A Child Not Mine
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, however, the story is mine. This takes place after all the seasons in Crystal Tokyo. It involves the Black Moon family and the Moon family. Thanks to Nikki for giving me this idea. I hope you like it. Anything you want to say to me? Write to Lucca@I-o.net.au
Serenity...how could you do this? I thought over and over again. I know I treated you badly in the past, but I thought we were over that!
I was seated on the terrace of the palace overlooking the North side of Crystal Tokyo, left leg crossed over my right, my head resting on my right hand, which was resting on the table. My untouched cup of tea had long since gone cold, and my arm was starting to ache from having supported my head for so long. I wasn't ready to move just yet. I was content to stay where I was. Away from everyone else. I needed my solitude.
I thought back to my last day of blissful ignorance. The sun was shining through the windows, creating rainbows on the walls. Our King sized bed was made up with light blue stain sheets. It was the only colour we could agree on. One of my legs was lying across hers, my arm across her chest. Her long, golden hair was out of its twin odango's, and was spread around her like a cloak. I nestled my head into her neck and pressed my lips to the base of it. She made a small noise and stretched as best she could with my arm and leg pinning her down. "Morning honey" she said huskily then, as an after thought "do you mind moving your leg?"
I did so, and moved my arm as well. She smiled. Her sky blue eyes held a mischievous gleam. "So..." she rolled onto me and sat up, straddling my hips. "Want to hear about my dream?"
I smiled up at her. "Is this the same dream that you had last night, and the night before that?"
She nodded. "MmmHmm..."
"Good" I reached up and caressed her cheeks before clasping both hands behind her head and bringing her down on top of me.
"Serenity?" I called as I came into the room. She didn't answer. She was sitting at her vanity table, staring unfocused at her reflection in the mirror.
"Serenity?" I called her name again. Again she didn't respond. I put my hand on her bare shoulder and she jumped and stared up at me with wide, startled eyes.
"Endymion!" she gasped.
"What's wrong?" I asked her, full of concern. She was quiet for a moment and then...
"I'm pregnant" she whispered.
A surge of pure happiness ran through me. "Oh Serenity... that's wonderful!" I all but crowed. Then noticed she wasn't celebrating with me. "What's so bad about that?" I asked. I think I sounded shocked. Hell, I was.
She hung her head, her beautiful, long, golden hair was still loose, and it hung around her face, completely blocking it from my sight. I put out a hand and brushed it away from the side of her face. Silent tears were falling from her cheeks and onto her lap.
"Answer me!" I demanded. I couldn't believe that she was acting this way.
"I...I'm not sure...I'm ready for this" she sobbed.
"But don't you want to see Chibi-usa again?" I asked, starting to get angry.
"But that's just it! What if it's not Chibi-usa?"
"What makes you think that?" I was surprised.
"I don't know..." she sounded like she was far away.
"It doesn't matter if it's not," I said hiding all disappointment I would have if it weren't. "I'll still love the both of you just as much."
"Really?" she looked up at me with her tear stained face and I was reminded of her from about a millennia ago, when she was 16 and I was 20. She had often cried, and over the littlest things as well. She hadn't cried for a long time. She had changed so much since becoming my Queen of Crystal Tokyo. But she was still the giggly, fun seeking Usa I had fallen in love with so long ago. I took hold of her shoulders and pulled her up into my arms.
"Of course" I said. She had stopped sobbing, but the tears still flowed down her face. She buried her head in my chest and we stayed that way for a long time.
"I have to go now" I told her.
"I know," she said. "You have another meeting with the White Prince of Nemesis."
"I'll be back soon" I said and kissed the top of her head, and walked away. It disturbed me that she was so quiet. But she would tell me anything really bad. She always had. I had complete faith and trust in my Serenity.
A few minutes later I was in the control room. I touched a button and the screen came to life.
The figure of the White Prince of Nemesis: Prince Demando, stood there in all his glory. ...Or lack thereof.
We stood there, eyeing each other coldly before he spoke.
"Endymion" he said my name in his silky smooth voice with just a hint of cool.
"Demando" I acknowledged and met only cold contempt in the Prince's purple eyes.
"You know why I called this meeting," he said.
"Enlighten me" I mocked him. Of course I knew what he wanted. He wanted my planet.
His mouth hardened. "You won't be laughing soon" he smiled, eyes glittering maliciously.
All colour went out of my face. I didn't like his expression.
"Why Endymion, you look so pale" he cocked his head to one side and his eyes softened deceptively.
"Perhaps you should go and sit down" another, lighter voice added. Saffir: Demando's younger brother and the Blue Prince of Nemesis joined his brother.
"Saffir" I said through gritted teeth.
"Something wrong?" he looked amused. Just then there was a high pitched cackle coming from somewhere behind them. The brothers cringed slightly and Saffir mumbled "Who let that in here?"
"Esmeraude be quiet!" Demando snapped. To me he said, "I'm going to give you a chance to surrender the Earth to us."
"Now why would I do that?" I asked.
"Because no matter what you do we're going to take it anyway" he was determined. I could see that. "So what is your decision?"
"No" I said flatly.
He nodded. "So be it." The connection was severed, and I was left looking at nothing.
"Endymion?" The Soldier of Uranus stepped into the room. "What happened?" she asked in her deep voice.
I turned towards her. "They're going to attack."
Her mouth thinned and her eyes hardened. She absorbed the information quickly before nodding curtly and running out of the room.
I knew he'd be true to his word, and I needed time to think. I left Uranus to milling the soldiers for the war ahead, and decided to take a stroll in the garden to clear my mind.
I strode along listlessly between the hedges and arches. My garden was beautiful. It was Serenity's and mine. We helped build it together. If someone wanted to be alone here, it was easy to hide. I turned left, right, right again and left, making my way towards my favourite place that only I knew about. My sanctuary. An old gazebo that was hidden beneath the trees, and the vines were so overgrown that nobody would even know it was there. I reached the outside of it and that was when my life changed forever. I heard voices coming from my sanctuary. Two voices. One was Serenity's and the other...
"We just can't do this anymore" I heard her say. Do what? I thought.
"Why? You're dildo getting suspicious?" this voice was cold, mocking, and belonged to a man. ...Dildo? I thought.
"No, it's nothing like that" she said that in a hard voice.
"Then what?" he sounded like he was having fun. There was silence for about half a minute before I heard a gasp and someone stumbling backwards.
"We can't!" she persisted.
"Isn't it already too late?" he goaded her. "C'mon, don't tell me you wouldn't miss THIS."
She made a small gasping noise. "Noooo…" she moaned.
"But it's so much fun" he teased. "Besides, I do it better then that rose chucking git anyway."
There was a sharp thwack as if someone had been slapped across the face. "How dare you!" Endymion heard her grind out. "He's my husband!"
"How dare I?" the man yelled at her "If he's your husband, then what are you doing here fucking around with me for?"
There was silence.
"I'm going" she whispered.
"No you're not" he snapped. There was another scuffle and a muffled curse. Then she moaned.
"Tell me you want it wench" the man demanded smugly.
"I…" she stammered, he could tell she was breathing heavy. Then she made a high winded sound as if surprised and pleased, or in pain.
"…want…you…" she finally finished.
"That's what I like to hear," he said satisfied.
Then I heard her moan "Mmmm… Ruuubeussssss……" I turned away in disgust and walked dejectedly back to the palace.
I was sitting on the edge of the bed staring into space when she returned.
"How did the meeting go?" she asked me tentatively.
"As I thought it would," I said eventually. I was inspecting every inch of her, looking for dirt. I found none, which I found really ironic.
"What's wrong?" she had noticed me looking at her.
"You tell me" I drawled.
"What?" she whispered.
"Where have you been?" I yelled.
"I… I went for a walk!" she defended herself.
"Where did you go?" I ground out and got up off the bed.
"I was just in the garden!" she cried. I grabbed her shoulders and shook her, hard. She broke down in tears. The sobs were getting louder by the second. She looked so fragile… I realized I was hurting her and stopped. She dropped to the ground in a heap and stayed there, with her arms crossed over her chest, rocking backwards and forwards.
I stared down at her in dismay. I had hurt my Serenity. I had promised her once that I would never hurt her again… And look what I had done…
I dropped to my knees beside her and put my arms around her shuddering form. "I'm sorry" I whispered. She clung onto me like a lifeline. " I love you Endymion" she choked out.
I just held her. There wasn't anything more I could do to her. I had already hurt her, and I wasn't about to again.
So I suffered in silence.
Months later, she gave birth to what I thought would be mine.
"One more push" Ami told her.
I squeezed her hand in reassurance. She squeezed back and smiled weakly. Then her face crinkled for the last time, and she let out one more cry of pain before I heard the cry of a newborn. I looked to the babe, covered in birthing slime and blood. It was a healthy… girl. Yes, it was a girl, and it was whining like Serenity would were she being pulled away from cakes and cookies.
I turned back to her. "It's a girl!" I grinned at her. She grinned back at me, her face all red and sweaty.
Ami was beside me now, and she handed the newly cleaned babe to Serenity. She smiled as she looked at her baby. The baby stared back at her, with wide red eyes. There was a slight covering of pink hair on the top of her head.
"It IS Chibi-usa!" Serenity exclaimed, pure joy on her lovely face.
She looked at me then, and offered me the baby. I took her in my arms and stared lovingly into her face. She looked at me and grinned widely. My smile faltered. Because what I saw on her face, was nothing like on my own. There was Serenity… and there was Kurenaino Rubeus: Demando's cousin and head of the Black Moon arsenal.
"Endymion?" Both women were staring at me. I looked at first Ami, then Serenity and said "She has her father's eyes".
She will always be my daughter. I love her like she were my own biological daughter. I love Serenity too. She eventually stopped going off on her "walks" and stayed in the palace.
Nemesis did attack, but we fought them off. Demando just didn't send enough troops that first time. Most of the ships were destroyed, and they suffered heavy casualties. However, so did we.
I did see Kurenaino Rubeus once. He and the Ayakashi sisters infiltrated my garden, but the Senshi and I forced them off. He had given me a smug, self satisfied, smirk of contempt before disappearing.
Serenity and I never talked about what happened, and I doubt we ever will.
The sun is setting. I watch it go down without really looking at it. The sky is stained orange, purple, and pink. It is truly beautiful watching the crystal city radiate in the light. The door behind me opens and she skips out.
"You've been out here a long time!" she laughs.
"I like watching the sun set" I reply dryly.
"Come inside Endymion" she whispers into my ear. "I have a surprise for you."
"How can I resist?" I ask her.
"You can't!" she laughs and skips back inside.
I sigh and stand up to go inside. The door closes behind me and Serenity wraps her arms around my neck. I pick her up and carry her to the bed.
There is for then, here is for now.