In the limo, Kyoko found herself sitting between Ren and Rika. Kanae and Hiou were on the other seat and Yukihito was on the other side of Rika. She hadn't been this close to Ren since the day he saved her from the stalker. In fact, she hadn't seen him since that day. Now he was all dressed up in a white suit with his hair pushed back looking dashing. It was all she could do to keep herself from staring. She found him breathtakingly handsome.

And just like when he kissed her on the head to dissuade her stalker, his body temperature was above average. The heat was practically radiating off of him. Or am I radiating heat in my embarrassment over being so close to him? She couldn't tell which one was the case. Either way, she was hot. She took the wet shawl off her shoulders and held it in her lap.

She didn't realize it was supposed to rain tonight. The downpour caught her by surprise, but the shawl provided enough shelter over her head and shoulders to prevent her attire from getting messed up. The limo was right next to the front door which prevented them from spending more than a few moments in the rain too.

"Kyoko?" She heard coming from her right. She looked up from her lap to see Ren looking at her. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," she managed to reply with a smile. "I was just thinking about how I didn't know it was going to rain and that I'm glad it was only a few steps from the door into the limo."

He smiled back at her as he said, "Yes, your too beautiful to be allowed to get drenched tonight. We'll have to be careful when we get to the ball to make sure you don't get wet on the way in."

Kyoko's mouth dropped at his words. She was shocked that he managed to say such a line with a straight face but even more shocked that he called her beautiful.

Beside her, Rika giggled and Yukihito sighed on the other side. "There he goes, sweet talking in public without shame again. Ren, you're such a lady killer." Kyoko looked over her friend to see the other man smirking at Ren. He was picking on him.

"Did I say something inappropriate?" Ren asked him. "They are all beautiful tonight. We can't let their hard work go to waste as their escorts. And Kyoko is my date tonight, I'll make sure she gets inside dry…or at least relatively dry."

Kyoko couldn't help but feel a bit deflated at his words. She'd gotten all excited over him calling her beautiful, but he was just saying it to be nice. He didn't find her attractive and was only concerned about her because Lori asked him to watch out for her. He would fulfill his duty as her escort.

Which is how the situation should be. She had no right getting all excited over his words. She had no business getting butterflies in her stomach over a man. Thanks to a man, her stomach was about to be quite full already. There was no space for anyone else to occupy.

"Kyoko," she heard again from her right. She looked up at Ren realizing she missed the last bit of the conversation. "Did you hear me?" He asked her.

"Sorry, I got lost in thought," she told him.

He chuckled looking at her and started leaning in towards her. "Let me get closer then to make sure you hear me."

Her stomach flipped at his face's proximity to hers as she felt his breath on her ear as he whispered, "I said, I have to make sure the most glamorous of the evening arrives ready to show off her alluring nature."


Ren opened the door of the limo when they got to the ball. He climbed out of the vehicle first. He was prepared to hold the door open for Kyoko but a valet held the door open instead. So Ren turned and offered his hand out to his date. She took his hand and climbed out with her shawl around her shoulders and her other hand pulling up her dress so that she didn't step on it as she got out.

The ball organizers planned ahead for the rain and set up a tall tent at the entrance where everyone was being dropped off. They were able to get out of the car dry.

Rika and Yukihito got out next.

"I guess we didn't need to worry about battling the rain to keep the ladies dry," Yukihito said to him smirking as Kanae and Hiou joined them.

"Guess not," Ren replied. He knew his friend was picking on him due to his comment in the car. He was just glad Kyoko was the only one who heard his final line.

He glanced at her noticing she was getting pink after hearing Yukihito's joke. He offered her his arm to lead her inside. She accepted it without looking at him. Great, I made her feel awkward.

That wasn't his intention when he said it. In truth, he wasn't sure what his intention was. He was so intoxicated by her scent and beauty at that moment that a little bit of his old self leaked out. It was impossible for him to deny the attraction he felt towards her now. But that's all it was, a physical attraction. It wasn't something to get excited over. The attraction would pass and he would get his mind working properly around her again.

But for tonight, he would enjoy her presence and how she made him feel.


Kanae watched as Kyoko took Ren's arm to walk inside. She didn't know what he said. She only saw Kyoko's reaction. Whatever his words were, they left Kyoko stone still for the rest of the ride. She wasn't sure if she should tear Ren a new one or let him be for now.

Rika looked over to her and winked with a smile. She came over and whispered, "They're making progress, don't worry about it." She continued on with her own date leaving Kanae with Hiou.

Kanae smiled at him finally taking her eyes off of her friends to enjoy her own walk in. He was standing as straight as he could to appear taller. His suit was jet black to match his hair. He had a hair cut to style it for the evening, and he was wearing cologne. He was rather handsome.

"Shall we follow them in," he asked her holding out his arm. She accepted it and they walked in behind their friends. The entrance to the building was on the ground floor, but immediately after the entrance grand stairs descended into a wide open room. It was full of decorations, food, and people. The very center was the dance area and was mostly empty. A few couples were enjoying themselves but everyone else was busy chatting. A stage was in the back of the room where the band was playing.

Kanae didn't have a chance to help with the actual decorating of the hall. She was seeing it for the first time. Lights and streamers hung all around the ceiling in silver and navy blue. Plants were placed around the room to add some greenery. Some of them were just green while others had flowers. Every table had a table cloth in the theme colors. It was an impressive sight.


Kyoko descended the stairs while holding onto Ren. She was glad for his support. Without it, she might have fallen down with her floor length dress, heels, and descending stairs. It wasn't an easy task. He seemed to be aware it was difficult for her as he kept his pace slow.

It felt awkward holding onto him after his words in the car.

"I said, I have to make sure the most glamorous of the evening arrives ready to show off her alluring nature."

Kyoko's face flushed red as she remembered his words and missed a step. She would have stumbled down embarrassing herself and probably injuring herself if Ren wasn't there to catch her.

"Are you okay?" He asked her with his face close and the arm she wasn't holding onto wrapped around her front to prevent her fall. Oh my God! He's touching my stomach! Please, please, please don't notice anything weird. She was barely showing, but that didn't stop her from being self-conscious about it.

"Yes," she whispered to him. "Thanks for catching me, but you can stop supporting my front now." He released her with the arm he used to catch her as requested but still provided his other arm for her to use for balance.

"Perhaps we should have looked for an elevator," he said looking up and around the room to see if one was in sight.

"I'm fine," she told him. "We're almost at the bottom anyways."

"Right," he said continuing to lead the way down. She realized she missed the feeling of his arm around her as she continued down the stairs.

Kyoko, you idiot. Get him out of your head. Wanting him to touch you is like wanting him to find out your pregnant! Besides, he's just really good at sweet talking. Don't take what he said to heart and don't get feelings for him. They're not worth it.

She felt a pang of sadness at her last thought. She had no intention of falling in love again but she suddenly realized that would leave her lonely.

Then I'll just focus on work and be the best at my job!

As if to approve of her thoughts, her boss, Lori Takarada, appeared at the bottom of the stairs to greet them. And right next to him was another Lori Takarada. She blinked in confusion thinking she had double vision. Except they weren't wearing the same clothes. Her boss was wearing….something blue. She couldn't decide if it was a suit or a ninja outfit. The blue pants were loose on him with a black sash tied around his middle. His undershirt was white with a black outline. His half jacket had no buttons and hung open. Off of his shoulders, dripping down his back, hung a fabric that shined a sparkly gold.

Next to him stood his double in police dress blues. His cuffs had a gold-threaded band around them with some blue woven in. She guessed that represented his position but she wasn't sure. His jacket was fully buttoned with six buttons over the core. A gold plaque with his name on it was over his left breast.

"Rori Takarada?" She read out loud in her confusion.

Lori chuckled at her as he cleared up her confusion. "This is my twin brother, Rori. He's the chief of police."

"I didn't realize," Kyoko stammered out.

Ren laughed as he continued the explanation. "The Takarada brothers are a force to be reckoned with, with Lori running LoveMe and Rori being the chief of police."

"So he's your boss," Kyoko said looking up at Ren.

"Yes, I am," Rori said speaking up for himself. "It's nice to finally meet you, Kyoko," he said extending a hand to greet her.

"It's nice to meet you as well," she said taking his hand.

"You must be Kanae and Rika," Rori said looking at her two friends and greeting them as well. "Thank you all for taking care of Ren while you were working with him."

"Well, we have to go show our faces around now. Be sure to do the same and have fun," Lori told them as he and his brother walked away.

"I knew they were twins, but I never would have guessed how difficult it is to tell them apart," Rika said softly as the two older gentlemen left.

"You knew?" Kanae asked looking over at her.

Rika blinked and looked at Kanae, "Well yeah, they're two very powerful people in the city," she responded.

"You're family rubs shoulders with powerful people like mine does. It would be weird if you didn't know," Hiou said from Kanae's side.

I guess it would make sense for the mayor's grandson to know as well. Kyoko thought to herself.

"Before we start mingling, should we get drinks?" Yukihito asked them all.

Everyone agreed and the three men left to find themselves and their dates something to wet their throats. The three women found a small statue on a stand to marvel at while they waited. It wasn't very big, the base was only about a foot in diameter. It was a cupid statue, but this was no ordinary cupid. Instead of wielding a bow and arrow, it was wielding a bazooka. It had a little beret and had one eye closed while aiming.

"What do you think would happen to someone if cupid hit them with a bazooka?" Kyoko asked her two friends.

"Die of love?" Rika suggested. "I mean, just an arrow has enough power to make someone fall in love. I can't imagine what this kind of firepower would do."

"Hmm, my guess would be it would cause the couple to have a dozen children since they won't be able to keep their hands off of each other," Kanae said calculatingly.

Rika and Kyoko looked at each other before looking over at Kanae, "that's a lot of kids," Kyoko said.

"No kidding," Kanae responded. "It's way too many kids for anybody." Kyoko wasn't sure if it was just her imagination but Kanae seemed a bit irritated by the topic. She didn't get to ask if she was right as their discussion was interrupted.

"Is that Rika Tachibana? It is, isn't it! I haven't seen you at one of these events for ages!" A woman exclaimed approaching their group. She was wearing a skin tight navy blue dress. It accentuated all of her curves. "Drake, come here. We MUST say hi to Rika!" She was pulling along a man who was obviously her date. He was wearing a black suit, very tall, and very handsome. He had gold studs in each of his ears which brought out the brown in his eyes. He had short blonde hair. He was the type of guy women openly swooned over.

Next to her, Kyoko noticed Rika stiffen. Kanae noticed too as she looked at their friend. Both ladies went on alert for whatever was coming and looked back at the approaching woman and her date.

"Rika! It's so great to see you!" She said once she arrived at their little group. "On what occasion are you here for?" She asked innocently. Something about her behavior made her feel insincere to Kyoko.

"I'm here for work," Rika told her not giving up any details.

"Work? Whatever do you do? I know you aren't working with your father. Your name hasn't popped up in any meetings," she asked questioningly.

"I'm working at LoveMe," Rika told her proudly. "These are my friends and coworkers, Kyoko and Kanae," she said introducing her two friends.

"Oh, how delightful to meet you," the woman told them. "My name is Clarissa," she said silkily.

"It's nice to meet you as well," Kanae said. "But I'm afraid I missed how you know our Rika?" She said on the offense taking a small step forward.

"Rika," Clarissa said looking at her astonished, "you've never told your friends about me or Drake? That's alright, I can introduce us," she said changing her astonished look to an accomplished smile.

"Rika and I grew up together attending all the same events because our parents run big businesses. And Drake here is someone who works in her father's company. She had a bit of a crush on him when we were teens," she pretend whispered conspiratorially to Kyoko and Kanae.

"It's nice to meet you lovely ladies," he said flashing them a smile. Kyoko saw no honesty in his eyes.

"But I haven't seen Rika in a few years and her name hasn't been brought up in business circles. I've been wondering what happened to you," she said turning the conversation back to Rika. "So you work at LoveMe now? Are you a consultant for their business section?

"No," Rika responded calmly. "I'm a reporter."

"A reporter?" Drake questioned. "You mean... a low class job?" He looked horrified.

"Oh," Clarissa said with her hand over mouth. "I had no idea." Kyoko noticed her fingers were covered in rings and she was wearing several bracelets. The necklace that hung around her throat looked like it could be 10 lbs with all of its adornment. "What possessed you to demean yourself like that?" She asked.

"Demean?" Kyoko questioned her. "I've never done more fulfilling work or learned so much in such a short span of time."

"Well, of course," Clarissa said to Kyoko. "I'm sure YOU've never done anything better. But Rika could sit on top of the world with the rest of us if she so pleased." Kyoko's mind took a second to process the comment. Clarissa continued turning back to Rika, "And yet here you are, dateless with only your low class friends to accompany you," she finished with clicking her tongue. "Your parents would be so disappointed."

"Dateless? Who's dateless?" Yukihito said walking back to the group carrying two drinks. He handed one to Rika and kept one for himself. Hiou and Ren followed behind him each giving their dates a drink. All three men wrapped an arm around their dates smiling at the unfamiliar women.


Yukihito, Ren, and Hiou had a hard time picking drinks for their dates. They realized once they got to the table they had no idea what the women liked.

They decided to settle for something light to be on the safe side. They got the women and themselves champaign. They could get more drinks later that suited their tastes. Yukihito had a feeling Rika could drink him under the table if she wanted to. To be honest, it wasn't hard to do since he was a light drinker. But he figured he'd play it safe as well. If she wanted a harder drink, he could get her one later.

"Shall we head back?" Ren asked when they were all loaded up with drinks.

"Sounds good," Yukihito responded. He was looking forward to the evening. Of course, he wanted to pick on Ren over Kyoko, but even more, he wanted to spend his time with a gorgeous, fiery redhead.

"What's going on over there?" Hiou asked bringing Yukihito out of his thoughts. He looked over to see Rika, Kyoko, and Kanae talking to another couple. From a distance, the atmosphere looked strained.

"Let's go check it out," Yukihito said and started walking over. The other two followed behind him to make it easier to get through the crowd. As he got closer, it was obvious Rika was uncomfortable and her two friends were looking ready to pounce. He heard the brunette in the navy blue dress speak and he knew why.

"And yet here you are, dateless with only your low class friends to accompany you," she finished with clicking her tongue. "Your parents would be so disappointed."

We can't have that. He thought as he walked deliberately past her to reach Rika.

"Dateless? Who's dateless?" He said walking up to Rika, giving her her drink, and wrapping his newly freed hand around her back. He tried to ignore the butterflies the physical contact gave him while he continued the confrontation. "Are you dateless?" Yukihito said holding his glass up to her as if pointing.

"I'm her date," the man in the black suit said next to her.

"Really?" Hiou asked him sounding surprised. "Your earrings are fake gold, your suit is secondhand - you should have gotten a better seamster to fit it for you - and your hair is clearly dyed. You probably only got to come to this event to be her meat candy, am I right?"

The man's face turned to stone in his shock.

"Ah, it looks like your date has stopped functioning for the night," Ren said noticing how the other man didn't respond. "I guess you'll need a new one. I believe there are a few men over by the drinks who would love some female companionship for the night if you're so inclined." He took a sip of his champaign while the woman sputtered before continuing. "With all the plastic you've added to your body, I'm sure you're just their type."

Her eyes filled with horror as she processed the implication of all of his words. Yukihito couldn't help but smirk as she stuttered over her words in her anger. Ren could be a lady killer, but he could also drive a knife through a person with his words.

"If you'll excuse us," Yukihito said noticing a new song started playing in the hall. "This is our song," he said turning and walking towards the dance floor leading Rika along. He put his drink on a table along the way and Rika did as well.


Rika didn't know what to say to Yukihito or her other friends for that matter. Clarissa had always been a pain in her side. It was incredibly satisfying watching her get scolded like that. They all really came through for her. She tightened her grip on Yukihito as they continued to dance.

"Is everything alright?" He asked her noticing that she gripped him tighter.

"Yes, I was just feeling grateful to you all," she told him looking up at his face. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized how close their faces were, that he was holding her, she was touching him, and she thought he looked handsome from the moment she laid eyes on him tonight.

He was wearing a dark grey suit with a navy blue undershirt and tan tie. His bangs were hanging off either side of his face framing it perfectly. She found him breathtaking.

"There's no way we could not speak up. She's a real piece of work," he responded to her.

"Yes, she is and always has been," Rika said trying to focus on the conversation and not his hands on her while they danced. "By the way, we don't have a song," she said trying to keep the conversation going.

"No, we don't," Yukihito said musing about it. "It was a convenient excuse to walk away from them." Rika's heart dropped a little at his words. She was glad for the escape but she liked the idea of them having a song. "But," he whispered to her as he pulled her closer. "I've been anxious to get you on the dance floor since I first saw you this evening. And I wouldn't mind making this our song," he said smiling at her. She gaped up at him in surprise at his words but then returned the smile.

"I like that idea," she said as she reached up and gave him a peck on the cheek and breathed some words into his ear.


Kyoko was beside herself with nerves. She and Ren followed Rika and Yukihito to the dance floor with Hiou and Kanae behind them. She was now dancing with Ren Tsuruga. The most popular detective in the city and arguably one of the most handsome men in the city… and she wasn't a very good dancer.

"Ouch," he said as she stepped on his toes again.

"I'm sorry, I'm not very good at this," she apologized for the third time.

"It's alright, just relax. Let me lead," he told her. That was easier said than done. How was she supposed to relax when she was in the arms of a man who was too handsome for his own good? Sure, she'd sworn off love but that didn't mean she couldn't recognize someone was good looking and be overwhelmed by it.

Ren groaned as she stepped on him again. "Sorry," she whispered.

"If you're uncomfortable, we can stop for now and try again later," he said looking down at her.

Yelp Her mind thought as she looked up into his patient face. He wasn't suggesting to stop because he was frustrated with her but because he could tell she was having a hard time. She smiled at him appreciatively, "that sounds like a good idea."

As Ren led her to the table where they all set down their drinks, Kyoko noticed Rika and Yukihito leave the dance floor and disappear into the crowd. Wonder where they're going? Ren pulled a chair out for her to sit in grabbing her attention. She was grateful for his thoughtfulness. Her dress was making everything more difficult since it dragged on the floor a bit. In truth, it was part of the reason why she kept stepping on Ren while dancing. The dress was gorgeous but not very practical she was discovering.

Kyoko looked at their drinks on the table and internally groaned. She was going to have to explain she wasn't drinking. I hope he doesn't get offended by me not drinking what he got me. But I don't have to worry about it this moment because I need to pee. "I need to head to the restroom for a minute," she said to Ren.

"I'll wait here for you," he told her.

"Thanks," she said as she stood up and headed to the bathroom. She knew where it was thanks to her work here the week before. She was thankful for that. It would have been difficult to navigate this packed hall looking for the bathroom. But since she knew where she was going, she headed right there. She was passing the bazooka cupid statue when someone caught her eye. A few feet in front of her was a man with long white hair. The description from Max and the kidnapped kids came to Kyoko's mind as she stood still in shock staring at the man.

As if sensing her attention on him, he turned and looked at her. Despite the white hair, he was young, probably only a little older than her. A smile spread across his lips as he started to walk towards her. She looked at his eyes to see if they were white like his hair as in the description she knew. Purple?


I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I certainly had fun kyaaing over it while I was writing it. There's lots more to come of the ball next chapter. I have 10 bullet points of things that need to happen during the ball and I only crossed off one thing in this chapter. Next week will be loaded with drama. It may take a third chapter as well. We'll see.

I spent an hour talking over with my husband what they should all be drinking for the night. He picked out all their drinks for next chapter. Readers who are drinkers, let me know if you think he picked well. I don't drink so I had no idea what to go with, haha.

I added a couple of more images to #pics in discord. One is Lori's outfit. I found a fan creation and thought it was perfect for the evening. The other is what the bazooka cupid is based off of. My husband and I have a thing over cupid with a bazooka. I couldn't miss the opportunity to add it to the story. If anyone's interested in the our story about it, I can tell it in discord.

AppleYumi94 showed me that someone posted about my story in the skipbeat group. That was awesome to see. Thanks for that. It helped get me over a minor block halfway through this chapter. There is so much about to go down it was a bit overwhelming to know what scenario to start with. I think I have a general order in my head now though.

Kaname671 helped write that line of Ren calling Kyoko glamorous and alluring. It was a doozy to get all the right words.

Thanks for reading and all your comments!

-Besma0003

PS: I did post another story this past week. It's called In Her Tower and is the Tangled AU that was requested for me to do. I'm incapable of keeping it to one chapter though so it'll be a few.