Love Once Denied - Chapter 6

lemme just say this now - it's been fun.
i didn't get a lot of reviews, but i actually got a few more than i expected (yay!) and u guys actually came back to read more! ^_^
(special thanks goes out to Kiwi, DarkImperialPrincess, Usagi Usako Chiba, just a teen, Yui, and Luna Mars! - for all their positive encouragement!)

but i really do think that this has been my favorite story to post, short as it is. not quite sure why - just was.

thanks again to everybody, and enjoy...

In the few weeks following that, the princess Serenity was not seen at the castle again. Riots began to break out almost daily in the streets of Kyoto and other cities. The name Metalia was whispered in the secret dark among the people, and the royal family began to lose favor with the people of the nation.

News came from the moon that it too was struggling against hatred and frustration. The people there were more loyal, but an increasing number of demons was forming almost faster than the queen could destroy them. The moon's crystal glow at night began to fade; and during the day, the dark clouds still hovered on the horizon.

"Prince!" Hearing the shout from just around the corner, Kume suddenly stopped, put down the things she was carrying, and peered carefully in the direction of the voice she recognized as Kunzite's. He didn't sound happy.

"We are tired of submitting! We can no longer stand the Moon Kingdom's rule!"

"They spy on our every move!" Jadeite put in, making a fist.

The prince Darien threw his billowing cape back over his shoulder. "What do you mean submitting? And spying?" Darien paced angrily back and forth in front of his four generals, standing in a line. "Who told you this? That evil being? Don't you understand?! That evil power is using us!!" He spun sharply in front of Kunzite who winced slightly.

Darien lowered his voice, but the sharpness did not leave his face. "You are no better than the rest of my people."

"My lord Endymion..." Zoisite began, but Darien cut him off.

"Am I still your lord?" There was sadness in Darien's voice now. "Or will you join the rest of my people in a revolt against me?"

"Darien, my friend," Kunzite about choked over his words. "You know I would give my life for you. But I cannot stand such injustice anymore. The Moon Kingdom rules us without truly understanding us. How can they? They live far away and have discouraged their people from visiting. We are not even the same race. How can they possibly understand us?!"

Darien spoke again. "No, they do not completely understand us. But what ruler can ever completely understand those they rule? I do not completely understand my people. I never will. Here, I protect them, and now they turn so quickly against me. The Moon Kingdom protects us from the even larger dangers of the universe. We would not have survived to prosper if the queen and her crystal were not there for us."

"But there is no danger now!" Nephrite spoke up. "And they have impressed themselves enough on us."

Zoisite continued, "They set their religion and their rules over us. In truth, Prince, you do not rule. You are just a puppet for their power. It is the Princess Serenity who keeps you in check. Without her, you might wake up to the truth."

Darien paled, but with anger. "You dare!!!" Zoisite stepped back and Darien drew himself up only inches in front of his general. "You dare suggest that she is a spy! That she manipulates me!!! Beware, Zoisite," Darien narrowed his eyes. "Beware that you do not take another breath against my beloved, or our friendship will be forgotten."

There was a long silence, so still that Kume, watching from around the corner, felt that her fearful breathing would echo throughout the hall and reveal herself to them.

Finally, Kunzite spoke up, avoiding Darien's glance. "Prince. You love her. I know that much. But you must realize, that as long as the ways of the Moon Kingdom remain, you will never be able to love her openly. And when the time comes for her to be married, you will still lose her in a most painful way. We must break down the barriers that have been set up."

The prince too spoke quieter. "And how do you suggest that? A millennium ago, when we accepted the Moon Kingdom's protection, we also accepted their rule. And if I must, I give my power gladly to them. My loyalty lies not just with my love, but with the Moon itself." His last words were so soft that Kume could barely pick them up.

"Go if you must," Darien whispered, "But I will remain."

The four generals looked up in surprise, but Darien would not meet their eyes. Then, slowly, one-by-one, the generals turned and left, walking without speaking down the hallway, away from the prince. Kunzite was the last to leave; he glanced back once at Darien, but the prince had already turned away. So Kunzite turned and continued, reluctantly but still forward, on the path he had chosen.

Once his generals had disappeared, Darien whispered to himself, "So. The bonds once forged between us now are broken." He raised the back of his hand across his eyes, then dropped it, and walked past Kume without noticing her. "Goodbye, my friends."

Kume awoke the next morning to the frantic call of a horn. Sitting straight up in bed, she grabbed her cloak, threw it about her shoulders, and ran out of the room as other servants were beginning to wake. "What is it?" Kume called out as she ran. "What's the alarm?" Other servants and even a few nobles hurried through the halls; confusion was written on the faces of them all.

Finally, Kume found a young man giving orders. "You there!" he shouted a moment later when he spotted her just standing. "Get moving or at least get out of the way!"

"Please sir!" Kume hurried over to him. "What is the matter?"

"It's those crazy rebels again!" he shouted into her ear. "Nearly the whole town has banded together. They're marching to attack the castle."

They can't! Kume froze with the sudden shock of the news. That's impossible. But she had seen some of the anger and hatred in the people already. It had only been a matter of time. "What can I do?" she asked the man.

"You can stop being a nuisance!" he barked at her. "Go gather your things or whatever. You're not my responsibility!"

"Gather my things?" Kume was confused.

"Yes!" He turned to shout at a boy passing, then turned back to Kume. "The Prince gave the order this morning. All servants are to be released and are free to return to their own homes before war breaks. You have minutes. Now get!!!"

Suddenly frightened, Kume turned and ran, but not back to her room. She tore down the halls, dodging other people passing by, all of them preparing to leave. Taking an immediate turn once she reached the far hallway, Kume found herself standing in the untouched dirt of Endymion's rose garden. Others continued to hurry to and fro, through the hall behind her, but Kume took small, steady steps to the center of the garden.

Her face drawn upwards, she stared into the grey sky. The darkness was no longer just on the horizon, but was growing quickly, and Kume could see that it would soon be over the city. When it would reach them, no one would need to tell Kume that danger was coming. When it would reach them, danger would already be there.

Kume heard, rather distantly, a shout. "Kume!"

She turned in surprise. People were flooding the hallways, many that did not look like servants. Men, woman, and children alike were running through the castle, and every one of them had some sort of weapon in hand. The townspeople had reached the castle.

Few of them seemed interested in a lone servant girl wandering around a rose garden, but as the crowd continued to pass, one woman stepped away from the stream.

"Beryl!" Kume recognized her immediately.

"Well," the woman looked darkly down at Kume. "The time has come."

"What?" Kume asked.

"You know of what I speak," Beryl informed her. "War is breaking before you, Kume, and you must chose a side. Will you join the people?" She held out a hand. "We fight for our freedom."

Kume did not move. "Do you?"

Beryl smiled coldly. "I do. I am tired of being nothing more than a servant."

"You swore loyalty within these walls!" Kume protested.

Beryl shrugged. "And soon these walls will be no more. Words are worthless. They are empty without the power to make them possible. But if you join us," Beryl offered to Kume once again. "You will be able to make whatever you wish possible."

Kume shook her head, but Beryl continued to try to convince the girl. "We will destroy the Moon Kingdom. The time of their reign is over. It is time for Earth to be the most powerful We will take the Queen's crystal if we have to, but we will have the power.

"And think of it, Kume!" Beryl continued. "If you come with me, together we can destroy that arrogant moon princess. Then, we will have Endymion! Kume," Beryl persuaded, "I know that in your heart, you still love him. I told you once that you must fight for him. Well, now is the time! You and I, we can prevail, and we can have Endymion's love yet."

"No," Kume shook her head and stepped away from Beryl. "I won't join with you. I will still be loyal to the prince."

"You can't save him," Beryl objected. "It is too late now. This castle is ours, and soon, we head to the moon. We will destroy the Moon Kingdom. All your honor and even your precious prince's love for that idiot girl can't stop us."

"Beryl," Kume pleaded. "You are becoming blind. You aren't free anymore. You are a slave to that evil power," she glanced up at the still growing darkness. "And that seems to me a much worse master than Earth's royal family ever was."

Beryl glowered in cold silence at Kume before turned and storming out of the garden, away to follow the crowd and its destruction. "So be it. I leave you to die."

Shivering, Kume turned away from Beryl's retreating form, and continued to cross the garden.

"Kume!"

"Akito!" Kume ran forward in surprise.

"What are you still doing here?" Akito demanded. "Didn't you hear? All the servants are being sent home!"

"I heard," Kume told him. "But I must find the prince!"

"Kume," Akito sighed. "Forget him, please."

"Huh?"

"I know how much you care for him, but he will never love you like he loves his princess."

"I realize that," Kume smiled. "But I still must find him."

"But why?!" Akito demanded. "The castle is already not safe! We have to leave while we still can!"

"Then you leave!" Kume almost shouted. "I'm going to find Darien!"

Unable to reply, Akito watched her storm off for a moment before sighing and chasing after her. "The last I saw of the prince, he was fighting by the front gate," Akito admitted reluctantly.

Kume's face lit up with a joyful determination. "Thank you, Akito!" She gave him a quick hug which he returned in brief.

Pulling away, he looked her straight in the eyes. "If you're going, I am too."

Rain had begun to fall, coming down in large, dark drops, turning the ground to mud and bouncing shadows through the air. The sky was nearly all dark now, but for a last band of light across the horizon. Torches, fighting the weather, flickered down the already nearly deserted hallways. Cries of battle still came from distant places on the palace grounds, but for the most part, things were settling down.

"Darien!!!" Kume cried out the moment she spotted him. She ran out into the rain, across the muddy ground. A little more cautiously, Akito followed, carrying a torch of his own.

"Kume?!" The prince couldn't quite believe it. "Is that you? Why are you still here?" He slipped his sword back into its sheaf just in time before Kume threw herself at him, her arms holding tightly around his surprised form. Gently, he squeezed her back, then drew her away so that he could look into her face. "What is it?"

"Beryl!" Kume was breathing hard. "She was leading the people against you."

"I know," Darien said softly. "My people have betrayed me."

Kume shook her head. "That's not all."

"What?"

"She...she cared for you. She was jealous."

Darien was confused. "She...I don't understand."

Kume took a deep breath. "She's headed for the Moon Kingdom next. She means to destroy it. And Serenity."

Darien's hands slipped from Kume's shoulders. He stumbled backwards, and would have fallen into the mud if Akito hadn't leant a reluctant hand. "You're sure?" Darien asked her in a faint whisper. "She's going now?"

"Yes," Kume nodded. "You have to hurry. You can't let Beryl go through with it." She suddenly started crying. "You and the princess are meant to be. No matter what anyone else says. You must save her." Kume smiled through her tears. "You still have a story to write together."

Darien placed both hands firmly on Kume's shoulders bringing her attention to his smile. "In the short time I've known you, you've been a more loyal friend than any other I had. You've done so much for me that I can't ever repay." He bent down, slowly, closing his eyes. Kume drew in a sharp breath and felt all her fears slip away as Darien touched his lips to her forehead. "Thank you, Kume, dear friend."

Without another spoken word, he drew away and hurried off into the darkness to find the way to the moon. Kume stood watching him go as the rain pelted down around her. Finally, Akito reached over to take her hand. At his touch, Kume looked over into his warm brown eyes.

They stayed that way for a long moment, both of them smiling ever so slightly. Then, Akito sighed in a sort of exhausted relief. He turned, and, keeping her hand in his, he lifted the torch and began to lead her forward. "Come on, Kume," he said softly. "Let's go home."

and that's that.
the ending mighta been kinda rushed, but when i wrote it, i was trying to finish the story in time for a friend's birthday. so yeah.
all the same, i'd love to hear what you think about it!
thanks again for reading! & luv ya all...

~joey