A/N: Heh, sorry about the delay in updating… I was… erm… busy… :awkward face: ANYWAY! Here is the next, "penultimate" – haha big word! – chapter in "Kurama's Stalker". It's kinda "blah blah blah, la-de-dah" but… OH WELL! XD Still a chapter. Heheh. Enjoy, please review!

32. The Dance and Evil Cliffhangers

It was Friday morning, and everybody was excited at Black Panda High. The dance was that night at seven, and everywhere you went, students were chatting animatedly about their dates, their dresses, and if they planned to kiss or not.

But there was one person who was especially excited—Kurama. Tonight was the night he would finally find out who his stalker was! He could hardly sleep the previous night; he kept tossing and turning, thinking about who his stalker could possibly be. But he was still bright and perky in the morning, especially after he had found a note in his locker:

Today's the day. See you at the dance. :-P

-Your Secret Admirer

Kurama smiled, tucking the note into his textbook for first period. He would carry it with him all day….

Finally, it was almost time for the dance. All of the students at Black Panda High were at their homes, getting ready for the school's last dance of the year. The girls were all putting on their stylish dresses; the boys were suiting up in their suits and ties, their nice sweaters and khakis…

But one boy wanted to look extra-spiffy for that night. Kuwabara posed in front of his mirror, admiring the ancient tuxedo that used to belong to his father. He adjusted the corsage on his lapel and grinned. He thought that he looked nice. He glanced at the clock. It was 6:30. He had to go and pick up his date. He grabbed a couple hundred dollar bills off his dresser and dashed off to the garage.

He dragged out his old two-person bicycle and pedaled as fast as he could down the street, glancing occasionally at the slip of paper that his date, Kira Atoshi, had given him with her address. He finally found the house and hopped off his bike, adjusting his collar as he rang the doorbell.

Kira's father opened the door, a cold, hard stare on his mustachioed face. Kuwabara nervously cleared his throat and said, "Good evening, sir. I am Kazuma Kuwabara, and I'm here to pick up your daughter."

Without saying a word, Kira's father opened the door further, revealing the sullen-looking second year. The father and daughter were almost identical; they both had cold stares that sent shivers up Kuwabara's spine, they both had the same chocolate-brown hair, and even almost the same body build.

Kuwabara smiled weakly and held out his hand for Kira, who ignored his romantic gesture. She wore a stunning white, spaghetti-strap silk dress that went down to her ankles and was decorated with sparkly sequins. She looked absolutely beautiful. "Uh, you look great," said Kuwabara. Kira ignored him again; she waved to her parents and shut the door behind her.

"All right, I'm here, now fork over the money," Kira ordered sharply, holding out her hand.

Kuwabara hesitated. "I dunno…"

"You have the money, don't you?" asked Kira brusquely.

"Yeah, but—"

"Then hand it over."

"But… what if you just take off with the money?"

Kira smiled coldly. "Well, now, it turns you really aren't quite the hopeless dimwit I expected. Well, you can trust me, Kazuma Kuwabara, because my parents are expecting me to be out the whole night. My father spent a lot of money on this dress, and I don't want to let his gracious spending go to waste. Otherwise, I would just run off with your money."

That made Kuwabara feel a little bit better. "Okay," he said, digging out two hundred-dollar bills from his pocket and handing them to Kira, who stuffed them in her purse. "Now hop on!" he said, gesturing to his old two-person bicycle. Kira looked momentarily disgusted, but she shrugged when she knew that Kuwabara was younger and couldn't drive, so she would just have to go to the dance in a less glamorous fashion…

Yukina walked along the darkening city streets on her way to the Black Panda High School. She was wearing a light, summery white yukata with an ocean-blue colored obi and matching sandals. Her hair was put up into a decorated messy bun, accented with shimmering silver sparkles and a shiny gold ribbon. She looked absolutely stunning as she quietly walked on the sidewalk, thinking about her anonymous date for the night…

I can't wait to find out who he is, she thought happily. Then she looked down in sadness. But… what if he doesn't come…? What if all that was just a joke… or just a dream? She shook her head, erasing that thought from her head. She looked up and saw a twittering blue jay in a tree and seeing it made her happy again. I'll bet that bird is telling me to have a good time, Yukina thought, smiling and picking up her pace. Don't worry, bird. I will have a good time…

"Hurry up, Botan! We're gonna be late!" Yusuke cried impatiently, standing in the entryway of Botan's small house.

"Just a minute, Yusuke, I have to put on my makeup!" Botan said.

"Stop putting on your stupid makeup!" he yelled. "You look fine the way you are!"

Botan in the bathroom smiled as she recapped her tube of lipstick. You look fine the way you are… he had said. Yusuke didn't know it, but that meant a lot to Botan. It meant that he didn't like her just because she was pretty, he liked her for the way she was. And that's what she wanted. She wanted Yusuke to love her for her personality and charm. She stepped out of the bathroom, grabbing her purse and smiled at Yusuke.

Yusuke's eyes widened as he tried to take in all of Botan's beauty. She was wearing a long, pink dress that looked very similar to her normal ferrygirl kimono, but it looked even more beautiful. Her hair was still in the high ponytail, but the ends were all curled and had a special spray in them to make them light and bouncy. Yusuke grinned and said, "You look great."

"Thanks," Botan said. "You look good too." She nodded at his black dress pants with a slight tear in the knee and crisp, white, untucked dress shirt with a button-up front and pocket on his chest. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting. Let's go."

Hiei walked down the street, his hands in the pockets of his baggy black pants. He decided to go to the dance that was at Kurama's school, just to see what it was like. He was also secretly hoping that Shizuru would come… He had tried to dress up for the occasion, but he decided that he didn't look good in khakis or dress sweaters, so he went in his usual attire—the black pants and ripped blue tank shirt. He also carried his katana in a hilt, just in case…

Shizuru was walking down the opposite side of the street, not really looking where she was going. She was also headed for the dance at her brother's high school. Her reason was that she wanted to "look after baby bro", but the real reason was that she hoped to meet up with Hiei… She wasn't the type of person for dressing up either, so she was wearing a nice pair white gauchos and a matching blazer over a silky white tank top.

The two kept walking from opposite ends, neither watching where they were walking. In a moment's time, they both ran into each other—literally. Hiei's head collided with her chest, and Shizuru nearly tripped.

They both looked up, embarrassed. "Sorry," they said at the same time, blushing.

Shizuru smiled. "Hey, there, runt," she said. "What are you doing out at this hour?"

Hiei blinked. "I think I should be asking you the same question," he said, the tiniest hint of a tease in his voice.

Shizuru didn't answer. She looked away at a spot on the ground and said, "I asked you first."

Hiei scowled. He didn't want to tell her that he was looking forward to meeting her at the school dance. Shizuru's eyes locked on his, and she knew his answer without him having to say it. "You came to go crash the dance, didn't you?" she asked, a smile playing on her lips.

"Hn," Hiei grunted.

"Me too," said Shizuru, putting her hands in her blazer's pockets. "I was actually kind of hoping I'd run into you here."

Hiei's eyes widened. "Really." he said, more of a statement then a question. Shizuru nodded anyway. Hiei looked down. "Hn… me too…" he said, barely audibly.

Shizuru smiled again. "Let's go, then!" She grabbed his hand and they ran to the school. Hiei had to keep slowing down for Shizuru to catch up, but they were both laughing and having fun.

"I think you beat me," Shizuru said as Hiei tapped his foot impatiently at the school's entrance. "Yeah, I think I did," said Hiei as he held the door open for Shizuru.

Kurama, dressed his own nice, off-white, Chinese-style dress shirt and matching pants, entered the gym through the back way and looked in at the glamorous interior. The gym had been decorated with multi-colored balloons, streamers, and confetti; it looked very festive and cheerful.

Kurama stepped in, looking for his stalker. He remembered what she had said almost two weeks ago: "I will meet you at the school. I'll be wearing red dress and carrying a red rose with a gold ribbon tied around it. Look for me."

He looked around for anybody with a red dress or a red rose. He finally spotted someone, standing in the far corner of the gym. His heart pounding with excitement, he made his way toward her.

She was wearing a spaghetti-strap, knee-length red dress with matching high-heeled shoes. In one hand, she held a perfect, beautiful, red rose with a gold ribbon tied around it, and in the other she held a fan with a cherry blossom pattern on it. The fan covered up most of her face except her eyes. However, her eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses, and the rest of her head was hidden under a black baseball cap with a flame on it. Kurama smiled at her; he knew this was the girl. Why else would she make so much trouble just to hide her identity at a formal dance?

The girl lowered her fan and smiled at him, handing him the flawless red rose. She then took off her sunglasses, folded them up, and put them in her purse. Next, she removed her baseball cap, letting her hair cascade back down and rest around her shoulders. She looked absolutely beautiful, now that she had revealed herself as…

NEXT TIME: UNVEILING THE STALKER AND A DANCE TO REMEMBER!

A/N: Dun dun dun! XD

--crazykitsune17--