The moon, placid without a sound...serene with utter stillness...its tranquil lake waters refecting silky colors...and...a palace that seemed to exist at one moment and disappeared without a trace at another...appeared to be made of translucent crystal from one angle and looked void of any
matter from another...all too dreamy and beautiful for true
comprehension...however...if one were to look closely and listen carefully...
"Waaaaaaaa....!!!!!!" a piercing scream shot through the sky....
"Princess Ino...are...are...are you alright??!!!" asked an extremely worried voice.
"My...my stomach...hurts...J...hold me...." Princess Ino's body was writhering.
"Waa!! Princess Ino!!" J caught him and started yelling "Help!! Help!!"
The Queen Shinya II and his guard Sugi stormed into the room and were startled to see the First Guard panicking about the collapsed Princess.
"My baby...what has happened to you?!!" asked the Queen.
"Ah...mother...sob...sob...I think I have eaten too much mooncake...I feel very ill..." answered the Princess in a weak voice.
The Queen looked around and saw about 20 empty mooncake boxes lying around and turned to the Princess, "You naughty girl! I especially asked the First Guard to hide them from you...how did you dig them out!" the Queen gave the flustering J a blaming stare and ordered, "First Guard Sugi! Go get some digestive tablets!! Quick!!"
Sugi ran off at once and came back with the pills after a short while. He heard the Queen's distressed voice, "Oh no...you are supposed to go down to the earth for the yearly mission...now you are so sick...what should we do...what should we do...?"
"We can skip it this year!" suggested the First Guard.
"No!! The Moon Princess has to visit the earth and save one poor soul at full moon every year! This tradition has to be followed!" the Queen insisted and started pondering on a solution. Suddenly her eyes brightened and pointed to J, "You go! It is time for you to serve your duty, instead of hovering around the princess like a bee over honey!"
"Ah! But..but..but..." stammered the First Guard.
"Wait! He can't go! He has to stay with me!" jumped up the Princess and immediately fell back to J's arms. "Ah...my stomach still hurts...I mean...J looks too scary and the people on earth will think that he is with the mafia and run away immediately...we need to find a beautiful girl to
pretend to be the Moon Princess..."
"Sigh! Maybe I should go then..." said the Queen.
"No way!" jumped up again the Princess, "Ah...I mean...mother...I am concerned with your health...it is tough dealing with the people on earth you know...those stinky dodgy creatures..."
"But we don't have any other pretty girls here..." a voice suddenly pointed out.
The Queen, the Princess and the First Guard all turned their heads to the source of this voice , which belonged to the guard Sugi, and they looked at each other and then looked at Sugi again...and started smiling...
"Oh no..." Sugi had a bad feeling about this...
Inside Princess Ino's bedroom suite...
"Hoho...stop tickling me...hoho..." giggled the Princess.
"Haha...I am curing your stomach ache...haha...ouch! Don't kick
me...haha..." laughed a voice that sounded very much like the First Guard.
"Isn't it wonderful...my darling..? I don't have to go to the earth...can spend every moon night with you...aren't you happy...my love...?" whispered tenderly the Princess.
"Yes of course...my butterfly..." kissing his face...his neck...and caressing his body softly...
"Poor Sugi...we have to give me a big treat after he comes back..." breathing to his ear.
"It tickles...hoho...why don't you give me 'a big treat' right now...." the Princess was again murmuring...
The night was young with promises...the moon was radiant with joy...two souls were completely immersed in their own little world...unware of the unfortunate happenings on earth...
**************************************************
"Damn it!! My stocking is stuck in the tree branches!!" swore Sugi who was exhausted due to the long flight from the moon, and also frustrated because of the bulky puffy flowery dress he was forced to put on. It was still at night on earth and there was no people walking on the quiet back street where he landed. The chilly cold wind was blowing high and plucking the already half fallen red leaves. Sugi looked around and started to shiver.
"Ryu-chan, you can call off the day after dumbing the rubbish!" came a man's shout suddenly.
A boy appeared dragging two big trash bags and heading towards Sugi's direction.
"Ex..excuse me!! Can you help me? I can't get down from the tree!!" yelled Sugi to get the boy's attention.
The boy looked up, and under the dim moonlight, Sugi saw a pale face with red cheeks and innocent eyes shining with curiosity.
"What are you doing up there?" asked the boy with a clear voice.
"I...I climbed up to admire the scenery but I am having trouble coming down." what a silly excuse, Sugi thought.
"Oh, I see." the boy believed without doubt, "How can I help, madam?"
"Madam?!!...oh my...madam...he called me a madam..." Sugi stuttered on and on and finally noticed that the boy was waiting patiently for a reply.
"Oh yes! The madam's dress is caught by the branches, I can't loosen it without tearing the dress. Can you climb up to help me?" pleaded Sugi.
"Sure! I am very good at it!" the boy moved up with his hands and feet swiftly and had already went up to Sugi's location smiling proudly after a scant moment.
"You little monkey! Hoho!" Sugi was very amused.
"My name is Ryu!!" objected the boy.
"Haha, I am Sugi, little Ryu."
"Hello, Madam Sugi." before Sugi could protest to that title, Ryu had already started untangling the massive train with laces and little flowers and jewels...
"How the hell did I let myself put on something like this...my goodness!" brooded Sugi.
"Done!" cheered Ryu.
"Thank you!!" Sugi and Ryu both slipped down the tree to the ground. Now Sugi could see more clearly that little Ryu is not actually that 'little'.
Only half a head shorter than Sugi himself, Ryu is already a young man, though his features appeared too fragile and delicate. "He is beautiful..."
Sugi started dreaming.
"OK, madam. I have to go now. It is nice to meet you." Ryu was turning away and was about to walk off.
"Please wait!" Sugi finally woke up and panicked.
Ryu stopped and looked surprised.
"Ah! Err...actually...hmm...how to say this...ah...let me explain..." Sugi was flustering again and Ryu just stared at him looking confused.
"Sigh! Alright! Actually I am the Moon Princess and I come to the earth all the way from the moon in order to fulfill a mission which is to grant a wish to a person in need!! Do you have any wishes at all?" Sugi bursted out the whole story.
While he was anxiously waiting for a response, Ryu was simply dumbfounded and couldn't utter a word.
After a long embarassing silence...
"Did you run away from home, madam?" asked the puzzled Ryu.
"Ah! No...no..." said Sugi.
"Did you have a fight with your boyfriend?" guessed Ryu.
"Hell! No!!" Sugi flamed.
"Oh...you didn't pay your rent and your landlord kicked you out?" Ryu didn't give up.
"No...ah...oh yes yes. I have nowhere to stay...can I go home with you?"
Sugi changed his approach.
"Oh really...hmmm...it is not a problem...but I am renting a small room near here and I am not supposed to bring any guests to stay over. We have to sneaked in quietly and definitely cannot wake the landlady up...she can be very fierce." Ryu explained.
"Ok ok ok!! My feet won't touch the floor so I won't make any noise" promised Sugi.
Ryu laughed lightly and shrugged at this, then led the way.
Inside Ryu's room...
"Madam Sugi, over here" whispered Ryu.
"Plea...please don't call me madam! Just call me Sugi." begged Sugi.
"Oh?...ok...Sugi, you can have my bed. I will sleep on the floor." Ryu was making the bed for him.
"No no! I sleep on the floor." Sugi objected.
"It is freezing here...you don't want to get a cold..."
"Let...let's sleep together in the bed then."
Ryu brushed immediately at the suggestion and Sugi found himself locking his eyes on Ryu's shy expression.
"If you don't mind...I am going to fall asleep RIGHT AWAY I promise!" Ryu jumped into the bed with all his soiled clothes on and squeezed his body and his face against the wall next to the bed, leaving a lot of space for Sugi, who was standing there like a piece of wood while at the same time feeling something strangely sweet inside that he'd never experienced before. He laid down on the bed next to Ryu whose body went rigid obviously
at his presence. He started wondering about what he was going to do next and then Ryu's faces kept coming up in his mind and eventually his fatigue took over and he fell into a deep slumber.
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