Petite Princess Yucie Fan Fiction ❯ Only if You Dance ❯ Only if You Dance ( Chapter 1 )

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Summary: Erlsel’s throwing another ball, Arc’s as nonchalant as ever about it. That is, until he finds out it’s being thrown for Yucie’s birthday, which he had the misfortune of forgetting.

Disclaimer: “Puchi Puri Yucie” and all respective properties are © Takami Akai. Meg D. (Wish Wielder) does not, has never, nor will ever own “Puchi Puri Yucie.”

“Only if You Dance”

A vast, dark, starry sky stretched out above him. Arc loved how clear it was; he could see millions of stars in the inky blackness. A cool breeze crossed through the warm summer air, yet the long sleeves of his blue and white jacket kept him warm. Music traveled through the open double doors from the ball room, where his mother was throwing a ball for some reason or another. He didn’t really care; he wasn’t partial to balls. The only reason he had to attend was to keep up appearances - political schmoozing, if you will - but that was all. The ladies of the court would try to coerce him into dancing with them, but he had no interest. He was already courting someone, after all. Well…not technically, yet, but his intentions were fairly obvious. He thought so, at least.
He let out a sigh, allowing his eyes to slide close as he relaxed against the shingles of the arched roof. He liked it up here, on that patch of roof below the ballroom balcony. He had had one of the biggest scares of his life here almost a year ago, at the first ball since his return to the palace. Yucie had caught him during his escape attempt, and she had - rather stupidly, he thought - tried to follow him. She had tripped on her dress, and she had fallen from the ledge. He had barely caught her in time. That had been the first time he had danced with her, that night. Even if he had almost lost her, that night was still one of his favorite memories.
He looked up, his eyes widening in panic as he heard voices coming from the balcony. His mother would kill him if she caught him there on the roof, and the nobles…well, his reputation was already pretty much shot with most of the nobility, so did it really matter? Still, it would probably be best to not get caught.
“He probably snuck off again…” a familiar voice said from above. He looked up in surprise, only slightly deterred by the sad tone, and wondered what Yucie was doing there. His mother hadn’t said she would be attending the ball that night.
“I’m sure he’ll be here later, Miss Yucie,” he heard the voice of her friend Kokoru say.
“Yeah, we haven’t really been here that long, anyway,” Beth said. He winced; there were three of them up there. “Maybe he’s running late?”
“Nah,” Yucie said. “I don’t think he really likes these things, anyway. I was just hoping…what am I saying? Even if he did come, he’d probably be too busy for me. He is the prince, after all.”
He crept along the ledge as Kokoru and Beth continued to try and raise Yucie’s mood. Soon he was directly below her, and he couldn’t help but watch her for a moment. He was once again brought back to that night so long ago, only this time he knew she wasn’t a hallucination. She was really sitting on the balcony’s railing, a full-grown adult of eighteen years. To the day, if he remembered correctly. He froze at the thought: eighteen years to the day. The birthday of the Platina Princess. Could that be why his mother…
“I just…he didn’t come by earlier, and I was hoping…” he heard Yucie try to say. She sounded so broken, and he wanted to kick himself for it. Hard. There he was, planning on marrying the girl, and he had to go and forget her birthday. Even worse, it was her first birthday as an adult - or, at least, where she looked like one. She probably hated him now…
“C’mon, Yucie,” Beth said, “the guy’s crazy about you. Do you really think he’d forget?”
He winced at that. Apparently he could.
“No…yes…I don’t know,” Yucie said. “I don’t want to think he would, but now I just don’t know.”
“Then he’s just running late,” Kokoru said cheerfully.
“Oh my! Miss, are you -”
“It is! You’re the Platina Princess, aren’t you? Happy birthday, your highness!” he heard two women say. Glancing over the balcony’s floor, he saw that the women were two elderly ladies from a province on the outskirts of the country. He knew of them, but he didn’t know them. Somehow, they managed to make him feel even worse; they remembered, and they didn’t even know her.
“Thank you,” Yucie said, giving a slight bow from her seat.
“Highness, are you all right?” one of the ladies asked.
“Yes, you look upset. You should be happy today - it’s your birthday!” the other said.
“I was just looking for a friend, and I haven’t been able to find him,” Yucie said.
“You wouldn’t happen to know where the prince is, would you?” Beth asked. He glanced up, a panicked look on his face.
“Prince Aero, you mean?” one of the ladies inquired. A moment where he thought a nod could occur passed, and he braced himself for her answer. “I believe I saw him come out here earlier, but I don’t think he left. Strange…why, are you looking for him?”
“I knew it,” Yucie said, her voice dark. He winced; how was he going to get out of this one? He looked up as he heard Yucie thank the women before he heard them leave. Now if the princesses would go, he might have a chance at escape.
“Miss Yucie, maybe we should -” Kokoru tried to say, but Yucie cut her off with a shake of her head.
“You two should go in. Enjoy the party,” Yucie said.
“Yucie…” Beth sighed.
“I’ll be fine, really! Just go have some fun. I…I need a minute,” Yucie said. This was joined by a weak laugh that would fool most, but never him. It probably didn’t trick her friends, either.
“We’ll come back later, ok?” Kokoru said.
“I really don’t think he’d forget or leave, Yucie,” Beth said. Yucie made an unintelligible noise that was partially a grunt and partially a sob. He listened as Beth and Kokoru exited the balcony, and with a deep breath he leapt over the rail, taking a seat next to Yucie.
“I thought they’d never leave!” he said. Yucie jumped and turned to face him, loosing her balance in the process. He reached out as she fell back, grabbing her arms to steady her. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and fearful, and he offered her a joking smile that masked the true panic he felt.
“Maybe you should stay away from rooftops and balconies, Forehead, since all you seem to do is fall off of them,” he said. Her eyes narrowed and a spark of rage flitted through her gaze.
“Well I wouldn’t have if you hadn’t scared me like that, you big jerk!” she snapped. She paused and seemed to deflate a bit. She looked down, that pained look once again showing through. “I thought you had left…”
He shook his head and looked back at the ballroom, watching the couples twirl around the floor with reckless abandon. He smiled slightly as he saw Beth grab Kokoru’s hand and drag her, rather forcefully, onto the dance floor.
“I don’t like these things that much,” he confessed. “Too many people. I just needed to get away for a bit.”
“I was hoping that was it…I didn’t think you wouldn’t come. Well, I thought you had forgotten, but…hey, what’s wrong?” Yucie asked. He looked back towards the ball, refusing to meet her concerned gaze. He knew she had seen the guilt flash through his eyes, and he could only hope she wouldn’t put two and two together. Though, really, wouldn’t it be best to just tell her?
“Honestly?” he asked. He saw her nod, and he sighed. “I did. At first, that is.”
“Oh…” she said, her face falling. She looked down at her hands, which were neatly folded in her lap. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for an explosion that never came. Instead, she remained silent, jus staring at her hands and chewing her lip. Finally she stood and walked to the end of the balcony. She didn’t look at him; she just watched the stars, silently brooding over his news.
“Yucie, I -” he started, but she shook her head.
“No, it’s ok…” she said. “I only mentioned it maybe once, so you couldn’t really be expected to remember.”
He looked down, feeling worse than ever. He had forgotten about that. She had told him a week ago, during their trip to the beach. He barely remembered her saying it (he had been distracted by…well, she had been wearing a very lovely swimsuit that day), but when he thought about it now he could still hear her. Even worse, the others had told him, too: Cube, Gunberd, her friends, his mother…he had no excuse.
“It’s not ok, Yucie,” he said, shoving a hand through his hair. “I should have remembered sooner.”
“Well, you remembered, right? That’s really all that matters,” she said. He looked up, ready to rebut her point, but the sight of her there, standing in the pale moonlight, made him pause as his breath caught in his throat. She looked amazing, to say the least. Her gown was reminiscent of the dress she received as the Platina Princess - much better than the white dress she wore to the last ball. The layered skirt and sheer almost-sleeves were a pale pink in color, but the bodice and bottom skirt layer were a shimmering white. The skirt flowed to her feet, cloaking them in its mass. The red-jeweled, silver choker was clasped on her neck, and the matching ring was placed on her finger. Her hair rushed down her back in twisting waves, yet that lone curl still hung over her large forehead. She wore no other jewels, spare the earrings that matched her chocker and a thin silver band that wrapped around her head. He was again reminded of that night, of the trick his eyes had played on him, and he decided that this was better. This was so much better.
“Arc? Do I have something on my face?” he heard her ask. He jumped, startled out of his musings by her voice. He felt his cheeks grow warm, and he shook his head furiously.
“N-no!” he said. She walked over to him and placed a cool hand on his forehead. She frowned at him.
“Are you feeling ok, Arc? You’re a little warm,” she said. He nodded.
“I am sorry, Yucie,” he said, looking up at her. “I’ll make it up to you.”
She looked over to the ballroom as a slower melody drifted past the doors, and her smile softened. She lifted some of her skirt in a hand, just enough to make walking easier, and extended the other to him. He watched her curiously, confused by her actions, and she grinned at him.
“Dance with me,” she said. He raised a brow, an amused smirk curving his lips at her simple request.
“What are you getting at, Forehead?” he asked. Her grin grew.
“We haven’t danced in forever,” she said. “So that’s your birthday present to me.”
“You’ll forgive me if I dance with you?” he asked. She nodded brightly.
“If and only if,” she said. He laughed and nodded, accepting her hand as he stood.
“All right,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, “but I have something better in mind.”
“What?” she asked, looking up at him. He smiled and leaned down, planting a kiss on her forehead, and she rolled her eyes. Would he ever get over that?
“Mother says you’re graduating soon,” he said. He left an arm on her waist and turned, guiding her to the ballroom. “I was planning on speaking to your father this week, and…Forehead?”
She had frozen at his proclamation, and she was staring at him with wide, hopeful eyes. He stopped a few steps ahead of her, a gentle smile on his face.
“Y-you mean…” she started to ask, her voice hushed, as if she was afraid saying it would keep it from being true. He nodded.
“I can’t ask you officially until you graduate - mother’s orders - but I’m going to ask him now. That way I can -” she cut him off as she jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips firmly to his. He smiled and leaned against the doorway, wrapping his arms about her waist and pulling her closer. She ended the kiss, happily resting her head on his shoulder.
“I love you,” she said quietly. He kissed the side of her head, completely ignoring the people standing around them - especially the ones who were watching, pointing and whispering about their “uncouth actions.” He was having a rather good night right now, and he wasn’t about to let the supercilious nobility ruin it.
“I love you, too, Forehead,” he said. He glanced at the dance floor, and he nudged her slightly.
“How about that dance?” he asked. She nodded, grinning as he led her to the floor.
“Thank you, Arc,” she said a long while later as he twirled her around in a somewhat-slow-paced dance. At his curious look, she continued. “I really wanted to dance tonight, but only if it was with you. So I guess what I mean is thank you for agreeing to dance with me.”
“But if I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have forgiven me,” he said slyly. She giggled and nodded.
“Because you forgot my birthday,” she said. She rested her head on his shoulder as the dance turned slow, and he pulled her close.
“I’ll never forget again,” he said. She smiled.
“Better not…” she said, allowing her tired eyes to droop close. “Hey, Arc?”
“Yes, Forehead?” he asked.
“Thanks for a good night,” she said. He kissed the side of her head and continued to dance with his sleepy princess.
“It has been a good night, hasn’t it?” he asked. She made a somnolent, unintelligible noise of affirmation before her head sunk forward in a half-sleep. He carefully led them over to a wall, where he leaned against the painted structure, allowing Yucie to sleep against him. Yes, it had been a very good night.

owari

a.n.: I was gonna use this for a Kiss, but it just didn’t fit, and the theme I was gonna use it for (24) I wanted to do something else with. But I still liked this, so I’m posting it separately.

I’m serious about my “Arc’s gonna have an early grave” theory. xD

Comments and constructive criticism welcomed. Please, don’t flame. If you can’t say your CC without flaming, don’t bother. Flames will be used to fuel Az’s bonfire for the yummy s’mores.