Glossary

Sabatier: a small crater that is located at the fringes of the Mare Marginis on the moon

Shinjuku Goyen National Garden: one of four national gardens in the Tokyo prefecture; a former estate, it is now a 143-acre park

khufu: a boat whose origins trace back to Pharaoh Khufu of Egypt's 4th dynasty

Mao: The name of the planet where Luna and Artemis hail from

(Source: Google/Wikipedia; "107 Facts about Sailor Moon," Cartoon Hangover via YouTube)

II

The morning tranquility of house No. 7, Sabatier Lane in Juuban, Neo-Tokyo was utterly destroyed by one word.

A…name, rather.

"Serena…? …Serena?!… SERE~NA! Get out of bed right now!"

Sixteen-year-old Serena Tsukino jolted awake from her fitful sleep. Sweat dripped down her back and made her blue cat-patterned pajamas cling to her skin; her chest rose and fell in heavy pants. It was like she had just finished running to school in a panic, or felt the slight, also crippling fear that came whenever she forgot something important—like her homework. But whatever it was that was making her feel like that, it was forgotten as her sleep-blurred eyes cleared and she realized someone else was in her room. "…Mom?"

"Serena." Her mother, donned in a purple dress and her favorite apron—white with patterns of red, yellow, and green apples with various numbers of bite marks—grimaced. Her lips were in a tight line and a vein seemed to pop from her temple, but her voice was calm and even as she opened with, "What time is it."

"Huh? …Time, the time…?" The bewildered teenager glanced around her messy room, cluttered with manga and clothes until finally landing on her clock. "It's ten o'clock."

Her mother's hands rested on her hips and her foot tapped on what may have been a pile of clean clothes left strewn on the floor. "What time did you say you were going to head over to the library to study?" She didn't wait for her daughter to answer, but pushed forward. "If you get the grade you got on your last Ancient Moon History test tomorrow, you'll fail your class and your grade! You'll be the oldest student in Year Two next year!"

Serena's brow knitted. "It won't be as bad as last time—"

"YOU GOT A FOURTY-FIVE LAST TIME!" Her mother's arms crossed. "I MEAN it, Serena! If you get another bad grade in that class, I will tell your father that you don't deserve to go to that event—"

"NO~!" The threat of missing out on the Coronation Announcement suddenly gave the young girl a new panic altogether. She sprung out of bed, a flurry of blankets and sheets and tiny hair ties in a multitude of colors that had fallen out her gold-blonde pigtails in her wild sleep. The two buns that sat atop her head had even become disheveled, the right being loosened enough to lay at a weird, flat angle. "I've been wanting to go to this forever and I've been studying really hard! Please don't tell him! Pleasepleasepleaseplease!" Her hands pressed together and she pressed her hands together in supplication. "I'll pass the test and get a good grade. I promise!"

"…Then let me ask you one question." Her mother's finger pointed in the air, signifying the number.

Suspense hung in the air, and Serena looked at her mother's index finger with rapt but nervous attention.

"What are the three politically-defining outcomes of The Silver Millennium Restoration?"

Serena blinked stupidly. Her hand scratched her scalp, inadvertently freeing her lop-sided bun even more. She cringed at the question itself, and what she knew was going to happen next: "Ummm…"

"That's it! Get ready and dressed to go to the library—NOW! And do not come back until its closed! And when you're done, you should come straight home and study some more! If I call the arcade or Naru and get the feeling that someone is lying to cover for you, you'll be in big trouble."

"It's too pretty to be inside," Serena groused, her Ancient Moon History textbook, notebook, and lunchtime bento in hand. She had escaped her mother's lecture and had started making her way toward Public Library No. 5 where she and other high school students would spend their Sunday getting ready for their finals tomorrow. As always, her footsteps slowed as she reached the crest of the bridge connecting Juuban to downtown Neo-Tokyo. A warm breeze passed through the air and kicked up the hem of her light pink hot-air balloon-patterned dress. The bridge's sidewalks were ever-present of food and souvenir vendors and tourists, and all around her were the sounds of gleeful laughter. Below her, in the channel, yachts and ferries full of tourists traveled over the azure water; an unseen tour guide, bullhorn in hand, was directing his group's attention to the north where the Moon Palace stood as an island of its own.

The teenage girl's footsteps strayed from their intended path and led to the bridge's rail. She laid her things down and pressed her hands on the concrete, relishing in the heat of the sun-warmed surface. From far away, that same tour guide was informing his audience of the stronghold that had existed even as far back as Moon Princess Serenity's youth and its eventual detachment from downtown for the sake of protecting the noblemen that resided behind its walls. His voice finally started to fade away as he gave his group more instructions and prompts to start taking pictures.

Serena thought back to her impromptu awakening and her mother's question. She pouted. "…It's not that I didn't know the answer. I've been over it every day… Who wouldn't know about the Moon Princess?"

But beyond that: Who on the Moon or maybe even the Solar System hadn't heard of her legacy, her wielding of the ancient power belonging to the royal family and saving the Moon from Evil over 100 years ago? Or didn't feel a sort of chill when it was said that her body was never found after she drove the still-unknown enemy away? Reminders of Princess Serenity's sacrifice for the Moon lingered everywhere: in the agelessness of the nobility, the fact that since the princess' resurrection of the Moon and the period of time now that everyone called "The Silver Millennium Restoration," the lords and ladies of the royal court had stopped physically aging; in the creation of the Orbital-Satellite Alliance, the agreement that angered so many people because it made the Moon dependent on the planet Earth; and even Parliament which acted as rulers in place of the royal family. Even now, all Serena had to do was turn her head towards downtown to stare at the princess' memorial in Neo-Tokyo's garden, the tall white obelisk surrounded by a ring of white lilies and scraped the sky.

Instead, she directed her glance to the Moon Palace itself. The pearl-hued castle gleamed in the afternoon sun, and its towers and roofs sparkled, though not as brightly as the golden waxing-crescent moon perched on its highest spire. It was like a fairy tale castle. Serena couldn't help but to stare at its majesty and feel the way she always did: that it was patiently waiting for something to happen.

Maybe that was the reason why the Coronation Announcement was so important. One of the ageless noblemen would be assuming the title of the Moon's new monarch. It was the biggest spectacle to happen in decades, and so sudden that had it maybe garnered the attention of the entire Solar System. The news wouldn't stop talking about what it meant for politics, both internal and interplanetary; her elderly neighbors had mentioned to her mother when the first reports came out how it was the "end of an era." And most importantly, her friends hadn't stopped talking about the televised ball that was taking place in the palace. It would maybe be the only time anyone not of royal blood would be able to see the inside of the palace—not even every delegate in Parliament had been inside the palace.

She thought about her own reaction to hearing about the ball and how she had gotten excited learning that her dad would be covering it for the national newspaper and had surprisingly been given an extra ticket by his job to bring a guest. She had begged to go instead of her mother, finally conceding to the condition of getting a good grade on her final for Ancient Moon History, her worst subject. Serena had fought against zoning out in class; she had frequently taken routes that completely avoided the arcade so that she wouldn't be distracted from going to the library (she was pretty sure everyone at Game Center Crown had forgotten what she looked like); and she had begged, her best friend Naru to let her borrow one of her fanciest dresses for the show after she had blown her money on some manga and then lost the receipt to return them.

At one point, in his surprise over the severity of her dedication to go, her father had casually mentioned how it seemed like this was a perfect way of setting up bragging rights for the following year. And he was right in a way…but in another way, the fact that she would be able to be in the Moon Palace brought on a type of feeling that went beyond the desire of wanting to be seen…she couldn't explain it; she only knew that whatever she felt was something that was always there deep inside of her, calling out to her.

She kept her glance on the Moon Palace and felt like her feet were leaving the ground. There was the faint sound that she could never place filling her ears. Like music: a bell ringing and reverberating again and again… Her heartbeat quickened and thundered in her chest.

The sounds from along the bridge or something from far off broke the trance. She blinked and drew in a deep breath; she couldn't remember when she had started holding it.

She gathered her things and backed away from the rail with careful steps and continued walking towards the city. Yet even as the image of the Moon Palace receded, she kept its gleaming silhouette in the corner of her blue eye, paler than the third planet itself.

Wonders of wonders, Serena had actually passed her test with a 70.

And miracle of miracles, her parents had actually followed through on their promise to let her go to the ceremony. She was standing in the midst of the Moon Palace's grand ballroom, staring at the gathering of people all dressed in ball gowns and tuxedos and dancing and talking with an orchestra and television camera crews all around them.

The arrival had been like a dream. She and her dad had been in the last of twenty boats heading to the palace. She had been a little disappointed that the boat she had been on wasn't a khufu like the ones she saw carrying dignitaries and other important people, with its sleek shape, open decks, and canopies with softly glowing lanterns, but one of the naval ships that flanked them. Her boat had been full of journalists like her dad and soldiers in white uniforms with gold braiding and swords on their hip, but that was okay. She had received a lot of compliments for her borrowed dress, pastel blue with a long skirt and train that wafted around her ankles gently whenever she walked or picked up its skirt.

At least she had been able to see the crowds like she was royalty. The sides of the channel and the bridge were full of people from all over the universe, screaming and cheering and waving. There were even some signs being held that said things like, "Hooray for the Moon!" and others that bared the royal family's birthmark and declared "Forever Loyal To Princess Serenity!" A few other people sang or yelled that they were from Mercury or as far as Neptune. From time to time, what looked like lit paper lanterns were lifted into the sky, like fireflies. It was beautiful.

But it was nothing like what was hidden behind the palace walls. A quick emptying of the boats and walk down the loading docks, and they were actually inside the grounds of the Moon Palace! It was like a city in and of itself; she could see things she had never imagined being here, like the large houses with perfect green lawns and grand staircases that led to their front doors. Every one of them had a flagpole baring the crescent-moon insignia. Even the walkway bore a sort of perfection with its white cobblestones that cut through patches of perfectly tended lawns and open courtyards or gazebos with stone rotundas.

But even the grounds paled in comparison to the grand ballroom's beauty. "This is the enfilade, Serena," her father had said as she gripped his arm tightly. "This is where the queen would host her parties. I heard once the princess danced across the ballroom's floor all night with a dignitary from one of the other planets." It was breathtaking: multiple floors and grand staircases lined with velvet carpets. Tall, arched windows that showed the rest of the grounds in all its glory: acres of land for as far as she could see, and even a field of roses along the far wall. Its walls were painted with patterns of archers and animals and images of angels with outstretched arms. Her eyes curiously stared at their fingertips and noticed how the figures seemed to gather around a circle in the ceiling where the full moon was painted.

"You can walk and look around if you want, but please make sure to find me again when the ceremony begins." Her father dug out his pen and small notepad from the breast pocket of his tuxedo.

She did, circling around the ballroom over and over again, watching important people dancing, talking and laughing, and eating. Several times she ached to touch the ballroom's walls, especially the spaces where it looked like they were solid gold, but she was afraid of being reprimanded by the soldiers that stood on either side of each entrance, or being caught on camera and later being called a weirdo. At one point, she had even wanted to walk upstairs and see all that could be seen from there, but decided against it. Despite the clearance badge she had clipped to her dress, she doubted if she would be allowed. But she could see up there from where she stood, and noticed the people upstairs dressed in full white. The teen guessed that those were the noblemen and their families. They mainly stayed away from view as the night drew on, but of the few beautiful faces she had seen, she couldn't help but notice they all had a wise, knowing look to their eyes that made them older than how they looked.

She was eating maybe her third plate of little sweets and finger sandwiches when the music began to quiet down. It wasn't hard to find her father again; he barely looked at her before tilting his chin towards the stage. "They're getting ready," he murmured to her and smiled.

A man with long white hair dressed in a white tuxedo made his way to the stage. The huge television affixed above gave a close up of his sour-apple green eyes, and a long gold necklace bejeweled with tiny waxing-crescent moons across the lapels of his white suit. "Hello. My name is Artemis Mao, and I am a server to the Moon Kingdom's royal court. It is my honor and privilege to have been chosen to welcome you all, our guests, to the Moon Palace on this night." He closed his eyes and, with his hand over his heart, bowed. Polite applause came from the crowd at the traditional gesture of respect.

"In the hundred years since the royal family's…demise, we have been bestowed to live a lifetime, a great gift of life that was given to us by our dear Princess Serenity. Knowing her…I knew how full of life she was, and of her love for the Moon and all its living souls. It was her love for us that led her to save us when we needed it most, and it was her love of everyday that has blessed now us to see every day." Again he stood silent to the sounds of clapping.

"However, we caretakers of the Moon have allowed this wonderful land and the Princess' gift to fall stagnant. As our people have grown and changed, we have not grown with them. We have isolated ourselves from you all. It is on this night, with the announcement of our future ruler and their eventual coronation, that we take the first steps towards reuniting ourselves with our people, and walking with them to the future they continue to pave.

"Our decision was not a hasty one. And among ourselves, we chose the one we felt was the most worthy for the responsibility and the weight carried with the title of ruler.

"My fellow people of the Moon, I present to you your future king, Prince Diamond!" The man, Artemis', arm rose towards the back where the stairs stood.

The crowd's attention turned.

From the unseen royals of the second floor came a man unto the stairwell, tall and stately, dressed in a white suit with a dark purple cape. His steps from that second floor were precise and confident. He reached the bottom of the step, and the crowd before him finally parted. Applause rose awkwardly. His trek towards the stage seemed to take a lifetime in and of itself. Serena could smell his cologne from where she stood. And even though he never looked at her, she saw through the fringe of his white hairs that his eyes were purple.

She gasped, panicked.

The crowd hushed.

He reached the stage and stood next to Artemis, bending his head slightly to the latter's deeper bow.

"I thank you, my people. In due time, I hope to become a king that you need: a beacon and pillar of strength to all. I ask for your loyalty and pride as I assume the role that has been bestowed on me. I am humbled, and I am happy to serve you."

He bowed that time, a true bow that made his torso parallel to the floor and his cape fall over his shoulders.

Applause rose again once more, louder and more accepting this time.

Serena's heartbeat thudded in her chest.

"No." She heard the word in her head in a multitude of voices.

"No," she said in a voice that was hers and yet…wasn't at the same time.

Serena felt her body become hot. The room spun; her heart sped up and it became hard to breathe. She felt her limbs go numb. The hand that held her cup fell limply to her side, and said cup fell to the floor. Belatedly she felt the splash of liquid on her leg, the gasps of others around her, horrified and angry that their clothes and shoes were ruined; her father's own worried voice.

Her footsteps stumbled forward and she pushed herself through the crowd.

"This cannot be allowed to transpire."

"NO!" she looked towards the stage and shouted. The crowd was distancing itself from her. There was a ringing that filled her ears…the sound she always felt whenever she was on the bridge filled her ears. She could feel panic all around her, and see soldiers coming for her, their gloved hands on the hilt of their swords. "I won't let this happen!"

"…Your time has not yet come, child. But letting this occur—"

"I won't let it," she murmured to the voice, reassuring it. "I promise: I'm ready."

And then, standing under the image of the Moon above head, the world went dark.

A/N: It's hard deciding if I want to strongly follow Sailor Moon Crystal/the manga, or the 90s television show. My favorite version is really the manga; there's a maturity in Usagi that took so many episodes to see from the TV show, and that's what I'm hoping to portray. But the aim in this case was definitely a sort of immaturity. Regardless, I hope that Serena's personality shines through despite the short amount of dialogue.

I seriously became an architectural fanatic writing this. Most of the inspiration of the Moon Palace came from Ancient Athens' Argos and the Osborne House in the UK, to various cathedrals and the Washington Monument. Thank goodness for Google.

...I also feel like there's a drinking game waiting to happen here. Take a sip every time you read the word "moon," "princess," and/or "white," and then tell me how you feel afterwards. LoL

R&R and add me to your Story Alerts.