One Step Closer [Fruits Basket]

Chapter 36: Cinderella-ish!

"Wait..." Kyo called out, but Tohru was long gone.

Needless to say, he curtly refused the stepsister as well. He refused.

"What am I doing?" Kyo sighed.

"Don't get all depressed outta character." Arisa stated.

The livelier the ball became, the more downcast the Prince became.

Then Saki walked in wearing a fully black ball gown and a pair of glass slippers. She was head to toe in only black.

"So this is the ball." Saki stated, looking around.

After much anticipation, Cinderella arrived.

"Wow, she's beautiful!" Tohru commented.

"Now that's a pretty woman. Ask her for a dance." Arisa stated.

"No way!" Kyo responded curtly.

The Prince fell in love with Cinderella at first sight and asked her to dance.

"Why do I have to?!" Kyo yelled at me.

"Cause I'm the boss and I said so." I replied nonchalantly.

Kyo simply growled in frustration at me.

"Oh my, there's yakiniku." Saki stated, standing beside a food stall.

"Oi! Dance with me!" Kyo commanded Saki.

But she simply just ignored him and kept on eating yakiniku.

"She refused." Kyo stated.

"Why do you sound so relieved?" Arisa asked.

"Try again, you idiot." I stated.

"You don't know how I feel! Don't just say whatever you want!" Kyo yelled.

"Shut it! Get your ass back there!" Arisa and I scolded him in unison.

Kyo then again walked back to Saki against his own will.

"Uh... Oi!" Kyo called out.

"I'm busy." Saki responded.

"Did you only come for yakiniku?"

"Well? What do you want?"

"M-May we... talk?"

"Talk? Very well. The waves tonight give the brain a good tingle, do you know that?"

"Please... pick a topic that makes better conversation."

Then suddenly the great grand clock of the castle struck twelve.

"Oh no. I must go home." Saki stated.

"Yes!" Kyo cheered in relief.

Then out of nowhere, Saki handed Kyo one of her glass slippers with two chopsticks in them.

"There. I handed it over to you." Saki stated.

"I'm hardly one to talk, but there wasn't a speck of feeling in that." Kyo deadpanned.

Knowing that the spell would break after the clock struck midnight, Cinderella woefully tore herself away from the Prince.

"I wanted to eat more meat." Saki muttered, walking away.

She left one of her glass slippers.

"Use this as a lead and go find her." Arisa stated.

"Uh, nah, I don't wanna-"

Kyo was cut off when Arisa smacked his face with the glass slipper.

"You're going to let the chance to see her go to waste?!" Arisa yelled.