This story expands on references made to the Moon Kingdom in my fanfic "Guardians of the Star." This story explores the relationship between Princess Serenity and Princess Rei during the Silver Millennium. It takes place 12 years after "A Special Friendship" and yes, Serenity/Usagi and Rei are two of my favorite characters. :) I used the regular names of the characters because I don't know there Moon Kingdom names and I decided it was best in order to avoid confusion. :) Ja ne, Greywolf Rating: G Special Thanks: "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl for editing, good ideas and comments, and providing me with Sailor Moon stories to enjoy! Thanks Will! Disclaimer: Sailor Moon, Sailor Senshi and all terms, names etc associated with the series are copyrighted by Naoko Takeuchi and Kodansha. The Guardians and everything pertaining to the Star Kingdoms are MINE! Sailor Moon: Heart's Ease By Eric "Greywolf" den Biesen Maeribeth awakened slowly. she thought sleepily. She extended her senses and sensed a presence, one that she had been hoping would come for several days. She kept her eyes closed and her wings limp. She wanted this person to make the first move. If SHE did, the other might change her mind about confiding in her. "Auntie Maeribeth?" Princess Serenity cried softly in a voice full of tears. Maeribeth opened her eyes and regarded her young visitor. At the sorrowful look on the twevle year old Serenity's face, Maeribeth leapt to her feet, shimmered into her human form and held out her arms. Serenity ran into them and began to cry. Maeribeth moved over to a bench in the far corner of her chamber and sat down with Serenity on her lap. She rocked the weeping Princess and waited for her to calm down. After a time, Serenity's weeping began to diminish and Maeribeth spoke. "I've been waiting for you to come to me, my little Hatchling," she said with calm affection, "I know that something's been worrying you badly for the last few days. Why didn't you come sooner?" "Well, you're usually so busy," she explained with a downcast expression. Maeribeth took her by the chin and silver eyes met blue. "I am NEVER too busy for YOU, Hatchling," she returned firmly. Serenity gave a tremulous smile. She loved it when Maeribeth called her "Hatchling". It was a term of endearment which let her know in no uncertain terms just how much Maeribeth loved the child of her dearest friend. "Now that you've calmed down, why don't you tell be what's been causing you so much worry over the past few weeks, hmmmm," Maeribeth requested. "Well.....Rei and I had a little fight a few weeks ago," Serenity admitted shamefaced, "She said I wasn't concentrating enough on my studies and that I wasn't serious enough about my duties as a Princess!" "There IS some truth in those claims, you know," Maeribeth pointed out gently, "Although you're ONLY twelve, there's no need to overburden you at that age." "I KNOW that!" Serenity agreed tearfully, "That's not the problem! I WANT Rei to be proud of me. My marks are improving and Mother's letting me do things that she thinks I'm old enough to do. For awhile, it did cut terribly into the free time I had, but I didn't mind. Well...not TOO much anyway." "It's Rei," she continued softly, "A few days after our argument, she began to change." Maeribeth frowned thoughtfully. "Change?" she questioned. Serenity nodded without lifting her head from Maeribeth's shoulder. "Change," she confirmed, "You know what her temper's like. Well, now it's worse! She avoids me AND the other Younger Senshi and she looks like she hasn't slept for ages. I just don't know what to do!" "Does she still lose her temper with you?" Maeribeth queried intently. "Well...no," Serenity answered looking surprised, "I hardly ever see her anymore, but now that you mention it, the few times I did see her, I tried my best to make her angry. I wanted the OLD Rei back, but it didn't work!" She sniffed forlornly. Maeribeth asked her charge a few more questions and the answers only confirmed her suspicion. Rei was suffering from a serious case of guilt. She thought carefully over everything she had learned. FACT: In trying to answer Rei's complaints and make Rei proud of her, Serenity had thrown herself whole heartedly into both her duties and her studies. Maeribeth thought, smiling to herself, FACT: Because of this, the laughing, fun loving and yes, ditzy Serenity was rarely in evidence. She continued her analysis, Rei, however, did not know this. It was Maeribeth's belief that Rei thought the change in Serenity was her fault, that she had hurt her friend badly with the things she had said. she mused to herself. "Auntie Maeribeth!" Serenity said anxiously. Maeribeth came to herself with a start. "What is it, Hatchling?" she asked curiously. "Well, Mother helped me sk....se.." "Schedule?" Maeribeth supplied helpfully. "Yes! That's the word!" Serenity said gratefully, "Mother helped me do that with all my work so that I'd have more time to spend with my friends." She didn't look all that happy about it, so Maeribeth knew there was more. "And?" she prodded gently. Serenity gave a watery sniff. "Rei is never there!" she replied mournfully. "I think it's high time I had a talk with the Princess of Mars!" Maeribeth stated grimly, "I believe she's wallowed in self pity long enough!" Serenity looked shocked. "You're not going to tell her THAT, are you?" she exclaimed. Maeribeth burst out laughing. "Not QUITE in those exact words," she chuckled, "But, yes, I am. Now come. We must go to the Training Field to talk to the Younger Senshi." Taking Serenity by the hand, she exited the Kin Caverns and headed for the Moon Palace. When Maeribeth entered the Training Grounds with Serenity in tow, the Younger Senshi noticed her at once and hastened to meet her with expressions of relief on their young faces. "Aunt Maeribeth!" Princess Minako exclaimed, "Oh I'm so glad to see you!" "Ditto for me!" Princess Makoto seconded, "Did Serenity tell you?" Maeribeth nodded gravely. "She did indeed!" she confirmed, "And I must have a serious talk with Princess Rei!" She turned to the one Senshi who had remained silent. "Ami, do you know where she is right now?" Maeribeth asked. "She's in the Inner Gardens at the moment," Ami replied softly, "Do you think you can help her?" "I'm certainly going to try!" Maeribeth returned, "You three, guard the three outer doors into the Gardens to see I'm not disturbed. Serenity can take the door in the Throne Room. Now, let's get to it." With Maeribeth in the lead, they all left the Grounds. Maeribeth studied Rei carefully from the bushes. she thought, She stepped from the bushes and walked up to the bench Rei was sitting on. She sat next to Rei, who didn't even look up. They sat in silence for a moment before Maeribeth decided to break it. "Would you like to talk about it?" she asked softly. When Rei finally looked up, her haunted eyes were filled with tears. "Do you know what I've done?" she answered with a sob, "I've hurt her. Because of me, she doesn't smile or laugh anymore! I've crushed the joy out of her!" The floodgates opened and tears streamed down her cheeks as she heaped abuse on herself for what she had done to a friend she loved more than her own life. Maeribeth thought as she listened with horror to Rei pouring out her self-hatred, "I'd like to join you in the flogging you're giving to yourself," she said harshly, "But I left my whip back in the Kin Caverns!" Rei stopped in the middle of her ranting and turned slowly to look at Maeribeth in disbelief. She was so distracted by the feigned contempt in Maeribeth's silver eyes, that she never noticed the love and sorrow behind it. Rei's face crumpled and she lowered her head to her hands. "How could y-you, of all people, b-be so c-cruel to m-me?" she sobbed in despair. Maeribeth sighed in relief. NOW Rei was ready to listen to her. She reached over and took Rei's unresisting form in gentle arms. She stroked her long black hair soothingly as Rei sobbed into her shoulder. "I'm NOT being cruel to you, Hatchling," Maeribeth crooned in a voice filled with love, "YOU are being cruel to yourself. Have you ever considered that you are doing all this damage to yourself for NOTHING?" "You call my best friend hating me NOTHING?!" Rei choked. Maeribeth sighed in exasperation. "How do you KNOW she hates you?" she demanded, "Is she avoiding you?" Rei shook her head without lifting it from Maeribeth's comforting shoulder. "No," she whispered, "It's all I can do to avoid HER!" "Why?" Maeribeth asked in surprise. "Because I didn't want to see the results of my harsh words to her," Rei whispered with a choked sob, "I didn't want to see my friend with the joy crushed out of her. The few times I did see her, she was harsh and insulting." Maeribeth laid her cheek against Rei's dark head and sighed. "Oh Hatchling," she said gently, "She was only being THAT way in order to make you lose your temper. She loves you VERY much and that was simply her way to try and get the OLD Rei back." "Are....are you sure?" Rei questioned hopefully as she lifted her head from Maeribeth's shoulder. "Very," she replied firmly, "You are the second one today to get my shoulder wet. Serenity needed comforting only a short time ago. She cried all over me because of her worry about you!" Rei shook her head in disbelief. "She was worried about ME?!" Maeribeth gave a firm nod. "Desperately so!" she confirmed. <> she mindsent. <> he replied startled. <> <> Rei looked up when she heard a light step on the path. It was Serenity. Rei gasped but before she could bolt, those beloved blue eyes met hers. Instead of the hate Rei expected to see, her large blue eyes were filled with love for a dear friend and worry because of what that beloved friend was doing to herself. At seeing this, something inside Rei shattered and she rushed to Serenity with her arms outstretched. Their arms went around each other as they cried on each other's shoulders. Maeribeth walked over to the two weeping Princesses and placed an affectionate hand on each head. "Hatchlings," she said with gentle affection, "Heated words should NEVER be allowed to stand unapologized for. And Rei, remember from this, that NOTHING can dampen Serenity's joy in life BUT the pain of a friend. Remember THAT, and this will never happen again." Rei looked up at her and nodded. "I'm sorry, Serenity!" Rei apologized softly, "I'm sorry for what I said, and more, the way I said it." Serenity hugged her again. Though she was five years younger than the Senshi, she loved them all dearly. They were her Court, and her dearest friends. "I'm sorry too," Serenity returned, "I should never have said what I did 'cause I didn't mean it. I know my faults and I know I need a push sometimes. You love me enough to provide it when I need it. Don't change, please!" Rei smiled for the first time since that terrible argument and took her friend by the hand. "C'mon," she suggested, "Let's go to the Training Ground. I haven't used my powers for weeks, and they're getting rusty!" "Oh! Goody!" Serenity laughed joyfully, "I love watching you use your fire!" Rei thought as the last of her guilt left her at Serenity's joyful laugh. She laughed as well and led her friend from the Garden. Maeribeth watched silently as the two laughing girls left hand in hand and smiled. she thought in relief, She looked up at the stars with a tear in her eye. "You would be proud of them, Beloved," she said sadly, "I know I am!" The End (for now)