Author's Note:

In the Manga, Seiya's character is very short lived; the enemies last longer than her. So I'm taking much of my information from the anime but her personality has matured a bit so she takes on some of the Manga-Seiya's more reserved personality – but the Anime-Seiya is anything but gone so don't worry! I also took some liberties on the style of the show since I wanted this to seem more like fairy tale, so I've meshed some aspects of the Manga and Anime together. I'd also like for people to point out grammatical errors and the like for me to fix if they spot any. I've searched this chapter a dozen times for errors but I can't always catch them all.


The Long Red Veil

By:

Fish

Prologue

Seiya leaned up against the closed doors of Taiki's room. The tall brunette peered up from her work. She had started to write another novel, her last twenty had been so good people craved more. She noticed her disheveled friend had not been shaken from her constant state of distress that had plagued her for last week. She noted her hand dangling along side her leather clad thigh; a white unopened envelope sealed tightly with her crest clutched with in it.

"I'm resigning." Seiya announced her eyes closed wondering if she was really ready to take the plunge.

Though shocked, Taiki's face maintained her signature calm. She pulled her pony tail from its spot on her shoulder as she sat up in her seat. "Why?"

Seiya looked up at her with tired eyes, her face almost completely vacant. The words spoken by her princess fell hard in her mind still harsh and painful as the first time she heard them; I don't mean to hurt you, Seiya but we are of different ranks. It just cannot happen. Once again, she had given her heart to the wrong person. For centuries she devoted her life to protecting others but now, she felt, was the time to protect herself. "I'm sorry Taiki, I just can't handle it anymore." She spoke softly.

With no other words between them, the tall novelist nodded her head. Everyone knew how she felt about their Princess, they wanted to see something come of it but when they heard she had been rejected, Seiya's heart was not the only one breaking. "I'll let Yaten know. She and her girls will be upset at first…but I think they'll agree it's for the best," She stood up from her chair and brought her old friend into an embrace, "good luck."

Once they had pulled away, Seiya pushed past the large wooden doors. Unable to bring herself to look back, she took a deep breath and proceeded to walk down the palace halls. Her next stop would undoubtedly be the hardest. Her eyes watched the large crimson pillars with their gold capitols pass her by one by one; each red structure never to be seen again. The lamps fastened to the walls spread dark shadows from the statues and pictures engraved on them. Like ghosts they silently told the story of the kingdom of Kinmoku; a history she would leave forever.

Standing before the kingdom's still unmarried, and unattainable, princess' chambers; she clenched the letter tightly between her fingers. She tried to enter the room as quietly as she could hoping to leave her letter of resignation with no questions, but her high heels smacked loudly against the polished marble floor making her presence known. Kakyuu's head spun over her shoulder and she stood up welcoming her first in command with her pale hands outstretched. "Oh, Fighter!" Fighter, she had been calling her that forever it seemed, though she had told her to call her by her civilian name Seiya, she refused to call her such a casual name. Seiya chuckled to herself; it was the story of her life, never getting one hundred percent from anyone.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I disturb you?" Seiya asked attempting to cover up her original intentions for the visit.

"No, not at all! I was just about to retrieve you anyhow. I received a new issue I would like to discuss with you."

"I see…" She said inconspicuously tucking the letter safely under her white shirt.

"Here, come sit beside me. I would like your opinion on the taxation of Triptolemisian imports. Should we raise them?"

Seiya sat down in the chair, as she always did when the princess needed her advice, and clasped her hands over her knees. "Well since the reconstruction is over we could probably raise them…"

"Then raise them we shall." Kakyuu said with a smile, jotting something down on a piece of paper.

"But there is a chance that we might get some negative feedback from the people. Some of the Triptolemisian goods are staples in every day society and people like the current prices. They might not put up with it..."

"Then perhaps we shall keep them the same." The princess agreed again scribbling out what she last wrote.

Seiya cocked an eyebrow; Kakyuu had always agreed with her but she never tested whether she was really agreeing or just letting her make her decisions for her. "Well you know," She said scratching her chin in thought, "Maybe we should kill all the Triptolemisian merchants on Kinmoku…It would get the whole problem out of the way in one swoop." She suggested, trying hard to keep her most serious face.

Kakyuu looked startled at her commander's sincere looking expression. With a sigh, she looked down at her paper and began to scratch out the last decision when Seiya's hand clamped down tightly over hers.

"It was a joke."

A blush crept over her face, "oh" she mumbled sheepishly.

"I get the feeling you don't want to make these decisions yourself…For many years now you've been dragging me in here to advise you. I never thought to ask why but I think I should."

"I guess I just cannot settle on something myself. I often find myself second guessing my decisions and I feel it is imperative to have you here with me. To save me from myself, if you will."

Seiya frowned, "But you were ready to kill innocent people at my command…"

"Yes, I know…I probably should try and think more deeply on these issues by myself."

"Please do, Princess. I can't be around forever to help you."

"Oh please save your jokes for some one else! The thought of losing you is unbearable, come now Fighter, you surely know this."

"Maybe, but I think you'll get over it, you're a strong girl." She responded with a light hearted chuckle but Kakyuu didn't return it.

"You have no idea how much you are worth to this kingdom, Fighter."

The dark haired soldier stood up from her chair and took one last longing look at the woman she adored. She wanted to run her hand up to her princess' pale cheek and see if it felt as smooth and warm as it looked. Sighing, she shook the thought from her head. Those sorts of things were the ideas torturing her into leaving. "Well I must be off..." she said quietly.

Kakyuu looked up from her writing, her brow scrunched up between her scarlet eyes, "Oh? But so soon?"

"I'm afraid so." She smiled sadly.

"Well have a good afternoon." She said returning the smile but hers held a naive sense of happiness to it.

"You too, Princess." Seiya said turning to leave the large room. Quietly she took the letter out from under her shirt and slipped it underneath the heavy wooden doors of the Princess' chamber. Wasting no time, she quickly sprinted down the hall stopping at her own bedroom where she grabbed her navy blue knapsack filled with a few of her possessions. Clutching her sailor change star in her hand, her civilian clothing was replaced with her vinyl battle gear. She ran out to the palace gardens and hid behind an Osmanthus tree crowned with orange blossoms; luckily, neither Yaten nor any other castle inhabitants had seen her.

Taking in another large breath, she looked up at the pale blue sky. She enjoyed Kinmoku, but the planet was lacking something. While its gardens were the most beautiful ones of the galaxy, it was flat and devoid of the awe inspiring range of colors the Earth possessed. When she first flew over the blue planet she remembered seeing the green vastness of the rainforests, the white peaks of the Himalayas, and the barren desserts sporting her favorite color; red. Earth was a planet she felt she could live happily on, a calm place she could feel comfortable at and perhaps find a few old acquaintances – if they were still living.

For reasons unknown to them, the people of Kinmoku had stopped aging. Many of them were over a thousand years old yet maintained the bodies of a person in their prime. As she looked toward the direction of her hopeful blue star, she prayed that they were not the only ones blessed with long life. And with only her hopes in her heart, she bounded off into Kinmoku's sunny sky and bid everything she knew farewell.