Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation of the marvelous Naoko Takeuchi

The Ice Cold Princess

The Earth Saga

Part IX

By Sailor Nena

“Come closer.” The dark Prince ordered Cassandra after she poured his blood-like wine. She dared only to walk to the base of his throne and raised his golden goblet to him. He could sense that she feared spilling the drink more than she feared him. This displeased him. It was no secrete that she was an odd creature, but what else could be expected from a brat found abandoned in a corner of the Negaverse. She was only kept because there was a shortage of servants in the castle, and she was strong enough to grow into the role. Now, she was that and one of his generals.

She was also the only other person whose face remained a mystery: Her overgrown bangs hid her eyes like a mask she chose not to remove. This drew him to her because he always took such great pains to hide his face within the shadows, while she seemed to do it so effortlessly. His mother had been the only one to have ever seen his face, and that had been moments after his birth.

He took his drink from her under the shimmer of a few faraway candles, and stared at her lowered and nervous face as he enjoyed the scent of her fear lingering in the air. “Have you anything new to report?”

“No your highness.” She lied quietly.

“Really?” he asked sarcastically. “No gossip of what your colleges are up to? No warnings of power struggles between them? No over inflated ego to waste my time with?”

“No.”

“Not even of Ultura, and her sudden disappearance.”

“She comes and goes as she sees fit without answering to any general. I-I don’t know where she is.” In the presence of his overpowering regal frame, her own stood awkwardly and small in the overgrown uniform made of hand-me-downs that should have been made into rags ages ago. Even as he sat on his thrown, he seemed taller than anyone she had ever come across, especially with the visible cuts of his muscles through his shirt. He was more a warrior than a prince, and she was more a Cinderella than a general, but that did not stop either of them from exercising their titles.

“Come closer, Cassandra.” She took an uneasy step forward as he leaned closer just avoiding the soft touch of the dull light. He tried to stare through her hair, but failed miserably like all the others before him. “You are not following the proper dress code for a Negaverse General. Your uniform is the wrong size and your hair…” he took his hand and pushed her bangs out of the way. Forcefully, he jumped back avoiding the light they emitted as if it was cold edged knife. Her eyes were the color of pure gold and gleamed like fire even after a lifetime of darkness.

“Forgive me my Lord,” she lowered her head instinctively, “but this was the best I could find, and as for my hair…I seem never to get around to cutting it, so I am growing my bangs out.”

“Fix it! It is a disgrace to your uniform. Now, leave me.” He barked from the darkness. She bowed and took her leave, allowing him to contemplate in the darkness. “Her eyes! I have never seen eyes with that color before! No wondered she was spared...I will own them soon enough.” He finished chuckling to himself.

“Sorry to keep you guys waiting but I haven’t talked to my Godmother since Christmas.” I said as I made my grand entrance.

“No problem, We understand.” Raye said as she flipped through a magazine laying casually on my bed. The warm January afternoon sun shown in through my window as the girls went about inspecting my room. Amy was on my desk examining the just for fun reading choices available to her, while Mina was on the small shelf to the right of her and in front of Raye looking through my photo albums.

“Where did Serena go?” With a big thump she rolled out of my closet, which was between my window and my nightstand, wrapped in several of my outfits.

“Here. Can I move into your closet? You have so many nice things! It’s like going shopping for free, and since you never wear them…How come you never wear them? I mean, not even on the weekends?”

“Because they are too provocative for my new persona, but feel free to borrow anything, though I am not sure if you will find your size. I am a bit chunkier than you.” I smiled as I helped her up.

“Chunkier than who?” Sergio asked as he walked into the room knocking on my door.

“What are you doing here?” I answered.

“Need to talk to you, if you will listen to me.”

“Morena, who is this hunk?” Mina asked shoving the photo under my nose.

“This?” I blushed slightly. “This is the guy I pledged my undying love to until I found out I was related to him. He is my grandmother’s aunt’s third cousin removed.”

“He is dropped dead gorgeous.” Mina drooled.

“He was. That was two summers ago. If you flip forward you will see the multiple layers of acne his face developed. See, this was last summer.” Mina whined, but the now curious Raye got off my bed to take a look.

“Oh my gosh, Amy you have to see this! Morena’s midriff is exposed!” She giggled. “What is that on your face? Is it? Yes it is! Your wearing make up! Oh, and hip huggers, and miniskirts…and oh could this be? Are you actually wearing a fuchsia snake print leather dress?” Raye shrieked her teases as she flipped through the pictures.

“You mean this one?” Serena pulled out the infamous dress from my closet. “It’s all like that in there. She has everything from hip hugging boot cut jeans to really fancy party gowns. You would think this is what she got after we took her to one of those makeover shows. Anyway, do you have something a little less leathery I can borrow? I need to get it by my dad.”

“Isn’t my bubble gum pink dress in there?”

“I don’t know the names of your dresses.”

“Well, if you are going to borrow them, you will have to learn. That dress you found is the dangerously pink dress, and this one is the bubble gum pink dress.” I pulled out a pink crochet knit dress that fell just above the knee with straps that tied behind the neck. On the hanger it looked more like a sun dress than the elegant dress I had worn to a recent communion.

“Isn’t it a little cold for that sort of thing? Besides, she will have to learn the names of all the accessories that go with it.” Sergio commented as he flipped through the album. “Whose communion?” Serena took a look at the photo of me in the complete outfit and begged me to lend her the whole ensemble.

“My cousins’. Now, these are my Cinderella shoes.” I turned to Serena as I handed her a pair of see-through sandals decorated with pink lace. “I think I am two shoe sizes bigger than you, so you will have to try them on…Oh, and this is my cream shall. Not to be confused with my gold one.” I started to pull it out from a shelf when Sergio interrupted me.

“This was in May?”

“No in August…just before school started. Can’t you see my tan?”

“Is this your summer only attire?”

“Excuse me?”

“I haven’t seen you in anything but sweats and your uniform for as long as I have known you, yet I see pictures of you here with very sexy very stylish outfits. I didn’t even realize you had layers in your hair, which look great on you, yet you never do anything to it besides that low braid. I’m sorry, but you look like a slob of a nun compared to the girl in these pictures.” His voice was a bit resentful.

“Well, I have more time in the summer to prep myself up. It is just easier during the school year to carry a more lay back attire, besides, those pictures were all taken at functions or parties. Things I have to look good for.”

“Not this one.” He pointed to one taken earlier in the semester. I was wearing a tight red top and a leather jacket, but that was not what he was pointing at. “Who is he?” He asked as he made it clear he was pointing the picture of me and a friend sitting on his motorcycle.

“Alex? He’s a good friend.”

“Like me?”

“Sort off…you two actually have allot in common. You would like him.”

“Really?” I didn’t recognize the tone of his voice, but it bothered me.

“Yeah, you both are too stubborn to take no for an answer, and never listen to me.” My voice went cold.

“Really? Does he like you too?”

“Yeah, otherwise he wouldn’t be my friend.” The sarcasm slithered off my tongue like a snake.

“That is not what I meant!” Anger spiked his voice.

“Yeah, he did once. He even convinced me to date him. In the end, I was proved right. We worked better as friends, and the road that we had to take to figure that out nearly killed our friendship, and that would have hurt me more than anything Beryl ever threw at us!”

“Did he kiss you.”

“Not that is any of your business, but yes. Actually, he gave me my first kiss!”

“Yes it is. He threw the album on my bed. Because I have been asking for a chance to prove you wrong, and you deny me for something he did.”

“Look, I took a chance once on a relationship with a friend, and it turned out disastrous. I don’t think you can blame me for not wanting to risk it again, specially when this situation has more reasons not to go through with it!”

“Yeah, well, I never thought I would say this, but you disappoint me. You’re such a coward you won’t even admit it! You’re scared that I am right, and what that would mean!”

“Excuse me?” my eyes filled up with tears of pain and indignity, but I did not let them run. Instead I kept my voice as calm and cold as ice. “How dare you. I am scare! Of losing you as a friend because until you opened your big mouth, I treasured your friendship. And as for you being right… you have no idea of the repercussions! No, no you don’t because you won’t be the one crying yourself to sleep every night because you broke your promise. You won’t be the one fearing every kiss because your conscience won’t leave you alone. You won’t be the one putting on a happy face so not to worry the one you love while your dying of misery in the inside.”

“No, but I will be the one going the extra mile to keep you alive and happy.” He turned to leave, but as he slipped his hand into his pocket, he stopped short. “You owe me a date, and I want it next Friday. I’m not waiting around for you to break your word again.”

“I have been as honest as possible with you! But yes, lets get that date over with. I don’t want you to have anything to hang over my head! Oh, and for your information, I don’t break my word. To me it’s sacred!”

“ Oh really? Are you sure?” He dug his hand out of his pocket and tossed me a small trinket, which I miraculously caught with my shaking hands. “I’ll pick you up at seven, and oh, take five minutes to prep yourself up. This is one of those things you have to look nice for.” He left before I could answer.

“What did he give you?” Serena broke the brief silence that followed. The tears gushed down my face as I let her see the blue winged elephant key chain buried in my hand. “Did I miss something?”

“I can’t…I can’t do this anymore.” I gasped between tears as I clutched at my broken heart. “It’s not fair…IT’S NOT FAIR!

“Morena?” Amy held my hand.

“Get him out of here Aims!” I pleaded as I pounded my heart. “Reason me into believing that he is a stranger whom I care nothing about…someone whose feelings I don’t have to spare…” I swallowed hard. “Convince me that he was never my friend, so I can stop protecting him and just-just break his heart.”

Andrew took a sip of his tea and looked directly at Darien’s fogged out face. “So, when are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

“Hm? Sorry Andrew, did you say something?” Darien looked up from his tea.

“Just asked you what’s wrong…I mean…I know I don’t make the best tea, but you don’t have to put half a cup of sugar in it.”

“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry…I guess I’m just a bit out of it today.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

“Ok. What do you want to talk about then.” Andrew smiled warmly. They were at the bar of the arcade on this slow Sunday afternoon.

“Why can’t love be easy?”

“That one is easy. Anything that is worth something in this world has to be earned and worked for, otherwise you wont appreciate it. Next question please.”

“Does it ever get any easier?”

“No, but the rewards of loving and being loved make it all worth while. Even Rita and I go through our dilemmas, like when she chose to go to Africa to pursue her dream. I thought I was going to die. I didn’t want her to leave. I was afraid that she would find someone new and forget about me, but I knew how important it was for her, and how she had worked so hard for that opportunity, so I didn’t stand in her way. It has been a true test to our love, but I can honestly say it has never been stronger.”

“Don’t you miss her?”

“Of course I do. Every night I wish that my pillow would turn into her.”

“Than how can you deal with it?”

“Simple, I know if I had been a jerk and forced her to stay, she would have hated me for it. I would have lost her either way, but at least this way, she will come back to me.”

“You two are meant to be.”

“And who are you meant to be with, Darien?”

“Huh? What a question! I have no idea.”

“Who are you thinking about?”

“Serena.”

“Does she know?”

“God no! She hates me!”

“Even after that kiss?”

“We never really fully cleared the air.”

“I have a feeling that if you were to talk to her about your feelings, she would be very responsive.”

“How would you know?”

“Don’t forget who serves her double chocolate shakes when she has problems.”

“Has she talked about me?”

“Anything said was in confidence, but as the resident love expert I can assure you that unless you two talk, the situation won’t change. You sit here wondering if you should make your move or not, if you do, then at least you will know where she stands.”

“One last question, how come you get to be the resident love expert?”

“I’m the closets thing to a bar tender either of the two of you have.” He joked as Serena walked in through the door.

“Andrew, I need a double chocolate shake pronto. You have no idea the drama I have just seen. Why does love have to be so complicated?” She asked as she sat on a stool next to Darien and gave him a smile for a hello.

“Here we go again. Darien would you please do the honors while I make her a shake.” Darien obliged to get her to tell him the whole story.

“Well, that is drama. Specially since he had to go across town to get the key chain.”

“The weird thing is that Morena’s new attitude started this semester. I was talking to Tommy, and he was telling me how she would apply lipstick in his car every morning on the way to school, and on the weekends she would take the time to really look nice.”

“Well, this semester is probably much more demanding, so she doesn’t have the time.”

“Would that change her personality completely? All her friends described her as an outgoing flirt with a bad temper, and all this year she has been withdrawn, sad, and awkward around guys. Funny thing is…she is officially allowed to date this year.”

“May be she has problems at home. To me it sounds like she is preoccupied with something completely different.” Andrew interrupted.

“And I’m sure Sergio is not making it easier. He got tired of courting her with no results. He is at the point where he wont take no for an answer.” Darien added.

“And at what point are you?” Serena accidentally asked out loud.

“Excuse me?” Darien gave her a look of surprise. “I’m not interested in Morena.” He quickly added avoiding the subject.

“I think she was speaking in more general terms.” Andrew wasn’t going to let the accidental conversation die.

“Oh, I’m at the point I have always been. Same old me.”

“So you still have girls throwing vases at your head?” she joked sarcastically.

“No, I am avoiding those girls. And you Serena, what point are you at.” His cobalt eyes seem to pierce her body with his stare.

“Same point I was at Christmas. Only with more information.” She added before leaving.

The day had slithered into night, and the night had crawled into day with the icy wind blowing the storm clouds near. Sergio walked into his apartment with a bag of groceries, and dropped them on the counter.

“I need to ask a favor of you.” I started. He turned surprised to find me there.

“Are you trying to weasel out of our date?”

“No.” The telephone began to ring, so I placed myself between it and him. “I need to ask you a favor before you answer this call.”

“What?”

“I need you to promise me that you will think of her first…that you will break the news to her as kindly as possible.” I was having trouble fighting back the tears of fear and desperation as his eyes widen. He stretched out to reach the phone, so I placed my hand on his arm. “Promise me.” I begged, but he just answered the phone. The conversation was brief, and I could hear the fax working in his room. I knew I couldn’t do anything more to reason with him. It was now up to him.

“Please, just promise me.” He looked at me as if he had forgotten I was there separating him from the wall. He brushed my tears away with his thumb and smiled.

“I know what I am doing.” He leaned down to kiss my lips, but I gave him my cheek instead.

“Are you sure?” He hugged me tightly.

“Yes I am. I have to do this.” The fax finished printing, so he let go of me.

“Sergio, I pray your right.”

“I love you too.”

Sergio had no problem finding parking in the quiet suburban street. He held the envelop with the fax tightly as he stared at the house that hid his sister. “I should have known it was her.” He thought as he worked up the nerve to go up the stairs and ring the bell. “I know now why you wouldn’t tell me. She doesn’t remember me.”

“Sergio, she was only one. How could she?” I whispered into his ear without appearing. “But please, talk to her parents first…Between the three of you, you can break the news to her more mercifully.”

“Our parents are dead! And I’ll tell her that the best way I can.” He moved forward and ran the bell.

“I got it.” A female voice called from inside. It seemed like an eternity before his sister opened the door.

How did you guys like the first chapter of 2002. Sorry it took so long, but college takes allot of my time. Hope you like it, and like always send your comments to sailor_nena1@oocities.com

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