*I do not own Sailormoon. Some companies and Naoko Takeuchi own it. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Author's Notes: Okay, this Fic is about Princess Kakyuu and Seiya. It's manga based, and takes place before the destruction of Kinmokusei. I got the inspiration to write this story, from the lyrics to a song (below) The song just made me think of them. It's called "For All We Know", and it's sung by Michael Crawford. This is NOT a songfic though. I just felt like including the lyrics because it kind of goes with Seiya and Kakyuu's conversation. Seiya is a woman in this story, so if you have any qualms about two women who are deeply in love kissing and hugging then this story is not for you. I do hope those of you who read this enjoy it though. Thanks. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- "For All We Know." Story by: Isabella T. Song by: Michael Crawford Rated: PG-13 --- For all we know we may never meet again before you go make this moment sweet again we won't say goodbye until the last minute I'll hold out my hand and my heart will be in it For all we know this may only be a dream we come and go like a ripple on a stream so love me tonight tomorrow was made for some tomorrow may never come for all we know - Michael Crawford --------------------- Warm, peaceful and tranquil light from the noon sun of the Kinmoku star filtered through the thick and leafy branches of an ancient tree. The fragrant scent of olives was diffused throughout the air along with the delicate white petals that had been blown off of the olive trees by a strong gust of cool wind. Sunlight glinted off of the shiny blades of new green grass that blanketed the warm ground. Across the field, resting amidst a haze of green, just before the edge of the heavens kissed the carefully cultured land, stood the Imperial Palace of Kinmokusei. Blended in by shades of blue and the gleaming sunlight with the cloudless blue blanket of the sky. A slight breeze rustled through the low grass, and stirred the leaves of the shady tree. A young woman no younger than sixteen years sat gracefully upon a marble bench, her hands were folded neatly on her lap as she watched the white clouds of blooms drift above the green fields. Her pale skin and fine features were exquisite, her cranberry hued eyes were bright and lustrous. Her crimson hair was held in two loops at the back of her head, held in place by pins invisible to the naked eye. A pair of thick trails of crimson hair strands hung down freely to her knees, from the twin loops atop her head. Her bangs curled against her forehead, and parted across the middle to display an olive blossom symbol, shining gold upon her brow. She was lost in her thoughts, she had no room for reality in her mind. Nothing really mattered. Everything passed through the hole, opened long ago in the middle of her heart. It got bigger every day. "You’re being distant. I don’t like it." she heard a woman's voice say from behind of her. Her lover's voice. She didn't respond and after a moment she felt someone's hands brush over her own and she glanced at her lover just in time to watch her kneel down before her. She just stared at her lover's face, she was beautiful with her blue eyes and flowing black hair, charming smile, and striking good looks. Her long dark hair which was her pride was pulled back in to a low ponytail. Her dark bangs fell over her smooth pale forehead in curls. Princess Kakyuu wanted to touch her, just once more, but she didn't of course. She couldn't. "I have to concentrate on me and my life, Seiya." Kakyuu's words were the equivalent of a slap in the face to Seiya, she silently cursed the fates for torturing her with her love for her princess. The one person she couldn't . . . shouldn't have. "In that place where you’re concentrating on being real and centered on you, have you left a place for me?" Seiya questioned, her tone soft even though the anger in her voice was detectable. "That’s not a fair question." Kakyuu sighed, averting her eyes. "There was a time when you wouldn’t have hesitated to say “yes”. Now it’s a chore just to get you to say hello. That’s what’s not fair." Seiya retorted, watching as her love was swept away like sand through her fingers and it was just her luck there wasn't enough of it for them to get lost in together. "I have someone." Kakyuu said placidly, despite the ache in her heart. She had to be the strong one. She had to end things, although she wanted nothing more then for Seiya to hold her. "He’s wonderful and he treats me well and I’m happy." she lied. "I’m happy for you, although I already knew." Seiya replied, almost bitterly. Almost. "Really. If anyone deserves it, it’s you, but you’ve had me long before any of this. Before him. What about what I deserve?" "You deserve better than this." Kakyuu murmured, solemnly. "What happened to us?" Seiya whispered after a long moment, quickly losing her resolve. "What happened to you? I feel like I don’t even know you anymore and that scares me." "I don’t know." Kakyuu stated indifferently, as if Seiya had just asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. Seiya stared at her and wondered how someone could be inches away from her, yet seem so far away. She couldn't reach her anymore. "You showed me a passion I never knew existed." Seiya whispered to Kakyuu's self-deafened heart. A heart that at one time, saw through to her soul and held her up and gave her wings to be whom ever she wanted to be. At one time Seiya truly believed she could do it all too. . .simply because Kakyuu believed in her. "That has to count for something. Doesn’t it?" "We’ll never be together." Kakyuu whispered, almost imperceptibly. Seiya almost didn’t hear her and maybe, just maybe that’s what she had intended. "We’ll be together. Maybe not now or tomorrow or next year. There’s this thing inside of me that keeps me believing and I really can’t explain it. I don’t think I want to try." Seiya said, swallowing down her tears like poison. She continued to watch as Kakyuu slipped away and the harder she tried to reach her, the further away she seemed. “I don’t think or wonder or wish. I know. You get that, don’t you? You have to get it. You’re the only one who ever has." Seiya murmured, with a desperation in her voice she didn’t know she could achieve. It was as if her entire life hinged on what Kakyuu was about to say. . .or not. "We’ll never be together." Kakyuu repeated, uncertainly. "I shouldn’t love you," she said quietly. "It’s just not logical." "There is no logic in love." Seiya retorted, her voice thick with emotion. She was surprised to note, that she could barely recognize her own voice. "You stopped believing in me. In us." she whispered. "I’m sorry I stopped believing." she heard Kakyuu concede. "You’re lucky," Seiya said through the tears that were fighting their hardest to stay suspended in her eyes. They didn’t fight hard enough and apparently neither did she. "You’re lucky because I never will." Kakyuu’s eyes flashed in a glint of pain that faded to mirror her companion’s misery, as she heard Seiya's voice waver. She knew Seiya was crying now and she couldn't bring herself to even look at her. Unexpectedly, she felt the press of soft hands on her bare shoulders. She looked up at Seiya, who was still beside of her, holding her, staring at her, barely breathing. For an eternity they both did nothing. Then Seiya's face began to move towards her own. She didn't move. Seiya's eyes slid closed as her lips sought out Kakyuu's. She felt her princess's lip quiver as they touched. It was a deferential kiss at first, gentle, lacking the churning emotion that so characterized Seiya. Kakyuu was soft and yielding in her arms, just as she always was. She didn't kiss back, but she didn't fight either. Emboldened, Seiya pressed the issue, adding some of the ardent passion she felt into the kiss. It seemed Kakyuu was responding at first, but then the woman began to squirm and fight. Finally she managed to push away. "Please stop, this will only make things harder on us both." Kakyuu breathed, desperate to finish the encounter, but ever the conciliator. She looked so frail and defenseless now, that Seiya could have forced her to do anything right then. That fact alone made Seiya hate herself more than she ever had before, which was saying something. Immediately her head bowed down and her eyes averted. "Forgive me," she murmured. "I had no right." She rose to her feet, and turned to go, but stopped and spoke over her shoulder, still refusing to meet Kakyuu's eyes. "I will make amends for this. Ask anything of me and I'll do it. Just . . . please don't think less of me . . . because of this." "Seiya?" she heard Kakyuu call gently, and she could hear the soft rustle of silken material as her princess stood. Seiya shut her eyes briefly to keep any more tears from falling, she felt ashamed for having advanced on her princess in such a way. Before Kakyuu could get a word in edgewise she spoke once more. "I'm sorry. I went too fast, as usual. I sought too much too quickly and now everything is ashes." She still wouldn't face Kakyuu. "I’m sorry. I did something horrible." Kakyuu shook her head, although she knew Seiya couldn't see her. "You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the wrong one." "No…I did something horrible, terrible, unimaginable…forbidden." "What did you do?" Kakyuu asked, knowing she did not do anything. "I fell in love with you." Seiya felt the gentle press of soft hands on her arm and shoulder. She turned and found Kakyuu behind of her. The glow from her soul was almost blinding. "Please don't," Kakyuu said gently. "I'm betrothed Seiya . . that's why things cannot go on as they have been between us. It's isn't fair to you or me. Or even to the man I'm supposed to marry. Please try to understand that.." Seiya wanted to run away but for some reason her body did not react. Maybe because it was the other way she wanted to run ... into her love's arms. "I understand, princess. Perhaps I should go now." "Not yet! I hope you realize that you deserve as much happiness as anyone, Seiya. Don't ever forget that and don't ever think otherwise. It's not fair to you." "Of course, princess," Seiya nodded at her 'scolding', recognizing immediately the forgiving tone that entered her princess's voice. And she knew she was forgiven. Seiya stepped a bit closer to Kakyuu, and her knee smoothly dropped to meet the ground. Her bow was graceful and her hand moved to take Kakyuu's hand in her own, caressing her lips over the back of the woman's hand smoothly. "I'll go now, my apologies for causing any disturbance. Excuse me." Rising just as gracefully, she turned and began to walk away, her ebony ponytail trailing through the air behind her. "You’re still my friend." she heard Kakyuu say, her voice was disarmingly gentle. "You’ll always be my friend." Seiya stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn around to face her princess. Her already shattered heart seemed to shatter into a million more pieces. Was that supposed to make her feel better? Second prize, second best, second place in her love's heart. Kakyuu watched Seiya stop walking, she watched her just stand there with her back to her. It unnerved her. "Seiya, are you all right?" the concerned voice broke through Seiya's reverie and it all just faded, because even when Seiya felt like she couldn't listen anymore, when she felt like it was just too much to take, she would hear every word Kakyuu uttered even though she didn't want to. "So long as you are happy with the way things are, then I’m all right." Seiya said finally, and she meant it to some extent. All she ever wanted was for Kakyuu to be happy. "But you’re not happy. Are you?" Kakyuu questioned gently, her voice almost wavering. "You don’t know what you ask." Seiya answered to both her love's voiced and unvoiced question. "You simply have no idea." She turned around slowly and faced the extremely beautiful woman who had once been her lover. Her soulmate. She had already made a fool of herself, it was too late to stop, she had shown Kakyuu her feelings as if her heart was nothing more than a crystal vitrin. And in a sense it was, considering how easily it shattered. "But I do." Kakyuu said with such conviction that the other woman almost believed she meant it. Seiya exhaled slowly. "I can't be happy when your with him and not me ... I don’t know when it happened, but you mean the world to me and I don’t know what to do with it. With everything I feel for you." Seiya whispered. "I know." Kakyuu breathed, her voice suddenly thick with emotion. Emotion she never thought she’d allow herself to show to Seiya. "It's sad isn't it? To have an illusion alive in your heart. It is sad and irritating, and hurting, and humiliating, when you have one, and you see it shatter right in front of you." Kakyuu murmured, not being able to stop her voice from breaking. "I’m sorry." Seiya whispered, her voice barely audible. "For what?" Seiya sighed. "Complicating things. Feeling things I never thought I was capable of until you came along. I’m sorry for it all." "Don't be, I'm not. I'll never regret what we once had." Kakyuu said quietly as she cast her gaze downward to avoid looking at Seiya. Seiya smiled wanly. “Do you think it's something we could have again?” Before Kakyuu could answer, Seiya moved forward and clasped her hands in her own. She held them tightly, without speaking, there was an immense feeling of sadness and regret in the gesture; it emanated from Seiya's eyes. Kakyuu started to speak. "I know." Seiya murmured cutting her off, as she moved forward and instinctively wrapped her arms around her love in a reassuring embrace, covering her arms with her own, and catching her hands in hers. "I'm so sorry." Kakyuu whispered across the tangible, not pulling away. "I don't know what to do." "I feel you slipping away from me and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it." Seiya sighed, drawing her love more tightly into her arms. Kakyuu rested her head against Seiya's soft chest, listening to the rhythmic sound of her heart beating. "Seiya, I lied before. I never stopped believing we had a chance." she admitted, her voice strained. "I know." Seiya whispered. Kakyuu reluctantly pulled away from the embrace after a long moment, afraid someone would see them. The knot in Seiya's heart pulled tighter as Kakyuu drew away from her. Her hands, longed to touch what was beyond their reach once more, where, where was she being taken ... lost ... lost... It didn't matter. She had been lost for such a long time it didn't matter anymore. "We're so close," Seiya whispered across the tangible. "So close, yet so far away. What I wouldn’t give for. . ." "Just one minute. I know." Kakyuu murmured softly, as she wrapped her arms around herself, Seiya’s presence offered some bit of consonance, yet she drew her arms tighter around herself, and cast her gaze to the side to avoid meeting Seiya's eyes, afraid of what she would reveal if she displayed the emotions burning in her own eyes. "I know you know and that makes it real." Seiya said quietly, a slow breath escaping her lips. She struggled to hide her emotions beneath her layer of self discipline, giving Kakyuu an ironic half smile, that vanished quickly with her words. "This is real and we have to hold on to it." "I will." Kakyuu said softly, "Always. I feel so lucky to have you in my life. You know that, don’t you?" Seiya closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, feeling the cool air tickle the back of her throat. The air was gentle, comforting, soothing ... she could smell the sweet fragrance of olives as it hovered about her, it was the same intoxicating scent that Kakyuu just radiated. "I know this is love." Seiya answered quietly, whatever else she may have wanted to say, whatever she might have planned to do, was a joke now. For her happiness was there, right in front of her. She brushed the back of her hand along Kakyuu's cheek in a gentle caress. Kakyuu's eyes slid shut at the gentle contact. "Suddenly I feel like you are right next to me and not so far away and as long as I can feel you I don’t ever want to open my eyes again." "No words." Seiya whispered, her hand caressing Kakyuu's chin lightly, then brushing across her soft lips. "Here I am, and here you are, and it’s all we have. We have right now." Seiya said, bowing her head to hide the hurt behind her eyes. "Even if you leave me, even if you say this is all a mistake and that you stopped believing, I’m still going to love you. That’s never going to change." Kakyuu smiled reassuringly as she placed a hand on Seiya's face. "You have my heart." "And you have mine." Seiya said quietly, as her hands lightly skittered across Kakyuu's shoulders, barely touching her. She closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of Kakyuu's soft skin beneath her hands, and the warmth of her body next to hers. "My princess..." Seiya breathed affectionately. Kakyuu smiled tenderly, a flood of gentle memories caressing her mind, evoked by Seiya's murmured words, and gentle touch. She rested her cheek against Seiya's soft chest. "I want to commit everything to memory." Kakyuu murmured suddenly. "Your eyes, your smile. . .your touch." "Do you?" Seiya asked distantly, as Kakyuu traced her fingers along the curve of her neck, and ran her fingers through her dark hair. Upon hearing the question Kakyuu merely leaned up and moved her lips to the side of Seiya's face, touching her cheek with a kiss as light as air. And then she drew away smiling, enigmatically. "Your a tease." Seiya sighed, seemingly unaware of the complacent smile on her own face. She reached out and gently pushed Kakyuu back again. Kakyuu giggled lightheartedly as she was pulled back into the embrace. The sound was refreshing to Seiya's ears. "Oh, you are such a temptation." Kakyuu said, smiling impishly as she wrapped her arms around Seiya's waist. "Give in," Seiya whispered, leaning down and kissing Kakyuu on the forehead. "No one's looking." Seiya's lips again led the way, once, twice, she found herself kissing Kakyuu's face repeatedly, as if wanting to absorb her essence, so she could keep a part of her, inside her soul, forever. "You're so beautiful, you know," Seiya said, her voice gentle, as she ran her hands down Kakyuu's arms. "I love you, Kakyuu." Kakyuu tensed upon hearing those words, and Seiya's heart stopped. She pulled away somewhat to look at Kakyuu's face, and she could see her worries mirrored in the deep pools of her eyes. Seiya remembered how she had longed for her touch, for her sweet scent, and the shine of her eyes while they had been apart. She would be lost, if she was torn from her again. She swallowed, hesitating to ask. "What's wrong?" "Nothing!" Kakyuu replied quickly and without hesitation. She looked up at Seiya and ran a gentle hand across her face. In a way the gesture was meant to reassure Seiya of her love for her. "I love you, I love you too much yet never enough." Kakyuu said quietly. That was all Seiya needed to hear, she lifted her hands and began to slide them across Kakyuu's bare shoulders. This soon formed into a loving embrace. "Anything you give me, anything you’re willing to give. . .well, it’ll always be enough because it could have been nothing at all." Seiya said gently. Kakyuu wrapped her arms tightly around Seiya, she held her like lovers do when they are to part. She held her like there was no tomorrow, held her like the whole world depended on it, held her like she loved her. And she did. "Are you sure?" "I've never been more certain of anything in my life." Seiya smiled, and leaned down closer to her, whispering in her ear. "I love you." "I love you too." Unconsciously, Seiya pulled Kakyuu closer against her finally feeling loved instead of lost.