"Oh! I'm so sorry princess." The young man apologized profusely, after stepping on Mikomi's foot for the third time.
"It's alright, don't worry." She forgave him again, her pinky toe throbbing. I hope this song ends soon.
A couple of feet away she saw Tasuke dancing with a girl she didn't recognize. He still hadn't asked Chiyo? Annoyed, she let out a small sigh. She was anxious to see them together for the first time. As the Senshi of love Mikomi had the uncanny ability to see true love, and something told her that Chiyo and Tasuke had a very good chance.
Finally the clarinets finished off the song, and Mikomi gave a quick curtsy to her clumsy dance partner. She was sure her toe had been bruised and made an effort not to limp in her tight shoes as she made her way towards the left wing exit. Barely thirty minutes into the dance and she already couldn't stand her shoes!
Her satiny orange halter-dress faded out to white at the bottom and had a gold chain around the waist. The skirt only came to her knees and it billowed softly, like a dancer's skirt. She found Koushi chatting uncomfortably with Tomei Tareshino, a bulky soldier from Ganymede. When Koushi noticed Mikomi she smiled, gave a small wave and motioned for her to come over.
"Ah, Princess Mikomi. Wonderful to see you again," Tomei said, holding a hand out towards her. Politely, Mikomi put her hand in his and let him kiss the top of her hand. She had had this done so often that by now it had lost all effect on her. "You look radiant as ever."
"Good to see you again, Lieutenant Tareshino. It's been a while." Mikomi responded drearily. Someone in a light blue dress ran swiftly by them, bumping into Mikomi as she blazed through the crowd. Sora? Mikomi thought to herself. A chill went down her spine.
"Please, call me Tomei. I'm only a Lieutenant outside of personal affairs," He said slyly. Mikomi was a bit taken back. "I try not to mix business with pleasure." Koushi made no effort to hide her displeasure at his remark, letting out a small cough of surprise. Tomei didn't seem to notice and went on talking. "Now what was I talking about? Oh yes. So the political unrest in the Vega system has been affecting our trade routes-" He resumed the conversation that he and Koushi had previously been having, though Mikomi doubted if Koushi had played any part in this conversation. She noticed a pleading look from Koushi as Tomei droned on.
"Koushi!" She burst out so suddenly that Tomei jumped a little. They both gave Mikomi a surprised look as she struggled for an escape route. "Uh. . . well Princess Imbria said she wished to. . . uh. . . speak with us." Tomei seemed satisfied with the tale, only let down that he could not finish. Koushi, however, looked as if she was waiting for more meat to the story. "She. . . her. . ." Mikomi struggled.
"She's hurt?!" Tomei exclaimed, chivalry practically oozing out his ears.
"Her cat!" In her fumbling for words, she seemed as if she suddenly remembered what she was talking about mid-sentence.
The three of them paused.
"She hurt. . . her cat?" Koushi repeated slowly.
Mikomi was dumbstruck. She took a deep breath and started over. "She. can't find her cat." She smiled as seriously as possible.
Tomei stared oddly at Mikomi as Koushi suppressed a laugh. He then turned back to Koushi who quickly made a very convincing worried look.
"Oh my!" She covered her mouth with a green-gloved hand. The sarcasm in her voice flew right over Tomei's head and Mikomi shot her a "you-have-got-to- be-kidding" look past his shoulder. When Tomei suddenly turned back to look at Mikomi again, she did her best fake smile and grabbed Koushi's arm.
"Yes, the princess is distraught. . . we had better not keep her waiting!" she said in a hurried voice as she led Koushi away.
They left Tomei stranded with his punch in hand and a very confused look on his face. Once they were out of earshot of most of the crowd the girls erupted into laughter.
"She lost her cat?" Koushi laughed.
"I panicked! I couldn't think of anything to say!" Mikomi wearily defended herself. "And you didn't help!" She covered her mouth with her hand and did an over-dramatic imitation of what Koushi had done "Oh, my!"
They laughed a little more and sat down on the benches outside the ballroom. "Well thanks for getting me out of there. I don't know how much longer I could have taken his rambling." Koushi was wearing a forest green dress with thin straps and a gold hem, but in the dim light it seemed almost black. Suddenly, Mikomi remembered about Sora.
"Hey! Wasn't that Sora that went running by earlier?" She asked Koushi. For a moment Koushi searched her memory, then her eyes widened.
"That's right!" She replied. "Do you think something is wrong?"
"I think we'd know if there was. We'd be able to feel it, you know?" Mikomi assured herself. "If the princess was in any danger we'd know."
Koushi nodded slowly. "I want to check, just to make sure."
"I'm sure she's okay. . . but I'll wait here for you. I want to give my feet a rest." Mikomi responded, taking off her high heels.
Koushi smiled and walked back into the ballroom. Mikomi sighed heavily and leaned back against the bench. She watched the candelabra's flames reflect in the windows and listened to the music wafting out of the ballroom. After a few moments, she squinted a little, and sat forward in her seat.
"I remember this song," she said into the silence. She hummed a part of the refrain and smiled to herself.
"Let's see. . . it went like this," she reminisced, standing up and walking to the middle of the wide corridor. She went into first position, and her entire routine came back to her-every leap, every step, every turn as if it was her recital all over again. She danced alone, letting the memory of that night sweep her away. She had been the Prima Ballerina that evening- her friends sat in the very front row and cheered her on as she performed the finale. Every step was perfect! At the end she was showered in roses and glitter that the audience threw on stage as she curtsied gracefully and beamed with pride. All of her friends were so happy for her that night. Mom and dad would have been, too. If they would have been there.
The song was winding down now. This is where Hitoshi would hold my waist and my hand as the song ended, she remembered. She could almost feel it.
"Like this."
Mikomi blinked. Someone was holding her.
"Wasn't it?" asked Kei softly.
Mikomi turned her face away to hide her blushing. "Um. . . yes. That's right." Hugely embarrassed, she stood up straight and smoothed her dress. "I. . . wasn't aware that anyone was out here." She tried to explain.
Kei was smiling. "Don't be embarrassed. You're a gifted dancer. Even better without the stage."
Mikomi turned to look at her. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."
"Why did you come out here, anyway? The dance is inside, and I'm sure the gentlemen would be very impressed to watch something like that," Kei said to her, raising her eyebrow slightly.
Mikomi wrinkled her nose a little and looked towards the ballroom. "I wouldn't dance in front of all those men. Some of them I don't trust. That's not why I came out here, anyway." She played with the ring on her middle finger of her right hand absentmindedly.
"Why did you come out here, then?"
Mikomi laughed a little. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Kei tilted her head to one side, still smiling. "Try me."
Mikomi bowed her head, looking at her painted toes. "To rest my feet."
Kei let a single, gentle laugh escape her lips. "You rest your feet by dancing?"
Mikomi nodded and looked up at Kei, smiling happily. "I know it sounds silly. But it's calming to me. It's like a comfort zone."
Kei nodded. "I understand." Her smile faded a bit, and she led Mikomi back towards the ballroom.
Mikomi stopped smiling also. "You would understand, wouldn't you?"
Kei stopped walking, as if struck by a thought. "How is it that you and I could possibly be the best dancers in our kingdoms, but you and I have never danced together?"
Mikomi couldn't decide which surprised her more; the fact that Kei was right or the fact that she didn't seem to have any objections to what Kei had said. Turning to Kei, as if on autopilot, she shook her head a little.
"I don't know."
Kei put her right arm gently around Mikomi's waist and took Mikomi's right hand in her left. Mikomi put her available hand on Kei's shoulder and found her to be almost the perfect height.
It took only a second for them to be perfectly in sync with the music, twirling around the deserted hallway as easily and smoothly as if it were ice. Kei held Mikomi as close as she dared but wished to hold her close and not let go for a million lifetimes. As she spun her outwards, in towards her again and back out, she took note of everything- the way her skirt twirled around, the way her hair swung in front of her face when she turned, the way she held tightly to Kei's hand as she spun away from her. and as they danced Kei noticed one more thing. In all the recitals she had been to, in all the times she had seen Mikomi practicing, in every single time she could remember ever seeing Mikomi dance, her eyes were always open, but narrowed in concentration.
Yet here she was, already so trusting of Kei that she had closed her eyes and let the movements take her. And it was then that Kei vowed to watch over Mikomi, no matter what anyone would tell her.
"It's alright, don't worry." She forgave him again, her pinky toe throbbing. I hope this song ends soon.
A couple of feet away she saw Tasuke dancing with a girl she didn't recognize. He still hadn't asked Chiyo? Annoyed, she let out a small sigh. She was anxious to see them together for the first time. As the Senshi of love Mikomi had the uncanny ability to see true love, and something told her that Chiyo and Tasuke had a very good chance.
Finally the clarinets finished off the song, and Mikomi gave a quick curtsy to her clumsy dance partner. She was sure her toe had been bruised and made an effort not to limp in her tight shoes as she made her way towards the left wing exit. Barely thirty minutes into the dance and she already couldn't stand her shoes!
Her satiny orange halter-dress faded out to white at the bottom and had a gold chain around the waist. The skirt only came to her knees and it billowed softly, like a dancer's skirt. She found Koushi chatting uncomfortably with Tomei Tareshino, a bulky soldier from Ganymede. When Koushi noticed Mikomi she smiled, gave a small wave and motioned for her to come over.
"Ah, Princess Mikomi. Wonderful to see you again," Tomei said, holding a hand out towards her. Politely, Mikomi put her hand in his and let him kiss the top of her hand. She had had this done so often that by now it had lost all effect on her. "You look radiant as ever."
"Good to see you again, Lieutenant Tareshino. It's been a while." Mikomi responded drearily. Someone in a light blue dress ran swiftly by them, bumping into Mikomi as she blazed through the crowd. Sora? Mikomi thought to herself. A chill went down her spine.
"Please, call me Tomei. I'm only a Lieutenant outside of personal affairs," He said slyly. Mikomi was a bit taken back. "I try not to mix business with pleasure." Koushi made no effort to hide her displeasure at his remark, letting out a small cough of surprise. Tomei didn't seem to notice and went on talking. "Now what was I talking about? Oh yes. So the political unrest in the Vega system has been affecting our trade routes-" He resumed the conversation that he and Koushi had previously been having, though Mikomi doubted if Koushi had played any part in this conversation. She noticed a pleading look from Koushi as Tomei droned on.
"Koushi!" She burst out so suddenly that Tomei jumped a little. They both gave Mikomi a surprised look as she struggled for an escape route. "Uh. . . well Princess Imbria said she wished to. . . uh. . . speak with us." Tomei seemed satisfied with the tale, only let down that he could not finish. Koushi, however, looked as if she was waiting for more meat to the story. "She. . . her. . ." Mikomi struggled.
"She's hurt?!" Tomei exclaimed, chivalry practically oozing out his ears.
"Her cat!" In her fumbling for words, she seemed as if she suddenly remembered what she was talking about mid-sentence.
The three of them paused.
"She hurt. . . her cat?" Koushi repeated slowly.
Mikomi was dumbstruck. She took a deep breath and started over. "She. can't find her cat." She smiled as seriously as possible.
Tomei stared oddly at Mikomi as Koushi suppressed a laugh. He then turned back to Koushi who quickly made a very convincing worried look.
"Oh my!" She covered her mouth with a green-gloved hand. The sarcasm in her voice flew right over Tomei's head and Mikomi shot her a "you-have-got-to- be-kidding" look past his shoulder. When Tomei suddenly turned back to look at Mikomi again, she did her best fake smile and grabbed Koushi's arm.
"Yes, the princess is distraught. . . we had better not keep her waiting!" she said in a hurried voice as she led Koushi away.
They left Tomei stranded with his punch in hand and a very confused look on his face. Once they were out of earshot of most of the crowd the girls erupted into laughter.
"She lost her cat?" Koushi laughed.
"I panicked! I couldn't think of anything to say!" Mikomi wearily defended herself. "And you didn't help!" She covered her mouth with her hand and did an over-dramatic imitation of what Koushi had done "Oh, my!"
They laughed a little more and sat down on the benches outside the ballroom. "Well thanks for getting me out of there. I don't know how much longer I could have taken his rambling." Koushi was wearing a forest green dress with thin straps and a gold hem, but in the dim light it seemed almost black. Suddenly, Mikomi remembered about Sora.
"Hey! Wasn't that Sora that went running by earlier?" She asked Koushi. For a moment Koushi searched her memory, then her eyes widened.
"That's right!" She replied. "Do you think something is wrong?"
"I think we'd know if there was. We'd be able to feel it, you know?" Mikomi assured herself. "If the princess was in any danger we'd know."
Koushi nodded slowly. "I want to check, just to make sure."
"I'm sure she's okay. . . but I'll wait here for you. I want to give my feet a rest." Mikomi responded, taking off her high heels.
Koushi smiled and walked back into the ballroom. Mikomi sighed heavily and leaned back against the bench. She watched the candelabra's flames reflect in the windows and listened to the music wafting out of the ballroom. After a few moments, she squinted a little, and sat forward in her seat.
"I remember this song," she said into the silence. She hummed a part of the refrain and smiled to herself.
"Let's see. . . it went like this," she reminisced, standing up and walking to the middle of the wide corridor. She went into first position, and her entire routine came back to her-every leap, every step, every turn as if it was her recital all over again. She danced alone, letting the memory of that night sweep her away. She had been the Prima Ballerina that evening- her friends sat in the very front row and cheered her on as she performed the finale. Every step was perfect! At the end she was showered in roses and glitter that the audience threw on stage as she curtsied gracefully and beamed with pride. All of her friends were so happy for her that night. Mom and dad would have been, too. If they would have been there.
The song was winding down now. This is where Hitoshi would hold my waist and my hand as the song ended, she remembered. She could almost feel it.
"Like this."
Mikomi blinked. Someone was holding her.
"Wasn't it?" asked Kei softly.
Mikomi turned her face away to hide her blushing. "Um. . . yes. That's right." Hugely embarrassed, she stood up straight and smoothed her dress. "I. . . wasn't aware that anyone was out here." She tried to explain.
Kei was smiling. "Don't be embarrassed. You're a gifted dancer. Even better without the stage."
Mikomi turned to look at her. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."
"Why did you come out here, anyway? The dance is inside, and I'm sure the gentlemen would be very impressed to watch something like that," Kei said to her, raising her eyebrow slightly.
Mikomi wrinkled her nose a little and looked towards the ballroom. "I wouldn't dance in front of all those men. Some of them I don't trust. That's not why I came out here, anyway." She played with the ring on her middle finger of her right hand absentmindedly.
"Why did you come out here, then?"
Mikomi laughed a little. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Kei tilted her head to one side, still smiling. "Try me."
Mikomi bowed her head, looking at her painted toes. "To rest my feet."
Kei let a single, gentle laugh escape her lips. "You rest your feet by dancing?"
Mikomi nodded and looked up at Kei, smiling happily. "I know it sounds silly. But it's calming to me. It's like a comfort zone."
Kei nodded. "I understand." Her smile faded a bit, and she led Mikomi back towards the ballroom.
Mikomi stopped smiling also. "You would understand, wouldn't you?"
Kei stopped walking, as if struck by a thought. "How is it that you and I could possibly be the best dancers in our kingdoms, but you and I have never danced together?"
Mikomi couldn't decide which surprised her more; the fact that Kei was right or the fact that she didn't seem to have any objections to what Kei had said. Turning to Kei, as if on autopilot, she shook her head a little.
"I don't know."
Kei put her right arm gently around Mikomi's waist and took Mikomi's right hand in her left. Mikomi put her available hand on Kei's shoulder and found her to be almost the perfect height.
It took only a second for them to be perfectly in sync with the music, twirling around the deserted hallway as easily and smoothly as if it were ice. Kei held Mikomi as close as she dared but wished to hold her close and not let go for a million lifetimes. As she spun her outwards, in towards her again and back out, she took note of everything- the way her skirt twirled around, the way her hair swung in front of her face when she turned, the way she held tightly to Kei's hand as she spun away from her. and as they danced Kei noticed one more thing. In all the recitals she had been to, in all the times she had seen Mikomi practicing, in every single time she could remember ever seeing Mikomi dance, her eyes were always open, but narrowed in concentration.
Yet here she was, already so trusting of Kei that she had closed her eyes and let the movements take her. And it was then that Kei vowed to watch over Mikomi, no matter what anyone would tell her.