Tohru gazed at herself in the mirror, blinking. She shifted uncomfortably, trying to fan herself and not mess up her costume. Looking out the window, she could hardly believe it was this hot on Halloween. She could literally see the heat waves coming off the ground, and she wished that she hadn't picked such a bulky costume. True, dressing up as a swan for her school's Masquerade Halloween party seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it was down-right irritating. Did the costume really have to come with all these feathers?

"Tohru! Hurry up or you'll be late!" Shigure called cheerfully. Sighing, she snatched up her mask and raced downstairs, trying not to damage the wings sewed to the back of the dress or trip over and fall.

"Ah, there you are!" Shigure exclaimed as she came downstairs. "My, aren't you pretty?"

"Cut the crap, Shigure." Kyo snarled. "We need to leave."

"Oh, ok. Come along kids, your magical carriage awaits!" Shigure said as he ran to get his car keys, pulling lightly on Kyo's tail as he went.

Kyo, of course, was dressed as a cat- Tohru had managed to persuade him to wear fuzzy cat ears and a tail, which had almost been damaged earlier when Yuki said he would look good with a bow on the tail. Tohru only barely managed to stop them before something got damaged. Yuki, on the other hand, was dressed in his school uniform- as the President of Student Council, he was not allowed to participate in the Costume contest, but Tohru knew he was secretly glad- as he told her, he shuddered to think of what his fan-girl club would have made him wear.

Shigure soon hustled them out of the house, and drove them to their school. Tohru was glad they didn't have to walk, and hogged the air conditioner as they made their way to school.

Smiling and waving, Shigure soon dropped them off, leaving them to 'party hard', as he put it. Grinning, Tohru put on her mask, and after grabbing both Yuki and Kyo's hands, led them off to the gym, where the party was taking place. She did not notice the look on both boy's faces.

It was easy to see where the party was- all they had to do was follow the flood of kids in costumes and go to where the music was loudest.

Tohru gasped as they walked inside. "Oh, wow! This place is amazing!" She shrieked as she looked up at the ceiling full of hanging ghosts, witches, and pumpkins. Even the walls were decorated with various holiday pictures, and a long table to one side was filled with orange punch, black and orange cookies, and other sorts of candy and sweets. Giggling, she immediately ran over to the candy.

Yuki approached her, looking apologetic. "Sorry I have to leave so soon, Tohru, but the Council has a meeting right now and I'm going to be late. Good luck with the contest." He said.

Tohru blushed slightly. "Ok. Thanks," she said, watching him walk off.

Beside her, Kyo snorted. "Of course. That darn rat will make any excuse to skip out on something like this."

"Oh come on, it's not that bad, is it?" Tohru asked.

He looked at her, a smile bright on her face, and the sequins on her mask reflected light to cause a shimmer around her. His face softened. "Well, it's not that bad." He amended.

"Oh! Tohru! You made it!" Someone squealed, and someone dressed as a rabbit bounded up. Kyo groaned. "I take that back, it really is bad with HIM here!" he said.

Momiji (who was the rabbit) pouted. "Aw, Kyo, c'mon, dance already!" Smiling again, he grabbed Tohru and Kyo's hands and pushed them onto the dance floor.

"What the- hey, watch it!" Kyo yelled, stumbling. Tohru helped him get steady. "You ok?" She asked. He nodded, glaring at Momiji. "I swear, I'm going to strangle that kid…" before he could escape, however, a mob of dancing couples blocked his route. Tohru smiled shyly at him. "Well, since we're on here, we might as well dance." She said, wiping the sweat off her face. She truly was very hot.

Kyo sighed. "Fine. But you're going to owe me." He said, than awkwardly positioned himself in front of her. Blushing, Tohru placed her hands on his shoulders, and he put hers around her waist. They both swayed there for a moment.

"Hey, Tohru, you ok?" Kyo asked. "You're unusually quiet."

"I'm fine, honest!" she said. Seeing his look, she blushed, stammering. "Well…I am…rather hot…I mean, this dress is kinda thick…" Suddenly, she swooned, and passed out on the dance floor. For a moment, Kyo stared at her, dumbfounded. Then he shook his head. "Stupid girl." He muttered, then picked her up(trying not to hug her, or else he could transform, and that wouldn't be a good thing) and carried her away. He passed Momiji, who immediately ran over. "Uwaah! What's wrong with Tohru?!"

"She passed out from dehydration." Kyo said blandly. "I'm bringing her home so she can recover."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Haru said, materializing out of nowhere. "We should keep her here so she doesn't get worse. I believe the nurse's office is still open."

Kyo glared at him, but had to agree with Haru's words. Silently, he walked toward the nurse's office, with Haru and Momiji in tow.

The nurse looked surprised when they entered, and after examining Tohru and listening to Kyo's story, told him to lay her down on a bed and wait for her to wake up. Giving Kyo a washcloth to put on Tohru's forehead, she ushered Momiji and Haru out.

"You better go too." She told Kyo. "She's fine with me."

He snorted. "There's no way I'm going back to that dumb party. I'd rather stay here."

The nurse sighed. "Suit yourself." She said, than disappeared into her office.

Kyo remained sitting, gazing at Tohru as she slept. Removing her mask, he marveled at how pretty she was. He had an overwhelming desire to kiss her come over him, and hastily he looked around, making sure no one was whispering those crazy thoughts in his head. Seeing no one, he looked back at Tohru. She really did look like a graceful swan as she slept, silent and sure of herself. He leaned forward, his lips brushing hers…

Tohru opened her eyes, dazed. Hastily, Kyo pulled back, blushing. "Well, 'bout time you woke up." He said.

"Wha…what happened?" she asked, confused.

"You passed out, stupid." He replied. "You really should have more thought to your costume."

"Oh..sorry." She said, blushing in that adorable way of hers. Hesitantly, she looked at him. He gave a small smile back. "You ok?" he asked softly.

She nodded. "Yeah."

An awkward silence fell between them as both struggled with their emotions. Finally, Kyo stood up, clearing his throat in embarrassment. "Well, we'd better get back." He said. Tohru nodded, following him out the door, both ignoring the fact that their hands were intertwined with each other.