Eyes On Me
AUTHOR'S NOTES: GOMEN for ripping off the Final Fantasy VIII theme song, but...I CAN'T HELP IT~~~!!! I LOVE it~~~!!! The lyrics are just definitely so me for my koibito out there, who has a girlfriend, and yet...well, let the lyrics tell you all about it. ^^;; Anyway, this is the part where things start heating up...dinner dance of Wing Blades and of Bladebreakers...OO;; Wow, all of them wearing tuxedos! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE...XD man, I think I could probably die now. Oh, Takao et al, I mean....OO;; Yuri's starting to feel...JEALOUS?! Well, how could Cerridwen help it, Lei looks EXACTLY like Arthur Lancaster, except that he has hazelnut eyes and has an Asato Tsuzuki hairstyle (no FANGS!). Need I say more on what the score is between Cerridwen and Arthur? ^.^ R/R please!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bey Blade, its characters, and its Bey Blades (^^;;), I DO own the OC's portrayed herein. so NO SUING~~~!!!
"This is totally STUPID," Takao was saying as he struggled to keep his dark blue bangs in check by means of gel and a comb. "Why do we have to attend a PARTY?"
"It's opening night, and the organizers feel it's their duty to foster and promote international cooperation and understanding among Bladers from all over the world," Professor told him. "And we're not the only ones who have to go dressed up like this; other teams are also to show up. Those who qualified for the Pre-Finals, that is."
"Quit wriggling around, Takao, you'll mess up your tux," Max told him. "Now how could you possibly EVER sweep a girl off her feet if you go there looking like some discarded wash RAG?!"
"How many teams are going to compete, anyway?" Lei asked, looking up from neatly plaiting his hair into a braid down his back.
"Around 18 teams," Yuri answered, fixing his white bow tie. "Mostly from the North American, South American, and European circuits."
"Are we the only Asian team who got to qualify?"
"Well, there's the Korean Team, and the Indian Team. From what I heard about them, they're extremely tough, so don't expect our way to the Finals as a cake walk."
There was a knock on the door, and Professor crossed their hotel room to open it. Chairman Daitenji was standing there, grinning widely. He was wearing a smart black tuxedo with tails, holding his walking stick with one hand, and a top hat on his head.
"Hey, children! How's your tuxedo suit-up doing?"
"Almost finished, Chairman Daitenji," Takao replied. His eyes widen. "Wow, Chairman Daitenji, you look AWESOME~~~!!!"
"I really can't say no to your get-ups, as well, you all look very dashing," Chairman Daitenji says with a wink. "Just promise me you don't go sweeping girls off their feet more than you guys could actually handle."
"Don't worry, Chairman Daitenji, we've got Takao under check," Max says with a laugh.
"HEY~~~!!!"
Chairman Daitenji looked over at Kai, who was busy adjusting his cuffs by means of shiny silver cufflinks, standing by the full length mirror on the other side of the room. "Everything OK there, Kai?"
"..." Kai turned around then nodded. He had removed his face tattoos with respect to the occasion.
"Good." Chairman Daitenji nodded. "I'll see you guys downstairs by the limousine. Don't be late!"
"Yes!" Takao whistled as soon as Chairman Daitenji went out of the room. "WOW! A LIMOUSINE~~~!!! We're going to that place riding on a LIMOUSINE~~~!!!" he yells, his eyes sparkly.
"Keep your voice down, Kinogu, you wouldn't want to wake up the DEAD," Yuri told him.
"OK everyone?" Professor nodded. "Come on, the party awaits!"
The chandeliers were sparkling, and expensive Cristal poured freely amidst laughter and hushed talk among the well-heeled guests, but Medain was less than thrilled having to endure 3 or so hours of it wearing high heels and a tight, flowing dress.
"Relax, Medain," Selenay told her with an angelic smile on her face. "You just look ABSOLUTELY darling."
"Darling, my FOOT! How do YOU guys manage to endure wearing this kind of crap every single elegant dinner party you go TO?!" SD Medain asked her, a gargantuan twitch on top of her head.
"We're just gifted individuals," Selenay said with a laugh. "Besides, you're holding up that dress very well."
Medain frowned. She was wearing an icy blue dress that was made of a flowing gauzy material, a strap going over her left shoulder, leaving her right one bare. The skirt fell down to her knees, sheathing her hips tightly, then flowing freely about her legs like mist a few inches above her knees. She wore a pair of white pencil-thin heeled open toed sandals on her feet, the straps decorated with tiny glittering ice blue stones upon it. Her orange eyes were faintly tinted with frosted blue and white eyeshadow, and her lips were tinged a faint pink. Her dark blue hair was tied back by means of a clasp decorated in the same manner as her sandals. She had ice blue studs in her ears, and a silver bracelet on her right wrist.
"Don't frown, you're supposed to be lady-like," Selenay told her.
"How can we be lady-like being trussed up like spring ROLLS?!" Shizue fumed. She was wearing a halter-type oyster colored dress with many sparkling Swarovski crystals liberally spread about on top like a bib. Her glorious jet black hair was dramatically swept upwards, pinned in place by many Swarovski crystal studded clasps and pins, looking as if a fine net of stars was holding up her coiffure. She had a pair of pencil-thin heeled sandals done in the manner of Sailorvenus' shoes on her feet, and a shawl about her shoulders. She had diamonds in her ears, and a pair of diamond bracelets on her right wrist.
"You look A-OK to me!" SD Kikka said happily. She was wearing a frosted yellow sleeveless dress done in many layers of silk on her skirt reaching to her knees, a ribbon tied at the small of her back. The dress was delicately embroidered in many intricate patterns down the sides of her still flat bust (^^;; she's only 12, for crying out loud) to her skirt; the ribbon's end tails (^^;;) embroidered, as well. She wore flats on her feet, embroidered the same way as her dress. Her short honey brown hair was held in place by 2 clips on one side of her head, looking so especially fine and wispy today by means of spray-on moisturizer. She had drop pearl earrings in her ears, her pearl pendant hanging on a fine gold chain about her neck, and a sweet charm bracelet with hearts and keys dangling from it on her right wrist.
SD Kikka patted SD Shizue on her shoulder, a happy grin on her face. "Don't worry about a thing, Shizue, just smile and act LADY-LIKE. They'll see how beautiful the Ogre Sister of Icy Madness IS when you SMILE!"
"Oh SHUT UP~~~!!!"
Selenay just smiled, her eyes closed happily, her hands clasped behind her back. She was wearing a short white dress with spaghetti straps, its skirt reaching only to a few inches above the knees embroidered at its sides, where it had Valenciennes lace inserts. Her deep brown hair was unbound, held in place by a tiny beautiful lily clasp on one side of her head, made of silver and diamonds, a fine silver chain serving as its main clasp. A beautiful pendant of the same make hung from a fine silver chain about her neck (like Arwen's), and a diamond bracelet and lily bracelet glinted on her right wrist. She had on a pair of white sandals on her feet.
"Hey, where's Cerridwen?" Medain suddenly asked. "The party's about to start..."
"No idea. I guess she took to the comfort of the pillars again, she's so horribly shy about this kind of thing," Shizue answered, still twitching as SD Kikka patted her on the shoulder again and again.
"But it didn't stop her from reeling in Arthur Lancaster," Selenay said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"And Yuri!" SD Kikka said happily.
SD Selenay had a small black cloud hovering above her head. "Please don't remind ME."
"Why do some girls have all the LUCK, eh, Selenay?" Medain blinked. "Hey, wait a minute...here come those wussies now. Whoo, don't they just look dapper in their waiter tuxedos?"
Shizue, Selenay, and Kikka all turned to look. Sure enough, the BBA Team just entered the elegant pavilion the organizing committee had rented for the occasion, pulling uncomfortably at their collars and their eyes darting nervously around the room, except for Kai and Yuri.
"Oh. My. GOD." Selenay looked as if she was about to faint. "Yuri's so HEAVENLY..."
"By golly, they actually LOOK human," Medain said, blinking.
"!!!" Shizue had her hands to her mouth. "Check that guy OUT. If it weren't for the hairstyle and the color of his eyes~~~"
"Why didn't I SEE it BEFORE?!" Kikka was short of ecstatic. "I'll go fetch Cerridwen right AWAY~~~!!!"
She zoomed off without another word. Selenay looked like she had already died and gone straight to heaven.
She sighed.
"Yuu-riiii..."
Takao was glancing nervously around the room, seeing the place entirely filled with people who looked like they were the members of the world's cream of atrociously high society.
"This is creepy," Max muttered. "Are you sure we're in the right PLACE?"
"Must be, I don't see any dark-suited men swooping around us to throw us all outside," Lei answered, his amber yellow eyes wide and blinking.
"Enjoying yourselves, children?" Chairman Daitenji grinned. "Heh heh, this is the 1st time that all leaders of all Bey Blade associations around the world got together for such a very important event. We haven't seen each other much for the last 15 years..."
"Ah! Daitenji! Jolly good to see YOU!"
They all turned to look. A roly poly man with flaxen hair was coming up to meet them, his arms wide open for a hug. He hugged the BBA Chairman tight, whereas Chairman Daitenji returned the hug.
"Same here! My, you look absolutely wonderful, Willowberry. I guess the country's doing you so much good, eh?"
"Right in one, my good old chap, right in one!"
"Oh! Before I forget..." Chairman Daitenji smiled and gestured to the BBA Team. "Willowberry, I would like you to meet Japan's pride, the BBA Team. They're really talented kids, and I'm very proud of them. Children, this person here is Mr. Richard Willowberry, Chairman of the European Bey Blade Union. He's one of the organizers of this tourney."
"Hello, hello, hello!" Mr. Richard Willowberry smiled at them like a very huge and friendly teddy bear. "My, Gogoro isn't kidding, you kids look pretty tough."
"Errh...we're not that good yet, Mr. Willowberry, but we're definitely doing our best to get that way," Professor said, smiling at him uncertainly.
"HAHAHAHAHA! My, and so humble, to boot! Yes, you would definitely go places with that kind of attitude." Mr. Willowberry nodded. "I'm really glad to meet you; I haven't heard from the Asian delegation for quite a long time already."
"Oh. Has the Abbey delegation arrived already?" Chairman Daitenji asked after a few seconds' silence.
"They're here," Mr. Willowberry said with a sigh. "I was beginning to think they were all planning to vanish into thin air, without saying anything. It's good that they FINALLY agreed to participate in the tournament. Lady Celes had most graciously heeded our invitation."
"Did she, really? That is good news, indeed." Chairman Daitenji nodded, then looked over at his young charges. "Shall we meet up with them?"
"..." Cerridwen was engrossed in sending e-mail to her childhood friend Johnny MacGregor (8D) via her frosted violet Nokia Athaelion i220 (fully customized; only one of its kind in the world; BTW I'm only making this UP), standing by one of the many Doric pillars decorating the balcony, when Kikka came running into view, zooming like a little Tasmanian Devil on turbo boosters.
"CERRIDWEN~~~!!!" SD Kikka stopped right in front of Cerridwen, leaning over with her hands on her knees, her eyes squeezed shut, as she gasped and panted for breath. "Cerridwen~~~"
"What happened, Kikka?" Cerridwen looked at her, her mint green eyes filled with concern.
"ARTHUR'S HERE~~~!!!"
"Wh-WHAT?! But...how can he POSSIBLY...he's~~~" Cerridwen began.
"Ooooohhhh, I haven't time to EXPLAIN~~~!!!" SD Kikka grabbed her hand and started dragging her back inside the pavilion. "Come ON~~~!!!"
They had just gotten to where Medain, Shizue, and Selenay were when Chairman Daitenji, Mr. Willowberry, and the BBA Team arrived.
"..and here are the LOVELY ladies of St. Ingrid Abbey." Mr. Willowberry grinned. "Hello, dear Ladies, how are you on this VERY wonderful evening?"
Lei was just blinking, when Mr. Willowberry started the formal introductions, and it was THEN when the dream came to him, unbidden, so sudden that he thought he was hallucinating.
But she was there.
Cerridwen was standing right next to Selenay, who was still hyperventilating over Yuri, who shrugged and gave her one of his very rare smiles. She was wearing a beautiful wine colored dress that looked as if it was just draped about her body, the sleeves only consisting of the same material that were bunched up on her shoulders and made to flow freely about her slim arms, held in place with invisible pins hidden somewhere in the bunches of fabric. The very dress was draped in such a way that it looked like an ancient Greek woman's costume, its skirt reaching down to her knees, and flowed freely as if it had water woven into the very material itself. Her glorious cream and silver streaked hair was swept upward and held in place by cleverly intertwined tiny "leaves" made of emeralds and a very fine net of pearls and diamonds (her hairdo looking like Jewel's in her Foolish Games MTV), and some of her glorious fiery hair falling before her ears in soft curls that framed an otherwise smooth face free of blemishes, and as Lei noted, her complexion reminded him too much of creamy, fresh milk with just a faintest tinge of pink. She had a pair of open toed sandals on her feet, with low heels; and had a thin shawl about her shoulders. Drop earrings, made of pearls, emeralds, and diamonds fashioned into raindrops and leaves, winked in her ears too delicate to be even possible; and she had a tiny Fabergé egg charm bracelet and a diamond and emerald "leaf" bracelet on her left wrist. An teardrop shaped pendant with a curious stained glass holding clasp (^^;;) hung from a fine gold chain about her neck, and it glinted in the light of the chandeliers above them.
Cerridwen blinked, then her gaze rested on him, and Lei did at the same time, and their eyes met.
"...and yes, until Lady Celes had finally took the position of the Abbey's headmistress...things were never the same again, the Abbey now enjoys a renewed prominence in England's secondary school education...and the rest, as they say, was HISTORY." Mr. Willowberry nodded. "Any more questions?"
"..." SD Kikka had a small smile on her face.
"I guess it could start with HIM asking HER name," she whispered. "Deja vu, eh?"
Yuri bit his lip.
Yes, it was Cerridwen Aerin Ascot-Elridge and Arthur Lancaster all over again.
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Doric - an ancient Greek architectural style, characterized by simplicity of form
