Cats And Rabbits

I don't own Sailor Moon, or any of the characters, and all that fun stuff.

Six:

Darien was convinced that he was going crazy; he couldn't get the high pitched voices of the assorted noble women out of his head, and he was convinced that if the Venusian Princess called him "Endy" again he wouldn't be able to hide his flinch. He couldn't seem to get any of the princesses from the outer planets alone, and to top it all of he hadn't seen Bunny all day.

Before today the Prince had always believed that he would be safe in his own Palace, but today he had been proven wrong time and time again. He had been running around the palace all day long, searching for a place to hide. After three weeks the noble ladies were beginning to discover all of his usual haunts, it seemed as though there was no safe place to hide.

Darien pressed his ear up against the key hole to his study's door.

"Are you certain that Endy will be returning here, Kunzite?"

The Prince flinched, it was bad enough that the ladies were invading every aspect of his life but now his cousins were assisting. Kunzite had become particularly fond of towing Princess Minako around the palace in search of the missing Prince, something that made Darien regret his closeness to the man as he skipped out of rooms just moments before the pair entered.

"Princess, I am his majesty's closest friend and confidant." Darien was becoming increasingly annoyed by Kunzite's sonorous voice. "This is his Majesty's favorite room in the palace; he will return her before too long."

Letting his breath out in a huff Darien backed away from the door, resigned to finding another hideaway. He slipped into an alcove and pressed himself into the shadows as a gaggle of chattering ladies came around a corner, breathing a prayer of thanks that women couldn't seem to close their mouths for two seconds.

In the safety of the shadows Darien ran through a list of his favorite spots. Kunzite had the Princess from Venus in his study, so that was out of the question. The Princess Ami of Mercury and Zoisite had requisitioned the Library; Darien had nearly walked straight into the scheming pair and had only been saved because the two had temporarily forgotten their search in order to page through a dusty tome. Jadeite was running the fiery Martian Princess through Darien's favorite art gallery. The only one of Darien's cousins who didn't seem to be out to get him married off was Nephrite, a surprising development to be sure.

Darien detached himself from the alcove and stalked down the corridors, his mood growing darker every time he was forced into the shadows. Two corridors, and ten alcoves, later the Prince was considering running down to the kitchen to drink some heavy liquor with the only one of his cousins who had not turned traitor.

He was so busy trying to solve the puzzle of why Nephrite hadn't turned on him that he turned the next corner without thinking.

Walking straight toward him in the corridor was the last of his treacherous cousins, accompanied by the tall green clad figure of Princess Makoto of Jupiter. Deep in conversation, neither of the two noticed Darien as he spun back around the corner and searched for an escape. He barreled through the first door he came to and closed it silently behind.

Darien leaned up against the door with his eyes closed and his fists clenched as he struggled between a feeling of rage that would have him ringing Nephrite's neck and a feeling of utter despair. Sinking down, he squatted on the floor and held his head in his hands muttering softly.

The sound of a book being firmly closed startled him into looking up, fear shining in his eyes.

"I knew I should have locked the door."

The blonde angel that Darien had been yearning to catch sight of all day long was seated demurely on a box beneath the room's window. With the sun shining through her golden hair, her prim seat, and the way that her pink dress fell around her Bunny looked like a queen seated in an audience chamber, not a maid hiding in a dim storage room.

Looking at her, Darien felt all of his yearning, his pain, and his feelings of betrayal turning into anger toward the woman in front of him. "You!" He heard the surprise and the rising rage in his voice.

Bunny merely cocked her head to the side and quirked an eyebrow. "Me." She said, her tone belaying something almost superior.

"What are YOU doing here?" The prince demanded as he rose; he felt some what more powerful towering above the woman.

"I could ask you the same thing." Bunny murmured.

Darien blinked, taken aback. "I am the Crowned Prince of the Earth," He protested. "And this is my Palace! I can go where ever I please!"

She smirked. "So you choose to go into a storage room?" She didn't say it unkindly; in fact, every thing about the blonde spoke of compassion and understanding. It infuriated Darien.

"I shall report you to the Mare Serenatatis." Darien declared. "If you were my mother's maid you would be beaten within an inch of your life and then released from your position."

Bunny's mouth opened slightly, and closed again.

The dark prince savored the feeling of victory as he watched the young woman in front of him. She seemed almost lost as she slowly and deliberately rose and placed the large book she had been reading back on the box. Darien knew she must be thinking through ways to make him relent, things that she could say or do, anything at all. He smirked; whatever she offered he wouldn't relent; nothing would make him happier than to see her limping off after a sound whipping.

The blonde faced him; she opened her mouth slightly, as though she was going to say something, but then she closed it again looking pensive.

Darien felt his heart constrict at the idea that anyone would be able to thrash the beautiful woman in front of him, his anger abating. He wanted to take her in his arms and protect her from anyone who would ever dream of harming her. Maybe he would relent if she begged prettily.

Finally Bunny spoke. "Does that actually work?" She asked incredulously as she closed the distance between them. The first sparks of anger were crackling in her blue eyes.

Darien felt his anger return in a hot rage. "I'll show you how, when I thrash you myself!" He said, voice rising.

"I'd like to see you try!" Bunny laughed, now the chimes were filled with mirth. "Why would anyone stick around for a beating when they know they will be dismissed afterward?"

Darien reached out and grabbed the woman's wrist. "You little wretch!" He jerked her forward. "I was considering allowing you to run off with a warning, but now you have forced my hand!"

"It is you, sir, who have my hand. Not the other way around."

The prince opened his mouth to deliver a biting response when he heard the sound of Princess Makoto's voice in the hall. Instantly he shut his mouth and pulled Bunny close, clapping one hand over her mouth while his other arm circled her waist holding her arms at her sides. He pulled the struggling girl into a dark corner behind some boxes, and waited tensely.

"No, Nephrite, I swear I heard voices coming from this room!"

The door swung open on its hinges with barely a sound, and heels tapped on the stone floor.

"As I told you, Lita, this is only a storage room. The only people who come in here are the servants."

Darien heard his cousin's voice and sank further into the shadows, he didn't even notice that Bunny had stopped fighting him with the sound of voices.

"Who's book is that?"

Darien fought the urge to curse quietly, he had forgotten the heavy leather bound book that Bunny had set on the box. Why was it that Princesses had to suddenly become observant at the least opportune moment?

"I don't know." There was interest in Nephrite's voice. "A short history of Lunar-Terra Relations." He paused, thumbing through the book. "This is some pretty complex stuff, but so dry."

"Ugh. I don't even know what that means! Lets go." There was the sound of something heavy thumping on the floor, and heels tapping out of the room. "We still have to find your prince."

"So we do."

The door slammed.

Darien stood stock still in the shadows, everyone of his muscles taunt. Would they come back? Were they still around? Was this all a ploy to get him to come out of hiding? He didn't want to talk to the Princess from Jupiter, even though she was one of the less objectionable princesses at the convention of peace.

It took a good ten minutes for Darien to begin to relax, he dropped his arms down so that they gently circled Bunny's slim waist and he leaned back against the wall. For another moment Darien stood there leaned against the wall, feeling perfectly comfortable with the smooth soft curves of the blonde Lunarian pressed against him. Bunny was leaning back, against him, with her hands resting lightly on his.

She sighed.

"Why are you hiding, Darien?" She spoke in a reverent whisper, as though she was afraid to disturb the easy truce.

"All these women want is to wed a rich and powerful man; other than that they don't have a single thought between the lot." He sighed deeply, feeling Bunny rise and fall with his chest, and absently moved to run on of his hands over her arm. "I always hoped that one day I could marry a woman that I love, and who loves me. But this is the end of my dreaming."

"I'm sorry."

In the silence that descended both of the room's occupants came back to themselves, breaking the quiet amiable spell that had gripped them. Bunny pushed away and moved out of the shadows, leaving Darien feeling cold inside and out. He felt as though his entire body ached to hold her again. He followed her out of the shadows, and watched as she gracefully picked the book up off of the floor.

"You may hide here, if you so desire." Bunny said cordially. She swept her skirts out from underneath herself and settled herself regally on the box by the window, opening the giant book in her lap. "Just be quiet."

Darien pursed his lips, and stood silently studying the woman by the window. "How do you do that?" He said, slightly perturbed that a maid had just ordered him to be quiet.

"It's easy." Bunny said mildly. "You just sit down and read." She paused, looking up thoughtfully. "Please tell me you know how to read." She begged.

Darien blinked, taken back, before he chuckled; his displeasure evaporating and his heart lightening with laughter. "I can read. What I meant is, how do you treat me like an equal? Most people are painfully aware of the fact that I am a Prince, and thus their superior."

"Ahh." The blonde looked slightly abashed, for a moment. "You aren't a person's superior, just because you are royalty. I know many people on the Moon who are superior to the Royal Family." She smiled. "Most people are superior to the Princess; she is bull headed and often gets herself into trouble even though she is completely well intentioned."

"A well intentioned Princess, I don't believe it." Darien grinned, allowing himself a chuckle before returning to the topic at hand. "What I meant is, that I am a Prince and you are a maid, but you always act as though we are just people. How do you do that?"

"I forget." She said simply, before turning back to her book.

Darien sighed; he wasn't convinced that he would get anything else out of the girl. He contemplated stretching out for a nap on the floor, but another idea struck him.

The prince sauntered over to where Bunny was seated, "I'm intrigued by the title of your book, Bunny. Was it written by a Lunarian?"

"No, an Earthing. I got it from your library." She didn't look up as she replied.

Darien grinned. In one quick motion he had picked the girl up in his arms, she repressed a squeal as she battled between holding on to her book and throwing her arms around her captor's neck to keep from being dropped. Still grinning, Darien sat down on the wooden box with bunny in his lap.

"I wanted to read over your shoulder." Darien apologized with a sheepish smile and a weak shrug.

She turned her head to glare at him, not realizing that their faces would be mere inches apart. Immediately the glare died as she blushed and turned back to the book, compliantly holding it so that Darien could also read. She shifted for a moment and relaxed against Darien's torso.

For his part, Darien struggled to read the book that Bunny was holding, but his mind kept straying. One of his arms was still around Bunny's waist, to prevent her from toppling off of his lap, but he wanted more. He would move his free hand to turn the page and brush her hand, he would bring in back to run through his hair and touch her shoulder; the entire afternoon was a subtle dance.

He had never felt more alive, and yet there was still the part of him that demanded that he stop fraternizing with the enemy. There was still a part of him that waited on edge for the dagger through the heart. There was still a part of him that looked at the woman in is lap and tried to hate her, tried to think she was evil.

She stood by a window, with moonlight shining through the glass panes to play across her skin. She supposed that the second best thing to being on the moon was being able to bask in the Moon's light. She was acutely aware of the fact that she was doing something that her parents would frown upon, but even with the knowledge that her actions of the Earth could lead to war she couldn't seem to stop.

Movement on the ground made her lips turn up slightly; she watched as Darien stalked across the practice fields, wondering why he returned there every night but pleased that she would be able to see him after their encounter this afternoon.

She had been pleased to see him every night since she had discovered the window, hidden in a large alcove, and stood there on the off chance that the Prince would appear.

Darien moved fluidly around the courtyard; he was graceful, he was tense, he was amazing. He stopped, in the middle of the courtyard and looked around. Bunny waited for him to sit down as he always did, but instead he stood and looked up.

Their eyes locked, shock in Bunny's expression and calculation in his. When Darien took off running it took the blonde a moment to realize his intent; she slipped out of the alcove, hoisted up her skirts and took off her high heeled shoes as she hopped down the hallway. As soon as the shoes were in her hand she began to run, skidding around corners and sprinting down the long stretches of hall way, she had to make it back to the guest wings before he caught her.

She was at a distinct disadvantage, three weeks in the Palace allowed her to know her way around without getting too terribly lost but the Prince had lived there his entire life. She had also changed her dress earlier in the day, wearing a pink silk dress she had hoped that anyone who saw her would think she was a lady out to capture the Prince's hand. The dress was disadvantageous as she scurried around, but above that she didn't want Darien to catch her in a dress that should be above her station.

Bunny grabbed a wall and flung herself around the corner, hope sprung up in her mind as she saw the door to the Mare Serenitatis's suite.

"Did you plan this, encounter too?"

Bunny dropped her skirts, raising her hands as her mouth fell open in horror; Darien was relaxing against the wall at the other end of the corridor. He looked completely relaxed, as though he hadn't just sprinted up several flights of stairs and through a dozen hallways. Bunny knew that the lighting was not good enough for the dark man to realize how fine her dress was, but once he got close enough there would be only one conclusion he could draw.

The blonde threw a wild eyed look at the door, she couldn't hope to escape into the palace, but she would be safe in the Mare's suite.

Darien, pushed off of the wall, and began to advance on her. He smiled, self assured, as he advanced. "What's the matter, Bunny? You weren't expecting an encounter?"

"I'm afraid that I can't make time for you in my schedule tonight, your majesty." Bunny quipped. She preformed a mocking curtsy, hoisted up her skirts and dashed toward the door. She yanked it open and slipped inside as Darien reached to hold it closed.

Bunny leaned back against the closed door, her heart racing. It took a moment for her to compose herself and move deeper into the suite, looking for Trinity.

"Bunny!" The blonde was surprised by her friend's relieved cry. "Oh thank the Gods! Bunny, Princess Neptune has been demanding to see you for hours! She thinks Varick is keeping you from her, and is threatening to go to the King saying that you stole from her..."

The blonde nodded; Varick was one of the men pretending to be one of the Mare on earth. He was here because he was engaged to Trinity and couldn't stand to be away from her for so long, but he said that he had come to protect Bunny from herself. "Where?" She straightened her dress, smoothing out wrinkles, and delicately balanced as she put her shoes back on her feet.

"In the study."

Bunny bit her lower lip thoughtfully. "The study is at the edge of the suite, isn't it?" Trinity nodded, she looked strained. "We'll speak in my room, it isn't grand but the possibility of being over heard is slim. No one ever thinks to eavesdrop on the maids."

"Shall I go..."

"No, no!" Bunny cut the older woman off. "I'll go. I need to say hello to my brother anyway." The blonde began to move off towards the study, but she paused and turned back to the black haired woman. "I don't want anyone around to hear me, Trini." She said pointedly.

The other woman's red lips turned down at the corners in a pout.

"No one, Trini." Bunny said over her shoulder. She walked through the suite holding herself with authority, an amazing change from the docile servant she played as she rushed around in the daylight. She mantled, like a bird, becoming something that forced people to take notice; she became powerful and athoritative.

She threw open the doors to the study to find the aqua haired Princess Michiru of Neptune looking livid. The usually quiet, fashionably pale Princess was on her feet with her cyan eyes flashing as she stared down the room's other occupant.

"Brother dearest, I'm sorry that I disappeared like that, I had some things to attend to."

Both people turned their heads to see Bunny standing in the doorway, the blonde had a commanding presence. Varrick looked relieved while the Princess was unabashedly surprised.

Bunny and her brother shared the same crystal blue eyes, but there the resemblance stopped. Varick was of moderate height, slightly taller than his fiancé so he towered over his petit sister. He had fine boned features, but one glance told you that he was too spindly to be a fighter like his sister; instead, Varick had the slightly gawkish looks of a man born to books. His features were sharper than his sister's, giving him a less good natured appearance and his silver hair was tied in a short ponytail at the nape of his neck.

The blonde crossed the room and stood on her tip-toes to kiss her older brother on the cheek before she turned her attention to the Princess in the room. "I will talk with you later, Brother. Please follow me, Princess."

She didn't curtsy, she simply turned on her heel believing that the other woman would follow.

Howdy all. First of all, I believe there may be some confusion, and I take full responsibility for it, I must not be doing my job. Anyway, thus far the story had been taking place exclusively on Earth. Trini is not the Princess, she is one of the Mare, but I'll write more about that later. If you are concerned that Minako is evil and the inners a dumb, I'm sorry but that is all I will say and the matter. Thanks for the reviews, please keep it up. As always, criticism is accepted. - LS