Note to Disclaimers: I do not and never will own Crescent moon. If you think I do, well…then you need some help! Hahaha! Anyway, please don't sue me. I have nothing to give anyone who does. I'm a college student here, and I NEED money.

A/N: Okie, first Crescent Moon fic here. I just…really fell in love with this little Manga. Anyway, yeah, not all of them are out, so there is some inserted stuff here, Okie? Well, enjoy the fic. Also, I needed a break from TOZ and my other fics. So this is helping me get over my writer's block and plot issues. This will be rather short, as I just want fluff, fluff, and more fluff! Enjoy!

Word Coding:

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

Everything Else

Smiling for Always (Chapter One)

"Mahiru, you're break is up! We really need you down here!"

"Hai, I'm coming!" I shout back through the now open door that leads into the inside of the Moonshine Bar. I can see Akira, Nozomu and Misoka entertaining the crown with the beautiful art of the Lunar Race, using their bodies to create such splendid music. As I descend the staircase, I can see Mitsuru on the far left, wiping glass clean of water residue, like always. I nod to him in acknowledgement before taking the free waitress tray from the counter. I lean over the bar as I begin placing the empty glass on the corkwood of the tray, carefully counting each one. Mitsuru glares at me from the corner of my eye, but I do not heed it as I take the full tray and begin depositing the dirtied glasses in the sink for washing. Oboro is serving the drinks to my right while Katsuru takes down orders to fill, her long, silky hair swaying as she nods to each customer. She's still in her woman form at this point. I finally return to the bar and pick up the nearest broom as I make my way to clean the restrooms, which get a fair amount of use because of the alcohol intake.

I sigh as I place the supplies next to one stall, sliding the rubber gloves for cleaning onto my hands in preparation of cleansing. I grab the nearest scrubber and begin to wipe away the grime atop the counters that hold the sinks, one on each side. For the most part our customers are clean, and doing hard scrubbing and disinfecting in the bathrooms is not necessary. I am thankful for this as I move onto the toilets, spraying and scraping away the muck on the seats and lid. My least favorite part is sweeping and mopping, which I always do last—it makes sense this way. As I start the next task of mopping, having finished sweeping, I find myself drifting off into my thoughts again, thoughts of my friends. My mind takes in the sight of Mitsuru tonight, causing my cheeks to flame as I conjure the image in my head. Of all nights, tonight Mitsuru looked his best, his most attractive, which is saying something since I already know how I feel about him. I smile as the image emblazons itself in my mind's view, making my heart beat rapidly within the confinements of my skin, which has become slightly warmer. I pull at my apron for relief.

And I know he is out there, dressed in his normal outfit used to work behind the bar. He's there in his black slacks, his white shirt that fits snugly under the black vest donned over it, only further accented by the light green bowtie he wears, which matches his hair. His hair, which looked like it had no particular care of effort put into fix it, appeared surprisingly well kept from where I had been standing. But I know better. And his eyes—I dared not look into them while I was out there—where I could drown forever, if he let me. Yet even when he doesn't let me, I still find myself falling into an oblivion that his eyes alone can cause. My reverie is broken when a sharp noise interrupts my thoughts. I look up from my task—I have accomplished very little—and come face to face with his gorgeous spheres. My breath catches in my throat for a mere second before I give him a nervous smile. He only scowls in response; this is usual for him.

"Mitsuru…is there something you need?" I ask him with a polite, steady voice though I feel completely otherwise.

His scowl deepens. "Will you hurry up woman? You're taking so long and we're getting backed up." I shoot him a puzzled look. "It doesn't usually take this long for you to clean the bathroom, does it? Hurry up!" I smile at him and nod in reply as I go back to work, afraid that my actions will betray me. When he makes no sudden move to leave, I throw him a questioning look. He blanches. "Don't look at me like that! What is your problem? Just hurry up! Akira needs to go back to singing!" And just as he appeared he is gone, leaving the bathroom door flapping behind him.

I stare at the swinging contraption for a moment before another small smile graces my face. My mind pauses as I begin to collect the cleaning supplies, idly dropping them into the bucket where they are stored. As I drag myself out of the bathroom, carefully bringing the chemicals with me, I steal another small glance as Mitsuru who is currently conversing with Akira, motioning for him to return to the stage. I briefly see Nozomu and Misoka still entertaining the guests as though they never needed Akira's help; but my mind eventually wanders back to Mitsuru's handsome self. He has gone back to drying the various glasses, momentarily looking up so that our eyes lock. 'Will I turn away this time, or will you turn away from me, like all the other times?' I continue to hold our stare, daring him to keep it since he usually looks away first. As if answering me, he keeps the gaze, even as he is drying the glasses and even as I resume my steady pace towards the closet on the side of the bar. I feel myself blushing in spite of myself, and I know he can see. His eyes are burning into mine as he sets down one glass and picks up another. I cringe when the sound of breaking glass tears his gaze away from mine. I do not consider this a forfeit since we were both distracted. I lean down to pick up my fallen broom, and he to retrieve a dustpan to scoop up the broken glass.

From behind me I hear a distinct laugh—Nozomu. "Wow, that's the third one this week, Mitsuru. Hm…your hands a bit slippery lately, aren't they?"

This statement sets the Tengu's face aflame as he throws the remaining shards into the trash bin. He gives Nozomu a hateful look as he removes his apron, roughly, and then proceeds to throw it at the Vampire's face as he takes off into the back of the bar. I know I shouldn't go after him, as he has done this many times before; but as before, I can't control myself. I rush after him, tossing the broom carelessly to the floor beside Misoka, who had just walked up. I know where he is headed too, and I pant the whole way as I run after him, hoping to catch him before he darts off with the currents of the wind. I make it, barely in time to see his with his hands on the railing. I throw myself on him before he has a chance to jump off.

"MITSURU, WAIT!" I shout over the building wind around us.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" He roars, trying to throw me off. I hold fast.

"No! Mitsuru, please! It's not worth flipping out over! Nozomu is always like this, you know that!" I try to reason with him as the wind howls around us, dangerously, daring me to keep my hold, which I do. I feel him tense up even more as his transformation starts, and tears spring to my eyes as I tighten my hold. "If you go, I'm going with you!"

"No! Get off of me!" He attempts to pry my death grip from around his waist, but I refuse to be thrown off so easily.

Normally I would let him go, taking the advice of the others. But today, I can't seem to let go; I never want to. I shake my head and bite back my tears as I wrap my entire body around him in rebellion. "I'm NOT letting go! If you want to leave, then you HAVE to take me with you! I'm not letting go Mitsuru, I'm not!"

He gives one last cry of irritation and frustration as he sweeps up into the air, his arms surrounding me protectively. I close my eyes as the wind batters me, though I never feel so bad about it when I'm in his arms. 'I feel like a princess…just like the princess…' My thoughts are cut off as my gaze falls to the grounds below me, the sights and people walking around on the busy street. I see the lights, bright and brilliant from above, sparkling with a clarity that can't be seen when in the actual bustle. I return my eyes to Mitsuru, who is looking ahead of us. I feel myself blushing again as his grip tightens around me, relishing in the embrace even though it was not a willing one. I could care less at this point. My hands curl around the soft fabric of his clothes, digging into the material, and consequently, his back. I hear a soft grunt emit from his pursed lips but act as if nothing has happened. His skin is tense underneath his clothing—I can tell—and I continue to rub comforting circles up and down his spine, as if to calm him.

The fact that he allows me to do this is surprising for me right now, and I chance my fingertips drifting further down until they have reached the small of his back. But before I can start new ministrations, we have landed on the ground; he is releasing me and pushing me away. He reverts back to his human form immediately, and takes off into the gardens of an all too familiar place. I trail after him at a slightly slower pace, but following whether he cares or not. He stops about ten feet away from the cliff—a safe distance—and stares out at the scenery below, brooding. I don't have to see him to know this. I come to stand next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, which causes him to turn to me. His eyes are hard and he is glaring at me, but he does not push my hand away, nor does he jerk away when I embrace him from behind. He simply tenses for a moment and then, relaxes.

"Mitsuru?" I whisper his name like a holy prayer.

"What?" His reply is quiet but heavy with emotion as he crosses his arms over his chest where they rest over mine.

"You know Nozomu was just playing around. Are you really that…angry?" I question tentatively.

He is silent for a few minutes. "I know," he answers. "But he really bothers me. I don't even know why I'm telling you this. You're so annoying."

I smile at the supposedly meant-to-hurt-me words coming from his lips. "I know, but if I wasn't, I would never get anything out of you." I don't have to see him to know he is scowling at my response, but I don't care. I bury my head into his back as he lets out a sigh. "We can stay as long as you want Mitsuru. I'll leave you alone." As I start to walk off like I've done a few times before, I feel his hands refuse to release me. I glance up at him in utter curiosity. "Is something the matter? I usually leave you alone…isn't that what you want?"

"I…" I peer into his eyes as he struggles to speak. Then, he shakes his head, his cheeks turning a little pink. "Never mind…it's nothing." I nod and he huffs. "Go pick your flowers, you stupid, annoying girl. Don't run off and get yourself killed though. I don't want to have to save you."

I let out a small giggle as I skip my way away from him. "All right!" As I kneel down into the nearest bed of flowers, I realize something. No matter what happens in our interactions, Mitsuru manages to make me smile. Sometimes he can be so cruel, and it hurts me inside; but nevertheless, I still smile. I think that one day I might not want to smile, for some weird reason. I've never stopped smiling, despite my parents' deaths and all the wrong things that happen in my life because of my bad luck. But for now, I know one thing, something that is a truth for me. I want to smile for Mitsuru, always. Because maybe, just maybe, one day…he'll smile with me.

TBC…

(Aight peeps…that be chapter one. Yes, it was short, and no, this story will not be UBER long…I just don't have time to write a really long crescent moon fic right now (even though, knowing me…I'll start doing that, kinda neglecting my other fics…) cause I gotta finish my other ones while the creative spark still lingers…and while I remember my plot details. The others ones are being worked on actively! That's it for now! Well, please R&R, flame if you want, sine you will if you REALLY want to. Thanks for reading.)

Chocomintswirl