"The Guardian
There are those who believe,
So the story is told,
That at birth you receive,
Your own Angel to hold.
You come into this world,
On a wing and a prayer,
And throughout your lifetime,
She will always be there.
A Guardian Angel,
Who will guide what you do,
Her pure essence is love,
Sent to watch over you."
Author Unknown
On a Wing and a Prayer - A *manga* based Fanfic
Prologue: Komoriu
"I would like a bedtime story, please." The little boy requested
formally, not the way a child would normally ask for a nighttime ritual as
tender as bedtime stories. However, the woman he was asking, although kind to
him, was not his mother and never would be.
However, despite the boy's constant formal, stiff behavior, the old woman
knew he was desperately hurting inside, and struggling to be strong. A
struggle she knew he would have to endure for years, and a struggle that gave a
small thing like a story such deep importance.
"Ok," she answered him, smoothing the sheets on his ornate canopy bed, "A
quick one, before the mistress catches me."
He smiled and nodded, before obediently shutting his eyes. Leaning back
against the carved headboard, the woman let her old eyes drift up the beautiful
full moon. "Would you like to hear about the angels?"
Nod.
"Well," she began, a serene smile settling over her wrinkled face, "there
are creatures that watch us from above, comforting us in need and protecting us
from harm. They are messengers, although for what or whom is often argued.
But it is true they bring love."
"How far away are they?"
The woman sighed, pleasantly, "Oh, very far, but very close. It is said
they dwell in heaven, where the clouds drift and the stars shine very close by.
The white, magic light of the moon is their transport and their way to protect
us."
The boy was still, his face unreadable, but his breathing was not slow or
regular, so the woman figured he was still awake.
"They are beautiful, these angels. If you were to ever lay eyes on one
it is said your breath dies in your mouth and you will never be the same.
White, pure white they seem to glow, it is said, with love and purity. There
are many debates about whether they have wings, or halos, or maybe if male and
female angels exist, like they do here on Earth. Either way, though, it is
agreed there is no equal to what an angel is like. Not here, or anywhere."
Softly the woman wove her comforting stories of unconditional love and
celestial devotion from creatures unseen. To her mind, she was telling the
absolute truth. Meanwhile, the little boy lay in his huge, empty bed and
watched the woman leave the room quietly through his eyelashes. The stories
were beautiful, he thought, but they are just that. Stories.
The angels couldn't help him before, and they would never help him now.
If he had to grow up to rule the world, he had to be strong. And angels were
visions not for the strong.
He fell asleep, not realizing he had purposely moved to the edge of the
bed, to be cuddled up in the beam of light that fell from the moon through his
window.
There was a noticeable lack of conversation between the two Earthbeings
that were projected on to most of the monitors which were humming softy in the
moon palace's Main Communications* room. Besides the soft din of hushed
speaking and echoing soft taps of footfalls on the marble floor throughout the
shimmering chamber, there was nothing but silence from the two figures on the
huge screen angled down from the sculpted moldings.
The blue eyes of Prince Endymion were common fixtures in this room, for
he was the one they watched the most, the most important human, being Heir
Apparent to the throne of the entire planet. However, the flash of brilliant
red hair beside him was new. This woman had just recently been spending time
and attentions on the rather unresponsive young prince, and the Main
Communications staff were almost starting to get used to her.
Running her hands along the red blossoms of the strange earth flower the
prince was standing near, the red-head cleared her throat a little.
The sound caused a few pairs of Lunar eyes to rise the screens, but
little else was done.
"Endymion-sama?" she asked timidly, titling her head and looking at him
with nervous adoration.
He didn't answer for so long she assumed it was okay to speak. "Did you
hear about the story of the angels?" her voice was amused, a little scornful.
Startling, he looked up at her. "Angels?"
Surprised that the man actually reacted to her question, the green-eyed
woman nearly lost herself in the stormy blue eyes her companion had turned
impatiently toward her. "Um... yes. It's some bizarre servants' fairy tale.
Been told for ages. Something about beings watching us from above, protecting
us," she smirked a little. "Absurd, is it not?"
The dark-haired man was silent for a while, whirling the flower in his
hand absentmindedly. "Yes," he answered automatically, "but some people need
to believe in intangible things." The flower's sharp thrones scraped the
tender skin between his fingers, but he didn't notice.
First in Command of the Royal Senshi to Her Majesty Princess Serenity of
the Moon Kingdome; Her Lady Venus watched this conversation with an
expressionless face. Shaking her head, the all-knowing senshi of love
murmured, "She isn't the one for you, Endymion." 'Another one who isn't for
you.'
"V-chan?" a soft voice came from behind the taller girl, and Venus turned
to find herself staring into the dusty blue eyes of her Princess.
"Serenity," Venus sighed, "You can't keep doing this."
The princess lowered her head, twisting and tangling her pale fingers
through her silver shimmered locks of hair. "I just wanted to see if the
rumors about the red-head where true-"
"It shouldn't matter to you." Venus said firmly.
But it was too late. The gray-blue eyes were already fixed on the
largest monitor, as dreamy as when she always came into the communications
room, but also a little misty, dimming. "I guess they are true," she said
needlessly as she watched the girl talk to Endymion.
"Princess, with all due respect, I'm sure you have someplace more
important to be-" the golden-haired senshi took the smaller girl's arm gently
but firmly.
Twisting from her grasp, Serenity hurriedly took a few weightless steps
forward toward the large screen. "I just want to hear what they are saying."
It had been a while since Endymion had spoken and the woman was obviously
searching her mind for something to say. "Do you?" she finally asked.
"Do I what, Beryl?" His voice was smooth, low and intoned with depths
Serenity could listen to all day. Yet his tone was always so harsh and cold,
and the little princess could take no joy in hearing it spoken to her Earthly
rival that way, when he seemed to speak to the world in that same harsh manor.
"Do you believe in the intangible?"
He smirked a little, lifted his eyes toward the sky. Directly into the
monitor. Whenever he did that, Serenity's heart stopped. He always somehow
looked directly at her.
"Like angels, you mean?" he said, amused, "No, I don't believe we are
being watched over by other beings." He laughed a little, a dark sound to
Serenity's ears. "I don't believe in things you can't see and touch, Lady
Beryl, where would I be if I did?" And with that he turned and left the
gardens.
One or two monitors stayed on the bewildered Lady Beryl before they were
changed to other things: the four continents, the generals, the land
illuminated by the full moon lending it's celestial, pale light to the sleeping
earth.
And Serenity's tear-filled eyes stayed on the figure of Endymion, whose
face was filling her vision from the largest screen, until Venus came to gently
lead her away.
The soft shear curtains fluttered inward as the sweet smelling warm wind
breathed around the palace ground. Between their white ghostliness stars
twinkled above the clear crystal sky. Serenity sighed.
Suddenly a heavy, leather-bound book fell into her hands.
Sighing, the princess lifted her eyes, "Mercury," she nearly whined, "I
do not want to study right now. Please, please can we do this another time.
It's late."
Blue locks fell into Senshi Mercury's eyes and the girl shook her head.
"Iie, Princess, you've had all the day. The fact that the hour is late has
nothing to do with the amount of study you have still not finished."
A strong arm encircled Serenity's small shoulders, "Ah, and when she's
done, Serenity-sama, we can all go look at the stars and dream." Senshi
Jupiter smiled a little, "That was what you were doing, ne?"
Linking her figures and stretching her arms out, the princess let a small
smile curve her lips. "Hai," she said softly into the warm night, "I was
dreaming."
"That's nothing new," a new voice rode on the soft air to Serenity's
ears, teasing gently. Senshi Mars and Venus stood in the doorway, shaking
their heads.
"What is this, now, Senshi?" Mercury asked, her sweet lilt marred only
slightly by irritation, "A party? I hardly think this is what her majesty
needs right now."
"'Her Majesty'? Mercury, do you see any guards or courtiers in this room
right now?" Senshi Mars asked, raising her eyebrow with a smirk.
"Well-"
"Then, forget the formalities, Serenity is Serenity and she is still a
lazy little twit who refuses to study and instead stares at earth all night,
when she isn't in Communications going all moony over a certain pair of blue
eyes." Throughout her decidedly clever little speech, Mars had positioned
herself to the princess's left, locking her arm, as Jupiter did, around
Serenity's shoulders.
Letting a soft rose glow cover her cheeks, Serenity shrugged sheepishly.
"Ah, Mars, you have always been the waxing poetic." Venus said from her spot
in the doorway. The oldest of the girls in the room, their leader just watched
them with a silent, tolerant smile.
Jupiter just grinned. "Now, my dear little princess," she said, "Let's
study."
Biting her lip, Serenity started to stand up, "Gomen nasai, but I ha-"
the strength of Jupiter and Mars's cleverly placed arms kept her from moving
more than an inch before falling softly back onto her bed.
"Now, Princess," Mercury smiled, "how do you expect to rule a planet if
you cannot learn your royal history?"
Shutting her eyes, the girl groaned, loudly. "Just because you are all
four years older than me**, you think I can be bossed around!"
Gentle laughter shook the girls next to her, "Oh dear Serenity, if only
you didn't *need* bossing around," Mars said, "we could leave you to your
vices, if only that included studying and work."
Graceful fingers tugged open the heavy book that lay in her lap, and
Serenity let locks of silver glide over the floor as she leaned forward to
squint at the small symbols and gleamed in gold on the parchment pages.
She sighed. "This is really quite boring, minna-san."
"It is not boring! It is important!" Mercury said, using an age-old
argument on her small, unwilling pupil.
"All the great rulers must learn these things," Venus added reasonably,
"Your mother and her mother before her, as well as the other lords and
political leaders of the Silver Alliance."
Mars grinned cheekily at the girl next to her, "And I'm sure the great
Endymion-sama of Earth keeps up with all his studies and lessons."
This sort of teasing was common among the girls, and it came to shock to
all except Venus when Serenity tensed under Mars's arm and slammed the book
closed so it echoed throughout her chambers.
"And if he does? What does that have to do with me?" she cried, breaking
out of Jupiter's grasp and standing up, tears of anger and hurt filling her
eyes. "Would I stop believing in beauty, magic a-and love and loyalty and
everything I stand for?! Why would I ever want to be as cold-hearted as him?!"
The book flew across the room and landed, open on the floor of the room, face
down. Gasping, Princess Serenity covered her mouth with her hands.
A shocked, stilled silence filled the room. The senshi wouldn't have
been more surprised if Serenity had pulled a sword on them for commenting on
the weather. She was prone to spouts of attitude, yes, or daydreaming, or
disrespectful, humorous behavior like blowing Venus a raspberry when she called
her in for dinner, but this... this was just so unlike her.
"Serenity-hime?" Mercury murmured softly, reaching out to touch the
girl's arm.
Jumping, gray-blue eyes seemed to survey the room as if they had never
seen the place before, swimming with tears when she saw the book on the floor.
"Go-gomen! Gomen nasai! I'm sorry," she gasped, horror settling over
her features, "I'm sorry... sorry...so...sorry..." hands covering her face,
she ran tearfully from the room.
"It's okay, Princess-" Mercury had started to say, lifting up the book
and smoothing the pages, but Venus cut her off with a quick shake of her head.
"I don't think she was apologizing to you."
"Then who?" Mars sighed, "Oh, for crying out..." Heaving a long-
suffering sigh, the Senshi of Fire walked to the nearest guard, "I'll look in
the communications room."
Still stung from the events that transpired, Jupiter followed Mars, the taller
girl murmuring Jupiterain prayers of peace to her troubled princess.
Alone in the middle of the princess's bedroom, Mercury held the book in
her arms. "What happened, Venus?" she said softly, Earthlight falling to
illuminate the gold letters scribed into the leather binding.
"He doesn't believe in us." Venus answered just as softly, walking to
her friend's side.
"Very few Earthbeings do, nowadays." Mercury said, "I'm not sure how I
feel about that."
Venus sighed, walking toward the door, "Will you go and tell Mars that I
will find and talk to Serenity?"
Nodding, Mercury left the room, hurrying after her fellow senshi.
'It bothers me, too' the blonde thought, frowning up at the Earth as it
hung in the sky, 'that they don't believe. And it must have just about killed
Serenity.'
Hands clasped together and head bowed, the small figure did not want to be
recognized. Glad in a dark blue cloak, the least ornate she owned, Serenity
lifted tearful eyes to the figure of the man whose she uttered such blasphemy
against just a few short minutes ago. It was late, and the few people left in
the communications room were sleepily watching the few small screens still on,
whispering among themselves as the palace slept on.
It was there Venus found Serenity, sobbing into her hands.
"Are you through apologizing, little one?" she asked kindly, putting her
hand on the smaller girl's covered head.
Sniffling the princess shook her head, "What would it matter if I did?
He wouldn't hear me. Or even think for a moment he might have. He doesn't
believe." 'All those times I thought he might be looking back at me, all those
times I was so sure he almost heard my vows of love to him... it was nothing...
lies.'
"Can you blame him, Serenity-sama?" Although it was late, the prince of
Earth was awake, leaning his arms on the ledge to the veranda near the gardens.
The wind toyed with his dark hair, his eyes stared meditatively at the moon.
Serenity let herself become enraptured with him, as always, and let Venus's
smooth, comforting voice calm her.
"It is very hard to give blind faith to something as intangible as we
will always be to the Earthbeings. He is good man, Serenity, and tries his
best. However, he has had a difficult life and it will only get harder. We
can guide and aid him from afar but that's where it has to stop. Endymion has
to do what he thinks is right, and that might involve not getting caught up in
fantasies like the Angel legends, legends of us, into his life."
During this speech, Serenity had let the clock slide from her head and
face, lifting her trembling chin up to her truest friend and councilor. "Will
Endymion ever believe in m-in us?"
Gently, but with deep conviction, Venus turned her friend to face her.
Lowering herself to look the younger girl in the eyes, she said firmly, "You
should not care, Serenity. You are Princess of the Moon Kingdome, he is an
Earthbeing. Of course we love and care for all Earth creatures, but this
obsession of yours is unhealthy. He doesn't believe in us, and this is how it
should be."
When Serenity opened her mouth to protest, Venus hurried along in her
speech. "The Earth breed is a proud lot, and they like to think they made it
this far on their own. The nobles and royalty especially need to assume that
confidence in themselves. Can you imagine what their reaction would be to
learning they were being watched, and guided from above? Of course they'd deny
it and Endymion-sama is no different."
At Serenity's silence Venus nodded, her point had obviously been made
quite clearly. "He is a human. You are an angel, Serenity, but that's all you
will ever be to him. Intangible."
Long after Venus left her, long after the shifts changed in the
communications room, long after the rest of the city had turned quiet and
still, Serenity lifted lovely gray-blue eyes to the empty screen. The prince
was asleep now, there was nothing to watch. 'Dream, Endymion, if followers of
reason do dream.'
"Intangible..." she whispered. It never occurred to her that she might
never one day see her love face to face. No wonder the others teased her, no
wonder he didn't believe. They could never exist to each other. "You're
wrong. You are all wrong. I'll prove it to you, minna-san, Endymion. Angels
exist. We are right before your eyes."
Far down, between miles of matter-less space and layers of clouds, and
air and brick and stone, Endymion slept, and he did dream, of an angel.
And an angel decided that for once, dreams would not be enough.
End part one
*- The communications room was were they watched the earth on all their
computers and technology that looked suspiciously like what was available in
1992 ^_- I'm not sure if it was called the 'Main Communications' room in the
manga, I got that idea from Jes's Always Watching You and it stuck.
**- In the manga, the guardians were four when Serenity was an infant.
part two: Tsubasa :wings
the Prolouge Komoriu
tasogare: nightfall
kamenbutokai
masquerade
believe: shinjiru (except as true, trust)
to dream: yumemiru
beloved: aisuru
kamigata
(
geocities.com/element_sprite)