Hello :) This is my newest extended story for Dengeki Daisy! It will be shorter than my last story (Seeing You Smile), but hopefully just as good. I promise that there will be some mega Teru x Kurosaki in this story, but the first few chapters will just be setting it all up. I hope you enjoy this first chapter and I promise that the second will be up very very soon!

"You don't need to keep thanking me; you only get one senior prom after all!" Riko said with a smile as Teru once again thanked her for bringing her dress shopping. She had insisted upon buying her a dress regardless of how many times Teru said that she didn't need to. In truth, she was happy to do it. She loved Teru like a younger sister and she knew that it was what Soichiro would have wanted.

"I know, it's just that I really appreciate you doing all this for me… I mean it's so expensive and time consuming… We've been shopping for hours and we haven't even found anything yet." They were currently at the mall shopping for what would hopefully be Teru's perfect dress, but had no luck so far. They had been in seemingly hundreds of stores and had spent hours looking through racks upon racks of dresses. It seemed to Teru that every shop in the mall wanted a piece of prom action with even men's wear shops selling prom gowns. Unfortunately for Teru, regardless of how many different shops were selling dresses, they all seemed to be selling the same style and same color gowns as every other place she had previously visited. That being said, it would be perfect for someone who was interested in things that were currently "in"… but Teru was not one of those people.

The dresses that were on every rack in every store were not even appealing to Teru. Every dress looked the same and every dress was in a style she would never ever wear. They were all short or revealing with keyholes or plunging necklines that made her wonder what exactly the dress covered. She supposed that that was what most girls her age were interested in, but she just couldn't and wouldn't ever see herself wearing anything like that.

"Maybe we'll have better luck in the next shop…" Riko said as she abandoned her rack and headed for the door with Teru in tow. "So, what color is Tasuku wearing so you two can match?"

Teru had known that it would only be a matter of time before Riko asked about Kurosaki, but it still caught her off guard when she asked, and she blushed. "I don't know…" She said honestly, "I haven't invited him to go with me yet…" She had been planning to ask him and had purchased two tickets with her own money. She had yet to ask him, however, out of fear that he would reject her. It wasn't as if they were dating or anything and after all, he was an adult and she was a teenager… why would he want to spend his time at her prom?

"Oh… I'm sorry, I just guessed that it had already been all talked out and decided… are you going to invite him at all?" Riko was surprised that she hadn't asked, but at the same time was very unsurprised that she hadn't asked, after all, it was like Teru to be cautious and even a little fearful in matters of the heart.

"Yes… I just don't know when I should…." She said knowing full well that she could tell Riko anything without fear. "I guess I'm just a little afraid that he'll say no…" She felt as though his rejection would crush her inside, after all, he was the only man she had ever loved.

Riko almost laughed, but knew better than to do so, "Like he could ever say no to you." She knew that Tasuku would never in a million years be able to break her heart or say no to anything that meant so much to her. After all she was of age, so there was no real problem with them being together other than what people would think, and neither he nor Teru ever seemed to care what other people thought.

"You think he would say yes?" Teru said as she followed Riko into a bridal shop with signs in the window boasting promises of prom dresses.

"I practically know he would." She said without a doubt in her mind, he would do anything to make her happy, even if that anything meant going to prom.

Teru smiled, she was glad that Riko was so sure that he would say yes, after all, Riko had known Kurosaki even longer than she had. It was a good feeling to have Riko in her corner when all things Kurosaki were involved. Having Riko around was like having the older sister she never had. She wondered what life would he been like had Riko actually ever married her brother. She supposed that their relationship would be the same as it currently was, except for the fact that they would actually be sister-in-laws rather than just sort-of-kind-of-almost-sisters.

"Well, then in that case we're open to any color… what's your theme?" Riko asked trying to get their conversation back on track.

"Masquerade… but that doesn't really help with the dress does it?" Teru asked curiously, being poor meant she was unsure on the lesser points of dresses and general girly-ness.

"Well, I would go for more of a ball gown, and of course we're going to have to get you a mask." Riko said with a smile. This was fun for her, and now that she knew that she would need a mask, she knew just the place. "Let's get out of here… I think I know a better place to look." She said as she walked out of the shop in which they had again found nothing.

Teru didn't ask any questions and just followed Riko out of the mall and into the parking lot. As they climbed into Kurosaki's car which Riko had borrowed, she wondered where they would be going, but didn't ask. She relaxed into the passenger seat in which she had sat on numerous occasions. She had always liked his car, it was spacious and comfortable with room to stretch out when need be.

Riko turned the key and began driving. She flipped the radio to the rock station that was her preference and began to sing a song that Teru had heard before, but didn't know all that well. Knowing the rhythm but not the words, Teru hummed and watched the city go by out her window.

Eventually the car stopped and Riko got out of the car with Teru following a moment or two later. The place in which they had stopped looked like a house and was in the residential district. The only thing that told Teru that they were actually at a store at all was a small wooden sign with the words "Jasmine Consignment" on it and small lettering on the window stating that inside a person could find new and used clothing, one of a kind artisan creations, antiques, and imported goods. Regardless of its placement, it seemed to be kept up well from the outside and had flowers planted in window boxes below purple cookie cutter shutters. The entire place was cream with purple trim, doors, and accents which were the same color as the shutters. The entrance to the store was a normal door with a pretty design in the glass. There were concrete steps to get up to the door and on either side of the steps there were black wrought iron rails. The whole place had a very charmingly ornate feel to it, and Teru was more than a little surprised that she had never noticed it before. She supposed it was just a hole in the wall type of place.

"You've been here before I'm guessing?" Teru asked Riko after seeing that the place was off the beaten path.

"Yes, its owned by a friend of a friend. I think it may have a mask if not a dress too." She said with a smile. The last time she had been in the shop, it had been full of hand crafted Venetian carnival masks. They were beautifully made, and though she had only been here a week previous, she was unsure whether or not there would be any left. Riko started walking to the shop with Teru close by her side. They would probably find a mask here, but she was unsure of whether or not they would find a dress. She knew that they carried handmade and slightly used prom dresses, but she had never looked at them herself. When she came here she was usually far more interested in the jewelry and trinkets.

As they entered the shop Teru smiled, everything about the place was inviting and different from most stores. The walls were painted purple with white trim, and there was a fair amount of décor to be seen. It radiated a feeling of happiness, and Teru had a feeling she would find exactly what she wanted here.

"Hey Jazzy." Riko said to a young western looking woman behind the counter. She had long brown hair with a purple streak through it and a very European looking face. She looked like she could be French or English.

"Hey Riko, what are you looking for today?" she asked as she leisurely filed her nails which, like her shop, were painted purple.

"Masks for prom if you have any… and while we're at it, maybe a dress." Riko said nonchalantly with a shrug as she walked towards the area of the store in which she had last seen the masks, Teru close in tow.

"I've got a few left, dresses are in the back… good timing too, they're all on sale for prom season. Accessories are on sale too if you're interested."

"Thanks." Riko said simply as she reached the shelf which, as promised, contained the remaining masks.

Teru was amazed by the masks. She knew that they were all handmade artisan pieces, but she found it hard to believe even a master artist could create such splendid wearable art. There were about a half dozen left, each very different from the last. There were two that seemed to be meant to look like animal's faces. One looked like a wolf and the other like a tiger. They were beautifully painted and so realistic that it seemed there was real fur on the mask. Another was in the shape of a butterfly. It was blue and silver on the wings with black as the "body" and detailing color. It covered the eye area and cheeks, but not the mouth or the entire nose. It was made even more unique by the gem stones set in the silver parts of the wings. It was so beautiful that Teru had a hard time tearing her eyes away to look at the others, but she did.

Though the butterfly mask was beautiful, Teru felt as though it wasn't "her". She liked butterflies as much as the next girl, but it just didn't feel right to wear it. She knew that it wasn't the perfect mask for her. Looking at the next mask she smiled, it was covered completely in newsprint with a flower on the side also seemingly made of newsprint. It was obviously done with decoupage, because though it looked like perfectly normal paper, it was as hard as a rock and looked near impossible to peel.

The two final masks were very Mardi Gras looking with feathers, gems, and jewel tones on masks that just covered the eye area. They were gilded in some places with gold and silver paint used to create spirals and patterns. As beautiful as they were, they were simply too ostentatious and flashy for her.

Looking over the masks, Teru loved them all. They were beautiful and wonderfully crafted with a uniqueness that was unparalleled. Yet, not a one called out to her the way she thought it would.

"Why don't we check out the dresses?" Riko asked Teru after seeing her face of indecision. She had a feeling that she would have liked the much calmer and plainer masks that she had seen in the shop the week previous.

"Oh, okay." Teru said walking with Riko to the back of the store where a sign atop a silver metal rack boasted sale clearance on all prom dresses. It was a small rack, but almost all the dresses on it touched the floor… a much better sign compared to stores they had been in previously.

There were cocktail dresses, mini dresses, bridesmaid dresses, party dresses, and ball gowns of all types on a single rack. They all looked as if they were brand new though the sign above labeled them all as used. One glance at the price tags on the majority of the gowns made Teru smile. They were all less than one hundred dollars, and though she couldn't see herself spending much more than fifty dollars without feeling bad, the prices were much reduced in comparison of previous stores.

It barely took her a moment to find exactly what she had been looking for all along. It was a light blue ball gown with beading on the top. It was corset laced in the back, and seemed to be in her size. Of course she wouldn't know until she tried it on, but as she pulled it off the rack to get a better look, she gasped. It was like a fairy tale.

Looking at it once it was off the rack simply took her breath away. It was not only beaded on the top, but there were little crystals sewn to look like flowers, leaves, and vines all over the dress. It was more than perfect, and she knew that she had to have it.

"Oh Teru!" Riko gasped as soon as she saw her dear friend's face. She knew the feeling of finding a perfect dress, and what Teru was holding in her hands was the most perfect gown she had ever seen. Simply thinking about Teru wearing that dress was bringing tears to her eyes. "Is that the dress?" She asked though she already knew the answer was yes.

"Yes." She said still awe struck from the beauty of the dress. She hoped and prayed that it would fit, because she couldn't imagine that feeling of sorrow she would feel if it did not. "Can I try it on?" She asked holding it up to herself, trying to see herself wearing something so lovely.

"Of course." Riko said as she led her off into the direction of a purple and white sign labeled 'Dressing Room'.

Teru and Riko's shopping trip will be continued in the next chapter! Goodbye for now, and please review :)