They all went back to their hotel room a little while later, their cheeks flushed from the cold air of a fine Paris weather outside. SD Takao's eyes were wobbly.

"Why can't I get back to that buffet table again…"

"Takao, ALL of the maitre d's are giving us DEATH GLARES," Professor told him. "Besides, you've eaten through what seems to be a whole month's ration of a WHOLE army."

"That's NOT true!"

"It IS," Kai told him. "I was half-expecting for the whole national French army to swoop down on us any minute now because we have a bottomless pit of a SOLDIER running on the LOOSE."

"I can't help it if the cooking's GOOD!" Takao protested. "I'm a growing BOY!"

"More like a hippo," Kai retorted. "Look, if you decide to go buffet again, count me out. My reputation's good as SHOT."

"Hey guys, we still have to get READY!" Max told them, looking up from his Fossil® watch. "It's already 3:30…"

"The Ball's up at 7," Lei said with a puzzled look on his face. "It's quite a long way off…"

"I tell you, it's better to get ready by now before we all run like headless chickens on the loose a little while LATER," Max told him. "My Mom and I have been to formal dinners like this several times to know that. I mean, can you imagine going to a formal dinner with your hair sticking up like a porcupine because you poured EGG WHITE on it?! I didn't get that gunk out of my hair for DAYS." He nods. "So, what do you say?"

Tsukiyo put her arms around Asaya, who was blinking. "We'll have the luxury of hogging the bathroom for 2 hours. So guys, if you don't have anything else to do, then we'll just go march right in to prepare."

"Errh…" Takao blinked. "You…makeup…"

"Oh no! I'm going to ask Asaya for some pointers…not that I don't know any pointers myself," Tsukiyo told him. "Mom didn't buy all those Vogue magazines just to be covered in cobwebs."

"Right," Takao said slyly.

SD Tsukiyo gave him a death glare. "Kinogu, I have a spare pair of garden shears in my briefcase I would VERY much LIKE to run through your HAIR."

"OK. Let's march in before Tsukiyo lobs us a C4," Max told the guys. "Let's go!"

"Ugghh, does this have to go through THIS?!"

"No Takao, you'll end up looking like a hobo! Don't pull on it too tightly…"

"OUCH!"

"Sorry! I didn't mean to~~~"

"Lei, your HAIR is flying all OVER the PLACE!"

Everything was in total chaos by the time it reached 6:30. Their tuxedos were delivered 5:30, and they were spending the whole hour getting ready, taking care not to muss their hair. Tsukiyo and Asaya were still holed up in Tsukiyo's room, and Max joked that they were discussing battle tactics for the takeover of the entire palace.

The Opening Ball was going to be held at the Versailles Palace, where the French government had lent to the Guild for the very special occasion. Several important people would be coming, and from what Professor had gathered, the teams invited for the Championships would also be there in person. It was for their chance to mingle with them and harbor friendships before they become all-out enemies on the Bey battlefield.

Kai was soon setting his black bow tie into place in front of the mirror, looking very serious indeed about dressing up for this occasion. He looks over at the rest of them, all wearing similar tuxedos but with little twists: Max was wearing a tie set with a small button pin at the center, Takao was wearing a small thin ribbon (looks like Relena Peacecraft-Darlian's school's uniform for boys), while Lei was wearing a mini-cravat. Lei had gathered his hair at the base of his nape and has tied it down to a braid, and Max helped him with taming his bangs with spray gel to keep it in place.

"Feeling the crush, people?" Kai inquired quietly.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Takao told him mournfully. His baseball cap was gone and for once (although he's now wearing his hair that way), his blue-black tresses are left gloriously on their own.

"It's going to be fine, Takao, don't worry! Just think of all the food that would be served there," SD Max said happily, grinning.

The clock struck 6:45, and soon, Tsukiyo's door opened. Tsukiyo…or a person who looked remotely like her, stepped out of the room looking harrassed about something.

"DAMN! We still have to get there by 7! Sheesh, where did ALL the time GO?!"

Kai blinked, and Takao's jaw dropped in surprise.

"Tsukiyo…is that…YOU?!" SD Takao asked in awe.

"Of COURSE it's ME! What am I, chopped LIVER?!" SD Tsukiyo frowned. "I don't like wearing these kind of clothes, but just for YOU Takao, I'm letting this happen only ONCE."

Her hair was swept upwards and tied back into an elegant French twist. Her dress, what Max brought her, was a lovely shade of blue: it was halter type, and the dress itself was backless, revealing her smooth fair shoulders and back. The skirt flowed gracefully about her lower knees, and she wore a pair of pearly white stilettos. She looked…

Beautiful…?

"Is it that late already?" Asaya inquired, coming right after Tsukiyo. At the sight of her Takao promptly fainted, and SD Professor fanned him with his hand, and he was totally freaked out.

Her dress was of a cream material, and Lei saw that her hair was streaked with streaks of cream into it, making it look like it was gilded with starlight. Tiny glass beads were worked into her elegant upswept coiffure, tiny glass beads shaped like stars, and had tiny seed pearls worked into them, as well. The dress had a tube for a top, and the skirt flowed about her lower knees like assymetrical mist. It was delicately embroidered with a sprinkling of sparkling glass beads by her bosom and her skirt, and it glinted softly as she moved, as if she was a star herself. A pair of cream low heeled sandals were on her feet, tied at the ankle in the manner of Sailor Venus'foot gear. A filmy wrap was about her lovely, slender arms, and draped gracefully about her shoulders.

"Yup, we have the best looking women under that sparkling roof TONIGHT!" Max grinned. "Well…shall we go?"