Chapter 10

When the Princess of Uranus arrived she made her presence known to every guard that she came across. I was wondering if she was going to come. Shino was probably there to escort her. I look out the grand window to the people below. It is strange, everything is so different from up here. I wonder if my mother thought something along these lines.

"You wanted to see me, your highness?" Her sarcasm doesn't escape me.

I raise my hand and dismiss all the guards. "I need to speak with you about something of extreme importance."

"Alright let's hear it."

"I'm being quite serious, Haruka."

I turn slowly and look her in the eye. Her expression is one of surprise. It's as if she's struggling to form words in her throat. Her gaze never leaves the vertical cut on my face. "What happened?" The venomous tone in her words is gone. I've never heard her sound so sincere. I don't say anything; instead I toss her the medallion that was lifted from my attacker. "Where did you find this?"

"That man had it with him."

She looks left to the corpse lying on the ground. "I've never seen him before."

"Regardless, why would he be carrying a medallion signifying his rank as a soldier from Uranus?"

"I don't know."

I step forward. "This could be considered an act of war. This man admitted to killing my parents."

"Now you just wait a second-"

"No I won't. I'm frustrated and pissed off." She stares ahead as if I had just pulled a weapon on her. Gone was the strong resilient version of the Princess of Uranus and in her place, silence. "There had been rumors surrounding my parent's deaths for a long time. I distanced myself from them as best I could, but I can't do that anymore. I know we haven't been on the best of terms, but this… What am I supposed to do?" She says nothing. I swallow my pride. "I need your help."

Her eyes widen. "You what?"

"That was hard enough for me to say once. I won't say it again."

We stand without so much as a word lingering in the air. She is the first to break eye contact. "We may have had our differences, but my planet would never attack yours. Not in this way. We signed a pact to uphold peace as part of the Silver Alliance."

"I know."

She bows her head. "Would you let me take his body back with me to Uranus? I do not know him, but others might."

"If that is what it takes then yes." My voice is so cold and emotionless. I'm not meaning for it to be.

"Did he have anything else with him?"

I nod. "This dagger; that's what caused this. Shino says that it is magic or something. My body won't heal the wound."

"I do recognize that."

I turn slightly. "From where?"

She steps forward. "This is a ceremonial dagger from the times of the Jovian Empire. You have one similar to this don't you?"

I look down to the light scar across my palm. "Yes."

"My father has one of these, but it's locked in our family vault."

I nod. "Ours is kept under guard with the royal treasures. It's only used for coronations."

She sighs. "Then there's only one other planet who was a part of the empire."

I turn to the window. "Saturn."

Haruka walks to my side. "What is going on here, Makoto?"

"I don't know."

She looks to the ground. "Someone is trying to turn us against each other."

"Well it really isn't that hard now is it?"

She nods. "Have you informed the others of the attack?"

"No, not yet."

"Perhaps that is for the best."

"It will be hard to conceal the fact when I return."

She looks closely at the scarring wound. "I'm sorry. This time it was my fault. The safety of the outer rim is my responsibility." I can't help but laugh. "What's so funny?"

I sigh. "I think this is the most civil that either of us have ever been with each other. It's a shame that it comes as a result of something as serious as this."

"I guess you're right."

We stand in silence for a brief moment. I turn to the window. "There was something else."

"Oh?"

"The man that attacked me, he said that chaos was coming."

She nods. "What do you think he meant?"

"I'm not sure, but either way we should take it as a warning. Too many strange things have been happening as of late. I will advise Queen Serenity when I-"

The main doors behind us burst open. "Makoto! Are you alright?"

My uncle bursts into the room with Naru at his side. Both look at me with concern. "I'm fine uncle, it's just a scratch."

Naru walks towards me. "Just a scratch? By Jove you could have lost an eye! Where is the one who did that? I'll make sure he never-"

Uranus laughs and motions towards the corpse. "So dramatic. Do you two really think that Jupiter's Queen can't take care of herself?"

I shake my head. "It's not funny Haruka."

"No I suppose not. I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

My uncle steps back. "Lighten the mood? Where do you get-"

"That's enough, uncle." I turn to Uranus. "Thank you for your help. I'll have my royal guard send the body."

She nods. "Then we'll be in touch."

Naru's eyes follow Haruka until she disappears down the hall. I sigh and lean against the wall. "Mako?"

I turn to my cousin. "I'm alright, just shaken."

My uncle sighs. "Perhaps it would be best to retire for today. I will have Shino post guards outside your quarters."

I shake my head. "That won't be necessary."

"With all due respect-"

"Uncle, I won't have guards waste their time outside of my quarters when they could be protecting the people. My word is final."

He bows. "As you wish."

I look down at the dagger in my hand. If it was from Saturn then there is more at play here. I slide the blade in the back of my belt and turn towards the door. Neither my uncle nor my cousin says a word. Every guard I pass looks at me with nothing but concern. Still, I will not falter, especially now. Shino meets me outside my quarters. He's a stubborn man. I don't protest because I know he'll insist. My door closes, but he never leaves. His shadow stays in the hall from night until morning.

The days pass faster than I thought they would. I guess I just got too lost with the comforts of home. Haruka tells me that she is still trying to find the man's identity, but it doesn't matter to me anymore. He is dead, now we must concentrate on the potential threats and leave the past ones behind. I left the dagger from Saturn in the royal vault with Jupiter's treasures. It sits alongside it's brother.

My uncle tells me that Naru is excited about accompanying me back to the moon, even if it is for only a little while. It seems that even on a beautiful planet such as Neptune, one can still miss the storms of Jupiter. My knuckles smash against the tree in front of me. A light trickle of blood drops down the bark. The open air is soothing. This is the perfect environment to train in. Naru sits off to the side with a book on her hand while I strike at the trees. Her eyes wander away from the page more often than she will ever admit.

"So Mako, meet anyone on the moon?"

I shake my head. "Nope, sorry to disappoint you."

She pouts. "By Jove, you're going to be single forever."

I laugh. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"Are you kidding? Who doesn't want someone to treat them to romance and love on a daily basis?"

"I think you've been reading too many love stories."

She looks away. "I don't think you've been reading enough. Where is your sense of longing? Oh, I wonder what it's like to be in love."

I sigh. "Stop getting all dreamy-eyed. Men aren't really like how they're written in novels."

"I know it's just… a girl can dream can't she?"

"That is up to you." I hit the tree several more times.

"I bet you're a hopeless romantic at heart."

I smile. "Believe what you will."

The crackle of thunder rings out through the sky. Naru stands and turns towards the castle. "We should be heading back soon. Shino's probably worried. We left without telling him."

I nod. "He'll be fine. Sometimes I think he takes his duty a little too seriously."

She smiles. "He's not the only one."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know."

I grab the towel I had set beside her and turn to match her steps. Her nose is still pressed intently in her book. I save her from hitting a tree three times before we're back in the open courtyard. The wind seems to rush past us faster than usual. I smile once I see the royal guard assembling outside. "Looks like we've been found out."

Naru looks up from her book. "There's no crime against the Queen leaving her castle."

Shino walks up to meet us. "Your highness, where have you been?"

"Where does it look like?"

He looks down at the dry blood on my knuckles. "Did someone attack-"

"No Shino, we're fine. We just went out to the forest."

Naru sighs. "I'm going to gather my things. I will meet you at the teleportation pad."

I nod in reply. Shino dismisses the royal guard and walks beside me. "Your majesty… please be more careful. You've already been attacked once."

"And I took care of it."

"I'm not doubting your skill as a soldier. Just… please be safe. I know you won't take your royal guard with you."

I stop and turn to Shino. "Don't worry. If I ever need your help, I will send for you."

He bows. "I know."

In that moment he hugs me. I'm surprised at first, but I recover quickly. Neither of us says a word as we part. He turns back to the courtyard while I walk on into the castle. Naru stands on the stairs with a smile on her face. "You two are terrible."

I ignore her and continue up the stairs. I'm almost certain that her smile never faded.

It was strange. Both Naru and I step off the teleportation pad, but there's not even a guard to greet us. My cousin walks ahead without the slightest worry on her face. "Are you coming?"

I nod. "Of course." Our steps are the only sounds to break the silence. I, at the very least, expected to hear light conversation. I lead Naru down the hall to the other side of the palace. Her eyes never stop wandering to the beautiful sights of the moon. She likes it here, I can tell. "This is my room. We can put our things in here until we get you your own."

She bows. "Why thank you." I walk in first and flick on the lights. Naru's eyes widen. "It's just like your room back on Jupiter."

"Of course. I spend most of my time here. I'd rather it feel at least a little like home."

She flops down on my bed. "Well, what do we do now? Do you have some guard rounds to do or something?"

I shake my head. "I think our first priority would be to find out where everyone is."

At that moment my door creeks open. I turn. "Who's there?"

Two guards look on in confusion. "Forgive the intrusion, your highness. We hadn't received word of your return."

I nod. "Why the hell are the halls empty? If we were under attack then our defenses wouldn't hold."

Both men pause for a moment. I can tell that they're looking at the scar on my face. "Yes… Princess Mars has shifted many of us to the south side of the palace. Patrols are less frequent. The King of Earth arrived not an hour ago."

I sigh. "Regardless of the King's arrival, the men need to stick to their regular patrols to ensure that there are no weak points. I will talk to Mars about this later."

Naru stands. "What's the big deal Mako?"

"It's basic defense strategy. There are too many men concentrated on one area."

She shrugs. "No one is stupid enough to attack the moon. It's the very heart of the Silver Alliance."

"And it is for that reason that security needs to be the best it can be." I turn to the guards. "Would you take us to the others?"

He bows. "Of course, your majesty."

Naru jumps off the bed and follows beside me. Her heels clack against the stone ground. Still, the lack of guards is bothering me. Both men fill me in on the last week's events. It seems that Mars was not pleased with being charged with my duties.

The courtyard is filled with more people than it has in a long time. I thank the guards before joining the crowd. Naru doesn't hesitate to approach the Princess. The two of them squeal like little girls. Mercury is the first to notice my presence.

"Ah Jupiter you've returned-" Her eyes fall on the healing scar of my cheek just like I knew they would. "What in the world happened?"

I smile. "I got into a tussle while I was away. Don't worry about it."

She shakes her head. "This is serious."

"I know that is why we should talk about it later. Right now we are supposed to be protecting the Princess. The guards told me that the King of the West had arrived."

She nods. "Yes, we're just waiting for the rest of his envoy."

"What do you mean?"

"Well you see-"

Both of us look away as a flash of light emanates not too far away. My eyes widen as a result of what I see. Near the palace, both the King and Queen of the West are speaking with Queen Serenity. Even the three of them turn back. Standing near the fountain is Prince Endymion and his Shitennou. Across the crowd, Mars turns back to the palace in an attempt to hide from Jadeite. The Princess speaks rampantly to my cousin while looking straight at Endymion. Venus blushes as Kunzite bows to her; even Mercury seems to be entranced by the one named Zoicite.

The guards still remain at their posts as the five men disperse. I turn away once Zoicite approaches Mercury. She has probably forgotten what we were talking about. I can't help but roll my eyes and start walking towards the palace.

What catches my attention is Naru's dreamy stare. I can't help, but smile. She really is just like the Princess. Her eyes are solely on Nephrite as he follows Endymion and approaches Princess Serenity. I'm not surprised that he doesn't notice. He seems to be looking for something. Regardless, this is nothing more than a social gathering. I order the guards to follow me back to their original posts. Luna and Artemis stand on the balcony with several papers in their hands. They observe the scene in front of them before whispering amongst themselves.

It is going to be a long day.