Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all its components is the property of Naoko Takeuchi. Apollo is my own creation, and if you wish to use her, please ask me first.
Notes: I think that this story explains Apollo pretty well, but in case you need to know more about her, I will later upload an old fanfic that introduces her as a character in the Sailor Moon universe. Also, I have taken some liberties with everyone's personalities, which I excuse by saying that everything takes place during the first incarnation of all the senshi, so I assumed they would be at least slightly different (hopefully more mature, as I have made them).
REFRACT
Chapter 2
Mercury, or Ami as her parents and those close to her called her, was sick of the journey. After all, they had flown 90, 870,294 kilometers—give or take a few kilometers, Ami admitted to herself—and the atmospheric imbalances around Venus had really taken their toll on her. Sure, there was turbulence when one traveled along the surface of Mercury, but nothing like what Venus had thrown at them. 'When I meet Princess Venus, I should ask her if her planet has some sort of grudge against me,' Ami thought. She could make the odd joke or two, but the idea of finally meeting the other princesses, who had all gotten to the Moon before her, filled her with an anxious dread. Would they have already become a clique? Would she be the odd princess out? Her shyness sure wasn't going to help. When her parents had offered a group of advisers and servant girls to join her on her journey, Ami refused, terrified of having to speak to everyone who traveled with her.
"Attention everyone!" the voice commanded over the intercom. "We are now making our descent to the Moon Palace. For your own safety, please stay seated until we have securely landed on the flight deck." Ami sighed, wondering why the pilot insisted on referring to the small group of herself, her bodyguard, and one lone flight attendant as "everyone". The instructions were, after all, only for her, the only one who hadn't yet made interplanetary travel. Ami fastened her seatbelt and glanced out the window at a gray surface, involuntarily thinking back to the moment when she bade her parents farewell.
"It's only for a little while, Ami, and then you'll be able to travel back here to visit," her father reassured her, cradling her head against his chest in a big hug. "And when you come back, we'll have a big party to celebrate your accomplishments!"
'Accomplishments?' Ami thought, crinkling her nose. 'It was now such an esteemed accomplishment to learn how to fight? To protect a princess she had never even met? A princess who was taking her away from her family?' Ami did not voice any of these thoughts. Instead, she burrowed into her father's chest, then pulled back to kiss him on the cheek. "That sounds great, Father," she whispered before moving on to her mother, who was curiously more composed than her father. "Goodbye, mother," Ami said plainly as she embraced her mother.
"Goodbye, my dear. Please come back soon." Ami's mother leaned in to whisper in her daughter's ear, "And who knows? Maybe you'll bring a prince back with you!"
Ami knew her mother wasn't being entirely serious, but nevertheless a blush formed across her cheeks. "Yes. Maybe," she stated flatly. How could anyone expect a shy girl like her ever hope to meet anyone, especially in the hustle and bustle of the Moon? Anyway, it wasn't as if Ami was looking for romance; she was just fine by herself, with her books and…and…
Suddenly, a loud noise brought Ami out of her memory as she felt the ship land. She glanced at her bodyguard, who smiled back at her, prompting Ami to quickly avert her gaze out the window. She could see a crowd assembled on the flight deck, awaiting her arrival, no doubt. 'Great, just what I need right now.' She scanned the crowd and recognized the Mercurean ambassador, a small, thoroughly reprehensible man who probably got the position just so he would be made to leave the planet. Ami focused on him for a moment before her attention was diverted to the person standing next to him. She perked up slightly, looking over the black military uniform, the cape, the sword…who was that man? And why was there no sign of Queen Serenity?
"Princess, it's time to go," her bodyguard said, interrupting Ami's worries. "I will go first to ensure the perimeter is safe," Ami's mind flashed back to the sword at the man's side, "and then call for a servant to get your things. Then you may proceed to exit."
"All right, thank you," Ami muttered, absentmindedly nodding to her bodyguard as he left. Was this feeling deep in the pit of her stomach fear? She glanced out the window again at the mysterious officer. Or was it something else?
"You can exit now, Princess!" Ami got up and slowly made her away over to the ship's exit door.
Apollo watched as a large man, the bodyguard, no doubt, stuck his head out the door, surveying the scene. He glanced over at Apollo, who professionally nodded back to him, careful to show that the coast was clear. The bodyguard nodded back, then called over a servant to get the luggage from the other end of the ship. Apollo saw him duck back inside for a moment, then reappear with someone behind him. The bodyguard was big enough to completely hide who Apollo assumed was the princess; all that could be seen was the bottom of a silk dress, a swirling, deep blue that Apollo followed with her eyes as the bodyguard moved out of the way, revealing the full extent of the dress, an artful masterpiece of blues fading into one another in different shades, with the top white portion fading into…a set of clear blue eyes, staring back at Apollo with the same measure of surprise that she was sure existed in her own black eyes.
Ami stood behind her bodyguard, still fearful of the image of the sword. Mercureans had no use for such weaponry; they were a peaceful people, more liable to throw a book at you in self-defense than pick up a sword to fight. The gleam of such a weapon filled Ami with dread, but at the same time she felt her curiosity piquing more and more. No one had told her a military officer, a high-ranking one from the looks of it, would be waiting for her; she peeked out from behind her bodyguard to check again, but there was still no sign of Queen Serenity, who Ami had been expecting to see.
Suddenly, Ami saw that her bodyguard was walking forward, leaving her exposed for the whole crowd to see. She tried to hurry behind him, but her new dress was too layered at the bottom, her shoes too high, for her to confidently walk down the stairs. She stumbled a bit then looked up to see if anyone had seen. Everyone was staring straight ahead, dutiful as ever, except the ambassador and his companion, who was staring right back into Ami's eyes. Ami stopped walking, trying desperately to compose herself even as she held eye contact with the stranger. The odd feeling deep in the pit of her stomach increased until she finally broke eye contact, staring at the stairs, taking them one by one until she finally reached the ground. Ami patted down her dress, stepping in front of her bodyguard, who followed behind her as she walked over to the Mercurean ambassador, taking care not to once again get lost in the stare of the person she was finding increasingly handsome as she got closer. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Ambassador," she said, exchanging a handshake with the man.
"I'm glad to see you made it here safely, Princess" he answered, making as if to kiss her hand but deciding against it.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ami saw the officer roll his eyes and almost imperceptibly shake his head. 'Well, at least we have our contempt for the ambassador in common,' Ami thought, surprised to be considering what she could possibly have in common with an officer of the Moon's Royal Army. She gulped before continuing, "And where is Queen Serenity? I was told I would be able to meet her upon my arrival."
"She sent her eldest daughter in her stead, Princess."
"Daughter?" Ami's eyes darted back and forth, looking for Queen Serenity' substitute, when she heard someone clearing their throat. Ami turned to the officer, who was smirking lightly at her.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Princess, and welcome to the Moon. I am Princess Apollo." Ami's eyes widened in shock, but Apollo pretended not to notice. Instead, she reached out her hand, palm up, and Ami instinctively and without realizing what she was doing daintily placed her hand on Apollo's palm. The Moon Princess leaned down and gently kissed the new arrival's hand, causing Ami to blush profusely and quietly stutter out a terse greeting. Apollo smiled warmly, taking care not to make Princess Mercury think she was ridiculing her. "I will be your companion for the next few weeks."
At that, Ami's head shot up, making eye contact with Apollo for the first time since getting off the stairs. "Companion?" she yelped out, quickly looking down at her feet to hide the blush appearing on her face. 'What have I gotten myself into?'