Here's the final part of the arc, hope you've liked it!
Disclaimer: RahXephon and its characters are the property of their respective owners, this piece is not for profitable purposes.
Chapter 20: Celebrating Christmas Eve
I arrive at the club where the party is supposed to be and see Mamoru and Asahina are already there. Mamoru waves and Asahina smiles.
We wait for a few minutes, and then I notice Mishima running towards us.
"Everyone, I'm so sorry I'm late!" Mishima says, sounding out of breath.
"No problem, Mishima," Mamoru says.
"Of course, Reika, don't be upset, we're here to have a good time!"
Mishima stands up straight and grins, "Ok, Hiroko!"
She then looks at me, and I blush as I realize how beautiful she looks. She's wearing a crimson skirt, a beige blouse, and crimson shoes. She has a crimson and fir green plaid headband in her hair as well.
"Kamina-kun, is something wrong?" Mishima asks with a confused look.
I look away quickly and say, "Uh, oh, nothing. Shall we all go, everyone?"
Mamoru smirks knowingly at me as we walk in, and I try my best to ignore it.
We enter inside and I am surprised at the number of people there, I had no idea it was going to be such a big event. We make our way through the sea of people and find a table near the dance floor, where we sit down. We try to start a conversation, but it's hard to hear, so we sit in silence for some time.
Finally, Asahina shouts, "Everyone, shall we go dance?!"
We all agree, and get up and make our way through to the dance floor. The four of us gather in a circle around the dance floor. Dancing is not my strong point, which was made quite evident on my last birthday, so I stand there, I think looking rather stupid. Furthermore, Asahina has started singing along, fortunately, I can't hear it very well.
Mishima leans in towards me and asks, "Kamina-kun, are you not feeling well?"
"Oh, no, I'm fine Mishima, well, I'm just not really good at dancing."
"Don't worry about that, Kamina-kun, it's just for fun after all, right?"
"That's true. Ok, I'll try then." I respond, and so, to the best of my ability, I go ahead and join in.
This continues for a while, and when one song starts, I notice Mishima seems to be getting excited.
"Mishima, what is it?" I say as I lean in towards her.
"Oh, Kamina-kun, the song that's starting is the dance mix version of Katun no Sadame!"
"Wow, I didn't know there was such a version."
"Yep!"
Even though we've been dancing for a while, Mishima is really into it, and sings along happily. She smiles at me as we dance, and I can't help but join in and sing with her.
As the song ends, Mishima smiles up at me, her face red from being tired. I notice that a slow song has started, but am unsure what to do. I consider asking her to dance, but I notice she looks exhausted.
"Mishima?"
She looks up at me and says, "Yes, Kamina-kun?"
"Would you like to get a drink?"
I thought I saw disappointment flicker across her face, but I'm not sure, because now she's smiling.
"Sounds good, Kamina-kun!" I consider telling Mamoru and Asahina where we'll be going, but decide not to when I see that they're slow dancing.
"Shall we go, Mishima?"
"Sure!"
We walk to the counter and Mishima orders a ramune, while I decide to have a Coke. She's about to pay for her share when I say, "Oh, Mishima, I'll get it, don't worry."
She looks at me surprised and smiles, "Thank you so much Kamina-kun!"
We walk back to our table and sit down. We sit in silence, drinking and watching the people on the dance floor. I decide that this is a good opportunity to ask about New Year's.
"Mishima?"
She turns around quickly and says, "Yes, Kamina-kun?"
"I was wondering what your plans are for New Year's."
"Ah, well, my family usually goes to visit my uncle around Christmas, but he was busy this year, so we're visiting him over New Year's instead."
Disappointed, but not trying to sound that way, I respond, "Oh, I see, well, I hope that you have a nice visit."
"Thanks! What about you, Kamina-kun?"
"Well, I'll probably spend part of the day with my parents, and part with Mamoru and Asahina."
"I see," she says thoughtfully.
I notice that the slow song has ended and that Mishima has finished her ramune.
"Mishima, would you like to go back now?"
She jumps out of her seat and says, "Sure!"
We return to the dance floor where Mamoru and Asahina are and the four of us dance in our circle again.
After a few more songs, I can tell that another slow song is starting. I look over at Mishima, who is already headed back towards the table. Before she can get away, I grab her hand, and she looks up at me surprised.
"Kamina-kun?"
I let go of her hand and say, "Mishima, well, I was thinking, and of course, you don't have to if you don't want to, but I think it might be fun if we danced to this song, too," I say, sure that I'm blushing.
She stands still looking down at the floor, and I begin to regret asking her.
"I'm sorry, Mishima, I didn't mean to offend you…"
She looks up with a smile and says, "Yes, I think it could be fun, too."
Suddenly remembering that I've never danced like this before, I sneak a look at Mamoru and Asahina to see how it's done. I then move in closer to Mishima, unsure whether I should put my hands on the sides of her waist like Mamoru is doing with Asahina. Much to my surprise, Mishima places her hands on my shoulders and smiles. Encouraged by this, I carefully and slowly put my hands on her waist, noting, fortunately, that this doesn't seem to bother her. We then start moving our feet slowly and turn together in a circle. Even though I'm sure my face is red with embarrassment, I look into Mishima's eyes and think how wonderful a feeling I have when I dance with her; I wish that it wouldn't end, and I hope that Mishima feels the same way.
"Hello you two, did you notice the song is over?" I look up and realize that Mamoru and Asahina are standing there next to us, Mamoru with his usual smirk, and Asahina looking strangely upset. Mishima and I quickly break apart and remain standing there momentarily. We look at each other and laugh while Mamoru gives us a weird look. The four of us then re-create our circle and continue dancing. Maybe it's just my imagination, but I think Mishima is looking at me more and blushing…
After a few more dances, we are all tired and return to our table. I notice Mishima is looking at her watch.
"Do you need to be home by a certain time, Mishima?"
"Well, actually, my parents were worried about me taking the train tonight, since it's a holiday, so my dad's coming to pick me up."
"Oh, ok."
"I think that the party is almost over anyway, we should probably get going." Asahina says.
Mamoru and I both agree, and we get up and head towards the door. After we exit, Mishima waves good bye as she gets into her parents' car.
Mamoru, Asahina, and I head back to the train station and I find myself thinking about when Mishima and I were dancing. I hope someday soon I'll have the courage to ask her how she really feels about me…
Next ChapterValentine's Day
