A/N: I would like to sincerely apologize for not updating for so long. A lot of stuff has been going on and I couldn't really find the time to write. I may not update as frequently as I did in the past, but I do have every intention of completing this story. To my readers, thanks for being patient with me. I hope you'll like this chapter.
Chapter 28 ~ Ballroom Dancing
"Stop this nonsense," Saix commanded.
"I'm doing both my load and her load of missions. You shouldn't have any complaints," Zexion retorted.
"If she's not doing anything, I suppose that makes her worthless to the organization," Saix said with a cold smile on his face.
There was a long pause.
"Well...I may be able to overlook this under one condition," Saix offered.
"What?" Zexion asked tentatively.
"I'd like to talk to her alone," Saix said.
Zexion flinched.
"I refuse," Zexion replied without even considering the offer.
"Do you really think you're in a position to refuse?" Saix asked.
"Nonetheless, I refuse," Zexion repeated.
"Well, let's put it this way then. If you refuse, we'll see Xion as a traitor to the Organization for failing to report back after her missions," Saix said. "Of course you realize what that means, don't you?"
"That's low," Zexion shot back.
"Like I care," Saix replied. "The Organization takes priority over everything else. I won't allow anyone to hinder our plans."
There wasn't really much he could do.
"...I understand," he replied, brimming with frustration at being defeated.
We were busy with preparations all afternoon; chartering limos for our guests, buying all the refreshments, decorating the hall – there was a lot of stuff that needed to be done for the party later tonight. Zexion was strangely silent for the most of the day, so I was surprised when he suddenly decided to talk.
"Saix wants to meet with you, just before the party," he said, barely audible.
"Okay...but what's with this all of a sudden?" I asked.
"I'm just relaying his message," he replied, instantly killing the conversation.
I looked at him weirdly and tried to probe his mind, but it was clear that he wasn't going to tell me anything. Although I sensed some strange things going on behind the scenes, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and continued working without asking him anything. Whatever happened, or was going to happen, I wanted to trust him.
"Thank you," he whispered.
What? Oh wait...
"Eavesdropping AGAIN?" I demanded.
He always managed to blow off my top like that.
Sorry, but I'm still glad you think that way.
...Your welcome? I guess?
Little did I know that he was hiding many more secrets than I expected. Many more unpleasant secrets that I would have liked to remain oblivious to.
I got back just before the party started.
"You're late," Zexion said, scowling.
"Sorry, it took awhile," I said.
"What did Saix say?" he demanded.
I froze. I did expect him to ask, but not so soon, and not so bluntly either.
"Nothing much," I said calmly. "Well, he scolded me for not reporting back by myself, and he also told me that I would be partnering with Lexaeus for my next mission," I said.
"That's it?" he asked.
"That's it," I lied.
He stared at me and raised his eyebrows.
He sighed heavily. "If you don't want to say it, then I'm not going to force you to, but just know that I'll always listen if you need it."
"That's awfully nice of you," I said.
"Remember that today's a party. Don't maul over things too much. Have fun, okay?" Zexion said.
I knew he was trying to be considerate, but somehow his weak attempt simply made me laugh.
"I haven't fallen so low as to have you worry about me," I retorted.
"Good to know," he said, chuckling.
He snapped his fingers.
"Kanon," he called.
"Yes Master," Kanon replied from the shadows.
Zexion simply shot a glance in my direction.
"Understood," Kanon said, bowing politely.
"Now I have to get ready to go greet the guests," Zexion said. "Come down once you're done preparing. Kanon will help you."
I nodded.
"I'll see you in a bit then," I said as he left my room and shut the door behind him.
Now then, what to wear? I looked through my wardrobe, and that's when I realized that I didn't have anything remotely suitable for a ballroom dance party. I think that the best thing I could come up with was a blouse and a skirt, but that wouldn't do. Not tonight.
"Excuse me, Master," Kanon interjected.
"What?" I asked as I impatiently rummaged through all of my clothes.
"How would this be?" Kanon asked, holding up a dress.
It was richly coloured in several layers of a beautiful purple. For the most part, the top was quite ordinarily defined, with a single strap on the right side and a natural waist seam, but the lower half - I hadn't seen anything quite like it before: it was short on the right side, yet the dress saw a gradual increase in length as I looked towards the left; behind, the wavy fabric cascaded all the way down to the floor.
It was strangely enchanting.
I walked over and lifted it out of his hands.
"Where did you get this from?" I asked, curious.
Kanon pointed at a box on my bed that I hadn't noticed.
"The Master had this custom-made for you," Kanon said with a hint of jealousy.
I'm rather disgusted at how little it bothered me that he knew my exact size.
"Don't look," I said as I began changing.
When I was all done, I twirled around once and watched the dress as it rose and fell gently around me.
"And don't forget this," he said as he tied a purple rose choker around my neck.
It felt a bit uncomfortable, but I didn't have time to argue with him. I had to go greet the guests.
"Thanks Kanon," I said, giving him a polite curtsy.
In response, he pulled out a pair of open-toed stilettos with a single strap just above the ankle. I simply stared.
"Come on, this isn't funny...he wants me to dance for the whole night, in THAT?" I asked Kanon in disbelief.
"That is the Master's wish," Kanon said without being the slightest bit fazed.
That guy is a sadist, a sadist I tell you. I groaned as Kanon helped me into the shoes. It's not like I had any other appropriate shoes to wear anyways.
As I headed for the door, Kanon stepped in front of me.
"Pardon me, but we're not finished yet," Kanon said without any change in face expression. "I still have to do your hair and makeup."
"What?" I asked in disbelief.
You see, I never really got into that stuff.
"My apologies, but the Master has strictly ordered me not to allow you to leave this room before you have finished preparing," Kanon said.
I took another step towards the door, but he didn't seem inclined to move.
"Alright, alright! Make it quick," I snorted.
That idiot. I would be sure to pound him later.
Kanon beckoned me to sit down on the chair in front of the vanity. He proceeded to paint my toenails a gorgeous violet which matched my dress. When he was done, I extended my hand, and he moved onto my fingernails.
I really didn't know what to make of this. It was an awkward sensation – having a Nobody and a male at that, helping me do my nails.
Later, he applied some light make-up to my face, and finished up by styling my hair with a bun towards the right side.
"Oh, and we can't forget these," he said.
He revealed a pair of pearl stud earrings before putting them on for me.
"There, all done," he said.
He motioned towards the mirror. To be honest, I could barely recognize the girl that looked back at me. Strangely enough, my only thought was: "I hope he likes it."
I made sure to check that there was no one in the grand hall before using Marluxia's abilities to teleport there. Since the switch was reset for the guests tonight, I didn't really have a choice. I decided to use Marluxia's abilities through the night to prevent me from looking like a waddling penguin (he is supposed to be the graceful assassin).
And then I heard his voice.
"Subaru, that's fine. You can stop greeting the guests and join the party," he said.
"Yes sir," Subaru replied.
I watched as he climbed the stairs in quick strides and entered the ballroom. Then my sight shifted to Zexion.
He was wearing a black tuxedo, with an artificial purple rose over his heart - or rather, where his heart would have been if he had one. I understood now why he had enforced the rose choker. I am slightly disappointed, because I half-expected him to dress in a white tuxedo. Instead, he wore a very plain suit, yet it was nonetheless dashing.
He turned around and met my gaze.
I stood at the top of the stairs uncomfortably, waiting for him to come up. His eyes never left me as he ascended the staircase in swift and graceful movements.
"W-W-What?" I asked, slightly flustered as he reached the landing.
"As I expected, purple looks great on you," Zexion commented, "but actually..."
"What?" I demanded.
"I think you look better normally," he stated bluntly.
Of course I was mad.
"Don't impose all this on someone and then criticize them!" I retorted angrily.
He simply chuckled.
"Nevertheless...I wanted to see you all dressed up like this, just once," he said quietly.
I'm glad he turned around to open the doors, because my cheeks went red almost instantly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the annual event hosted by the student council. As you already know, this is the ballroom, which will strictly be used for dancing. If you should ever find yourself tired, please don't hesitate to proceed downstairs for some light refreshments," Zexion announced.
He gestured at the floor, which was a transparent glass. I could see the multipurpose room below, with Kanon standing in the bar, busy preparing drinks. I have no idea how he got from my room to the multipurpose room, but that's the least of my concerns right now.
It's transparent you know!
Don't worry, it's transparent from the top and translucent from the bottom. It's even a bit reflective, so the most anyone would see from down there would be blurry lights.
He continued. "There is also a large guest bathroom at the end of the room, should the need arise. You're free to go wherever you want and do whatever you want. All I ask is that you please return here at 11:30 for the final event of the night. Above all else, don't forget to enjoy yourselves. Let the ball begin!"
As soon as the applause died down, the first song began to play. No sooner did it start was I asked to dance.
"Ino, may I have a dance?" a guy asked.
I wanted to refuse because I didn't even recognize him, but I glanced back at Zexion and saw that he seemed to be busy talking with some other girls. The weird thing was, he was smiling. There were a few exceptions, but he usually never bothered talking to the other girls at school. He must've been in a really good mood. I didn't really want to disturb him, so I accepted the stranger's offer.
"Sure," I responded, forcing a smile.
Immediately, I felt a glare come from his direction, but when I looked back, he was dancing with another girl too. I kept staring at them while I was dancing, so I didn't notice when I was accidentally stepping on my partner's feet.
"Oh sorry," I said, not feeling very sorry at all.
Feeling more enraged by the second, I went through as many guys as there were songs, slowly making my way to the balcony on the other side of the room. I really needed a breath of fresh air, because all this dancing was surprisingly exhausting. I don't know how it happened, but I found myself face-to-face with Zexion at the balcony.
"How has your night been?" he asked nonchalantly.
"I can't even catch a break. The guys are lining up one after another," I responded coolly.
"I've had quite the number of requests from girls too," he replied.
I rolled my eyes at him, but he simply responded with a chuckle.
"This is quite problematic isn't it?" he said. "It's already time for the final event and I haven't had a single dance with you yet."
"And who's fault is that?" I asked accusingly.
"Not mine, I'd hope," he answered with a mischievous tone. "Well, I'm going to go announce the final event."
And with that, he left me alone on the balcony. I slumped onto the railing, a bit disappointed. I was going to sit the final event out as well, but after a short while, it got cold, so I decided to head back in too.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the final event for the night will be a masquerade. Masks are being distributed through the audience at the moment, and I ask that you please put them on. Now, I would like all the girls to move to the right side of the room and the boys to move to the left. In a minute, we will dim the lights and ask the males to proceed to the other side of the room and find a partner. We will begin the final dance shortly after," he declared.
I was going to sit this event out, but someone handed me a mask anyways and shoved me to the right side of the room.
"And now, let's begin," Zexion said, voice booming across the dimly lit room.
A lot of the girls rushed forward immediately, but I simply stood there, waiting for whoever to find me.
All of a sudden, I felt a warm hand grab my hand and pull me towards the center. Even in the darkness and with a mask on, I knew who it was immediately.
Sorry I'm late. I had to help Subaru find Nina, which was extremely difficult because that man has a horrible sense of direction.
I laughed.
Better late than never.
The lights slowly came back on, and the music for the last dance started.
"My favourite waltz," Zexion said as he pulled me closer to him.
One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. Dancing felt effortless even in these stilettos when he was guiding me on the dance floor. I think I may have spoken too early, because my carelessness made me trip and fall backwards.
"Woah-"
Zexion managed to catch me and pull me back up on my feet in one swift, successive motion that looked quite natural – almost as if the fall didn't happen at all. I saw his sly smile under his mask, and I couldn't help but break into a smile too. Unfortunately, the good things never last long. They went almost as soon as they came; before I knew it, the song was already over.
"Now, take off your masks. Gentlemen, give the ladies a friendly kiss on the hand," Zexion said, as he reached for his own mask.
I took my own mask off without too much effort, and I held it in one hand while I reached out my other hand. He knelt down, and reached for my hand, slowly bringing it towards his lips.
All of a sudden, he tossed his mask, knocked my arm aside, and leapt straight at me from his kneeling position, startling me and causing me to drop my mask. Zexion held me a tight embrace, and while I was still frozen and completely unaware of what was going on, he brought his own lips against mine.
When I overcame the initial shock, I quickly pushed him away.
Isn't it embarrassing? Everyone's watching.
Embarrassing? Look around.
I saw some of the guys were rather reluctant to kiss their partner's hands, which made them rather upset; however, several of the boys, who actually found they girlfriends, were following our example.
See, there shouldn't be any problem.
Once again, he wrapped his arms firmly around my waist and looked at me, his face only an inch away from mine.
Never let go of my hand again. Who was the person who said that to me?
I finally smiled, thinking back to the incident in the school hallway. Slowly, I brought my arms around him, and our lips locked in a passionate kiss. I could feel some of the stares from around the room, but I didn't care. It was a perfect moment, and I wasn't going to let anyone ruin it.
Soon after, the guests left one by one, and we were the only ones left in the mansion. As Kanon worked to clean up after the party, we watched the stars together on the balcony, but everytime I looked over at him, he appeared to be lost in his thoughts. I gently put my hand on top of his, at which he looked at me with a start.
"It'd be nice if we could stay like this forever," I said.
"Yeah..." he agreed.
Even though the stars were shining particularly brightly that night, his face looked gravely pale in the moonlight.
