A/N: Hi guys this is my first story on this account anyways. Anywho I thought I'd contribute to the HKTaiwan community :) My friend forced..err.. encouraged me to upload it. I hope you all like it! It'll be a little boring in the beginning but it's gonna get good. Also, sorry for any OOCness in advance. If you see any errors that need to be fixed, PM or review because I didn't have enough time to edit. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I am Hidekaz Himaruya. I own Hetalia. -sarcasm-
An opportunity like this only comes once in a blue moon. The Taiyo Dance Company had a reputation for being difficult to get in to and only accepted the best talent to perform in their elaborate and well produced ballets. It's seldom that a young girl, fresh out of high school, would be invited to audition for the prestigious Taiyo Dance Wang was one of the exceptions. She had a passion, a desire, a need to dance. Her love of dance could only compete with her talent in the art. With amazing strength and grace, Mei dazzled anyone who saw her dance. And TDC took notice to her talent.
She sat on the wooden floor of the dance studio, slipping her pointe shoes on her small feet as a few dozen other young men and women warmed up around her. This is it. This is it. If Mei didn't get further than these judges, she could at least said she made it through the door. Immediately, the people around Mei scurried into a line around the dance studio and Mei followed suit.
The owner of Taiyo, Kiku Honda had just entered the room. He was a handsome Japanese man. Small in stature and was around 30 years old. Kiku was accompanied by an teenage Asian boy with messy hair. The boy took a seat at the piano and Kiku stood in the middle of the room. He stared at the potential Taiyo dancers, sizing them up, before smiling politely at them. "Ohayou gozamasu minasan," he greeted. "I am Honda Kiku. Shall we begin with the auditions?"
An hour and a half later, Mei was dying from boredom. She sat there and watched dozens of people audition for Mr. Honda. Mei had to admit, some of the dancers did have talent, but none had spice or passion. Mei sighed as another girl got up to dance. The girl was beautiful, with snowlike skin and hair but her expression was dull and emotionless. As the girl moved into fourth position, Mei sat back and watched whatever "show" this girl would put on. The piano began to play a swift and thundering melody. The flaxen haired girl moved her arms and legs along with the intense rhythm. Her technique was flawless, precise and when she ended the entire crowd (including Mei and Kiku) gave her a round of applause.
The girl took a seat, next to Mei and began drinking from a water bottle. "Wow. That was... amazing!" Mei complemented with a friendly smile. The girl capped her water bottle and stared icily at Mei before replied, "...Thank you." Mei was slightly taken aback by the intimidating aura the other girl had but she went on to introduce herself.
"Well... I'm Meimei Wang. You can just call me Mei!"
"Natalia Arlovskaya," she replied in a strong Slavic accent.
"Oh, that's a beautiful name. You did great up there, by the way."
"Again... thank you."
Mei smiled at Natalia once more before her name was called up by Kiku. She scurried up to the middle of the room and gave Kiku a wide grin before getting into position. Mei closed her eyes and a sweet and soft song began on the piano. She reached her arms out as she leapt across the room. The music remained pleasant as Mei began pirouette three consecutive times. She moved with fluid and natural motions, maintaining her grace through the entirety of the performance. The music ended and she completed her routine in the same position she started with. The crowd applauded Mei with the same enthusiasm they did Natalia.
"Beautiful," Kiku stated, clapping his hands and getting up from his seat. He turned towards the other hopefuls and announced, "That's it for the auditions today. I will deliberate and the results will be posted after your lunch recess. I wish you all the best of luck."
With that, the auditionees scattered out of the room. Mei skipped over to where here bags were. It was obvious that she was extremely happy with her performance. Grabbing her things, Mei rushed towards the door, hoping to catch Natalia so they could talk about her dancing style over lunch. She must have not been looking where she was going because Mei happened to bump into a certain pianist, knocking his sheet music out of his hands.
"O-oh! I'm so sorry!" Mei yelped and bent over to pick up the sheets of paper.
"No. You're fine. Let me get those." He also bent down to get the remainder of his paper. The two stood up straight and Mei handed the boy his things.
"Uh... yeah. Sorry about that," she laughed nervously.
"You're overreacting."
"What? Whatever! No I'm not. I just.." she paused for a second and her eyes bulged. "Crap! I was supposed to be finding Natalia. She's probably gone by now."
The other was looking at Mei, with an amused smirk. "Are you always this scattered brain?"
"What? No! I was just looking for this girl.. for lunch. But I think she's long gone now."
"Oh, I see." Mei nodded and the two stood in silence for a brief second.
"Well I was on my way to this deli down the street. Wanna join me?"
Mei smiled. "That's sounds great! Thanks uh... What's your name?"
"Xiang Kirkland."
"Pleased to meet you Xiang," she beamed. "I'm Mei Wang."
"The pleasure is mine. Are you ready? Don't want to be late for the admissions announcement, right?"
"Oh.. right! Lead the way, Piano Man!"
The two made their way to the deli. It resembled a diner from a movie from the 1950's. Mei took a seat in a booth and Xiang followed. "So...Xiang," she began, looking at the menu and then to him, "What do you do at the company?"
"I play in the orchestra," he responded. "I also help out with auditions from time to time."
"I can see that. And cool! What do you play?"
"Cello, piano, and a little violin. I've been trying to compose somethings, too. But they haven't been going well.."
"Ah, a jack of all trades!" Mei leaned forward with a look of concern in her eyes. "What happened? Does your work suck?"
Xiang chuckled slightly. "No. I don't think so but my boss.." he sighed. "He thinks my works need more inspiration."
"Oh I kinda see where he's coming from. Art isn't its best if you haven't got really inspired."
Xiang nodded. "I agree. Hopefully this season, I'll find that inspiration."
Mei smiled and the waitress came over to their table. "I wish the best for you."
Translation/Explanation:
"Ohayou gozaimasu minasan" is Japanese for "Good morning everyone."
Pointe shoes are those ballet slippers that allow one to dance en pointe. Or on the tips of their toes.