Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 511 Location: In Little Prince Nino's Little Planet..
Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 3:27 pm Post subject: [Complete] Never Dance Alone (Ohno and OC)
This is my first time to post a fanfic (not to write, actually) and I hope you could all appreciate it.
Ikemasu!
*********************
“I’ve always danced alone. I will continue to dance alone and live to dance. Then I’ll go meet you. After I do, I’ll never dance alone again. You’ll never dance alone again."
***
She was dancing in a dark stage. Only the spotlight made her see. It was all darkness until another spotlight came, giving light to a man who started to dance in front of her. They’re in perfect harmony, their bodies in rhyme and feet in tune. Until she did not realize that she was falling offstage. The man caught her waist…
Anna woke up, her limbs hurting from the practice she had yesterday. She looked at the alarm clock and groaned. “Oh great,” she said, lolling her head from left to right.
“I’ve had that dream for about a week…”
“Soshite atenaku aruita ano hi no youni
Tada mitsumeteita no wa over again my time ima yureru madogoshi ni
Sou ai ga sotto mau ue e Wow yeah”
Her phone was ringing. “Hello?” She yawned.
“Anna-chan, anou… Jira-san is calling for you,” a voice from the other end of the line called.
“I’ll be there in…” she looked at her clock again. “About an hour…”
“Okay,” her friend said. “But this is important.”
Anna hastily went to the shower to take a bath, put on her plain white shirt and pants, and a scarf over her neck.
“What could it be?” she wondered, shoving absentmindedly her things inside her bag. “Jira-sensei won’t call this early – 6:30 AM – just to call us!”
She went to the subway, only a few people in because it’s not really what they called a work day. She was still sleepy as she stood up at the side of the tracks.
“The train will arrive in five minutes. Please refrain from going through the yellow line,” the voice over instruction said. However, it was merely a blur to her ears since she was still sleepy. She did not even notice that she was about to fall headfirst to the train tracks!
The sound of the train arriving was the last thing she heard when she felt someone hold her at her waist and pull her back.
The first thing she saw when she woke up was the large subway clock. 7:30…
“No way,” she said, holding her forehead. Last thing she remembered, she was about to fall into the train tracks when someone held her, saved her.
“Yo!” he greeted, waving a little. She was lying at the subway bench, her head lying on a guy’s lap. The guy was wearing large glasses and a baseball cap turned at the side.
“Why am I here?” she suddenly asked, sitting up. She blushed a little because waking up on a guy’s lap is awkward.
“You fell asleep while waiting for the train,” he said.
“The train? I’m gonna be late!” she said further, caring more about the time than the fact that she was about to die.
“The train just left fifteen minutes ago. The next one will arrive a little longer,” he said practically, wondering why Anna was reacting too much about the time more than her life.
“Well then, must be off,” Anna said, carrying her bag. She did not know that her bag was not closed so all her stuff fell down. “Clumsy me!” she thought to herself.
The guy bent down to help her get her things when suddenly…
“Soshite atenaku aruita ano hi no youni
Tada mitsumeteita no wa over again my time ima yureru madogoshi ni
Sou ai ga sotto mau ue e Wow yeah”
His cap was knocked off accidentally as he bent too low. Anna did not see him smile a little as her phone continued to ring.
“The Sei Theatre Hall? Okay… Gomen, I’m late… Gomen…” she continued to babble and apologize on the phone.
“She did not notice,” the guy thought, replacing his cap to
clearly hide his signature hair. “But she’s interesting.” She looked at her. She looked quite foreign, with her wavy long hair, big eyes with long lashes, and not-so-white skin. His type.
“Thank you for the help,” she said again, smiling. “I’ll make sure I won’t sleep near the train tracks again.”
The train arrived and she was about to step inside when he held her again. “Anou… maybe I’ll accompany you.”
“Nani?” she asked.
“I’ll accompany you because… because…” he became red, struggling for words to say, “…maybe you’ll fall asleep again!”
Anna laughed. “He’s familiarly cute!” she thought. “Have we met before?” she asked.
He pouted funnily. “Maybe?”
Anna looked at him, trying to remember where they met before. But she had a vague memory about it. The guy kept on flexing his fingers and stealing glances, smiling everytime she catches him doing so.
They stopped at the station. “Is this where you’re going?” she asked.
“Hai,” he replied. They walked out of the station together and parted ways at the bus stop for he’s going to walk to wherever he’s going while Anna has to take a short bus trip.
“Nice meeting you,” she greeted.
“Nice meeting you too,” the guy replied, bowing low. “May I ask your name?”
“Anna. Mitsuhashi Anna,” she said.
“Mitsuhashi Anna,” he repeated to remember my name. He nodded affirmatively. He started to walk away.
I was about to turn when I remembered. “Why did I say my name?”
“Chotto!” she shouted. “What’s your name?”
“Satoshi. Just Satoshi,” he said, smiling before walking away.
At that moment, everything came back. “Satoshi?” she repeated to herself.
“Chotto matte!” she shouted again, but ‘Satoshi’ was far away.
************************
i just hope my work is readable...
Last edited by choshi on Wed May 28, 2008 2:23 pm; edited 2 times in total
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 511 Location: In Little Prince Nino's Little Planet..
Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 11:46 am Post subject:
Where did I just get it...? I'm wondering why I wrote an Ohno fic even though I'm a Nino-lover... Anyway, here's the next part...
Kashii, kristyndavid and stream84.. arigatou..
anou... no italicized stuff here... it makes me dizzy...
“What’s wrong?” Anna asked as she settled down. The girl she talked with on the phone, Rina, sighed.
“Jira-sensei has an important announcement,” she said sadly. “And I think it’s not good.”
Jira Shin was a woman in her forties, with her slender posture and hair tied to a neat bun. “Minna, settle down. I have an announcement to make.”
Murmur followed. “I’m talking about this dance company. My husband decided to migrate to America and I have no choice but to close this dance company because no one will be able to manage this.”
“How about us?” one of them asked.
“I’ll be trying to send you to different other jobs, especially the seniors. I have just called various companies and they’re willing to hire most of you. I’ll talk to you one by one. I’ll start with you, Anna-chan.”
***
“This building, is it?” she said, looking at the towering building above her. There was a billboard on top, endorsing Arashi’s newest single.
“I can’t believe I’ll be working in Johnny’s,” she told herself.
FLASHBACK:
“You’re my best student,” Jira-sensei said, putting her hands on her shoulders. “So, you’ll get the best deal.”
She handed a folder to Anna and she opened it. The logo of Johnny’s Entertainment met her eyes.
It seems like they are looking for a new choreographer, my dear,” Jira said, smiling slightly. “And it seems like it’s the perfect deal for you.”
“Arigatou!” Anna said, beaming at the folder now.
“Sometimes, when we are in a drinking spree, secrets come out,” her teacher said again, giving her a wink. “Is that good enough?”
“I’m so happy with this offer, but, will you really leave us?” Anna asked sadly, the happiness of the fact Johnny wants her ebbing away.
“Well, my husband says so, so I have to go,” she replied sadly. “But when a door closes, a window opens. So it’s up to you whether you climb inside or just stare at that window. They’ll be waiting for you tomorrow. Ja matta, ne?” she greeted before asking Anna to leave the room.
END FLASHBACK
Anna went to the receptionist and gave her letter. The receptionist read it and said, “Mitsuhashi Anna, irishaimase. They are waiting for you at the far room at the left, third floor.”
Anna smiled at her and went to the elevator. As she entered the opening elevator, the other elevator opened, and a guy went out.
“Satoshi,” she thought, the guy wearing the same get up from yesterday.
She continued her trip to the far room to the left as the elevator stopped at the third floor.
“Welcome, Mitsuhashi-san,” an old man in a smart casual clothing greeted. “Johnny Kitagawa desu.”
Anna was a little shocked. This is the mysterious Johnny Kitagawa, ne? I did not even think that he’s still alive.”
“Tea?” he asked, pouring in two cups.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Shin-san recommended you to our company, saying that you’re the best senior dancer she has in her school,” he remarked, smiling.
Anna blushed. Too much compliment. “Well… she did say that?” she asked.
“Yes, she did. She’s very proud of you. I’ve also watched your dance recital videos and impressed that you choreographed all of those. That’s why I’m handing you a good project.” He went over to his table and started to look for something. “Enjoying the tea?” he asked, while continuing to look under the table.
Hastily, she took a sip of her untouched tea to not be rude. She was too excited and nervous that she was not able to drink or touch anything. Later on, she started to hear soft music playing from the old man’s stereo. She hasn’t heard it yet, but the voices were familiar.
“Do you mind if I ask you the track you are playing?” she asked curiously and cautiously.
Johnny continued to look inside his cabinets. “Ah, that’s the…” He managed to take a long folder colored green from his cabinet. “That’s the project you’ll be working on,” he said, handing the folder to her. She can’t be mistaken, the kanji for storm was plastered on the front of the folder, and below, the title of the album, “Always Together.”
She opened the folder and saw that it was the concert plan. “So, this is how concerts are planned,” she told herself. She opened the next page and the prospective songs were listed, not yet in order.
“You, along with the head choreographer, will determine the order of those songs, because you will estimate their capacities and choreograph the other songs.”
Anna continued to look at the next pages and saw that her name was listed as “Assistant Head Choreographer.” The head choreographer was…
“Jira Shun-kun?” she said suddenly. “He’s…?”
“He was also one of those people who recommended you,” Johnny said. “Well, we have to balance the testosterone level, am I right?”
“Why are there red marks on some of the songs?” Anna asked, pointing at the songs with marks.
“The blue marked ones are, of course, the ones with choreography before. The red ones are the ones Ohno-kun wants to choreograph.”
At the last page, there was a CD labeled “For Choreographer’s use only: Always Together.” It was understandable that it was for her use. The lyrics of the songs are inserted too.
“I’ll give you a two-week headstart. They’re still promoting their new single so this album must be kept a secret between you and the other staff. But since the proposed date of the concert will be three months from now, it’s better if you start choreographing some,” Johnny said. “After two weeks, you’ll show up to them, carrying choreos for about 4… no… 3 will do.”
Anna nodded her head. Two weeks is enough not just for 3. “Four,” she offered, smiling. “I’ll do my best, Kitagawa-san.”
***
“Have you heard?” Aiba suddenly shouted, bouncing up and down. “The new assistant choreographer will arrive today!”
“Yes, she’s my kohai,” Shun replied simply. Since I’ll be off for the month to accompany my mother, I have to leave you all in her hands.”
“You’re joking,” Nino said. “You can’t leave us with a girl!”
Ohno was sitting on the bench, drawing something. “What are you drawing?” Aiba suddenly asked, appearing behind him.
“Apparently, anything,” he replied. But the drawing was forming the face of a girl. The girl from the subway he was staring at. The one who was asleep on his lap. He immediately hid it from view.
“That’s odd, Riida, you don’t hide your drawings to us, usually,” he said.
“Yeah, that’s odd,” Nino remarked. “You must have been working hard with all those choreographies that you ticked on Johnny’s face.”
“A total of 7,” Shun said. “That’s a lot, Ohno. Are you sure you will be able to choreograph all of them and show them after two weeks on the first rehearsal day?”
The leader looked at Shun. “Yes, even Shun can’t choreograph that number of dances in that short span of time,” Jun said.
Ohno stared at Jun, a little shocked. “Are you sure that’s alright?” Sho also asked.
Ohno looked at them seriously. He was turning a little pink. “I…”
“You what?”
“I need to throw up,” he said, running towards the shower room.
“I think something’s wrong with him,” Sho said, looking at Nino.
“Hey! He’s not pregnant!” Nino said defensively.
“I’m not saying he’s pregnant, why are you so defensive?” Sho said.
Ohno got out of the shower room, all changed into a shirt and jogging pants, and took his bag, preparing to leave. The truth is he gets dizzy staying awake inside the subway train. Since he guarded the girl he met, Anna, he had to stay awake and stop himself from puking. “That reminds me,” he said. “I have to practice today.”
He went to the elevator and up to the dance rehearsals room. He was walking, looking for an empty dance rehearsal room (seeing that everything has occupants). He suddenly stopped when he heard a familiar melody from the farthest right room.
“That’s a song from our new album,” he said. Curiously, he peeked on the small glass on the door. The door was unlabeled.
A girl was dancing to the tune of the music. She was dancing gracefully that Ohno gaped at her, open-mouthed. She even has rhythm with the music. He continued to watch her when she suddenly stopped as his solo came in. she approached the radio and started to make some hand movements in front of the mirror.
“Maybe she’s the new choreographer,” he said. “She’s good.” He decided not to disturb her and started to look for another room. “Why is it… she’s quite familiar?” he asked himself.
Feeling that someone was watching her, Anna opened the door and saw the back of Ohno walking away. Thinking he was nothing, she closed the door again and covered the window with blinds and continued her dancing.
Joined: 15 Feb 2008 Posts: 286 Location: writing an epic series while listening to Nino on the guitar
Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:48 pm Post subject:
I like the direction this is taking. The possibilities are endless, and the plot premise is engaging with enough unspoken mystery about it. I look forward to its futher progression.
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 511 Location: In Little Prince Nino's Little Planet..
Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 4:52 pm Post subject:
hello minna... update!
my mind has started formulating another story while this one's unfinished!
thanks for those kind comments...
ikuzo!
~~~~~
“Where have you been?” Nino asked Ohno in an angry-mother way. “I thought you’re going to treat us to lunch today. You lost!”
“Well, even if he loses or wins, you’ll still get a free lunch, Nino,” Jun said, reading a book.
“Why are we so lax today?” Ohno asked.
“We’re apparently not doing anything!” Aiba said, bouncing again. “And because of that, I’m bored!” He was playing with his stuffed toy.
“Yeah,” Sho said, scribbling some rap on a piece of paper. “We don’t have any schedules today, they were cancelled for some unknown reason. They decided to move the tapings the next day.”
Ohno was trying to say something. But he was still unspeakable so he just took his drawing pad. He continued to draw the face of the girl. She wanted to see Anna again. He still remembered her name. And he just gave her his first name! “Maybe she’s a fan of mine,” he though smugly as he remembered that the girl’s ringtone was his song, “Song for Me.” He remembered staring at her while she was sleeping on his lap inside the subway station, giving him enough time to remember her facial features and draw her. Unluckily, while he was smiling while starting to draw the features, Aiba popped out of somewhere like a mushroom.
“Won’t you stop doing that?” Ohno asked, his pencil suddenly making a wrong stroke. He scratched his head before proceeding to erase the wrong stroke.
“Oooh, what are you doing?” Aiba asked.
“Drawing,” Ohno replied, his attention back to the sketch.
“Of?” Aiba asked again.
“Something,” Ohno answered. He seriously drew her eyes. “It really looked exotic,” he thought.
“Ne, Riida, no one talks to me,” Aiba said, pouting. “They’re all busy.”
“I’m busy too, Aiba-chan. Why don’t you talk to your pets? They might be missing you now,” he said, frowning as he tried to make vivid details.
“Good idea,” Aiba replied. “I’ll go now,” he said, taking his bag and leaving. “Ja matta!” he greeted before closing the door.
Ohno looked around and noticed that it was only Jun who was with him, still reading the book while wearing his absurdly big eyeglasses. He decided to go.
“Matsujun,” he said, making the other guy look up. “I’m going already. See you tomorrow.”
“Hai,” he replied, going back to his book, which was amazingly, near to the end when that morning, he was just starting it.
He was inside the elevator, when instead of pressing the down button, he decided to press up, to the floor where the dance rehearsals were held.
He crept towards the room where the woman he saw earlier was practicing. Aside from Anna, he was also curious about this woman who would become their choreographer. The blinds were slightly swept away, leaving a part where he could still watch. But instead of her dancing form, he saw her slumped beside the radio, seriously scribbling notes on a piece of paper.
The song was familiar. “Isn’t that my solo?” he asked himself. Everyone knew well that he choreographs his own solos but why is this woman scribbling notes while listening to his solo?
He wanted to ask that woman but he was stopped when a hand was placed on his shoulder.
“Johnny-san!” he exclaimed, looking at the smiling old man.
“Ohno-kun, what are you doing here? I thought all of you had gone home,” he asked.
Ohno became red. He could not tell him that he went here because he was curious of the woman. “I… I…”
“I think we must leave the people here in concentration,” Johnny said, giving a wink. He steered Ohno out of the hall and into the elevator.
He waited ten seconds before he could ask his question. “Is she the new choreographer?”
“Well…” Johnny said mysteriously. “What makes you think so?”
“I saw her dancing to the tune of the songs in our new album earlier this morning. And this afternoon, I saw her… she…” his voice trailed off.
“She?” Johnny motioned him to continue.
“She was playing my solo while scribbling notes,” he finished.
“Well, that is for you to find out,” he said with a wink again as the elevator stopped at the third floor, leaving Ohno alone up to the ground floor.
He went down the building, still puzzled. He went home, still puzzled. He was puzzled while he was staring at the almost complete sketch of Anna. He was up the whole evening finishing the sketch.
A knock from the door came. “’Toshi, dinner!” his mother called.
“Not hungry,” he replied. His tongue was stuck out at the side while he seriously outlined the picture in ink.
***
Days have passed but Ohno still hasn’t seen Anna. He kept on riding the subway at that same time when he met the girl but he did not see her. He always looked disappointed when he was seen by his bandmates.
Same likewise. Anna was in a practice frenzy with Shun because he will be leaving for America to accompany his mother on her flight to the States.
“Anna-chan, to the left,” Shun instructed her as she did the routine in the dance choreographed by Shun. She has to teach that dance to the five. “Good. Kick a little higher,” he commented, as he started to dance with her a little, looking at them at the mirror. The song ended but now, they have to replay it again, seeing that each of the members have different steps in some parts.
“We’ll have Ohno’s dance step,” Shun said, looking at the piece of paper taped on the mirror. The steps are the same but there were some parts that are different. Anna followed Shun’s steps in her head and started to follow, one step late.
“… and then he’ll do a backflip in this part,” Shun pointed out, performing a backflip.
Anna nodded. The track played again and it’s her turn. She was able to get many of the steps and Shun just commented and asked her to arrange some.
“Is it good, sempai?” she asked.
“That’s well,” Shun said, showing a thumbs up. “Now I’ll be able to go to America with no burden on my shoulders.”
“What if I messed up? What if I forget the steps you taught me?”
“Then give them your own,” Shun said. “That’s easy, right? They have different steps from the juniors and I have already taught them to give you less burden. But if you happen to forget my steps, I’m allowing you to give them yours. But I think what you’re saying is impossible.”
“Sempai, do you want to see my steps? I’ve already finished five,” she said proudly. She has exceeded the quota of the number of songs she was asked to choreograph.
Shun nodded and sat at the side to watch her. She played the CD. “I’ll just show you the steps for one member but I’ve already arranged it when they will have different steps,” she explained. She did not say that she’s going to dance Ohno’s part and that was, well, the most complicated part.
The head choreographer watched in awe as Anna danced while singing a little to herself, to test if dancing while singing is still bearable with her steps. She finished the song and continued with the next one. After the routine of five songs, the radio stopped and she slumped down, smiling that her dancing has ended. “How was it?”
“Very wonderful,” Shun applauded. “They’re all original.”
“I got some from the dance routines I did last year. The general public hasn’t seen them so it wouldn’t hurt to put them in,” Anna said. “But isn’t the routine too vigorous that it’s probable they would not be able…”
“It’s actually perfect. They’ll still be able to sing while dancing your steps since they’re trained to sing while dancing that way. No problem,” Shun said, assuring his kohai. “Has anyone seen you yet?”
Anna bit her lip. She lied, “None yet. I just stayed her all day, practicing.
“The official practice for their concert starts on Friday. Be prepared. I’ll still be here until next week, don’t worry,” Shun added with a chuckle.
Anna sighed with relief. If she arrives in the practice without backup, she’ll die.
***
Ohno was staring at the wall. Not actually the wall, but the sketch he made posted on the wall. “When could I meet you?” he asked the picture, looking at it stupidly. “And why am I talking to the picture, anyway?” he asked himself after a few minutes. “I need to get some sleep! Tomorrow’s the first rehearsal day.”
***
“Good work, Anna. Now you’re late,” she told herself as she looked at her watch. “Where the hell did I get that kind of attitude anyway?” she asked further. Just in time, the train stopped in front of her. She hopped on and held one of the poles since there were no more seats. “Yokatta,” she said in relief as the train started to move.
As the train started to move, Ohno stopped, gasping for air. “I missed the train,” he sighed. “They’re gonna kill me for this.”
Then he saw it, at the corner of his eye, standing and holding one of the poles, looking upwards, Anna. The train was slowly speeding up.
“Oh no!” he said in disbelief. It’s Anna-san!” Apparently she did not hear him. “What a lucky day,” he told himself.
***
“Am I late?” Anna asked Shun as he was standing in front of the dance rehearsal room labeled “Arashi”.
“Nah, just in time,” he said. “At least when you said you’re late, you have changed into your dancing outfit,” he remarked.
“When I found out I’m late, I decided to wear the dancing clothes inside my coat,” she said, pointing to the hanging coat on her bag.
“Here we go,” Shun said, opening the door. Anna taking a deep breath. “She’s going to meet everyone for the first time.
***
“We’ll be giving the wrong impression to the new choreographer,” Sho said, looking at the big clock. “Riida’s late.”
“Yeah, Riida’s late!” Aiba echoed, tying his shoelaces properly and trying to comb his hair, which is quite impossible because his latest hairstyle was supposed to be messy.
“Ohayou!” Shun greeted, opening the door. “This is your new choreographer, Mitsuhashi Anna-san,” he said, patting Anna a bit.
She bowed. “Hajimemashite,” she said, smiling. At first glance the members saw that she was a nice girl. “One, two three, four… where’s Ohno?” she asked herself.
“It seems like our leader is late,” Sho said. “Our apologies.”
“Daijoubu,” she said. “Does he have this, you know, easy pick-up skills?” Anna asked, knowing what the answer is. “We don’t want to waste time because according to your schedule, you’ll start the REAL rehearsals about a month from now.”
To her surprise, everyone answered simultaneously that she could not make out what they’re saying.
“Riida always spaces out,” Nino said.
“He’s also forgetful,” Sho said.
“And a daydreamer,” Jun also said.
“He loves to draw,” Aiba chirped in.
“That does not do anything with her question, Aiba-chan,” Nino said sarcastically. “But, yeah, he picks up steps easily.”
“Yokatta,” Anna said in relief. She thought everyone would say otherwise because they gave her his negative side.
“We’ll start with the chorus first, since that is the part where all of you have the same dance steps. Then we’ll move on to the parts where you’ll have different dance steps.”
The four already got the steps for the chorus and started playing along while the track was running after one hour. Anna smiled with relief. “I thought I’m going to have a hard time,” she thought. “They’re really kind,ne?”
She was smiling while watching them laughing at each other that she did not notice when something knocked her head, making her unconscious.
i forgot to say what chapter i am in now... that's chapter two still, BTW... promise, i'll put the chapter number next time...
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 511 Location: In Little Prince Nino's Little Planet..
Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 2:55 pm Post subject:
CHAPTER 5:
“Ah! I’m late! I’m late!” Ohno continuously murmured as he ran inside the building. He was met with a ringing silence as the sliding doors of the building closed, blocking the squeals of the fangirls waiting for his arrival (and maybe of the other idols).
The receptionist snorted as she tried to hide her laughter. “Ohno-kun, you’re one hour late! They’re in the dance rehearsal room,” she informed him.
“Arigatou,” he said hastily as he pressed the “up” button on the elevator. “I’m late, I’m late, I’m late…” he repeatedly murmured while waiting for the elevator stop at the ground floor.
“Yokatta!” he shouted in praise as it stopped and opened. He went inside. He was looking at the screen saying, “Juu… juu… juu…” and stared down at his feet. “No way!” he said again, pressing another floor button just in time. It opened at the eighth floor, the floor where their dressing room was. “I forgot my shoes in our dressing room!”
Even though he forgot many of his stuff, he was lucky that he still has the keys to the room. He opened the lights and found his shoes under the couch where he sat yesterday. He removed the shoes he was wearing and wore his dancing shoes, took his things again and sped up to go to the tenth floor.
He searched the dance rehearsal rooms, panicking that his co-members would kill him, or he’ll receive a negative impression from the new choreographer. He heard their song playing from the room at the far right, and when he saw their name posted at the door, he opened it, with a little difficulty since there’s something blocking it, and while holding his knees for support and panting, said, “Sorry I’m very late!”
“What took you so long?” Nino scolded him, stopping from his Sho-molestation.
“Err… before asking him that, why don’t we help Anna-san first?” Aiba said, trying to open the door Ohno forced to open earlier.
He looked behind the door where Aiba was pointing. The thing that was blocking the door when he pushed it open too hard was not a thing.
“Ohno! That’s our choreographer!” Jun shouted, wide-eyed.
Ohno sped to the now knocked out girl on the floor, helping Shun carry her to the bench. They moved her hair away from her face and Ohno gasped.
“Anna-san…” he said, remembering the face that he was drawing, the girl he met on the subway.
***
“Anna-san? Anna-san?” a voice from faraway said as she felt something wet on her forehead and smelled something on her nose.
“Don’t crowd over her, she’ll be suffocated,” Sho said.
“She’s waking up,” Aiba said.
“Riida, this is entirely your fault,” Nino said sternly.
“Gomen, gomen,” she heard Ohno say.
She opened her eyes and blinked a few times. “Anou… what happened?” she asked everybody.
“Well, we were all practicing, and your back was against the door and then Riida, here, opened the door forcefully, causing you to hit the wall headfirst,” Jun said.
Everyone moves aside, giving Anna the full view of the latecomer. Ohno hesitantly raised his hand and said, “Yo.”
Anna was a bit frustrated. She did not really know the reason why but she was. She rubbed her forehead, there’s a little bump there.
“Are you okay, Anna-chan?” Shun asked.
“Daijoubu,” she replied, smiling. Ohno can’t help but feel guilty because Anna kept on smiling even though it was clearly obvious that she was hurt. Getting squished by the door and hitting the wall does hurt. “This is really a lucky day,” he told himself, shaking his head in disbelief.
Shun took over the rehearsals, asking the boys to recall the dance Anna taught, with all their solo parts and stuff. Only Ohno was stuck at the bench since he did not know what they were practicing about.
“Let’s go,” he heard a voice beside him. He looked that way and saw Anna’s smiling face, her hand held in front of him as though asking him to take it. She was not smiling that way when he met her on the subway station. That made him blush a little.
“Eh?” he asked. “Go… where?” he thought.
“I have to teach you that dance, you know,” she said as though it was the most stupid question ever. “I made a schedule, a dance a day. You have to know that dance like everybody else.”
“Ah… sou ka,” Ohno said. He stood up and followed her at the side of the room while the others continued dancing.
With a little difficulty, Anna started the chorus but Ohno stopped her. “I kinda got it,” he said. He did not want more trouble. Maybe that would save a little more of her energy.
“As I thought,” Anna said to herself, nodding. “He’ll not sit there, gaping, for nothing. Well even if it is nothing, he can’t help but memorize it when they kept on dancing it for two hours.”
“Well, that’s good to hear,” the girl replied. “That leaves your own choreography, ne?” She was about to start when she turned around again. “Anou… if you don’t want my choreography or if you think it’s not good, just say so, okay?” she smiled.
Anna took a deep breath and started dancing the first sixteen counts with a tolerable tempo (but take note, it was a fast dance). Ohno followed… or tried to follow.
The other Arashi members stopped to look. “What’s happening to Riida?” Aiba asked particularly Sho.
In their point of view, it looked like Ohno was not the best dancer today.
“Anna-chan,” Shun called Anna’s attention, making her stop as she tried to repeat the same set of routines for the third time. “It looks like it’s not a good day for Ohno-kun,” he said.
Anna nodded, her face a mixture of disappointment and a little bit of guilt. “Gomen. I got carried away,” she apologized, bowing in front of Ohno.
“Iie!” Ohno replied, shaking his head. “It’s my fault. I’m a little off today.”
“Ah,” she managed to say before going away and sitting down at the side. Her light aura was suddenly ebbing away.
***
They kept on practicing for the next few days. Shun has already gone to America so the boys were now left in Anna’s hands. She did well, scheduling one dance each day, recalling the ones she taught before the next day, and a new one for that day. Before they knew it, everything she choreographed was implanted into their memory.
They seem to get everything, except, unexpectedly, for Ohno. He kept on spacing out while practicing, forgetting some steps or using the wrong foot. Anna kept on reprimanding him, her eye sharp on mistakes. However, she did not say her comments in a rude way, making him feel more guilty.
***
Anna was about to try dancing the solos of the other members when she found out that every dance rehearsal room has occupants.
She stopped when she passed a room playing a track from Arashi’s new album. She looked at the little glass window on the door and found Ohno dancing with the song she choreographed. Unlike when they were practicing together, he was dancing the song perfectly.
“Odd,” she said to herself. “He did not dance like that when we’re practicing.” She smiled a little and left, thinking that she was not in the right place to disturb. “I thought he was not performing well because he did not like my choreography.” However, the door opened so she turned around.
Ohno was surprised. “Mitsuhashi Anna-san?” he said, surprised.
She smiled a little. “I think you’re doing well so I’ll be on my way. I won’t disturb you,” she said, her eyes on the floor, starting to walk forward.
“Iie,” Ohno said, running to block her way. “Chotto…”
“Eh?” she asked.
“Do you need a rehearsal room?” he asked shyly.
Anna nodded. “Hai. But it seems like…” she looked around. “… every room’s full.”
“You could share mine,” Ohno said, looking at her directly.
“Could I?” she asked.
“Of course. You’re our choreographer and I’m practicing your steps just now,” he said, scratching his head out of nothing.
“Well then,” Anna said, “we’ll take turns.”
She went inside. Ohno followed, closing the door behind him. “I’m sorry I did not do good when we were practicing before. I think you had a hard time. I want to apologize.”
“Ah, it’s alright,” Anna said. “I thought… I thought you did not like my dance, that’s why you’re not doing it well.”
Ohno shook his head. “Iie!” he replied. “Your steps are good. The dance is good… you are amazing!” he finally said, before blushing madly.
Anna looked at the ground, blushing also. “He said he liked my dancing. He said I was amazing! It’s Ohno Satoshi, Anna! He praised your dancing! Your dance idol praised your dancing!” her brain whispered to her. She can’t help but smile from ear to ear.
“Demo,” Ohno started. “I still did not get some of the dance routines. Is it fine if you teach me?”
“Of course. That’s my job,” Anna replied. “I was just wondering, why weren’t you able to dance properly before?”
Ohno was not able to answer. “I was distracted by you,” he wanted to say. But instead, he said, “Anou… I was a bit confused.”
“Confused?” Anna asked, inserting her CD in the player. She placed it inside the player.
“Betsuni,” Ohno replied.
“Ah… sou desu ka?” Anna said, sporting an innocent look. “Let’s start!” she said, suddenly radiating a hyperactive aura. “Like Aiba-chan,” he thought, smiling a little.
She played the stereo and the dance started. It looked like a light dance that started to have various degrees of difficulty as the song moved on. The song finished and she was slightly panting. Ohno was staring at her.
“He’s staring at me!” Anna exclaimed to herself. She blushed a little. “How did it go?” she asked
Ohno woke up from his spaced out moment. “It’s…” he tried to look for more satisfying comments, “…amazing!”
“Glad to hear that,” Anna said, blushing a little again. “Is it not hard for you to sing if the dance is like that?”
“Why are you asking?” Ohno asked.
“I’ve watched some of your concerts in DVD,” Anna said. “I’m just worried if the dances I made would affect your singing or something. You sing so well… I don’t want to ruin it.”
Ohno looked surprised. “She’s worried? No other choreographer said that to us. They just choreograph and poof! But she was thinking whether we could still sing or not while dancing,” he thought.
“You’re not ruining it,” he said. “The dances are simply marvelous. That could not ruin a concert,” he further said.
Anna was dumbfounded. She noticed that he kept on giving praises on everything she was saying. There was a fifteen-minute staring silence until she decided to pop it, saying, “You can use the floor. I’ll just sit here and rest.”
Ohno nodded and placed his own CD in the player and started to dance. It seems like he was just freestyling in the song, dancing the way he liked until he finds the right steps for that part and so on. Anna watched him closely. “I can’t believe I’m seeing him dance in front of me. I can’t believe he complimented my dancing!” her mind screamed like a fangirl. After two hours of dancing and repeating the same song, Ohno finally got it. Anna continued to watch him, absorbing the steps in her brain.
FLASHBACK
“Anna, look!” her friend Rina said, showing up her AAA+Dome DVD. “I got mine. Do you want to watch it with me?”
“Well, it seems like I have no choice,” Anna replied.
They watched the concert DVD in Rina’s house. Anna was not really paying attention until this guy in white and jeans entered and started to dance.
“Who is he?” she asked, clearly mesmerized with his dancing.
“Ah, the leader, Ohno Satoshi,” Rina said. “Nande?” she asked. She looked at her friend’s eyes and then at the television, and back to Anna. She knew the reason. It was the dancing.
“He dances so well,” she said, looking at him as though he has just hypnotized her.
END FLASHBACK
She did not realize that Ohno has finished his practice and he was waving his hand in front of her.
“It’s nearly lunch,” he said. “Do you want to have some?” he asked, looking worried that the girl looked speechless.
Anna woke up from her daydreaming. “Oh, it’s already 12? Your co-members might be looking for you. Why don’t you have lunch with them?”
“I just feel like giving a treat,” he said. He pouted a little, thinking of what to say. “Anou… it’s better to treat just one person than 4, ne?” he asked, laughing a little.
“Ah,” Anna said. She smiled. I’ll just go shower and then we could go.” She took her bag with her and went to the shower room inside that same rehearsal room.
When he heard the sound of water coming out of the shower, Ohno felt that he would suddenly have a heart attack.
“What is happening to me?” he asked himself as he was staring at the door where Anna went into. His heart was beating fast. “Why do I keep doing those things when she’s there?”
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 511 Location: In Little Prince Nino's Little Planet..
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:14 pm Post subject:
CHAPTER 6:
“I wonder where Riida is?” Nino asked the others, staring at the glass window of the restaurant where they’re eating.
“He disappeared, saying that he needs to practice,” Sho reminded him.
“But it’s lunch. It’s not Riida-like to not take lunch,” Aiba said, his mouth full of rice.
“Well, I think we pressured him when we told him he still hasn’t finished his choreography,” Jun said, sorry.
Nino’s eyes grew wide as he continued to stare at the window. “Don’t tell me…” his face split into a grin.
***
“I thought we’re going to lunch?” Anna asked suspiciously. Ohno was obviously not taking her to any food shops or food kiosks. “Why are you wearing that, anyway?”
Ohno bit his lip, causing his cheeks to puff a little. “Umm… disguise?” he said, unsure.
Anna snorted. “Of course,” she answered. But with his get up, a thick jacket that hid his thin figure and a bonnet, with matching glasses, under the sun, was not a disguise. They’ll surely gather more attention because of that. “Are you sure you’re not feeling unwell with that outfit? You look sick!”
Of course Ohno was not sick. He’s just shy. He kept on looking down, puffing his cheeks for no particular reason. “Daijoubu,” he replied, stuttering a little.
“Maybe that’s the effect of practicing too much,” she said with a sigh, as she placed her face inches near his, trying to see any problems.
“May… maybe…” Ohno replied, gulping as Anna’s face went near his. “It is!” his mind screamed inside. “You’ve been practicing too much and I…”
The stoplight showed that the pedestrians can cross. “We’ll ride a taxi,” he said, going to the stop.
“That’s expensive!” Anna exclaimed. “Can’t we just take a bus or the train?” Remembering that Ohno looked a little pale, maybe because of his exuberant clothing, she decided to shut up. A taxi came and both of them went inside.
Anna watched him as he searched for his phone inside his bag. He was clumsily doing it that it fell from his bag to the floor. The girl felt that she should assist him so she tried to pick it up, only to end up…
“Ow!” she shouted, her forehead hitting his. He had removed his disguise and as they tried to get away from the tangle, his spiky hair accidentally hit Anna’s eye.
“Gomen! Gomen!” he apologized continuously, panicking on how to make Anna’s eyes well. She was fidgeting because hair sticking out like that hitting an eye really hurts. He ended up holding her face to stop her fidgeting. He held the closed eye and blew on it a little. “I hope that would make it better.”
But the fact that he touched her made her feel better. The moment he touched her face, she immediately stopped her fidgeting. She was shocked. Then he blew her eye, she was super shocked! But that didn’t erase the fact that her eyes was still red, thanks to his hair that she worshipped before (she didn’t know if that will still be true after what happened).
“Anou… your phone,” she managed to say, holding her right eye.
“Ah, hai,” he said, scratching his head a little. He took the phone again and started to dial a number. “Ah… yes… I’m going to… eh?” he said with a disappointed face. He hung up and kept his phone inside his pocket.
“Is there something wrong?” Anna asked.
Ohno talked to the driver. “We’re going down here, thanks,” he said. The taxi pulled over and he paid for the fare before going down and dragging the girl too, holding her hand.
The taxi moved away when they noticed that they’re still holding hands with each other. They immediately let go. “They don’t have available fishing boats today,” Ohno said, his chin getting longer with that face.
Anna turned around and saw that they’re in a nature park. “I actually have packed lunch. We can just eat that here,” she suggested with a smile.
Ohno blinked. He blinked two times… three times… five times and he was swept by Anna’s tight grip to a secluded part of the park, next to the river, under a tree.
“It’s already 12:40 and we still haven’t eaten so I think it would be better if we eat here,” Anna said, starting to unpack her lunch. “Don’t worry, this is more than enough for the two of us.”
Ohno followed her to the spot but he accidentally hit a rock, causing him to trip and roll downhill a little. Anna’s eyes widened at the sight so she stood up and followed suit. She helped Ohno up, his bonnet has fallen and his glasses too. He carried a stunned look.
“Daijoubu ka?” Anna asked, helping him dust grass of his clothes. “No broken limb? Injuries?”
Ohno just shook his head, silent. Anna helped him get back to the spot and helped him sit, worried that he might be toppled down if she did not do so.
“I’m so screwing up,” Ohno told himself as he painfully took a bite on the homemade onigiri Anna gave him.
“Are they good?” Anna asked, worried. Judging by his face, it looks like she did not make the rice balls well.
Ohno shook his head and smiled. “Umai!” he remarked, taking another one. Anna sighed with relief.
After their lunch, they took a taxi once again back to the building. “I have to go back,” Anna said, pointing upwards, talking about the rehearsal room.
Ohno nodded and smiled. “I’ll return to the guys. They might be waiting for me,” he said. But deep inside, he wanted to say: “Can I join you in practice again?”
They both went for the elevator. “Arigatou,” Anna suddenly said while Ohno looked at the small elevator screen to avoid her gaze.
“Eh?” Ohno was puzzled.
“For what you did for me on the train,” she said while the doors of the elevator started to close.
“How did you know?”
“You’re the only Satoshi who would wear that kind of clothes and walk that way,” she said, chuckling. “I just realized it now.”
“I was about to tell you that,” Ohno said, chuckling along with her. “Arigatou, ne,” he also said.
The girl stopped laughing. “Nande?”
“That you have my song as your ringtone,” he said shyly, looking at his shoes.
Anna blushed. “Oh no!” she thought. “Eh? I just kinda like that song. I loved the way you danced that song.”
They were quiet for a few moments. Anna did not notice it but Ohno was trying to go near her. She was about to grab her hand when…
“Ding!” the sound of the opening elevator came. Aiba was wide-eyed. “Guys! Guys! Here’s Riida!” he shouted happily. “Anna-san! You’re here too!”
“Hai,” Anna said. She smiled again.
The others went inside the elevator. Jun was glaring at Ohno. “You made me treat all of them to lunch!” he said indignantly.
“Where are you going?” Anna asked, acting as the elevator girl.
“We’re going to the eighth floor! To our dressing room!” Aiba chirped again.
The elevator stopped at the eighth floor. “Riida?” Nino asked but Ohno stayed inside the elevator.
“I have to practice,” he said in a little voice.
Nino shrugged and nodded. “Anna-san, take care of our Riida,” Sho said, giving a small salute.
Anna sighed. “I did not think that he’ll be really like that in reality,” she said to herself, holding her right eye that he blew earlier. Later on, she smiled. “But he’s a nice guy.”
Back at the rehearsal room, she placed her CD back to the player and saw that his CD was still there. “Tsk…” she remarked, removing it and putting it to the case of her CD. “Memory gap.”
She looked at the track list and saw Ohno’s solo. She decided to play it out of curiosity. Unlike what she expected, it was a ballad.
Ohno has just finished changing into practice clothes when he saw, through the small opening of the door, Anna listening to his song. She was crying. “Why is she crying?” he thought. Slowly, he opened the door wider to go out.
Anna hastily wiped her tears and stopped the track. “Are you through?” she asked him, smiling, though her eyes still glistening.
“Anou… were you crying?” he asked.
“Iie!” she said, sniffing a little. “I just listened to your solo,” she said. She looked a little upset. “I see you won’t dance this time.”
“Why that face?” he asked.
Anna bit her lip. “Because… because I really love watching you dance.” There. She said it. She covered her mouth to stop it from saying more.
Ohno stared at her, blinking every now and then. “You love… watching… watching me dance?” he stuttered.
Anna had no choice but to nod, blushing furiously. She gathered her things and went out of the door without a warning.
“Chotto!” Ohno said from behind the door but she slammed it shut in front of him and she ran towards the elevator, panting, her heart beating so fast.
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 511 Location: In Little Prince Nino's Little Planet..
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2008 4:18 pm Post subject:
CHAPTER 7:
“Because… because I really love watching you dance.”
Anna’s words were stuck inside Ohno’s brain as he rolled over the other side of his futon. The five of them decided to have a sleepover in Jun’s apartment.
“She said she loves to watch me dancing,” he said to Nino, who was sleeping. The man replied undecipherable phrases. He rolled over the other side, and now, facing Aiba, he said, “But I disappointed her when I did not do well in our rehearsals!” Sho just wrinkled his nose. He closed his eyes, trying to sleep. A few minutes passed.
***
Ohno got up very early the next day. He did not wait for the other members to wake up, even though the reason of the sleepover was them to be picked up by a van, taking them to a dance studio for a rehearsal.
“Anna-san?” he said, as Anna picked up the phone, clearly sleepy.
“Hai, this is Mitsuhashi Anna speaking. Who is this?” she asked.
“This is Ohno Satoshi, speaking,” he said.
“Why so early, Ohno-san?” she asked. He giggled a little as he heard her yawn from the other line.
“I would like to ask for your help,” he said. “Can we meet now?”
“Our engagement is 3 hours later…”
“Onegaishimasu!” he pleaded.
“Okay,” she said. Anna was silent for a moment. “We’ll meet in the dance studio after thirty minutes, is that alright?” she asked.
“Positive,” he said. He hung up and crept out of the room slowly.
“Riida?” Aiba’s voice sounded in the darkness of the living room.
“Aiba-chan,” he whispered.
“Where are you going?” he asked. From Ohno’s point of view, Aiba’s silhouette looked a like an oversized kid appearing in his parents’ room for he’s afraid of the dark.
“This is important, Aiba-chan,” he whispered. “Don’t tell anyone, okay?”
“Okay,” he replied, going back to sleep.
Ohno sighed as he opened the door quietly, and tiptoed down the building, riding a taxi, then stopping at the studio. It was still dark but he spotted the wavy-haired girl in a trench coat waiting outside the studio, looking above the sky, making him look too.
“Ohno-san,” she greeted, waving at him happily. She motioned him to come. “Mite! The clouds form weird shapes!” she said happily.
Ohno looked up but he did not see what she’s talking about. He just nodded.
“Gomen. What help do you need?” she asked.
He mustered all the dawn air he could. “I need help… in my choreography,” Ohno said quite seriously.
***
“Eh?” Nino said, finding out the person he was supposed to embrace disappeared. “Minna, where’s Riida?”
Sho woke up and looked at the time. “He’s disappeared!”
Jun got up from the couch, throwing the cucumber slices aside. “His shoes aren’t here,” he said, looking at his doorstep.
“He’s abducted!” Nino said, panicking mockingly. Aiba was still asleep. “Ne, Aiba-chan, do you know where Oh-chan is?” Nino asked him playfully.
“He won’t reply, Nino,” Sho said, his eyes narrowing.
“Riida…?” Aiba said, rubbing his nose in his sleep. “He… he went out,” he managed to say before cuddling his dog a little tighter.
“Is that the truth?” Jun asked, topless as he was about to go to his one-room closet to change.
“Yes,” Aiba replied. “He told me not to tell you.” He yawned again.
“Sugoi!” Nino exclaimed. “Aiba-chan talking in his sleep!”
“Our manager will kill us if he knows Riida isn’t here with us,” Sho said, holding his forehead.
***
“Wait, are you telling me that you need my help in choreographing these songs?” Anna asked as she showed him the folder where the song list was.
Ohno nodded. “I only managed to finish three and now I’m getting pressured!” he said, bursting out his emotions as he rummaged his hair with his hands.
Anna giggled a little at the sight. He looked like he did not really comb his heair and he’s making it untidier with his act. “Okay, I’ll help you,” she said.
“I have to show my manager the remaining three today,” he said as Anna tried to find the right key from the big bunch of keys she was holding. Ohno who was watching her closely, found her cute as she tried almost all keys before she managed to get the right one.
“Sorry about that,” she apologized, pushing the door. “Why aren’t you opening?” she asked the door.
“Anna-san, you have to pull it,” Ohno instructed, doing a motion of pulling an imaginary door.
She smiled embarrassingly, “Hai, gomen,” she said, pulling the door as instructed. The studio was still dark so she tried to feel the wall with her hands. “This is my first time here so I really don’t know stuff,” she said while trying to find the light switch. She happened to slip on a piece of rug lying around. “Itai!”
Ohno, who was helping her look for the light switch, even though he used this dance studio many times before. “What happened?” he asked loudly, his voice echoing in the hall.
“I slipped on something,” Anna said in a pained voice. “I can’t move my foot. It hurts!” she said.
Ohno squinted in the darkness, but since this was in vain, he decided just to follow the source of her voice. “Anna, are you there?” He tripped over her foot.
“Ohno-san? Are you okay?” she asked. Her foot hurt and now, it hurt double after Ohno tripped on it. She tried to get herself up but her foot stopped her from doing so.
At that moment, the lights went on. “Riida? Anna-san? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Aiba shouted, pointing at the two of them.
“This is not what the four of you think!” Ohno said defensively. He knew the brain waves of his co-members and he knew very well what the four of them were thinking as they saw Ohno and Anna in a dark dance studio, Ohno on top of her as he tried to get her up, Anna’s trench coat off her shoulders, revealing her bare shoulders, and their hair a little untidy after the incident. You could add the fact that the four heard some whimpers in the dark before they opened the lights.
Nino glared at them. “Oh-chan, sneaking at dawn to do this,” he said, sneering.
“Iie!” he shouted, getting up. He totally forgot that Anna was whimpering because of her hurt foot. “Anna-san’s hurt... Her foot slipped on something,” he quickly explained.
Sho was the only one who saw the REAL situation, as the others started to think of other ideas of what the two might be doing. “Guys, let’s go help Anna-san,” he shouted, making the three stop.
They immediately assisted her and carried her to the nearest bench. Aiba went to the nearest convenience store to buy ice.
“So,” Sho’s eyes narrowed at Anna. “What were you doing here?” he asked her.
Anna gulped. “So intimidating,” she thought. “We were about to practice and then, I did not know where the lights were and then I slipped and then Ohno-san tripped and then…” tears started to fall down her cheeks as she felt like she was some criminal interrogated.
“Don’t cry! Don’t cry!” Sho said assuringly, rubbing her back. “I’m not blaming you or anything.”
“I just want to help,” she said as he gave her a handkerchief.
“Eh?” the remaining three chorused.
Ohno raised his hand like an elementary student. “I asked her to help me finish the choreography of the dances,” he said. “And now, I just caused more trouble!”
“Yes, Riida, Anna-san’s foot is really trouble for ALL OF US,” Jun said sarcastically.
“Daijoubu, daijoubu,” Anna said, waving a hand. “I could still walk, you see.” She tried to stand up but she only ended up falling down. Luckily, Sho held her.
“See? I told you that’s a problem,” Jun said, shaking his head.
“Gomen,” Anna said guiltily. “It’s my first time and I’m giving so much trouble!” she said. If she would be able to stand up, she would have been kissing the floor due to incessant bowing.
“It’s not your fault,” Ohno said. “If I did not ask you to come here this early, you wouldn’t have had your foot hurt.”
Everyone was silent as Anna sniffed, trying to hide her tears. “Don’t worry, Anna-san,” Nino said, going beside her. “We all know your choreography. You just have to watch us and tell us what’s wrong, ne?”
Anna wiped her tears with her hands and nodded. “Hai.”
“The ice is here!” Aiba shouted, holding up the plastic bag. “Anna-san, here, I’ll help you. Just put your foot here.”
“Arigatou,” she replied, letting Aiba assist her.
“Well then, let’s start the practice,” Jun said, clapping his hands.
Everyone started to remove their sweaters and Aiba took the CD from his bag. Ohno approached Anna and knelt before her. “Daijoubu ka?”
Anna nodded. “The ice makes me feel better.” She whimpered a little as she tried to shift her foot on the ice.
Ohno instinctively touched her foot, now a little swollen, and gently lifted it to the bench as though it were a glass that would break. He also took the ice. “There, that looks more comfortable.”
Anna’s heart beat fast as Ohno’s hands touched her foot. “They’re soft,” she remarked. “Arigatou. Gomen if I was trouble. I was not able to help you in anything. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure I’ll help you once this foot gets well.”
Ohno smiled at her, to assure her that everything’s alright. “I’m so glad,” he said. He was so impressed with her optimism. He stood up and removed his sweater and placed it on the bench beside Anna.
“Arashi, let’s go!” Ohno suddenly said, jogging towards the others. Today, he was really the leader. They started the routine Anna taught and unlike the past days that he looked like a kid lost, he was dancing the routine in an Ohno way. “I don’t want to upset you, Anna-san,” he thought as he danced with a serious face.
Anna sighed as she tried to move her swollen foot. It still hurts but she knew that rest can help her make it better. She smiled as she touched it a little. “Ohno made it better, actually,” she thought.
She was watching them closely while they practiced and she did not give any of her perfectionist comments as she did not need to. She applauded as they finished the whole routine for all twelve songs. Three of them her choreography, three from Shun, and the last three were the ones from Ohno.
As the last turn ended, Aiba slumped on the floor, “Yokatta,” he said, doing a kow tow for some unknown reason. “Riida’s steps were the hardest!”
“He also has his S side, ne?” Jun said smirking. He was drinking water from his water bottle.
“You all did well,” she said. Her place was a little wet since the ice has already melted. “It’s already 12 o’ clock. Why don’t we all have lunch?” she suggested. She tried her best to stand up but she staggered and fell back to the bench. She laughed. “Gomen.”
“Here, let me…” Sho started but he stopped as he eyed Ohno. He was walking towards Anna.
Without any invitation, he helped Anna up and helped her walk. “How sweet!” Aiba exclaimed.
“Oh-chan looks serious,” Nino said, smirking.
Anna looked at everyone staring at them. To divert their attention, she said, “Minna, I made lunch for all of us. Why don’t we eat these together?” she asked, pointing to a basket-sized package beside her bag.
“Good idea! I want to try Anna-san’s cooking!” Aiba suddenly replied. Because of his sudden approval, everyone decided to agree.
Anna smiled as everyone looked pleased with her cooking. “This is better than Aiba-chan’s experiment food!” Nino said happily, munching on some of her homemade onigiri.
Everyone laughed with the joke. “Ne, Anna-san,” Jun said.
“Eh?” she asked, looking at him. Her foot was hanging on the high chair where she was sitting.
“Your onigiri tasted good but odd,” he commented, frowning a little. “What did you do with it?”
Anna chuckled. “A little homemade secret from my home,” she said. “I took it from my home country.”
“So you’re not purely Japanese?” Nino asked. “I see you have this foreign look!”
“I’m not pure and I was not really brought up here,” she explained. “But I came here to work.”
“So that explains here exotic look,” Ohno thought, munching on the food. “Umai!” he subconsciously said. Everyone looked at his way.
“Glad to hear that,” Anna said, smiling. She quietly continued to eat while thinking. “Of course, I came here for a reason…”
They decided to play a round of janken to see who would clean up after their lunch. Anna was exempted because she was the one who made the lunch and her foot still hurts. Ohno lost (again) so he was the one who started cleaning up the mess the boys made. Unexpectedly, Nino knelt down to help him.
“Ne, Oh-chan,” he hissed to make sure Ohno was the only one who’ll hear him. The others were exchanging funny stories and were laughing really loud.
“Hn?” he asked, looking at Nino. He was still holding the big piece of cloth used to wrap the whole lunchbox. It was color blue.
“Do you have a thing for… Anna-san?” he asked, looking at Anna a bit. She was laughing because of Aiba’s funny antics.
“Me?” Ohno asked back. The cloth fell from his hands. “Anou… of course not!”
Nino smirked. “Don’t lie to me, Oh-chan! We’ve been together for 9 years!” he said, patting Ohno’s back. It has been five minutes and they still hadn’t finished cleaning up. “You spacing out more than the norm, you not dancing well, and you…” he inched his face nearer, “… you are blushing when she’s talking to you.”
“I AM NOT!” he suddenly shouted. The happy group stopped and looked at their way.
“Oi! Is the happy couple fighting?” Sho asked. Anna giggled a little.
Nino looked back at Ohno’s way. “Ne, Oh-chan, you’re blushing!” he said, poking his cheek. “Is it because Anna-san looks cute while she giggles?”
“I’m not blushing!” he hissed, and he started to wipe his cheeks as though there were remnants of blush-on make up on them.
Nino carried the box form Ohno and placed it on the table. “Blushing,” he mouthed.
Ohno just sighed. “Did I really blush?” he muttered under his breath as he wrapped the box again with the blue cloth.
***
The day ended. “At last! Fresh air!” Aiba said, raising both of his hands as he opened the studio door.
Anna smiled as she saw that everyone’s satisfied with their handiwork. She was trying to get up and Sho was about to approach her when Nino stopped him. “Sho-kun, ikuzo!” he said, dragging him out and leaving Anna and Ohno inside.
Anna was packing up her things. Ohno went beside her and took his sweater. “Anna-san, is your foot fine now?”
“It’s a little swollen but I’m fine now.” She stood up and limped to the table to get the lunch box. She took her bag and limped out of the studio. She was surprised when Ohno suddenly held her hand.
“I’ll take you home,” Ohno said, smiling. He took her bag and the lunchbox and assisted Anna as both of them walked to the taxi stand. He let her lean on the metal pole so that she’ll be comfortable standing up.
“Arigatou, Ohno-san,” she said, smiling sweetly. Ohno started to blush. “Eh, you’re red!” she said.
“Am I?” he asked, touching his face. He felt his cheeks heat up when Anna touched her forehead.
“My brother becomes red when he’s sick,” she explained. “But you’re not sick!” she said. “Maybe it’s the cold,” she said further. At that time, Ohno sneezed. Yes, it was a little cold.
“It’s impossible that he would blush because of me, anyway,” Anna thought, sighing. “Impossible.” She fumbled for something in her bag and took out a scarf. She put it around Ohno’s neck and arranged it. “Much better.”
The guy was just speechless. He just stared at Anna for a few minutes while the girl was looking at the empty road. It was late at night and they did not see even one taxi. He touched the scarf that was hanging from his neck. It was also blue and looked liked it was hand-knitted. It made him feel warm. It also smelled nice.
Ohno’s stomach growled. He held it and smiled cheesily at Anna, who started to laugh. “Gomen. It’s just that…”
“Are you hungry?” she asked.
He just nodded, holding his stomach tighter. He looked around and saw an udon stand. “Hey, do you want to eat dinner?” he asked her.
“I don’t have enough money for dinner,” she replied.
“My treat,” Ohno said, beating his chest softly. He helped Anna cross the street and helped her sit down inside the stand. “Two orders please,” he said.
The old man who owned the stand smiled and started to prepare the meal. Ohno faced Anna, ready for any conversations.
“Anou…” he started. “When did you start dancing?” he asked.
Anna smiled in reminiscence. “I started dancing when I was young. Even before I came here in Japan,” she said. “But I really did not like dancing. My mother just wanted me to know how to dance professionally because she was always busy. Maybe she also wanted me to keep myself busy, that’s why she immersed me in those classes.”
“Why did you come here to Japan?” Ohno asked further.
“To dance,” she said, looking at him.
“That confuses me. She was not really interested in dancing but she went here to dance?” Ohno thought. “I thought you don’t like dancing?”
“I said, I did not like dancing,” Anna corrected. “Sometimes, it takes realization to show you what you really want to do.” She looked at him. “You, when did you start dancing?”
“Of course, I was in Johnny’s Juniors,” he said.
“Is it not before that?” she asked.
“Well, I dance inside our house before,” he said, embarrassed. “It’s because nee-chan always tells me to dance.”
“Many people adore your dancing,” she commented, smiling wider. Their orders arrived. “This looks delicious! Itadakimasu!” She started to it. “Oishi!” she commented.
Ohno, instead of eating his own food, was just watching her. He felt like he was full, looking at her.
“Mister, aren’t you going to eat?” the old man asked him.
“Ah… hai,” he said, as he started to eat hastily to keep up now that Anna was almost finished eating.
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