Diclaimer: I don't own anything! Yet…(snicker)
A/N: This fic is intended as a celebration of my birthday as I won't be able to have a celebration of it on the exact day…All fics which updated this day are related to birthday theme. :P As usual! ShinjiXNatsuki. Please read and enjoy! A bit too romantic and short…How untypical of me…Lately I feel very strange about myself, at least for me. Please review :D
By Ruby-dream
"May I have this dance, milady?"
Natsuki glanced over only to find her childhood friend who was four years older than her and grew dramatically within several years from a mere playful hormonal teenager to a matured handsome man.
He bowed courteously and stood marvelous within a pair of black pairs of formal suit. His shoulder length mauve hair tied on the nape by a small dark ribbon. A pair of dark purple eyes peeked up on her teasingly and invitingly from behind of his strands. A slender but firm hand was waiting patiently for company in front of her chest. Watching him like that really made her helplessly to imagine being a princess for one night who was luckily invited by an attractive fairytale prince to the dance floor.
She smiled briefly before she rested her palm on the offered hand.
"Gladly."
Shinji grinned happily at the acceptance, ignoring the wailing sound behind him from certain boys or girls and guided her down to the dancing hall where was crowded by her friends and couples dancing graciously.
Today was her birthday on sweet seventeenth that her parents decided to throw a big party for her on a grand luxury restaurant. Crystal lamps glistened like thousand prisms when long cascading curtains hung loosely on the wall. Cold marble floor was covered by red carpet, laced by golden threads. Thousands of roses with sweet-smelling fragrance were placed on vases and wreaths.
Her night gown rustled against the carpet as she danced. She loved to wear a light lime color dress, her favorite color. Her mother said that it matched her eyes and hair color. For her pleasure, Shinji also got to praise her and looked very adamant on getting her hand for first dance.
"You're very pretty today." He smiled as he carefully lead the steps.
"Just today?" Natsuki pouted slightly to show her half-hearted displeasure.
"Of course not!" He hastily corrected his words between soft ringing laughs. "You're always beautiful like an angel that I'm afraid you will fly away like a bird and gone from my sight instead."
"Oh? From whom did you actually learn to say sweet things?" She glowered a little, watching him shifted uneasily. She didn't like an idea of Shinji saying the same thing on other random girls other than her. But inside, she also felt flattered that her feeling seemed to rise to her throat, thumping in race like sweet heaven.
"Complaint to your father."
"I should have known…" She snorted and stole a peek on her father who danced down on the corner of hall with his wife, at least until a shoe stepped on her foot.
"Ouch!" She cried instantly.
"Sorry!" Shinji exclaimed a bit defensively, fearing for a punch on his head for stepping on the happy girl's feet. "Not on purpose! I swear!"
Luckily she grumbled instead of killing him in front of the guests. She didn't intend on ruining her best birthday party by a small fight or quarrel which she used to have around her childhood friend who was also her secretly beloved one.
Therefore, she stayed silent with a cute pout and danced through out the night with her only partner...err…except for her father, of course.
"Do you want to rest?" Shinji tilted his head lowered to see the expression of his lovely maiden. She looked a bit tired of dancing for half an hour with him.
She nodded curtly and they went out of the bright luxuriant hall to the opened balcony. The ivory full moon glowed prettily with clear sky that they was able to see glittering natural diamonds. As if a sea of those stars weren't enough, the lamp lights of city also furnished the beauty of the dark, twinkling teasingly. The shadow of trees danced through out the night, rustled noisily by the night breeze. It was such a sight that no one would ever wish to miss such beauty.
"It's really pretty, don't you think?" Natsuki commented instantly of the night view.
"That's right. It's almost perfect, especially with an angel stood here in such blissful night." He actually didn't look at the dark town but on the other companion who was busy on hiding her blush, chuckling appreciatively on the girl.
Natsuki flushed prettily but glanced away to hide her dancing emotions and retorted harshly. "Liar."
"That's not true!" Shinji hastily brought himself in front of Natsuki and grabbed her shoulders when he leaned forward to her to put the same eye level to his beloved childhood girl. "I said that with my heart!"
Natsuki was stunned, the lad which stood in front of her eyes was no longer a shy boy she once to get known. He was no longer a boy but instead a more matured man, though he sometimes slipped and acted like a mere jealous boy.
Scared as she was, she smacked his head. Hard.
"OUCH! Natsuki, how mean!" He whined angrily while he was rubbing his abused spot head.
"Stupid."
She turned on her heels and was about to return to the dancing hall when a firm, strong hand stopped her for going further. She looked annoyed; she was really bothered by her maddening blush, her racing heartbeat, or…her impatient for him for saying just how much he loved her.
"Since you're turning 17th this day, I've decided it actually." His gaze was deadly serious. It gave chills to her spine that she shuddered lightly.
"Hurry up. I'm freezing here!" She lied. She felt actually hot, especially her cheeks. They burned like a lively flame.
He beamed down on her, giving her a smile that she fell in love with. His hand ran for his pocket and took out a small box for her. He crossed it to her that she stayed still for a brief moment before she glanced up, confused.
"For me?"
"Yes." He nodded happily. "Open it."
Natsuki wasn't certain if actually Shinji couldn't hear her fastening heart beat as she could hear out loud on her ears. She lifted the cover of the box slowly and peeked a little.
A ring.
"Will you marry me?"
A long pause hung between them. A smile which once plastered on Shinji's face vanished slowly into a disappointed one. "You don't like it?"
Natsuki was dumfounded. She never knew how fast she would get her hand fastened to engagement or marriage. She was happy when at the same time, she was truly scared. Yes…she was scared because of this unfamiliar feeling toward certain man that she realized how much she loved him.
"Are you…serious?"
Shinji was going to give up but he cleared his throat and answered back daringly. "Yes."
She shut the box once again with a long huff. Shinji lowered his head to the disappointment but never let her to see his sadness. "I take it as no." He managed to say it flatly, that he was glad he could.
"Who says I'm going to turn my back on your feeling?"
"Huh?"
An angelic smile glowed amidst the blessing light of moon.
"Yes, I want to marry you!" She jumped as she flung her arms out around the lad's neck. Shinji was taken back that his back hit the railing of balcony pretty hard. He felt no pain but a wash of true happiness that he completely ignored the pain. He hastily returned the embrace and circled his arms around the slender slim waist.
"I love you."
Natsuki sighed happily at the husky voice on her ear. "Me too…"
Kami-sama smiled upon the kiss which shared by the lovers and the stars twinkled a bit brighter as his blessing.
Owari