DISCLAIMER: we OWN NOTHING. if we did then we'll be millionaires, then I can get that Lamborghini with the hot Louis Vitton interior.
Winter's Tale
Midnight Rendezous
"A mask?" Serena's sapphire eyes roamed over the drawing again - what the Runway Show in Tokyo was going to look like - masks adorned all the fictitious smiling faces, while the models wore long, willowing dresses, their hair let loose, so that wispy strands were in their faces. "Very surreal..."
Blair leaned over, gathering the cluttered pieces of paper, "one of my designers submitted the idea - she said that it would mirror a Japanese myth surrounding the tale of the Moon Princess."
"The forbidden love?" Serena whispered, vaguely remembering a hot stuffy classroom. The tale of Princes Serenity's star-crossed love for Prince Endymion of the Earth, and their fateful demise at the hands of Queen Beryl - the only myth that the model didn't sleep in on.
"Yes ..." Blair paused slightly, taking out a portfolio of clothes that she herself designed, flipping through the papers, she finally came upon the dress that she herself did.
The dress was gorgeous, the top being an intricate design of crisscrossing strips, a girdle design right under it, the threads of gold. From there on, the the entire dress just billowed to the ground, somehow, hugging the model's form, closely, Serena noticed that the tiniest diamonds were going to form embroideries to small that all it was meant to do was give off light, while the bow on the back made the entire dress seem fit for a butterfly.
Princess Serenity's dress - the dress that Serena was going to wear.
"I'm on vacation," Serena replied bluntly, closing the folder, sliding it back to Blair. "I couldn't just model the dress."
"Yes, you can - " Blair paused momentarily, "...didn't they tell you? Rick highly recommended you to be the next spokesperson for the new line of clothing coming out here in Tokyo... he wants you to kick it off at the Mask, by masquerading the famed myth of Princess Serenity."
"Will I be wearing a mask?"
"Yes..." Blair shrugged, gathering the loose papers into a neat file.
"Do I have to dance?"
"It's recquired..."
Serena's eye contact became unnervingly level with Blair's, "I'm basically dancing the night away with a stranger," she replied even more bluntly.
"Not necessarily," the brunette paused momentarily, "you'll know who you dance with during the end, at exactly midnight, everyone has to remove their masks." Everyone has to remove their masks... or they have the humiliating option of running out...
"Why me?"
Blair gave a tight, business-like smile, "there are a series of paintings - a beautiful series of paintings that depicts the star-crossed romance between the Princess and Prince, whose maker is still unknown... You look exactly, uncannily like that version of Princess Serenity."
"I'll take that as a compliment." The silvery-blond model gave a smile, forget about the vacation.
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"Now, a month ago, I looked at Tokyo's famous Moon Maiden and her Prince series of paintings, and questions plagued me, if the princess looks like that, then what did her subjects, the people of the moon, look like? I don't know, so I settled for the next best thing, what did they wear?"
Rick smiled as the group laughed, the spotlights became focused on the runway, gracefully, Rick backed away as the renowned model walked through, greeted with a sea of flashing lights. In an unearthly way, she seemed to glide to the front - a commendable feat what with the lotus blossoms that littered the runway, her silvery-blond hair pinned up by jewels into an odango hair style, the curled tips brushing against the long bow.
She took the microphone and held it up to her masked face, "starting off this evening, we have model, Reed-san, wearing a gown set to dance the night away..." The honey-haired model gave an alluring smile, her stilettoed feet taking quick, small steps, so that the hem of her floor-length dress fluttered prettily as she walked.
Serena closed her eyes as the model turned her face in such a way that the spotlights made her face glow. She took a brief look down at the list of models - some she knew and was friends with, and some that needed this night of fame - the caligraphy of names reached the bottom of the paper.
It was going to be a long night, and what was worse for the model? Her feet were starting to kill her.
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Daintily, her long, ivory fingers unwrapped from the crystal winglass's stem, placing it on a passing waiter's platter. She furtively snuck a glance at another admirer, his ebony gaze was creepy, and Serena was too tired to just evade him again. She was positive her feet were going to blister from all the quick walks she had to make to either A) the bathroom B) the balcony or Plan C) just waltzing with a fellow model.
He quickly started approaching her.
Damn.
Stealthily, Serena disappeared into the crowd, her mind muttering an array of curses all the way. Spotting her brunette friend, she made the few, painful ten paces to her.
"Serene!" Blair called out happily, waving off some stage-hand, "I see you have an admirer..." Code for: yes, I'll try to save you from the stalker that can't take a hint. And here I thought I got rid of him...
Blair hooked her right arm around Serena's left arm, steering her towards a couple of chairs that were set out in the corners. She let Serena go, taking a seat.
"Don't worry, I'm sure that you can survive until midnight..." she said automatically, taking a quick glance at her diamond embedded watch. "You have ten minutes to entertain yourself... I suggest that you spend the rest of the night at the balcony... No one goes there..."
A green-eyed man suddenly swooped down from out of nowhere, handing Blair a drink. Taking a hint, Serena left the two, reaching the French double doors, the cool metal brushing against her small hands as she opened the doors.
Striding outside, she breathed deeply, inhaling the crisp night air that was dilluted with that sweet scent that was purely Tokyo. Resting her elbows on the marble railings, her head was in her hands, her sapphire eyes gazing at the full moon.
"Let me guess... you like watching that moon also..."
Serena breathed deeply, the slightest smile dancing on her lips. The cliched moment where the handsome guy ruins your deep thought, by saying the most adorable thing.
Turning round, she wanted to burst out laughing at the irony... She had seen that beautiful painting, the last one of the Moon Maiden and her Prince paintings, the handsome, stoic prince dressed with an armor that was lined in silver, a sharp contrast from the black, the katana that lied at the right, and the deep velvet cloak... he was dressed as a prince... Serenity's prince.
"I'm assuming that you are my prince, ready to save me from the impending doom that lies inside," Serena replied, her index finger resting on her chin thoughtfully... "it's just merely coincidence that we both love looking at the moon.
She frowned slightly, the mask hiding his eyes, and his face. Something though, was oddly familiar about the way he held himself.
"Ahh, the young lady has wit that matches her beauty... What more can one ask for?" He gave a deep bow, playing his character perfectly, his rough hands suddenly held one of Serena's smooth ones, bringing it to her mouth. "There is one thing though that one can ask in the presence of beauty... a dance?"
The corners of Serena's mouth unfolded into a dazzling smile, compliently, she took his hand, her other resting on his broad shoulder.
Through the French doors, the model could hear the orchestra pick up again, the woodwinds taking the melody, transforming the waltz into something carefree. Serena felt as if she were dancing on air.
"It's getting closer to midnight," his voice lingered in the air. Promptly, an antique clock began chiming away till midnight.
"Dong!"
"I'm looking forward to wondering what lies under that mask," Serena murmurred.
"Ding!"
Slowly, the orchestra gradually lessened to a suspenseful pianissimo, the bows almost quivering midair, recoving from the fast, graceful tempo. The lights around them began to dim slowly - the full moon's radiance was the only thing lighting the room.
"Dong!"
Almost unconsciously, Serena's grip on the stranger's arms tightened, drawing closely to him, his velvet cloak slightly brushing against her bare shoulders.
"Ding!"
His rough, calloused hand, brushed against the top of her head, reaching for the thin string that held her mask - her alias - together. Smiling that coy smile - that Noh smile that you could comprehend in any way you wished - Serena's soft hand gently moved his arm away.
"Dong"
With trembling fingers, her hand drew to the back of his head, snapping the thin string holding the black mask quickly, thoroughly.
"Ding!"
The mask made a graceful arc in midair, slowly twisting - even in the moonlight, Serena could see it, the same ebony locks with the eyes, roughly the color of the tumultous dark sea, peering through.
"Dong!"
His lips quickly brushed against hers, and for a moment, Serena wasn't Serene, the heartless model, but she was plain old Tsukino Serena, nervous and jitty, her spontanity getting the best of her. Looking back, she never should have done it, but her elegant, tapered fingers rested against his cheek, his chin on her palm.
She kissed him back.
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Author's Note: Yay! It's Star here, anyways, this chapter, I feel, is beyond horrible, and is rushed because of a deadline. So anyways, give me your honest opinion on it, all criticisms are welcomed.
Author's Note DOS: Well, now this is GG here, sooo what yea think??? We'll since Star is tooo lazy to do this then I will. Thanks to those who reviewed, I LOVE reviews babybooangel, simply infatuated, coreagurl, jordana charlie, chikyuuhime, silver moon goddess 1, ten'ousai, silver moonlight-81, pheobesapphira THANKS !!!!
Alrightly... chapter 3 is going to be a series of flashbacks of what happened. Sooo watch out for it. Well before I go I want to wish everyone a early HAPPY THANKSIVING!!!! and please review, those reviews mean ALOT to us. We don't know when chapter 3 is coming out but reviews, gives us moviation to update sooner. My goal of the week is 50. make it happen.
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