Yami walked into the ballroom at the palace as confidently as he could, but he felt like a sham, as if his confidence was an act. He looked out at all of the other magic knights, nearly all of them nobles despite Julius' best effort and had the distinct feeling of not fitting in, of not being wanted. He had gotten used to the feeling over the years. He did what he would always do when he was overcome by these feelings; he squared his shoulders and moved forward, daring anyone to give him shit. He had only ever let himself give in to these feelings of defeat once, and he regretted it every day since. He had vowed he would never be so stupid again.

Still, he hated the formality of the event. He had hated it when Julius had forced him to go when he was younger, and he hated it now. At least now, though, he could dress as he wanted, instead of in the stiff formal wear Julius had forced him into. His mentor had told him it was to help him better blend with the culture. Yami hadn't bought it then, not entirely, But he had acquiesced. Now though, he could do what he wanted out from under Julius' watchful eye. And so, he had decided to wear something, well, he couldn't call it more familiar, as the crisp silk of his divided hakama was far more sensuous than anything he had ever experienced as the son of a fisherman, and the formal layers of the kimono were embroidered with symbols he knew were marks high above his station. Rather, it was nostalgic, reminding him of the legends of warriors of his youth. Despite the formality, the outfit moved easily with him and gave him more freedom than he ever had in a suit.

He grinned as he passed some of the other captains at the look of shock on their faces. Since joining their ranks, he had made a point of trying to shock them whenever possible. Usually he did so with words, but it was not the first time he had done so with his appearance. Nozel's face, especially, was priceless. Yami always loved yanking the royal's chain, ever since they were younger. Truthfully, he enjoyed giving all the other captains a hard time; it was his nature and how he learned to cope with the abuse he had garnered upon his arrival in the kingdom. In many ways, Nozel was the worst of the bunch with his haughty attitude. His siblings weren't much better, Yami thought, and sometimes they were worse. Especially given what he had heard from Noelle about how they had treated her.

But now with Noelle in his squad, and with the incredible improvements the young woman had made, he couldn't wait to rub it in the Silver Eagles captain's face. Of course, given his idiots penchant for the disastrous, he would only have to sit back and watch as the insanity unfolded. He couldn't wait.

He winked as he passed Nozel and his other two siblings who had tilted their heads together in quiet gossip. Sometimes he wondered about those two.

He continued to scan the room as he made his way to the man who had been both mentor and friend to him over the years. A line of people surrounded him, waiting to greet him as they joined the party. Yami rolled his eyes as he stepped into line. He knew Julius would not have done anything to him aside from a mild ribbing now and again later until the day one of them died had he breeched protocol and jumped to the front of the line, and normally Yami could deal with those consequences. But he was not in attendance as Julius' friend alone. He shuffled his feet in the line as the weight of his position settled into his shoulders. He had to set a proper example for his own squad, even though he hated it. So he found himself in line behind a couple of excitable members of the Aqua Deer squad.

Overhearing their conversation made him wonder how different the squad was without Julius in charge. He could not imagine Ril being as rigid as Julius had been, but then, Yami thought Julius had only been so strict with him, and only about certain things.

The line seemed to creep along slowly and Yami fidgeted from boredom. He looked out the tall glass windows set into the massive, yet delicate doors leading out to the balcony. He longed to be out in the cool night air where he could have a cigarette in peace, without the reprimanding look he knew Julius would give him if he decided to smoke inside. One more reason to avoid these things, he thought. His eyes darted around the room, scanning for others of interest, members of his team or other friends he might have to whom he could talk. As the line crept along and he shuffled forward, he caught sight of a brief flash of blond hair and the flick of a blue and white skirt which made his heart stop. He tried to focus on the vision before it vanished into the crowd.

"Dammit," he muttered as he lost sight of her and the line shifted once more and suddenly he was face to face with his superior, his mentor, his friend. Julius smiled in his peculiar way as Yami shook his hand. Yami always thought the smile looked like a strange cross between surprise and inevitability, like Julius was constantly being surprised by things he knew might happen. Given his penchant for time magic and how he wasn't quite able to explain to anyone just how it worked, Yami wondered if he did indeed know things which should be beyond the understanding of simple humans.

"Yami." Julius clasped Yami's hand and then pulled him into an unexpected hug, clapping his other arm around Yami's muscled shoulder. "I see you decided to wear sleeves for once?" He whispered.

"Fuck off, Julius." Yami responded in the same jovial tone, to which Julius laughed. Yami knew he was privileged at knowing Julius well enough to not watch his mouth.

"Where's your squad?" Julius looked over Yami's shoulder into the crowd for unfamiliar faces.

"I'm sure they will be along shortly."

"Waiting for a grand entrance?" Julius chuckled. Yami shrugged. And the line behind him grew restless. "Come have a drink with me later, once some of the formality dies down."

"Sure." Yami turned his attention back to the crowd, his eyes searched once more for the vision he had seen earlier. She was much easier to spot from up on the dais, but now he had found her, he felt frozen.

"Go talk to her." Julius whispered from his side, startling Yami ever so slightly.

"What? No."

Julius raised his eyebrow and regarded Yami for a moment.

"Go. Talk. To her." He emphasized his order with a slight shove to Yami's back. With the extra force, Yami rushed down the stairs in a coordinated and graceful stumble. He glared at Julius as he recovered himself before he wound his way to a pair of tall glass doors which stood open onto the balcony.

The night air on his skin was cool after the excessive heat of the gathered humans in the room. Yami breathed more easily free of the crowd. He pulled the tin where he kept his cigarettes from the spot he had tucked it away in his suit. He withdrew one of the cigarettes and stuck it between his lips. He lit its end after he returned the tin to its hiding spot and took a long drag. He held onto the breath for a moment, savoring the feeling, the taste before he let it out slowly. He should talk to her, he told himself. He wanted to talk to her,but something about talking to her here, now... well, it seemed more intimate, maybe than running into her on the street. Approaching her now would take intention, and he wasn't sure what his intentions were. He had been dancing around his feelings for her for years, but whenever he thought about acting on them, he felt he was once again unwanted, clumsy, and awkward.

He took another deep inhale on the cigarette, held it, and blew out slowly. He glanced back at the crowd through the window, wishing she would come out to him, wishing she would make a move. He knew she shared his affliction; Julius had spilled that news a few years ago. He wondered if she had found some way to move past the curse and the breaking of it.

Another drag, another exhale, and he berated himself for his cowardice. Of course, she would not approach him. He had done nothing to let her know what he wanted. In fact, he had done everything he could to make her think he didn't want her.

"Why am I so fucked up?" he muttered as he finished the cigarette and entered the room once more, looking for his squad.

The murmur which had sounded through the room when he had entered was nothing compared to the silence which hung over the room. Yami felt a proud grin creep over his lips when he saw the focus of everyone's stare. His idiots, his misfits, his kids stood at the doorway, a black streak slicing through the garish colors of the rest of the crowd.

\*\*\*

Vanessa lifted her chin as she looked into the eyes of each of the other knights staring at her and her compatriots. She could not help but smile at the reaction of the dancers who had stopped to stare. She noticed a couple who bore a striking resemblance to Noelle, with the same silver hair and violet eyes. Vanessa was not sure, but she thought they could have passed for twins. The young woman's eyes had fallen on Noelle, who Vanessa could feel shifting nervously behind her, and fixed her with a harsh glare. The young man's eyes wandered, though he also glared at his sister. Vanessa flicked her long pink hair over her shoulder in a movement designed to capture his attention. With his attention now on her, Vanessa fluttered her eyes and smiled at him. When the color rose to his pale cheeks and he bit his lip, she had found her target.

Despite the stares and scoffing, Vanessa beamed with pride as the squad cut straight through the dance floor to the other side of the room. Yami waited and watched from near a tall window. She could see his shoulders shake with a slight chuckle and a wicked grin hit his face. The only thing missing was his cigarette and his sword slung over his shoulder. The dancers and celebrants parted as they passed, allowing them plenty of room. All eyes were on them, she knew and she was confident they all looked the part-just formal enough with a touch of rebellion and danger. Gray whimpered slightly behind their face veil, still uncomfortable with the attention. Vanessa had made a point to hide Gray as much as she could, but she guessed the crowd alone had set them ill at ease. She was about to reach for their hand when Gauche placed a hand on their shoulder. Vanessa nodded as she glanced behind her, thinking how much Gauche had grown into being a team player in the last few months. Hell, she thought, we've all grown as a team.

And tonight, the team had a very special mission. Well, maybe it wasn't the entire team, or even any of the others, but she had set a mission for herself. She knew she had to see it through tonight, or she would likely never get a second chance. Once they had reached Yami on the other side of the room, Gray had scurried to the far side of the table, as close to the wall as they could get, and Charmy made a line for the buffet table. Luck and Magna took seats and fell into some conversation which did not interest Vanessa in the least. And Asta looked around as clueless as ever. She glanced over at Yami, but the captain's attention was focused elsewhere. Vanessa had thought she might get a chance to play with him again before she got started, but seeing his distraction, she decided to try later. Maybe then, he might be a little more uninhibited, she thought.

Vanessa saw to it that her squad mates had found something to do and were occupied before she implemented her plan. She had decided, after talking with Noelle about her family, that she needed to do something to pay them back for the years of abuse the subjected their little sister to. She knew she had already caught the eye of the younger of the two Silva boys. He hadn't been able to keep his eyes off of her as she walked passed him earlier. And she could feel stares from several people from across the room.

Vanessa glanced back at her comrades, who were all occupied, before grabbing a bottle of wine and sauntering over to the table where her target sat with his other sister. She walked past, swinging her hips just so as she crossed his field of vision. He had been discussing something with his sister, telling her something Vanessa could care less about. He stopped mid-sentence as she tossed him a smile over her shoulder.

Hooked, she thought as she retrieved a pair of glasses. Sometimes guys were so easy.

She walked back to the table he shared with his sister. A couple of other silver eagle members sat on the other side of the round table, but there was an empty seat on the side of him. She pulled the vacant chair from the table and sat next to him, pouring wine into the two glasses. She positioned herself so he would have to turn his back on his sister to talk to her.

She was not surprised when he did exactly that.

"You're Solid, right?" She asked, sipping her glass. She would have normally gone straight for the bottle, but this was a mission, and normal was not on the menu. She slid the other glass toward him.

"That's right." He lifted the glass to his lips, as his eyes traveled down her body and landed on her ample and fairly exposed bosom.

His eyes reminded her of Luck's eyes; they would have been nice to look at but for the insanity dancing beneath them. However, unlike the bull's resident crazy person, she could see a bit of sadism in his gaze. Vanessa thought he was handsome-nearly all of the royals had beautiful features, she had expected no less. But she could also see why Noelle was the most scared of him out of all of her siblings.

"Have a drink with me." She said as a sadistic grin spread over her own face. She took another sip as he matched her smile and drank the wine she had given him. They talked about nonsense, and it wasn't long before Vanessa could read desire in his body language. Despite what his body said, his words were cruel and belittling. He spoke badly of her squad one second, while praising her beauty the next, all the while holding out membership in his group as an offering in exchange for certain favors.

She had no intention in taking him up on his offer, but she strung him along, alluding to confirmation of his prejudices of what it was like living as a Black Bull. After a few more minutes, and a couple of more glasses, she leaned toward him, whispering exactly what he wanted to hear.

"This party is boring." She whispered, her breath hot against his ear. "Wanna get out of here?" He cocked his head toward her, a satisfied grin on his face.

"That is the best idea I've heard all night." She could tell he was trying to sound older, more mature, more like his brother, as he deepened his voice to a husky whisper. Vanessa giggled and bit her bottom lip in a way she knew would drive him mad.

"Come on." She stood and held her hand out to him. He slipped his hand in hers and stood, pulling her close as he did so. She was nearly as tall as he was in her heels; he looked her straight in the eye as he hand slipped around the curve of her back. She could see the desire in his eyes, barely reigned in by the public setting. Poor stupid boy, she thought as she pressed her body against his until their noses were touching.

He broke before she could lead him away, losing the game with a sloppy inexperienced kiss. She brushed his cheek with her fingertips as he pulled away from her until their eyes met once more. His eyes were darker, more blue than Noelle's, she noticed, but now the blue was a thin band around his dilated pupils. His breath was ragged as he spoke.

"There are some rooms used for visiting dignitaries down the hall. No one uses them much." His hands gripped her hips, pulling her against his.

"Sounds perfect." She placed her hands over his and slipped her fingers between his, intertwining their hands and removing his hold on her. She turned so her back was to him and led him from the ballroom. He wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her close as they dodged the crowd. His fingers on her taut belly slipped beneath the cut-out edge of her dress and teased her skin. Vanessa hastened her steps before he found a way to disrobe her in the middle of the room. Her actions were an effort to embarrass him, she reminded herself, not to allow him to embarrass her. His lips grazed the bare skin at her neck as they broke free of the crowd and slipped through the door. Once the door had closed behind them, he tried pushing her against the wall for what she could only assume was a desperate kiss. She could see the desperation in his eyes as she held him at arm's length.

"Now where are those rooms?" She asked, her voice just eager enough to command him. He groaned in frustration as he led her down the hallway, hand in hand.

That's right, worm, she thought as she looked at the back of his head. His silver hair-lighter than Noelle's, she noted- was neatly braided down his neck in a style which mimicked his brother's more flamboyant coif. She wondered just how long his hair was as they slipped through the door. She vowed to satisfy her curiosity as she planned the second stage of her attack.

\*\*\*

Noelle watched the dancers spinning on the floor from her seat at the table. Everyone was dressed in a rainbow of colors, mostly drawing from their squad's signature hue for inspiration. She looked down at her own gown, a finer garment than any she had worn before, despite her upbringing. Vanessa had told her it was cut perfectly for dancing, regardless of its appearance. She wanted to try it out.

She noticed Mimosa dancing with another member of the Golden Dawn-not Asta's friend, but their senior, whose name she couldn't remember. She blushed heavily remembering his reaction in the swimsuit shop. She needed to find a partner, but everyone who seemed interested in dancing was already paired up. She looked back at her teammates. Magna, Luck, and Asta were alternating between confused looks at the crowd and their own discussion. Gauche was wandering around talking to himself, or so it seemed. Noelle was fairly certain he was talking to his sister through their magic mirror. Finral had already disappeared to chat up the ladies. Vanessa had disappeared to who knows where. Gray was sitting on the far side of the table, pouting because of the no magic rule at the ball and having to be in their natural form. And Captain Yami sat near Gray, but seemed distracted somehow. She noticed his eyes kept darting around the room, like he was looking for something, or someone.

Noelle sighed as she sat heavily in the chair. She decided she should have joined Charmy at the buffet table. At least she could to get something to eat over there. She thought about joining her, but Noelle felt it would be awkward to go over there now. As she watched her short senior, she saw she was talking to someone. Noelle sighed again and watched the crowd.

That's it, she told herself after watching the movements of the dancers for a few minutes more. She stood up and practically stomped her way around the table to Asta.

She looked Asta over. She would never admit it, but whatever the other guys on the squad had done to clean him up, they had done a good job. Almost as good a job as Vanessa had done with her dress.

"I guess I will give you the privilege of dancing with me, Stupidsta." Noelle said with a flip of her hair hanging down over one shoulder.

"I, um, I don't know how to dance." He scratched at the back of his head, his eyes darting around the room before they landed on her. Noelle thought he might be trying to avoid her.

Every time Asta looked at her, he found it difficult to breath, like he was gasping for air. He tried to avoid doing so as much as he could. But he kept returning to her, despite part of him wanting to run away, go talk to Yuno, or anyone else but her.

"How do you not know how to dance?" Noelle asked, assuming, in her haughty way it would be something everyone learned how to do growing up.

"Well, I don't know how to dance with a girl." Asta made the mistake of looking at her, of catching her violet eyes. He swallowed hard.

A large intimidating presence overshadowed both of the teens.

"No man who can't dance should ever wield a sword." Captain Yami said from behind him, making Asta stiffen further. A soft chuckle came from the next table over at the proclamation. "Noelle, teach him." He ordered as he grabbed for his cigarette, only to remember it was missing. He frowned, disappointed.

"Yes sir." Noelle said, feeling put out by the task, despite having made the offer already. She went to flip her hair, but it only hung over one shoulder rather than the two her normal pigtails covered. She switched hands and completed the movement before reaching for Asta's arm.

"Come on, Stupidsta." She took Asta's hand and put his it on her waist before taking hold of his other hand. "Now don't think this means you can just go touching me whenever you want."

"Ok." Asta stiffened as he placed his hands on Noelle and she started moving her feet.

"Just follow me." She said as she shuffled her feet toward him. He stepped back and watched her feet. He frowned as he tried to match his movements to hers. "One, two, three. One, two, three." She counted the rhythm of the movements as she dragged him around the small portion of the dance floor near the table the Black Bulls had claimed.

Yami watched the kids, shaking his head in amusement when a sudden presence made him shiver.

"I take it from your earlier statement, that you do know how to dance." Her voice at his shoulder was rich and expectant. He turned to her, taking a deep breath as his eyes traveled up her body, noting the significantly more provocative cut of her dress than anything he had ever seen her in before. The gown kissed the tops of her thighs and hugged her hips in a way which left him wanting. He forced himself to meet her eyes, only to feel himself inhale deeply once more.

"I've been known to on occasion." He felt his tongue dart out between his lips, and he wished he had a cigarette.

Charlotte raised her eyebrows as a small smile turned her lips up. He held his hand out to her. She bit her lip before the smile spread further across her face. She placed her hand in his which brought a toothy grin to his lips that crinkled the area around his eyes and cut deep lines into his face. He squeezed her hand as he led her to the dance floor. As they slipped between the already dancing couples swirling around the room, he turned to her and felt his breath leave him in a gasp. The last time he had seen her dressed up was at the Star Festival. She had looked beautiful then-who was he kidding, he always thought she looked beautiful no matter what she was wearing. But now?

Now she was stunning.

Her blond hair had been pulled up into a loose messy bun and her trademark braid was nowhere to be found. Instead, soft curls framed her face.

"What?" She asked as he stared.

"Nothing." He shook his head, licking his lips unconsciously as his eyes drifted down her body. He slipped his free hand around her waist and pulled her close to him, perhaps a little too close, but he didn't really care. Not when he had been pining for her for so long. She stiffened briefly at their nearness but then relaxed into his touch as he began to move them around the dance floor. He could not take his eyes off of her, and relied on his ability to sense ki to avoid any potential collisions with other dancers. As they moved, he leaned forward to her ear.

"You look beautiful." he whispered, his lips brushing her ear. She looked up at him and brushed his cheek before resting her hand back on his shoulder.

"You clean up pretty well yourself." She smiled and was met once more with his broad grin before he whirled her around, spinning her away from him, only to bring her back into a tight embrace.

The music changed and his rhythm did as well as he followed the beat as it shifted to a more energetic flow. He twisted her in his arms, leaning her back, leaning over her closely until his lips brushed hers. He pressed his lips more firmly against hers as her fingers slipped up his neck from their resting spot on his shoulder. He kissed her still as he pulled her back up to standing, his hands sliding up her back.

"That's two I've stolen." He whispered as his eyes met hers. He could not hide his desire, not from her, not when they were so close and her fingers still stroked the back of his neck. Not when her scarlet lips parted in a way that made him want to kiss them again. Her lips had been so soft like the petals of the flower for which she was known, not like the first time he had kissed her. She had slapped him then, and he expected as much tonight when he had taken the chance.

"You can't steal what is given freely, Yami."

His eyebrows shot upward as she pulled him to her and kissed him again. He gripped her waist as she interlaced her fingers behind his neck. He planted his feet as he pulled her close, letting the rest of the world spin around him. Her fingers brushed through the short hair at the back of his neck as she pulled away from him. He swallowed hard, trying to ease his expectations.

No way this is happening, he thought as he looked into her bright blue eyes and at the smile on her face.

"I've wanted to do that for so long." Her breath was short and shallow as she quickly whispered the admission. He reached up and tucked a loose strand of curled blond hair behind her ear. Her hands slipped from around his neck over the edge of the open jacket he wore. Her attention turned from his eyes to the white embroidered clovers on the jacket's banding. A dark red blush contrasted with her porcelain skin. He wanted to ask her if there was anything else she had wanted to do, but he was reluctant as he lifted her face to his once more.

He shouldn't have been scared. Not when he saw the look in her eyes, the flush on her cheeks and the way her lips were parting ever so slightly.

"So, uh," He leaned in close to her ear, feeling her body tremble against his as his lips grazed her skin. "Anything else you've wanted to do?" He nipped at her neck and she gasped. Encouraged, he lay a line of kisses down the her neck to her shoulder where he nibbled at the exposed skin.

"Maybe we," She inhaled sharply at his touches. "Maybe we should step out for a bit?"

He looked at her half-lidded eyes and the flush which now spread down to her chest. He knew what she meant, what she wanted. He wanted it, too, and he was tired of unspoken rules holding him back-even if those rules had been self-imposed. But he needed to hear her say it.

"Outside, or?" He let the question hang, hoping she would fill in the blank. But if she didn't, he could definitely use a smoke.

"I was thinking somewhere without so many people. A little more..." She glanced around the room as if looking there would help her find the word she needed. "private? Intimate?"

The grin was back on his face and his tongue darted between his lips once more.

"That'd be nice."

"Even for some quick, before our presence is missed?" She slid her fingertips beneath the band on the kimono and brushed his skin beneath.

"Charlotte," He breathed. "There is nothing I want to do with you one could consider 'quick'."

"Oh." She looked up at him, at the curl of his lips and his hooded eyes. She was certain her desire was as evident on her face as his.

"But, I'll figure something out. Lead on, Gorgeous." He ran his hands over her shoulders and down her arms. He interlaced his fingers with hers before bringing their joined hands to his lips and kissing the back of each of hers.

She backed them through the crowd, not wanting to take her eyes from his as the moved to the door.