The Kabuki princess watched in awe as the Ballerina prince danced across the stage, floating in air with quiet strength. She stayed low to the ground, weighted by heavy clothes and heavier spirit. She reached up to him, hoping that his eyes would be downcast to her. He jumped and twirled in the air, moving like whisps of smoke in the moonlight. Kabuki watched, following with heavy steps on the frozen ground.

“Beautiful prince, see me on my humble earth!” Kabuki cried, reaching out to the Ballerina Prince.

The Ballerina Prince looked down to see the anchored woman, looking up to his whimsical play. He lept and slid across the floor, weightless, to reach her. His hand wrapped around hers, pulling him down to the steady earth. “Kabuki princess, Handsome woman, I see you.”

The Kabuki princess removed his makeup, the Ballerina Prince removed her hat. The pair held each other in the cold air of the night, under the pale moonlight, looking into the true face of other. The woman in a prince’s tunic, the man in a lady’s kimono. They embraced, two halves of a single whole. Balance. Belonging.

The stars sparkled and died above them, the moon set and the sun rose, the ice melted beneath their feet. The sun melted them.