Through Their Eyes
Chapter 12: Too Blind to See
By: trusuprise
Disclaimer: Naoko Takeuchi owns Sailor Moon.
"Did you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"That Prince Endymion was spotted leaving Princess Serenity's chambers at a very late hour last night!"
"No!"
"It's true!"
"I understand that Queen Serenity is quite pushing for a… paring between the two."
"No!"
"It's true!"
When she felt the familiar weight of a hand perched on her shoulder, Mercury pulled herself from her hiding spot at the hallway's corner and spun away from the three royals she'd been eavesdropping on.
"Makoto-san!" Her voice was hoarse as though it were stuck at the back of her throat.
Jupiter offered a brash smile. "Don't listen to the gossip mongers, Ami-chan. You know you can't believe what they say. Besides," the Jovian winked boldly, "didn't you tell me that you hadn't gone that far with Serenity?"
"Wh… what of it?" Mercury stammered. She tried for petulant disinterest but fell somewhere between anxious and embarrassed.
Jupiter chuckled. "Well, that only proves that the royal rumor mill isn't infallible."
Mercury stifled a squeak and instantly colored. Left with no recourse to Jupiter's generous, hearty laugh, and not really wanting to know what the rumor mill had said about her relationship with Serenity, she could only shake herself into action.
Keeping pace with her companion's broad strides, she was led towards the guest wing of the Palace where they would rendezvous with the Earthlings. Somehow, as she caught sight of the group that she and Jupiter were meant to lead on an outing into the Mercurian Tent City, she felt as though it would be a difficult day.
And somehow, as difficult as the sight was to bear, she knew it had more to do than just seeing Serenity so closely wrapped around Endymion's arm.
"The people are on their best behavior." Venus said with a slight nod of acknowledgement to the tent city below.
"I know you're not referring to the human people." Mars growled.
From their vantage point high on a dusty, limestone roof that overlooked the main Mercurian thoroughfare, Mars and Venus kept a watchful eye on both the humans and their Princess. To tout this trip as a cultural exchange, it seemed only logical to include the entire Terran traveling party, and as a result, several dozen rowdy, overwhelmed humans frequently overstepped what would be considered a proper boundary of personal space for their otherworldly hosts, yet the Mercurians handled the breeches in protocol gracefully.
"Everyone wants to impress the Earthlings, to convince them that we're a peaceful people in need of help."
"'Ch." Mars spat. "Good thing they decided not to bring the humans to the Martian tent city, then."
Venus smirked at her moody subordinate and refocused her attention on the sprawl below them, shifting from side to side slightly when roofs and tents pulled Serenity from clear view. Mercury and Jupiter were doing a good job of keeping Serenity and Endymion – the two being nearly attached at the hip – in plain sight, but it seemed that something had caught the attention of the two royals, and their intertwined forms disappeared underneath the fabric edge of a vendor's stall, the weary forms of the shittenou trailing along behind them doggedly.
Mercury froze when she noticed that a particular item had captured Endymion's interest.
With an appreciative whistle, Endymion fingered a bold, circular pendant that emitted a faint, saffron hue. "I thought Mercurians were known for their technological devices. I didn't know they could create such beautiful jewelry, too."
Serenity turned. Peering around Endymion's arm, she smiled at her closest friend. "Ne, Ami-chan, what can you tell us about this pendant?"
Avoiding the curious glare of the shop's vendor, and unable to look at Serenity, Mercury stood to the other side of Endymion awkwardly. "Mercurians excel at technologies, but we also make other noteworthy products as well. Jewelry making, though not up to the standards of Venusian ornamental value, is also a Mercurian specialty."
There was a stretched silence. Mercury looked at the pendant before her with a carefully blank expression. "This jewel you so like, Endymion, is called a Mati. It is a mercury-amalgamated gold that gives it its distinct saffron color. It represents intellect, communication, and is only meant to be exchanged when two people-"
"Do you like it, Endymion?" Serenity cut in excitedly.
Mercury recoiled and took a step back, pulling her gaze from the pendant.
"Well, it is very unique." The Prince said uncertainly.
Serenity reached into a small purse that hung at her side. She grabbed a handful of paper bills, sparing no concern on the amount, and slid the stack of money across the counter to the vendor. "I'll take it." She said with a smile.
Taking his cue from the senshi that represented his people, the vendor kept his silence and took the money gratefully, though he needn't concern himself with wrapping the piece of jewelry, for his Princess was already fishing it off the display and working the clasp with deft fingers.
With a slight blush on his cheeks, Endymion bowed his head and allowed Serenity to secure the clasp around his neck. With the circular pendant jutting over top of his tall, white collar, he drew himself up to his full height and stood for Serenity's inspection.
After a moment's consideration, Serenity shook her head. Standing on her toes, she tucked the pendant underneath his stiff collar. "There," she said with a sense of finality. "This way, it's closer to your heart."
"Hn." Mars said. "That's not good." She and Venus had hopped to the next rooftop to keep their eyes on Serenity and Endymion.
"What," Venus asked, "a girl can't buy her man a trinket?"
Mars scowled, not knowing if her ire had been caused by her commander's haphazardly phrased comment that simply didn't sit well with her, or the Venusian's misunderstanding of the meaning of said 'trinket'.
"She gave him a Mati. I believe it's the Mercurian equivalent to an engagement ring."
"…oh." Venus frowned, her intent gaze following the two apparent lovebirds as they flitted to the next stall. "Do you think Serenity-"
"I suspect the only one who knows the true nature of the jewel is Ami-chan and the vendor who sold it."
"Well," Venus shrugged awkwardly, "what they don't know won't hurt them?"
Mars snorted. "It's going to hurt someone."
"Ami-chan, what's wrong?" Jupiter asked.
"Eh?"
"I know it's uncomfortable to see them together, but it's just a necklace."
"But it's not just a-"
"Hey," Jupiter gently elbowed her smaller friend. "Serenity's moving on. We have to keep up."
"Ah." Mercury nodded, and silently fell into step behind the Jovian, shouldering her way through the thick crowd and never once lifting her gaze from the ground.
"Maybe this'll make Ami-chan finally open her eyes and see what's in front of her." Venus said quietly.
Mars tracked the movements of her two comrades on the ground below. "Makoto?" She asked.
Venus nodded. She took a step closer to the Martian and slipped her gloved hand into Mars'. For a moment, she thought the crimson warrior might pull away – and she wouldn't have blamed the other woman's reaction to such mixed signals that even she didn't understand.
But Mars reigned in her reflexive nature, and wordlessly laced her fingers between her commander's.
Endymion exited the vendor's stall and pulled up short to keep himself from running into a figure that was trying to enter. Once his eyes had adjusted to the brightness of the sun, he realized that the set-up had been completely intentional.
A red haired woman smiled smugly at him. "Prince Endymion," she said, her voice a low rumble, "wouldn't you like to see some of these Mercurian technologies with me? I've already thought of several applications that may be beneficial for our peoples-"
The woman nearly snarled when Princess Serenity exited the tent behind Endymion. The sun-blindness of the sudden transition didn't seem to faze the smaller woman, and neither did she shrink away from the tall human woman, and she proceeded to lace her arm around Endymion's elbow boldly.
"Not now," Endymion said to the red haired woman, "though I would appreciate a report on this matter that might brief me later – as is routine."
Despite his rejection, Endymion's expression and tone was kind and gentle.
Serenity's, however, was not. She effectively steered Endymion away and called back over her shoulder, "Good day, Lady."
"Who is that?" Mars narrowed her dark eyes. "It's not the first time I've noticed that woman sulking around."
"Sulking around?" Venus nearly chuckled. "That sounds familiar…"
"Venus…" Mars growled in warning.
Her eyes once again trained on the red haired human below who had already returned to haunting Endymion's steps, though this time from a more discreet distance near the safety of the shitennou, Venus adopted a distant expression. "I don't know who she is, but she loves him deeply. And he's too blind to notice."
"Too blind?" Mars nearly spat. "He must be a lot like-" Mars' accusation died in her throat when her commander abruptly stepped away and pulled her hand free. Venus refused to admit the similarity Mars suggested.
Venus glanced down at the humans milling about, one shapely leg perched on the slight rise of the rooftop wall. "We have the potential for some ugly love triangles here." She said distractedly.
"Too damned many of them." Mars grumbled, her gaze still fixed on Venus.
It had been a long day spent touring only one small section of the interstellar refugee camps, and with much procession and herding, the humans were finally led back to the Moon Palace. Running on adrenaline and eager to show one another their newly acquired trinkets of the Moon Kingdom, the Terran traveling party formed a loose crowd half in and half out of the guest wing.
The senshi and the shitennou were finally making some progress in separating Endymion and Serenity, stressing that the following day would see early diplomatic talks, and that they both should get some rest. It was Zoicite's anxious, darting eyes that finally caught Endymion's attention, and the Prince turned sharply to the lingering figure that had haunted him all day.
"Beryl," he said firmly, "please assure that the rest of the traveling party returns to their quarters."
The tall woman stepped forward hesitantly: "But Endymion…"
Endymion's gaze hardened in the slightest. "That's an order, Beryl. Please fulfill it."
Beryl straightened and mastered her wavering expression. Her fists clenched, her lips pursed into a thin, white line, and finally, she spun and took off to fulfill her orders.
Serenity twirled her hair absently and clutched Endymion's arm with her other hand. "Who is she, Endymion?"
"Her name is Kuroki Beryl." He said with resignation. "She was appointed to me as an aide to the throne by my father."
Kunzite snorted derisively and offered a wan smirk. "As a favor to his uncle, no less."
The Terran Prince scolded the leader of his guard with a reproachful glace before turning back to Serenity. "She is… my cousin. We grew up together, and because of that, she sometimes forgets her place. I apologize for her rudeness, Serenity. She means well, but,"
"She's an occultist." Kunzite spat.
"Occultist?" Serenity asked, her fingers pausing their anxious twirling of her dark locks.
Endymion gave Kunzite another warning and used the pause to think of an appropriate way to explain. "Beryl cleaves to old ways and traditions that most of us have regarded as paganistic or paranormal."
Jadeite stepped forward, a taunting smile on his baby face. "Can you imagine that she believes that humans may be descendants of the Lunarians? How preposterous!"
The senshi squirmed. Eye contact dropped to the floor. With Jadeite's light laugh filling the air, Kunzite narrowed his eyes at the female warriors.
Venus smiled a plastic smile. "That is a rather… far fetched idea." She said, and shifted her weight on her feet as she felt Zoicite's gaze inspect her.
"Beryl means well, Princess. She's just a little awkward." Oblivious to the sudden tension, Endymion patted Serenity's arm.
Kunzite snorted and crossed his arms. "The hour is late, Master. We should retire to our quarters." He paused, and pinned his Prince with a meaningful arched eyebrow. "And you to yours."
Endymion reluctantly agreed. It still took some persuasion on the part of the senshi to pull Serenity away, but eventually, Jupiter and Mercury led their Princess back towards her chambers. Still keeping a watchful eye on proceedings, Mars and Venus hung back and watched as the large doors to the guest suite were shut behind the Prince and the shitennou.
Once the door's latch echoed loudly against the polished stone floors and walls, Mars grabbed Venus and pulled her into a corner, trapping her. "Listen to me, Venus." She said softly, whispering in her commander's ear.
"I'm sure this can wait, Mars." Venus nearly purred as she pushed closer to the other woman and teased two fingers along the crimson warrior's jaw.
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Mars growled, arresting Venus' teasing hand and holding it tightly. "This is important. It's about Beryl."
The golden warrior's teasing smirk turned into a cautious frown. "What about her?"
"She… I can't read it clearly enough, but I think she's more of a threat than the other Earthlings."
Venus' brow furrowed. "But she's just an aide, not appointed by choice, I should add."
"I can't deny what I feel, Minako."
For just a moment, the Venusian let her mind wander before reminding herself sharply the context in which those words had been spoken. She stiffened. "I've never doubted your spiritual abilities, Mars. But even if you're right, I don't think there's anything we can do, given the situation. We're hardly in a situation to pick or chose the path with which we've been set on."
Mars' fists tightened. Venus was right.
"Ah, Venus?"
Mars skittered backwards, nearly jumping away from Venus, who cursed her tendency for dropping her guard just because she was in Mars' presence. She hadn't even heard the shitennou open the guest wing door. "Yes, Zoicite?"
The demure man came into view and only then saw Venus' brooding companion. He bowed his head in deference. "Excuse my interruption-"
"It's quite alright." Venus said too quickly. "How can I help you?"
Venus slipped away from Mars. The crimson warrior focused a dark glare on Zoicite. It didn't please her to find that he seemed immune to her intimidation tactics.
"I only wished to discuss with you a small detail about tomorrow's meeting." He said gently.
And as Venus led the elegant man down the hall, Mars wanted nothing more than to pull that damned self-important leader's mask off the Venusian's face. She was becoming increasingly swept up with these Earthlings and she was being entirely too accommodating with the shitennou in general…
And with Zoicite specifically.
Rei returned to her room. She stayed up all night.
Minako never came to her.
"Well, don't you look worse for wear." Jupiter said gruffly.
"Piss off." Mars barked back.
It had been a rough couple of days on all the senshi. While Mercury and Jupiter had frequently been tasked with leading small groups of Terrans on 'cultural exchange' trips into the Tent Cities, Venus had been conferring with the shitennou on tactics and analytics; Mars had tended her fire in search of monsters that remained hidden and silent; and the Prince and Princess had frequently been behind closed doors, holding diplomatic… relations.
All these tasks the senshi had been faced with had also been balanced with an increased guard duty. It proved exhausting, even for the best of them.
Now, Mars was patrolling the edges of the Moon Palace alongside Jupiter, and though the unexpected company wasn't entirely unwanted, the crimson warrior had to fight the powerful urge to deck the other woman when she felt an elbow jabbing into her ribs.
"What?" Mars growled.
"Over there." Jupiter inclined her head to the left, but did not openly look in that direction.
Mars broke stride for a half second. Even a millisecond was too long to have to see the two of them together; Venus walking so close to Zoicite, her long, golden locks tumbling down her back as she laughed lightly at some shared joke between the two of them…
Mars managed to contain her boiling blood and sharply corrected her gaze back in front of her before continuing forward, heedless of the nagging image that had become all too frequent over the past couple days.
"What's up with that?" Jupiter asked quietly. "She's always with Zoicite. You'd think she and Kunzite might have more in common, given their rank, you know?"
Mars ground her molars together and grunted.
"I can kind of understand it though." Jupiter turned thoughtful and looked to her comrade. "I mean, she's probably spending so much time with him because he's quiet and brooding. He probably reminds her of you."
"Makoto?" The Martian asked coolly.
"Hn?"
"Do you want another black eye?"
"Ah." The Jovian halted in her steps. "No."
Mars stopped and looked back over her shoulder with an unreadable expression. "Good. Then I'll patrol north, and you'll patrol south."
"Un." Jupiter said sharply. And without another word, she turned and headed in the direction Mars had suggested.
Mars turned and did the same, and her steps quickly took her in the direction opposite the one Venus and Zoicite had been headed.
Hours later, on her return from her patrol around the Tent Cities, Mars quietly entered through one of the discreet service doors at the side of the Palace. And it was just her luck that her avoidant and circuitous route would lead her right back to her commander.
Venus pulled up short, her sandaled heels scuffing across the slick floors to avoid running into the other woman. She mastered her pleasant surprise behind a cool smile. "Patrol duty?" She asked.
"Yes."
The golden warrior frowned. "And what of your duties before the fire? Shouldn't you be-"
"The fire is quiet. I… can't stand the silence."
Mars looked away then, both from the painful duality of her words and the nagging knowledge that she could concentrate on the flames that much better had Minako stayed by her side as she used to.
But now, all she could see in the flames anymore was the image of the very woman who had caused all this turmoil.
Mars bristled in the sudden awkward silence. "Diplomatic relations going well, I assume?"
Venus accepted the feint gracefully. "Yes. In fact, Zoi and I have made lots of –"
"Zoi?" Mars spoke the abbreviated name as though she were choking on distasteful food.
"Zoi." Venus repeated unremorsefully. "You know," she said, her expression growing distant, "he reminds me a lot of you."
"So I've been told." Mars growled.
Venus' wide eyes turned towards her subordinate. "You don't think that he and I…" her words trailed off, and the silence was soon enveloped in a musical giggle that she ineffectively hid behind a hand.
Mars nearly snarled at her commander. "What are you laughing at?"
With an arched eyebrow, Venus cocked a hand on her hip. "You're jealous."
Mars remained incredibly still. Her eyes were concealed behind the dark fall of her bangs. Her words were a gravelly whisper. "You know nothing."
"Rei?"
And in that instant that Venus had let her guard down, Mars had pounced, driving her commander back forcefully until they were in a position that had grown so familiar; the Martian looming over the Venusian in a barely controlled rage, their eyes burning with a passion that couldn't be sated, no matter how their heated hatred continued in different ways behind closed doors.
And tonight would be no different, though that bed of ever-burning embers had been allowed to stoke for far too long and their intensity might prove to surpass their previous couplings, for when Mars' gloved hands tore at Venus' fuku, the Venusian realized just how much she'd missed the woman she'd promised to quit…
And that three days was four to many to go without being with her.
In Serenity's private chambers, Endymion pleaded with the Princess.
"Serenity… stop."
Endymion's needy whisper caused Serenity to pause. She looked up at him through her sweaty bangs in silent alarm. "Did… did I do something wrong?"
Endymion sighed softly, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "No. No, not at all."
"Then-"
Endymion rolled to his side and stretched his body alongside Serenity's. "We can't keep this up, or you'll break my resolve."
"But isn't that…" Serenity captured her lower lip between her teeth.
"It is the point. But we're not ready for something like that yet. Not yet."
The Princess frowned and her brow furrowed. "You're telling me I'm a child."
"No. You're a woman, Serenity, a Lady, and that's why I want to wait." Endymion ran slightly calloused fingers along the soft skin of his Princess' jaw.
Serenity seemed eased by his words, but she was still uncertain. "In my Kingdom, a woman can have a man whenever she wants him, without negative connotation."
Endymion chuckled softly. "And so is true in my Kingdom as well. But that doesn't mean that I want to rush such a thing with you. Would you be so offended if I wanted to honor you in such a way? If I told you I cared for you too much to make a plaything out of you?"
"Endymion…"
Serenity ceased her anxious habit of nibbling on her lower lip and once again met the Prince's dark gaze. Her own eyes were stormy and undecided; telling of a distant upbringing in which she'd had very little physical contact, and yet quickly learned that physical gestures were one way to keep others close by.
Endymion didn't seem to understand her turmoil, yet, despite her doubts, she yearned to believe in his tempting words. Finally, she offered him a wan smile and a nod of her head. And then, she allowed him to hold her, and in so doing, was pleasantly surprised to find that not all pleasure had to be derived in the form of sexual acts.
And before she knew it, she'd fallen asleep in his arms.
Rei stirred gently and fought the irresistible pull to wakefulness. Her brow wrinkled and she squinted her eyes against the inevitable pain of waking to a cold and empty bed – the constant reminder of her thief-in-the-night reluctant lover.
But this morning was different. This morning, there was warmth.
Rei nearly choked on her own surprised breath, for in the circle of her arms, Minako was curled comfortably, facing her, the other woman's forehead resting against Rei's bare collarbone, her gentle puffs of breath warm and inviting against Rei's skin.
It was still early then? Had Minako simply not yet woken to sneak out of her room? The Martian twisted her head at an awkward angle to chance a peek at the clock on the bedside table.
It was most certainly morning. In fact, if they didn't get up now, surely, they'd be late-
Rei tensed. Minako was waking.
Her hand, balled up and pressed above Rei's heart, tightened and then loosened. The pads of her fingers pressed against the soft skin of Rei's shoulder, and… she smiled.
"Rei…" Minako's wandering hand slid in between the Martian's arm and ribcage, and she pulled herself impossibly closer.
Rei swallowed dryly. "Minako, you're-"
"I love you, Rei."
For a moment, the Martian forgot to breathe, even… forgot how to breathe. Slowly, Minako opened blinking, unfocused eyes, and in the dim light of the room and the harsh reality of wakefulness, those caramel orbs turned from happily sated to nearly fearful. Rei felt Minako freeze perceptibly, felt the sheen of goosebumps that spread quickly across her chilled skin.
"Mina-"
"I shouldn't have said that."
"But you did," Rei's voice was an uneven whisper. "You did, and you can't take it back."
"I didn't mean it," Minako protested. "And it changes nothing."
Minako's hold on Rei withered, she tried to pull back, and this caused Rei to tighten her arms around her unwilling lover that much more. Rei buried her face in her commander's hair. "It already has."
"…what?" Minako's voice was a hoarse bark.
"I… I feel the same way, Minako." It was the closest Rei could come to echoing the sentiment.
"You don't mean that." Minako said too quickly. There was a pause, a pregnant silence, and with lacking conviction, Minako repeated herself in an angry hiss. "You don't mean that."
"I do. You know I do."
Minako began to tremble slightly, and with no small reluctance, Rei slowly released her hold on her. The Venusian wasted no time, and slipped away from Rei the moment she was free. Rei propped herself up on an elbow and eyed her commander's form – the profile of Minako's trembling shoulders where she sat tensely on the edge of the bed.
"Are you going to run now?" Rei asked.
"Are you going to stop me?" Minako countered.
Rei hung her head and whispered, "I won't hold you down."
There was a moment's pause. Her concrete gaze focused on the bedroom door, Minako never stopped shaking, though whether she was afraid of Rei or afraid of herself, the Martian would never fully know. Eventually, Minako stood, and in a golden glow that only accentuated her tempting nakedness, she became Venus, and without so much as a glance over her shoulder, she walked; never running - but far from composed - out of the room.
The door to her suite slammed shut – the sound deafening and eerily final. Alone in the darkness once more, Rei mastered her watering eyes and collapsed, not so much as wincing when the back of her head slammed against the headboard - for that was the kind of pain that faded quickly.
That was the kind of pain she didn't mind.
It was nowhere near as terrible as the sudden, aching knowledge that no matter how hard she tried, no matter what terms they put around what they shared, no matter how they arranged their relationship, or the very lack of one at all, she could no longer deny…
She was incomplete without Minako.
Preview: Chapter 13: Cloud Nine
"Fashionably late again," Mars growled at her commander over the din of battle which had never hesitated, not even for the leader of the senshi. The icy projectiles of Mercury's attack streamed perilously close to the ends of her long, raven hair, but Mars locked Venus in a cold glare. "It becomes you."
Venus smiled cordially and picked up her customary defensive position behind her fiery subordinate. Mars easily disregarded her presence; already she'd drawn her bow and loosed another fire arrow. Venus cocked her hip and summoned her chain when something unusual caught her attention - a flash of red around Mars' neck.
She hadn't torn off Mars' choker - the collar of her fuku.
It was a sharp, warning elbow to the ribs from Mars that forced her attention back to where it belonged – on a looming, black-cloaked ghoul that was charging her. With an off-centered smirk, Venus pushed her back against Mars and encircled her attacker with her chain. She barely blinked when her mighty tug sheered the creature in half. Leaning back, she whispered in her subordinate's ear.
"So, did you figure it out?"
"Figure what out? That you're a coward?" Mars unleashed four spinning discs of fire that took down one of the creatures that threatened Mercury and Jupiter.
"No," Venus narrowed her eyes but ignored Mars' reference to her actions earlier that morning that had begun with a mistaken confession and had ended with a hasty retreat. She casually picked off another monster with another beam of light. "I'm referring to the fact that you haven't ripped off your collar that you've been so adamant about. Did you figure out what it is that you're fighting for?"
The Martian's blood boiled even hotter. She locked eyes with her commander over her shoulder. Was it so easy to be so casual? After a confession of love? After blatantly denying what they meant to each other? She couldn't fight the undertow, and could only hope to do her best to tread water. Mars' jaw shut with a resounding click – all those unsaid words churning below the surface.
With no further recourse for her greatest enemy and closest friend, Mars threw herself into her next attack wholeheartedly and smiled grimly when her target burst into flames.
If she really wanted to know, Venus could figure it out on her own.