Disclaimer: I disclaim Bubblegum Crisis 2040 and all affiliates, as well as the song 'Ren Jian', or 'Mortal World' by the Chinese artist, Faye Wong.

Ren Jian- Mortal World

The bright lights of the bar dimmed slowly, cooling down before shutting off completely. This was shortly followed by the sudden cut of the loud music that had been playing a moment or so before, and the slam of the front doors, accompanied by the gentle click of the lock, which was easily heard over the sudden silence. At three AM, as the last gaggle of partygoers left the popular club, the manager had finally decided that it was time to toss in the towel and return home to his wife and two kids. He wasn't aware of anyone left in the building, though, in truth, two remained.

One was a frequent performer at the club- Priss: lead singer of the J-Rock band, Sekiria- and she happened to be in possession of a master key to the club herself, having been somewhat close to the manager for many years. Not that he'd have any quarrels with her staying otherwise. In fact, many club owners would encourage her staying after-hours at their establishment- it beat paying through the nose for a security guard, in any case.

Not many people knew just how well she could really defend herself if the need arose, but they trusted her- she was tough, anyone could see that, and she wasn't the type to abuse other peoples' property, despite some of the iffy company she kept.

Tonight, though, the only company she kept was clean. The only other person left in the club was a man she knew very well. The club's manager knew him too, but only as the Priss' man. His name was Leon McNichol, and he was another who frequented the club, but only when she was around, and he was more the type to keep a low profile and watch silently in the back of the room. Now, though, in the utter darkness of the large room- the only light coming from the glow of a bright street lamp, out of sight but somewhere beyond the front window- he came forward and stood right up against the stage, leaning his elbows on it casually and looking up at her, with a grin as she looked back down at him and -for a fraction of a second- flashed him a tiny smile.

"Hey, Priss," he said, but she didn't reply, merely clutched her microphone a little tighter and began to sing.

"The sky may not be beautiful after wind and rain
A sunny sky doesn't necessarily have a rainbow
So your innocent look doesn't mean you're ignorant."

The moment she opened her mouth to sing the sweet lyrics she'd composed herself in her dingy pink trailer earlier that afternoon, Leon was in a trance. Everything about the way she moved and the tone of her voice and the familiar shapes her lips made as she pushed her heart out through her mouth into her song made him more and more in love with her. Everything about her… every fibre of her being… And this was her. This was Priss at her purest- no screaming fans, no laws and expectations, no Genom, no boomers, no ADP and no Knight Sabers. There was just Her and Him and Their Song.

"Not all relationships have a beginning and an end
The brink of loneliness may not be filled with dread
But life can never avoid the first pain."

The relationship had began with a crash and a bang and a mad boomer falling from overhead with its core reduced to a sticky mass in her hand. She remembered everything about that first glance. He was, to her, just another ADP officer- out to get her and completely ignorant of what was going on around him. He was just another guy with a badge and a self-proclaimed title. Just one of them.

She was, to him, at first glance, a Knight Saber. Constantly undermining everything he stood for and the reason so many of his free hours were spent in his superior's office with Daley, listening to him rant to them both about just how terrible the Knight Sabers were for the future of the ADP- even if they were out to save the future of the world.

Time passed. Feelings changed. They were able to see different sides of each other- some rather more obvious than other. He moved up from being ignored to being flipped off or insulted. She moved up from being an object of interest to an object of desire.

Slowly though, unknowingly, even, they each captured the other's interest in a much different way. For Leon, it was a sudden obsession with needing to know everything about her, and understand her better- he wanted to become closer to her. For Priss, it was a grudging appreciation of him and the want to show her gratitude without knowing quite how.

Through this they were forced closer and closer. It didn't help that their work repeatedly shoved them in the right direction, nor that, in the end, they were both working towards a common goal. It was like everything in the world around them united for one purpose, just as the ADP and the Knight Sabers had. It seemed as though nature itself and the will of any God either may care to believe existed was out to bring them closer together.

Obsession and desire faded. Fury and prejudice burned away. In their place was something different. Something whole. Something with just the right amount of every element of their relationship. It was strange. Every word, every touch, every movement- it was like being in the presence of a God. Perfect.

"Hope your eyes will only see smiles
Hope that every tear your shed will be moving
Hope that your dreams will not be unfulfilled."

Many philosophers throughout the ages marvelled over the idea of love. A perfect love- a love that could withstand all hell. They said of love that it required a fundamental basis of like morals and similar interests- that it required compassion and understanding.

With a secret smile, Leon shook his head, still looking up at the beautiful woman standing on the stage before him. Those philosophers, he decided evenly, had obviously never been in love. When you fell in love with someone like Priss –or equally, someone like Leon- you learned that such a love is unconditional and can not be dictated- that it is down to the will and devotion of the individuals and not to the hypotheses and theories of the modern philosopher.

"The mortal world, if it's worth praising
It's because your presence makes it lively
Sky and earth are vast
The world is more somnolent than you thinkI don't want to deceive you any longer
Hope you will understand
Hope you will know when to go and when to follow."

It was a pretty song she sang, though it was only the conclusion that snapped Leon from his reverie. He climbed onto the stage to join her in the absolute silence that followed her private show. Silently, he wrapped his arms around her narrow shoulders and held her to his chest, where she rested her head.

Ever since Galatea's destruction and the Knight Sabers' return to earth, the relationship had only grown deeper and more profound. The reunion had happened a week or so after the aforementioned events. Priss was outside her trailer, sitting where she used to sit with Linna on occasion, wearing a loose lemon yellow tank and black jeans. It had been a hot day, she remembered, and she had been in the middle of considering whether or not she should shed her thick jeans for the black shorts she wore underneath when Leon's voice had drawn her attention immediately upward to find him looking at her with a sort of disbelieving look on his face.

Priss hadn't sought him out when she'd returned home. She would always wonder why, but she hadn't- she'd just wanted to be alone in what remained of her destroyed, but slowly recovering, city. Still, seeing Leon there was a godsend. She'd been lonely- ignorant of it until now, but still lonely.

She'd surveyed him critically, looked him up and down before a small smile touched at the corner of her lips and she stood, "want a sandwich?"

That smile was echoed now on Priss' face as she pressed it into Leon's chest for a moment more before pulling away and started the music again. Usually Leon would have loved to hear more, but tonight he had a purpose. He walked over to her and flipped back the switch, sending the large room into silence once again. Her confused face peered at him through the darkness as he took something hidden from her eyes out from the pocket of his long black pants.

"Leon?"

Leon flicked another switch and light flooded the stage, causing the ring in his now open hand to sparkle appealingly. Priss' breath caught, as it was bound to, and her eyes flickered from his face to the ring calculatingly.

"Right, Priss. I'm sure to muck this up when it matters, but please don't judge me on how crummy I am with words. See, I-"

Priss just nodded silently and kissed his lips, effectively stopping his mouth and his nervous babble of a proposal. "Yes," she said, her face an inch from his own at most, "I'll marry you, Leon."

Leon's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he smiled and kissed her again, holding her tight against him. Moments later, he pulled away to look at her and saw a brilliant smile lighting up her pale face. With a chuckle, he grinned that cocky and slightly perverted grin of his, "'Leon, will you come home with me tonight?' That's what you want to be saying right now, isn't it?"

Priss smirked and stomped on his foot, placing her lips on his at that exact moment to halt his cry. "Keep dreaming," she snapped, accompanied by an elbow to the gut as she awaited the ever subordinate reply of her soon-to-be husband.

"Yes, ma'am!"