In the Spotlight [Open~]

[ZHENG MEI CHANG]

<sub>The theatre was larger than the one at her previous school. That was the first thing Mei had noticed when she saw it, and it was confirmed when she entered. It was simply amazing! The stage was big enough for more than four people and the auditorium could easily hold more than fifty spectators. Yes, this was definitely different from the community theatre back in her hometown.

The Asian girl observed the seats, feeling them to see what they were made of. Though the name of the material escaped her, she approved of it. Glancing at the floor, Mei was in awe of how clean it was. She bent down to check under the seats. Sure enough, it was pretty spotless. She stood up and gleefully made her way to the stage. It was her favourite place.

Being on the stage made her forget her worries. Her thoughts would be occupied by the fact that everyone was watching her do what she loved. Sometimes Mei was the character she was acting out. It was fun being someone different every now and then. When she was dancing, it was just as exhilarating. Now she stood on the stage, looking out at the empty seats.

"Hello everyone!" Mei cried out, waving to her invisible audience. "Thank you for being here today!"

Unaware that she wasn't actually talking to anyone, now that her non-existent spectators suddenly became real in her mind, Mei started to twirl around the stage. Eventually the twirling somehow turned to a small tap dancing routine. The tap dancing didn't really work out with her loafers but she didn't take much notice. After the quick tap dance, she paused. What now? Mei went over some moves in her head really quickly, and chose to try an arabesque position. It had been so long since she had done any ballet, and she didn't even realise that she wasn't wearing the proper shoes until she slipped and fell face first on the stage.

This was the embarrassing moment that Mei feared. People told her that she just had to stand up and pretend nothing happened, but it wasn't easy. She always felt like she wanted the ground to just suck her in at that moment.

Fortunately, there was nobody who could have really seen her do such a silly thing.
Or so she thought.</sub>

[WANG YAO]

Wang Yao had been wandering around the school. It was much larger than the one he had gone to, and frankly, he wanted to make sure he wouldn't get lost when he looked for his classes tomorrow. As he walked by the theater, he heard a girl call out, "Hello everyone! Thank you for being here today!"

Drawn by his curiosity and the familiarity of the voice, he peered into the theater, where he saw a pretty Asian girl twirl around the stage. He watched with amusement as the twirling effortlessly and seamlessly become a tap-dancing routine. Yao chuckled, wondering how the two dance types were even related. Really, she should have used fans or something. It would emphasize her graceful dancing a lot more.

He turned to leave, feeling quite guilty about watching her. Obviously, she hadn't noticed him, and after all, he had a school to get familiar with. It wouldn't do if he was late to one of his classes, because he had been told when he was accepted that he was much older than most of the other students. It would be shameful if he, the elder, was lost when the other, younger ones were not.

He heard a thud, and wondering if the girl had hurt herself, Yao turned back to the theater. He saw the girl on the ground, her face getting familiar with the stage floor. She wasn't getting up.

"Aiya!" Yao clucked, before running forward. "Are you okay, aru?"

- - - - -

[ooc:Hello! I'm Luka/China. I know that technically, Yao and Mei are supposed to be related or something, but I didn't want to assume anything, so I just made Yao not recognize her from a distance. ;D]

[ZHENG MEI CHANG]

<sub>The floor was cold and her face hurt, but Mei couldn't bring herself to get up. She decided that if she stayed in the same position, she'd calm down. It wasn't very comfortable though. Maybe it was a better idea to just get off the floor? Nah, too much work.

Then she heard someone from the spectator area and lifted herself off the floor, though she was still on her hands and knees. How long had they been there? Mei tried to calm herself down and watched the stranger approach her. Something was very familiar about him, but she wasn't sure what. She laughed nervously when he asked her how she was, "Haha, I'm fine! Don't mind me or anything--"

Something clicked in her mind, now that she thought about it. This guy... had a very familiar verbal tick. There was only one person she knew who had that same tick. Could it be? Mei squinted to make sure that she was thinking about the same person. Yes, there was no doubt about it.

"Gege? Is that you?"

---
(( -pets you- Hello <3 and it's alright, I'm going to go along with it~ :3 ))</sub>

[WANG YAO]

The girl had called him Gege, so that meant she knew him somehow. As he approached her, Yao scrutinized her face, searching for some recognizable facial features. Her face looked very familiar, but somehow, he couldn't put a name to it. His amber eyes drifted to her hair, where there was a single curly hair amongst the dark hair.

Suddenly, he knew.

"Mei?" Yao laughed as he climbed up the stairs and crouched on the floor next to her. He didn't want to get his clothes dirty, after all, and he didn't know where to wash his clothes yet, so cleanliness was a necessary component right now. He looked at her face, and now that he was closer, he could see that he did indeed know her. He held out a hand to her, offering to help her off the ground. "Mei-mei? What are you doing here? And why in the world did you think twirling could go with tap?"

- - - - - - - -

[ooc: Mm, okay! Oh, I'm not criticizing the twirling and the tap (because I do that too), but it just seems like something Yao would say. By the way, I think we're in the same dorm. I posted there yesterday and noticed Mei's picture. :3]

[ZHENG MEI CHANG]

<sub>Mei watched as he tried to figure out who she was, and she hoped that she didn't get the wrong person. Maybe the verbal tick was not as uncommon as she thought. On the other hand, he looked like Gege. Oh, but a lot of people probably looked like Gege. Mei fought to keep her face straight while all these thoughts ran around in her head. When he finally recognised her, she brightened up. Now that she thought about it, it had been a while since she saw the whole family.

Wait, was he laughing because of their happy reunion? Or was he laughing because it was his cousin Mei who had fallen on her face? Probably not the second option. Only a certain other cousin would do that. She decided to forget about it and just smiled instead. Less thinking, more happy reunion! She took his hand, because the floor wasn't too comfortable right now. "I wanted to see the theatre since I go here now." she replied, "shouldn't I ask you the same thing?"

Then Mei couldn't help but pout when he seemed to criticise her little random dance, "i-it was just a warm up! Besides, you wouldn't get it Gege."
She wasn't really going to admit that she sort of agreed with him. Why she chose to tap dance after the twirling was not very clear to her either.

---
((I just picked tap dance randomly orz but I'd be a hypocrite if I said that I didn't do that as well. Pff it would totally be something Yao would say : DD and yup! We're in the same dorm. I've been meaning to post in it but I can't come up with anything. Might do so later today~ ))</sub>

[WANG YAO]

Yao was felt happier than he had in a while. It had been so long since he had seen Mei, and he had missed her, along with the other members of his family he had not seen for a long time. Since his parents had died, he had worked his butt off to support himself and the rest of his family*. There had been no time for leisure or for visiting.

"You're right, Mei-mei, I don't get it, aru~. Yao said, chuckling. "I was never one for the Western dances anyway. My talents extend to fan-dancing, but you always did do more, aru.

"I was looking around, trying to familiarize myself with the campus, aru!" Yao smiled brightly at Mei. She wasn't exactly as he remembered, but he was aware of the similarities between her younger self and now. "It would be embarrassing if I showed up late, aru, because I was told I'm older than some of the students here."

- - -
[ooc: So, are they cousins or something?

*In my AU head canon, I always make them cousins and Hong Kong his actual brother, because it sounds weird if we say, "Oh. They're all siblings but they speak different languages and are of different nationality." To explain for Hong Kong's cantonese, my head canon makes China Cantonese, but speaks many other languages...][/color]

[HONDA KIKU]

Kiku had a small amount of free time and hadn't seen the entire building yet, so he decided to take an independent tour. He'd studied the layout from a pamphlet of the Worldwide Boarding School on his plane ride to America, and was feeling rather confident he could find his way to all of his classes, so getting lost never ran through his mind. He closed his eyes, picturing the rather simplistic map in his head, and charted his route mentally. After he'd settled on a path that would take him around nearly the entire school. He then stood, having been sitting on the edge of his bed and exited the dormitory, being sure to lock the door behind him.

The Japanese teen set off on his short stroll, observing his surroundings. The Western mindset and ideas fascinated and confused him, but it only made him want to learn more. He hadn't been to any of his classes yet, but as he passed by a classroom, he was surprised to see students lecturing at the front of the class instead of the teacher. While passing another room, he overheard a student questioning his teacher's knowledge. Both rather shocked Kiku, the last in particular. He was used to sitting at his desk silently, listening to the teacher, and memorizing equations and lines like everyone else, but things seemed quite different in America.

He continued his tour of the building silently, still taking in the new environment. He noticed quite a few students out of uniform and felt a bit silly for wearing his even though he didn't have classes that day. He told himself he was just more responsible, but wondered if it would be better to try to fit in. Kiku wasn't one for change, but considered it as he knew only one person in the entire school.

Or did he? The Japanese boy stopped in his tracks as he passed by the theatre, having thought he heard very familiar voices. He wanted to dismiss the thought, the odds of someone he knew attending the very same school as he were extremely unlikely. Yet as he inched closer to the door into the auditorium, lights were clicking inside his mind.

Kiku, not wanting to seem nosy or impolite, quietly entered and stood in the back, squinting at the pair with analytical brown eyes. At the words "aru" and "Mei-mei," however, all was clear to him. What were the odds of the three all attending the school?

"N-nii-san?" he called hesitantly, praying he wasn't mistaken...that would be incredibly embarrassing. "And Mei-chan?"

ooc; I think they're cousins, yes. o:

[WANG YAO]

"N-Nii-san? And Mei-chan?"

At those words, Yao's head turned towards the door. He saw a familiar face yet again as he surveyed the newcomer. He stared at the newcomer, his bad memory for names coming back to haunt him. This boy, he looked familiar, but what...what was his name?

Slight worry came over him as he noticed that the new boy was wearing the uniform. Aiya, was he supposed to too?! He suddenly felt very guilty for not doing so, only bothering to wearing black slacks and a white button-up.

Suddenly, a light clicked in his mind. Only one person ever made him feel that guilty, but what were the odds of him--what were the odds that the three of them were attending this very same, very exclusive boarding school in America?

"Kiku?" Yao asked in confusion. "You're attending this school too, aru?"

---

[ooc: Yay! -throws confetti- Kiku joined the family reunion! : DD]

[ZHENG MEI CHANG]

<sub>Mei hadn't really expected Gege to agree, and couldn't help but feel a bit bad. They were family and she had to show some more respect. He explained why he was there and it made sense, but how old was Gege now? Mei quickly did the math in her head and came up with 21 years. Wow... she thought, for it really had been a while since she saw him. Family reunions were always fun. If Gege was going to this school now, then what was the chance of all her cousins being here as well?

Before she managed to say anything, she heard another voice from all the way in the back. She squinted her eyes to see who he was, and she immediately recognised him. Could it really be? It was almost too much of a coincidence. When Gege spoke and called him Kiku, Mei smiled even more. They were definitely thinking of the same person. It was still too much of a coincidence, but it was a nice one.

"Kiku!" called Mei, waving wildly before realising how silly she probably looked. The Taiwanese girl couldn't help it though, it was all so exciting!

---
(( Oh gosh I love this ;u; <33 herro famiryyyyy~ ))</sub>

[WANG YAO]

When Kiku didn't answer either of them, Yao grew worried. What if it wasn't Kiku, what if it was just some random Japanese student that looked like Kiku, and acted like Kiku, what if--Yao shook his head. This was getting a bit too confusing for his taste. But still, the doubt was still in his mind.

He nudged Mei, and whispered so that the Kiku lookalike Kiku wouldn't hear them. Even if it wasn't Kiku, he didn't want to hurt this new person's feelings. "Hey Mei, aru, do you think it's Kiku?"

[ooc: not much I can do at this point, since we're waiting for Kiku to answer, but I didn't want you to feel abandoned. xD;;

why herro there cousin~. :D]

[HONDA KIKU]

Kiku watched realization cross his cousins' faces, and he smiled very faintly with relief. So he hadn't been wrong about their identities, but the fact that both of them were also in America still perplexed him. But still, the odds... Unless this had occurred on purpose. Suddenly, his mind was beginning to piece things together (whether the pieces were true or not) Had this been planned by his mother, aunts, and uncles? Would Yong Soo jump out of nowhere and grab his "breasts"? The Japanese teen stiffened in trepidation and checked behind him, letting out a small sigh of relief when the coast was Korean-less.

He made a move to go down to them when he saw Mei's enthusiastic welcome and silly grin, but stopped when he looked at his other cousin more closely. The Chinese male looked surprised, but not in the same excited way as the Taiwanese girl, and Kiku took that as a possible form of disappointment. Kiku remembered not getting along with Yao as well as he did with the others, but he'd felt his heart leap with a happy familiarity when he'd heard the recognizable voice from the hallway. He didn't move, slightly offended by his less than warm welcome.

Yao's question of his identity to Mei echoed in the large room and he reacted. He had suddenly realized he was being impolite by ignoring them, and made his way down the aisle to where the two were standing. "Sorry...I-I am Kiku." he mumbled awkwardly, bowing quickly.

--

ooc; DDDx Gomenasai, guys! I was having major writer's block for whatever reason. >< And with all that waiting, my post still wasn't good. u_u;

Hey, should Kiku be right and their all attending here not be a coincidence? It probably doesn't correspond with any of our character templates, but.

And I really want there to be a HK and Korea now~

[WANG YAO]

Yao quickly patched a bright smile on his face. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t excited to see Kiku. It was just the memories of their childhood had suddenly plagued Yao. He and Kiku had been close, once upon a time, but then *something had happened, and they seemed to be countries apart.

He did miss Kiku, but he had never been very good with expressing his emotions verbally. It was always through the subtle actions in his daily life. Unbeknownst to both Yao and Kiku, they were thinking along the same lines. Like Kiku, Yao was wondering if this was fate, or perhaps the manipulating of family members in order for them to attend this very school.

Yao shook his head. It might have been that for Mei and Kiku, but for Yao, it was out of the question. His parents had died when he was young; there was simply no way they could be manipulating his actions from beyond the grave. (he didn’t believe in that, after all.) As for the other family members, he had told none of his relatives that he had been planning to attend this school. He had simply said, “I am going to America for school.”

“K-Kiku, it has been a long time, aru~!” Yao said in a bright, cheerful tone. He clutched the little panda keychain that dangled from his belt loop tightly. “I…I have missed you very much!”

- - -

[ooc: Hihi, Kiku~ -glomp- That's an interesting thought, but Yao has no parents. ;; A ;;
However, that doesn't mean it's not possible. :D
By the way, the *something* mentioned is WWII, when Kiku gave Yao a scar on his back. I have no idea what it is in our AU though. xD][/color]