Disclaimer: if I could own CM, the only part of it that I would really want for keepers would be the font they use on the cover. Keep Mahiru and Mitsuru, keep Akira and Nozomu—I want the font, and that's it.

My first CM fic ever—please be kind. It's going to be humorous, and it's obviously going to be romantic…so bare with me. Expect rather slow updates…at least until after next Thursday (and maybe next Monday)—that's when all the obligatory stuff in my life ends and I'm left with the summer to myself.

Capture Me Care for Me:

Shirogane has gone missing, and it looks like the Moon Bandits may be the only ones able to locate the Emperor. And with things getting serious with Mitsuru and Mahiru, what will happen when a human suitor turns up? Three years after the series.

(Tsuki) (Tsuki) (Tsuki) (Tsuki) (Tsuki) (Tsuki) (Tsuki) (Tsuki) (Tsuki) (Tsuki)

Mahiru was having the most beautiful dream that she could imagine. She was flying through the sky, wrapped tightly in Mitsuru's loving embrace, while thousands of tropical fish wove their way through a forest of trees and mountains. Unlike her real-world fear of flying, the feeling that filled her was the same sort of warm contentment that she felt while she was swimming. It was as if she couldn't see anywhere but there in her dream-world, as if the scene before her was the only that existed.

In the real world, she was tucked into the embrace that she saw in her dreams, head pressed to a toned chest and sculpted arms wrapped around her. Mahiru hadn't experienced a dream of such power since the Moon Bandits had returned the Teardrops of the Moon to the Lunar Race. Her powers and dreams had not faded, but they had not been as strong or as urgent as before.

This dream was trying to make the present last forever. Mahiru had found her demon boy, and she never wanted to leave his arms. Yet as more time passed in the dream, they began to fly faster. It seemed that Mitsuru was losing control, and that as he tried to regain it, his embrace loosened around her. Mahiru clutched at him, tried everything that she could do not to fall from that unimaginable height, but…

When you move in a dream and your body moves correspondingly in the real world, it's called a myoclonic twitch. Usually, the movement jerks you out of sleeping and leaves you startled or out of breath.

Mahiru's entire body twitched as she crashed into the ground. Her eyes snapped open, filling with tears as they met the darkness. Mitsuru, woken earlier as she spoke in her sleep, pulled her close to him and stroked her hair.

"It was only a dream, Mahiru. It's okay, I'm here,"

She cried, the sound almost pathetic in the silence of the night. Her sobs seemed to be the mewling of a kitten, cutting through their apartment with finite precision. Mitsuru doubled his efforts to calm her, pressing his lips to her forehead.

"I was so scared," she whispered, hiccupping as she regained control of herself. "Mitsuru…"

"Was it a premonition?" he asked, worried. He had never seen her get this worked up over one of her dreams.

"I…I don't think so. It felt like one of the old dreams, but…good lord, I hope it wasn't."

Awake for the night, he tucked her hair away from her face and sighed. "Why don't you tell me about it?"

"It…you'll think it's funny," she pouted.

Mitsuru laughed. "Yeah right, girl."

Mahiru rubbed at her eyes. "Really, I'm fine. I think I'll go back to sleep."

"Mahiru…" he reached over when she tried to roll over, catching her chin and keeping her face turned towards him. "Was it me?"

She opened her beautiful eyes and gave him a look of despair. Mahiru simply nodded.

"What happened?"

"Just hold me," she begged. "Please."

It wasn't a hard request to comply with. "Mahiru, if I don't know what happened, then I can't do anything to fix it."

"We were flying," Mahiru said reluctantly. "And it was like I was underwater—no, not drowning. When I'm underwater, it's the same as when I'm sleeping. I see things. Anyway, we were flying, and I had this feeling like I never wanted it to end. And then…I don't know, we got really fast, and you…you couldn't hold on to me. I was so terrified of falling…"

"Ssh," he said, hugging her close again. "Mahiru, I would never let it happen. It was just a dream."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Just a dream."

"Let's get some sleep, then."

Mahiru nodded. Two seconds later, she was out like a light. Mitsuru carefully untangled himself from her and crossed the apartment to the phone.

"Misoka? … Yeah, it's me. … We're fine, but I think we have some problems coming up. Everything okay there? … Well, keep informing us."

The click of the phone on the wall seemed very final to Mitsuru. His eyes found Mahiru's sleeping form, and he blew out a puff of frustration at his hair. Three years had passed since the disbanding of the Moon Bandits. Even though they hadn't lost contact, Mitsuru missed the group—but he would never admit it. The peaceful times seemed to be perpetuating nicely—Shirogane hadn't begun to reveal the Lunar Race to the humans yet, but the time was supposedly coming.

Plus, the entire story of how Mahiru came to be sleeping with Mitsuru that night at all was worth a few comic books all by itself.

The affection in his eyes was crowded with worry. If the dream had been a premonition…but who could love the princess, other than him?

(Tsuki) (Tsuki) (Tsuki) (Tsuki) (Tsuki) (Tsuki) (Tsuki) (Tsuki) (Tsuki) (Tsuki)

So how'd you like it? I think it merits a few reviews, at least. Going to get into some heavy subjects, but stick with me. I'm almost giddy about it myself! Woo-hoo, what's going on!

Review, please!