To see his beloved Serenity, Prince Endymion is even willing to crash the latest masquerade dance upon the Moon. Crystal canon. Written for UsaMamo Week 2022 Day 6 'Reunion and/or "I thought I'd never see you again' and the 30th Anniversary of Sailor Moon.
Rated: T - Romance/Angst - Words: 6,459 - Luna, Princess Serenity, Prince Endymion, Shitennou/Generals
A/N: Set during the flashbacks of Sailor Moon Crystal episode 9. This fic is a sequel to 'Dream Gift', which was written for Day 1 of UsaMamo Week 2022.
This fic is a gift for Caelenath, DinkyCharlie, Silver and AReptileDysfunction.
I'd also like to thank I'd also like to thank Seren_Kat32 for helping out with the description of some of the buildings in this story.
"You know what to do?" Asked Endymion.
The four young men nodded and affixed white domino masks around their eyes reminiscent of their Master's. With that, they stepped onto the teleport pad.
In an instant, the lush greenery of the Golden Kingdom castle garden vanished and was replaced by the visage of a very different structure. To say it was grandiose would have been an understatement. To Endymion's eye it was an alabaster vision, its rounded tops and arched windows reminiscent of a cathedral, but much larger.
Traversing the water-flanked promenade leading up to the marble steps, the five of them separated and mingled amongst the other partygoers. As they had expected, security was relatively lax. The idea of anyone obtaining a blackmarket teleport pad, let alone successfully connecting it to the Moon Castle's network, was clearly beyond belief. Nevertheless, Endymion took no chances, using the crowd as cover to slip unnoticed up the alabaster stairs, through the gigantic silver archway, and into the entrance hall. Almost immediately the sound of soft violins filled the air as did the aroma of champagne. The sensations only grew more vivid as Endymion crossed over the threshold into the ballroom.
He suppressed a gasp of wonder. Unsurprisingly, the ballroom was rendered in silver and alabaster marble. However, what he hadn't expected was for the room to be so similar to the ballroom back home. He knew from his books that the ballrooms of several other planetary palaces were constructed differently. And yet, for some reason the Earth and Moon's ballroom's were almost identical.
The only real difference was the colour scheme, but even then Endymion was taken aback. Gold accented the pillars, the rafters of the domed ceiling, the double staircase, the panes of the windows, and the auric tiles that helped decorate the mosaics upon the walls. Back home, the inverse was true: gold pillars, windows and ceiling accented by silver.
But there was one feature totally unique to the Moon Castle: the dance floor itself. With every heartbeat it seemed to change, cycling from a perfect silver mirror to an artistic depiction of the Solar System, the Earth and Moon rendered as gold and silver circles respectively. The image was almost reflected by over a dozen rotating spheres floating high above the centre of the room, a glittering scale model of the Solar System, each planet, moon, and asteroid granting further illumination to the ballroom.
Pulling himself together, he scanned through the crowd, looking for the most beautiful girl in the universe. Through a pair of doors leading out to the balcony, he spotted two golden buns bobbing just above the heads of a small crowd. Manoeuvring around the fringes of the dancefloor, he exited the ballroom through another set of open doors, stepping out onto the other end of the balcony.
It was only as he neared the crowd that he realised he had made a mistake. He hadn't found the most beautiful girl in the universe, but rather the most beautiful woman. In his own defence, they were nearly identical. And from a distance, her height hadn't been apparent to him and her silver hair had merely caught some of the golden gleam from the door frame, making her buns merely appear blonde.
As inconspicuously as possible, he pulled the brim of his top hat lower to hide his face then made a left turn through the first set of balcony doors, praying he looked natural. Nevertheless, he thought he spotted the Queen shoot him a glance with her silver-grey eyes as he passed by the crowd.
He cursed under his breath. This was a masquerade; he and almost everybody else were wearing masks . What was he thinking tipping his hat a moment ago!? He might as well have told the Queen that he didn't belong here!
"The Gekkou Waltz will begin in twenty minutes."
Ignoring the white cat's announcement, Endymion angrily began scanning the ballroom again, particularly eyeing up the guards.
Though not as powerful as the Sailor Senshi, the Moonlight Knights who guarded the interior of the Moon Castle were legendary in their own right. They wore loose shirts and pants, a thawb and a mask covering the lower half of their faces, the all white outfits completed by a cape pinned by a black and gold clasp situated around their collarbones . To fools, their attire might have seemed inefficient for combat, but Endymion had seen the daggers beneath their capes and knew their speed and skill made conventional armour unnecessary and impractical. To his relief, they weren't looking at him and didn't seem to have been alerted to anything. At least not yet, anyway.
His gaze lifted to the other entrance to the ballroom, the one that overlooked the dancefloor at the top of the double staircase. If there were guards positioned up there, he couldn't see them at all. Perhaps they were flanking the entrance on the other side of the wall?
It was as his eye lowered to the floor directly beneath the entrance that he saw two young women, one in a blue and the other in a red Sailor Senshi uniform. And in the gap between them, almost entirely out of sight, a golden hair bun!
Had he found her at last?
His heart beat. The dance floor shifted its visage.
Almost hypnotically, Endymion began to advance forwards, dancing couples moving to avoid him.
Sailor Mars suddenly straightened up, and began to look over her shoulder. Before she caught sight of Endymion though, her view was blocked by a man with short, curly blonde hair and a deep green suit. For the faintest instant, Sailor Mars was motionless. Then, after silent words passed between her and Jadeite, they broke away from the group.
Her absence revealed the Princess more clearly. She was wearing a beautiful, sunset golden gown and had her back to the dancefloor, conversing with some other guests.
As a waiter zoomed by, Endymion automatically deposited his top hat onto the empty tray. He couldn't dispose of his mask, but even a minor alteration to his appearance might better conceal him amidst the other partygoers.
From the corner of his eye, Endymion spotted Nephrite just outside the entrance he had initially come through. He was offering Sailor Jupiter a drink, delaying her re-entry to the ballroom.
The dancers crowded together. Though they did not slow Endymion's pace, they did momentarily obscure him from view and he took the opportunity to remove his cape, bundle it up, and toss it away.
None of the dancers had noticed. And yet, Sailor Mercury tilted her head curiously when she spotted him. She was said to be a genius. Could she have noticed the suspicious, sudden disappearance of some of his garments? Staring at him, she moved forwards inquisitively, leaving her Princess behind. As Endymion's heart began to race, Mercury was swept into the arms of a man with dirty blonde hair tied up into a ponytail. Zoisite whisked her onto the dancefloor and led the bewildered Senshi away from his Master.
Endymion at last made it through the gauntlet of other dancers, stepping off the ever changing floor and nearing the beautiful, blonde, bun-headed mai-
His heart stopped, shocked at what he was seeing.
Kunzite had abruptly strode up to his beloved. He was standing close to her, far too close for Endymion's liking. Kunzite wore a mischievous smirk and bent his head low towards the ear of Endymion's beloved. The silver haired Shitennou whispered something to the Princess that made her shoulders shake with a giggle, a pink hue just visible upon her cheek as she looked up at Kunzite. Endymion felt rage boil up inside him as Kunzite delicately ran his thumb down the Princess's back. What was worse, the Princess hooked her arm around his and allowed herself to be led by Kunzite towards the main entrance where Nephrite and Jupiter were still conversing.
For a moment, the warmth of the ballroom, the dazzle of the soft lights, the sweet softness of the music–all of it vanished. Instead, Endymion rapidly vacillated between a cold numbness that consumed his body and a seething rage that made his stomach churn and his ears throb with blood. Desperately he desired his sword was in his hands so he could return Kunzite's 'friendship' and stab him in the back.
How? How could this possibly be happening? How could Kunzite or his beloved do this to him!?
Sword or no sword, he would confront Kunzite about this now . Endymion didn't even care that he'd be inevitably blowing his meagre cover. His best friend and his beloved owed him an explanation.
It was just as Endymion took his first angry step towards the couple that Kunzite looked over his shoulder. Catching his Master's eye, he shot a brief upwards nod towards the entrance atop the double staircase. Curiosity momentarily trumping his rage, Endymion's eye darted up.
All anger, all sense of betrayal evaporated from his mind immediately. In fact, Endymion felt like his very breath had been stolen from him.
But then, that was always how he felt whenever he saw her.
Even within the confines of her bedchambers, Princess Serenity heard the announcement clearly enough.
"The Gekkou Waltz will begin in twenty minutes."
Serenity remained stationary as the dim and distant sound of music returned. She was standing just before the threshold to her balcony, staring up at a sapphire orb through the translucent gossamer curtains. Her face was blank, but only because she was fighting hard to maintain her composure, her grip on the curtains tightening.
BANG!
Typically the slam of the door might have made her jump, but Serenity was unfazed, as if mesmerised by the sight of the Earth hanging in the night sky.
"PRINCESS!"
Serenity sighed and released her grip on the net curtains. It seemed the jig was up.
"Hello, Luna," she said lethargically.
"Don't you 'hello Luna' me, young lady! Not after the stunt you've pulled tonight!"
With a groan, Serenity turned around to face the furious black feline. "I just didn't feel up to a masquerade tonight."
This was not the right thing to say.
" 'You didn't feel up to it' ," Luna repeated incredulously. "Princess, this is the Moon Pride Masquerade! It is one of the most important nights of the year for the entire kingdom! Your attendance isn't just expected, it is mandated! Did you really think you could get away with sending Venus out there as a decoy!?"
Serenity gave a lazy shrug. "I thought, if she used the Disguise Pen you gave me-"
"That device was for your own safety! The fact that you used it to skip out on your duties is proof you are too immature to have it! Artemis will be discreetly confiscating it from Venus as soon as possible."
"There's no need," Serenity half mumbled. "It's right there on my bed."
Serenity pointed to the four poster bed where a pink pen topped by a crimson red jewel rested upon the covers. Luna's eyes went wide as she leapt onto the bed and retrieved the device, staring at it as if she couldn't believe it was real.
"You mean you let Venus transform and then kept the pen?"
Serenity shrugged again. "Yeah. So?"
Luna's jaw dropped. "Didn't I tell you that if you don't have the pen on your person the disguise will naturally falter!? Venus will be returning to normal any moment now!"
"Oh," Serenity said distractedly, her eyes downcast.
"You had better pray that Artemis gets to her before anyone notices! And when this is all over I promise you we are going to have a serious discussion about your attitude, young lady! Now get moving!"
As if her arms and legs were weighed down by heavy stones, Serenity got dressed. A few minutes later, she was garbed in a pink and fuschia dress with a sweetheart neckline. Beading along the bust and white, three-quarter length sleeves created an elegant silhouette, and the bows around her arms were gracefully feminine. Beads, like the ones around Serenity's bust, hugged her hair buns, and between them was a crown shaped tiara. The outfit was completed with flowers adorning Serenity's bodice, waist, and choker, and similarly flower shaped earrings.
As soon as she finished dressing, Luna marched Serenity out of the bed chambers, down the halls, past the Moonlight Knights, and through the entrance that overlooked the dancefloor.
Serenity rested her hands on the golden bannister and peered up at the model Solar System revolving in the air, her eye naturally fixating upon the Earth.
"I trust I don't need to remind Your Highness that you will be participating in the waltz. I suggest you find yourself a dance partner."
At Luna's words, Serenity felt like someone had her chest in a vice. Involuntarily, she half sobbed before catching herself.
"For goodness sake, if you honestly can't be bothered to find a partner, just stay here." Whether due to her anger or the noise from the party, Luna had evidently mistaken Serenity's cry for another groan. "You are the Princess, I'm sure someone will ask for the honour."
Serenity looked down at the dancefloor and all the couples gliding across it. She picked out a blonde woman with a beehive hair style, her partner sporting a neat, ginger ponytail. Serenity tried her best to project herself onto the woman, to conjure the image of being led by somebody between the mirrored floor below and the revolving planets above.
Her imagination failed her. She couldn't imagine dancing ever again. Of ever being happy ever again.
Serenity dropped her arms heavily from the bannister and, half slouching, moved away to lean her back against a nearby pillar, staring down at her dress. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to see people enjoying themselves. But at the very least, she didn't have to hear them.
She tuned out all noise around her. The chatter. The music. The general commotion. The effect was that certain sounds stood out to her more. The clinking of glasses. The gentle fluttering of the guards' capes. The tapping of approaching steps. One by one, she shut these out too. The glasses grew muted. The capes were silenced. The footsteps proved slightly more challenging as they were in fact growing louder and louder and-
A pair of shiny black shoes stood, heels together, nearby her own white high heels. Serenity raised her eyes slightly, barely moving her head.
"Beautiful Princess."
Her half-closed eyes abruptly went wide. As her gaze travelled up, she saw a lean, though muscular, young man in a smart tuxedo, a white gloved hand extended out to her. Something stirred within her chest. A glimmer of hope, and of fear.
"Will you dance with me?"
She finally beheld the man's face. His gorgeous, perfect face with gentle locks of black hair falling over sapphire eyes that made the Earth itself pale by comparison.
Serenity knew what she should say. She knew what the right thing to do would be. Nevertheless, she was powerless to stop herself raising her suddenly weightless hand and placing it in his.
They stared at one another across the dance floor. Serenity was the very centre of the silver circle. Endymion was similarly positioned at the heart of the larger golden circle. Above them the Solar System revolved. Around them, the Inner Senshi moved onto their namesake planets, the Shitennou directly facing each of them.
"Honoured guests," began Artemis, "it is time to begin the Gekkou Waltz."
The gentlemen raised their right hands to their hearts and bowed. The Ladies inclined their heads and curtseyed.
A heartbeat elapsed. The dance floor changed. But not as it had before.
There was no silver mirror. No mosaic of the Solar System. Instead, the floor seemed to vanish entirely, replaced by the majesty of space itself. The couples approached one another, their footsteps sending ripples across the field of stars beneath them.
Endymion took Serenity's right hand in his left and placed her other hand upon his shoulder. Then they began to move.
They were travelling in a circular motion whilst also rotating their bodies every so often, almost in imitation of the revolving planets above them. And though the dancefloor was littered with fellow couples, neither seemed to notice the other dancers. It was as if they were alone in the ballroom, their hearts so light they might have been gliding amidst the very stars that were even now illuminating each steps they took.
Endymion advanced with his left foot. Serenity intuitively moved back with her right.
"What are you doing here?" whispered Serenity, her cheeks rosy.
With similar synchrony, she followed the Prince as he stepped to the right.
"I haven't heard anything from you in over a week," Endymion smirked slightly. "So I came to see you."
Endymion moved backwards, a trail of ripples following the Princess as she glided with him.
"You don't understand! We-"
A soft, white gloved finger flew to the Princess's lips. She looked up at the small smile across the Prince's lips and not even a murmur escaped her.
An instant later Endymion had raised their arms above their heads and Serenity was spinning on the spot.
She fell backwards, a warm hand catching the small of her back and holding her up.
Then she was upright again, his arms having pulled her towards his chest, her cheek and hair caressing his shirt breast.
It was moments later, during their next circuit through the dancefloor, that Endymion's eye darted off to the side, Serenity's gaze following. Two Moonlight Knights were huddled together in conversation and looking in their direction. Luna was nearby, concern and confusion gripping her feline features as she looked back and forth between the dancers and the guards.
Moving swiftly, Endymion led the couple amidst the other dancers, obscuring them from sight. It was when the Senshi and Shitennou neared them that Endymion let go of Serenity. Pain and regret crossed both their faces as they parted.
Unable to help himself, Endymion glanced over his shoulder one last time. Serenity stood motionless upon the dancefloor, staring after him.
He despised leaving her like this. Not only was it humiliating for her, but his own body ached at being denied her touch. Nevertheless, as his eye shifted again to the guards who had only just noticed his absence, he quickened his pace, briskly exiting the ballroom.
The sights, sounds, and smells that had formerly welcomed him when in the entrance hall seemed to have vanished. Now he was aware of nothing but the bead of nervous sweat trickling down the back of his neck.
His throat felt dry as he spotted the doorway leading out to the steps and promenade. There hadn't been any Moonlight Knights flanking the doors when he'd entered. Marshalling all his discipline, he tried to keep his pace brisk yet steady so as to not alert them.
As naturally as he could, he changed directions, heading for a doorway with two guards in standard armour, clearly not elite fighters like knights. Desperately he tried to convince himself he was a regular Lunarian who simply felt unwell and wanted some fresh air. Feeble as this lie was, the mental exercise was enough to help him relax as he passed the alabaster guards.
He coughed slightly as the air was filled with blue-grey smoke emanating from pipes, cigars, and cigarettes of various party attendants. With the crowd and smoke as cover, Endymion quickened his pace ever so slightly. Trusting Kunzite and the others to look after themselves, he made a beeline for a patch of grass that led to a garden of some kind.
Nobody was around and he momentarily wondered if guests were even allowed here. It didn't matter; the noticeably thicker shadows were invaluable to him right now, even if any of the guests had seen him sneak off here.
His ears now keenly attuned to his surroundings, he detected a clinking of metal. The armoured guards? The Moonlight Knights drawing their blades? Or perhaps something entirely innocent?
He wasn't willing to take the risk. The Prince ducked behind several particularly large rose bushes. Squinting his eyes, he peered through the white petals. Sure enough, three Moonlight Knights were making their way through the crowd of smokers. Glancing at his suit jacket, he realised it had been torn and stained from the rose thorns. He could ditch it like his hat and cape, but might that make him stand out more, especially when he was trying to leave?
Endymion's train of thought abruptly stopped cold; the Moonlight Knights had entered the garden. And they were heading his way.
Endymion ran.
Thankfully the garden had a path he could follow, though not easily in the dim light. Indeed, darkness seemed to be building the deeper he encroached into the garden. His speed further complicated matters, his jacket enduring yet more damage as it caught upon branches and thorns. If enough of the fabric was left behind it would surely allow the knights to track him more easily. On the other hand, putting as much distance between them as he could might be the only way he could get out of this. Making his choice, he accelerated onwards.
Trying to throw the knights off his trail, he occasionally veered off to the left or right, criss crossing through the massive garden. As he ran he was dimly aware of the sporadic sound of shredding fabric and a slight (yet growing) chill about his arms and torso. He veered off to the right again and sped between two massive rows of hedges freckled with white roses. The path here was wider, sparing what little remained of his suit jacket.
A few seconds later, Endymion came to a halt, his path blocked by a tall wall of green leaves, white flowers, and thick, thorny branches. He doubled back and followed a different path. However, he soon found himself faced by another wall. It was only on his third failed attempt that realisation dawned upon him. He had run into a maze.
The Prince was suddenly all too aware of his breathing. His heartbeat. The tension in his limbs. Every facet and function of his body became starkly apparent to him.
A rumble resounded nearby. His blood ran cold. Could the entire Lunarian army have amassed to find him!?
Plip.
With a start he leapt back, further shredding his jacket upon the bushes and thorns. Something cold and wet had landed on his cheek.
Plip.
Plip.
Reaching up, he wiped the droplets from his cheeks.
Plip.
Plip.
Plip.
His gaze turned skywards and a second revelation suddenly hit him. The Lunarians lived beneath an atmospheric dome. All their weather was artificially generated. The diminished light of the garden was the staff gathering rain clouds together to water the plants.
Within seconds, his dark hair was half slick with rain. A second more and he detected the sound of the knights splitting up to traverse the maze. The Earth Prince looked back at the path that had led him to this dead end. Even through the rain and darkness he could clearly see a piece of black fabric hanging from a piece of shrubbery. He glanced at his almost non-existent jacket sleeve. Despite how wide the maze paths were, he must have caught his jacket upon entering this alley. The knights would doubtless find him here. And even if they didn't, his stamina was practically spent now.
Maybe if he hadn't exerted himself as much in the ballroom he might-
A flash of red caught his eye. Bending down to examine it more closely, he realised it was another rose, a lone scarlet intruder amidst its snowy counterparts.
Though it hadn't wilted exactly, it had lost a lot of its petals and its stem was severely bent, almost snapped off. Tentatively, he reached out and plucked it, the motion further damaging his jacket and even pricking his thumb slightly. For several moments, he was transfixed by the flower and could detect its beautiful aroma even over the smell of the rain.
It was over. He had lost.
But it had been worth it.
Endymion set the flower upon the ground beneath him and stripped off what little remained of his jacket. Then he discarded his mask, bowtie, gloves, everything sans his white shirt and black trousers. Finally, he looked to the Earth looming large in the violet night sky.
With that, he closed his eyes, allowing the rain to wash over him.
In his mind, he was not cold, wet, lost, nor helpless. In his mind, Endymion was back in the ballroom, dancing with the moonlight itself.
"Prince Endymion."
He did not open his eyes.
It was time. And he was prepared.
Nevertheless, it struck him as odd that a Moonlight Knight's voice would sound so soft; and distinctly feline.
The rainfall did not impede Steven's vision and he silently stalked towards the corner of the maze bush. Behind him Marc had his dagger drawn at the ready.
Steven's own weapon remained sheathed beneath his white cloak. Unlike Marc, he preferred to first adopt a peaceful, pacifying approach to enemies whenever he could, only resorting to violence when necessary.
Marc had chastised him for this often enough, but Steven was determined to maintain the practice. Besides, they had already followed the trail of black fabric to two other deadends in this sector of the maze. It was unlikely that this third attempt would bear fruit. The intruder was likely lost even deeper in the maze, or else had been dispatched by one of his brother knights, Jake or Darien most likely.
However, at the sound of lightly splashing footsteps, Steven stopped dead. He spotted a faint shadow stretching out of the entrance to the alley as the footsteps drew nearer. Despite himself, Steven's hand reflexively enclosed around the grip of his dagger.
He relaxed immediately however when a familiar white uniform rounded the corner of the bush.
"Nothing?" Steven asked in a whisper.
The Knight shook his head then began to move past Steven and Marc.
"Where're you going?" Marc half barked.
"The Queen requested he return to the castle."
Steven and Marc whipped their heads back to the entrance of the alley, where they swiftly spotted the new speaker.
"Oh, very well then. Should we report back too?"
"No, no. You and the other knights must continue to search the maze; the intruder must be in here somewhere."
"As you command, Grand Vizier Luna."
Steven and Marc briefly bowed to the ebony feline before turning their attention back to locating their quarry.
Behind them, both the cat and the knight moved off, a nervous quality to their pace.
The party was long since over, but Serenity was still wide awake. She was kneeling within the Princess's personal prayer room. The simple, lonely square chamber resided atop a tall tower and was only accessible via a massive bridge connecting it to the main castle. The bridge was so massive that prying eyes would find it hard to make out anyone crossing it. At least, so long as they weren't watching from the graceful stone windows embedded in the palace overhead. Thankfully, the arched windows were completely dark, as was the vault of the prayer tower.
Serenity had come here almost as soon as the masquerade had concluded, delaying only to change out of her party gown and into her traditional white dress. She had been braced for an argument with Venus and the others, but to her relief all four of them had escorted her to the prayer room without saying a word.
They had seemed somewhat more reluctant to wait within the castle, merely guarding the entrance to the bridge rather than the prayer room itself. But ultimately they had even complied with that request.
All four of them knew what she was up to of course, but they were clearly inclined to be sympathetic tonight. Though she'd never say so, Serenity knew Endymion's own royal guard were to thank for that. As such, Serenity was certain they would let Endymion cross the bridge when he got here.
If he got here.
Of course he'd get here.
Luna wouldn't fail to find and help him. She'd never let Serenity down before.
But then…there were so many guards at the palace, what if…
Serenity let out a sob, fell to her knees and began to put the prayer room to good use.
Was this not precisely why she had decided not to see him that day? Or all the days thereafter this long, long week. Had that been unfair to him? Undoubtedly, but to see him again would have been to make it real. It was easier to stay in the castle and simply pretend her life was going on as it had been before she had started visiting the Earth. Before she had spoken to him. Before they had started spending long summer days just talking. And short summer nights saying very little.
Nights where they had simply walked together, held one another, and stared up at the stars within the violet night sky. They hadn't done anything wrong. Not really. Nothing had happened.
Nothing except for the entire universe changing over night.
Every bite of food had suddenly tasted sweeter than nectar. Every fragrance she smelt made her dizzy with delight. Even her very steps felt lighter than air.
Not this last week though. This last week's food might as well have been ash. The aroma of the gardens reeked. And it took all her effort to even lift her arms, let alone walk.
Serenity had heard such things would get better in time. Maybe that was true…but they had gotten better immediately tonight.
That was the trap though. And she must not, could not, fall into it. Her mistake had been underestimating Endymion. He was always so responsible and disciplined, she hadn't considered he'd be so reckless as to come here tonight.
But was it so surprising? Simply meeting her as he had been on Earth had been risky, irresponsible even.
Still, she couldn't help but admire his daring. And his bravery. And the sound of his voice. And the way his hair fell over those crystal clear sapphire eyes. And-
Serenity tightened the grip on her clasped hands, turning her own knuckles chalk white.
She would tell him what he needed to hear, not just for her own sake, or even the kingdom's now, but for his own too. If she had told him straight in the first place he surely would not have come here tonight and be in need of rescuing.
She heard soft footsteps in the distance. Whipping her head around, she looked across the bridge. Her heart sank.
It was one of the Moonlight Knights. Had he come here to check on her? No, that was the Senshi's job and they would not have allowed him to disturb her in prayer for such a purpose. But then…the only reason he would be coming to her would be…
"Oh no," she whispered.
Her gaze travelled wildly over the knight, but there didn't seem to be a single spot of red upon the snow white uniform. But that didn't necessarily mean anything. What if he was-
Her thoughts abruptly halted as she noticed the knight staring intensely at her. Staring far more intensely than any knight had ever done before. Staring with crystal clear sapphire eyes.
"Moon Power!"
For a moment Serenity was blinded. When her vision cleared, the knight was gone. In his place was the most handsome man in the universe, a pink pen topped by a crimson jewel disappearing within the folds of his cape.
Hypnotically, and in perfect synchrony, they advanced towards one another.
Dimly, Serenity primed the words she had prepared upon her tongue. She was certain she could get them out. But, all of a sudden, every ounce of her conviction seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Endymion felt like he was walking on thin air.
The lingering aroma of the rain water was making him dizzy with delight.
And there was a sweet nectar-like taste in his mouth, even though he hadn't eaten anything in hours.
The universe itself seemed right again for the first time in over a week. She was even wearing the dress she always wore whenever they met, complete with that pearl bracelet he'd given her. Of course, he had reciprocated, using that miraculous pen to generate the royal attire she was so familiar with. The effect seemed to have worked well. Her expression was what it had so often been on those short summer nights they had spent together.
After what felt like an eternity, they met at the very centre of the bridge, the Earth hanging massive in the inky violet sky behind them.
"Endymion…"
Serenity's voice was soft as moonlight.
"...we cannot see each other anymore."
Endymion had heard her, but wasn't fully paying attention. He was too lost in her cerulean eyes. And whatever part of him was paying attention found it difficult to believe her. Especially when those same cerulean orbs had a glazed, distracted quality to them.
He took a step forward. Unlike their waltz however, Serenity did not step back.
"Why not?" Endymion's voice was even, but not devoid of emotion.
He moved in closer, the corner of his mouth curling slightly as he noticed Serenity doing the same.
"Earth people and Moon people cannot form romantic relationships."
Endymion found himself reminded of the rose back in the maze. However, he much preferred the softer and more delicate shade of red upon Serenity's cheeks. His lips parted into a small smile.
"That is the rule of God."
Serenity's invocation of God Himself might have carried a little more weight if she didn't look almost drunk as she gazed up at him. And if she hadn't asked him to meet her right outside her prayer room.
If she respected God's rule at all, it was only up to the point Endymion was willing to break it for her. That had been true earlier when she had let him dance with her. He was confident it was true now too.
"We mustn't fall in love."
Even as she said it, her fingers entwined themselves between his, the pearls gently clicking at the motion of her hand.
He leaned in.
"We mustn't…"
She leaned in too.
Neither pulled away his lips met hers, the faint note of pleading in her voice coming too late.
But then, it had been too late long before this night.
A/N: Consider this fic the representative of Crystal's canon within my anthology.
So when I asked Caelenath what her fav Sailor Moon canon was she told me she liked Crystal, the Dark Kingdom arc and Mamoru.
I will admit this rather stumped me as an idea for a gift fic because Crystal is 90% identical to the manga. And whilst the major differences between manga and Crystal can be found in the DK arc, it isn't in relation to Mamoru.
However, whilst researching the manga and Crystal for another fic of mine I noticed an interesting detail. In the manga when Usagi and Mamoru admit they are in love it is clearly on Earth, whilst in Crystal they are on the Moon. Both versions of the scene however specify that intimacy between the Moon and Earth people is forbidden.
So I took these tiny details and combined it with episode 44 of the original anime where Endymion dresses up like Tuxedo Mask to infiltrate a Silver Millennium party to get to this fic. I always loved how the original anime revealed that this was the origin of him dressing in a tuxedo and that the masquerade dance from earlier in the season was in effect history repeating itself. In fact I loved that concept so much that I had apparently tricked myself into believing it was true in the manga/crystal too. Guess this is one time where I was very happy to be proven wrong as it handed me the story on a silver platter.
Additionally, despite these differences between the manga and crystal, I thought my friend Reptile (who loves mangaMamo) might also enjoy it so I gifted it to her and even added in a few references to Marvel's Moon Knight since we've chatted about that show in the past too. Finally, I'm also gifting this to Dinkycharlie and Silver because it seemed appropriate since they and Reptile have all organised Usamamo Week and done a phenomenal job might I add.
I hope they both enjoyed this fic.
A big thank you to DinkyCharlie, Silver and A_Reptile_Dysfunction for organising UsaMamo Week 2022! Please consider reading their own works, and those of the other UsaMamo Week contributors.
Also, just to let you know I am involved in a discord called 'Moonlight Legends' which is dedicated to sharing all sorts of Sailor Moon fanworks, including other fanfics. If you would like to join so you can share your own work, get help with your current projects or just connect to other fan creators shoot me a PM and I'll send you an invite. All are welcome!
P.S. For inspiration, not only did I rewatch episode 44 of the 90s anime, but also repeatedly watched/listened to the music from the 1961 West Side Story and 1996 Romeo + Juliet movies, specifically the scenes where the two main characters meet lol.