All right people, we all know the drill by now. I do not own nor will I ever inherit any copyrights/trademarks having to do with Sailor Moon (though if someone is willing to sell, I've got like . . . fifteen cents and a ball of lint in my pocket as we speak . . .^_^)
Warnings and other such stuff include Adult Language, Mild Lime and Violence. I would rate it a rare R, (since I usually write NC-17). I wouldn't read this fanfiction unless you are physically 16-17 years old or older, or at least mentally matured to that age or higher. No sir, no lawsuits for me!
I am attempting to keep this as real and true to the characters as possible, though the plot sequences are horribly distorted. But that's the whole point of an A-U story, isn't it.
If any of you are at any part of the story offended . . . then don't read it. It's really that simple. This story, while based on a very juvenile anime, [meant for ages thirteen and under, (at least in the American Version)], will have very adult issues and situations, including but not revolving around such things as murder and suicide. If either of those things makes you queasy or uncomfortable, then don't read this fanfiction. I admit that I personally don't find what I wrote to be that bad. But that's just me, you might not feel the same way.
Okay, enough of the dark stuff. This is supposed to be a light- hearted, funny, romantic story about love, loss and rebirth. It's a two parter. The first part, "Promises Broken," is about Endymion, Serenity, the Inner Scouts and the Four Generals when they first meet, way back in the Silver Millennium, before Beryl. The second part, "Promises Kept," is set sometime during the show. I'm not all that great on the exact timelines, but it's sometime after Rini went back to the future, if that helps. This story focuses mostly on the Generals and the Scouts. It will have some Serena and Darien, but not much.
What else needs to be said . . . ? Oh! All names and terms will be from the American versions. However, unlike the US, Zoisite will be male, as he is in the Japanese and manga versions, but he and Malachite are not gay together. I apologize to all of you out there who enjoy the occasional fruit or dominatrix (Hi Mailyn), but it would be detrimental to my plot sequence. ^_~
I will also not have bits and pieces of jumbled up Japanese language thrown in to make this story sound authentic. I can't read, write or understand Japanese, and a good number of people who will read this can't either, so there really is no need. I say, if you're going to throw in a japanese term every five minutes, then you might as well just go ahead and write the whole damn thing in Japanese. Why stop at "Konnichiwa," "Baka," "Moshi-Moshi" and "Domo-Arigato?"
In the second part, all of the Gens are American. This was done to keep them from the possibility of running into their "other selves." However, I don't address the language barrier. I couldn't come up with a way to fix it, so I ignored it. Forgive me. And I made up some of the Gens abilities, under the pretense that Beryl didn't get the "true" Generals, and therefore they had skills that her Generals couldn't utilize. And another thing. As far as the Scouts go, I have utterly no respect for specific power levels and their according abilities. I use whatever power that will come in handy at the time, and give them the outfit(level) that I think personally looks the best on them. Sorry to all the fanatics out there that this will seriously piss off. (Hi Fanboy). Also, I made up names for them in the first part, assuming that they wouldn't be named the same thing in both times. They're very similar, however, so you shouldn't have any trouble recognizing who is who.
The characters of Jordan Mallone and Ronnie belong to Christopher Coppage/Fanboy/Ginsan, with all rights reserved.
Now what else . . . ? Oh, of coarse. Do enjoy yourselves while partaking in a little bit of my personal stock of insanity. Pretty please REVEIW or e-mail me your thoughts and compliments and (cringe) kind criticisms. If you want to flame, then at least have the guts to leave your e-mail address for a return comment.
Ciao for Now,
Lynnwood
"Ouch!"
The high-pitched, almost inhuman sounding screech came from the young, seventeen year old girl sitting perched, (almost regally), on the backless, velvet lined ottoman chair. She sat before a very large vanity dresser, with a huge and ornate mirror placed before that, and the girl swiveled back now to give her maid a very evil-looking glare, clutching her stinging scalp.
"That hurt, Meryl!"
The redhead shrugged, cracking a mischievous, though apologetic, smile.
"I'm sorry, Princess. But your head is full of tangles this morning. I told you to put it up last night. With hair as long as yours, you can't just go to bed with it loose. But you didn't listen to me, did you."
"As if that is unusual," came a low-toned, husky mutter.
The golden-peaked princess pivoted about completely to give the girl that had just spoken a nasty glare as well. Her so-called companion sat leisurely on a bench near the door, dressed in an elegant but risqué taffeta gown the color of deep burgundy, with an off-the-shoulder cut and a slit through the skirt all the way up to her hip. She had a velvet choker around her slender throat, a shade darker than the gown and golden bobs in her ears. And finally, on her left arm, just below her shoulder, clasped a wide, ornate gold bangle with the insignia of Mars burned into it's surface, which signaled to all that the bearer was royalty.
Her name was Rayna, and she was a princess as well(though of lower rank than herself), from the Martian Kingdom. Though the same age, she had been trained extensively in battle as a Scout, and was supposed to be serving under the Princess of the Moon as a companion and protector. More often than not, however, the princess of Mars was just an annoying tick in her feather-down mattress of life.
Rayna's hair was a thick, ebony black mane that fell straight to her knees, always left loose. Her bangs, parted on the left side, fell into her eyes in spiky tendrils. The eyes themselves were a deep and soul-catching shade of violet, narrowed faintly now with amusement at her ward's sudden attention.
"That's not funny, Rayna," the princess, Serenity by name, announced scathingly. Rayna blinked, innocent expression painting her unabashedly beautiful features.
"Well? Funny or not, it's the truth. You're a complete scatterbrain, Sere."
Rayna had to duck to narrowly miss being smacked in the face by a silver-tooled, soft-bristle hair brush that came hurtling in her direction. The wide hair-care product clattered harmlessly against the wall instead. Meryl laughed.
"My, my," murmured another girl, near the other side of the enormous chamber. Serenity turned to pin her narrowed eyes on yet another one of her five, personal body-guards.
This one was very tall, dressed in a green silk gown that was simple and to the point. It had a turtle-neck design, the collar snugly encircling her throat in a wide choker. The gown was sleeveless and pleasantly snug around her athletic torso, the skirt slender and heavy as it pooled the floor beneath her. She had a wide golden girdle that hung elegantly from the curve of her hips, fastening loosely with the ends dangling down to her knees. And finally, clasped around her left wrist and extending back nearly to her elbow, was the delicate gold gauntlet with the insignia of Jupiter burned into it, that symbolized her as royalty as well.
Her deep auburn hair was pulled back into a faintly curly ponytail that reached a point just past the curve of her shoulders. Her emerald green eyes twinkled brilliantly when she turned to smile at Serenity, slightly misty from staring out at the bright morning sunlight.
"Aren't we touchy today," Litonya, the Princess of the Jovian Kingdom, observed softly. "I wonder why?" The dry censure in her voice wasn't missed on the sometimes dense Moon Princess, either.
"Oh, stuff it Litonya," Serenity growled, throwing herself back forward. She motioned airily for Meryl to continue brushing her long, golden hair. The silky strands cascaded down her back, all the way to the ground, and then several feet more pooled on the carpeted floor around her. Serenity gritted her teeth, both because Meryl's gentle but firm hands began to work out the knots and tangles that bound up her tresses and because Rayna and Litonya continued to laugh at her expense behind her.
"You know," Rayna suddenly chimed in, her husky tone practically dripping with sarcasm, "I've noticed that Serenity's been a bit on edge these past few days too. Why is that, do you suppose, Amira?"
The two girls turned to another of their order. A large book lowered to reveal a heart-shaped, fine-boned face. Deep blue eyes blinked at them, surrounded by short-cropped, shimmering blue hair that fell just past the lobes of her ears, gleaming brilliantly with the sunlight hitting it just so.
She wore a pale blue gown of the softest lawn, made in a modest cut with a half-circle neckline and long, nearly transparent sleeves that belled gracefully around her tiny wrists. The only ornament she wore was a thin gold chain, on which hung a medium-sized circular medallion with the insignia of Mercury ingrained into it's surface. Amira, the princess of the Mercurian Kingdom, glanced about between her two counterparts with faint confusion puckering her delicately beautiful features.
"Hm-m? I'm sorry?" she murmured, voice soft and musical. "I didn't hear you."
"I asked you why Serenity's all . . . jumpy, lately," Rayna repeated. "We were just trying to figure out the reason."
"Oh." Amira shrugged, completely underestimating the weight of her next words. "Well I suppose it's probably because her betrothed is arriving today to visit for the first time in seven years," she answered softly, matter-of-factly.
"You guys, this is not funny!" Serenity yelled in a very loud, unlady- like voice. Though the flighty princess rarely ever really got angry, she certainly was now. She glared daggers at all four of them in her mirror's reflection. "You try being engaged for your whole life to an arrogant, self- absorbed, cold-blooded bastard, and see how you like it!"
The room settled into an uncomfortable quiet. Serenity, red faced(though more from anger than embarrassment), clenched her teeth and glared down hard at her vanity top. None of them understood what it was like. They all liked to tease her about the hatred and dislike that she felt for her betrothed. But they didn't have to face the knowledge every single day that in one year she would belong to him, a man that she couldn't stand; body, mind and soul.
When Serenity had been born, seventeen years ago, her mother had moved quickly to have her engaged to the then four year old grandson of one of her more favored and loyal courtiers. That courtier being Lord Prince Mandrake of Earth, the grandson being Endymion, Prince of Earth and Protector of Elysian, the Kingdom of Dreams. They had met for the first time when she was five years old, Endymion nine. Completely unimpressed with the dark-haired, blue eyed boy to whom she'd been told she would be married to upon turning eighteen, Serenity had given him the greeting to which, in her young mind, she felt he deserved. She stuck her tongue out at him.
The older boy had treated her in kind, then retaliated further later on that day. After they had settled down for the outdoor picnic in the Moon Palace's very large, beautiful garden, Endymion managed to somehow slip a frog down the front of her pink dress.
Serenity had hated him ever since. The feeling was mutual, since Endymion's retaliation had won him ten painful lashes across the back with a leather strap from his then very irate grandfather, who was a very built, very robust warrior. Lord Mandrake and Prince Endymion had returned to Earth shortly after that, and did not return for another five years.
Serenity had just turned ten the summer that Endymion visited again, and he was nearing his fourteenth birthday. She had then been faced with a creature whose body seemed to be woefully disproportional, as his legs seemed far too short and his arms far too long to fit on his thin, lanky frame. His raven black hair had fallen over his brow and into his eyes in stringy strands, reminding Serenity of the end of a mop. She'd been even more disgusted by him than before, and apparently he felt the same, if the very insulting sneer of his lips was any indication. He'd only sealed the moment by informing Serenity that her favored hair style looked like two yellow meatballs on the sides of her head.
Unfortunately the two were forced to spend an entire summer together that year. It was sheer torture, as Serenity remembered it. And the hatred between the two intended only grew with each passing day.
From the first day they met, Endymion had refused to call her by her given name, instead favoring the nickname which he himself had created. Meatball Head. Serenity's fists tightened, even now, in thinking of it. Nothing else that he had ever done to her, and there was a lot to choose from, had ever gotten under her skin like that horrid name did. Serenity was convinced that she and Endymion were destined to despise each other for forever and ever. They were completely opposite, both in temperament and demeanor.
The Moon Princess prided herself on her normally happy, chipper disposition. She was always quick to lend a hand to anyone in need, and loved to talk. Endymion, on the other hand, was serious and brooding, even as a child. He lived to make fun of her and delighted in making her miserable. Serenity shuddered at the thought of having to live with that for the rest of her life, day in and day out, with no escape.
The silence in her room lasted until Meryl had succeeded in gathering up Serenity's long golden tresses into the two medium sized buns at either side of her scalp, effectively taming and lifting the impossibly long stuff up off the floor. The rest fell nearly to the floor in two uniformed pony- tails, thin and straight. Her appearance was finished off with the six pearl-topped hair pins in her bangs, three on either side. Then Serenity, already dressed in one of her favorite pink gowns, stood and faced off with her still-silent friends.
They said not a word, only managed to look everywhere but directly at her, avoiding her gaze. So, with her nose lifted, still miffed, Serenity gathered her skirt in one hand and glided out of the room. The three of them followed her out.
They met Serenity's last companion along the way.
The exceedingly beautiful, blonde female fell into step with her princess, an excited grin painting her features and bright blue eyes twinkling with abject eagerness. Her bright lemon colored hair fell long and heavily down to her calves, of a lighter shade than Serenity's own golden colored locks, the top layers held up, pulled back and tied in place by a wide orange silk ribbon fashioned into a beautiful bow. It gave the gorgeous girl just the right amount of youthful flare.
Her gown, a matching orange-gold color, shimmered beautifully as she moved, meant to catch a person's eye and hold it. Made of the richest satin, this dress also had a collar neckline cut and was sleeveless, just like Litonya's gown. But what made hers stand apart was the fact that it was completely backless, the dangerous scoop stopping just short of showing her rear-end. Luckily her long hair hid most of it. She wore tiny golden hearts in her ears, and a wide gold torque encircled her neck, with the insignia of Venus etched into it.
This girl was Minerva, Princess of the Venutian Kingdom and the leader of the Inner Soldiers, though no one would know it from her perpetual light-heartedness and overall, flighty nature.
"Guess what today is?" Minerva suddenly teased in a sing-song voice, grinning.
Serenity's face grew red again with anger, her fists clenching at her sides. No one even saw it coming, especially not Minerva, who jerked slightly as Serenity caught her with a left hook. She stumbled back, her blue eyes growing really wide and her mouth falling open in complete shock. Minerva simply stood and watched as the others kept going, a hand cradling her cheek.
"Was it something I said?" she finally asked, confused.
Once she'd gotten over her shock Minerva hurried to catch up with them. Just before the vengeful Venutian Princess could trip her haughty ward, a sentry dashed up to them, breathless and excited.
"They're here! They're here! Get the Queen at once! They're here!"
Serenity's face went pale.
"Where are they being unboarded?" Rayna curiously asked the man before he could dash off again.
"The front gates, of coarse, your majesties! Queen Serenity asked for the best for the Prince of Earth and his four highest Generals!" He paused for a moment, literally trembling with excitement, then burst off in a full run once more, screaming, "They're here!" the entire way.
All of the Princesses stared after him, sweat-dropping, then Minerva grabbed a reluctant Serenity's hand and tugged her along.
"C'mon you guys!" she chortled, "let's go get a sneak poke!"
Serenity was helpless to resist, and though she tried her best to dig her heels in it was no use. The girls dashed through the Palace at break- neck speed, skid around a corner and ducked behind the bushes just as the transport's main doors slid open with a hiss.
"Let me go Minerva!" Serenity demanded angrily, attempting to pull away.
"Shush!" Minerva hissed. "You want to get us caught?!"
"Yes!" Serenity announced loudly. "I hope we do get caught, just so I can blame it all on you---,"
Litonya suddenly pounced forward and clapped a hand over Serenity's mouth just as the first passenger stepped out and into the bright sunlight, her other arm wrapping around the Moon Princess's neck for a headlock. Serenity would have put up more of a struggle if she hadn't been completely stunned by the vision before her.
He was very tall, his dark black hair cut short and tumbling disheveled over his brow, falling rakishly into his midnight blue eyes. He was dressed in a high-necked, tight fitting uniform of the darkest blue, nearly black, intricately tooled in a much lighter shade of the same color. An ebony black cape clasped around his neck and fell like water to the ground, inner-lined in blood red. He was built somewhat slender, but with a wide set of shoulders which hinted to a physique much more defined than a normal Prince. For, that's what he was. The wide gold circlet around his brow, with the large insignia of Earth, branded the completely gorgeous guy as nothing else. He was Lord Endymion, Prince of Earth and Protector of Elysian, the fabled Kingdom of Dreams.
Her betrothed. Serenity was so stunned she choked.
"Wow, what a hunk," Rayna breathed, just as stunned as Serenity.
Then they really did a double take as four more men filed out behind the Prince, each one dressed in a gray uniform similar to but much more simpler in design than Endymion's, with knee-high black boots polished to a glossy shine. And each one was almost sinfully attractive, each in their own way.
"They just keep getting cuter and cuter!" Minerva hissed, grinning widely.
The first one out was the tallest of them all, huge in build and stature, dwarfing the rest of them with his impressive size and with the aura unshakable confidence that surrounded him like a shield. His uniform was tooled in light blue, a snow white cape clasped to the shoulders and held in place by two large blue gems, signifying a status higher than that of his comrades. Pale platinum hair fell heavily past his broad shoulders, the bangs parted to the side and feathering wispily over his brow and into a pair of silver-blue eyes.
The next one out was much shorter than the platinum-haired giant, around the same height as Endymion. This one was much more slender and of a finer build than the others, his uniform striped and decorated with green lining. He had a rich mane of reddish gold hair, pulled back loosely into a curly ponytail that fell somewhere in the vicinity of his back. His short bangs also fell into his eyes, which were a dark and almost smokey green in color.
The next one was the shortest of the five men, but not necessarily a short man by any means. He was more stocky and broad of build than the others, only out done by the giant. His gray uniform, tooled in blood red, tightly encased an obvious and infinitely well-trained muscle mass. This one had a short-cropped mane of brilliantly gold hair, slightly curly at the tips, and a pair of sultry brown eyes that, even as they watched, twinkled with mischievousness.
And finally, the last man out was the second tallest and built rather well himself, his uniform tooled in bright yellow. He also had clasps on his shoulders, made of a dark red stone, but no cape to accentuate them, which probably meant that he was second in command. This one had a full head of deep brown hair that fell in heavy waves down his back, nearly to his waist, and a pair of blue eyes that faintly resembled two gleaming sapphires.
The five girls hiding in the bushes were practically drooling.
As they watched, the five men were led away by some official or other, to rooms that they could wait in until Queen Serenity was prepared to greet them. After the coast was clear, the girls hurried back to their rooms to wait to be called as well, giggling and talking excitedly amongst themselves about the possibilities.
