*Nine*
"Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell"-- Macbeth by William Shakespeare
The room was dim, dark, there was no sound, no color, no light. This was how Azure liked it, this was how she had lived for the past centuries of her life. Ever since she had given up her old existence and joined the Negaverse, she had been by herself, no companion, no friend, no one to talk to, this was the way that she liked it, the way that she was used to. She had had friends at one time, been loved, been happy, but that was something of the past, something that she no longer cared about. She sat silently, letting her thoughts wander aimlessly. Somehow, they always seemed to wander to her previous life, one that she had been "happy" in. Throughout the eons, she had retained this memories. Perhaps it was because she couldn't get rid of them, or perhaps she just never tried to. Now, they all began to flood back, overloading her mind with images, images of a faraway kingdom now long destroyed, memories of the Silver Millennium.
"Princess Azure!" Someone was calling her name. The young woman stood up, dusting her long dress off. She shielded her eyes from the piercing sun above her as she looked towards the building. She waved a hand in the air, trying to attract the attention of the little girl that was calling her name.
"I'm over here!" She called, absently running her fingers through her long, wavy, blue hair. As the little girl looked towards Azure, she began to run.
"Princess," The servant said, finally reaching a good hearing distance, "Queen Serenity wanted me to tell you that you should prepare for the ball tonight… it'll start in a few hours."
"Thank you," Azure said, smiling down at the little girl, "Please tell her that I will be in soon."
The servant nodded, smiling widely before running back towards the palace. Azure watched as she disappeared into the marble pillars of the Silver Millennium Palace. She sighed, looking down at her hand. On her right middle finger, she wore a small diamond ring. This was to show her rank, to let the whole kingdom know that she was Princess Azure, the second heir to the throne. Her cousin, Princess Serenity, was the Heir Apparent to the throne, being the daughter of the reigning Queen. But should something happen to Princess Serenity, whom most called Serena, Azure would have to take the responsibility of ruling the Moon Kingdom. Azure sighed, hoping that she would never have to bare the burden of being Queen. Her cousin seemed to take it so well, accepting her royal duties and tasks, never asking questions. Serena was far more ready for the role than Azure would ever be. But she knew that it was a necessity for herself to be the second heir, especially in these times of troubles.
"Azure!" A familiar voice was calling to her. The young woman turned around, letting her crystal blue eyes wander. Finally, they settled on the figure of another young woman. She was dressed all in white, her dress flowing to the ground and into a train. Gold embroidery embellished the sleeves as well as the neckline of the dress. She wore on her head, a tiara made almost entirely out of diamonds. Around her wrist, was a single golden chain. One of her hands was hidden behind her back. This was the Heir Apparent to the throne of the Moon Kingdom, her cousin, Princess Serenity.
"Serena!" Azure called back, smiling at her cousin, "I thought you'd be getting ready for the ball!"
"Yes…" Serena replied, "I was just heading inside when I saw you out here in the garden, I thought I'd walk with you."
Azure smiled, nodding, "All right." She replied, walking towards Serena. The two princesses began to walk slowly, beneath the beautiful shade of the oak trees above. "Where were you earlier, if you weren't getting ready for the ball?" Azure asked, peering at Serena, "I thought you'd be over by the fountain, but you weren't there."
"I had some other things to do…" Serena replied quickly, turning her gaze to the ground. She fumbled with something in her left hand, but she kept hiding it behind her back where Azure couldn't reach it.
The other princess smiled, laughing. Quickly, she reached behind Serena's back, grabbing the object before the Moon Princess could dodge out of the way. Azure produced a single, long-stemmed rose, now in full bloom with crimson red petals. "So, how is Prince Endymoin?" She asked, twirling the flower.
Serena blushed, quickly grabbing the rose back, "You don't know it's from him."
Azure smiled, "Come on, Serena. I'm your cousin, I'm supposed to know these things. Ever since we were children, you and Prince Endymoin have known each other. Now that you are growing up to be a young woman, it is only natural that you two get together." She grinned, "Seeing as to how I am eighteen and you are sixteen, I think I have more experience with such matters."
Serena laughed, "You really think so? I mean, sure, I've always known him. I've met almost every single prince in the whole kingdom by now, as have you, but I've always watched him from afar. For Goodness Sake, he's three years older than I am!"
"So?" Azure asked, teasingly, "He might be nineteen now, but you are still the one he has the eye on." She eyed the rose, "The rose is Endymoin's sacred sign, and he would not give it to you if he did not care for you."
Serena blushed, searching for words to retort with, "Well," She finally said, "Enough talk about Prince Endymoin, what about that Prince Galaxia of yours?"
"You mean Andre?" Azure asked, trying to keep the excitement from her voice, "Yeah, I guess I've seen him around."
"Seen him around?!" Serena exclaimed, laughing, "I saw how you two went off into the garden at the last ball instead of staying to dance…"
Now it was Azure's turn to blush, "That was different…"
Serena smiled, "Well?" She asked, watching Azure, "Did he invite you to tonight's ball?"
Azure looked away, trying to hide her smile, "Yes."
Serena clapped her hands triumphantly, "That's wonderful!" With that, the two princesses walked into the palace, laughing and joking with each other.
That had been so long ago, so long that Azure was amazed that she still remembered. A part of her longed for that carefree, happy life, but she knew that it had all been a lie. Nothing lasted, and the Silver Millennium was a good example of that. Azure laughed bitterly, she had been so naïve then, believing that everything was simple, that nothing would change. The centuries of death, war, and fighting had changed her, now she was no longer such a soft nobody, she was Azure, the new Queen of the Negaverse. She didn't need love, or happiness, all she needed was the power running through her veins, keeping her young, and strong forever. Ever since she had gotten her first taste of Dark Energy, she knew that she could never return to that simple life, for as she felt it coursing through her blood, she knew all the possibilities. Nothing could satisfy her now, except for the best. Her fingers dug into the fine upholstery of her throne as she remembered how she had been betrayed, betrayed by her innocence and her faith. She had believed that everything would be all right; she had believed that good could win, and she had lost. No, Princess Azure Moonbeam of the Silver Millennium was dead, only Queen Azure Darkjewel lived now. She would not be fooled, not again.
* * *
Serena sighed, returning back to her house. Her thoughts were jumbled, who was Azure, why did she seem so familiar? She couldn't seem to explain the strange feeling that seemed to take her over whenever she was around the Dark Queen. Was Azure not the enemy? The one who was trying to destroy the universe? But something in her told her that Azure had not always been this way, why couldn't she figure out what was bothering her so much? She bit her lip, frustrated, as she opened the door. Luna quickly ran inside, followed by Serena. As the two made their way to the living room, they were greeted by Darien. He was sitting on the couch, watching Rini sprawled out on the floor. The little girl was watching TV, seemingly engrossed deeply in the plot of Saturday Morning Cartoons. Darien looked up as they came in.
"So, what's the news?" He asked, getting up.
"Well, we don't know who this Azure is, and we don't know how much power she has. We only know that she's dangerous." Luna replied, staking herself out a place on the couch.
Darien frowned, shrugging, "She's only been around for a while. She asked me for this thing called the 'Jet Stone,' I don't know what it is, but somehow, I instinctively reacted anyway. It's as if I should know what she is talking about, but I don't…"
Serena furrowed her eyebrows in thought, "The Jet Stone?" She asked, "I've never heard of it. I thought that she would be asking for the Silver Crystal… She seems to know me, to know us, but we don't know her. We never showed her our identities, yet she knows that I am Sailor Moon as well as the Moon Princess, Serenity, and she recognizes the power of the Silver Crystal…"
Darien nodded, "Yeah, I got that feeling too. It's as if she knows something that we don't… this is really bugging me. Somehow, I feel like I've known her before…"
"Then you feel it too!" Serena exclaimed with excitement, "When I asked the other Scouts, they said that they've never heard of Azure before, but I have this feeling that I should know her."
Darien shrugged again, shaking his head, "I wish I knew what was going on…" There was a long pause before he finally sighed, "Anyway…" He looked towards Rini who was still engrossed with the TV set, "I should probably get home now." He turned his gaze to Serena, "Thanks for letting me stay the night."
Serena nodded, "No problem." She replied with a wane smile.
"Seeya, Rini." Darien waved to the little girl. She looked up for a moment, her eyes finding his.
"Bye Darien." She replied, waving before she returned her full attention to her cartoons. Serena walked with Darien to the door.
"Well, I hope that you can get this figured out soon." Darien said, "If you ever have more developments, be sure to let me know."
"Right," Serena replied, "We will. Ami has been working on a program and she might be able to figure out something."
Darien nodded, "All right." He smiled, opening the door, "See you around, Serena." He waved before slipping out the door.
"Bye!" Serena called after him as she walked down the driveway and onto the sidewalk. She watched him walk away, leaning absently against the doorframe. Her eyes began to un-focus, and she realized that her thoughts had begun to wander again, she seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. She shook her head, clearing her throat before closing the door and locking it. She walked back into the living room, sitting down and joining Rini in cartoons.
* * *
Azure watched as Darien walked home. She grinned, now was her chance. She looked over at Venom, waving the woman over to her, "Maybe we should stir up some trouble for Prince Endymoin." She said.
Venom nodded, "Yes, your Majesty." She replied quickly scurrying off to do her mistress' bidding. Azure watched the young man continue down the road. He looked so similar to his past self, though he was slightly younger. He still held that regal, elegant air that only a prince could possess. She grinned, remembering when she first saw Serena. The girl barely retained any resemblance of the Princess Serenity she once knew. There was nothing elegant or graceful about the Serena of today, one could hardly tell that she was of royal blood. She leaned back in her seat, pondering. So they didn't know who she was. Well, that was for the better. The longer she could keep them in the dark, the better advantage she would have. However, a part of her wanted them to remember her, to remember how they had hurt her, betrayed her. She bit her lip, tasting the metallic bitterness of blood. She would not be satisfied until she had her revenge, until she could make Serenity and Endymoin feel the harsh pain that she had felt.
* * *
Darien turned the key deftly and let himself into his apartment. He looked at his watch, realizing that he had spent most of the morning at Serena's house. He shrugged, looking at his answering machine. The display indicated that he had one new message. He keyed the mechanism on, listening to the message:
"Hey Darien," Emmy's voice came from the speaker, "This is Emmy. I wanted to thank you for letting me come with you on your camping trip. I enjoyed it a lot, and I'm glad that I came. I was wondering if we could get together some time… Please call me back soon."
He looked back at the clock, again assessing the time. Finally, he decided that he would call later on.
* * *
The night was perfect, the stars shone brightly in the sky. The marble pillars of the palace were far away as Azure found herself in the garden. She breathed in the cool, fresh air, letting it calm and soothe her. Her heart was beating so quickly, she felt so incredibly happy.
"Azure…" His voice was soft and close to her. She let herself lean backwards and into him, "I wanted to tell you something…"
Azure closed her eyes, smiling. She turned around to face him and then to look into those dark, deep pools of caramel.
"Azure," He took her hand, "You are the second heir to the Moon Kingdom, a princess of Moonbeam blood. I am only a small prince, representing my planet. What I offer is nothing compared to what others can give you, but I can give you my love, and my heart."
Azure smiled, "That is all I want, Andre." She replied, "I love you, and only you. No one can offer more than what you have given me."
He sighed, "There are tough times coming, my princess." He finally said, "You know that war is breaking out all over the place. This… Beryl, and her Negaverse, she is powerful and she has already destroyed so much. I can't promise that you won't get hurt, but I promise that I'll always be with you."
Azure leaned into him, breathing in his familiar scent, "We will always be together, Andre." She whispered, "Always."
* * *
A gentle breeze seemed to flow into the room through the open window. It brushed past the curtains, sweeping past the bed and barely brushed Serena's cheek. The girl sat, her legs crossed, on the floor. Her eyes were closed, her expression one of joy. She was breathing in and out slowly. Luna watched her, her head cocked at an angle. Ever since Serena had returned from the camping trip, she often would sink into one of these strange meditations. Luna almost wished that Serena would become bubbly and jumpy, like she used to be, instead of being so sober.
"Serena…" Luna finally said, laying a paw on the girl's knee.
Serena opened her eyes and blinked, her pupils finally coming into focus, "Hmm?" She asked, looking towards her pet, "What is it Luna?"
"Shouldn't you be doing your homework?" Luna asked, hoping for Serena's usual wailing and complaining as a reply.
"Oh… right…" Was the reply that she received instead. Luna's eyes widened, was Serena actually agreeing with her? The young woman got up and went to retrieve her books. She neatly stacked them atop the table and began to diligently read through her math homework.
"You know," Serena chatted with Luna, "I'm glad that I'm going to summer school. Now I can catch up with everyone else and I'll be able to move at a faster pace at the beginning of next school year. I wish that classes in summer school met more often instead of just on Saturday."
The cat's jaw, though impossible as it may seem, dropped even lower to the ground. Did she just hear Serena praise summer school? Now there was definitely something wrong.
"Serena?" Luna asked, "Are you feeling all right?"
"Yes, of course I am, Luna." Serena replied, looking down at the cat, "Now would you please leave me, I need to read this chapter for this week's class."
Luna shook her head, dazed, to say the least, as she left the room.
* * *
Serena watched as Luna left. After the door had closed, she turned her attention back to her textbook. Her eyes wandered through the different equations and algorithms as she memorized each of them carefully. She realized that now that she'd returned from the camping trip, schoolwork wasn't as hard as it used to be. She could relate to Ami and her irresistible need to study. After a while, work actually wasn't all that bad. Neatly, she began to write out her homework assignment on the lined paper in front of her. Her concentration never slipped and she soon realized that she had already finished her assignment for the upcoming week.
"Serena…" the girl looked up to find that the cat had returned, this time with some comics under her paws, "I found some of Rei's old comic books in the living room… I don't believe you've read these yet."
Serena scanned the covers quickly, "Yeah, I haven't gotten around to reading those yet. Why don't you just leave them over there on the dresser, I might read a bit before going to bed."
Luna didn't reply, she stood, literally, frozen to the tabletop, her eyes as round as circles. "Serena, are you sure that everything is all right?"
She smiled, "Yes." She replied, "I guess I've grown out of comic books, Luna. Besides, I've got to finish my science homework."
"Serena!" Luna exclaimed, "You've never done your homework before!"
She shrugged, "There's a time for everything." She stated, "I don't want to be the stupid one anymore. I mean, Ami will always be the smartest in the group, but I'm tired of being the ditz. I'm supposed to the Moon Princess; I'm supposed to lead the group, right? How can I do that if I don't understand my responsibilities? I think it's time for me to start getting things right."
