When Kane showed up at V's quarters, and the door slid open, they both froze at the sight of each other in their Cotillion clothes. Kane had seen the old Videl dressed for the Cotillions in the past, but he had never seen her like this - the hair, the makeup, the blushing smile. To him, she was the whole package, and then some. V had never - at least in her memory - seen a man in a suit and tie in real life, but she couldn't imagine that any man would look as heart-stopping and breathtaking as Kane did. 

"If you two are almost done drooling over each other, Risa is ready to take your picture now," Sienna teased them cheekily.

Without looking away from Kane, V called back, "Aren't I allowed one swoon over a hot guy?"

Kane smirked and Sienna laughed. 

"I suppose it is long overdue," V's best friend agreed. "Go ahead!"

V placed the back of her hand against her forehead like a damsel, pretended to faint, and Kane chuckled as he caught her. Risa, who had already been poised with her holo-menu's camera open, snapped a shot of V's first swoon. Hearing the shutter sound, V and Kane quickly righted themselves for a more typical pose. Kane's hand rested on V's hip, and she leaned into him ever-so-slightly. Risa sobbed like a baby as she snapped the picture, and Sienna cheered.

"Woo! Let's go, lovebirds! Holt is waiting for me at the plaza." Sienna grinned, and each of them gave Risa a hug, after she quickly sent the pictures to V and Kane.

"I hope you have a great time, Viddy," Risa told V during their embrace, still sniffing back the last of her tears of joy. "I love you so much, dear."

V found herself tearing up as well, as she told Risa that she loved her, too. Kane and Sienna watched the two of them with grins on their faces. Then, Sienna, V, and Kane were on their way to meet Holt, Ava, and Dare in the plaza. While they walked, V noticed that Kane was looking at the pictures Risa sent him on his holo-menu. With a deep breath, Kane decided to send the pictures to Kiana, before thumbing it off. V smiled at him, seeing what he'd done. She found it incredibly sweet that he'd thought to share this part of his life with his little sister, despite their rocky relationship in the past. Kane glanced down at her from the corner of his eye, smiling also. 

Kane felt that his love for V was making him a better man already, and so a part of that had to also mean being a better big brother. Perhaps next, he would work on being a better son - but one step at a time, he thought.  

Once they met the others in the plaza, Sienna and Holt shared an almost-too-passionate kiss upon seeing each other. Dare and Ava squirmed uncomfortably, and V jeered at Sienna,

"And you said me and Kane  were drooling all over each other - look at you now!" 

They broke away from each other, blushing. Holt cleared his throat and introduced himself to everyone. Upon his first impression, he seemed like a pretty no-nonsense, reserved type of person like Kane, but Sienna easily loosened him up until he was as affable as a regular member of their friend group, by the time that they all stepped out of the elevator onto the Recreation Level where the ballroom awaited them.

When they walked in, V was instantly swept away by the beautiful venue. It was everything that she had hoped it would be, and more. The ballroom might as well have been plucked right out of her princess movies, and brought to life by a fairy godmother. 

"Wow," V breathed in awe.

Kane was more impressed by the girl on his arm, than the decorations the Council had painstakingly put together for the event. They always made sure to make each one different from the last, and yet, the majesty was wasted on him. With V next to him, looking as beautiful as she did, he couldn't hope to take his eyes off of her. 

Suddenly, little drones whizzed above their heads and V gave a startled cry.

"What are those things!?" V yelped, eyes wide.

"What the fuck!?" Dare barked simultaneously, as he raised his arms as if to shield his head from an aerial attack.

Everyone else in the group laughed at their reactions, and Kane and Sienna explained that they were drones that the Council used to capture video of the event each year. Kane pointed out the others that were sweeping through the air above the attendants across the ballroom. Sienna said that the Council used the drones to collect footage for a highlight reel they create, to show the younger people what they are taking lessons and rehearsing for, as well as for a sort of time-capsule of each year's Cotillions for the attendants to look back on later in their lives. 

"Still creepy," Dare grumbled, as another one neared him.

"I agree," V giggled nervously, squeezing Kane's arm a little tighter. "I guess that is  kind of cool, though."

As they moved through the crowd of women in white dresses, and men in their dark suits with white ties, to get to the refreshments and food, Kane spotted Darcy glaring daggers at him and V, with no date to be seen.

Guess Sean Dillard dodged that bullet, Kane thought - more than happy to ignore her like she was another mindless drone buzzing through the air. As Ava, Sienna, and V went to fill up plates with treats, the men split off to get glasses of champagne for all of them. They all reconvened at a table to share their haul of delicacies before the announcement would be made to begin the first dance. Dare drank more champagne than the rest of them combined, despite Kane's warning that Dare had never had alcohol before, and that it probably wasn't a good idea to go overboard his first time drinking.

"First Cotillion - I'm gonna get loose!" Dare laughed, downing another in one gulp.

"First hangover, tomorrow," Kane rolled his eyes, drinking from his glass casually.

As V sipped from her glass, her eyes trailed over the other attendants, drinking in the sight of all the well-dressed people as well as the champagne. She noticed that the youngest girls were all wearing intricate eyeliner in swirling (or zigzag) designs in every color imaginable - they resembled Kiana's makeup that she wore when V met her days ago - and she realized it must be a trend for the younger generation, while the older girls wore more typical, Barbie-like winged eyeliner in black. There were plenty of men and women who milled around with their dates, gazing at each other with goo-goo eyes, but there were also young men who looked sweaty and nervous as they surveyed the dateless girls who gathered in groups with their friends, appearing to be afraid to approach them and ask for them to join them for the upcoming first dance. Some of the young guys that were going stag didn't seem to care at all about finding someone to dance with, as they loitered near the food and drinks, joking around with each other. Videl flinched when her eyes landed on Lars, who was still sporting a cast on his arm, but he quickly ducked away and disappeared into the crowd. V fought a shudder and scooted her chair closer to Kane's. Kane was listening to Holt's story of his grueling first day of training for the Titan Council Security Detail, but his arm instinctively draped over her shoulders. V immediately relaxed, leaning her head against him. 

Soon, the first announcement came over the intercom, and everyone was called to begin the opening dance. V was nervous, but dancing with Kane days ago had been effortless and magical, so she tried to pretend that they were still in her living room - just the two of them dancing in the dark. As the music began to play, Kane led her through the movements with ease. The music was orchestral, without any lyrics to accompany the swell of various instruments that didn't exist anymore - much like the songs from some of the ancient movies V had watched. By the time the first dance ended, her nerves had disappeared, and she wasn't ready for it to end. While everyone else dispersed to grab more drinks and mingle, Kane and V held each other and swayed, not caring that the music was no longer playing.

Before they knew it, the next dance was announced, and it was more complex than the first. V giggled as she stumbled slightly at one point, but Kane held her fast and smiled down at her, clearly unbothered. Kane just enjoyed holding her in his arms, seeing the whimsical joy in her eyes, he didn't care if she stomped on his feet on purpose (of course, she didn't) - he loved dancing with her. When the dance ended, they were both slightly out of breath, so they returned to the table with their friends. Dare was cracking Ava up with all the off-color jokes that he could think of. Sienna and Holt were whispering to each other and mooning at each other like no one else was in the ballroom. Kane and V nibbled at some of the finger-sandwiches and sipped on their champagne. V tried to reach for Kane's glass to finish his, and he laughed and shook his head at her.

"Oh, no you don't," Kane said, as he held his glass further away, and then downed the last of it. 

Before V could whine at him, Sienna grasped her hand, pulling her attention away. 

"V! Will you dance with me on the next one?" Sienna asked excitedly, minutes before the announcement.

"Sure!" V laughed, squeezing Sienna's hand.

And when the third dance started, Sienna pulled her to the dance floor and they danced together. They were completely out of step with everyone else, stumbling and laughing and swinging each other around like little kids, without a care in the world. Dare and Ava were similarly failing to dance appropriately - given how drunk Dare was at that point. Holt and Kane stood at the sidelines, stoically sipping on fresh glasses of champagne, as their dates and their friends drew laughs, stares, and glares from the other dancers. They were breaking all the stuffy rules by being childish, causing a scene by not performing the social dance correctly, but it was fun for Kane and Holt to watch.

"Dare's wasted," Kane chuckled, and Holt nodded.

"Indeed," Holt agreed, with a snicker and an eye roll.

And as if to prove that fact, Dare surprised everyone in their group by planting a kiss on an unsuspecting Ava. V cheered Ava's name as the girl turned bright red. Even though it was most likely the several glasses of champagne, rather than love - V thought that Ava deserved the thrill. Before any Class C could reprimand them, the dance was over, and the four of them returned to the sidelines near their table, rejoining Holt and Kane. V practically skipped into Kane's arms that opened to receive her. When she pulled back, she gazed up at him, her eyes reflecting her joy as well as the lights from the massive chandelier overhead. 

"Having fun?" Kane asked, his voice coming out a little hoarse from the emotion he felt seeing her so happy. He was thinking to himself that she was so fucking beautiful that every other girl in the room paled in his eyes, compared to her glow.

V beamed up at him, her heart skipping a beat or two.

"So much fun!" V chimed wistfully. "Are you?"

Kane cleared his throat, feeling oddly embarrassed to admit that he actually was, and took a sip of his champagne after he nodded.

"I am," Kane smirked, averting his gaze. His eyes landed on Holt - who was getting down on one knee in front of Sienna. V followed his gaze and gasped loudly, her hands clapping over her mouth to keep from ruining the moment with a shout. Sienna burst into tears as she dragged Holt up to his feet, saying "Yes!" over and over. Dare and Ava looked away from each other, obviously feeling awkward from their romantic display. Kane watched V's reaction closely, feeling his pulse picking up. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she was smiling as she took a step forward as if to congratulate her best friend, but then the final dance was announced on the intercom.

Everyone gathered for the closing dance - a lot of the attendants were hurriedly snapping pictures with their holo-menu's cameras, while the drones swept overhead, capturing every angle of the event. The lights dimmed, giving the ballroom a more intimate ambiance for the final dance. Kane always thought that part of the Cotillion was a little comical - like they were really trying to push for the romance on the last stretch. But V was taken with the change in atmosphere.

"It's so magical," V whispered, enamored with the change in her surroundings. 

"Fit for a princess," Kane teased softly, as he took her hand, placing the other on her waist.

V blushed at his comment, as the music swelled. They moved together gracefully, along to the sound of the centuries-old song. Kane had always been ready to be done with the Cotillion at this point in the night, but as he twirled V - causing her white gown to swish around her legs - and brought her close again, he couldn't imagine wishing that he could bail on this. Toward the end of the dance, he kissed her tenderly. V kissed him back with all the love that she felt for him on her lips. When Kane pulled back, she giggled.

"I never want this night to end," V's eyes glimmered, feeling like she could cry. "I hope the next one will be as wonderful as this."

Kane lifted an eyebrow at her as he spun her around once more. "I hate to disappoint you," Kane murmured, before he dipped her so low that her dark curls reached the floor. V's lips parted in surprise at the dip, as well as his remark. "But I don't plan on coming to the next one."

V was momentarily disappointed and confused by his declaration, as he righted her for the last few steps. But then it dawned on her what he meant by that, and her expression transformed into shock and disbelief. Kane enjoyed the realization appearing in her honey-gold eyes.

"Kane, do you mean . . . ?" V stilled, a hopeful smile forming on her lips.

Did he mean that he wanted to marry her before then?

"I do mean . . . " Kane's gaze was full of intensity and a playful smirk betrayed his almost child-like excitement as he trailed off, mimicking her words. He couldn't believe it himself. A year ago, he never would have even thought about marrying a girl, let alone falling for one so easily. A girl who used to hate him. The world had turned upside down and inside out, but he wasn't complaining about it.  

V didn't just tear up this time, she let the tears flow freely as she reached up on her tiptoes to kiss Kane. His hand slipped from her waist and his arm tightened around her instead. Ever since Cryo, she had felt so empty inside, and slowly, Sienna, Dare, Risa, and most significantly, Kane had filled that void. Now, she felt so complete, her heart so full, that she didn't know how she had survived that part of her life. 

"If this is a cryo-sleep dream," V warned him, "Don't you dare wake me up!"

THE END

[See these characters again in the sequel: Found on Titan]