Hello, readers, I am Choiry. This is my first story- I've lurked for years, but this idea has continued to bug me, so I'm writing it out. It will definitely contain citrus in the future. Read, review (please? It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside), and enjoy!

Mai shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She hadn't wanted to go to this ball, but Naru had said she had to. The client's wife specifically requested her presence, apparently. Mai was about to refuse anyway, but it occurred to her that, with free food and the loaning of a beautiful dress, the evening might be bearable. It had been, too, until the dancing began. The band had played only slow dances so far, and Mai was one of the few partner less attendees, forcing her to stay firmly seated on the side of the dance floor.

She half-heartedly wished that SPR hadn't taken the case that led to this. The client, a politician, had been planning his yearly charity gala, until his staff told him they refused to continue working in the ballroom. The politician had been angered at first, until his workers showed him why- everyone was covered in bites and bruises; the electricity promptly failed at sunset each day, to be replaced by extremely cold darkness. The mirrors that weren't smashed reflected shadowy images that, once turned away from, disappeared. After one of the female workers ran screaming from the toilet, shrieking that there was a man climbing out of the mirror (there wasn't), the staff called it quits, and the politician called Naru. The facility had historically been used for this event, and the politician did not look forward to moving the gala's location for a reason he could not publicly explain.

Naru, Lin, and Mai found two poltergeists in the building. Once they identified the cause, they were easily removed, although Mai suffered several wounds from pottery flying at her and Lin sustained a mild concussion (although the minute he heard about the ball invitation, the concussion kept him firmly bed-ridden, much to his "disappointment"). Lin's demons banished the poltergeists, and the job was finished in two days; the ball was held a week later.

Despite the beautiful decorations (new mirrors, a giant chandelier, and beautiful oak seats for those not dancing) and the stunning dress (dark blue silk, strapless, and laced in the back), Mai was not enjoying herself. The hostess had thanked her fervently, introduced her to her friends, all of whom repeated her thanks, and then shown her to a seat and wandered off to greet other guests. Naru had confirmed that she showed up and then gallivanted off to dance with a parade of increasingly attractive (not that Mai actually cared) women. Mai was left to adjusting her skirt and smiling thinly at leering older men who talked to her cleavage. Finally, she glanced at the delicate watch on her wrist (another loan from the hostess, who noticed Mai wasn't wearing any jewelry and supplied her with a silver set for the night) and noticed that it was almost midnight.

With a sigh of relief, she stood and began to edge her way to the door. She could find the room her clothes were in, change, and get a taxi home; maybe she'd even manage to clean up the mess in her room from a frenzied search for dress shoes earlier in the day before she collapsed into bed. Naru had seen her arrive, and he couldn't fault her for leaving after almost four hours of isolation. Or so she thought, until a hand came down upon her shoulder.

"And where are you going?" Naru asked, clearly intent upon making her stay for the ball's duration. Mai glared at him and turned sharply, wrenching her shoulder out of his grip.

"I am leaving. I have stayed for long enough, and clearly the client's wife hasn't got a use for me, or she would've said so when I arrived at eight, almost four hours ago. I will see you in the morning. Good night, Naru." The last had an almost desperate emphasis. She awaited his response- she wanted to leave, but if he determined that she should stay, she'd have no choice in the matter.

Naru appeared to ponder her words for moment before choosing his response. "It would be rude to leave without saying good night to the hosts. Come with me to thank them, and I'll get a taxi to take us both home afterward- I need to get home and call Lin before he begins to wonder why I'm not there."

Mai stared at him, shocked she was getting off so easily. Before he could make some clever remark about her silence, she put her hand on his arm and walked back to the dance floor, searching for their hosts. She thought she saw them, and was turning in that direction, when Naru froze. Mai turned to look at him, and was opening her mouth to ask why he had stopped, when suddenly he grabbed her arm and began to pull her toward the door.

"Naru! Stop! What happened to saying good night to the hosts? Let go of my arm- you're hurting me!" Mai protested, trying to free her arm. Naru ignored her, hell-bent on reaching the door. Mai had almost succeeded in pulling away when she heard it- a low rumbling noise that seemed to be getting louder. There was a sudden hush over the ballroom as the guests began to notice the sound, and then the floor began to shake.

Naru looked at the crowd of suddenly panicked people and changed direction, pulling Mai toward the wall. Mai went willingly, not wanting to be in the way when it occurred to the guests that they were in a building under heavy light fixtures and could easily remedy that situation by getting very quickly out the door. Naru jerked her against the wall just as the first woman screamed and people started to run.

"Stay right here no matter what, Mai. It safer here than in that stampede," Naru murmured, eyeing those closest to them and angling himself slightly in front of her. She was about to open her mouth to agree when the floor rolled violently up, knocking her flat. She felt a rip of pain and heard fabric tear, and looked down to see that she had ripped the lovely dress and was now bleeding onto in from a deep cut on her thigh. Naru heard her hiss in pain, glanced over, and immediately placed one of her hands over the cut, trying to stop the blood flow.

Mai was contemplating how to get out of the room with a bleeding leg and at least 300 other people attempting the same thing when Naru grabbed her and pulled her to him.

She was about to ask why, when she realized it herself- the floor had opened up, and they were falling.