Always Watching You
Act 5: Conclusions/Unions
By: Sailor Jes
e-mail: Sailor Jes@aol.com
Well, my sincerest apologies to everyone for the untimeliness of this final chapter! I had a computer crisis and, when I was almost done with the act, lost the file and had to retype it agagin!!! AAAHHH!!! Plus, I'm super-busy with everything and don't even have time to think! GOMEN!
Anyhoo, a warning for this final chapter of my story: it might be a tad more mature than its previous ones (a sexual situation, some adult language, and violence) but nothing over the PG-13 mark.
Also, a request for all of you dear readers. If you have written me before (or haven't and would like to), I ask that you drop me a line again and tell me what you think of the whole, finished story. I'd like to hear if your opinions have changed since you first wrote, what you liked, what you didn't, and even if you have any ideas for me for the next time. It's been really fun doing this story and I hope to continue writing more! Stay tuned for my next fic, whatever it may be!
Jaa!
Jessi
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You stand quietly on cliff overlooking the valley below you. The wind rustles your hair around your sharp, handsome profile. Your expression is molded into a gaze of serious pondering. You seem deeply troubled and, in a way, it frightens me. An uneasiness quivers in my heart. I join you.
A slight smile appears on your face when you see me and you protectively wrap your arm around me. Saying nothing, you resume staring at a village below. It is brightly lit at this late hour by a large bonfire and smaller torches. I see crowds and movement and activity, like the town is about to swell and burst. It must be some sort of festivity.
"What are they celebrating? It looks like fun," I say lightly.
You nod as a bitter, forced smile purses your lips. You look away and mumble something. I stare at you worriedly.
"Endymion?" I ask. "What's wrong?"
You shake your head and gaze out at the vacant black night sky. Are those tears that I notice in your eyes? My stomach is doing flip-flops now and my palms have broken into a sweat. You don't answer for a while.
"Do you ever think about the future, Serenity?" you ask finally.
I am puzzled by the question. Why this? Why now? I consider it before I answer.
"Well, yes, sometimes," I reply. "Why?"
"What do you see?" you say, ignoring my question.
I furrrow my eyebrows. This seems too eerie. "I see different things sometimes. Usually, I see myself like my mother, a beautiful and wise ruler, eternally happy. But I don't usually ponder the Tomorrows, rather, I try to savor the Today's...Endymion, why are you asking this?"
"Well...I've been thinking about the future a lot lately. I'm not sure why. Maybe if I think of what *will* happen, I don't have to think about what *is* happening. The future has become so clear, too; I can't wait until it's tangible. In my future, there's us, only us. I hear laughter and music. I can see us, years from now, growing old together..." Your voice drops to a near whisper. "I would do anything, *anything*, for that future."
Instead of feeling excited or content, somehow, I am mildly disturbed. There is a hesitation, a kiss on the cheek before a dagger in the back. More is coming; I'm not sure I want to know it.
"Never did I think I would witness the day when I would sacrifice the throne. Not even want it anymore..." you murmur, more to yourself than to me. "Everything changes, I suppose."
"What's changed, Endymion?" I ask, softly, tilting my head to one side in an inquisitive manner.
Again, you gaze down to the village and don't speak just yet. You collect your thoughts. "A rebellion. It isn't a celebration, Serenity," you murmur.
"What?" I ask confusedly.
What is this of rebellions? And what does it have to do with the Future you spoke of? The pieces of this puzzle do not fit.
"I don't understand, Endymion."
You look to me, with those eyes which have suddenly become glassy and scared. "Serenity, you better sit down. I have a lot to tell you."
************
Disbelief. Confusion. Shock. Fear. My mind zooms and mixes from each state to the next as I sit on this cliff, paralyzed. I stare down into the valley at that village and their little games of anarchy and become increasingly bitter. I feel betrayed that the people we, the Moon, have watched since the moment of Earth's creation will, given the opportunity, take us into their ignorant hands and want to crush us. Those adolescent, inexperienced hands. I don't know exactly *what* to think.
*"It is a taboo for the Moon people to ever associate with the Earthlings. We are their unseen Guardians, nothing more."*
The words from Luna that I thought had long ago dissolved from my memory return with a vengeance. Then, I see the face of my mother when she discovered of my illegal travels, and her sky-blue eyes, so wise and loving, filled with tears and anger for me. Because of me. This is happening. Something in my heart becomes very heavy. Sadness wells up in me like the morning dew in the flowers. My lower lip trembles.
"It's my fault," I whisper, holding my temples with my fingers.
"Serenity?" I hear your gentle voice say.
"My fault..." I mumble, as I bury my face in my hands and start to cry softly.
"Oh, Serenity," you say, cradling me in your arms. I press my cheek against your sleek, cool, black armor. My weeping becomes heavier.
"No, love, no. It isn't your fault. The wicked ambitions of others have nothing to do with you. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you or your home."
Your hand strokes my head lovingly and every so often your lips kiss my hair. The sobs diminish. I sniffle and regain myself.
"You'll have to inform your Mother."
I nod but my insides tremble with fear. She will be most displeased upon hearing that I disobeyed her intentionally. And I know she will be frightened and scared for her kingdom. I dread it.
"I promise you, Serenity, I will allow nothing to happen to you."
I raise my head and look into your eyes that seem so strong yet fearful.
"I know," I whisper gently, and I allow the back of my fingers to stroke your cheek.
You smile and then lean towards me. Tenderly, softly, our lips meet. Delicate are our kisses, at first, yet soon they grow to something more. A conversation, an urgency. A beginning and an ending. Something I want to cherish. We sink to the soft, grassy earth.
"Let me protect you always, Moon Princess," you murmur, our faces no less than a few inches apart.
Smiling, I wrap my arms around your neck and pull you down towards me for another lingering kiss. Time pauses for us and our troubles seem further than the last second of infinity. The soft, blue moon bathes us in her light. I feel myself being consumed by an emotion that I have never before experienced. I want to stay forever with you in this Eden. Blanketed by a ceiling of stars. Cushioned by flower petals. Wrapped in the warmth of love. With you. Forever. For this is paradise. This is eternal.
***********
I remain awake the entire night, simply staring at your peaceful sleeping face. Your full, rosy lips rise upwards at their corners in a small slumbering smile. Wispy golden tendrils fall freely about your shining, feminine face accenting the perfection of your porcelain skin. My heart swells with love as I marvel how the sleeping goddess I hold in my arms is mine.
It is almost that time. When the sun will caress the horizon with his light and guide the world into a new day. How I dread it. It will take every ounce of will in me to manage to let you go, to see you disappear into the black porthole for God knows how long. I know I must wake you, but every inch of me screams for just one more minute to gaze at your face, touch your skin, breathe you in.
I kiss your shoulder gently and then your lips. Your eyes flutter open and you smile drowsily at me. I push the flaxen hair away from your forehead and draw your face to mine and kiss you deeply.
"I love you, Endymion," you murmur.
I smile at you. "And I, you. But, Serenity, it's time."
You groan and cover your eyes with your arm. "It can't be. We're still sleeping. This is only a dream."
I laugh. "If only it were, love!" Then I become serious. "Serenity, you must go back before your mother discovers your abscence. Besides, it's dangerous for you to be here."
Uncovering your shimmering eyes, you nod with understanding. You must go home.
We arrive in front of the gaping, black porthole, holding hands, not speaking. Your sadness is apparent, as is my own, and I want to do anything to flush it away. Sighing, you look to the darkness.
"Stay with me," I exclaim suddenly, abandoning all pretenses and going back on what I told you before.
You look at me with your eyes wide with surprise. Then, you furrow your eyebrows and your expression becomes soft and injured. Those all-loving eyes throb with tears.
"For a fleeting moment, I almost accepted your offer," you whisper hoarsly, "But, I can't. I am needed at home. We will meet very soon again."
You smile then. Not forced or pained. Genuine, radiant, like two people sharing a secret only they know. I nod and swallow the lump in my throat. We search each others eyes and then share one last kiss. Still holding my hand and never turning your gaze from mine, you begin approaching the darkness. Our hands still remain intact. The coldness drags you in. I release my grip a bit. Only palms touch. Fingers slide. And fingertips wistfully caress. Then, the blackness consumes you. But our gazes never falter.
*********
The clock in the Moon Palace reads 4:32. Night envelopes the hall and weaves a mysterious spell over the place. I know I should be tired but I am not. Tonight was...I can't even describe it. Beautiful, magical, heavenly. I smile and hug my shoulders thinking of you. Anticipating the next time we meet.
Suddenly, I hear voices down the hall. My heart jumps and I scramble behind a column as to not be caught. The speech is muffled but I hear the tone. It serious and sharp. A grave conversation. Who would be up at this hour? I suck my breath in and hold it anxiously as the shadowed figures pass. Looking down the blackened hall, I see the outlined silhouettes of three people. The person in the middle is my mother, recognizable by her gallant walk and distinctive hairstyle. The other two, I'm not so sure of. Both garbed in Sailor-fukus, the one to my mother's left has short, boyish hair and supercedes her height by a few inches while the one on the left has wavy, shoulder-length hair and is just under my mother's height. They seem familiar and they are obviously Sailor Senshi, but my memory jogs me as to where I have seen them.
No matter. I yawn as the time finally catches up to me. My eyelids droop as I saunter to my bedroom. Too weary to even change out of my dress, I flop on my soft bed, close my eyes, and dream of only you.
*********
I awake to the sound of pawing at my door and the muffled cries of "Serenity, wake up!" Groaning, I squint my eyes as the bright sunlight streams in through the window. I sigh, rub my eyes, and the first thing that pops into my head is the memory of the preceding night. I wonder if it had all been a dream. The sight of my rumpled dress tells me it wasn't.
"Princess! Wake up!" I recognize the voice as Luna's. What could she want? As a friend, she's first rate but sometimes she can be so annoying and overprotective. I roll my eyes and remain lying on my bed, trying to ignore the pawing.
After a good two minutes, I hear the door creak open; all that pawing must have finally allowed the door to be released from its hold. Luna slips in, panting and glaring at me. She pounces onto the bed and stands on my stomach, her venomous gaze turning to that of puzzlement.
"Why aren't you in your nightclothes? And why is your bed still made?" she asks
"I was so tired last night that I just fell asleep by accident without changing my clothes," I say, only in half-truth.
She raises an eyebrow suspiciously. "And, why didn't you answer the door?"
I look at her innocently. "I was sleeping."
She shakes her head. "Right, Princess. And I can fly," she mutters sarcastically.
"Did you just come in here to spoil my morning or do you want something?" I demand.
Luna's face becomes serious. "Princess, I have orders from your mother, who is in the Communications Room and could not come herself. She has left Palace duties under your control for the day, so you must get up and see to them."
My heart jumps a little. I try to appear ignorant and calm. "Oh? What is she doing in the Communications Room?" I ask.
Luna hesitates. "Well, I'm not so sure I understand it completely. But, something...has come up. The Senshi are with her so it might be serious."
I gulp and my throat tightens. I attempt a plastic smile. "Oh. Well, I'm sure its nothing."
Luna shakes her head. "I don't think so, Serenity. I'm-I'm not supposed to tell anybody this but...two of the Senshi of Legend...they are here-"
I gasp as my eyes grow wide with fear. The Senshi of Legend!! Here!! Those warriors that conceal themselves behind a veil of mystery, tens of times more powerful than the Inner Senshi, three never seen by the eyes of anyone except my mother and the last...I shiver...she is never to be seen. The two figures that I saw with my mother, it must have been two of the four!
Involuntarily, my hands begin to shake. With desperation, I try to pull myself together, but I feel like a sinner on Judgement Day. A guilt like I have never felt rises within me. If two of them have been summoned, this is more dire than I imagined. Luna continues talking but my ears can't absorb a word she says. For the first time, I know the worst won't be coming. It is already here. And sooner than anyone could have imagined.
********
I pace back and forth in the throne room with much worry. Swallowing, I try to maintain the butterflies that flutter furiously in the pit of my stomach. My forehead is sweaty and feverish. I await important news. I rub my weary, sleep-deprived eyes and run my fingers through my short, black hair. *He should be here by now* I think. *What's keeping him?*
No sooner do the words formulate in my thoughts, does a small, lanky boy burst in to the room, sweaty and panting.
"Well?" I snap.
He tries to catch his breath. "Prince......Your Majesty...I-"
"Out with it, boy! Tell me of the news!" I yell.
The messenger's eyes widen in fear. I can't help feeling a tad guilty at my loss of temper, but time is running short.
"The eastern lands...Your Majesty, they-they...They have also abandoned you."
My face turns sour. "Damn!" I sputter. Furiously, I turn away and kick the leg of a nearby table, overturning it and shattering a vase with fresh-cut roses on it into a thousand pieces. The boy jumps and cowers with fear. I rub my temples with both hands.
"Damn you," I mutter.
"Sire, I...th-the Dark Kin-Kingdom, uh...," stammers the boy, his voice cracking with terror.
"Leave," I say with a chilling calmness.
"But, Your Highness-"
"Go! Get out of here! Leave me be!" I yell.
With lightning speed, the pathetic messenger bows and races from the deserted throne room. I am left alone. All of this is happening to fast. First, the Northern lands, then the Western, and now the Eastern. Betrayed by all for the Dark Kingdom. Like a child, I feel tears well up in my eyes. With much struggle, I try to hold them back. I stride to the window and gaze out at my beautifully green mountainous kingdom, like heaven. I become lonely then. I wish you were here for me to cuddle in my arms and whisper in my ear that everything will be okay. The last time I saw you was well over two days ago. And I've never missed anyone so horribly. Since then, I haven't gotten any sleep.
My thoughts are interrupted by a sudden, frigid gust of air. My senses become as sharp as thorns when I feel the tingling of another presence in the room. A sinister presence. Low, sardonic laughter echoes through the room as I see an entity form no more than a few feet away from me. Taking a shape, I recognize the figure to be-
"Beryl!" I sneer.
Now fully appeared, she cackles again and smile wickedly. She looks terrible. White, ashen skin, dark bags under her bloodshot red eyes, sunken cheeks, frail, bony arms, and small fangs peeping from her lips. Sarcastically, she bows low.
"Greeting, *Prince* Endymion," she says, showing off her teeth and those horrid fangs. Her face changes from a saccharine smile to a look of mock embarassment. "Oh, I'm *horribly* sorry. I guess you can't be considered a Prince anymore, seeing as you have no subjects!"
She bursts into deriding laughter. I narrow my eyes at her, and try not to lose my temper. Anger is a weakness, after all. "What can I do for you, Beryl?"
The corners of her lips turn upwards slightly and something flashes in her eyes. Seductivly, she walks slowly towards me.
"Oh, Endymion," she mutters. "Still so distrustful of me even though I've already defeated you! When will you ever learn? But, I hold no grudges. No, dearest Endymion, the question is: What can *I* do for you?"
"What do you mean?"
Again, she smiles, bearing those ugly canines. "Endymion, I can give you everything you want. Your kingdom, power, wealth, respect. Everything you've lost, I can return it you. Just say the words and you'll have them."
I shake my head. "You're a liar."
The remark bounces off of her like light off of a mirror. "Queen Metalia has awesome powers. Enough to conquer the universe and make it ours-"
"Metalia? You?" I shout. "Your power is an illusion. You can't possibly understand what real might is."
Beryl seems taken aback. However, she quickly regains her senses. "It's the Moon girl, isn't it? You'd betray your home for some lousy simp of a princess! She can't offer you anything! Endymion, I'm placing the world in your hands, don't be a fool and reject it!"
She extends her arms to me and feigns an innocent look. "Endymion...I can give you anything you want. Come join me...Endymion."
I glare at her hateful red eyes and suddenly find myself becoming lost in them. Words jumble and swim in my head. I can't look away. *Join her*...*The universe*...The idea sounds promising. I smile and I become lightheaded.
"Endymion..." she says and her arms reach out for me.
Her eyes glow and a massive, black entity gathers behind her, smiling evily. It lures me towards it. I'd like power. And regaining my kingdom wouldn't be so bad, either. Hmmm, maybe this Queen Metalia isn't too bad. Looking at Beryl, I notice that she is beautiful. Why couldn't I see it before? No matter. My heart tells me this woman is the one I want. Not you...uh, what's your name? I can't remember. It only bothers me for a millisecond and then disappears as all my pain is soothed over by a frost.
I walk towards those outstretced arms and my eyes become glazed over. Lifting my hands, I reach for the seductress in front of me like a child running to its mother. I can feel an overwhelmingly powerful aura as our fingers are on the brink of touching. Suddenly, from a remote, hidden corner of my head I hear a barely audible voice.
"Endymion...," it whispers.
I body screeches to a halt. That voice. I struggle with my memory to remember whose it is. So sweet and loving.
"Endymion...," it says again. "I love you..."
Beads of sweat erupt from my forehead as a battle rages in my mind. I feel...a warm light...spreading slowly over the darkness that has penetrated my senses. Beryl's eyes narrow.
"Endymion!" she commands. Her voice is a harsh contrast from that of the sweet enigma's in my head. It sounds like jagged gravel. "What are you doing, Endymion! Don't be swayed. It is I you desire!"
I slowly shake my head. No. I want the other. I want it to speak again. I want it to warm my soul, unfeeze the bonds in my heart.
"Wake up, Earth Prince," it sings strongly.
The shade over my eyes vanishes and I can see again. Once more, Beryl has become a hideous beast. I step back in disgust as she lunges for me.
"No! Endymion!" she cries. "Come back! Don't you remember? You can have anything you want! I can give it to you!"
I shake my head and my chest heaves up and down. "You can't," I say.
"Yes, I can! Anything...*anything*."
"No," I reply. "You can't give me the most imporatnt thing! Love. You don't know what it is. You think love is a thing that people must be forced into, a reparation, a consolation. You think it's a result of domination. You're wrong. Love is a war. It's a stuggle. Something people fight for. It just happens. You don't want pain, but love is painful! It why people keep on going! When there's pain, there's hope. And when there's hope, there's love. It's a cycle you can't understand!"
Beryl's eyes grow increasingly dark and her lips scowl even more. I see her fists clenched and her nails digging into her flesh. "You...I'll show you what war is! In your wildest dreams, you'll never see a battle that will be as bloody as this. And when it's over and I'm laughing over your decaying corpse, then we'll see what love is!"
With that, she dematerializes and I'm left shaken and sweaty and alone by the window. Surprisingly, I find myslef panting and trembling; my nerves completely shot to hell. So, I didn't think it could get any worse until I look out the window. My jaw drops and my throat emits a strange squeak as I look at the sight coming over the hilly terrain. Troops, thousands of them, march in a sturdy phalanx with spears and catapults and horses and torches. So many of them! Marching, marching for a cause they know absolutely nothing about, a cause whose affect will only end in a pool of their blood. My fingers wobble as I cover my mouth with them.
I know time runs short and I must go to the Moon. I must warn you. I must prepare for the fight. Time runs very short...
**********
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