And the game began.

Very lightly, hardly at all, he leaned over and softly kissed the lip her teeth were nervously nibbling at. His nose brushed against hers and he took a big deep breath. Something in him was changing; the darkness in him pushed into a tiny pinpoint of energy beating inside him. There was no place for taint when Shay was concerned... Not at this moment. For once Leander wanted to be just a man, the way he had always wanted for Fides. Fides had needed a knight, but not Shay. Shay had made it very clearly that she did not want to be rescued, did not want to be weak and dainty. There was fight in her that rivalled every inch of his own stubborness. How was he supposed to make her see? Make her believe? He wouldn't trust himself, there was every reason in the world for her not to. Leander took off his wife beater and tossed it carelessly to the side as he grabbed Shay by the hips, very easily walking her so her back would press into a wall.

"You do not know know exactly what you do to me.. I am a heartless bastard, a traitor knight, a sadist. I would tear the fabric of Time if that was what it meant to protect you."

And yet as he said this he could not help but think she would not believe. 'Fides only'. That was what must have been going through her mind. For a moment the image of his dead lover came alive inside him, and he had to fight hard to push it away. The song was changing now, but the loud music blarred on. His hands moved from her waist slowly up her sides. When he reached her arms he simply directed them to lift up above her head. Leander watched her carefully through hazy eyes, listening to the lyrics spinning around them. A tale of poisonous love had changed to the story of a man who accepted Love was truly unattainable. What right did he have to touch someone as pure as her? None at all.

' I don't want to let you down, but I'm Hell bound. Though this is all for you, dont want to hide the truth. Your eyes shine so bright, I want to save that light. I can't escape this now unless you show me how.'

He hummed the words to himself quietly, hoping the music itself masqued the sound of his voice among it all. His self-restraint was pushing itself as his hands moved into Shay's and laced with her fingers, holding their hands above their heads together. "Shay." He said her name loud enough for her to hear before his lips covered her own, more roughly this time. One kiss followed another by another, sometimes gentle, sometimes rough, but always followed by her name spoken out loud for her to hear. Leander wanted to know how much she truly was on his mind. How desperately he wanted to say the words that always followed in his mind 'Ai'shiteru', but everytime it remained unspoken. Leander could not ultimately give her the peaceful life she wanted. He was a living ghost, forced to walk the lot in life that had been set out for him a millenia ago.

Leander was not the good guy... but sometimes he wished he could be.

Shay couldn't help the soft sound that escaped at the simple kiss, releasing her lip from the bite on instinct. The gentleness of it surprised her enough that for a moment she considered it just might be for her. Could he really feel something just for her? completely separate from his feelings for fides? She might have felt herself torn between the two ideas but his hand on her hips easily brushed that aside, making her shiver as she placed her own over his. She hesitated as he pushed her steadily back but did nothing to fight him, simply letting herself be pushed back without a word. It reminded her of earlier yet.... it felt different too and she couldn't put her finger on why.

"What?" She couldn't help but whisper softly after he spoke the first time. What on earth did she do to him? She knew what fides had done but she found it hard to believe she did anything other then remind him of Fides. Still before she could finish the question beyond that half whispered, half silenced word she felt his hands pinning hers and his hummed words were filling her ears. It almost felt like.... he wanted her to save him. Not fides, just plain innocent shay.

Her breath caught in her throat and she shivered again at the first kiss, the next kiss drawing out the breath in a whimper. She could feel his bare chest and her heart pounded softly, the kisses and his voice pulling at her. The feelings laying heavily in each whisper of her name pushed away all thoughts of anything else, and for a moment her resolve not to fall for his lies, not to fall for him crumbled. She let out a soft sound, one filled with desire and defeat as she tilted her head to the side. The lioness it seemed had faded for a moment, a gentle kitten replacing it. She would never be quite the same gentle dove as fides, but as her fingers tightened around his fingers she knew she was equally lost to this man.

This was what she wanted..... to be held and cuddled and hear her name on his lips as if she was the most important thing in the world. As if she was the last thing in the world that mattered to him simply because she was Shay, not because she was fides. She could still feel her fears leaving her uncertain but each time his lips meant hers they were pushed to the side. Her lips became more willing, more soft with each touch even if the roughness of one made her whimper particularly loudly this time or the other. She had given up her fight for the moment, half believing the soft desire whispered in each kiss was truly and utterly for her despite all her fears. Perhaps it was simply the difference of earlier being subtly different, feeling as if he was touching her like he already owned her while this time seemed almost as if he were asking for something.... pleading for something. Trust perhaps?

'Save me... Save me...'

He wanted to cry out to her in between kisses but he couldn't. Leander had never been a creature to ask for help from others. If he could not do what was necessary on his part than that was a failure on his own part. However, each time his lips would lift ever so slightly from hers he could hear his own breath trembling and lightly blowing against her. For a moment as he held her his grip loosened and he paused just briefly. Leander's eyes were closed and he stood there for a full moment as if trying to gain his control. The thought lightly flickered in the back of his mind that if he had truly wanted... he could have taken. The thought left almost as quickly as it came as he took a look at her face. The expressions on it, even though masked by the blindfold, was enough to cause a hitch in his breathing. It tugged at his heart strings. Slowly he moved his hands out of hers. He slid them down her arms softly, fingertips softly brushing the under of arms and then hands coming to briefly rest on her ribs.

His hands lingered there just a momment, softly strumming his thumb against the bone before moving back up to her face. Leander reached over and with one fluid moment removed the blindfold as the music finally came to a quiet end. He wanted to see her face. A game that had been meant just for her had brought out something unexpected in him, and what more, he had not even realized it.. The fabric fell to the ground and he was left to stare at her face. Leander starred at her without blinking as if desperately trying to remember every detail; every similarity to Fides, every difference. Leander gently cupped her cheeks in his hands. "Look at me," he instructed firmly of her. And the moment she'd lift her eyes he felt something melt inside of him. How could she do that to him so easily?

Very carefully, very gently he rested his lips on hers. Not quite a kiss, a simple touch. He smiled just lightly, his fingers stroking the side of her face. "Beautiful..." Leander took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of her happily. "There is nothing wrong with you, Shay... You are perfect." Leander knelt down slowly on one knee in front of her, grabbing onto her hand. A knight's position with one fist held always over his heart. "I'm not a prince, though. I'm not even a knight anymore. I'm not expecting a happy ending or a long life on my part. I cannot make you happy. The longer you stay near me, the more I risk breaking both of our hearts." Again.
"But the thought of you gone would make me go mad."

Leander slowly stood up, his head lowered a little bit and his white hair falling over his eyes. "You're not going anywhere just yet. I think we should play house for a little while," he joked quietly, smiling sadly. 'Play house'... That's exactly what it came down. It was exactly what Leander had wanted to have all his life. Something important to protect, a place to call home, and someone to come home to. History had proved that wasn't a likely end result for him, though. "I'm going to go shower," he said tiredly. "Maybe later I will take us dancing or something. I heard there's a party going on in town." He let go of her reluctantly and made his way to the small, steep staircase that lead upstairs to his room and the bathroom. He stopped at the bottom momentarily, hands swinging at the side.

"None of this has ever been your fault. And I'm sorry."

With that he started his climb upstairs.

Shay couldn't help but shiver beneath the soft tease of his fingertips, the simple touch evoking so much more then she would have expected. Still, she was surprised as he let her go, feeling a difference in the air she could not name. As he reached her ribs she whimpered softly, her heart pounding as briefly she thought of what he could have taken. She had promised to not fight his 'game' after all. She felt uncertain, frightened, excited, so many different things at the thought. She found herself quickly distracted, however, as he removed the blindfold. She looked up at him on instinct as he asked her too, only to blush all the deeper then she had earlier when she saw his face.

He looked so.... warm, almost gentle for a moment. As he leaned forward at the touch she started to lean into the 'kiss' only to find it ended before she could. She whimpered softly, a soft sound of objection that quickly made her blush all the more. It wasn't fair... It wasn't fair how a simple touch could leave her reeling. She could only blush as he praised her, leaning into his hand on instinct. She wanted to believe him so much, that he really thought her perfect. Still the moment that had her so happy and answered a dream she wouldn't admit she had to even herself ended quickly. She gazed at him, frowning. She wanted to say 'don't say that' as he spoke of his life ending quickly but before she could he had already continued to speak.

"Play... house?" She responded puzzled but once again he was not giving her the opportunity to speak before he continued. She simply nodded as he spoke of showering, glad for the idea of how he would smell.... like he had out at that rainy roof. Clean and fresh, untouched by the world... She shook off the thought, startled by his apology. She frowned a moment and watched him only to run up behind him as he took up the last few stairs. She hugged him from behind, pressing her cheek against his back. She knew this was foolish but it was who she was. It was not the sort of elegant, refined way of doing thins Fides would have done but Shay lived on instinct, passion, and her heart.

"I.... I don't care what the rest of the world thinks you are. Maybe you're a prince to me...simply by spending time with me and making me feel loved. That's all I really wanted.. I don't need some kingdom or to be defended or any of that... I just need from you is... love" She whispered to him softly, wishing he could understand even as she stopped herself from saying she needed him. The times they had spent together before that awful day on the roof had been her heaven, even if they had started as a lie. When he doted on her or teased her, it didn't matter what it was as long as it was with him. Though she had intended to hate him for the borderline abusive way he had started to treat her, that look on his face earlier.... it had been so genuine, so pure, so loving, it had reminded her of what she'd tried to forget. Just how happy he could make her when he had the mind and just how much she missed him over the two weeks she had tried to hide in her room and figure out her own heart. Even as she whispered this near confession, however, her stomach reminded her of why she'd been headed to this part of town with a low growl. She blushed instantly but being herself just joked about it.

"And lunch... need that too. Go shower..." She added as she released him and headed into the kitchen. First she would find her hairclip where it had fallen in the main room before sitting at the kitchen table to fix her hair even as her hands shook. She knew she could escape while he went upstairs to shower... she knew that... but she didn't. She just sat in the kitchen. When she finished putting her hair back up she intended to straighten up the kitchen as best she could and make herself a meal even as she gazed outward in thought.

"Alright," Leander conceded gently as he looked back at her. "Lunch too." He didn't respond to her decleration of love. How was he supposed to respond to that? If he admitted his love, a love that he knew she knew about already, it would only make things worse for them all. So he walked upstairs, leaving her to her own devices downward, and walked into his room. Paintings, sketches... they were everywhere. It was his guilty pleasure, one that very few knew about it. He loved art. Everything about it was so comforting and freeing. Maybe it was just the act of giving his hands something to do. It was like working on those clocks in there.. He liked to feel busy, to be productive. It was something he always enjoyed. It was hard for him to know how to just... let go and relax.

He looked around the room, at the mess of papers and dirty cups filled with paint water and half used pastels and broken pencils. Leander let out a tired breath of air as he scooped up the cups, nonchalantly dumping the dirty and gritty water into the shower where he was going be bathing in shortly. The papers, some of Fides and some of Shay, were hurriedly scooped up and put into drawers or set on his desk nearby. Lee looked at the others, the ones that hung on his wall. He frowned a bit. He didn't want to take those down.. He had fell asleep for years underneath those pictures of Fides smiling down at him.

But, if Shay was going to stay with him, she was going to need to sleep in the same room as him (at the very least) and he didn't want her to be... put off by the images. The last thing he needed was an excuse for them to start fighting, they could do that on their own just well enough. So reluctantly, he took those down, too. Gingerly he stacked the papers together and removed the tacks, stuffing those underneath his matress for the moment. All useable pieces of art equipment was quickly stuffed back into his wooden box of instruments and pushed away to the side. The only thing left out was a big, blank canvas. That was a project for later on.

With everything all... decently cleaned up at least he hopped in the shower, letting the ways of hot water and steam wash over him cleansingly. He spent half an hour just like that, running his fingers through his damp hair and enjoying the feeling of the past couple days washing off of him. ' Could I be like that... ' he wondered. ' Could I give Shay a normal life, could I let go of HER... ' He closed his eyes and smiled, imagining the two of them walking hand in hand down the streets on a chilly autumn day, and in between them, clutching onto their fingertips, was a little girl of their very own... Lee's eyes snapped open and he glanced around. How long had he been up here? The warm water was cold now and the shock had done it's duty in waking him up from his drowsy state. It must have been at least close to an hour, if not a little less.

Shaking his head he turned the water off and took a step out of the tub, grabbing a nearby towel and drying himself off carefully. As he passed by the mirror in his bathroom he stopped for just a moment, a shock jolting through him as he saw his hair. At the roots... it looked just a little bit... darker. Not as white, maybe a very very pale blonde. Or was it? Maybe it was just him.. How strange. He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut once. The moment he did he found the change not so noticable at all. Maybe he had imagined it after all. Leander dried himself off quickly and changed into a pair of jeans and a dark blue t-shirt. Something more relaxed for the day. "I'm done," he called downstairs as he began his descent. In his hands he now held a flyer. "I found the thing about the dance, I told you about," he said.

' A dance with a flair of mystery! Join us tonight at a splendid gala!
Lords and Ladies wear your masks and for a night live as Royalty would!
Waltzes, grand fireworks, and crown a King and Queen of the Stars!
Only tonight at dusk!

The Heavenly Masque!'

Shay had finally managed to put her hair back up into the style favored by fides, despite it's complexity involving a braided bun, and started lunch. She was a great cook but she soon had some basic sandwiches done and was sitting at the table. She'd nibbled some of the food but had mostly been staring off into space. He hadn't answered her... he hadn't said anything but 'alright'. What was that suppose to mean? She sighed softly and shook her head, putting her head in her arms for a moment and just sitting there a moment. Did he really love her? What did it mean if he did?

By the time he had finished his shower, at least, she would have finished her food finally and took the cracked crystal out of her pocket. It too was gone as fides, trapped in fides betrayal until it could no longer tell what was true and what was not the same way it had before. It could no longer reach into the infinity of time and show what was at any place, any time. The sparkling gem that had once transcended time and the bounds of any one individual was now nothing but an angry cracked stone. What of that was she bound to? What of Leander?

"Will you ever be whole again? Will I?.... Will he?" She muttered softly as she gazed at the jewel, those silver eyes filled with thought and something similiar to pity. The creative spirit had no desire to be so bound, the whole point of rebirth was a fresh start wasn't it? She shook her head and sighed only to hear leander. She jumped and pushed the crystal into her pocket as if to hide it but she had made up her mind about something. A fresh start... That's what they needed too...

"That seems fun. Lee... I'll go with you, though i have nothing to wear, but I'll only stay with you here for as long as you like under one condition... You have to stop living your life in the past, for both you and me. You'll have to stop trying to kill the senshi or people. The first time you try to send monsters out to kill people again, i'm gone. I've seen it... in dreams that won't stop. if you continue on this path of killing we'll both die... I can't watch you destroy yourself or anyone else. This is the one thing i can't compromise on and the one thing I would give you all myself to have. I want a fresh start, for you and for us. Either way, now I know the truth and you know how I feel and what I want. So our... friendship is starting over okay?

Clean Slate.. What you do with that and if you choose to accept me as i am as someone who can't turn a blind eye to all this or keep chasing ghosts is up to you. I won't argue about these terms, I don't want to argue anymore. This is what I need from you and what I want to give you. Everyone has been reborn, given a second chance, it's time to take it or we're all doomed to just repeat the mistakes of the past. Anyway I'm heading out to get a dress unless you have one as there is nothing to discuss. You can either give me the one thing I ask of you or you can't." She said quietly. She had placed her hand on his cheek as she spoke, an unspoken pleading in her eyes. Just this one thing... let him give her this one thing and she'd share her bed along with anything else he wanted with him.

As she finished she let him go and looked away, her hand sliding down. She expected him to fight her, to argue again and say no. She expected she'd have to break out to even go get a dress as she'd already promised to go. She turned away from him as she started for the door, her heart heavy with the knowledge that he'd probably refuse. He blamed everything but himself and fides for what happened... probably the senshi as well. She wondered absently if he'd unlock the door for her... if he'd let her move at all.