A/N: Written for the random!AU competition on the AMF, with the AU: this world is a dream, and for the Random Prompt Challenge on the Sailor Moon Fanfiction Challenges Forum (link in profile), with the too-perfect quote…

Naturally, since this is an AU there are changes to the history of the Moon Kingdom, the most important for now is the events that unfolded before its destruction. In other words, I'm not following the canon where the war originated from Earth and Endymion came to warn Princess Serenity and got caught up in battle when Beryl struck the Moon. Things are going to go in a slightly different order.

"Love is an attempt to change a piece of a dream world into reality."
– Theodor Reik.

Grey Skies
Chapter 1

The sky had been dull for weeks now, but Serenity could only look at the expanse of grey and imagine the darkness coming. The dim twinkle of faraway stars had been cloaked in the approaching shadow, and no fireworks were sent out to join them.

It wasn't unexpected; there was nothing to celebrate save a looming war that would bathe the silver moon in red. And, already, blood and tears and sweat had been spilt. Already, bright eyes had gone dark and life on the moon had changed from its carefree dance to the clangs of swords and shields and the hushed whispers of those who could not fight. Only her mother's voice shouted strong: she rallied her forces, her allies, and strengthened their defences.

Still, the traitors that had slipped into their kingdom – and the damage they had caused… Serenity felt a tear slip from her eyes as she saw, again, the Shitennou who had been Endymion's guardians and trusted advisors, turning against the very man they had sworn to protect with their lives. It had been so sudden and so forceful an attack that he, Endymion, had only the chance to push her towards Venus and safety before he was struck down.

The shock had rippled quickly; the Shitennou had chosen the most public place to shout their true allegiances: the ballroom during the Dance of the Silver Millennium. The Princess of the Moon and the Prince of the Earth had been locked in their opening dance: the dance that illuminated the treaty of peace between the two kingdoms. Delegates from many of their other allies had been present as well, as far as the Princess from Jupiter – who was staying on, like several other representatives, to act as an ambassador for her planet.

All of them knew evil had begun to stir in the edges of the galaxy, but it wasn't until blood splattered the ballroom floor and her silk gown had they realised how near it was. Kunzite was the one to withdraw his blade, dripping blood, and the Princess from Venus had flung herself forward in tearful rage, only for Zoisite to interfere. The ballroom had erupted into chaos after that; the Queen had seized her daughters hand and led her, Serenity struggling as the image of Endymion's blood imprinted itself into her mind – but she could do nothing in the ballroom save withdraw and preserve the future.

What she could do came later, and once the Moon Guards had pulled Prince Endymion from the fighting scene she had, with some assistance from the healers, set about repairing the wound. But it was a wound made from dark magic, and it struggled against the white that pulsed from her fingertips. Struggled so stubbornly that it had taken days before the wounds completely closed.

But that had been more than a week ago, and Endymion still showed no signs of waking. Princess Serenity stood on the balcony alone and stared up at the sky, dull with both tears and the impending war – and worry for her people on the moon, and Endymion.

Endymion lay still, locked in sleep with guards stationed at the door. They were guards from the Moon; Endymion had brought no other subordinates with him, for he had firmly trusted his safety to his Shitennou. It made their betrayal even harder to bear, the Princess from Venus thought, because of how much trust had been placed in them.

She might have been a novice in their affairs, and a fool, but Endymion knew them well enough to trust his secrets and safety to them. It hurt, that they of all people had been the ones to betray him. It would be like the maid who'd brushed her hair and dressed her when she was small stabbing her, equalled only by betrayal from a family member – or a lover.

That last word burnt a brand in her chest. Lover. Like Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion. Like Kunzite – and her, something she should never have let begin and unfold. But he had captured her heart and planted his seeds within it, and now she could never bear happiness in those thoughts again because of what he had done.

The cold fury of that night had not been enough to burn those seeds away and she had collapsed in tears, energy wasted in trying to batter Zoisite away so she could sink her rabid fangs into the real beast, into him. But he had gone, and the other Shitennou had slipped away too in the end, leaving a splatter of blood on the ballroom floor, some injured soldiers, and many useless tears.

She had not seen Serenity since, though she knew the Princess was on the balcony, staring at the grey sky. Reminiscing on the past week, possibly, or praying for a bright future. Either way, Venus felt she could not join. Not then. The brand burnt painfully in her chest; the knowledge that she had danced with Kunzite, had brought him so close. She knew Serenity would see no fault in her, but it would be just another burden for the princess to bear, and Venus could not bear it.

She could only face Endymion, because Endymion was the same. Endymion had been betrayed by those same men, the men who had watched his back and trusted his secrets. But now they had fled: back to earth, or to a darker place…they did not know. And now it was the soldiers of the moon that guarded the Earth's prince.

Some whispered that it was only because he had brushed so close to death that he was still trusted on the moon. But the Queen was strong in her trust for Endymion, and no-one raised their voice against her.

On Venus' part, she saw no reason to distrust him. His first thought had been Serenity; he had shoved her away in the precious few seconds he could have dampened a fatal attack. And he had come to them alone, unarmed, in that precious time where the evil first began to spread. He had come before their envoys from beyond space had brought the same news, and his Shitennou had come after in reprimand and defence.

Or so they had said; their defence had been betrayal and cowardice, Venus thought darkly, looking at the white face of the man that slept within the crystal. Serenity's handiwork, and Venus reached out to touch it, before pulling back. The brand in her heart burnt again, causing tears to prick her vision, and she could not bear the thought of touching it, lest it should shatter or melt under the cauldron that burnt in her heart.

She mumbled her unheard farewells and withdrew with a nod to the guards, and turned east, where the sun would rise again soon. She saw Princess Serenity there, in her sorrowful face and white gown, but she simply bowed her greetings and hurried on.

She heard the blessing for good health and could have collapsed into tears again. Instead, she felt the light of her magic scratch and burn at her fingertips, and it was only a few tears that fell to the floor as she clenched her fist.

Serenity saw Venus' dilemma as clearly as she had once seen her own – but Venus' tale was a tale of far more sorrow and hurt. She could do nothing though, nothing but hope that there was something behind the Shitennou, something that had made them turn against a man who had trusted his life to them.

For, unlike Venus, she could feel no fire of hate in her heart. It was only black smoke of sorrow that choked her and stung her eyes. But it was sorrow and worry for Endymion that encompassed all, and she felt she was capable of nothing at all until she was sure Endymion would live.

As he slept within the crystal still, there was no-one who could speak her fate. And seeing him brought her no comfort, but still she went, nodding to the guards and sending a faint ripple through the crystal as she brushed it with an untouched hand. His face lay mere inches from her fingertips, and she let her fingers pass through to touch him, gently as though she was brushing an invisible tear from his face.

But his face was peaceful, and she hoped his dreams were too as she withdrew. She hoped those dreams were full of life and healing, because she, for all her healing power, could not touch those dreams and had to trust in them. To place her hope in them.

'I hope...' she whispered, bending her head and touching the crystal lightly with her lips. 'I hope that this dream in which you lie will guide you to a path of life and healing and back to me.'

She left a teardrop to soak into the crystal as she withdrew from the healing chamber.