Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Love Story ❯ One-Shot

[ A - All Readers ]

U sagi sighed and looked at the big, red “F” on her test paper. How was she ever going to show that to her mom? Her mother was going to go nuts on her if she brought home yet another failing grade. In frustration she crumpled the sheet of paper. Well, if she didn’t have it, she couldn’t show it to her mom and her mom couldn’t get angry. That seemed simple enough.



Without a second thought, she tossed the wad of paper over her shoulder and heard someone grunt. She was going to ignore it until someone called out, “That hurt you lump-head. Are you trying to give me a lump-head, too?”



Startled, Usagi froze in mid-step and slowly turned to meet the most startling pair of blue eyes she’d ever seen. They seemed to draw her in and she felt as if she’d stared into them before. But how could that be possible? This boy was older than her and she’d never seen him before in her life.



And what had he just called her?



Eyes narrowing, she balled her fists. “These are not lumps! They’re called odango! Odango!”



Ignoring her anger, he simply smoothed out the paper and looked at it. “Thirty points…” He shook his head and tossed the paper back at her. “Study harder, odango head.”



As he walked away, Usagi shouted after him, “Mind your own business!”



Still, she couldn’t help but think of those eyes…of course, the rest of him wasn’t too shabby either. He’d been wearing a tuxedo, which was mega weird, but it had fit him really well. And something about him had seemed so familiar…she couldn’t quiet put her finger on it, but she had that odd feeling in the pit of her stomach as if she were experiencing déjà vu…



The Negaverse was growing stronger and stronger everyday. It wouldn’t be long now before Metallia would decide to strike against their own universe and try to overtake their kingdoms. Already the outer planets were feeling the strain. That was the only reason the kingdoms of the Earth and the Moon had decided to meet and attempt to come to some sort of compromise. The Moon Kingdom had a limited army, but they drew strength from the armies on the surrounding planets, all of whom saw the Moon Queen as their sovereign. The sheer number of the eight planetary armies was a great commodity to have if war between the universes were to break out. It was for this reason alone the Earth Kingdom had agreed to the meetings.



On the day the King and Queen were to arrive at their palace, Queen Selenity took great care in making sure that her daughter, Princess Serenity, and her four handmaidens were dressed and present to greet them. She and her daughter both sat on the stately gold and silver thrones, Serenity’s slightly smaller than her mother’s, while the two feline guardians sat on the dias between them. The princesses of Jupiter and Mars stood next to Serenity while the princesses of Mercury and Venus stood next to Queen Selenity. It was certainly a grand assembly. Even the guardians of the outer planets had arrived and stood by the door awaiting the entrance of the Earthly royals.



A trumpet announced their approach and Serenity sat up quickly from her slouched posture. She wanted to make her mother proud. The King and Prince of Earth wore their regal armor while the Queen was dressed in richly embroidered robes, much more elaborate than the white gowns the Queen and Princess of the Moon wore.



“Welcome to our kingdom,” Selenity said, rising and offering a smile to their guests. “I hope your trip was a pleasant one.”



“As good as can be expected, I suppose,” the King replied with a bit of a snarl on his lips. Serenity decided instantly that she didn’t like him.



Selenity, however, ignored his expression. “Wonderful. Allow me to introduce my daughter, Princess Serenity.” Serenity rose and gave a very short, crisp bow to the visiting royals.



“My wife, Queen Gaia, and our son, Prince Endymion.” The young heir seemed distracted and managed a swift bow.



It seemed then that Serenity and her escorts were ushered back to their quarters and the meetings began without delay. They lasted nearly a week and during that time Serenity scarcely saw her mother at all and did not set eyes upon the Earth Prince again.



When the meetings were over and a compromise had been reached, the Moon Kingdom threw a ball to celebrate and bit farewell to the visiting dignitaries. Serenity had been sitting with her mother, enjoying being with her again, until someone had asked her to dance. She hadn’t really been able to say no and her own guardians were off dancing as well. Selenity had merely smiled and waved her away, telling her to go have fun.



Now, however, she had grown tired of dancing and was ready for the party to end. There were too many people there and all she really wanted was to return to her room and gossip with her friends. She’d managed to escape to the garden where few people were enjoying the fresh air. She sat on a bench and looked out at the sky, admiring the blue and green orb that was Earth. How anyone who lived on that planet could be so rude and unhappy was beyond her. The colors, the life that grew there…it should be enough to keep anyone happy.



So meone approached her from behind and she turned to see a dark haired figure in a fancy tuxedo and top hat. With the light from the ballroom behind him, she couldn’t tell much about his features. Still, she smiled and offered him a seat beside her. While he didn’t sit, he did come closer and brace his hands on the back of the bench.



“It’s a beautiful night, is it not?” She asked quietly in order to start the conversation as was polite.



“Very beautiful indeed,” he answered gently. If she’d looked up, she would have seen he was staring at her instead of the starry sky.



Instead she ventured on. “It has been an incredible, week, has it not? I do not believe there has ever been an alignment between the Moon and the Earth before, though I don’t understand why. We can’t be that different from one another.”



She heard him sigh. “No, I believe we’re quite similar, actually.” He raised one hand and offered it to her. “Would you like to dance, Princess?”



He must be from Earth, she thought, turning her head to look at him and then taking his proffered hand. “I would be honored.”



They did not return to the ballroom, however, but stayed in the garden, dancing under the light of the stars. As the music began to fade, she looked up into his dark eyes and saw herself reflected back. They were so close, barely a breath apart as he leaned down, brushing her lips with his own.



“Endymion!”



The two raised their heads and stepped away from one another. Queens Gaia and Selenity stood in the door way. The Earth Queen pursed her lips, her hands going to her hips while the Moon Queen simply watched as her daughter’s eyes darted from one to the other, finally settling on the man before her.



“You’re Prince Endymion? Why…” She couldn’t seem to breath.



He bowed, sweeping the hat from his head. “The honor was mine, Princess.” And with that he followed his mother back into the crowd. Serenity remained standing in the garden, watching even after they disappeared.



“They are going home first thing tomorrow morning,” Selenity told her, something akin to sympathy in her voice. “You won’t see him again.” Whether it was an order or simple observation, Serenity couldn’t be sure, but knowing that relations between their planets were strained, she figured it was a little of both.



Later that night, after the party had quieted down, she stood on her balcony feeling perfectly miserable. Cytherea, the Venetian princess who was one of her guardians, came out to check on her.



“Is it possible to fall in love with someone you’ve only just met?” Serenity asked her. It seemed a perfect question to pose to the princess of Venus, guardian of love.



Cytherea looked thoughtful. “I suppose so,” she replied slowly. “It has happened before.” And then realization dawned on her and she smiled excitedly. “Princess! Have you fallen in love?”



Serenity shushed her, looking frightfully through the terrace door to where the other girls were chatting. “Please, Cytherea, don’t say a word to anyone. I know you will understand, but I do not believe they will.”



“Who is it?” Cytherea came closer and lowered her voice, ready to share in the princess’ secret.



Serenity took a deep breath and held it, unsure if she should tell anyone. Oh, but she wanted to see him again so badly…perhaps Cytherea would help? “The Earth Prince, Endymion. We danced in the garden and then he kissed me…oh, Cytherea. It feels as if my heart is no longer mine. It has given itself to Endymion and there is nothing I can do about it. When Mother said that I would not see him again, I thought I would die.”



Cytherea’s expression softened and she hugged her friend. “Don’t worry, Serenity, you will see him again. At least to say goodbye.”



“You’ll help me?” Her eyes shown with tears and Cytherea nodded.



“Of course I will.”



T he others were still asleep when Cytherea shook Serenity’s shoulder. “Princess, wake up. You wanted to see Endymion again, now get up.”



Serenity sat up groggily and looked around. Cytherea knelt beside her bed holding a sheer dressing gown out to her which she slipped on over her night dress. “I’ve arranged with one of Endymion’s guardians for you and he to meet in, but we have to go now.”



Serenity nodded and followed her friend through the halls of the palace to the wing where the Earth family were staying. Endymion and one of his guardians, one she recognized as Kunzite, were waiting by one of the large marble columns that lined the hall. She and Endymion slipped behind one and she saw Cytherea slip off with Kunzite from the corner of her eye.



“I wanted to say goodbye,” Serenity whispered. She was a bit uncertain. After all, she knew how she felt, but she had no real knowledge of how he felt about her.



However, she discovered her fears were unfounded when he lifted her chin with his finger and brushed his lips over hers. When he spoke, he was only a breath away from her mouth. “Don’t.”



“What?” She opened her eyes, which had involuntarily closed when he kissed her, and gave him a confused look.



A slight smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Don’t say goodbye. You and I will meet again.”



Cytherea rushed over, grabbing her arm and ruining their moment. “I’m sorry, Princess, but we have to go now. The others will be awake any minute and they will be looking for both of you.”



Serenity threw her arms around Endymion’s neck and they kissed deeply. “We will meet again, I swear it,” she told him with an air of certainty as Cytherea tugged on her arm. The two of them ran through the halls while Endymion and Kunzite returned disappeared back into their rooms.



Cy therea was becoming more and more reluctant to help her sneak away and the others were becoming more suspicious every time she disappeared. Though the guardian of Venus was the only one who knew she was sneaking off to Earth to visit Endymion, the others had become aware of her melancholy longing for someone. They just didn’t know who, exactly.



At least until Tinia, overheard an argument she was having with Cytherea over her most recent jaunt to Earth.



“Do you know how long you’ve been gone?” Cytherea hissed when she finally returned. “The others have been asking questions and even your mother has been wondering.”



“You didn’t tell them, did you?” Serenity asked, beginning to look worried.



“Of course I didn’t, but every time you go see Endymion –“



“You’ve been seeing Prince Endymion?” Tinia asked. The two had been so absorbed in their conversation they hadn’t seen the Jupiterian princess approaching. “You’ve been going to Earth?”



Enyo’s eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms. “Have you lost your mind, Princess?”



“ You can’t just sneak off to Earth whenever you feel like it. You have responsibilities here,” Hermia reminded her.



“And sneaking off to see Endymion, whose parents we have a very unstable relationship with already,” Enyo reminded her, “is not one of them.”



Serenity took a deep breath, drawing herself up to her full height. “None of this concerns you and I forbid you to speak a word of it to anyone.” She could not ever recall giving them a direct order or speaking to her friends in such away despite the fact that she was their princess and, therefore, their superior. Her love for Endymion, however, was her weak spot and she would do anything to be with him again.



Though, after her attitude with them, she shouldn’t have been surprised about what happened when she received a message that Endymion would be arriving that night, under cover, and would meet her at the back of the gardens. Though she hadn’t shown the letter to anyone, she hadn’t destroyed it either.



She sneaked out as soon as the sun disappeared over the horizon and silently made her way to where he stood waiting by a pond filled with lilies.



“Serenity, I don’t know how much longer we can keep doing this,” Endymion said after greeting her with an embrace and a kiss.



“I know,” she replied softly, her eyes growing sad. “My guardians have found out about us and I fear that one of them may tell my mother. “



“Malachite saw you leaving,” Endymion admitted. “I convinced him not to say anything, but…”



Serenity felt a tear fall down her cheek and hastily wiped it away. “I wish we did not have to sneak around to see one another. I wish we could be together without causing any problems. I know that we cannot continue, but I don’t want to give you up.”



He pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “I will think of something. I won’t loose you, Serenity.”



“I love you, Endymion.”



Their kiss was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. Before either of them could do anything Enyo and Queen Selenity were blocking their path. The Martian princess looked upset, but at the same time resolute and Serenity knew at once that she’d told Selenity everything.


Her mother looked neither angry nor happy and Serenity didn’t know what to think. She reached for Endymion’s hand and waited for the worst to happen, but it never came. Instead the Queen nodded to the Earth Prince and stepped aside. “I think you should return home, Prince Endymion,” she said softly. “You’re parents will be worried if they discover you gone.”



He watched her uncertainly and then bowed, giving Serenity one last glance before leaving the three of them. Serenity glared daggers at Enyo who looked away. Selenity cupped her daughter’s cheek and sighed. “The others are looking for you. You should let them know you are alright.”



S erenity nodded and ran from the gardens back to her rooms where the rest of her guardians greeted her. Tinia grabbed her pigtail when she got there to stop her from locking herself in her bedroom. “Princess!”



“Did you sneak off to Earth again?!” Cytherea asked, sounding exasperated with her.



“You’re the heir to the throne of the Silver Millennium,” Hermia reminded her and pointed to a stack of books. “You have to study.”



“I know that,” Serenity replied evenly, removing Tinia’s hands from her hair. “I understand what my duty is. I don’t need to be reminded. And, no, Cytherea, I did not go to Earth. If you want the details, you should ask Enyo. I’m sure she can tell you everything you want to know,” she added as the dark haired girl came in. With that she grabbed the top most book from the stack Hermia had indicated and closed herself up in her bedroom.



They just didn’t understand. They had never been in love like this. They had never felt the things she felt when Endymion was with her, when he kissed her or held her. They didn’t know the way her heart skipped a beat when he looked at her with those dark blue eyes that seemed to stare straight into her soul. Only someone who had experienced a love like she felt for Endymion could know how badly her heart was breaking at the thought that she may never see him again.



O ver the next few weeks she practically threw herself into her studies. It was the only thing that could take her mind off of him. They had stopped visiting one another – the threat of being caught was just too much – but they had continued to keep in touch with infrequent letters. Even communicating in that way was dangerous.



She wanted nothing more than to run away with him, to go somewhere that no one would ever find them, but she was the only heir to the Moon Kingdom, just as he was the only heir to Earth’s Kingdom. She hated the idea of leaving her mother and everything she had ever known, but if it meant that she could be with Endymion, she would gladly do it.



Of course her friends didn’t think it was a very reasonable idea. They thought she should just forget about him. As if she could.



“You are not meant to be together,” Cytherea told her. “Your families are too close to being enemies for it to work.”



“They will never let you be with him,” Tinia added, meaning Endymion’s parents.



“There’s a rumor that he’s engaged to someone else,” Hermia said, thoughtfully. “Of course, it’s just a rumor. She’s supposedly the daughter of some high ranking official on Earth.”



Serenity slammed her book shut. “That is not true. Even if his parents were arrange a marriage for him, he would never agree to it. He loves me.”



“He wouldn’t have a choice,” Enyo reminded her. “He’s bound by birth to marry as his parents decide. As are you, in case you’ve forgotten.”



“Mother would never force me to marry someone I didn’t love,” she said matter-of-factly.



Tinia nodded. “But his parents would.”



In his last correspondence, Endymion had said he would find a way to be with her and for her to wait for him, but he didn’t write again nor did she hear anything else of him. A week turned into a month and one month into two and still there was no sign of him. She began to wonder if perhaps Hermia had been right and that his parents had forced him into an arranged marriage. Of if something worse had happened, if he had been injured somehow and was unable to contact her.



No, she would know if he were hurt. Something in her soul told her she would know.



But if he were healthy, why not send her some word?



Perhaps he had forgotten? Maybe his love hadn’t been strong enough to survive the distance between them? If he had decided it was too much of a challenge or that it just wasn’t possible…she didn’t know what she would do if he had given up on her. How could she live without him?



Serenity closed her eyes and looked away, knowing it was true despite how badly her heart ached at the thought.



She went to bed every night feeling completely drained from pretending as if nothing were wrong and worrying that she had been wrong about Endymion's feelings for her. That was why it was rather easy for Enyo to catch her one night after everyone else had gone to bed. Though Serenity attempted to shrug her off, the soldier of Mars would not allow it. Finally she stood still, arms crossed, refusing to look at her friend.



"I wanted to let you know that I didn't go to Queen Selenity to hurt you," Enyo said quietly. "I know you are angry with me, Princess, and I understand why, but you've jumped to the wrong conclusions. I was trying to help you."



"Help me? Enyo, you ruined everything," Serenity aruged in a hissing whisper. "I won't be able to see Endymion again."



"That is not necessarily true."



"Oh? Do you honestly think my mother or his parents will ever allow us to be together? The only chance we had was in secret and you destroyed that."



Enyo shook her head and reached out a hand as if to comfort her friend. "Please, just listen to me. I was trying to help you. Queen Selenity wants you to be happy," she explained desperately. "I thought if she saw you and the prince, she could help you. I never meant for you to be completely seperated from him. You have to believe that."



Serenity studied the dark haired girl closely before hastily wiping away a few tears. "I love him, Enyo."



"I know."



Finally she broke down with what she'd been hiding since Selenity had found them in the garden. In tears, she fell into her friend's arms while Enyo stroked her hair. "I don't want to live without him, Enyo."



B y the third month of their separation, the growing strength of the Negaverse took everyone’s attention. Earth denied the threat was there, but the other planets were preparing for war. Pluto was in a constant struggle to keep the enemy at bay and it was only a matter of time before the small planet fell.



Selenity was in constant meetings and the senshi that guarded the princess never let her out of their site. Still, even with the impending threat, Selenity wished for the people of the moon to remain calm and not cause a panic. For this reason, she agreed to allow the Lunar Centennial Celebration to take place. A masque would be held at the palace on the night of the Solar Eclipse.



Because it was her duty to appear, Serenity made her way down the staircase to the ballroom after the celebration had started. She did not wish to dance and had no desire to attend the masque, but she would do her duty.



As she descended the last step, she was greeted by a tall, dark haired man in a tuxedo and top hat, his eyes covered by a white mask. He extended a hand towards her. “Would you care to dance, Princess?”



She looked at the other dancing couples and then back at him. “I think I would prefer to sit this one out, but thank you.” Before she could leave, he bowed, momentarily sweeping the mask from his face, allowing her to see his eyes. She gasped. “Endymion…”



“It would be an honor if you would allow me this dance, Princess,” he said, smiling slightly as he straightened.



She practically fell into his arms and they swept through the crowd, twirling as if on air. “I thought you had forgotten about me,” she admitted softly. “You stopped writing. You never answered my letters. When everyone said you’d forgotten me, I was beginning to believe them.”



She looked away as he silently twirled her and then brought her back into his arms. “Endymion, if it was all some childish fantasy that I created in my mind, please tell me. Do you love me or was it in my head? Please?”



He held her closer, his expression serious. “I love you, Serenity, don’t ever doubt that,” he told her in a whisper. There were too many ears around to over hear them. “I spoke with your mother earlier. Your kingdom is going to be in grave danger very soon and I need to know that you will be safe. I’ve pledged my services to Queen Selenity and she had given us her blessing. We can be married, Serenity, if you wish it.”



Serenity could barely contain her excitement and she threw her arms around him. “Oh! Endymion, I’m so happy!”



Their happiness, unfortunately, didn't last long. That same night Metallia and Beryl attacked the Moon Kingdom, destroying the palace. Endymion was killed protecting Serenity and she threw herself at the enemy in order to follow him. In despair, Queen Selenity used every last ounce of strength to seal the Negaverse away until Serenity, her court, and Endymion could be reborn and would be able to fight them. After all, all she ever wanted was her daughter's happiness.