Mei was being dragged through the crowd – again – and she was strongly reminded of her roommate, Tiffany, even though it was a guy dragging her this time and he was complimenting himself.

'Wait till you see me. I'll rock the stage…' Sehun glanced back at her and winked. 'Keep your cell phone ready, okay? You'll want to film this.'

She grinned at his confidence. The day for tryouts had arrived and she'd been surprised at the number of people who'd shown up simply to watch. They were being turned away, since this wasn't exactly an event – the auditorium was already full and if more people came, there wouldn't be any room for the candidates.

Sehun managed to find her a good seat, then made her promise she'd film him. 'And Kai as well, okay? He's even better than I am.'

'Okay.' She gave him a thumbs up. 'Good luck.'

Sehun grinned cockily before going off to join the other candidates. He had taken a liking to her since the pop quiz and often talked to her during class and break times. She didn't mind showing her paper every now and then – especially if it was objective type – so she'd helped him out on a couple more occasions and that, apparently, was the way to his friendship.

So, now, here she was at the tryouts. Frankly stunned by the number and variety of people applying. There were bands and individual performers, dancers, singers, musicians, even a few tricksters and aspiring magicians. It seemed really interesting.

She settled herself in the chair comfortably, keeping the camera ready. The moment Sehun appeared on stage, she'd record it. Truth be told, she really wanted to see him dance – from what she'd heard, he really was a good dancer.

The judges called for the first candidate to appear on stage. And so, the tryouts began.

……………………………

Luhan peeked inside the auditorium, wondering if there was place for him to sit. Today, Sehun, Tao and Kai were auditioning and they'd worked really hard. So he wanted to cheer them on. He glanced around and saw Lay waving at him – he'd saved him a seat. Luhan nodded, then quietly walked down to where he was sitting. 'Thanks.'

'No problem. Sehun's next.'

They watched the girl who was dancing right now – she'd choreographed an intense and y piece and a lot of boys in the audience were hooting loudly, whistling and cheering. Luhan and Lay nodded their heads with the beat, occasionally cheering.

The judges discussed her performance amongst themselves, marking it down. The final results would be posted later on the campus board.

The music stopped, the girl left and Sehun stepped on stage, smiling coolly. Loud cheers rose from the audience and Sehun's face broke into a huge silly grin, eyes vanishing into tiny crescents. He waved enthusiastically as he saw Luhan and Lay and they cheered for him loudly.

Mei waited patiently for the music to start. Even though there weren’t any seats left, more and more people kept crowding in and it was getting very stuffy. She sat up straight when Sehun stepped on stage – he smiled and waved around; when he caught her eye, he winked at her. 'Watch!' He mouthed.

She grinned and lifted her cell phone. The music began, a fast hip hop rhythm with powerful beat. Sehun began to dance and for a second, she simply stared in awe. His movements were fluid and powerful, the dance flowing with the music. It suited his personality perfectly, upbeat and fast, full of enthusiasm. He was very charismatic on stage as well, smiling and winking, even at the judges. At the end of his performance, there were loud cheers, hers included and he bowed before walking off stage, cocky and pleased with himself.

The next performers came up, a group of b-boys and she was watching them, so she didn't see when Sehun snuck next to her.

'So, did you like it?'

Startled, she nearly jumped out of her seat. 'Sehun! When did you get here?'

'Just now.' He leaned back in the chair, stretching out his long legs. 'So, did you like it? My dance?'

'Of course.' Mei smiled at him, still marveling this childish boy could dance like that. 'I thought you were just showing off but you're really good.'

'Pfft, why shouldn't I show off?' He snorted. 'I know I'm good.'

'Everyone should be confident like that.'

'No, not everyone.' Sehun sat a little taller. 'Only the best.'

'All hail the mighty Sehun.' She intoned jokingly. Sehun looked down his nose, giving his best snobby expression. They cracked up, collapsing into their seats.

'Wait till you see Kai, though.' Sehun spoke after a while.

'Hmm?'

'He's even better than me.'

'Really? I find that hard to believe.' She said it half seriously. Sehun obviously liked having his ego .

'No, he really is.' Sehun looked earnest. 'Though not as good as Lay.'

'Who's Lay?'

'My older brother… cousin… sorta.'

'What're you, a family of dancing prodigies?'

'Nope, just really talented.' He swiped his tongue over his lips, chewing them for a bit. She swiped through her gallery and showed him the video she'd recorded. 'You're really cool on stage.'

Sehun nodded his agreement. 'You've made a good video. The camera isn't shaking at all… weren't you cheering for me?' He pouted.

'Of course I was. I just hate shaky videos.' She stopped it and returned to the gallery. Sehun peeked over her shoulder. 'Hey, what's that?'

'Huh?' She looked at where he was pointing. It was Luhan's video.

'Um…'

Sehun clicked on play. The video of that fantastic last minute goal came on. When the video stopped, Sehun took her phone.

'Hey give that back!' She punched his arm.

'In a minute…' Sehun shrugged her off and continued exploring her video gallery. Which was full of various videos. Of Luhan.

'Oh ho ho… what's this???' Sehun turned the screen towards her. 'You like Luhan?'

'Give it back!' She looked at him threateningly. Knew it didn't work when he simply smirked. 'Not until you admit it!'

'Fine, I do, okay? Now give it back.' She snatched it out of his hands and this time, he let her.

'Aw, Mei's crushing on Luhan.' Sehun spoke in an annoying singsong voice. 'What do you do? Film him while he's playing?'

'So what if I do?' Mei muttered to the phone. 'Loads of other girls do that too.'

'Hey, I'm not judging.' Sehun grinned. 'I'll be glad to introduce you two.'

Mei didn't reply.

She hadn't thought she'd like Luhan this much when she'd first seen him play. But she'd found herself watching his video over and over again. So, she'd visited the practice field more than once, to see him play. And maybe – just maybe – she passed by his class intentionally, trying to peek in and catch a glimpse. Luhan was exactly the sort of guy she liked – smart, good at sports, nice personality – not to mention his good looks. The fact that he was getting moodier just made him that much more attractive.

She wasn't shy of admitting she liked a guy; she firmly believed in being honest. But she hadn't wanted Sehun to find it out just now. She didn't want him to think she'd befriended him just so she could get to Luhan through him. Having been used like that once or twice in high school – her brothers were quite popular – she knew it .

Sehun didn't seem to think that, though. He leaned towards her eagerly. 'So, you're into football players?' He sounded like a gossipy girlfriend.

She giggled at his tone. 'Only pretty ones.'

'Cool.' He nodded his approval, then straightened. Tao was coming up on stage, so he elbowed her. 'Oh, this is gonna be good. Get your camera ready.' Shaking her head, Mei focused the cell phone on the stage once again, watching through the screen.

                ………………………

                Kai felt the nervous butterflies in his stomach settle as his turn came closer. After Tao, he was going to perform. The wait was almost over. He placed his leg on the wall and leaned his shoulder close, relishing the aching stretch in his muscles. Once he cleared these tryouts, he'd get into the advanced class. And be able to focus completely on his dance.

                Tao finished his performance with his signature move, somersaulting high in the air and landing with perfect balance, the heavy bo held in his arms as if weightless. There was loud applause from the audience; Kai saw Lay and Luhan cheering loudly; his eyes scanned the crowd and his heartbeat suddenly quickened.

                Mei was sitting in the crowd, right next to Sehun; he forced himself to calm down. It's not your own feelings, Kai, he reprimanded himself sternly. Because of the intensity of Luhan's emotions, the baser instincts that urged him find and claim his mate, they were leaking into Kai through their connection. And it was making things really messed up for him.

                He had to interact with Mei every day, inhale her scent while they attended the same classes – and listen to Sehun chatter about her when they were out of class, with Tao. While her scent didn't drive him as bat- crazy as it did Luhan, it did make it difficult to concentrate. So it wasn't a surprise that Kai found Mei attractive – or that his heart beat faster when he saw her. He'd even entertained the possibility that Mei was his mate, not Luhan's.

                Could two Legends have the same mate? They were so closely linked with their powers, they shared each other's emotions. Was it so difficult to imagine they'd fall for the same person? It didn't seem that impossible to Kai.

But he didn't have any intentions of getting distracted from his dream just now. As Suho said, Earth had provided them with the opportunity to develop and he wasn't going to squander that because of a girl. He just had to control himself.

He was surprised though. Luhan was calm and not reacting to her presence at all – couldn’t he smell her? He glanced at the closed doors of the auditorium and understood. The air inside the hall was still, too many people crowded around; that made isolating one single scent nearly impossible.

Good for me, he thought. The calmer Luhan was, the better Kai could focus on his dance – and thus give a better performance. Just then, his name was called and he pushed all other thoughts out of his head. Now, it was time to dance.

…………………………

Kai came on stage and Sehun once again elbowed her. 'Camera ready?'

'Yeah – geez, will you stop poking me?' she snapped, rubbing her side.

'You shouldn't poke girls.' Tao, who'd taken a seat next to Sehun after his performance, reprimanded him.

'She wasn't talking about you, panda-eyes.' Sehun retorted. They started bickering, calling each other ridiculous name. Mei ignored them, focusing on the stage.

Even though she hung around with Sehun often these days, she wasn't close to Kai. Tao had taken a liking to her much like Sehun but Kai kept his distance. He was nice enough when they did talk but they weren't becoming best friends any time soon.

She had seen him staring at her thoughtfully sometimes, and wondered what he was thinking – flattering herself when she was feeling happy that he liked her, wondering if he didn’t when she was down. Kai was very different from Luhan, quieter and reticent, but sometimes she found herself thinking what he'd be like if they were close. She liked Luhan, yes, but if she had to pick another guy, she'd pick Kai.

Just then, music began playing – a soulful tune – and she found herself mesmerized by Kai's dance. Where Sehun's dance had been upbeat, fast and powerful, Kai's was more expressive – his limbs moved loosely, gracefully, and his expressions changed to match the movements, blending with the music. He wasn't just dancing, he was expressing himself and it was amazing.

There was a creaking of the doors – someone entering the auditorium – and a refreshing gust of wind blew her hair to the side. She put up her hand to stop it from getting completely messed up and then, all hell broke loose.

………………………….

Bonus Story: EXO Journal: A Voyage through the Galaxy

Scene 3: In which Tao comes in (painful) possession of the journal

Sehun (carelessly throwing his journal inside the room while talking over his shoulder): I told you I've made a new friend! Get off my case will you???

Suho is heard criticizing Sehun through the doorway, implying that making a friend does not mean Sehun has become any more emotionally expressive, a sentiment Sehun absolutely disagrees with - how would he make a new friend if he didn't have some measure of emotional expression? None of that matters to Tao, who'd been peacefully working out on his gym equipment until the journal landed on his head, breaking his concentration.

Tao (yelling): OUCH!!!

Sehun isn't bothered about his condition but Suho comes over to make sure he's alright.

Suho (rubbing his head): Are you okay?'

Tao (whining and nuzzling his throbbing head into his stomach): It hurts!!!

Suho (getting worried): Let me take a look! (Parts his hair to make sure his head isn't bleeding) It looks sore... (lovingly) Shall I call Lay?

Sehun sputters in outrage at the obvious favortism and starts a ruckus about how he his head hurts more because he's been arguing with Suho for such a long time. Suho ignores him and continues rubbing Tao's head, cooing and cuddling the overgrown baby and in general, making Sehun want to puke. 

Sehun (stamping his foot): Fine, whatever! Its not like I care!! 

Suho (to Tao): Are you okay now? (completely ignores Sehun)

Tao (enjoying the attention, smiles affectionately): I'm all better. 

Sehun is beginning to feel jealous simply on principle - he's the youngest around here, if anyone deserves to be spoiled, it's him. Sadly, Suho is extremely annoyed by recent mischiefs and in no mood to cuddle him. In the end, Sehun loses it and throws the journal at Tao's thick - and still being lovingly rubbed by Suho - head. It lands, edge first, digging painfully.

Tao (completely distracted from his cuddle time): OWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!! OWOWOWWOW!!! (begins dancing in his seat, bending over and rubbing his head furiously)

Suho (shocked by the sudden, uncalled for attack): SEHUN!

Sehun (bitterly): Take that as well, you greedy er! See if I care!

Suho is even more shocked by the tears that fill Sehun's eyes as he runs off angrily. He takes a few steps after him, then looks at Tao and, torn between comforting the young cubs. Biting his lips, he wonders if he's been too harsh with Sehun - his poker face and uncaring attitue makes it easy to forget he's still just a sentimental little cub. Sadly, he realizes, his company will not be welcomed at all. He takes his place next to Tao again and absentmindedly rubs his head. Then, overcome with guilt, goes after Sehun. 

Tao (his head throbbing from a mix of journal hits and workout): Suho? (whines) Suho!!! 

Tao (straightens and finds the room empty): Suho? (pouts) No one who care about me! 

He bends over with every intention of dissolving into tears but his eyes land on the journal that has opened on the single sentence written out in terrible writing. He takes a closer look, then picks it up to examine it curiously. He finds it very appealing - the idea of writing a journal, especially after his current trauma is especially touching. At least, the journal will hear him out and not abandon him when his head was throbbing.

Tao (looking at the journal through teary eyes): I won't abandon you either!

Tao (hugging it to his chest): I'll keep you safe!

Tao (suddenly lets out an excited, girlish laugh): I've always wanted my own journal! 

Tao, forgetting his throbbing head in excitement of actually writing a journal, skips off in a search for colorful pens and stickers that he can use to decorate his newly, albeit painfully, acquired journal, his mind already busy with all the secrets he can share with his diary and forgets that he's actually angry for being hit in the head when he runs into Sehun outside his room.

Sehun's tiny eyes are a bit red but he's smiling like an idiot and the reason becomes obvious when Suho steps out of his room, putting his wallet in his back pocket and taking Sehun's hand. Sehun pokes his tongue out at Tao as Suho leads him away, grinning excitedly.

Sehun (his voice fading away): Choco! I want choco bubble tea! Ooh and...

Suho (voice faint): Okay, now stop jumping and get in the car!

Tao is rooted to his spot right outside his room, shocked and hurt. Not only did his own Shadow hit him for no good reason, not only did the pack leader abandon him while he was hurt, now they were both going out to get bubble tea. Tears fill his eyes again and he turns right back, all thoughts of gathering colorful pens gone as sadness overwhelms him. He lies on his beds and cries for sometime. The journal is lying on his pillow and after a while, he sits up and stares at it. Then, picking up a regular pen from his bedside table, begins writing. 

Dear Diary, it goes, today has been the worst day for me. A painful recounting of all the events of the past half hour, with tear drops drying on the pages, follows as Tao pours his heart out. And this, he adds, is why I like Kris. I wish he was here, he would never do this to me! Suho is a bad mom, I want my daddy! Starts crying again and the journal is forgotten.