CHAPTER 49

I do not own skip beat! Yoshiki Nakamura does.

The Christmas ball

-part 2-

Like a fairy tale

(I fully advise to listen to the songs I will have chosen when the dances start. I took the time to pick them and it will be a lot more fun. Of course, those aren't from me and some might be silly but for ambiance sake and for a masquerade, they are perfect. Thus the songs named in the story will be real songs. I won't put lyrics inside but I will put the full references for them at the bottom of the chapter. Believe me, it's worth it, I took a full day before writing the chapter to be sure I had all the songs and in the good order and for the right atmosphere)

Slaloming between the many guests, she was careful to keep a masculine gait as she walked over to the beverages table. Looking for Maria-chan, the only one she was going to reveal upfront it was her, she saw Ruto-san bring over a third wheel with numbers on it near a very suspicious pink one.

She was distracted of her mulling, however, when a familiar figure appeared at the entrance of the ballroom. Oh, she was well-disguised; there was no denying in that. But the dark and purple tones and the so typical cloth material brand of Jeanne d'Arc was pretty recognizable once you had seen it before. Thus, Kyoko knew instantly it was Maria-chan behind. Which was a shame because with her hair smoothed for the occasion, the heels and the elegant purple gaze falling from a black webbed corset to around her legs; most would never have recognized the young teenager.

She waited as Maria advanced on the smooth shiny reflective ground, Looking around and seeming to tense for a second before going straight to the buffet and her.

From the corner of her eyes she saw the tall and unmistakable figure of Ren, whatever his disguise, but it was only a glimpse before he was hidden by the crowd and seeing Maria coming close she focused her attention on her.

Maria-chan eventually reached her table and grabbed an orange juice with a shaking hand, swallowing it all at once.

She still looked smaller than most here but with her heels and outfit, you could have taken her for a very tiny young lady. She has really grown up a lot.

Crossing her right arm around her front, she inclined herself as the gentlemen and addressed the young lady with mischief and a rougher voice than her normal voice.

"This young lady seems rattled, could I indulge myself in hoping my company could lighten her up?" She said making Maria jumped at the sudden voice coming from her back.

Maria slowly pivoted on herself to look at her, smiling shakingly.

"H-hi"

Kyoko chuckled, took Maria-chan's left hand, kissed it making her blushed before resuming with her natural tone.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, milady"

Maria's eyes grew like saucers and grinning excitably, she exclaimed:

"One-

"Shhh, Kyoko stopped her before she unmasked both of them for everyone, it's a secret"

"How? Why? You are a man? And what about your eyes? "

Her question fused before she had a chance to answer and Kyoko laughed as she crouched inciting Maria to do the same.

"One question at a time she said, I decided to disguised as a man because I thought it could be fun, because your grandfather has allowed us to come as whichever gender we would prefer as long as we would keep the theme in mind and because if I'm to participate to a game, I don't to it halfway"

Maria grinned and giggled.

"It's a sneaky move, Onee-sama" she said.

"Right?" Kyoko grinned back.

"But Onee-sama, asked Maria frowning a bit, where are your hair?"

"Under the wig"

"And…uhh…Onee-sama started again Maria stammering big time, where are your…uhh…your…"

Kyoko had to resist bursting out laughing when she whispered back.

"I bandaged them"

"Ohhhh!" sparkled Maria with comprehension. "So, they didn't disappear!"

Kyoko's gloved hand surged forward to tickle Maria's sides.

"Of course they didn't disappeared, little curious sprout!"

Maria laughed and begged for pity and she eventually retreat her hand.

Once Maria wasn't gasping from air anymore she turned to Kyoko again.

"Then, What about your eyes?"

"What about them?" Kyoko inquired.

"They are grey!" Exclaimed Maria like it was the most shocking thing of all she just discovered.

"Ah, right. Well, my eyes are paler than most so it's a too distinctive sign. So I had to hide them and wear lenses" she explained to Maria-chan.

"Your eyes aren't paler, they are golden countered Maria with a frown and how is anyone going to recognize you are even hiding your eyes, onee-sama?!"

"Isn't the point of this game exactly to not be recognized asked Kyoko, stating the obvious with amused arched brow.

"But what about Re-

The last of Maria's words were lost when sounds coming from the stage were heard when Lory took back the mic once more and everyone turned to him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is now a quarter before nine, the dance will start soon and it was brought to my attention of a few alterations you might want to know" started Lory.

"First of all explained the president, after some discussion, it had appeared only giving The-Wheel-of-Trap for the first being discovered and the second and first place winners could be a bit short, on quantity. As such, it has been decided, the first fifteen people to be unmasked would get a run of The-Wheel-of-Trap"

"Secondly, after recalculation, it transpired we had made a small mistake in the ending time of the game and adding the half-hour break we will take for Maria's cake and birthday part at eleven, there is quite a certainty we will finish at one a.m rather than midnight. So, the question would be for you guests, if some people have obligations tomorrow and would rather opt for finishing the first part of the night as planned then we could finish around 12 still and the closing theme of the dance wouldn't be a part of the game and would become optional"

"But, if no one is eager to go to bed, we could keep things as they are and finish at one but taking into account the second part coming after, be warned it would you would leave before around 3 to 4 in the morning and fall into bed before 5 maybe" Lory said with a grin. "Now if everyone is sure he/she has the resistance, we can choose that option"

There were small chatter here and there before a voice shout to everyone to hear:

"It's a party president, if we are there to count time, why are we here?"

"Is everyone agree with this sentiment? asked Lory in the mic.

There was a major yes coming from guest and the president chuckled happily.

"I was kind of hoping you would choose that. The ball will thus go as planned"

"Now, concerning dances organisation;

"You all received a number, your number, when you entered. It will serve in the game.

"There will be six themes. Introduction one, Discover one, Merry one, Winter one, Romantic one and Closing one. In each theme, there will be organized dances and free dancing. Each theme will be cut in two parts. The break between the two sections of one theme will be of 15 minutes and will serve as free dancing.

"There will be respectively, seven songs in Intro theme, four in Discover one, five in Merry one, six in Romantic one, eight in Winter one and seven in Closing one. The free dance breaks will happen most of the time in the middle of a theme but for the Discover theme where there won't be any"

"You only must participate in the organized dances, the free ones are to anyone desire. You can rest at that moment if you prefer but you have to participate to the organized ones, it's the game.

"There will also have complete breaks continued the president, without music. After the end of the Intro theme, ten minutes. After the third theme, ten minutes. After the fourth one, half an hour, it will be cake's time joked the president. After the fifth one, a fifteen minute break. It will be around midnight."

Lory asked if anyone had any question and had understood before giving the last bit of information so that the ball could begin.

"Your numbers will be put in the Wheel I didn't address yet tonight said Lory while gesturing to the white wheel on the left. The wheel will turn and gather two random numbers, the people with this two numbers will be partner for the first organized dance in intro theme. We will proceed like that for everyone and for the six songs of the introduction theme where everyone will dance with a different partner each time. I don't know if I already said it but I will repeat myself if that's the case. Anyone, absolutely anyone can be your partner so don't be surprise if you don't always dance with opposite gender. This evening isn't about compartmenting. You are wearing a mask tonight. You can be anyone. You can like or bend to any gender. This evening is an open place and the perfect opportunity to broaden minds and possibilities. Don't limit yourself and use this occasion to have as much fun and liberty as you wish for "

The president closed the subject, he didn't want to push it too much, just making bloom the idea of the possibility of something else being there if wanted. To anyone to grab it or not.

"After introduction theme, there will be one random partner assigned for the other themes. So one song with a new partner for the five other themes. For the other songs, the 3 best partners you danced with and got along with in Introduction theme will be reassigned to you for all the duration of the game with the option to choose your partner for one song for the long themes such the fourth, the fifth and the sixth theme" finished Lory while insisting on that fact and reminding everyone that the basics where normally stated on the invite for the ball but that if anyone felt lost, they could still consult the rules plastered here and there on the walls before it begins. It also advised to drink a lot tonight because the dances would take a toll on them if they didn't hydrate enough.

"Finally said the president with renewed mirth, don't forget the primary game is about unmasking as much people as you can and take time to write down names on the papers at disposal before the beginning or between dances when you will have uncovered more people. There are several boxes available in the room where you can slip the papers in with your name on it and the names of the people you think you discovered. I know the crates aren't that obviously visible in this gigantic ballroom but Ruto is going to switch the lighting for a few seconds so that you can see them clearly"

It was done quickly and everyone turned back toward the president.

"I think I said my part said the president, and even talked far too much already. We will start in, Lory checked his watch, six minutes. Go drink a bit. The white wheel has nearly finished pairing you up for the first four songs and you will be shortly given a card with the four first numbers of your partners. To avoid chaos, the people with an odd number will the one moving one from partners to partners while even people will stay put at the end of a song. The names of the songs that will be played will generally be announced before the beginning of a theme and a pre-song will be played to prepare people when it will start so that they have time to place themselves. That's it"

Lory left the stage with s flamboyant bow and the cards start to be given out while people gathered around buffet, making it far too crowded for Kyoko who told Maria they would talk later and went away from the other guests in her elegant manly though fake gait.

Still strutting away from the uproar, she stopped with a start when she saw the long silhouette leaning against a wall and looking all gloomy by himself. She internally laughed with how bad it looked with his glamorous shiny costume.

He was wearing a heavy and mighty dark calves-long coat falling on dark trousers, not really like hers, as his coat was even-longed on front as on the back and golden seams were following the brims of the coat uniform everywhere. It had also red and golden trims all the way on the sides of the sleeves and full-fledged giant embroidered wings on the wrists flanges of the coat. It has a few fake medals and silver tears shape gallions at the chest too. Completed with a black aviation casquet with again wings but silver this time; it looked like a full aviation force uniform.

And with his white shirt matching his white mask edging with again embroidered golden seam, he looked magnificent. It was blinding her a bit but she smiled as she noticed they had identically matched the shirt with the mask.

But it was why, with this sensuous shiny appearance, his expression looked especially insulting for the glamorous outfit.

Why was he hiding in shadows and playing loner so much at such an evening. What would people say if he was seen looking like that? Now, not that she didn't understand the desire for space… She just ran from the people two minutes ago. But the game was about to begin. Plus, it was Christmas's eve, what could upset him so much?

Okay. She was hypocrite. She had been depressed on a Christmas's eve. Several times in fact those last years. But it never lasted long because when the sun would rise and she would wake up that day, the surprise waiting would blow away any depressing feeling she could have had the day of before. Another reason she didn't stood a chance.

Anyway, it wasn't about her.

She slowly closed in and watched him as he rested his right shoulder on the brick wall. His face was barely visible, his body embed in the shading of the less lightened part of the ballroom. Still, of little she could see, what the shadows casting on his face were depicting weren't beaming and she felt like she had stolen from him something valuable she shouldn't have seen. A moment of intimacy with himself. Vulnerability.

His arms crossing and hugging his sides, he was holding himself like he was trying to keep the pieces together. His face was depicting such a conflict, such a void.

Seeing him like this… Her insides clenched and her lips trembled.

What happened Ren?

No; he wasn't just upset. He looked deeply…Sad.

It was unbearable. Her heart ached weirdly.

She took a step toward him.

It was dangerous. He couldn't show that here. Even if it was a merry party, the sharks might not be far. In fact, she was sure there were at least several journalists. She couldn't let them see him like that.

Not that it was her first upmost concern at the moment, she mostly just urged to comfort him one way or another.

Kyoko wasn't even hesitating anymore about blowing her cover and screwing the game to the damn when she advanced, straight to him, but the song alerting them to take place started and she saw him struggling to bring back his metaphorical mask in place and smile as he received his card and went in direction of the dance floor. She had missed her chance.

She bite her tongue out of frustration as she reluctantly also made her way to the floor, she couldn't just ask him what was wrong now that he was in front of his partner. He didn't know it was her and though she had no doubt he would recognize her would she talk with her normal tone, maybe the game would distract his mind from whatever was tormenting him. Maybe he would even have a good time and if she just went and asked him, she could make things worse and rub on something he didn't want to talk about rather than help.

That was not an option.

Then, maybe she could foul around during breaks and try to cheer him up some. She would have resolve to only that until she would have learned about more. There was no way she'd let her adorable fairy in that state.

She stepped into place in front of her first partner, not really caring who it was but trying to not worry too much for the moment and tempting to play the game still.

The seven songs of the theme were announced in the background and her partner, a young woman rose her hands with a light blush. Without forgetting to go lower with her voice, she greeted her and took her hands in her gloved ones, the first dance being a waltz. Arrival to Edgewater began and they started to dance. It was not too fast and a good start for the ball, Kyoko could tell. The girl was a bit clumsy but not that bad.

Soon, the song was coming to an end and a bubbly man mostly fell into her arms with pumping energy. She instantly recognized him at his tone and the way he greeted her, though he said dude, because of course, he thought she was a man.

"Good evening Kijima-san" she said as the song Royal meeting started and she had to contain a giggle as she heard the first measures. It was a pretty rhythmic music, alternating a lot in pace. Absolutely perfect for the man in front of her.

She presented her elbow to Kijima and he crossed it with his. They started to swing. Rotating from one, changing of elbow, rotating in the other way. Fast, slow, fast. And again.

"How did you know?" he whispered in a hush to her.

Her eyes twinkled.

"It was an easy tell" she said.

He looked at her, squinting the eyes a bit.

He suddenly clamped his elbow tighter around hers and gasped loudly.

They turned and turned from the same side for a time as a slow measure arrived and Kijima rushed out a soft exclamation in an expulsion of air.

"You are not a dude" he said, matter of fact.

"Nice call" she answered, not denying it, it was the game after all but keeping her voice low pitch so he wouldn't guess which girl she was. She doubt he would recognize anyway as her voice had changed from the past and he hadn't hear or talk to her a lot since she was back but you could never tell.

He snickered at her, clearly amazed but also amused.

"That's such an unfair move for everyone" he said.

"How so? The president said it, didn't he? You could come as anyone. Any appearance, any gender. High class. Low class. All was okay as long as you respected the theme" Kyoko countered.

"I doubt a lot of people dared it" Kijima frowned.

"Their choices, not a rule" she shrugged, shaking her head internally when she realized she was cursed with an habit picked up years ago.

Damn man.

"Rude. But fair enough" Kijima admitted.

They rotated again, accelerating once more which roused laughed all around as people danced.

"I suppose you won't give me your name? tempted Kijima with charming smile.

"Not a chance" she grinned at him.

"I'm going to bet on you" he said as they were reaching the end of the song.

"Go ahead. But I can't promise you I will win. I'm sure other people had had amazing ideas themselves" she warned him.

"By the way she asked, what gave me away?"

Kijima chuckled.

"Bitter by the reveal?"

She smiled.

"Maybe a little bit. But mostly just curious"

"Your elbows mostly. When I'm crossing mines with yours, they are feeling way thinner than a man usually has them at the place, though I would admit you are more muscular than the majority and you almost fooled me" he stated, shooting her an approving grin. "But once I had a doubt, and considering this dance permit us to see each other profile frequently, I checked your neck in search of your Adam's apple"

"I guess it's to be expected" said Kyoko, in deep thought on how to conceal it already.

Kijima snorted as he saw her already changing her posture so that it wouldn't be as easy to see her neck. He could she was an actress, so adaptive already. He then looked at her boots when he realized the top of her head was reaching pretty high, only to note she wasn't wearing that much heels.

"You are tall he said, I don't think it will be that easy for others to discover you"

"It might be true, yes" she agreed as she turned once more.

"Plus I only noticed because I'm so used to have women in my arms" he told her with a wicked grin.

She rolled her eyes at him.

"What a playboy"

"Might be true" he said, copying her last comment. "Well, you will have to excuse me, milady he whispered that term, but I think our time is coming to an end. I will try my best to unveil you all night said Kijima before leaving for his next partner, the words full of innuendos making turn several heads as he had said that phrase very loud.

The following song Masquerade ball, how appropriate, was the first very classical waltz and when it started, her next partner, a girl grabbed her hands with a bit too much force. This dance promised to be challenging for Kyoko. Not because, the song was bad. It was alright. But the constant stepping on her toes made things a bit harder. And then there had been the occasional molesting of her buttocks by the girl who just had no shame driving her hands lower and feeling her up a bit too forcefully. To which Kyoko hadn't really responded well and while bringing back her hand in an appropriate place, she had tightened her hand a bit too much around the weak wrist of the girl.

But the most tiring thing was most definitively when, seeing she couldn't do as she pleased anymore, the girl had spent the remaining of the song crushing Kyoko's fingers in her hands so tightly that Kyoko's seams gloves had begun to hurt her hands as those pushed between her fingers. At the end of the dance, she was ready to throw away nearly as far the gloves than the girl.

Still, there was still one dance before the first free-dancing break so Kyoko resolved to endure it a bit longer.

She made the girl turn one last time sending her to her in seek of her new partner and the song ended.

Taking deep breaths, she was doing her best in not getting impatient and not letting the occasional walks on her already abused feet get to her nerves but it was quickly stretching short.

She looked around and watched guests matching up for the next dance but still no sign of a partner. She was willing to propose to pass on that one and flee the floor but a shadow laboriously closing up as it tried to pass through other dancers and a quickly clearing path was eventually seen meaning her chance to take a break and massage her poor hands and feet were vanishing faster than a shooting star.

She sighed internally and rubbed her gloved hands before placarding a pleasant smile on her face.

The last dancers joined their partners and the approaching silhouette nothing but blurred shadows until the precedent second made his appearance and the distance itself became invisible as the ceiling's garlands casted a small glowing light on his features.

Her breath stopped, stuck inside her throat and her lips slightly parted and he came in front of her not even batting an eye at his presumed male partner, of course.

"It's a pleasure to meet you" he politely said and lent his hand to her implicitly proposing to lead.

"Likewise" she replied adopting an even rougher tone than for others. She was incapable to say if it was only her act or something else making her does it instinctively.

She took his hand.

Time, place, people, appearances, like trillions of glasses 'splinters, they all fell around them. Useless. Unnecessary walls and sounds. Sole remain the warm of engulfing hand and his shoulder under her own palms. His eyes looking at her unknowingly, the sadness not far, the mask not as solid it was in the past and his growing awkwardness at her intensity.

She smiled innocently and closed her lids escaping the mirrors of her soul her eyes must have shown for an instant.

They began to dance to the slow waltz as The Royal Masquerade made its first measures.

She watched him grimace at the sweet music and couldn't restrain herself this time.

"Is the music not to your taste?" she asked as they twirled.

His lips inched upward at her question but the smile didn't reach higher. She had to try harder.

"The song is pretty" he replied with a shake of his head.

"Oh? So it's the company the untasteful part she commented, duly noted and understandable"

"You are a good dancer" commented Ren politely.

"Maybe she admitted, but I'm far from the usual league straight men would tap in. I lacked some interesting and quite essential attributes" she stated vaguely gesturing at her bandage body and playing her male act to the brink.

A small chuckle escaped him and a little life and interest came back into his eyes.

"No fault can be given for something that can't be help he said. Plus, a lady is not always the most suitable option, especially on an evening like this" he admitted. "They can be wilder than I would ever expect it he whispered on the tone of the confidence"

"That I can agreed on" she said looking pitifully at her feet.

"RIP to our feet" he said with all the serious in the world.

"And buttocks" she added.

"And I was hoping to be the only one to benefit of this privilege thus permitting to forget those dreadful experiences in the void of my mind" said Ren.

"I'm really sorry to ruin your dreams" she said, pinching her lips.

"Considering it's only the beginning of the night, I hope this gentleman is prepared" he said.

She shook her head.

"Unfortunately not. You are?" she asked.

"My first experience in this matter is far away" he explained.

She paled just by his half-bitter-half-bemused expression.

"How far?" she asked.

"Early teenage years and be warry it isn't always the lady on that peculiar matter" he said and Kyoko was surprised he would admit something like that even if they were comrades of pain at the moment. She was sure he would never have told her that if he had known it was her. She also felt thoroughfully shocked to learn he had experienced this when he was mostly a child.

"I feel blessed it's my first experience in this" she said, shaking her head in persistent disbelief.

He snorted.

"You are but paid no mind. I'm used to it"

How were you getting use to that, she wasn't sure she wanted to know and she felt personally offended at the perpetual abused committed on his charming backside.

He chuckled some more at her shocked expression, a softer look forming on his face. Then he looked at her in a confidence manner.

"Back to subject; you might need help before the end of the evening and I'm might be able to provide it" he said.

She arched a brow in question but realizing he couldn't see it she voiced it.

"Oh?"

"I possess a very good ointment for this sort of urgency. I must have at least two tubes in my bag" said Ren.

"No, really?" she inquired.

"I'm willing to share" he told her.

She grinned at him widely and he stared at her weirdly for a second.

"Now, we are talking business"

They hold it in but only for a few more seconds.

And exploded in irrepressible cackles. And in the heck of their laughing, Kyoko unconsciously came closer as she held herself to him.

"But in all seriousness she managed as they slowly got their wits back, I would be really grateful if you were willing to share" Kyoko told him as she thoughtfully rubbed her backside.

"Sure thing Ren said with another snort and a good inspiration completely calm himself as he stood rightly back, I will bring it to you at one of the breaks" That's the exact moment he noticed their proximity and while it wasn't bothering him, something else caught his attention and unknowingly to the retreating man waving at Ren, eyes bored into his back all the while.

Something was fishy with this man, he could have swear he smelt feminine perfume on the guy.

Shutting down his instinct, he shrugged. He wasn't to tell what perfume to wear to someone or what to not wear because it was generally used by women. It wasn't unpleasant scent anyway.

He went for a drink before going to fetch the ointments in his shoulder-bag. He didn't have much time before the reprise.

He sighed.

And she wasn't there.

PS: Hi everyone. Who is going to get a long hilarious chapter, it's all of you. I really hope you will love this one. I had a fun time making it. Don't blame the craziness on me. It's either Kaname671 chapter 137 of no more Mr nice guy that made me lost it or it's the lack of sleep. Or both.

Anyway, this is part 2. The ball is far from finished. I think, there will be at least two other part but I can't really say before writing it.

For the songs of the first theme, here are the complete references:

-Arrival to Edgewater-Desire&Decorum.

-Royal Meeting-Desire&Decorum

-Masquerade ball, beautiful Waltz

-The Royal Masquerade-The Masquerade.

You can find them all on Youtube.

I wish you a happy reading and lot of laughs. Lot of kisses.

AUTHOR OUT.

Mimagfan.