Here we have the new and (hopefully) improved chapter 2. Let me know what you think by reviewing
it, onegai!
Oh yeah, and if there's any confusion, this: ///blah, blah/// is a flashback scene.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Okaasan? You wished to see me?" the Moon Princess asked, entering the huge throne room.
The gentle queen smiled down at her daughter from her throne. All who stood before the queen of
the Silver Millennium were intimidated by her regal baring, but she had such a disarming smile
that their fears were immediately put to rest. She waited until the girl had crossed from the
door to her pedestal before speaking.
"Hai, my darling. I am sure by now you have heard about the colony that exploded naught
but two suns ago?"
"Hai, Okaasan, I have."
The queen nodded, pleased that her daughter was at least keeping up with the current events, if
not the rest of her studies. Though she knew her daughter would not take well to the idea of an
arranged marriage, she could only hope for the best.
"Not all were killed. There was one survivor. He is here now, on the moon ... " Serenity
paused, "He is your fiancee."
Princess Selenity's mouth dropped open in shock. A betrothal, without her consent? This was
something she had never given thought to, never thought she would have to deal with.
"You ... you have betrothed me? ... " she squeaked.
A million things were running through her head. Why would her mother do something like this
without telling her? Without giving her a chance to choose? How did she cope? What about
Heero? And most importantly, how did she get out of this?! She could think of nothing.
Finally, with sad eyes, showing her mother how she really felt, Selenity nodded.
"Very well, okaasan. Wakatta. I will wait until tonight to meet him, if that pleases
you."
Queen Serenity stood from her throne and slowly walked down the steps to her daughter, her dress
hindering her movement. She took the small girl in her arms and hugged her reassuringly.
"It will be fine. I understand you must need some time to get used to the idea. Do not
worry, my daughter. ... You may go now."
The small princess pulled out of her mother's embrace and gave a small smile and curtsy. Then
she turned and left the room. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it and willed
herself not to cry. She would have to be strong for once.
"Sele-chan! What happened? You look awful!" yelled a cheerful, though worried, voice.
The Moon princess turned and saw another blond girl running to her. Minako-hime, Princess of
Venus and Sailor Venus, leader of the Sailor Senshi. She smiled softly at the girl who stopped
beside her, panting for breath.
"Konnichiwa, Minako-chan."
"Kon ... nichi ... wa ... Sele-chan. What's ... wrong?" the other panted.
Selenity giggled a little and sighed.
"Betsuni, betsuni. Okaasan has just informed me of my betrothal. It's nothing to worry
about. I've been waiting for this day."
Minako looked horrified. Being from the planet associated with love, she was taught to see the
threads of destiny that connected lovers, and knew that Heero and Selenity were bound by the red
thread. While it was not the purest kind of love, it could only grow stronger with each passing
day.
"YOUR BETROTHAL?!"
"Hai. Tonight is the welcoming party for him. He is the only survivor of his colony."
"The one that exploded?"
"Mm."
The Moon princess found herself engulfed in a comforting hug. She returned it sadly.
"Shimpai nai! Be happy. This is your engagement! It will not be official until your
mother announces it, there may be a chance for you and Heero yet. There can be no frowns when it
comes to love!" Minako declared, secretly praying that the Queen would change her mind and
announce the engagement of Heero and the Princess instead.
Selenity laughed, no matter what the situation, the bubbly princess of Venus always knew what to
say. She hugged Minako back with more fervor.
"Arigatou, Minako-chan!"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
He'd been beaten. By a woman. Again. He hadn't felt cheated about it either, or wanted
revenge, or felt weak or annoyed. Then he just had to go and meet up with his whining fiancee,
WuFei mused angrily as he stomped through the gardens, completely lost ... but not really caring.
Finally he stopped near a small pond surrounded by weeping willow trees and green bushes with
white flowers dotting them. It was a very peaceful setting, one that he could meditate easily in
and try to figure out the torrent of emotions flowing in him.
/// She'd won. Makoto had proved him wrong, like Meiran had, and won. But she hadn't seem happy
about her victory. In fact, she'd seemed disappointed, not in him, but in herself. Haruka had
come over and declared her the winner, congratulating her with a pat on the shoulder, but no
words. Then she'd left, and the two had been left alone. Neither knew what to do or say, so
they stood there. Finally Makoto took a deep breath and looked at him.
"Sumimasen!" she'd cried, and ran out.
WuFei stared after her. He knew what he was thinking, but did not want to say it out loud. His
stubbornness and pride would not allow for that.
"Dai ... daijobu ... " he'd whispered to the air after she'd gone.
He turned and walked out of the gym in the opposite direction. Three voices came down the hall
talking to each other, about him. He hid in the shadows of a pillar that circled around a
corner.
" ... so when you meet him, remember to be nice."
"And do not stuff your face like you always do."
"Rei-chan! You're so mean!" a voice whined.
"Selenity-hime! Shush! Kitei. This is your fiancee. If I am right, he has come from a
strict up-bringing culture, which means his ways are different from ours. So you must have an
open mind when you speak to him."
THAT was his fiancee?! The whining brat?! K'so!
"We do not know what he is like, but if Ami-chan is right, then he is probably a
fighter."
"A fighter!? Shimatta!"
"Sele-chan! Watch your language. I know you do not like fighting and violence, but
remember, things can not always be solved by talking over hot cups of tea. The world would not
need us if we could."
"I know I know, but okaasan is giving me up to a soldier? He's gonna be all strict and
everything's gonna run on a militaryliy timed day and leave no room for fun and the food is gonna
be awful and, and ... "
*SLAP*
"Sele-chan! Yamero! Do not say another word, I do not want to hear it! You do not know
what he is like, do not make assumptions!" barked a new voice, one he recognized to be ...
Makoto's!?!
"Ma ... Mako-chan?!"
He could almost see the tall girl falling to her knees as was respectful form.
"Sumimasen, Selenity-hime! I didn't mean to ... I ... I just ... "
Now he could almost see the others fall to their knees so they were eye to eye with her. He
could envision comforting hands on her shoulders.
"Was it your gift?" the first voice.
An imagined nod.
"You felt something, didn't you? Pain?" the other voice.
" ... Torture ... "
That was when he had made himself known. He had stepped out of the shadows and walked into the
hall, into their line of vision.
"Betrothed," he'd said to announce himself, "I would speak with you in private."
She had looked up, shocked, but had stood and followed him father down the hall. Though she did
not want to acknowledge his presence, at this point she had no real choice.
"Betrothed," she said, curtsying.
"So you do know your manners. That is good."
"Nani?! ... You, who knows nothing of our culture, assume that I have no manners?! How
dare you?!" she shouted at him.
WuFei smirked at her. She realized what he had been doing, egging her to see how she handled
herself, and at least had the good grace to blush.
"You are an interesting girl. Not one I'd choose for a fiancee, but we have very little
choice on the matter. Perhaps you will become even more so when you grow up and learn a bit of
self control."
"You're as mean as Rei-chan!" she whined, "Why did you have to come here and ruin
everything? And Heero was about to ask 'Kaasan ... oh never mind! I hate you!"
She ran to her friends as WuFei stalked away, wishing he had never accepted the proposal of her
mother.///
"Saa, neither of us handled ourselves very well, did we?" the Chinese boy mused to
himself.
"Iie. I'd say you rather didn't."
WuFei snapped his head around, searching for the owner of the voice.
"Dare da?"
"Tsk, tsk. Such a short time and you've already forgotten me. I'm rather disappointed."
Makoto appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, on his other side, leaning boyishly against a tree.
Her face was set in an innocent smirk, but the boy knew enough from Meiran and the war to know
that she was anything but innocent. She was too well educated in the art of fighting not to have
some amount of blood on her hands.
"I figured you'd find your way here. I often come here myself, and we're not as different
as you'd like us to be. Come on now, we've got to get you settled in your quarters before the
dinner tonight. I can show you to Duo, then he'll take you to your room," the Senshi of Jupiter
smiled and pushed away from the tree.
WuFei got up slowly, wondering when she'd snuck up on him, and mentally berating himself for the
slip in his guard.
"Very well. Ikuyo."
Makoto smirked again, amused and slightly smug this time, as WuFei began walking in the wrong
direction.
"'Fei-kun."
The boy whirled around. He opened his mouth to rant at her about his name being 'WuFei', but
Makoto jerked her thumb over her shoulder.
"We're going this way."
~Owari, chapter 2~
it, onegai!
Oh yeah, and if there's any confusion, this: ///blah, blah/// is a flashback scene.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Okaasan? You wished to see me?" the Moon Princess asked, entering the huge throne room.
The gentle queen smiled down at her daughter from her throne. All who stood before the queen of
the Silver Millennium were intimidated by her regal baring, but she had such a disarming smile
that their fears were immediately put to rest. She waited until the girl had crossed from the
door to her pedestal before speaking.
"Hai, my darling. I am sure by now you have heard about the colony that exploded naught
but two suns ago?"
"Hai, Okaasan, I have."
The queen nodded, pleased that her daughter was at least keeping up with the current events, if
not the rest of her studies. Though she knew her daughter would not take well to the idea of an
arranged marriage, she could only hope for the best.
"Not all were killed. There was one survivor. He is here now, on the moon ... " Serenity
paused, "He is your fiancee."
Princess Selenity's mouth dropped open in shock. A betrothal, without her consent? This was
something she had never given thought to, never thought she would have to deal with.
"You ... you have betrothed me? ... " she squeaked.
A million things were running through her head. Why would her mother do something like this
without telling her? Without giving her a chance to choose? How did she cope? What about
Heero? And most importantly, how did she get out of this?! She could think of nothing.
Finally, with sad eyes, showing her mother how she really felt, Selenity nodded.
"Very well, okaasan. Wakatta. I will wait until tonight to meet him, if that pleases
you."
Queen Serenity stood from her throne and slowly walked down the steps to her daughter, her dress
hindering her movement. She took the small girl in her arms and hugged her reassuringly.
"It will be fine. I understand you must need some time to get used to the idea. Do not
worry, my daughter. ... You may go now."
The small princess pulled out of her mother's embrace and gave a small smile and curtsy. Then
she turned and left the room. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it and willed
herself not to cry. She would have to be strong for once.
"Sele-chan! What happened? You look awful!" yelled a cheerful, though worried, voice.
The Moon princess turned and saw another blond girl running to her. Minako-hime, Princess of
Venus and Sailor Venus, leader of the Sailor Senshi. She smiled softly at the girl who stopped
beside her, panting for breath.
"Konnichiwa, Minako-chan."
"Kon ... nichi ... wa ... Sele-chan. What's ... wrong?" the other panted.
Selenity giggled a little and sighed.
"Betsuni, betsuni. Okaasan has just informed me of my betrothal. It's nothing to worry
about. I've been waiting for this day."
Minako looked horrified. Being from the planet associated with love, she was taught to see the
threads of destiny that connected lovers, and knew that Heero and Selenity were bound by the red
thread. While it was not the purest kind of love, it could only grow stronger with each passing
day.
"YOUR BETROTHAL?!"
"Hai. Tonight is the welcoming party for him. He is the only survivor of his colony."
"The one that exploded?"
"Mm."
The Moon princess found herself engulfed in a comforting hug. She returned it sadly.
"Shimpai nai! Be happy. This is your engagement! It will not be official until your
mother announces it, there may be a chance for you and Heero yet. There can be no frowns when it
comes to love!" Minako declared, secretly praying that the Queen would change her mind and
announce the engagement of Heero and the Princess instead.
Selenity laughed, no matter what the situation, the bubbly princess of Venus always knew what to
say. She hugged Minako back with more fervor.
"Arigatou, Minako-chan!"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
He'd been beaten. By a woman. Again. He hadn't felt cheated about it either, or wanted
revenge, or felt weak or annoyed. Then he just had to go and meet up with his whining fiancee,
WuFei mused angrily as he stomped through the gardens, completely lost ... but not really caring.
Finally he stopped near a small pond surrounded by weeping willow trees and green bushes with
white flowers dotting them. It was a very peaceful setting, one that he could meditate easily in
and try to figure out the torrent of emotions flowing in him.
/// She'd won. Makoto had proved him wrong, like Meiran had, and won. But she hadn't seem happy
about her victory. In fact, she'd seemed disappointed, not in him, but in herself. Haruka had
come over and declared her the winner, congratulating her with a pat on the shoulder, but no
words. Then she'd left, and the two had been left alone. Neither knew what to do or say, so
they stood there. Finally Makoto took a deep breath and looked at him.
"Sumimasen!" she'd cried, and ran out.
WuFei stared after her. He knew what he was thinking, but did not want to say it out loud. His
stubbornness and pride would not allow for that.
"Dai ... daijobu ... " he'd whispered to the air after she'd gone.
He turned and walked out of the gym in the opposite direction. Three voices came down the hall
talking to each other, about him. He hid in the shadows of a pillar that circled around a
corner.
" ... so when you meet him, remember to be nice."
"And do not stuff your face like you always do."
"Rei-chan! You're so mean!" a voice whined.
"Selenity-hime! Shush! Kitei. This is your fiancee. If I am right, he has come from a
strict up-bringing culture, which means his ways are different from ours. So you must have an
open mind when you speak to him."
THAT was his fiancee?! The whining brat?! K'so!
"We do not know what he is like, but if Ami-chan is right, then he is probably a
fighter."
"A fighter!? Shimatta!"
"Sele-chan! Watch your language. I know you do not like fighting and violence, but
remember, things can not always be solved by talking over hot cups of tea. The world would not
need us if we could."
"I know I know, but okaasan is giving me up to a soldier? He's gonna be all strict and
everything's gonna run on a militaryliy timed day and leave no room for fun and the food is gonna
be awful and, and ... "
*SLAP*
"Sele-chan! Yamero! Do not say another word, I do not want to hear it! You do not know
what he is like, do not make assumptions!" barked a new voice, one he recognized to be ...
Makoto's!?!
"Ma ... Mako-chan?!"
He could almost see the tall girl falling to her knees as was respectful form.
"Sumimasen, Selenity-hime! I didn't mean to ... I ... I just ... "
Now he could almost see the others fall to their knees so they were eye to eye with her. He
could envision comforting hands on her shoulders.
"Was it your gift?" the first voice.
An imagined nod.
"You felt something, didn't you? Pain?" the other voice.
" ... Torture ... "
That was when he had made himself known. He had stepped out of the shadows and walked into the
hall, into their line of vision.
"Betrothed," he'd said to announce himself, "I would speak with you in private."
She had looked up, shocked, but had stood and followed him father down the hall. Though she did
not want to acknowledge his presence, at this point she had no real choice.
"Betrothed," she said, curtsying.
"So you do know your manners. That is good."
"Nani?! ... You, who knows nothing of our culture, assume that I have no manners?! How
dare you?!" she shouted at him.
WuFei smirked at her. She realized what he had been doing, egging her to see how she handled
herself, and at least had the good grace to blush.
"You are an interesting girl. Not one I'd choose for a fiancee, but we have very little
choice on the matter. Perhaps you will become even more so when you grow up and learn a bit of
self control."
"You're as mean as Rei-chan!" she whined, "Why did you have to come here and ruin
everything? And Heero was about to ask 'Kaasan ... oh never mind! I hate you!"
She ran to her friends as WuFei stalked away, wishing he had never accepted the proposal of her
mother.///
"Saa, neither of us handled ourselves very well, did we?" the Chinese boy mused to
himself.
"Iie. I'd say you rather didn't."
WuFei snapped his head around, searching for the owner of the voice.
"Dare da?"
"Tsk, tsk. Such a short time and you've already forgotten me. I'm rather disappointed."
Makoto appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, on his other side, leaning boyishly against a tree.
Her face was set in an innocent smirk, but the boy knew enough from Meiran and the war to know
that she was anything but innocent. She was too well educated in the art of fighting not to have
some amount of blood on her hands.
"I figured you'd find your way here. I often come here myself, and we're not as different
as you'd like us to be. Come on now, we've got to get you settled in your quarters before the
dinner tonight. I can show you to Duo, then he'll take you to your room," the Senshi of Jupiter
smiled and pushed away from the tree.
WuFei got up slowly, wondering when she'd snuck up on him, and mentally berating himself for the
slip in his guard.
"Very well. Ikuyo."
Makoto smirked again, amused and slightly smug this time, as WuFei began walking in the wrong
direction.
"'Fei-kun."
The boy whirled around. He opened his mouth to rant at her about his name being 'WuFei', but
Makoto jerked her thumb over her shoulder.
"We're going this way."
~Owari, chapter 2~
