SETTING: Prince Xander and Princess Cassiopeia have been training together for almost a month. They are just starting to learn about each other's pasts.

Exhausted from the day's workout, Xander flopped down beside the small lake in the Moon Gardens. He lay spread-eagled on the grass, panting.

Cassiopeia stood just behind his shoulders and bent to place her face a few inches from his.

"Had enough?" she asked, her green eyes twinkling.

Xander raised his hands in surrender, laughing. "I give up. You win this round."

Cassiopeia grinned. "Good. I like winning." Without warning, she ran toward the lake and dove in, slicing into the water cleanly.

She resurfaced almost immediately, playfully spitting a stream of water in Xander's direction. He laughed. "Where did you learn to dive like that?"

"Ami taught me," Cassiopeia replied. "We used to go swimming all the time."

"Princess Ami? Sailor Mercury?" Xander arched an eyebrow.

"That's right. She also supplied me with my practice fuku, although she didn't know it at the time." Cassiopeia giggled. "I swiped it from her discarded uniform bin. She scolded me when she found out. Her seamstress is getting me the pattern so I can make a fuku of my own."

"Any ideas for the colors?" Xander asked lightly.

"The colors of the Star Empire, of course," Cassiopeia answered with a grin. "Black and gold."

Xander whistled softly. "Gold, huh? Wouldn't that get a little expensive?"

"Hmm, maybe yellow, then." Cassiopeia shrugged. "But pale yellow. That bright yellow is just too blinding."

"Like sunshine yellow," Xander observed absently.

"Huh?"

"Bright yellow -- the color of sunlight, on Earth."

"Oh." Cassiopeia looked at him for a moment. "What is it like? Earth, I mean."

Xander smiled slightly. "It's colorful. Greens and yellows and blues and purples, all blending together -- we have some spectacular sunsets. Here everything has a silver cast to it, but down there it's just an explosion of color. A warmer kind of beauty, I guess." Xander refocused on Cassiopeia. "What about you? What's it like on your home planet?"

Cassiopeia blushed slightly and climbed out of the water to sit beside Xander. "Pretty much the same as here on the moon. Except instead of that silver cast you mentioned, everything's gold tinted, illuminated by our two suns." A faraway look passed over Cassiopeia's eyes. "My home planet is in the Andromeda Galaxy; it is called Cepheus, after Andromeda's father in the legends."

Xander smiled. The legends of Andromeda and Perseus were even circulated on Earth, so he was familiar with the basis of the Star Empire's roots.

"I've lived in the Sapphire Palace all of my life, with my parents," Cassiopeia continued. "My mother is the Star Empress, and my father is from the Moon Kingdom, so I was sent here as an ambassador when I turned fourteen, to cement the alliance between the Star Empire and the Moon Kingdom into the next generation. I will return to assume the throne when I am twenty years old."

Xander listened closely, sensing the girl's homesickness. "I miss my home, too."

Cassiopeia turned to him, curious. "Why did you leave Earth?"

"I was sent away," Xander answered, his mouth twisting bitterly. "My mother and I were banished from our kingdom when I was six. Mother was a minor Earth princess, and I was illegitimate -- my father was some member of Jupiter's royalty, though I don't know who. When I was old enough that I didn't need constant supervision, the High Council banished us from the kingdom for my mother's disgrace. We found asylum in the palace of the First Order King. That's where I met Endymion."

Xander sighed. "One of Endymion's generals -- Kunzite, I believe -- thought I was a bad influence on his prince. He had me sent here as an 'ambassador,' but essentially I've been kicked off the planet." He stiffened, suddenly the pride-filled prince. "I never did anything to hurt Endymion, or even get him in trouble. I was raised as a prince, even if no one will recognize me as such."

Cassiopeia watched him in silence for a moment. "And your mother?"

Xander's shoulders drooped. "She died a few years ago," he replied quietly. "Her heart was broken when our own people rejected us."

The rhythm of their breathing was the only sound as Xander's story sank in. Impulsively, Cassiopeia reached out and brushed her fingertips over his cheek, wishing she could do something to soothe his pain.

A sensation akin to an electric shock traveled up her arm, causing her to draw back her hand quickly. The tingle coursed through Xander's cheek as well; it flowed through both of them in a rush, completely obliterating all thoughts and regrets, leaving them staring at each other in shock.

"Wha-- What was that?" Cassiopeia stammered.

"I don't know. I've never felt it before." Xander touched a hand to his cheek, bewildered.

For the first time, Cassiopeia studied her training partner, and was surprised to notice how handsome he was. She suppressed a sudden urge to run her fingers though his thick brown hair.

Xander, on the other hand, looked away from Cassiopeia quickly. The thought of her staring at him made his heart skip a beat. *Those big green eyes,* he thought nervously, *looking at ME. I won't believe it, it's not possible -- I'm not that lucky.*

Cassiopeia was surprised to see Xander blush and stare at the ground in front of him. Throwing caution to the winds, she placed a hand on his shoulder, this time prepared for the electricity that lanced between them.

"Xander you can always talk to me if you need to. You'll always have me."

Xander caught his breath at her words, his heart pounding. "Will I?" he whispered.

She slowly turned to face him, her face only inches from his. "Yes," she whispered in reply. "Always."

Unable to restrain himself any longer, Xander leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. The spark of unseen electricity was stronger this time, and the clung to each other, holding that single, sweet kiss for as long as possible.

They finally broke the kiss, and Xander blinked down at the princess in his arms. Cassiopeia smiled slightly and placed her hand briefly on his chest, above his heart.

"I told you I like winning."