Disclaimer: I own nothing except for irrelevant characters and this lame plot.
A/N: I'm considering making a sequel or companion piece to this story. But instead of focusing on Mei and Xiang, it would be about Yao and Arthur. What do you think?
The next two weeks proved to be hard for Mei. For one, she rehearsed for hours every day for the ballet. Secondly, she hadn't spoken to Xiang since that day in the deli. And last, the harassment from the other dancers did not cease, actually it got worse. Mei was subject to all sorts of abuse from being laughed at and ridiculed by her own peers to being shoved around and having her belongings stolen from her. While the ladies in her company were acting like immature pre-teen girls, the men did not hesitate to ask Mei for sexual favors, furthering her humiliation.
It was scary. Not having Xiang around to talk to or comfort her while the teen endured this type of drama. It seemed as if she had no friends. Not even Natalia stepped up and supported the poor girl. Fortunately for Mei, Yong Soo helped her out during this time. And not only because he was obligated to as her dance partner, he wanted to and he turned into a reliable friend.
That evening, Mei was lounging around the company after practice, waiting for Yao to pick her up. It was pretty quiet; she assumed everyone just left the building. The girl sighed. She was absolutely dying of boredom so the Taiwanese teen trudged to the backstage area to have a look around.
Because Mei was the lead in Taiyo's upcoming ballet, she was given her own personal dressing room and she had been using the thing pretty frequently. It was a good perk! Especially because she could have her own privacy and not deal with the drama that her fellow dancers were instigating. Her dressing room was a solemn place for Mei. She could relax and refresh her mind before and after a hard day's work and she could just…escape.
Mei thought nothing when she unlocked the door and turned on the lights to her dressing room. The lights surrounding her mirrors created an illuminating glow that radiated throughout the entirety of the room. Usually, Mei would see some novelties from home like her stuffed tiger and photo of her and Yao, but when Mei peered into the room, she knew someone was in there.
Everything. Everything in her drawers and closet was scattered across the floor. She looked to the left with a silent gasp and saw that her favorite stuffed tiger was literally ripped to shreds. The poor cotton feline didn't stand a chance. Looking to the right, all of her ballet outfits were on the floor, ripped and destroyed by some kind of substance which Mei assumed was all of her lotions and perfumes. The most devastating sight, though, was when she looked on her table and saw the precious photo of her, her brother, and her parents…smashed. The one thing she cherished was smashed to bits because of a rumor and petty jealousy.
It didn't even matter that the word "whore" was written in lipstick on her mirror.
Mei bent down and began to pick up the remains of her little tiger, piece by piece and threw it into the trash. She proceeded to pick up the glass shards from the picture frame and threw them away, as well. When the last shard fell into the trash bin, Mei wiped the tears from her wet cheeks and sniffled softly. This was exactly the response her harassers wanted but Mei didn't care. The only question she had was "Why?"
In the orchestra room, an array of emotions overcame Xiang; anxiety, happiness and something that he hadn't felt in a while…hope. During the last two weeks, Xiang was working hard on his part for the ballet and composing his own original piece. Luckily for him, Roderich had enough time in his schedule to see the boy about his music and Xiang was elated.
The Asian teen sat all by his lonesome as he waited for Roderich to arrive. And when the conductor did arrive, Xiang stood up and greeted the other with a handshake.
"Hello there, Xiang. Can we make this quick? I have other engagements to attend to." The Austrian male ran a hand through his slick brunette hair and took a seat. He looked tired and annoyed. Xiang didn't blame him, as this was Roderich's umpteenth time looking at Xiang's music.
"Of course," Xiang sat down next to the man and handed him a black folder. "I've worked hard on it."
"I'm sure." Roderich opened up the folder and scanned the music that was written in it, humming the notes to himself. This mad Xiang even more anxious. The folder, the humming, it was just like the other times Xiang had come forward with his music. It was a routine that he had grown used to and the fact that he was in the same situation once more did not settle Xiang's unease.
Slowly, Roderich's handsome features softened, giving the teen a spark of hope. "Wow…" he exhaled, closing the folder and handing it to the cellist. "This…this is lovely."
"Thank you," Xiang said, trying to contain his joy.
"I always knew you were capable of writing something of this caliber. All you needed to do was hone in- oh…?" The Austrian stopped midsentence to pick up a piece of sheet music that was on the floor. "And what is this? 'Of Plum Blossoms.'" Roderich eyed the paper.
"Oh. That's just something I wrote..." Xiang explained. It was the song that he had written for Mei. He never even got a chance to play it for her before all the drama occurred. Xiang would probably be embarrassed that someone was reading it but now, he couldn't care less.
Xiang watched his boss look over the music and noticed a widening of the eyes. The Asian teen's eyes widened as well but in apprehension. "Something wrong?" he inquired.
"Xiang…? May I be honest with you?" Xiang nodded in response, his anxiety apparent. "This is so much more beautiful than the first song."
The younger man's mouth widened into a small letter O. "Really…?" Frankly, Xiang thought his boss's comment was weird to say the least. But who was he to question Roderich's opinion? The man was a musical genius, after all.
"Ja! Both are wonderful but this possesses a light and pleasant air that the other one doesn't give. The first one was dark. May I ask what inspired them?"
Xiang swallowed spit and hesitated for a moment. "A…a girl," he whispered.
"Both?" Roderich probed with raised eyebrows.
The teenager nodded. "I wrote 'Of Plum Blossoms' when I loved her. And 'Deceit's Dance' when she broke my heart."
"Ah…" Roderich murmured. "You write better when you're in love."
"Excuse me?"
"Both are splendid pieces but the love inspired one is better. To be honest, pieces inspired by hate can be unpleasant no matter how perfect every note is written."
"I see…"
"How about this: I'll take both pieces of music and consider them for an upcoming concert."
Xiang's face lit up like a birthday candle when he heard this news. "Really? Sounds amazing!"
Roderich nodded and smiled softly. "You have a talent," he commented. "I'll get back to you with the details of the concert once they have been finalized." Xiang agreed and with that, both men nodded and Roderich departed while Xiang gathered his belongings while basking in the glory of his lifelong accomplishment.
After all of his hard work, finally…finally Xiang would get a chance for his music to shine. It's funny, though, how Roderich preferred the song written about Xiang's love for Mei. Strangely enough, Xiang liked it too; he liked the song and being in love with the girl. Although he felt that she had betrayed him, deep down Xiang wanted to make amends with his beloved. He wanted to show her how his intense love for her made his dreams come true. But would she even talk to him after he so rudely dismissed her?
Almost weekly, a sinful fumble of flesh united Natalia and Kiku. It was their thing. It was their routine. And Natalia felt it was her only way to stardom. She didn't love the man, though. Although, she wouldn't admit it, the Belarusian enjoyed her nights with her boss. It disgusted her at times but she could not control her bodily urges.
Kiku felt exactly the same. Natalia was there to get the job done and when she was all used up, he would cast her aside and play with the next new shiny toy. Unfortunately for Kiku, the pretty Taiwanese Barbie doll he had his eye on wouldn't come cheap.
The two laid in bed in deep silence. Kiku got up and buttoned up his shirt while Natalia stayed indecent under the tainted sheets.
"Did you hear about Mei?" she asked casually.
The Japanese man's ears perked up. "What about her?"
"She was getting harassed by some girls because of some nasty rumors going around."
"…how nasty?"
"The worst," Natalia sighed. "I feel so bad for her."
"What exactly have people said?"
"Oh…she slept around with a bunch of guys."
"Is that so…?" Natalia nodded in response. Really, now? When Kiku tried to get Mei to lay with him, she kicked his ass but now he's hearing all of this other stuff about the girl. Could it be true? Or is it fiction?
"Do you believe them?" Natalia prodded.
"I…I'll have to go into further investigation. But I have absolutely no reason not to. I'll probably kick her out. " That's what she had coming…sleeping with those other guys and not me. How dare she? Kiku inwardly told himself.
Natalia's orbs literally popped out of her skull. "Really?" The man nodded. "Wow…" Natalia tried her best to look saddened but when Kiku turned his back to pull up his trousers, the pale haired girl couldn't help but to smirk. Her plan was falling right into place.