I alight like a whisper
I alight with the lights out
-The Decemberists, "Severed"
She followed half a dozen steps behind the blonde who led the way. Likely that was a good thing, considering that she had little idea just where they were going. The sense of urgency though she understood, more so when it came accompanied by visuals brought on by the faint hand prints of blood on their sleeves. Pure instinct drove her to her actions, barely allowing for the thoughts she had about at least Minako knowing where they were going.
The sight of them running down the halls did nothing to help them and everything to hinder. It just figured at each possible turn or straightaway that there was someone there; a servant carrying something, a group of nobles discussing some upcoming play or equal nonsense, or some Lunarian guard who chose just that time to let his halberd slip from his grasp and clatter across the pathway. More than one growl emanated from the blonde as she shoved aside those in her way with little regard for who they were, finally detouring down a less crowded hallway that promised fewer interruptions.
Sprinting, the blonde took off, forcing her own strides to lengthen as she chased after, ignoring the fluttering of her cloak behind her as it snapped. She understood now why the other had pulled it off before leaving. Maybe all that time spent on calisthenics would pay off for once, but it didn't help sate the beginning burn in her side. She'd have to devote more time to running, more so with her gear.
She had no idea just how Minako was able to do it. More so given the schedule she kept.
The blonde cleared the open passageway to the outside lawns first, breaking past the sanctuary that kept things dry to enter instead a positive downpour. It forced their pace to slow as the sudden introduction of rain had turned the ground some soggy state thanks to the flash flooding. The rain obscured vision, coloring everything in a haze of gray colors so they could be better distorted. Her boot came down on a patch of earth that gave way as she struggled to continue running forward, sending her reeling to retain her footing.
With no idea how the blonde had managed, her body was jerked up, allowing her a bare chance to catch her breath and importantly, not fall to the ground. Shoved in another direction, she blinked through the rain to figure out what was going on even as she got to moving again.
The clearing bore half a dozen bodies surrounding Artemis who kept the Princess shielded behind him. To a quick glance and another brush of rain soaked bangs from her gaze, the Princess looked uninjured. Ahead, Ami and Makoto were currently overwhelmed by five more men, looking far too much like those she had seen so briefly on Terra.
The Princess. She had a directive given wordlessly to her by the blonde who had since drawn her falchion and reduced the odds to just three against four.
The crack of thunder caused her to jump, spinning about just for the arrow headed her way to whistle past instead, grazing her cheek with its fletching. Alarmed she looked to gardens they had ran past, the manicured lawns, to see more Terrans step out from behind various topiary decorations. Pleasing to the eye, they were too perfect a means to hide from sight and showcased that very fact.
Where the fuck were the guards? Why weren't any of them here? Had none of them seen any of this?
As another arrow came far too close for comfort, the frustration of the day took its toll. Of course, the morning was not a cause but everything else that followed certainly was. Aggravated, she put herself between the new group and, she supposed, her charge. "We've got more!" Was all she said with a turn of her head, her arm drawn back before it flung itself forward.
Unsurprisingly and yet still it was, the ball of fire that exploded from her hand raced forward. Though the rain tried to damper it, the fact it had been fueled by her anger and the great unknown did nothing to diminish it's killing power. More so once it slammed into the archer that was trying to nock and draw another projectile. A scream; unnerving, and that was the end of the Terran's life. There wasn't much of a chance for him to do much more than just die.
That it didn't bother her was something to think about in a later time.
The rest had no desire to give her a chance to repeat herself, even as their comrade fell they were rushing forward in the rain and muck. Swords, axes, spears, and even a maul said they came expecting a fight.
It figured they even had armor, and here they were, just in those uniforms she couldn't rightly stand for their familiarity presented.
She heard swearing behind her, no matter the rain fall. Drawing either sword instead of pulling off the sodden cloak like she wanted to, she stopped one sword swing at her. Turning to buy herself space, her right turned aside another, darting eyes as she knew she was going to be overwhelmed too soon. The one at her left fell suddenly to the side, Ami hardly giving her a glance as either of her whirling blades spun, removing the limbs of a man with an axe.
There was no point in wasting her reprieve granted, raising her left sword to bury in the one she had blocked. The Terrans moved to surround them, looking for any opening that existed in their loose circle. They rushed forward almost with the same demeanor they beheld on Terra, mindless outside of their single goal.
Some part of her wondered if they merely climbed atop one another to form a human chain from Terra to the Lunar surface. It was stupid she knew, but the thought was still there as Ami and her struggled to hold the line. No sooner had one fallen did two more take the deceased's place, snarling and snapping in a frenzy.
These weren't men. Animals possessed seemed far more like it.
As another crack of thunder roared, an accompanying flash of lightning lit up behind her before it arced. From one Terran to the next it jumped, sinuous as a snake and erratic as an uncontrolled storm. The ball of electricity died out once it came in contact with a sword on the ground, though the blade glowed an ugly shade of orange and red in the rain.
Hardly surprising, the Terrans were not standing any longer. More surprising was the fact they were.
As if heralded, the utterly late to arrive guards made a big show of actually being there, the squad of a dozen going so far as to stab each Terran as though they hadn't been electrocuted or killed previously while the squad leader began issuing orders at them to stand down.
The fuck.
"Stand down yourself Lance Sergeant. You and your men were supposed to be on patrol! How the hell did you allow Terrans to run amok?" Minako's voice broke through the sound of the storm around them, daring any of the army to challenge her or her authority. The blonde kept her attention fully on the man in charge; she recognized him as one who always had something snarky to say, even as she helped the Princess to her feet.
"I ain't taking no orders from a whore, I'm a Lance Ser-"
"Conscript," Artemis' voice joined in as he came to stand next to her. "You have been relieved of command. You," his finger pointed at one of the men, "Effective immediately you are hereby promoted to Lance Sergeant. These men are your responsibility."
"Sir, yes sir!" Wisely, the newly appointed squad leader stepped up, directing the others minus the now demoted man to sweep the area, leaving them alone as still the rain fell.
"You will report to Captain Dharius at once Conscript." Artemis continued on with, eyeing the man before considering the matter was complete. Taking the Princess from Minako, he moved to guide her as quickly as possible past the display of carnage before her.
The man muttered something, lost to the rumbles of thunder and that of rain. With his sword in hand still, he rushed forward, the blade raised up high with the intent that it would be a killing blow. Whether the Princess or Artemis or Minako was his target wasn't something she even thought to debate. This wasn't part of her premonition she had the moment her fingers had claimed the necklace, but it was a premonition all the same.
She brought her own sword in hand up as she moved, catching the man before he took more than another step. Sharply, it thrusted upward at an angle, the entry his pelvis until the tip of her sword scrapped the back of his breastplate from the inside. Instantly her hand warmed as necessary fluids for living washed beyond her grip, turning her uniform and his a hue that wasn't originating from mud.
"That was a bad idea." Quietly she whispered, stepping back with a wrench of her hand. Silently she watched as the body pitched backwards and hands tried to clutch the other necessary for life things that were spilling otherwise unchecked.
It felt so … familiar.
"Get the Princess inside Artemis, we'll talk later." Distantly she was aware of another voice; it sounded familiar but her eyes couldn't focus on anything else around her. The blood flowed, a trigger of another vision that demanded her attention foremost. The sounds around her meant nothing, voices she knew, hands that pulled her swords from her grasp, her cloak that was removed to drape over her head.
Blood. She had seen this too much before but this time it felt like she had seen it before and merely was reliving it anew. A river of blood that had flowed over white stone steps. Bodies scattered around, broken and twisted in their victories and death throes. Shapes that were dressed too much like them, like her, as faces became clear. As eyes began to bore into her own, emotionless yet accusing. Judging, weighing, measuring.
She knew those eyes. She had felt them before, meeting their lifeless gazes.
For a moment, until her eyes took in everything else. Somehow, someway she had moved. She had walked away from where she found herself, towards the center of where the white rocks seemed to originate from. She hadn't made it far however before her body instantly drew to a shuddering halt.
A girl … no… a woman, the same age as herself or close to it, with blue hair, dressed similarly to herself, laid sprawled out on what looked to be steps.
A woman with brown hair not even a foot away. Both of their bodies sustained injuries that spoke for how they died. It wasn't a clean death. It wasn't a merciful one. They had died to buy time. A line of defense that wasn't meant to be broken had been shattered. A battered spear was clutched in one hand of the brown haired one, her other held the hand of the one with blue hair. They might have put up a struggle, but ultimately they had died for absolutely nothing.
It didn't change anything.
Not even five feet from them she could see the reason why.
A hand at her shoulder roughly snapped her vision, jolting her back to reality.
She sat huddled in a gazebo while the other three stood around. All equally and thoroughly soaked, the idea to go back inside was strong but not enough to encourage them to do so. Distantly she watched as a different squadron of men came to carry off the bodies on litters, perhaps for burial, likely for investigations.
"...So Ami and I were comin' back, when we ran into the Princess with Luna and Artemis. We were bein' polite an' all, then next we knew here were a buncha Terrans. They got a lucky hit in on Luna when she went to talk to them, and as more kept appearin', we figured it was wiser to send for help."
"Fucking hell, the Queen leaves and the place goes to shit. Were they lead by anyone?"
"If they were, they've decided to stay hidden. The patrols might find them." Ami supplied, leaning against one of the supporting beams that the gazebo was comprised of. "We didn't see them, but it doesn't seem feasible that they arrived on their own."
"They might find them, if they are even out. Rei and I ran past the normal amount of bullshit in the halls without a sign of them. Either the rain caused them to slack off or they purposely delayed. They had to arrive here somehow."
"Indeed, the question is do we look or do we wait?"
The blonde held a pensive and thoughtful look to her face as she eyed them all in turn before turning to the surroundings outside their shelter. The rain wasn't letting up, and at ever rumble of thunder, no matter how faint, she jumped. Makoto and Ami made no mention of it beyond silently eyeing her.
"The Mau would know if there was a delegation scheduled, since we're kept in the dark about everything. Even if there was, they came out with intent, which I wouldn't put past them to try to be sneaky. The question is where did they land at and how long have they been here."
"They were possessed." Her voice didn't sound like her own, but it drew three pairs of eyes to her at once as she spoke. "Their eyes gave it away, each had a blank look despite their frenzy."
Confirmation came by way of Ami. "She's right, I thought something looked off but it's hard to tell when you're fighting for your life against that many."
The blonde sighed, shaking her arm as water kept dripping from her uniform. "As much as we should, going out won't do us any good beyond getting further soaked. We got lucky against what they sent us so far; they could be hiding cohorts for us to stumble upon. Plus with the Army acting like a bunch of dicks, I don't trust them. That's not enough reason for me to send us all out in this shit."
"Aw c'mon Minako, it's jus' some rain."
The attempt to lighten the mood went flat, though after a moment the blonde did give a thin, tight lipped smile. "You did good controlling the lightning like that. I suppose I could ease up on running the course with your gear." The humor died though a painful death, the blonde looking back out into the storm as if she expected the Terrans to just materialize before her. If the fog could materialize them in such a fashion then…
Well there wasn't much use to think about the possibilities right now.
Her gaze met the other two, silent words passing before shaking her head. Fat chance Minako was going to let go of Commander mode, not after what happened.
Faint sounds and a waving of white caught her attention, spotting Artemis from the Palace. Likely he was trying to tell them something and here they were, outside and away from it all. Heaving a sigh she pushed to her feet, ignoring how the far too wet clothing felt. "Minako. Artemis is trying to get us to come inside."
"He might have heard more news on the situation." Even Ami joined in trying to coax their ever fearless leader along.
It still took minutes, minutes that they all were debating having Makoto bodily carry her inside before the Venusian finally turned to look at them. "Do you think he was after the Princess?"
Another point.
"He was after either you or the Princess or Artemis. You all were standing together."
She didn't say anything, but her features gave them all the answer they were looking for anyway. Wordlessly, they followed after her into the falling rain.
Purposely, she had avoided this place for the sheer sake of ignorance. While hardly ignorant of the importance of bathing and ultimately, being clean, a bath house was not something she had ever indulged in. The concept had to be the same though, didn't it? It sounded so feasible until the hanging point of contention kept coming up.
Other people.
She didn't feel like what others termed as a "prude," but all the same she had a stranglehold on modesty. Still coming to terms with the undefined nature of the relationship between her and the blonde was challenging enough. More so if said blonde was being particularly snarky or saucy. While she had her moments; the prior night replayed in her mind and at once she felt her features flush, it didn't mean she was comfortable with the idea of other people seeing her nude.
Here she was though, all the same.
Apparently in the time they remained out, the patrolling squad found the Terran craft. Confiscating the barely operable thing that it was, it would just be a matter of time before someone would likely figure out how it managed to survive the trek here. Though, according to the second hand knowledge, it looked like a crash landing if anything. The likelihood of them leaving in that same craft was close to nil.
They could put the pieces together; a ship would have been stolen.
Shaking her head she hung up the still dripping jacket on a hook, stepping out of her boots. For once the blonde hadn't made some remark but only due to her own preoccupation of processing the news. All she had said, for that matter, was just for them all to head to the baths to warm themselves before they could get sick.
Logically it made sense; their bathroom had a one person limit on occupancy after all.
Realistically, some part of her suspected that Minako, no matter the dour situation, always had some ability to turn it into one that caused the lingering blush to return tenfold.
Shaking her head she continued undressing; they would have to collect their clothes when they left but the prospect of not being engulfed in cold clothing was worth it. A small stack of towels and a robe looked at her as she stood naked in the changing room.
Right.
Her hand hesitated for a moment before collecting a towel to wrap around her. She could do this. It was just them in the baths. Gods, they were all women, it wasn't like they had different things.
It still took her a few minutes to open the door and step out to the hall that led ultimately to the baths. It still took an even longer handful of minutes before she finally ventured forward.
Her face was probably some grim line as she all but marched forward, destination set to the opposing bath that awaited.
Like much in the Palace, white marble was the primary construction material. Tiles though in soft colors; light shades of blue, green, and yellow, with accents of gray and even traces of red, broke up the monotony of what would have been white. The floor was highly polished and glossy, and for a moment she thought almost a mirror. That was the last she wanted, someone looking up her towel. Mentally she berated herself; glossy but cloudy. No one was going to see anything unless she showed them herself.
Steam from the baths filled the air, not at a choking point but almost a haze all the same. Set to the floor, she ignored that Ami and Makoto were already there, chatting away about something. Tightening her hand in the towel reinforced her nerves; they were just simple steps. Steps she could walk down and then be lost to the heated water with its veil of opaqueness. It was easy. Just set her towel aside and take maybe three steps.
Easy.
So … easy.
She was aware that both the Mercurian and Jovian gave each other a look and pointedly turned away to give her privacy.
Ha. In another life, maybe Ami could feel like what it was to be shy.
Wasting no time she all but jumped in, staying near the edge as she realized she had nothing to keep her hair up. Pooling it up on the ledge would have to work, sitting awkwardly as heated water embraced her otherwise completely.
Hands. She felt hands, looking up in almost alarm at Minako's kneeling form behind her, as her hands gathered her hair in a simple twist before sliding thin bone rods within, keeping it pinned. Wide eyed she couldn't help but watch as she rose, hardly a care in the world, her own hair equally up.
Off came the towel as she sunk lower into the bath, the waterline hitting her chin before stopping just below her nose. Of course the blonde held none of the reservations that she did or likely the others, withdrawing her towel to fold and set aside.
Gods. At least she didn't stand there and stretch.
She wore her attention as there was nothing else for her to be in, stepping into the bath with an escaped sigh. She watched as her feet disappeared first, then her calves, her thighs, up and up; her face was growing heated that had nothing to do with the water. Faint scars, ones newer than others, told a story within their own right. There she was, sitting across from her to lean back, not yet willing to open her eyes to face reality.
Reality and thoughts sometimes could match, instead of so horrifically clashing.
Ami and Makoto had resumed talking, Minako remained silent and there she was, hiding in the water. Mentally berating herself she stretched out; it was warm after all. Barely she caught the upturn of the Venusian's lips on the way to a quiet grin, quick to appear but elusive in its stay. She wanted to scowl but it seemed so out of place all the same.
Finally though the blonde opened her eyes, shifting to sit better on the steps within. "One of us is always going to need to be with her, from now on. Goddess knows when, much less if, the Queen is ever going to acknowledge anything from Terra, or from Terrans being here. If one ship can arrive, then so can others. I doubt they are after us, unless they want vengeance for their stupidity. It'd have to be because of her."
No one said anything; there simply wasn't a need to point out the obvious.
"We'll do six hour shifts … that's even and fair. I'll take the first one after this… you all can decide after that. Oh, and there's mail for you on the table."
Like that the blonde settled it, slipping deeper into the water until only her face was visible. The rest of them exchanged glances but nothing more was said. Eventually Ami and Makoto left, gathering their towels to change to robes and back to their becoming less than it was sanctuary.
She felt awkward, deciding it was time to leave before a voice stopped her.
"He wasn't after the Princess or Artemis."
That got her to pause, temporarily abandoning the plan to leave. "No, he wasn't." Maybe Artemis; the Mau had demoted him, the Princess seemed rather far fetched, but maybe not if he resented her for some reason.
Some sound like a hum followed before the blonde moved, sitting upright once more to fix her with a look. "What was your vision about?"
"I. I don't think here is the place to talk about it."
Another hum, the blonde leaned back, arms outstretched on the ledge. She'd almost dare to say that the Venusian was trying to beguile her into something; maybe she would have been if her gaze was actually on her instead of the ceiling.
While she didn't want to leave it felt like the thing to do.
"They say my Goddess was born of the sea. I never really cared much for swimming but there's a lot to be said for a bath and steam."
Was … was the blonde saying what she thought was being said? "Are … are you trying to-?" She left it abruptly at that, hell, it could have been seduction. It was sometimes hard to figure the other out, more so when she seemed to dance on the line between Commander and … and what she was to her. It felt like a tight swallow, her throat wanting to burn. She was going to have to label this someday, for their sakes if for no other reason. Confessions had been made but little had followed after. A lot had but it wasn't the communication that perhaps, would have soothed much more. "Minako-"
"It's alright. I should probably get to things, she's probably a wreck after seeing all of that."
And like that she had risen, emerging from the water like she said her Goddess perhaps did, born anew to that Commander she was beginning to despise more and more.
Eventually she had made her way back, burrowed deeply in the borrowed robe. Exchanging it for a clean and dry uniform, she told the other two that she'd take the shift after Minako. They accepted it with thanks, both looking up from the packages and mail that was for them.
She returned to her room, her wet clothes hung in their bathroom along with the other three's to dry before they could join the laundry. Fishing from the pockets of the pants she looked at the necklace and all the words she hadn't said.
The vision had gripped her tightly the moment she had picked up the necklace, relenting only to allow her to nearly stumble from her room and kneel before the hearth. She watched as a third person, a guest within a hazed and clipped view to things that had occurred. Things she perhaps had no right to view but a spectator all the same that had little choice in the scenery. It was easy, too easy, to process it all she found. Her home, the Martian Palace, some sense of peace being present, the man that she found easier to keep labeling as King instead of as her father.
Visions that mirrored her own, from before. More of the ones that drove her to the sanctity of safety and understanding offered by the blonde. Some of later ones she had after … after the things that had been done.
She swallowed hard again.
The woman, her mother, on the Moon. The first time to offer counsel against the raging darkness that threatened not only the the Lunar Kingdom, but every planet in the system if not beyond. The last to demand answers concerning the origin of the invasion that was just a matter of time.
It was hazy then, the necklace wasn't there but she felt like she was still following the same spirit as she confronted the Queen.
To confront the Queen and meet her demise at learning the truth.
Shaking her head, she slipped the necklace around her neck, letting it fall against her skin, sheltered behind both shirt and jacket. Gathering her sword belt, she instinctively and rather mechanically fastened it around her waist as she headed out.
"Where are you going?" Ami stopped her, the table ladened with numerous things that, at the quick glance she took, reminded her of the remains of the shuttle after it had crashed. It was far easier to just shake her head, a driving force enough to forgo manners. That she always seemed to run to the blonde would have caused her to scowl if it wasn't for the harsh reality of truth.
She offered answers in her own way, understanding in others, and didn't completely press in ways that she should have. While she got along to a point with the Mercurian, at least more than she did with the Jovian, she wasn't quite ready to bear her soul to them and explain all the things that had happened on Mars. It meant that while the Venusian could be equally as lost as to what it all ultimately meant, she would win just because she had the benefit of being there when it was all going on. She had a view and experiences, no matter really how limited.
Down the halls she went, knowing where the Princess' rooms were but until now having no reason to actually go to them. Daresay, the decor was more lavish than it was at their end. The guards looked just that much more; perhaps it was a sash, or some added cord that hung off of a shoulder. They eyed her all the same, glinting halberds at guard clashed with richer paintings and a thicker carpet.
Royalty had its advantages.
She stopped at the twin doors that would lead to the Princess' quarters, naturally the doors bore no guards, instead two tall vases with potted plants in a bloom of pinks stood there. Without a concern or second thought she turned the handle down on one to step inside the foyer, where another set of doors awaited her. The room was scant with its light, a few candles that stirred on the breeze created before resuming their otherwise silent consumption and destruction. A plush couch, an oversized chair, another rug, and still more paintings completed the room.
It was enough to make her scowl.
Reaching the next set of doors they were opening before she completely got there, the blonde looking like she was stepping out surprised her and equally seemed to catch the other off guard. A solitary finger raised to her lips as blue eyes debated in what to settle on, before their owner stepped back, motioning her inside.
The Princess' rooms were larger than their common room and individual rooms combined. A rather large balcony with drawn doors took up what seemed like half of one wall. Plenty of candles would provide light even on a stormy day like this one as the twin windows showed that the weather outside had not relented, as if the sound of rain beating against the Palace could be ignored. Most of the candles were out though, and she stopped looking as her focus went instead to Minako.
"She's asleep. Luna gave her a full glass of wine, probably hoping that if she drank and passed out, she wouldn't recall everything." Her voice was low, gloved hands she noticed hooked themselves anew into her sword belt. She was wearing her breastplate again; her eyes narrowed as they couldn't help but spot that ridiculous helmet again. Minako caught the path and shrugged lightly, sending her cloak fluttering with the movement. "Part of the requirement for being here. If they had it their way, I'd be in full plate."
That was something to picture, envisioning it before she shook her head. "How is she otherwise?"
"Traumatized. Lots of tears and sobbing and shit. She doesn't remember most of the details though and Luna doesn't think that she knows that it was Terrans in the first place who attacked." The blonde turned to look at her, "It hasn't been six hours yet."
No, it hadn't. "About my vision."
She cocked her head at her, questions dancing and alighting her gaze but it was a simple one given life instead of the multitudes it could have been. "The bath wasn't the right place, but in the Princess' rooms is?"
No. The baths was still in the confusion, the aftermath. The baths were an alternative, an offering to take her mind off of things, off of a lot of things, if she was willing to acknowledge the prospect that someone could have walked in. She found the blonde to be desirable; it didn't take much for her blood to boil in that way or her body to pang with ache. There was more to it though, there always was. They hadn't addressed what was said after the crash, just hinted around it and swept it under the rug. It lingered there though, in those eyes that she could drown in, ready to pounce for their due if only the time was right.
She was stalling but it didn't seem to matter. A reprieve was granted and she took every moment of it offered in the silence that followed beyond the beat of rainfall.
"I love you." The room looked and felt as though the Sun itself had existed within it, a dazzling smile as bare hands; sneaky Minako had left her gloves tucked behind her sword belt, collected her own. She needed that contact, grasping them hard to swallow again. The Venusian looked ready to say something but she stopped at the shake of her head. "The vision … was of my mother. Her life on Mars, her premonitions that … mirror my own. She … came here to offer the Queen counsel on the matter then she came again for answers like a Martian does. She wanted to know why it was all originating … where it was."
Minako's brow furrowed for a moment, her hands slackening before they squeezed hers back. Sharp and alert, the woman met her gaze, saying nothing as the situation conveyed itself between them just by their eyes meeting. She watched as they finally widened in the shock of realization. "You mean…"
She nodded, confirming it with an equally low voice. "The Queen is behind this."
