Chapter 10: Enlightened
A/N: This chapter is a bit shorter than average, but it'll make up for it with huge amounts of fluff. I hope you're ready for it!
She walked up to me and grabbed me lightly by the wrist, biggest smile I'd ever seen on her face.
"Come, dance with me!" She beamed.
I was completely baffled.
Why this woman wanted me of all people to dance with her was something I could not comprehend at all.
I tried saying something, but no words came out.
She guided me to the dance floor, my brain screaming at me to say no or resist.
But I couldn't.
She seemed so excited and happy, I didn't want to ruin that by wussing out.
We stopped in the center, and she grabbed my wrists.
"You know I don't know how to dance, right?" I managed to say.
"I can show you," She said happily, "And it's only for fun, anyway. Nobody will judge you."
"I don't understand why you'd want me to dance with you, though," I said, "Surely there are better people to dance with."
She giggled.
"Well, first of all, you're the only person who's as tall as me, it's hard to do a partner dance with someone who's noticeably shorter than you," She said whimsically, "And also, I don't think you've ever really tried dancing. So who better to show you than me?"
She brought up some good points...
"I guess that's fair," I muttered, "I just have a bad feeling about this."
She smiled.
"Trust me."
I took a deep breath...
And nodded.
"Wonderful," She said, "We'll start out slowly, until you get a feel for it. And if you really don't like it, you can stop at any time. Okay?"
"Sounds good to me," I agreed.
"Fantastic. Follow my lead."
She began to dance, a dance not unlike the one she was doing earlier. I watched her, trying to get an idea of how exactly to begin, and she gave me a patient smile.
After a small bit of time, I took a deep breath.
"Well... here goes nothing," I muttered.
I attempted to copy what she was doing... and I did not do a very good job of it, I knew that much.
Her movements were elegent and graceful. Mine were janky and clumsy... that's putting it nicely.
...I stumbled a few times.
She laughed as she observed me, but it was kind laughter. Not mocking.
... It actually was kinda funny, though.
Tough, serious me, out here making a fool of myself on the dance floor: the last place I expected to see myself.
I began to chuckle as well.
"Let me help you with that," She said, grabbing my wrists again, "Just relax."
I did as she told, taking a deep breath and attempting to relax. It didn't matter, anyway. It was just for fun.
Slowly, as I got more used to the rhythm of the song and dance, I seemed to be doing better. I wasn't stumbling anymore, I seemed to be more in rhythm with her, and I felt like I was being... a bit more graceful.
"Wow!" She exclaimed, "You're learning quickly!"
I shrugged.
"I've always been a fast learner," I replied.
She laughed.
A grin made its way onto my face...
And I decided to just let the music take me.
I was snapped out of it when the song eventually ended.
All the nomads clapped and cheered, and I took a deep breath.
That was... exhausting.
"Well..." I said, "Did I do good?"
"'Good?'" She beamed, "'Good'? You were AMAZING!"
I scoffed.
"Come on..." I muttered, "Just tell me the truth, I can take it."
"If you don't believe me, just look around!" She laughed, "I haven't had this much fun in centuries!"
... Okay then.
I did, and I noticed that everyone was looking at us.
They cheered and clapped again.
"Huh..." I said, "Fancy that."
I turned back to her.
"So... is the festival over now?" I asked.
"Oh, no, the dance lasts for another hour or so yet," She answered, "But it's getting very late, I'm sure Hat Girl must be getting tired by now, so it might be wise for you two to head back home."
I nodded and walked away. It was the middle of the night, she probably was tired-
"Don't expect this to be last time we dance!"
I smirked.
"Should've been expecting that," I chuckled.
I walked over to the kid.
... She looked like she was ready to explode, what with how ecstatic she seemed.
She squealed, grabbed my hands, and began hopping up and down.
"Ohmygoshthatwasthemostamazingthingiveeverseen!" She shouted.
I blinked.
"What? Slow down, kid!" I laughed.
She took a deep breath and calmed herself.
"That... Was... Amazing!" She said, "I'm so happy you did that!"
I smirked.
"Next time, you're coming up, too," I joked.
"Nuh-uh!" She scoffed, shaking her head, "I'd just get in the way. Watching you two was way more fun!"
I chuckled and shook my head.
"If you say so," I muttered.
I sat down, taking a deep sigh, and proceeded to watch Zena dance from afar, again.
"Why did you let her take you to the dance floor, anyway?" The kid asked, "I thought you hated singing and dancing and stuff as much as I did."
I shrugged.
"She was in a good mood, I didn't want to ruin that," I said, "And, with how good she's treated us, especially you, it would've been pretty rude to say no to her, yeah?"
She made a quick 'hm' sound.
"What?" I asked.
"I guess that makes sense," She mused, "But it doesn't matter, cause it was awesome!"
I chuckled, and she sat down next to me.
"I'm really glad we got to meet her," She stated, "She's so thoughtful and caring... we only met her today and yet she's treating us like family."
I nodded.
She was definitely a kind woman, no doubt about that.
"Well, should we head back?" I asked, "It's getting very late."
She nodded.
"I still want to watch those movies... or at least one of them," She said.
"Now? It's the middle of the night, kid!" I chuckled.
"And I'm not one bit tired!" She replied happily, jumping up and striking a pose, "Besides, it's my birthday!"
"Oh, alright," I muttered, getting up, "Let's go say goodbye to Zena."
She nodded, and we walked over to the dance floor.
Zena stopped her dance, turned to us, and waved with a smile.
The kid held a Time Piece to the sky, and we both waved back.
She grabbed my hand, and a few seconds later, we were back at the spaceship.
I took a deep breath.
"Well, I'd say that was pretty fun, wouldn't you?" I asked.
"Definitely!" She replied.
We returned to the main hub, and I sat down in front of the kid's small television.
"Wait here," She said, running off into her bedroom.
She returned a few minutes later with blankets and pillows.
She tossed them at me, a pillow hitting me in the face, blocking my view.
"You're lucky it's your birthday," I chuckled.
"Oh, sure," She muttered.
I moved the pillow away so I could see, and saw her messing around with a DVD player behind the tv.
I put the pillow behind me and laid down on the floor as I watched her do who-knows-what.
A few minutes of her tinkering around back there, and she set the DVD player down atop the television, then opened a movie case and plopped in the dvd.
She grabbed a pillow and plopped it down next to mine, then laid down next to me.
A little bit of button pressing on a remote, and the movie began to play.
It was called Dustdevil... and it took place in a desert.
Probably Conductor's movie. It seemed like it was about a notorious outlaw that went by the name... well... Dustdevil.
I had memories of watching some outlaw movies, so I knew this was going to be interesting, one way or another.
I was distracted from the movie, though, when I felt the kid snuggle into me.
I looked over at her. Her hat had fallen off, she had her arm wrapped around me, and her head was resting against my side.
The sight made my heart melt.
I wrapped my arm around her.
She was just a bundle of purity and joy... I'd do whatever it takes to protect her.
But... I also felt guilty now. She deserved a proper birthday. I couldn't provide that.
"Hey, kid," I muttered quietly.
She looked at me quizzically.
"I'm sorry I couldn't give you a proper birthday."
She snuggled into me more.
"Don't say that," She said, "This has been one of the best days of my life, if not the best. I couldn't have asked for anything better. And even then... just being able to live this life I'm living now... that's enough of a birthday gift for me."
I smiled and ruffled her hair.
"Now let's watch the movie, okay?" She asked.
"Alright, kid."
The movie ended up being pretty fantastic. Dustdevil ended up having a tragic backstory, and in the end he died being a diversion for the law so his friends could get away after a failed train heist.
... And apparently it was based on a true story.
No wonder the Conductor was fascinated by western stuff so much.
I yawned.
What time was it...? It must've been extremely late...
"Probably time for bed, eh, kid?" I said.
No reply.
"Kid?"
I looked over at her, to find her sound asleep.
It made me stop.
She looked so happy... so tranquil...
Waking her up was no option.
So, I slowly and carefully moved her arm off of me, then slowly and carefully stood up.
She was still sleeping like a baby.
I turned off the tv, put her hat on my shoulder, and gently picked her up.
"Let's get you to bed, kiddo."
I walked into her bedroom and gently tucked her in. I also placed her hat on her nightstand.
I looked at her again and smiled.
"Sweet dreams, kid," I whispered, "And happy birthday."
I turned off the lights and went to bed.
A/N: Were you ready? So adorable...
Now, I know absolutely NOTHING about dancing lingo and whatnot, so I really took a shot in the dark with this chapter. But I'd say I did pretty well!
Well, now that the birthday arc is finished, it's time for our two favourite protagonists to be put to work. By who, you ask? I dunno! You'll have to find out next chapter.
Review time:
Xenuro: Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I thought it'd be a nice addition to see what happened with Moustache Girl after Cooking Cat took her in.
And yeah, Zena's robe is pretty similar to a kimono, at least how I imagined it. Except her robe has a hood.
(And, oh, you're shipping the two, now, as well? Why am I not surprised? Hahaha)
Well, that's all for this chapter, folks. See ya soon.
