Crystal Flaws - Part 05 Crystal Ties

Author\'s Note: The question of who had requested Terrance be sent off planet (from back in Book 2) will be answered in this chapter. ^_^


At the Palace, Terrance and Hotaru spent almost every waking moment of the second week together. They went out to dinner and dancing one evening and to a dinner theater another evening. During the day they worked out, exercised, hiked, went on picnics and went shopping.

Terrance probably had more fun in those two weeks than he had during his entire lifetime. He had never taken the time to have fun when he was a soldier and there really hadn’t been anyplace fun to go to in the Dark Kingdom.

Terrance found Hotaru to be fun, smart, strong and competitive. She had a quick, subtle wit and was thoroughly entertaining. He also thought she was drop-dead gorgeous.

Terrance and Hotaru had worked out their powers earlier, and, because it was Sunday morning, the outdoor playing field was available to them. Terrance thought he knew Hotaru better now and he thought he could figure out her strategy for the game this time.

Saturn believed in giving her all in whatever she did, and that included Senshi tag. Sad to say, that also meant Terrance again lost the game to her.

Terrance stifled a curse as he pulled the dot out of his hair. It had stuck so well that quite a few hairs had been pulled out with it.

“Ow!” Terrance exclaimed as he looked at the dot. He looked up at Saturn who sat on the lower branch of a tree with her legs dangling down in front of his face. He asked with frustration, “How do you do that?”

With a smile, Saturn again answered him by shrugging her shoulders.

Terrance sighed. He thought a moment then said, “How about we make a deal. If I can tag you within an hour, you’ll tell me your secret. If I can’t then you win and I’ll never ask you to tell it to me again.”

As she sat there, Saturn thought about it. So far, he hadn’t come close to catching her. Saturn said, “I accept the challenge.”

They grabbed fresh dots and started a new game. Terrance racked his brains as he tried to figure out her game strategy. [Everyone has some kind of a strategy,] he thought.

Terrance had been following a trail through the wooded part of the playing field and saw another trail that crossed the trail he was on. Looking at the soft ground, he recognized his footprints on the other trail and knew he had not been in this part of the woods the previous game. “Damn!” he muttered as he realized he had wasted time going in a circle.

Terrance looked at the prints again and noticed something else. Inside each one was a faint smaller footprint. He realized the prints had to be Saturn’s and suddenly he knew her strategy. He shook his head and thought, [She must have realized I don’t like to backtrack, so she just stays two moves behind me then watches as I searched for her like a fool! Then when she sees an opportunity, she sneaks up and tags me.]

Now that Terrance knew Saturn’s strategy he planned his trap. There was a very large boulder with a rock face on one side and a smooth steep incline on the other. The field was set up so that it was almost impossible to quickly go around the boulder. The top was a good place to look around for an opponent, but it also left the viewer in plain sight of anyone below, so no one stayed up there very long.

Terrance headed for the rock face and quickly climbed it. He paused then slid down the smooth front. At the bottom of the boulder, he crouched down and grabbed two stones. Pitching them together down the wooded trail, he hid in the bushes next to the base of the boulder.

Sure enough he soon heard Saturn climbing the rock face. He saw her pause on top and look out toward the trail. She never thought to look down. Saturn started to slide down the smooth boulder and Terrance stepped out of the bushes. Her eyes widened with alarm when she saw him, but Saturn couldn’t stop her fall and slid right into his arms.

Terrance pinned her against the side of the boulder and Saturn struggled to get away. He was about to tag her when he noticed that her power aura had started to glow.

Surprised, Terrance admonished, “Saturn, you wouldn’t use your powers would you? It’s against the rules and I’m sure you wouldn’t cheat.”

They silently stared at each other for a moment then Saturn looked away. Her aura faded as she whispered, “No, of course not. Y-you just surprised me.”

Smiling, Terrance stated, “I won. Now, tell me your secret.”

Saturn looked back up at Terrance. She hesitated then said, “No.”

Terrance repeated, “No? But you have to. I won. That was the agreement. If I won within an hour you’d tell me.”

Saturn looked away again and repeated, “No.”

Terrance stared at her incredulously then started to chuckle.

Because Saturn was still firmly trapped against the rock by Terrance she could feel every muscle in his body move with his laughter. Everywhere he touched her felt shockingly warm and the rock against her back was cold.

Terrance finally stopped laughing enough to ask, “Why not?”

Setting her face in a pout, Saturn stubbornly stated, “I don’t want to!” Looking back up at him, she petulantly added, “Anyway, I think you cheated somehow.”

Terrance looked down at her intently. Leaning forward, he gently kissed Saturn’s bottom lip that stuck out so enticingly. She gasped and Terrance took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Her sweetness completely blew him away.

Terrance kissed her breathless and Saturn felt like she was drowning. He continued to kiss her deeply and passionately. Feeling totally overwhelmed, Saturn grasped onto his shirt and clung to him. She trembled in his arms as he finally released her lips and leaned his cheek against hers. He breathed in deep gasps of air and she felt his heart racing in his chest.

Hesitantly, Terrance leaned back and looked at Saturn. He expected her to slap him. He hadn’t even asked if he could do that. He decided to take the slap and not regret kissing her.

Saturn’s face was flushed and she was still slightly dazed. Looking up at Terrance, she slowly raised her hand. Terrance steeled himself then noticed the green dot that was crumpled in it.

Saturn loosened her grip and the dot unwrinkled to expand to its proper size. As she stared into Terrance’s eyes, she slowly brought the edge of the dot close to her lips. Opening her mouth, she stuck her tongue out. Deliberately and slowly, Saturn licked the dot’s edge like a lollipop.

Terrance didn’t have a clue why Saturn would lick a dot, but he did know she was turning him on like no one ever had before. His eyes widened, his mouth slightly dropped open and he forgot how to breathe. He stared as her pink tongue slipped back inside her mouth.

Slowly raising her hand that held the dot, Saturn gently touched it to Terrance’s forehead and let go.

Startled, Terrance reached up to pull the dot off when it suddenly dawned on him. Looking from the dot to Saturn, he whispered, “That’s it? That’s your secret?!”

Saturn blushed and nodded.

Astonished, Terrance asked, “What ever gave you the idea to lick a dot?”

Saturn quietly admitted, “Actually, I designed the dots. I picked their size, color, material and adhesive. The adhesive is specially made to only react to saliva. When the dot is licked, the adhesive is extremely sticky for about ten seconds then it returns to its previous state. Water or sweat won’t work. I never told anybody about this feature. I figured someday someone would stick a dot in his or her mouth and discover it. No one ever did though so I’m the only one who knows. Well, and now you.”

Terrance slowly shook his head and chuckled. “All this time we’ve been jamming these things on each other trying to make them stick, and all we had to do was lick them!”

Terrance looked at Saturn with admiration. He quietly said, “You’re incredible! Beautiful, smart and totally incredible!”

They looked into each other’s eyes and were slowly drawn together. Terrance’s lips touched Saturn’s and they kissed again. This time his kiss was soft, slow and sensual. He thoroughly kissed Saturn and she eagerly responded. Her hands slid up his chest and encircled his neck. Tangling her fingers in his soft thick hair, she pulled him even closer. They were still leaning on the rock and Saturn could feel every contour of his body pressed against her. She could also feel the evidence of his strong desire for her. She shivered as, for the first time ever in her life, she seriously considered the possibility.

Breaking their kiss with a gasp, Terrance began to trail kisses over Saturn’s cheek and down her throat. He traced her collarbone with his lips then buried his face in her hair. Terrance was totally lost. Saturn’s equally strong response to his kisses had set him on fire. He kissed up along her graceful, perfect neck then softly breathed, “Oh, God, Hotaru!” in her ear.

Saturn was gasping from the liquid fire of his kisses. Terrance returned to her lips and they kissed desperately. His hands held the sides of her face, and his thumbs gently stroked over her temples and cheeks. He and Saturn both quietly groaned into their kiss.

As the couple kissed each other passionately they completely forgot they were leaning against a large rock in the middle of the practice field in broad daylight. It was now lunchtime, and as people passed by the field they slowed their walking to watch. Slowly, a pretty good-sized crowd was building. Everyone could see it was the Prince and his Senshi friend. People in the crowd shushed the gigglers so they wouldn’t disturb the engrossed couple.

A joking whisper was passed around asking if anyone had a camera. One appeared just as Sailor Mars walked up. She had seen the crowd forming and wondered what was so interesting in the empty practice field. She took one look at the not so empty field and quickly confiscated the camera. She glared at one and all and the crowd reluctantly dispersed.

Mars walked to the gate for the practice field and it squeaked as she let herself in. She walked up behind Terrance and Hotaru and hadn’t especially tried to be quiet. Sighing to herself Mars thought, [Oh well, so much for two of our best warriors!] Terrance was the easiest to reach so he got the knock on the head.

Terrance was so startled by Sailor Mars’ rap that he knocked teeth with Saturn as he ducked and turned.

Saturn exclaimed, “Ow!” and covered her mouth.

Terrance pressed his hand against his teeth as he hissed, “What the hell…?!”

Both of them looked up at the same time and all color drained from their faces.

Sailor Mars glare at them. “This is definitely not the place for that, unless you like the idea of people taking pictures.” She held up the camera. “I took this from someone and chased quite a crowd away. Next time get a room! The Palace has plenty of them.” Sailor Mars turned and walked away.

Terrance collapsed and sat on the ground. He rubbed his eyes and groaned, “I *can’t* believe I did this! And I yelled at Serenity and Elios for doing the same thing!”

Looking up to apologize, Terrance saw Saturn’s eyes were filled with tears. She covered her crimson face with her hands then turned and ran to the Palace.

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Friday evening, Elios and Serenity were in their apartment at the Shrine eating dinner. It had been a long hard week of work for Elios and he was glad it was over. He was also worried.

Elios looked across the table to Serenity. “Have you noticed that Castor is acting strange lately?”

Serenity said, “I haven’t seen Castor since Sunday so I wouldn’t know. Why do you ask?”

Elios tried to explain. “Well, first of all, the tattoo. Why does he all of a sudden want to be different from his brothers? I asked Jabbath and he said Castor told them the same reason he gave me and he has refused to talk about it since. Second, I was told he missed four days of work this week and was only there on Monday. Castor is usually very dedicated to his job and it seemed likely he would become a Master Scribe this year. Missing work like that could really cost him. Lastly, Jabbath told me Castor hasn’t been home much and when he is home, he’s uncommunicative and irritable.”

Serenity thought about it and mused. “I wonder. Your sisters said a Pegasus male gets quite paranoid and protective when he has found a female. Could that be Castor’s problem?”

Elios answered, “I doubt it. He hasn’t mentioned any interest in the pasture group. Anyway, a male is only like that when he’s waiting for the female’s scent to change.”

“I see,” Serenity said. Because of her talks with the sisters, she now understood the significance of scent to a Pegasus. She continued, “If that isn’t it then what could it be?”

Shaking his head, Elios answered, “I wish I knew.”

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Sunday afternoon, Jabbath took Elios and Serenity back to the Crystal Palace. They would now live at the Palace until the babies were born. The Asteroid Senshi had seen them land and were waiting to greet them.

Elios was a little overwhelmed by the five girls’ excited chatter. He laughingly said, “I’ll take some things to our room and you can visit together.”

Serenity agreed so they all went to Serenity’s old bedroom for a good catch-up on the palace gossip and gabfest.

The girls couldn’t wait to tell Serenity about Terrance and Hotaru kissing in the practice field that morning. At first, she didn’t believe them. The four girls swore on Senshi’s honor it was true, and the *very* shocked look on Serenity’s face didn’t disappoint them.

Serenity, for her turn said, “I’ve learned a lot about Pegasuses from Elios’ sisters. Their customs are more different from ours than I knew.”

Ceres looked up quickly and Serenity now had her full attention. “How so?” she quietly asked.

Continuing, Serenity answered, “I didn’t realize just how much emphasis they put on family and how important their sibling bonds are. Once a Pegasus sibling group reaches adult age they move out of their parent’s home and live together. They then stay together until they find mates and get married.”

Juno asked, “Is that the only big difference between them and us?”

Shaking her head, Serenity added, “Also, Pegasus relationships are different from ours because they don’t date very long. Once a male has decided he’s interested in a female they date only until he’s certain she’s interested in him too. They don’t have engagement rings or weddings either. A Pegasus couple becomes engaged when the female agrees to make love with the male. When she then gets pregnant her scent changes and that means the couple is married.”

The four girls thoughtfully considered what Serenity said as they tried to imagine what it would be like to live in that culture.

Ceres was intently staring at her hands tightly gripped in her lap. Impulsively, Vesta reached out and tugged on Ceres’ braid. She jokingly asked, “So, Ceres. Are you ‘engaged’ yet?”

Ceres’ face drained of all color and tears filled her eyes. Wordlessly she jumped up and ran to her room. The other girls gaped with astonishment as they watched Ceres and heard the lock on her door turn.

Totally confused, Serenity looked around. “What was that all about?”

“I was only teasing,” Vesta explained. “I didn’t think she’d be like that!”

Again, Serenity more insistently asked, “What is going on?”

The three girls looked at each other. Pallas answered, “Ceres has been dating Castor since the wedding.”

“You’re kidding?!” Serenity whispered with shock. Pallas started to say Senshi’s honor, but Serenity resignedly interrupted. “That’s okay, Pallas. I believe you.”

Shaking her head, Serenity muttered, “Boy! That sure explains a lot!”

Serenity looked up at her friends. “I need to speak to Ceres alone. Okay?” The girls nodded and left.

Standing up, Serenity walked to Ceres’ door and knocked. When Ceres didn’t answer, Serenity said, “Ceres, please let me in.” She still got silence so she added, “Please. I really need to talk to you. I don’t want to pull rank, but I will if I have to.”

The lock on the door turned and Serenity opened it.

Ceres stood there with tears streaming down her face. Serenity gathered her friend in her arms and led her to sit on the bed. Ceres sobbed as Serenity rocked and comforted her until the tears finally slowed.

Handing Ceres a tissue, Serenity quietly asked, “Ceres, what’s wrong?” Serenity had a sinking feeling she already knew, but she wanted to hear it from Ceres to be sure.

Ceres brokenly said, “I and C-Castor. He’s so ha-handsome and nice and-and, the beach. Then the ta-tattoo, and our initials, and-and dancing. Pi-picnic in the crystal forest, the f-fairies, and so ro-romantic and-and…” She hesitated, then admitted in a whisper, “I s-said yes.”

Amazingly, Serenity pretty much understood what Ceres had said and it confirmed her fears. “Oh, Ceres,” she sighed. With concern she asked, “Do you love him?”

Ceres answered, “I-I don’t know, I think so. I didn’t realize I’d be getting en-engaged though!” Ceres started to cry again as she choked out, “I *definitely* should not have said y-yes!”

Now Serenity was really worried. She lifted Ceres’ chin to look her in the eyes as she said, “Pegasuses don’t have a word for ‘divorce’. Unless you had a shot, you’re probably pregnant. Castor is expecting you to be so, and for your scent and his to mix. If you reject him now it will destroy him. To a Pegasus, his family is the most important thing of all.”

Ceres choked out, “I don’t want to hurt him but-but I...oh, I don’t know what to do!” Covering her face with her hands, she sobbed inconsolably.

Serenity hugged Ceres again as she wondered if she could have done something to help her friend avoid this situation. Serenity thought that maybe she should have told the girls about her own pregnancy sooner, but then realized that wouldn’t have helped. Serenity herself didn’t even know, until this week, that one of the main reasons it had happened was because Elios was a Pegasus. Sighing, she admitted there really wasn’t anything she could have done. Serenity felt bad for her friend. She knew exactly how overwhelmed and afraid Ceres felt right now.

Someone knocking on the door interrupted Serenity’s thoughts. “Ceres?” a deep voice questioned from the other side of the door to the hallway.

Looking at Serenity with tear-streaked cheeks and panic-stricken eyes, Ceres whispered, “I can’t face him right now! Please, send him away.”

Serenity sighed then nodded. Castor knocked a bit louder and called, “Ceres?” again.

Serenity locked the door behind her as she walked through her old bedroom and into the hall. Seeing her, Castor asked, “Is Ceres in her room? I was told I could find her there.”

“Ceres isn’t feeling well and is trying to sleep,” she answered. Serenity felt sympathy for Castor when she saw his disappointed expression. “Maybe she will be able to see you later.”

Castor sighed. “Okay. I will be in the garden if she asks for me.”

Serenity watched him turn and slowly walk away. She sighed then left to find Elios. She found him in their room reading and told him what she had learned about Ceres and Castor.

“What?!” Elios exclaimed as he sat up on the bed and put his book down.

Serenity insisted, “It’s true. Ceres admitted it.”

Elios quickly stood then went to the window. Looking down into the garden he saw Castor patiently sitting on a bench. Elios turned to Serenity and incredulously said, “He is there! I still can’t believe it. I didn’t expect him or any of the brothers to show an interest in the pasture group for at least another year! Usually a Pegasus will wait until his career is stable before he considers a female.”

Serenity shrugged. “Maybe he fell in love with her at first sight.”

Nodding, Elios mused, “Maybe that’s what happened.” He then sat back down on the edge of the bed with a very worried sigh. “This is a *really* big problem though. If she rejects him now it would destroy Castor. He won’t find another mate and that would absolutely wreck his life. Castor would be devastated, especially regarding the babies.”

Serenity sat cross-legged on the bed with her chin in her hand. She thought about what Elios had said and about how difficult the situation was. After a moment she offered, “I think I should ask Sailor Venus for some advice about all this. She helped me figure out what was going on with you after the dimensional monster battle. Maybe she’ll have some ideas about this mess too.”

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Terrance’s day had gone from bad to worse. After Sailor Mars had scolded them, Terrance had followed Hotaru to her room. He had seen her enter the room, but she refused to answer the door. He had tried apologizing through the door, but she still didn’t acknowledge him.

For a moment, Terrance considered knocking the door off its hinges, but decided that scaring the wits out of her would not help his cause.

Terrance leaned his back against the wall next to Hotaru’s door and sighed. Pulling one of his roses, he thought, [I wish I could give this to her.] He noticed the door jam and slid the stem of his rose under the door. [I doubt she’ll notice one,] he thought, so he added another, then another. Terrance had slid fifteen rose stems under the door before Hotaru had opened it.

Picking up the roses at her feet, Hotaru took a deep breath. In a flat, wooden voice she stated, “Terrance, we both got carried away this morning. I think it happened because we’ve spent so much time together the last two weeks.” She stood up with the roses in her arms. “I had a lot of fun spending time with you and going places, thank you. Serenity will be back this afternoon so you can return to your regular schedule now. If you’d like, I can tell Venus you kept your promise to her.”

Terrance stared at Hotaru as he wondered, [Did what happened really mean that little to her?] He answered himself. [Get real, Ter! She’s a Planet Senshi. She’s really out of your league and was just being nice because of Venus’ request.]

Taking a deep breath, Terrance pasted a smile on his face. “You don’t need to tell Venus. I was happy to take the time to show you around. I had fun too. I’ll see you at dinner.” He then turned away from her and quickly walked away.

Hotaru closed the door, buried her face in the bouquet of roses she held and cried. She reminded herself, [It’s better this way. He’s the Prince of Earth. He needs someone who will be a good Queen someday. I don’t even like living on Earth and I’ve never felt like I fitted in here. It is better this way.]

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That evening, Serenity and Elios entered the dining room and were promptly attacked with a hug from Serenity’s mother. The Queen exclaimed, “Welcome home! I’m so glad you’re back.”

They hugged her back and Serenity said, “Thank you, Mother, but we were only gone a week!”

As they sat down at the table, Serenity’s father added, “That’s true, but it felt longer. The Palace is too quiet when you two are gone.”

The King and Queen looked up when Hotaru entered the room alone. A surprised and concerned glance quickly passed between them as Hotaru hugged Serenity.

Hotaru said, “Welcome back,” then quietly sat down.

Serenity was about to ask where Terrance was when he walked in. He also hugged Serenity and shook Elios’ hand as he said, “Welcome home you two.”

Terrance sat down and they began their dinner. During the course of the meal, Serenity noticed Terrance and Hotaru hardly said two words to each other. Perplexed, she thought, [They sure don’t act like two people who were kissing each other this morning. Maybe the girls were wrong after all.]

Serenity also noticed that her mother was fidgeting and kept glancing at her father like she was waiting for something. Serenity realized something was up and wondered what it was.

They finished the meal and the King said, “Serenity, Elios, we have a surprise for you. Please follow us.” Her father stood, offered his wife his arm then led the way. Serenity giggled at her mother who was so excited she was pulling her husband and kept telling him to hurry. Serenity, Elios, Hotaru and Terrance followed. The group walked through the Palace to the back wing. Serenity had noticed construction there, but that wasn’t anything unusual at the Palace. Something was always being fixed or changed. The King and Queen walked up to a door with a ribbon tied across it.

Serenity’s parents turned and her mother said, “We hope you like this.” She handed the couple a pair of scissors and said, “Cut the ribbon.”

Serenity and Elios were very curious. Cutting the ribbon, they opened the door and entered a nice sized furnished apartment. It included a kitchen, dining room, living room, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The basic color scheme was warm neutrals with brighter accents and accessories. The overall ambiance was tranquil and spacious but still comfortably homey.

As Serenity and Elios looked around, the Queen said, “For anything that you’d like to change, just let Ron know and he’ll arrange it. I put him in charge of the project because he worked with you on the moon museums and somewhat knows your tastes.”

The couple was very surprised. Serenity hugged her parents and said, “Thank you so much!” Elios echoed her thank you.

Serenity went in the kitchen and saw the fridge, pantry and cabinets were well stocked with basic foods, dishes and cookware. Her mother said, “Of course you both are always welcome to eat any and all meals with us, but you now have the option of dining together privately when you want to.”

Serenity and her mother returned to the living room and Serenity noticed the painting over the couch. A tag said it was a present from Terrance and Hotaru. Serenity hugged each of them and said, “It’s beautiful! How did you know I liked Peggy Jones’ work?”

Terrance answered, “Hotaru knew you liked Peggy Jones and she found this picture in an art gallery in Crystal Tokyo. I could never have found it without her.” Serenity noticed that Terrance’s praises made Hotaru blush.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Elios got ready for work. Serenity also got up and enjoyed making him breakfast in their new kitchen. When Elios was ready to leave, Serenity put on her robe and went with him to the gardens.

Elios had made an agreement with the brothers that he would get himself to the Shrine, and one of them would bring him back. This would cut the brother’s flight hours in half, and Elios had decided he should exercise his wings more.

After giving Serenity a sweet kiss good-bye, Elios stepped back and began his transformation. Serenity hadn’t seen Elios in his Pegasus form since they were together long ago in the past.

When his transformation was complete, Elios looked up at Serenity. She had forgotten how beautiful he was in this form. He wasn’t as big as the brothers. Instead, he was more lithe, graceful and fine boned.

Elios closed his eyes as Serenity stepped forward. Reaching out to touch Elios’ cheek, she breathed, “Wow!” She then leaned forward to hug him and kiss his forehead. “You’re a handsome Pegasus,” she whispered.

[Th-thank you,] Elios stuttered with a slightly dazed look in his eyes.

Serenity stepped away from Elios to give him room to take off. Instead, he transformed back to his human form.

Serenity was puzzled, but she didn’t have a chance to ask Elios why. He had quickly stepped forward and enveloped her in his arms. He tightly crushed her to him and passionately kissed her breathless.

Serenity’s knees weakened and she felt like she was drowning in the ardor of his sudden kiss. Finally, he released her lips and they both gasped in big gulps of air. Elios avidly kissed down the length of her neck. He even gently nipped her. It didn’t hurt and actually she liked it, but it did startle her. Serenity gasped as he continued to thoroughly seduce her. Elios breathed in her ear, “Let’s go.”

“Huh? Where?” Serenity breathlessly asked.

“Back to bed, of course,” he quietly responded.

Now totally confused, Serenity leaned back to look at Elios. She questioned, “But, what about work?”

“No. Bed.” Elios insisted. His smoldering eyes clearly showed his desire and his intense gaze made Serenity shiver.

She tried again, “M-my parents and Hotaru are expecting me for breakfast…”

Elios pulled her firmly against him as he huskily whispered in her ear. “You can walk, or would you prefer I carry you?”

Serenity’s eyes widened with shock. [That’s enough!] She thought as she firmly pushed against Elios’ chest. He had never behaved like this before. His unusual and insistent assertiveness was starting to scare her.

Very reluctantly Elios released his hold on Serenity. She grabbed his hands and held onto them tightly. Staring at Elios, she tried to make sense of his behavior. Finally she asked, “Elios, what has gotten into you? You’re acting very strange!”

Looking away from her questioning gaze, Elios blushed. He struggled to find the words that would explain what he was feeling. After a moment the only plea he could come up with was, “You smell *REALLY,* *REALLY* good!”

Serenity was even more confused, but then she remembered something. Quietly she asked, “Is this one of those unexpected things that I’m supposed to expect from you every once in a while?”

Elios nodded and blushed more. Even he was surprised by his behavior.

Serenity smiled and thought, [I don’t understand what’s going on but I do know he would never hurt me and I’m certainly not opposed to his suggestion, so…]

She let go of Elios’ hands then turned and ran to the palace door. Laughing back over her shoulder she teasingly called, “Okay, but you’ll have to catch me!”

Elios stood there shocked for a very short moment then took off after her.

A good while later, Serenity and Elios rested in bed together after having very thoroughly made love to each other. He had been especially passionate and she had enjoyed his surprising intensity.

Serenity now had her head on his chest as she dozed and listened to his heartbeat. She still had questions about Elios’ behavior though. Looking up, Serenity asked, “Elios, what happened out there? One minute you were leaving for work and the next you wanted to throw me over your shoulder and head back to bed.”

Elios chuckled at Serenity’s description of his behavior and he was still a little embarrassed. He hadn’t known his reaction would be that strong. He tried to explain. “That was the first time I smelled your scent as my wife while in my Pegasus form. Your scent is very attractive to me and I got a little overwhelmed by it. After you hugged and kissed me, I just couldn’t leave you.”

Continuing, Elios said, “In my human form, I can just barely discern your scent. Blindfolded in my human form I could probably pick you out of a group of women by scent, but I’d have to smell each woman closely. My Pegasus nose is much more sensitive. Blindfolded in my Pegasus form, I could stand at the door of a ballroom full of women and I’d know if you were there. I could also walk up to you just by following your scent.”

Serenity cuddled closer to Elios and lightly kissed him. She said, “Well, I certainly don’t mind that I turn you on so much. However, if we ever hope to keep to our schedules and commitments, I’d better stay inside when you leave from now on.”

Elios agreed then added, “If I spend some time around you in my Pegasus form, I’ll get more used to your scent. It just hit me all at once.”

“Maybe we could go flying together,” Serenity suggested.

“That would be nice. However, it is now,” Elios paused and looked at the clock. “10 o’clock and I really should go. It’s either that or I’ll have to make the day up on Wednesday.”

Elios climbed out of bed and again got ready for work. Shaking his head, he thought, [I still can’t believe I ditched work to make love to my wife! I’ve already missed two meetings this morning. If the brothers ever found out about this, I’d never hear the end of it!]

Again, Elios kissed Serenity good-bye. He left and she stayed in the apartment this time.

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The first thing on Serenity’s list for the day was to find Sailor Venus. Serenity found her in the Senshi Practice Room and waited on the bench for Venus to finish her round. Serenity asked, “Venus, could we get together to talk? I’m hoping you can give me some advice on a problem.”

Venus could see Serenity was serious. She answered, “Sure. I’m finished here. How about we grab some sodas and go to my office?”

Serenity agreed and soon she was comfortably sitting on a cushion on the floor in Venus’ office. Venus sat on another cushion in a yoga position and listened as Serenity told her all about Ceres, Castor and Pegasuses. She ended with, “Do you have any ideas on how to help Ceres and Castor work this out? I’d really hate to see either of them seriously harmed.”

Venus flopped back onto a cushion behind her and stared at the ceiling while she thought a moment. Finally, she propped her head on her hand and asked, “Is Castor the Pegasus brother that I paired her with at the wedding rehearsal? The girls didn’t swap guys or anything like that did they?”

Even though she couldn’t understand why Venus cared about it, Serenity answered, “Castor and Ceres were paired at the wedding.”

Venus looked relieved. She smiled and said, “Don’t worry about them. It may be rough for a while because they are dealing with large cultural differences, but they’ll work it out.” She confidently concluded, “Love will conquer everyone!”

Serenity stared at Venus and she really tried, but she just couldn’t help it. First she giggled then she rolled over on her back, grabbed a pillow to cover her face and laughed until she cried. Finally, Serenity caught her breath and said with a smile to a somewhat perplexed Venus, “That’s not what the saying is, but I like your version better anyway!”

Venus shrugged and added, “However, I think it would be a good idea for Elios to talk with Castor and try to explain our customs to him. Even though Castor thinks he and Ceres are married, she won’t feel that way or act that way until she is married by her own customs.”

Serenity agreed that was a good idea. She thought about what Venus had said about the couple being okay and asked, “How do you know Castor and Ceres will be okay? You sound so certain.”

Venus sat up and gave Serenity a measured stare. After a moment she said, “I guess you’re ready. You’re married now so it shouldn’t cause a problem. However, you really have to keep this to yourself! If you don’t you will mess up years of my hard work. Your mother did a good job keeping it quiet so I’m sure you can do so just as well.”

Sitting up too, Serenity asked, “Keep what to myself?” With a little thrill of anticipation, Serenity realized Venus was about to tell her something important.

Sighing, Venus said, “I don’t have visions like Rei does and I can’t predict the future. However, what I can do is see when two people belong together. It’s like people have puzzle piece auras around them. Every once in a while I’ll see two people whose puzzles match so perfectly that they glow when they’re in the same room. It’s as if the auras are trying to reach out to each other. Once I see that, it drives me crazy until they are together. The problem is the two people don’t know their auras are doing that. They just know they feel weird whenever the other person is around. Often the two people will clash because of their misunderstood feelings. My job is to help when needed. I try to smooth the road for them and help them better understand what’s going on.”

Serenity was totally amazed by this revelation. She asked, “How do you do that?”

Venus bluntly answered, “I meddle in people’s lives. Over the years I’ve learned that people get defensive and resistant when they know I’m trying to get them together with someone. Especially if they think they don’t like that person. That’s why I portray myself as loopy and a bit eccentric. I can nudge people to do things and they usually laugh at me then go ahead and do what I suggested to humor me.”

Serenity thought a moment then said, “So, you put the Senshi and the brothers together on purpose.”

Venus chuckled. “Yes. I was afraid to let that happen without help. Even though the brothers all look alike, their auras are very different. Also, each one matches a certain Senshi. If I had let them be paired up randomly they all would have been miserable.”

Surprised, Serenity asked, “The other Senshi and brothers also match up?”

Venus looked annoyed. “Oh damn! I did say that didn’t I? Well, don’t say or do *anything* about it.”

“Who else is paired? What about Terrance and Hotaru?” Serenity excitedly questioned.

Venus sighed and responded, “I don’t want to tell you. The less you know the less likely you’ll accidentally get involved.”

Serenity was disappointed, but she could see Venus’ point. “So,” she asked, “besides the Senshi and when you talked with me after the battle, what else have you ‘meddled’ in?”

“Well, sometimes,” Venus answered, “I work more behind the scene. I’ve done that with you twice actually.”

“Me?!” Serenity squeaked.

“Yes, your love life has kept me quite busy. The first time was when you had returned from the past after meeting Elios. He had come to the Palace looking for you. He met with your parents and your mother asked me to advise her. I could clearly see the love you and Elios had for each other, but I knew you were much too young. I was concerned that even a friendship would’ve progress too quickly for you. I suggested that your parents restrict Elios from contacting you or coming to the Palace until your sixteenth birthday.”

Stunned, Serenity silently listened as Venus continued. “The second time was to correct a problem that happened because of that restriction on Elios. When Terrance had announced at your sixteenth birthday ball that he wanted to court you, I was very concerned. I knew you and Terrance were wrong for each other. Also, the restriction on Elios had put him at a disadvantage in competing with Terrance for you. You and Terrance were just too close. I realized I needed to do something that would give Elios a better chance so I requested Terrance be reassigned off planet. I figured you and Elios would get reacquainted while Terrance was away.” Venus added with a smile, “Of course, it didn’t go exactly as I had planned it.”

Serenity slowly shook her head with amazement. “*You* were the one who requested Terrance be sent away! I always wondered who did that. I would have been angry if I had known what you were doing. However, looking back now, I can see you did the right things.”

She continued, “I really wasn’t ready for Elios back then. I was barely ready for him when I turned sixteen! Also, if Terrance had not been sent away, I don’t know when we would have realized we weren’t right for each other. A competition between Elios and Terrance would have been disastrous.”

Serenity looked up and smiled at Venus. She concluded, “You really do know what you’re doing. I feel much better about Ceres and Castor now. Thank you for telling me all of this. I promise not to tell anyone.”

Later that evening, Serenity told Elios that Venus had suggested he talk to Castor about surface human’s customs. She said he needed to convince Castor to follow the customs for Ceres’ sake. Elios said he’d give it a try.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, Elios left on time. It was a good thing too since Serenity had made plans with Hotaru to go maternity clothes shopping in Crystal Tokyo for the day.

It was an odd and enlightening excursion for both of them. The saleswomen in the store recognized Serenity, of course. When they heard the Princess was pregnant they got all excited about a new Prince or Princess coming. All the other customers heard the commotion and gather around to congratulate Serenity too. It wasn’t long before someone in the group gave Serenity advice about pregnancy. Soon the other women began adding to it. This then led to the women trading delivery stories with each other like old war heroes. Of course, each woman’s story was more harrowing than the last.

Serenity came home with many nice clothes. Both Serenity and Hotaru had learned in one day, more about birth, babies and stretch marks than either of them had ever wanted to know.

As they headed back to the Palace, Hotaru said, “I think I’ll pass on that experience, thank you. It doesn’t sound like much fun at all!”

Sighing, Serenity said, “Yes. However, I have to do it. Lucky me!”

They rode silently a few moments then Hotaru wistfully sighed. “I have to admit though, the baby that lady had with her *was* adorable. I’m sure your babies are going to be absolutely beautiful too.”

Serenity absently rubbed her slightly rounded belly as she agreed. “You’re right, babies are cute.”

Silently, Serenity ruefully added, [I just wish someone else could go through what those women were talking about instead of me. How am I ever going to do all that? It sounds really hard! I am so *NUTS* to have gotten myself in this situation!]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tuesday afternoon, Elios tracked Castor down at work. He spoke to the senior master scribe and Castor was pulled from the scribe’s room and handed over.

Elios felt a pang of sympathy for Castor as he watched him walk up. Castor walked slowly with his shoulders slumped, head down and his hands in his pockets. As Castor got closer, Elios could see dark circles under his eyes.

Looking up, Castor listlessly asked, “Are you ready to head home already?”

Elios shook his head. “I want to talk. How about we take a walk on the forest trails?”

If possible, Castor’s eyes looked sadder as he implored, “I’d really prefer to not go into the forest.”

Shrugging, Elios responded, “Okay, I guess my office will do.”

Castor sat silently in a chair while Elios brewed and poured tea for them. Elios had learned the merit of this ritual from his in-laws. Not only did the time it took to prepare give him time to gather his thoughts, but it also made a difficult meeting seem less intense.

Elios sat down by the small table and sipped his tea. Castor absently held the cup in his hands. He stared at it but didn’t drink.

“Cas,” Elios began. “I’ve heard some of what’s going on, but I’d like to hear your point of view. I’m worried about you. As your friend, I’d like to help if you’ll let me.”

For a moment, Castor didn’t say anything. He then gripped his teacup tighter in his hands and quietly spoke. “I really love her. It seemed like everything was going great. Now, she won’t come near me or talk to me.” He looked up with tears in his eyes and whispered, “I don’t understand what happened. Why is she so angry with me?”

Elios sighed as he tried to find a way to explain this so Castor would understand. He started with, “Ceres is very confused and scared right now. I think she really does care for you, but the relationship moved too fast for her. Surface humans expect to date longer. It can take them many months, even years, to decide if they want to make a relationship permanent.”

“Why would they want to take so long?” Castor asked with confusion.

Elios shook his head. “I don’t really know. I guess they are afraid they will end up not liking the person and regret a hastily made decision.”

Castor thought about that then asked, “Why would they even start a relationship if they didn’t want to love the other person?”

Again Elios sighed. He responded, “I don’t understand it either. It’s just the way they do things.”

Putting his cup down, Elios looked Castor in the eyes, “If you want Ceres to be happy, you are going to need to do things that will make her comfortable in the relationship. She needs you to honor her customs. If you do this, I’m pretty sure she’ll eventually come around.”

Castor’s eyes brightened for the first time in days. He said, “Sure, I’ll do whatever I need to do.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Elios got home that evening, he noticed Serenity’s new clothes. He hugged and kissed her then said, “You look very nice. I’m sure you feel a lot more comfortable too.”

Serenity appreciated Elios’ kind words because she felt a little self-conscious. There was no doubt about it now. She was pregnant and anyone who looked at her would know it.

After dinner, Serenity and Elios cuddled on the couch in their living room. Elios softly ran his hand over her belly as he talked to the babies.

Serenity opened her eyes when she noted a different sensation. It had felt like someone had taken a small blunt object and poked the side of her abdomen from the inside. Serenity placed her hand against her belly where she had felt the movement. She waited a moment and it happened again. She thought, [I definitely felt that!]

Taking Elios’ hand, Serenity placed it where her hand had been and said, “Here.” A moment later she felt the movement again and asked, “Did you feel that?”

Elios had felt the very slight movement under his hand. Awed, he said, “Wow, that was one of the babies!”

Serenity nodded yes with a smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Serenity and Elios ate breakfast with her parents, Terrance and Hotaru. As they finished the meal Hotaru spoke up. “Serenity, I am going to go back home today.”

Everyone looked up surprised. Serenity said, “Are you sure you have to? I’d love to have you stay longer.”

Shaking her head, Hotaru answered, “I’ve been here a while and there are things at home I need to attend to.” She then added with a smile, “I’ll come back when the babies are born in February.”

Serenity sighed. “I understand. What time is your flight?”

Hotaru answered, “Ten thirty this morning. I scheduled a transport to pick me up after breakfast.”

Dismayed, Serenity said, “I have an appointment with Mercury this morning. I won’t be able to see you off.”

“That’s okay. We can say our good byes here.” Hotaru answered.

Neo-Queen Serenity interjected. “Hotaru, we will miss you. You are welcome back anytime.”

Hotaru smiled at the Queen as she said, “Thank you. I’ve had a very nice visit. I still have some packing to do, so if you don’t mind I’ll take my leave of you now.”

Everyone stood with Hotaru. The King, Elios and Terrance shook her hand and wished her well. The Queen and Serenity hugged her. Hotaru left the room and everyone sat back down.

Serenity sighed and said, “I’m going to miss having her around.”

Terrance finished his cup of coffee. With an inscrutable expression, he stood and left the room.

The Queen noted to herself with a sigh, [I don’t think Serenity will be the only one missing Hotaru.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting back in the transport, Hotaru sighed. As she rode away from the Palace, she thought, [I feel like I’m running away.]

The logical part of her brain responded, [That’s because you are.]

Hotaru argued with herself. [Not really. I spent time with Serenity Monday afternoon and all day Tuesday. Elios will be home the rest of the week. I’d just get in the way.]

Continued...


Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did like my story, or if you have any (kind and gently worded) suggestions/comments about my story, please let me know. I truly appreciate feedback. You can email me at ndeblock@att.net .

This story was edited and enhanced by the great mind and imagination of Sophia Prester. Her help and ideas have been of great value to me! Thank you Sophia! ^_^

Sophia Prester is also the author or a *wonderful* continuing Sailor Moon epic called “Empire of the Sun”. Her story is very intricate and absorbing and I highly recommend reading it! The most up to date version is on Fanfiction.net . ^_^

Bye, Luna Hope