Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Mage Princess ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Wow! I wrote the second chapter! Aren't you excited?! *grin* I have
received a record number of e-mails and would like to thank everybody
for their support! Because of you the Mage Princess is still alive... I
seriously was not going to write anything past the Prologue and now I
can't seem to stop writing... especially after the threats... hehehe
must keep writing! ^___^ Of course I don't mind... I enjoy writing and
this will most likely be my favorite chapter because Hou is going to be
introduced... who is Hou you ask? Well keep reading and find out!
Anyway I really had to think hard about Hou's character and am proud
that he now has a very well-developed personality, if I do say so
myself! As usual, please write if you enjoy the Mage Princess... I LOVE
getting e-mail and I always respond. It might take a few days but I
will get around to it... eventually. ^^

To all readers who have e-mailed me:

I'm so sorry I took so long in writing this... I went to my parent's
home for the first two weeks of summer and did not have my computer
there. I'm back now and can write as much as I did before. So here's
the second chapter and hopefully the third will be out next week.

For all those interested: This series will probably be about 8 chapters
long. So expect more! ~.^

A few disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon... if I did I would be
publishing these stories because I would have enough money to do so...
I'm also an extremely poor college student who has to rely on her
scholarship to pay off the registration fees so don't sue me... you'll
get nothing out of it! One more thing: Washi is my character... Hou is
also my character and I guess that Kou is my character too since she is
so very different from Serenity ne? ~.^ Anyway I made all of them up so
don't steal any of them, okie? ^^

I guess it's on with the story!

The Mage Princess

CHAPTER TWO
By: Sailor Berkeley


* * ~ ~ Lita ~ ~ * *


I feel the crackling deep inside of me and the lightning flies
between my fingers, keeping my entire body electrified. Nothing better
touch me when I'm like this; it would get fried within minutes. I throw
the sparks that have been gathering in my fingers and watch as the
moving target is destroyed. The trainees who are helping me look
impressed, and normally I would feel content. But not today. Serena is
still asleep and has made no visible signs of awakening. The Queen has
set up guards outside her doors and had almost set them inside the room
before the four of us stopped her.
We didn't think that Serena would appreciate waking up under
the stern gazes of Royal Guards. So we are taking turns watching her.
Rei is currently in the room and the way we have been acting for the
last ten hours had people all over the castle jumping as soon as we so
much as walked into a room. I sigh. I know it's not fair to the rest of
the people in the castle. The fact that the Senshi had not left yet was
worrying them, I could tell.
I don't want to become Princess Lita Rhea again, though. I
don't think that I can go around without my powers at the moment. I'm
too edgy and the electricity running through me calms me down and keeps
me from throwing things against walls. I leave the training grounds and
watch as the servants slither by without looking at me. I know they all
like the Jovian Princess, but not the Jovian Senshi. The Senshi have
always made people restless and I am most definitely not an exception.
I am well known for my physical combat and my short temper. I
chuckle lightly. Princess Lita Rhea was always sweet and traded cooking
secrets with the Palace Staff while Sailor Jupiter was feared and
avoided by all the people I normally spoke to. It became quite
frustrating to me at times. But I can't worry about that now. Princess
Serena Serenity is more important.
I start walking towards the gardens to think when I feel a hand
on my wrist. I instantly feel the lightning gather but stop myself when
I look into a pair of blue eyes.
"Nephrite." I look at him for a couple more seconds before he
embraces me and kisses my hair, as he enjoys to do.
"I missed you." I murmur my content as I feel his strong arms
around me and know that he would never ignore me just because I was a
Senshi. "How is Princess Serenity?" He asks.
I pull myself out of his arms and look at him, my eyes full of
unshed tears. Not tears of sorrow, he knows that. They are tears of
anger and frustration. "I don't know. She hasn't woken up yet. I feel
so useless." A tear leaves a trail down my face and he catches it on
his finger before it can fall.
"Never. My Lita, useless? I don't think so." He smiles and I
instantly feel better. It's not fair. Why is it that he can just smile
and make my life wonderful? It shouldn't be that way. Should it?
He then takes my arm and we walk together to Serena's room. At
the door he kisses my lips softly and draws away with a sigh. "Go to
her. She has woken up."
I nod. I don't need to ask how he knows. Nephrite knows the
present better than anyone. That is his Gift. His magic. He is a
Doushi. The present whispers secrets to him.
He leaves me then and I walk into the room to find that all the
girls are already there. They look at me and I see that Serena has just
gotten up and is sitting on her bed, deep in thought.
In a second we are all powered down and huddled around her bed,
hoping for answers. I wonder how she can look so full of life after
casting a spell as strong as the one she had cast. I am not sure
exactly what she had done, but I had felt the amount of energy that was
expelled when she released her power. It was enormous. And I would have
needed at least two weeks of sleep to get to half my optimum
performance level after such an ordeal. Yet here is our small Serena,
ready to take on the world after only ten hours of sleep. I think about
the absurd amount of power she must harvest within herself but shake
myself free of my thoughts when she starts to speak.
"I can imagine you are all wondering what happened last night."
She begins, her eyes warm and caring and I shiver, thinking about the
cold and powerful eyes I had seen last night, and the contrast between
them.
"Of course we are! For the love of Mars, Serena! We were so
worried!" Rei starts her usual rampage and we all roll our eyes. Back
to normal.
"I know, Rei. I know you were worried. So let me explain." We
all smile at the soothing effect of Serena's voice. She always knew how
to calm Rei down. Jadeite is the best for that, though. One look from
him and she stops right away. We always make sure he is around when
something dramatic happens. Calming Rei down is our number one priority
at times. Serena's forehead glows and a gold crescent moon appears and
twinkles once before settling itself on her skin. Her blue eyes twinkle
as she reaches into our minds.
I can feel the soft white light of her magic, the red and gold
wisps appearing every now and then, enter my mind and for a second I
can completely see into her mind and the first thing I notice is the
constant love she feels for Prince Darien Endymion of Earth. Then, as
suddenly as her mind had opened, it closed. I am transported into her
memories and I see images of the Inner Planetary Senshi, the Outer
Senshi, the Princesses, the Mages, and Queen Serenity flash before me,
too quickly for me to observe what context they are all under. One
image steadily grows clearer and larger until I am in it. I am looking
at Serena's room. It is night time and the soft breeze made the
curtains billow in softly.
I - no, this isn't me. This is Serena. It takes me a moment to
get used to the way Serena's mind is made up. And I am sitting in it.
Images flow by as I - no, Serena - look at different objects in her
room. I realize that they are memories. She sighs and I see and, in an
unexplicable way, understand that she is desperately trying to get on
with her life and forget Darien Endymion but that she can't. Their
minds are linked. Their memories are linked. Serena and Darien. Darien
and Serena. They are one being. Two parts of a single soul. Before I
can dwell on this, however, Serena's mind stops its wandering suddenly
and all images stop floating by as she locks her attention on the white
curtains.
I have enough of my mind left to myself to realize that I would
never have seen what she saw. I know who is standing there only because
her mind whispers it to me and we are almost as one being in this place
where time has no meaning. One image looms before me and I see another
room. This place is not the Moon. It's a room in Angreemon - Serena's
mind whispers this to me. There is a man standing there. High Mage
Narcis. That is his name. I know this and Serena knows this. His back
is to me and I cannot see his face. His hair, however, is black as
midnight and almost seems like it holds its own fire - that is if hair
can do that. His shoulders are wide and his stance demands recognition.
I can tell he is handsome. But nothing prepares me for what I see when
he turns around. His face is perfectly chiseled. Nothing mars his face
and he seems almost made of marble - a perfect statue made, not born.
His eyes, though, are cold. I shiver - or I think I do since I
do not have a body. And Serena does not shiver. I am so busy admiring
this man that I do not notice, at first, that Serena's mind is
repulsed by him.
"I see that you have finally followed your name, Narcissus." I
have never heard Serena sound like this. But I guess that's how she
presents herself to other Mages. Her voice is powerful and carries a
slight edge to it. This edge rings of steel and fire. She says his name
with disgust. As though she cannot wait for the word to leave her
mouth.
The eyes that I had noticed were cold grow even colder. "Kou.
How nice of you to join me. I thought no one was allowed near me now.
Or haven't you heard that I am contagious?" His smile is sharp and his
teeth look like daggers to me. How could Serena not be afraid of this
man?
"Contagious?" She laughs. But the sound is hollow. "The Phoenix
is never contaminated. Not by the likes of you. Even Dark Magic cannot
stand up to the fires that rage within me. You know that. I know that.
This brings us to why I'm here. They want me to kill you." I look at
Narcissus and see that Serena is thinking of him before he became a
Dark Mage. When he was still Narcis and his face was not perfect. It
was alive then. And had faults. And could smile and show happiness. I
pity him. And I'm not sure whether it's me who feels this pity or
Serena. "I will not kill you."
It is his turn to laugh. "You mean that the great Kou - the
great Zen'youkuhikouki - is going against the entire Institution for
me?" He bows mockingly. "I'm honored."
Serena takes all of this in and calmly turns around and heads
towards the red door. "You know how to leave Narcissus. So leave." She
doesn't even turn around as I see a green light surround her. She is
chanting in her mind and I see the Phoenix, Houou, surround her - and
me - in its wings and sending its fire towards the Dark Mage. I hear a
cry of pain and want to see what is happening but Serena does not turn
around. She keeps walking and goes out the door. She seems perfectly
calm but only I can see her vision is slightly blurry. The tears are
threatening to fall.
I am suddenly back in Serena's room.I look at the white
curtains again and see the slight bulge in the air that had told Serena
she had a guest.
I know - because Serena knows - that he is about to attack. I
can see the green light snaking its way towards me when Kou appears.
Serena and Kou are as separate as two beings could be when they are
trapped in the same body. Of course Serena likes Kou - she wouldn't
allow her to exist if she didn't, I knew that much - and was Kou in her
own way. But the power that surrounded Serena - the soft glow that came
from the Moon - was intensified and crackled with energy when it was
transferred into Kou.
The Houou appeared again and Kou told it to lift her. I don't
know exactly how this is happening - I am only Noohane afterall - but
I do know that what seemed like hours to me took about a second in the
outside world.
I don't know how she did it but suddenly the Moon gives her the
extra power she needs and the Phoenix uses this to surround her with
it.
Her forehead glows with the golden crescent moon and she throws
the power she is holding onto the Moon's surface where it races, faster
than my lightning ever could, towards Narcissus. The attack that she
had anticipated from him never came. He had used that energy to
safely transport himself away from the range of her attack - which
would surely have killed him - and to send a message to her.
"Be careful, Zen'youkuhikouki. This is a warning. You will lose
all that's dear to you."
Kou opens her eyes and I see his magic leave the room. Only one
thought goes through my mind:
"If looks could kill..."


* * ~ ~ Hou ~ ~ * *


"Damn, damn, damn. Damn you, Kou! What the hell did you think
you were doing? Sending off so much energy like that! Damn!" The last
word is said a little too loudly and the two guards standing at the
door slit their eyes at me. My mutterings are one of a madman - at
least that's what I've been told. I am far from being mad; though I
tend to mutter a lot when I am upset.
As soon as I had felt her power emanating from the Moon I had
teleported myself into this very same castle. Into this room where the
guards had kept me prisoner. I almost smiled; as if anyone could keep
me. I allowed them to do this because I did not want to seem hostile. I
could easily do away with them. But I don't. No matter how worried I
really am.
I brush away my red hair from my eyes and frown. This is really
taking too long. I know she's awake. I always knew when she was near.
Especially when she uses her power as she is doing at this moment. I
have no idea what spell she is casting and the Houou refuses to tell
me. She is in no condition to be casting spells. I know this as well as
I know my own strength.
I think about her long golden hair and blue eyes and smile. She
is the most beautiful woman in the Institution, and even Mages have an
appreciation for beauty. But the first Mage who had underestimated that
petite blonde had his magic severely wounded for years as well as a
very nasty scar along his brow.
A worthy rival indeed. She became my enemy the moment I laid
eyes on her. Hou and Kou. The first time in Mage history where two
Phoenixes existed at once. Because of that we had not been allowed the
usual name: Houou. She was Kou, the Female Phoenix, and I was Hou, the
Male Phoenix.
When she had defeated High Mage Taka, the Zen'youkuhikouki who
was the only Hawk in centuries to be replaced by a female, I had been
right there. And when she had to call on my powers and my help she had
shared that title with me. We had always been equals. We admired each
other but had always been rivals. And, sadly - or fortunately since I
couldn't make up my mind about whether this was a good thing or not -
we would always be.
I turn around as the large double doors open and a woman with
long silver hair steps through the large doorway. I refuse my urge to
bow to her. It would never be appropriate. A Mage never bows to anyone.
It just isn't done.
"What do you want from my Court, Mage?" Her voice is calm and
strong. I can tell she has been worried.
"Your Majesty." I pause. This is where I'm supposed to bow. To
show obeisance. My knees stay locked in place. She waits and one
eyebrow rises slowly as she looks at me expectantly - amused in a way.
"I am called High Mage Hou." I wait for a response in case she wants to
offer one. She doesn't. "I am here to see High Mage Kou. She has just
cast a very large spell and I need to attend to her immediately."
"I'm sorry, High Mage Hou. My daughter is undisposed at the
moment. I cannot allow you to see her."
I sigh. This would never have happened at Angreemon. People
knew that we were rivals, but they also knew that I was her biggest
protector and they would never have detained me when my voice took on
that certain tone. No matter. I could persuade her. And if that failed
I would see Kou anyway.
"No, I am sorry, your Majesty. I cannot take no for an answer,"
before she can speak I continue, "I don't know if you know who she is,
since I doubt she has told you. She is one of the Zen'youkuhikouki. I
am the other one. She is not allowed to cast a spell of that proportion
without me and if she did so there must have been a very good reason.
I need to know this reason and I need to help her. She might seem
perfectly fine but she is in great need of energy. Her magic is
depleted. She might look very healthy but her magic - and her ability -
is suffering."
"And how would you know this?"
"I know this because our magics are one and the same. So I know
when she is in need of me and vice versa. I need to go to her." I stop
and a faint smile crosses my lips. "She will be expecting me."
The Queen of the Moon looks at me silently and I can almost see
her brain attempting to work everything out. Finally she tilts her head
in agreement and steps aside to let me out. I give her a relieved smile
and barely nod. She is surprised. Mages usually do not even show that
much obeisance to a person.
I brush past her and head down the hallway, not waiting for her
to show me where to go. I know exactly where I'm going.


* * ~ ~ Serena ~ ~ * *


I open my eyes and see my four dearest friends, the ones that I
had grown so apart from and yet had grown closer to in these last eight
years. It will take them a while to be used to their bodies again and
to have their minds to themselves so I let them be for the moment.
I am tired.
That spell wore me out more than I thought it would have. I
close my eyes once again and find the Houou quiet and subdued. His ruby
eyes are currently closed as well and his wings are drooping. He is as
tired as I am, I know. Of course his strength is greater than mine and
the fact that I am made of matter and he is made of energy gives him a
better chance at recovery. He would never die. I could.
At that moment his head, which had been tucked behind his wing,
raises and his ruby eyes glance up and behind me. Behind my spirit
self. Only one person can ever disturb me in this place uninvited: Hou.
So he came. I smile as my eyes open and I almost feel glad. At least
some things never change.
He steps through the door and is in the room looking as calm
and collected as ever. I didn't realize how much I missed seeing him.
How strange. How could I miss my rival?
Rei gets up immediately but I put out a hand and stop her with
a small smile. My head shakes and her muscles loosen though she does
not sit down again. She is so overprotective of all of us. One of the
reasons I love her so.
I look away from the purple eyes that hold so much worry and
meet Hou's red eyes. Suddenly I don't feel like putting up this front
anymore. I can't pretend to feel perfectly fine in front of him. He
knows how exhausted I really am. And it makes me feel better that
someone knows.
He walks to me and picks me up in his arms. He understands that
I can't walk yet. I need his strength. In a strange way I feel secure
in his arms. I sigh, content. I see Lita get up to protest and I shake
my head.
"It's alright. I am just very tired and I need to replenish my
strength. He is here to help me."
"Who is he?" Lita looks at Hou and I can almost see what she
does. He looks, unlike me, just like the Phoenix should look. His red
hair and eyes look as though made of fire and his tall frame looms over
people and makes him seem powerful but graceful at the same time. Many
of the female Mages appreciated his beauty. I really didn't care. He
was my rival. But, most importantly, he was someone I could trust with
my life.
"This is High Mage Hou. He is my..." I'm at a loss. What is he
to me anyway? I look at Hou and his eyes show amusement. No help from
him that's for sure. I almost snort at that thought. He is enjoying my
loss for words. "My twin. He is also the Phoenix. And he is also
Zen'youkuhikouki. His magic is the same as mine so he can restore me to
my optimal health. This is what he will be doing. Don't worry. I'll be
fine when I come back. Expect me back sometime tonight."
"But where are you going? Why can't he just help you here?" The
first words Ami ever spoke were always the wisest questions that people
only thought of asking after everything was done. Which is why she is
such a wonderful person, and friend.
"We are going to a safe area. To a place where there is water.
Water heals better than anything else would. As for your other
question..." I blush and feel like I'm thirteen again. "Umm... the
method we use is very..."
"Unconventional?" The deep voice reverberates in my skull as
my head is laying on his chest.
I look at Hou, glad that he has finally decided to speak. "Yes.
Very unconventional." He has the grace to blush. Then the Houou
surrounds us both and Hou's red magic transports us away.
I then see that he has chosen a place that we had been to
before now. We had come here after we defeated Taka. It was a beautiful
and very quiet place. The slowly falling waterfall made music and I
feel better just by being here.
Hou sets me down and looks at me reproachfully. I stay quiet.
He won't ask me any questions until I'm at my optimum level. And then
he will be a pain and will not leave me alone for a single moment.
Until then, though, he will be a perfect angel.
"Are you ready?" He asks since he knows I always need to calm
myself before doing this. It is a very personal ritual. One that I
would normally not perform with anyone other than a husband. But one
that I needed. I remember the first time we found out about it. I stop
my blush before it can spread its rosy color across my cheeks.
I was eighteen and Hou was... I stop when I realize that I do
not know how old Hou is. I never asked. Strange. I shrug it off and do
not think of it again. Images of that first time come back to me
readily, though. We had just been attacked by a Dark Mage and Hou and I
were caught right in the middle of the Mage War that ensued. The war
took the lives of many Mages and weakened many. After it finished the
magic in the place decreased. People had to sleep for weeks to regain
their powers. Not Hou and I. I remember how we were not allowed to go
to sleep and how very tired I was. After we had been kept waiting for
about two hours Washi came in looking just as tired as I felt.
"Hou, Kou." We both stood up and waited for Washi to gather his
thoughts. "You are one of the few people in the universe who have ever
had a... a... connection such as the one you have. But it has happened
before. With other Mages. You both have the Houou raging within you so
you can heal yourselves. You will not need to sleep for the weeks that
I will need to sleep. You will only need about a day to get back to
your full health."
By that time I was listening, wide eyed, and unbelieving. Why
had we never heard of this before? Hou looked at me with the same eyes,
and we were afraid. If we hadn't heard of it it probably was not good.
At least that had always been my experience. When Washi finally told us
what we were to do I flat out refused. I was even foolish enough to
allow the Houou to run free and, feeling my fear and anger, to burn
down half of the Common Room. That made me even weaker and I finally
agreed to it. It wasn't that bad only... it wasn't something we spoke
about. It was...
"Kou?" I look up, startled. I had forgotten where I was for a
moment.
"Yes. Yes, I'm ready." I answer and Hou picks me up once again
and wades into the water with me in his arms. As we start the ritual I
play back Washi's words in my mind, as I've always done.
'You will need to find a pond, a small lake, something that
holds a large amount of water. Go into this pond and stand right in the
middle of it. You must be in the middle of the pond. This is very
important.' I watch as Hou carefully looks for the raised rock we had
put right in the middle of the pond the last time we were here. It was
large enough to hold the two of us. He sets me down and my feet find
the rock and settle there. I'm still too weak to stand up by myself but
Hou is lightly holding me by my waist. The water is shallow enough that
my upper body is completely free of water and it laps gently at my
waist and the hands that are holding me.
'You must then remove all clothing. No article of clothing
should remain on your bodies. No jewelry. Nothing at all. This is done
because your bodies, since they are made of matter, are constrained
enough without the help of your clothes or other articles. You will
then hold each other. And that's all I can tell you. I don't know what
happens afterwards since I do not have a connection like yours and not
a single Mage who does have such a connection ever wishes to speak of
it. I wish I could tell you more.'
I close my eyes and will my clothes to disappear. They dissolve
into thin air and I am completely naked. When my eyes open Hou is the
same way. We are used to this by now. Not like the first time. When we
were embarrassed and young and unwilling to do this at all. He opens
his arms to me and I go into them as willingly as I've ever done
anything in my life. We fit so well. The Houou makes sure we do. As
soon as this happens we look into each other's eyes. It's always the
same. I have this impulse to look into his eyes. And I'm sure he has
the same one.
And then the pond turns into fire. The Houou in me meets the
Houou in Hou - even though they are one and the same - and it becomes
twice as large. It dances around us and sings softly. Its voice is soft
and sounds like small bells. As it dances the waters slowly turn into
flames. And we sit in the middle of all this, entranced, holding each
other. Our bodies warm and becoming more alive by the minute. I can
feel the flames seeping into my body and traveling along it. And they
do not come from the flaming lake. That fire is cool in comparison.
These flames that envelop me come from Hou himself. From the arms that
surround me and from the chest I'm pressed against. Everywhere he
touches me I feel the heat and the lake, to me, is cold as ice.
As though we are impelled to do this, our lips meet in a kiss
and the fire that comes from his mouth pours down my throat and fills
my lungs and gives me life. I do not want the kiss to end. And when I
know it must I become sad. We finally pull apart and look once again
into each other's eyes and at that moment we are one. And at that
moment, and only that moment, I forget that Darien Endymion is the man
I love. I forget him completely and all I can think of is Hou. Then
that moment is gone and we are once again two mages sitting in the
middle of a pond. And I'm sad. Tears begin to well up in my eyes. That
feeling of completeness, of wholeness, is gone. And it won't come back.
And I'm once again High Mage Kou and Princess Serena Serenity. And I'm
alone.
It's not fair and I can't think of what has just happened. I
need to get away from him. I need to be alone and cry the tears that
threaten to spill. I need to once again be happy to be myself, to not
be one half of the whole. I look into his eyes and they tell me he
feels that way too. He understands. I throw myself out of his arms as
though I'm repelled. And damn him. He understands.


* * ~ ~ Hou ~ ~ * *


I watch as she wades out of the lake and goes out to sit alone.
And cry. She always leaves first. And I always watch her, my body still
full of the flames she has given me and my eyes sad as I remember that
one moment when she had given me her complete love. But she only did
that at that one moment. Never again. She loves Prince Darien Endymion.
Everyone knew that. But for that one moment I was the one who held that
love. I remember the first time we had done this. I was overwhelmed by
that love. It was all I could think of for years afterwards. It was all
I ever thought of.
I notice that it's about ten hours after the moment we had
started. It had only seemed like ten minutes. Healing had the opposite
effect of casting a spell. Because it returned power it sped up time
while making a spell meant spending energy, thus slowing time down. I
had always wished that I could feel the whole ten hours. That way I
would have had more time with her.
Tears are already falling freely from my eyes as I head out in
the opposite direction she took. My clothes come flying back to me as I
walk out of the pond. By the time I step out my clothes are all back on
my body and I feel powerful enough to take on the universe. Because she
had given me her love. Just for that one moment.
By the time she is ready to leave my eyes are red and puffy and
I have been crying for some time. I know she is ready to leave without
her telling me because the small sobs are not coming from the other
side of the pond. Healing was really a curse as well as a gift. I
almost wish I did not have it. But then those four moments that I
remember fondly would never have existed and I would suffer through
anything to have those moments - as small as they were - with her.
I compose myself and know I look perfectly normal on the
outside but I'm confused and hurt in the inside. I turn towards her at
the same moment she turns to me and we nod at each other. She will not
allow me to touch her, or willingly touch me, for another week or so.
And I will miss her.
I disappear and we both end up in the same exact position and
at the same distance from each other in her room where the four girls
I had seen before - the four Princesses I correct myself - are waiting.
As is her mother.
Once we appear they look from me to her and finally I get the
angry looks and the ones that tell me I'm really going to get hurt soon
if I did anything that hurt their Princess. I guess they noticed the
change in attitude.
"What happened?" I hear the Queen's voice from behind me. No
one had dared move since we appeared. Kou's eyes are purposely avoiding
mine and I feel hurt, though I had expected it. I speak first.
"Your daughter is back exactly as she was before last night. If
you don't mind I would like to be shown to a room. I am..." What can I
say? I'm not tired. I don't need any sleep. I need to be alone. "I am
in need of some privacy."
At that Kou's eyes snap up and gaze deeply into mine. The fires
she had given me start to rage again and I want so desperately to hold
her again and to feel that wholeness again. Her eyes are watering and I
think mine are too. I can't be sure. All I see is Kou. And how sad she
looks.
I turn around at that moment and leave the room. I hear a small
gasp escape her lips as she sees me leaving and I hear her throw
herself on her bed and, all formality gone, start to weep again. I
cringe and force myself to leave the room without looking back. If I
look back even once I will run back to her and will not leave her. And
she would have been upset the next day when my flames were not inside
her anymore.
They all leave the room after me and when the door closes to
her weeping I finally look at their faces. They are not happy. "What
did you do to her?" The one with the long black hair I knew was
Princess Raye Hera of Mars, pointedly asks.
"I healed her." I cannot say anymore. It is too private. It
took me some time to understand why Washi did not know what happened
when two "twins" - I almost smile as I remember that Kou used that word
first - perform the healing rituals. It hurts. I would not want to
share it with anyone. My eyes water once more. I believe they see this
because they do not press me any further and the girl with short blue
hair, Princess Ami Maya of Mercury I believe, shows pity in her eyes.
The Queen steps forward and I follow her to a room down the hall. I can
still see Kou's rooms from here and wonder if this was done on purpose.
"Whatever it is you two went through," the Queen started and I
look at her prepared to defend myself or Kou - no, she is Serena, I
remind myself. "I just want you to know that I'm happy you are here."
My jaw falls and I know I must look like a little boy as the
Queen walks away. I knew there was a reason she was called Wise. I
guess that demonstrated it.
I walk into my room and notice that at that moment the Earth is
a huge blue orb right in the middle of my view. I glare at that planet
and feel like crushing it with my bare hands. No, not the planet. Just
one man. Prince Darien Endymion. My hands form fists at my side as I
think about the man who held the heart of the woman I loved. The only
woman I would ever love.

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So what did you guys think of Hou? I love him to death! And before any
Darien/Mamoru fans kill me I would just like to state that this in no
way is against Darien/Mamoru. He is a great character. I just wanted to
mess with the story line a bit and see what happens... I mean I know
what's going to happens but you don't! hehehe I'm evil! ~.^ Chapter
three will be coming out soon! Please tell me if you enjoyed reading
this chapter! I love getting e-mails! E-mail me at
cfmc@uclink4.berkeley.edu with your thoughts! Ja ne!