PRECIOUS METALS by Sailor Earth
*Chapter Twelve*
The venusian castle was filled with the hustle and bustle of many people, in a way Minako had never seen before. It made her sad that her home was no longer so alive and full of merriment like she was seeing it now. Concentrating on her surroundings, she saw that a party was going on, and her own self was there, too. This time past Minako was dressed to show her status as Princess Venus, in a long yellow dress with yellow ribbon-ties at her shoulders, yellow ribbon around her neck, and also tied in her hair, sweeping it off her face, and at the same time securing a blood-red rose to her hair. The skirt of the dress was long and made from yellow silk, but then had a delicate layer of white chiffon over-laying it, cut upwards in a v-shape towards her waist, with a wavy edge. Minako knew the outfit immediately - it was the one that had been recreated for her coronation as the Queen of Venus last year, at the dawning of Crystal Tokyo.
Minako followed her past self to the corner of the room, where a cloaked figure was standing.
"You made it!" she told the figure.
"Uh huh," replied a familiar voice, "I had to be careful not to draw attention when I entered the palace, though. I don't think your guards would take kindly to someone from Earth attending the ball."
"No, I guess not, although what harm you could do, I don't know."
"There's a dark, brooding feeling on Earth at the moment. I can sense it all the time. Your people will do well to keep out of my planet's business, unless they want their peace destroyed."
"I fear it is already to late, at least for me. Any trouble on Earth will not be ignored by Queen Serenity. The Lunarians take their role as Earth's protector very seriously, and as one of young Princess Serenity's guardians, I am inextricably bound to help, too."
"Do not worry yourself about such things tonight, Mina-chan. Let us leave this place so that I may not arrouse suspicion."
With that, they slipped out of the party and into a corridor. The figure pulled back his cloak, unveiling his face. As Minako has suspected, it was Kunzite. Minako followed them along the corridor and up several flights of stairs to Minako's bedroom. They stood on the balcony outside her bedroom. Far away in the dark sky, they saw the Earth and the Moon. The Moon glowed silver and white, a beautiful glass marble, but the Earth appeared dark and stormy.
"I'm scared, Kunzite. I don't want you to go back there. And I don't want Serenity to get involved, either."
"It'll be OK, honey."
"No, no it won't! I can feel it!"
"We'll get through it, we always do."
"Kunzite, whatever happens promise me that you won't leave. I need you." She looked into his eyes pleadingly. He said nothing, but kissed her gently. "I mean it, Kunzite. I don't want you to go. Not tonight. Please stay."
"OK, Minako, I'll stay tonight. But I have to go in the morning, and you should go back to the Moon to see Queen Serenity. Promise me you will."
"I will." She pulled him into her arms and hugged him, then shivering, she took his hand and led him back inside, into the warmth of the palace.
The scene faded, and Minako felt kind of glad, cringing at the thought that she might have had to watch herself and Kunzite share an intimate rendevouz.
*****
Suddenly things darkened, and she saw the Moon Palace, standing magestically in Mare Serenitatis, the Sea of Serenity. However she got a bad feeling, knowing that things were not right. Upon the steps of the palace, she saw Princess Serenity, shielded behind Prince Endymion. Next to him on one side stood Sailor Venus and Sailor Mercury, and on the other, Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter. At the bottom of the steps, facing them was Queen Beryl. Surrounding Beryl were Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite and Kunzite Their eyes were blackened and glazed over, and towering up behind them, blocking the sun was the evil form of Metallia. Minako's blood boiled as looked on in disgust, knowing that she was about to see the one event that she never wanted to be reminded of, yet had relived more times than she could count.
Minako watched as Sailor Venus stepped forward, raising the Crystal Sword that Queen Serenity had given to her.
"You don't scare me, Beryl!" cried the beautiful warrioress.
"Foolish Venusian! All your precious love and beauty is useless against me, Queen of the Darkness! Still, it would be fitting for a Goddess of Love to die in the arms of her first love! Destroy her, Kunzite!"
Kunzite lurched forward, towards Sailor Venus, knocking her sword from her hands with one sweep of his own. Both swords clattered to the ground with a resounding clash. Then he reached out grasping her tightly arround her neck, and she started to choke.
Minako was shocked - she had never remembered this part, and could not believe what she was seeing!
"Stop, stop it Setsuna!" she cried out, tears rolling down her cheeks. The darkness lifted, and Sailor Pluto stood before her. She lowered the Garnet Orb, and they were returned to Crystal Tokyo.
*****
Minako turned and ran.
"Where are you going, Venus?" asked Setsuna, as she followed Minako through the hallways of the palace.
"leave me alone! I want to be by myself!"
"No, I won't. You don't understand..."
"I do, and you can't change what happened, Pluto!"
They neared the teleportation room, where the royal family went to be transported to other planets. Since her reign began, Queen Serenity had set up many more of these points in every country through out the world. To the public, they were known as uni-ports, and were a lot like airports, but had teleport pads, rather than aeroplanes.
Minako stepped onto the palace's own private teleport pad, and entered her password on the screen in front of her.
"Don't go, Venus... it's Ami's birthday in the morning, don't you want to be there?"
"No... tell her I'm sorry, OK...I need some space...I'm going to Magellan..."
She pressed another button. There was a blinding flash of light, and then she was gone.
Setsuna sighed resignedly, and returned to her quarters.
*Chapter Twelve*
The venusian castle was filled with the hustle and bustle of many people, in a way Minako had never seen before. It made her sad that her home was no longer so alive and full of merriment like she was seeing it now. Concentrating on her surroundings, she saw that a party was going on, and her own self was there, too. This time past Minako was dressed to show her status as Princess Venus, in a long yellow dress with yellow ribbon-ties at her shoulders, yellow ribbon around her neck, and also tied in her hair, sweeping it off her face, and at the same time securing a blood-red rose to her hair. The skirt of the dress was long and made from yellow silk, but then had a delicate layer of white chiffon over-laying it, cut upwards in a v-shape towards her waist, with a wavy edge. Minako knew the outfit immediately - it was the one that had been recreated for her coronation as the Queen of Venus last year, at the dawning of Crystal Tokyo.
Minako followed her past self to the corner of the room, where a cloaked figure was standing.
"You made it!" she told the figure.
"Uh huh," replied a familiar voice, "I had to be careful not to draw attention when I entered the palace, though. I don't think your guards would take kindly to someone from Earth attending the ball."
"No, I guess not, although what harm you could do, I don't know."
"There's a dark, brooding feeling on Earth at the moment. I can sense it all the time. Your people will do well to keep out of my planet's business, unless they want their peace destroyed."
"I fear it is already to late, at least for me. Any trouble on Earth will not be ignored by Queen Serenity. The Lunarians take their role as Earth's protector very seriously, and as one of young Princess Serenity's guardians, I am inextricably bound to help, too."
"Do not worry yourself about such things tonight, Mina-chan. Let us leave this place so that I may not arrouse suspicion."
With that, they slipped out of the party and into a corridor. The figure pulled back his cloak, unveiling his face. As Minako has suspected, it was Kunzite. Minako followed them along the corridor and up several flights of stairs to Minako's bedroom. They stood on the balcony outside her bedroom. Far away in the dark sky, they saw the Earth and the Moon. The Moon glowed silver and white, a beautiful glass marble, but the Earth appeared dark and stormy.
"I'm scared, Kunzite. I don't want you to go back there. And I don't want Serenity to get involved, either."
"It'll be OK, honey."
"No, no it won't! I can feel it!"
"We'll get through it, we always do."
"Kunzite, whatever happens promise me that you won't leave. I need you." She looked into his eyes pleadingly. He said nothing, but kissed her gently. "I mean it, Kunzite. I don't want you to go. Not tonight. Please stay."
"OK, Minako, I'll stay tonight. But I have to go in the morning, and you should go back to the Moon to see Queen Serenity. Promise me you will."
"I will." She pulled him into her arms and hugged him, then shivering, she took his hand and led him back inside, into the warmth of the palace.
The scene faded, and Minako felt kind of glad, cringing at the thought that she might have had to watch herself and Kunzite share an intimate rendevouz.
*****
Suddenly things darkened, and she saw the Moon Palace, standing magestically in Mare Serenitatis, the Sea of Serenity. However she got a bad feeling, knowing that things were not right. Upon the steps of the palace, she saw Princess Serenity, shielded behind Prince Endymion. Next to him on one side stood Sailor Venus and Sailor Mercury, and on the other, Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter. At the bottom of the steps, facing them was Queen Beryl. Surrounding Beryl were Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite and Kunzite Their eyes were blackened and glazed over, and towering up behind them, blocking the sun was the evil form of Metallia. Minako's blood boiled as looked on in disgust, knowing that she was about to see the one event that she never wanted to be reminded of, yet had relived more times than she could count.
Minako watched as Sailor Venus stepped forward, raising the Crystal Sword that Queen Serenity had given to her.
"You don't scare me, Beryl!" cried the beautiful warrioress.
"Foolish Venusian! All your precious love and beauty is useless against me, Queen of the Darkness! Still, it would be fitting for a Goddess of Love to die in the arms of her first love! Destroy her, Kunzite!"
Kunzite lurched forward, towards Sailor Venus, knocking her sword from her hands with one sweep of his own. Both swords clattered to the ground with a resounding clash. Then he reached out grasping her tightly arround her neck, and she started to choke.
Minako was shocked - she had never remembered this part, and could not believe what she was seeing!
"Stop, stop it Setsuna!" she cried out, tears rolling down her cheeks. The darkness lifted, and Sailor Pluto stood before her. She lowered the Garnet Orb, and they were returned to Crystal Tokyo.
*****
Minako turned and ran.
"Where are you going, Venus?" asked Setsuna, as she followed Minako through the hallways of the palace.
"leave me alone! I want to be by myself!"
"No, I won't. You don't understand..."
"I do, and you can't change what happened, Pluto!"
They neared the teleportation room, where the royal family went to be transported to other planets. Since her reign began, Queen Serenity had set up many more of these points in every country through out the world. To the public, they were known as uni-ports, and were a lot like airports, but had teleport pads, rather than aeroplanes.
Minako stepped onto the palace's own private teleport pad, and entered her password on the screen in front of her.
"Don't go, Venus... it's Ami's birthday in the morning, don't you want to be there?"
"No... tell her I'm sorry, OK...I need some space...I'm going to Magellan..."
She pressed another button. There was a blinding flash of light, and then she was gone.
Setsuna sighed resignedly, and returned to her quarters.