Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all its components is the property of Naoko Takeuchi. Apollo is my own creation, and if you wish to use her, please ask me first.

Notes: I think that this story explains Apollo pretty well, but in case you need to know more about her, I will later upload an old fanfic that introduces her as a character in the Sailor Moon universe. Also, I have taken some liberties with everyone's personalities, which I excuse by saying that everything takes place during the first incarnation of all the senshi, so I assumed they would be at least slightly different (hopefully more mature, as I have made them).

REFRACT

Chapter 1

"Mother?"

Queen Serenity stirred but did not open her eyes.

"Mother?"

This time she peeked one eye open just a bit, not at all surprised to see her eldest daughter hovering over her. 'Just a few more minutes,' she willed her daughter to consider.

It wasn't to be. "Mother. Seriously."

Serenity sighed and opened both her eyes halfway. "Yes, my dear Apollo?" She smiled sweetly, amused to see Apollo now standing with her arms crossed, a scowl on her face.

"She's almost here, and you're not even ready. Is that any way to welcome a princess?"

"No, I would think not, but neither is waking your mother up from the only rest she's gotten in days." Apollo's scowl softened somewhat, but Serenity knew Apollo wasn't going to leave her be. If there was one thing Apollo had that her sister did not, it was the sheer determination to win any argument she got into. "Apollo, please, just go in my place. I'm sure she won't mind."

"You didn't do that for any of the other princesses, Mother."

"I know, I know, but, really, I'd only be seeing her for a minute or two before handing her off to you."

"You make her sound like a piece of merchandise, Mother."

"Oh, gods, Apollo…" Serenity glanced at her daughter, who was now chuckling softly. "Forget Senshi of the sun, you're more like senshi of guilt trips."

"Right, and making me feel like I was disturbing you from your rest makes you an innocent party, eh, Mother?" Apollo smiled and kissed her mother on the forehead, right on the moon symbol that faintly glowed there. "All right, fine, I'll go. But next time Serenity breaks something, I am not cleaning up after her. I'll leave that to you, Mother."

Serenity made a noise of protest but realized it was of no use. "Fine, fine. Now go, Apollo, before you're late!" Apollo squeezed her mother's hand and exited Serenity's chamber, taking care not to slam the door when she noticed that her mother was already drifting back off to sleep.

Back in her own chamber, Apollo quickly changed out of her casual outfit and into her black military uniform, buttoning up the collar and cuffs, fastening the flowing cape around her shoulders. She slicked her blonde hair back and instinctively set her jaw; when she caught sight of herself in her mirror, Apollo laughed at how stern she looked. Her laughter was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Come in!" she yelled out, sitting down to tie her shoes.

"My, my, Apollo, you do look handsome today."

Apollo shook her head lightly. "Thank you, Michiru. And to what do I owe this pleasure?" Apollo stood up to find Michiru openly staring at her.

"Trust me," the princess of Neptune whispered, her eyes trailing Apollo's form, "the pleasure is all mine." She lightly stepped behind Apollo and began running her hands across the younger girl's frame. "What are you all dressed up for, anyway?"

"A princess is coming," Apollo answered without missing a beat, despite the sensation of Michiru's hands on her hips.

"A princess?" Michiru embraced Apollo tightly, one hand resting strategically on her thigh, the other draped across her chest. "I hope you don't think she's prettier than me…" Michiru lightly nipped Apollo's ear, eliciting a gasp out of her. "Ah, finally, a reaction."

At this, Apollo wriggled out of Michiru's grasp and turned to face her. "Shouldn't your hands be working their…magic on your girlfriend, Michiru?"

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind having us both." Smirking, Michiru stepped forward, bringing her face within inches of Apollo's. "And neither would I."

Though this wasn't the first time she had been propositioned, Apollo still hesitated a moment before answering. A light blush crept up her cheeks, which Michiru quite thoroughly enjoyed, and Apollo averted her gaze to the floor before speaking. "Not now, Michiru," she whispered, grabbing her sword from its place on the back of her chair and fastening it to her belt. "I have another engagement to tend to." With that, Apollo left the room, leaving Michiru to carelessly run her fingers along the yellow and black bed sheets.

'Gods, you would think she would have left me alone, today of all days!' Apollo was briskly walking through the corridors of the palace, trying with some difficulty to push the memory of Michiru's touches and the possibility of once again being with Haruka out of her mind. She had a job to do today, a job that would now require twice the patience and responsibility because of her mother's absence. It wasn't that Apollo faulted her mother for wanting to rest; it was just that she wondered why she was always the one picking up the pieces. The other senshi all trained and had their defense schedules, but Apollo was the one who had to lead them all, as well as the regular army, a job that took up all of her time. And while she was stuck with greeting guests at the flight deck, her sister, the younger Serenity, got to entertain them at fancy dinners and grand galas. The only person who worked more than her was her mother, who was now blissfully sleeping away her stress. 'If only I could sleep,' Apollo thought, again focusing on the sensation of Michiru touching her. 'Or at least get lai—'

"Good afternoon, General!"

Apollo snapped out of her inner monologue to find the flight deck chief standing in front of her. "G--good afternoon." The chief saluted her, and she saluted back. "What's the status of the princess's flight?"

"It should land in a few minutes, sir."

"Excellent. Is the welcoming committee ready?"

"Yes, sir, the officers are all standing on deck."

"And the ambassador?"

"Accounted for, sir."

"Perfect. Good job, chief."

"Thank you, sir." The chief saluted Apollo, who saluted back, then walked off to monitor the landing of the princess's ship. Apollo hung back for a moment before walking out onto the flight deck, which was cleared off for the landing of what was sure to be a very large ship. Every princess came with an entourage from her home planet; after a few days of schmoozing and entertaining, the entourage would leave and only the princess would remain, ready to be trained as a senshi. They were always scared at that moment, separated from the people of their own world and only then realizing the finality of their immigration to the Moon. This was where Apollo stepped in, using that set jaw to full effect to show the princesses that she meant business. They had all taken only a few days to get into the rhythm of things, an accomplishment Queen Serenity attributed to her daughter but one that Apollo knew had less to do with her and more with her mother and sister's inexhaustible compassion. Apollo had tried their method with the second princess and got burned for her efforts. Since then, she had stuck with being stern and, when necessary, forceful in ensuring that the princesses lost their royal airs and became senshi.

Suddenly, Apollo felt the ground shake as a loud rumbling noise got closer and closer to the flight deck. Realizing that she was late, Apollo ran to stand next to the ambassador, exchanging a tight smile with the small man before pivoting to attention. She watched the entrance to the flight deck with a small sense of anticipation and a large amount of smug expectation. 'They're all the same when they first come,' Apollo thought, 'Spoiled, pampered, everyone tending to their every whim…'

A slight gasp escaped her lips when she saw the ship now making its way onto the flight deck. It was decidedly smaller than any of the other princess's ships, only big enough to hold a few people and their luggage. The large area that had been cleared for its arrival was more than enough, and the ship easily landed on the deck close to the assembled group. Apollo composed herself as a side door opened and a set of stairs was lowered down to the deck. Now she was filled with anticipation, eager to see which princess had defied predictability and traveled so far, to such an unknown place, virtually alone.