AN- The next chapter has arrived!!! I have to warn you in advance that my family is here, so I may not be able to update as consistently. I'll try my best.

Disclaimer- I do not own the SM characters.

Chapter 6- A Change of Heart

Soon after Prince Endymion and the generals had left, things returned to normal on the Moon…well sort of. Serena returned to normal, as did Raye and Mina. However, Lita and Amy were slightly different stories. In a way, their plan backfired on them because the princesses retained crushes on their generals. They did try their best to mask it, though to give them credit. Raye and Serena, however, were on the other end of the spectrum. They loathed their Terran counterparts and were happy to see them go. Mina, who had successfully ignored Malachite, didn't spend enough time with Malachite to love him or hate him. She simply did not have an opinion on him one way of another.

Their world was shaken a few months later. The princesses were on Mercury for a vacation. They had lots of fun ice-skating, skiing, and just generally doing fun things. Amy was happiest, of course, because she got to spend sometime quality time with her parents and brother. One day, the princesses were building a large snowman when Crown Prince Hayden ran up to them saying, "You girls won't freaking believe it!"

"Wow," laughed Serena, "I wouldn't think that a man, who's getting married soon, would say something like that."

"Ha, ha," Hayden said, "very funny."

"Ok, Hayden, what won't we 'freaking believe'?" Lita asked as she helped Raye assemble the head of the snowman.

"Well, we've just received word that Prince Endymion of Earth is traveling around his planet to ask his people personally what reforms he can make, so that they will be happier," said Hayden.

"What the hell?" Serena asked. "That doesn't sound like Darien at all."
"Well, you must have made quite an impact on him, Sere," teased Mina. "Why else would he be doing this?"

"That's not all. Apparently, he's become quite involved in his government. He helps with all sorts of political stuff. And from what we've heard, he's actually enjoying it," said Hayden.

"Wow, now that definitely doesn't sound like Darien at all," said Serena.

"One last thing and this is the real kicker. He's started a lot of government charities for the poor people on his planet. He's started schools on all parts of the planet, and he's also set up some government funded scholarships to some of the top academies and universities in the Silver Alliance!" exclaimed Hayden.

"Wow," said Amy. "That's really something. I thought you said he didn't care about his people or the government, Serena."

Serena tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ear. "I thought so, too. I can't believe he's changed that much since I last saw him," she said.

"By the way, Hay," teased Raye (AN- That rhymes!!!!) "Why were you running to tell us this?"

"Oh yeah!" Hayden exclaimed smacking his forehead. "He's coming here to Mercury in a week. That was what I was supposed to tell you!"

"Wow, great going Hayden." laughed Mina. "Now that's really king material!"

"Very funny, Mina," pouted Hayden.

Hayden dashed off a few minutes later when a servant told him a letter from Abby had arrived. The girls laughed until a solemn Serena suddenly said, (AN- Ha, ha. There's an alliteration. Try to say it five times fast) "You know what? I've done my job. You girls can do whatever you want know because from the way I see it, I'm done. The plan's off."

Raye looked confused. "Just like that?" she asked.

Serena smiled slightly. "Just like that," she replied.

Amy asked, "Seriously?"

"I'm serious. I didn't mean to change him this much. I just thought it would get a laugh. Now there's nothing to laugh about because I made him a better ruler. My plan backfired on me." Serena said. "I should've known better than to toy with a man's heart. I thought he would be infatuated with me. I didn't know he loved me that much to go to that level to impress me."

"So, Serena," teased Lita. "Do you love him back?"

Serena replied calmly, "Nope, I still don't love him. There's still too much hurt in our past from his part. I'm forgiving, but I'm not that forgiving. I think I'm fine just being on friendly terms with him. We have a friendship; there's no need for us to try to damage it."

"So, now that the plan's off, I can seriously go after Nephlyte, like for real?" asked Lita.

"Lita!" screamed Mina. She threw a snowball at Lita.

"Mina!" Lita screamed back. She threw a snowball back at the Venusian princess.

"You know what that means, Amy?" Raye asked.

"What?" asked Amy as she straightened the snowman's scarf.

"You can go after Zoicite for real, as well. Does that sound appetizing to you?" Raye teased.

"Raye! Why you…how can you say something like that?" Amy said blushing furiously.

"Well, it's true Ames…" Raye started but was cut off when Amy threw a snowball at her. "Hey that's not fair!" she screamed. She threw one back at Amy. Amy, however, ducked, so the snowball hit Serena. Soon, a full out snowball war was going on which lasted for an hour until the princesses were called in for lunch.

A Week Later

The princesses huddled around the transporter as they waited for their guests to arrive. Suddenly a flash of light signaled that they had arrived. Prince Endymion was standing in front of his generals. This time it was Serena's turn to be shocked. He looked so…mature. He seemed older, too. He walked up to her and grinned. "Princess Serenity, it is a pleasure to see you again," he said as he kissed her hand.

Serena smiled. "Likewise," she said. She couldn't understand the tingly feeling she felt on her hand after Darien had kissed it. "Snap out of it Serena. There is no way in hell that you're going to fall for him. Get a grip on reality you skinny bitch!" she thought. She sighed as she greeted the rest of the generals. She looked over at Lita and Nephlyte and Zoicite and Amy, and she was glad that she had stopped her plan. They seemed genuinely happy to see one and another, and it looked like there was space for love to happen. She was happy that her friends had met someone who made them happy, and she felt bad that she had restricted them earlier. "They are such good friends. I am going to stay out of their way," she thought as she looked over at Jadeite and Raye and Malachite and Mina. The princesses were ignoring the generals. Jadeite seemed to be trying his best to annoy Raye, but she was trying her best to stay polite and cordial. Malachite seemed to be trying hard to strike up an interesting conversation with Mina, but she was getting bored. "Who knows? Something could happen there, too."

An Hour Later

Serena decided to go ice-skating while the guys settled in. She lost track of time when she did all her jumps and spins. She threw herself into a double axel which she landed perfectly. She stopped when she heard someone clapping. She turned to see Darien. "Ok, so you're beautiful, smart, and good at politics, a good lecturer, and also a good ice-skater?" he asked.

Serena laughed. She threw in a triple axel. "Hey, what can I say? I'm just perfect. But from what I've heard, you're aiming for perfection as well, aren't you Prince Endymion?" she asked.

"Well, not really. You see, you opened my eyes to something. I'm twenty-four right now, and you're damn right when you said that me being king is not that far away. I guess it was sort of like a kick in the nuts when you said that no one would aid me if I were to prove to be incompetent. So, I just started going on a quest for pride. I wanted my parents to be proud of me and in a way you. I wanted to impress you," he said.

"Wow, I never would have thought that," she said slightly sarcastically (AN- Wow I'm really into alliterations today).

"Can you be serious for once?" he asked.

"Dude, I am always serious. I was perfectly serious when I gave you that lecture a few months ago," she said.

Darien laughed. "I guess you're right," he said.

"So how do you like it? I mean, doing political and governmental stuff?" asked Serena.

"Believe it or not, I kind of feel like it's my calling, you know. I guess for once I feel like being Crown Prince is more than living a luxurious life with servants and such. It's a real job, and I'm going to take it seriously," Darien said.

"Wow, I can give a damn good speech," she said as she took off her skates.

"Yeah, you can. You certainly knew how to whip me into shape," Darien said.

"In a way I repaid my debt," Serena said.

Darien looked confused. "Huh?" he asked.

Serena's eyes went wide. "Uh, nothing. Forget it," she said quickly. "Come on, buddy, let's go back inside."

Over the next few days, Serena noticed that Amy and Lita were falling more in love with their generals. As much as Raye and Mina argued, they were pretty attracted to the generals, as well. And Serena was having a mental battle with herself. Darien had completely changed. He seemed to be the perfect gentleman now. He didn't seem pompous at all. From what Serena could decipher from his comments, he had started respecting women, as well. They were no longer mere objects that he could have his way with. He treated them all, from queen to maid, with courtesy and respect.

One night, Serena lay in bed, unable to sleep. She thought of Darien's transformation. She finally decided that she wanted to take a walk. She put on a robe over her nightgown and went to the Sapphire Lake that looked magnificent in the moonlight. She looked up at her beautiful home. "Wow," she whispered, "it's so beautiful."

"As are you." a voice said. Serena turned around to see Darien, wearing a robe over his pajamas. "Isn't that something the old Darien would say?" he asked.

"Yeah, but would Prince Endymion say that?" she asked.

"No." he said. Serena face fell slightly, but he didn't notice. "But he thinks it. Prince Endymion would never say something so bold."

"Well then," Serena said, "would Prince Endymion tell me why he is out at this time?"

"He will, but ladies first," he replied.

"I couldn't sleep," Serena said.

Darien walked up to her. "Me neither. Lita's cookies today put me on a sugar high," he said.

"Interesting," she said.

"Yeah, I also keep thinking about all the files I have to look at when I get home tomorrow," he said.

"Tomorrow?" she asked. "I thought you were leaving next week after us."

"No, the generals are staying behind. I got an urgent message from my parents. They need me back tomorrow," he said.

"Oh," Serena said disappointedly. They kept talking for another hour about their childhood, politics, their lovesick friends, etc. During their discussion Serena couldn't help but think that she really liked him. She really, really liked him. "Do I love him? No way, but he's a pretty good guy, at least as a friend. Besides, he probably thinks I don't like him at all. Me and my stupid plans…" she thought after Darien left.

The Next Morning

Serena woke up early, hoping that Darien was somewhere around. He was up, but to her disappointment, he was busy overseeing the packing of his stuff. She didn't see him until it was time for him to leave. All of his friends, plus the princesses came to say goodbye, but they didn't stick around to see him go. Serena stayed, though.

"Well, goodbye then, Prince Endymion, I mean, Darien," Serena said.

"Look, Serena, I want to tell you that my feelings for you haven't changed. However, I know that you'll never love me. Why should you?" Darien asked.

"Darien, look…" she started to say.

"Look Serena," he interrupted. "I know that you wanted to get back at me for what I did to you. You were successful, but I want to tell you that my love for you is just more than your beauty. You will always be the first woman in my heart, and I will not love any other woman. With that said, goodbye, Princess Serenity." He didn't even let her respond. He just walked through the transporter.

Serena sank to the floor. "Oh shit, what have I done?" she thought.

Meanwhile in a galaxy far, far away, ok not really, just in a creepy cave

"So, little Princess Serenity has fallen in love with my man?" said an eerie voice. "Who does she think she is? I call upon the powers of the Negaforce! Guide me to get rid of this little obstacle!"

"What can I do for you, Queen Beryl?" said a voice.

"How can I get rid of Princess Serenity? She is stealing Prince Endymion from me!" screamed Queen Beryl.

"Here's what you are going to do…" replied the voice.

A Few Weeks Later on the Moon

All the princesses returned all gloomy from after the vacation. King Apollo and Queen Serenity wrote it off as anger over the end of vacation. In reality, the princesses were suffering from lovesickness and heartache. Serena was really the worst of all, but she masked it as best as she could. One day, she was walking near the Crystal Lake with Raye and Mina. Lita was in the kitchen cooking, and Amy was reading in the library.

"So look at us," said Raye. "Five princesses suffering from heartache."

"Four," corrected Mina. "Serena isn't suffering from heartache."

"I never said I wasn't," said Serena.

"Oooh, Serena. Who is he?" teased Raye.

"Well, you actually won't believe it…" started Serena, but she was interrupted by a loud whirlpool in the water. It became huge, when suddenly an explosion came out of it.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed a voice.

Serena, Raye, and Mina looked up at the sky only to see a gray-skinned woman with long red hair and evil eyes. "Who are you?" demanded Raye.

"Silence, you puny Martian!" screamed Queen Beryl.

"How dare you talk to her like that? Raye, it may be time to call the Sailor Scouts!" Mina said.

"Shut up! It's not you I want, so stay out of it. It's your darling Princess Serenity!" Queen Beryl screamed.

Raye and Mina stood in front of Serena protectively. "You are not taking her anywhere!" Raye screamed.

Queen Beryl started laughing again. "Who said I was going to take her anywhere? You can keep your darling, puny princess. I'm just going to change her," she said. Before Raye and Mina could react, Queen Beryl pointed her scepter at Serena and a beam of nega-energy hit Serena. Serena fell to the ground. Raye and Mina ran to Serena, who was lying unconscious on the ground.

"What did you do to her?" demanded Mina. "Is she dead?"

"No, of course not. I've put her to sleep. A deep sleep that can only be awoken by true love's first kiss but poor you! You don't know who that is! Until then she will sleep, and by the looks of it, she will sleep for eternity!" Queen Beryl laughed. She disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Mina started to cry. "We've got to take her back to the palace, Raye," she sobbed.

Raye teared up as well. "We'd better go as the Scouts. It's probably better they give the news than us," she said. Mina nodded. Raye called out, "MARS CRYSTAL POWER!" just as Mina called out, "VENUS CRYSTAL POWER!"

Then, Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus carried the sleeping princess to the palace. Before they led her in, Sailor Mars quietly got Lita and Amy, who transformed into Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury. Then, the four Sailor Scouts help put her in the throne room. Queen Serenity and King Apollo looked at their daughter in shock.

"What happened?" whispered Queen Serenity.

"It's my fault," said Sailor Venus. As the leader, Sailor Venus decided she should take responsibility. "It happened too quickly for me to react."

"It's my fault as well, Your Majesties." said Sailor Mars. "The evil being came out of nowhere, and sadly we weren't prepared."

King Apollo said, "Mars, Venus, we don't blame you. I'm sure you did what you could to protect Princess Serenity. I guess know we should prepare her funeral. Sailor Mercury, could you inform Princess Amelia that I would like to see her as soon as possible?"

"But King Apollo," said Sailor Venus, "she's not dead."

"What?" asked Queen Serenity.

"Venus's right. The evil witch put her in a deep sleep until her true love kisses her," said Sailor Mars.

"Ok, inform that fellow that he must come as soon as possible," said King Apollo.

"There's just one problem," said Sailor Mercury.

"What's that, Mercury?" asked King Apollo harshly.

"We don't know who that is," completed Sailor Jupiter. "She never got a chance to tell us. Venus said that Princess Serenity almost told Princess Lumina because Princess Lumina told her. However, the being came before the princess could say anything. I'm sorry."

"Well then, we must work quickly. No one should know of this. We will just say that Serena suffered from exhaustion, so we sent her on a long holiday to Neptune. In the meantime, ask Princess Amelia, Princess Rachael, Princess Angelita, and Princess Lumina if they can piece together any possible candidates for this true love of Serena," said Queen Serenity.

"What else can we do, Your Majesties?" asked Sailor Mercury.

"Well, see that Serena is shielded from any person from the palace and guard her at all times. I'm afraid this evil being will strike again." said King Apollo. "Also inform Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune, and Sailor Pluto of your findings and ask them to try to find this being."

"Yes Your Majesties," the Sailor Scouts said as they bowed. They then picked up Serena and led her to an isolated bedroom for her to sleep in peace.

AN- So, the plot is finally moving! Anyways, this whole Sleeping Beauty thing is an idea I've been toying with for sometime. I hope you like it! Please review!