Seeking Love

Chapter 26

A gloved hand swept across her forearm, and gathered her hands in theirs. Serenity's heart jumped.

"May I have the honor of this dance?" She was speechless. A man in a well fitted tux and a top hat stood before her. A slim white mask covered his face, but she recognized those eyes anywhere. Kunzite… no. Prince Endymion.

He didn't wait long for an answer, and began to pull her towards the wide open dance floor. It was still early in the night, and only a few couples had stumbled to the marble floor. The last of the royals and those with power, controlling some of those royals, were still entering under the arch made of lit up lanterns hanging from the trees. No one knew who anyone else was, it was a masquerade after all. Serenity's sailors were floating around, some most likely chatting with the Prince's soldiers.

There were floating globes of soft light hanging above the gathering groups in the White Cherry Gardens that night. What made this place unique was that the tree bark seemed iridescent, and the flowers that bloomed were not pink, but white. Once a petal started to fall, it would never reach the ground. They were designed to slowly dissipate into thin air, leaving a refreshing cherry blossom scent in its' wake.

Serenity could feel Endymion gently pulling her close to him. His hand slid around her lower back, and he held out his right hand for her to take. How am I suppose to tell him I know he's been lying. Should I tell him I'm the Princess first? Serenity's thoughts were in knots.

"I thought we were dancing?" and Endymion grabbed her hand, and swiftly set them into motion across the floor. Wherever Endymion left a space open, Serenity filled. Memories of them dancing in the rain passed her mind. Never had she felt this comfortable with a dance partner. Usually there was the first few minutes of stepping on feet, and trying to get into the beat of the music when Serenity danced, but not with him. She could feel a warm blush rising to her cheeks. This was the real man her mother meant for her to marry.

Once she had exited the engagement ritual put on by her mother and fellow protectors, she didn't know which way was up, and which was down. But now, now she knew all her answers. Somewhere inside of her, she knew she cared for the man who held her close that night.

A smooth jazz band took over for the quartet of strings. The saxophone leading, with the melody of the piano, and the tickling of a drummer and bass mingingling in the background. She pressed herself closer to him, and he leaned in so she was tucked in the nook between his neck.

"Let's step out for a second, find somewhere private," he whispered in her ear, "I need to talk to you about something."

Following him away from the masked ball, he kept her hand in his. Serenity thought about pulling away, was he making the first move? Did he know she knew?

"Look at this place? Do you realize we don't have anywhere on Earth as the places I've seen here? It's as if all of this has been a dream." He turned to face her. Their eyes locked. They were in a secluded place where no one could see or hear.

"You said you had something to tell me..?" Serenity quizzically asked.

He continued, "I didn't think I would ever like a girl like you. You're so silly, but you hold your ground. It is something I'm going to miss. You keep me on my toes, but I haven't been completely hon-"

"Stop…." It came out as a whisper. She knew what he was going to say. An uncertainty came over her. Everything had lead them to this, and the secrets were about to fly out. Real things were about to happen.

Seeing the uncertainty upon her face, he pulled her towards him, his body warmth encompassing hers. A chill ran down Serenity's spine. He had his hand reaching for her chin, and her face tilted upwards. A micro-nuclear explosion. Their lips came together. It was as if she was a child again, where nothing mattered but the present. There were no worries about the future, or the problems of yesterday. Just everything in that moment. She wanted him more than anything. How did she not connect the pieces before? Their bickering and teasing - was it really their way of flirting? Was this inevitability point hiding underneath her nose the whole time? Had fate been yelling at her, but her ignorance in the way?

"What did you say you found?" asked Zoisite. A woman dressed as an artificial being, and looked quite similar to Ami, had pulled him aside to discuss her advancement on the list she found in Takeshi's file.

"I need you to cross check the names on this list." She handed him a crystal with the files loaded on it. "I was able to track a few through our database. They are all close in age, and I couldn't find any records on their family lines. It's as if they didn't exist until we entered them into our system due to law violations. I'm wondering if they will raise any red flags on Earth. They don't seem that important, but why else would they be hiding on the network?"

"Hmmm.." Zoisite circled the crystal in his hand, and held it up to his eye as if he was going to be able to read the files just by looking at it. "I can see what I can find. I have a CPU here that has a direct connection to my server back on the Earth. I'll have to wait until the morning."

"Thanks Zoisite."

"Hey, Ami?" Zoisite asked before she could walk away to be reabsorbed by her computer. "Do you like to dance?"

She had never particularly liked the physical component of dancing with another person, but for once, a man's puppy dog face got the best of her. "Rarely, but I will on occasion."

"Well, on this occasion, will you take this dance with me?"

Endymion didn't know what exactly overcame him. While they had been dancing, he felt something inside him stir. He wanted to be with this woman in his arms. He knew it to the center of his core. It was meant to be him and her the whole time. He loved her eyes, her soul, and even her stubborn character. All hadn't been for not, because it led her to him. He wanted to run away with her! Right then and there. To forget about his duties, and have her in his arms for eternity. To be her comfort and protection forever. Their shared connection of heart and soul made permanent in the entrails of the Universe.

That's when the lights turned on in his foggy mind. He was the Prince! She was a Soldier of the Moon! What was he doing? The kiss they shared suddenly turned from the most enlightening moment to a confusion of tied knots in his stomach. This wasn't right.

Endymion's hand had been intertwined with her hair, his other hand at her waist pulling her closer to his muscular body. This fantasy had to stop, now! He removed his hands, and stepped away from the woman glorified in white. She looked at him as confusion spread across her face.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't do this," Endymion coldly stated. "All of this feels so right, but so wrong at the same time. I just don't know what we are doing. Our.. leaders… are about to be wed, and our planets are preparing for war! This isn't the time for romance and.. feelings."

"I told you to stop earlier.. but you wouldn't listen. Maybe you might not think this is the right time, but.. I think I know why you are feeling sick. I know what's been going on," Serenity confessed.

The buzzing of bees filled his ears. She knew! He was seeing in tunnel vision, and there was nothing for him to ground himself with. "I was about to tell you, but in the mom-"

"I know. I have something to tell you too. I'm not who you think I am either. I'm Princess Serenity."

Endymion's senses seemed to stop responding to his brain. His brain stopped responding to his consciousness which seemed just as dead and dissipating as the cherry blossoms falling around them. Mina was the Princess of the Moon. He looked dead straight into her blue eyes. Oh, how clear they were, even in this low light. All they had been through, back when they first ran into each other in his gardens, sped through his head. She was her. She was the one he was suppose to marry? This woman who was so curious in everything she did.

"Will you marry me Princess Serenity? Will you let me be yours? If you say yes, I will protect you from all this darkness." He hastily reached forward to grab her delicate hand in his.

The air became stale. The lights lost their glow.

"To protect me?!" Serenity looked confused. This isn't what she wanted. They both had just discovered the secret they had been hiding for so long. She pulled her hand away, and a flinch of disappointment quickly turned to pride and anger. '

Why did she have to be so pig-headed. Why wouldn't she just let anyone in? Endymion's brows turned inward, "Why do you think our parents insisted on this engagement in the first place? This kingdom needs us!"

She couldn't believe him! Politics! Of all the times that he could be the chauvinistic Prince she thought he could be, he was proving her right. What had she been thinking?! She turned her shoulder to him and began to storm away. Where was Mina?!

What was he saying?! Endymion wanted to hang himself from one of the trees in penance for his stupidity. His temper had gotten the better of him - again! He ran his hand through his hair. Maybe she was right, maybe this was all a big mistake.

Little did Endymion know that his biggest mistake was not going after her.

"I'm proud of you Natsumi. You did what had to be done. I'm proud of Takeshi too. He died a proud man. Now, it is time for you to finish this job."

Natsumi hung up the phone. She was too tired to cry. The ache in the center of her being was too heavy. She tried everything to relieve the pain that grew when she saw Takeshi being disassembled. She ran as far as she could, but the memory still pounded away, and the reverb resounded in her head. It was strangling her to the bottom of hell. Takeshi was the only one she thought she could trust. Even though he had betrayed her first, he was always going to be her brother. The boy she found without bread, and the one she would eat chocolate with on her birthday.

"I'll keep my promise to you. Each one of those lights in the sky will be out by the end of all of this, and I will shine for the both of us."

She grabbed the vial she had prepared earlier into her bag, and she stepped out of the carriage in a raven black ball gown. The boning of the bodice was sewn to the outer part of the material, and her full skirt was made of real raven's feathers. Situating her black mask, she let her red curls fall around her shoulders and down her back. It was time to party.

He had gathered all that courage for nothing it seemed. He had lost the woman in white to the crowds. Once again, he was alone, even on a festive night such as this. Out here, he could feel the chill of the night reach the tips of his ears. He needed to go back to the palace. Even as they were both truly themselves, she did not want him. He would not force her to marry him. Already he was planning how he would talk to his father about keeping relations open with the Moon Kingdom, but cancel the marriage. He needed to find Kunzite, to notify the Queen.

"You weren't planning on running away from the party just yet, Prince?" said a sly voice behind him. He rolled his eyes. Natsumi. She did end up coming, as she had promised. Their relationship was quickly becoming a nuisance on his mind.

Without turning around he replied nonchalantly, "If I did, wouldn't you be sad."

"Oh very," and he felt her slim hands slowly sliding around his waist.

"You can't do that here!" he pushed her hands off. Whipping around he looked into her eyes, "I'm sorry. The past few days have been.. difficult. I can't deal with you right now. No. Let me restate that. Natsumi, I just haven't had the courage until now, but we are never going to work out."

"Ohhh! Did the Prince finally decide to grow up? You think you don't need me anymore?! Do you really think you're in love with that blonde girl? You think I haven't been watching. I know all about you and her, and you don't even know the half of it," she smirked at him. That glare she flashed back at him looked more than spite. It was dark.

"I really don't have time for this Natsumi. I'm was suppose to be getting engaged tonight, and the one person I truly care about just ran away from me. I can't possib-"

He was cut off, which seemed to be happening a lot that night, by a high pitched laughter. Natsumi flung her head back, and there were tears running down her face. "How could I possibly know what Prince!? Know that you've been lying to everyone here on the Moon? Know that this girl you supposedly love is actually.. the Princess?

"Ah, but you knew that. Looks like I'm just going to have to move on with my own plans." Closing in quickly, she pulled him off the path and against a tree where the lights didn't touch them. "I really was hoping for one more kiss before we had to end our charade, but we both know that Earth is another form of hell, and men are its' demons," and she quickly pressed her thumb against a pressure point firmly under his chin. "Good night, my Prince."

Hey everyone,

I know that it has been months since I've posted a chapter. I'm sure you all thought I gave up on this story, but the truth is I had a serious case of writers block. Thank you for those who have kept with me throughout the years, and thanks also to those who just started reading my fanfic. Hope you continue to enjoy my story. xoxoxoxo