Her

Megura had posed herself against the wall, standing outside her father's main meeting hall. Her gaze directed on the far wall further down the length of the hall. Even still she was far from the depths of reality. Her mind dabbled over the usual thoughts. The guilt, the righteous anger and a bit of remorse for both herself and Ken. She shifted one foot off the wall, feeling her other leg tingle as she pulled it up and leaned it against the wall instead.

Her hand moved, poising itself on top of her upper lip as she drew her gaze to the floor beneath her. She'd waited for them for a good amount of time now. Un-pocketing her phone from her sweater, she looked down at it, checking the time before deciding maybe she was better off by herself by using this time to be elsewhere.

Megura walked out, down to the elevator before leaning against the rail. She watched someone else step in another floor down from her as they selected the first floor button, and the idea of leaving the company's campus dawned on her as the two made their way to the first floor. Contemplating her choice wasn't easy. She drew her hand up again to her chin, deeper in thought when the doors opened and she glanced up. The first person stepped out quickly, leaving her alone for a moment as she straightened herself up. Her head lifted, then her eyes focused on her destination to exude her usual self-confidence. She could be seen striding down the main hall to the service desk where a few glances passed her way before she stepped up to the counter.

"Send my father a message when he gets out of his meeting. I'm going out on the town. I'll message my whereabouts later and have him send one of the heads to join me after the meeting," she informed them, tapping her index finger on the marbled counter.

"Yes, miss," she nodded, looking down as she opened the chat feed on her computer and typed in the notes quietly.

Shouji stopped before the building. He looked at the card again. Now he recognized the name. He guessed he could have put it together before now, but he didn't even think to. He opened the glass door slowly, stepping in before taking a quick glance around. It was spacious... He felt his nerves rattle him a little, wondering exactly how he was going to find her in this big of a place.

Easily enough, but just out of his peripherals, Megura flipped her phone open, typing in it furiously before walking to the front. As the door opened, her attention flipped from the phone to see who opened the door for her and she had to do a double-take for a second. Her eyes shot up to meet with Shouji's to a lighter surprise and her expression grew less tense and a little softer, revealing her surprise. "And.... You made excellent timing," she started, stopping in her tracks to form a small smile.

He hadn't quite intended to hold the door for her, but he smiled and made it look like he did. "I try."

Megura flashed a toothy grin, but it was seconds before she kicked open an umbrella and walked out to the Benz waiting out front. It had just pulled up behind him, "Are you in the mood for a light trip for some lunch, clothes, and a rave?" She asked, "'Cause you just caught me on my way out."

He looked at her. "Sure." he said, following her. The busier the less he thought about his project burning to the ground.

Megura climbed in the car, ducking her head low. She wasn't too starved, but she figured she'd eat to seem casual with him. She didn't want to give away anything odd, "We'll go to the mall first, probably hit the Hot Point, Barbaric, and Woolly's for something more appropriate. It's fine if you don't want anything to change into, but whatever you want, I'll pay for it. It's yours. And while we pick something out, we'll probably grab food over at the YellowTail, while we wait for someone. When they get there, we'll pack up for the rave. Yeah?" She asked, looking down at her phone to check it before shoving in between her boobs. It was barely noticeable since the flip phone was so small and flat, probably ranging around three to four inches by one inch compact and with her C-cup; there was no way it'd be obvious. She tossed a glance to the driver, "It's just us, don't worry about waiting for anyone." She ordered.

She seemed to have had this already planned out. "Alright." he said, getting in the car after her. He might not get new clothes, just because it would be hard explaining it to Sora. Lunch sounded nice, though. He hadn't really had anything besides the cappuccino. As his mind mused over the food, he caught sight of her putting her phone in her bra and pretended not to notice, diverting his gaze as subtly as he could.

Megura pointed to the nearest mall and had the driver stop before she got out. She was quick, the umbrella up in seconds, then down in seconds before she walked inside. "Come on, we've only got a little while before then." She told him.

He got out, thanking the driver. There was something off about him today. He wasn't as lively as he was that night. Even though his eyes covered mostly by contacts, they were clear with emotion in them. Something upset him. He hoped to hide it so he could enjoy the time he was having with Megura. He figured it might come up again, though. She seemed to like that place. The thought was almost like another stab in the side.

Her smile faded as she watched him and her eyes dulled, "Are you pissed I'm not calling you punk-boy anymore?" She asked, trying to get his usual sarcasm out, something akin to that attitude no one else dared to give her.

Her brows furrowed, "Or is it because of who I am?" She asked, trying to squash her growing disappointment. He just... seemed disinterested now that they were there.

Shouji looked at her and saw he was making this difficult now. He sighed. "No, it's not you at all," he tried to reassure her. He sighed and just told her. She might not even care, but hopefully she'd understand. "The house I showed you last night. With all the artwork. It burned to the ground this morning."

Megura's smile faded, "What?" She asked, her eyes growing hard as her jaw set rigid. "How? What the hell happened?" She asked, setting her umbrella on her shoulder. She was thinking about it, but all the sarcasm that came to her mind couldn't give her proper justification for it. It was ridiculous! Who would burn down that place?! A homeless man?! My gods. She couldn't even bring her mind to imagine it.

He appreciated her frustration, for it matched his own. "An idiot pig named Smith." He could almost throw up at the thought of him. "If my sister wouldn't kill me if I got arrested again I would have..." he was fuming now.

"I can kill him," she offered without a second thought, her face blank. "I hate pig faced humans... And besides that, I have a friend in the department. He can off him easily." She kicked her foot forward before holding a hand out to him to help him up off the escalator. "Stick with me and I'll get you a place all your own. So long as I'm invited and I'll make sure you won't have to feel such heartache again." She explained. She wasn't sure why she stuck her neck out for him, but she was sure of one thing. She couldn't care less for humans enough that when they upset her, their lives were expendable.

He took her hand. "As much as I love to not have to bother with him anymore, another would probably just fill his place," he said climbing out. "Thank you. I'd rather have a living canvas," he admitted.

Megura's face puckered in light disgust, but she let him have his opinion. So she moved on with the conversation, "Living canvas?" she asked, contemplating his words. "You want to paint people?" She asked, her mind not quite wrapping around the concept. Her skin was spotless. No one minded much to talk on such things or even do such things in her clan. All were clean, unless they skinned for glory, but that was a barbaric fight for low-class vampires, newly turned, and cage fighters. Ripping their skin from the flesh of another with large vicious fangs.

Of course... he couldn't be talking about that. He was just a human... Her heart fluttered at the thought. A human and she lightly hungered at the thought but passed it on easily. She twirled her umbrella in hand as they made their way up the second escalator, touching the store's aluminum handle. She pulled it open with a finger with a breeze-like motion, letting the door swing open as if effortlessly.

"Tattoos," he said, showing her his arm. He had several, actually. "It's artwork that's permanently on someone's body." he explained. "I'd like to do that for a living one day."

Megura scrunched her nose in disgust, "The art is beautiful... but... The 'canvas'....Demeaning. Our skin is the symbolism of purity. To scar it with anything other than care is... a hard to concept to me." She sighed, looking away, "But I respect your dream." She told him, her old ways showing a little. She touched her arms together, staring at them a moment before taking the umbrella in one hand and tucking it into her sweater's left pocket before crossing her arms. "I'll never understand it quite myself. I was raised differently, but if it's your culture, I can't say I hate it. But I can't agree with it either." She closed her eyes, "Pick a store, love." She muttered, standing at the center of the mall.

"It's not necessarily my culture. My sister feels the same way you do." He wondered what exactly she was getting at with holding her hand out for him and calling him love. Maybe she was just a flirty type and meant nothing by it. "This one over here." he said, leading her to one of two stores he could really get anything from.

"Maybe," she regarded him in his comment about his sister. After all, she was over a few hundred years old. What did his sister have on her? "Augh, fine." She grumbled, biting her tongue. "Pick what you want. I'm not leaving till you get something more uplifting," she drawled, rolling her eyes as she walked over to a rack and pulled a loose tank top from the rack. She held it over herself, her long sleeve sweater dress making it hard to imagine. She tossed it over her arm and kept pursuing something better.

"Honestly, it's a rave, not a tea party. I can't have you going like that with me, anyway. You'll stand out too much. Like fresh meat," she mumbled, not thinking much of her manner of speaking. Well.... She was still trying to be nicer. She scrunched her nose at an outfit, but a thought occurred to her at the same moment. "I'm not too much for you to handle, am I? I mean, it's a light rave. Nothing hard and the partying.... I'm not looking to get- ugh... You know what, never mind. Forget I even opened my gaping trap." She growled at herself, walking further into the store for more outfits.

He laughed to himself. "If you prefer something, then let me know. Or you can pick it out." As long as he was wearing something presentable he wouldn't mind. He took the fresh meat part as her not wanting him to look to available. Maybe she was more than just flirty. It made him smile.

"No!" Megura bared, her eyes lit with fire. "It has to be your own pick. Put effort into it. It's not like I'm your personal stylist. Get creative." She tossed a couple items back on the rack as she pulled up a black and orange dress. It was short, but had an elastic feel to it. She admired it some, touching at the stringer straps before walking over to the blouses. She tore through a few before finding a somewhat bra-blouse combo. It was short enough to pass and she could use it for sleeves. She grinned at the thought of it and grabbed a pair of purple and orange horns off the accessory rack. This was it. This was what she was going for. In moments she had it on, admiring her work in the mirror before the attendants clipped a foxtail on the empty loop of the dress.

"Are you going to party?" She asked, her eyes beaming.

"Naturally," Megura flaunted, flattening her dress at the sides before tossing her hair over one shoulder. She admired her matching accessories before pulling up a pair of semi-high boots and stuffing a pair of sunshades on the front and pulling up a pair of earrings. She passed the earrings back. She didn't have piercings, but the thought crossed her mind. She would not do it though. It was too crazy. Too strange to pierce her body. It was flawless, her father would tell her, as he would lecture all his members to refrain from piercing any part of their body or soiling it with tattoos. Ugly. Horrid. True beauty needed no marks. "I'll buy this." She added, shouldering a studded black leather vest before looking to Shouji. "Unless you'd like to host the jacket over me?" She regarded flatly, unsure how to push the question across.

He fanned through clothes and looked up at her. "Okay." He told her. It would fit. He found something else to go with it. Just a black-sleeved shirt with frays and holes. He pulled it off the rack and searched for pants. Black and red baggy pants with straps caught his eye, and he pulled them too. Hmm... It seemed to match. Seemed more fitting to a rave than his hoodie and jeans. He walked up to her, having found something rather quick.

"It works," she nodded, lobbing him the jacket. "Let's pay and leave." She tossed, "Go ahead and change while I pay," she tossed, rolling her hair back behind her as she smugly pulled a beanie down over her hair. It pushed back against the horns, but she adjusted them. "And let's kick this stand, it's time for some food."

He changed quickly. He was hungry, so he didn't take long before walking out with her. He felt a little more naked without his hoodie, but not uncomfortable. He had a nice build for someone who really didn't work out much. "Where are we eating again?" he asked.

"We can hit a place with fried rice.... Pizza... Whatever you want." She told him, slipping her debit card back in her wallet. "You pick it, we'll eat it."

"Fried rice then," he said. He stopped then. "Why are you doing this?" he asked finally.

She kind of stopped, her face puzzled. She really... She thought hard, her brow knitting tightly. "Honestly..." She looked at him, "It wasn't much of a second thought. I was going to go out. And... You showed up at the same time. I wanted some rave clothes and to go to a rave. I mean, I didn't put much thought into why, just that I wanted to go. It's not like I had anything else I was doing today." She shrugged, "It's entertainment. I don't go out much, but ... I like the thought of a rave now and again."

"So do you normally buy stranger's clothes and food?" he asked. He didn't mind as long as she didn't, but it just seemed odd for someone clearly of higher class to be hanging around a punk.

"No," she answered quickly. "I buy for myself." She looked at him, her eyes questioning, wondering about his motive. "Are you upset I bought these for you? I did it because you were kind enough to show me your place yesterday." She shrugged. "And... You seemed more genuine than a certain prick I knew." She scowled, pushing back the hurt, "So... Yeah, I kind of wanted to treat you since you treated me like a normal person. Is that wrong?"

"No. That's not wrong. I was just wondering why me."

"I appreciate it." He told her. He noticed the hurt for just a second. It was a look he couldn't forget. His mom had that look and tried to hide it from him and his sister. "Who's the guy?" he asked then. He didn't want to be nosy, but he wanted to know more about her.

Her face didn't lighten up one bit and the entire look of enthusiasm slipped from her face, "It doesn't matter," she told him roughly, turning away, her voice growing softer, "because he's dead." She walked towards the escalators to go back down. "I'm glad you appreciate it, though. It's rare to find someone of your type. Someone who doesn't give much thought into appearances."

It surprised Shouji when she said he was dead and how angry she was about it. He figured it would be best to not bring it up again.

He stepped onto the escalator. "I do a little," he told her with a light laugh. "Maybe not so much my clothes, I guess." He had an unusual hair cut. He had several piercings and enough tattoos to make people uncomfortable if his contacts didn't do that already. He looked at her. Perfectly untouched skin.

She was exquisite in an almost surreal way. It was obvious she had a secret, but there was no point in asking. She was fiery and quick and absolutely took no shit. It was very attractive. His heart beat accelerated a little as his attraction to her grew. He was glad to be hanging out with her today and hoped to continue. It was nice to being distracted from the irritations of everything else.

Megura's lips pursed in the formation of a new smile. She closed her eyes, "True," she mused, feeling his eyes on her. She glanced back to him, their eyes meeting directly, but... There was a hint of stranger difference, a predatory look in her eyes that naturally oozed through her personality. It was like looking into the eyes of a lion, and yet the red contacts bothered her a little. "I can't say I don't care, because to a degree I do. While I love the idea of perfect flesh, your paintings and... Hair do more to excite me than disgust me. Don't take it wrong, it's a compliment." She smiled, her cheeks flushing lightly, but... Not because she was embarrassed, but because she could hear his heart pounding faster and it was hard not to focus on it.

She bit her inner lip a little and drew blood, but merely smoothed her tongue over it, restraining herself. Finally, she tore her eyes away; they seemed to have softened in gaze. By this time she had noticed she was at the foot of the escalator and Megura bouncing her heel off the last stair before taking a light leap forward onto the tile. "Come, let's pick something good." She told him, wanting to tear into something quick before her mind wandered elsewhere for food.

He caught her eyes and saw it there. Her secret hidden away. The predatory look didn't intimidate him though, if anything it drew him in more. He figured her blush might be her attraction to him, but it might be wishful thinking. He was unaware of the exact attraction to him she had. He swallowed and looked away finally to step off. "I think the good stuff is this way," he said, walking a little way.

Megura's hand smoothed through her hair again and she chewed her lip till her mind came at ease and furtively collected her thoughts, "Alright," she wasn't too keen on where to eat. Or cared. It's not like she could really taste anything out of it. Well, unless it had onions or it was spicy. Twisting her fingers through her hair, she lagged slightly behind him to give him the pace of lead so she could follow him.

Shouji found the small restaurant in the food court that had large signs for fried rice and stepped in line. He tried not to notice her stepping upright beside him, so he quickly ordered steamed vegetables and rice with teriyaki chicken and water.

Megura ordered the spiciest food she could find after he ordered. White rice accompanied it and she didn't mind that much. It'd be a start. "You come here sometimes?" She asked, seeing as he knew his way around pretty well. She didn't wait for him to speak when they called for their trays and she grabbed hers quickly.

Once she had her food, he led her to a table and sat down before finally answering. "Sometimes. Rarely though." He responded slowly, looking up at her plate as he watched her break her chopsticks in two before she started eating. "My sister likes the food there," he said as he took out his chopsticks and started eating. "Extra spicy, huh?" He wouldn't have guessed that.

"Huh," she responded, regarding the idea of his sister with little thought. She didn't like to put too much thought into getting to know his family. After all, he'd have full involvement with her family and it just might get someone killed. She nodded slowly, sitting down. "I'm... not known for having the best taste buds," she shrugged. "So food only tastes good if it's extremely salty, spicy, or... Well something along those lines. Otherwise, it just doesn't taste like much." She responded, taking a bite casually. She chewed on the orange chicken and eyed a packet of peppers before sprinkling more on top. "It runs in the family."

"Huh." he replied, more interested than she caught on. "I've always had a sensitive stomach." He only picked at the chicken. He just wanted the rice. He knew he needed at least a little of protein.

"Most people do," she sighed, closing the takeout box when she had enough. She ate about a good portion of it, but didn't really finish it. "You know... If you didn't want chicken, you didn't have to order it." She laughed, seeing him move around the food to eat the tiniest speck of rice.

"No, I wanted it. I... They just always put too much." He made a face at it, trying to not get caught by her laughter. "They charge the same either way so I just pick around it." he said. "So this rave, where is it?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Huh," she commented slowly, leaning over the table as she took a drink of her water. "The rave? It's down at Winchester Warehouse on the outer city... I guess that there was a drug bust down at the wharf so they moved there... But, it's called the Bionic Scrapper." She took another drink, staring straight at him while examining his features carefully. His hair was catching her eyes. It was neat the way it flopped over one side of his head and the rest was just... Well, shaved. "If we go now, it'll be too early, but around an hour they should start opening the doors. I'm waiting for Diachi to call me. He said he'd meet me there," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "But I don't really care if he shows up or not. He probably has business there, but I'm not going there for business. I was hoping to meet up with the DJ and go to the after party and drink throughout the night. It's been a while," she muttered, trailing off in thought as she looked away, watching people walk around the mall.

He tried to remember the last time he drank. He laughed to himself a little and continued eating. The memory was funny and had the potential to be regrettable.

"Anyway," she started, looking back to him. "Have you been to raves before? Drank?" She asked.

He swallowed and looked at her. "Not to raves no, but I have been drinking before." he smiled and set his chopsticks down. "I'm not an avid drinker and have done some crazy things while drunk."

"Naturally," she answered, not continuing to talk about the raves. Her focus went straight to drinking. "It takes a lot for me to get completely .... How you say, wasted or drunk?" She scrunched her nose at the terms. They sounded too brutish. "I typically go to watch people get completely over their limit and pass out. It makes for better entertainment what people do wasted than the television they promote so openly." She looked up at the lights and smiled, "Though I've gotten a little light-headed once, but it wasn't enough to incapacitate me." She snorted, remembering the time she got a hold of her father's ale in her youth before she cut her first fangs.

He nodded. "The first time I got drunk I ended up with 4 new piercing. The next time I got this done," he lifted his chin to reveal a script of some sort around his throat. "I vaguely remember it."

Megura laughed at him, "How foolish. Did you not have anyone to watch your back?" She asked, "Do you regret any of them?" She asked, cocking her head to the side as her the light refracted a bright orange over the top of her strawberry blonde hair that neatly flopped over her shoulder.

He shook his head, laughing lightly. "Not at all. I don't regret any of the tattoos or piercing I have." He took a drink of his water. "I do plan on getting more."

"Why?" She asked, cringing, "I thought you wanted to paint 'live canvas'? Why let someone else draw on you? It sounds revolting..." She paused, shrinking back in her seat before she stretched out and yawned. "You really live a unique lifestyle. Maybe had I met you in a different time, I'd have a better opinion of it.... But I've seen people screw up before." She commented, "You risk your skin with someone else."

"I've done my own tattoos." he told her. "Maybe. Do I make you uncomfortable?" he asked before looking at her again. Honestly, he was used to it. Most people were afraid or hated him at first glance. Sora really hated what he did to his body.

Megura's thoughts went back to the caged arenas.... The fresh bloods tearing each other apart back when she lived in the Clan. She shivered, "No," she retorted, producing a snort at the end. "It just... Reminds me of a worse time." She looked back at him, "Sorry. It's not something people can easily relate with. And it's not you. It's just a past thing," she cringed, biting her lip before getting up. "Let's go."

He nodded and stood up and threw the rest of his food away. He wouldn't press the matter. If she wanted to talk about it then she would do it on her own time. With that, Shouji turned back to her, ready to follow her out. She was ready to go, though.

Megura didn't waste time waiting for him. She slowly waited for him walking towards the exit. While she walked she pulled her phone from her bra and texted the driver to meet her out front. "All should be well and ready to go," she commented slowly.

"Everything else has gone smoothly," he said. He hoped the rest of the night did.

Not long after, the Benz had reappeared. It wasn't long till they were in the car and Megura tapped the back of the driver's window before alerting him she was ready before he drove off. It was a long drive and before they even got to the warehouse; it had been about a forty-minute drive, making her sluggish.

Despite the ride, Megura had opted to text on her phone as she wasn't really into talking much - small talk isn't exactly her thing - and after about thirty minutes, she began to fall asleep. When they reached the first speed bump, her head bounced up, and she woke from her mid-sleep abruptly by the setting sun and a large shadow overtaking the warehouse buildings to their right.

As they neared the rave, the car pulsed as a soft pounding noise, barely in earshot from outside the limo. Megura tilted her head somewhat towards the noise as the limo pulled up front in front of an obviously packed warehouse and still trying to pack in with people of all shapes and sizes.

She took a long look at the building before she yawned, stretching her arms out wide over Shouji before sitting forward, stretching again while letting one hand tap the ceiling as she grabbed her other arm. "Mm-!" She stretched her legs too, leaning over the right side of the seat near the door as she did a cat stretch before leaning forward and grabbing the handle.

"We're here!" she commented to Shouji, unsure if he was even awake still, but her voice held an enthusiasm that hardly matched her features. She turned to him, her eyes piercing as she smiled at the strange boy with black hair and colored contacts. "Come on, you'll miss the fun if you don't hurry."

Shouji sat up. He didn't fall asleep, but he relaxed in the position he'd grown comfortable in. His eyes slowly drew up to the window as he became more aware of his surroundings. Honestly, he would have looked out the windows during the drive, but the tint was so dark he couldn't see anything.

At first, he had grown content, watching Megura fall asleep. Seeing her sprawl out over the cushions gave him chills just thinking about how he ended up here with a rich heiress in a limo. He looked down, attempting to not appear too creepy, but she was the only thing to look at, really. Her hair was like fire, sending down waves of tumbled loose curls. Her pale skin was plump, matching her short chubby stature, yet it looked as soft and as pale as clouds.

He almost couldn't pass up the last subtle hint of her beauty. The hint of freckles on her nose and cheeks, which were cute enough to make him feel self-conscious when he came face to face with her. His heart elated at the idea of seeing her face every day and suddenly... He hoped this wasn't the last time they got to see each other.

Megura raised a brow to him when the limo came to a complete stop. Tommy, the driver, finally got out and opened the door for them as she turned her attention back to the warehouse. Megura peeked her head out, squinting into the low rising dusk as she grabbed the door frame and slid out of the car. She straightened up after getting out, quickly patting down her clothes to smooth them out of any wrinkles before she covered her mouth again to hide her fangs beneath that long yawn that pursued her mind's sense of alertness.

The bouncer drew her attention though, and she affixed her gaze on him quickly, noticing how his attention fixed strongly on the forming line. She observed him, top to bottom with fervor, almost tempted to ask for his time, but Shouji's image intruded in that place of hunger.

Although he was balding, had his head shaved with light stubble, and that he was checking through a list as he passed people on inside, she couldn't help but feel a little intrigued if his blood would taste just as sweet. Her heart gave her a jolt when she heard the door slam shut and she tore her eyes from the last detail she was gazing over... His shirt, which was black with 'BOUNCER' written in all capital letters.

She looked down, contemplating herself and her decision-making process before wondering if she'd get to view him saying something about having the right to grab people by the belt loop and toss them out. Would he try to pull that on her? Who knew? She smirked, figuring his humor by now. It was likely meant to be funny against his buff demeanor anyway, but it was also a warning that she took carefully.

Older teens and adults alike, all clad in hot pinks, blues and neon assortments were passing in, tossing out VIP cards as they shuffled in and a few shuffled back out.

For Shouji, rolling up in front of the warehouse stirred him awake more. The bass reverberated through his body and he felt oddly self-aware of his surroundings more than himself in that moment. It was almost like a high, the way his body filled with energy and drew in to the sound of the music. When he felt his adrenaline spike, he knew he was ready to have fun.

He looked around to observe the party-goers. He could see cyber and industrial goths all the way to just regular people looking to dance and have a good time. Unable to help himself, he grinned, feeling like he didn't stand out like a sore thumb for once. As his eyes slowly unfocused from the guests, he got a change to briefly look at the bouncer. He definitely looked like a jar head. Maybe he was, and he did this part time, but if things went right, he wouldn't have to worry about him.

Following, Shouji kept himself close to her, but just enough that he gave her a bit of space. His heart was thundering in his chest a little. Even looking at her from behind and the way her hair contrasted with the bright orange attire she wore made him feel a little lucky to be with her.

Megura stepped forward towards the bouncer when someone poked out of the door and tapped his shoulder. The bouncer didn't look away from her, but merely motioned his hand outward as he stood out of the way to let her inside. Turning back quickly, she reached for Shouji's hand and pulled him in behind her. "Come on!" She yelled over the music as it slowly drowned out the sound of her voice.

Bodies crushed against bodies and Megura tried to keep her hand on Shouji's wrist so they wouldn't lose one another as she shoved her way to the front; dodging dancers left and right. When she found them a space large enough to start dancing, she turned and let go of him to smile at him again.