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Mint Aizawa was ready to shine. No longer was she one of the cygnets, no longer in a background role. She was the prima ballerina, the principle role, Odette herself, and really did the world get any more poetic than that?
She settled herself into modified third position, her head tilted down, awaiting the curtains to be pulled back. Her parents, and more importantly, her brother had promised to be there, it was opening night after all. She was the star. They would be there, for once.
It wasn’t easy to make it to ballet practice while also fighting to save the world, and Mint had sacrificed so much to get there….Namly time with Zakuro.
But it was worth it.
Her parents promised to be there.
The curtain pulled back, and the second act began. It was impossible to see the crowd, the lights were blinding, but she was used to it. And it was nice to be in the spotlight for once.
She let her brain take a secondary role and simply followed her muscle memory. Letting the grace of her limbs speak for themselves. It was a beautiful story, Swan Lake, written by a man trapped in a world that would never appreciate him. And since becoming a Mew Mew Mint felt she understood it more deeply, maybe that was why she had been given the role. A woman doomed because the promised love was never delivered. She certainly knows how that feels.
It was all going fine until act three, when Mint was supposed to rush onto stage and confront Prince Siegfried for mistaking the black swan for herself. A horrible crash echoed as she began her entrance, the chandelier falling across the stage, showering the ballerinas with razor sharp shards of crystal.
Mint felt a sharp sting as one of them scratched her face.
A massive Chimera Anima was standing on stage, some sort of snake hawk hybrid. Damn aliens, they were getting better, this was going to be rough.
“Transform!” A proud voice called to her from the audience, as she watched Zakuro vault onto the stage, wolfs tail and ears out. Her body shown with the power and grace of an apex predator. “Mint! Hurry!”
Mint blinked for a moment, stunned. She hadn’t told anyone on her team about her performance. It seemed like too much to hope that both they and her family would come to support her.
Zakuro leaped into the air with the Chimera Anima, as it swiped at her with its tail, its fanged mouth stretching towards one of the other ballerinas, who was either too injured or two scared to move.
Mint felt her body burn with rage. How dare this monster, those aliens, how dare they ruin her performance.
“Mint!” Zakuro cried.
Mint transformed, her feathers swirling around her as she felt the familiar bow land in her outstretched hand. She was comfortable in any clothing, naturally as a lady, but somehow she never felt more at ease than when she was Mew Mint.
“I got it!” She called to Zakuro, trying not to swoon at the realization that she had been at her performance. The Zakuro Fujiwara! At her ballet recital.
Mint shook her head and leapt in front of the injured girl, aiming carefully, and taking her shot. It was a perfect hit but the Chimera simply reared back and hissed at her. Across the stage from her Zakuro was having no more luck, the ends of her whip were wrapped around the monster's wings, but it was clearly taking all her strength to keep it at bay. Mint took the momentary distraction to scoop up the injured ballerina and usher her into the safety of the left wing. Without waiting more than a moment she threw herself back into the fray. Shooting arrows almost faster than she could aim, or make them.
Zakuro stood panting across the hall from her, neither of them was going to be enough to take this monster down. Silently Mint nodded, together then. One last massive attack.
They lined up the shot, meeting in the center of the stage, where Mint as Odette was supposed to be confronting her prince at this very moment.
Together the arrow and whip flew, with all the rest of their strength towards this monster, and collided with more power than the thunder clap of a standing ovation.
Mint felt the moment they won, before the Chimera had even separated and fully allowed herself to collapse onto Zakuro’s shoulder, knowing she would hold her up. She was exhausted, the fight taking more out of her than it should, but then again she had danced most of a ballet.
Zakuro laughed softly at Mint as they both returned to their normal selves.
“I didn’t know you would be here.” Mint muttered, before standing up very suddenly, “My parents!”
Zakuro wrapped Mint up into a hug, which any other time she would have treasured, “I'm sorry, I didn't see them here.”
Mint sighed and buried her face into Zakuro's shoulder.
The taller woman lifted Mints chin up, angling her face so that they were making eye contact. “I’m sorry your night got ruined. You danced beautifully.”
Mint shook her head, sighing with a familiar sense of disappointment. Of course they weren't here. But, “it's fine.” Mint said, “You were here. That’s enough.” Mint gave her a small smile, which grew slightly as Zakuro’s violet eyes flashed. She leaned closer to Mint, her violet hair framing the two of them, hiding them from the remaining stage lights.
Zakuro smiled, not the smile she used for camera, but the somewhat wicked smile she used for her teammates, and more and more for Mint. “Well then, I am honored to be enough.” She laughed, her breath tickling Mint's face, and before Mint could respond to say that Zakuro was certainly more than enough, she was amazing and everything; she felt herself being kissed.
She felt her face turn scarlet as Zakuro drew back, “Brava Mint.”
Mint laughed slightly to herself, and pulled Zakuro back down for a longer kiss.
It was hard work saving the world, thankless too. But sometimes, the sacrifices were worth it.