A/N: You can all blame the Aida soundtrack for this one. If anyone doesn't know what that is…It's an amazing musical by Elton John and Tim Rice (of Lion King fame). Our school performed it my senior year, and I've loved it since. I recently rediscovered it, and have been obsessively listening to the soundtrack. This particular fic is inspired by "How I know you." It's set in a timeline of "what if Dark Kingdom had won all those years ago?" A little dark. A little abstract. But. It is what it is. Reviews always welcome.
"Princess?"
The title stopped her dead in her tracks and make her heart stand still in her chest.
"No."
An icy sheen of sweat broke out over her body as she ducked her head and turned to focus her attention more closely on her chores. No. There was no way someone could recognize her.
Her long golden locks had been chopped off, styled into a careless and messy cut that fell just below her shoulders. A crude brunette dye had been applied to further mask who she was. There was no way she could be found out. Surely if they figured out who she was, she would be killed before she had the chance to blink.
"Princess?"
That voice again. Come to break her disguise. Come to bring up the memories of her happy past that were now so far from her.
"Stop it," Usagi said, her voice barely above a whisper. She wouldn't turn to face them. Couldn't turn to face them. She didn't want to know who it was.
"Please," the voice pleaded, a hand reaching out to grasp her shoulder. "Is it really you?"
The voice sounded familiar. If whoever it belonged to recognized her as who she truly was, it meant they had to be close. But who was it? So many of her loved ones had perished in the war.
Their faces flashed through her mind's eye, making her heart twist in her chest. Her fingers faltered and she lowered her head to take a moment to gather herself.
"I'm just a servant in these lands. I don't know what you're talking about." Usagi's voice was steady, reciting the lines she'd practiced until her voice was hoarse. So many had sacrificed themselves for her. She wouldn't let that go in vain.
"Please, Serenity," the voice pleaded.
"What do you think you're doing?" Another voice cut in, and this one she recognized instantly. The warmth washed over her and made her lift her head.
The blond was standing beside her, arm stretched out to forcefully remove the hand on her shoulder. Her cold blue eyes were boring holes into whichever poor soul was trying to make life more difficult for Usagi.
"Haruka…," Usagi started, turning towards one of her lone remaining guardians.
Removing the hand from her princess's shoulder, Haruka then shifted and settled an arm around Usagi's waist. "You've got her mistaken," she explained simply to the blue-eyed, black-haired woman. "She's just a servant from the moon, like all of us."
"No, she's not," Seiya insisted, not backing down even under the harsh gaze of Sailor Uranus. "I know who she is, even with that awful haircut. You can't hide her shine."
Dark blue eyes narrowed on the woman and Haruka's arm tightened around Usagi's waist. "Who are you?" The former senshi demanded, not about to let some idiot put her princess in trouble.
"You don't remember me?" Seiya asked, a mix of amused and offended. "I'm Seiya."
Usagi's blue eyes flicked towards the woman's face in recognition. "Seiya?" She repeated, the name feeling foreign on her tongue. Of course she remembered, even though it felt like a lifetime ago. The princess from a faraway star. A soldier herself – Sailor Star Fighter.
She had been sent to the moon with her fellow soldiers to train along with Usagi's own guardians. Seiya had trained and grown stronger in the time she'd spent there. But also grown closer to the princess of the moon.
"I remember you now." Haruka's voice broke into Usagi's thoughts. "What are you even doing here?" she asked, her voice unkind.
"I was there that day, remember?" Seiya explained, leaning back against a wall to relax for a moment. "The day the palace fell…," her voice trailed off, looking to Usagi with a soft expression.
"I remember," Haruka said distantly, pulling Usagi to her in a protective embrace.
As the walls began to crumble and her friends began to fall, Serenity had been crippled by grief. None of her efforts were making a dent in the Dark Kingdom's siege, and she simply couldn't handle seeing her senshi falling to protect her. Her powers were useless.
She'd picked up the holy sword, not wanting to live on to see the destruction of her entire kingdom and all her friends. But just as the blade was about to pierce her chest, a blast shattered the sword and a pair of comforting arms encircled her. She'd lifted her head to find Sailor Star Fighter holding her tightly, not letting her harm herself.
As much as Sailor Uranus didn't like the affection that had blossomed between Princess Serenity and Sailor Star Fighter, she couldn't deny the woman had saved her princess. It was a grudging thanks.
"But that doesn't mean what happened there has any relevance here," Haruka cut into the reverie, her voice hard. "If you jeopardize her safety…" She let the words trail off in a looming threat. "They can't know who she is."
"But if the people knew!" Seiya replied, her eyes lighting up with hope. "Think of how much it would inspire them all!"
"Think of how much of a target it would make her!" Haruka shot back, eyes narrowing. "Do you care for her? Or not? If they discover her true identity she'll be killed before we can do anything."
Seiya's expression crumpled, defeated by the logic in the soldier's argument. If they knew Princess Serenity had survived, they'd slaughter her publically to make a statement. There was no doubt about that. "What can we do?" She asked, feeling her single ray of hope slipping through her fingers.
"Make sure no one figures out who she is," Haruka answered simply. "And keep protecting her." The blond didn't want help. She'd never needed it before to keep her princess safe. But this wasn't the moon kingdom. They were in difficult, dark times. Much as she didn't like it, she knew Seiya was loyal to Usagi.
"I can do that," Seiya nodded, her blue eyes looking carefully over the reserved face of the princess. "No one will find out."
"Good." Haruka answered simply. "You can't use that title. Ever. It will kill her."
It sounded dramatic, but it was true. Haruka had lost Michiru, so she had one mission left in this life. She'd be damned if she let some lovesick foreign senshi jeopardize that.
"You lot!" A harsh voice broke over their small group. "Get back to work!" The man barked at them.
Seiya glanced at Usagi's face and smile faintly. "I'll protect you, Odango. With my life. It's not just you and Haruka."
Slowly, Usagi lifted her head and flashed Seiya a brave smile. "Thank you, Seiya."
With a nod, Seiya turned to return to her station. It wouldn't be easy, but if they had Usagi, they had hope. They weren't defeated yet. There was a chance.
"Come on, Usagi," Haruka spoke softly to the girl, bending to kiss her softly on the cheek. "Let's get back to it."
Nodding, Usagi turned and went back to her task. This was her life. For now.