A/N: we now go back to the past. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please read and review.

"Spoken"
'Thoughts'

I do not own Sailor Moon.

Chapter 13: Mine

The night life on Venus was nothing short of a sea of lights. Dancing and drinking filled the streets, parties lasted all night long. The planet of love and romance lived up too its name, and Rei found herself looking out onto the city with a sense of awe. She wasn't sure whether to be afraid, or to be utterly speechless at the fact that the people seemed to embrace the night as a time not for sleep, but instead, for enjoying the company of others.

Rei's eyes scanned the city. The people nearest the castle were obviously that of the rich. The people with the money to spend, and consequently, the time to waste. The further out Rei looked, she saw that the lights and people dimmed, only a few small clusters of people surrounded bonfires. That was the outskirts, the forbidden land that Minako was not allowed to venture into. Her kind…that of royalty…they never belonged in such a place.

"Minako…" Rei's upward inflection left a question in the air. One she would not voice, choosing instead to ask a more common one. "Do you think those people down there know what's beyond the big city?" Donned in her normal Martian clothing, Rei felt more at peace, but, she was also frowned upon. "Do they ever see the small flames of the outskirts?"

"They don't usually care." Minako sighed, placing down her hair brush and looking out the window. "The noble men and women of Venus often have the amount of clout one would expect of snobs." Her voice became almost prudish as she mocked them. "After all, who would care about the cheep beer and the simple bread when one can sample finest wine and the best of crumpets."

"That's not a very flattering statement." Rei nodded, knowing full well the intent behind the thoughts. "For me, I would be most at home with the cheep beer and moldy old bread. I'd rather have that, than live up here my entire life." Turning from the window Rei sat on the bed she had shared with Minako, the wound in her arm. "Even as the warrior I was raised to be, this place…it shouldn't subsist. Not like this."

"I know that." Blond tresses flowed down Minako's back, her nightgown that of silk. The excellent cloth presented her beautiful body in such a way that made her look regal. A real princess that wouldn't want for anything. Yet, for as wonderful as the blond looked she also seemed cheerless. Her gaze was towards the darkness, the final bonfires finally burning out for the night. Her dainty hand rested on the glass window, as if to want to reach out and feel the warmth. She wanted to really know it had been there, seeing far different from believing.

"Why aren't you like them?" Rei could see the wish in blue eyes. The deep aspiration muddled by the intensity of thoughts that would never pan out. Minako knew her place, and she did as she was told. Still, her gem, her stone of power, was as tainted as her people. Looks easily became deceiving. Rei went too Minako's jewelry box, fishing underneath a compartment to grasp the contaminated stone of the poor. "Why do you keep this when others of your stature don't?"

"I have no other choice." Minako took Rei's hand in hers, looking at the stone. "I am royalty here, a person of vocal power. Those of Venus rarely fight unless a war demands we take charge. I will be a leader of combat. The armies of Venus are not only that of noble birth, in fact, we draft more than any other planet because of our principles. Many would never fight and as a result, it's the people with no other option that get pulled into combat first."

'They will fall, and no one would care, no one would remember. As a future queen I feel I must.' A voice like Minako's found purchase in the air. Only Rei heard it, but, that was due to the distress Minako was in. The Martian in Rei picked up the unspoken words with ease. She did not state that Minako was displaying her thoughts because the blond probably already knew.

Instead, Rei played along, acting dumb to a degree. "Unlike my planet, filled with willing fighters…you'd have none beside those drafted…is that it?" Rei wasn't one who understood peace. She understood the ideal of no killing, but, on her planet no one ever took rest. Not a soul could sit idly by, no, not while the others worked. In times of combat they stood as a unity, a force of power both mutual and proud. She was confused, but not for the reasons stated.

"Don't forget, we do have a royal guard and an army that do contain future heirs. This issue is that these men are no more ready for combat than Mars is ready for inner city life. My people do not understand real war, famine, or basic survival…not like you do anyway. In the event of such, we do need the draft." Minako took the little gem in Rei's hand and placed it back into the box.

'Those that we draft can be small boys who are barely men. On mars, you learn how to fight, but in a draft we will hand a person a weapon and hope they can live. It is different Rei, very barbaric. What worries me most, is that the nobles see the poor as pawns. Even in daily life they suffer. I want to know why, but, even I am refused these things." The voice rang out again and Rei nodded. Minako was likely afraid to speak these things aloud, the emotions behind her thoughts were enough to make them tangible for Rei's ears.

Rei looked on with interest. A true curiosity gave her reason to have concern. She was a warrior and the admission of the girl before her pulled sentiment that Rei couldn't rein. It wasn't as if Rei was going to become uncontrollable. Rather, she took pity on the weak planet. Listening on, Rei caught every worry Minako was inflecting, jetting them out from her inner mind from in between her spoken words. In return, Rei bristled on the emotions that she knew Minako could sense.

'That won't happen. Like hell, would I let innocent people become slaughtered. I'd rather shove an arrow in my own head, then to agree to mindless war. Surely even you know that. Mars is the combat planet. We will act as mercenaries for others should the need arise. We would protect your planet…I would protect you.' Rei thought defiantly. Minako could see the stiffness in Rei's body, but instead she felt emotions Rei rarely allowed others to know about. Minako felt the remorse, regret, care, and protection circling in the air. Those were things Martians didn't just hand out willingly, not for other planets anyway. Even if the emotions weren't in Rei's face, they were tangible in the atmosphere around them. Minako couldn't read minds, but she got the general idea. Rei didn't like what she was hearing, urging a continued explanation.

Minako spoke aloud, choosing a default answer she had been raised to use. "The possibility of survival is lower than the forces of Mars, or in other regards Jupiter. Venus is, for all intents and purposes, a peaceful planet filled with rich businessmen and diplomats. We would never seek such destruction, but that doesn't mean we won't defend ourselves." Her explanation left much too be desired, leaving Rei disheartened by the news. Then Rei heard it again, the words between the lines Minako dare not speak aloud. 'I know I am not good at explaining, but I still don't know much at all. This will attract attention if we continue this way.'

"And you choose to wear that gem as a symbol of what most care not to understand?" Rei tried again vocally. She knew Minako was right. Grasping at straws Rei didn't have, her view of Venus were muddled by all who felt her emotions. Rei constantly felt ill and even now, she felt lost. This world, it was something she didn't understand. Not in the slightest. "You care for the underdog. There is nothing wrong with a political figure wishing to help all of whom they rule."

"That is where you are very wrong." Minako sighed, pulling Rei over to the bed, the city lights still brightly casting a glow on the world around them. "Just as you choose not to help those in the cities for neglecting their values, I cannot simply walk past what is still lit. Those people outside the lit areas are not blue blooded. They are not of noble birth or affiliation. They aren't anything more than peasants, thieves, and those unable to ever have a standing in our society. Because they do not further our standing, are seen only as a hindrance, I can do very little about them right now. All I can do is hold that in my hand. That gem…"

"Again, I see very little wrong with that." Rei smiled, pulling Minako into her arms. "You know what you want, and one day, you'll have that. You'll have a chance to make things right. For now we just need to deal with what we have and that's not a lot compared to most. We don't have the freedom to be so simple minded. Not right now anyway. It doesn't mean we don't care, it just means we can't make a move."

"What if I don't want to wait? What if I don't want to be at the mercy of those around me?" Minako asked as she cuddled deeper with Rei's hold. "What if I don't want to marry a general of Mamoru? What do I do then?" The blond sighed, Rei still smelt like ash and sand when she wore her Martian clothing. "What if I want to see a bonfire… to enjoy that… then what would I do? How could I win that?"

"Out in that world, it is a wonderful place I bet." Rei spoke softly. "Jupiter had bonfires every night along with singing and dancing. Pluto was filled with people who could predict the future, very smart, with advisers…a place of strict discipline. Then there are places like here…and Earth. Minako, there would be place even you, as a noble, would feel what you want to feel. I just don't know where that is."

"If you knew…would you take me?" Eyes of blue found that of lavender. The eyes were of hopes, things she couldn't reach out and find on her own. "Would you show me that place? Even if it wasn't here?"

"No." Rei sighed in deject. "Our place is here Minako. It is at the throne with men at our side, protecting Usagi. That is our calling. That is our world and our place. We can look out and see things we may want, but, we will never have them…we will never be normal women free to do as we wish. We have a preordained path. We must walk the road unflinchingly."

"Even if I don't want that road?" Minako's voice wavered. Clearly, she was feeling more than just upset about her standing and Rei once again sighed, knowing what the blond was thinking. 'What has this ever offered me? A cadge? Kept from making my own choices? Why would I want that?'

"I can't answer that." Rei began speaking more about the thoughts she had heard instead of the verbal words. "I know the flaws of my planet, and, I aim to amend the issues we have with the best of my ability. I know I won't be perfect, but no real leader is." Rei answered searching within the depth of her very heart, looking for only the best words. "You would do the same if you knew that others wouldn't suffer. This life, we are trapped more than our people would ever know, but it is our task, it is our job."

"I don't want that." The blond sighed. "I really don't."
"Then what do you want Minako?" Rei's voice was getting lazy, the depth of night sinking in she was becoming drained.
"I don't know that either." The blond shook her head slightly confused and feeling as if she was failing. She didn't know why, just that she was.
"Don't lie to me." Rei's voice commanded, and Minako followed, her eyes falling on protective lavender. "What do you want?" Rei was in charge.

Minako knew that look. It was fully Martian, entirely possessive, and something seen only among those with the strongest resolve. If it was the look of supremacy or the worried voice, the blond couldn't be sure. She felt something. It wasn't something defined by a word, nor was it something easily explained. All she knew was that it was there. A respect forged deeper into something Minako had only amused about.

She felt in safe Rei's embrace, and she wanted to continue feeling that security. "Whatever it is you do to make me feel safe and happy. That's what I want."

Lavender eyes hardened in understanding. A new bridge crossed only as a game was about to be cemented into a reality. A road Rei had vowed never to take became conflicted with her morals. This girl before her, she needed to be protected. She needed strong arms to hold her. Who had done that for this woman? No one had come close, no one had tried. The request was a plea; one Rei wouldn't normally answer too. Had the situation been different, had Rei had a clear head, perhaps she would have not made such a hasty choice.

She took Minako into her arms, lying down so that she could see beyond the blond tresses. In the event of danger, Rei would both see it coming, and be a shield. This was a situation among Martian lovers. Something more feral than any other planetary alignment, it made them a force to reckon with. Minako was walking on that ground, pleading with one who would grant her such a protection. Sensing the safety of the situation, Rei moved her hand just under Minako's chin, lavender eyes boring deep into blue.

Sensing no hesitation, Rei placed her lips slowly too Minako's, kissing the blond gently, giving her time to react negatively if the girl in her arms had wanted. After a moment, Rei nibbled her way across the lower lip of the supple woman in front of her. The gentleness, slowly turning into a passionate embrace, as hands wandering protectively and respectfully across Minako's back and sides were encouraged. Forcing an entrance that Minako did not deny, Rei claimed the mouth of the woman before her fully.

Rei, she was the prevailing one. Minako was the submissive woman that any lover would be for a Martian. In this they found their comfort. She allowed Minako's hands to trace fabric and skin, any other mortal would have been wounded by the mere thought of touching. Instead of only tolerating it, Rei endorsed the feeling, pushing her body towards the whims of Minako's wandering hands, the blond doing the same for Rei. It was raw and ill planned. Someplace within Rei, she knew her pride stated that she not act in such haste.

A Martian had laws and values that came before all else. Though possessive, Martians with honor were never forceful. Even if you were dominant, you became obediently willing for the one you loved. You protected them with fierceness unmatched; they gave you their true loyalty. For Rei, those rules and more implanted themselves within the haze of her mind. She could not continue to act this way. Not as the Martian she was.

Passion in its earliest stage, devotion starting to develop, Rei allowed one thought to cross her mind. One that would consume her entire being, making her become dependent on the blond should time allow for such a thing. 'Mine' Rei thought as she broke the kiss softly, ending with a few chaste presses to calm the feverish session. 'Mine. She needs protection. She's mine to protect. no one else will. I must.' Her voice was thick with an emotion Rei could not describe.

Minako looked on in a questioning gaze. It was easy to forget that Rei had the blood of her mother within her veins. Her mother was of purely Venus bloodline. Rei, because of this, could act impulsively if she didn't maintain her composure. The Martian blood of her father in her demanded she take control. The blood of her mother, wishes she would act on her feelings and emotions. The answer became clear what Rei would decide when she spoke as the warrior she was.

Not fully lust, not exactly love, and too unsure to be controlling, her words gave power behind her previous action. "I shall protect and care for you. It's my responsibility, it is my right, and it is mine alone."

TBC~~~
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