AN: Wow, a new chapter in the same day. I really am sorry for how long this has been in progress, but work and life in general has been crazy. I'll try to get this done as soon as possible.
Disclaimer: Surprising absolutely no one, nothing has changed since earlier today and I still don't own a thing
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When Kunzite and Venus were on guard duty, the royal couple always managed a little time relatively unobserved. It was partially due to their wish to give them privacy, and partially due to their own blossoming romance. Regardless, they didn't waste their chance.
Serenity led the way through the massive gardens to a little nook, enclosed by tall hedges and sweet flowers until it all but disappeared into the wall behind it. A delicate looking swing hung from a tree inside, and there was a nearly unobstructed view of the Earth.
"We will not be able to avoid notice here for long," Serenity whispered, "but I wanted you to see this."
Endymion's eyes caught on his home, appearing so near yet further than it had been his entire life. "It's so beautiful."
"This has always been one of my favorite places to hide from the rest of the world," the princess told him. "The Senshi know, of course, but they would let me be. They know I need to get away sometimes."
He kissed her hand gently before glancing back up. "Is this what prompted you to come to Earth?"
"Yes. Looking up at your world every time I was here, seeing how beautiful it was… I wanted, more than anything, to experience it for myself. Now I wonder if it was all meant to lead me to you."
He turned sad eyes her way. "You know if I thought it would be allowed I would ask you to marry me so we could always be together."
"I know." She looked down at her lap as she took a seat on the swing. "Mother is aware of our relationship and has not forbid it, so maybe there is a chance… Maybe."
"Our people would never allow it. Terrans barely believe in your existence; they certainly won't want their prince to marry a Lunarian. They want to use me to build the alliances among our own kind."
"My people are the same," Serenity admitted. "I cannot tell you the number of times I have heard them say horrible things about the Earth, about you. I thought bringing you here would change things, but I am starting to think it is impossible."
"Not for everyone," he said, trying to console her. "Look at our guardians. They are learning to work together, to ignore old beliefs and move forward."
She laughed. "Endymion, it is more than that. They are in love."
"They – what?"
"Did you not know?"
"I knew Venus and Kunzite were dancing around each other, but I had no idea about the others. When did this happen?"
"It hasn't, yet. They have not seen it themselves. Jupiter and Nephrite, Zoisite and Mercury, they are only friends if you ask them, and Mars and Jadeite always fight."
"But you think it is more than that?"
"I know it is," she corrected. "They love each other, or are heading that way, no matter what they say. Venus agrees. Whatever is happening between us, whatever fate is coming, there is a strong bond tying all of us together. I only wonder when they will realize it."
"How did I not see this?" he asked, joining her on the swing.
Serenity offered him a beatific smile. "Your focus has been elsewhere."
He leaned in until their foreheads were pressed together. "I love you," he murmured.
"And I love you," she whispered back. "Whatever comes, that will not change. I would choose these stolen moments with you over anything else, no matter how selfish that is. We were meant for this, and I cannot believe that is a bad thing, regardless of what anyone else thinks."
It seemed like the most natural thing in the world for them to kiss after that, closing the scant few centimeters between them for a gentle touch of lips. Despite the innocence of the gesture, Endymion had never felt closer to Serenity than he did in that moment, as though their very souls were pressing together.
The moment broke as Venus dashed into the little nook, looking utterly horrified.
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"What did you do?!" Kunzite demanded, truly angry for the first time in years.
Endymion flinched away from the tone but did his best to stand firm despite it. "I have no idea what you mean, so I can hardly answer your question."
The general's eyes narrowed to slits as he prowled the prince's room, where he had whisked them just after Venus' interruption in the garden. "Did you not sense the magic the two of you were creating?"
"What magic?!"
"We all felt it, Endymion. I would not be surprised if the entire kingdom did."
Completely exasperated, Endymion tried again. "Felt what?!"
Kunzite studied his prince closely, slowly relaxing as he realized the younger man really had no clue what was going on. "You do not know."
"I already said that," he reminded dryly.
The Shitennou sighed and tried again. "Did things feel the same as usual when you and the princess kissed?"
Endymion blinked, trying to understand the question. Kunzite only rarely discussed his involvement with the Moon Princess, and he certainly never asked about how it felt. The one time it had come up, the general had been visibly uncomfortable. He honestly wasn't sure how to respond. "I… suppose not? I can hardly speak for Serenity, but I felt closer to her than I had when we kissed before."
"So you did not know what you were doing."
"Kunzite, as far as I know, I was just kissing Serenity as I have done many times before. Would you please tell me what is going on?"
"You bonded," he said bluntly.
"We – what? What does that mean?"
"I do not know much on the topic, so I cannot be much clearer. I will tell you what little I have learned from Lady Venus, however.
"People with power, people like us, can bind ourselves to a chosen partner. The link is all but unbreakable and must be chosen by both. It would appear that though you did not know what you had chosen, you and the princess have created such a bond between yourselves."
"But you said it had to be a choice. How could I choose without knowing?" Endymion questioned, still lost.
Venus, charging into the room like she was going to battle, answered instead. "You fools just loved each other too much, it seems. You chose that even over the potential repercussions and in doing so created the bond. Really, this couldn't have waited? You couldn't let the people become more used to Terrans, or let Earth join the Alliance first? Did it have to be now?"
"What are you talking about?" the prince asked.
The blonde stood right before him, almost toe to toe. "You didn't know, so I can excuse your role in this for the most part, but this has created a rather serious problem. Our people will not take kindly to the princess essentially marrying you."
"MARRYING me?!"
She huffed out a breath. "Kunzite just told you the bond is almost impossible to break, Endymion. For us, it is as good as a marriage. Better, even. You might as well have eloped for all the repercussions we will be facing if this gets out. The queen will have a difficult time keeping it quiet and moving along the treaty rather faster than we had anticipated."
"Faster? We were going to be allowed to join the Alliance?"
Venus scowled. "Of course you were. The queen loves her daughter, and she knew Serenity would only be happy if she could marry you. We would never have allowed you to come if we did not intend to open the borders for the Earth, but we had to do things properly. It will be much harder now for the queen to move things along quickly so that we can openly announce your engagement, and it will almost certainly be met with heavy opposition."
"I – I didn't know."
"I am aware of that," she snapped. "Serenity, however, was, and though she did not consciously create the bond any more than you did, she knew that it was possible and should have been more careful. This will be a diplomatic nightmare."
"Is there anything we can do?" Kunzite asked.
The Senshi dug both hands through her hair, looking exceedingly frustrated. "I am not sure. We will have to meet with the queen tonight and decide on an appropriate course of action, but at the least we need to do anything in our power to make you seem welcome in the courts. I will have to make sure we are seen publicly more often, in order to build the appearance that your arrival is welcome and that the heirs are supportive. The others might have a difficult time with this, especially since Jadeite insists on antagonizing Mars. Her people will be difficult to convince already, and if they see her dislike that will only encourage them."
The two men stared at each other over her head. "I'm sorry," Endymion said awkwardly. "I didn't know."
She sighed. "I don't blame you. Either of you. It just makes things difficult. If I could just be her friend, I would be thrilled for you both, but my duties complicate things. I was supposed to keep her safe, and I didn't prevent this."
Stung, the prince pulled away. "I would never hurt her."
"No, of course not. If you were that sort of person, the bond would have been impossible. I worry about what others will do, Endymion, not you."
"Can you tell me more about this bond, at least?" he asked tentatively.
"I can give you some basics," Venus replied, "but anything more detailed will have to wait. Can you feel her yet?"
"Feel her? How? She isn't here." He paused, reconsidered. "Wait. Is that…? She's in her bedroom, I think. Has she been crying?"
"She has," the blonde confirmed. "At a minimum, the bond makes it easy to find each other and know how you're feeling. Eventually, given your respective powers, you should be able to talk to each other at a distance, enter each other's minds, and more. It depends on how far you want it to go."
He reached for the link tentatively, the way he would if he needed one of his Shitennou. In response, he got a surge of surprise and love, sweet as sugar.
He wanted to ask a million more questions, but Venus got a faraway look in her eyes. "I have to go. The queen is waiting for me; the others are already there. Stay away from Serenity for at least a few days, please. Let us get ahead of this as much as possible."
The prince frowned, not sure if he could handle the separation, but nodded in response. Kunzite did as well, silently telling her that he would enforce the Senshi's wishes if needed. She dashed out the door, leaving him with his thoughts and the growing presence of his beloved in the back of his mind.
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AN: This wasn't meant to become political. It just sort of… happened, I guess. Maybe the fluff is finally finished and I can get back to some good old-fashioned drama. As always, I want to know what everyone thinks (and since this one was rushed, any corrections needed), so please leave a contribution in the little box. Till next time!