A black-haired man was to marry a white-haired girl.
A prince has found his prize at last... Kunzite chuckled in the soft morning light. The ordeal had been an interesting one. A bit more dramatic than he cared for, but interesting none the less.
The Prince had been standing awaiting the arrival of his parents from their chambers; his four guardians beaming by his side, although they were baffled as to what they should be beaming about. The Prince looked happy enough, so they figured that they should be just so.
The King and Queen entered and stood before their son waiting for an explanation or a description or anything to describe what he needed to say. But when his mouth opened, the four shitennou tried in agony to control their snickering. His journey to the Moon had been no secret, and from his appearance and manor, one could already tell the secret he held. But the Prince didn't seem to think so. To him, no one could have guessed his delightful news. Unfortunately, everyone already had.
In his mind he had prepared a script. A speech of how he loved a Lunar Princess and how he felt proud taking her hand in marriage. It was a fairly decent speech, a bit slushy in places, but the guardians laughed only because they knew the young man too well. It was not his style to give speeches. The King and Queen must have sensed this too, but did their best to sound delightfully surprised.
Just thinking back to the look on Endymion's face brought laughter to Kunzite, and much needed laughter at that. He had always been the father figure of the five, establishing order and rule. He had not been particularly fond of the fact that his prince should fall for a princess who did not belong to his kingdom, or to his planet for that matter. But now that the deal was tied he felt more at ease. And who am I to question my King's decision?
"Kunzite-san?"
The familiar voice broke his train of thought, annoying him slightly. An auburn-haired young man stepped beside Kunzite on the ledge and focused his gaze to the tree-topped hills.
"Still thinking of His Majesty's decision?" Nephrite always had a way of knowing what someone was thinking. A special power he claimed he had not. "Just careful guessing," he'd say.
"Can you blame me?"
"Well, no, but I'm just curious as to what your opinions are of this situation."
"You mean you don't know?" Kunzite turned to look at his friend, a challenging tease on his face. Nephrite glanced back, accepting the challenge.
"Well... You are more than likely displeased with their conclusion, anxious to know more of what the prince has really gotten himself into, and somewhat settled now that a final decision has been made."
Damn. How does he do that? Kunzite thought. Once again he had guessed and once again he had guessed correctly. Kunzite did not easily share feelings, nor did he delight in spilling his mind to others. It somewhat surprised him that someone should know that he was excited. Anxious... In a week they were to follow His Majesty to the Moon and meet strange new people, and the grey-eyed man could not help but feel excited.
"Now that we know what I think, how do you feel? And I don't like to guess."
"I feel...relieved. And excited. We are to meet a race of beings that for long we could only dare to dream about. What do you think they're like?"
"Oh, like us. Only from another world."
"I suppose..."
For a moment the two felt like small boys about to enter a new place, a world much larger than themselves. Then Kunzite sighed heavily and left his perch on the ledge. Nephrite stayed and viewed the horizon beginning to bleed with the morning sun, wondering what that distant Lunar landscape might look like.
-----
The red walls were unusually shadowed today, despite the furious glow of the fire. The fire itself was not it's usual either. The flames twisted and lashed out maliciously, as if trying to devour whomever should come near. For this reason the girl's raven hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the base of her neck. A few singed strands hung by her sweat-covered face.
"Rin, Pyo, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen..."
She should be on another planet, in another palace, helping Her Majesty prepare for the massive event that was to take place in a week. The meeting of the Earthlings... But she still did not feel at ease. For days she had gone without a vision: a sure sign that there was nothing to worry about, for if something was wrong, surely her insight would tell, but from the moment she had learned that her Mistress had fallen in love with a forbidden man, the violet-eyed girl had felt a deep feeling in her chest, one that said, "Something is not right." It was well known that contact between Lunars and Earthlings was strictly prohibited, but that was not the reason for the strange feelings she felt. It was something else, something deeper.
But it can't be just nerves. The flames are rising and they never lie...
"Princess?"
Rei was annoyed that her consentration had been broken. She reluctantly turned to see a blue-donned lady standing in the doorway. The site of her guardian was always a lovely one. Rei loved her two raven friends. They were in authority over her, but the three had become very close as the Martian Princess was growing up.
"Pardon me, Lady, but you are needed at the Lunar Palace soon. Phobos and I shall be accompanying you. You are to be in the Meditation Room in half an hour."
"Thank you, Deimos."
The bird-woman bowed slightly before leaving the room, and Rei was left alone in thought again. The days slipped by regardless to how much she tried to hold on to them. In four days she was to meet the strangers from Earth.
Rei stood up and held her gaze on the lashing flames for a moment, then she turned and headed to her chambers, knowing that in a short time she was to be on another planet preparing to meet the ones who had caused her all this strife.