Warnings:yuri (shojo ai) huge amounts of sap very cute and as I've said before...Cleo, Reina, Ash, and Rilien are MINE! (actually...Cleo's Teraki's) Ah, yes. HUUUUUGE parts of this are indebted to her. Specially towards the end!

Kisses and Dreams epilouge to Cinderboy

"Oh wow oh wow oh wow oh wow!" Cleo was nearly breathless with wonder, her green eyes shining. Reina chuckled. She seemed to be watching Cleo more than looking around. The two thieves had been invited to come meet prince Rilien, Ash had guessed, rather correctly, that the two girls would appreciate the palace.

"Yeah." Suddenly Reina stopped. "But that's even cooler." She pointed.

"Ash!"

The silver haired boy came rushing at the two girls, wrapping Cleo in his arms. "Thank you, thank you." He seemed ecstatic and Reina's grin widened.

"Do I get a hug too?" She asked and found herself glomped by an exuberant, violet-eyed creature. Out of the corner of her eye she say Cleo attaching herself to a brown haired man.

"Is that your prince, Ash?" She asked, receiving a nod and a blush in return. "Or are you his?" Reina laughed, as Ash's blush deepened rapidly. She let him go and turned to Cleo and the prince.

"Soooo, have you two done it yet? What's your favorite food? Wait; don't answer that I'm scared. I'll…"

"Cleo," Reina growled. "Let the man answer one question at a time."

"That's no fun."

"Hn. Excuse us your highness." Reina pulled Cleo away from the prince and poked her in the stomach, causing Cleo to shriek and start tickling Reina and vise versa till the girls had fell to the floor, laughing.

"I told you they were crazy," Ash said as Rilien reached out to take him into his arms.

"They helped you, so they can't be all bad."

"They're not bad at all," Ash sighed, looking over at the girls. Reina was crouching over Cleo, a dangerous glint in her eye. "Well…ok, maybe a little. But not in a bad way."

"In our way?"

Ash smiled slightly, remembering what Reina had told him when he had returned from the ball. "Yes, in our way."

"Ah."

Finally the two girls stood up and dusted themselves off. Reina offered her hand to Rilien.

"Reina, your highness."

"Rilien…" He shook the proffered hand.

"Crown prince, I know. The little baka over there is Cleo."

"So I've heard."

"Who're ya calling a baka?" Cleo demanded. Reina grinned at her.

"No one. Certainly not you."

Cleo snorted slightly and turned back to Ash, who was beckoning to her. "Why don't you show Reina the armory or something, your highness." She suggested. "Ash and I have something to do."

"Should we be scared?"

"Probably." She turned and took Ash's hand, motioning for him to lead her off. Rilien turned to Reina.

"You really want to see the armory?"

"It's better than standing around for however long they spend plotting isn't it?" Reina said, her eyes turning blue as the sun moved out from behind a cloud.

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Well, lead on…I'll try to control my instincts."

Rilien laughed when he realized what she meant. "Thank you m'lady."

"Call me Reina. You can't seriously expect me to call you your highness all the time."

"I guess not." He looked at her for a little while as the walked, remembering her antics before hand. "You really are in love with Cleo, aren't you?"

Reina nodded. "Fully certifiable of me, I know."

"Why the hell don't you do something about it?"

"It would be stupid."

"Huh?"

Reina sighed. "If somebody trusts you, you don't want to give up that for what could be just a passing sexual infatuation."

"I see."

Suddenly Reina stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"Fuck."

"What?" Rilien asked, turning back towards the thief.

"That tiara alone would feed us…gods, all the street kids in the city for a year!"

Rilien shrugged. It was a pompous piece of jewelry that had been his great-grandmother's or something like that. "So take it."

Reina laughed and shook her head. "Can't. Offends my sensibilities. I'd have to actually come back and steal it."

"That makes no sense whatsoever."

"You sound like Cleo. It makes perfect sense. It's an honor thing. I can't take handouts."

"You're worse than some knights."

Reina mock bowed to the prince. "It only makes sense. Some people have money and power, we only have our minimal skills and honor, even if it is a rather twisted version of it."

"Ash said something about that."

"Honor is the only thing that keeps some of us from becoming prostitutes."

"Oh."

"Though granted your Ash could have made a fortune on that."

Rilien paled. "I hope he wouldn't."

Reina smiled at him. "Oh, good. I though I liked you. No, I don't think Ash would."


"What did ya want me for, Ash?" Cleo asked as Ash led her back towards Rilien's rooms.

"I…I wanted to do something for Rilien. He's been so good to me…"

"I see, what?"

"You're the one with the gift for poetry."

Cleo giggled. "You sneak! Alright," she draped herself over Ash's neck. "Mushy poetry is good."

"I know. Not too mushy though."

"Soooooo, what's it like?"

"Huh?"

"Living in the palace. Sleeping with prince."

"Cleo!"

"Give," the girl demanded, green eyes sparkling with humor.

"Rilien…" Ash blushed. "Rilien's amazing."

"Good in bed amazing 'r carry you around and pamper you amazing?" Cleo prodded.

Ash turned bright red. "…Both…He…he worries a lot about me I think. He nearly went ballistic when I told him about Mirnessa and Tristan. Tristan especially."

"Possessive," Cleo commented.

"A bit," Ash admitted. "But I kind of…I kind of like it. He feels warm, comfortable."

"Good." Cleo smiled, somehow years more mature for that single second. Only for that second. "How'd he find you?"

"I was getting Mirnessa's drugs and he saw me and chased me down."

"And kissed the living daylights outta ya?"

"…Something like that."

"Yatta!" Cleo pumped her fist in the air. Jumping about in a small victory dance. Then she calmed down slightly and she sighed. "Lucky."

"Jealous, Cleo?" Ash asked, teasing.

"Yeah, a bit." Cleo's eyes widened when Ash showed her Rilien's room. "God damn…" Her hand flickered out towards a gilded frame. "This would feed all the homeless in the city for a year."

"I'm aware of that," Ash sighed. "Talk to Rilien. I'm sure he'll give you something. He's probably already tried with Reina. He's like that." Ash smiled and sighed.

"You're smitten," Cleo accused, then it was her turn to sigh. "'Cept Rei's honor complex won't let us take it."

"Her you mean."

"No, us. I wouldn't upset her honor like that, when it comes to money and handouts it's us." Something clouded Cleo's usually carefree eyes.

"Not when it comes to anything else?" Ash prodded.

"Huh?"

"Anything else. Only 'us' for money?"

"Ash!" Cleo sighed. "No, only us for money, and thieving…I guess that's money too. Why?"

"You seem to know why, Cleo." Ash said softly.

"I don…"

"Don't say 'I don't get it', Cleo. Please. Do you want it to be something else?"

"Ash just because you're in love doesn't mean every one else is," Cleo laughed.

"Are you?"

"…No…"

"You sure about that?"

"Ash, weren't we going to write Rilien a poem?"

"Not yet. Not till I get an explanation."

"Explanation of what?"

"You know what, Cleo."

"Reina isn't like that."

"How do you know?" Ash asked, settling comfortably on the bed. Cleo sat down on next to him.

"I know. I'm not quite as brainless as I can act. I'm not trying to cover up any depression or anything," she grinned. "But I do see more than I let on. You're about to tell me how Reina feels. I know. I just…maybe it's my own honor complex, but I can't move first. She can be so business like that everything else goes away. I don't want to be second."

Ash smiled. "You still don't see everything, Cleo. Reina…Reina's so in love with you she'd probably fly you to the stars if she could, if you'll forgive the expression. She's afraid of loosing you through making the wrong move. I know. Rilien was like that too. He was afraid to touch me too much, 'cause he was afraid I would get scared off if he moved too fast. I understand it now…did then kinda. But he needed a bit of a prod, Reina does too."

"Oh…" Cleo looked as if she was trying to soak in a lot of information in too short a time. She smiled. "I'll remember that. Yes…I'll definitely remember that."

"Good, now we work on a poem."

Cleo nodded her normal goofy smile returning. "Yeah!"


It was nearly an hour later when there was a knock on the door and Rilien scooted back inside, followed by Reina. Ash slid the poem under a book on the writing table and then stood up and walked right into Rilien's open arms, kissing the price quickly, but sweetly.

"You wore him out, didn't you?" Cleo demanded of Reina. The slightly taller girl shrugged.

"There was a nice sword," she explained, the sighed. "Someday I'll get myself one of those. I just wanted to try it out."

"Are you sure you won't join my father's knights?" Rilien asked, for what Ash guessed was the fourth or fifth time that night.

"Yes."

"Fine." Rilien sighed, looking down at Ash. "You're friend's are…quite something, Ash."

Ash nodded. "I know." He stretched up to kiss Rilien again.

"We'll let ourselves out," Reina drawled. Ash looked up at her as she headed out the door.

"Don't forget to steal something on your way out," he commented. "We wouldn't want to ruin your reputation."

"Oh, don't worry." Both girls had slightly dangerous smirks on their faces. "We won't." With that they headed out, glancing behind before they shut the door only to see Rilien draw Ash into a rather passionate kiss.

"They'll change the world," Reina commented quietly as they left the palace and headed down their familiar alleys. Cleo nodded in agreement, unaware that Reina was watching her as she walked. She sighed; the other girl always brought out something poetic in her. "A kiss and a dream…"

"I think we could change the world with a kiss and a dream..." Cleo sighed into the nightly shadows. A smirk appeared on Reina's face.

"What if that kiss was that persons only dream?"

Cleo paused in her tracks with a faint blush. "Dreaming is believing it'll happen some day... do you want your dream to come true?" Reina nodded and walked ahead of the mint gaze. Cleo just stood there, watching her friend and remembering Ash's words. 'She'd probably fly you to the stars if she could.'

"Would you die for that dream, would you protect her, and love her always? " Reina stopped abruptly at Cleo's soft words. A clear steam of soft aqua trailed down Cleo's cheek. "Cause that dream would for you..." It was Reina's turn to stop with a shocked blush.

'Could Cleo have finally figured me out?' Reina looked back over her shoulder and saw Cleo shyly looking at an empty box. 'My heart feels like that box...empty but with so much room to be filled...' "Cleo…"

"Reina…" The other girl fingered the key that hung around her throat nervously. "Wou…would you kiss me?" She found she could not look up at the other girl, not even when she realized Reina was standing right in front of her, reaching out to wrap long, purple clad arms around her own slim waist.

"It's all I've dreamed of," Reina murmured, her voice humming in Cleo's ears. Cleo looked up; Reina's eyes had gone deep purple in the twilight. Her own mint green eyes widened, then shut and Reina's lips covered her own. Softly first, then with a tongue whispering for entry that was gladly granted as Cleo's arms came up on their own accord to wrap around Reina's neck. Her head settled into the crook of Reina's neck when the taller girl released her lips. It felt right, comfortable. Was this what Ash felt like? Reina buried her nose in Cleo's hair. "You smell like mint and peanut butter," she laughed.

"Peanut butter?" Cleo asked, slightly put out. Reina smiled at her.

"Just a tiny bit. You smell like flame too. Not smoke just…ah; fire, metallicy a bit. Mostly mint. Lavender too. What's that from? I thought I was the one who did lavender."

Cleo blushed. "I used your shampoo."

"Why?"

"Just felt like it."

"One for one I guess."

"I don't get it."

"I use yours."

"I thought I smelled lilacs."

Reina laughed, hugging Cleo tightly. "Je t'adore, Cleo-princess."

"Queen," Cleo corrected, then sighed. "Wo ai ni, Reina. Thank you."

"Home?"

"Yeah, home."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The end!
well...I may have to write more. So maybe not quite the end

Teraki gets all the credit for "Changing the world with a kiss and a dream." She's a beautiful poet. I'm nowhere near that good, still...didja like it? Hmmm?
youkobard@hotmail.com
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