Work Text:
Being in the spotlight had its drawbacks. Kaoru was well aware of them.
Despite her aspirations to be an actor on the silver screen, she knew that being an entertainer walked side-by-side with fame.
Since she and Chisato were always under the eyes of their audience, finding time alone was difficult.
Sometimes the two of them couldn’t be together, because of schedule conflicts. Chisato couldn’t risk being recognized, and at times, Kaoru needed a breather from being with her little kittens.
With Kaoru’s rehearsals, and Chisato’s photoshoots, the two of them were like ships passing in the night.
The fact they went to different schools didn’t help.
But what is past is prologue, as Shakespeare would say.
This month was particularly busy, filled to the brim with schedule conflicts. Less time to spend together, it seems. Which was a shame, since Kaoru missed Chisato dearly.
Teasing and all.
Occasionally, fate would have a moment of mercy and their schedules would align. Even for a fleeting moment.
After school, they would catch up at a nearby cafe, or walk to CiRCLE together. Any amount of time was enough. Until they could see each other again. To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow.
But today was different.
As much as she wanted to see Chisato, the stage called to her. She had to practice lines and choreography for her next performance.
Seeing her beloved would have to wait; she needed proper time to practice.
It was already late in the afternoon. Most students by now would be headed home, or go to their clubs. But in the gym, Kaoru was seated on the stage, reciting her lines to herself.
The other drama club members, including Maya, left. After practicing certain lines of dialogue, and choreography for the first act of the play, everyone left. Rehearsal was over, and the rest of the cast went off to their own devices. She wanted to stay however, to polish some of her dialogue and dance steps.
A little extra practice wouldn’t hurt.
The stage was dark and empty, save for a spotlight, lighting up the stage with a single beam. Just Kaoru, and the entire expanse of her world, just for herself.
Her character was a prince, unsurprisingly. A role she should be comfortable with.
The twist however, was that this play would incorporate a scene, where she and the princess would dance in the ballroom. Most performances she did as of late only involved dialog, or a fight scene, at most.
She danced before, but not as much while on stage.
The conversation in the scene was no problem, but the dance steps were. She was more than a little rusty on slow dancing.
And it wouldn’t look good if she fumbled and stepped on her princess’s foot, wouldn’t it?
Lucky for her, the club only went through the first act, giving her more time to brush up on her dancing skills. More time for her to sharpen her movements.
She reviewed the steps at home, but it didn’t “click”. No matter how fluid and calculated her movements were, there was something missing.
Practicing a two-person dance by herself was rather silly, after all. Perhaps she needed a dance partner.
She couldn’t dwell on her issue any longer. Even after three reviews of the dance, the steps still didn’t flow right. Time passed, slowly but surely, as she tried fruitlessly to comfortably go through the dance. Arms outstretched, she tried again to move across the stage, in sweeping motions.
She wanted to feel the choreography in her soul. Work each movement into her muscle memory.
Eyes closed, deep in focus, she barely heard the soft voice that called out for her.
“Kaoru?”
Opening her eyes, Kaoru glanced at the doors of the gym. There stood her girlfriend, in her cap and sunglasses.
“...Chisato?”
The girl in question made her way to the front of the gym, in smooth strides.
Kaoru was on stage, frozen, as Chisato lowered her glasses.
“Ah, I’m glad you’re still here! It’d be a shame if I missed you, since I texted Maya and everything…”
She barely managed to conceal her shock.
“As lovely as it is to see you, Chisato, I believe you had a photoshoot today?”
She smiled at Kaoru in response.
“I did, but it ended early, so I figured I’d try to find you.”
Stepping down from the stage, Kaoru met Chisato at the floor of the gym. She felt her lips subconsciously tug into a smile, as she held her girlfriend’s hands in hers, grateful for the connection.
“I’m happy you found me, then.”
Chisato swung their hands side to side, as she thought for a moment.
“So what are you doing here so late in the afternoon?”
“Practicing.”
“By yourself?”
Sheepishly chuckling to herself, she answered, “I can’t seem to get some dance steps down, so I figured I’d stay behind.”
Admitting she felt unsure was embarrassing, especially to someone as exceptional as Chisato. But there was no point in her denying it.
After all, Chisato saw past her facade each time.
“What kind of dance is it?”
“A couples slow dance…”
She stood still, thoughtful. With Chisato here, maybe she could—
“Kaoru?”
A light bulb flickered to life in her head. A solution to her current dilemma.
“Could you practice with me?”
Chisato seemed taken aback for a moment. She tapped a finger to her chin, acting indecisive. Holding her free hand in hers, Kaoru blanched, feeling nervous about her answer.
“I don’t know... Is this a trick to get me to dance with you?”
Kaoru barely stifled her laugher. It certainly wasn’t at first, but the idea was starting to have some charm. It could be fun.
“Maybe.”
“How sly of you.”
But when Kaoru looked at her, she swore she could see the lightest dusting of red on her cheeks.
Then again, she probably wasn’t faring any better.
“The scene is when the young prince dances with the princess in the ballroom. The first meeting of two lovers,” Kaoru mused.
They stood at opposite sides of the stage, Chisato awaiting her next cue.
Envisioning the crowded ballroom on the stage, Kaoru gazed at Chisato, basking in her beauty.
The prince made her way to her princess, bowing. They smiled at each other, enjoying the stage with just the two of them. A world just for them.
Kaoru held one of Chisato’s hands, pressing it to her lips.
“May I have this dance?”
Chuckling softly, she replied, ”You may.”
Kaoru placed her hand on Chisato’s side, while Chisato placed hers on Kaoru’s back. Their free hands intertwined, and they set off, in calculated steps.
She still felt unsure about her dancing, counting under her breath, barely inaudible. Every few paces she would fumble a little, but Chisato smiled at her, encouraging her to continue once more.
As they danced in a circle around the stage, everything started to click in place in Kaoru’s mind.
This was it!
It wasn’t long until she stopped counting, taking the time to enjoy the tempo between Chisato and her. The two of them moved in one graceful motion, a slow and steady tempo. Almost as if… Chisato did this before?
“You seem familiar with dancing like this...”
“Well, I did it once for a photoshoot… My partner and I had to go through the motions of the dance, so it would look genuine.”
“Ah, how fleeting… I wish I could have danced with you in their place.”
Chisato shook her head, smiling.
“That shoot was tedious. I’m enjoying this more than I ever did the first time.”
She was grateful Chisato was enjoying herself. But along with feeling comfortable with the dance steps, something else felt new.
It was no question that Kaoru found Chisato beautiful, but in this moment…
She was absolutely radiant. The stage may be dark, save for the spotlight, but she was truly the brightest in the room.
Kaoru could only release the breath she was holding, her love for Chisato in the smoke of her sighs. She was so lucky. Better than that, she felt at peace. Comforted by her beloved, a perfect end to the week.
As Shakespeare said, love comforteth like sunshine after rain, did he not?
It wasn’t long before the sun started to set, the orange hues of the sky barely visible through the windows of the gym.
The two of them started their final runthrough of the choreography. Kaoru stepped with purpose, successfully leading Chisato through the last dance. Without realizing it, she even took to humming the melody of the song while moving across the stage with Chisato.
She made sure to hold Chisato’s hand gently, as to not crush it, guiding her partner through each turn smoothly.
After a few turns, and a few more steps, the two of them stopped, breathing lightly. Dancing together took quite a bit of energy, but they didn’t notice until then.
Lowering their arms, they held hands, standing in content silence. Perhaps it was time to leave.
“It is getting late, shall we get ready to head back?”
Chisato checked her watch, nodding in agreement.
“Yes, before it gets dark. Take all the time you need to pack your things. I’ll wait for you in front of the gym.”
Kaoru made an affirmative noise, moving to shut off the spotlight on the stage. But before she could, she heard a series of footsteps. Chisato running back to her.
“Kaoru! Before I go...”
“Hm?”
Before she realized it, warm hands cupped her cheeks, pulling her down for a kiss. Her heart rate increased in leaps and bounds. A kind kiss bestowed upon her, by her princess.
A spell effectively cast on her.
When they pulled apart, their eyes met, and Chisato flashed her a bashful smile, her face beet red.
Words left them in that moment, and her heart was simply beating too fast.
She tried to sputter a response, but before she could, Chisato effectively cut her off, with a soft “I missed you”.
And once more, she turned to leave, while Kaoru stood on the stage, stunned. Her heart tried and failed to slow its beating.
She loved her so. So much that it wouldn’t take a thousand kisses to win her heart.
In Chisato’s case, it only took a single kiss, and Kaoru would gladly pay her back in kind, one by one.