Midnight had arrived; dozens of aristocratic relatives and friends of Karlheinz joined hand in hand for the party of the century. Motor vehicles rolled up to the mansion as champaign was opened and poured into hundreds of glasses. The pianist and orchestra arrived only hours before to play for the party, tuning their instruments and preparing their sheet music. Florists had come and decorated the stairs and columns with bouquets and floral strands of every shade of rose possible.

The chefs too prepared a fine banquet for the man's celebration. For tonight, Karlheinz celebrated Japan's escape from the world wide depression and the orphan in which he'd taken into his home. He spent hours advising his sons to be on their finest behavior for the guests, though it seemed Reiji was the one orchestrating the entire ordeal. He was in the ballroom advising a series of butlers the proper location of the chairs with a sigh, drinking a robust wine in his hand.

"Despicable. Don't go embarrassing the Sakamaki namesake with your terrible service," he sipped lightly on the wine with a shake of his head. "Imbeciles." Reiji turned the other cheek and laid his drink on a waiter's tray, heading to the foyer to greet the guests.

Within moments everything bustled; hundreds of men and women were laughing loudly among candlelight, sipping on the temptation of alcohol and sin. Ayato was courting a young woman of at least eighteen years in the ballroom, demonstrating his excellence in dancing with innuendo slipped beneath his breath. It was strange how a partner seemed to appear so easily for him; he would not pass up the opportunity for a woman.

In the midst, Togo floated among a crowd of men to chat with them, offering them patches of cheese and crackers as a kind gesture.

"There are many a fine woman here," he laughed among the guests. A sharp fellow in his late years chuckled under his breath in agreement.

"Indeed, my wife would be ridden with jealousy," he laughed to himself as Togo and another man raised their drinks together. "Ahah, I've heard many rumors about you lately, Togo. Quite a selfless man you are!" He laughed sharply.

Togo raised an eyebrow and snickered lightly to himself. "My dear friend, rumors are less believable than a conscious lie," he retorted quickly. "What rumors might these be?"

"Correct me may this be a falsehood, I've heard you've taken a young woman in your home with you," he began, sipping on rosè. Togo laughed aloud at this and turned his sight to the floral arrangements on the stairs. "Another concubine, hm? Perhaps like Aische? I couldn't seem to remember you keeping your hands off that girl for a moment!" He laughed.

"Ah, a rumor is usually too good or too bad to be true." He chuckled quietly before returning his sight to the gentleman. "However, in this particular case, you are correct, in almost most sense." Togo said in a light laugh. The men in his circle cooed eyes to one another, playfully nudging his shoulder.

"A beautiful young woman for my dear Togo?" One laughed as Togo shook his head in a slight smile.

"I'm afraid you are mistaken, Sir. She's is but sixteen, as shy as a flower. I am doing it as a favor to a good friend."

The man clicked his tongue. "Why you'd go to all the trouble of room and board for this girl?" He laughed to himself, sipping on the alcohol in his hand, his eyes wandering about the spacious hall.

"It's no trouble," Togo responded. "After all, my friend has close relations to the media." He winked subtly before turning a cheek and parting from his friends with a wave. "Enjoy the party, my dear friends." He called back.

In midst of the jazzy tune flurrying around the mansion, Shu found himself all but entertained. He lazily rested at the foot of the stairs, spectating among the crowds of women. Though, he admitted to himself that the curves contoured through the dresses of many woman caught and pleased his eyesight tremendously. They provided him provocative thoughts that greatly pleased his lustful fantasies.

Despite these women, he began to wonder as to where Yuri was. After all, with all the men at the party he felt the burden of looking after her all too well. Besides, he longed to Yuri all dressed in the gown she'd spent weeks in. He sighed and stood up from his spot and began to make his way through the crowds to look for her. It was funny, because even among these women, Shu began to compare them each to Yuri. Once he realized what he was doing, he quickly sighed to shake off his feelings, though they returned.

Yuri wasn't in sight, and rather, she was at the top of the stairway, hiding behind the railing as she watched the party on her knees from above. Her fleeting anxiety towards large crowds felt all too real as she stared down at the unsuspecting guests.

"It's so...pretty.." She muttered softly. "I've never been to any parties before," she began to ponder. "I wonder if I'll fit in..with all these fancy people," she thought, tensing her grip on the bars beneath the rails. Her eyes shifted to a group of women talking to each other, and Yuri stared at their gowns in admiration. Nervously, she began to shift her gaze across the way, Reiji appearing in her sight.

"Shu will protect me..." She felt herself blush, a slight giggle coming from her lips.

Cautiously worried over Reiji, Yuri stumbled backwards in a squirm to get away from his eyesight. She hugged her arms covered in delicate silk gloves, heightening up her arm to beneath her shoulders. There was a brush as Yuri fell over to someone behind her. A young man glanced down at her and offered out his hand.

"Are you alright, miss?" He said in a somewhat worrying tone. Yuri simply stared up at him with a startled expression, unsure of how to reply. A brief moment of awkward silence filled the air as Yuri fought an inner torture as to what to say. The man was handsome, his hair the shade of cinnamon. She grew captivated in his eyes, but somehow suppressed her attractiveness and flew to her feet in a yelp to get away from him.

She cried aloud as the man was going to follow after her, but changed his mind upon the realization she longed to be alone. "Miss?" He called again as Yuri flew down the hallway to an empty corridor. The music seemed to fade in silent bliss as she felt her heart beating in her chest.

She panted heavily as her body felt a sudden burst of weakness. Yuri moved her hand against her breast to feel her heart racing quickly. "I-I need some water," she said aloud, hurrying down the hall to the servant's staircase nestled away in the corner. She followed it along until she began walking down the stairs and into a bustling kitchen. Wandering around in search of water, Yuri brushed up against a few waiters as they looked at her confusingly.

"Excuse me are you lost?" One said as Yuri shook her head.

"No sir! Water please!" She called again in a somewhat polite manner. "I-I feel like I'm going to.." She called again, feeling her head weakly. Her body grew hot and somewhat sweaty as she shook greatly. "Unconscious.." Yuri muttered, falling over as one of the waiters caught her with a furrowed expression.

"Some water for the girl!" He called as Elise rushed in a pure white apron rushed over with a wine glass.

"Here you are!" She retorted. The man's arms supported Yuri as she stood there unconscious; another lifted the glass to her lips and poured it down her throat.

"Allow me!" The cook called again as two of the waiters set Yuri down in a chair. Elise held Yuri forward and untied the back of her dress, releasing the ribbons to give her room to breathe. Another took a fan from her pocket and aired Hatori in an attempt to help her. The waiter stood beside her with her glass of water as they awaited her to awake.

"Come on, young lady. Wake up!" The woman called, fanning her hastily. There was some bustling coming from the other end of the kitchen as the cooks and waiters bowed quickly. It caught the party's attention, the four of them bowing as Shu came by.

"Master Shu," The waiter holding Yuri's glass bowed as Shu raised an eyebrow. "I trust you're enjoying the party well?" He questioned.

Shu sighed in a bit of surprised tone, rather audible to say the least as he nearly tried his hardest to keep his cool. "What's this," he sighed sharply as the cook raised her eyebrow.

"I beg your pardon sir?" She said in confusion.

"Leave her alone and get back to work," he called in a tired voice. The party dispersed, setting the fan and wine glass on the table beside Hatori. Shu sighed sharply in annoyance as he sat down across from her. Shu's eyes began wonder up and down her body, examining the secretive places hidden beneath her clothes, and back to the sweet little styled curls framing her rosy cheeks and doe eyes. Shu knew every reason why he'd fallen for her...

It seemed like forever before Yuri's eyes fluttered open as she winced slightly at the light. The sweet jazzy and romantic tunes the band were playing echoed into the kitchen, and Shu's love letters written to Yuri in his head came back to him. "Ngh..." She muttered as she returned to consciousness. Shu placed his arm on the table, supporting his head as he sighed in exhaustion.

"Your clothes are undone...are you trying to seduce me?" He said blankly as Yuri's eyes went wide; he'd done this sort of thing before, but she enjoyed it when he was playful with her like this. Shrieking sharply and fumbled with her clothes to pull them back together again, she began to pout her cheeks in humiliation.

"N-no!" She cried aloud, holding the dress tightly against her chest in a mix of embarrassing and flushing feelings. Shu found it both amusing and entertaining as he reached across the table and laid a finger on her shoulder.

"It's unlike prey to feel such things.." He replied quietly. After a second he stood up and approached Yuri from behind, pulling the ribbons together.

"What are you doing..?" Startled slightly, Yuri tensed up and held tighter to the breasts of her dress. Shu stared at his hands tying the dress all back together again.

"I can't have you tempting another man, now can I?" He retorted vaguely, tying an elegant bow at the bottom of her corset. "Your eyes belong on me..only on me...my eyes don't need to linger to another who dare look at you that way. That's what I'm for.." He chuckled lowly to himself, though Yuri could guess his tone was a bit calm and soothing as usual, rather deep to say the least. "You see this kind of thing at parties a lot," his hand reached over and offered her the wine glass. "Women fainting, that is.."

Yuri clutched the glass between her fingers as she glanced down at her reflection in the water. There was a bit of sweat on her face still as she sighed. Her embarrassment hadn't dare leave her, she was instead left with a crimson face and mixed emotions.

"I must've lost my breath," she said quietly, taking a sip as Shu returned to his spot across from her.

"Mm...no shit." He retorted as Yuri pouted slightly and fumbled with the tulle on the edges of the dress. Shu gave her a faint little worried, yet laid back expression as Yuri went quiet.

"I haven't seen you smile very much tonight," Yuri spoke in a gentle tone, and Shu merely laughed underneath his breath.

"Why should I offer it to anyone but you?" Shu teased, though this time, Yuri caught a glimpse of his clean pearly whites and the canine teeth hidden amongst them.

"Oh I don't know, to be nice?" She laughed.

After a few moments, Yuri glanced up at Shu with faint pink cheeks. Shu caught her eye and sighed sharply. Rather than speak of his emotions, he stood up and held out his hand. "Come on..."

Yuri glanced up at him in confusion. "Huh?" She muttered.

"I'm taking you dancing," He replied blankly as Yuri flushed red.

"I-I didn't know you liked dancing, Shu.." She muttered softly as Shu lowered his eyebrows a bit. The thought of him dancing made her flush; it reminded her of the romantic radio stations and stories told over the shortwave of men in suits dancing their cares away with their lovers. The thought of doing it with Shu was a pleasure.

"I don't, I hate it." He replied as Yuri pouted again softly.

"Then why are you asking me?!" She whined softly, Shu feeling satisfied at her confusion.

"Otherwise every other man would want to, and I can't have that happen," he retorted invitingly with a soft little smirk on his face. Yuri could sense a slight flirtation in his tone, and, though she was deeply afraid of the concept of love and could barely understand it herself, she decided to go along with him.

"Shu Sakamaki you're a terrible liar...no one would want to dance with me," she giggled slightly as Shu released a little snarky smile at her.

Yuri shyly placed her eyes on Shu and took his hand. He pulled her from the kitchen by the palm and out into the crowds of guests, many of whom seemed to watch her from a distance. After a moment, he placed her eyes on her, and Yuri could feel her body warming up to his. "What was that wretched display in the kitchen for?" He questioned as he lead her out into the ballroom among the others.

She flushed and lowered her eyesight to her feet. "I-I couldn't help it," she retorted softly. "I was so stressed and..I forgot to take my iron tablets..."

Shu shook his head, taking his hand around her waist and holding her tightly. "Unless you wanted attention from someone," he teased slightly, taking her other hand against his palm. Yuri quickly shook her head in reply to this; she disliked receiving attention from others in a silly introverted way. It irked her more often than not, and, as she combed back through her memories of the fainting spell, she blushed in embarrassment at the thoughts of others helping her.

"To tell you the truth, I don't really like attention.." Yuri muttered, Shu pulling lightly on her body to move to the sweet, jazzy music decorating the atmosphere. Their eyes met one another, and once again, Yuri and Shu could both begin to remember the sweet flavors of one another's lips.

"If that were true, then why is it that you shyly place your eyes on me?" He replied quietly. "Ever since the beginning you've...please don't...Yuri...please don't stop..."

Shu's voice trailed off as he sighed some. He felt affectionate, though he despised counter receiving it from Yuri. His eyes turned away from her as Yuri glanced back up at him.

"You're really strange, Yuri," Shu began again as Yuri clenched tighter onto his palm. She wasn't entirely sure if she should take offense to it or not. "I've seen the way you act around men, and the way you favor me is unusual. I just..."

He sighed; their foreheads began to meet, and he could spend forever pressed up against her soft skin, wondering, stressing himself out. "Yuri..why have you done this to me..?" His voice whispered in a low tone, and Yuri gently gripped tightly to his shoulders now; she hurt, she hurt terribly. How dare she lead him on like this?

"Please...please don't say that..." Her voice seemed to crack, and as Shu gripped tightly to her, hoping and pleading she'd never leave, Yuri quickly protested by shaking her head. "Things are different," she replied, and as the song shifted moods to a quiet aura, she began to sink into Shu.

"I can't do this to you..." Her eyes lingered back up towards him, Shu dancing slow as can be with her. They were filled with shame, filled with guilt. No matter how hard he wanted to save her, he couldn't. Yuri was destined to be alone.

"I...I'm all alone...I'm so lonely...but when I'm with you I..I'm at peace..Shu, you don't deserve this.."

Shu's eyes widened in realization. Had he begun to realize her emotions? Were they changing? Or, better yet, had they evolved into something deeper? He longed to find out for himself..

"Yuri..." He muttered softly, their figures turning in motion to the score. She started to shy away, though he began to hold her closer. His eyes lingered further into hers, the two of them glancing warmly at each other.

"It's not like you to say those things out loud," he replied quietly as Yuri felt him pull her a little closer. Shu was vulnerable to temptation as he began to see himself succumbing to her.

"I might die if I don't..." She found herself mumbling, a crisp blush forming on Shu's cheeks. Shu hadn't known it, but his face told a different story, one far different from her own.

Yuri sensed a lingering feeling of love from herself and began closing up again. Memories of the letter returned, and she shook her head slightly in reply. "I'm..I'm meant to be alone. W-we knew this...Shu, please, whatever you're feeling, I can't return it.." Her voice began to cry out quietly.

Shu's eyes went wide almost immediately. He went pale in humiliation as Yuri began to gently pull her hands away from him.

"I'm...I'm only going to hurt you, please, please don't love me, not like this..." Yuri's voice began to crack, there were tears swimming in her eyes now. Her emotions were suppressed; yes, she felt a bit guilty for leading him on like so, but her desire for solitude was far greater.

"Don't do this to yourself..." Shu replied softly, Yuri's face swelling up in tears as she covered it.

"N-no, I have to, I must, I live to die...every moment I have left is borrowed time..." Her throat went dry, and Shu began to bite his lip and quickly shake his head.

"T-that's not true...Yuri, please, please Yuri, we can work this out, I can...I can save you..." His voice attempted to call her down, though it wouldn't seem to dry the tears rolling down her cheeks and staining her makeup. Their waltz had ended.

Yuri looked down now, fighting back overflowing tears. "I-I'm doing you a disservice...P-please leave me alone!" Her voice cried, pulling away from Shu.

After a second she quickly carried herself away to sulk in disappointment. Her heels clattered against the floors as Shu tried to brush away his fear as he reached out for her arm again. "Wait a minute!" He called for her as Yuri brushed his arm away from her.

"Get away from me!" She called back, retreating for the entrance as Shu stood there, trying to build up the courage to say something back to her. His eyes flashed around as he scanned the crowd, and, whether he admitted it or not, began to fear for the fondness of men.

"Shit..." He thought to himself as he watched Yuri push her way through the crowd. "Yuri!" Shu called for her, watching her run through the back doors leading to the balcony and rose garden. Her grief had become immeasurable, for the one person Yuri wanted to love was out of her reach, yet he continued to latch onto her, hastily following after her.

Yuri fled outside and retreated into the maze of bushes, for she could no longer bear to dace him. She had done him a grave injustice by daring to offer her love in the first place, daring to offer him a moment of true love. Now, she ripped it away, and, unsure of where the maze led, Yuri wasn't particularly in the mood to care. She wandered from entrance to entrance, leading her deeper and deeper into the tangly vegetation.

In the midst, Shu pushed through the crowds and straight out the back doors in an attempt to locate her. His eyes wandered in search of her as he sighed and shook his head.

"Yuri!" He called out. Shu's mind echoed with reluctant thoughts. "Dammit...I can't really be.." He pondered. "I can't be paranoid, can I?" He found himself realizing. His eyes flashed back and forth to a party of young men smoking as they walked about the rose garden. Shu shook his head. "Fuck!" he muttered quietly to himself.

Throat dry, palms sweaty, and his face looking rather worried, Shu began to run around the garden searching for Hatori in a frantic manner. He listened for the faint murmur of whimpers and light cries to not much of an avail, as all he could hear was the tunes of the gala indoors at the moment.

Through the window, Reiji spectated vigilantly; the sight of his brother moving about in a nervous manner caused him anger and resentment. "That good for nothing.." He muttered.

Eventually, Shu followed the light whisper of tears through the roses and maze of bushes. There, in the center of the maze, hiding inside large gazebo, was Yuri. She wiped her eyes, her face red in the heat of the night. Little did Shu know, his time with Yuri underneath the stars like this would be one of the last moments of peace in his youth. Her time had grown nearer...