Affair - Chapter 3
by Sereko
sereko13@yahoo.com


Woo-hoo! Lookie! Chapter THREE in all its glory! I was initially going
to post this as the complete version of Chapter Two, but since I got 
such wonderful feedback about my cliffhanger...I decided to keep Chapter
Two as a teaser and would post the rest of the chapter as Chapter Three.
It is a rare occasion when my cliffhangers arrive at the right point
(usually I want to write a cliffhanger, but I'm only at the beginning
or middle of a chapter and nowhere near the end!), so I thought I'd
keep my good fortune at the success of Chapter Two. Anyway, enough of 
my babbling...

I was actually visited by inspiration not too long ago, so all sorts 
of plots started to stream out of my mind and into my computer. I hope 
the inspiration stays, because I'm really excited about this story and 
I always enjoy being able to write in it (most of the time I just sit
reading what I have and trying to see if a light will go off in my head
that will lead me to the formation of another scene ^_-). Anyway, I hope
you all enjoy this! A lot of this stuff I was not planning on having 
happen when I initially thought up the story, but what the heck! New 
stuff is fun! :) 

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters
associated with the story. I merely use Naoko Takeuchi's genius as a 
starting point for my own storytelling.




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Chapter 3
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	"You're not from around here, are you?" 
	"Wh-What do you mean, Mamoru?"
	Endymion sighed. He carefully shifted his position so that he 
was leaning over Serenity, his hand lightly touching the side of her 
face. When she opened her eyes to look up at him, he spoke, "You are 
different than anyone I have ever met. You have this presence about you 
that no one on Earth has."
	"I don't know what you are talking about. I am sure that you have 
not met every single person on this Earth and, therefore, you have no 
idea if there is someone else like me or not." 
	"No, I am sure of this." He paused in order to stare deeply into 
her eyes. "I think you come from the Moon, Usagi." Serenity gasped. 

----------

	Without taking note of her reaction, Endymion continued, "for it 
is a place where angels are born and you are definitely an angel." 
	The princess let out the breath that she was holding. "Such 
nonsense, Mamoru. I am not and have never been an angel."
	His head drooped closer to hers. "You are an angel to me." His 
breath tickled her cheeks as he continued. "You came down from the 
heavens in order to strike me through the heart with your beauty and 
spirit."   
	A delicate blush graced the princess' cheeks. "You flatter me, 
sir, and yet you still do not know of whom you are complimenting."
	"I know enough." He let a heartwarming smile light up his face. 
"I know what I feel and that is enough. The rest shall come later." Here 
he paused and worry creased his brow. "That is, if there is to be a 
later..."
	Thoughts raced through Serenity's head. 'You can end this here, 
Sere. You can just tell him no and forget all of this oddness.' However, 
one glance up into his fathomless eyes quickly canceled that train of 
thought. 'No. No, he is right. There is something...something wonderful 
between us. I do not know what and I cannot completely explain it...but 
I know that I don't want to throw away this chance to be free from 
loneliness.' 
	And so, Serenity stayed lying next to Endymion under the stars. 
Neither of them spoke much. They were both too afraid to let anything 
slip about who they really were and where they really came from. The 
desire to make their relationship a product of something other than 
political gain was intense. Both of them understood what it was like to 
be interpreted due to their royal standing and both of them did not like 
it. 
	Peacefully and quietly they basked in each other's comforting 
presence. Dawn eventually came upon them, lighting their little cove with 
a sheen of red. In the haze of the new morning, they both rose in order 
to say goodbye. It was a quiet goodbye, following the mood set by their 
hours of stargazing. No formal farewells actually slipped past either of 
their lips because neither wanted to officially end their meeting. This 
way, they had a reason to see each other again...there was something 
that would need finishing. 
	Endymion lifted a hand of Serenity's to his lips as he gave a 
gracious bow. While she nodded her head in a similar gesture of respect, 
the prince slipped past her. He squeezed her hand one last time before 
mounting his horse and leaving the glade. Serenity watched him go 
solemnly. 'I shall see you again. I swear to it.'

-----

	Unbeknownst to either of them, Serenity would not be able to keep 
that promise for quite some time. Shortly after Endymion left her, while 
the princess was mulling about the forest to see all that Mother Nature 
had to offer, she vanished. She would never know what caused it. One 
moment she was touching the moss on the side of a pine tree and the next 
she was surrounded in the familiar silvers and whites of the Moon. 
Serenity merely had to assume that something thought her time on Earth 
had come to some sort of conclusion and that she should leave. No answers 
would ever be found. Just as the princess would never come to realize 
how she had managed to teleport herself to Earth in the first place, she 
would never realize how she had teleported back. Perhaps it was fate.
 
-----

	"Sere! There you are!" The call was soon accompanied by a hand 
on her shoulder. After arriving back on the Moon, Serenity was quick to 
take a direct path to her room at the palace. She had just entered one 
of the hallways when her friend noticed her. She turned in greeting. 
	"Hello, Ami." Her demeanor was calm and collected, as if nothing 
at all had happened in the past day. As if she had not run away from her 
mother, as if she had not transported to the Earth and as if she had not 
just met the most wonderful man to have ever crossed her path. 
	"Do not even pretend to act ignorant of the worry that I have 
felt for you!" The elegant and slim lady followed her statement with a 
chastising look. A strand of blue hair slipped into her eyes and she 
brushed it away irritably. "Where have you been?" Her attempt at anger 
failed because of the waver in her question. 
	Serenity observed her friend for a second before answering, "I 
went for a walk." To herself she added, 'A walk into another world.'
	"A walk that took all night?! A walk that failed to land you in 
my room where you could have informed me of your flight for the evening?" 
Again her friend tried to seem angry, furious even. This time it was the 
water in her eyes that gave her away. Under her breath she whispered, "I 
was worried sick about you."
	 "I am sorry, my friend. I needed a change of scenery." Serenity 
looked out the window next to her at the blue planet hovering in the sky. 
Shaking her head, she returned her attention to Sailor Mercury. With 
more reassuring words and a hug, she coerced her friend out of tears and 
down the hall with her. It was hard for her to refrain from speaking the 
whole truth to her dearest companion, but she had to. She fully intended 
on finding a way back to Earth and it would be harder to do so unnoticed 
if she told even just one person. She could not risk an unwelcome ear 
catching the whispers of her conversations with Mercury, were she to tell 
the guardian. There were too many risks at hand. 
	Once at her room, Serenity excused herself to the bathroom to 
freshen up and change. At this time, Mercury filled her in on the violent 
reaction the Queen had to her departure the day before. In extreme anger, 
with fists clenched, the monarch had released her tension upon the wall 
beside her. A dent was made, despite it being made of stone. The senshi 
had to stifle their giggles at her frustration and could only release 
them until they were safely within their bedrooms. By merely describing 
the red, puffed up face the Queen had the second Serenity had fled the 
conference room, Mercury was inclined to giggle again.   
	Serenity returned from the bathroom with a smile on her face. 
"Sounds like something I should not have missed!" 
	"You would have loved it, Sere! She was so angry!" Mercury made 
an imitation of the Queen's red face and promptly burst into laughter. 
	"All right, all right," Serenity said while waving away her own 
laughter, "enough of this! What is the agenda for today?"
	"Other than avoiding your mother's reprimand?"
	"Yes. Other than that."
	Mercury pulled out her handheld computer and punched in a few 
buttons. "It seems that you not only have a meeting with the son of King 
Arian from Mars, but you are also scheduled for three conferences with 
the Agricultural Labor Union, the Union of Academic Advancement and the 
servants' supervisors." Mercury let a bit of pride for her princess 
swell within her as she read off the last group. Serenity was very 
passionate about bettering the working conditions of the attendants in 
the household. She didn't enjoy the concept of other people waiting upon 
her. She made regular appointments with the supervisors just to make 
sure that everything was running smoothly and everyone was happy.  
	When Mercury stopped talking, the princess nodded her head and 
then slowly walked over to her balcony. She opened the large glass doors 
that led to it and walked out into the open. Taking a long, deep breath 
of the fresh air, she placed her hands delicately on the railing in 
front of her. Her eyes closed as she absorbed the atmosphere. 
A soft touch on her shoulder made her turn. It was Mercury wearing a 
worried frown. "It everything all right, princess?" Serenity upturned 
her face to look at the sky. Earth, in all its glory, hovered above. 
Turning to face her friend once more, the royal gave a small smile. 
	"Everything will be."
	With that puzzling answer, Serenity walked back into her room 
and then out the door. Mercury hurried behind her.

-----

	Skirts and pants swished as the prince of Mars and the princess 
of the Moon walked alongside one another through the palace halls. The 
mood was light, yet serious. "That is wonderful, Prince Ar-" With a 
quick look, Serenity checked the halls around her and when she was sure 
that no one was within hearing range she smiled. The princess turned to 
Prince Arian with a smirk on her face. "Ari-chan!" He returned her smile 
at the childhood nickname. "I am greatly impressed by the advancements 
your cities have made in ensuring education for females. It is an honor 
to stand with one who has worked so hard and so magnanimously." 
	The prince was still smiling and gave a nod at the compliment. 
He chucked her shoulder after a while and followed it up with a tickle 
to her abdomen. The twinkle of Serenity's laugh echoed through the halls. 
	"I am glad you think so highly of me, highness." To his right, 
the main entrance to the royal gardens fell into view. 
	In a split second, Arian had grabbed the crook of Serenity's arm 
and threw them both through the wide arches. "However! I have spent 
nearly an hour with you already and you have yet to give me a true 
smile!" As he yelled this, he carted Serenity through the intricate 
walkways of the gardens at a brisk sprint. 
	"Ari-chan! Stop this!"
	There was no response, except for Arian to hold her hand tighter 
as he pulled her along. 
	"Ari-chan! Please! What if someone sees us?"
	The threat didn't seem to bother the prince. After a few more 
moments he reached a secluded gazebo and slowed his and his cargo's pace 
until they were at a standstill. He swiftly turned to the blonde behind 
him. "If someone sees us, then they will simply assume that the gracious 
Princess Serenity is having a good time with her friend, the Prince of 
Mars."
	She shook her head, shaking the growing smile on her face as 
well. "No. They will think that you and I are courting." She was 
slightly shocked when she felt Arian walk up to her and lift her chin 
with his hand. 
	"Is that so horrible?" He brushed his fingers against her cheek. 
Shivers shook Serenity's spine. The gesture reminded her too much of 
another man who, just hours before, had done the same thing. 
	A shadow nearby, who had witnessed all of the actions so far 
between the two monarchs, slipped away unnoticed. 
	Suddenly unsure of herself, Serenity stumbled over her words. 
"A-Ari..."
	A concerned smile slipped onto the prince's face. His hand fell 
so that he could wrap his friend in a gentle hug. His rich brown hair 
brushed against her neck as he pulled her to him. "I was teasing, 
Serenity. I was just teasing. But why is it that you responded so?" He 
pulled away just enough to look at her face. "You have always been able 
to see through my jokes before."
	"I...I am sorry." Pulling away, Serenity attempted to compose 
herself. 
	"Sere. What is it?"
	"Nothing," she all but shouted. 

-----

	With a devilish smile, the shadowy figure crept back into the 
palace. 'I never knew, princess. I never knew.' It strode with purpose 
through the long, elegant hallways. Guards posted along the way clicked 
their heels and saluted as the figure passed by. It gave them a slight 
head nod, too concerned with its new mission to pay them any more 
attention.
	After a brisk, five minute walk, the figure reached a set of 
very large doors. The two men posted on each side of them saluted and 
immediately pushed open the elaborate and intricately carved doors so 
that the figure could enter. Once inside, it took mere moments for the 
figure to stand before a beautiful throne with an equally beautiful 
woman sitting upon it. 
	"To what do I owe this visit?" a delicate, yet commanding voice 
rang through the halls of the court. Whispers filtered among the people 
gathered within the room about the urgence that radiated from the 
kneeling figure in front of their queen. 
	Without hesitation, a distinctly feminine voice spoke, "Your 
majesty, I have pressing news that you must be informed of," dark eyes 
darted around to the members of court dotting the walls and added, 
"privately."
	A slim, silvery-white eyebrow rose on the queen's forehead. 
Intruiged, the leader of the Moon lifted from her chair and motioned for 
the woman in front of her to follow. She walked to the side and down the 
steps of her dais, flicking her wrist to tell a guard to open a nearby 
door. After entering, she seated herself behind a large, mahogany desk. 
It took less than a second for Queen Serenity to ask, "What do you have 
to tell me, Mars?"
	The senshi stood from her respectful kneel. In a toneless voice 
and with a raised chin, she said, "It is my duty to inform the queen 
that I have just witnessed her daughter engaging in affectionate 
actions."
	"Affectionate actions? With whom?"
	"With the Prince Arian of Mars, my brother."
	Again, the queen raised her eyebrow. "What did you see her do?"
	"I bore witness to the Princess Serenity running wildly in the 
gardens with hands held with Prince Arian. I heard her call him a name 
reserved for those who are extremely close to one another. He, likewise, 
had a similar nickname for her. I was also witness to the prince 
performing more," she coughed, "intimate actions while implying to the 
princess that it would not be unfortunate if the two were engaged."
	Queen Serenity gripped the arm of her chair. "Is this the truth, 
Mars?"
	"I saw it all first hand, your highness."	
	"I was not aware that my daughter held any strong feelings for 
any of the men of court. I was under the distinct impression that she 
did not wish to be at all involved with any of them."   
	"I was under the same impression, your highness."
	A slender finger lightly tapped upon Queen Serenity's chin. 
"This is all very interesting. It is even more interesting that Prince 
Arian seems to return these affections of my daughter."
	"If I may say so, your highness, I believe that my brother may 
be in love with Princess Serenity. I have never seen him act so smitten 
before."
	Eyes widened. "In love?"
	Mars bowed her head, "Yes, your highness."
	Queen Serenity couldn't help herself from standing up and 
pacing behind the desk. "It was very good of you to bring this to my 
attention so quickly. Though my daughter and I do disagree on several 
issues, I did hope that a situation would arise to prevent me from 
forcing her into a political marriage. I shall make arrangements as 
soon as possible with your father so that we might be able to bring 
these two together officially. It will not do to have them courting 
each other in secret." She clasped her hands together and let a wide 
smile slip onto her face. "At last, my daughter has done something 
right! This is simply perfect!" she squealed, letting her demeanor as 
monarch slip.    

-----

	Arian sighed and turned away in order grasp the gazebo's 
railing. "My visit was intended as a meeting to solidify our 
arrangements for study abroad programs, with a little time to catch up 
on the side. However, it seems something is troubling you. It has been 
a long time, Sere, but I know you well enough to understand when your 
life is less than perfect." Here, he turned. "Please, tell me what 
happened? Was it your mother again? What did she do this time? I swear 
if she-"
	Serenity violently shook her head. "Stop. She was the reason 
for the beginning of my predicament, but she is not the reason for what 
resulted." Slowly, she let her eyes drift to his. They were a deep 
auburn color, not brown and almost red. They held the intensity of Mars 
in them, but also the compassion of his mother, Queen Terai. His hair 
was of a similar color, though it only had hints of red hidden within 
layers of dark brown. His stature was about the only physical feature 
he acquired from his father. It was commanding in a lean, muscled sort 
of way. His height was an average 5'8", nothing too overbearing. 
	He had accompanied his younger sister on her transfer to the 
Moon many years before, which is the only reason why Serenity had any 
encounter with him. Princess Reianna of Mars was one of the first to 
make it to the Moon, right after Mercury and Uranus, when the princesses 
were called in for senshi duty. Though all the young senshi in training 
met each other and their princess when they were younger, they trained 
on their own home planets for the first eight or so years of their life. 
They had to master the magic of their planet before they could use it 
efficiently somewhere else.
	Arian had come with his sister and mother in order to tour the 
Moon, since he had never seen it before. The first second he laid a 
foot upon the soft, silver soil was all that was needed for him to fall 
in love with the majestic place. The fragile, angelic princess that came 
into his view afterwards was equally as quick at abducting his heart. 
Serenity and Arian clicked together immediately, as if they were cut 
from the same cloth, and ever since then they had been dear friends. 
	There was a sigh.
	"I did something foolish, Ari-chan."
	"No. You did something dangerous, something wrong. Mere 
foolishness would not trouble your mind so," interrupted Arian. 
	Serenity sighed again. "'Tis true. I did something forbidden." 
This did not shock Arian as much as it might have shocked someone else 
from court. He was very close to the slip of a girl in front of him and 
that meant that he knew her true nature. He knew that she desired 
adventure and excitement over other attributes that were more becoming 
of a princess.
	He walked over to her and laid a comforting hand on her 
shoulder. "Serenity." When she didn't respond, he continued, "Tell me 
what happened. What did you do?"
	Without warning, the princess threw herself into the prince, 
embracing him about the waist and burying her head in his shoulder. 
"Ari-chan...you would not believe me if I told you...no one would 
believe me..."
	As carefully as he could, Arian stroked his friend's back and 
placed a kiss on the top of her head. "My dear Sere, just tell me. Let 
me be the judge of if I believe you or not." 
	And so, the entire story was told. Starting from the argument 
with the queen and moving all the way until the relaxing gaze at the 
stars, Serenity bared her heart. She told Arian, in fear, of the 
intensity of the emotions that coursed through her so quickly after 
meeting the man from Earth. She was nearing tears by the end of her 
tale after having spoken of so many hidden desires.
	"I do not believe you."
	Serenity looked up with wide eyes at her friend's reaction. 
"W-What?"
	Taking a step back, Arian processed all of the information that 
was thrown at him. "It...It is not possible. I knew you were one to 
crave new things, Sere, but I never knew you to disregard every law set 
by your people in the matter of a day!" He shakily raked a hand through 
his hair. "Not to mention that it is impossible to build up enough power 
to perform such a distant teleport within the body of a single person. 
Maybe with powers such that the Silver Imperium Crystal possesses, but 
not merely with the strength of a wish!" Violently, he turned his 
attentions back to Serenity. "How? How did you manage it?"
	Serenity was shivering intensely, not only because of the 
revealing of her adventure but also because of her dear friend's 
reactions to it. She weakly responded, "I told you that I do not know 
how it happened, it just did. But, please Ari-chan, you must promise me 
something! Even if you do not believe me and think that I have 
fabricated this story, you must promise that you will not tell another 
soul about it! You must!" Arian was still in too much of a shocked 
stupor to react or answer her. This left her desperate. "Please! 
Ari-chan, you must understand that I did not mean for this to happen! I 
just wanted to get away, to be free of my mother and her biting words. 
I...I did not expect to land upon Earth and I did not expect to meet 
someone while I was there. I did not intend-"
	"To fall in love."
	The princess gasped. She stepped back as if physically struck. 
"No! No, I did not fall-"
	"Yes. Yes you did," Arian interrupted again with conviction. He 
stepped forward and enfolded Serenity in his arms. With newfound 
calmness and understanding, he proceeded, "You were right when you said 
that you did something forbidden. To what extent I did not know, but I 
do now." He pulled her closer to him.
	Serenity was at first confused and struggled against the prince, 
but she eventually stilled herself. 
	"No wonder my teasings hit you so hard. You were thinking of him 
the entire time."
	At this, Serenity gained enough strength to protest. She pulled 
back against his strong arms to look defiantly up at him. "Now look here, 
Arian. I am glad that you do not think me a liar in telling this story, 
but you must know that I did *not* fall in love!" 
	"Felt a bit of attraction, maybe even passion at one point, but 
NOT love!" she grumbled. 
	Arian continued as if he hadn't heard her protests. "You do not 
have to worry about me spreading the news to anyone. I would never put 
you in such a dangerous position. But know that I am always here if you 
need to talk to me about what happened."
	Taking it as good fortune that he dropped the love issue, 
Serenity dumbly nodded her head at his words. "I am not even sure why I 
told you in the first place. I refrained from telling Ami-chan for fear 
that someone would overhear me and then I turned around and practically 
screamed it all out to you."
	"You needed to tell someone," he replied sympathetically. 







End Chapter 2
--------------

I know, I know. Kinda corny, right?
What can I say? I'm a huge sucker for
sap, so if you don't like overly
waffy fics...this is not the story
for you! Please send feedback! I'm 
always excited to see mail in my 
inbox! ^_- 

Please send ANY comments to me, Sereko. My e-mail is: 
sereko13@yahoo.com