid group of fangirls that he already had a partner.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"All right everybody, line up!" Ms Kinomoto called. "Boys on one side, girls on the other. And face your partner."
"Miss! What about the girls who are paired up with other girls? What do we do?"
"I tell you what," Ms Kinomoto said. "How about you girls sit out for the first half of the lesson, and then in the second half, I'll call you over to partner up with some of the boys while the rest of the class have a rest." She noticed the girls eyeing TK and Ken. "No fighting over partners though. And try not to pair up with the same boys every lesson. We want to try and even out the turns." She looked around for protests, but got none. "Shall we start?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kari kept her eyes firmly on TK's shoulder. She was painfully aware of TK's hand on her waist and of his close proximity. At the same time, she marveled at his dancing abilities. He moved with such grace, such ease...and he hadn't stepped on her feet once. They hadn't collided with anyone either. She winced as she saw the couples around her bump into each other, almost constantly, even though it was easy to tell by the looks of concentration on their faces that they were trying their hardest not to. TK was so relaxed, it didn't seem like he was putting any effort into this at all, and yet they hadn't even come close to colliding with anyone. With TK, she felt totally safe, like she always had. She sighed, feeling relaxed all of a sudden, and just lost herself to the movements of the dance. It felt like they were floating, not dancing. "I could dance like this with him forever," she thought dreamily, and unthinking, she lay her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
TK looked down at Kari, and smiled. She looked so peaceful like that, with her head on his shoulder, and her eyes closed. She fit into his arms so perfectly, it felt like she belonged there. He gently guided her around the other dancers. She followed without resistance, still totally relaxed, eyes still closed. It was amazing, how much she trusted him. But then, she had always trusted him fully in everything, ever since before he could remember. He swore to himself silently that he would never betray that trust.
"All right, girls, change!" Ms Kinomoto called and smiled, amused, at the sight of Yolei shooting threatening looks at any girls who dared to even look at Ken. Davis grimaced as he spotted a dangerous-looking mob of girls making a beeline for TK. He signaled to TK, who looked at him questioningly over Kari's shoulder. "Fanclub alert!" he mouthed. TK raised an eyebrow. Davis tried again. "Your fanclub!" He jerked his head repeatedly in their direction. TK looked. His lips formed an 'o'. "Thanks," he mouthed in response to Davis' warning.
"Are you all right, Davis?" Ms Kinomoto asked, having witnessed Davis' half of their little exchange.
"Uh, what, m-me?"
"Yes, you, Davis."
"Uh, hehe, I'm fine! Uh, n-never been b-better, Miss! It's all good!" Davis exclaimed, grinning and waving his hands in embarrassment. He spotted Mina with one of her friends, giggling.
"Smooth move, Davis," he told himself, putting his hand on his cheek and shaking his head. "Real smooth move. I sure hope TK appreciates this."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Kari," TK whispered gently into her ear. "Kari, we've stopped." Kari attempted to bury her face deeper into his shoulder, not really registering what TK had said. "Kari," TK protested, chuckling. "I don't want to stop either, but the teacher's called a change over."
"Huh?" She mumbled. Kari froze, finally realising the position she and TK were in. With an embarrassed yelp, she jumped back, face flaming.
"Kari, is something wrong?" TK asked.
Kari opened her mouth to answer, but before she could say anything--
"Ahem!"
Both Kari and TK turned towards the source of the third voice.
A tall dark-haired girl smiled. "Kari, if you'd excuse us?"
Kari smiled weakly, and stepped back, the colour draining out of her face.
"Mandy," she thought.
Kari sat dully on a side bench, watching as the teacher instructed the couples containing "new" girls and the couples followed her instructions as best they could. She was watching one couple in particular. "The prettiest and richest girl in class, good at everything. She's perfect. I don't stand a chance now." She shook her head furiously. "What do you mean 'don't stand a chance now', Kari? You never stood a chance in the first place! He's your best friend, for goodness' sake! He'd never feel that way about you," she berated herself. Was it just her imagination, or was Mandy dancing closer to TK than was really needed? An uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. "Jealousy?" Kari wondered. "I thought you knew better than that, Kari!" But regardless of what she 'knew', Kari was indeed very jealous of Mandy. She didn't like it, and there was nothing she could do about it.
"Hey, Kari!" Yolei said, appearing out of nowhere and sitting down next to her.
"Yolei! Hi!" Kari smiled and attempted to sound cheerful.
"Kari," Yolei said, looking at her friend's face and frowning slightly. "What's wrong? Wanna tell me about it?"
Kari said nothing, her mournful eyes still following TK and Mandy.
"Oh," Yolei uttered softly. "I see. So you've finally realised that you're in love with TK, huh?"
"What?" Kari spun around to face her friend, completely shocked.
Yolei smiled softly. "I knew it was only a matter of time. Anyone can see it. It's written all over your face when you look at him, apparent in every little thing you do when you're around him. It was so obvious to everyone else, we just couldn't believe you couldn't see it yourself. But you really didn't."
Kari just stared.
"Why do you think Davis pulled out? He could see how much you love TK, and he knew that he wouldn't stand a chance. So he gracefully made his exit."
"You...you all knew? Why didn't you say anything?"
"What was there to say?" Yolei asked quietly. "We knew you'd realise sometime, and now you have."
"What do I do now?"
"You have to tell him."
Kari was incredulous. "Tell him?!" she exclaimed. She blushed and looked around quickly, checking to see if anyone had heard her little outburst. "Tell him?" she asked, quietly now. "I can't possibly tell him."
"Sure you can."
"Have you told Ken?"
Yolei blushed. "No," she admitted. "But you and TK are so close, you're best friends for goodness' sake. You'd still be best friends, even if he didn't return your feelings, which I -know- he does. And I will tell Ken," she declared. "Someday," she muttered.
Kari laughed softly and shook her head.
"But really, Kari, you should tell him," Yolei said seriously. "You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain."
TK went through the perfunctory dance steps with Mandy. He'd much rather be dancing with Kari, Mandy didn't seem to fit into his arms nearly as well. He glanced discreetly at the clock. "Fifteen minutes. Only fifteen more minutes, TK, until you can go and have lunch with Kari." But regardless of his desire to leave, he smiled gently and waited patiently for Mandy to get the steps right, ever the perfect gentleman.
"Oh!" Mandy let out a small exclamation as she "tripped" and "fell".
"Are you all right, Mandy?" TK asked, catching her.
"I am now," Mandy said, smiling sweetly at him.
"Why that scheming little--aargh!" Yolei exclaimed indignantly. "Who does she think she's fooling?!"
"TK," Kari answered softly.
"He would be the type to try to think the best of everyone, wouldn't he?" Yolei asked dully, already knowing the answer. She sighed at the sad expression on her friend's face and slid an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry, Kari. I'm -sure- that if he dances the last dance with anyone, it'll be with you."
"I sure hope she's right," Kari thought.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Well, folks, there's the third chapter. I hope it was long enough for you. Please continue to review. I can't make any promises about the next chapter, as holidays have finished here in good ol' Aussie, but I'll try to squeeze it out sometime before Christmas. ^_^ God Bless!
(heh, always on the lookout for new ways to present my disclaimer! ^_^)
So, here is the third installation of Save the Last Dance. I never knew writing was so much fun! Instead of reading non-stop, I've been itching to rush home to my computer to write this story! An interesting change, don't you think? And btw, in case you are wondering, no, Matt and Tai are NOT gay in this fic. I am not against the Taito pairing (in fact, I quite like it) but you should not assume two guys are gay just because they are sharing an apartment. Note the difference between "apartment" and "bed". Just in case you were having..."thoughts". ^_^
On with the story, I say!
(And you are actually listening to me!)
SAVE THE LAST DANCE CH 3
"Can I have your attention please?"
Mr Fujiwara waited patiently for his class to quieten. He cleared his throat. "As you all know, the exams are over, and we have nothing else to teach you. This does not mean you will be allowed to do nothing but prepare for your graduation dance for the rest of the week. Various activities have been planned for you." The students groaned. Mr Fujiwara held his hand up for silence. "Allow me to continue. You'll be given plenty of time to "decorate" in the afternoons. During the mornings however, you will be participating in... Dancing lessons." He fought to keep from smiling at the shocked looks on the students' faces. "After all, it would be a shame if some of you had to sit out for the whole night just because you couldn't dance, wouldn't it?" The corner of his mouth twitched. "Your teacher will be here in a moment," he said shortly, before sitting down abruptly at his desk and hiding his smile behind the piles of books on his desk.
Kari turned to TK, disbelief written all over her face. "I know," TK said, before Kari spoke. "Dancing lessons. Unbelievable, isn't it?"
"Hey TK," Davis, who was sitting on the other side of TK, interjected. "Take a look at your fanclub."
TK turned to look at the group of girls Davis was pointing at and grimaced at the predatory looks on their faces.
"I really do not envy you man," Davis continued. "They look like they're going to eat you."
They were interrupted by a red-headed woman entering the room. Mr Fujiwara smiled at her and gathered his books. "They're all yours," he said, and left the room.
"Well," the woman said brightly, when he was gone. "I am Ms Kinomoto, your dancing teacher. This classroom is a little small for what we will be doing, so we are going to move to the hall, which coincidentally is also where the actual dance will be held on Friday night. You will not have a lesson with me on Friday, to give you time for last minute preparations and adjustments, so we have three lessons together. Let's head down to the hall. I'll tell you more about these lessons there."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Okay, class," Ms Kinomoto said as soon as they were all in the hall. "I've been told that we don't have an equal number of boys and girls, so just pair up as best you can. I'll give you five minutes to work everything out."
TK watched, smiling, as Yolei grabbed Ken's hand and narrowed her eyes at the other girls who had moved to do the same, as if to say, "Back off, he's mine." He tapped Kari on the shoulder and pointed in their direction. Kari turned, and giggled at the what she saw. "Look at Yolei's face!" she laughed.
Ken was looking in mild surprise at Yolei, who was rapidly turning a deep shade of red.
"Uh, TK?" Davis tugged on TK's sleeve. "You'd better watch out. Fanclub at three o'clock!"
TK looked quickly in said direction and then raised his face to the heavens. "Why me?"
"TK," Davis warned. "You'd better stop standing there and do something, quick. They're coming closer, and fast! In fact, I think I'll leave now, just in case one of them eats me by mistake!"
"Oh, gee, thanks Davis!" TK called sarcastically to Davis' back. "Kari?" he pleaded.
"All right, TK," Kari said, amused. "I'll save you. You'd better not step on my feet, though."
TK smiled gratefully at her and slid his hand into hers, showing the rabid group of fangirls that he already had a partner.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"All right everybody, line up!" Ms Kinomoto called. "Boys on one side, girls on the other. And face your partner."
"Miss! What about the girls who are paired up with other girls? What do we do?"
"I tell you what," Ms Kinomoto said. "How about you girls sit out for the first half of the lesson, and then in the second half, I'll call you over to partner up with some of the boys while the rest of the class have a rest." She noticed the girls eyeing TK and Ken. "No fighting over partners though. And try not to pair up with the same boys every lesson. We want to try and even out the turns." She looked around for protests, but got none. "Shall we start?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kari kept her eyes firmly on TK's shoulder. She was painfully aware of TK's hand on her waist and of his close proximity. At the same time, she marveled at his dancing abilities. He moved with such grace, such ease...and he hadn't stepped on her feet once. They hadn't collided with anyone either. She winced as she saw the couples around her bump into each other, almost constantly, even though it was easy to tell by the looks of concentration on their faces that they were trying their hardest not to. TK was so relaxed, it didn't seem like he was putting any effort into this at all, and yet they hadn't even come close to colliding with anyone. With TK, she felt totally safe, like she always had. She sighed, feeling relaxed all of a sudden, and just lost herself to the movements of the dance. It felt like they were floating, not dancing. "I could dance like this with him forever," she thought dreamily, and unthinking, she lay her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
TK looked down at Kari, and smiled. She looked so peaceful like that, with her head on his shoulder, and her eyes closed. She fit into his arms so perfectly, it felt like she belonged there. He gently guided her around the other dancers. She followed without resistance, still totally relaxed, eyes still closed. It was amazing, how much she trusted him. But then, she had always trusted him fully in everything, ever since before he could remember. He swore to himself silently that he would never betray that trust.
"All right, girls, change!" Ms Kinomoto called and smiled, amused, at the sight of Yolei shooting threatening looks at any girls who dared to even look at Ken. Davis grimaced as he spotted a dangerous-looking mob of girls making a beeline for TK. He signaled to TK, who looked at him questioningly over Kari's shoulder. "Fanclub alert!" he mouthed. TK raised an eyebrow. Davis tried again. "Your fanclub!" He jerked his head repeatedly in their direction. TK looked. His lips formed an 'o'. "Thanks," he mouthed in response to Davis' warning.
"Are you all right, Davis?" Ms Kinomoto asked, having witnessed Davis' half of their little exchange.
"Uh, what, m-me?"
"Yes, you, Davis."
"Uh, hehe, I'm fine! Uh, n-never been b-better, Miss! It's all good!" Davis exclaimed, grinning and waving his hands in embarrassment. He spotted Mina with one of her friends, giggling.
"Smooth move, Davis," he told himself, putting his hand on his cheek and shaking his head. "Real smooth move. I sure hope TK appreciates this."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Kari," TK whispered gently into her ear. "Kari, we've stopped." Kari attempted to bury her face deeper into his shoulder, not really registering what TK had said. "Kari," TK protested, chuckling. "I don't want to stop either, but the teacher's called a change over."
"Huh?" She mumbled. Kari froze, finally realising the position she and TK were in. With an embarrassed yelp, she jumped back, face flaming.
"Kari, is something wrong?" TK asked.
Kari opened her mouth to answer, but before she could say anything--
"Ahem!"
Both Kari and TK turned towards the source of the third voice.
A tall dark-haired girl smiled. "Kari, if you'd excuse us?"
Kari smiled weakly, and stepped back, the colour draining out of her face.
"Mandy," she thought.
Kari sat dully on a side bench, watching as the teacher instructed the couples containing "new" girls and the couples followed her instructions as best they could. She was watching one couple in particular. "The prettiest and richest girl in class, good at everything. She's perfect. I don't stand a chance now." She shook her head furiously. "What do you mean 'don't stand a chance now', Kari? You never stood a chance in the first place! He's your best friend, for goodness' sake! He'd never feel that way about you," she berated herself. Was it just her imagination, or was Mandy dancing closer to TK than was really needed? An uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. "Jealousy?" Kari wondered. "I thought you knew better than that, Kari!" But regardless of what she 'knew', Kari was indeed very jealous of Mandy. She didn't like it, and there was nothing she could do about it.
"Hey, Kari!" Yolei said, appearing out of nowhere and sitting down next to her.
"Yolei! Hi!" Kari smiled and attempted to sound cheerful.
"Kari," Yolei said, looking at her friend's face and frowning slightly. "What's wrong? Wanna tell me about it?"
Kari said nothing, her mournful eyes still following TK and Mandy.
"Oh," Yolei uttered softly. "I see. So you've finally realised that you're in love with TK, huh?"
"What?" Kari spun around to face her friend, completely shocked.
Yolei smiled softly. "I knew it was only a matter of time. Anyone can see it. It's written all over your face when you look at him, apparent in every little thing you do when you're around him. It was so obvious to everyone else, we just couldn't believe you couldn't see it yourself. But you really didn't."
Kari just stared.
"Why do you think Davis pulled out? He could see how much you love TK, and he knew that he wouldn't stand a chance. So he gracefully made his exit."
"You...you all knew? Why didn't you say anything?"
"What was there to say?" Yolei asked quietly. "We knew you'd realise sometime, and now you have."
"What do I do now?"
"You have to tell him."
Kari was incredulous. "Tell him?!" she exclaimed. She blushed and looked around quickly, checking to see if anyone had heard her little outburst. "Tell him?" she asked, quietly now. "I can't possibly tell him."
"Sure you can."
"Have you told Ken?"
Yolei blushed. "No," she admitted. "But you and TK are so close, you're best friends for goodness' sake. You'd still be best friends, even if he didn't return your feelings, which I -know- he does. And I will tell Ken," she declared. "Someday," she muttered.
Kari laughed softly and shook her head.
"But really, Kari, you should tell him," Yolei said seriously. "You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain."
TK went through the perfunctory dance steps with Mandy. He'd much rather be dancing with Kari, Mandy didn't seem to fit into his arms nearly as well. He glanced discreetly at the clock. "Fifteen minutes. Only fifteen more minutes, TK, until you can go and have lunch with Kari." But regardless of his desire to leave, he smiled gently and waited patiently for Mandy to get the steps right, ever the perfect gentleman.
"Oh!" Mandy let out a small exclamation as she "tripped" and "fell".
"Are you all right, Mandy?" TK asked, catching her.
"I am now," Mandy said, smiling sweetly at him.
"Why that scheming little--aargh!" Yolei exclaimed indignantly. "Who does she think she's fooling?!"
"TK," Kari answered softly.
"He would be the type to try to think the best of everyone, wouldn't he?" Yolei asked dully, already knowing the answer. She sighed at the sad expression on her friend's face and slid an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry, Kari. I'm -sure- that if he dances the last dance with anyone, it'll be with you."
"I sure hope she's right," Kari thought.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Well, folks, there's the third chapter. I hope it was long enough for you. Please continue to review. I can't make any promises about the next chapter, as holidays have finished here in good ol' Aussie, but I'll try to squeeze it out sometime before Christmas. ^_^ God Bless!