Disclaimer: Black Haze belongs to Yong Yong

.

Warning: English isn't my first language, not funny humour

.

Falls Dance Festival

After the invasion of Rubymonter and Garmod at school, the biggest mystery is still remaining. Rood refused to head back to Opion. He insisted to finish his mission to protect Lidusis first and figure out who is playing the role as the mysterious black figure. For him, mission is always number one, especially after the previous one gone awry.

Now, after the incident, school has back to normal again. Happiness has returned to every face of students... and new plan has been arranged.

"Falls dance festival?" Rood Crishi raised one of his eyebrows when he heard that news from Lin Noa, the older sister of Ben Noa.

The green haired girl told him full of enthusiasm. "Ah you don't know? That's the annual party in Helios. Every boys and girls will dance together in hall at the main night of the festival."

Rood doesn't interesting at all. But Dio looks very energetic to hear that.

"Don't you think it will be fun, Rood?" he asked him full of enthusiasm. "I hope I will dance with Iel!" Then he turned to Lidusis. "Hey, Artian, whom you want to dance with?"

The second lord of Artian's household only looks down: as shy usual. "I... I don't know." He looked a little bit blushed. It looks like he is too shy to answer.

"How they decide the couple? Do we have to choose our dance partner by ourselves?" Rood asked Lin. "If yes, then it would be some kind of competition. Ugh... I hate this competition!" He sweat dropped.

"Usually yes," Lin answered. "But, I heard president council has prepared something new this year!" He smiled brightly.

Rood, Dio, and Lidusis are staring at each other. Something new? Like what?

.

Three Days Later

"What the hell is this?" Rood looks gloomy to see a blue envelope in his hand.

The student council give that envelope to all students: pink for girls and blue for boys. It is said, in each of them there is a ribbon. There are only two same ribbons in the school, each side for boys and girl in random way. So every boys and girls must find their own ribbon couple. That couple will be their dance partner for the prompt night. That partner may be in Clads or Hereis.

Dio has opened his envelope. "Blue ribbon," he declared and put that ribbon in its envelope again. He wondered. "I wander which girl is bringing same blue ribbon?"

"Well, let's see..." Rood stares at his unopened envelope. He saw Lidusis had opened his envelope too and let a grey ribbon out of it.

"Why don't you open yours, Rood? I want to see it too!" Dio cried like a baby.

"No, I won't open it here!" Rood insisted, like a baby as well. Lidusis only sweat dropped to see his friend argued like that.

Then he and Dio look at the same direction, where a dark haired man with blue eyes is keeping an eye on them. He is a Hereis and his attitude looks so suspicious, even so no one dares to protest about it. On the other direction, there is a blue haired woman who is doing the same with the dark haired woman.

"Asujen nim and... Professor Rowell, what they are doing peeping like a spy like that?" Dio said the things on Rood and Lidusis's mind. "Why they are watching us like that?"

Rood laughs bitterly. He doesn't want to opens that envelope because if he does so, those two idiots will targets the girl which brings the same ribbon. "I have the same ribbon with Rood Crishi" will be a perfect reason for them to starts a duel in school.

From the School Park, Rood sees Princess of the empire, Yutiarien, runs like a child to Professor Rowell. She looks so happy and in her hand... there is the same blue ribbon as Dio. Rood startled to see this, but says nothing.

"Professor Rowell looks! I've got blue ribbon!" she said childishly.

Professor Rowell got distracted. "That's good, Yuti," she said calmly. "So have you found your couple?"

Yuti looks sad. "No." Rood turns to his right side only to see Dio already hide his ribbon and looks terrified as if he is seeing his worst nightmare becomes reality and walks closer to him right now.

He turns to faces Rood. He cries desperately. "Rood, save me!"

Rood once again sweat dropped, as well as Lidusis. He is surely doesn't know what had happened back then when he found saved Dio from fell of the buildings and Princess Yutiarien followed him behind. The princess called him Ming Ming. He wants to know the rest of the story, but Dio never wants to tell it. Now it looks like something terrible and traumatic for Dio had happened, may be it was traumatic only to be seen by his perspective, because Rood doesn't believe if a child like that would do something like torturing Dio or terrible thing like that.

Rood gives Dio his envelope without asking, since it's allowed to switch the envelope with other students as long as it stills the same gender with you.

Dio received Rood's envelope with a sigh of relieved.

"But, don't open it here!" Rood warned him. In serious face.

"No, I won't!" Dio said happily. That's the end of Professor Rowell and Shic Muon's tries, since they don't know what exactly Rood's ribbon are.

.

The Prompt Night

After a silly way to find the couple, now it's much more stupid to wear the ribbon at the prompt night. Rood wears his ribbon around the neck, like the other boys in the dance party, while the girl wears it on their head as headband or accessories or their hands.

Rood has prepared to dance with Yutiarien when the girl with the blue ribbon appears near him.

And it's not Yutiarien at all. That girl has white hair, with pink eyes and red lips as read as cherry. For most of boys, this girl is like a princess, more princess than Yutiarien herself. Well, Rood can't say a thing against it, since this girl has a very noble manner and arrogant behaviour, the common thing which you can see easily from any nobles living.

That girl is wearing the ribbon around her wrist. "So, you're the boy with blue ribbon, Rood Crishi."

Rood dazed, and then he asked. "Shouldn't it be...? Yutiarien?" Iel shocked. "Um... well, I saw her showed it off yesterday."

Iel sighed. "Well... that princess accidentally met me to switch her ribbon since she could not find the right boy who posses the same ribbon as her."

"What's your ribbon's colour anyway? The one with you switched with Yuti," Rood asked.

"Grey ribbon." Rood looked surprised. That was the same ribbon with Lidusis. Then... if Yuti didn't switch her ribbon again, she might couple with...

"Lord Artian, let's dance!" Rood sees Yuti pull Lidusis's arm to the ball room, ready to dance. Of course her guardian is watching as well, and Professor Rowell can not let her eyes escaped from them two.

Rood breathes a relief. At least tonight, he will be free from Professor Rowell. Suddenly he looks to every corner of the ball room. Shic Muon aka Asujen Baldwin is nowhere to be found. Once again, he looks relief.

"Why are you searching around? Are you looking for someone?" Iel asked, full of curiosity.

"No, I'm avoiding someone!" Rood abruptly answered. "Like hell I would searching for a fool like him!" he thought. Then he coughs a little and extends his hand to Iel. "Shall we dance?"

Iel agrees to dance with Rood. Meanwhile, Yuti is dancing with Lidusis. As usual, that second Lord of Artian's household looks nervous and shy at the same time as they are being watched by Yuti's two dangerous guardians. Lapis is dancing with Carmille, Chevel is dancing with Anna, Lain is dancing with Cynthia, Shic Muon is dancing with Tina, Professor Rowell finally dances with Professor Orphell although they are glaring at each other all the time, and Professor Lisphen is dancing with the headmaster.

At the balcony, Dio is dancing with Lin Noa—the same holder of green ribbon (that was the ribbon he got from Rood) under the shadows and the quietest place of the ball room. But during the dance Dio often step on Lin's feet and so Lin does. They both can not dance well.

"Dio, why are you here by yourself by the way?" Lin asked, half curious, half worried. She realized there is a little changing in Dio recently.

Dio laughs. "I just want to be alone tonight. The stars and the sky are so beautiful, don't you think?"

Lin looks up, stares right at the sea of stars above them. "I think you're right." She moves her stare to the moon. "The moon is full too. Ah, look, Dio, a shooting star!"

Dio looks up by reflex. They stop dancing. Lin smiles at the sky before she moves his eyes to Dio and startled because of what she is seeing in Dio. His eyes are changing! Dio's irises turn into vertical line like a snake. But Dio seems don't recognize it. Lin watches it very carefully, because somehow... Dio's eyes are not looks so strange for her.

Then she remembered. That is the eyes of the massive creature that had saved her and Carmila in Ishuella when they almost get attacked by demons. It is that flying creature's eyes. Dio's eyes and that creature are the same!

"Could it be...?" Lin thought. She has read a book which said that demons can transform and camouflage as a human if they have enough mana in their bodies.

"Dio..." Lin accidentally pointed that blue haired boy. "Your eyes..."

Dio looks understand as he removes his hand from Lin. They separate and Dio quickly covers his eyes with his hair and hand. The smiles on him have gone, replaced by serious dark aura that can never be done by the Dio everyone knew all this time.

Dio looks away, turns his back on Lin. "Lin, I think it's best for you to forget this happened, or else..." Dio turns again to faces the green haired girl, "... I will threaten your life."

Lin surprises to hear that threat from Dio's mouth: from the boy who usually cheerfully and acting dumb at school. She sees a glimpse of intelligence just now from the boy who supposed to be the dumbest boy in the school. May be it's the real Dio. The Dio everyone never knows and never expect. Lin is scared as well, but somehow, she doesn't want to run, after she thinks about what Dio had done to her and Carmilla at Ishuella.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anybody." Lin then smiled. "I guess it's over for tonight." Lin bowed a little and then turns to walk in to the party again.

Dio never expect his true identity will be revealed once again, and now Lin has known it as well as Rood. But Rood is different. Rood is a magician; at least he can trust him, but Lin... How can he... trust her?

"Dio." Dio surprised to see Lin is not left him alone yet. He turns around to see the green haired girl is smiling at him, with no hints of fear or worry on her face.

"What?" Dio asked coldly.

Lin turns around to faces him completely. Then she bows a little. "Thanks for saved me and Carmilla." Dio's eyes opened widely. Meanwhile Lin excuses herself and gets in to join the party inside. Her figure is gone in the crowd and brilliant light in there.

Dio sighed and then stares at the black sky above him. First is Rood who accepted him and even saved him several times even after he tried to kill him, said that their friendship is only a camouflage and it is done, and threatened him.

Now is Lin, whom he is sure had predicted that he is not a human and according to what she just said, Lin has known that Dio is the dragon that had saved her and Carmilla back at Ishuella that time. Even so, she still thanks to him and smiles at him, whereas he has threatened her.

Dio keep silence for a while. "Human is such a... interesting creature..." Then he smiles mysteriously.

.

.

.

Fuala! That was my third fanfic of Black Haze. How was it? I hope it's not the last fanfic of Black Haze. See you later and don't forget to leave your reviews here!