She could hardly wait! The presents that were stacked around the tree were a temptation that she could hardly resist. With calculating crimson eyes she watched the shiny-and not so shiny- boxes being passed around to the others. Some were from them and some weren't. Breathing out she smiles a bit at the pale pink wrapped box was given to her.

"Alright, as we've agreed- one present now and we can open the rest later tonight." Ami said smiling a bit. "I believe these are all from Mamoru-san."

"Oh cool!" Minako started tearing through the paper, "He always gets us some cool stuff."

"No one says 'cool' any more, Auntie Mina." Usa looks at her and shook her head.

"Seriously?" Minako prided herself on being up-to-date with the lingo and fashion. To hear a kid say 'you're so not cool' was a dagger in her metaphorical heart. "It can't be! Cool is always a good word!"

The pink princess shook her head, "No, -mega- and mag are the words now! How un-mag you're being."

Rei pats Minako's shoulder laughing, "I'm sure 'cool' will come back in style again. Like platforms."

"Rei-chan..." Minako looks at her and sighs.


"And we open it now?" Kakyuu turns the gift box over, "How curious this earth tradition is. I do not think I ever tire of it."

Yaten laughs softly, "I know, I remember the first Christmas we had here. It was quite fun wasn't it?"

"And every year, our dear queen insists on visiting during this time." Taiki adds causing the red haired queen to blush.

"I can't help it." She turns her head a bit still blushing and sighs softly, "I think Earth is so interesting. Everywhere you turn there's always something new to learn."

"Have you asked King Endymion when we shall be expecting the princess?" Taiki leans back against her plush chair, the gift-wrapped box already opened. "I would like to get a start on her lessons."

"That's all you ever think about." Yaten shook her head but sighs, "The summer wasn't it?" She rests her chin on her hand, "That was when we first showed up here too."

"Speaking of which." Kakyuu looks around, "Where did Seiya and Serenity go?"

Snorting, Yaten only shrugs, "Who knows? Probably off somewhere."

"I hope they'll be alright..." The queen mutters and sighs softly.

"I'm sure they will be." Taiki told her, but inside she was unsure. Anything could happen in this place, she thought. This was Earth. A planet of possibilities.


"I didn't know you could ice skate." Seiya said smiling watching as Serenity took baby steps almost on the ice.

"I can't really." She laughs softly nearly falling but managed to find her balance. " On the moon, when I was a princess, one of my past times was skating. Jupiter and Mercury were of course the better skaters then I, but.." She skates in a circle. "When Chibiusa was old enough.. we taught her how to skate. Mamo-chan...Mamoru-san and Minako-chan collided once. It was so funny."

"Sounds like it." Seiya skates behind her following her. " Are you sure you don't want to live here?" She got to her side, "You have so many memories..."

She shook her head, " I won't hear of it. I couldn't take you away from Kakyuu. She'd be down a guard and she needs all of you. " She smiles, "It'll be fine, Seiya. I promise."

"Are you missing her already?" Seiya smiles at her.

She nods. The real reason.. the true reason for all this was still back on Kinmoku with Luna. She felt so bad for Luna and her situation. Luna liked Yaten, but the woman barely acknowledged her. Not to mention she still pined for Artemis and her own daughter.

Thinking about it pained her a bit. Though once more she wonders, was Luna pining because she missed Artemis? Maybe, she thought, absence made her heart grow fonder?

"Ready to get some coco, Odango?" Seiya asked her.
"Oh, yes."

Half hour later found them sitting in a gazebo, watching everyone play and the like. She smiles a bit but it was somewhat sad. She remembered Christmases from before. She stood walking towards the edge of it watching.

It had been so fun then. She missed it. She really did miss them. Sighing softly she turns slightly and blinks.

"Mamo-..Mamoru-san." She said to herself.

Indeed it was her ex-husband playing in the snow with their little girl. Just like before. She watched as Endymion picks the pink haired girl up and spun her around like she could fly.

"Papa~!" She giggles as he catches her, "Let's make snow angels! Please?"

"Hai hai, hime-sama." He smiles at her. "But remember if you stay out here too long you might get sick."

"Hm." she nods turning to find a good place.

Moving a bit more, she saw the girls- well two of them at any rate- sipping their warm mugs of hot chocolate or coffee.

"Usa-chan really has him wrapped around her finger doesn't she?" Ami chuckles a bit and relaxes a bit.

"Hm. I think," Minako said smiling a bit watching the pair make snow angles and build snowmen together. "Usagi-chan knew what she was doing when she left Usa-chan here. He would be miserable without his daughter."

Ami nods slowly, "It would be too cruel to take her too wouldn't it? He already lost so much..."

"Well, we just have to protect this is all." Minako smiles at her though blinks wondering why Ami was moving away. "Eh? Ami-chan?"

SPLAT. She shrieked and jumps up. Luckily her hot chocolate was all done but still! She glares at the culprits. "Why you!"

"Run!" Usa giggles trying her best to run away and hide behind her father. "She's a mad cow!"

"COW?" Minako's eyebrow twitched, "Why you little...!" She scoops up some snow and throws it at them. "I'll get you!"

Ami only laughs at this. Some things, really didn't change.

With Minako chasing after his daughter, Endymion walks off a bit to rest. Keeping up with a hyperactive seven year old wasn't all it's cracked up to be. Stretching he almost didn't see the pale blonde or the black haired women standing in the gazebo.

"Oh." His mood changed almost instantly. Guard up more so since she was there. "Did I interrupt something?" He didn't even bother to apologize yet. Then again what should he be sorry for? It was public domain not their..bedroom.

"No, you didn't." Serenity smiles at him, hoping maybe ..something. She wasn't sure. "You guys seem to be having a lot of fun."

He shrugs, "It's Christmas, Usagi. Of course we would have fun."

"Oh." She worried her lower lip a bit before stepping down, " Did.. you get the presents I sent you all?"

Again, he tilts his head a bit thinking a little, "I'm not sure. We only opened one gift this morning. So, if it's there, I'm sure we'll eventually get around to it."

"I see...Where's Artemis and Diana?" She wasn't sure why she was trying to make small talk here. Maybe something in her would always want to do so. " I thought they would be out here as well?"

His brows rose, though his eyes flicked from her to Seiya who didn't look particularly happy about this. Nefarious ideas began popping up in the black haired man's mind however, for now, he decided to not act on them. Nothing but trouble leads that way. He thought to himself.

"Artemis had some things to attend to and Diana is enjoying her time with the others." He answered, "What about Luna? I would've thought she would've liked to have at least seen the daughter she's left."

"Mamoru...That's not being fair." Serenity told him, "She's doing a favor for me and Seiya..."

"Oh..I see, it's not fair for her daughter to be put here and then be abandoned and her partner to raise that child alone? There's nothing fair about it, Usagi. " He turns a bit, "It is what it is."

"Are you insinuating something, your highness?" Seiya spoke up for the first time. "That the better person won?"

"When was this a competition, Lady Kou?" His voice was a touch cooler.

Serenity shivered. Was it her or did it get colder? She wasn't sure but she didn't like how this conversation was going. "I'm not a prize to be won by either of you. I made my choice."

"Oh, of course you did, Usagi." Endymion actually looks at her, "And a fine job you did of it too. I couldn't have mangled lives like you have."

She frowns, "I tried! I did the best I could-"

"No. you didn't." Endymion looks at her, both were somewhat ignoring Seiya.

And Seiya had a feeling that something here..something was undone here. She couldn't put her finger on it and as much as she wanted to help her partner she realized she would be nothing more than...a hindrance.
As always...

"What you did was you married me and helped established Crystal Tokyo while carrying our first child. You had.. more then enough time to stop all that from happening." He said to her, "To stop all that pain and grievances. All this- wouldn't need to be if you had made the choice five years before then."

"I didn't know!" Serenity's eyes began to tear up, " I didn't know how much.. I liked Seiya, alright? I didn't know! You two were so..similar but so different in so many ways.. And I.."

"You what, Usagi? Thought you could have your cake and eat it too?" Endymion glares at her a bit, " Did you think this was a game? Your little fantasy dress up game? Time to play the pretty Queen from the future? Was that it?"

"You know it's not, Mamoru!" Angry tears and sad ones mixed and fell down her cheeks. "I tried. I swore to you I tried so hard to forget those feelings! But I couldn't. I just..couldn't. And then I got pre-"

The look on his face was a mixture of pure shock and for a moment rage. Which matched the storm that was going on right outside the palace. Another blizzard that had suddenly descended upon the city without much of a warning.

"You..had an affair behind our backs?" Each word dripped with ice almost.

"...It was a mistake at the time." She told him. "Just..that one night...that day before New Years..and I just had too much.."

Endymion only turns and walks away from her. He had never hit a woman out of rage. He never will. But gods above he would be a liar if he didn't say he -wanted- to. He wasn't a god. He wasn't perfect. He was human and the feelings of a human right now wanted to throttle that woman. That woman who naively believed that after all that they could be friends.

The again, he sat down finally somewhere private and safe, he was naive enough to believe that she had waited til after they weren't married. That maybe he could've swallowed his pride and hurt emotions and mend the fences for their daughter's sake.

But the King of Earth, being nothing more then a mere man, could only cry quietly on the Emergency staircase to himself. The pain, the anger and disbelief that had been quietly draining him came out in a torrid of tears at the inability to do anything to solve it.

Some king he was...


"...A mistake." Seiya said after the king had left. "Was that what it was to you?"

"Seiya..." Serenity looks at her pleading for her not to do this too. "Please, you know I love you."

"For how long?" It slipped out, she hadn't meant to say it but there it was. "How long before you fall for someone who looks like Chiba and myself? That is similar to us? Is that what it was? I was like him enough for you to love me?" She shook her head, "No, was I just an excuse? A replacement?"

"No, it's nothing like that! Seiya, please believe me. I chose you. I left everything behind for you and our daughter-"

"You left because I got you pregnant was all wasn't it?" Seiya knew it sounded harsh, but she wanted..no she needed to know. Did Usagi love her for herself alone? Or was it because she was similar to Mamoru? It would kill her to know that.. it was because she was just...

"No! That's not it at all. Please, don't do this to me too." She moves over to her and puts her arms around her, "I love you. Only you, please understand that. I gave up everything.. everything and even this world for you. My destiny for you."

Seiya could only stare at those fathomless blue eyes that glistened with tears and was unable to tell what was true or not. While she believed that Usagi would never lie to her, she couldn't help but wonder if the blonde woman's emotions were the culprits. Still, she couldn't find herself saying no.. She leans in to kiss her.

How weak, she thought vaguely when their lips touched, am I to not be able to resist her? The ultimate form of Chaos.


AN: Well, that was rather exciting no? Anyway, I'll update the last few parts soon.