I'll Stay Forever By Your Side
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ahiru, we're going to be late for class," Fakir calmly stated. The eighteen-year old boy had piercing green eyes and dark black hair. He knocked on Ahiru's door for the hundredth time in the last five minutes. After rewriting Ahiru's story countless times, Fakir had finally succeeded in making Ahiru a girl again, and now they both went to Kinkan Academy for ballet class.
"Hold on, hold on! I'm almost ready!" replied Ahiru, quickly putting her jacket on. Ahiru still had her long red hair and bright blue eyes at the age of sixteen. She raced out the door, uniform on and books in hand. They both ran to Kinkan Academy as the town clock chimed throughout the air of the first day of August. Stopping quickly in the locker rooms, they changed into their leotards, tights, and pointe shoes before sneaking into class.
Unfortunately, Neko-sensei caught them. "Ahiru-san, Fakir-san, you understand that a good and committed dancer should come to class on time, right?" They nodded. "Then you two shall stay after class to practice as punishment."
"Yes," they both replied before walking to the barre* to stretch and prepare for class.
Class passed quickly, and soon, Neko-sensei had left them alone to practice. Ahiru and Fakir began their exercises. Fakir easily lifted and extended his leg in front of him, then just as easily kept it extended while moving it directly behind him. Ahiru, however, struggled with keeping her leg straight and extended with moving it. Fakir sighed. "Ahiru, not like that," he said, walking over to her. He took her leg with one hand and kept it straight, while he put his other hand on her back. "Here, let me help you," he said, and he slowly helped her move her leg behind her perfectly. "It's easier if you arch your back while you move."
Ahiru smiled, blushing just a bit. "Thanks, Fakir!" she beamed. She was about to try the exercise again when something caught her eye. She stopped, and walked over to the door of the studio. Pinned onto the door was a blue flyer. On it, it read:
Attention
all students:
There will be a production of "Swan Lake" at the end of next June. Please try out for parts in the ballet. We have made it next summer to allow everyone to practice. There will be tryouts for only the two leading roles, Odette and Prince Siegfried. The other parts, such as Von Rothbart and the swans, will be given accordingly after the auditions.
Date
of the Auditions: April 21st
Beginning
Time: 10:00 AM
You
will be required to perform a solo at the auditions. Thank you!
"Ah, Fakir! Look at this! A ballet production! Are you going to try out?" Ahiru asked.
Fakir looked over the paper. "Maybe, but I don't see the point of participating in it." Ahiru frowned at his response. It would be a very good opportunity to have a lead in the ballet!
"But, Fakir, wouldn't it be a good chance to show everyone what you can do? I'm sure that you could easily get the lead role. Didn't you say that you wanted to be a danseur*?"
"If you leave me alone, I'll try," Fakir sighed.
Ahiru stared at the piece of paper, as if trying to make a decision. Suddenly, she spoke. "I think that I am going to try out for a part," she said.
"Then you should work hard. It will be difficult to get the lead. You're only in the regular class, remember?" Fakir reminded her. Ahiru thought for a moment, but then had an idea.
"Hey Fakir! You could help me become a better dancer! You're the best male dancer in school, and I've already improved a lot over that last two years! I have my pointe shoes! Please?"
Fakir was reluctant. Did he really want to teach Ahiru? Though it was in eleven months, and Ahiru was doing moderately well in class, ballet took many years to do well in, and it was nearly impossible to improve that much over such a short period of time. He really didn't want to, but it was for Ahiru, his friend, and the only girl that he actually liked…
"Ah….alright."
"Really?" Ahiru asked.
Fakir nodded. "We can practice everyday until the auditions after class. We can go to one of the smaller rooms that Neko-sensei lets people practice in."
"Thank you so much!" Ahiru exclaimed. She quickly hugged Fakir and skipped to the locker rooms. Watching her retreating back, Fakir sighed, and shook his head. The things that he did for that girl…
"What am I getting myself into?" he asked himself.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day, after class, Ahiru went to her first lesson with Fakir. She got there before him, so she settled on stretching before he came. After ten minutes of stretching, Fakir finally showed up. "Ah, there you are, I've been waiting for ten minutes!" said Ahiru. Fakir walked over to the table that was in the corner and set the large bundle of books on it. "Uh, Fakir? What are those for?"
"I want you to take these and study them. Practice the positions and movements in the books. If you need help, just ask me," he told her.
"Okay, I'll do my best!" Ahiru answered.
Fakir clapped his hands. "For the next five months, we're going to try to improve your on pointe. Though it is satisfactory, you need to become exceptionally skilled…"
~*~*~*~*~*~
For eight weeks, Ahiru spent every second of her free time studying ballet from the books. She observed that advanced classes and practiced the moves that she could perform diligently for hours even after lessons from Fakir. Every once in a while, she would go to Fakir for help. She would stay up late reading the books in the school library, even though she should have been resting for class the next day.
One night, Fakir wandered into the library since he couldn't sleep. He saw a dim light in the back of the library, and walked towards it. 'Who could be here in the middle of the night?' he thought to himself. He saw Ahiru slumped over an open book, surrounded by dusty tomes about ballet. He had given her the assignment to study the 37 variations of jete*, so she would know how to do them when she was ready. He gently tapped her on the shoulder, but she didn't respond. He gently lifted her up and she snuggled into his chest. He looked at the pile of books on the table. 'Is she really studying that hard?' Shaking his head, he carried her to his room, since he couldn't get into the girls' dormitories. He set her down on the extra bed in his room. He gazed at her sleeping face, and brushed a few locks out of her face and kissed her on the forehead. "I really think that you can win," he whispered.
Ahiru spent four months developing her legs and lengthening her extension*. She progressed at an extremely rapid rate, and soon Fakir had finished with the regular lessons and began teaching her some of the advanced moves.
"Today, I'm going to teach you how to do a series of pirouettes*," Fakir informed Ahiru. It was February 5, and Ahiru had been studying for about 6 months.
"Hey, Fakir? Don't you think that this might be a little too hard for me right now?" Ahiru asked nervously.
"I know that you'll be able to do this," Fakir answered, a soft smile on his face. He stood in the middle in the room, and began a series of pirouettes. "Now, as you know, pirouettes require perfect balance and every pirouette is fully dependent on the preparation that comes before it. You draw the raised leg to the supporting leg's knee. You should use of all the toes of the supporting foot, and press them strongly against the floor to increase your support. When you turn, the opening arm gives the lead and the incoming arm gives the impetus. The head is the last to move as the body turns away from the audience and the first to arrive as the body comes around toward the audience," he stopped. "Do you understand?" Fakir asked.
Ahiru hesitated. "Ah, yes. Should I try now?" she asked. Fakir nodded and moved aside, giving her room for her to move. "Ah, okay, here I go!" Ahiru mimicked Fakir's earlier movements and began her pirouettes. He stood a few feet away, carefully watching her. She had done almost a dozen turns when her footing slipped and she fell.
Ahiru's eyes were shut tight, waiting for the impact of the hard wooden floor. However, she didn't feel it. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Fakir's face only a few inches from hers. He had caught her around the waist, keeping her from hitting the ground.
No one spoke. Only the faint melodies of the piano could be heard in the silence in the room. All that they were aware of was the other's presence. Ahiru could feel Fakir quick heartbeats and unconsciously raised her face up to meet his. Fakir found himself lost in her eyes and felt himself bring himself closer to Ahiru.
They slowly closed their eyes and were only a centimeter apart…
"Ah, excuse me, am I interrupting something?" asked a feminine voice from the door behind them. They both opened their eyes and stepped apart. Ahiru and Fakir look away from each other, blushing. They remembered that someone else was in the room and turned to look at the girl standing in the doorway. She had straight, waist-length black hair and was dressed in a black leotard and matching black pointe shoes. She was very pretty, with her large brown eyes, perfect nose, full red lips, and flawless dancer's body. "I'm a new student from Strauss Dance Academy. I was told to talk to Fakir-san about the classes. Could you excuse us?" she asked.
Ahiru quickly thanked Fakir before swiftly walking out the front door. "Thank you, Fakir. Bye!" she said, quickly bowing.
"Ahiru, wait!" called Fakir. He tried to follow her, but two arms draped around his shoulders. He stiffened, and clenched his hands into fists. "Liar," he spat out.
She laughed. "It was the only way to make her leave," she whispered in his ear. Fakir removed her arms from his shoulders.
"You have been at this school for three years. My answer to you hasn't changed, Kana."
"Ah, but it will, Fakir-kun. I love you, can't you love me back? I can make you forget about that silly girl," she purred. With that, she quickly brought Fakir down into a forceful kiss. Fakir grabbed her arms and pushed her away. Kana fell to the floor. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, disgusted.
"You make me sick," he stated coldly, glaring down at her. He calmly walked to the door, but before he left, he turned to her. "You know, she's more than you could ever be," he said, and walked away.
Kana dug her nails into her skin, drawing blood. "I'll take care of her, and make Fakir mine," she vowed.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Ahiru spent all of her free time of the next five months practicing with Fakir. Ahiru trained hard and had improved to the extent of being able to compete with the students of the advanced class, and Fakir told her so. "I really think that you'll be able to get the lead!" he would say every day, smiling at her. She had chosen the Giselle's variation* in Act 1 to perform, and diligently practiced.
It was the day of the auditions, April 21st, and Ahiru went to the auditions. Ahiru carefully stretched and practiced backstage while the other students danced. Her name was last to be called, and she eagerly stepped out.
"Your name?" asked Neko-sensei.
"Ahiru."
"What piece ballet will you be dancing?"
"Giselle's variation."
"Begin."
Ahiru started her dance, and smiled at the small group of people that came to watch her dance.
Fakir was sitting between Pique and Lilie, and watched Ahiru turn, jump, and dance on the stage. He had stayed after his audition to watch her. He followed her every move. Hopefully, she would remember what he told her yesterday.
"Exactly. You need to
pay attention to the little details," he scolded. He walked over to her
and stood behind her, arms outstretched. "For example, your hands. You
don't leave them limp, but you don't make them stiff and straight. You
position your hands so they are relaxed, and graceful, like this," he
told her, showing her several ways to position her fingers. "Now, start
again."
Soon, Ahiru finished her dance, and hopped off the stage to meet
Fakir. "How did I do?" she asked, a little out of breath.
"Wonderfully," he answered. Everyone sat down and talked
while they were wait for Neko-sensei to announce the parts.
Ten minutes later, Neko-sensei called everyone to the table. "The
part of Prince Siegfried will be played by Fakir. The first cover* will be
Hiro and the second will be Ichi." Everyone clapped, and Ahiru smiled
at Fakir. "The part of Odette will be played by Tomoe. The first cover
will be Ahiru, and the second will be Kana. Congratulations."
Ahiru looked up at Fakir, tears in her eyes. He awkwardly rubbed her
back soothingly. "It's alright, Ahiru," he told her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In the next two weeks, everyone was practicing. Covers practiced
together in a classroom, while the actual performers practiced onstage.
Ahiru was practicing the 32 fouettes* when she saw Tomoe enter the room.
Tomoe had pretty blond hair that passed her shoulders and green eyes.
"May I talk to you for one moment, Ahiru-san?" Ahiru looked at her,
puzzled.
"Sure."
"Please, let's go to the girl's locker room," Tomoe
requested. Ahiru followed her, puzzled. They sat down on the bench in the
middle of the room.
"What would you like to speak to me about, Tomoe-san?"
inquired Ahiru, wondering what Tomoe would possibly need to talk to her
about.
"Ahiru-san, do you want to dance with Fakir-san?"
"Why do you ask?"
"To me, it just seems that you would like to, and I wouldn't
mind letting you dance as Odette."
"It's true, I would like to, but you don't have to do that for
me…"
Tomoe shook her head. "It's alright. I want to. If you dance as
Odette, then I will be able to watch Hiro--" she said, but quickly
covered her mouth with her hands.
"Tomoe-san, you love Hiro-san?" Ahiru asked eagerly. Tomoe
nodded slowly, blushing. "And you wouldn't mind letting my dance in
your place?" Tomoe lowered her hands and nodded again. "Thank you
so much, Tomoe-san!" Ahiru squealed, and she hugged Tomoe. Realizing
what she was doing, she quickly stopped, apologized, and sat down next to
her.
Tomoe-san smiled softly. "Ahiru-san," she asked, "do
you like Fakir-san?"
Ahiru felt herself blush. She didn't really know what it felt like to
genuinely like someone that way. She knew that her heart always beat three
times faster whenever she saw him, and that just being around him made her
happy, and she was lonely when he wasn't around. She knew that she really
liked Fakir for who he was. She really liked the person she knew for the
past few years.
"You do, don't you?"
"I don't know. How do you feel when you're around Hiro?"
"My heart beats faster than usual, and I feel happy just when
he's there, and I really like his personality. He's kind and smart and cares
a lot for others."
"Well, then I think that I like Fakir!" answered Ahiru. 'Could
I love him?' she thought.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The following month was busy. Dancers and musicians were practicing
for the performance and costumes and sets were being made. Ahiru would watch
Fakir perform after cover practice was over, which was relatively short
since covers usually didn't have to perform. One day, during practice, Tomoe
jumped and fell off the stage, landing five feet farther than the stage.
Unfortunately, she landed on her right foot.
Neko-sensei moved her foot slightly. Tomoe cried out in pain. Neko-sensei
shook his head. "Hiro, please take Tomoe to the infirmary." Hiro
nodded, and he helped Tomoe walk.
Ahiru
watched them walk away, but she noticed that she was walking on her right
foot, instead of her left. Tomoe turned and smiled at her, and waved. Ahiru
smiled back. 'Thank you, Tomoe," she thought to herself. She would
remember to give her lots of candy to thank her.
"Tomoe will not be able to dance on the night of the performance," Neko-sensei told everyone somberly. "So, Ahiru, the first cover, will take her place. Remember, it is in two weeks, so everyone should be putting the final touches on everything. Okay, back to work!"
Ahiru looked up at Fakir, and gave him a soft smile. He smiled back at her, and they walked to the stage, to practice their pas de deux.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In the following two weeks, bad things were happening to Ahiru, and
she told Fakir the night before the performance. When Ahiru was putting on
her pointe shoes for practice, she felt a sharp pain in her toes. She
quickly removed her shoes and found several pieces of glass inside. Luckily,
her feet weren't seriously cut, so she only needed to bandage them and they
would heal in time for the performance. Earlier that week, when Ahiru went
to try on her costume that was hanging on the clothing rack backstage, it
was gone, and the costume makers had to make a new costume for Ahiru.
"Who
do you think would do that?" she asked him.
"I
think I have an idea. Good night, Ahiru," he said, and walked out of
the dormitories to the cover's practicing room. Someone was still practicing
at night, in the dark. "I thought I would find you here, Kana."
Kana
turned around. "How did you know it was me?" she asked, smiling
somewhat wickedly.
"I
knew you were the only person willing to put glass in someone's shoes. Like
I said before, you disgust me."
She
walked towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's all for
you, Fakir," she said, looking up at him. He glared at her.
"Don't
act so familiar with me!" he growled, removing her hands from his neck.
She laughed, and caressed the side of his face.
"Oh,
Fakir, I need to be practicing hard. I have a big performance tomorrow."
"What are you talking about? You're only performing if Ahiru
can't—" he stopped talking.
"If Ahiru can't perform," she continued for him, "Believe
me, Ahiru won't be able to perform when I'm through with her."
"Don't you dare try to hurt Ahiru! Are you really willing to
hurt someone that badly to play a leading role?!?"
"Fakir, it's not for the leading role, it's for you. I'm not
going to let anyone dance with you other than me," she said, smiling.
Fakir roughly grabbed her by the wrists and shoved her against the
wall. "You have no right! Even if you try, I'm going to protect her!"
Kana's _expression quickly hardened into anger.
"How dare you choose that girl over me!" she wrestled out
of his grip, and backed towards the door, pointing an accusing finger at him.
"I'll give you one more chance!"
"You could never hold a candle to Ahiru. You can never be
selfless, kind, generous, or be beautiful inside as well as outside like
Ahiru is. Never," he growled.
"You'll regret this, Fakir. Mark my words!" she shouted
before running away.
He looked out the window. If he didn't dance, then maybe Ahiru
wouldn't get hurt….
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was the night of the performance, and about half an hour until
they would begin. Ahiru had already put on her new costume. The dress top
was white and held up by two clear, thin straps, so it looked sleeveless.
The tutu reached her mid-calf and was made of many layers of white tulle.
She had skin colored tights and white pointe shoes. Her red hair was pulled
into a bun and held up with pearl hairpins and a diamond rhinestone crown.
Ahiru had spotted Fakir and ran over to him. Just after Ahiru stepped up to
Fakir, Neko-sensei made an announcement. "Attention all dancers! I have
just been told that there are people in the audience who are looking for
dancers for their dance companies. For you to join one of these companies
would probably be a dream come true. I hope that you will do your best. For
you to join one of these companies would probably be a dream. That is all,
and good luck." Neko-sensei called.
They
both turned to face each other. "You look beautiful," Fakir
complimented her.
"Thank you," she mumbled, blushing. She began to smile, but
it turned into a frown. She realized that he wasn’t' wearing his costume.
"Why don't you have your costume on?" she asked.
"I'm not going to dance. Hiro is performing for me," he
answered.
"Why?"
He didn't answer her. 'To protect you,' he thought.
"Don't
you want to dance out there? This is our chance! I can be a ballerina, and
you can be a danseur*! Wasn't that your dream?" She asked him. Again,
he didn't say a word. "Fine!" she yelled and stomped off. Fakir
stared at her retreating back, frowning. Were those tears he saw? Cursing,
he ran to the dressing rooms.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Ahiru has escaped to the rooftop, the only place where she could be
alone at the moment. She had dried her tears only a few minutes ago. She
felt the cool breeze blow, and she rubbed her arms in an attempt to warm
herself as she perched on the roof.
"It's a perfect night for a ballet dance, don't you think?"
someone from behind her asked. Ahiru quickly stood up and turned around.
Kana stood there, wearing what seemed to be the old Odette costume that
looked just like her own.
"Kana? What are you doing here? And why did you take the Odette
costume?" Ahiru asked her.
"To see how it looked, and I just came to take care of something."
Kana smoothly answered, stepping next to her.
"Really? What do you need to take care of?"
"You." In the blink of an eye, Kana had her hands around
Ahiru's throat , cutting off her air.
Ahiru tried to pry the hands from her neck, but failed. She felt her breaths
grow shorter and her vision become blurry. Kana began to push her towards
the ledge of the rooftop. Kana continued her rant. "You're the reason
he doesn't like me! Because he likes you! Sweet, perfect Ahiru! Well, let's
see what he does when little Ahiru is gone!" She shouted, her hands
tightening around Ahiru's neck. Ahiru eyes slowly fell closed, feeling tired.
Ahiru felt herself slipping, the pressure on her neck gone. Then nothing was
beneath her feet, and she was able to breathe again. She opened her eyes,
and realizing that she was beginning to fall, she let out a scream. She
looked down at the ground that was coming closer to her in fear. Suddenly,
she felt someone grab her wrist. Ahiru looked up to see Fakir above her,
dressed in his prince's costume. He was leaning out a second story window
looking down at her with his green eyes. (The building is 10 stories.)
"Fakir?"
"Yes, Ahiru?"
"T-T-T-Thank you for saving me."
"I wouldn't let her hurt you, Ahiru. Now, let's go to
dance," he said, pulling her up. She smiled at him gratefully. They ran
to the stage as fast as they could.
~*~*~*~*~*~
They had told Neko-sensei what had happened on the roof right after
the performance, and Kana was promptly expelled for assault. A crowd of
interviewers and company presidents that had swarmed around them, but Ahiru
and Fakir escaped to the forest just outside of town. They laughed and
walked around aimlessly, dancing their pas de deux in the middle of a
clearing, easily forgetting about the dangerous events of earlier that
night. As dawn broke, Ahiru and Fakir settled themselves beneath a weeping
willow by the lake. Fakir sat on the ground, leaning against the tree, Ahiru
beside him. They just stayed there, enjoying each other's company and
admiring the sunset.
After
a few minutes, Ahiru broke the silence. "I'm going to be a ballerina,
and you're going to be a danseur. Have all your dreams come true?" she
asked.
"No," he answered, still staring up at the sky.
"What else is there?" she asked, turning her head to look
at him..
"I'm going to stay forever by the side of the one I love."
Silence reigned.
"Ahiru," he whispered, still staring at the sunset, "will
you let me stay forever by your side?" He felt her hug him. He wrapped
his arms around her, returning the embrace.
"Yes," he heard her mumble into his chest. They stayed like
that for an hour, until they grew tired, and they began to fall asleep,
still under the tree.
Just before he fell asleep, Fakir murmured, "I love you, Ahiru."
He heard a soft, "I love you, too," come from the girl in
his arms, and he smiled.
~*~*~*~*~*~
FIN.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Author's Notes: I know that some of the things in here are basically impossible, but that's the beauty of it! I don't know if some of these things are actually correct, since I don't do ballet. I tried to make this as correct as possible. I also kind of tweaked their ages a bit. I know that this story is very sudden in the beginning with the romance and doesn't really give any clue that Fakir and Ahiru like each other, but in the anime, Fakir and Ahiru genuinely care for each other (maybe even more) and I decided to continue their relationship. ::bows:: Anyways, I've enclosed a glossary for the starred words.
To explain what happened with Fakir catching Ahiru. Kana was trying to strangle Ahiru, but let go and then pushed her off the building. Fakir heard her scream and quickly ran towards a window below her, catching her just in time! Fakir to the rescue! ::applauds::
I borrowed a few minor details from the manga Forbidden Dance. I used http://www.balletmet.org/EDUCATIO/Vocab.html and http://androsdance.tripod.com/technique/ for the ballet terms. The title was inspired by one of the wallpapers at the site. Please vote for my fic!
Barre-
A
handrail fixed to a wall, as in a dance studio, used by ballet dancers as a
support in certain exercises.
Jete- A jump from one foot to the other preceded by a brush with the working leg.
Extension- The full height a dancer can lift their leg in the air.
Pirouette- A turn on one foot.
Variation- A solo dance in a ballet
Cover- A dancer who, although not scheduled to perform a role, must know and rehearse a part in case of emergency.
Fouette- a movement in which the working leg is brushed vigorously either forward or backward. You then use the inertia of the leg to turn the body around, so that the body turns 180 degrees away from the leg, which remains where it was.
Danseur-
A professional male ballet dancer.