Disclaimer: Yeah, um, about owning Sailor Moon...I don't. I also
don't own Starbucks. Or any other products/franchises
I happen to mention.
A.N: For future reference - because this is my story and because I'm a brat,
I'm gonna change the generals' appearances just a tad. Long hair kind of
doesn't do it for me, you know. That and I'd be too tempted to play
with the possibility of hair pulling. But Jadeite's fine as is. Oh
and a special thanks goes out to Narvis26 who sent me the first
response to this story. *Sniff* Thank you *Sniff* You're so sweet.
Oh go on and read the story before I start bawling.
The Ties that Bind
by Emme
7/28/01
Part Two
"Drew, buddy," an obviously disgruntled, but deliciously disheveled
Darien Chiba began as he sat down at his usual stool in the infamous Crown
Arcade/Cafe, "this," he said gesturing to his steaming cup of coffee, "is crap."
Andrew continued wiping the countertop, unfazed. "And yet you come
in here and order a cup everyday."
Darien just grunted.
The arcade manager continued on, "And what do I tell you everyday?"
The blonde paused, not to await an answer, but for effect. "Go to the
Starbucks down the street if you find my coffee so damn crappy."
Darien snorted. "Hah! Go to those coffee snobs? Never! You order
a simple black coffee there and you get treated like a barbarian. Those
elitists! They don't appreciate coffee in its pure form."
Andrew just raised an eyebrow as Darien rambled on.
"Just because I don't want anything cappuchinoed or frappuchinoed or
whatever the hell else -chinoed, I'm the idiot! Well I won't have it, I tell
ya, bud, I refuse to be treated in that manner..." he shouted, jumping onto
the stool, "and do you know why? Because I am the great Darien Chiba!" He
finished, throwing both arms into the air triumphantly.
Meanwhile, the entire arcade had gone silent, staring at the handsome,
but obviously mentally unbalanced young man standing atop the stool.
Andrew turned away for a second, trying to stop doing his involuntary
impression of a fish. Then, regaining his equilibrium, he turned to Darien
and hissed, "Would you get down from there, you're scaring away my customers!"
Turning to the startled patrons, he mouthed, "Heat stroke, he'll get over it."
Darien obliged, giving him an apologetic look as he did so. "Sorry
man," he said, calming down a little, "It's just been a long week." Andrew
gave him a look. "Okay, okay, a VERY long week then."
Andrew fixed him with another strange look before turning to another
customer. "I'm so switching you to decaf."
He sighed, wondering how Andrew would react if he knew the entire truth.
Oh yeah, that'll go over real well, he thought to himself sarcastically.
Hey guess what bud? By day, I'm your average overworked and underappreciated
college student, but by night I'm a caped defender of justice in a nancy boy tuxedo.
Oh and bud, are you ready for the kicker? I defend myself with roses and a cane!
Darien smirked. Drew would probably wait approximately 3.2 seconds before having
him admitted to the nearest insane asylum. Well, either that or have a stroke.
He frowned, his stormy blue eyes turning almost black in his
contemplation. This double life thing was a serious pain in the ass. However
unattainable a career in medicine had been pre-evil bad guys threatening to
destroy the world as we know it had been, it was ten times as difficult now,
thanks to his new career of roosting on treetops. The late nights, not to
mention every other time the Fab Four decided to unleash a youma, were seriously
putting a cramp in his study time. Just last week, a blinding headache
(courtesy of his mysterious link to Sailor Moon) had forced him to leave a
major beaucoup points test. One that the professor had refused to let him make
up despite his protests and despite his record as a spectacular student.
"Ah Mr. Chiba," the old geezer had said, shuffling some papers. "This
is not high school anymore. No more, 'Oh my dog ate my homework' or 'I have a
terminal disease' excuses. I'm here to prepare you for the real world and I
believe your first step should be learning not to make excuses. Admit that you
didn't study."
It had taken all the strength he possessed not to smash the wiley old
man's face in.
Now it would take some major brown-nosing to convince the man to give
him some extra credit work. And brown-nosing was something completely against
his nature.
Speaking of the Fab Four... Now they were real pieces of work. Cruel,
intelligent, and powerful, they formed an intimidating opposition. Nine times
out of ten, they were completely focused on kicking his and the senshi's asses.
Although...
He looked up at the wall blankly.
It was strange, but once, he could've sworn he saw Zoisite blanch when
Sailor Mercury had fallen prey to Kunzite's boomerangs. In fact, each general
seemed to have an attachment to one of the senshi.
Zoisite to Mercury, Jedeite to Mars, Kunzite to Venus, and Nephrite to
Jupiter, every senshi but Sailor Moon...
It was strange, but he, too, seemed to have a connection to the generals.
It was almost as if... it was almost as if... Darien's head snapped up...almost as
if he knew them... He shook his head violently to dismiss the idea. That was
ridiculous. Surely he'd remember if he met those psychos before. He searched
his head for something else to complain about. Ahh the late-night wake-up calls.
The ridiculous 3 a.m wake-up calls were quite literally killing him. Why
couldn't Queen Beryl attack at a decent hour? Like after he'd had a good night's
sleep and after he'd had at least five cups of coffee. Then, and only then
would he be completely ready to take on evildoers. Darien sighed, slumping
against the counter. He supposed he shouldn't blame everything on the Negaverse.
A good night's sleep had always evaded him, thanks to the mysterious girl of his
dreams. Literally. For as long as he'd remembered, he had been plagued (or blessed,
depending on whether or not he had a major exam the next day) by dreams of a beautiful
girl in white pleading with him to help her. Well, now, he thought self-righteously,
he'd do a better job of that if she'd explain what she needed help with instead
of speaking of some ambiguous apocalypse. AND if she'd let him see her damned face.
Darien smacked his head into the counter. By the time this whole fiasco was over,
he was sure he'd be about ready to die from exhaustion, not to mention a caffeine
overdose.
Something else nagged at him. Why was the Negaverse so damned persistent
in attacking Tokyo? It just didn't make sense. Sure, the city was nice and all
(a little overcrowded, yes, but nice, nevertheless) but what made it different
from every other bustling city in the world? And theoretically speaking, if he
was a insane madman bent on conquering the world and all, he would rather start
somewhere that didn't have its own special brand of superheroes. But that was just
him. But why did Queen Beryl insist on depositing her evil minions here if she knew
that said minions would be stopped at every turn by sailor suited girls in short
skirts?
Sadly, he didn't have an answer for this or any of the other burning
questions he harbored in his poor, ragged head.
But it's not all that bad, now is it? a voice in his mind teased.
No, he had to concede it wasn't all that bad. There were some definite
perks to the job. A certain gorgeous blonde leotard-suited leader of the
senshi, just to name one. The other senshi weren't bad looking, either, but
something about the Senshi of the Moon drew him.
Something about her eyes.
Yes, something about her eyes was strangely familiar to him, as if he'd
spent an eternity looking into the crystalline pools of baby blue before...
He shook his head, a rueful smile twisting his lips. Oh great, now he was
waxing poetic over her.
Still, he sure wouldn't mind being stranded on a deserted island with her.
Her and/or the girl in his dreams. (A.N: Dare, Dare, Dare,*shakes head,* typical
male.)
*********************
Deep within the Arctic sea, in the frigid throneroom of the Negaverse,
the self-proclaimed Queen of the Negaverse sat gazing into a crystal ball.
She had been beautiful once, that much was certain. But now her features were
twisted and marred by evil and hate. What had once been sparkling forest green
eyes were now a deep, souless, blood red. Her hair too, once resembling the color
of a setting sun and once the envy of every woman in the kingdom, was now darker
and coarse, reminiscent of rust.
Hate bubbled within Queen Beryl, threatening to overwhelm her as she
stared at the image she had conjured.
Serenity.
She had been everything that was good and pure, with an infectious
laugh and a heart-warming smile. Incredibly beautiful, too, with her
long, silvery hair and her bright blue eyes the color of the clear morning sky.
Sensuous and lovely, she had, oddly enough, radiated an innocence that drew
people to her. Despite the initial distrust the people of Earth held for
foreigners, her highness, Princess Serenity, heir to the Moon Kingdom had
quickly won everyone over in a matter of weeks.
It made her sick. Oh how she had wanted to tear that beautiful hair
out and how she had wished even more to gouge out those crystal blue orbs.
As far as she was concerned, that stupid little bitch had cast an evil spell
over everyone...including Endymion.
Endymion.
Her heart clenched longingly at the thought of the devilish dark-haired
prince. He had been the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome and knew it too.
With his rougish, bad boy air and his quick wit, he'd had no problem charming
women into his bed. She had been no exception.
Though the prince had insinuated nothing more than a quick tryst, she
had thought she'd been different. Granted she was older than him and granted
she was just one of the many nobles in court...but with all her beauty and all
the love she had held and still held for him, how could he have not loved her
back? Endymion had laughed at her sentiments, stating that what she was going
through was just an infactuation. It wasn't love, he had said ruefully, because
love didn't exist. The idea that there was a special someone out there for
everyone was simply preposterous, he had bit out, throwing his hands into the air.
A saddened visage, she had accepted his refusal of a deeper commitment.
After all, wasn't it better to have him this way than not have him at all?
Then Serenity had come. With her entourage.
Beryl had foolishly dismissed the innocent, carefree Princess as
competition right away. She'd been more worried about her senshi. Beryl had simply
figured that the brat wasn't Endymion's type. She'd been right at first. Stupidly,
she had congratulated herself on her deduction when the Prince and the Princess's
personalities seemed to grate. Whenever they were together, arguments abounded as
they seemed to disagree on everything. To make matters worse (or from her point of
view, better), Endymion had derived pleasure from deliberately riling up the young
Princess. Even better, rumors flew about affairs between Endymion's generals and
the senshi. That had eliminated the senshi as competition. All in all, she had
been so confident in her position that she had overlooked the warning signs. Beryl
clenched the ball angrily.
She should have noticed something had changed when Endymion couldn't stop
ranting about Serenity. Naive as she was then, she had chalked it all up to anger
and annoyance. How could she have known it was love? Then came Endymion's
insistence on escorting the Princess everywhere. 'It's my duty as the host, you
understand,' he had remarked to her casually, 'an alliance with the Moon would be
extremely beneficial to the Earth.' Though thoroughly miffed, she hadn't thought
it a big deal, as Endymion was still seeing her. Still, she should have been
tipped off those couple of months when a neighboring dignitary arrived, flowers in
hand, to pursue Princess Serenity. So happy was she that someone else was
occupying the Moon brat's time that she didn't notice how on edge Endymion was.
During a ball held in the dignitary's honor, she hadn't even noticed how his own
nails had dug into his hands every time the Princess and the dignitary would dance.
Even when Endymion suggested a temporary break between them, she hadn't been too
upset, still convinced that her Prince would come back to her, as he always did.
How wrong she had been.
Unbeknownst to her, Princess Serenity and Endymion had fallen head over
heels in love with each other. It wasn't until she had eavesdropped on a
conversation between Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars that she had realized the truth.
The two Princesses had been in their suite, picking out gowns for a ball
that was to be held that night. The soft sounds of their conversation had floated
out into the hall, and hearing Endymion's name mentioned, she had crept to the door,
curious.
"Are you sure Mina?" Mars had asked, looking at her blonde friend doubtfully.
"Endymion is a Terran."
"Raye, I've never been so sure of anything in my life," Venus had shaken her
head, tossing her blonde strands behind her, "love crosses all boundaries, remember?"
She had paused. "It's amazing...it's like...it's like...they're one. The energy
between them is incredible. It's almost overwhelming. If you could feel what I feel
Raye, you'd have no doubts either." Venus had looked at Mars, blue eyes imploring,
"Don't you feel something?"
Beryl had tensed, trying to discern the objects of the pair's conversation.
She hadn't needed to bother, for Mars' next words shook her to the core.
Staring blankly off into space, Mars had whispered, "Yes. I sense a deep
connection between Endymion and Serenity." She had looked at her friend with a soft
smile on her face, "So they're soul mates, huh?"
"Yes," Venus had replied. "But we can't tell them. They have to find out
for themselves."
She hadn't lingered to hear more of the conversation. Feeling sick all of
the sudden, she had ran all the way to her chambers and had promptly thrown up.
Hope had faded within her as there was no doubt to the Princess of Venus's words.
It was a known fact that those of the royal Venusian family were clairvoyant in
the matters of love. Venus had spoken the truth.
At the ball that night, Endymion and Serenity's engagement was announced.
Endymion didn't even notice her wretched face, so enamoured with Serenity he was.
Following that evening, Beryl had wrought a determined campaign to end Serenity's
life. She hired assassins, she tried poisoning the Princess's food, and she even
tried to do the deed herself, but alas, the senshi were always there. Even Beryl
had been impressed with the Sailor bitches' skill and loyalty to Serenity.
Inevitably, she had been cast out both by the Earth King and the Moon Queen, the
very Princess she had sought to kill showing her mercy by refusing to have her
executed. And so, she had been thrown into a deep dungeon on one of the moons of
Jupiter, destined to rot her life away.
Until Metallia had saved her. Saved her and offered her wealth and power.
But most importantly, offered her what she coveted most...Endymion. Beryl had
secretly gathered an imposing force before returning to Earth. There, she had
taken Endymion's four most trusted advisors at Metallia's behest. A sneer curved
her lips. That had certainly been a smart move. After a considerable amount of
brainwashing, they had become the perfect soldiers.
Jadeite, Zoisite, Nephrite, Kunzite. She giggled. What fools they were!
They had no idea how much entertainment they had unwittingly given her. Oh the irony!
The senshi hadn't stood a chance when she had finally unleashed her forces on the
galaxy. She remembered, in particular, the look of horror and denial on Mercury's
face when Zoisite ran her through with an ice crystal. Ahh, the senshi being killed
by their true loves...Beryl stretched langorously...that had been truly poetic.
Her thoughts turned dark as she thought about the outcome of that particular
battle. Endymion had been lost to her and in the end, that stupid Bitch Queen had
ruined everything. It wasn't fair. If it wasn't for that crystal... Yes, she
would've at least had something.
She focused on the present. Oh well, she had been brought up to try, try
again. Despite the considerable loss to her numbers, she was really quite confident
that she would succeed this time. The senshi were younger than she remembered, and
therefore, more apt to make mistakes. The generals would get rid of them soon
enough. All she had to do, therefore, was locate Endymion, find out who that
damn Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask were and kill them, and finally, get her hands on
that magnificent Silver Crystal.
Her resolve strengthened, she telepathically called the generals to her.
All four arrived in flashes of energy at once, immediately bowing down to her. Beryl
smiled, she always did get a kick out of that.
"Gentlemen," she addressed them, "I believe it's time to send out another
youma. And if it's not too much trouble this time, GET RID OF THE SENSHI!"
Jadeite ventured to look up, sloppy bangs falling into his eyes, "Of course,
my Queen, we're doing everything we can, but they're more powerful than you think."
Inwardly he scowled. It was true. Both sides were relatively equal, and therefore,
were at a stalemate. What the senshi lacked in knowlege and experience, they more
than made up in power. And THAT, was what her highness failed to realize.
Beryl stared him down. "You killed them once, how hard can it be to kill
them again?" She hissed. "What's more, they've just been awakened. I suggest you
take advantage of the situation."
Kunzite, meanwhile, was pondering an idea. The senshi, despite their age,
were still considerable foes. They were amazingly powerful and he suspected that
a large amount of that power was still untapped. After all, we killed them before
they were able to explore them. What if...what if...they were brought over to
serve Queen Beryl? The Negaverse would gain some powerful allies, and...he and his
comrades would be spared killing their loves again.
Mina... something forbidden in his heart stirred. He couldn't deny that he
still loved her as much as he did a thousand years ago. But orders were orders.
She was working for the enemy and his specialty was crushing the enemy. Still,
something in his heart clenched whenever he hurt her in battle. But if she
was converted, he'd have a chance to rekindle what they once had. The notion had
boundless possibilities.
He spoke up, "Forgive me, my Queen, but I have a suggestion." He paused.
"Suppose we bring the senshi over to our side. Zoisite has perfected the mind
control techniques, once we get them here, it'd be a simple matter to turn them."
He stood as Queen Beryl got a faraway look in her eyes. "The Negaverse would gain
some powerful allies."
Beryl smiled. My, my, my, they are a smart investment. What Kunzite
was saying made sense. With the senshi on her side, she'd be unstoppable. When
the Moon Princess resurfaced and discovered that her senshi had betrayed her, she'd
be no match. And with her out of the picture, when she found Endymion, no one
would be able to take him away. And they'd rule side by side, always and forever...
just as it was meant to be.
However..., she frowned. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask were still mysteries.
She would have to tread carefully as those two would certainly put a kink in her
plans. She had previously believed that Sailor Moon and the Moon Princess were one
and the same but she had dismissed that idea when she observed some discrepancies in
Sailor Moon's behavior. The scared little senshi, Serenity? Never! She laughed at
the thought. The two didn't even look alike! But perhaps Moon was installed by the
dead Queen's spirit to protect her daughter. Yes...that would certainly make sense.
Tuxedo Mask, however, was still a complete enigma. And that made him dangerous.
She turned to Kunzite. "Yes, I suppose they would be more valuable alive.
But we musn't make a move yet...not until we figure out Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask..."
She trailed off. Then, turning to the generals she said, "Perhaps we've been going
about this all wrong. I want you gentlemen to send out a youma to this energy point
as planned. But this time, don't attack the senshi yourselves, just observe..." She
stood. "I want to know all I can about the senshi and Tuxedo Mask before we make a
move, especially Moon and Mask. After all, knowlege is power. I don't care how you do
it, just give me something I can use. Go now."
"As you wish." The generals brought their fists to their chests and
disappeared.
Queen Beryl laughed. If she bided her time, everything she'd ever wanted
would soon be hers.
Same drill, everyone! Let's all follow Narvis26's example and E-mail me!
See, I'm trying to establish a pattern here: Story, E-mail, story, E-mail, story.
It's positive reinforcement...or something, I don't know, I wasn't really
paying attention in Psychology last semester (too busy staring at the hottie
sitting across the room). MLLEemme@aol.com
don't own Starbucks. Or any other products/franchises
I happen to mention.
A.N: For future reference - because this is my story and because I'm a brat,
I'm gonna change the generals' appearances just a tad. Long hair kind of
doesn't do it for me, you know. That and I'd be too tempted to play
with the possibility of hair pulling. But Jadeite's fine as is. Oh
and a special thanks goes out to Narvis26 who sent me the first
response to this story. *Sniff* Thank you *Sniff* You're so sweet.
Oh go on and read the story before I start bawling.
The Ties that Bind
by Emme
7/28/01
Part Two
"Drew, buddy," an obviously disgruntled, but deliciously disheveled
Darien Chiba began as he sat down at his usual stool in the infamous Crown
Arcade/Cafe, "this," he said gesturing to his steaming cup of coffee, "is crap."
Andrew continued wiping the countertop, unfazed. "And yet you come
in here and order a cup everyday."
Darien just grunted.
The arcade manager continued on, "And what do I tell you everyday?"
The blonde paused, not to await an answer, but for effect. "Go to the
Starbucks down the street if you find my coffee so damn crappy."
Darien snorted. "Hah! Go to those coffee snobs? Never! You order
a simple black coffee there and you get treated like a barbarian. Those
elitists! They don't appreciate coffee in its pure form."
Andrew just raised an eyebrow as Darien rambled on.
"Just because I don't want anything cappuchinoed or frappuchinoed or
whatever the hell else -chinoed, I'm the idiot! Well I won't have it, I tell
ya, bud, I refuse to be treated in that manner..." he shouted, jumping onto
the stool, "and do you know why? Because I am the great Darien Chiba!" He
finished, throwing both arms into the air triumphantly.
Meanwhile, the entire arcade had gone silent, staring at the handsome,
but obviously mentally unbalanced young man standing atop the stool.
Andrew turned away for a second, trying to stop doing his involuntary
impression of a fish. Then, regaining his equilibrium, he turned to Darien
and hissed, "Would you get down from there, you're scaring away my customers!"
Turning to the startled patrons, he mouthed, "Heat stroke, he'll get over it."
Darien obliged, giving him an apologetic look as he did so. "Sorry
man," he said, calming down a little, "It's just been a long week." Andrew
gave him a look. "Okay, okay, a VERY long week then."
Andrew fixed him with another strange look before turning to another
customer. "I'm so switching you to decaf."
He sighed, wondering how Andrew would react if he knew the entire truth.
Oh yeah, that'll go over real well, he thought to himself sarcastically.
Hey guess what bud? By day, I'm your average overworked and underappreciated
college student, but by night I'm a caped defender of justice in a nancy boy tuxedo.
Oh and bud, are you ready for the kicker? I defend myself with roses and a cane!
Darien smirked. Drew would probably wait approximately 3.2 seconds before having
him admitted to the nearest insane asylum. Well, either that or have a stroke.
He frowned, his stormy blue eyes turning almost black in his
contemplation. This double life thing was a serious pain in the ass. However
unattainable a career in medicine had been pre-evil bad guys threatening to
destroy the world as we know it had been, it was ten times as difficult now,
thanks to his new career of roosting on treetops. The late nights, not to
mention every other time the Fab Four decided to unleash a youma, were seriously
putting a cramp in his study time. Just last week, a blinding headache
(courtesy of his mysterious link to Sailor Moon) had forced him to leave a
major beaucoup points test. One that the professor had refused to let him make
up despite his protests and despite his record as a spectacular student.
"Ah Mr. Chiba," the old geezer had said, shuffling some papers. "This
is not high school anymore. No more, 'Oh my dog ate my homework' or 'I have a
terminal disease' excuses. I'm here to prepare you for the real world and I
believe your first step should be learning not to make excuses. Admit that you
didn't study."
It had taken all the strength he possessed not to smash the wiley old
man's face in.
Now it would take some major brown-nosing to convince the man to give
him some extra credit work. And brown-nosing was something completely against
his nature.
Speaking of the Fab Four... Now they were real pieces of work. Cruel,
intelligent, and powerful, they formed an intimidating opposition. Nine times
out of ten, they were completely focused on kicking his and the senshi's asses.
Although...
He looked up at the wall blankly.
It was strange, but once, he could've sworn he saw Zoisite blanch when
Sailor Mercury had fallen prey to Kunzite's boomerangs. In fact, each general
seemed to have an attachment to one of the senshi.
Zoisite to Mercury, Jedeite to Mars, Kunzite to Venus, and Nephrite to
Jupiter, every senshi but Sailor Moon...
It was strange, but he, too, seemed to have a connection to the generals.
It was almost as if... it was almost as if... Darien's head snapped up...almost as
if he knew them... He shook his head violently to dismiss the idea. That was
ridiculous. Surely he'd remember if he met those psychos before. He searched
his head for something else to complain about. Ahh the late-night wake-up calls.
The ridiculous 3 a.m wake-up calls were quite literally killing him. Why
couldn't Queen Beryl attack at a decent hour? Like after he'd had a good night's
sleep and after he'd had at least five cups of coffee. Then, and only then
would he be completely ready to take on evildoers. Darien sighed, slumping
against the counter. He supposed he shouldn't blame everything on the Negaverse.
A good night's sleep had always evaded him, thanks to the mysterious girl of his
dreams. Literally. For as long as he'd remembered, he had been plagued (or blessed,
depending on whether or not he had a major exam the next day) by dreams of a beautiful
girl in white pleading with him to help her. Well, now, he thought self-righteously,
he'd do a better job of that if she'd explain what she needed help with instead
of speaking of some ambiguous apocalypse. AND if she'd let him see her damned face.
Darien smacked his head into the counter. By the time this whole fiasco was over,
he was sure he'd be about ready to die from exhaustion, not to mention a caffeine
overdose.
Something else nagged at him. Why was the Negaverse so damned persistent
in attacking Tokyo? It just didn't make sense. Sure, the city was nice and all
(a little overcrowded, yes, but nice, nevertheless) but what made it different
from every other bustling city in the world? And theoretically speaking, if he
was a insane madman bent on conquering the world and all, he would rather start
somewhere that didn't have its own special brand of superheroes. But that was just
him. But why did Queen Beryl insist on depositing her evil minions here if she knew
that said minions would be stopped at every turn by sailor suited girls in short
skirts?
Sadly, he didn't have an answer for this or any of the other burning
questions he harbored in his poor, ragged head.
But it's not all that bad, now is it? a voice in his mind teased.
No, he had to concede it wasn't all that bad. There were some definite
perks to the job. A certain gorgeous blonde leotard-suited leader of the
senshi, just to name one. The other senshi weren't bad looking, either, but
something about the Senshi of the Moon drew him.
Something about her eyes.
Yes, something about her eyes was strangely familiar to him, as if he'd
spent an eternity looking into the crystalline pools of baby blue before...
He shook his head, a rueful smile twisting his lips. Oh great, now he was
waxing poetic over her.
Still, he sure wouldn't mind being stranded on a deserted island with her.
Her and/or the girl in his dreams. (A.N: Dare, Dare, Dare,*shakes head,* typical
male.)
*********************
Deep within the Arctic sea, in the frigid throneroom of the Negaverse,
the self-proclaimed Queen of the Negaverse sat gazing into a crystal ball.
She had been beautiful once, that much was certain. But now her features were
twisted and marred by evil and hate. What had once been sparkling forest green
eyes were now a deep, souless, blood red. Her hair too, once resembling the color
of a setting sun and once the envy of every woman in the kingdom, was now darker
and coarse, reminiscent of rust.
Hate bubbled within Queen Beryl, threatening to overwhelm her as she
stared at the image she had conjured.
Serenity.
She had been everything that was good and pure, with an infectious
laugh and a heart-warming smile. Incredibly beautiful, too, with her
long, silvery hair and her bright blue eyes the color of the clear morning sky.
Sensuous and lovely, she had, oddly enough, radiated an innocence that drew
people to her. Despite the initial distrust the people of Earth held for
foreigners, her highness, Princess Serenity, heir to the Moon Kingdom had
quickly won everyone over in a matter of weeks.
It made her sick. Oh how she had wanted to tear that beautiful hair
out and how she had wished even more to gouge out those crystal blue orbs.
As far as she was concerned, that stupid little bitch had cast an evil spell
over everyone...including Endymion.
Endymion.
Her heart clenched longingly at the thought of the devilish dark-haired
prince. He had been the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome and knew it too.
With his rougish, bad boy air and his quick wit, he'd had no problem charming
women into his bed. She had been no exception.
Though the prince had insinuated nothing more than a quick tryst, she
had thought she'd been different. Granted she was older than him and granted
she was just one of the many nobles in court...but with all her beauty and all
the love she had held and still held for him, how could he have not loved her
back? Endymion had laughed at her sentiments, stating that what she was going
through was just an infactuation. It wasn't love, he had said ruefully, because
love didn't exist. The idea that there was a special someone out there for
everyone was simply preposterous, he had bit out, throwing his hands into the air.
A saddened visage, she had accepted his refusal of a deeper commitment.
After all, wasn't it better to have him this way than not have him at all?
Then Serenity had come. With her entourage.
Beryl had foolishly dismissed the innocent, carefree Princess as
competition right away. She'd been more worried about her senshi. Beryl had simply
figured that the brat wasn't Endymion's type. She'd been right at first. Stupidly,
she had congratulated herself on her deduction when the Prince and the Princess's
personalities seemed to grate. Whenever they were together, arguments abounded as
they seemed to disagree on everything. To make matters worse (or from her point of
view, better), Endymion had derived pleasure from deliberately riling up the young
Princess. Even better, rumors flew about affairs between Endymion's generals and
the senshi. That had eliminated the senshi as competition. All in all, she had
been so confident in her position that she had overlooked the warning signs. Beryl
clenched the ball angrily.
She should have noticed something had changed when Endymion couldn't stop
ranting about Serenity. Naive as she was then, she had chalked it all up to anger
and annoyance. How could she have known it was love? Then came Endymion's
insistence on escorting the Princess everywhere. 'It's my duty as the host, you
understand,' he had remarked to her casually, 'an alliance with the Moon would be
extremely beneficial to the Earth.' Though thoroughly miffed, she hadn't thought
it a big deal, as Endymion was still seeing her. Still, she should have been
tipped off those couple of months when a neighboring dignitary arrived, flowers in
hand, to pursue Princess Serenity. So happy was she that someone else was
occupying the Moon brat's time that she didn't notice how on edge Endymion was.
During a ball held in the dignitary's honor, she hadn't even noticed how his own
nails had dug into his hands every time the Princess and the dignitary would dance.
Even when Endymion suggested a temporary break between them, she hadn't been too
upset, still convinced that her Prince would come back to her, as he always did.
How wrong she had been.
Unbeknownst to her, Princess Serenity and Endymion had fallen head over
heels in love with each other. It wasn't until she had eavesdropped on a
conversation between Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars that she had realized the truth.
The two Princesses had been in their suite, picking out gowns for a ball
that was to be held that night. The soft sounds of their conversation had floated
out into the hall, and hearing Endymion's name mentioned, she had crept to the door,
curious.
"Are you sure Mina?" Mars had asked, looking at her blonde friend doubtfully.
"Endymion is a Terran."
"Raye, I've never been so sure of anything in my life," Venus had shaken her
head, tossing her blonde strands behind her, "love crosses all boundaries, remember?"
She had paused. "It's amazing...it's like...it's like...they're one. The energy
between them is incredible. It's almost overwhelming. If you could feel what I feel
Raye, you'd have no doubts either." Venus had looked at Mars, blue eyes imploring,
"Don't you feel something?"
Beryl had tensed, trying to discern the objects of the pair's conversation.
She hadn't needed to bother, for Mars' next words shook her to the core.
Staring blankly off into space, Mars had whispered, "Yes. I sense a deep
connection between Endymion and Serenity." She had looked at her friend with a soft
smile on her face, "So they're soul mates, huh?"
"Yes," Venus had replied. "But we can't tell them. They have to find out
for themselves."
She hadn't lingered to hear more of the conversation. Feeling sick all of
the sudden, she had ran all the way to her chambers and had promptly thrown up.
Hope had faded within her as there was no doubt to the Princess of Venus's words.
It was a known fact that those of the royal Venusian family were clairvoyant in
the matters of love. Venus had spoken the truth.
At the ball that night, Endymion and Serenity's engagement was announced.
Endymion didn't even notice her wretched face, so enamoured with Serenity he was.
Following that evening, Beryl had wrought a determined campaign to end Serenity's
life. She hired assassins, she tried poisoning the Princess's food, and she even
tried to do the deed herself, but alas, the senshi were always there. Even Beryl
had been impressed with the Sailor bitches' skill and loyalty to Serenity.
Inevitably, she had been cast out both by the Earth King and the Moon Queen, the
very Princess she had sought to kill showing her mercy by refusing to have her
executed. And so, she had been thrown into a deep dungeon on one of the moons of
Jupiter, destined to rot her life away.
Until Metallia had saved her. Saved her and offered her wealth and power.
But most importantly, offered her what she coveted most...Endymion. Beryl had
secretly gathered an imposing force before returning to Earth. There, she had
taken Endymion's four most trusted advisors at Metallia's behest. A sneer curved
her lips. That had certainly been a smart move. After a considerable amount of
brainwashing, they had become the perfect soldiers.
Jadeite, Zoisite, Nephrite, Kunzite. She giggled. What fools they were!
They had no idea how much entertainment they had unwittingly given her. Oh the irony!
The senshi hadn't stood a chance when she had finally unleashed her forces on the
galaxy. She remembered, in particular, the look of horror and denial on Mercury's
face when Zoisite ran her through with an ice crystal. Ahh, the senshi being killed
by their true loves...Beryl stretched langorously...that had been truly poetic.
Her thoughts turned dark as she thought about the outcome of that particular
battle. Endymion had been lost to her and in the end, that stupid Bitch Queen had
ruined everything. It wasn't fair. If it wasn't for that crystal... Yes, she
would've at least had something.
She focused on the present. Oh well, she had been brought up to try, try
again. Despite the considerable loss to her numbers, she was really quite confident
that she would succeed this time. The senshi were younger than she remembered, and
therefore, more apt to make mistakes. The generals would get rid of them soon
enough. All she had to do, therefore, was locate Endymion, find out who that
damn Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask were and kill them, and finally, get her hands on
that magnificent Silver Crystal.
Her resolve strengthened, she telepathically called the generals to her.
All four arrived in flashes of energy at once, immediately bowing down to her. Beryl
smiled, she always did get a kick out of that.
"Gentlemen," she addressed them, "I believe it's time to send out another
youma. And if it's not too much trouble this time, GET RID OF THE SENSHI!"
Jadeite ventured to look up, sloppy bangs falling into his eyes, "Of course,
my Queen, we're doing everything we can, but they're more powerful than you think."
Inwardly he scowled. It was true. Both sides were relatively equal, and therefore,
were at a stalemate. What the senshi lacked in knowlege and experience, they more
than made up in power. And THAT, was what her highness failed to realize.
Beryl stared him down. "You killed them once, how hard can it be to kill
them again?" She hissed. "What's more, they've just been awakened. I suggest you
take advantage of the situation."
Kunzite, meanwhile, was pondering an idea. The senshi, despite their age,
were still considerable foes. They were amazingly powerful and he suspected that
a large amount of that power was still untapped. After all, we killed them before
they were able to explore them. What if...what if...they were brought over to
serve Queen Beryl? The Negaverse would gain some powerful allies, and...he and his
comrades would be spared killing their loves again.
Mina... something forbidden in his heart stirred. He couldn't deny that he
still loved her as much as he did a thousand years ago. But orders were orders.
She was working for the enemy and his specialty was crushing the enemy. Still,
something in his heart clenched whenever he hurt her in battle. But if she
was converted, he'd have a chance to rekindle what they once had. The notion had
boundless possibilities.
He spoke up, "Forgive me, my Queen, but I have a suggestion." He paused.
"Suppose we bring the senshi over to our side. Zoisite has perfected the mind
control techniques, once we get them here, it'd be a simple matter to turn them."
He stood as Queen Beryl got a faraway look in her eyes. "The Negaverse would gain
some powerful allies."
Beryl smiled. My, my, my, they are a smart investment. What Kunzite
was saying made sense. With the senshi on her side, she'd be unstoppable. When
the Moon Princess resurfaced and discovered that her senshi had betrayed her, she'd
be no match. And with her out of the picture, when she found Endymion, no one
would be able to take him away. And they'd rule side by side, always and forever...
just as it was meant to be.
However..., she frowned. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask were still mysteries.
She would have to tread carefully as those two would certainly put a kink in her
plans. She had previously believed that Sailor Moon and the Moon Princess were one
and the same but she had dismissed that idea when she observed some discrepancies in
Sailor Moon's behavior. The scared little senshi, Serenity? Never! She laughed at
the thought. The two didn't even look alike! But perhaps Moon was installed by the
dead Queen's spirit to protect her daughter. Yes...that would certainly make sense.
Tuxedo Mask, however, was still a complete enigma. And that made him dangerous.
She turned to Kunzite. "Yes, I suppose they would be more valuable alive.
But we musn't make a move yet...not until we figure out Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask..."
She trailed off. Then, turning to the generals she said, "Perhaps we've been going
about this all wrong. I want you gentlemen to send out a youma to this energy point
as planned. But this time, don't attack the senshi yourselves, just observe..." She
stood. "I want to know all I can about the senshi and Tuxedo Mask before we make a
move, especially Moon and Mask. After all, knowlege is power. I don't care how you do
it, just give me something I can use. Go now."
"As you wish." The generals brought their fists to their chests and
disappeared.
Queen Beryl laughed. If she bided her time, everything she'd ever wanted
would soon be hers.
Same drill, everyone! Let's all follow Narvis26's example and E-mail me!
See, I'm trying to establish a pattern here: Story, E-mail, story, E-mail, story.
It's positive reinforcement...or something, I don't know, I wasn't really
paying attention in Psychology last semester (too busy staring at the hottie
sitting across the room). MLLEemme@aol.com