Nya stared blankly at Ronin, who didn't meet her eyes. He had a girlfriend? More importantly, he had a partner? "But…you said you only ever worked alone. Right?"

"I started working alone after I worked with her," he said, scowling as the last word came out. "I thought it would be fine, at first, but as time went on…we just weren't right for each other."

She snorted, shaking her head. "Is that all? From the way you two fought today, I don't think it was that simple." She scooted closer to him, putting her hand on his, finally getting him to look at her. "Come on, Ronin. You can tell me what happened. I promise I won't judge."

Ronin shook his head. "Yeah, right. You guys always judge me."

She smiled gently, and squeezed his hand. "I won't judge you about this. I promise."

He was quiet for a moment, breathing a long sigh through his nose. Nya was different from the other Ninja, especially when he considered how close they had gotten in the past. He couldn't be certain if she would keep his secrets, but it was worth a shot.

"Alright, fine." Then, he smirked. "But you should know, my real name isn't Ronin. It's…actually Rei Tesoro."

Nya's eyes widened. "What? How much have you been hiding from me?!"

He laughed dryly, rolling his eye. "You have no idea." He leaned back, smirking. "I was enrolled in the Ninjago Academy for Science and Technology. I was studying engineering, and…eventually, I met Scarlet…and someone else you might be familiar with."

~o~o~o~o~

The hallways of the Ninjago Academy for Science and Technology — NAST, for short — were more like those of a hospital or laboratory, Rei thought. Too pristine, white, and clean to be a place where teenagers came and went. Then again, these teens weren't typical high schoolers.

Rei and his friend, Cyrus, had been lucky enough to earn scholarships to the prestigious school, while most other students had their parents buy their way in. Sure, they were plenty smart, but not a conversation went by without mention of money, clothes, or extravagant parties.

~o~o~o~o~

"Wait a second, you and Cyrus went to school together?" Nya said, a disbelieving smirk on her face. "And you two were friends? Why hasn't he ever mentioned you?"

Ronin shrugged. "He's got a good reason. I'll get to that eventually, though."

~o~o~o~o~

Banners for the spring formal for the coming week were hung along the hallways, with reminders that ticket sales were to end that afternoon, for students to get their dresses and tuxedos early, and that the student council was sponsoring it so it's a chance to show school spirit.

It may have been officially called the Spring Formal, but Rei preferred to call it "Nerd Prom"; the overlap between the smart kids and rich kids was much to great to ignore, after all.

Rei was putting his books into his locker as he heard the familiar squeak of Cyrus' wheelchair approaching. He smiled, turning around to see him.

"So, how many teachers did you correct today?" asked Rei, leaning against the lockers.

Cyrus laughed, shaking his head. "That was only one time. But since you asked, I had to correct Mrs. Michaels' calculations twice, but only because she kept getting distracted." He leaned down to grab a book Rei dropped, handing it back to him. "Apparently her husband had an affair."

"That's too bad," Rei said, shutting his locker. Though he felt sorry for her, he was all too eager to change the subject to something more upbeat. "I almost blew up our assignment for chemistry."

"Again?" Cyrus rolled his eyes. "Was it because of you-know-who?" When Rei blushed, he laughed, playfully nudging him. "It was!"

"Shh!" He waved his hands to desperately shut him up. "She might be around!" After doing a quick look around, he lowered his voice. "Yeah, I got a little distracted. But she has such a nice smile, you know? A nice laugh, too, I just had to keep talking…"

Cyrus playfully smacked his leg. "Then ask her to the formal! I'm sure she'd say yes if you asked."

Rei shook his head, slouching. "She's probably got a date already. Besides, I don't think she's really interested in me. All we do is tell jokes whenever we're paired up in class, and that isn't much, anyway…" A flicker out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he straightened up. "She's coming! Act natural!"

Contradictory to his order, Rei stood like a statue, his mouth a firm line as sweat beaded along his forehead. Down the hall sauntered a redheaded girl, emerald eyes half-lidded from exhaustion of the day. Scarlet Monroe, Rei's usual lab partner and crush, was beautiful no matter what.

Rei tried not to stare, but even when he slightly glanced her way, her eyes happened to catch his. He gulped as she gave him a smile, and walked over. He chuckled shyly, trying to loosen up. "Uh, hey Scarlet!"

"Hey, lab partner," she said, nodding a greeting to Cyrus. "Thanks for keeping the lab in one piece today."

He laughed again, perhaps a little too loudly. "Yeah! It was hard, you know? Had to remember which chemical was what, and…all that." He shuffled his feet, looking down. "Uh, the results weren't too hard to get, right? We got everything down?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. And Ms. Hye said if anyone needed extra time, we can come in early on Monday to make adjustments."

Rei coughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Heh, good! That's good!"

Cyrus snorted impatiently, and elbowed Rei's side. Sighing, he rolled his shoulders a couple times, before speaking again. "So, Scarlet, are… I-I mean, do you…?" He bit his lip, and put his hands behind his back. "Do…you have any plans next Friday? I-I mean, are you going to the Spring Formal?"

She smiled, and shrugged. "I might. I'll probably go with a group or something."

"Oh, good! That's what me and Cyrus were thinking, too!" Rei heard him groan beside him, but knew he was already too far gone to be saved at this point, so why not dig himself deeper? "We'll probably just be with our own groups, but I hope we'll see each other there!"

"Me too!" She started to turn away, but took a notebook out of her bag. "Oh, thanks for letting me use your notes, by the way." She headed back down the hall, Rei's dopey and oblivious smile not fading until she was out of sight.

"How stupid did I sound? Scale of one to ten."

"Thirteen."

"Dammit." Rei slammed the back of his head against his locker, sinking to the floor. "I'm such an idiot. Now she definitely won't say yes."

Cyrus laughed, patting his shoulder. "It's in one week, not one hour. You have plenty of time."

"But now she's gonna associate me with the weirdo who could barely get a sentence out," Rei groaned. "I can't mess up like that again. I'll just hope she shows up next week, then drown my sorrows in punch."

"Now you're being overdramatic," he said. "Besides, I'll be with you. I won't let you embarrass yourself on your own."

Rei smiled up at him, getting to his feet. A clicking of heeled boots caught his attention, and he noticed a blonde girl heading their way. She smiled sweetly at them both, but turned her attention to Cyrus in particular. A mischievous smile seemed to play on her lips. She flipped her bangs out of her eyes before she spoke.

"So, Cyrus," she purred, "do you have a date to the Spring Formal yet?"

Cyrus exchanged a short glance with Rei, sighing. "No, not yet."

Her smile grew into an outright grin, and she giggled. "Then in that case, do you wanna go with me? I'm sure we'll have a great time."

"Thank you, but I'd rather go with my friends."

The girl's jaw dropped, her blue eyes wide in shock, and she hurried away to a small group of girls, her shrill voice reaching them from down the hallway. "He didn't buy it at all! You said he'd say yes for sure! He should be lucky I'm asking him at all!"

Rei rolled his eyes. "So, how many was that?"

"She's the fifth one. You'd think they would give up after they tried the first time."

~o~o~o~o~

At last, the fated night had arrived. Rei still had not asked Scarlet to accompany him, and his heart had been thundering every day during his classes with her. He and Cyrus were still going together, but he still hated that he couldn't ask a simple question. After all, the worst that could happen would be that she laughs at him, causing everyone else around them to laugh, therefore making him die of embarrassment on the floor, which the janitors wouldn't get paid extra to clean up, which would then lead to his poor mother taking out a huge loan to clean his dead body out of the school.

Okay, maybe it wasn't so simple of a question after all.

He was running gel through his hair when his mother, Michiko Shimizu, burst in unexpectedly. Rei leaped out of the way, accidentally giving himself a slight cowlick at the front.

"Where's my handsome little Rei of sunshine?" she chirped, camera in hand. "Cyrus is already here!" He didn't look much like his mother; her hair was dark brown, almost black, and her eyes were the same, whereas Rei's eyes and hair were both golden brown. She was somewhat short, but she didn't seem to mind that her son nearly towered over her.

He groaned. "Come on, Mom, do you ever knock?" He smoothed the cowlick back down, blushing as she picked stray hairs off his blazer.

"There's no shame in making sure you're all ready for the formal," Michiko protested, adjusting his tie slightly. "I can't believe no girl asked you. You're so handsome, I'll have to march down to your school and have a little chat with them."

Rei blushed, shaking his head as he gently pushed his mother's helping hands away. "No need to do that. Trust me." He gave himself one last look in the mirror, and smiled proudly. "I think I'm ready now."

Michiko hurried him out the door, and made him stand beside the garage, fussing over him to smile and stand up straight, as she snapped a picture of him. She looked at the picture, sighing softly. "You look so handsome, Rei." She walked over to him, showing him the photo. "If only your father could see this."

Rei smiled, giving her a hug. "He's probably seeing me now, Mom. He's proud of me, and of you."

She sniffed, and squeezed him tightly in her own bear hug. "You always know just what to say, sweetie. My little Rei of sunshine…" She kissed him on the forehead, smiling brightly. "Have fun, okay? Be safe. Remember, you don't need a date to have fun."

"Like the rōnin in the story, right?" His favourite story growing up had been The Masked Wanderer, a story about a dishonoured samurai who didn't let his king or society disrespect him, and sought to be a protector of his own justice. He'd always wanted to be like him, ignoring what anyone thought of him to be who he truly was.

"Exactly."

She gave him one last hug, before sending him off to Cyrus' car; his parents were driving them to the formal, besides helping Cyrus with getting in and out of the car. Once Rei was buckled up, they waved goodbye to Michiko, who didn't go back into the house until they were down the road.

Rei fiddled with his sleeves on the way there, looking out the window. He could see Cyrus' concerned eyes in the reflection, and he wasn't surprised when he reached over and patted his shoulder.

"Do you think Scarlet will show up?" he asked.

"If she does, I hope she forgets my terrible attempt at asking her." Rei smiled halfheartedly. "But we'll have fun anyway, huh?"

Cyrus grinned. "I'm sure we will. Besides, I've been working on some dance moves! I'm not going to let them go to waste!"

"Really? It…isn't difficult for you?" He didn't know how to ask the question best; in truth he was just curious how Cyrus would do it.

Thankfully, he'd always taken questions like that in stride. "Oh, it's no trouble at all. I've done enough research on it, and who says you need legs to dance? That's what I have arms for!"

"In that case, promise me you won't show me up, okay?"

Once they arrived at the school, Rei said a quick thank you to Cyrus' parents before they both went inside. Black and white streamers lined the hallways like arrows towards the auditorium. Already Rei could hear the pounding music and excited cheers of the students. He gulped, already feeling his stomach twist.

"Don't worry," Cyrus said, sensing his unease. "If she's here, you'll at least get to ask her to dance, instead of waiting an entire week for it to happen."

Rei chuckled worriedly. "I dunno if I even wanna ask her. What'll I do if she says no?"

"You'll come back and see me, then we can dance together!" Then he smirked, punching his arm playfully. "Of course, I didn't promise I wouldn't show you up." Rei rolled his eyes, and nodded.

They pushed through the beaded curtains hanging in front of the doors. A disco ball hung from the ceiling, and the floor was covered in black and white confetti being thrown by anyone who could get their hands on some. Tables of punch and snacks lined the opposite end of the auditorium, itself being surrounded by girls in flashy dresses, and boys in only their dress shirts and slacks, their blazers having been abandoned somewhere.

Though some of the students stood to the side, most were enjoying themselves on the dance floor, clearly not caring who was watching. Rei would join them, if he could only find Scarlet and make sure not to embarrass himself in front of her. He felt a nudge on his back, and looked over to Cyrus' knowing smirk. He took a breath, and made his way into the dancing crowd.

As most dances went, Rei didn't exactly get into the rhythm by the first song. Cyrus was more confident and was already dancing; though Rei didn't want to admit it, Cyrus was a much better dancer than he thought he would be. He could move his wheelchair in time with the beat, as if it was his natural legs. Just watching him gave Rei the boost he needed to start dancing — though it wasn't really more than some shoulder movements and stepping side to side.

It wasn't long before Rei was dancing with just as much joy and confidence as Cyrus was, and for once even his fellow classmates and the preppy students didn't see him as some outsider as they danced around them. For once, he felt like he actually belonged.

Of course, with all the dancing came sweating and wheezing. Rei made his way through the crowd, and poured himself a small glass of punch. He leaned against the wall, his smile fading as he watched Cyrus dance on his own, swallowed up by the excited dancers. It wouldn't do for him to bring his friend's mood down, so why not let him have fun?

Rei sipped his punch, not even noticing when a girl came over to lean next to him. "Don't feel like dancing?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "Not really. I wanted to come with someone, but I couldn't ask. But I don't wanna make my friend think I'm not having fun with him, you know?"

"I had a feeling you really cared about him. I think you're a great friend."

Rei turned his head to give her a smile. "Thanks—" He stopped short when he saw it was Scarlet he was talking to, who laughed as he blushed a bright red. "Oh! I didn't even know…"

"Hey, it's fine. I should've given you a warning that I showed up." She nudged his arm gently. "If all you wanted was to dance, you should've asked. I'm always happy to help someone who's just a little lonely."

"I'm not lonely! I'm just…nervous, that's all."

"About dancing? Come on, nobody here can dance!" The upbeat dance music that was playing slowly came to a stop, being replaced by a soft, slow melody. Boys and girls alike took the hands of their dates, pulling them into slowdances. Though to be fair, they weren't so much "dancing" as they were moving back and forth.

Rei looked at the floor, then smiled awkwardly at Scarlet. "Then…do you wanna dance with me?" Scarlet giggled, taking his hand and pulling him to the dance floor without another word.

He could feel everyone's eyes on them as she tugged him to the very centre of the auditorium, putting his hand on her hip as she put hers on his shoulder. Holding his other hand, she led him into a graceful waltz, stepping backward, then forward, then to the side, and back again. Rei struggled to keep up with her steps, surprised that she was even able to properly dance like this. Of course, this only added to his list of reasons why he had a crush on her in the first place.

He winced when he stumbled over her foot, biting his lip. "Sorry!" he whispered.

Scarlet smiled. "Stop thinking about it so much. If you just stop caring about looking good, you'll do fine."

He stared with his mouth agape at her advice, and took a brief moment to compose himself, emptying his mind of the fact there were others watching. His thoughts finally clear, he let his body move with Scarlet's, following through with every step and turn that she made, his hand squeezing hers gently to remind himself that what he wanted was finally happening. He was finally letting himself drift closer and closer to her as they danced, until they were mere inches apart. He held his hand up to twirl her, smiling once she was back in his arms.

"See? I can surprise you, too," he murmured with a triumphant grin. Scarlet returned it with a playful smirk.

"Oh yeah? How about this?"

She moved her hand from his shoulder to his back, and dipped him low to the ground, their bodies pressing securely against each other. Rei's eyes went wide, and he couldn't find his breath as she brought their lips together.

Scarlet's kiss was enough to make him believe time itself stopped around them.


Thanks for being so patient with this next chapter! I honestly don't know why I took so long. Please, remember to leave reviews :3

Stay tuned!