"Serenity?" Endymion repeated. Why does that name sound so familiar…? He took in her long blonde hair, her blue eyes, and her pale skin. He shook his head. It couldn't possibly be…
Serenity started to look around the entrance hall. "How surprising! Everything is so different here compared to…" she stopped in her tracks. I almost gave myself away, and then I would be in serious trouble.
"Compared to?" Endymion asked, intrigued by Serenity. She certainly doesn't look like the people around here, and to not recognize me… I wonder where she could be from.
"That's none of your business!" Serenity replied hastily, turning her face away from Endymion. To avoid having to look at him, she proceeded to stare at a painting on the wall as if it fascinated her.
"Prince Endymion," a young man entered the hall and saluted.
"Yes, Jadeite?" Endymion nodded in response, grateful for the interruption.
"Dinner has been prepared for yourself and your guest…" Jadeite glanced at Serenity, and his eyes widened in shock. "Master, may I speak to you in private for a moment?"
"Of course," Endymion replied. He looked at Serenity and smiled apologetically. "Excuse me," he said before turning around and leaving the room with Jadeite.
I wonder what that was about… that man seemed bothered by my being here… Oh, I know! It must be that he's annoyed that Endymion is always bringing girls here. Yes, that seems right. Well, I can set things straight when they come back. I'm not here for that… we don't even get along.
….
"What is it, Jadeite?" Endymion asked.
"That girl…" Jadeite started nervously. "Did she say where she came from?"
"No… she said that she couldn't tell me. All I've gotten out of her is her name," Endymion responded. "Serenity."
"So it is her, after all," Jadeite said thoughtfully. "I had my suspicions already, but that makes me even more certain."
"What? Who is she?" Endymion asked. "Not…"
"Yes," Jadeite nodded. "Princess Serenity, of the Moon Kingdom. Her hair is in the customary style of the royal family, and she has the same eyes as her mother. Not to mention that fair skin, a result of the different atmosphere on the Moon from here…"
"But why would she come here?" Endymion asked anxiously.
"I have heard that she is a bit rambunctious and has a rebellious streak. But to come to Earth, the one place in the solar system where she would be least welcome…" he shook his head. "You did well to bring her in here, Master. She's not safe here. Not with Beryl as she is."
"Right," Endymion nodded. "Well, in that case, I'd best not leave her alone for long." He turned around and walked back towards where Serenity waited. We may not get along, and maybe after all that teasing she doesn't like me very much at all… but still, it is my duty to protect her. Especially if I ever want to see relations between the Earth and Moon improve.
….
"Now, then," Endymion returned to the hall and smiled at Serenity. "Shall we eat?"
Serenity nodded enthusiastically. "I'm starved!" Transporting myself here made me more hungry than I realized… I wonder what the food is like here on Earth!
"Settle down, Dumpling Head," Endymion laughed. "Eating too quickly is considered un-ladylike."
Serenity rolled her eyes. "I get enough of those lectures… I don't need to hear them when I'm here too."
For the first time, Endymion looked at Serenity with fresh eyes, recognizing a kindred soul to his own. "I apologize," he said sympathetically. "I know what it's like to feel like people are breathing down your neck all the time watching you… Sometimes, I just want to…"
"Escape," Serenity finished his sentence for him as their eyes met. Immediately, she looked away, blushing. What just happened? How did we go from not getting along at all to this? It's like he really understands me. "This food is delicious."
"You like it?" Endymion grinned. "It's the Golden Kingdom's specialty. See, the potatoes represent the earth we grow from, and the fish represents the sea that surrounds us, and the water that allows us to live."
"Ah," Serenity smiled, trying to hold back the tears. I still can't believe that I finally made it to the place where I've always dreamed to go… "They don't have food like this where I come from." After finishing eating, Serenity excused herself and walked over to the window to glance up at the night sky. I'm so used to seeing the Earth up there and dreaming about its beauty… But now all I see is the Moon, and I worry about what everyone must be thinking up there… I wonder if they've noticed I'm gone yet. "The Moon is beautiful tonight."
Endymion got up and joined Serenity. "Yes, it is," he responded, staring directly at her rather than up at the sky.
Serenity turned to see Endymion smiling at her and blushed. Was he referring to me…?
As music started to play, Endymion bowed and put his hand out to Serenity. "May I have this dance, Dumpling Head?" he winked.
Serenity laughed. Maybe he's not so bad after all. Though I still haven't gotten used to that nickname… She curtsied and took his hand, and they started to dance in circles around the large hall. "It's like I'm in a dream…"
"If this is a dream, then I never want to wake up," Endymion's eyes sparkled as he spoke.
….
"This is the happiest that I've ever seen the Prince," Kunzite said to the other Shitennou as they watched from the doorway.
"Yes," Zoisite agreed. "Even with the many beautiful girls who have tried to catch his eye, he has never so much as glanced in their direction. But here he is, laughing and dancing with someone."
"But that's what worries me…" Jadeite said downheartedly. "He can't fall in love with her."
….
"Ouch, those were my toes," Endymion teased. For a Princess, she sure is clumsy… But I actually like that about her. It's so refreshingly different from the girls that I usually meet.
"Well, I'm sorry for not being a good enough Princess for you!" Serenity sighed. Everyone always nags me for not being graceful enough, not enough like my mother… She gasped. "I mean…"
"It's alright, Princess Serenity, I know," Endymion smiled. "Though I still think Dumpling Head suits you better," he winked, but Serenity had already turned around and started walking towards the door. "Wait! It was only a joke!" Why does she always bring out the worst in me? And why does she take everything so seriously? I wanted to cheer her up, she seemed so lonely… like she felt there was no one else who understood her. I wanted to show her that I understand, and I'm right here.
"You knew?" she asked, still not looking him in the eyes. I'm so embarrassed… was all of this just a big joke for him? "And here I thought someone was actually treating me like a normal person for once. It turns out you was just humouring me, like I'm just playing a game? Well, don't worry. You don't have to deal with my clumsy feet any longer. I'm going back. I guess Earth isn't the paradise I dreamed about after all."
Endymion sighed. No, it isn't a paradise. It's a normal world, with normal people. And plenty of problems. But I suppose they didn't tell her anything about us, did they? He ran to catch up with Serenity, wanting to see her face one last time before she disappeared. "Please, it wasn't just a game to me. I understand how you feel. And everything I said, everything I did, it was all real," he called to her as she vanished before his eyes.
….
"Princess! Where have you been?" Venus exclaimed, both angry that Serenity had disappeared and relieved that she had returned unharmed. "The entire court was searching for you, we were concerned something bad had happened…"
"I told you all before that I needed to see it, right?" Serenity responded, still not taking her eyes off of the Earth.
"You can't be serious! You visited Earth? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?" Venus started to get overly excited, and fought the urge to shake Serenity to snap her out of her daze. "Listen to me, Princess. You can't tell anyone about this. This would just worry everyone to no end. And promise me that you won't go there again."
"Alright," Serenity nodded. "It wasn't the perfect place I had imagined, anyway." And yet… I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop thinking about him. And what he said. Was everything he told me true? His eyes seemed so sincere, his smile so sweet… I know I just promised I wouldn't go back but… I want to see him again.
