When the little boy first arrived on the tiny planet, it was empty, barren, and covered in only rocks. In the distance, in the deep black sky, there were billions of stars and a tiny purple moon. The boy was all alone, dirty, and with no way to escape. He had been told that this planet offered unimaginable riches, but there was nothing here.

Now no matter how hard he tried, little hands scraped and stained with effort, he could not repair the ship that would take him away, back out into the Cosmos. Just as he was ready to let hunger, loneliness, and hopelessness overcome him—tears filling his dark eyes—a shadow grew up from the surface of the tiny planet, a shadow with a gentle smile. A tall man with a tall hat.

"Hello," he whispered, his voice like the wind. "What brings a little boy like you to a place like this?"

"I came looking for treasure," the boy said.

"Is treasure what you want?" The shadow man asked.

"I want to be someone powerful and strong. Someone no one will question. Like a Prince."

"Is that what you want?" The shadow man asked, "To be a prince?"

"Yes." The boy said.

The shadow man swung his hand and the little boy's clothes faded from grease-stained, patched pants and shirt, to wildly extravagant silks. The goggles on his blond hair were replaced with a crown. "I can make you whatever you desire," the shadow man said. "I will make you a Prince of this little planet. Many people will come and go, everyone will respect you. I will make you palaces, and citizens, and everything a King could desire. There is one condition."

The boy had stars in his eyes, "What is it?" He asked.

"In order to become King and remain on this planet—in order for all these treasures to become real—you must marry a princess," the shadow man whispered.

"If you can give me what you say you can," the little boy said, lips turning up in a broad smile, "Then it won't be hard at all to marry a Princess. I accept your deal."

The shadow man smiled, swung his hand out and the planet became alive. Buildings grew up around them, grass and trees sprouted from the rocks and boulders. A sun came out above them, the skies turned a purple-ish blue. Citizens—actual people came out from their homes and business, and just down the road rose up a great palace.

"Welcome home, little Prince."

Time would pass. People would come and go and come again. And, soon, the little Prince did not remember the difference between illusion and reality.

That dream again. It was the same dream every night. Illusion to tangible reality. Daydreams to certainty. He hated those dreams—he hated this planet. He had come long ago with one goal in mind: find the treasure, solve the puzzle, move on. He liked being Prince, he liked having whatever he wanted, but through all the years the stars called his name and there was something else…

"I thought you might be in here!" Rebecca. She had her hair brushed back into pigtails, her hands on her hips, guns strapped to her thighs. Her smile faded to a stern frown. "Your majesty, it is our job to make sure you don't get killed so please let Homura and I do our best. You running off on your own is dangerous." Weisz rolled his eyes, leaning against his oldest project and reaching in to grasp a spring and adjust it. The old spaceship was small, but he was determined—he had been determined since he'd arrived on the planet—to learn enough about mechanics that he could fix it up. One day I'll see the stars again. Once I finish the puzzle—marry a princess. Easy enough, right? Just have to marry a princess.

Rebecca leaned against the work bench next to him, letting silence fall over them for only a moment before she spoke again. "What did your advisors want?"

Weisz and Rebecca, since she had arrived on the planet when they were still young, had always been close—telling each other everything. But looking at her now, Weisz didn't really want to talk about it. It had been only recently that he'd started to notice the small things. The way she bit her lip, just lightly, when she was thinking. The pattern she used when she tapped her fingers when she was bored. The color of her eyes—a deeper blue than he had once thought. The way she let her hair down when she was feeling more relaxed. He noticed those things now… it was different, his feelings for her. It was all so different—and there were no words to describe how. Now, his eyes traced over her features, dropping down to her lips. He wanted to memorize that smile… wanted too…

"Your majesty?" Rebecca frowned, crossing her arms. "Are you alright?"

"S-sorry," he whispered, turning back to his project. "They just wanted to talk about marriage prospects again."

"Right."

He dared to glance over at her. She was biting her lip, twirling a stray strand of hair around her finger. He turned away, cheeks growing warm, trying to focus on loosening a bolt. Don't think about it. Just don't think about it.

"I heard from Shiki that a princess is coming to visit the court," Rebecca finally broke the silence.

A Princess. "I don't want a princess." The room seemed to darken as the words rolled off his tongue. You have to marry a princess.

"You have to marry a princess," Rebecca sighed. "That's the rule of the game."

Game. That was a good way of putting it. He was almost sick and tired of this game. Almost done. He was so, so close. He didn't know if the princess would be real, or part of the illusion. At this point he didn't care. So close to unlocking this planet and having the treasure all to myself. And once he did that, he could be free. Still… He glanced over at Rebecca again. Could a princess ever make him feel the same way Rebecca did?

For one moment he contemplated dropping it all, just leaning forward and kissing her. But the heavy weight on his shoulders made him stop. Is Rebecca even real? Or is she just a part of the illusion? It doesn't matter. Since the moment he had arrived on the little planet he had one goal. He was going to achieve it no matter what.

The princess wasn't real. He had decided that upon meeting her for several different reasons. One: he hadn't seen her arrive on the planet, though they all insisted that they had arrived the night before. He supposed it was possible—but she was so… blank. As if she hardly knew a thing about anything. Others on the planet—like Shiki and Homura and Rebecca were so alive. He had once read, when he was very small, that the planet's puzzle used the forms of old travelers to create people. Clearly it hadn't had a very good one for Princess Ita. But, if this was the princess Weisz had to marry in order to obtain the treasure, he thought that maybe he wouldn't mind it so much. She was beautiful—with big brown eyes and long, raven hair. She was graceful, and quiet. I could marry her. He could marry her, and he'd survive. I can do this. This was all I came to this planet for. And he was so close.

The door across the ballroom slipped open and Weisz's attention was brought back to reality. Reality. Right! The ball. He was dancing—dancing with Princess Ita. "Is everything alright?" Her voice was soft, so soft he barely heard her.

"Yes," he glanced up to see who entered, "Everything's…" and couldn't finish his sentence. Rebecca had slipped into the room.

They had never had a ball this fancy before on the little planet. The advisors had urged everyone to be in their best clothes—the fanciest everyone could muster. Including the staff. And Rebecca… He had never seen her dressed in anything fancier than her typical bodyguard get-up. Here she was—her hair pulled back loosely, silvery-blonde curls draped over one shoulder. She was wearing a dark blue dress, tight against her hips. He was sure, somewhere in all the folds of the skirt she was hiding some sort of weapon. It's my job to protect you, your highness.

"…Majesty? Your Majesty?" the princess was frowning, Weisz somehow managed to pull his eyes away from Rebecca and glance over at the woman who was currently dancing with him.

"Wh… what?" He mumbled.

"Do you need a moment, Prince Weisz?" She said. Her concern seemed flat and he wondered if she was faking it.

"A couple if you're willing."

"Of course." She released his hand and shoulder and slipped away with a smile. Weisz glanced over at Rebecca. She was leaning against the back wall, fixing the strap of her heel. She looked irritated. He crossed the room to her side, and when he arrived she glanced up with a glare.

"I can't believe I have to wear this. What happens if someone tries to kill you right here in this ballroom?"

"I know you'll do your job," he said, trying to smile, "Just like you always do."

"Why are you here, anyways?" she said, eyeing him suspiciously. "Aren't you supposed to be dancing with Princess Ita or something?"

"I…" he glanced up at her, gritted his teeth, "I don't want to dance with her," he said, "I want to dance with you."

"Your majesty," Rebecca laughed a little. "Don't make jokes like that."

"I'm serious," Weisz said. Rebecca's eyes widened and her cheeks turned bright red. "Dance with me, Rebecca."

"But… no… I can't, I mean… that wouldn't be right."

"It sounds right to me."

"Your majesty…"

"Just one dance." He held out his hand. She eyed him for one moment, glancing over his shoulder at the advisors behind him. Then she smiled and set her hand in his.

"You've convinced me. But, only one."

He pulled her out onto the dance floor. The song was slow, and soft, just right that he could hold her close. He found himself wanting to tell her everything—how much he cared for her, how much he wanted to forget about the treasure and this dumb game all for her. She was beautiful. At first she was tense, but after a moment she actually smiled, and then laughed as he gently spun her around. Her cheeks flushed, her eyes shining. Never had he wanted to kiss her as much as he did in that moment, her hand on his shoulder, her laugh making his heart melt.

Their eyes met once more, and he paused. The music continued but they stood still on the dancefloor. He gently brushed her hair away from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear, and leaned in close. She closed her eyes—their foreheads touching, noses brushing—hesitating… He cupped her cheek, and moved to close the distance between them finally, but her eyes snapped open and she gently pushed him away.

"What are you doing?" She whispered, her face bright red.

"I—"

"We can't do this, Weisz." His first name. She only used that when she was deadly serious. "You…" tears filled her eyes as she stepped away, her fists clenched, "You have to marry a princess."

"What if I don't want to marry a princess?!" Weisz reached out to take her hand, but she jerked away.

"D-don't say terrible things like that!" She stepped away, wiping away tears from her eyes. "Don't say… terrible, terrible things like that!" And then she turned and dashed out of the room. Weisz was left, the music fading as the song ended, staring after her.

"Weisz?" Shiki frowned, setting a hand on his shoulder. Weisz was too frozen to respond. Homura joined them, hand at her mouth.

"Is she alright? Maybe she's not feeling well." she hesitated, "Perhaps she doesn't want to let her feelings for you get in the way of things—though I won't say that out loud."

"You just did," Shiki frowned.

Feelings… for me…?

"I um…" all thoughts of the princess, the treasure, and this god-forsaken game left his mind. Feelings for me? "I have to go."

"Your majesty?" Shiki frowned. "What about our guests? The princess?!" You have to marry a princess if you want this all to become permanent. His heart hammering in his chest, he yanked his crown off his head and threw it. It clattered across the marble floor. He yanked off his fur coat, tossing it aside and dashed towards the door.

"Your majesty!" Homura called after him, but he wasn't listening anymore. All he could think about was Rebecca. He knew where she would go when she was upset—the gardens. When they were small he had always found her there. Rebecca…

Homura and Shiki would follow after him, but he didn't care. He didn't care about any of it anymore. Not the palace, not the fancy clothes, not his crowns, not the planet's treasure, not even the shadow-man who kept the treasure safe.

He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, out the back doors of the palace, into fresh air, where the midnight purple sky was dotted with stars. The little purple moon rose high in the sky. Rebecca was standing among the roses, when she heard him she spun around—her cheeks streaked with tears.

"What are you doing here? You have a princess to dance with!"

He leaned over, trying to catch his breath, and then stood—running his fingers through his hair. "I'm not doing that."

"What are you talking about?" She crossed her arms, trying to look angry instead of upset. "The Princess—"

"I don't care about the Princess."

"Weisz—"

"I don't care about the Princess, I don't care about this planet, or the treasure, or being a prince. I only care about you."

Her cheeks flushed pink and she took a step back. "W…wha—"

"Do you remember… when we were little?" Weisz asked. "…your hand in mine… watching the stars and making wishes to see the rest of the Cosmos…"

She took a step towards him, "W-what are you saying?"

"This game, Rebecca, all for the planet's treasure? I'm done playing it. You're the only thing this planet has ever brought me that could make me happy… So… I guess what I'm finally asking is… if… if you feel the same way… do you wanna get the hell off this planet and see the stars?"

Rebecca reached out, hand hesitating just above his chest. "You'd… you'd leave this all for me?"

"I'd do anything for you." He whispered. She hesitated for a moment before offering him a smile and raising her hand to gently brush his blond hair away from his eyes.

"You're a dork."

"I know." He grinned.

"My dork."

"I'm more yours than you even know," Weisz laughed. Rebecca shook her head, drawing closer to him.

"Yes, my answer is yes. Let's go see the stars—" before she could say another word, he was kissing her, cupping her cheek, drawing her closer by the small of her back. Around them, the world that had been built for him was slowly fading away, pieces flickering and disappearing one at a time. The palace he had grown up in—brick by brick, wall by wall—shimmered and faded from view. The streets vanished stone by stone—the whole world broke away into nothingness, until they were standing on the dusty ground of the little planet, just the two of them—staring up at the dark sky above them with the little purple moon smiling down.

They were alone, Rebecca in Weisz's arms, just the two of them and the old spaceship on the lonely, little planet. Weisz let out a breath, staring into Rebecca's blue eyes, "You're… real…"

"Of course, I'm real," she whispered. He couldn't remember very well when she had first arrived on the planet, but since then he had been scared… scared that maybe she had been a trick…

She wasn't a trick.

"You're real," he said again, and pulled her into another kiss. Rebecca's fingers tangled in his hair, her body pressed against his. When she pulled away, they were both breathless.

"Alright, soft-man, you promised me the stars. Did you fix up your old hunk of junk?" She laughed, pressing a hand to the side of the old ship. Weisz offered her a smirk.

"Lucky for us I just finished. And really, did you have any doubts?"

"Of course not," Rebecca smiled, "I've always had faith in you, Weisz Steiner."

"Then let's test this baby out."

The stars ahead of them, a rising purple moon… they left the tiny planet behind, forgetting about the treasure they were supposed to find there, the whole Cosmos ahead.