The dream was vivid—more than a mere vision, it felt like a memory woven into the fabric of time itself.
Kaguya stood on the desolate plains of Mars, the ground beneath her feet pulsing with the embers of an eternal fire. The sky burned red, filled with drifting cinders that never settled. And before her stood a man cloaked in shadow and flame—Prince Dark, heir to the Martian throne, the forbidden prince whose existence was whispered about in court but never spoken of aloud.
His violet eyes, the color of twilight, held her in place as he reached for her.
"Kaguya…" His voice was smoke and silk, calling her name like a prayer.
She lifted her hand, fingers trembling as they neared his.
"Why do you call me?" she whispered, drawn to him despite herself.
Dark smirked, that knowing, arrogant tilt of his lips that sent shivers down her spine. "Because you already know the truth."
Before she could ask what he meant, before she could stop herself, their lips were mere breaths apart—
Kaguya awoke with a gasp.
Her heart thundered in her chest as moonlight streamed through her ornate balcony, illuminating the soft silver sheets tangled around her legs. The dream still lingered, warmth on her lips that had never been kissed.
"Prince Dark…" she murmured, hand rising to touch her mouth, but a sharp sound jerked her from her daze.
A noise—soft, but distinct.
Kaguya's entire body went rigid. Someone was in the palace.
She sat up, instincts sharpened by years of training. Reaching beneath the silken covers, she grasped the hilt of the Sacred Sword, the blade of her lineage. The metal was cool beneath her fingertips as she slid from the bed, moving silently, listening.
Another sound—near the Hall of Treasures.
Her pulse quickened. The Silver Imperium Crystal.
Without hesitation, she slipped into the moonlit halls, padding barefoot as she held the Sacred Sword close. The corridors were empty, but the air hummed with something foreign—his presence.
She arrived just in time to see him.
A tall, dark figure stood before the pedestal where the Silver Crystal was kept, the glow of the artifact illuminating his features. Even in the dimness, she recognized Prince Dark of Mars, the very same man from her dreams, his midnight hair tousled, his form clad in black and crimson. His fingers were inches from the crystal, a gloved hand stretching toward it.
"Thief," she thought. Or something more?
But before she could act—
"In the name of Athena, stand down!"
A new voice echoed through the chamber as Commander Satoshi of Mercury appeared, his uniform pristine, his icy blue eyes blazing. He raised a hand, magic crackling at his fingertips.
A surge of energy shot toward Dark—silver chains of Mercury's binding magic lashing out.
Dark barely turned before the spell struck, magical cuffs snapping shut around his wrists, binding him mid-motion. He grimaced, baring his teeth in frustration as the chains tightened.
Satoshi stepped forward, a victorious gleam in his calculating eyes.
"You should have stayed in the shadows, Marsian," he taunted. "Breaking into the Moon Palace? Even you must know that's a death sentence."
Kaguya's breath caught.
Dark had been caught—no, he was about to be executed.
Without thinking, she called upon her magic.
A shimmer of silver light bloomed around her fingertips. With a flick of her wrist, an invisible thread of energy dispelled Satoshi's chains, unraveling them into pure light.
Dark vanished.
Kaguya barely had time to react before—
He appeared in her room.
The space rippled with power as Dark stumbled, the abrupt teleportation making him momentarily off-balance. His violet eyes, burning with defiance and something unreadable, snapped toward her.
Kaguya took a step back, her grip tightening on the Sacred Sword.
Outside, in the hall, she could hear Commander Satoshi's furious curses.
She had just saved a thief.
And invited darkness into her sanctuary.
XXX
Kaguya stood motionless, the weight of the moment pressing down on her as Prince Dark of Mars caught his breath in her dimly lit chamber. The silver glow of the moon spilled through her balcony, casting long shadows across the polished marble floors.
He sat on the edge of her bed, his head in his hands, his normally impish smirk nowhere to be seen. Instead, he looked exhausted—defeated.
Kaguya tightened her grip on the Sacred Sword, willing herself to stay calm. She had just rescued a criminal. A notorious thief. A Martian prince shrouded in scandal and whispers.
And yet…
"Why did I save him?"
Dark exhaled deeply before finally speaking, his voice low and rough.
"I didn't come here to steal for myself, Princess." His fingers curled, as if trying to grasp something intangible. "I need the Silver Imperium Crystal… to stop the Sun."
Kaguya blinked. "The Sun?"
Dark lifted his gaze, violet eyes flickering with urgency.
"My brother, Krad of Venus, has fallen to Chaos. He's trying to use a solar flare to release something—something ancient and terrible."
Kaguya gasped softly. Krad of Venus. She knew that name well. He was the golden prince of the planet of love, admired by all, shining like the dawn itself. But to hear Dark claim he was an agent of Chaos? That he sought to unleash an unspeakable evil?
"Impossible," she whispered, shaking her head. "Prince Krad is—"
"A serpent wrapped in gold," Dark interrupted bitterly. "I tried to warn the Queen. I came to the Moon Kingdom as a prince, not a thief, and begged for an audience. But she wouldn't even hear me out." He let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Guess my reputation caught up with me."
Kaguya felt a pang in her chest. Her mother, Queen Serenity, was kind but firm, unmoved by those she deemed untrustworthy. And Dark… well, he was a legend among thieves.
Dark rubbed his temples. "So, I did the only thing I could—I tried to take the Silver Imperium Crystal."
His voice faltered.
"But I couldn't even touch it."
Kaguya's gaze dropped to his hands. The backs of his fingers were blackened, scorched with the rebound energy of the crystal.
A surge of sympathy washed over her. Without thinking, she crossed the room and knelt before him.
"Let me see."
Dark hesitated but slowly extended his hands.
Kaguya took them gently in her own, her fingers cool against his fevered skin. She focused her magic, letting a soft silver glow spread from her palms, washing away the scorched marks. As the burns faded, Dark exhaled a shaky breath, his tension easing beneath her touch.
"Only the Queen can use the Crystal," she murmured, still holding his hands. "It rejects all others."
Dark sighed, tilting his head back, looking almost… lost.
"Then we're doomed."
Kaguya frowned. No. There had to be another way.
Dark suddenly looked at her, his expression unreadable, his violet eyes gleaming in the moonlight. Slowly, he reached up and cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing over her skin with surprising tenderness.
"Or maybe not." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Maybe you, Princess, are the only one who can save us all."
A shiver ran down her spine.
Their gazes locked, the air between them charged with something unspoken—something inevitable.
And in that moment, Kaguya knew: her fate had just entwined with Prince Dark's.
XXX
Kaguya swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest as Dark's hand lingered on her cheek.
His touch was warm despite the darkness that followed him, despite the reputation that had preceded him. She had always imagined thieves to be cold, calculating—but this man, this Prince of Mars, burned with fire, both in spirit and in sorrow.
"Maybe you, Princess, are the only one who can save us all."
The words still rang in her ears, weighty with a destiny she hadn't yet grasped.
But she couldn't afford to hesitate.
"Tell me everything," she whispered. "If what you're saying is true, we must stop Krad before it's too late."
Dark studied her for a long moment, as if weighing her sincerity. Then, with a smirk that was almost self-deprecating, he exhaled and leaned back on her bed, stretching his arms behind his head.
"You're braver than I thought, Moon Princess," he mused, amusement lacing his tone. "Most people would've turned me in by now."
Kaguya frowned. "Is that what you want? To be thrown in a dungeon?"
Dark scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Hardly. I prefer freedom, thanks."
She crossed her arms. "Then stop wasting time and tell me the truth."
His smirk faded. A strange expression flickered across his face—something almost… vulnerable.
"The truth?" he echoed, his voice quieter now.
Then, sitting up slowly, he held her gaze and spoke with an unwavering certainty that sent chills down her spine.
"I'm not just a prince, Kaguya." His violet eyes glowed in the dim light.
"I'm Kaitou Dark."