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[stardust]

Once again the blue moon had come around. All day, the shining city of Crystal Tokyo had been alive with the sights and sounds of the resulting festival. People from near and far had gathered in the streets, setting up booths and other assorted attractions with which to amuse themselves. But as always the real reason so many had gathered would have to wait until the sun sank behind the horizon and the shining blue moon rose high in the sky, when Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion would open the doors to their Crystal Palace to the general public. The ballroom had been splendidly decorated just for the occasion. Serenity's own senshi had come together and had transformed the grand ballroom and the adjoining garden into a wonderland akin to something one would see in a fairy tale. The ballroom itself had been draped with decorated tapestries and swaths of fabric in pale shades of blue and white.

The only light to speak of come from strategically placed candles and torches scattered around the room and the air was thick with the perfume of roses and other native flora taken from the palace's own garden. The room was quite large, able to comfortably accommodate a couple hundred people. The doors leading out to the palace's expansive gardens were propped open just for the occasion to allow for easier maneuverability in and out of the ballroom. It was a beautiful night, the sky relatively clear and cloudless. There was a light breeze fluttering through the assorted flowers and other plants outside. More candles and decorative lights had been placed at strategic locations throughout the gardens themselves to lend a bit more light as well as adding to the charming atmosphere. The sun had set just a short time previously and soon the guests would begin to arrive.

In one corner, a long table had been set up with a grand assortment of the finest foods the kingdom had to offer. In addition, a small portion of the room was reserved for the live band that had been hired to provide musical entertainment for those who appreciated such things.

[Endymion Terra]

Everything was exactly how he had imagined it would be. The drapery, the color scheme, everything as to be expected for the ball at the Blue Moon Festival. It seemed that no matter what, life would go on. Not even his death would stop Serenity from keeping up appearances. It was so like that ungrateful woman to bounce back so quickly from things. The thought infuriated him and yet on some deeper level, buried beneath the outrage at her seeming lack of concern, there was a feeling of betrayal. Had he really meant so little to her after all that time? He shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts. He only cared about her feelings for him so that they could be used against her, he reminded himself firmly.

He double checked to make sure his ebony mask was still in place, unlike his shitennou he had not been gifted with powers of disguise. He had never had need for it: masks had always sufficed in the past. Once he was certain it was secure, he entered the ball room. He was not the first to arrive by any means, other couples, nobility from distant planets and some from his own Crystal Tokyo, where already finding their way to their seats. He made his way to a table, an unoccupied one, and took a seat so that he faced the dance floor. He smoothed out the pale grey vest buttoned over the slim fitting long sleeved black shirt he wore. He had not changed from earlier during the festival, and still wore the snug dark pants and black boots to match his ensemble. He had thought something else, perhaps a tuxedo or anything more dressy might be too obviously reminiscent of his true identity and had therefore avoided it.

The room was every bit as big as he had remembered it to be, he noted glancing idly around. Sitting there, he was reminded of just what he was fighting for with Chaos: all of this from the stone walls, to the people making their way inside, to the thriving greenery just outside. This was his kingdom, and he would have it back if it was the last thing he did, no ungrateful blond queen was going to stand in his way and certainly no interfering senshi would either. The thought of the senshi brought his mind back to his purpose for the evening. He didn't come here for the ambiance after all. He was here to find the senshi of Mercury and convince her that he was not on the side of Chaos: a simple enough task in theory, the trick would be in the execution. For her sake, he certainly hope she believed him. If she did not, he would have to take her back to Chaos, and he had no delusions about what would happen to her once she had been brought there.

[Kou Yaten]

The silver-haired senshi of Kinmokusei slowly entered the ballroom, her peridot eyes looking for her two friends. A hushed sigh escaped her lips as she realized that they weren't among the people which had already already arrived. Yaten paused to admire the way the room had been decorated, another proof of the astounding good-taste of the Earth royalty. With the dim light coming from the candles and torches and the intoxicating floral perfume, Yaten felt like she had suddenly emerged into a land of fantasy. It was a décor in which she seemed to fit perfectly, not looking much differently from a flower herself, given her choice in clothing.

In a word, Yaten's dress could be described as unique. The top part was an ivory-white silk corset, fit perfectly around her small waist. The corset was adorned with a delicate pale emerald green embroidery, following a floral pattern. The lower part of her dress consisted in knee-high multiple overlapping ivory-white silk layers, each of them cut in the shape of a flower petal, each of the silk petals having its edges embroidered with the same pale emerald colour, giving the dress the overall appearance of an upside-down flower blossom. On her feet, Yaten wore simple ballet-style flats, of the same ivory-white colour and the only piece of jewelry she had opted for were the simple teardrop shaped ivory earrings which she rarely separated herself from. Her silvery tresses had been freed from her usual tight ponytail and were flowing freely on her back, Yaten having skillfully given it a few waves and curls with only a few twists of her brush. At a quick glance, anyone could have confused the small empath for a flower fairy, her overall appearance making her look like a delicate fairytale character which didn't belong to this world.

Yaten slowly crossed the room towards the table where the food and drinks laid. She gazed for a few seconds, but as tempting as the food looked, she didn't really have an apetite. For the moment Yaten gingerly grabbed one of the glasses on the table and poured herself some ruby-red liquor, punch for all likelihood. She wasn't one to drink, as her first and last attempts at it had proven to her that it took so very little to completely take over her. However when it came to attending balls or other similar occasions, she often opted for holding a glass of any alcoholic beverage into her hand, just for the sake of the gesture in itself, it allowed her to look slightly more natural when she was standing alone all night.

With her glass in her hand, very careful not to stain her dress, Yaten headed towards another pair of open doors, walking out into the palace gardens. The sight that met her left her breathless. Yaten could only observe that the Crystal Palace had the most beautiful gardens which she had ever seen in her life. The silver-haired woman advanced a few steps, remaining into the line of sight of anyone who could have watched from the doors. If she had known that the palace had such a charming garden, she wouldn't have secluded herself into her room for such a long time. Yaten made a resolution to herself to return to the garden the first thing next morning and admire it under the light of the sun. For now she was content to just watch as much as the dim lights could allow her to see, closing her eyes and breathing in the scent of the various flower species. Yaten loved flowers very much. From early childhood she had been surrounded by them, since her father had been a gardener, and since she had pretty much been alone for all that time, she grew to consider them her only friends. She opened her eyes and frowned at those memories, taking a long sip out of her glass, despite the fact that she had promised herself not to touch the ruby-red liquid. She only hoped it wouldn't affect her too much.

The summer breeze played along Yaten's hair, bringing a few strands of silky silver into her face. Sighing softly, she brushed them back, her eyes coming to a close as she allowed all of her emotional barriers to drop, allowing herself to relax with what she felt from the garden and its plants: nothing. It was the reason why she enjoyed flowers and gardens so much. Around them, she didn't have to worry about her rather bothersome empathy, the flora had no feelings to bombard her with. In some ways, Yaten considered herself very much like a flower: beautiful and delicate, but at the same time very fragile. But in other ways, Yaten wanted so much to be more like a flower, to have no feelings and emotions of her own, not to mention to stop feeling others.

Standing like that, quiet, enjoying the feeling of nothingness, Yaten felt so much calm, all of her earlier sadness fading away for the moment. The light breeze made her shiver but she chose to ignore it and just stay there, like that, for a few more minutes.

[Helios Kumiko]

It was probably not the best idea for him to be lingering in this place. The festival of the blue moon was a joyous time to be sure, and the guardian priest of Elysion found a great deal of joy in just wandering the streets, taking in all the sights and sounds of the event. It was only for one day, but the way the people of the Terran kingdom gathered and mingled just filled his heart with cheer. Of course, things were different this time around than they had been for the previous festival. There was a great deal about his life and himself that Helios did not exactly remember. He couldn't be sure what sort of man he was, but he knew that he and the Terran monarch had been close before; he just couldn't put his finger on why he knew this. He also recalled Endymion's four Shitennou, though he didn't feel that sense of familiarity with the other four that he did with Endymion. The silver-haired man knew that Endymion, as well as Jadeite, Kunzite, Zoisite and Nephrite, would be attending the festival, and he decided that it would be a pleasant change of scenery as well. It was frustrating, not being able to remember anything about who he was or where he had come from. Really the only things that he did remember was the fact that he was in some way affiliated with the King and his shitennou, as well as the vague notion of wanting to be by her side. He couldn't even remember her name, but he could picture her face as clear as day.

Another thing he remembered was that there was always something about strolling through this garden that had a calming effect on hm. Helios had been among the crowd of people that had entered the palace doors almost as suddenly as they had opened, but instead of lingering inside the grand ballroom, he had headed straight for the gardens. He wasn't claustrophobic by any means, but truth be told he didn't feel like being surrounded by lots of people right at this particular moment. This was one of the most exciting events to happen in a while, and though he realized that most people would want to surround themselves with friends to celebrate, he didn't feel the least bit unhappy about spending the evening on his own out here in the gardens. It was much quieter out here than it was inside at any rate, so very peaceful. The doors leading into the ballroom were open and he could hear the soft music dancing along in the night air and that was enough for him really. He wasn't the most outgoing person by nature, much preferring to limit his socializing to a smaller number of people. A small part of him was hoping that the majority of the guests would stay inside, though he supposed it wasn't his place to even hope any such thing. Still, it was much easier for him to brood if there weren't a great number of other people around. A hushed sigh escaped his parted lips as he slowly meandered among the rows of assorted flowers.

He hadn't bothered with a mask, because it hadn't occurred to him that he might possibly run into anyone. It would be a dressy affair, or so he had assumed, and so he had settled for a nice pair of fitted white trousers, a white button up shirt and a jacket; a pair of somewhat dressy leather shoes adorning his feet, all in the same shade of white. All in all he probably looked rather out of place amidst the colorful flowers, but he had never really been a fan of dark colors in his own wardrobe. After a few more moments of this, something caught his attention and he turned his head to glance over toward the garden's entrance with a look of slight confusion. From his vantage point, all he could really see at first was a girl with long, fair hair in a pretty dress and the first notion that came into his mind was that it had been a good idea to show up here after all. Just the mere thought of seeing her again put a smile on his face and he moved a bit closer to where she now stood. It was only when he drew nearer that he realized he'd been mistaken. While this young woman's hair color and build was strikingly similar, it was merely a case of mistaken identities. Even still, he felt a bit reluctant to glance away immediately. She was beautiful, there was no mistaking that, but he couldn't help thinking that she looked a bit melancholy.

[Kou Yaten]

Such a relaxing sensation not to feel anything. With her eyes closed and her senses focused on the garden, Yaten couldn't even hear the music coming from the ballroom any more, despite the fact that she was merely a few steps away from its open doors. It was odd how, to her, the expression “lost in thoughts” could be so literal. Whenever she was too focused on her thoughts, or on emotions – or their absence, as she was now - Yaten would completely lose touch with everything surrounding her, almost as if she were transported into a different world.

As much as she would have loved to stay like that, lost into her own world of silence for all night, she was aware that she did come to the ball with the purpose of keeping Seiya and Taiki company, so she slowly drifted out of her deep focus, just keeping her eyes closed for a while longer, until she would be sure that she was ready to go back in and face anyone she would meet, even Serenity.

Suddenly Yaten became aware of the fact that she wasn't alone in the garden and more. Not that she heard anyone coming, but she could feel it clearly, her empathy was working freely. Confusion, very powerful, and slight disappointment. Judging by the clarity with which she read the feelings, she could tell that the person whom they were coming from was rather close. Yaten couldn't understand if it was the sip of alcohol which she had, or something else, but she felt so calm around that person's aura that she didn't want to block away her senses just yet. And there was something more, even stranger. That person's shine was not that of a human, but not that of a senshi either. Yet it was special and bright.

Yaten's eyes slowly fluttered open and her eyes scanned around her proximity until she was met with the sight of the stranger that had disturbed her peace. She brushed a strand of silver hair from her face with her free hand as she gazed at the mysterious young man. His appearance was as interesting as his shine. With his white hair and white clothes, he looked so different from everyone else, so unique. Yaten briefly observed that, oddly, the two of them looked rather similar, with their distinctive hair and their choice of colours for that night. The man intrigued her too much to greet him with her usual rudeness, so she offered him a small smile and tried to greet him with some words that wouldn't scare him off. ”Who are you?” she found herself speaking. She sighed softly, rather annoyed that despite her best effort, she didn't pick the best the best thing to say. She just hoped that the man would realize from the soft tone of her voice that she wasn't trying to be mean when she asked that, but she was merely curious and intrigued.

[Kogane Tsuki]

(( This is just a set up post, to show everyone the behind the scenes. XD ))

Kogane had been nervous when she had returned. Her mind tumultuous with haywire emotions. But as soon as she had stepped inside of the Palace, as soon as those doors had opened for her and she had raced within it's pulsing warmth... She had felt better. If just a little bit. She had gone straight to her chambers, but had been called into Serenity's. They where to dress for the Ball together. It was a sort of bonding thing, they they would accomplish. She wanted more closeness with her cousin. She wanted the pain to recede, and nothing but the truth to be in her heart. She wanted the truth, no not wanted... she craved it. She wished to have all the things Serenity did, people that loved her for who she was. Not what she could do.

Her eyes slid closed as she began dressing for the night ahead. She pulled up the simple white lace slip. Silently she slipped on her dress over that. It was a black dress, tight to her body, but flaring out at the hips. The skirt swirled around her feet, touching the ground. It was odd that the skirt had such a large gap in the front though. A gap that easily showed the expanse of Kogane's legs, until you got to her knees, where the slip started. She snapped the silver buckle that was over her hip, and then smiled as the skirts got close together. There was still a gap, but it was a bit smaller.

She adjusted the strapless top of the dress. Lace ran across the top of it, and then right below that was golden beads. Golden beads sewn along the upper hem of the top. She shifted and then grabbed up the waist synch, that was part of the outfit. It was as bright of a gold as her eyes where. She put it on and tightened the synch, and then tied the bow she needed. One went the sword belts, the two pale silver belts that went across her stomach, and then across her waist and resting on one hip.

She shifted a little and looked for the ornate blade. It was meant for nothing but show, but if needed she could wield it. She really was the darkness to Serenity's light. She took a steadying breath as she looked towards her cousin. When she was done getting dressed, she would be helping Serenity into that gown, the one that looked more complicated then anything Kogane had ever worn. But Kogane always went for much more simplicity.

With those thoughts in her mind, she looked at her slightly complicated garments. She was annoyed that she was dressing up like this, but somehow she felt it was appropriate. She slipped on the arm sleeves. They where a grey fabric, with lace and beading at both ends. On her left upper arm she strapped on a golden arm band. Then on her right shoulder she started to strap on the piece of golden armor. Once the straps where tied, she moved unto the next part. She put on the arm brace, and snapped it into place. With that done, she was almost... almost done.

She put on the boots, the slightly heeled knee highs, that where made of a black leather. Over them she strapped on more armor, made to conform to the shoes. With that Kogane was done. She turned towards Serenity, walking over to her cousin and smiling lightly and gently. "Alright... let's help you get into your dress, and get your hair taken care of. You look like your getting a little bedraggled again..." She teased lightly. She wanted a light mood, not something that would bring her to tears again.

Being this close to Serenity easily brought her sigil out. The black crescent moon was standing out faintly on her forehead. She had brushed back her hair, having cut it yet again. She allowed the dark strands to curl around her as she picked up the silver backed brush and began brushing out Serenity's hair. "It's a pretty dress you picked..." She commented lightly. She was the shadow of her cousin, the dark to her light... it was only appropriate she aided her.


(( Continued in Serenity's post :3 There is nothing around her neck but her Henshin, so ignore the choker and pendant in the picture. XD ))

[Serenity Terra]

Serenity had been trying for a while now to find Kogane. She knew that she had been a terrible cousin, and now she wanted to actually spend some time with her like she should have been from the moment that she had actually remembered whom the other girl was. Brushing a stray lock of blond hair out of her eyes, she sighed softly to herself, she had just sent one of the 'servants' back down to Kogane's quarters to see if the other girl was back yet, she didn't know where she was, but she did know that she wnted Kogne to be at the ball tonight with her, it would be an opportunity for the other girl to be able to get to know her friends and hopefully to bond with them the way that Sereniy had. She didn't know how any of her friends felt about Kogne, but she did know how she felt about her, and really right now that was all that mattered to her. At least for now. Later she would get her friends' opinions on Kogane.

When her cousin entered the room, the smallest of smiles appeared on her lips as she hurried over to give her a small hug. she was happy to see the other girl, glad that she had finally decided to come back once again. she didn't know what it was that had cause the other girl to go away, and she wasn't going to ask her as that was just butting her nose in where it didn't really belong. Her cousin's business was her own and had nothing to do with Serenity. Of course, if the other girl wanted to tell her what was going on, then she would listen to her. She was always willing to listen to anybody when they needed someone to talk to. Glancing at the two full length mirrors that were in the room for them, she watched as her cousin got dressed. Sure, Serenity could get herself dressed, but really having Kogane help her was something that she knew could be a chance for the two girls to bond together and become close friends like the two of them should be considering the fact that they were close family and their families had been close at one point during the silver millennium, before everything that had happened had actually happened and everything along those lines.

When she came over to her after getting herself dressed, Serenity giggled softly at her words "I suppose I'll never really get the hang of things like this..." she said with a small grin at her cousin. She wsn't the type of girl that liked overly fancy things, she never really had but this was the kind of event that meant that she needed something really fancy to wear. She preferred her simple white dress that most people were used to seeing her in. It was her favourite dress, but something like this deserved a newer...better dress that was specifically for this event. As Kogane started helping her, a slightly sad smile appeared on her features as she thought about everything. She had expected to share this event with Endymion, but that wasn't going to happen and it made her slightly sad to think about it. sighing softly to herself, she shook her head slightly in an attempt to distract her thoughts. Today was a happy event, she didn't need to think about sad things at all. She needed to focus on the good things in her life such as her friends, her family...and...seiya!

As Kogane first helped her with the dress, she grinned slightly at her words "I decided on a blue dress to go with the blue moon theme." she said with a faint laugh she actually had had that thought in her mind when she had gotten the dress. kogane was the first person she had actually told that to though since, well she had a feeling that some of her other friends might actually laugh at her because it was the kind of thing that she would have done while she was still Usagi. At least Kogne hadn't known Usagi, so she didn't know wht she had been like when she was nothing more then a mere child...or at least younger then what she was now, and what she figured was less mature...

When she was finally dressed, the blond woman grabbed her cousin's hand "It's time..." she murmured softly with what oculd have been described as a rather giddy giggle as she dragged the other girl out of her room "We need to hurry! My friends might be there already, I'm usually not late to events like this!" she slowly dragged her cousin around, taking her straight to where the ball was being held. As they entered, she glanced around noticing that none of herfriends were there yet "Weeeeell, apparently none of my friends are here yet but who cres? I'll try and find people to introduce you to!" she strted walking around, hoping this time that her cousin would follow her around without being dragged there.

As she looked around, she saw a few people that she knew and walked over to them. With Kogane behind her, she gave them a cheerful smile "Lovely night isn't it?" she murmured softly as she looked at them with a smile "This is my cousin Kogane..." she started introducing everyone. they weren't important people, but Serenity needed something to do until one of her friends arrived or at least until Seiya got here so that she had someone that she could talk to, and someone that she hoped her cousin would get along well with.

[Juno Stryker]

Juno adjusted the delicate satin folds of her dress once more before entering the ballroom. She had gone all out as far as her appearance was concerned for the evening. She suspected most of the other women had too. Juno's dress was a rich emerald green hue, the sweetheart neckline more pronounced due to it's lacking sleeves. The entire upper half of the dress was ribbed, though the bust's was vertical and the torso's was horizontal: creating a flattering contrast. Below her bust were interweaving patterns of white that overlapped to form a band. From her left hip to lower right thigh was a vine of white roses and just below that the dress ceased hugging her curves. It flared out in elegant ruffles, falling short in the front and long in the back. Where the green fabric did not reach the floor a second layer of white fabric peeked through, ornately designed with white roses.

For special occasions such as these she allowed herself the privelege of wearing heels. She didn't generally so as not to tower over everyone she met. The pale silver (almost white) shoes wrapped around her toes and ankle, encircling up a few inches in a more roman fashion: the style of her people. It matched the color of her white gold jewelery: a necklace with small diamonds encircled her throat and matching earrings dangled from her ears. The final piece of her ensemble was her hair. It was simple enough in comparison to the rest of her: pulled up loosely in the back , the auburn curls framed her face and draped around her neck.

She had spent more time than she was comfortable admitting getting ready for this, but then a part of her knew this would be the last chance she'd have to do this for a while. She already had plans to meet with the other senshi after the night's events, and after that they would have to worry about stopping whatever else was out there this time. She would be seeing to her duties as a senshi for a while, not as a princess. She sighed and shook her head at herself. She was going to have a good time if it killed her, which she highly doubted it would. She really did love excuses to get dressed up and dance. She loved excuses to do so with her friends just as much. No sooner had thoughts of her friends surfaced, than she noticed one of them up ahead: Serenity. She was with her newly awakened cousin. Juno hadn't officially met her, though from what she'd heard they had met in the distant past before.

She crossed the distance to them and smiled at the two. "It is a lovely night," she agreed, having caught the last part of what the other woman was saying. She looked at the dress the queen had chosen for he evening: it seemed to match the color scheme of the decor. "Serenity, you look gorgeous," she said with a slight wink. She did though, Juno was sometimes jealous of how easily beauty came to her. Tonight she was merely happy for her. She turned to look at the girl beside her: darker dressed in comparison, though there was also an air of a more peculiar darkness, but still pretty. "You too, uh, Kogane," she said, happy that she had remembered her name, though they had never properly met.

[Kou Seiya]

The festival had turned out to be not quite as exciting as she had figured it would be, mainly because she had ended up going by herself. Taiki had agreed to go with her at first, but apparently something had come up at the last minute and the tallest starlight had had to cancel. That was fine though, Seiya didn't have a problem spending a few hours by herself, and for the most part she enjoyed herself. This was really the first chance she had gotten to explore the city since they'd returned and she wasn't going to take that for granted. Sure, she knew that they had come back for a very specific reason that didn't involve aimlessly wandering around the city of crystal tokyo whenever she felt like it, but for today she was going to enjoy herself. Still, she supposed it would have been more enjoyable if she had had someone along with her, perhaps someone who knew more about the places she was seeing. It wasn't a big deal really because she could always ask Serenity or one of the others to show her around at a later time if she was overly worried about it. Now that she thought about it, it was probably a good thing that the brunette had not been with her that day because chances were very good that she would have been bored out of her mind by the time Seiya had returned to her room. By the time the sun was beginning to set, the raven-haired starlight had just closed and locked the door to her room within the suite the starlights had been offered for the duration of their stay.

After a quick shower, Seiya returned to her room in a fairly cheerful mood. The dress she had chosen for this evening was a bit different from what she normally wore, but that was part of the idea wasn't it? It had actually been a bit of an impulse purchase one day while she'd been shopping back at home, before they'd been called to earth. Seiya had brought it along on the off-chance that she would have somewhere to wear it, and it had just been blind luck that they'd been called here during this time. The main part of the dress was a fair bit shorter than what she normally wore, but it was still a fair bit more modest than her fuku, so she couldn't feel too badly about it. The bodice fit quite snugly against her chest, the neckline dipping fairly low. A pair of thin black straps served to hold the top of the dress in place. Starting just below her bust, the lower portion of the dress flared out, the hem falling roughly around her mid-thigh. There was a second, longer skirt in a sheer black fabric that started just below her chest. This one fell in fluttery waves, ending just above her knees. Around her waist there was a thin strip of silver fabric with a golden star charm situated right in front. Her neck was adorned with a black choker with a similar star charm. Her shoes were a simple pair of black slip-ons with a strap that fastened around her ankles. She decided to skip the makeup, mainly because she couldn't be bothered to fuss with it.

Seiya had briefly considered leaving her hair down, but in the end she had decided on pulling the longer portion back into its customary ponytail, more out of habit than anything. After she was satisfied with her appearance, she turned to the small beside table and picked up her henshin mic. Frowning slightly, she stared down at the item in her hand for a few moments as she realized that she hadn't exactly planned this out very well. Since even before she'd come to Earth the first time, the raven-haired starlight had really never gone anywhere without her henshin, and she wasn't about to start now. Blinking a bit, she finally settled on just stuffing the thing down the front of her dress. It wasn't exactly the most convenient place in the world, but it would be better than having to run all the way back to this room if something happened. It didn't take her long to reach the ballroom, and she immediately took a look around the room in hopes of spotting someone she recognized. It was doubtful that Yaten would show up after that little tantrum she'd thrown earlier, and Seiya honestly wasn't sure how to feel about that. It would have been nice to spend the evening with her, and Taiki, but she supposed she'd have to make do without them. A grin tugged at the corners of her lips as she spotted two very familiar faces standing across the room and she casually made her way over to them.

"Good evening ladies," she greeted the three of them cheerfully. "You three look absolutely gorgeous," she went on to add, though she wasn't entirely sure if that was the best word to sum up Kogane's attire. Still she supposed it was hardly her place to make judgements like that.

[Aphrodite S'Ayapo]

Aphrodite had never missed the Blue Moon Festival once in her entire life. After all, it was exactly the kind of affair that a protector of love and beauty would have to support whole-heartedly. The sounds of laughter and champagne glasses clinking, the magnificent gowns, the regal and refined dancing in the ornate and elegant ballroom - everything about the festival from start to finish screamed Aphrodite's name. And despite her recent tendency to spend hours locked up in her room pouring over charts with Artemis instead of attending functions with her friends, the Festival was simply too big a part of her life to be ignored. If anything, she owed Serenity this much - to show her face and participate along with the rest of the scouts, to prove that Crystal Tokyo was stronger than whatever scandal they were currently embroiled in and that the now fully grown women who presided over this new universal order were not afraid of what was coming. So yes, they'd throw the Festival like always, and they'd dance the night away with charming escorts from around the galaxy. And no, Aphrodite was not once going to let her mind drift off to fret over if Artemis was keeping accurate track of the activity in deep space or if the guard had remembered their special rotation schedule for the night. Her duties as Head Scout were not going to plague her whilst on the dance floor. She didn't concern herself with where all of the servants were, and couldn't care less if she'd only spent three hours practicing her skills that morning. No, for tonight she was simply going to be herself, Queen Aphrodite S'Ayapo of Venus, and enjoy the fleeting normalcy an event like this would provide all of them. She would dance gracefully (as always) with the guests, and entertain them with her witty stories about times gone by and innocent mishaps that occurred from day to day around the palace. And surprisingly, she was looking forward to it. Some part of her had assumed that this year was going to be different, due to all the changes that had recently taken place. Instead she found herself more eager than ever to attend the festivities, virtually counting down the hours until the ball would commence.

Aphrodite had taken a long, luxurious shower that afternoon after her skills drills with Artemis, making sure to spend extra time washing every strand of her flowing blonde hair. She then used her favorite rose scented scrub to smooth her skin and a matching soap to cleanse it. The scents invigorated her, always had, so when she stepped out of the shower she was wide awake. She combed her soaking hair a few times while standing in her towel, staring at her reflection in the full-sized gold-plated mirror in her bathroom. Even just out of the shower, in nothing but her fluffy orange towel, her body looked magnificent - every muscle toned to perfection and her skin luminous under the gentle lights. Her hair, still damp, flowed effortlessly over her shoulders and spilled most of the way down her flawless back. It had taken her some time to get used to the idea of seeing herself this way, as the walking work of art that so many humans strove to achieve. After all, Aphrodite believed all her friends to be equally as stunning, if not more so than herself. Then again, each girl had different traits going for them, and so it was impossible to loop them all into one general category. At least in Aphrodite's eyes anyways. Once she finished brushing her hair to untangle the non-existent knots (a force of habit from her pre-teen days when her hair had been more unruly), she sat down at her vanity and blow dried it. Within minutes her hair had taken on its usual state of loose curls (so soft that men had been known to lose themselves after just one touch) that shown brilliantly in the light. She decided to leave it down for now, until she got into her dress, not wanting to decide on which style was going to work best until she saw her outfit on her body once again. Taking one of the pink vials from her vanity, she applied her rose-scented lotion over her skin, making it now so soft that it was impossible to believe she was a warrior. Aphrodite placed it back on the vanity, dropped her towel, and headed into her bedroom.

Her yellow dress was lying on her bed, the Venusian bead-work shimmering in the dim light of her half-illuminated chandelier. She allowed a lazy hand to trace the silk fabric once before heading over to her closet to get her undergarments on and to find the shoes she wanted to wear with the dress. After a few more minutes, she reemerged from the closet slightly more dressed and delicately handling silver heels. She placed them on the floor next to her full sized gold mirror before returning to her bed to pick up her dress. Two Venusian attendants came scrambling into the just as she was about to slip it over her head, and Aphrodite gave them both easy smiles before allowing them to help her drape the fabric over her body. She stepped in front of the mirror after they'd laced up the back and vanished from the room, tilting her head to the side and running her fingers over the beading that was now on her chest and stomach. Her perfect white teeth quickly became visible as she took the whole effect in. The tailors had truly outdone themselves, the dress was stunning. And somehow they'd managed to achieve their task of creating a dress that was stereotypically Aphrodite without being terribly straightforward about it. And once her strappy silver heels were on her feet, the entire effect almost completed, Aphrodite could hardly contain her excitement. She quickly strode back into the bathroom, frowning slightly as she realized by glancing at the clock that she was already running a few minutes late to the ball. It was no matter though - it would only take her a few more minutes to complete the look. Aphrodite sat back down at her vanity, and applied minimal natural-tinted makeup to accentuate her features better before spritzing herself with the infamous Venusian perfume. She then opened her jewlery box to produce her small diamond necklace and matching bracelet, as well as her Venusian royal ring, all of which she put on immediately. All that was left now was the matter of her hair...and she knew exactly what to do. Aphrodite swept the front sections of her hair behind her head into a half-up ponytail exactly how she'd worn it as a teenager (with the exception that her hair was now wavy). Instead of placing her old red-ribbon into her hair, she secured it with a diamond clip and then went about opening the top of her jewelry box. Sitting there, now shooting beams of light around the room was her finishing touch - her tiara. She slid it effortlessly into her hair before stepping out her door and heading down the hallway to the ballroom.

She spotted them immediately - Seiya, Serenity and Juno all clustered together near the middle of the room, looking as flawless as she'd predicted earlier. Ignoring the general hush that had come over the males in the room at her entrance, Aphrodite practically floated on air to their sides, her famous smile now firmly in place. "Darlings!" she called to them, kissing all three of them once on each cheek before stepping back to take them all in. "I swear, you all get more radiant every time I see you." she insisted, her accompanying small chuckle sounding more like small bells playing than a voice. Taking a glass of champagne from a waiter's tray as he wandered by, she immediately lifted it in a toast. "To your everlasting youth and beauty." she said to the three of them, tilting the glass back gracefully and taking a small sip. Oh yeah, Aphrodite was definitely in her element now - all her etiquette lessons from days gone by on Venus were practically encoding themselves in her DNA, making it impossible for her to be anything less than unflinchingly charming and courteous. It was then that she noticed the darker girl at Serenity's side, whose outfit and general demeanor seemed highly out of place, but Aphrodite knew was accounted for. Ah yes, the cousin was in town. "So you must be Kogane...I'm Aphrodite, it's an absolute pleasure to finally meet you." she told her, extending a hand to lay it gently on the other girl's shoulder for a moment before letting it return to rest by her side. Her pleasantries exchanged, Aphrodite then shot a small smirk over at her longtime best friend Juno and then motioned towards the dance floor. "What do you say to getting this party started?" she joked, bumping her hip lightly into Juno's and giggling again before taking another sip of her champagne. See? Balls and galas were where Aphrodite thrived - the whole atmosphere was making the previously closed off beauty come alive once more.

[Zoisite Grey]

Zoisite smoothed out non-existing creases in this black evening jacket as he made his way into the ballroom. After he had left Kunzite earlier, he had rushed off to prepare himself for the evening. Before he had thought he would just be going to enjoy watching all the idiots getting drunk off champagne and keep an eye on the King, but now there was someone to dress to impress. He had donned a starch collared white shirt, the collar held high with a pin-striped cravat. Over the shirt he wore a black, silk backed vest and over that was the afore mentioned black evening jacket that allowed his white sleeves to peek out past the cuffs. His pants were dark grey, pin-striped and slim fitting. He wore a simple pair of black dress shoes to complete the ensemble. He had thought about wearing a pair of white gloves with it, but in the end had opted against it. His hair was it's usual messy self; though in his defense he had tried to tame it. It seemed that even in his human guise, his curly locks refused to cooperate.

He glanced around at all the people present: recognizing some and having not even and inkling as to who others might be. His nose wrinkled in contempt as he noticed the Queen surrounded by her friends and body guards, seeming to not have a care in the world. His brows furrowed as he recognized some of the people surrounding the woman, The two black haired women he had no memory of, try as he might to wrack his brain. The other two: the one in the green was the princess of Jupiter. If Nephrite were here he would tease him relentlessly about her, but he was not and thusly his attention focused on the blond accompanying them. Of course she would be here, he should have taken that into consideration before. . .well he'd have to deal with it for now. Though he was now struggling to fight the overwhelming urge to run over and throttle the woman who seemed so at ease in this setting. To be fair though, he was thinking some similar thoughts about the blond queen near her, though slightly less intense.

He forced himself to sit down at a table near the entrance, tearing his eyes away from the group of women to look at the others who had come. He noted that there was no princess of Mercury present. He felt a hint of relief at that. He wasn't sure he ever wanted to see the young woman again: his mind was confusing him. Through all the thoughts one struck him as slightly amusing as he glanced at the familiar faces: he was now younger than their enemies. When last they'd met, he had been the older, more mature (well more mature than them anyway) one and now the tables almost seemed turned. He shook his head and put a hand on his lap, feeling the bulky form of the snow globe from earlier in his inside pocket. He pulled the figure out and placed it on the table before him, watching the golden flakes settle after the movement. He wondered what it was about the object that stirred something in Kunzite. He curled his fingers around it and shook it, watching with interest as once again the golden flakes swirled up and around in the liquid.

[Kunzite Blackwell]

Wandering the streets of Crystal Tokyo to keep an eye on his fellow Shitennou, Kunzite had only remembered about the ball when he noticed that the sun was setting. Despite his lack of mood to attend to such an event, he knew he had to go. Part of the reason was that Endymion would be there, so Kunzite needed to make sure that he would be safe while completing the mission Chaos had given him. His most important motivation, though, was that Zoisite actually invited him to keep him company. Kunzite was looking forward of spending some more moments with the man which was so present in his thoughts, although, after the way he had reacted earlier when Mercury was mentioned, he was already beginning to fear the fact that the night might turn into a disaster if they spotted two certain princesses of the solar system. Aware that he would most likely be late, he rushed back to the hideout to change into something more suitable for the ball.

When, later, he entered the beautifully decorated room of the Crystal Palace, Kunzite was wearing an attire which could have been easily described as both elegant and still somewhat casual at the same time. He was wearing a pair of black dress pants, perfectly matched to a black jacket, both of a fabric which revealed a very subtle shine into the light. Underneath the jacket, he had opted for a white shirt. Unlike most of the other men which were attending, Kunzite had decided not to be excessively formal, it was something that didn't quite suit him. That is why, instead of wearing a bow-tie, or even a tie, he had chosen to leave the neck of his shirt unbuttoned, albeit in a less revealing manner than he usually did with his uniform. Despite his best efforts, Kunzite's hair – or better said Shin's, as he had no such problems with his silvery hair in his usual form – was still rather untamed, giving him a slightly rebellious look.

No sooner did Kunzite took a few steps further into the ballroom, that his gaze was attracted like a magnet to her. In all off her splendor, Aphrodite was standing before his eyes. So mesmerized by her appearance, he didn't even bother to notice who was keeping her company. It was the first time when he was seeing her since Chaos had brought him back to life and this time she was so different from what he remembered her to be like when she was just fighting along Sailor Moon against him. She was different and yet, she was the Aphrodite he remembered, the one he had loved so much during the Silver Millennium, the one with which he had thought he would spend the rest of his life with. Seeing her like that was so confusing. Kunzite could have sworn that the love he felt for her was only a thing of the past, a distant and beautiful memory, and yet, now his heart was beating faster and he was slowly finding himself unable to pull his gaze away from her. It seemed impossible that he could still feel that way, after all he had no doubt that he loved Zoisite in more than just a brotherly way.

Remembering about the young Shitennou made Kunzite look away from Aphrodite, his eyes scanning around the room to find him. He hoped Zoisite didn't notice what just happened because he was pretty sure that even if he didn't remembered that he was Aphrodite's lover during the past, the fact that he was staring at the one because of whom Zoisite died ruined any chances he had at getting closer to the man at a more intimate level. It didn't take him more than a minute or so before he spotted Zoisite, in his disguise, sitting a table rather close to where he was standing. He walked towards the table, thinking that odds were very high that Zoisite did notice his reaction to seeing Aphrodite, but as he got closer, Kunzite realized that Zoisite seemed to be distracted with something, sparkles of gold catching his eye as they swirled in a familiar way. But it seemed impossible that Zoisite would really be holding that globe, maybe it was just an illusion – although Jadeite was the master of illusions in their group. As he arrived at the table he fixed his gaze on Zoisite and drew his attention, in a tone expressing his surprise and curiosity: ”Zach...?” He didn't dare look at his hand again, for fear that it had really been just an illusion.

[Helios Kumiko]

He was staring now, he realized. It would probably better to just move along before this woman noticed him, because he really hadn't meant to run into anyone here that wasn't her. The fact that he didn't know her name was rather discouraging and he supposed it would be a good idea to remedy that at the first opportunity. But honestly he wasn't sure how he was supposed to go about doing so. It wasn't like he could just walk up to the maiden and ask for her name. Surely she would think him insane and laugh at him. He fought the urge to sigh at that thought and shook his head, unwilling to even entertain such negative thoughts. No, he would just have to come up with another solution to that particular problem. There was no way he could ask Endymion about it either, mainly because he didn't want to look bad in front of his King. It was a bit odd that he should remember Endymion when he couldn't remember much else at all, but he had already decided not to question that small wonder. It was nice that he remembered something other than his own name at least. The fact that he couldn't remember where he'd come from or who he really was still frustrated him to no end, but he was confident that he would be able to recover those lost memories, somehow. He had no idea how he was supposed to go about that either, but he supposed it was better to think positively in this situation. Moping about it would certainly get him nowhere.

He was just trying to decide if he shouldn't walk out of this place and leave altogether when the woman's eyes slowly opened, it was too late to flee without being spotted now. About a second later, her eyes landed on his face and he felt his cheeks burning. It wasn't exactly a crime to stare at someone, but it wasn't really the polite thing to do either. His first instinct was to apologize immediately before she could say something cross about it, in case she had gotten the wrong idea. He really wasn't trying to offend anyone with his presence here. Now that he thought about it, he supposed it was silly of him to be hiding out here in the hopes of running into a certain person anyway. She had no way of even knowing that he was out here so there was no guarantee that she'd even know to come out here, assuming she showed up at all. It might have been helpful to think about that before he had gone to all the trouble of coming here, but it was too late to worry about it now. Fortunately though, this other woman didn't seem to be too offended by his behavior, or so he was going to assume by the fact that she had yet to start shouting at him. A second later she smiled, and he decided that unless she was some kind of crazy person that smiled when they were actually angry, this was a good sign. The sound of her voice caught his attention and he blinked a bit at her question, unsure of how to go about answering that one.

"My name is Helios," he greeted, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I am sorry for disturbing you, I'm afraid I have mistaken you for someone else entirely." Well that was probably not the sort of thing she was expecting to hear, but he figured it would be best if he was completely honest. He could see no reason to deny the fact, it was an honest mistake after all. This wasn't the sort of thing that happened all the time. In all truth, this was probably the first time he could ever remember something like this happening at all. "Are you having a good evening?" he questioned curiously. After a moment, he realized with no small amount of wonder that he felt more at ease around this unknown woman than he did around Amethyst and most of the others. That notion was particularly interesting to him, considering the fact that he didn't know much about them aside from their names and that they had also been found, in a similar state he had been found in.

[Kou Yaten]

Feeling the stranger's embarrassment, Yaten realized that she was probably staring too intently at him, so she blushed faintly and tore away her gaze. Holding her glass with both her hands, she absently stared at the red liquid inside, listening to the stranger's answer. ”Helios...” her voice softly echoed his. ”... the sun...”, Yaten softly added, stopping herself just as she was about to comment on the fact that his shine really did remind her of the sun. It was probably not a good idea, though, to make such comments in front of a stranger who didn't know anything about her powers. Nor would it have been polite to ask him exactly what he was, as she would have now wanted to. One thing she was sure of, Helios, whatever he was, was no enemy. She felt far too calm around him for him to be one. If anyone would have interrupted her in her state of relaxation, like he did, Yaten would have thrown a genuine tantrum, she valued her moments of silence and solitude too much. Oddly, she just couldn't act like that around this man which she was just seeing for the first time and she really wished she could understand if it was because of the man himself, because she was just too sad over her earlier behaviour towards Seiya, or just because she had a sip of alcohol, which was slowly working its way to make her feel tired and weak – just like she feared it would.

Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Yaten raised her eyes back towards Helios, offering him a weak smile as she spoke, although her eyes were filled with sadness: ”That explains the disappointment I've felt from you. There's no need to apologize, it could have happened to anyone. I hope you find the woman you were looking for.” Truth be told, Yaten had pretty much hoped Helios would be someone else when she felt his presence into the garden. Just for a brief second, before she felt his aura, she had hoped that the one pulling her out of her world of thoughts would be Seiya. But probably, by now, Seiya was already inside, having fun, maybe with Serenity. Her grip on the glass tightened and, before Yaten even properly processed her gesture, she took another sip of the ruby-red liquid, the glass now empty of more than half of its original content. She knew that her silly gesture had pretty much decided the rest of the night for her. Soon, she'd just feel sick and sleepy – very sleepy, considering how few sleep she had gotten lately – and she'd just have to return to her room, probably before even getting the chance to meet Seiya and show her that at least she tried to come out of her room and socialize.

A hushed sigh escaped Yaten's lips and she turned her head slightly to the side when Helios questioned about how her evening was. She didn't want him to see the sad expression that took over her features as she recalled what she had done that evening. After picking her words carefully, the silver-haired Light faced Helios again, offering him a small and fake smile. ”I'm trying to. How is your evening so far, Helios?” Only when she addressed the man by his name did Yaten realize that she hadn't introduced herself. ”I'm awfully rude. I asked for your name and I never even introduced myself after finding out yours. My name is Yaten.”

[Kogane Tsuki]

"That's a wonderful Idea Serenity, it fits the theme indeed. I've noticed something odd, my control seems a bit better and I feel a thrumming through me at this festival. It's like... the old days. The festival that we held right before... before everything happened." She whispered softly and sadly as she held her cousin put her hair up, and then get dressed. She sighed softly as nodded to her cousin. Being literally dragged out of the room and towards the dance floor, she was perfectly fine with being dragged around by her cousin. It took them a little bit to get to the ball, but once they where there Kogane felt a little out of place. "I'll help you find your friends, if that's what you wish..." She said lightly, her head tilting to the side as she smiled.

She would follow her cousin's lead. The golden haired beauty that greatly outshone the darkness that was Kogane. She followed after Serenity as she introduced her to some people. Bowing at the waist and remaining a little emotionless, she decided perhaps this wasn't the best thing to do. She let a true smile leak through her features. "A pleasure to meet you." She stated softly as she straightened and looked towards Serenity. In no time there was a green clad beauty approaching them. Juno, Jupiter. The memory of when they where younger bringing stinging tears to her eyes. Ones she blinked away and hid behind her bangs. "Pleasant to meet you as well... Queen Juno." She whispered softly. Though a cousin to the Queen Serenity, Kogane had no right to claim being a Queen in this life. She was just related by blood, not even a princess in this time.

Not that she cared overmuch for politics or bloodlines. She sighed softly and turned her attention to looking over the dance floor. Then before she knew it another of Serenity's friends had approached. This one dark haired like herself. But burning as bright as a star. That was one of the ones that had been at her awakening. "Pleasure to see you as well, you look wonderful." She said politely. Still she looked the part of the distanced warrior, even now in a dress. The way she looked at the dance floor and at the happy people. It made her hurt, how easy it would be for the other Queens to find their Prince. At least they had one to make their King. Speaking of which, she had a funny feeling, one she couldn't explain. There was someone else approaching them.

She watched as the Queen of Venus flittered like the social butterfly she was. A tingle of the tears starting up again, she blinked them away though as the slim hand landed on her shoulder. "P-lea-Pleasure to meet you ag-... As well" She whispered softly and weakly. None of them knew the truth, none of them knew. Only Serenity and Kogane knew, it seemed that she would forever be caught in a loop of looking into the past. She didn't notice the squealing sound of two very familiar voices. She almost didn't catch them, but the warrior in her was always on guard. Down on her knees she went, as she scooped up the two dark haired twins. Spinning in a circle, the other senshi would finally get to see true emotion on the dark haired senshi's features. Her twin brothers where here, that meant her parents where in the crowd somewhere.

"Kogane, is here... She's going to get better!" Yuri said in a cheerful and bubbly voice. "Ah but she still has dark nasty stuff in her..." Yuki chimed up. Yuri and Yuki looked up at her and at those around. "But bright lady can fix!" They said together as they reached out a hand towards Serenity. Only about four or five, the twins where still a little young to know as much as they did. But they where special, her parents had always said.

Kogane was just a tad taken aback, but laughed it off as the boys played and pulled at her Henshin. "Serenity, this is Yuri... and this is Yuki. They are my brothers..." She said lightly. "Yuri, Yuki... this is my... " She stopped, it was hard to explain reincarnation. The boys knew their birth family and everything that was attached to it, but she didn't know if they would understand the rebirth of spirit.

"She is your cousin! From the Sparkling shiny place, right?" Yuri chimed.

Gods, these children where intelligent. She sighed softly and stroked her fingers through their hair, kissing their forehead as she held each of them perched on her hip. "Well everyone, this is my family... though I don't know where my mother and father are..." She said with a weak smile. She looked around, and caught site of the two people, whom where now approaching. She watched as first her mother then her father bowed to Serenity and then turned and took her brothers from her.

"Your sister has a special job, she is now one of the Guardians... It's an honor that very few get to have. Let her do her work... " Her mother whispered as she looked back at Kogane.

Kogane knew it hadn't been a mistake, telling her parents of the dreams that came when her powers awakened. Her mother had always believed there was more to her daughter then meets the eye. She turned and smiled at Serenity. "My birth family, of this life... My mother Mika, and my father Taki... Please meet my Past-Life Cousin... Serenity..." She said lightly. Watching her parents eyes widen, they hadn't quite thought she was going to be THAT close as a Guardian, just a guardian. "Why don't you go and have a pleasant night please... I'll visit the family another time." She said with a bright smile. Turning back to look towards the party, stepping back against the wall into a shadowed alcove. Letting Serenity have the fun she needed, while still being watched. This was not a night for Kogane, as much as Serenity tried to make it such for her. Kogane could never really come out of the shadows, they felt like home.

[Zoisite Grey]

Zoisite had not noticed where the other man's eyes had wandered to, he was too busy looking at the anti-snow globe to immediately notice Kunzite's appearance in the ballroom. He did notice someone approaching his table, though. He looked up, trying and failing to fight the grin spreading across his face. Though he still preferred Kunzite's true form to his disguise, he had to admit, Shin looked good in the suit. It was less formal than his own attire, but of the four of them he felt that he had the most fashion sense of all and in situations like this he wanted to shine.

He was almost too distracted by the sudden and yet anticipated arrival of Kunzite to remember what he held in his hand. He quickly slid the hand enclosed around the snow globe under the table, praying he hadn't seen it. As he heard his alias spoken to him, he glanced up, meeting the brown eyes looking back at him. He could hear something akin to curiosity in his voice as the name was spoken. "Ku--Shin," he replied sheepishly, mentally scolding himself for nearly saying the other man's name. True no one was around them, but they could never be too careful. He was just not used to have to use false names all the time, and wanted to simply call each other by their proper names.

"You're fashionably late, I see," he said, his tone light while his fingers moved nervously over the object in his hand. He should just do it: give it to him now and be done with it. Why was something as simple as this so difficult for him? He took a deep breath and stood up, his arms behind his back as he looked at the dark haired man before him. "I got you something," he said evenly, keeping his eyes on Kunzite's chest instead of his eyes. He held out his hands, the snow globe, resting on his left palm and holding it in place gently with his right hand. He didn't know why his mind was making this out to be such a big deal: it was just a present exchanged between two friends. Yet he knew on some level that he would be devastated if Kunzite did not like the gift, or if he thought that, he, Zoisite, was being weird in giving it to him. He had seen the way he'd looked at the little object though, he didn't think he'd dislike it.

"I thought you might like it," he said at length. "I'm sure there's a place even in the darkness for it." He stood there, his arms still outstretched, waiting for a sign of either approval or rejection. If he made things uncomfortable after this, he thought glancing over at the doors, he could probably make a run for it easily enough.

[Kunzite Blackwell]

Probably it had been just a trick of his mind after all, Kunzite convinced himself after he threw a quick glance at Zoisite's hand, only to notice that the man didn't even had his hands on the table. Maybe Aphrodite's presence had fascinated him so much that he was just seeing things. Kunzite casually admired Zoisite's clothing choice before the younger man noticed him, supressing a small chuckle when he got confused over his name. He could understand him though, it had taken him a while to get used to call the Shitennou by other names. It was something absolutely necessary though, they couldn't just wander around through the city and use their real names, they couldn't afford being exposed sooner than it was necessary.

”True. But still, better late than never, they say” Kunzite replied with a smile, deciding against mentioning the detail that he got distracted and almost forgot about the ball. He blinked, surprised, when Zoisite suddenly stood up with his arms behind his back. Several thoughts flashed through his head, all too ridiculous for him to even mind them. ”You got me something?” he questioned, intrigued by the fact that Zoisite seemed rather... embarrassed by what he was about to do. Why else would he be avoiding to look him in the eyes? He wasn't intimidating in his human disguise, not that he knew of.

As Zoisite extended his hands, his eyes widened considerably upon noticing what the men held into his palms. His gaze was instantly captured by the golden flakes which brought back so many memories of the past and a very soft whisper left his lips without him even realizing it: ”Zoisite...”. Zoisite had been the one that bought the unusual globe... for him? The thought was very surprising and so very pleasant. It really warmed his heart. He had gotten presents often in his previous human existence as Shin, but as Kunzite he only received gifts during the Silver Millennium, during his brief romance with Aphrodite. Kunzite wished he could know what had motivated Zoisite to buy him that globe, if he was merely intrigued by his rather odd fascination with an unimportant object or if it had been something more.

It seemed Zoisite didn't forget what he had told him earlier at the festival. Slowly, Kunzite extended his hands towards the globe from which he was yet to tear away his gaze. He delicately placed his right palm into Zoisite's, his fingertips toughing the base of the globe, while his left palm touched the glass, his fingers meeting those of the younger man. Lifting his head, he locked his gaze with Zoisite's, smiling wholeheartedly, although his overall expression still betrayed his confusion and surprise. ”Thank you. This means much more to me than you can imagine”, Kunzite spoke, hoping that Zoisite would at least suspect that he wasn't talking just about the fact that the globe held a certain significance to him, that he was also implying the fact that the gesture meant much more than he he could even suspect. ”Do you really believe that... beautiful things... beautiful feelings... have their place in darkness?” The question was probably too odd and cryptic and would just make Zoisite consider him totally mad. His words really made him wonder. If Zoisite firmly believed in that, maybe it was worth showing him, telling him, how he really felt? Kunzite waited for an answer from Zoisite, keeping his palms into the same postion and looking into his eyes.

[Helios Kumiko]

For a moment she didn't say anything, and he took the opportunity to study her face. Though he couldn't be absolutely certain, he was pretty sure he had never met her before in his life. Judging by the fact that she had asked him who he was, it was probably safe to assume that the two of them had never crossed paths before, or at least they had never been in close enough proximity to feel the need for introductions. Well no matter, he supposed there were bound to be people he had never met here as well as people he had probably met before and just couldn't remember. That thought was not at all comforting but it was the way things were. He couldn't just change that because he didn't like it. He watched as her gazed shifted to the glass in front of her and for a moment he was almost tempted to go inside and get something to drink for himself, though he supposed it would be a bit rude to just leave her alone in the middle of their relaxed conversation. The possibility of inviting her to walk with him briefly crossed his mind, but then he realized that she had probably come out here for a reason. Not everyone was overly fond of large crowds of people, he reasoned. At the sound of her voice, he focused his attention on her face once again, his eyes studying her features.

Chances were good that he might have seen her in passing once or twice before, but as far as he knew she was just a stranger who happened to greatly resemble another young woman he sometimes thought he remembered. Helios smiled as their gazes met for a second time. The sadness in her eyes was unmistakable and he was tempted to ask her what was wrong. It wasn't any of his business and she would probably just think him overly rude or nosy, but the worst she could probably do was turn around and leave, or ask him to do likewise. For the time being he chose to hold his tongue. Her words were surprising to say the least. The disappointment she'd felt from him? True he had been disappointed when she had not turned out to be the same fair-haired woman that sometimes plagued his thoughts, but he didn't recall actually mentioning that to her. The notion that she could actually feel his disappointment was an intriguing one. As far as he knew, people weren't able to do that sort of thing, and yet here this woman was, a walking exception to that rule as it were. "All the same, it was not my intention to disturb your quiet moment. . . Pardon me for asking, but you said you felt my disappointment just now? I don't mean to be rude, but, what did you mean by that?" he questioned.

The silver-haired man was well aware that he had probably come off as crude, but he was merely curious about the way she'd said it, as though she was used to that sort of thing. That idea was absolutely fantastic but there was something about this woman that struck him as not quite . . . normal. Truth be told, he had no idea why he was even thinking about this at all. The logical thing to do would be to move along in the hope of finding the one he was looking for, but he found he didn't want to do that just yet. When next she spoke, Helios nodded a bit. "It's a beautiful evening, I am truly glad to hear that you are enjoying it. My evening is going well also. I'm afraid I have not been the most social person this evening. You are the first person I have actually run into. I suspect most people are inside, dancing and enjoying the festivities," he replied. "Oh that's quite alright. It's a pleasure to meet you Yaten," he responded. To be honest he hadn't been overly worried about the fact that she had yet to introduce herself. On the other hand, he now knew this woman's name, so the possibility of speaking with her again at some point would not be quite as awkward if he remembered a name to go with her face.

[Kou Yaten]

”You didn't disturb me, Helios. If anything, I should thank you for appearing. I was so mesmerized by the beauty of this garden and by its silence that I got completely lost in thought and I had completely forgotten where I was and why I came to the ball in the first place” Yaten reassured her new acquaintance. It was strange that she could be so honest and nice to someone whom she had just met. His question caught her slightly off guard and she blushed with embarrassment when she realized that she had actually said that she felt what he did. Yaten didn't answer immediately, trying to find the best way to explain her bothersome power to a complete stranger which was now confused and curious – she could feel he was. Yaten locked her gaze with his as her voice softly broke the silence: ”You aren't rude, I understand your curiosity. I am an empath. I am very receptive to other people's feelings and emotions. Most people would call that a gift, I call it a curse...” her voice trailed off. Sighing softly, she continued: ”I didn't mean to be aware of your feelings earlier. I could explain it in more detail, but I don't want to bore you when you probably have better things to do.” Closing her eyes, the silver-haired woman focused and slowly blocked herself away from any foreign feelings. Unfortunately, that simple task was proving itself to be rather difficult. Even in normal circumstances it required some effort to have that emotional barrier set up. It seemed that the combination of many nights of few sleep and alcohol had already drained most of her energy, so now it was pretty hard to focus on ignoring her powers. As her eyes slowly fluttered open again, she smiled and whispered to Helios: ”Don't worry, now my empathy is under control and I can't sense your feelings any more. I don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable in my presence.” Yaten actually enjoyed his presence and didn't want to scare him off because he might imagine that she would permanently be aware of his feelings.

Yaten gazed at the white-haired man, listening to his answer about his evening so far. The thought that most of the people would be inside, dancing and enjoying themselves, made her thought fly back towards Seiya. She was almost sure that she was with Serenity and the simple thought was very hurtful, so hurtful that before she realized it, the glass in her hand had become empty after one long and slow sip. ”I guess they are” she replied, looking at the empty glass in her hand. Her eyes were sad and, by now, she was beginning to look tired and slightly pale. Yaten was about to reply and say that it had been a pleasure to meet him as well, when something drew her attention, a flap of wings. The closer it got, the louder it seemed to get in Yaten's ears and a sharp pain suddenly passed through her body, as her mind was being overwhelmed with too many powerful and negative emotions for her to be able to block them. Hatred, fear, death, all so intense that her empathy made them physically painful and. So... familiar. Turning completely pale, she clutched her hands to her chest – her glass falling to the ground and shattering into hundreds of pieces – her eyes briefly catching a glimpse of a black bird landing in a shrub somewhere behind Helios. A single hushed whisper escaped her lips: ”Chaos...”

[Juno Stryker]

Juno smiled at Kogane, who had used her title while speaking to her, she noted. "Just Juno is fine," she assured her. She knew that they had known Kogane in the past, even if she couldn't actually remember it, and what's more, Kogane was Serenity's cousin. There was no need for her to have to call her by her title. Juno's smile widened as a familiar dark haired star senshi joined their group. She turned to face the other woman. "Why thank you, Seiya," she said playing idly with the part of her dress that flared out. She wasn't a vain woman, but it was always nice when someone noticed that she had actually gone all out. "You look rather stunning too." It was true, everyone there seemed to have managed to look absolutely beautiful in their own way. No sooner had she thought about it than the queen of social events and beauty herself appeared on the scene: Aphrodite.

She sighed slightly, a combination of envy and awe, at her friend. With her things seemed so effortless. Juno envied her knack for balls such as this and her own natural beauty. She couldn't help but smile though as Aphrodite called to them and kissed them on both cheeks. "I'd say the same to you if it were possible," she replied with a wink. She laughed as the Venusian queen made the toast, stopping a passing by waiter to get a champaign flute of her own. After she had one, she watched him walk away a bit longer that was necessary, but turned back to the blond haired woman. "I'll drink to that," she said with a chuckle, draining half the glasses contents.

Before anything else could be said, she saw two children approach the darker of the two odango haired women. Kogane introduced them as her brothers. She smiled as she listened to them speak. Kids were so young, so innocent, so naive: it was wonderful. Kids didn't have the hardened outlook on life that adults did: well most kids didn't at any rate. She watched as the parents were introduced to Serenity, smiling to herself at their expressions. As they left she grinned over at Aphrodite who had bumped into her hips with her own. She took another sip of her drink and held up her glass. "I say, 'let's do it'," she said with a chuckle. While she might not be the social butterfly her friend was: she loved dancing and thus logically loved going to balls.