By Sailor Nena

Darien woke up early the next morning. It was only a few hours after dawn and the entire castle slept quietly. He quickly got dress and decided to get to work; it was going to be a long day. He noticed that Jedite wasn’t guarding the Princess’s chamber. "How strange, he always guards her door as she sleeps." Slowly, the door began to open. He hid behind his door; a small seductive figure emerged from the room. He followed it down the hallway into the light where he lost sight of it. "Where did it go?"

"What do you want?" A small strong voice asked. He turn to find a sword at his neck.

""Who are you, and why were you coming out of the princess’s chamber?" he asked defiantly.

"Answer my question first!" the voice demanded . By its soft tone, Darien could tell it was a woman. She was wearing a silver shirt with matching pants. Over where her heart would be, there was a golden crescent moon. Her face was covered with a silver mask with a golden crescent moon on her forehead.

"I want you to answer my questions." He wasn’t about to let a girl tell him what to do. She put away her sword.

"I am the Moon Guardian, and I was watching over the princess’s sleep." Darien couldn’t help being attracted to this girl. Her face might have been completely covered, but there was something in her soft independent voice that released the butterflies in his stomach.

"Are you always this secretive?"

"Only when there are idiotic princes around." She insulted.

"Owe, that hurt. You know Moon Guardian, instead of going around insulting people, you should take more care of that sword of yours! You are going to hurt yourself." If he was going to receive insults than he was going to give them away too.

"You should talk. Like most princes, I bet you are all reputation and no skill." Boy she was good, but he knew how to make her eat her words.

"If you really want to see my skill, that could be arranged." He was sure she couldn’t refuse or win.

"This afternoon at three in the Wild Gardens." She walked away slowly but confidently. Darien got a good look at the swords that made an x-shape on her back. Her uniform seemed more like a second skin, and those ankle boots had a little too much heel for a swords fighter. No, this was going to be too easy. She was over confident, and she wouldn’t see any attack coming. Darien had always enjoyed a good exercise session before a ball, but he was sure this one, would be a ball within itself.

"Sailor Nena, where are you?" The Moon Guardian approached the Story Tree.

"She is right behind you my child." My mother answered. She turned to face me as I became visible again.

"I bring a message from the princess." She began. "You are to attend her birthday balls."

"I always attend her balls." I could sense a wry smile forming behind her mask.

"Yes, but this time, you are to enter the ball room, and not watch all from the outside of the window."

"What?!" I asked surprised, "I never go inside, and you know it!"

"That is why the princess took the liberty of picking a nice pearl colored dress for you to wear."

"I AM not going in! There will be too many people, and I will not be able to write!" I protested.

"Are you going to go against the princess’s wishes!" She was becoming quite annoyed herself.

"We will compromise. I will be inside tonight only to see her open her gift. Tomorrow, I will enter after dinner, and I will attend the full ceremony of the last day. That will give me enough time to adjust to being in a room with so many people that can see me."

"It seems reasonable enough. After three, I’ll give you the dress."

"You know Guardian, Darien is not just ‘..all reputation and no skill.’ I have seen him fight, and he is not half bad." I teased.

"That means he is not have good either." she teased back with a devilish smile hidden behind the mask.

"Do not worry, I will write down every fall, kick, stab, and......" I could not help grinning, "kiss."

"Nena! You know quite well my disposition towards princes, and he is no exception!" She defended. I just smiled an ‘I told you so’ and watched her go off to her training section.

"So prince Darien is back." My mother began, "It looks like you will finally have something good to write about. The Earth family always has an interesting sense of humor."

"I hope because he IS going to need it for today’s fight."

"Well, I never said they were wise."

"So Earth people are not wise."

"I never said that either. They are wise when it comes to love and self confidence. They also know a few things about intelligence and skill, but they also have pride and ego. If that is ever hurt, their reactions tend to be childish and not thought through. That is why our dear Prince is going to have a small surprise when he fights our Guardian. Tell me child, does he stand a chance?" My devilish smile was all my mother needed for an answer.

Three o’clock came by, and Darien walked into the Wild Gardens. He saw the Moon Guardian putting her hair into a bun. It was much longer than he expected. He silently cursed that she was not facing him, for he could not see her face.

"I thought you were not coming." He was a bit startled; he did not expect for her to be able to sense his presence.

"Why, I have never turned down a challenge! Why should I begin now?" he teased.

"Because you can’t win this one, shall we begin?" She asked as she placed her mask on. For a second, he thought he was going to see her face. She turned to face him. Weather it was the air of mystery that flowed around her, or if it was the regal air that ran through her very being, Darien felt he knew this girl. She drew her sword; he drew his. He cautiously approached; she threw a high kick. He garbed her leg before it could do any damage. She placed her hands on the ground for support and used the other leg to kick his head. The collision with the iron boon caused Darien to fall on the ground. He quickly jumped to his feet, and lounged at her with his sword. She perfectly blocked his move with hers. He gave her a devilish smile; she kicked his stomach to push him back. Darien was surprise at the amount of strength in her kick. She was obviously no ammeter.

Their swords clashed blow after blow. In one of the blows, Darien garbed her wrist and flipped her. As soon as she was on the floor, she tried to make him fall by kicking his right ankle; he saw it coming and jumped. She did a flip to stand up. He raised his sword above his head; her sword was waiting for his when it came down hard. She moved her wrist in a three hundred and sixty degree turn to rip his sword out of his hand, but he did the same, and both sword went flying into the nearby trees. He did a jump kick towers her, which she avoided. He tried to punch her unconscious, but she blocked that blow with her bare hands. Unfortunately for the Guardian, that was a decoy to grab her wrist again. He flung her against a tree. She fixed herself in the air, and jumped of the tree with her right fist aimed at his face. He moved out of the way as she flipped in mid air to land perfectly on her feet. It was obvious he was no amateur.

Darien pulled out the sword from the tree behind him; Guardian drew her other sword. They lunged at each other, and found their swords checked in stalemate at each others’ throats. Darien gave her a wry smile. They could do this all day, and still neither would win. They were equally matched swordsmen and fighters. It was amazing.

"Serenity of the Moon, what is the meaning of this?!" Queen Serenity screeched.

"Mom!" Guardian shrieked in surprised.

"Mom?" Darien asked in surprise. As King Guile approached the scene, Moon Guardian slowly removed her masked, and her hair flowed in golden waves to her knees.

"Serena?!" Darien couldn’t believe his eyes. Before him stood the innocent rose that could not stand the roaring thunder. Before him stood the only worrier that was ever able to actually check him, even if it was a tie, and they were the same person. "Now I know why they call you the Lunar White Rose. You are fragile and defenseless in appearance, but strong and poisonous underneath."

"Oh, this is going to be a long day!" The king stated as he reached the gardens.

"Fighting like a crazed soldier! Who did you think you were?! Jedite?!" The Queen was yelling at the top of her powerful lungs. She was angry; she was very angry. She had always been a pacifist, and expected that her daughter inherited some of her views. Serena looked around the familiar office. She was standing in front of her parent’s twin oak desks. They were standing on the other side of it. There where pictures all over the walls of dead family members, and diplomas from the best schools in the galaxy. She could tell that the door was slightly ajar, and Darien was listening to the whole thing.

"Mother, you know that today is the seventh day of the seventh month. You know today is the day I am to practice with my uniform." Serena began to explain.

"What does your uniform have to do with your actions?!" Her mother interrupted.

"Speaking of your uniform, wasn’t that the one I said you couldn’t have?!" Her father asked.

"No the one you said I couldn’t have was the one that consisted of only the body with the knee-high boots." Serena corrected.

"And who approved this one? I’m sure I did not!" Now he was annoyed. King Guile came from a planet were it was important for the future ruler to know how to fight as a peasant and as a monarch. He was proud of Serena’s accomplishments, but he wished she would dress a little more conservative.

"I did!" the Queen answered.

"You?!" the King asked in surprise

"Well, if it was up to you, she would be wearing a habit!" She retorted.

"And, what’s wrong with that?!" he demanded

"I don’t like habits!" the princess screamed. It was her turn to yell. "I DON’T like being stuck hear for my birthday, and I don’t like to be yelled at before I have a chance to defend myself!" The King and Queen knew their daughter too well. She was at the end of her rope. They understood it was hard for her to admit she was wrong, but they couldn’t let her get away with everything. They sat down at their desks and motioned her to begin.

"He caught me this morning coming out of my room." she obeyed calmly, "He made a comment on how I was OBVIOUSLY a beginner, so I responded the same way I always do. He challenged me; I accepted, and the rest you know."

"This doesn’t speak well in you favor." The Queen remarked calmly. "Did he teach you your lesson, or did I interrupted too soon?"

"We taught each other a lesson." Serena responded.

"Excuse me young lady?!" The Queen hated these riddles from her daughter.

"It was a stalemate."

"That’s my girl!" the King said proudly.

"Guile!" The Queen scolded, "How did you, Serena, manage it?"

"My lessons on fighting have been given to me on a daily basis since my fourth birthday."

"On whose order?!" The Queen couldn’t believe her ears. Who would go against her wishes in such a manner?

"On mine!" King Guile informed, "Well, if it was up to you, she would live in a cave, and preach love and peace to all!" the King mocked

"And what’s wrong with that?!" the Queen asked.

"I don’t want to live in a cave, and love and peace is an unrealistic ideal." Serena said calmly.

"Your punishment shall be decided now. Take your leave, and change for the banquet. It is about to begin." Serena gave the Lunar bow, which was crossing her right leg behind her left and bending her knees. She left the room, and Darien entered. The Queen continued, "Darien I must apologize for my daughter’s immature behavior, but I must say, yours wasn’t that mature either."

"I agree. I let my pride get the best of me; I promise it will never happen again."

"No it won’t. I’ll make sure of that, but speaking about my daughter, how was she?" King Guile wasted no time in finding out what he wanted to know.

"Guile!" the Queen whined.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"She was surprisingly and refreshingly good. It was nice to see that my sister is not the only one that learns the sacred art of self-defense." Darien smoothed over. The Queen picked up something from the floor.

"Nice try hot shot, but you are still going to be reprimanded, even if you didn’t know it was my daughter you were challenging." the king informed. This was not good. Darien needed to have her parents on his side to make his mission work.

Serena walked into the room. She was wearing a light blue silk Greek-styled dress. It had puffy short sleeves and a low cleavage. Her hair was up in its usual way with sapphire bobby pins. She held her hand open to her mother; Queen Serenity put in it the necklace Darien had given her. He couldn’t help but to place it on her neck when she tried to put it on.

"The punishment we have decided for both of you is actually quite simple." The Queen began.

"You will have to dance the first and last dance of these three balls together." the King finished.

"But dad, you know I never dance those two dances! It’s against my religion!" Serena said in disbelief.

"And I don’t need anyone to find me dance partners." Darien said indignant.

"Tough luck. This is our decision, and we are not going back. Now go and get ready for tonight!" The Queen ordered.

"That annoying fool! If I could have my way, he would be dead by now! Nena, where are you!" Serena screamed at the top of her lungs.

"I’m right here. Calm down. It looks like you are about to kill someone." I joked.

"I am! What are you doing like that?! Why haven’t you changed?!" Her fury had made her blind. I was still wearing my Scout uniform, which consisted of a black skirt two inches longer than the ones of the other scouts, a black bow, a white body, and ankle high boots. For jewelry I had a pair of gold earrings that resembled an open book with a silver feather pen coming out of it; I had a matching necklace, and a golden broach on my bow. The broach had the same design engraved with a phrase in a distant language, "’"Palabras Escritas Son Verdade Por A Noite He Por a Manan." My mother says it means, "Written Words Are Truth In The Night And In The Morning."

"Serena," I said calmly, "you still have not given me the dress, which you wish me to wear."

"Oh, that’s right." She took a deep breath, but still felt like crying, "I’m sorry," she sobbed, "but this IDIOT put me in a horrendous mood! I can’t believe my parents are going to make me dance with him." Abruptly, she stood up and wiped her tears away like fallen angels. "He is not going to ruin MY birthday. Here," She pulled out a dress from her large closet, "put this on."

The dress was also Greek-style, like most of the day. It was a soft pearl colored to mach the crystal in my tiara, and for jewelry, I wore my dangling pearl earrings, matching necklace and bracelet, and a simple pearl ring that reminds me of a model of the moon’s orbit.

I took a good look at myself in Serena’s life size morrow. In its simplicity, I looked regal. I was the only Scout with Mediterranean olive skin. My hair was as dark as Ray’s, but I did not have bangs. My long hair, which was usually parted from my face by two small French braid on either side of my head, was loosely bounded in an elegant low braid.

"You really should change your eyes to blue. They would stand out more." Serena suggested. She put on a pair of sapphire and emerald earrings followed by the bracelet and ring to go with her hairpins.

"There the same almond tone of my mother’s bark. It is an honor and a privilege bestowed upon very few. Why would I want to change or hide that?" Insulted I asked.

"Nena, you know I am only teasing you. Your eyes are beautiful the way they are." She gave me one of her sweet smiles. "Come on, I want to show your mother the transformation." She garbed my hand and dragged me out of the room. My faithful book floated behind us.

"Story Tree, I have a surprise for you." Serena sinisterly whispered.

"Why my princess, don’t you know that having you in my presence at this moment in time is a surprise? Are you not suppose to be in the Great Banquet Hall?" My mother whispered back.

"There was a delay in the schedule, but are you not curious to see your surprise?" It was nearly impossible not to keep formality with my mother. She liked the language so much, she dared not use slang or contractions.

"What is this surprise of yours?" Story Tree’s curiosity was peaked.

"Come forward my friend." Serena’s smile had grown larger than the summer’s day, and her previous furry was forgotten. I slowly obeyed hearing my mother gasp. Even though she did not have eyes, I knew that they were filling up with tears of pride.

"My, you look so much older and sophisticated. Has this lady been hiding underneath the childish exterior?" Her voice quivered in the night.

"Doesn’t she look beautiful?" Serena could NOT help gloating. I was her creation; something she had been trying to create in me for some time now. Finally, she had succeeded.

"Come back here you!" A ruff cold voice came from the trail. I made my book vanish in time to see a young boy running strait at me. I caught the child in my arms.

"Don’t let him get me! Please, don’t let him get me!" the small voice begged.

"A ha, I got you now!" A tall dark prince appeared in the trail. I hid the child behind me.

"Prince Helot, what is the meaning of this?!" Serena protested.

"Ah, princess, you look as beatify as ever. You need not worry yourself with my planet’s laws." He tried to smooth over as he reached for the child. I pulled the child out of his reach.

"What?!" He was in shock that I had defied him.

"This child had asked for our protection, and my family’s code of arms is "Protect the Defenseless and Those Who Implore Your Protection!" Defiantly, Serena stated.

"My regent, you do not understand that this child comes from the Gemini Empire. He is probably the last of his kind. My planet’s policy towards these demons is to destroy them on sight." he protested.

"And my kingdom’s policy towards his people has always and shall always be to welcome them with open arms, as I have welcomed you." Serena was an amazing speaker. She did not loose her cool. Confident, defiant, and intelligent, she would win this verbal war.

"Fine, as you wish. You leave me no choice but to......" he lounged at me and the child. Serena pushed him away with all her fury and strength. He threw her against Story Tree, and she lifted her roots to protect me.

"Nena, take the child and run! We’ll take care of him!" I obeyed my princess’s orders immediately. I garbed the child in my arms and ran with all my energy toward the crystal tower.

"Men, get them!" Prince Helot yelled behind me. Instantaneously, seven of his personal guards where running right behind us. It was at this point that I truly began to miss my boots.

"I can walk on my on you know!" the boy screamed. Suddenly, I realize how ridiculous it was for me to carry such a large child in my arms. I set him down without stopping. Still holding tight to his hand, I guided him to the only place he would be safe. My legs felt like two stiff branches on fire. I hated running from my problems, but I feared the child might be hurt if I stayed and fight. One of the guards shot an arrow at us. It pass between our arms and harshly landed a few feet in front of us. This was the drop that spilt the glass.

Violently, I turn to face them. "Nena Star Activation!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Black and white laces covered my body until I was left standing before an open book with a quill pen writing on it. This was my sign, like the four was Jupiter’s. "You should be ashamed!" Like a proper scout I began giving a short speech. "You picked on someone that was smaller than you, and now you will pay!" I pointed my finger at them and screamed, "Quill pen attack!" Instantaneously, thousands of tiny pens left my finger and hit the soldiers. There armor was ripped off, but not there determination. They prepared to attack. I could take anything they threw at me, but the boy was still there, and Serena was facing the armed prince unarmed. She needed me; he needed me. There was only one thing to do.

I covered the child with my body so not one of the arrows hit him. With a little push, I motioned to keep running. We were about to take a short cut through the Living Labyrinth. The Living Labyrinth was a life size maze made of bushes. There were no signs to help you move around, and it is said that many people who entered are still trying to find their way out.

We entered it unscathed. We made the first right possible and then a left. We had fooled them for a while, but it would not last long. I touched my broach and detransformed.

"Why did ya do that?" His eyes were on me like two vultures on a nearby pray.

"They are looking for Sailor Nena and a small child, not Lady Nena and a small child." I calmly explained. His eyes turned to two burning coals.

"I’m not small!" he demanded.

"You are smaller than me!" I protested.

"Yea, well, someday, I’ll be bigga than you!" he retorted.

"I’ll give you that much, but until then, you are still the smallest one here." I tried to soothe. I knew the boy wanted to cry of fear, but for some strange reason he had the necessity to act like a strong fierce creature in my presence. "What is your name?" May be I could win his truest.

"Sergio of Gemini at your service malady." he politely answered.

"You don’t have to call me my lady or be at my service. You are a guest here like myself, and as soon as possible, I’ll take you to see our hostess."

"What should I call you then ma’am?" he insisted.

"Defiantly not that! Call me what everyone calls me, Nena." This answer seemed to please him.

"O.K., Nena." he smiled. He had such a sweet, enchanting, sad smile. There was something hidden behind those eyes that troubled him. Something a soul so young should NOT have to bear. The soldiers were getting closer.

"Come on, we have no time to waste!" I grabbed his had and ran strait through the labyrinth as the bushes parted to let us pass. Being the daughter of a tree does have its advantages. It seemed to be the most beautiful sight I had beheld in my life. Not only had we reached the Crystal Towers, the safest place on the moon, but Queen Serenity, King Guile, and Prince Darien were standing on its steps. "Your majesty!"

"Nena, what’s going on here?" She said as she saw the soldiers cutting the bushes to catch us. She then laid eyes on Sergio. "Never mind, I understand. Guards!" Three dozen royal guards appeared at the entrance. Helot’s half dozen threw their weapons on the floor and gave up.

"My Matriarch, Serena is fighting barehanded Prince Helot with my mother’s help as we speak." I earnestly informed her.

"Serena! Where?" Darien seemed more worried than the rest.

"By my mother’s side." I answered.

"Then, lets go!" Jedite ordered as he appeared in the scene.

"Nena," the King began, "I like that dress. You should wear it more often." Leave it to the King to be the only one to notice I had changed my outfit at a time like this.

When we reached Serena, her dress had been ripped by the fight, and my mother had lost a branch. He had his arms around her neck and was strangling her. My mother tried to separate them, but he had too strong of a hold on Serena. Darien’s eyes filled with rage at this sight. His blood boiled, and his heart pumped quickly. Without a second thought, he threw himself at Helot. The two rolled on the floor like crazed animals. Helot punched him in the face. Darien returned the punch with a kick to the stomach. While Helot rolled in pain, Darien quickly stood up. Jedite proceeded to arrest Helot. It would be two days before we would know that Darien’s kick not only immobilize Helot, but it broke three Helot’s ribs (Helot and his people have their heart and lungs were humans have their stomachs, so their ribs are also there).

Darien approached Serena, who amazingly did not mind him holding her close to him for a few moments before he proceeded to yell at her for being irresponsible enough to expose herself to such danger. They argued for a half an hour on the subject before Serena had to go change (again) for the birthday ball. Darien also took the opportunity to go and change. My reader would be surprise to know how dirty a prince can get from rolling around in the moist soil of the garden.

The dinner at the banquet was exquisite, as usual. Princess Lita had been in charge of the food committee, and her variety of dishes was incredible. Prince Voracious had a field day, but not with the after dinner delight. The dancing part of the ball was a surprise to all.

The dance began promptly at nine. None of the princes tried to ask Serena for the first dance because they knew the answer would be no. Darien’s absences made it understandable that he did approach the princess with an intention on dancing; the results were not what anyone expected.

"May I have this dance princess." Darien politely asked.

"I don’t accustom to dance the first OR last dance." She politely answered.

"Would you please make an exception this one time." he smile sweetly and confidently. She knew her parents were watching her. If she looked at them for the approval, then all the princes would scream favoritism and a riot would break out. She had to make this decision on her own. Should she not complete her punishment and receive a worst one to take its place, or should she accept the dance and be humiliated. She slowly placed her had on his.

"I suppose it wouldn’t kill me this ONE time. After all, you haven’t visited in four years. I have to make sure you feel welcome." Serena said with a seductive grin. He took her into his arms, and led her to the dance floor. There, like two impeccable swans, they graced the dance floor with their talent. Serena was surprised to find a prince that could actually dance. All the other princes were to busy trying to fallow the steps to keep the beet.

Serena, as usual, had to dance all the other dances, but something strange happened. Every time an annoying pig of a prince would take her into the dance floor, she ended up dancing with Darien. In fact, the only two dances she didn’t dance with Darien were the one she danced with her father and the one with Jedite. It was a mystery to her. She entered the dance floor with one prince, but when she came up from a dip or finished a turn, Darien would be there. At first she was frustrated by this, and for a moment, she doubted her sanity. This feeling quickly passed as Darien proved himself an experience well-rounded dancer. He danced the waltz as well as her father, and he was not thrown of beet by a Latino rhythm. He knew how to adapt to Serena’s style, and how to help her adapt to his. In short, he was the perfect dance partner.

"This will be the last dance of the evening. The ceremonial opening of the first present shall take place immediately after. Thank you." Chad announced with an air of authority. Serena and Darien had just finished dancing, and the abrupt announcement left Serena with no time to hide.

"Shall we?" Darien gave her a fiendish smile. Unbelievably, Serena felt a strange sensation in her stomach, as if the angels had opened the Gates of Heaven and freed the winds in her stomach.

"Do I have a choice?" She complained not realizing the brightness and liveliness in her eyes. Those two sapphires shown with more elegance than the finest jewel ever created.

"Do you need a choice?" He said as the slow music began to play.

"It’s always nice to have one." He took her gently in his arms.

"Fine, then you can either dance this dance with me or with Helot."

"That’s my choice?" She gazed deep into his eyes for a moment. They looked so honest, warm, and inviting. Reminding her of the splendor of the rising sun, they forced her to listen to the lyrics.

"Well?" She had not stop smiling or gazing into his eyes since he gave her the choice, but she also had not answered, and he wasn’t a man of patience.

"I’m thinking!" she protested. The chorus began to sing.

"Serena!" Darien whined.

"Well, by not making a decision, I have actually made one." She teased with a soft grin.

"Which is.......?" Darien just needed to hear it from her lips.

"Darien!" It was her turn to whine. He gave her such a plead with his eyes, that Serena had no choice but to give in. Her eyes fell upon the floor as a blush fell upon her cheeks. "I chose you." The song ended, and everyone clapped. Some of the older women cried a bit due to the fund memories the song brought to them.

"The gift opening is about to begin. Would you please take your seats." Chad really loved his position of power. Serena gave Darien her famous bow, and he responded with the classic prince bow. As she returned to her table, he disappeared in the crowed.

"How strange," she thought, "he is sitting next to me, but he has gone to the other end of the room." Serena took her place at her mother’s right side. The room had the tables set up in a u-shape. The main table was at the center. This table face the columns of the entrance of the ball room. Here were seated in the middle King Guile, Queen Serenity and the princess, in that order. To the left of the king, Royal physician Andrew, General of the Royal Moon Army Jedite, General of the Royal Moon Air Force Malachite, General of the Lunar Star Navy Nephrite, and General of the Lunar National Guard Zoisite were seated. On Serena’s right, seated first was Prince Darien of Earth followed by Princess Mina of Venus, Princess Ray of Mars, Princes Lita of Jupiter, and Princess Lady Aims of Mercury. The other tables were placed facing each other. Families and close friends were seated close to each other. Between these tables was the dance floor. It was a perfect square that was the size of four Olympic size swimming pools. The band was behind the right side of the main table, and Sir Chad was always invited to sit with the princesses. Strangely, he refused every time.

In the confusion of the seating, I enter the room through the hidden door behind the band. Cautiously I sat in Darien’s seat. "I hope you are happy because I’m not!" I began.

"Yes I am. Smile, you are a princess now." she teased.

"Nena, is that you?" Venus questioned in surprise.

"Yes, it is."

"What’s going on? Who’s she?" Jupiter turned to face us. "Nena?"

"What?" This was becoming a bit annoying.

"Oh my God, Aims, Ray, look. Nena is out of uniform!" Jupiter screamed in astonishment.

"Wow! This must be your first time out of uniform." Ray commented.

"Actually, it is the second." I corrected.

"Huh, when was the first?" Venus wanted to know.

"She wasn’t born with her habit." Aims answered.

"Thank you very much for the complement, Aims. You know, just because my uniform skirt is the longest of the five, it does NOT mean it is a habit." I defended.

"Please, we all know that it was your mother that requested the change, but you could have changed the squirt when ever you wanted. Why didn’t you?" Venus asked.

"If my mother asked only that I wear a longer squirt, and it is not excessively long, then I do not see a problem." I informed. Chad came over and whispered something in Ray’s ear. Girls we have a problem outside. Jedite wants us there. If we need you Nena we will call you." She teased. It was no secrete that I was only supposed to fight if the Scouts needed help, otherwise, I was suppose to write what happened as it happened.

"What are they up to?" Serena asked when they were gone. I shrugged in response.

The lights began to dim and Chad began to speak. "The first present, by tradition, has always been symbolic. This year, the Lunar royal parents have sponsored a song, which shall be performed by the Girl Planets and the Loco men." Every one clapped and the music began. It had a catchy beet, the type that you cannot get out of your head for days. The Scouts appeared on the dance floor wearing leather skin tight outfits. Each was the color of their planet. The girls were full of make up so that only the main table recognized them. The girls raised their mics to their mouths and began:

Two dark figures appear. They were wearing baggy pants with shirts that were three sizes two big for them. They had sunglasses and long gold chains for jewelry. The lights began to focus on them.

"By the stars, isn’t the blond one Jedite?" Nephrite asked shocked.

"Yes, but who is the one with the dark hair?" Serena was trying to get a good look at the stranger. "He looks oddly familiar." Serena felt her heart skip a jump. That was Tuxedo Mask. She was sure of it.

"Could it be because he is a prince?" Nephrite asked in his informal way.

"A prince?" Serena was not sure who to believe, her heart or her mind.

"Darien of Earth to be exact." Nephrite said with a grin as he walked away.

"Darien? How could I’ve been so blind. Why did I see him in Darien? Could I miss him THAT much?" Serena wondered to herself. They began.

The two rappers approached Serena to get the traditional kisses. Jedite went first. He wished her a happy birthday as she kissed each cheek. Darien came for his. She kissed his right, but when she went to his other cheek, their lips brushed accidentally against each other like a painter accidentally brushes a little too much blush on a portrait making it a masterpiece. Darien felt her cold lips burn his with a flame of passion unknown to any other. It was the same that had burnt his cheek in the spaceport, only this time it was not only his cheek that was burning. Serena, on the other hand, lost all strength for a second. Her eyes wanted to close; her legs wanted to give way, and her lips wanted to surrender. She had never felt such power before her as the one she felt in the surface of his lips. "Are all Earth men like this, or is it just him?" she thought to herself.

The Scouts greeted her with hugs and best wishes. She thanked Chad for working so hard on the song, but did not hesitate to mentioned that she did not like the insinuations about love. All he could do was smile. She thanked them all one more time, and then rushed to thank her parents for the surprise.

"I’m glad you like it honey." Her mother beamed down.

"I would have preferred that family trip to Neptune that I’ve been asking for, but this was nice also."

"Serena, for the two hundred fifty thousand seven hundred and twenty eight time, you are not going surfing in Neptune!" Her father scolded.

"But it’s not just the surf." She began to complain,. "It is also the beautiful beaches, family picnics, no princes, Princess Neptune, and the beautiful ocean."

"Serena, no means no." her mother reminded.

"So alone General?" Malachite turned in surprise to see Zoisite behind him. The ball had been over for an hour, and he had decided to take some time to think. He was standing in one of the gardens. He was leaning against an apple tree and gazing at the wonder of the night sky. The light from the stars reflected off their uniforms, which were the almost same as the ones they would one day wear for the Negaverse. The only difference was that the colors were silver with gold seems and a golden crescent moon over their hearts.

"General, what are you doing here?" Malachite decided to answer her question with a question.

"I had nothing to do, so I decided to walk in the gardens, and you?" She knew her place quite well. Even though she was also a general, age and the fact that his position carried more weight than hers, demanded a certain amount of respect.

"The same here. Were is your brother?" If he kept asking, she could not repeat her original question.

"He is being scolded by the General." she informed with a defiant smile painted on her lips.

"Why?" It wasn’t like Jedite to scold another general, even if he was the most powerful one.

"I’ll give you one hint," Her smile widen, "if you tell me why you are so alone."

"Zoisite!" He sounded stern and powerful, but Zoisite didn’t seem to notice.

"It was over a certain princess." She could always teas him latter, and she was not in the mood for a fight.

"Oh, let me guess, he is still too shy." It was his turn to smile.

"As usual."

"Where is Andrew?"

"Setting up for tonight. Some of the royals have gone out. He is worried that they might hurt themselves." She had her official tone in practice.

"And the servants?"

"Some are still cleaning up, but the majority is in bed like the rest of the castle." Her tone soften a little.

"In other words, we are basically alone."

"Yes." Her tone became very seductive.

"Then, why aren’t we kissing?" He gave her a fiendish smile.

"Because, you are way over there." Her voice was soft and as inviting as the warm June air.

"Then, lets take care of that." He took two steps closer to her, slipped his hands around her waist as she rapped her arms around his neck, and kissed her as passionately and wildly as if this was their last night together. He tighten his grip on her. He wanted her as close as possible to him. He kissed her this way until it felt that their lips were about to bleed.

He began to trace a line of kisses down her neck. Subsequently, he hugged her, and she hugged him.

"I love you Malachite. I love you like the Moon loves the Earth. Always revolving around him. Never being disloyal, but using her power to conquer his tides." Her voice was trembling.

"And I you, Zoisite. Like the Earth loves the Moon. Never minding the pressure of her everlasting company. Always loyal, and welcoming her power into his tides."

"Only one more year, Malachite, and we can be married. One more year and not even my father’s opposition will matter. I will be able to choose you as my husband. Can you wait that long?"

"I can wait until the moon turns to blood, for you. I can bear anything life throws at us as long as you promise me that you will never leave me." Malachite held her tighter.

"Only if you promise never to leave me." Zoisite held him tighter.

"I cannot live without you my love." His voice was desperate.

"Where ever you may go, I will fallow." They stopped hugging for a moment to gaze into each others eyes. Their lips met one more time, but this time the kiss was soft and patient. They savored every second of it. Nothing was rushed. It just flowed into the night as their love was proclaimed.

The ball had been over for a little over an hour. Darien had calculated enough time to change and to get to top of the tower facing Serena’s room. Getting in there was a feet worthy of the king of thieves. Her door was guarded by Jedite himself. Under her balcony, there were two guards, and on the tower facing her room, two other guards watched her window. There was no other known way in, but Darien didn’t need another. He had learnt long ago that simplicity is usually the simplest answer. He took one last look at his watch. "Five," he began, "four, three, two, one and....."

"Someone stop the dogs!" a voice screeched throughout the night. Abruptly half a dozen royal guard dogs came running at the guards under the balcony. As the guards on the tower took their eyes off the balcony to see what was going on, Tuxedo Mask jumped from the tower to Serena’s window and entered before anyone could see him. Serena rushed to the window to see what was going on.

"Do what you have to, but don’t hurt my puppies!" She ordered as a dozen more guards appeared at the scene. She took a big breath and decided to go to bed. She turned around to walk into the room only to see Tuxedo Mask standing by her bed with a red rose in his hand.

"Hello princess. Do you remember me?" He smiled sweetly at her. Serena wanted to faint. Could she have lost her mind, or was the tiredness of the day getting to her? Was this really him.

Darien was ready for anything she might do. He made sure she was away from her emergency button, a button that when pressed called two dozen guards to the room. He would use the speed he had developed over the years to stop her from screaming. She took a deep breath, and ran strait at him, hugged him as hard as she could, and fought off the tears. He had been ready for anything she might do, except this. He slowly returned her hug amazed that the woman who claimed not to believe in love between a man and a woman could show such warmth to a member of the opposite sex.