(no subject)
Title: Masquerade Ball
Author: Raya
Theme: Cats/ Masks
Genre: Romance
Version: Manga (Silver Millennium)
Rating: G
Word Count: ~3,800
Disclaimer: All characters used below belong to Takeuchi Naoko. I have merely borrowed all of my nieces dolls and forced my cats to attend a big, imaginary party.
Canon, spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections are appreciated. So is constructive criticism and general comments. Please let me know if you see something that you like or that should be corrected. Thanks! - Raya
Masquerade Ball
A/N: Also in honor of National Talk Like A Pirate Day. Sorry, I couldn't get Artemis to do really proper pirate speech, but I tried, hahaha...
"Artemis! You're back!"
The small, white cat looked up from the reports on his desk and gave the blonde woman in the doorway a tired smile. "Hi, Venus," he replied with a small nod. "Yes, I'm back. Everything quiet while I was gone?"
"Yes, sir, arms master, sir," she replied with a jaunty salute. "Or, were you speaking as Minister of Defense?" she added as she tipped her head to the side and raised a slim forefinger to her red lips. "I can never seem to keep that straight."
He snorted a little at her 'cute little airhead' imitation. She had been practicing it on him since she was seven years old, and he was not the least bit fooled. "I've only been a minister for three years now," he teased back as he looked down towards the reports once more. "I guess it's easy for you to forget."
"I'll try harder," she replied with an exaggerated sigh. "Although, maybe I should forget it for at least one more night," she added mischievously.
He looked up, his attention caught by the suppressed excitement in her voice. "What do you mean?" he asked warily.
Her blue eyes widened. "You mean you forgot?" She exclaimed. "Oh Artemis, how could you?"
"Forgot? Forgot what?"
"Princess Serenity will be so disappointed," the young woman said as she shook her head. Her golden hair waved around her body, its highlights glistening brightly in the morning sunlight coming through his office window. "She was so sure you'd hurried back just for her."
"Princess Serenity?" Artemis looked down at his desk and tried to remember any reason the crown princess would have had to want him to come home quickly. His tired mind drew a blank however.
Sailor Venus let the silence stretched out for several long minutes. So long, in fact, he wondered if she had left the room. Finally, just as he looked up, she shook her head. "Her birthday?" she prompted with a gentle, slightly commiserating smile. As his green eyes widened in shock, she continued. "The ball? It's to be a masquerade this year."
He winced, and then brightened. "It's tonight, right? I won't have time to get a costume ready."
She shook her head again. "It's all taken care of," she said. "Mercury and I worked it out."
"What's the point?" he asked irritably. "It's not like you can disguise the only white Mauan on Moon."
Her smile became a hurt look. "The point? The point is to have fun so that the Princess has fun," she chided gently. "Besides," she added, her blue eyes twinkling in a way that made him definitely uneasy, "this year will be different. You'd better get a good nap in. It's going to be a long night."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Several hours later, he was very grateful that she had bullied him into taking that advice. "I'm going as a WHAT?"
"A pirate," Sailor Mercury replied smoothly, unperturbed by his reaction. "It will be perfect! So apparently out of character for you, and yet so you that you'll pull it off effortlessly. And besides," she added with a wink as she pulled a pouffy red shirt, sleek white pants, and several scarves out of her closet, "this way you can carry a weapon."
"Why would I need a weapon?" He asked faintly as he studied the strange outfit. He just could not imagine quiet Sailor Mercury wearing anything that flamboyant. Sailor Venus, perhaps, but not Sailor Mercury.
"Because it will make you feel better," Sailor Venus said from behind him. He looked over his shoulder and watched as she carried a pair of tall, black boots across the room. "I hope these fit," she muttered as she put them on the floor beside Sailor Mercury's outfit. "They were all I could find."
"We'll make them fit," Sailor Mercury said reassuringly.
Suddenly, Artemis shook his head. "I'm not strapping some table knife around my belly," he said firmly. "I am not going to be tripping over it all night."
The two young women laughed. "How about this instead?" Sailor Venus asked as she held up a curved sword. He blinked at it in confusion. "I don't think it looks much like a table knife," she added with a wink.
"I... I can't wear that," he stuttered.
"Why not?" they chorused innocently.
"It's full size!" He stopped, and then shook his head. "You're pulling my tail. All right, I fell for it. What's my real costume?"
"This," Sailor Mercury said as she gestured at the clothes on the bed. He looked at them, and then looked at her. She just smiled back at him.
"That."
"Mmm. This is your pirate costume."
"Mercury... don't you think it looks a bit big for me?" he asked. His heart began to pound furiously. Surely, they didn't know. Surely they could not think...
"Oh, we can take it in if necessary," the blue haired senshi replied. "Jupiter is really good at that sort of thing."
"Umm... it's meant for a human," he pointed out.
"Yep. A slim, trim, human male," Sailor Venus replied. Her sparkling eyes grew serious. "Queen Serenity has agreed to give you the power that you need until the unmasking. If you choose to miss that part, or to see it as a cat, that is your choice."
They did. How did they know? It was one of his closest secrets! Sailor Mercury's calm, knowing, cobalt eyes gave him his answer. Of course she was the one to find it out. He remembered now that she had been studying Mau before he left.
Sighing, he bowed his head. "It takes a lot of energy for me to transform. Are you sure?..."
"We will protect them," Sailor Venus said quietly. "And we will give her what energy we can so that it is not a drain on her."
"If she insists..."
Sailor Venus smiled slightly. "Princess Serenity requested it. And Queen Serenity agreed."
"So be it," he sighed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Two hours later, he surveyed the ballroom. It felt odd to be in his humanoid form. He only wore it rarely since it took so much power to maintain. In fact, on Moon he had only used it a handful of times, all for spying when he had to mingle with a large crowd. He wasn't sure he could go through a whole night in the strange form.
He shook his head a little, and then began to reach up. He stopped himself before he touched the gold scarf that covered the crescent moon brand on his forehead or the fake eyepatch and mustache that Sailor Venus had given him to wear. 'Be comfortable,' he scolded himself. 'Act natural. Confident. Mysterious.' He forced a rakish smile to his lips. 'Have fun with it!'
A flash of iridescent blue across the room caught his eye, and his smile became more natural and appreciative. A slim young lady about Sailor Venus's height stood across from him looking around uncertainly. She was dressed as a faerie in shades of blue and purple. Her feathery oversized mask, long sparkling gown, and large scalloped wings in mottled shades of blue and purple complimented the indigo streaks in her dark, waist length hair.
His smile became an approving smirk as he realized who it must be. 'Sneaky Venus,' he thought to himself as he walked across the room towards her. 'Hiding her distinctive, golden hair that way, very sneaky indeed. No one will ever guess that it is her.'
"Ahoy there, me spritely lass," he said cockily as he sidled up to her. "Know where a thirsty sailor can get a drink in this port?"
The shining blue faerie turned and gave him a curious look. "Were you talking to me?" she asked tentatively.
Artemis knew immediately that he had made a mistake. That soft voice was nothing like any of the senshi's, and with the open neckline of her gown he knew that she was not wearing a voice changing device. He kept his sudden embarrassment off of his face and smiled more brightly. "Aye. I figured a sweet looking faerie such as yourself would know where they were hiding the best nectar." He winked his uncovered eye. "I could be convinced to pilfer you a portion as well in return for your... kindness."
He relaxed a little as he watched a faint blush rush across the lower portion of her face. Casually, he backed up a space so that she would know that he was just teasing.
"Trust the word of a pirate?" she asked flirtatiously as she relaxed as well at his gesture. She tilted her head to one side, and smiled mysteriously. "Now why would I do that?"
"Why, Pirates and Faeries have been allies for centuries," he exclaimed grandly. He gestured widely, and narrowly missed hitting a passing Djinn. The slim blond man glared at him a moment, and then kept walking. "Ever since ol' Blue-Eyed Davey signed the treaty with the Mermaids to guide him safely past the monsters in the Great Sea, we've been depending on fair beauties such as yourself to keep us safe." He bowed elaborately, and then clutched at his throat as he rose. "Please... I'm perishing of thirst," he croaked dramatically. "Save me... Save me..."
The faerie's blue eyes danced with laughter, but she managed to keep it inside. "Oh, Blue-Eyed Davey..." she sighed. She raised her hands up and clasped them in front of her heart as if she were remembering something quite sweet. "That lying, two faced rogue. He owes me thirty silver pieces for a belt."
"Please..." Artemis gasped as he collapsed to his knees beside her and reached out a hand. "Nectar... Grog... Anything alcoholic..."
"I had the design all worked out," she continued, pretending to ignore his plight. "I needed thirty shiny pieces of silver about so big around..." She held her left hand out in front of her, the fingers curved to make a medium sized circle, and contemplated it as he began to make choking noises beside her. Then, she brought her hand to her waist. "They would have made the prettiest belt to go with my dress."
"Wine... Juice... Anything not made with water..."
"Oh, were you thirsty?" she asked in playful surprise. "That's right. You were going to get me something to drink. Spring water sounds delightful, thank you." Her laughter finally broke free at his stricken expression, and she leaned down to whisper into his ear. He tried not to twitch as her feathers tickled his face. "There's a full service bar on the far side of the room. If you brandish your sword over there, I'm sure they'd be willing to give you two of anything you asked for."
Artemis savored her surprisingly musky scent for a moment, and then made a great show of dragging himself back to his feet when she straightened up. "I go!" he exclaimed just loud enough to seem boisterous but not obnoxious. He raised his hand in the air, and began to saunter off. "Off to the well. Do not cry, me beauty! Of course I shall return. A pirate always keeps his word!" He relished the sound of her laughter as he narrowly avoided a tall, brown haired magician. The magician glared at him, and then smirked superiorly as he dismissed the slimmer man.
Artemis quickly returned with two glasses of white wine and a glass of water just in case she had been serious about her preference. The mysterious faerie smiled her thanks and accepted both glasses of wine graciously. When he blinked at her uncertainly, she laughed and exchanged one for the glass of water.
They stood and flirted casually until Artemis heard the music start in the next room. Not bothering to ask for permission and taking great care not to spill her wine, he swept an arm around her back and gently dragged her into the ballroom and onto the dance floor. She protested laughingly, but did not resist.
They danced and laughed and flirted for the next two hours. Around them, people smiled indulgently. The smiles of the four senshi, disguised as thoroughly as Artemis, also held more than a trace of triumph whenever they saw the pirate and faerie together.
“I need to sit down a while,” the faerie finally said laughingly as the orchestra began to play another fast paced song. “My feet are not used to this much standing and dancing.”
Artemis smiled indulgently, and led her to the row of benches set conveniently around the edge of the room. “Would you prefer to stay here or go somewhere quieter?” he asked, slipping out of character for a moment.
Her blue eyes flashed, and he waited impatiently, knowing she had come up with yet another way to tease him. “Trying to carry me off and have your way with me before you return to the Great Sea?” she teased as she sank gratefully down onto the bench. “Careful, you scurvy rogue. We faeries have ways of getting our revenge.”
“I'm guaranteed to be 100% scurvy free,” he protested innocently. His expression turned rakish again. “Among other things,” he added in a lower voice. She shook her head and laughed as he snagged some more water from a passing waiter.
“Oh!” she exclaimed suddenly. Artemis looked at her in surprise, and then turned to follow her gaze. At the top of the stairwell a petite young lady dressed all in white with a large red domino mask on her face stood poised to descend. He recognized her instantly, and frowned when he realized that she had made very little effort to disguise herself.
A movement at the foot of the stairs caught his attention, and Artemis' frown deepened. A tall, dark haired man dressed in a tuxedo and white domino mask stood waiting, obviously ready to act as the princess' formal escort. The problem was, although he, too, was minimally disguised, Artemis did not recognize him at all.
“Oh, the foolish...”
Artemis glanced at his new friend in surprise as she abruptly stood up, a worried expression on her face. “Who is he?” he asked quietly as he gently grasped her arm to keep her in place.
“Prince...” She bit her response off abruptly, and flushed a little. “No one. No one important.”
“Prince Endymion,” he muttered, his sense of unease increasing. He missed the sharp look the faerie gave him. “How did he get here?”
“Are you going to do anything?” she asked softly as they watched the princess descend the steps and coquettishly tease the foreign prince before she accepted his invitation to dance.
Slowly, Artemis shook his head. “He's not doing anything unacceptable. There's no need to create a scene yet. And creating a scene without a good reason will only make things worse.”
The faerie nodded. “In that case, quit staring.” When the pirate stiffened and turned to look at her, she smiled. He noticed that her eyes were no longer shining quite so brightly. “If you keep watching them, you will make them nervous and more likely to do something that you don't want,” she explained more softly. “Besides, everyone in the ballroom is watching them closely. Nothing will happen in any of the public rooms.”
He nodded reluctantly in agreement. “In that case, are you hungry, me beauty?”
Her smile became brighter once more. “I could go for some fish,” she admitted as she held out a hand to him. Chivalrously, he held out his elbow and escorted her out of the room. His shoulders twitched slightly, and he fought the urge to turn and look at the princess and her escort once more. The faerie was right. Nothing was going to happen in the public rooms, and the senshi would prevent anything from happening in the more private hallways and rooms.
Slowly, he and the faerie relaxed. Although they never regained their earlier sense of lightheartedness, they were able to forget most of their worries and enjoy their flirtation once again.
And then, Artemis caught sight of the clock and realized that it was almost time for the unmasking. Worries of how his new friend would react to finding out that he was a cat most of the time quickly replaced his worries about the princess and her unusual escort. 'Should I tell her? Or should I just disappear before the unmasking?' The questions began to circle around and around in his mind.
He had had so much fun with her that night, he almost wished that he had the power to be human all the time. There was something about her that he found surprisingly attractive. He wasn't sure if it was her enticing scent, her sense of humor, or the way that she seemed to understand his need to keep an eye on the princess.
Before he could come to a decision, he found himself in a dim corner of the ballroom. “I had a wonderful time tonight,” the faerie said a little shyly as she put her hands on his forearms. Her smile became a little wry as she continued. “I didn't expect to. My friends tricked me into coming.”
“Mine, too,” he replied with a chuckle. “They came up with my costume and everything.”
She nodded. “Mine, too. But... I enjoyed it.”
“Me, too,” he said more softly, curious as she looked away. 'Now,' he thought to himself. 'Tell her now. This is the perfect time. She won't create a scene. She's too nice for that.'
“Um...” That was all he was able to get out before she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him. His eyes widened in shock as he felt her soft lips press against his briefly.
“Thank you,” she said softly, her face blushing a bright pink. “I have to go now. But if you should ever be in need of a little faerie help on the high seas, you have it, Sir Pirate. Just remember to keep the spring water handy.” Before he could gather his wits to respond, she slipped away from him and out into the sea of dancers on the dance floor.
He shook his head, and quickly turned to follow, but she had vanished. He spent the last few precious minutes before the unmasking searching for her, but all he found were a couple of feathers from her mask. Finally, he slipped into the hallway and retreated to the gardens to escape the noisy celebration. He wasn't interested in seeing anyone else unmasked or in letting out his secret when he removed his own mask.
Little did he know that most of the people in the palace behind him were wearing small crescent moons marks on their foreheads. It had become a popular fashion accessory in the past few weeks, a way for the citizens and nobles to show their loyalty to their rulers who wore the mark continuously.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A few days later, he sat by the fountain in the garden and played idly with one of the blue feathers as he waited for the Queen to be ready for the weekly Council meeting. He had looked all over the palace for a young woman with indigo streaks in her dark hair. He had even made discreet inquiries about women with wigs. He was sure his mystery lady not only resided in the palace but was close to the princess. How else could she have known about the prince? So far, however, he had not had any luck.
He sighed as he tried to think of some other way to approach the problem. He was not willing to give up yet. He had had too much fun at the masquerade ball. If nothing else, his vanishing faerie would make a good dinner companion at all the required state banquets he had to attend.
“Did you snare one of the Queen's birds?” a familiar voice asked. His heart leapt, and his head jerked up as he looked around eagerly. He slumped a little again when he realized that it was just Luna. The small black Mauan gave him an odd smile, and then jumped up to sit beside him on the fountain. “Pretty feather.”
“Mmm,” he said noncommittaly as he looked back down at it, and then picked it up to put it in his report case.
“May I?” she asked tentatively. He looked at her in surprise, and then laid it down on the fountain wall between them. “It's beautiful. I bet it would match the new wall decoration that Mars gave me. Where did you find it?”
“Oh, it was laying around after the princess' masquerade ball,” he replied breezily as he watched her inspect it. “Someone must have lost it off of their costume.”
“A pretty someone?” she asked, and then quickly turned away. “Sorry, how silly of me. How would you know?”
“Well, I did see a young lady at the ball with feathers similar to this on her mask,” he said with a smile as he reached out to touch the feather. “And she was quite pretty.”
Luna was silent as she watched him out of the corner of her eye for a long moment. Finally, she stood up and jumped down to the ground once more. “I think they're about ready for us now,” she said, changing the subject. Artemis looked up at her, hummed an agreement, and bent down to pick up the feather once more.
“I hope you find her,” she said over shoulder. When he gave her a surprised look, she gave him a small smile. “She seems to have made quite an impression on you. You looked like you were lost at sea.” She paused for a fraction of a second, and then continued. “Good thing there is some spring water behind you. Perhaps if you bottled a little of it, someone might come help you.”
He stared after her as she turned to walk off. 'It couldn't be...' he thought breathlessly. 'It's just a coincidence. But, that's not a common association, at least not on Moon.' He paused as a soft breeze blew a musky scent towards him. 'Not on Moon,' he realized, 'but on Mau...'
The enormity of his discovery took several long moments to sink in, and then happiness began to bubble through his soul. Not only had he found his faerie, he had learned her secret as well. No wonder she had run off before the unmasking. Like him, she had not wanted to give away her abilities.
Quickly, he looked around the fountain, and then sagged in disappointment. Of course there were not bottles laying conveniently around. He would have to come back later to capture a small amount of spring water. He had a faerie to summon.