CHAPTER FIVE

Endyimon watched the girl sleep. A part of him wanted to watch her undetected, but another, bigger part of him wanted to speak with her, to hear his name on her lips. That part of him was almost overjoyed when she finally opened cornflower blue eyes.

"Hello," she said in a crystalline voice. "You must be Prince Funny Name."

Startled, he asked, "Prince what?"

She laughed softly. "Prince Funny Name. You see, when we were little, the princess and I had to memorize volumes worth of Terran history, including the names of all of the Terran royal family. I could never remember your name, so I just called you Prince Funny Name, and the name kind of stuck. I hope you aren't offended," she added anxiously.

Endyimon laughed heartily, something he hadn't done for a long time. "Quite the contrary. I think it's quite amusing. Still, maybe you just didn't have the right teacher growing up." She looked at him with eager eyes, so they spent the next few minutes laughing at her odd pronunciation of his name. Though he loved the way she scrunched up her nose with child- like frustration, he finally took pity on her. "Why don't you just call me Darien? My friends usually do."

She looked at him thoughtfully for a long time, and then murmured, "Are we friends?"

Darien leaned forward, his eyes intense. "I'd like very much to be your friend."

She smiled, her own eyes echoing the intensity of his. "Very well, then, Darien. I'm Rilly," she added suddenly.

He smiled. "I know your name," he said with that same intensity.

Rilly looked at her prone hands. She was sitting up now, and the prince was very close on the cot beside her. "Do you really want to marry her?"

The prince took one of her slender hands in his larger one. "No, I don't. I have to marry her, for my people's sake."

"There are other ways of forming an alliance. I think you'd find that Queen Selenity is very understanding."

He chuckled mirthlessly. "Understanding of a barbarian? I very much doubt it. Don't look so surprised, Rilly," he added when he saw her expression. "I know exactly what your people think of mine. Still, the princess did agree to the marriage."

Rilly's face was very close to his. "She did?" she asked, obviously surprised. "What, exactly, did she say?"

He was having a difficult time keeping his lips from hers. "She, uh, said something about how even though I'm not a two-headed street sweeper, I'll do."

Rilly was delighted. "I knew she'd understand!" she exclaimed…and then she kissed him.

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Malachite led the way to the attacker's cell. They found the body exactly as the soldier had described, throat cut and weaponless. Hardened by years of combat, the sight and smell of so much blood barely phased him. He entered the cell and examined the area around the body. The girl followed, and Malachite was only slightly surprised when she didn't even flinch. Instead, she bent and examined the wound on the man's throat.  "Look at this," she said to herself. "Whoever killed this man knew exactly what he was doing. This cut is perfect, and casual killers don't make perfect cuts. This was done by a member of the assassin's guild." She looked up. "Tell me, please, who interrogated this man?"

He hesitated, but answered, "A man named Adon. Endyimon chose him because he was well liked and respected. We thought he could guard the man without being a threat to his safety. Why? Does this name mean something to you?"

"Nothing at all," she answered coldly, and he knew that she lied.

"Did I hear my name?" asked a light voice from the prison door. Malachite whirled to face the exceptionally handsome, fair-haired Adon.

The princess, however, did not turn. Instead, her body had tensed in a way that Malachite recognized as anger. Finally, she, too, turned. Her face matched the cheery expression of Adon's, but somehow Malachite knew it was a façade. "We were just speaking of you, Mr. Adon. I understand that you were the last to speak with this man?"

Adon's eyes flickered to the corpse, then back to the princess. "Aye," he answered mournfully. "And the last to see him, I'm afraid. Does this make me a suspect?" he asked flirtatiously.

"Not at all," the girl answered in the same manner. "Why on earth would a handsome, charming man like yourself commit murder? Go home to your wife, Adon, and don't worry about a thing."

She swept past him to the door, pausing only when he answered in a wooden voice, "I am not married, my lady."

"No," the princess answered from the other side of the door. "You're not, are you? Such a shame. If you'll excuse me..."

She left, and Malachite quickly followed, not liking the expression on Adon's face, or the sense of words spoken between the lines.

He soon caught up with the princess, grabbing her arm and forcing her to face him. Caught unguarded, the expression on her face stopped him from demanding an answer. Anger, self-loathing, hurt, and profound grief filled her face. He had the sneaking suspicion that he'd finally witnessed the real girl, not one of her pseudo-personalities. Abruptly, the mask dropped back into place, and she said coldly, "I believe I'd like to return to my...quarters. Thank you for the tour." She turned and led the way back through the maze of corridors.

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"How many hallways does this silly place have?" grouched Lita as they ran swiftly through the corridors.

"We don't know," answered Jedeite. "This place is the summer palace of the high king, but it hasn't been used in years. That's why we chose it, of course. We figured that nobody outside the prince's court even remembers that it exists."

Raye rounded a corner, flinging a fireball at an attacking assassin as she went. The man screamed and threw himself out the nearest window. The screaming stopped with a chilling abruptness. "Gods, you girls are brutal," muttered Zoicite, as he tossed an energy bolt of his own at a second attacker.

"We're senshi, and they're assassins for hire. We have to be brutal," answered Amy as she froze a group of assassins with her icy spray. Their earlier hypothesis had been correct, of course. The hallways were crawling with assassins.

Suddenly, all three girls halted in their tracks, and the generals were hard put to stop before they slammed into them. "What's wrong?" snapped Nephlite.

Raye's eyes narrowed. "Something's wrong with Mina. I haven't felt her this angry since..." she stopped, and her eyes widened in shock. "Adonis is here."

"It couldn't be him," Lita protested. She closed her eyes, trying to sense Mina's emotions. "By the Goddess, it is him! No wonder the assassins came so quickly. The bastard led them right to us."

"Wait a second. Who's Mina?" asked Nephlite.

Lita scowled at him. "Come on, we don't have much time."

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Quickly reaching the cell, the blonde princess flung open the door to find Rilly comfortably nestled in the prince's arms. The maid was laughing at something the prince had said, but she stopped when she saw the other girl's face.

"Mi-princess, what's wrong?" The princess released a quick burst of mental-speech, but the burst was too powerful and brief for Malachite to pick anything out. The maid paled at it, though, whispering, "No, it can't be..." The princess didn't answer, and the maid stood and put her arms around the other girl. The princess didn't react, and after a moment the maid pulled away. "You aren't going to confront him, are you, princess?" the maid questioned anxiously.

"No," the princess answered in that strangely furious voice. "This time I'm going to kill him." She looked at the princess. "But first I have to get you out of here. We're leaving."

The maid glanced back at the prince's worried expression. "But...I don't want to leave," she said in a small voice.

The princess looked carefully at her servant, and she relaxed visibly. "Are you sure?" she asked. The maid nodded, smiling shyly.

Suddenly, shouts and explosions echoed down the corridor. The three guards burst into the room, the anger in their postures distracting Malachite momentarily from the changes in their appearances. The three generals, who looked rather the worse for wear, closely followed them. "What's going on?" asked the raven-haired girl in red and white. "Get away from her," she growled when she saw that the prince's arms were around Rilly's shoulders. A fireball suddenly appeared in her hands, and Malachite finally noticed the slightly singed look of General Jedeite's uniform.

"Calm yourself, Mars." The princess' voice sounded more amused than angry. "She's made her choice."

The one called Mars glared at the princess. "A barbarian?" she scoffed. "That's a mistake, not a choice."

The princess laughed shortly, and her eyes were hooded. "Mistake or not, she loves him.  That's enough for me."

Comprehension dawning in his eyes, the prince turned to the girl next to him and took her hands in his. "Is it true? Do you really love me?" She nodded quickly, tears of joy in her eyes, but the prince seemed almost saddened.

Meanwhile, Mars' fireball had grown both in size and intensity. "Love him? She barely knows him!"

The princess watched the couple with sad eyes. "Sometimes that's enough." She walked up to the prince and the maid, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "It is her nature to love quickly and wholly, Prince Funny-Name. The question now is: Do you love her enough to marry her, regardless of your kingdom's condition?"

The prince hung his head. "I would sacrifice everything I have just to see her smile, but I cannot ignore the needs of my people, princess. I can't abandon them, no matter how much I love Rilly."

The princess smiled again. "Far from disappointing me, Prince of Earth, you've passed my final test. Prince Endyimon, I'd like you to meet Serenity, heir of the moon kingdom and your future bride. Congratulations, cousin."

"What?!" all five men exclaimed. "Who does that make you?" demanded Malachite of the false princess.

Serenity--the real Serenity--laughed. "May I present princess Mina of Venus, my cousin and best friend."

Mina bent her head slightly in acknowledgement of the title. She opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly her body tensed. "He's here," she said to the three senshi, whose bodies had also stiffened.

"How far?" asked Mars, who was already moving into an attack position in front of Serenity. The other two senshi followed suite, forming a half-circle of protection around the prince and princess.

Mina moved between the group and the door, placing herself in the direct path of danger. "Close," she answered. She gestured with one hand, and a crystal sword suddenly appeared. *What good is a crystal sword?* thought Malachite irrelevantly. *It'll shatter with the first blow*. The thought flew from his mind when the tall, golden-haired figure of Adon stepped through the door.

Raye didn't move from her position as Mina faced the handsome man in the doorway. "Adonis," Mina acknowledged, a frozen smile on her lips.

"Mina," he answered with the same smile. "It's been a long time, love." A sword flashed into his hands, and Raye could sense the darkness in his aura.

"I am not your love, traitor," she hissed as they began to circle each other, swords raised.

The tall, silver-haired general-Malachite, Raye recalled with difficulty- moved to help her, but Raye gestured for him to stay back. Don't interfere, she mind-Sent. Mina needs to do this on her own.

Malachite's' mind-voice was as silver as his hair. What is he to her?

Her fiancé. she answered, noting the flair of agitation in his aura. She may not be the goddess of love, like Mina, but she knew love when she saw it. *What is it that makes these earth men so attractive to us?* she wondered, glancing at Jedeite's slightly pale face. His eyes met hers, and he smiled hesitatingly. She scowled back at him.

Meanwhile, Adonis made the first move, thrusting his sword at Mina's stomach. She parried the sword easily. "It's such a shame. You were once one of the highest- ranking nobles on Venus, and now you're an assassin. What did Beryl offer, Adonis? Money? The throne? Or did you just enjoy the killing?"

At first Raye assumed that Mina was talking about the current situation, but then Mina asked with tears in her voice, "Why did you have to kill her, Adonis? She wasn't a threat to you. She loved you like a son."

"She knew too much," he answered defensively. "She caught your father and I that night, discussing our plans for you. She was going to blow our cover, so your father decided to silence her. He gave her the poison, though, not I."

Tears gone from her voice, Mina answered cuttingly, "No, you didn't poison her. You just held her down while my father forced her to drink it. Don't you realize what you started, Adonis? By killing her, you destroyed half the planet. Venus hangs on by a mere thread, and all so you could take the throne."

"It was never the throne that I wanted. It was only you. And what are you talking about? Killing one woman does not destroy an entire planet."

"How little you understand," she murmured. "Didn't you ever wonder why my mother never got sick? Why she never had so much as a sniffle the entire time you knew her?"

Adonis shrugged dismissively. "I just assumed that she was exceptionally healthy."

Mina shook her head in what might once have been fond exasperation. "That 'one woman' was linked to the planet itself. By poisoning her, you and my father poisoned all of Venus. It's been over a year, but the reactions still haven't stopped. All over the planet, the ground shakes with enough violence to wipe out entire cities, and volcanoes that have always been thought to be dormant have erupted and killed thousands. I have to kill you, Adonis," she finished, almost sadly. "The planet won't be satisfied until my mother's killers rest in pieces on Venusian soil."

"Will you kill me as you killed your father?" Adonis hissed, circling around Mina with his sword upraised.

She shook her head gently. "He was his own death. He took the coward's path rather than face Venusian justice." They continued to circle, occasionally exchanging blows. "There's one thing that I never understood, however. What did my father gain by killing my mother and I? He could not have inherited the throne no matter what he did."

"I already told you. We didn't want the throne. We just wanted the two of you to love us. We weren't going to hurt you, just keep you locked up with us in the palace, forever."

Mina blinked, puzzled. "We did love you. My mother never even looked at another man, and I couldn't wait until our wedding."

Her ex-lover shook his head in negation. "Do you know what it's like to love you, knowing that it's only a matter of time before you move on? Do you know how it feels, walking down a street with you, knowing that almost every man who sees you wants you for his own? You're the goddess of Venus, Mina. You're every man's ideal, but you always had so many secrets. I never knew if the face you gave me was the true you. You never let me in. Your father and mother were the same way. Years of jealousy drove your father insane. He always suspected that your mother was having affairs, but he couldn't prove it. He helped me because he wanted to spare me that fate."

"She wasn't having an affair, Adonis. I would have known if she was. And you got in deeper than most, Adonis, but you always underestimated me. You never understood just what I am." She pulled a stick from some hidden pocket of her dress, shouting, "Venus Planet Power!" Bright lights swirled from the stick, flowing down her body almost caressingly. The lights finally touched the ground and exploded. When the light faded enough that they could look at her, she was wearing an outfit similar to those of the other three senshi. Her crystal sword had remained throughout the entire transformation, but it now glowed like a tiny star. "I was never just your lover, Adonis. I wasn't just Mina, and I was never just a princess. I am Venus! I am the avatar, the senshi. My duty to Venus always took precedent over personal feelings. You never understood that."

She lashed out suddenly, knocking his sword from his hands. The sword skittered across the room, landing at Serena's feet. Mina pulled her sword back to strike the killing blow, but abruptly stopped when Serena cried out, "Stop, Mina! You can't do this!"

Mina stopped, but answered in a chilling voice, "Do what? Kill him like he killed everyone close to me? Did I ever tell you what had happened after I found her? My mother lived just long enough to tell me who'd killed her. I went after him with a company of guards, but he was already gone. He'd stayed just long enough to set a trap for my men and I. Only the fact that I was already a senshi saved my life. As it was, the entire company died. He's a traitor, Serena. He deserves to die."

"Maybe so, but not by your hand! You told me once that you've never killed an innocent. Don't bloody your hands now, Mina. Let him go."

Mina shook her head. "He's no innocent, and if I let him live my planet will die." She moved to strike, but found that Malachite had grabbed her sword arm. She didn't resist when he pulled the sword from her hands and drew her into his arms.

He handed the sword to Jedeite, murmuring, "You're so many things, love, but don't let 'killer' be among them. You show many faces to the world, trying to protect yourself and those you love from pain, but I wonder if even you have forgotten your true self." He bent his head and kissed her. Raye could see their auras flare and merge as one as Mina finally accepted the inevitable. She smiled, knowing that their souls had joined.

A strangled growl emitted from Adonis' throat. "You choose him over me?!" He pulled a short dagger from his uniform shirt and flung it sharply at Mina's back.

Raye watched in horror, too far away to do anything to save her friend. She could only call out a warning, giving Malachite just enough time to throw Mina behind him. Only Serena reacted in time, pulling Adonis' discarded sword and throwing it with surprising force at Adonis' vital organs. It pierced his stomach, but did not kill him immediately. "Beryl," he cried, blood pouring from his lips. His form suddenly wavered and disappeared, leaving only the knife embedded in Malachite's chest as evidence that he'd been there at all.