Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Crystal Flaws - Book 2 - Crystal Fears ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Author's note - Thank you Princess Sere-chan for the nice review and for continuing to read my story. I hope you enjoy this too. ^_^

 

 

 

Among the many gifts and invitations Lady Serenity had received after the ball were two apology gifts. One was from Elios and one was from Sergeant Donovan. The Queen teasingly asked her daughter, “Serenity do you have any favorite suitors yet?”

 

Serenity blushed and answered, “I like both Elios and Sergeant Donovan the most.”

 

The Queen was dismayed by her daughter's answer. Serenity's father had overheard the conversation and he didn't like her answer either. Both of her parents tried to convince her of the good qualities some of the other suitors had. The only thing they accomplished was to make Serenity angry.

 

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Lady Serenity hadn't seen Terrance since the ball. A week later she was sitting on a bench in the gardens, reading a book and enjoying a moment of solitude. Two of the Palace guards happened to pass close by her and she overheard their conversation.

 

Soldier 1, “Did you know Donovan has been reassigned?”

 

Soldier 2, “Yeah, he's going to the Interplanetary Diplomatic Escort Corp. I guess they send you off planet when you get too chummy with the Princess!” The soldiers laughed and the talking faded as they walked away.

 

Serenity was furious. She didn't want Terrance to leave! Serenity hurried to her father's office to find out what was going on. She knocked on the door and heard him say enter. Serenity walked in and saw he was sorting their mail. Before she started to speak, he held up a handful of invitation envelopes addressed to her. Serenity took them and quickly glanced through the return addresses. She knew most of them were date requests from her suitors.

 

Serenity stopped when she saw one envelope was from Terrance. She put the others down and quickly opened it. Terrance had sent her a request for a date that coming Friday.

 

Serenity decided to find out about Terrance's reassignment later. She wanted to talk to Terrance and apparently this was the only way she'd get to do so.

 

Serenity held the paper out to her father, “Poppa, if you approve, I'd like to accept this invitation.”

 

King Endymion took the paper. His expression was carefully guarded as he read it. He answered, “Your mother and I will discuss it and give you an answer tomorrow.”

 

Serenity was surprised. She had expected him to approve it right away. She took a deep breath and pasted a smile on her face as she said, “Thank you. I would also like to request it be un-chaperoned. I will wait for your answer.”

 

Serenity left her father's office and immediately went to her mother's. She had a feeling if she didn't get to her mother first Terrance's invitation wouldn't have a very good chance at all.

 

Serenity knocked on her mother's office door and entered when her mother responded. Neo-Queen Serenity looked up and smiled at her daughter then realized Serenity looked upset. Serenity flopped down in a chair by her mother's desk and sighed. Her mother knew that if she waited Serenity would soon spill all.

 

“Mother, I don't know what's going on, but I don't like it!” Serenity stated. “I just got an invitation from Terrance for a date and Poppa doesn't look like he wants to approve it.”

 

Neo-Queen Serenity sighed. She was afraid this was going to happen. She took a sip of her tea and said, “Serenity, Your father is a bit leery of Sergeant Donovan now. He didn't expect your guard to want to date you.”

 

Serenity sighed again. “I know that, Momma. I was surprised too. Terrance doesn't deserve Poppa's suspicion though. He has always been a perfect gentleman, a loyal guard and friend. He has never given me a reason to think otherwise of him.”

 

The Queen nodded her head yes and said, “I'll be sure to speak about this with your father. Don't worry. I'm sure he will be reasonable.”

 

Serenity smiled. She stood up and gave her mother a hug. “Thank you, Momma.” Serenity then added, “I also told Poppa I wanted the date to be un-chaperoned.”

 

Her mother rolled her eyes. “Boy, you didn't make this easy for me!”

 

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That evening Mamoru mentioned Terrance's invitation to his wife. He was very reluctant to approve the date and especially about it being un-chaperoned.

 

Usagi laughed, “Mamo-chan, Terrance has been our daughter's personal guard and has been alone with her many times.”

 

Mamoru persisted, “This is different because it's a date.”

 

Usagi responded gently, “The situation might be different, but Terrance is still the same person. He has an honorable record and has shown his obvious devotion to our family many times. Do you really think Terrance would betray our trust?”

 

Mamoru sighed. She had him there. He knew in his heart that Terrance would never do that.

 

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Lady Serenity excitedly wondered where Terrance would take her. He said dress casual and wouldn't say anything more. The day of their date was warm and sunny. Terrance met her in the main hall and they walked to the stables. Two horses were saddled up and ready to go. Terrance led her off the palace grounds and into the woods. After a while, Lady Serenity realized they were near the swimming pond and cliff Terrance had caught her sneaking off to when they first met.

 

Terrance pulled his horse back to walk next to her. “Lady Serenity, do you recognize where we are?”

 

She laughed, “Yes I do, and you don't have to call me by my title on a date. I'd prefer if you just call me Serenity.”

 

Terrance put his hand behind his head and hesitantly said, “Okay, I guess. Please forgive me if I forget though. I still haven't got used to not calling you “Small Lady” yet.”

 

Serenity scowled. “You really better not call me that on our date or I'll have to hurt you!”

 

Terrance started to laugh as he said, “I'll try, really, I'll try!” Serenity couldn't help but laugh too.

 

Terrance tied the horses to some trees. He pulled a picnic basket and blanket out of his saddlebags. They spread the blanket on the ground by the edge of the cliff where they could look down and see the pond and forest below. Serenity started to pull out the basket contents. She set the plates, utensils and glasses on the blanket. Her eyes widened with surprise as she started to set out the food. There was cold ham and fried chicken, tossed green salad, potato salad, homemade bread and butter, a platter with strawberries, grapes, and apple, orange and melon slices, a bowl of whipped cream and lastly, a small, heavenly looking chocolate cake. She was very impressed with the elegant spread he had brought. He hadn't forgot a thing. He even brought a flower bouquet for her and a vase with water in it. Serenity *is* her mother's daughter and food was always a good way to get her attention.

 

(A.N. - The basket has a hammer space also known as a subspace pocket. It's just like what the Senshi have behind their backs to keep their wands in. ^_^ )

 

Terrance smiled and silently congratulated himself for such a great plan. When he decided to have a picnic for their date he had gone to Sailor Jupiter for help. He knew her culinary skills were legendary. He told her he wanted to have a romantic picnic on his date with Lady Serenity and Jupiter had said she would take care of everything. (Mako had been flattered Terrance asked her for help. He was the only soldier who could hold his own against her in a practice fight and she knew she would miss challenging him. Mako decided this would be his going away gift from her. She has also always been a sucker for romance of any sort so she was doubly motivated to send the best picnic ever.)

 

All was fine until Serenity pulled a bottle from the bottom of the basket. She read the label then turned away from Terrance with a furious expression. With a sinking feeling Terrance took the bottle. He choked on a laugh as he read the label too. Sailor Jupiter had sent a bottle of Sparkling Apple Cider instead of wine! It would never have crossed Terrance's mind to consider Lady Serenity's age in regards to alcoholic drink. Apparently it did cross Jupiter's mind. (Actually, Mako had agonized long over this issue. She finally decided to play it safe. She didn't want to face the King's anger if he found out she had sent a bottle of wine on his 16-year-old daughter's date with the best looking soldier in the CTEM. She could just see the slop line she'd be working - on the Uranus moon frontiers!) Terrance took a deep breath and noted to himself for future reference to always look over the contents of a closed basket! He wanted to kick himself. He knew how sensitive Serenity was about her age, and with people thinking she was still a child.

 

Terrance touched Serenity's arm. He said, “I have a confession to make.” Serenity didn't turn, but he knew she was listening. “I asked Jupiter to pack the basket for us. I never even thought about what she might pack to drink. I'm sorry.”

 

Serenity sighed and wiped at her eyes. “That's okay. I'm just being silly about it,” she said. She turned back toward him, gave a watery smile and started to dish the food out. She said, “I did wonder how you managed to prepare all this great food. I'm still impressed. Jupiter truly outdid herself.” Terrance and Serenity relaxed as they started to eat. They chatted about funny and inconsequential things between bites of food.

 

When they had finished eating, they sat looking down over the quiet pond and forest. Terrance leaned back, stretched his arms above his head, and closed his eyes. His full belly and the warm afternoon sunlight caught him off guard and they sneakily lulled him to sleep.

 

Serenity couldn't believe it. He even started snoring! Slowly a mischievous grin appeared on her face as she got an idea. Serenity carefully untied Terrance's shoelaces and firmly knotted the laces to each other. She gently put the leftover whipped cream in the palm of his hand then tickled his nose with the corner of a rolled up napkin. After a few tries, he finally rubbed the hand with the cream, over his face. Serenity clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle a fit of giggles.

 

Terrance suddenly sat up, “Hey!” He exclaimed as he tried to wipe the whipped cream off with the same hand and only made it worse. He looked at Serenity's purple face and dancing eyes then glared. This made Serenity laugh even harder. She fell over as the giggles burst from her mouth and tears ran down her face.

 

Terrance was embarrassed he had fallen so deeply asleep during their date, and even under the best of circumstances he wasn't a cheerful waker. He growled and tried to grab Serenity to pay her back.

 

Still laughing, Serenity jumped up and ran off the blanket. She turned around in time to see him try to jump up and chase her. He never even made it off the blanket. Again Serenity fell down and laughed until she cried as she sputtered, “It serves you right for falling asleep you know!”

 

Terrance slowly sat back up and took a very deep breath. He counted to ten, twice, then calmly un-knotted and retied his shoes. He still didn't say anything as he reached for a napkin and wiped his face as best he could.

 

By this time Serenity had drifted to the edge of the blanket and was still giggling. Had she known what Terrance was going to do next, she would have ran for her horse and rode away like all the hounds of hell were after her.

 

Suddenly, Terrance's arms wrapped around her waist and he picked her up. Serenity started to get nervous as he slowly walked toward the edge of the cliff. “Hey,” she said, “It was only a joke and you did fall asleep! What are you doing? We're going to fall if you go any closer to the edge!”

 

Serenity panicked as she tried to squirm out of his arms, but his grip only tightened around her. He looked her straight in the eyes and with a smile - jumped over the edge. Serenity's screams echoed off the cliff until they hit the water. It was very cold!

 

Serenity and Terrance surfaced. He held her up as she sputtered, gasped, choked and coughed. He swam until he could reach the bottom then walked until she could also touch. Serenity opened her mouth to speak, twice, and all that came out was a squeak. Her eyes were as big as saucers as she looked up to the top of the cliff. She shivered, and not only from the cold water. Serenity looked away from the cliff and back at Terrance who was chuckling at her.

 

Finally she felt as if she could talk. “Remind me to never play a practical joke on you again,” she hoarsely whispered. Then, in a fit of anger she hit the water so it splashed him in the face. He splashed her back and she squealed as she turned to run for the shore. Finally on dry land, they found a warm flat rock to dry out on.

 

After a moment, Serenity asked, “Terrance, did you requested the reassignment?”

 

“No,” he answered, “but it is a good thing for my career. I don't have much interplanetary travel experience, but my Palace experience and title of Master-Sergeant means I'll most likely earn a leader's position quickly.”

 

Serenity stared at the pond. “I'll be sad to see you go,” she whispered.

 

“I'll be back between trips, and I'll write,” he said.

 

Serenity sighed. She wondered who had requested Terrance's reassignment. She had a feeling no one would admit to it if she asked.

 

Terrance gently reached over and turned her face to look at him. Her sad eyes pulled at his heart. He leaned over and gently kissed her lips to try and erase the sadness he saw. His kiss lingered a moment then he slowly released her lips.

 

Terrance sat up and looked at Serenity again. The sadness was gone, and it was replaced with surprise and confusion.

 

Terrance was also confused. He knew he cared for Serenity. He thought she was beautiful and he didn't think she was too young, so why didn't he feel passion when they kissed?

 

Serenity's eyes asked a question as she looked at him. She sighed. “So, you didn't feel anything special either, did you.”

 

Terrance truthfully shook his head no. “The kiss was fine,” he reassured her, “but I don't think we are supposed to be lovers. I guess we just don't feel that way about each other.”

 

Serenity continued the thought, “I guess we needed to try it to find out.” She thought to herself, [I haven't kissed many men, but I remember Elios' kiss and how it made me feel to this day. Kissing Terrance wasn't anything like that.]

 

Terrance put his arm around Serenity and said, “I'm glad we found out before I left. You know I will always be your friend. If any of your suitors give you grief just let me know and I'll make sure it doesn't happen again. Okay?”

 

Serenity leaned against him and said, “That actually means more to me than a hundred suitors. I'll always be your friend too. You be careful on the other planets. Don't let any pretty foreign girl trap you and make you not come back home. Okay?” They laughed amicably together.

 

Terrance sighed as he looked up at the cliff. “You do realize we have to hike back up there to get our stuff and horses.”

 

Serenity said, “Oh no, it was your idea to come down here. You can go up there, pack up then come down here with the horses to get me!”

 

Terrance smirked, “Maybe I'll not come back down and just leave. How would you know if I did that or not?”

 

Serenity stood up with a scowl, “Did I say I liked you? Did I just say I'm your friend? I take it all back!” Serenity stomped over to the trail. “Well, are you coming or not?” she demanded.

 

Terrance laughed as he hurried to catch up to her.

 

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That same afternoon Elios had a meeting with King Endymion at the Crystal Palace. Elios had a kind, pure heart, and a fervent spirit for the priesthood of Earth and Elysion. He had always been loyal and would not hesitate to bravely defend the Earth, Elysion and his King from spiritual attack with his life. Personally he was sensitive, a bit shy and insecure about himself. He tended to wear his feelings on his sleeve, and at times that had left him vulnerable and easily hurt. This same trait had also made Elios sensitive to other people's pain and sorrow. He would probably hug the whole world to comfort it if he could. Elios did have one bad habit of jumping to conclusions. This had caused problems for him in the past and someday it would probably be the death of him.

 

Elios hadn't been to the Palace since the disaster at Lady Serenity's ball. He was hoping to see “His Maiden”, the name he secretly still used for Lady Serenity when he thought of her. The Pegasus he rode knew the way to the palace so Elios indulged in daydreaming as they flew.

 

Elios thought about how beautiful and grown His Maiden had become. He had last seen her a millennium ago in the past. She had been very young, but also very brave. When he was a prisoner of Nephrenia, the only thing that sustained him was he knew his Maiden was depending on him and was trying to help him. They had gotten to know each other well through the power of her beautiful dreams.

 

When Nephrenia was defeated and Elios was freed, he knew he had to leave. His Maiden was much too young. He had promised the King and Queen he'd wait until she grew up. He had hoped her parents would dispense with the suitor ritual and allow him to court her exclusively. Elios had stayed away until the agreed upon time as he had promised them, but the King, and even more so the Queen, insisted he compete for Lady Serenity's heart with the other suitors. Elios was determined, but the number of men who wanted to court his Maiden had amazed him. There were Princes from other planets, wealthy merchants and impressive, heavily decorated soldiers. He had been the only cleric there. He hoped beyond hope, the feelings his Maiden had for him in the past still existed.

 

Elios was suddenly startled from his thoughts by a blood-curdling scream rising up from the forest he flew over. He could tell it was a female voice, but the palace and city was still quite far away. He urged the Pegasus down toward the source of the scream.

 

Elios saw a cliff overlooking a pond. He saw a man and a woman surface from the pond. With a start he recognized, even wet, his Maiden's pink hair and the now drooping distinctive buns on her head. He also recognized the man as the CTEM soldier, Terrance Donovan.

 

Elios saw red. He was about to swoop down to rescue his Maiden and skewer the Sergeant, when he spotted the picnic on the cliff. He remembered the soldier was one of her suitors and sadly realized they were probably on a date. Elios stayed out of sight of the couple as he watched them climb out of the pond and sit on the ground. He couldn't hear their discussion, but he could tell his Maiden wasn't hurt or being threatened.

 

Just as Elios had decided to continue on to the palace, he saw the couple share a tender kiss. Tears pooled in Elios' eyes and his hands clenched convulsively. The couple talked, then the soldier put his arm around her and she comfortably leaned back against him.

 

Sorrow and jealously welled up inside Elios and made him choke. He quickly turned away and flew toward the palace.

 

Tears slid down Elios' cheeks as he thought about the scene he had witnessed. [It's obvious my Maiden ([No!] Elios thought as he forced himself to amend her name) Lady Serenity cares deeply for the soldier and he cares equally for her.]

 

Elios met with the King and woodenly concluded their business. King Endymion looked closely at Elios and could see he was upset. He had known Elios most his life and they were tied to each other with the bonds of Earth's power in the Golden Crystal. The King didn't want to pry, but he could see Elios really needed a friend.

 

Mamoru hoped Elios' problem didn't have anything to do with his daughter. The whole situation was awkward. Mamoru had thought Elios would be a wonderful husband for his daughter, but Usagi had said Lady Serenity needed to compare Elios with other men before she chose for good. He had disagreed, but deferred to his wife in this. He admitted he was more inclined to agree with Usagi after the fight between Elios and Sergeant Donovan at the ball. He still couldn't believe Elios had started the fight with the CTEM soldier. The Elios Mamoru knew would have tried to handle things much more quietly. Elios was not a person who could thrive on conflict or violence. Mamoru had thought Elios' peaceful nature was a constant in life. He now saw how much his daughter had affected his friend, and it was a bit unnerving to him.

 

King Endymion cleared his throat. “Elios, you are welcome to stay for dinner and overnight.”

 

The Priest quickly shook his head no and replied, “I need to get back right away, but thank you anyway.” Elios stood to leave.

 

The King also stood then clasped Elios' hand in his own as he said, “You seem upset. Is there something I can do to help?”

 

Elios thought irritably, [Yes, you can get that damn soldier's hands off my Maiden and let me marry her tomorrow!] Elios swallowed his retort, sighed and said, “No, I'll be fine. I just need to get back to Elysion.”

 

Elios' reply didn't fool the King for a moment and he hadn't missed the brief flash of hurt and anger in Elios' eyes. Mamoru sighed. “Okay, I thank you for your visit.”

 

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Lady Serenity thoroughly enjoyed being able to date and having suitors. Many of her dates were chaperoned by one or more of her Senshi, but she could request to be un-chaperoned on an individual date basis. Sometimes her mother was even able to get her father to agree. Over the next few months she went to elaborate balls, parties, restaurants, the theater and concerts. Most of the men were nice and some were even good looking, but none of them captured her heart.

 

Lady Serenity was surprised Elios didn't come to the palace. She reminded herself that he did have a job and he lived far away, but she had expected him to be one of her more attentive suitors. She wondered if over time he had decided he wasn't really interested in her. She then thought about what had happened at her birthday ball as she absent-mindedly played with a chain around her neck. She thought, [Elios certainly had seemed interested then.] Lady Serenity sighed and decided she would never understand men.

 

 

 

Continued…

 

This story was edited by Meara, one of the *BEST* editors in the entire world! (I'm *SO LUCKY* to have had her help!! Thank you Meara! ^_^ ) Meara is also one of the greatest Sailor Moon Fanfiction authors around. If you haven't read her stories then do so right away! ^_^

Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did like my story, or if you have any (politely worded) suggestions/comments about my story, please let me know. I truly appreciate feedback. (The notification emails also remind me to post the next chapter ^_^; ) You can email me at ndeblock@att.net .



Bye, Luna Hope



Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all her friends (except for Terrance Donovan - He's mine! ^_^ ) don't belong to me. They belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I just borrowed them for a little bit of fun.