Unexpected

Counterattack kiss

Chapter 6

"Ugh." Sora groaned as she slowly sat up in bed. Her back cracked in about 4 different places and she felt slow, her head was pounding; it felt like it weighed 100 pounds, and her eyes burned when she blinked, this wasn't a good way to start any day, let alone the opening night of a new show. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and just sat still for a few minutes.

"You look like hell." Fool said from his perch on her dresser.

"Gee, thanks." Sora said, her voice a little hoarse. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. She was tossing and turning, her stomach was queasy and she thought she had a small fever.

"Sorry." He looked at his feet.

Sora slowly stood up, knowing that if she stood up too fast the consequences wouldn't be very fun. She plodded her way to the bathroom and caught sight of her face in the mirror.

"Ugh." She groaned again. She saw the dark bruise-like circles around her eyes, a result of lack of sleep.

"What?" Fool materialized sitting on the faucet.

"I look like a zombie!" She whined.

"And from the looks of it, you feel like one too, right?" Fool added, not helping the situation any.

Sora shot him a glare that she guessed was pretty effective considering he disappeared on the spot. She sighed and opened the cabinet over the sink and took out the cold medicine and some vitamin C.

The summer was always a great time for road trips, Annette thought as she made her way back from L.A. The open roads were perfect and she could actually relax as she drove, the radio turned to a classical music station. She drove with the window down in Leon's black Aston Martin GT. Annette loved sports cars, the speed, the power, the sleek look and aerodynamic feel of the sleek metal and soft leather upholstery. She felt the purr of the engine throughout her body as she shifted gears and raised her speed.

She grinned at the thought of Leon cringing at how she pushed his car.

Ken sat on the trapeze platform in one of the practice rooms, his legs hung over the side. The swing was hooked to a bar at the side of the platform. He stared at the swing across the open space. He closed his eyes and remembered.

The wind rushed through his hair, his heart pounded as adrenaline coursed through his veins; his body was weightless as he flew through the air. There was nothing, he thought, that could physically compare to the feeling of flying. The rushing air, the weightlessness, the freedom; he just flew through open space without the hindrance of wires or nets, just him and the air. He heard the roar of the crowd as they watched him fly. Their gasp as he pulled a perfect layout, and appeared to nearly miss the bar.

He felt the strength as his hands grasped the opposite swing, and his body turned to stand on the trapeze, ready to leap into flight once again.

His eyes opened slowly as he savored the memory of flight, of a time when he was still a star. A sigh escaped him as a heavy feeling swelled within his chest. If only he hadn't fallen ill. If only his heart had never gone bad. If only fear hadn't overruled his desire to fly. If only he hadn't been such a coward. If only…

"Wait." Ken said to no one.

He stood quickly, faltering in his haste but quickly regaining his composure. He pushed up onto the toes of his right foot and brought his left leg up straight behind him. He swung his leg in front of him fast enough to push himself off the platform and landed on his right hand, balancing for a minute.

Even if Ken had stopped performing, he never really could let himself get weak. He still ran every day, rain or shine, and lifted weights when he got the chance, not that his clothing really did much to show off his tightly corded arms and legs. He could still jump well over his own height and lift nearly twice his weight over his head.