Sailor Venus stood behind one of the numerous pillars that decorated the palace grounds of the Silver Millennium, carefully watching her beloved princess. The guardian rolled her eyes and sighed as she pondered if Serenity really thought she was fooling anyone with her escape attempts. For years, Venus and the other soldiers have trained to protect the heir of the Silver Millennium, to keep her from harm and to maintain the peace of the kingdom. Did Serenity really think she was pulling the wool over anyone's eyes by fake coughing?
The worst of it was that Serenity was being much more bold in her actions. It seemed like everyday the young woman would try to sneak down to planet Earth. And who had to follow her every time? Venus. Who else could do the job? Mercury was level-headed but if something happened to Serenity on Earth and Mercury's negotiating skills failed her, things would go from bad to worse in a heartbeat. Jupiter could take care of any physical obsticals, but she could also be very blunt in a political setting. And Mars? Mars would just bite Serenity's head off.
No. This needed someone with a wide variety of skills. One who knew Serenity better then she herself. A leader. So Venus waited by the pillar, waiting to strike the expecting princess. Sure enough, Serenity walked right by her guardian, twirling and dancing, completely lost on cloud nine.
Venus grabbed one of the princess' long pony tale and yanked, scaring Serenity so much that she skipped a couple of heartbeats as she screamed, her voice echoing off the clear dome wall of the Silver Millennium.
"Serenity! You're not sneaking off to Earth again, are you?" Venus demanded, already knowing full well the answer.
"Venus! You shouldn't scare me like that! It's not very nice!"
"You didn't answer my question."
Serenity blushed. "Well, you see, I was going to go to my lessons, but I thought it was too nice of a day for that, and...."
"Aaand you thought you would go take a stroll on one of the gardens of Earth?" Venus asked, eyebrow raised. She signed and dropped her princess' hair. "Serenity! How many times do we have to have this discussion? You are the Moon Princess, heir to the Silver Millennium. People like us...we're not supposed to be in contact with earthlings. It's forbidden. I can't keep following you down there; it's much too dangerous! I'm honestly surprised--and thankful!--that no one has turned you, or us, in yet."
"But it's not fair!" pouted Serenity. "The people of Earth are good and kind, and just like us! I don't see why we can't get along."
"It's not us who stand in the way," Venus comforted. "We have tried many times over the centuries to reunite that gap. They're jealous of our lifespans, and that the Moon kingdom is the keeper of the Imperial Silver Crystal. They're power-hungry, my princess, and you of all people must be careful not to let that amount of power fall in the wrong hands."
Serenity's eyes turned harsh as she locked onto Venus'. "They're not all like that," she argued, sounding serious for once in her life.
"I know," smiled Venus, though she was broken-hearted. "I've seen the way you look at Endymion, Serenity. You can't hide that from the goddess of love. But you have to know that it simply cannot be."
Serenity back away, almost violently. Eyes filled with tears, she looked defiantly at Venus, her most trusted guardian and friend.
"You know nothing of love!" she cried out, making a child-like face in her, trying to mock Venus, before she turned around and ran off again, along her merry way.
Those words stung Venus like nothing else had at that point. Know nothing of love? Was Serenity that blind? What did the princess think Venus talked about when she was conversing with Endymion's right hand man, Kunzite? Sure, at first, it was completely all business as they tried to figure out the best way to keep the two love-birds from meeting. When that failed miserably, they moved on how to minimize the damage.
As Serenity and Endymion's meetings grew longer and longer, Kunzite and Venus needed more things to discuss. It was very boring standing there in silence for so long, though both of them were used to it. That was the first thing she admired about him. He was such a great warrior and protector. Kunzite knew exactly what Venus experienced, and they could rant to one another, and well as encourage--which was surprising, seeing how they were supposed to be enemies. It was a fact Venus always kept in her mind, but still, other things tended to push that to the back. Like how handsome he was, or how he made her laugh, or how he actually comforted her one night as she broke down, wondering if she was doing a good job as leader.
What Venus never forgot though, was that she made a pledge: one to make sure Princess Serenity was her top priority. While the princess would have been more than happy to rejoice in her friend's happiness, Venus knew deep down that she could never balance the two. And so, every time Venus traveled down to Earth to watch over Serenity, she had to be not only on the top of her game, but also be a fantastic actress, to make sure Kunzite never found out.
And it was getting increasingly difficult.
"Oh, Serenity," Venus sighed softly, watching the Moon Princess take off. "You know nothing." She brushed her long hair to her back and just followed after her, ready to perform her duty at all cost.
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