Chapter Three: Preparing for the Ball

The very excited girls had just arrived home and Ann and Tomo rushed around every room trying to find the perfect dresses to wear to King Nanjirou's ball. "I need to look gorgeous! I know Ryoma will notice me!" Tomo exclaimed as she gathered up fabric in her arms. "Not if he notices me first!" Ann argued and the two began fighting until their mother calmly broke it up. "Um…Stepmother," Sakuno nervously spoke as she watched them from the hall. Aoi stepped in front of her, shutting the door so her daughters would not hear. "What?" "I was wondering…that since the notice said anyone could attend…" Sakuno stopped for a moment as she tried to find the right words to sound polite and not desperate. "I was wondering if I could go too." Short and to the point. Sakuno looked up to see her stepmother glaring at her. Sakuno knew that she would never let her go to such a formal occasion, but her stepmother spoke different words. "On one condition."

Sakuno was tense. What hideous tasks would her stepmother force her to do? "You must do everything we ask you to do this week and you must make your own dress, I will NOT be giving you any money for it." Sakuno was somewhat relaxed now. I pretty much already do whatever they tell me to do, so it can't be that hard! "Of course! Thank you so much stepmother!" Sakuno exclaimed as she bowed lowly. "MOTHER! WE NEED NEW DRESSES!" The two were interrupted by the shrieks of Sakuno's selfish sisters. "This will be your first task," Aoi entered the room that was now a complete mess from her daughters tearing it up. "Write down what you want and CinderSakuno will pick them up immediately in the square!" Sakuno was actually excited! Why? Because that's where she met Ryoma! After the two were finished with their lists, they tossed them at Sakuno. "This is the only time I'll give you money. If there is anything less than what should be there, I'll punish you!"

Sakuno gulped as she slowly backed down the hall and ran down the stairs. Before she could finish, she heard a tiny voice." HELP CINDERSAKUNO! HELP!" She looked around and almost stepped on two small chibis. "T…Touji? Sengoku? What…" "HURRY! HURRY!" Touji began pulling on her shoe laces and Sengoku tried pushing her from behind. In a few moments, both were on the ground panting furiously. Sakuno quickly kneeled beside them to see what the problem was. "There's a little kid! A little kid!" They both cried out. "A child? In the house!" "He got stuck in one of those chibi contraptions!" Touji explained. "His whole leg is caught!" Sengoku added. Sakuno felt terrible! She thought she cleared all of the traps! "HURRY! Lead me to him!"

The three rushed down the stairs to see the other chibis around a small mouse trap. She heard small cries and whimpers as the group parted and Sakuno kneeled to see poor little Dan Taichi crying while his right foot was stuck under the metal bar of the trap. "Can you help him!" They all cried out. "Of course! I have to!" Sakuno gently pet the afraid little chibi on his head to calm him down. "I'll get you out, don't worry." Sakuno stuck her finger under the metal bar that was crushing the chibi's leg, and pulled up. "Hurry!" Sakuno called as the trap snapped down on her own finger. "PULL!" Sengoku grabbed onto Dan's hands and the others formed a line as they pulled him out. "There we go," Sakuno smiled as she slowly pulled her finger out of the trap. "OH NO! CINDERSAKUNO!" Sengoku exclaimed as he climbed onto her hand. Blood dripped from the soft skin. "The trap was pretty sharp," Sakuno held back tears and forced a smile as she picked up the quivering child.

"Hey there…what's your name?" "D…D…Dan…" The poor thing was completely terrified. "I'm Sakuno. You don't have to cry anymore. You have a lot of friends here who can take care of you and I will too, okay?" Dan wiped his eyes and smiled at her. "Thank you Sakuno!" The chibis cheered loudly as Dan hugged onto Sakuno's finger. "OH! I forgot! I need to go!" Sakuno didn't want to panic or she might cause the rest of her small friends to panic as well. "Here," she said as she gave Dan to Sengoku. "I'll be back later and I'll make you all a surprise!" With that, they waved goodbye to her and she ran up the stairs and out the door.

Into the village she ran, going from store to store, buying everything from dresses to trinkets. She'd run around for at least an hour or so before she felt herself growing tired. "Look at all this money I have left…OH! I know!" Sakuno ran into a fabric store, and bought several rolls of all the best colors she could find. "Phew. I'd better get back. They will love this gift so much!" Sakuno was so excited that she hadn't realized she was walking towards someone until she ran smack into them. "OH!" Sakuno dropped all of her things and swallowed. I keep bumping into people… Sakuno was afraid to look up until she noticed the small height difference. "RYOMA!" She looked up as he offered her his hand and pulled her up. "We have to stop bumping into each other like this," he said with a smile.

Sakuno laughed slightly and was surprised to see him smile so easily. "I…I'm sorry…I keep running into you…" "Who said it was a bad thing?" Ryoma had begun picking up the bags and Sakuno watched him. Ryoma… "You look kind of in a hurry. Did you get in trouble again?" Ryoma laughed sarcastically. "Well…I just made a deal with my stepmother…I just had to go out and buy some things." "Some things?" Ryoma looked through all the bags. "This looks like a little more than that." "It's just for the ball…" Sakuno wanted to ask Ryoma if he would be going, but was too shy to ask. "Are you going to go?" Sakuno was still in thought and didn't hear Ryoma the first time. "HEY! Are you going!" Sakuno jumped as she scratched her head. "S…Sorry…but I hope I can go. If I do what my stepmother says, then I can! I'm very excited!"

Ryoma listened intently, but he had begun looking over the young girl and noticed how poor she looked. It didn't make sense. If her stepmother had all this money, how come Sakuno dressed in rags? And why did she look thin and pale like a sheet? Sakuno had felt hungry for awhile, but hadn't noticed how hungry she was until her stomach growled loudly enough for both of them to hear. "Oh! I'm sorry!" Sakuno was too embarrassed and tried to run, but Ryoma's strong instinct had a feeling she might, and he yanked her right back. "Idiot. Don't run like that." "Sorry! SORRY!" Ryoma sighed loudly. "You can't keep apologizing to me. It's a bad habit."

"Hm. It looks like he's talking to a girl!" An energetic voice said. "Should we bug him?" "No, but we do need to get the Prince home soon. Come Eiji." "KAY FUJI!" The two strolled towards Ryoma and Sakuno as they continued conversing. "Excuse me…P…" Ryoma stopped Fuji in mid sentence with a dark glare. "I mean…Ryoma…We must be going. We have things to do." "YA KNOW! WE HAVE TO PREPARE F…" Ryoma gave Eiji the same deathly glare that he'd given Fuji and Eiji quieted down. "Fine…We can go, but first…" Ryoma lobbed a bag of coins to Fuji. "Get this girl something to eat. She's hungry. Got it?" "Yes. Of course!" Fuji and Eiji took off instantly. Sakuno was somewhat confused. Eiji and Fuji were two years older than Ryoma, yet they listened to his every word! "You didn't have to…" Sakuno reached her hand up as she explained, and began stuttering when Ryoma took her wrist in his hand.

"What is this?" Sakuno couldn't respond. She was too busy staring at their hands. Even though his was somewhat rough, his touch was gentle and his fingertips gave off a warm feeling that made her blush even more. "Your hand is bleeding. Did someone cut you?" Sakuno looked up to see an almost concerned look in Ryoma's eyes. "No…I was just helping…" Sakuno wasn't sure how to explain a small naked chibi. "Just helping a friend…he got caught in a trap so I helped him," she said with a content grin. "Why are you doing that?" Ryoma asked baffled by her action. "Why am I what?" Ryoma took his other hand and traced the smile along her face with his fingertips. "That…why are you smiling? You got hurt because your friend was careless." "No." Sakuno smiled even wider as she continued. "They are the ones that take care of me… I love my friends more than anything, and they love me too." Ryoma was surprised to see Sakuno tearing up as she spoke even if she was smiling. "I owe it to them. When you love someone…" Sakuno breathed in and put her hands over her heart as she closed her eyes. "Then you want to make that person happy, because that's the only way you'll be happy. You want to protect them and stay with them forever…That's why I did it."

Sakuno kept her eyes closed as she tried to find her center, and then she felt a smooth hand slide along her cheeks. Ryoma had moved his hands along her face to make the tears stop. "I don't like when you do that. Stop…" Sakuno felt touched. Ryoma had begun showing tender feelings for her. He brushed away the tears along her face and then took her hand again. Before she could protest, he had moved his tongue along the small cut, and then sucked on it until the blood stopped it's flow. Sakuno stared up at Ryoma for a moment and he looked back down at her. "RYOMA!" Eiji jumped behind him, and Ryoma dropped Sakuno's hands quickly. Fuji then presented Sakuno with a small box lunch. "There you go miss. Thank you for watching Ryoma while we were gone." Sakuno grinned happily and thanked them over and over. Fuji rested his hand on her head. "You are a very sweet girl. This is how you have been repaid for keeping our little Ryoma company." Ryoma groaned and Sakuno giggled. Some people in this world are kind…Even if it isn't a lot, there are still kind people.

She finished shortly and was about to be on her way when she realized something. "OH NO! Stepmother will kill me!" Sakuno freaked out, and the three boys watched in confusion as she burst into tears again. "Why are you doing that!" Ryoma shouted over her loud wails. "Stepmother said if I had any less money than I should, she will punish me!" Ryoma watched her for a moment, and then reached into his pocket. "How much did you spend by yourself?" "OH! I spent…" Sakuno spent a few moments as she counted, and instantly Ryoma stretched his hand out with the exact amount of money. "Take it." Sakuno shook her head. "OH NO! I couldn't! You need that money!" Eiji and Fuji smiled at each other as they watched the two younger children arguing over the money for a few moments until Sakuno finally obliged and took it. "Oh thank you! Thank you!" Sakuno said as she threw her arms around Ryoma. His eyes bulged in surprise, since he rarely was shown such affection. "AW! LOOK HOW CUTE YOU ARE!" Eiji teased.

After a few moments, Sakuno began picking up her bags and bowed to them. "Thank you for making my day so fun! I hope we can do this again one day, but I'd better get home. I'm already late." "We could give you a ride home…" Ryoma said quietly. "A ride?" "Are you afraid of horses?" Next thing Sakuno knew, she was riding on a lovely white stead with Ryoma's arms holding the reins behind her. She flushed as she felt his arms around her, even though it wasn't intentional. "You live pretty far out. How did you get here?" "OH! I walked of course! I always walk!" Ryoma looked down at the girl and wondered how she could manage to do something like that in such raggedy shoes! "Aren't you ti…" Ryoma barely begun his sentence when he felt the small body rest against him. Instead of moving away from her, Ryoma felt himself wrap his arms around her and press her into his chest. What am I doing?

Ryoma soon rested his chin on the top of her head and listened to her breathing as they silently made their way towards the house. "This place is pretty big…" As they went over a final hill to the house, Sakuno awoke. "Wh…What? I'm home…" "Yeah…" Ryoma felt as though he wanted to turn the horse around and keep her all to himself, but that wouldn't be fair to Sakuno. They stopped a few feet away and Ryoma jumped down and helped Sakuno off after him. She gathered the bags on her arms and bowed. "Thank you for everything Ryoma…um…It was really nice to be around such fun people." She giggled remembering how much Fuji and Eiji acted like Ryoma's brothers. The way they teased him, the way they helped him, and the way the treated him. "Good. I'm glad you stopped crying," he said. "OH! I'd better go! Thank you for everything!" Sakuno waved and ran into the house. Ryoma stood for a few minutes, just staring at the path and the small prints made by the delicate shoes. "Sakuno…" Ryoma shook his head and mounted his horse, riding off into the distance.

"Stepmother! I'm home!" Sakuno ran up the stairs hurriedly and met her stepmother in the hallway. "You got everything we needed?" "Yes of course! And here is the change!" Sakuno handed her stepmother the money that was still warm from Ryoma's pocket. Aoi snatched the packages from her, but noticed the extra fabric. Sakuno's eyes widened as her stepmother's face twisted into anger. "What is this! Buying things for yourself!" "Ste…Stepmother I…" The next thing Sakuno knew, she had been knocked to the floor. She shielded herself as her stepmother let out her rage for a few moments, then threw the bags full of fabric at her. "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT YOU BITCH! YOU GET NO SUPPER TONIGHT!" Sakuno hurried downstairs quickly and keeping the bags pressed into her heart. She broke into the basement and locked the door behind her. "CINDERSAKUNO IS BACK!"

The chibis ran around her feet as she moved to the center of the room, sitting in a chair. "Hello everyone. I figured out what I will make for you." Their eyes sparkled in excitement. "IS IT FOOD!" Marui and Jiroh said in unison. "That's part one!" Sakuno reached into her kimono, pulling out a large boxed lunch. "You could probably eat for days!" She carefully unwrapped it and watched as the chibis began eating contently. "I'll start a fire." Soon enough, Sakuno had set up a small mountain of pillows by the fire for her small friends as they enjoyed their buffet. "Now don't turn around until I'm done!" She said as she took a needle and thread and quietly began working with the thread while humming some small songs to herself.

Hours past as Sakuno stood up and skipped over to her small friends. "I'm done!" She called to them, and then they excited sprang up from their spots and danced around her. "LET'S SEE! LET'S SEE!" Sakuno then pulled out small tennis uniforms including shorts, shirts, shoes, and a track jacket. All the chibis were confused. "Um…CinderSakuno…" Sengoku spoke up. "Yes?" "How do we put them on?" Sakuno giggled in delight as she saw the looks on all their faces. "AW! I'll help you." Sakuno lined them up by their teams and then helped each of them with their small undergarments, then with their socks, and finally their uniforms. Soon enough, they were all dressed and looked absolutely adorable! "There you go guys!" Before she knew it, they were all crowding around her, giving her a huge hug. "WE LOVE YOU CINDERSAKUNO!" Sakuno scooped them all up into her arms and held them. "I love you too guys." They spent the rest of the night sharing their glorious feast and laughing and talking. Sakuno felt her heart fill with the joy that had been torn from it by her stepmother. I love these chibis…My family…I have to be strong for them. Later that evening, Sakuno had fallen asleep amongst the pillows, and while she slept her chibis planned.

"We have to help CinderSakuno! She's helped us so much! We owe her!" Sengoku stated. "OH!OH!" The tiniest one, Dan raised his hand high. "We should do what she did!" All of them listened to the words he spoke. "Let's make CinderSakuno a pretty dress so she can go to the ball!" The chibis all agreed. "LET'S DO IT!" For the next few days, they ran throughout the house, taking pieces of leftover fabrics, buttons, and beads to create the most beautiful kimono they could. Hour after hour they spent in their walls constructing their present to their wonderful friend. Thursday night had come around, and Sakuno had been worked relentlessly and had not found time to create a dress herself.

She sat downstairs by the fire, staring deeply into it. I wish I could go…but how could I now…it's…too late…She dabbed her eyes and felt a tap on her shoulder. "OH! Sengoku!" "Come on beautiful! We have something to show you!" Sakuno followed the small orange headed boy into the barn to find the most gorgeous blue kimono, a long strand of beads, and a pair of sandals resting on a rack. Sakuno's eyes widened in surprise as her chibis popped out, throwing flowers at her feet as she moved towards it. Katsuo neighed and Kachiro barked happily. The entire barn, chibi and animal celebrated their beautiful princess. Sakuno touched the fabric, pressed it against her and danced around the room in wonder. "This is the best present ever! Thank you so much!" The rest of the night, the barn celebrated their achievements with dancing and of course eating. Sakuno hadn't felt this happy since she got to this world until now.

"The ball starts in an hour! Let's go!" Aoi called to her two daughters who hurried down the stairs in their best dresses, even if they were still terribly ugly. "Look at you two! The prince will not be able to resist your charms!" "Oh let's hurry! I have to see that lovely prince!" Tomo said in a rather thrilled tone. "Yes! I shall woe him!" Ann added. "Well, we're leaving but it looks like CinderSakuno isn't here…I guess we should just…" "WAIT! I'M HERE!" The three turned and their mouths dropped to the floor as the most beautiful of all girls danced down the stairs. "Do you like my dress? I feel so wonderful!" She sang. NO NO NO! She cannot ruin the chances for my daughters! Aoi watched as Sakuno stood beside her daughters. It's no contest who the beauty is…DAMN HER! I have to stop her from coming! Aoi smiled evilly as she said, "Ann, are those not your beads?" Ann looked Sakuno over and realizing they were hers, ferociously snatched them off, sending them everywhere. "YOU STOLE MY BEADS! AND THESE ARE MINE!"

Soon enough, both Ann and Tomo were attacking poor Sakuno. They tore her dress up bit by bit! Even though most of the things were objects they discarded, they couldn't stand to see Sakuno wearing them better then they had! "Girls! That's enough," Aoi said after she was sure there was no way the dress could be put back together. Sakuno stood holding the rags left behind in place, she shook from tears that were building up in her eyes. "Well now. It seems as though you do not have a dress. How dreadful. Now you cannot attend the ball," Aoi sneered. Ann and Tomo giggled as they exited, and Aoi smiled at Sakuno as she began closing the door. "Goodnight CinderSakuno." And with that, the door shut. Sakuno heard the carriage pull away and there she stood…alone.

After several moments, she tore through the house, shedding the saddest tears anyone had ever seen. She passed through the barn where her chibis and animal friends had been resting, and they saw her in this depressing state and were in shock. "CINDERSAKUNO!" They cried, but her tears were so loud that she couldn't hear. She threw herself down in the middle of the large garden and cried on a bench as all the animals and chibis watched from a small distance. "Oh Ryoma…Ryoma…" Sakuno cried out. She wished so badly that he would be there to comfort her and love her like he had started to do. She wished that she could just go away from all of this. Everything was terrible! No matter how hard she wished, her dreams never seemed to come true. As she sobbed, a sparkling light moved along the garden and something behind CinderSakuno began to form…

Darling CinderSakuno was sure she would be able to go to the ball after accepting a deal with her wicked stepmother. CinderSakuno tried her hardest to please her cruel family, and she was doing a wonderful job. She then rescued a small chibi, and the longer she was with them, the more she realized how much she loved her small friends. One day, she met up with Ryoma in the market, and as noticed by Ryoma's two escorts Fuji and Eiji, there was a deep connection being made between these two. Riding home with her love was a dream. Ryoma himself was discovering a feeling that had been hidden deep within him for his entire life. What could it be? CinderSakuno continued her kindness, creating her chibis clothes and food, and in return they rewarded her with the most beautiful dress in the world! CinderSakuno was going to the ball! But alas…jealousy is an ugly monster and CinderSakuno's dreams were dashed as quickly as her kimono, and there she sat in the garden, watched by all that loved her as she sobbed quietly. A strange light had come towards her…what could it possibly be?