A.N.

By the way, ff dot net, I agree to your guidelines every single time, jsyk. Every. Single. Time.

Anyway. I have no idea why I'm doing this fic.

Silver Millennium, sort of a mix of manga and anime canons.

The Princess of Venus - leader of the senshi, guardian of the Princess of the Moon Kingdom - was getting impatient.

Her princess and friend had been gone an awfully long time. It was beginning to make her wonder if she had made the right decision when Serenity had begged Venus to allow her access to the visiting prince's chambers. It was only Venus (and a few others) who knew the various enchantments that allowed travel through the marble passageways in walls of the palace, connecting rooms secretly - an ancient security measure.

"I just want to say goodbye!" Serenity had said, ice blue eyes filled with tears, "Mother has decided not to grant his request for Alliance aid, and he is to be sent back to Earth and the taboo will remain in place! He's become my friend, and I'll never see him again!" Sniffle, sniffle, big blue eyes, the whole bit.

Venus rolled her eyes and twirled a strand of glittering golden hair around her finger. Venus had invented that bit. Venus had taught Serenity that bit. And yet she still fell for it every time.

Not that she disliked the visiting Terrans. To be honest, she expected a lot worse based on the rumors of a barbaric, wild place where men fought with steel instead of magic.

Although the Earth was not part of the Silver Alliance, Prince Endymion and one of his shitennou, Kunzite, had been allowed access to the Moon Kingdom for twenty-eight days, during which time they had pleaded their case for direct aid from the Silver Alliance in dealing which the strange occurrences and dark creatures that had begun to plague their shores.

It was just that night, the eve before their return, that Queen Serenity had finally, regretfully, denied them their request. In the same breath, she had officially reinstated the taboo between the kingdoms, making the Earth a forbidden place for any individual.

"It's like a quarantine," Venus said softly to herself.

That's exactly how Endymion saw it, too. Earth was under official quarantine, pretty much. He would return home empty handed, without even a promise of future help. Running a hand through his hair, he sat on the edge of his bed and put his head in his hands.

Suddenly a voice came from his side, "I'm so sorry!"

He looked up in shock but relaxed slightly when he saw Princess Serenity leaning against a support column a few feet away, watching him with sad eyes.

"Serenity, you scared me. Do you just appear in people's rooms unannounced? Is that a Lunar thing?" he tried to tease her but in his depression, it fell flat.

From the beginning of his visit, he was very fond of the princess. She was friendly to him right away. She was incredibly interested in Earth and eager to show him all the books and pictures she had found in the ancient archives describing the flora and fauna of his homeworld. She was obliging when he was curious about her own palace and home, but always turned his questions back around to Earth.

He was glad she had come to say goodbye, since they hadn't parted on very good terms the last time he saw her. She had asked him what Earth women are like. "Are they pretty?" she had said curiously, leaning over the handrail of the stair, her two long streamers of hair falling over to where he stood below.

"Some are," he conceded thoughtfully, wanting to give her an accurate answer.

"Pretty like my senshi and me?"

"That's hardly a fair comparison. It's like apples and oranges."

"Like what? and what?"

"Serenity, you aren't even the same thing."

She had blinked and looked hurt.

"You aren't - you're Lunarian. You're the descendent of a goddess," he'd smiled to show he did not mean the words to offend her, "I can't compare you to the people on my planet because you are so far removed from us. We're just different."

"Oh." Serenity had then made a polite excuse and left.

And he hadn't seen her again until she just appeared - out of nowhere - into his bedroom the night before he was to leave.

This is how things worked, on the moon. Apparently.

"I begged my mother to reconsider!" Serenity told him, "I want to protect the Earth! But it was no use."

Endymion sighed, "She did what she thought was best. Honestly, I didn't expect much more. I hoped, sure, but I didn't come here expecting miracles. I can't even say I would have acted differently, in her place."

Serenity pouted, clutching her hands together at her waist. "And now you have to leave," she said, "I feel silly for being sad about this. But you'll go back to Earth and forget all about me."

"That's ridiculous. I'll never forget you."

She was still looking down at her hands, "You'll go back to your Earth women, the ones who are like you, who aren't different. And you'll never think about me."

"Serenity. If anything, you've ruined women on my planet for me. I can't even look at anyone else without seeing you," Endymion wasn't even sure why he was saying what he was saying, but he did know it was the truth. He wasn't entirely sure what it meant, and he imagined it may be par for the course of those who visited the mystical Moon Kingdom and spent time with the children of the gods. Mortals seem so lackluster when you've danced with the Selene's granddaughter. Right? "I can't imagine forgetting you, I can't imagine going five minutes without thinking about you, and I'm going to be miserable on Earth without you. Does that make you feel better?"

"A little," she admitted, grudgingly.

She took a deep a breath and tried to think. Okay, what would Venus do if this were a man she wanted? Serenity thought to herself. But that was no help because Venus was incredibly tight-lipped about that sort of thing around Serenity. This sort of topic is not befitting a Lunar Princess! she'd say. Oh, but, it'd come in so handy right about now.

What was the use of having the Goddess of Love and Beauty as your best friend if it didn't even help you seduce the man who just admitted he thought you were the most beautiful woman he ever saw?

"You think we're different," she said, taking his hand and pulling him to his feet, "but I am human. Just like you." She stood in front of him, her heart racing and her eyes pleading with him to understand. "My body is the same," she put his hand over her heart, just above the neckline of her dress and the swell of her breast. Venus would be proud. She met his eyes, "My heart is the same."

Endymion froze. "Serenity, you can't-"

"I love you," she said, her eyes filled with tears and her facade broke down, "I've loved you for weeks now."

He was blown away. It never occurred to him in his wildest dreams that this perfect creature in front of him could ever harbor feelings for him. She was heir apparent to the Moon Kingdom, future leader of the Silver Alliance and besides all that, she was simply so giving and kind, loving and cheerful. Everyone loved her. And she was standing before him, claiming that she loved him. But -

"But we can't," he said.

"You said 'we'!" she grabbed his other hand and held them together, "You love me back!"

"That's not a good thing, Serenity," he managed to say, before she threw her arms around him. Her fingers settled on his collarbone, her other hand threaded into his hair and she froze with her lips just centimeters from his. He clutched the fabric of her dress in his hands, paralyzed by the look in her eyes.

"Say it," she whispered to him, "say that you love me." He kissed her, long and slow. It was wrong, it was stupid, it was the worst thing he could do, but he did it anyway. Because he had to.

"I love you," he said finally, shutting his eyes. He lowered his head and brushed his face against hers, not daring to meet her eyes for fear of being lost, "but I can never see you again. You know that."

"No!" she said, "I can visit you, on Earth. It's not that difficult, I know how." They kissed again, this time it was more intense, more desperate.

Endymion sighed, leaning his head on her shoulder. "I can't give you up. I know I should. But I can't." Serenity gently lifted his head to face her, and kissed him again.

"Oh, look who's finally back," Venus shook her head, as Serenity emerged from the make-shift 'door' in the marble wall.

The golden-haired senshi put a hand on her hip and her eyes did an appraising sweep of her friend's appearance.

"You look... disheveled."

Serenity looked tugged her sleeve back in place and pulled at her hair, "Really? I think I'm perfectly...'sheveled'."

"That's not a word."

"I believe I just said it. Therefore," she waved her hand officially, "now it's a word."

"I thought you were only going to say goodbye."

"I did," she was practically whining now.

"Serenity," Venus set her jaw and looked the younger girl straight in the eye, "Am I, or am I not, going to have to assassinate visiting royalty? Please tell me no."

"No!" Serenity was horrified, "V-chan! We just kissed!"

Venus' mouth dropped open.

"A lot."

And stayed open.

"And," Serenity pulled her friends' face down and put her lips to Venus' ear like a child sharing a secret, "he loves me!"

Venus put her hand to her forehead.

"That's not a good thing, Serenity!"

Serenity pouted again, "That's what he said," she muttered.

"Glad to hear one of you has a micron of sense!" Venus cried, "Although, judging by your 'sheveled' appearance he didn't really let that stop him, did he?"

Venus noted darkly that Serenity didn't even have the grace to blush, instead she just giggled.

"You are incorrigible!" Venus snapped, and she opened the 'door' in the wall once more, making sure to magic it up enough that Serenity wouldn't be able to follow her. She needed to have some words with this Prince of Earth.

Behind her came Serenity's voice: "V-chan! I'm perfectly 'corrigible'!"

When Venus burst through the wall purposefully, in full senshi regalia, love-me chain in hand, Kunzite was startled and drew his sword. Venus ignored him and focused on Endymion, who was once again sitting on the bed with his head in his hands.

"Have a headache?" she said, sweetly. "Because if not, you're about to!" She got two steps in before Kunzite was in front of her, blocking his prince dutifully.

"Sailor Venus," he said respectfully, "may I inquire to what this is about?"

"May I inquire as to what the hell you are doing here?" she countered, momentarily lowering her guard and placing a hand on her hip.

"He called me in a moment ago, but then you burst through the wall," Kunzite tried to act like people waltzing through marble walls was something he saw everyday on Earth and he wasn't the least bit unnerved by it- "With some malicious intent-"

"If I wanted to do you harm, you'd be prone on the floor by now!" she arched an eyebrow.

Kunzite nodded, "I have no doubt. Let me rephrase. With intent to - give us a stern talking-to?"

She crossed her arms. "I've no problem with you, unless you've also been sneaking around seducing innocent princesses."

He didn't flinch. "Not recently."

"So you know," she sighed.

"Yes, he told me before you came in. Not in those exact words, mind you, but yes I'm aware of the situation."

"So what do we do?" Venus said, "I mean, we've got to stop this."

"You don't think they'll just do it anyway, with or without our permission?"

"Serenity would. She's so- she's such a little -" Venus flexed her hands, "I should just-" She decided to let her frustrations about her flighty, headstrong charge take backseat for a while and continue to figure out logistics. "I can't let her do this alone. If she is going to sneak off to Earth I have to come with her to protect her. Someone has to cover for her. Someone has to know. You know?"

"I can't condone this, but I cannot also pretend to be ignorant to it when I am not."

Venus nodded. Things seemed so different now than they had mere hours earlier.

"Is this really happening?" Endymion seemed to echo her very thoughts when he spoke aloud for the first time since she entered the room.

She huffed at him and turned around. She gave him a half-angry, half-sympathetic look. "How many times in the past hour have you wondered that?"

"About five."

Venus paused. "That was oddly specific."

"I like numbers," Endymion said weakly.

"He's brilliant," Kunzite interjected smoothly, "quite the logistical genius."

Venus gave Endymion a withering look. It was obvious she didn't think him very smart at the moment.

She was about to say something to that effect when little slivers of white light danced across the wall and it burst open for the third time that night.

"V-CHAN!" Serenity's face was flushed red with anger and the effort of breaking through the Venus' enchantments. She glared openly at her senshi and put her hands on her hips. "This is my kingdom, this is my palace and you cannot lock me out of-"

Venus silenced her with one look.

"It is your mother's kingdom and your mother's palace," she said coldly, dangerously, "and I am charged with protecting you. I can lock you out of wherever I wish. I can lock you up. I can lock you away."

Serenity's eyes widened. "You wouldn't! Because you love me!"

"I WOULD because I love you!" the outburst was uncharacteristic and Venus was embarrassed to have an audience for it. Serenity lowered her head like a scolded child but Venus knew her words had no effect.

"You two need to end this. Now," she spoke to both Endymion and Serenity, but she knew they wouldn't. It was for show. It was for play. They might even speak the lines of saying good-bye but they wouldn't in the end.

"Just go away. Go talk. Whatever it is you two do." She shoo'ed them to the balcony and turned back to Kunzite.

"Will you tell the other senshi?" Kunzite asked her.

Venus paused, "I don't know. I mean, yes, of course. Not right away. When you are safely off this moon."

Kunzite raised an eyebrow in question.

"I'm sure you've heard how Mars once castrated a man who got fresh with Serenity at a ball?"

It was clear from the expression on his face that he had not.

"Oh, anyway, it's not entirely true. He's perfectly fine... now. Are you going to tell the other shitennou?"

Kunzite shook his head. "I'm keeping this need-to-know. For now."

Venus chewed a fingernail and looked out at the balcony. "This is going to be... interesting."

"Indeed."

"That's some kiss," Venus regarded the lovers through the glass doors with a calculating expression.

"I take it this is not usual behavior for Serenity?"

"Rule breaking? Yes. Sneaking around? Absolutely. Kissing men? Never. What about Endymion?" Venus looked at Kunzite sharply, "Is he a womanizer?"

Kunzite laughed, "No. He likes numbers, remember?"

Venus regarded Kunzite suspiciously for a moment then decided to believe him.

"Well, I'm going to haul my princess off to bed now," Venus said, "and watch her like a hawk until morning. Should be fun. I'm so thrilled that I get to be a part of this."

"Likewise," Kunzite matched her deadpan tone.

"I guess I'll be seeing a lot of you," Venus turned and bowed slightly.

Kunzite smiled back, "One bright side to this whole mess, I guess."

"Ugh. Don't you start." And with that she walked toward the balcony to fetch her princess.

A.N: Yeeaaah, I don't even know.

keep a look out for possible sequel Meanwhile on Earth... (hey! Earth! that's where I'm from!)