I know that soon they will come looking for me, so I try to write faster. I must tell the entire story before I am discovered! Forbidden love...but it was so sweet while it lasted...It is hard to share the memories of him because it is so painful to remember them, but you must understand that he was the other half of my soul! He was my other self! It was hard to breathe when I thought about the possibility that he wouldn't return.

But I shall continue to tell my story, and you shall have to see for yourself.

I don't remember much of the week after that memorable night, it remains clouded in a haze for me. I know that my state of mind must have greatly disturbed my mother, but at the time I couldn't find the energy to care much about it. Only him. I replayed that night over and over in my mind, my heart pounding each time I thought about those perfect lips touching my skin. I couldn't seem to take my mind off of him. My team was very distraught with me, our training sessions were filled with my blunders due to distraction. They had all seen what had happened at the ball, and while at first it had been exciting that I had a mystery love, it was now irritating.

One day, when Mars had had quite enough of my mooning, she started screaming at me. I stared at her in shock before I started screaming right back. She ended up storming away, and I never got the chance to talk to her again. At the time, of course, I didn't care because I was so infuriated with her, and that anger fueled my energy for the rest of the training exercise, much to the relief of the other senshi, I'm sure. Naturally, once my anger was burnt out, I went back into the dreamy state, and rather than argue with me, the other senshi simply left me alone. What use training when your leader was by far too distracted to concentrate?

A few more days passed, and it no longer seemed so wonderful to be in love with a mysterious stranger. Why hadn't he come back? Had I imagined the whole encounter with him? This depressed me, naturally, and my loneliness began to overtake the wonder of it all. It got so that I dreamed about him every night, and the dreams weren't always pleasant. Sometimes I would wake in the middle of the night crying, heartbroken over something the masked stranger had done. In the morning I was always grateful that my mother's quarters were nowhere near my own, for it would seem entirely too foolish to disturb her over a silly dream like those had been.

One night, when the dream had been particularly awful and I woke sobbing, I heard a tapping on my window. Thinking it was one of the senshi, I went and opened my balcony doors. Much to my surprise, there stood my masked stranger. He fluidly entered my room and pulled me into his embrace. Oh, how I had longed to be in his arms. Despite myself, a sob escaped and he held me back to look at my face.

"What's wrong, love?" he asked with that velvet voice of his, his azure eyes filled with concern.

"Why...why didn't you come back?" I asked, my voice trembling with tears. "Was it all a dream? Is this a dream?"

He pulled me close again, holding me tightly. "No, darling," he whispered. "It's not a dream, I'm really here. I would have come back sooner, but something came up."

When my shoulders shook with sobs, he hugged me tighter, resting his chin on the top of my head for a moment. He then picked me up and took two long strides to my bed where he sat down, cradling me in his lap. I had never felt so safe as I did in his arms, and the spate of tears finally ceased. I sat there comfortably for a few minutes, enjoying his presence immensely, when a thought came to me.

"How did you know what room I'd be in?" I asked. Was I mistaken, or did his cheeks darken? This question was answered when he stammered out his reply.

"Well...um...you see..."

"Never mind," I said, laughing. In the dim lights, I swear I saw his cheeks turn a shade darker.

"You have a lovely laugh, Serenity," he said quietly a few moments later.

"You have a lovely voice...what's your name? You never told me."

"Endymion," he replied, almost too softly for me to hear, though it struck me dumb nevertheless.

"You're...you're...the Earth prince?!" I exclaimed.

He nodded, his face turned away from me.

"Why do you wear the mask?" I asked.

"So no one will recognize me," he replied.

"But I know who you are now," I said softly. "Please, take it off?"

He hesitated a moment before reaching up and pushing it up from his face and off of his head. I wished dearly for a stronger light, but from what I could see he was even more handsome than he had been with the mask on. His hair was the color of midnight, long bangs brushing his eyebrows. I hadn't noticed how long his eyelashes were when he had had the mask on either. He took my breath away.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, bringing a hand up to tentatively stroke my cheek with his thumb. When I didn't stop him, he cupped my face in his hands and just stared at me, his smoky eyes drinking in my features and staring deep into my soul as I gazed at him in return. I had never imagined that someone I barely knew could make me feel so utterly out of control just by his touch. Anything he had wanted from me I would have gladly given, even and perhaps especially my life. I never wanted him to leave me again, but I had the sinking feeling that he would leave, and he would take my heart and soul when he did.

His lips brushed mine, oh, so gently, and I couldn't help but lean into the kiss. His scent, musky and pure, intoxicated me, I wanted nothing more than to mold my body to his so we could become one flesh. The kiss had deepened, and I found myself trembling when he pulled reluctantly away. "Serenity..." he whispered raggedly.

I knew what he was about to say, and I desperately needed him not to say it, so I kissed him again, with all the passion that the first kiss had aroused, and he kissed me back, but again pulled away reluctantly, smoothly sliding himself out from under me and setting me gently on my bed. He took a step backwards, though it seemed very much against his will, and ran a hand shakily through his hair. I immediately wanted to run my fingers through the silky-looking stuff, but held my twitching hands down, resisting the urge to go to him. But oh, it was so hard. He was the other half of my soul, how could I sit there and let him leave me?

"I'm so sorry, love," he whispered, and out he went the same way he came in, leaving a deep red rose on the balcony. I had been right when I had thought that he would take my heart and soul with him when he left. I felt so empty without his warmth. Woodenly, I walked to the balcony, picked up the rose, and closed the doors behind me as I came back inside. Sitting on the side of my bed, I stared at the perfect rose for a while before laying it gently on my night stand and falling asleep staring at it.