The evening sun painted streaks of red and blue, lines of green and gold, and splashes of pink and orange against a canvas of clouds. The stones of the Earthen castle were shining bronze while long shadows stretched from atop it's towers. A small picnic was set up on the side of a hill, beneath the cool shade of an old tree. Water cascaded from a fountain nearby, murmuring softly and drowning out the sweet whispers a couple shared while watching dusk fall gradually across the Earth.

"It's so beautiful, Darien," Serena said quietly. A gentle wind caressed her cheek as she lay next to Darien. The grass tickled at her skin, and his arm was warm around her shoulders. His thumb rubbed up and down her arm until it grew numb. She smiled softly. "Sunsets don't look like this on the Moon."

He laughed, and she could feel it spread through his body, making it tremor from deep inside his chest and then down his arms so it shook her, too. "The Moon doesn't need beautiful sunsets because it holds beautiful people."

She looked up at him, her eyes the brilliant blue of a summer sky. He loved when they glittered in happiness like they were now. Her gaze made the entire world disappear behind him, like he was falling into a dream. Sometimes he worried that one day he might finally wake up.

"Sometimes I wonder if your loyalty lies with your own planet or mine," she teased.

"I wonder the same!" cackled a voice on the wind. Shadow exploded from the ground, moving outwards in waves and bringing dust to rise. When it had all disappeared, a sorceress stood there, her black eyes fierce and determined.

The couple stood up quickly, turning about to face the witch, whom Serena recognized as Vara, a woman who'd led many protests during the Earth-Moon negotiations. Black hair streaked with silver flowed over her shoulders, and a crooked nose was guarded by wrinkles on her face. Darien's arm instinctively slid around Serena, protecting her though he didn't yet know how. Lines of anger creased the sorceress's forehead as she pointed a knotted finger at Serena.

"You love the wretched Earth more than you cherish the Moon!" she accused, her voice raspy. "You betray your own planet for him!"

"That's not true!" Serena said, pulling away from Darien.

"Isn't it?" Vara asked. "It's treason! The Earth is nothing more than Lunarians who have been cast away. I'm going to stop this treachery right now!"

A black aura surrounded the witch as she began to curse Serena, shadows flowing from her fingertips and pushing Darien back.

"An evil love in you may no longer reside,

And from your Prince you now must hide,

For until his love exists no more,

You'll live like you have not before,

You will die should he touch your skin,

And no longer shall you meet again,

Murder to him your touch shall be,

Then you'll die together in tragedy!"

Serena could not breathe as the dark magic entered her body. She held her throat, stepping backwards and loosing her footing. Panic gripped her as she began to think these were her final moments. She fell onto the grass, her vision blurring and blackening. Darien's face filled her mind and tears stung at her eyes. She gasped for air but none came. Her body began to tremor as she heard the beckon of the world beyond.

"What have you done to her?" Darien yelled, reaching for Serena. Black magic struck him in the chest, stunning him into unawareness, sprawled out on the picnic blanket.

The sorceress approached her Princess who had fallen into seizures, her eyes rolling in her head. "This is your punishment Princess. Your loving him is wrong. I am your loyal servant always, and I wish for you only to see the evil of what you are doing."

Air filled Serena's lungs as her body stilled. She coughed and her eyes watered. She looked up at the sorceress. "There is no evil in love!" she choked out.

The sorceress's eyes grew dark, storms raging through her soul. "There is in this love."

Sudden pain racked Serena's body and her skin felt as if it was burning. She screamed loudly, capturing the attention of the palace guards. They ran to the hill to see the Princess curled in agony, and their Prince unconscious.

"What have you done to them, Witch?" they yelled.

"I have shown them the truth!" she said righteously. An arrow sliced through the air, hitting it's target as it pierced her chest. She fell to the ground.

Dead.

The burning subsided and Serena collapsed, her arms falling to her sides, and tears streaming from her eyes. The night sky stared down at her, twilight having fallen. She cried, the starlight blurring into the dark. She could feel the shadows around her heart and the coldness in her skin. She gazed at Darien, stretching her fingertips out for him. Immediately the pain returned and she pulled her hand away. She remembered his thumb on her shoulder, and her skin flamed.

The curse had taken hold.

A maid with wavy auburn hair rubbed at a hallway mirror, the second one she'd cleaned that day in the Earthen castle. Green eyes stared back at her and she looked away, disgusted. She rubbed harder on the mirror, pressing so hard she could have broken it. It appeared she was trying to wipe the reflection from the mirror.

She was.

Her hair was supposed to be the silver of the stars and her eyes a clear blue, yet they were these drab earth colors. Her Lunarian heritage was erased in her magical disguise, erased in her mind, erased by a hag so long ago.

A year had passed to this very day since she'd last kissed Darien. Her skin still felt icy and her heart still darkened. She'd been alone so long; she couldn't remember what it felt like to be happy and loved. She remembered only sadness and loneliness.

The clomp of boots sounded from around the corner and she snapped to attention. She turned away from the mirror and touched her chin to her chest, studying the grain in the floor.

"As you were," Darien said, his voice the sound of her heart breaking. She picked up her rag, looking into the mirror for only a moment but catching Darien's eyes. Dark bags surrounded them for his dreams kept him up at night. A quizzical look appeared in his face and she hurried away from him, down the hallway and out of sight.

She leaned against the wall, closing her eyes to shut away the tears and praying he found no resemblance in her disguise as Sabriel and her real appearance as Princess Serenity.

"Who was that?" Darien asked in a quiet voice.

"Just a maid," Malachite answered.

She heard their footsteps continue down the hall and she slid to the floor. It hurt so much to see him here, yet she couldn't stand to be away from him.

"Get back to work, lazy wretch!" an older maid growled, spotting Serena resting.

"Yes, ma'am," she said, standing up and heading off to another mirror, another reflection, and another heartache.

Night fell, bringing an eerie stillness to the castle. The lone sound was the soft splatter of rain outside Serena's window, which stood open to allow in the breeze.

Sweat coated Serena's forehead and her legs were stuck together. She rolled over, facing her window. A break in the clouds revealed a full, bright moon. She rolled over again, unable to stand the sight of the home she had left behind. She sighed and kicked off her blanket. She was never going to sleep tonight, not with her forehead tingling with magic and the air so thick with humidity.

She stood, thankful for the cool stone beneath her bare feet. She neglected shoes and proper clothing, and left her room in only her silk nightgown. The hallways were covered in a stifling darkness that coated her as completely as the curse did. She sent out a thin wave of magic and, after sensing no one near, she pulled magic from her palm to form a silver ball of light. She relied on this orb to guide her way during her night walk about the castle.

She followed the narrow servant's hall and climbed down the servant's stair, until she met the hall that connected to the formal dining room. She moved in no certain direction; she merely followed her feet into the Main Hall and up the Grand Stair. Plush carpets swallowed the sound of her footsteps and large portraits of the Earth's royalty hung on the walls. She shivered as they stared coldly down at her, practically cursing her for breaking their Prince's heart.

"Get in line," she whispered. "Everyone else is cursing me as well."

She continued past the countless guest rooms until she came to a sharp corner. She extinguished her orb, knowing that around the corner two knights stood guard. This last piece of hall was lit well by torches anyway, to aid in the protection of the sleeping Darien.

Serena could feel his life in the gentle, steady state of sleep. If she wished she could press into his dreams and meet him there. In fact, she could control him from inside his own mind, keep him from touching her but still allow them to talk.

But she did not.

Instead she began to hum a soft lullaby, coating it with a sleep spell and sending it down the hall to the knights. Soon the sounds of their slow breathing reached her, so she turned the corner, strode to the doors, and slipped into Prince Darien's bedroom.

AN: See? It's a lot better already, isn't it? I worked for a long time trying to make this really good.

I owe a HUGE thanks to my dear friend Adam's Apathy (her new pen name, watch out, it changes very often) AKA Whitney. Thanks a ton, Fluff!

Input is very welcome, so write me!

Until the next time,

Ai No Senshi

(the forgetful writer who should update more often)