Keeosu: Greetings all. Having just re-read Krys Yuy's story, I realize I am very weak and now must write a Spike/Usagi fic of my own. :sighs: Yes I know. Weak. TTTT

Summary: "Luna, what was Serenity like?" "…Sad. She was always very, very sad." (Spike/Usagi)

Disclaimer: I want Spike, but I can't have him. :pouts: Another day, perhaps…

Secrets of a Millennium

Prologue: Library

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Tsukino Usagi was a curious person by nature. She couldn't help it; she had always been like that. So when Luna had asked her if she wanted to read some ancient texts on Lunaria, she agreed. Well, yes, there was the part about having to actually read a book, but she figured she could handle it…Maybe.

"Are we almost there, Luna?" The black feline nodded brightly, flashing Usagi a toothy grin. Usagi, wanting to read about her heritage – It was so exciting! She heard Usagi step on a twig before her tennis shoes came in contact with the grass again.

"We just have to walk a little further, Usagi-chan," Luna responded happily, quickening her pace a little. Usagi couldn't help but sweatdrop.

"You said the same thing about an hour ago, Luna-chan," Usagi shot back with a giggle. Luna in turn stuck her tongue out at the blonde. Then she sniffed disdainfully as her tail flicked from side to side.

"Well, you don't expect an archive to be located in the middle of Tokyo, do you?" the cat teased. Usagi rolled her eyes.

It would promote tourism," Usagi replied wryly. Luna chuckled at her antics and sprinted through the brush, leaving her behind.

"Hey! Luna!" Usagi sped up, pushing through the bushes and vines that hung there. She tripped on a tree root and almost stumbled to the ground, throwing her hands out to catch something. When her hands roughly came in contact with the worn stone, she looked up. Her jaw dropped. "Sugoi," she breathed, her eyes sparkling.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Luna whispered softly, causing Usagi to start. It looked like a stone library, covered in leafy vines that crawled up the walls. Various cracks weaved through the building, mostly done by age. Stained glass windows that were faded with time showed obscure pictures of women clothed in white, surrounded by a silver moon. Usagi noticed one woman had long lavender hair, and Queen Serenity passed through her mind. The window next to hers showed a smaller woman with shimmering blonde and silver hair, which, Usagi realized with a blush, was her. Dead rose bushes were planted around the perimeter, and Usagi wondered how they had managed to survive this long.

"It's so beautiful," Usagi commented. "But why is it here on Earth?"

"Her Majesty did think of everything," Luna replied wistfully, her cinnamon eyes shadowed in reminiscence. Usagi nodded thoughtfully, pushing through the weeds and up to the steps of the massive structure. Luna smiled fondly back at her, whispering, "And now it belongs to you."

"How come no one here has ever seen this place?" Usagi wondered, wide-eyed. Luna smirked deviously.

"You need to be with a descendant of the Moon to see it!" Luna cried mischievously, darting past Usagi and into the library. With a scowl, Usagi shifted her backpack and chased after the daring cat.

"Oh, you!" Usagi laughed loudly and once again gasped aloud. The inside of the library was gorgeous. White imperial tiles stretched across the floor. Beside the windows were deep scarlet colored drapes, silver cords holding them back. Throughout the whole room were colossal oak bookcases, covered in many different texts, scripts, and books. In the center of the library was a large marble table that could have sat at least twenty people. Along the walls were the portraits of the women on the windows outside: The Goddess Selene (or Queen Selenity), Queen Serenity I, Queen Serenity II, Queen Serenity III, and Princess Serenity IV.

Selenity-sama wore a European dress the color of ivory. It swooped down in a V at the chest, pushing her bust up to an almost indecent level, but her face was the picture of pure innocence, her lilac eyes glowing with serenity. The skirt flowed out and to the ground, but two small feet in silver slippers poked out from under it. A white, sheer piece of fabric was draped over her arms, spiraling down at her elbows and tumbling down at her wrists, falling almost to the floor. Her hair was pure white, two large buns – one above each ear – and the rest flowing down to the floor in a pool of moonlight. Two sliver butterfly wings burst from her back, and an opal tiara sat upon her head.

Queen Serenity I had a more oriental style of dress, obviously she was more traditional than Selenity. A mandarin collar covered half of her pale, dainty neck, and the edge of the Chinese dress drifted barely past her ankles, showing the traditional Japanese sandals and two-toed socks that adorned her feet. The dress itself was an iridescent lavender, her obi sash and bows a royal purple that contrasted greatly with her dress. Her shimmering silver hair was tied tight at the top of the back of her head, a long ponytail flowing down to her knees. Ebony eyes with a tint of sapphire sparkled tranquilly, her full lips curled into a gentle smile. Her butterfly wings had become a more solid silver and a tiara made of what appeared to be moonbeams curved over the front of her head.

Queen Serenity II adorned a very flirtatious gown. It dipped down dangerously low and hugged her curves nicely, finally loosening and flowing out from the knees down. The dress was the color of pearls, glittering madly at the bodice, merely shimmering on the skirt. A translucent scarf-like fabric weaved around her shoulders, under her breasts, loosely looped her waist, and finally twirled down her skirt. Her hair was also very short, merely pulled up in two buns on either side of her head, Chinese nets keeping them in place and circular. Her lilac tinted eyes were flecked with glimmers of indigo. Wings flecked with lavender fluttered behind her and a crown of silver flowers sat nestled in her hair.

Queen Serenity III looked very different from what Usagi remembered. Though her hair was in the typical Lunarian style (Buns and flowing hair), her outfit was completely different. It was clearly her late mother; her hair was the lovely, silky lilac and her eyes were the same beautiful lavender and silver swirl. But her dress was a lilac hue, dipping down to show off some of her nice, yet modest bust. On her stomach, a crescent moon shaped piece of fabric was cut out, showing off her porcelain skin. Two vertical slits came up to her thighs on either side of her dress, showing off her diamond sparkling stiletto heels. From her ankles to her thighs and her shoulders to her wrists were crisscrossed white satin ribbons. Her hips were titled seductively, her hand on one of her hips. Her eyes were looking out coyly, her lips curved into an enticing smile.

Princess Serenity IV…There was no way that was her. Her silver and blonde hair was pulled up into the same two buns, with the same two ponytails streaming down to her calves. Familiar sapphire and silver flecked eyes glittered coyly up at the viewer. The same golden crescent moon was in the same place on her forehead. But there was no way that was her. Her dress was of silvery moonlight, dipping low on her breasts. At her knees, the solid color ended and the fabric became transparent, flowing just above her tiny high-heels. Her head was tilted slightly, a few stray bangs falling into her face. Long, thick lashes fluttered temptingly, her vermillion painted lips pulled into a seductive smile. Serenity's left arm was bent, reaching under her chest and clasping onto her right forearm. Azure, satin gloves with the fingers cut out adorned her arms.

From her position, Luna saw Usagi's slack jawed appearance and smirked. Then she snickered, "Anything the matter, Usagi-chan?" Usagi's head whipped around, her sapphire eyes wide with shock.

"Is that really me?" she squeaked out, a heavy blush lighting up her cheeks. "That can't be me!" She turned to her mother. "That can't be my mother, either!"

"Her Majesty was quite daring in her youth," Luna commented with a wicked smile, causing Usagi to squeal sharply. "For your information, all of the Royal Portraits were taken on the eve before their engagements were announced. Of course they were all a little…loose."

"Luna, what was Serenity like?" Usagi asked suddenly, turning around to face the black feline. Luna looked startled for a moment, and hopped off the marble table she had been sitting on. She padded softly over to Usagi's side, staring forlornly at Princess Serenity IV's portrait.

After a moment, Luna whispered, "Sad." Usagi looked up. "She was always very, very sad."

"But I thought you said—"

"And she was," Luna replied, cutting her off. "But when her engagement to Endymion was announced…" Luna trailed off, biting her lower lip.

"Luna-chan, you never told me any of this!" Usagi cried with her head shaking back and forth, her hair flying with her. "What else haven't you told me!"

"She was in love," Luna whispered, as if she hadn't heard her. "With a damned man." Luna looked up, her ruby eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I swore I wouldn't tell."

"Luna-chan…" Usagi reached forward to pet the small cat, but she flinched away, darting away from her and into behind a bookcase. Usagi's eyes reflected her hurt even if she didn't say anything. Moments later, Luna reappeared, a small scarlet book in her mouth. Wordlessly, she placed it at the blonde's feet and, with another ashamed look, sprinted away out of sight.

The book itself was scarlet, a small leather bound book with tiny black crescent moons decorating the cover. In the middle of the cover, written in fancy script, was: Princess Serenity Cynthia Apollo IV. (1)

Usagi opened the diary, frowning at the unfamiliar characters that graced the page. They obviously weren't Japanese characters, nor were they English, or any other script she had ever seen before! Rather, they looked like odd symbols strewn about in an unimportant fashion.

"Luna-chan?" she called out hesitantly. Luna appeared from behind a stack of scrolls, her eyes lowered slightly. "Luna-chan, daijoubu…" Luna slowly nodded. Usagi walked over and crouched next to the small cat and showed her the book. "Luna, what is all of this?" Luna peered up at the book and quirked a grin.

"Serenity liked to make up her own codes using Lunarian and other Earth languages," Luna stated with a chuckle. "So no one would read her deepest, darkest secrets." Luna looked at Usagi slyly. "I'm sure her translations should be around here somewhere. That is – if you're interested in sitting around long enough to decode it all." Usagi looked down at the thick book; the book that contained her past.

"Let's do it!" she confirmed excitedly. Luna beamed and trotted off, appearing a few minutes later with dozens of scrolls bound together with a leather strap, clenched tightly between Luna's teeth. Happily, she set them down at Usagi's feet, beaming up at the inquisitive blonde. Usagi's eyes widened.

"Here you are, Usagi-chan!" she chirped. "All fifteen different codes!"

"You mean there are fifteen possible languages this diary could be in!" she cried incredulously, her jaw dropping.

"Of course not," Luna rebuked. "Each page has its own different code. Once you figure out the pattern of how she set her pages up, it'll be much easier to work with." To Luna's complete surprise, Usagi suddenly beamed.

"Oh wow," Usagi whispered, awe-struck. "Was I really this talented?"

"Don't sell yourself short, Usagi-chan!" Luna scolded. "Princess Serenity was raised in a completely different atmosphere. She didn't have any friends either. Without anything or anyone to distract her, she devoted more time to studies, royal duties, and making her own obscure codes. Without those, I doubt she would have stayed sane." Luna smiled fondly up at her charge. "You are just as special as Serenity."

"Thanks, Luna," Usagi beamed and knelt down to pet the feline softly on the head. Standing up, Usagi moved over to the long stone slab of a table and set Serenity's notes and diary on it. Quirking another grin at the cat, she pulled a pencil and a notebook out of her backpack. The blonde grabbed the top most scroll and diary and began to compare. After a moment, she turned to the next page of the diary and her eyes lit up for a moment. She looked over at the scroll, then at the page, and then carefully scribbled a few notes on her paper.

"Luna-chan?" The black cat leapt up onto the table and peered over Usagi's shoulders. "What does this language look like to you?" Usagi continued, pointing to the first sentence.

"Hmm…" Luna hummed in contemplation. "It looks like a mixture of Greek and Lunarian…Hold on, I'll be right back." Luna darted around the corner and reappeared moments later with a large tome of Ancient Greek. She nudge open the book with her nose and used her paw to flip to a page near the middle of the book. With a confident nod, she moved back to the table and sifted through Serenity's scrolls.

"I think the first page is in what Serenity called 'Leek'," Luna confirmed, picking up a certain scroll with her teeth and handing it to Usagi. "Try this one."

"Aa," she agreed, writing down a strange symbol on her notepad.

Two hours later, Usagi was still trying to figure out the first word. Suddenly she looked back up with a brilliant smile on her face. "It's 'My'. The first word is 'my'," she repeated with a giggle. "And the second one is 'name'." Luna grinned. "Ne, Luna, is there anything here to eat?" The cat hung her head and sweatdropped.

"We'll go and get something to eat in a little bit, Usagi-chan, okay?" Usagi let loose a brilliant smile and nodded. She turned away from the table for a moment and trotted over to the bookshelf, dragging her finger slowly across the old scripts.

"Are these really all about the Moon Kingdom?" she inquired, turning to give Luna a curious look.

"Yes, from Goddess Selene all the way to Princess Serenity the Fourth," Luna said surely. "From History to Language, and Incantations and Spells to Curses."

"Spells?" Usagi echoed, a mixture of awe crossing over her face. "Where are those?"

"Oh, no you don't!" Luna reprimanded when she saw Usagi start searching even more fervently through the shelves. "You haven't been trained and you've never used a single spell in your life! They're all in Latin!"

"So?" Usagi asked with a pout. She turned back to the books and gasped aloud, a large smile brightening her face. She pulled out a random book that had a picture of a forlorn looking girl sitting and staring out hauntingly at the viewer. Her white-blonde hair was windblown and her dull blue dress was covered in rips and tears. In her hands was a bloody heart and tears ran freely down her cheeks. However, Usagi paid the picture no mind and merely dropped it down on the table. Reaching into her backpack, she pulled out a small blue object. Luna gasped.

"Usagi-chan!" Luna shouted in offense. "You took Ami-chan's computer!"

"Borrowed," Usagi corrected with another pout. She sat down on the table beside the papers already there. "I'll give it back! And you did say it was in Latin, so all I have to do is let the computer scan it and do the spell."

"I forbid it!" Luna shouted. "You need training and preparation – Don't you dare ignore me!"

"Fairest love," Usagi was already reading the translations the Mercury Computer was giving her. "Rules divide us."

"Usagi!" Luna reached up to scratch her calf. Usagi flinched, but her eyes had taken on a silver glow and she paid it no heed.

"Society scorns you," she continued. "They shall not cease."

"Damare!" she hissed, sinking her fangs into Usagi's ankle. The cat was ignored. "I'm serious, there could be dangerous repercussions!"

"But our love is eternal," Usagi whispered. A wind had begun to pick up. "And we must meet."

"Stop this right now!"

"Through countless lives…" Usagi was starting to glow. "…Our love shall reach."

"Usagi, what if you do it wrong!"

"So heed my request. I ask this of thee."

"Usagi-chan!"

"Show me my heart," The light was blinding, Luna couldn't even see Usagi anymore, though she could hear her. "So I can see."

When the light died down, all that was left was an empty stone table.

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Usagi moaned quietly to herself and rolled over. Blinking her eyes wearily, she slowly sat up, rubbing her sore jaw. After a moment, her eyes adjusted to the low lighting and she was able to make out a tall figure standing before her. Her eyes suddenly widened and she gaped at the pale blonde standing in front of her.

"'The bloody hell are you doin' in my crypt?" The man had an odd accent, and Usagi couldn't understand a word of it.

"N…nani?" she whimpered softly, tears settling in her eyes. "Doko da!" the moon princess cried hysterically. "Doko da!" Her hand inched back and she came into contact with Serenity's scripts and a sleeping Luna. Her hands flew to pick up the small cat and she hugged it fiercely to her chest. Luna's cinnamon eyes slowly blinked open and she took one look into Usagi's tear-filled eyes before frowning. She turned around to face the pale man. Her eyebrow rose. Leather?

"'Ello?" he snapped irritably. "I asked what you were doing in my crypt, you crazy woman?"

'Why I never!' Luna bristled at his condescending attitude. Her thoughts screeched to a stop. 'Wait…why is he speaking in English?'

"Luna-chan," Usagi whispered urgently, holding her closer than before. "Kowai desu…" Luna looked up and gave the girl a small nudge of comfort. She returned her gaze to the man with an accent not unlike her own and frowned. (2) Well, wherever they were…

It definitely wasn't Japan.

TURANSULEISHANSU! (Translations)

"Daijoubu" means "It's okay" or "I'm okay". In this scenario, she's saying "It is okay".

"Damare" means "Be quiet!" or "Shut up!". Also, "Urasai" can be used.

"Nani" means "What?".

"Doko da" means "Where am I?". Literally "Where is this place?"

"Kowai desu" means "I'm scared".

NOTES

(1): Contrary to what some of you might believe, I did not put Cynthia in there for no reason, nor did I use my own name ('Cuz it's not Cynthia! :sticks out tongue:). Rather, I spent over an hour looking through various encyclopedias on Selene, Greek and Roman Mythology, etc. It said in there that one of Selene's other known names (such as Artemis or Diana) was Cynthia. Thus comes her middle name. Apollo was just another Greek god, so I used that as her surname, because it just sounds so pretty! (n.n)

(2): For all purposes in the story, we're going to go with Luna's English voice (With a British accent). You'll figure out why next chapter.

Thank you for reading and…

Lotsa Luv, Keeosu!