Moonlight Vignettes

I. Entangled Emotions

By: pandorabox82

AKA: Stephanie G.

Disclaimer: I do not own BSSM. I am just borrowing their universe for a bit of time. I promise not to make any money off this story, and to return the characters borrowed in the same condition they came to me in. Author's note is at the bottom of the story.

After Chaos was defeated, I returned to my post at the Gate of Time. Our mission to protect the Princess had succeeded and us outer senshi went back to defend the outer reaches of the Solar System.

I kept watch over the timeline, making sure it would not get corrupted. I witnessed the birth of Crystal Tokyo, and of Small Lady. And then, one day, a tangle appeared in the threads of time. It did not give off an evil aura, so I knew it was not a new enemy to defeat, but that was all I knew. For some reason, Time itself would not reveal the origins of this knot to me. All I could do was wait - something I'd had thousands of year's practise.



Small Lady was holding a party to celebrate her engagement to Elios. It was a small affair, just Hotaru, Diana, her parents, and myself. It was a merry get-together with lots of good food and plenty of champagne - at least for Serenity, Endymion, and myself. By the end of the party, I was a wee bit tipsy, along with Serenity. Endymion had somehow managed to stay sober - which was amazing since he had drunk more than Serenity and me combined.

"Well, I hope you girls are ready for tomorrow! The big announcement will be first thing in the morning!" Endymion chirped merrily, his eyes dancing with a mischievous light - knowing we would have major headaches in the morning.

"Mama, Elios is going home for the evening. He'll be back tomorrow before the ceremony. I'm going to say good night to him before he goes, and then I'm turning in myself. I'll see you in the morning, Mama."

"Okay, my dear. Make sure you get enough rest - tomorrow is a very important day, after all."

"I will, Mama," she replied as she gave her mother a tight hug. Then she approached me, and gave me a hug. "I love you, Puu. Thank you for being here for me this evening," she whispered in my ear.

"I love you too, Small Lady. I would never have missed out on this special time for you. In fact, I'm staying in the palace this evening, so I can't miss the big announcement," I softly whispered back.

"Thank you, Puu! You don't know what this means to me. I'll see you in the morning." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as we broke our embrace. Turning, she walked down the dais, and then she turned back, and gave a curtsy to the three of us. After rising, she went out the door into the hallway.

"Well, Setsuna, shall we go up to your room?" Serenity asked with false brightness, desperately trying to keep from breaking down. "If you'll excuse us," she said to Endymion, Hotaru, and Diana. Rising, she took my hand, and I felt a spark of recognition. Here and now was the tangle - and it involved Serenity.and myself?!?

I must have looked shocked, or stunned, for the next thing I knew Serenity was taking my arm and leading me dumbly to the stairs. I noticed nothing on our journey to my room, all I could think of was the spark I felt coming from Serenity was the same spark I had felt from Endymion so long ago. Finally we reached my room, where someone had brought my bags and laid out my nightclothes on the bed. I blushed as Serenity's gaze fell to them.

"Suna-chan." Her voice shook me out of my reverie. I turned my head towards her, my garnet eyes locking into her sapphire ones. "Suna-chan," she started again, now that she had my full attention. "I think, of all my senshi, you are the one I envy the most."

"Why would you, who has everything, envy me, Serenity-sama?"

"Usa-chan, Suna-chan. You don't have to be so formal with me. And why do I envy you? Isn't it obvious why? You have the love of my only daughter, you've always been so mature - much more suited to Mamo-chan than I am. Suna-chan, I think I'm falling in love with you." Her eyes, which had been turned away from me, came back to mine, and to my surprise, they were wet with tears.

I took her hand in mine, wildly trying to ignore the fluttering in my heart. "Usa-chan, you love Endymion-" even still I cannot call him anything other than the formal Endymion- "there can be no room for any other love in your heart."

"You're wrong, Suna-chan. The love I feel for Mamo-chan has dimmed to an ember. It's still there, but it's more gentle now. The burning passion I felt for him in my youth is gone. It has been for some time, but now, I'm beginning to fell it again - for you." She took my free hand in hers, and brought her face close to mine. "Suna-chan, give yourself over to absolute pleasure," she whispered before her petal-soft lips claimed mine. It seemed as if our kiss would last forever. Finally, however, our lips parted.

I stood there, dazed, trying to comprehend what had just occurred. Serenity took my hand, her eyes still clouded with desire, and with love. 'What the hell,' I thought. 'I've been without love for so long, and here it is staring me in the face. Was I always this blind? Absolute pleasure sounds damn good.' She led me to my bed, and together we slipped off our clothes, letting them pool on the floor around our feet. We fell to the bed, and I lost myself in love.



I woke the next morning in the arms of Serenity, a warm glow filling my body. As I stretched languidly in the streams of sun coming through my windows, Serenity roused from her slumber. I tousled her hair gently, smiling down into her sleepy eyes.

"Suna-chan, what time is it?" she asked.

I pulled my watch from the table, and looked at its face. "It's 7:02, Usa-chan. We have almost two hours before Small Lady's formal announcement. Come back in an hour and help me dress," I coquetishly say. "Now up, out of bed. You have to get back to Endymion before the servants can gossip."

"With a promise like helping you dress to motivate me, I'm sure I'll be back here with time to spare," she laughingly said as she walked out of my room.

Laughing, I went into the bathroom. Laid out on the vanity were all my make-up items, but one thing that stood out was a vial in the shape of a crescent moon. Intrigued, I picked it up and pulled off the stopper. The light scent of lilacs wafted from the vial. Smiling, I put the stopper back in, and set it down. Stepping into the shower, I let the water course down my body, remembering the past night. I was amazed at the things I felt and what I had let myself do. After I had washed my hair, I stepped out into the steamy bathroom.

Her voice startled me from my thoughts. "I couldn't wait for an hour, my darling," she silkily purred in my ear as she toweled dry my glistening body. After she had finished drying me off, she led me to the vanity where she proceeded to rub into my arms and legs a softly scented lotion. Then she took the vial of perfume and dabbed it onto my neck, my chest, and behind my knees.

I picked my brush up from the vanity, and was surprised when she took it from my hand. "No, Suna-chan. Let me do this for you," she said. I relaxed back into the chair of the vanity as she slowly ran the brush through my hair. When she had finished getting the tangles out, I started to put my hair up in it's usual half-bun, but once again, I was thwarted.

"Let's try something new with your hair, Suna-chan," she whispered as she pulled out a strand of pearls. She began to plait my thick hair, and managed to weave the pearls into the braid. It was then that I heard the sounds of footsteps in my room.

"Puu, where are you?"