*does a dogeza* I'm so so so sorry for the delay! I started school on the 19th and things have been crazy prior to and since then. A thousand thanks to all my reviewers, especially reviewergirl, who has been kind enough to review all of my Skip Beat fics. I wish that I could thank you personally for your overwhelming love! You made my day by noticing the color scheme on the horses. ^^

And, yes, I love potato pancakes. I do not own Skip Beat; I don't even have a potato pancake, for Pete's sake! Why would I own Skip Beat if I don't even have a potato pancake? *sighs* Please enjoy and then go try a potato pancake! :D PM me for a recipe or ask in the review, if you don't have a recipe of your own. ^^

He offered her his arm, and she, still blushing madly, placed his hand on her waist. He became the personification of the 'large smile' emoticon. "Shall we return to the carriage, so that we may continue with the day's adventures?"

She gave a slight nod, her face a lovely shade of fuchsia as part of her consciousness berated her for her forwardness and lack of propriety. "We shall."

Ren beamed even more brightly, Kuon breaking through, and decided to test his luck. Without giving her any warning, he twirled her so that he was holding both sides of her waist. Then, laughing, he lifted her off her feet and spun her in a circle in the air – just as he had seen his father spin his mother countless times during his childhood. To his surprise and joy, a confused laugh escaped her lips.

"What are you doing?" Her eyes were crinkled in laughter, and her hands were braced against his shoulders. Behind them, the carousel started again. He set her on her feet, stepped back, and extended a hand.

"May I have the honor of dancing with you, my princess?"

She bit her lip, laughter still dancing in her eyes. She felt free, freer than she'd ever felt with another human; the liberation coursing through her veins was something only known to her in the company of faeries. The boyish joy in her knight's eyes egged her on, and she would have sworn, in that moment, that she felt wings flutter on her back. Her hand found his. "You may."

They did not waltz; they did not foxtrot; they did not do any sort of traditional dance befitting their outfits. Rather, they danced in a way that matched Kyoko's character as princess of faerie land, of what Ren had called Cor Meum. The dance matched the freedom coursing through her veins; he was certain that some of it infected him, made him drunk on something unnamable. They were dancing almost on air, so quick were their movements, and so wild; her skirts were flying, his cravat ruffling in the wind; they laughed together. Kuon was out in full force, now, the Kuon of years gone by… the Kuon whom Ren had thought had disappeared forever on the night all light had been extinguished from his world. It was amazing, really, how easily his faerie princess had flown back into his world and brought light to his darkened eyes… how she'd given him someone for whom to live again, and someone to really be again. Her arms were around his shoulders, and he held her above the ground in something that would have, in any other situation and with any other people, been a lover's embrace. She pushed back, light shining in her eyes, and his heart burned. She was so, so, so very close… it would be so easy….

He set her on her feet again, and spun her by the hand. She danced away from him, a teasing smile gracing her lips; he chased after and caught her, holding her to him before he could remember himself.

The song ended.

He should pull back, bow like any good knight would do after dancing with his princess, like any decent prince would do – but he could not. When would he next get the chance to hold her like this again, if ever?

Her grip on his cravat tightened slightly. She should pull back and curtsy to her dance partner, like a princess should after dancing with… with her prince, her knight. It was only proper…. Her head rested against his chest.

He needed to draw back; Kuon was pushing to hold her forever, and Ren was not giving a remotely convincing reason not to do so.

She must pull back; the music had ended, and her heart was about to burst.

In the end, it was a giggling conversation of a pair of preteen girls who brought them back to reality. The two were blushing lightly as they tittered, whispering back and forth none-too-quietly about how lucky the girl was, and didn't the guy look positively scrumptious?

"Look at how they're dressed! Do you think that they lost a bet or something?" the first girl asked.

"Nah, it's probably for the girl's sake. Look how happy she is in his arms!" sighed her friend, who was holding a stuffed frog.

The first girl hugged a stuffed angel fish to her chest and moaned, "I'm so jealous! Why can't any of the guys we know be like that?"

"Like what – gorgeous?" frog-girl inquired.

Fish-girl shook her head. "Yeah, no – he was willing to dress up for her. He's probably really embarrassed, but he looks really happy, too."

"They look so good together," sighed frog-girl. "Like something straight out of a shojo manga."

"You and your manga," laughed fish-girl, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "But I get your point."

"I think that they heard us," frog-girl announced, observing the red-faced Ren and Kyoko as they broke apart to bow and curtsy, respectively. "Aw, they're embarrassed. How cute!"

"I wonder how long they've been dating. That seems like the kind of thing a super-romantic guy would do before he proposes."

At this, they conversation was interrupted by Kyoko and Ren's synchronized splutter. The preteen girls left, giggling, now certain that they were right. The air between the faerie princess and her prince was suddenly quite awkward. Ren blinked a few times, and then extended his arm to an obviously flustered and mentally panicking Kyoko. "To the carriage then, my princess?" he inquired of her, his voice slightly weak with awkwardness.

This form of address snapped Kyoko out of her mental self-scolding, and she nodded. "O-Of course, sir knight."

After a few moments more spent in awkward silence, Ren added, "If you are worried, princess, fear not: I am not yet planning to propose. This is, after all, a cheer-up day, when I shall do my best to treat thee precisely as thou deserve." 'Yet' being the key word, he added mentally. Perhaps there could be a repeat of this day, far in the future, and he could propose at the end of it? After all, he'd already given the symbol to her, even if she did not realize it…. At least he would know that he'd given one to her, should she never accept its true meaning, nor the roles it symbolized… if she never accepts him.

Cutting off that steadily more gloomy train of thought, he handed Kyoko into the 'carriage' and then got in on the opposite side. Kyoko, meanwhile, was not sure which part of Ren's miniature speech she should be panicking over the most at the moment: the fact that he continued to call her a princess, the statement that he was not yet planning to propose (this filled her with equal measures of relief and disappointment for reasons she was unable to fully fathom), or the fact that he'd stated that he was trying to treat her as he believed she deserved to be treated. She… she was just Kyoko… so why was he treating her like a princess, if today was a day for her to be treated 'as she deserved'? Was he honestly delusional enough, ridiculously kind enough to believe that someone like her… that someone like her deserved to be treated like a princess? It just didn't seem possible, and yet…

Yet. Her train of thought abruptly switched tracks. He said he wasn't 'yet' planning to propose… as if he thought he would propose someday in the future. She shook her head; she was being ridiculous. He just put it that way because it made the syntax of the sentence work better, right?

"Buckle up, princess. It would not do for thee to be injured."

Then why does he look at me like that? She shielded her eyes and buckled her seatbelt. It's just part of his character, right?

Ren smiled at her and turned on the car; the Disney music started up again, and "The Circle of Life" continued playing.

…Right? She glanced out the window, and was distracted. "Oh my gumdrops!"

Ren, who had been about to start driving, shifted the gear back into park. "Pardon?"

"They have potato pancakes!" his princess gasped, pointing out the window at a small booth he'd not noticed prior to their riding the carousel. "Father told me about them – he said that they were really good! I wonder what they're doing here in Japan; they're traditionally a German food, you know."

"Would you like to get some?" her prince queried, easily sliding his question into her stream of informative babbling.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly impose, and I'm afraid that my wallet is with my street clothes."

"What kind of knight would I be if I let a lady – a princess, no less – pay for her own food? It goes against my code of chivalry, the one that I swore to you!" he declared, and shut off the car. Before she could speak another word, he was assisting her out of the car and escorting her over to the potato pancake stand.

"Behold: The snack of royalty!" he exclaimed, once they were seated on a small bench under a tree with a steaming stack of potato pancakes between them. The person running the booth had been startled by their appearance, but had been willing to play along with the charade as long as he got paid, with an added tip for keeping his mouth shut.

Kyoko bit into one, and Ren saw her entire body go at least partially limp from the flavor. He grinned; she always made food seem more delicious, even if she was the only one actually tasting it. This, of course, changed shortly. She looked at him – eyes shining to the point that he had to look away – and insisted that he try one. "They're too delicious to keep all to myself!"

"But did I not say that it was a snack of royalty?" he inquired of her, almost challengingly.

"Aren't most knights of noble blood?" she shot back, taking another pancake from the stack and holding it in front of his face.

"Noble, yes; royal, no." His eyes danced with mischief over the pancake as her brow furrowed; she summoned up her nerve.

"Then this is a royal command. Would thou make a lady – nay, a… a princess – eat unaccompanied?" At his mildly stunned expression, her voice softened. "Did ye not say, sir knight, that thou wouldst keep me in good company this day?"

"I did," he admitted, and took a bite from the pancake that she still held in front of his face. She squeaked; he chuckled internally as he chewed. "There are rather good."

She nodded furiously and snatched her hand back, leaving the rest of the pancake to dangle from between his teeth. As she busied herself with another of the pancakes, he slowly pulled the one she'd given him into his mouth and observed as the tips of her ears grew steadily redder. This intrigued him; had he ever seen her ears go red before? Was she blushing, or had she gotten a sunburn during their morning in the park? Without truly thinking, he reached out and brushed her hair behind her ear to get a better look.

She stiffened at his touch. In the human realm, this gesture might simply be considered tender, which was bad enough… but in the faerie realm, this was downright intimate. Her ears had always been more sensitive than most humans' ears… and to have this man touch one of them while she was playing a princess of the faerie realm…! "S-Sir knight… what dost thou do?"

Ren snapped back to reality, and hastily withdrew his hand. "My apologies, my princess. I was simply concerned – your ears are red, and I thought that you might have a sunburn, so I was investigating." He would not say that he was hoping that she was blushing because of him.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and he shifted uneasily. "Thou would do well to remember the rules of intimacy, sir knight. Or were thee not thusly informed when thou crossed over from the human realm?" It was in-character for a princess to instruct someone in the rules of propriety, right?

"I… am afraid that the boundaries were different in the land of my birth," he replied, unconsciously taking a potato pancake from the stack and folding it in half. It was true, even if she thought that he was referring to the human realm in general and not the USA. "If thou would be so kind as to instruct me, my princess?"

She nodded slowly, and dusted her fingertips over the points of her ears – the ones the make-up artists had put in place, as per Ren's request. "In the faerie realm, ears are… far more intimate than hands…" she paused, and swallowed slightly before continuing, "…than lips, even. To touch a faerie's ears in any way is to declare your intentions towards her. Frequently…" she paused again, and dipped her head so that he could not see the blush on her cheeks. She'd been studying faerie folklore more deeply as of late, which she enjoyed; but to have to recount it, especially to this man, her knight… her prince… that feat was a bit too much for her to bear.

"Frequently?" he whispered, the folded potato pancake still in his fingers; even his cheeks were warm from what she had told him. As far as he could tell, his simple gesture had been more intimate than a kiss in the faerie realm…and she was a princess of the faerie realm that day. A part of him egged him to kiss her and be done with it, as he'd already crossed the line – what further damage could he possibly do?

She swallowed awkwardly. "Frequently, in the lower classes, a faerie couple will rub each other's ear tips in front of their families to announce an engagement to wed."

"Oh." He blinked, not quite sure how to respond to this information. The potato pancake crumbled in his hand, and fell onto the skirt of her dress.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, hurriedly picking off the potato bits before they could stain her dress.

This snapped him back to reality – his future proposal now having a new detail – and he helped her remove the potato, apologizing for his misunderstanding all the while. "I wouldn't want to do anything before you were ready for it."

She kept her eyes low, for once unable to misinterpret the meaning of his words. "It's quite alright, as long as you understand, my…" she shook her head, cutting off the dangerous form of address; she was not ready to accept the second half of his offer – not yet! "…sir knight. As long as you understand."

"Of course," he replied softly, and then gestured at the remaining two potato pancakes in a wildly transparent attempt to lighten the mood. "Er – would you like another pancake?"

She smiled slightly, and nodded. "Only if you eat the other one."

He chuckled and relented to her whim. "As you wish."

"You say that frequently," she noted, eating one of the last two pancakes and pushing the other towards him.

"Have you ever seen a human movie – or read a book – called The Princess Bride?" he queried in reply, reluctantly picking up the pancake.

"No, I've not, sir knight. I have little time to spend in the human realm these days."

"In that case, I shall view the movie with you at some point in the future."

She agreed, and the final pancakes were consumed in good cheer. They then returned to the carriage; he checked his pocket watch as he opened her door. "When are you due back to your kingdom, my princess?"

"Ah – midnight, I believe; that is the traditional hour. What bell is it now?"

"It's the seventh human bell. Would you care for some dinner?" It pained him to ask this, but he knew that she appreciated three square meals a day.

She deliberated for a moment. "Perhaps at the next full bell?"

"Eight?"

"Yes, so we can say that we ate at eight."

He chuckled. "Would you care to go out for food, or perhaps order in and unwind from the day?"

She shifted in her seat, adjusting her admittedly aching feet. It had been a fun day, and it was not over yet, but simply sitting for a little while sounded appealing. "I would like to unwind in a more private setting, if you do not mind."

"Of course I do not." He was far too busy rejoicing over the fact that she actually preferred to be in private with him to mind much of anything.

"I could cook for us," she offered. "It's the least that I can do."

"Today is a day for cheering you up; you shouldn't have to lift a finger. If you'll allow me to be selfish…" He gave an awkward smile, and continued, "…I'd feel better if I knew that you weren't going to any trouble or worry about me. This is supposed to be your day, and I'm honored to spend it with you."

"I…" This sudden, dangerous statement robbed her of her protests, and she nodded. "Th-Thank you."

"You're quite welcome. Now, since we have an hour, would you care to drop by one last place?"

She nodded, and he started up the car. "Where are we going this time?"

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, with a playful sparkle in it that she found far too appealing for her own good. "We're going to go have your royal portrait taken."

"Royal…portrait?" She found herself suddenly breathless at the prospect. It would be proof - unshakeable proof - that this amazing day had actually happened. She would have evidence of her day as a faerie princess, with her… her prince at her side.

"Yes. Unfortunately, there's not enough time for paint, so we'll be using cameras for your portrait."

"My portrait?" Yes, she knew she sounded dim, but she was in something of a shock; and yet… "What about you?"

"Would you like me to be in them?"

"Well… they are royal portraits, after all…." She turned to the window, her face heated. Normally, she would have been able to mask this, but now, after today… was it even possible anymore?

"Yes, and I'm just a knight."

She murmured something, after a few minutes of softly playing Disney music had passed.

"What was that, my princess?"

"But didn't you say that you could be both?" she whispered, still gazing out the window.

He pulled into the photography studio's parking lot and shut off the car. "Are you referring to the second part of my offer?"

She was silent for a few long moments, and then murmured, "Yes."

"And… would you like me to be?"

He could see her almost bittersweet smile reflected in the dim reflection of her window. "Haven't you always been?"

"Nothing would please me more." For now, for always.

"Then you… y-you will be in the portraits as well."

She did not need to turn around to know that the smile he gave her was infinitely more powerful than any she'd ever experienced. But why? Why would something with such… such obvious implications, even to the point where she could understand them, make him happy when she accepted? That… wasn't possible. It just wasn't…

Was it?

Perhaps, one of her angels whispered. Perhaps it's possible. Perhaps he's serious… consider how he looks at you, Mistress. Consider how well he treats you. It's possible, Mama… it's likely, even, that he means it.

She swallowed, and realized that Ren was waiting patiently to help her out of the carriage. Stuttering an apology that he waved away – he could see the hint of mental progress in her eyes – she took his hand and allowed him to help her up. "Thank you."

His smile was tender, but his hands fidgeted. Would it be proper, given what had just been said, to put his hand back on her waist? Would it be better to not try his luck, and simply extend his arm to her? In the end, he settled for placing one of his hands in the small of her back to guide her; she needed both hands to hold the front of her skirts while she climbed the stairs, after all. They entered the studio, and were met by a nervous-looking photographer.

"Reservation for Tsuruga," Ren informed the man, "for royal portraits."

"Y-Y-Yes, Tsuruga-sama, of course, sir! Right this way, p-please!" the photographer stuttered, his fingers twitching rapidly as he bowed to them. Ren shrugged, half-smiling, at Kyoko.

"Do you get that frequently, P-Prince…Ren?" she inquired softly, her question inquiring more about the form of address than the reaction.

"Quite so, Princess Kyoko," he beamed in return, silently telling her that it was perfectly alright to address him in such a manner. His dreams would be beautiful torture for the next month; that much was assured, after spending this day in her company. She'd said his given name – his stage name, yes, but his given name all the same.

Her ear tips turned red at that, and remained so until they'd followed the photographer into the room of the shoot. At that point, all non-la-la thoughts were forcibly expelled from her brain.

"It's… it's Corn's clearing…."

He nodded, and sat down on the replica of the rock he'd liked to sit on in that clearing.

"But…how…?"

A smile, almost sad, ghosted his lips. "You describe things very well, my princess. I just did my best in directions for reproducing it."

"But it's perfect," she breathed, awed. "Thank you. Thank you so much!"

At which point he received a cruelly short hug before she danced off among the faeries. But she had hugged him. She, Kyoko, had hugged him! Of her own free will, without a single prompt! He stared at her somewhat dazedly, and the photographer – who happened to be a recent addition to Lory's circle – snapped a few shots of the scene.

"Wh-Whenever y-you're ready, w-we can be-g-gin."

Kyoko snapped out of la-la land abruptly, apologized for holding up the proceedings, and then inquired where she was to stand. The photographer – shaking madly – had Ren stand up and positioned him slightly behind Kyoko, and to her right. He then had Kyoko lean slightly back against him, so that her tiara would better catch the light. Neither of them needed to be told to smile for the camera, though of course Kyoko was smiling because of her faeries.

Next, the photographer instructed them to stand by the artificial stream, as if watching something dance in the water. When Kyoko had descended into la-la land again – she'd spent quite a lot of time there today – the shaking man instructed Ren to stand behind her, looking over her head, and wrap his arms around her waist. Ren was especially pleased to do this, particularly when Kyoko only temporarily stiffened in his embrace before using his arms as support to lean closer to the water faeries. He sighed, content to stay like this until the faeries truly came to carry them both home – and even that wouldn't be long enough.

Forever and a day, is it? he mused, tucking his nose into the crook of her neck and breathing in deeply. She smelled of makeup and new grass, plus something uniquely Kyoko. He wanted to devour her, to love her, to make her see what she could do, show her how amazing she was. He wanted to be free to hold her like this always, without a camera as an excuse. Forget forever and a day. I want infinity with Kyoko.

She leaned back and smiled at him almost upside-down, and he had to restrain himself to kissing her nose. The photographer got the shot; her ears burned with heat. She looked away, shy, and the photographer directed them to the next pose, which only worsened her mental panic. It was something more of a traditional royal portrait, but they'd been posed as if they were betrothed, side by side and hand in hand. Ren's glowing smile did not help.

"Is anything wrong, my faerie princess?"

She looked up from their entwined hands and shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing at all." Which she meant, though even she did not know it, and would not know it for quite some time.

The photographer bid them farewell, as their hour was up, and the royal almost-couple walked back to the entrance hall, their hands still entwined for reasons unfathomable to Kyoko. Had he gotten that caught up in the photo shoot, to think that they were engaged –or that their characters were, at least?

"You are beautiful, you know."

"Eh?" She blinked, startled by his seemingly random announcement. "No, I—"

"Here, I'll prove it," he said, dragging her over to a mirror hanging on the wall.

"But that's just—"

"Now repeat after me," he instructed, placing her directly in front of the mirror.

"After me," she parroted.

He grinned, and then began the commonly-misquoted spell. "Magic mirror on the wall…"

"Magic mirror on the wall…" This is cruel; why prove something that I know to be true? The image in the mirror is going to change… perhaps this is to keep me humble, so that I don't misunderstand his intentions?

"…who is fairest of them all?" he whispered, and then stepped away from her, out of the mirror's reflective range.

"…who is fairest of them all?" she repeated, eyes dull, and awaited the impending image change. When, after a few moments, it did not, she announced, "The spell didn't work."

"What makes you say that?" he inquired, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"The image… it didn't change. It's just showing me."

He smiled, and stepped behind her once more; he dared to slip his arms loosely around her waist. "The spell worked, my princess. It worked perfectly."

"B-B-But-!" she spluttered; he took heart from the fact that she was not fighting to get out of his loose embrace. She hadn't seemed to notice it, either, but a small victory is still a victory.

"Magikarp, right?" he grinned, meeting her eyes in the mirror.

"Yes! Exactly!" she exclaimed, unaware that a new inside joke had been born for the two of them.

He, however, was aware, and enjoyed it immensely; inside jokes always seemed to have some sense of intimacy, particularly with someone as guarded as Kyoko. "I'll keep that in mind, then."

She glanced away from his reflected heavenly light; why did he sound so tender? More importantly, why did he insist that the spell worked when it so obviously hadn't? Had he really been that fooled by the makeup magic and the costuming? But then, magic wouldn't be fooled so easily… why? Why did he think – or say, at least – that the spell worked? Besides, hadn't he said before…?

"P-Prince Ren," she whispered, shifting her weight but not stepping out of his loose embrace, "when you were teaching me how to walk like a model, for Natsu, you said that you were teaching me techniques from someone who was praised as the most beautiful woman in the world. The spell can't have worked, because it would have shown her if it had."

His arms tightened around her momentarily, and he was gripped even more tightly by the desire to assure that she did not misunderstand him. "This mirror's spell works specifically for unmarried women. I… I was talking about my mother that time. She's a model, and is probably working on her own fashion designs by now."

"You don't know?"

"No. Actually, I've not spoken to her in five years."

"Why?" she murmured this, afraid to pry yet too curious not to ask.

"I…" He closed his eyes; this was neither the place nor the time. "I'm sorry. I can't tell you yet."

"I-I'm so sorry for intruding on your privacy! I—" She attempted to drop into a dogeza, but was stopped by his tightened embrace.

"It's fine. I do want to tell you eventually, just not… not now. Sometime soon, but… I don't want to taint today, and it would all take too long to explain." With great effort, he smiled at her in the mirror. "But don't worry about it. I'm fine – after all, I have the honor of attending my princess."

She allowed him to spin her away from the mirror and onto his arm, the way they'd walked as of late; she then imitated his habit of the day. "As you wish."

He stumbled slightly, but was able to regain his equilibrium before anything unfortunate occurred. She's never read nor seen it, he reminded himself silently. She doesn't know what it means – she doesn't know that "as you wish" means "I love you." Still, to hear those words from her lips…. He smiled at her, waving away her worried queries. "Shall we go to my quarters, then, my princess?"

She ducked her head, and for a moment seemed almost as shy as if she knew the meaning of her prior words. "That would be pleasant, sir… prince." Then she smiled at him, erasing any worries he'd held about her not enjoying this day. "What shall we be eating?"

"Does Chinese food sound good, or would you prefer Italian, or something else?" he asked in return as they entered the car.

She deliberated for a moment. "As much as I love Italian, I feel that it would be too messy. Perhaps you could choose a cuisine?"

"Do you like Middle Eastern food? Lebanese, in particular?"

"I don't know, as I've never had it. It doesn't specialize in frog legs, does it?"

"Not that I'm aware of. It usually has lighter fare, but can be very filling. Have you ever had lamb?"

"Only once, on a special occasion at the ryokan." She said this carelessly, as if the place no longer held much – if any – pain for her.

He took heart from this. "There's a menu in the glove box, I think. Yashiro-san put it there after we stopped at the restaurant for lunch one day."

"It looks good," she commented, flipping through it. "Hmm…"

You're adorable. He thought this, but did not say it; he could not read her emotions and focus on driving at the same time. After she'd decided what she wanted to eat and called in their orders on Ren's phone, he asked, "Would you like to change back into plebian attire before we eat, so we don't have to worry about getting humus on our costumes?"

She looked down at her wonderful princess dress and twisted the fabric slightly in her hands. Her feet kicked out from under the skirts long enough to show their shine before disappearing again; one of her hands reached up and traced her tiara. Truly, it made sense; she didn't want to risk getting something so wonderful messy. "I suppose so," she sighed.

"If you like, you could store the dress itself in the closet of the guest bedroom; I'm guessing that it would take up too much room in your closet at home, yes?"

"Oh, I couldn't impose—"

"Would it?" he pressed, turning onto the next street.

"Yes," she admitted, smoothing the skirts. "Thank you. I think that I have enough room for the tiara and shoes, though."

"And the makeup," he reminded – rather, informed – her. "The stylists at Telling said that you could keep the makeup that they used on you today. The containers are in the same bag as your clothes."

"The makeup…?" she asked, her voice tiny with awe. "I get to keep the makeup?"

He nodded, and pulled into the parking lot of the Lebanese food take-out place. "The stylist said that it's just basic sanitation; everyone keeps the makeup that is used on them, particularly with more elaborate treatments."

Her eyes glowed, and she went into near-raptures of happiness. He was forced to leave the car – telling her to wait just a moment, as he was merely going to fetch the food – to avoid doing something that would cross her boundaries. He'd made so much progress that day already; it would be horrible if it were to somehow reset. The bell rang as he walked into the restaurant, and he was severely stared at by the restaurant's patrons. There were few problems, however, and soon the bell was ringing again as he walked back out to his love. What he saw made him unsheathe his sword and attack – or would have, had Kyoko (who had apparently gotten out of the car to untangle a bird from a bush) not taken care of the situation herself.

The relatively shady-looking humanoid life-form had been bothering her by making lewd comments about her costume – most pertaining to giving her a 'royal' punishment and her riding things other than horses. This irritation had, in turn, caused Kyoko's patience to snap. When the man had actually attempted to touch her, she had simply twisted and sent him flying – just as Cain had taught Setsu to do one rather eventful night in the hotel room. The unfortunate brute had landed at Ren's feet, and found a sword pointed at his neck. An apology and a promise to never do that again to anyone, ever, were soon extracted from the cretin, and he scuttled off with only a single horrified backwards glance. Ren sheathed his sword, fighting the impulse to run it through the man's back, and inquired after Kyoko's health. She assured him that she was perfectly fine aside from her arms, which ached slightly from the effort of flipping the brute over her hip.

"It seems that my princess doesn't need my protection," Ren sighed, smiling.

"I only did what Cain taught Setsu," she demurred. "Besides, does it not behoove a ruler of faerie land to be able to protect herself?"

"Indeed it does," he affirmed as they re-entered the car, food still safely in its bag despite the ruckus. "I hope that one day I may be able to rule over a similar kingdom."

"I... was under the impression that we were ruling over Cor Meum together," she murmured, stabilizing the bag with her hands.

"Nay; as lovely a thought as that is, you reign supreme over Cor Meum, as is only right for a faerie princess. Someday, however, I hope to one day be the prince of Cor Tuum."

"Is that…near my kingdom?"

He reached over and took one of her hands in his; he had yet to start driving, and they were in plain sight, but he couldn't quite bring himself to care. "It is very close to Cor Meum right now… and I pray that it may always be that way, or closer. For without Cor Tuum, Cor Meum is incomplete. They're two pieces of a puzzle. If I may one day rule over Cor Tuum – right now, its keeper guards it well, and it is uncertain if I am the heir – then perhaps you will permit Cor Meum to be complete?"

"Of course," she smiled. "I'm sure that you'll rule there one day soon, and rule well."

I hope so, he thought. I really hope that one day I may be permitted to cherish Cor Tuum as you hold Cor Meum. Will you let me? Aloud, he whispered, "Thank you," and started up the car. "A Whole New World" began playing, as the CD had yet to be finished. Ren smiled as Kyoko began singing – and then wondered what she would do if he sang Aladdin's parts.

As it transpired, she was beyond thrilled when he did so, and threw herself into singing Jasmine's parts with a renewed vigor. The rest of the ride was a happy one, and they were still singing when he pulled into the parking structure for his apartment. He then popped the CD out – with a promise to listen to it, or at least watch a Disney movie, during dinner – and took the bag of carryout from her hands. He then got the bag of their clothes (and makeup from Telling) out of the trunk, waving away as he did so Kyoko's protests that she could carry something. "Won't you indulge me a little, Princess Kyoko? It would hardly be proper of me, after all, to let a princess carry things that I can take care of myself. After all, these are mostly my things."

"Yes, but—"

"Please?"

"Princes should not be allowed to puppy-dog-pout," she muttered, but let the matter drop. She gave him a sideways smile when he still insisted on holding the door open for her (and nearly pitched a fit when she attempted to hold one for him) despite carrying everything, and laughed when he attempted to juggle things to get to his keys. Eventually, she fished the key out of the inner pocket of his jacket for him, and opened the door to his apartment. Nodding his thanks, he hurried through the door, shook off his shoes, and placed the bags on the nearest table. Then he looked back at her; she was leaning against the door, and seemed to be trying to convince herself to do something.

"Is something wrong?" he inquired, voice gentle.

She looked up at him, her face pinched. "I…I know it's silly, and it's been such an amazing day, so I really shouldn't be hesitating like this, but I just—" she paused, and lifted her skirts slightly, looking down at her shoes. "I just don't want the magic to end. Not yet."

"And taking off your shoes signals the end of the magic?" He stepped into his house slippers.

She nodded, a bit ashamed. "I mean, it's all been absolutely wonderful, and I really couldn't ever ask for more, and—"

He touched a finger to her lips. "I don't mind if you keep your shoes on, princess. This is your day, after all."

"Really?" She surprised him with this; he'd expected her to argue about it being improper, or about getting his floor dirty. It was not an unpleasant surprise, so he smiled.

"Of course." He offered her his arm, and she took it – he'd give her the castle-themed slippers another day. Whatever was required to preserve the magic, he would do.

Dinner was a comfortable affair, spattered sporadically with light conversation about the wonders of the day and accompanied by a slightly more romantic Disney medley. For once, this did not bother her; nor did it bother her when he pulled her chair out for her… nor even when he'd placed his hand over hers briefly, when they'd both reached for the humus at the same time – his for his shwarma, her for her grape leaves. She'd blushed, yes – he'd rejoiced – but she had not found herself to be remotely bothered, even as her grudges screamed from their vantage point behind Mio, telling her to run now or all would be lost. They split the kibbie, and Ren found himself suddenly liking baklava very much when she offered it to him in the same way she had the potato pancake. Somehow they managed not to get any food on their costumes.

After dinner had been eaten and Ren had successfully persuaded Kyoko that he could do the dishes later (princesses did not do dishes), they settled onto his couch and talked of the two faerie kingdoms. Kyoko expressed her concern, at one point, that she would be able to properly care for her kingdom. Ren assured her in no uncertain terms that it would be more than safe in her hands, and would care for her in return. She seemed to catch something of his hidden meaning in this, yet she smiled. The magic will not end, she realized. Not as long as I can hold this day in my memory, as long as I can keep it in my box.

She stood, and reluctantly noted that she should get changed and get ready to go home if she didn't want to worry okami-san and taisho. He agreed with similar sentiment, and informed her that there would be a hanger in the closet for her dress. She blinked. "You had this all planned from the beginning?"

He did not answer, but instead kissed her hand and escorted her to the door of her guest bedroom. There he bowed. "Until next time, my princess. I shall not retain my personality, so I wish thee the best of luck with the ruling of thine kingdom. I hope to one day be able to accompany you again." Then he retreated to his bedroom, where he shed his costume and hung it in his closet, next to the suit coat that Kyoko had once helped him fix. After donning some moderately casual garb, he returned to the hallway, where he found a very embarrassed Kyoko waiting for him, still in her costume.

"Um, Prince R—Tsuruga-san," she whispered, cheeks violently red, "would you mind undoing the laces on my dress, please? I can't reach them."

He nodded, and she bared her back to him; he tried desperately not to let his thoughts wander, and said, "Ren is fine. You're a princess of the faerie kingdom, remember?"

She stilled for a moment at his words; his fingers slowed in their movements, brushing against the skin of her back. "Then please call… call me Kyoko."

"As you wish, Kyoko," he murmured, and this time even he could almost see the grudges shuddering. Her heart was in danger of revolting, and his was not doing much better. The rest of the laces were untied quickly, and he stepped back from her almost immediately. "You're…done." He averted his eyes from her bare skin, more to preserve his sanity than due to his gentlemanly image.

"Thank you, Pr—Ren." She bowed, further torturing him (did she not realize that dresses gapped when they were unfastened?), and quickly retreated to the guest room and shut the door behind her. The door seemed to beat with her pulse, and she slowly began to disrobe. Her shoes were removed, and then her dress; the latter was hung on the promised hanger, and then stored carefully in the closet – that way, any other guest would not notice it at first glance and draw strange conclusions. Then her gloves were removed and folded into crisp little squares; the sparkling jewelry and hair accessories were the next to come off and be stored away. She next slipped into the adjoining bathroom to remove her make-up (her beautiful princess make-up!) and pointed ears. Finally, after she had dressed in her everyday clothes – Ren had slipped the bag into the guest bedroom shortly before dinner – the tiara was the only thing remaining of her outfit. She was still struggling with herself, trying and failing to argue that it should be removed, when Ren tapped on the door.

"Are you alright?"

She opened the door, and he was struck anew by the fact that he truly loved her. It was dangerous, really, for her to be this close to him, this trusting. For what else could she be, if she'd allowed him to take her everywhere he had today, to dress her up as he had?

"I'm better than I've been in years, actually," she admitted, her eyes concealed by her bangs.

"I'm glad to hear it." He meant it; didn't he always? "Are you ready to return home?"

No. "It is almost midnight," she nodded.

"Shall we, then?" he inquired, taking her bag – the one containing her new shoes, makeup, gloves, and accessories – from her, mentally noting that she was going to berate herself once she realized quite how much he'd bought her. The tiara sparkled on her head.

She threaded her arm through his, and his stomach swooped. "We shall."

The ride back to Darumaya was at once too short and too long – short because of the mutual longing for the day to not be over just yet, long because they were both quite tired – and accompanied once more by Disney music. They arrived, and Ren helped her out of the car the same way he had all day. She gave him a shy, awkward smile, and inquired if he still ought to be doing that for her – she was no longer in costume, after all.

"But did I not say that you would now and forever by the princess of Cor Meum?" he replied, linking their arms as he walked her up to her door.

"You did," she admitted, and paused at the door, her key in her hand. "Thank you for today."

"Did you enjoy it?" he inquired, brushing his lips over her hand.

"It…." She looked up at him through her lashes. "….It was a fairytale. A perfect fairytale. And I'm glad… I'm glad that I could have it with you." This last part she said with some effort, but his expression was worth it; in that moment, he was finally, completely sure that she'd truly accepted his offer in its entirety, the one he'd made her back at the Takarada mansion….

He shifted tentatively closer to her, placing one hand on the side of her away from him so that he engulfed her without trapping her. He swallowed and leaned close to her, eyes shutting when his lips nearly brushed against her ear. He murmured to her, softly, so that none but she could hear what he said.

"Mogami-san, you are very familiar with princesses, yes?"

Lory and Maria watched, intrigued. Kyoko – who had fully returned from Annabel while Ren was in his stupor – sat, slightly stiff, in Ren's almost-embrace. While at first downcast from something she refused to name, her eyes were soon lit with curiosity at his murmur.

"Of course, what of them?"

Ren murmured softly once more, his lips now brushing against her earlobe, "If you ever want someone to treat you like one, let me know, and I will. I could even be your prince, if you want me to."

Kyoko's face grew pink – though from his words or his touch, the observers could not be certain (except for Sebastian, of course, who is Sebastian and therefore hears all). But even they could not miss the look of absolute longing that she gave him as he drew away, one that nearly snapped his control and completely melted Lory's heart – a look of longing tinged with something she refused to name, a dark something broken only by the purest light… a something that he could not yet give her, and a something that she was not yet ready to receive.

What would come of this, he did not know at that time, but he could hope. That day had really been for both of them, he mused as she looked up at him again, shy. For her, it had been a day to cheer her up, and for him… for him it had been a day to gain hope.

"Ren," she murmured, and he leaned down to hear her better; but she did not have anything else to say. The faerie in her took over, and she brushed her lips over his cheek. His eyes closed at her touch, and did not open again until she spoke once more. "Thank you."

"Any time, my princess. Sweet dreams." He was in something of a daze, and almost did not register the words she spoke before disappearing into Darumaya… and what he heard made him far too happy to sleep that night.

"Sleep well… my prince."

Neither of them noticed until the next morning that one of her shoes was missing; Ren smiled when he came across it in the guest bedroom of his apartment, and resolved to return it to his Cinderella soon.

After all, their chance of a happily ever after had never been better.

The end~! :D

I hope you liked it and thought it worth the wait. Hence, it's extra-long!

Do you want to see more – perhaps Lory's, Yashiro's, and Moko's reactions? ;)

Thank you for reading! Please drop me a line or two! :D

Sweet dreams, my lovelies. I now need to sleep. Good night!