It was probably the third time she'd ever donned her disguise as the Princess in the past year she's been in service to her Queen. She always felt strange using magic to morph her body just slightly so her curves weren't as pronounced, her body not as toned and her eyes a bit rounder and more silver in toned. Venus giggled at herself in the mirror, the strange hairstyle and silvery blonde hair looking out of place to her along with the crescent Moon on her forehead. She made a stupid face at herself in the mirror with a little appraising twirl once she was satisfied with her appearance. A Lunar guard greeted her at the door to escort her when she slipped out of her borrowed room to join her Queen for the conference they were holding as part of a diplomatic tour of sorts.
These things were always boring to her, Venus had no real role at them most of the time other than to be a presence beside her Queen, and added protection for the Lunar royal if needed. This particular conference was for Queen Serenity to go over developments and progress being made as the Silver Millenium reaches its peak with initiatives specific to Martians even when the stubborn race insisted they could handle it themselves. Mars was still a planet housing rebels, so it only made too much sense for Venus to be present as a 'just in case' scenario. She folded her arms in her lap to keep herself from drumming her fingers on the red table cloth in front of her in boredom, her eyes sharply gazing around them for any sign of a threat and only finding the pale violet eyes of the Duke, Mars' cousin Ryo, staring straight at her.
He was one of the very few diplomats that knew she was a decoy. They'd met at another conference not long ago, he lingered by her side during one of the diplomat's speeches making smart assed comments under his breath, effectively making Venus laugh quietly. They engaged in quiet conversation that continued after the conference with immediate and undeniable chemistry, like a strange spark between them which wasn't totally uncommon between a Venusian and Martian. He was charming and arrogant as any other Martian man and completely gorgeous but there was something between them that made Venus shiver. In a good way.
They broke for lunch halfway through, the groups of people heading down the hall toward the dining hall providing Venus a much needed break from the perils of boredom. She gathered the white skirts of the borrowed dress and blew relief through her lips, eager to hear what remark Ryo had in regards to the updates, snarky or otherwise. He smiled at her approach, her lips parting for a greeting when the first scream rang out. They both shared a concerned look before taking off toward the commotion. Venus cursed the long skirts of Serenity's gown as she ran, her heart seeking to choke her in her throat in knowing that first scream was her Queen because it vibrated in her ears like an alarm.
"Someone has Queen Serenity." Ryo whispered at her back, she nodded at him, her lips tensing while they both slid along the wall together toward the crowd where someone was shouting in Martian. "He's threatening to slit her throat." Ryo whispered again, interpreting for her since while the language was infused in her at birth, he wouldn't know that and his voice, the confirmation of what she was hearing helped to keep her head clear.
"Round some guard you can trust and I will try and apprehend without harming him." He gave her a heated smirk, completely out of place in the situation, and totally not helping her pounding heart.
"Good luck Vee." Ryo kissed her cheek and slunk off to find reliable reinforcements. Venus exhaled deeply through her lips, and turned to assess the situation.
The man looked like a standard Martian guard, dragging Queen Serenity back toward a door with a huge knife pressed to the pale column of her throat. Venus could see a small trickle of blood dripping and staining the white satin of her gown, and the slain Lunar Guard that had been posted at her side crumpled on the floor. It was a bad situation and yet a calm washed over Venus as her fear turned to rage. She knew the door the man was inching out of, a plan formulating in her mind almost immediately with renewed clarity. She gathered her skirts and ran down the hall, circling to cut the intruder off.
"Venus Planet Power" She merely whispered to herself as she ran through a seemingly empty hallway, allowing her transformation to take hold. Venus found Ryo with some guard off in a side room, seeming to have the same idea as her, but she didn't have time to think about anything. Nothing but Serenity's safety, and returning the Mother home to her sweet Princess. The moment she rounded the corner was when all Hell broke loose.
She watched the intruder release Queen Serenity, who remained the very image of calm, throwing her to two other lackeys who all thought they were alone. Yet Ryo stood to the ready with his men in a room nearby and she was in immediate proximity. She had to be swift, deadly, and accurate to a pinpoint. Venus knew there was no room for error, and less room for failure.
She whistled loudly once, distracting all three men who were greeted with the Golden Goddess' wrathful eyes that glowed a solid gold in her rage in the dimmed lighting as she rounded the corner in a charging run. Her Golden hair flowed behind her like a cape as she released a beam of light from her finger so perfectly aimed and concentrated that it shot directly above Queen Serenity's shoulder and perfectly between the eyes of the man that held her captive. Queen Serenity fell to the floor, watching wide eyed as her chain came to life and Venus launched herself against a wall to propel herself forward at the other two assailants who were scarcely able to make a move on the Queen. Her knee slammed into the face of one of them with a sickening crack while her chain apprehended the other and she struggled against his attempts to escape, trying with precision to keep from accidentally killing him. It all happened in matter of only a few minutes, but Venus found she couldn't breathe.
"RYO!" Venus called, her chain had wrapped around the ankles of the unconscious one for good measure and she stood panting when he rounded the corner with his guard.
"Good Goddess Vee, you could have asked for some help you know." He shifted on his feet, with a pleased smirk, running a hand through his careless black hair. "Damned nice work though."
All Venus could do was stare blankly at the man she'd just killed. She'd never taken a life before, apprehended and imprisoned? Sure. Killed? Never, but oh the damage one of those Crescent Beam attacks creates. She'd blasted the top half of his head clean off creating a spectacular mess. The Martian Guard began to collect and clean up the bodies of the fallen and drag the two still alive for questioning, Venus noted her chain was very warm when it released the man she held who had deep welts burned into his arms from the heat.
"Hey, you okay?" Ryo placed his hand on her shoulder making her jump nervously. He retracted his hand and gazed at her with concerned lavender eyes.
"I- um..I'm fine. I think." Venus swallowed and looked up at him with wide eyes, trying to keep her bottom lip from quivering or stop the welling of tears that stung her eyes. She hadn't realized her hands were shaking the way they were until Ryo took them in his.
"You're in shock. It happens to us all when we're forced to do what you did, especially the first time. But you protected your Queen." His smile relaxed her some and he bent to kiss her forehead. "Stay strong, you were incredible." His thumb brushed her cheek before she turned to collect her Queen who was being released from questioning. She'd never been happier to go home.
Venus stood in the hall outside the throne room of the Moon the next morning, biting her lip and fidgeting with her glove. Artemis was borderline screaming at the Queen while Luna tried to reason with him. She'd never seen him angry like this, but when Venus was given more assignments and another scheduled appearance he flew off the handle. It was several minutes of muffled yelling, Luna's urgent voice mixing in with Queen Serenity's calm one, before the double doors slammed open, a flurry of long white hair and uniform stormed toward her with fury in his large green eyes. Her own eyes followed him as he approached, wide and almost afraid. Artemis stopped in front of her, and cupped her cheek breathing deep through his nose to try and calm himself.
"You will take a short leave. After what you've done you earned it, you know, time to cope with what you had to do. We'll leave for Venus in the morning, a few days early for your birthday." His eyes were wild but voice tender when he spoke to her and Venus threw her arms around his waist and buried her face in his white coated uniform. "I'm sorry..." He whispered, kissing her hair. Venus held tight to her Guardian, never more grateful to know that he had her back and even stood up to the Queen herself though she imagined Luna was still in there dealing with the fallout from all that. She wondered what her sweet Guardian had to be sorry for.
"Why are you sorry Artie? I think you might owe the Queen an apology in time but-"
"I am sorry that this life will continue to be unkind to you. That won't be the only time you will have to take a life the way you did, and I am sorry that I can't protect you from that." Venus smiled, trying to keep her brimming eyes in check when she reached up to trace the crescent Moon on his forehead. "I just don't ever want to lose you..."
"Oh Artie...I knew this life would be hard. I knew there wasn't anyone to protect me from that. But I can endure it with you, my sweet friend, at my side. You can't lose me...someone has to be around to drive you crazy you know." Sadness pierced his big green eyes and he nodded, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders and pulling her down the hall with him. Venus never felt so lucky to have Artemis, knowing her Guardian would always be with her no matter what was just the comfort she needed.
She took the rest of the day off as well, spending her time with Serenity lazing in the garden which really meant she was on duty but she was at least able to wear clothes more suited to her even if the toga style dresses and very thin silks she brought with her from Venus were revealing by other planet's standards. Even the corseted dresses that became more popular barely covered her breasts and the skirts showed too much of her legs or hips, barely covering enough to hide anything too scandalous. Of course due to her age and race, her body was more developed than the other girls who often looked like they might die of embarrassment when they browsed the markets together. Even when she made an effort to wear something less scandalous on day shopping trips or diplomatic affairs. Venus always made a point to wave them off and tell them they'd get use to it in time. Heck, she was convinced they'd be begging her to borrow gowns in a year when they entered their sixteenth years, well maybe not Mercury.
Her eighteenth year came too quickly, of course she didn't have time to breathe let alone notice how quickly the weeks passed by until two years were gone. Naturally time also seemed to go much faster since her physical form had only manifested four years prior and she'd just been so busy. True to his word, Artemis accompanied her the following morning back to Magellan. The burst of color, the sweet fragrant scent of oranges and florals assaulted her immediately upon teleporting home and she grew excited to see that familiar soldier was there to greet her. His name always seemed to be lost to her though.
He lifted her into a bone crushing hug, his smile positively beaming at her and Venus was fast to notice how insanely beautiful he was. He was a bit older than her of course, wild white blonde hair that held a brilliant gold sheen in the light and pale green eyes that illuminated under any light source. His face was soft but manly likened to one of the Grecian styled statues often carved after her people, his body only grown stronger with years of combat training.
"I wasn't sure it was possible that you'd grow more beautiful." He breathed, taking her hands and stepping back to appraise her. "I've heard stories about you Venus, a hardened warrior indeed. You do your people proud."
"Well then, such flattery before I even get to step foot in my own halls." Venus laughed lightly, accepting his light stolen kiss. "I think you're far too kind to me Soldier, or I've just been away too long." The man lowered his lips near her ear, she felt a shiver creep up her spine under his warm breath at her neck.
"I'd be biased to say you've been away too long... my kindness for you extends far beyond pretty words Princess." Venus felt her face grow hot, clearing her throat she shifted away from him slightly and tried to regain some form of composure. It was barely appropriate behavior for a low ranking soldier such as himself to act like this toward royalty, even on Venus. Perhaps the lines had become skewed since she's always been more Soldier than Princess?
"Well. I'll see you at the party in a few days I'm certain." She fumbled with his name and felt guilty that she should know it.
"I hope to see you sooner, but I'll wait as long as I must." He kissed her hand, green eyes boring into hers with a dangerous smile on his beautifully formed lips. Venus swore it got a little warmer.
The soldier never seemed far away from her over the next few days. She caught his eye in the markets while she shopped her favorite place to buy oils and soaps. Browse as she did she felt silly thinking she'd ever buy anything but her favorite orange oil with honeysuckle. Venus tried to avert her eyes as the soldier sauntered his way slowly toward her.
"Good Morning Princess... you look better than well today." He slowly began peeling an orange he'd just purchased, leaning carelessly against the doorframe of the shop.
"Thanks I suppose. You look like... you." Venus laughed nervously with his own light chuckle. He reached and fingered the thick red ribbon she had adorned in her hair, half back as he had styled it nearly two and a half years prior the day she left for the Moon.
"It still suits you. I'm happy you wear it still." He released the end of the ribbon and pulled a slice of orange free, extending the first piece to her.
"Thank you." Venus smiled and leaned beside him against the door. The soldier was mysterious and there was a certain thrill that came with his presence that alarmed her as much as it excited her. She took the orange slice, meeting his stare as they both bit into the fruit. They were still her favorite, that sweet explosion of juice mingling with the smell of what she could only describe as Sunlight. "Are things holding strong with the Venusian Army?"
"You come here on leave and want to check in on your armies?" The soldier chuckled softly and offered her another slice which she accepted of course, noting his distraction when she bit into it.
"A valid question, you're a soldier aren't you? The Venusian Army lives to protect my Mother and Magellan of course I'd want to be sure the safety of my people remains intact." He laughed then, throwing his pale blonde head back against the stone wall behind them, green eyes gazing listlessly toward the ceiling of the next level above them.
"Never been stronger Venus." He sighed, standing up straight popping the last slice of orange between his lips. "As you fight for us all, I fight for you and you alone Princess. Every man has something worth fighting for and most agree that Aphrodite herself is a noble enough reason." He lifted her chin with a finger, bending to press his lips to hers briefly in almost a usual fashion for him. "I can't think of a more noble cause than to fight for you, love."
Venus was left baffled, lips parted as though she would speak but only watched the soldier walk away noting that he smelled like oranges and spices. She felt it then, a knife sharp desire that he seemed to stab her with the light press of his lips.
It was late when she emerged from the hot spring in the spas far below the normal floors of Magellan. A decent crowd still lingered and the air was mainly silent save for a few of the amorous moans from some of the more daring Venusians that only mingled with the peaceful sound of running water. Venus released the long gold curtain of her hair from the careless bun she threw it in, her skin chilling in the damp air beneath the meager short toga dress she bothered to wear. To be so free and uncaring of how exposed she was in the translucent garment was a bit refreshing until she saw him.
Her mysterious soldier stepped from the steamy enclosure of the showers, nearly white golden hair still dripping down his neck and chest. It wasn't uncommon for someone to walk around without clothing so unashamedly on Venus, however it somehow felt different because she couldn't stop herself from staring. Seemingly none of the women in proximity could either but he only seemed to notice her. Venus wasn't a stranger to seduction, which is why she knew that was exactly what he was trying to do, it was only strange because it was working. She could always feel this wash of desire, rather constant and almost unsettlingly strong, emanate from him and roll over her skin. The male body was no anomaly to Venus nor the anatomy that came with it and yet that desire was hard and pinpointed straight at her which did little to keep her from her appraisal of him.
Their eyes locked, that charming smile of his becoming something devious and dark, and only broadened when her eyes shifted lazily down the lightly muscled front of him. She bit her lip with her own body's reaction to him, the fluttering of her heart and stomach, tension pooling down to her core, and when her lapiz eyes met his peridot ones he winked, reaching lazily for a towel without losing her stare. He merely slung it over his shoulders instead of bothering to cover himself, patting drops of water from his chest and began to dry his hair. She licked her dry lips and shook herself free of his spell, finally coming back to her senses in a few blinks of her eyes. She bolted back to her rooms as soon as his concentration shifted to drying his hair.
Her birthday fell on the day before she was to return to the Moon, Venus frowned when she realized her five day leave was almost at an end. It was hard for her to believe anyone would want to leave the beautiful and luxurious palace of Magellan and it guiltily made her not want to return to her normal life. Sure she missed Serenity and those four amazing girls, but everything else felt foreign and frightening. At least she knew now that she could perform her duties and not give it a moment's thought. The time away gave her clarity that she might have to kill without hesitation no matter what her task might be, it wasn't limited to any certain occasion but a necessary evil of her duties. She scrubbed her skin harder, the bathwater running cold with her reflections in efforts to wash it away for that last night.
Venus felt light as she dressed and got ready for her party, slipping into a bold yellow gold satin number that was cut out in the back and on the sides, dipping low between her breasts and tied neatly behind her neck. The skirts flowed like air around her legs when she walked like most of the light breezy fabrics of her gowns did but there were slits on both sides that cut all the way to the tops of her hip bones and accented by thin gold chains that draped on each side of her hips. It was a structured garment that was stylish on Venus, airy and comfortable. She really only added some light makeup to her eyes, curling her hair and securing it with her signature red ribbon, all polished with darker gold heels that made her legs look good. Venus frowned in appraisal of her legs when they still didn't look as good as Mars'.
For once she didn't stand out so much at the party. The room was full of all shades of colors, red, gold, orange, blue and white gowns quite similar to her own. Not like on the Moon where if she wore something like this to a ball she would most definitely stand out against the muted colors and pastels, not to mention there weren't many that appreciated Venusian fashion. Venus mingled with ease, many of the Venusian aristocracy wanted to speak with her about her accomplishments and any news on the Silver Millenium. She found herself not upset about having to talk about her duties having spied her mysterious soldier a few times, his green eyes pierced the crowd and found her every time.
There was a crowd of girls trying to get his attention and he'd dance with one here and there but it never failed that Venus found him. She couldn't tell the way her stomach churned if it was anticipation or something entirely wrong. As the night grew later, and the wine flowed freely the atmosphere shifted as it tends to do on Venus on such nights to more amorous undertones. She knew at some point half the planet in attendance would fall to lust and varying states of love and she'd retreat to her quiet and comfortable room to avoid it. She told herself she'd get one last glass of wine and perhaps some fresh air before bidding her Mother and guests goodnight.
Venus mosied over toward the refreshments lined just beside the balcony doors for some more wine. As she passed the pillars that framed the exit to one of the expansive balconies, a strong hand took her wrist and pulled her outside. She found herself pinned between cold marble and a warm, toned body that pressed into her suggestively. She stared up wide eyed at the handsome soldier wondering how he'd gotten from one end of the ballroom to here so quickly and how she didn't see him. The way he was staring down at her, how his eyes left hers to trail over her face and lower made her feel naked despite the already rather revealing dress she wore.
"I thought you might have at least saved me a dance after you disappeared last night." He purred, his warm hands rest against her waist, fingers slipping beneath the cut out fabric of her dress to hold her against him. Her blue eyes locked with his very intense pale green ones and Venus began to feel her very own nature burn her. It wasn't a need for sex, that was easy enough for her to avoid thus far, or obtain should she be ready for it. As a Venusian she could feel the desire, the want, the love of other people. She craved physical contact, intimacies be it physical or mental stimulation. It's just how their nature was, and she was often able to find enough mental stimulation from Serenity to harbor the lonely nights. This was different, she felt trapped by this man she barely knew, trapped beneath his crushing desire and stone. She'd done so well avoiding physical interactions with men aside from kissing guards she thought were beautiful. That was just a game to her and this felt different, like something she might crave all the more. Something that Sailor Venus could not afford.
"Ace I..." She went to slip away but his hands only tightened against her, their eyes locking making the rest of her sentence fall forgotten by the sliding of his hand against her bare skin. The music from the party drifted out to them but their breath puffed out steady between parted lips and drowned out most other sounds. She was used to his hands, the way they used to spar together, those hands taught her a great deal of how to fight. She knew him, and she didn't. Venus met his eyes again, not realizing the intensity that she stared at his full lips. Not until that moment he closed the gap between them in a passionate flurry that had her heart slamming against her ribcage. He'd kissed her before, light little kisses stolen between sparring sessions that were a mere happy memory for her. He'd never kissed her like this before, and it was different still from kissing the Lunar guard who were more taken by surprise and hesitant to touch one of the sailor clad girls in fear of their Queen. This was so different.
Venus found herself responding to his eager kisses, enjoying the sweet taste of wine lingering, that perfect dance of lips lightly sucking and pulling at her with each new press and the warmth of his body her hands hesitated to explore. His deep moan vibrated through her bones as his mouth slanted over hers to brush his tongue over her lips. She inadvertently pressed into him when her arms wrapped around his neck, opening her mouth to his to invading kiss and pulling him closer with fingers tangled in his feathery soft hair. It was the first time Venus had let a man this close to her, or even touch her so freely. She could have pushed him off and brushed him aside easily but this intimacy was intoxicating, almost like a drug as his desire mingled with her own. His hands slipping further under the fabric to her already barely there dress to knead at her backside without the barrier of fabric, pressing her suggestively into the bulging length she had felt against her lower abdomen.
Venus didn't mean to moan at the contact, the memory of his bare flesh he'd placed on display for her just the day prior was so obviously meant to stay fresh in her mind for this moment. She mentally berated herself that it worked, that she pictured his glistening damp skin and nearly white-gold hair dripping down his chest as he left the showers, so that she could appraise the perfection beneath the clothing he wore now. That he bothered to stage this whole thing that her body seemed to want, her mind too if she were honest. That desire, that want from another person was addicting and intoxicating, yet his careful scheming set off so many alarms.
Her eyes flew open then, that tensing feeling that had grown between her legs and felt so wonderful initially turned to a cold stab to the stomach suddenly and Venus quickly unwound herself from his arms. She only gazed at him a moment, seeing something strange peering back at her behind his eyes that rose goosebumps to her skin. Venus hurried away, walking briskly through the crowded ballroom, all the way back to her rooms where she threw the lock into place and went to splash cold water on her face immediately. Venusian charm didn't work on other Venusian's, they could only use it to enhance their desires. So why did she feel such a draw to him? Why were his kisses like a drug she craved more of? She groaned loudly, pulling off her dress and stood under a cool shower, grateful to be leaving the following morning.
Venus lay in bed, staring out her balcony to the stars beyond the false atmosphere around their vast palace. She sighed, sitting up to scrawl a half assed note to Ace, feeling horrible again that she didn't remember his actual name, to apologize for her running off on him. Explaining that she couldn't be what he wanted her to be and he should go to the Temples to learn of his soul mate because her Duties forbade her from walking that path with him, or not. It was pathetic but she asked him to forgive her, that her love belonged to Princess Serenity and her oaths spoken for her. She was grateful the house staff knew who she spoke of when she handed them the sealed letter and asked that Ace receive it.
She wanted to deliver it herself but Artemis was waiting for her, anxious to get back to normalcy. For once she agreed, because truly she wanted to get away from this horrible want Ace planted in her, newfound urges she had that Venus knew she couldn't speak of to anyone. She didn't love him, didn't even know his name, and his trickery made her stomach churn, but to be wanted with such ferocity only created curiosity of the passions that would blossom from it. Yes, she needed to get away from him. It was an unhealthy love on his end, an obsession she didn't understand until now.
In the days that followed, Venus became quite the scandal among her girls. Jupiter wanted to know every gory detail about the ball and the infamous soldier of hers she'd all but climbed like a tree mere feet away from other people. Venus obliged of course, and in graphic detail about all of it from the initial greeting, to his lewd display in the spa, all the way to the party. Speaking about the details yet again, reliving them rose that urge in her that Artemis had all but taught her to suppress, unweaving because of a gorgeous Venusian Soldier who seemingly had a bit of an obsessive infatuation with her.
Venus woke early one morning, grateful to Mercury who always kept her updated on rebel leaders, sent her the location of the ringleader for the small group that had tried to kidnap Queen Serenity. A simple teleportation allowed Venus to further take her frustrations out on the leader of some rebellion on Deimos, bringing Mars a gift of two ravens back with her. This of course infuriated Queen Serenity since she yet again acted on her own, and while Sailor Venus was not limited to the jurisdiction of any singular planet or star, she had to act in accordance to the laws of planets she served and did not adhere to Martian regulations in apprehending the subject in question. Venus knew the Queen grew tired of her acting alone without orders or a well developed action plan. Her Queen of course refused to listen further when she tried to explain that yes, she in fact had a plan. That plan was to act before it was too late and so she'd apprehend the criminal while Queen Serenity sat on her throne still building a case.
Venus was forced to accompany the Queen back to Mars to plead her case to the council. She was more than prepared to do so regardless of the frustration brought to the Moon Queen. There was a lot of change needing to happen on various planets, and perhaps her actions could shed light on those. It was meant to be a purely diplomatic trip and told herself numerous times that it was exactly that, even though after the mysterious soldier she hadn't stopped thinking of a certain Martian Duke. Venus spoke before the Martian council. Not pleading her case per say but more rationalizing her decisions and urging them to change their methods in regards to these criminals because it took far too long for them to act. Of course these were minor threats so far, but Venus was looking at it on a bigger picture scale than them. If she was going to protect the sanctity of the Silver Millenium, there was a call for change.
Of course Ryo was fast to agree with her, grateful as she was that she had the support of the Duke though she suspected it was the eyes she made at him through half of her speech. He was beautiful to her right away with his pale violet eyes that were sharp, straight nose and inky black hair that was well cut and wavy around his face. Ryo was arrogant and overconfident as Martian men tended to be, but the brief encounters she'd had with the Duke so far spoke of an intense attraction. Also being the cousin of Sailor Mars was an added bonus since Venus often loved to flare that infamous temper of hers, though aside from Serenity she was closest to the raven haired warrior and loved her almost as fiercely.
She spent the rest of the gathering meeting his eyes, quirking her lips in a come hither smirk in return of his own rather dark half grins over dinner later. Ryo didn't stop staring at her once during the whole meeting, and dinner was proving to be no different as the council and her Queen all gathered in their hall before bed. Venus knew she should fight it, that one day this want, the urges would land her in love and she easily thought she could love a man like the Duke. His beauty and charm were novelty still though, he was arrogant, a trait she didn't quite care for in men but the fire between them was far too hot for her to ignore.
"I thank you all for coming today, regardless of how we got here the outcome was fruitful so thank you for that Lady Venus." Ryo raised his empty glass to her with an arrogant smirk and well placed shift of his eyes at her toward the door. "I am beat however, and will be retiring early. Enjoy the rest of your stay Queen Serenity."
Ryo gave a quick bow and another glance at Venus who bit her lip and shifted her eyes toward her dinner plate as the Duke left the room. She engaged in a little more conversation and took a few more sips of wine before she let her Queen know she would retire for the evening. Queen Serenity was still a little sore at her so she didn't question it, just nodded and continued charming Aries who also had been making eyes at Aphrodite's daughter.
Ryo made a noise from behind a pillar in some dark corner near the rooms she borrowed, the Martian palace was simply full of them, and giggled when his hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her toward him with that dashing smile of his.
"Good Gods Vee... were you trying to make me crazy all day?" He whispered, brushing his nose gently against hers and searched her eyes before his lavender gaze reached her mouth. "I'm glad you've been feeling the same way...I think about you constantly."
"I thought it was you tempting me, Duke." Venus breathed, brushing her lips lightly against his parted ones, the feather touch alone bringing him to her mercy. She began reminding herself of her limits before it even began, knowing her resolve was shaken still by her trip home only a few weeks prior, and that her attraction toward this man was far more potent.
She wasted little more time in kissing him, moaning lightly into his lips when it became heated immediately and she was pressed into the wall with his roaming hands that seemed to heat up at his will. As those hands became bolder, she was quick to withdrawal her passion some. Venus couldn't afford to get carried away, since her physical form manifested she'd been taught to suppress her nature, to hone that in to a much more crucial purpose.
"Ryo... we can't..." She found herself gasping beneath the mercy of his lips though she gripped at his hair in a rather contradicting fashion.
"Like Hell we can't..." He muttered, his pale violet eyes amused and darkened when he looked back at her and all she could see was hunger. He pressed his groin into her short skirt with purpose and kissed her again, the small moan that passed her lips was by no accident this time. What disturbed her most was that she wanted it, felt herself burning each time he thrust his tongue between her lips and toyed with her. It was his hands that she merely tolerated in betraying moans and wanting gasps and the obscene skill he had with them that nearly broke her. Venus could feel each brush of his fingers, painting her with heat from his magic, driving her to give in to her insatiable nature. That same alarm, that cold punch to the gut appeared suddenly as it did with Ace, and she pushed Ryo back when his fingers tried slipping beneath the leotard of her uniform to probe the warm flesh between her legs.
"I'm sorry Ryo...I... " He smiled in a mild understanding, slipping his hands back to her waist to pull her toward him.
"Kiss me more, bet I can change your mind." His voice was all dark seduction, a low whisper that hit the center of her. Venus bit her bottom lip hard, eyes rolling when she felt his tongue lap at her throat, sucking at the flesh just soft enough to be maddening and she whimpered. "I don't think want is a strong enough word Vee.."
"I know..." She whispered, staring into his darkened lavender eyes, his swollen lips. "But you know I can't..." Gods she was afraid, that this explosive lust might envelope her, and as he kissed her again she fell helpless. If she told him she didn't want to move further, it would have been a vicious lie.
"You know you can... if you choose.." Ryo muttered, his own voice strained. The heat he generated from his fingers brushed her core through the fabric of her uniform and she thought she might die. She allowed it for once, pressing into his hand as it grew bolder. She was no stranger to the sensation, but no one other than herself had touched her this way, she'd never allowed it. It was when she felt his fingers shift again, trying once more to move the fabric aside that she grew a little angry and panicked and bit into his bottom lip hard.
He fell back with a loud curse and Venus merely tossed her golden hair over her shoulder and sauntered away with feigned composure, ignoring Ryo as he called after her. She felt undone, knowing she would have rather given in since after kissing him she knew it wasn't love, or obsession but a powerful and insatiable lust. It was the closest she'd ever been to losing control and Venus was terrified. Even lust could be too consuming, even if it was only for a short time. It was the kind of thing she needed truly were she to take a lover, Ryo would have been the perfect companion. No love, no strings attached, only consensual and explosive lust. She told herself that it wasn't her fear of failure, or fear of falling in love. Venus lied and told herself she just wasn't ready.
Mars nearly set her on fire when she found out. She only did because Ryo began sending request after formal request for court Venus properly. To the Martian soldier's horror, Queen Serenity said she would allow it with strict conditions since she knew at Venus' age she would soon take lovers but could not marry. If she fell in love it would be conditional because her duty always came first, absolute blasphemy to someone of her royal Venusian birth. Mars and Queen Serenity both found relief when Venus denied each request with an easy flip of her hand.
Venus was a bit more careful from then on, Artemis was blushing furiously when he scolded her and she could hardly keep from rolling her eyes. He knew better than most the nature of her people, but he didn't know that each Lunarian guard, Martian diplomat or otherwise left her feeling only more empty. Even if it served its purpose for the moment. She had her line- but it was herself she wasn't trusting, not the men she chose. Perhaps there would be a day she would give herself to a man completely, but her heart wasn't ready for it. Mostly she was afraid she'd fall in love and this fed into her absolute terror that she'd fail.
Venus calmed down somewhat in the coming weeks, noticing how uncomfortable it made Artemis to have whispered encounters with the young Goddess of Love amongst the Lunar Guards and she could only guess it would reach her Queen. She felt nothing from the Lunar Guards anyway, it had only been with Ace and Ryo that she felt such overwhelming and purely primal urges. It took her a few weeks to dissect it all but Venus had suppressed all this since her coming of age, and now that she'd experienced some of the more intense aspects of desire. There was no affection with Ryo, only powerful lust and attraction that often came between their races. Ace was a strange mixture of lust and obsession, perhaps a form of love that mingled with something off about his mental faculties. There wasn't a way for Venus to know for sure, she was no mind reader, only able to feel emotions linked to love, lust, and desire which tied into happiness mostly, perhaps longing.
Ryo married a Lunarian noble weeks later, a strange pairing but it was at their wedding that Aphrodite showed Venus how to see the lovers link. A red thread between two people that glowed and spoke of fated and lasting love, sometimes jagged or disjointed, other times slightly curved or straight and vibrant. Steady, a link of the strongest. She felt warm seeing it between the Martian Duke and the beautiful pale haired Lunarian woman, she felt happy. There was a sense of closure with their union, and while she often longed for more than the affections of her Princess it actually helped ground her back to her purpose.
They were at another conference on Mercury months after his wedding, the lecture was probably quite interesting and very informative but she couldn't focus. Her eyes would drift to Ryo, only to roll in annoyance when she found him looking at her. She was particularly tired, and moody, and hating the Martian Duke more now that he was married because he had the audacity to stare at her with that hunger in his eyes. Venus tried to pay attention, even jotted down a few notes that wouldn't make sense later. She was surprised his wife at his side didn't even notice.
Later that night when the knock came, and she knew it would, she tripped him when he tried forcing himself into her room and he fell to the thick carpet with a loud thud. Her room would have been romantic, had the Duke not gotten married she might have shared the bed with him. Basked in the patterns the water cast on the walls through the glass ceiling of the underwater palace where her borrowed room lie. That was before, she'd grown resolute to be stronger against her urges, her very nature of affection and passion. Ryo gave her a devious smirk as he stood and pressed her back against the door.
"Vee...that was a dirty trick." He seemed to laugh the action off and went to kiss her, his lips landing on her cheek when she turned her head and pressed her hands on his chest to push him away.
"I am no whore Ryo. Perhaps you should return to your wife." She tried to step away, to open the door to usher him out but he took her wrist and roughly pushed her against the door, slamming it shut, and pinning her against it with a hard grasp on her wrist at the small of her back. She gasped, that old desire flaring toward her from him with the soft feel of his lips on her jaw.
"You've haunted me for months Venus, I need to have you." He muttered against her neck, kissing down toward her shoulder. She fought the wave of desire that washed over her, eyes rolling and lip bit hard between her teeth when she tried to push him back unsuccessfully with the hard grip he kept on her wrist behind her back. This, with the pain in her wrist only served to fuel anger in her that replaced desire almost immediately. Venus would die before she allowed a man to force her.
"Ryo, we've only ever kissed that hardly warranted a marriage proposal." Venus growled, "I do not want to hurt you but if you do not release me you will have more to explain to your bride than your wounded ego." He let up to look at her, seeing the anger burning gold in her blue eyes. His grip on her wrist tightened and he pressed into her harder.
"If you'd have accepted my offer, it could be you by my side and in my bed, Venus." It was a low blow, he knew as well as anyone that marriage wasn't in the cards, love was scarcely even an option, and it only fueled her anger further. " But I guess the legendary warrior Venus will go down in history as a legendary whore as well." He finished, further twisting the knife. She knew Martians had notorious short tempers and his ego was probably reeling by her repeated refusals of him. It did little but fan the flame of her own temper.
"You BASTARD!" She twisted her arm effortlessly, hearing a loud snap as he fell backward. She'd been gentle all along, but as said Legendary Warrior she held strength greater than most men and had broken the wrist of the hand that held her with ease. "Take your wounded pride back to your wife. Tell her whatever you want about your injury but I am not yours. I am my own."
"You are a slave you prudent BITCH!" He growled, grasping his mangled hand and standing before her slowly. "You belong to Queen Serenity. You are property of the Silver Alliance. You will always be owned, and unloved because you won't let anyone close enough and I TRIED, dammit. Because you ARE a whore in every aspect of your life- You. Are. Owned." She watched him with a hot glare as he dragged himself to the door.
"I feel sorry for your wife." Venus muttered, stopping him cold. "She loves you, you know since you're her soulmate. Yet here you are in the chamber of another woman's room calling her the whore when she would rather honor the sanctity of your vows than sleep with another woman's husband." She smirked when his eyes widened slightly. "But what do I know? I'm just the Goddess of Love incarnate... a Silver Millennium whore." She bit. "Take your love's fortune and get out of my sight." Venus growled, slamming the door behind him.
She'd never let him see the tears that fell from her eyes, she couldn't remember ever crying really, not like this. Was this the first? She ran a hot bath, hugging her knees and staring into the water with those awful words rattling through her thoughts, loud and cantankerous noise she knew she shouldn't listen to, and yet they repeated until the water turned cold. She sighed deeply, pulling the plug and crawling to bed without dressing. Venus hated how big the beds were, all the beds she's borrowed including her own were just too big. She closed her eyes and thought of her dear Princess, needing badly to talk to her in that moment, to let Serenity's loving words and encouragement wash away the horrible doubts and notions that ate away at her pride. She slept restlessly that night, anxious to return home at the end of the following day.
Ryo told everyone he'd fallen down the stairs and was fortunate enough to walk away with nothing but a broken wrist. Probably for the best rather than risk a scandal and Venus gave him nothing but a cold glare. Her eyes didn't meet his the rest of the day, there were no smiles between them and Venus was certain next time she broke a code in his jurisdiction, or something happened the next time she played a decoy Princess, that Ryo would not lift a finger to help her ever again. Artemis gave her a knowing look and hugged her later after the final absolving decision by the Martian council, probably thanks to the appearance of Mars herself, and whispered proudly in her ear.
"That's my girl."
Mars was even prouder of her leader. She even apologized for trying to set her on fire. It made Venus feel better, but his words buried themselves in her mind and refused to loosen their grip. It was all she thought of in fact late that next evening when they arrived back on the Moon. Artemis gave her a kiss on the cheek and sleepy goodnight while he and the Queen disbursed for bed.
"You need to talk about it?" Mars offered, her darker violet eyes fixed on the darkened floor of the hall in front of them.
"Are you happy Mars?" Venus wrapped her arms around the Martian's shoulders, letting the scent of jasmine incense invade her senses in a calming sort of way. The question seemed to take her off guard but she leaned her head against hers and sighed.
"I am not unhappy Venus. Our lives have purpose, our Queen is strong and admirable, our Princess a mess... but we have each other when it counts. I know you and I are different but we are a damn unstoppable team. Whatever my idiot Cousin said to you don't listen. You know I say things I don't mean all the time, and Ryo is worse."
"I never broke your wrist though..." Venus frowned but it struck a chord of humor in Mars she wasn't expecting.
"I hope you never do, but it was kinder than he deserved." Mars kissed her forehead and slipped from her arms. "I'm heading to bed... if you need to talk, I'm not good at this but I'll listen at least."
"Thanks Mars." Venus said softly, offering a tired smile in return. Watching the gentle sway of her raven's wing hair with each click of her red stilettos on the polished floors as she disappeared down the dark hall.
A few members of the Lunar guard were kind enough to take her things up to her rooms while she did a sweep of the grounds, almost hoping to run into Jupiter on her watch but had no such luck. His words opened something empty within her, she didn't have it in her to tell Mars what he'd said, as a leader how could she open them up to such doubt? The words almost made sense even if she told herself they didn't, she'd been happy in her duties. Serenity was more than she ever dreamed she would be. She was happy, right? She needed to talk to someone, needed reassurance that he was wrong or any solace from the hurtful words Ryo had engraved in her mind. She needed Serenity, seemed to feed off of her kindness and honesty and love that she seemed to return.
Venus peeked her golden head into Serenity's room, long darkened but the younger girl often stayed up later than she should reading about the Terran legends or some romantic comedy written from Venus. She was almost surprised to see the rooms completely dark, and colder than usual. Venus shifted slowly through darkened front sitting room and entered the bedroom where the curtains were drawn around the bed. Her brow raised, something seeming off because the balcony doors were left open to the cool night outside where they'd be shut normally to keep the rooms warm. Serenity wasn't on her balcony so she closed the doors tight with gloved hands and shivered.
"Serenity, are you awake?" She spoke softly, turning with a smile that fell the moment it spread to her lips to find an empty bed where her Princess should have been. Her heart slammed into her throat, rushing into the bathroom which was also empty. Venus paused a beat, thinking she could have snuck down to the lake or gardens like she did sometimes, or maybe she walked with Jupiter. She told herself anything to keep the panic down.
Venus burst into Mercury's library knowing full well it would be empty at this hour to use the Mercurian's systems to locate Princess Serenity before she sounded the alarm to the girls or woke the entirety of the Lunar Kingdom. Her search of the palace came up empty so she broadened it to the entire Moon. Her throat went dry when it came up empty. She could vaguely see the Earth from the windows of the library and she licked her lips, swallowing hard when she broadened the search again. There was an affirmative beep, and coordinates that flashed on the tiny screen with Serenity's location. She was on Earth.
Every ounce of her training told her to sound the alarms, alert the guard, wake the Senshi and enact an emergency protocol she had run through her own mind at least a thousand times. Her hesitation alarmed her, the panic that overtook her every cell with each echoing sound her heels made on the stone floor on the way back to her room. She paced a moment, muttering the order of each group to alert, she flipped open her communicator and entered the coordinates.
Her lips tensed with another thought. She'd go ahead, scout out the situation and if she couldn't handle it alone, she would rally the troops. Why risk war if she didn't have to? It was a purely her thing to do because this tactic worked so well all those other times and depending on the outcome it would almost definitely result in war. Ignoring protocol and the things she knew she SHOULD do, she stepped onto the balcony and with a practiced breath from those days of training, she teleported to Earth.
Everything felt heavy. The dense air that filled her lungs, fragrant with something floral mixed with something she would come to know as rain. There was something else that permeated the air, unique and soft that she couldn't place from the soil beneath her feet- Earthy. It was dark, and noisy and Venus found herself surrounded by vibrant green vegetation and tall trees with flowers she'd never seen before. It was noisy, more than just the whisper of the warm breeze through the trees and every sound seemed to alarm her even more until she was certain she'd just sound the alarm, claim Serenity and chain her butt to the palace.
A few labored breaths later, Venus checked her communicator learning that Serenity was not far, and exceedingly happy from what she could feel. Odd since she should only be able to feel emotions tied to love which she just chalked it up to a mutual love she had for Serenity, even if she currently wanted to throttle her. It made her feel much better to learn she was safe though it would not save her from the scolding of a lifetime or worse since she was certain she'd have to report the incident to Queen Serenity- a thought that did not thrill her because she'd get in trouble too for not following protocol. It was a much more extreme situation this time so she fully expected actual lashings.
Venus shook it off, taking one last deep breath she shifted noting how noisy the ground was with the twigs and leaves beneath her feet. She wondered if these were purposeful, Terran traps to catch intruders. She paused, hearing voices and her gaze shifted through the dense trees seeing two men walking by in light armor and Venus held her breath.
"How are you doing under the Ice King's new training regime?" The first asked with a laugh.
"I don't see how King Adrian has an army left the way he beats us. It's kicking my ass that's for certain, someone's going to have to reign in the Shitty Shittenou before he kills one of us." The other guard burst into laughter, Venus' ears perking at the sound of the familiar legendary name: Shitennou.
"That's a good one, though I'm pretty sure the Commander would actually kill you if he heard it." They passed by, both laughing and even Venus had to roll her eyes.
'Weaklings' she thought frowning to herself and shifting carefully along the trees. It wasn't long before the clouds shifted and she praised Selene because the Moon was immensely bright and she could almost see every detail out in front of her. She glanced down briefly at her communicator, drawing closer when she came to a clearing. Her eyes shifted back and forth, deciding the coast was clear she quickly dashed forward, opening a wrought iron gate and closing it behind her quietly. Nothing could have prepared her, not even the thick perfume of the flowers, for the gardens that lay in front of her when she turned around, shifting so her back was pressed against thick hedge that concealed the gardens well. Her stomach sank, consulting her communicator again for which direction to head and she struggled to breath or stay focused in awe of the beauty in front of her. She swallowed hard and with a deep fragrant breath she shifted forward, trying to keep to the shadows.