Seeking Love

Chapter 5

Rain poured down on the Earth capital. Men and women scurried by under their umbrellas trying to reach the shelter of their cars. All the built up trash over the last few days floated down the street gutters sending a mixed stench of car exhaust and spoiled food through the air. A man in ragged clothing sat beneath a section of roof on the corner of a rundown shop. People glanced at him, but many gave him no thought. He was a beggar man who had nothing to claim as his own except for what he had on his back. Crouching against the brick wall, his arms dangled between his legs. A finger trailed through a gathering puddle in front of him.

But, this man was no ordinary man. As well, as the puddle was no ordinary puddle. No one could have seen, but him, the images playing across the water's surface. They were all too busy with their own problems to care. But, if one had taken the time, such as the rat peering over the roof, they would have seen the Moon Princess eating her dinner, or earlier watched her shopping in the third district. A smile slowly crept onto the man's face. She was getting more and more tangled in his trap, and soon she would have nowhere to run.

Calloused hands slid around his waist. He could feel the heat emanating from the body behind him. A heartbeat and the whisper of his name rang in his ears. Kisses were being placed along his shoulder trailing to the sensitive spot behind his ear. The smell of mint filled his nose, and he turned around in the sensual embrace. He wanted to look into the lover's eyes, but all he saw was a blur. Like he was looking through glazed glass. Who are you?

Endymion jolted awake. Rubbing his eyes he felt a pang of dread in his stomach. The dream had come again. It had been over six months since the last, and he believed they would never return. He thought the counseling was working. Obviously, that was not the case. He could try to go back to sleep, but the idea that he would jump right back where he left off sent his hair on end. The only alternative was to get out of bed.

He walked silently through the halls. It was four o'clock in the morning, and the only place he felt comfortable was in the kitchen. His mother always made him midnight snacks, and she would tell him stories of magnificent knights who slayed dragons while saving entire villages. The knights in the stories always got what they wanted, but they had to make hard sacrifices. He had grown up hoping to be one of those knights, he still was.

Rummaging through the fridge he found left over spaghetti from a few days ago. Waiting for it to heat up, the dream walked back into his thoughts. To think a memory would haunt him for so long. Not only inside himself, but remembering the whispers behind his back when people thought he wasn't looking. He had been caught in a scandalous deed, and there was no proof to say he didn't participate in the acts. There was also little evidence to show he did as well. Ever since, it had been up in the air, and the majority of people seemed more inclined to believe that he was in the wrong.

The noodles covered in red sauce were steaming from a bowl, and Endymion sat at the kitchen table lost in his thoughts. He was so stuck in his mind's labyrinth, he didn't notice Kunzite's steps on the tiled kitchen floor.

"Prince, the dreams are bothering you again aren't they," inquired the white haired man popping up and settling his bottom on top of the table the Prince was eating on.

"You always know what's on my mind. The dream decided to give me a visit tonight. I

guess it thought its' vacation was too long huh?" Endymion look straight ahead of him with a small laugh.

"Or something triggered it to come back again. You aren't... you know.. attracted to anyone are you?"

Memories of Natsumi rushed through his mind. He could imagine his hands running through her soft red hair.

"Who is it?" demanded Kunzite.

His new interests must have shown on his face."Aren't you supposed to be asking a different question?"

"Oh, sorry," Kunzite looked at the floor in embarrassment. "I mean, who is she?"

"Just a girl I met her at the market today, but I don't think she triggered the dream." Endymion wasn't ready to talk about Natsumi to Kunzite. He wasn't ready to talk to anyone. "I'm going back to my room."

Endymion was obviously upset, and Kunzite knew it. Before Endymion walked out the door he added, "I didn't mean to suggest..."

"I know you didn't Kunzite." Endymion interrupted, his cold back facing Kunzite.

"Okay. I just thought you should know. I've always supported you, and I will always be their standing next to you as your guardian, your protector." He was going to reach out and pat Endymion on the shoulder, but Endymion was already walking away.

"I know, I know." Endymion replied without any feeling. It wasn't that he didn't take what Kunzite was saying seriously, but Endymion couldn't respond with anything but empty answers. Especially since he didn't even know the truth for himself.

Back in his room, he didn't find it any easier to fall asleep. He looked at his room, it was still a mess from earlier that morning. Now seemed like the best time to clean it all up. Endymion picked up his pants on the floor, and started to search the pockets. Nothing. All of these questions in his life, and not one answer to be found.

Serenity's eyelids fluttered open. What time was it? Swinging her legs out of the bed, her feet blindly searched the floor for her bunny slippers. Shuffling to a window, the sky was a dark blue. It could only be five in the morning at the earliest. Sitting back down on her bed she thought about going back to sleep, but couldn't force herself to put her head back down on the soft pillow. Instead, she went to go take a shower.

Walking into the main area of her quarters in a flower patterned dress with a vintage silk cardigan she glanced around. Nobody else was up yet. What to do, what to do... she found herself traveling towards the jade doors leading out into the hallway. What harm would become of her if she went on a little adventure of her own around the palace. The only people up would be the servants, and they wouldn't mind her walking around.

It was dead in the hallways. No sounds came from any of the rooms, and to her surprise she didn't even see a single servant. Looking out one of the windows, the sky was turning to a light pink. It was almost sunrise. The view sparked an idea. She started looking for an entrance to go outside to the gardens. She remembered during her previous escape passing some sort of bridge walkway that looked to lead in the direction she wanted to go.

Endymion had been busy the rest of the night inspecting his room. Nothing was to be found in his pants but some coins, and rolled up lint. This left absolutely nothing for him to go on. What had happened the other night? Lying back in his bed. He tried to imagine if there could have been another body lying next to him in his oversized bed. Frustrated from racking his brain he sat cross legged on his bed. Should he just forget about it? Nothing, had turned up yet. No blackmail at least. He stood back up, and started to find the clothes he was going to wear that day. Today was suppose to be a casual day, and so he searched all the way in the back of his closet for the small section of fashionable spring wear. Yes, against all his wishes, he had been appointed a fashion consultant. He had no time to go shopping, and he never knew what to wear. Fortunately, all his outfits were all hung in complete outfits. He found a v-neck cotton shirt in light blue, gray light jacket, and black jeans. Slipping them on, and checking his hair for any strays, he went back out into the hallway.

Walking around he heard some footsteps up ahead of him. Who could that be? Nobody else should be up at this hour, and the only servants working would be the cooks. Picking up his pace, he ended up at the back terrace looking over the garden. On the bridge ahead of him was a young woman walking towards the labyrinth of hedges. It was designed by the Buddhist monks for the Royal family a few centuries back. It was suppose to bring peace, calmness, and a focused mind to whoever walked through it. Curious as to who was walking the rigorously groomed maze, he quickly followed. It looked like the Princess; she had the blonde hair, and she seemed like the right height. Maybe it was time they talked alone for a bit.

He knew the maze inside and out, front to back. He could have done it with his eyes closed. In his younger days he would always spend time here to escape from palace studies, and thought of his mother when she passed on into the next realm. Surprisingly he wasn't able to catch up to the woman, even though he was walking at quite the brisk pace. Who was this girl? A horse?

Arches marked the end of the maze which opened up to a clear crystal pond. Flat stones were placed as stepping points to reach a white marble pagoda in the center. Endymion stood at the arches breathing deeply. The woman was lying on her back, her legs crossed at the ankles, lying in the middle of the pagoda. Her hair and her dress hung around her. This was not the Princess, but she invoked a curiosity in him. This had to be the a sailor soldier. But what was she doing just lying there? Endymion walked across the stones, and crept closer to the blonde. Her eyes were fixated towards the ceiling. He followed her gaze up, and to his surprise saw a small square of pink sky. He had never noticed this small oddity during the millions of time being out here as a boy. How had he missed the small detail.

Serenity bolted upright. She could feel a presence nearby. Looking around she did not expect for the presence to be that of a man only two feet away from her. His face was set in a curious, but bold expression. He was judging her. Who could blame him though. She was just lying here on the ground, in a dress! She started to stand, and fix the wrinkled garment.

"I'm so sorry. This is so unladylike, and I can't believe you saw me. I didn't think anyone else was around, and I didn't mean to be here. I was just up early, and I couldn't go back to sleep, and I didn't know what else to do, and... and.. I'm sorry," rambled Serenity. Silence filled the cold air. Serenity shifted her eyes from looking at the man and his features to looking down towards the water and the swimming koi in the pond.

All Endymion could do was stare at her. She had the most brilliant deep blue eyes he had ever seen. They were busy, and full of the unknown. They reminded him of the ocean.

Finally remembering he had a voice, he asked, "So are you trying to say you usually find odd places to lie down, or are you saying you don't usually act unladylike?" Endymion pulled a fallen leaf from the unknown woman's hair.

Gaining her stability over the situation, Serenity replied, "I'm just saying that I'm sorry I interrupted your morning stroll."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Who do you think I am?" Serenity was starting to feel offensive. She didn't quite know why, but she felt attacked for some reason.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to figure out." Endymion crossed his arms quizzically.

"I am none other than the Pr... than" – she stammered – "than one of Princess Serenity's soldiers, Mina." She almost let the truth slip so easily to a man she didn't even know!

"It is nice to bump into someone like you during this quiet morning. By the way, my name is Kunzite." He bowed, and then leaned against one of the beams of the pagoda. "I am one of the Prince's guardians. I haven't really gotten the chance to become acquainted with our guests from the Moon Kingdom, but it is nice to finally meet you." Endymion reached out his hand, palm up. He was offering one of the more sensual greetings given on Earth. Serenity had seen this in plenty of plays, and followed suite. She lifted her hand, and placed it upon his. Her heart started racing, and she could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks. Endymion bent forward, and placed a sweet kiss on her dainty hand. His hair fell forward and brushed her wrist. She smelled sweet like freshly picked strawberries.

Endymion spun on his heels looking like he was about to leave, and glanced backwards. "Would you like to see something even more exciting than a small little box?"

Puzzled by his question, she got the hint that he wanted to show her something about the gardens. "Sure," she responded hesitantly.

"Good. Then follow me." Being a gentleman this early in the morning was unusual for him, but everything about this morning was already out of the norm. He offered her his arm, and she wrapped her hand around it.

They walked across the pond back where they came, but instead of heading through the arches. Endymion made a sharp left following the side of the labyrinth. Only small comments about flowers, and pruning were made into a conversation. After ten minutes, they reached a wooden door hidden behind a plant that looked like ivy, but it was a burnt orange color with tips of red. Quickly unlocking the door, they walked through the opening, and found themselves in what looked like a large chamber, a cave really. It was dark, and you could hear water dripping into puddles. Walking forward, there was a large opening, like a window without glass, looking out into the sky. If you looked down, all you could see were moving cotton clouds, and far off in the distance you could see the dark blue ocean. The sun was coming up from the east, and was showering its' colorful light across the world. Serenity breathed in the fresh morning air flowing around her. It was so calm, and desolate. It was the perfect place if one wanted to be alone.

"Enjoying the view? We are now above the entire city. The walk might not have seemed too strenuous, but we are at the highest point of the capital. Many people don't know this place exists, or we would have a lot of trouble on our hands. Some might say it risks security to the palace, but I can't give up such a heaven." Endymion looked at Mina once more.

"This is absolutely breathtaking. I can't believe such a place exists. I didn't wake up this morning expecting to see anything like this. I had always pictured Earth as backward, but this is something anyone from anywhere in time would have to say is truly a wonder."

The two stood their in silence while the sun rose, and the sky turned into a full shade of blue. They were so entranced with the natural beauty in front of them that they didn't take a second to notice the creeping blackness gathering behind them in the cave. It was a dark abyss spreading like wisps of smoke, hungrily preying on the light.

Thanks for reading! Hopefully this is satisfying your hunger for Sailor Moon fanfiction. Please leave a comment, because every bit helps to keep me motivated to keep writing more. (Don't worry, there is plenty to come).