AN: Wow, a new chapter in a semi-timely fashion! Oh my god, shocking, right?! *ahem* I really do want to get back into writing on a regular basis, but it's been strangely difficult to get my head in the game. Instead of being able to work on a piece with any regularity, I get tidbits of tons of different stories. It's exasperating.
Disclaimer: Still not mine, will never be mine, what a pity.
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Kunzite turned just enough to fix Jadeite with a steely glare. "You never told me about any of this before."
The blond wondered if he could move fast enough to get away if the older man decided to lunge. Ultimately, he concluded speed wouldn't matter given Kunzite's annoyingly accurate teleportation, and that if things actually came down to a fight he would be in a world of hurt. At the same time, he wouldn't risk their impression on the first day in the Silver Millennium being tarnished by a bruised general. So either he'd be let off this once or Zoisite would fix him.
…Probably.
He fixed an innocently apologetic expression on his face and spoke with all the false sincerity his powers allowed, still knowing his leader wouldn't believe him. "It was dealt with and we thought it was best to not involve anyone else in the incident."
His leader narrowed his eyes warningly but ultimately relented, deeming an issue so long ago to be of comparatively little importance to their current situation. Jadeite still sensed he'd have to face the fallout sooner or later. He was hoping for later.
"Wait, that is how you met a Senshi? Before any of us and by being a complete idiot?" Nephrite asked.
"I didn't know she was one of the Senshi at the time," the blond pointed out.
Zoisite sighed. "As unfortunate as that encounter was, we all know it could have gone worse. You remember Lady Venus's behavior the first time she came here."
"Yes, but that didn't start with Venus, did it?" Nephrite said slyly, eyeing his prince with mischief in his pale eyes. "That started with a different princess."
Endymion groaned, knowing he was doomed to listening to them rehash his first meeting with the Moon Princess and that it was his own fault for starting a discussion on the past in the first place.
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There was a grand ball filling the palace with all the nobility willing to make the trip, and that was a huge percentage indeed. For all the polish and social graces he'd been taught over the years, the fact remained that Endymion largely preferred to be on his own or in the company of the few closest to him. Large gatherings were a source of endless discomfort.
The garden was finally, truly private for the first time in months when Endymion stepped into its comforting space. Jadeite's punishment had finally come to a close when Kunzite admitted that he'd become much more focused and well-mannered than the scandal-prone young man they'd been dealing with weeks before. The change had earned a few remarks from his comrades, but he'd been uncharacteristically silent on what had caused it. Despite that, he was still willing to create a bit of spectacle so his prince could slip off and compose himself before facing the crowds again.
Night was fast approaching, leaving the usually vivid hues of his plants cloaked in the coming darkness. Despite the dampening of the colors that made his gardens a visual delight, the scent of fresh earth and growing things was enough to soothe the rough edges left by too many false flatteries and oily pleas for favor. Without thought, he traced the paths that led him into the space's depths and to a small fountain surrounded by wildly blossoming wisteria trees.
The sight that met him there left him utterly astonished.
Another man, less aware of the greater world around them, might have thought the figure perched on the edge of the moonlit fountain to be a fairy or an angel – something not quite real, so ethereal and delicate that it would be gone in an instant. For a moment he almost believed it himself, but then the girl turned her head just enough for him to see the flash of gold on her forehead, a luminous sigil that identified her immediately.
"I'm surprised to find your highness so far from home."
Startled, the girl overbalanced and tipped as though she was going to fall into the basin below her. Without thought or intention, Endymion stretched out his hand. His power surged, and the trailing flowers of the trees caught her arms and wrists, righting her before she could be touched by the water.
She got to her feet as soon as the tree limbs retracted, shaking out her skirts and clearly trying to pretend she wasn't embarrassed to be found. "Thank you," she said, her voice totally even despite the shaking of her fine-boned hands.
"I'm at your service, of course. I am Prince Endymion."
The young woman faced him fully for the first time, blue eyes so bright they gleamed in the semi-darkness. "I know who you are. I've known you almost since the day you were born."
She hadn't meant for her words to be unsettling, but they were. It was one thing to know in an academic way that her people were long-lived. It was another thing entirely to meet someone who looked like they might be slightly younger than him but that had been alive for decades or more before he'd even said his first word.
He was surprised again when she seemed to recognize his discomfort when he was so good at hiding it from everyone. "I'm sorry. That must sound very strange to you. I – I didn't mean to make things uncomfortable."
That slight shake in her voice snapped him out of his befuddlement, and he rushed to reassure her. "No, you haven't. It was just a surprise. I've never met anyone like you before."
"You've never met a Lunarian?" she asked, confused. "I thought your tutor was a member of the court."
"No." He opened his mouth to explain, then let it snap shut. "I'm sorry; this is coming out all wrong. I do indeed know a Lunarian, but it is more obvious to me that he is older. You just look like you should be younger than me. That was all I meant."
"Ah." She smiled, and something in his chest clenched. "You already have me figured out. I did not mean to intrude, Prince Endymion. I just thought you would be too busy inside to notice me here."
"Then you are the princess."
"Yes," she admitted softly. "I know I'm not supposed to be here, but I can't seem to resist. It's so beautiful. Peaceful."
The prince took a careful step forward, hoping not to startle her. "This is my favorite place in the whole world. It's not that there aren't other wonderful sights, but being here, it always feels so pure and private that I can barely remember anything beyond it."
"Oh." The princess looked away, unsettled. "Then this is something you prefer to keep to yourself, and I am intruding. I'll go."
He caught her hand before he could even think about what he was doing. "No. Don't go, Serenity. I'd be glad to share this with you."
Serenity blinked up at him in surprise. "I can't remember the last time I heard anyone beside my Senshi refer to me just by my name."
Endymion felt the blood rush from his face in embarrassment. He was a prince and had been trained in protocol his entire life, but in his very first meeting with a true equal, he had failed in even basic courtesy. "I meant no disrespect. I… I'm sorry."
"No, don't be. I'm glad to hear it. It's not often I can just be Serenity and not a princess. It's part of the reason I come here." She glanced up at the sliver of moon still visible overhead. "Unfortunately, I cannot stay. Thank you for your kindness, Prince Endymion."
"Just Endymion. Please."
That gorgeous smile stole across her face again and she dipped her head slightly in response to his plea. "Endymion, then. Good night."
"Will I see you again?"
"I should say no," she responded honestly. "You know our people aren't meant to meet."
"Even so," he said.
Serenity lifted herself to her tiptoes and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. "I do not think I could stay away even if I tried."
She vanished as a cloud blotted out the moon. Feeling like a fool, Endymion nonetheless touched a hand to his face as though he could still feel her kiss there.
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The Shitennou noticed the change in their prince over the following days. He was more distracted than usual, and it was something of a chore to try to convince him to return inside if he was in his gardens. Kunzite, with closer ties to the element of earth, sensed something different in the magic there, but could not pinpoint a cause. All he could determine was that it was not malevolent or harmful. They eventually decided to allow him the distance he seemed to crave, as there was no pressing business he needed to be involved in.
Endymion, subtly eavesdropping through the bonds, knew what decision they'd reached, but he also knew they would be watching to be sure nothing was actually wrong. No one was liable to intrude on his gardens for the time being, which he was grateful for, but that could change if someone were to be assigned to punishment duty again. He silently thanked whatever had caused the change in Jadeite's demeanor that had kept him out of trouble.
"Endymion?"
He nearly dropped the armful of cuttings he'd been working with, but they were delicate and he managed to adjust his grip before they could be damaged. "Serenity. I wasn't expecting you tonight."
He couldn't look up at her while the work still demanded his attention, but he could practically hear her smile when she replied. "I see that. But what are you doing?"
"I've been experimenting with grafting together different breeds of roses to create new hybrids." He held one up for her inspection as she knelt in the dirt of the bed beside him. "This strain is much more hardy and resistant to insects or inclement weather. I'm trying to get those properties to transfer over to a plant that produces the most fragrant blossoms but is very easily killed by even a slight shift in its environment."
"I'd never seen such beautiful flowers before I started coming to Earth."
Endymion turned and grinned, glad to have a topic he could discuss without making a fool of himself again. "I enjoy the work I do for my kingdom, but I've always had a passion for growing things. My roses are my particular favorite."
She laid one hand over his, not caring about the mess she was making. "I think they're mine too."
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AN: That was almost disgustingly fluffy. I am not good at fluffy. Fluff and I are not on good terms. That being said, I think this came out okay, but please, let me know what you think. Till next time!