Destiny's Gateway

[FF][HE][SMTK/AU] A Kiss In The Dark 26/29

Wed, 28 May 2008 07:47:12 GMT

Title: A Kiss In The Dark
Author: Princess Destiny
Email: princessdestiny@destinysgateway.com
Author's Homepage: http://www.destinysgateway.com
Rating: M 15 (For swearing, some adult themes and violence)
Summary: 'One Hour Challenge' #1 and 657 Combined: Response Fanfic. Eleven years ago, Mamoru's father married Usagi's mother. It's now almost Usagi's sixteenth birthday and she has to juggle her secret life as Sailor Moon, on top of school and a job at Motoki's shop. Her life is turned even more upside down when she begins to suspect the masked hero she is falling in love with is actually her awful step-brother!
Genre: Romance/UST/Comedy/Adventure/Action/Angst
Couple: Usagi/Mamoru
Category: SMTK
Chapters: 26/?
Status: Unfinished
Year Completed: N/A
Size: 738 KB

Comments: Hi everyone! My internet is finally back, so I can post this Chapter. Thank you very much for your reviews on the previous Chapter. I know there has been some gaps in posting these Chapters for various reasons, including my net not working for more than two weeks. I spent about ten hours writing Chapters 25 and 26 and I was really proud of me. And then today, I rewrote Chapters 26 and 27. Writer's Block is a real killer, but I have gotten past it with flying colours. The final few Chapters will be mushy, yet very angsty. I know, it's a contradiction. Be prepared for romantic moments between Usagi and Mamoru, but as you can tell from the last Chapter, a lot of things are going wrong and will be coming to a header in the final Chapter. This Fanfic is now over 700 KB large, which is almost as large as 'Spin The Bottle'! Hopefully, the sequel won't be this big. O_o

Reviewer Responses: Some of you have expressed a dislike of Rei and Mamoru being together-even to the point of asking me to kill Rei-, so you'll be happy to know that in this Chapter, the two will no longer be an item. And yes, the Chiba family will be spliting up, paving the way for our favorite couple's romance.

A KISS IN THE DARK

By Princess Destiny

[ princessdestiny@destinysgateway.com ]

Chapter Twenty-Six

Endymion blinked at Mars' words and then felt embarrassment flood him. He had not greeted her; he had been so startled to find her soul inside of Rei's body that he had completely lost his manners. "I beg your pardon," The Prince said stiffly, bowing his head.

They were both of Royal families, but the Sailor Senshi were second only to the Queen of the Moon. They were the reining power of the solar system and demanded all the respect due to them, as guardians of the solar system and of the Crown Princess, Serenity.

Even if Mars was a relative! He wondered briefly what Usagi would think knowing that her friend Rei was really his cousin. Of course, she was Endymion's cousin, not Mamoru's. Or else that would make Rei a step-cousin for Usagi... The dark-haired man put a hand to his forehead, feeling that headache coming on again. Things were getting more complicated by the minute.

Endymion rose smoothly to his feet and bowed with grace. "Princess Rakshayla; I give you greetings, your Highness." He said formally, a slightly amused smile curving his lips. It was hard to keep a straight face when the lady he was giving an elaborate formal greeting to was resting in a hospital bed, clad only in her underwear and a gown made of yucky green material.

But that gave him pause for only a moment. He then went on to give her the formal greeting of the courts at length. Mars waited politely for him to finish, and then responded in kind.

Several minutes later after the formalities were out of the way, she gave a snort of amusement. "Rakshala? You brat, Endymion. No one has dared to call me that since I was a child on Mars."

He shrugged rather wryly. "I dare, as well you know, Sha'fra," The endearment left his lips before he could stop it, but the raven-haired girl didn't seem to mind. Her left brow rose, but she said nothing. "You always did feel rather insecure, cousin. When you were handed the title of Sailor Mars, I remember that you were quick to rub it in all of our faces." Endymion quickly switched from her own planet's language to English, which he was more familiar with, having been born on Earth. All members of the rank knew many languages, and the formality of the courts was used when greet nobility or royalty-even if they were related.

And a Sailor Senshi was always formally greeted in her own language.

Sailor Mars looked rather offended, but her purple eyes sparked with happiness. It had been a thousand years since they had seen each other, and those last days on the Moon had been terrible. She had been killed without ever saying farewell to him. "I was the youngest of the Princesses of Mars, so of course I was...uncertain of my worth." She admitted, slender hands folding neatly on the bed cover.

Her clothing was bothering her terribly-what dreadful material and good lord, the colour!-but the girl wasn't about to mention it to Endymion. He was a man, and well, one just didn't blurt out how much their gown was chafing them between greetings about health and reminiscences about the past.

"Your elder sister, Dara was not a contender since she was to inherit the throne," The prince said thoughtfully. He blue eyes became distant as he remembered the past. How wonderful it had been-until the end.

"Yes, yes," Mars waved a hand about, then looked pointedly down at her hospital gown, then about the room. "We can reminisce later, Endymion, but right now we have a rather large problem." She was referring, of course, to her cousin having healed her. And the bright light that someone was bound to investigate, not to mention that their patient was now in glowing health.

The dark-haired man looked rather pained. "Several actually, Mars," He ran a hand over his eyes in a distracted manner. "But you are correct, we can discuss our past at a later stage. Right at this moment, we have to worry about your reincarnation having made a supposed full recovery from a very serious injury."

Her lips pursed together. "That is true. This day and age is hopelessly behind the technology that was common place a millennia ago. But, we are Senshi, are we not? Could we not explain that I was healed by...Sailor Moon?" Her purple eyes flew wide. "Oh dear." She murmured as something else occurred to her. Her beloved Princess had been made a warrior by mistake-by her Royal Adviser no less! Great Mars, the heir to the throne of Serenity had been fighting in battle as a Sailor Senshi.

"Yes," He said rather darkly, "Someone has a lot of explain to me regarding my princess being made a Sailor Senshi." Endymion's eyes narrowed on her face, as something else occurred to him. However, he did not want to see his cousin go into shock, so he decided to say nothing for now. All would be revealed in time.

"Call them all here, and we will say that Mamoru discovered some latent powers-" Mars' expression became strained. "Although, only Serenity knows that you are Tuxedo Kamen. Oh, this is so awkward!" She burst out, with a flash of her usual temper. Thank the gods that some things had not changed in the thousand years since the Silver Millennium. Hino Rei was very much like her ancestor. She did wonder how the girl would take suddenly remembering such a painful past life.

He had been watching her closely, everything she had been thinking plain upon her face. "It will be alright. I know it will." He murmured comfortingly, reaching for her hand again. He and Mars had always been very close; her having been related was only part of it.

A nurse popped her head into the room, startling them. "Did you two see anything strange?" She asked them breathlessly, chest heaving.

Mars gaped at her unbecomingly, wondering if the nurse was even aware that her coma patient was suddenly wide awake and uninjured. No, the woman was talking about something else and she wasn't the same one who had been attending Rei's unconscious form. Oh! Her head turned quickly to the open curtains. "That strange glow that lit up the sky?" She said carefully. "We both witnessed it. Is it something to be concerned with?"

"Was there an explosion?" Endymion asked calmly, making sure his eyes curious and wary. As if he hadn't been the one to cause the problem in the first place. He hid a grimace.

The nurse shook her head. "We aren't sure, so we're checking all the rooms on this floor. Please stay in here until the staff can figure out what is happening."

"We will," The two chorused, hoping that their faces weren't giving it all away.

She vanished, closing the door behind her.

The Princess of Mars opened her mouth to say something else, but the door suddenly swung open, startling them both.

"Mamoru did you see that light?" Usagi froze in the act of rushing into the room, and her eyes went comically wide when she saw them both talking calmly. Her blue eyes went from Mamoru standing beside the bed, wearing a very confident look around his face that his sister had sometimes seen. His shoulders were back proudly and something seemed a little odd.

And Rei was awake!

When her eyes darted to her best friend in disbelief, Usagi noticed right away that something was also off with the girl. Other than he being awake, that is. She was sitting up in bed as if there were no injury to her back, for one. For two, her face was bruiseless. And three...well, her friend's face was somehow softened from the usual-tenseness that the priestess always had gathered about her like armour. She looked relaxed and even a little amused by whatever expression she saw on Usagi's face.

"Rei!" The blonde Senshi cried out, bursting into relieved tears. She rushed to the beside, almost bowling over her step-brother. He stepped smoothly out of her way, but she barely noted it. Rei looked well. In glowing health. Uninjured! "What happened? What about your back-and the bruises? And why are you smiling?" The last was almost a little shriek from her mouth, all her worries and fears rising up and threatening to choke her.

Mars' smile faded immediately and she opened her arms to her friend. Her Princess. "Come here, darling," She murmured soothingly. "All will be well."

"She will be fine, Usagi," Endymion said with an equally calming tone. As his step-sister threw herself into Mars' arm, he lay a comforting hand on the base of her back and rubbed gently. 'Ah, my poor Serenity.' He thought regretfully. The Prince gave his cousin a speaking glance and then he allowed Mamoru's mind to take over.

Rei blinked rapidly as Sailor Mars also drew back her consciousness, letting her future self take charge. She stared from Usagi's bent head to Mamoru's strained expression and then her eyes went huge. "Sh-shit," She swore under her breath. She didn't cuss often, but surely this scenario warranted it? Usagi was the Moon Princess they had all been looking for and Mamoru was her fiance of the past, and Prince of Earth. Not to mention that he was Mars' cousin...

"Rei?" Usagi's head jerked up. "Are you in pain?" She had thought her friend was somehow recovered by some miracle. She had sat up and her arms had moved and her bruises faded. Her back couldn't possibly be paralysed. But how? Because they were Sailor Senshi? No, none of them had ever recovered from an injury that fast. Her arm was proof of that fact.

"I'm not in pain..." The priestess' mind felt sort of disjointed, as she recalled what had happened as Sailor Mars, and then as herself. She had been injured and things went black and nightmare-filled, but then she had felt a weird power fill her-and another person. Her past-self! She had been Princess of Mars and a respected Senshi and healer. Cousin to the Prince of Earth, Endymion, who was Serenity's fiance. And he was Mamoru!

Good lord, they had dated today. She gave thanks to her god, Mars, for her having fallen as much for the clone of Jaedite in this time, as she had for his past self. It had stopped Rei from feeling overly romantic about Mamoru. A pang of agony went through her as she pictured her beloved as she had last seen him.

Rakshayla, I love you. We'll meet again in another life, I'm sure of it. Wait for me.

Usagi moved back to give her friend some space, and felt both grateful that Rei was no longer harmed, and scared about how it had happened. Had the priestess' Senshi powers healed her? If so, it was rather frightening what was inside of them. But then, why had Usagi's arm taken more than a week to heal, and her best friend's much more serious wounds mere hours? No, something was not right here.

A look from Rei to Mamoru confirmed that they both looked rather guilty and preoccupied with their thoughts. But why?

"Mamoru healed me," Rei murmured, a hand going to her face to hide her expression. She had to focus on what was happening now, rather than thinking of her life in the Silver Millennium. Mamoru must be suffering similar pain, having met his love once again, only to have her become a step-sibling. Star-crossed lovers. And hopefully, it wouldn't end like the last time. It was all the more horrifying to recall the Dark Kingdom's invasion of Earth, and see similarities to what was happening here in the future. There was no Moon Kingdom to destroy this time, but Earth had been the first to fall.

She covered her eyes with her palm while her mind raced. What to tell Usagi-and the other Senshi and their families. Only magic could explain this why she had been healed miraculously, and she was not going to be the one to bring up past lives and the powers of the planets.

Mamoru looked at Rei compassionately, knowing that she kept being lost in her memories of their past lives. He knew how she felt, to know things were repeating themselves. To have seen the deaths of their loved ones. At least she would not be alone, and had him to talk to about it all. And...one other.

Usagi's head whipped around to face Mamoru's so fast it hurt. Her blue eyes went huge in her face. He had healed Rei? "Mamoru? What on earth are you talking about?" She whispered in disbelief. Her step-brother couldn't have healed Rei, it wasn't possible. Tuxedo Kamen had never displayed any powers other than his roses and that cane that extended. Or his ability to fly. Alright, so perhaps it wasn't out of the realm of possibility, but he had somehow healed his girlfriend after feeling so guilty.

Was it a coincidence that he had somehow gained this abilities after facing down the Dark Kingdom?

Stressful situations had caused all of the Sailor Senshi to discover new levels of their powers, such as the Moon Wand being given to her by Luna because the Rainbow Crystal carriers had shown up. Rei had gone from controlling one fireball to six or eight in a circle. Hmm.

Mamoru saw that his step-sister's face had gone rather thoughtful and he looked at her curiously. "What are you thinking?" He demanded, deliberately moving close to her. When she blinked and stared up at him as if he were some interesting specimen, he was insulted. "What?!" He asked her, knowing Rei was watching in growing amusement. "I'm thrilled that my new powers are a source of interest to you, Odango." He said dryly, hands going into the pockets of his slacks while he waited for her to mull over his new discovery.

"I am thrilled!" The blonde girl said enthustically, thumping him on the chest. He had totally misunderstood her preoccupation. It occurred to her to wonder if the Dark Kingdom's very personal attack on them both in order to get the Rainbow Crystals meant that the alien forces were readying to invade the Earth. Wow, when had she started thinking more logically?

Her step-brother looked at her moodily, and she almost smiled. He was sort of cute when he pouted-no wait, he wasn't. She smacked her forehead, wondering if she needed sleep more than she thought. "I'm so glad that Rei is healed. Thank you, Mamoru." She said suddenly, giving him a brilliant smile. Her dear friend was alright now. Oh god, she had been so scared. The future had looked very bleak and horrible without Rei.

Although they did seem to be exchanging an awful lot of surreptitious looks. Were they hiding something?

Usagi felt a little ill as she considered that Rei and her step-brother might be genuinely fond of each other in a romantic sense. But then she couldn't figure out why that fact bothered her. Everything about her step-brother seemed so important to her lately. What he was doing and with who, the expressions on his face...

Oh good god, was Makoto right about the blonde having a brother-complex?

Rei gawked as her best friend in the world fairly glowered at her in a rather accusing way. She looked at Usagi and then she stared at Mamoru's stiff back in realisation. Usagi was jealous! This didn't make any sense at all if you considered that the two were step-siblings and only Endymion knew who he really was. Still, it was pleasing that the girl was showing signs of being possessive of Mamoru.

And Mamoru was the priestess' boyfriend no longer...er, but he was her cousin. The Prince of Earth that was, not Usagi's brother. "Damn it," She swore under her breath, and was tempted to laugh at them both. They were very funny sometimes, the way they danced about their attraction to each other. She shot a look at the dark-haired man and he shot a look back. When would they be able to reveal their past to the other Senshi?

"I'm sort of hungry, so I'm grouchy," Usagi muttered at them both, seeing another look exchanged. This was really annoying her for some reason! And food was the first explanation that popped into her head. It wasn't what she had been thinking, or even what she had been dying to ask, but it would do. She drew in a deep breath and prepared her best performance for them. Anything to keep her from bursting into tears again. She was relieved that Rei was okay, but this thing between Mamoru and Usagi felt like it was utterly destroying the blonde.

"Rei I totally love you, but no one comes between me and food." She said loftily, doing her best to change the subject. Anything to stop those two being all lovey-dovey. If they kissed or exchanged mushie looks, she was going to throw up!

"That's true," Mamoru said dryly, glancing over his shoulder. "You love anything chocolate, a lot of western food, coke, chicken bento's-"

"Any normal person would love food!" She protested as her brother and Rei laughed at her.

"Alright Odango Atama. I think the canteen might still be open," He teased, patting her shoulder. She scowled at him and he grinned.

"You two never change," The Senshi of Mars murmured softly. That wasn't strictly true, but Usagi didn't know that. Rei winced and wished she had never agreed to date Mamoru. Now that she knew she was his cousin in a past life that was just all 'ewww'. She would have given anything not have come between the two lovers. They were destined. Except, only one of them was even aware of that fact.

Poor Mamoru, in love with his step-sister and the blonde entirely clueless about it.

"Just what happened after I got knocked out?" She asked suddenly, crossing her arms. Things were a total blank from the time she had been attacked and the waking up to find Endymion healing her. "I assume that the battle went well?" Ami and Makoto weren't around, but she knew that they would have been by her side for as long as possible. They might have left just before she awoke.

The priestess stretched out her senses, using her psychic powers. They had now been increased many times over by her memories of her past life coming back. The Senshi had all the forces of their planets and their gods behind them. They were far more powerful than the girls had ever dreamed. Perhaps it was a bad thing that all the Senshi were now located on the one planet.

She briefly wondered where Sailor Saturn was, as the two of them had been close in the past.

Rei's mind brushed against the two familiar ones that she had been seeing and a fond smile curved her lips. They were on the roof, no doubt guarding her.

"A dark portal opened from the Dark Kingdom and we almost all went for a really unpleasant ride," Mamoru looked at Usagi with a haunted expression on his face. He had almost lost her today. And Zoisite was really annoying him. She wasn't the real one anyway, and that would make it easier to kill her. The Generals were clones of his of guard. But his sister wouldn't even be aware of that fact. Unless Serenity was somehow making her way out of the blonde's consciousness...which she sometimes did appear to be doing. Honestly, his love was going to give him heart failure one day. She meant well, but she was rather airheaded. "Usagi almost got sucked in. At least, most of her did, but I pulled her out."

"And I passed out," Usagi added, frowning at him. They had almost lost Rei to the Dark Kingdom. She shuddered in remembrance, hoping never to go through that sort of situation ever again. She loved Rei dearly, but if it had come to choosing between Mamoru and her best friend, her brother would have always come first. She really loathed herself because of this fact. Her brother was the most important person in her lift, and she was slowly starting to come to terms with it. The blonde Senshi loved him more than she ought to.

The blonde's eyes went to her step-brother and caught his eyes resting on her face with an indecipherable expression. When he saw her looking, he turned his face towards Rei with a vaguely-guilty look in his deep blue eyes. She watched as his lips pursed together as if annoyed about something.

Mamoru and Rei kept exchanging looks that made her rather uneasy. It occurred to her that was as unaware of what happened about some parts of the afternoon as Rei. After her body had been pulled into the dark portal, all the air in her lungs had been sucked out, making her consciousness fade. She remembered feeling fear for her best friend and her step-brother, and a desperate need to stay awake... How had Zoisite known how to detect the Rainbow Crystals on Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen anyway?

A vision flashed into her head and she felt a familiar affection for a blonde man smiling at her over a rose bush. It looked like Zoisite, but that wasn't possible. It was a guy, for one. And for another, the clothing he was wearing was from another time period altogether.

Princess...you're as lovely as a rose. My lord is a very lucky man.

She felt abruptly dizzy and confused. 'What's wrong with me? Who was that and what...damn what was he saying, I can't remember.' In fact, his face was fading from her memory even as she tried to grasp onto it. Oh god, she felt so exhausted. "I'm so tired." She whispered, her head splitting from a growing headache. It wasn't the first time things had popped into her head only to be snatched away, but it was usually the dreams, not waking thoughts! 'But I'm glad-so glad, that Rei is alright. I would have been lost without her.'

Usagi focused on her step-brother's face, sensing again that something was different about him. Even the way he had held her earlier for comfort and his lips kissing her face. A week ago, the guy wouldn't have touched her like that with a ten-foot pole, no matter how close they were. It would never have occurred to either of them, if they hadn't found out each other's secret identities. She firmly placed the blame on their alter egos for having crushes on each other and that had to be the dumbest thing that had ever crossed her mind. They were their alter egos!

Even the expressions in his eyes and the way he was standing more alert and authoritatively was a change from the usual.

Her legs collapsed from under her and she fell into a chair, totally spent. Maybe she had hit her head or something? Entirely possible with the way she had been rolling about in the wind, trying not to be sucked into a vortex leading to an alien world and certain death. Who knew what her poor noggin had smacked into on the other side?

Rei threw back her covers and almost leapt from the bed as her friend collapsed and Mamoru was at his step-sister's side in seconds flat. "Usagi!" The priestess said, legs wiggling towards the ground as she fought to get free of her covers.

Mamoru and his step-sister glared at her. "Get back in bed!" They said in almost the same tone. The two step-siblings stared at each other and laughed. Even their thoughts were similar!

"I'm okay," Usagi told the dark-haired man. "Just hungry and really tired, as I've already mentioned." She said plaintively, wondering if the canteen at this hospital sold burgers at that time of the night. She had missed several meals that day.

Mamoru and Rei looked at each other and grinned indulgently. He sat down in the chair beside the blonde and put a hand on Usagi's back comfortingly. To his surprise, she flinched away and then smiled sheepishly.

"Please don't touch me right now. Not after...I'm just tired and you-you have wandering lips. Crap, I didn't just say that" Usagi said with wide eyes. She blushed when he moved his hand away and felt as if she had hurt him somehow, even though his expression stayed friendly. She wasn't acting like herself, and the blonde felt like she was going to jump out of her skin when he touched her. It wasn't just the kisses and the embraces of late that bothered her, but the real sense that something was just not right in her world. Other than the Dark Kingdom, of course.

For one, she was almost not-not seeing Mamoru as a brother any more.

Which was wrong. Very wrong. He had been her step-sibling for eleven years now and they had grown up close. If that accident with the present had never happened, things would now be fine, wouldn't they? More and more, she was viewing him as a guy, and not a brother.

"Usagi-it's alright," He soothed her when her face became rather distressed, hand hovering over his lap as he considered touching her hand. But then it dropped into his lap. Mamoru looked at her with sad eyes, knowing that the blonde was probably better off never knowing he was her Prince. In fact, if he could have stopped her being a Senshi right then and there, he would have been all for it. Luna, had a lot to answer for. And kissing her, even on the face like that had been wrong of him. He had strained the relationship between siblings to stretching point.

"It's going to be fine now." Rei broke in sympathetically, eyes wide. What kisses was Usagi talking about? She eyed Mamoru askance, wondering when he had been so bold. He should have known better than to kiss a girl who thought of herself as his sister!

The dark-haired girl cleared her voice as her friend looked up at her with desperate eyes, seeking a distraction from her own thoughts. Her thoughts were most likely killing her and the priestess wondered just how much Usagi was remembering of her past. Clearly, it was something. Serenity was not far under the surface and could emerge at any time. Using powers had gained both Mamoru's and Rei's memories of the past back.

"The Rainbow Crystals," Mamoru murmured, feeling inspiration fill him. He could blame them in their explanations to the other Senshi! "They might have given me their powers to heal Rei. I have a few, remember? And they form the Silver Crystal, which has something to do with the Senshi. We can tell the girls that." There, that was vague enough that she wouldn't wonder how he knew so much. If he was any more specific, she would be suspicious again.

Usagi's brows drew together, and she felt her confusion being pushed to the back of her mind by curiosity. Wow, Mamoru's thoughts seemed to be jumping all over the place as much as hers were. One minute they were talking about Rei and Mamoru breaking up, and the blonde's feelings toward her sibling, and the next he was talking about what to tell the other Senshi.

"The Crystals?" She said stupidly. "They do that?!" It was possible! Yes, that would explain it all. She felt relief crash through her. Mamoru had been possessed by the power of the Crystal briefly and had healed Rei that way. She smiled. "I see. Yeah, that makes sense."

It would have been cooler that he got knew powers are Tuxedo Kamen, but then they would have to figure out just what he was and why he was a male version of the Sailor Senshi. Throwing roses was normal, as far as superpowers went. Flying was a big plus. She grinned in a silly manner. Her hero could still bring forth her must girl gushing, despite knowing he was her step-brother.

Now she felt really stupid for all the other things she had been thinking. She blithely ignored the other things that hadn't made any sense over the last week or so, and concentrated on the miracle that had saved her friend from being paralysed and very possible in a coma forever. The Senshi of the Moon could think about how weirdly Mamoru was acting towards her later on. Preferably when she had gotten twenty-four hours of sleep. It was really early in the morning. Two o'clock? Four? She wasn't sure.

Still-there went another look with Rei and her step-brother again, talking together without saying a word! It made her feel...angry. Upset. "Hey! I saw that look. What is going on?" She demanded. When had the two gotten so close that they could have a conversation by just meeting eyes? A surge of jealousy left her feeling rather wretched. But they were going out. Maybe they had bonded while they were in the boat and now were attracted to each other? Her golden lashes fell down over her eyes, hiding her expression from them.

"We umm-aren't going out any more." Rei blurted out the first thing that popped into her head. Anything to get that anguished look from her best friend's face. Her lovely Princess was in such pain and confusion. If only Serenity had emerged inside of her, without giving Usagi bits and pieces of the past. She knew this to be true, but couldn't say how she knew what was going on. The Princess had to be merging with the blonde, or else she would not be viewing Mamoru as a man, and not a brother. That kiss would not have had as much impact on two people who viewed each other as a sibling.

Mamoru spoke at the same time, on a wholly different subject. "We're trying to figure out what the to tell the other Senshi and our families." But he did not elaborate on whether it was telling the family and Senshi about him and Rei, or that the girl had been miraculously healed.

Usagi's eyed widened as she received a double blow. Rei and her brother had broken up? And god, what were they going to tell the others? They didn't know Mamoru was Tuxedo Kamen. "Really?" She said faintly, staring from one of them to the other. Hope bloomed inside of her, and her breath caught at the emotion. They weren't going out...shouldn't she be feeling sad for the two of them?

Her dark-haired brother groaned and slapped a hand over his eyes. "Rei! I wasn't going to tell her till later. No, wait, it doesn't matter I guess," Mamoru removed the hand and eyed his sister with an intent gaze, searching for...something in her face. A brief flash of relief in her expressive blue eyes made his heart race. His step-sister had been showing signs of jealousy, and now she looked a little happy at the break up, although she had quickly masked that emotion.

Rei was correct, however. Though nothing at all had been said between them, their dating was well and truly over. There was not way they could be together with them being cousins, and Mamoru in love with his step-sister, who was really his love of a past life. How complicated.

"Oh dear," The priestess muttered under her breath, realising that she had bungled everything. If only the dark-haired man had spoken a few seconds earlier. Now Usagi would want to know why they had broken up the same day they had started dating.

"Oh. Oh, that's bad," Usagi said, confusing the other two for a moment before she clarified. "Telling everyone I mean. But I am sorry you two broke up." If only that were true. It absolutely horrified her inside that she was not in any way sorry about the break-up. A little confused maybe as to why they weren't going out, considering Rei should be grateful for being healed by her boyfriend of a day. And pleased. She was happy; alarmingly so, damn it all. "Or not. I'm a terrible person." She told them, guilt rising up to choke her.

Mamoru and Rei stared at the blonde as if she had lost her mind. Good lord, but this was getting worse by the minute. "I-I mean that er-why did you two break up?" She mumbled out , smiling awkwardly. Her hands twisted in her lap and she hoped that they had not noticed what she was really thinking. Her brother had frequently pointed out that her face was very expressive.

"We didn't suit." The two said at the same time, with identical tones of irritation. Very suspicious.

"Okay then," His step-sister closed her eyes for a long moment, trying desperately to mull that one over, but knowing that exhaustion was making her think unclearly. She needed some sleep. Badly. "I'm pretty wiped out, guys." She told them. "How about you?"

The dark-haired girl nodded. "Despite having been unconscious for so long, I'm totally exhausted. You can tell me what happened at the battle another time." Her friend looked as confused as her stuttered words had been. Usagi was obviously in dilemma about her growing feelings for her brother, relief over Rei having been miraculously healed, and what on earth to do with the Dark Kingdom. It was wearing the poor girl down, and she wished that she could help Usagi somehow.

'Serenity, I don't think it was a good time to emerge before the Silver Crystal was found.' The soul of Sailor Mars inside of her was merging even more, bringing memories and feelings along with her. If only Usagi knew that both Mamoru and Rei were having as much problems in their lives as her, she most likely would have been comforted.

To Be Continued...

Write me if you liked! Comments are adored and much appreciated.

The next Chapter will be out on Friday or Saturday, as it is already written. Looks like there might be another three Chapters till the Fanfic is done.

Hugs,
Princess Destiny

First Annual Kiss Awards! Starting May

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:03:29 GMT

Hey everyone,

I hope you all hada great easter? Belated as my query is. LOL. I should be asking more about April Fools, as I did see some good Fanfiction for that Genre! I'll be writing one myself sometime this weekend.

Anyway, onto the main topic. The Annual Kiss Awards, which never quite got off the ground. Destiny's Gateway will be holding the very first Awards starting in May. I did intend to start January, but things got a little busy with work and things. Here are the details.

May 1-31 - Nominations. We will accept Nominations for Fanfiction completed in the year 2007. You can Nominate your favorite Authors, and the Authots can also Nominate themselves. I don't care what year the Fanfic was started, it's the completion year that matters. :)

June 1-30 - Voting. Nominations have ended and now you get to Vote on the Fanfics that were put forward. I'll be setting up a voting form, so if anyone knows some coding for that, please let me know. The Voting will go for a month also and then we will be announcing the winners.

Prizes: I'll have to think on that one. Second and Third places will be a picture Award and maybe First place will be a dvd or Manga.

Categories: Check out the Kiss Awards page for the genre of Fanfiction to Nominate on. There are about six I think, including Seasonal (Easter, X-mas etc). There is a link in the main menu of Destiny's Gateway for the Awards. See below for the Archives weblink.

Fanfiction: These are Noinations for any Fanfic for any Genre. These are for Fanfics in the Destiny's Gateway Archives, so it will be for Fanfics on our site. If you want to Nominate someone offsite, please contact them first and ask if they would like to join the Site so that you can Vote for their Fanfic.

You have till May to ask any questions or put forward any suggestions for the Awards!

Here are the links:

Kiss Awards Page: http://destinysgateway.com/viewpage.php?page=kiss
Destiny's Gateway Website: http://www.destinysgateway.com
Contact Email: admin@destinysgateway.com

[FF][HE][SMTK][NC17+] Spin The Bottle 11/? Repost

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:21:09 GMT

Title: Spin The Bottle
Author: Princess Destiny
Email: princessdestiny@destinysgateway.com
Author's Homepage: http://www.destinysgateway.com
Rating: NC 17+
Summary: The Sequel to 'Eternal Bonds', set one minute after. As Usagi begins to change more and more into the Princess, those around her begin their own changes, setting off a course of events that cannot be stopped. The final battle with Queen Beryl is near, but something is also changing world-wide as the past and the future collide in the present...mething is also changing world-wide as the past and the future collide in the present...
Genre: Romance/UST/Comedy/Action/Adventure/Drama/Lemon
Couple: Usagi/Mamoru, Jupiter And Nephlyte, Mars And Jadeite, Mercury And Zoisite, Venus And Kunzite
Category: SMTK
Chapters: 11/?
Status: Unfinished
Year Completed: N/A
Size: 284 KB

Comments: I am reposting this Chapter, as Chapter Twelve will be out later this week. :)

SPIN THE BOTTLE 3: CRYSTAL BONDS

By Princess Destiny

[ princessdestiny@destinysgateway.com ]

Chapter Eleven

"How could I forget something like that?" Osaka Mayumi said rather ironically, a hand going to her cheek. She was being rather rude, but she was worried about her daughter. Just who were all these people anyway? One of the men seemed to be overly friendly to such a young girl as Naru, but until she knew the whole story, she wasn't going to say anything.

Come to think of it, didn't that man look rather familiar? She'd seen him on TV or something. Sanjouin Masato was it? "I know you." She said with a frown at Nephlyte. "You're an actor or some one important."

General Nephlyte looked extremely perplexed, but as he had been aware there was another him running about in this time, he looked to the Princess for an answer.

"That is right. He's not an actor though, he's a wealthy businessman," Usagi said in response, racking her brains for more information. Naru herself had told all this to her friend. She had been very in love and wanted to know everything about Nephlyte, real or not. In the business world, he had been very well know, as a Dark General, much less so.

"Oh?" Naru's mother said with interest, looking covertly from her daughter, to the man in question. He was good looking, rich and well known as a businessman? Perhaps he wasn't so unsuitable after all. That must have been how she had heard of him, through the business grapevine. "But didn't you go missing?" She queried, trying to recall the gossip.

"A vacation only." The auburn-haired General told her smoothly, starting to get a good clue about his future self. He hadn't done badly for himself in this time, by the sound of it. Wealth was always an asset.

The Senshi of Pluto sighed. This was all just a delay and getting nowhere. "Getting back to what we were speaking of before..." She hinted to them all.

"There's no easy way to tell you all of this, Mrs. Osaka," Usagi's eyes closed briefly, as all that had happened over the last few days flew through her mind. She couldn't be here for too long either, as she had sensed Endymion's unconscious state and she was fearful for his health. "I and my friends, Ami, Makoto and Rei are the Sailor Senshi. There have been a lot of problems lately, and my family was attacked, so we have moved to another house. This lady here is Sailor Pluto, who we only recently met. These four gentleman are from the past and are Generals. Unfortunately, they have doubles in the Dark Kingdom, which are the alien invaders currently attacking Japan." She stated rather baldly, aware that this was something she had gone over to several different people, and very recently.

Sailor Pluto's mouth fell open in surprise. Well, that was one way to tell the poor woman everything. But she could already see the disbelief forming in Naru's mother's eyes. "Princess, perhaps a little more information, and less of the things Mrs. Osaka is not likely to believe." She said delicately.

"Princess?" Mayumi blurted out, strongly suspecting that all present were mad people. And the little blonde had always seemed so..sane. Even if she was airhead, this story was beyond the realm of possibility. She put a hand to her forehead. "No, don't tell me." She ordered, looking towards her daughter. "I can accept that there are-beings-attacking our planet, because I saw one myself. I can also believe their are Sailor Senshi, because they are all over the news and Naru has mentioned meeting them at one time or another."

"But?" Jadeite said, lips twisting. Well, at least the woman wasn't screaming at them to leave the house immediately. Perhaps knowing about the Dark Kingdom had stretched her credulity to a usual level.

"Usagi-a Sailor Senshi?" Naru's mother laughed. "I'm sorry, dear but-you aren't the type. I know how..." She searched for a flattering description. "Forgetful and clumsy you are."

"I'm Sailor Moon. I can transform and prove it." Usagi said in outage, getting to her feet and reaching for her broach. She had expected disbelief, but now the woman was just getting insulting.

"Serenity-don't-" The Guardian of the Time Gate began, rushing to her feet. Her Princess had most definitely forgotten she couldn't transform!

Jadeite frowned, recalling that the blonde couldn't become her Senshi form any more. But before he could voice his opinion, the broach on the Princess's chest exploded. A quick look at Naru's mother confirmed that she was now gawking at the sight and was a real believer in what had been told to her.

A million voices filled her head in chorus as the silver light from her broach consumed her. The Moon Princess lifted her head up joyously, her being filled with happiness. She wasn't quite sure what was happening, but it wasn't her transformation. She belatedly remembered that she couldn't become Sailor Moon, but it was too late.

She felt the disguise pen reverse, and a moment's panic at how changed she would look to her friend, Naru, when she finally regained consciousness.

"It's too early!" Sailor Pluto called out in concern, her red eyes shocked. "Serenity." She reached out mentally for her Queen's mind and connected. ["It's happening, as we feared."]

["What has happened?"] Seline responded apprehensively. Surely not...

Serenity felt her back tingling, then a stretching kind of feeling. It built until there was a burning, ripping sensation, and then only relief.

"Her wings," The Guardian of Time said resignedly, both mentally and aloud.

Naru's mother watched incredulously, as huge white wings burst out of Usagi's back, coated with blood. She didn't seem to be in pain though. Her face was strangely-beautiful and almost euphoric. As she stood there, surrounded by a silver glow, Mayumi could very much believe that there was something unearthly about her. She looked like an angel.

["Damn!"] Seline uncharacteristically swore, her mental tone angry and saddened. It was too early. Far too early. ["This will mean big changes for my daughter, but it cannot be helped. We must prepare her for the future."]

"Beautiful!" Zoisite breathed in utter awe of the sight before him. Even as he watched, her eyes glowed like multi-coloured gem and those magnificent wings flapped, taking her a few feet into the air.

The tip of one wing knocked over a lamp on a table near the couch, and the sound of it smashing seemed to wake Serenity up. She blinked about her in a daze, the glow finally fading.

When she noticed she wasn't touching the floor with her feet, she gave a startled shriek. Her wings stopped working and she plummeted fast, arms windmilling. Her knee hit her chair and she fell sideways. The impact with the floor wasn't very hard, but it was somewhat painful/

"Ouch. That really hurt." She moaned, rubbing at her hip and then her knee. She remembered what had happened when she came out of her trance and quickly looked behind her. Her back sort of hurt and felt very awkward...

She saw the feathers first, gleaming white and magnificent, but then she noticed that they were on a long wing-and attached to her! There were also patches of blood, which looked rather gruesome.

"Wings?" Her voice faltered in disbelief. She felt a little faint, and then Jaedite was courteously helping her to her feet with a hand under her elbow. "I have wings, Jaedite." She told him, tone blank.

"That you do, Princess," He grinned at her charmingly. "But not to worry, remember your mother and Pluto said that they were normal."

Zoisite calmly ripped a large patch off of his shirt and went over to the girl. "May I?" He asked politely, before gently wiping off the blood on her feathers. When she shuddered delicately at every touch, they all realised that she was very sensitive.

The Princess tried not to shy away from the General's kindness, despite the fact that she felt like he was running the material over raw nerves. It hurt, but felt good to have the gunk wiped off. She wondered how bad the damage was to her skin where the wings had ripped through, but was afraid to ask.

Once he was done, he patted her shoulder soothingly. "We need to change your clothes," He said quietly, not wanting to embarrass her. "They're in shreds at the back."

"Oh..." Serenity said, blinking. But for the life of her, she couldn't think up a reply. Things were turning rapidly out of control.

"They grew so quickly," Nephlyte murmured, leaning close to inspect her back. He touched the wings lightly and they folded in behind her shoulders. They were so wide that they were visible from the front, and their length ended somewhere around her ankles. "Can you walk?" He questioned in some amusement.

The Princess turned a little awkwardly to the left and stumbled. She righted herself and tried walking forward, but the weight made her tumble backwards into Nephlyte's arms.

"Pardon me," He chuckled and wrapped a helpful arm about her waist. She blushed. "Don't tell Jupiter." The auburn-haired General warned. He paused. "Or Endymion." They would surely kill him for putting his hands on her royal personage. "Or Queen Serenity." He rolled his green eyes skywards. There was no end to the people who would gladly do him grievous bodily harm, were they to find out he hand held the Princess in his arms.

"How am I supposed to walk?" Serenity demanded in disbelief and awe. "And why does my mother not have these wings?"

"Perhaps she learnt how to hide them with magic, your highness?" Zoisite said with a thoughtful look. He was much like Ami in the way he looked her over from head to toe, as if trying to figure out how her wings would affect her ability to move. "Hmm..."

Silver eyes went rather distant as she became lost in memory. When her wings were growing and she was under the power of the Crystal, she had once again had visions. She saw someone who looked very like herself, standing on a balcony with her back to Serenity. The woman was in a white gown, with wings made of some material at her back, looking out onto a city that gleamed with a thousand lights. She would have to ask Sailor Pluto who that person was. The woman had felt...familiar.

"Princess Serenity?" Nephlyte murmured into her ear, bringing her out of her daydream. He didn't like the way her beautiful eyes seemed to glaze over, as if she were unwell. He and his companions were her guardians right now, which was why they were taking such good care of her. Endymion had put her into their charge and they would not let him down.

"Princess...Serenity?" A quiet voice asked. "What happened to Usagi?" Naru's mother demanded.

"She's an angel!" Naru breathed from the couch in her prone position. Her eyes were alight with awe and delight. She looked at Nephlyte with pain in her eyes, then reluctantly looked back at Usagi. Her friend looked almost nothing like she had before. She was older, her hair was silver and she had wings! "You-Usagi, what happened to you?" She sat up hurriedly and her head swum.

"Your glamour is gone." Jaedite informed her dryly, crossing his arms.

"Ah-" Mayumi looked about her, very lost in all this. Her daughter didn't seem so very surprised by it all, but was rather happy. Why did she have a feeling that Naru knew more than she had ever said about the Sailor Senshi? The thought didn't please her. "This is all too much!" The woman burst out.

Her daughter didn't even look her way as her feet took her across to her friend. Naru tried not to let the hurt show in her eyes as she noted Nephlyte's arm about the blonde. "You're...not him." She whispered, after staring into his eyes for a long moment. This man didn't have a tortured soul, like her beloved Nephlyte. She would have known him anywhere. But somehow, it was him. "Who are you?"

"I am Lord Nephlyte, a High General in Prince Endymion's court," He answered her smoothly, wondering what was going on inside her head. "I was brought here by the Princess by accident."

"An accident?" Naru's mother recovered enough from her shock to note this fact. "You don't look as if you are a General. And who is Prince Endymion? Is he foreign royalty?" She was pretty sure that she had never heard of a Prince by that name. She looked at Usagi again."You're really a Princess?" Her friend asked with wide eyes, staring up into the beautiful face before her. She could believe that now, but not as Usagi had looked a not long ago before Naru had fainted. "A real one?"

"She is her most Royal Highness, the Crown Princess to the throne of the Moon Kingdom, Lady Serenity." Jaedite did the honours, speaking Serenity's titles as if it were a common occurrence. Actually, from where he was from, it was.

"Oh my," Naru and her mother said together, looking suitably honoured to be in such a magnificent presence.

"So, you are a Princess, and these men are Lords-and Generals-and this lady...a Sailor Senshi." Mayumi looked from one person to the other.

Sailor Pluto smiled at her gently.

"Actually, Mrs Osaka," Serenity said in amusement, another lost memory surfacing. "She is Lady Myria, Princess of Pluto and Guardian to the Gate Of Time."

"Serenity!" Pluto gasped in horror, her eyes going huge. She was so shocked, her hands actually flew up to cover her mouth, as if it had been herself that had said those damning words. She struggled for a moment, while every else waited, not sure what was wrong. Finally, she strode over to the Princess and took her shoulders in a firm grip. "How do you know this? My real name was lost millennia ago. Even Queen Serenity was not privy to it."

Princess Serenity tried to step back from the red eyes blazing into hers with both anger, and anguish and could not recall just where she had learnt this piece of information about the Guardian of time. "I-I think, the Silver Crystal." She finally whispered, reaching up to touch Sailor Pluto's cheek. To her surprise, it came away damp. A few tears had fallen from the woman's eyes... "Forgive me, please."

"It has been so very long, since I last heard my name spoken," The Senshi of Pluto murmured, a deep sadness in her eyes. "His lips were the last I ever allowed to speak it." Her love, lost so many millennia past.

"Who was he?" Naru asked gently, reluctant to break into such an intimate moment when she was an outsider, but unable to stand another person in a love lost. Like she and her Nephlyte. Sailor Pluto had clearly lost someone very dear to death.

"Charlemayne. Such a beautiful boy, and he loved me so dearly. He grew into a powerful King and ruled with an iron fist. Feared by many, but he is remembered as a great man in this time. We were together such a short time, in human years. I had to watch his life drain from his eyes, even as he cursed me." Sailor Pluto said, her voice filled with an endless, eternal loneliness.

"Why did he curse you, if he loved you?" Serenity asked gently, genuinely confused. But she was touched and tried to give comfort by wrapping her arms about the woman's waist. Nephlyte's hands slid back from her waist to give them privacy.

The Guardian of the Time Gate willed her weak tears to dry and in turn put her arms about her beloved Princess. She had such a large heart. Even amidst such a frightening time because of her wings suddenly growing, she was offering comfort and warmth to a woman she had only known a few days. "He cursed me, because I did not age. I watched him die-an old man. Because of the time I was living in then, he thought me a witch. It was about one thousand six hundred years ago now." She sighed and closed her eyes, resting her head upon that of her future Queen. "I forbad the use of my name, and never gave it to anyone ever again. I thought it lost until now."

"The Silver Crystal must have a long memory, Princess." Zoisite murmured, hands almost twitching with the effort of getting back to Mercury and using her computer. He was dying to add all of this in and see if any more secrets about the mysterious Senshi and their Queen came to light.

"Never speak it again." Princess Serenity said suddenly, pulling back from Pluto. She looked with hard eyes at each face she passed. "You will obey me in this. I will have your oath on it."

The three Generals, knowing how important it was to take an oath before a royal personage was, immediately swore to keep the name forever sealed. With hesitant tones, Naru and her mother did the same.

"There now, Pluto," The silver haired girl said, with a warm smile. "All is well."

"Thank you, Serenity." Sailor Pluto thanked her in a startled tone. Her Princess had done much for her, and they barely knew each other in this time. She was not yet her future self. But a look at the wings on her Princess's back reminded her that they had more important things to discuss. "We should be getting back to the others. They will be worried for our safety."

The three General, the Princess and the Senshi all turned as one to look at Naru and her mother.

"You will need to come with us for now." Nephlyte informed them, wishing he had his sword if it became needed to prompt the woman to leave their abode.

"Leave? Why on earth do you want us to come with you?" Mayumi questioned, her back stiffening. "Are we in danger?"

"Mom! We can't be. At least-not directly." Naru stammered. She had been about to blurt out that the Dark Kingdom no longer had a need for her, or an interest, since Nephlyte was dead. But one look into Usagi's calm eyes told her that they were somehow in danger. "The Dark Kingdom destroyed our old house. They found my family. You have been right in the middle of a fight with Nephlyte and Zoisite of the Dark Kingdom and she will most likely be trying to kill anyone with knowledge about them."

"It is terribly disconcerting to hear you use my name and Nephlyte's in so casual a manner. They are clones, I understand, but still..." Zoisite covered his eyes with his hand and groaned.

"There, there." Naru patted him on the arm consolingly. "You probably feel as weirded-out as I do see a double of my Nephlyte." Her eyes were saddened. "You look almost exactly the same, but for the eyes..."

"I am sorry for your loss, little one," He said gently, leaning down to kiss her forehead. Surely, Jupiter would not chastise him for an innocent kiss given in empathy of her friend's pain.

"Alright, we'll gather a few things," Naru's mother said, after thinking about it for a while. "I'll call my store and let them know I won't be in for a couple of days." She looked at her daughter. "Pack as if we were going on a holiday, all comfortable clothes, and put them in a suitcase."

The Princess watched with amusement as her friend and her mother rushed about the house to get packed. But after a moment, she realised that she had been standing under her own weight, and hadn't fallen over. When she experimentally moved a foot to the left and stood that way she was thrown off balance and almost had an embarrassing spill to the carpet. Nephlyte's arms once again had rescued her. "Thank you again, Nephlyte." She said shyly.

"No problem Princess. You take it easy and conserve your energy." He said humorously. "You're not that heavy." Her wings were digging into uncomfortable places, though he would never tell her.

This comment perplexed her. "Why do you say that?" She asked cautiously. Conserve her energy for what reason?

"He means that we will have to use the Silver Crystal to teleport us all back to the house," Sailor Pluto spoke for him, her eyes kind. "We can't allow you to walk through the city looking as you do."

Serenity's eyes widened in realisation. "Oh dear."