Sorry, I put this up without any author's notes or nothing. I had a minor
brain fart, as my mother would say. I hope you like this, it just occured
to me one day. I got a picture in my head and this is the result.
***********
Starlit Dance
By Rena Cresten
Rated G
Oh, and I still don't own Sailor Moon. Just thought I'd remind you ...
Starlight.
It wasn't just the theme for the party. No, tonight the stars were exquisite. Each tiny pinpoint of light held a world of illumination. It was like living in a dream. And the gardens outside the manor house were filled with people enjoying the ambiance of this perfect night.
"This was the greatest idea you ever had Raye." The smaller girl seemed to almost squirm. Her short hair, tinted a becoming blue, was pulled back by tiny silver pins that glimmered in companionable silence with the stars. Even the blue dress she wore seemed to glimmer with silver against the green fronds behind her. "And to think you won the chance to host this in some raffle!"
"Oh yes, this is so totally awesome. And would you look at the shoulders on that guy over there ..." The blond at her side had a cascade of big, bouncy curls that swept her waist and framed her porcelain face. The strapless gown that graced her figure was like golden sunshine. It's daylight glow filled the space around her, yet paled in comparison to the warmth in her smile. She was a vision, but they were all visions that night.
"How would you know what his shoulders looked like? You can't see it under his-" The brunette dropped her speech directly following spotting the young man herself. She brushed her bangs from her eyes with graceful fingers. Then placed those same pale fingers to the slender column of her throat. Her breath catching when the said young man gave his winning smile to some young lady to his side. The breath drawing attention to the flirty, billowing neckline of her forest green dress. She turned, dazed, back toward the blond, which allowed the slit along her leg to sway open with a tantalizing peak of shapely thigh.
"The both of you are impossible. You can barely see his face under the mask." She brushed impatiently at the stray strand of midnight hair that whispered along her law. Rolling mysteriously shadowed violet eyes towards the heavens, she uttered a prayer in obviously sarcastic tones. Purposefully turning her attention from the two fawning females at her right she focused yet again on the smaller woman to her left.
"Amy, do you have to bounce around like that? What happened to the grace of intelligence you try so hard to show?" The smaller woman sighed and gave the raven haired beauty a comforting squeeze on her hand.
"The party is wonderful. Everyone came. You are now the most popular girl in the area. Let it go at that." It was hard to see much of the reaction in Raye behind her mask. The fiery feathers reflected themselves in the sweep of her dress. From the yellow in the halter straps that faded into a vibrant red around her ankles, to the spiky heels, it was hard for anyone to actually see past it all to the person underneath. But Amy knew. She always knew what her friends felt. Intellect dictated that she be observant.
"Well, if you say so Ames." Full red lips pursed slightly with yet another perusal of the party to make sure it truly was going well.
"Oh my goodness! Is that-?" Raye and Amy both followed the direction of Mina's squeal to voice much the same reaction.
"I don't believe it ..."
"It's amazing!"
"She's gonna trip in those."
Each of the three others turned disapproving stares on Raye, visible even through their masks. They then turned at once to greet their newly arrived friend. But when they looked again, she was gone.
Little did they know, that when they had lost track of her another person had just caught sight of the pale beauty. And he was caught completely speechless, mid-sentence even. To him she was the most ravishing creature in existence. She had hair like spun moonlight, pulled into a mountain of ringlets that flowed from the crown of her head to brush at her calves. Even through the white and pearl-strewn mask he glimpsed endless blue eyes. Eyes he had the sinking feeling he knew from somewhere.
He shook his head to clear that traitorous train of thought and in that second lost track of her in the crowd. Loss swept through him in a tidal wave and he stumbled away from his own friends to search out the vision he had gleaned only that brief glimpse of. He side stepped one dancing couple, apologized profusely to a group of girls who he nearly knocked a tray of food upon, and got slapped when he tripped and knocked another girl down on top of him. When the girl got back up he stayed upon the grass where he was.
'Could the night get any worse?' He pushed the mask up onto his forehead and lowered his face onto his knees, trying to come to terms with having only the one moment of perfection in his life. Besides, he was a big boy. He could handle it. And it wasn't like he hadn't experienced loss before. Hell, he could write a book on it if he wanted.
"Are you all right?" He didn't recognize the voice, but a glimpse of the shimmering white straps of her heels, swirling around slender, exquisite ankles, up around perfectly shaped calves and his heart caught in his throat. He slammed the mask back onto his face, hoping the sudden movement would jar him out of this stupor he had been thrown into.
It didn't work.
For the moment he let his eyes raise past her feet again, the picture of utter perfection engulfed him in its splendor. Her wispy white dress looked like clouds had wrapped around her tiny figure in a way he had the sudden urge to copy. The ties of her shoes stopped just below her knees and the dress sloped from just above them on the left side down to a gentle sweep of her ankle on the right. The game of peekaboo that flimsy gown played was the source of the stutter that escaped his lips in an answer to her question.
"Oh my, are you actually hurt? I didn't think-" She had the perfect voice as well. Like an angel singing from on high.
"No, no, I'm fine. Just a little winded." It was her turn to feel flustered. When he actually spoke it was with a rumbling baritone that sent a shiver snaking up her spine. She had been comfortable asking if he was all right simply because she figured he would wave her off as most men usually did. But the way his eyes held hers from behind his mask, it was so ... familiar.
The idea shook her for a moment and she unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself. It was a warm night. But the thin dress her friends had chosen and the uncharacteristic perfection of the man before her was enough to make her shudder violently if she was not careful.
And if she should it would certainly by all this man's fault. Did any one man deserve to look that dashing in a blue blazer? Were any person's shoulders suppose to be that wide? Was it possible for a man to have legs that long, or that looked so good in a pair of slacks?
The shudder did finally overtake her and before she could let out a full gasp the man was on his feet and placing the most comfortable blazer she had even felt before around her shoulders. She wasn't sure of the fabric, and wasn't sure she really cared. The comfort came purely from the endless heat that radiated into her skin and the oddly sensual fragrance of roses that clung to the lapel.
"Um, thank you. I really wasn't-" 'Oh goodness, when he smiles ...' She wavered a second. Overcome by the sense that this was heaven. Life was suddenly too vivid, too much to handle. And when she wavered again the warmth of the jacket was drowned out by the warmth of the arms that surrounded her.
He felt a pang of ... something, inside himself when she snuggled into his blazer. Her eyes fluttered closed, the blue disappearing behind the mask for a brief second, and he had the sensation she was inhaling every sense of himself that had been left upon the material. The thought almost had him wavering upon HIS feet. Or perhaps it was the fact he finally had his arms around her.
"I really wasn't cold. But thank you anyway." She slipped out of his jacket and watched his arm slowly squeeze around it to hold it to him. Her stomach lurched, thinking maybe she could still be in his arms. But her inherent shyness could not allow her the privilege. Instead she made her way quickly back into the crowd. Even with her back turned to him the sight of him would forever be burned into her brain. She would dream about the way the midnight sweater had curved around his biceps. She would toss and turn each night, trying to remember the exact color of blue his eyes had been behind that crisp white mask. She would-
The lurch returned to her stomach, but this time it was horror that twisted it. The long forgotten sense of familiarity suddenly swallowed her whole. Those raven tresses, the stormy blue color of his eyes, and that crisp ... white ... mask ...
"No." The word was more breath than phrase and she found the shudder than ran through her body had left her far too weak to stand. And when her knees gave she figured the ground would be a welcome distraction. She hoped that perhaps a meeting with the cobblestones might keep her in tune with reality.
"It isn't possible ..." She felt almost sick. She should have remembered.
"What isn't possib- Oh! Are you all right?" The words may have stopped, but his voice in her mind didn't. It resounded around his actual words to make a muddle of her brain. She even realized that the echo in her mind really wasn't him speaking as he helped her up. At least, not the man in front of her so much as the man in her head. 'You can do it Sailor Moon.' But it wasn't really the same voice. No, this one was far more private and there was no inherent sneer. 'Don't give up now, your friends need you.' Good lord, what was she suppose to do now? 'Are you all right?' Wait, hadn't he asked that just now?
"Yes, I'm fine. Really. Just tripped on a stone, or, uh, something. I'm not that use to high heels and ..." Yes, she knew she was babbling. But this man was every hero is every book she had ever read. He was her very own hero, and tonight he was human. Very much human, and right before her eyes.
"You should be more careful." He had the odd feeling he had said that to her before. But he let it slide, focusing instead on the fact she still hadn't pulled completely out of his arms.
She was so tiny. Her little hands seemed engulfed by his. And the protectiveness that flowed through his veins brought with it that old familiarity that was truly beginning to bother him. But the ethereal creature before him afforded for nothing but his undivided attention. He had found her this night, and he was going to make damn sure not to lose her ever again.
That thought caught in his mind and he happened a glance at the girl before him with the sole purpose of realizing why she had done this to him when no other girl had. And it hit him then. From the hair, though in a different style, to the endless blue eyes. From the tiny figure, to the unconsciously graceful way she moved. This tiny girl before him was the princess he had searched his whole life for. It had to be. She had everything his princess did, maybe more. More simply because she was real. Because she was here.
"Dance with me." She knew it wasn't a question. And she also knew that the gruff sound in his voice should have scared her. But somehow it did exactly the opposite. She clung to the idea that he wanted to dance with her. And tried to erase the past memories of him disappearing as if he didn't care with the picture of him here, holding her, and asking her to dance.
"Oh yes ..." Her voice wobbled a little as her eyes locked firmly onto his. And he, for his own composure, tried not to focus too much on the feelings in her eyes. Should he allow himself, he might imagine trust in those eyes. Or joy. And, dare he hope, love? But he wouldn't hope. Not yet. Not until he knew it was her, his princess. The other half of his soul.
The song slowed and the two found themselves drawn into the crowd. The beautiful couple that they made drew a few people's stares. But when it was clear neither of them cared, the stares stopped. And soon the song, the starlight, and the beating of two hearts was all that existed in their perfect, hazy world.
She felt like she was drowning in his story blue eyes. Held afloat simply by the anchoring beat of his heart beneath her palm. The warm breath rushing over her cheeks reminded her of summer, sweet and smooth. And for a moment she allowed her eyes to slide closed and just enjoy the enormity of the connection she had found.
He felt his heart slipping silently from his own chest and placing itself firmly under her protection. His fear of loss, of love, evaporated in her presence. Leaving behind a man so full of life he felt like bursting. He wanted to scream to the stars, tell the world of this love. But he squashed that urge and gave into another instead. Leaning down he watched her eyes slowly slide shut, her lips parting just so with the delight she was feeling. He could almost feel it himself, being this close to her.
He watched her face a moment more before grazing his lips gently against hers. Her gasp sucked his breath away and his own eyes fluttered closed to relish this sensation while it lasted. Her surprise was heady and when he finally opened his eyes again the deepened color of blue reflected just what reaction she caused in him better than any words.
She was enthralled, to say the least, with this mystery man before her. He was her knight in shining armor straight from the pages of a fairy tale. And if she had to be content with this one night, for he would surely turn away from her yet again at the next battle, then so be it.
"Please kiss me again ..." She was nearly desperate to keep him close to her. To make as many memories as she could while she had this chance. And she stored away the swift smile he gave her before lowering his head once more to kiss her lips. To her it was like heaven. Her Tuxedo Mask was here, dancing with her, kissing her. For this one night, all of her dreams could come true.
His head swam with her taste, her smell, the feel of her in his arms. This was his princess, his true love. Finally he had found a way to make her smile, to vanquish the tears from his memory for good.
Her lips were so soft beneath his. Her body fit so snugly against him as they danced. His heaven was this night, in this place. He would never let her go. And even as he lifted his lips from hers he did not feel the loss of her. He planned to keep her for the rest of his life, to steal as many kisses from her as she let him. Tonight would just be the beginning.
"What is your name, Princess?" He sounded so sincere, and a tad desperate but she understood that. Perhaps he had recognized her as well and was just playing along. She dare not hope he actually meant this sweetness between them. And even if he did, she knew it would not last beyond this night. It couldn't. Perhaps she was a little desperate herself.
"Isn't that suppose to be a secret until midnight?" She was playing with him and she knew it. But she wasn't ready just yet to give up this night. To give him up. And he seemed to understand, if only because he didn't ask again.
One starlit dance lead to another and another until most of the night had been swept away from them. When the announcement came that is was ten minutes to midnight both were fairly shocked. But the anticipation swallowed the shock and sat within the pits of the stomachs to gnaw at them.
But for them, midnight would never come. When the announcement came that it was five minutes till a huge yellow monster attacked, knocking over the man speaking and sending him flying into the punch bowl. Vicious catlike eyes scanned the crowd. Focusing momentarily on the couple standing in the center of the dance floor. Chaos reigned about them but the two stood perfectly still. The tall man gripping the blond beauty behind him protectively. For a brief moment the evil within the monster felt a pang of recognition, and that tiny pang sent the creature screaming and clawing towards the two. Helpless people went flying, unable to scramble away fast enough for the huge claws that ravaged everything in their path. Stormy blue eyes clashed against the green ones glaring down upon him. For a brief second he wished he had a sword or something, anything to protect his Princess with. But before the monster could actually strike the Sailor Scouts were there. Fire, lightening, and ice were flung at the creature and it's painful cries vibrated the ground beneath their feet.
He felt a moment of profound loss, unlike anything had every felt before, when the young woman behind him pulled back. For a brief moment he believed she had been hurt and the ache within him was debilitating. But when he turned around he found the Sailor Scout of Venus escorting her away like some precious treasure. He understood that, he also somehow understood that these Scouts should be protecting her. That it was just as right for them to, as for himself.
"Till we meet again my Prince." Her voice carried to him and he watched, rapt, the movement of her body as she fled with Sailor Venus. Forgetting his surrounding for a heartbeat.
Had the monster not been so huge he might have followed his Princess. The Sailor Scouts though, needed him more at this moment. His heart would have to wait. And though Sailor Moon had appeared and he felt his devotion to her bubbling inside him, he could not force himself to forget his Princess and his help was only half hearted.
The monster was defeated, the Scouts all dispersed, and he found himself alone in the middle of the dance floor. Alone in the middle of the mess left behind.
No Princess. Not even a name.
No music.
And an intense feeling of dread that he might have lost his one and only chance.
***********
Starlit Dance
By Rena Cresten
Rated G
Oh, and I still don't own Sailor Moon. Just thought I'd remind you ...
Starlight.
It wasn't just the theme for the party. No, tonight the stars were exquisite. Each tiny pinpoint of light held a world of illumination. It was like living in a dream. And the gardens outside the manor house were filled with people enjoying the ambiance of this perfect night.
"This was the greatest idea you ever had Raye." The smaller girl seemed to almost squirm. Her short hair, tinted a becoming blue, was pulled back by tiny silver pins that glimmered in companionable silence with the stars. Even the blue dress she wore seemed to glimmer with silver against the green fronds behind her. "And to think you won the chance to host this in some raffle!"
"Oh yes, this is so totally awesome. And would you look at the shoulders on that guy over there ..." The blond at her side had a cascade of big, bouncy curls that swept her waist and framed her porcelain face. The strapless gown that graced her figure was like golden sunshine. It's daylight glow filled the space around her, yet paled in comparison to the warmth in her smile. She was a vision, but they were all visions that night.
"How would you know what his shoulders looked like? You can't see it under his-" The brunette dropped her speech directly following spotting the young man herself. She brushed her bangs from her eyes with graceful fingers. Then placed those same pale fingers to the slender column of her throat. Her breath catching when the said young man gave his winning smile to some young lady to his side. The breath drawing attention to the flirty, billowing neckline of her forest green dress. She turned, dazed, back toward the blond, which allowed the slit along her leg to sway open with a tantalizing peak of shapely thigh.
"The both of you are impossible. You can barely see his face under the mask." She brushed impatiently at the stray strand of midnight hair that whispered along her law. Rolling mysteriously shadowed violet eyes towards the heavens, she uttered a prayer in obviously sarcastic tones. Purposefully turning her attention from the two fawning females at her right she focused yet again on the smaller woman to her left.
"Amy, do you have to bounce around like that? What happened to the grace of intelligence you try so hard to show?" The smaller woman sighed and gave the raven haired beauty a comforting squeeze on her hand.
"The party is wonderful. Everyone came. You are now the most popular girl in the area. Let it go at that." It was hard to see much of the reaction in Raye behind her mask. The fiery feathers reflected themselves in the sweep of her dress. From the yellow in the halter straps that faded into a vibrant red around her ankles, to the spiky heels, it was hard for anyone to actually see past it all to the person underneath. But Amy knew. She always knew what her friends felt. Intellect dictated that she be observant.
"Well, if you say so Ames." Full red lips pursed slightly with yet another perusal of the party to make sure it truly was going well.
"Oh my goodness! Is that-?" Raye and Amy both followed the direction of Mina's squeal to voice much the same reaction.
"I don't believe it ..."
"It's amazing!"
"She's gonna trip in those."
Each of the three others turned disapproving stares on Raye, visible even through their masks. They then turned at once to greet their newly arrived friend. But when they looked again, she was gone.
Little did they know, that when they had lost track of her another person had just caught sight of the pale beauty. And he was caught completely speechless, mid-sentence even. To him she was the most ravishing creature in existence. She had hair like spun moonlight, pulled into a mountain of ringlets that flowed from the crown of her head to brush at her calves. Even through the white and pearl-strewn mask he glimpsed endless blue eyes. Eyes he had the sinking feeling he knew from somewhere.
He shook his head to clear that traitorous train of thought and in that second lost track of her in the crowd. Loss swept through him in a tidal wave and he stumbled away from his own friends to search out the vision he had gleaned only that brief glimpse of. He side stepped one dancing couple, apologized profusely to a group of girls who he nearly knocked a tray of food upon, and got slapped when he tripped and knocked another girl down on top of him. When the girl got back up he stayed upon the grass where he was.
'Could the night get any worse?' He pushed the mask up onto his forehead and lowered his face onto his knees, trying to come to terms with having only the one moment of perfection in his life. Besides, he was a big boy. He could handle it. And it wasn't like he hadn't experienced loss before. Hell, he could write a book on it if he wanted.
"Are you all right?" He didn't recognize the voice, but a glimpse of the shimmering white straps of her heels, swirling around slender, exquisite ankles, up around perfectly shaped calves and his heart caught in his throat. He slammed the mask back onto his face, hoping the sudden movement would jar him out of this stupor he had been thrown into.
It didn't work.
For the moment he let his eyes raise past her feet again, the picture of utter perfection engulfed him in its splendor. Her wispy white dress looked like clouds had wrapped around her tiny figure in a way he had the sudden urge to copy. The ties of her shoes stopped just below her knees and the dress sloped from just above them on the left side down to a gentle sweep of her ankle on the right. The game of peekaboo that flimsy gown played was the source of the stutter that escaped his lips in an answer to her question.
"Oh my, are you actually hurt? I didn't think-" She had the perfect voice as well. Like an angel singing from on high.
"No, no, I'm fine. Just a little winded." It was her turn to feel flustered. When he actually spoke it was with a rumbling baritone that sent a shiver snaking up her spine. She had been comfortable asking if he was all right simply because she figured he would wave her off as most men usually did. But the way his eyes held hers from behind his mask, it was so ... familiar.
The idea shook her for a moment and she unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself. It was a warm night. But the thin dress her friends had chosen and the uncharacteristic perfection of the man before her was enough to make her shudder violently if she was not careful.
And if she should it would certainly by all this man's fault. Did any one man deserve to look that dashing in a blue blazer? Were any person's shoulders suppose to be that wide? Was it possible for a man to have legs that long, or that looked so good in a pair of slacks?
The shudder did finally overtake her and before she could let out a full gasp the man was on his feet and placing the most comfortable blazer she had even felt before around her shoulders. She wasn't sure of the fabric, and wasn't sure she really cared. The comfort came purely from the endless heat that radiated into her skin and the oddly sensual fragrance of roses that clung to the lapel.
"Um, thank you. I really wasn't-" 'Oh goodness, when he smiles ...' She wavered a second. Overcome by the sense that this was heaven. Life was suddenly too vivid, too much to handle. And when she wavered again the warmth of the jacket was drowned out by the warmth of the arms that surrounded her.
He felt a pang of ... something, inside himself when she snuggled into his blazer. Her eyes fluttered closed, the blue disappearing behind the mask for a brief second, and he had the sensation she was inhaling every sense of himself that had been left upon the material. The thought almost had him wavering upon HIS feet. Or perhaps it was the fact he finally had his arms around her.
"I really wasn't cold. But thank you anyway." She slipped out of his jacket and watched his arm slowly squeeze around it to hold it to him. Her stomach lurched, thinking maybe she could still be in his arms. But her inherent shyness could not allow her the privilege. Instead she made her way quickly back into the crowd. Even with her back turned to him the sight of him would forever be burned into her brain. She would dream about the way the midnight sweater had curved around his biceps. She would toss and turn each night, trying to remember the exact color of blue his eyes had been behind that crisp white mask. She would-
The lurch returned to her stomach, but this time it was horror that twisted it. The long forgotten sense of familiarity suddenly swallowed her whole. Those raven tresses, the stormy blue color of his eyes, and that crisp ... white ... mask ...
"No." The word was more breath than phrase and she found the shudder than ran through her body had left her far too weak to stand. And when her knees gave she figured the ground would be a welcome distraction. She hoped that perhaps a meeting with the cobblestones might keep her in tune with reality.
"It isn't possible ..." She felt almost sick. She should have remembered.
"What isn't possib- Oh! Are you all right?" The words may have stopped, but his voice in her mind didn't. It resounded around his actual words to make a muddle of her brain. She even realized that the echo in her mind really wasn't him speaking as he helped her up. At least, not the man in front of her so much as the man in her head. 'You can do it Sailor Moon.' But it wasn't really the same voice. No, this one was far more private and there was no inherent sneer. 'Don't give up now, your friends need you.' Good lord, what was she suppose to do now? 'Are you all right?' Wait, hadn't he asked that just now?
"Yes, I'm fine. Really. Just tripped on a stone, or, uh, something. I'm not that use to high heels and ..." Yes, she knew she was babbling. But this man was every hero is every book she had ever read. He was her very own hero, and tonight he was human. Very much human, and right before her eyes.
"You should be more careful." He had the odd feeling he had said that to her before. But he let it slide, focusing instead on the fact she still hadn't pulled completely out of his arms.
She was so tiny. Her little hands seemed engulfed by his. And the protectiveness that flowed through his veins brought with it that old familiarity that was truly beginning to bother him. But the ethereal creature before him afforded for nothing but his undivided attention. He had found her this night, and he was going to make damn sure not to lose her ever again.
That thought caught in his mind and he happened a glance at the girl before him with the sole purpose of realizing why she had done this to him when no other girl had. And it hit him then. From the hair, though in a different style, to the endless blue eyes. From the tiny figure, to the unconsciously graceful way she moved. This tiny girl before him was the princess he had searched his whole life for. It had to be. She had everything his princess did, maybe more. More simply because she was real. Because she was here.
"Dance with me." She knew it wasn't a question. And she also knew that the gruff sound in his voice should have scared her. But somehow it did exactly the opposite. She clung to the idea that he wanted to dance with her. And tried to erase the past memories of him disappearing as if he didn't care with the picture of him here, holding her, and asking her to dance.
"Oh yes ..." Her voice wobbled a little as her eyes locked firmly onto his. And he, for his own composure, tried not to focus too much on the feelings in her eyes. Should he allow himself, he might imagine trust in those eyes. Or joy. And, dare he hope, love? But he wouldn't hope. Not yet. Not until he knew it was her, his princess. The other half of his soul.
The song slowed and the two found themselves drawn into the crowd. The beautiful couple that they made drew a few people's stares. But when it was clear neither of them cared, the stares stopped. And soon the song, the starlight, and the beating of two hearts was all that existed in their perfect, hazy world.
She felt like she was drowning in his story blue eyes. Held afloat simply by the anchoring beat of his heart beneath her palm. The warm breath rushing over her cheeks reminded her of summer, sweet and smooth. And for a moment she allowed her eyes to slide closed and just enjoy the enormity of the connection she had found.
He felt his heart slipping silently from his own chest and placing itself firmly under her protection. His fear of loss, of love, evaporated in her presence. Leaving behind a man so full of life he felt like bursting. He wanted to scream to the stars, tell the world of this love. But he squashed that urge and gave into another instead. Leaning down he watched her eyes slowly slide shut, her lips parting just so with the delight she was feeling. He could almost feel it himself, being this close to her.
He watched her face a moment more before grazing his lips gently against hers. Her gasp sucked his breath away and his own eyes fluttered closed to relish this sensation while it lasted. Her surprise was heady and when he finally opened his eyes again the deepened color of blue reflected just what reaction she caused in him better than any words.
She was enthralled, to say the least, with this mystery man before her. He was her knight in shining armor straight from the pages of a fairy tale. And if she had to be content with this one night, for he would surely turn away from her yet again at the next battle, then so be it.
"Please kiss me again ..." She was nearly desperate to keep him close to her. To make as many memories as she could while she had this chance. And she stored away the swift smile he gave her before lowering his head once more to kiss her lips. To her it was like heaven. Her Tuxedo Mask was here, dancing with her, kissing her. For this one night, all of her dreams could come true.
His head swam with her taste, her smell, the feel of her in his arms. This was his princess, his true love. Finally he had found a way to make her smile, to vanquish the tears from his memory for good.
Her lips were so soft beneath his. Her body fit so snugly against him as they danced. His heaven was this night, in this place. He would never let her go. And even as he lifted his lips from hers he did not feel the loss of her. He planned to keep her for the rest of his life, to steal as many kisses from her as she let him. Tonight would just be the beginning.
"What is your name, Princess?" He sounded so sincere, and a tad desperate but she understood that. Perhaps he had recognized her as well and was just playing along. She dare not hope he actually meant this sweetness between them. And even if he did, she knew it would not last beyond this night. It couldn't. Perhaps she was a little desperate herself.
"Isn't that suppose to be a secret until midnight?" She was playing with him and she knew it. But she wasn't ready just yet to give up this night. To give him up. And he seemed to understand, if only because he didn't ask again.
One starlit dance lead to another and another until most of the night had been swept away from them. When the announcement came that is was ten minutes to midnight both were fairly shocked. But the anticipation swallowed the shock and sat within the pits of the stomachs to gnaw at them.
But for them, midnight would never come. When the announcement came that it was five minutes till a huge yellow monster attacked, knocking over the man speaking and sending him flying into the punch bowl. Vicious catlike eyes scanned the crowd. Focusing momentarily on the couple standing in the center of the dance floor. Chaos reigned about them but the two stood perfectly still. The tall man gripping the blond beauty behind him protectively. For a brief moment the evil within the monster felt a pang of recognition, and that tiny pang sent the creature screaming and clawing towards the two. Helpless people went flying, unable to scramble away fast enough for the huge claws that ravaged everything in their path. Stormy blue eyes clashed against the green ones glaring down upon him. For a brief second he wished he had a sword or something, anything to protect his Princess with. But before the monster could actually strike the Sailor Scouts were there. Fire, lightening, and ice were flung at the creature and it's painful cries vibrated the ground beneath their feet.
He felt a moment of profound loss, unlike anything had every felt before, when the young woman behind him pulled back. For a brief moment he believed she had been hurt and the ache within him was debilitating. But when he turned around he found the Sailor Scout of Venus escorting her away like some precious treasure. He understood that, he also somehow understood that these Scouts should be protecting her. That it was just as right for them to, as for himself.
"Till we meet again my Prince." Her voice carried to him and he watched, rapt, the movement of her body as she fled with Sailor Venus. Forgetting his surrounding for a heartbeat.
Had the monster not been so huge he might have followed his Princess. The Sailor Scouts though, needed him more at this moment. His heart would have to wait. And though Sailor Moon had appeared and he felt his devotion to her bubbling inside him, he could not force himself to forget his Princess and his help was only half hearted.
The monster was defeated, the Scouts all dispersed, and he found himself alone in the middle of the dance floor. Alone in the middle of the mess left behind.
No Princess. Not even a name.
No music.
And an intense feeling of dread that he might have lost his one and only chance.
