The Prince's Surprise

Rating: K+

Daichi grimaced as Kukai tightened the green bow tie around his neck. He stuck out his tongue when Kukai dropped a black jacket and a pair of shiny, black shoes in front of him.

"Aw, c'mon, Kukai... You gotta be kiddin' me!"

Kukai sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Look, Dai. I'm not any more excited about this thing than you are. Mom is thrilled about it, so we'll just grin and bear it, alright? Besides, the other guardians are coming too. It's just a formal ball thing to make mom happy."

Daichi muttered a few curses as he buttoned up the jacket. "You're such a mama's boy..."

Kukai glared over at his friend. "I said the other guardians are coming." Kukai smirked. "You'll get to spend a whole evening with Temari-chan..." He taunted.

Daichi blushed and looked away. "Who cares? The only thing that girl cares about is her kimono."

Kukai ruffled Daichi's hair. "Then use your charm, you lazy ass. It's in there somewhere."

Daichi shrugged. "Maybe. I still don't get this formal ball thing."

"It's one of those charity balls, Daichi. We've been to one before."

"Yeah, yeah. I'd rather be sleeping. Or playing soccer..."

Kukai sighed. "So would I. Now put on your shoes. Mom's going to have a heart attack if I'm not down there to greet guests when they start arriving."

Daichi groaned as he tied his laces. "These are so uncomfortable! How long does this dance last, anyway?"

"Until midnight. Then people start leaving. So everyone will be gone by one. Tadase's spending the night here, though. Since his dad is away too, our moms want to do that girly sleepover thing."

Daichi nodded. "So that means that Kiseki will be here?"

Kukai sent him a glare. "Yes. So please don't make a complete ass of yourself. I know you don't really like him, but at least attempt to be civil."

Kukai received a snort. "Yeah, right. I don't want to take over the world. I want to play sports."

"KUKKKAAAI-CHAN!!! GUESTS ARE GOING TO BE HERE ANY MINUTE!"

Kukai rolled his eyes and scooped Daichi up onto his shoulder. "Ready, buddy?"

Daichi scoffed. "As ready as I'll ever be."

The two made their way down the steps into the entrance hall and found Kukai's mother pacing around frantically.

"Are the caterers ready? Is the lighting prepared? How about the music?" She jumped three feet in the air when Kukai placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, Mom. Chill out, okay? Everything's going to be fine."

His mom took a deep breath and swallowed him into a hug. "Oooh Kukai-chan! You look so cute in your little suit!"

"Thank you, Mom. You look gorgeous."

Daichi nudged Kukai in the ribs. "I told you that you were a mama's boy." He snickered.

Kukai's mother was completely ignorant, as she was too fascinated with telling her son every last detail about the crème-colored gown she was wearing. Her concentration broke when the doorbell rang.

"That should be the Hotori's! I told them to arrive early so Rin and Tadase could set their stuff down. I told you they were spending the night, didn't I?"

Kukai nodded. "Yes ma'am." He walked over to the door and opened it, smiling when he saw the elegant blonde woman and Tadase standing right behind her.

"Hello, Hotori-san, Tadase."

The blonde woman smiled. "Hello, Kukai-chan! You look so cute in that suit! You and Tadase-chan could be twins!" Kukai took her bag as the blonde swept through the doorway and embraced her friend with a hug.

"Mitsuko!"

"Rin!" The two women eagerly began chatting. Rin pulled her bag from under Kukai's arm.

Kukai's mother turned to the boys with a smile. "Since you two are already dressed, do you mind watching the door for guests?"

Kukai blinked and looked to the clock. "It's only 6:30, mom. They don't start arriving until, what, 7?"

Mitsuko shrugged. "Please, Kukai-chan? What if someone comes early?"

Kukai rolled his eyes. "No problem, mom. Have fun."

The two women were gone in a heartbeat. Daichi threw his arms into the air and glared at Kukai. "Isn't that what you have butlers for?! You don't look like a butler to me!"

Kukai laughed and turned his attention to Tadase. "So..."

Tadase grinned, eyeing his friend's guardian. "Nice bow tie, Daichi."

Daichi growled and began fiddling with it, but Kukai stopped him with a glare.

"Want me to get someone to take your bag up?"

Tadase nodded. "That'd be great!"

Kukai nodded to a butler who took the bag up to one of the guest bedrooms.

"So..." Tadase put his hands behind his head. "What's a charity ball like?"

Kukai groaned and put his hands on his forehead. "You sit through 5 hours of women chatting and begging you to dance. The only thing I can say is at least there's food. And mom always wants me to dance with everyone's daughter as good manners. So be prepared because she'll talk your mom into getting you to do the same thing."

Tadase sat down next to him on the stairs. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"Well it is!" Daichi began pacing again. "We could be practicing or playing video games or better yet- sleeping! But we can't because Kukai here is a mama's boy and does everything his mama says!"

Kukai rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Dai. So where's Kiseki?"

Tadase laughed. "He's scheming about using this ball to take over the world. I'm not really sure how, but if there's a way he'll find it."

"A-hem!!" The three boys turned to see Kiseki approaching them, wearing his crown and cape. Kiseki paused, raising a brow at Daichi, and then turned to Tadase. "I do not appreciate being left in your suitcase and being taken to some chamber that doesn't even constitute servants' quarters!" He pouted and sat himself down on Tadase's shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Kiseki. I thought I'd put you in my pocket."

Kiseki scoffed. "You didn't."

Daichi rolled his eyes. "You're such a drama king."

Kiseki snorted. "You're a lazy insubordinate!"

Kukai and Tadase both sighed. "Can you two please, just for today, try to get long?" Kukai pleaded.

"I will if he will." They agreed at the same time, and then glared at each other.

"... Jinx! You owe me a soda, Kiseki!"

"What!? A soda?! That cannot be possible! As your king, it is you who owe me a soda!"

Tadase placed a hand to his forehead and Kukai's temper flared. "What did we just ask, you guys?"

They both muttered quick apologies and retreated to their partner's shoulder.

"So... the girls are coming, right?"

Kukai nodded. "Yeah. They're getting ready at Nadeshiko's place and then coming over."

"Why do girls always get ready together? Is it some kind of secret ritual or something?" Daichi mused.

"I don't know, Dai. But it's probably something like that."

The boys sat in silence for awhile until Kukai suggested they go play video games to pass the time.

"Sounds good."

---

Not even 15 minutes later, guests began arriving. Kukai's mother beat him to welcoming guests. They formed a receiving line and welcomed guests into the main ball room. Kukai had never held a fake smile for so long.

Daichi made comments about how ugly some of the women looked the whole time Kukai was forced to shake hands. Kukai found it hard to maintain a straight face.

Eventually the girls arrived. Amu was wearing a silk, black dress that swept the floor and had a tight fit that made his mouth hang open a bit. Yaya's dress was strapless and ended above her knees with lace that stuck out the bottom. It was a light pink color.

Nadeshiko's dress absolutely blew him away. It was a low cut, but not so low it looked slutty. It flared out at the bottom and ended right below her knees. The deep blue color looked stunning with her hair.

"Uh..." Daichi snickered and elbowed Kukai in the back of the head. "And I'm crushing on Temari?" He whispered.

Nadeshiko grinned. "Hey Kukai-kun, Daichi."

Daichi snickered when Kukai still didn't reply because he was staring. Amu and Yaya giggled at his reaction and Nadeshiko blushed a bit.

"You look nice." He managed to stutter.

Nadeshiko blush turned a shade darker. "Thank you, Kukai. You look handsome, too."

Kukai blushed as well.

His mother nodded when Kukai mouthed if he could leave, so Kukai escorted his three female friends into the ball room.

Amu's mouth hung open a bit. "Kukai, how come you never told us you were so rich?"

Kukai laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "You never asked."

Yaya noticed Daichi floating next to Kukai. "So it's okay to have them out?"

Kukai looked over to her. "Hm?" He looked to where she was pointing. "Oh, yeah! Everyone here is going to be an adult. There might be a few kids, but they'll be older than us."

Immediately Ran popped out, twirling around in her hot pink dress. "So we're allowed to dance?!"

Kukai laughed. "I don't see why not! Of course, you might get stepped on if you dance here. But there's another ballroom upstairs. It's the more casual one, but the music down here will play up there. I'll have Daichi go with you."

Daichi froze. "Wait, what?"

Kukai smirked. "Oh yes. Daichi would love to dance with all of you. All night."

Temari, Su, and Miki joined Ran. "He would?" They questioned.

Daichi blushed. "But I didn't-"

"He would." Kukai answered, smirking at his guardian character. "Why don't you guys find Kiseki and go on up?"

Daichi muttered a few words under his breath. "Fine. Follow me." They were about to leave when Su turned to Yaya. "What about Pepe-chan?"

Yaya smiled. "Pepe-chan is sleeping. She's not much of a dancer, anyway. Don't worry about her!"

The guardians nodded. "Okay." Daichi commanded. "Let's go get Kiseki."

"And then you'll dance with us!?" Ran giggled, grabbing one of his arms.

"Please?" Temari grabbed the other, causing a faint blush to appear on Daichi's face.

"Y-yeah." He stuttered. "C'mon."

Su and Miki followed, Miki somewhat grudgingly.

Su looked to her friend questioningly. "Why are you so tense all of a sudden? You look great in that gown!"

Miki examined her floor length dress. "You don't think it's a bit much?"

"Of course not! You look so pretty! I bet Kiseki will love it!"

Miki blushed, cluing Su in on what what's making her so nervous.

"Don't worry about him!"

"But he's so cute, Su!"

Su giggled. "And you look beautiful. He's going to want you as his queen."

Miki's blush darkened tremendously, making Su giggle louder. She grabbed Miki's hand and tugged her forward to catch up with Ran.

---

Miki struggled to catch her breath as she was dragged forcefully by her friends on their quest for Kiseki.

"He doesn't like me. And I told you this dress was too tight..."

Temari waved off her comment. "Nonsense, Miki-chan. You and the little king are just so cute together! You'd better ask him to dance with you!" Her eyes darkened and her mouth formed a snarl. "Or Else."

Daichi laughed. "I have to say I agree with her. I don't understand how anyone could like that spoiled brat, but hey."

Miki sighed as Ran and Su agreed with their other guardian friends. "We're so setting you up, Mi-chan!" Su giggled.

"And he's going to ask you to dance! You won't have to do anything! And he'll ask you out of looove!" Ran and Su both sighed dreamily while Miki just crossed her arms over her chest.

"I still hate this dress. It's way too revealing."

Ran sighed. "It's not! It actually fits you! That's why you think it's tight!"

Su nodded her head in agreement. "You're clothes are way too baggy!"

Miki shrugged. "They're comfortable."

"We never said they weren't! Would it kill you to uncross your arms and actually flaunt what you've got?!" Ran pleaded.

Miki was about to reply when she saw Kiseki floating a few feet away. Her jaw hung open and halted her response.

Since the other guardians were expecting a sarcastic reply, they turned their attention to Miki and saw her gaping at the king.

Daichi snickered. "Someone's got a wee bit more than a little crush, don't they?"

Miki blushed and looked away from him quickly, choosing not to comment.

Ran rolled her eyes. "At least we found him. Let's go get him and dance!" She grabbed Daichi's arm. "You said you'd dance with me, right? I want to dance!"

Temari clung to his other arm, causing a noticeable blush to rise on Daichi's face. "No way! I have dibs on the first dance with Daichi! Do you have a problem with that?!"

Daichi sweatdropped as Ran whimpered away from the snarling girl. "N-no."

Su, meanwhile, had bounced over and tapped Kiseki on the arm. "Kiseki-kun! Come on! We're going to go dance!"

Kiseki snorted, turning away from the blonde. "Why would I want to attend a party with commoners such as yourself?" He flicked his hair backwards and held his head snootily. "I do not dance with such people."

Su sighed and turned back to her friends with a helpless shrug. Daichi shook Temari off his arm and glided over to her.

"I'll handle it." He replied. "Just go ahead on up to the other ballroom. Temari should know where it is."

"Okay!" Su floated over to her 3 friends and relayed his message, and Daichi watched Temari lead the group out of the formal ballroom.

Daichi took in a deep breath, praying to someone somewhere that'd he'd have the patience to handle Kiseki without blowing a fuse. He then approached Kiseki.

"Hey dude."

Kiseki turned with a raised brow. "I am not a "dude". I am your king."

Daichi was about to retort when he remember his whole "patience" theme. "Alright..." He gritted his teeth. "...Your highness."

Kiseki smirked, noticing how irritated Daichi was getting. He couldn't keep the smile off his face as he raised his hand and examined his nails. "I prefer being addressed as "Your Majesty"."

Daichi let out a huff. "Fine then, your Majesty."

Kiseki's expression returned to his normal serious look as he glanced at his green-haired companion. "Yes?"

"Kukai said we're supposed to go up to the other ballroom to dance. The girls all want to dance and there are way too many of them for just me. So-"

"So you need my help?" Kiseki scoffed. "I do not dance with such commoners."

Daichi was about to burst into a rant when an idea popped into his head. He inwardly smirked and replied with a casual. "Oh, really?"

Kiseki nodded, unaware of the change in Daichi's tone of voice. "Of course! Such commoners are not worthy of my attention. Besides, we have that embryo to find!"

Daichi nodded, trying to keep the smirk from spreading into a full out grin. "Are you sure it's that, or can you just not dance?"

Kiseki was alarmed. "Excuse me?"

"Isn't that awful? Our king can't dance. That's why he won't come up to the ballroom. He simply is afraid to dance. Wait, he's not afraid, he can't]!" Daichi placed a hand to his cheek. "My, what would our lady friends say if they found out their great king is incapable of such an easy task?"

Kiseki was boiling with fury by the time Daichi was done. "I MOST CERTAINLY CAN DANCE!" He regained his composure with a small huff. "I can dance. I'm much better at it than you, foolish insubordinate. How dare you challenge your king?"

"Well, your majesty, I'm not so sure about that. You can dance, sure, but can you actually charm a girl?"

Kiseki's face reddened with anger. "Charm a lady? Of course I can! I am the king! I am the best at everything!"

Daichi's attempt to keep the grin off his face failed. "I challenge you, your majesty. I dare you to dance with a girl and charm her tonight."

"What?! You cannot dare your king to do such a-"

"Oh, that's alright. I understand if you're not capable of -"

"I am perfectly capable of it! Do you dare challenge that again?"

"Oh no, your majesty. I'm just not sure if I believe you because I've never seen you dance."

"I can dance! And I most certainly can charm a woman!"

"Prove it."

"I will!"

Daichi smiled. "Awesome! You accepted my dare."

"What? But-"

"Your Majesty! Backing out of dares is completely unheard of!"

Kiseki grumbled. "Fine, fine." He waved his hand. "Then I will dance and charm-"

Daichi interrupted him. "No! I get to choose the girl. You're going to charm Miki."

Kiseki snorted. "The one that looks like a boy?"

Daichi twitched. "Um, I probably wouldn't tell her that. You're supposed to charm her, not make her upset."

Kiseki rolled his eyes. "Why that one? Of course, she is less annoying that the Joker's other two, but Temari-"

Daichi glared. "Not Temari. Miki. M-I-K-I."

Kiseki looked to Daichi with raised brows and a faint smirk. "You possess affection towards the fighter, do you not?"

Daichi blushed and looked away. "I don't know what you're talking-"

Kiseki's smirk grew. "If you dare me to dance and charm Miki, I accept your dare. And I dare you to kiss Temari. Not on the hand or cheek. A full on-the-lips kiss."

Daichi's eyes narrowed. "You can't do that!!!"

Kiseki's eyebrows sprung up. "Oh? I can't? Are you too afraid? A scaredy cat, hm?"

Daichi growled. "I am NOT afraid!"

"Prove it."

"I will!"

Kiseki grinned. "Awesome dude." He mocked. "You just accepted my dare."

Daichi's eyes widened. "Wait a second- HEY! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

Kiseki's eyes sparkled with laughter. "But I thought backing out of dares was unheard of?"

Daichi glared. "Fine. You're on, prince."

Kiseki huffed and readjusted his cape. "I do believe you mean 'King'."

Daichi sighed. "Fine. C'mon." He led Kiseki out of the ballroom, grimacing at the thought of Temari's reaction to a kiss.

"I must say, commoner, your plan was clever. So clever you yourself fell for it."

Daichi spun around and gave Kiseki a questioning look. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

When Kiseki didn't respond, Daichi shook his head and laughed.

"You're a piece of work, you know that?"

"Hm..."

---

Miki pulled at the collar of her gown as the other three girls complimented each other and danced to the music.

She glanced around the room, floating down to land on the marble floor with a soft 'clink'. For an informal ballroom, Miki thought it was absolutely gorgeous. She wandered about the room, examining each piece of furniture intently and admiring the artwork on the walls.

She was thankful the dress was long enough that it covered her feet. Balancing in the ridiculous shoes she was wearing would be simply impossible. She sighed. Maybe I do need to dress up more once in a while. The only thing she enjoyed about the shoes was the noise they made when she walked. Other than that, this whole outfit can burn in hell.

She was wearing a princess dress, much to her dismay. She twirled in front of the mirror in the ballroom. It was a pretty dress. It was just so tight. She glanced over to her friends and smiled when she saw they were still dancing. It wasn't that Miki didn't like to dance, she was just afraid of making a fool out of herself in front of him. She let out a soft sigh.

"Thinking about him again, huh, Mi-chan?" Miki glanced up to see her blonde sister.

"Y-yeah..." Miki looked back down to the marble floor, blushing. Su just giggled.

"Well, he's not here yet. So let's dance!" Su grabbed Miki's hands and tugged her towards the other dancing girls.

Miki just laughed, pulling Su's hands from her own. "I think I'll watch for now, okay?"

"Are you sure, Miki?" Temari popped up besides Su.

"Yeah, Miki! Let's dance!" Ran grabbed both of Miki's hands and twirled around. "Come on! Shake that booty!"

Miki tugged her hands away once again. "No, really, guys. I'm fine. I don't want to dance with you."

Miki jumped three feet in the air when someone placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see who it was and just about fainted.

"She doesn't want to dance with the three of you. She wants to dance with me." Kiseki grabbed Miki's hands and lifted one to his lips. He kissed her hand, making Miki's blush even harder.

"May I have this dance, fair lady?" He asked. Miki just stared at him.

"E-excuse me?"

"I asked you if you'd like to dance with me." Kiseki frowned. She should be ecstatic at the mere thought of a dance with someone such as me. Charming this commoner will be a piece of cake.

"I..." Miki just stuttered, staring at the boy she had crushed on for so long.

Kiseki rolled his eyes. "I'll take that as a yes." He placed one of his hands on the small of Miki's back and led her out onto the dance floor. He lifted one of her arms to his shoulder and took the other one in his free hand. "Ready?"

Miki just nodded, shocked beyond belief.

Kiseki began as a new song played through the room. He pulled Miki a bit closer to him as he led her in their waltz.

Meanwhile, Ran, Su and Temari stared at Daichi wide-eyed.

"What did you say to him?"

"Why is Kiseki dancing?! He doesn't dance!"

"And with Mi-chan! How did you manage that?"

Daichi just laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "I dared him too."

The girls' faces dropped.

"A dare?" Ran said, disappointed.

Daichi nodded. "It worked, didn't it?"

Su shook her head. "That's not the point. Miki's going to think he's actually interested in her."

Temari sighed. "She'll be heartbroken when she finds out it was only because he was dared."

Daichi rubbed his forehead. "Well, we'll just have to keep it a secret, huh?" The four of them turned to watch the dancing couple.

A smile danced across Temari's lips. "They're cute."

Ran agreed. "Not only that, they're so good for each other!"

Daichi rolled his eyes. "Girls..." He muttered.

Temari turned to him. "You promised me a dance!"

Daichi frowned. "Did not."

Temari's eyes glowed. "Yes. You. Did."

Daichi growled and led her by the hand out onto the dance floor. Ran and Su both giggled.

With a heavy sigh, Daichi began to dance with Temari. I can't kiss her. She doesn't like me like that at all. Daichi blushed as Temari wiggled closer to him. Her hair brushed the side of his face. Maybe I can fake it. Like trip and end up kissing her. Something where she wouldn't rip me a new one if I kissed her.

---

Miki couldn't believe it. She just couldn't. He was dancing with her. He was actually touching her. Miki couldn't remember the last time he'd touched her purposefully. He didn't even touch her accidentally. She could barely catch her breath. She tried closing her eyes to regain a bit of her composure, but he was there in her mind.

She wished she had worn gloves. My hands are probably so sweaty he thinks I just washed them. She tried to hide her blush, but she just couldn't. He was so close to her and he smelled so good. And then he pulled her closer. He pulled me closer!

Kiseki was trying to pay as little attention to the blue shugo as he could. He'd seen her in her dress as he and Daichi snuck in, and he hadn't believed his eyes. Miki had actually looked like a girl. He calmed himself down a bit and flicked his hair to the side with a toss of his head.

She looked nice. He'd have to tell her that. I can't believe I have to charm the commoner. He sighed, pulling her a bit closer. He wished he didn't have to make a fool of himself by pretending he liked the blue shugo. It was bad enough he had to dance in the first place.

---

Daichi finally felt his shoulders relax when the song ended. He watched Kiseki bow to Miki and lead her towards the small refreshment table Kukai had made him set up earlier. He decided to try his luck with his dare. He turned back to Temari, only to see she was already heading over to the food as well.

"Come on, Daichi. You're usually the first on to start eating!" She laughed.

Daichi sighed. This is a whole lot harder than I thought.

He followed her over, smiling as he saw how much fun Su, Ran and Temari were having. He also grinned when he saw Miki's huge blush. She's perfect for him. Probably the only girl who would ever like him. He'd better not screw it up. Daichi ran his fingers through his hair and reached for a piece of one of the cupcakes he had hauled upstairs earlier.

---

He smirked as he finally made his way up to the window. He peered inside, his yellow cat eyes readjusting to the bright light of the ballroom. He grinned seeing the guardian characters. Time to crash this party. He used his claw to cut a small hole near the window lock and he used his paw to pop open the window quietly. He snuck inside and shut the window just as silently as he had entered. He dropped to the ground carefully and snuck under the fancy furniture towards his targets.

He grinned seeing the purple and green-haired shugos heading out towards the dance floor again. He moved quickly again as the blue one sat down right above him on one of the prettier chases.

He moved as quickly as he could so that he was positioned under the food. Yoru was quite proud of himself. I made it this far. Now it's time for the goodies.

He grinned devilishly. I'm glad pinky's wearing a dress. He readjusted himself under the table so that he had a perfect view up her skirt.

"Pink with bows. I'd say it suits you, pinky."

Yoru grinned as he heard her screech. "W-WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU STUPID CAT?!"

Ran's outburst grabbed everyone's attention. Kiseki stormed over immediately.

"What are you doing here, you worthless feline?!"

Yoru grinned, springing up so that he was face-to-face with his opponent. "Just enjoying our little shugo party, pretty boy."

Kiseki raised a brow. "Ikuto isn't here?"

Yoru shrugged. "Doubt it. He's not much for parties. Me, on the other hand..." Yoru's grin grew as he glanced in Ran's direction. "I'm here for the ladies."

Ran huffed indignantly and crossed her arms. Kiseki raised his nose snootily. "I suppose you can stay, cat. Stay out of my way and stay out of trouble." He turned on his heel and walked away.

Yoru shrugged, turning his attention back to Ran. He darted over and placed a paw on her backside. "So, pinky. How about me and you do a little dancing?"

Ran growled. "Don't call me pinky."

"But it matches your blush so well."

Ran sighed and looked away. "Fine. I'll dance, but only because I'm really dying to dance and Daichi and Kiseki are taken."

Yoru smirked and pulled her towards him as he made his way towards the center of the ballroom. "Excuses, excuses, pinky. Can't you admit you find me sexy?"

"You aren't sexy! What does that even mean?!"

Yoru laughed and twirled her around in his arms. "I'll tell you when we're older."

---

Daichi, meanwhile, was dancing with Temari. "You're really good at this." He muttered, watching her feet and trying to keep up. She giggled.

"I'm surprised you're having so much trouble. You tend to pick up things quickly."

He blushed and looked up at her eyes. "Thank you." He frowned a bit, noticing the small dab of icing on her cheek. "Temari, you've got something on your face right there." He pointed to his lip, showing her.

"I do?" She reached her hand up and tried to wipe it off.

"I'll get it." He pulled a napkin from his pocket and put his other hand on her cheek as he wiped off the icing. He leaned his head closer to make sure it was all gone and his eyes flew open as his lips brushed Temari's.

He stood frozen in shock for a few moments before he hastily pulled back, muttering a quick apology as he jammed the napkin into his pocket and examined a spot on the floor.

Temari just giggled and leaned up and pecked him on the cheek. "It's okay, Dai-kun." She giggled once more at his shocked expression. "Don't worry, I'm not going to go ninja on you." She felt him relax and she pulled him a bit closer. "Dance with me?"

He nodded, still dumbfounded by the two kisses.

---

As the evening progressed, the dance turned out to be a big success. The boys traded partners a few times, but Temari and Daichi stayed together most of the time. All the shugos noticed the heat between them and tried to interfere as little as possible. Ran and Su also avoided dancing with Kiseki as they knew Miki was enjoying having the king all to herself.

Yoru, the playcat he was, didn't mind dancing with two girls at a time. He, Su, and Ran spent most of the evening together, dancing and gossiping about the other two couples. However fond of her he was, he still refused to answer Ran's prolonged question about the definition of the word 'sexy'. He finally got sick of it and told her to ask Miki later.

Kiseki had finally warmed up to Miki. He asked her about drawing and was satisfied with himself when he got the shy girl to explain to him (in quite some detail) the differences between painting the sky with pastels and paints. As the music got faster, he began to notice her skin turning a bit blue.

It's just getting darker and her hair and dress are reflecting or something like that. He decided.

Miki had never felt so lightheaded in her entire life. She'd known the dress was tight, but hadn't thought the corset part could actually restrict her breathing. She was doing her best not to gasp for air, as she was dancing in the arms of her crush. Her breathing got shallower and shallower and she felt drained of all her energy.

It was only a matter of seconds before she was limp in Kiseki's arms.

---

"..." Kiseki stared at the girl for a few moments, confused. He then shook her gently. "Commoner! I command you to awaken!" He still got no response. Miffed, he dropped her onto the floor, thinking that would cause her to awaken.

It didn't.

That's when he realized something was wrong. As king, you have to be prepared for this type of situation. He bent down and checked her vital signs. He immediately discovered that she wasn't breathing.

"Crap. That cannot be a good sign." He bent down and scooped her up, examining her body for anything that could have caused her to pass out. As his hands glided down her waist, he froze when he felt how tight the fabric was bound around her midsection. And that's exactly where her diaphragm would be. He picked her up bridal style and marched swiftly over to Yoru.

The cat hissed when the prince grabbed his paw. Yoru extended his claws, achieving exactly what the prince had been waiting for. Kiseki used Yoru's claw to cut open the back of Miki's dress. In a matter of seconds, she was on the floor panting.

Kiseki released Yoru's paw and bent down so he was in front of the panting girl. "Are you okay?"

She looked up at him, teary eyed and flushed. "I-I... Yes..."

Kiseki rubbed her back and nodded. "Good." He eyed her dress. "Don't ever wear something that tight again. Ever."

She nodded, wiping one of her tears away. "B-but it was pretty."

Kiseki sighed. "It was."

Miki looked up at him, startled.

He rubbed her back a bit more forcefully. "Yes, I complimented you, commoner. That's nothing to lose your breath over. Keep breathing."

She took a deep breath and relaxed, letting herself be soothed by his hand. After a few minutes, he stopped. "Are you okay now?"

"Yes." She fidgeted, moving the shoulders of the dress around while she stared at the floor.

Kiseki noticed the twitch. He closed his eyes and removed his cape. Why am I doing this? He dropped the cape over her shoulders and brought his hands to her neck to tie it.

Miki looked up, startled. "Why...?"

He silenced her with a glare. "Do you want to dance again, milady? I'd appreciate it if you didn't collapse on me this time."

Miki blushed and shook her head yes.

---

Everyone had noticed the scene. No one said a word. Daichi had been surprised their king had handled it so professionally. I guess that jerk is actually capable of doing something kind for someone else. Su and Ran had giggled about his concern as they continued to dance with Yoru, who was angry his claw had been used to save one of his enemies. Temari smiled as she watched the two dance from afar. He cares just as much as she does. He just doesn't know.

Kiseki and Miki danced for the rest of the night in silence, listening to the words of each song and trying to avoid each others eyes. When the clock struck midnight, Kiseki dropped her hand and turned to leave.

"..." Miki grabbed his hand as he left.

He turned back to her with an eyebrow raised. "What do you want?"

She mumbled something as she stared at their hands. He sighed and took a step towards her. "Speak up, commoner."

"Thank you, Kiseki-kun. For saving my life." She leaned up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek.

She dropped his hand and began to walk away, blushing tremendously and scolding herself for making such a bold move before he was ready. She was shocked when he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. His eyes met hers as he tilted her chin up.

He held her like that until all the other shugos had departed from the room. He then brought his face towards hers; bending so he could whisper in her ear.

"You're welcome. And thank you."

Miki looked up at him curiously. "For what?"

A faint blush spread across his cheeks as he pushed her away. "For... for dancing with me. Don't worry about the cape. I have more." He lifted her hand and kissed it, then escorted her out of the room and back down to the formal ballroom. He let her go and watched as she floated towards her partner.

Temari gave Daichi one last kiss on the cheek as the girls left, leaving Kiseki with a love-struck companion.

Daichi turned to Kiseki with a silly grin. "So... did you enjoy your night?"

Kiseki smiled. "It was... surprising."