The story starts at a dance, with the words, I wanted to dance the last waltz...

The blue-haired girl stares, her eyes wide, as a dark-haired boy offers his hand to a blond girl. The blond girl smiles, and takes his hand.

Elsewhere in the room, a blond boy is leaving. "But what about the last waltz?" his friend asks.

The blond boy waves a careless hand. "I still don't feel like tying myself to one person," he says with a smile. He stops on the steps outside, startled into stillness.

The blue-haired girl is standing outside in the rain. She is poised gracefully, one hand holding up her dress... but tears are gathering in her eyes. Then she suddenly runs away. Her feet slip out of her shoes and they clatter to the ground behind her.

The blond boy stares after her, his expression concerned, then bends to pick up the delicate high-heeled shoes. He looks inside and reads the label. "Miss Rain..."

And so it begins. The blue-haired girl is Rena, and the blond boy is named Kei. You can find out more about them (and the supporting characters, who create the love triangle) in the characters section.

The story is a sweet romance with a happy ending, typical of Takeuchi-san's style. We explore love and loss, accompanied by soft blushes, playful conversation, and quiet self-discovery.

What makes this story special are the sweet, fairy-tale touches that take the air of the story to an almost ethereal level. Also, there's a beautifully crafted continuity throughout the story that make the plotline circular - bringing the end delicately around to connect seamlessly with the beginning. And of course, all of the story is executed in Naoko's flowing, wistful art technique, bringing with it the air of flawless elegance that accompanies all of her work.

If you want to read the story in its entirety, I suggest the excellent translation at Alex Glover's The Manga of Takeuchi Naoko. You can find this story in the "Miss Rain" section.