Here's chapter 6. Hope you like it. Please review.
Chapter 6
Following the advice of the police, Mai and Naru pretended that the incident did not happen. Of course they told the rest of SPR of what had happened. Mai was in the middle of her rehearsal with Yasuhara in tow.
"Ok I want you to try this." Cooper told Mai. Mai really loved being in Cooper's ballet. He had an actually band when they rehearsed. The drummer began to play. Cooper movements matched the beat. Mai watched. "Now it's your turn."
"Got it." Mai said and she copied Cooper's movements. Mai had a tendency to get lost in the dance. Something that only an artist could understand, getting lost in your craft, becoming one with your art.
"Ok that's enough for now. Let's take a break to hydrate." Cooper said.
Mai went off to her bag. She grabbed her towel and water. "Having fun?" she asked Yasuhara.
"Oh yes. Nothing better than watching people dance around in tights." Yasuhara joked. "hey I have to use the bathroom. Do you think you'll be ok for a few minutes without me?" He joked some more.
"Hmm I think I can manage." Mai laughed. Yasuhara walk off down the hall. Mai began to stretch out so that she wouldn't cramp up. She had her earphones in listening to her ipod as she bent to the side and arced her arm, when she felt a hand gently run down her back to her butt and give it a good squeeze. Mai yelped in shock and fell to the ground.
She was flat on her back staring up into the face of Mei Ozaki. Mei knelt down on top of Mai and smiled at her.
"Ozaki san, nice to see you again." Mai stammered. She was beginning to curse herself for letting Yasuhara use the bathroom.
"Please call me Mei." She smiled at Mai. "It would seem you have fallen for me." Mei laughed seductively.
"Well I wouldn't exactly say that." Mai laughed nervously. 'Yasuhara please come back soon.' Mai said to herself.
"Really? Than how would you explain us being on the floor together like this." Mei stroked Mai cheek.
"Well you surprised me and I lost my balance—" Mai tried to say.
"And yet we remain in this vulnerable position." Mei interrupted her.
"That would be because you're sitting on me still." Mai said breathlessly.
"I take your breath away." Mei smiled.
"That's because your knee is in my rib cage." Mai winced.
"I've moved you to tears as well." Mei said.
"Again knee in rib cage." Mai managed to say.
"I know a way for you to take my breath away." Mei bent down close to Mai's face. "A kiss from those lush lips." She pinched Mai's mouth so that it puckered.
"wease won't." (Translation: please don't) Mai attempted to speak as Mei squeezed her lips together and got ready to kiss her.
"Ok I'm back what did I miss." Yasuhara came in just then. He stopped and stared dumbfounded at the scene before him. Mai on the floor being held against her will by a beautiful woman who appeared to be in the process of kissing Mai. What to do?
"Oh sorry, I'll come back later." He turned to leave.
"Wasuhara! Wet wat were wow!" (Translation: Yasuhara! Get back here now!) Mai tried to scream.
"Excuse me, but we're in the middle of something." Mei sneered at him.
"Oh I can see that and believe me I don't want to interrupt, but if I don't not only will Mai kill me later so will her husband and the wrath of one is bad enough both of them at the same time, that's just something I don't want to experience."
"Ok break's over. Everyone gather around." Cooper was calling everyone.
"wy would wo wow." (translation: I should go now.) Mai tried to say. "wease wet woff wof we wand wet wo wof wy wace." Mai asked.
"Mei, I know you want to play with Mai, but Cooper would be very upset with us if you delay his rehearsal any longer or break his star." Kohei said to his wife.
"I'm sure he won't mind a few more minutes. We are funding his production." Mei replied.
Mai didn't want to have to resort to this, but she saw no other way of escaping. She managed to free her one arm and reach up and pinched Mei hard in the ribs.
"Oww!" Mei screamed and fell over freeing Mai. Mai did not hesitate and scrambled to her feet.
"I'm coming!" Mai cried out as she ran to rejoin the rehearsal. "I'm here!" She panted. "So what's next?" she asked.
"I've decided to end rehearsal early. Mai, I would like to have a word with you." Cooper led Mai off to the side.
"Is something wrong?" Mai asked.
"No not exactly." He said. "I have a homework assignment for you."
"Homework assignment?" Mai said confused.
"You see, it is very important for you to connect." He told her.
"I'm not connecting?" she asked.
"I see that you are working very hard and you are an amazing dancer, but I don't think you see the inspiration. You are a true dancer. You become one with the music and you make the moves look natural."
"And so the problem is again?" Mai asked.
"I see that you and Masaru don't get along. I think in order for you to be even more amazing you need to see the inspiration and in order for you to do that you have to spend time with Masaru." Cooper explain. "Masaru, could you come here?" he called over the sloppy looking young man.
"What you need, Cooper?" he asked.
"Meet your new best friend. Mai this Masaru. Masaru this is Mai. This is a fresh start. The incident at the party never happened." Cooper smiled. "Now how about a friendly hug?"
Mai and Masaru glared at each other. Neither one moved. Mai had her arms crossed and Masaru had his hands in his pockets. Cooper put a hand on both of their backs and pushed them towards each other till they were pressed against each other.
"There now. So with this extra time, I want you to take Mai to your studio and show her your work and tell her about yourself so she can better appreciate this ballet."
"Whatever." Masaru sighed and began to walk away.
"You better get going. Masaru waits for no one." Cooper said.
Mai hurried after the brooding artist. He walked pretty fast making it hard for her to catch up with him. She followed him down the sidewalk weaving through the throngs of people.
"Hey! Hey wait up!" She yelled after him. She finally caught up to him at the crosswalk. "Couldn't you slow down?" she asked.
"I'm sorry the prima donna doesn't like the way I walk." He smirked. Mai resisted the urge to beat the crap out of him. "I assumed a dancer of your stature would be able to keep up."
"Fuck you." Mai said and turned to walk away.
"Ok I'm sorry." He grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "My studio is just down the street." He led her to down the street to an older building. He pulled out his keys and unlocked the door. He motioned for her to go in first. "It's just up the stairs go ahead up." He followed behind her.
Mai walked up the stairs and into the loft like room. She stared in awe at the number of paintings and photographs scattered around the room. "This is amazing." Mai said.
"Thank you." Masaru said as he came up behind her. "The collection for the show is over here." He led her over to the other half of the room with large canvas. "I was always into painting and photography so when I went to college I began to experiment with the two. So I joined both mediums into one."
"I see…" Mai said as she examined the canvases. She recognized some of the scenes. "That's the subway station in New York!" Mai exclaimed. "And that's the old community center a few blocks away from the dorms I stayed in!" The scenes were partially painted and blended with the photographs. The two contrasted yet somehow at the same time flowed together in perfect harmony, almost as if they had never been apart.
She felt so familiar with the work. It reminded her of her and Naru. They were both different and could contrast, but somehow together they made perfect harmony. When she was with him, she wondered how she could have ever been apart.
"I went to school in New York. The city means a lot to me." He explained. "I was having a showcase there and met Cooper. He said he was inspired by my work and wanted to make a ballet with it."
"He never went into detail about how he met you, but if you guys were in New York why are you doing the ballet here?" Mai asked.
"Because you're here." Masaru said. "Your well known. After you did the Red Shoes I think everyone was expecting you to become world famous. So it was shocking to see you return to Japan and get married and finish school."
"You say it like it's a bad thing." Mai said looking confused.
"Most female ballerinas would have chosen to study somewhere prestigious and put off marriage till they were ready to retire. It just strange that the one they were calling the greatest dancer since Victoria Paige would be part dancer and part homemaker."
"You make it sound so negative." Mai glared. "I love my husband and I don't need to be world famous to be happy. As long as I can dance and have my family, I'm satisfied."
"Sure." He said hinting at doubt. "Anyways Cooper want you to be his star and so we moved the whole production to here. It's nice to be back in Japan, but if the show is a hit they might want to do a world tour."
"I was planning on taking a break after this and focus on my family." Mai said.
"Your loss." Masaru said. Mai went over and looked at another work that had police badges and all over it.
"What's this one?" Mai asked.
"Oh that one is for my uncle. He's a cop." He explained. "Well I think you understand the concept so if you don't mind leaving now."
Mai made her way back to the theatre to pick her stuff and Yasuhara.
"So how was your friendship date?" Yasuhara teased.
"I now respect him as an artist, but as a person he is still an ass." Mai replied.
"So the two of you aren't going to two run off together and leave us to deal with the heartbroken Naru?" He continued to tease.
"I have room for only one narcissist in my heart and that's Naru. Also thankfully he is not the brooding artist type. Just the brooding ghost hunter." They got in the car and drove off.
Just to assure you Mai only loves Naru. So don't worry about her straying and falling for someone else or cheating. Please Review. At the end of this story I'll give you a preview of the next one. The Beating of a Heart. Please Review! :)