Chapter 12 - Dance with Me!

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Zodiac Host Club's first summer bash, the Blossom Ball! Might I add that all you beautiful women look dazzling tonight? Ohoho, don't worry there will be plenty of time for you to swoon over my beauty later."

"Sometimes I really wonder if I was adopted..." Yuki muttered darkly while Shigure only sweatdropped. "I can't be related to that man up there."

Ayame spun around with the microphone in hand and raised his hand over his head. "And now, let the ball begin!" Suddenly the chandlers and dim lighting turned on and the entire main hall lit up. Everyone gasped with admiration. The hall was decorated in absolute beauty. It was as if walking through a fantasy land. There were flowers of every shape and size on every table, white rose petals spread across the ballroom floor and crystal-like dew drops hanging from the ceiling where light would shine through giving off a delicate shimmer about the floor.

Light green satin draped about the windows and buttercup yellow tablecloths covered the tables. Beside every wall stood about 4 servers all carrying silver platters of food. A small orchestra played Vivaldi's "Spring" music right below the stage where Ayame stood in the spot light as the young ladies stared at the decorations. To the corner of the room, two french doors were open to view a rose garden and water fountain in the middle, shooting out water in facinating pattens. It was a magical scene to behold.

Haru walked over to where Yuki and Shigure were standing. He cleared his throat to gain their attention as he stuck his hands in the pockets of his black tie get-up. "Ayame really out-did himself hua?"

"You know how he is: if it's not over the top it's not good enough." Shigure laughed. He looked around the room to see all the girls in their pastel colored clothes, searching out for their former housekeeper. "By the way, has anyone seen Tohru-kun? She is after all the reason for this party."

Yuki was watching the sight of many guests partaking in some kind of classic dance before giving Shigure's words a thought. "Last time I saw her was with Mine-san. Mine-san looked like she was going to have a heart attack if she didn't get Honda-san to put on her latest work."

Haru turned away. "Girl's are so hard to understand." He tugged at his collar. "And why do we have to wear these stupid suits? The onlypeople it actually suits is Shigure-niisan and Hatori-niisan."

Shigure gave Haru a thumbs up. "Hm, you don't say?"

"You look like butler." Yuki laughed. Suddenly the room burst in screams and a mob of frills and colors mad a mosh pit in one corner of the room. Yuki chuckled and drank his cup of punch, trying to ignore the late arrival of Kyo. "Sounds like that baka neko has arrived."

The other two males agreed and sipped their punch simultaneously.

"Yuki! Shi-chan! Haru!" From the kitchen bounded in Momiji in a similar suit get-up except that he wore black dress shorts instead of pants. He twirled around laughing. "I'm so excited, there is so much to do tonight! Aya-chan did all the decorations so nice too!" He put his fists up to his mouth in utter excitement. "And I heard that Aya-chan ordered a super nice and yummy cake too!"

"Ah, leave it to Momichi to think about dessert." Shigure laughed. "Though that cake really does sound good from the way Aya was describing it. Apparently Tohru-kun wanted to bake a cake, but Aya insisted on ordering the finest French pastries and cakes for this party." He sighed, "As the saying goes, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach! Ahaha..." He looked to the three younger boys who were not paying attention to him but rather what was behind him. "Yuki-kun? Ha-kun? Momichi? Hello?" Shigure shook his head.

"Honestly, how do you younger Sohmas think you'll snag any girls when you don't even participate in conversations without spacing out? It's a major turn off if you ask me." Shigure was waiting for some kind of reactions but nothing came. He raised an eyebrow and turned around to see Hatori escorting a young lady towards them,the seahorsewith a small smile on his face.

"Honda-san..." Yuki said his mouth hanging open just slightly. To say the least they were stunned.

She held onto Hatori's right arm with a shy smile, her eyes cast downwards in complete embarrassment. She didn't feel like she was in a dress but rather just another costume that Ayame brought out for their weekly themes, except this time she was the only one dressing up in a rather embellished dress. Everyone's stares were not making her blush go away either.

Her dress was a rich cream color with a dark rose colored design around her bust. The skirted part had three layers, each with the matching rose design trailing around the entire hem of the dress dusting the floor. Every layer had a scalloped cut that was shaped around the design. The dress swelled only at her bust as the rest flowed around her with a similar dark rose colored ribbon wrapping just under her breast into a simple bow, the ends streaming down almost to the floor. The top of the dress had a lacy material but cut in the same fashion as the bottom of the dress showing off her bare, slender shoulders.

She also had matching gloves that went all the way up to the middle of her upper arms with the same cut as the top of her dress and a pair of mary jane styled dress shoes the same color as the design and ribbon. To finish off the look, there was a dark rose colored choker around her neck with a pearl dangling from the front. Entwining with her brown locks of hair trailing down her back was a simple cream hair clip holding half of her hair up. Mine-san even took the opportunity to put a pair of pearl earings on the girl and light makeup. Dispite how complicated the dress sounded, it was very beautiful and becoming on the rather shy girl.

Tohru shuffled her feet trying to hide her face in Hatori's arm. It wasn't just the Sohma men that were giving her looks but some of the guests whispered around her. "Um... how does it look?"

Shigure regained his composure and gave her a light smile. "It looks nice, but you look stunning." He sighed and raised his voice to a slightly higher pitch. "The picture of innocence! What man wouldn't want to sweep you off your feet? Ah, makes me want to be young again." He grinned, his voice suddenly growing husky, "Although, age is not a restriction in my eyes."

Yuki scoffed at Shigure's attempted advances on Tohru. "Then at your age, your eyes must be getting bad just like your brain if you think you'd be able to sweep Honda-san off her feet with a line like that, you perverted dog."

She blushed further.

Momiji gave her a huge hug. "Tohru, you look like a princess! Oh, I'd love to be your knight!" Haru only peeled Momiji off of her like fly paper dragging the boy to a safe distance from Tohru.

Shigure nudged Hatori, the other man's smile fading as Shigure gave him an impish smile. "Why still hold onto dear Tohru-kun like that, 'Tori-san? Eh? Eh? You want to keep her all to yourself, don't you?" Shigure smacked his friend playfully on the shoulder. "Ah, you dirty old man you!"

"If I had a dime for everytime you act like a dirty old man, I'd take the first vacation trip ticket to Hawaii."

Shigure put a hand to his cheek. "Tori-san, you're so cruel! You wouldn't happen to be taking me with you on this trip would you?"

"No."

"Oh woe is me!"

Hatori turned to Tohru and patted her on the head. "This is going to be a while. Go have fun, Tohru-san."

She nodded and let go of his arm. Yuki stepped up to her and offered her his arm. "Would you like to see all of Ayame's decorations? Maybe you'd like to see the garden?"

She clapped her hands in delight. "Oh, I'd love that, Yuki-kun! Thank you so much!" The pair walked away as the other four men watched her walk away.

"I really am going to miss her though." Shigure said after a moment.

Haru nodded his head. "I think we all will."

Momiji pumped a fist into the air. "We have to make tonight extra special for her!"

Haru looked around the room and caught the tuff of orange hair in the mist of the party. Kyo's eyes were already searching out for Tohru. Haru smirked. "I think I know how."

Kyo finally got away from all the girls and stood off to the side looking around the room. Unconsciously he was already searching out for a particular person. The person that he had been thinking about all day, but had yet to see at all. She wouldn't have left already had she? She didn't say good bye!

"Hey." Kyo turned around to see Hiro giving him a snotty look. "I didn't think you'd show up."

"Why the hell not, you little brat?" Kyo growled, angry to be bothered at a time like this.

"Because at the last ball you nearly dislocated that girl's arm." Hiro pointed out in the mist of people to one girl that had her left arm in a sling. Kyo gulped and turned around.

"Whatever, I was in a bad mood and if she got any closer I would have transformed." He hissed back to the teenager. Hiro was about to retort something back when a soft voice called at him.

"H-Hiro-sama?" Hiro turned around to see a girl about his age smiling at him. "Um, do you want to dance?"

Kyo waited for what Hiro would say, but the boy only gave the girl a devilish smirk. "Well I can't refuse to a babe like you, can I?"

She blushed as Hiro took her by the arm and led her to the dance floor. To this day Kyo couldn't figure out how that kid could be such a brat one minute and a total womanizer the next. Watching the two dance for a moment his attention turned to a laugh further away from where Hiro and the girl were dancing. It was so odd how he could hear her voice even in a noise environment like this.

He looked and then a couple moved out of the way for Kyo to find Tohru dancing with Yuki, the pair laughing as Tohru tried to follow Yuki's dance steps. She stumbled again and burst out laughing as Yuki smiled along with her. Yuki spun her around carefully and Kyo caught a glimpse of her face, smiling and laughing, just enjoying herself. She was breathtaking. When Tohru finally turned back to face Yuki, the pair froze and then laughed again in amusement.

Kyo couldn't help but smile a little. She just looked so content but a slight feeling of jealousy came over him that Yuki held Tohru so close, the type of closeness Kyo could never achieve for fear of transforming. He felt a man pat him on the back.

"If you want to dance with her that bad, why don't you go cut in?"

Kyo turned to be faced with Ayame. "She's dancing with tht damn rat right now!" He barked, shrugging Ayame's hand off his shoulder. The silver haired man put a index finger to his forehead chuckling lightly.

"My dear boy, as the night grows longer, the girl will be swept away by another man and your chance will fall through." Just as Ayame said that, Haru tapped Yuki on the shoulder and the pair switched so that Haru began dancing with Tohru. "Ah, see what did I tell you? Without knowing it, the girl of your dreams will be gone without any idea of how you feel for her. Frankly, I find that selfish."

Kyo glared but Ayame already started walking away to chat with a group of girls. He turned back to Haru leaning in close to Tohru to whisper something into her ear to make her flush a pretty shade of ice pink. She looked beautiful like she always did as she continued spinning around the dance floor with Haru. He wanted so much to just hold her, feel the softness of her skin on his hands as they danced. To just imagine it wasn't enough.

But he couldn't. No, no he could! He would dance with her before this night was over! They promised it the other night! He started walking over to Tohru once Haru and Tohru's song was over when suddenly he saw Ritsu stumble onto the dance floor and right onto Tohru. The man looked like he was about to scream but Tohru smiled lightly and said something to Ritsu. The man nodded and took her hands carefully as a waltz played through the entire ballroom.

"What the...?" He looked around for the person that pushed Ritsu at Tohru. The monkey would never initiate a dance like that! Something was going on here.

Behind the dance party Momiji gave Haru a high-five. The smaller boy 'incendentally' knocked Ritsu into the dance floor.

The night wore on as did Kyo's patience and temper. So far nearly all of the Sohmas cut in before he could. Even Hatori danced with the girl! There was always an inconvenience for him not to walk over, whether a girl asked him to dance with her, a crowd of people would prevent him to walk over, or a banana peel-- he had no idea where it came from-- was placed right where he was walking and made him fall over, get up and see that Tohru was already dancing with another person. He was very pissed off now.

Finally he saw Ayame dip Tohru and his hand began rising up her leg and thigh. Kyo almost flew through the roof. He had it! He would dance with her no matter what, and no one, and he meant NO ONE, better get in his way right now or they'd end up with a bloody nose. He walked over shoving people out of his way when suddenly the stage light turned on.

"Hi everyone!" Momiji smiled. "The ball is coming to a close and we have a dedication actually. You see, our very good friend, Tohru Honda-- I'm sure you've all seen her bustling around-- is leaving us tomorrow. To see her off we threw her this really really nice party! Don't you think?" The crowd applauded and Momiji jumped to the other side of the stage. "Well before we eat cake, we want Tohru to come up here for a moment!" The stage light turned over to the center of the room where Tohru stood holding her hands while turning side to side. "Yes, you Tohru! Come on, don't be shy! Come on!" Momiji cheered.

Tohru nervously walked to the stage and climbed the stairs to where Momiji stood. The boy held the microphone to her. "Do you have anything to say? Oh, a speech!"

Tohru grew nervous by the minute. "Ah um... a speech?"

Momiji nodded while clapping. "A speech, a speech!"

She took the micophone and looked out at the crowd, barely since the lights were nearly blinding. She laughed, "I feel pretty! Oh so pretty!" Someone of the guests giggled at her reference to West Side Story. She shook her head. "Well... I am very greatful to the Sohmas for not throwing me into a lake like I originally thought they would do when they found out I didn't have any money on me." She laughed nervously.

"But besides that, I've learned so much from staying here, and I found so many friends. I'm really going... I'm going to miss everyone very much. I..." Suddenly her eye caught Kyo's, he staring up at her with a slightly miffed look. "I..." She lost all train of thought as she stared back at Kyo. She learned so much about him, and she wanted to learn more. She wanted to see him fall in love and break the curse finally. She wanted to sit on the roof and watch the stars with him. He told her so much to learn from. He was the first person to listen to her complain and let her tell what she really wanted. There was still so much...

Momiji saw Tohru staring blankly as she took in shallow breaths. He worried what was the matter with her. "Tohru? Tohru are you okay?"

What she wanted...

A single tear fell from her eye. She shut her eyes closed tightly exclaiming, "I don't want to leave. I... I want to stay!" She spun around to run off the stage after placing the microphone back on it's stand. She felt so embarrassed at expressing herself like that infront of so many people. She hiked her dress up and escaped through the main doors and outside of the house. She wanted to run, just go somewhere else. She couldn't stay there, she didn't belong there! Even though at the sight of finally seeing Kyo tonight made her want to stay forever, she knew she couldn't. She had to go back to her old life. She didn't belong!

'Then where do you belong?' Her mind asked as she slowed down her pace, standing in the middle of the path way. She stared at the floor, tears forming in her tightly shut eyes. Without knowing it she was deciding the path she'd take. Behind her was Kyo and infront of her was Satsuki. And there she was, deciding her destiny in the middle. She felt like she was caught in a game of tug-o-war: her heart wanting to stay with Kyo and the Sohmas, pulling her towards them, but Satsuki had her mind under lock and key, not giving up the fight either. It pained her being unable to draw any conclusion.

Kyo, Satsuki, Kyo, Satsuki, Kyo, Satsuki...

"Where do I belong?"

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