In Pursuit of Perfection | Nalu | Collab with ofthefeels

| Chapter 5 |

Just Like Fire, by Pink

|  Previously in Chapter 4 |

"Well," Levy started, slowly, "you just stood there, eyes wide with this really scared and-and this mixed expression on your face."

"You started shaking and trembling. After a few seconds, you started crying and you crumpled onto the floor. We tried to wake you up and finally, on the third try, we did," Erza finished. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine, really. I just want to go home and rest. I'm tired." She headed out, a heavy feeling in her chest. How would she be able tell her father what had happened today?

It was pathetic, really. All her life, she had overcome huge obstacles; difficult leaps, hard times, sweat, tears, and blood. And now, defeated by a simple, small improvising routine? Pathetic.

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| Chapter 5 |

"You're doing it wrong." I stood in an arabesque, shaking my head. We were in a private room, practicing the routine we performed at our audition. Of course, that wasn't happening. "Your arms are suppose to be up in the air, not at your sides. Aren't you a Juilliard student? I thought you'd know that." I dropped from the pose and placed a hand on my hip.

"Well, excuse me for not raising my arms," Natsu shot back, making air quotes. I rolled my eyes as he walked over to his bag, grabbed his water bottle, then dumped the liquid all over his body as well as into his mouth. A puddle built up on the floor where he stood. "Ahh, much better." Wrinkling my nose, I turned away. That pink-haired guy was the worst partner ever, why did he have to get the part of Siegfried? There was no way we'd ever get close to having a great production with Natsu.

"I don't know how you ever got the part of the Prince," I scoffed, in the middle of plies on the barre to relax my muscles.

He wiped his mouth. "I could say the same thing, Ms. Queen-of-the-swans-but-isn't-really-a-good-queen." I glared back at him. I wasn't going to allow him to provoke me without getting a proper glare back. "It's a miracle my dad even considered you."

"I think the reason—I know the reason why I got in and that's because I'm talented, self-driven, confident, and mature. Unlike some people." I smirked as he groaned.

"It's called being uptight, selfish, overly confident, and the inability to relax and have fun," he said, doing a backflip in the middle of the room. Drops of water splashed everywhere as I shrieked and shielded myself. He grinned evilly and did it again.

"Stop it!" I yelled. I threw my hands up in the air and began to stomp around. "Why are you so—so annoying? Are you purposely trying to drive me to the point of madness?"

"I don't care," he simply said, folding his hands. "I auditioned for this production because I wanted to have fun, to actually enjoy ballet. You aren't making this any easier." The look of his careless attitude made me want to punch him in the face and scream at him. I balled my hands into fists.

"I joined this because I wanted to improve my dancing skills and showcase it to everyone. I actually want to get work done and with you as my partner, I can't. I just...can't anymore. I give up," I said, my voice tight. The moment I said those words, an alarm went off in my head. Give up? Did I really say that? Lucy Heartfilia never gives up. Lucy Heartfilia always pursues on, no matter how difficult the obstacles. Where did those two tiny words come from? Oh father, I'm sorry for letting you down. I couldn't take those words back, they were already out there. If I turned back on my word, it would make me look like an idiot.