Masquerade

I saw her long before she saw me.

She twirled in never-ending circles, her arms stretched above her as thick waves tumbled down her back and bounced with each rotation. The jewels that hung from her neck glittered in the dim light of the hall, and yet she did not seem to notice the ornate necklace at all. In fact, she did not seem to be even remotely aware that a pair of eyes were intent upon her spinning form. She continued to whirl around, lost in her own world created by the music that echoed from nowhere in particular.

Her red locks held me entranced. They shimmered beneath the chandelier's light, flecks of gold sparkling with such radiance that the sun itself would have been envious. Though a band of silk rested on the crowd of her head, a teardrop pearl dangling lightly between her brows, there was no trace of superiority in the way she held herself. Streaks of red fanned around her twirling frame; my eyes followed them greedily.

Hundreds of dancers were waltzing around the hall in slow, perfectly synchronized spins, and yet this girl spun to her own rhythm in the center of them all, seemingly oblivious to the forms around her. Finally, unable to stay hidden any longer, I stood from my throne at the end of the hall and descended down the stairs. As I passed, the dancers backed away from me and cleared a path directly to the girl. Only she remained ignorant of the sudden cessation of movement around her.

“Rebecca.”

She started and whirled around to stare at me, as scared and confused as if someone had snapped her from a trance. I watched with a blank face as her dark green eyes quickly ran over the length of me. They took in my black breeches and boots, and then the crimson coat and white blouse I wore before finally focusing on the black hair that disappeared behind my shoulders. Then, apparently trying to be discreet, she squinted in an attempt to make out my facial features. Her face clouded with frustration, as all but my eyes and lips were obscured by a mask of red and gold.

“Would you care to dance?”

For a long moment she seemed oblivious to my proffered hand. My words hung between us, heavy with meaning. She concentrated on my face and I watched as her cheeks flushed pink, a look of startled comprehension dawning on her lovely features. I smirked, knowing full well she knew who stood before her. Then, a radiant smile parted her glossy lips and she rested her hand on my outstretched arm. It was trembling.

The hall was silent save for the music that reverberated throughout, and every eye in the room was fastened upon us. I expected her to find this unsettling but she didn't seem to notice in the slightest. Her eyes were intent upon me, the same, almost drunken smile spreading her lovely, peachy lips as I admired her flawless skin. I could almost see the tiny veins underneath the porcelain exterior. The arm her hand rested on moved so that her small hand was held in my gloved one, and my right hand rested on her hip. Though her eyes widened at the touch, she did not move away. Her left hand moved upwards so that it was resting on my shoulder and the corner of my lips raised into a half grin, which brought a glazed, faraway expression onto her face.

In an instant I had spun her around, and all of the dancers around us fell immediately into their places. As one entity we waltzed around the enormous room, the notes that caressed our ears becoming more and more pleading. The girl clutched me more tightly in her grasp, and I knew that she must have sensed something of the truth. Her eyes sparkled beneath the light of the chandeliers and the various candles that were lit on the walls, and they glittered more than they normally would have. A single tear escaped the corner of her eye, and I leaned my face towards her, kissing it away.

“Why do you cry, Rebecca? Isn't this what you wanted?”

Those beautiful, glossy lips parted in shock, but I could not immediately discern the reason. Perhaps it was a delayed shock to the fact that I knew her name. Or, more likely, it was because she realized that she knew my voice very, very well. Her words came out in a jumbled mess.

“You... not real...”

I trailed my lips down her cheek to her jawline, finally resting on her exposed neck. When her body tensed in my arms, I grazed my lips over the flesh as lightly as a feather, and then gazed up at her through my mask when I felt her shiver. The ploy had worked; her eyes were closed and her head hung backwards, her hair brushing against my arm that held her weight. She had forgotten her fears, if only for the moment.

“You look beautiful tonight, Rebecca.”

Her eyes flew open at my words and focused on me once more. To my utter surprise, she regained her strength and stood upright, her hand reaching up towards my mask. I reflexively moved so as to keep her from removing it, but an overwhelming desire for her to see stopped me. Frozen in place, I allowed her to grasp both sides of the mask and pull it over my head. Her knuckles turned white from clutching the object so tightly in her hands; her suspicions seemed to be confirmed.

“Atsushi?”

Without thinking I smiled, an action which incited a gasp from her, one hand resting on her panting chest. She didn't have to verbalize her thoughts, as I already knew them. Everything from her self-conscious fears of her looks to her utter joy that her idol stood before her was apparent on her face, and I allowed her a few moments to revel in her new-found knowledge. Then, I cupped her cheeks in my palms and stared into her eyes, seeing myself in their reflection.

“I love you, Rebecca. I always have.”

The euphoria that emanated from her was heady. I found myself basking in a glow that nearly blinded me with its intensity, and then her lips were on mine. She whimpered and snaked her arms around my neck, her fingers stroking the raven hair that had so haunted her dreams. Desire radiated from her body as it pressed eagerly against mine, and I found air suddenly very difficult to breathe in.

“Atsushi...” she moaned, her voice shaking from emotion.

It was with great difficulty that I pulled away from her, and she gazed up at me with hurt eyes at the abrupt move. I stroked her cheeks with my thumbs, not even finding the strength in me to hide the pained expression I know was contorting my beautiful face.

“What's wrong?”, she asked breathlessly.

Words were lost on me. I closed my eyes for a second, steeling myself for the outcome I had always known would be. When I finally opened them, I managed a smile for my love and gently brushed my lips against her forehead. I knew that I should not have spoken to her this time; that this was all my fault. The usual serene aura was gone from her as she wondered if she had done something to offend me, and I managed to say what I knew were to be my final words to her. My voice was deep and seductive, but sounded hollow even to me.

“I will always love you, Rebecca.”

The scene began its usual blurred recession from awareness as a young woman of twenty jolted upright in her bed, her heart racing. Instinctively her eyes darted around the room, but all she saw were the furnishings she had fallen asleep gazing at mere hours earlier. Sadness washed over her and she fell back onto her pillow, clutching the stuffed bear she had slept with since childhood. Yet another Atsushi Sakurai encounter, and yet another pang of loneliness as she realized it had been but naught but a dream. Her eyes found her poster of the Japanese singer that hung on the back of her door and, no longer sleepy, she studied the long, black hair and chocolate brown eyes that stared back at her.

Something hard scratched against her shoulder and she winced, reaching her hand under the pillow. When she pulled out the offending object, she shot back up again, her breath caught in her chest. There was no way... no possible way... and yet there it lay in her hands, glittering in the moonlight that streaked through her closed blinds.

In another realm, a shadowy figure smiled as the girl's arms clutched a red and gold mask to her heart.