What was it the octopus told him? On the twelfth stroke of midnight, the spell will be broken?

Well then he better get home before the twelfth chime

"Stop!" His prince shouted desperately trying to reach him. "Wait!"

Karma tripped and fell down the stairs, leaving behind one shoe. He would have returned to pick it up but time was not on his side tonight, and the prince was already hot on his tail.

"Coming through!" Karma crashed and bumped into all sorts of guests. "I'm sorry!" He said, hurriedly running away from the prince.

There was one person Karma had to make time for though. The king.

"I-I'm sorry sir! I didn't mean to crash into his Majesty" Karma apologized, bowing deeply. "It's alright" king Gakuho said, trying to get a better look of his face. When Karma heard Gakushū's shouts, his heart thundered in his chest, urging him to make this quick.

"Your son really loves you sir" he started. "He loves you and respects you and just know that he wants to make you proud, and he values your opinion more than anyone else's!" He bowed again. "Have a lovely evening---Bye!" And the red head ran off again.

"Gakushū?" Gakuho nearly got trampled over by his son.

"Sorry father!" Gakushū said running after the mysterious red head. "Guards! Don't let him escape! Stop him!"

Karma ran down the cobble stone stairs. "ITONA! ISOGAI! MAEHARA!" Karma's panicked yells woke up the three former mice now turned human servants. "Drive! Drive!"

Karma was helped into the carriage by Itona and Isogai. "Let's go!" Isogai said to Maehara. "Hiya!" Maehara whipped the horses, startling them. The horses ran, pulling the beautiful carriage with them, Karma looked out the window to see a hundred horsemen already after them.

"Your prince isn't letting us go easily isn't he?" Itona said to Karma in amazement.

They narrowly escaped through the gates, and nearly fell off a cliff.

The entire time during the chase, the carriage kept shrinking, Karma realized it was returning back to its original form. As chilli peppers.

"W-whiskers!" Isogai pointed at Itona's face. The footmen and driver were slowly returning to their original forms as mice.

"We're almost home Karma! We're almost home!" Maehara can be heard shouting outside.

And then--

CRASH! BOOM!

The magic was over, time was up. The carriage exploded and transformed back into little chilli peppers, the horses disappeared, and Itona, Isogai, and Maehara became the little rodents they truly were.

Karma was sent flying into the air and then landed roughly on the dirt road. His magnificent, prince-like tux, reduced to rags.

The red head groaned in pain, blood trailed down from his forehead to his cheek.

His little mice friends approached him.

Karma sighed, and picked the little rodents up, putting them in his pocket. "Guess we're walking the rest of the way" Karma said to them.

Then, suddenly the clouds dropped heavy rain on them, drenching Karma to the bone.

The red head ran the rest of the way back to the mansion.

It was only when he reached home, and was making his way downstairs to the basement, did he realized he was still wearing the remaining ruby shoe. Karma picked It up, and stared at it, turning it upside down, right side up, he found a wide smile on his face. "Look, I have a souvenir, a proof that my dance with Gakushū is real" Karma showed the glass shoe to the mice.

"KARMAAAA!"

Karma nearly dropped the glass shoe when he heard his step siblings' scream. "Ahh, they're back too?" He smirked at the mice.

"KARMA! WAKE UP LAZY BONES!" he heard Nagisa screech. Karma rolled his eyes before going to his drawer and hiding the shoe in a shoebox, and covered the box with clothes.

"I'm coming!" Karma went to greet his step siblings and his stepmother.

"Welcome home, did you enjoy the ball?" The red head started to boil water for tea.

"Hm, you're in a good mood" Kaede observed.

"Ahh, uhh...the rain. It cheers me up" Karma lied with a smile on his face.

"We've got a story to tell you Karma!" Nagisa propped his elbows on the table. "A mysterious prince came and stole prince Gakushū's attention away, they danced the entire night. Prince Gakushū wouldn't let him out of his sight, or let anyone dance with the mysterious prince"

"Oh?" Karma had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from smirking.

"But then he suddenly ran away" came Irina's voice. The woman tossed her shawl to the side and kicked off her shoes, a scowl on her face. "The prince was in a frenzy, he sent his guards to stop him from leaving, and even sent his horsemen too" she snapped her fingers. "The ball had to close early, all because of that...damned mystery person!" She punched the table, scaring her children.

"I couldn't get a proper look at his face! Argh!"

"Hmm...what a shame" Karma poured them their tea, trying, and failing, to stop the dazed smile from appearing on his face.

Then, slipping in a dream like state, he waltzed all the way back to his room.

Once in the safety of the basement, Karma lay in bed, replaying the night's events.

Gakushū's face flashed before his eyes.

Sadly, tomorrow everything will go back to the way it was. He will wake up early and be faced with ridiculous demands from his step family.

His dance with Gakushū will be nothing more than a memory.

He will never see Gakushū again.

Or will he?