"Set me as a seal upon thy heart,
as a seal upon thine arm:
for love is strong as death."
-The Bible

"Love is the child of illusion and the parent of disillusion."
-Miguel de Unamuno

"The course of true love never did run smooth."
-Shakespeare





"Torn"
An Usagi and Mamoru Love Story
By Twilight Breeze
twilightbreeze@netscape.net
                             


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	Surrounded by fog in a misty dreamworld, Princess Serenity blindly
felt her way through the mess, knowing she must reach... something...  
	What was she trying to reach?
	She didn't even know herself.   
	Was it a place?  A Goal?  A Person?
	Her torn gown was ruined from the struggle to find this goal; torn
from the adversities and obsticles that could not be avoided.  She knew that
whatever she was trying to reach was important, so she would not give up.
	Before she could even stop to catch her breath, the fog slightly 
cleared.  As she looked behind herself, she could see the dirty path she had 
been struggling on this whole trek.  As she familiarized with her 
surroundings, a fork in the road appeared.  There were only two paths she 
could choose betwen, and she knew that one held her mysterious goal.  On the 
path to the right stood Prince Kurt, her love of seven months, with his arm 
extended out, awaiting her arrival.  He smiled and encouraged her to come to 
him.  Could he be what she has been searching for?   
	Finally able to recognize someone in this strange world, she walked 
over to him and hooked her arm around his.  Kurt smiled down at her again,
and lead her walking down the smooth durt path in silence.  But after they
had walked down the path a ways, his form began to fade slightly.  He looked
like he was thinking deeply, and un aware that she was frowning.  Serenity 
became bored and un-hooked her arm from his.  He didn't even notice as
she turned around and headed the other direction.  The path Kurt walked
on was a dead end to her.
	Serena looked to the other path, which was foggyer and darker than
the one she was on now.  A dark figure stood the same as Prince Kurt, with
it's arm extended out waiting for her.  But it was so dark.  She didn't
know what that path led to, and she wasn't sure it was worth the risk to
find out.
	She did not know what to do.  Should she stay with the familiar, or 
adventure out to something new?   With adventure and excitement leading
her decisions, she went to the dark form and hooked her arm around it's,
and began to walk down the path with it.  Suddenly, the path slightly 
cleared, and she realized the path had many bumps and ditches coming up
ahead.  It looked rough, definetly not as smooth as the path Prince Kurt
walked on.  But far ahead, after the rough terrain, laid a large castle
sparkling with bright light.  
	Barriers and adversities laid ahead of her here with the dark figure,
and smooth riding laid ahead of here there with Prince Kurt.  
	Which way should she go?

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	After weeks and weeks of arranging things and hard work, the big ball
was finally here.  People in high places from all over the solar systam 
were coming to the Moon Kingdom to celebrate 200 years of alliance and 
peace.  Serena's mother, Queen Serenity, had been a nervous wreck the whole
time, since she was in charge (in other words, at fault) for everything that
happened at the ball.  It was held in her kingdom, which was a great honor,
but a great burdon.  Princess Serenity, or Serena by her friends and family,
had tried to help her mother, but what she could do was limited.
	The humungus ball room was decorated wonderfully for the occasion 
with flowers, ribbons, boquets, and the finest silverware and china the
Moon had to offer.  The colors were hand picked by the Queen herself,
each napkin and table cloth made of the finest silk from Pluto.  She was
carefull to place each flag of the planets and moons of the Solar Systam
in the main entrance, welcoming the guests with shared patriotism.
	
	The ball was to be held at 8:00 pm that evening, and it was 
alredy 7:35!  The servants and maids were all ready in place by 7:30, as
well as the Queen.  Dressed in a marvelous light lavender silk gown, the
Queen had her silver hair in the ancient odango style of the Moon Kingdom
family, with lavender flowers braided around the buns.  She looked simply
marvelous.
	
	Everything was ready, except for one person:  Serena.
	
	Sitting at her dresser in her bedroom, she quietly hummed to 
herslef as she gently put the last finishing touches of hair spray in her 
golden buns of hair.  Like her mother, she wore the ancient Odango 
hairstyle, symbolizing her birthright of the throne of the MoonKingdom.
But along with the odangos, she had small strands of hair curled at the
ends framing her face and ears.  On her ears and neck rested very expensive
white diamonds that her father had given her years before his death.  She
always wore them to the royal balls she attended.  

	As Serena glanced in the large mirror one more time, Prince Kurt
was admitted through her bedroom door.