"Sailor Mars… has the fire been kind to you, lately?" Queen Serenity's voice was soft, as if she knew what the answer would be. All eyes in the room turned to the silent priestess. Sailor Jupiter had reported the information from her scouting trip, Sailor Mercury had processed other intelligence data gathered by the Outer Senshi, Sailor Venus had laid out a plan of attack, and Sailor Mars had remained silent throughout the entire meeting. The priestess rose and placed her hands on the table.
"No, Your Highness. The visions I have seen since last night have not been kind at all." The queen sighed sharply. "Sailor Mercury, your intelligence suggested hundreds of enemies, waiting to slaughter our forces, correct?" The other woman nodded. "The fire suggests thousands. Your Highness…"
The queen moved purposefully to her fire senshi's side of the table and rested a gentle hand on the smaller woman's shoulder. In nearly a millennium, the queen had never seen her head priestess and close friend look so small. The look in those amethyst eyes took her back nearly a thousand years, when the warrior had been but a frightened child covered in blood. "Rei."
"We will not survive tomorrow, Serenity." The queen's countenance conveyed little shock. "The Era of the Silver Millennium ends tomorrow. We won't even survive long against them." Sailor Mars started slightly as slender arms wound around her shoulders. She rested her head on the queen's chest a few brief seconds, seeking a momentary relief from the bloodbath that had crept from her visions to the edges of the Lunar Kingdom. The queen sighed softly and drew back, searching the priestess' eyes.
"If we surrender, how many of our people will they spare?" The shorter, raven-haired woman dropped her head.
"If we surrender, the fate of our people is worse than it ever could be if we fight," Sailor Pluto interjected as she stepped into the room. The other three Outer Senshi were conspicuously absent. Sailor Mars nodded.
"I asked the fire the same question," she admitted, raising her head back to lock eyes with the queen. "You know Martians do not ever surrender." The queen idly played with loose strands of silver hair and sighed as she took her seat once more.
"So you're telling me a quick, brutal death is the best thing for the kingdom?" Sailor Pluto sighed tiredly and agreed.
"Surrender will end with enslavement. I would rather my daughter die on the battle field than experience some of the… things… those creatures plan to do to any captives they take," she started quietly. Queen Serenity rested her forehead in her palms and seemed to be thinking. The room remained eerily silent for several moments.
"Then Hotaru will die on the battlefield." She took a moment to look each of her Senshi in the eyes. "Each and every one of us, myself included, shall die on the battlefield trying to spare our people."
A few minutes later, a very out-of-breath Sailor Venus finally caught up to a very fast-moving Sailor Mars with a pant. "Sailor Venus. Wha-"
"Cut it, Rei." The priestess blinked in surprise. "I want to talk to you, alone." Sailor Mars nodded her assent and the pair entered her chamber together and sat on the bed. Sailor Venus detransformed and put her hand on her companion's wrist. "I want to talk to you as close friends, not as Sailor Senshi," she mumbled nervously. When her partner detransformed, Minako rose and started pacing. "Rei, why are you alone here?" The priestess blinked.
"I don't understand, Minako. I am very much not alone here." Minako stopped a moment and shook her head. "What do you mean?"
"Why haven't you married?"
"I have no interest in marriage. Minako, did you also forget my vow of chastity?" Minako cut her eyes at the other woman and sighed.
"Have you seriously been taking the Terran definition of that word the entire time?"
"What?"
A very exasperated Minako tossed her hands in the air and tried to control her voice. Of course, with Rei, she always failed miserably. "Rei, think about it! There is only one planet in this solar system that defines the word 'chaste' as 'abstinence.' The words even sound exactly alike in their language! Now tell me the Lunarian definition of it." Rei hesitated a moment.
"Minako, what in the hell of the dark side of Phobos are you doing here?"
"If I'm going to die tomorrow, I'm not going to die with unfinished business, Rei. Define. Chastity. In. Lunarian."
"Chastity, according to Lunar customs, is abstaining from sex with those one is not in love with."
"Okay, and now in Terran."
"Abstaining from all sex. Minako, what-"
"Rei, just hear me out. If you toss me out tonight, at least I won't have to live long knowing this broke our friendship." The Martian sighed and motioned for the Venusian to continue. "You are my best friend. You are a skilled warrior, a compassionate and kind woman, a gifted priestess, and most of all, someone this universe doesn't deserve. Rei… We're going to die tomorrow. And I can't die without telling you I'm in love with you." Rei did not reply. Minako searched her eyes for a long moment, hoping the other woman would say something… anything… but received no reply. "I'm sorry, Rei. I'll take my leave."
"Mina." The blonde froze and slowly turned to face her friend. "The vow was made to keep me from your arms. Love or duty, I could not bear to be forced to choose. I told Serenity everything. I told her how I felt for you, how afraid I was… everything. The vow was the solution. I didn't know you felt the same, so I couldn't be anything more without breaking that vow." Minako blushed and took a tentative step toward the other girl. "Sit," Rei instructed gently. Minako obeyed, surprised by Rei's sudden surge of emotion. The stoic priestess would never confess anything like this under normal circumstances.
But what is normal, anymore, anyway? The Goddess of Love thought to herself. She wrapped her arms around the shorter woman. "If we are dying tomorrow… you don't have to choose tomorrow, because the choice you make won't matter, Rei."
"I know, Mina. I will make the same choice I have made for the last millennium."
"Then give me tonight. Just tonight. Make love to me as if the world wasn't ending. I expect you to choose her every time. The rest of our lives will be over before we can regret it." Those wild eyes, almost black in the soft light, met Minako's. Rei stayed silent a long moment, and the Venusian rose once more, rejected. The small, quiet voice stopped her as her hand touched the doorknob.
"Minako… I could never regret it. Give me your body, just for tonight… because you already have my soul and have for a lifetime."