Beauty and the Beast: Serena and Diamond's Tale

Rated: PG

Genre: Drama/Romance

Disclaimer: I thought I told you… I don't own Sailor Moon!

Summary: A twist of the classic French fairy tale with a taste of Sailor Moon R. Can the curse of the Negamoon be destroyed by true love, not lust? Serena x Diamond. Read and review please!

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait. Work and family have kept me busy. But I hope this was worth the wait. J

Chapter 3: Nemesis

Sapphire waited in the controls room to carry out Emerald's next mission, but when he saw her barge into the room with an angry look on her face, he sensed there would be an attack on the Sailor Scouts that night. "What's wrong, Emerald?" he groaned.

"He went to the Crystal Palace just to kidnap her!" she screamed. "That's what's wrong!"

"Still jealous?"

"Yes! Diamond is mine! All mine!"

"And he can be." Somewhere from the shadows, Wiseman floated from the marble floor, his cloak blowing around him. "He is bringing Sailor Moon right now. He also has the Silver Crystal in his possession."

"Two birds with one stone," Sapphire chuckled. "At least he didn't mess up more than once."

"I heard that," Emerald muttered.

"Emerald, you can make Diamond all yours if you wanted to," Wiseman continued.

"Oh really?"

"Yes. Befriend the Moon brat for she will be all alone with no one but the prince to talk to. That will make Diamond a little more sympathetic toward you. Then, when his guard is down, steal the Silver Crystal behind his back and give it to me. I'll finish Sailor Moon off with her own power, and your reward will be great."

"You mean I'll be Diamond's queen?" the green-haired woman asked.

"Of course. You deserve sharing his throne with him than having the young queen at his side."

Emerald thought the plan was better than hers. She thought about killing Sailor Moon the moment they first meet on Nemesis, but to kill her with kindness was a better idea. "I like it!" she said with her menacing high-pitched laughter filling the room.

Oy vey, the Blue Prince thought, she's going to give me another headache. He walked out of the room and found his older brother heading toward the bedchamber quarters. In Diamond's arms, the unconscious Sailor Moon looked like a fallen angel from the sky. "Diamond, is she okay?" he asked.

Diamond nodded his head. "She just became tired from the long journey and the Dark Crystal."

"You poisoned her?"

"For the time being."

She doesn't deserve that, Sapphire thought, looking at the beautiful warrior lying in the protective arms of the White Prince. As he watched his brother walk past him, he said, "Be careful of Wiseman, brother."

Diamond turned around and asked, "Why? Why should I be cautious about my advisor?"

"I'm sensing some bad vibes from him. I know I am younger than you, but I am concerned about your safety. I don't know if bringing Serenity over is such a good idea. I mean she can cost us our lives."

Diamond cracked a smile and let out a low laugh. "I trust Wiseman a lot. He has always been good to me. As for Serenity, she would make an excellent queen of our home." He left his younger brother standing in the hallway with fear and anxiety filling his heart. He felt guilty for not telling the prince about Emerald's plan, but since it was Wiseman who told her, would Diamond believe what his little brother would say?

Minutes before they reached her bedroom chambers, Sailor Moon woke up in Diamond's arms and slowly observed her surroundings. Darkness was all around her except for the white figure who was carrying her somewhere. When her eyes met his, she screamed and he accidentally dropped her. "You monster!" she hissed.

"What's the matter, Miss Moon?" the White Prince asked. "Is something wrong?"

"You… You kidnapped me!"

"No, I do believe your little prince gave you to me."

"That's because you were gonna kill him! Take me back to Darien!"

Diamond cringed at the name of the Earth Prince and shook his head. "I can't and I won't. If he wants you bad enough, then he'll come after you. And I doubt he will if he knows what's best for him."

Sailor Moon picked herself from the floor and said, "And if he doesn't, I will find a way to escape from this place!"

"I'm afraid you can't do that either." Diamond placed his hand on her brooch and took it away from her Sailor Scout uniform. She immediately changed back into her street clothes, which met Diamond's unsatisfied eyes. "No, that won't do at all. You still don't look like a queen." He snapped his fingers, and her attire quickly turned into an elegant light blue dress, the same dress he gave to Neo-Queen Serenity as a gift.

Serena growled under her breath and said, "You pervert! You have no right to do such a thing!"

"Be careful," the White Prince said, "or I'll change your state of dress into something more mature for your age, especially in my presence."

"You wouldn't!"

"Oh, but I would and you know it." He watched her loosen up her muscles and examined her for a brief moment. "If only you were a little older, you would look like the queen herself. But, alas, I shall not age you for you are just as beautiful as she was."

"You're poetic words do not flatter me one bit."

Diamond smirked and led her toward her wing of his kingdom. While he held an expression of confidence, Serena, on the other hand, was very anxious and nervous. She was scared of the darkness, unsure what could come out right in front of them and terrify her. Everywhere she turned there was something dark like a shadow.

He broke the silence with a serious tone of voice. "You may go anywhere but the throne room," he ordered.

"Why? Why can't I?"

"Because I said it's not allowed!" he barked. He muttered an apology and continued toward their destination.

They came across a set of crystal doors, and Diamond opened them for her. "This is where you'll be staying," he said. He gave her the best guest room in his home so she wouldn't feel like a prisoner.

Serena walked in and took in the sight of her new home. There was a fireplace at one end that was moldering but still comforting. She had a rocking chair with two stuffed bunnies because Diamond somehow knew she liked rabbits. He also gave her a wonderful view of Nemesis with a sliding door and balcony. The bed, however, gave her a bitter feeling. Everything was black: black canopy curtains, black sheets, and black pillowcases… Black, black, and more black. Does he know have good taste in colors, she thought.

But in truth, she was not pleased. If this was part of Diamond's plan to make her feel like she was back home, she was not going to fall for it. She turned to him and asked, "Why don't you give me something like a prison cell in your dungeon, your majesty?"

Diamond was shocked to hear those words. "Do you not like what I offered you, my dear? This is the guest room that is fit for your liking!"

"No! You can't fool me! This is all a trap, isn't it? I don't love you, and I never will! I want Darien now! I want out of here!"

He held her brooch that contained the Silver Crystal. "I'm sure you want this, don't you?"

"Don't you dare destroy it!"

"Why would I do such a thing? I'm only going to keep it for a while. Maybe if you learn to appreciate what other people give to you, I might hand this back. But until then, I think this would look pretty in my collection or perhaps the Dark Crystal, don't you agree?" He began to walk out of the room when he said, "You will join me for dinner tonight, Serenity. That is not option."

Once he was out of sight, Serena threw herself on the bed and started to cry. She began to feel a new hatred toward Diamond at that moment. He had no right to take her, even if Darien gave her away! She knew her prince and her Sailor Scouts would save her.

But what if Diamond was right? What if Darien won't save her because he wanted to save himself first? "This is so unfair!" she whined into her pillow. "I hate it! I hate it! I want out!"

Outside of the room, Emerald heard the high-pitched cries coming from the guest room. That's where he must be keeping her, she thought disgustingly. She walked by and saw young future queen crying into the pillow. She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Why should the future queen of Crystal Tokyo cry like a little baby? I still can't believe you will one day rule most of the universe!"

Serena wiped away her tears and saw the unpleasant green soldier looking down on her. "How can you handle him? He's so unkind, cold-hearted, and spoiled!"

"Are we talking about my Diamond?"

"I guess so."

"That's no surprise to me, missy. I just tolerate his attitude and be myself."

"But did he ever take you away from your loved one?"

"Not at all!" Emerald laughed. "I never had any loved ones, and, besides, who needs them when I have the prince? He is the only person I have ever loved!"

Serena began to cry again, which made Emerald frustrated. "Come on, queenie! You're acting like a crybaby!"

"But he never gave me a chance to say goodbye to my friends… Rini… Darien… And I miss every single one of them. I have no one to talk to here on my own will. It's so lonely!"

Suddenly, Emerald began to have a change of heart, unlike what she was supposed to do with her plan with Wiseman. She actually began to feel sorry for Serena. Even though she loved Diamond for a long time, there were times when she felt alone and useless. She too didn't have any friends to confide in, and she wouldn't mind having one or two that were not her relatives.

She sat down next to Serena and said in a sour voice, "Don't cry, your majesty. Your tears break my cold heart apart because I never had a friend before."

Serena looked up and saw a tear rolled down on the green soldier's face. She sympathized the woman and said, "I'm sorry. I'm sure someone out there would be one to you." She placed a hand over Emerald's green-gloved hand, their eyes meeting for a fleeting moment.

Emerald did not know this feeling before until now. She sensed trust in the eyes of the future queen and began to smile. Oh, it was a glorious feeling indeed. Maybe she isn't as bad as I thought she was, she thought as her deal with Wiseman began to fade in her mind.

Diamond, on the other hand, felt like a monster as he heard those words Serena said to Emerald minutes ago as he closed the "secret camera" connection in his throne room…

But he never gave me a chance to say goodbye to my friends… Rini… Darien… And I miss every single one of them. I have no one to talk to here on my own will. It's so lonely!

This is my fault, he told himself. I should have allowed her to do such a thing, but I was scared of losing her. I hate to see her cry… I really do.

Leaving his precious throne, he walked over to the dining hall where his brother was preparing the main course. Sapphire was told to make a large feast since the Black Moon family had a very special guest, but when he saw his brother stroll to his seat with a scowl on his face, he knew dinner would be put on hold. "She's not coming, is she?"

"She is," Diamond said. "I told her she has to."

"She'll only defy you."

"She will come, Sapphire. I know it."

The Blue Prince rolled his eyes and continued to finish the meal. When he was done, they both heard the door open slowly. Diamond was hoping it would be his angel, but when he saw a flash of long green hair, he became extremely sour. "Where is she, Emerald?" he asked.

"Well, you see, Diamond, the girl was not hungry…" Emerald began.

"Is she coming?"

The green soldier let out a little laugh and then quickly added, "No."

"What?" Diamond roared. He ran out of the room and headed directly toward the guest room. Once he was standing outside Serena's chambers, he banged loudly on the doors. "Open up now!" he bellowed.

"No! Go away!" Serena yelled back.

"Diamond, why don't you ask her nicely?" Sapphire suggested. "Perhaps you should use 'please' this time."

The White Prince sighed and then said in a monotonous voice, "Will you please open the doors… Now?"

"Nope!"

He growled under his breath and then screamed, "Fine! If you refuse to leave your bedroom, you might as well starve yourself to death!"

He heard her huff and say, "So be it! I rather have dinner with my prince than with some ruthless idiot like you!"

That made Diamond's blood boil over its tolerance point. He turned to Emerald and said, "Keep an eye on her, Emerald! Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid!" He turned on his heel and stormed out of the hall toward the throne room, slamming the doors shut behind him.

Sapphire and Emerald were both appalled by the White Prince's rage. "Wow," Sapphire exclaimed. "Did you see that, Emerald? He has really gone the deep end ever since he brought Serenity here!"

Emerald nodded. She looked over her shoulder at the closed doors and sighed. I wonder if she is the one to help Diamond and his temper tantrums, she thought ruefully.

Thanks for the reviews!

TheGoodWitchoftheNorth