AN- For those who are wondering, I'd just like to say that this is going to be one hell of a long story. It's going to take me months to finish, I think, but everyone likes long stories, I hope. That's sort of why it's getting sort of fast paced. Otherwise this story would never end.
Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Sailor Moon characters. I'd like to thank Naoko Takeuchi for creating this awesome series!
Chapter 7- My Own True Love
Back with Sailor Moon and the Others
"So I was like Sleeping Beauty? Way cool!" screamed Sailor Moon.
"Well, girl, you're always like Sleeping Beauty because you sleep like all the time!" teased Sailor Venus.
"Will you guys please realize the importance of all of this rather than make jokes?" asked Sailor Mercury.
"Yeah, and will someone other than me realize the coolness of me making Jadeite eat out of the palm of my hand?" asked Sailor Mars.
"Does anybody but me think that Nephlyte looks like my ex-boyfriend?" asked Sailor Jupiter.
"Can we get back to the story? This information may help us win back Prince Endymion to our side and beat Queen Beryl once and for all!" begged Sailor Mercury.
"My pleasure," said Queen Serenity.
Meanwhile Back at the Ranch, ahem I mean, the Throne Room of the Lunarian Palace (AN- the meanwhile means while Mina is on Earth. Also, I hope this doesn't get confusing. I have decided that the Sailor Scouts won't tell the king and queen about the going-ons. If you don't automatically get it, don't worry because you'll see why later.)
"Our anniversary ball is today, darling," said King Apollo sadly.
"We'll get to see all our friends again," said Queen Serenity with equal sadness.
"This should be a happy occasion." insisted King Apollo. "Then why isn't it?"
"Because someone important will be missing," replied Queen Serenity. "Apollo, it's been two months now, and no progress has been made. What are we going do?"
"There's nothing we can do now. If it lasts any longer, however, we're going to have to reveal the truth because we will have to pick a new heir," answered her husband.
"I can't imagine anybody but Serena on that throne. We mustn't give faith on our dream," insisted Queen Serenity.
"Then we must put our hope on the Sailor Scouts and the princesses," said King Apollo.
Meanwhile in a Creepy Cave
"Queen Beryl," an eerie voice said. "they have figured the secret out. Prince Endymion is heading to the Moon."
"I refuse to accept defeat! I will make it impossible for the prince to get close to that pitiful princess!" screamed Queen Beryl.
"What are you going to do?" the voice asked.
"I don't know, yet, but I have an idea," said Queen Beryl.
Back on Earth
"Are we all ready to go?" asked Mina for the zillionth time.
"Almost, I hope," said a frustrated Darien.
"How long does it take a general to get ready?" asked Mina. "It doesn't take the girls that long to get ready, and we are princesses. Well, I take that back. Serena takes an extraordinary amount of time to get ready, but the rest of us are quick."
"Where are they, Mal?" asked Darien.
"They are preparing for the trip," replied Malachite.
"And that means?" asked Mina.
"I think I can decipher what he's saying." said Darien. "It means that they are preparing to see certain princesses. My guess is that they are attacking their hair with vengeance or at least, I'm certain Nephlyte is."
"Do they not realize we are sort of undergoing a crisis here, and that there are more important things than their looks?" asked an irritated Mina.
"Nope," said Darien. Mina sighed and told Malachite to tell them to hurry up. Malachite rushed off.
After a few minutes, Malachite led a group that consisted of three neat, well-dressed, but aggravated generals. Darien punched the code for the Moon on the transporter keypad, and one-by-one the group jumped in. When they arrived on the Moon, Mina ran off to find the Scouts. She told them to stay put and hidden. She didn't want anyone to question their sudden and unexpected arrival. Only King Ambrosius and Queen Daphne were expected at the ball. Prince Endymion did not wish to attend the ball, citing that he had too much work . Actually, Darien had refused to go to the ball because he feared he wouldn't be able to control his feelings around Serena.
It took Mina a few minutes to find Amy, Raye, and Lita. She found them in Serena's room. "They're here," she said breathlessly after she found them.
"They? Who are they?" asked Raye. She was intensifying the fire in the room.
"The generals, I mean, did you actually think that the generals would let Darien come by himself?" asked Mina.
"Actually, yes. This doesn't concern them," said Lita.
"Come on, they are not here to protect Darien. They are here to see certain princesses," said Mina, smiling.
"Of all the nerve." said Sailor Mercury, who was on watch duty. "I bet they don't care a bit about Serena."
"I'm sure they do, but we shouldn't be arguing about this. We need to wake Serena up as soon possible. We wanted to surprise her parents, so let's go!" said Raye. "MARS CRYSTAL POWER!"
Lita nodded. "JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER!" After she transformed into Sailor Jupiter, she looked at Mina. "Well aren't you going to transform?" she asked.
Mina shook her head. "They would wonder where I went. We'll make up something to explain Sailor Venus's absence. Let's go." She walked out the door followed by the three Scouts. They walked into the rose garden, where they found the five men sitting on the ground.
"We were waiting in the Jovian garden, but we noticed the gardener finished this garden. We thought that no one would come back here," explained Darien.
Mina nodded. "Ok, we're all here. Let's go wake up the sleeping princess," she said.
The group started to walk, but suddenly, Malachite stopped. "Where is Sailor Venus?" he asked.
Mina bit her lip. "Um, well, she's on watch duty right now," she explained. Malachite gave a suspicious look. It was obvious he didn't completely buy her explanation, but he didn't question her further. Mina and the Scouts led the group to a neglected wing on the fourth floor. The wing was so antiquated, large, and eerie that no one ever entered it. It was the perfect place to hide the princess. "She's in this wing," Mina said. She started to enter the first hallway when she stopped short. A portrait of a past Lunarian ruler on the wall had suddenly come to life. The ruler started to walk towards them.
Malachite stood in front of Mina. "Something's not right with that ruler," he said. (AN- Ya think, Malachite?) Suddenly, the ruler turned into a monster.
"Everyone, run!" screamed Sailor Mars. "I'll handle this. MARS CELESTIAL FIRE…SURROUND!" The rings of fire knocked the monster down temporarily giving the group just enough time to pass him. However, Sailor Jupiter and Jadeite didn't move. "What are you guys still doing here?" Sailor Mars asked.
"I'm staying to help you, Mars," said Sailor Jupiter.
"As am I," said Jadeite.
"Look, I don't think this is going to be the only monster. They'll need you guys, especially you, Jupiter," said Sailor Mars. "So, you should go. Our princess needs you."
Sailor Jupiter nodded and dashed off to catch up with the rest of the group, but Jadeite still didn't budge. "I'm going to help you whether you like it or not," he said firmly. "I think your princess can spare me."
Sailor Mars opened her mouth to reply, but stopped when she saw that the monster was ready to attack again. Jadeite noticed, too, and he pulled out his sword and ran to the monster. He expertly fought the monster, and Sailor Mars was impressed by his battle tactics. This wasn't the same Jadeite she had known. He could be serious, after all. She smiled as she screamed. "MARS…FLAME SNIPER!"
Meanwhile with the rest of the group
The group turned another corner. This wing had endless twists and turns, and Darien wondered how the Sailor Scouts did not get lost. Sailor Mercury was at the end of the group. For some reason, she felt that something wasn't right. She couldn't understand why that monster had suddenly attacked them. She stopped when she saw a suit of armor. "That's funny, I don't remember there ever being a suit of armor displayed in the wing. Unless…" she thought. She suddenly screamed, "General Nephlyte! Stop!" when she noticed that Nephlyte was about to pass right next to the suit of armor. Nephlyte stopped immediately. Sure enough, the suit of armor started to move and transformed into a monster. Sailor Mercury tried not to panic. She screamed out, "MERCURY BUBBLES…BLAST" which gave an opportunity for the group to escape. When the fog cleared, only Zoicite remained.
"I once thought you were a worthy opponent. I know hope to think of you as an ally," he said. Sailor Mercury grinned. Zoicite then pulled out his sword and ran towards the monster.
Back to the Group
Now that there was only one Sailor Scout left (since Mina couldn't transform) Sailor Jupiter started to worry. What if another monster appeared? She would have to stop and fight it. Then, the group would be unprotected. She prayed that another monster wouldn't appear.
She looked at the ceiling to make sure nothing else appeared. She observed a spider's web that was on the ceiling. She stopped for a moment when she saw another spider's web, then another, then another and another. "That's funny," she thought, "The girls and I always keep this part of the wing clean. We would have noticed if there were any spiders' webs." Suddenly, the spiders all crawled to the middle of the ceiling, and they formed one, big spider-monster. It jumped off the wall and lunged at Darien. "JUPITER THUNDERCLAP…ZAP!" Sailor Jupiter screamed. The thunder and lightning momentarily paralyzed the spider-monster.
The group ran ahead, but Sailor Jupiter pulled Nephlyte behind. "I may need your help," she said. Nephlyte nodded and pulled out a rope from his random weapons. He attempted to strangle the spider. "Wow, I totally underestimated his powers. He's actually a pretty smart general and totally hot, too…"
Back to Darien, Malachite, and Mina
"We're kind of screwed," said Mina. "All of the Sailor Scouts are gone."
"We'll be fine." insisted Darien. "We still have Malachite and me."
"Yeah, but you guys don't know magic," Mina pointed out. She prayed that she wouldn't have to transform.
"You don't need magic to defeat those monsters." said Malachite. "You just need brains."
"But having magic wouldn't hurt either," Mina pointed out.
Malachite took a deep breath. Sometimes he wondered how he fell for Mina of all people. She sometimes just made him so frustrated and angry. She was so blunt and stubborn, sort of like Serena. He could understand how Darien fell for Serena, but Mina and he were a different story all together.
"Mina," he started but stopped when he saw a ghostly illumination come from one of the candles. It traveled towards them until it suddenly turned into a monster. Malachite pulled out his sword and started to fight with it. "Run!" he yelled to Darien and Mina. Darien, who was a good deal ahead of Mina, started to run. Mina started to follow him, but the monster threw Malachite aside and used magic to form a wall that blocked Mina from following Darien. Then, the monster smiled evilly and picked up Malachite and held him hostage.
Mina was going to have the monster, but how was she going to do it? She looked around frantically for a weapon, but she couldn't find one. The (perverted) monster licked his lips, and to Mina and Malachite's horror, he formed another hand, which turned into a knife. He lunged towards Mina and cut off the bottom of her dress. It made her dress into a very, very short dress.
"Ok, buddy that was the last straw. I wish I didn't have to do this." Mina said. She looked at Malachite. "I'm sorry for deceiving you. I had to do it to protect my princess." Malachite looked confused. "VENUS CRYSTAL POWER!" she screamed. Malachite looked in amazement as Mina transformed into Sailor Venus. When she was done transforming, she looked at the monster angrily. "Ok, pal , this show is done! You pushed me too far. VENUS…LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!" The explosion caused the monster to drop Malachite, who promptly cut off his head. As soon as the monster was killed, the wall disappeared. Malachite walked towards Sailor Venus.
"You're Sailor Venus?" he asked incredulously.
Sailor Venus nodded. "I'm sorry, it's just that I have to keep my identity a secret to ensure I give my princess the best possible protection," she said.
"Let me guess, Princess Rachael, Princess Angelita, and Princess Amelia are Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Mercury," he said.
"Respectively," Sailor Venus replied. "Please, you must keep this a secret, even from your generals."
"I promise I shall," Malachite promised.
Just then, Sailor Mars, Jadeite, Sailor Mercury, Zoicite, Sailor Jupiter, and Nephlyte appeared. They all stopped short. "Uh, Sailor Venus, I thought you were, uh, on watch duty," said Sailor Jupiter.
Sailor Venus smiled. "I was, but I heard all the commotion going on, so I thought I would help General Malachite," she replied. She winked at Malachite.
Back with Darien
"I'm almost there," Darien said determinedly as he ran down the hall. "Mina said that Serena was at the very end of this hall. I see the room now."
"Stop right there, Prince Endymion," said a voice. Darien stopped. Suddenly, Queen Beryl appeared.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"I'm Queen Beryl of the Negaforce," she replied proudly.
"So, I'm guessing you're the being who put Serena to sleep," Darien yelled.
"I did, Prince Endymion, but fear not. I did not do it simply for the pleasure, I had a reason for doing it," she said, smiling.
"Then tell it to me now," he demanded.
"For you, anything. I'm in love with you, Prince Endymion. I wanted to be with you, marry you. The only thing in my way was that puny Princess Serenity. Originally, she wasn't a problem. You only loved her; she didn't you. I thought I had a chance with you when she rejected you. Then suddenly out of nowhere, she falls in love with you! Well, I refuse to accept defeat, Prince Endymion, so I had to get rid of her. Now we can finally be together," said Queen Beryl.
"You can forget it," Darien shouted.
"Why should I?" she asked. "It was my dream for us to be together."
"Well, you can take your dream and shove it up your ugly ass because I don't give a damn about your dream. Now, be gone!" he yelled.
"Well, like I said, I refuse to accept defeat. So, fight me if you dare!" she yelled.
"With pleasure," Darien replied as he pulled out his sword. Queen Beryl used her magic to make a sword. They dueled for a while. Then, Queen Beryl used her magic to throw Darien against the wall. He struggled to get back up. She lunged towards him but was stopped when she heard, "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM…SMASH!" The crescent beams punctured her skin. The other Scouts threw different attacks at her until Queen Beryl was temporarily defeated.
"This is not over." said Queen Beryl. "I will vanquish you eventually. Also, Prince Endymion, beware. I will separate you and your precious princess someday. Mark my words!" Then, she disappeared.
"Well that's a load off, huh?" asked Jadeite.
"You bet," replied Sailor Mars.
"Uh, Prince Endymion?" asked Sailor Venus.
"Yes, Sailor Venus?" replied Darien.
"I have a dream of you waking up our princess." said Sailor Venus. "Are you going to make me shove that dream up my ass?" She smiled.
Darien smiled back. "Of course not, unless of course you're some psychopath who's in love with me and wants to separate me from the love of my life," he replied.
"That's a relief," said Sailor Venus. The group laughed.
"Uh, guys?" asked Sailor Mercury.
"What, Mercury?" asked Sailor Jupiter.
"We sort of have to wake up Princess Serenity before the ball, and time is running out," she replied.
"Oh duh," said Sailor Jupiter. "let's get a move on."
The group entered the room in which the princess slept. Darien gasped slightly when he saw Serena. She looked so beautiful and peaceful when she slept. "I believe we should give you some privacy. Thank you for all your help," said Sailor Mercury.
"We need to meet with the princesses now," said Sailor Jupiter.
"We don't believe this will happen, but if for some reason, this doesn't work, you just need to tell one of the princesses," said Sailor Mars. They departed from the room along with the generals.
Darien suddenly felt shy. He was going to finally kiss Serena, something he had longed to do since he laid eyes on her. He edged towards her and sat on the edge of her bed. He leaned forward and gave a small peck on the lips. He waited for a moment and sighed with relief when her eyes fluttered open. He met her with a smile, however she met him with a skeptical look.
"Wow, I've got to say for someone who is rumored to have so much experience, you're kind of a bad kisser," she said.
"What?" he asked confused. "Uh, I didn't realize that."
"Well, even I'm probably a better a kisser than you, and I don't have that much experience, or any for that matter," she said.
Darien smirked. "Well then how do you kiss?" he asked.
Serena smirked back. "Like this," she said. She leaned forward and gave him a long, passionate kiss. (AN- a little cheesy, I know, but I liked it)
"Well, I guess you are a better kisser than me," he said after they were done. "I'm going to have to learn from you."
She got up and slipped her feet into the high-heels that had been placed next to her bed. "You will. Besides, I am going to be the only girl you are kissing from now on anyways," she said.
Darien smirked again. "Really, says who?" he asked.
"Me, the love of your life." she answered. "What day is it?"
"The twenty-fourth of May," he answered.
"Ok," she said as she walked towards the door. She turned around. "Well are you coming or not?" she asked.
"Coming where?" he asked.
"Well, if it's the twenty-fourth of May that means it's my parents' anniversary, so there's a ball." she said. " So, I repeat, are you coming or not?"
"I originally wasn't coming. See I sort of showed up when Mina told me of the situation," he replied.
"Well that sort of makes two of us. Because of that same 'situation' I wasn't expected either," she said.
"I'm not so sure we should do this," Darien said.
"Well, if you don't want to go, I'll just find another escort," Serena said as she walked out the door.
Darien ran out after her. He stopped her. "You know, you're not very grateful and appreciative," he said.
"Of course I am. It's just sometimes your stupidity causes me to mask it." she said. Darien looked hurt. Then, Serena leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. "But you never know," she whispered in his ear, "I could always change." Then she leaned back. "But in the meantime, if you want appreciative, well then thank you, and I love you," she said.
Darien smiled. "Really?" he asked.
Serena smiled. "Really," she said, "now may we get a move-on?"
Darien smiled. "Of course," he said, "may I have the honor of escorting you to the ball?" She nodded, and he offered her his arm. She took it, and they walked towards the ballroom.
In the Ballroom
The princesses were originally planning on boycotting the ball. It would have been no fun without Serena, but they decided to go at the last minute. They were sure Serena would wake up from Darien's kiss; they just knew it. The generals seized the opportunity and asked to escort them, to which the princesses eagerly accepted.
They walked to the top of the grand entrance staircase, which each person walked down to go to the ballroom after being announced. Zoicite offered Amy his arm at the top of the stairs. Amy nodded to Ralf, (AN- The page from Chapter 1) who said, "Presenting Her Royal Highness, daughter of King Hermes and Queen Athena of Mercury, Princess Amelia, who is escorted by General Zoicite, royal guard of Elysian." Amy and Zoicite walked down to the ballroom.
Next, Nephlyte offered his arm to Lita, who blushed furiously. "You look lovely tonight, Lita," he said shyly. She was too busy trying to control her blush to reply. Then Ralf called out, "Her Royal Highness, daughter of King Zeus and Queen Hera of Jupiter, Princess Angelita, who is escorted by General Nephlyte, royal guard of Elysian." Then they descended down the stairs.
Then, Jadeite offered his arm to Raye. "You are going to behave tonight even if it kills you," Raye warned. "If you don't, you can forget about ever coming near me again."
Jadeite just smirked. Then Ralf called out, "Her Royal Highness, daughter of King Ares and Queen Vesta of Mars, Princess Rachael, who is escorted by General Jadeite, royal guard of Elysian." Raye and Jadeite then walked down the stairs.
Finally, Malachite offered his arm to Mina. "I still can't believe you beat me in a duel, Mina," he whispered in her ear.
"Get used to it. I'm going to win every argument we ever have, so keep that in mind," Mina replied. Then Ralf called out, "Her Royal Highness, daughter of King Hephaestus and Queen Aphrodite of Venus, Crown Princess Lumina, who is escorted by General Malachite, royal guard of Elysian." They then descended down the stairs.
They were met by King Apollo and Queen Serenity. "I thought you girls were boycotting the ball because Serena wouldn't be here," said Queen Serenity.
Mina laughed. "Well, Your Majesties, we quickly realized our own stupidity. She wouldn't want us to miss your anniversary ball on her account," she said.
"I understand," said King Apollo. "What about you, General Malachite? I was informed you and your fellow generals were not attending the ball."
"Well, Queen Daphne pleaded with us this morning. She said that just because Prince Endymion was too busy to attend did not mean we should not attend, and my fellow comrades jumped at the chance to come to the Moon again, Sire," Malachite explained.
"Well, I'm glad you could come, and I just wish…" Queen Serenity started to say, but she stopped when she heard Ralf call out, "His Royal Highness, son of King Ambrosius and Queen Daphne of the Earth, Crown Prince Endymion and Her Royal Highness, daughter of King Apollo and Queen Serenity of the Moon, Crown Princess Serenity." King Apollo and Queen Serenity spun around to watch their daughter descend down the stairs with Darien. They were looking at each other lovingly, and Queen Serenity eyes filled with tears.
"How did this happen?" she asked Mina.
"Well, we wanted this to be a surprise. Forgive me, Your Majesties, for lying," said Mina. Serena ran to her mother and father and embraced them.
"Mom, Dad, I'm so glad to see you. Happy Anniversary," she said to her parents. Her parents attempted to shield the tears of joy that were running down their faces.
Queen Serenity was unable to speak, so King Apollo said, "Darling, I'm so glad to see you. You wouldn't believe how miserable we were these last two months. I love you so much."
"I love you, too, Dad," Serena said. "Mom, why aren't you saying anything?"
Queen Serenity smiled. "Well, I'm just so happy you are back," she said hugging her daughter again.
Mina cleared her throat and looked at Darien. "As are we, but," she said slyly, "would you mind introducing me to this lovely young man with you? Is he someone…special?"
Serena smirked. "Wow, Mina, you'll never improve, will you?" she asked. "Well, yes he is someone special, if you must know. He's a special childhood friend of mine."
Mina smacked her forehead. "Wow, Serena, you'll never improve, will you?" she asked.
Serena grinned. "Nope," she replied.
Darien cleared his throat. "Princess Serenity, I'd be honored if you'd dance with me," he said bowing.
Serena smiled. "I'd be happy to," she replied. She took his arm, and they walked to the middle of the dance floor. They started to dance an elegant waltz, and they were lost in each other's eyes.
"There's something special about them," Raye commented to Jadeite as they watched the Prince of the Earth dance with the Princess of the Moon.
"Yeah, they are the heirs to two of the most powerful thrones in this galaxy," Jadeite replied.
Raye rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean that." she said. "I mean, I just feel like their love is, oh shit what's the word I'm looking for? Oh yeah, it's timeless. I feel like their love is timeless."
"What do you mean?" asked a confused Jadeite. When it came to politics, battles, and sex, Jadeite was an expert, but when it came to half the things that came out of Raye's mouth, he was completely clueless.
"I mean, they are more than soul mates. They are destined to be together for eternity. In this life, and all their other lifetimes. (AN- Reincarnation, it's a Hindu belief, but I'm not putting this just because it's what I believe. I'm putting to sort of tie in with actual series) Trust me; they will be legends, and their love will be legendary."
"Wow, I guess we know the true story of a legendary love, huh?" asked Jadeite. (AN- couldn't help it, my title fit in perfectly here)
"Yeah, I guess we do," said Raye. She smiled. "Well are you going to ask me to dance or not?"
"I was just going to," Jadeite insisted. "Princess Rachael, will you do me the honor of dancing with me?" He offered her his hand.
Raye smiled again. "Of course," She took his hand, and Jadeite led her to the dance floor.
AN- I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know it was long. I hope it wasn't too fast paced and cheesy for you, but I'm guessing if you hate cheesiness you wouldn't have made it this far anyways. Please review!