Author: StarlightMichi
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After Serenity's speech, the mood around the palace lightened back to normal. Even the senshi relaxed; Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus especially. All four were rather proud of their successful defense. They chatted happily at lunch, returning to the "giggly girls" Uranus despised so much.
As for the wind-senshi, she preferred some time away from the crowd. She stood above the garden on the balcony of her room, her hands on the railing in front of her as she slumped a bit. She still wasn't completely satisfied with Serenity's plan, but had to admit that she was feeling much more at ease. A soft click alerted her to Neptune's entrance. The tall senshi turned to watch the aqua-haired princess join her on the balcony. Both turned to survey the garden.
"You're still tense," Neptune said, not bothering to look at Uranus. Uranus had to smile a bit. Neptune knew her pretty well by this point, and she wasn't surprised that the sea-senshi knew Uranus hadn't changed her mind. She glanced sideways, catching a profile view of Neptune. It struck Uranus, suddenly, just how pretty the other woman was. She'd been too busy to notice, she supposed. But she noticed now, and it made her stomach knot. Against her will, visions of the night she'd held Neptune flashed back into her head. She remembered the feel of her in her arms, the smell of her hair…even though Neptune had been paniced at the time, Uranus still remembered feeling attracted t her.
Neptune felt eyes on her, and turned to see Uranus staring at her. "What?" she asked softly, lifting a hand to her nose. Uranus shook her head, stood, and walked back into the room, casually tossing back an "it's nothing" which made Neptune frown in curiosity.
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Glitter and sparkles. The best way to describe the grand hall for the banquet that night was glitter and sparkles, Mars decided. She entered with Venus on her arm, both dressed in their finest gowns and looking every bit the princess that they were. Venus wore small, gold droplets in her hair, making her sparkle with the room. Mars had shivered at the sight of her, and was very glad that she was escorting the soldier of love and beauty. She knew there were many envious men—and woman—eyeing her with a vengeance.
"Ooh! Let's go see the food, please?" Mars grinned and nodded, letting Venus lead the way through the crowd. It wasn't unusual for Venus to head straight for edibles, and the banquet usually had wonderful displays, often using food as their artwork. She let the golden-girl lead her along, 'oohing' and 'ahhing' over everything.====
Jupiter rolled her eyes at Mercury. "Really, Mercury, you look fine." It was their normal struggle. Jupiter insisting that Mercury looked fine while Mercury insisted she looked like she was playing dress-up. "You're a princess. Sometimes you're going to look like one." Jupiter knew that the problem did not lie in the clothes—not really. Mercury did not like to attract attention, and she tended to get noticed when she dressed like her rank.
Mercury eventually came out, blushing furiously. She always looked pretty like that. Jupiter was quick to catch her arm, stopping the other girl from retreating back into the room. "There, now. This isn't so bad. Come, or we'll be late and then everyone will notice you," she teased.
Mercury took the threat seriously, though, and her steps hastened. Grinning, Jupiter lengthened her stride to keep up, making it look effortless. "Wait," she said as they reached the door. No one else was around, and Jupiter pulled Mercury to the side. "Let me fix this," she said, reaching up to settle the circlet of silver and sapphire that she wore. With a small smile, Jupiter leaned down and gave Mercury a soft kiss. "You look fine. Now take a deep breath, straight your posture, and walk in there like the Princess you are!"
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The Grand Hall of the Palace was alive with people, music, and glittering decorations. Princess Serenity loved these times. They filled her with laughter and love, and she watched the happy people around her with a heart that soared. Her mood only grew when she spotted Endymion through the crowd.
A flush rose to her cheeks, and she felt her heart flutter as he walked towards her, resplendent in his silver and black ensemble. The satin finish suited him perfect, and she couldn't find words when he bent and kissed her hand gently. She felt as giddy as a child with her first crush—which she almost was."You look beautiful," he said softly, whispering the words against her ear and sending tingles down her back. She let him lead her out to the dancing floor, fitting into his arms perfectly as the music played. She didn't care who saw; all that mattered was that she dance with her prince.
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Though at first reluctant, Uranus finally made it to the banquet—in a dress. She'd been sent back by Pluto, who had demanded she appear "appropriate". Thus, she was a few hours late, having been behind to begin with.
She slipped into the room unnoticed, and scooted as quickly as she could for the refreshments. A few cups of punch later, and Uranus was feeling much more lively. She cast her eyes around the room, spotting a few familiar faces among a sea of unfamiliars. She spotted Venus and Mars easily, and grinned as they slipped off somewhere. She certainly wouldn't mention anything.
A glittering girl in silver and pearls caught her attention. It was the hair that gave her away—long, silver, and flowing like sink. Princess Serenity. And it looked like she had a dance partner already. That was all right—Uranus didn't think she wanted to dance just yet.
A glitter of teal caught her eye, and she squinted into the mass of dancers to spot Neptune. Though she had seen her as she left, Uranus still felt her throat catch at the sight of her. She had been pretty before, but tonight—dressed in her finery—she was gorgeous. Irrational annoyance sprang to her head as she watched her dance and giggle with one of the palace residence.
It would take another cup of punch before Uranus stormed over and tapped—not so politely—on the shoulder of the man dancing with her. "Mind if I cut in?" she asked, not looking very open to refusal. The young made gulped a bit and scooted out of the way of the princess, fearful for his life. Neptune grinned a bit, though Uranus missed it.
"You look rather... flushed," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Tried the punch, I assume?" Uranus bobbed her head a bit, then shook it. "Is that why my head feels fuzzy? It's spiked, isn't it?" Uranus groaned and Neptune's giggles. She didn't have time to analyze how being a bit tipsy might affect her. She was trying to dance.
"Ouch! You stepped on my foot again," Neptune said, giggling. She, who hadn't had any punch, was also feeling a bit light-headed. She didn't want to think about the implications. Tonight was a night to just have fun, and let emotions take them where they would. This was not a night for thought.
Uranus sheepishly apologized, looking down at Neptune's food with a frown. She couldn't dance that well when she was sober, let alone when she was fuzzy. Finally, it was Neptune that pulled them off the dance floor and towards the balcony. She needed fresh air, and by the look of Uranus, the wind-senshi did too.
They stood on the balcony, giggling and gulping in fresh night air. They were alone, and it was a nice change from the glitter, lights, and laughter of the crowded banquet hall. As the punch started to slowly wear off—for now it had been a few hours—Uranus was starting to realize all that had happened with a rational mind. Neptune smiled at her, a bit of a flush to her cheeks. She turned and looked out over the entrance to the palace and shivered gently.
The night was breezy and cool, and she hadn't brought a shawl. She didn't mind the chill too much, though, and would gladly sacrifice personal comfort for alone time with Uranus. Briefly, her mind went back to the night of her nightmare. The feel of being held so tightly, of feeling the taller woman breath and hearing her heart-beat. It made her blush a bit, and she was glad for the shadows of night.
Soft arms wrapped around her from behind, and she felt a body press against her back. It took her a half second to realize that Uranus was there, holding her against the chill. "Uranus…" she started, wanting to explain. She stopped, though, not wanting to change the moment. Her heart was racing, beating hard in her chest. Behind her, she felt Uranus' chest raise and fall with her breaths. She leaned back, just a bit, wanting to be held tightly again.
Uranus seemed to understand, and pulled Neptune against her. She silently thanked the Moon for having such chilly nights and making warmth a plausible excuse for her embrace. Both women knew that it was more than just the chill of night air that kept them together, though.
How long they stood there, neither knew. Their close proximity, coupled with the magic of glitter and laughter, made both of them giddy. When the door to the balcony was opened softly, Uranus was reluctant to let go. But let go she did, not knowing how Neptune would feel to others seeing them.
Neptune's heart sank as she felt Uranus' grip loosen, then vanish all together. She turned, fully prepared to hate whoever had opened the door, when she spotted Pluto and Serenity. They looked deep in conversation.
"Let's go…"Uranus suggested. Neptune nodded, and followed her back into the Hall.
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It was only an hour later that the banquet started winding down. Uranus and Neptune, neither quite sure how to act around the other, had been rather quite since. Neptune hadn't objected to Uranus' presence, and Uranus hadn't felt the need to leave. The pair walked down the hall with the other senshi, listening to the chatter and giggle of the other girls. As they parted for their rooms, the pair was eventually left alone.
Slipping into their room, awkwardness overcame them both. Neptune went about her normal tasks, walking to her wardrobe to look for a nightgown. Uranus simply stood by the door, unsure of what to do. What she wanted to do was simple, but whether she should or not was another question.
Finally, she walked over and wrapped her arms around Neptune once more, pulling the other woman against her. When she didn't protest, Uranus nuzzled her hair gently, breathing in the scent of it. It made her tingle inside, and sent shivers down her spin. Wiggling a bit, Neptune turned to face her, looking up into her face and forcing Uranus to open her eyes.
They didn't say anything; simply looked at each other. Finally, Uranus bent gently and kissed her lips. It was a soft, gentle kiss—romantic in nature. It was all that needed to be said.
The End of Chapter Seven====
A.N.: So! Fluffy chapter eh! I told you it would be Can't have angst all the time, an I was dieing to finally do some lovey-dovey stuff between Uranus and Neptune.