Tsuki no Namida

by stargirl5

Fearing the powers of the Lunarian race, the Terrans rid themselves of the elders, keeping the children as slaves, their powers bound. But what of a princess who survived?

10. X Interlude

Tsuki no Namida X

…Interlude…

//Written by Star and guided by Bunni. ^_^//

Ten is finally up! ^__^ All my ideas for the future are jumbled in my mind and I'm not quite sure how to sort it all out in chapters and an order that makes sense, but hopefully I can figure it out soon. I was a bit bummed today that I just found out from my muse/brainstormer for this story, Bunni, hasn't been excited about the fic for a long time and its seemed more like plastic to her. I'm glad she was finally being honest but I hadn't a clue she's been thinking that way! *sighs* Hopefully, whatever it is will be worked out.

Thanks goes to Jana and AkaiBishoujo for beta-reading and editing. ^_^ And then finally, my new website is up! The area for my writings isn't there yet, but nearly all my art is and a corner for writers with things I've written with writing help/advice/suggestions (and soon resources I've found helpful as well.) You can check it out at StarInMyPocket.net. ^_^

There's a scene with Endymion in this! Finally, right? Sadly, he's not completely brought into the story, but hopefully it will acquiesce your appetite. ^.~ Thanks again for all the reviews and encouragement and I hope you enjoy the chapter!! --star

Serenity shifted, groggily burrowing her face into something warm as fingers of sleep pulled on her mind. The moist air touched her nose with the smell of damp leaves, the earth soft and pillowy beneath her as bird whistles lulled her ears. Fingers suddenly curled in her hair and her shallow breathing hitched in a startled gasp. The body she had unknowingly snuggled against moved and she scrambled to sit up and banish the lingering tendrils of sleep that still tempted her mind. She stared bleary-eyed at the man leaning against a twisted tree with peeling bark. Her breaths huffed, her head feeling like it longed more than anything to roll back onto the ground and shut the world out for a few peaceful days.

The Lunarian man's voice held a drawl of amusement when he spoke to her. "Good morning to you as well, Kitten."

After a moment, Serenity's eyes swung around her, looking to the mist drifting around the trees and up to the symphony of branches to a grayish sky hinted with only the gentlest of blues. The morning birds still serenaded. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Only a few hours. You fell asleep on the horse. We have a long journey a head of us; we can't rest much longer."

Serenity looked at the man with a struggling, blue gaze, the questions she had been too afraid to ask the night before beginning to prickle her skin. Of course some were more important than others were. "Where are my friends?"

The man rose and walked over to the horse. "What are you doing?" Serenity asked, her impatient blue eyes following his form.

He did not respond.

"Did you hear what I asked?" Serenity snapped.

"I'm getting us food if you don't mind," the man shot back in exasperation as he worked a bag from the straps on the saddle.

She had to strike down the image of food and managed a glare. "What of my friends? Where are they?"

"My second in command took them to an inn inside Adytheis."

"The Earth's capital?" Serenity asked, her demanding tone lost to her surprise.

"Yes, the damned Earth's capital," Diamond sighed, adding a few twigs to the small fire.

Serenity drew in a calm breath, her body slowly loosening. "All right. So you are going to take me to them?" she surmised aloud.

"No."

"What?" Serenity screeched.

Though his back was turned to her, she was sure he was fighting down a smile. "I said no."

Serenity angrily snapped her gaping mouth shut. Her eyes began to dart back and forth from Diamond to the horse. The man caught her glance and laughed. "Don't even think of it, Kitten. Even if you bribed him with food he wouldn't let you ride him without me."

Serenity's nose scrunched, eyes staring blue daggers. With a rash need to rebel, she watched his retreating form carefully before scrambling over to the horse. She hesitated when the black beast stepped to her, but he only nuzzled her outstretched hand. She rubbed his side as she bit her lip and sat one last wiry glance to Diamond's preoccupied form before sticking her foot in the horses stirrup and swinging herself over the horse with a slight yelp.

"What the hell?" Diamond yelped.

Startled, she rode awkwardly around the campsite before finally choosing a direction and pressing her knee's into the horses flanks sent them racing through the woods. She grappled for the reigns that slipped from her grasp, clumsily trying to not fall off when she flinched at the myraid of shouts following her. He had saved her last night… But she had to find Sapphire and the girls she had befriended. And blast the man if he was not willing to help!

She reigned in sharply at a brook, though the stallion beneath her seemed eager to jump it. Struggling with her need for breath, she swung her lost eyes through the cedar trees where the mist hazed orange from the rising sun. The gushing water and distant birds were calming, but it only seemed to swallow her anger and leave her with despair. And worse than her direction, her stomach was grumbling! Couldn't she have at least eaten with the man before stealing his horse?

She shrieked when arms snaked around her and dragged her off the horse. "When you're running for bloody hell, it's best not to stop for a drink," Diamond advised between his ragged breaths.

Serenity lashed out, an angry flush staining her cheeks. "I wasn't stopping for a drink… Melon-head!"

Suddenly, he erupted in laughter, and Serenity's flush became scarlet as she spluttered. Before she could come up with a good retort, his laughter calmed and it felt useless to grapple for one.

Diamond eyed his horse for a defining moment before muttering, "Traitorous beast." And then that puzzling amethyst gaze turned to her. Serenity squirmed and was about to question him when he shook his head and hefted her onto the horse. His grip on the reins was pointedly tight as he walked the horse back to the site, his glances to make sure she wasn't preparing to run away making humiliation burn at her cheeks.

The moment Diamond set her on the ground at the campsite, her subdued form flared and she tore away from him. And for the next few moments she sat on the soiled leaves and mulch that coated the forest's floor, her chosen spot far from the man's busying form. Her arms crossed in resent, her spluttering gaze forced anywhere but the man.

But then the man turned to look at her from where he sat, and she looked to meet his wry gaze. "You can have some food if you don't act like I'm the plague," he said.

Serenity immediately became aware of the grumblings in her belly. She sulked for another moment before she raised her small voice to his back as he had turned around and began to eat as if for the sole purpose of showing off the food. Her tongue peaked and slid over her lip. "Will you answer my questions?" she asked warily.

The man, seeming amused, took a mocking length of time to ponder her words before nodding. "Eat, don't steal my horse again, and I'll answer your questions."

Serenity tried to dampen her eagerness as she crawled over to him and settled there. "Who are you?"

"You can call me Diamond. I gathered together a band of other Lunarian children that had escaped Tsuki no Namida years ago. That group has quite… progressed, you could say, since then."

"That group of rebels in the raid last night?" Serenity asked, even as she began digging into a sweetened bun that had found its way to her hand. She licked at a coating of sweet glaze that smeared on her lips, realizing not only how hungry she was but also how much she missed good food. Her hand reached for a strip of jerky before she even finished swallowing the bread, her teeth tearing into the leathery meat a little like a starved creature.

Diamond gave her a wry grin, and seeming to understand her vigor in eating held out the leather canteen of water before answering. He looked away and laughed. "There's far more of us than that. I took a few dozen of the men last week to hunt for food to bring back, though on our way home, we heard of a Lunarian who was trying to escape, so we hung around the area."

"Thank you for saving me," Serenity thought to say belatedly, though she was thoroughly humbled that so many had come to help her. And with an embarrassed hue condemning her cheeks she added, "I'm sorry for trying to steal your horse as well." Her eating slowed to idly chewing the jerky.

"Our group is here to help other Lunarians," Diamond said, responding to her thanks with a shrug and ignoring her apology. "We host varying safe houses and keep them stocked with necessities and try to help the runaways. Our station is like the contrast to the Lunarian Precinct—though of course, a secret one. The bastards have been after us for years." He stopped to take a slug of water.

"Is that where you'll be taking me? Are my companions going to be going there as well? How long will it be? Will I be able to go home? And I saw Terrans in your group--have they joined you?"

Diamond laughed. "The curious kitten is a well of questions. First, yes, many Terrans have joined us. It's one of the things that gives us power. We'll be traveling to Adytheis—"

"You are taking me to my friends?" Serenity squeaked, thinking of how much trouble she had gone to.

"No. Squelch your tongue for a moment. We're going up ahead of them. You'll see them soon enough. It'll be a day's journey. Kunzite—the Lunarian fellow who so elegantly flung your blonde friend into the cart and drove off will have by now left them to the care of Nephrite, a Terran who has come to our cause—former soldier, actually. They should have no problem reaching our hideout." Diamond paused a moment in thought as he looked at her. "There aren't many Lunarians who have homes… Do you speak of a safe house?"

Serenity shook her head. "My guardians do own a safe house which I would visit often, but they've raised me as their own. I know they must be worried about me and I miss them terribly. Please, may I go back there?"

"Who are these guardians?" Diamond asked instead with interest.

Serenity had to bite her tongue in her impatience. Taking a breath, she answered, "Artemis and Luna Delacrae."

Diamond's eyes widened as he heard the names, leading her to ask in a curious voice, "Do you know them?"

Diamond nodded his head slowly. "Aye, I know them well. Their safe house is independent, we only help out with food every now and then, but Artemis is a man I admire much." Diamond paused for a moment, seeming to remember something before brushing it away. "I'm sure after everything has been settled that someone could bring you home."

Serenity felt like her body would float and wisp away in happiness. It nearly brought tears to venture in her eyes. The oppression of slavery already began to fade in her mind. She remembered trembling on the threadbare cots of the Lunarian Restriction precinct, the deadened gazes of her race suffocating her with their lost hope, the tears never seeming to run dry. She shivered now at the thought of how close she had brushed insanity locked in the mirror room, how the crack of a whip that frequented the air had always made her jump, how afraid she had been when Larenque's arms were around her. Hollow nightmares had haunted her nights. The thought of her past home had only made her cry… the thought of Endymion had made her feel like her insides were tearing. Serenity made a rasped sound, instinctively shuddering in hurt remembrance.

Suddenly, Diamond was wrapping her cloak around her that had been left forgotten when she awoke. "The days are getting colder," he said briskly, having mistaken her shivering. But the feel of the soft material over her bare arms and legs made her realize with a start how cold she really was, and she gratefully curled her fingers over the cloak.

"Thank you," she murmured, drawing in a breath as her pained thoughts began to ease.

Diamond shook his head in disgust. "Even as it's nearing winter, they wait for the last possible moment to properly clothe their slaves."

Serenity watched him silently as he pulled out some leather material and rope from the saddlebag, kneeling beside her with a softer expression. She watched with a feeling drifting between awe and gratitude as he wrapped her bare feet in the warm cloth, intent in his task of tying the rope to keep it together.

Once done, Serenity stared at the makeshift boots, words only fading whispers in her throat as she moved her encased feet around, finding the material durable and warm.

"It will have to do for the journey," Diamond commented; though, his gaze on his work was like that of an artist who wouldn't take less than perfection and found himself staring at a deformed creation.

"It's wonderful," Serenity said in response to that gaze as she looked up to him. "I don't know how I can thank you for everything."

He shrugged--the response to all her thanks thus far. "Think nothing of it, Kitten." He flashed a small smile to her, but it seemed more budded from the nickname he seemed to enjoy calling her.

"My name's Serenity," she supplied.

"I think I prefer Kitten if it's the same to you," Diamond laughed.

Serenity found herself smiling in return as she sat there. Even with Rain, her smiles had been dimmed by the horror of her life, which, even in the few humorous moments, had always been tinged with sadness. This one seemed to lift her weary spirit.

Endymion stared out the window from where he reclined in the rich chair. His eyes sank into the soft blue sky far behind the glass barrier, and he drifting in the color as if a lone man at sea. Bird chirps touched his listless ears, the Earl's chatter fading to a distant baritone noise, words withered to merely sounds, not a meaning upon them.

His thoughts were wispy, like the clouds in the sky, adrift in an encompassing expanse. Without his mind to guide him, he felt as if he was lying in a summer field, the warm breeze washing over him like ocean waves and the sun seeping into him. A feeling so warm, so quiet… so simple--Serenity tucked in the crook of his arm, her golden head resting on his chest. They would just lie there, staring into the sky, time unable to touch them.

"Your highness?" The mellow words sounded, but Endymion only blinked and looked toward the earl when they were repeated.

Endymion shut his eyes and allowed himself a sigh. "I'm sorry, Thrain. My mind has been elsewhere. I am afraid I'm not the best of house guests at the moment."

The earl's eyes laughed in sympathy. "Tiring month, my prince?"

"Quite," Endymion agreed with a worn nod.

"Perhaps I could cheer him up, Papa," a coy voice wrapped around Endymion and a slender, polished hand rested on his shoulder as Viira stepped to joined them. Her violet dress rustled as if trying to imitate the wind blowing through a thousand brittle leaves.

Endymion had to suppress his annoyance. What had happened to him? He used to fancy Viira--Viira, in all her china doll skin, her deep, blood-rose lips that would play with subtle, teasing motions, her evergreen eyes that would hide coyly behind a rim of black lashes. She was like the sun dwindling to a candle. Endymion's eyelashes lowered at his queer thoughts, murmuring a polite, "Good morning Viira."

Viira seemed to purr under his acknowledgment. "Would you care to join me for a walk in the orchards, my prince? That is, of course, if Papa doesn't mind that I steal you from him."

The earl let out a bellowing laugh. "No, not at all, my darling daughter. You two leave this old man and enjoy the beautiful day." The earl lifted up his glass of wine in a joyous toast before taking a long gulp.

Endymion wasn't ignorant of the man's glee. The earl hoped to have a prince for a son-in-law. Endymion gave a curt nod to Viira and stood, following her through the halls of the manor. His thoughts still clung, unsettled by the earl's hope. Marry Viira? His chest swelled as if a dark cloud conjured in resent. But then he forced the feeling down, bristling in frustration. He had considered having Viira as his wife once, had he not?

Damn it, what changed! She was poised and elegant, capable of merging into the roll of a Queen as if she was born to be one. She would host guests, be the perfect companion by his side, charming the people around them. But the idea seemed so… hollow now--as if he would be condemning his soul to isolation. Unbidden, he remembered when he proposed to Serenity. He had been so naïve, seeing only the happiness he would share with her. Was he so blinded by her that he couldn't see the truth?

As he and Viira paused on the dais that broke from the house, he drew in a long breath of cool air that was warmed only by the sun, letting it wash away his troubles for at least a few moments of peace. Birds filled the air with melodious song and the scent of apple blossoms carried on the autumn wind. He fell in step with Viira as they strolled down one of the aisles.

The trees looked like pleasant friends, gnarled and knotted and sprouting bushels of healthy leaves and sweet fruit. The silver-haired workers poked all around with ladders and barrels, harvesting the trees' abundance.

The warm feeling sank into him, more powerful and luring than the sun. He could have patted himself on the back for feeling so pleasant, until he felt Viira's presence beside him and the feeling slipped through his fingers. He looked at Viira with tortured eyes, realizing that the warm feeling had budded from his memory of walking with Serenity through the Delacrae orchards.

His thoughts pulled and tugged at his comparison of Viira dimming to a candle. If Viira was once the sun, who was it now--Serenity? He swallowed a bitter laugh. If she was the sun, then surely the sun had set. But… perhaps it only set to be replaced by the moon. Yes, the moon, the home of the Lunarians so long ago.

"Endymion?" Viira's sulking voice landed in his ears. "You haven't said anything to me."

Endymion struggled with his voice for a moment before settling on an apology. "I'm sorry, Viira." He lifted his eyes to the trees. "Your father's orchards are beautiful."

As if she was a cat that had been petted, a smile strung across her red lips and she opened her mouth to speak.

Endymion readied himself to pay attention to her words, but then his eyes pulled to one of the Lunarian workers, a slim girl tending to one of the barrels, fingering the apples for bruises. A drapery of silver hair pooled around her and curled over the grass. Endymion's muscles locked. His mind felt struck and his body broke away from Viira's side as if having a will of its own, heading to the girl nestled in the grass in the shade with fervent steps. His breath struggled in his throat and chest as his hand entwined around the girl's pale one that held a crimson apple, swinging the Lunarian around.

The orchard stilled. The workers stared. Viira made a strangled sound in her throat. His hand shook over the tiny wrist of the Lunarian girl, abashed as he stared at a thin, shallow face with confused and frightened pear-colored eyes. The apple dropped from the girl's trembling fingers and rolled on the ground.

He could fight his mind and heart all he wished, make himself believe that Serenity was in the past, but his own body betraying him in such a rash action could not be denied. He shook as if encased in a fever and released the frightened girl's hand, stumbling back into the grassy aisle, feeling the trees and ground around him sway to his senses.

"Lunarian! What did you do to the prince?" Viira hissed, the girl only stuttering. Viira's hand rested on Endymion's shoulder as she stepped forward and he shuddered under the touch.

"No," he choked, stepping back from her. "She did nothing."

Viira cast him a wide gaze. "Perhaps we could find another area away from the slaves?" her tone tried to soothe and allure.

Endymion jerked his head. "No. I am not well. I must leave." Endymion turned and rushed through the trees, a few Lunarians scrambling from his path as Viira cried after him. His body felt cold and clammy, sick and knotted inside. He gasped and choked on his breath as if he was running from a beast. The sun glinted in his crazed eyes when his winding around the trees brought him out from under the cool shade, the birds' whistling a haunting music in his ears. The orchard swung in his vision as he ran through the haven washed in yellow, autumn light, apple blossoms drifting in the air and casting mystical glints. It was eerie in its beauty, in its peace, in the way it flooded his mind with unwanted images. The memories taunted him, nipping at his heels, hazing around his eyes. Forever beautiful. Forever tormenting. Forever there.

Serenity ducked her head, trying to keep her breaths controlled. Lay low, don't speak to anyone, and don't stray an inch from the horse. Diamond's words repeated in her mind and her grip tightened on the horse's reins, even though it was tied to a wooden rail. The people of Adytheis massed around her, ignoring her small cloaked figure. But she trembled again, seeing most of the Terrans hoard towards the nearby street and clear around what she presumed to be the church.

"The Terrans should be distracted, so you shouldn't worry about being seen."

"Why will they be distracted?"

"The Prince is visiting the church."

Serenity snapped her eyes closed, shutting them so tight that color burst in the darkness her lids caused. Thankfully, Diamond had left her then to meet with one of his contacts, and had not seen her struck reaction to the mention of the prince.

How could she have been so naïve? Of course Endymion lived in the Earth's capital city. A thousand feelings tore at her. Images came unbidden to her mind, taunting images of soft, tender gazes and safe, warm embraces. The embraces she would sink into and know that nothing could hurt her... How much she trusted him, how much she loved him! But the thing that unnerved her most was that in a way she still did. As pained as it was, she still believed in the man who kissed her and held her as if she were the most precious thing alive. She still longed for the blissful moments in the fields when there was no one but them in the world.

A tear slipped from her eye and she bit her lip on a choke, peering through the excited crowd. He was near… so near. Perhaps, if she could only see his face… The longing built in her chest, as powerful as if it was a dream she had nourished her whole life. Her fingers' death-grip on the reins loosened and she took an instinctive step. Don't stray one inch from the cart. Diamond's warning rang once again in her mind. Her rational mind tried to grab for it, to talk her into staying, but the words were swept away like leaves in the autumn wind.

She was barely aware of her steps picking up, of the crowd barreling into her small frame from all sides. None of them existed. Nothing existed but her steps and that feeling. A voice rang across the uproar, and for a heart-stopping moment she fancied it Endymion's and burrowed even more ferociously through the sea of Terrans, taking advantage of her small size and ducking through the tiniest gaps.

Her heart thudded at the base of her throat, her vision glazing over as she lightly panted. All thoughts of home were forgotten; all thoughts of Diamond were whisked away. She couldn't say what desperation overtook her. She knew she wouldn't speak to him, wouldn't alert him to her presence. So what good would it do only to see his face? But her heart cried out, and she kept pushing until finally she was in the first few rows of gatherers that skirted the elegant stone steps to the church.

Endymion was on the dais the steps led to. Having accomplished its purpose, all of her struggling stopped and faded from her loose, unmoving form as her eyes drunk in the sight of him. Concern tugged at her when she saw the haunted look in his eyes even as he smiled, the pallor in his bronze skin even as he waved. But all of her thoughts on his weary appearance withered and flew to the wind as something pulled at her vision and her eyes trailed from his face to the richly clad arms clinging to his side. She then found herself staring at a beautiful face, the epitome of grace and sophistication, crimson lips spread in a smile for the crowd before taking an indulging journey to kiss Endymion's cheek. Endymion gave no reaction to the attention.

Serenity's breath grew shallow in her chest, her stung gaze glazing over as if in a spell. She stood there for a few moments, her lack of emotion frightening. But then suddenly Endymion's eyes caught hers and he seemed to go deathly pale. She suppressed a cry, ducking like a scared and hurt animal into the crowd, disappearing into the thriving bodies.

Memories blinded her. Memories of a raging voice, a bruising grip, a rose's thorns plugging into her skin and pooling blood. Of trudging in a plastering storm, feeling crippled and exhausted under the cold rain and raging noises in the dark sky above her. And then finally of the emotionless voice, the expressionless face, and the man turning his back to her.

Without the support of the bodies around her, when she broke through the crowd she nearly fell, tumbling over empty barrels and soiled crates, running only because her body knew it had to. Her mind wasn't working; her emotions were in control of her limbs. She couldn't hope to find where she had left Diamond's horse, had no idea where it was he went, and couldn't seem to care as she collapsed against a wall in an alley. Her shuddering body curled into a fetal position, still gasping as tears streaked her cheeks.

Her body felt weak—used. Dusk faded her surroundings to a golden hue as the sky steadily began to darken. Her sobs dwindled to small, strangled sounds as she shuddered with sporadic trembles.

A curse exploded from Diamond's mouth as he stared at his lone horse. His violet eyes haunted the grounds from under his cloak's hood, scourging every person in his thunderous sight. His order was simple--Don't stray from the horse. 'How hard was it for her to obey that?' he thought as he bristled within, beginning to push through the crowd.

As he swept through the area and down alleys, he thought of the girl's companions. Nephrite was to bring them to an inn on the outskirts of the city for a day or so before bringing them to Ambrosia. Problem solved. He would simply hand her over to them and go back on ahead. For a brief moment earlier he had just considered bringing her along and getting her settled in Ambrosia, but she was more trouble then she was worth. There were others under him who would tend to the escapees.

On the other hand, he didn't want to leave her safety in the hands of another. If she got into this much trouble with him, who knows what would happen with the Nephrite? This was already the third rash thing she'd done, the former being when she foolishly ran into the battle the night before and when she attempted to steal his horse. Diamond's breathing became hard as he flew down road after road, but his thoughts still bothered him inside—like a man set to sit down and contemplate why the sky was blue when a thunderstorm raged at his meager cabin. It occurred to Diamond that he cared for the girl's safety more than just from general concern for his race. He fought those thoughts for awhile longer before finally concluding that it was because Artemis was her guardian.

Diamond paused his search, trying to rationally think of where she could have gone. Just as he formed the idea to return to his contact and request help in a search, his eyes landed on a crimson bundle down the ally to his right. A tuff of silver hair poked from the hood and his chest began to burn. "Serenity!" he yelled and thundered towards the form.

Serenity heard a loud shout through the alley but couldn't look up. A moment later a large hand clasped on her shoulder and she found herself staring at Diamond's angry face, her gaze no longer bruised by embers, but still bruised nonetheless.

Diamond panted as if he had just fought a wild beast. His eyes at first seemed to lash out, biting words waiting on his tongue to say how foolish she had been to wander off. But he hesitated, and then the expression melted to concern and a touch of alarm.

She spoke before he did, her voice small, weak, and holding a disturbing lilt. "Get it off me. Please get it off me." Her numb fingers curled around her collar, gripping and tearing at the stiff, leather material. Diamond cast her a scrutinizing gaze for a moment, but then he looked away from her face and hurried to the ground. He tugged her hand away from the collar, placing his own on it.

Serenity could hear her hoarse breaths. She still felt like she was far away, watching a shadow of herself break down. Her gaze watched Diamond with unfocused depths as her body stilled like a tight rope being let go of and coiling loosely on the ground. She was barley aware of anything, not even his lips moving or his soft voice rumbling as if in a vocal dance.

She didn't move as she felt him pull away minutes later, or even as cool air skirted around her clammy, bare neck and seemed to seep through the sensitive skin there. She felt like a dry river, too exhausted to do anything but stare at the other side of the alley. Diamond seemed to understand that, and she didn't object when he gathered her into his arms and headed back to the horse. Her fingers curled over his tunics, her breaths slowing as she slipped into sleep.

Serenity had woken off and on in the next few hours, but feeling Diamond's steadying arms around her and the horse beneath her, she'd only just glimpse the night around her and slip back into sleep. It was while she was sunken in her murky state that she felt Diamond move in back of her and then dismount the horse. She blinked her eyes open, working against their fight to droop back closed. Diamond's arms reached for her and slid her down the horse. One of her bundled feet touched the ground and she felt her body waver sleepily before she caught her balance.

Curiosity piqued the rest of her senses, returning some of the energy that had felt drained from her. They stood in a concave of rocks before a door that looked as if it were made for giants. Insignias and designs embossed the great surface, glinting in areas from the moon's light with ivy and moss creeping over it. Serenity stepped towards it with entranced eyes. Its presence was so exotic, so encompassing. The door made her even more eager to see the place within. Her hand fell and drifted down the door's surface, brushing over fuzzy coats of moss, tiny sprouts, and rich indented designs. She frowned and looked back to Diamond. "Where's the handle to open the door? It is a door, right—not a wall?"

"It's a door all right," Diamond murmured from where he was searching the saddlebags. He pulled out what looked like a tiny, round mirror. He lifted it, squinting his eye as he looked up to search for something to the upper right of the massive door. His gaze latched onto a patch of darkness and Serenity stared at it in confusion. When Diamond adjusted the mirror and it caught the moon's pool of silver light, it reflected like a moonbeam to the area he directed it, and Serenity found that in that murky patch of darkness, another mirror resided. That mirror caught the light, sending another slim moonbeam to the other side of a door to another mirror. Serenity's eyes zigzagged in awe as the beam of silver light flew from side to side until dozens of tiny mirrors were revealed and a symphony of angles of light webbed before her.

She stepped back with a tiny sound peeping in her throat as a muffled grumbling sound reached her ears, almost like a rolling thunder. The moonbeams suddenly disappeared, though the stampeding sound grew louder. The mirror reflectors glowed on their own for a moment, and as they glowed the double doors screeched and began to open.

She backed up quickly, watching the yawning doors. Diamond laid a hand on her shoulder and steered her dazed form inside even as the doors still hummed in her ears. It was like stepping into a new world. Her padded feet left the dirt, sliding over a smooth, shiny floor. A click snapped in the air and the thrumming door closed behind them, becoming as innocent and quiet as a wall.

They stood in a massive hall. Serenity leaned her head back to see an arched ceiling almost higher than the door. The four torches in the hall gave a warm glow to the flooring, but the ceiling seemed unreachable, puddling with cold patches of darkness. The walls were an elegant white, the growing cracks seeming like intentionally placed designs of lightening and webs, the crawling ivy and coats of moss only enhancing its beauty.

Diamond guided her further along to the end of the hall where Serenity saw the area broke out to the size of a field, the most expansive area in the middle, from which the ceiling began to slope and supporting pillars stood like two lines of soldiers. It wasn't until a man spoke that she noticed the pair of men guarding the end of the hall.

Diamond gave them a smiling nod as they welcomed him back. "My horse is waiting outside. Would one of you bring him to the stables and tend to him?"

One of the men bowed and walked passed them, the other seeming to slip back into darkness.

Diamond led her through the left row of pillars, and she passed by the columns with the belief that they were nearly as tall as the Delacrae house. Once walking across the lower-ceilinged area, she found many halls breaking from the room and followed Diamond into one, wary of being left behind.

"You'll find the main sectors to be well lit thanks to the fire Lunarians," Diamond commented, seeing how close she stayed, "But it is easy to get lost as I'm sure you've guessed, so I suggest you don't wander off without an escort until you get familiar with the passageways."

Serenity nodded and they were both silent during the rest of their journey through the hall. A few minutes later, Diamond opened a door and gestured her inside. Serenity stepped into the room, her eyes exploring the row of beds and chestnut furniture. She should have been marveling at the ancient oil lamps, the masterful designs in the chest of drawers, but she suddenly felt withdrawn and could not shake off the encompassing feeling. Her hysterics from earlier had died, but her body and spirit felt drained.

She walked further into the room, her hand idly flicking at the water in a glass bowl on a table

for no other reason other than that it was there. Her quiet eyes lifted to Diamond when he spoke.

"You'll find another door there," he motioned a hand toward a door in the middle of the row of beds. "It leads to a main drawing room which other rooms such as this one connect to. Other Lunarian women reside in those rooms, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to find one of them in their rooms for help." Diamond hesitated, the strict pose he stood in with his hands clasped behind his back seemed to make the hesitation absurd. Serenity eyed the indecision crossing his eyes and knew instinctively what he was deciding whether to broach.

She took the decision from him. "I'm sorry I left the horse in the city."

Diamond gave a slow nod, watching her carefully. "You gave me quite a scare there for awhile." The question was in his violet eyes and Serenity had to look away, gaze falling to her hand that moved on to fiddle with a towel by the water.

Serenity hadn't spoken of Endymion to anyone since he had let her get taken into slavery. She never even spoke a word of it to Rain, as much as there had been times she had wanted to. She would speak of her home at the Delacrae manor, of Artemis and Luna, but never of Endymion, never of how she was found out and how she was torn from her home.

But she wanted to tell. Diamond had saved her, and she had repaid him by running off. Wasn't explaining the least she could do? Tears pricked her eyes and she had to suppress a tremble in her lip. "He was there," she whispered.

"Who was?" Diamond prodded gently.

"Endymion."

"The prince?"

Serenity nodded and drew in a slow breath. Her eyes fluttered shut briefly. "My life was so simple before. All I knew were the fields and orchards of the Delacrae manor. I would dream of what it'd be like to go places, like the ones in the books that I read. I was always so excited to go to the marketplace for errands… With the necklace turning my hair blonde and a cloth wrapped around my forehead, no one new I was Lunarian—but still Artemis and Luna kept me sheltered. I could never understand why." Serenity looked up, meeting with only a somber, listening gaze. He was waiting for her to continue. She shrugged a shoulder—as forced as the smile she tried to pull her lips into. "I met him there on one of those errands. He called himself Darien, I didn't know any more that he was the prince than he did that I was Lunarian. I knew I should be careful, but it was just so easy to fall in love." The last words drained to a whisper and she found she had trouble continuing.

Just as a flush began to stain her cheeks when the silence reigned on, Diamond spoke quietly. "What happened?"

"I found out that he was the prince. I was going to tell him my own secret... but he found out before I could, and everything changed," her voice strained and cracked, her forced smile wavering. "Sometimes I wonder if I was just naive… or if I just wouldn't let myself see it. Luna made me move into the safe house after I came home. But I had to see him, even if he told me never to go to him again." She let the smile drop when it began to twist. She lifted her welling eyes to Diamond, their message pleading for him to understand that she had needed to go to Endymion. When he gave no remark to her foolishness, she continued. "When I faced him, he was cold and furious. I asked him if he ever loved me and he turned away. I forced myself to leave, but then soldiers surrounded me. I yelled for him; he didn't come. They took me, and he didn't say a word." She rubbed a shaking hand at the tears that slipped from her eyes, her stinging vision full of pain and pleading. "Tell me, am I wrong to want to go back home? Does it make me a coward, or mean that I'm selfish for wanting what I had?"

She should have felt humiliated. Here she was bearing her weakness, confessing to wanting to run away like a coward to this man who was a hero to many, who created a movement to save his people. But she felt too much like a child as she stood trembling there, tears streaking down her cheeks. She was sunken too deep in her pain to be embarrassed.

"No." Diamond's firm but gentle voice surprised her. He stepped up to her, wiping away a tear as his eyes captured hers. "It's not wrong to want those things. I have seen many weak people in my life, and you are not one of them. There's a strength in you that helped you to endure all that you've been through and come out still able to feel. You may not feel like it's there, but it is. And I'm telling you to never doubt it, Serenity."

Serenity dragged in a breath and nodded in a daze. A smile crossed Diamond's face and he raised a hand to the closest bed. Serenity sat down on the edge and let him help her out of the soiled, crimson cloak and untie the thin rope that kept her makeshift boots together.

After having only slept in moth-eaten, starched sheets over flimsy mattresses for the past few months, sinking into this bed now was close to heaven. The sheets felt smooth and cool as she slid into the bed, and the pillow didn't assault her nose with anything other than the smell of recently washed linen as her face sank into it. Diamond pulled a river of blankets over her and she felt like a rabbit in the safest hole in the world. She looked after Diamond's retreating form and whispered, "Goodnight."

He stopped and turned to her with a warm smile. "Goodnight, kitten." And then he slipped from the room.

Serenity laid awake in the following silence. She stared at her limp hand that rested on the white sheets by her face. She didn't force anything, but a glow conjured over her palm as if it had been waiting to do so for all eternity. She stared at it with numb, blue eyes. It looked like a sun that was the size of a plum. A teary smile pulled at her lips, her spirit suddenly feeling far lighter. Her hand coiled together, the golden light wisping out. Within the next minute, she drifted to sleep. That was when the dreams began.

Queen Baroque stilled amidst floundering her script to form a treaty with the Terrans. Her sigh was forlorn. The responsibility of the letter weighed greatly on her. As in all her many attempts, her polished fingers coiled over the paper till the rich parchment was a ball of wrinkles. Oh Selene, what was she to do?

Her silver eyes lifted, gaze trailing up the far wall before stopping on the edge just before the globe ceiling. There rested a slate of alabaster that had been crafted into the head of a white lioness. It was one of the few items that had lasted since the reign on the moon. It was a symbol of the Lunarians' greatness, and a symbol of their purity. The white lioness of the moon, according to legend, was fierce in power, but gentle in spirit. She had saved the queen back when the Lunarian Kingdom was still new as a newborn babe, and the queen, awed by this creature, made her the symbol of the moon.

Baroque always sent out a silent thanks to whichever Queen ruled during the moon's death, who saved the piece out of all the others she could have chosen. So many times, Baroque had stared at it in desperation and then felt peace, as if the spirit of the white lioness had draped over her. It was a reminder of all her people stood for, all they had been, and perhaps, all they could still become.

Her muscles began to ease; the creases in her brow began to fade away. A smile smoothed at her lips as she reclined back in her chair. She thought of her little girl, of the outcast Lunarians she had gathered within this hidden palace. The palace had been her dream for so long, and it was Shorin, her husband, who had helped her to make it real. Tears stung her eyes as she thought of him, and she felt the familiar twinge in her heart, but she held onto her smile. If he were with her then, he would smile at her and tell her to simply write from her heart--it was the only way to write in his opinion, diplomat or not. Straightening, she pulled out another sheet of parchment and picked up the feather pen. The pen hovered over the paper, the ink dangerously close to dripping when a man knocked and strode in. Her silver gaze registered surprise before melting in fondness. She smiled and nodded at the man. "It's nice to see you, Kain. I hope your journey went well?"

The man's broad shoulders dipped as he bowed, a mirroring smile on his full, handsome face. Long silver hair flowed down his back like layers of silk, a solo braid journeying through the ivory strands. "Your majesty," he greeted. "Yes, I am pleased with how it went." His eyes glittered in a way she could understand as only triumph.

Baroque's eyes lightened and glimmered. "The Terrans you met with understood?"

Kain looked at her for a long moment. "You carry so much hope." His voice was soft and wistful.

Baroque paused, a little unsure of where his words had come from, but she gave a soft smile and said simply, "Because I must."

Kain shook his head and seemed to think better of arguing. After a moment, his expression softened, and his voice was a sigh upon his lips."Baroque, have you considered what I last told you?"

Baroque looked down for a moment before attempting to play off his words to avoid his meaning. "About leaving Ambrosia? You know we have worked too hard. The Lunarians have finally scrapped together in this hidden kingdom, and are finally beginning to understand who they are. We will not leave." Her voice was firm.

"You know the Terran king will explode when he finds that we are trying to rebuild our kingdom on Earth. It's too dangerous."

"The king needs to learn that we don't want to take this planet away from him. All we want is to salvage who we are. Before these Lunarians came here, they were discriminated against. They were outcasts who had no where to go. This place gives them a place to call home; it gives them hope. The life that they had before was no life at all. I cannot tell them to return to it."

Exasperation wavered in Kain's eyes, but then the feeling drained from them and he shook his head. "I will not get into that with you. You know that was not my meaning."

Baroque stilled, shutting her eyes and staying quiet for a moment. She stood and walked over to him, her eyes lifting to his in pleading while her voice spoke gently. "You know that I do not love you, Kain. You are a very dear friend and advisor, and I treasure you. But I cannot give you what you can never have. My heart will always be with my husband."

"Even though it has been years since his death," Kain pointed out with an edge, his face beginning to scowl.

Tears bitterly welled in her eyes, but a sad smile lifted her lips. "Yes."

Suddenly, the hard lines in his face faded away and a ghost smile haunted his lips, his gaze making her wary. "Do you know how beautiful you are, your majesty?" he murmured lightly.

Baroque's voice caught as one of his hands trailed lightly over her neck, the ivory skin that he touched beginning to tingle. "Kain, what are you doing?" she questioned, the words strained.

"After all I've done for you, you would still refuse me," his voice was still soft and melodious.

Baroque shivered. "Please Kain, I know you have done so much for me—"

"No you don't," the thundered words were a jolt to Baroque as Kain's hands coiled tightly over her arms. "You don't know all I've done for you, Baroque. Don't tell me you do." His voice halted and once again he slid into the calm expression that she found just as frightening. His cold fingers twirled over her cheek and she felt teasing shocks of lightning. She tried to move, but found her body locked in his grip. Kain smiled at her struggles and leaned towards her, his mouth hovering by her ear. "I killed Shorin."

Baroque started with a sharp hiss of breath, her silver eyes widening in blades of horror and pain. "No." Her voice trembled with her body. "No."

Kain laughed, his large hands cradling her neck, gently massaging, feeling more like snakes in dangerous teasing as they slid over her skin. Fear began to shiver down Baroque's spine as those hands just noticeably began to tighten over her throat and her breaths flew into sharp gasps. Her throat began to bruise under the pressure. The fire in the fireplace that had absently kept burning suddenly roared to life. Her body shook, her throat choking over the thumb that dug slowly into her windpipe. She tried to speak, but the sounds only wheezed and her breath was so scant as it was. Her fingers clawed at Kain's rich coat, but his murderous hands only tightened. Tears stung and danced in her silver eyes, her chest convulsing as her lungs tried desperately to suck in air. Just as her vision began to blacken, she caught Kain's neutral eyes. His grip over her throat began to loosen and she stared numbly at him as breath sifted searingly down her throat to her lungs. But then lightening exploded from his hands. Her body jolted, a cry tearing from her lips as something in her snapped. The unbearable hot, shocking feeling that shot through her made her vision strain and burn a sea of red. Her body numbed, frightening in the lack of pain. And then she felt herself slip into oblivion.

Serenity sat up like a shocked animal, the rich sheets floundering around her as she drank in huge amounts of air. A layer of sweat coated her, the tiny hairs at the nape of her neck soaked. She tried to tame her shaking, tried to banish the feeling of hands around her neck. Her hands flew to her neck, as if in need of assurance. Confusion and bewilderment stormed in her frightened mind. It had been so real… She tried to understand what she had dreamt, but her ability to do so was frazzled, as if truly struck by the element of lightening that had finally killed the woman in her dream. She hugged her knees to her chest, huddled in the middle of the bed. Her breaths slowly began to calm as the time passed, but the memory of the dream wouldn't ease as easily.

Diamond strode into the training room in a strict walk. He stopped short at a table, releasing a loud sigh and preceding to unhook his cloak and unbutton his flimsy shirt. It was undoubtedly his sole decision to go about his training session with Kunzite as normal. He was failing miserably by the amused looks Kunzite gave him from where he leaned against the wall.

The man's silver-blue eyes followed Diamond as he moved to the rack. He stared at the ensemble of weapons longer than needed, for he had already decided on the Kihari Sword, slim but deadly and efficient. After a stretched moment, he took the sword and turning sharply, walking over to the training floor. Once there, he finally turned to acknowledge Kunzite. "Are you ready?" he called, his words resounding in the massive room.

The man rose a silver eyebrow before sauntering over, his own chosen sword already in his hand. They began to circle each other, muscles loose but ready to snap to action as fast as a snake's. Each man's eyes studied the other, intent upon every sign they could find, watching for the slightest tension in the leg and arm that would tell them how their opponent would strike. It was a favorite past-time they had. They never had any qualms about training in the early morning hours, or even after a tiring hunt and battle when all the other men would come back to rest. Often, they would speak during their fights, discuss strategies and happenings in the Terran kingdom. Unfortunately, Kunzite felt deemed to change their topic.

"You brought the Lunarian girl back with you," Kunzite stated calmly before his sword stormed towards Diamond's shoulder.

Diamond could barely collect his surprise and raised his sword just in time for the two blades to clang. He attacked back, a round of swords clashing ringing in the air. "How did you know?" Diamond panted, still engaging in the fight.

Kunzite blocked Diamond's sword. "Saw the two of you arrive--hell of a shock. What made you bring her with you?"

Once again the two circled each other, and Diamond fought to retain his focus on the fight. "Artemis is her guardian," he said simply, and this time took the first strike. His sword sliced through the air and tore through Kunzite's tunic, creating a thin line of blood on the man's muscled torso. Kunzite caught his senses enough to block the next one, and levied an understanding look to Diamond with a slow nod. "All right… I suppose that could explain it. Nephrite's going to hate being left in the dark about your last minute plans. When I left the girls with him, I told him to expect the Lunarian girl within the next day."

"Maybe her friends will tell him about the girl's tendency to try and steal her savior's horse," Diamond muttered in a flurry of attacks.

"She tried to do what?" Kunzite hollered.

Diamond didn't respond. Sweat dripped from his brow and soaked the nape of his neck, and his blood pounded in the familiar rush he always got when he engaged in a fight. His violet eyes narrowed, growing intense and focused in his stubbornness to rid himself of his thoughts of the girl.

Kunzite's gaze became skeptical after a few moments, his eyes watching Diamond for more reason than to guess his opponent's next attack. "It wasn't just because Artemis is her guardian, was it?" he said in that damn all-knowing tone of his.

Diamond rushed into another attack, and Kunzite mercifully let them drop into silence. They were both equally matched. Kunzite's larger body gave him more strength and harder blows, but Diamond's slim athletic one gave him quicker ease and agility. Both were masters at reading their opponents. But when Diamond envisioned the Terran prince in place of Kunzite, he found himself pushing his abilities, and ending the fight with a victorious gaze. Diamond and Kunzite amiably bid each other goodnight, but Diamond's thoughts were grim as he replaced the Kihari sword on the rack. If it truly was the prince he had been fighting, Diamond wasn't quite sure that he could restrain himself from killing the man.

Whew--long chapter! How has these things started growing to such lengths? *shakes head* As always, all thoughts, comments, and such are welcome! :) With any luck & inspiration, that, along with the fact that it's spring vacation for me this week, the next chapter won't take forever to get out. -star

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