Light as a Feather (Gundham Tanaka X OC)

Chapter 1: The First Recital

"Hope's Peak..." The white-haired girl mused, looking up at the tall building. It was to be her first day at the school, enrolled as the Ultimate Ballerina. Her performances moved the hearts of anyone who saw her, and her movements, the pinnacle of grace. She stood in front of the doors, smoothing out her outfit. Usually, she would wear her school uniform, but the invitation strictly said, "On the day of your arrival, you must wear an outfit that shows your Ultimate talent."

So, here the girl was, in a light grey leotard and tutu, with white tights and matching grey pointe shoes. The dress was a sleeveless halter style, with mesh covering a window in the front, and a plunging V-neckline connecting to the actual fabric of the dress. The mesh connected to a strip of grey fabric that wrapped around her throat to form a faux neckline, with the back of the dress completely covered by the opaque grey fabric. At the bottom of the plunging neckline, which ends just above her naval, was a long grey ribbon, cinching her waist. The ribbon trailed behind her, stopping about mid-calf. The grey tutu was pleated, and stiffly stuck out, but not as harshly as many other tutus. Underneath was a small, soft bed of white tulle. Finally, she wore pristine white tights, and very nice performance grey pointe shoes with ribbons wrapping up her legs to her lower calves.

The ballerina sighed, as she was disappointed. The pointe shoes, which she just bought for this very occasion, would be ruined by walking around on the pavement. Oh well, she thought, I can always buy another pair. Her mother thought first impressions were very important, so the Ultimate Ballerina had gone through many a fine pointe shoes in rapid succession.

Speaking of her mother's obsession with appearances, the white-haired girl thought back to her mother's words from earlier that morning, just before she forced her to get into their car. "Remember, you've got to meet lots of people. Connections are everything, and everyone going to that school is going to have them. Maybe we can find you someone to marry while you're there. You aren't going to get anywhere in life without a husband, you know. Sure, you might be an 'Ultimate', but no one actually knows who you are, besides all those old people and little kids who come to your shows. Hey, sit up straight! Didn't I teach you better! Ungrateful brat..." Her mother had then kicked her out of the car, spitting her out onto the sidewalk in front of the school.  Huffing quietly, the girl adjusted her school bag over her shoulder, before looking up at the sky. She tended to do this before making big changes and going into new places, as to ground herself. She sky was a nice blue, and all of the clouds were nice and puffy. She took a couple of steps forward, still looking at the sky.

"Oof!" There was a heavy impact, as the white-haired girl collided into something. Wait, someone. That exclamation wasn't the girl's. Her vibrant purple eyes traveled down in shock, as she toppled backwards. She managed to throw her bag under herself just in time to cushion her fall and protect her outfit from getting dirty.

Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no...! The girl thought, panicking. Her mother said to make the best first impression, and she already messed it up! She bent back upwards, using her flexibility as the Ultimate Ballerina to avoid getting herself messy. She quickly fixed her hair before rushing forward to help the person, the boy, she knocked down. "Oh my heavens, I am so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going, please forgive me!" She bent over to help the boy up. Finally, he was standing, bringing off the long, black coat of his school uniform, and his long, purple scarf. He didn't pay her much attention, as he quickly, strangely, checked inside of his scarf in a hurry. Once he did, he let out a sigh of relief, before finally looking at the ballerina with different colored eyes- one crimson, one storm grey.

"You! Angel! How have you broken my magic barrier?! Not only that, but you had shaken my Four Dark Devas of Destruction! I, the Dark Overlord of Ice, demand an explanation! Speak, foul angel!" The boy, who she now noticed had a scar over one eye and black and grey hair, exclaimed. She was slightly shocked, before snapping herself back to reality. "I-I'm terribly sorry, oh Dark Overlord? I, was, um, looking up at the heavens, distracted by the divine light? I must have flown oblivious into your magic, like a tragic bird into a glass pane," the girl replied, flustered. If there was one thing she was good at, it was adapting to speech patterns. This boy's words were honestly very charming to her, like poetry. Not to mention, she hadn't expected to be called an angel. It was... nice. Welcoming.

The boy was flustered, tugging his scarf over his nose to cover his light blush. "A-ah, I see... Well then... Er..." He was grasping for words. He cleared his throat. "Angel!" He pointed at her, grasping his scarf, "What is your title?! And what house of the animal kingdom has claimed you as their own?!"

The girl was slightly confused, taking a short while to process what he meant. She reached the conclusion that he asked for her name and favorite animal. "Um, I go by Tomoko Shiraishi, oh Overlord. I am pledged to the kingdom of feathers," Tomoko sputtered out, trying to come up with a dramatic sounding name for birds.

The boy seemed to have calmed down. "Ah, as fitting for an angel. I am Gundham Tanaka, pledged to my Four Dark Devas of Destruction!" As he said that, four hamsters crawled out of his scarf, almost as if they were in sync. The largest one, a deep orange in color, jumped off of Gundham's arm and onto the tutu of Tomoko's outfit. "Invading Black Dragon: Cham-P!" He exclaimed, panicked.

Cham-P was making his way up Tomoko's leotard, to try and sniff at her bag. She giggled, before scooping him up with incredible care. "Aw, he's really cute. I think he was just trying to get into my bag. He must have smelled my pumpkin seeds. Here," she said, before gently handing him to Gundham and shifting her bag around, digging through it. Finally, she pulled out a snack bag filled with roasted pumpkin seeds, and handed them to Gundham. "For you, as tribute. I have more at home, don't worry, my dark lord."

Gundham's blush returned full-force. "My-my deepest regards, dear angel. Although, I must deem it unwise to spend time with us so. We are powerful creatures of darkness." He cradled Cham-P before returning all of his hamsters to his scarf, and pocketing the seeds.

"Do not worry, dear lord, as I am merely scoping out the enemy forces," Tomoko joked, winking playfully at the flustered boy. She pressed her hands together, as if in prayer. Tomoko was getting used to being called an angel.

"Ah! I see! Say, dear angel, it seems you are also attending this academy of hope. Say, what is it you are skilled at?" The two students had finally gotten their things around and started walking towards the school's entrance.

"Oh, my Ultimate is nothing too incredible. I am told I was accepted as the Ultimate Ballerina. What about you, Gundham?"

"I am called the Ultimate Breeder! I am known far and wide for my unparalleled skill at taming wild beasts, such as the Phoenix, World Serpent, and Cerberus!" Gundham seemed happy to talk about animals.

"That's incredible! I think I've heard your name at some point when watching a dog show," Tomoko mused. Gundham hummed an affirmative in response.

The two continued their conversation until they entered the building. There, Tomoko started to feel slightly woozy. That's strange, she thought, what's making me feel like this? Mother even wanted me to eat breakfast for once, so what's making me light-headed? Tomoko turned to Gundham, who looked just as confused and sick. They shared one last nervous glance before slumping forward, unconscious.