When Venus told them that they were going to come with Kunzite and himself to look for the Prince and Princess, he nodded in agreement. Perhaps more eyes would be better. It was only when Zoisite made a move towards the door leading to the wing that he noticed he was still holding Mercury's hand in his.
 
"I uhmmm," he said, blushing furiously.  "Sorry about that." He let go of her hand, rubbing the back of his head. He wondered if anyone else had noticed.  What did Mercury think of him now?
 
 
“Is there anything your Princess would have be interested in seeing? It may give us a clue as to where the Prince may have taken her,” he asked, turning to address Venus as well.

“Jadeite, you two,” Nephrite said, indicating Mars, “search the gazebo while the Lady Emerald and I will search the west end of the gardens?” It was good that the Lunarian women had come with them, the gardens were huge and there were so many spots the two love birds could be hiding. Having more eyes would be welcome.
 
“I do apologize for having to leave you so abruptly,” Nephrite said, facing Jupiter. “It was incredibly rude of me, but my worry for the Prince’s safety overrode any manners I should have had.” He was raised better and thinking back of his actions tonight he was slight embarrassed about how he had been acting. Yes, he was worried about the Prince and the consequences if they had been found, but that was no excuse for how he had treated Lady Emerald.

Jupiter listened as Nephrite spoke. She looked up at him, her eyes wide in surprise, true she may have been disappointed that they didn't dance, but the safety of the Prince and Princess were the most important matter at the moment. She met his gaze as she spoke, "I understand, I can't believe I took my gaze off of them, I was so irresponsible, but sitting here and feeling sad does no one any good, shall we go search for them....together?" She asked, she wanted to spend as much time with him as possible before going back, wanted to try and find out more about him, and hey if she could do it while they searched for the Prince and Princess it could be a win win situation.

She asked him a bit curious, if he was as sneaky as Serenity, "I must ask, if you do not mind, but does your Prince sneak off often or is he easier to keep track of, I am afraid to admit, Lady Selene is quite sneaky and likes very much to play games of what she likes to call hide and seek, except sometimes, she just hides without any notice, maybe it helps keep me on my toes, but its frustrating and frightening when I can't find her, so I hope we find them both soon."

Mercury had barely realized that Zoisite was still holding her hand at all until he took it away again. After feeling a split second of sadness for its departure, she reddened as well. Where did that come from? His hand was surprisingly comfortable though, slightly bigger than her own, and not as calloused as she thought they would be. She looked away from him before her mind could run away from the current problem any further than it already had.

"I- it's okay..." she said, embarrassed as well. Now where would Serenity want to go? She liked beauty, so looking at the gardens would appeal to her. But that might be too far int he open for her taste. "Maybe an area with a good view of the landscape?" Mercury suggested.

Mars could have punched herself for getting so worried all of a sudden. She ruined the whole evening. Just as they started to get to know each other she stopped their conversation.
But at the same time she realized that she hadn’t another choice – her princess was gone. Mars totally forgot about her duty to protect her. Dang it, Mars! Is there anything you can do properly?
 
Reflecting what to do next, Mars suddenly noticed him jumping up and running towards the palace. Quickly she stood up and followed him. Suddenly he didn’t seem to care about her at all. Of course, Mars could understand it – Endymion was the highest priority for him and the other knights – however she felt somewhat sad that he got so unapproachable towards her.
 
Just as she entered the palace Jadeite and the brown-haired man left it again and walked towards the gardens. He didn’t even deign to look at her. Sadly she looked down, disappointed how everything had changed.
But then she heard Venus ordering her and Jupiter to follow them. Mars nodded, made a U-turn and walked back to the gardens. “Let’s go,” she said to Jupiter, slowly starting to walk faster.
 
Soon they were next to the knights and walked along with them. We have to find Serenity, Mars slowly realized. Immediately. The long conversation with Jadeite really distracted her, distracted her from fulfilling her duty. And she already regretted it. What if they wouldn’t find her? What if they had to tell the Queen they lost her on Earth? How could Mars ever forgive herself?
Mars was so worried that she didn’t even understand Nephrite’s order to split up. Only when they suddenly went in different directions Mars knew what was going on. In less than a second Mars was back at Jadeite’s side.
 
“I’m sorry for all this,” she eventually said. “I shouldn’t have distracted you.” I shouldn’t have distracted myself either, she thought. “It was fun though,” she added at the end, a slight smile appearing on her face.

When Nephrite spoke, Jadeite turned and saw the two ladies. He assumed that either Venus or Kunzite ordered them to search in the gardens as well. He glanced back at Nephrite and just nodded his head. In reality it was probably better if more people searched this area. The gardens were huge and one can easily hide themselves. He took a deep breath to cool himself down. It was pointless to be angry. 

"This way," he spoke to Mars and the two headed toward the gazebo. It was quiet for a bit until Mars finally spoke up. He frowned at her apology. They were both at fault here. He should have never suggested showing her the gardens. They should have stayed in the ballroom. Then again wouldn't this situation still occurred even if they kept to their duties? Kunzite was probably there and Endymion vanished. So who was really at fault? 

He glanced at her and saw her small smile. She was really beating herself up over this. It bothered him to see her that way. Jadeite then realized he just left her side in the rose gardens. That probably hurt her. Jadeite looked forward saw the gazebo in view. There was still time to make things right.

"You shouldn't be blaming yourself," he spoke up. "We both distracted each other tonight. If anyone should be apologizing it should be me. I just left you like that in the rose gardens. Endymion was on my mind, but it's no excuse." He then looked at her and returned her smile. "I had fun as well. It would be nice if we could do it again." 

They then arrived at their destination. There was no signs of their missing people. "Blast it. They have to be around here somewhere." He looked at her with confidence. "I'm sure they're safe."

Nephrite couldn’t help but laugh when Jupiter asked him if the Prince was sneaky. Apparently they had much more in common than he originally thought if her Princess was like his Prince.
 
“He occasionally sneaks off when he gets bored of his duties. Usually one of us can tell when he’s getting antsy and are able to follow him and keep him from getting into too much trouble,” he admitted as they walked in the garden, his eyes roaming over everything in sight looking for the missing royal couple. Surely when they found the Prince he would get one of Kunzite’s famous lectures for what he was putting them through tonight. He knew better than this.
 
“I don’t see them anywhere, do you?”

Zoisite paused for a moment as he thought. Several ideas crossed his mind, but he dismissed them on the basis of being too out in the open. They had been on the balcony closest to the ballroom. However, there was one more that was close by.
 
“There is another balcony off the library, facing another part of the garden. Your Princess seemed fascinated with plant life on Earth, so perhaps he took her there. What do you think Kunzite?” It was far enough away from the ballroom to ensure some privacy and still maintain a good view of the gardens. It was worth a shot and if they weren’t there, they would have to search the entire castle.

His words were like the final push she needed. Slowly, Serenity lifted her head and met Endymion's eyes. There they were - the pools of courage and compassion that Serenity loved so much. She blinked, and suddenly their noses were almost touching. Her mind had completely shut off, giving her heart control of her body. Serenity was on her toes now, one arm slowly wrapping itself around the prince's neck. 

He could push her away. He could reject her, telling her it was too soon. There were so many ways this could go wrong, but Serenity didn't care. His eyes told her that everything would be okay, and she believed him. 

And so her lips met his, and Serenity knew he was the one.

Her eyes were on his and he knew instantly that he was hers, for as long as she wanted him and time beyond that. Her hand slipped up to his neck, her lips rose to meet his, and he quickly closed the gap between them, taking a small step forward. His hands fell naturally to her hips just as their lips touched, and at that point the rest of the world fell away. His mind emptied of all but her - the smell of her light perfume, the feel of her body's warmth through her dress, the touch of her lips against his... the longer the kiss lasted, the harder it was to stop. He didn't want to let her go. He wanted to make her smile, he wanted to protect her, he wanted to laugh with her, to grow with her. He never wanted to let her go. He loved her.

He was in love with her.

With that realization, his quick-beating heart slowed to a snail's pace. He pulled back, looking deep into her sky-blue eyes as the realization hit him again. He was in love with her. Tenderly, wonderingly, he lifted his hand to trace the line of her cheek with his thumb, then leaned in to kiss her again, holding her face gently, his other hand moving to the small of her back. He loved her, and he never wanted to let her go... but soon she would have to leave. The notion restarted his heart, and his mind began working in overtime. What could he do to allow her to stay? He could be honest - introduce her to his parents, in confidence tell them her identity, but what would happen if they overreacted? Nothing good, especially with no political people from her court here to mediate on the Moon's behalf; and if her people were expecting her back, there may be no option but for her to leave, and soon.

He didn't want that. He wanted more time with her! Why was midnight so special? Why could they only spend so few hours together?

Their friends could notice their absence from the ball and chance upon them at any second; he didn't have much time. He pulled back away from her, and without much thought at all beyond gaining more time with her, he suggested, almost with a hint of desperation, "Let's go see the ocean." He turned, looking at the faint, dark smudge far on the horizon, his hands moving to take hers. He had never run away in his entire life, but if it meant more time with her...

OOC:

Kunzite nodded at Zoisite's suggestion, glancing at Venus to see what she thought. "Now that I think about it, I could see Endymion taking her to a balcony of some sort. But there are multiple balconies in this palace. I suggest we each take half. Zoisite, you know where they are, I assume. Lady Venus, if you would follow me."

Kunzite motioned for Venus to follow him, heading towards the north staircase. "I am deeply sorry for all of this," he said, looking at the blonde beauty. "We will find your princess, you have my word on that."

"A balcony sounds likely..." Mercury said. Especially a secluded one with a garden view. That sounded romantic enough for Serenity's taste, almost like a storybook's setting. Kunzite seemed to believe Zoisite's logic, and he and Venus split off from them to search more efficiently. She just hoped that one of the groups spotted their Prince and Princess before it got too late. The Shitennou weren't on a time limit, but the Senshi were...

Now alone with Zoisite, she looked at him for guidance around the castle. 

"I'll follow your lead," she said, smiling at him. A day ago, she would have been far more tense at being left alone with a near stranger from Earth, but after their night together, she found that he had gained a sort of trust in him.

Venus barely noticed the flustered exchange going on beside her; her mind was too focused on Serenity and where she could be. She tried to tell herself the princess was okay—certainly Endymion wouldn’t let anything happen to her, the lovebirds probably just slipped away to get some alone time. But she still couldn’t shake the anxiety she felt. She listened to the questions and answers, thinking about what Serenity would love most to see. The earth’s scenery for sure, that was what she had always loved.

“Yes, something facing the garden or the rest of the kingdom perhaps,” she said, distracted by her worries. As Kunzite suggested they split up, she followed him half blindly, just hoping Serenity would turn up soon. In the meantime, she hadn’t stopped blaming herself for one minute. How could she have let her guard down like that and dared to enjoy the night? Dared to dream about romance of all things, and peace, and all that other nonsense? They were nothing but a fool’s dream and she should have known better.

She glanced at Kunzite, wishing she could believe him, but he had no way of fulfilling that promise. Some things were just outside of their control. “We shouldn’t have been so reckless,” she whispered, more to herself than to him. “What if in search of our own happiness, we end up endangering the lives of those who should come first for us? We cannot be true guardians and protectors when we have our own selfish desires in the way.”

And maybe that wasn’t the case tonight, but if they continued down this path, it would happen inevitably.

She followed him into balconies after balconies, each time unable to see or properly appreciate the scenery. Not when each time she found them empty, her heart plummeted deeper into her stomach. When they were about to run out of balconies, she followed him step into another one and found two figures, silhouetted by the moon in the sky, their heads bowed together toward each other.

Venus stopped short, several emotions hitting her all at once. Surprise, then recognition, then relief... and yet the worry remained, seeing how close they were.

“Princess,” she chided softly, hating to break the moment but finding herself with no other option. They had been gone from the moon long enough under a false pretense. “It’s past midnight. We need to go home.”

She chose not to scold Serenity right there for slipping away, but the glint in her eye promised that the lecture was incoming as soon as they were alone.

They had searched all the balconies and a few of the other places Zoisite thought the Prince may have taken the Princess but to no avail. He was beginning to feel frustrated with the entire situation. How could he have been so stupid, taking his attention off the Prince like that, especially when he knew how enamored the Prince was with the lunarian Princess. 

"Come, we should find Kunzite and Venus, perhaps they've had better luck than we have." Together they headed back the way they came. Despite the current situation, Zoisite found himself unable to regret the time that he spent with Mercury. He found himself trusting her after only knowing her for a few hours. She was intelligent, witty, and in his opinion very beautiful. His only real regret of the evening was that he couldn't spend more time talking with her. He had a feeling, if given the opportunity, could have the type of deep intellectual discussions he often craved. 

"Do you..." he paused for a moment, unsure of how to word what he was feeling. "Do you wish sometimes that our lives were different? That we were free to pursue what and who we liked?" 

OOC:

As they searched balcony after balcony, Mercury and Zoisite found nothing. She tried her best to stay calm, but on the inside she was slowly losing her composure. What if the Queen was looking for the senshi right now, and they were nowhere to be found because they were all still on Earth? They all should have paid more attention... Mercury nodded at Zoisite and followed him back to the hall. 

"Different?" she asked. Different as in not being Sailor Mercury, or even a princess? To be honest, the thought seldom came to her. She was mostly satisfied with her life. But tonight, that had changed to a degree. Being free of her duties would allow her to learn and explore to her heart's content, something that she craved even more after seeing and hearing about Earth from Zoisite. 

"I do, sometimes..." Mercury admitted. But they couldn't change their destinies, right?

Mars felt relieved and somewhat happy when Jadeite apologized for leaving her side. So he did care about her. How – just how – could she cast doubt on it?
“It’s alright,” she said, flashing a friendly smile. “I can understand. After all it’s your duty to protect him.”
 
However, her smile faded away as he said he wanted to do it again. They had to face the bitter truth: They couldn’t do it again. They probably would never meet again. She had to leave in a few minutes. And then she would be gone...forever.
 
The empty gazebo made her feel even more disappointed. No princess, no prince. Mars didn’t know him for long but despite his cool acting she could sense Jadeite’s tension.
“Maybe the others found them. Let’s go back,” she said, taking his hand and moving forward.

OOC:

Jupiter was shocked to see Nephrite laugh, it was so sudden, but it was quite a nice laugh, she had seen something no doubt not many had seen. If he was anything like the men on the moon, who rarely smiled, she was truly happy to see such a gesture. She pulled herself away from getting lost in his laugh and focused again on the situation at hand. 

"It's the same way for Selene and myself, plus her other guardians, I sometimes  wonder if she disappears on purpose." Jupiter said as she continued to walk with him.

When he asked if she saw them anywhere, Jupiter took a moment to look around and take in her surrounding area and did not see the prince or princess anywhere. "I do not see them, do you think someone else found them, should we maybe make our way back to the ballroom just to check if they might have gone back that way?" She asked hoping they would find the princess and the prince soon.

Jadeite felt Mars's hand slip into his hand. It felt so warm and gentle. It was hard to believe this woman was a warrior. Mars was known for warriors correct? He allowed her to take the lead back to the palace. Every part of him wanted to steer them off course, but reality was sneaking in. They were guardians and swore their lives to protect someone. Normal things like love were trivial now.

As they walked Jadeite noticed figures on the balcony near by. He stopped and was able to make them out. It was Endymion and Serenity and it looked like Venus and Kunzite was with them. He sighed in relief. "There they are." He pointed them out to Mars. "I can take us there." He squeeze her hand and led them to the balcony.

OOC:

The more they approached Venus and Kunzite the sadder she got. These would be their last minutes, their last moments,  together. They would never meet again and it cut her to the quick.

Slowly Mars stopped walking until she eventually stood there, just before the balcony. "There won't be enough time to take farewell once we arrived there," she said, staring to the balcony, then turning around to Jadeite. She was crestfallen. She didn't want to leave. There was still so much to explore...about the Earth and about him.

"Today was one of the best days in my life - and all this only thanks to you. I hope - as improbable as it is - that we can do that again," she said, a beatific smile on her face. Losing her princess on a foreign planet made this day to one of the most stressful days as well but nonetheless she wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world.
She slowly raised herself on tiptoes, closed her eyes and eventually gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Mars felt delighted. At least she was able to take a proper farewell to Jadeite before they would left. With a faint smile she continued her walk towards the balcony until they finally arrived. The time had come.

Quote :

With some hesitation, the senshi and the shitennou part, Endymion and Serenity's being the hardest of them all. They say their goodbyes, their hearts warring between hope and guilt, happiness and regret, wondering if there could ever be a future where they may be happy without consequences.

The girls teleport back to the moon after a quick goodbye, and they arrive safe and sound. Nobody on the moon suspects a thing. But unbeknownst to them, someone on earth did see those strange girls and has begun wondering...