Sweet Nocturne
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.
AN: In this time of Crystal Tokyo, Endymion's guardians, the Shitennou (Kunzite, Nephrite, Jadeite, Zoisite) were reincarnated into their former selves, free from any influence of the Dark Kingdom. They serve alongside the Senshi to Endymion and Serenity.
Chapter 2: Retreat in the Forest
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Grass? I didn't even go out yesterday. Wait, maybe I did… Argh I can't remember! Rini stopped trying to tie a ribbon in place on her dress while she thought hard about any activities she could have done outdoors yesterday. Breakfast…slept…lunch… took afternoon siesta…woke up…read book…tea with Raye…Dinner…what happened after that? Did I go to the gard—
"Rini? Are you alright?" Diana's voice snapped her out of her train of thought once again. She had a very concerned look on her pretty face.
"Sorry, Di, I've just been spacing out a lot. Didn't get that much sleep I guess," Rini gave a little smile and went back to tying that annoying ribbon. She looked up to see Diana giving her a skeptical look. "What?" Diana stayed quiet for a few moments. Oh no, can she sense it? Cats have the sixth sense, what if—
Diana reached out and retied the sloppy ribbon adorning Rini's dress. "There you go." She smiled. Rini smiled back, cheeks burning pink. "Let's go, mustn't keep the Queen waiting, especially in matters of food."
~*~*~*~
Rini entered into an almost-empty dining room; only her parents and the Lady Mina were present at the dining table. She curtseyed and gave them each a quick peck on the cheek.
"Morning, sweetie." King Endymion said. He smiled at her as she took her seat beside Diana.
"Morning, Dad. Morning, Mina." Rini yawned, grabbed a piece of toast, and sprinkled a little bit of sugar on it.
"My, my, what've you been up to, Princess? You look awfully tired." Mina winked at her from across the table and beamed one of her brilliant smiles that lit up any room.
"Couldn't sleep last night," Rini automatically answered. She smiled back at Mina. Why is everyone so smiley-smiley today? She took a bite from her sugary toast.
"I mean you're glowing. It's that nice glow one gets after a good workout." Mina eyed her carefully. "Odd, I don't remember seeing you out of the castle or at any of the training areas, though."
"It's probably from my bath. I've been taking hot baths more frequently." Ooh, that was lame. "Where is everyone?" she asked, desperately wanting to change the topic.
"They're all busy working on something. Raye has been having those bad vibes of hers for the past few days, she's at the temple right now," Serenity answered.
"Are you sure? Maybe it's Lord Jadeite." Rini joked. They all gave hearty laughs.
"He can certainly get to her. I've never seen her so worked up by anyone else before, especially by a man." Endymion said.
"That's just what she needs, anyway." Serenity chuckled. "Anyway, Luna and Artemis are meeting with some ambassadors. Ami's at the lab with Zoisite trying to see if there has been any disturbance in our surroundings on account of Raye's bad vibes, and Lita–"
"–is here!" Lita entered the room from the kitchen door, holding a plate of steaming, just-baked cookies. She greeted them all and walked over to Rini and Diana. She smiled down at them. "These are for you guys. For Rini because you've been sluggish, and for Diana to catch up with Rini in the mornings."
Diana giggled. "Thanks, Lita. I've been in desperate need of an energy-booster."
Rini scoffed. "I'm not that lazy. I've just been… preoccupied." She stuffed a cookie into her mouth, reminding Lita of the tiny Rini that came from the future a long, long time ago. "Mmm! These are good! Thanks, Lita."
"Don't mention it. I'm going to go riding; the air's really crisp today." She announced to the table.
"Oh! I'll go with you!" Rini said. It's been a while since she last saw her stallion. She'd been going around the castle in a zombie-like state, thinking of… "I'll get dressed first!" She stuffed some more cookies into her mouth and gulped down her orange juice.
Endymion watched with an amused face and thought of how much his daughter and wife were so much alike. Serenity reached out and grabbed a handful of cookies for herself. "Oh, be back by dinner though, everyone should be here. Kunzite and Nephrite are returning from their mission, so it'll be our first complete dinner in a while," she said. She smiled as she saw Lita's and Mina's faces brighten.
"Yes, mom! I'll see you out at the stables, Lita. You don't have to come, Di, rest first! Bye, everyone!" Rini sped upstairs and dressed into her riding clothes quickly. As she pulled on her boots, she stared outside her window. This is just what I need… to get out and get some fresh air.
She ran swiftly down to the stables where her stallion neighed loudly as he caught sight of her.
~*~*~*~
Rini closed her eyes as the wind rushed around her, making her hair dance wildly behind her. She listened to the loud galloping of their horses on the ground; Lita's especially, sounding much like thunder. She was right ahead of Rini since she knew the terrain better than she did. Rini opened her eyes and saw Lita's long ponytail swish rhythmically in the breeze.
"Where are we going?" she asked her. She felt stupid that the thought only occurred to her now.
"There's this place that I found just a few weeks ago; it's beautiful! It's completely secluded inside the forest, but not too far in. We're near now." Lita answered as her horse picked up its pace and dashed into the forest. Rini was right on her heels.
They twisted left, and then right, and then they stopped for a while at a fork, and Lita ignored the paths and led her horse through the trees. Rini frowned but followed anyway. They slowed down to a trot, and the trees were getting thicker and thicker. The light was from above was getting smaller through the density of the tree tops. Just when Rini was beginning to doubt, Lita swept a huge leaf out of the way and a great amount of sunshine blinded Rini for half a moment.
She blinked. She blinked a few more times. She rubbed her eyes with her hands.
"What's the matter, sweetie? Too much sun caught in your eyes?" Lita asked.
Rini was speechless. She stared at the little secluded area Lita had been talking about. She couldn't believe that in the middle of an ocean of thick trees lay this small yet utterly beautiful oasis. The sun shone right above on this cloudless day, brightening the features of this little haven. But it wasn't the mere beauty that caught Rini. She felt a great wave of déjà vu wash over her.
I know this place…
In the middle of the area stood a lone gargantuan, majestic oak tree. The grass around was fine and looked very soft, adorned with little, pretty flora here and there. And nearby, a bubbling brook with crystal clear water reflected the rays of the striking sun.
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This was for MistressBlu, yumeusa, and Fairly Fiendish, my first reviewers; thank you so much for reviewing!
- Sorry if the story's going a bit slow, I promise much better upcoming chapters -
