Although the initial "TTT meets CLS's real life!" thing has stopped, I am trying my best to work on this ficceh, and get it done, although honestly it's a tad hard without personal experience (The real life ordeal wasn't really completed, more like put on pause). oo; But yeah. For those who were really wondering, this -did- kind of happen to me, but with added fictional events.
This fic is getting long, I noticed, but so are some things in life. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter! I love your guys' reviews, so yeah n-n
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The last week had been pretty hectic around the beach house. I had gotten a slight case of the stomach flu (Henry is suspicious of the fish now), and wasn't able to go down to the boardwalk to watch Jeri's and Crystal's performance but I had heard it was just as awesome as the performances they gave at the boardwalk. They both enthusiastically came into my room, telling me both with energy how it had gone, and how excited they were about the next round.
Oddly enough, they did this with no fights at all. I wondered if this was because of the truce, or if they had gotten any closer from the contest.
I predicted the first, doubted the second.
The two had become incredibly busy, working together for the dance competition. Although they were competitors - not to mention rivals - the two of them didn't seem to mind helping one another out with their moves. I often saw them through the glass pane of the window near my bed as they glided across the beach, small grains of sand flying about as they moved in their swift ways.
When my stomach flu started to let up, I was able to start walking around again - that is, without wanting to keel over and collapse somewhere. I walked around mildly, just looking around out of curiousity. I didn't wander too far away from the house in fear of my stomach hurting again, so I kept by to the inside of the house.
I felt sluggish as I travelled along the halls of the house that morning. Not a soul seemed to appear. Not even Guilmon - for he was outside with Katzei and Puppi, I knew. I had glanced out the window and saw them once again at their game of tug-of-war. I groaned from the extreme boredom.
Suddenly, a head popped out from one of the rooms. "'Alo?" Crys asked, leaning backwards, her back curved and poised.
I stared at Crystal, walking up closer to her. Once again, she was in her leather shirt-and-gloves look, apparently not caring much for the heat today. She was bent backwards, quite literally, one foot on the floor and the other against her thigh, as she tried her best to bring herself back to a standing position. But she faltered, and started to fall back and was about to hit the hardwood floor if I hadn't extended my arms out and caught her.
Crystal looked up at me, her big silvery eyes looking directly into mine. She turned pink, then red, her mouth sheepishly grinning, and she giggled slightly, trying to jarr the embarrassment. "Umm, thanks for not letting me fall."
"No problem." I helped her up onto her feet, and she stood. "What're you doing?"
"Practicing balance... Jeri said I need help with that, badly."
"Jeri told you that?" I asked, blinking in suprise. I hadn't expected that, even -if- they had a "fake" truce.
"Yeah!" Crys grinned at me, and I continued to have a look of inexpectedness, either that or suspiciousness, because Crystal then asked me, "Something wrong?"
"Nah..." I said, trying my best not to give away the fact that I knew that they thought I didn't know that they had a truce.
Crystal peered at me with an odd look, but shrugged and started to stretch again. I watched her, sitting down on the bed, and we sat in silence, until Crys spoke up.
"Umm... listen, Takato?"
"Yeah?"
"Uhhh... nevermind."
"You sure?"
"Yeah." Crys got up, stretching her arms slightly, and then looked at me. "Are you okay enough to go outside? Or you still sick?"
I considered it, and shrugged. "Yeah, I think I'll be fine."
Crystal smiled at me, and started to walk towards the door. I followed her, and she lead me out to the beach, where Jeri was doing dance procedures as well - she was holding herself on one foot, twirling herself about, doing a pirouette.
I sat down on the warm sand, watching Jeri's practice, and Crystal joined me on the beach, sitting right next to me. I looked over at her, the long black strands of hair framing her face. She seemed in awe of Jeri, in a way - her silver eyes watched the brunette's every move. It made me wonder if they really did have more in common than I thought, well, minus the fact that they both wanted me for themselves, and they both danced to compete for me.
When Jeri finally tuckered herself out, she joined me on my other side, with a grin. "Feeling better?"
I nodded. Jeri smiled, and I felt a small smile on my face, too. Something about Jeri made me smile, but right then I tried my best to shake it off, with Crystal sitting beside me.
"So, are you two getting ready for the next round?"
"Yeah," Crys said, and I looked at her as she leaned back against the sand. The sand molded and accented her body, the grains pressing against her leather clothing. "It should be..."
"Interesting?" Jeri volunteered, as Crystal strained for the words. Crys nodded, and her hair seemed to seep into the sand. She closed her eyes in a relaxed way.
I turned back to Jeri. "So what's the second round call for?"
Jeri looked over at Crystal, and I saw them exchange glances. "Crys, should I?"
Crys shook her head. "Takato, we... uhm, we can't really tell you right now."
"Why?" I blinked at the two of them. I wondered what in the world they meant. I shrugged, and I got up, wanting to return to my room.
As I flopped onto my bed, blankets flying up around me, Henry came in. "Hey, what's up?" He asked, making his way over to the bed, and sitting down on the edge as the bed finally stopped shaking.
"Eeh, not much..." I sat up, crosslegged. "Do you know what's up with the girls?"
"The girls?" Henry looked at me, with an odd look.
"Jeri and Crystal..."
"Oh," Henry sighed a little. "They're still after you, huh? With the whole competition thing?"
"Yeah. What's up with them, though, and not wanting to tell me about the second round?"
"Takato..." Henry looked at me, sounding like an old man with his exasperated sigh.
"Just tell me," I said, laying back on my bed. "I know you're gonna go all, 'Takato, I don't know if you wanna hear it', but just tell me anyway."
"... Ya sure?"
"Totally sure."
Henry sighed, and started his explanation. "The first round of the contest was them demonstrating a three minute sample of their usual movements, remember that?"
"Yeah, I remember. Same as the boardwalk, pretty much."
"They were awarded by points, in the actual contest."
"I heard all that, before. What does this have anything to do with how they're acting now?" I propped myself up against my bed with my elbow, so I lay at an angle from Henry.
"When they passed the first round, they were told the second round..."
"And?"
"The second round entails a much more different dance... It's a partner dance. Two-person. And... guess who they both wanted to ask."
My eyes grew wide. I knew the answer. The one they were both competing for.
"Crystal and Jeri talked about asking you - they both really wanted to, of course - but they wanted to check with the judges, and you, first."
"Check? With me?"
"Check if you actually wanted to dance with both of them."
"Oh." I sat up crosslegged again, to be at eye level with Henry.
"Rika told the two just now that they're allowed to dance with the same person, they won't be eliminated. But of course... they don't know that you know this, as well as their little 'competition', so... I guess you gotta pretend to be suprised when they ask you."
Henry stood up and left my room. I continued to sit there, with my legs crossed.
"'Pretend to be suprised,'" I muttered to myself. "I don't think I -need- to pretend."
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Yeah, I -so- haven't updated for a while. And this chapter's short... I'm not one for long chapters anymore. oO I keep rereading this and Takato sounds so OOC... bleh. Anyway, enjoy, I suppose.