18 Chapter 17-An Angel From Above

"Are you starting to get the hang of it now?"Fumiko asked,glancing to see Aiyana's footwork.

"Yeah! I can finally do the steps without you needing to guide me."Aiyana responded,looking at Fumiko's face instead of her feet.

Fumiko was very impressed with the fact that Aiyana learned how to slow dance so well in less than an hour.Even when she would increase the speed of the dance at random times,Aiyana would match her speed with very few errors in between.She was pleased to know that Aiyana seemed to have a lot of fun dancing with her,she didn't even want to stop  to get any snacks or drinks from the refreshment tables around the area for a quick break.

They had been practicing the slow dance throughout the entirety of the fast-paced music portion of the homecoming dance.Fumiko and Aiyana were finally able to proficiently slow dance with each other as soon the medium-paced music began,which was only about 3 minutes ago after 45 minutes of practicing the slow dance during the fast-paced music session.Time had passed by so quickly for the girls that they couldn't even fathom that they were already 48 minutes into their homecoming dance.

Aiyana started to progressively go from a moderately fast-paced waltz to not dancing at all.She was beginning to grow tired as the physical exhaustion starting wearing on her small body.Aiyana's breathing had increased and she tried not to move as much to regain her energy.Fumiko picked up on this easily and she took Aiyana's hand to guide her to the bleachers,so she could rest while she bought them some drinks.

"Stay here and rest for a few minutes,I'll go get you a drink."Fumiko informed,waiting to here a response as she walked away.

"You don't have to do that...."Aiyana said,speaking in a hushed tone as result of physical tiredness.

"I want to do it and you need to drink something."Fumiko explained,even though she knew she was going to get the drink anyway.

She continued on her way to the refreshment stands towards a corn or of the gymnasium.When Fumiko took a moment to think about it,she saw this break they were about to take together as an opportunity to just talk to Aiyana.If they did sit down and talk to each other,it would probably be a awkward as one particular topic may come up.The rather intimate moment they shared in the limo alone together,something Fumiko knew they couldn't go without discussing.

She took a deep breath and grabbed two cups of lemonade for Aiyana & herself.Fumiko didn't really want to drink the lemonade right now,but it would give her excuse to take a break from talking during their inevitable conversation.She walked back to the bleachers with the cups of lemonade in both of her hands,sitting down next to Aiyana and handing her a cup of cold lemonade.Fumiko didn't make direct eye contact with Aiyana,which probably tipped Aiyana's suspicions off a bit.

She couldn't really tell since she couldn't observe Aiyana's facial expressions to come a good conclusion,which was a stragey Fumiko relied on a lot when dealing with people.

Fumiko sat in silence for a minute as she continued to gather her thoughts and reassure herself as quickly as she could.There may be feelings of anxiety racing throughout her body,but everything was going to be okay eventually.As much as wanted to believe that,her anxiety wouldn't let her believe in logic.It also wouldn't let her believe that things could be okay without her trying to fix it.Fumiko has only ever known fixing any precieved problem that burdened her very wise yet still naive shoulders.

Aiyana turned to face Fumiko because she wanted to know what was wrong since something was definitely wrong.She also wanted to know what Fumiko was hiding and why whatever it was so bad that she needed to do that.Aiyana couldn't just let her suffer in silence when she didn't have to do that,especially not when she was around.She absolutely hated seeing the people she loved suffer if she could do anything to help the situation or even prevent it.

Aiyana tapped on Fumiko's shoulder gently until she was looking at her face-to-face.She was prepared to say or do anything to make things better because that's all she's ever known to do when hardships come her way.Even if she couldn't solve the problem through her words or actions,she wasn't ready to give up and she wasn't going to as long as she had a choice.From Aiyana's perspective,she always had a choice and she made it doing what she thought was right.

Trying to comfort Fumiko and doing whatever she could to comfort her was always the right choice to Aiyana....just like being with her was always right,no matter how high the stakes are.

"What's wrong?"Aiyana asked,her voice filled with concern and a soft tone to match.

"What did that moment we shared in the limousine mean?"Fumiko asked,almost absentmindedly.

Fumiko had spoke without thinking,but maybe her impulsiveness was for the better.As much as she would like to,she couldn't just avoid her feelings and choose to ignore them because it was inconvenient for her.If she did that in attempt to not deal with her own feelings,the accumulation of her overwhelming feelings would eventually explode at an inopportune time.She always had issues being emotionally open with people due to her upbringing,but Fumiko could usually let herself be vulnerable with Aiyana.

"It used to be so easy,but it's never been more difficult than it is right now."Fumiko thought to herself,disappointed with her current taciturn disposition.

"Why won't I let myself be honest with her? I want to be honest with her...."Fumiko asked herself,knowing exactly why she couldn't.

She couldn't bring herself to tell Aiyana she was a lesbian,let alone that she had a crush on her and hoped that she liked her back.

The mere thought of the fear,rejection,and abandonment made her heart swell with sadness and sink a little.Nothing she believed or actually knew could counteract those precieved feelings of abandonment and rejection from her best friend.Only her intrusive,fear-dominated thoughts controlled her perception of unknown,unforseen future.....

"I don't know...but we'll figure it out together."Aiyana said,grabbing Fumiko's hand and squeezing it firmly.

Aiyana didn't know if that was the right thing to do in the moment,but she thought Fumiko would feel less alone by reminding her was still there.

"Just try not to let it stress you out too much,everything will happen at its own pace."

Fumiko felt a massive weight being hoisted off her shoulders,almost as if her anxiety wasn't there in the first place.Although she would don a very calm and unfazed facade to most of the world at large,she had a lot of anxiety & insecurities lurking underneath the surface.It was never easy and it didn't seem to get easier with age,Fumiko knew she had been blessed with an angel sent from the heavens.

Her angel may not have had wings or a golden halo hovering over her head,but she definitely had the heart and soul of one.

For a girl who had demon blood and DNA coursing through her veins,Fumiko definitely could recognize an angel from above.

"Fumiko?"Aiyana started,hoping she would agree to her offer.

"Yes?"Fumiko replied,curious as to what Aiyana wanted to say.

"Do you want to take some pictures near the sun and moon displays?"Aiyana inquired,holding her phone and waving it playfully with a smile.

"Yes! We can go right now!"Fumiko replied happily with a matter-of-fact tone,standing up from her seat on the bleachers.

Aiyana rose from her spot on the bleachers as well,trying to tread carefully in her golden floor-length ball gown.She stepped slowly on the next bleacher down,looking at the step with anticipation for next one.Fumiko noticed her from the bleacher and turned around,reaching her hands out to grab Aiyana's hands in attempt to guide her safely.

"Grab my hands,I'll help you down...I don't want to you fall or hurt yourself."Fumiko said,feeling Aiyana's hands slide into hers and making sure she got down without any trouble.

Aiyana was flattered that Fumiko cared so much about her and her well-being.She felt reassured knowing that she could show how much she cared about Fumiko in return without feeling unappreciated.It might have been a stupid thing to care about in other people's eyes,but it was very important way to protect herself and avoid being hurt in hers.Maybe she was being too cautious guarding her feelings and heart at all times,but that instinct to heavily rely on herself & God in the face of devastation kept Aiyana safe.She just wanted to be strong for herself at all costs,even if she had to fake it....

"Thanks for helping me get down,Fumi!"Aiyana said cheerfully,giving Fumiko a token of verbal gratitude.

"You're welcome."Fumiko responded,tucking a few stands of her long hair behind her ear with a small chuckle.

They headed to the Sun and Moon Display,walking as fast they possibly could in their floor-length gowns.A giant glowing sun and moon on opposite sides awaited them,along with a decorative display of glowing stars attached to an upside down U-shaped stand.Fumiko stood underneath the moon and Aiyana stood underneath the sun,assuming their resceptive positions.Aiyana took out her phone and readied the camera for the picture they planned to take.

"Are you ready,Fumiko?"Aiyana asked,smiling at the camera.

"Yeah...I'm ready when you are."Fumiko replied,prepared for the picture with a camera-worthy smile.

Aiyana snapped the picture,a blinding flash going off in an instant.

They looked at the picture with excitement,not really concerned with the quality as much as documenting the memory.All they cared about was making this night a memory that would last forever,regardless of if the pictures were pretty or not.Once the pair decided they liked the first picture they took,a lot more were taken to add more to their collection and kill time before the final moments of the homecoming dance ensued.

Silly Selfies,Serious Selfies,Candid Pictures,and Pictures of Each Other were taken in excessive amounts,a decision agreed upon by both them for the diversity of the pictures they were filling their photo gallery with.

As they took one last picture together,an anticipated sound was heard followed by an announcement from the DJ.

"Alright boys and girls! It's now time for finale of the P.Peak homecoming's dance...it's time for the slow dance!"The D. J announced,speaking loudly in a somewhat hused tone for all the students to hear.

"So,grab that special someone and hold them tight as we start winding down for night!"The D.J continued,eyeing all the pairs of students he saw together.

A huge moon-shaped disco lowered from the center of the ceiling,illuminating the dark areas of the gym.The slow-paced music was playing as it perfectly set the atmosphere for a depiction of a moonlit night.Stringlight stars protruded from the ceiling after the moon disco ball,making the room brighter and easier to see everything in the gym's vincity.Fumiko and Aiyana thought the gym looked absolutely beautiful,which was evident as they a hard time averting their eyes from such a beautiful sight.

"Well,I guess this is our time to finally put our practice to good use."Fumiko muttered to Aiyana,her porcelain white cheeks being replaced a noticeable and fimiliar pink tint.

She took her hand off her arm and extended to Aiyana,her way of asking her crush to dance with her without using the words she needed to say.

"You're right,we should get out there...."Aiyana responded,taking Fumiko's hand with a matching flustered feeling and blood-rushed cheeks.

However...the girls would be lying if they said they wouldn't enjoy dancing with each other under the beautiful,moonlit dance floor.