Author's notes: We're playing with the PGSM canon here, though I've taken some liberties with the Silver Millennium portions of this story. Those portions will borrow heavily from the anime and manga canons, as PGSM doesn't give us much information concerning that era. Finally, each chapter will have the point of view clearly marked. Present-day characters will use their canon family names, while SilMil-era characters will use their planets as surnames.

What though the sea with wves continuall
Doe eate the earth, it is no more at all;
Ne is the earth the less, or loseth ought:
For whatsoever from one place doth fall
Is with the tyde unto another brought:
For there is nothing lost, that may be found, if sought.

Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene

Forbidden: Aino Minako

Forbidden. The word rang in my ears again; it was all I could do to suppress the sob threatening to rip itself from my throat. Luna had said Rei and I were simply forbidden to fall in love.

Logically, I know that we probably wouldn't have met in this lifetime if we hadn't been Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus, but in that moment, and even now, I wish we hadn't been. I'd rather have been alone my entire life than been ripped away from my intense relationship with my Martian. My thought cycle had already completed itself. Once again, I came back to the word forbidden.

Artemis was wholly unhelpful, as he'd aligned himself with Luna, albeit wistfully. That gentle, calm voice of his explained that the Queen had forbidden relationships between Venus and Mars, and she had asked Artemis and Luna to prevent the relationship from ever occurring again. Venus and Mars' consent didn't matter; Rei and I hadn't been given a choice. The Queen blamed the destruction of the Moon Kingdom on them. On us. On us, though today we are not the women we had been then. Those women, we didn't even know them. We barely had their memories.

I couldn't understand Venus and Mars neglecting duties because they were so busy falling in love with one another, but Luna told the story of jealousy, passion, and fear. She'd told the story of destruction.

Forbidden.

Artemis took over; neither of us saw Luna leave. He explained, with great embarrassment, that Venus and Mars'... "bedroom activities," as he put it, interfered with Mars' meditation and Venus' diplomacy. Jealousy had raged between the two Senshi and two of Endymion's generals.

I couldn't believe anything the two had said. The relationship between Venus and Mars had been an intense one, but I couldn't find a single instance in all of Venus' memories where duty had been disregarded. The (regrettably) few memories I did have of Venus and Mars' so-called "bedroom activities" included one of passion interrupted... because of duty.

Couldn't they see? If we were willing to part then, we were willing to part in this life as well? The parting never needed to be permanent. The likelihood of us ever having to part in the middle of making love was much smaller than it had ever been for Venus and Mars! I was comfortable in the knowledge that Rei would place duty above me. We'd both done so since the relationship began; we'd agreed to do so immediately after the first battle we'd stood side-by-side as lovers, rather than friends.

Forbidden.

I resolved to talk to Rei; maybe the relationship could continue. Maybe coming out to the others was a mistake. If we hadn't come out, surely two cats wouldn't have just spent an hour and a half lecturing me. Blaming me. Blaming me for a tragedy I didn't cause and couldn't really remember. Perhaps we could've stayed happy in isolation.

I knew that wasn't really a possibility.

I closed my eyes as he droned on about duty, but by now, the lecture was going in one ear and out the other. I could predict her reaction: anger, hurt, confusion. Venus had been a far better leader than I am, but Mars had been as solid and strong in her convictions as Rei. Perhaps Rei is stronger than Mars was.

I had to talk to her. I just had to find a way to get to her.

The only thing I could think of was to cut him off and agree. He'd be suspicious, but I was sure I could spin the situation to my benefit. "Artemis, stop." He blinked, stopped pacing on my bed, and sat down.

"Minako?"

"If it needs to end..." I sucked in a deep breath before continuing, "I can end it. I don't understand why the past impacts us today, and I can't force myself to stop loving her, but if I need to..." Damn it, why was I crying? "If I need to end it, I can." Artemis placed a paw on my hand and sighed.

"Look, Minako. I... don't agree with interfering with your life. I have my orders, and I am loyal to the Queen." He looked away from me for a moment. "I trust you to do what is right." I nodded numbly as he hopped off the bed. "Go to her."

I didn't reply as I grabbed my jacket and walked out the door.