…

Miki gave her childhood friend a skeptical look, not believing she knew somebody so dense. "Please…for the love of Shugo Chara, tell me you're joking."

The pink haired seamstress was oblivious to the problem, too busy panicking as she paced the loft. "This is no joking matter, Miki! This is such an amazing opportunity and I get…this…this situation to deal with!"

Rima pinched her nose from her spot on the couch, shaking her head. "Why am I friends with you?" Nagi wisely chose to stay silent, understanding this was a girl's dilemma and that Amu was just spazzing out…again.

"Rima, you're not helping," exclaimed Amu, looking rather distressed. "This is an extremely serious problem! What am I supposed to do?"

The blue haired artist glanced out the window to see the clock tower, looking relieved as she came up with an excuse to get away from her utterly hopeless employee. "Oh, look at the time; I have to go meet Yoru in the courtyard." She disappeared out the door, leaving her friend on her own, just as El slipped by.

"Hi, Amu-chan," she greeted cheerfully before she noticed her friend's panicked expression. "Hm, what's wrong? Shouldn't you be getting ready for the ball?"

The older girl was incapable of speaking, simply making odd noises as she disappeared into her bedroom while muttering something. El looked over to the pinkette's other friends, tilting her head in confusion.

"Was it something I said?" She asked, hoping she didn't offend her new friend. Rima sighed.

"She's panicking over something foolish and is too dense to figure out the solution to the problem," she replied, looking over at her lover. "I'm thirsty."

Nagi simply shook his head, used to the blonde's treatment of him. "Would you like some tea, El?" He asked as he stood, walking to the kitchen area. "It's jasmine."

The younger blonde shook her head. "Uh, no thank you. So what's the problem that Amu-chan is worrying about?" As if on cue, the said seamstress burst out of her room with a frazzled expression and wild hair. She collapsed on the couch next to Rima, looking ready to explode. "Amu-chan, what's bothering you? You should be getting ready for the ball; it already started."

Amu wanted to burst into tears. She felt ridiculous, getting upset and making a scene like she was doing, but she felt so lost in this situation. She had never been to such an event and knowing that the prince, who she felt slight attraction towards despite the knowledge that he was completely out of her league, and the Duke of Embryo, who she honestly had no attraction towards but he insisted on pursuing her anyhow, were both going to be there did not help at all. On top of her regular problems, she now had the caught the eyes of two of the most powerful people in the land!

"Amu-chan, please tell me your problem," begged El, who still felt as if she owed the pinkette for her good deeds. "I want to help you."

"Oh, Amu, just tell her already," said Rima, getting fed up by her best friend's behavior.

The seamstress sniffled and flailed her arms, slapping them down on the couch's arms in the most unladylike fashion. "I don't have a dress!"

It was uncomfortably silent for several moments, the other three occupants exchanging looks of disbelief.

Finally, El voiced the obvious solution. "Aren't you a seamstress? Can't you just use one of the dresses downstairs?" It was if a switch had been flipped as Amu's face lit up.

"Of course; how could I not think of that?" She asked herself, dashing down the lower floor with her friends behind her.

She was deaf to Rima's remark of, "Well, Amu was never the sharpest knife in the drawer."

The pink haired girl suddenly stopped her actions, looking depressed. "Oh, but these dresses are so plain…all of the people there will be wearing silk and other fine work from much better tailors. I'll be so out of place, like a strawberry in a raspberry festival. I'll look like a fool. I don't even know how to dance! It'll be so obvious I'm not of any royalty!"

El blinked. "And Il calls me dense…Nagihiko's family owns a dance studio and knows over a hundred dancing styles. Rima's a talented and unique seamstress, just like you. I grew up in a lord's home. You're a smart girl, Amu-chan. Nagi and I can train you the basics while Rima works on your dress. And what if you are different? It's a masquerade ball; people will be wearing all sorts of costumes so your pink hair will not stand out." Yes it would, but no one had the heart to say it.

Rima placed a hand on her friend's arm, looking up at her with a reassuring smile. "I promise you will have a great time at the ball, Amu."

"W-what about you guys?" Amu asked, touched by her friend's gestures. "Don't you have to work on your preparation as well?"

"Well, my family was invited since my mother knows the head advisor," replied Nagi with a sheepish expression. "Rima was naturally my choice as a partner so she had weeks to prepare. El planned on going anyways so she's prepared as well."

Amu grumbled to herself as they got into their positions. "And once again, I am left out of the loop."

…

"The ball started nearly an hour ago," exclaimed Amu as they rode in the carriage to the palace, tapping her feet nervously. "Maybe it's too late; we can always go back."

Tired of her friend's tactics, Rima reached over and slapped her. Not too hard, of course, but hard enough to shake the panicking seamstress out of her misery. "You're such an airhead, Amu; I thought you wanted to see the prince again?" Amu blushed brightly, but remained silent as she gave her friend a grateful expression. "Remember, we promised to watch out for Tadase but it'll be a useless effort if you don't wear your mask."

"Right," replied the pinkette, feeling her insides twist as they approached the castle. She picked the mask up from her lap, slipping it on. "You did an amazing job on the dress, Rima; thank you for working so hard."

The dress really was beautiful; it looked as if it was made for royalty but wasn't so outrageous that Amu would call too much attention. It was a soft pink material that went down to her ankles, mostly because the girl would trip over her dress repeatedly, and it specifically showed off her assets without seeming like a scarlet woman. The skirt flowed naturally like a casual sundress but the upper torso was what made it fancy. The chest was heart shaped and just barely covered her chest with a thin veil over the rest of that area. When the veil met the shoulder area, it switched back to the original material where the skin hugging sleeves went down to the wrists. Her hair was done in French ringlets, falling over her petite face delicately. The mask was a simple white with a single pink feather on the side, only covering her eyes. She wore soft pink heels that were neither too high nor too flat.

"You're welcome," replied the blonde. "Don't forget about your lessons." She was dressed in a deep red dress that ended a few inches past her knees. It was strapless but she wore a black shawl over it. The upper part of the dress was simple, other than a single row of jewels over the top hem. On her waist was a yellow rose, and the skirt of the dress was ruffled. She wore dark red flats and her hair was put into a side bun, a few strands falling over her child-like face. Her mask was pure black and only covered her eyes.

"Don't worry; like I said, Amu-chan is a smart girl," exclaimed El, who was bouncing in excitement. She had never been to an event with friends before, and wasn't sure how to dress, but hoped she caught the eye of a cute duke or something. She was wearing a traditional pink ball gown, the shade of pink slightly darker than Amu's dress, and wore a heart necklace with a matching heart clip in her hair. She chose to wear her hair down, and had taken a pair of white high heels before leaving her home. Her mask was white with a small layer of pink glitter, along with a pink heart over her right eye, and covered her eyes and nose.

"You'll be fine," promised Nagi, reaching over and squeezing his friend's hand. He looked divine himself. He wore his hair as he normally did, and wore black pants with a dark purple button up under a black blazer. His mask was black with a maroon feather, and it covered only his eyes and nose. "You look beautiful and are naturally charming; you'll definitely catch the eye of several people tonight."

"But that's what I'm worried about," whined Amu as the carriage door was opened, forcing them to climb out. She was the first one out, smiling politely at the butler who helped her, while her friends quickly put their masks on. "Thank you." She didn't notice the butler's look of surprise, clearly expecting her to be another stuck up princess, as she turned to her friends. "Shall we?"

They nodded and could only stare when she turned, walking into the castle with a confident posture. Realizing people were staring, they followed but were all wondering what had happened to the pinkette.

Meanwhile, Amu was mentally throwing a fit. Why was she so socially awkward? Couldn't she simply go talk to a person and be herself? No, she couldn't; instead, she was wearing that façade of hers where she pretended she didn't care about anything and was confident and powerful. That was so not like her character!

Rima looked highly amused, having caught on to what had happened, when they approached the pinkette. "So…your façade swoops in again, does it?" Her best friend groaned slightly as they loitered outside the doors. Nagi gave her a sympathetic look, quickly explaining to a lost El.

"Alright, shall we go in?" The angelic blonde asked once she was up to date. "We can't keep everybody waiting, can we?"

"Who's waiting for us?" Rima asked, raising an eyebrow. El flushed.

"Well, nobody, really," she replied. "But we should go in soon, or we'll spend the whole night out here!" Then her face was drained of any color. "Oh no, I promised to meet Utau-chan! Il will have my head! I'll see you inside!" She raced off in the opposite direction, leaving the three friends to themselves.

"I actually have to meet my parents in the other chamber," started Nagi, looking apologetic at the pinkette who gave him a look of disbelief.

"And I have to go with him, seeing as I am his date," admitted Rima apologetically as her friend turned to her, wearing the same expression. "Sorry, Amu; we'll meet you out there, alright?"

"Ooh, I hate you all," muttered Amu as the couple gave her another apologetic look before they disappeared. She took a deep breath before she calmly stepped into the ballroom, instantly feeling like Cinderella. She stood on the top of a staircase and felt all eyes on her as she descended down, ignoring the murmurs.

"Who's she?"

"She's gorgeous."

"Who designed her dress? It looks magnificent!"

"I wonder if she has a date."

"If she does, he's a horrible partner for leaving her unattended."

"Look how she carries herself! She must be a princess or a lady."

"Perhaps a duchess?"

"What's her name?"

"She must come from a rich family as well."

Amu nearly snorted at that last one. Her family was anything but rich. They weren't street peasants but it's not as if they slept in silk and ate fresh meat every night. It was just like it was back home; people spread rumors without ever trying to get to know her at all.

She finally came to the bottom of the stairs, ignoring everybody as she turned and walked away to the sidelines. She searched for her friends, blind to the girls' stares of envy and the males' looks of desire.

"Where could they be?" The seamstress-in-disguise whispered to herself, pressing her lips together tightly. She didn't go through all of this to waste away in the corner! She should have brought a date; at least then somebody would fend off the suitors who ran up to her with confessions. She sighed in disappointment; she might as well have been back at home.

So far, the night wasn't very promising.

…

"Ikuto, please try to smile," begged Queen Souka, looking over at her only son. He was practically sulking, though that might have been because Kukai was being more than annoying as he sought out for a date. Their advisor, Yoru, had been given the night off and was out on the floor somewhere. She suspected he was with a girl he had met earlier, but wasn't worried. In fact, she was relieved somebody had a girlfriend…or fiancé, from what the ring on his finger suggested.

"I'll find a wife when girls stop trying to jump me," stated Ikuto, as if he knew what his mother was thinking. His father chuckled from his spot next to his beautiful wife.

"It's a blessing and a curse you got my devilishly good looks," remarked King Aruto, making his wife gently swat his arm while his son smirked.

"Hm, at least I make it work," replied the prince, not looking at his father. Kukai snickered, finally standing. "And where are you going?"

"Well, since my parents were too busy fussing over my brothers, I might as well check out the scene for them," he replied, stretching. He was wearing black pants with a light green button up shirt. He had ditched the jacket and rolled up the sleeves to his elbows, making some cringe while the girls swooned. "There are some pretty guests here."

"Pretty guests who only want you for your looks and money," deadpanned Ikuto, earning eye rolls from the other three despite the statement being true. "I don't know why you're…" He trailed off, noticing the dreamy expression on his friend's face. "What's wrong with you?"

Kukai nodded towards the staircase, a grin forming. "Look who just entered. Isn't she a beauty?" The three members of the royal family looked up, seeing a beautiful girl in a pink dress descend down the stairs. "I'm going to ask her to dance." He slipped the mask over his face, resting it on top of his head so his face was revealed.

"Why her, and why are you taking your mask off?" Ikuto questioned, not understanding why this girl was so special. He knew his friend didn't plan on actually asking a girl to dance, only going out there to mindlessly flirt and be his usual idiotic self. So what made this girl so different?

The duke ignored him, pouting. "Man, look, some blond haired guy just asked her to dance. She accepted…no, she didn't. She's crossing her arms and saying something at him. He keeps holding out her hand but she's shaking her head. I think it's…no, it couldn't be. He was so obsessed with this one girl in the village…"

"What are you talking about? Stop ignoring me; that's my job," exclaimed Ikuto, annoyed. Again, he was ignored. "Dammit, Kukai, I'll get the hot towels!"

"Alright, alright, keep your panties on," replied Kukai, glancing at him with a slight smirk. It felt good to be the one in the loop for once. "I was just thinking, that guy must be Tadase." Ikuto instantly scowled; his dislike of the other duke was not a secret.

"Well, the girl is pretty smart if she's saying no then," he replied, crossing his arms as his plans not to get on the dance floor strengthened. "Why did you invite him?" This was directed at his parents.

"Just because you don't like him doesn't mean we have to be rude," said Souka. "His parents are quite nice, and are highly respected. It would damage our reputation with the other royal families if we didn't invite them."

"Anyways, I'm surprised you aren't down there to sweep her away from him," said Aruto. "Don't you normally do that sort of thing to bother him?"

"He's waiting for one girl to show up," replied Kukai, smirking when his best friend glared at him. "But seriously, Ikuto; didn't you see that girl? You should go down there before you completely miss your chance with her."

"Why would I want to have a 'chance' with this girl?" Ikuto asked, scowling. "She's just another stuck up snob."

"Really, that's great," said the brunette. "I think I'll go ask her to dance now and rescue her from Tadase. She'll be so grateful. She's really quite beautiful, even from here. I mean, that dress and her confident yet wary posture…oh, and that pink hair." He smirked when his best friend nearly leapt out his throne, sapphire eyes snapping to where his rival was. Aruto and Souka exchanged looks. "Hm, Tadase is persistent; I think I'll go over there before she gives in and says yes."

"Go find some other girl to dance with," snapped Ikuto before he stood, ignoring the maidens' flirtatious looks and pleas to dance as he made his way towards the pink haired beauty. Kukai fell back against his own throne, chuckling.

"I thought I was supposed to be the dense one," he remarked before turning to the couple who treated him like he was their actual son. "Ikuto rescued that girl the other day and he likes her because she's different. What's funny, though, is that she's not of any royalty or from a rich family…and she didn't seem to have any interest in him."

"That didn't stop me from having my beautiful wife," replied Aruto, kissing the queen's hand gently. "I have never seen Ikuto act like this, especially around a girl."

"We can only hope she returns his feelings," said Souka, who would be satisfied with her son marrying a pig if it meant he was happy. The two males nodded in agreement before they returned their attention to the dance floor, specifically where the blue haired prince had gone off.

…

Amu was about ready to punch the blond duke in front of her. She cursed her pink hair, which was a dead giveaway to who she was. El was a filthy liar.

"…please join me on the dance floor, Amu," pleaded Tadase in his sickeningly sweet tone, still holding out his hand towards her. She crossed her arms and frowned at him.

"I apologize, but I'm waiting for my friends and promised them that I wouldn't dance without them," she replied. "And I never gave you the right to say my first name."

"I'm sure your friends would understand," pressed the duke, obviously growing impatient as he chose to ignore her last statement. People were whispering nearby, looking at them, and spreading rumors.

"My answer will not change; I will not dance with you," said Amu flatly, looking irritated. She hoped somebody would swoop in and rescue her, or else she might end up being thrown in the dungeon for strangling the blond in front of her. Where were her friends? She wasn't going down alone. "Now, please leave me alone."

"Come, Amu, one dance wouldn't hurt," urged Tadase, reaching for one of her hands.

"My apologies, but I must ask for you to stop pestering my date," said a smooth voice, appearing next to Amu. Tadase scowled, reeling his hand back as the room slowly became silent. Everybody enjoyed a dramatic showdown, after all, especially if it involved a love triangle and a handsome prince.

"Tsukiyomi Ikuto," he growled. "Stay out of others' business; it doesn't concern you."

"Oh, but it does," replied Ikuto, smirking at the duke. "You see, Kiddy King, this is my ball and you are a guest that is bothering a fair maiden that is far too beautiful for you." To his delight and Tadase's dismay, Amu blushed at that. "Not to mention, she is my personal guest and it offends me that you would try to make her so obviously uncomfortable."

Tadase sputtered a reply, "You know nothing of her! She is my betrothed anyhow, so I have every right to demand a dance from her!" It was as if the grim had appeared in the room, and everybody shifted uncomfortably.

Amu stepped forward, her arms uncrossing as she placed her hands on her hips and gave the duke a deadly look full of nothing but sheer hatred. "I have never agreed to be your betrothed, and I never will. You have been nothing but a thorn on my backside since we met, and you refuse to accept that I will never return your pathetic feelings. I have every right to deny a dance, even from a duke. I came here to enjoy myself and you are doing nothing but causing a scene in front of everybody."

"But Amu…" Tadase started weakly.

"I said not to call me so casually," said Amu icily before turning. "Now, will you leave me alone so I may dance with my partner?" She didn't wait for a reply as she took Ikuto by the hand and gracefully walked to the dance floor. Tadase was left sputtering, staring after them in shock.

"My, my, Amu," started Ikuto, smirking slightly as the music slowly started again and people began to dance. He placed a hand gently on her waist as he took her hand, her other hand resting on his shoulder as they began to dance. "I didn't know you could be so cold, not that I blame you. I was never a fan of Tadase."

"Well, neither am I," replied the pink haired maiden, unknowingly raising the prince's interest in her. "He constantly visits the village and asks for my hand on marriage. He really can't take a hint." She shook her head before looking up at him, noting how he was so much taller than she was. "Thank you for rescuing me."

"I didn't do anything but annoy him," remarked the prince. "You were the one that practically turned into a demon when he mentioned you being his betrothed."

Amu groaned slightly as he spun her, ignoring how he had pulled her in closer than necessary…and how she liked it. "It has been going on for years; I can only hope that he doesn't force me to be his wife by offering money to my parents. I know they're not the type to accept such a thing, but we are a poor family and I have a younger sister who easily gets sick so they might give in to help her."

"But surely, they would ask you first?" Ikuto asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course," replied the seamstress. "But if I said no, my sister could get worse. It's not as if she's dying, but she is so weak that she catches more diseases than an average person. I couldn't the cause of her misery."

"Well, if you are so concerned about Tadase using that against you," started the prince, ideas forming in his twister and perverted mind. "Why don't you make yourself unavailable to him?"

She was clearly intrigued. "I'm listening; at this point, I will do anything to prevent from being his wife."

"If that's the case," remarked Ikuto, spinning her again before leading her off the dance floor and pulling her close to him. "Why don't you become my wife?"

Amu blinked three times, her jaw dropping as she stared at him for exactly thirty seconds before she said anything.

"Eh?!"

…

I don't own Shugo Chara!

I apologize to everybody who had been waiting! I was focused on other stories, and got writer's block. It's funny, actually. I started writing this chapter four hours ago, and I just blinked because I don't remember writing any of it. My inspiration controlled my body, and my fingers were just flying over the keyboard.

Anyways, I was going to make it like Cinderella with Amu not being recognized at all and Ikuto fell for her and she runs away and whatever…but then I realized, her pink hair was sort of a dead giveaway even though it's a masquerade ball. And I thought of stories where the rich, annoying guy uses his power to make the girl-who's-not-interested his wife by force by motivating her (usually blackmail or threatening her family). And I thought…there are also stories where the best guy friend pretends to be her boyfriend or whatever so the first guy will leave her alone.

And yeah…you see where this is going, I hope.

…

*awkward silence*

Again, sorry it took a while. Don't hesitate to tell me about any mistakes or what you thought about this chapter! Thanks for the reviews and your patience!