A cheerful Usagi skipped down the sidewalk on her way home. Anyone who knew Usagi would know right away that she was almost always cheerful as long as the words "Dentist", "Homework", "School" and anything along those lines wasn't mentioned. However, today she was exceptionally joyous, and as people walking along the street stared puzzled at the strange girl, they simply had to sigh, shake their heads and continue walking on their way.
After about a ten minute skip (of what normally would be a twenty minute walk), Usagi came to her house, opened the door and announced her presence.
"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" She announced while taking off her shoes. Receiving no answer, she assumed the rest of her family had gone grocery shopping or something.
'O well, since they're not home, I guess I'll have a nice little chat with the refrigerator' she thought as she walked into the kitchen. She managed to get to the doorway before a scream ripped itself out of her throat at an ear-shattering pitch and volume, for against the wall, held up by some sort of invisible barrier, were her parents and her younger brother. Her father was holding his left arm which looked limp and pale with blood running down the side. Her mother had several cuts along her face, arms, and her apron that she normally wore since she was a housewife was ripped and torn in random places. Her brother looked the best of the three with only a cut along his right cheek and a bit of bruising along his neck. And sitting in one of the chairs with his feet propped up on the table looking completely relaxed and somewhat bored and amused at the same time, was none other than Prince Diamond himself.
"Hello Serenity. Its such a pleasure to see you again." Prince Diamond said, amusement written all over his voice. Usagi, who was deathly pale and had eyes the size of saucers, could only squeak in response.
Diamond, looking satisfied that his bit of intimidation had worked, continued on. "Why don't you have a seat so that we can have a nice little chat, eh Serenity?" Diamond said, smirking while making a hand motion. Usagi was grabbed from behind and she screamed and began kicking and making failed attempts at punching her 'attacker' which, when she caught sight, turned out to be Sapphire.
Sapphire place her in the seat directly across from Diamond, and what seemed like vines came out of the ground and wrapped themselves around Usagi's ankles, legs, wrists, arms, and abdomen, thus pinning her to the chair and leaving no room for struggle or to even move. Nevertheless, Usagi struggled against her bindings only to feel the vines cut into the skin they touched and causing her to bleed, making Usagi cease her struggles and start to cry slightly, even though she was trying her best not to show. Diamond, noticing this, snapped at Sapphire to loosen her binds and he did as he was told.
Usagi, still bound to the chair but having recovered slightly from the pain, glared at Diamond across the table. Diamond, now sitting fully in the chair with his arms resting on the table and looking directly at Usagi, only looked back.
"Well, Serenity, I believe that we have a great deal to be catching up on, after all, it has been two years and now you're sixteen years old I understand?" Diamond said, finally breaking the silence and the thick tension that had begun to build up between the two.
"There is nothing to speak about, Diamond, now let me and my family go right now!" Usagi all but yelled at him.
"Now Serenity, although we are both royals, you still should show respect. After all, don't you remember the last time we saw each other? I saved your life by sacrificing my own."
"And Endymion has done the same, although the difference is that Endymion has never come in here and harmed me or my family before! And, Endymion never took me away from my friends and tried to force me to marry him!" At hearing this, Usagi's father's face turned redder than a radish, and if it weren't for the current situation, looked as if he would have torn off Diamonds head, along with a few other precious body parts that no male wishes to lose. Diamond, however, had the same reaction whenever anyone mentions Endymion in his presence. He got angry.
"SERENITY DON'T YOU EVER MENTION THAT SORRY EXCUSE FOR A PRINCE'S NAME IN MY PRESENCE EVER AGAIN!!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs, looking extremely menacing as he towered over Usagi, the chair he had previously been occupying now knocked over on the ground.
"Endymion, Endymion, Prince Endymion, Endymion, Endymion, Endym…" Usagi's repetition of the earth prince's name was cut short as Diamonds fist came in contact with her left cheek, making her stop mid-name, and causing her head to snap to the side. Diamond then grabbed her chin and made her face him. Glaring in her eyes, he saw pain and fear, masked with defiance.
"Don't you ever, EVER say that name again." Diamond whispered dangerously, Usagi just looked at him and opened her mouth one more time.
"Endymion." She whispered. Diamond, now infuriated, punched her again hard against her left cheek, making her head snap to the side once again, however this time, she was rendered unconscious. As her head slumped forward, her binds slipped away. Diamond, after hesitating momentarily, picked her up, and vanished from sight. Usagi's parents and brother fell to the ground, the barrier now having been removed. Standing up on shaky feet, they noted that they were once again alone in their kitchen, and that their daughter along with the strangers was gone. Ikuko started crying, Kenji tried to comfort his wife, and Sammy ran to the phone and began dialing, thinking the best people to call in this situation would be Usagi's friends, Ami, Raye, Minako, Makoto, Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, Hotaru, and Mamoru.