Liahime - "Thorns" is possibly the best fanfic I've ever written and you finally motivated me to get off my lazy Tamer-fanfic-writing butt and start typing. xD
Lancin - For keeping me one of the happiest people around.
Mrs. Chang - My new dance teacher. For making me realise how hard Dance is...
Derek - For coming back into my life, 'nuff said
You guys - All you readers and reviewers out there help tons.
I'll talk more at the end of this. Read, review, enjoy, etc!
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A week and a half had slid by since that night of confusion, but it felt like forever since then. I arose sleepishly from my afternoon nap, slipping out of my bed, but I felt awake soon afterwards. My naps had become frequent, and for a good reason - I spent early mornings, as well as late nights, preparing for the second round of the rigorous competition. Practice started at those times and I wanted the energy to move about without crashing into a wall.
I walked around, trying to grab my sense of time. I heard very little sound and it was hard to see, nocturne cloaking the area. I decided it was probably 8:30 PM, at the latest, and headed towards Crystal's room.
I creaked the door open, peeping my head in. "Crys...?"
A small cough emitted from the bed, and I let myself in. "Feeling any better?"
"Not much," The voice replied, and I saw Crys push the sheets away from her head. "I hate being sick."
"I know. I can tell."
"How's Jeri's lessons going?"
"Not too bad. I still have no idea what I'm doing when I dance though..."
"She'll tell you soon enough. Or you'll find out. Either one."
"Anything you want me to practice for our routine tonight?"
"Nah... not tonight. I'm still not well enough to get up."
"When do you think you'll be better?"
"I have no clue... most likely a few days before the second round."
"Do you think you'll win?"
I heard her rustle around in the dark, and I could make out the faint outline of what looked like a slightly bothered look. A small sigh emitted from her mouth.
"Honest? I don't think I will."
I reached out for Crystal's hand and pat it with my own. "You have some pretty tough competition... but I think you can beat it."
I saw a faint smile in the dark, and she laughed. "We'll see how it goes soon."
"All right," I stood up, and leaned over, kissing her cheek lightly. "You should rest."
She nodded, and smiled. "Talk to you soon, Takato."
A slight creaking noise emit from the door as I closed it lightly, trying hard not to make any startling noises. As I tugged the door shut, I heard a voice behind me.
"What're you doing up?"
I jumped slightly. I whipped around, and there infront of me, Jeri stood with her hands on her hips.
"Uhm... hi."
"What're you doing up?" She repeated.
"Checking on Crys... I was hoping she was feeling better."
"Guess not, ne?"
"Yeah..."
"I hope she gets better soon," Jeri said, looking down with a concerned look. "She really is a great dancer, and it's fun being in a competition with her."
I must've had an odd look on my face, because Jeri soon questioned, "Is something wrong?"
"Th-that just caught me off guard."
"Off guard?"
"Well..." I shuffled my feet around. "You two seemed like rivals, of the sort."
Jeri laughed slightly, and it lingered in the hall, breaking the silence of the night. I looked at her curiously, and she spoke.
"We're not rivals. We just happen to be competitors in the same competition."
"True," I said, with a slight smirk. Competitors in the same competition over me, I thought.
I felt a slight tug on my hand, and Jeri stood off to the side, her fingers touching my palm slightly. "Wanna go outside?"
"Sure."
We walked through the halls, passing by doors that were left open. I glanced in one and I saw Rika sleeping, as well as Renamon in the corner, the fox sitting with her knees wrapped close to her fennec body and her tail curled up at her feet. She opened her eye slightly at the sound of feet against the wooden floors. She looked curiously at us, but gave a hesitant but accepting nod as we passed.
Jeri opened the flimsy wooden door, and wind brushed against our faces letting the cold night are in. She lead me down the steps, as I stared up at the sky, bright and clear, with dark clouds hanging low and swirling slowly but endlessly in the night breeze.
"Wow... It's nice out here..." I heard her whisper.
"Are you cold, at all?"
"No, I'm okay."
An awkward silence fell afterwards. I studied Jeri's face, and it seemed... lost, somewhere.
I don't remember how it happened, but I remember her taking my hand, and suddenly smiling.
"What is it?" I asked her. Her spontaneous smile seemed peculiar.
"Do you want to dance?"
"Wha?"
"C'mon. I know you haven't seen our dance put altogether." I saw Jeri smile again. "Here's your chance to see it."
I had a smirk on my face, and I replied, "Well, all right. Just tell me which part you want me to put together with the rest."
She nodded, and I took her in my arms, and she whispered the directions to me. I swung her outwards, sand flying into the air from her foot brushing against the surface of it, and the weight of her body balanced on her right foot, holding my hand lightly for balance. I couldn't even feel her within my touch as we moved about.
The feelings as I felt while I danced were amazing. Honestly. I don't really know how to explain it, but it was a mixture of excitement and energy and... emotions, I suppose. My mind felt as if it was drifting about in a wonderful place as I danced. In fact, it didn't even feel like I was dancing - it was like I was gliding against the silver sands of the beach.
I felt Jeri fall into my arms one last time, and she looked at me with a small, gentle smile.
"Well...?" She asked. "Like my choreography?"
"Like it?" I grabbed her hands. "I didn't just like it! It was amazing, it was full of emotion, it was--"
"Good, I'm guessing?"
"It was..." I tried to put my finger on an analogy. "It was like falling inlove! It made me feel like I was flying, as if I had grown wings and soared through the skies and... I feel like I fell inlove all over again, all those emotions felt exactly like that.."
I saw Jeri blush slightly. "Well, I'm glad you like it at least." She had a slight hint of pride as she spoke, but I could tell she was trying to supress it.
Suddenly, I felt my arms wrap around her. I saw Jeri's cheeks flush a slight crimson color.
"What're you doing?" The faintest whisper escaped from her mouth, as she stood stunned.
"Is there something wrong with what I'm doing?" My voice was faint as well, almost raspy at the low tone of it. The words slid off my tongue calmly, but at the same time shaky for some reason. 'What am I doing?' I asked myself. My thoughts had the same question that Jeri had asked. What was I doing, anyway? I couldn't seem to control my own body at that moment, and I couldn't seem to do anything to stop myself.
I felt Jeri turn in my embrace, her eyes facing directly straight into mine. She shifted uneasily, but I felt my grip on her stay tight.
"This isn't... right, I suppose."
"Why not?"
"Because... because..." I heard Jeri stutter, her eyes shifting their glance off to the side. She could not seem to look me in the eye.
I leaned close to her, my face directly next to hers. "I won't tell if you don't."
"What? Takato, is there something wrong with you?"
'There is something wrong with me... What the heck am I doing?' I felt like part of me was watching myself externally, as if I was watching a movie. But I couldn't do anything about it. My sanity was gone. My control over my body was gone. I had no idea what to do, and things felt chaotic in my mind, and yet so calm without it in my body.
My body continued to control itself. "Yeah, there is something," I heard my voice say.
"What is it?"
"I..." I closed my eyes, breathing in sharply. 'What the heck are you doing, Takato?' My thoughts were screaming at me now, desperately trying to awaken my puppeteered body. 'What's going on? Why are you acting so weird around Jeri?'
I felt myself wrap my arms around her again, and my mouth blurting out something I knew I never should've said.
"I can't seem to tell myself I'm not inlove with you anymore."
Jeri had a blank expression on her face. She looked like she was caught between petrified and confused, and she seemed just as confused as my thoughts were.
Suddenly, I felt her lips against mine, and my thoughts were screaming, shouting, wailing at me desperately. They seemed in chaos overdrive and I could do nothing of it. But once again Jeri took the actions of my thoughts and pushed me away, looking at me with great fear in her eyes, and I stood dimwittedly as I saw her dash back inside.
My mind seemed to slip gradually back into my body, and I continued to stand helplessly on the beach. I fell down to my knees, confused and more emotionally burdened than ever.
"Wh-what..." I roughly whispered, "What in the world just went on...?"
--
Wow! This chapter took me about a month the first time I wrote it, a week the second time, and now about three days the third. Yes, this was rewritten three times - the first two times I was never pleased enough.
I started taking dance PE at school. It's actually really fun, and now I know how to describe dances a lot better - I never really watched people dance as much before, but now that I'm doing it on my own I know how to describe in detail each turn and movement. I'm now a sophmore in high school and doing pretty well, my grading period is a week from finishing.
Anyway, what you guys are all probably wondering is what's with my thanks and me talking about my real life again. Well, my life did a repeat of this fanfic. My exboyfriend came back to me out of no where and asked if he could be my friend again. I almost ended up cheating on my current boyfriend, and things became a really big mess. A lot of the stuff I wrote down just now is exactly how I felt when things started becoming a mess - even the dialogue is similar. Things have been sorted out (kinda), but I'm going to take that as an inference of what to write for a little while.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'm SUPER sorry that I have not updated this story in who knows how long now... I'll try writing more a bit sooner.