Note to Disclaimers: I do not, and never will own Crescent moon. If you think I do, well…then you need some help! Hahaha! Anyway, please don't sue me. I have nothing to give anyone who does. I'm a college student here, and I NEED money.

A/N: Okie, first Crescent Moon fic here, and this particular chapter is a bit of a prologue! This is in Mahiru's POV, first person. Well, more to come in the next chapter! Enjoy!

Word Coding:

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

Everything Else

Smiling for Always (Prologue)

Princess, Princess, why do you cry?

I don't think I cry that much.

I think my life is relatively simple and easy. I was a normal high school student, an average 16 year old girl who didn't understand the misfortunes of life. A girl who simply knew them. My parents died when I was a young girl. In School, I'm notorious for my own bad luck; but I'm famous for my good luck on others. What is my name? My name is Mahiru.

I think I've cried a lot, lately.

I enjoy my friends' company. Nozomu, Misoka and Akira are wonderful, and they've come to mean so much to me over the past few years. Nozomu may be a pervert sometimes but he is very reliable and he means well, most of the time. Misoka is the wise one of our bunch, extremely wise, the smart one that we all depend on. And Akira is so cheerful and carefree but he dedicated to our cause no matter what. I suppose our cause is collecting the Teardrops of the Moon.

I've cried in front of him.

Then…there's Mitsuru, the ever stubborn Tengu who I can't seem to leave alone. He hates me, I'm sure of it; or he really dislikes me. I don't blame him. After all, if I hadn't saved him with a Teardrop of the moon, he wouldn't be in such constant pain like me. He wouldn't have to suffer the agony that I feel every time the Teardrops are around every time I feel pain from fright. Every time…my heart beats in panic. Every time he comes near me, every time I hear him speak. I can't stand to look at him sometimes, mainly because my feelings for him scare me. There are times, like at school, when I wish he wouldn't be there—but I'm ever more afraid that he won't be there. I see him on the rooftops, to the sides of buildings, in the shadows, watching; he's always watching me. Sometimes I wonder if he still does it because of our strange connection, or if, just maybe, it's because he cares about me. But somehow…I highly doubt it's that. At least he doesn't transform anymore.

So by now, I'm older. I'm not sixteen anymore. Now, well…I'm eighteen, and in my final year of high school. O am about to graduate, and I hope to go to a good college. We still haven't collected all the teardrops of the moon, but I'm hoping we're nearing that point. But…I am frightened at what's to happen once it's all done. Does that mean it all ends? Does that mean I lose all my friends? Does that mean I lose…Mitsuru? Of all people, I don't want to lose Mitsuru—never. I can't see myself without him, whether he is being cruel to me or not. I have to have him around, I need to be near him. I know I love him and that being around him makes me flutter inside, makes my heart beat wildly. I wonder…does he feel the same way about me? I wish I knew…but I know that knowing would hurt me if he didn't return my feelings. So now, I stand here on the top of the Moonshine bar on my break. I've become accustomed to the late shifts as of the past few years. I can hear the music drifting up from below me, slipping through the crevices of the door from within the beautiful atmosphere behind the closed metal, which lies to my side. The wind whips around me, swirling up throughout my skirt and apron, reminding me of him.

Mitsuru.

A Tengu, a tengu who controls wind and lightning.

I can't stop thinking about him. The wind agrees with me as it caresses my face, feeling vaguely like his hand. I relish the caress for a moment as I gaze at the city lights below me, over the cold railing of the bar. I reminisce. There are some things that I wish I could relive, like the constant feeling of being in Mitsuru's arms—having them around me in such a protective manner. I want to relive the delicious moments when I sometimes catch him staring at me, not in hatred, but with something else in his eyes. It makes me feel so light, like I'm walking on air. And I love it when he gives me those rare smiles, when he cries at times he thinks no one is looking. I want to go back to the times where he would try to comfort me, hiding his true intentions behind a façade he thought no one could see through—me most of all. But I know what he hides, what he wants to keep from us. Mitsuru, however much he is a part of the Lunar Race, he was raised with humans. Therefore, Mitsuru acts very human at times, especially when it comes to hiding his emotions. He can't hide from me, not forever. Never forever, Mitsuru.

TBC…

(Okie, so that was REALLY short, but what can you expect from a prologue? Well, anyways, this is in no way taking priority over my other fics. I just needed some time to think about them on a deeper level, and this helps me do that, believe it or not. Well, please R&R, flame if you want, sine you will if you REALLY want to. Thanks for reading.)

Chocomintswirl