Author's note:

This is a Princess Jellyfish fanfic from Kuranosuke's view point- it loosely takes place during the timeline of the manga, but it's going to diverge from what has happened eventually. Please enjoy! ^.^

Chapter 1

Red silk and pink embroidery. A beautiful white and yellow flower print on a black background. White tulle, fading into grey. The closet was a trove of delightful textures and colors, soft enough to cuddle with and bright enough to dazzle an observer.

But I didn't see anything. I didn't feel anything.

I was just in a state of shock. That was it. A pair of virgin lovers, star-crossed and embarking on their first love. It was stupid enough to make me want to throw up. These kinds of things didn't happen in real life. It was something meant for a bunch of lonely girls to curl up on a couch, plough through a bucket of ice cream, and watch on TV.

And the absolutely last thing in the world that I felt was jealous of it. No way.

"Alright Tsukimi!" I said, my tone bright and natural as ever as I wrenched a dress at random from the wonderland of fabrics, and slammed the double doors shut behind me.

"We're going to make you look beautiful for your date."

I couldn't help but smirk at the word, and I caught her turn a slight shade of pink, frozen in the chair in front of my vanity. As I handed her the dress, she gazed at it with unseeing eyes.

"Kuranosuke…" she said, in a soft voice, clenching the fabric between her hands. She had that tone, and I knew she had been dying to say something for a while, but couldn't spit it out.

"Yes?" I drawled with a sigh, leaning against the back of her chair, prepared for some kind of denial or self put down about her not being to go, which was sounding more and more agreeable in my head. Tsukimi shook her head, confidence failing again, as her bangs fell forward, covering her eyes. There was a rustle of movement in the hall, then Nisha came busting in. She looked unbelievable gorgeous- her thick black hair pulled loosely back into a ponytail, long legs accentuated by a dark, velvety jumpsuit, and a pair of silver hoops hanging from her ears.

"You can't be serious, Kuranosuke," she said, grabbing the black garment from Tsukimi's hands and raising her eyebrows at me. I glanced at it for the first time, and realized that it was a particularly boxy black jumper, which would look wonderful on me, and like a potato sack on Tsukimi. On second thought, it was perfect in my opinion- not erotic at all, and far too casual for the restaurant they were going to. She would have looked acutely out of place.

"Why don't you wear this? We just got the orders in, and there's even one in your size," Nisha said, presenting one of the jellyfish dress that had just shipped in that day. It shimmered white and silver, the bottom edge of the shirt fading into a sheer underskirt, with pearls dangling on top. She rushed Tsukimi out of the room (she was completely aware that I was a guy, and it still bothered her even when I was in complete transformation), and they were back in no time.

"Do her makeup," Nisha ordered, and disappeared down the hall again.

I sighed, unenthusiastic, and turned towards Tsukimi. Carefully I slipped the red glasses off her nose, placing them delicately on the dresser besides me. She closed her eyes, awaiting the brush of eye shadow across her eyelids. I stared at her face for a second. A rosy pink glow still highlighted her cheeks, while the rest of her skin was a translucent white. Too pale- she must be nervous, but something about her complexion made my heart beat faster. Shaking my head, I placed a hand under her chin, and started to edge her eyes with a soft brown, then began sweeping different powders and colors across her face.

Finally I paused, my hand still on her cheek as I regarded my work. She was beautiful, but I could still see the shy, jellyfish otaku girl underneath. To be honest, she didn't need all that makeup. She was gorgeous. I reached out and pulled softly on her braids, her soft dark hair falling around her shoulders. My hand grazed forward, towards her chin again. Those lips. They were soft and petit, shimmery pink lip gloss creating an irresistible gleam. I wanted to taste those lips. If I just leaned forward…

"Kuranosuke?" Tsukimi asked, big brown eyes blinking at me owlishly, probably unable to see a thing. "Am I beautiful now?"

"You always were," I said. My voice was low, and too gruff. I snatched my hand away from her, and doused her in a fine mist of setting spray, while she coughed and sputtered, and hopefully forgetting what I just said.

"She's ready!" I called down the hall, guiding Tsukimi into a pair of moderate silver heels and towards the door. The pearls on her dress clicked slightly as she walked, creating a soft, plinking music. She followed my hand stiffly, probably since she still couldn't see, and I clenched her fingers tight in my hand. At the door Hanamori quickly took her arm.

"Later!" he called over his shoulder as he rushed Tsukimi to the awaiting Benz, Nisha in tow behind. They were gone before I had time to even remotely give any advice (or reasons not to go for that matter).

I turned away from the door, letting it close slowly behind me. Why did my chest feel strange- all tight and suffocating? It hurt, and I didn't like it. Time to change that.

"Hey guys," I said, entering the little living area where the amars were slowly gathering in now that Tsukimi was gone, like animals coming out of hibernation. Whenever there was a big transformation rush, they became hesitant and shy- it was a little too far out of their comfort zone. I clapped my hands, forcing myself to smile at them.

"What do you say we go get some Korean BBQ?"

There was an outpour of happiness that mostly displayed itself as Mayaya and Banba rolling around on the floor and chanting excitedly.

"Let's get wasted!" I said. Yes, that was exactly what I need. Korean BBQ and enough soju to forget that this evening even existed, and, more importantly, how I felt about it.