When the teens awoken, they were no longer in their makeshift shelter on a deserted island. They woke up again in the resort in their respective beds. However, one thing was different. They were fully dressed in classy clothing. The girls were in ballroom gowns while the boys were in tuxedos.

"What is the meaning of this?" Shuutaro asked aloud, stirring from atop his bed.

Shinobu shot up with a gasp, gathering the dress in her hands. "The ball..."

"Ball?" Shuutaro arched a brow. "What ball? Why are we dressed like this?"

Shinobu sighed and began to explain the deal she and Nabiki had with Aime. It was now the end of the week and it seemed that the dream demon was holding up her end of the agreement.

"So. She's not dead."

"Shuutaro!"

Shuutaro blinked. "What? Look at what that woman did to us. She doesn't actually care. We are still stuck here." He tells her. "Since she is still alive she chose to put us in another forced romantic situation than taking us home. Certainly she knows that we confessed to each other already."

Shinobu looks down at her gown. "Maybe it was a bad idea to ask her to do this..."

"Please Shinobu, don't blame yourself." Shuutaro stood up from his bed and crouched over at her bedside. He grabbed her hand. "We'll play Miss Aime's game one last time. After that, I promise you we will get out of here." He offered up a smile to her. He didn't know how he was going to make that happen but he meant it with all of his heart.

Suddenly their door is slammed open to reveal Nabiki's and Kuno.

"Oh thank the heavens!" Kuno exclaimed. "You two have made it back as well. I would have hated to have lost my brother, the White Thunder so soon."

Shuutaro stood up. "Blue Thunder, I don't suppose you have seen Miss Aime anywhere?"

Kuno shook his head. "Nay. The demon dares not show her face."

"So... What do we do now? Do you think she left us all here to fend for ourselves?" Shinobu asked everyone.

For a moment, they were silent.

"Perhaps we can use a boat to escape." Kuno suggested.

"That's a great idea and all but I don't know about you guys, but I don't feel let getting on a boat after last time." Nabiki placed a hand on her chin, thinking of an alternative solution. "Maybe we can try and find a phone to call home?"

"That's plausible..." Shuutaro murmured.

"Great. Let's split up." Nabiki points at Shuutaro. "You're with me. Shinobu, you go with Kuno-baby."

Kuno was disheartened. "What?!"

Nabiki waved him off. "You heard me." She was scared that if she spent any more alone time with Kuno, something might happen between them. They sort of confessed to each other last night and yes Nabiki would do anything for him to kiss her. But what after that? Nabiki didn't want to worry about that right now. "Come on Shuu, let's go."

Sensing that something might be going on between Nabiki and Kuno, Shuutaro relented and went along with her. As they left down the hall, he could be heard telling her to call him by his real name.

That left Kuno and Shinobu.

Shinobu gets up from her bed and stands near him awkwardly.

"So—" They both start speaking at the same time.

Kuno motioned towards her. "Ladies first."

Shinobu smiled weakly. "Right... Um. I think we should start looking for Aime's office. There has to be a phone in there. There just gotta be."

Kuno raised a brow. "And where pray tell is her office?"

"Well, it's either on the highest floor or the lowest floor."

Kuno nodded in understanding. "I see where you are getting at. Very clever Miss Shinobu." He then choked on his words at the tail end of his sentence, quickly backtracking. "That was just a compliment. Not me flirting with you. I am not regressing back into my old ways."

Shinobu put her hands up in defense. "Oh I know, don't worry about it."

Kuno let out a sigh of relief. "You're very kind. I'll have you know that my offer for our offspring to marry still stands, even if things do not work out with Nabiki and I."

Not work out? Shinobu tilted her head curiously. "Why do you say that? I thought you two were dating now."

"Nabiki Tendo in a word is..." Kuno scratched his head. "Complicated."

"Ah."

Together they began heading out towards an elevator. Inside the elevator, Shinobu gives her two cents. "Seeing as she told me your situation, if I had to guess... Nabiki doesn't trust you with her feelings."

"How am I going to show her that Akane and the Pigtailed Girl mean nothing to me now?" The very predicament had been eating Kuno up inside all night. All this time, Nabiki had been at his side. How couldn't he see it before? She was the one!

Shinobu stayed silent, not having an answer for him. Like Akane, she wasn't certain that her beloved would stay true to her when they went back home. "You'll work it out." she said. "You just... Have to."

Nabiki and Shuutaro began searching in the lobby. There was one rotary phone but when they called anyone, all there was on the other end was a dial tone. Nabiki slams the phone down. "This bites!"

"I don't think screaming at the phone is going to help anyone." Shuutaro stated uselessly from behind her.

Nabiki tugged at her hair. "Shut up!" Her normally cold demeanor was in shambles. Even Shuutaro who had only known her for a week was surprised.

"I apologize." he responds simply.

Nabiki sighed and shook her head. "Don't even. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"Are you upset at Tatewaki?" Shuutaro asked her.

Nabiki whipped around to face him, shooting daggers out of her eyes. "No." she answered relatively calmly for someone so angry.

"I won't pry then."

"Good, cause—"

"But I do have to say. Through you two acting like a couple, you have successfully pushed Shinobu and I together and I thank you for that."

"I thought you weren't gonna—"

"But if you're scared of showing your true feelings, you were perfectly fine with faking them. Even if they were true."

"You—"

Shuutaro arched his brow. "Am I correct?"

Nabiki frowned at him. "Oh you're good. Too good."

"Contrary to believe but one could be smart and good looking at the same time." he boasted.

"Okay, you're pushing it."

"Sorry."

Nabiki turned her back on him and began opening drawers from behind the lobby desk. "Let's just keep looking."

"Agreed." Shuutaro turned around and opened a door that was labeled 'employees only' much to his surprise. He had expected it to be locked. It was dark inside and out of nowhere he was sucked in.

Sensing that something was wrong Nabiki stopped everything. "Shuu... Taro?" She slowly walked over to the open door and she took was pulled in.

At the upmost floor, Shinobu and Kuno were searching for Aime's office. For some odd reason there were a plethora of doors on the top floor. They were on both sides of a seemingly never ending hallway.

They would try opening them only to be met with a lot of somethings and nothings. Behind most of the doors were mere concepts beyond human comprehension.

"This is so weird..." Shinobu said as she closed a door on a room of shapes floating in the void.

"Don't give up now." Kuno encouraged her. "We must sally forth."

"You make it sound so easy. Look at all these doors!" Shinobu threw her hands in the air, growing impatient. "I am... Tired... Of this!" She bared a fist and punched a wall, making a hole in it.

Seeing her display of strength once again intimidated Kuno a little.

When Shinobu tried to retract her hand, she quickly found that it was stuck. She tugged on her arm, feeling something tug it back. Before she knew it, Shinobu was pulled so hard, she burst through the other side of the wall.

Horrified, Kuno jumped through the hole it made to go retrieve her.

Somehow, all the teens end up in the ballroom. The round tables were decorated with white cloths and the centerpieces were crystal candelabras. It was very overtly romantic. It had Aime's M.O. all over it.

The lights all dim down as a spotlight lights the center of the room. Aime was standing there in her own ballroom gown. She was frowning with her head hanging down.

Kuno and Shuutaro pull out their respective weapons, ready to attack her but an invisible force holds them back.

"Hello children." Aime greets sullenly. "I'm sure you all are disappointed to see me."

"That's an understatement," Nabiki had said.

Aime ignored her. "I know you won't accept my apology but—" She sighed heavily before continuing. "I understand now that I have been projecting my feelings onto you humans for years. Please accept this party as my farewell gift."

"What do you mean?" Shinobu asked her, speaking for everyone.

"I will be sending you all home tonight. Goodbye."

The lights switched back on and Aime was gone.

"That's it." Shuutaro sheathed his katana. "She has disappeared once again."

Kuno put away his bokken as well and clasped his hands together. "Well you heard the woman. Let us enjoy this party. We shall celebrate our going home!"

Music began to swell. Its source was unknown. It was a fine tune of strings and piano.

Kuno grabbed for Nabiki's hand and whisked her off towards the dance floor.

"I did not agree to dance with you." Nabiki told him. "You didn't even ask me."

There was a bit of silence before Kuno spoke again. "Will you dance with me?"

"No." Nabiki said all too quickly. But considering they were already dancing, she went back on her word. "... Okay."

"I promise you Nabiki, I will make you a happy girl one day. If you allow it, I may start today." Kuno told her as he placed his hand right above her waist. "I will shower you with gifts and all the yen you desire."

"I don't like you because of your money." Nabiki mumbled. "I'm surprised you would let yourself get used like that Kuno-baby."

Kuno shrugged. "I let our financial relationship go on for this long haven't I?"

"Touché."

"One day you will marry me Nabiki Tendo."

"And become Nabiki Kuno?" Nabiki scoffed. "No way Tatchan, you're thinking too far ahead." More quietly, she added "Besides, I won't get to call you Kuno-baby anymore..."

Kuno smirked. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Nabiki placed a kiss by his ear. "Keep dancing."

Standing off to the side, Shuutaro looked at Shinobu. "Would you like to dance as well?" he asked her with a small smile on his face.

"I can actually think of something I'd like to do more." Despite that, Shinobu still grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her.

Pink tinged his cheeks. "What?"

Shinobu wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning in to kiss Shuutaro. Something she had been looking forward to for a long time. Only this time, Lum and Ataru cannot stop them.

It was just as magical as she had imagined it would be.

Hidden in the shadows, Aime watched as the teen had fun. She couldn't help but feel proud of them, despite her guilt for forcing them together.