"This is stupid!" Rei's feet went out from under her and Makoto grabbed her arm to hold her up. "Blades on your feet and you can't balance to kick!"

Makoto grinned and skated in a circle backwards. "You just don't like it because you can't do it."

"I can too!" Rei tripped over her skate and flopped on her stomach. "It's cold." She dragged herself to shore, "it's hard and cold; this is stupid."

"It's okay," Makoto did a loose twirl, "Prince Endymion is hopeless as well."

They watched as Endymion fell on his butt for the sixth time.

The music playing was soft and sweet. Successful skaters danced across their vision. Setsuna skated backwards, her black silk rippling in the light wind. Queen Serenity faced her, one delicate hand resting on her shoulder. Setsuna's hand lightly clasped her waist, but both pairs of ice were intense and held a hint of anger. They kept their voices soft and well modulated, teasing instead of accusational.

"I know you're not telling me something." As she said it, Queen Serenity never met Setsuna's eyes.

"You're the one who's pushing me away."

"I won't be here forever."

"Don't try to get me to verify anything." The mistress of time gave her a slight glare.

"You're not the only one with insight into the future. You're not the only one who stays cold with the misery of the knowledge."

"I'm still a child, begging 'why?' Why does it have to be this way?"

"Because there's nothing we can do to stop it."

Then they were out of earshot.

Makoto slid next to Rei. "Sometimes it feels like all these parties are a mask on something that we should really notice, some demon with the face of a princess."

They eyed Serenity Jr. tentatively testing the skates and falling over with a loud exclamation.

"No self-respecting demon would dare to wear that mask. Or at least not that wig."

Makoto laughed and turned to Haruka, who had spoken.

"You're very relaxing."

"Well, I suppose you have to take advantage of things if everything is about to blow up in your face."

Rei spotted Michiru approaching. "She's going to take advantage of you."

Haruka glanced down at her. "And you know this because?"

"She smells like it."

The boyish princess bit her lip in repressed amusement.

Rei leaned a little closer to her and inhaled. "Do you want her to? Or are you scared, you smell like both."

"You're ruining my reputation, huntress, most people would assume that I'm going to take advantage of her."

"Luna thought that. She was wrong."

Michiru arrived and slid her arm around Haruka's waist.

"Whuff! It's strong." She eyed Rei with a slitted gaze. Haruka laughed.

"Rei, she's just wearing perfume. You have a sensitive nose." Michiru turned her gaze to the royal child of Uranus. Haruka winced at the glare. "She said you we're going to take advantage of me, that she could smell it."

"Aren't I?" She pressed her finger to her lower lip.

"Are you going to skate tonight?" Makoto asked. They barely noticed her. Something was telegraphing between their eyes.

"Um, maybe later." Then they were gone. Makoto watched the door of the south wing of the palace slam shut.

"Great, no one wants to skate." She turned to Rei who was perched on the edge of the rink. Rei pointed across the artificial lake.

"She's still trying. I don't want to do this, but maybe you could teach her."

Makoto watched the princess cling to the side and inch her way along.

"Are you sure it's not a hopeless case?"

"Oh it is."

She gave a side glare. "I'll do it. If I can teach you to dance I can teach her to skate." She started across the pond weaving effortlessly between the couples and the solo stylists.

Rei watched her as she asked Serenity Jr. if she wanted any help and took her hands. Then she scanned the rink. She spotted both cats, Artemis keeping an eye on proceedings, Luna was heading towards the door of the castle that Haruka and Michiru had disappeared through. She didn't see Minako among the skaters, but she caught a glimpse of Ami handling herself with ease. Where was Minako?

Makoto and Serenity Jr. skated slowly past. The princess gripping fiercely to Makoto's hands. Makoto skated backwards easily, and spared Rei a smile.

Tomorrow they would leave on a mission. They would have to suffer each other's company all day for a week. Minako would want to have fun tonight, wouldn't she? And she likes these sorts of things, almost as much as she likes fighting with Rei.

Rei banged the heels of her skates against the wall on which she sat, tearing ragged strips into the back of her dress. She hopped off the wall, wobbled for a moment, and then started trekking up the path towards the door. She wandered into the castle and Luna leapt out from behind the curtains.

"Take off your skates! Do not wear them indoors!"

Rei fell over on the marble. Deciding that she was a bit more intimidating to the black cat when she could stay upright, she pulled off the skates and dropped them in a pile on the floor.

"What are you doing in here anyways? Why aren't you at the party?"

"Where's Minako."

The cat stepped back in surprise, "Why do you want to know?"

Rei gave her an appraising look, "I like to know where my enemies are, I don't like ambushes."

"From the last I heard I didn't think you were still enemies."

"We're enemies. Why are you nosing around?"

"I am merely attempting to locate the princess of Neptune, I wish to inform her of something."

Rei pointed to the curtain at the end of the hall, which cut off the wind from the open balcony. It was moving slightly.

Luna looked surprised at the aid she had received. "I have heard that Minako is not feeling well and remained in her room."

Rei nodded shortly, then took out her knife and started marking the walls. Luna winced, but headed toward the curtain.

She heard a squeal of outrage from Luna, then footsteps, some giggles, and a shutting door, then another squeal of outrage when she realized they had gotten away. Rei continued down the hall. She sheathed her knife. By now she could find her way a bit better. The marks were purely for Luna's benefit.

She knocked on Minako's door.

"Yes?"

She opened it.

"What are you doing here?" She stood up and reached for her sword.

"No blades," said Rei quickly.

She bowed her head, "We do enough damage without them."

Rei stroked her cheek where the healers had made the neat slice disappear.

"Why are you here?"

"Why are you?"

"It's my room."

"You're not skating."

"Maybe I don't feel like skating. Maybe I feel like being alone!"

Rei stood in the doorway.

"That was your hint to leave."

"What did I do?"

"What?"

"You're always mad at me. And I really don't like you."

"I don't care."

"But you're here because you're mad, so it's because of me. And I'm mad because of you."

"You are such an idiot."

"You're weak."

"Am I?"

Minako jumped at Rei's throat. As they scuffled in the hallway they were both much more relaxed and much happier. Eventually Luna, hunting for the romantic escapees, stumbled upon them and broke it up. Minako stumbled back into her room, her face red, with a bloody nose, and a beatific smile.

Luna marshaled Rei down the hall. Her dress was in tatters and a bruise was forming on her cheekbone and the world was a beautiful place.