Love is Just a Word
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"Who, being loved, is poor?"
-Oscar Wilde
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She sighed; physically, she was totally relaxed. Mentally, as always, she was fighting the urge to scream. Then the speakers boomed the intro to her song. She plastered on her stage smile and slowly parted the dark curtains with her silky, white gloves.
There's only two types of people in the world
The ones that entertain and the ones that observe
Tomoka strolled out onto the floor after the first line. Her shining red lips parted and her pink tongue darted out to lick the corner of her mouth sensually.
Well baby I'm a put on a show kind of girl
Don't like the backseat, gotta be first
She swaggered up to the pole in the middle of the raised floor and circled it slowly.
I'm like the ring leader
I call the shots
I'm like a firecracker
I make it hot
Her black leather heels glinting in the spotlight, she stomped off to the edge of the stage.
When I put on a show
I feel the adrenaline moving through my veins
Spotlight on me and I'm ready to break
This was her third time dancing in an hour. Damn, she hated Saturdays. She'd better be getting a nice bonus for this.
I'm like a performer
The dance floor is my stage
Better be ready
Hope that you feel the same
Showing off her pearly whites to the crowd, she snapped her horse crop against her black, fishnet, thigh-high stocking and adjusted the black, sparkling top hat that rested proudly atop her hair which was pinned back into a tight bun. She turned slowly on the spot to give the audience of sweaty, unattractive men a good, long look at her bright red G-string.
All eyes on me in the center of the ring just like a circus
When I crack that whip everybody gon' trip just like a circus
Don't stand there watching me
Follow me, show me what you can do
Everybody let go
We can make a dance floor just like a circus
She marched proudly back to the pole and took a firm hold of it. She straddled it for a second before hopping up and raising herself onto the pole by squeezing it firmly between her legs. She heard the wolf-whistles and cat-calls and inwardly grimaced in disgust.
There's only two types of guys out there
One's that can hang with me
And one's that are scared
So baby I'ma hope that you came prepared
I run a tight ship, so beware
She spun slowly around the pole and flashed her dazzling, stage smile once again. Then she leaned back further and thrust her breasts forward. She froze for a moment, and let the light shine off her sparkling gold bra, hidden under her very small, black vest.
I'm like a ring leader
I call the shots
I'm like a firecracker
I make it hot
Tomoka tilted back up and came out of her spin. That's when she caught sight of him standing by the door. It wasn't like this was the first time she saw him there, but every time she did her heart caught in her throat for a moment.
I feel the adrenaline moving through my veins
Spotlight on me and I'm ready to break
I'm like a performer the dance floor is my stage
Better be ready
Hope that you feel the same
Suddenly there was no one else in the room but him and her. She was schoolgirl again, awkward and clumsy, and she wanted nothing more than to be sexy for him. So she swallowed the lump in her throat and continued through her routine, her eyes hardly leaving his.
All eyes on me in the center of the ring just like a circus
When I crack that whip everybody gon' trip just like a circus
Don't stand there watching me
Follow me, show me what you can do
Everybody let go
We can make a dance floor just like a circus
She twisted toward the crowd, unbuttoning her vest and letting it slide off her arms and unto the floor, her body now on auto-pilot. Though her back was to him, she could feel his eyes on her still and her smile was genuine for the first time that night.
Let's go
Let me see what you can do
I'm runnin' this (like like like like a circus)
Yeah
Like a what? (like like like like a circus)
She swaggered slowly toward the edge of the stage, where she was showered by money. She bent down slowly and picked up a considerable wad of bills. She slipped them into her bra and blew a kiss to the audience.
All eyes on me in the center of the ring just like a circus
When I crack that whip everybody gon' trip just like a circus
Don't stand there watching me
Follow me, show me what you can do
Everybody let go
We can make a dance floor just like a circus
She cracked her horse crop once again ran her hand up her thigh slowly. She sank into a crouch and flashed her knees apart quickly, before snapping them shut again. She followed through with other finishing poses, her mind never wandering far from her observer by the door.
All eyes on me in the center of the ring just like a circus
When I crack that whip everybody gon' trip just like a circus
Don't stand there watching me
Follow me, show me what you can do
Everybody let go
We can make a dance floor just like a circus
The song came to its final chords and Tomoka was leaning forward giving the audience a final look down her chest. Suddenly a very drunk member of the audience leapt out of his seat and attempted to climb onto the stage.
She squeaked in shock, her trance broken.
The man grabbed her ankle; she lost her balance and fell backward. She dropped her horse crop as she managed to twist and catch herself before she hit her head. The weaved-in, fake bun pinned to the back of her hair loosened and fell out with her impact. Her hat shortly followed suit.
She looked back at the male who had ensnared her ankle in time to see him have an army of bodyguards descend upon him. Her silent observer was one of the first people to grab the intoxicated individual. He carefully peeled the man's hand off her ankle, looked her deep in the eyes, and gave her a charming smile and a wink. Then he and the other body guards, all matching in their tight, black muscle tees and khaki pants, carried the offender toward the door. There he was expelled into the side alley followed by a call of the eternal motto of the bodyguards working at Club Sterling.
"DON'T TOUCH THE DANCERS!"
After shutting and locking the door once again, Horio turned and gave Tomoka a once over. He looked up at her position on the raised floor, her hair disheveled and her props strewn about her. The rest of his coworkers were settling the crowd back down. Primarily warning the inebriated man's friends that the next time they came they had better watch themselves or they would be banned.
Horio threw her concerned look and mouthed the words 'You OK'.
She gave him a small smile and a short nod before she picked herself up and started to gather all of her tips scattered about the floor.
--
Horio smashed open the door with his foot and started waltzing out of the building. He froze halfway through and leaned against the large gray door as an afterthought. He gestured his hands through it. Tomoka gave him a cheeky grin and walked through the doorway first.
"Feeling gentlemanly tonight?" She asked with a laugh and then swung her gym bag over her shoulder. She then shuddered slightly and pulled her jacket tighter around her. This was typical weather for the end of November and she had prepared for it, but she wished that she had the cash for a heavier coat.
"You worked a double shift; I figure ya earned it" he grinned flirtatiously. "Now you want me to sweep ya off yer feet?" She heard his accent faintly and that made her smile even more. While working for the Sterling you picked up the accent, everyone seemed to be from Osaka there. Some people thought that the Kansai accent that they both had acquired was scary. If you asked Tomoka she would tell you that she had never heard a sweeter sound.
"Hell yeah; my feet are killin' me!" She groaned and slumped as if an invisible weight was upon her.
Sure enough he quickly grabbed the backs of her legs, swept her off her feet and started carrying her bridal style.
She squeaked in surprise. "I didn't think you would really do it…" She snuggled into his warmth. "…You gonna cook dinner when we get home too?" She asked sneakily.
He looked awkward. "Well, I was kinda hoping…"
She sighed and then replied sternly. "We can't eat at Sakuno-chan's."
"Why not?" He exploded. "We've been eating dinner there way longer than Momo has; why are we the ones that get pushed out!" he stomped angrily toward the car.
He set her down and she got in the car. He slammed the door sulkily and stomped around to the driver's side of the car.
Tomoka rolled her eyes at his childishness.
He got in, secured his seatbelt, and started up the car. He pulled out of the parking lot, waving to the guard manning the gate as he did so. When they got on the street Tomoka decided to be practical.
"Listen, we can't make her cook tonight. Today's Saturday; Sakuno works both her jobs today and she'll be tired. But we'll visit her for lunch tomorrow, okay?" She reasoned.
He grumbled. "Fine, but can't we go to Taka's then or something? I'm sick of Ramen!" he whined.
"You and your stomach; I thought Momo was the big eater." Tomoka said pointedly.
"He is; I'm just picky." He smirked and she smacked his arm.
"Well you should be glad we have what we've got. Don't be expecting Sakuno to always be there to stuff your gut with home cooking." She lectured. "She's got her own faces to feed like that tank she calls a dog and now she's got to feed Momo."
Horio chuckled. "And he counts as two people."
"Exactly; so just because you're a brat don't be begging Sakuno for hand-outs. We've both got jobs, we're adults, and we can feed ourselves."
"Yeah, but until we can afford an oven we're stuck with microwave food. I'm getting sick of it!" he whined again.
"You baby; I've been living like this since high school. It's not a big deal." She stubbornly proclaimed.
He was saddened at the mention of her way of life.
Keeping a hand on the wheel, he reached over and grabbed her hand which rested on the seat. She turned to look at him and they shared a loving look for a second.
"It's not a big deal." He repeated quietly.
Then he looked back at the road ahead and she looked out the slightly fogged, passenger window. A contented smile graced her face. They held hands the rest of the ride to Takashi's restaurant.
--
Tomoka walked into the small restaurant and immediately got a sense of déjà vu. Not only was Taka behind the counter cooking sushi, but there was Eiji sitting at a stool, Fuji sitting at a booth and Sakuno sitting opposite him.
It was like she had stepped back into the past, only no one was in tennis uniforms and Sakuno was soaking her feet in a tub of steaming water. As soon as she and Horio entered the restaurant everyone turned to them and greeted them with warm smiles. Of course since those days everyone had grown and matured.
Eiji hadn't changed much look wise, but anyone who knew him before could tell that having that teaching job had really matured him. It was good for him. He had always been the youngest sibling in his family. So to have to take care of children younger than he was a life changing kind of experience.
Fuji was still very effeminate, especially when you compared him to Momo or Taka who had become taller and stronger with age. But unlike them, Fuji had a type of fierceness to him that terrified lesser people. He had become an entrepreneur of sorts; at least that's what he told people. What he actually sold…well that was the mystery. His personality hadn't changed much; he was still cruel, manipulative and callously blunt.
Sakuno hadn't grown much at all since high school. She was only around 5'1'', but she had definitely grown curvier, which was expected. Just look at the girl's grandmother; that woman was stacked! Her hair was shorter; she had it cut shortly after she and Ryoma's breakup while seeking a new look. Though recently, she decided she didn't like it and she was in the process of growing it back. When it was down it rested mid-back.
She had matured with age and loss like everyone eventually does. Tomoka wondered where she got the strength she had sometimes. Other times, it was like nothing ever changed, like they were still in middle school. They were young and untouched by life's scars. But they never focused on the bad things, Sakuno wouldn't allow it. She helped move them forward, she helped keep them smiling.
"Welcome friends!" Taka greeted kindly.
"Hoi, Hoi; Tomo-chan, Horio, How's it going?" Eiji smiled happily.
"Hey Tomo-chan, Horio-kun." Sakuno calmly acknowledged, looking exhausted, but happy to see them.
"I haven't talked to you since the wedding, Horio." Fuji said easily, seemingly not noticing how everyone else in the restaurant visibly winced. That was only a week-and-a-half ago, the wounds were still sore. Sakuno even glared viciously at the offender.
"Yeah, speaking of which, where's Momo?" Tomoka asked uneasily.
Sakuno leaned back in her seat and sighed. "He's at his parents for the day. We're seeing if that cheers him up any." She replied, looking worried.
"Was he…okay with that?" Tomoka asked carefully. "A couple days ago you could barely leave to go to the bathroom." She said with a forced laugh, giving her best friend a concerned look.
"Well…he didn't leave without a fight…" Sakuno said cautiously. Everyone gave her worried looks.
"Oh he didn't hurt me!" She hurriedly assured. "He just wouldn't even let go of my hand until I promised him that I would have my cell phone and that I would call him."
"Then what happened to your feet?" Tomoka inquired.
"I was doing errands for my boss half the day. And then I worked a double shift at the diner. Whoever invented heels was a sadist." Sakuno replied with exhaustion saturating her tone.
"Oh yeah? How's that working out? I know you said yesterday that you didn't think you could take much more of that diner." Tomoka commented as she strolled over to the booth and slid on to the bench next to Sakuno. Horio followed quietly but instead chose to sit on a stool at the bar.
"I couldn't." Sakuno said and then put her fingers to her temples and started to massage them gently. "I quit today after they withheld my paycheck because I missed my shift last week."
"That's not fair!" Tomoka cried indignantly. "You told them you had a wedding to go to! You gave those jerks three weeks notice and everything!"
"Tell them that." Sakuno replied with a hopeless sigh and carefully withdrew her feet from the hot water.
"Tomo-chan, the water's still hot; I put some salts in it. You should relax your feet." The petite, auburn haired woman gave her best friend an encouraging smile.
Tomoka frowned. "Your feet probably hurt more than mine." She grumbled but took off her shoes and dipped her feet in the welcoming warmth none the less.
"Yeah, we were just telling Sakuno that she should take a vacation. This is the perfect time now that she is down to only one job." Eiji pointedly explained and then glared at Sakuno.
She glared back, defiantly.
"Stop being stubborn!" Eiji snarled. "You and Momo both need to get away for a while. And Momo needs to be near friends!"
Horio immediately shrunk back against the wall. Contrastingly, Tomoka immediately bristled and came to Sakuno's defense.
"If she don't wanna go, she don't have to; ya morons, watsa matta wit you?!" Tomoka snarled, her newly acquired yakuza accent booming and shaking the entire establishment.
The day after the wedding it was casually suggested by Eiji that Sakuno should take Momo to America. He insisted that she needed a vacation and that Momo needed his best friend, who just happened to reside in said country. There was also a plus in the fact that they had a complimentary flight with the currently unused wedding gift.
It was immediately rejected by Tomoka. It was immediately accepted by Fuji; thus causing a civil war within their group of friends.
"Maybe it isn't up to her." Fuji suggested coldly. "We care about Momo. You'll have to get over your own problems if you want to help him heal." He said without feeling or remorse.
Tomoka watched from the corner of her eye as Sakuno winced from his words and looked down.
Sakuno was trapped in this argument, she couldn't vote either way. If she said she wouldn't go, everyone would think she just wanted Momo to be unhappy.
And if she went…
She wasn't really sure about what would happen, but it wouldn't be good. Everyone could tell that she really didn't want to go.
But even if the world was against her, Tomoka wouldn't give up. She had gone to extremes to protect her friend.
This didn't even include forcing Horio to call Ryoma and ask if anyone had consulted him about the idea.
Horio didn't enjoy that, she felt bad about it afterwards, but it needed to be done. The surprising thing to her was that he still had the same cell number. You would think that he would get it changed. She was doubtful that he would even pick up, but when he called back, that was a shocker. He hardly called people back, even before he was famous.
"I'll do it" came a quiet voice breaking Tomoka out of her reverie.
"You will? Oh good" Fuji smirked victoriously, and threw her a smug look over his shoulder.
"What!? You can't!" Tomoka howled with rage.
Sakuno sighed heavily. "I have to…how else is Momo going to get better? The doctor said he needs to be near close friends' right? Besides Ryoma and I can get over our differences for Momo." The look on her face betrayed her words.
"No! I won't allow it!" She continued to screech, blind with fury.
"Sorry Tomo-chan," Sakuno murmured quietly "It's not your decision." Sakuno then rose from her seat, pulled her heels back on and began gathering her belongings. "I have to get home and feed Moose before I pick up Momo."
She stared in shock at her best-friend-since-kindergarten. Her resolve then hardened and she threw the other woman an enraged look.
Sakuno froze from the intensity of her stare.
"Fine! See if I care!" She stormed out of the restaurant, not even bothered that she left behind her shoes. She exited, followed by trails of soapy water across the floor leading to the door and out into the cold wintry night.
Horio waited for a few moments before he followed behind regretfully. Casting one last sorrowful look at the sushi sitting innocently at the table, and then apologizing to the rest of the occupants of the restaurant, he left quietly.
--
Tomoka stomped out to the car. She tried to rip open the door in a rage, just so she could slam it.
Just her luck, Horio decided to lock it for once. She settled, instead, for kicking the tires violently.
It wasn't fair; she just wanted Sakuno to be happy! Fuji was an ass. Didn't he remember how miserable Sakuno was back then? Wasn't he there when she cried?
She let out another frustrated cry and gave the tire one last barefooted pummel. She then turned and leaned herself against the car. Crossing her arms over her chest, a scowl planted itself upon her visage and she brooded.
"Your face will get stuck like that in this weather." She looked up and was greeted by the warm gaze of Horio Satoshi.
She immediately relaxed. Whenever he looked at her like that it made her want to cry. Sure enough, tears suddenly blurred her vision.
Before she could even think to lift an arm and wipe them away, Horio had pulled her into his arms and gently pressed her face into the crook of his neck.
"I know you're mad, but Sakuno's a big girl. She doesn't need our permission to do anything."
Tomoka gave a small hiccupped-sob in response.
He silently unlocked the car and helped her slide into the passenger seat. He turned the key but stayed in park, waiting for the heater to kick on first. She sat on the bench seat of the car with her legs crossed; it aided her in warming her now frozen, bare feet.
"I'm not mad at Sakuno." She mumbled quietly, her voice husky and watery from the tears she had forced back down her throat.
Horio said nothing, but gave her his full attention as the heat popped on with a dry hiss.
"I'm mad that Ryoma always gets his way."
--
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis/ Tennis no Oujisama. I do not own Brittany Spears'-'Circus'.
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A/N: Ha ha! Finally done! Sweetness! Soo you get to see what the others have been doing with their time all these years. It was a bit of an emotional roller coaster, but in Tomo-chan's defense; them's were fightin' words. Tomoka is an emotional gal too; I'm trying to keep it real. Tomoka has a bit of a past…I don't know if I'll examine it that much in this story…maybe I'll have some sort of side story…eh we'll see where it goes…
Well next chapter is where stuff gets a juicy! They're a-leavin' the country.
Feed me reviews, for they are my sustenance!
Hey by the way I don't know it you guys noticed but I've been naming the titles of the chapters after songs that I think set the mood pretty well…if you are interested in any of the songs or bands then tell me and ill post them.