After Natalie had finished braiding his hair, Edward grabbed a sandwich and they both made their way up to Serenity’s chambers.
Natalie knocked on the door. “Queen?”
“Come in,” she called to them. When Natalie pushed the door open, Serenity was sitting a beautiful antique vanity. She motioned to someone just out of sight to come forward. It was Endymion. “Edward, I’d like you to go with King Endymion.”
“But…” he said looking at Natalie.
“It’s alright Ed,” she said chuckling a bit. “The King won’t bite; at least I don’t think he will.”
Serenity couldn’t help but to laugh a bit at Natalie’s comment. “Indeed. Rest assured Edward, you’ll be back before you know it. There are just a few things that need to be discussed and Endymion is more qualified to talk to you than I am.”
“This isn’t going to be some sort of ‘Birds and Bees’ discussion is it?” Edward asked.
Natalie put her hand to her forehead exasperated. “You’re hopeless Ed, I swear. Just go, OK?”
Edward sighed and followed Endymion out of the room, into the next. Endymion closed the door behind them.
Natalie then looked at Serenity. “I want to thank you Queen, for everything… I…”
Serenity shook her head and sighed, her face stern, bordering on disappointed. “You don’t have to thank me Natalie but I have to admit I was very surprised to see you come here with him after I told you that removing people from their world was taboo. How did this happen?”
Natalie took a deep breath. “I didn’t take him on purpose, I was leaving his world and he jumped into the portal with me. I told you that much the other day.”
“But how did he know about your secret to begin with?”
Natalie blushed, embarrassed. “He overheard me talking to myself. I thought I had been alone but evidently I wasn’t. I admit I let him know the rest after that because I…”
Serenity’s face softened and she smiled. “It’s alright, I understand. We can’t always control the particulars of how our hearts work and who we fall in love with. I can’t say that I’m exactly innocent when it comes to letting my secret out. I just had to make sure you felt that little twinge that I felt when Luna found out that someone knew my secret.”
Natalie chuckled. “Wasn’t Tuxedo Mask, I mean, Endymion, the first one to figure your secret out?”
“That he was. That was even before we knew about our past lives. Destiny is what it is, we can try to fight it but in the end it’s not likely that we can win against it. Most of the time though, it’s alright to lose to destiny, we just don’t exactly want to see it. But that being said, if you’re going to do this and I can tell from the look in your eyes whenever he’s around I know you are, there are a few other things I think I should tell you.”
Natalie nodded. “Alright.”
“First, since he’s been exposed to the crystal, he’ll have the healing abilities you do, at least for awhile. Over time the effects will fade if he doesn’t return here.”
“Is there any way for him to keep it without coming back here? I mean it’s not like we never will come back here, it just may be a longer time this time before we come back.”
Serenity took a deep breath and thought about the best way to put this. “There is a way, yes. It would also grant him the same life span that we have but…”
“But?”
“Well, let’s just say it would mean that you’d have to be completely sure about how you feel about him…”
Natalie thought about it for a minute then blushed so red she would have matched Mars’ sailor suit perfectly. “You mean we’d have to…”
Serenity nodded. “I’m sure you probably know that it was only after Endymion and I were married that he gained the Silver Millennium life span. The same applies to the sailor scout guardians as well.”
“And you’re not referring to the actual wedding ceremony are you?”
Serenity shook her head. “No, I’m not. That’s why it’s not something that should be taken lightly and why I said you best be completely sure how you feel about him before doing this.”
It had been a ‘birds and bees’ thing after all but not in the way she thought Edward had thought it would be. “So I’m guessing the reason you had Ed go with Endymion was because he’s having a conversation pretty similar to this too?”
Serenity nodded. “And I didn’t think it would be a good idea to have this conversation with the both of you together. It isn’t exactly a topic for polite conversation.”
Natalie chuckled. “I understand. I just hope Ed hasn’t flipped out on Endymion. I don’t think this sort of thing is something that’s easy for him to talk about; it’s not really easy for anyone to talk about actually, but then to have to talk about it with someone who’s a stranger, I can see that being hard. Plus Ed isn’t your typical guy, he’s not a pervert for lack of a better way of putting it.” Natalie couldn’t help but to laugh at what she’d just said. Serenity laughed as well.
“He’s a good man, that’s true. He was willing to give his life to protect someone dear to him without thinking twice about it. There are truly very few in this world or any other that would be willing to do something like that.”
Natalie smiled, biting at her lower lip a bit. “Yeah, I know.”
Endymion poked his head out from the other room. “Are you ladies finished?”
Serenity looked at Natalie. “I had nothing else that required you alone but if you had any other concerns…”
Natalie shook her head. “No I think I’m all set.”
“Thank goodness,” Endymion said as he opened the door all the way. He looked clearly exasperated.
Edward just walked by him and went to stand next to Natalie.
“Ed, what did you do?” she asked him.
“Nothing…” he said, the look on his face very much like a child’s who’d just been made to do something for his own good but he didn’t like it.
Endymion came to join Serenity. “He has quite a temper…”
Natalie couldn’t help but to laugh. “Somehow I just KNEW you were going to cause King Endymion trouble,” she said as she lightly punched his arm making a playfully annoyed face at him.
“Yeah well, he was talking to me about stuff and asking me about stuff that was none of his business,” Edward said keeping that defiant look on his face.
Natalie got up and went over to Endymion, bowing her head slightly. “I’m sorry he was such a hand full for you.”
He put his hand on Natalie’s shoulder. “Don’t give it another thought. It just served to prove that he is a young man of good character, even if he can’t hold his temper,” he replied with a laugh.
Natalie turned and looked at Edward smiling. Serenity had said something similar to her. It was good to know that she wasn’t the only one that saw this in him.
“Hey wait,” Natalie said.
“What is it?” Serenity asked.
“Why can Ed understand you guys? He doesn’t have one of these,” she said as she pulled the necklace out of her shirt. “And he doesn’t ‘have it in his DNA’ like I do.”
“He does now actually, at least as long as he is here. It was one of the other things we did after we became the rulers here. It would be very difficult to have a peaceful world if we all spoke different languages.”
“Oh, but what’s he supposed to do when we leave here?”
Serenity shrugged. “That I could not tell you. We don’t have any objects like that necklace here; if we did I would have given it to you before you left. You’d either have to go back to where you got that necklace or find someone else who can provide you with something like that.”
Natalie made a face. She really didn’t want to go back and see Yuko so that meant getting one somewhere else. They’d have to make do until they could find it.
“What is that anyway?” Edward asked. “I noticed you were wearing it when you showed up in Resembool. I have to admit it freaked me out a little especially after I found out about your secret. If it had glowed…”
She held up the red stone. “Yeah, you thought my healing was because I was a homunculus and I’m guessing you thought this might have been a philosopher’s stone?” she asked with a smirk. “Quickly proved you wrong too didn’t I?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said then stuck his tongue out at her. “So anyway, what does that thing really do?”
“It’s a universal translator, that’s the best way I can describe it. It allows me to understand anyone anywhere when they speak and it allows them to understand me. I just have to figure out a way to get you one now that you’re going to be with me all the time because it only works if you’re wearing it.”
“Then we should probably get on that next huh?”
Natalie smiled. “Yeah, we should. But I think we need a little fun too. I have a good place to head off to next if you’re up to it.”
Edward smirked at her. “You bet I am.”
Serenity and Endymion couldn’t help but chuckle watching them like proud parents seeing their children happy. “You two be careful from now on alright. You can always come back here if you need us but we’d rather see you here for a friendly visit instead of...”
“Damage control?” Natalie interrupted with a laugh.
Serenity laughed. “Exactly.”
“Thank you Queen,” she said.
Edward nodded. “I can’t thank you enough. I’d be dead now if it weren’t for your help.”
Serenity shook her head. “Don’t mention it. Oh but Natalie, I think you best say good-bye to Jupiter before you two leave. She won’t be happy with you if just vanish without seeing her.”
“Oh I learned my lesson about trying to leave without saying good-bye to people already,” she said with a smirk as she looked at Edward. “I’ll go see her and then we’ll be off.”
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