Disclaimer; Nothing is mine. 'Dancing Days' is by Led Zeppelin, if you haven't already guessed.

Author's Notes - THANKS SO MUCH TO ALL THOSE WHO REVIEWED. shalei, aki reinhart, SnowCharms, Suryasree, loujane14, kyusetsuki satsuki, Nils, abubi-chan, kyLaaa, Isis, satomika, mikaro, skysenshi, ohchan, EiRist and Lyris.

Sorry that I'm unable to reply individually, if you signed in I'll reply to you through pm, but my shift key is not working and just typing this whole thing took a toll on me, gah I had no idea until now just how difficult life is without my shift key. Bwah, shift key please live again...

ON TOKIYA'S CHARACTER - I just wanted to make a general statement about Tokiya's characterization. It's true, he's OOC from canon Tokiya, but please keep in mind that in this fiction, none of his tragedies has ever happened. Here he has a whole family and his sensei did not murder them just to make sure he'd have a driving force to learn Ensui. Tokiya's character in the manga has primarily been molded by the events of his life, taking away all those would cause a drastic change. What you see here is my personal interpretation of what he would be like without that and I worked with what is inherent in him, the two things that stood out was he was fiercely loyal and very loving to his family and two, his passion and preternatural skill for learning Ensui.

Chapter Three: Dancing Days

All the girls of Nashikiri seemed to have been inflicted with a bug Tokiya decided to call 'Debutantitis'. Everywhere he turned he would see girls of all types clumped into groups either talking about their dresses and their escorts. If not that, then it was about the band that was invited to perform for the after party. His only respite from the madness was his now almost daily training with the only girl that appeared to be immune to the bug.

The girl was currently walking towards him in her maroon uniform that seemed to have been altered to make her legs look longer and her top fuller. He shook his head to will away the thoughts an engaged man shouldn't be having about anyone other than his betrothed. He had come to terms with the fact that he was attracted to her, if his constant need to see her didn't convince him, the dreams he had of the two of them doing less than innocent things certainly did. But he was a man of his honor and he had been promised to Yanagi, even the thought of betraying her made something deep inside him break. It wasn't even a question, he couldn't ever think of hurting the girl who had done nothing but be kind and sweet to him. Yanagi was to be his love, his life and Fuuko was just a friend who physically enticed him, that was all. He had more restraint than that and he would never act upon those thoughts. Besides, it wasn't like she reciprocated those feelings, she was nice enough to him, but not any nicer than she was to Recca or Domon. Although sometimes when Fuuko would look to him with a smile in her eyes and ask him how his day was, he would feel a resentment towards his parents for deciding his life for him before he'd had the chance to live it.

'Yo Mi-chan,' she greeted as she leaned against the locker next to his. He grinned at the nickname she baptized him with after deciding that 'Mikagami' was too long for her glib tongue, he never had a nickname growing up and he quite liked this one especially the way it rolled off her tongue.

'Fuuko,' he said with a nod. He noticed that she was missing her usual book bag and instead had a gym bag slung over her shoulder. 'Going running?'

'Something like that. I'm heading off to the gym to do some weights, Dad says I need to work on my stamina,' she said.

He nodded to show her that he was listening. 'Your father is back home?'

'Yep,' she affirmed with a genuine grin on her face, obviously excited about her father's homecoming. 'He just got back the day before. I told him about you, he really wants to meet you.'

He closed his locker with a snap and wordlessly invited her to walk alongside him. 'I hope you talked of good things.'

She laughed as she skipped to his side. 'Of course, he says I've become more strategic in my fighting approach and I told him it was because I've started sparring with someone more cerebral than Recca and Domon,' she said with a snort.

Tokiya smirked at her words. He hadn't been as close to either of her friends as he was to her but they were always around when he and Fuuko practiced and he'd been around them enough to have a rough idea of what they're like. They were both fiercely loyal and protective of the purple-haired girl definitely, but both had exhibited signs of being brash and were the type to act before they think. 'So I guess I won't be seeing you around Yanagi's house much,' he said, biting back the tone of disappointment in his voice.

'Nah, my Dad says he's going to be taking a long break so he can spend some time at home,' she answered happily.

'But we'll still spar,' he said hopefully.

'Of course,' she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 'Besides, I'm going to have to drag you to the gym some time. We need to get some muscle mass into those puny arms of yours.'

'Excuse me, but my arms are quite fine the way they are,' he scoffed at her and flexed his biceps for good measure.

Fuuko snickered. 'Oh you mean those pipe-cleaners?'

He pretended to be offended. 'Hey, I remember these pipe-cleaners slamming your face into the ground yesterday.'

'So you admit they're pipe-cleaners?'

'You have a one track mind don't you?'

Fuuko stopped right underneath the exit sign of the school doors. She smirked his way and said, 'You should know by now that I'm very stubborn.'

'You are very stubborn,' and he added before he could stop himself, 'Sometimes I really wished you weren't so.'

Fuuko bit her lip at his words and tried to force a casual smile but only ended up with what appeared to be a wince. They often ended up in this kind of situation, a tension-filled silence often at something he said. He wished he could read her mind at these times, delve into her thoughts and discover if she had somehow pieced the puzzles into the meaningful looks he would send her way and then belatedly regret. Other times he was thankful that he wasn't given such gifts, because if she gave him the slightest inkling that she might not mind his thoughts, he wasn't sure if he would be able to control himself.

'Tokiya-kun!'

Tokiya turned and watched the girl he was to marry walk up to him gracefully. He felt his heart beat wildly in his chest, paranoia sinking into his skin as if he was just caught doing something. Not that he was doing anything. Although the sardonic part of his brain jovially reminded him that admiring the physique and effectively flirting with your fiancé's cousin was something.

'Yanagi, I was waiting for you,' he said, hoping she had not caught the lie.

'Oh good, I thought you had already left. I was hoping to invite you to tea since I would like to speak with you about something,' she said. She slipped her hand to intertwine with his and faced the third party in their little group. 'Fuuko-chan, Mother wants to know when you and Uncle would join us for dinner. It's been a while since the family has all sat down together for a meal.'

Fuuko looked between him and Yanagi with an unreadable expression on her face before replying. 'I'll ask him about it later, but I think he wants to just relax at home for a while and he considers dinners with Aunt Jun stressful.' It was no secret that Yanagi's mother and her father weren't exactly the best of friends.

Yanagi awkwardly laughed, never getting used to her cousin's candor at their family's situation. 'Well, I hope we get around to it soon, I miss you around the house.'

Fuuko smiled, Yanagi makes her consider that her Aunt couldn't be so bad if she was able to raise this girl right. 'Why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow? Dad would love to see you.'

Yanagi eagerly nodded. 'Tomorrow night then.'

Plans made, Fuuko shifted her feet in a move to walk away. 'Well, I'm off. You two lovebird have fun.'

And as she walked away, Tokiya wondered if it was just his imagination or if she had somehow lost that spring in her step.

...

Tokiya and Yanagi sat beside each other on the living room couch at the Sakoshita residence with a kettle of tea between them. They had been going over the Débutante program for the last half hour, with Yanagi coaching him on what he would be doing and where he would be standing. She had even prepared a little model of the pavilion where the ball would be held and used colorful push pins to represent the débutantes and their escorts. It amused him to no end that his push pin had a silver confetto glued at the top.

She carefully placed the model pavilion on the coffee table in front of them. She placed her hands daintily on her lap, a habit of hers when she was about to say something she deemed important, he had noticed. So he straightened up and gave the impression that he was paying rapt attention.

'Tokiya-kun, my eighteenth birthday would be coming up in two months and Mother thought it would be a good idea to officially announce our engagement then,' she said softly, a pretty blush on her cheeks.

All he could say was 'Oh.'

Yanagi sat up straighter than she normally did -and she always sat up straight as if she had a brace on her back- and looked up to him with serious eyes. 'Tokiya-kun, do you really want to be engaged to me?'

He was taken aback by her question and wasn't able to fully process his answer when blurted out 'Why would you ask that?'

She sighed heavily as if she was preparing to launch into a very long speech. 'It's just that, whenever you are with me, I can't help but feel that you're not really there. It's as if I bore you. I know I'm not as exciting as some of the other girls in class, I don't have fascinating stories or quips, I don't get out all that much, even my friends are only my friends because of my mother's connections with their families, but I would like to make you happy. Although I have the feeling that I am failing horribly at that.'

Tokiya gulped. He had not wanted this for her. He guiltily thought that he had been consciously lax in his effort to get to know her, always running off for one reason or another. He didn't know that so much had been plaguing her mind. He looked at her hands fidgeting in her lap, manicured and flawless, a sign of her pampered life. There was something about her, a mixture of innocence and fragility that made him want to protect her, make sure that she would never have a worry in her life. He gently took her hands in his while another he placed under her chin so he could make her look up at his face.

'I do not think you're boring, not at all. If there is no exciting story to tell, it's only because you have peaceful heart. You are beautiful and you are very smart, your friends are your friends because you are kind and loyal. And you do make me happy, any man would be lucky to call you theirs,' he said sincerely.

He watched the smile light up her face and it made him content that he could bring a peace in her heart. It was then that he noticed just how close they were. She was looking up at him expectantly and shyly at the same time. Tokiya leaned down his head and captured her lips in a chaste kiss.

This was alright, right? They were to be married in a year, it was to be expected, for them to kiss, hug and touch, do things that lovers would do. But it was that very same thought that bothered him, it shouldn't feel like this, like it was a duty. She was beautiful and sweet girl, and she should be kissed with passion, with love, with all of his being.

He pulled her closer, brushing his tongue against her lower lip. She innocently opened her mouth and he delved in, exploring her taste. She was sweet, too sweet and he wanted to get lost in this feeling, to elicit a fire within him but all he could think of was how he didn't know where exactly to put his hands.

And as their first kiss ended, he pulled her close and tucked her head under his chin, because he didn't want her to see the emptiness in his eyes.

...

'We should do something more worthwhile,' Fuuko voiced out of nowhere, 'like, I don't know, eating a gallon of cream cheese.'

Recca looked to her with a disbelieving glance. 'This is worthwhile,' he said as he threw another ball of wet tissue paper at the concrete wall and then giving a hoot as he watched it stick. 'Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.'

They were at the rooftop of the school building. Classes had been cut in half in lieu with the ball to be held that evening. Fuuko sat between Domon and Recca on one of the air vents as the two entertained themselves by throwing wet balled up tissue at one of the concrete walls surrounding them.

Domon pulled out one of the balled up tissues from the little bucket they brought with them. He snorted as he saw his prize. 'Heh, this one's shaped like a boob.'

Fuuko rolled her eyes. 'I need smarter friends.'

'That's what beanpole is there for,' Domon told her, 'where is that guy by the way, I haven't seen him around.'

Fuuko shrugged. 'Eh, he's been scarce. He's probably busy with the ball and his engagement to my cousin.'

Domon nudged her playfully. 'Do I see jealousy in your eyes?'

She hit the back of his head. 'No, God! I don't think of him that way, okay?'

Domon rubbed the sore spot at his head. 'I was just kidding, no need to be so defensive.' He threw the ball at the wall and groaned as it hit the ground. 'So anyway, you guys going to show for this ball thing?'

'I have to make an appearance, you know how it is,' Recca answered with distress.

'You not escorting anyone?' Fuuko asked curiously.

'Oh trust me, there were plenty of invitations,' he said with a lecherous smirk.

'Why you stud muffin,' Domon said with leer. Fuuko couldn't hold in the scandalous cackle from bubbling out of her mouth at the way Recca's face turned purple.

'Dude, don't do that...that's just...ARGH!' He started scratching his skin as if he'd been attacked by a rabid horde of fleas.

Fuuko hid her head behind Domon's arm as the two continued to laugh. When Domon calmed down a bit he turned to Fuuko and asked her, 'How about you, you're not gonna drop by?'

She shook her head. 'Please, I have more important things to do than twirl around in a skirt.'

Recca got up and hovered over Fuuko, placing his hands on either side of her thighs. 'Come on, you should drop by, we can go for ice cream after. It's not like I'll stick around for long.'

She tilted her head to the side as if considering his invitation. 'I'll think about it.'

Domon looked between the two of them. 'Isn't anyone going to invite me?'

'Damn it you're still here,' Recca groaned exaggeratedly. Domon threw wet tissue ball right between his nose. 'Fine, you can come too.'

'Yay!' Domon then wiggled in his place.

Recca tried to stop himself from barfing. 'Don't do that again.'

...

Fuuko squirmed as the white dress that sat beside her seemed to burn a hole into her bed. She had been actively not paying attention to the television for the past hour, her mind was unsuccessful at straying away from thoughts that did not involve dresses and balls.

These are the times when she missed her mother the most. She was only seven when she passed away and she didn't have much in terms of memory of her. But she had pictures of her all around the house. Her mother was beautiful, no doubt and Fuuko did not look like her at all. She was always pictured in elegant gowns and fancy parties. She wondered sometimes if her mother would be proud of how she had grown up, or if she would be like her Aunt Jun and criticize her at every corner. But her Father had told her that her mother was not like her twin sister at all, that she had always loved Fuuko's free spirit and was very proud of her the first time she wielded the Fuujin.

Fuuko touched the soft chiffon cloth beside her. The gown was yellowing at the hems due to age. It was her mother's débutante gown, the one she wore when she and her father had first met. Her father told her once that her mother had wished she would wear it to her own coming out. That's when her decision was made, just this once, she would do something that would've made her mother happy.

...

The soft chandelier lights lent a candle lit quality to the pavilion. The ceiling was swathed in white fabric and round tables surrounded the wooden floorboards of the dance floor that led to the grand staircase where the débutantes would be descending. Tokiya kept to himself as he waited for his name to be called while the other escorts around him engaged in idle talk. He saw the female announcer, one of the senior ladies whom he remembered from one of his future mother-in-law's dinner parties, touch her lips to the microphone and read from the cue cards in her hands.

'Yanagi Sakoshita is the daughter Ichigo and Jun Sakoshita. Yanagi is currently a junior at Nashikiri High, president of the Junior class and the Glee Club. She enjoys singing, baking and spending her Saturdays volunteering at the Nashikiri Home for Children. She hopes to pursue a course in Medicine at the Tokyo University after high school. She will be escorted by Tokiya Mikagami, son of Toshiharu and Misato Mikagami, keepers of the Madogu, Ensui.'

As soon as she finished, Tokiya descended towards the center landing and as instructed, waited for Yanagi to come down from the other side. He looked up as he watched her walk down with grace. She placed a gloved hand in his awaiting arm as they robotically went down the steps in sync. He hoped never to do this again in his life.

...

He wished that was him holding her, leading her down the steps, close enough to smell her. But instead he was sitting in this royal spot, watching as she smiled up at her future husband contently while he could barely spare her a passing glance. Recca had to dig his nails on the cushioned armrest of his chair to stop himself from going up there and punching the guy, for not paying enough attention to her, for that stoic look on his face when he should be fucking dancing in his spot just because he was lucky enough to be near her.

'Come on son, just thirty more débutantes and the cotillion dance then you can skip out of here,' Ouka whispered to him, misconstruing his son's restlessness.

Recca just groaned into his hand.

...

Tokiya methodically twirled his partner before he about faced to face another random débutante He took her in his arms and they did their little step before twirling once more, this time to go back to their original partners.

She was coming from the other end of the dance floor, in her glorious white ball gown and the diamond encrusted necklace that rested between her bosom. It hit him then, this time next year she would be coming up to him, in another white gown, one that would be more elaborate if her mother had anything to say about it -and she would- and they would say their vows and promise each other their lives, forever and ever until death do they part. He felt his windpipe close in as gasped for breath. She came up to him halfway through the floor completely clueless of his trembling nerves. He let muscle memory take over and finish the rest of the choreography and after the final dip he gave a quick apology and walked out with as much dignity as he could muster.

He needed air, oh God did he need air. His life, it was so final, this was his life and he hated it. Hated that his parents gave him no choice, hated that he didn't have it in him to defy them, to disappoint them, hated that she was too kind for him to hurt her, hated that he was given a glimpse of what he could have if he was free to decide for himself, if he only had the courage to decide for himself.

That's when he saw her, another woman in a white gown, a simple one that tied around her neck, no frills and no jewels but she had grabbed his attention like no other, and he felt himself finally be able to breathe.

She turned away from him with a decisive stomp and before he could stop himself he called her name.

...

Recca watched as he ran outside, leaving a shocked Yanagi on the dance floor all by herself with a hurt look on her face. He never even looked back and Recca thought he would have to be a special kind of asshole to be so callous with her. He watched her dejectedly make her way back to one of the tables, sitting alone in her ball gown. And for once, Recca thought, he wanted to be selfish.

He walked up to her with his cocky gait and gave her a grin that masked the depth of his thoughts, letting her see the carefree boy she had always known. 'Yo, Yanagi-chan, wanna boogie?'

She giggled gaily and shook her head. 'I'm kind of tired, Recca-kun.'

And it was all he could do not to cry where he was. She didn't like him, he had always known in the back of his mind that she wouldn't like someone like him, but it hurt even more, albeit indirectly, being told to his face.

'But if it's alright, could you sit with me?'

And just like that she made his world bright again.

...

It was stupid to come here, she thought. She didn't even fix herself, her hair was probably a mess from all that running, not to mention she was wearing cross training sneakers underneath her gown. She must look a sight and Recca would probably laugh at her when he saw her. What in the world made her think this was a good idea?

She turned around, ready to head home and change so she could meet Recca for ice cream later on and just pretend this whole lapse in judgment never happened. She was barely two steps away when she heard her name from the last person she wanted to see her like this.

'Fuuko, don't leave,' he said in a pleading voice that she didn't quite understand.

'Mi-chan,' she sighed, slowly turning around. He looked so sharp and handsome in his tux, a complete three sixty from her own get up. 'Shouldn't you be inside?'

'I needed some air,' he said, never taking his eyes off her. 'Aren't you going to come inside?'

She shook her head and laughed hollowly. 'No, just had a momentary episode of mental retardation.'

'What?'

'Come on, I look like a walking SNL sketch,' she joked.

He shook his head. 'I think you look...fine.'

She lifted her skirt and showed him her sneakers.

He smirked at her. 'It adds character to your entire ensemble.'

'Thanks, I guess,' she said with a blush, 'but I should really go. I just feel out of place here.'

He walked up to her and offered his hand. 'Won't you at least dance? Just one dance, it wouldn't hurt.'

She hesitated at his proffered hand. 'I'm not going in there.'

'We can hear the music from here,' he convinced her. He watched her eyes still dancing with indecision and added, 'Don't let the dress go to waste.'

She laughed a genuinely mirthful laugh before finally caving and taking his hand. 'I'm a terrible dancer by the way.'

'It's alright, I'll lead,' he assured her as he brought her closer. 'You're turning eighteen this year as well, why weren't you part of the cotillion?' he asked out of curiosity.

'Oh please,' she said casually although he couldn't mistake the nervous tick in her jaw, 'like I have the time to bother.'

He nudged her forehead with his chin to make her look up at him. 'Fuuko, you're standing outside the pavilion in a yellowing dress and sneakers. There's no need to pretend with me.'

Her mask faltered and he couldn't help but notice how young she looked without the firm expression that was always on her face. She worried her lower lip before whispering lowly, 'Nobody asked me.'

For a moment she let her defenses fall, showing him a side of her that no one every bothered to see but before he could see into every secret, every doubt and every insecurity she put it up again, weakly, but she tried to put it up again nonetheless. 'It's not like I would've come anyway, I mean, I have too many things going on with my life, like school and training and reviewing for the NMA entrance exams-' he cut off her tirade with a thumb to her lips before letting it trail down to her chin, guiltily enjoying the feel of her skin.

'It's okay, Fuuko, to want the frilly things sometimes, it wouldn't make you less of a warrior. You would still be as strong, still be as courageous and anyone who says otherwise, I'll gut them for you,' he said.

'Swear?' she said with a chuckle.

'With all my heart,' he whispered.

It was intoxicating being this close to her, her flaming heat making him shiver. It was as if the intensity of her eyes made the world around him melt and nothing that came before her made sense anymore. There were no duties, no parents to please, no fiancée to hurt and his eyes fluttered and he let his head fall wanting so much to taste passion and freedom that only she could give him. But he only felt the warmth of her breath before she pulled away from his embrace.

'Don't hurt my cousin, Mi-chan,' she said, a glazed look in her eyes and he knew as well as she did that the words were not just for him but for herself.

He wanted to say something, to apologize or to protest, he wasn't sure. But before he could even decide the moment was put to an end as the distinctive sound of a bomb erupted from inside the pavilion.

To Be Continued...

END NOTES - sorry about the Tok/Yan kiss, it was necessary. And yay, action next chapter. And I hope you like to ToFuu parts as much as I did, I just really like how they're developing here.