Chapter 10 - Performance

ThousandBirds - Are you like...an idian...you name makes me think of an indian...anyways, I'm glad you like my story. It's almost over, but you can enjoy it while it lasts, right? I cant just tell you what happens, you have to read it. After this chapter, everything speeds up...in my opinion at least.

Anime/Manga Fanatic - heh heh. Yes he is. -smile- Don't worry, he gets better...I think...

Ok, I started posting this story after finishing this chapter. I wanted to make sure I could still post even if I had a writer's block. I kinda blew that though huh? -nervous smile- Ok, Enjoy! I love this chapter.


"Hello Strike Pilot"

Kira's eyes widened and time seemed to pause. He turned around slowly and saw Dearka sitting there, looking straight at him.

"AH!" Kira jumped back, falling over Lacus and Athrun, and landing hard on the floor on his back. "Ow..."

Dearka cracked up. Some people stared at them, but most ignored everyone else. "That was funny!" Athrun recognized the voice even before looking, he had been helping Kira up and hadn't looked for the cause of his friends outbreak.

"Dearka?" Athrun asked, standing up and almost repeating Kira's fall himself. "W-what're you doing here?" Dearka flashed his ticket.

"I'm here to see the show." he smiled. "Your friend reacts quite well to his title." Dearka smiled, nearly laughing, and had to close his eyes and cover his mouth to keep from laughing.

"His...title? What? What title?" Athrun asked. He glanced at Kira, who still looked disheveled. "Ensign?"

"Ensign? Wow." Dearka no longer felt like laughing. "No, I mean his 'title.' You know, Pilot."

"Oh." Athrun was about to sit down again when it hit him. "What? You...you heard that? Back at the colony?" he asked, nearly falling again. Kira blinked and looked at Dearka, waiting for an answer.

"Yea. And I learned his name too. Though, I kinda forgot it until I ate lunch. That's where I heard you guys talking and you called him by his name again...um...it's...Kira, Yea." he stuck out his hand. "Hi Kira, I'm Dearka, pilot of the Buster Gundam and proud of it. Say a word of who I am to anyone who doesn't already know and I'll kill you." He then shook Kira's hand when he found Kira didn't get why he had stuck his hand out.

"Uh...Hi...Dearka." Kira said uneasily. Suddenly, the lights went out and the three standing teens sat down. Lacus smiled as if nothing had happened.

Kira noted that the large flower lights had gone almost completely out. But when he looked closer he found that wasn't it. The lights had gone out and now candles lit the room. The flower lights were so big because each harbored a medium sized candle in it's center, surrounded by lights. When the light went out, the candles erupted without noise and lit the room with a warm glow. Men in their 20's, 30's, and 40's were picking up the candles by the stands and setting them up between the rows every 10 feet. When they walked back out of view, the candles lit up a lot, making each look like a small camp fire. They definitely weren't normal candles.

Kira turned his attention to the curtains around the stage. They were made of a heavy material and were a maroon red. In front of them was a man dressed in black that looked like a mix between a butler and a composer. He was standing in the exact center of the stage. Kira saw feet moving behind the curtain, which was probably Nicol getting ready to play.

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen! I hope your day has been pleasant so far!" Clapping. "The show is about to begin. Please stay as quiet as possible during the show so that others can enjoy the music. Now, without further ado...Nicol Amalfi." he walked offstage slowly as the curtains were drawn back.

Kira nearly gasped. On the stage was a beautiful, large, ivory piano. It was glistening in the candlelight and reflected slightly, not as well as a black piano would have though. Nicol was standing next to the piano, dressed in the usual pianist attire. He bowed, more towards Kira, Lacus, Athrun, and Dearka than the rest of the crowd, but no one noticed except the four teens. Nicol sat down at his keyboard and began to play.

The entre room was silent. Kira heard the music, it resounded in his ears over and over. But his eyes were fixed on Nicol's hands. They practically flew over the keys as a skater on ice, performing a wonderful solo skate. Nicol smiled as he played, glad to be back with his piano and sharing his skills with the world...or at least, with the audience.

Kira's eyes flicked over to Dearka, who seemed only mildly interested in the performance. Athrun looked thoroughly impressed and both he and Lacus were hanging on every key played. Kira returned to watching Nicol. The piano seemed to be singing as Nicol played, so that it was a great ballet. The song ended, but Nicol kept playing before anyone could clap. So the hall remained silent as he continued. Kira wondered how he could keep playing that long.

The ballet played in Kira's mind as Nicol played the piano. Beautiful ice dancers (women) wearing light light pink and white outfits skated out of nowhere onto a blue-ice rink. They performed twirls, twists, jumps, and other feats with grace and poise. Male ice dancers wearing black outfits or dark blue outfits skated into view. They took hold of the females hands and soon it was like a great waltz, danced in a palace in front of a great king.

Kira was so wrapped up in the song and his imagination, that any thought of Dearka was blown from his mind and he didn't notice Dearka was now staring at him. Dearka could almost see the dance that played in Kira's mind just by looking at him. Kira had on an expression of wonder that couldn't come from just the song. Athrun on the other hand, noticed Dearka and gave him a slight glare. Dearka put his hands up defensively and turned back to the show. The dance was still in Kira's mind.

The ice maidens dresses turned from short skirted and short sleeved pink and white, to long, flowing, ice colored gowns. It seemed the likeness of a beautiful fresh snow had been captured in the dresses. The men's outfits stayed the same and all that changed was that they all had roses in their jacket pocket now. The men threw the women into the air, where they did flips and gracefully landed as if floating on air. Then men spun beneath them and caught the girls sometimes.

Younger skaters, maybe 14 at most, seemed to float onto the ice. They skated gracefully around the adults and waved at certain moments to an invisible audience. The men and women stopped skating and the children, all girls, skated in between every couple. They were then lifted by the adults and tossed into the air. It seemed they would never come down. The girls spun, seemed to do dives off a platform, and flipped in the air, then turned their back to the ground and let themselves fall.

They descended slowly, yet fast at the same time, if that makes any sense. Kira thought maybe the song would end in tragedy. The music quieted and became soft like a feather as the girls drop came to an end. The older dancers put their arms out and each child was caught by one man and one woman. They were not set down, but were suspended in the air for a final pose as the music ended and the dance came to an end.

The clapping of the crowd brought Kira out of his daze and he rose to clap with them. Nicol stood up and bowed, he made a small motion towards backstage as he bowed and then walked offstage after the usual ending. Kira, Athrun, Lacus, and Dearka looked at each other, then headed backstage as the crowd dispersed. The crowd was talking of how beautiful the music was and how much more wonderful it got every time, but Kira doubted that any of them had seen the almost mystic-like dance he had.


"Ah! Kira. Did you enjoy the show?" Nicol asked, coming out of his room wearing normal clothes. He looked really worn out but pleased.

"Yes. I liked it a lot. It was wonderful." Kira smiled softly, the music and the dance still in his memory.

"Yea, it rocked." Dearka broke in. "You get better all the time." he smirked. Nicol's eyes narrowed slightly.

"How would you know? You and Yzak never pay attention to me unless I mess up in battle, or win the battle."

"Which by the way has never happened, you winning the battle I mean." Dearka smirked again.

"And he never will." Athrun broke in. Nicol looked at him disbelievingly. Athrun smiled. "That's because it's a team effort." Lacus nodded.

"Yes. Everyone does their best." she said happily. Kira wondered if Lacus, being an artist herself, had seen the dance in her mind, or something like it at least.

"Let's get something to drink. Nicol looks positively dehydrated!" Dearka laughed, putting one arm over Athrun's shoulder and taking Lacus by the hand. "Come on you two!" he called back to Kira and Nicol. Kira took a step towards the others, but Nicol put a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll be right there." Nicol said calmly to the others, Dearka made them keep walking. "Kira."

"Huh? Yea? What is it, Nicol?" he asked, turning around to face the green haired boy.

"Tell me. When you heard me playing...well, I caught a glimpse at your face. You had an almost dreamy look on. Did you by chance see a dance, playing out before your eyes?" he asked, looking totally serious.

"Huh? Y-yea...how'd you know?" Kira asked. Nicol smiled.

"Because. The first time I heard the piano was when my mother took me to a piano concert. Many pianists were there, and they were all wonderful. But one man played a song, the song I played. When he played it, I saw the dance. I asked my mother about it but she didn't know what I was talking about. I figured only some people can see it. That's what inspired me to become a pianist." Nicol said looking proud.

"Wow Nicol. That's great." Kira said with a slight smile. "So, only a few people?"

"Actually. Only you and me as far as I know." Nicol laughed nervously.

"Come on guys!" They heard faintly from somewhere beyond their sight. "You're taking too long!"

"Coming Dearka!" Nicol yelled, motioning for Kira to go first. Kira blinked a few times, then followed him out.

This whole 'Dearka knowing who I am and what I am' thing is going to need solving. Kira thought.


End Chapter! See why I love this chapter? -smiling a ton- And now I'm gonna do something I've never done before...I don't think I have at least...preview of next chapter!

Athrun and Kira play video games, Yzak gets on a ship, and the problem with Dearka is put to rest.

Inuc : -cracking up- Finally gets on a ship huh? -snicker-

Jess: and to clear this up...That dance Kira saw, he saw in his head. There weren't actually ice skaters in that theater. It'd be weird if there had been.