MOON and LILIES

SILVER MILLENNIUM

It was the first time Mars looked at the Moon from the Earth. It was beautiful.

The moon's milky light wrapped the flourishing garden of Elysion's Palace.

Steps approached her. And his voice, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Mars felt a shiver along her spine. She was avoiding him since their first meeting; she was avoiding the spot she loved so much in order to avoid any further meeting (somehow, he annoyed her, didn't he?). But, now, in Elysion's Palace, she couldn't avoid him.

She glanced at the blond Knight and nodded, "Yes. It's really beautiful." She kept on looking up at the sky, trying to avoid any further eye contact with him, but she couldn't help but casting quick glances over him, realizing, once more (as their first meeting wasn't enough), Jadeite's stunning beauty.

He was by her side. She could even smell his scent.

A soft breeze caressed his cape and made her long hair flutter.

She walked away from him, reaching the stairs heading to the garden.

She started wandering in the garden, observing the variety of plants and flowers, the gravel cracking under her high heels shoes. She finally knelt down, attracted by some large, pure white and scented flowers; she observed them, amazed.

His voice behind her, "Casablanca lilies."

She stood up and stared at him, annoyed, "Are you following me?"

He scratched his nape and had a gentle smile, "I simply thought you wanted to know something more about those flowers. You looked so amazed."

Mars sighed and put aside her fierce and defensive attitude. She smiled and nodded, "Yes. These flowers are beautiful. Casablanca lilies?"

Jadeite nodded, "Also known as oriental lilies. You know, they are really common in Far East, the region where I come from. They symbolize celebration and purity."

"Purity," Mars whispered, staring at the white flowers.

From their spot in the garden, she looked at the terrace: Venus was talking with Kunzite, his look serious and her smiling with a mix of respect and amusement; Mercury was laughing with Zoisite, her shy and soft laugh coupled with his open one; Jupiter was hanging off Nephrite's words, her dreaming eyes on him and his being talkative and charming.

Mars wasn't surprised of Jupiter falling in love with Nephrite, being the most romantic of the Senshi. More surprising Mercury giving in to Zoisite, the shy and serious Mercury putting aside her usual shyness and laughing as never before, like cold water vaporized by sun, attracted by the intelligence, charm and joyful demeanor of the Knight of Healing and Purification. Even more surprising the final decision of Venus who surrendered to the cold and serious Kunzite, the leader of the Senshi falling in love with leader of the Shitennou, two leaders learning to know each other, sharing the same duty and goal and finally finding out they were in love; Mars couldn't believe Venus could be so banal and irresponsible.

The Senshi were born to protect Princess Serenity, not to be distracted by love.

Moreover…

... Images of flames and destruction surfacing her mind...

She shook her head and closed her eyes. Wrong, it was wrong: lunar creatures couldn't fall in love with terrestrial creatures, it was an important rule of Moon Kingdom. Falling in love with terrestrial creatures was forbidden.

Forbidden.

She was the Guardian of Passion and Flames, and time ago she had pledged chastity to Princess Serenity: a vow of chastity and purity. She had pledged to keep her passions and feelings at bay; she had promised to Princess Serenity (and to herself) that she was going to follow her duty (protect the Princess); nothing was going to distract her. Mars knew the fire of passions better than anybody else; she knew better than anybody else how passions could burn, distracting people from their goal; she knew better than anybody else the importance of controlling that fire, and she was going to learn how to control it: this was the sense of her vow. She was learning to control her fierce emotions … until the meeting with the terrestrial Knight.

She was losing the control on her passions, breaking her vow; and the worst thing, it was happening with a terrestrial creature, so she was breaking not just her vow but also an important rule of her Kingdom and of her Queen.

She finally realized why she was so annoyed (and somehow scared, yes, she was scared, too) by Jadeite and tried to avoid him: since her first meeting with Jadeite, her subconscious felt that Knight could harm her vow, and one of the Moon Kingdom's most important rules.

That feeling of annoyance and fear toward Jadeite was only the beginning of a burning attraction to him.

She turned round and walked away from him, "I need to find Princess Serenity, she is probably hiding somewhere with your Prince, and I have to keep an eye on her. She is totally irresponsible. And your Prince too."

Before to leave, she glanced at the white lilies.

"They symbolize purity…"

Those flowers were already in her heart, and she knew she was going to associate those flowers with Jadeite, forever… "they are really common in Far East, the region where I come from."

Panicking, she was running away from him and, for her sake, he wasn't following her.

20th CENTURY

"They symbolize purity… they are really common in Far East, the region where I come from"

A sudden memory.

Rei started, her eyes wide open as she stared at the white lilies.

Minako looked at her in surprise, "Are you OK, Rei-chan?"

Rei surfaced from her shocked state and smiled at Minako, "I'm fine, don't worry."

Makoto scratched her nape, "You have always liked Casablanca lilies, haven't you?"

Rei nodded, "Of course, Mako-chan. Thanks! I love having Casablanca lilies for my birthday!"

Usagi clapped, "Happy birthday, Rei-chan!"

Ami smiled sweetly, "Happy birthday, Rei-chan!"

Rei stared at her friends, smiling.

In her 16th birthday, she was happy to have Usagi, Minako, Ami and Makoto by her side (and also Setsuna, Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru); they had faced many enemies (Metallia, Wiseman, Pharaon 90 and, recently, Nehelenia) and, probably, they were going to face many other enemies. Chibiusa was back in the 30th Century, Mamoru was ready to leave and stay in U.S.A. for one year, and they were going to start their second year in High School.

In her 16th birthday, with those flowers in her hands, Rei was finally realizing why she loved so much Casablanca lilies: it wasn't because Kaidou - the secretary of her father, the man she had loved before he got married - had used to bring her Casablanca lilies for her birthday. She loved Casablanca lilies because of Jadeite, and she probably had loved Kaidou because he had used to bring her Casablanca lilies (not the other way around) and because Kaidou somehow looked like Jadeite (short and curly blond hair, blue-gray eyes, kind and sweet).

In her 16th birthday, Rei Hino was definitively realizing that Jadeite was still in her heart, vivid memories of him surfacing from time to time, stabbing her heart.

But Jadeite was dead, and she had to keep those memories at bay. Rei had a big sigh, washed away the images of Jadeite, smiled and clapped at Makoto's cake, "Let's eat the cake, guys!"

She didn't want to surrender to memories.

She wasn't going to look at the past but to look at the future: she was the Goddess of War and she was going to protect Princess Serenity. It was her only duty and goal.