Can't Fix Chapter 1
Title: Can't Fix
Summary: "We can't fix what isn't broken, all that matters is if she wants to dance again."
Chapter Summary: "It's not so much the physical damage, as much as it is the mental trauma."
Pairings: RizumuxHibiki and maybes some MionxWataru and AiraxShou
Setting: Sometime after the final episode of Aurora Dream when Jun comes back, but before Dear My Future.
Words: 3,472
Genre: A little Angst, Romance, and Friendship
Beginning Notes: I guess you know where the title comes from, either way this plot just kinda hit me, so I had to write it. I'm only planning on making this 11 chapters, but if I get anymore ideas it might be longer. As warning, crazy logic ensures. As well as Kaname and Rizumu sister bonding! Enjoy!
Can't Fix
Chapter 1: Broken
"Go Rizimu!" Kaname cheered as she stood up from her seat in excitement. Beside her were her parents, who were also cheering on their other daughter as she performed. MARs was giving a special performance today were the girls danced as a group and then had their own solo performances. Mion and Aira had already performed their solos and Rizumu was currently performing her solo before they did one final group dance to finish the show.
"Dolphin Venus, Perfect!" Rizumu cried as dolphins filled the air behind and above her along with a sparkling blue sky. As soon as Dolphin Venus faded Rizumu continued her dance while the crowd cheered.
"Hey Mama, what do you think Rizumu's next jump will be?" Kaname asked as she continued to watch Rizimu dance.
"I'm not sure, maybe she'll do one of her candy rocket jumps or a Stardust Shower," Sonanta replied as she watched her eldest daughter with a smile on her face.
"Kokoro juuden!" Rizimu shouted as she began to prepare her final jump. Rizumu skated straight before circling into the air and jumping. Stars began to rain from the sky as Rizumu landed on one of them. The stars caught fire as Rizumu began to spin on the one she was standing on. "Super Stardust Shower!" Rizumu shouted as she stopped spinning. Finally Rizumu landed on the stage and began to skid to a stop. All of a sudden a shriek of pain escaped Rizumu's lips as she tripped and twisted one of her ankles the wrong way before she began to stumble, only to land face first on the stage. Gasps came from the crowd as Rizumu fell, only to be silenced by her shrieks of pain.
"Rizumu!" Sontata, Kaname, Ryuutaro, and the Callings screamed as they all stood up and began to rush down the steps towards the stage. Mion, Aira, Jun, and Asechi were already on the stage making their way to Rizumu who was curled up and holding one her ankles with both hands. As soon as the group that was coming from the stands stepped on the stage the Callings and Rizumu's dad found themselves face first on the stage while Kaname and Sonata easily went into hand stands to avoid falling over.
"Mama, there's something slippery on the stage," Kaname said as she stood up and put her hand on the stage. She then leaned forward and sniffed at the area where she was standing. "It smells weird too."
"Rizumu-chan! What's wrong?" Aira asked as she kneeled beside her friend and teammate who was still holding her ankle.
"I-i-i think I broke it or something," Rizumu choked out as tears began to stream down her face from the pain. Jun, Asechi, Sonata, and Ryuutaro began to crowd around Rizumu asking her questions and taking off the skate that was on the leg with her hurting ankle.
"Kaname is right, there is something strange on the stage," Mion said as she ran a finger along the stage.
"Then why didn't we trip?" Aira asked as she looked between Rizumu and the stage.
"Because the area of the stage that you two dance on isn't slippery," Kaname said from where she stood a few feet away. "The stage starts getting slippery right here," she said pointing to where Rizumu landed from her jump, "when Rizumu landed she slid right onto the part of the stage that was slippery and tripped."
"It's hard to walk right here, much less land from so high up," Mion concluded as she slowly skated around wobbling a bit every once in a while.
"Is Rizumu okay Mama?" Kaname asked as she looked at Rizumu while Jun felt her ankle. It was obvious to Kaname that it was swelling quickly and needed to be checked out.
"We're not sure, she might have broken it. We're going to take her to a hospital to get it checked out," Sonata said as she looked at Kaname.
"Everyone, I'm sorry to say this but the final dance has to be canceled because Amamiya Rizumu can't continue dancing," Asechi said to the crowd as they looked on with worried eyes. "Everyone come on, we're taking Rizumu to the hospital."
"Yes, President," said all the Prism Stars as Ryuutaro picked up Rizumu and followed Asechi back stage. The remaining members of MARs, the Callings, Kaname, Sonata, and Jun quickly followed.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine in a bit Rizumu," said Sonata as she watched her eldest daughter try to wipe the tear from her eyes. As soon as she wiped some away, more replaced them.
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"Well, one thing we're sure of is that she'll need a cast, and then we'll need her to wear a brace a for a few days once the cast comes off," a doctor said as he was crowed by Sonata, her husband, Asechi, and Jun. Mion, Aira, the Callings, and Kaname were waiting patiently in the waiting room while the adults questioned the doctor about Rizumu's condition. "Still, about her dancing," the doctor began only to be cut off by Sonata.
"She will be able to dance again, right? You can fix her ankle, right?" She hysterically questioned the doctor. Dancing was the world to her daughter and her family, it helped her daughter make so many wonderful friends, and it helped make them a family again.
"We can't fix something that isn't broken, all that matters is if she wants to dance again," he said with a serious look on his face.
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"What do you mean if she wants to dance again? Rizumu loves dancing!" Hibiki shouted once the adults told them what Sonata had just been told.
"Hibiki," began Shou only to be cut off by Kaname.
"Hibiki's right! Rizumu loves dancing! Dancing is one of the most important things to her!" Kaname argued quite loudly in the middle of the hall. "Dancing is one of the things that made us a family! It's something we love to do together! Without it Rizumu would be sad!"
"Kaname-chan," Aira said softly as she placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Rizumu-chan really does love dancing though, why can't they fix her ankle?"
"It's not so much the physical damage, as much as it is the mental trauma," Asechi said with a serious look on her face. "It won't be the pain from her ankle holding her back as much as the trauma that experience might have caused. It all depends on how much Rizumu wants to dance again."
"I'm sure Rizumu-chan will want to dance again," said Aira. "She loves being a Prism Star and dancing with everyone!"
"Rizumu will dance again," said Kanon as she walked up with Serena. "I won't allow her to give up that easily."
"Of course Rizumu won't give up! She'll push herself until she's back to dancing like her normal self in no time," Mion said as she stared at Kanon and Serena.
"Kanon, why are you here?" Hibiki asked as his little sister stopped beside him.
"We heard Rizumu got hurt, and as fellow Prism Stars and her rivals we just can't sit around and not visit her," Serena said as she looked at Asechi and Jun. "Looks like we made it just in time to hear the news."
"Listen, once Rizumu gets her cast off and the doctor says it's fine for her to start dancing again, then we'll see what we should do about her situation, but until then she's going to be on temporary leave," Asechi said in a firm voice that quieted all of the Prism Stars before her.
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"Mama, will I be able to dance again?" Rizumu asked as she stared at the bulky, white cast on her foot.
"Don't worry Rizumu, I'm sure you'll be able to dance again in no time," Sonata whispered as she wrapped her arms around her daughter and hugged her as tight as she could manage.
"What if I can never dance again?" Rizumu asked as she looked up at her mother with tears in her eyes. "What will I do then?"
"Don't worry about things like that Rizumu, you'll be able to dance again, your foot will be fine in a few week," Sonata whispered as she did her best to pacify her daughter's troubled sobs. "Everything will be fine, I promise."
"I got the crutches," said Ryuutaro as he entered the room and handed the crutches to his daughter. "Try walking around with them," he said as Rizumu grabbed the metal objects. She then proceeded to climb down from the table and walk around the room with the crutches. "It'll only be for a few weeks," he said softly as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'll drive you to school so you won't have to walk," Sonata whispered as she placed a hand on her daughter's other shoulder.
"Can I walk home on my own?"Rizumu asked as she looked towards the ground with hollow, orange eyes.
"Only when I'm busy and only if you promise to have Kaname, Aira, Mion, or someone else walk with you," Sonata said firmly as she gently rubbed circles on Rizumu's back.
"I promise," Rizumu said as she continued to stare at the ground.
"Come on, Kaname and the others are worried about you," Ryuutaro said opening the door for his daughter. Rizumu slowly walked out of the room doing her best to get adjusted to her crutches. "Take your time, no rush."
"I know, but I don't want to keep the others waiting for much longer," Rizumu replied as she began to walk a little faster.
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"Rizumu-chan!" Aira cried as she spotted Rizumu slowly making her way up the hallway. Kaname was the first to react and quickly ran down the hall towards Rizumu. The others followed her a few seconds later.
"Rizumu!" Kaname cheered as she wrapped her arms around Rizumu's middle. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, it doesn't hurt anymore," Rizumu replied smiling a little to show Kaname she was okay.
"How are you feeling?" Mion asked as soon as she had looked Rizumu up and down.
"I just said I was," she began only to be cut off.
"How are you really feeling Rizumu?" Mion asked with a serious expression on her face.
"I don't like the idea of having to wear a cast or walk with crutches," Rizumu admitted as she stared at the cast on her foot and then the crutches. They were just reminding her of the fact that she might never be able to dance again, and she didn't want to be reminded of that every time she looked down, left, or right. Sure the doctor said she would be fine, but the fear was still there. The fear of injuring herself and never being able to dance again.
"I'm sure you'll have it off soon Rizumu-chan," Aira said doing her best to cheer up her friend.
"She will, but until then you're excused from practice and classes at Pretty Top," Asechi said as she adjusted her glasses. "Make a full recovery and then we'll schedule rehearsals and classes for you."
"Yes ma'am," Rizumu said as she returned her gaze to the floor.
"Let's go everyone," Asechi said as she began to lead everyone out of the hospital. Kanon quickly fell in step with Rizumu before whispering to her.
"If you get defeated by this, then there's no way I'll let you have Hi-kun," she whispered glaring at Rizumu.
"I'm not defeated by this!" Rizumu shouted while glaring back at Kanon. In the process of her shouting Rizumu had accidentally released one of her crutches and when she went to take her next step she found herself on the ground for the second time that day. "That hurt."
"Sorry," Kanon said as she quickly helped Rizumu up while the others turned around. "Still, you can't give up until I've beaten you," she said as she finished helping Rizumu before walking ahead of her and falling in step with Serena.
"Don't mind Kanon," Hibiki said as he appeared next to Rizumu startling her. "What matters is that you laugh. Come on Rizumu, laugh. Laugh," Hibiki said as he smiled at her.
"You're making funny faces again,'" Rizumu said as she began to softly laugh.
"I got you to laugh though," Hibiki said as he smiled at her. "Listen, we're all here for you if you need us Rizumu. Plus you really do have the cutest smile I've ever seen," he whispered just so they could hear it.
"Thank you," Rizumu said and for the first time since she got her cast she smiled a genuine smile.
"Hi-kun! Hurry up!" Kanon shouted from where the others were waiting on the elevator.
"Coming!" Hibiki replied as they picked up their pace.
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"You don't have to sit on the floor Kaname," Rizumu said as she watched Kaname sit on the floor in front of the television.
"Your foot needs to be propped up if you want to get better soon, and I want you to get better soon," Kaname said as she looked at Rizumu's foot.
"You can sit here," Rizumu said patting her lap. "Then we can share a blanket and watch a movie if you'd like Kaname."
"Really?" Kaname asked as her eyes sparkled with glee. Rizumu nodded and Kaname quickly stood up and walked over to the couch and sat where Rizumu had patted. Rizumu opened her arms and pulled Kaname into a hugging position while Kaname placed her legs next to Rizumu's good one. Kaname then placed a blanket over them before snuggling up to Rizumu to help her select a film. "Are you sure you're fine?"
"Huh? Yeah, I mean, well," Rizumu began as she stared at the screen and hugged Kaname a little tighter. "I can't help it, but sometimes I get to thinking about never dancing again, and well it upsets me a little."
"It'll be fine, Kaname will do her best to help Rizumu dance again! Then we'll be able to dance together, as a family," she declared as she snuggled closer to the girl who had become her family.
"Thank you Kaname, that really means a lot to me," Rizumu whispered as they both hugged each other.
Later that night Sonata found both of her daughters snuggled up on the couch while the credits, to the movie, began to roll. She couldn't help herself when she took a picture, and quickly decided that it would be a part of the family picture album she was going to make one day.
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"Hey Kaname, can you go on ahead please?" Rizumu asked Kaname as they made their way home. Kaname looked at Rizumu for a minute in confusion, she did have to walk with her right, before she spotted Hibiki motioning to Rizumu from an alleyway.
"Okay! I'll tell Mama you walked home with Hibiki," Kaname replied whispering Hibiki's name so only the two of them could hear it. "Bye Rizumu!" She called as she began to continue the walk home alone.
"Bye Kaname!" Rizumu called back before turning and making her way over to Hibiki. "Hibiki! What are you doing here?"
"Well you haven't been to our secret place for a while, but now I understand why. So how are you Rizumu?" Hibiki asked as he motioned for her to follow him. Rizumu nodded and followed him the best she could with her crutches.
"I don't have to walk to school every morning now, but the walk home is longer and I always have to have somebody with me," Rizumu replied as she continued to walk.
"So I guess that means I have to escort you home then?" Hibiki asked as he stopped by a drink vending machine. Rizumu nodded while he inserted the coins and pressed a button. "It must be kind of troublesome walking with crutches."
"It is, but I've kind of gotten use to them," Rizumu said while inspecting the cast on her foot. All of her friends had signed it. Looking at it made Rizumu feel a little better about her whole situation. At least she has her friends.
"Climb on," Hibiki said breaking Rizumu out of her thoughts. He was bent down in front of her with his hands behind his back.
"Hibiki?" Rizumu asked as she stared at him.
"Climb on, I'll carry you if it's a pain to walk with your crutches. You'll have to hold everything though," he said holding up the drinks. Rizumu stared at the drinks for a moment before taking them from him.
"Okay," Rizumu said as she put both crutches in one hand before wrapping the arm the was holding the drinks around his neck. Hibiki then placed his arms under her to support her before standing up straight.
"Comfortable?" He asked looking at her through the corner of her eye.
"Yeah, you?" Rizumu asked as she rested her head on one of his shoulders.
"I'm good. Let's go!" Hibiki shouted before staring off at a slightly fast pace. "Hold on tight Rizumu!"
"I'm grateful that Hibiki is doing this, but if can't dance again can we still meet at our secret place?" Rizumu thought as Hibiki continued to walk. "Without dancing I won't be able to spend that much time with my friends, even Kaname will be busy with Prism Shows soon."
"Here we are," Hibiki said as he helped Rizumu down before taking his drink. "Thank you."
"No, I should be the one thanking you! You carried me all the way here after all," Rizumu quickly said.
"It's fine," Hibiki said as he opened his drink and took a few sips. "You know, this is something we always do here. Lean against this rail and drink our drinks. We also look out there," Hibiki said as he pointed behind him and smiled. "We can do other things here besides practicing, but we'll be back to practicing real soon Rizumu. As soon as your ankle is better."
"Thank you!" Rizumu said smiling before opening her own drink and gulping it down.
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"Thank you for bringing her home Hibiki," Sonata said as she watched Rizumu climb off of Hibiki's back and walk inside.
"It wasn't a problem," he said while watching Rizumu walk inside and greet Kaname, before the two off them rushed off, well went as fast as Rizumu's crutches would allow her, to check out dinner.
"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Sonata asked as she followed Hibiki's gaze.
"I don't mean to intrude," Hibiki began before Sonata shook her head.
"We'd be glad to have you," Sonata cut in.
"Well, okay then," Hibiki said as he went inside to join the family for dinner.
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"You get your cast off in a few days, right Rizumu-chan?" Aira asked as she sat down on Rizumu's bed.
"Yeah, but then I have to wear a brace for a week," Rizumu said as she took a seat and propped her foot back up.
"Then you can come back to Pretty Top and start dancing again," Mion put in as she sat down beside Aira.
"Y-y-yeah, I can," Rizumu said nervously before quickly changing the subject.
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Rizumu tossed and turned in her sleep as her breath came out in ragged gasps and sweat ran down her face. She woke with a start and clutched her blanket until her breathing slowed and returned to normal. "It was just a dream?" She asked herself as she looked around the room. "What if I do a jump again and injure myself so bad that I won't be able to dance again? What if my ankle heals wrong? What if I can't dance again, ever?' She began to question herself as her grip on her blanket tightened. Rizumu took a deep breath and moved her eyes towards her ankle, it was still in the cast. So it was fine, right? "Still every time I think about dancing I always wonder if I'll never be able to dance again," Rizumu whispered as tears began to run down her cheeks. "Do I even want to dance again? Why do I always imagine myself falling?" Rizumu asked herself as her tears fell from her cheeks to her blanket. "All I see when I fall asleep is myself falling, and then when I try to dance after that it hurts," she whispered to herself as her eyes traveled over to Bearchi who still hadn't woken up. "That's good, Bearchi needs to sleep. I don't want Bearchi to worry," Rizumu thought as she grabbed Andy and laid back down on her pillows. "I guess I'll figure out if I can dance again in a week since my cast comes off tomorrow," she mentally said to herself as her eyes closed to what she hoped would be a peaceful dream.