It was a sickness. It just had to be.

And it was something that he would keep to himself until the day he died and the words were pried from his cold, dead lips.

He could recall the moment it had begun to his memory in an instant.

Praxina had once again blamed him for the loss they had suffered against those three princesses, causing him to teleport in a swirl of green magic.

His anger was so kindled, that he didn't even realize where he had teleported to. All he knew was that he was far away from his sister, and that was all that mattered to him at the moment.

He stomped along the sidewalks of earth, not caring about the stares that he received from the few passers by at this late hour.

"They shouldn't even be out at this time of night!" he thought angrily to himself.

He lifted his head for a second, curious as to where exactly he had come. It was odd, but somehow this place looked vaguely familiar. As if he had met, or battled one of the princesses here.

Then it hit him.

He was in the neighborhood that Iris lived in, and now her two princess companions as well.

Mephisto was never one for turning down a good pranking opportunity, and he knew that this was a perfect one!

He rubbed his hands together in the maniacal way that his sister perpetually complained about, thankful that she wasn't here to call him on the carpet for it now.

He teleported himself to the roof of one building, realizing in a moment that this was not the building that he was looking for.

He continued his way down the neighborhood of houses, before the faint sound of music drew his attention across the street from the house he was currently on.

He peered into the night at the one house where a faint light was emanating from one of the upper rooms.

Teleporting himself in an instant, Mephisto found himself gazing through the window of a bedroom, which from all appearances, seemed to be a teenage girl's.

It was exceptionally clean, with book selves on nearly every wall, and everything organized to a tee. That was, all aside from the bed which was a crumpled mess of sheets and a bright blue comforter.

The music had been coming from here before it had ceased, and now, it picked up yet again, a fast paced pop song coming from the speakers of the stereo that was on a desk in the corner.

He practically fell out of the air that he was hovering on at what he saw next.

Talia was twirling around her room, not in the calculated routine that he usually saw from her when she was performing on stage or practicing for an upcoming show. This was very unlike the Xerian princess, unplanned and spur of the moment moves that caused him to stare in what he could only describe as awe.

She was beautiful, how she kept her unique moves in sync to the music despite the fact that they were clearly made up.

The song began to get softer, as did her moves, causing her to settle down a little.

There was silence for only a minute before a new song came from her speakers, one that was far more subdued and classier. It seemed similar to the music his sister listened to when she thought she was alone in the cave. Not that she would ever admit that she listened to classical music even if she were caught doing so.

It was a song sung by a female who felt enchanted by meeting some stranger for the first time.

Mephisto watched in admiration as her moves turned from their unpredictability of before, to a well practiced and smooth symphony of movements.

He fell under a spell as he gazed upon her figure, gliding across the floor effortlessly.

She suddenly became frustrated and marched toward the stereo, rewinding the song so that she could begin the dance again at the sound of the first note.

This process repeated several times. Talia would get frustrated, stomp over to the stereo, and press the rewind button.

As he watched her, he realized that she had kept her arms in the same position throughout the entirety of the dance.

It was as if, the dance were meant for more than just her. As if a partner was supposed to be opposite her, filling in the emptiness.

A yawn escaped from the lips of the dark skinned princess, forcing her to cease her dancing for the night. She turned off the music as well as the lights overhead, and settled beneath her covers for a long night of sleep.

Mephisto watched her as she drifted into a deep sleep, her chest rising and falling with her steady breathing.

As he gazed upon her sleeping form, a sudden desire overcame him.

He wanted to find out what that dance was, get a name for it.

He needed to learn how to do it.

He had to fill in the emptiness of the dark haired princess's arms. He was determined to.

And he wouldn't hesitate to attack anyone that got in his way.

Every night he found himself escaping the cave to go and observe the princess of Xeris as she practiced the mysterious and graceful movements of the dance.

Every spare moment was spent trying to locate any information about the unknown dance he had witnessed night after night from his perch by Talia's window.

He flipped through thousands of pages, the crispness of them sliding across his fingertips stimulated his senses and forced him to believe that the words they held would be of importance to him in any other situation. However, his frustration was wearing thin, his patience a mere thread upon not finding his answer yet.

He ran his hands through his burgundy locks as his desperation increased. He was still answerless, in an even worse position than when he had first started his currently fruitless search.

The bell to the public library door sounded, allowing all those inside the knowledge that someone new had just entered the building's walls.

Mephisto raised his eyes to the door, instinctively cowering behind a bookcase at the sight of the new customer.

He watched Talia as she determinately made her way to the second floor of the building, and strolled to a particular section of novels. She pulled several tomes off of the shelves, one by one, replacing them when she realized that they were not exactly what she was looking for.

Mephisto found himself sighing fondly as he gazed upon the visage of the princess he had come to not only admire but truly have positive feelings for. He believed his sister had said that this sort of thing was called a "crush" on this planet, a name that he had come to realize was actually quite acurate considering that every time he saw the blunette princess, he felt like his heart was being crushed beneath the weight of an entire planet. His chest felt as if it were filled with the creatures from a whole butterfly pavilion.

Talia soon was satisfied with two specific books, and she began to make her way down the stairs.

Mephisto held his breath as he resumed his position of hiding fully from view behind the bookcase.

The moments that passed seemed to last an eternity, and a revolting one at that. It was well known that Mephisto had a very short patience, and this situation was no exception. He hated having to stay in hiding, his only sense of use at the moment being his hearing.

Eventually, the sound of the library door closing gave him the indication that it was safe. He waited for a minute more just to be safe, before glancing around his shelter of the bookcase.

There was no sign of the Xerian princess.

He examined both ways before he hastily transported himself to the location that Talia had been at just minutes ago.

He pulled off a softcover title, flipping through the pages hastily as he scanned the words, unsure of what he was looking for exactly.

He eventually became tired of standing and sat on the floor, an ever growing pile of books surrounding him as he read from page to page, cover to cover of every volume he could get his hands on dealing with the subject of dancing.

He had still been unsuccessful, and was on the brink of giving up completely, when the last three books on the shelf caught his eye.

Simple, worn, and obviously well-used, they had been passed up by other newer books with brighter colors or catchier titles.

Mephisto was careful with them, since he was a great respecter of knowledge and books, no matter what planet they originated from.

He pulled them off one by one, taking only a minute with each before he headed to the counter of the library to check out his finds for the week.

He ignored the odd look he received from the girl behind the counter as he set the books down, where she hastily scanned each, placing a receipt with the date for when they needed to be returned printed on it.

"Perhaps I should wear more appropriate clothing for this planet next time," he thought to himself as he walked out of the building and ducked into an alley as soon as he could, disappearing from the spot in a cloud of green magic.

"Mephisto!" Praxina yelled at her twin from her portion of the lair.

"What?" Mephisto asked half-heartedly, not even bothering to look up from his magazine.

"Where are my fashion magazines?" she demanded, her hands on her hips.

"That intimidation trick hasn't worked on me since we were seven. And no, I have absolutely no clue where your ridiculous magazines are," he responded as he flipped a page.

"Ugh! You are so infuriating!" she screamed, throwing her hands in the air as she stomped out of the room.

"Feeling's mutual," Mephisto muttered.

He flipped another page, eyeing the items on the glossy pages with curiosity.

"Oooh!" he breathed out at the sight of a male model wearing a green leather jacket.

"Perhaps this world actually has some decent taste in clothing after all," he thought, smiling at a pair of shiny, black sneakers.

"Oh how I love magic," Mephisto said, staring at himself in the full length mirror he had conjured up. It may not be his regular style, but he had to admit that he looked quite good in the earth clothes that he had picked out from his two magazines. Who knew the stores on earth could have so many things to offer?

He brushed his wine colored bangs away from his green eyes, and realized that normal teenagers didn't have hair the color of alcoholic beverages. He sighed, not wanting to do what he was about to do.

"Oh definitely not!" Mephisto exclaimed in disgust, snapping his fingers to turn his now brown hair back to his original color. How could Talia make the color look so amazing? He tried the last natural color that he could think of, snapping his fingers for the fourth time. He tilted his head at the new shade of his hair, turning this way and that to get a better view of it. A smirk slowly spread across his face as his whole look sunk in.

"Now that's a color!" he said excitedly, pleased with the outcome. It would take him a while to get used to black hair, but it was worth it if it meant he wouldn't get stared at like he had a second head.

Mephisto snapped his fingers, disappearing in a cloud of green smoke and instantly reappearing in the alleyway near the library. As he entered the building, he noticed that nearly everyone had stopped to stare at him. He walked with purpose towards the stairs to the second floor, not even caring that several dozen eyes were following him. A group of girls began to whisper when he passed their table, causing Mephisto to turn his head towards them. He flashed them a smirk as he continued to walk, all three girls breaking into obnoxious giggles at the gesture. He was started to like this idea more and more.

"I'm going out!" Praxina exclaimed between gritted teeth, vanishing from her brother's sight in a puff of blood red magic.

"Fine with me," Mephisto told his no longer present sister. He rose from his seat and snapped his fingers like he did nearly every time he was alone.

As soon as he left the lair, Mephisto became a completely different person, his clothes similar to that of the typical teenage boy. He found out from his nightly escapades that he loved sleeveless hoodies, leather jackets and fitted t-shirts especially, as well as stonewashed jeans that felt so comfortable he almost didn't want to change back into his usual clothing. He found that high top sneakers were exceptionally comfortable for practically anything and allowed the freedom for movement that he craved.

He studied every page of the books he had checked out every week, each word and picture emblazoned into his mind as he practiced. It was as if he felt alive for the first time in forever, feeling himself smiling as he exerted more energy every time. If this was the reason why Talia danced, then he completely understood. It was simply exhilarating! Eventually, it became his guilty pleasure, his secret that he saved for the deep recesses of the night as he practiced within the walls of an abandoned warehouse not too distant from Iris's home, where a certain Xerian princess dwelled. It was his way to escape from the pressures he had experienced from his sister, giving him a sense of freedom and complete control. It allowed him to be as crazy and outlandish as he wanted without needing to explain anything to anyone.

The only time he had left the lair earlier in the day was when his sister had left to scout out a new area of earth, determining to do it in on her own, so Mephisto had left as well not seeing a reason for staying put. He had felt completely dejected as he watched Talia dance alone, wishing with all his being that he could be the one filling her embrace.

But that all changed one night. The night Fate decided to step in in the form of Aurianna.

"But you have to go! It's like the biggest thing that the entire school holds! At least, that's what Iris told me," the redhead pleaded with he friend.

"I am not going Aurianna! You need a date in order to go to that sort of thing, and if you haven't noticed, I don't really have a line of guys outside my door begging to take me," Talia told the shorter girl, crossing her arms over her chest.

"But, you already picked out your dress and everything! It looks so good on you!" Aurianna tried again, her green eyes getting bigger as she spoke.

"I know, but that was when we were planning on going as a threesome. Now that you're going with Doug and Iris is going with Nathanial," Talia's words trailed off as she turned away from Aurianna.

"Come on Talia! You cant just stay home tonight! All you'd do is read that book of yours!"

"I know. I just don't feel like going,"

"Well, if you won't go for me or Iris, then go for yourself. Go to have a good time and meet new people! Besides, I know how much you love to dance!" Aurianna tried again.

Mephisto perked up at that. Had the redhead just said "dance"?

Talia sighed, trying her best not to take the situation to personally. She just needed to go to keep Aurianna happy, so she only needed to stay for about an hour before she could leave. Unless of course she met some people and began to have a conversation. Then she might stay a little longer. And like Aurianna had said, she did love to dance.

"Fine. I'll go. If only to keep you from bugging me all day!"

"Oh! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Aurianna exclaimed, running towards her friend and squeezing her with all of her strength.

"Can't. Breathe," Talia muttered, barely able to get the words out.

"Sorry! I'm just so excited that you agreed to come!" the redhead squealed, jumping up and down and clapping.

"Now go get ready! You're gonna take three hours at least!" Talia teased.

"Don't forget to wear your mask!" Aurianna said, closing the door and bounding down the hall to her room.

"I won't!" Talia called after the energetic teen.

Mephisto couldn't wait any longer, standing from where he had been sitting on the ground. He teleported himself towards the redhead's room, looking through the window for anything that might help him with more information on this "dance". On her wall, Mephisto noticed a poster with the words, "School Dance! This year's theme: Masquerade" written on it in big, blue letters. He was unable to read the entire amount of the small print underneath the larger words before Aurianna closed her bright orange curtains.

Determination coursed through Mephisto's veins at that moment.

He was going to be there when Talia got there. And he was going to make it the best night of her life.

He transported himself back home, and quickly scanned through his magazines, looking for something that could possibly be appropriate for a dance. He was able to find the style of things that he wanted, a dress shirt and pants, a vest, and a neck tie. He envisioned that colors that he wanted, snapping his fingers as soon as the image had been solidified in his mind.

He stood before his mirror, examining himself thoroughly.

He wore a black dress shirt, black dress pants, and a dark grey vest. He looked at his bright green tie, deciding that it needed a more "Mephisto" look to it. He ran two fingers over the fabric, causing a darker green serpent pattern to appear. He smirked at the design, pleased with the outcome. He looked at his feet, his green sneakers that he had been wearing almost all day tying the outfit together perfectly. He looked at himself one more time, before he noticed that something was missing. He closed his eyes and moved two fingers across them slowly. As soon as he opened his eyes, he couldn't help but stare. He barely recognized himself. His green eyes were now surrounded by a black mask, and green snake-like swirl pattern slithering its way across it.

He was ready.

Talia felt so out of place as she entered the high school, every student talking, dancing or just plain enjoying themselves. She already wasn't enjoying this. She smoothed down the imaginary wrinkles in her blue silk skirt, her nervousness mounting with every passing second.

A peppy song was playing, causing many of the teenagers to monopolize the dance floor with their rather decent moves. There were a few people here and there who simply could not dance, but were trying their best.

Talia noticed Aurianna and Iris off in the far corner of the room, talking and laughing with their dates.

She sighed, wishing that she hadn't come tonight.

He had recognized her as soon as she had entered the room. That hair was unmistakable.

She wore a beautiful blue dress that accentuated her curves just perfectly. It was a lovely shade of blue, one that matched her mask exactly and that made her look like every part the princess that she was.

It took everything in him to keep from running up to her and kissing her on the lips right then and there. But he did stop himself. He had a plan, and he wasn't about to let it go to waste.

Talia felt self conscience as she stood by herself against the wall, keeping to herself instead of mingling with her fellow students. She felt so out of place despite the fact that it was her school. She wished that she could have what her best friends' did; a date. And not one of those weirdoes either. She wanted to go out with someone who was normal but unique at the same time.

"Too bad no guy like that exists," she muttered to herself.

Suddenly, a techno song filled the air, replacing the pop-like song just seconds earlier. The teenagers on the dance floor began to cheer, excitement beginning to fill the room to the ceiling.

"Alright! Put your hands in the air!" someone said.

Talia turned her attention to the stage where a single guy stood, his black hair shining under the lights from over head. He had to be the person that had spoken.

He had been holding a microphone one second, and the next he threw it over to the dj.

The words of the song played through the speakers, a young male sang, causing all of the girls in the room to go crazy.

And the guy on stage danced to every word.

Freeze the time stay with me, can we linger on like the stars in the night?

His moves were fluid, in synch with each note and Talia couldn't help but admire him for them.

Take it all let me feel, that you break my fall.

Save tonight stay forever.

I know- he pointed to himself.

You know- he pointed out to the crowd, causing them to cheer.

We must, Let go, although it's true what I'm feeling.

I must be strong, when all faith is gone and I'm all alone!

The chorus practically busted through the speakers as the guy on stage did a backflip off of it, people clearing out of the way for a place for him to land. He landed gracefully, continuing to fit every move with the music.

Give me some time to leave it all behind, Baby I will make it just give me some time. I'll never be the same but I'll be alright, just give me some time.

How he was able to keep up with the music so effortlessly was beyond her as he performed another complicated flip through the air.

I try to run, I try to hide, but I can't get away, cuz everywhere I see your face

She could have sworn she saw him look at her at that moment in the song.

I'm taking off and I leave behind everything that hurts.

Need to mend, just give me time.

I know- he repeated pointing at himself.

You know- and pointed at the crowd again.

We must, let go, although it's true what I'm feeling.

I must be strong, when all faith is gone and I'm all alone!

Give me some time to leave it all behind, Baby I will make it just give me some time. I'll never be the same but I'll be alright, just give me some time.

Soon I'm free, soon you're gone.

You'll wake up to another dawn.

I'll be fine, I'll be alright, wish I could hold you through the night!

The bridge caused more movements in succession to each other as the teen danced into the final chorus. Several other teenagers eventually began to join him on the dance floor as the song began to draw to a close.

Give me some time to leave it all behind, Baby I will make it just give me some time. I'll never be the same but I'll be alright, just give me some time.

Give me some time to leave it all behind, Baby I will make it just give me some time. I'll never be the same but I'll be alright, just give me some time.

As the final chorus ended, the black-haired guy did a final flip and landed. He was breathing hard from the exertion, but he didn't seem to mind or care. He was smiling from ear to ear.

Talia clapped along with the rest of the masked teenagers, impressed by the display, but also a little ticked off that he had made such a display of himself. There really was no need to show off.

He accepted the applause proudly, waving to the other teens and thanking them.

Talia rolled her eyes and scoffed. Now he was milking it for all it was worth. She turned to leave, but a song that began to play on the speakers stopped her. Her eyes grew wide as the notes sunk into her brain.

She turned around slowly, only to see the same black-haired teenager holding his hand out to her.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, a small smile forming at the corner of his lips.

Talia simply nodded, knowing that she hadn't been able to dance all night even though she really wanted to.

The piano playing soon turned to a man singing.

I don't wanna wake up lonely. I can't stand another night alone in my bed.

He surprised her by gently placing his hand on her waist, her other hand involuntarily rising to meet his raised one. He pulled her a little closer to him, and began to lead her. Her shock only increased as she realized that they were in fact, performing a version of the waltz.

Missing, hoping at the break of dawn. I won't let go, won't give up no!

Think about home when you're far away, think about me when I wake up and you're gone at the break of dawn.

Think about us when we said forever, think about me and remember I'm alone, at the break of dawn.

At the break of dawn.

It felt so perfect, being in this stranger's arms, which seemed completely odd to her. It was like they were meant to meet tonight, as if Aurianna begging her to come was fate stepping in and giving her a push.

I keep dreaming you'll be with me, I believe that somewhere down the line you'll be mine

In the twilight, I feel your beating heart.

I won't let go, won't give up no!

Think about home when you're far away, think about me when I wake up and you're gone at the break of dawn.

Think about us when we said forever, think about me and remember I'm alone, at the break of dawn.

At the break of dawn.

At the break of dawn.

The song began to come to its climax, causing the pair to increase their speed. Talia didn't care that every eye in the room was trained on the two of them. She didn't care that she had absolutely no clue who it was that she was dancing with. She didn't care if the world decided to self-destruct itself today. This felt right. It felt more than right, it felt...

My hands were cold and dry, your cheeks were red.

We promised that we'd love forever, that's what we said.

That's what we said.

The final chorus began to play, the two teenagers forgetting all about the world and simply looking into each other's eyes.

He leaned forward, whispering into her ear; "You look lovely tonight. Princess,"

Talia couldn't help the slight flush that came to her cheeks at his praise, neither could she keep the sigh that escaped her lips as she laid her head on his chest, at bay.

He felt safe to her.

Think about home when you're far away, think about me when I wake up and you're gone at the break of dawn.

Think about us when we said forever, think about me and remember I'm alone, at the break of dawn.

At the break of dawn.

At the break of dawn.

At the break of dawn.

The song ended and almost immediately, the stranger left her side.

Talia felt loneliness in an instant, chasing after her mysterious partner as quickly as she could.

It wasn't like her to chase after someone that she had just met, but she had to know who he was, or at the very least get an opportunity to thank him for the memorable evening.

She found him before he left the building, and easily caught up to him, grabbing his arm before he had the opportunity to leave.

"Yes?" he asked, turning to face the princess.

"I wanted to thank you. For the dance. I, I haven't been able to dance the waltz with someone," she admitted, looking down at the floor.

"I haven't either, so thank you for letting me,"

He put his finger under her chin, raising her face to his level. The gesture forced her to look into his bright green eyes, eyes that she swore she had seen somewhere.

He bent down to kiss her, his eyes closing.

Talia felt her own eyelids involuntarily falling, her arms winding their way around his neck. His hands went to her waist, pulling her close to make their kiss even sweeter.

"Think about me, Princess," he whispered against her ear, causing her to shiver at the husky sound.

"And how enchanted I was to meet you too. Princess," he finished, putting emphasis on the one word.

The words caused her amber eyes to pop open in realization.

She noticed a smirk on her partners face, a smirk that she recognized almost as much as those green eyes.

"Mephisto?" she whispered breathily.

"The one and only," he replied.

He closed his eyes, expecting to get a slap, an infuriated princess, or perhaps just an irate speech with several, "How dare you!"s placed every so often. Or maybe even all three.

He got quite the opposite, when he felt himself pulled down again, his lips crashing into her's.

He couldn't help but kiss her back with a fervency that neither one of them knew he possessed. Their embrace only lasted for a moment at the sound of Talia's name being called by a certain redheaded girl.

"Another place, another time Princess!" he told her, his breathing heavy as he pecked her lips one more time before vanishing from sight.

Talia couldn't help the feeling of ecstasy that she was experiencing, the sounds in the room a dull noise as the rapid beating of her heart filled her ears.

"There you are Talia!" Iris said excitedly, approaching her friend.

"Who was that guy you were dancing with earlier?" Aurianna asked, looking around the brunette to see if the guy was still there.

"I didn't know. He never told me,"

It was the truth after all. She had figured it out, and while they were dancing she had no idea who he was.

"Well come on! Their about to crown the king and queen of the dance!" Aurianna exclaimed, pulling her two friends behind her.

Talia laughed, her attitude restored to a joyful one.

And it was all because of a certain green-eyed boy.

"Have you been sitting there all night?" Praxina asked angrily.

"No. I got up once to get a sandwich in town. Then I sat back down," Mephisto told his sister, flipping a page in the book he was reading.

"You're such a lazy bum!" she exclaimed, slamming her brother's door and storming off to her own room.

Mephisto snapped his fingers, causing his appearance to revert to that of earlier that evening. He pulled something from his pocket, playing with it between his fingers.

"At least I got something to remember you by," he said to the empty room, smiling down at the object.

He kissed the surface lightly, laying it over his rapidly beating heart.

"Have either of you seen my ring? You know, the one that I ordered with the letter 'T' engraved into the bottom?" Talia asked her friends, lifting th pillow off her bed to search under it.

"Which ring?" Aurianna asked, peaking her head into the brunette's room.

"The silver one. With the bluish-purple diamond embedded into the metal," Talia explained, still looking frantically.

"Nope. Sorry!" the redhead chirped.

"Did you leave it at the school?" Iris asked, brushing her blonde hair.

"No. I was certain that I brought it home. Or at least, I think I did,"

It had been a ring that she had ordered to remember her sister, and to keep hoping that she was doing alright running Xeris without her.

"Sorry Talia. Maybe we'll find it in the lost and found at school on Monday," the blonde encouraged her.

Talia nodded.

"I guess I'll just have to wait til then,"

She sighed, plopping down on her bed. She looked towards her beside lamp and was about to turn it off, when she noticed a tiny, white box on her nightstand. She sat up, gazing at the carboard box for a moment before she reached for it. It wasn't too heavy when she picked it up. She untied the green ribbon and took the lid off, almost gasping when she saw the contents. It was a silver ring, very similar to hers, however when it was moved in the light, the gem flashed green instead of purple.

A small note lay at the bottom of the box, which Talia took out.

"I wanted something to remember you by. Thought you might like something to replace my 'memory'. Something almost as lovely as you. Almost," Love, M.

Talia smiled and shook her head. So that was where her ring had gone!

Not that she particularly minded, now that she knew where it was and who had it in their possession.

She looked the ring over, examining every little facet of it. It was beautiful, everything the exact same size as her other ring. No doubt Mephisto had most likely used magic to create it. She slipped it onto her finger and it fit perfectly. She looked at it for a minute more before she turned off her lights and got under her covers.

"Hope this doesn't become something complicated," the princess thought as she drifted off to sleep.

Oh how wrong she was.

I own NOTHING in this story! The first song is "Give Me Some Time," by EMD and the second song is "Break of Dawn" by Eric Saade. Enjoy this story guys! I enjoyed writing it! Also, this was sort of a request from Rosie6583, wanting me to do another Talisto story. So I did! It's a one shot, I know, but I hope that you enjoy it anyway! Love you guys! You are AWESOME SAUCE!

Always,

WOBE :)