Star-Crossed Lovers-Chapter Nine

By the time Michael awoke four days later, his foot was completely healed. There was no swelling, no redness, no pain. It looked the very same as it had before that stupid Martian princess had decided to stomp on it. At least, that was what Michael thought as he looked at it intently, making absolutely positive that it was back to normal.

Slowly, he put his foot on the floor, which was very cold at the moment despite the fact that it was now April and everything was getting warmer. Putting all his weight on his foot, he exclaimed excitedly under his breath. He could finally walk!

Now, if he could only get back at that stupid, self-centered Martian….

Suddenly, a blissful sound interrupted Michael from his plotting. He listened carefully, and soon realized that it was a woman singing somewhere outside the palace. His window was open, something that he had not immediately noticed, but would give reason as to why he could hear the woman's voice so clearly. Normally, Michael would have made a note to himself to scold Juanita for having not closed his window during the night. She knew how much he hated the sun shining through while he slept. However, at this moment in time, he could have cared less. His sole focus was on the singing woman.

Walking to the window, he saw her. She was tall and then, with long golden hair tied in a loose ponytail that was kept in place by a dark green bonnet, which was a complete contrast to the brown dress and petticoats she was wearing. It appeared that she was walking toward the palace gates, but for what purpose, Michael had no idea. From the way she was dressed, it was evident that she was not a noble, and Michael had never seen a peasant in the palace before, although his father was too kind-hearted to ever refuse to allow them entrance. If they had ever had a complaint, they were free to come in, something Michael thought was damaging to the class system.

Michael watched with interest as the woman made her way to the gates and showed a piece of parchment to the guards. They exchanged a few sentences, appearing to be at odds about something, until finally, the guard allowed the woman entrance. She obviously was not complaining about anything related to her social class, as there would be no supposed confrontation if that had been the case. Then, again, Michael had no idea if she and the guard had really been at odds about anything. It was just pure speculation.

"Michael? Michael?"

The young prince rolled his eyes at the sound of both his mother's voice and her loud knocking. It was quite out of character for her to wake Michael up herself, however. She normally had Juanita or one of the other servants do it, as she was always busy with her own affairs as Queen.

And that was something Michael hated about her.

"What, Mother?" Michael asked irritably as he answered the door.

"You can walk now!" she shouted happily, as though she had been expecting him to still be injured. She reached forward, presumably to either hug or kiss her son, but Michael put his arms up and stepped backward.

"Yes, obviously, mother," he responded, trying to get his mother's mind off of hugging him. He hated any type of physical affection. "I woke up this morning and it was back to normal."

"That's wonderful," she said smiling, a light in her eyes.

"I want to be alone," Michael said point-blank, grabbing the door and attempting to shut it.

Surprisingly, Bianca did not respond with protest, but hesitated a moment, then nodded understandingly. She appeared to have tears in her eyes, but Michael only took them as a sign of false hurtfulness and pity-seeking. His mother always seemed to be playing that card with everyone.

She smile slightly and silently left her son alone at his request.

+*+*+

To be perfectly honest with herself, Zoicite was quite nervous about becoming a general for the Prince of the Earth. Of course, she had ten years worth of experience in the military (as controversial as that was in all aspects of the word), but none for a Prince. She had no idea what the other warriors would say when they discovered that she was a woman.

The guard at the gates had believed she was lying when she showed him the letter that King Robert had sent her, asking her to be his son's fourth guardian. She had almost fainted upon reading the note. Why the King would choose her of all the other soldiers in the world, she had no idea, and thought it to be a joke herself at first.

But, now, sitting on the sofa in one of the rooms adjacent to the foyer, waiting for the Prince and his other generals to arrive, she had more confidence than ever. Surely, once the other generals saw what she could do, they would not judge her for being a woman. No one else in the military ever had, at least, not after she began her training. Upon joining the military, however, she had raised many eyebrows and sent many scoffs flying through the air. However, as there were no laws against a woman being a soldier, the leaders of the army could not argue with her decision to be one of them. It was simply always an assumption on Earth that women should not be a part of the military.

But, of course, there was nothing strange about it on every other planet. Zoicite had always envied the Sailor Scouts because they had had no problem at all becoming soldiers. Then, again, they weren't exactly the same type of soldiers as those on Earth were. They used magical powers instead of swords to fight, and they wore skirts instead of pant-suits.

Zoicite didn't mind wearing pants, of course. Although they made her look like a man, at least she didn't have to wear a stupid corset. Every second of the day that she wore one, she wanted to rip it off her body. Breathing was the toughest thing possible to do. She was surprised she hadn't died yet, as she had fainted enough times before. The one she was wearing now, underneath her brown dress, just happened to be the tightest one she owned. She could imagine how red her stomach would be once she took it off.

Trying to distract herself from the pain that the infernal piece of clothing was causing her, she took off her green bonnet and let loose her blonde hair out of her ponytail. As soon as she did so, the doors on the other side of the foyer opened and out walked the Prince and his generals.

Prince Darien was exactly like she thought he would look: black hair, blue eyes, a muscular build, but not her type of man. The look in his eyes upon seeing her was most certainly one of shock, and happened to be the same look that she had received from every other man in the military. However, it was not one of disgust, as was the look of one of the generals, one with long brown curls and green eyes. Another, a blond, the youngest-looking of the bunch, did not seem to have any expression on his face regarding Zoicite. Meanwhile, the oldest-looking, a tall, silver-haired man, was looking at her with mild interest.

"You're the new warrior?" the brunet asked incredulously before the Prince even had a chance to get the first word in.

"Excuse me?" the Prince retorted, flashing him the most evil look Zoicite had ever seen, appalled that the other man would ask such a thing. "Nephlite, a woman has every right to be a warrior as a man has. My father obviously sees something in her if he chose her."

"I agree," the silver-haired man commented, not taking his eyes off Zoicite. She felt her face warm and redden as he stared at her.

"She seems nice," the blond one said.

"What is your name?" The Prince said with a smile as he extended his hand.

Zoicite stood up hurriedly from the chair and bowed, having forgotten the respect she was supposed to show to royals.

"My name is Zoicite," she responded, stuttering a bit. The brunet warrior snickered.

"Nice to meet you, Zoicite. I'm Prince Darien," the Prince responded, kissing her hand lightly.

"My name is Malachite," the silver-haired man blurted out as soon as Zoicite had been kissed by the Prince. Something told her that he was not happy with it. He bowed and took her other hand in his, kissing it for at least ten seconds.

"Pleased to meet you all," she said, not sure of what else to say.

"She's not even wearing a uniform," the man named Nephlite pointed out unnecessarily. "You can't fight wars in petticoats and corsets."

Zoicite scowled at him. It had not been five minutes and she had already found someone whom she desperately hated.

Both Malachite and Prince Darien looked as though they were going to knock him to the ground.

"I'm Jadeite," the blond smiled politely, as though he had not heard a word of what anyone had said or sensed the tension in the room.

+*+*+

A few nights later, Darien stood in front of his mirror, scrutinizing every bit of his appearance, more so than he had ever done before. He had changed outfits at least four times by now, something that he rarely ever did. On a daily basis, he could care less about what he wore, but now, now was an important day. He had to make a good impression on the Moon Princess.

He adjusted his general pin and sighed. This would have to do. He finally chose to wear a blue shirt and pants, which, in all seriousness, was still not what he considered to be great for a date. But, he couldn't look too formal. It was not a ball or a meeting of ambassadors that he was going to, so he did not feel the need to wear a tuxedo. Plus, he hated wearing them anyway, so any excuse to avoid wearing them was a good one.

There was a rather loud knock on his door, which told Darien that whoever was behind the door could only be one person.

"Yes, Michael?" Darien answered the door with as much politeness he could muster, politeness that he knew his brother would not return.

"I need you to get me more acquainted with Zoicite," the younger Prince said bluntly.

Darien raised his eyebrow. For one thing, Zoicite was at least five years older than Michael was, and another (which happened to be something that Michael knew very well), guards were not allowed to be romantically involved with the royals whom they were guarding. Their relationships were to remain strictly platonic.

"You know I can't," Darien said, shaking his his head. "And even if I could, I wouldn't."

Darien knew right off the bat that his brother and Zoicite would not be compatible upon getting to know each other. It would definitely be a lost cause.

Michael's scowl made Darien feel quite uncomfortable, so he quickly excused himself and headed down the hallway. Besides, he didn't have time to deal with his brother's problems when he was already running behind for his date.

+*+*+

Upon his arrival to the Moon Palace, Darien spotted Princess Serena at her balcony, searching below for him. Her face split into a marvelous smile and she soon left the balcony and appeared at the gates of the palace.

"Prince Darien!" she shouted happily after running into his arms. Then, seeming as though she recognized that she had forgotten her formal manners, she quickly shrank back and curtsied for him.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Princess Serena." Darien bowed.

She took his hand and led him back into the palace, where the Queen was waiting for them. Serenity kissed Darien's cheek as soon as he walked into the palace.

"Prince Darien," she said sweetly, shaking his hand. "It is a pleasure to see you, and I hope you enjoy your time here."

"Thank you, My Lady." Darien bowed once again, trying to make himself seem more comfortable with the situation. As he had never actually dated a woman before, he was not sure how to make a good impression with Serena's mother.

As the three of them walked into the dining hall, Serena allowed Darien to take a seat first, as a gesture of politeness.

The meal itself was scrumptious: roasted ham, fish, apples, broccoli, squash, lobster, sugar snapped peas, carrots, tomatoes, yams, boiled potatoes, artichokes, turnips, zucchini, and garlic bread, one of the healthiest meals Darien had ever eaten. But, food was only partially on his mind that night, Serena being the number one focus. He began conversations with her about her life on the Moon and what she did and how she enjoyed having Sailors being around her, waiting on her hand and foot. He realized they were dumb questions, but the only ones he could think of to ask her, as his mind was too nervous to come up with anything worth asking.

After a while, Queen Serenity excused herself and let the two be alone, having taken the many annoyed glances that her daughter had given her during the meal.

"Would you care to go ice skating?" the Princess asked with a smile after the two had finished eating and Darien had ran out of questions about her life.

"Ice skating?" Darien asked, wondering where they would be able to do it. It was spring, after all, and all the lakes had long since unfrozen. He did quite enjoy the sport, though, especially when he had the privilege of watching Michael try to accomplish it and instead fall flat on his behind.

"We have a place down in the basement of the palace," Serena explained. "We keep it cold all year round so that we can skate. I enjoy doing it in the summer and spring when it's hot and I need to cool off."

"I would love to," Darien smiled, getting up out of his chair.

Kindly passing his plate to one of the maids, he followed Serena down the long staircase to the basement, where he felt a sudden chill slap him in the face.

"It does take a while to get used to the cold," Serena said, giggling at recognizing Darien's surprise, which he felt stupid for. Of course, it would be cold in an ice rink. There was no need for him to look surprised.

The real cause for surprise was the size of the rink itself. It had to be one of the largest Darien had ever seen, at least larger than any he had seen on Earth. It was so smooth it looked as though it were brand new.

"I'll go get the skates," Serena hurried off.

As she did so, Darien noticed that they were not the only two in the rink. The four Sailor Scouts were on the other side, about to ruin the smoothness of the ice. At least, that was what Darien expected to happen from the looks of Princess Raye. She was looking as clumsy as an ox about to break its leg.

"I don't understand how people can enjoy this stupid sport," she whined loudly, having great difficulty balancing on her skates. It was a pity how she hadn't even gotten on the ice yet, and she was already having problems.

"It's not stupid once you get the hang of it," Princess Lita, a renowned skater, countered. "You just have to practice."

"It looks like Raye's unhappy." Serena appeared behind Darien, carrying the skates. "She's just too stubborn. If she would learn to be nice and do things the way people told her, then she wouldn't have nearly as much trouble."

Once they had put on their skates, the two of them stepped out into the rink. Serena demonstrated some of her talent by spinning off the ice in ways Darien could never achieve. Raye was not happy with what she was seeing and kept shouting about how unfair it was for Serena to be more talented than she.

Serena simply ignored her, and soon found herself waltzing with Darien.

It was a much easier task than Darien had expected, as he had never skated in the arms of another person before. What was more, was that Serena was actually the one leading the dance, choosing which direction to spin and glide. It was amazing to Darien how she could do it while not even looking at the direction she was going.

"You're an excellent dancer," he remarked, meaning every word.

Serena blushed a bit, and Darien had the idea that it wasn't from the cold. "Thank you," she said modestly. "My mother started teaching me when I was three. I've loved it ever since. It's my favorite hobby."

Darien smiled and suddenly had the urge to kiss her, but held back the temptation. He knew it was not appropriate at the time. They had to know each other better. That was probably why his parents had always told him never to kiss on a first date.

Serena returned his smiled and continued speaking, bringing Darien back to reality. "That's a beautiful pin. Who gave it to you?"

Darien's stomach turned uncomfortably. He should have considered that she would ask this question some time.

"I was just wondering," she explained, noticing how uncomfortable he was. "I noticed it was a General's pin, and I didn't think you were one, so I asked. I'm sorry. You don't have to answer."

"No," Darien shook his head. "It's not a bad question. You should know." He paused a moment. "It was a gift…from your father, actually."

He waited for her to break down and cry, but instead, she smiled.

"My father?" she echoed in a way that told Darien she wanted to hear more of the story.

"Yes," he continued, not realizing the two of them had stopped skating and were now still. "It was my third birthday, and my parents had brought me to the Moon. It was before you were born, obviously. I don't think your mother was even pregnant yet. At least, if she was, she was in a very early stage. Anyway," he realized he was rambling off topic, but Serena listened intently and didn't seem to mind. "Your parents didn't have a gift for me, as my parents hadn't had the mindset to tell them it was my birthday before we came, so your father gave me his pin. My parents didn't like the idea, but…he noticed that I had an interest in it, which I did, mostly because it was small and shiny, so he gave it to me to keep and…I've worn it ever since. Anyway, it was one of my earliest memories, definitely the only one from that long ago that I can remember in detail."

And it was true. He could even remember the exact song the orchestra was playing in the background, along with his mother's perfume, and King Julius's crimson red outfit and blond hair and blue eyes, the same as his daughter's.

Serena nodded, still smiling, but now with tears in her eyes. It was the same reaction Queen Serenity had had a few weeks before at the ball when she had noticed that Darien had still kept the pin after all those years.

"I had a wonderful time," she said, trying to change the subject quickly before she got any more emotional. "It's getting late. You should probably go."

She quickly skated to the other side of the rink and walked out the opposite door. The Sailor Scouts, including Raye, who was now literally sitting on the ice, stared after her.

Darien only hoped he hadn't made a mistake.

Author's Note: Hey guys! How did you like this chapter? I thought it was pretty good, definitely one of my favorites. Now, you know the significance of the pin and why it's so important to Darien. And by the way, if you don't hate Michael by now, you need a serious psychiatric evaluation. Please review!

Merci,

Amélie