Chapter 11

"What are heavy? sea-sand and sorrow.

What are brief? today and tomorrow.

What are frail? spring blossoms and youth.

What are deep? the ocean and truth."

― Christina Rossetti

Makoto had made them sushi. Spicy salmon, tempura shrimp, and california rolls. They smelled amazing, but she had lost her appetite, only having gotten it back last week. She rolled through the the kitchen living room combo, picking up her forgotten bag off of the couch without stopping. Makoto greeter her but she didn't stop. She knew the girls were on her heels and stopping would allow them to catch up.

She went up the stairs and found the first room that looked like it hadn't been claimed and shut the door. The room was right over the kitchen and the sounds from it filtered up through the wood floor.

"What happened?" Sounded like Makoto.

"We met Gabriel." Minako's voice.

"He's here? How did he even know where she was?" Makoto

"Apparently, he suggested the place. Maybe Usagi told him we would be here." Rei joined the conversation.

"Wow, he is persistent I'll give him that."

Someone stomped through and didn't stop. Coming up the stairs, she held her breath, listening to see were they went. But they went right past her door and shut the door to their room.

Chibi-usa was there now, bubbling away about catching fish and going to a party. She pulled out her headphones and turned the volume up high and drowned out any other sounds. At some point, she fell asleep, alone for the first time in weeks.

The music on her headphones, twisted and changed from the modern techno she started out listening to, to a classical genre. Strings and piano replaced the bass and trumpets. Everything turned around and changed, shifting until her eyes 'opened' to the dining room back at the Moon Palace.

It had been so long since she had been there, she almost forgot what was going on. Everyone was seated except for Endymon and her mother, who were missing. But she wasn't worried. Quite the opposite actually. She knew that Endymon was busy asking her mother for her hand. It seemed to be taking a while.

Just when she was about to get worried, Endymon walked in escorting her mother. A few whispers reverberated around the hall. Looks like the Queen of Lunar and the Prince of Earth caused some people to talk.

He pulled her mother's seat out for her, "Oh there you are Endymon. We were about to send a search party."

He leaned over and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, "Sorry mother, the Queen and I had some business to attend to."

His mother looked over at her with a knowing smile, "Is that so?"

She caught his eye and he gave her quick wink, that earned him a smile and a blush, that didn't go unnoticed by Minako to her left. Her mother reached over and padded her hand, as if in approval of her actions. Or choice she wasn't sure. But they still had to make it through dinner.

This night, their table included the Queen and King of Ganymede and their Son, Theo, one of her suitors, and Lord of Albategnius, a sister colony on Lunar, Diamonde who was also a suitor. These two were her most persistent and she was beginning to think they had moved on, having left her alone till now. But their looks and stares told her otherwise.

Diamonde lived on the moon, the other pole of the Palace. Makoto liked to call it the Dark Moon as these people spent most of their days in darkness. If they were anything like Diamonde, then it really affected them. He was cruel and twisted and always around. He reported to her mother at least once a month but every now and then he would stop by for a random visit.

One of those random visits, he cornered her in a garden and tried to kiss her, saying obscene things to her and trying to touch her. She never told her mother, she never told anyone. And now he was staring at her like he had won something for it. Her appetite was gone for sure now.

"You are looking well Princess Serenity." Even his voice made her skin crawl.

"Thank you Lord Diamonde."

Minako knew just how she felt about the guy, and gave her hand a squeeze under the table.

"Oh my, so many suitors at one table. Selene you are not giving poor Serenity much of a chance tonight are you?" Minako's mother asked.

She looked over at Endymon but he was unphased. He must have already known what he was getting into tonight. Something her mother discussed with him on the way here perhaps? He gave her a comforting smile. At least he was here with her tonight.

Minako's father leaned in, looking around the table at all the other faces, "Which ones are suitors again? She has so many, it's hard to keep track." Leave it to Minako's family to speak so candidly.

Her mother gracefully stretched her hand out to each suitor and introduced them, saving Endymon for last, surprising the whole table save for Minako and herself. She took a glance at her two suitors at the other side of the table. Theo and his parents were unphased. Maybe he had lost interest.

But Diamonde. He looked like he was ready to set the table on fire, "So, Prince..Endymon was it? What do you have to offer the Princess and the Moon for that matter?"

It was the kind of question that the Queen would ask a suitor behind closed doors, not in front of everyone. It was not the sort of thing two people asking for her hand should discuss.

She hoped Endymon would just ignore it or something but of course he didn't, "Well...my own Kingdom for starters."

She, and many others at the table, had to hold in their laughter. Minako's parents didn't of course. Their laughter only furthered to enrage Diamonde.

Fearing a duel in their future, she immediately looked to change the subject, "It was warm today wasn't it?"

Diamonde did not allow it though, "there are more important things to offer a young lady besides a Kingdom. Especially one that is failing."

No one laughed at that, with Earth and Lunar relations so thin, everyone knew better. The Queen gave Diamonde a look that told him had gone too far. But instead of being fearful of the Queen's rage, he just gloated to himself as if he had won some big battle. Diamonde was surely a coward, his little compound was only doing so well because the Lunar Kingdom kept it that way.

None of the Earthans at the table seemed bothered by his words. Clearly they were the bigger people.

"Really? Why don't you share your vast knowledge on the subject? Please. I'm sure we would all like to learn how to make a lady happy." Endymon edged him on, making the tension at the table rise.

Diamonde laughed, "Don't you know? Well then let me teach you," he looked at her as he spoke, "by providing the finer things and all the comforts a lady could ever ask for. Anything past that, you will have learn on your own Prince Endymon."

He didn't say it, but the way he looked at her told her exactly what he meant by his last words. Her stomach turned and she felt as if she might be ill.

She stood so quickly that she almost knocked her chair over, "Please excuse me everyone, I have a slight headache…"

"Oh how unfortunate, I hope it passes before the ball tonight. I am so looking forward to a dance later." Diamonde cooed after her. She had to get out of there before she spilled what little continents she had on her stomach all over the marble floor.

Every time he was around, she felt this way but with Endymon pushing him, it was worse than usual from all the things he said about her.

Making it through the grand hall doors and out into the empty hallway, she allowed herself to stop. A hand on the wall, she felt its cool marble underneath. She soon pressed her forehead against it and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply to calm her stomach.

Warm hands gently grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. Happy to find dark blue eyes looking into hers, she leaned her back against the wall and looked up at him, her head against the wall as well.

"Why the hell is that guy even allowed in the Palace?"

"He is the leader of a Lunar colony, he has to come here."

"Oh yeah? How did he get that title? The guy is clearly unhinged!"

"I don't know. He usually isn't that bad but you being a suitor must have brought out the worst in him."

"The worst?! I hate to break it to you Serenity but that guy is just getting warmed up. He was the one I was keeping you from last night."

"What do you mean?"

"Last night, I heard him talking to one of his underlings about you. I knew I had to keep you away from him."

"I'm not surprised really."

She thought about the time he cornered her. It hadn't been that different from the man who attacked her on Earth. Her stomach turned again at the thought of being that close to Diamonde, and she was going to have to dance with him tonight.

"Serenity? What is it?"

She shook her head, she didn't want to talk about it. But somehow, Endymon figured it out, "That bastard."

She looked up at him to see he was turning back towards the dining hall. She quickly grabbed onto anything she could reach and pulled with all her might to get him back to her. She forced him to look at her, turning his face with her hand, afraid if she let go he would disappear.

Gaining his eyes, she did her best to calm him, "It was years ago and nothing happened..he just...scared me that's all."

"That's more than enough."

He tried to pull away from her grasp, but she held on with every fiber of her being. She must have worn her fear on her face because one look at her and he stopped.

He pulled her into his arms and held her tight, "I'm sorry Serenity. The idea of anyone hurting you drives me wild."

"Now who has the wild heart?"

He lifted her to his lips. She could feel his desperation in his mouth, he had gone as long as he could stand apart from her. She could tell that he didn't want to, but he had to part them, ending the kiss almost as quickly as it had started.

He set her back down on her feet but as soon as he let her go to stand on her own, her knees buckled and he had to catch her again before she hit the floor. Everything around her began to spin and suddenly her stomach was turning with the room.

"When was the last time you ate?"

"Last night."

"Serenity, you need to eat something. Come, I'll take you back to your seat."
"No! I can't eat, not with him watching me. I will not be able to keep any of it down."

His anger resurfaced, but he thought of her and calmed himself.

She took his hand, leading him away from the dining hall, "Come with me."

The servants looked at the Prince of Earth with either curiosity or confusion as he sat with her at the table in the kitchen. They didn't mind her, she had been coming in to eat with them for as long as she could remember.

Elsa, a sweet cook in her earlier thirdies placed a steaming plate in front of her, "Here you are Serenity," she said with a smile. Then cautiously placed a plate in front of Endymon and bowed, "Your highness."

He laughed taking up a fork and starting into the delicious meal. He looked over at her to make sure she was eating as well. She picked up her fork and waved it at him before starting into her meal as well.

He took a sip of the wine in front of him, having waited till no one was close, "They don't call you Princess?"

"Not unless my mother is around. Or another stuffy Royal."

He huffed, "Guess I should be thankful not to be considered one of those."

"They probably figure that the Prince of Earth has no acquaintances to tell on them to."

"What do they call me knowing their Princess? We are far more than acquaintances."

He had slid closer to her, purring his words into her ear, she turned to face him, "Surely they think I have befriended you out of pity." She teased.

He leaned in, kissing her infront of all of them without a care in the world who of them was watching, she pulled away quickly, "Endymon!" he grabbed her lips again before she could say more and she pushed him back again, "Endymon stop it," though her giggling ruined the seriousness of the request.

He stopped for a moment, his beautiful smile covering his face, "Oh come on Serenity, give them something to gossip about."

And he continued his assault on her lips.

They parted ways after dinner, knowing full well they would be in each other's arms again soon. She almost skipped to her room and almost ran into Minako. She was waiting for her around the corner just outside her room.

"So, he is asking for your hand again?"

"How did you…"
"Your mother tells my mother everything! Unlike her daughter, now spill Usagi-chan!"

"What did you just call me?"

Minako looked her in the face, confused, "Usagi-chan?"

"Minako? Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Because it's your name silly?"

The dream disappeared like an image projected and smoke that someone walked through. Minako's face was inches from hers, poking her cheek with her finger.

"Uuusssaaggiii.."

She jumped up, "AH! Don't do that!"

"Dreaming about the Moon Kingdom again?"

"How did you know that?"

"Because you just fussed at me and told me to call you Serenity!"

"Oh."

"We saved you some sushi. Why don't you come downstairs and eat something? We are all hanging out and we miss you."

Minako's baby doll eyes made it hard to say no. It was late in the afternoon and the girls were all sitting in the living room discussing something. They hushed up a bit at her approach.

"Where is Chibi-usa?"

Rei grabbed her hand and pulled her down to the seat next to her, "Mamoru took her out to play in the ocean again."

Minako jumped on to a chair facing them all, "So it's just us girls!"

Ami sat on the other side of her in a chair, she put a hand on her leg, gaining her attention, "Usagi-chan, why didn't you tell us you have a date next week? It's exciting isn't it?"

She shrugged, "I guess so."

Makoto sat up a little higher in her chair, "But it's with Gabriel. Didn't you tell us he creeped you out?"

"Look, the guy keeps coming into the cafe, if I didn't say yes he would have just kept asking. This way, we go out, he sees how lame I am, and he moves on."

"Usagi-chan you are far from lame!" Rei added, her kind side showing.

Minako stood up from her already precarious position in her chair, "Then let's go to that party tonight!"

Everyone burst, speaking at one, "What?" "That's a terrible idea." "Why would we want to go to that creeper's house?"

Minako silenced them with a hand, "Think about it. Usagi wants to get rid of this guy, why wait till Thursday? And this way, we are there to run interference in case he gets weird!"

The girls were silent, amazed by her logic. None of them could now disagree with her, it was a good idea. But there was one problem.

"What about Chibi-usa?"

"Mamoru can watch her."

Makoto and Minako pounced at once, "NO!"

Looking like they were busted, Makoto tried to save them both, "It's just that...we need him, in case some of the guys there get weird."

"I'll stay with her," Ami offered, "I'm a good babysitter, and I would just be uncomfortable and in the way at a party."

Before she could protest on her friend's behalf, Makoto was shoving her back upstairs to get ready and Mamoru and Chibi-usa walked back in from the beach. She could hear the conversation from the open door of her room.

"We are going to that party tonight." Minako bubbled.

"A party! Yeah!" poor Chibi-usa.

"Oh not you dear." Rei.

"You and I are going to stay here together. We can watch a movie if you like?" Sweet Ami.

"And just what am I supposed to do?" Mamoru, already irritated.

"You are coming with us. Extra protection." Minako

They came bounding up the stairs checking on her as they passed, promising to help her if she needed it, she watched them pass as she sat looking at her reflection in the small vanity in her room. It grew silent and she looked again to see Mamoru standing at her door watching her. Her heart raced as they watched each other. Then he stepped in the room and she thought her heart was going to burst out of her chest. But instead of entering, he grabbed the door and pulled it shut behind him as he left.

She felt a little better after her shower. It had been quick as everyone else was taking one at the same time leaving very little hot water. But it still washed the salt and sand off of her. She pulled the towel off her head, about to start putting her hair up when she froze. Looking at herself in the mirror, she just couldn't bring herself to put her hair up. She wanted to be incognito. It felt like everyone knew who she was but not really. The enemy knew she was the Princess heck, even Gabriel found her on the beach because of her hair no doubt. She was tired of it.

She pulled open a few drawers till she found what she was looking for, scissors. They were tiny, meant for cutting finger nails which would take a while, but they would still work. She took a fist full of hair and cut. The lost hair fell all over the floor, she had a lot of hair. She piled it all up and tossed it out her window for the birds. It wasn't a perfect cut but with the salty air and water, her hair was curling like crazy, falling in long waves and cork screws. Cutting it made it curl even more, causing it to stop in the middle of her back. She pulled a few chunks forward over her shoulders, finding it fell just below her breast. She parted it to one side and left, satisfied.

She threw on the nicest sundress she brought, pure white with eyelet lace around the edges and spaghetti straps. It fit thigh on her hips and breast but it was the only one that looked like a 'party' dress. She slipped on her flip flops and headed downstairs.

Everyone looked nice. Rei wore tight jeans and a dark red tank top. Makoto wore a dark green jumpsuit with spaghetti straps and cropped pants. And Minako wore a tight yellow dress. Mamoru had on blue and white striped board shorts and a tight white shirt. He looked more like he was going to the boardwalk instead of a party.

They were all talking, not paying attention as she snuck downstairs. Mamoru leaned up against the back of the couch, staring at the floor. Rei, Minako, and Makoto were standing at the door, waiting on her to go. Chibi-usa and Ami sat on the couch watching them before they left.

She changed her mind, she did not want to go. She turned to head back upstairs but Chibi-usa stopped her escape.

She called out to her from the couch, "Usagi-chan you look pretty!"

Everyone turned now and they all stopped. It was because of her hair. It wasn't that big of a change, but given she'd had it all her life, and in her past one, it was a big deal.

Makoto was the first to get her act together, "Usagi-chan...your hair."

No turning back now, she headed for the door, not making eye contact with anyone, "Let's not make a big deal about it okay. Good night Chibi-usa. Ami call us if you need us, we will just a few houses down."

No one said a word as she left out the door.