Wow. Chapter Eight. When was the last time I worked on ANYTHING and I got that far? Enjoy then, I suppose.

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The day of the dance was here. I was at home, getting ready. I wore a white shirt, with a dark blue, collared, unbuttoned shirt ontop and some black pants.

'I look like Tai,' I thought to myself. 'A really freaky, wannabe Tai. Or maybe Matt. A freaky, wannabe Matt.'

"Hey Takato! Are you done yet?" Henry asked. He came into my room, wearing a jean jacket and a white shirt underneath like me, as well as some regular blue jeans. He had come over, to get ready for the dance, and he had brought his clothes with him.

"Man... I didn't know you were going to wear that..." I said, comparing our clothes. "I look like I'm trying to copy you now!"

"Don't worry about it," Henry said, brushing it off. "No one'll notice."

I looked at myself in the mirror, checking how I looked, over and over. Henry noticed.

"Nervous?" he asked.

"Yeah, a bit," I laughed, the flustered feeling I had attaching itself to my voice, making my voice become quivery.

"If Cinderella's Prince Charming had a story of his own, he'd probably be just as nervous." Henry said, trying to make me feel better.

"Yeah... but this Prince Charming is going to do something a little unexpected." I smiled, and continued to nervously look in the mirror.

"Really now? Well, hurry up and finish looking at yourself, so I can see your little unexpected plan in action."

I quickly looked at myself in the mirror, then both Henry and I dashed down the stairs. "I'm going to the dance!" I called out to my parents, who were preparing dinner.

"All right, just be careful!" I heard my mom's voice call out. Henry and I were walking.

We went out the back, and Henry and I walked underneath the moonlight, towards school.

"So... are you gonna tell me anything about your plans tonight, Prince Charming?" Henry asked.

I smiled. "Nope. You gotta figure it out for yourself."

I had been planning this for the last few days before the dance. Thoughts rushed through my head, and I just hoped I wouldn't screw up. I had done a lot of thinking, and I reached the conclusion of what I wanted to do... all I needed to do now was just to remember.

We reached the school, and opened the gym doors to reveal a very glittery, decorated scene. I looked around. "There they are," I said, pointing.

Henry and I made our way over, past the dancing couples, to where Rika and Crystal stood. Both had their hair pinned up, and they were both wearing matching blue dresses, except Rika's was a very light periwinkle and Crystal's was a dark midnight blue. They both had had swoop necks, and it accented their bodies, the cloth falling until it reached their knees. Glitter was sprinkled all over their dresses, making them look like fairies of day and night.

"Don't ask about the dress," Rika muttered, turning red. "Mom made me."

"She gave me one too," Crystal said, blushing. "I think they look good on me and cuzzie though." Crystal smiled, hoping to reassure her flustered cousin.

I looked at my mentor, for the first time in the past few days. "So, are you going to be a wallflower for this dance?"

"No," she replied. "I'm probably going to be dancing all night long, so don't worry about me.

Crystal grinned at me, but her voice sounded off, and her smile seemed like it had lost its touch.

I smiled, and heard the melody of a quick dance song play. "Would you like to dance?" I grinned at Rika, and she smiled back, and I lead her to the middle of the dance floor.

"You got pretty good," Rika said, smiling. "I'm impressed."

"Well, you're not that bad of a dancer either," I commented.

The notes of the song melded into the atmosphere of the room, but it soon ended. A slower song played, and I held Rika close to me, embracing her for the first time that I was ever capable.

We danced together, holding each other, embracing. I never knew dancing felt so good, in the right atmosphere.

I excused myself for a moment to go get a drink. I stood at the punch table, when I noticed that there was someone standing next to it, looking up at the ceiling, all by herself.

Crystal.

She had gone against what she had said she was going to do, and was standing there, alone. She had a sad look on her face, and she sighed. I watched her for a moment, and then I walked over to her, looking her in the eye.

"What happened to dancing all night long?" I asked, leaning against the wall next to her.

"Eeh," She said, turning her head and shrugging.

"Where's Henry?"

"Over there." I looked in the direction that she pointed, and noticed that Henry was dancing with Rika. He finally had gotten his chance with her.

"Well... in that case, do you want to dance?"

"W-What?" Crystal said, looking at me with an astonished look.

"Would you like to dance with me?" I asked her again, and let my hand slide into hers, and I saw her blush, the way she did during our lessons. I smiled, but she pushed my hand away.

"Why should I dance with you? You like my cousin," she spat.

"Don't think about that right now," I whispered in her ear, pulling her close to me. "Dance with me."

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Abrupt, yes... but the next chapter is the second to last (I decided to make it 10 chapters instead). So yeah. More will happen in the next one...