The Rose Beast Spirit lashed her vine whip at Mimic but then she rolled out of the way and fired at her with fire arrows. She screeched in pain as the flaming arrows hit her. Mimic took advantage of this and charged forward, slashing the Rose Beast Spirit over and over with her weapon. Mimic appeared to be showing no mercy, taking out all her anger on the Rose Beast Spirit.
Miyuki stepped back and fired a storm of petals at Mimic that then exploded when they came into contact with her body. The Rose Beast Spirit felt victorious but then the petals were frozen in ice and fell to the floor and shattered. Mimic charged at her again. Mimic swung her fist into the Rose Beast Spirit's face before she kneed her in the gut and then kicked her hard in the chest. Craig watched as Mimic fought hard. He wanted to help her but he couldn't, not yet. Now wasn't the time yet.
Mimic wanted to pay the Rose Beast Spirit back for all the pain she had caused her…with interest! She was going to enjoy this fight for all it was worth!
The Rose Beast Spirit sent her whip at Mimic again but the Knight of Suzaku sliced it in half. The Rose Beast Spirit shrieked in pain and then launched her thorns at her enemy, but Mimic created a fire shield that incinerated them. The Rose Beast Spirit stepped back in fear as Mimic drew threw cards and slashed them through her card reader.
"FLOAT! DRILL! TORNADO!...SPINNING DANCE!"
The tornado whipped around Mimic and she floated into the air, spinning fast before she came spiraling down on the Rose Beast Spirit. The Queen of Hearts was unable to dodge in time and was slammed hard by the powerful drill kick and sent crashing into her makeshift throne. She lay in the remains of her thrown as Mimic threw a Blank Seal card at her. It stuck to her head and then sucked her in, sealing her before it flew back into Mimic's hand.
"Category Queen of Hearts: Absorb Rose," Mimic read. She then walked over to Craig and slashed a card through her belt buckle once she reconnected the card reader.
"SPIRIT!"
The energy field swept over her body and stripped off her armor. She then reached over to Craig's neck and undid the collar. He messaged his neck.
"Damn thing was itchy and uncomfortable," Craig complained.
"It must be," Kat agreed. "Um…Craig?"
"Yes, Kat?" Craig asked.
"I wanted to…apologize to you."
"For what?"
"For thinking you were weak when you wanted to help. I only wanted to protect you."
"I understand, Kat," Craig nodded. "I mean, this is a dangerous job and I would only be getting in the way."
"Well…" Kat blushed, "You got a date to the prom?"
"Well, seeing as my other date had just vanished," Craig said with a smile, "Would you like to go to the prom with me?"
Kat didn't know what to say, so she didn't say anything. And, as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. She then flung her arms around his neck and kissed him hard on the lips. He was surprised at first but then kissed her back just as passionately.
King sighed from where he was sitting and said, "I knew she would fail. I warned her…"
Episode 39: Prom
The final bell rang and the students of Murakami High. They were all breathing out sighs of relief, the Seniors especially. This was because they had all completed their Finals.
It had been exactly a week since the fiasco when all the men had vanished because of the Rose Beast Spirit who turned out to be Miyuki Yoshinaga in reality. Kat grinned, remembering that fight and how she'd put that girl in her place for stealing her man away from her. There were rumors flying about regarding her disappearance, but none of them came close to the truth that actually happened. The truth, literally, was in Kat's hands as she had sealed the Rose Beast Spirit away inside a card.
Leo, Kat and Takada had found out about Hikaru being a Beast Spirit. Also, Desmond had decided to come clean and tell everyone that Shima and Daichi were Beast Spirits too, the Club Royals to be in fact. Takada had gone absolutely ballistic upon finding out that fact since it was their mission to seal all the Beast Spirits since they were a dangerous threat. Desmond was harboring Beast Spirit, Royals to be exact! He had insisted and even threatened to seal them himself but Desmond had negotiated something between himself and the Club Royals and was not going to break a deal he had made. It wouldn't be professional. Well, it took a few days but Takada had calmed down…eventually, since Shima, Daichi and Hikaru had sincerely shown that all they wanted was to enjoy their lives as humans until they were eventually sealed in the end. Takada had reluctantly agreed, but both the twins had sworn he was ready to take out his gun at the first sign of the Club Royals causing trouble.
Leo didn't mind that Shima, Hikaru and Daichi were Beast Spirits either. In fact, he had quickly accepted them since it would be wrong to judge them simply by what they were and not by who they were. As Leo had observed, Shima was kind, Daichi was a pacifist and Hikaru was an honorable fighter. He even helped her study for the Finals along with Kat. Leo felt that the Club Royals deserved a chance at freedom. They had been sealed for over 10,000 years so they deserved a chance at a normal life.
Kat still had a bit of a problem with being so close to Royals and not being able to seal them because they were good. She was still trying to get the idea of good Beast Spirits in her head. Up until now, the Beast Spirits had been nothing but trouble and as such she developed a complex that had her automatically assume all Beast Spirits were evil. Well, Shima, Daichi and Hikaru were violations to that view so she had tried to fix it by talking with her brother as well as going over to the Turtle Hut to speak with Shima. Shima understood where she was coming from as Shima admitted that he too once fought in the Battle Game so that his race would dominate the Earth. Now, however, he wanted to live out his days as a human since he loved humanity. It even allowed him to learn new skills. Kat couldn't really talk to Daichi. The guy was seen asleep nearly all the time. If memory serves, she had never really seen him awake most of the time.
"Ya-re, Ya-re," Kat said as she messaged her wrists and stretched her arms, "Finals are over and done with and soon we will all be graduating."
"Hai, onee-chan," Leo agreed.
"Or remain in Summer School," a snide voice quipped. Kat froze and turned around to see Desmond smirking at them. "Hello, you two."
"Konnichiwa, Desmond-san," Leo bowed pleasantly.
"Hello, Amakusa," Kat greeted, with the corner of her mouth twitching, "Are you saying I might flunk?"
"Well, you don't strike me as the studious type, Hasuma," the Knight of Genbu replied as he fixed his glasses on her.
"Kameyarou…" Kat hissed under her breath.
"Desmond-nii!" Hikaru called, "Let's go! You promised you'd help me to pick a dress!"
"A dress?" the twins repeated.
"Yes, for the prom. Don't you two remember?" Desmond said to them. He then called back to Hikaru, "I know, I haven't forgotten!"
"The prom, of course!" Kat said, "I knew I forgot something. I don't have a dress yet!"
"Onee-chan…" Leo began.
"I mean, what am I supposed to wear? What will Craig like? What corsage should I have on?"
"Onee-chan…"
"Oh, man, I also need to learn how to dance!"
"ONEE-CHAN!" Leo shouted and Kat froze in shock. Leo sighed, "Gomen, onee-chan, but I was going to tell you that you needn't worry about a dress."
Kat blinked, "I don't?"
"Because we'll both be going to the mall to get you one!"
Desmond chuckled, "You, in a dress? Oh, that is one thing I am not going to miss!"
"Urusai, kameyarou!" Kat snapped angrily, but Desmond merely laughed.
"Ano…where is Craig-san?" Leo asked.
"Oh, he said he was meeting some friends," Kat replied. But, which friends was he meeting?
"So, are you two going to the prom or what?" Craig asked as he sat behind the school building with Asakura and Liz.
"Heh, sounds dumb to me!" Asakura scoffed as he lit a cigarette and smoked it.
"That's because you can't find a date!" Liz teased, earning a glare from the spiky haired teen.
"And, Liz, what about you?" Craig inquired and the blonde girl with pink streaks blushed.
"Well…I haven't found anyone…I'd like to go with…" she admitted, shyly.
"Translation: no one asked her yet," Asakura snickered. Liz slapped him in the back of the head. It was at that time Mr. Barkin rounded the corner.
"Hey, you! What are you doing there!?" Barkin yelled out and the three teens ran as fast as their legs could carry them as Barkin chased after them.
"So, you taking your girlfriend?" Asakura asked Craig as they ran.
"Yeah," Craig replied, "But I really can't imagine her in a dress!"
"Less talking, more running!" Liz snapped as they ran for their lives away from Barkin and jumped onto their bikes before racing out of the school grounds.
Barkin stopped and huffed as he shook his fist, "I'll get you slackers yet!"
Mr. King watched from his window and sipped a cup of coffee slowly before closing the blinds.
Takada was in his room at the café and looking at his computer screen intently. Karmen was handling the cash register while he was doing this. Leo and Kat were due to return soon so he had to do this quick.
"Kat, Leo and I have acquired all our cards save for our Category Kings," Takada said to himself as he looked over the images of the cards on the screen. "Desmond on the other hand has only sealed 10 of his cards while the Club Royals are still free." The screen on the computer displayed the following cards
Draco's Cards:
Ace of Spades: Change Seiryu
2 of Spades: Slash Lizard
3 of Spades: Beat Lion
4 of Spades: Tackle Boar
5 of Spades: Kick Locust
6 of Spades: Thunder Deer
7 of Spades: Metal Trilobite
8 of Spades: Magnet Buffalo
9 of Spades: Mach Cheetah
10 of Spades: Time Scarab (Takada was keeping it for Leo)
Jack of Spades: Fusion Eagle
Queen of Spades: Absorb Capricorn
Mimic's Cards:
Ace of Hearts: Change Suzaku
2 of Hearts Spirit
3 of Hearts: Chop Head
4 of Hearts: Float Dragonfly
5 of Hearts: Drill Shell
6 of Hearts: Tornado Hawk
7 of Hearts: Vine Plant
8 of Hearts: Reflect Moth
9 of Hearts: Recover Camel
10 of Hearts: Shuffle Centipede
Jack of Hearts: Fusion Wolf
Queen of Hearts: Absorb Rose
Pluto's Cards:
Ace of Diamonds: Change Byakko
2 of Diamonds: Bullet Armadillo
3 of Diamonds: Upper Frog
4 of Diamonds: Rapid Pecker
5 of Diamonds: Drop Whale
6 of Diamonds: Firefly
7 of Diamonds: Rock Tortoise
8 of Diamonds: Scope Bat
9 of Diamonds: Gemini Zebra
10 of Diamonds: Thief Chameleon
Jack of Diamonds: Fusion Peacock
Queen of Diamonds: Absorb Serpent
Shadow's Cards:
Ace of Clubs: Change Genbu
2 of Clubs: Stab Bee
3 of Clubs: Screw Mole
4 of Clubs: Rush Rhinoceros
5 of Clubs: Bite Cobra
6 of Clubs: Blizzard Polar
7 of Clubs: Gel Jellyfish
8 of Clubs: Poison Scorpion
9 of Clubs: Smog Squid
10 of Clubs: Remote Tapir
Looking at Desmond's cards, Takada racked his brains to try to figure out why Desmond was harboring three Beast Spirits. It was their job to seal the Beast Spirits to save the world! Didn't he realize that? Of course, Desmond really wasn't under Takada's command like Leo and Kat and even though they were, Kat wasn't exactly the type to listen to orders she didn't like. Leo would accept those orders loyally and without question, though.
Takada remembered hearing about the 53rd Beast Spirit dubbed the 'Black Joker'. It was said to be the most powerful and the most dangerous of them all. If the Black Joker was allowed to remain free…it would very well mean the end of the world.
Takada shook his head to forget about that unpleasant fact and concentrated on the screen. Aside from the Joker, they were 6 Beast Spirits short at completely sealing all the Beast Spirits away. They were nearly done with their mission and after all was well and done could relax and return to their normal lives.
"Now, to send my report," Takada said as he pulled up another document, intending to send it back to HQ via e-mail. He believed they would be pleased with the progress the Knights were making. Before he clicked on 'Send' though, Takada's mind wandered over to the news of a Cerberus Knight who had come and assisted them in sealing Shinmei. Just where had Cerberus Knight Grave come from? Where did he get his equipment? Takada had contacted HQ and asked about this but received no answer.
It had shocked Takada too upon finding out the truth that Shinmei was really the Wolf Beast Spirit. Since then, he was never going to trust another Beast Spirit again, which was why he was reluctant to trust the Club Royals who were living with Desmond. He had been disgusted with himself since he had helped them open up the Turtle Hut but then he simmered down, remembering how kind they were. However, despite all that, they were still Beast Spirits and needed to be sealed eventually.
Takada was then reminded about the prom at Murakami. They had needed a DJ and Takada immediately applied for the job. He was going to get a call in a few days though to see if he had gotten the job. Again, another odd job for the Knight of Byakko.
He looked at the report and then saved it again before closing it. There was still not enough data to make a full report, not with the new Cerberus Knight whose identity was still in the dark. As soon as he found out Grave's identity, and if there were others, he would send a complete report on the status of their mission.
Kat and Leo had arrived at the mall and entered a clothing store to find Kat a dress. Of course, she wasn't the only one looking as a large number of teenage girls, some dressed in the Murakami High girl's uniform, were in the same store trying to find a dress for the big day.
"Well, at least I'm not lonely," Kat muttered as she and her brother walked through, looking for a dress.
"Friend Kat!" a cheery voice squealed and the Knight of Suzaku immediately found herself in Starfire's tight grip. "You are here too!"
"It's good to see you, Starry," Kat breathed out, "Can you please let go before I suffocate?" It would seem that Starfire did not realize how truly strong she was.
"My apologies," Starfire said after she let go.
"What are you doing here, Starfire-san?" Leo asked, "Are you looking for a prom dress as well?"
"Why would she be looking for a prom dress anyway?" Kat asked. "She doesn't even go to our school."
"Well…Desmond-san told me that he acquired tickets for the prom," Leo replied, "To give to the other Titans."
Kat quirked an eyebrow, "I thought each student were only allowed two tickets per…oh, wait. He bribed the kid selling tickets, didn't he?" Leo nodded.
"Oh, Friend Desmond was so kind and generous in acquiring the tickets we would need to go to your prom," Starfire said happily.
"So, looking for a dress?" Kat repeated the question to Starfire again. Starfire shook her head.
"Oh, no, I already have a dress, and so does Friend Jinx. We are here for Raven."
"Raven?" the twins asked in unison. Their eyes wandered to the changing room where Jinx was pounding on the door. Leo's eyes lit up at the sight of Jinx and he smiled at seeing the girl he would be taking to the prom. So, she looked a bit frustrated at Raven who had locked herself inside the changing room and refused to come out.
"Raven, come out of there now oh so help me I will hex that door to smithereens!" Jinx said angrily.
"NO!" Raven yelled from behind the door, "I look stupid!"
"Apparently, she's not into dresses," Kat spoke up, "I can totally relate with her."
Leo walked over and placed a calming hand on Jinx's shoulder. She turned her head and she smiled "LEO!" she jumped and hugged the boy.
"Konnichiwa, Jinx-san," Leo greeted, hugging her back before they both let go. "Raven has a problem?"
"She says she won't come out in a dress," Jinx spoke up.
"Because it's stupid looking!" Raven shouted out from behind the door.
"It cannot be so bad," Leo said, trying to be optimistic.
"I look like a bimbo!"
"Do we have a problem here?" Desmond asked as he walked over with Hikaru behind him with a dress in hand. Kat rolled her eyes.
"Great, you're here," Kat said sarcastically. She didn't really hate Desmond as much anymore, but he still got a bit on her nerves. He even knew her secret but he did keep his promise not to tell her brother. It was her secret to tell and she'd do it when she was ready…if she ever got to that point anyway.
"Hello to you too," Desmond replied. "So, what is going on? Is Raven refusing to come out of the changing room?"
"Yes," Leo, Jinx, Starfire and Kat replied flatly.
"Well, Hikaru needs it right now so I think she has to come out eventually."
"Well, she won't come out in the dress I picked for her," Jinx said.
"And where are her regular clothes?" Desmond asked. Starfire held them up. "You took them away from her, I take it."
"It was the only way we could get her to put on a dress," Starfire admitted guiltily. Desmond walked over to the changing room and knocked on the door.
"Raven? Luv? It's me, Desmond," he spoke kindly, "Please, come out."
"No," she grumbled.
"Why not?"
"I look stupid."
"No you don't."
"How would you know?"
"Luv, you could be dressed in a potato sack and I'd still say you were stunning."
"Spare me," Kat scoffed as she rolled her eyes and made gagging sounds.
Desmond ignored her and then spoke again, "Just open the door and come out."
"..." Raven hesitated and asked, "Promise not to laugh?"
"I promise," he reassured her. The door unlocked and Raven pushed it open and walked out. Desmond's red eyes widened as a hint of red came up on his cheeks. "My word…"
"Okay, it's hideous, right?" Raven spoke up. Everyone was silent. "Alright, say something."
Desmond found his voice and said, "Raven…that is the most beautiful dress I have ever seen…"
"Kiss up," Kat coughed into her hand.
Raven was dressed in a midnight blue sleeveless dress that came down to her knees. It was also sparkling. She also had on a pair of high heels and her usual belt was around her waist. There was a slit on the side of the skirt. Raven blushed at hearing his compliment.
"You really thing so?" Raven asked. He took her hand.
"Would I lie to you, luv?" Desmond questioned.
"Oh, spare me…" Kat snidely said.
"Onee-chan…" Leo scolded.
"Otouto-chan, if this seen gets any sugary I'm going to have to go to the dentist to check for cavities."
Starfire's eyes sparkled at the display. It was so romantic!
"I guess, I'll take this dress then," Raven said. Desmond smiled and kissed her forehead.
"A wonderful choice, luv," he said.
"My turn!" Hikaru rushed into the changing room, slammed the door shut and locked it so she could try out her dress.
"So, who is Hikaru taking as her date?" Kat asked.
"Cyborg," Desmond replied, not missing a beat.
"CYBORG!?"
Tara was in her dorm room, pressing the dress against her body and twirling around in front of a mirror. Stephanie and Melissa, her two best friends were with her too.
"That is a fine dress, T," Stephanie complimented, "Absolutely spankin!"
"Thanks, Steph," Tara smiled.
"So, you're taking green bean, huh?" Melissa asked.
"His name is Gar," Tara emphasized Beast Boy's name, "And, yes, I'm taking him."
"Girl, that boy is trouble," Stephanie spoke up her opinion about Beast Boy. Tara glared. Stephanie continued, "But, if he makes you happy, we can't complain."
"Thanks, Steph," Tara said to her friend.
"Oh, I wished I was going to the dance with a superhero!" Melissa whined. "I'd be the envy of all the girls in school!"
"You still wound up because of that Draco guy?" Stephanie questioned. "You can't even see his face!"
"The helmet…I don't know…it's like a mask and makes him so…mysterious. And that armor's so cool. I want a Knight in shining armor, okay? Sue me!"
Tara stifled a laugh. If Melissa knew she was crushing on Leo's alter ego, she'd try to snag a date with him. Too bad for her, Leo was going with Jinx. They just made a strangely appropriate couple. It was probably chemistry.
Melissa was imagining Draco wearing a tuxedo instead of his armor and still wearing his helmet and sighed like she was a lovelorn girl. Boy, did she need help.
The next day, at school, there was a special assembly for all the Senior students and it was mandatory. Attendance was even taken to make sure no one skipped this assembly.
Desmond, Hikaru, Kat, Craig, Leo, Tara, Melissa and Stephanie all sat in a row as they watched the stage. Mr. King was standing at the podium and speaking into a microphone, "As you all know, prom is coming up next week. So, I have brought someone here to talk to you." A well endowed woman walked up to the podium. She had pink hair and was dressed like a nurse.
"Hello," she said in a happy voice. "My name is Saishi, and I am here to talk to you all! " Most of the guys were drooling over Saishi.
"Hey, otouto-chan, does she remind you of anyone?" whispered Kat.
"Sort of," answered Leo with a shrug, "She does seem familiar…I just can't recall why."
"And so, there will be a mandatory health seminar for two days," said Saishi. Everyone groaned. "And I'll be teaching," she added, gaining cheers from the school's male populace. Leo looked at the man sitting next to him. He had short black hair that was tinted red and he wore sunglasses that covered his eyes. He looked very angry.
"How the hell is she still alive?" he whispered to himself. Leo tilted his head, confused. Soon the assembly was over and everyone filed out. Leo looked at the man who was sitting next to him. A girl with short black hair and violet eyes walked up to him.
"Kyo, are you coming?" she asked.
"I'll be out soon. I'd like to have a talk with Ms. Saishi," said Kyo.
As Kyo walked away, Leo had a nagging feeling that he had met Kyo someplace before.
"Otouto-chan," Kat called, "Ikuzo."
"Hai!" Leo replied, following after his sister.
As Kat and Leo walked away, Kyo watched them leave. For some reason, they just seemed familiar to him. Shrugging, he followed after the girl he was with.
2 Days Later…
The health seminar had been quite informative. Classes were cancelled for two days, which was a fact the Seniors enjoyed but the males also enjoyed the fact that Ms. Saishi was teaching them about safe sex since at prom there were bound to be 'accidents'. It had been a learning experience, for Leo especially.
"Well, that's two days of my life I'm never getting back," Kat stretched as she yawned while they all left the auditorium. She had slept through the whole thing. It wasn't like she didn't know anything about Sex Education. Her brother Leo on the other had looked like he had seen the light.
"Onee-chan, you shouldn't have slept. You could've learnt something," he scolded.
"Oh, please," she rolled her eyes. They met up with Tara, Hikaru, Craig, Stephanie, Melissa and Desmond (much to Kat's chagrin) at the cafeteria. They all sat down at their usual table. Desmond was a new addition and only at Hikaru's insistence. Leo had also insisted that Kat and Desmond make peace while in school.
"Well, I do believe most of the male students have gone to meet Ms. Saishi," Desmond observed.
"Maybe they want further explanations on proper health," Leo suggested. Everyone stared at him. No way was he that naïve. "I mean, her Sex Education class was quite informative."
"We learnt about that stuff back in the Freshman year," Melissa spoke up, "Where were you?"
"Sheltered by mama," Kat answered as she ate her lunch. Everyone looked at her for a further explanation. "Let me tell you a story…"
(Flashback…)
"Sex?" Leo asked.
"Yes, I'm going to talk to you about sex," Kat said firmly. "All the girls have been chasing you a lot so you need to know about the birds and the bees, the facts of life, and etcetera."
"But what do birds and bees have to do with girls?" he asked, confused.
Kat stared at him strangely, "Um…you do know what sex means, right?" She hoped he did.
"Sure I do," he answered, bringing relief to her, "It's just another word for gender." Kat face-faulted.
(End Flashback…)
Everyone at the table stared at Leo in disbelief. Tara asked, "You didn't know the other definition of the word?"
"How could you?" Stephanie added. This just couldn't be true.
"He was sheltered by mama a lot in his life," Kat answered.
"I…have heard…of sheltered kids, but no way someone could be that clueless," Craig said.
"Onee-chan's explanation, of course, did not help matters," Leo grumbled.
"I thought I was a great teacher!" Kat answered.
"I couldn't look at a girl the same way for weeks!"
"You're a guy…you're supposed to know these things by now," Craig said.
"It's true," Desmond added, sipping his drink, "Walter thought me about the facts of life a long time ago."
"As I said, Ms. Saishi's explanation was better," Leo said firmly.
"Are you sure you were interested in only her explanation?" Hikaru teased. Leo blushed.
"Hi-Hikaru-san!" Leo spluttered. Everyone laughed.
"So, did you all hear that the theme of the prom is a Masquerade?" Melissa told everyone.
"A Masquerade?" Kat questioned, "What the heck is that!"
"A masked ball," Leo and Desmond answered in unison.
"You wear a fancy mask along with your tuxedo or dress," Desmond elaborated.
"It's like a fancy costume party," Leo simplified it. He smiled, "That will be fun!"
"Barkin will be chaperoning the dance," Craig said and everyone, minus Leo, groaned. "You know what that means. He'll be monitoring for 'excessive PDA'." Craig made air quotes with his fingers. "With him around, it's going to be a drag."
(PDA: Public Display of Affection)
"No French kissing, no hands below the waist, no hands above the waist, no groping," Kat listed, "And absolutely NO sex. What a wet blanket."
"I'll say," Melissa agreed.
Leo stared at the table next to their's. He saw Kyo and the girl from before. At the table with them was a man with yellow-orange hair, a girl with pink hair, a man with brown hair, a man with red hair and wearing a tiger striped bandana, a blonde haired girl, and another girl with black hair and violet eyes. "Are you sure it's her, Kyo?" asked the brown haired man.
"Yeah, no two people can act and look that similar," said Kyo. The pink hair girl hugged Kyo.
"Kyo! I love it when you're angry! You're just so kawaii!" exclaimed the pink haired girl.
"Akari… Get off of me before I am forced to kill you," warned Kyo.
"Kyo-nii, if she's alive, does that mean she can bring him back?" asked the younger black haired girl.
"I hope not, Mayumi… Because if she can, may God help us all."
Stephanie and Melissa were pretty much dateless and the single guys that were still available were losers, geeks, nerds or jerks…they just had to find someone compatible.
Melissa just wanted a Knight in Shining armor…and Stephanie would settle for anyone.
They noticed Kyo and the man with yellow-orange hair arguing. Both were considered two of the handsomest guys in the entire school, but no one asked out Kyo because they all knew he was dating the girl with short black hair and violet eyes whose name was Mahiro. The other was named Hotaru. He had a pretty face but there wasn't much between his ears. Both were known as being two of the strongest guys in the school's Kendo club, along with a guy named Akira. Both Stephanie and Melissa were struck with the exact same idea at that very moment. 'I'll ask Hotaru out!'
They both walked over to Hotaru and interrupted their arguing. "Um, Hotaru… Would you like to go to prom with me?" they asked in unison. They glared at each other.
"Why are you asking him out?!" yelled Melissa.
"Me?! You're the one who wants to date that Draco guy!" yelled Stephanie. They got into a cat-fight. They clawed and scratched at each other as Hotaru and Kyo watched.
"Hey, Kyo," said Hotaru. "What's prom?"
Kyo just stared at his friend in disbelief.
Later…back at Café La Salle…Up in the twins' room.
"One two step, one two step, one two, step," Leo repeated as he danced while holding up a book on dancing and a picture of Jinx. Kat just stared at him strangely.
"What are you doing?" Kat asked.
"Practicing my steps for the dance," he answered honestly, "You should too."
"I know how to dance," she snorted.
"Well, I prefer to be prepared," Leo answered, "And I wish to dance with Jinx in my arms." He then teased, "And you wish for Craig-san to see you in your dress."
"The only one he'll ever see me in," Kat replied sharply, blushing. It had taken them nearly forever to get Kat a dress she was willing to wear. She then teased back, "As if you didn't want to see Jinx in a pretty dress at the prom either." Leo blushed in response. "She's keeping it a surprise for you, isn't she?"
"She is," Leo nodded.
"Well, hope you don't faint when you see it."
"I won't."
"Wanna bet?"
A lot had happened in the week. As usual, the Titans were fighting crime. They were all looking forward to coming to the prom, really, Starfire especially as she had enjoyed a certain prom before with Robin. She just wanted to go to another one with Robin. Cyborg was Hikaru's date and the Tiger Beast Spirit was quite cute in his opinion, really. She was just so energetic and lively and could hold her own in arm-wrestling. Beast Boy was just looking forward to going to the prom with Tara.
The report cards had been given out with Leo scoring straight A's. Kat had gotten B's and C's but an A in P.E. The other students received various grades for the various subjects.
Fast forward…The Night of the Prom…Masquerade Night.
Leo, Kat and Craig had arrived in front of the gym after parking their respective bikes. Desmond and Hikaru had arrived in a car driven by none other than Walter. Shima and Daichi would be the chaperones for the night along with Barkin to help watch over the students who would be dancing the night away. Mr. King was also going to be attending to keep things in order.
Kat was in a black halter styled dress with a studded choker and Craig's scythe necklace around her neck. The dress reached her ankles and had a slit on the side. She wore black boots with it. She still wore her trademark bow ribbon in her hair. The Heart tattoo on her shoulder could be seen Craig had taken one look at it and nearly had a heart attack.
Craig wore a standard tuxedo. Nothing too fancy. Same thing with Desmond but he wore white gloves with black Club symbols on the back of the hands.
Leo was in a tuxedo with a blue shirt under the jacket. A blue Spade symbol was on his breast pocket and he had combed his hair to tidy it up and tied it into a braid. He still had a pair of bangs sticking out of his forehead.
The Titans' T-Car had arrived soon after with the R-Cycle close behind. Robin was in the same tuxedo he had worn to Kitten's prom. The doors of the T-Car swung open and the Titans all exited it. Starfire was in the same dress she had worn to Kitten's prom while Raven was in the dress she had purchased at the mall at Desmond's request. Beast Boy was in a tuxedo with a green shirt under the jacket and a clip-on bow-tie (he doesn't know how to tie on a proper one) while Cyborg was in a blue tuxedo he had worn to a dance that he attended with Jinx back when he went undercover at the HIVE Academy. And Jinx…she was in the same dress she had worn at the dance back then too with her hair styled the same way…It had an effect on Leo.
"Hi, Leo," she said, smiling.
Leo was silent, "…" and his eyes were wide "O.O" with a blushing face.
"How do I look?" Jinx asked him coyly.
Kat took one look at Leo's face and answered for him, "He likes it." At least he didn't faint.
"Where's Tara?" Beast Boy asked impatiently.
"She's coming with Melissa and Stephanie and their dates," Craig answered. "They'll meet us soon."
"How soon?" Beast Boy whined.
"Impatient, isn't he, luv?" Desmond asked as he took Raven's hand and kissed it. "You look stunning tonight, Raven."
"Thank you, Desmond," Raven smiled while blushing. They then noticed another group of people walk in. It was Kyo's group, plus Tara, Stephanie and Melissa. Melissa walked in with her arm around a man with brown hair. He was wearing an icy blue tux, while she was wearing a light blue dress. Kyo smirked at the two.
"Aw, my little brother going to his first dance," he said mockingly.
"Shut up, Kyo," said the other man.
"Settle down, Akira. He's just teasing you," said the blonde haired girl. She was wearing a sparkling pink dress. Stephanie walked in with Hotaru. Stephanie was wearing a light red dress while Hotaru wore an orange tux.
"Hotaru, you stick out like a sore thumb," said Akari, who wore a basic tux. Kyo, Mahiro and the red haired man stared at her.
"Akari-han, why are you wearing a tux? I thought you liked wearing dresses?" asked the red haired man.
"Oh Tora… It would have just been a disaster if Mayumi-chan and I showed up wearing the same dress," explained Akari.
"Right…" said Mahiro.
"Tara!" exclaimed Beast Boy. Tara wore a red dress that ended just above the knees with thin straps and the butterfly hairclip in her hair. She wore simple matching high heels and held a purse.
The groups met each other. "Hey, BB," greeted Tara with a stunning smile. "I'd like you to meet everyone. This is Kyo and Mahiro," she pointed to the couple.
"Nice to meet you," said Mahiro.
"Hey," said Kyo with a wave. He still wore his sunglasses.
"This is Benitora and Yuya…" Tara pointed towards the blonde haired girl and the red haired man, who still wore his bandana. Yuya smiled and waved with Benitora. "This is Akari and Mayumi," she pointed to the Akari and Mayumi, who bowed politely.
"This is Hotaru," said Stephanie.
Hotaru looked around. "Where are we?" he asked.
"Baka," muttered Kyo.
"And this is Akira," said Melissa.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all," said Akira. His eyes were closed, indicating that he was blind somehow. Of course, he was able to convince a lot of people that he was able to see, despite him reading only in Braille. Melissa, his date, was in a green dress.
Kat and Leo looked at Kyo and Mahiro and both had a strange sense of Déjà vu. They weren't the only ones though as Kyo and Mahiro both felt they had met Leo and Kat somewhere before but were unable to place them.
"Alright, let's go!" Hikaru was in a strapless dress that looked like the skin of a tiger. It was quite short, only reached up to mid-thigh. She took Cyborg by the arm and they went to the door.
The couples were given matching masks at the front of the door after flashing their tickets and they all entered the gym. The music was already playing and Takada was the DJ. He was in a tuxedo and on his breast pocket was a white Diamond symbol. Aside from the twins, no one else knew Takada was going to be the DJ. Karmen was at the DJ station with him and dancing to the music. She was in a black dress that looked similar to Starfire's and looked like she was enjoying herself.
"Come on, let us dance!" Starfire said happily before she dragged Robin onto the dance floor. Both Cyborg and Hikaru were eyeing the buffet table hungrily while Desmond rolled his eyes.
Strangely, no one was batting an eye at the Titans being present; then again they were all wearing masks so no one was the wiser at their presence. It was a good thing that it was a Masquerade.
Mr. King, Shima and Barkin stood around to chaperone the dance. Shima gave Mr. King a glare and the silent treatment while Mr. King acknowledged him with a nod.
Leo was leading Jinx towards the dance floor to dance when suddenly his cell phone began to beep. At the same time, Kat, Takada and Desmond's cell phones began to beep as well. The four teens looked at the screens and their eyes widened.
Jinx, sounding depressed, said, "You have to go, don't you?"
"Gomen nasai, Jinx-san," Leo apologized to his date. No sooner had it begun; their date was so rudely interrupted.
Jinx shook her head, "It's okay, it's your job," she told him and then encouraged, "Go. I'll be waiting for you." He kissed her on the cheek.
"Arigato!"
"Of all the times," Kat complained.
"Why is it that a Beast Spirit comes to attack while I'm in the middle of something?" Desmond said, irritated.
Desmond was apologizing to Raven as well, but Raven understood that he had a job to do. Kat was also apologizing to Craig and as the understanding boyfriend, he too allowed her to leave because this was an emergency. As he watched her run to the door, someone tapped him on the shoulder and whispered, "We have to go." Craig nodded and followed two people, a boy and a girl, out the back door of the gym.
Takada left Karmen in charge of the DJ station. Thankfully, Takada had shown her how everything worked and she got to work, playing the dance music as he left. However, before he left, he said to her, "The last dance, just for you." She blushed and smiled, nodding.
The Knights all exited the gym and went for their bikes. Desmond's had come automatically.
"What are we facing?" Kat asked as she put on her helmet.
Takada answered, "A Category King." Everyone was stunned.
"Did you say…Category King?" Leo asked.
"That will mean that we'll have to fight at our best," Desmond nodded. Shima had warned him of how powerful the Kings were if his own power was any indication. Shadow had sparred with Shima numerous times and Shima was no pushover despite his appearance. And Shima had been holding back!
The four Knights mounted their vehicles and raced out of the school towards their destination of their next battle. Mr. King watched them as they go.
The 4 Knights arrived at a street where the signal had led them and before them was one of the robed and hooded members of the Royals and obviously the Category King they would be fighting. The Knights already had their belts on and all they needed to do was activate them.
"So, you came," the unidentified King spoke, "I thought you'd be too busy at your little dance."
"That can wait," Kat growled, her Category Ace in hand.
"Well now, allow me to introduce myself," the Category King spoke, "I am Paradox…the King of Hearts." he produced a pair of kamas (hand-scythe) and his red wings appeared behind him. His wings were made of fire. "I am also…your doom…"
"HENSHIN!" the Knight called out as they activated their Advent Buckles and raced towards Paradox.
"CHANGE SUZAKU!"
"CHANGE SEIRYU!"
"CHANGE GENBU!"
"CHANGE BYAKKO!"
Jinx sat at a table, alone, drinking punch and waiting for Leo to return. Someone decided to sit at the table with her and Jinx looked over to see that it was Mahiro.
"Is this seat taken?" Mahiro asked politely.
"Be my guess," Jinx offered and Mahiro nodded a thanks.
"So, where is your date?" Mahiro asked.
"Out on an errand," Jinx replied, not wanting to go and elaborate. "What about yours?"
"Stopping Hotaru from doing something stupid…again," Mahiro answered with a hint of amusement. "Your date, Leo, seems strangely familiar."
"Are you an ex-girlfriend?" asked Jinx suspiciously.
"No, Kyo is the only man I've ever dated." She turned to see Kyo dragging Hotaru away.
He looked at Mahiro and said, "I'll be right back…" He left the room with Hotaru and a loud thud was heard throughout the dance. Kyo walked back in with Hotaru. Hotaru had a large lump on his forehead. He walked over to Mahiro and Jinx. "How are you two ladies?" asked Kyo.
"Fine," said Jinx.
"I'm good," said Mahiro, taking a drink of her punch. Kyo saw Benitora kissing Yuya.
"One moment please… Oh, Tora, can I speak with you for a minute?" He walked over to Benitora, who just ran away. Kyo chased after him.
"What was that about?" asked Jinx.
"Yuya is Kyo's little sister, and he's very protective of her." Mayumi walked over to the two girls.
"Hi, nee-chan," said Mayumi as she joined the girls. She looked at Jinx, "Hi, Jinx right?"
"Yeah, nice to meet you."
Mimic was knocked back by a fireball. "This guy is really starting to piss me off!" exclaimed Mimic as she pushed herself back to her feet. All her arrows, ice and fire alike, had been easily deflected by Paradox. Shadow was trying to hit Paradox with his staff but the Category King just dodged and then struck back with his hand-scythes, slashing him across the chest and blasting him back with a fireball that sent him flying across the street and crashing into a car. He pulled himself out and was joined by Mimic.
"Maybe we should've asked the Titans to help," Mimic suggested. Shadow shook his head.
"No," he replied, "This is our fight. There is no need to put them into our kind of danger." He then started coughing. Of all the times for it to happen it just had to be during a battle.
Pluto was shooting at Paradox from a distance but his shots were easily deflected by the Royal as he swung his scythes to block the shots. His hands were moving so fast that they looked like blurs. Paradox spread his wings and vanished, only to reappear in front of Pluto and kicking him in the chest, sending him crashing through a window. Paradox looked up to see Draco dropping down with his sword to slash him but the Knight of Seiryu got a kick in the chest and then sent flying back by a fireball.
"Is that all you got?" Paradox taunted. "Are you supposed to stop me?" He laughed. "You're all pathetic!"
Pluto had gotten out of the window and stood next to Draco. Pluto retorted, "We'll show you who's the pathetic one!" He turned to Draco, "Ready, Draco?"
"Hai!" Draco nodded and they activated their respective Category Queen and Jack cards. Paradox watched, wanting to see what they could do.
"ABSORB QUEEN!" Pluto and Draco's Advent Absorbers announced as they slid in their Queen cards and then they slashed through the Jack cards, "FUSION JACK!"
Like several times before, a golden eagle swept over Draco and transformed him into Jack Form. For Pluto, a golden peacock swept over him and changed him into Jack Form as well.
Pluto's Jack Form was similar to Draco's but also different as well. The diamond emblem on his chest was now gold with a peacock depicted inside it. The black stripes of his armor had also turned to gold as did the sharp extensions on his helmet. 6 long silver peacock tails, 3 on each shoulder blade, with gold diamond tips hung like a cape behind him. His Byakko Revolver also gained a short blade. Mimic and Shadow looked impressed at the change.
Paradox, on the other hand, was not impressed. He, however, prepared himself as he took into the air, turning this into an aerial battle. Draco spread out his wings and followed after the King of Hearts. Pluto's 'tails' then spread out to become wings as well and he took to the skies as well.
Draco swung his sword as he flew at Paradox, slashing at the King of Hearts, but he was blocked. Pluto shot Paradox from behind but the Beast Spirit warped away and they hit Draco instead. Paradox reappeared behind Pluto and swung his kamas down to slash off Pluto's 'tail-wings' and he went plummeting to the ground. Several vines broke his fall, courtesy of Shadow.
"Thanks," Pluto said in gratitude. Shadow nodded. Mimic looked up and watched as Draco fought Paradox on his own. She was ready to activate her Float Dragonfly card to assist him, but was stopped by Shadow when he grabbed her arm. She glared at him.
"I have to go help him," Mimic said.
"He won't be needing your help," Shadow said to her, earning a curious look from her.
Paradox and Draco swung their weapons at each other and they clashed, sending sparks raining down to the ground. They then locked weapons and Paradox's hooded face was in front of Draco's helmet covered one. "I am a King! What makes you think you can beat me!"
Draco struggled against his opponent and then looked over Paradox's shoulder to see three figures on top of a building. Draco then replied, "I don't." Paradox looked quizzically at him and then the three figures took this as a cue to jump down and attack. Draco flew back after their weapons unlocked and Paradox was knocked down to the ground as the three figures tackled him. Paradox crashed hard and the three mysterious figures jumped back.
Who they were surprised the Advent Knights.
One of them was Grave in his black and gold armor and he was with two others. They both wore identical looking armor and black bodysuits but there were also some slight differences.
One of them was a girl if the curves were an indication and she had a green diamond in the centre of her faceplate and red pointed extensions on the flanks of her helmet. The 'A' on her chestplate was also red and her shoulder-guards were pointed up and were red too. Her black boots and gauntlets had red trimmings and she was armed with a crossbow.
The other male figure was in armor identical to the female's except with a red diamond in the centre of his faceplate, green extensions, flanking the helmet, green pointed up shoulder guard, a green 'A' on his chestplate and green trimmed gauntlets and boots.
"Need help?" Grave offered.
"Who're your friends?" Mimic asked, with her hands to her hips.
"Cerberus Knight Spear," the one in black and green replied. He was armed with a spear, just like his namesake. The weapon was obviously his card scanner since the device in question was equipped to the other end of the weapon.
"Cerberus Knight Archer," the one in black and red added, holding a crossbow. The weapon was her card scanner.
Paradox was getting up and glared at the 7 Knights. He was not going to go down so easily and they all knew this. Time to finish him off, once and for all.
Pluto, Mimic and Archer shot at Paradox with their respective weapons and he easily deflected them. But, that was only a diversion as both Shadow and Spear charged and smashed him with the back ends of their pole-arms. Draco and Grave then disarmed Paradox with lightning bolts and green energy, respectively.
The 7 Knight then charged at him again and Paradox received a punch in the face, an elbow in the stomach, two kicks in the chest, a knee in the chin and then bullet and arrow shots. He staggered as his wings flapped erratically. He was trying to get away from the onslaught.
Pluto handed Draco a card and Draco took it. It depicted a scarab beetle with a clock on its back. It was the 10 of Spades: Time Scarab. He stared at it and looked at Pluto curiously. "It's yours," Pluto confirmed. "Now, use it!"
"Hai!" Draco nodded and slashed it through his sword.
"TIME!" the Seiryu Blade announced.
Now, the effects of the Time Scarab card were obviously linked to time. Of course, this also meant that it was also unpredictable. The card could randomly stop, reverse, speed up or slow down time. It could also enable the user to travel through time if used correctly. In this case, it did stop time. Unfortunately, it stopped time for Paradox as he suddenly stood frozen like a statue.
He was totally vulnerable now.
"LET'S TAKE HIM OUT!" Mimic shouted as she drew her cards. The others did so as well.
The Advent Knights first activated their cards.
"SLASH! THUNDER! MACH!...SLASH SONIC!"
"BULLET! RAPID! FIRE!…BURNING SHOT!"
"RUSH! BLIZZARD! POISON!...BLIZZARD VENOM!"
"FLOAT! DRILL! TORNADO!...SPINNING DANCE!"
Then, it was the Cerberus Knights' turn to activate their cards.
"MIGHTY!" all three of their card scanners announced.
"Gravity Slash!" Grave called as his sword was being charged up with golden energy.
"Impact Stab!" Spear called as his spear was being charged up with emerald energy.
"Ray Bullet!" Archer called as her crossbow was being charged up with ruby energy.
As soon as time started back up for Paradox, it was already too late…for him, unfortunately.
The first thing Paradox felt were the sword wielders attacks as he was slashed from the front and back by both Grave and Draco who came at him from opposite sides. He screamed shrilly from the strike. Then, he felt the shots from Archer's crossbow that was firing charged up energy arrows, followed by a volley of fireballs from Pluto. Following that, both Spear and Shadow stabbed him with their weapons and then tossed him into the air. Finally, Mimic came crashing down on him with her cyclone corkscrew kick attack.
He was unable to dodge any of the attacks and was swiftly defeated as he crashed back onto the street. He attempted to stand up but the damage from the attacks had been far too severe. With one last shout, he exploded in a blaze of white fire.
"Yatta!" Draco cheered as they had defeated Paradox, the King of Hearts. When the smoke cleared, Mimic had her Blank Seal card ready to seal him but then…
"KUSO!" Mimic cursed angrily.
Paradox had disappeared.
"He escaped," Shadow observed.
"No, duh," Mimic retorted. All that hard work and for nothing.
"Well, at least we showed him not to mess with us," Draco spoke up. "That has to mean something."
"And, besides, we'll get him next time," Pluto added. Mimic sighed.
"You guys are probably right." She then looked around to find the Cerberus Knights but those three had also pulled a disappearing act. "Hey, where are those three?"
Pluto looked around. He'd wanted to question the Cerberus Knights but now they had just vanished. "They must've run off during the explosion."
"Well, no use crying over spilt milk then," Shadow said as he reached for his Advent Buckle and snapped it close, changing him back to Desmond. Pluto and Draco flipped the panels of their buckles over, undoing their transformations as well. Mimic just slashed through her Category 2 to change out of her suit.
"SPIRIT!"
"Well, the night is still young, so let's party!" Kat yelled excitedly.
"Let's just get back first, okay?" Takada advised.
The Knights had returned and just in time too.
It was now time for the last dance of the night before the crowning of Prom King and Queen. Jinx and Leo shared a slow dance and gazed into each other's eyes.
"I'm sorry for leaving you like that just now," he apologized to her sincerely.
"That's okay. I've had a lot of fun tonight," she said to him, purring, as they danced cheek to cheek.
"So have I, Jinx-san," Leo agreed. 'Now or never…' he thought in his mind. "Ano, Jinx-san, there is something I want to tell you…"
"Okay."
"Aishiteru." There, he had finally said it, now he just wanted to wait for her reaction.
Jinx gasped when she heard the word that he'd just uttered. For a while now, she had been teaching herself Japanese since Leo had a habit of uttering random Japanese phrases without realizing it. The word…the phrase…he had just uttered was a simple one but held a whole lot of meaning.
Simply translated…Leo had just said, "I love you."
Jinx felt like crying when she heard those words and tears were welling up in her eyes. Leo was not sure how to take her reaction. Was she pleased? Was she surprised? Was it both?
"Oh, Leo-kun," Jinx spoke up, in Japanese, much to Leo's shock, "You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that to me. I love you too."
Smiling, Leo leaned down and captured her lips with his own. Her eyes fluttered close as she deepened the kiss. A lot of the girls who'd had a deep crush on Leo felt their hopes dashed away upon seeing this. As if seeing Leo come to prom with Jinx wasn't enough torture anyway.
Kat and Craig, who were drinking punch, eyed the couple and the Knight of Suzaku smiled. "Well, it's about time he had the nerve to tell her," she said.
"Yep," Craig agreed.
"Now, let's dance!"
Paradox staggered with each step. His wounds were yet to heal. His robe was tattered and green blood was dripping off him. He had to find a place to rest and recuperate and then he'd have his revenge. He then stopped in his tracks when he heard footsteps coming closer…closer…and closer.
Paradox lifted up his head and his eyes widened with horror under his hood. He summoned his kamas and warned the figure in front of him, "Stay back! Stay back, I say!" The strange figure had a green aura around him, casting its body in a dark silhouette. Paradox backed away in fear and turned around to make a run for it as fast as his feet could take him but something sliced through the air and hit him before he could take another step and he screamed out loud, his voice piercing through the night.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
Paradox, in a haze of green energy, turned into a card and then flew into the mysterious figure's hand. His card was the King of Hearts: Evolution Zhuqiao. The figure gazed at the card for a second before walking away.
A/N: Well, that's the chap. How's you like it. Shadow Element 13 helped me out by putting in his own characters. Well, prom night is over and soon…GRADUATION! By the way, can u guess who were crowned King and Queen of the Prom? I'm not telling you so you might as well use that head and guess.
Preview of the next episode: Graduation Day has finally arrived. The twins' mother comes to watch as her children graduate from school and she meets their friends too. Will she approve of Jinx and Craig? Also, she DOES NOT know about them being Knights. And the King of Spades makes his move.
Card Sealed
King of Hearts: Evolution Zhuqiao (sealed by unknown figure)
New Card used:
10 of Spades: Time Scarab. A card Pluto has been holding for Draco because of its unpredictable properties associated with time.
Pluto Jack Form
Attained By: Accomplished by the usage of the Advent Absorber, Category Jack of Diamonds and Category Queen of Diamonds. He first slides the Queen of Diamonds into the Absorber before slashing through the Jack of Diamonds through the Absorber.
Armor Alterations: Golden extensions on helmet, and golden stripes on armor. Possess 3 pairs of peacock tails that act as wings for flight. Golden Peacock inside diamond on chestplate.
Advantages: Blade equipped to Byakko Revolver, flight and increased power due to fusion with Peacock Beast Spirit.
Side Effects: Unknown. Possibly the ability to fly in human form.