So sorry about the coding nonsense! It's better now!


A month later, and I still have that Blue Exorcist manga Takuma Ichijo supposedly lent me. I can't give it back, let alone ask him about it, without being nabbed by Cross and Kiryu, so I've kept it. I feel pretty guilty about that. I mean, if someone had kept my manga for over a week without staying in touch about it (and the newest volume, too), I'd be pretty peeved.

Tonight, though, is the night of the midterm ball, and a potential opportunity for me to return it without getting yelled at by the Disciplinary Committee.

Well, regardless or not I see Ichijo, Etsuko and I are bound to have fun. It's nice getting dressed up like this on occasion! We've spent the last few days laughing and teasing each other about who the other will dance with. Or try to dance with, anyway.

"I'll bet you a Kit-Kat you can't get Kain-senpai to dance with you!" I challenge her, running some fiber gum through my dark curls. Now if only it will stay put all evening without getting all frizzy.

"I'll bet you the same you can't get a dance with Ichijo-senpai," she challenges.

"You've got yourself a bet." I grin.

Etsuko smiles at me through the mirror in response, and leans forward to scrutinize her face, which is perfectly made-up—I don't know why she worries. "So, if you can't get Ichijo-senpai, who will you dance with?"

"Huh?" I shrug and reach for a blue ribbon headband, which I'm not bothering to put on yet. "I don't know. I guess with Mori-kun, but that's probably it." For all I've gotten good grades in my ballroom dancing classes, I'm not too keen on it, unless it's with someone I really like. Or know well and am comfortable with, like our classmate, Mori. "Oh, well. I'm going to get my dress on."

"Okay," calls Etsuko as I leave. She's still touching up her make-up.

I head from the en suite to our room and pull the box out from under my bed. Dad sent me the dress last week for the ball, and it's been lying there since then, waiting for me to open it. It's a light, delicate blue with a fitted bodice that that flows into a skirt with a hint of train—off the shoulders and very elegant. Or, at least, I think so.

In the box is also a silver necklace with a tiny teardrop-shaped pearl and matching earrings. I can't suppress a feeling of intense excitement about tonight. This dance only comes once a year, and if someone special happens to be there, well, it's only natural to have some butterflies in your stomach.

I finish getting ready and put Ichijo-senpai's Blue Exorcist volume in my silver drawstring handbag to give to him at the ball. "Ready, Etsuko?" I ask as I begin tying the headband in my hair.

"Hikari!" She comes dashing into the room wearing her gorgeous burgundy dress, looking like she's ready for a red-carpet event (with the exception of her frazzled demeanor).

I blink at her. "I'll take that as a 'no.'"

"I can't find my shoes." She stares at me flatly, almost willing me to realize the depth of this tragedy.

I sigh. "Where did you last have them?"

"I thought they were in the closet, but I can't find them." She runs a hand through her hair and exhales slowly. "I just saw them."

I shrug. That's hardly an exhaustive search. "Did you check on the floor? Under the bed? Behind the hamper?"

"Yes, yes, and yes!" She pulls a face. "I'm not stupid."

"Calm down!" I retort, setting down my handbag to search. The first place I look is under a heap of dirty uniforms tossed carelessly on the floor. Sure enough, there lie the shoes.

"Thank you!" She runs back to the bathroom, shoes in hand. From there, her words echo out to me. "When Kain-senpai and I have children, we'll name our firstborn after you."

I laugh. "Just put them on, already!"

Soon, we're finally ready to go to the ball. The cold night air hits us both like a ton of bricks as we head outside. Some of the students are meeting up with their dates on the front steps, leaving in pairs or groups. I shiver. Most of them don't have coats, either, and I wonder how they're not huddled together and freezing. "Should we get our coats?" I ask.

"No coats. We freeze like men," Etsuko responds in a deadpan tone, though I notice she's walking rather quickly. "I'm going to catch up with Ichihara-chan and everyone. See you inside?"

"Sure thing. See you!"

Etsuko speeds up to catch a group of students I only sort of know, leaving me to walk by myself. I don't mind. I pull my lacy shawl about my shoulders, as though it's of any help whatsoever against the cold air of November. Slowly, I make my way down the stone paths toward the old, unused teachers' dorm, where the ball is being held across campus.

"God, it's cold out!" comes a voice behind me. I glance over my shoulder to see Mori striding to catch up with me.

I snort. "At least you have sleeves."

He shrugs. "I know, I know. C'mon. Let's hurry over so we can get indoors." I lengthen my pace as much as my heeled shoes will let me.

When we arrive, the whole place is aglow, soft light turning the white marble into a fairytale setting. Orchestral music can be heard throughout the place, but I can't tell where it's coming from. Here in the foyer are clusters of armchairs and benches where couples with hors d'oeuvres can sit and eat and chat.

A warm, sweet, spicy smell fills the air. My mouth waters. "Do they seriously have hot cider?"

"Let's go get some!" Mori says eagerly. We weave our way in and out of chaises and tables to make our way to the back. Sure enough, there's a long table loaded with nibbles and cakes, and a large, gleaming vat of spiced cider being served by a man in a chef's uniform. He hands me a fine china teacup and I gratefully sip at it, savoring its warmth as I cradle it in my hands. I can't help but let out a low, happy sigh as its cinnamon spice heats me from within.

Mori makes a similar sound of appreciation. "I was afraid I'd never feel my fingertips again."

I sniffle as I breathe in the steam. "I can actually feel my nose thawing. Another moment and it would've broken off from frostbite."

"Like the Sphinx," Mori returns. "Pretty sure that's why it fell off. Frostbite in the middle of the desert."

We grab a table and finish our drinks quickly and in silence. After a few moments, both of us start to feel better. "So, who are you going to dance with tonight?" I ask conversationally.

"I might see if Himura-chan's around," he says with forced casualness. I am very proud of myself for not smiling—he wouldn't appreciate it. I know he's got the biggest crush on her. She's in our grade, but in a different class. "You?"

"Eh." I shrug. "I mean, I'll probably dance with Etsuko for a laugh, but that's probably all I'll do."

"I'll dance with you later," he offers easily. "I mean, this is a ball. You ought to dance with someone at least once. Besides Etsuko-chan."

I smile. "Sounds good. I'll find you later."

"And in the meantime...?" he smiles wickedly.

I tell myself it's only the combination of cider and the warmth of the room that's making my face burn. "Oh, I'll be around."

"Good luck," he teases as I walk off. I turn around and stick my tongue out at him before heading into the ballroom itself, where dancing couples turn and twirl around me. I see the music is coming from the balcony on the second floor above—they've got a simple string quartet playing. It sounds so lovely and delicate! I have to hand it to whatever class planned this—they did a bang-up job.

I can't see Ichijo anywhere, so I wander around for a bit, talking to a few students from my class, drinking some more cider. Between the cider and the number of people, it's actually quite warm inside, so I make my way onto one of the small balconies along the side of the ballroom. Maybe the heat from inside will temper the winter chill out there.

Leaning on the stone railing, I see the lights of the town beyond the lake, their reflection glittering on the water like something from a storybook. Even over the music from inside, I can hear the frogs down by the lake. All I need is a prince to show up and the illusion will be complete.

"You look a little lonely," comes a friendly voice behind me. I jump and turn and see Ichijo standing there in the doorway.

Ask and you shall receive?

"Good evening, Ichijo-senpai!" I say quickly, bowing. My heart thuds against my ribs. Good grief, get a grip, Hikari. "I have your book." I move to open my purse, but he waves his hand as though to say to leave it be.

"Keep it for a bit longer," he says with that big smile of his. Does he ever not smile, I wonder? When I look askance at him, he chuckles and leans in a bit, which makes me blush again. What's with me tonight? He's not even touching me or anything! "If you give it back to me now, I won't have an excuse to stay and dance with you."

"The fact that it's a ball isn't excuse enough?" I counter. My voice wavers a bit, but I don't think he notices.

"Oh, it's a good excuse for now, but see, if you keep it, I'll have to come back again later."

"After dancing with me once, you might eat those words." I'm only halfway joking. I know I'm a decent dancer, but I've not practiced in heels for several months, and that makes a difference.

"If you're that bad, then I'll just have to settle for a kiss instead!"

My eyes snap open wide. What do I say to that, even if he is just teasing?!

He laughs lightly and holds out his hand. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't say things like that. Shall we test your dancing skills?" I swallow heavily and reach out. His fingers are cool, but strong and confident. His other hand pulls me in close until there's only a breath between us.

Oh, god. Oh, god, oh, god, oh god.

His green eyes seem to be laughing at me, amused over something. Well, I'm probably gaping at him like a fish. I try to pull myself together as we start to move in time with the waltz that's now playing.

A few moments pass in silence before he nods agreeably. "I think I can struggle through a second dance with you later on."

I smile. "I'm certainly no Ginger Rogers, but I'm glad I'm not a complete disaster."

"A good thing, too. I'm not up to Fred Astaire's level of expertise." He grins. "You look very pretty tonight, Yagari-chan. That dress suits you."

"Thank you," I manage with a smile. "You look the same as ever."

He laughs at this, which was my intention, but I couldn't really have said otherwise. He's wearing his school uniform like the rest of the Night Class, and the only thing different about him is the crimson rose boutonniere in his lapel.

Our shoes tap softly on the concrete as we continue to muddle our way through the waltz. I step on my train, throwing us off-beat, and reflexively look down. This is what comes of taking dance classes in gym clothes. "Sorry—" But his shoes catch my eye: black-and-white leather oxfords. The only thought running through my head right now is that he's utterly adorable for wearing them, but I can't say that exactly. "I love your shoes!" I say, smiling up at him.

"I'm glad you like them!" he says delightedly, eyes shining. "Kaname said they were too showy."

"Well, I like them, so you can tell Kuran-senpai that they fetched at least one compliment."

"I'll be sure to tell him," says Ichijo with that playful grin. His grey-green eyes stare down at me with a strange gleam. I wonder what he's thinking.

For now, I'm too afraid to ask.

I'm spared that agonizing question when I step in a crack in the stone and lose my balance. My leg crumples beneath me and an ungainly squawk is squashed out of me as I fall against him. His arms wrap around me tightly to keep me from collapsing completely, and I'm very, very aware of his hands as they move to the sides of my ribcage to help push me back to a standing position. I still have to awkwardly stand to one side as my foot remains caught.

"I'm sorry!" I exclaim. "I told you I wasn't great at this. And these stupid heels aren't helping." I'm sure I'm making an idiot of myself, babbling on apologies and half-witted excuses.

"It's all right! What's—oh, it's your shoe. Allow me." Ichijo bends down and tries to pry it loose, but with my foot still in it, that's easier said than done. "Take it off," he says, and after I do, he continues to tug at it, until the heel snaps off, leaving me with half a shoe.

We both stare at it for a few seconds, and then, I laugh. What else is there to do? Seeing my reaction, he relaxes and smiles, relieved. "Sorry about that! I guess I don't know my own strength."

"It was uncomfortable, anyway," I say, waving it off and removing my other shoe. "At least my dress is so long that no one will know!" Though my feet certainly will. The concrete is freezing!

Ichijo laughs, unleashing a silvery, delicate sound that makes my heart do funny things. I love his laugh. He escorts me over to the balcony's railing, where we both take a seat. "Did you enjoy the book I lent you?"

"Oh, yes!" I say enthusiastically, lighting up like a firefly, I'm sure. "It was excellent! But it ends with such a cliffhanger."

"When does it not?" Ichijo returned. "It won't be much longer until the next one comes out, though."

"But it always feels like ages."

There's something unreadable in his smile for a moment. "I guess time flies when you're busy. It seems to me like the previous volume was only just released!" He shrugs. "Well, anyway. You've got Silver Spoon to keep you busy."

"True!" I say with a grin. "But the third book is still on hold at the library. So I'll have to play the waiting game again."

"It'll be here before you know it."

"But it feels like forever!"

Ichijo tilts his head back and forth in partial agreement, and now his smile holds a mildly patronizing note, though I'm not sure why. "Not really. Forever is an awfully long time. And life is too short for that kind of talk."

I tilt my head and give him a questioning look. "Somehow it seems you're not talking about manga anymore."

He laughs, looking sheepish. "I talk nonsense until someone tells me to stop," he says, and looks back at me with a bright smile. "Don't mind me." Is it just me, or is his smile a little forced? Just a little, mind.

"Oh, no, it's okay," I insist. "You just seemed a little serious, is all. Is there something on your mind?"

Ichijo looks uncomfortable, now. "Well…"

"I don't mean to pry," I add hastily, blushing. Way to go, Hikari. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

But before Ichijo can continue, he is interrupted by a trio of girls shyly approaching us. The one on point is shoved forward by the other two. "Ichijo-senpai, will you dance with me?"

His green eyes open wide, his mouth slightly agape. I can tell he's unsure of how to respond, though I don't know exactly why. He wants to be polite, but… call me crazy, but I think he also wants to stay with me. I shouldn't hold my breath, though. He's the vice-president of the Night Class and is rather popular.

I back off. "Go ahead, Senpai. I'd like to sit down, anyway."

Ichijo smiles at his new partner, but I could swear that he's not quite so cheerful, now, for some reason. But for the life of me, I can't put my finger on a reason why he shouldn't be as happy dancing with someone else as with me.

It's probably wishful thinking on my part.

"Okay!" says the girl, looking all kinds of happy.

I watch Ichijo's back and slow gait as he escorts one the girl back inside; the other two look at me for a few moments. The taller one leans to the other and whispers something, and they both begin to giggle.

I sigh and sit back down on the railing to stare at the lake, ignoring them both. Whatever they're saying can't be anything good; why bother asking about it? I know I'm not exactly popular, and as the scholarship student, I'm the "poor" kid on campus—not one of their club. N.O.C.D., I read in a book once. "Not Our Class, Dear." It leads to being excluded, sometimes. After three years, I can tolerate it, though it's still obnoxious.

"So, you danced with Ichijo-senpai, hm?"

"Yes, I did." My tone is all politeness. I'm not sure where this is going.

"How did you manage to dance with the vice president of the Night Class?" demands the shorter, blonde girl. She's about five feet tall, wearing a skimpy pink dress—too skimpy for a formal ball, if you ask me, but I suppose it's none of my business. She wrinkles her nose at me and looks at me like I'm a piece of windblown trash in her path.

"He asked me to dance, and I agreed to do so," I say in a neutral tone. It's funny how quickly you can go from cloud nine to downright exasperated.

The taller one tilts her head, making her brown curls bounce slightly. "He asked you?"

"Stranger things have happened," I reply flatly, then turn around and look back over the lake. I shouldn't say anything else. I'll only end up being sarcastic and rude. As I sneak a glance back at them, I see the blonde looking a little sad, rather than indignant. I'm guessing she was jilted by someone she'd really wanted to dance with. Not that that's an excuse for rudeness, but it does make it more understandable.

After a full minute of silence, I return indoors. Now that I've stopped dancing, I'm chilly again. And there's cider inside. On my way, I see Etsuko sitting on a divan in the foyer. Cider can wait. I weave over toward her and smile smugly. "Green tea."

"Huh?"

"I want a green tea Kit-Kat."

Her jaw drops. "Are you kidding me!? I haven't even seen Kain-senpai…"

"He's got to be around here somewhere," I say bracingly, scanning the room. "I'll help you look for him."

"No, Hikari, you don't have to do that!" I can tell she wants me to look for him, but that she's also gotten quite discouraged, and that if I can't find him, I should stay there and cheer her up.

But I roll my eyes and scoff at her. "Please, if anyone here actually wants to dance with me, I'll eat my hat." I pause. "Besides Mori-kun, anyway."

"You don't have a hat."

"Not with me, no," I reply lightly. "I've got nothing better to do, anyway. It's no problem."

"You're the best, Hikari!"

So I return to the dance hall to look for Akatsuki Kain, but he's nowhere in sight. I'd consider asking one of the Night Class members if they didn't look so fed up with the whole affair (or if they weren't too busy dancing), but seeing as how no one was actually available or approachable, I have to make do with searching by myself.

After a few minutes, I catch sight of a familiar flax-blond head. He's too far away to call out to, but perhaps I could ask him for Kain's whereabouts. And maybe a second dance, though that might be greedy of me.

He ducks out onto one of the outdoor balconies, and I get close enough to see Kuran is there with him. I steel myself to approach them.

CRACK!

Geez!

I jump. One of the glass panes in the door beside me is cracked. Well, there goes my nerve for a minute or five. Sheesh, was there just a defect in the glass or something? That's so weird. I retreat back into the ballroom, but pause as I watch Kuran's fingers curl into the stone railing of the balcony.

What's he upset about? He could get any dance partner he wants. And seriously, if he doesn't want to be here, he should just return to the dorm. It's not like it's inexcusable to not want to be at a dance.

He sort of slumps a bit, bowing his head. I can't tell what they're saying, but I can guess it's not good. Ichijo puts his hand on the dorm president's shoulder in a consolatory manner, and I inch closer to the door so as to better hear their conversation.

"…dancing with her? Your ridiculous infatuation has gone on long enough." My heart sinks a bit. So he likes someone already. Though that isn't surprising. Ichijo is the kind of person you'd expect to see constantly hand-in-hand with a girlfriend, the kind of person who'd cuddle with his significant other in public, and kiss her on the cheek at random and perform all sorts of goofy antics just to make her smile. He's just that kind of person.

But to think that he already has a "her" in mind is incredibly sobering.

I tell myself that it shouldn't matter, because Ichijo would never go out with someone like me, anyway. I climb trees after dark and go barefoot at dances. I'm not exactly top-shelf material. I already knew this—have known it since I first laid eyes on him—but it's disappointing to actually hear it.

Ichijo pauses before responding. "Kaname, it was just a dance."

"What is it about her that would make her so attractive to you?" Kaname asks in his velvety voice. Velvety it may be, but it's also dangerous and menacing in a subtle way. The hair on the back of my neck prickles and I wonder if I should maybe try leaving. But not yet. "You know what her family is. It would cause a scandal."

"I don't care about that."

Ichijo's words make me gasp in surprise. He… he doesn't care about family status? That's definitely a good sign for me, despite the fact that he already likes someone else. I'm one of the few students here who doesn't have a CEO for a dad, or whose mother isn't an actress or an important scientist. I'm just from an average family. I got here on a scholarship. My family doesn't have a status, except "average."

Kaname gives a sardonic chuckle. "I'd like to see you speak so boldly before your grandfather."

"I'm sure he'd have a few choice words for me," was the mumbled response. "Besides, I never said I was going to actually do anything." He sounds a little defensive, now. "It's just a crush, Kaname. It will pass."

I swallow. Just a crush. But he's not going to do anything about it? Why not?

Then again, I suppose that's sensible of him. After all, none of us will be at Cross Academy forever. It's wise to think beyond school, if one's feelings for someone else aren't strong enough to last.

There is a pause, and Kuran murmurs something about "something you should attend to," and I hear footsteps returning to the hall. That's my cue to leave.

What's the point of staying any longer to dance, I ask myself, and I make my way across the campus for my dormitory. I hurry—the cold cobblestones really hurt on my bare feet. The plan is to put on some thick wool socks when I get back, make myself a cup of hot chocolate, and read some manga until Etsuko returns. I have a new copy of Black Butler from the library—its silliness ought to keep me occupied.

That sounds nice. I think I will.