A/N: Well, hello there! Now before you all start wondering "WHERE THE FREAK HAVE YOU BEEN, LADY?!" let me explain a few things. I have had serious writers block for a while, not just with this story but with all of my other ones. I had no idea what to write, and I couldn't write for a while, which made me really upset and depressed. Along with that, some other issues came along that I couldn't control. I sincerely hope you all understand and forgive me for being gone for so long…

Disclaimer: I only own Emi.

Crap. I'm running late. I curse under my breath as I slam another drawer closed. Where in the world is that confounded dress? I glance at the clock again, biting my lip. Maybe I just shouldn't go. It wouldn't matter much. But then I think about those evil twins and their stupid warning and I have to force myself to move.

Well, the dress is not in my room. Only one other option.

I almost knock on my sister's bedroom door, but then I remember that she's never coming home again. Just go in there, grab the dress, and get out, I tell myself. It's that simple. But in all reality, it's not. As soon as I open the door I wave of my sister's smell raids my nostrils: roses and cinnamon, with just a touch of the bag of Doritos she always stored under her bed for a midnight snack.

I grab the dress and make it out in record time before I start to cry. I should get going.

By the time I get there my armpits are soaked and my hair is sticking up everywhere because I kept pulling on it. The wind from walking to the school didn't help much either.

I pull open the door to the Host Club room and walk inside. Only Haruhi is there, wearing a long white dress accompanied by a brown wig to make her hair longer. Tamaki's doing, I guess.

"Oh, hey Em –" She stops as she looks at me. There's only silence between us. "What – "

I wave my hand. "Don't even ask. Sorry I'm late." I make my way for the changing room, but Haruhi's voice stops me.

"Wait, Emiko. What are you wearing?" I hold up the dress. She raises her eyebrows. "Um….hang on, let me get the twins." And with that, she runs out of the room.

"Emi? What the heck is that?" Hikaru points an accusing finger at the fabric.

Frustration boils inside me, leaking through my pores and voice. "It's called a dress. Girls wear them, and sometimes men. Is that a problem?"

Kaoru blinks in surprise. "Uh, no, it's just that…it's so…so…."

"Plain," Hikaru finishes.

That's the point, I say to myself. But I can't help but smile; they're right. It's a knee-length, black dress with roses on the long sleeves.

"Oh, absolutely not," the twins say together. "This will not do."

"They're right," Haruhi says, running a brush through her hair one last time. "It's a formal dance, Em."

"Ball," the twins say together. "It's a ball, not a dance."

"Same difference." Haruhi shoots back.

I sigh. "Well, I was running late and I don't have any dresses besides this one. Sorry."

From the moment I say the last word, a grin appears on the twins faces. I scold myself for apologizing as I am half-walked, half-dragged into a changing room and a new dress is thrown at my head.

The girl in the mirror is not me. I stare at myself, wide-eyed and dumbfounded in the mirror. I don't know how the twins immediately knew my measurements and size, but they got it spot on. Sparkling turquoise covers me from bust to toe, the dress being nearly the same color as my eyes. The dress is somewhat low cut, making me blush with both somewhat shame and a bit of glee. I've never worn something like this. There was never a point to, since I have almost no chest.

There's only one problem: it's strapless. And strapless = bare arms. And bare arms = scars.

"You done in there?" the twins pull back the curtain. I immediately tuck my hands and forearms behind my back. I nod.

"Oh snap," Kaoru says. I feel my blood go cold. "We forgot the finishing touch."

Hikaru grabs a weird, shawl-like thing and tosses it to Kaoru. The good news is, it includes sleeves, long ones. (Okay, if you're totally confused about the dress, just imagine that it's Elsa's dress from Frozen, if you've seen it. If not, just look it up. I WANT THAT DRESS SO BAD. Ahem. Moving on - ) I could do it myself but Kaoru is already slipping my left arm into the sleeve. He tugs on my right arm, then stops. I look down, wondering what could be wrong.

The world around me freezes and shatters into a million pieces. It feels like a million paparazzi cameras are snapping photos of me, flashing their bulbs and leaving me blind. I can feel myself shaking, but I'm not cold.

Kaoru, sleeve in one hand, my arm in the other, stares at the marks on my skin. Can't say I blame him: it's my own personal canvas.

"You guys almost done in there?" Haruhi calls out from behind.

Time snaps back in place. "Uh, yeah." Kaoru says, yanking the sleeve up my arm and tossing the miniature cape onto my back. "We're coming." He stands up and smiles at me as if what he just looked at flew over his head. "You ready?"

And I smile back, like nothing in the entire world is wrong.

"Oh, Emiko," Haruhi breathes as I walk out. "You look wonderful!"

I manage to choke out a thank-you. Hikaru slips a silver masquerade mask around my eyes as Haruhi brushes my hair down. "Remember our deal," he manages to whisper in my ear.

It's showtime.

I have to admit, they did a pretty good job. Ice sculptures everywhere, white and blue ribbons and streamers lacing the walls. I walk in, pulling at my sleeves even though they stop right at my wrists. Kaoru's face has been burned into my mind and I want to reopen all those scars just thinking about it. I want to reach into his mind and wipe that memory clean. There's not enough bleach to do that.

I see him across the room. Prince Charming, the twins would dub him. I don't even know how they were smart enough to figure out my feelings besides looking at my private sheet music. "Him", the person I dedicated the piece to, could have been anyone. They're a lot smarter than I thought. And I am annoyed at that fact.

He's wearing a white suit, which is a nice compliment to his dark hair. He's nodding at people and smiling politely. Then he glances at me, and something happens that scares me: I feel like I'm the only person in the room, and suddenly I feel so vulnerable.

For a single moment, I feel like everything is fine. But then Tamaki had to be an idiot and ask me to dance.

After dancing with two, three, four, five people I wonder if I'll even get the chance of being in his arms. I shake my head at that last thought. I'm starting to sound like a rabid fangirl.

But then he's there, holding out his hand and asking me to dance. I can't think of anything to say, so I just nod. He's a surprisingly good dancer, smooth and graceful. He manages to unfreeze my lips with small talk and I allow myself to smile and occasionally laugh. The dance is over too soon, and while everyone is applauding the orchestra, Prince Charming leans in my ear and whispers, "You look beautiful."

I'm pretty sure my heart just exploded because of two realizations: Number one, I actually feel beautiful and confident. Number two, the twins were right. I am in love with the Shadow King of the Host Club.