---Present Time--- "DIE!" "I really wonder about those two sometimes." Haruka muttered, earning an elbow to the ribs courtesy of her lover. Today was the day that we were leaving on our little vacation, and it's already off to a bad start. Yesterday, I had gone out and rented a van to drive the Inners to our destination, while Haruka planned to drive herself, Michiru, Chibi-usa, and our daughter in her own car. Hotaru was obviously excited about our trip, and had hardly slept a wink last night. She was the first one up this morning and all packed and ready to go before the sun had risen. After we had breakfast, Ami arrived; cloths, books, and laptop in tow. After I gave her mother our contact information, she bid Ami farewell and headed off to the hospital. Rei showed up next, her grandfather dropping her off. While Michiru and Rei were exchanging pleasantries, Haruka pulled Ami off to the side and spoke to her quietly; resulting in our current situation. Minako and Makoto arrived together, dropped off Minakos' mother. Michiru got a chuckle out of watching Haruka fend off the older woman's somewhat aggressive advances. Usagi was the last to arrive, much to Reis' irritation. And much to my daughters delight, Chibi-usa was with her. After the two younger girls exchanged a friendly hug, Haruka ushered everyone into the house. Once we were all inside, Haruka began to lay down some ground rules to the other girls. No boys in the rooms, no underage drinking, and so on and so forth; just like a responsible chaperone. And, like the teenage girls they were, her lecture went in one ear and out the other; except for Ami, who was as attentive as ever. Then she said there was a surprise for all of us, and prompted Ami to show us the results of her being able to link her laptop to the Mercury Computer. And, because of Harukas' influence, the first picture she showed everyone was the one of the Princess and Myung she had shown us last week. "It's all your fault, Odango Atama!" Which is why we were currently outside, watching as Rei was clinging to Usagis' back; her legs wrapped around the blondes waist; trying to throttle her. "WAH!! I'm sorry, Rei! ImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorry!!!" Usagi cried as she ran around in circles. "...shouldn't we try to break them up?" Michiru asked slowly. "Ancient Chin Promo: When Rabbit of Moon and Spirit of Fire fight, only fool steps between." Minako solemnly intoned. Only the sounds of Rei trying to strangle Usagi were heard for a moment before Ami said, "Mina-chan? I think you mean 'Ancient Chinese Proverb'." "That's what I said." The blonde replied. I look around at the rest of us as we wait for Rei to finish venting her anger. Michiru was looking slightly worried as her love watched with interest. Ami stood nearby waiting patiently as Minako and Minako both wore expressions of board resignation. On the lawn, Chibi-usa and Hotaru sat close to each other and whispered secretively. Haruka turned to the other blonde of our group and thrust a thumb at the two fighting girls. "Are you absolutely sure there's nothing going on between them?" she asked, earning yet another elbow to the ribs from Michiru. Minako watched as Rei forced Usagi to the ground and began shaking her repeatedly. "Nope. But sometimes I wonder." 'It's best that they don't know the truth.' I think to myself. ---Silver Millennium--- "Good morning, child." I greet young Pai warmly as I enter her sitting room. "...hello, Sensei." She says; her voice far away. "Pai? Is something wrong?" I ask worriedly as I briskly walk over to the chair she's sitting in. In the thirteen years I've been spending time with young Pai, I've seen her many moods. Happy, sad, excited, depressed, and anxious; but I've never seen her so withdrawn and consumed with doubt before. "...nothing, Sensei." I kneel down in front of her chair and reach up and caress her cheek gently. "What's wrong, child? Please, tell me." She blushes brightly and refuses to meet my eyes. "As...as I was leaving the Library last night, I...I heard a noise coming from Myungs' room. I...I was worried and I knocked, but there wasn't any answer so I tried the door and it was unlocked so I went in and I...I...I..." "Hush. It's ok, child. It's alright." I said softly, pulling her into a hug and I begin to stroke her hair reassuringly. After a while, young Pai calmed down and pulled back slightly, her arms still around me. "What happened next, child?" "I...I walked in and I saw Myung...and the princess...together. They...they were kissing and Myung was sliding a hand up the princesses' leg and...and the princess was unhooking the back of Myungs' dress..." I slowly roll back to rest on my heels, my hands resting on young Pais' lap. After a moment, I stand and walk over to the bay window and sit down. I look out the window deep in thought as I feel young Pais' eyes on my back. Finally I break the silence. "Like mother, like daughter; I guess." "Sensei?" young Pai asked, obviously shocked by my statement. "Have you told anyone else?" I ask suddenly. "No...no I haven't. I wanted to talk to you first." "Good, good." I say, then fall silent for a moment. "What do you think about the princess and Myung? What are your feelings towards them?" "I...like them, I guess." She answered slowly, long used to me suddenly changing topics during our talks. "The princess...she's sometimes acts childish for her age, but she's so kind and gentle. Myung, well she acts so tough and independent and she comes across as abrasive sometimes but she's very nice and caring." "And do you feel anything for them?" "Sensei?" "Do you hold any romantic feeling towards them?" I hear her gasp sharply. "...no, Sensei..." "I see. That makes this easier." I say, taking a moment to compose myself as I gaze out the window. "What I'm about to tell you, you are not to repeat to anyone. Understand?" "Hai, Sensei." "I was born into the House of Nova, a minor House that governs Umbriel. Being from such an unpopulated moon, I basically spent the first few years of my life alone. When I was seven, I was Awakened as the next Senshi of Time; and suddenly I was thrust into the spotlight. My predecessor, Lady Aika, came to Umbriel herself to bring me to the Lunar Palace. She was a formidable person and, quite frankly, she scared me badly during our trip to the Moon. Arriving here at the Palace, I was frightened and alone and it seemed like everyone kept treating me like I was an oddity; a freak. Everyone, that is, except one. She was a year younger than I was and she came up to me and said that she wanted to be my friend. I remember hesitantly nodding before she hugged me tightly." I fall silent, wrapped in my memories. Several moments pass before I hear young Pai ask, "The Queen?" "Yes. Princess Serenity the thirty-fourth; heir to the Moon Kingdom. You have no idea how...special she made me feel. From that day forth we were inseparable, we did everything together. The two of us got in and out of trouble more times than Myung and the princess do...of course we got caught few times then they do." I chuckle, then sigh with regret. "But time passed and we grew older. I spent more and more time at the Gates of Time with Lady Aika and the rest of her Senshi began to Awaken; the first being the Senshi of Jupiter." "Lady Nanami?" "Yes, Nanami." I say her name harshly. "She was about the same age as Serenity was when she came to the Palace. I was so jealous of her because she was able to spend more time with Serenity that I was. But I never let her know how I felt, knowing it would break her heart that I didn't like her new friend. Time passed and the days I spent with Lady Aika turned into weeks, then months; and the rest of her Senshi awakened. But every time I would visit, I would see Serenity and Nanami growing closer and closer, while it felt like the two of us were drifting further apart. Finally, one day Lady Aika announced that she was going to pass the mantle of Pluto on to me. "I was so excited. I couldn't believe it. There I was, only 17 years old and I was about to be formally recognized as one of the Senshi; the Senshi of Pluto, no less. I used my powers to reach out to Serenity and teleported to her, not being able to wait to tell her the news." Sighing deeply, I press on. "When I appeared here in the Palace, I found Serenity and Nanami together in a far more compromising situation that you just described. Sigh. I don't know how long I stood there, watching them. At first, I was confused, not understanding how she could betray me like that. Then I felt anger, not at Serenity; I could never hate her; but towards Nanami. I believed that she had somehow 'corrupted' my friend; that she turned her away from me." "What did you do?" Ami asked softly. "What could I do? I left. I went to my quarters and tried to make sense of what I had seen; but all that happened that night was that my anger for Nanami grew more and more intense. That morning, I left my quarters and searched for the one who I was convinced had 'corrupted' my pure and innocent friend." My voice trails off as I stair out at nothing. The seconds pass in silence before I start to speak again. "When I found her, I confronted her with what I had seen the night before. She told me that it was none of my business what she and Serenity did together." I sighed deeply before I continued. "Truthfully, I don't remember a third of what we said to each other. All I know is that we were this close to trying to tear the other's throat out. There we were, two of the most powerful woman in the Moon Kingdom; Senshi in all but name; ready to strike at each other. If Nae hadn't come by when she did, I shudder to think what we would have done. At the least, we would have easily leveled the South Wing; the worst, we could have killed each other or...or Serenity could've been hurt." I sigh, "So, I left. I retreated to the Gates of Time and stayed there, only to return when I was summoned by the Queen. Every time I was forced to come back, I avoided Serenity; even though it broke my heart to see the confused hurt on her face whenever she looked in my direction. Time passed, and Serenity became the ruler of the Moon Kingdom...and she was betrothed. I found out later from Nae that the day that Serenitys' engagement was announced, Nanami left the Palace without a word and isolated herself at Io Castle and, like myself, only left there to perform her Duties. "To this day, no one else knew about Serenitys' and Nanamis' relationship but me, and Serenity never knew why Nanami and I had fought that day. I think Nae might suspect something, but she never said anything to me. Since then, my friendship with Serenity has been strained; In fact, I think the main reason she asked me to tutor you was so she could see me again. No offence." After a moment, young Pai asked, "Were...were you and the Queen ever..." "Intimate? No." I answer as I turn in my seat to look at her. "I'll admit that when I was younger I had...fantasies about her, but I never acted on them. I realized that while I love her, I wasn't IN love with her. Do you understand?" I was somewhat surprised when young Pai locked eyes with me for a moment, her cerulean orbs glowing with an inner light. As quickly as it happened, she broke eye contact and looked at the floor. "Yes Sensei. I understand." She said in a hushed tone. I watch her for a moment, wondering what just happened, when young Pai spoke hesitantly. "So...what do we do about what I saw?" "Nothing. Were I to say something, people would only see what I tell them as coming from the Senshi of Pluto; and not as Iria; and they would take drastic measures to separate Myung from the princess." That caused young Pai to look up at me curiously. "Why would they do that, Sensei?" "Because, child, when all is said and done, all the people really care about is that there is a Serenity on the Throne. The line of Serenity extends back for more than 1600 years and the nobles would see any physical relationship that the princess would have with another woman as a threat to the line of succession." I answer her then, with a sly smile, I try to lighten the somber mood. "Your seventeen years old now, child. I know it's something we've never talked about before, but if you feel the need to cover the subject we could talk about sex-ed." I watch as young Pais' face turns crimson and she tries to retreat into the cushions of her chair. "Sensei..." she says, her voice thick with embarrassment. "As for what you should do," I say seriously. "Act like there's nothing going on. Hopefully, they're just experimenting. If this is something more serious, be there for them because the road they're traveling is one destined for heartbreak one day." "I think I understand, Sensei." "Good. Is there anything else you want to tell me?" Young Pai looked up at me, with that strange look in her eyes again, and opened her mouth slightly. She then seemed to deflate somewhat as that odd inner light faded again. "Actually Sensei, there is. Lady Airi is stepping down next week and I'll officially Ascend to the Senshi of Mercury. Will...will you be able to come to the ceremony?" "Congratulations!" I say as I stand from my seat and walk over to her chair. I grasp her hands and pull her to her feet and hugged her. "Of course I'll be there!" "Thank you, Sensei." Young Pai said as she tenderly returned my embrace. "And don't you worry; I'll still visit you as often as I can. You have no idea how much I enjoy spending time with you." "Neither do you, Sensei." Young Pai whispered softly, "Neither do you." ---Silver Millennium--- "Come on! Come on! Let's go, let's go, let's go! Where burning daylight here, you know!" I shake my head slightly to clear the memories of the past as Rei begins herding everyone towards the cars. Looking around, I see Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru, and Chibi-usa already getting into the car. Meanwhile, Rei is pushing Usagi forward towards the van and I notice Makoto giving Ami a curious glance. The taller girl moved closer to Ami and was about to say something when, suddenly, Minako was there. She gave me a curious smile before turning to Makoto. "Come on, Mako-chan! Let's get the back seat before anyone else does!" she said, grabbing the brunette's hand and pulling her towards the van. "But I..." Makoto stammered, only to fall prey to the blondes' determination. As I make my way to the driver's side, I reflect on the past. Fortunately, while the relationship that Myung and the princess had was somewhat serious, it at least ended amicably. From what Pai had told me later, they had realized that their relationship wasn't meant to be; especially after Prince Endymion had come onto the scene. Sitting the drivers' seat, I start the engine and turn to the person in the passengers' seat and ask, "Shall we go?" "Yes, lets." Ami said with a shy smile. ------ To Be Continued... Author's Notes... (Slowly, we see Chibi-usa walking across the screen caring a bass drum that she is beating rhythmically.) "He keeps going and going and going and going and going and going..." He, he, he. One myth put to rest (at least in THIS fic). Now...what to do, what to do... Hum...is it me, or is that every time I'm trying to write one of these notes, the radio is playing 'Serenity' by Godsmack? As Always any C&C would be appreciated. This fic and others can be found at my FF.Net account, which is www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=266642 10/05/03
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