A/N: Just a head's up that this is strictly my interpretation of how Serenity and Endymion met and fell in love. It has a few deviations from canon (like Serenity being a bit more fatalistic), though I tried to use actual dialogue from the manga in a few places. Enjoy!

From this vantage point, she had the perfect view: a clear blue lake gently rippling in the wind, a field of wildflowers that were every shade of the rainbow… and him. He, of course, was the real reason she kept coming down to Earth. Not that she would tell that to her friends, they worried too much about her visits as it was. If they knew, or even suspected, that she had taken an interest in the young Earth Prince, they would never let her out of the palace again.

She let out a sigh and closed her eyes. Her body sank to the ground at her feet and she leaned against the trunk of the tree, wrapping her arms around herself to calm her racing heart. This always happened when she caught a glimpse of the Prince's handsome face. She didn't even know his name and yet, just the sight of his dark hair and trim, warrior build sent her pulse sprinting. He was her most dangerous secret, her own private addiction.

"You know, you don't have to hide every time you come to visit. You can always come out and introduce yourself."

Flinching in surprise at being found, she scrambled to her feet and tried to stop her breath from escaping her lungs all at once. This was the moment she had been dreading ever since she had first caught sight of the Prince and realized that she was hopelessly lost. If anyone knew she was visiting the Earth just to see him, there would be consequences. People from the two kingdoms weren't suppose to fraternize. It was against God's laws. There could be serious consequences.

"I'm sorry!" She bowed her head, unable to look into the eyes of the person who had uncovered her secret. "I won't sneak around here anymore, I swear!"

Tears trickled from her eyes, dripping off her chin as she thought of keeping that promise. Could she really agree to never see the Prince's face again? She began to tremble, and would have fled back home if not for the warm, gentle fingers that gripped her chin. Slowly, they tilted her face up so she was forced to look into the eyes of her discoverer.

Shock held her captive, widening her eyes and causing her mouth to run dry. It was him. The man she had been watching for weeks was right in front of her. He was even touching her, his body so close to hers that she could smell the tangy, earthy scent of him. His eyes were questioning, but kind, and he had yet to remove his hand from her face. It was warm enough to thaw the ever present chill that lingered in her whenever she left Silver Millennium.

"I hope you don't mean that." He smiled, and it warmed her even more than his hands. "I've taken to looking for you when I come out to the lake or the courtyard, and I'm always disappointed when I don't see the strands of your golden hair billowing out from behind a tree or pillar."

"You knew I was here the whole time?" She hadn't been aware that he had even glanced her way. He was much more perceptive than she had imagined.

His fingers traced her cheek, sending warm tendrils through her skin. "I was worried that if I said something, I might startle you. I worried you might disappear and not come back."

"So why did you change your mind today?" She fought against the urge to lean into his touch, instead focusing on the softness in his deep blue eyes. She had never been close enough to realize that they looked exactly like the Earth did from her home on the Moon.

For what felt like an eternity, he just stared into her eyes. His thumb stroked her jaw and made her tremble at his touch. "I needed to be sure once and for all… I needed to know if you were real, or just a figment of my imagination."

For the second time since she had started sneaking down to this planet, she found herself completely lost in him. She knew in that instant that he was the only man she would ever want… even if she lived a thousand years.

"Well," she whispered, her voice trembling just like her body, "what have you decided? Am I real?"

The softness disappeared from his eyes as he slid them over her face and down to her lips. Her heartbeat quickened as she realized what he was considering. Was he really going to kiss her? Was he as curious as she was to see how that might feel? Did he look at her and feel the same surety that she was the only one who could complete him?

When he made no move to bring his mouth against her own, she felt a pang of disappointment and forced herself to step away from his touch. Instantly she felt cold, but she brushed that ache away. If she didn't get back to her kingdom soon, her guardians would begin to worry, and she didn't want them to get suspicious.

"I need to be getting back home." The words burned in her chest and she forced herself to take another step away, even as he reached out for her.

"Will you come back?" He asked her, taking a strand of her hair between his fingers as though making sure she really wasn't a figment of his imagination after all.

She hesitated, unsure of whether or not to promise him that she would return. If her friends caught wind of her intentions they would do everything in their power to keep them apart. And yet...

"I don't think I could stay away," she admitted.

Relief swept over his features and he closed the distance that she had put between them, bringing his hand to her face once again. "I'll be awaiting your return, my lady."

This time she did press her face into his touch and was rewarded with a tender smile that made his eyes crinkle at the corners.

"My name is Serenity," she whispered, a blush coloring her cheeks at her admission. It was a silly wish, but she wanted to hear him say it. So few people called her anything but "Princess."

"Serenity…" Her name sounded like a caress on his tongue. And then, his eyes widened in awe and understanding. "You're the Moon Princess."

Not a question, a statement. It was definitely time to leave, before he said what everyone else had been saying… that she shouldn't be on Earth, or worse, that even a friendship between them was looked at as tempting fate. She couldn't bear to hear him tell her not to come back. It would break her heart.

"I have to go."

"Wait," he gripped her wrist in the hand that wasn't cradling her cheek, "that sounded final, as if you weren't coming back at all. Did I say something wrong?"

He still wanted her to come back to see him? Even knowing who she really was?

"I told you I would, didn't I?" She asked, giving him a smile filled with affection as she reached out to touch his face as well. "I promise I'll be back as soon as I can manage."

He closed his eyes at her touch and leaned into it, just as she had done. Her heart clenched in her chest at the realization that he was feeling at least some of the irrational longing she felt for him. "Maybe the next time you return, I'll have an answer for you about whether or not I think you're real. For now, you still feel like a dream… and please, call me Endymion."

Endymion.

The name suited him so perfectly that it was almost unbelievable that she hadn't known it a moment before. Of course it was his name, what else could it possibly be?

"I'll think of you every moment until I return… Endymion."

"Until I see you again, Serenity."

With a sigh of longing, she moved out of the warmth of his hands and let herself be called back home. She was gone before he could open his eyes.