Ohayo! The long awaited 6th chapter! Sorries I haven't updated in a long
time but I've been having mid-terms left and right. *sighs* Most of them
are over now though so I should have a bit more time. *grins* So updates
will happen and enjoy this chapter. ^___^
##########################################################################
By the end of the first week, they had the show laid out. Andraaia and Duke were placed in charge of schematics and background. (As a blushing Andraaia told Kurry later, Duke was very good at sound stage, managing to startle her 6 times in 5 minutes with a speaker and cracking himself up in the process.) The singer/dancer team figured out their opening, closing and middle songs, matched them to routines and set a practise schedule. Then Kurry spoke with Andraaia and they worked out a rough outline of when and where the technics would be in the show. All in all they were off to a pretty good start, although Kurry was still acting a little cold towards Malik. Other than that, all was well.
Thursday evening found Kurry, Kitty and Kat in Kitty's dorm discussing the show and doing other work. Actually, Kurry was curled in a chair half-listening and Kitty and Kat were chatting excitedly.
'So, talked to any of the guys at all?' Kitty asked, grinning.
Kat blushed. 'Er, well...I kinda told Bakura I do martial arts and he offered to help me practise while I'm here,' she murmured, beet red.
Kitty gasped. 'So he does martial arts too!?! Oh you lucky girl!'
'KKKKKIIIIITTTTTYYYYY!!!!' Kat shrieked and whomped Kitty with a pillow. She just giggled.
'Yeah, well, what about Ryou?' Kat shot back. 'I saw how your knees almost went when he was singing.'
Kitty giggled again and unabashedly swooned onto the bed. 'Oh, he's got the hottest voice of any of them. Real smooth. Whoo.'
Kat nodded absently. 'Bakura's not bad either...' she muttered.
Kitty suddenly sat up and glanced at Kurry. Poking Kat to get her attention, the two sisters stared at their friend until they psyched her out and she jumped. 'Gods, I hate it when you guys do that.'
Kitty and Kat grinned identical grins. Kurry sighed. 'What do you want?'
'We wanna know what you think of the guys,' Kat stated simply.
Kurry shrugged. 'Bakura's cool and Ryou's got a nice voice. You two just established that, I really don't think my opinion's necessary.'
Kitty and Kat exchanged significant glances before Kat said, 'And?'
'And what?'
'What about Malik?'
Kurry kept her eyes on her binder. 'I don't really have an opinion on him.'
Kitty rolled her eyes. 'Oh c'mon Kurry, just for fun. What do you think of him?'
Kurry shut her binder with a snap. 'I don't think anything of him and that's the end of it!' she said shortly. Rising, she stalked towards the door. 'I'm going to find a quiet place to write. I'll see you two later.'
The door shut. The sisters looked at each other again.
'Denial!'
The hallway rang with laughter.
************************************************
Kurry tried to calm herself down as she walked.
+I seriously don't think anything of Malik. In my opinion he's an insensitive clod. But I suppose most guys are like that. Oh well. He could have a little more faith in our abilities.+ Suddenly realising she had no idea where she was, Kurry turned in a circle. +Oh great. Now which way?+ She wandered for a few minutes before catching sight of a familiar door. +Oh, the music room. I suppose I could stay in here.+ Testing the door, she found it unlocked and slipped inside.
+Ahhh, the sound of silence. Perfect.+
************************************************
Malik was just coming back from the cafeteria when he caught sight of a light filtering through the door to the music room. Knowing no-one was supposed to be in there at this time of night, he crept up to the door and eased it open. His expression went from wary to curious at what he beheld.
Kurry was sitting on the far side of the room, furiously scribbling in her binder. The young dancer muttered to herself every few seconds, pausing now and again and frowning. Malik moved silently into the glow of the single lamp, unnoticed by the writer on the floor. Leaning casually against a pillar, the violet-eyed boy just observed, listening to the mutterings with a grin.
'...Hmm, "the power of many"...no, I don't like that..."strength" is a better word...(scribble scribble)..."The strength of all will prevail"...naw, can't put that, it's too...communed...(Pause to think) I want something that shows individuality AND community...Aha! (more scribbling) "The strength of many is the strength of one!" Got it!'
She promptly jumped almost out of her skin when Malik spoke. 'That was cool.'
'GAH! How long were you there?!' Kurry nearly shrieked in fright.
Malik held up both hands in a peaceful gesture. 'Not long. Be easy, alright?'
Kurry took a deep breath, trying to calm the adrenaline of fright. Malik came a little closer and perched on a large crate. There was silence for a moment, then Malik cleared his throat and murmured, 'I uh...I'm sorry.'
Kurry glanced up. 'What for?'
'For being an insensitive clod.'
Kurry giggled, quickly muffling it. 'Hee...ahem. Well, yes, you were, but apology accepted. And I'm sorry I was so...'
'Distant?'
'If you will.'
'Okay.'
Malik perked up visibly, relieved to have broken the ice. Kurry's head bent back to her work. Malik craned his neck, curious. 'Whatcha working on?'
Kurry glanced up. 'Hmm? Oh this? It's a composition for writing class. It's supposed to be about the ways we can merge individuality and community so that everyone's personal preferences are met.'
Malik's eyebrows went up. 'Whoa. Deep.'
Kurry chuckled. 'Not really. Since I'm a natural writer I tend to make things fancier than they need to be.'
Malik cocked his head to one side. 'What else d'you take in your school?'
'Just violin, writing and dance. I love music and I found out long ago that I could write okay, so I followed those lines. But my real passion has always been dance.' Kurry's eyes were glazed over, remembering, until she blinked and added, 'Sorry, I'm rambling. What do you do?'
Malik shrugged. 'Eh, I haven't really found anything to be really into; I'm an all-around type of guy, that's all. I can play a little bit of guitar and drums...' he paused to think, then his eyes lit up. 'And I do like mechanics. I have my own bike. And I sing. That's about it.'
Kurry nodded. 'Well that's alright.'
Malik blinked suddenly. 'You wear glasses?'
Kurry nodded again. Malik stood and came over. 'Can I see?' Kurry obligingly removed the blue frames and handed them over. Malik held them up, examining them in the light. He peered through them and swiftly pulled back. 'Whoa.' Kurry took them back.
'Yeah, I'm a little nearsighted. I'll show you. Back up a bit.' Malik complied.
'Little more. Okay, stop.'
Kurry squinted at him. 'There. Now you're fuzzy.'
Malik coughed suddenly. Realising what she said, Kurry turned pink. 'Oh no, I meant, uh, blurry. Yeah, that's what I meant.' She quickly looked back down at her binder to hide the flush that spread over her face. Malik just half-smiled.
Kurry's eyelids suddenly felt quite heavy. She stifled a yawn, but Malik caught it.
'C'mon,' he said kindly. 'You're tired. I'll walk you back to your dorm.' And he offered his hand to her.
Kurry glanced at it, then at the violet eyes beyond. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her to her feet. Shutting off the lamp, Malik led Kurry out of the music room, both a lot more comfortable than they had been before.
The next morning dawned a lot brighter, or so it appeared to Kurry. She stretched and sighed leisurely, relishing the feeling of a new day and a new friendship with Malik. Smiling, she rose from bed and began to prepare.
Kurry had just finished getting dressed when there came a knock at the door. 'Coming!' she called, still brushing her long hair. When she opened the door Kurry was surprised to see Malik himself standing there looking rather nervous and trying to hide it.
'Good morning,' Kurry said politely.
'Hi. Er, I...that is, we...were wondering if you three dancers wanted to come with us for breakfast. Our treat.'
Kurry flushed a little. 'Oh, uh, okay, just lemme finish getting ready. C'mon in if you want.' She left the door open and took up her brush again.
Malik hesitantly stood in the doorway. 'Um...are you comfortable in here?' he asked, casually trying to make conversation.
'Oh yeah, it's quite nice in here. I like the view. That tree is immense.'
'It's been here since the school was built.'
'Cool.'
Ready at last, Kurry grabbed her purse and locked the dorm behind her.
Meanwhile next door, Ryou and Bakura had been asking Kitty and Kat, although they had to haul Kitty out of bed again. Finally they were on their way.
It was a brisk morning, the sun bright and the air crisp and clear. Kurry inhaled deeply. 'Ahhh, fresh air.'
Malik chuckled. 'Yeah, you gotta love it.' When Kurry just smiled instead of replying at his smart remark the others noticed the sudden lack of animosity between the two and grinned.
They arrived at a small coffee shop a few blocks away. Since they had quite a bit of time before they were due back each ordered a nice breakfast and chose one of those big round booths to sit in. "Somehow" managing to sit boy-girl, a light chatter started up as they ate.
'So we're starting the practise schedule today, right?' Bakura asked.
The rest nodded. 'Yep, and it's gonna be really fun!' Kitty said excitedly.
Bakura cocked an eyebrow. 'You sound happy,' he grinned.
'Oh I am. I've gotta be or else I'll get all nervous,' Kitty confessed.
'Heh, join the crowd,' Malik admitted. Everyone nodded.
'You know, they say there's going to be at least 600 people there. Tickets have been selling for the past month,' Ryou piped up.
Kat went positively green. 'Oh, please don't tell me that!' she moaned.
'Yeah, Ryou, it's not helping!' Bakura hissed.
'Sorry.'
There was silence for a minute, broken by a loud slurp from Kurry. She jumped. 'Whoops. Sorry. ^^;' The others chuckled and that broke the tension.
Bakura motioned at Kurry. 'So what do you do besides dance?' he asked.
Before Kurry could answer, Malik piped up without thinking. 'She plays violin and writes stuff.'
Everybody's eyebrows went up, including Kurry's. Bakura and Ryou looked like a million dollars had just been dumped in their laps. 'Oh reeeally?' Bakura smirked, nudging Malik. Realising that his so-called "friends" were now going to tease the heck out of him, Malik put his head down and let out an exasperated sigh. A look of recognition dawned on Kurry's face and she tried to explain. 'We just talked, okay? To tell the truth I got lost last night and ended up back in the music room and then Malik came by and...' he voice trailed off helplessly.
'It's not getting any better, hun,' Kitty teased, grinning.
Kurry gasped. 'Aw, you're as bad as he is and you know it, Kitty Tashimono!' she reprimanded, pointing at Bakura.
'Oh yeah!' Kitty reached across the table and high-fived a smug Bakura. Malik felt like hiding under the table. +Some friends+ he thought, but it was all in good fun.
Ryou suddenly turned to Kitty. 'Tashimono, is that your last name? It's quite elegant.'
Kitty almost spit out her coffee. Swallowing, she managed to choke out, 'Wha? You've gotta be kidding me,' while turning bright red. Ryou just smiled.
Bakura leaned forward a bit. 'Oh by the way, we've been meaning to ask...are you two sisters?'
Kat nodded. 'Yeah.'
Kurry giggled. 'Uh huh, and they're both crazy.'
'^___^ That's us!' the sisters chorused, giving twin grins.
The banter continued through the rest of the meal. The girls suddenly felt a lot more comfortable with the singers but were still a bit uncertain about the dance.
When they arrived back at school the group had to go directly to the practise room. (Time flies when you're having fun. =D) However, when they got there the only occupant was Mrs. Calaban.
'Where's everyone else?' Kurry asked in confusion.
Mrs. Calaban stood up and faced the group. She handed out six key rings, each with a single key on it. 'This is your practise room for the next two weeks. As of that time you will practise your part alone, then you will merge with the rest. The technicians are working in the lab. We trust you with the keys so you can practise whenever. Have fun.' And with that she exited the room.
She left a group of very self-conscious teens staring after her in shock. They were supposed to practise? In here? Alone? Malik and Kitty looked absolutely incredulous, Kat had gone quite pink in the face, Ryou let out a slow breath and Bakura whistled lightly. Only Kurry seemed unfazed. She was in fact glad; she hadn't wanted to practise in front of the ENTIRE bunch. Taking a deep breath, she said, 'Well, let's get started. May I have the disk?'
Still dazed, Malik pulled the case out of his pocket and handed it to Kurry. She went over to the stereo and popped it in. 'Shall we have a warm- up song?
'Sure,' answered Bakura in a business-like tone. 'Number 2.'
'Gotcha.'
They shook themselves out of their reveries. The dancers stretched for a short minute before going to formation. The singers found working mikes and connected them to speakers via sensor.
'Wow, their equipment is so modern,' Kitty whispered to Kurry. 'They have sensor sound systems and did you see the stereo?'
Kurry nodded. 'We'll have them too if we win this competition.'
Ryou came up to the girls. 'Our warm-ups are a little slower. If you want we can run through the quick songs once for you to warm up.' They shook their heads.
'Nah, we'll be alright. Go ahead.'
The room was quite large, with a teacher's desk in one corner, risers on one wall and the sound system on the opposite wall. The rest of the floor was empty; a perfect dancing place. Kurry surveyed the space they had and chose a spot to start from. Kitty and Kat flanked her, leaving plenty of space between them.
'Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, the best,' Malik joked.
'Let's dance,' Bakura smirked and hit play.
All: "It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you,
But when we are apart, I feel it too,
And no matter what I do I feel the pain,
With or without you."
The dancers paused, getting a feel for the rhythm, then Kurry held up three fingers for the routine and on a downbeat they began to move.
Malik: "Baby I don't understand,
Just why we can't be lovers,
Things are getting out of hand,
Try too much but baby we can win."
"Let it go,
If you want me girl, let me know,
I am down, on my knees,
I can't take it anymore."
All: "It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you,
But when we are apart I feel it too,
And no matter what I do I feel the pain,
With or without you."
The boys wove into the triangle, not interfering with the dance but circling slowly around each girl in a pattern, the lead singer for each verse coming forward on their cue.
Bakura: "Baby don't misunderstand"
(Background: "Don't misunderstand...")
Bakura: "What I'm trying to tell ya,
In the corner of my mind,
Baby it feels like we're running out of time."
"Let it go,
If you want me girl, let me know,
I am down, on my knees,
I can't take it anymore."
All: "It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you,
And when we are apart I feel it too,
And no matter what I do I feel the pain,
With or without you."
The girls' movements became slow and precise as the bridge came.
All: "Tearin' up my heart and soul,
We're apart, I feel it too,
And no matter what I do I feel the pain,
With or without you..."
Tearin' up my heart and soul,
We're apart, I feel it too,
And no matter what I do I feel the pain,
With or without you."
All: "It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you, BG: Tearin' up my heart and soul, All: And when we are apart I feel it too, BG: We're apart, I feel it too, All: And no matter what I do I feel the pain,
With or without you."
All: "And no matter what I do I feel the pain,
With or without you."
The whole group ended in freeze frame, facing the risers. Malik grinned kinda crazily. 'That wasn't so bad.'
Bakura suddenly looked a lot more confident. 'Of course it wasn't bad. Y'all are really great dancers, you know?'
'Thank you!' the girls answered in unison. 'You're not so bad yourself,' Kat added shyly. Bakura almost blushed, but not quite. He chuckled to hide it and went to change the song.
'Nine!'
'Okay.'
The teens got into formation. They were to start in a dual triangle shape and then they would merge to form one triangle with two people at each point, spread wide enough that the whole group was visible by the audience. The boys were in the front and the girls in the back; Malik was to shift to one side just after the opener to effectively "present" the girls to the audience. They ran through it a couple of times before breaking and then they worked on the ending song. (The girls desperately tried to focus on the dance but it didn't quite work; Kat busted up giggling insanely and had to have a drink of water before she could continue.) All in all it was a good workout and they were becoming more familiar with the sequence - and each other.
Somewhere in the mess of banter and practise Kat mentioned that they'd never been to a dance club before. Ryou and Bakura looked mockingly shocked and Malik beamed.
'Well, we're just gonna have to visit one before the end of this,' he said matter-of-factly, but he caught Kurry's eye as he said it and she glanced away, suddenly nervous. Hurriedly returning to her place on the dance floor, Kurry didn't notice the pair of violet eyes studying her intently as she danced.
When Kurry arrived back at her dorm after practise, Andraaia was already there, quietly meditating on her bed. Kurry joined her a moment later, both calming their minds and tuning out the world. When they were both in a trance, Kurry broke the silence with an almost inaudible voice.
'So where did you disappear to this morning?'
A giddy grin spread slowly over Andraaia's face. 'I went exploring.'
'And?'
'And I found Duke.'
'Uh huh. And?'
'We just went to a little café and he showed me around.'
'That's nice.'
'Mmm hmm. What about you?'
'We practised the routines.'
'Uh huh. How'd that go?'
'Well enough.'
'Good.'
'Are we calm yet?'
'I think so.'
'Okay.'
Both girls opened their eyes. Inhaling deeply, Andraaia stretched. 'Hmmm, that was a nice mediterm.'
Kurry yawned. 'Mmm hmm. Say, is Duke a nice guy?'
'Yeah. Where did that come from?'
'You always did better with guys than I did.'
Andraaia smiled sympathetically. 'You'll get there eventually mate.'
'I suppose.'
Andraaia headed for the attached bathroom to shower while Kurry paused to think. Why when she said that, did she suddenly think of violet eyes?
##########################################################################
*GRIN* I loved that chapter. But the next one, I'm afraid, is gonna be awhile because I'm only halfway through it. BUT I'm all caught up on typing so it shouldn't take too long. No promises though. *winces*
Hope you enjoyed that and please review. Thanks! ^___^
P.S: Thanks to all those who reviewed and a special shout-out to Kaligirl. *winks*
##########################################################################
By the end of the first week, they had the show laid out. Andraaia and Duke were placed in charge of schematics and background. (As a blushing Andraaia told Kurry later, Duke was very good at sound stage, managing to startle her 6 times in 5 minutes with a speaker and cracking himself up in the process.) The singer/dancer team figured out their opening, closing and middle songs, matched them to routines and set a practise schedule. Then Kurry spoke with Andraaia and they worked out a rough outline of when and where the technics would be in the show. All in all they were off to a pretty good start, although Kurry was still acting a little cold towards Malik. Other than that, all was well.
Thursday evening found Kurry, Kitty and Kat in Kitty's dorm discussing the show and doing other work. Actually, Kurry was curled in a chair half-listening and Kitty and Kat were chatting excitedly.
'So, talked to any of the guys at all?' Kitty asked, grinning.
Kat blushed. 'Er, well...I kinda told Bakura I do martial arts and he offered to help me practise while I'm here,' she murmured, beet red.
Kitty gasped. 'So he does martial arts too!?! Oh you lucky girl!'
'KKKKKIIIIITTTTTYYYYY!!!!' Kat shrieked and whomped Kitty with a pillow. She just giggled.
'Yeah, well, what about Ryou?' Kat shot back. 'I saw how your knees almost went when he was singing.'
Kitty giggled again and unabashedly swooned onto the bed. 'Oh, he's got the hottest voice of any of them. Real smooth. Whoo.'
Kat nodded absently. 'Bakura's not bad either...' she muttered.
Kitty suddenly sat up and glanced at Kurry. Poking Kat to get her attention, the two sisters stared at their friend until they psyched her out and she jumped. 'Gods, I hate it when you guys do that.'
Kitty and Kat grinned identical grins. Kurry sighed. 'What do you want?'
'We wanna know what you think of the guys,' Kat stated simply.
Kurry shrugged. 'Bakura's cool and Ryou's got a nice voice. You two just established that, I really don't think my opinion's necessary.'
Kitty and Kat exchanged significant glances before Kat said, 'And?'
'And what?'
'What about Malik?'
Kurry kept her eyes on her binder. 'I don't really have an opinion on him.'
Kitty rolled her eyes. 'Oh c'mon Kurry, just for fun. What do you think of him?'
Kurry shut her binder with a snap. 'I don't think anything of him and that's the end of it!' she said shortly. Rising, she stalked towards the door. 'I'm going to find a quiet place to write. I'll see you two later.'
The door shut. The sisters looked at each other again.
'Denial!'
The hallway rang with laughter.
************************************************
Kurry tried to calm herself down as she walked.
+I seriously don't think anything of Malik. In my opinion he's an insensitive clod. But I suppose most guys are like that. Oh well. He could have a little more faith in our abilities.+ Suddenly realising she had no idea where she was, Kurry turned in a circle. +Oh great. Now which way?+ She wandered for a few minutes before catching sight of a familiar door. +Oh, the music room. I suppose I could stay in here.+ Testing the door, she found it unlocked and slipped inside.
+Ahhh, the sound of silence. Perfect.+
************************************************
Malik was just coming back from the cafeteria when he caught sight of a light filtering through the door to the music room. Knowing no-one was supposed to be in there at this time of night, he crept up to the door and eased it open. His expression went from wary to curious at what he beheld.
Kurry was sitting on the far side of the room, furiously scribbling in her binder. The young dancer muttered to herself every few seconds, pausing now and again and frowning. Malik moved silently into the glow of the single lamp, unnoticed by the writer on the floor. Leaning casually against a pillar, the violet-eyed boy just observed, listening to the mutterings with a grin.
'...Hmm, "the power of many"...no, I don't like that..."strength" is a better word...(scribble scribble)..."The strength of all will prevail"...naw, can't put that, it's too...communed...(Pause to think) I want something that shows individuality AND community...Aha! (more scribbling) "The strength of many is the strength of one!" Got it!'
She promptly jumped almost out of her skin when Malik spoke. 'That was cool.'
'GAH! How long were you there?!' Kurry nearly shrieked in fright.
Malik held up both hands in a peaceful gesture. 'Not long. Be easy, alright?'
Kurry took a deep breath, trying to calm the adrenaline of fright. Malik came a little closer and perched on a large crate. There was silence for a moment, then Malik cleared his throat and murmured, 'I uh...I'm sorry.'
Kurry glanced up. 'What for?'
'For being an insensitive clod.'
Kurry giggled, quickly muffling it. 'Hee...ahem. Well, yes, you were, but apology accepted. And I'm sorry I was so...'
'Distant?'
'If you will.'
'Okay.'
Malik perked up visibly, relieved to have broken the ice. Kurry's head bent back to her work. Malik craned his neck, curious. 'Whatcha working on?'
Kurry glanced up. 'Hmm? Oh this? It's a composition for writing class. It's supposed to be about the ways we can merge individuality and community so that everyone's personal preferences are met.'
Malik's eyebrows went up. 'Whoa. Deep.'
Kurry chuckled. 'Not really. Since I'm a natural writer I tend to make things fancier than they need to be.'
Malik cocked his head to one side. 'What else d'you take in your school?'
'Just violin, writing and dance. I love music and I found out long ago that I could write okay, so I followed those lines. But my real passion has always been dance.' Kurry's eyes were glazed over, remembering, until she blinked and added, 'Sorry, I'm rambling. What do you do?'
Malik shrugged. 'Eh, I haven't really found anything to be really into; I'm an all-around type of guy, that's all. I can play a little bit of guitar and drums...' he paused to think, then his eyes lit up. 'And I do like mechanics. I have my own bike. And I sing. That's about it.'
Kurry nodded. 'Well that's alright.'
Malik blinked suddenly. 'You wear glasses?'
Kurry nodded again. Malik stood and came over. 'Can I see?' Kurry obligingly removed the blue frames and handed them over. Malik held them up, examining them in the light. He peered through them and swiftly pulled back. 'Whoa.' Kurry took them back.
'Yeah, I'm a little nearsighted. I'll show you. Back up a bit.' Malik complied.
'Little more. Okay, stop.'
Kurry squinted at him. 'There. Now you're fuzzy.'
Malik coughed suddenly. Realising what she said, Kurry turned pink. 'Oh no, I meant, uh, blurry. Yeah, that's what I meant.' She quickly looked back down at her binder to hide the flush that spread over her face. Malik just half-smiled.
Kurry's eyelids suddenly felt quite heavy. She stifled a yawn, but Malik caught it.
'C'mon,' he said kindly. 'You're tired. I'll walk you back to your dorm.' And he offered his hand to her.
Kurry glanced at it, then at the violet eyes beyond. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her to her feet. Shutting off the lamp, Malik led Kurry out of the music room, both a lot more comfortable than they had been before.
The next morning dawned a lot brighter, or so it appeared to Kurry. She stretched and sighed leisurely, relishing the feeling of a new day and a new friendship with Malik. Smiling, she rose from bed and began to prepare.
Kurry had just finished getting dressed when there came a knock at the door. 'Coming!' she called, still brushing her long hair. When she opened the door Kurry was surprised to see Malik himself standing there looking rather nervous and trying to hide it.
'Good morning,' Kurry said politely.
'Hi. Er, I...that is, we...were wondering if you three dancers wanted to come with us for breakfast. Our treat.'
Kurry flushed a little. 'Oh, uh, okay, just lemme finish getting ready. C'mon in if you want.' She left the door open and took up her brush again.
Malik hesitantly stood in the doorway. 'Um...are you comfortable in here?' he asked, casually trying to make conversation.
'Oh yeah, it's quite nice in here. I like the view. That tree is immense.'
'It's been here since the school was built.'
'Cool.'
Ready at last, Kurry grabbed her purse and locked the dorm behind her.
Meanwhile next door, Ryou and Bakura had been asking Kitty and Kat, although they had to haul Kitty out of bed again. Finally they were on their way.
It was a brisk morning, the sun bright and the air crisp and clear. Kurry inhaled deeply. 'Ahhh, fresh air.'
Malik chuckled. 'Yeah, you gotta love it.' When Kurry just smiled instead of replying at his smart remark the others noticed the sudden lack of animosity between the two and grinned.
They arrived at a small coffee shop a few blocks away. Since they had quite a bit of time before they were due back each ordered a nice breakfast and chose one of those big round booths to sit in. "Somehow" managing to sit boy-girl, a light chatter started up as they ate.
'So we're starting the practise schedule today, right?' Bakura asked.
The rest nodded. 'Yep, and it's gonna be really fun!' Kitty said excitedly.
Bakura cocked an eyebrow. 'You sound happy,' he grinned.
'Oh I am. I've gotta be or else I'll get all nervous,' Kitty confessed.
'Heh, join the crowd,' Malik admitted. Everyone nodded.
'You know, they say there's going to be at least 600 people there. Tickets have been selling for the past month,' Ryou piped up.
Kat went positively green. 'Oh, please don't tell me that!' she moaned.
'Yeah, Ryou, it's not helping!' Bakura hissed.
'Sorry.'
There was silence for a minute, broken by a loud slurp from Kurry. She jumped. 'Whoops. Sorry. ^^;' The others chuckled and that broke the tension.
Bakura motioned at Kurry. 'So what do you do besides dance?' he asked.
Before Kurry could answer, Malik piped up without thinking. 'She plays violin and writes stuff.'
Everybody's eyebrows went up, including Kurry's. Bakura and Ryou looked like a million dollars had just been dumped in their laps. 'Oh reeeally?' Bakura smirked, nudging Malik. Realising that his so-called "friends" were now going to tease the heck out of him, Malik put his head down and let out an exasperated sigh. A look of recognition dawned on Kurry's face and she tried to explain. 'We just talked, okay? To tell the truth I got lost last night and ended up back in the music room and then Malik came by and...' he voice trailed off helplessly.
'It's not getting any better, hun,' Kitty teased, grinning.
Kurry gasped. 'Aw, you're as bad as he is and you know it, Kitty Tashimono!' she reprimanded, pointing at Bakura.
'Oh yeah!' Kitty reached across the table and high-fived a smug Bakura. Malik felt like hiding under the table. +Some friends+ he thought, but it was all in good fun.
Ryou suddenly turned to Kitty. 'Tashimono, is that your last name? It's quite elegant.'
Kitty almost spit out her coffee. Swallowing, she managed to choke out, 'Wha? You've gotta be kidding me,' while turning bright red. Ryou just smiled.
Bakura leaned forward a bit. 'Oh by the way, we've been meaning to ask...are you two sisters?'
Kat nodded. 'Yeah.'
Kurry giggled. 'Uh huh, and they're both crazy.'
'^___^ That's us!' the sisters chorused, giving twin grins.
The banter continued through the rest of the meal. The girls suddenly felt a lot more comfortable with the singers but were still a bit uncertain about the dance.
When they arrived back at school the group had to go directly to the practise room. (Time flies when you're having fun. =D) However, when they got there the only occupant was Mrs. Calaban.
'Where's everyone else?' Kurry asked in confusion.
Mrs. Calaban stood up and faced the group. She handed out six key rings, each with a single key on it. 'This is your practise room for the next two weeks. As of that time you will practise your part alone, then you will merge with the rest. The technicians are working in the lab. We trust you with the keys so you can practise whenever. Have fun.' And with that she exited the room.
She left a group of very self-conscious teens staring after her in shock. They were supposed to practise? In here? Alone? Malik and Kitty looked absolutely incredulous, Kat had gone quite pink in the face, Ryou let out a slow breath and Bakura whistled lightly. Only Kurry seemed unfazed. She was in fact glad; she hadn't wanted to practise in front of the ENTIRE bunch. Taking a deep breath, she said, 'Well, let's get started. May I have the disk?'
Still dazed, Malik pulled the case out of his pocket and handed it to Kurry. She went over to the stereo and popped it in. 'Shall we have a warm- up song?
'Sure,' answered Bakura in a business-like tone. 'Number 2.'
'Gotcha.'
They shook themselves out of their reveries. The dancers stretched for a short minute before going to formation. The singers found working mikes and connected them to speakers via sensor.
'Wow, their equipment is so modern,' Kitty whispered to Kurry. 'They have sensor sound systems and did you see the stereo?'
Kurry nodded. 'We'll have them too if we win this competition.'
Ryou came up to the girls. 'Our warm-ups are a little slower. If you want we can run through the quick songs once for you to warm up.' They shook their heads.
'Nah, we'll be alright. Go ahead.'
The room was quite large, with a teacher's desk in one corner, risers on one wall and the sound system on the opposite wall. The rest of the floor was empty; a perfect dancing place. Kurry surveyed the space they had and chose a spot to start from. Kitty and Kat flanked her, leaving plenty of space between them.
'Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, the best,' Malik joked.
'Let's dance,' Bakura smirked and hit play.
All: "It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you,
But when we are apart, I feel it too,
And no matter what I do I feel the pain,
With or without you."
The dancers paused, getting a feel for the rhythm, then Kurry held up three fingers for the routine and on a downbeat they began to move.
Malik: "Baby I don't understand,
Just why we can't be lovers,
Things are getting out of hand,
Try too much but baby we can win."
"Let it go,
If you want me girl, let me know,
I am down, on my knees,
I can't take it anymore."
All: "It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you,
But when we are apart I feel it too,
And no matter what I do I feel the pain,
With or without you."
The boys wove into the triangle, not interfering with the dance but circling slowly around each girl in a pattern, the lead singer for each verse coming forward on their cue.
Bakura: "Baby don't misunderstand"
(Background: "Don't misunderstand...")
Bakura: "What I'm trying to tell ya,
In the corner of my mind,
Baby it feels like we're running out of time."
"Let it go,
If you want me girl, let me know,
I am down, on my knees,
I can't take it anymore."
All: "It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you,
And when we are apart I feel it too,
And no matter what I do I feel the pain,
With or without you."
The girls' movements became slow and precise as the bridge came.
All: "Tearin' up my heart and soul,
We're apart, I feel it too,
And no matter what I do I feel the pain,
With or without you..."
Tearin' up my heart and soul,
We're apart, I feel it too,
And no matter what I do I feel the pain,
With or without you."
All: "It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you, BG: Tearin' up my heart and soul, All: And when we are apart I feel it too, BG: We're apart, I feel it too, All: And no matter what I do I feel the pain,
With or without you."
All: "And no matter what I do I feel the pain,
With or without you."
The whole group ended in freeze frame, facing the risers. Malik grinned kinda crazily. 'That wasn't so bad.'
Bakura suddenly looked a lot more confident. 'Of course it wasn't bad. Y'all are really great dancers, you know?'
'Thank you!' the girls answered in unison. 'You're not so bad yourself,' Kat added shyly. Bakura almost blushed, but not quite. He chuckled to hide it and went to change the song.
'Nine!'
'Okay.'
The teens got into formation. They were to start in a dual triangle shape and then they would merge to form one triangle with two people at each point, spread wide enough that the whole group was visible by the audience. The boys were in the front and the girls in the back; Malik was to shift to one side just after the opener to effectively "present" the girls to the audience. They ran through it a couple of times before breaking and then they worked on the ending song. (The girls desperately tried to focus on the dance but it didn't quite work; Kat busted up giggling insanely and had to have a drink of water before she could continue.) All in all it was a good workout and they were becoming more familiar with the sequence - and each other.
Somewhere in the mess of banter and practise Kat mentioned that they'd never been to a dance club before. Ryou and Bakura looked mockingly shocked and Malik beamed.
'Well, we're just gonna have to visit one before the end of this,' he said matter-of-factly, but he caught Kurry's eye as he said it and she glanced away, suddenly nervous. Hurriedly returning to her place on the dance floor, Kurry didn't notice the pair of violet eyes studying her intently as she danced.
When Kurry arrived back at her dorm after practise, Andraaia was already there, quietly meditating on her bed. Kurry joined her a moment later, both calming their minds and tuning out the world. When they were both in a trance, Kurry broke the silence with an almost inaudible voice.
'So where did you disappear to this morning?'
A giddy grin spread slowly over Andraaia's face. 'I went exploring.'
'And?'
'And I found Duke.'
'Uh huh. And?'
'We just went to a little café and he showed me around.'
'That's nice.'
'Mmm hmm. What about you?'
'We practised the routines.'
'Uh huh. How'd that go?'
'Well enough.'
'Good.'
'Are we calm yet?'
'I think so.'
'Okay.'
Both girls opened their eyes. Inhaling deeply, Andraaia stretched. 'Hmmm, that was a nice mediterm.'
Kurry yawned. 'Mmm hmm. Say, is Duke a nice guy?'
'Yeah. Where did that come from?'
'You always did better with guys than I did.'
Andraaia smiled sympathetically. 'You'll get there eventually mate.'
'I suppose.'
Andraaia headed for the attached bathroom to shower while Kurry paused to think. Why when she said that, did she suddenly think of violet eyes?
##########################################################################
*GRIN* I loved that chapter. But the next one, I'm afraid, is gonna be awhile because I'm only halfway through it. BUT I'm all caught up on typing so it shouldn't take too long. No promises though. *winces*
Hope you enjoyed that and please review. Thanks! ^___^
P.S: Thanks to all those who reviewed and a special shout-out to Kaligirl. *winks*