During Our Dances

Author: MoonStarDutchess

Oneshot

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon and gain no profit from this fanfiction.


During Our Dances

Serena sat on her bed, her back resting against the pale walls of the room. Her blue gaze was directed at a dress hanging on her closet door. She'd picked out the dress four months ago when she'd found out about the formal masquerade ball that was being held at the Rose Estate. The elegant estate had a brilliant dance once a year and she got tickets from the man who owned it. He was a friend of Darien's and they'd been to one of the dances before. He never ceased to give them tickets whenever the parties were being held. She'd always wanted to go to one of the masquerades with her prince.

She sighed as her eyes trailed from the shoulders to the bottom of the dress. It was made of red silk and lace and flared out from the waist like a ball gown. It barely tipped the ground when she wore it, making it look like she was floating. She'd been thrilled when she earned enough money doing odd jobs to get the dress. Her father had been so impressed with her that he bought her some jewelry she'd been eyeing when she and her family went shopping.

Now, she wasn't even sure that jewelry or dress would come of any use. She didn't really want to go to the party any longer and had no prince to go with her.

Darien and she had broken up. When it happened, she was very surprised that she wasn't as upset as the other time he broke up with her. This time the only pain she carried was that he said he had feelings for someone else. Of course, Serena could guess who it was. Sailor Pluto, Trista Meioh. The more she thought about the two of them together, the more right she thought it was. It was quite an odd feeling but at the same time, the two of them were so much alike that it seemed natural.

Serena remembered being amused at everyone's reaction when they met for a scout meeting. Darien and Trista had been especially tense over the situation. She merely acted the way she normally did, and then when they were leaving she wished them luck. She was bitter over not having a boyfriend, but not bitter at them.

Not many boys showed an interest in her, and the ones that did tended to be enemies. Seiya was interested in her, he was not an enemy, but there was a big problem. He wasn't exactly a guy. As much as she cared about him…err…her… she wasn't interested in a woman.

She stood and walked over to the dress so tempted to just call the group and make up some sort of excuse. She turned and glanced at the clock, the group would be there in an hour to pick her up. Diamond and the four sisters would be attending as well, and was supposed to meet them outside the estate.

Serena smiled softly. She was quite happy that Diamond and Sapphire were found, injured but alive after the battle with the doom phantom.

She sighed and slipped off her bathrobe, carelessly tossing it on the bed. She slipped on the dress, the bodice at the top clinging to her tightly. It was a bit low in the front but not in an unladylike way. The fact that her father approved of the dress was evidence enough. He told her it was proper for her age of eighteen. To most people her age, it wouldn't matter what parents thought, especially fathers. To her, his opinion and respect were extremely important.

She walked over to the mirror and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. She twisted some of it around the holder and curled the rest of her locks with a hot iron. She then put a red rose clip on the side of her head, above her ear. It looked as if there was a real rose there.

Serena smiled slightly at her ladylike appearance, satisfied that she was presentable.

"Serena! Phone for you!" she heard her brother Sami yell. Serena left her room and walked into the hall. She walked toward her brother, her heels clicking on the floor as she approached.

Sami stared at her, finding it hard to believe that the person walking toward him was his sister. "You look pretty sis," he said.

She smiled at him. Her brother and she had grown up a lot and now they got along a little too well. She knew it actually had worried their parents for a while. "Thank you," she said, taking the phone from him. He left the hall and went back into his room.

"Hello?"

"Serena, it is Rei. Look, Chad, and I are coming to pick you up, all right? The others are going to arrive with their dates," she said, causing Serena's stomach to drop. "It's crazy! The part must be pretty popular. Mina is going with Diamond of all people. The others were asked out yesterday. It was crazy over here."

"Rei, I was actually about to call you," she said, making her decision not to go even though she was dressed.

"What?" Is something wrong?"

"I won't be able to make it," she said. Something has come up."

Sami was coming out of his room again when he heard what his sister spoke. He was surprised that his sister was lying to Rei. He wondered what happened to warrant such an action.

"Serena, are you sure?" Rei questioned, concern in her voice coming through vividly over the phone.

"Yeah, I'm sure. You all have fun. Be sure to dance a dance for me," she said, trying to make her voice cheery. She was unsure if she was fooling Rei.

"All right, if you are sure. See you later," Rei replied and hung up.

Serena sat the phone down onto the base and sighed.

"You lied," Sami said.

Serena spun around to see her brother standing there in the doorway of his room, his face a bit angry. That look faded when he saw tears threatening to come out of her eyes. She leaned against the wall and slid down to sit on the floor, reminding him of a princess from the fairy tales.

He walked over and flopped down beside her. "What happened?"

"I couldn't be a third wheel. Well, actually it would be more of a fifteenth wheel," she said.

Confusion engulfed Sami and it showed on his face. Serena laughed lightly. "They all have dates," she said then glanced down at her lap. "Rei and Chad were going to pick me up. Now, it would just be too uncomfortable, too awkward."

Serena's words caused him to become angry. It was true that the other's had the right to get dates, but waiting until the last minute to tell Serena was mean, even if it wasn't their intention to be such. He looked down at Serena's hands and saw a small dark red spot on her gloves. He looked up at her face to see that tears were flowing down his sister's cheeks. He moved his arm around her shoulders and hugged her tightly.

The gesture surprised her but she didn't pull away. Despite being three years younger than she was, he was already a few inches taller and much bigger. She distantly wondered when he grew so much.

After a while, she pulled away from him and thanked him. They both stood and Serena looked down at her clothing. "I guess I should go change out of this dress.

"I think you need to get your butt out of here," Sami said, bluntly.

Serena looked at him with surprise. "What do you mean?"

"You should go on your own," he stated.

"What? Are you crazy?"

"Considering this family, it wouldn't surprise me if I were. Why not go on your own though? I am sure no one would recognize you. You look different and with a mask on there's no way anyone could tell who you were. Did you show the girls your dress?"

"No," she said.

"Then go! There's bound to be some guys that went on their own as well. Someone will ask you to dance and you'll end up having a great time."

Serena tilted her head to the right. "You really think that I should go?"

"Yeah, I do," he answered.

A smiled came to Serena's face. "All right then, I'll go," she said. She ran in her room and grabbed her mask and purse before coming back into the hall. She hugged her brother.

"Thank you Sami," she said and rushed down the steps and out of the house.

At first, she was walking briskly; excited because of her encouragement from Sami, but the closer she got to her destination, the slower she walked. All of her doubts and hesitations flooded her mind step by step.

She sat down on a bench and stared at the mask in her hands. She couldn't go in there alone. What if she was laughed out of the place or no one talked to her. Things would be horrible.

"Why aren't you at the ball yet?" a voice questioned. She looked up to see Sapphire standing in front of her. He was dressed in a black suit instead of a tuxedo and carried his mask in his grasp.

She laughed lightly; he always was one to get straight to the point without as much as a hello. "I'm not sure if I should be going."

"You too?" he said and sat down next to her. "Diamond kept annoying me so much that I relented. I just got out of a meeting so I am going to be late for it. I don't really want to go. Why don't you?"

"I feel like an extra wheel," she said.

Sapphire nodded his understanding. Everyone had gotten dates at the last minute. That didn't matter much to him. Even the awkwardness of Prisma being there with a date didn't annoy him. He just didn't like being crowded. He would be able to find someone to have an intelligent conversation with for a couple of hours then would leave before the masks were removed.

He stared at Serena who didn't take her gaze off the mask. She looked incredibly beautiful, though he always thought she was lovely. When he got a chance to talk to her, he always looked forward to seeing her bright smile and the way it lit up her entire being.

He stood, walked in front of her, and bowed slightly before holding his hand out to her. "Allow me to escort you to the ball Princess," he said.

Serena looked into his eyes and giggled. "You sound like a prince."

"I am remember?" he said, slipping on his mask. "And as I recall you are a princess."

She smiled brightly at him, placed her mask on her face, and placed her hand in his. She stood and then intertwined her arm with his. They made their way down the sidewalk. People stared at them making them a bit uneasy yet amused as well.

When they arrived at the estate, the ball was well underway. The music was flowing around the entire area making Serena feel as if they were carrying happiness into her ears. The roses were in full bloom, the smell dominating any other smells that would try to drift into the air.

---

"Serena would have loved this. I wish she would have come with us," Rei said. The group was sitting at a table in the rose garden. The dance floor only a few feet away from them. Since it was such a beautiful night, the estate had the ball outside of the home.

"She didn't give a reason?" Diamond asked. He was a bit disappointed that she hadn't shown up. He liked Serena very much, now as a friend instead of romantically.

"No, she just said something came up," Rei responded. Of course, Rei knew the real reason that her friend didn't come. She knew Serena didn't come because she felt uncomfortable with everyone having a date.

"Wow! Look at that couple," Mina said in awe. They all turned toward the gate area where a couple was presenting their tickets. They saw a girl in red with her blond hair elegantly styled atop her head. With her was a man in a simple suit, a distinct contrast with the wave of tuxedos that every other male was wearing.

"Wow," Lita said.

Serena and Sapphire made their way down the white stone path and felt eyes on them the moment they started walking. They glanced over at a table and saw a very familiar group staring at him. Serena tried not to giggle over the fact they didn't know who they were.

They walked down a few steps to the main area. They were guided to a round table where another couple was sitting. It was beside the table where their friends sat.

"Your dress is great," Mina said to Serena. Serena smiled and nodded once, displaying her thanks. She knew if she spoke, she'd reveal her identity. Mina nodded and turned back to her own group.

Serena turned to her right when she heard a young woman speak to her. She spoke back rather quietly and began conversing with her. Sapphire was engaged in a conversation with a man sitting beside him.

Soon, a new song began and various couples went out to the dance floor. She watched as the scouts began dancing, jealous of the fact they actually knew how and seemed to float across the room effortlessly. A hand touched her shoulder and she looked at Sapphire.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked.

"Do you want broken toes?"

He stood and offered her his hand. "I'm sure you aren't a bad dancer at all." He bowed slightly in front of her, just as a proper prince would do. Suddenly, a strange feeling overwhelmed her and she just had to dance with him.

She placed her hand into his and jumped slightly. It felt like she'd touched a battery. A small current of some sort of energy shot through her. She stared up into his eyes and saw that he felt it as well. Before she could speak on it, he led her out to the dance floor. He wrapped one arm around her waist and took her hand in his while her other hand rested on his shoulder.

They then began dancing, paying no attention to their surroundings as their feet and bodies seemed to take control. It was as if something had possessed them and given them the knowledge of every small nuance of the dance. They gracefully glided around the floor for the entire song, their gazes never breaking from each other.

When the music stopped and a more complex dance began, they fell into the steps easily. The more they dance the more the crowd pulled away to watch them. Everyone was incredibly impressed with their elegance and gracefulness.

"I don't know how I know these dances," Serena said. "They just suddenly came to me."

"Me either," he said. "I know basic waltzes but that's all. This is far more than I ever learned."

They continued to dance until the fast song ended and the crowd applauded. The two pulled away, suddenly realizing that everyone was watching them. A red tinge appeared on their cheeks.

"That was amazing!" Diamond said.

"That was gorgeous!" Michelle yelled, intensely appreciating the beautiful dance. The music started once again, this time a simple waltz. The scouts and the others made their way back to their table.

"One more?" Sapphire questioned, looking into her eyes. Intense feelings that neither recognized as ever having, shot through them.

"As many as you want," she said, stepping into his embrace. They began dancing once again.

"Wonder who they are," Rei questioned. "They actually seem very familiar."

"I bet they are a prince and a princess from another country," Mina said. "They act like royalty."

"They could be a duke and duchess. I don't think a prince or princess. There would be more guards if that were the case."

"Whoever they are I can't wait to see what they look like without the masks!" Mina exclaimed.

Much to their disappointment, fifteen minutes before the masks were to be taken off, the couple left. The group removed their masks and had one more dance before leaving the estate.

--

Serena and Sapphire made their way to the park, not ready to go home yet. They both wanted to discuss the night's events and emotions.

"What was that?" Sapphire asked, running a hand through his hair. He was extremely confused over the foreign feelings that were drifting over his body, coating everything inside him. As he held her, he felt like it would be a crime to let go. He looked down at Serena, who was sitting on a park bench, her mask still in place.

Serena shook her head. "I don't know," she said. "I just didn't want it to end."

"It felt right didn't it?" he questioned.

"Yes," she said, looking up at him. She stood and stepped closer. "So what do we do now?"

He reached up to slip off her mask and she did the same to his. He cupped her face and lowered his lips to hers, kissing her softly.

"That?" he questioned.

Serena smiled and nodded. "That's good for the present moment," she whispered and moved her lips back to his. Both of them dropping their masks to the ground and dropping their guards with each other.