Christmas was just around the corner. Everyone had their spirits lifted, except for Kai Toshiki. He disliked festivities as much as he dislikes social interaction. Tatsunagi Takuto has decided to throw a Christmas ball where all the teams from the Asia Circuit were invited. It was held at the Tatsunagi Foundation building. The theme was masquerade black tie. So everyone had to go in masks as well as formal black and white clothing.
"Kai, where is your mask?" Ren asked.
The ball was tomorrow but Ren was already trying out his attire. He has been really excited about the ball ever since the news was announced. He is twirling around in front of the mirror at the Foo Fighters Headquarters. Asaka was also in her dress. It was an entirely black dress which reaches her ankle. There was a long slit up her side and. The dress is held up by 2 straps which were as thin as a strand of spaghetti. It revealed quite a lot of her front though she had a black shawl to cover up.
"I'm not going." Kai replied while drinking his coffee, looking bored as usual.
"Eh? It's going to be fun. It's a ball after all." Ren said.
He had put on a black mask with white spirals on it. It was the one which had ribbons to the side of it so it could be tied on to avoid it from dropping. Asaka choose a black one with a huge black feather sticking out the edge. There was a stick at the side to hold the mask. They were both posing in front of the mirror to get the feel and couldn't help giggling to each other.
"I don't want to go." Kai said.
"Why?" Ren sat next to him and asked.
"I just think it will be a pain. I rather find someone to duel with. That would be a better use of my time." Kai responded.
"Well, you could meet someone strong over there. Almost everyone from the Asia Circuit will be coming. So chances are high that you would meet them and actually have a good time." Ren said.
"I still don't think that is likely." Kai commented.
"Come on Kai. Even Tetsu is coming along. You don't want to be the only one left out would you?"
"Fine, I'll go. But if I don't like it, I'll leave right away." Kai said. He got up from his seat and was about to leave, holding his bag over his shoulder.
"Great! But you should choose a mask for tomorrow. I have a lot here. They all looked so good that I couldn't resist buying them." Ren said pointing to the table where the masks were set.
"I don't even know why I bother… It's kind of obvious who is behind the mask in the first place." Kai said. He walked up to the table and randomly grabbed a red mask with gold outlines. It was the one which didn't bother him most.
"Good choice. I'll see you tomorrow!" Ren excitedly waved at Kai goodbye.
Kai sighed and felt that he might regret his actions tomorrow. He looked at the mask in his hand and wondered why he even agreed in the first place. He stuffed the mask into his bag and walked back home, dreading what will happen the next day, which was on Christmas Eve.
The Next Day
The Tatsunagi Foundation had sent for limousines to pick the teams up. Kai opted for a black ensemble with a black bow tie while Ren and Tetsu were both wearing black tuxedos with matching black ties. In the limo, Ren and Asaka were excitedly talking about how much fun they are going to have with this ball while Tetsu and Kai remained silent the whole way.
Once they arrived, Ren and Asaka were so excited that they ran out the limo, leaving Tetsu to trail behind them. Kai was taking his sweet time walking to the building, scouting for possible places for him to just be by himself if the night turns sour. He found a spot somewhere behind the building. It was a pagoda with a table in the middle.
He went back towards the ball and stood at the doorway nearest to the exit where he could easily access to get to the pagoda if he needed to. He kept adjusting his mask as it was always blocking his line of vision. So far the night as been nothing but a disappointment to him since he could only see couples dancing. Ren and Asaka were dancing with each other like a couple as well.
He saw Team Q4 walking into the hall. They were all looking around for people they know. They seem to have spotted Ren and Asaka and Kai could see that Aichi was asking Ren something. Ren pointed towards the direction he was standing and Aichi seems to be making his way towards Kai by now. Kai didn't want to deal with anyone of them right now so he slipped out and headed to the pagoda before Aichi had the chance to approach him.
He was surprise there was already someone at the pagoda before him. He could only tell that it was a girl who was there. She wore a strapless black dress which reached all the way to her ankles. He couldn't see how she looks like from a far. He wanted to leave to find another spot but somehow she emitted the feeling as if she was also forced to be here at the ball. He was somehow drawn to see how she looked like so he could try to figure out who she was.
"I'm sorry but I was wondering if I could hang out here. The ball isn't my kind of thing." Kai said to the mystery girl.
She turned around and he could see that she wore a gold mask with black accents which made her eyes pop. The mask covered half of her face. Her hair was a pale color but since the pagoda was dark, it was hard to make out what her hair color really is. Her hair was tied up in a bun but there were thick strands which were let down at the side intentionally. Those lose strands were kind of curly. All he could say for sure is that she had blue eyes which sparkle in the moonlight.
Now that he was up close, he could see her dress was entirely black with golden glitter all over it. It fit her body shape just nice. It was elegant and he didn't want to admit it, but it took his breath away for a moment. He couldn't help but stare at her from the top to the bottom. In his mind, he tried to figure out who this mystery girl is. He didn't think the mask would actually work to conceal someone's identity so well.
"Sure." She replied curtly.
He took a seat at the ledge built into the pagoda and just stared at the moon. He turned his attention to the girl sitting to his opposite and saw that she was rummaging through her bag. She took out her deck and started looking through them with an anxious expression on her face. He was interested to see what deck this mystery girl played so he decided to ask her for a challenge.
"Do you want to duel?" He asked. She looked unsure about it.
"Looks like you might be having trouble with your deck. If we duel, you could find out what you lack in your deck." He said.
The truth was that Kai felt bored and since the mystery girl was holding her deck, he thought that she could try and entertain him. He gave up hope of finding someone who could beat him so now he just wants to find someone that doesn't bore him. She nodded and set her deck on the table while he did the same.
"Stand up, the Vanguard!" He said. He flipped over Lizard Soldier, Saishin.
"Stand up, Vanguard!" She said. She flipped over Battle Sister, Éclair.
"Oracle Think Tank huh? You can go first." He said. Something about the whole atmosphere made him feel chivalrous.
"I draw. I ride Battle Sister, Cocoa. Éclair comes out from my soul to the rear guard circle. Cocoa's skill is to check the top of the deck and choose to either leave it at the top or the bottom of the deck." She checked the top of the deck as Kai watched.
"I choose to leave it at the top of the deck and I end my turn." She continued.
"Alright, so it's my turn now. I draw. I ride Lizard Soldier, Riki and Saishin gets pulled to the rearguard circle at the bottom left. Riki and attacks Cocoa." He said.
"No guard." She declared.
"Check the drive trigger: Photon Bomber Wyvern."
"Damage check: Battle Sister, Tiramisu. Draw trigger get. I give all effects to Cocoa and I draw a card." She drew a card and waited for his next move.
"I end my turn then." He said.
"I stand and draw. I ride Battle Sister, Tart. Éclair's skill, counterblast 1 and add her to soul. Then I check the top 5 of my deck to add a grade 3 Oracle Think Tank into my hand. I'll add Battle Sister, Souffle into my hand." She made her move and Kai smiled.
"Why are you smiling?" She asked, curiously.
"You know Saishin's skill. You decided to remove Éclair as quickly as possible. The fact is you already have a grade 3 in hand prior to Souffle." He said. The surprised look on her face shows that everything he said is true.
"Well, it doesn't matter. Saishin is a threat to Éclair so I had to do something. May I continue my turn?" She looked unhappy at the fact that he was right. He nodded for her to continue.
"I call Battle Sister, Macaroon and Battle Sister, Omelet. Tart boosted by Omelet, attacks Riki."
"No guard."
"Drive trigger check: Battle Sister, Chocolat."
"Damage check: Breakthrough Dragon."
"Macaroon attacks Riki. Macaroon's skill is as long as my Vanguard has the name 'Battle Sister' she gains power of 3000."
"No guard." He revealed Thunderstorm Dragoon as his second damage.
"I end my turn." She said.
"I stand and draw. I ride Dragonic Deathscythe. I'll activate his skill. Counterblast 2 and retire one of my opponent's grade 2 or below unit. I choose Macaroon." The mystery girl remained an expressionless face as she retired the unit.
"Now, I call Photon Bomber Wyvern and it boosts Dragonic Deathscythe as it attacks Tart."
"No guard."
"Check the drive trigger: Demonic Dragon Nymph, Seiobo. Get: Heal Trigger. I give all the effects to my Vanguard and heal one damage."
"Damage check: Oracle Guardian, Gemini."
"I end my turn." He said.
"I stand and draw. I ride Battle Sister, Fromage. I call Battle Sister, Souffle and Battle Sister, Cocoa. Cocoa's skill, I check the top of the deck and I choose to put it at the bottom of the deck. Now, I call Battle Sister, Mocha. Mocha attacks Dragonic Deathscythe."
"I guard with Old Dragon Mage." He declared.
"Omelet boosts as Fromage attacks Dragonic Deathscythe. Fromage's skill is when I have 4 or more units with the name 'Battle Sister' as my rearguards, she gains power of 4000."
"No guard." Kai stated.
"Twin drive check. First check: Battle Sister, Tiramisu. Draw Trigger, get. All effects to Souffle and I draw a card. Second check: Battle Sister, Fromage." Kai revealed Desert Gunner Shien and waited for the final attack by the mystery girl.
"Cocoa boosts and Souffle attacks Dragonic Deathscythe."
"No guard." He revealed Lightning of Hope, Helena as his third damage.
"I end my turn." She said. Kai could see that she was at only 2 damages while he was at 3. Yet, there was still a smile on his face.
"I stand and draw. I ride Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion. Now then, I call Thunderstorm Dragoon, Desert Gunner, Raien as well as Desert Gunner, Shiden to my rearguard circles. Saishin boosts as Thunderstorm Dragoon attacks Fromage."
"I guard with Battle Sister, Chai."
"That was a smart move. But it will be the same. Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion, boosted by Photon Bomber Wyvern attacks Fromage."
"No guard." She replied.
"Check the drive trigger. First check: Malevolent Djinn. Get: Critical Trigger. I give the extra critical to my vanguard and the power to Desert Gunner, Shiden. Second check: Red River Dragoon."
"Damage check. First check: Battle Sister, Omelet. Second Check: Battle Sister, Ginger. Critical trigger, get. I give all effects to my vanguard."
"Raien boosts and Shiden attacks Souffle."
"I guard with Psychic Bird and Battle Sister, Mocha."
"I end my turn." He said. He could see the mystery girl trying to make some prediction of his upcoming actions to keep ahead of the game.
"I stand and draw. I have to thank you for the critical trigger. But I never expected any less of you, Kai Toshiki." She smiled as she said. He shot her a quizzical look.
"You know who I am?" He asked.
"The mask isn't really a good disguise." She replied.
"Well, since you know who I am, what about telling me who you are?" He was getting more curious about who this girl really is.
"If you win, I might tell you. If you lose, you'll only get a hint." She said.
"So, if I win, it's no guarantee that I will know who you are? But if I lose, I'll definitely get a hint? That really doesn't seem fair now, does it?" He commented.
"It isn't fair because I have the upper hand anyway. So would you carry on knowing the stakes?"
"Can I add my own?" He asked.
"What do you want to add?"
"If I win, I might find out who you really are and you are to stay here with me until I say you can leave. But if I lose, I get a hint and I'll do what you say until we leave this place."
"You'll do what I say with no complaints?" She was intrigued by his proposal.
"I have no problems with that. But you have to win against me first." He smiled. It was getting interesting and he liked it. He could feel his body tremble with excitement.
"It's a deal." She said.
"Then you may continue your turn but I don't think it'll change the fact that I'll win."
"Overconfidence is a foe, just so you know. And I'll use Fromage's skill. Limit break! Counterblast 3, if there are 4 or more rearguards with the name 'Battle Sister', I can draw two cards. I call Oracle Guardian, Gemini. Omelet boosts as Fromage attacks Vermillion."
"No guard." He said.
"Twin drive check. First check: Psychic Bird. Critical Trigger, get. Fromage gains the extra critical while Mocha gains the extra power. Second check: Battle Sister, Ginger. Another Critical Trigger. Fromage gains another critical while the power goes to Souffle."
"Double critical huh? What are the odds of that? Damage check. First check: Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion. Second check: Yellow Gem Carbuncle. Get: Critical Trigger. All effects to my Vanguard. Third check: Lizard Soldier, Riki."
The duel was over. The outcome was surprising to both the parties especially to Kai. He didn't expect luck to be on her side tonight. However, he put on a smile and just looked at the girl who has beaten him. He really wanted to know her identity but now she would not tell.
"Looks like your deck isn't the problem but you are lacking the confidence as well as the will to fight. Those things are important for a cardfighter to succeed." He said.
"Just like you and your overconfidence you mean?" She smirked.
"You call it overconfidence. I call it believing in myself and my deck. That is something you should do, believe in yourself and your deck. With just a small push, you managed to kill me off in a few turns." He replied.
"Let's not talk about that first. Right now, I want to claim my prize." She said.
"Ah, I have no other choice then. I lost fair and square. So what do you want me to do?" He sighed. The only reason he proposed that was because he never thought he would lose. But now he has lost, he has to do whatever she wants him to.
"I… You know what? Never mind…" She started and just stopped before she could even say what it was.
"I can't do it if you don't tell me."
She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Instead, she closed her mouth as well as her eyes and started swaying on her seat. Kai sat quietly and listened really hard until he could hear what she heard. It was a distant melody of a really slow song which was perfect for slow dancing. She started humming along with the tune. He stood up and walked over towards her.
"H-hey, would you l-like to dance?" He asked awkwardly.
He wasn't good at this sort of thing but he sensed that this was what she actually wanted him to do in the first place. Her eyes twinkled as she smiled and nodded. He relaxed a little as he offered his hand to her. She took it graciously and they went off to search for somewhere appropriate to dance together.
The melody of the song seems to be fading the further they walked and that made Kai a little nervous. He can hardly dance without a song. They finally reached a cement pavement which was next to a huge fountain. The fountain was not on and it was quite dark. They only had the moon and a lone street lamp to guide them. It was possible for them to dance here but by now the music was totally inaudible.
He held out his arms in position and she walked into them. She locked fingers with one of his hands. He wasn't sure what to do with his other hand until she put it on her waist. He was glad that it was dark and she couldn't see how red his cheeks were with the mask covering it. When they started to dance, their timing was off and they just stopped to try again. This time, she sang the song from the ball which they heard just moments ago.
Her voice was sweet and it seems to be bringing everything around them to life. He twirled her around and the fountain started to work all of a sudden. The originally lone street lamp was joined by spot lights on the fountain and the smaller lamps on the side. He smiled at how she made a big difference. Once her song was about to finish, he felt sad. He didn't want this to end. He hoped for it to be going on forever.
"Your mask seems to be in the way. Don't you find it distracting?" She asked. He then realized that his mask is starting to fall off the bridge of his nose.
"Yes, I find it distracting." He replied.
He was about to take off the mask but she stopped him. Instead, she leaned her head in really close and tied the mask behind his head. She was so close to him that he could smell her hair. It smells like a combination of flowers he couldn't quite understand. But it smells really lovely to him. He was surprised at how comfortable she was doing something like this.
"T-thanks." He said after she was done. She smiled at him and now that they were finished with their dance, they looked kind of sheepishly at each other.
"No p-problem." She responded. It was as if her actions had just started to weigh on her.
"You know that you can still ask me to do anything?" He said all of a sudden.
"Now that you mention it, I'm feeling hungry. I don't want to go to the ball. So what if we go grab a bite to eat?" She suggested.
"As you wish." They walked back towards the pagoda, in an awkward silence.
"You won't tell me your name right?" He brought up a topic to cover the silence.
"You can call me Mikura for the time being." She said.
"I assume that really isn't your name, am I right?"
"It isn't my name. But it is something you can call me."
"Fine, I'm only doing this because you owe me a hint." He said.
Mikura gave him a smile. The tension was gone but they continued in silence until they reached the front of the Tatsunagi building. Ren and Asaka were nearby and they saw Kai the instant he set foot in front of the building. They excitedly called for him and ran towards him in a blink of an eye, though Asaka was having problems with her heels and Ren had to hold her waist to make sure she didn't fall.
"Kai, where are you going?" Ren asked.
"I'm leaving." Kai replied. He tried to keep a distance from Mikura so that Ren wouldn't bother him about it.
"Why? It's still so early and the ball is really fun. Almost all the teams are here. You could actually challenge them if you wanted to." Ren said.
"It's ok. I don't feel like it anyway." Kai responded.
He kept looking at Mikuru from the edge of his eyes but unfortunately Ren and Asaka found out that they were somehow about to leave together. Ren and Asaka exchanged excited glances as they walked up towards Mikuru, who seems to be trying to blend into the dark background.
"Hi, are you from one of the teams?" Ren asked.
"Uh… Yes." She replied.
"Which team are you from?" Asaka inquired.
"Um…" Mikuru didn't want to say.
"Are you leaving with Kai? Where are you guys going? Mind if Asaka and I come along? It'll be like a double date." Ren bombarded her with questions which made both Kai and Mikuru felt annoyed.
"That's really none of your business Ren. Let's go." Kai said to Mikuru as he held her hand. He pulled her and they moved as quickly as they could but they could still hear Ren and Asaka chatting excitedly behind them.
"I'm sorry about them." Kai apologized.
"It's fine. I get it." She responded with a smile.
The smile relaxed him as they walked towards the nearest fast food restaurant they could find. Upon entering, they realized that they were too formal for this place. They still had their masks on as well and people were staring at the overly-dressed couple with masks which appeared. They proceeded as normal and recalled that they were still holding hands. They awkwardly let go and ordered the food for take away.
They went off to a nearby park, still in silence. But the air surrounding them was not the tensed type. It was a comfortable silence, as if they understood each other without words being spoken. Once they got to a park, they sat on one of the benches and munched their food happily. Kai felt that he missed eating fast food. It has been really hectic in the Asia Circuit because he had to fly around all over countries. He had to eat the food there even if he disliked it.
"Mikura, are you really that hungry? You've got crumbs all over your face." He said. He cleaned it for her by wiping them off with his thumb. Her skin was soft to his touch.
"T-thanks. But next time, j-just tell me so I could do it myself." She stammered, looking away. He didn't even realize what just happened. He just acted on it, something which he never did before.
"I'm sorry." He said. Once they were done eating, they stared up at the moon together.
"The moon is really beautiful tonight." She commented. He glanced over and saw that the moon was reflected in her blue eyes, which made it so much more beautiful. He couldn't help but stare at this mysterious girl. She turned around and he looked away.
"It's getting late. I should get going." She said. She stood up and he followed suit.
"Should I walk you back? It's kind of dangerous at night." He offered.
"If you walked me back, my cover would be blown." She responded.
"Is keeping your cover really that important compared to your safety?" He was genuinely concerned about her.
"Ok, if you insist, you can walk me back. It's not like anyone would notice me." She absent-mindedly said.
"There are so many weird people out there; no one knows what they would do to someone as beautiful…" He stopped his sentence halfway through.
"Do you… Really think I am… Beautiful?" She asked.
"Yes… You are beautiful…" He replied.
Kai followed behind Mikuru in silence. He was taken to a path he was familiar with but hasn't taken for a while. He then smiled to himself as her identity seems very obvious now. He felt like an idiot for not knowing sooner.
"Hey Mikura, were you ever planning on telling me who you really are? Or should I say Misaki." He said. She turned around with a smile.
"I was waiting for you to figure it for yourself. It took you long enough though." She responded.
"The mask didn't help." He said as he approached her. She took off her mask and he took his one off as well.
"Which was why I chose it in the first place, since I didn't even want to go in the first place."
"Shin made you go?" He asked.
"Yes, but he seems to have forgotten about me now that he is there having fun."
"But at least we had fun, even though we were forced to go." Kai smiled as he said. Misaki smiled back. She nodded at him, agreeing that it was a fun night.
"Are you still going to walk me the rest of the way back?" She asked.
"I'll escort you till you're back." He replied.
They walked side by side now. The air was light with the feeling of satisfaction. He finally found out who the mystery girl is and this whole time it was someone he knew before. There was a clock tower nearby and it chimed 12 times. It is officially Christmas Day. Kai couldn't believe how late it was and yet the streets were still crowded with those doing their last minute shopping.
There were some children who were riding bicycles along the pavement which they were both walking because there were still cars around the streets. One of the children on the bicycles almost knocked into Misaki in all the commotion.
"Watch out!"
Kai screamed as he pulled her towards him for a hug. He missed his step due to the sudden shift in weight and fell down into the bushes with her on him. It was unexpected but their eyes met for a second. They held their gaze for what seems like an eternity and he slowly moved in closer to her.
He could feel her breath on his lips. He was wondering if she would stop him from going any further. But he saw her close her eyes in anticipation. He took her lips on his and felt the ecstasy of her kissing him back. He wasn't sure how real this was but the whole night has been like a roller coaster ride.
It was getting harder to breathe since they locked lips for a few minutes. They broke apart and she laid her head on his chest for a few minutes, to catch her breath. He could feel his heart pounding really hard and fast in his chest and wondered if she feels the same way right about now.
"We s-should probably g-get out from the bushes." She stammered.
He gave a quick nod and got up while offering her a hand to help her stand. She took it and brushed off the dirt from her dress. He could see her face was red and wondered if his one was as well. They continued walking, the silence was awkward again. As if the sky was playing tricks on them, it started snowing. He could see her hugging herself as she walk, trying to keep warm. He took off his blazer and draped it around her while wrapping his arms around her as well.
They picked up the pace and finally reached Card Capital. The snow was starting to melt and drench Kai's white shirt. It was starting to become really cold when the wind blew. Misaki felt pity for him and took off the blazer which he draped over her. He gave her a disapproving look and kept it on her until she got in the shop doors.
"I'm home now, you should go home too." She said.
"I really should. It's starting to snow and it's really getting late." He agreed.
"Ok. Well, goodbye then." She bid. She held out his blazer to him. However, he stood there and would not budge.
"Is there something you need?" She asked.
He stepped up, closer to her and kissed her again. This time, she was unprepared and shocked. He could feel it from her rigid body which he held tight in his arms now. He didn't want to let go. Just like the song she sang from before, he didn't want this to end. He knows that once it ended, they would have to return to their mundane lives where it was as if this night had never happened. The thought of that made him embrace her tighter than ever. He hesitantly broke apart again for air, but he still held on to her tightly.
"Kai…" She said.
"I don't want this night to end." He admitted.
"I don't want it to either. But it will end and life will go on. Besides, we could always m-meet out-outside." She replied.
"You want to meet outside? Like on a date?" He asked.
"I didn't say that! I meant meet outside for activities!" Her face was scarlet with embarrassment. He smiled and gave her another kiss. She was really addicting to him.
"It's as you said, meet outside for activities then." He agreed after their kiss. He didn't care what it took to meet with her, as long as he could meet with her again.
"Then, you could text me when you are not busy and we might meet up if we can." She said.
"It's a da- I mean activity then." He smiled when he saw the blood has rushed back up to her face again.
He finally let go of her and took his blazer from her so he could wear it again. But even without it, he felt warm inside. With one last kiss for the night, he managed to drag himself away from her. He didn't know if it was because it is Christmas or the atmosphere just now which caused him to feel this way. With a smile, he thought of how this night has changed his perception towards everything in life as he walked on home.
A/N: Alright, this is actually cliché, I know. I came up with this a few weeks ago and didn't have the courage to put it up till now. The thought that Kai would be so dense doesn't seem right either. But this is my story. Twisting it this way just makes me feel like it suits the story more. I tried keeping him more in character but I don't know. So R&R… I doubt people would anyway though. Why do I even bother…