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Moon Kingdom, Nightfall
It was his last chance. Tomorrow, they would leave for Earth, possibly never to return. So when he saw the fair-haired figure standing by the railing, watching the Earth in the distant sky, he realized he had no other choice. He quietly snuck up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Don't worry, Princess. I won't hurt you," he replied.
The figure in his arms tensed at his voice and tried to turn around. He held her tightly, laying his head against her shoulder. He idly noticed that her hair was down and pulled in front of her shoulder, for some reason it reminded him of how Zoisite wore his sometimes. "No. Don't turn around. If I don't say this now, I fear I may never say it. I ... I think I'm falling in love with you."
"Y-Your highness, I--"Her words were cut off when he turned her around and seized her lips in a quick kiss. Before either of them had time to realize what had just happened, Endymion let go of her and jumped off the balcony. He glanced back to see his beloved standing there in shock, her back to the gardens. He almost went back to her before he saw the Princess of Venus join her on the balcony. Smiling to himself, he slipped back into the castle and went in search of his Generals.
The Princess of Venus smiled when she saw the figure standing outside of Serenity's room. "Lord Zoisite, what are you doing up this late?"
Zoisite lightly touched his lips then looked up at the blonde. "I was just ... admiring the view the Princess has."
"Is something wrong? You look a little flushed."
"I ... it's nothing. Just ... a long day," he replied. He smiled at her, then started toward his own room, a few doors down. "Guess I had better go to bed. Um, Princess? What are you doing up this late?"
Venus shrugged. "I had so much on my mind, I couldn't sleep. You're right. It has been a long day," she replied. She watched him until he disappeared into his own room, then snuck into Serenity's room. She went over to the sleeping blonde and gently shook her awake. "Serenity, wake up. You were right, one of the Earthlings does have feelings for you."
The future ruler of the Moon Kingdom slowly opened her eyes. "Wha? What are you talking about, Venus?" she asked, sitting up. "What Earthlings?"
"I just caught him standing outside your door, 'admiring the view'. And believe me, he wasn't talking about the Earth."
Serenity blushed. "Ok, spill, Love Goddess. Which one was it? The Prince?"
Venus shook her head. "Nope. It was the other one you can't stop talking about, Lord Zoisite."
"Zoisite?" Serenity seemed slightly disappointed, then smiled. "Oh well. At least it's not Nephrite. I don't see how those two can be related. They're nothing alike. They don't even look alike."
"True. So, does this mean what I think it does?"
The future queen nodded. "First thing tomorrow morning, I will ask Lord Zoisite to be my escort to the Ball."
December 18, 2009
Shi watched over her sister as the brunette continued to sleep. After her little outburst the day before, both of the twins and Mi-ko had been taken to Boston. Hotaru quickly healed Shi's wounds and assured her that Miyo was unharmed.
"Her body just needs time to get used to this. From what I can tell, that orange mist you encountered the other day was an hallucenogen seemingly designed to effect any Hrrrrunai that tried to force open the pods." Hotaru glanced over to where Mi-ko was playing with her daughter and smiled. "The only reason I can think that it didn't effect you is because there is more of Seiya-san in you than your mother."
"Seiya is our mother." Shi looked up at Hotaru and smiled a little at the stunned look on her face. "Guess that's one thing he never told you."
Hotaru shrugged. "I haven't really spoken to him since he came back, but ... I guess we never really thought about it. We just assumed ..." She chuckled slightly. "I wonder if Usagi-sama knows about that."
"Don't know, don't care," Shi replied. "I know she's your friend and your future ruler, but ... there's just something about her that ..."
"Bothers your other self?" When Shi looked at her in shock, Hotaru smiled slightly. She reached over and placed a hand on the blonde's arm. "Don't worry. Zoisite was never my enemy. You three can stay here as long as you want. I'll heal your 'dad' when you guys are ready to go back."
Shi watched Hotaru leave then smiled a little at her sleeping sister. "Guess we won't be able to keep our secret much longer."
Moon Kingdom, Next Morning
"Nani!?"
"You heard me. She asked me to be her escort. Me! What am I supposed to do?"
Nephrite rolled his eyes and lightly smacked the blond's arm. "Baka! You escort her to the ball! When a Princess of her standing asks, you say yes. No matter what it is."
Kunzite chuckled and placed his arm around the younger General's shoulders. "He's right, you know. You can't refuse a request from Serenity."
"But Endymion--"
"He'll understand. Besides, she probably just asked you because she knows you wouldn't try anything," Jadeite replied. "Unlike your dear, sweet older brother, the Letch of the Solar System."
Nephrite glared at the blond. "I am not! Sheesh, a couple of girlfriends back home and now everyone thinks I'm a letch."
Kunzite chuckled. "A couple back home, three on Venus, two on Jupiter--"
"Four on Jupiter," Zoisite corrected.
"Thanks, Z. Four on Jupiter, six on Mars. And who knows how many on various moons between here and there. It's no wonder the Princess chose Zoi. He has never once been accused of being anything more than a perfect gentleman." Kunzite smirked at the brunette's reaction.
"Since you all seem to think that I am not so trustworthy, I think I shall skip this evening's festivities." Nephrite stalked out of the room, nearly running over one of the Palace Guards on his way out.
As soon as he was gone, the other three started laughing. "Should one of us go after him?" Jadeite asked.
"No," Zoisite replied. "Let him sulk for a while. He'll be there tonight. Endymion made him promise."
The Palace Guard knocked on the door and opened it slightly. "Excuse me, my lords. Her Majesty sent me to speak to Lord Zoisite."
Kunzite grinned and motioned him in. "Come in. Jadeite and I were just about to go find the Prince." He grabbed the other man and pulled him out of the room.
Zoisite rolled his eyes then turned toward the Guard. "What did Queen Serenity want you to speak with me about?"
The Guard grinned slightly. "Nothing," he replied. Before Zoisite could react, the Guard had crossed the room and punched him in the stomach. As he crumbled to the floor, the Guard smirked. "Queen Beryl wants to speak with you, my lord."
Zoisite tried to call for the others, but was still struggling to catch his breath. He tried to force himself up, only to feel a sharp blow on the back of his head.
December 22, 2009
Miyo woke a few days later, remembering nothing of the incident with the strange woman in the hanger. Since the twins had left Earth during their final exams, they had to take make up tests before they would be allowed to transfer the next semester.
"You know, I really hate tests." Shi collapsed onto a bed in the room the twins shared and stared up at the ceiling. "Do you think Dema and Uncle Taiki will ever start talking to each other again?"
"They have to. Usagi-sama said that if they weren't talking by this weekend, she was going to turn them over to the ... 'feds', whatever they are." Miyo pulled back her hair and grabbed her school bag from the floor. "Come on, we only have one more test to finish then we're done with that school. In a couple of weeks, we start at Orinda and things will be better, you'll see."
Shi made a face at her sister, even as she grabbed her bag and followed her out of the room. "Ever the optimist, I see. Do you not remember the trouble Sarah's had at that school? Or even that weird girl, Pleione? They've both gotten into more trouble there than all seven of us combined."
"Somehow, I find that hard to believe. Are you sure you've added your history into that list?" Miyo winked at her sister as they left the house. Since the school was already closed for winter break, and the absence had been classified as an 'emergency', the girls' teacher had arranged for them to go to the School Board offices across town to take the final test. "I'm still curious ... just exactly how did you end up in the same Chemistry class as me?"
"Oh, come on, Miyo. We're Alchemists, not idiots. My grades may never have been as good as yours, and I may not know as much about this stupid planet as you do, but mixing chemicals is one thing I can certainly do." The two girls were talking in rapid Japanese as they walked to the bus stop that would take them across town, so anyone that overheard what was being said would most likely not understand them. "Besides, I figured you'd end up taking the Astronomy class. Or teaching it."
Miyo shrugged as they waited for the bus. "The stars don't interest me that much anymore. I've seen what's on the other side of them." She turned away from her sister, refusing to elaborate further. When the bus arrived a few moments later, she very carefully avoided bumping into any of the other passengers. Upon waking from her self-labeled 'psychic coma', she had refused to touch anyone and was very wary around objects of sentimental value.
When questioned about the sudden shift in behavior, Seiya told the others that the girls' father had been the same way and that that was why the Kinmoku suspected that Enishi had almost never hugged their children from the day they were born.
"You do realize that going to this new school means we HAVE to move in with Mrs. Chiba, don't you? And that Dema wants us to start moving our stuff as soon as we get home?" Miyo glanced over at her sister and noticed the frown on the blonde's face. She knew that Shi had always felt uneasy around the blonde and had always chalked it up to their former lives. She was nervous about the Earth Senshi finding out who they used to be, but was more nervous about their friend, Mrs.Umino finding out. "Guess we have to be careful about these little conversations around them, huh?"
"They can't speak Kinmokunai. And they can't read us, so we'll be fine." Shi ignored her sister for the rest of the bus-trip, silently dreading both the test and the upcoming move. 'As long as I don't have to share a room with Pleione ...'
Beryl's Court
Beryl smirked as the last of the Prince's Generals was unceremoniously dumped onto the floor. "Finally, Lord Kunzite, Prince Endymion's top advisor. We have been waiting for you. Or, should I say, your friends have been waiting for you." She motioned to the other three, lying unconscious. When he made a move toward them, she fired an energy blast, knocking him backwards. "Not so fast, Kunzite. I want you to watch as, one by one, they are turned against your Prince."
She stepped over to the smallest of the Generals and picked him up by the neck. "Starting with this one."
"Zoi! Leave him alone you monster! He's just a kid!" Kunzite tried to charge her, only to have her guards grab him and force him once more to the floor.
Beryl grinned evilly. "My, my, my, what's this? The cold-hearted Kunzite showing his true feelings. Could it be that there is more to this boy than just a friend?" She pulled the smaller man close to her as her grin widened. "What's this? There is more to this boy than meets the eye. The blood of Serenity flows through him. The 'Perfect' Queen has a secret!"
Nephrite slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he realized was that Jadeite was lying a few feet away, bleeding from a blow to the head. The second, Kunzite looked ready to kill someone. As he turned his gaze to the someone, two more facts made his blood run cold; Beryl was watching every move the white-haired General made. And even worse, she had Zoi.
"What do you think, Kunzite? Which would be better, killing him now? or having him kill Queen Serenity? His own flesh and blood? I think the latter will work much better. He shall destroy Serenity and then take away her heir. And I shall enjoy watching as she is destroyed by her own first-born child!"
The two conscious Generals screamed as their bodies were bombarded with negative energy.
December 25, 2009 - Alvarson Mansion, Kensington, CA, Earth
Miyo sat straight up in bed, fighting back the scream still echoing in her head. It took her several moments to realize where she was, safe on Earth, nearly fifteen years after Beryl was destroyed. She pulled her knees up to her chest and laid her head on them. 'I hate waking up to those dreams every night.'
On the other side of the room, Usami watched her friend intently. She knew the brunette would never admit to having nightmares any more than she would admit that she was afraid of her own powers. She watched as the blonde twin jerked herself from the same dream and reached out for Miyo. By this point Usami knew most of the secrets that lurked in the twins' minds that even they were afraid to unlock, not because she wanted to, but because she could see into their dreams.
It had started simply enough, before she was even born. She shared many dreams with her mother, most of them about what Kinmoku was like before Galaxia, but a few of them had confused the young girl until they arrived on Earth. Her mother looked on Tokyo as her home as much as she did Kinmoku, one reason Usami questioned the idea of moving to California. Now her mother's dreams tended to turn to a world where the ousted ruler could be happy with Taiki. Usami always smiled when she saw these dreams.
She smiled when she saw most of her companions' dreams, but not the twins'. Every night since they had realized who they used to be, the two girls had shared an almost nightly ritual. One would wake from the terror to find the other curled into a ball, shaking. The nightmares they both had lived through in their previous life would be more than enough to drive anyone to tears.
Usami saw that the two girls had calmed down and were trying to go back to sleep. She watched for several minutes to see if there was any sign of the nightmares returning, then closed her own eyes, letting herself slip into someone else's vague memories of another time and place.
