Beginnings: 1
A/N: Alright, here's my first attempt at Sailor Moon fanfic! :) This is going to be a series of 100 drabbles, with probably about 1 posted per week. I got the list of prompts a loooooong time ago off of a Google search. The first 3 drabbles keep in order of the prompts given, but after that I jump around. Lengths also vary. Most (if not all) are Usagi-centered.
This is Part 1 of a series of 3. Hope you like it, and please remember to review! :)
She can still remember the first time she saw him.
It was during one of the many balls held on the Moon Kingdom at the height of its prosperity. Monarchs from all across the galaxy had been invited in an effort to promote peace between the planets. And, although it went unannounced, Serenity knew that her mother wished for her to find a suitor this night.
So as what seemed to be the millionth masked man asked her to dance, Serenity declined politely, claiming to need fresh air.
Once outside and out of the vantage point of her mother, she positively ran down the steps, past the courtyard, and over the winding paths forged from soft polished moon rock. She continued on her complicated journey with the intention of visiting the balcony overhanging the gardens for some time. The gardens, while overflowing with beautiful bright blooms, also offered the best, clearest view of Earth, the planet she so longed to visit.
Serenity ran with her white skirts held almost halfway up her thighs, her hair whipping behind her, twin silver tails shining. She let out a breathless peal of laughter, the thrill of being free, even for a moment, overtaking her. She closed her blue eyes, submitting her face further to the wind's gentle caress.
Soon, she smelled the sweet scents of many different flowers. She slowed when she heard the soft clicking sounds that her small heels made on the soft white marble of the balcony overlooking the garden. Serenity stopped running completely and allowed her dress to fall back to its previous position around her feet. She then opened her eyes wide. Blinked once. Blinked twice. And then gasped, for the man she saw before her clearly was no illusion.
He turned his head at the small intake of air, and two pairs of blue eyes met. She blushed, her pale skin turning a faint tinge of pink, for he was more handsome than any other man she had yet seen.
"Your gardens are lovely," he said in a soft tone.
"Thank you," she managed to reply, her own voice matching his quiet tone.
"Forgive me for not introducing myself. I am Prince Endymion of Earth." To this statement, he added a formal bow, bending at the waist.
"And I am Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. I welcome you to this planet," she returned customarily, adding in a small curtsy. "Your planet is very beautiful." She smiled shyly, walking a step closer to him.
"As is yours," he parried back with a small smile, his eyes never leaving hers.
"Tell me," Serenity began, taking another tentative step towards the Prince, "did you not enjoy our ball?"
"As much as you did, I'm sure," was the reply, stated with a smile and a wink.
"Are you implying that I did not enjoy a party held by my own planet?"
"If you enjoyed it so much, there's no reason to be out here in the gardens, is there?"
Finally, a smile of her own burst forth as she made the final step to the edge of the balcony. "No, I suppose not."
Serenity leaned onto the railing, noting how wonderful the cool marble felt on her heated skin. She glanced at Earth, and then back at its crown prince, who seemed rather absorbed in thoughts of his own.
His eyes suddenly flicked to hers, and she felt a heated blush crawl over her skin. Unable to move, she stood absolutely motionless as he leaned in closer…closer…almost close enough to—
"Serenity! Where have you been?" cried the black cat at her feet. Immediately, the two broke apart, crimson embarrassment tainting their complexions. "Your mother was beginning to fret."
"I'm sorry, Luna," she replied, bowing her head. "I only came out for some fresh air. I will return shortly."
She felt, more than saw, the small feline glare heavily at Endymion. "You too, Prince," the cat added. "Your father has been wondering of your whereabouts all evening."
With that said, the cat turned tail and began to run back to the palace, making no sound as it scampered over the marble balcony and up the path.
Serenity sighed, turning away from the breathtaking view of the Prince and his planet. "I must return," she said heavily, and began to walk away slowly, lifting her skirts up slightly so that the soft grass wouldn't ruin the material.
"I'm returning as well," said Endymion, matching her small stride with ease. She glanced at him out of the corner of a single blue eye, quirking an eyebrow at the prince.
"Did you really think I would allow the Princess of the Moon to wander back to the palace unsupervised?" he queried with a shadow of a wink.
"I should hope not," Serenity replied with a smile in her voice. "That would be most improper of you."
When the memories of Serenity came back to Usagi in her second life, she knew that it was not the moment Endymion asked her to dance, nor the moment that their lips first touched chastely beneath the starry sky that she was his. From the moment she had opened her eyes in the garden that long-ago night, she knew that his blue eyes and blue planet held her captive in a fated embrace that would never cease its hold on her. Just as the moon was pulled in its orbit by the Earth's gravity, she was pulled by him into an unceasing orbit of destiny.
