The Prince of the Earth
by Desslok
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters here, solely my
interpretations of them.
--------------
I've always gotten along better with women; even back in the
orphanage all of my best friends were girls, especially after
Fiore left. They just seem more real, more open, more in touch
with themselves. Sure, you need your buds to go to the arcade
with, to watch sports, to grab a brew at the pub, but, for me,
I've always been closest to a woman.
I wonder if that is because of who I am and what I am, my duties.
Protecting women has always seemed natural, even before I donned
the mask and rose. Helping them become something better, helping
them realize the strength in themselves, to give back some of the
confidence and assurance that our society seems to suck out of
them at a young age. I suppose it is my destiny, but if so, it
is a fate that sits loosely upon my shoulders. We are well-
suited, my fate and I.
Destiny has its rewards, as well. I suppose it possible that I
would have met Usagi in the normal course of things, but being so
much older than her, so different in the obvious ways, I doubt
that we'd have ever gotten past those things to find our hearts
in each other. I love her more than anything on this earth.
What I love most about her is the things that are so obvious to
all of us who love her, but which she just doesn't seem to know:
her concern for everyone around her, not just her friends, but
her enemies, even perfect strangers; her boundless hope and
optimism; her belief that there is always good to be found and
that love can heal all wounds, fix all problems, bring joy to
everyone. I've seen the magic she's worked in the lives of
others, not with tiara or scepter, but with a question, a
sympathetic ear, her infectious laugh. Even when I was dating
Rei, we'd spend more time talking about her than each other.
Ahhh, Rei. I enjoy the looks I get from the others when she and
I chat. They know we dated, they assume there is something
there, some tinge of regret at what might have been. We joke
about it over coffee some mornings. In some ways, Rei is my best
friend, at those times when you need someone who is only a friend
and nothing more. We suit each other that way. We both enjoy
creating an air of mystery and intrigue around ourselves. My
role lets me indulge in that quite often. Her profession suits
her. After all, who is more mysterious than a virgin priestess.
(Yes, virgin. We did not, never would have. She will when the
time is right, I'm sure, but only with someone very special. And
if he hurts her, I will hunt him down. If he is lucky, I will
get to him before her friends do.)
No, Rei isn't the one I might have chosen if Fate had left me to
my own devices. Don't get me wrong! I love Usagi and do not
regret in the least that my life has been bound to hers. There
is no one who could make me happier or with whom I'd rather spend
my life. But, I'm self-aware enough to realize that we aren't
always attracted to those who are best for us and, really, Usagi
isn't my type at all. No, I know which one would have captured
my heart if Destiny had not intervened.
You'll guess that it isn't Minako, since she is so similar to
Usagi. I think, of all of them, Minako is the one I know the
least. She came along later, after some of the bonds between
myself and the others had begun to form. But, that said, she is
still one of the closest people to me. They all are, of course.
I suppose things might have been different if I had had my
protectors, my 'senshi', but they were taken from me long before
I was born and I am more comfortable with the friends I have now.
Anyway, Minako. Blonde, boy-crazy, not too good in school, heart
full of love, achingly beautiful to all who see her (though not
really my type, like I said). Still, there are some crucial
differences between her and my Usagi. Nothing better or worse,
just different. For all of her crying and worry, Usagi is very
secure in herself. She knows who she is, what she is capable of,
she just needs to be reminded now and then. Minako, though, is
more fragile, more precious. There is pain inside of her, pain
and fear, which she masks very well under her Sailor V mask. She
needs someone to love her, to help her find herself. Perhaps
she is what Usagi would have been without me, or what I would
have been without Usagi. I think I know who will fill that void
in her, but she is young yet and I perhaps not quite ready to
come to grips with certain things.
Makoto is one of the sweetest girls, women, you could ever hope
to meet. Some who know her, but not well, see a tough girl and
assume that that is a shell around a sad, insecure soul longing
for something else. They've stopped a few levels too soon. No,
Makoto has had her share of pain and loss, but her toughness is
not a ruse, not a defense. She is tough, but not hard. She
gives of herself to others because she knows better than anyone
how much such things can mean to a person who has lost something
dear to them. She is secure in who she is, what her strengths
and weaknesses are. And she is patient. Sometimes, you need to
distance yourself from the one you love, when you are ready for
something that they are not. It hurt me deeply when I had to
push Usagi away, but she needed time to grow on her own, not in
my shadow. We all need to learn to rely on ourselves, before we
can be ready to give ourselves completely to others. Makoto
knows this, learned it at an early age as I did. She'll wait and
watch, confident that what she hopes and dreams of will come to
pass. I think her time of waiting is almost done, if I can judge
by the glances and confused sighs. Though we don't speak of it
much, we both know. Makoto and I are very much alike. I have my
Usagi. She will have hers soon.
I indeed have my Usagi, my love, by my side. She kids me
sometimes, though, because she knows. She is anything but
stupid, especially about matters of the heart, and she loves to
tease. She knows exactly who would have caught my eye. She
knows who I idly daydream about from time to time, and I don't
think it bothers her because she knows she has my heart. No more
than it bothers me when I see her go all googly-eyed over my
friend Motoki, or even Haruka, sometimes. I've always been
drawn to a particular type of girl. Someone intelligent, someone
simultaneously confident and ever so insecure, the ones who stand
just at the edge of the life around them, observing quietly,
waiting for their time to shine. I won't even mention the
hair...little bobs like that totally undo me. In another world,
I would strike up a friendship with her, study with her, share
our interests in science and computers. Slowly, I would draw
her out of her shell, confide my deepest longings to her and
encourage her to do the same. Love would blossom, slowly,
patiently, like a flower shooting through the hard soil of winter
into the spring sunshine. And I would take her in my arms and
hold her close and bask in the radiance of her smile. Ahhh,
sweet Ami, it is fun to ponder what might have been. You are a
wonderful friend, but I know inside myself how good it might have
been. I am glad that Usagi loves you just as much as I do, or
else I'd never hear the end of it about my little crush. I hope
you find your prince someday and that he truly deserves you.
----
Usagi carefully set Mamoru's notebook back exactly as she'd found
it. When she'd heard that he was doing introspective writing for
a psychology class, she hadn't been able to resist a peek. He
really was a sweet thing, so completely right about some things
and so completely wrong about others.
"Silly Mamo-chan," she thought, "Minako is no more delicate or
fragile than any of us. And Makoto does indeed have a long-hidden
love, but not for Mina-chan. I guess your little crush has put
some blinders on you."
Usagi knew it wouldn't be long. Indeed, there were shared
glances and plaintive sighs. Just the thought of his expression
when he found out that it who it really was that Makoto loved...
"Usagi, why are you laughing so hard, and what are you doing at
my desk?"
"Nothing, dear, nothing at all. Just thought of something funny,
but nothing you'd enjoy." And she continued laughing for quite
awhile.
by Desslok
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters here, solely my
interpretations of them.
--------------
I've always gotten along better with women; even back in the
orphanage all of my best friends were girls, especially after
Fiore left. They just seem more real, more open, more in touch
with themselves. Sure, you need your buds to go to the arcade
with, to watch sports, to grab a brew at the pub, but, for me,
I've always been closest to a woman.
I wonder if that is because of who I am and what I am, my duties.
Protecting women has always seemed natural, even before I donned
the mask and rose. Helping them become something better, helping
them realize the strength in themselves, to give back some of the
confidence and assurance that our society seems to suck out of
them at a young age. I suppose it is my destiny, but if so, it
is a fate that sits loosely upon my shoulders. We are well-
suited, my fate and I.
Destiny has its rewards, as well. I suppose it possible that I
would have met Usagi in the normal course of things, but being so
much older than her, so different in the obvious ways, I doubt
that we'd have ever gotten past those things to find our hearts
in each other. I love her more than anything on this earth.
What I love most about her is the things that are so obvious to
all of us who love her, but which she just doesn't seem to know:
her concern for everyone around her, not just her friends, but
her enemies, even perfect strangers; her boundless hope and
optimism; her belief that there is always good to be found and
that love can heal all wounds, fix all problems, bring joy to
everyone. I've seen the magic she's worked in the lives of
others, not with tiara or scepter, but with a question, a
sympathetic ear, her infectious laugh. Even when I was dating
Rei, we'd spend more time talking about her than each other.
Ahhh, Rei. I enjoy the looks I get from the others when she and
I chat. They know we dated, they assume there is something
there, some tinge of regret at what might have been. We joke
about it over coffee some mornings. In some ways, Rei is my best
friend, at those times when you need someone who is only a friend
and nothing more. We suit each other that way. We both enjoy
creating an air of mystery and intrigue around ourselves. My
role lets me indulge in that quite often. Her profession suits
her. After all, who is more mysterious than a virgin priestess.
(Yes, virgin. We did not, never would have. She will when the
time is right, I'm sure, but only with someone very special. And
if he hurts her, I will hunt him down. If he is lucky, I will
get to him before her friends do.)
No, Rei isn't the one I might have chosen if Fate had left me to
my own devices. Don't get me wrong! I love Usagi and do not
regret in the least that my life has been bound to hers. There
is no one who could make me happier or with whom I'd rather spend
my life. But, I'm self-aware enough to realize that we aren't
always attracted to those who are best for us and, really, Usagi
isn't my type at all. No, I know which one would have captured
my heart if Destiny had not intervened.
You'll guess that it isn't Minako, since she is so similar to
Usagi. I think, of all of them, Minako is the one I know the
least. She came along later, after some of the bonds between
myself and the others had begun to form. But, that said, she is
still one of the closest people to me. They all are, of course.
I suppose things might have been different if I had had my
protectors, my 'senshi', but they were taken from me long before
I was born and I am more comfortable with the friends I have now.
Anyway, Minako. Blonde, boy-crazy, not too good in school, heart
full of love, achingly beautiful to all who see her (though not
really my type, like I said). Still, there are some crucial
differences between her and my Usagi. Nothing better or worse,
just different. For all of her crying and worry, Usagi is very
secure in herself. She knows who she is, what she is capable of,
she just needs to be reminded now and then. Minako, though, is
more fragile, more precious. There is pain inside of her, pain
and fear, which she masks very well under her Sailor V mask. She
needs someone to love her, to help her find herself. Perhaps
she is what Usagi would have been without me, or what I would
have been without Usagi. I think I know who will fill that void
in her, but she is young yet and I perhaps not quite ready to
come to grips with certain things.
Makoto is one of the sweetest girls, women, you could ever hope
to meet. Some who know her, but not well, see a tough girl and
assume that that is a shell around a sad, insecure soul longing
for something else. They've stopped a few levels too soon. No,
Makoto has had her share of pain and loss, but her toughness is
not a ruse, not a defense. She is tough, but not hard. She
gives of herself to others because she knows better than anyone
how much such things can mean to a person who has lost something
dear to them. She is secure in who she is, what her strengths
and weaknesses are. And she is patient. Sometimes, you need to
distance yourself from the one you love, when you are ready for
something that they are not. It hurt me deeply when I had to
push Usagi away, but she needed time to grow on her own, not in
my shadow. We all need to learn to rely on ourselves, before we
can be ready to give ourselves completely to others. Makoto
knows this, learned it at an early age as I did. She'll wait and
watch, confident that what she hopes and dreams of will come to
pass. I think her time of waiting is almost done, if I can judge
by the glances and confused sighs. Though we don't speak of it
much, we both know. Makoto and I are very much alike. I have my
Usagi. She will have hers soon.
I indeed have my Usagi, my love, by my side. She kids me
sometimes, though, because she knows. She is anything but
stupid, especially about matters of the heart, and she loves to
tease. She knows exactly who would have caught my eye. She
knows who I idly daydream about from time to time, and I don't
think it bothers her because she knows she has my heart. No more
than it bothers me when I see her go all googly-eyed over my
friend Motoki, or even Haruka, sometimes. I've always been
drawn to a particular type of girl. Someone intelligent, someone
simultaneously confident and ever so insecure, the ones who stand
just at the edge of the life around them, observing quietly,
waiting for their time to shine. I won't even mention the
hair...little bobs like that totally undo me. In another world,
I would strike up a friendship with her, study with her, share
our interests in science and computers. Slowly, I would draw
her out of her shell, confide my deepest longings to her and
encourage her to do the same. Love would blossom, slowly,
patiently, like a flower shooting through the hard soil of winter
into the spring sunshine. And I would take her in my arms and
hold her close and bask in the radiance of her smile. Ahhh,
sweet Ami, it is fun to ponder what might have been. You are a
wonderful friend, but I know inside myself how good it might have
been. I am glad that Usagi loves you just as much as I do, or
else I'd never hear the end of it about my little crush. I hope
you find your prince someday and that he truly deserves you.
----
Usagi carefully set Mamoru's notebook back exactly as she'd found
it. When she'd heard that he was doing introspective writing for
a psychology class, she hadn't been able to resist a peek. He
really was a sweet thing, so completely right about some things
and so completely wrong about others.
"Silly Mamo-chan," she thought, "Minako is no more delicate or
fragile than any of us. And Makoto does indeed have a long-hidden
love, but not for Mina-chan. I guess your little crush has put
some blinders on you."
Usagi knew it wouldn't be long. Indeed, there were shared
glances and plaintive sighs. Just the thought of his expression
when he found out that it who it really was that Makoto loved...
"Usagi, why are you laughing so hard, and what are you doing at
my desk?"
"Nothing, dear, nothing at all. Just thought of something funny,
but nothing you'd enjoy." And she continued laughing for quite
awhile.