Last part! And I'll put up the next one a.s.a.p. Now sit back, read and enjoy!

The Spring Festival (& Play) pt.2

"OK, so where do you think we should start?" Yumi asked, sitting down on her bed.
Ulrich sat down on the other side and nervously flicked through his script.
"Uh, how about Act 2: Scene 5?" he said
Yumi opened her mouth to answer when she stopped and glanced at her door.
Gustering to Ulrich to continue speaking she stood up and started tip-toeing to her door. "Uh, Ok so then I'll start and you can follow afterwards" he said, puzzled.
"Just what do you think your doing!" Yumi roared, pulling open her door.
"AAH!" Hiroki screamed, fall back in fright.
"Ow!" he groaned as he landed on hard on the floor.
"Serves you right" Yumi grinned "Now go away Hiroki, or else"
Hiroki stuck his tongue out at her and walked away.
Yumi closed the door, sighed "Brothers" and walked back to Ulrich.
"Where were we?" she asked, sitting down and picking up her script.
"Act 2: Scene 5?" Ulrich said.
Yumi read the lines. "This is so stupid" she said.
Clearing her throat she read the lines, trying to sound Shakespearean.
"Oh, what will happen to me?" she moaned "Who will save me from this horrible fate? Is there a man out there brave enough - What?" she asked as Ulrich started laughing. He tried to answer but was laughing to hard to say anything.
Yumi tried to be cross, but gave in and started laughing as well.
"This is almost as bad as Nick's play" Ulrich said, his shoulders still shaking from all that laughter. Yumi nodded, still trying to stifle her giggles.

Till late afternoon they stayed in her room, practicing their lines and scenes over and over, occasionally falling to victim to laughing fits every now and again, until they reached the scene that Ulrich had hoped to avoid.
"Act 6: Scene 1 - The Rescue." Yumi read.
"So now the princess gets rescued from the evil wizard by the prince, the wizard dies in battle and then the prince and princess live... happily..." she stopped as she read what happened before the play ended.
She looked up at Ulrich, blushing. "Yep, they kiss" Ulrich said, blushing too.

"But that would mean that William and I'd have to..." she said.
Ulrich nodded.
"Forget about it for now" he said, 'otherwise I won't' he thought. "and let's continue"
"Ok, so then let's do the last scene" Yumi said.

"Uh, Ok" Ulrich gulped.
Yumi picked up her script. "Thank you, noble prince, for rescuing me from that evil menace" she read, moving closer to Ulrich.
"It was nothing, fair princess. That's what one does when one's in love" he read, moving closer as well.
"You love me?" Yumi read, and looked into Ulrich's eyes.
"Yes" Ulrich said, leaning forward.
Knock Knock "Can I come in?" Yumi's mom's mom asked.
They jumped back from each other, blushing slightly.
"Uh, yeah, come in Mom" Yumi said, picking up her script.
Her mom opened the door and stuck in her head.
"Just wanted to know if you kids would like something?"
'Yeah, privacy' Yumi thought. "No mom, we're fine thanks" she said.
When her mom left Ulrich glanced down at his watch and saw how late it was.
"Uh oh, better started heading back to the dorms." He grabbed his script and opened the door. Yumi walked with him to the front door.
"See at school tomorrow" he said, trying to keep his voice light.
"At the play" she said, and closed the door.
"At the play" he said, and walked back to school.

Ulrich opened one eye and groaned.
"Odd, do you really have to do that right now?" he grumbled.
"Last minute practice" Odd said, retuning his guitar strings a bit before playing again. Ulrich looked at his clock and groaned again.
"It's only five am. Can't you wait till six or something?" he asked.
"Why? I'm not disturbing your royal sleep am I?" Odd smirked.
"Ha ha" Ulrich said.
He rolled over to his side and tried to fall asleep again, but even with his earplugs Odd's playing kept waking him up.
He stood up, got dressed and walked down to the school grounds to check out the decorations. The trees were trailing long white and green streamers that floated in the morning breeze with long tables in front of them for the different stalls that would be up soon.
Ulrich walked past the auditorium and sighed, thinking once again about the play.
Well, actually that was all he'd been thinking about for the last few days.
And unfortunately his dream of William vanishing of the face off the earth (or just getting a cold) hadn't come true either.
"Hey Ulrich!"
Ulrich jumped and saw Jim walking towards him.
"What are you doing up so early?" Jim asked, eying him suspiciously.
"Uh, just thought I'd come down and see if anyone needed any help?" Ulrich said.
"We have all the helpers we need all ready" Jim said, " Now get back up to your dorm and try to get some sleep. You'll it for the play"
"Yeah, sure Jim" Ulrich said, the mention of the play deepening his gloom

By late morning the school had seemed to turn into a fair, with lots of people bustling and talking, buying fruit here and there while playing the games set up like ring toss and dart throw.
In the auditorium Mr. Chardin was amazing the kids with his feats of speed.
"No, no, lift it higher!" he shouted at the boys operating the curtains.
"Where are all the choir members? I count 8 out of 10!"
"Are your sure there is enough seating?"
"Do you think he might explode?" Odd asked,sitting on the auditorium stairs and watching with his friends as the arts teacher flittered about.
"Naw, that wouldn't stop him" said Gavin, the boy Odd had been talking to during the auditions. "He'd probably just haunt the play"
While the two of them snickered Ulrich looked around trying to find Yumi.
He felt a tug on his sleeve and found Aelita at his shoulder.
She pointed to the one side of the curtained stage with her eyes.
He smiled and walked off to the side stage.
"Hey Ulrich, ready for the play?" Yumi asked, fiddling with the tiara on her head.
"Um, yeah sure" he said, trying to sound positive.
He knew she wasn't buying it when she looked up at him with sad look.
"I'm sorry Ulrich. I wish it was you, really" she said.
"I know" he said, moving closer to her. He moved forward to kiss her when a suddenly crash made them both jump.
"Uh oh!" they heard a muffled response from the other side of curtain.

"What happened!" Mr Chardin asked as two boys picked up the stretcher they'd gotten from Dorothy and carried the knocked-out William away, a massive bump on his forehead.
"Sorry Mr Chardin" Odd said, looking sheepish. "I was talking with my friends when William came walking by. I wanted to wish him luck in the play, but tripped when I walked down the steps and fell. Unfortunately I was still holding the guitar in one hand and it kinda, well, hit him."
Mr Chardin looked like he was about to explode (or at least have a heart attack)
"Ulrich!" he suddenly gasped, spying him and Yumi walking up to them.
"My boy, how well do you know the script?" he asked in a quivering voice.
"Very well sir. I've been rehearsing with Yumi -"
"Fabulous!" Mr Charding cut him off. "Quickly, get dressed in your costume. The show starts in a few minutes. Odd, what about the music?" He asked.
"Oh don't worry sir, the guitar's not broken. I can still play" Odd said, winking at Ulrich.

Ulrich felt like he was in a daze. The play seemed to flash past with no mishaps, and in no time they had reached Act 6.
Ulrich was starting to feel a little queasy. There were 3 reasons for this:
1. He was going to have to kiss Yumi in front of all these people.
2. He had spotted both his parents and brother as well as Yumi's parents in the audience.
3. He could feel Odd grinning at him (and imagine him doing thumbs up) behind his back.
"Thank you, noble prince, for rescuing me from that evil menace" Yumi said.
"It was nothing, fair princess. That's what one does when one's in love" he said.
"You love me?" Yumi said.
"Always" he said, and kissed her full on the mouth.
The audience applauded, and Ulrich hoped they wouldn't notice the blushes on his and Yumi's face. As the people started exiting the auditorium and everyone started to clear up the stage, Ulrich and Yumi headed for the fair with their friends.
Ulrich felt Yumi give his hand a little squeeze. He glanced her way and saw her smiling at him.
"So Ulrich, now that you've saved the princess and banished the evil wizard to the infirmary" Odd grinned, "what new quest will you partake in now?"
"Well first I'm going to buy you a drink" Ulrich said.
"Cool" Odd said.
"Then I'm going to pour it over you for that dumb pun just now"
Odd laughed, and pretended to be afraid.
"And then... well, we'll see what happens then" Ulrich said, squeezing Yumi's hand back.

End