Prom month was always a painful time for the residents of Konoha. It was painful for the girls fathers and mothers having to pay for those gowns, and accessories, painful for the girls having to pick out all of it and painful for the boys, having to find a tuxedo and a date, and painful for everyone else in some way or another.

Sasuke had the most trouble, since he was, well…Sasuke. And every girl wanted to go with him. He was always saying that his best friends, Shikamaru, Naruto and Neji had it easy during Prom month.

Somehow, this time around, something would be different, and people would talk about it for months – maybe years afterwards.

---

"What sort of dress are you looking for?" The American girl at the cash register asked Hyuuga Hinata, a shy girl of light build. Her pale eyes scanned the glittering jewelry below the glass of the counter top and side.

"W-well…I was um…not a v-very um…s-showy one?" She asked timidly. The American girl smiled.

"Of course. Follow me." She said in a level voice, her blue eyes closing as she smiled again, leading Hinata to a display of long, kimono-styled gowns. "We have some with the Kimono style all through, with the sleeves and the obi, or we just have the ones with longer sleeves and fancy patterns." Hinata nodded and the girl wandered off to help another customer.

For an American her Japanese was amazingly good. Hinata watched her as she chatted away with the other Konoha citizen as though the language barrier didn't exist. She turned her attention to the silk and netting and cotton in front of her, forgetting the clerk and citizen, more enthralled with getting her gown picked out.

She was going to ask Naruto. She wouldn't chicken out this time.

---

Sasuke looked up from his book, over the rims of his glasses. Yes, Sasuke has reading glasses, and Neji wouldn't leave him alone about it.

He took them off and rubbed his eyes as though he'd imagined what he was looking at. "No way." He said sternly, eying what Shikamaru and Naruto were holding up.

A light blue, silk, Princess-style dress with all the works, bows and sequin patterns. "I am not wearing that. Not if it's supposed to keep me alive." Naruto pouted.

"Aww! But Sasuke-chan! At least try it on? Please?" the blonde pouted, Shikamaru nodded.

"C'mon, we wanna see what you'd look like." Shikamaru said, licking his lips. Sasuke frowned.

"I'll keep it in mind, just not today." He said in what he hoped was an innocent tone of voice. The other two shrugged and put the dress back into the box, leaving it for Sasuke to hide away in his closet or something.

---

And so, two weeks passed, Sasuke had left the box with the dress in it under his bed, taking it out in the middle of the night, and running his fingers over the silky surface, over the sequins and delicate patterns of petals.

The night the prom was to be held, he got an odd phone call.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Sasuke? It's Neji…"

"Oh. What? Did your date ditch you?" a snort of laughter from the Uchiha.

"Something like that…I guess…Uh. Right. I never had a date in the first place, would you go with me on last minute circumstances?" On the other end, Neji could hear Sasuke's mouth close and open again, his teeth clicking together.

"Uh…but I…haven't got anything to wear really…I wasn't planning on going…" The dress suddenly came floating into his mind. He frowned at the thought.

"Ohh…Uh. You don't have to come with me then."

"No. I have an idea…actually. Come by around eight then." It was Six o'clock now, plenty of time to get that dress on and whatever make-up – most likely eyeliner, as usual – he felt he needed on.

"Huh? Okay. See you then." And the conversation was ended.

The dark haired boy went up to his room, kneeling by his bed, he pulled the box out. All the times he'd looked at it before, he'd thought of his mother, and how pretty she'd looked in all her old prom photo's.

He'd taken comfort in the soft fabric, and intricate patterns of petals and stars and the moon. Pulling it out he laid it gently on his bed and took his shirt off.

What he was doing he had no clue, why hadn't he just refused Neji's invite? Something about wanting to surprise the girls, the boys and Neji had made him say No's opposite.

With the dress finally on, he looking in the mirror, his hair was a bit messy, he combed it out, the matching hair ornament soon affixed in the dark spikes. His usual "emo make-up" on, he looked to the clock, 7:56. Perfect.

Looking back in the mirror he had to blink a few times, for he thought he'd seen his mom standing behind him, smiling. He smiled as he heard the doorbell. He picked up the skirt, like he'd seen girls do many times, and went down the stairs. He then realized fully, he was not a princess, and suddenly felt awkward in the dress.

"Sasuke?" He timidly opened the door, revealing his shoulder. Neji smiled. "Sasuke you look beautiful. Almost like a real princess…" That made the boy in the dress's heart skip.

"R-really?"

"Yeah. One question…"

"What?"

"Where'd you get it, and why a dress?"

"Funny story actually. Naruto and Shikamaru wanted me to wear it…and…I guess I just figured it might be fun to wear…" he looked down, in the blue flats he had on, his toes wriggled nervously out of sight. "And…whenever I looked at it I thought of my mom…" he mumbled.

"Well. You look beautiful, now, come on…it'd be a waste to just stand here." Neji held out his hand. Sasuke took it, not so nervous and out-of-place feeling anymore. Neji was wearing a tux, his hair drawn back into a low loose ponytail like a prince.

They took hidden paths to the facility the prom was in, at Sasuke's request to stay hidden for as long as possible. They reached the building, people were still flooding in. Neji heard the boy-princess beside him take a deep breath.

"You'll live. Don't worry. You're much prettier then most of the girls look, there's Hinata, Naruto, Shikamaru and Ino…" Neji pulled the boy gently out onto the streets, catching peoples eyes instantly.

Their friends all looked over, standing beside Neji, looking prettier then a painting of an old-time French princess, was Sasuke, clad in the silk blue dress Naruto and Shikamaru had brought to him two weeks earlier.

"Sasuke? Whoa…" Ino's eyes widened. Suddenly she felt plain, in her deep violet strapless dress with a simple floral stitch pattern. Hinata glanced down at her light gold dress with short sleeves and a layered waist part.

"Sasuke-san…y-you look very n-nice…!" she blushed and blinked. Sasuke smiled.

"Thank you Hinata, you do too." The pale eyed girl smiled softly and poked her fingers together. Ino giggled.

"Drag queen Sasuke." She said, and bowed. "I feel so drab compared to you." Sasuke laughed quietly.

"Um? I'm sorry?"

"Come on, let's go, it's cold, and they have punch in there." Naruto said, taking Hinata's hand. Shikamaru took Ino's arm, Neji and Sasuke followed, Sasuke's hand resting gently on Neji's arm.

The more people saw Sasuke, the less they stared. And soon, girls were asking him where he got his dress, and if he would like to dance with them. Normal.

Towards the end of the night, the music slowed. Sasuke was sitting, talking with Ino, and Hinata about some of the things other girls were wearing – like the dress Sakura had chosen, a small, clingy black one with sparkles, typical of her, wanting to be the center of a small ring of boys. Neji, Naruto and Shikamaru came over as a song – requested by Shikamaru – came on.

The three of them held out their hands at the same time, as though they had practiced it. The three in the dresses all blushed, the dance floor was empty. "May I have this dance?" they sang as the line in the song played.

Neji swept Sasuke out into the center of the floor, waltzing with him; the Uchiha's pale cheeks still had the red coloring in them. "You look so cute…" Neji whispered. Sasuke blushed deeper, and no words came forth from his slightly open mouth.

People watched, none daring to join the three pairs dancing perfectly in sync with each other on the dance floor. It was all too perfect.

I'll remember this forever… Sasuke thought, and smiled, his eyes never leaving Neji's pale white ones. Soon, Naruto and Hinata, Shikamaru and Ino stopped dancing and it was only the Uchiha and the Hyuuga boy waltzing to the slow melody.

"May I have this dance
May I lead you across the floor
May I take your hand
And spin you around and round once more
May I hold you close
Before this evening is through
May I have this dance with you…"

Neji sang with the song as it ended. Sasuke stood on his toes and kissed the Hyuuga's cheek. The crowd exploded into cheers and loud clapping. Neji smirked at Sasuke, who smiled back.

Tonight he felt like a Princess. An odd one, with no chest, or other female parts to speak of, but he felt like a princess, he thought of his mother, in her strapless white dress, smiling with his father in their prom photo.

Tonight he wouldn't forget. Suddenly he didn't remember why he'd felt awkward before. The dress had become something normal over the course of the night. Neji pulled the boy-princess closer, brushing some stray strands of dark hair from his eyes.

"I love you." The Hyuuga whispered, and kissed Sasuke's lips gently. Gasps echoed in the crowd, followed by cheers.

It was like the end of a romantic movie, where the credits are scrolling by as a beautiful song plays showing clips of the couple in the movie as it ends.

The Happy Ending for a Night whose events had begun two weeks prior with the purchasing of the blue dress Sasuke was wearing.

And so, the hordes of people emptied the building, the movie like ending to the night still playing in their minds. Naruto and Shikamaru with their dates stood waiting as the boy-princess Sasuke and prince Neji came out.

"Hey, Naruto, Shikamaru, thanks…" Sasuke said, his cheeks were still pink.

"You're welcome kid." Shikamaru said, patting the dark spikes gently.

"Glad we managed to get you to wear that." Naruto said, grinning. Hinata and Ino laughed.

"We aren't worthy to be in his presence. He's too pretty!" They said, Sasuke giggled. Neji smirked.

"See you later." They chorused and went towards their homes, the boys taking their date's home first.

"Good night, Sasuke-kun…" Neji said, and kissed the boy-princess once more.

"Good night…and thanks, Neji." Sasuke said, the silk making 'kssshh' noises as he fiddled with it.

"You're welcome…I enjoyed it. I won't forget tonight."

"I won't either." Sasuke said, and kissed Neji's cheek before opening the door to his apartment and leaving. His heart jumping and he grinned running upstairs to throw himself to his bed and giggle about it. Much like a girl.

I'm a princess for now…