WHAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I'm BAAAAAACCCCCCKKKKK! And I know it took all freakin' summer to get an update, but here it FINALLY is. And I am wired because I've had sugar and been typing like a maniac. =D
I still don't own anybody or anything that I didn't own before. XD Trust me, I would notify everyone if I did. XD So please read, review and ENJOY! =D
(You can tell I'm excited about this, ne? =D)
When the boys arrived at the music room they were surprised to find it already open. Malik, entering first, waved to Kurry who began walking over to him, but all of a sudden...
'OHAYO! =D'
Malik almost fell backwards as a dark, smiling face popped into his line of vision. 'GAH!' he shouted, startled. The black mass, which appeared to be a giggling teenage girl, bounced off to leap in front of Ryou, who was so surprised he fell back over the riser and ended up sitting down.
'What WAS that?!' Malik asked, heart rate beginning to return to normal. Kurry was laughing. 'That was Xantcha. Sorry, she's had sugar. She and Andy had their meeting cancelled, so they came here.'
'Andy?'
Malik looked past Kurry to where Duke and a girl he didn't know were hooked up to electric guitars and were strumming.
O.o? must have been Malik's expression because Kurry laughed lightly and said, 'They're part of the stage crew and also my friends. Come meet them.' She took him by the arm and led him over to the group.
'Andy, this is Malik Ishtar. Malik, Andraaia Taka-Ichi,' Kurry introduced him. The dark-eyed girl nodded sagely at him before turning back to Duke.
'And that bouncing fuzzball is Xantcha Mirri Ojanen. She's completely insane, just so you know, and also totally cool. Her specialty is lighting, while Andy's is pyrotechnics,' grinned Kurry, motioning at the other girl, who was now hovering around Bakura. (Much to Kat's displeasure. XD)
Duke hit a particularly loud note on his electric guitar, startling all the teens into laughter. They gathered around the two guitarists, interested.
'How long have you been playing, Duke?' Kitty asked.
Duke shrugged. 'Couple years. I got interested from all the rock bands I listened to with my dad.' He grinned and turned to Andraaia. 'Hey Andy, can you sing?'
Andraaia blushed. 'Uh, um, kinda...'
Xantcha popped up suddenly next to Duke. 'She learned to sing when she was six!' she said helpfully. Then in a flash she was beside a startled and embarrassed Andraaia. 'And she's been practising ever since! =D It's her hobby!' Xantcha grinned and took off again as Andy made a grab for her. 'Xantcha!!'
Duke chuckled. 'Hey, sing something for us!' he prompted, turning Andy scarlet.
'Oh no, please, I...I don't want to sing in front of all of ya!' Andy pleaded.
Kurry glanced at Malik, eyebrows raised, then poked Andy. 'Hey, if we have to dance in front of 600 people you have to sing in front of us!'
'No, I....'
Immediately everyone surrounded her, clamouring to hear her voice. Finally Andy relented and everyone settled down to listen.
Poor Andy looked really nervous. Duke strummed an encouraging note on his guitar and nodded. Andy took a deep breath and began to sing.
"Look into my eyes - you will see
What you mean to me
Search your heart - search your soul
And when you find me there you'll search no more
Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for
You know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you
Look into my heart - you will find
There's nothin' there to hide
Take me as I am - take my life
I would give it all, I would sacrifice
Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for
I can't help it there's nothin' I want more
Ya know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you
There's no love - like your love
And no other - could give more love
There's nowhere - unless you're there
All the time - all the way
Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
I can't help it there's nothin' I want more
I would fight for you - I'd lie for you
Walk the wire for you - Ya I'd die for you
Ya know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you"
As the song came to an end everyone burst into applause. Duke let out a sharp wolf whistle, making Andy blush beet red. 'Oh stoppit, it wasn't THAT good!' she cried out, smiling.
'Yes it was!' Kurry gasped. 'How can you say that? You have a beautiful voice! If this were a singing contest I swear you'd win.'
Desperate to turn attention from herself Andy pointed at Kurry and said, 'Well, if I sang then you have to dance.'
Kurry took a step back and raised her hands. 'Oh no you don't. Nobody sees the routines until it's time!'
'Aw c'mon mate, one little preview? Please?' Andy and Duke coaxed, with Xantcha nodding excitedly behind them.
Kurry glanced at her friends for help, but they just looked at her expectantly.
'Well?' Malik asked, waiting.
Kurry paused, then threw up her hands and said, 'Okay, okay!' and everybody jumped up. 'YEAH!'
Andy and Duke ran to set up the speakers. Xantcha found a bin full of microphones and grabbed three. Ryou popped the disk into the stereo and set the volume. The dancers stretched a little and then gathered with the singers.
'We haven't been practicing our opening a whole lot, why don't we do that one?' Kurry suggested.
'Okay, but we might mess it up,' Kitty said worriedly.
Kurry shook her head. 'Naw, with them here, we can't mess it up,' she reassured her, motioning at the stage crew. 'Okay?'
Kitty still looked unsure. Kurry took her gently by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. 'Kitty, you're not alone in this. We'll all have to be up there, on stage, dancing in front of at least 600 people. If we can't dance in front of our friends, we'll never make it to the competition. Why not give 'em our best, eh?' There was a determined look behind Kurry's eyes.
Kitty smiled and nodded. 'Yeah!'
'Let's go.'
Moving to formation, Kurry nodded at Duke, who hit play.
All: 'Everybody groove to the music,
Everybody jam,
Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh.........'
Malik: 'We've been waiting so long,
Just can't hold it back no more,
Creeping up and down now,
It's time for me to let it go.
Bakura: 'If you really wanna see,
What we can do for you,
Send me crazy, want no static
Sing yeah!
All: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.........
Jam on 'cause we've all got it,
Come on now everybody,
We've got it going on for years.
Jam on 'cause we've all got it,
Come on now everybody,
We've got it going on for years.
Kurry and her friends gave their all and the routine came out to perfection. They started in the triangle formation, running the routine as smooth as silk. Andy's eyebrows rose almost to her hairline, Duke let out a low whistle and Xantcha was clapping along to the beat, all three impressed by the efforts their friends were putting out.
Bakura: If you really wanna see,
What we can do for you,
Send me crazy, want no static
Sing yeah!
All: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.........
Jam on 'cause we've all got it,
Come on now everybody,
We've got it going on for years.
Jam on 'cause we've all got it,
Come on now everybody,
We've got it going on for years.
We've got it going on!
We've got it going on for years.
Malik: 'We've been waiting so long,
Just can't hold it back no more,
Creeping up and down now,
It's time for me to let it go.........
Time for me to let it go!
Bakura: Sing out, sing yeah!
Malik: Everybody groove to the music,
Everybody jam,
Everybody groove to the music,
Everybody jam
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.........
All: Jam on 'cause we've all got it,
Everybody groove to the music,
Come on now everybody,
Everybody jam,
We've got it going on for years.
Everybody groove to the music,
Jam on 'cause we've all got it,
Everybody jam,
Come on now everybody,
Everybody groove to the music,
We've got it going on for years.
We've got it goin' on! =D'
When the song came to a close, the room erupted in applause again. 'Man, that was good!' Duke called out.
'With a dance like that, how can we lose!?' Andy added, clapping wildly.
'Oooh, I can't wait to see that on the real stage!' Xantcha gasped, eyes shining with excitement.
'Me neither!' everyone chorused, and burst out laughing.
Sometime in the banter that followed, Malik noticed Bakura and Ryou talking to Kat and Kitty and pulled Kurry aside to ask her.
'Er, Kurry?'
'Yeah?'
Malik took a deep breath and said, 'I was, uh, wondering if you'd like to go to a dance club with me, erm, us, on Saturday night.' When Kurry looked skeptical he added quickly, 'Don't worry, it's clean. Just good 'ole dancing, that's all.' Kurry looked undecided for a moment, then answered, 'Yeah alright, sounds like fun.'
'Yeah?' said Malik, looking relieved.
'Yeah.'
'Okay, um, cool. We'll come get you around 7:00. It'll be like a triple date.'
'7:00. Gotcha. Thanks.'
He grinned lopsidedly at her.
'No problem.'
As Kurry moved back into the circle of friends, Malik caught Bakura's eye and gave him a thumbs up. Bakura nodded and returned the gesture, along with Ryou a second later. Malik sighed inwardly with relief. Phase 1 was complete. Now they just had to wait until Saturday.
There was a hubbub of excited chatter among the three dancers when they got back to their dorms. Upon entering Kitty and Kat's dorm, the sisters settled themselves on the beds to chat while their friend curled up in the huge armchair.
'Yay! I can't believe they asked us out! =D' Kitty squealed.
Kat was beaming. 'I know, it's gonna be great!'
Kurry smiled. 'They're being such nice friends,' she sighed.
Kitty giggled slyly. 'A little more than friends soon, I hope.'
Kat nodded appreciatively, but Kurry raised her head with an odd look on her face. 'What?'
The sisters looked guiltily pleased. Kurry groaned. 'Oh no you two, DON'T tell me you're falling for them!'
'Okay, we won't then,' Kitty joked.
Kurry got up to sit on the edge of the bed. 'Guys, you can't let it go farther than it already is. Just stay friends and let it go at that.'
'Why?' Kat asked, looking a little pained.
'Because you'll only end up being hurt! I mean, we're leaving as soon as the competition's over. What are the chances that you'll ever see Bakura and Ryou again?'
The sisters had to admit that it was slim to none. Kurry sighed and gently took her friends' hands. 'I don't want to see my two best friends be miserable for the rest of their lives,' she said, 'so please, just be careful.'
'Okay,' Kat said dejectedly. Kitty nodded as well.
'Good. And I want you to know, I'll be sad to leave too. But it'll be better this way.'
'Yeah.'
'Can you believe it's been two weeks already?' Ryou gasped, exhaling as he lifted 120 kilos.
'I know. On Sunday we put the routines together with the rest of the show,' Malik reminded them, spotting for Ryou.
Bakura was practicing the kendo stick, whirling and twisting with powerful strokes. He paused long enough to add, 'Yeah, and if we don't make a good impression on Saturday we'll never get another chance, 'cause we'll never get them alone again.'
'Oh c'mon, it shouldn't be that hard,' Malik scoffed.
'Hn. You just watch,' Bakura told him, resuming practice.
Malik helped Ryou lift the weights back into the rut, then both of them went to watch Bakura. The mats were empty; everyone always cleared out when Bakura was on the floor. He kept practicing while conversing with Ryou and Malik.
All of a sudden Ryou smirked and nudged Malik. 'Hey, take a quick glance over by the window and tell me what you see.'
Malik's eyes darted towards the window, then widened and he looked away. 'Gee, I wonder how long she's been there.'
Ryou chuckled. 'Hey Bakura,' he called, 'look over by the window.'
Bakura whirled, bringing his kendo to a halt in the same move. Then he balked, eyes wide. Kat was outside, watching him with growing admiration in her eyes. Bakura looked completely flabbergasted for an instant, then brought the kendo stick up into a smart salute and bowed. Kat suddenly seemed to realize what she was doing, went a brilliant shade of scarlet and disappeared.
Bakura rounded on his friends. 'How long was she there?' he growled, feeling self-conscious, a rare thing for him.
'I honestly don't know,' Malik said, grinning. 'Ryou noticed her.'
'Yeah, and she noticed Bakura,' Ryou chortled. 'Maybe she doesn't hate you as much as you thought.'
All of a sudden Bakura couldn't stop grinning. 'Ya think?'
'Gee, just maybe!' Malik chuckled.
'Har de har har.'
Ryou suddenly elbowed Malik. 'Hey! What about Kurry?'
'What about Kurry?'
'Well, Bakura and I have gone absolutely nuts over the other two, don't tell me you don't feel anything for Kurry.'
Malik shrugged, but a faint blush spread over his face. 'Uh, we...kinda got off to a bad start. We're barely friends,' he tried to explain, not very convincingly.
Ryou looked like he didn't believe Malik. 'Uh huh. That didn't answer my question.'
Malik sweatdropped and knew he was caught. He couldn't keep anything from his white-haired friend. 'Um, well...aw, alright. So maybe I do. Just a little.' And he hopped off the bench and walked over to talk to the rental guy, whistling innocently.
The two albinos sent significant glances at each other.
'Denial!'
On the way back from the gym, Malik wandered into the dorms, having escaped the teasing of his friends. He was rounding a corner when he nearly collided with someone.
'Ah!...oh, wha?...Malik! Hi.'
Malik blinked. 'Oh, hey Kurry,' he said, suddenly remembering the conversation in the gym.
'Listen, about tomorrow night...I accidentally let it slip to Andy that we were going and now she wants to come too. Duke said we could all go in his Jeep. Is...is that okay?' Kurry said in a rush.
'Huh? Oh, yeah sure, no problem,' Malik answered, grinning.
'Oh, good.' Kurry looked relieved. 'I was...kindaworried BUT anyways, I'll go tell them.' She turned to go.
'Kurry!' he called suddenly.
'Hm?' She faced him, golden hair swirling about her shoulders.
He hesitated. Should he tell her? 'Ah, I...hope you like it there. It's...really cool.'
She raised an eyebrow, then said, 'Okay, thanks,' and disappeared.
Malik blinked, staring after her, then rolled his eyes at himself. Well, I guess we know who wins the 'lamest sentence of the year' competition. What a goofball I am. He continued to berate himself all the way across the courtyard, not seeing the pair of sapphire eyes watching him warily from a window in the girl's dorm.
Saturday was spent in a frenzy of practice and getting ready for the evening. Despite their convictions NOT to get involved with the guys, the girls couldn't resist picking out outfits. Kurry chose light blue jeans with a flame pattern up each leg, a soft purple tank top and her denim jacket. Kitty went with her black 3¼ length sleeve shirt and flared black pants. Kat decided on an off-the-shoulder cotton tank (in green of course) and black pants as well. All three brushed their hair until it shone, then Kat pulled hers back into the usual ponytail and the other two left theirs down.
By quarter to seven the boys and Andy were gathered in the oval awaiting Duke, who had dashed off to gas up the Jeep. Ryou kept tugging nervously at his jacket, while Bakura had his fists jammed deep in his pockets and had zoned out, staring blankly at the pavement. Malik, pacing worriedly, kept glancing at his watch. 'Well, we'd better go get the girls,' he sighed.
Andy glanced behind him and smirked. 'Nevermind, dude.'
'Why?'
'They're here,' a voice answered behind him. Malik whirled, Bakura and Ryou's heads shot up and all three stared openly as the dancers walked up. Kurry sauntered sedately over to Malik, whose jaw was on the floor. 'Are we ready to go?' she asked calmly.
'Uh....' Malik fought to regain his power of speech. 'Um...Duke just went to gas up the Jeep.'
'Okay,' she said simply, and slipped past to talk to Andy.
Kitty sidled up to Ryou, smiling shyly. 'Hey Ryou.'
Ryou blinked. 'Hi. Gee Kitty, you...you look...really...wow,' he stammered, making Kitty blush. 'Thanks. You too.' They both chuckled self-consciously.
Bakura was completely stunned as Kat walked up to him. 'Hey,' was all she said. Bakura was just about to think that his melting theory was gonna come true when he was saved by the honk of the Jeep.
'Finally!' Andy called jokingly. 'I was beginning to think you'd left without us! =D'
Duke grinned nonchalantly. 'I couldn't BELIEVE the price of gas!' he answered. 'I might have to start running the darn thing on sugar!' He patted his Jeep fondly and held open the door for the girls.
'Works for us! =D'
They were about to leave when Kurry spotted a dark figure crossing the oval and stopped them. Opening the window, she yelled, 'Hey Xantcha!' The dark haired girl jogged over. 'Moo. Whassup?'
Blinking slightly at the 'Moo', Kurry asked, 'We're going clubbing. Wanna come?'
'Well, I'm not really dressed for it...' Xantcha hesitated, but the others insisted she looked fine and finally she relented. Clambering in, they finally headed out.
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the club. Following Malik inside, the newcomers took a gander around the place, getting comfortable with their surroundings.
The dance floor took up the center of the room, surrounded on two sides by a raised section of tables. The DJ was on the far wall and the soda bar was at the back. Duke and Andy made a beeline for the soda bar, while Xantcha disappeared into the crowd. Malik led their little group over to an empty booth.
Sliding deliberately in next to each other, the girls sat on one side of the table. Slightly confused, the guys had no choice but to sit beside each other. Satisfied, Kurry leaned forward and spoke in a low voice.
'Listen guys, we had an idea for outfits for the competition. We figure if you guys wear dark pants and light tops and we wear dark tops and light pants, it'll kinda contrast nicely on stage. You'd wear something kinda like what Ryou is wearing and we'd wear something like what I'm wearing.'
Ryou blinked, then blushed slightly when everyone turned to study him. He was wearing a white T-shirt and dark blue jeans, with his cough leather cough jacket overtop. =D
Bakura nodded. 'Uh huh, I can see us working that. How about Ryou and I go like that but Malik can leave out the jacket so he stands out 'cause he's the lead...'
'Oh yeah, like I wanna stand out more,' Malik muttered darkly.
'...then you two can match and Kurry can stand out as well,' Bakura finished, ignoring Malik.
They all contemplated that for a moment, then Kitty nodded. 'Sounds good to me. Let's do it that way, it'll be easier on everyone.'
The rest of them nodded before Bakura slipped off to get sodas. Kurry sighed deeply, leaning back into the plush seat. Since the other girls were engaged in conversation with Ryou, Malik leaned across the table and spoke in a low voice.
'You alright?'
Kurry glanced at him tiredly, then blinked and sat up. 'Yeah, just thinking about the competition, getting butterflies, that sort of thing.' Malik grinned, resting his chin on his hand. 'Well, don't get too nervous or you'll never make it.'
'Thanks for the vote of confidence,' Kurry chuckled, setting her elbows on the table.
There was a pause, then Kurry absently reached forward and fingered a lock of Malik's hair. He raised an eyebrow and she realized what she was doing. Her hand shot back like she'd been touching a hot iron.
'Sorry,' she said quickly, embarrassed.
'No problem. What, you like my hair or something?' Malik joked.
Kurry lowered her eyes, fighting the blush that was spreading over her face. 'Er...well, I was wondering how you got it like that. I thought it might be hair gel, but your hair's too soft...'
Malik ran a hand casually through the sandy-blond locks. 'No, actually it grows like this. It's crazy, heh, kinda like me.'
Kurry hid a smile. 'Yeah.'
Bakura came back with the sodas just then and their conversation was halted. About halfway through the sodas, Kitty's quick ear caught the opening bar of a familiar song.
'Ooo, I love this song!' she gasped.
'So go dance,' Ryou prompted.
Kitty glanced at the other two. 'Girls?'
Kurry nodded. 'Let's go do what we do best.'
The girls slid out of the booth and descended the stairs, slipping smoothly onto the dance floor. Back in the booth, Ryou fidgeted, looked undecided for a moment, then glanced at Bakura.
'Well, what are you waiting for? Get going!' Bakura smirked. Ryou beamed and practically leaped out of the booth to watch Kitty. Bakura followed a moment later, grinning apologetically at Malik. Malik waved him off, also grinning...then a peculiar look came over his face and he too slid out of his seat.
"Oooooooh
Ooooooooh
Ooooooooh
Ooooooooh"
Kurry let herself slip into a trance-like state, feeling the beat pulse through her body. Moving as one with the music, she let go of all inhibitions and began to dance.
"I could tell when I stepped in the room,
And I saw you standing there,
Identified by the way that you moved,
I couldn't help the way I stared,
There was some mysterious force,
Leading me here to you,
Lead me to you..."
Malik stole unnoticed along the railing that separated the dance floor from the seating section, keeping his eyes on Kurry. She was captivating when she danced. Watching her, he discovered that he couldn't look away.
"So I stood there watching,
And I was hypnotized,
By the rhythm of your body,
And the music in your eyes,
I was lost inside your world with you,
Ooooooooooh..."
Avidly gazing down at her, Malik found himself wishing that he was out there, dancing with her.
"Hey Mr. DJ, keep playing this song for me,
Out on the floor in my arms,
She's gotta be
Let's get it on, jam all night long,
Mr. DJ, Mr. DJ,
Play it play it for me."
Bakura was leaning against the wall, watching Kat from the corner of his eye. He found her...interesting, to say the least. And beautiful. And stunning. He'd been unwilling to admit he liked her, as he'd sworn he'd never lose his heart to someone who could break it. But now, seeing her so...alluring, he was beginning to think that loving someone couldn't be that bad.
"Now it feels like it could be romance,
As we dance across the floor,
Every move that your body makes,
Only makes me want you more,
And it feels like time's moving fast,
How can we make it last,
Make it last now..."
Ryou was fighting with himself as to whether or not to join Kitty on the dance floor. He felt the time pressure on him, like something behind him was urging him on. He really had very little time left in which to tell her his feelings. Yet he held back, unsure because of his inner shyness. Kitty was so different than any other girl he'd ever known and that only made her more intriguing. He felt drawn to her, like she'd captured some part of him. Ryou mused on that for a minute, then realized – his heart.
"As you keep on dancing,
I am hypnotized
By the rhythm of your body,
And the music in your eyes,
I was lost inside your world with you,
Oooooooooooh..."
Malik stood at the top of the stairs, frozen with indecision. Kurry was right there; hopefully she wouldn't mind him watching her. But he wanted more then that. He wanted to see what it was like in her world when she danced. Abruptly he found himself moving forward, his feet carrying him to her of their own volition.
"Hey Mr DJ, keep playing this song for me,
Out on the floor in my arms,
She's gotta be
Let's get it on, jam all night long,
Mr. DJ, Mr. DJ,
Play it play it play it for me.
Close your eyes,
And imagine this dance,
Let the music turn your rhythm on,
Turn your rhythm on, yeah.
I am lost, lost inside a groove with you,
When you do the dance you do,
C'mon and work your body, work your body."
Malik took a deep breath and slid behind Kurry. Placing his hands on her hips he felt her stiffen in surprise and then meld back with the beat. He kept pace, swaying.
"Hey, Mr. DJ,
Jam all night long,
Hey Mr. DJ,
Play that song for me,
Hey, Mr. DJ,
Jam all night long,
Hey Mr. DJ,
Play that song for me."
Kurry was almost finished her dance when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and someone press against her from behind. Twisting, she saw a flash of violet and realized it was Malik. Almost involuntarily, she leaned into him, still swaying. Both shifted so they were moving at the same pace with each other and the music.
"Hey Mr. DJ, keep playing this song for me,
Out on the floor in my arms,
She's gotta be
Let's get it on, jam all night long,
Mr. DJ, Mr. DJ,
Play it, hey, play it...
Hey Mr. DJ, keep playing this song for me,
Out on the floor in my arms,
She's gotta be
Let's get it on, jam all night long,
Mr. DJ, Mr. DJ,
Play it play it, play it for me DJ."
Kurry unconsciously interlaced her fingers with Malik's so she could keep her balance. Malik was hardly breathing; she hadn't pulled away. He lowered his head just over her shoulder and when she raised her head at the movement their lips were literally centimeters apart. Amethyst eyes met sapphire and all time stopped.
"Keep it cool Mr. DJ,
Keep it cool Mr. DJ
Keep it cool Mr. DJ
Keep it cool Mr. DJ..."
As the song faded away, Malik forgot himself, completely lost in her eyes. He leaned just a little closer, surprised when she leaned in too...
...he was so close, she could feel his breath on her face, they were less than an inch apart, so close...
Suddenly Kurry blinked as if waking out of a dream. What am I doing??!! she thought frantically.
Malik was jerked back into himself when Kurry wrenched away from him. She backed up, staring at him with uncertain eyes. 'Oh, I can't,' she whispered, and whirling, she disappeared into the crowd. Malik stared after her, so caught up in the moment that he didn't really comprehend what she was saying. Blinking, he glanced around, saw Kitty and Ryou dancing nearby, (the latter having finally gotten up the courage to dance) and Bakura and Kat beyond them, having found an avid dance partner in each other. Malik sighed, still feeling the warmth of her against him. A confused and slightly hurt look crossed his face.
What on Earth did I do wrong?
Outside, Kurry was pacing back and forth, gulping in cool air to steady her nerves.
Oh gods, no, I can't! I can't, I won't get close to him! I won't let myself get close to him! We're leaving in little more than two weeks, I can't afford to feel anything for him...I don't want to feel anything for him! He's just like all the other guys...but that dance was kinda nice... Suddenly her hand flew to her mouth and she stopped dead. Dear Ra, he...he nearly kissed me! That means he...oh no, oh no, what am I going to do??
Just then Kurry heard honking behind her. A black SUV pulled up to the sidewalk and Yami rolled down the window. 'Kurry?'
'Yami!' She dashed over to him. 'Can you give me a ride? I'm kinda stuck.'
'Sure, no problem. Are you hurt?'
'No, no, I'm fine. Just let me grab my stuff.'
Kurry hurried back into the club, avidly avoiding Malik. On the way back she nearly ran down Xantcha and a fellow with really spiky hair. ((A/N: One guess who that is and it ain't Yugi! XD))
'Oh, Xantcha! Listen, tell Kitty not to worry, I'm hitching a ride back with Yami and I'll explain everything when they get back, okay? Oh, and I hope y'all have a good time. 'Kay?'
Xantcha looked confused. 'Uh, okay, but...'
'Thanks, see ya!'
'What was that all about?' asked the spiky-haired guy in a deep voice.
Xantcha rose a worried eyebrow. 'I'm not sure, but I'm willing to bet it wasn't good. C'mon, let's go find Kitty.'
In the SUV, Kurry stared out the window, worried expressions crossing her face. Occasionally she would mutter, 'Left here please,' or something of the sort. Finally Yami asked quietly, 'Are you alright? You seem a little distraught.'
At his concerned words Kurry found herself pouring out the whole story.
'...and once we leave there's a slim-to-none chance we'll ever see them again and I told my friends that so they wouldn't get hurt when we had to leave and then I had to go and fall for....' She broke off abruptly with a gasp, eyes wide.
'So you do like him?' Yami prompted.
Kurry sat stunned, the realization of what she'd just said coming upon her. 'I- I don't know,' she murmured, almost to herself. 'I mean, I'm fighting myself on this. I just don't want to be hurt, and I don't want to hurt him either. I- I don't know anything anymore.' She turned to her tri-colour haired friend. 'Oh Yami, what am I going to do?'
Yami considered carefully before answering. 'If you ask me,' he said slowly, pulling up to the school gates and parking while he spoke, 'I'd say follow what your heart tells you, because sometimes the heart is wiser than the mind. Okay?'
Kurry sighed, taking a shaky breath. 'O- okay.'
'You gonna be okay now?'
'Yeah. Thanks Yami.'
'Anytime. See ya later.'
As he drove off, Kurry's face fell again. Follow my heart. Right. How can I be sure if my heart is telling me the right thing? Shivering against the sudden breeze, she turned and hurried back to her dorm.
Half an hour later, the others arrived back at the school. The girls bade the boys goodnight, thanked them for a lovely evening and headed off to their dorms. Splitting up in the hallway, Andraaia slipped into her dorm and was surprised to find it empty. Xantcha disappeared, and Kitty and Kat entered their dorm to find Kurry sitting with a vacant expression in the large armchair.
'Kurry!' Kitty gasped. 'What on earth happened!? You scared the life out of us by disappearing like that! We thought you'd been kidnapped!'
'I'm sorry,' Kurry mumbled glumly.
Kitty paused in her outburst, then shrugged out of her coat and went to sit beside her friend. Putting an arm about her, Kitty asked quietly, 'What happened Kurry?'
Kurry was staring ahead blankly, still running the evening's events through her mind. 'He almost kissed me,' she intoned.
'He what?' Kat repeated, astonished.
'Malik! He almost kissed me! Ad the worst part is I almost kissed him back!' Kurry was starting to panic. She leapt out of the chair and began pacing. 'This was NOT how it was supposed to be! This was a purely business trade, pooling our resources to compete! It was supposed to be working together for a month on this competition and then it would be over with. But now there are things going around in my heart that could make it all more complicated and I don't want that!' She sank onto the chair again, completely at a loss. 'If I allow myself to fall for him, I won't want to go back to the way things were and that scares me. It might have been better if I never met Malik at all!' Her head dropped into her hands and Kurry scrubbed tiredly at her face. 'Dear Ra, girls, what am I supposed to do?'
Kitty and Kat sent a glance at each other before Kat replied, 'Well, you could try accepting him, as we've done.'
Kurry's head shot up. 'What? You...you guys...?'
Kitty gently cut her off. 'Yes, we did. We can't deny what we feel, and neither should you.'
'But there's hardly a chance we'll ever see them again and if I accept him and then leave, I'll end up hurting him AND myself!' Kurry protested.
Kat shook her head earnestly. 'No, you can make it work! That's what letters and such are for! Kurry, hun, you'll hurt him more if you snub him now.'
Kitty nodded gravely. 'You should've seen Malik's face. He looked utterly terrified when Xan told us you'd disappeared and then was totally worried all the way home.'
Kurry lowered her head again, fighting back tears. 'I...I find that hard to believe. If it looks too good to be true, it usually is.'
Kitty stood up slowly. 'It's your decision, okay? We're still your friends, of course, no guy is worth our friendship. But think about it hun. You may be overreacting. Don't blind yourself to your feelings.'
Kurry nodded. 'I'll try,' she whispered, and left for her room.
Andy was already asleep when Kurry slipped into the dorm. Unable to sleep herself, she curled up in the huge armchair in the corner and stared out the window. Kurry stayed up for a long time that night, trying desperately to come up with a solution. But love is fickle and blinded her to the truth. No matter which way she thought about it, she always came to the same conclusion; it would be safer to deny that dance.
Finally so exhausted it felt like the room was spinning, Kurry fell asleep in the chair, just as the first light of dawn began to colour the sky.
GAH! I love this chapter! EEEEEEE! Sorries, I'm still hyper. Calming down, calming down. Ahem. Anywho, hope you all enjoyed this and I'll get to work on the next chapter. =D
(By the way, my format is changed to fit the new QuickEdit thing. Now thoughts are in italics, dividers show a change of scene or perspective, talking is like this; 'talk' and songs are like this; "song". Okay? Okay. Good. =D)