Nezumi opened his eyes groggily, his heart pounding. It was still dark in Cinderella's father's library. In the distance he could hear the crickets chirping and other sounds of the night. In the distance the town clock chiming telling him it was three in the morning. He groaned and rolled over. It was way too early to get up and start his day. Nezumi hating to wake up in the middle of the night. When he had first turned into a human, he found it difficult to stay away all day since he was nocturnal by nature. After a while however he adjusted to the human system of sleeping through the night. He hadn't had a problem until the dreams started. They weren't nightmares but they weren't pleasant either. The dreams were strange and made him feel uncomfortable. Ever since he agreed to the fairy godmother's plan his mind had been in a whirl of uncertainty and conflict. These feelings leaked into his dreams.

They always started off the same. Nezumi would dream he was a rat again. As a rat his world was driven by his senses. He felt and smelled his existence instead of thinking and speaking. Nezumi would scurry through tunnels and collect edible items. There was no job, nor rules, no social construction. He would just exist as a simple rat, needing only safety, shelter, and food.

Then his dream would shift and become complicated. Sion would appear. Whether he was human or a rat Nezumi never remembered. It wasn't really important what Sion was. Sion was Sion either way. What he did remember was that, when Sion appeared Nezumi would think.

This is Sion

That was always Nezumi's first real thought in his dreams. After this initial thought Nezumi suddenly became aware of himself. He could no longer was only relying on sense he needed to think. Then Sion opened his mouth and Nezumi would think.

He's speaking

Then the world became more complicated and Nezumi couldn't only rely on body language to get a message across, he needed words. After Sion stopped speaking, he would look at Nezumi and the rat would think,

I love him

Suddenly Nezumi wasn't able to live without Sion. He took Sion as his mate and they escaped the rat colony. They lived together scavenging for food, reading, making nests, claiming territories, talking for hours about fun and pointless things….

That's where Nezumi's dream always ended. He would wake up, his heart pounding and longing for two things. He would long to be a rat again and go back to the comfort of the wild. He would long to stay human again and stay with Sion. He knew he couldn't have both. Even if they had both been rats it would have ended bad. Sion was weak and Nezumi wouldn't be able to feel love. He would probably end up killing Sion. He knew this yet he still wanted to be a rat. When he thought of staying human forever he would fall into despair. When he though of never seeing Sion again he wanted to run to the white-haired man and hold him forever.

This whole thing was absolutely stupid since he didn't even like Sion that way. No matter what he thought, the dramatic side of him (the human side) always tried to translate his feeling into romance. He hated it. The worst thing about Nezumi's situation was the existence of time. Time did not work the same way for a rat as it did for a human. Rats were just there and then they would die. Humans broke down time into countable units and lived by it. Nezumi hated the suffocating panic he felt when he realized how little time he had left as a human. He hated how his dreams increased the panic feeling.

Now that he had a deadline time seemed to be going ridiculously fast. It felt like he would blinked and a month past. At the castle, the ground had defrosted and Sion and Nezumi started to plant. Then before he could wrap his mind around it, more time past and soon small buds started appearing in the ground. Nezumi's days had become a whirlwind of activity. If he wasn't practicing at the theater he was read or hanging with Sion. He had started staking out in Sion's library more often in order to get reading and seeing Sion at the same time. With his time limited he found casual evenings disappearing. He no longer could enjoying doing nothing. It felt like a waste of time.

The only good thing that came out of this limited time was that his relationship with Cinderella improved. After he explained the fairy godmother's deal with her, she became more agreeable. Now that she knew he was leaving soon she chastised him less. The girl even let him spend more time with Sion without randomly showing up. Nezumi also found her easier to deal with. When there was a conflict, he just reminded himself that he wouldn't need to listen to her much longer. That thought would calm him.

Nezumi sighed again in the dark and turned over again frustrated. Sleep apparently wasn't going to return. After a minute or so he stiffly got to his feet and quietly crossed the library looking for a book to read. He didn't need a candle, preferring to read by moonlight. As he crossed the room his eyes landed on a wrapped package. Nezumi almost forgot that today was Sion's birthday. At first, he wasn't planning on getting the prince a gift. He thought it was a stupid human tradition. After a while though he decided that he did want to get Sion something. Since the white-haired man had finished reading enough books to have a good foundation, Nezumi had gotten him a rare text. After one of the dark-haired man's performances he met a fan who traveled from another country. She had shown Nezumi the book and Nezumi had bought it from her. The text was a little to cheesy for Nezumi's liking but it still has rich language and engaging characters. Sion would enjoy it immensely.

Nezumi scowled at the package. Thinking about the book only made him want to see Sion again. The dream was still vivid in his mind and he didn't had the strength to fight it this late at night. There was no way Nezumi could distract himself with his collection of books. He needed a wider selection. he dark-haired man sighed as he grabbed a few things and headed to the window. If his library wasn't going to satisfy his needs he would go to Sion's library.

.

.

"Nezumi?"

Nezumi groaned and open his eyes, blinking in the morning sunlight. He was at a table in Sion's library lying on an open book. In front of him a pair of red eyes peered into his. When Sion saw that Nezumi was awake he pulled his head back.

"What?" Nezumi yawned sitting up and stretching.

"What are you doing here?" Sion asked. "I know you went home yesterday.

"Couldn't sleep."

"Did you have a bad dream?"

"Not exactly." Nezumi did not feel like explaining his dream to Sion, especially since it was the white-haired man's fault to begin with. If he didn't confess, then Nezumi wouldn't be this confused.

"Well whatever the reason is, I'm glad to see you." Sion beamed. "Waking up and finding you here is a great birthday present."

"You make it sound like I didn't get you anything." Nezumi scoffed. Sion eyes widened in excitement.

"Did you?" he asked uncertainty. Nezumi rolled his eyes and handed him the gift. Sion took it eagerly then paused.

"Can I open it?" he asked tentatively. Nezumi snorted.

"Why would I give it to you if you couldn't open it."

Sion laughed and tore open the packaging. He gasped; his eyes brimmed with happiness.

"Oh Nezumi." He sighed softly. Nezumi watched Sion trace over the title letters of the book, feeling immensely pleased with himself.

"I got it from a fan visiting the country. I doubt you have this one in your library."

"I don't" Sion breathed, opening the book. The actor chuckled as he sat down with his book. He felt calm, sitting there with Sion. The prince's presents made the room warm and comfortable. Nezumi half read his book and half watched Sion's entertaining face expressions. Nezumi felt his heart and mind calm down as the dreams faded completely. It was times like this that he wanted to go on forever. Sadly it had to end and after only a half an hour there was a loud hammering on the door.

"Your highness!" Sir William's voice called. "We need get ready for your birthday ceremony! You can't hide in the library all day." Sion looked up from his book blinking surprised.

"Oh sorry!" he said quickly closing the book and rushing to the library door. He opened it and stepped aside as the knight entered. Sir Williams took one look at Nezumi and his face darkened. Nezumi smiled back.

"I have go." Sion said turning to Nezumi. "Will you stay for my birthday ceremony and ball?"

"It would be an honor your highness." Nezumi said dramatic, with a mock bow. Sir Williams glowered and Sion giggled.

"Alright see you then!" Sion practically skipped off. The knight shot Nezumi one more look before turning and stomping away. Nezumi watched them go. He wasn't sure what to expect for the birthday ceremony, but he was curious.

.

It turned out that royal birthday ceremony was high on Nezumi's list of things he disliked. In typical human fashion there was a lot of fanfare without much substance. He and the other guest were ushered into their seats in a grand hall. Then swelling music started and all of the noble knights stood in a row, their lances making an archway for Sion to walk through. The prince trotted up to the middle of the king's room and sat on the throne. Then came the speeches. First the queen stood and gave a speech. Then Sir William, then two or three nobles gave a speech. Finally, Sion stood up and gave a speech. Nezumi disliked Sion's speech. It was stuffy and lacked Sion's character. There was nothing in his words to indicate the crazy, enthusiastic prince who loved bad weather and flowers. To make it worse Cinderella sat next to him and listened with wrapped attention. Her annoying gasps and tears only add to his disdain. The only good thing that came out of the ceremony was Sion himself. The prince wore robes of silver and maroon that drew out the color of his hair and eyes. His velvet cloak hung over his shoulders and framed his small figure perfectly. Nezumi found himself staring. Sion looked amazing. The prince always looked nice in his own way but tonight he looked like a king. Tonight, Sion was the king from stories of old. He looked like illustrations that Nezumi found in stories books about knights and kings. This Sion was the opposite of the wild Sion that played in storms. Even so both versions of Sion were strangely enchanting.

Before Nezumi knew it, everyone was clapping and getting up. The dark-haired man pulled his eyes away from Sion and followed. He hadn't even noticed that the ceremony had ended. Once again, he found himself unnerved by Sion's strange power.

Afterwards the guest went the ballroom. The room was bigger than Nezumi had expected. He never thought much of the ball he had missed when he first turned into a human, but now, standing they're in the grand room with music swell, he begruntle admitted the appeal. This was human fanfare with substance. There was movement, dancing, food, talking, and laughter. It was far livelier than the stiff ceremony he was forced to endure.

As the music started up again Cinderella and Sion entered the dance floor. Many of the guests turned to watch as the two of them began to dance. Whispering conversations started up around Nezumi.

"So that's the mysterious girl from the prince's first ball? She's quite beautiful."

"Isn't see a peasant? My daughter is better."

"Please my son is closer in age, surely he would be a better fit for the prince."

Nezumi tried to tune them out. For some reason he found their gossiped aggravating. Sion was better than half of these people. Nezumi had the misfortune of meeting many of the young nobles when he had decided to roam the castle. The dark-haired man was not impressed. Nezumi pushed down his disgruntled feelings. It didn't matter what they said, Sion would never fall for any of them. The prince may acted like a perfect gentle in their presents, but that just showed how unimportant they were to him. If Sion was interested in someone, he became excited and annoying. He wanted to know more about them and pushed them to talk about themselves. Then he would get invested in their hobbies and try to get them to do his. Both Cinderella and Nezumi were victims of Sion's overly chatty nature.

"You know the prince doesn't care about birth." Another noble said snapping Nezumi's thoughts back to the ball. "I for one think they make a great couple."

"I have to agree. Look at them dance! Can you think of something more beautiful than two young lovers dancing?"

Nezumi gritted his teeth. Although he agreed that Cinderella would be the best option for Sion, he still hated it. Besides, what Sion and Cinderella were doing could hardly be considered dancing. Sion managed to step on Cinderella's toes almost at each beat. Cinderella herself wasn't much better and kept bonking heads with the prince. They would then both laugh and continue stumbling around. After watching them for a few minutes Nezumi finally concluded that their dancing was what had bothered him so. It had nothing to do with his feelings for Sion. They were just hard to watch. When the song came to an end and the two of them bowed, Nezumi couldn't take it anymore. He stormed onto the dance floor and held out his hand to Sion.

"Nezumi?" Sion said surprised. Nezumi scold at him.

"Dance with me." He said. "Before I have that disaster you two called waltzing stuck in my head forever." Cinderella, who was standing a few feet away, huffed angerly. Sion laughed lightly.

"We were really bad weren't we." He said as he took Nezumi's hand.

"I almost tore my eyes out watching you." Nezumi pulled Sion closer as the music started up. He began leading the white-haired man across the dance floor. Almost instinctively Sion's feet began matching Nezumi's. After a few seconds of stumbling Sion got in perfect sync with the dark-haired man. They fluttered and glided in perfect harmony with the music. The dance floor was their world, the music the substance the sustained them. It was only the two of them that mattered. They were unstoppable. Sion felt right in Nezumi's arms the way no one else had. The dark-haired man had danced plenty of times with random actors and actresses for shows but non fit against him like the prince. It was like Sion was a part of Nezumi that he didn't realize was missing until now. The dark-haired man looked down at Sion and found the smaller man starting up in awe.

"You're amazing!" he gasped. "You never danced with like this me before!"

"Of course not. I held back. You were so bad." Nezumi said smugly. Sion's eyes filled with mirth.

"In the case I must have improved." Sion's pleasure made Nezumi heart pound. He suddenly remembered why he had stopped dancing with Sion in the first place. It made him feel things he knew he shouldn't be feeling. It made him see Sion in a different light. He knew his feelings about Sion, and this just confused things farther. After the prince's confession, Nezumi tried to distance himself by not allowing himself to near the prince. Now all those feelings to return.

Nezumi bit back his frustration and picked up the rate of their movements. Sion easily copied him, his body seeming to adjust to Nezumi's automatically. Nezumi spun Sion around and the prince closed his eyes and leaned back. When Nezumi pulled him in again Sion's eyes were open and the wildness had returned. It took a moment for the dark-haired man to realize it. He had only seen that look in Sion's eyes when they were walking in storms. Without him noticing Sion suddenly took the lead. Pulling the dark-haired man in a wild dance, guided only by his emotions. Nezumi let him guide, only taking control if they needed to adjust their stance. It was a sensation he had never felt before. He could just let go and embrace Sion's madness. His feelings, his concerns didn't matter. It didn't matter that he was a rat and Sion was a human. Here in their dance Nezumi was consent with life.

All too soon the song ended. Nezumi saw Sion blink as they slowed down, all earlier emotions gone from his eyes, leaving regular Sion behind. They bowed to each other.

"S-s-sorry." Sion panted. "I don't know what came over me." Nezumi came up from his bow as he became aware of clapping.

"It's fine." He said. "Matter of fact you were amazing back there." Sion's face turned red.

"No way!" he sputtered. "You were guiding me! I was just following."

"Not at the end you weren't" Nezumi smiled. Sion ducked his head in embarrassment. Around him people were muttered about the couple.

"Is that Eve?"

"What's he doing here?!"

"I didn't know the prince invited actors."

"Did you see that dance?"

"That was magnificent. I wonder how long they practiced it."

Nezumi glanced around wearily. He had wanted to remain anonymous at this party, but it looked it was too late. He could see some of his fans making their way towards him. Sion tugged on his arm.

"Come on." He said, "Let's go somewhere more private." Nezumi let Sion pull him off the dance floor and through a back door to the royal garden. As they past the doorway Sion turned to one of the guards stationed there.

"Make sure no one bothers us." He said. The guard bowed and they passed through. Nezumi shot Sion a grateful look. Once outside they stood on the overhand looking down at the garden. It was still slightly chilly out but not to bad. In the fresh air Nezumi felt alive again. After a few minutes of enjoying the silence Sion spoke,

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For dancing with me. I was hoping you would." Sion smiled was radiant. Nezumi didn't answer. After a couple minutes Sion continued,

"Mom's garden looks nice."

"Ours is better." Nezumi said. "It's more practical."

"True." Sion laughed, "But this garden is important to me too… this exact spot is important." Nezumi raised an eyebrow turning to the prince.

"Oh, why's that?"

Sion turned to Nezumi, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

"This is the spot where I met you."

Nezumi remembered. He remembered crouching on the rail watching through the doorway as figures dance around the room. He remembered the random whited-haired human who walked through the door and decided to talk to him. How would he have known that the random human who he had a conversation with would become so important to him.

"Nezumi." Sion serious tone shook Nezumi out of his thoughts. "We need to talk." The dark-haired man stiffened. He knew what Sion wanted to talk about. "I know you want to avoid the topic, but I think it should be addressed."

"You have the worst timing." Nezumi groaned. "We were having a nice night and now you want to talk about…that." He couldn't say it. He didn't want to talk about it.

"If you don't feel the same way then just reject me," Sion said softly. "But by staying quite I feel like I still have a chance with you…." He looked down at the garden again. "I didn't want to bring it up because I was afraid to hurt our friendship, but it's been months now…I can't keep on wondering and hoping." He shut his eyes tight. "It's driving me crazy." Nezumi stared at him before turning his attention to the garden. They stood there in silence for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry." Nezumi finally said. "I didn't mean to hurt you." He turned to Sion. The white-haired man turned to him, a sad expression on his face. Nezumi took a deep breath and opened his mouth. Tonight, he would reject Sion's feelings and clear the air between them.

Seconds rolled by and Nezumi just stood.

Finally, he gave up and closed his mouth again, frustrated. Why was this so hard. Suddenly his frustration gave out and he gave up. He was tired of struggling with his emotions. Who cared anymore? It didn't matter. Nezumi was filled with the feeling of reckless abandonment. He was going to turn into a rat again in a couple of months anyways, how could it hurt to let Sion enjoy himself? As long as the prince understood it was temporal then it would be fine. It wasn't like Nezumi felt the same way. He would show that stupid part of him that they were just friends. He and Sion would enjoy a couple of months dating then Nezumi would break it off.

"Alright." Nezumi said. "I accept your feelings." Sion stared at him blankly for a moment.

"Huh?" He finally said stupidly.

"I said I accept your feelings." Nezumi said frustrated. Was he missing something? He didn't know enough about humans' mating traditions to know if he was doing it right. Sion continue to stare.

"Does that mean you want to go out?" the prince finally asks, a spark of hope in his voice.

"Yes." Nezumi said slowly. Sion gave a small sob of relief and hugged Nezumi. The dark-haired man pulled Sion away.

"Hold on." He said. "Before we start dating, we need to go over some things."

"What things?" Sion asked confused.

"Conditions." Nezumi said. Sion's face fell.

"First of all…" Nezumi bit his lip unsure how to phrase what he wanted to say. "I think it would be best…. if this was…. not permanent." Nezumi continued.

"What do you mean?" Sion asked anxiously.

"I mean we can only go out for a little while then we need to…split."

"How long?"

"Up to a year." Nezumi hated how hurt Sion looked. The prince bit his lip and looked down at his hand.

"Does it need to be temporal?" he whispered.

"Yes"

"And you won't change your mind on this?"

"No."

Sion took a few deep breaths and straightened up. To Nezumi's surprise he had a small smiling on his face.

"Since I'm the one who's pushing my feelings on you, I understand if you don't want to do this long term. Any time with you is better than no time. I agree with your condition."

"Thank you." Nezumi breathed. Now that the hard part was out of the way he felt lighter.

"Any other conditions?" Sion asked worriedly.

"Yeah, there's two more." Nezumi said, then seeing the strained look on Sion's face he quickly added. "But neither are as hard as the first one. The second one is that I want our relationship to remain a secret from everyone. This includes your mother, Sir William, and Cinderella." Sion's face lightened.

"That one isn't to bad." He said thoughtfully. "Although I hate lying to them, if we're only going out for a little while then it would probably be better to keep it a secret." He chuckled. "That way I won't need to have a "serious talk" with Sir Williams. I agree to that condition." Nezumi smiled. Sion was getting better at seeing the bigger picture. He knew that everyone would feel scandalized if the prince was dating the famous actor. Although actors were loved by nobles, they didn't like mingling with them. Nezumi didn't want to spend his remaining time as a human fighting with nobles.

"For the last condition." Nezumi leaned against the rail surveying Sion. "I want to stay at your library while we're dating." Sion blinked in surprise before laughing.

"You don't need that as one of your conditions, you could do that anyways."

"My how generous." Nezumi smiled.

"My home is your home." Sion said, "and my library is your library."

So, you agree to all the terms?"

"Yeah."

"Very well." Nezumi pushed himself off the rail and turned to Sion. He gazed down into Sion's dark red eyes. "Then from this moment on we are now officially dating." He leaned forward and kissed Sion's forehead. The prince closed his eyes and pressed against Nezumi, wrapping his arms around him. Nezumi copied him and they stood like that under the full moon enjoying each other's presents.