AN: With motivation from a book I just finished – Self Help by Lorrie Moore (great collection of short stories). Also, it's still Angsty April!

So Cruel.

"We crossed the line
Who pushed who over
It doesn't matter to you
It matters to me

We're cut adrift
But still floating
I'm only hanging on
To watch you go down
My love…

I disappeared in you
You disappeared from me
I gave you everything you ever wanted
It wasn't what you wanted."

- So Cruel, U2

The End

The dark haired man says, 'There's nothing that can be done' as you sit in an overly formal living room looking at a box of stones. Tea steams next to this precious container, releasing scents of jasmine and other exotic fragrances. You can't seem to look away. One of these mineral deposits speaks strongly to you, urging you to clasp it in your hand and hold on tightly - to never let go. The pale pink color seems an impossible fit for the sturdy persona you associate it with.

'We tried,' says your other regent, pale and beautiful. She has her own gem – much more than any ordinary stone, one of the most powerful jewels in all the galaxy. How could it not work? you silently demand. The brilliant device has been responsible for saving entire worlds.

'You didn't try hard enough,' you finally answer, 'This time was supposed to be different, or else, what have we been fighting for?'

Your question hangs in the balance as you leave silently. Some leader you turned out to be.

Almost

When he appears in your life again, it leaves you breathless - much as it did the first time. Although he is clearly under the Red Queen's power, although he is an enemy and a threat to your princess, you wonder if any remnants of his former self are hiding. The young man's words come back to haunt you. In the end it is your powerful blow that kills him again. From this point forward, as if a small piece of you has died, you carry numbly on.

An End

The young man tells you, 'My path ends, without ever reaching you... That is my fate...'

'Is your fate to yourself defeat the ones I've fallen in love with?' you ask.

He throws a card to you.

'I'll tell your final love fortune,' he says. 'Your love will be hopeless for all eternity.'

You stare blankly at him. You are the senshi of love and beauty, this fate cannot be.

'What's wrong?' he says, gasping for breath. 'You should look happier. Now you can go on living, without having to torment yourself over the ultimate choice, your love or your duty. Your fate is to continue fighting.'

His body slowly disintegrates as you try to hold onto him.

Begin Again

Without realizing your sister senshi have also been reborn, you begin training in a new life, far from the open spaces of the Moon. With nothing of your former passion, you hold an innocent crush on a young man. You long to be an idol. While this time around seems less chaotic, it also feels empty.

Early

His still warm blood pours over your hands. How did it come to this?

Earlier

Without warning, you fall headlong into reckless and dangerous affair. Perhaps you could have stopped things. Perhaps you could have avoided seeing him again after the garden. You'll never know. You are powerless. He is your world, the Princess is your sun and the rest be damned.

Earliest

You had heard stories of the earth for ages, had seen pictures of it in books, but once arriving on its green surface you are entirely unprepared for its wonders. Tasked on a simple mission to return your Princess who ducked guards while you were busy planning with your other warrior sisters, as leader you nominated yourself.

In a garden unlike any other, you breathe in deeply. It is her laughter that catches your attention and reminds you why you are here. Above all else, you have a duty to perform. Placing an ever steady hand on the chain about your trim waist you walk forward.

Your liege sits with two men, apparently in no danger whatsoever. And yet, you are on edge. Silver eyes are alerted to your presence before the lovers are even aware you are near. You hold his stare, unafraid and curious. His gaze is so like yours – searching for threats – real and imaginary.

"It must be difficult having a bundle of curiousity for a princess," he says in passing, apparently dismissing you as a foe.

You collect her, and wonder about him for weeks after. He challenges you in a way few others have been able to. What impact will he have on your life?