SailorStar9: This is Chapter 10 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?

Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny.

Chapter 10: Ami and the Darkened School Arts Festival

Backstage, Ami was adjusting the yellow wings on Rika's back.

"Boy, I'm getting nervous." Fuu muttered.

"I wonder if I'll be able to say my lines without screwing up?" Umi mused.

"We'll be all right," Ami reassured her co-actresses. "We practiced a lot."

"Er, Ami, don't you need to change?" one of the lighting crew asked.

"Mizuki is supposed to make the costumes for me and Kai." Ami replied. "But she's not here yet."

At that moment, said future fashion designer entered through the back door, wielding two mysteriously large garment bags. "Sorry to keep you waiting," she greeted. "It took me all night to make them. It's the costume you'll be wearing, Ami. I couldn't compromise anything about it!" she declared determinedly, starry-eyed. "You too, Kai." She dragged the boy's limp form into the shadows.

"Who would invite a wicked witch like you?" Rika repeated again and again. A movement to her left made her look up, and she forgot her lines with a squeal of delight. "Kai, you look so handsome!"

Everyone else chimed in with agreement; comfortable black boots encased his legs all the way up to above his knees, decorated only with a single red gem on each ankle. The shorts were blue, puffed out in classical Renaissance style, and ended just above the boots. His shirt was a thing of beauty, blue satin to match the shorts and short-sleeved, studded with just the right amount of gems and topped off with a lacy cravat at his throat. Long gloves, a dress rapier, scarlet cape, and elegant plumed hat completed the look.

"Who knew Mizuki was this good." Miwa whistled.

"NO!" Everyone glanced toward the wings, where there was some kind of scuffle taking place. "NO, I definitely do NOT want to!"

"No arguments!" Mizuki scolded, shoving the reluctant Ami into the main room, and en masse, all the girls squealed.

"Ami-chan, so kawaii! She looks so good!"

Mizuki nodded to herself with satisfaction as she examined the resistant Ami. The dress was a simply done, but finely crafted, work of art. A dark blue bodice with three-quarter length sleeves joined a modest neckline and tapering waist. There, the full skirt billowed out in a white material, with seeming yards of soft satin brushing the floor. A gilt crown attached to a wig of black-blue curls topped it all off.

"You look really good," Kai gawked. "We did practice, after all."

"I'll do it." Ami relented.

With everybody in place, the play started with Mizuki in the sound booth as the narrator. Sitting herself in front of the microphone, she flicked the red switch. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Now Class 2 of the sixth grade will present to you: Sleeping Beauty. In a faraway castle there lived a king and queen. The kingdom was prosperous and a peaceful land. However, the king and queen had been without children for a long time. And one day, the long anticipated princess was born."

On stage, the curtains opened, to reveal the set of an elegant throne room. A small group of students in royal livery stood to each side, with two children in crowns in the centre.

"Today is the party celebrating the birth of the princess," Miwa chirped joyfully, clutching the infant doll to his chest. "Everyone, please give the princess your blessings."

Three girls frolicked in from the right then, waving wands.

"To the princess..."

"... from us fairies..."

"... we present her a gift."

They all curtsied simultaneously, then straightened. Rika motioned with her sun-decorated wand. "From me, a beauty matching a brilliant rainbow."

"From me," Fuu added, "A singing voice as good as any bird."

"And from me…" Umi's line was cut off by a harsh laugh, and a spotlight's sudden appearance on the centre aisle.

"Oh, what a party we are having today!" Rimiko posed in her burgundy and magenta witch suit. "But it seems I didn't receive an invitation!" she sauntered closer to the stage, and Rika stomped an indignant foot.

"Who would invite a wicked witch like you?"

"A wicked witch?" Rimiko echoed. "I wonder who you mean by that." She trailed, climbing the steps in deliberate strides. "I hate being ignored! Now," she purred, "I shall give a blessing to the princess as well. She will live a happy life with her beauty, pride, and kindness, loved by the people of the kingdom. But on her sixteenth birthday, she will be pricked by a needle on a spinner. And she will die!" taking a moment to spread out her cape, she then laughed diabolically before turning and dashing offstage.

"Oh, this is horrible!" Miwa was mock-wailing. "The princess was cursed by the witch! Is there any way to lift the curse?"

"I still have my gift left," Umi reminded. "The princess will prick her finger on a needle from a spinner on her sixteenth birthday. However, she will not die. She will just fall asleep. The princess will be woken with the kiss of someone who truly loves her, and has enough power to break through the witch's evil power."

With the lights went down.

"Hearing the witch's curse, the king called out to burn every spinner in the kingdom." Mizuki continued her narration. "All the countrymen followed his call, and all the spinners were done away with. Sixteen years later, the princess had grown up to be very beautiful."

"Princess?" Miwa called from his throne. "Oh, princess?"

"Okaa-sama." Ami sauntered delicately onto stage. "What is it, okaa-sama?"

"Tonight is your sixteenth birthday party. Hurry up and get dressed." Miwa instructed.

"Hai, Okaa-sama." Ami curtsied and exited.

"The princess returned to her room," Mizuki continued. "There, she found a spinner that was supposedly abolished from the kingdom."

"My, I wonder what this is." Ami stepped forward to daintily touch the spinning needle and collapsed on the ground a spilt second later.

Miwa ran despairingly to her side. "Oh! The princess is dead! My darling princess!" the 'Queen' collapsed with a sob by Ami's side, and the fairies made their appearance again.

"No, your majesty."

"She is only asleep."

"Just like my gift from sixteen years ago."

"Now, all we can do is wait for the young man who will awaken the princess."

"And years passed," Mizuki said into the mike. On stage, the curtains parted to reveal the backdrop of a castle surrounded by dark forest. "A prince arrived at the kingdom."

On cue, Kai marched onto the stage. "This must be that mystic castle," he announced, upon viewing the scenery.

"We've been waiting for you."

"Who is it?" Quickly, he drew her rapier in a defensive stance, but it was only the three fairies, skipping onto stage.

"We are fairies. We've been waiting for a brave young man to come to this castle."

"What?"

"In this castle," Rika explained, "Sleeps a beautiful princess."

"She continues to sleep because of a curse cast by a wicked witch."

"That is a big problem," Kai agreed. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"If you truly feel you want to save the princess..."

"I have this sword, and my courage. I promise that I will dispel the curse from the princess!" he raised his weapon dramatically, the fairies having fled as Kai stood facing Rimiko.

"So you are here, prince!"

"You must be the wicked witch who made the curse."

"All of you!" Rimiko motioned toward Kai. "Get him!"

The students playing her minions rushed forth to attack. Theirs was the most exciting scene in the play, and they played it up perfectly. Kai slashed and struck with his tinfoil weapon, his enemies affecting death as they dropped to the floor. He had not been able to resist adding his own touches to the choreography, and performed an impressive backflip over the heads of the combatants before slaying them all. And for the finale, he pulled his sword away from Rimiko's throat, who imitated an elaborate death gurgle.

"Damn you… Prince." She fell over, and Kai declared enthusiastically.

"I did it! I defeated the witch!"

The stage's lights went out, all except for the lone spotlight shining on Ami bed, centre stage. Kai crossed to stand behind it, gazing with awe at Ami in her blue dress.

"Oh, what a beautiful princess."

"The only thing that can awaken the princess..." Fuu began.

"... Is a kiss from someone who truly loves her."

"If you can truly love the princess, then a kiss..."

Kai nodded to the three.

Ami shut her eyes tighter as Kai leaned over, Miwa silently cheering his best friend on off-stage.

Kai was almost there when a cracking sound from above alerted him. "Look out!" he shouted, pulling his play partner to safety as the glass from the spotlights shattered, the stage lights going totally out. "That's too close." He remarked, the scattered glass carpeted the bed. "Are you alright?" he looked at the trembling girl in his arms.

Ami nodded mutely, "I could've been…" she breathed, wide-eyed as she saw the glass shards.

"Close the curtains!" Chiharu-sensei gave the order.

"Are they okay?" the students asked, the torchlights coming simultaneously on.

"We're fine!" Kai shouted, the light focusing on the young pair.

"Kai, what happened?" Chiharu-sensei went into damage-control mode.

"The stage lights shattered." Kai explained, pointing to the shards on the bed.

"I see." Chiharu-sensei noted.

"Erm, sensei," Miwa started, the overwhelmed Ami fainting in Kai's arms. "Ami's going into shock."

"Get an ambulance!" Chiharu-sensei instructed. "Mizuki, inform the audience we're cancelling the play."

"On it." Mizuki nodded.

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.