FIRST OF ALL: THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORTIVE COMMENTS, YOU DON'T KNOW HOW HYPERACTIVE I GET WHEN I READ THEM...I SQUEAL LIKE A LITTLE GIRL. XD I DO...

I WAS RECALLING A FEW DREAMS I HAD, AND THEY BRING ME TO A FEW MOMENTS IN THIS STORY.

NAOMI WINTERS SOMEHOW BRINGS UP THAT WHOLE IDEA OF "I WANT TO BE HAPPY, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF I DESERVE TO."

I FEEL THAT THINGS WILL NEVER BE LIKE YOU WISH, BECAUSE LIFE IS LIKE THAT, CRUEL, AND YOU CAN'T CHANGE IT, BUT TRY YOUR HARDEST TO REACH FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE UNREACHABLE, HOPING THAT ONE DAY YOU WILL OBTAIN IT AND WHEN YOU DO...

THAT MOMENT WILL HAVE MADE LIFE WORTH LIVING.

Chapter 7: Dance Partner

"Sir, I have to go…" She started to say but L-san drew his hand to her face.

"Are you positive I am not this person you're talking about?" He inquired.

"Sir…" Naomi muttered.

"You somehow started to say my name when you were asleep. I don't remember giving out my name to any of you."

"Stop." She murmured.

"Was by any chance his name…?"

"Stop."

"…Lawliet?"

Naomi pushed him to the ground, clenching her fists to the sides of his head. He only looked up at her tearing up, unable to hold her breath. Ryuuzaki felt a warm drop fall on his forehead, and he immediately started to remember.

That candle…

He walked from behind her and pulled her usual pony tail gently. Naomi turned around and her eyes were pink and wet.

"Naomi-chan?"

"Promise me I'll see you again after you leave." She said sinking her head to his chest.

Ryuuzaki had more head for logical things, and he knew that the possibilities weren't high.

"That's almost impossible." He said.

Naomi pushed herself away analyzing what she was asking of him.

"I know I'm kidding…Ah…make sure that you dance with me, in the party tonight…even if I'm not your partner." She said laughed embarrassedly, "Or else…"

"Alright." Ryuuzaki mumbled concerned at her previous outburst.

"Do you have a partner?" Naomi asked suddenly.

Ryuuzaki slowly nodded, and she smiled weakly.

"Me too." She announced loudly.

"Who is it?" He asked.

"Se-cre-to!" Naomi said in Spanish.

"What do you mean 'Secret', Naomi-chan?"

"I can't say!" She giggled nervously. What had she gotten into?

"I understand." He said clutching his library books, "I have to go…uh…somewhere."

Ryuuzaki took off quickly, leaving the girl standing on the hallway.

"I need to get a partner." She sighed lowering her head in shame.

By that time, most of the boys her age were taken, so she did the only thing she could do.

"MICHAEEEEEEEL!!!" She shouted in the playground, "MICHAAAAAAAAEL!!!!"

"MICHAAAAAAAAEEE…"

"Geez…calm down." Said Michael, the now 10-year old, "What?"

"That's no way of talking to your elder…Would you be my partner for tonight's dance?"

"Whaaaaaaa…? You're six years older than me, you pedophile…! Sure why not?" Michael agreed, "I invited Anna, but she is going with someone else." He frowned.

"Jealous, are we?"

"You're only asking me because Ryuuzaki rejected y…" He started, only to be silenced by Naomi as she pulled his ear.

"I didn't hear you…" She said dragging him to the main gate.

"Awww you look adorable!!" Naomi chanted as she saw Michael dressed up in his little tuxedo.

Michael blushed and turned his eyes away.

"You're not even dressed up." He mumbled.

"Girls usually take longer. Hear me well, young grasshopper. You first need patience to understand…"

"I'll wait in the dance room." Michael said exiting.

"Very well…" She said hiding in the corner of her room to keep anyone from seeing her undress.

Suddenly Naomi started to laugh out loud as she pulled her party clothes on.

"Hahah, what if Ryuuzaki suddenly stopped by…" Mumbled the girl talking to herself.

A strong goose bump ran through her naked back. She turned around.

Ryuuzaki stood on the doorway, once more like he had done two years ago, but this time he turned around without saying anything.

Naomi didn't know what to say. It was different now, the last time she was as plain as a plank, but this time, soft curves highlighted her body.

"Why are you here? I thought you had a date." It was the only thing that she could say as she continued to pull into her garment.

"I do…" Ryuuzaki said resting against the wall from outside, "…but I was curious to see how Naomi-chan looked…Do you remember that time that you bit me?" He said biting his thumb softly.

"Yes."

"I wanted to know…what they did to you." He continued.

Naomi froze.

"I was so foolish before…to think that men could be thoughtful…I believed they would only be capable of hitting…I…"

"They didn't do anything, besides hitting me." She reassured.

"The circumstances in which I met you…I wish they had been different."

"I'm glad that I met you the way I did…Or else, you wouldn't have a memory of me." Naomi said while he continued to bite the scar on his thumb.

Ryuuzaki's tux looked so informal on him. His white shirt was untucked, and his bow poorly tied. His hair was spiky like always, and he wore his blue sneakers. As he tore his dark eyes away from the wall, he caught sight of Naomi.

She wore a white dress with sewn sunflowers on the small cleavage, and her long dark hair was completely loose. He was too busy looking at her to notice the red candlestick in her hand.

"You're wearing a dress…" Was the only think Ryuuzaki could say.

"…And your bow looks weird." She said pulling it off easily, placing it around his neck and drawing his neck closer to her face, "At least…try to look sharper…this is your last year."

"I…" He said lowering his face and hitting his chin with her head.

"Ow." She laughed.

"Sorry." He blushed moving his eyes to the ceiling, "You look nice."

"You too…Now let's go." Naomi said grabbing his hand, "We don't want to make our dates wait."

"About the date…My date is…" He started.

"You don't have to explain anything to me." She said nervously as they arrived to the ballroom.

"Ryuuzaki-kun!" greeted a sweet voice from ahead.

She wore a light-blue dress and her short blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail of curls and held a red candlestick.

"ANNA?!" shrieked Naomi.

"I wanted to tell you…" started Ryuuzaki as he scratched his black hair, "…a girl was trying to invite me, but Anna said that…"

"Ryuuzaki-kun can only be allowed to go out with Naomi-chan." She continued, "I invited him to shake her off."

Michael meanwhile, standing beside Anna, glanced at Naomi.

"So…do we still have to dance together…I mean the height difference sure is a problem…" He said looking up at Naomi.

"I'll dance with you, Mike." Said Anna grabbing his hand, Michael blushed and nodded.

"What do we do now, Naomi-chan?" Said Ryuuzaki, "Our dates ditched us."

"They don't know what they're missing." The girl answered and her new partner suddenly slipped his hand into hers.

"They don't know what they're missing." He smiled.