Chapter 1: Housemaid

My dear prince,

As I hold the pendant you gave me in my hands, I pray that someday we will meet again under the full moon. I hope one day I can reveal my true feelings toward you, for I have loved you since that night.

"Mitsuki! Stop day dreaming and get to work!" commanded an elderly sour voice.

"Yes Koyama-sama!" I stood up off my chair and continued to sweep the kitchen.

The voice had belonged to my Grandmother. She has taken care of me ever since my parents died when I was very young. And to return the favor of her kindness, I work as a full time housemaid.

Along with my Grandmother, she also lives with our two distant relatives, Madoka and Hikari. They also have authority over me.

"We're going to dinner at the Kamiyouya's, so make enough food for yourself tonight," my Grandmother announced.

I sighed in relief. Another night left alone while Grandmother and the two other ones went to have fun somewhere else. It might sound like torture at first, but it was the only time (other than when it was time for bed) when I could relax.

"Come on Fuzuki, before we're late!" Madoka peeked her head into the kitchen.

"Yes, I'll meet you outside in a short while," Grandmother called back, then she turned to me.

"Now don't create a disaster again in the house like last time when we left you alone," she scowled at me.

I nodded and looked at the floor I was sweeping. The last night they left was truly a mess. It had taken me the whole night and the rest of the day after to clean up.

I quickly finished my duty after I heard them leave the house and ran up to my little room in the attic. I went to the window next to my cot and opened it.

"Hey guys! They're gone!" I called out.

Suddenly a pink little stuffed bunny flew inside my room. Then a white stuffed cat and a bronze and black stuffed dog followed in after.

"Ah! It was so HOT out today!" the bunny sighed.

"Nah, it wasn't hot at all," the cat stretched out his little paws.

"That's because you're white, and white blocks off the sun," the dog pointed out.

I smiled at them. The three of them were my only friends since I couldn't go to school since I had work here. They sometimes could be trouble makers like Meroko (who was the bunny).

I sat down on my cot and listened to them chatter about the weather that we were having. They always had these silly little arguments on any little subject they could find. It never got violent though. Except for this one time when the cat (Takuto) and the dog (Izumi) started arguing on who was the better animal. They got into showdown and it took some time to get them to stop.

"Hey Mitsuki!" Meroko called to me.

"Huh?"

"Have you gotten any information about your prince?" Meroko batted her eyes at me.

I blushed a little and shook my head. My prince was actually a prince that I had before when I was young. He lived in a magnificent castle. His name was Eichi. And I had loved him ever since the day we met.

Meroko pouted a little and shook her head.

"Well that's too bad! You'd think he would at least try to reach you after all this time!" she said.

Izumi floated next to Meroko and nodded in agreement. But Takuto just stared out into space. He always seemed like this when we talked about my prince. I looked worriedly at him. What was he thinking about?

"Hey! Let's have a pillow fight!" Meroko announced and picked up my pillow off my cot.

"Um, no, not this time Meroko," I crossed my arms across my chest.

"Why?!" the bunny whined.

"Remember last time?" Takuto pointed out, dropping out of his faze.

"Ooooh," Meroko realized and dropped the pillow back on my cot, "Then what should we do?"

"I'm too tired to do anything tonight," I said and laid back on my cot.

"Aw! But I waited all day to do something fun!" Meroko whined.

"Don't be so selfish! Mitsuki has been working all freaking day!" Takuto snapped at her.

"You don't have to be so MEAN Takuto!" Meroko snapped back.

"ME?! You're the one who's trying to get Mitsuki up to play with you when her family has been working her to death all the time because they're too lazy and cruel to do anything themselves!" Takuto yelled.

I sat up in my cot and glared at the little white cat.

"No, Takuto you're wrong!" I cried.

All three animals looked at me in confusion. Did they all think the same thing? Did they all think that I was treated with cruelty?

"Koyama-sama, Wakamatsu-sama, and Hayashi-sama, really I'm just a burden who came into living with them, but they are kind enough to feed me and give me shelter. Being a housemaid is the only thing I'm capable of doing at my age that is suitable to repay them for their kindness," I said.

"Kindness?! They won't even let you call them by their given name! They're your relatives right?! They're really treating you as if you're a low-class commoner!" Takuto hissed. He was starting to get worked up.

"It's just out of respect that I call them by their family name!" I cried back.

The little cat flew out the window in rage, and I flopped back down on my cot. Why was he so stubborn?! Why couldn't he see the kindness that Grandmother and the others showed me? If it wasn't for them, I would still be at the orphanage.

"Takuto!" Meroko called and flew after him.

Izumi snickered sat on my pillow next to my head.

"That cat is so stupid!" he chuckled.

"No, he's just stubborn," I sighed.

The little dog's amused face turned solemn.

"Why do you still defend him after a argument?" he asked.

"He's a friend, I'd do that for you and Meroko too," I answered.

"You're too nice Mickey," Izumi sighed.

I shrugged and pulled out a golden chain from my apron pocket. At the end of it was a yellow orb. This pendant was my most treasured possession. My prince, Eichi, had given it to me the day we had met. I cradled it against my cheek.

My dear prince,

How are you? Are you well? Do you remember the day we met? Do you remember me?

"Izumi! We're back!" Meroko announced while she and Takuto floated back into the room.

"SSShhhhhh! Mickey is asleep," Izumi whispered

"What are you doing sitting next to her head?!" Takuto hissed.

"I was keeping her company," Izumi flew off the pillow and floated next to Meroko.

"Come on you two, we have to go before Mitsuki's grandmother comes home," Meroko started flew out the window while gesturing Izumi and Takuto to follow with her paws.

Izumi happily followed Meroko out, but Takuto stayed behind and sat on the spot where Izumi had been sitting on. He moved a strand of hair from her face with his paw.

"...... Eichi.....," she mumbled.

Takuto frowned. He hated when she talked about that guy (or prince as she called him). He didn't know why. He didn't know his true feelings. But, he wanted to make her happy.

"I'll find your prince for you," he whispered in her ear.

He watched her sleep for a little while and then left the room while closing the window behind him.

Yay! I'm so glad I finally got this story up! It took awhile for me to set the whole plot out since it is a different version of the real Cinderella.

If some of you don't know, Hikari, in the Full Moon O Sagashite manga, was Takuto's girlfriend when he was human. But she has a different role in this story.

And I know I didn't put in enough detail about Mitsuki actually doing every single chore. But it's kind of depressing thinking about writing about that.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Please R&R!