Author's note: I do not own Sailor Moon or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list mu. This is AU. Theme 2: Ocean Depths.

Dazzling Blue

The story had traveled far and wide over the years, which didn't surprise Minako. It did have every element of an epic romance. It also didn't surprise her that as the story was spread, people kept getting the details wrong. Now it was true that Princess Serenity, the daughter of the greatest queen of the merpeople, had fallen in love with a human prince. It was also true that she had been so in love with this man that she had been willing to seek out Nehelenia, a sea witch, for a solution.

And that was where things started to get off track. Serenity hadn't gone to see Nehelenia by herself. While Minako and the other senshi might have thought that this was a bad idea, that didn't mean that they were going to stop her. Serenity was one of the stubbornest people in the seas, and they all knew it. No, the best course of action was to go along with it and try to mitigate the damage along the way. So while Serenity might have met with Nehelenia on her own, there was back up near by, and when Nehelenia had given Serenity the potion, Minako had stuck her fin in it.

Her princess was not taking any potion that Minako had not tested first. She would take the potion and go amongst the humans to see if it was even possible for Serenity to fulfill the conditions of the potions. Because not only would the potion take Serenity's voice for the three days it was effective for, if Serenity did not manage to get an offer of marriage from her human in three days, she would turn into sea foam and die at sunset of the third day. And given the Serenity was Selenity's only heir, there was no way that Minako was going to let her risk her life in an impossible quest.

So it was Minako who swam to the surface and took the potion.

"If it works, in four days I'll be waiting at the rocks here," she told Rei, who had come to the surface with her. "If not, you'll just have to figure out another way for Serenity to be with her human."

Rei made a face. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

Minako shook her head. "No. Let's not risk anyone else just yet."

Rei nodded and then ducked beneath the waves. Minako had waited until there was no sign of the raven haired mermaid. Then she dragged herself onto the shore, unstoppered the vial from Beryl, and downed the entire thing in one gulp. It only took moments for pain like knives slicing through her fin to start. Minako was grateful when she passed out.

Kunzite trailed along after his prince and the other shittenou. He was not quite in the mood to humor his prince at the moment, and so lagged behind the group rather than interact with them. Endymion had been moody and impossible ever since he had caught sight of some girl during a storm a few weeks ago. He swore that he had seen a girl with silver blond hair and she'd helped him stay afloat until a boat had been close enough to reach him. Endymion had been crazy about her ever since, and Kunzite was beginning to be sick of hearing about it.

A flash of gold caught his eye, and Kunzite wandered over to the rocks to investigate. When he saw what it was, he yelled for the others, hurrying over himself. The young woman lay unconscious at the waterline, her long golden hair fanned out around her. The waves lapped over her feet and legs, and she was completely naked. By the time the others had reached him, Kunzite had moved her away from the waterline and wrapped her in his cape.

"Is she alive?" Zoisite asked, pushing forward to check the girl's pulse and breathing himself.

"Yes. Her body is still warm as well," Kunzite reported. He shifted his grip on her so that Zoisite could better check her over. "She had no visible injuries, but she could have hit her head."

"Let's get her back to the palace."

As Kunzite got to his feet, her eyes blinked revealing dazzling sapphire eyes.

"Are you all right, little one?" he asked.

She peered up at him and opened her mouth. When no sound came out, she frowned and shrugged her shoulders. Zoisite caught the exchange.

"You can't speak?" he asked.

She nodded.

"But you can understand us?"

She nodded again. Zoisite and Kunzite shared a look. Endymion spoke up then.

"Let's her back to the palace first, then we can worry about the rest of it."

Minako counted herself lucky that Serenity's human and his companions had been the ones to find her. She had to admit that when she had opened her eyes to meet a pair of concerned grey green ones, something in her chest had fluttered. However, she found that she was soon distracted by the attendants who descended on the group when the arrived at the palace. Minako found herself pulled away from the man who had been carrying her and before she could really process what was happening, she found herself sitting in a tub of warm water while the attendants scrubbed her. Once she'd been dried and dressed, Minako was lead on unsteady legs to a little room where the five men were waiting for her.

The dark haired one whom Serenity had described to came and took her hand, leading her to a chair and gesturing for her to sit.

"Are you feeling all right?" he asked.

Minako simply shrugged her shoulders and offered a half smile. She had not realized just how frustrating it would be to be without her voice. But at least she had managed to end up in the right place.

"You may stay here as long as you need to," the dark haired man continued. "Will any one be looking for you?"

Minako shook her head. The five young men traded looks with one another.

"Right then. Introductions first, and then we'll worry about the rest it. I'm Endymion of Elysium." He smiled and sketched a bow in her direction. "The others present are my shittenou: Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite, and Kunzite."

Minako fixed each name with a face. The tall blond was Jadeite. Nephrite was the brunette with the dreamy expression. Zoisite had reddish-blond hair, and he had been the once to check her for injuries. It had been Kunzite who had found her. She met the man's grey eyes and smiled.

Part of Kunzite was startled by how quickly they had adopted the girl from the beach, but it did feel like she fit in with them. After quickly determining that not only could she not speak, she could not write their language, though it was clear she understood what they were saying, the shittenou christened her Aina. Endymion insisted that she was not the girl he had seen at sea earlier, but he liked her all the same. Though it was not the same sort of like.

Aina was far more like a little sister to them all. Or at least to most of them. Despite knowing the young woman only for a day, Kunzite felt quite drawn to Aina. Of course, he had felt drawn to Aina from the moment he found her unconscious. And it had not escaped Kunzite's notice that he seemed to be her favorite out of all of them. Which meant that more often than not, he was the one that was assigned to escort her.

She was curious about just about everything, especially the Royal Court. Kunzite couldn't help feeling that she was taking in everything and analyzing it. She had quickly taken in the dynamics of the court and been able to move amongst the others with ease, almost as if she had been used to dealing with this sort of thing. Kunzite rather thought that she was searching for some thing, even if he didn't know what. Communication with Aina was frustrating. She clearly understood everything they said, but she was limited to facial expressions and gestures. Even so, they managed.

Every so often, Kunzite caught Aina watching Endymion with an intent look. It was enough for the leader of the shittenou to be slightly concerned. He truly did not think that Aina was a threat to Endymion, but it often felt like she was weighing and judging him. It was just another piece of the mystery of the young woman. She had not been able to show them on a map where she was from. No one at the palace, either courtier or servant recognized her. It was like Aina had just washed up on shore from no where.

But in the end, Kunzite found that it didn't really matter to him. Aina belonged with them just as the other shittenou did. She might not exactly be their brother in arms, but she fit into the little family the five of them had carved out for themselves. And Kunzite knew that he personally didn't want Aina to return to wherever she had come from.

Minako was feeling quite pleased with herself. Serenity's prince (and it was a little ironic that of all of the humans Serenity had fallen for she had fallen for a prince) was just as smitten with her as she was with him. She had no doubts that if Serenity appeared here, Endymion would most definitely marry her. And she liked what she saw of Endymion and his shittenou. The Royal Court here was no worse than the one Serenity faced beneath the waves. In fact, it might be better for Serenity to face the court here where she would have a partner in Endymion.

To tell the truth, Endymion and his shittenou reminded Minako very much of Serenity and the other senshi. They were not a mirror image of the girls but more like their compliments. In fact, should the ten of them ever team up together, Minako had the feeling that they would be quite formidable. She just knew that Ami and Zoisite would get along swimmingly, if they ever got over their shyness and managed to talk to one another. Rei and Jadeite would likely argue a great deal, but Minako rather thought that Jadeite would understand the priestess much better than most folk. Nephrite and Makoto shared the same romantic outlook. And as for Kunzite, well, Minako knew herself well enough to know that she was falling in love with him.

Kunzite might project a cold, stoic exterior, but when you actually looked at what he did and how he treated those around him, that was what really told the tale. It was so very clear from his actions that he cared for his men and his prince deeply, and the way that Kunzite had gone out of his way to make sure that she was both taken care of and protected in a rather alien environment. There really was no need for Kunzite or any of the others really to spend so much time with her once they had seen that she was uninjured and that there was really nothing they could do to return her where she came from. But they had taken her in and made her a part of their little circle.

She'd learned what she needed to about these people. Her princess would be in good hands when she came here. Minako only hoped that she could be there to help for Minako had forgotten that for her to survive, she would need to gain a proposal of marriage of her own. And the problem became, she only wanted it from one person.

He was slightly worried about Aina. Kunzite had noticed that she was worried about some thing, but with their communication barrier, it was hard to tell what. Still, he had caught her several times staring out a window at the water with a pensive look on her face. Kunzite couldn't quite figure out what was going on with her. But before he had a chance to try and get an idea of what was wrong, Kunzite spotted Beryl once again stalking Endymion. The woman could not seem to get the hint that Endymion was not interested in her in the slightest.

And it seemed like Beryl had chosen tonight to be especially troublesome. He was not close enough to hear what Beryl was saying to his prince, but Aina clearly could. The pensive look was gone replaced first with concern and then with anger as she rose to her feet and made her way to Endymion and Beryl. Kunzite scanned the room for the other shittenou. It looked like this was going to get ugly, and none of them were close enough to Endymion to prevent a confrontation. They had known that bringing any female into their inner circle would upset Beryl, even if the woman was not Endymion's bride, but they had been hoping that she wouldn't make a public scene.

It looks like those hopes had been in vain. Kunzite arrived within earshot just in time to hear: "You will be mine even if I have to destroy your mind to accomplish it."

Before he could shout a warning, Aina had reacted, knocking a dark vial out of Beryl's hands. It broke on the floor, emitting foul smelling smoke. Endymion took a step back even as Beryl whirled around to face Aina. With a venomous expression, she shoved Aina hard, forcing her back against the low window sill where Aina had been sitting earlier. And in almost slow motion, Kunzite saw her wobble as her legs hit the sill, and Aina tipped backwards.

He watched in horror as she tumbled out the open window. The ballroom was built right upon the cliffs. It was highly likely that Aina would hit the rocks below if she couldn't control her descent, and even then, he had no idea if she could swim. Trapped by shock, Kunzite watched as Aina turned her tumble into a more controlled dive. Then she disappeared beneath the waves and did not reappear. That broke him out of shock and into action.

"Nephrite, Jadeite, stay with the prince. Zoisite, you're with me."

He didn't know if they could save her, but Kunzite wasn't about to let that stop him from trying.

Hitting the water was a shock. It was only then that Minako realized she wasn't sure how to swim without her fin. It had been instinct to protect Endymion. A threat to him was a threat to Serenity at this point. But she hadn't expected the attack from the woman had been caught off guard. But at least she'd managed to turn her fall into a dive.

The water closed over her head, and Minako quickly realized that she could no longer breathe beneath the water any longer. But before she could panic, arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her up. Her head broke the surface, and Minako gasped for air. Then she realized just how she'd survived. Serenity supported her on one side and Rei on the other. Minako glared at her princess. Serenity just smiled.

"At least this time you can't scold me. And we weren't about to let you drown."

"Do I need to teach those humans a lesson?" Makoto asked.

Minako shook her head. She started looking for a place where she could climb back on shore.

"Aina!"

She searched for Kunzite, finally spotting him on a small pier beneath the ballroom. He looked ready to jump in the water after her. She waved at him.

"Do you trust him?" Rei asked quietly.

Minako nodded.

"All right."

With Serenity and Rei's help, Minako made it to the pier, and Kunzite lifted her out of the water. He frowned slightly at Serenity and the others.

"Thank you for your assistance. You are more than welcome to come ashore here and dry off."

Serenity let out a pealing laugh and flipped her tail so Kunzite could see it. "We're just fine, thanks. But take care of my cousin."

Minako buried her face in Kunzite's shoulder. Of course, Serenity would decide that embarrassing her was the best course of action.

Kunzite was startled to find that mermaids had rescued Aina. He was even more startled to find the mermaids claiming her as kin. It also did not escape his notice that the mermaid who spoke matched perfectly the description of the girl Endymion had seen in the water. He dealt with all of this information by acting as if it was perfectly normal. A stoic façade was good for some thing.

"I will. We have become quite fond of her."

"Good. Then I won't be worried about her survival."

That made Kunzite frowned. "What-"

"Kunzite! Did you find her?" Endymion's arrival interrupted him. "Is Aina all…"

His voice trailed off when he spotted the mermaid. Kunzite bit back a smile.

"She's just fine thanks to her cousins here. Though I rather doubt that Aina is her real name."

"It's Minako." The one mermaid provided, blushing a little as she looked at Endymion. "She's normally the leader of my personal guard. That's why she insisted on taking the potion first."

The mermaid seemed to think that she had said too much for she clapped a hand over her mouth and blushed a bright red. But Kunzite could put the pieces together easily enough. If he had been in Minako's shoes, he would have done the same thing.

"So you wished to become human, but your guardian insisted on trying the potion to do so first. Sensible of her. What was the price?"

It was the raven haired mermaid who spoke up. "Loss of her voice for the three days it was effective and death if she doesn't receive a proposal of marriage. If she survives, she gets her voice back. We didn't want to risk Serenity's life if her affections weren't returned."

Kunzite glanced at his prince who looked rather stunned and smiled. "Well you needn't worry about that. Should Serenity arrive on my prince's shores, I rather think she will be proposed to immediately. However, I would like to get Minako inside and warmed up. She's no longer a mermaid, and a dip like that could easily harm a human."

And Kunzite had a proposal to make that he did not want an audience for. Minako only had a day left after all, and he was not about to lose her now.

Serenity nodded. "Of course. If you come to the beach in the morning, we will be waiting. Minako knows the place."

Minako was not surprised when she was quickly dumped into a tub of warm water. It seemed to be the humans' way of dealing with any sort of dunking in water. Still, within twenty minutes, Minako was warm, dry, and dressed in a soft robe. She was not at all surprised to find that Kunzite was waiting for her in the sitting area of the rooms she had been given. The man smiled at her and stepped forward.

"Are you feeling all right? I am sorry that we couldn't protect you from Beryl. She's been taken care of, but I wanted to make sure you were unharmed, Minako."

She smiled at him in response and nodded. She liked the way her real name sounded on his lips. Kunzite smiled and stepped closer, invading her space.

"I hadn't realized that we were on such a tight schedule. I wanted to court you properly, but clearly we don't have time for that."

She wasn't entirely sure what he was talking about. Kunzite took another step toward her, cupped her face in his hand, and then kissed her. Minako couldn't do anything but kiss him back, wondering if this was a dream. Then Kunzite pulled away and smiled at her.

"Marry me."

She nodded. She could feel a little tingle travel down her spine, most likely the magic recognizing that the final condition had been met. To test that, she opened her mouth.

"Kunzite?"

He blinked at her. Minako laughed. It felt lovely to be able to speak again. She smiled up at him.

"Well, I'd say we don't have to worry about me turning into sea foam anymore, and I would be quite pleased to marry you."

He smiled back. "Good."

Serenity's own path was far less eventful. She showed up on the shore where Aina was waiting with clothes. Once she had transformed into a human and dressed, the young women joined Endymion and his shittenou who were waiting for them, and Serenity got proposed to. And it didn't surprise Minako that over the next few months, the process was repeated with the rest of the senshi as well. The tale that was spread far and wide was rather different than the reality of things, but Minako really couldn't complain. She was pleased with the ending of her story, and that was enough for her.