"The Guardian
There are those who believe,
So the story is told,
That at birth you receive,
Your own Angel to hold.
You come into this world,
On a wing and a prayer,
And throughout your lifetime,
She will always be there.
A Guardian Angel,
Who will guide what you do,
Her pure essence is love,
Sent to watch over you."

Author Unknown


On a Wing and a Prayer - A *manga* based Fanfic

Prologue: Komoriu

	"I would like a bedtime story, please."  The little boy requested 
formally, not the way a child would normally ask for a nighttime ritual as 
tender as bedtime stories.  However, the woman he was asking, although kind to 
him, was not his mother and never would be.
	However, despite the boy's constant formal, stiff behavior, the old woman 
knew he was desperately hurting inside, and struggling to be strong.  A 
struggle she knew he would have to endure for years, and a struggle that gave a 
small thing like a story such deep importance.
	"Ok," she answered him, smoothing the sheets on his ornate canopy bed, "A 
quick one, before the mistress catches me."
	He smiled and nodded, before obediently shutting his eyes.  Leaning back 
against the carved headboard, the woman let her old eyes drift up the beautiful 
full moon.  "Would you like to hear about the angels?"
	Nod.
	"Well," she began, a serene smile settling over her wrinkled face, "there 
are creatures that watch us from above, comforting us in need and protecting us 
from harm.  They are messengers, although for what or whom is often argued.  
But it is true they bring love."
	"How far away are they?"
	The woman sighed, pleasantly, "Oh, very far, but very close.  It is said 
they dwell in heaven, where the clouds drift and the stars shine very close by.  
The white, magic light of the moon is their transport and their way to protect 
us."
	The boy was still, his face unreadable, but his breathing was not slow or 
regular, so the woman figured he was still awake.
	"They are beautiful, these angels.  If you were to ever lay eyes on one 
it is said your breath dies in your mouth and you will never be the same.  
White, pure white they seem to glow, it is said, with love and purity.  There 
are many debates about whether they have wings, or halos, or maybe if male and 
female angels exist, like they do here on Earth.  Either way, though, it is 
agreed there is no equal to what an angel is like.  Not here, or anywhere."
	Softly the woman wove her comforting stories of unconditional love and 
celestial devotion from creatures unseen.  To her mind, she was telling the 
absolute truth.  Meanwhile, the little boy lay in his huge, empty bed and 
watched the woman leave the room quietly through his eyelashes.  The stories 
were beautiful, he thought, but they are just that.  Stories.
	The angels couldn't help him before, and they would never help him now.  
If he had to grow up to rule the world, he had to be strong.  And angels were 
visions not for the strong.
	He fell asleep, not realizing he had purposely moved to the edge of the 
bed, to be cuddled up in the beam of light that fell from the moon through his 
window.

	There was a noticeable lack of conversation between the two Earthbeings 
that were projected on to most of the monitors which were humming softy in the 
moon palace's Main Communications* room.  Besides the soft din of hushed 
speaking and echoing soft taps of footfalls on the marble floor throughout the 
shimmering chamber, there was nothing but silence from the two figures on the 
huge screen angled down from the sculpted moldings.
	The blue eyes of Prince Endymion were common fixtures in this room, for 
he was the one they watched the most, the most important human, being Heir 
Apparent to the throne of the entire planet.  However, the flash of brilliant 
red hair beside him was new.  This woman had just recently been spending time 
and attentions on the rather unresponsive young prince, and the Main 
Communications staff were almost starting to get used to her.
	Running her hands along the red blossoms of the strange earth flower the 
prince was standing near, the red-head cleared her throat a little.
	The sound caused a few pairs of Lunar eyes to rise the screens, but 
little else was done.
	"Endymion-sama?" she asked timidly, titling her head and looking at him 
with nervous adoration.
	He didn't answer for so long she assumed it was okay to speak.  "Did you 
hear about the story of the angels?" her voice was amused, a little scornful.
	Startling, he looked up at her.  "Angels?"
	Surprised that the man actually reacted to her question, the green-eyed 
woman nearly lost herself in the stormy blue eyes her companion had turned 
impatiently toward her.  "Um... yes.  It's some bizarre servants' fairy tale.  
Been told for ages.  Something about beings watching us from above,  protecting 
us," she smirked a little.  "Absurd, is it not?"
	The dark-haired man was silent for a while, whirling the flower in his 
hand absentmindedly.  "Yes," he answered automatically, "but some people need 
to believe in intangible things."  The flower's sharp thrones scraped the 
tender skin between his fingers, but he didn't notice.
	First in Command of the Royal Senshi to Her Majesty Princess Serenity of 
the Moon Kingdome; Her Lady Venus watched this conversation with an 
expressionless face.  Shaking her head, the all-knowing senshi of love 
murmured, "She isn't the one for you, Endymion."  'Another one who isn't for 
you.'
	"V-chan?" a soft voice came from behind the taller girl, and Venus turned 
to find herself staring into the dusty blue eyes of her Princess.
	"Serenity," Venus sighed, "You can't keep doing this."
	The princess lowered her head, twisting and tangling her pale fingers 
through her silver shimmered locks of hair.  "I just wanted to see if the 
rumors about the red-head where true-"
	"It shouldn't matter to you."  Venus said firmly.
	But it was too late.  The gray-blue eyes were already fixed on the 
largest monitor, as dreamy as when she always came into the communications 
room, but also a little misty, dimming.  "I guess they are true," she said 
needlessly as she watched the girl talk to Endymion.
	"Princess, with all due respect, I'm sure you have someplace more 
important to be-" the golden-haired senshi took the smaller girl's arm gently 
but firmly.
	Twisting from her grasp, Serenity hurriedly took a few weightless steps 
forward toward the large screen.  "I just want to hear what they are saying."
	It had been a while since Endymion had spoken and the woman was obviously 
searching her mind for something to say.  "Do you?" she finally asked.
	"Do I what, Beryl?"  His voice was smooth, low and intoned with depths 
Serenity could listen to all day.  Yet his tone was always so harsh and cold, 
and the little princess could take no joy in hearing it spoken to her Earthly 
rival that way, when he seemed to speak to the world in that same harsh manor.
	"Do you believe in the intangible?"
	He smirked a little, lifted his eyes toward the sky.  Directly into the 
monitor.  Whenever he did that, Serenity's heart stopped.  He always somehow 
looked directly at her.
	"Like angels, you mean?" he said, amused, "No, I don't believe we are 
being watched over by other beings." He laughed a little, a dark sound to 
Serenity's ears.  "I don't believe in things you can't see and touch, Lady 
Beryl, where would I be if I did?"  And with that he turned and left the 
gardens.  
	One or two monitors stayed on the bewildered Lady Beryl before they were 
changed to other things: the four continents, the generals, the land 
illuminated by the full moon lending it's celestial, pale light to the sleeping 
earth. 
	And Serenity's tear-filled eyes stayed on the figure of Endymion, whose 
face was filling her vision from the largest screen, until Venus came to gently 
lead her away.
	
	The soft shear curtains fluttered inward as the sweet smelling warm wind 
breathed around the palace ground.  Between their white ghostliness stars 
twinkled above the clear crystal sky.  Serenity sighed.
	Suddenly a heavy, leather-bound book fell into her hands.
	Sighing, the princess lifted her eyes, "Mercury," she nearly whined, "I 
do not want to study right now.  Please, please can we do this another time.  
It's late."
	Blue locks fell into Senshi Mercury's eyes and the girl shook her head.  
"Iie, Princess, you've had all the day.  The fact that the hour is late has 
nothing to do with the amount of study you have still not finished."
	A strong arm encircled Serenity's small shoulders, "Ah, and when she's 
done, Serenity-sama, we can all go look at the stars and dream."  Senshi 
Jupiter smiled a little, "That was what you were doing, ne?"
	Linking her figures and stretching her arms out, the princess let a small 
smile curve her lips.  "Hai," she said softly into the warm night, "I was 
dreaming."
	"That's nothing new," a new voice rode on the soft air to Serenity's 
ears, teasing gently.  Senshi Mars and Venus stood in the doorway, shaking 
their heads.
	"What is this, now, Senshi?"  Mercury asked, her sweet lilt marred only 
slightly by irritation, "A party?  I hardly think this is what her majesty 
needs right now."
	"'Her Majesty'?  Mercury, do you see any guards or courtiers in this room 
right now?"  Senshi Mars asked, raising her eyebrow with a smirk.
	"Well-"
	"Then, forget the formalities, Serenity is Serenity and she is still a 
lazy little twit who refuses to study and instead stares at earth all night, 
when she isn't in Communications going all moony over a certain pair of blue 
eyes."  Throughout her decidedly clever little speech, Mars had positioned 
herself to the princess's left, locking her arm, as Jupiter did, around 
Serenity's shoulders.
	Letting a soft rose glow cover her cheeks, Serenity shrugged sheepishly.
"Ah, Mars, you have always been the waxing poetic."  Venus said from her spot 
in the doorway.  The oldest of the girls in the room, their leader just watched 
them with a silent, tolerant smile. 
	Jupiter just grinned.  "Now, my dear little princess," she said, "Let's 
study."
	Biting her lip, Serenity started to stand up, "Gomen nasai, but I ha-"
the strength of Jupiter and Mars's cleverly placed arms kept her from moving 
more than an inch before falling softly back onto her bed.  
	"Now, Princess," Mercury smiled, "how do you expect to rule a planet if 
you cannot learn your royal history?"
	Shutting her eyes, the girl groaned, loudly.  "Just because you are all 
four years older than me**, you think I can be bossed around!"
	Gentle laughter shook the girls next to her, "Oh dear Serenity, if only 
you didn't *need* bossing around," Mars said, "we could leave you to your 
vices, if only that included studying and work."
	Graceful fingers tugged open the heavy book that lay in her lap, and 
Serenity let locks of silver glide over the floor as she leaned forward to 
squint at the small symbols and gleamed in gold on the parchment pages.
	She sighed.  "This is really quite boring, minna-san."
	"It is not boring!  It is important!"  Mercury said, using an age-old 
argument on her small, unwilling pupil.
	"All the great rulers must learn these things," Venus added reasonably, 
"Your mother and her mother before her, as well as the other lords and 
political leaders of the Silver Alliance."
	Mars grinned cheekily at the girl next to her, "And I'm sure the great 
Endymion-sama of Earth keeps up with all his studies and lessons."
	This sort of teasing was common among the girls, and it came to shock to 
all except Venus when Serenity tensed under Mars's arm and slammed the book 
closed so it echoed throughout her chambers.
	"And if he does?  What does that have to do with me?" she cried, breaking 
out of Jupiter's grasp and standing up, tears of anger and hurt filling her 
eyes.  "Would I stop believing in beauty, magic a-and love and loyalty and 
everything I stand for?!  Why would I ever want to be as cold-hearted as him?!"  
The book flew across the room and landed, open on the floor of the room, face 
down.  Gasping, Princess Serenity covered her mouth with her hands.
	A shocked, stilled silence filled the room.  The senshi wouldn't have 
been more surprised if Serenity had pulled a sword on them for commenting on 
the weather. She was prone to spouts of attitude, yes, or daydreaming, or 
disrespectful, humorous behavior like blowing Venus a raspberry when she called 
her in for dinner, but this... this was just so unlike her.  
	"Serenity-hime?"  Mercury murmured softly, reaching out to touch the 
girl's arm.
	Jumping, gray-blue eyes seemed to survey the room as if they had never 
seen the place before, swimming with tears when she saw the book on the floor.  
	"Go-gomen!  Gomen nasai!  I'm sorry," she gasped, horror settling over 
her features, "I'm sorry... sorry...so...sorry..."  hands covering her face, 
she ran tearfully from the room.
	"It's okay, Princess-" Mercury had started to say, lifting up the book 
and smoothing the pages, but Venus cut her off with a quick shake of her head.
	"I don't think she was apologizing to you."
	"Then who?"  Mars sighed, "Oh, for crying out..." Heaving a long-
suffering sigh, the Senshi of Fire walked to the nearest guard, "I'll look in 
the communications room."
Still stung from the events that transpired, Jupiter followed Mars, the taller 
girl murmuring Jupiterain prayers of peace to her troubled princess.
	Alone in the middle of the princess's bedroom, Mercury held the book in 
her arms.  "What happened, Venus?" she said softly, Earthlight falling to 
illuminate the gold letters scribed into the leather binding.
	"He doesn't believe in us."  Venus answered just as softly, walking to 
her friend's side.
	"Very few Earthbeings do, nowadays."  Mercury said, "I'm not sure how I 
feel about that."
	Venus sighed, walking toward the door, "Will you go and tell Mars that I 
will find and talk to Serenity?"
	Nodding, Mercury left the room, hurrying after her fellow senshi.
	'It bothers me, too' the blonde thought, frowning up at the Earth as it 
hung in the sky, 'that they don't believe.  And it must have just about killed 
Serenity.'

Hands clasped together and head bowed, the small figure did not want to be 
recognized.  Glad in a dark blue cloak, the least ornate she owned, Serenity 
lifted tearful eyes to the figure of the man whose she uttered such blasphemy 
against just a few short minutes ago.  It was late, and the few people left in 
the communications room were sleepily watching the few small screens still on, 
whispering among themselves as the palace slept on.
	It was there Venus found Serenity, sobbing into her hands.
	"Are you through apologizing, little one?" she asked kindly, putting her 
hand on the smaller girl's covered head.
	Sniffling the princess shook her head, "What would it matter if I did?  
He wouldn't hear me.  Or even think for a moment he might have.  He doesn't 
believe."  'All those times I thought he might be looking back at me, all those 
times I was so sure he almost heard my vows of love to him... it was nothing... 
lies.'
	"Can you blame him, Serenity-sama?"  Although it was late, the prince of 
Earth was awake, leaning his arms on the ledge to the veranda near the gardens.  
The wind toyed with his dark hair, his eyes stared meditatively at the moon.  
Serenity let herself become enraptured with him, as always, and let Venus's 
smooth, comforting voice calm her.
	"It is very hard to give blind faith to something as intangible as we 
will always be to the Earthbeings.  He is good man, Serenity, and tries his 
best.  However,  he has had a difficult life and it will only get harder.  We 
can guide and aid him from afar but that's where it has to stop. Endymion has 
to do what he thinks is right, and that might involve not getting caught up in 
fantasies like the Angel legends, legends of us, into his life."
	During this speech, Serenity had let the clock slide from her head and 
face, lifting her trembling chin up to her truest friend and councilor.  "Will 
Endymion ever believe in m-in us?"
	Gently, but with deep conviction, Venus turned her friend to face her.  
Lowering herself to look the younger girl in the eyes, she said firmly, "You 
should not care, Serenity.  You are Princess of the Moon Kingdome, he is an 
Earthbeing.  Of course we love and care for all Earth creatures, but this 
obsession of yours is unhealthy.  He doesn't believe in us, and this is how it 
should be."
	When Serenity opened her mouth to protest, Venus hurried along in her 
speech.  "The Earth breed is a proud lot, and they like to think they made it 
this far on their own.  The nobles and royalty especially need to assume that 
confidence in themselves.  Can you imagine what their reaction would be to 
learning they were being watched, and guided from above?  Of course they'd deny 
it and Endymion-sama is no different."
	At Serenity's silence Venus nodded, her point had obviously been made 
quite clearly.  "He is a human.  You are an angel, Serenity, but that's all you 
will ever be to him.  Intangible."
	Long after Venus left her, long after the shifts changed in the 
communications room, long after the rest of the city had turned quiet and 
still, Serenity lifted lovely gray-blue eyes to the empty screen.  The prince 
was asleep now, there was nothing to watch.  'Dream, Endymion, if followers of 
reason do dream.' 
	"Intangible..." she whispered.  It never occurred to her that she might 
never one day see her love face to face.  No wonder the others teased her, no 
wonder he didn't believe.  They could never exist to each other.  "You're 
wrong.  You are all wrong.  I'll prove it to you, minna-san, Endymion.  Angels 
exist.  We are right before your eyes."
	Far down, between miles of matter-less space and layers of clouds, and 
air and brick and stone, Endymion slept, and he did dream, of an angel.
	And an angel decided that for once, dreams would not be enough.

End part one

*- The communications room was were they watched the earth on all their 
computers and technology that looked suspiciously like what was available in 
1992 ^_- I'm not sure if it was called the 'Main Communications' room in the 
manga, I got that idea from Jes's Always Watching You and it stuck.

**- In the manga, the guardians were four when Serenity was an infant.



part two: Tsubasa :wings
	 the Prolouge Komoriu
tasogare: nightfall
kamenbutokai 
	 masquerade
believe: shinjiru (except as true, trust) 
 
to dream: yumemiru 
	 beloved: aisuru
kamigata