I don't own Sailor Moon... sad, yet true...
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"As you know, next week there will be tremendous ball, celebrating the arrival of our princess' suitor." A petite woman with long wavy dark hair spoke as she walked back and forth in front of them. All the people working at the palace were standing in front of the woman, listening carefully to all her instructions. Among them, Nephrite appeared to be paying attention to the woman, named Luna, but in reality only thought of the fiery brown-haired beauty several feet away from him. Unlike Neph, Makoto was actually listening to what Artemis' counterpart had to say and wasn't glancing back at him. However, Makoto was definitely not a guy… unlike Neph. "So, I would like our newest chef to bake the royal cake this year…" Luna spoke loudly and the entire kitchen staff turned towards the blue-eyed stranger… who happened to gaze almost dreamily at the amazonian.
Still, when he noticed the change of her features, the astonishment and anger from her green eyes that were now glaring back at him, he understood that he had either done somethin… or he was about to… A bit embarrassed he glanced at his right and saw the entire group silently staring at him… with Luna in their middle. So he did what any other modest person would do.
"Of course I will!" he rose up his voice and lifted a hand towards the sky. "I will take this challenge and thus prove my skills to the Queen…" he proudly spoke and then bowed gradually, turning his gaze to the fuming Makoto. "… and her humble servants." He bowed completely and watched the amazon furiously walk out of the kitchen. Right then, an evil smug covered his face, as he considered his mission at least half-way completed.
"I'm glad that you feel this honoured." Luna approached him with a maternal smile on her face, making the terran general thank the gods that she was there instead of Artemis. "I will give you the special recipe this evening and I expect you to proceed with it immediately. The ball begins in five days and the cake must be large enough for 500 guests." She informed him, this time gaining an outraged and desperate look from him. She smiled again and turned around, leaving the kitchen. Behind her, Nephrite was still shocked, hoping that the others would find the Prince before the ball or that somehow a lightening would strike him down within the next 120 hours.
"500 guests?" he asked himself on a lost tone and, for the first time, felt that he sould have probably allowed the dark-haired goddess of the kitchens to go for it… at least she knew what was waiting in line… and she must have had the experience to go through the entire task by herself in the previous years. "But, by gods I will not be defeated by a mere girl!" he shouted with his usual dramatic voice, once again taking a deep breath and turning proud. The next moment, he fastly left the kitchen, leaving behind a trail of star-struck people.
"Are you ok?" Mina sat next to the moon princess, on a cold stone bench, in the middle of the blooming orchard.
"Concerning what? My former friendship with Darien… or Seiya's arrival?" Serenity turned to one side, so that she could be able to look at her venusian friend.
"Both, I guess…"
"I miss… Darien… a lot…" she admitted, while bitting lips so that she wouldn't shed tears again. "But, maybe the fact that Seiya is coming back is a good thing… maybe this way I'll forget about Darien and finally fall in love with the one that I am destined to have as my husband." She turned to the other young woman and noticed that her head was lowered and her face hidden behind the blonde bangs. "Mina?" she inquired worriedly.
"It's ok Sere… you mustn't hide your true feelings just because others tell you to do so or consider it appropriately." The venusian whispered and rose up her face, allowing the lunarian to see the tears on her face. "That's why I love my planet… there you can let your feelings be seen by the others… There you don't have to hide your love… your pain… your grief… Forgive me Sere, but I know that what is between you and Darien is much stronger than a mere friendship. I know you care for him…"
"Mina…" Serenity begged with a helpless voice and started crying again.
"You shouldn't hide it!" the venusian pleaded her strongly. "You should tell him… now! Before it's too late!"
"But…"
"Not buts, Sere!" the blonde venusian suddenly held the lunarian's shoulders toughly, forcing her to look into her eyes. "You must do as your heart tells you to… or you might end up living in unfulfillment and hatred the rest of your life. If you will not care for Seiya as you believe you will, you need to admit it before it will be too late… or you will regret it… and I don't want you to live unhappy for the rest of your life, Serenity… my friend and future Queen…" Mina ended and smiled weakly. In response, the girl literally threw herself in the venusian's arms, once again thanking her for the strangely mature advices… and for her simple presence then and there.
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Phobos and Deimos once again stood restless on the high gates of the martian shrine. As Rei swept the floors with a simple broom, trying to calm down and focus on her prayers, the crows' screams announced the arrival of Jaden, the new priest.
Without stopping from her daily activity, the dark-haired miko gazed over, noticing how the blonde man walked and acted inside the shrine's perimetre. He would remain calm and quiet all the time, but Rei could still not pass beyond his aura. The man was a walking mystery. She had no idea weather he had somehow gained that wall around his mind and heart with training… or if he had been simply born with it. But it was crystal clear to her that he was no martian. He couldn't be! The hair was too light-coloured… and so were the eyes. Everyone on Mars was dark-haired and eyed… Yuichiiro and herself were the living proof to that theory… and yet, there he was, a stranger claiming to be a martian, when it was clear that he may not have even visited the planet in his entire life.
Her faithful crows once again made themselves present and Rei looked up to see them moving frantically their wings. No, they did not like Jaden either… and yes, they did consider him a liar and a potential danger. Unfortunately, Rei had yet no idea how good he could fight. Yes, she may have been a senshi, but she still had to know how to proceed with this man… and she needed to find out his weak points.
Suddenly, Phobos flew away from his place and took off, flying above the shrine and onto the garden at the back of it. Rei amethyst eyes following his flight and, putting the broom away, she followed him, with Deimos right behind her. Several moments later, when she ended in the back yard, she stopped, not believing her eyes.
There, metres in front of her, stood on his knees the young priest, his eyes closed pointing the fact that he was deep in meditation. Watching him carefully, Rei noticed a sudden aura surround him, one that was much stronger than she would have expected it.
In the same time, Jadeite, code-name Jaden, felt stranger chills down his back. It was rather a strange feeling, considering he only went through it when Kunz or Neph were staring merciless at him. But Kunzite was stuck to those training fields worse than he would be back home, while Neph was probably to busy drooling over the brown-haired cook to visit him. And still, the chills demanded him to stop faking his meditation and turn around. Finally moving his head to glance over his right shoulder, he got quite a surprise… one that made him turn livid.
When she noticed him finally gazing at her and turning as pale a ghost, she understood that more trouble was on the way. Never before had her presence been detected so… easy. It was almost humiliating for a person with her rank. And what was worse was that HIM, out of everyone on that damned satellite, had managed to catch her off guard.
"Um… what are you doing?" the blonde man finally took the risk and inquired.
"Nothing!" she promptly answered and turned stiff. The response only made him rise an eyebrow.
"Ok…"
"Forgive for having interrupted your meditating session. It was not my intention to do so." She spoke coldly, closed her eyes, exhaled loudly and immediately turned around, in order to leave him alone once again.
Behind her, Jaden's jaw was fallen and his eyes opened as large as possible. She had actually apologized. Indeed, he had seen her mouth opening and closing, he had heard her voice speaking those words…
Moments later, when she was entering the shrine, the blonde man was still in shock, following with his eyes her every move, up until she disappeared inside the wodden building. It was barely then that he finally started breathing and blinking again.
"It's clear. The end of the world has arrived…" he muttered while shaking his head.
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After taking the princess back to her room to calm down, Mina finally considered that it was time for her usual training session. Unlike the previous days, she was incredibly late and was probably due to a severe punishment coming from her silver-haired teacher. Still, if that punishment would mean a true fight against him, Minako would be more than happy to accept it. Such a challenge could never be turned away by any means. And she was one senshi that loved challenges.
"You're late!" came his stern voice as she stepped inside the arena. His back was facing her and Minako regretted the fact that she couldn't see his emotions' game displayed on his features. However, when he turned around one moment later, Mina began to think that he did not carry any emotions at all: both his face and eyes were a complete blank, making him appear almost inhuman. "I know what it is that you wish, but, due to your lack of consideration, you will not receive that today." He answered sharply and Minako cletched her jaws. How could he see right through her? No one else could do that to her… not even Ace had managed to do that as easily as this man could.
Suddenly realising that she was once again thinking about the traitor, she started shaking her head and lifted her hands to hide her eyes, in order to keep the tears away. She couldn't allow him to see the pain she was still going through each day… she couldn't even allow herself to pass through the same thing over and over again, but let him observe her like this!
"Come! There is much to do before the sun will set!" he ordered as he passed by her, this time not even bothering to glance at her. She only sent him one glare and understood soon enough that he was not about to grant her a single extra moment. But in the end, a good work-out session was never bad and it was apparently the only thing that managed to bring her out of her tormenting memories. Sighing only once, she followed him and silently waited for his commands.
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click-click-thud. click-click-thud. click-click-thud.
This was incredibly embarrassing and strange at the same time. She leaned the book only a bit, but more than enough to catch a glimpse of his Zander's busy self. It was already the fifth interruption she brought to her reading and only within the past half an hour.
Her heart was beating so fast that she thought it would escape her chest any moment now. Rising the book again, she tried her best to regain her composure and escape the mad blush that was now covering her entire face. She started reading again, this time completely focused on shutting away all her senses (except for the sight) and think only about the materials she was either scanning or thoroughly reading.
It was barely an hour later that she felt she was being watched. Returning to reality, she looked around her, and the hall's emptiness and lack of foreign sounds told her that she was alone in the room. Shutting the book, she came to realise that she wasn't completely alone. A sudden thump made her jump a bit and glance towards the bookshelves in the back.
Another thump made her get up from her seat and follow the noises towards their source. Of course, she knew that there was only one person who could produce all that trouble only to get her attention, even if it meant only a five-minute break from her studies. Her heart started beating loudly again as lovely shade of pink took over her skin again.
Turning to her right and walking through the farthest shelves in the library, she finally found him. He was on his knees, sorting out some heavy book. As he twisted and turned, the rebellious dirty blonde curls played on his back, while the shortest strands kept falling from behind his ear, forcing him to put them back in their place every ten seconds with a loud sigh. Ami smiled sweetly, finding his routine quite amusing.
As if he had felt her behind him, Zander turned around and stood up when he saw her. Indeed he had produced all that noise to draw her thoughts, but he had never imagined her to actually follow him up to this place.
"Ami! Have I…? Please forgive me for interrupting your studies." He spoke as he gazed at her in his unique way.
"Don't worry, you haven't…" she assured him and gazed back, sustaining his look without problems, although her cheecks were starting to burn rather bad. "What were you doing here?" she finally asked, glancing at the boxex behind him.
"This? I've been arranging them by type and name. They're just some old books I've found yesterday in the basement. I've recognized quite a few titles and decided to bring them up. I really don't understand why some would hide away such good books…" he smiled and turned to see her again. But then it happened: his sigh fell on her lips and he acquired a sudden desire to touch those lips… preferably with his own… and therefor… "Please forgive me!" he begged right before catching her completely into his arms and covering her mouth fastly, but still not in a very intruding way. He pressed his lips to hers, touching her nose with his own from time to time, as if shyly asking for her acceptance. And then she offered him that…
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For the first time in his life, Prince Endymion really felt lousy. All day he had been hiding either in Rei's room or wondering off among the many hallways and gardens. He wasn't sure if he was hiding from Haruka, the mighty woman that could scare off an entire army of men with a simple glare, or Serenity, the beautiful moon princess that he had so oftenly dreamed of during his childhood years. However, none of those dreams had managed to predict that he would end up actually falling in love with the lunarian.
And still, the fight with the blonde girl was not the only problem bothering his mind. The previous day, one of Serenity's best friends had informed him that she was aware of his true identity. How she had ever managed to get hold of that information or come to solve the mystery he had deliberately created around himself was still an enigma. If Minako told the others about this or even spoke to the Queen, everything would become possible… even a war between the Moon and the Earth.
It was now that he regretted the most using those ancient spells along with his generals. Of course, if that hadn't happened, he would've never met the girls or seen the beauty that the Silver Alliance could carry. Ever since childhood he had wished to visit the Moon's legendary gardens… and now that he found himself in the middle of his own fairy-tale, he only considered to be a dirty outsider. He should have never hurt Serenity…
"My, my! Aren't I surprised to meet you here… again!" a voice he feared most brought him back to reality. Turning around pale as a ghost, he froze in his seat. Right there stood tall and proud as usual, the mighty short-haired woman, completely dressed in men's clothing that, surprisingly enough, fitted her perfectly.
Fast enough, Darien jumped from his seat and stared at her blankly. His mouth opened slightly as if to speak up, but when no words left his throat he started feeling really embarrassed. He knew what he wanted to say, but seeing Haruka this close paralysed him completely.
"Well, aren't you at least going to say something in your defense?" she spoke with a clearly annoyed voice and glare at him.
"Haruka! I thought you said you wanted to find out the truth, not kill him with a simple look." A much calm and soothing tone filled the tight atmosphere, somehow bringing a slight sense of calm to the entire situation. In the next moment, from behind Haruka, a lightly shorter woman appeared. She was dressed in a dark green layer of slik and her hair fell graciously in slight curls over her shoulders. Opening her eyes and gazing at the young man, she allowed him to see the bluish colour of her eyes, that matched perfectly the one of her hair. Observing her features carefully, Darien couldn't help but compare this new person with Ami: they seemed to resemble just enough perhaps to even pass as sisters, but the huge differences were still noteable. Ami's hair and eyes were clearly blue, while this woman's also carried a certain nuance of green. Also, he could tell from her posture that she was not as shy and perhaps not even as childish as Ami.
"I will get my answers… not matter what I must do for them…" the blonde woman answered back and sent another deadly look towards the stunned man.
"Haruka!" the woman spoke only once, this using a harsh tone. As if commanded, the blonde "hmph"ed, crossed her arms and stared anywhere else. "Please excuse her moods. Ever since she felt that something was different about Serenity, she started acting this possessive. I really don't know what's gotten into her." The new-arrived apologized with a calming smile and took a few steps towards the extremely silent man.
"I really apologize for causing you such distress." Darien took a deep bow.
"Hmm, Haruka, I thought that you said he had the skills of a simple farmer and the looks of a demon." The blue-haired mused and gained an incredible stare from her lover. "Then I must say, this demon is very handsome and he definitely doesn't seem to lack manners at all." She continued and enjoyed the outrage look on Haruka's face.
"W-what?" she only managed to ask.
"Calm down. You know that no demon could ever stand above you." The wavy-haired leaned a bit and ended in a whisper. It was barely now that the blonde let out a deep breath and turned to the man again.
"Right! Now back to business. Who are you?" she demanded.
"Me?" Darien rose his eyebrows in surprise. He knew perfectly well that this particular question was one of the very few he could not answer… at least not while standing on the Alliance's grounds. "I'm just a man who suddenly woke up one day in these beautiful gardens and happened to run into the princess."
"So you're saying that you don't remember your past?" the wavy-haired woman inquired.
"Liar!"
"Haruka, would you please let me handle this?" she turned again and this time simply glared.
"Fine!"
"Well?" she turned back to him.
"You could say that… as well…"
"The thing is that we are not only worried about the changes Serenity had gone through ever since meeting you… but also of your previous whereabouts. It is not every day that a man drops out of nowhere in these gardens." Her tone was starting to get very serious, as was the look in her eyes. "The palace is highly guarded and no one can enter or exit with the Queen's approval. Now, something tells me that the Queen does not even know about your presence here… therefor, how did you manage to enter?"
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I haven't updated this story in AGES! Literally! But, as usual, the was a certain someONE who wouldn't give me break until I finally started working on this fanfic too...
So here it is, one new update for a pretty old story. Can I hope for any reviews?