Author's note
PLEASE STOP AND READ THIS!!!!  I realize many of you just skip to the story, but you NEED to read this note.  This is a love story.  This means that it talks about sex and other mature subjects.  If this is going to offend you, do not read this story.  I did not write much past, "they made love" in most places.  I do not believe the other parts are very offensive, unless you have a problem with skinny dipping.  There are also some other mature topics such as violence, abuse, and molestation.  I am telling you this because I just don't want any letters saying, "I was shocked at the material."  K?  That's all the necessary stuff.  The rest is just FYI.
        This story takes place in the Moon Kingdom.  It is my rendition of how Serena and Darien fell in love.  I am the type of person who is, shall we say, less than happy about the way Darien treats Serena in the DIC series.  He is very cold to her, but in his heart, I picture him as being warm.  I also am not pleased with the way Serena is considered such a ditz.  She is the Princess of the Moon and even after she almost single handedly defeated Queen Barryl, she got no respect.  I was bitter.  So if you are looking for a ditz, you won't find it here.  Just thought I would tell you.  As far as the Sailor Senshi go, I have not yet had the privilege of watching the Japanese Sailor Moon's, only DIC's, so I do not know everything about the Outer Senshi's traits.  Sorry.  I kinda, more or less, stuck to what I knew.  Uh, I think I'm supposed to say something like the character's (Serena, Darien, and all Sailor Characters) were not made by me but made and copyrighted by Naoko Takeuchi, Bandai, Kodansha, and all their related company so don't sue me for taking credit.  Cuz I'm not.  It's just a story.  Don't have a cow.  Well, that's it.  Enjoy!
=) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =)
(The above being sideways smiley faces)
=) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =)
 
 

Darien
Chapter 1- The Crash
 

    I ran quickly down the corridor to my room.  I could tell she was right behind me.  I was not about to be beaten again.  My heart was pounding so hard, I thought it would pump out of my chest.  I tried to run faster, but I found myself, only slowing down from exhaustion.  I knew she was going to catch me. But I had to try to get away.  It was not right what she was doing.  If only there was somebody there who could help me.  But there was not.  I was alone during this time of fear.  The kind of pain my nanny inflicted on me was uncalled for.  But then again, I should have been used to it by then.  She did not seem to give any mind to the fact that she was beating a nine-year-old child, much less the Prince of Earth.

        Mrs. Natalie Wildman was her name.  My mother had hired her when I was only three.  The tasks that come with being the Queen of the Earth were a bit overwhelming.  Mother had to deal with the Ambassadors from eight different worlds.  She had to come up with solutions to the problems on Earth.  Probably most trying of all was attending every social function there was on any world at any time.  The Earth had to make an appearance and Father was too badly needed on Earth all the time to attend all but a few of the functions.  It was considered an insult of the highest if a Queen or King from another planet invited the Earth royalty, but nobody from Earth showed up.  Therefore, Mother had to rush off to every banquet, every birth, every Ambassador or Delegate's wedding, etc...  With these kinds of hours, it hardly left my Mother time to effectively raise a well-bred, well-mannered son.  So to fill in for her lack of time, she hired Nanny Wildman.  Unfortunately, my Mother did not bother enough to get to know the Nanny well before she hired her.  Do not misunderstand me. My mother loved me very much and only wanted the best for me.  But unfortunately, like most abusers, they put on an innocent, sweet facade to the world, and are completely different to the person they abuse.  In Nanny Wildman's case, my mother never saw a hint of the cruelty in her, and thought that I was just a mischievous little boy.
        The first time Nanny Wildman's brutality was bared was when I was four.  I spilled my dinner on the floor when my elbow bumped the plate.  Some of the sauce splattered on her dress, as she was standing behind me, quizzing me on how to have a proper meal.  I slowly raised my eyes to meet hers and when I did she looked at me for the first time so viciously that I hardly recognized her.  She seized my arm and practically dragged me upstairs and scolded me in her room. "I have done nothing but care for you, and you repay me with this?".  She pointed to the stain in disgust.  She went on about how she would have to change now.  She grabbed another dress from her closet and proceeded to change in the adjoining bathroom.  She warned me that I better still be in the room when she got back. When she came out she was in a fresh gown and threw the one with the sauce in the laundry basket.  Then she reached for the handles and spun around and glared at me, laundry basket in hand.  "Now Darien, this is what happens to little boys who ruin girl's dresses!"  With that, she lifted the basket high and slammed me in the head with it.  The blow was enough to make my head throb and make me dizzy, however not enough to do permanent damage.  I collapsed in the corner and began to sob, tucking my knees into my chest and burying my head. She sent me to my room and told me if I told anyone she would do something far worse.  Then she picked me up and put me in my bed without finishing dinner.
        This kind of punishment continued on.  Finally, when I was six, she hit me so hard that I had noticeable markings.  Before this incident, she had always been careful to hit me places that were covered by clothing.  She was also careful not to do anything a month before doctors’ appointments.  But this time I got a black eye.  I went to my mother, even though I knew if she didn't believe me, Nanny Wildman would beat me for it.
        My mother was in her chambers, preparing for a dinner party.  The dinner wasn't for another two and a half hours, though.  I found her sitting at her dresser, applying make-up.  She was in her favorite burgundy dress.  Her room was mostly deep red with huge drapes covering a large bay window.  I walked over to my mother nervously.
        "Mommy, Nanny Wildman hits me.  She's hit me since I was four.  I just don't think I can stand it anymore.  She said if I told you, she'd hurt me.  She's scary and she doesn't love me the way she tells you she does.  Please, could we get a new Nanny?"
        My mother set down her brush and looked at me.  "She hits you does she?  I will look into this immediately."  She turned to the door.  "Shannon!"  The servant entered the room.  "Please send me Mrs. Wildman.  I wish to speak with her."
        "Yes, Your Majesty." she said, and proceeded down the hallway.  My mother sent me to my room.  I sat on my bed, holding my pillow and watching the clock until she came back.  An hour later she walked in and sat down on my bed next to me. She looked me in the eye and placed her hand on mine, and then spoke the words that would change my life forever.  "Darien, sweetie, Mrs. Wildman told me you got the black eye when you were jumping on the bed.  She claims she asked you to stop, but you didn't.  You fell and hit your head on the bedpost.  She was hysterical when she heard all the horrible things you said about her.  She started crying, Darien.  You really hurt her feelings.  She loves you very much and would never hurt you.  I think you owe her an apology.  She has done nothing but care for you.  She has helped me out tremendously.  You simply can't go around lying like this about people.  It hurts their reputation.  Now, I want you to go to her quarters with me and apologize."
        I had learned from past experiences that there was no arguing with my mother. Nanny Wildman's ability to cry on command had completely tricked my mother into thinking I was a liar.  Needless to say I was beaten the next week, as to not rouse suspicion.  That was the last time I ever tried to tell anyone about the abuse.

        Now, I was racing to my room.  She was still beating me, now more severely because I was older and able to endure more physical pain.  She didn't do anything that would last longer than a week, most of the time.  She was smart,
I'll give her that.
        I reached my door and almost slipped when I tried to stop.  I managed to open the door and stumble in.  I locked it from the inside just in time.  I heard her screaming at me outside though.  I was safe for now.
        Not only were the beatings more brutal, but they were now over the silliest discrepancies.  This time, I had snuck a snack from the kitchen into my room, and she found the wrapper in the trash.  She called me on it in the dining room. I bolted before she had time to grab me.
        I had successfully avoided a beating, but I would get it double the next time. It was then that I realized I had to get out of the palace.  Leave my home.  But where would I go?  I was very smart and agile for my age.  My teachers had already taught me algebra and simple biology.  I was already an eloquent speaker and I had memorized much of earth's history.  I was not a genius, I just liked to lose myself in books of old times and escape my present situation.  I hated class, however.  My experiences with Nanny Wildman had made me bitter against most adults.  I did much better teaching myself.  Alone.  Secluded.
        The one thing I had not been taught yet, was how to use my powers that I supposedly had since birth.  Apparently, it was not common practice on Earth to start teaching me until I was ten.  I most certainly didn't feel very powerful. If I did, I would have rid my life of those teachers and Nanny Wildman.  I just wanted to be left alone with my parents on Earth.
        There were a few people who I didn't mind.  However, they were all on other planets, and all my own age.  First, there was the Prince of Saturn, Micah, who was nine.  He was my friend but could get really mean sometimes.  I most enjoyed the company of my best friend, the Princess of Jupiter, Lita, who was six.  Then there was Princess Mars, and Princess Pluto, Raye and Sharon who were always up to something.  Princess Neptune and Uranus, Michelle and Alex
pretty much kept to themselves.  Princess Venus, Mina, always hung around Lita. They fought sometimes, though.  Princess Mercury pretty much got along with everyone, when her head wasn't stuck in a book.  Her name was Amy and was by far the most intelligent of all of us.  Then there was my crush.  Princess Serena, of the Moon.  I knew I was in love the moment I met her.  Micah was making fun of me because I was new.  I started crying, only being six.  It was the first time I had met any of them.  Then Serena came in the room.  The prettiest two-year-old I had ever seen.  She saw me crying and came over in a very two-year-old fashion and gave me a hug and a kiss.  I yelled, "Eeeew!  Cooties!" and ran away.  But I liked it.  She had tried to make me feel better and I had never had anyone else my age around.  It meant a lot.  I spent the rest of my childhood poking her and throwing dirt and things at her, to her annoyance but deep inside, I thought she was cute.
        I soon realized if I ran away, I would never see any of my childhood friends again.  But this abuse was too much to handle.
        It was then that my mother knocked on my door.  The noise startled me so badly that I jumped and shook.  I had been deep in thought and at first, I thought it was Nanny Wildman trying to get in.  "Darien, are you in there?"  I climbed off the bed and raced across the room to open door.  "What is it, Mother?" I asked.
        I gazed up into her eyes.  I almost hoped that she saw the fear in my eyes and the tear streaks that I was sure were still on my cheeks.  That way, I could tell her.  Tell her everything.  But I knew I could never try to tell her again. It would only backfire and I was well aware of what Nanny Wildman would do to me if she found out that I had tried to tell on her again.  My Mother did not notice my expression, which was probably a good thing.
        "Darien, I need you to accompany me downstairs.  We are entertaining some guests from the Moon and we want to introduce you."  How thrilling.  More interplanetary delegates.  From the Moon this time.  I had to be introduced to every person who called on Earth royalty, as they would one day have to deal directly with me, when I reached the age of seventeen.  That was when I was scheduled to take over my Mother's responsibility dealing with the delegates and ambassadors that came calling.  She took my hand in hers and we began to walk down to where Father was.  I took a deep breath in.  I always loved the way Mother smelled.  She always smelled like cinnamon.  I never knew why but I enjoyed the smell as we walked down the stairs.
        When we reached the parlor I caught the end of the conversation that the delegates were having with my Father.  "Then you will be attending Queen Serenity's banquet, Sire?", one of them asked.
        I knew which banquet they were talking about.  It was the banquet that Queen Serenity threw every year for all the Royalty, Ambassadors and Delegates of the Moon Kingdom.  She did this so that everyone would get better acquainted, although nobody ever did.  All the adults did was lie and make small talk.  They were formal, polite, but incredibly insincere.  If one said, "I love your gown. Who designed it?" it translated to, "I want to know who had the insanity to make that wretched thing, so I can avoid them."  I always found this quite amusing.  My Mother would say something there and then tell the truth when we got back.  I liked these functions though.  It was another chance to see Lita... and, of
Course, Serena.  Ah, my puppy love!
        "Yes, yes, of course.  But shall Darien's Nanny be accompanying the Queen and I?"  The delegates looked at each other and then back at my Father.
        "Ah, Sire, we would think it best to bring Prince Darien, um however, his Nanny is not of Noble blood.  We would suggest leaving her here, Your Highness."
        "Very well then."  It was then that my Father turned and saw my mother and I standing in the doorway.  My father signaled to us and we entered.  He introduced everyone and started on about something, but my mind suddenly kicked into high gear.  If these delegates were from the Moon, that means they came on a ship, since only royalty had the ability to transport.  If I could make it to the launch site and get on the ship I could..."Isn't that right, Darien?" my father asked, seemingly out of nowhere.  I glanced up at him and the others. All eyes were on me.  It was quite unnerving.  "Yes, Father." I answered, hoping it was the right response.  My mother let go of my hand and sat down by my Father on the sofa.  With my Mother there now, they began discussing the details of the aforementioned banquet.  It was then that I managed to slip out, unnoticed.
        These types of occasions were especially important to the Earth.  We had not always been a part of the Moon Kingdom.  It was but ten years ago that Queen Serenity had revealed herself and the rest of the Court to my parents.  My
Mother had just become pregnant with me at the time.  It came as a great shock to Earth that there was in fact life on other planets.  We had a lot of catching up to do.  They did not take me with them when they visited other planets until
I was six.  That of course being when I met Serena.  I suppose my parents were afraid of the Moon Kingdom and wanted to make sure I would be safe there.

        If there was one good thing that came out of this abuse, it was that it had forced me to learn to be quick, quiet, and agile for sneaking around.  I felt my heart start to pound as I crept down the first hallway toward the staircase.  I often forgot how large the palace was.  Normally, Nanny Wildman restricted me to only using my room, the dining hall, and my Mother's room.  It was a rare occasion that I was permitted to visit the outdoors.  I could only gaze at the yards through the large window in my room.  It overlooked a garden.  Sometimes, I would curl up on the sill and just sit there gazing for hours.
        There were a few times that I had been permitted outside, though.  Most of the time it was when Lita came to visit.  We would sit in the garden, picking flowers for our parents, or playing tag or hide-and-go-seek.
        But there was no time to think of the garden now.  I kept low until I reached the foot of the stairs.  My body began to shake.  I could hardly keep from falling down.  I gripped the railing and slowly, I ascended two flights before reaching the launch site.  Upon entering the site, I quickly ducked down behind a plant.  There were a few servants bustling around the ship.  Cleaning it, I suppose.  I realized I would need a distraction.
        Luckily, one came for me.  Nanny Wildman came storming into the room demanding if the servants had seen me.  They replied that they had not.  She then ordered them to stop what they were doing and to help her look for me.  All three left close behind Nanny Wildman.  I grinned.  I was free!  I bolted over to the ship and entered it.  There were two beds towards the back with cabinets underneath them.  They contained pillows and extra blankets.  In front was the navigation system with two chairs.  There was a little kitchenette at the head of one of the beds.  This ship was meant for week-long missions, I concluded.  It does not take more than an hour to get to the Moon, though.  Hopefully, they were not making any other stops.
        That's when I heard someone enter the launch site.  I quickly squeezed in one of the blanket cabinets and shut the door behind me.  The two delegates boarded the ship.  Before I knew it, we took off.  I heard one of them say we were headed to the Moon, which gave me great relief.  I did not know how long I could stay crunched up in this cabinet.  Sure it was soft... I had pillows and blankets surrounding me.  But I was hot.  I began to squirm after a while.  I thought this flight would never end!
        About an hour later, that had felt more like an eternity, I heard them getting ready to land.  Suddenly, their voices changed from routine to panicked.  All I knew is that we were going down way too fast.  I heard screams and the deafening blare of the engines.  I was frightened.  I pictured my body lying in the wreckage, lifeless.  I had been trying to escape danger and had instead put myself in the middle of it.  I screamed until my lungs were raw.  My heart raced and my ears screamed from the pain of the quick decent.  I was going to die, I knew it.  Then came the crashes and jolts.  I felt my body being tossed around and a fear in my heart that was indescribable.  I smelled smoke and heard explosions, as well as the terrified cries of the others in the ship.  On the last jolt I was thrown out of my cabinet.  I was knocked unconscious for who knows how long.

Go to Chapter 2
Mail Cyperian of Cyprus
Back to Cyperian of Cyprus's Fanfics
Back to the Moon Palace