Disclaimer: I still don't own fruits-baskets. /goes to sob in corner/

A/N Yes, I know I owed you a chapter like a week ago or two... but it's
here now, so be happy! R and R!

Chapter 6: Dance! What?

"Wake up, princess," a maid, or lady-in-waiting as they preferred to be known, said gently shaking the sleeping girl, "Mademoiselle Leiko wants you ready for your lesson in one hour."

Tohru bolted out of bed, startling the red-haired lady-in-waiting. One hour!

A week ago, which felt like a lifetime now, an hour would have been all the time she needed, but now with the dresses so complicated that she needed help to get in and out of them, and the hair and makeup that she also had to let someone else do--did everyone in this castle think she was incompetent or something?--it only felt like a second. Her shower, which thankfully no one tried to help her with, was done in three minutes flat.

She returned to her room, towel drying her hair as she went. Her lady-in-waiting had just finished making the massive bed and had picked out her dress for the day. Tohru shook her head ruefully, she actually missed the days when she got to make her own bed; princesses--even princesses to be--didn't do chores.

She especially missed cooking which had been one of the biggest joys in her life. She had tried to get into the kitchen but the guards had refused her entry. It was supposedly dangerous... She supposed she was a fire hazard with the long skirts she had to wear.

Her lady-in-waiting, who for some reason reminded her of Kyo (it must've been the orange hair), bowed her way out of Tohru's bedchamber so that Tohru could put on her undergarments and then returned with five more ladies-in-waiting. Tohru quickly invented names for them.

There was 'Willow', a tall thin girl with sandy brown hair; 'Sunny', a shorter girl with gold hair who was always smiling; 'Mini-Leiko', a hard faced woman who always wore her black hair in a tight bun. Tohru wouldn't have been suprised to discover she was in fact Madmoiselle Leiko's daughter.

"Bunny" was obviously the youngest. She was very pale as if she didn't go outside much and she constantly bounced around her elders excitedly. "Étoile" was a beautiful girl with long black hair. She was always quiet and shy, but once Tohru had seen her smile and it had lit up the entire room. Just like a star. The last lady-in-waiting, the one who had woken Tohru, she called 'K' or 'Kay' because she reminded her so much of Kyo, but calling her 'Kyo' would just be strange.

Mini-Leiko and Willow instantly began helping Tohru into today's dress which was lavender with silver embroidery along the sleeves and the slightly dipped collar. Sunny and Bunny started on Tohru's make-up. It was supposed to look 'au natural' but she ended up wearing more make-up than she had in the rest of her life before she came to the castle. Combined, that is! Kay and Étoile worked on her hair. Kay blow-dried, brushed, curled and pinned while Étoile wordlessly handed her whatever tools she called for in a deep voice.

Tohru took it all in stride and attempted not to flinch as Kay practically ripped her hair out, or when Bunny almost poked her in the eye with the mascara brush. Or when Willow and Mini-Leiko tied her dress up so tight she could barely breath. Tohru felt like she was going to cry, but then her mascara would run and she really did not want Bunny to have to re-apply it.

As soon as the girls released her Tohru raced, or at least walked as quickly as she could, in skirts while acknowledging the servants bows with slight nods of her head and a smile. Some of the older servants smiled back as if she were a favorite daughter or perhaps a grand daughter, but the younger ones goggled at her even though she had already been in the palace for over a week. They obviously were not used to the attention from their masters.

The guards, on the other hand, did not let any expression flitter across their hard faces, though Tohru was sure she caught a glitter of amusement in a few of their eyes.

She finally arrived in the room where her princess lessons took place. Mademoiselle Leiko called it the "Chamber of Crystal Blossoms". Tohru called it the "Chamber of Living Hell", not aloud for obvious reasons. It was a plain room compared to the rest of the palace. It was painted a pale pink, had a few small windows framed with silky blue curtains and a small table and two chairs placed in the corner.

"You're late," Mademoiselle Leiko scolded as Tohru dropped a hasty curtsy.

She was actually getting pretty good at curtsying, she didn't wobble a bit anymore. And even more important she didn't get her legs twisted in her skirts. She had ripped more than one dress from curtsies gone wrong.

"My apologies, Mademoiselle Leiko, it will not happen again." Tohru replied meekly, her head still bowed.

Mademoiselle Leiko just gave a loud sniff of disapproval but she could not find anything else to scold Tohru on as she had followed protocol by the letter. Tohru could barely stop the corners of her mouth from twitching upwards. It wasn't often that Mademoiselle Leiko could not find something wrong with Tohru's performance. It wasn't often that Mademoiselle Leiko couldn't find a hundred things wrong with Tohru's performance.

"Today you will be learning a new skill," Mademoiselle Leiko explained.

She made it sound as if Tohru should already know all these "skills", which in all reality she should, if her mother had stayed at the palace she would have been raised knowing the protocol of royalty. On the other hand if Tohru's mother had stayed at the palace she never would have met Tohru's father, and Tohru wouldn't even be here. Tohru's stomach squirmed uncomfortably at the thought.

Tohru was so caught up in her thoughts she wasn't paying attention to Mademoiselle Leiko's ramblings until a singular word caught her attention.

"I have to do what!" Tohru shouted in panic.

Mademoiselle Leiko glared at the young girl who was busy trying not to faint.

"'What must I do'," she corrected snobbishly, "and you must learn how to dance. What did you expect to do at the ball being held in your honor?"

It was a rhetorical question but Tohru, whose brain was still reeling from the news, answered anyway. "Sit there and look pretty?" She responded in a hopeful tone.

"No, you silly girl," Mademoiselle Leiko sneered, "You will be dancing with every eligible bachelor. This ball won't only announce your eligibility for the crown, but for marriage. It is at this ball you will meet your future husband."

This time Tohru did faint.

Yuki was curled up in his favorite chair with some light reading material.

When he said "light" he meant the entire history of Mayuko. It was one thing in particular that caught his eye, the traditional grand ball held in honor of the next heir to the throne. He remembered hearing from one of the servants that this was going to be the biggest and best one yet and that nobles and royalty from all over the world were coming to see the "Missing Princess" as they had christened Tohru.

"She's going to be what!" Yuki shouted re-reading the line over again.
He was so absorbed in his reading he did not notice Miss Linya's reproving, "Shhhhh".

I think I'm going to be sick, Yuki thought pathetically, Tohru's going to be engaged--in three weeks.

As Yuki stumbled past the librarian's desk Miss Linya asked worriedly, "Are you okay? You look pale."

"I--," he began and changed what he had been planning on saying, "Tohru's going to get engaged."

The smile on her face pitied him, but Yuki didn't want her pity. He wanted Tohru. "In three weeks she's going to be engaged to someone she doesn't even know and there's nothing I can do about it."

Yuki wiped his hand across his face and it came away wet. He couldn't believe he was crying. Actually crying! Like a baby--how embarrassing.

Miss Linya's expression did no longer pity, he couldn't read it but maybe that's because she was all blurry... "Become one of the suitors." she said in a strong voice.

"What? Can I do that? How can I? I'm not a prince or a noble. I'm nobody."

Miss Linya smiled patiently. "Since you are a friend of the princess you are obviously going to be invited to the ball. While you are there you must ask the king for permission to marry Tohru. If you impress him and he agrees, then you will be the one she marries."

"But how am I going to impress the king?" Yuki asked, hope lacing his words.
He actually had a chance!

"Well first," she said scanning him with her eyes, "We need to get you some proper clothes--"

"What's wrong with my clothes," Yuki demanded cutting in, but Miss Linya just continued on as if she did not hear him.

"--and then we need to teach you how to talk, walk, act--" She ticked of every word with a finger as Yuki made small noises of protestations. "--and finally, you need to learn how to dance."

"Dance?" Yuki gulped. What have I gotten myself into?

What have I gotten myself into? Kiyoshi thought as he marched stiffly through the hallways, giving brief nods of acknowledgement to the guards who saluted him. I've only known her for a week and my mind is already jumbled.

The girl he was referring to was obviously Tohru Honda, the princess and future heir to the throne of Mayuko. He was her Prince-General, her bodyguard in essence, but he couldn't stay close to her and do his job properly. Whenever they were in the same room he found himself relaxing, he probably wouldn't even notice if a man walked in the room with a gun shouting "I'm going to kill the princess".

Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but she did cause his mind to go into a fog. He attempted to shake her image out of his mind but it refused to disperse. Cradle robber, he accused himself disgustedly, she can't be more than 16...and she's the PRINCESS! Your duty, remember your duty!

"My life before the crown," he muttered under his breath, "Until the sun winks out, the seas dry up and breath leaves my body. Ever after."

Unconsciously he twirled the ring around his finger, the symbol of his position. The one she would one day wear in his stead. It seemed heavier than he remembered.

A servant ran past him eyes worried. "What happened," Kiyoshi yelled after the man.

"It's the princess," he called over his shoulder not even slowing, "Madmoiselle Leiko sent me after the royal physician."

Tohru!

Kiyoshi broke into a run, she would be in the Chamber of Falling Blossoms for her morning training. My life before hers...The thought continued to echo through his head. Gods! Let her be alright.

Thanks to all my amazing reviewers! You guys are great and thank you for being so patient.I swear I'm updating as fast as I can, but I do have a life outside of writing no matter how strange that may seem. /giggles/ I'll update again as soon as I can. If anyone has any ideas for a different story title please say so in your review, or if you have any favourite quotes from any of my stories please say so in your review.

MegTao out!