Suddenly one of the couples on the dance floor caught Tenshi�s eye. She quickly double checked that the person she was sitting next to was indeed her wife and lover. Yes, she was talking to Neko, but that meant�.
�Well, that�s not something I ever thought I�d see,� she said with a smirk, looking back at the dance floor, as Mi-chan and Jasper put their passionate feelings against each other to good use.
Neko stopped in the middle of what she had been talking about and followed Tenshi�s eyes to the source of her amusement. Suddenly, to Tenshi�s annoyance, Neko�s hand had left hers for the first time since they had sat down.
�Koneko?� Tenshi glanced at the younger girl, trying to decipher what she was feeling. Neko was now on her feet watching Mi-chan and Jasper waltz, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. Was she just happy? For one brief jealous moment, Tenshi wondered if Neko was actually upset that she suddenly had to share her Jasper with Mi-chan. But in her heart, Tenshi knew that Neko was really euphoric by what seemed to be Mi-chan�s (at least temporary) acceptance of Jasper.
The song slowed towards a conclusion, and Neko pushed her chair back and ran to the edge of the dance floor.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jasper finished off the song by dipping Mi-chan. He would never admit it to her, but he had never danced so well before. *It must be the result of a talented partner* he told himself as he brought her back to a standing position. She immediately pushed off of him and out of his grasp. *Either that or hate is a strong force to dance to* he corrected himself, wryly.
�There! Happy?� she asked him angrily, turning her back on him immediately.
He didn�t get a chance to reply before they were simultaneously mauled by another person. �I love you guys!� Neko cried ecstatically, as she managed to hug both at the same time.
�Yes,� he answered Mi-chan under his breath. Nothing could possibly make him happier than making Neko so completely overjoyed.
�Yeah, yeah, whatever,� Mi-chan couldn�t help but respond to her sister. �Hope you enjoyed it. Have a good marriage and stuff.� Jasper could practically see her mind trying to figure out how best to escape.
Neko, who probably knew this better than he did, kissed her on the cheek and released her. �Thank you.� Mi-chan took no time to exit the dance floor, but Neko still stuck around. �You came back,� she whispered gratefully to Jasper as a slower song began.
�You know I can�t deny you anything, Hime-chan.�
She blushed. �Then will you dance with me?�
Rather than answer, he took her hands into his and pulled her to him. She leaned her head into his chest and let him sway her to the music. �Thank you for saving me today,� she sighed softly.
He shook his head. �I never get to save you. You�re perfectly capable of doing that yourself. Plus you have Tenshi-san and Michiru-san�,� he trailed off, working very hard to keep the sadness out of his voice. He was completely useless to his princess.
�No, you�re wrong,� she contended. �I think a part of me would have died today if I couldn�t marry Tenshi. It would have been really small, but still�. I never could have gotten to the palace in time. You gave up the last bit of power in Amber�s necklace to get me here, didn�t you?� He nodded. �I know how much that meant to you,� she continued, her voice breaking. �Thank you, Jasper-kun. You saved my wedding� you saved me too.�
�Shh, please, don�t cry,� he begged her.
She buried her face into his dress shirt. �It�s my wedding, crying�s my prerogative. I just wanted everyone to be happy.�
�I know. Don�t worry, I am happy, Hime-chan,� he promised her, embracing her tighter. He really meant it. Burying Amber�s necklace had been very cathartic, and Neko�s belief that he had helped to save her was almost enough to banish his doubts that he ever would be able to save anyone ever again. Furthermore, the feeling of her in his arms just felt so natural to him, though (he suddenly realized) it didn�t seem to send his heart racing the way it would once have. *Am I getting over her?* he wondered, unsure of whether that was what he wanted. He could never have her, but his love for her was one of the strongest reasons that he had kept going over the past couple years. No, he conceded, he was never going to not love her. But he thought he was ready to give her completely up to Tenshi. And someday, maybe soon, he�d be entirely over her.
They were silent for a couple minutes as the song continued. Finally, her voice under control, Neko asked, �Would you do me a favor, Onii-san?�
�Anything you ask,� he admitted, purposefully omitting the nickname he wanted to stick on the statement, but knew would upset her in this case. He had the sneaky suspicion that he was always going to worship her, even when he was no longer the least bit in love. *Oh, well, one thing at a time.*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mi-chan rushed to the bathroom, wondering if it was too extreme to take a shower after letting that odious man actually touch her, much less let him dance with her. Sure, maybe it was worth it to see Neko�s shining, grateful eyes� but just barely.
Okay�. It�d probably be enough just to wash her hands for now. Taking a shower would require undoing all the hard work she put into getting ready for today. She turned the corner into the bathroom and was surprised to see someone already there. �Oh, Hoshi-chan!�
�Hey, Mi-chan,� Hoshi said slowly. She seemed to be freshening up her makeup. �I�m not missing anything exciting, am I?�
�Uh, no, nothing at all,� Mi-chan told her quickly. After ranting endlessly in letters and over the vidphone about her irritation over Jasper and Neko�s friendship, she wasn�t about to admit that she had let herself be roped into dancing with him. And beyond that she couldn�t recall anything else that had happened of note in the past ten minutes. Surely, Hoshi couldn�t have been here longer than that.
�Oh, well, that�s good. Well�.� She snapped the lid on the lipstick tube shut. �� I guess I�ll talk to you later.�
