Author's Note: It's been a very long time since I've updates to my fanfics and I want to apologize for that. I honestly can't promise that I will be updating repeatedly now like I did before. I don't want to distract you guys for long, so read on to the story and don't forget to check out my last notes at the end of the chapter for more info.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, but I do take ownership for the concepts and ideas that went into the making of this story.
By: SailorPerfect
Chapter 4: The Return of the Dark Prince
The Moon
The planet of the Selenity's had always been a prosperous place. Although war had come, had swept through the peaceful planes of the planet, it had remained with it's air of beauty and hope. Both virtues had served as a symbol throughout the galaxy and other planets of the system.
That belief had been upheld by the ruling Queen, the Queen who carried the hope of the future and the beauty that came with the Moon. Without that Queen, both were lost.
The planet was quiet in the early afternoon of the progressing day. The people went about their daily lives, some still celebrating the union that had only taken place a week before. The palace stood at the center of the city, the white beacons and walls standing gracefully as a reigning Queen, the Lunar Guard patrolling diligently. It appeared as another ordinary day to the city of the Silver Millennium.
At the balcony that overlooked the city, they stood, silent and watchful. They knew that these people, the people who lived under Selenity and loved, knew nothing of the fate that had become of her. None of them were to know the ruthless man she had tied herself too, the man who had thrown her own guardians from his planet in order to tie her more securely to him.
Mina could still feel her own rage at the injustice of what he had done. Her hands curled into fists over the stone balcony, her rage growing so quickly she had cracked the stone without realizing it. It was Lita who placed one hand over hers, calming the seething fury, allowing her to release the abused stone from her hands.
"We stand here, doing nothing, when we should be at her side protecting her." Mina whispered it darkly, her gaze sweeping over the plains of the Moon. "The man is a monster and we need to save her from him before he harms her."
Amy shook her head from where she stood some feet away, leaning against the wall of the balcony. "If there's one belief we can hold firm too, its that he won't bring her to harm or allow any other too."
Mina whirled on her friend. "So does that mean we leave her with that bastard!"
"It means we await the arrival of the senshi of the outer system and inform them of what has occurred. They will know best what to do." Amy spoke calmly, despite the anger pouring from Mina in waves.
"She must think we left her." Raye rubbed at her temples. "She must think the worst."
"Of course she does." Lita agreed. "But it must remain that way for now. There's nothing we can do, and-"she quickly added before Mina could snap out a retort, "we must remain in the hope that Ares will keep her safe."
Thoughtful, Amy began to pace across the vast balcony. "Lita, do you remember the dream she told us she had her wedding night?"
"Yes, of course. What about it?"
"What dream?" Raye questioned sharply, suddenly alert.
"It seems Selene dreamt of Endymion on her first night with Ares. But it wasn't so much the fact that she did, but the dream itself that caught my attention. The way she described it, the way she went into the emotions she felt from him. I could see in her eyes a hope and also fear that perhaps her dreams were real." Amy tapped her finger against her lips absently. "What if they are?"
Lita waved her hand dismissively. "We've been through this already Amy."
"No!" Raye's eyes had darkened perceptibly, and she walked toward the balcony's stone railing, her eyes on the sky above them and the planets littered across the never ending galaxy. "I saw something in the fires last night, something dark and malicious. A man, a man filled with vengeance and hatred, and also a fierce lust." She paused to rub her temples once again, the ache troubling. "The lust was terribly strong, but also mingled with violence, possessive violence." Her eyes met the other women's, one by one. "I believe the man was Endymion."
"That's not possible." Lita's mouth had gone dry with terror. Although she hoped it to be a lie, she knew now it couldn't be. The visions that came to Raye in the fire were always accurate. Always.
"It is." Raye swept her trembling hands through her hair. "That isn't all I saw. He had an army, a massive army, larger then any I've ever seen. It seemed...it seemed almost as if they had been sleeping, waiting to be awakened by him. The union of his brother with Selene was what I believed triggered the awakening in him."
"Awakening? What do you mean? Are you saying Endymion was alive all these years and...sleeping?" Mina asked incredulously.
"I'm not sure. I only know it was their union that awoke him, and their union that has him leading that army to the earth as we speak." Raye could feel herself shudder at the memory of his intense hatred. "Do we warn them?"
"No." Mina issued the command sharply, and had all eyes moving swiftly to her. "No, we don't warn them."
"But Mina-" Amy began.
"I said 'no.'" Mina turned back to gaze out at the rapidly darkening sky. "We wait, and we see what exactly is approaching. And we wait for the senshi of the outer system to come. Once we are all together, then we will decide what needs to be done."
"The decision will still ultimately be yours Mina." Lita said softly. "Selene appointed you as Head General of all her armies."
Mina nodded. "It will, but with all of us together, the decision will come much easier to me. So until then, we wait."
The Planet Earth
Dawn spread quietly over the earth, the signs of early spring in the blossoming blooms that spread to encompass a large portion of the fields about the palace. The sun was warm this day, shining brightly to chase the last of the nights chill away.
Selene stood at the balcony to the rooms she shared with Ares, overlooking the birth of a new day. She had donned her robe and tied it securely about her waist, crossing her arms beneath her breasts against the slight chill still left in the air. Her cheeks were pale, the shadows that looked as dark as bruises over her smooth, creamy flesh signs of the restless nights she had.
It had been days since that first night she had been with Endymion, since she had informed her husband of his brother's return. Ares had been unable to believe it, unable to believe his brother could be alive after all these years. He had listened to her when she had told him of the evil she felt in him, of how the gentle man he'd once been was now gone.
But she had been unable to tell him of her own betrayal.
Ares had been furious to know his brother would come to her in dreams and haunt her. And he had also been frightened of that threat. He himself knew how much love Selenity had once felt for him and how much love Endymion had felt for her. With this new revelation, the unease and jealousy he felt was threatening to nearly consume him.
Selene knew this, could see this in him, and felt it in their moments alone together. The desperate edge in his lovemaking, the frantic beating of his heart against hers as they came together. He had her watched continuously by his most trusted Generals. Most days it was Malachite who kept silent vigil, and she had grown used to his presence almost immediately.
He questioned her every morning, whether she had dreamt that night yet again, and she always informed him she had not. Endymion had not made himself known to her again since that first time, and she wondered if perhaps he had retreated from them and decided to leave them in peace.
But deep in her heart she knew her hopes were groundless. He would come for her soon, and he would wage a terrible war against his brother to take her back. The very life of the earth's people would rapidly be changing.
And what of her own emotions, her own hopes? She loved Ares, loved him with all her heart, but the memories of her first love could not be forgotten. Endymion had meant everything to her at one point, had made her ache with the sight of him, had made her heart swell with such a tremendous love. At times she wondered how it was she had survived his death.
Sighing warily, she turned from the warmth of the day before her and back into their rooms, laying back down on the smooth, cool sheets of their bed. Ares had woken her early this morning, and had brought her such savage passion she could still feel herself tingling from the encounter. She felt her eyes drifting closed, felt her body relaxing into the softness of the bed, and found herself slide smoothly into dreams that misted over and took her once again to him.
He was nearer now, much closer then he had been before. Of that she was certain. This was a palace, one of the dark kingdoms he resided in while traveling the galaxy. She wondered fleetingly how many kingdoms he possessed.
"Not enough, I'm afraid." His voice came from behind her, a deep, enthralling voice that had her turning slowly. "Such power is never enough, once it's been tasted."
The power of him, the force of his appeal hit her like a cold slap, and she stared mutely as he approached from the shadows of his rooms, coming nearer to her. "You look delicious Selene." His chuckle was quiet, mocking.
He had tricked her before, but didn't seem to find it necessary to do so again. "Why did you bring me here?" she spoke quietly, keeping her voice even and calm despite the furious racing of her heart.
He stepped more fully into the small shadows of light, and she could see he was dressed in armor, a gleaming sword at his side. "Because you belong to me." He came closer, lifting a hand to her throat, tracing the pearl that rested quietly against her cool flesh. "This is proof. Tell me, why did you never discard it?"
She lifted her chin to meet his eyes steadily, remaining still even when his hand went lower, one finger lightly lingering over her breasts. "It was the last memory I had of you." She reached up and gripped his wrist, stopping his lazy explorations. "Don't." She whispered the warning quietly.
His smile was slow, and cool enough to remind her to use caution with him. "And why not? You are the woman I was to marry, after all."
"That's past now Endymion. I'm married to your brother." She watched the fury come, watched his features snap from calm to seething.
"Yes, and how easy that transition was for you." He swept one powerful arm about her and yanked her to him, his lips coming down on hers in ruthless possession. "Have you forgotten me then? Am I no longer in your heart?" His lips raced over her face, down her throat, a man desperate for the taste of the woman he had long lost. "Answer me!"
"I can't." She couldn't stop the tears that came, couldn't stop the sorrow that gripped her and threatened to choke her. "Please, let me go Endymion. Let me go."
His hold tightened, his mouth covering hers once again. His body was as taut as a tightly strung bow, his mouth ravenous in its hungry pursuit for her. She tore her lips away, gripping his shoulders as he buried his face in her neck. "Endymion, please-"
"This is not how this will end Selene. You were meant for me. For me! He sentenced himself to death the moment he touched you!"
Rage, betrayal, her own fury came boiling to the surface so quickly she was amazed at it, and in the next second she had shoved Endymion hard, causing him to stumble two full steps back. "He sentenced himself to nothing! You disappeared Endymion! You abandoned me, you abandoned the both of us! Is it our fault we found love in one another? Is it a crime we thought you dead when we joined?" She was trembling with the emotions coursing through her. How dare he blame them, accuse them of betrayal when they had thought him dead!
She watched his eyes darken from blue to a near black, a single muscle ticking in his jaw. His fists clenched brutally at his sides, and outside the ominous rumbling of thunder had Selene backing slowly away from him. "A crime? You dare name what was done a mere crime! He took you from me!" He thundered the accusation, beyond reason, the world exploding outside the palace as his fury mounted to near madness. Suddenly terrified of him, Selene attempted to run from the room, to race away from him and the dark man he had become, but was caught from behind immediately and whirled to face him. The livid fury darkening his features had been caused by her, and she was almost certain her death would follow.
His arms were powerful bands of steel yanking her to him, his brutally handsome face only inch's from hers. "He will die for taking you, he will see his men fall, he will see the earth burn, and he will know at his end that it was I who took everything he loved from him! He will know you are to be mine once again, and he will live only long enough to see you rule at my side!"
Selenity could feel the earth trembling below them, could hear the continuous cracking of thunder surrounding the palace. Desperate, she pushed at his broad shoulders. "Stop it! You're scaring me!"
He was breathing hard, his nostrils flared, his lips in a rigid, tight line. "You will grow accustomed to me Selene, for I will soon be your husband." His grip suddenly gentled, his head descending to hers. She couldn't help the shudder that passed through her when she felt his mouth moving slowly against her throat, his massive body crowding hers. The hunger rose in him instantly, the fierce need and violent lust he held for her nearly consuming him.
Only she could quench his terrible need. Only she could calm the monster that lived and breathed inside of him.
Selene was still against him, wondering at how quickly the rage had dissolved the moment he touched her. He moved closer to her, and she could feel his hands sliding through her hair, down her back, to circle her tiny waist and press her forward to him. She felt her breasts give against the hard steel of his broad chest, and sighed quietly when his mouth covered hers.
The memories of how he had once been consumed her, and she drew him close, lost in the warmth of the love she had felt for him. Images of their past mingled with the present, the love that had once dominated her heart bursting free as he took the kiss deeper, as he tangled one hand in her hair and slanted her mouth beneath his. Murmuring mindless words of love against his mouth, she formed no protest when he laid her on his bed, his large, massive frame following and blanketing hers.
His hands were at her breasts, parting the robe that covered her body, sliding the thin material of her silk nightgown aside. Cool air touched her warm flesh, tightening her nipples, and she shivered delicately, moaning in protest when his lips left hers, trailing lightly down her throat. Her hands were in his dark hair, her legs shifting restlessly beneath his. She arched her back and cried out when his mouth closed over her breast, when his tongue stroked across the hard bud of her nipple, his hands descending slowly over her body.
She realized as he took the nightgown from her body that she had never stopped loving him, not for one moment of her life. She knew then that even when she had been with Ares, even when she had lain with him, married him, that she had still longed, hoped for Endymion's return. She realized, as his own hard, naked body covered hers, that she loved him even now, after knowing the dark man he had become.
He inserted one knee between her smooth thighs, parting them and giving him access, his mouth suckling patiently at her breast. He sank into the cradle of her body, her thighs winding themselves about his hips, her own moving enticingly against his. The darkness, the madness that clouded his mind, that draped itself as a dark shadow over his heart was momentarily forgotten, and he slid smoothly inside her welcoming body.
She cried his name, panted it against his rock hard shoulder, and he moved with aggression against her, his mouth leaving her breast to take hers almost desperately. Her hands slid over his taut shoulders, felt the muscles straining beneath her wandering hands, and nearly cried with the sheer ecstasy of their joining.
In the midst of their lovemaking he felt it, the call of another, the threat of a power issuing its warning to him. He lifted his head and sent his instincts on alert, listening in silence as the brutal rage of another slammed into him with alarming strength.
Endymion knew who it was. He wasn't a fool to not recognize the power of his own twin brother. They had fought each other several times in their past as a test against one another, Ares always the one to emerge victorious. In those times Ares had dominated over both of them.
But those times, like so many others, were a distant memory now.
He was no longer merely a younger brother, born second to a more powerful being. He was a Dark Prince, rightful in the powers that had been inherited to him, and ruler of what surrounded he and Selene. Ares would find that frightening him would take more then a mental battle of wills.
Darkly pleased with the ease with which he had been able to dismiss Ares' mental attack, he returned his attention to Selene, who was crying out his name beneath him, clutching him tightly to her. Swept over by a fierce need to mark her absolutely as his, he buried his face in her neck and plunged them ahead into the shattering release that soon followed.
Silence crept over them, the cool wind of his planet whispering through the open window to slide quietly over them. He lay over her, nearly crushing her into the bed, his arms holding her tightly to him. He was gently, tenderly, kissing her throat, his eyes closed, the hard lines of his face relaxed.
Selenity turned to watch him, studying the man he had become. She had thought him devastating as a young man, but knew now she had been unprepared for the physical perfection he would reach.
As if sensing her scrutiny, his eyes opened, the burning blue settling on hers. They studied one another in silence, until she finally broke it by asking the question he had once refused to answer.
"Do you still love me Endymion?" She needed to know. She had betrayed her husband, had opened her heart to the love she now felt for him. She needed to know if the love she felt enveloping her heart was felt only by her.
Endymion was silent, his body stiff against hers, his eyes holding hers for several moments. When he spoke at last his tone was rough, hoarse, as if this revelation had robbed him of his powers of speech. "I have spent years in darkness, have lasted through each year of loneliness as if it were an eternity. I have claimed and conquered the army of darkness I now hold, have ruled this planet and several others with utter tyranny. But never, in all these years of bleak darkness and murderous existence, have I forgotten you Selene." One rough hand cupped her cheek, and she held his gaze fearlessly, despite the darkness taking over his features. "You are mine, and never will I allow you to forget it again!"
His lips were on hers, his hips lunging forward to take possession of her, and she could merely sigh with her love as he took her once again.
The Moon
They arrived in the darkness of the night, unwilling to have the entire planet rejoice at their return. The Lunarians knew they visited very little, and their presence was a cause for great joy and celebration. They wished to avoid such a welcome by arriving unnoticed.
They entered the palace undetected by the Lunar Guard, but did not find fault in this. There were only five other beings in the universe who could detect them, and four of them presently resided in this palace.
They found them waiting in the courtyard of the palace, with the little light the night left slanting over their still forms.
The leader of the group bent to one knee immediately, always respectful of the ranks that had been given to them by their Queen, Selenity. The leader of her Senshi, of her armies, was to be treated with the utmost respect, with or without the Queen's presence.
"Please, that's not necessary at this time." Mina said quietly, moving forward to take Haruka's hand and help her to her feet.
The moment Haruka had risen, the three other senshi of the Outer System rose as well, coming forward to formally greet the senshi of the Inner Kingdom.
"You called us back." Haruka spoke quietly, keeping her gaze fixed on Mina's. "You said our Queen is being held prisoner."
"By the King of Earth, Ares." Mina confirmed.
Michiru frowned, her soft eyes troubled. "But isn't he her husband?"
"The situation is not as simple at that." Lita told them of what had occurred so quickly in the last week, how Selenity and Ares had fallen quickly in love, of their fear that they may be brother and sister, and finally of the return of Endymion.
"We must make a decision of what we are to do then." Setsuna wondered at what could be, and what the dim future now held. "But you four must be made aware of the discovery we made upon our return."
"What is it?" Mina dreaded what she could see already in Haruka's eyes.
"Endymion did not merely return as a man with a massive army now behind him. He controls the Dark Kingdom, and has caused it to flourish in the years since his disappearance. It appears his next target is Earth, and his brother Ares."
"He would threaten Selene?" Amy asked with horror and shock.
"No, he would not threaten Selene. His purpose is to take her and crown her as his Queen. He would create his reign here and spread the darkness that has taken him to the entire galaxy." Haruka rubbed at her temples momentarily. "But yes, this would pose as a threat nevertheless to Selene."
"You know everything now. You've heard what could and will be happening." Setsuna raised one slim brow. "What will you do Mina?"
Mina was silent, slowly digesting the information that had newly presented itself to her. Her sole concern was the safety of Selene, as it would always be, but at this moment her Queen had two malicious men who both desperately wanted to possess her.
Which possessed her now?
The question was disturbing to her, and had her back straightening with the decision she must come too. "We have no choice. We will return to Earth, and inform Ares of this, if he does not already know. Once he is informed, we will help him in ridding this evil that threatens to take over the galaxy. Our mother's before us fought Chaos and protected the former Queen from evil." She lifted her chin, and her eyes met each of the senshi's. "We must now do the same."
The Planet Earth
Malachite dreamt of her often, when the loneliness came in the dark hours of the night and finally drove him to a restless sleep. She had been gone from him for over a week now, and his heart had bled more with each passing day.
He had never loved a woman before. He had taken many, had countless lovers, but never given his heart to any of them. He knew now that he had been silently waiting for Mina to present herself into his life.
And in the past week his allegiance to his sovereign had been sorely tested. He knew Ares had inherited much from his father, but had never imagined how deep the darkness and violent possession ran in him. He had seen it himself, had felt it when his King had attacked his woman and instead given him a hard blow. That wound had been much more severe then he had allowed Mina to believe. The medical physician of the Earth had taken great pains in healing it.
Malachite knew his thoughts could be considered treason, thoughts of stealing away into the night and going to the Moon, to Mina, and never returning to Earth. Just the mere thought of being with her once again sent a wave of deep longing coursing through him.
But his own promise held him back. He would never go against what he had told Mina, promising to remain behind and watch over Selenity. No matter how his heart cried out for his beautiful warrior, he would not break the promise he had made to her.
It was the late hours of the night, and he strode through the palace after returning from a brief meeting with the other Generals. They each agreed Ares had become much more violent lately, filled with suspicion concerning everything and everyone. He had Selene watched daily, had the palace guards doubled, and the patrols that kept watch over any intruding enemies work harder and much longer then ever before. It made each man nervous to see this, and also wonder at what could be causing this. Ares refused to speak of it with them.
He was striding through the palace halls, deep in thought, when he heard the shouts. Alarmed, he raced up the stairs of the palace, meeting each of the Generals as they went, bursting into the room his King shared with the Queen.
They found Ares tearing the room apart with his bare hands, the bed completely disheveled, the furniture about the room upturned and littered across the marble floor. He had smashed everything in his rage, the aura that was his birthright slowly pouring from him in waves. The three other Generals could only stare in horror at this, amazed he had unleashed the terrible fury none of them had ever seen before.
It was Malachite who stepped forward cautiously, his hands held up in peace, his eyes locked to the taut back of his King. "Ares, what's happened? What caused this?" He spoke calmly, making sure to allow none of the fear or horror he felt to reflect in his tone.
Minutes of silence ticked by, Ares' heavy breathing the only sound in the room. Slowly, carefully, he turned back to them, and they were faced with the emergence of the evil that had always lived quietly in his heart.
"She's gone."
Malachite suppressed the shudder that almost came. He had never thought to see Ares reach this point, well beyond madness. "Who?" The moment he spoke the single word he knew, and knew then that the peace that had filled the galaxy was now at an end.
"Selene. She's gone."
The Generals exchanged worried glances with one another, but Malachite remained impassive. "But who could have taken her, my Lord?"
When Ares answered at last it shocked him to the very core of his being, as well as the men who stood behind him. "The same man who now controls the Dark Kingdom." His dark eyes met Malachite's, and in them was murderous rage. "My brother Endymion."
Last Notes: So I really hope all those who read this chapter enjoyed it. I realize not very much happened, but the story is progressing as I want it too. Evil is the most dominant characteristic in this fic, shared by the brothers. Which one will actually remaining standing in the end, and which one will win Selene over? Pretty interesting.
Now about my updates. I can't say when my next update is, or even which story it will be. I'm really busy with work and school, but I do promise to update as much as I can. It's been months and all you readers have been extremely patient and I just wanted to say thank you for that. Any e-mails that were sent to my hotmail account I didn't get also because of some problem. Don't think I just didn't want to respond.
So anyway, please don't forget to leave me a review saying what each of you thought, and thanks for reading! SailorP