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Prince Endymion stood irritated as his Shitennou inspected his appearance like some sadistic form of mother hen. They were to arrive on the moon shortly and thus present themselves to the monarch of the Silver Millenium and her soon-to-be betrothed daughter. He was dressed impeccably, a crisp white tunic under the black jacket that he had been given to wear. Fashion on the moon was a bit different from Earth, but he found he wore it quite well. “Your father will expect you to be on your best behavior and represent our planet proudly.” Zoisite reminded him, removing an imaginary speck from the Prince’s jacket. “It’s an honor that she allowed your name to be added to the list of potential suitors. We might be a part of the Silver Alliance now, but we’re completely in the dark about their traditions, customs and most of their courting procedures.” “You make it sound like I’m jumping to marry this Princess.” Endymion gritted out. Despite his slight excitement to actually step foot on the moon, the crown prince had no personal urge to partake in this event.“Who said the princess would have you?” Nephlite retorted jokingly. The two generals had accompanied him, leaving the remaining Shitennou, Jadeite and Kunzite, to watch over his ailing father and his planet.Before the prince could trade jabs with Nephlite, someone knocked on the door waiting respectfully for a reply. “What?” yelled out Zoisite not bothering to open the door to let the man in.“The captain would like to inform his highness that we have arrived and are preparing to dock.” The muffled reply called out from behind the door.“Showtime, Endymion.” They would be on the moon for a few days as the lunar princess chose a betrothed. The entire event would last for a Lunar week, or until someone was selected, whichever came first. The humans couldn’t understand how a week was enough time for the princess to even vaguely get a chance to meet much less get to know all of those vying for her hand. ‘She’d probably go for the best-looking fellow, so Endy has a better chance than most.’ Jadeite had guessed when they were getting prepared to leave Earth.Endymion’s first glimpse of the Lunar capital was truly breathtaking. Some had described it as a utopia of unparalleled beauty with its pearlescent streets and buildings carved from silver. Others had bemoaned it, a place of monotone dullness with no color or personality to call it’s own. True, the metallic silver and white sheen of the capital wasn’t an absolute delight for the senses but it gave the world a natural elegance. Although a prince, himself, Endymion started to feel a bit overwhelmed by the magnificence of the city.He had also prepared himself and the others for the drastic change in gravitational force that the moon exhibited, but he was pleasantly surprised to feel only slightly different from Earth. Apparently, the moon palace was kept under a gravitational barrier, making it easier when they receive guests from across the solar system. He was lighter than normal but wasn’t bouncing around the atmosphere.  Greeting them at the entrance was a woman with long black hair and dark purple eyes with a maroon dress to her knees and a black jacket similar to his own over her shoulders. “I am Rei, Princess of Mars, and I welcome you, Prince Endymion, to the capital of the Silver Millenium, the Lunar Empire.”“Princess Rei.” Endymion greeted, bowing slightly as appropriate to her title as she returned the gesture.“I hope your travels went well.” She said as she escorted them from the landing dock.“They were as expected,” replied the prince, following at her side. Nephlite and Zoisite followed behind them, flanking him on either side. She took them the long way around the palace, showing them where they would have their meals, gathering halls and the like. “Your rooms should be ready by now. We expect to see you at 8 pm for the beginning of the celebration. Someone will come to retrieve you for the festivities.”Their apartments, although smaller than what they had back home, were more than adequate for the week’s stay. “8 pm doesn’t really give us any time to do anything at all,” Nephlite commented as he put his feet up on the small coffee table in Endymion’s room.“I think that was the point. Chess?” Zoisite asked, spotting the set.“I’ll pass,” Endymion said shaking his head. Being the newcomer to the Silver Alliance, he honestly didn’t know what to expect when it came to these ‘festivities’ as the Princess of Mars had put it. Would there be some sort of test? He hadn’t cared about marrying anyone but his father had insisted and he had acquiesced. The king’s health was failing and if by some miracle of a chance Endymion was able to become betrothed to the moon princess it would cement their place in the Silver Alliance and set his father’s worries to rest.  Not twenty minutes later, their escort arrived to take them to the ballroom. Not structured for a ball, it was set up with hundreds of chairs for princes, lords and their escorts. Nine additional chairs were set up on a balcony looking over them. “Well, there’s no numbering or names on these things so we might as well just take a seat,” Nephlite said taking a seat closer to the front of the hall, but not too far so that they wouldn’t have to strain their neck to see above them.The hall filled quickly, with both generals marveling at the number of suitors that had come to attempt to claim the princess’ hand. “All rise for the entrance of her majesty, the ruler of the Silver Millenium, head of the Silver Alliance and Queen of the Lunar Empire; Queen Selenity.” The room rose to their feet as the queen entered. Her long silver hair flowed behind her in matching pigtails, her usual dual buns gracing the top of her head.“Welcome gentlemen to Princess Serenity’s Third Bonding Festival. We hope that your journey to the Moon was pleasant. For now, please be seated.”‘Third?’ mouthed Nephlite silently to Endymion and Zoisite as they retook their seats. The prince couldn’t help but give a hapless shrug. Was this really the princess’ third selection of a fiance? What happened to the first two? Why had Earth never heard about them? Surely even that type of news would have made it to his planet.“Without further delay, let me introduce to those who have not had the honor, my daughter and the reason that you all are here today, Princess Serenity of the Lunar Empire.” The queen opened her arm behind of her beckoning the princess forward. Serenity stepped forward following by a number of women who walked past her to stand in front of the unoccupied seats. The trio recognized one of them as the Princess Rei that had greeted them earlier.The crown princess stepped forward, her hair in a similar style to her mother’s save hers was a golden blonde. She was a little thing. Endymion guessed that the little buns she had on top of her head wouldn’t even reach his chin. She wore a muted pink ball gown with embroidered lace off the shoulder sleeves that continued its design through the thick fabric of her dress.All around him he could hear chatter start, as some took in their very first glimpse of the heir to the solar system. She was too thin for Endymion’s personal liking and a bit too young. It was no secret to his Shitennou that he had a penchant for choosing women older than him as escorts or for entertainment. The young princess looked no older than 16 to the Prince of Earth’s 23 although, her face, Endymion had to admit, was exquisite. Despite the large eyes and extra weight in her cheeks that made her appear far to young for his liking, she was truly a sight to behold. Perhaps in a year or two, Endymion mused, as his eyes fell to his favorite part of her face, her lips.“Now, for those of you who are unfamiliar to the procedures of the bonding festival let me give a quick recap of the rules.” Queen Selenity continued. “Each of you will be given separate time to meet with the princess; whether it be for a meal or a leisure activity. These will be chaperoned meetings, where the princess will be accompanied by one of the Sailor Senshi.” The queen’s hand gestured to the seven who had entered with the princess. “After a week’s time has passed we will either announce the Princess’ choice or will call off the bonding festival as it has been unsuccessful. To show that we are fair to every participant, you will be entered into a lottery to choose your time with the princess. Can all suitors please stand? You will be making your way to the center of the room where my wonderful advisor, Luna, will be waiting for you to choose a time slot.” Serenity left her mother on the balcony, walking down to take a closer look at her suitors as they waited in line. Princess Rei of Mars and Princess Minako of Venus stood by her side. “Has anyone caught your eye, Sere?” Minako asked in a hushed tone as they walked around the ballroom. Some tried to maintain eye contact, but none approached under the frightening glare of the Martian Senshi.“You know it doesn’t work that way, Minako,” responded Serenity. “If you’re asking if there’s any that I find handsome then yes, there’s a number of handsome men here this evening.” Always the romantic, Serenity hoped that she would be bonded to one of the more handsome men at the festival. That one lord from Pluto was quite handsome. She wondered if he was related to Setsuna as they shared the same green hair and cocoa skin. Uranus’ younger brother, Prince Caelus, was also in attendance. The two could easily be mistaken for twins and while Serenity felt that Haruka might take offense at her choosing her younger brother over her, she would welcome her into the family with open arms. The fact that she was already bonded to the Princess of Neptune, would ease her slightly bruised heart.“Princess Rei.” Serenity turned her head at the man that had approached the Martian princess. One of them had long dark blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. His brunette companion was only a few inches taller and both wore matching uniforms.“Ah, Generals.” Rei nodded her head as they bowed deeply. “I’m assuming your Prince is in line.”The blonde nodded. “Yes, his majesty is almost to the front of the line.” He responded and then turned to the curious eyes of the Lunarian princess. “An honor it is to meet you, your majesty.” And the two bowed deeper than they had the entire trip.“The pleasure is mine, my lords. And where do you hail from?” Serenity answered politely.“Earth, your grace. And please, we are no lords. Just his highness’s Generals.” The brunette spoke this time.Serenity perked up when she heard of their planet of origin. She hadn’t been privy to the treaty that brought Earth into the Silver Alliance and had only met King Alicud briefly before he had suddenly taken ill. “I see, and you are accompanying your Prince for the festival?”“Yes. Prince Endymion has almost finished securing his time slot.” The blonde general pointed to the front of the line.“Which one is he?” She asked curiously. It was difficult for her to memorize the entire list of those coming and even harder for her to try and tell them apart from the back.“The one with the black hair, your highness.”The head of black hair close to the front of the line towered over most of the other applicants near him. The prince of Earth had an impressive height to him. “I see. I look forward to meeting him in the upcoming days. Have a good evening, gentleman.”She smiled kindly as she bid them good night. Following Minako as she cleared a path for her to exit the ballroom. “Well,” she said as they had gotten a fair distance away from the crowded room. “We can put a tentative Prince of Earth on the list of handsome suitors. He looks quite nice from the back.” She said grinning at the Venuvian Princess.“Serenity, you can’t base his handsomeness on the back of his head.” The other blonde said bewildered.“Well, it’s not just the back of his head. His hair looks so soft and silky, even from a distance. His shoulders are broad and strong and his height.” She squealed softly. “What was his name again?”“Endymion,” Mars answered shortly.“You’ve been quiet, Rei. What have you got to say about all of this? My money was on Haruka’s brother or that delicious Prince of Titan. You’ve escorted the Earthling Prince, what did you think of him?” Venus asked, suspicious over the usual mouthy Martian.“Keep him on the list,” Rei said, patting Serenity on the shoulder. “You have good taste.”“Oh so, he looks as good from the front as he does from the back?” Venus asked teasingly.“Better,” Mars responded, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Shit, I’d do him if he wasn’t here for Serenity.”Minako’s and Serenity’s eyes widened. “He must be like Adonis to make Rei say something like that,” Minako whispered, referencing the god worshipped dearly on her home planet, while Serenity just nodded along in shock. Her heart soared at the prospect of her being bonded to Endymion of Earth. Earth had never participated in the Bonding Festival before. It would be a fantastic new experience for them both. “Dinner with the princess on Day 4. Not bad.” Nephlite flipped the card that the prince had been given around his fingers. “It’s really not a bad slot at all. It’s further in the week so you’ll stand out more over those that she’s met earlier. And you’ll be the last person she sees that day, so she’ll go to sleep thinking of you.” Zoisite said winking at the prince who groaned and flopped back onto the bed.“How am I supposed to do this? She looks like a child. Why I couldn’t I be vying for Princess Rei’s hand or even that brown haired Sailor Senshi Princess?” Endymion complained.“Brown-haired Senshi? You mean the one with the amazing rack?” Nephlite asked thinking back to the lineup of Senshi.“That’s the one,” Endymion said not bothering to remove his hand from over his face.“Now that’s not fair, Endy. Nephlite and I met Princess Serenity while you were waiting in line and she seems to be a wonderful lady. Yes, she might look a bit young but if this is already her third bonding festival, she must be older than she looks. Besides, she seems interested enough in you, at least due to what planet you hail from.”“I know. She’s just not quite what I expected the woman I’d spend the rest of my life with to look like.”“Did you expect to potentially spend the rest of your life with the supreme ruler of the Silver Millenium?” Zoicite retorted back.“.....No.” came Endymion’s quiet reply to his General.“Exactly, so suck it up and stop complaining about Serenity’s tits. You make it sound like the girl is hideous. She’s gorgeous.” He grabbed one of the pillows from behind Nephlite’s head and smacked the Prince’s leg.“First of all, I never said she was ugly. She’s extremely pretty. She just has a baby face. A baby face with one of the best set of lips I’ve ever seen, even from a distance. It’s just confusing when I look at her. Second of all, I never complain about tits. Lack of tits is where my critique lies.” Endymion never saw the pillows making their way toward his head.

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Serenity sat still putting on a slight smile for the maid who diligently brushed her long hair. It had already been three days into the bonding festival and once again no one seemed to be tugging on the bond like she had been told should happen. It had been hard to hide her disappointment. Her first two bonding festivals had ended unsuccessfully and she had to be told repeatedly that it had taken her own mother seven tries before she had found Serenity’s father. Her own time would come. The young maid set down her brush before turning to leave the room as her duties were finished for the evening. Serenity sighed, finally able to fully express her feelings once alone. She feared that once again this time would be met with failure. She hadn’t even been able to sense even a smidgen of someone on the other end of the bond while she walked amongst the suitors on the first night. At least she had the Prince of Earth to look forward to tomorrow evening. Even if she was left disappointed due to the bond, she would still have the opportunity to pick his brain about his home planet. She hummed to herself feeling slightly better as she picked out her attire for the next day. Her mother had insisted, against Serenity’s pleading, that she wear ballroom dresses throughout the extent of the festival. The princess had assumed that it was due to what had occurred at her previous festival, but she doubted her clothing had truly made a difference. Perverted men were perverted men, regardless of her clothing choices. “Alright Endy, turn on the charm.” Nephlite patted the prince on his shoulder. The prince rolled his eyes at his General’s antics, thanking the gods that he had the good sense to leave Jadeite at home for this visit. If Nephlite was overly annoying with his teasing, Jadeite would have been unbearable. “She won’t be able to resist.”Endymion didn’t need Nephlite to goad him own or boost his ego. He knew he was good looking. They had been provided clothing for each day, fashions from the different planets in the Silver Millenium. He had learned that his chosen outfit from yesterday had been from Saturn, with its high neck collar and buttons made from thick ribbon. The Princess Minako of Venus had practically accosted him the precious morning, gushing on how well he had taken to the Saturnese clothing. She had apparently picked everything for each individual out herself and couldn’t wait for his take on today’s Venusian ensemble.“Don’t you think it’s a bit much skin?” Zoicite asked as he looked over from where he lounged lazily on the couch. His black shirt had a deep v, showing off much of the top of his chest. His pants were also tighter than usual. Endymion shrugged. “There’s not much I can do about it now. They did pick it for me after all, so it shouldn’t be inappropriate.” “I wonder if the Princess will be dressed similarly?”She wasn’t. Sadly, there was no cleavage in sight on the Lunar heir, as Endymion caught sight of her in a private dining hall. She was dressed in a white flowing gown; a younger girl with short black hair stood behind f her chair. The girl bowed her head, acknowledging his presence, before moving to sit in the far corner of the room. “Princess,” Endymion greeted warmly. “An honor to finally stand in your presence.”A smile slowly graced the edges of her mouth as he approached her. “Prince Endymion. I must say that out of everyone here you are by far the person I am most curious to meet.“Indeed?” Endymion raised his eyebrow grinning inwardly when her face flushed. It was a pretty pink color dusting lightly over her nose and cheeks. “Yes, Your planet has always piqued my curiosity, Prince. This beautiful blue sphere just floating right above us. I didn’t really get a chance to converse with your father while he was here and was hoping you would allow me to gain some insight into where you call home.” “Of course, Princess,” Endymion replied, pleased that he could easily keep Serenity’s attention without the conversation being directly focused on himself. Their chatter was kept light and pleasant; him telling stories of how parts of the planet could be hot with seas of sand, lush with plains of green as far as the eye could see or mountains of white with peaks high above the clouds. Her eyes would widen as he spun tales of leaves turning to gold and falling from trees. He didn’t quite understand how the rest of the planets and moons she had visited never experienced seasons. Or perhaps they did, and each was a bit different from the last. He would talk throughout their meal, stopping for small bites while she inhaled hers and put her empty plate aside quickly to focus more on his words. Throughout dinner, her plate was replaced multiple times and each time she did the same. Climate turned to the Earth’s people; who she learned had many ethnicities, many different cultures, and spoke different languages. When he began to describe some of their cuisines, her mouth dropped open and eyes widened. He had hit her utmost favorite subject. Soon food turned to politics and philosophies. Although a more serious subject matter, Endymion found himself at ease as he discussed the going ons of his planet, the past challenges that they had faced as many countries came together to how they came to be the government that they were now. Throughout their conversations, the Terran prince found himself coming to two very startling conclusions. Princess Serenity had an extremely hearty appetite that would put even Nephlite’s to shame. Endymion had lost count how many times the maid had passed by to replenish Serenity’s finished plate. In addition, he hadn’t missed the look in her eyes when he started talking about the different cuisines found throughout his planet. She had looked utterly charmed and stared in wonder as he had described different dishes from around the globe. The second realization was that despite their many differences, they shared similar values. They both had their own thirst for knowledge and while Endymion was more fond of sitting down with a book, the princess preferred to jump in and get first-hand experience. The pair also had a staggering love for their people. He had enjoyed reminiscing with her on how he would sneak away from his duties every once in a while to wander throughout the villages closest to the palace. She had just inquired about their clothing choices when her chaperone cleared her throat. “You have five minutes, Princess.”Serenity wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction. “Oh please Hotaru. Must I really have a time limit? It’s not as if I have to meet anyone else after. Surely, the prince doesn’t mind extending our time together.” She glanced at him, eyes pleading for him to speak up.Endymion opened his mouth to acquiesce to Serenity’s wishes when the Saturnese princess cut him off. “Her Majesty the Queen gave us specific rules. It is not fair to the others that Endymion gets extra time with you because your schedule happens to be free after dinner.” The Lunarian pouted cutely turning back to face him but glared at her guardian from the corner of her eye. “To answer your question, your highness, we do dress a bit more conservatively than you do up here. Well, in most parts of the planet anyway. Closer to the middle of the planet is far hotter, and thus some there tend to where more,” he paused as he tried to find the appropriate term, “..revealing attire. Given the location of the capital, we usually don’t dress so freely.” He picked at the top that he had been given to wear earlier. The princess’ eyes widened at what he was implying. “I must apologize if your clothing has caused you any discomfort, Prince Endymion. The Princess of Venus picked out the clothing for every consort and did not take into account that other planets customary expose more than others.” “It’s fine, really,” he said holding his hands up in defeat. “All part of experiencing another culture after all although, if I may Princess Serenity,” he grabbed her hand gently, taking note of how tiny it was compared to his own. “Even if I am not the one chosen, I would like to extend the invitation to you to visit my planet. Earth is truly a place you cannot experience through words alone. It is my wish that everyone in the Silver Millenium truly see what my planet has to offer. It is my wish that everyone be more like you.” “That,” she started and then bit her lip, “sounds absolutely wonderful. Thank you.”Endymion stroked the pad of his thumb over her knuckles. “And hopefully one day soon, we’ll see each other again.” He lifted her hand to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss at the very top.Serenity’s mouth opened slightly in shock, her face blushing much deeper than it had earlier that evening. “I, um, I hope so too. And would look forward to it.” Her voice was a tad shrill, sounding a pitch or two higher than usual. He wanted to smile at the obvious effect he was having on her, but soon became worried as her eyes quickly dilated and she started to gasp for breath. “Princess?” He asked hesitantly putting a hand on her shoulder as she stared past him. She jumped at his touch, pulling away quickly and grabbing Hotaru’s hand, who had approached when noticing the Prince’s concern.“I’m fine, wonderful really.” She gasped out. “I really will forward to meeting you again, Prince Endymion. I’m afraid our time is up though and I hope you have an exceptional evening.” The confusion and concern on prominent on the Terran prince’s features. Hotaru, too, looked quite suspicious over the Lunarian's actions as she was dragged away from their dining room. “Serenity, are you alright?” Saturn asked trying to keep up with the speed that the princess was moving down the hall. She had stopped being dragged and now struggled to match Serenity’s pace. “I’m fine, really, Hotaru.” The Princess of Saturn raised her eyebrow in response. “Please, I promise. I just need to be alone.” “I’ll walk you to your chambers,” Hotaru said firmly. There was no questioning the Senshi of Death’s decision. Serenity clutched her hand to her chest as she collapsed against her bathroom door. Her body burned, a smoldering fire welling up in the pit of her belly that shot down to the apex of her thighs. She had felt a bit heated throughout her dinner with Endymion but when he had kissed her hand, brushing his lips gently against her knuckles, it was like something had erupted inside of her soul. She hastily stripped out of her dress, thankful that it hadn’t fit as snug as it should. Her nipples had already stood painfully erect and the stimulation of the cool air made her cringe. A hand brushed graced lightly over her breasts and Serenity bit back a gasp. The hot water couldn’t fill the tub fast enough.Was this the effects of the soul bond? Her mother had told her that when she found the person she was meant to be with, she would know. The girls had only been able to give brief descriptions from books or third-party experiences as none of them were bonded. Michiru and Haruka had only smiled knowingly and given her the same advice as the queen.Her bath was both unsuccessful and unsatisfying. The hot water did nothing to either calm her raging body or push it over the edge. Her damp body collapsed against her silk sheets, goosebumped from either the cool air or her heated core. Teenage curiosity had prompted her to explore her body, decades ago but rarely did she feel to urge to satisfy herself.Her fingers brushed against the short blonde wisps of hair at the apex of her thighs. Tentatively, she slid a finger inside her pussy, grazing her slit with her fingertips. She gasped at the wetness and pushed the finger further bit by bit until it was all the way in. “Gods,” she let out a soft gasp as she started to move her finger in and out of her tight snatch. She could barely think straight but somehow her memory conjured the face of the Terran prince. How he had brushed against her knuckles so softly with his hands. And the thought burned bright in her mind’s eye if he would ever touch her with that same gentleness in other places. She groaned softly as she struggled to reach completion, her hips undulating in tune with her fingers. She had dared to add a second digit and found her opening too tight. Settling for her one finger she soon found that it just wasn’t enough. Serenity abandoned her task, instead focusing on her swollen clitoris. The quiet of her room made her small gasps and moans all the louder. Increasing her pace, her eyes rolled to the back of her head as her body tensed sweetly.Mouth hanging open, she gasped for breath. Her breasts heaved with exertion, the pink tips glistening with sweat. Likewise, her blush pink vagina dripped with her essence. The sheets below her lay wet with her orgasm. Her hair had fallen out of the bun she had placed it into bathe and covered her akin to a golden cape. Still shivering in the aftermath of her climax, the princess pulled on the closest nightgown to her hand. It wouldn’t do for a maid to enter in the morning and discover her in anything akin to her current state. Endymion couldn’t remember the details of his dream, but he had awoken to gasp for air, his black hair plastered to his skin. And he was hard as a rock. He lifted the blanket cringing at the sight of his tented pants. Years had passed since the last time he had awoken to an erection, and even longer still that he had to deal with it himself. It wouldn’t do for him to go looking for someone in a foreign castle in the dead of the night to deal with his situation, especially when he was there to win the princess’ hand. So he stood in a cold shower, wishing his hardness away. His skin pruned and body screamed against the ice water raining down on his skin, but it wouldn’t go away. It was like some strange fire had started in this groin and he groaned realizing that he wouldn’t find relief unless he dealt with it himself. He hadn’t bothered wrapping the towel around his waist after he had dried off. Instead, he wrapped his hand firmly around his thick shaft. He started to rub almost unconsciously while he found his other hand rubbing his thumb over his leaking tip. His precum dribbled over his fingers even dropping to the bathroom floor. He found himself settling back against the bathroom vanity as his knees began to grow weak. The unevenness of his breathing increased as his movements did as he tugged on his member trying to find release. Soon he felt the familiar tightening in his balls as he prepared for his climax. His grip on the counter tightened as he bent over it, jacking himself off even faster. Eyes glancing up, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror; his cock looked bigger than it ever had before as his hand moved at a frightening pace. His mind was hazy as he reached for completion and he began to see another image form in the mirror. His eyes widened as Serenity’s hand hovered over his own before settling down on his cock and copying his own movements. She wasn’t there next to him that was for certain, but he could see her reflection in the mirror and he could feel her. Her soft touches were different from his own and as their fingers reached up to skirt gently over the tip, her sweet caresses sent him over the edge.Groaning, ropes of white splashed against the top of the vanity and coated the mirror. He shuddered as his body started to relax from his release. “What the hell was that?” he muttered to himself. He couldn’t understand where the image of the princess had come from, surely not one of his fantasies. And he could feel her as if she was there standing next to him jacking off his cock with her own hands. He shook his head at an attempt to clear his mind, not wanting to think about what had just occurred. He needed to get some rest and think this through better, but first, he should deal with his mess. It wouldn’t do to have the maid come in and find cum on the vanity counter and mirror.

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“For every person that is born, there is another born just for them. It is both an honor and a privilege to encounter the one you are bonded too. There are times that magical individuals may never find who they are bonded to as the proximity of bonding is not limited to one’s city, one’s empire or even one’s planet. Powerful beings can feel right away once their bonded mate approaches them. Unfortunately, those wielding less magical abilities often have to wait for a gesture of romance or love for the bond to become apparent.”

- Soul Bonds over Centuries
 Serenity laid in bed her covers pulled up to her chin as she thought about the previous night. She had been grateful that she had the foresight to clear out of the room as she had felt the clenching in between her legs. It would have been thoroughly embarrassing for everyone involved if she had become a wonton mess in the middle of the dining room. Still, the events of last night stayed in the back of her mind and she couldn’t bear to look anyone in the eye at the moment.So long she had stayed in bed that when a knock sounded on her door, she wondered why it had taken them so long. “Rise and shine, Princess.” Princess Ami of Mercury slid herself through the doorway expecting to see Serenity still sleeping. Instead, the girl was wide awake with the covers tightly bundled around her. “Serenity, you’re already awake. Are you feeling under the weather?Ami rushed to the side of the bed to place her palm on her forehead. “I’m fine, Ami.” Serenity waved the other girl’s hand away and turned in the bed to face her. “I just don’t think I’m up to doing much today.”“Your suitors are all excited to meet you, Sere. We have schedules all morning. It’s just today and tomorrow left and we’ll be all through.” Ami said encouragingly. Usually, Serenity was excited to meet new suitors, especially handsome ones. “Today you get to meet with Prince Caelus. You’ve been looking forward to that since he announced his intent as a suitor.“Honestly, Ami..” she began choosing her words carefully as she spoke, “I don’t think we need to look anymore.” The color in her face started to darken with each word. “I think I found him.” She last sentence came out as a whisper, her face flushing as she spoke.It took the Mercurian princess a few seconds to process what Serenity was implying. “Wait! Your soul bond formed? When? Who?” Despite the embarrassment that beginning to well up inside of her, it was still humorous to see the usually reserved Mercurian sputter about.  “It was last night.” She had dropped the blankets and was now sitting up in bed.“Last night?! Why didn’t you say anything? Who was it? It must have been your dinner companion. Hotaru had that shift and she didn’t say anything either.” Ami’s mind was moving a mile a minute as it rushed to try and fit the pieces together.“Please, Ami. I didn’t tell Hotaru, either. I didn’t realize what it was until this morning when I thought back on the evening.” Not exactly the truth, not exactly a lie either.“Well, what happened? We need to be sure it was him. The soulbond goes both ways so he should be affected also.” Ami said tapping her finger against her chin in thought.Ami was right. Soul bonds went both ways. Was it possible that he had spent his night similar to her own? Her eyes widened as she realized the implication of her thoughts shook her head to get the image out of her mind. Thinking back though, it was highly unlikely considering he looked completely unaffected. Did Terrans even form soul bonds?“Serenity!” Ami called her name loudly causing the poor girl to jump and turn to face the blue haired princess. “I’ve been calling you and you’re just sitting down with your head in the clouds.” She berated the blonde. “But you need to tell me how you knew the bond was forming and who it is.”Leave it to Ami to be completely wrapped up in the specifics. If it was anyone else she might be able to get away by bragging on Endymion’s handsomeness, but the Mercurian princesses couldn’t bring herself to care about such trivial and shallow matters. “Why does it matter? You wouldn’t understand even if I describe it to you cause you’re not bonded yet. Besides, we both know you’re not the best person for these kinds of situations. ” Serenity felt proud of herself for her quick thinking, but her face quickly fell with Ami’s response.“That’s very true. Soul bonds were never my area of expertise and I don’t have first-hand experience, but your mother does, and this is exciting news. I’ll return shortly with her majesty and the others.” Serenity’s cry of indignation did nothing to detour blue-haired princess from leaving the room in search of Queen Selenity. The Lunarian princess wanted to bury herself under the palace for that mistake. She knew she’d be interrogated thoroughly of what happened last night and couldn’t bear the utter shame of having to explain it to her mother, of all people. In the visitor apartments, Endymion hid away in a similar state to Serenity. This morning’s episode had kept him awake, his mind either replaying what happened in the bathroom or trying to remember what his dream had been about in the first place. Morning wood wasn’t something uncommon, but waking up from a dream in the middle of the night with a hard-on that wouldn’t go away was something else entirely.The knock on the door was most likely Zoicite, as Nephlite had knocked previously, and he knew that they were taking turns. “You were absolutely fine last night, Endy, and you don’t get sick that quickly. Your immune system is better than that.”“Not against some foreign Lunarian illness or something else from the other edge of the solar system. You don’t know who I picked it up from.” Retorted Endymion.“Can you stop acting like a child and open the door? We both know you’re not sick. I don’t get it. You said everything went well with the Princess last night. And we all went to sleep in a good mood and now you’re like this.” The general barely had time to step out of the way of the door before it swung open. Endymion reached out and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, dragging him inside.“What I’m about to tell you, you’re going to keep to yourself. If I hear that anyone has heard about this, especially Jadeite, I am going to sneak into your room in the middle of the night and give you a mohawk. Is that understood?” The blonde could only nod wide-eyed at his prince. “This is going to sound fucking weird, ok.”“You know, I’m pretty sure you didn’t sneak any illegal substances up here with you, but that’s just so bizarre,” Zoicite commented after Endymion explained his late night sexual encounter. “And you’re sure all you had was some wine with dinner. What kind of wine was it?”“For Gaia’s sake, Zoi, I wasn’t drunk, I wasn’t high, I wasn’t intoxicated in any fashion. I went to sleep sober and I had a dream that I can’t seem to remember. I woke up horny as well, nothing was doing it for me and for some reason when I was jacking off, I saw and FELT the princess of the moon jacking me off too. The princess of the moon, with the small boobs who I really had no type of physical attraction too, at all. Except for her mouth, you really can’t deny a mouth like that.” Zoicite was unphased by Endymion’s rant. The seeing part didn’t really bother the general too badly. Endymion was sexually active and a sexually active mind that was sleepy, and had not gotten any in a while was bound to think up some crazy shit.“Are you sure you really felt her and it wasn’t just, you know, your own hand?”“Are you trying to imply that I don’t know how a woman’s hand on my dick feels?” Endymion had the absolute gall to sound offended.“First of all, I would never. Second, given the fact that it was in the middle of the night, is it possible your brain was just overly tired and imagined it.”“Zoicite, it freaked me the fuck out. That’s why I remembered it in the first place. That’s why I’m held up in my room trying to figure out what happened. The Princess was really pleasant at dinner and to be fair, I figured I could even be friends with her, but my attraction didn’t jump as much for me to even imagine that kind of experience.”The blonde held up his hands in defeat, “Ok, ok. Perhaps, it’s some type of magic, there’s tons of it floating around the palace.”“You think the Princess bewitched me?”“Bewitched is such a strong word. No, I don’t think the Princess cast anything on you. But Lunarians aren’t the only ones here with magic. In fact, pretty much everyone here except for us can use magic.” Zoicite responded and then brought his hand to run through his hair as he stared passed Endymion’s head.“What? I know that look. You have an idea.”  “I do. I have to go to the library. You - No.” Zoicite as Endymion motioned to throw on appropriate clothes to go with him. “No, you stay here. Relax, act normal until I return with what I’ve found.” “Serenity, truly, you’re 45 years old this shouldn’t be such a difficult conversation. I’m sure your dentist has it easier.” Queen Selenity sat on Serenity’s bed as she talked to her adult daughter who hid underneath the safety of her blanket. Serenity wished that Poseidon would send the Kraken to swallow her whole. Anything to ease her misery as she reluctantly told her mother what had occurred directly following her dinner with the Terran Prince.“Well,” Queen Selenity started, “I can see why you found this to be an awkward conversation. But it does give the idea that the two of you are soul-bonded some hefty merit. However, going out and announcing it directly like this, isn’t a good idea. Besides, I want to conduct some tests first, just to ensure it’s the real thing.  We’ll need it to be somewhere crowded, where the attention isn’t simply on just the two of you, so Endymion doesn’t realize that we’re watching him.”“Shouldn’t there be some type of string that connects us to prove that we’re a bound pair?” Serenity asked finally poking her head from her covers.“It’s not a physical string, sweetheart, it’s more a mental one. Only the two of you should be able to see it, and it only forms after the union ceremony.” The queen reminded her daughter. “A crowded area with attention elsewhere,” she murmured to herself. “Oh, I’ve got it.”“A ball?!” Endymion asked confused.“A ball,” Nephlite confirmed.“Tonight?” he asked incredulously at the last minute affair.“Tonight,” Nephlite said nodding as he fanned himself with the invitation that he had just received. “Maybe Princess Serenity found someone.”“Maybe.” Endymion muttered under his breath finding himself a bit upset at the thought, “And Zoicite isn’t back yet.” The various Senshi were stationed at various parts of the ballroom, communicators in their ear, awaiting their next order while Serenity sat next to the queen overlooking the crowd. She played with the folds of her dress as she tried to concentrate on the task her mother had set for her. ‘Find Endymion in the crowd of people,’ she had said. Once a soul bond had formed, it should be simple for one to locate the other once they were in close proximity to each other.Serenity’s eyes fluttered closed as she thought of Endymion; his ink black hair that fell into his dark blue eyes, how the corner of his lips would lift ever slightly when talking fondly of his home planet and the pads of fingers had felt as they had brushed so gently over her own. She inwardly groaned in frustration as she felt the same heat from the night before starting to smolder in the pit of her belly.But there was something else as if there was something wrapped around her heart, tugging her in a direction. She followed it with her magic, walking along its path until it seemed to disappear outside and through the terrace. Reaching up to the communicator hidden in her ear, she pressed to speak. “I think he’s in the gardens.” With her part complete, she waited to hear from the others.The Senshi of Love and Beauty found her way through the Bougainvilleas and made a sharp turn next to the poppies to find the Terran prince admiring the Lavender Cottons. “Prince Endymion,” Minako breathed out “What a surprise. What brings you out here, with all the festivities happening inside?”“There’s a bit too much going on in there right now. So, I came out here to get some fresh air and avoid the crowds. I’ve actually been quite curious about the types of flowers that can grow on the moon.”“I see. Unfortunately, I can’t help with you that. The Princess Makoto of Jupiter, on the other hand, is much more botanically skilled than I. Any questions should be forwarded to her or to Sere.”“Sere? The Princess?” Endymion asked. He had never heard them refer to Serenity in such a casual manner.“Yes, Princess Serenity spends a considerable amount of time lounging about the gardens. It wouldn’t surprise me if she knew the name of every last one of these things, done to even the weeds.” Minako wanted to reach over and shake the stoic look off of the Prince’s face. Surely he must feel something from the bond like Serenity had. She thought he would have been aching to get a glimpse of the Lunarian heir again.“Well, the dancing’s going to start soon so I hope you’d join us. Serenity enjoyed your time together and I know she’s looking forward to seeing you again.” She gave her trademark ‘V’ sign. “I’m rooting for you.”She turned on her heel and headed back inside. Touching her hand to the small device in her hair she spoke. “Princess, you were exactly right. He seems to have a liking for botany. I also urged him back inside for a dance, so get off your butt Sere.”Serenity rolled her eyes at Minako’s antics and reluctantly got out of her chair. A piece of her wanted to go outside and drag Endymion in herself, but that would not be ladylike in the least. So she stood around, looking at the dance floor as if she was interested until some hapless suitor came to ask her to dance.Dancing with Tristan wasn’t unpleasant, it was simply not what she wanted. It was almost as if her body was starting to protest the very thought of someone else. Quick glances around the room told her that he hadn’t returned inside as yet and she found herself frowning. Perhaps he was avoiding her. She wanted to use the bond to find him, but she’d need to sit down and concentrate.The Plutarian noticed Serenity’s absent attention and was about to ask her if something was wrong when someone tapped on his shoulder. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I haven’t had a turn yet.” Tristan opened his mouth, but quickly shut it when he realized who the person was standing behind of him.“Princess Haruka,” he bowed deeply. “Of course.” He graciously gave up Serenity’s hand and returned to where he was standing earlier against the wall. Wearing a dark blue suit with a gray collared shirt, the Princess Haruka of Uranus could have easily been mistaken for one of the suitors. Having met the princess at one of the ceremonial events on Pluto, he knew that she had a rather nasty temper when provoked.“What’s wrong, precious? Tell me the word and I’ll have that Plutarian in chains and in the gladiator pits.” Haruka leaned down and whispered in Serenity’s ear.“Hush, Ruka. First of all, gladiator pits are barbaric and you should get rid of them. Second, Tristan did nothing wrong. I’m just ...distracted.” Serenity scolded.“That prince of Earth taking up too much space in your head?” She questioned teasingly and let out a small chuckle when Serenity nodded, blushing.“I was looking for him, something tells me that he might be avoiding me.” Serenity replied softly.“Oh, beautiful, the bond is different for each individual. Some feel it more than others. It’s possible that he only felt a small piece of the bond and hasn’t recognized it or he got the full force of it and it scared the shit out of him. Or, he’s just avoiding you cause he’s an asshole. Men are fools, after all.” Serenity remained silent, taking in the possibilities that the Uranian had put in her head. “But don’t worry. Michiru and I have a plan.” Haruka said with a wink. “Before that though,” she said pulling Serenity closer than before so that their bodies were flush against each other, “let’s enjoy this dance.”

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As Endymion watched the two blondes waltz, Serenity’s white ball gown swirling around her, he could feel a fit of slow rolling anger begin to well up inside of him. He couldn’t understand why. Was he angry at Serenity or her dance partner? Or perhaps himself for hiding in the shadows and allowing someone else to dance with her. But why should it matter? He cursed silently that Zoicite hadn’t returned before he had left.He retreated to the spread of sweets that had been laid out. A treat for the princess no doubt as Endymion remembered her love of decadent foods. He popped a small red square into his mouth enjoying the taste of the treat. It reminded him of chocolate from Earth but less milky, more sweet with a distinct roasted taste. Whatever it was, it tasted fantastic.“Kunap from Mars is really something else,” the aqua-haired lady by his side commented. “You should try that one,” she said pointing to a green pastry. “It’s made with Pippen berries from Neptune. Not as sweet,” the lady popped said pastry into her mouth and chewed the small morsel, “but very light.”He raised his eyebrow at the woman and picked up the recommended dessert. She was very beautiful with blue eyes and a navy blue dress that hugged her shapely body. Shrugging, he popped the little cake into his mouth. “It’s good. But not as good as the first one.” After savoring the treat.“Shame.”“You’re quite biased to that dessert.” He shot back.“A Princess of Neptune tends to be biased to products of her home.” His eyes widened slightly when he realized who she was. Before he could respond something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. The man that had been dancing with Serenity was currently dragging the princess across the dance floor and was heading straight for them.The blonde walked right past Endymion and grabbed the princess of Neptune and kissed her long and hard. Princess Serenity stood behind them trying to catch her breath, her hand still in the man’s. “The two of you can come up for air now,” she wheezed out behind of them.Breaking the kiss, the man spun around and grabbed Serenity’s shoulders, “Oh, moonbeam, I’m so sorry, precious. I didn’t mean to drag you around like that. I just saw a goddess over her looking like she came from above and I couldn’t help myself.” The princess of Neptune rolled her eyes at his antics.“Prince Endymion, allow me to introduce to you, Princess Haruka of Uranus, my wife.” The Terran prince caught himself before it was obvious that he was staring. Relationships of the same sex weren’t particularly new on Earth but were still rare and kept in a hushed manner. To see the two princesses display their connection so openly and without a fuss from others was startling, but refreshing. Then again, he wondered if many even knew that Princess Haruka was a female, to begin with. She blended in with his own gender seamlessly.“Prince,” the blonde princess stuck her hand out to shake his hand. He responded in kind and before he knew it she had grabbed his hand pulled him forward straight into Serenity. “Let’s exchange, Sere didn’t finish her dance so now you can do the honors, and I’m” she said wrapping her arm around the Princess of Neptune’s waist, “going to have some fun with this sexy-” Endymion didn’t even get to hear the end of the sentence when he was led onto the dance floor by an eye-rolling Serenity. He did, however, hear a loud ‘Ruka behave’ coming from his retreating direction.  Endymion tensed as he held Serenity’s smaller hand. He was a bundle of nerves as they danced around the floor. On the other hand, the Princess seemed absolutely ecstatic. She was blushing deeply as she tried to keep herself from grinning too hard. She was failing miserably. He couldn’t help but find that it was adorable. “Are you alright, Prince Endymion? You seem troubled?” She finally asked as she noticed his stoic expression.“I’m fine, Princess. I just had a hard time sleeping last night.” He said trying his best to tiptoe around the subject.Serenity’s eyes widened slightly at his words but caught herself before she could betray her overly perverted thoughts. “Please, I would much prefer it if you call me Serenity. And I, too, had a peculiar encounter the previous evening. Perhaps there was something strange in the air last night.” Fishing for information wasn’t something she tended to be good at. Rei, Minako, and Michiru all excelled in that sort of scenario. Unfortunately, she neither possessed their quick wit or their flirtatious charms.“In that case, Serenity, I would insist that you call me Endymion.” Regardless of what he was experiencing, he was still here for a specific reason and besides there was no point on taking his confusion out on Serenity. He had enjoyed his time chatting with her the night before. Tits or no tits, he did find himself appreciating her company. “You seemed a bit troubled when we last parted ways. Did I do something to offend you?” “Oh no, not at all. I quite enjoyed the evening. I honestly find myself liking you more each time we spend time together.” She bit her lip tensely for a moment in deep thought and then stepped a bit closer to him than necessary. “Endymion, can I talk to you in private?”Endymion’s eyes widened in surprise. He had gotten similar propositions before but he hadn’t expected something so blatant from the moon princess. And she looked so innocent. “Are you sure that’s appropriate, Serenity?” He asked cautiously.“No, I suppose it wouldn’t be,” she answered, Endymion’s actual question going completely over her head, “but I really do need to talk to you alone. Everyone keeps watching us, including the girls and even mother. She might not show it but her eyes are following me everywhere.” It was then that Endymion understood that Serenity actually wanted to talk and he berated himself for allowing the actions of the dream Serenity to dictate his thoughts toward the real thing. “How pray-tell are we supposed to escape for a decent amount of time before your guards find us? You said it yourself, they’re always watching.” Serenity’s face broke out into an absolutely feral grin, “Don’t worry about that. I’ve been wanting to try this trick on them for a while but I never got a chance. Let’s go closer to the exit. We need to step out onto the terrace as if we’re just stopping to get a breath of fresh air. I’ll take it from there.” Endymion nodded, confused but agreed to follow along. They stepped outside hand in hand and Endymion realized that there were a few individuals following them, two of her Senshi included. “What was this brilliant plan of yours?” he managed to whisper in her ear as they walked closer to the outside staircase. He had traveled down them earlier that evening trying to get to the gardens, however, the gate at the end was locked. A piece of information that he realized Serenity ignored completely. As they arrived at the gate, Serenity pushed him against the wall, sandwiching him between herself and the cobblestone. A finger pressed against his lips before he had a chance to protest. He felt a strange warmth cascade over him before someone banked the corner at the top of the stairs. The brown-haired Princess of Jupiter that he had admired days prior, walked down the steps toward the gate a confused look on her face. She grabbed the lock and pulled the gate testing its hold. Cursing, she stomped away, her eyes never turning to glance at the duo.Cautiously, Serenity pulled her finger away from his mouth and let out a sigh. Her eyes glanced up at his and for the first time, she realized how she had pressed herself against him, closer even than when she had danced with Haruka. She could feel his chest against hers, all lean and hard with muscle. She blushed deeply and tried not to jump away, she didn’t know how far her magic would spread and couldn’t risk it. Endymion could make out the extra color in the princess’ cheeks in the darkness. His height also allowed him to look straight down her neckline, giving him a perfect view of her breasts being pressed against his chest. He had to admit, from this angle they looked, well, nice. He felt her fingers intertwine with his own and she put her hand to her own lips this time in a gesture to remain silent. Her shimmering magic led them through the door. Not unlocking the door to allow them to pass, but literally right through the door. Endymion had thought that the magic shielding them from the Jupitarian Princess was pretty cool, but passing through objects took the cake. “Okay,” Serenity murmured dropping his hand and then subsequently dropping herself onto a bench in the private garden. There were no lights to brighten the area although the layout looked similar to the one on the opposite end of the terrace. “That took a bit more out of me than expected.” She reached her hand to touch her now-aching head. “That was,” Endymion began, “incredible.” He meant it completely. Since his arrival on the moon he had seen magic being utilized for small everyday tasks, but nothing like this. She smiled softly at his praise and Endymion wondered if there would be a point where she would stop turning pink or red or any color in between. “Thank you. I’ve done it before multiple times by myself but this is my first time taking someone else with me. The girls don’t know that I’ve been practicing it so I finally managed to trick them and get away,” Serenity giggled. “Whatever you want to talk to me about must be pretty important to bring me all the way out here.” Serenity’s tongue darted out to moisten her lips before she bit her lower lip gently. “I really wanted to inquire how you were dealing with everything? Are you ok, with what’s happened?” “Dealing with what?” Endymion asked, was the Princess aware that someone had put some type of spell had been put on him. Maybe Zoicite was wrong and it has been her that cast the spell in the first place. “You know, the soulbond. Can’t you feel it?”Endymion held up his hands, motioning her to slow down. “I’m a bit confused, Serenity. Aren’t soulbonds your version of marriage? Am I supposed to feel something?” The princess looked utterly crushed and Endymion hastened to try and correct his obviously horrible mistake. “I mean, I’ve felt a little weird since last night. I’m not really sure what caused it.” She looked slightly less devastated. “I don’t understand. Do you not have soul bonds on Earth? Do you just marry without the bond?” “Serenity, I’m not sure what a soul bond even is.” He admitted. They had all assumed that the procedure had been the Lunarian version of a marriage ceremony. Obviously, it was something much more. “Maybe, if you can explain it, we can better understand each other.” The Lunarian princess was hesitant at first before she started to put the bonding process into words. “Basically, for every person born there’s another born that he or she is or will be linked to. The person doesn’t necessarily have to be the same race as them or even be from the same planet. The bond works by attempting to bring them together.” She began to twirl pieces of her long hair between her fingers. “Basically, once you meet the person who you’re bonded to, it activates. Some activations are more intense than others but it's to let you know that ‘Hey!!, I’m here!” “So, basically the universe chooses who each person ends up with,” Endymion asked finding the whole thing a bit bizarre, although he could tell others would find it romantic. “For the most part. It’s not like that’s the only person you can end up with. But at the same time why cause the other person pain from the rejection when you can do so many fun things together as a couple that you can do with no one else.” She was beaming now, his earlier transgression forgotten. “Fun things?” “Hmm. Remember how Princess Minako found you in the gardens earlier?” He cocked an eyebrow but nodded. “I sent her to find you there. With a bonded couple, if we concentrate hard enough we can find each other. If you wandered through the hedge maze near the menagerie, I could walk through and find you easily.” “That’s extremely useful,” he commented. “Anything else?” “Oh, there’s tons of things, sending your emotions to your bonded partner or knowing if something is wrong with your other half.  There was even a Plutarian couple that could teleport to each other. But I haven’t really read up on bonding effects since my first festival twenty years ago.” “Wait, twenty years ago? How old are you?” He has been thinking that the teleportation ability sounded interesting but he had been thrown for a loop at her second remark. Forgetting the age-old rule to never ask a lady her age. She looked slightly affronted but turned her head and answered anyway. “I’m 45, my birthday was a few days before the festival. Don’t look at me like that.” She scolded him and his open mouth. “Lunarians live for a lot longer than Terrans. I would probably be around your 17 or 18. Although I would look like this for quite some time, I Had my first festival when I was 25. And 10 years after ever since until I found who I shared my soul bond with.” She looked expectantly at Endymion, waiting for his reaction. “Sorry, it’s just a lot to take in.” “That’s fine, but you said you’ve been feeling odd since last night. Please, tell me.” She reached over and took his hand, stroking over his knuckles gently. “I had an odd dream last night,” Endymion mentioned, “and when I awoke.” He paused trying to find an appropriate wording to describe the previous night’s predicament. “I kept seeing you.”“Seeing me?” She asked, confused at his extremely vague description. “I woke up in the middle of the night and I saw you in the vanity mirror.” “Was I doing anything or just there?” “You were,” he swallowed as an image of the two of them in the bathroom flashed through his head, “just there. But, you were close to me, so close I could feel you. I could feel you as if you were actually standing right next to me. Like so.” He removed his hand from hers and rested it on her shoulder. “That’s amazing,” “Yeah. It freaked me out a bit, though. I didn’t realize what was going on. Zoicite even went to the library to see if he could find anything, thinking that someone had cast a spell on me.” His eyes widened when he remembered his general. “Shit. We’ve been here a long time, Serenity, your Senshi and my Generals must be tearing the place apart trying to find us.” Serenity frowned but nodded in agreement. They had been gone a longer time than she had anticipated. “But first,” she reached out and grabbed his hand as he rose, “please, I’ve made up my mind. Would you, Prince Endymion, heir to the Planet Earth, the Terran Realm and Elysian do me the honor of marrying me?” Endymion could recall numerous awkward situations throughout his life, boasting to Jadeite about his archery skills prior to getting his ass handed to him by the former. Another had been walking in on his father having sex in his office. That one took a while to recover from and he also learned the importance of a knock, even when the door was partially opened. With Serenity looking up at him with wide hopeful eyes the shade of the oceans, her hand grasping his fervently, he should have told her that it was typically the male who did this and to remind her that he was the suitor not her. It should have felt awkward. But it didn’t. So he just nodded and squeezed her hand tightly in his. “Of course,” The two emerged in the garden that Endymion had wandered through earlier that evening. The Prince followed Serenity as she expertly made her way through the grounds.  Rounding a sharp corner, Endymion was surprised to see Zoicite passing through another plot in the distance. The man looked absolutely frantic. “Zoi,” he called out causing the General to look up and practically dash through the Lantanas to get to them. “Where have you been? We’ve been looking everywhere for you. The Senshi told us not to worry but you just upped and disappeared without a word.” “That was my fault, General, I do apologize for delaying him for so long.” The princess bowed her head in apology to the long-haired General who gave a stunning interpretation of a goldfish. “It’s no problem, your majesty. Please take as long with him as you like.” He managed to muster out a reply to Serenity and avoid Endymion’s state of disbelief. For once he didn’t have something smart to shoot back. The noise brought Princess Ami, who was standing watch for when Serenity returned, over to them. “Serenity, you’re back.” She commented, a stark contrast to the General’s anxiousness. The Lunarian princess replied by shaking her head in affirmation, her pigtails bouncing with each nod. “We’re bonded, Ami.” She announced happily, glad to be able to say it officially. “Are you sure? When Endymion started to act strangely I tried to do some research but I doubt it can be a soul bond. Only magical beings form those. That’s why we don’t have them on Terra.” Zoicite pointed out. “Is it possible,” Ami interrupted before Serenity could respond, “that because of Serenity’s immense magic threshold that she holds the bond together for both of them? It can be a possibility that everyone can form soul bonds, just that Terrans don’t have enough of a magical capacity to display the signs.” It was a new possibility that Zoicite hadn’t given thought to. He had read of it occurring when one party was significantly weaker than the next, but never when the other party had any magic to speak of. Then again, the books hadn’t used one of the strongest beings in the galaxy as a reference. “Well, it doesn’t matter. Both Endymion and I have both experienced the marks of the bond. And, “Serenity said scooping up the Prince’s hand and swung them happily, “we’re going to get married. I’ve chosen him, or well the bond has anyway.” “The queen will want to meet with you before she announces this,” warned Ami ignoring Zoicite’s dumbstruck face at Serenity’s announcement. “But somehow I don’t think she’s surprised. Her Majesty was quite nonchalant when we informed her that you had disappeared together.” “Really?” That was unlike her mother, although they did have their little talk earlier that morning.“Yes, if I recall correctly her exact words were ‘As long as she doesn’t get pregnant before the wedding.’”

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Hello, everyone! Sorry, I missed you last week. My goodness, this one was long. I had originally given myself two weeks with this one because I had been ill for a while and had a lot of stuff to catch up and couldn't work on the chapter. I guess this is what happens when I give myself that amount of time. I just keep going."Congratulations, son. I'm proud of you." Endymion wished he could feel a bit better about his father's praise, however, he knew it had simply been a stroke of luck that he was chosen. What were the odds that he would end up as the bonded partner to the princess? The prince that had sat next to him during the beginning ceremony had just as much chance as he had. "You're returning soon, yes?""Yes, sir. I'll be returning in roughly one Terran day." Due to the time difference, he would have a day and a half left on the moon before heading home."See if it's possible to bring her with you. There's no chance of me being able to venture up there, but I'd like a chance to meet her. Show off our planet a little, let her see what she's getting into.""That's a wonderful idea, King Alicud." Endymion visibly jumped as Queen Selenity walked past him to get closer to the communications monitor. "Princess Serenity has never been to Earth, I think it would be beneficial to have her become familiar with a planet she will rule over one day. It will also allow the two of them to spend some quality time together. Despite his lack of magic, there is still the opportunity for the bond between the two to grow very strong.""Of course, of course." His father muttered out between a random coughing fit. Endymion knew he hadn't been gone very long from home but his father's condition had seemed to worsen in his absence. "I'll inform the staff of her arrival, but I best be off. The doctor is glaring at me from the corner of the room.""May your health be well," Endymion said bidding his father farewell."As I hope yours will." The king said in response before shutting down the transmission."His illness has gotten worse," Queen Selenity commented sadly.Endymion nodded. "The doctors have tried everything they could think of. It's more about making him last as long as we can in comfort than trying to actually heal him."The queen sighed running one of her hands through a silver pigtail, "I offered to send him to Mercury for treatment. They really have the best doctors and they're the most technologically advanced, but he turned me down. All the more reason for Serenity to get to know your planet." She squeezed his shoulder before turning and exiting the room. He moved to follow her and found Princess Ami waiting for him at the exit."I apologize your Majesty but I wanted to give you this," the Mercurian Princess held out a small hardcover tome for him to take. "It is my understanding that you and your people are not familiar with soul bonds. This book covers the more intimate and personal effects of the bond. I thought it best to give it to you personally than to one of your men.""Thank you, Princess Ami." He said taking the book from the Mercurian and making a mental note to take a look at it when he got back home. "Are you sure the Princess should come with us so soon?" Nephlite asked as he threw clothes haphazardly into his luggage. "The queen is literally announcing it in the next two hours."Endymion shrugged as he did the same, "My father wants to officially meet my betrothed. Given that he can't travel, the appropriate thing to do would be to bring her to him. Besides, the Princess has been wanting to visit the planet for some time now." He stuffed the book he had received earlier in with the rest of his things, grateful that it hadn't been one of the larger ones that made up the shelves of the palace library."I wonder how the girls at home are going to take to you returning with a fiance," Nephrite said."They should have been prepared, given that was the main reason we made this trip in the first place." Zoicite, always the voice of reason, chimed in from the other room."Regardless of what they think, Serenity will one day be their queen. I won't tolerate any disrespect towards her from any of them." Endymion zipped his bag up finally finished with his packing."Good. I'm glad to see you exhibit more enthusiasm to the idea of marrying the princess." Zoicite called out, "she seems to be enamored by you.""Serenity has fantastic ideas and views on ruling and society as a whole. She would make an excellent queen. The people of Earth are lucky. I am lucky.""I didn't really mean your enthusiasm in her queenly duties. I'm more concerned about your enthusiasm in her wifely duties." The blonde retorted finally entering the room and throwing his packed bag on the chair next to Endymion's."We'll have a child. Eventually." Endymion hadn't really given it much thought. He had hoped that in a year or two she would have grown out of her childish features. However, given what her actual age truly was he doubted it would happen any time soon."Will you be satisfied?" Nephrite prompted."I've read that soul bond sex is the best sex.""Really?" Endymion's interest in the conversation rose . "Well then, that might change things. And if not," he said with a shrug. "There are others for that. Nowhere does it state that a good queen has to be good in bed too." Serenity fidgeted in excitement, shifting her weight from one leg to the next as she waited for the transporter to power up. The Terrans had originally arrived via shuttle but the Queen had urged them to use the transporter to teleport to Earth instead. "Excited to step foot on Earth for the first time, your highness?" the darker haired general Nephlite asked as he picked up the sole bag that the Princess had brought with her. He was pleasantly surprised, having expected enough luggage to last most people a lifetime."Oh, I can't wait, General. I'm positively bursting at the seams.""Contain that excitement, Princess, we wouldn't want you popping open now would we." Princess Makoto of Jupiter said teasingly as she came forward to stand next to Serenity.Makoto had been assigned to protect Serenity during her visit to Earth. Minako had volunteered, but her offer had been vetoed by the queen. Minako was needed on Venus as her mother was almost ready to give birth, welcoming a new member of the Venusian royal family. Makoto was also, physically, the strongest of the Inner Senshi, and often didn't need to rely on her magic to end a fight. Scrunching up her nose, the princess of the moon stuck her tongue out at her Jovian counterpart. She would have retaliated further had Endymion not shown his face at the exact moment she stuck out her tongue. Serenity cringed inside at the image she knew she just gave her future husband.She wanted to bury her face in her hands as Endymion raised an eyebrow at her behavior. "Are you ready to go, Serenity?" All the Lunarian Princess could do was nod quietly. She peeked out of the corner of her eye and saw General Nephlite looking a tad nervous."Your first time on a transporter, General?" Serenity asked quietly as to not call attention to him."I admit, I have never been on one. We're currently building the one on Earth so I never had an opportunity to." The thought of his body being torn to bits shot to Earth at warp speed and pieced together again didn't appeal to him in the least."Is it the same for you, Endymion?""Yes, it's my first time, also. But after passing through a door last night I think I can handle a quick teleport," he said with a quick wink towards her. She smiled back at his wink, thankful that he didn't seem to hold her earlier actions against her.The first thing that caught Serenity's attention was the color. Where the Moon was pristine and crystalline, the Earth was brimming with every color of the rainbow. From the bright blue of the sky above to the lush green of the leaves in the trees. Even the browns of the tree trunks stood out brightly. She looked up turning in circles to try and take in as much as she could, Makoto grabbing hold of her arm before dizziness could set in. The difference in gravity paired with it would have sent her sprawling onto the ground. Even the ground was different, she noted, looking down. Green plants, grass she recalled from lessons, grew everywhere on the ground, and she held back to urge to take off her shoes and feel it against her bare feet. "Let is go for now Serenity," Endymion said offering her his arm. "There will be time to take in the outdoors when we get ourselves settled. My father is waiting for us." Nodding, the Princess slid her arm around his and followed him closely so that their bodies almost touched as they left the forested area.They made their way from where the transporter had deposited them over to the palace courtyard. The King had gathered there along with two Generals, she assumed from their uniform, and two other guards. "We welcome you, Princess Serenity, heir to the Lunar Empire and betrothed to my son." King Alicud opened his arms in welcome. The lunar princess curtsied in response, noting that the king had lost a drastic amount of weight since their previous encounter."I thank you for the welcome, King Alicud. I hope that your health has been well. Your home is beautiful, and I must say that I am thrilled to become better acquainted with your planet." Serenity responded."It will be your home also, in time. I hope that you will come to love it as much as I do. And who is our other esteemed guest?" the king said turning his attention to Makoto."Father, this is Princess Makoto of Jupiter. She is here as Serenity's guard." Endymion stated before any of the girls had a chance to answer."A guard, of course, one of the famous Senshi. Princess Makoto, we welcome you as well. I hope you take pleasant stories and inspiring tales from your stay here and bring it to your people so that Jupiter may always think well of the Earth."Makoto bowed deeply. "Thank you for your kind words, your majesty. I am sure that I will."The king nodded at her response before turning his attention to his son. "Endymion, it is good to have you back and with a remarkable lady on your arm. I am proud of you, son. The Earth is proud of you.""Thank you, your grace," Endymion said, bowing his head at his father's remarks. "It is good to be back.""Well, I think that's enough with the pleasantries. We have a lot to catch you up on in your absence and I'm sure the Princesses would prefer to become acquainted with where they'll be staying for the next few weeks. Jadeite, if you would escort Princess Serenity and Princess Makoto to their rooms. And Kunzite will brief the three of you." He said waving his arms toward the Prince and his two other generals.Kunzite watched the retreating backs of the King, Jadeite and the Princesses until they were out of sight before turning to Endymion, "I will admit, Endymion, I truly didn't think you would have returned successfully. I owe Jadeite money now."Endymion raised his eyebrow at Kunzite's confession. "You bet against me?" he asked. He didn't know what was more shocking, Kunzite betting against him or Jadeite betting for him. "I'm hurt.""Oh don't be dramatic. Pretty much no one thought you had a chance with the Lunar Princess. You should have seen the shock and uproar when the King announced it. We didn't announce the exact time of your arrival cause the entire staff would be out here to get a glimpse of her.""No one believed in me. Except for Jadeite." He responded dryly. He knew he shouldn't give his next in command a hard time. He hadn't even believed in himself, but he wouldn't go around admitting something like that."And Jadeite likes rooting for the underdog. He also said that you know how to use your good looks to your advantage. So while he didn't necessarily have faith in you, he did have faith in your good genes." Endymion didn't even bother suppressing the eye roll at Kunzite's comment. "Your girls aren't too happy about it, either. I heard that blonde threw an absolute fit.""She can throw her tantrum, they never did like to share." After unpacking her lone bag of belongings, there was nothing that Serenity wanted more than to get out of the castle and see the world. She wanted to feel the grass, smell the air, meet the people and see the bright colors of the world around her. Practically running down the stairs, she ran straight into the General with the shorter blonde hair. "Where's the fire, Princess?" He asked as he held onto Serenity's shoulders to prevent her from falling back from the impact."I apologize for my clumsiness, General, I was in too much of a rush to get back out I'm afraid.""Well, Endymion went to his chambers and the four of us have duties that need attending to now that everyone is back. You can wander around the immediate grounds but please don't go any further than that until at least one of us can escort you." The princess' face fell at the news, but she resigned herself to make the most of the situation. It was only for a small amount of time, surely she'd be able to find something to entertain herself either inside the palace or on the grounds. She nodded at the General, noting that she needed to ask Makoto if she remembered the man's name. "Father, please, how has your health been?" Endymion asked as he entered his father's chamber."No worse than how I usually feel." Alicud sat at his desk a handkerchief to his mouth. It had become a too familiar image of his father who had fallen ill shortly after Endymion's mother had died. "Don't waste too much energy and worry on an old man like me."Endymion's eyebrows furrowed at his father's remarks but he held his tongue knowing that any outburst would be futile. "I just wish that you would put some worry into yourself."The king shook his head as he wheezed into the handkerchief. "My worries are for my people and for my son who just advanced our planet leaps and bounds by winning the hand of the next monarch of the Silver Alliance. Endymion," he lifted himself out of his chair and walked over to the prince grasping him firmly by the shoulders. "You and Serenity will one day rule over the Solar System. Your children will inherit the thrones of both Terra and the Lunar Empire. When," the King choked over his words. "When I die, I will die knowing that the Earth is taken care of. That our people have found their place in this world and will be ruled well.""Father. Don't," King Alicud cut him off before Endymion could say anything else."I'm going to die, Endymion. Of that I am certain. I will not live the last of my days worrying the last of my family. I want to get to know my future daughter-in-law, see you get married and if I'm lucky enough, grandchildren."Endymion nodded at his father's words. "I will do my best," he trailed off quietly, "not to worry.""I'm sure Princess Serenity will keep you so occupied you'll not have a chance to worry about me. That's a beautiful girl you have there, Endy. I know she's not your type." He said giving his son a look. "But regardless, she's a stunner." Endymion chuckled softly at his father's words, even a decaying illness didn't stop the man's wandering eyes. "Don't be like me. You've always looked up to me. I always pray to the gods that you pick up my good habits and not the bad ones. Now go," he said squeezing his arm "There's plenty you need to catch up. I, on the other hand, am going to catch up on some rest." The loud laughter from the kitchens caught Endymion's attention as he walked through the dining hall looking for a maid, butler, anyone who could have fetched him something to eat before dinner. Due to the time difference on the moon, he hadn't eaten in quite some time and it was way too late for lunch but still too early for dinner. The kitchens tended to be where the servants gathered and he hadn't stepped foot inside since he was around twelve years old.He didn't quite know what to do with the sight that greeted him as he made his way towards the giggling voices. His staff had decided to take a break and had all gathered together in the middle of the largest countertops. Sitting atop said countertop was the princess of the moon still in her white silk dress and slippers. A small child was sitting next to her and they were sharing something out of a large mixing bowl."When Jadeite told me that you had gone to wander about, this isn't quite where I expected to find you." Serenity jumped at Endymion's voice almost flinging the poor bowl into the air. Choruses of various versions of 'my lord' or 'my prince' echoed through the room as all of the servants scattered like ants, rushing to make themselves occupied."Endymion!" She greeted him excitedly as she hopped off the counter. She turned and lifted the child off the counter also. "Alright Caleb, now run along. And no more sweets for the rest of the day. You've had more than enough for one day." She said resting her hand gently on his messy brown hair."Aww, Princess Serenity, Princess Makoto is making those delicious cookies. I'm not going to get any." He complained, pouting as he looked longingly toward the ovens."Don't worry, little one. I'll save some for you." Makoto said, a small pink apron tied around her waist. She had small smudges of flour on her cheeks and arms, evidence of her time spent making the cookies earlier."Thank you, Princess." He chimed and then wrapped his arms around Serenity's legs in a quick hug. "The two of you are the best." And ran off to find the other young children in the castle and brag to what they had missed out on."What have the two of you been up to?" He asked suspiciously. Serenity had been a massive bundle of energy since they had arrived and while he expected that she would keep herself occupied without his presence he just didn't think this is where she would be doing it. Although, it really shouldn't be surprising that she found her way to the kitchens."Just getting to know the people of Earth. You have such wonderful staff. And the children. There aren't any children in the Lunar Palace." She clasped both hands together in delight. "Lenora gave us these wonderful things, she called them chocolate chips." She held up the bowl that they had used to put together the cookie mixture. "They're absolutely delicious, and then Mako and Lenora used them and made cookies for everyone. I can't wait. Here, have some."Endymion couldn't help but chuckle at her antics. "You're going to catch salmonella on your first day here." He said in amusement as he took the bowl with leftover cookie dough out of her hands. He twirled the container around in his hands looking at the remaining dough temptingly."What's salmonella?" She asked confused, glancing at Makoto who only shrugged her shoulders."It's a type of bacteria found in raw eggs. It can cause a really horrible upset stomach.""But I'm not eating raw eggs." Serenity said, the look on her face echoing as if she had just eaten something nasty. "That's disgusting.""I'm pretty sure that you put eggs into the dough." Finally given into temptation he picked out a piece of cookie batter and popped it into his mouth."No! Now you'll catch it too." The moon princess rushed forward to take the bowl back from him. He lifted it high, his height allowing him to easily hold the bowl above her head and out of reach."Nothing you can do about it now. Chocolate is my favorite dessert. That dessert from Mars that was served at the ball reminded me of it, but it's really much better.""Kunap? Oh, I love Kunap. But you're right, chocolate is absolutely delicious.""If you like chocolate chips, you should try it in a cake, with whipped chocolate icing and melted chocolate on the inside. Or you might want chocolate ice cream or even better, a chocolate milkshake." Bowl forgotten, Serenity looked like she had seen Heaven, eyes glazed over with the thought of the scrumptious desserts that she had yet to try."Prince Endymion, I congratulate you. It seems you've found the way right to Serenity's heart." He raised his eyebrow at Makoto's commendation. "Straight through her stomach." Over the next two weeks, Endymion and his generals found themselves showing Serenity around the sprawling grounds of the royal palace. Horseback riding had been an adventure. Makoto had marveled how Serenity had ridden on Mars' Royal Phoenixes multiple times and even one of the Jovian Thunder Wyrms, but couldn't seem to find her bearings on one of Earth's horses. Instead, she clung to Endymion's back as they rode around the grounds. When asked, Serenity said that it was because they were closer to the ground and would be far easier to be trampled. When Nephrite pointed out that falling from hundreds of feet in the air would more likely result in death than falling off a horse, she scoffed. If she fell off when flying she could easily float herself down to safety. Neither the Generals or Endymion seemed to have a comeback.After horseback riding came various visits to villages and towns closest to the castle. The Terrans, curious at their Prince's new engagement, all crowded around as they passed by. They stared in wonder at the length of the Lunarian's silver-blonde hair as she waved at them from her place on the horse behind Endymion. The Prince and his guard took her to meet the heads of the towns; mayors and council members. However, after the initial meeting and introductory dialogue, Serenity found herself wandering off to the shabbier parts of town. Streaks of dirt marred the bottom of her beautiful white dress as she bent to greet a small child on the side of the road or to help an elderly woman who had spilled her things, her worn knapsack burst at the seams from the weight of the load.The first time the two had disappeared had sent Endymion into a frenzy. He had told himself it was his good instincts that led him to her although he knew deep inside it was the work of the fatedl bond of theirs. When he had found her, weaving her magic through a young boy's worn shoes, he had pulled her into a hug, the dual buns on the top of her head lodged beneath his chin. A scolding had followed before he let her continue, watching in amazement as the holes were patched and the obviously hand me down shoe extended to fit the boy's foot.These trips spawned questions on the technological advancement of Earth. When Zoicite pointed out that majority of the Solar System's technology had been enhanced through magic, Serenity vowed that she would do all she could to introduce more magic and technology to Earth's societies. Surely there should be a way to allow the Terrans to experience the same conveniences as the rest of the world. Endymion sat at his desk, buried in documents that he had been neglecting. His father had been right. With Serenity around, he had hardly found time to do much of anything. He found himself going to bed utterly exhausted with the days' events and waking up to introduce Serenity to something new. However, the Princess was having a rare lunch with the king and he had taken the break to tackle some of the paperwork that crowded his workspace.Thinking on Serenity, he quickly jotted down a reminder to call the tailor. Serenity had brought a number of dresses with her, the majority in white, and despite the staff's best efforts couldn't get the stains out of them from when she visited the townspeople. New clothes were definitely in order for the Princess.A knock sounded on his door and it opened before he could respond. Hazel eyes lit up at Endymion alone at his desk. "My Prince," she cooed swinging her hips as she walked towards him. "You haven't sent for me since you've been back. And I've talked to the other girls and you haven't sent for them either. Didn't you miss us?" She pouted as she played with her strawberry blonde hair."I've been very busy, Elissa. And things are a little different now, as I know you've heard." Elissa frowned at his statement, knowing that someone must have told him about her outburst when she had found out the news."I don't like sharing. I want to rip out the other girls' hair already and now there's another one in the mix." Endymion put down the paper he had been trying to read and looked at her sternly in the face."Whatever you do with the rest of the girls, I can really care less about. But if you touch one hair on Serenity's head you will find yourself in chains. She is the Princess of the Silver Alliance and the future Queen of Earth. Think about your own safety before you do something rash.""You just met her, Endymion. Don't tell me that you're choosing her over us already.""I don't understand how you believe that there is a competition. When I am in need of what's between your legs, Elissa, I will send for you. Until then, I am extremely busy and have a lot of work to catch up on. I trust you can see yourself out."Letting out a frustrated huff, Elissa turned to leave, she knew better than to argue with her Prince. She was about to open the door when he called back to her. "Oh Elissa, make sure you tell the girls I'm not to be disturbed as well." Serenity and Makoto followed the clang of metal against metal to what Serenity assumed was the training grounds. Both were shocked to see the prince himself, shirtless and sweaty, in the middle of the soldiers. Kunzite noticed the look on some of the men's faces and turned around to see the duo at the entrance. "Ladies, I don't think you want to be in here at the moment." He said announcing their arrival to the others who turned at Kunzite's words."Serenity, Princess Makoto." Endymion greeted the two, stepping directly in front of his betrothed, blocking the view of her from the rest of the soldiers. The Princess of Jupiter nodded at his greeting but poor Serenity did her best to not give an interpretation of a gaping fish. "I'm not sure if this is the best place for two ladies like yourselves. It can get a bit," he glanced behind his shoulder, "messy.""You offend me Prince Endymion, do not forget I am a warrior as well." Princess Makoto reminded him, giving a grateful Serenity a chance to gather her thoughts so she could speak coherently again."I meant no disrespect. It is often times easy to forget that you are here as Serenity's guard, not simply her companion.""Would you like to join us, Princess?" Nephlite asked holding out the hilt of his sword for her to take."I would love to." Makoto was hardly one to back down from a challenge."Are there any rules?" she asked suspiciously."Don't kill your opponent," Zoicite answered dryly. "Truthfully, just don't put your opponent in the infirmary."Makoto nodded in understanding "Although, I'm not that great with a sword, it should do.""Truly?" Questioned Kunzite. "What type of weapon do you use?""My fists!" She pounded them together as she spoke. "But I'll try and use the sword, don't want to beat you too bad.""Are you saying that you can beat us worse when you're unarmed?" Nephrite questioned uneasily."Oh darling, I'm never unarmed.""Let's see it, then," Kunzite said taking the sword back. He was proud of his men and their abilities and truthfully, her cocky behavior had started to eat away at his pride."Go easy on them, Mako." Serenity warned as she tugged on Endymion's arm to move him aside closer to her. Several of the men chuckled at the Senshi, and Makoto was grateful that she had worn a lighter dress. It wasn't as convenient as a pair of pants or even her Senshi fuku, but it wouldn't hinder her movement as much as a heavier gown.The lieutenant awkwardly held out the sword in front of him. It was uncomfortable for him to face an unarmed opponent, even worse the opponent was a female. "Prepare yourself." She warned before charging forward. Her fists, charged with electricity broke through the soldier's weapon and sent him sprawling into the back wall, landing on his behind next to a rack of maces."Makoto! I said to go easy!" Serenity called from the side. An unapologetic sounding sorry came from the Senshi of lightning."Did she just shoot lightning from her hands?" Jadeite asked dumbstruck. Unlike Zoicite and Nephlite who had grown used to seeing magic during their stay on the Moon, Jadeite was a caught off guard by the display."You're using magic," Kunzite said accusingly."And?" Makoto shot back in a threatening manner. "I'll take you all on at once if you feel that would odds easier." She said with a smirk. On the sidelines all Serenity could do was pinch her fingers against her forehead. She should have done something before allowing Makoto to participate. Once the challenge started, she knew nothing was going to tear the Jovian away from beating down every opponent she had. It was what made her and Haruka such good friends."Did you know she was going to do that?" Endymion asked his fiance hesitantly. Serenity could only nod in reply. "Do my men stand a chance?""How about the two of us sneak out somewhere together so we don't have to see the massacre that's about to occur?" Serenity said wrapping her arms around his bare torsor, flushing as she did.Endymion couldn't hide the cringing grin at Serenity's response. "As much as I'd love to, Serenity, a Prince does not leave his men to fight the dragon alone." "Never have I been so thoroughly trounced." Kunzite collapsed next to Nephrite at the dinner table. The men had retreated to the showers, tails between their legs as they nursed their injuries. Small electrical burns dotted the generals' arms and parts of their faces. Jadeite held an ice pack up on a particularly large one on his side."We all got our asses handed to us, individually and collectively." Zoicite groaned, dropping his head onto the table."Endy, how are you moving around so well. I could have sworn you were just as demolished as we were. It hurts just to breathe, I'm bruised everywhere."Endymion shrugged. "I felt horrible earlier, but I'm all better after my shower. I probably didn't lose as badly as the rest of you." He added slyly."You got your ass kicked." Retorted Kunzite, "and you complained that you never encountered anyone that hit as hard as her.""Do all the Senshi hit like you?" Endymion asked a bit embarrassed at how easily he and his top soldiers fell to one of Serenity's guard so easily."In terms of electricity, it's just me. Each of us has our own element and what we're good at. You don't want to go up against Venus when you're using weapons, and either Mars or Neptune if you're just using magic. Word of advice is just don't bother fighting either Uranus or Saturn." Makoto explained."So, basically the only person that we might stand a chance against is Princess Ami? And what happened to Pluto, you never mentioned her." Makoto looked unsure to how to answer Nephrite's question and glanced over to Serenity for help."Sailor Pluto is a bit different from the rest of the Senshi. While the Inner Senshi are my guardians and the Outer Senshi guard the solar system from outside threats, Sailor Pluto holds the post at the time gate, literally standing guard over the portals of time and space. There's not much we can say about her as we don't interact very often, but Setsuna is also quite powerful."Endymion nodded as he thought back to the festival. The Princess of Pluto had been missing. "Wait, I can understand Princess Haruka, but Princess Hotaru is so young. Is her magic that powerful?""She is the Senshi of death and destruction." Explained Serenity."That's a bit ominous for a teenager," Endymion said, not taking into consideration that Hotaru could age at the same rate as Serenity."Her weapon of choice is a giant scythe called the Silence Glaive," said Makoto, adding fuel to the fire."That's especially ominous, at any age." Nephrite had seen the Princess of Saturn during the festival and he couldn't believe what he was hearing."She's not that bad." defended Serenity."You just told us not to fight her." Kunzite butted in."Well, she's not that bad until you fight her. Then you end up in a body bag." Makoto said putting an end to that subject of discussion.Their banter lasted pleasantly throughout dinner. Endymion had requested a special dessert especially for Serenity and had felt especially proud of himself when her face had lit up at the sight of the chocolate lava cakes. "To your liking, Serenity?"Her mouth filled with the delicious treat, she nodded her head in affirmation. "It's absolutely exquisite." She said once her mouth was empty, licking her chocolate covered lips. Endymion found himself wondering, if only for a second, if she would allow him to do it for her. He quickly looked away from Serenity grateful that everyone else had been absorbed in their own dessert to notice his staring. It was then he caught Jadeite's eye and he couldn't help but smirk at his General's face.A frantic knocking interrupted Jadeite as he opened his mouth, most likely to say something rude. Frowning, Kunzite called for them to enter. The guard, one of the men that usually stood at his father's door, entered quickly rushing to Prince Endymion. He kneeled at the prince's feet leaning over to speak with him as privately as possible. The Generals didn't catch what had been said but when Endymion got to his feet and rushed out the room, they knew it was urgent.Serenity, though, had sat closest to Endymion and had been able to make out the guard's words. "Your father has taken a turn for the worse. The doctor fears that he won't last the night." If the chapters are going to end up as long as this one, I'm definitely going to need 2 weeks for each. Let me know if you prefer a shorter chapter every week or a longer one every two weeks. I already have the outline made up for the rest of the story but I can just split the chapters in half to get them out quicker. Please let me know what you thought of the chapter. Am I moving things too fast? Too slow? The characters? One of my biggest fears is that the personalities of the secondary characters will kinda get lost in the motions.Anyways, thank you for all of the reviews, bookmarks, and kudos in the previous two weeks. I love em!

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------------------------------ Endymion had wished to hide away, but it would have been unbecoming for both his status and his age. So, he was forced to bear the deep bows and conventional apologies when mourners from all over the planet came to pay homage to his mother. It had been a grand affair, putting his mother into the ground. And his father stood to the side, graciously greeting his guests, shedding a tear when needed.His mother and father had not been close, with his mother keeping to herself in solitude while his father enjoyed festivity after festivity. Even as a teenager, he could see that there had been tension between them, and he understood later how his father had begun to enjoy the company of others when the queen moved out of his chambers. But still, his father mourned as was expected of a husband for his wife and of a king for his queen.He had been sixteen at the time, grown enough to stand by his father's side, while still young enough that the death of his mother brought a harsh sting to his chest. Now standing at the foot of his father's bed, he could feel the pain in his chest start to grow. Doctor's surrounded the king's form, as they quietly argued over possible treatments or at least ways to ease his suffering while they waited for the end. He had assumed that he was prepared for this; that they all were, but all he could do was stand and watch.—————————————————-Serenity stood outside the king's chambers, unsure of her place. She ached to comfort her betrothed. A soul bond was unnecessary to feel the pain that he was trying to keep hidden inside. As heir to the throne, he would be the one to guide them through the king's passing, ensuring that the world kept spinning as it should through the transition of a new ruler. He couldn't panic. He couldn't cry."You might want to return to your chambers, Princess, I'm afraid he won't be coming out anytime soon." General Kunzite advised as he stood watch outside the chamber door. The general looked suddenly tired, the dark circles under his eyes seemed more prominent, and his silver hair made him look older than his actual age."I can't, General. There must be something I can do. While medicinal magic isn't my specialty, there must be something that I could do to at least ease the king's pain." Kunzite thought for a moment until he entered the room, gesturing her to wait. He returned moments later and allowed her inside, but warned her before she entered."No one's pleased about this, but the Prince will allow you to enter. At this time, I think he's willing to try anything."Serenity ignored the skeptical looks and stares from the others in the room as she rested her hand gently on the king's chest and closed her eyes. She could feel the warmth work it's way throughout her body and then down to her hands and out through her fingertips. It weaved its way through his bones and blood, cells and skin. Until it found something twisted. Her face scrunched in confusion as her magic struck against the decay and toxicity. There was something there as if it had bound to him and wouldn't let go.Her eyes opened slowly to find everyone watching her with bated breath. She glanced at Endymion as she clasped her hands together to her chest, "I can't save him. Slow down the spreading for a time and give him comfort in his last few weeks, yes, but healing him completely is beyond me." It would have been easy to miss the slight nod that the prince gave to her words. "I'm sorry I can't do more, but I'll need some time." She looked around nervously at the crowd. "And some room."Endymion looked around the crowded bedchambers and waved his hand to dismiss the lot of them. "Your majesty, surely you can't mean to leave the princess alone with the king." The other doctors stood murmuring amongst themselves at the thought. While they believed that the moon heir meant no harm, she was still an outsider. An outsider who could wield a considerable amount of magic."Prince Endymion may stay," Serenity stated before the prince could respond to the doctor's words. "But too many people will make it difficult to work." The doctors and advisors that had crowded the room looked at their crown Prince for further instruction but gave up and slowly shuffled out the room when he couldn't even be bothered to glance their way.As she worked diligently on the planet's ruler, she couldn't help but give sideways glances toward her betrothed. "How did the king get to this state?" She asked curiously. "I remember seeing him on the moon here and there throughout the writing of the treaty. He looked fine. I never thought that his condition could have ended up like this in such a short period of time.""We're not sure," Endymion said as he sat down on the large chest at the foot of his father's bed. "It came on so suddenly. We thought at first that it had been side effects from visiting the moon. A different atmosphere, different food; there were too many variables. But after test after test, the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. Your mother, after seeing his state, even offered to send him to Mercury for treatment or to use her own physician but he refused." Serenity nodded at his words, the majority of her focus on the King's heavy breathing as she sifted through his lungs and diaphragm attempting to remove the blackness that settled there."When did it start?" She paused to ask before continuing to spread her fingers over his chest."The first real glimpse came exactly six years after the queen's death. I had been paying my respects at her memorial when I had to be rushed back to the palace." The prince trailed off looking around his father's room; at the furniture that had been cut from ancient mahogany trees and passed down for generations; at the artwork that hung on the wall, a reminder of a piece of his mother's hobbies that his father had indulged in. He knew that he would move into this room soon, just as he had moved into his mother's chambers soon after she had passed. His eyes rested on Serenity who had ceased her healing and was standing over his father with her arms crossed. "You bite your lip any harder you're going to draw blood."The princess jumped, startled as his words interrupted her thoughts. "What's wrong, Serenity?" He asked, unsure if he really wanted the answer she might give him.She shook her head slightly and came to sit down next to him, resting her hand gently on top of his. "He's resting, now. I've done what I can.""Thank you," he responded sincerely. The doctors had given a few days to a week left. Serenity had extended that to close to a month. "But I still feel there's something you're not telling me."His dark blue eyes met her lighter ones and Serenity found herself glancing away from his intense gaze as he leaned closer to her. She knew she was blushing, but this wasn't the place nor the time. She took a breath, gathering her thoughts before looked back at him. "I don't mean to pry, but you said that his symptoms started exactly five years after your mother passed. How," she stuttered hesitantly, "how did she die?"Endymion pulled back slightly, but kept his hand underneath her own. "My mother had been sick for a long time. She suffered from bizarre seizures. The doctors never understood how to treat her. The attacks would come randomly. Some were mild while others were horrible. She would bleed through her nose and eyes and sometimes cough up blood. The doctors said the internal bleeding killed her." His dark blue eyes glazed over as he recalled the"I'm so sorry.""Why? What does how my mother died have to do with my father?""Well, it's difficult to say this. And I need to talk with Princess Ami for further guidance, but, I think your father may have been cursed. And a powerful one at that, most likely a binding curse by the feel of it. "His eyes widened before he rose and started to pace around the room. His mind flying wildly from one conclusion to the next. "What does that even mean? We have enemies but none capable of doing such a thing. Unless it happened when he went to the moon-""Stop," Serenity cut him off before he could finish his thoughts. "Do not put your accusations on my people until we have found out more." She approached him, standing strong in front of him almost daring him to continue. His much taller form towering over her. " I wish to speak with your father once he awakens." Endymion lowered his head closing his eyes as he tried to process everything without flying into a rage. "Think about it, Endymion. My mother offered to send him to Mercury to get the best treatment in the solar system. If he had gone, they would have realized the curse right away before it had done so much damage. Any magic-user trained in medicinal magic would have realized that his illness wasn't natural. He adamantly refused. He might know, how he was cursed or at least by whom and just didn't want anyone to find out.""On the risk of his life? Why would anyone let alone my father just allow himself to die to cover up what someone else did? There were times here and there where I'd question his train of thought, but he wasn't a gods-be-damned fool. " His incredulous tone may have angered his betrothed, but at this point, he didn't really care.Serenity let out a long huff before placing her hand against his chest. "You're angry. I understand why, but I'm not going to stand here and allow you to take it out on me. I'm going to leave for a while and perhaps when I return you won't be in this state." Endymion didn't even have a chance to reply before Serenity stomped past him in a flurry of white silk and blonde hair."The two of you make a lot of noise." Endymion whirled around stunned at the soft words that his father had uttered from his place on the bed."Father, you're awake?" He rushed to the king's side, hesitant to leave him to call the doctors or even the princess back inside."How can I sleep with the two of you going at it?" He lightly teased as his son gripped his hand."I'm sorry. We should have left the room as soon as she was finished. We shouldn't have interrupted your rest." The prince was frantically apologetic. He couldn't risk making his father's condition worse."I'm just teasing. I feel like I've been in bed forever. And for once I can finally breathe. Gods know it probably won't last long, so I should enjoy it when I can and not waste it lying around in bed." Endymion couldn't help but grin. The rest of his father's life without pain. It wouldn't last for long but he would take the small victories when he could. "I should have asked her to put those magic hands on me from the day she got here. But that might have been awkward, considering all she wants to do is put her hands on you instead." The prince let out a short loud laugh at the king's words. He'd take the teasing and the prodding every day if he could."You definitely seem to be feeling better," he commented.The king hemmed in agreement. "You should be nicer to her, Endy." He sighed deeply. "Especially when she's right."Endymion's heart truly had taken enough damage for the day as he stammered out confused at his father's declaration. "What do you mean, she's right?"Alucid lifted himself up to a seated position on the bed pointed to a chair on the far side of the room. "Bring it over here and take a seat. I had hoped to take this with me to my grave, but the gods knew I shouldn't. They sent her here to make sure of that."-----------------------------------------------The king was up and about. The news had spread quickly throughout the castle. And Serenity had found herself avoiding the stares and whispers of the staff. They had died down from the curiosity of her initial appearance but it seemed to have grown worse when word that she had 'healed' the king had gotten out.Before she knew it, she had been summoned to have a late supper with his majesty. She had been mildly surprised to find Endymion occupying a seat. A small round table for the three of them, she had no choice but to sit next to her fiancé."Your majesty, I'm so happy to see you up and about." She greeted the king warmly, clasping his hand between her own."Only thanks to you, my dear. I know it won't last for long so I'm trying to take advantage of every second I can." He said smiling brightly at the Lunarian heir.She nodded before acknowledging Endymion's presence, bowing her head slightly but saying nothing as she recalled their argument from earlier."I really needed to thank you personally, Serenity. I am graciously in your debt."Oh no, please don't. I'm just pleased I was able to help, even if it is a temporary solution."The three sat and had a pleasant dinner together, making light conversation before the King took a more serious tone. "I called you here to update you on a few things. I'm not sure if your guardian knows or had passed it on to you, but your mother will be arriving here within the week. We will like to consider moving up the wedding. I am not going to live to see you get married. However, the decision will fall on the two of you." He said taking a quick glance at his son. "We won't need the answer right now, but the sooner the better as Queen Selenity has a lot to prepare."Endymion found himself ducking his head slightly to avoid the princess' eyes as they widened at the proposal. It hadn't been his idea, but when his father had mentioned that there was a high possibility that he wouldn't make it to the wedding, the prince had blurted out the most logical solution. When he finally lifted his eyes, he found her staring at him, his father trying his best to look uninterested as if to give them a moment."It would be for the best to move up the wedding." Endymion hadn't bothered to hide his shock on his face, and it seems neither did his father as Serenity fought unsuccessfully to fight her grin at their slack-jawed faces. "I think," she said resting her hand on Endymion's, "it would be the best decision for everyone. It would allow you to see your son married before you pass. It would allow Endymion to have his father at his wedding. And Endymion can be crowned king after you pass so that process will be smoother for the people of the planet. As I have now learned, a Terran prince must be married before his coronation.""A wise decision, from a wise lady. Thank you, Princess." King Alicud recovered before his son and decided to take his leave quickly. "I'll leave the two of you alone to sort things out." Serenity's brows narrowed in confusion at the King's retreat."But, your majesty, we haven't even eaten dessert, yet."Endymion found himself suppressing an eye-roll as his father waved her off before he left them alone. He opened his mouth to address his fiance when a servant placed a small plate in front of him, piled high with decadent fudge brownies and vanilla ice cream. "Thank you," he muttered under his breath and glanced at Serenity who looked put out at the sudden departure."Did he have somewhere to go, or simply avoiding the situation? I don't think I've seen him move so fast since I arrived here.""Neither. My father loves to meddle, and now that he's in a better condition to do so, he will continue to do what he loves."Serenity didn't quite understand what Endymion meant about meddling but she found herself not caring in the least with her dessert in front of her begging to be eaten. She had dug herself into the deliciousness not realizing the look in Endymion's eyes, staring, as the sweet treat disappeared into her mouth. The heavy cream coated her upper lip and the prince dug his fingers into the wood of the table as the tip of her tongue peeked out to clean it off."Serenity," Endymion internally cringed at how hoarse his voice sounded as he called her name. This wouldn't do. He couldn't be getting all hot and bothered from her eating ice cream. But there was something important that he knew he had to share with her."I want to apologize for my words earlier. It was wrong of me to accuse your people, even in passing, without any evidence or reasoning. You've given me a great gift, one I could never repay you for. You didn't deserve to be treated in such a manner.""You were upset. I understood. It was best that I took my leave and let you sort things through. Thank you for the apology." She said softly. "And your ice cream is melting.""Excuse me?" Endymion asked before looking down at his plate where the ice cream, sure enough, was beginning to melt. "You can have it." He said pushing it towards her. "With all the news of today, I don't think I can stomach sweets."The princess was downright flabbergasted and quite a bit offended on the delicious morsel's behalf. "Are you ill?""No, no. Just a bit unsettled. You were right, you know. About my father knowing who had cursed him." Serenity nodded as she took in the information. Cutting a small piece of brownie with her spoon, she dipped it in ice cream before she held it out to him."Seren-""C'mon Endy. Just open your mouth. It's starting to drip." She pouted at him and cupped her hand underneath the spoon to catch the falling ice cream. Hesitantly he opened his mouth for her and let her feed him. "See, wasn't that delicious." He nodded slowly. "Do you feel a little better?""A bit.""Would you like to tell me what happened?" She said, cutting herself a large helping of the dessert in Endymion's plate."What are you doing?" The prince interrupted her, a cross between a frown and a pout on his handsome face."What? You said I could have it?""Not anymore." He grabbed her chair, pulling it over so that she was right next to them, their elbows touching as he reached over her to grab the plate and reclaim it as his own. "We can share, but I can't leave you in charge of portioning." He said cutting the large piece that she had cut for herself in two. "Here you can have this." And proceeded to feed her in the same manner that she had done for him. The blush that covered the princess's face made him more than happy to share his sweet."So, a long time ago there was a line of individuals on Earth that could perform magic. They might have been immigrants from another planet or perhaps they were a native line that was blessed by the gods. Their tale was lost, through time and war. Apparently my mother had been part of that line, a descendant who had been touched by magic but could not wield it." He stopped to allow himself a chance to take a bite. All the while, Serenity's hand had reached up to play with the hair that lay on the back of his neck."My mother had no skill with magic, but apparently a few members of her family had learned how to manipulate it throughout the years. My father says one of them put the curse on him." Endymion shrugged his shoulders. "My mother and father weren't very close. Privately, she had blamed him for her illness. Her family shared in her opinion and after she died, my father believed they cursed him in retaliation to her death. I had never really known her side of the family and my mother rarely mentioned them so all of this comes as a surprise for me.""It must be a shock. I wouldn't have expected someone dabbling to have access to that type of magic." She furrowed her eyebrows looking a tad confused before it disappeared into a smile. "But it does explain how you can feel the effects of the soul bond. You have a bit of that magic in you as well.""Oh, I don't know about that. Although, if I did maybe I'd have been able to save him before his body went beyond a state of repair.""You won't know for certain until you try. There's a lot going on right now, but perhaps when everything has settled down, maybe the two of us can sneak off and see if we can pull some magic out of you." She offered, intertwining her fingers with his own. He had finally dropped the spoon on the empty plate leaving his hand closest to her free."Why Princess are you trying to sneak me away to seduce me?" He asked teasingly, rubbing his fingers over the top of her hand before bringing it closer to kiss it."No!" She tried to pull her hand away from his to no avail. "Not that I would mind," she muttered redness spreading throughout her cheeks. "But I was being serious.""Perhaps. I just might take you up on that offer. I might need a welcome distraction before things get worse and there's no time for such things." The two rose still hand in hand. Serenity knew she had a number of things that she had to do, now that they were moving up the wedding, but she found herself incredibly reluctant to leave. "I have one question, though. Earlier when my father asked you about pushing up the wedding, you said it would be beneficial to all of us. It would be to myself and my planet, but what about you, Serenity? You've been thinking about everyone in this except yourself."She nodded her head softly. "I tend to." She shrugged. "It's a characteristic that grates on the girls' nerves, especially Rei's. But that doesn't mean that I'm not pleased. It's that, you make me happy." She smiled shyly before pulling her hand out of his to fiddle with the material of her dress. "Contrary to what I just said, that's a really selfish reason, but I do care about the people of this planet." The lunar princess found herself stepping backward as Endymion approached her slowly stepping into her personal space. "And I will admit to you, Endymion, I am terrified of becoming queen. Despite preparing for it my entire life, it's still a heavy burden, but I'm sure that the two of us will do a fine job. We both have good ideas and only want what's best for your citizens."She trailed off as she realized that he had walked her up against the wall. In her rambling, she hadn't even noticed."I make you happy?" He said it softly, so low that Serenity could barely hear as he ran his hand through one of her long pigtails, his fingers playing with the silky strands. The hand that was in her hair cupped her chin tilting it upward so their eyes could meet. Her eyes grew as he stared, blue pools with flecks of silver. Her pupils dilating slightly as her breath quickened."Endymion?""Tell me, Princess. Have you been kissed before?."It was all the warning he gave her before he pressed his lips against hers. Endymion hadn't meant for the kiss to last as long as it did, but as soon as he had gotten a taste he has just wanted more. It had started off softly, not wanting to startle her as she stiffened in his arms. Slowly he coaxed her lips into responding to his own. Serenity moved with hesitation at first, but unsure movements soon turned enthusiastic. Her hands found its way to his shoulders and wrapped around his neck, pulling him in even closer.The Prince's hand that had originally held her chin had wandered to the back of her head, diving into her soft hair, tempted to rid her hair of the pins so he could run his fingers through it properly. His other hand had wrapped around her waist bringing her flush against him. She let out a small gasp when his tongue poked against her lips, asking for entrance. He took advantage and slipped inside.Heat began to take over his body urging him onwards. He was drunk on her, and he couldn't stop. He knew he had felt like this before but his mind was too blank to remember where. All he could think about was how addicting her mouth was, and how soft her ass felt in his hands. A loud moan escaped Serenity's lips as they came up for air. Her chest was thrust forward, nipples erect, the points visible through her dress. He quickly stepped backward putting space in between them, as he tried to clear his mind of the lustful haze that it had fallen under."Serenity," he gasped out. "I'm sorry, I don't -""It's the bond." She interrupted him. "The soulbond. This is one of the ways it makes itself known." She was in far worse shape than he was. Her lips were swollen from his kisses and she was visibly shaking. The more fitted dress that she wore today, couldn't hide that she was crossing her legs tightly. "I should go.""I'll walk you to your room." He offered, worried for her to be walking about in her state."No!" She put out her hand to prevent him from coming any closer. "I might…." she trailed off her face red at the thought. "I'm not acting appropriately at the moment." She shut her eyes to block out his image before slipping past a bewildered and quite horny Endymion and running out the door straight to her room.