AN Yeah! Second chapter. Nothing special going on. But I quite like it anyway. Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A silver wrapped gift
Chapter 1: Earth
~~~~~~~~~~~~
'The Earth. I can't believe my mother gave me permission to visit. I think she knows it
probably won't be the last time I go, but if I take a good, long look, I may yet surprise her.'
Selenity sighed. 'Am I trying to fool myself? If Earth is only half the paradise I think it is,
I may never want to leave again.' She knew that wasn't true. She would miss the Moon too much,
but she could not ignore the yearning in her heart either. She had to see Earth. Even if it was
only this one time.
As the light of yet another artificial day on the Moon filled the dome in which the
people of the Moon kingdom lived, Selenity closed her eyes and concentrated on her powers.
They were still growing and she would not obtain her full power until she had inherited the
Mystical Silver Crystal, but she was strong enough to transport herself to any place she chose,
even if she had never been there, no matter how great the distance was. While her heart tried
to beat itself out of her chest, she felt the world shift around her. That feeling seemed to
last a lifetime, until suddenly and abruptly it stopped.
Selenity stood frozen. The first thing she felt was a stir in the air. A soft breeze
caressed her skin and played with her hair, made her dress twirl around her legs. Then the smell.
A sweet freshness filled her lungs and she inhaled deeply to try and take in all the scents the
air contained. It was impossible. The sounds were overwhelming. Birds sang with tremendous joy,
leaves rustled against one another and yet there was a sense of silence, of serenity. She slowly
opened her eyes and was immediately blinded by the brightness of the sun overhead. Her eyes had
trouble adjusting to the intensity of the light, but when they had, they took in everything
around her. An endless field stretched out around her. The grass waved in the wind, flowers in
more colors than she could ever have imagined dotted the green. Here and there bushes and trees
sprouted upwards. She realized there was no one there besides her. That was where the feeling
of silence came from.
She slowly began to walk in a random direction. The slip of her dress trailed the grass.
Butterflies, bees and hummingbirds swirled up where she disturbed them, and settled on the flowers
again behind her. With awe she looked how the scenery changed as she moved. While behind her the
tree growth was thinly spread she could see more and more dark green spots scattered on the
grassy field. After an hour walk a green line was visible at the horizon. She was nearing a forest,
a real forest. With trees so close to each other, sunlight hardly gets through. She smiled
excited.
"How long do you want to stay here anyway, Selenity?" she asked herself aloud. "You do
realize you did not bring anything to eat. And how are you going to sleep? I don't want to
collapse until I have seen everything I want to." She stopped and sat down on the ground. "Think,
Selenity. Everybody always praises your wits, so think. You can at least expect to find some
eatable fruits and plants in the forest, but who knows how big it is? You could walk in it for
days never reaching the other side. If I can get above the trees I may be able to see how far
the woods stretch, but for that I will need a tree taller than the others. Unless I can hone my
levitation abilities within the next two hours. Well, I won't get any further just sitting here.
I will just have to find my tree and climb into it, using my levitation powers, or not, and then
I will stain my dress. Oh well, it can be cleaned."
She got up again and continued her walk. By the time she had reached the forest line the
sun had lowered considerably, edging the fluffy white clouds with gold. After a few moments of
searching, she found a tree, that might be tall enough. She jumped and reached the first branch,
about twenty feet above the ground, easily. But then the trouble began. She had to find her way
through the tree branches with care. As she climbed higher her skirt caught on sprigs several
times. But it turned out her choice was right. Her observation of the forest on the other hand
was wrong.
The forest ended clean some fifty feet away. Beyond that there lay a garden, larger than
the palace garden on the Moon. It seemed to belong to a palace as well. To her left she could
make out a part of a building large enough to qualify as one. But straight ahead there was
something far more interesting.
The garden was big, but she could clearly make out the wall surrounding it. Somewhere to
here right the tree line ended, but a wall continued. She assumed the wall was also right in
front of her. On the other side of the treeless wall she could make out rooftops, streets, tree
lined lanes. A city!
She had reached a city. Dazed she looked behind at the empty grass field. Strange, if
there was a city so close, why wouldn't the people be on the plains as well?
She looked at the sun. In an hour it would be setting, she estimated. One hour. She
looked at the garden again, and at the city. As much as she loved to meet people from Earth,
she knew it would not be wise to enter the city. The garden on the other hand looked deserted.
It would be safe to walk around in it. She saw it held more flowers than the gardens at home,
and more than the plains behind her. It was a beautiful place, especially with the sun so low,
magically enhancing the colors. The dazzling flowerbeds seemed to beckon her.
She couldn't resist. She floated down to the ground and ran towards the garden. Soon
she hit the wall surrounding it. It was made of white marble. With a simple jump she was over
it. Wide-eyed she stared at the wonders laid out before her. There were rosebushes, beds full
of hydrangea plants, the scent of honeysuckle dominated the air.
Selenity strolled around the garden, soaking in everything she saw. She only minded she
stayed away from the palace. Hedges divided the garden in smaller parts. She dwelled among the
strange flowers and plants, many of which she did not know the name. The sun touched the horizon
and bathed the clouds in orange and purple. She wandered along another neatly raked path, turned
around a corner and froze.
No more than ten feet away from her stood a man watching the colors of the clouds. He
was wearing a simple armor and a long cloak hung down from his back. The sun was mirrored in his
dark blue eyes. At the sound of her footsteps he turned around. Apparently he had not expected
to see a complete stranger.
"Hey, who are you?" he asked surprised.
Her eyes widened in shock. An Earthling. She stood in front a man from Earth. On impulse
she turned and ran.
"Wait, please," the man called after her.
"Don't let him run after me, don't let him run after me. Please, please, please," she
whispered to herself. She glanced over her shoulder. "Oh no, are all people on Earth as stubborn
as he?"
Well, no. This man was just curious who showed up in his garden so suddenly. When he
followed her around one of the many hedges she had vanished. He blinked in surprise. "Where did
she go?" He looked around, but there was no sign of her. "Who was she anyway?"
"My lord? My lord, where are you?"
The man turned around to where the voice came from. "I am here, Kunzite."
Kunzite rounded the corner. He was a tall, strict looking man, with flower white hair
reaching his shoulders. "My lord Endymion, we would appreciate it if you would not get yourself
lost so much. We must always be able to find you in case you're needed. I think you underestimate
the importance of your duties."
"And you know very well I do not. Sometimes I just want to be on my own."
Kunzite shook his head in dismay. "Why are young men always so troublesome?"
Endymion laughed. "Because they never do what other want them to do."
"You are wise for your years, my lord," Kunzite retorted sarcastically. "Now, if you
would return to the palace, we would be very much obliged."
The young prince of the Earth bowed his head in a slightly mocking manner and began to
walk towards the palace. Kunzite fell in behind him, an exasperated look on his face.
~~~~~~
Selenity leaned against her bedroom wall. 'That was close. He actually saw me. Did he see
the crescent symbol on my forehead? I hope not.' She sighed. 'I wonder who he was. I suppose he
lives in the palace that comes along with that garden.' She looked down at herself. "Climbing
trees is fun, but you sure get dirty. I think I tore my dress too."
"Well, I see you had a good time."
Selenity turned around in surprise. Mercury was standing in the doorway. She walked up
towards her. "I hope you learned a lot from this, but before we get into that, you need a bath."
A laugh sounded. "You bet you do." Jupiter entered the room. "You look like you rolled in
the dirt."
Indignation painted the princess's face. "I didn't do that!" She raised her chin haughtily.
"I climbed a tree."
Jupiter grinned. "Well good for you. You can tell about your adventures later, right now
you get a wash up from us here."
Selenity looked surly. "You girls are a real pain, did you know that?"
Mercury smiled. "Yes, you only told us about a thousand times. Now, come on."
"I can manage perfectly on my own, thank you very much." And she slammed the door in the
faces of the two Sailor Soldiers.
An hour later Selenity was sitting on her bed, trying to untangle the knots in her hair.
A knock on the door made her lower the hairbrush. Her mother entered. She smiled at her daughter
as she closed the door. "I heard you had a good time."
"Yes, I did. It's so beautiful down there. The light is much brighter, and the colors too.
The flowers, the trees, the sky, everything is so much... more, than how it is here. Even the air
you breath is much clearer."She jumped on her feet. "I want to go back, mother. I haven't seen
nearly enough. I want to see the animals. I want to hear the ocean. I want to taste the rain! I
want to see the poles!!"
The queen laughed. "I knew it. I knew after you had gone to the Earth, you wanted more.
You know what I said in regard to that."
"I know," Selenity sighed. She took a childish begging stance. "Please? Please, mother,
please, please, please, please, please?"
Her mother hung her head. "I should learn to say no. Alright, you can go. Enjoy as much
of it as you can, and learn as much as you can."
Selenity hugged her tightly. "Oh, thank you so much. I love you. I love you so much. Have
I ever told you that?"
The answer was a warm smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN Please review? ^_^
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A silver wrapped gift
Chapter 1: Earth
~~~~~~~~~~~~
'The Earth. I can't believe my mother gave me permission to visit. I think she knows it
probably won't be the last time I go, but if I take a good, long look, I may yet surprise her.'
Selenity sighed. 'Am I trying to fool myself? If Earth is only half the paradise I think it is,
I may never want to leave again.' She knew that wasn't true. She would miss the Moon too much,
but she could not ignore the yearning in her heart either. She had to see Earth. Even if it was
only this one time.
As the light of yet another artificial day on the Moon filled the dome in which the
people of the Moon kingdom lived, Selenity closed her eyes and concentrated on her powers.
They were still growing and she would not obtain her full power until she had inherited the
Mystical Silver Crystal, but she was strong enough to transport herself to any place she chose,
even if she had never been there, no matter how great the distance was. While her heart tried
to beat itself out of her chest, she felt the world shift around her. That feeling seemed to
last a lifetime, until suddenly and abruptly it stopped.
Selenity stood frozen. The first thing she felt was a stir in the air. A soft breeze
caressed her skin and played with her hair, made her dress twirl around her legs. Then the smell.
A sweet freshness filled her lungs and she inhaled deeply to try and take in all the scents the
air contained. It was impossible. The sounds were overwhelming. Birds sang with tremendous joy,
leaves rustled against one another and yet there was a sense of silence, of serenity. She slowly
opened her eyes and was immediately blinded by the brightness of the sun overhead. Her eyes had
trouble adjusting to the intensity of the light, but when they had, they took in everything
around her. An endless field stretched out around her. The grass waved in the wind, flowers in
more colors than she could ever have imagined dotted the green. Here and there bushes and trees
sprouted upwards. She realized there was no one there besides her. That was where the feeling
of silence came from.
She slowly began to walk in a random direction. The slip of her dress trailed the grass.
Butterflies, bees and hummingbirds swirled up where she disturbed them, and settled on the flowers
again behind her. With awe she looked how the scenery changed as she moved. While behind her the
tree growth was thinly spread she could see more and more dark green spots scattered on the
grassy field. After an hour walk a green line was visible at the horizon. She was nearing a forest,
a real forest. With trees so close to each other, sunlight hardly gets through. She smiled
excited.
"How long do you want to stay here anyway, Selenity?" she asked herself aloud. "You do
realize you did not bring anything to eat. And how are you going to sleep? I don't want to
collapse until I have seen everything I want to." She stopped and sat down on the ground. "Think,
Selenity. Everybody always praises your wits, so think. You can at least expect to find some
eatable fruits and plants in the forest, but who knows how big it is? You could walk in it for
days never reaching the other side. If I can get above the trees I may be able to see how far
the woods stretch, but for that I will need a tree taller than the others. Unless I can hone my
levitation abilities within the next two hours. Well, I won't get any further just sitting here.
I will just have to find my tree and climb into it, using my levitation powers, or not, and then
I will stain my dress. Oh well, it can be cleaned."
She got up again and continued her walk. By the time she had reached the forest line the
sun had lowered considerably, edging the fluffy white clouds with gold. After a few moments of
searching, she found a tree, that might be tall enough. She jumped and reached the first branch,
about twenty feet above the ground, easily. But then the trouble began. She had to find her way
through the tree branches with care. As she climbed higher her skirt caught on sprigs several
times. But it turned out her choice was right. Her observation of the forest on the other hand
was wrong.
The forest ended clean some fifty feet away. Beyond that there lay a garden, larger than
the palace garden on the Moon. It seemed to belong to a palace as well. To her left she could
make out a part of a building large enough to qualify as one. But straight ahead there was
something far more interesting.
The garden was big, but she could clearly make out the wall surrounding it. Somewhere to
here right the tree line ended, but a wall continued. She assumed the wall was also right in
front of her. On the other side of the treeless wall she could make out rooftops, streets, tree
lined lanes. A city!
She had reached a city. Dazed she looked behind at the empty grass field. Strange, if
there was a city so close, why wouldn't the people be on the plains as well?
She looked at the sun. In an hour it would be setting, she estimated. One hour. She
looked at the garden again, and at the city. As much as she loved to meet people from Earth,
she knew it would not be wise to enter the city. The garden on the other hand looked deserted.
It would be safe to walk around in it. She saw it held more flowers than the gardens at home,
and more than the plains behind her. It was a beautiful place, especially with the sun so low,
magically enhancing the colors. The dazzling flowerbeds seemed to beckon her.
She couldn't resist. She floated down to the ground and ran towards the garden. Soon
she hit the wall surrounding it. It was made of white marble. With a simple jump she was over
it. Wide-eyed she stared at the wonders laid out before her. There were rosebushes, beds full
of hydrangea plants, the scent of honeysuckle dominated the air.
Selenity strolled around the garden, soaking in everything she saw. She only minded she
stayed away from the palace. Hedges divided the garden in smaller parts. She dwelled among the
strange flowers and plants, many of which she did not know the name. The sun touched the horizon
and bathed the clouds in orange and purple. She wandered along another neatly raked path, turned
around a corner and froze.
No more than ten feet away from her stood a man watching the colors of the clouds. He
was wearing a simple armor and a long cloak hung down from his back. The sun was mirrored in his
dark blue eyes. At the sound of her footsteps he turned around. Apparently he had not expected
to see a complete stranger.
"Hey, who are you?" he asked surprised.
Her eyes widened in shock. An Earthling. She stood in front a man from Earth. On impulse
she turned and ran.
"Wait, please," the man called after her.
"Don't let him run after me, don't let him run after me. Please, please, please," she
whispered to herself. She glanced over her shoulder. "Oh no, are all people on Earth as stubborn
as he?"
Well, no. This man was just curious who showed up in his garden so suddenly. When he
followed her around one of the many hedges she had vanished. He blinked in surprise. "Where did
she go?" He looked around, but there was no sign of her. "Who was she anyway?"
"My lord? My lord, where are you?"
The man turned around to where the voice came from. "I am here, Kunzite."
Kunzite rounded the corner. He was a tall, strict looking man, with flower white hair
reaching his shoulders. "My lord Endymion, we would appreciate it if you would not get yourself
lost so much. We must always be able to find you in case you're needed. I think you underestimate
the importance of your duties."
"And you know very well I do not. Sometimes I just want to be on my own."
Kunzite shook his head in dismay. "Why are young men always so troublesome?"
Endymion laughed. "Because they never do what other want them to do."
"You are wise for your years, my lord," Kunzite retorted sarcastically. "Now, if you
would return to the palace, we would be very much obliged."
The young prince of the Earth bowed his head in a slightly mocking manner and began to
walk towards the palace. Kunzite fell in behind him, an exasperated look on his face.
~~~~~~
Selenity leaned against her bedroom wall. 'That was close. He actually saw me. Did he see
the crescent symbol on my forehead? I hope not.' She sighed. 'I wonder who he was. I suppose he
lives in the palace that comes along with that garden.' She looked down at herself. "Climbing
trees is fun, but you sure get dirty. I think I tore my dress too."
"Well, I see you had a good time."
Selenity turned around in surprise. Mercury was standing in the doorway. She walked up
towards her. "I hope you learned a lot from this, but before we get into that, you need a bath."
A laugh sounded. "You bet you do." Jupiter entered the room. "You look like you rolled in
the dirt."
Indignation painted the princess's face. "I didn't do that!" She raised her chin haughtily.
"I climbed a tree."
Jupiter grinned. "Well good for you. You can tell about your adventures later, right now
you get a wash up from us here."
Selenity looked surly. "You girls are a real pain, did you know that?"
Mercury smiled. "Yes, you only told us about a thousand times. Now, come on."
"I can manage perfectly on my own, thank you very much." And she slammed the door in the
faces of the two Sailor Soldiers.
An hour later Selenity was sitting on her bed, trying to untangle the knots in her hair.
A knock on the door made her lower the hairbrush. Her mother entered. She smiled at her daughter
as she closed the door. "I heard you had a good time."
"Yes, I did. It's so beautiful down there. The light is much brighter, and the colors too.
The flowers, the trees, the sky, everything is so much... more, than how it is here. Even the air
you breath is much clearer."She jumped on her feet. "I want to go back, mother. I haven't seen
nearly enough. I want to see the animals. I want to hear the ocean. I want to taste the rain! I
want to see the poles!!"
The queen laughed. "I knew it. I knew after you had gone to the Earth, you wanted more.
You know what I said in regard to that."
"I know," Selenity sighed. She took a childish begging stance. "Please? Please, mother,
please, please, please, please, please?"
Her mother hung her head. "I should learn to say no. Alright, you can go. Enjoy as much
of it as you can, and learn as much as you can."
Selenity hugged her tightly. "Oh, thank you so much. I love you. I love you so much. Have
I ever told you that?"
The answer was a warm smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN Please review? ^_^