Prom Night

PART I

M-21 frowned once more as he looked around the room.

Somehow he was still finding it hard to believe that the once plain Ye-Ran high school's gymnasium had been transformed overnight into what resembled a nightclub… even though he had been one of the people helping it to happen.

It was all Tao's fault… as usual.

But this time no one could actually blame Tao for it, as he had been given free rein to act on his wild ideas from the very start.

What momentary lapse of sanity had fallen over Frankenstein to have given the man the idea to put Tao in charge of the preparations for the school's prom night that year, was one M-21 cared not to dig into.

However, if the shock plainly visible on Frankenstein's face as he first entered the gymnasium earlier that evening was any indication of it, M-21 didn't doubt one bit that Ye-Ran high's Principal was beginning to regret Tao's appointment to the task.

After all, between the freshly painted purple walls, the mirrored disco balls hanging from the ceiling, the smoke machines and the bar area equipped with a suggestive pole that most likely was fueling the imagination of every teenage boy attending the prom, M-21 supposed Frankenstein had more than enough material to justify having a fit.

He'd even thought about warning Tao that his life was currently hanging on the balance, but the computer maverick looked so proud and happy among the students, pointing out to them the different areas in the room he'd come up with, that M-21 figured his comrade wouldn't mind facing Frankenstein's wrath.

"Well, at least the Boss's eyes aren't shooting daggers at him anymore…" M-21 heard Takeo say beside him, loud enough so that his voice wasn't drowned by the loud dance music pumping through the room.

The two of them had earlier on found solace in the back of the gymnasium, away from the students' busy crowd and had devoted the last half hour of their patrol responsibilities to keeping an eye on Tao, who was, in their present opinion, the most endangered individual in the area.

M-21 sighed silently, pulling a hand through his hair. "When did you say we could leave?" He asked Takeo for the second time that evening, causing an involuntary smile to appear on the other man's lips.

"Come on M-21, lighten up a little. It's not that bad! Look. Even he seems to be having fun." Takeo said, pointing at a pale young man surrounded by a group of girls on the other side of the room.

Truth be told, even Cadis Etrama di Raizel had been acting uncharacteristically social throughout the evening, mingling in with the other students, who seemed delighted to be able to bask on his presence alone.

M-21 however took in the scene unaffected by it all. "I'm too tired for this. I just want to call it a night and go home." He confessed, allowing his eyes to close for a few seconds.

Beside him, Takeo frowned. Though the both of them had only really known each other for a few months, Takeo had already grown accustomed to M-21's broodiness and could by now very well guess the reasons behind it.

"You know, it doesn't do you any good to bottle things up like you do." He started, carefully eyeing his comrade's reaction to his words. "Tao and I know that you don't like talking about this, but ever since that whole ordeal with the fake M-24, you haven't been well and-"

"Don't go there." M-21 cut him off, suddenly tensing up.

"Look, it's normal to feel angry…and sad. What Crombel did to you has no forgiveness. To use M-24's memories like that-"

"Stop it… Please."

M-21's resistance to address the subject made Takeo sigh in defeated, though deep down it was not like he had been convinced that M-21 would suddenly open up to him.

"Tao and I are just worried about you, that's all.… And we want you to know that when you're ready to talk about this you can come to us… if you want to, that is. You are our friend and comrade after all, and we want what's best for you." Takeo tentatively said, half fearing another outburst from the other man.

It didn't come though. If anything, M-21 seemed to had been left speechless, being only able to stare at Takeo with a slightly bewildered expression.

Before his mind could even phantom the possibility of coming up with anything resembling a 'thank you' remark though, a familiar voice reached their ears, putting an end to their one-to-one.

"Ajussi! Takeo-Hyung! There you are! We have been looking all over for you two." Shinwoo said as he approached them, quickly followed by the rest of the gang.

"We thought you hadn't come. We couldn't find you anywhere." Ik-han added.

Takeo smiled apologetically at them. "Ah, we've been here for some time actually. We just stepped away from the crowd for a little while. We're not as young as you anymore, you know? We have trouble keeping up with the rest of you."

"Nonsense. Come on, let's all go dance together." Suyi proposed enthusiastically. "We saw Tao-Oppa on the dance floor with Seira and Rai. Let's all join them. It will be fun!"

Her idea wasn't well received by all though.

"Dance? To the sound of this? How can you people even qualify this as music?" Regis asked with a grimace, while covering his ears with his hands.

"It will be fun, Regis." Yuna encouraged him. "We can teach you some dance moves, if you want."

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Takeo declared, not without looking sideways at M-21, who returned the look in a way which seemed to indicate that he thought his comrade had just gone crazy.

"I… don't dan-…No. I'll stay her-…Dance? No." He stuttered.

"We can teach you some moves too, Ajussi." Yuna said, smiling kindly at him.

That was when M-21 first took a proper look at Yuna that evening… and for a second his brain had trouble recognizing the young woman speaking to him.

There was something unmistakably different about her; something that oddly ended up causing his eyes to stay on her longer than usual, though M-21 quickly justified the fact by reasoning that his mind was thrown off by seeing the kids all dressed up for the night.

He suddenly felt the urge to laugh at his own stupidity. What had he been expecting? He thought to himself. That the kids would attend their own prom wearing their school uniforms?

He had to admit though, in a dark blue gown that reached the floor and with her long hair tied up in what he assumed was the latest fashion, Yuna looked nothing short of a beautiful young lady…

Apparently the exact same thought crossed Takeo's mind, although the later was more vocal about it.

"Why Miss Yuna, you look absolutely lovely tonight." Takeo complimented her. "You both do, actually." He added turning to Suyi, who grinned with satisfaction.

"Do you think so?" Suyi laughed, twirling around herself. "My personal stylist helped us both out. But don't you think Yuna looks like a complete knock-out? She'll have all the guys begging her to give them her ribbon by the end of the night, I'm sure."

"Suyi!…" Yuna whispered, a small blush tinting her cheeks.

"Ribbon? !" Takeo asked suddenly confused, while looking at Yuna. He had already noticed the blue ribbon wrapped around Yuna's wrist, but truth be told, all of the girls attending the prom that night seemed to be sporting one just like it, including Suyi.

"Oh that's right. Takeo-Hyung probably doesn't know about the tradition. He's originally from abroad, after all." Ik-han reminded the others.

"What tradition?" Takeo asked amused.

"Girls' stuff." Shinwoo remarked, shrugging. "Girls are supposed to give their ribbons to the guy they like on prom night, otherwise they'll never have a chance with him."

"Oh, really?" Takeo said laughing. "That's a nice tradition. So have you girls already chosen your victims?" He asked Suyi and Yuna.

Suyi on her part, quickly brushed off the idea. "Not really. I'm not sure anyone around here is worth it. They're all just teenagers with nothing but air on their heads." She confessed with a laugh, which caused both Ik-han and Shinwoo to protest against the insult.

"And what about you Miss Yuna?" Takeo asked. "Who will you be giving the honor of receiving your ribbon?"

"I-I…That is…" She started hesitantly, her blush deepening. "I-I really haven't…"

Her nervousness made Suyi laugh. "You'll have to excuse Yuna." She said conspiratorially to Takeo. "She's still working up the courage to go and talk to the guy."

"Is that so?" Takeo replied, looking intrigued. "Don't worry, Miss Yuna, I won't ask who he is." He was quick to add, sensing her embarrassment.

"Well, shall we all move to the dance floor then?" He suggested to the others, who eagerly agreed, immediately starting for the center of the gymnasium.

M-21 however didn't move, forcing Takeo to elbow him in the back. "Come on you. At least try to make an effort to enjoy yourself tonight." He said in a low voice, so that the others wouldn't hear him. "Besides, I'm sure the sight of Tao making a fool of himself on the dance floor will be entertaining enough." He added with a laugh, before following the others.

Takeo's words had little effect on his comrade though, as M-21 remained glued to his spot, with no intentions of taking any of his advice.

M-21's mind was even beginning to conjure a plan to get him out of the premises, when he suddenly felt a presence to his side.

Sure enough, as soon as he turned to his right, he found Yuna staring at him; an unreadable expression on her face.

"Is something wrong?" He asked her.

Judging by the way she trembled when she heard his voice, he figured his tone had been a little harsh. He was about to apologize when she finally spoke up… sort of.

"I… I just… That is, you… I mean… Would you…" She stammered, causing M-21 to arch an eyebrow at her.

"Would I what?" He asked again, only to notice the blush on her cheeks deepening.

"O-Oh n-never mind. It's nothing. I-I'm sorry." Yuna said, unable to look him in the eyes.

Before M-21 had the chance to say anything else though, Yuna had already sprinted in the direction of the dance floor in search of the others, leaving him to wonder at her strange behavior.

"This sure was an interesting evening, no doubt about it." Takeo said 4 hours later, as he and M-21 escorted the last group of students out of the gymnasium doors.

Judging by their unsteady walk and slightly inebriated look, Takeo suspected that at some point in the evening one of the students had managed to slip something extra in the party's punch bowl.

Beside him, M-21 suppressed a yawn. "It's not over yet." He said cryptically, pointing to the now empty gymnasium behind them. "Someone will have to clean up this mess and I'll bet you Frankenstein will want everything back exactly as it was before the weekend is over..." He added with a tired sigh. "…We're doomed."

Takeo took in the monumental task ahead of them and suddenly felt the urge to curse. "Did you have to paint the walls?" He all but screamed at Tao, who happened to be passing nearby at the time.

"Oh come on, the kids loved it!" Tao said, still in a party mood. "The night was a complete success! So what if we have to paint them back? You can be sure that this prom has gone down in Ye-Ran High's history. The kids will be talking about it for years to come." He added proudly, though the only response he got from Takeo was a couple of mumbled grunts.

M-21 couldn't help but smile at the scene. Seeing Tao's enthusiasm he had trouble figuring out who had had more fun that night: the students, who were the party's aim, or Tao himself.

He was about to speak up to try to ease the situation between his comrades, when he suddenly noticed they were not alone. It didn't take him long to realize that Rai was just a couple of feet away from him, eyeing the three of them with his usual stoic look.

It was Tao who first saw the ribbons though.

"Wow, were you given all of those?" He asked in amazement, as he stared eyes widen at the colorful array of ribbons that Rai was holding in his hands. "There must be more than 30."

"47." Rai stated unaffected, while staring at his hands.

"That's… impressive!" Takeo exclaimed, forgetting his altercation with Tao for a moment.

Rai however didn't seem to acknowledge the feat. "Why was I given these?" He asked them calmly.

The trio exchanged confused looks.

"He probably doesn't know there is a meaning behind it." Tao whispered to the other two.

"Then explain it to him…" Takeo whispered back.

"Why me? You do it!"

"No, you do it. I'm a foreigner. I didn't even know the tradition existed until tonight'." Takeo said, clearly excusing himself from the task.

"Then you do it, M-21." Tao shot back.

"Me? Why?"

"What's going on here?" Frankenstein's voice was heard above their whispers, making them nevertheless sigh in relief.

"Ha ha, good thing you showed up. We think he might need your help." Tao said with a nervous laugh while pointing at Rai.

"Did something hap-…Why Master that's wonderful!" Frankenstein exclaimed with sincere delight as he noticed Rai's ribbon collection. "Indeed, a record in Ye-Ran High's history!" He added enthusiastically, despite his Master's unmoved expression.

"Is this some human custom I should know about?"

"Ah, correct Master. But perhaps I should explain it to you in detail on our way home." Frankenstein said moving along with Rai in the direction of the exit doors. "But first…" He added, suddenly turning around to face the trio. "Tao, I'd like to see you in my office at home first thing in the morning." He said with what seemed to M-21 and Takeo as a very stern look.

"Sure thing, Boss." Tao replied with ease nonetheless. "I bet he wants to personally congratulate me on the night's success." He said to the other two enthusiastically, as Frankenstein and Rai left the room.

"Huh…Sure, if that's what you say." Takeo said, exchanging an amused look with M-21.

"So… did you two get any?" Tao asked with a mischievous grin.

"Get any what?" Takeo replied, visibly confused.

"Ribbons of course!" The other declared as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I myself didn't get any. I'm kind of bummed out to be honest. I thought I'd at least get one." He confessed with a disappointed sigh, which in turn caused Takeo to arch an eyebrow at him.

"No, we didn't get any ribbons, nor were we interested in getting any." He said emphatically. "And you shouldn't have been either! They're school girls, you idiot!"

"Oh come on, it's not like they take this seriously. It's just a game to them." Tao defended himself. "And besides, wouldn't it be nice to know that you're someone's secret crush?" He added enthusiastically, only to be granted with his comrades' skeptical stares.

"Exactly how much punch did you drink tonight Tao?" Takeo asked flatly, forcing M-21 to quickly look to the floor in order to conceal his smile.

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, let's just go home. Thanks to your decorating skills we have our work cut out for the rest of the weekend! We'll be lucky if we can manage to get everything back to the way it was by Monday." Takeo said, as he started for the doors, closely followed by Tao who was still attempting to defend his artistic vision for the prom.

"I'll catch up with you in a few minutes. I have to go get my jacket." M-21 called out to them as he made his way to the back of the gymnasium, trying to locate the place where he and Takeo had spent most of the night in surveillance and where he had left his suit jacket before finally being dragged onto the dance floor by the kids, albeit his many protests against it.

He shuddered as he remembered his awful dance skills, though he had to confess Tao's skills were even worse. At least they were so bad, that most of the kids' attention had drifted off to Tao, sparing M-21 much of the undesired humiliation.

As he tried to push the grim thought to the back of his mind, he spotted his jacket exactly where he had left it earlier, but as he picked it up, throwing it over his shoulder; he noticed something slipping from one of the pockets to the floor.

A blue ribbon twirled in the air a couple of times before soundlessly landing in front of his feet.

For a few seconds, M-21 looked at the foreign object unable to put it into context. When he finally did though, he all but panicked.

"W-What? Who?" He found himself asking to no one in particular; his eyes scanning the now empty gymnasium for the culprit, even though he was sure that whomever was to blame had long since gone.

He slowly picked up the ribbon from the floor, holding it at arms' length almost as if he was afraid of it; repeatedly telling himself that it most likely had ended up in his pocket by mistake.

"Don't even think about throwing it away…" He suddenly heard a voice say behind him.

M-21 turned around to find Regis staring at him with a don't-mess-with-me attitude. "It took her the entire night to work up the courage to leave you the ribbon, so don't even think about throwing it away."

M-21's eyes shifted from the blue ribbon in his hand, to Regis, back to the blue ribbon again; his eyes widening with the realization that he hadn't been given it by mistake after all.

"Who was it?" He asked quietly, unable to suppress the curiosity.

"You're not really expecting me to tell you, are you? How inelegant would that be?"

A sound close to a chuckle escaped M-21's lips. "It doesn't matter anyway..." He said shaking off the idea, while shoving the ribbon back inside the pocket. "Just make sure to tell whoever it was, she's wasting her time… I'm not cut out to be anyone's crush." He added with what sounded to Regis as a hint of sadness, as he walked past him on his way out.

The young Noble waited until he couldn't hear M-21's footsteps anymore before speaking again.

"You can come out now. He's gone."

A minute or so went by in absolute silence, until he finally heard light footsteps approaching him from behind and a girl dressed in a blue gown eventually stopped beside him.

"Thanks for covering up for me, Regis." The girl said with a shy smile.

"About what you heard him say just now…"

"Oh, it's ok." She said smiling at him again; trying her best not to look hurt. "He's right after all. It's not like we have anything in common... Besides, the whole ribbon thing is not really meant to be taken serious."

Deep down he didn't buy anything she was saying, and he had a feeling she knew, but she didn't give him a chance to voice his thoughts out loud. Before he could manage to say anything else, she quickly said her goodbyes to him, rushing to the exit doors.

Regis sighed as he saw her leave.

Humans (enhanced or not) sure were complicated beings.

(To be continued…)

A/N: I made up the prom night tradition mentioned in the story in case you're wondering XP.

Apologies for any grammar mistakes btw.