Title: An Unsuitable Match
Part: 4
Author: W.bymeeh
Rating: PG
E-mail: jhyunl@aol.com
Website: http://members.tripod.com/jayhyun/sm/
*Author's Note: Here's chapter 4. I'm a hopeless romantic, so
don't expect me to stick to the too depressing story line of the
Silver Millennium. I'm a pretty strange writer...if you read
enough of my stories, you'll see what I mean.
*Disclaimer: Stuff-not-mine.
Chapter 4
Darien groaned inwardly as he walked into the teleportation
chamber early that morning. Serena was surrounded by her
friends, chattering away excitedly as they laughed and giggled
together. He had impatiently set their trip to the Moon the
morning after they had met with Darien's parents, not wanting to
postpone their engagement longer than necessary. Unfortunately,
there would likely be few chances for him and Serena to be
together alone on the trip, not with his sister and her court
tagging along. Serena had looked up into his eyes, her eyes
shining, and begged that her friends accompany them, and he had
simply wilted. This was the man who was known as a man of steel
to his troops due to his decisive leadership, and he could not
stand up to a girl five years younger than him.
Of course, he wouldn't have it any other way.
Serena looked up and saw him, and the girls began giggling
at Serena's change in expression, backing away from her so that
she could get up. Smiling, Darien walked toward her and met her
partway, taking her into his arms.
"Ready to leave?" he asked after a quick, stirring kiss.
Serena smiled back at him and nodded, blushing. Amused, he
bent his head and whispered into her ear, "You had better get
used to me acting like this...after we finish this trip to the
moon, we get to announce our official engagement..."
With that, Serena blushed even more, and unladylike
whistles were heard from her friends in the background.
Laughing, Darien released her from his close embrace, but
continued holding her hand. He gestured to his sister and her
friends to come closer, and they all linked hands.
"Mina, are you sure you can handle this?" It would be his
sister's first time actually helping to power up a teleportation.
She had been growing into her power for quite awhile...and it was
puzzling to his parents, as well. Her power worked in a way that
was very dissimilar to that of the family of Earth. But, power
was power...
Mina nodded, and closed her eyes. Darien, gripping Serena
tightly, concentrated on his own powers, and it surged forward.
In a brilliant flash of light, they disappeared from the room.
None of them noticed that they had been watched the entire time.
Serena breathed out slowly, sensing an odd sort of peace
come over her as she looked around in awe at the moon. There
were crumbling remains of what must have been a very stunning
civilization once. She felt a wistfulness deep inside of her,
that she had missed out on seeing the kingdom at its height.
In the distance, there were groups of soldiers drilling in
the distance. Serena wondered who they were.
"General Amiro's troops on patrol," Darien whispered in her
ear. "Remember, he claims that he's the last surviving military
leader of the Silver Millennium. He is temporarily the
representative of the Neo-Moon Kingdom, which is what he is
calling the reconstruction of the kingdom as he searches for the
missing Moon Princess and her court."
Serena tilted her head to the side and looked at him
inquisitively. "Can you read my mind all the time?"
Darien chuckled. "Unfortunately, no..." He ducked a
playful slap from Serena. "But I am able, at certain times, to
sense a few of your thoughts or images in your mind when you
don't purposely try to block me out. You had some pretty
powerful shields up when we first met."
He felt anger again at those who had made her suffer
through so much, recalling the memories that she had
inadvertently sent him. Serena smiled and put a hand on his arm,
saying, "It's over now. I have you." He looked at her in
surprise and her eyes twinkled merrily.
"You're not the only one who can play mind games,
apparently...although I can't read your thoughts as you can
read mine."
The fact that she could have an idea of what he was
thinking puzzled him, because only Earth royalty and those who
had married into the family had telepathic powers, and an actual
mind link between him and Serena, who had no such powers and who
wasn't his bride yet, could not be explained in any other way
than...them being soul mates. But that way of thinking only led
him back to his betrothal to the Moon princess, who had been said
to be his soul mate, and he rapidly pushed thoughts of her out of
his mind again before Serena could detect them.
He smiled at her and they walked hand in hand to the
palace, a short distance behind the energetic group of girls who
had already headed excitedly down the path ahead.
"Artemis...there was a flare of power in the hall."
The white cat looked over in the direction of the voice in
surprise. "Luna, you had better not be joking. After all this
time..."
A black cat with a gleaming crescent moon on her forehead
walked next to the white one. "There was a definite glow in the
power sticks of the planets. It means that they're here. And I
know who they are, as well. One of the girls is of the royal
family of the Earth, while the other three are her court."
Artemis frowned in puzzlement. "Royal family of the Earth?
Huh?"
Luna shrugged. "All four of the girls were adopted and
raised on Earth. But I believe that the King and Queen adopted
that girl because they sensed the presence of planetary power in
her. The others were raised by families who simply knew that
they were special, but nothing more. They are all unaware of
their powers, but they still have that certain presence about
them."
Artemis nodded. "That is how you were able to detect them.
Unfortunately, in the case of the Moon presence...we have neither
the Silvery Imperium Crystal nor has her presence been able to be
detected at all."
Sighing, Luna shook her head. "I don't understand it.
There's not an emptiness, so she's not dead. But it's like a
wall has been erected, to prevent her presence from being
detected at all. It's not even as if her powers are
dormant...they're hidden completely."
After a few moments of silence had passed, Artemis spoke
again. "At least General Amiro will be glad to find out he was
justified in his actions. Since the princesses of the inner
planets survived, that at least dispels the theory that all of
the babies were killed, and thus the greater chance that Princess
Serenity survived as well."
The black cat's tail twitched nervously. "Yes...he has
taken much responsibility in attempting to rebuild the kingdom in
the name of the missing princess. Yet there is something I don't
like about him...I don't trust him. He was a minor commander
before, and now he is gathering power in the name of the Moon
Kingdom...it seems peculiar."
Artemis paused. "Luna, you worry too much. If it hadn't
been for him, we'd of been stuck here alone, wandering the ruins
forever, without any chance of finding the princess."
Luna sighed, as only a cat could sigh. "Still...how will
we be able to find the moon princess? It's paradoxical; I can't
do anything to detect her, and without my detecting her she won't
be able to figure out who she is...and therefore she won't
awaken."
Artemis grinned. "There is the prince of the Earth, you
know...they were betrothed at birth and were destined to be
together...so the stars say."
Luna wrinkled her nose, her whiskers twitching. "That
betrothal was a political maneuver with a bunch of romantic
rubbish thrown in."
Artemis shook his head. "No, I think they were meant to
fall in love."
Luna scoffed, "Such a romantic, Artemis."
Artemis shrugged. "Call me crazy, but I'm betting you that
destiny will make sure that those two meet and fall in love."
Luna swatted Artemis with her paw. "You lost already. The
Prince of Earth arrived with the Senshi in disguise just a little
while ago. And they're not here for a pleasure jaunt, I assure
you. He's brought a servant girl who he intends to marry! He's
come to dissolve the betrothal made more than a decade ago to the
princess of the moon. For all those ridiculous rumors that have
arose from the destruction of the Moon kingdom, no one ever
bothered to nullify political treaties that bound planets to
them. I suppose most of them hoped that the Moon kingdom would
be rebuilt one day..."
"We can't dissolve the betrothal. It would mean officially
declaring the princess dead...and since you've just discovered
the Senshi...there's still the strong chance that Queen Serenity
saved the princess as well. After we find the princess, we can
dissolve the betrothal."
Luna looked amused. "Isn't that ironic. A betrothal
between two people, one of whom is dead, is to be upheld until
both are alive together, in which case the betrothal ends." Then
she sighed. "He'll just have to wait. Let's go report to
General Amiro."
With butterflies fluttering in her stomach, Serena stepped
into the Great Hall clutching the arm of Darien. She was dressed
in a new satin dress of sky blue that exactly matched her bright
eyes, and was somewhat aware that it was flattering, judging by
the dazzled look in Darien's eyes when he had first seen her.
He looked handsome too...standing strong and proud in his
dark suit and princely regalia, complete with a cloak attached to
his shoulders.
Mina, Lita, Raye, and Amy were all dressed up in their
finest as well, and they lined up behind Darien and Serena in
pairs with an uncharacteristic solemness. They were a far cry
from the awkward twelve-year old girls they had been so long ago.
Serena felt rather peculiar at being placed in front of
Mina, but she sighed and accepted the change as necessary.
The Hall was not as crowded as the one on the palace on
Earth, but it was certainly twice as large. Perhaps that was why
the number of people in it seemed to be miniscule in comparison.
At the opposite end of the hall, a stocky, red-haired man with
flashing green eyes stood in military uniform waiting for them.
Darien calmly led the way, and Serena had a chance to
covertly glance around the hall. She caught glimpses of the
deteriorating walls and crumbling mold. In the air...it was
strange. There was dust gathering everywhere, but as Serena
walked by, a breeze of fresh air swept into the room, making the
room seem more bright and more alive, unlike the ancient remains
that they had been for years. It seemed that the inability to
rebuild the Moon kingdom faster had more to do with the fact that
the royal family had been nowhere near it than the pace of
workers.
Serena felt saddened at the state of the palace, and Darien
felt it, giving her hand a comforting squeeze.
They reached the front of the throne where General Amiro
stood, with a mysteriously cold look on his face. Behind them,
the girls had taken a step away from the formal proceedings as
Darien and Serena solemnly greeted Amiro and exchanged diplomatic
greetings. However, Darien refused to let Serena curtsy very
deeply, restraining her through his tight grip. He felt somehow
that Amiro was not equal to his future fiancé.
"Prince of Earth, what is your reason for granting us your
presence on the Moon?"
Darien looked at the green eyed military leader without a
hint of fear in his eyes. "Representative of the Neo-Moon
Kingdom, I request to be released from my age-old betrothal to
the long-deceased princess of the Moon."
The red-haired man didn't blink an eye. "Your reason?"
Serena held on to Darien's arm tightly, her heart beating
madly. He looked down at her and smiled.
Without removing his gaze from her, he spoke. "I wish to
marry Serena, a woman from my home planet."
Near the shadows of the wall, a black and white cat
exchanged looks.
Amiro paused before responding. "I'm sorry to inform you,
your highness, but I cannot grant your request."
Serena gasped, and Darien's blue eyes blazed with anger.
Before he could say anything, Amiro continued.
"Be aware that it is not I personally who makes this
decision. The princess of the Moon is still alive, and in her
place I do not have the right to make decisions that belong to
her. The betrothal still holds." His green eyes narrowed. He
had chosen each word that he said carefully, but no doubt those
empty-headed cat advisors would be after him later. But it no
longer mattered. He had a willing participant in his scheme that
would allow him to control the power of the Moon kingdom. It
didn't matter to him if the real princess existed or not; the
respect and power that the throne of the Moon commanded merely by
its name would be enough for him. He would be the power behind a
puppet ruler, with an easy victim to play princess and allow him
to do everything. He spoke again. "The betrothal still holds."
In the shadows, Luna muttered to Artemis, "We haven't found
the princess yet..."
Amiro paused, and then point to a door on the side of the
wall. "If you'll follow me..."
Artemis frowned, whispering, "I don't like this. Is he
planning on identifying the Senshi already? What is he doing?"
Luna became tense, not liking the direction this was
heading in. "All I know, is that the prince looks ready to
kill...and there's something about that girl that he wants to
marry...something special..."
*****Comments would be greatly appreciated!
Inspiration comes anytime.
I was listening to a jazz lecture when I thought up this strange idea
for a fic placed in the first half of the R season...
w. bymeeh
jhyunl@aol.com
http://members.tripod.com/jayhyun/sm/
(
geocities.com/element_sprite)