A/N: I know, I know. I need to stop making new stories and finish the ones that I have in process. But I'm struggling with them. I have one finished but it's awful and needs a whole lot of revision. I don't know why I'm having a hard time moving forward with my stories! I know all the major plot points, know how they all end, I just don't know how to fix it. But, believe you me, I am slowly making my way. I just need a distraction.
I'm planning for this to be a short 5 part story.
Uhhh...sorry for this shitty summary.
Summary: The senshi and Tuxedo Mask, as well as Beryl, are searching for the Endymion. It's been three years since they began their search. For Usagi, the man she loves is Mamoru Chiba, a reincarnation of one of Endymion's generals, and he loves her. Although they know they shouldn't be, they pursue a secret love affair. Will things change if Endymion is found?
Time Period: Beryl has not been defeated, but all the generals have been killed and their stones are, currently, with Mamoru. All the senshi were aged up, finding out they were scouts at 16 instead of 14.
The Earth King Returns
Prologue
After years of searching and finding nothing, he had believed the King would never be found.
How foolish, so very foolish.
The sun was slowly setting in Juban. The dusk swept across the apartment tinting everything an ominous orange. Along the wall adjacent to the window hung a large map of Japan, pins scattered across the country and its five main islands.
"Does anyone notice," said the pretty blonde with the red bow, "that most of the time it's always near the ocean?"
Ami stood up from the chair, peering at the multitude of pins. Her marine eyes widened in realization. She moved towards the large map and turned toward the group.
"I can't believe I didn't see it."
"Didn't see what?" asked the brunette.
"Minako-chan just pointed out that a majority of locations are near the ocean, there have been less than a handful of times that he's been located on the mainland. Look!" Her manicured fingers pointed at the six pins on the main body. "But then look here," She focused her hand movements around the islands. "I didn't notice it before, but there's a pattern, it's seasonal. See" -she pointed to Hokkaido- "Three years ago we found traces of him here," - her hands floated around, moving along the coast - "and then two months ago we pinged him here." She pointed to the orange pin on Kyushu island.
"Yea, I don't get it," Usagi said, shaking her head in confusion. She licked at her spoon, savoring the last bits of chocolate mousse.
"Neither do I," Makoto echoed.
"You have to look at the destinations traveled throughout a year. There's a pattern that's being followed. He's around the same areas around the same time each year."
"But what about those?" Minako gestured to the handful of markers located far from the sea.
"I don't know... anomalies, maybe."
"So if you're right," Rei said, getting up to her feet, "We can expect him to be in Hokkaido or Okinawa."
"Which one should we go to?" Makoto's brown pony tail swayed slightly as she gathered the empty dishes on the coffee table.
"I don't know," mumbled Ami, gazing between the two areas.
The priestess turned to the golden haired beauty sitting quietly on the floor. She'd barely said a word since the start of the meeting. Rei felt an ache in her chest. They'd been searching for Endymion for years and had yet to find him. She couldn't fathom the type of pain her princess must be going through; her soulmate was missing. The Marsian cautiously moved beside her.
"Usagi-chan." The raven haired girl kneeled, placing a gentle hand on the princess' arm. "Where do you think we should go?"
"Oh…" -she stuttered and bit her lip- "ummm...maybe, I- I don't-"
Makoto, who'd returned from the kitchen, hadn't heard Rei's question to Usagi. So she answered the question she had posed, "Maybe it's better if we ask his general where best to look. Mamoru-san, where do you think your King would be?"
The eldest of the group sat quietly next to Usagi. His fingertips just close enough to her leg that it grazed her thigh. About two years ago, Mamoru had offered his apartment to serve as the base of operations. Since his apartment was scarcely furnished, he had more than enough room. It was also closer to the arcade than Hikawa Shrine. The Princess also reminded the team that his apartment had air conditioning whilst the Shrine did not. Although they loved the temple, it's so much nicer to sit in a temper controlled apartment. Rei, surprisingly agreed.
The superhero's seemingly kind gesture was, in reality, a rather selfish one. By moving all the operations to his apartment, he would have more time with Usako. She could stay over and come in early without arousing any suspicion.
Two years ago they had finally allowed themselves to accept their feelings for one another. But understanding their complex reality, they knew they didn't have the luxury to be together. She was the Moon Princess and she was destined to be with the Earth King; her soulmate.
Mamoru struggled with the entire concept. How could they expect his Usako to love someone she'd never even met? Just because she'd died for the Prince a millennia ago, didn't mean her reincarnation felt the same. It was an unfair assumption. So they kept their affair a secret, even though it was silently killing Usagi to keep it from her best friends.
"Let's go to Hokkaido."
"Hokkaido it is." The senshi leader put a pin on the island. "Now we need to figure out where in Hokkaido."
"We also need to decide if we're gonna drive or fly."
It was quickly settled that they would go by air. Traveling to Hokkaido by car would take 18 hours, and that was without stopping. The plane touched down early morning, the flight had been smooth. The group had set up reservations at a small tourist hotel.
"It's so nice and warm," Usagi sighed happily holding on to the brunette's arm. Makoto smiled and pressed her cheek against her golden hair. The Amazon wanted so much to find her Princess' true love. It hurt her to no end that her blonde bundle of joy was missing half her soul. Why was it taking so long to find the King? Why wasn't finding him easier?
The breeze felt cool as it caressed the blue haired genius. Stepping out onto the balcony, she joined the standing duo. Although it was monsoon season, the weather tended to be pleasantly warm. According to the weather reports they should expect warm humid days. Thankfully the week they chose was a rainless one. But of course, ever the cautious one, she brought one anyway.
"What are we looking at?" Ami questioned staring out at the sea.
"Just enjoying the view," her ponytailed friend answered.
"Where's everyone else?" The blonde removed her head from her friend's shoulder and looked over at Ami.
"They're unpacking-"
"Why do you have so many bikinis!" A voice screeched.
"What?! A girl should always be prepared!"
"To sunbathe?! We're searching for the King here, not guys!"
"Technically his highness is a male…"
"And he's taken!"
"Duh! I didn't mean it like that!"
From one of the rooms stomped the long haired blond. She sported a pretty two piece blue bikini and an orange sarong around her waist. Her hands were crossed neatly in front of her chest, ignoring the scorching words of the priestess.
"I can't believe you," Rei cried exasperatedly; she plopped down on the long tanned couch.
"Where's Mamo?" Her violet eyes searched around the room.
"Oh, he went downstairs to get some information from guest services," Ami replied.
Minako smiled proudly. "You know, I'm so proud of how well my student has grown! He's taken my wisdom-" the love goddess wiped away an imaginary tear and, as if on the que, the sound of the door opening and closing interrupted Minako's dramatic monologue. The gorgeous man in question stepped into view. His long fingers holding a couple of colored pamphlets, and from what Usagi could see, writing. The princess scoffed.
"Did you get her number then?" her voice came out a little more angry than it should've. Mistaking the Usagi's change in mood for frustration at not finding Endymion, Minako pulled her into a tight hug.
"Don't worry Usa, we'll find Endymion. I promise."
Mamoru never liked "information gathering," as it required him to feign interest in women. The senshi insisted that they needed to use everything in their arsenal. All the girls did flirted, except the Princess, therefore Mamoru was also to put in just as much effort. It didn't matter that the ebony haired man disdained using such immature tactics. The princess' look-alike put in a significant amount of time teaching her fledgling how to arouse and entice women with the desire to please him, and in their case what would please him was information. "It's all in the touch"-Mina had coached- "Just a slight graze across her arm, lean in close, give a little smile."
He remembered how Usako had accidentally stumbled into the bar where he was "gathering information." It took over a week to get her to speak to him. When he tried to talk to her about it, she refused to listen. He tried to remind her that he was only following orders. Regardless, the door was slammed in his face. Finally, after a meeting had wrapped up, he somehow managed to corner her after the girls left.
By that time he was angry, angry that she believed he'd ever want anyone else and angry that she had shut him out. For the first time in an extremely long time he shouted at her. He yelled and threw his hands around in frustration. How could you not know? How could you ever think that there could ever be anyone else? And then broke down and cried because he was afraid, please don't leave me, he sobbed. The golden haired princess kneeled in front of him and kissed his trembling face. I'm not going anywhere, she whispered.
The raven haired priestess snatched the papers from Mamoru.
"What did you learn?"
The man turned his gaze to the woman next to him.
"About a month ago there was a strange phenomena on the north side of the beach. They didn't tell the tourists, instead they blocked off the area."
"A month ago?" Makoto parroted. "If it is him...do you still think he's here?"
"It is possible," Rei chimed, trying to sound hopeful.
"Search for negaverse activity," Mamoru pitched.
Somehow, Beryl was always a half a step ahead of them. She was still as obsessed with having Endymion as she had been a millennia ago. Insistent that she would find and keep him for herself. However the former Prince, now King, was alluding the witch as well.
The group had discussed, at length, how it was that neither they nor Beryl had found him yet. Even if the senshi had not yet come upon him, how was it that the man could never be glimpsed nor spoken of? For years the computer would alert them to negaverse attacks on the islands. However, as soon as they appeared they disappeared.
Two years prior to finding Tsukino Usagi, Luna was in central when she saw an alert in Okinawa. The guardian looked mournfully at the screen, unable to take any action. She hadn't found any of the sailor scouts yet. She was surprised when the alert faded off the grid. She came to believe they were random anomalies, and up until three years ago the scouts treated them just the same. But now they knew. All those years, all those attacks, they were Beryl, seeking out the King.
Surprisingly, despite being half a step ahead, the witch had no more information on Endymion than the scouts. Her minions were killed as swiftly as they arrived. Thus no one was there to report to Beryl nor any scene or battle to document for the public.
"I've got something," Ami responded. Rei quickly opened one of the pamphlets with the map of the area. "Here," the genius pointed to the area on the map.
"Alright then, let's start canvasing," Makoto announced.
Mamoru pushed her against the wall moaning loudly. Another mission failed.
"I'm- I'm" he said breathlessly between each kiss, "I'm, so" -his lips slanted over hers once more before he came up for breath - "sorry."
Usagi came up for air, tilting her neck. Her hands tangled in his hair guiding him to the open space between her head and shoulder. The half naked man was only too eager to comply. His tongue flicked out, licking the skin whilst roaming his hands under her thigh. The blonde bit her lip to stifle the sound of wanting as he pressed his arousal against her.
It'd been a week since he was last in her. The two had raced from the airport to his apartment, desperate to touch.
Apologizing had become a habit. He had stopped feeling remorse of not finding Endymion over three years ago. Not when it meant he'd have Usako in his bed once more.
He didn't last long. One week had been the longest they'd gone without making love. His body buzzed excitedly and nearly burst when he entered her. It took less than a minute, approximately five thrusts. He reddened in embarrassment.
"You're done?" Usagi huffed, "Already?!"
"It's been forever... I just-got too excited." She laughed. If possible, he turned redder. "Give me a minute." She laughed louder.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Hopefully you found it interesting! Don't forget to review and let me know what you think. Okay...back to writing As One and Only Ever Alone.