Disclaimer: I do not own FY; it belongs to the wonderful Yuu Watase-sama. So, no stealing, no suing, no flaming, comprende? Cool. (Suboshi no miko) gave me this idea! Anyway, on with the story!

Last time:

There they split up, Tasuki running to fetch a physician while Nuriko and Kouji headed the opposite direction. Dread tugged at their hearts as they drew further down the stairs; this would not be easy to break to the royal family.

They had failed.

And Houjun... Houjun was going to die.

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A mere two days had passed since the sovereigns were told of their son's birthday tragedy. The heartbroken emperor and empress paced in and out of their son's room, waiting in those last painful hours for his soul to depart. The three faeries came by as often as they could, guilt flooding into them each time they beheld his sleeping form. They attempted to use their magic to undo the curse, trying to bring him back to the world of the living, but they never received a response.

And whenever the faeries came, they always found Kouran at Houjun's side. All the time during the last two days, she hadn't left him, not once. Not even to eat. She hadn't the stomach to eat, anyway. How could she eat, at a time like this? The only person she had ever loved was dying.

And the reason she had devoted herself to him for so long was because Chichiri, miraculously, still lived, though just barely. The wound hadn't killed him instantly like Tenkou had planned, but his health swiftly declined and he was imprisoned in a comatose state. And everyone knew that soon, without any food or water, he would die of means other than wounds. The deep gash across his left eye had long been bandaged and most of the bleeding halted, but the sight of even the smallest splotches of blood seeping through the white gauze caused Kouran to cringe. She had seen the actual wound in full. And she herself had tried to staunch the precious blood flow with her own hand.

She knelt beside him, clasping his hand in hers as if willing him to wake up. 'He is becoming colder and colder each day, even though they pile blankets over him.' She moved her eyes back to the bandaged left side of his face, then shifted her gaze slowly to his peacefully lidded right eye.

"Houjun...can you hear me?" She paused, almost expecting him to reply back. But of course there was no answer. Maybe there never would be an answer. "Chichiri? Please...you have to wake up. If you don't, you will..." If he died, his kind and caring soul would forever be lost to that demon. She bit her lip, unwilling to finish her thought out loud.

The face almost parallel to her own remained tranquil, unmoving. She grasped his hand tighter, watching his chest rise and fall weakly under the sheets in a steady rhythm. She placed a gentle kiss on the back of his hand, shuddering as if her lips had touched a block of ice. 'And it's not just his hands. The rest of him is freezing up as well.' Despair overtook her again, moistening her eyes.

On impulse she leaned closer, hovering inches away from his slumbering face, cheeks flushing crimson before she closed her eyes and brushed her lips over his.

Like the rest of his body, his lips lacked the warm feeling usually associated with a kiss. 'A cold kiss...' The first kiss the two had, or would ever share. Her lover was dying, and there was nothing to prevent it. The prophecy would soon come to fruition, and Houjun would die, and his soul would spiral down into the dark depths of hell where the dark lord waited, and then...! The princess of Sairou shuddered at the thought of Houjun's fate at the hands of that demon, and she grasped his chilled palm even tighter.

Kouran sighed, trying to hold back a sob as she felt his hand tighten around her own...

Wait. Tighten around her own?!

Desperate hope flooded through her; she must be dreaming, she absolutely had to be dreaming! He couldn't have... but then his face twisted into a light frown, and he moaned softly as he tried to shake off the sleep that held him down. The princess held her breath, watching his good eye expectantly. Her patience soon paid off as she saw it slowly open. He blinked a few times, trying to shift from dreams and back into reality.

"Ch-Chichiri...?"

He tried to speak but found it difficult. He managed only to utter her name, but even that was barely audible, in the faintest whisper. "...Ko'ran...?"

Kouran threw herself down on his thin body, hugging the young man for all she was worth. He winced, still a bit sore from his dangerous encounter with Tenkou, but didn't have the heart to ask her to loosen her hold. Timidly his arms folded around her form, her warmth flooding into him as his good eye surveyed the unfamiliar room, wondering where in the world they could be.

But his mind didn't have far to wonder; Houjun uttered a surprised squeak as his beloved sealed her mouth over his for a soul-searing kiss. His single mahogany orb widened but soon became lidded, giving into the feeling of the kiss. She begged for entrance into his mouth and he obligated her without any resistance as Kouran returned the moisture he greatly lacked, twining her tongue with his. A soft moan escaped his throat, and he dove in even deeper, wishing to drown forever in their passion.

After a moment they paused for breath, and Kouran hugged him close, hot tears of joy trickling down her pale cheeks. "I thought I was going to lose you..." she whispered, one of the droplets splashing onto the skin of his partially exposed shoulder.

He lifted his head from the pillow and inhaled the scent of her hair. 'Jasmine...and cherry blossoms...' He smiled, letting the silky locks brush against his cheek as she shifted, resting her head in the crook of his neck.

"Oh gods I love you, Chichiri."

--

A few weeks later, after his recovery, Houjun-sama found himself in a ballroom crowded with people he had never seen before, all dressed in masquerade. Many of them swirled around him, giving out compliments or commenting on his good looks, but all he could do was smile and nod. The smiling mask he wore assisted in that. He was talking to complete strangers, although they claimed to be his relatives and friends. The three faeries had been the only family he'd ever known for most of his life.

Luckily, he had managed to escape the hordes of people, finding refuge in a corner. But that wasn't the only thing that made him stand against the wall out of sight while others danced or chatted on the dancing floor.

The mask he wore covered a long, jagged scar that stretched over the once flawless skin of his left eye, forever sealing it shut. The wound no longer caused a threat and had long since healed, but the vicious mark left by it was something he was not yet ready to expose.

He closed his right eye, going back to that terrifying day, the day he allowed his best friend to die.

--

"H-Hikou...!" All his struggling in an attempt to reach his friend did him no good. Scarlet flames burst up from the floor beneath his the other man's form, encasing him in its inescapable embrace; his painful screams still ringing through the stone tavern even after he vanished into oblivion.

The dark lord turned, raising a pale hand in his direction, wicked yellow eyes focused on him. And then...

--

He shuddered, recalling the feeling of the assault that had blinded his left eye, goose bumps forming over his skin at the memory of that horrible pain. Opening his good eye he frowned, guilt flooding his conscience. Too often he thought about his own bitter experience, when he should have been thinking of his friend.

"Hikou..." Instead of trying to break the spell holding him back, he'd just hung there like a helpless idiot and watched as his companion was killed. How pathetic. He knew magic, yet he didn't so much as lift a finger to prevent his friend's death. He recalled Hikou's last words as he stared up at the ceiling in his private corner. 'He wasn't even sure if we were still friends...' His chest tightened with emotion, one hand clenching weakly at his side while the other still held the smiling mask. 'Of course he was still my friend... He was, and...and you always will be. Hikou...'

A delicate hand touched his arm, causing him to glance down. A gentle face smiled up at him.

Kouran.

The princess of Sairou was dressed in her imperial best, like everyone else at the party. And, like everyone else, one soft white hand delicately held an ivory half-mask studded a few small glittering gems around the outer rims of the eyeholes. She rested her head on his shoulder briefly before looking back up at him. "Are you okay?" she asked softly, comforting him with her touch, frowning slightly when he turned his face away, the scarred side anyway.

"Hai, daijoubu..." He sighed, wishing he could have remained alone a little while longer. "Why aren't you out there enjoying yourself, Kouran?"

"I wanted to make sure you were alright..." her voice was practically overflowing with concern. Houjun turned to her, trying his best to offer a real smile.

"I am... really. You don't have to worry about me..."

But she didn't believe it. Not for a moment. The look of sadness in his single mahogany orb gave it away. He had been this way since... since that day... Kouran mentally shook her head. She had to think of some way to divert his attention away from that horrible incident. Anything that would get her love to smile, a true smile...

Brilliant light flooded into her eyes as she hugged his arm to her chest, looking up at him and tilting her head aside just a bit. "Come dance with me!" she begged, giving him a puppy-face that made his heart melt.

"B-but I can't dance Kouran! I wasn't raised in the palace like you were; I don't know how!"

"Oh come on...what does that matter? I can help you to learn. Please? Just for a little bit. Pretty please?" She tugged at his arm, pulling him further and further away from his wall.

"Kouran, I already told you: I can't dance! I'll look like a fool out there with all the people around watching us...!" He tried to pull out of her grasp, but both her hands tightened resolutely on his arm. Houjun, realizing that he wasn't going to win this battle, slipped the mask back on his face as the young princess pulled him into the light.

"Not even a slow dance?" she asked, shifting her sparkling hazel eyes in his direction.

His cheeks heated up beneath the mask. "Daaa...I'm sure I would probably mess that up too no da."

The princess' face formed into a small pout. "Well fine, if you'd rather not be around me for awhile..."

The prince froze; he actually did want her company, more than anything in the world! "I-I never said that Kouran-"

"Then dance with me," she stated it so simply, delicately folding her hands in front of her. Looking around, Chichiri realized he was on the dance floor now. Crafty little thing; she'd pulled him out from his little hiding place and now they were in the center of the ballroom. All eyes were on him now. And he felt really uncomfortable with all the people in the room staring at their newfound prince.

"Chichiri?" Kouran whispered. She slipped her mask back on and slid her hand into his, the swift movement startling him. He stood there numbly as she took his other hand and guided it down to her waist before placing her own hand on his arm. The music began playing. Around them others began to dance, easily following the melody and stepping accordingly.

Glancing aside serenely, Kouran's eyes shifted back to her partner, not in the least worried about the looks she was getting from the others. "Ready?" she whispered, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze.

After swallowing, the prince nodded. 'I'm going to make a fool of myself no da... Well, here it goes.' He tried to mimic the way the others around them were dancing, but they had moved only a foot before Chichiri felt an odd tingling sensation inside of him. Looking around, he couldn't understand what it was or what might have caused it, but at the same time he continued moving.

Kouran giggled, making him look down with a start.

"I didn't mess up did I no da?" he whispered anxiously, looking around to see if anyone was whispering about it.

Still smiling, the girl shook her head. "You rotten liar..." She laid her head against his shoulder as the two moved. "You can so dance. And don't try to get out of it because you're doing it right now."

"Wha...?" His single eye widened at the sudden realization, and all he could do was stare blankly ahead as the music continued to move them. He was dancing! "B-but...how can I be...?"

She giggled lightly again, placing a finger over his mouth. "Don't try to figure out how, Chichiri. Just stay here with me. Please?"

The tension fled from his body. Her voice had a calming affect on him, making his hand move around her waist with more reassurance. "Yes, I'll stay, don't worry." He smiled and lead them around on the dance floor as the musicians continued to play.

Off to the side, Nuriko grinned to himself, satisfied with what he had done. Lifting his wand, he blew on it, causing a few specks of magic to sparkle from the tip, noticeably quite pleased. Kouji leaned nearby against a pillar. Next to him, Tasuki stood, only partially watching the dancers. He didn't particularly care for dancing since you had to partner with women, and he clearly detested women.

"Nice goin', Nuriko." Kouji grinned, turning from observing the couple as they danced among many other nobles.

The violet-haired fairy nodded. "Well, as much as I'd like to, I can't take all the credit. Kouran came up with the idea and asked me to 'help him along,' as she put it."

Kouji smirked. "Clever little vixen, ain't she?"

Nuriko nodded. "Yes, that's what I thought too..." He gasped.

"What's the matter?"

"I-it's blue!!" Nuriko hissed through his teeth, mentally bashing himself for only noticing it at that moment. Knowing who had changed the color of their adopted son's kesa, he scowled, raising his wand and pointing it at the article of clothing the prince wore over the top of his new clothes. "Pink!"

Out on the dance floor, Chichiri's bubble-pattern cloak turned a girly shade of pink, but the two lovebirds didn't notice right away. But someone else did, and he was clearly disgusted with it. Sliding out his tessan, Tasuki whispered the color he wanted, bringing it back to what it was before. Nuriko saw this, and took aim again, changing it back to pink. And then Tasuki changed it back to blue. And it kept changing. Blue, pink, blue, pink, blue, pink, blue...

Her head now resting against his chest as the song wound down, Kouran let out a small laughing sound, fingering the material as she attracted her partner's attention. It took him a moment to notice what was happening and immediately started looking around for the culprits, trying not to make a scene while doing so. Finding them, he half-removed his mask, narrowing his remaining eye at them piercingly, just as the robe changed back to blue. Both caught the silent message and stopped.

The music drew out its final note and finally trailed off into nothingess. Kouran lifted her head to look into his face as the two completed one final circle. Timidly she tilted her head back, leaning towards him on tiptoes. Chichiri met her halfway, feeling the mask being gently pulled from his face by her hand; both closed their eyes as their lips met.

The rhapsody had come to a close, and so had the story.

THE END

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A/N: Well, well, ya knew all along that I couldn't kill 'Chiri, right? Hee! Review and tell me what y'all think of this here fanfic! I'm dying to know what you think!

SPECIAL THANKS: First of all, I wanted to thank me beta, Dee-chan (pen name: It's the Dee) for helping me with my writing skills. They would have been greatly lacking if not for her excellent critiquing skills. So, Dee-chan, Arigatou gozaimasu! ::huggles:: I enjoyed your stories before I even had an account on ffnet, and I'm psyched up about 'Rhapsody of Fallen Stars'; please update soon!

Ali-chan (Suboshi no Miko), thank you so much for giving me this idea! If not for you, this fanfic would not exist right now...and that would be a very sad thing because it was so fun to write and plan out! ::huggles:: Thanks a lot gal pal. Ai'shiteru zutto watashi no tomodaichi!

And thank you all for reading this fanfic; an authoress always appreciates reviews! ::smiles:: Especially the long ones, heheheh... Look for my other fic-in-progress 'Gathering Again' to be updated; I was kinda taking a break from it during the making of 'Awakening Love.' Don't worry, I'll find the time to update asap! I've got it covered! Well minna, until a later fic, ja ne!

Amaya-san