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: I apologize for the long delay, but I'm a college student, and I am busy. Plus, I got three other fan fics in the work so watch out for new chapters! As always, please read/review!

Chapter 6

In his palace, Diamond sat on his throne pondering about his future with the Moon Princess. He noticed some changes that happened ever since he brought her to Nemesis, and for the most part, these changes were perhaps for the best.

Serena's kindness was like the sun whose light never touched the surface of Nemesis. It was, after all, a dreary land to live in, and what made it drearier was the bitter, cold heart of the White Prince. But when Serena was near, Diamond began to feel more alive than ever.

He actually smiled more often and sometimes found himself laughing whenever the Moon Princess tried to help Sapphire with the cooking for she would forget one important ingredient to a family favorite recipe. She might not have been graceful and intelligent as the queen of Crystal Tokyo was, but she still had the pure heart living inside her.

At times, he would find Serena having a conversation with Emerald in the her chambers at night, talking about the day's events and the two girls would giggle if one brought up an embarrassing moment about Diamond. It's weird how they get along, he thought to himself, remembering Emerald's past encounters with Sailor Moon. And for once, Emerald learned how to control her laugh without being obnoxious.

But Serena would soon make some changes for herself. One of them would be the ability to dance. Luna and Artemis once told her that she was a beautiful dancer during the Silver Millennium, and from what she learned about her future self from Rini, she would still be that wonderful dance partner.

She just didn't understand why she was the complete opposite at that time.

That evening, Diamond gave Serena a lovely gift while she was doing some sketches of a lovely crystal unicorn she found on the mantle of her fireplace. "What is it?" she asked.

"Open it," he replied.

Placing aside her sketchbook that was provided by Sapphire, she took the package and unwrapped it like a Christmas present. She opened the lid and saw a lovely diamond necklace sparkling with the light of the flames burning in the hearth. Below it was a lovely dress in white satin that would have been expensive to buy if she was living in Tokyo again.

"Diamond," she gasped in amazement, "you bought these for me?"

"I knew you would like them," he said. He thought about telling her that he gave Neo-Queen Serenity those exact gifts before the Black Moon Family attacked, but he was afraid that he would scare her.

"Thank you so much!"

"I would like to see you wear them tonight for dinner. I want to show you something after we have our meal."

Serena pressed her cheek against the fabric of the dress and rubbed against it. "It feels so nice… I can't believe this is happening to me. I mean it's wonderful!" She unfolded the dress and let it hang loose, examining the style and perfection. "I will wear this tonight! Thank you, Diamond, for everything."

"You're quite welcome, Serenity." He picked up the necklace and secured it around her neck. He smiled as the diamonds shone brightly. "It fits you."

"It sure does, doesn't it?" She caught him off guard as she wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a hug. "Thank you so much, Diamond. These gifts mean so much to me!"

"My pleasure." His lips were about an inch away from her forehead where her crescent moon would be, but he couldn't let his skin of evil taint her pure body quite yet. He gently pulled away and walked toward the door. "We'll be eating in an hour."

"I'll be down there," Serena said as she watched the White Prince leave her chambers. She sat down on the bed and sighed dreamily. Never before had Darien been like this while living in the 20th Century, but here was a prince from an exiled family that once belonged to hers who had given her expensive jewelry and clothing. And when she hugged him, she felt so safe and warm… Am I falling in love, she thought with a sudden sense of confusion, with my enemy?

He waited impatiently for Serena to join him. "She five minutes late," he murmured, although Emerald was able to hear him.

"I'm sure she's on her way," said Emerald.

"I don't want her to have second thoughts about this. She knows what I did before I took her away, but in her heart she knows I'm not the monster everybody thinks I am, especially… him."

The green-haired soldier lowered her gaze toward the floor. It had been a long time since the Moon Princess spoke of her beloved. It had been far too long. "I wouldn't blame her if she doesn't see you as a monster, your majesty."

"What do you mean?" the White Prince asked.

"I think she's taken fancy of you, and you didn't really force her to love you. She did it on her own will, didn't she?"

"That she did. I thought about using the Dark Crystal on her, but I didn't want to hurt my angel."

Emerald nodded her head. She could remember the times when she wanted to kill Serena out of jealousy, but now that she had actually sat down and understood the Moon Princess better, her intentions to destroy her were gone.

But she was afraid she had spoken too soon. You're failing me, Emerald. Somewhere in her mind, she could hear the hissing voice of Wiseman. He was indeed not pleased with his promising pawn at all. Instead of doing her job, she abandoned it and delayed his plans to rule the universe.

The hot pink fan dropped onto the glassy floor, and Emerald fell to her knees, struggling to get rid of Wiseman's mocking laughter out of her head. "Stop it!" she screamed. "I won't hurt her!"

"What is it, Emerald?" Diamond asked.

The evil presence went away the moment it heard Diamond's voice. Emerald lowered her hands from her head and stood back up on her feet, picking up her fan and closing it shut. "It was Wiseman," she sighed. Looking at her prince, she silently added, "He wants me to kill the princess."

"You better not lay a finger on her."

"I won't. But she needs to get out of here. Quickly."

The White Prince didn't want to hear those words coming from Emerald's mouth, but at that moment, he realized Serena's life was at the risk of Wiseman. "Traitor," he muttered. "I'm going to talk to him after dinner."

"Talk to who, Diamond?" Serena's voice startled him, but when he turned to look at her, he was at loss of words. The dress he gave her was clinging to her every curve, and her eyes sparkled like the clear blue sea. She was so stunning Diamond couldn't remember what he was going to say.

Emerald broke his little trance by clearing her throat, and Diamond reminded himself to get back with reality. "No one of importance," he lied. "Just some silly commoner who has been causing ruckus at night."

"I understand."

The green soldier walked past Serena, turning to her with soft brown eyes. "You do look lovely, Princess," she said. "I hope your 'date' with the Prince goes well. If you two need me, I'll be around the palace."

"Where are you going, Emerald?" Diamond asked.

"I have to talk to Wiseman. I need to get everything straightened out."

Serena's heart froze at the thought of an attack against the Sailor Scouts. "You're not going after them, are you? Please say you won't hurt them!"

Emerald knew what the Moon Princess was talking about and shook her head. "No, Princess, it's not about the Sailor… Scouts," she replied, pausing to prevent herself from spitting out "Sailor brats." She sighed and continued, "There has been some miscommunication between me and Wiseman. Don't worry, we won't go after your friends." She left the room at a fast pace with anger burning in her eyes.

Meanwhile, the four Inner Sailor Scouts stood outside of Diamond's palace wondering where they could enter. "I can't see any doors," Sailor Venus sighed. "It seems impossible to get inside!"

Sailor Mercury turned on her visual scanner to locate a hidden door, but she located more than just the door. "Guys, there is someone coming this way!"

"Don't keep your guard down," said Sailor Mars.

Sailor Jupiter formed a ball of electricity as she watched the door slowly open. Just as he was exiting his home, Sapphire was greeted by her attack and sent him flying back inside.

"Who was that?" Sailor Venus asked. She rushed at the open door to find the Blue Prince in shock the powerful and sudden attack. He can't be, she thought. "Darien?"

Sapphire's eyes flew open and he groaned, "Do NOT call me by that name! I hate being compared to the Earth King's past self."

"I'm sorry, but you look so much like him."

"It is okay. Actually, I am Sapphire, prince of Nemesis and the brother of Prince Diamond. I was coming outside to get some fresh air and to clear my mind."

"Are you an ally or an enemy?" Sailor Mercury asked.

"For being the smartest Sailor Scout, I am surprised you asked me that question. No, I am not the enemy at the present time, but I am not much of an ally. I ask for your forgiveness, considering the fact that I was responsible for all of Emerald's droids."

"We have already forgiven you, Sapphire," said Sailor Jupiter. "And now I apologize for sending you a 'shocking present.'"

The Blue Prince chuckled and nodded his head. "Of course. Now if you ladies would come inside, I'll take you to your princess in a moment. If I am not mistaken, you are here to take Serenity back, right?"

"Yes," Sailor Mars replied. "But we were wondering one thing, though – will Diamond let her go on his own will?"

"That is a question I cannot answer. You'll have to talk to my brother about that. Right now, he is having dinner with the princess in private. He is also going to give her a surprise. I was asked to wait until they are finished, and with all due respect of my brother, I cannot go against my word. Do you understand?"

The four girls nodded and Sailor Venus asked, "Since we have to wait for a while, can you please tell us about your life working with Wiseman? We want to prove that your brother is innocent before Endymion tries him for kidnapping Serena. Darien is on his way right now, but we want to save your family from death."

Sapphire looked around for a moment, hoping that Wiseman did not send out any spies to overhear the conversation. "Tell me, ladies, what information about the Negamoon family do you have?"

Ooh… Cliffy! You know the drill…