Hey all! I worked really hard on this one. I believe it shows in the length of this chapter. I hope you enjoy it!! ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own any Sailor Moon characters

Chapter 8: The Dust Never Settles

Kunzite stood in his office, waiting for his ward to come in and announce for Mina's entrance. He had been anticipating for her arrival all morning, but she wasn't one to come in when she said she would. This certainly was his punishment; the waiting that is. He looked at the grandfather clock across the room and then growled as he moved his gaze back to the documents at hand. His door suddenly whipped open, but he didn't avert his attention by any means.

"Ahem."

He folded down the thick paper and was shocked to find that it was Lady Mina who had called for his attention. He suddenly dragged his feet off of his desk and jumped up into a standing position. After gaining his composure, he stepped toward her with his hands behind his back and his chest puffed out.

"Why didn't you send in a servant to announce you?" he asked.

"We never do that on the moon," she answered.

"This isn't the moon. There's more chaos here. We're not all so lucky to be ruled by a woman who emotes peace to her people and gets what she wants," Kunzite quipped.

"Would you prefer Endymion to marry the queen instead?" Mina asked, arching a curious eyebrow as she swished her dress around in front of her.

"No, not at all. We're excited for the princess to be engulfed in this grand family," he answered.

"You think she'll be 'engulfed'? Ha. Please. She will float on top like a drop of oil in a cup of water."

He coughed a bit, not wanting to argue with her and instead declared, "Shall we move to the grand dining room for the cake preparations?"

"Yes," she nodded.

The two of them walked out of the room and down the hallway. Mina was in her signature princess dress that was remnant of the moon fashion style, but in her Venus colors of orange and yellow. As the two of them strolled down the hallway, Kunzite couldn't help but steal a few glances at her. She was simply stunning and every time she entered a room, his eye was caught much like a dumb fish on a hook.

"So why are you told to do this task? Is this not meant for someone who is of lower class?" she asked.

"After being exposed for the man who betrayed the king's trust, I have been given the punishment of handling the wedding ceremony tasks," he informed her. He leaned over to her before they entered the room, "Between you and me though, I don't find this to be a penalty in the slightest bit."

She merely smirked at him and then opened up the doors to find a woman at the head of the table, the prince and princess sitting on one side together, an array of pieces of colorful cake, and then two empty seats where the top courtiers were supposed to sit. The head general and head scout bowed to the two royals in front of them.

"I thought we were going to be doing this ourselves, your majesty," Mina said with a confused tone as she sat down across from the silver-haired beauty.

"As much as I trust your taste, Lady Mina, I believe we have different palates of the tongue," she smiled.

"Some one is unbelievably cheerful this morning," Kunzite commented as he plopped the napkin in front of him onto his lap.

"Princess Serenity is known to have quite the sweet tooth," Mina smirked as she passed a quick wink to her superior.

"It's something I don't hide," she nodded. She turned to the woman standing at the head of the table and nodded to her, "Please introduce yourself to the group."

The plump woman in question with curly golden hair that framed her face and who was dressed in the tight fitting and bust bursting outfit was the chef of the said cakes in front of them. Just looking at the woman's clothing and cresting cleavage made Serenity feel uncomfortable in her own garments that she had donned on for that morning which were more free flowing than she could have ever expected. A seamstress had created a bodice that didn't sew her in completely, but tied in the front instead, giving her leverage to breath. The color she had chosen for this day matched many of the white cakes in front of them almost as though she were practicing to wear her wedding dress on that fateful day.

"My name is Christine Leopold," the woman in the wine colored dress stated. "I'm the baker that will be creating the magnificent cake for your majesties. I hope my samples will be most appealing to you all."

"Brilliant. Well, shall we get started?" Endymion asked, clapping his hands together.

"Yes, please, do!" she bubbled. Kunzite cringed at her overly bright personality as she instructed to them, "The first piece in front of you is a coconut crusted vanilla flavored cake with—"

"No," Serenity said bluntly as she pushed the cake away from her.

Endymion eyed her for a moment and with a twitch of his lip, he asked, "What seems to be the trouble dearest?"

"I don't like coconut," she complained.

"You haven't even tasted it," he argued.

"I don't have to taste it to know I dislike coconut," she snapped. She turned and looked back at the woman with a warm smile, "I'm sure it's delicious, but I really do detest coconut."

"Okay, well the next one is a chocolate ganache coated hazelnut cake with seedless raspberry filling," she announced.

The group finally dipped into the food with their forks, munching away quietly. Serenity turned to Christine and asked, "Can we change the coloring of the outside? I don't like the idea of a wedding cake being dark brown."

"Oh your majesty it would be covered with white fondant," she beamed.

"Alright then… I like the flavors. Absolutely superb, but I don't know that I like the color choices," she mused.

"Why are you so picky about the color of the cake itself?" Endymion asked.

"If I'm to shove this in your face, it'll get all over your clothing for certain," she answered.

"Shove it in my—"

But his question was interrupted by the princess smashing a piece of the cake against his mouth and a little bit up his nose. He exclaimed out loud in the room as she did this and then she removed her hand from his mouth, throwing the remains of the tattered cake onto the small dish in front of her. Christine looked on at the couple with her jaw dropped; she had never in all her years as a major baker seen anyone act so out of character of their status.

"Like that," Serenity said as she wiped her hand clean of frosting and cake crumbs.

"And what is that for?!" Endymion yelled as he scrubbed his face viciously.

"Tradition of course," she said as a matter fact. "Don't you have this on your planet?"

"NO!" he roared. "It's not proper conduct for royals such as ourselves!"

"My mother would beg to differ with you. She and my father almost broke out into a food fight when they got married," she explained as she pulled another piece of cake toward her. "What's this next one?"

"It-it's a carrot cake with l-lemon frosting and butter c-cream filling," Christine said with a slight stutter; she was a bit shaken up from the outburst of the prince.

After Mina had gently put a piece in her mouth, she said, "I don't know that everyone would particularly enjoy this cake. It has a nice flavor, but I can imagine some people from the moon disliking this."

"I agree," Serenity replied, spitting out her bite of food into her napkin. "It's too overpowering."

"I find it refreshing with the lemon," Endymion replied.

"As do I!" Kunzite said loudly.

"Oh now you are just trying to fight with us!" Serenity snapped.

"No, this is fighting with you," he murmured.

Suddenly Endymion took a handful of cake in his hand and smashed only a bit of it into Serenity's face. She backed off of the chair as best as her dress would allow her to and while she did this, she grabbed a piece of defensive cake. A few bits of the frosting from her face dropped down into her bodice making her giggle a little. She picked apart her cake and started to throw the morsels at Endymion. He in turn chucked more food right back at her. The three remaining onlookers were gawking at the brawl that had burst out in front of them. At least the two royals were laughing as they continued in their food fight so the head general and scout didn't feel the instinctive need to break them apart.

Serenity ran around the table with Endymion chasing after her and cake flying every which way. As they ended up on the same side as the Kunzite and Mina, the princess tripped in her dress and fell down onto the ground, getting rug burns on wrists. Endymion took this chance to straddle her as she rolled onto her back and smother her face with more lemon frosting. She squealed loudly and tried her best to crush her last piece of cake against his cheek, but he backed away too much, so she just threw it into his hair. The two laughed out loud, but didn't move to get up from the ground.

"You got lemon zest frosting down my dress!" Serenity whined through her laughter.

"You got carrot cake in my hair!" he retorted. He looked up at Kunzite and ordered, "Toss me a napkin!"

He did as he was instructed and Endymion caught it in the air with one hand. He looked back down at Serenity, examining the destruction of the cake across her visage. He leaned over and started to clean her up a bit, making her smile genuinely. She sat up and took the napkin from his hand, wiping away the thick frosting and butter cream from her face. She winced a little as the boning on the back of the corset stabbed into her spine. Her fiancé tilted his head with concern as he helped her up in to a standing position.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"This damn dress is what's wrong," she growled as she looked down into the cave of her cleavage. "It was made so that I don't experience a hard time breathing or the like, but it has in fact found another way to hurt me. How are women supposed move in such garments?"

"Well my lady … they're not," Endymion replied slowly.

"Excuse me?" she responded with much sass in her voice.

"Women are expected to stay still, move when asked to, and not jump about as you have so exuberantly done here," he explained cautiously.

"Is that so?" she inquired with an arched eyebrow. "I'll change that drastically."

"You'll do what now?"

"You heard me. I'm sick and tired of being treated like some delicate doll that's going to break at a moment's notice," she complained as she finished fishing out most of the dessert that had fallen down her bosom. "If I am to be treated as an equal, I will move around as one too. You'll see."

"I don't understand your obsession with equality," he sighed as he shifted his weight to his other foot.

"Of course you don't; you're a man," she said lowly. Serenity slapped the napkin onto the table and then gestured for Mina to follow her out the door.

Before she could exit all the way, Christine yelled after her, "Your majesty! What about the cake?!"

She spun around and said, "Oh, yes! I would like a light hazelnut flavor of the cake, butter cream frosting with a white chocolate ganache middle. Oh and if we can have an ivory fondant covering, that would be splendid. Send photos of your cake decorations and I'll choose which ones I see fit."

"I don't get a say in this?" Endymion asked.

She rolled her eyes at him, "Fine, we'll both choose which ones we see fit."

With that, she scurried out of the room with her head lady in waiting following her, leaving the two men and the rather disturbed woman alone in the dinning hall. Kunzite stood up and strolled over to his prince, offering him another napkin to cleaning up the remains of cake and frosting that resided in his hair.

"I don't think she'll be easily tamed by our culture," the general mentioned.

"I don't think she'll be easily tamed, period," Endymion laughed.

"What do you think of her so far?"

"Feisty. Unruly. Yet she knows what she wants and she can control herself when need be."

"That's quite an observation. I didn't see any bit of control in this room, did you?"

"Yes. She would never behave like that in front of people that actually meant something. We have a baker who is trying to up her status in the world, Lady Mina, and then you. She feels comfortable enough act goofy around her highest scout and my most trusted general and knows that none of this behavior will escape the lips of the chef." He turned his gaze to the woman who was listening while cleaning up the plates, "Am I right Lady Leopold? You know your occupation hangs in the balance if one word of this misconduct gets out."

"Yes your majesty," she bowed.

"See?" he gestured.

"I suppose you're right," Kunzite agreed as they sauntered out of the room. "So are you going to end your relationship with Lady Catherine?"

"Not yet," he replied, shaking his head.

"The princess will be most displeased if she finds out."

"How will she find out, Kunzite?"

"Not from my lips, your majesty."

"No. I would hope not."

"Yes! Yes your majesty!!" she screamed in ecstasy.

Endymion's face and body were glistening with sweat as he impaled the dark haired Catherine before him. He considered this a farewell fuck between them, so he had pulled out all the stops including leaving her with a new dress, new jewels, and a certificate to give to her brother that would make him an earl.

He scratched her back with his nails all the way down to her hips and then grabbed onto them with a loud slapping noise echoing the bedroom. He gripped tightly onto her as he continued to slam himself into her. Low grunts and small shouts were falling from his dry lips as bated breath made his chest heave up and down. Endymion felt a tingling sensation gravitate from his toes all the way up to his groin, signaling that he was about to finish. With a few more violent thrusts, he ended the physically enduring escapade and was left with nothing but sweat, a pounding chest, and a sticky area down in his nether region.

As he pulled out of her, he slapped her rear hard, leaving a red hand impression and grinned devilishly at her as she giggled. Lady Catherine took the heavily stitched and embroidered red velvet bed covering and wrapped her body in it. She watched as Endymion walked into the bathroom to quickly shower, his muscular body completely toned and sculpted like a god. She was sad that this was the last time they would be together, but it had to happen sooner or later. It wasn't like she was in love with the guy; she just loved the attention and gifts. What would really cement their relationship and his continuing gift giving is if she had his bastard son, but she found out half way through their sexual encounters that she was rather barren. He never pulled out, usually always finished inside of her and yet she had not once conceived a child like some other wenches he had been with had done. Maybe that's why he prized her so much. And yet, she didn't like it; she wanted to have a child so badly. It was distressing to her that she would never carry children like other women.

"What's the trouble with you?" Endymion asked as he walked out of the washroom, drying himself off.

"I'm just jealous," she murmured.

He rested on the edge of the bed and prodded her further, "Of what?"

"The princess gets you all to herself…"

"There's something more there," he whispered as he tilted her chin up. He licked her lips and asked, "What is it?"

"I will never have any children," she announced quietly. "My womb should have been filled with your child by now and it has not. Do the gods hate me? Am I cursed?"

"Maybe you're supposed to use your womanly senses elsewhere," he suggested. "What about becoming a matron? You can look after children and create a solid home for young ladies who have lost their mothers."

"That's so depressing," she replied, turning her head away.

"You'll find your place. You'll see," he reassured her. Endymion kissed her one final time and then announced, "I must be off. In the morning the movers will take you to your brother's new residence in the countryside. It's smaller than this, but comfortable enough for the two of you and a few servants. If Serenity were to find out that I was still keeping you, she will surely end this engagement."

"Why do you hold her in such high regard?" Catherine asked as she rested on her side and leaned on her elbow.

The prince started to get dressed while he answered her, "She has a lot of power. The queen of the moon has created peace across her whole kingdom. I can only hope that Serenity might be able to accomplish the same thing for our land. If not then at least this is a marriage of great proportions."

Catherine grunted in response and then flopped onto her back. When Endymion finished getting back in to his clothing, his hair still damp from the shower he had jump in and out of, he leaned over her face and kissed her softly. He would miss this woman, that much was for sure, but he was certain he would have his hands full with the princess around.

"I hope your life prospers," he whispered before briskly leaving her behind.

She shot up into a sitting position, clutching the thin sheet over her breast as she was about to call out to him, but she stopped herself. It was futile. There was no point in asking for him to come back. He was entranced by that whore of a princess. Who was this Serenity? None of the people had ever really known anything about her. She was a mystery. Catherine didn't like it one bit.

Serenity lay against the thick tree branch in the farthest reaches of the garden dressed in her nightgown, the bright light from the moon making it practically see through. She gazed longingly up at the shimmering white orb, her homeland. Her heart ached to be back there, but her mother had written to her telling her that she had to be strong, had to accommodate herself to her new surroundings and do as a princess is asked of; meaning get married, have little brats, and watch as your husband has sex with others.

She wasn't going to kowtow so easily though. She was a stubborn girl, passionate in everything she did, and she wanted to make sure that she would get her way, as difficult as it would be. A woman in this kingdom had little power. Because her mother had been made supreme ruler and queen of the moon when her father had died, women on that planet had gained more equality. They saw that they could aspire to a position much like the queen and didn't have to be tied down by their husbands, fathers, brothers, or sons. Daughters were a treasured item on the moon and were sent to work if their family required it. This was Serenity's work, she supposed, but it wasn't the best occupation in the world. In fact, it was like being a royal prostitute with a title to match.

As these thoughts went running through her head, she was asked by a familiar voice, "What are you doing all the way up there?"

She rolled carefully onto her stomach and rested her head on her folded arm as she studied Endymion down below. He was dressed in his black velvet pants, a few gaudy rings and nothing more; his feet were even bare. She smiled at him and gestured for him to come up and join her. He climbed up a few branches and made it up to one that was directly below her.

"I'm looking at home," she mumbled as she let her other arm drop down and sway lazily. "I miss it."

"You are home," he stated as he tossed an apple in hand that she hadn't noticed before. He bit in to it carefully and asked, "Why do you try to change this world into the moon so much? Can't you just accept it for what it is?"

"No. Change can be a great thing, can it not?"

"I suppose so." He munched on his apple for a little while and when he was half way through her asked her, "How come you're always left to your own devices? Do your ladies never tend to you?"

"They do. But they trust me. I can take care of myself," she replied. "Rei often meditates into the late of the night and she keeps an eye on me in the fire. She's probably watching right now, even as we speak."

"So there are no secrets to be kept between us?" he inquired.

"Of course not. I told you I could find out anything and everything about you," Serenity informed him again. "Speaking of which, you saw Lady Catherine today, didn't you?"

"What? How did you know?! Did Kunzite tell you?! Damn him! I'll—"

"No, no. It wasn't Kunzite who told me. It was you."

He looked at her with a dumbfounded expression as she sat up and started to climb down to his branch. When she made it, she straddled his lap and studied his face for a moment. His hands rested comfortably on her hips; he could feel the outline of her lacey underwear she wore beneath her thin nightgown.

"You reek of her scent," she said with a scrunched up face. "Did you shower?"

"Yes."

"But at her palace, I suppose?"

"Well … erm…."

"Thought so," she shrugged.

Serenity turned around, pulled her legs to one side and jumped down the slender opening through the tree's arms. On the way down, with her hands above her head, her nightgown became caught onto one of the twigs sticking out and she ended up on the damp grass with her bare chest exposed. She gasped and covered herself up with her hands and arms as Endymion laughed out loud.

"Would you be a gentleman and please retrieve my gown?!" she shrieked.

"I thought you wanted equality!" he chortled.

"That doesn't mean I don't need help?!" she screamed.

"I like seeing you so vulnerable. It's endearing." And thus he went on finishing his apple.

Well if he was going to play games like that then she would have to get her nightgown herself. With one arm covering her breasts, she used the other one swing herself up onto a branch. She lifted her legs up and carefully pulled her body up. Once she was there, she stood up and did it multiple times until she reached the area where her white garment was hanging; all with one arm. Serenity snatched her dress, a little too vigorously, for she ended up ripping it a bit and when she slipped into it, she found that it torn right down the center of her chest. She let out an exasperated sigh before climbing back down to the ground. Endymion chuckled as he followed suit.

When he made it down to the ground, he said to her, "That was impressive."

"I'm stronger than I look," she reminded him as they walked back through the large garden.

"Our children will be resilient," he commented.

"If we have any," she replied.

He stopped her with a hard tug of her arm and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Have you ever wondered why they call it 'lovemaking'? I will not join you in bed until I am in love with you. It'll make any detachment from our marriage much easier without the prospect of children in the way," she explained. "They will be created out of love, not out of a contract for this country and its people."

"Heirs to the throne belong to the people!"

"No they don't. They belong to their parents," she corrected him quietly.

Seeing that he had no remarks left, she twisted her slender wrist out of his grasp and stormed off back into the palace, leaving him alone with his thoughts and ideas. She knew that it probably wasn't the best way to announce to him her decision, but it was her body and she would do with it as she saw fit. Goddess of the Moon, she knew she was going to get a verbal smack down from her mother for that. How was she expected to be some doormat for a prince when she had been raised by an amazing woman for half of her life? She had seen what it was like being a queen of her mother's status and not have any authority and then have all of the power in the world at your fingertips …. Couldn't she have an in between life?

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