Damn that blond-haired bitch, and who she would become. She had no right to have Demando’s love. Especially when she wasted it on the fool beside her.

Esmaraude had given no thought to watch she was to do. She’d been given her order, and wanted to get it over and done with.

What she wanted to do was slit that bitch’s throat, but no. Demando wanted her alive. Of course. Even it would work so much better for them if they just killed her. Demando was a love-blind fool.

But still, Esmaraude thought, so am I, and I would do nothing to earn his wrath.

So she started walking towards the couple, slow and quiet, but the girl looked up, look Esmaraude in the eye.

Esmaraude looked right back, and spat at the girl.

The boy stood up, but his protests went unheard. The girl, the future Neo-Queen Serenity calmly wiped her face. She didn’t take her eyes away from Esmaraude’s.

Suddenly, Esmaraude laughed, a loud high-pitched laugh, and used it as an excuse to look away. The boy muttered something to his girlfriend, and she nodded.

Esmaraude felt the eyes on her forehead, and hissed at the girl, who stood up, and yelled something Esmaraude had heard before, once, though she could not remember when. And then Esmaraude was thrown back, blinking her eyes at the light enveloping her enemy. She stood back up, looked Sailor Moon dead in the eye, prepared to attack.

But no, a voice yelled, and again Esmaraude was on the ground, grabbing her stomach, and wincing. Enough. She lashed out at Sailor Moon.

The senshi was quick, and seemed to recover instantly. She attacked, and Esmaraude was bleeding, screaming. Enough. Esmaraude stopped her screams, and started to laugh, quietly, and that seemed to disarm the Moon senshi more than anything else.

You should’ve just grabbed her and fled, Esmaraude told herself, her laughter loudening.

"Anything, my lord, I am yours to command."

"Then get me Sailor Moon."

"Prince?" Fear. Hatred.

"Well, Esmaraude?"

"Yes, Prince Demando. I’ll get her."

Why do you want her, what is it you see, why are you blind to me! I’ll do anything, everything for you and yet you keep denying me what I want. What does she have that I don’t?

Esmaraude fled, bleeding, laughing, crying.

“I would do anything,” she whispered, “but I cannot do the smallest of that.”

Esmaraude materialised before her prince, and she whispered his name in raggered breaths. He eyes narrowed down on her, but she could not, would not meet them, he would know, he knew, and she had failed.

Oh, please, my prince, please.

Esmaraude whimpered.

“Get out,” the prince whispered, but Esmaraude would have preferred a shout.

Esmaraude wavered, choked down her tears. She looked up, fallen and scared, so unlike her usual self.

She stood up slowly, but fell, reached out to grab something...

The prince stepped back, and she landed on her knees, hard.

She curled up instinctively, and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Demando,” she whispered, desperate. She could feel his gaze for a moment, and then she heard his footsteps as he left the room.

He abandoned her, and she wept.

------

Won’t you leave me in the darkness,

Take away the pride, all the dignity

That’s burning inside.

Can’t you see I’m standing naked.

I’ll bear all the crosses and the crucifixes you can provide.

If you could decide.

------

author’s note

This story was based off the Savage Garden song ‘Mine’, and each - ah - chapter matches one of the verses, which can be found at the bottom of each.

The first is set in the past, in an alternate Moon Kingdom where the Black Moon existed at the same time as the White. It’s from a story of mine.

The second is the future, Crystal Tokyo’s time, and the last is in the present, when the Black Moon travelled back.

I just wanted to explain all that without interupting the fic.

And also, Sailor Moon and everyone else here are copyright Naoko Taniguchi, and I most definitely do not own it. I just borrow the characters for my own purposes.

The song, Mine, is copyright to Savage Garden, and I’m only borrowing it, just like I’m only borrowing my little sister’s Savage Garden tape. I listen to it more than her anyway.