"Hey, do you like to play chess?" Touko questioned, crossing her legs. The Masked Man perked up, nodding. She smiled, pressing a closed fist against her cheek. Maybe he was more of a happy person than someone who's quiet and keeps to themselves. He stood up, turning around to walk to her closet. Well, he noticed she had two closets, but he knew where she kept her clothes, and then her games and collectables.

Touko adjusted her position, stretching. It had been only two weeks since the man began this ritual. He would be quiet, Touko would question, and then he would only nod. She didn't mind it as much. He was just one mysterious person.

The man sat back down on the other side of the table, setting up the board neatly. She watched carefully. He set up everything so . . . amazingly, assembling the king, queen, the rooks, the bishops, knights, and the pawns. This person, just who is he? Touko hadn't seen his eyes yet, just his mouth, arms, and hair.

"..."

"Sorry, am I keeping you waiting?" she questioned, a little whine in her voice. The man smiled, moving a chess piece.

"You're one mysterious guy; I still don't trust you totally," Touko murmured, moving a piece of her own. He grunted, taking his own turn. It was another long day in her home, meeting princes, signing paperwork, dance lessons, and tasting different types of soups. She felt so full, she didn't dare touch her tea for the night.

"Just to let it out, I've wondered something. I've been wondering since the first time you came into my room. Who are you? Perhaps a knight"—she pointed at the piece—"protecting a land and your castle with your life. Some person, who has no family, no one to care for, but wants to protect the land where he was born. You're not a queen or a king. If you were, it would have been obvious, but—I'm just guessing—you are not. You could play as a rook: the chariot, someone who is fast on their feet, skilled, and equal. Or maybe you're a pawn—" She held the small piece, looking at it carefully. Her eyes glinted in the candle's light as she peered over it, staring at him. "Someone who is weak; a lowlife. Somebody who is just a simple peasant in this land, a man who wants a family to raise so he has something to do besides rot in the land while others steal from him, or wanting your body so they can rule over lower people. I know there are very few people here who are like that, and we try our best to make everyone equal, but you could be one of them."

She knocked one of his pieces. The man's hands dropped, astonished. Touko was a clever girl—nobody could fool her. Both stared at each other, and for the first time, she saw his eyes. They were a gray color; curiosity and amusement glinted in them. Touko stiffened. It was only the second familiar thing. He looked familiar, yet he didn't. She knew this man from somewhere!

"Do I know you from somewhere?" she whispered. He moved another piece, knocking one of hers. A smile crept onto his lips; a finger pressed against them to keep her quiet. Touko looked at her clock. Time went so fast. She grabbed the queen, eyes widened. It was the last piece she had. He too had one last piece as well: the king. How did this happen? Wait, was this a rule? Can the king and queen be the last on the board?! The man quickly stood up, leaning over the small, round table. He pressed a hand against Touko's face; she looked up at him.

"W-What are you doing?"

"Shh . . ."

The princess became quiet. He made a sound . . . amazing. Maybe he was warming up to her? She felt her face heat up. His breath made the young princess slightly squirm in her chair. Touko could feel her face warming up faster, feeling his warmth against her skin. The male leaned closer. With his free hand he lifted his mask, keeping it below his nose. Touko let out a gasp, feeling his mouth against hers. The table fell to the floor; the chess board and pieces banged against the ground. The Masked Man pulled away instantly, cursing under his breath.

"Princess, are you okay?" someone questioned, automatically tugging the door. Touko froze. It was Bianca—she would freak out if she saw the male in her room. Oh no. Where was he going to hide? If Bianca saw the stranger, it would be all over! The brunette stood up, pushing the male toward her closet.

"S-Stay in there for now; I'll be back. I promise. Stay quiet," Touko whispered. He turned, crossing his arms with what she assumed was a blank look on his face (the mask made it hard to tell). Oh, of course, he didn't make much noise. She closed the doors. Bianca tugged on the door more, worried. Before the blonde could call for help, Touko flung the door open. Both stared at each other, blinking. Bianca adjusted herself, eyes wide with worry. Silence stayed longer. Why did he make such a damn brave move, touching the princess where no one would be able to? But why did she let him?

"Is everything alright?" Bianca questioned, noticing the flipped table and chess.

"Oh, everything is fine. I was, um . . . setting up the chess for tomorrow, but I accidentally bumped into the table. I didn't mean to worry you," Touko said, rubbing the back of her head. The blonde was still confused, noticing a fresh rose on the desk.

"Where did you get that?"

"Get what?"

"The rose."

"What rose?"

"The one on your dresser."

"Um, the garden."

"Oh, Princess, you know your mother said to stop picking the flowers in the garden. Stay inside and behave for the night. Goodnight, Touko," Bianca murmured, bowing. Touko bowed lightly, closing the door. She breathed out heavily. The girl didn't realize she was holding her breath. Damn that guy, making her lie. Touko didn't like lying very much. It made her feel impure. Arms then encircled the princess.

"You stupid idiot, making two brave moves in one night. What if the maid saw you? It would be off with your head or down in the dungeon for life," Touko hissed. The Masked Man hugged her tighter, his breath tickling the back of her neck. The brunette couldn't stay mad for long. The guy was innocent; he didn't mean to make such a loud mistake.

"I think I won the game; I have never lost in my life." Touko giggled. The man chuckled, moving away. Turning around, Touko looked up at him. She couldn't have feelings for him, right? She hadn't seen his face, his voice, or what lay underneath the long coat. The Masked Man was still a mystery to her, after two long weeks. In all those days, he came to her room in a mysterious way, too. Every visit, he gave her a fresh rose as well.

"Um, it's quite late. I think you need to go before you get me into more trouble . . ."

The Masked Man nodded, clearly disappointed. Letting her hand be held by his, the man took her to her bed. Just like on the other nights, she closed her eyes, listening to movement till the room was silent. This night was . . . different on specific levels. For once they played a game together without questions from the young princess, second he . . . kissed her, and for the first time, he hugged her. Touko smiled, snuggling into her sheets. He could be someone different. She frowned suddenly. It wouldn't continue if she was to marry someone. . . .

One, two, three. One, two, three, and bow. Touko smiled, holding her dress with the tips of her fingers. Her brother placed a hand against his chest, grinning. Bianca clapped her hands happily, saying, "Wonderful!" as she walked toward the princess. Touya walked away, preparing to get some of his own jobs of the day finished.

Touko breathed out, relieved. Today's jobs were finally done. She was pleased, and happy. It was just like any other night, being free and doing whatever she wanted with the Masked Man. Touko started calling him Romeo, as he paralleled the mysterious man in those fairy tales her mother told her. She really did miss the old days as a young child, believing in fairies and how the Legendary Pokémon ruled the lands before creating humans to take care of them, to help take care of the world. Well, that was what the people believed.

Pokémon and humans lived equally together; everyone was peacefully happy. Touko didn't have very much time with her own Pokémon, being the princess of the land. She had always dreamed of meeting a Legendary Pokémon, having her dreams to come true, but they never did. Pokémon—such mysterious creatures. How did they appear on the earth? Who was the first Pokémon? Why did they create humans to rule the earth with? Pokémon held so many questions, yet they added more to the people as newer Pokémon arrived.

Touko excused herself for the day, heading towards her room for a long, hot bath. Bianca insisted to help the young princess, just like any other night, but Touko—being stubborn—simply said no. The brunette wanted to be alone for the night. She was tired from the long working day.

She wanted to see her Romeo.

Touko quickly locked her door, unzipping her dress from behind as she looked at the window. The curtains were closed—great. She didn't have to do them. The princess walked toward the bathroom, the mirror fogging up from the hot water's steam. The dress hung from her shoulders as she whipped down the mirror. Blue eyes met blue. The dress dropped and her eyes lowered. She was one of those people with a good body. It wasn't something wonderful like others . . . just simple. The girl lifted her head. She was still growing . . . right?

"Tsk, whatever. It's not like somebody will ever see it except me," she muttered to herself, dipping into the bath. Silence took over and she stared up at the ceiling. Long, long ago . . . a man appeared before a girl. He would never show his face, as he did not want the princess to remember him. The mysterious man gave her a rose, showing his affection without words. The girl was falling for him day by day, deeper and deeper. She questioned who he was. Why did he appear so suddenly in her life? The princess pondered this night by night after he left mysteriously. Her heart felt empty when he was gone; he loved driving the girl insane. He wanted her to drive her hormones on edge when he was gone. Both loved each other deeply. The man would show his face bit-by-bit, but never his entire face. Of all the weeks of seeing each other, he never used his voice.

Touko adjusted herself in the bath, eyes closed in frustration. Tsk, like hers would be a story for hundreds of years, like that one couple many years ago. Did they live "happily ever after"? Well, all fairytale books said that, making little girls believe everything was happy. Yeah, life was sure happy. More like it was half-pleasing. Touko let a leg hang out the side, the bubbles surrounding her body. She ran a hand along her smooth skin, letting her head roll to her shoulder.

"Why can't fairytales exist like those ones? I wish mine was. I would like to be . . . to be in one of those worlds of fiction," Touko whispered, sitting up. She stiffened, eyes widening as she noticed the mysterious man sitting on her sink, a foot on it and the other leg hanging. A rose was lightly pressed by his nose, the mask hiding his face like always. When in the hell did he appear?! she thought, face warm.

"..."

"G-Get the hell out of h-here . . . peeping, perverted, stupid man! I need to p-punish you!" Touko stuttered. He let the rose rest on the counter as he got off, kneeling on the floor close to the bath. She moved to the other side of the tub. What was he planning? Taking off a glove, his hand leaned over the bathtub, resting against her cheek. His thumb rubbed against her skin, moving closer to her lips. The girl kept quiet, not knowing exactly what to do. His hand felt . . . cold. Why cold? Touko stared at him, noticing his skin had bumps.

"A-Are you cold? Do you need extra clothing?"

As his lips pressed against hers, Touko could only moan into the kiss. D-Damn him . . . s-such an idiot. The man pulled away.

"Um, may I finish my bath? Then you can touch my lips all you want, perv," she teased. The man smirked, lowering his mask. He instantly obeyed, closing the door behind him. Touko finished up quickly, trying to make as little sound as possible. Slipping on her nightgown and bathrobe, she walked out. She held the rose close to her side, a half-smile on her face. The man looked up at her from the bed, the mask covering his face.

"..."

"Yeah, it seems another quiet night from you again. Geez, what a weirdo," Touko murmured, sitting next to him. She stared out the window, the curtains slightly open to reveal another full moon. The man leaned closer, resting a hand on her shoulder. A shade of pink stained her cheeks, head slightly turned to look into those grey eyes.

"I . . . I don't think we can continue. I mean, continue this thing between us. My mother, the queen, is going to have a ball this Friday with all the princes in this region . . . she's doing it so I can find a person to be with to rule this land. If I don't choose someone that night, she'll c-choose for me. I don't want to choose anyone but you! You're the person I have fallen for!" Touko cried, burying her face against his chest. Hands rubbing along her back, he rested his head on top of hers. She thought, Why am I crying in front of him? Why am I crying all of a sudden when I want our moments to be happy? Lifting his mask to the ridge of his lips, the Masked Man opened his mouth.

"You . . . can only choose me . . . only choose me that night, my love," he whispered. Touko looked up at him, tears in the corner of her eyes. Did he just . . . speak? It was like the wind. It had no voice to it but wind. She wanted to hear more; she wanted to hear his real voice. Touko wanted to hear it from him. She leaned closer, feeling his breath stir her face. A hand moved up, holding the rim of the mask. He stiffened, feeling it rise. Touko stopped below his nose.

"Hmm, were you expecting me to lift it further? I'll hide your identity till you're comfortable enough with me to see your true form. Are you . . . are you a prince?" Touko murmured, tilting her head. His lips turned into a smirk. He was one! Why didn't she notice? Oh, right, he hid his face. Long tea-green hair, gray eyes, tall. She knew the basics, but if only Touko heard his voice then she would know who it was! What prince had long hair such as his? Even the princess couldn't remember; so many have visited her and all left. There were too many.

The tears had finally stopped after a while, and he began to slowly kiss her. Touko stared at the door, knowing it was locked, but she still had that feeling—the feeling of someone barging in. She shifted on his lap, noticing her legs were on either side of his waist. It was embarrassing, but really . . . weird. Touko had that feeling in the pit of her stomach, a nervous, unsettled feeling. What was wrong? Was this something that wasn't supposed to happen? Well, obviously yes! Some man sneaking within the castle just to visit her and letting . . . him touch . . . her. This was different!

"D-Don't do that t-to me!" The princess squirmed on his lap, feeling his arms tighten around her fragile body. A breathless sigh came from the Masked Man as he formed a small smile. He pressed a finger to his lips.

"W-What?"

Footsteps were heard. They were faint, but seemed to grow louder. Touko stiffened. What if it was Bianca? Or her mother? Maybe a guard? Or a butler . . . ? The man nibbled on her shoulder blade, his tongue traveling all over. He bit down, sucking slightly. She whimpered and the steps stopped. Gray eyes met blue. Grin met frown.

"Princess, is everything alright?" the person questioned.

"E-Everything is f-fine . . . I, ah, just had a nightmare! I'll be alright, continue y-your duties," Touko spoke, keeping the stutters and mewls out. The guard simply agreed and walked away, leaving Mr. Romeo back to his kissing. Such an idiot! This is the second time someone almost caught us! she thought harshly. The man pulled away, laying Touko on the bed with him on top. Hands curled close to her chest, she stared up at him with an innocent gaze. His hand caressed her face, a smile on his lips.

"..."

"Is it time already?" she whispered. The Masked Man nodded, standing up slowly. The princess closed her eyes, just like any other night, listening to the scurrying of the prince. Her room became silent once more and she turned onto her side, noticing something different. He left a different colored rose. It was white, pure like the soft clouds above. Two roses in one night, one red and one white. Interesting. She stared at it more, thinking about the mask that covered his face. She hoped he wouldn't be caught. She pressed a hand on her shoulder, feeling his saliva and bite mark that still stained her skin. She hissed, feeling the bruised area. He would have to pay for that later. . . .

A/N: Dang, I actually started tearing up on the first review, then when the others started appearing, you don't know how amazingly helpful they are. When I read them, my chest feels so light, warm, and fluttering-like. I thank all my Reshi's for supporting me for... wow, a year. Am I really that far into this place? Well, I thank everyone for your support, please leave a review and favorite! Love you all! Oh, and please credit for Pepper1622 as well, she helps so much with the correcting and ideas.

It's slightly hard to have a long chapter with the MYSTERIOUS man not talking, but we think it's turning out great. Until next time, hope you've enjoyed.