The Lost Princess

Prologue: "You're Not Alone."

It was sometime around midnight, and the nocturnal creatures scurried about the forest doing their nightly chores and generally living their lives. The forest was pitch black, but no one living in it was frightened, as they were used to it. All was quiet, save for the sounds the creatures made as they tended their young and whispered to one another. The only bright thing tonight was a lone, petite figure that sat by the lake. It was a new moon, so not even the soft, gentle rays of the moonlight could keep her company. The figure was that of a young woman, formed by mist and spare bits of light, but little else. Her white gown was spotless and undamaged, despite the fact that she had been wandering these woods for nearly a year.

The young woman sobbed tearlessly, and looked up in pain at the dark, un-illumined sky. On her forehead gleamed a golden crescent moon, identifying her as Princess Serenity of the White Moon. To some, she was simply Serena, and to others as Sailor Moon. Still another certain someone referred to her as 'Odango', which had been a pet name. But no one knew her anymore. No one remembered her. She was alone, and that was the reason for her tears. The moon was her only companion now. Even then, she could not feel the soft, comforting rays of her deity. Not now. She had little substance to her form. She did not even disturb the air when she moved. For she was a specter, or, to those who were not familiar with that word, a ghost.

As such, she could not feel, taste, or smell. Warmth and cold were nothing to her, for she could not feel such things any longer. She could not smell the scents of the woods, nor could she taste anything. The only senses left to her were sight and sound. That meant little; for she could not be seen or heard by anyone but those who were trained to see and hear such things. Those she had known and loved no longer remembered her. She had erased their memories long ago in an effort to protect them from her efforts to save the world. Her plan had succeeded, but she was still alone.

"Oh, Seiya…" she whispered. "I miss you so much."

Seiya was the man she had been in love with before she'd inflicted this exile and isolation on herself. And he'd loved her in return. But he'd nearly died protecting her, and that was something she feared. Above all else, she'd feared losing him. That was why she'd erased his memories of her and left the place she'd lived in for most of her life. But that did not erase her memories of him. She could still remember the way his long, thick ebony hair flowed down to his waist, and the way his beautiful blue eyes sparkled when he laughed. But what she missed most was the way he held her. When she was in his arms, she felt like nothing could harm her…she felt safe. Serena shook her head. It hurt her too much to think of such things. What was the point? She could never return until Katherine left Hell and came back with the Silver Crystal. That hadn't happened, and it had nearly been a year.

The girl stood, and wandered across the lake. As she lacked substance and real form, she could do so without sinking. Her eyes were still shining with unshed tears as she recalled the day she'd said goodbye to the man she loved. She had kissed him once, and pushed all of the love she felt for him into the kiss. She knew it had confused him and possibly frightened him, but she also knew that he'd gotten the message. She had done her best to make her silent goodbye as painless and gentle for him as possible. And she'd shattered her own heart in the process.

Serena continued to walk, lost in her thoughts. She hadn't been able to do much besides think. And wander. She had been wandering ever since that night nearly a year ago, when Hell had been sealed away for good. In an effort to save Katherine, who had been sharing her body at the time, she'd broken off a tiny piece of the Silver Crystal for herself and given the rest to Katherine in hopes that she would be able to escape her dark destiny with the help of its power. The small piece she still had was the only thing that kept her from sinking into oblivion. If only she could see her friends again…but what was the point besides torturing herself? The girl placed both hands over her heart in an effort to ease the pain there. It failed.

"I guess I'll just have to learn to be lonely," she murmured.

"Don't give up," a soft voice told her from the shadows. "You're not alone."

The blonde turned and walked back to shore to see who had spoken. It was Arriane. "How'd you find me?"

"I've been looking for you ever since the seal on Hell was restored. You've led me on a devil of a dance trying to find you."

"I didn't want to be found."

"So hopeless! That isn't the girl I used to know."

"I've had a lot of time to think and reflect. My situation seems hopeless."

"Katherine will return." Arriane was certain of this. "She will. Just hang in there."

"So you know what happened?"

"I may be one of the Fallen, but I'm still an angel. We know everything that goes down here on Earth. Yours and Katherine's story is well-known. Don't give up now."

"How are…" Serena had to ask. At first, she couldn't get the words out. "How is everyone?"

"Your memory wipe was pretty damn strong, but it's weakening. They're getting flashes of how things really happened instead of what you have them believing happened."

"Oh. Is Seiya…i-is he…" Serena knew she had no right to ask this question, but she had to know.

"He's still single. You may have messed with his memories, but he knows that his heart already belongs to someone. He can't recall who, of course, but he knows she's out there somewhere. He still loves you."

"But he doesn't remember me," Serena laughed bitterly. "I swear, I think I made a huge mistake with that move. He'll hate me later."

"You did what you thought was right. That's all you have ever done. He'll eventually understand that."

Serena was quiet.

"Listen to me, Serena. You're not alone. While humanity doesn't remember you, we angels do. You saved the world and kept everyone living here from eternal damnation. You don't need to do this self-imposed exile routine. I can help you. Come home, please." Arriane stretched out a hand, and in that gesture, Serena saw an escape from the loneliness and despair she'd been fighting. If she could find the strength to accept…

"It will be painful, seeing the people I love and seeing what I did every day."

"But their memories are returning. Come with me."

The blonde took a deep, unnecessary breath, and finally took the hand that was offered to her. She could not feel the warmth or the grip, but she knew she wouldn't have to be alone any longer. For the first time in a long time, she felt a spark of the hope that she had once had. Arriane led her back to the city in which she had once dwelled, and Serena dared to wonder if it was possible that her time of solitude was about to end.