Konnachi wa minna-san! I'm so sorry that is took me so long to get this chapter out! Lots of things have been going on lately so I didn't really have the time, or the will to write it fast. Hopefully though, the next chapter won't take so long. I have so many ideas floating around in my head that I am about to blow up lol. If you didn't notice I deleted the stories under my name called Mysteries and Memories, Couples the Days, Detention, and The Others, because those weren't going anywhere and both my sister and my writings have grown a lot since then. But don't worry new ones will take their place. I already have this perfect idea in my head for cardcaptor sakura, but for that one I will write out most off it before I post it. So that is it won't take as long to get them out for you, like this one and my sister's popular fic Womanhood sucks do. Though this story may take awhile for me to update it will never go down the drain. I so many ideas riding on this baby and I have this whole plot plan all wrote out and ready. All I have to do is write it down into a story. I already even know how this is going to end! Bwahahaha this is not like my other fics were I write whatever comes to mind hehe. Once again, thank you for the wonderful reviews, emails, and thanks to my friends and family for reading my fic as well. With the way this story is going and how many people have liked it so far, I have already began to write it with my own characters for my own book. ^_^ I hope you enjoy this chapter… V for victory! ^_^ Ongaku ~ The lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Psalm 118:6 With you help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. Psalm 18:29 Thanks to Jennifer for telling about the next scripture. I just love it ^_^ Be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. Hebrews 13:2 Mysterious Eyes Chapter 3. The Masked Ball Of Secrets I looked up at the ceiling in my room. I couldn't get the mental picture of the princes' soft, but deep brown eyes, his kind smile, and the feeling of his strong arms around my waist, out of my mind. It was enough to keep any girl awake and I was definitely one of those girls. Everything bad that happened in the past couple of days seemed like nothing to me now. Something about the prince made me feel much better about life, and myself. I was really glad that I met him. My eyes were finally starting to get a little droopy and I could feel myself fall into a peaceful sleep for once. ~*~* I woke up the next morning feeling content and full of energy. I stretched my arms and legs, then got up off my bed and headed towards my closet. I grabbed another simple outfit and put it on. It was a light green color this time and it had a plain white t-shit under it. The dress part itself when down to my knees; I liked this dress a lot on hot days. I slipped on my simple brown shoes and buckled them on top, then headed out to the kitchen to make breakfast. My mom wasn't in the kitchen yet, so I assumed she was still asleep. I grabbed the big bucket and started a fire on the stove, then filled the bucket with plenty of water and set it on top of the fire to let it boil. I walked over to where we kept the potatoes and began to peel them. Once I was finished peeling them, the water had almost boiled long enough. So I went over to where the eggs were and set up another place to cook them on. I took out a bowl and cracked 4 eggs, putting them into the bowl, I then began to stir them so I could make them scrambled. My mom came stumbling in about the time I had began to cook the potatoes, I guess the smelled lured her. I giggled to myself when I thought about that. She grabbed the bucket of boiling water and set it down somewhere else so that is could cool. Then she grabbed a plate and took some eggs and a potato that was done, and began to eat. She smiled at me in between bites and I smiled right back. I was in a great mood today and I didn't think anything could change it. Right when I was about to eat there was a knock at the door. I got up out of my chair and made my way to the door. I opened it up and got scared when I noticed whom it was. A guard that I have never met before was standing before me. He didn't seem to be angry or anything really, and I guess he held no threat to me, but I still wondered why he was here. "Is this the home of a girl named Ryoko?" I nodded my head at his question and said, "Yes, that is me." He looked at me funny and raised his hand. I flinched when he did that and immediately felt stupid when I noticed he was holding a letter out to me. I took it carefully and opened it up. To Ryoko and members whom it may concern, There will be a ball on Friday this week starting at 6:00pm. You have been officially invited along with whom ever you wish to come with you. The guard will be back tomorrow to get your answer on who will be coming. Please dress in formal wear, but with masks and bring a gift for the Princess and Prince. Signed, Jurai Royal Kingdom My eyes widened as I read the letter. I couldn't believe that I have been invited to attend a ball personally. Well maybe not personally, but it has my name instead of someone choosing me to go with them. I have been to balls before because Ibara was invited personally before, for something I couldn't quite remember, and he of course invited me to go with him. I didn't understand why they put my name on it though. I haven't done anything. Then I remembered about Tenchi. Could he have done this? The guard then tilted his hat a bit trying to be polite, though I knew he really despised me. Then he turned and left. I just shut the door not really caring what the guard thought and headed back to the kitchen to eat my breakfast. My mom was already finished when I got back and she was washing off her plate. She looked up at me doing that thing again, where she notices I'm there even before I say or make any noise. "Who was it dear?" She asked with curiosity. "It was a guard." I said looking at her face. It had this scared look on it until I said, "He gave me this invitation for a ball on Friday." Washu seemed to sigh in relief and held at her hand, "May I see it." I didn't say anything back just handed it to her. I watched as she read the letter, her face was hard to describe, it was like she wasn't really reading the letter but thinking about something else. Then she just placed it down and got back to the dishes. I stood there confused. Wasn't she going to say something? "Um… mom, are you ok?" I asked, still confused. She just smiled at me and nodded her head. "Aren't you going to say something about the letter?" I asked her. She was still washing the dishes and not facing me when she answered. "Oh, yeah. It's nice. You should definitely go and bring Mihoshi, and Ibara. Maybe even that new friend of yours." I blinked my eyes a couple of times, I hadn't thought about bringing Ibara, but I guess I would have to. "Ok mom I will do that." I said happily, nothing was going to get me down, not in the great mood I was in today. I walked back into my room and look at the letter one more time. I was wondering why it was a masked ball when I remember that Tenchi seemed to always hide his face so that he could sneak around the town. So the masks were probably an idea or something to keep his identity secret still. "Well, except to me." I said out loud smiling. Today was Wednesday so I had almost 3 days before the ball starts. I knew exactly what dress I was going to wear already and I couldn't wait until I could. ~*~* It was now the afternoon and I had already told Mihoshi and Ibara about the ball. Both said that they would come and they seemed to be excited about it. At least more than my mom was. Tomorrow I planned to go to my friend, Kiyone's house alone to ask her if she would like to come as well. I wasn't too sure she would want to though, because she seemed like the independent type, living in the woods by herself. I didn't even know how she got her food and stuff. She couldn't have gone to the market for her stuff because then I would have seen her. I shook my head deciding it really wasn't any of my business and continued my way into my house. My mom was sitting at the table next to Yosho and they were laughing and smiling about something until, like always, she noticed my presence and look up at me. Her smile was still on her face and I was happy that she was having a good time. "Ryoko dear." My mom said still looking at me, "So what did everyone say?" I was shocked to hear her asking about it when, after all, she didn't seem to care when I told her about the letter. "Everyone said they will come and tomorrow I am going to ask my new friend." I replied back to her. She turned back around after I finished that and said, "Ok dear but be careful while you're out there." I just nodded my head, even though I knew she couldn't see me and headed towards my bedroom. Soon dinner would be ready so I cleaned myself up a bit with a wet rag and a small bowl of water, then brushed out my hair and thinking about the day. ~Flash Back~ "Hey Mihoshi!" I said smiling at her and waving. She turned around from what she was doing and waved back. "Hey Ryoko! You seem like you're in a good mood today." I walked up to her and said, "It is because I am. I got a letter sent directly to me to be invited to the ball this Friday." Mihoshi eyes seem to widen when she heard this and said, "Really? Wow! That is so great Ryoko! You must feel honored." I snorted a bit when she said this and replied, "Not really, but it sure is nice." Mihoshi didn't say anything more about my reaction. She knew how I felt about the royals and knew where to stop when it was needed. I think that is why we get a long so well. We seem to know each other the way true friends should. That's when I heard it, the dreaded awful noise of snickering from these two towns people who I knew quite well. "What do you want?" I said in an angered voice. The same loud mouth girl was the one who answered me as usual. "Oh nothing… We just thought it was funny how you got invited. It must be some HUGE mistake." Of coarse after she said that her little follower started to laugh along. I just rolled my eyes. This time I didn't think it was worth starting a fight with them again. It got old really fast. Mihoshi seemed to sigh a breath of relief when she noticed I wasn't intending to fight back this time. That's when Ibara walked in. I was a little afraid to talk to him today but the fear didn't keep me from doing it. "Hey Ibara!" I yelled towards him and waved. He waved back and came towards me. "Hey Ryoko um… I'm so…" I cut him by off putting my fingers on his lips and said, "Don't worry about it. Everything is ok now that was the past and I have forgiven and forgotten." He smiled at me and nodded his head at my words. I think the girls got bored when I was ignoring them, because when I looked back over to that direction they were gone. "Listen Ibara, I got invited to the ball this Friday would you like to come?" Ibara's eyes seem to glisten with excitement and he nodded his head up and down really fast while saying, "Yes." I sort of chuckled to myself seeing his reaction and the day almost felt like nothing ever happened in the past. ~End of Flash Back~ I was cut off from my thoughts by my mothers knock on the door. "Ryoko?" I turned my head toward the door and said, "Yes mom?" "Dinner is ready." She replied back. "Ok mom I will be right out." I put down my brush and took one last look at myself in the mirror. "Nothing will ever change." I said to myself. Then got up from my bed and headed to the kitchen. Yosho was still there and sitting in the exact same spot as the last time I saw him. "Hello Yosho sir." I said politely, knowing that he always liked that best. "Well, hello there Ryoko. I can tell you're in a good mood today. It is nice to see you back to your cheerful self." I smiled and took a seat to the left of him. My mom was at the stove, making the last preparations, before coming to the table with some delicious smelling soup. I knew she had made them from the vegetables that we buy from Yosho and I couldn't wait to bite into it; knowing that Yosho's vegetables were always the best. We all took hands at the table and said our prayers and began to eat. I think my mom makes the best soup ever, and I wasn't just saying that because she was my mom. I have tried many other soups and they never even compared to my mothers. Hers was always just the perfect temperature with the right spices and good amount of vegetables with meat. The candles were lit in the kitchen because it was getting dark already. The time sure does fly by fast when you are having a good day. I could tell that Yosho was enjoying the soup just as much as I was. My body felt warm all over and I began to feel more relaxed and ready for bed. I looked at my mom and smiled, "It's just perfect mom, as always." She gave me one of her huge smiles and continued to eat. She always loved it when I complimented her and she would just eat it all up. After about 30 minutes or so we were all finished eating and Yosho was getting ready to leave. He bowed to my mother and thanked her for the food, then bowed at me slightly and told me goodnight. I bowed back at him and wished him a goodnight as well. Then he was out the door and gone. I helped my mom clean up the kitchen then headed back to my room to get ready for bed. I slipped on my favorite nighty, which really wasn't much to others, but I loved it. It was a plain cotton white shirt with simple soft pants. I never let anybody know what I wear to bed because then they would laugh at me for wearing pants. But I just loved them and found them to be way more comfortable for bed than any other nightgown. I took a wet cloth and wiped my face clean then brushed my hair and tied it back into a ponytail. I was all ready for bed when my mother came in. "Ryoko?" She said as she walked into my room. "Yes mother?" I replied. "I just wanted to say goodnight." She said. I stood up from my bed and walked to her giving her a goodnight hug and wished her a goodnight. She hugged me back and did the same, then turned around, blew out one of my candles, and left the room. The only candle burning in my room now, was the one by my bed. I felt really tired and I knew this night would be a good one. I climbed into my bed and pulled the covers up to me and though they weren't much, I just couldn't help by snuggle in them. Then I drew in a breath and blew out my candle. Sleep over came me fast once that candle was out and soon I was in a dreaming state. ~*~* The next morning was just like any other morning. I put on my clothes, grabbed a little something for dinner then headed to my friend, Kiyone's house. The walk was peaceful and quiet like usual and that is what I loved about the woods. Morning was still in the air and I took every breath in content because of the wonderful smells. Before I knew it, I was already standing in front of her house. I walked up the door and knocked. Once I knocked, I heard someone say, "Coming." I waited for about 3 minutes or so before she opened the door for me. I smiled at her and she invited me in. "So, what are you here for?" she asked me as I took a seat on chair in the living room. "I wanted to see you and ask you a question." I replied getting straight to the point. She didn't seem to mind though and just took a seat across from me and said, "What's the question?" "Well…" I started, "I got this letter from the kingdom yesterday inviting me to a ball on Friday and it said I could bring people. Would you like to go?" I saw her face fault as I said this and I knew right there that her answer was going to me no. She seemed to think about it for a while though, before she said anything. "I'm sorry." She said, "But no thank you." It didn't really bother me when she said this. For some strange reason I kind of thought that she wouldn't go. So it wasn't much of a shock to me. "That's ok." I said with one of my special smiles. I knew she felt bad for turning me down so I wanted to make her feel better. "Don't worry about it, I understand. I almost wasn't going to go myself." She smiled back at me, but I could tell it was fake. Right then I realized I really didn't know Kiyone. She was just as much of a mystery to me as my father, and though I got to see Kiyone she never really said much. I didn't ask her anything about it because I thought if she wanted to tell me then she would. I stayed most of the day at Kiyone's house, just talking about simple things while drinking tea. It was actually pretty fun talking to her. It wasn't like talking to my mother or my friend Mihoshi and it was a nice change. The hours seem to fly and before I knew it, it was time for me to go. I said my goodbyes and thanks to my friend and headed out the door with one last wave. I then began my long walk home. I couldn't believe that tomorrow was coming up so soon and my heart began to pound with slight excitement, but there was something else there too, and I think it was fear. It was already getting dark by the time I reached my house, and my stomach growled in hunger. I hadn't eaten since lunch at Kiyone's and all this walking made me even hungrier. My mom already had dinner ready, so I took a seat and ate beside her. We had a simple dinner and just talked about what we did today. The guard came by and I told him how many people were going to attend from my guest. Then it was time for me to once again head to bed. I said my goodnights then went to my room and got ready for bed. ~*~* I woke up even earlier the next morning so that I could walk down to the lake and wash myself off for the ball tonight. The water was actually not that cold and it felt good against my dirty feeling skin. I didn't take forever on my bath because I didn't want to be seen. I scrubbed myself nice and clean then got out and headed back home. I blushed a little bit remembering the past things that had happened here but shook it off just as fast as it came and headed back to my home. Once I got home, I grabbed my brush and began to brush out all the tangles in my hair carefully and then put my hair back so that it wouldn't get all messed up while I was out today. I actually felt kind of pretty today and so far this day was becoming a good one. I was still in my room when Mihoshi came in. "Hi Ryoko!" she said cheerfully. I looked at her and said hi back. She walked over to my bed and took as seat. "So Ryoko?" she started, "Are you excited about tonight?" I laughed a bit before answering. "Well… actually yes, I am and also no, I am not." She gave me a confused look and I knew she would. That is why I laughed before I said it. "What I mean is: I can't wait to go but yet I have the gut feeling of being scared to death." Mihoshi smiled again know understanding me and I laughed at her little antics. "Don't worry about it." She said, "We are going to have a blast." She winked at me and I smiled. She always knew how to make me feel better when I was scared or nervous about something. "So what are you going to be wearing to the ball?" she asked me. I got up from the edge of my bed and headed toward my closet. Mihoshi's eyes followed me as I went and I could tell she was dieing to find out. "Something I have always been wanting to wear for a long time now." I replied then opened up the closet. "Wow!" Mihoshi exclaimed when she saw the dress. "It is beautiful. When did you get this?" I smiled at her and said, "I have had it since forever it feels like. It was my moms along time ago. Don't ask me how she got the dress but I am sure glad she did." Mihoshi's eyes glistened with excitement. "I can't wait to see you in it." I laughed a bit when I heard a knock at my bedroom door. "Yes, who is it?" There was a short pause before we heard, "It's me Ibara." I quickly shut the closet door then walk to my bedroom door and opened it for him. "Come on in." I said calmly. Ibara did so and walked over to a chair in the corner of my room. It kind of felt weird having him act so quiet. He had been this way since that one night and it just wasn't normal for him. "So what do you guys want to do?" I asked sitting back down on my bed. Mihoshi squealed a sound of delight and said, "I was just waiting for you to ask that." I could tell that Ibara and I felt the same way about Mihoshi's words because of the way his face looked. It was actually a funny sight and all of a sudden I began to laugh. Now Mihoshi had a funny look on her face and it made me laugh harder. I could feel the tears well up in my eyes and my stomach began to hurt from all the laughing. Pretty soon I wasn't the only one laughing and the room began to sound like a cave full of laughing hyena's or something. My mom came into my room looking at us funny before turning back around and shutting the door once again. After about 5 minutes we began to cool down and I could now talk. "Man, what was that all about?" I asked. "I have no idea." Mihoshi said. "Yeah me either." Replied Ibara. "By the way Ryoko." Ibara began, "when does the ball start again?" "6:00pm." I replied quickly, "Mihoshi, what were you going to say before we started laughing?" Mihoshi put her hand up her chin in thought and said, "Um I don't remember." I almost fell down hearing this, but I shrugged it off knowing she wouldn't remember until it was too late. We talked for hours and made lunch. It was about 4:00 when they left. I began to finally get ready for the ball tonight and it is going to be interesting. ~*~* It was now 5:30 and Ibara and Mihoshi were already back at my house. When I walked out of my room, in my dress with my hair pulled back, but yet still let down and my makeup put on just exactly the way I liked it, Mihoshi shrieked in delight. "Oh Ryoko! You look so pretty!" I smiled at her and said, "You do too Mihoshi." My dress was just perfect. It was a light blue color with pretty white lace in certain places. The dress was really long and elegant looking and I felt like I was inside of a bell. The top of the dress was cut in a V shape and around my neck was a simple necklace that my mom said came from my father, telling her it was a gift for me when I got old enough. I treasured the necklace almost as much as I treasured the comb from just my mom, and then to top it all off I had on a simple white mask. Mihoshi's dress was actually very pretty as well. It was a dark blue color that almost matched her eyes, it was just as long as mine but it didn't have the lace and the v shape neck. Ibara actually looked quite handsome himself. He complimented me and I smiled back. Then we all three got into the carriage that pulled up at my house to take us to the ball. I waved goodbye to my mom and told her to have fun. She laughed at me and said, "Don't worry about me." Then we were on our way. ~*~* The ballroom was really pretty. It was hard to tell who people were because of the masks, but I didn't mind as long as I knew who Mihoshi and Ibara were. I could see the princess and prince. They were sitting at the throne of course, so that is how I knew who they were. The princess was very pretty looking and I suddenly a got the twinge of jealousy. I almost wanted to hurt myself for even feeling that way, but it couldn't be helped. My engagement gift for them was in my hands and soon they would call us up by name to give it to them. That was the part I was dreading. Since I was the one invited from the letter it would be my name called and I would have to be the one to go up there. The prince looked really bored sitting there and I felt a little bit sorry for him. Ibara noticed me looking at him and tugged at my shoulder. "What do you think you are doing?" he whispered in my ear, "It isn't a good idea to stare at the princess and prince." I sort of sighed in relief when he said that. I was almost afraid that he would get mad at me or something. I don't know why though. Nobody knew about me knowing who the prince was and they definitely never thought I might be friend or maybe more with him. Mihoshi gave me this weird look and even though she was wearing a mask, I could still read her facial expressions. I heard the sound of the trumpets and I knew what that meant. It was time to give the prince and princess their engagement gifts. Even though my last name didn't start with an A it was soon when I was called. "Ryoko Hakubi" the guard called off of a list. I gulped and that's when I noticed that the king and his wives were there as well. I held the gift tightly and made my way up there. When I got there I bowed to them and stood there waiting to be instructed. I kept my eyes down not wanting to look at the prince. "Come up here girl." The king said in a booming but not mean voice. I quickly went up there but forgot to keep my eyes down. The princess and king were looking at me up and down as if I were a piece of clothing. Then the princess held out her hand. I handed her the gift and she smiled slightly. That's when I noticed the prince was looking at me. I could feel his stare penetrate my skin and it was almost impossible to ignore it. I looked towards him and he stated back at me. Even though I had the mask on I still felt uncomfortable. That's when it happened. He suddenly looked very shocked, but then began to smile brightly at me then he walked over to me and took my hand. "Thanks for the lovely gift," he said, "Ryoko." I was shocked to her him call me my name, but it was so quiet that only I heard it. How did he know? Then I remember my hair that was a dead give away. I noticed that the princess had opened my gift and she seemed to like it, but you could never tell with those royal types. The gift was a simple book that I had read before. Not the same one of coarse, but I have read it and it was one of my favorites. I finally got to go back down into the crowd and when I was reunited with Mihoshi and Ibara I was shaking like a leaf. Mihoshi patted my back and said, "You did good, I'm glad that it wasn't me. They probably would have thrown me outside or something." I laughed just a little bit and tried to smile at her. I thought about how Tenchi's reaction to me was and it was weird. If he was surprised, that meant he didn't know I would be here. And that means that he definitely wasn't the one who put me on the guest list. Finally the gift giving was over and the dancing had begun. I danced with Ibara a couple of times and he was even really sweet to dance with Mihoshi a couple of times as well. Ibara left to go get us some refreshments and Mihoshi and I just stood next to a pillar looking around. "Don't look now but some weird guy is looking at you." Mihoshi said to me. I knew she wasn't lying because I could feel his stares on the back of my neck. "Who is it?" I asked. "I don't know, but he is not wearing a mask. Uh Oh." Mihoshi replied. "What? What is it?" I asked quickly afraid of what was going on. "He is coming this way." She whispered to me under her breath. "Excuse me ladies." The strange guy said. Both off us turned around fast when he said something and took a good look at him. He had white long hair and creepy eyes. "Y..yyes…" I stammered. "My name is Kagato." He said holding out his hand, "How do you do?" I took is hand cautiously and shook it. "How do you do, my name is Ryoko and this is my friend Mihoshi." This guy was creeping me out and I couldn't wait until Ibara came back. That was a first. Me wishing Ibara was here. "Why aren't you wearing a mask?" I asked him. He smirked a bit and said, "I don't need to because I am the magician of this kingdom." I looked at him shocked. This guy could do magic? That made him even creepier. "Well I must be going now." He said, "I have important thing to attend to." He then turned and left in the direction to where the king was. "That was weird." I said to Mihoshi. "I wonder why he wanted to talk to us." She just shrugged and that's when Ibara finally showed up. I gladly took the drink from his hand and thanked him. Ibara looked at me weird and said, "Who was that guy?" I shrugged my shoulders like Mihoshi did and said, "I really don't know." He seemed a little worried about it but didn't say anything. The rest of the night was fun and more relaxing than the first part. Every now and then I would see the prince looking at me and smiling. I knew he wished he could be free like me and I felt sorry for him so I smiled back and let him know that I definitely noticed him. He was really lucky that the princess was to absorbed in her own thing to notice the way he was looking at me. Ibara and Mihoshi both never noticed either. It was almost like him and I where in our own world. And it was kind of nice. Soon the ball was over and Mihoshi, Ibara, and I piled back into the carriage and made our way home. This time the carriage driver took my friends directly to their houses and we thanked him appreciatively. I was finally home now and I was really tired. My mom came rushing out the door and walked me inside. I took a seat in the living room for a while. I was too tired to even go get changed right now. My mom was cleaning out pottery next to me while standing. "So how did it go?" she asked me. "It was great, though there were some weird stuff." I replied. "Like what?" she asked. "Well when I was giving the gift to them it was kind of tense up there, and there was something else but I can't remember right away." My mom nodded at me and kept on cleaning the bowl. "Oh yeah, now I remember!" I exclaimed. "There was the creepy guy that came up to me and Mihoshi." My mom kept on cleaning the bowl and I continued. "I had no idea who he was and he just came from out of the blue to say hi to us for now apparent reason." "What did he say?" my mom asked, half interested while still cleaning the bowl. I rolled my eyes a bit but went ahead and told her. "Well all he really said was hi and how are we. Oh yeah! And he also said his name was Kagato." I clenched my teeth when I heard a loud crash noise. I looked up to see my mom with a shocked expression on her face and the bowl she was cleaning at the bottom of her feet shattered into a million pieces. "Mom?" I said carefully. She didn't stir. "Mom are you okay?" but she never moved, said anything, or even blinked and I was beginning to get really scared.