Natsuki walked into the school silently. Her eyes scanned over the crowds. It had been a few weeks since she had seen Kami so she was hoping Kami would be at the school festival. After all Miyako was going to be acting. But who knew, ever since the fire at the main house very few had seen Kami. Akemi claimed she had seen Kami in the hallway a few days ago but then Kami had seemed to disappear.

Natsuki was glad she wasn't acting, she had helped with props, because her brain wouldn't have remembered her lines.

"Natsuki!"

Natsuki turned to see Akemi and Aki running towards her. "Hey you guys."

"I just saw Isamu, Hitomi, Yin and Shouta." Aki was breathing heavily. "What about you?"

"No one yet."

"At least Yukio isn't here." Akemi smiled. "He's been in an awful mood recently."

"Yeah." Natsuki had noticed as well. He had been in an awful mood for almost as long as Kami had been "missing. They all wondered if his mood had something to do with her, but none of it will be great."

"I don't know if I would say great." Aki chuckled.

"You can only say that because you're not acting." Natsuki smiled but kept her eyes out. Aki had helped Ayame Sohma with the outfits for everyone. Natsuki froze as she spotted a familiar head in the distance. Hatsuharu Sohma carrying a little girl on his shoulders. She turned away. "Let's go find out seats."

Rage and sorrow boiled in Natsuki's chest.

"I'll catch up with you guys in a bit." Akemi smiled. "I still have a few things I need to take care of."

"Okay." Natsuki patted Akemi's head before heading off.

"Save me a seat." Akemi called out.

Akemi was hurrying back to the others trying desperately to maneuver through the crowds. She had to force herself to focus on staying happy instead of being frustrated at people blocking her path.

"Akemi?" She paused and a moment later a hand dragged her out of the crowd. "Hi!"

"Momiji!" Akemi almost threw her arms around his neck, but stopped herself. "Thanks."

"What are you doing here?" Momiji asked.

"I had to grab some snacks." Akemi held up a bag of food.

"Same." Momiji held up a matching bag. "We should sit together!"

Akemi blushed slightly. "I would love to but I already am sitting with Aki and Natsuki."

"They aren't acting?"

"No neither of them wanted to, they helped with other stuff."

"I see." Momiji smiled. "I'm sitting with my cousins Haru, Hiro and Kisa. I know if you aren't doing anything later we could go and explore the rest of the festival together!"

"Sounds like fun!"

"Then I'll see you after!" Momiji waved his hand and rushed off.

Akemi watched him for a moment and then hurried towards her seat, no longer having to force herself to be happy.

She arrived at her seat just as the curtain was lifting up. Silently passing out the snacks Akmi looked at the title in confusion.

"Something Cinderella-ish?"

"Just watch." Natsuki whispered.

A boy started. "Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl named Cinderella. For various circumstances, Cinderella was treated poorly by her stepmother and stepsister. However, also having a beautiful disposition, she bravely endured her humble living."

Tohru and another girl, who looked bossy, walked onto stage. "Cinderella!" The bossy girl yelled. "Where are you Cinderella? Did you finish our dresses, Cinderella!? The ball being held at the castle is tonight you know!?"

"I'm here…" Saki Hanajima sat sipping her tea.

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING HAVING A TEA PARTY! WITH THAT SORT OF INSOLENT ATTITUDE, I TRUST YOU'VE ALREADY FINISHED OUR DRESSSES THEN!"

"M-Mother…" Tohru half whispered.

"As if an amateur could make such dresses… If you want to go flaunt your bodies and get laughed at, I won't stop you but…" Saki spoke calmly.

"AS IF I WANT THAT TOO BAD IT FOLLOWS THE STORYLINE!"

"Rather than that, big sister…"

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING LIVING IN SUCH ELEGANCE.."

"Tonight is the castle ball. According to rumors, it's also for the Prince to find a bride." THe narrator said. "The stepmother was very eager to have her daughter marry into wealth so she could live in comfort."

"IF YOU WANT YOUR PRECIOUS OLDER SISTER BACK, HURRY UP AND FINISH THOSE DRESSES!"

"Big sister.." Saki said calmly. "What a problem… because some prince is holding a ball, big sister is… unforgivable prince…"

"It seems Cinderella was already deeply in love with the as yet unseen prince." The narrator said.

"In this case, I'll have to sneak in there and… AH, but I also have to finish the dresses… This is a problem…"

"It's alright. There's no need to worry Cinderella." Yuki walked on to stage, wearing a fairy godmother outfit. Aki seemed to perk up while Akemi almost started laughing.

"So wonderful." Aki whispered.

"Uh...mm.. I'm your… Fairy Godmother…" Yuki seemed blinked as camera flashed.

"I probably shouldn't say this, but that's a rather half-witted self introduction."

"Take heart… Gentle Cinderella, I shall grant any wish you may have tonight."

"My, that's wonderful.. Burn the ballroom until it's no more than ash."

"That's a crime… Please wish for something a little softer and innocent."

"Grilled meat I want to eat…" Saki perked up.

"Not like that." Yuki said flatly.

"Cinderella."

"Oh dear… Mother's…"

"NOW THEN I TRUST THE DRESSES ARE FINISHED…" The step mom stormed onto stage dragging Tohru.

Saki now stood next to two beautiful dresses.

"Eh? WHat, you've finished them… did you really make them?!"

"My… Just when…" Saki said. "Well…"

"Cinderella… That's wonderful. Such beautiful dresses… You're so skilled!" Tohru grabbed Saki's hands.

"My, I'm so happy… That you like the dresses I made so very much…"

"Fine then. CHange into this and we'll be off!" Step mom grabbed Tohru.

"Eh! Ah… Um… What about Cinderella…"

"Staying home!"

As soon as they were gone Yuki returned.

"Good job… Fairy Godmother… It's safe to say, I won't mention it but.."

"This time it's your turn Cinderella. Now… You wish."

"Grilled meat…."

"Into the pumpkin carriage and hurry off to the ball."

"Having been cut off by the Fairy Godmother, Cinderella is headed for the ball. Where currently things are livening up. Except for one person, the prince was looking very glum.

Kyo, Uo, and Miyako walked onto stage, along with a bunch of other people.

"What's with the long face. This is supposed to be your ball. Go out there and catch someone." Uo told the sulking Kyo.

"Shut up.. I'm not interested. You go on your own."

"But we can't leave you alone my prince." Miyako looked like she was really getting into her role as the Prince's friend.

"It's because you're like this that you're still a virgin you know." Uo said causing Kyo and MIyako to start blushing.

"JUST WHY DON'T YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF SHYNESS! WHY DON'T YOU GO OFF TO SOME CONVENIENCE STORE AND GO BUY SOME 'GRACE'!" Kyo yelled at Uo.

"Huh? HERE I am worrying about you and what's this attitude? You too. Why don't you go buy some 'friendliness'!"

"Come on you two." Miyako tried to calm the two down.

"The Prince's friends' warm persuasion was in vain, and despite invitations, the prince would not dance."

Many differnet girls asked Kyo and he turned them all down, only getting flustered with Tohru asked.

"Naturally he coldly refused the step sister's invitation as well." The narrator said.

Natsuki chuckled.

"In contrast to the liveliness of the ball, the prince's tension levels were going down hill but…"

"This… is the ballroom…" Saki said walking in, wearing a black dress.

"Waiting for the perfect opportunity, Cinderella arrived." The narrator continued.

"Hey hey. A real beauties just arrived. Go ask her." Uo grinned.

"Please try my prince." Miyako pleaded.

"No way!"

"The prince fell instantly in love after one look at Cinderella's beauty and decided to ask her to dance."

"AS IF!"

Kyo grumbled but started up to Saki. "Dance… WITH ME!"

"Ha." Saki turned to a table with meat.

"I was rejected…." Kyo turned to Miyako and Uo.

"Don't give up my prince." MIyako tried.

"Try it again Prince." Uo grinned.

"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THINGS SO DON'T SAY SUCH ARBITRARY THINGS!"

"SHUT UP AND GO ALREADY!" Uo sighed. "Relax your shoulders and ask her naturally prince."

"OY!" Kyo walked up to Saki.

"I'm busy right now…"

"Did you come here to eat meat?"

"What? Did you want something?"

"W-Won't you talk with me?" Kyo grumbled.

"Talk?.. Alright. Tonight's waves feel so good it makes the headache."

"Please choose a topic that we can have a conversation about." Kyo was saved by the bell donging.

"My… Oh dear… I have to go back now…" Saki handed one of her shoes to Kyo. "Later… I've given it to you…"

"The magic cast on Cinderella would end when the clock finished striking twelve. Shutting away the feelings that were tearing her apart Cinderella left the prince. Leaving behind a glass shoe that she'd been wearing…"

"Use this as a clue and go look for her." Uo said.

"Huh-? It doesn't really matter that."

Uo hit Kyo. "HERE YOU HAVE A WAY TO MEET HER AGAIN AND YOU'RE SAYING YOU'RE GOING TO THROW THAT CHANCE AWAY. IN THAT CASE, WHAT ARE THOSE OF US WHO WANT TO SEE SOMEONE BUT CAN'T SUPPOSED TO DO! I WANT TO MEET… I WANT TO MET.. COME SEE ME HEY!" Uo yelled.

"This time the Prince started to relent after his prince's friends persuasion which included some personal business." The narrator said.

"That, ah I want to meet that lady once again… After that, the Prince went and had all the Ladies of the town try on the glass shoe. For he thought the lady whose foot the shoe fitted perfected would be the lady he sought. And finally he reached Cinderella's home."

"It isn't my shoe…" Tohru said as Uo tried to put the shoe on Tohru.

"Are there any other young ladies here in this home?" Up asked.

"There isn't a single mouse." The step mom laughed.

"I see. Let's go." Kyo started off.

"Eh.. Please wait a moment. THere's one other… Cinderella…"

"You speak too much." Kyo palled grabbing Tohru's checks.

"I won't forgive anyone who harms my elder sister…" Saki walked on.

"Cinderella." Tohru said.

"I thought you'd be arriving around now Prince… That shoe is indeed the one that I'd left behind that night… Return it to me. I also know the reason you came here… You've come to ask my elder sister to marry you didn't you?"

"Wha… Why… Such-!" Kyo flushed.

"No that's essentially the reason why we're here prince." Uo sighed.

"Wr-wrong… I um… Not that." Kyo stuttered.

"Then you don't mean with me…? What a nightmare…." Saki sighed.

"FOR ME IT GOES BEYOND BEING A NIGHTMARE AND WOULD BE HELL! QUIT LOOKING SO ANNOYED!"

"Just what… Do you want to do…" Saki asked.

"You too… What do you want to do…"

"Do you plan… On going on living always fooling yourself like that…" Inside the castle. Locking yourself away inside the castle? Until you die…?"

"And if that were the case am I bothering anyone by doing so?"

"How things go that's my.."

"I'm… That sort of thing; I'm… that sort of thing…" Tohru started off strong and then faded. "I… I'm sorry. It's … It's nothing um forgive my interruption. Please continue. Please continue your conversation… I'm so sorry."

"I've heard all I need to." Yuki came on surprising Kyo.

"You've finally come… My loyal servant." Saki said.

"I'm not your servant, but I see that you and the Prince marrying would not go well, so I'll ask you once again what you truly wish for…"

"I want to run a Yakiniku shop with my elder sister."

"Well then, Prince, you should support their management." Yuki said.

"Aren't you supposed to grant it?" Kyo grumbled.

"Prince. I won't ask for your wish. Achieve it with your own ability."

"Such a brilliant decision!" A woman in the crowd yelled.

"And so, she ended up living a different path path from the prince's but the Yakiniku shop was a great success. Thus Cinderella proved that a woman could live well without having to rely on getting married and she lived happily ever after."

The curtain fell and everyone either went silent or started screaming.

"That was… interesting…" Akemi sighed.

"You should have seen the practices." Aki chuckled. "It was worse when we tried to stick to the original plot."

Akemi smiled. "I see…"

Isamu glanced around as people talked. He politely turned people who approached him aside while also keeping his eyes out of the person he most wanted to see.

"Isamu?" He spun as Tohru came walking towards him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to see your play." Isamu smiled.

"R-Really?" Tohru blushed and looked at her feet. "You didn't have to."

"But I wanted to." Isamu smiled. "So… I was wondering… Do you want to… Go around and look at the booths?"

"Sure." Tohru smiled. "I would love to."

"Sounds great." Isamu perked up. "Come on then." He held out his hand towards her. "I think it would have been better if you were the princess. So come along my princess."

Tohru smiled. "Thank you my Prince." She took his hand and smiled gently. "We should get some ice cream."

"Sounds perfect."