Tohru couldn't sleep more than a couple of hours the night before Yuki's party. She was too excited to lie in bed or even shut her eyes long enough to fall back asleep after she awoke at four. Now that she was awake, she couldn't even bring herself to stay in bed for longer than a minute. Her eyes were wide open with enthusiasm. She felt more energetic and peppy than she ever had before. Tohru couldn't wait to see Yuki or give him her gift. She had worked endlessly the past week locating the perfect gift for him, and she was sure she had chosen a gift he'd like.

She peered out the window. It was still dark out, yet she couldn't sleep another wink. Quietly, she rolled off her bed, shivering in her thin night gown as she slipped out from under the covers. Tohru yanked on a warmer outfit and lit a candle. She pulled open the small drawer in her nightstand and picked up the small box wrapped in shiny, silver paper. She smiled as she tugged on one end of the white ribbon she had tied around it, undoing the bow. She carefully peeled the piece of tape off and unwrapped the box. Tohru tugged off the lid and stared at the necklace within. Sliding her fingers under the gold chain she lifted the necklace up to her eyes. Dangling on the chain was a small white flower, a centimeter in diameter.

She beamed to herself as she skipped over to her vanity and picked up her identical necklace, aligning the two of them before her face. His gift took her hours to find. She had no idea what would be a suitable gift for a guy. She wanted a gift that would show him how much she loved him but had no idea where she would find something like that. Oddly enough, she found these necklaces at the same jewelry shop where she had bought the earrings for Kisa, the same day she had first met Yuki. She had been walking around the store aimlessly, looking at various items with little interest when the glimmering necklace caught her eyes.

Tohru stooped down in front of the display case, placing her hands on the glass and leaning close enough to press her nose against the barrier between her and the mesmerizing necklace. It was beautiful, but she wasn't sure if it would suit him. If she was a boy, she probably wouldn't want a necklace with such a girly charm. She probably wouldn't have bought it if it weren't for what the saleslady had told her.

"Those necklaces are a set… A pair for two lovers… The charm is of an arbutus, a flower that means 'thee only do I love'… It shows everyone that you'll love no other but him, and if he wears it, you'll know he feels the same…"

Tohru beamed to herself, reminiscing about that day. Now all she could do was hope he wouldn't laugh when he saw it. She was so focused on her thoughts that she didn't hear the knocking on her door. All of a sudden, a pair of hands grasped her shoulders. Obviously shocked, Tohru flinched and jolted upright, almost dropping Yuki's gift. Without even looking behind her to see who was in her room, she covered up the necklaces with both of her hands, poorly feigning innocence as she turned around. Two maids stood behind her, holding baskets filled with various toiletries.

"It's time to get ready for the dance…" one of them told her.

"Already?" Tohru gasped, glancing at the clock in disbelief. The last time she had looked, it had barely been seven in the morning, but it was well past ten now. Before Tohru could blink, she was dragged off into the bathroom. They were already stripping her of her clothes before both of her feet touched her bathroom floor. Tohru struggled, escaping from them, dressed only in her underwear. She was about to dart out of the bathroom to get away but stopped when she had opened the door an inch, realizing that her clothes were clasped in the hands of the two maids, and she wasn't wearing anything but her pink bra and panties.

Tohru blushed, looking away from the two of them, "I-I can bathe myself… Tha-Thank you…"

The maids exchanged uneasy looks. Tohru laughed nervously, pressing her back against the door. She wrapped her fingers securely around the necklaces she had accidentally brought with her. She kept her hand hiding the jewelry behind her back and opened the door with the other. Remaining safely hidden behind the door, she gestured to them to leave. The two maids reluctantly left, knowing they had no right to disobey a princess's commands.

Tohru collapsed against the door after they left, closing the door in the process. She slid down to the floor, resting her head between her knees out of relief. Not only was it embarrassing to have someone other than herself undressing her, but it was also incredibly difficult to keep them from noticing Yuki's necklace. She smiled and lifted her head to watch the charms spin around on their chains. She stared at the pair, letting the charms hypnotize her as they got tangled together. She continued to stare until she felt something wet at her feet. Tohru jumped up when she realized that water was overflowing from the tub. Quickly, she sloshed through the inch of water soaking the floor and turned off the faucet.

"Princess? Are you alright in there? There's water coming out from under the door…" a maid commented in a worried voice.

"Ah! Yes! I'm alright!" Tohru replied, too embarrassed to explain the situation.

"Princess, not to rush you or anything, but if you could, would you please start your bath? We have a limited amount of time to get you ready, and there is a lot to do," one of the maids urged her.

"AH! Yes! Right away! I'm sorry!" Tohru exclaimed as she unplugged the drain to let out some of the water so that when she climbed in more water wouldn't pour out. She started to grab some towels to soak up the water from the floor since she had caused the mess but stopped immediately and stepped into the tub after the two maids ordered her not to worry about the mess.

In the tub was where Tohru sat for another hour. By the time the maids let her out of the bathroom, her skin was more wrinkled than the skin of an eighty year old, but before she could set one foot out of the restroom, the maids caught her. They squeezed some floral scented substance into her hair and scrubbed her head until she was sure she had lost at least a handful of hair due to the rough treatment. She didn't even have the time to think of escaping before they started combing through her tangled brown locks and blow-drying the frizzy mess into a straight, smooth, mass.

They didn't pause before dragging her back into her room to start the next part of her torturous -in Tohru's opinion- makeover. They sat her down on a chair and began raking through her hair again, but this time they yanked her long strands back into a tight bun. They only left a few strands undone to frame her face, hanging adjacent to her bangs. Next, they braided two thin braids on either side of her head and wove them into the bun at the back of her head and finally, added a string of purple orchids to the top of the bun.

Tohru only had enough time to look at herself in the mirror for a split second before they turned her away to start on her makeup. They covered her face in a light powder that made her sneeze a couple of times. After, they painted her lips a bright pink and lined her eyes with a thin black border. Tohru's head was spinning by the time they moved onto filing and painting her finger and toe nails.

By the time she was done, she had forgotten how long she had been sitting there in that chair, but eventually she was in her kimono, adjourned with jewelry and other various accessories. The two maids finally left her alone for the last hour she had before they had to leave. All she wanted to do was drop down and go to bed, but that was out of the question. They had specifically instructed her to do nothing that would ruin her appearance so Tohru settled for standing in front of the mirror. She almost couldn't recognize herself. She looked different. She had never spent the time to apply makeup before, and she really didn't know what to make of it. She knew she didn't look bad, but what she really wanted to know was what Yuki would think. Of course, she knew he'd say she looked beautiful as usual, but she wanted to see his facial reaction now that she looked like some princess from a fairy tale.

Meanwhile…

Yuki jumped out of the way before a stampede of cleaning maids and butlers trampled him. They had been dusting and moping all morning, not leaving a speak of dust anywhere. The floors had been wiped so many times that Yuki could nearly see his own reflection on the marble tiles.

A few people were setting arrangements of flowers and ribbons all around. Most of the people were in the grand hall though, decorating for the ball. People holding boxes of streamers, banners, balloons, and such were seen all around the large palace. Aromas of various foods had been floating in the air all day. Not a single person wasn't currently working on something except for Yuki. Even Ayame was busy working on the finishing touches on Yuki's evening wear.

So Yuki had nothing to do. Nobody would accept any help from him. He eventually decided to hide out in his room, but there wasn't much to do in there either. Tohru was too busy getting ready to talk, or at least, that's how he interpreted her phone being off. He had nothing to do until she arrived. He dropped down to the cold floor and pulled out a small box from his back pocket. Yuki opened it and smiled, pulling out another gift he had for Tohru. It was a small black, velvet box with a bright red ribbon wrapped around it. He twisted it around in his hand, staring at it. He didn't get a long time to admire the present. Ayame came in a brief moment later ordering him to change into his birthday attire, a black suit.

Yuki decided not to comment about how early it was and got dressed. Afterwards, he decided to wander around a bit. He had lived in this palace his whole life, yet he hadn't seen half of this palace with his own eyes. As he sauntered down the hallway, Yuki was surprised to hear racket in the grand hall already. Guests were already piling in, gathered in large clumps. Everyone was dressed in their best clothes with their dates at their sides. All the females wore masks, clinging to their beaus. Why guys never wore a mask was still a mystery to him, not that he was complaining. He'd rather not cover his face with something scratchy though he did pity the girls for having to.

It was time to start looking for Tohru. There were already so many people here. He was afraid to imagine how it'd be when everyone arrived. To his relief, he had given her that outfit. If he hadn't, it would have been impossible to find her. Everyone just sort of blended into one colorful blob before his eyes. He craned his neck up, trying to find the brunette. Just as he was beginning to think she hadn't arrived yet, he felt someone bump into him.

"Oops! I'm sorry!"

He glanced down at the flustered masked girl who had just run into him. Her face was hidden behind a white mask, but his eyes immediately flew to the pink kimono she wore and her dark brown chocolate eyes framed by the pure white mask. She kept her face down out of embarrassment, but he knew who it was instantly. He could feel his heart thump as his eyes slowly scanned over her. His mouth slid open in awe. Only one thought registered in his head and that was how beautiful he thought she was now.

"Tohru..."

Her head jerked up at the sound of his all too familiar voice. A grin broke out across her face, replacing the humiliated blush. She threw her arms around his neck, embracing him tightly. Yuki smiled and half hugged her back, whispering into her ear, "Perfect timing… But not here… Follow me…"

He grasped her hand in his and led her out of the main hall. Tohru followed him closely, trying not to draw too much attention to them. He took her down an empty hallway and through a few doors until they were outside. Yuki stopped when they were standing out on a balcony. After he shut the doors behind them, he faced her with a smile. Placing his finger under her chin, he gazed at her face, tilting his head to the side every so often to get a look at every angle of her face. He pushed the mask to the top of her head and continued this until she covered her face with her hands out of embarrassment. As soon as she did this, Yuki wrapped his fingers around her wrists and moved her hands from her face without effort.

"You look absolutely stunning, Tohru… Don't hide your face from me…" he watched her face light up with a blush before continuing, "I'm glad you could make it… I've missed you…"

"I missed you too…" Tohru breathed timidly.

---

A dark haired man wandered along the palace. He turned left at a corner, walking around aimlessly until he noticed a door carelessly left open. He stepped inside, spotting a pink smudge in the distance. Curiously, he headed down the corridor. The figure became clearer. It was her, the one he had been searching for since his arrival. His eyes lit up, and a malevolent smirk spread across his face. He quickened his pace, eager to reach her. He was surprised to hear her giggle. As he neared the door, he realized that she wasn't alone.

Tohru, his soon to be fiancée, was standing out there, alone, with another man. The darkness kept her lover's –or so he assumed that this male was a lover of some sort- identity a secret to his envious eyes, but he could tell what they were doing just fine. He could still hear her laugh and see her lean towards his silhouette and kiss him without any trouble. His hands tightened into fists. He clenched the nearest thing within his reach, the back of a chair, before his fingernails wedged themselves under his skin.

"I love you…"

"I love you too…"

He heard her whisper those sacred words back to the unknown man. Those words that were supposedly only meant for him. Why was she saying that to some other guy? The wood crumbled underneath his fingers as his anger rose to a dangerous level. The only two people close enough to hear were too distracted to notice the splintering sound.

---

Tohru stared up at Yuki's face. She could see her breath in the air in front of her. A white snowflake gently fell down from the sky above and landed in the middle of her nose. She shivered as the chilly air danced against her skin, sweeping the snowflake away, but it managed to leave a small bubble of liquid on her nose. Yuki reached towards her face, wiping off the droplet of water with his thumb. He kept his hand on her cheek. Displeased with the absence of warmth, he frowned and let his other hand cover her other cheek. He leaned his face towards her, letting his warm breath tickle her nose.

"Cold?"

She nodded and leaned towards him, wrapping her arms around his back. Tohru pressed herself against him, seeking warmth. He reached behind him and unlocked her fingers, pulling away from her. Tohru lifted her face, giving him a confused and slightly hurt expression. He smiled at her as he shrugged off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. Before it could even enter her head, he locked his arms around hers to keep her from removing his jacket and giving it back to him.

"Don't even think about worrying over me. You're the one whose fingers are going to fall off if you don't warm up a bit… And, you know, I can't really love someone who has no fingers…So don't take off the coat…"

"Eh?"

"… I'm kidding… It wouldn't matter to me if you were missing both of your hands or even your arms and legs… I'll still love you all the same… But seriously, don't remove my jacket…" Yuki turned his head a bit, pressing his lips against the side of her neck. He kept his lips there for a minute, before he grinned and pulled away, leaving the spot where his mouth once was burning hot. He chuckled with satisfaction and planted another kiss on her forehead. To him, there was nothing more fun than making a blush light up her cheeks. It was a cruel yet beyond amusing hobby to play with her timidity. She looked down at her feet, not wanting to show him the effect he had on her.

"You're warmer now… So you'll stay here a little longer then?" he asked, holding the loose coat on her shoulders.

"Yes…" she answered softly before he lowered his head to kiss her again.

He paused when their faces were less than an inch apart to say, "You know it's harder to kiss you with that mask."

She tore it off her head with one hand, craning her head up and letting their lips meet again. Yuki continued to smother her mouth with sweet kisses. He drew back after a few minutes to let them catch their breaths. Yuki kept his forehead against hers, still breathing heavily like Tohru. He gazed into her eyes, grinning. Tohru smiled, her previous feeling of cold forgotten as she stretched forward to brush her lips against his once more.

"Prince? Yuki-sama?"

Tohru froze before her lips met his. She unwound her hands from around his neck and took a step back, glancing through the glass door only to catch a glimpse of a group of servants racing down the hallway. Yuki groaned when he heard the calls for him in the distance. He rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. Tohru peered back at him, tilting her head to the side with a blank expression. He sighed and pulled Tohru back towards him, giving her one more short kiss before he straightened up.

"What is it?" Tohru asked him, cocking her head to the side out of curiosity.

"I have to give a welcoming speech…" Yuki muttered.

"How exciting!" she smiled.

"Not so much… My mother wrote it all… I'm just there to read it…"

"Oh…"

There was a quick pause before Yuki went on, "Will you wait for me inside?"

She nodded, resting her head against his chest for a moment longer before they had to head inside. He clutched her hand in his, giving it a light squeeze before he carefully opened the door without making a sound. Little to their knowledge, someone was watching them. They walked down the dark hallway wordlessly, but even without words, their love was evident. The way they were positioned, both slightly turned toward the other, and the way they eyes were locked together made their love as clear as it would have been if they started reciting Shakespeare to one another.

Yuki pulled her along, pausing amongst the huge crowd.

"Wait here. Don't move… Please. If you do… I'm afraid I won't be able to find you again…" he murmured to her.

"I'll be waiting then…" she managed to get in before he squeezed his way to the front of the room.

Yuki climbed up the steps, standing in front of the overly decorated pedestal. Light pink roses were strung around a poster that read: Happy Birthday Yuki. Up behind the pedestal seemed to be the last place he wanted to be. Yuki had the most robotic expression Tohru had ever seen him wear. She had never seen him look so emotionless. His eyes wandered around the room as his mother said a few words. As they met hers, they flickered, and the corners of his mouth twitched as he fought a smile. The ounce of joy she had seen flash across his face abruptly faded when he was handed the microphone. He sighed before he cleared his throat loudly to get everyone's attention. Everyone turned their attention to the silver haired man.

"Welcome to my birthday party… I'd like to thank you all for coming…" Yuki continued his rehearsed speech in a clear, loud, perfect voice.

His voice sounded exquisite and happy, a flawless imitation of joy. The smile across his face even looked realistic. Only Tohru could see that it was all an act, something to please his mother, but even for her, it was hard to doubt the breathtakingly gorgeous prince. She could see how the smile on his face now was just a simple movement of the muscles in his face. There was no sparkle to his eyes, not even a hint. His eyes were dull and bored, lifeless even. Tohru continued to gaze at him, only now she stared for another reason other than just observing his facial features. She watched him now, comparing him to his surroundings. She still wasn't quite used to the fact that Yuki was a prince, not just any prince, but the guy that she was completely forbidden to be with. How was this going to work?

"…So are there any questions?" Yuki summed up his speech with that one question.

Tohru flinched, brought back to reality. She made a face as she realized she had just zoned out during his entire speech. She sighed and looked around at all the masked women standing next to tall men. How lucky they were to be able to stand around with the ones they loved without having to worry about keeping it a secret. Before she got herself depressed, her eyes switched their focus to her siblings. Haru and Kisa stood at the opposite side of the room. Silently, she slunk down, hoping they hadn't noticed her or her disappearance. As she stood there, she realized that she hadn't put her mask back on. Carefully, she reached into the pocket of Yuki's coat and pulled out the white mask, covering her face once again as she tried not to draw attention to herself.

"I have a question… Where's the rest of your suit?" a dark haired man asked with a cynical smile.

"What do you mean?" Yuki asked back.

"Your jacket. Where is it?" he clarified.

Yuki's eyes immediately flew over to Tohru. He had completely forgotten about his jacket. Tohru almost lurched forward when she noticed the black coat still around her fragile body. People started talking amongst themselves as they looked towards Tohru's direction every minute. She didn't meet their gazes, pretending not to know what they were thinking, but she couldn't keep the blush from seeping onto her cheeks. Yuki, on the other hand, was able to keep his cool. He quickly swore under his breath, inaudible to everyone but him before he forced a smile back onto his face.

"Oh. Well, earlier, I saw a girl, and she looked cold so I let her have my jacket. Is that so wrong? I thought that was the humane thing to do," Yuki replied calmly.

Nobody else said anything.

"If there aren't any more questions… Then the dance will begin…" Yuki announced.

"Oh wait! This question is for the ladies' benefit. So you'll dance with any girl that asks, correct?" the same man asked.

Yuki was speechless, attempting to come up with an appropriate response, but nothing registered in his head. If he said he wouldn't dance with any girl, how would he explain dancing with Tohru later? On the other hand, if he said yes, he might not get the chance to even ask Tohru to dance. He could tell there were more than a hundred girls here who would be willing to ditch their boyfriends, fiancées, and even husbands for a chance to dance with him. He could easily solve the problem by saying he wouldn't dance with any girl and just not dance with Tohru, but he wanted to dance with her. The war continued within his head, making no progress whatsoever.

The dark haired man continued, smirking now, "Or is there someone special that you want to stay loyal to?"

"No, there's no one in particular…" Yuki finally lied with a straight face.

Tohru's breath caught in her throat. She bit her lip, holding back bitter tears. Even though she knew that wasn't true, it still hurt to hear him say that like it was nothing at all, or at least, she thought he was lying, but there was a chance that that was actually how he felt… Tohru shook her head rapidly, immediately denying that before she started believing that theory. She wouldn't be able to stop herself from crying if that happened. Her eyes fluttered back to Yuki, and she smiled a bit as she noticed how his eyes returned to hers every other second. She could tell he was telling her to ignore everything he had just said. Tohru beamed more broadly to let him know she understood, and his face relaxed ever so slightly.

"Now, if nobody else has a question…"

"Wait, wait, wait! Why are you in such a hurry?" the man was persistent with his questions.

Tohru stared at the man. He looked strangely familiar. Had they met before? She stared at the side of his head. She couldn't see his face, but his voice sent shivers down her spine for some reason. Tohru subconsciously took a step away, putting some extra distance between her and the dark haired fellow. Yuki's eyes didn't miss Tohru's actions. He was growing irritated with this man. This guy knew just the right questions to bring out the ire in him, and the fact that Tohru seemed to be frightened of that guy infuriated Yuki even more.

"I just thought everyone would like to start dancing," Yuki hissed through clenched teeth.

"Or is it that you can't wait to dance with a certain someone?"

Yuki was getting more annoyed with him with every question. He answered in a bitter tone, no longer trying to sound nonchalant, "No… Now are you out of questions?"

"Just one more… What's your relation with Tohru Honda?"

Yuki froze, caught off guard for a second. His late reaction went on unnoticed to most though some noticed his eyes quickly shoot up towards where Tohru was standing. Tohru's heart froze before beating faster than normal. Her palms were sweaty now. She was having a difficult time keeping a grip on Yuki's jacket. The fact that she kept dropping his coat every minute didn't help keep the attention away from her. It just made everyone remember the first question about where Yuki's jacket was, and a few were beginning to put one and one together. She couldn't tell by their expressions what kind of theories were running through their heads, but the bewildered looks they were tossing her were enough to scare her.

"Tohru who?" Yuki asked with a fake oblivious look.

After those two words Yuki had gotten in was when Yuki's mom decided to step in. There was no point in time where she'd risk having Yuki remember. She was just that selfish. Nothing would ruin her 'perfect' plan, not if she could help it. Yuki would marry Machi and have nothing to do with the wretched Tohru Honda ever again. She stepped over to him and took the microphone out of his hands with one hand and using the other to give him a light shove towards the steps.

"Thank you, Yuki dear, for your wonderful speech. The dance ought to start now!" she declared before anyone could say anymore.

For the first time in his life, Yuki was actually genuinely grateful to his mom. He wasn't sure how much longer he could have lasted in that little game. Yuki gave a short, quick respectful bow before he left the stage. He practically flew down the steps and shoved past the dense mass of people, throwing in an apology here and there for his rash behavior. He had to find Tohru, and he had to get to her now. From the stage, he had seen many emotions play across her face, most of them various forms of terror and sadness, both of which he didn't like to see on her face.

He spotted Tohru in the exact same place as earlier, except maybe she was a little closer to the wall, and she held his jacket behind her back. Yuki was making his way over to her when he noticed something rather interesting. The dark haired man who had asked him all those annoying questions was speaking with the queen of Daichi, Tohru's aunt, down the hall. Unable to contain his curiosity, Yuki crept over there, standing behind the wall. He didn't feel right listening in on their conversation, but he had a feeling that they were up to no good. If they weren't why would they be speaking in a dark hallway where no one could see them?

"Akito, have you found Tohru yet?"

At the sound of this, Yuki tensed up. This was bad. Why would that man be looking for Tohru? If the man just had a grudge against him, he'd be fine with that, but involving Tohru in this was going ten steps too far. Yuki could defend himself perfectly fine. Tohru, on the other hand, couldn't walk five feet without finding something to trip over or run into, not to mention she had no fighting skills whatsoever. If he could stay at Tohru's side constantly, maybe he wouldn't have been bothered by this revelation, but that wasn't the case. They were apart more than they were together, not something he particularly liked, and he liked it even less now that he knew someone was tracking her.

"Not yet."

"Why not? This is the perfect opportunity to sweep her off her feet. How do you expect to marry her if you can't even find her?"

Yuki flinched. Marriage? He couldn't ever let this Akito lay a finger on her. She was his, and he wasn't going to share her with anyone else. Love was selfish. No one was going to marry her but him, if he could help it. Yuki laughed silently at the poor guy. He wasn't going to let him get anywhere close to Tohru tonight. Yuki inched his face forward a bit so he could get another look at the man. It was hard not to remember the hostile face of the dark haired man named Akito. He shuddered at the thought of seeing that man within three meters of Tohru. There was no way Yuki could let that man be around Tohru.

Before the two noticed him, Yuki walked back to the grand hall. Yuki was walking quickly to get to Tohru just in case this Akito ended the conversation soon. To his relief, Tohru was still standing where he last saw her, completely alone. Yuki glanced around himself, making sure that Akito was still nowhere in sight and that his mother wasn't watching him. When he was sure that everyone was too busy to be paying attention to him –even though he was the birthday boy- or Tohru, he snuck up behind Tohru, tapping her shoulder lightly. As he had predicted, she leapt up, completely unaware of the fact that it was him.

Just as she turned around, he held out his hand to her with the most charming smile she had seen in her life. Her heart stopped momentarily at his stunningly perfect posture. She hadn't even seen such perfection in airbrushed magazine photographs before. Someone shouldn't be allowed to look so gorgeous. With that simple gesture, he seemed to wipe away the bit of self-esteem she was able to conjure up this morning. Beside him, she was sure she looked less than normal. So now she wondered why she was the only one who had been complimented, but the intense gaze of his endless grey eyes made her lose her train of thought.

"May I have this dance?" he asked politely as slow music drifted into the air.

Tohru blushed. Too shy to respond with words, she nodded. She was sure if she even made an attempt at speaking, she would have just made herself seem more like a bumbling, spastic girl -not something she really wanted him to think of her as. She slipped her hand into his, and his fingers instantly enclosed around her tiny one, pulling her out to the dance floor. Yuki stopped in the middle of the cluster of people and took Tohru's other hand in his as well, but before they did anything else, Tohru handed Yuki his jacket back to him.

"Thanks for taking care of it for me…" Yuki said to her as he pulled it back on.

"Thank you for letting me borrow it," Tohru replied with a smile.

"I just hope it wasn't too cold for you out there…" Yuki murmured to her as he placed his arms around her small waist, pulling her closer to him.

"I'm fine as long as I'm with you…" she whispered back, slipping her arms around his neck.

With that having been said, Yuki flashed her another smile before sweeping her off her feet, literally. Her feet were a couple of inches off the ground before they made contact with the marble tiles again, and the waltzing began. She was tossed about the dance floor, or so it seemed to her insufficient dancing abilities. She whirled this way and that way and was drawn back into his arms every so often. Tohru soon grew too dizzy for her own comfort and clung to him. He didn't seem bothered by the change of pace, seeing as the music slowed down as well. What bothered him was that she kept her face pressed against his chest, unintentionally hiding her face from him.

Not wanting to risk making her more nauseous by lifting her face just to be able to admire her beauty some more, he waited until she looked up on her own accord. Yuki smiled at her when her eyes finally met his. He could tell she was a lot more comfortable with slow swaying. They gazed into each other's love filled eyes, dancing to the romantic song. For the first time, they had ever danced together, it was truly remarkable. Maybe it was love that made two people look perfect together, regardless of what they were doing. Every move, every turn was done at the exact time. It almost seemed like they had been practicing for weeks.

"Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are tonight?"

Tohru's blush grew one hundred times darker. She looked down embarrassedly. He placed his hand on her cheek, staring at her with a semi-frown. A couple of his fingers slid under the white mask, tempted to take it off. Regardless of how hard Ayame had worked on the mask or how much prettier it was than every other girl at this ball's mask, it was nothing compared to the beauty of what lied underneath. Yuki pursed his lips together, pouting ever so slightly as he sighed and released her face before he really did yank the stupid mask off.

"It's a shame that you have to keep that mask on in here…" Yuki muttered.

The song came to an end, leaving a few low notes echoing across the vast room. Yuki stepped away from her to hold back from kissing her right there in front of everyone. Instead, he settled for leaving a kiss on the back of her hand. He bent over towards her, letting his lips linger on her soft pale flesh. Timidly, Tohru withdrew her hand before anyone could notice. Yuki tilted his head up to her, flashing her a grin. He took her hand back, keeping a tight grip so she couldn't pull away no matter how hard she tried. Yuki began to lead her away from the clumps of still dancing people.

Akito was walking around fifteen feet to their left. If he looked anymore towards his right, he would spot them. Yuki had been keeping track of Akito during the whole dance so it was easy to know when Akito was too close for comfort and react quickly. He continued tugging Tohru away from the grand hall, stopping only when they were in the hallway and out of Akito's vision range. By the time he turned to Tohru, she was more than ready for an explanation.

"I never did give you a tour, did I?" Yuki asked her.

"No…"

"Come on then…"

Yuki smiled and pulled her down the hallway, wanting to get as far away from Akito as he possibly could. All Yuki really knew about this Akito was his name and that he wanted to marry Tohru, but that was enough for Yuki to consider this guy a problem, a big problem. Yuki paused down the hall, clearly distracted, but he played along with his tour story, pointing out things one usually would when showing someone around his house. He pointed around randomly, stating the names of the places nearby. Tohru seemed to believe his scheme.

"There's the library… And that door leads out to the balcony; where we were earlier…And there's the dining room…" Yuki told her, pointing around the hall.

"Your home is so lovely!" Tohru exclaimed, peering around.

"I'm sure your place is just as lovely… But maybe one day, you'll want to live here with me…"

Was that a proposal? Tohru stopped in her tracks, her whole face burning a dark shade of crimson. She was speechless. All she could do was stare at Yuki's back as he continued to act like he hadn't said anything out of the ordinary. He looked back at her with a comforting smile, urging her to come on. Tohru shyly caught up to him. Yuki wrapped his arm around her shoulder, holding her securely against him. He didn't want her to be far away from him while Akito was in the building. Still, he refused to tell her any of the things going through his head, even if she thought he was being possessive, overprotective, or just plain maniacal. He couldn't let her fret.

"Is something the matter?" he asked worriedly.

"Ah... No…"

"You seem rather quiet today…" Yuki commented, not convinced with her answer.

"Nothings wrong at all! Really!"

He just stared at her dubiously, not believing her though he made no further comment. Tohru looked around frantically, trying to change the topic. She squirmed around in his arms, unsuccessfully trying to break his hold. Yuki raised his eyebrows at her, but she avoided his eyes. Her fingers fiddled around a small package locked securely under the sash of her kimono. She bit her bottom lip and looked around the room, searching for something that might delay her giving him his gift. She wasn't sure if she was ready for his reaction yet. She wasn't even sure it was a good gift anymore.

"The decorations are really pretty!" she exclaimed, noticing the banners hanging from the ceiling.

"Nowhere close to how pretty you are…"

He pulled her face to him, giving her a sweet kiss, but Tohru ended the kiss abruptly, still blushing madly. She turned her head away from him, her only way of avoiding him since his hands still held her in place beside him. Yuki covered her forehead with his hand worriedly. The way she was acting now was completely different from how she was acting a minute ago. Her blush then held nothing but sheer humiliation, but this one had something more mixed in, something he couldn't identify. Dread?

"Are you sure that nothing is wrong?"
Tohru bit her lip nervously, not even bothering to shake her head. She played with the edge of her sleeves, avoiding his question. Her fingers wrapped around the small present tightly. She had promised herself that she would give it to him. She couldn't let him think she had forgotten to get him a gift, or worse, leave him believing that she didn't think he was important enough to receive a gift from her. Tohru took a deep breath, wrestling to wrench her fingers out of their death grip around the silver package.

"Tohru-"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" she cried, shoving a small box at him.

He was taken aback, startled by her actions. Due to his shock, Tohru was finally able to break out of his hold and take a few steps away from him, afraid of what he would say to her when he saw the necklace. It took him a second to come back to reality. Yuki laughed lightly, looking at Tohru who had her eyes squeezed shut. Her hands were thrust at him, holding a fist sized box three inches from the tip of his nose. He chuckled again as he realized it was his birthday gift.

"Tohru, Tohru, Tohru… You don't have to be this nervous," he grinned as he took the box from her.

He didn't get a response.

"What is it?" he asked playfully.

Tohru remained quiet. Her eyes were still tightly shut. He shook the box gently but no noise was heard. Tohru opened one eye halfway to check his facial expression, but it shut as soon as he noticed she had even opened it. He started to wonder why she was so worried about giving him a gift. Did she really think he was capable of not liking something she had given him? Wasn't she aware of his unhealthy fixation with her? She could probably have given him some pebble she had found on her way here, and he still would have treated it as if it were more valuable than a diamond.

"You know, whatever it is, I'll love it because it's from you…" he made an attempt to calm her, but it didn't work.

Tohru didn't show any signs of planning to open her eyes anytime soon. If anything, she grew more tense and anxious. He didn't understand why she thought so poorly of herself. How could one person be so blind to her many positive attributes and be so aware of her flaws? Yuki sighed, shrugging his shoulders slightly as he slowly untied the bow. He tore off the decorative paper gently. Carefully, he removed the lid of the box and stared at the necklace inside. Delicately he held it up by the cold chain, watching the tiny arbutus charm spin around.

"Are you sure you gave me the right package?" Yuki teased her.

Tohru gasped, her eyes snapping wide open.

"I'm sorry! I originally thought it was too girly- I'll get you something else!" Tohru cried with horror painted all over her face.

Yuki held it out of her reach when she tried to take it back. She leapt up, reaching for it, but she was too short to even come close to touching the necklace. She frowned, drawing his attention back to the lips he had refrained from kissing minutes ago during the dance. He quieted her down with a passionate kiss. Her jaw dropped, she was completely unprepared for that. He didn't stop, taking advantage of her wide open mouth as he went on lathering her mouth with kisses until she kissed him back. They broke apart, but she continued to stare at him in shock.

"Yuki…"

"Didn't I just say I'd love anything you gave me? Besides, it's meant to match the one you're wearing. Am I correct?" Yuki asked her with a grin.

Tohru nodded, an embarrassed blush coating her face. She smiled faintly at herself. She had gotten a better reaction than she could have asked for. Now she just hoped he wasn't lying to make her feel better. He did look genuinely pleased with the gift, but then again, she knew he was exceptionally good at everything which meant lying would be easy for him. Mind reading would come in handy now so she could know what he honestly thought of the necklace, but who was she kidding? There was no such thing as mind reading. As she thought this, Yuki unhooked the chain and clasped it around his neck. She glanced up, batting her eyelashes in surprise. That was enough to prove to her that he honestly liked the gift. She beamed as he leaned forward and pressed his lips gently to hers again.

"Oh… I'll only love you too…" he breathed into her ear.

Tohru looked up at him, shocked by his words. She blinked in shock. She pointed to the charm dangling off the matching necklace she was wearing, "You know what an arbutus means?"

Yuki just smiled, not answering her question. Tohru continued to gaze at him as he felt around his pockets, searching for his gift for her in each one of his pockets before he realized that the present was still in the pocket of the pants he had worn earlier. He gave himself a mental kick for being so stupid. Now he'd have to run across the castle to his room for it, not something he really wanted to do, but he had to since he wanted to give her the extra present today.

"Tohru, wait right here for a second. Don't move. I'll be right back!" he called to her as he darted down the hallway.

He was gone before she could even react. She stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do. Tohru covered the pendant around her neck, flushed with joy. It was a relief to know that he didn't despise her gift. It had been exhausting worrying over his reaction for the past week. The saleslady's words spun around in her head.

…and if he wears it, you'll know he feels the same…

Yuki ran up the steps three at a time as quickly as his legs would carry him. He dashed down the deserted hallways to his room. Rapidly, he swung open his bedroom doors. Breathlessly, he dropped down on the floor, fishing the gift out of his pants' pocket. As soon as his fingers enclosed the black box, Yuki stood up and left in a hurry to get back to Tohru. He cursed repeatedly under his breath as he realized he had left Tohru by herself when he knew someone was lurking around looking for her. Yuki skidded around the corner, nearly falling over as he neared Tohru.

"Toh-"

His voice stopped in mid sentence. Tohru was standing there with the last person he wanted around her, Akito. He muttered more profanities before taking several deep breaths to calm himself down. The last thing he wanted to do was beat up Akito since he'd have no explanation for his actions afterwards. If he did that, he might as well run around the castle and tell everyone that he was secretly seeing Tohru. He clenched his teeth together. It was getting harder for him to continue towards them at a normal pace.

"Are you lost, Miss Tohru?"

"No…" she answered, not meeting his gaze.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself?"

"Ah… Going to the restroom…" she made up, getting nervous.

Akito eyed her with a wicked smile. Tohru backed up, hoping Yuki would return soon. She didn't like being here with this guy. Her eyes flashed around the room as she took another step back. Tohru gasped softly when she spotted Yuki about twenty feet to her right. Her tense posture loosened up instantly. She knew nothing bad would happen to her with Yuki nearby. Her attention jerked back to Akito when his frigid hand tugged at her wrist. Tohru ripped her hand out of his, rejecting it as if it was poison. His eyes darkened, his sinister smile twisting down into a scowl.

"Do you remember me, Tohru?" he asked slowly.

Tohru shook her head meekly though she was practically trembling out of fear. Yuki stepped in at this moment. He had stopped caring about whether he was approaching rationally or not as soon as he noticed the fear in Tohru's eyes. To him, nothing, not even the chance that their relationship would be revealed, was worth letting Tohru remain scared for longer than absolutely necessary. He stopped beside Tohru with his fists clenched at his sides to keep him from hurting Akito.

"Please, no lingering in the halls," he said to them with a halfhearted, polite smile.

Tohru looked at him, confused. She didn't understand what was irking him. His eyes were shut, and there was a smile plastered across his face, but she could feel the fury seeping off of him. She bit her lip, forcing herself to look away from Yuki before Akito grew suspicious and figured out that she and Yuki weren't really strangers that just met at the moment since she knew that's how Yuki was trying to make their relationship seem like. Akito didn't try to hide the anger in his eyes like Yuki. The disgust and hatred was mixed in with envy.

"Please get back to the main hall, sir. And if you're looking for a restroom, I'll gladly show you to one," Yuki offered.

Tohru nodded weakly. Before Akito could protest, Yuki grabbed her hand and half dragged her out away from there. She didn't know where he had brought her. The room was half empty. Rooms like this were common in large palaces. The room was filled with exquisite furniture, but the room wasn't what she couldn't take her eyes off of. Yuki looked angry. He leaned against the wall, his arms crossed across his chest. His knuckles were nearly white. She could see how tense his face was. He was even glaring across the room at nothing in particular. Her mouth opened to ask what was wrong, but her vocal cords refused to function properly. She was scared stiff. He looked so cold, like a murderer...

His eyes finally lost the sharpness as they lowered down to hers. He mentally punched himself a couple of times as soon as he saw the terror in her eyes. What hurt was that fear in her eyes was clearly because of him and not because of Akito any longer. Before he said anything, he grasped her in his arms, gripping her tightly. Tohru gaped and flinched from shock. She would have jumped up if he didn't have her locked in his arms. His grip was too tight to provide much comfort, but it was better than him glowering furiously.

"Could you please do me a favor and not talk to that guy…" Yuki whispered into her ear.

"Wh-what?" Tohru stuttered.

"Trust me, please? I think he's onto us… So stay away from him… I don't want to be separated from you," Yuki pleaded in a soft voice.

She stretched her face up, staring up at his face. Tohru shoved at his chest a little and got him to loosen his grip enough so that she could see his face. Tohru gazed at him, searching for the real reason he didn't want her to speak with that guy. All she could see was concern now, and she nodded. The promise wouldn't be hard to keep. She didn't really want to see that dark haired man ever again anyways. His eyes shut and the creases in his forehead immediately disappeared as soon as he knew she had agreed.

"I'll try not to … But Yuki-kun, why did you leave…?"

Yuki smiled, and all worry and anger fully washed out of his eyes, replaced with pure eagerness and joy. He pulled out the velvet box from his pocket, offering the box to her. Tohru's eyes bulged, and she gaped. He placed his hand over her mouth before she could get out a word of protest. Yuki dropped the box into one of her palms with his other hand, and he wrapped his fingers around hers to keep the box in place. He stared sternly into her eyes to let her know that she was going to keep the gift whether she wanted to or not.

"Another gift to myself," he explained.

"B-but you already gave me this mask and outfit…" Tohru said, hesitantly after his hand left her mouth.

"Is there a limit on how many gifts I can give y- myself?"

Tohru's cheeks turned pink. She glanced down at the floor embarrassedly.

"Okay then… If you're going to be this difficult… Consider it an apology gift for making you cry so much the other day…" Yuki suggested with a shrug.

Tohru looked up at him, opening her mouth to speak, but no words came out. That day when she had found out about him had felt like the end of them. She had been terribly angry and upset with him, but she'd never wish it never happened because it had brought them that much closer. It shocked her to hear him mention it. He never brought it up, not even once. She looked down at the box, giving in. He must really want her to keep it if he had used that against her. Tohru decided to let him win.

"Thank you…"

"How can you say that when you haven't even opened it yet?" he asked with a grin.

"But I'll love whatever it is because it's from you!" Tohru quoted with a smile.

"Hey… Come up with your own sayings…" he muttered with a sheepish grin, only realizing how corny that sounded now.

Tohru didn't respond. Instead, she pulled an end of the bow, untying it. Slowly, she lifted the lid and gasped. All she could manage to do was stare at what was inside. A thin gold bracelet sat on the silky cushion with several arbutus charms dangling around. The white charms matched the one on her necklace perfectly, except they had little diamonds in the centers. Her jaw dropped, tears almost forming in her eyes. Yuki observed her face, not sure what to make of her expression.

"Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful…" she breathed, gingerly taking the bracelet out of the box.

"I'm glad…"

"Thank you… B-but this isn't fair… I should give you more… It's your birthday…"

Yuki slid his thumb and forefinger down his jaw to his chin as he tried to think of something that would stop her from feeling so guilty. He wasn't really succeeding in convincing her that he didn't mind getting her gifts. In fact, he enjoyed buying her things more than buying things for himself. She refused to believe that even though it was true. He held her face in between his hands. Getting fed up with something hiding her face from his eyes, he tore the mask off her face, letting the mask dangle from his wrist. His face contorted with concentration before he leaned in and kissed her on the top of her cheek.

"Okay then… How about you promise to come with me to the New Year's festival next week?" he bargained, running his lips across her face and letting them settle on the tip of her nose as he waited for her response. His lips tugged up into a smile as her cheeks darkened. He was succeeding in embarrassing her. It was the only thing he could think of to keep her from protesting too much.

"Th-that's n-no-not a g-gift!"

"It is for me… Come on… Let's go back so I can go blow out my candles and wish that you'll come to the festival after all," He said more so to himself than to her as he started towards the door, pulling her along with him.

"You can't tell me your wish! Now it won't come true!" she squeaked.

"Are you saying you won't go with me?" he peered back at her in mock horror.

"No!"

"Perfect. It's a date. Don't forget, okay?" he flashed her a smile.

Tohru looked down embarrassedly, still staring at the bracelet. How did he manage to make her agree with things so easily? He wasn't fair. She wanted to give the bracelet back to him and walk away without it, but she couldn't. He was spoiling her rotten with all these expensive gifts, and he didn't seem to care. It was like he had the concept of birthday presents backwards. Didn't he know that the guests were supposed to be giving him gifts, not the other way around? And here she thought he was the smart one. As if he knew she was questioning his intellect, he spun around at that moment. Tohru jumped back, about to apologize, but he spoke first.

"A bracelet isn't for you to hold," he chuckled.

He took the bracelet from her and hooked it around her wrist.

She just stared at the bracelet and twisted it around her wrist, unable to believe that there was something this beautiful in the world. It was amazing how perfectly their gifts matched. Almost as if destiny already had their story completely planned out, and just maybe, it'd end happily ever after…