Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Game. Wish Duzie was mine though...

Hey people. After battling computer problems and school, I've finally updated. I'm deciding to skip to the day of the ball(but not the actual ball itself), because the shoe-fitting chapter was boring after I read over it. But don't worry, this is gonna make up for it, I hope.

Please Hold Me

The castle woke up to a cloudy day on the day of the ball. Ishtar seemed uncharacteristically moody for some reason. Sure, the past two days had been hectic, what with all the dress and shoe fittings that she had to deal with. Sure, she didn't want any of the dresses because they were too tight. Sure, she made it clear that she didn't want to attend the ball. But that still didn't explain why she was so moody. The maids practically had to drag her out of bed, and she was snappy at the breakfast table. And after breakfast, she retreated to her room with Duzell and did not come out for most of the day.

"What is wrong with Lady Ishtar? Is she ill? We may have to cancel the ball if she is," said Keld with some concern.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Her Highness always gets like this every time a ball comes around," said Yujinn. "Isn't that right, Darres?"

"Hmmm? Oh...yeah, I wouldn't worry about a thing. Besides, it's better than what we usually have to put up with," he said.

"I suppose. She is being rather quiet today. It makes a nice change," said Keld. "Very well. Darres, you may return to your duties."

Darres nodded and left the room. Deep down, he was worried about the Princess. What if she really was sick? Or worse, what if she had changed her mind about going to the ball with him? He sighed as he approached the Princess's room, where Jill and Krai were dozing off.

In Ishtar's Room

Ishtar was sitting on the windowsill, staring up at the cloudy sky. She knew she wasn't her usual self, but she couldn't help it. Something was stirring in her, making her uneasy. No, more than uneasy. She didn't know if it was nervousness or fear. Something was telling her not to go to the ball, because something was going to happen at the ball that night. She couldn't explain it, but somehow she felt it. Something will happen and someone will get hurt because of it. She will get hurt because of it.

Duzell was worried about the Princess too, and so he transformed.

"Ishtar, are you alright? You're not yourself today. You barely ate anything this morning. Is something wrong?" he said.

It was a while before the princess said anything.

"Clouds...the whole sky is covered with them. I wonder if it'll rain tonight during the ball," she said vaguely. "The ball...I don't know if I want to go anymore."

Duzell was a little surprised at those words. He knew Ishtar didn't want to go in the first place, but he had thought that she was happy because Darres had asked to go with her.

"What is it Ishtar? If something's wrong, you know you can tell me, right?" said Duzell.

Ishtar turned to look at Duzell and smiled vaguely.

"Thanks Duzie, but I don't know how to explain it. I feel something in me. There's a voice telling me that I shouldn't go to the ball, because something bad's gonna happen. I have the feeling that...someone's gonna get hurt if I go. And I don't want it to happen," she said.

She had almost said "me" but she stopped herself in time. She did not want Duzell to worry more about her than he already was.

"Hey...don't worry okay? Nothing bad will happen. You have Darres to protect you," he said, another flash of jealousy sweeping over him as he said it.

Then, he felt arms wrap around his waist and he froze up. What the...? Ishtar was hugging him. And when he looked down at her, he saw that her eyes were sparkling with tears.

"Thanks Duzell. It's funny isn't it? How I can trust you this much, I mean. I've always trusted you, but this...this feels different. Isn't it funny?" she said.

"No," said Duzell. "I know exactly what you mean."

"Duzell? I know something's gonna happen tonight, I can feel it. I'm a little scared. Please, hold me," she said.

"Alright."

There was a soft knocking on the door, and Ishtar pulled away.

"Yeah?" she shouted.

"Milady, your cousin, Lady Falan is due to arrive in less than one hour," said one of the maids. Ishtar heard footsteps walking away.

"Falan? Really? Ohmigosh, I gotta go change. I haven't seen her in, like, forever," said Ishtar. "Quick, Duzie! Help me pick out a dress! I wanna look cute for the ball. C'mon, c'mon! It's less than three hours!"

Duzell stared at Ishtar in slight disbelief. What happened? he thought. She was just crying a minute ago. Obviously, Ishtar had completely forgotten about her uneasiness. Right now, she had her head inside her large wardrobe and was busily tossing out the special-made dresses. In no time, there was quite a pile of dresses that actually blocked the bed from view. Then came the shoes. Duzell had to dodge several of them as Ishtar emptied out her wardrobe.

There was another knock on the door.

"Yeah?" Ishtar yelled.

"Ish! It's me, Falan. Can I come in? This dress is killing me."

"Just a sec!" said Ishtar.

Duzell turned back into a kyawl as Ishtar opened the door.

"Hey, Falan! Haven't seen you in months! How's it going?" she said, letting her cousin in. "Wow, I love your dress!"

"Heh, thanks. But I can barely breathe in this thing, it's way too tight," said Falan with a small laugh. "But, whoa, look at all your dresses. Which one are you gonna wear?"

"I don't know. Wanna help me choose?" said Ishtar.

"Sure, I'd love to!" said Falan happily.

"By the way, where's Vord?" Ishtar asked.

"I think I saw him headed for the wine cellar," said Falan.

"Gee, why am I not surprised?" said Ishtar.

The two girls started looking through the dresses.

"Ishtar? Illsaide is here too," said Falan, her smile fading.

"Oh. Why?" said Ishtar.

"Well, isn't this ball supposed to be for you to find a suitor? Illsaide is your cousin, too," said Falan.

"Oh, don't worry 'bout a thing! I have no intention of marrying any one of my cousins. Trust me on this," Ishtar assured her.

Cuz the one I wanna marry is Darres, she thought.

Okay, I know I went totally outta character in this chapter, but I wanted to try something different. If you don't like it, then I'll gladly change it. Just let me know what you think.