Return of the Moon Princess - Chapter 3

by Princess Nat

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi.

**I'll be upgrading to Mac OS X in a day or two, so it might take me awhile to get the next chapter up. Hopefully, no longer than a week. Wish me luck! **

Mamoru ran into the bedroom just as a brilliant white light washed over Usagi. "Usako!" he shouted, but it was too late. She was gone. He simply stared at the empty bed blankly for a few minutes, not sure what to do. There didn't appear to be anyone else in the room. It looked like she had used the Ginzuishou to teleport somewhere, but where? He walked slowly over to the bed and sat down, his head in his hands. He'd promised the Senshi he would look after her for one night and what happens? He loses her in fifteen minutes. Immediately, worries started to assail him. She was too weak to use the Ginzuishou; what if she arrived at wherever she was going too drained to live? She was sick; could her fevered brain have sent her somewhere dangerous? What if an enemy was controlling her? "Shimatta!" he swore. This was not helping. Should he call the Senshi? He thought back to how exhausted they had all looked and decided against it. 'In the shape they're in, I don't think they could help much, anyway.' He realized that he had not felt it tonight when Sailor Moon had transformed. Come to think of it, there had been many droid attacks reported lately, but he had not felt her transform once. What was going on? Had he lost his connection to her? He closed his eyes, laying back on the bed, and concentrated, searching for her light. Finally, after a good twenty minutes, he thought he could detect a slight flicker from a long distance away. It was so very faint, but it was there. He sighed in relief. At least she was alive, he knew that much. The exertion from searching had completely wiped him out, however, and he closed his eyes briefly in exhaustion. A bright flare of light against his eyelids caused him to immediately snap them back open and he sat up in anticipation. "Usako?" he called out hopefully as the light slowly dimmed. He was surprised to find a tall, green-haired woman in a Sailor fuku standing in his bedroom supporting Usagi, who looked ready to collapse. She looked somewhat worse than the last time he had seen her. Her white nightgown was dusty and stained with blood from some cuts on her legs. She was very pale, and the tracks of tears were still visible on her cheeks. He longed to take her in his arms and comfort her, but the dream flashed before his eyes. "Stay away from Princess Serenity or she will die" the menacing voice echoed in his mind. Hardening his eyes, he tried to look at her emotionlessly. "Usagi, are you all right?" he asked in as neutral a tone as he could manage.

Serenity heard a voice that sounded vaguely familiar, but he seemed to be talking to someone else. She tried to look behind Pluto to see if someone was standing there, but she didn't quite have the energy. Her limbs once again felt too heavy and breathing was a struggle. She looked up at Pluto, but the other girl's attention was centered on something else. Serenity turned her head to see what Pluto was staring at so intently.

"Princess Serenity, this is Prince Endymion of Earth." Pluto said softly.

Serenity turned in Pluto's arms, but didn't have the strength to give the formal curtsy. She blushed in shame as she realized what a sight she must be, unable to even stand on her own legs. She lifted her head and straightened her spine before bowing her head gracefully. "I am pleased to meet you, Prince Endymion. I apologize for the inconvenience and my appearance." Tears were threatening again as she remembered the reason she was on Earth. The tightness around her lungs worsened and Serenity could hear a roaring in her ears. "Puu, I'm falling." she whispered as her legs buckled and then the blackness rose up and covered her like a shroud.

Mamoru had started in shock when the unknown Senshi had introduced him to Usagi as if she had never met him before. But the greater shock was when Usagi had looked at him with no recognition whatsoever. He was about to respond to her soft greeting when she had suddenly collapsed. He felt frozen in place at the sight in front of him. It was so much like his dream...

"Prince, you must help her!" Pluto's voice jolted Mamoru out of his daze. He was just standing there with a look of horror on his face while her princess was fighting for each breath. Finally, he slowly started forward, as if not quite believing anything was real. Pluto lost her remaining patience. She reached out, grabbed his wrist, and hauled him over to the princess' side, forcing his hand to rest on Serenity's chest.

Mamoru was amazed when the girl immediately took in a deep breath. "What? I don't understand..." he started, but was cut off by Pluto holding up her hand.

"I don't have time to explain. I must return to the Time Gates. They have been left unguarded for too long already. Just know this, if you leave her side, she will die. Mercury will explain. Just tell her that the princess has Earth Sickness. She will be able to access information about it with her computer. Right now, this is Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. She just met the Prince of Earth for the first time a few minutes ago. She needs his presence and his protection. Do you understand?" Pluto's crimson eyes burned into the Prince's stormy blue ones. It was imperative that he accepted her words, or the princess and the future were lost.

Mamoru stared at the green-haired woman in shock. She was telling him the opposite of his dream, but he had already seen the truth in her words. Usagi had stopped breathing, but at his touch, she had started again. What was this "Earth Sickness" she mentioned? And how could Usagi, no, she was Serenity now--how could she not remember him? Finally, he spoke. "I don't understand, but I will take your word for it. For now."

Pluto closed her eyes in relief. She was afraid he might argue with her. She re-opened her eyes and looked at him. "That will suffice. Thank you, my prince. I will return when I can, please reassure the princess. She has just lost her mother, her friends, and her kingdom. Be gentle with her. She is alone in this world. Farewell." She raised her staff and teleported away.

Mamoru stared at the spot that Sailor Pluto had just vacated. Finally, he shook his head and turned back to the girl before him on the floor. She was Usagi, yet she was not. The crescent moon symbol blazed brightly on her forehead and she was much too pale. Lifting her gently in his arms, he carried her back to the bed. He looked down at her uncertainly, she was a bit of a mess. Finally making a decision, Mamoru placed his hand on her forehead and concentrated. He'd never tried to focus his power in quite this way before, so he wasn't sure if it would work or not. A soft, golden glow began to travel from his hand to her head and within a few minutes Serenity's eyes fluttered open. Wide, cerulean eyes met stormy midnight ones and time seemed to stop.

Serenity felt something deep within her stir as she gazed into the Prince of Earth's face. He looked hauntingly familiar, as if she had known him in another place or time. She almost felt as if she should be kissing him...Serenity blushed at the thought and hurriedly dropped her gaze. She'd only just met the man and she was thinking about kissing him?! What was wrong with her?

Mamoru stared into his princess' eyes. For a moment, he thought he saw recognition flicker, but then she blushed and averted her eyes. He removed his hand from her forehead and stood back to regard her thoughtfully. "Would you like me to draw you a bath, Princess?" he asked.

Serenity glanced down at herself and grimaced. Tears threatened again as she remembered the Moon, but she swallowed hard and refused to allow them. It would not do for her to show such weakness again in front of the Earth Prince. She was the Princess of the Moon and she must act like it. Nodding her head in agreement, she replied solemnly, "Yes, thank you. A bath would be most welcome." Suddenly remembering Puu, she looked up at him. "Has Sailor Pluto returned to the Time Gates?"

"I assume you mean the Senshi that brought you here? Yes, but she said to tell you that she will return," Mamoru answered. "I'll start your bath." He turned and left the room.

Serenity looked after him in puzzlement. 'Does not the royalty of Earth have servants?' She sat up and looked around her. 'This certainly does not look like a palace. Has the Earth kingdom also been damaged? Could my presence here be putting him in danger?' At the last thought, her heart started pounding in alarm and she suddenly felt very cold. She did not want to be the reason for any harm coming to Prince Endymion. Perhaps she should leave as soon as she had her bath? Serenity shook her head in despair. Her whole world had been destroyed overnight. She still didn't understand the feelings that the Prince had aroused in her, but the sadness over the fate of her kingdom and friends was overwhelming everything else. Taking deep breaths, she quelled the sob that tried to escape. 'I just need to hang on until I'm in the bath. Then, I will weep for all that has been lost.'

When Mamoru came back into the bedroom, he found her just sitting on the bed, staring into space. She didn't even seem to notice his approach. Concerned, he walked over to her and touched her gently on the shoulder. "Princess Serenity? Your bath is ready," he said softly, trying not to startle her. She jumped a bit at his touch, but then she focused on him easily.

"My apologies, Prince Endymion. I was elsewhere." She gave him a small smile as he held out his hand to help her up. Grasping it firmly, she allowed him to pull her to her feet. At his touch, she once more felt something within her respond, but she shrugged it off.

"Please, call me Mamoru," he said.

"Mamoru," Serenity repeated, rolling the word on her tongue. For some reason, a different, yet similar, name echoed faintly in her head. "Mamo-chan?" she whispered, frowning in puzzlement. 'Where did that come from?' she thought to herself. She felt Endymion give a start at her whisper, and she rushed to aplogize. "I am sorry, Prince. I don't know why I said that. It just popped into my head. I meant no disrespect," she looked at him nervously, horrified at her breach of etiquette.

Mamoru felt his heart jump when she uttered Usagi's name for him, but her fervant apology immediately after proved that she was not Usagi. At least, not completely. He shook his head in confusion, she was Usagi, but she was also Serenity, and right now Serenity seemed to be the one in charge. He looked down at her--she had begun to nibble on her bottom lip in anxiety, just as Usagi was wont to do. "It's all right, Princess, I don't mind," he gave her a reassuring grin. "Actually, while you are here, just Mamoru will do. There's no need for the honorary 'Prince.'"

"Then you must call me Serenity." Serenity exclaimed. "I noticed that there were no servants around and that this place looks nothing like the views of the Earth palace I've seen. Has the Dark Kingdom attacked Earth? Mother has been worried about them for the past couple of years. She feared that they would take over the Earth. They haven't have they?" Serenity's voice turned fearful at the last.

"No, no, it's not the Dark Kingdom. It is the Dark Moon Kingdom. So far, they have not taken over the Earth, but they have been attacking." Mamoru calmed her, unsure of what he should tell her.

"Dark Moon Kingdom? I have not heard of that. It must be a new enemy." Serenity said softly, stepping into the bathroom.

"Yes, it is a new enemy," Mamoru confirmed. "The towels are on the counter and you may use the robe that's on the door."

Serenity bowed her head gracefully, "Thank you, Mamoru, for your kindness." Then she shut the door and locked it. Leaning against it wearily, she finally allowed the tears to fall freely from her eyes. She unbuttoned the nightgown and let it fall from her body. Stepping into the bathtub, she closed her eyes as she slid into the comforting warmth of the water. The sobs she had been holding down by sheer will power finally overcame her and she cried into her hands, the salty tears mixing with the bath water. 'Oh Mother, what am I going to do? Why did I survive if the Moon Kingdom is no more? There is no need for me. I would rather be with you and my Senshi, than here by myself,' she thought to herself.

Mamoru sighed as he heard the sobs coming from the bathroom. For Usagi, the destruction of the Moon Kingdom had seemed like a tragic fairy tale, something that happened a long time ago to someone else. For Serenity, however, it was a grim reality. Everyone and everything she had known was gone. How could he hope to help her deal with such a loss? She didn't even know him! And that, he realized, is what bothered him the most. Yes, he had been pushing her away for a month, but that didn't mean that he had wanted her to forget about him. He shook his head at his own faulty reasoning. For a month he had been telling her to stay away and himself to forget about her, but now that she didn't know him, he wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and kiss her until she remembered her love for him. 'Damn dreams,' he thought to himself angrily. 'If not for them, I would have been with Usako and known when she was in trouble.'

Serenity was drying her hair with one of the fluffy white towels the Prince had thoughtfully left for her when she realized that her head had started to pound again. 'What is wrong with me? I never get headaches! And I feel so heavy... Earth sickness? But, that should only happen if I stay on Earth for a month or so and I've only been here a short time, haven't I?' She frowned, as she realized she didn't really have a clear memory of the time leading up to her awakening a few hours earlier. 'Could I have been on Earth longer?' She put on the robe and unlocked the door, leaning against it for support as a wave of dizziness swept through her. "Endymion," she cried out weakly.

"Serenity?" she heard his voice through the door. She could only whimper in response as she slowly slid down the door as her limbs refused to support her any longer. "Serenity?!" he cried out, louder this time. He turned the door handle and slowly started opening the door, but her body prevented it from opening very far. With the little amount of strength she had left, Serenity rolled away from the door, gasping for breath from the exertion just that small motion had taken. Seeing her condition, Mamoru hurriedly opened the door the rest of the way and carefully picked her up.

"Help me," Serenity begged him, as fear over her weakness washed through her. Her eyes were wide and regarded him anxiously. "How long have I been on Earth? This shouldn't happen yet."

Mamoru looked down at her in surprise. She knew what was wrong? "That's a bit hard to explain. Maybe you should wait until Ami gets here to explain it. Sailor Pluto said that she would know." He answered as he carried her back to the bedroom.

Serenity closed her eyes and nodded. Of course, Mercury would explain it. If anyone could, it would be her. She rested her head against Mamoru's chest and sighed in relief as the headache once again began to recede. "Endymion, I mean, Mamoru, I hate to bring this up, but this situation is going to require some, well, breach of protocol." Serenity blushed crimson as she spoke, horribly embarassed about the circumstances in which she found herself. She knew that if it was Earth Sickness and she was out of direct contact with the Earth Prince for any length of time, she would die. However, that didn't make the fact that she had to sleep with him any easier. Not that she didn't like the idea of being that close to him... Serenity's blush intensified at that thought, and she sneaked a quick peak up at Mamoru's face. His expression was bland, but she could swear there was a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

"Ah, you must mean the sleeping arrangements," he said at last. Serenity nodded her head, grateful that she didn't have to find the words to explain. "Do not worry, Princess. I'm sure we will both survive the experience relatively unscathed. Why don't you find something to wear out of my closet and I'll return once you've dressed, alright? Will you be okay for a few minutes?"

"Yes, I should be fine for that short amount of time. Just don't go too far?" she looked up at him anxiously.

"I'll be right outside. Just open the door when you're done." Mamoru placed Serenity gently on her feet and closed the door behind him. Serenity stared at the closed door for a moment, suddenly aware that the thought of sleeping next to him seemed to create some interesting feelings inside her stomach. She wanted to be near him. When they were touching, she felt complete, like a missing part of herself had been found. Blowing out her breath in exasperation, she hurried to the closet. She had no desire to experience another one of those killer headaches. She was puzzled by the clothing she found. None of it looked like the styles she had previously seen from Earth. Finally choosing a white, long-sleeved tunic, she buttoned it up and walked over to the door.

Mamoru swallowed convulsively when the door opened and Serenity stood there in one of his shirts. It didn't quite come to her knees. Her Sailor Moon fuku was even shorter, but somehow, seeing her clad in only his shirt affected him more profoundly than the Sailor fuku ever had. Her long hair was down and fell appealingly around her ankles and he wanted nothing more than to feel its silky strands against his skin.

"Are you alright? Is this not appropriate?" Serenity asked, when he just stared at her for several minutes. She looked down at herself, the tunic seemed to be on correctly, although it was a bit short. She looked back at him with a questioning expression.

"No, no, it's fine," he reassured her, finally coming out of his trance and stepping toward her. He took her hand in his and gently tugged her towards the bed. He was definitely sleeping in all of his clothes tonight. "Tomorrow, we'll figure out how to resolve this situation, but now, I think we both need to get some sleep."

Serenity nodded agreement and silently climbed into the bed. They each scooted to the opposite sides of the bed, with only their fingers touching in the middle. "Good night, Mamoru," she said softly, closing her eyes.

"Good night, Serenity," he responded.