The moon gazed down upon the world.

The stars themselves aligned as he swung his arm dramatically as though pulled by an unseen force. Carving a path across the night sky as he posed for no one else to see.

"Everything the night touches is my kingdom." He raised his eyes to the moon at the perfect moment, basking in the way it framed his silhouette. As though in this place of power the words might even contain a profound meaning.

The perfect actions, the perfect timing, the perfect words. Until it would transcend something as mere as the act of roleplaying and he would ascend beyond such petty truths to make it his own new perfect reality.

The sounds of his own footsteps the only thing marring the silence of a single perfect moment.

Thud.

Crash.

The screeching din as shelves were dragged down in the rooms below breaking his scene. The open window a portal to chaos and destruction as a monster beyond all compare tore the world asunder.

Reality was a cruel mistress indeed always eager to rob him of his own dreams. But well Mitsugoshi was an important place and at this hour it might even mean bandits and thieves were trying to rob them. What couldn't be solved with roleplay could always be solved with murder.

He flickered through the open window, eyeing the room around him and sighed. Rather than a fresh faced squad of bandits eager to be slaughtered the room only held Gamma and chaos reminiscent of a bomb having gone off. Every piece of furniture had been overturned and a ring of destruction spread out from where she had fallen. "No doubt any enemy would be foolish to face you, your dedication to expanding your own limits without equal." He reached out a hand to help her up.

The dream of wanting to be a great swordsman would forever be out of her reach. Just like his own dream of wanting to be an eminence in shadow truly eluded him. But even if the truth was cruel it was still fun to reach for your dreams as he watched on as immovable as a mountain. "Truly destructive techniques suit you Gamma would you like me to give you a few pointers."

"I am ever looking to improve." She took his hand and let herself be pulled back to her feet, a slight blush from having been caught doing something so embarrassing. He wouldn't mention it of course because he too felt better when others ignored his shame. "But actually right now I was trying to learn to dance."

He quietly eyed the devastation around them and imagined the room full of noble suitors. Their bodies strewn helplessly after approaching only to be slaughtered without any chance to fight back. "A noble endeavour for Mitsugoshi will have to entertain members of high society as the business grows. I myself have some small skill in the matter and could easily assist you if you need a partner to practice with."

Gamma looked askance around the room. "I'm not very far along and I'm really still at the basics."

The room stood in silent witness to the truth of her words. But he had taught her swordsmanship back in the day and knew full well what to expect. Reaching out his hand through it all regardless. "Even if you were experienced you'll find I always lead, so all you have to do is rely on me."

He extended his hand the perfect image of the shadowy gentleman.

"I'm allowed?" Gamma was always hesitant and embarrassed about her lack of physical ability so he merely nodded. She took his hand and he pulled her closer even as he kept an eye to make sure she didn't fall.

A simple almost smooth movement as she slammed her heel down onto his foot drawing first blood against him for once in her life. He ignored it mere physical pain not enough to take him from the moment even as he guided her hands into place and took charge. Pulling her along to keep her balance where her steps began to falter.

To the left, to the right. Onto his foot once more in the night. Without hesitation or restraint as she lashed out at him by accident. Even simple steps not enough to lead her away from the blows.

But Shadow could not show weakness so instead he forgot everything he knew, the steps one should take and the path he should follow. All of it given up in the art of avoiding the endless rain of knives as Gamma turned every step into a relentless assault on his feet and legs. Kicking and stomping even as he danced ever out of her reach to spare his shins.

Battle was like a dance with ones enemy. So likewise dancing was a battle with ones partner and if he only reacted then wouldn't that be abandoning his image of a cultured figure, as eloquent as he was powerful.

"Now a pirouette." Gamma had never been stable even on two legs, but as she spun and the first leg rose from the ground it became as unto a scythe. A blade tearing its way forward to disembowel him while their hands were locked.

He extended the slime on his glove, letting his body fall away from their clasped hands as it tore just past his midriff, narrowly escaping the injury. Even as the opening involved turned to disaster as sh began to topple from the force of her own blow.

So he swept in smoothly. A single arm reaching out to grasp her waist and turn a catastrophic fall into a gentle swing to the ground. Holding the pose for only a moment before he pulled her back to her feet.

Gamma swung her arms around to hold him. "Can I stay like this for a bit." Gamma leaned in resting on him, because she had to be struggling to find her own footing even as he stood as unmoving as a mountain and thought of the words to say.

"Do not worry for I would not let you fall." For even if she was unsteady she would always be safe in his arms. "As long as you need." He held her in place until she was secure on her feet once more. Then once she'd calmed herself he grinned. "Then shall I take the lead once more?"

He wouldn't bother waiting for an answer as he threw himself back into the full swing of things.

For even if Gamma was not good, she was also resilient enough that even if he tossed her around she would survive. A truth that meant he was more than capable of going all out.

It was a matter of measure. To stand close enough to catch her when she fell, to stand far enough away to dodge if she accidentally tried to murder him.

To stand ever watchful that he might know the difference between the two.

To see every opening in her defence and to refuse to attack. To let down his guard even as he could overturn her defence with ease. Even as he circled once again he realised something true.

There had been something truly lacking in his swordsmanship. Because he was too strong and the enemies were too weak. He had never had the chance to do a back-to-back badasses moment with anyone. Even as he let Gamma twirl and felt her fall back.

His own body moving into place even as he imagined the sword that would cut down all enemies who dared to attack her. Followed by his own rise to catch her as he turned back to face her.

It was inspiration and practice all in one.

Not just to be invincible alone but to puppet the other side as well. His own mastery carried out on two fronts as he threw himself further into the role.

Seeking neither victory nor defeat but only for the show to go on. Regardless of the consequences as he let the truth of the world slip away and swung Gamma around faster. For what she lacked in finesse she more than made up for in invulnerability as he sought the greatest possible pose he could imagine.

But even if it was fun there were greater enemies still waiting to curse his existence. The sun rising in the east as the night slowly came to an end. Time for Shadow to make his leave so that Cid could return to school.

He had gotten too into things but that was fine as he turned to his dance partner. "Gamma we should do this again sometime." Then turned back to the room.

The shattered table that had been clipped when Gamma had gone slightly further than his reach accounted for. The holes in the floor where he'd set her down too heavily and her heels had gone through the floorboards.

"Perhaps in a slightly sturdier room next time." Even as his mind raced for how to escape paying for the damage.

Gamma sheepishly looked around at the destruction and then nodded firmly. "I had already chosen this room for my own practice, so it wasn't like anything of value was here."

"Of course for they are merely transient things and so it is best not to worry about their value." It was a wonderful thing that she said that because he couldn't pay for anything in the room. Only by setting that value to zero could he escape.

Even if it meant that he was never going to be able to ask for payment for these dancing lessons after such a travesty.

Gamma was looking at the ground, a light blush as she was slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry that I wasn't as good at dancing as others."

He thought back to the attacks that could come from any angle. The overwhelming pressure of a slaughter just waiting to be unleashed, it was the closest he had come to a life or death battle in a long time. "Gamma you need not focus only on how others dance for your own was…"

"Mysterious." Every attack she swung was unpredictable as she almost killed him in a dozen different ways.

"Exuberant." Wide swings and powerful attacks that put the full weight of her body into every blow as she'd attempted to kill him.

"Captivating." Because if he took his eyes off of her for even a moment it would all end in catastrophe.

It was not a normal way to dance nor by any means something that other people would enjoy to try. But by that very metric it was more suited to his own sense of aesthetics than any other dancing he had done in his guise to learn as Cid.

A flawed thing still had its charms, a moment that could excite him and force him to grow and adapt to it.

And in comparison courtly dancing was stolid, boring and uninspiring. A conformist act to show you were just like everyone else and so while something that Cid might have had to learn, it was also something that was beneath him as Shadow.

He nodded firmly to himself as he came up with his answer. "Dance is a choice one makes to express oneself and in that manner you are already a master at it. Capable of committing yourself fully into every movement. For those of us who dance in the night isn't it a good thing to move to the beat of your own heart rather than constraining yourself to a boring routine?"

"To follow my steps is far more impressive, for I stand above all others."

He turned to leave before thinking of something at the last moment. "Although Gamma I should warn you to keep this a secret between the two of us for the moment. It is of the utmost importance I hope you understand."

She nodded. "Because it would spark the greatest war imaginable if it were to come out." She kept a straight face throughout the words.

It was only a dancing lesson and wasn't nearly that ostentatious in truth. But the part of him that wanted to roleplay absolutely loved the kind of setting so he nodded in agreement. "Who knows what would be unleashed if such news were to become widespread."

A wonderfully non-committal answer that made it look like he knew exactly what was on her mind. And as he thought it over it did sort of make sense.

Gamma knew well her own capabilities at least. Because if she were to dance with a mere mortal man she would kill them in three moves. By stomping through their foot with heels, by throwing them through a wall. The method of death was less important than the scandal that would immediately ensue.

The most likely partner a noble of station high enough that surely the King would have to intervene and Mitsugoshi would become collateral damage. And then Shadow would have to intervene to rescue her and the Kingdom would crash down in the aftermath. "As you know the consequences nothing more need be said."

For the sake of the kingdom it was better that Gamma never danced with anyone else.

Gamma felt her heart continue to hammer in her chest. A dream come true even if now that the night was over it had to come to an end.

She truly did understand that if it came out that her Lord was giving dance lessons… There was no member of Shadow Garden who would not envy the chance to dance with him. From Alpha at the summit down to even the lower ranking numbers who could pass up such an opportunity?

The war that would erupt within Shadow Garden at such a time would be terrible to behold. Sister fighting against sister until only one remained. All wishing to be closest to him till the end. Such a thing would distract them all from the true war that they needed to fight together. To stand united against the Cult at all times.

So even if she wanted him to stay longer she knew he could not.

So even if she wanted to tell the world she would keep it secret for him.

For secrets were more valuable than any gold and the most important currency that Shadow Garden possessed. From the truth he'd taught them each in turn as they were rescued, to the rules he'd shown her to let her establish a trading company.

A secret shared between only the two of them. A glimpse of his own truth given only to her.

A treasure to be kept close to her heart.

AN: A prompt that I decided I was never going to get into an interlude of my main stories for various reasons, so it is now here as its own standalone piece. Perhaps needs a better name as the last thing that was given to it.

Go out silly romance oneshot.

Next oneshot will probably be Cid Beta for I thought up one for that which is mostly written by now.