Orange Candies and Kisses Rated: PG By: Ari-chan

Notes and disclaimers: ::smiles proudly:: I really like the way this one came out. This is my first taking place in a different time. Silver millennium perhaps? You get to gage. Read and review please. Haruka and Michiru belong to Naoko-sama. And the orange candies were actually put in there because I was eating the giant tic tac ones. ^^;

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-The Moon-

Neptune entered the ball and all eyes turned her way. She stood at the door looking out at the vast crowd of people. Her mother urged her in with a nudge and a glare that would frozen hell if there were one on the moon. The princess entered the ball room and curtsied and smiled and did all that was required of her. That is until her eyes fell on a handsome prince. Neptune made quick eye contact before moving on to the next group of people.

"Care to dance my lady?" The voice was deep and husky, a voice that would have made any women swoon. Neptune turned around and found herself looking up at the handsome man she had been eyeing. The man now got down on one knee and took her hand in his own. "Prince Uranus, my lady." He kissed her hand.

"I'd love to dance," she said as he rose to his feet. He swept her into his arms and the two danced as if they were inhuman. The room swirled, and the background look liked a blur to Neptune. The prince on the other hand was lost in the young woman's azure eyes. When the dance was over the prince led Neptune to the side of the room ignoring the glares from the other men.

"You are the most graceful dancer. It is as if we were made to dance together,"

The princess blushed. "Perhaps. Tell me," she said looking up at the tall blond. "When did there come to be a prince of Uranus?" The man laughed lightly as if amused.

"That question my dear," he said taking her hand. "Is to be answered somewhere other than here."

The two walked slowly out onto a balcony. The moonlight illuminated the marble and the wind stirred the roses that hung down. The prince leaned back against the cold railing and drew Neptune to his side. He looked down at her.

"Before I say anything more, what is your name my lady, if you do not mind telling."

Neptune smiled. "Michiru, Crowned princess of Neptune."

"Michiru," the prince said as if testing the name. "Haruka. Now for the answer to your question. There is no real prince. Perhaps you remember a long time ago when everyone was still young and all the princesses were gathered at the Moon? You do, do you perhaps remember the princess of Uranus?"

"Yes, I do," said Michiru not yet catching on to what the prince was saying.

"That was me,"

"What?" Michiru was aghast. She stepped away from Haruka. "You mean you are not male, you're masquerading as a male? Whatever is the reason?"

"This is," Haruka cupped Michiru's cheek in her hand and drew her face close to her own. She gently brushed the princesses lips with her own, testing to see what Michiru would do. When the shorter girl didn't resist Haruka kissed her lightly. When Michiru did not break Haruka kissed her harder, tasting the girl. Finally when she could tell the girl needed air she broke the kiss. Haruka looked down at Michiru, smiling to herself as she saw a pink hue crawl onto the girls cheeks. The blond bent down again and said huskily into the now flustered girl's ear "You can't say you didn't like that."

Michiru drew back, surprised at herself for enjoying it as much as she had. "No, I cannot deny it. But if any one should ever find out." Michiru's eyes met Haruka's as fear crept into them. Making the blue look like a tremulous sea.

"No one will find out, it is between you and me my lady." Haruka gave the princess a reassuring hug then with a wink over her shoulder walked away. Michiru stood for a moment, her lips still burning from the kiss. She sat down on a near by bench.

Had she done what she had thought? Had she enjoyed a kiss with another woman, another princess? Haruka had better be right, she thought, if any one finds out we will both be killed.



-3 Years Later-

"Yes, Neptune you are going. There is nothing you can do about it," The Queen of Neptune paced Michiru's chamber every now and then casting a glance at the princess. Frankly she was getting annoyed at the princess. For the past couple of months they had been searching for a suitor for the girl. Each time Michiru had some how managed to scare the man away. "This ball is for you to meet someone that you like. And please try to." The Queen then left, hoping that she could diminish the anger she felt.

Michiru lay back on the bed and wished to the gods above to at least send her one person that she would like. Someone that would understand her, and wouldn't be like all the other men; interested in only her money and beauty. Want she wanted was someone that would love her for who she was. But that will never happen, she thought.

-Night-

She entered the ball room, her ivory skirt swishing around her legs like the ocean tides. She surveyed the room and had a flash of a time before. Not too long ago she had been in the same situation. She sighed not being able to completely recall the event.

Men came up to her smiling and bowing. Some presenting gifts. She acted like the prefect princess, graciously accepted the gifts and dancing when asked. Yet she felt empty. She had made no connections with any of them men. To her they were all the same although they each had their own way of charming her. When the dance was over she wandered to the side of the room.

When someone suddenly taped her on the shoulder she spun around trying to mask her bored look. A tall blond man stood before her. His eyes a clear teal. He held out his hand and said in a deep, husky voice

"A candy in exchange for a dance my lady?" He placed a small round candy wrapped in silver foil in her gloved hand. The voice sounded so familiar to Michiru yet just as she was not able to place the other memory she could not place this one. She gave a quick nod before they walked out to the dance floor.

The two glided across the floor as the room spun around. The man was far more graceful than any other man she had danced with that night. All his attention was centered on her, as he looked deeply in her eyes. As the dance progressed he pulled her body closer to his and whispered in her ear.

"You have the most beautiful eyes. They are like the sea on a calm day. I fear that I had lost myself in them," he laughed lightly before continuing. "It was like I was drowning. I think that if I look any longer I will certainly drown in their depths."

Michiru blushed at the flattery enjoying the poetic way he had described her eyes. No other man had said anything as deep as that. This man was different. After a blissful few minutes the dance was over and the two walked back to the side of the room together.

"Are you not going to eat your candy?" The man looked at Michiru with a glint in his eye.

"I am," Michiru took the candy out of her glove where she had placed it. She unwrapped it and placed it in her mouth. As it began to dissolve a sweet orange taste filled the girls mouth.

"Would you like to get some air my lady?" The man took her hand and led her to the balcony. The moon light shone done on the marble and fountain made a relaxing noise. Mist rose up from the near by pond. The man walked to the railing and looked out at the stars.

"Do you," he began not moving his eyes from the sky. "Remember me?" he then turned to Michiru.

She tried to remember him, but she could not. "No, I am sorry but I do not."

The man sighed, a look of despair forming in his eyes. "It was a night like this, a ball too. On the moon a few years back. We danced, and then I took you outside just as I have done now. You were wearing a gold dress and you thought me a prince. I asked your name then told you that I was not who you thought I was."

Michiru's eyes grew wide as the memory came pouring back. "Haruka," she whispered.

"Yes," the 'man' nodded. Haruka walked over to Michiru and wrapped her arms around her. "You do remember. And you remember this?" She kissed the girl just as she had done that night three years ago. Michiru tasted like the orange candy. Haruka drew back, keeping her hands on the smaller girl's shoulders.

"You taste good," the blond smiled. "Just like the candy I gave you."

Michiru smiled back, her lips tingling. "You aren't just going to walk away like you did last time are you?"

Haruka laughed lightly. "No not this time. This time I'm not going to be frightened of what might happen between the two of us. This time I'm going to allow myself to drown." She moved to kiss Michiru again but the girl backed away. A confused looks came over Haruka's face. Michiru smiled slyly.

"A kiss in exchange for a candy,"

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