AN. So it was pointed out in reviews that this isn't really a Serenity/Endymion fic, and I guess I agree. It started out that way but changed a lot. but I don't think it's a senshi/shitennou fic, either. I mean... there isn't a lot of that, either. (Only two of them have even kissed so far).

So I realized, I have no idea what this story is, then. Because there's really nothing. It's like 10 chapters of nothing. (This doesn't really upset me though! :)

I'm sorry, though. I mean, I realize there is nothing going on here. The fic where the lights are on but nobody's home. :-P

I am not fond of this part, though... But whatever. It's here.

Day 2

It was mid-morning the next day before Serenity found herself with a small amount of free time, and very much alone.

Gnawing thoughtfully on a fingernail, she made her way through the cavernous halls of the palace, eyeing the knots of people mingling together. For all the talk that this celebration was all about her, at the moment no one seemed to pay the petite princess much attention.

Serenity pulled on a tendril of hair by her ear, trying to decide if she felt annoyed or relieved at this. She guessed it depended entirely on who was paying the attention.

Suddenly, the princess's face split into a smile as she spied Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune walking gracefully down a nearby hallway. The latter was dressed in a blue drape, silky fabric flattering her delicate shape. Uranus was dressed in a men's military uniform of her planet, but not a formal one. They looked striking together.

Serenity hurried to meet them, not daring to call out lest she draw the attention of some dull but important visitor and be drawn into unwanted conversation.

"Hello, little one," Uranus said with a smile, when she appeared in front of them. "Happy birthday."

Serenity smiled. "I'm so pleased at the chance to see you again!"

Neptune gave her a kind look, "And us you, as always, Princess."

"Are you busy, currently? May I join you?" Serenity was already reaching for their arms, when Neptune pulled back slightly.

"I'm so sorry, Princess Serenity, but we were just on our way somewhere."

Serenity blinked, utterly shocked and more than a little hurt. "Oh," she stammered. Her eyes shifted to Uranus, who looked at her regretfully.

"We are sorry, little one. I'm sure you are busy as well. We'll see you around."

"Will you save a dance for me, Uranus?" Serenity asked, her smile not slipping from her face. "At the ball tomorrow night?"

The two women exchanged a long look. Uranus finally sighed and said, "Of course. It's your birthday and you are the princess, after all." She shrugged as if it didn't matter to her one way or the other.

Serenity watched them leave, feeling very rejected.

"You know, it is her birthday," Uranus said, darkly, as soon as they were out of earshot. She kicked a stone with her boot, and it skittered down the marble walkway.

Neptune smiled sadly, her arm curled around Uranus'. "I know. I'd love nothing more than to spend time with her, as well. But I think it's best if we keep our distance. We are here for appearance's sake only." She looked up at her companion, but Uranus' brows were knitted together, her gaze distracted by two figures standing nearby.

"Those men," she said. "They were watching our exchange with the princess just now."

"Prince Endymion and one of his generals, correct?" Neptune said. "They appear to just be talking together." She laughed softly, putting her hand on the blonde's shoulder. "You are always so suspicious."

Uranus narrowed her eyes. Endymion sensed her gaze and looked up, blinking at the intensity in the senshi's eyes. He bowed slightly and she just shook her head coldly. "Just what do you think you are doing here, Prince of Earth," she murmured under her breath.

"Hello, there."

The greeting was soft, if lacking any formality or aplomb.

Endymion turned and found himself staring into unfamiliar stormy dark eyes at exactly his level. He blinked and stepped back, recognizing the figure as the one identified as Sailor Uranus the night before. He bowed and returned a respectful greeting, careful to conceal that he was aware of her real identity.

"You are from Earth, correct?" she said, still pleasantly.

Her tone was causal, but something about her made Endymion wary as he answered her questions about him and his kingdom.

He joined her in a stroll toward the courtyard, where people were gathered in small groups. There, Endymion met Kunzite's eyes, and the general nodded, keeping his distance but also a close watch.

"You spent a month here a while ago, that must have been lovely," the woman seemed thoughtful. "Is that how you and princess became so close?"

Endymion nodded. "Princess Serenity has always been very interested in Earth, so I was merely a convenient source of knowledge," he answered. "She's only being gracious to me in gratitude for information."

"Don't patronize me," she said, and stopped walking, meeting Endymion's eyes with a dark flash. "I see the way you look at her."

"Honestly," he tried to sound nonchalant. "She's my friend."

"You are from Earth," Uranus' eyes looked pained. "I know what that place is like, I know what plagues it and what will become of it. My princess - our princess - she can't have anything to do with that."

Endymion was silent, regarding the woman before him.

"You need to stay away from her. And she from you." The woman's voice was firm. She obviously did not expect there to be any argument.

"Princess Serenity won't stop caring about Earth and its welfare. She is not going to do what you tell her to," Endymion paused. "She never does what anyone tells her to."

"I'm aware of that," Uranus sounded exasperated, whether at him or at her princess, Endymion didn't know. She met his eyes again. "So that's why I'm telling you. Reminding you, really, to stay away."

He was silent again. It was really starting to piss her off.

"This is where you say you understand, and you agree with me," she coached, her hand on her sword.

Endymion shook his head, slowly. "I'm not going to make that decision for her."

"Stop acting like this is all on her head!" Uranus said, angrily. "Some of this rests on your shoulders. Are you not also royalty, also guardian of a planet, also responsible? Can't you also walk away?"

"Not from her," he said, softly.

He must have given away too much with those words, because that's when he found Uranus' sword against his chest. But he was ready.

At first it was all he could do to defend himself against her, and when he finally gained his footing he realized they were almost evenly matched.

Almost.

She was still better. And she was a senshi. She had powers she could call on at any moment and Endymion knew he'd be nothing but dust, most likely, and that's if she was feeling merciful enough to leave anything behind for his people to mourn.

He was dimly aware of Kunzite attempting to help him, but a circle had formed around them, and no one was able to enter the battle.

Outside his focus, voices could be heard, jeers and cheers and gasps. A woman was shouting, angrily, out of the corner of his eye Endymion recognized Uranus' companion from before, but he couldn't process anymore than that or he'd find a blade at his neck.

Until the circle shattered in a burst of silver light.

"SAILOR URANUS! STAND DOWN!"

It was a direct order from the crown of the Moon Kingdom, and Sailor Uranus obeyed instantly. She bowed gracefully, putting her weapon away and stepping aside. She had barely broken a sweat.

"Of course, Princess."

"Prince Endymion," Princess Serenity turned toward him, "As I am not your sovereign I cannot order you to surrender similarly but I hope as my guest you will also consider this display to be concluded."

He nodded, and lowered his sword as well. "My apologies, Princess."

Neptune was glaring openly at Uranus, shaking her head in disgust.

"I was barely touching him," she murmured in her defense, "I wasn't going to hurt him-"

Serenity overheard and walked right up to Uranus, meeting her eyes through a haze of anger. "Be that as it may, this was a despicable way to treat my guest, and my friend. How dare you think to just attack someone like that! At a peaceful celebration. Who do you think you are? What right do you have?"

Uranus blinked at the anger in Serenity's eyes and opened her mouth to either apologize or explain, but either way the princess had already turned away.

"Prince Endymion, you are here as a representative of Earth, a place that gets so precious few chances to disprove the reputation it carries to those in the Silver Alliance. How could you even think of tarnishing that chance with something like this?"

Endymion raised his eyes finally to meet hers. "Am I not to defend myself when a sword is drawn against me?"

Serenity was unmoved by his argument. "Do you think she would have spilt your blood? Here in my palace?" She shook her head; struggled to keep her voice even. "This was about pride, not about self-defense. You had a choice to pull your sword. Don't try to tell me otherwise."

"I'm sorry, Princess. It won't happen again." He bowed low, still out of breath, keeping his eyes on the ground. He didn't miss her sharp intake of breath or what she said next before leaving.

"So, this you'll risk, I see" she hissed, only to him, her voice hitching. He wanted to respond, but she turned and walked away before he could.

"Wow, looks like I got off relatively easy," Uranus said, blowing blonde hair off her forehead. "What?" She called after Neptune as the other woman walked away in a huff. With one last warning look at Endymion, Uranus took off after Neptune.

"So what is this game again?" Nephrite leaned over and asked Zoicite, much later that day.

"It's similar to chess," the other man whispered back, "it's a game of strategy."

"Ah," the darker one nodded and leaned back in his seat, surveying the crowd. This was only one of the events of the day- a competition which would probably be fascinating to watch if one knew the rules of the game, firstly, and secondly, even cared for watching this sort of thing. It was really not Nephrite's cup of tea, in any case.

But Mercury was competing, and winning, in the challenge, having bested three opponents already.

Zoicite was there to watch her play, knowing she'd win. Nephrite was beginning to regret tagging along. Watching Mercury stare intensely at a bunch of round black and white circles on a checkered board might be fascinating for Zoicite, but Nephrite had the feeling watching Mercury do anything - reading the dictionary out loud, for example - would probably be fascinating to Zoicite. He covered a yawn with his hand, surveyed the crowd for anyone interesting.

The Lunar royals weren't there, but Mars and Venus were, in the front and center, to cheer on their fellow senshi. He wondered where Jupiter was, if she was with her princess, or her family, or maybe had made another friend. He watched Venus reach a hand up to her earring and look up in alarm. His eyes narrowed as she left the crowd with as little ruckus as possible.

"I'm leaving," Nephrite murmured to his comrade.

"Is something wrong?" Zoicite tore his eyes away from Mercury and looked alarmed at the look on Nephrite's face.

"I'm not sure. But you stay here, I'm sure it's nothing." And he left, to the mutters and glares of the other spectators, who knew that those barbaric Earth folk wouldn't sit still for such a civilized and intelligent event as this.

"What is it?" Nephrite caught up with Venus outside and she gave him a startled and annoyed look.

"What is what?" she snapped.

He tapped his finger to his ear, eyebrows raised with a knowing smirk, indicating not only that he saw her touch her earring, but he knew what it meant.

"I'm confused why a guest feels he needs to know the inner workings of-" then she just sighed and gave up the ghost. "Never mind. You all always seem to get involved anyway. It's Serenity. She needs me to rescue her from a ... situation."

Nephrite looked alarmed, and Venus just shook her head.

"No, it's fine. It's practically tradition at this point. She always sneaks off and does something stupid and rule-breaky at one of these things," Venus touched her earring and narrowed her eyes, "Yes, I'm talking about you," she said out loud.

Then she focused blue eyes back on Nephrite. "The past few years she's gotten better about not getting caught, however."

Venus began walking down the hallway toward the main hall and Nephrite had to hurry to keep up with her purposeful gait. "This time she and a friend decided it would be hilarious to re-create a stunt they got up to when they were ten and twelve years old. Only now, they are 18 and 20 and it's much less hilarious, as you can imagine."

She turned and corner and stopped short, Nephrite nearly bumping into her back.

Jupiter was already there, in a small room outside the kitchens. The taller senshi gave Venus an exasperated look. Then her green eyes shifted to Nephrite and she blinked, surprised to see him. For a moment she looked pleased, then seemed to remember where she was and sobered up quickly.

Princess Serenity and an unfamiliar young man were standing before a very red-faced older woman, in a kitchen maid's uniform, who was lecturing them in a raised voice about decorum and expected behavior and how that dessert they purloined was for the guests and dinner tonight. And what were they thinking?

The pair, for their part, were looking like they were trying desperately not to laugh.

"Who is that?" Nephrite asked Venus, in the quietest voice he could manage.

"Her cousin," she said, "third or fourth twice removed, I don't know. She was sitting with him at dinner the other night, too. I guess-" she was silent for a second, apparently listening to Serenity's side of the story, Nephrite noticed the princess had one finger gently resting on her ear. "I guess, she got bored and no one would spend any time with her."

Venus looked at Jupiter. "This is all our fault, apparently," she said, dryly.

"We got it from here," Venus told the head of the kitchens, who humphed and took off.

"Were you at the wine, too?" Venus snapped out loud, pulling Serenity away from her cousin and snapping her to attention. Her partner in crime took that as his cue to leave, hastily murmuring good-bye to the princess, who just gave him a mock-glare in return.

Venus shook her head. "That woman has been scolding you since you could toddle."

"And she keeps getting better at it!" Serenity added. "It was Calliope's suggestion to raid the kitchen, so you can go ahead and be angry at him instead of me."

"Was he serious?" Jupiter asked. Nephrite was surprised when she caught his eye and exchanged an amused look with him over the heads of the other two.

"No, of course not," Serenity said. "He was just joking but I pretended to take him seriously and by then it was just a battle of who would back down first. Neither of us did, so."

"You need to stop playing mind-games with that boy," Venus said. "He means to marry you."

Serenity rolled her eyes, "So do half the men here, and some of the women, too."

Again, Jupiter smirked at Nephrite. He felt like they were having their own private conversation, alongside the others'.

"Neptune and Uranus are avoiding me," Serenity was complaining to Venus, as they walked along the hallway. "And Endymion explained it's too risky to be anything but friends while he's here, but apparently 'friends' was a bit of an exaggeration because he won't speak to me at all except the briefest of formalities. Oh! Or to apologize for engaging one of the outer senshi in unsanctioned battle in my courtyard during peacetime."

Nephrite cringed with the reminder of the events in the courtyard. It was embarrassing that he and the guards besides Kunzite had arrived too late to intervene... not that they would have been able to do much against a senshi, and not that Endymion would have appreciated their help. But mainly their chief job was to keep him alive - not necessarily keep him happy.

Nephrite glanced at Jupiter, who shrugged slightly. "Sorry," she mouthed. But for what, he couldn't be sure.

"Too bad you exhausted yourself fighting for real," Venus said lightly, putting a hand on Endymion's shoulder. "Everyone's talking about your skill in the battle earlier, you've impressed quite a few people. You would have defeated everyone in the sword-fighting competition this afternoon hands down. Mostly because Sailor Uranus didn't enter."

He didn't look up from where he sat on the bench in the gardens, with his head in his hands. "I didn't enter anything," he answered. "We got the invite too late."

"Ah, yes," she said. "I nearly forgot, you were one of the 'we hope you don't show up' invitees." Venus smiled, sitting next to him on the bench.

"Who did win at sword fighting?" Endymion asked, lifting his head to make polite conversation. He had been interested to watch that, but hadn't dared to show his face since the fiasco earlier.

Venus shrugged her hair off her shoulder. "Ah, Serenity's cousin Calliope."

"The same cousin that she went off into the kitchens with?" Endymion asked.

"So you heard about that, huh?" Venus shook her head. "What, you thought you were the only man she sneaks around with?" Venus teased, elbowing him. He didn't smile.

"You're funny," he bit out.

She grinned. "I've been told."

"But yes, anyway," Venus continued, "you'll have to curb any jealousy, Prince, because she'll most likely end up taking him as her escort to the ball tomorrow night. Artemis refused to be her date this time, and he's usually her failsafe at these sort of things."

Endymion was still silent. Venus felt a little sorry for him. "Did you know Serenity and I are related?" she asked, changing the subject. "Only distantly. But still. Can you tell? People say we look alike."

Endymion glanced at her, shrugged a little.

"Actually, most of us are all related. Except you Earth-folk. Fresh blood and all." Venus glanced at him from the side of her blue eyes. "Has anyone asked you yet if you are here as a suitor for princess?"

Endymion looked up, finally met her eyes. "A few people," he conceded. He decided not to count Uranus in that number.

"What do you answer them?" she asked.

He blinked, surprised at her question. "I don't," he said. "When they ask, they don't realize I'm from Earth. As soon as I explain my origins, the question goes away."

"I see." Venus was quiet for a while. "I wonder why that is."

He glanced at her again, but before he could open his mouth to speak, she suddenly stretched and stood, giving him another, blinding, smile. "Well, perhaps I'll see you at dinner."

"Truth or Drink," Venus explained, "is played thusly: someone asks a question. If you don't want to answer, you can pass - but you have to drink. If you lie, you drink. If you tell the truth, you don't have to drink."

The generals eyed the bottle in the middle of the table with trepidation.

"It's strong stuff," Mercury warned.

"And what's that?" Zoicite asked, pointing the palm-sized stone glowing in the middle of the table.

"It glows red when you lie, and blue when you tell the truth," she said. "It's not exact, and tends to be finicky. It's terrible for trials and state business-"

"But it's pretty adequate for drinking games," Jupiter supplied, with a wink.

It was well after dinner, and most of the guests had "retired" for the night, although there were many who weren't asleep. Socializing had simply moved to bedrooms, gardens, and various other locations in the palace.

This society was not a conservative one.

"So," Venus took a deep breath, and surveyed the party around the table, which consisted of Endymion's generals, and the princess's senshi. The girls had used Venus's passageways through the walls to enter the men's rooms.

"Are you in?" Venus asked.

They were.

"So why did you really sneak down to Earth that time, to crash the party?" Mars pressed her elbows into the table and looked at Mercury's blue eyes.

"To find out about Endymion's mystery guest." The stone flickered between pink and light blue. A half-truth. The consensus was she had to drink.

"Try again," Jupiter said, after Mercury knocked back a shot of the clear liquor.

"I was curious! I wanted to see Earth!" The stone flickered blue. Mercury flushed.

"And why," Venus was the only one who didn't have a flush on her cheeks by this point, since she wasn't drinking as she had promised before, "did you go back?"

"Intellectual curiosity." The stone flickered pink. She drank.

"Try again," Venus said, her eyes sliding to Zoicite who was watching Mercury with an attempted poker face.

"Pass!" Mercury cried, and shut her eyes and she choked down another glass of that horrid tasting stuff.

Zoicite patted her back sympathetically. Mercury didn't admit that half the flush on her face wasn't from the alcohol.

"Venus!" Mars pointed an unsteady finger at her blonde friend. "It's not fair that you and Kunzite aren't drinking!"

"Someone needs to stay sober for security concerns," Kunzite answered, his arms crossed. Venus nodded.

"But Venus has been asking questions," Jupiter said, from her position leaning against the wall. "Hardly seems fair."

"Fine, ask me one question and I'll answer," Venus said.

"Where were you last night?" Mars asked. "Serenity said you took your earrings out so she couldn't call you and you returned very late to our rooms."

Venus was silent for a while, considering. Then she answered. "I was in the garden." The stone agreed.

"Alone?"

"That's two questions."

"Doing what?"

"That's three questions."

The others exchanged knowing looks, but let it drop.

It was much later that night that Endymion returned to his rooms and heard muffled laughter and voices from the closed doors of the common area he and his generals shared.

When he opened the doors, he realized he wasn't surprised to see the princess's senshi there, with his men. He was a little surprised to see them sitting around a table, intently staring at a palm-sized stone glowing in the middle of the table. A bottle of clear liquid sat next to the stone, half empty.

"Where were you?" Jadeite asked, from his position next to Mars. She had her head on his shoulder, her cheeks flushed.

"Nowhere special," he answered.

The rock pulsated and glowed a red. There was laughter.

"Liar," Venus said, smirking.

"How come Mars is practically in Jed's lap?" Endymion muttered, rolling his eyes.

Mars sat up, her face still flush. "I'm a very private person okay?" she slurred only slightly. "I don't answer any questions so I have to drink! And they know it! They are totally taking advantage of me!"

"Is it wise to get her this intoxicated?" Zoicite whispered to Mercury.

"Marsians have a very high tolerance. This is mostly an act," Mercury whispered back.

"Where's the princess, that you can be here, off-duty like this?" Endymion challenged. "Are you okay to leave her alone with so many strangers in the palace?"

Venus gave Endymion a dark look. "Serenity is with Artemis, Luna and her mother tonight. I think she's more than safe," she said. "Furthermore, just in case, I'm not drinking."

"Actually, that's a lie," a new voice said from behind them.

Nine heads snapped up in surprise.

"Not the part about you abstaining," Serenity said lightly as she breezed through the doorway she created in the wall, dressed in a nightdress and robe, with her hair down. "But the part about me being perfectly safe with Luna and Artemis. They are utterly useless guardians. And my mother retired for the night a while ago."

"What are you doing here?" Venus demanded.

"Looking for my senshi," the princess answered, sweetly. The stone glowed a steady blue, and Serenity raised her eyebrows smugly.

"And that's all?" Mars said, leaning her head on her arms.

"That's all," Serenity said. She didn't glance in Endymion's direction at all, although he hadn't stopped trying to catch her eye since she arrived. "As you can tell from the never-fail guidance of the famed truth-or-drink rock. Honestly. This game? Really?"

"You in?" Venus grinned.

She shook her head. "I came to fetch you."

"This is rich! You fetching us out of trouble!" Mars laughed, falling into Jadeite's arms.

"Tomorrow is my birthday," Serenity said, "can you please get some sleep the night before?"

With a tolerant smile, Venus began rounding up the girls to leave. It had been fun, but it was very late.

"Are you still angry with me?" Endymion asked Serenity, just before she left to follow Venus through the wall.

Kunzite took that as his cue to usher the other generals out to their own rooms, although he had to help some of them stand. Mercury wasn't lying when she said it was strong stuff.

"Yes," she said, firmly, turning her back to him with her arms crossed in front of her. Endymion noticed that the stone, which Venus had left behind, glowed a soft pink.

"Liar," he said silkily, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"I think this might be bordering on 'risky'," she quipped, still not relinquishing her stubborn cross-armed stance. "I seem to remember not even one day ago you were telling me to avoid these sorts of situations."

"You are already here," he pointed out, reasonably. "The risk was already taken, if you think about it."

"Now that's a rationalization," Serenity said, turning in his arms. She gave him a small smile, lifted one hand to shift through her silver hair thoughtfully. "I hear you are quite good at that, actually."

"It's a talent I've been honing just lately," Endymion reached up and caught her hand, and the strands of hair woven through it. "Much like you and your talent for sneaking around." Here he actually earned a grin.

"I've been sneaking around since I could walk," she said. "Although, not to entire other planets," she considered. "That part is new."

Because he thought he'd go crazy if he went one more moment without kissing her, Endymion cut their repartee short, pressing his lips to hers. She responded for a while, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling her body closer to his, before she seemed to realize something and pull away.

"I don't think this is acceptable behavior for 'friends'," she said, closing her hand around his and bringing it back down to his side. "And I'm hardly in appropriate dress. What if someone were to come by?"

"At this hour?" Endymion asked.

Serenity laughed, silvery sound. "Oh, darling, you are not on Earth anymore. You don't think some charming young thing might want to stop by the visiting prince's chambers, and see how they make them on Earth?"

Her eyes were wide and innocent, framed by dusky lashes, but her meaning was obvious. Endymion sputtered even as Serenity laughed again, wrapping her arms around his neck, loosely, apparently deciding the risk was worth one last trail of kisses from his collarbone to his neck.

"I actually caught sight of Velora headed here earlier this evening while Luna led me to my chambers," she said, mischievously. "I may or may not have had Artemis send her on some useless errand at my behest." Serenity looked up and met his eyes again. "I hope you don't mind."

"Not in the least," he replied, seriously. Somehow his hands found their way to her waist again, into her hair. It was more difficult than he imagined, resisting her. He kissed her again, even though she made a sound of protest, and pulled away - but not before pressing closer - just for a moment. Endymion was well aware she was doing this all on purpose. He was also sure that he deserved it.

"I should go," she said, stepping back and pushing her hair over her shoulder.

"Since you've already assured my safety from overzealous relatives of Venus," Endymion said.

She smiled. "Yes, exactly. My work here is done."

"There is something I was going to tell you," Endymion said. "I thought you might be interested to know."

The serious tone in his voice made Serenity turn, wide eyes regarding his with interest. "What?"

Endymion feigned a yawn, and shrugged. "No, you are right. You should go. The news will have to wait until tomorrow."

She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Don't think I don't know what you are doing. I invited that innocent look you are giving me right now."

"Venus claims she invented it."

Serenity huffed and pressed her palm against the marble wall, pulling a doorway out of silver light. "Good night, Endymion."

"Good night, Princess. I'll see you tomorrow."

"If you're lucky."

AN. yeah, idk.