Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, nor do I own Haruka or Michiru. Unfortunately. They are owned by Naoko Takeuchi. I own the storyline. Also, "Hand of Sorrow" is a song copyright Within Temptation and Sharon von Adel.
Warning: This story contains love between two women. If you have a problem with homosexuality, or underlying tones of sex between women, do not progress past this point. Thanks!
Author Note: Ha. I know you're like, "Get on with the story!" but I'm all holdin' ya back and bein' a meanie. Anyway, I am back. I got the inspiration for this story from Within Temptation's song "Hand of Sorrow" and the whole CD in general. It contains the pairing Haruka and Michiru. Maybe I'll even get some of my old readers! I look forward to your reviews! Enjoy!
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The commotion of the Court never truly interested the princess of Neptune. She preferred to avoid it entirely. What with all the dukes and sirs and earls and princes and everyone else who believed, in earnest, that they were somebody flirting with her, she relished in the silence of the gardens. Above her, doves cuddled on a tree branch, casting moving shadows onto her journal of exquisite art. The pencil was softly laid down, rolling until it rested against her turquoise satin dress. She sighed and massaged her hands, gazing up through the trees at the distant noon sun and wishing it was midnight.
"Michiru," her mother's stern voice called. "You must make an appearance. The ball is nearly over and here you are with your stupid drawings being antisocial."
Michiru refused to face her mother. Her coral pink lips formed a pursed line at the thought of her art being mocked. It was her passion, to create such imagery. Knights saving damsels, lovers reunited, the sea and mermaids… she loved every piece as dearly as a child. The king and queen of Neptune never approved of her pasttime, shunning it in favor of tea parties and balls and silly things that, while Michiru was no tomboy, bored her nearly to tears. Being alone was often her only comfort, yet even that left her unsatisfied sometimes. As though a part of her was still not there…
Her long aqua hair fell over her back as she finally turned to her impatient mother. The Queen wore a silver dress, embroidered with subtle patterns of dolphins and fish. She was tall, straight-backed, with curves envied by all the queens of the galaxy. Michiru had inherited those curves, only she considered them a curse for all the hassle they gave her. Men hardly left her alone, and women put up their guard around her, whispering vicious rumors to their friends the moment they thought Michiru was out of hearing range.
"I would much prefer to stay here. At least here the birds don't gossip," she replied, her voice even, yet no amount of tried malice could keep it from sounding beautiful. She watched her mother sigh, irritated.
"How would you know if the birds did or did not gossip? Birds are fickle things and hardly a substitute for fine, and royal, company. Now, you are to put away your foolish hobby and come inside. There are influential people here tonight. They will establish new lines of trade with Neptune. How would they like it if Neptune's beautiful princess chose to snub them?" The Queen moved to her daughter, cupping her face in long-fingered hands. She looked down into Michiru's eyes, as blue and vibrant as her own. Like the sea. "I'm depending on you. We are depending on you."
With that, the young princess was left again in the silence of the garden, fighting the duty that would force her to go. Grudgingly, she stood, and took her leave from sanctuary.
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"…And I said to the Empress of Jupiter, "Why don't you try the raspberry scones? They make them specifically on Earth." and wouldn't you know that the very next week, she ordered a whole shipment…" Politics and trade were never Michiru's niche, and as she listened to the fat old merchant prattle on, her mind wandered. Slowly, she took a sip of champagne from the blue crystal glass.
Across the room, she spotted the infamous Moon princess and her friends, giggling like children. The one with raven black hair, Michiru remembered her as the princess of Mars, met her gaze and she turned away. Handing her empty glass off to a servant, she strode to the balcony to view the rising planet of Uranus. The sun had slunk behind its enormous form, making the celestial body seem dark and cold. Still, the fading light reflected off the planet's clear seas beneath the atmosphere, making the right side of the sphere glow. She smiled momentarily before a presence made her turn quickly.
"It's a little lonely out here," the princess of Mars whispered in the distance between them. Her long black hair hung to her upper thigh, rustling lightly in the breeze that brought the scent of the sea. "But who wouldn't want time to themselves in such a beautiful place?"
Michiru smiled and turned to the shorter, younger girl. "It is beautiful. Much different from Mars, I'm sure." She weaved her fingers together and leaned against the marble railing, resting her hands in her lap, a gesture of openness. Her mother had always taught her to be cordial to the other princesses. They lived lives just like her own, she thought. Lonely at times, overcrowded at others. There could never be a happy medium for them.
The black haired princess smiled and nodded, bridging the gap to stand just a foot from Michiru's flowing aqua skirt. "Yes, it's quite hot there. This, in comparison, is like a thing called winter. The changing climate of Earth has started to develop such a thing. And strange cold white flecks called snow." Michiru looked from the horizon to the other girl. "Miss Moon priss-cess gets a whole jar of it every time her prince comes to visit." The tone was sullen, and Michiru guessed there was a deeper reason, though she wouldn't pry. The Mars princess looked up at her, lips pursed before she smiled and extended her hand. "I'm Rei, by the way."
Michiru smiled in return, lightly grasping the princess's hand. "Michiru. What made you come to talk to me? You looked as though you were having fun in there." She turned away when Rei took a place beside her against the railing, eyes cast out at the planet Uranus again.
Rei made a sound with a lips and Michiru laughed at the scoff. "Oh please. Princes S-e-r-e-n-i-t-y is flaunting her relationship again. Endymion this, Endymion that. It gets sickening." Rei rolled her eyes, lips taut in a pout.
Michiru's tongue slipped out a question she had been keeping in. "Do you like him?"
The young princess's cheeks turned red enough to match her light silk dress. "I… that girl is a twit," she finished quickly before folding her own hands nervously into her lap. The aqua-haired princess noticed the change and gestured with her lithe hand.
"I didn't mean anything by it. We… I so rarely get into conversations such as this one. No gossip ever reaches…," she tried unsuccessfully. "Why did you come to talk to me?" she inquired after a moment of silence.
Rei met her gaze, and Michiru realized her eyes were black with glimmering hints of violet. She smiled reassuringly. "Well…" the girl started. "I've never really met anyone like myself. I heard you also had… the Sight. Is it true?"
For the first time, Michiru's lips parted to show her white teeth. "I do. I had been told one of the inner princesses could see the future like I could. They said she was like a shaman. Clairvoyant. I guess it was you."
"Then you know," the Mars princess became grave. "You have seen the possibility of war. I have already warned the Queen of the Moon, but my visions have shown me it is still 10 or 20 years from now."
Michiru nodded, casting her sapphire eyes to the marble tile. "I have seen it. I do believe it will be 20 years or more, but we both know the future is not set in stone." She leaned forward to rest her hand reassuringly on the other girl's shoulder. She tried to make her face give the same message, but war was imminent, unavoidable. Neptune, Pluto, Uranus, and even long-silent Saturn had all been given the message to be ready.
The princess of Mars gave her a small smile. "I have seen something else, too. I thought you should know that I have seen a figure in your future. I don't know if you saw but he will soon--," she was interrupted by the quiet steps of another.
Michiru quickly lowered her hand, looking to see Mercury's princess standing at the doors of the balcony. Despite her short-cropped hair, there was a feminine quality about her. She had a shy gaze, and Michiru wondered if she intimidated all the young princesses.
"Ami," Rei said at last. "Couldn't take much more of princess Usagi's shameless flaunting either?" Ami, the princess of Mercury, laughed softly and stepped to the other two girls.
"I thought if I didn't get out of there, I would need 2 whole days locked in my library just to get my IQ back up to par," the quiet girl quipped. Michiru laughed, lifting her hand to her lips in modesty, though Rei laughed openly.
Ami turned to Michiru and smiled softly. "I'm Ami. You are Michiru, correct? princess of Neptune, daughter of Sururi, queen of Neptune." She became shy again, lowering her gaze. "I'm sorry. It's my family's business to know about everyone. My mother has been in direct correspondence with Moon Intelligence since she was eighteen. It's just habit…," she trailed off meekly, her cheeks crimson.
The aqua haired princess shook her head. "No, it's nice to be among intelligent beings for once. I'm so tired of maids who babble about nothing or what duchess is being courted by what earl." She paused and sighed before examining her two new friends. "When are you two going back home?"
"Tonight," both girls muttered in unison, then smiled at each other. "There's a Light Shuttle going out tonight. Many of the royal families scheduled to be back on it.," Rei explained. "There's going to be top security."
Michiru nodded and was about to inquire further when from the doorway a familiar, regal figure appeared. "Father," she whispered, and the two other princesses turned to face the king of Neptune, politely bowing their heads.
"Ladies," he offered, his voice a deep bass. With a gesture of his hand, the two younger girls were dismissed, and they threw a glance to Michiru before going back into the ballroom. The tall king moved to stand beside his daughter. "Are you enjoying the ball, Michiru?" he asked softly, looking out over the seemingly endless Sea of Neptune.
The princess scoffed. "You know I hate these pointless balls. It seems like mother just plans them to set me up with princes whose collective intelligence equals that of a goldfish."
Michiru's father threw his head back and let out a slow, bellowing laugh. "Even as a child you made me laugh so. Michiru," he turned to her, his face sympathetic. "You have become so beautiful. You remind me of your mother when she was young. So full of life, yet she was always defiant of something. On our wedding day, it was me. She hated me. Our arranged union was supposed to link the two opposing sides of Neptune into one thriving planet. You remember learning about the civil war."
The princess nodded. That lesson had taken an entire week. "It's important to know your planet's history, so that it may never be repeated," her old instructor rattled on. She had graying hair that may have once been sky blue, and a nose that curved up at the end so that she always appeared to be snuffing someone. At the age of 13, Michiru had flung a priceless vase at her after the old hag insisted that Michiru's love of painting and getting dirty with acrylics wasn't "ladylike".
Her father seemed to remember too, because he winced and looked out over the horizon once more. "We grew to love eachother because it was our duty." The word made Michiru look at him. "And we got you. One couldn't ask for a more perfect heir to the throne of Neptune. Michiru," he turned to her, sapphire eyes serious. "There is someone we want you to meet. It could potentially improve relations for our planet." Michiru's gaze fell to the tile. "Michiru, please, remember your duty to your people, your planet, and your galaxy." Hesitantly, he laid his broad hand on her shoulder, gave it a squeeze, then kissed her forehead swiftly before striding back into the ballroom, leaving Michiru alone to compose herself.
"Duty." It was a word she despised. Sometimes, she wished she wasn't royalty. She would have traded it for any life. But she was bound by the word she hated.
Not far away, a horse shook out his flaxen mane. From inside the carriage he drew stepped another member of royalty, bound by the same duty as Princess Michiru.
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A.N.: I will try to update soon! Please reviews!
