Sparks
It was not often that Serenity was up before her mother awakened her, but
it was, also, not everyday that she got to visit Earth. There was so much
she wanted to soak up about the blue planet. She had been to her guardians
worlds, but nothing fascinated her quite like Earth.
She wondered about Valor Palace halls with no particular destination in mind,
each turn lead her to new discoveries. She stopped to look at a painting. It
was of one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. She had thick pink
hair that cascaded down her back. Even in the painting, one could tell her
red eyes held deep compassion.
"Beautiful, isn't she?" A voice whispered behind the princess.
"Yes, very," she responded automatically. Her eyes widen in the
realization she was no longer alone. She turned to face the voice, and
found Endymion's midnight blue eyes taking her in.
Taking a minute to compose herself, and once she found her voice again,
she spoke. "Who was she?"
"Queen Inanna, my mother," he said with hints of sorrow in his voice.
"She died in a riding accident when I was five."
"Oh Endymion, I am so sorry." Serenity's eyes filled with tears.
"Don't cry princess. It does not suit you." He gently reached up and
brushed away the tears from her check. They stood there for a moment,
neither wanting to be the first to break the touch. They eyes locked
and the world seemed to melt away. A low rumbling, emitted from
Serenity's stomach, brought them back to the real world.
"I think we better get you some breakfast," he laughed.
She blushed and motioned for him to lead the way.
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Selene arrived at breakfast early; only Midas was already in the room.
She loved breakfast food on Earth. It could possibly be her favorite
part of visiting it. She sat down and took in the smells of the breakfast.
The bacon, eggs, and pancakes filled her senses causing her to smile with
joy. While she was reveling in the feast before her, Pele and Hau arrived.
When Pele saw Selene, she could not help but to laugh.
"I see the feast us has captivated our dear Moon Queen."
"Don't believe I have ever seen her quite so content as when she has breakfast
here with us," Midas added.
"That is not true," Selene objected. "There are plenty of things I enjoy just
as much."
Hau joining in the merriment, "Ah, now I see where Serenity gets her love
of food from."
Just then, as if on cue, Serenity and Endymion walked into the room. Serenity's
stomach continued to protest at its lack of food. A loud growl came from the
slender princess causing the occupants of the room to burst into laughter.
"I do believe the princess requires food, so lets eat," Midas announced.
Everyone filled their plates of the wonderful food. Selene was in heaven with
her food. She did take note, between bites, of her Bunny and Endymion. She
nodded with approval at their pleasant reunion.
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Minako stood in the field where the Earth Generals trained. She liked to
start her morning with training. The exercise made her feel alert and ready
to take on the day. She called forth her transformation pen.
"Venus Star Power Make-up!"
Kunzite stood outside the field watching the Princess of Venus. 'What
could she be doing out there?' He wondered to himself. An orange stick seemed
to appear out of thin air. He watched as she grabbed it and shouted something
he couldn't quite make out. A bright light obscured his vision of her,
and when it faded, Sailor Venus stood in the field in Minako's place.
As a Sailor Venus, Minako's senses were heightened, and she could feel
someone watching her. Scanning the edge of the field, her eyes settled on
the figure of the General.
"Kunzite," she called to him. "Care to join me?"
He was impressed that she spotted him, not many could do that if he did not
want to be found. He stepped out into the clearing.
"It would be an honor, Sailor Venus." He walked over and picked a sword
from the weapons rack.
He studied her for a minute, waiting for her to come over and chose a blade.
"Aren't you going to get one?" He inquired and gestured to the weapons.
She looked at him thoughtfully. "No thanks, I will make my own."
She bent down and placed her hands on the ground. As she concentrated, iron
from the earth began to come together in a fine blade. Kunzite watched her
with wonder. When she was finished, she held a perfectly formed sword. The
craftsmanship was the finest he had ever seen. The hilt was sized just right
for her hand. One could tell who the owner was just by how it fit in her
hand. The blade shined in the morning sun, and when he looked closely at it,
he could see tiny hearts appeared to be engraved on it with V-E-N-U-S spelled
out between them.
She smiled at his awe. "Don't just stand there, prepare yourself General."
Shaking off his wonderment, Kunzite lifted his weapon, and not a moment too
soon as Sailor Venus came at him. Their blades came together with a loud
clatter. Venus was relentless in her attacks, and Kunzite's sword protested
against the blows. After dodging many of her blows, he saw his opportunity when
her step faltered, slightly.
Kunzite felt the momentum shift in his favor. Venus seemed to be struggling to
keep up with his attacks. He even managed to cut her arm.
"Time to admit defeat Sailor Venus," he gloated.
"Did no one tell you not to count your chickens before they're cooked, General?"
She smiled and raised an arm into the air.
"Venus Love-Me Chain!"
He felt something snake around his legs. His eyes widen when he realized she had
tied him with her chain and was now on control. With a devious smile, she yanked the
chain and sent him tumbling to the ground. She willed his sword to the neared tree.
She straddled him, and leaned close to his face brushing her lips against his.
"Now, who is defeated?" She whispered into his ear.
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Rei stalked down the hall trying to find Serenity. She swears that girl needs
a locator on her. Rei could not believe Serenity just wonder off in a strange
place. That girl could make Rei temper rise faster than the temperature on
Mars.
As she turned the corner she slammed into something, rather someone. She looked
up to make her apologies, only to find the laughing blue eyes from the night
before.
"Princess Rei we meet again," Jadeite greeted her.
"Who told you my name?" She snapped at him.
"A very helpful drapery."
She narrowed her eyes, mentally noting to kill Phobos and Deimos later. She
pushed away from him, and began to leave. He reached out and took her by the
arm.
"Where are you off to, Princess?"
"That is none of your business, General."
He raised an eyebrow, "Lost the Moon Princess, eh?"
She was seriously beginning to dislike Jadeite. 'Why in the world was he being
so persistent?' If her temper was not edge before, it certainly was now. The
hand that he was holding her elbow with suddenly began to feel like it was on
fire. As the heat began to sear him, he dropped her arm.
"Ow! How are you doing that?" He demanded of her.
She gave him a smug smile, flipped her hair and left.
"By the way, Serenity is in the Rose Garden with Endymion!" He called after her.
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Ami stood before the massive mahogany doors, which on the other side was her
wildest dream, the Great Earth Library. She had heard rumors on how amazing
the library was, and could not wait to discover it for herself. She could
hard contain her excitement as she pushed the doors open into the knowledge
sanctuary. When she walked in, she inhaled deeply taking in the musky scent
of the ancient text inside.
Once the expansive library was thoroughly explored, Ami took the books she wanted
to read and looked for a place to sit. Out of habit, she headed for the rear,
and that is where she saw him. Zoicite was engrossed in what he was studying,
and he did not even notice that the Guardian of Water now stood behind him. She
looked over his shoulder, trying to figure out what held is attention so well.
"I did not know that Mercury was so fascinating to you, General Zoicite."
Startled he looked up at her. "I believe, Ami, you issued me a challenge, and
I am only trying to meet it. Oh, like you said last night, no need for
formalities."
"Well then, Zoicite, do you mind if I join you?"
"That would be more than ok, Ami."
She sat down, noting that he had many books on both Mercury and the Sailor
Soldiers before him. She liked that, someone willing to find the questions
they had.
"Any luck on finding the answer you seek?" She inquired of him.
"I think I am getting somewhere, but everything written on the Sailor
Soldiers is very vague."
She smiled a mysterious smile. "Well, we can't give away all our secrets."
A comfortable silence passed between them; each engrossed in their own studies.
Zoicite stole the occasional glance at Ami to watch her sapphire eyes absorbing
the text she was reading. Just looking at her, he could tell she was wise far
beyond her years. He liked the way a smile spread across her face when she
read something new and interesting.
After watching her for a while, he once again returned to his studies. He was
determined to discover her secret, partly because he was sure it would
impress her. He picked up another text on the Moon Guardians, and there it was
staring him in the face. He smiled and sat the book back down.
"The ability to control water is all part of your guardianship?"
He looked upon her sapphire eyes, twinkling with knowledge. She nodded with
her answer. "Yes, I could control water for as long as I could remember."
He nodded with understanding, and continued ask her questions. "And each
of you controls an element, so to speak?"
"Water, Metal, Fire, and Electricity to be exact," she replied. "And Makoto,
also, has limited ability over plants, too."
"That explains a lot." He said more to himself than her, but she could not
help to overhear. She frowned in her confusion.
"Why is that?" She asked.
"Well, when Endymion visited the Moon, he told us about cutting Serenity's
hair, and being promptly attacked by her guards. Although he failed to mention
how the attack was made. I always wondered how four young girls got the better
of him when they had no weapons."
Ami chuckled at the memory. "Ah yes, I remember soaking him with some very cold
water, but Zoicite, it was only three girls. Rei was not in on that one."
Zoicite could not contain his laughter. "Now, Enymion will never live it down,
taken out by three girls."
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"Is it true?" Makoto's emerald eyes implored of Nephrite.
Nephrite stopped their walk through the orchard, and looked down at her.
"Is what true?"
"The twins said you know the future."
"Ah," he uttered in understanding. "Nothing is definitive, but yes,
I do get hints."
How do you get hints?" Her curiosity was peaking.
Nephrite chuckled, "I knew Mercurians were curious, but I didn't know the
same was true for Jovians."
She blushed. "I know Rei and Pele can read fire. I just wondered if yours
was the same."
"No, I don't read fire. Mine comes form the stars. Generations of my family have
been reading the stars."
She sat down on a nearby bench to absorb this newly acquired information. Nephrite
watched her as she tilted her head to the sun something caught his eye, a glint
of pink in her ears. He sat beside her to get a better look. Perfect little pink
roses graced her ears.
"Your earrings are stunning." He said catching her a little off guard. She reached
up automatically, as if to check that they were still there. She smiled a sad
smile.
"They belonged to my Aunt Callisto. She was one of Selene's guardians, just as I
am one of Serenity's."
He knew of Callisto and her sacrifice to save the world from darkness. He wanted to
say something to comfort her, but he knew nothing he could say would easy the
pain. Instead he stood up and offered he hand and they continued on their walk
in silence.
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After breakfast Endymion offered to take Serenity on a tour of the palace
gardens. They made their way around the beautiful plants the Earth Gardens had
to see. Serenity was in awe of everything. The Moon gardens were nothing like
the ones here. The flowers' colors seem to glitter in the sun, and so many
varieties the likes of which she had never seen. The red roses, especially,
captured her eyes. She bent down to the smell a bloom.
"Do you like roses, Serenity?" Endymion leaned into the bloom with her.
"Oh very much, I just wish we had red ones on the Moon. We have pastel colored
roses, but none as beautiful as the red ones."
"Then may I present you with a gift. A red rose made specially for you."
He cupped his hands, and when he opened them, there was a perfect red rose. She
took the rose and marveled at its beauty. He smiled at her enjoyment of his
gift. While he was watching her, he noticed, out of the corner of his eye,
raven hair flit by at the end of the row. He leaned down and whispered
into Serenity's ear. "I believe we are being watched."
Serenity looked up in surprise, and then anger flickered in her blue
orbs. "Rei! You might as well come out. Endy spotted you."
Endymion grinned to hear her say his nickname. It made him fell closer to her. His
enjoyment was short lived as Rei came up to them. She glared at him with pure
distaste. She stalked up to Endymion, looking like she was seriously considering
decking him.
"If you hurt her, death will be a welcome relief," she hissed at him.
Serenity quickly stepped between them. "Rei, you should learn to control your
temper."
Rei was about to retort, but she was interrupted but Minako's bubbly laughter. The
blonde came bounding up to the trio with Kunzite not far behind her.
"A party, and I wasn't invited?" Minako pretended to pout.
Rei rolled her violet eyes, "Hardly."
"Rei was stalking Endymion and me," Serenity huffed.
Minako looked thoughtful for a minute. "I know how to solve this problem. Rei
needs a boyfriend, and the Guardian of Love is here to help."
"I most certainly do not need a boyfriend."
"Who needs a man?" Makoto piped in as she and Nephrite joined the others.
"Rei!" Serenity and Minako said simultaneously.
"Oh yeah, I could see how that would be helpful," Makoto laughed.
"I am perfectly happy without a man," Rei yelled.
"Sure you are," Minako teased. "That's why you look like you are going to set
fire to this garden at any minute."
While the girls argued Ami, Zoicite, and Jadeite joined the group. Jadeite
placed his hand on Endymion's shoulder. "What did you do this time?"
Endymion shrugged, "I am not even sure."
"If they decided to attack you again, I, for one can't wait to see that,"
Nephrite mocked.
Zoicite leaned to Ami, "Are they always like this?"
Ami rubbing her head, "You have no idea."
Rei and Minako were very caught up in the argument. Serenity, noticing that
Rei was no longer watching her, took the opporunity to slip over to Endymion.
She slid her delicate hand into his. Endymion please with her touch grasped her hand
tighter and smiled.
"Thank you for the rose." She looked up at him with those crystal blue eyes
that captured his heart.
-----------------------------------
Selene sat alone in the garden on a bench where she could watch, and yet,
remain unobserved herself. Her gaze fell upon Serenity and Endymion as they
strolled through the rows of roses. Their laughter warmed her heart. She smiled
pleasantly as Endymion presented her Bunny with a rose.
When Serenity's Guardians and Endymion's Generals joined them, Selene could
not stifle her laughter. The girls banter reminder her of when she was still
young. 'The more things change,' she thought. She had watched the girls and
generals the night before, and now, seeing them she knew there were sparks there.
She did worry in Rei's case it might be lethal.
As she sat, she could not help but notice there was another observer of the
group. On one the castle balconies a young woman with crimson hair and eyes was
watching Endymion and Serenity like a hawk. When Serenity took Endymion's hand,
Selene saw the jealousy seep into the woman's eyes. This worried Selene because
jealous was a powerful emotion at quickly lead to dangerous things. She noted to herself
to ask Midas about this woman later.