It all began with a princess, and that princess had fallen into a deep sleep by some unknown force. She lay
comatose on a bed of silk with roses around her, which had been put there by all of the princes that failed to
wake her, sleeping as still and cold as death. Nearby, Amy Mizuno attempted again and again to diagnose
the problem, but it was to no avail. "I just don't understand it; what could possibly have triggered this?"
There was, of yet, no answer to her question. Neo Queen Serenity seemed to have faith that she would
wake soon, but Endymoin only shook his head at her childish fantasies. "Serenity, my dear, it doesn't seem
as if she will wake." His wife took his hand. "But she will, just give her time, she is going through
changes that demand it. Those princes do not love her; the one who loves her knows what is happening in
his heart, and he is waiting until she has gone through her transformation completely." Taking her word for
it, he gave the princess another month, during which time no princes could get so much as a sigh from her.
Around the third week, Endymoin sent for his priest, and secretly wondered why Elios hadn't come to visit
his daughter. When the young priest arrived, Endymoin explained the situation to him, and the silver-
haired youth only chuckled. "Endymoin, you have too little faith in her, Queen Serenity is quite right, and
when the time comes, your daughter will awaken."
Elios wondered if Rini would wake soon; it pulled at his heart to see her unconscious instead of
dancing around the palace, like her usual self. While he sat thinking idly, Mina sat next to him and tapped
him on the shoulder. "Hello, Elios, you seemed a little preoccupied today, what bothers you?" He turned
to her and a small smile touched his lips. "Nothing, I just wish that Rini was up and about again; this place
is so empty without her; but what can I do?" She shook her head. "You are one naïve boy, Elios, why don't
you go see if you can wake her up?" This surprised him to say the least. "Me? A princess could never
love a priest, and besides, I don't love her as anything more than a friend." The possibility, though,
remained in his mind. Maybe he did love his little maiden, who was not quite so little anymore; indeed, her
looks were far from that of a little girl's, and he would be a complete idiot not to realize that she had
inspired those kinds of emotions on some occasions. Her scent was enough to bring any man to his knees,
but that coupled with her stunning beauty could put said man on the floor for hours just... imagining.
"Elios, love is blind, and it sure doesn't ask why. Neo Princess Serenity has just as little choice in the
matter as anyone else. Her parents want her to be happy, and I am certain that, given the choice, they
would choose their daughter's happiness over social standards in a second." With that, she left, and soon, Lita appeared. "Hey, kid, how's it going?" Elios shook his head. "I am afraid that the Venetian princess
has confused me greatly." Lita sighed. "Yes, she does have a knack for that, doesn't she? Listen, have
you thought about trying to wake up Rini yourself? You seem so down without her around." More
confusion. "That is what caused the confusion in the first place, I am not sure if I love Rini, or if I just like
her." The princess of Jupiter shook her head. "Boy, I don't think I could help you with this one." Next to
come in was Amy, and they had a scientific conversation that only confused him more, as did Raye's eye-
rolling conversation in which she called him either too dense or too deep for her to handle. As he thought
more and more about it, he seriously doubted that he and Rini were only friends any longer, but there was
just one way to find out.
Cautiously, he walked over to the coffin in the center of the garden and opened the lid, which
someone must have closed by mistake, for no one could contain his maiden's wild spirit. Her porcelain
skin was untouched by her predicament, but at the moment, her forehead glowed with a strange marking
where the symbol of the moon should have been. Instead, of the normal moon symbol, an ornate silver
symbol shone there, and he recognized it immediately as his own family crest. "What...?" He murmured,
and took her hand, surprised at how cold it was, though why shouldn't it be? It was the middle of winter,
and though the garden was protected so that it felt like a normal, enclosed room, it was still frigid. Pulling
his cloak around himself, he allowed himself to take in every change that had come over her physically
since he had last seen her almost eight years before. Sure, he had seen her around, but he hadn't had the
chance to really see her until now. Did he really love her? He knew that he would do anything for her, but
was that love? Did the way that she always lit up his life mean that he loved her? Just then, he really
wished that he could ask her those same questions, and hundreds of thousands of others! Pushing his fears
away, Elios pulled her hand to his chest and slid his arm around her waist. He then brushed his trembling
lips against her soft pink ones and waited for something, anything to happen. All at once, he felt Rini's
delicate fingers warm up, and tightened his hold on her waist as she began to respond to him. Then, he
gently broke the kiss, and watched as Rini's eyes opened. "E... Elios?"
He seemed so surprised. "M... maiden, I..." Without waiting for him to recover, Rini threw her arm
around his neck and kissed him deeply. "I love you too, Elios." Now, he looked even more surprised.
"You knew?" Rini laughed and nodded, fondly brushing a lock of his hair out of his eyes. "Of course I
knew about it, mother explained it to me! Elios, I just knew it would be you, I've always loved you, even
when you never tried to see me, I still held onto that love." Elios raised an eyebrow. "Wait, everyone has
been saying that you just fainted one day!" Again, she laughed. "Mother said that was what happened on a
moon princess' seventeenth birthday, it just didn't happen to her because she'd already found my father."
She and her mother had tricked them all, even the unfortunate victim of a young man before her. "I still
don't understand; the King seemed so very worried...!" With a sweet smile, she brought his hand to her
cheek. "He was, mother and I told no one, not even daddy. I bet Amy was really frustrated when she
couldn't find the reasoning behind my..." Elios put a finger to her lips. "I love you my maiden: I didn't
know how much until today, and I have your lineage to thank for it." Rini opened her mouth to speak, but
he took her hand again and brushed his lips against the tips of her fingers. "You're the most beautiful girl
I've ever seen, so let me show you how much I love you." The kiss was soft and slow, and filled with love
that made her heart flutter with passion. This was the first event to trigger the War of Returned Evil, and it
was easily the first event that showed the weakness called love that usually took such a strong hold on the
princesses of the moon.
comatose on a bed of silk with roses around her, which had been put there by all of the princes that failed to
wake her, sleeping as still and cold as death. Nearby, Amy Mizuno attempted again and again to diagnose
the problem, but it was to no avail. "I just don't understand it; what could possibly have triggered this?"
There was, of yet, no answer to her question. Neo Queen Serenity seemed to have faith that she would
wake soon, but Endymoin only shook his head at her childish fantasies. "Serenity, my dear, it doesn't seem
as if she will wake." His wife took his hand. "But she will, just give her time, she is going through
changes that demand it. Those princes do not love her; the one who loves her knows what is happening in
his heart, and he is waiting until she has gone through her transformation completely." Taking her word for
it, he gave the princess another month, during which time no princes could get so much as a sigh from her.
Around the third week, Endymoin sent for his priest, and secretly wondered why Elios hadn't come to visit
his daughter. When the young priest arrived, Endymoin explained the situation to him, and the silver-
haired youth only chuckled. "Endymoin, you have too little faith in her, Queen Serenity is quite right, and
when the time comes, your daughter will awaken."
Elios wondered if Rini would wake soon; it pulled at his heart to see her unconscious instead of
dancing around the palace, like her usual self. While he sat thinking idly, Mina sat next to him and tapped
him on the shoulder. "Hello, Elios, you seemed a little preoccupied today, what bothers you?" He turned
to her and a small smile touched his lips. "Nothing, I just wish that Rini was up and about again; this place
is so empty without her; but what can I do?" She shook her head. "You are one naïve boy, Elios, why don't
you go see if you can wake her up?" This surprised him to say the least. "Me? A princess could never
love a priest, and besides, I don't love her as anything more than a friend." The possibility, though,
remained in his mind. Maybe he did love his little maiden, who was not quite so little anymore; indeed, her
looks were far from that of a little girl's, and he would be a complete idiot not to realize that she had
inspired those kinds of emotions on some occasions. Her scent was enough to bring any man to his knees,
but that coupled with her stunning beauty could put said man on the floor for hours just... imagining.
"Elios, love is blind, and it sure doesn't ask why. Neo Princess Serenity has just as little choice in the
matter as anyone else. Her parents want her to be happy, and I am certain that, given the choice, they
would choose their daughter's happiness over social standards in a second." With that, she left, and soon, Lita appeared. "Hey, kid, how's it going?" Elios shook his head. "I am afraid that the Venetian princess
has confused me greatly." Lita sighed. "Yes, she does have a knack for that, doesn't she? Listen, have
you thought about trying to wake up Rini yourself? You seem so down without her around." More
confusion. "That is what caused the confusion in the first place, I am not sure if I love Rini, or if I just like
her." The princess of Jupiter shook her head. "Boy, I don't think I could help you with this one." Next to
come in was Amy, and they had a scientific conversation that only confused him more, as did Raye's eye-
rolling conversation in which she called him either too dense or too deep for her to handle. As he thought
more and more about it, he seriously doubted that he and Rini were only friends any longer, but there was
just one way to find out.
Cautiously, he walked over to the coffin in the center of the garden and opened the lid, which
someone must have closed by mistake, for no one could contain his maiden's wild spirit. Her porcelain
skin was untouched by her predicament, but at the moment, her forehead glowed with a strange marking
where the symbol of the moon should have been. Instead, of the normal moon symbol, an ornate silver
symbol shone there, and he recognized it immediately as his own family crest. "What...?" He murmured,
and took her hand, surprised at how cold it was, though why shouldn't it be? It was the middle of winter,
and though the garden was protected so that it felt like a normal, enclosed room, it was still frigid. Pulling
his cloak around himself, he allowed himself to take in every change that had come over her physically
since he had last seen her almost eight years before. Sure, he had seen her around, but he hadn't had the
chance to really see her until now. Did he really love her? He knew that he would do anything for her, but
was that love? Did the way that she always lit up his life mean that he loved her? Just then, he really
wished that he could ask her those same questions, and hundreds of thousands of others! Pushing his fears
away, Elios pulled her hand to his chest and slid his arm around her waist. He then brushed his trembling
lips against her soft pink ones and waited for something, anything to happen. All at once, he felt Rini's
delicate fingers warm up, and tightened his hold on her waist as she began to respond to him. Then, he
gently broke the kiss, and watched as Rini's eyes opened. "E... Elios?"
He seemed so surprised. "M... maiden, I..." Without waiting for him to recover, Rini threw her arm
around his neck and kissed him deeply. "I love you too, Elios." Now, he looked even more surprised.
"You knew?" Rini laughed and nodded, fondly brushing a lock of his hair out of his eyes. "Of course I
knew about it, mother explained it to me! Elios, I just knew it would be you, I've always loved you, even
when you never tried to see me, I still held onto that love." Elios raised an eyebrow. "Wait, everyone has
been saying that you just fainted one day!" Again, she laughed. "Mother said that was what happened on a
moon princess' seventeenth birthday, it just didn't happen to her because she'd already found my father."
She and her mother had tricked them all, even the unfortunate victim of a young man before her. "I still
don't understand; the King seemed so very worried...!" With a sweet smile, she brought his hand to her
cheek. "He was, mother and I told no one, not even daddy. I bet Amy was really frustrated when she
couldn't find the reasoning behind my..." Elios put a finger to her lips. "I love you my maiden: I didn't
know how much until today, and I have your lineage to thank for it." Rini opened her mouth to speak, but
he took her hand again and brushed his lips against the tips of her fingers. "You're the most beautiful girl
I've ever seen, so let me show you how much I love you." The kiss was soft and slow, and filled with love
that made her heart flutter with passion. This was the first event to trigger the War of Returned Evil, and it
was easily the first event that showed the weakness called love that usually took such a strong hold on the
princesses of the moon.