Chapter 2~ The Hazards of Dancing
The crystal meeting room was silent as Kousagi took in her surroundings. Memorizing every expression, every fault she could locate on her companions faces. She wanted to remember this day, this moment when her family betrayed and lied to her.
The white-pink haired princess cursed herself; she should have seen it coming! She was the second daughter, useless. Marriage to form some sort of alliance with a planet that only crossed paths with the solar system that held Kousagi's entire world once every 500 years should have been expected, after all that is the job of the second daughter: to form alliances via marriage, and Kousagi was a fool for thinking she could continue her peaceful life on the Moon, avoiding the fate that fell upon every second daughter that had preceded her.
The Twit broke the silence as she started to get bored and demanded something or someone to play with. For once Kousagi was glad for her niece's presence and was quick to volunteer to bring the little princess out to the garden. Grabbing the Twit's hand, Kousagi quickly flew from the dreaded room, leaving her family and friends with stunned looks on their faces.
"Where are we going Onee-san?" the Twit squealed, she was very enthusiastic with this game of running as fast as possible.
"To gardens Tw– I mean, Princess Luna," Kousagi informed.
Kousagi ran faster and faster trying to break free of the bonds that held her in the palace and take flight down the staircase. In her hurry to spread her wings, Kousagi became a bullet, never looking only feeling the way to go in her heart. She left the Twit in the dust, since the little princesses stubby legs couldn't carry her as far as her aunts.
SMACK! Kousagi collided with an unsuspecting human, she landed on top of a tall man with long black hair that was pulled into a ponytail of sorts, he wore a black suit and had a crumpled red rose in his lapel.
"Oh, god," He groaned, rubbing his head where it had hit the floor, "What was that?"
"Onee-san!" the Twit had caught up, when she saw the mess the little girl giggled and sat on top of her aunt, "We're a pyramid now!"
The man opened his blue eyes and was started to see a young woman's face inches from his, "Well if it isn't a little bunny caught in a trap!"
"I'm not a rabbit," Kousagi said coolly, "I'm a girl."
"And a very pretty one at that," the man commented, his eyes studied her face for a moment before he looked away.
"I'm Luna!" the Twit stuck her plump face in front of the mysterious man.
"And I'm Kou Seiya, of Kinmoku," he said, "And I would be on my way if you weren't using me as a bench."
Blushing, Kousagi got up and helped Seiya to his feet, "I'm very sorry for colliding with you, now if you'd let me and my niece be on our way…"
"Of course, but one thing," the man flashed his teeth in a smile, "Please show me to the NeoQueen's council room, I am to have a meeting with her majesty."
"It's that way," Kousagi said without emotion as she pointed to the room at the end of the hall where she had just been fleeing.
"Thank you Bunny!" Seiya called as he ran in its direction.
"My names not bunny!" Kousagi yelled after him, "It's Princess Harmony!"
"Who was that Onee-san?" the Twit's red eyes were wide with curiosity.
"An idiot Princess Luna," Kousagi replied, "Now let's get to that garden." Grabbing her niece's gloved hand; the princesses stepped out into the sunlight.
• • •
That night was a living hell for Kousagi. Dancing had always been hard for the princess, since she was so short and all her partners were normally at least a foot taller than her. While the fireworks decorated the night sky, the inhabitants of Crystal Tokyo were dancing around an enormous space that had been roped off until now. Kousagi stuck her tongue out at Seiya, who chuckled when she tripped around the grassy floor, held captive in King Demand's arms. The young princess of Crystal Tokyo couldn't help but feel a tad bad for the man who held her so possessively in his arms, even if he was kind of creepy.
'Don't be an idiot Kousagi!' the white-pink haired princesses thought bitterly, 'He only wants you because you're young and can produce any number of heirs before age collapses upon you!' Yet as she looked into his grey-purple eyes, Kousagi could only see flickers of pain swimming in a sea of sadness.
"Something troubling you Princess?" King Demand murmured, spinning the pair around.
Kousagi studied the diamonds glittering on the king's cape. "Oh it was nothing, just thinking about the Moon…" she lied softly, while realizing that she was rather troubled about leaving the moon.
"It must be very lovely, I've only ever seen it from a distance," he admitted.
"Oh it is, especially in spring when the flowers release glittery pollen and it pollutes the air so much that when you come inside you look like a sparkling bug!" Kousagi started to crack up while King Demand looked at her not quite getting the joke.
"It sounds… lovely," the white-haired king replied, "We have very few flowers on my planet, nothing beautiful either for that matter, you'll stick out." Kousagi blushed while trying to figure out if that compliment was sweet, or creepy.
"May I cut in?" a voice startled Kousagi, when she turned around she saw it was just Seiya.
"Of course, I need a break anyway," King Demand let his bride-to-be out of his grip and walked off the dance floor to a table filled with food where his brother and Lady Esmeraude were standing.
The music changed and the dancers claimed partners for a lively Esmeralda. Seiya grinned as he cupped Kousagi's hand in his and placed his other hand on her hip "Is just me, Bunny, or is King Demand eyeing you like a piece of food?"
Kousagi looked in the direction the king had wandered off and caught him looking at her intently, following her as she traveled around the dance floor, "I suppose he's just lonely, Nemisis seems like a terrible place to grow up. Why am I even discussing this with you?" She ended irritably.
"Because I'm a stable boat in the waves that have been crashing against you for your entire life," the blue-eyed man answered matter-o-factly, "And you can't resists me, can you?" His eyes twinkled teasingly.
"Oh yes, how silly of me to forget to tell you that I'm absolutely, and utterly in love with you seeing how we met about four hours ago, for five minutes," Kousagi said sarcastically as the pair spun across the dance floor, "Most of which was spent rubbing the bruises I obtained upon our collision."
"Well you've only just met King Drab and you're already marrying him," Seiya pointed out, "And I think I deserve an apology, it was my head that broke the impact of our fall."
"That's an entirely different matter!" Kousagi hissed, "You should consider yourself lucky that Calaveras doesn't make me run so much! Your head could have been hit a lot harder!"
"But then where would we be Bunny? Certainly not having this lovely conversation," Seiya chided, "You'd be weeping over my lifeless body about how you wished you got to know me before you killed me."
"Don't flatter yourself Seiya," the white-pink haired princess huffed.
"I'm just saying," the black haired man said innocently, " But I can tell that you wouldn't be able to leave my side until you were sure I was all right…" Seiya said that last few words in tauntingly.
"Well we'll see about that," Kousagi said icily, she stopped abruptly stopped dancing, throwing Seiya away from her. That motion, added with the momentum he was still carrying from spinning around, Seiya crashed into a punch table, getting the sweet smelling liquid all over his clothing and hair. Kousagi stomped off towards her favorite place in the maze of gardens.
Angry tears poured down the white-pink haired princesses face as she crashed through clumps of flowers. Finally she came upon the final bed, filled with translucent flowers that whispered songs in the wind. Kousagi sat herself down on a little chair that had been placed there so many years ago, and was now forgotten by most everyone.
"I seem to always find you crying," Makoto sat down next to the chair Kousagi was sitting in, the tall princess sat Selene in the white-pink haired princesses arms, "So what's it this time? I promise I'll send them running in fear…"
Kousagi giggled, "It's nothing Mako-chan, just an overreaction."
"I hope you apologize to Seiya-sama, Kousagi," Selene said, "NeoQueen Mother and NeoQueen Lady aren't happy with you at all."
"Lady Petz and her sisters are cleaning him up," Princess Makoto informed, "Princess Luna's helping too; she has become very attached to Seiya-sama."
"Huh, I always imagined the Twit falling for someone less… Seiya-ish," Kousagi commented, stroking her cats bubblegum pink fur and pulling a dumpling out of a pocket hidden in her dress, "I've never seen Mama angry before, it'll be interesting to see."
"Who's the–" Makoto looked curiously at her friend, "Oh, I always thought you were fond of Princess Luna, and yes, your mother is pissed. Our mothers and their friends were friends with Seiya and his companions when they were our age, so I suppose she is remembering that friendship or something."
Kousagi gagged on the dumpling, "Seiya knew our parents? Ew… How old do you think he is anyway?" The white-pink haired princess chewed on her food thoughtfully, her parents were hundreds of years old, born in the 20th century, then Seiya must be at least that old, too. Kousagi didn't like the idea that her newest acquaintance knew her parents when they were younger; it made the teenager shiver.
"As old as them I guess," The princess of Jupiter replied, "I'm not sure what time is like wherever Kinmoku is, maybe Ami-chan or Queen Mercury knows…"
Makoto got up and brushed some dirt off her emerald dress, "Let's get back, you might as well apologize now, plus I've still got some dance in me. I wish Hir –" The brown haired teenager blushed and looked down, "Never mind, let's hurry Kousagi-chan!"
Kousagi raised her eyebrows, "Who's 'Hir' Mako-chan?"
Makoto blushed deeper until her head looked like a tomato, "Hiroto-kun, he's someone I met on Jupiter… works in a bakery in the lower levels of the colony."
"The best way to a woman's heart is through her stomach," Kousagi said wisely.
"I don't think that's quite right Kousagi…" Selene sighed while Makoto laughed.
• • •
The two princesses and the cat walked back to the party, and found Sieya, who was sitting on a cushion with an icepack on his head and his wrist bandaged. The Twit was sitting next to him with a thermometer and some band-aids in case of emergency. Kousagi noticed her mother looking in their direction as she gracefully glided across the dance floor with her husband.
"I knew you would come back Bunny," Sieya chuckled while wincing slightly, his ribs were probably a bit bruised as well.
Kousagi narrowed her eyes, "I'm here to apologize and be your nurse for the night. Chibiusa assigned me to the task" the white-pink haired girl added when the black haired man raised his eyebrows questionably, "So I apologize."
Makoto rolled her eyes, "You can do better than that Kousagi-chan; you sprained his wrist for God's sake."
Kousagi glared at the princess of Jupiter before extending her hand to shake his in apology, "That better?" she asked, half-heartedly shaking her hand.
Makoto nodded, "You two have some chit-chatting to do, and I hear Prince Saphir isn't too bad on the dance floor, maybe we'll become sister-in-laws Kousagi-chan…" The brown-haired girl got up and made her way towards the awkward prince, "See yah later lovebirds!"
"We're so not lovebirds Mako-chan!" Kousagi yelled after her friend, "I'm getting married in a year or so and I still haven't forgiven you for not telling me about it when you had the chance!"
"It's nice of you to remember that fact," came a soft voice from behind Kousagi.
The princess squeaked and grabbed Seiya in surprise, before turning around and seeing the tall frame of King Demand, "Oh you startled me King Demand," the teenager said relinquishing her grip on Seiya.
"You should tell your friend that my brother isn't very social, and dislikes the company of others that aren't native of Nemesis," the white haired king nodded towards Makoto who had taken Saphir by the arm and was trying to get him to dance with her.
"Oh, what a shame," Kousagi sighed sarcastically, "I think she really had her hopes set on becoming his wife…" Seiya snickered, but covered it up by coughing when King Demand looked his way.
"Well he is to be engaged soon…" the before mentioned king said, "I shouldn't be telling anyone since it isn't official yet, but my brother has been eyeing Princess Ami for quite some time now, her parents have noticed as well and… well, the girl is seventeen…" King Demand looked at his wife-to-be awkwardly.
Seiya whistled, "Well Bun – I mean, Princess Harmony, isn't that swell! You've got a sister-in-law already! And you aren't even married yet!"
"Don't make me wish I'd thrown you into a knife or something harder than a table," Princess Harmony threatened then turned to King Demand, "Your brother liked Princess Ami? What the hell does he see in her!" Kousagi disliked the idea of her children being linked to any child of the blue haired idiot by blood, "Why not Mako-chan? She's pretty, tall, she can cook – Wait a second; you've been to Crystal Tokyo before? Princess Ami basically lives here after all, Mercury is apparently below her education standards or something dumb like that."
"Calm down, calm down," Kind Demand grabbed Kousagi's wrist, which were connected the hands that she'd been waving around dramatically, "I don't see why Saphir can't be happy with Princess Ami, she seems lovely to me. A little on the stuck up side though," the white haired king quickly said trying to avoid the white-pink haired teens glaring blue eyes.
Kousagi shook with anger before going limp and resting her head on King Demand's chest, "Ugh, I need something to eat."
a/n: WooHoo! Another chapter! Yippee...
And incase you were wondering, the Twit (aka Princess Luna) call's Kousagi "Onee-san", the Japanese honorific for "older sister" or "young woman"