8. First love



Mina woke up with a splitting headache. It felt like someone was trying to squeeze her brain into a tiny box with spikes on the inside. Her eyelids seemed to be glued together and it required a lot of effort before she was able to open them, even then they threatened to close back. She blinked several times trying to focus on the ceiling but sleep was clinging to her like spider webs. She lifted her hand to rub her eyes and immediately regretted her action as the movement brought a fresh wave of pain through her head; it felt as if nails were being driven into her skull with a vicious intensity.

Mina closed her eyes and groaned out in pain trying to bury herself deeper into the soft bed, wishing fervently it would swallow her up and take her away from her misery. Yet despite her headache her mind refused to shut down and as she curled herself into a tiny ball she noticed something very strange, a sense of lightness and a freedom in movement.

Moving her arms slowly towards her chest and down to her stomach she touched warm flesh, a quick check on the rest of her body told her that she was not wearing her customary night gown. Her headache momentarily forgotten at this sudden new discovery, Mina started to notice the strange feeling of the bed she was lying on, it felt different from her own. Rubbing the silken sheets covering her body with her fingers she noted the different texture it had, not to mention the smell, lilac. That was not the fragrance normally accustomed with her bedclothing. It took a moment before her mind wrapped around all the information and the truth dawned on her.

Her eyes widened in shock and Mina flew up to a sitting position, of course the sudden movement didn't come without penalties, a heartbeat later she was cradling her head between her hands, praying to the Goddess as well as all the good sprits and even her ancestors to give her a new one. Somebody must have taken pity on her as the pain started to ease up and she was able to risk moving again. Lifting her head ever so slowly Mina peered through her eyes to take her first look at where she had ended up.

The room was dark with the first promises of daylight streaming through the shuttered windows. It was not very large, about half the size of her room at Lunian Castle but held more furniture than hers did. A golden divan was standing to her right and the bright silver blue silk gown she had worn last night was flung over it, pooling down to cover the tiled floor along with the thick Marsian carpet that was spread underneath the divan. Thin pink linen curtains fluttered gently along the window by the early morning breeze. One white shoe was lying on the side by the broad white door and another was resting on top of a plant. Her undergarments were strewn all over the room.

A breeze passed through the window and Mina shivered from the morning chill. She pulled the cover that had been resting on her thighs up to cover her naked torso, her hands clutching the fabric tight. She shifted slightly, bending her legs to one side, letting the heel rest against the back of her thigh to ward off some of the cold and noticed for the first time the soreness between her legs.

Suddenly an incredulous notion struck her and she stilled like a fly caught in amber. Images from last night started to flash in her mind. He had taken her to attend a party held at the Dancing Nymphs, a new establishment just recently opened to entertain the highborns of Luneir and currently the most popular place on the Moon. Mina was not even sure who had been the host or hostess, for the past few weeks she had attended so many parties the names were all a mixed up in her head. What she did remember was that it had been a great success, the attendants were all young people near her age and there had been a lot of laughing, dancing as well as eating. The food she recalled had been excellent, a lot of new and dishes and even several new exotic drinks had been floating around. Mina remembered drinking from a crystal glass filled with strange blue fluid with smoke coming from it, she had liked it well enough to have a second and maybe even a third refill. Her memories after that were not as sharp, she remembered she had laughed a lot last night, a lot more than she had in months. There was dancing, not just the ordinary ballroom waltz but other kinds of dancing that had sprung from a faster beat of music. The place had been hot, they had taken a stroll outside to get fresh air, there was even a carriage ride and walking up stairs in the darkness. Or had it been dark? She remembered she had seen bright lights but she couldn't for the life of her recall what anything looked like, for example, his face as took her in his arms, kissed her and… Slowly she turned her face and looked at the pillows by the headstand. The one she had just been laying on had a clear impression of her head but to her infinite agitation the large one closest to hers also had an impression, if less visible. Someone had else slept there.

Heat rose up her cheeks as she grasped what had happened the night before. She looked around the room but there was no sign of him anywhere. The sounds from outside were starting to rise, telling her that the citizens of the capital were about to start their day. Her stomach grumbled loudly in protest reminding her that she had needs that could not be fulfilled by staying here; wherever here was. So gritting her teeth against the pain that shot through her head every time she moved, Mina started gathering up her things. It took her nearly a half an hour to dress, partly because she did not have a servant around to help her with the laces at the back of her undergarments and partly because she was missing several buttons. She found two in the folds of her dress but they were not hers, this brought fresh color of embarrassment to her cheeks. In the end she decided to just throw her cloak around her, as long as she stayed covered under the blue silk, and kept the opening closed with her hands nobody would see the state of her dress.

Fortunately for her the hallway was empty when she left the bedroom. As she walked through it, her head still pounding, she found at least a dozen or so rooms similar to the one she had exited. Some were empty, some were not. As she passed the last door in the hallway leading to the stairs, Mina heard the distinctive sound of a woman whimpering and crying out in pleasure closely followed by a masculine groan. She wondered if she had sounded like that last night, bits and pieces of memories as well as the state of her clothes told her that their lovemaking had not exactly been tepid, she blushed so deeply at the idea she thought her face would burn off. Hurrying her steps Mina quickly left the building.

Her luck seemed to be holding out when she found her carriage waiting patiently by the corner on the opposite side of the street. Pulling up the hood of her cloak, hiding her face deep within it, Mina moved forward with determined strides, each step bringing another blow of torture to her head.

The driver was waiting patiently and alert by his seat looking fresh and completely rested, Mina hated him for that. Still, she was grateful for his presence when he jumped down to help her up into the carriage and even more so when he did not ask any questions. She doubted that she had enough energy to get inside without making a complete fool of herself by falling down on the street, much less have a conversation with him. Not that he would ever demand anything, that was one advantage of having servants that had not watched you grow up. They did not see you as the child they had helped to raise and therefore didn't think that they'd be excused for treating you like one. Mina herself had chosen Galain, as he was called, a few months back to be her designated driver and thus his loyalty was to her, first and foremost.

"To the castle, Galain." Mina informed once she was settled comfortably. She kept her face impassive and fervently hoped that that her head would not fall off like it threatened to do as a result of her order.

"As you wish, my lady." Galain said and clicked the horses into motion.

Mina didn't know if it was simply because of the misery she was feeling, but the ride from Canal Lane, where she seemed to have ended up instead of High Ganeir where she started last night, to the Castle seemed to take far longer than usual. The light hurt her eyes, despite the fact that she had pulled the curtains down over the carriage windows. Every sound, every movement seemed to grate at her nerves, making her want to curl up and do nothing but feel sorry for herself. And it seemed to her that there was a lot of traffic for so early in the morning. Did people have nothing better to do than to wake up early?

After what appeared to be an eternity the carriage finally stopped in front of the grand steps leading up to Lunar Castle. The moment a footman helped her down from the carriage, she shot off like an arrow straight for her quarters. Servants and guards up and about made quick, respectful curtsies and salutes to her as she passed but she didn't have time to give them back her usual warm greeting. To tell the truth, her vision was slightly blurry and she would not have been able to recognize them even though she knew their faces by heart.

The moment Mina reached her quarters she locked the door and bolted straight for the bathroom where she emptied her stomach. Nausea rolled over her and she didn't know how long she hung over the porcelain seat, it felt like an eternity which in itself did not feel quite long enough. As her senses started to return she noticed a knocking on the door.

"Your Highness, your Highness!" It was her personal maid Aisha, calling through the door. Mina would have ignored her if she hadn't heard the urgency and worry in her voice.

"Yes, Aisha?" At least she didn't sound as shaky as she thought she would have. What was that disgusting sour taste in her mouth? It was almost metallic.

"I'm sorry to disturb you this early your Highness, but the Queen has asked for your presence." There was a moment of silence and then her voice said hesitantly, "Shall I tell her you're indisposed?"

Despite her misery, Mina could not hide a smile. Bless Aisha for her loyalty. No one denied the Queen, especially in her own castle, yet that was exactly what the maid was offering to do, and that felt comforting. It was more because of her genuine fondness towards the slight girl, rather than any wish to follow her aunt's demands that Mina said, "No, inform my aunt that I will be with her the moment I have freshened up."

"Yes, your Highness. Are you sure you are well? Shall I call for one of the physicians?" Aisha inquired tentatively.

"No there's no need for that. I'm fine." Mina said with a beat red face.

The last thing she needed was a physician to examine her and find out just exactly what had occurred last night. In truth she was sixteen and considered old enough to make some decisions for herself, both Venus and Moon considered sexual intercourse with less restriction than the other planets. There were certainly no laws like the ones Mars and Saturn had, where young women were prohibited from having until they came of age or like on Pluto, where the women had to be married. But law and reality were two different things, if Mina's father ever found out, he would fly through the roof. King Trevor still thought Mina as his baby girl, his first born that ran around with two pigtails and begged him for presents with her big baby blue eyes.

Mina could see the exact stages he would go through, apoplectic seizure, shouting, screaming and then he would hunt down the guy and disembowel him. That was not at all desirable, since Mina was quite fond of the person in question, though she was a bit put out by the fact that he didn't even have the courtesy to wait until she woke up before leaving. Well she'd deal with him later, first she needed to see her aunt and find out whatever she had done wrong this time to displease her. The Queen was usually closeted with her advisors for morning meetings at this time, so the only reason Mina could think of as to why her aunt wanted to see her was because she was in trouble, again.

Rising up, Mina quickly washed her face and donned herself in a pink gown, one that was more suited for the day, and headed for the Sun Room. It was where the Queen usually conducted her meetings during the mornings, slightly more formal than her study but less than the Throne Room.

As she walked through the long grand marble hallways, Mina thought back to the past months and her relationship with her aunt. She could not say that things had gone very well since her friends left for their separate destinations. True to her words, Queen Selenity kept a personally eye on all of Mina's education, aside from her combat training of which Artemis, having been sent back from Jupiter, was in charge of. Mina was to read up on the history of Moon and that included the Kings and Queens that had ruled since what seemed like the dawn of time, as well as the commerce part. Mina never knew why it was so necessary; numbers had never been her strong point, that was Ami's department. Even if she would one day become the Queen of Venus, counsellors and diplomats would take care of that, it was what they were paid to do.

In a personal point of view, her aunt paid too much attention to everything, she wanted to know anything there was to know about her Kingdom. No single human could do that, hence advisors. There is not enough time to know everything, even if she only took a few hours sleep everyday. No wonder she was always so agitated. She had no life, and now she was trying to do the same to Mina.

There were a few bonuses though, Mina really didn't mind the parties and soirées she had to attend due to her new responsibilities. Thanks to those gatherings she had, in the last few weeks, made a large group of new friends, friends who remembered her and who had time for her. Before, her life had mainly consisted of Rei, Usagi, Lita, Ami and their training. She never knew the Moon had such a fascinating life outside the castle walls. The nobles she had gotten to know, mostly around her age or slightly older, were showing her a completely new world. It was a different kind of fun than what she had with her childhood friends. She felt as if she was taking her first steps into adulthood.

Mina stopped in front of the twin stout doors of the Sun Room. She composed her face and straightened her back. Holding her head up proudly she reached out and knocked.

"Enter." She was surprised at hearing Selenity calling out instead of having it opened by a squire, but she kept that from showing when she entered the room.

It was called the Sun Room for a reason. Extended out like an arm from the second floor, it was built in a near circular form with surrounding windows at the top that let sunlight through all day. Just then however, Mina could not feel any warmth touching her. The room felt like the coldest day in Mercury.

"Glad you could finally join me, Minako."

She was angry or she would never call Mina by her full name. "I came as soon as I could."

"Did you have fun last night?" Selenity inquired.

Heat rose up Mina's cheek and not all was from embarrassment. "I was under the impression that what I do in the evening was not something I needed to ask permission for."

"Certainly, you are sixteen and by the laws of your planet old enough to be considered a young adult. I just hope whatever it was that you did was worth the price thousands of innocents now have to pay." Selenity told her calmly and finally turning to look at her.

Mina flinched at the full anger in her eyes, but with her own anger rising she retorted, "I'm sorry I wasn't aware that going to a party was a capital offence."

Silver eyes narrowed, "Do not use that tone with me, Minako I would be very careful if I were you. I would not push my luck." Selenity said with a dangerous undertone.

Mina's chin lifted in defiance. "Or what? Throw me out? Send me back home? You might be able to do that, your Majesty but whether I stay here or not, I will always be Sailor Venus. You do not make that choice. The Gods made that choice. You might have been able to scare the others with that threat, but I'm not so easy. Not anymore."

"Now you listen to me young-"

"No you listen!" Mina interrupted her, blue eyes flashing with anger and a temper that had been banked down for months coming up to full life. "I'm sick and tired of you ordering me around as if I was your lowest servant. You treat the maids around here with more respect than me and I'm supposed to be your ward even if you want to forget about the niece part. That was what is stated in the treaty signed by the rulers of the inner planets seven hundred years ago." She smiled grimly, "Yes I have paid attention to my readings even if you don't think so. But you don't treat me a like a ward do you? No you just order me around. You take away my best friends and refuse to let us have any contact with each other. I've done nothing to deserve this! All that I did was to protect Usagi, what I was sworn to do. Your daughter, the girl that you abandoned on the soils of –"

"ENOUGH!"

The command was sharp and stung like a whip. Mina stopped her tirade but her eyes were still hot and she refused to back down. She knew that she was right this time and she was sick and tired of being told to do things without any sort of explanation and then being reprimanded when she did things wrong because she was given no prior warning. It was just not fair and she was not going to take it anymore.

"Now I do not have the time, nor am I in the mood to take your temper tantrum. Despite what you might think, you are nothing but a child." Selenity told her with a cold voice. "A child playing a dangerous game in the world of adults. You think you know everything, hmm? Well let me show you exactly how wrong you are."

She threw something at Mina and it was only by instinct Mina reacted and caught it before it connected with her face. Tearing her eyes away from her aunt's, the woman really could stare like a hawk, she looked down at the scroll that she held. Rolling out the papers, she read the contents.

It was a report, a long list of reports. Prices of grains for the past few hours not just on the Moon, but all the inner planets as well as some of the outer; locus attacks on the last crops that were not harvested and pirate attacks on those that were being transported.

The wind under her sails disappeared and Mina said with confusion. "I don't understand. How...? What happened?"

"Isn't it obvious? From the indication of the prices, there's obviously shortage of food. That's what."

"That's impossible! Sure the crops were not that good last year but the weather has been good and the reports of the harvest this year were positive. There's plenty in the granaries, even if this disaster struck the entire harvest."

"True, but all the buffer stocks have been bought up." Selenity told her with a steady look. Despite her anger she was glad to see the quick mind Mina was showing. There might still be hope for her, even if it was too late to do anything to prevent this disaster.

"Bought up? Already? How can that be possible?"

"It seems someone has been secretly signing contracts with the large Commerce Houses and bought them in the past month. People are fighting over what's left."

Mina looked at her aunt with disbelief and then a horrible thought struck her. "What about the plans for Saturn?" She asked. "We already signed a contract with their Council."

Selenity gave her a look that seemed to say, so-your-finally-getting-it. "The contract said five million Lunarian gold's worth of food aid would be given to them."

"But that's just ridiculous. Five million with the prices their charging now won't be able to buy enough to feed a town much less a whole planet!" Mina said with outrage.

For the first time since she entered the room, Selenity showed regret on her face. "I know, it took months just to raise that much. Unfortunately I will not be able to get more."

"What do you mean you can't get more?" Mina demanded and took a step forward. "You're the Queen for Goddess's sake. The Royal Vaults must contain more than that."

"You think it's so easy?" Selenity shook her head ruefully. "Oh Minako, you still have so much to learn. Haven't you been listening the past few months? You think it's as simple that," she said snapping her fingers. She shook her head while she moved towards the oval shaped table in the center, things cluttered it indicating that a meeting had been held recently.

Putting her hands on the back of a chair she turned again to Mina, "I may be the Queen but I'm not omnipotent. I, just like you have people to answer to too. A mistake can easily cost me the throne, if not worse. This mistake will cost, I just hope it stays minimal." The last words were said with sadness. For a moment there her blue eyes clouded over as if she was seeing something in the distance.

"I don't understand." Mina said slowly. She was confused, this was the first time she had ever seen the Queen like this. The confession she had just made did not make any sense, just who was she answerable to? She was the Queen of the Moon; even the monarchs of the other planets had to bow to her, who else had the power to equal hers?

"No you obviously don't, my mistake was thinking that you might. I had hoped that having you study history of the Moon as well as attending the social gatherings you might have understand how some things work, but I guess I was wrong and letting you in on the Saturn plan was biggest mistake of it all."

Mina's back stiffened visibly. "Are you accusing me being responsible for all of this?"

Selenity looked at her calmly. "Maybe not directly but yes, indirectly you are the cause of it. I've given this a lot of thought since I received the news midnight last night. Everything seemed too coincidental to be coincidence. With the forecasted bumper crops this year, we were expecting a surplus in supply. We were supposed to buy up those extra grains for Saturn as food aid at the current market price, keeping prices stable because we would be keeping output and consumption equal. But now that they've been bought, they can be sold at any price, not to mention there is now a shortage. Do you know what that means?"

"The economy will be in an uproar and those holding the goods will make a fortune." A chill overtook her body, numbing her to her very bones. It was such a simple plan but with consequences that would affect so many people's lives.

"Only a few handful of people knew of this treaty. I doubt that any of the Council Three of Saturn will breath a word of it considering the precautious state they are in, a false move like this would cost them their lives, not just their position. And only four people here aside from me knew of the plan: Luna, Artemis, Helios and…"

"And me." Mina whispered, finishing the sentence for her. She could not believe what she was hearing.

Selenity studied her face carefully and said gravely, "I hope for your sake that he was worth it. If we're lucky it will just mean severe hyperinflation and a slump in economy but if the Gods favor us wrongly we might have a war on our hands."

Mina stared at her aunt unable to believe the accusation she hurled out. Though Selenity did not mention any names they both knew whom she was referring to. The man that Mina had been spending nearly all of her free moments with for the past couple of months, the same man whom Mina confided her thoughts to, including Selenity's plans of using Lunarian gold to help the new rulers of Saturn to quench the last of the rebellion and bring some order into the divided planets.

Mina opened her mouth to speak, to deny the accusation but to her surprise no words came out. Somehow a seed of doubt has been planted inside her heart and Mina could not stop listening to the whispering voice. It infuriated her even more when Selenity only looked at her and nodded her head as if having expected that.

Before either could say anything there was another knock on the door. A guard opened and announced the arrival of the advisors that Selenity had requested. Selenity told him to wait a few minutes and then escort them in.

Once they were alone again she said, "I am not going to ask you any questions you are not ready to answer. But I do hope that after you've had time to recover from your hangover you can find some answers for me. Now if you'll excuse me I need to do some damage control."

Having been dismissed Mina left the Sun Room. A group of people was standing outside and Mina recognized all their faces. It seemed the Queen found this situation grave enough to ask all her advisors to attend and from the looks of them, they were worried too. Some of them eyed her suspiciously. She cast them half-hearted smiles before she swept past and disappeared down the hallway.

With determined steps, Mina headed straight for the stables. A groom hurriedly came out to assist her but she waved the kid away with a hand. She needed to get to her destination fast and did not have time to waste waiting for him to put on the right saddle and such. She led out her mare and without hesitation, she ripped the side of her skirt all the way to her thigh and swung herself up on the back of the horse. Heeling her mare into a hard gallop Mina shot out of the stable like an arrow.

Once she was outside of the castle she was forced to slow down due to the traffic. It seemed there had been a reason for the long trip back that morning. Most people were by now aware of what had happened and they were fighting to buy food and stock supplies. In several places fights started and guards were moving out to separate the masses. Mina tried not to look too closely but she could not block out the noises or the sounds of people crying out in pain as they got hurt one way or another. Each sound slashed at her like a razor sharp knife.

No, there had to be another explanation. She just would not believe that he was behind all of this. She could just not be that wrong about him. It was not possible.

As Mina rode her horse through the city heading for the countryside, she let her mind wander and thought back to the past and how everything had started.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Come on Lita, why don't you take a break from all of this? We'll go out shopping or go hunting if you want. You need to get away from these confining walls." Mina told her friend with a pleading look.

The two of them were taking a walk around the lush garden of the royal palace in Juneir. It was still early enough so that most of the guests were still asleep, leaving the garden to the two of them.

"Mina, for the hundredth time I haven't got time for it. There's still a lot to do, a lot of preparation that needs to be done before…" Lita lost her voice and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath trying to fight for control.

Mina's heart broke as she saw her friend's pain and she reached out to comfort her. "Its alright Lita. I'm here for you, so is everybody else you aren't alone in this. Come you need to take a break, everything is seen to and prepared for the funeral this afternoon and," she added when the taller woman opened her mouth to voice a protest, "there are plenty of people to take care of things even if something should come up. So slow down and just take a breather."

Lord knows she needed one. From what Mina had heard from the report Artemis had given to her and Selenity three nights ago when they arrived with the shuttle, Lita had not had a full nights rest since she came back home.

"The girl is like a whirlwind moving from one place to another. If she's not training, then she's questioning the suspects or closeted with her chief of security making plans and when she's not doing that she's locked away in meetings with advisors. The only time I've seen her sit down is during meals and even then she only picks at her food and bounces off less than ten minutes later."

That was how Artemis had described her and in the past few days observing her friend up close, Mina knew it was the truth and it worried her. She knew Lita was trying to keep her mind busy and her body too tired to feel the pain. But it was not healthy and sooner or later she would collapse from exhaustion. Today would be even worse, it was the official funeral of King Gregor and Queen Magda and though Lita might have been able to push off the pain before, Mina knew that once she faced her parents in the cathedral for the last time, there'd be no escape. So Mina did the only thing she could do, she tried to ease her friend's tension before she cracked at the inevitable meeting. As proud as she was, Mina knew that Lita would never forgive herself if she did something so disgraceful in front of everybody. That was why she had twisted Lita's arm and persuaded her to take a walk with her in the garden. Now if she could just manage to convince her to leave the walls of the palace.

"It's a beautiful day today. Why don't you come with me to town? It will give us time to spend together, Goddess knows you and I haven't had much time for that since I arrived and a little change of scenery might do you wonders. I could use the help in choosing what fabrics to make my new dresses out of. Should I go for bold colors this season or pale? I like the new electric blue one but do you think it might be a bit too much? You know I really wish I had darker colorings, it's so much easier to choose dresses. Dark goes with everything. I really envy you and –"

"Envy me? Envy what?! Tell me Mina, which part of me is it that you envy? My new wardrobe? My new status? Or the fact that my parents are DEAD?" Lita demanded cutting her off.

Mina flinched at the last one, feeling as if she had been physically attacked yet before she could speak Lita barreled on.

"Well I tell you what, you can have it all. Do you think this is fun for me? I don't enjoy any of this and I'm sorry if I can't make the time to spend with you but I have a lot more important things on my mind than stupid fashion trends. Maybe if you would grow up and started thinking about someone else aside from your own needs you would realize that too, so now if you'll excuse me I have a Kingdom to run." With those departing words Lita turned and hurriedly strode away before she said more things she would later regret.

Mina was too shocked to do anything but watch her departing back, she opened her mouth and no words came out. In the end she closed her gaping mouth with a loud click and whirled around angrily to walk to the other way, heading deeper in to the garden.

She was NOT a selfish person, Lita knew that. How could she even say those hurtful words to her? She was only trying to help her out. It was true Mina knew nothing of what her friend was going through, her parents were alive while Lita's were dead, but she was trying her best. She was trying to relate to her in the only way she knew how. So why did she have to say those hurtful things to her? Is that really how she perceived her? A selfish immature girl interested in nothing but clothes?

"You know there are a lot of ways to vent anger without destroying beauty in the process." A voice said calmly startling her enough to make her climb into the air.

Mina whirled around and to face the speaker and tell him to mind his own business, but the words froze on her lips when she saw who it was. Standing further down the path was a tall man with long pale blonde, nearly silver, hair that reached just below his neck. His shoulders were broad, filling out the blue coat he was wearing naturally, i.e. without padding. As he walked towards her, the morning sunlight casting a halo around him, he looked like a vision straight out of a picture. Mina felt her heart make a double flip, the way it had done when she had first seen him arrive on the large shuttle from Earth, the same day she did. The man was absolutely gorgeous, with that strange silver hair of his and his smoky gray eyes. He may not have been the best looking man at court so far, since a lot of people had arrived from all the planets to attend the funeral, but with the charismatic air he seemed to carry with him he was certainly was the most noticed one.

Yet at the moment Mina was not overly thrilled at seeing him, her fight with Lita was still too fresh and the anger she was feeling had not yet subsided. "Lord Kunzite." Mina greeted him with a formal curtsy.

"Your highness." Kunzite made a graceful bow that made hers look clumsy.

It annoyed her slightly, because she prided herself in being known as the most graceful creature in the solar system.

Kunzite stopped beside Mina but his eyes were on the bushes. "Pity. Beauty like that is so vulnerable and easy to hurt with just the slightest thoughtless action." He murmured.

Where lovely roses had blossomed from the bushes earlier, there were now only a handful left that clung on bravely. Pale rose petals lay scattered on the paved ground. Looking at her hand where she was clutching a short stick, Mina felt heat rise up her cheeks as she realized that in her anger, she had been hitting the bushes, she quickly dropped the stick to the ground.

"I know your friend hurt you with her words. But don't you think destroying something just to vent your anger is a bit petty?" Kunzite turned to her, his silver eyes solemn.

Embarrassment and guilt ate at her. Embarrassment because he had caught her in such a juvenile act and guilt because she knew queen Magda had helped plant these rosebushes and loved them. Through those feelings anger was born and she turned them towards the most available target.

Lifting her chin, her eyes turning chilly she said with her most haughty tone. "Who are you to speak about childish actions? I suppose eavesdropping on people's conversations is a very mature thing to do?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Mina wished she had not spoken, insulting the ambassador of Earth is not the most diplomatic thing to do especially since the peace treaty between the Alliance and Earth was still so tenuous.

To her surprise however Kunzite does not seemed to have taken offense, instead amusement lit his eyes as he said, "I'm afraid you have misunderstood me, I only expressed my apologies as seeing beauty wasted like that. As for me listening on your conversation, I was not aware that this was a private garden, it was not my intention to listen but when the two of you didn't bother to lower your voices I only assumed you didn't care."

Mina sniffed and muttered under her breath. "A real gentleman would have had the decency to keep his ears shut."

"Most probably." Kunzite agreed blithely, "and I'm sure you don't need me to tell you about the proper behavior of a lady."

He laughed at the baleful look she cast him even as embarrassed heat rose up her cheek.

"As an ambassador you certainly are not giving a very good impression of your people at the moment, Lord Kunzite." Mina told him acidly. "Tell me are all Earthling as rude as you or do you just happen to be an exception?"

"It depends," Kunzite crossed his arms over his broad chest, "are all young women from Venus as immature and self-centered as you or are you just an exception?" His eyes turned harder and colder, making her shiver.

Mina tried to say something nasty but no words would come through her lips, instead to her utter mortification, she felt her eyes start to sting. Through blurry vision she saw the silver haired man loose some of the hardness on his face as he looked at her. He opened his mouth to say something but Mina never had the chance to find out what it was as just then a feminine voice called out.

"There you are, love. I've been looking everywhere for you, I thought you were going to wait for me and take a stroll together?"

From around the corner a stunning looking woman with thick curly dark hair came strolling down. The golden threads sewn on her copper silk dress was meant to catch the eye and with the sunlight streaming down on her she looked like a vision, everything around her paling in comparison. Her lavender eyes were only for Kunzite as was the smile she wore on her full lush lips.

"I was not sure you would've wanted to take a stroll so early in the morning Cleo, you had a late night with the ladies and I figured you would try to catch up on some sleep." Kunzite turned to her with a smile. He took the hand she offered to her and kissed the top.

"Really love, I'm only in my early twenties. If I start feeling tired already how would I ever be able to keep up with you for the rest of my life?" Cleo told him with a laugh.

Since it was obvious the two lovers were totally engrossed with each other, Mina took the opportunity to disappear. The movement however caught Cleo's eyes and she looked in her direction. A slender girl, pretty and who would no doubt turn into a beauty once she reached full bloom. Lovely golden hair and dreamy blue eyes that at the moment looked like they were at the brink of crying.

"Love aren't you going to introduce me to your little friend?" She asked, neither her face nor voice betraying the gnawing jealousy she was feeling. She had known from the very beginning that being together with someone like Kunzite was not going to be easy, a man with his looks, build and position was bound to attract the interest of a lot of women, but it was the price she would pay for loving him. As long as she knew he did not have feelings for those women she could tolerate it.

"Cleo, meet princess Minako of Venus. Your highness allow me to introduce my fiancée, lady Cleo of Winsburn."

"It's a pleasure meeting you, lady Cleo. Despite the sad occasion, I hope you will enjoy your stay on Jupiter." Mina told the older woman after the two of them had acknowledged each other with a small curtsy. "Maybe we will have opportunity later to get to know each other, unfortunately I have some pressing matters that I need to attend to so if you will excuse me."

Not waiting for a reply on their part, Mina turned and walked away.

From behind, Kunzite watched the disappearing back of Mina with mixed emotions, part of him wanted to run after her if only to apologize for the harsh words he had said to her. He had not realized they were so cruel until he had seen her reactions. It had made him feel like the lowest scum of the earth, like he had kicked a puppy. He hated seeing women crying and what was even worse was knowing that he was the cause of those tears, it reminded him too much of his own father and older brother.

He supposed he might not have acted that badly towards her if he had not seen the broken look on princess Lita's face earlier as she ran past him. All he had wanted was to make the blonde princess see the errors in her ways but as he saw the crushed look on Minako's face he realized, too late, that he had gone too far.

Sighing inwardly, Kunzite decided to leave her be, he would apologize to her later but right now was not the time. She certainly would not appreciate him intruding on her as she cried, which he knew was the reason she had left.

Deciding that the least he could do was to grant her some privacy, Kunzite led Cleo down the opposite path from where the princess had disappeared so that they did not accidentally run into her. From the way she had looked he doubted that she had managed to get far before her control broke.

He was right. Barely twenty feet away just around the corner by an open clearing Mina was sitting on a bench by the fountain crying her heart out. She had tried so hard to keep the tears back but somehow seeing the two Earthlings together, so in love, she had known she was not going to be able to keep it in. So she had excused herself, if rather rudely, and left before she disgraced herself.

Mina knew that it was not just the fight she was crying about but everything about her life. Since the day Usagi disappeared on them it seems her life have taken a turn for the worse, the fight she had with Lita was just one of them. They have fought before but this was different, Mina could sense that Lita was annoyed at her for more than just their last conversation.

Since the assassination, Mina had often wondered if she did the right thing in covering for Usagi. Maybe her aunt was right and the decision she should have made as a leader was not to protect Usagi but to think of the greater picture. If she had not ordered Lita to go to Earth to retrieve Usagi then her friend would have been with her parents, with Sailor Jupiter around the attackers might never have had a chance. Mina could not help to wonder what would have happened if she had made a different decision. Would Gregor and Magda still have been alive? Was Lita thinking the same thing? Was that why she had been avoiding Mina since her arrival? Were Ami and Rei thinking like that too?

Ami she could not be sure of, but she knew Rei was definitely avoiding her. Ever since she had felt that intense pain in her mind a few weeks back, having been knocked unconscious by the force of it, Mina had not been able to sense Rei at all. Of the five of them, she and Rei had been the closest which created a bond that made them aware of the other's presence, as if a part of one was stored in the back of the other's mind. But since that incident Mina had not been able to feel anything at all. The loss of that presence, the warmth like a fire in her mind, left her feeling cold and empty. She had tried to make contact with Rei but her friend had only sent Luna to take her calls. It had hurt.

It still hurt, Mina had never felt more lonely in her life. Her family was still on a space shuttle on their way to Jupiter but even had they been here right now, Mina doubted that they would care. After all, none of them cared enough to voice out a protest at the punishment Selenity had dealt her, nor had they bothered to contact her since then. Her best friends, her sisters of heart had all abandoned her and the worse part was she was not so sure she did not deserve that. She was the one that had split them because she had not taken her duties more seriously. As Usagi's cousin, she knew her the best; she should have seen it coming and been able to stop her from running away from home. But like Lita had said, she had been too self- centered, her mind already occupied with the fun she would have had once she reached Venus again to bother with Usagi's trivial fears. Now one of them had lost both her parents and the rest of them were being punished in some form or another.

Mina squeezed her eyes shut and tried to will the pain in her heart to go away but it seemed like a void opened wider, making her feel even more empty, cold and lost. She tried to draw a deep calming breath but she only managed to get several short shallow ones through each hiccup and sob. She wrapped her arms around herself trying to keep the coldness she felt at bay, wishing with all her heart the loneliness would go away and somebody would still love her.

As if hearing her prayers, warm hands and strong pair of arms wrapped themselves around her. She felt herself being lifted and gently settled on someone's lap. Her face was gently turned against a broad chest and Mina instinctively buried her face deeper in the supporting shoulder and cried her heart out. Her comforter did not say a word but only wrapped the arms tighter around her and gently stroked her hair.

She did not know how long she cried but in the end her energy was spent and she quieted down. Tears were still trickling, if to a lesser flow down her cheeks. Her mind was starting to work once again and she began to take in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was the fabric on the man's clothes, he wore a pale blue shirt, the pattern on the matching vest of silver and blue was flowery and very familiar to her, since it was the popular kind that the men on Venus wore. Thinking that it was her father, Mina looked up with brilliant smile only to be surprised when instead of looking up at her father's handsome face, she saw one that was half his age.

The man was as equally handsome as father, but where king Trevor's face has matured and the lines grown stronger making him look more rugged, this man still had a youthful smoothness that made him beautiful rather than handsome. Like her father, he was also blonde, though his hair was a richer hue of gold, as if dipped in sunlight. Mina recognized the man, they had met a few weeks ago back on Moon when Selenity had let her join a small party attended by some of the highest-ranking Houses of Luneir. As often when it came to parties, people sought out other people with whom they had things in common. In their case it was their youth, everyone except them had been at least over thirty.

"Lord Chevaine," Mina whispered with a startled surprise. "I... How…That is… I…"

Caught completely by surprise, Mina did not know what to say. It was true that the two of them had managed to get along very well in a short amount of time at the party, in fact Mina could not remember having been able to make friends with a man so quick, and she had no problems making friends. Yet, getting along with someone quickly and having that person comfort you in this manner were two completely different things.

Suddenly Mina realized that she was still sitting on his lap and practically resting on his chest. Embarrassed heat rose up her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, lord Chevaine. I..." She tried to find the right words to say as she sprang up to her feet.

Chevaine threw back his head and laughed. "Come now, my lady. Don't you think that after this, you can drop the lord Chevaine? Just call me Cheve, and please," he added in a much softer tone and stood up too, "don't apologize and don't especially feel embarrassed. You have nothing to be ashamed of, if anything that rude cur of an Earthling is the one that should feel embarrassed. If anyone should apologize it's him and me."

Embarrassment forgotten for the moment, Mina's brows lifted in surprise. "Apologize, you? But you have nothing to apologize for."

Cheve made a face. "Yes I have, I've acted in the same ungentlemanly fashion as that Earthling. I did not mean to eavesdrop but I must confess hearing such anguish in your voice as it carried to my ears I could not help myself. I did not want to intrude on you and your friend at a moment like that as it seemed rather private, but I felt I could not leave you either. When I heard the way he spoke to you, I wanted to rush to your aid and hit him, but alas I have more than just me to take care of and I feared the repercussion would be much more than my family would be able to pay. After all my family is but an minor House among Mercia."

Mina did not know what made her heart melt more, the way he spoke to her or the way his blue eyes looked upon her. All she knew was that the pain she felt lessened and the coldness was slowly starting to leave her body and was being replaced by warmth. As the warmth returned so did her senses and compassion flowed through her at hearing the bitterness in Cheve's voice. She did not know what brought on this bitterness, but to bring such dark emotions in a person she was sure it was something profound.

Stepping forward, Mina put her hand in his. "Nevertheless, thank you. Thank you for coming after me and lending me a shoulder to cry on. I really needed a friend just then and that was exactly what you were."

She looked up at him, her face earnest and her eyes solemn. Their eyes caught each other and everything came to a standstill. Mina felt her heart skip a beat, she knew from the look in his eyes what he was about to do and yet she did not know why she felt so nervous. As his face came closer, her beating heart became louder until it drowned out the sound of water coming from the fountain and the chirping birds singing above them.

When Mina thought back to this fateful kiss, she would always remember the heavy scent of roses in the air as his lips touched hers and she fell in love for the first time.

Roses seems to also remind him of her, because in the next few months that passed as they both returned to the Moon, he kept sending them her. He never attached a card but everybody knew where they came from. People could not help but notice when the two of them were always seen together on parties and other social functions.

Not everyone was happy about the arrangement though, the queen was one of them, her father another. The first she could not do anything about and the latter was expected. Mina did not care however because Cheve made her happy, with him she felt more alive than she had in a long time. He took her to places she had not been before, social gatherings that she had been too young to attend before and introduced her to a new exciting new world that she had never knew existed, parties, hunting, concerts and exotic foods. She met young high-borns of her age both from the Moon and the other planets and found out a bit more about how they lived their lives. She figured that was what her life probably would have been like had she not had her senshi duties. Through it all she and Cheve grew closer, so close in fact that she was sure he was the one for her, the one she was meant to spend the rest of her life with.

How naive of her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Your Highness, please his lordship is really unavailable at the moment. If you would please come back another time I'm sure –" A distraught servant told Mina as she pushed past him and entered the dining room.

The room was quite small compared to normal standards. Mina had to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight streaming through the glass walls on one side, before she was able to see him. She stopped in her tracks as she took in the scene in front of her.

Cheve was sitting at the short end of the long dining table but he was not alone. An attractive redhead sat at his right. It was not the presence of the woman that stunned Mina as much as what was occurring. Both Cheve and the woman were leaning towards each other, Cheve was holding her hand, his lips dancing over her flesh in an intimate manner that was hard to be misunderstood.

The pair looked up at the interruption, Cheve with annoyance in his blue eyes and the woman with a mildly amused smile.

"I'm so sorry, my lord. I tried to stop her but…" The servant apologized profoundly casting a fearful look at his master.

"That's quite all right, I have discovered to my own experience that when her highness has made up her mind it's hard to deter her," Cheve told his servant mildly. Giving the woman's hand one last kiss, his eyes never leaving Mina's, Cheve said with a pleasant smile. "And to what may I ask do I owe the pleasure of your lovely presence, Mina?"

Seeing the smile was like having a bucket of cold water thrown over her. No longer immobilized Mina moved forward with determined strides, she barely noticed the servant take one frightened look at her and hurriedly left the room closing the door behind him.

"You bastard!" She hissed. She lifted her hand and swung, to her surprise he moved with lightning speed and caught her wrist just before the palm of her hand connected with his face.

"Now, now Minako, is that any way to treat the man you claim to love?" He chided even as he grabbed her other flying hand.

Mina tried to break his hold and was furious when she realized she was unable to do so. "You bastard! You lying, two timing, heartless bastard!" She screamed at him.

"I might consent to being a liar but I can assure you Mina that my parentage is most valid," Cheve told her, smiling. "And as for being a two timer," he clucked his tongue, "isn't that like the pot calling the kettle black? How was last night? I hoped you enjoyed yourself, you certainly looked like you were when I left."

Mina stilled in her fighting and met his devilish twinkling eyes, as the meaning of his words penetrated her foggy mind the last remains of color drained from face.

Of course Cheve was not satisfied with only that, "So how was he? Did he give you enough pleasure to satiate that lustful body of yours? Who did you end up spending the night with? You were clinging around so many men that I lost count. "

Each word coming out of his mouth was like a knife against Mina's heart but she managed to pull herself together long enough to give him a retort. "Whoever he was, he was certainly more satisfying than you'll ever be."

Her words hit home and the sneer vanished from his face to be replaced by cold anger, his hold tightened on her wrists painfully. Mina did not utter a sound as she stared defiantly into his eyes but she could feel the pressure building and she was sure the next sound she would hear would be the sound of her bones snapping.

Help came in an unexpected way, "Cheve," the red haired woman spoke up softly.

"Quiet, Lina." Cheve ordered harshly. He yanked backwards forcing her to overbalance and suddenly she found her arms twisted behind her back and she was sitting on top of him in a awkward sideways position. She tried to twist but she was pulled so close to him that the she was having problems breathing, much less move.

"You might want to watch the challenges you throw out. One day I might pick up the gauntlet." He told her coldly right before he forced his lips on hers.

It was nothing like the tender kiss they had shared back at the garden in Jupiter or the many sensuous kisses they had shared after that. This kiss was rough, devoid of gentleness and love, it was pure punishment, pure dominance, used to teach her who was in charge. Mina felt repulsed as his tongue forced itself between her lips, she felt like she wanted to gag. Mina tried to bite him but as if he read her mind he suddenly broke the kiss and flung her away, she fell hard against the tiled floor, pain shooting through her body as the room spun, she shook her head to clear her sight.

The room was silent, nobody came to help her up nor did she expect any. She knew that she had lost, but despite the humiliation she could not just leave, at least yet, "Why, why did you do it?" She asked softly her eyes look at the floor.

"For you to ask that just shows how naive you are. Haven't you learnt anything by now? It's all about money, Mina. Money is what makes the world goes around, it doesn't matter where you're from, as long as you have money you have power."

Mina stared at the man that had brought so much happiness to her for the past few months. The same man who had comforted her while she was down, made her laugh and smile, taught her there was more to life than just her close friends and her duties to her princess, the man that she had fallen in love with. Yet staring down at her was the face of a total stranger and something within her broke.

"Money?" She whispered even as she rose unsteadily to her feet. "You did all of this, you…you used me just so that you could earn some money? What about the lives of all those innocent people out there?!" She shouted and waved her hands in the direction of window behind her. "Do you have any idea of what you just did? People will starve. A war can break out on Saturn! Do you have any idea of how many lives we're talking about here?!"

Cheve looked at her for a while and then shrugged his shoulders. "Saturn is a planet on the brink of war, it was going to happen sooner or later. The so-called Council that had been created in place of the old monarch is weak, some lord would've seized the power and civil war would've broken out eventually. All I did was grasp an opportunity when I saw it, the same thing anybody else would have done if they had the information I had. It's part of politics, it's how we survive."

Mina could not believe what she was hearing, yet as she stared in to Cheve's eyes she could see that he was not lying to her, he truly believed what he just said to be the truth. "If this is how you believe the world is, then I pity you. I don't know what made you into the kind of bitter cold-hearted man you are today, all I can say is that I hope you've earned as much profit as you can out of this and that you had better pray that the damage is minimal. If so much as one person because of this I swear you will pay dearly..." Mina told him coldly.

Cheve inclined his head. "You are welcome to try, love. But you won't be able to pin anything on me, there is no evidence and it'll only be your words against mine. I know enough political games to make not only you but your Queen and the entire Royal Venusian family look like a fool should you choose to bring your accusation to court."

"We'll see."

"Indeed we will. I look forward to that day. Now if you'll excuse us, I think we'll resume our meal in private." Cheve turned towards his lady friend, dismissing Mina's presence with his movement.

Mina gave him one last hated look before she whirled around and headed for the door. As her hand touched the doorknob Cheve called out to her, "You know you might not believe it today but one day you will thank me for doing you this favor. Think of this a well-taught lesson in introducing you to the world of politics, believe me it could have been worse."

Mina choose not to acknowledge him, instead she wrenched open the door and left, the laughter he let out followed her all the way to the courtyard where her mare was waiting.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Don't you think you were being a bit too harsh on her?" The sudden voice of Galina cut through Cheve's thoughts a few moments after the princess of Venus had left them.

"She would have had to learn sooner or later." He said with an indifferent shrug. Yet inside, Cheve was annoyed that there was a slight tug of regret eating at his conscious when remembering the hurt in those blue eyes. The same blue eyes that had so many times looked up at him with unquestionable love and trust, "She's far too trusting and naïve, I just happened to be quicker than most to notice it."

"And take advantage of it." Galina finished for him.

Cheve turned to face her with narrowed eyes. Her face was relaxed and serene, all in all she looked like a lady enjoying her morning with a cup of tea as she lifted the delicate porcelain to take a sip. But Cheve was not fooled by that peaceful façade, he knew that beneath that soft feminine package was a hard ruthless lioness. Unlike most nobles around Luneir that mask had not fooled him the first time he met her, nor had she by him. They had both recognized the ambitious mind beneath the other, accepted it and made the most use of it, Cheve was not delusional to believe that Galina was in love with him anymore that he was with her. They did however make a very good team as well as lovers even though they pursued other interests that would further their own cause. Mina was his.

The moment he had seen her at the Queen's garden party, Cheve had recognized the window of opportunity that was there for him to use. Here was a girl, fresh out of schoolroom, innocent, naive with connections not only to the Venusian Throne but the Lunarian one as well and nobody thought of making use of her. Of course she was only sixteen and some might have considered it too young to even consider using Mina but Cheve was not one of those, he had been in politics far too long to be held back by mere age. Bitter experience had taught him that to be successful one had to be ruthless and fast enough to seize the opportunities presented.

His instincts had been right in this case. Thanks to Mina's information about the Queen's aiding plans for Saturn, Cheve was about to become one of the wealthiest men in the Alliance. That wealth would mean power, power that he had not had to stop his family being torn apart ten years ago.

Galina, as if sensing the change in his mood, suddenly cleared her voice. "Well I don't know about you but I need take myself home and rest awhile if I'm ever gonna feel up to the party tonight."

"You could always rest here, we can go together." Giving her a knowing smile he took her hand and gave her a lingering kiss on the wrist.

Smoothly pulling her hand from his, Galina shook her head. "You know as well as I that if I stayed sleep would be the last thing on your mind, need I remind you that you kept me up all night?"

Rising to his feet with a chuckle Cheve conceded defeat and proceeded to escort her to the door, in truth he was more than relieved to see her go since he discovered that his mood for entertaining people had suddenly vanished. Somehow the victorious feeling he should be having, for accomplishing what he had wanted for so long, did not quite brighten his spirits as much as he had thought it would. He kept seeing a pair of cornflower blue eyes filled with hurt and pain and soon they would turn into a pair of brown eyes except that the pain in them turned glassy and empty as their owners stared lifelessly at him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She did not know how long she thundered across the fields before she reined her mare in and allowed the poor thing to move at a more normal pace. In her mind Cheve's words kept running around, memories of the Cheve she had just left kept on colliding with the man she had known for the past two months and they refused to mesh. How could the two people be the same person? How was that possible? How?

So caught up was she in her thoughts, Mina did not even hear the approaching horses drawing a carriage nearing her at full speed until a feminine voice suddenly addressed her cutting through her dazed mind.

"Lady Minako, if I can borrow your time for a moment I would like to have a word with you,"

Blinking her eyes Mina turned towards the sound and was surprised to see the same redhead she had met in Cheve's dining room, the same woman who had shared his bed last night. Mina tried to work up her anger at the thought but her recent encounter with Cheve had left her drained and all she could feel was humiliation over the fact that the woman was witness to the entire scene.

Lifting her head with a haughty air she said, "I can't possibly think of anything that you and I would have to discuss."

The redhead smiled. It turned her face from attractive to quite stunning, especially with those luminous green eyes of hers, despite everything jealousy ate at Mina like a bitter venom. "I'm glad that you still have some fighting spirit left. For a moment I was not sure, you looked rather shaken back there."

Mina's blue eyes flashed, to hell with etiquette and well behavior, "And you came chasing after me just to rub it in my face?"

The reaction she got was a chuckle, a deep throaty chuckle that surprised her enough to make her start visibly, "You are refreshing, I like that, no wonder Cheve was attracted to you."

At the mention of the bastard himself, Mina's eyes frosted over, as did her voice. "Don't ever mention that son of a bitch's name in my presence ever again."

The woman's face sobered up at hearing her tone and sympathy showed in her eyes, Mina did not like to see that either.

"I know that it won't mean anything to you, but for what it's worth I couldn't agree with you more."

Mina made a rude sound, "Oh please. I've had enough people make fun of me for one day, don't think I'm stupid enough to fall for lies twice."

"That wasn't a lie."

"So your are claiming that you feel that way about him and yet you can still go to bed with him?" Mina demanded.

"Yes." Sighing the woman said, "Listen I will pass Luneir on my way home to my estate, why don't you join me here? I can guarantee you will be much more comfortable than riding like that, no doubt you are still sore."

The last comment brought a flush to Mina's cheeks, she was not prude but having a total stranger talk to her in that way especially after what Cheve had said earlier was embarrassing. Even so, she was curious as to what this woman had to say, if nothing more than to have somebody to vent her anger on. She was not strong enough to take on Cheve physically, not without calling upon her Venus powers at least, but this woman was a totally different matter. If she said one thing wrong, Mina wouldn't mind punching her in the face, let's see how pretty she would look with a broken nose.

Any other time Mina would have been shocked at the violent thought she had, it was totally unlike her character, but instead she just calmly got off her mare, handed the reins to the footman and got in to the carriage.

The interior was quite comfortably decorated with plush seats and padded backs. There were small lamps and even a bar built against the wall that leaned towards the drivers. The redhead took out a small bottle of vine and poured a glass which she handed to Mina.

"It's safe," She said when Mina eyed it suspiciously and to prove her point she drank half the glass before offering again, "You look rather pale I just thought you could use this to get some of the color back on your face."

Mina took the glass and drank a little. She was right, it did help to restore some equilibrium to her senses, "Thank you." She said grudgingly.

The woman laughed and took out a piece of bread, Mina tried not to look too hard. The hollowness in her stomach reminded her that she had not eaten a bite since last eve.

"Your welcome, by the way my name is Galina. Circumstances back there prevented us from being properly introduced. It's Galina Sher'Lianne of House Tennor."

Mina searched her fatigued mind, House Tennor was one of the Twelve Houses and Sher'Lianne sounded familiar. Wasn't the ruling family of that House named Sher'Lianne?

"And no I'm not part of the ruling family, unfortunately my father is only a distant cousin to them." Galina replied seeming to have read her thoughts. She broke the bread in half and gave Mina a piece.

Mina shrugged her shoulders. Either way it was of no importance to her, she stuffed some of the bread in to her mouth, trying not to sigh at its wonderful taste.

"Tell me lady Minako, how much do you know about the Twelve Houses?" Galina asked watching Mina curiously.

There were a lot of questions Mina had expected she would be asked but this was not one of them. Not knowing where this was going but feeling too tired to second guess her, Mina decided to humor the older woman instead. "The Twelve Houses are the leading Houses of nobles of the Moon, they were founded in the time of Selene. She was the first ruler of the moon and according to legends the House was supposed to be a representative of each ruling monarch in the solar system. We have the nine planets and three special non-human kingdoms. Though none of the three special non-human kingdoms remains, the names of the houses still exist today. At that time they were supposed to represent the interest of each monarch and a ruler of the Moon must have the vote of the Twelve Houses to be able to ascend the Silver Throne. Of course today it is mostly a symbol more than anything thing." Mina finished with a shrug.

Galina studied her with a smile. "Impressive, you managed to nearly quote the words exactly from the textbook. Your teachers must be quite pleased with that, however your learning lacks some foundations."

Mina frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You see, though today the Twelve Houses no longer represent the interest of the monarchs they were created from, they still have the power to decide the ruler of the Moon. For a someone to ascend the Silver Throne each ruler of the Twelve Houses must cast a supportive vote, the hard part is receiving the votes since there is no deciding who will be the ruler of the Houses. Each House has a lot of families and only the family with the most power gets to rule, in most cases that means the most money. The fun usually starts when its time for a new ascension to the throne, then you see a lot of movement as the ruling family changes and new players enter."

Mina was silent for a moment as she pondered over what Galina had just told her. "You make it sound like a game." She said with a tone of accusation.

"That's because it is a game." Galina told her with a chuckle, "What do you think politics is all about? The winner controls the Game but the in the end it is the Game that controls everything. Not even Queen Selenity is immune. How do you think she managed to become Queen?"

"Are you claiming that my aunt got the throne through dirty tricks?" Mina demanded angrily, her blue eyes flashing and indignation on her aunt's part flaring in her body.

"No, no, no." Galina shook her head empathetically, making her red locks dance. "Please, I don't mean to insult you or the Queen, on the contrary I admire her greatly. She is one of the most skilled politicians I have ever seen, the fact that she is a woman only makes me admire her more. No, your aunt got her throne rightfully. You see only a master or someone supported by a master will be able to sit on the Silver throne, if she hadn't proved herself to be a master we would have a completely different rulership today. I admire that in her, her strength as well as her cunning mind."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Mina asked after a moment of silence, her blue eyes studied the older woman intently trying to read her face. "If knowledge is such a powerful weapon then why are you giving it to me? Aren't you afraid I'll use it to my advantage somehow?"

Galina smiled a warm genuine smile that lit up the small carriage space.

"Actually I'm counting on it. You see, highness, my success is based on three things: my body, my mind and my instincts. Without them I would never have been able to survive this long in the Game, it was my instincts which told me to get close to Cheve, with his sharp mind and ambition I sensed he would go far."

She didn't mention how he would manage that and she didn't need to. At the mention of his name, Mina felt the anger, the shame and the hurt fill her once more, ruthlessly she clamped down on those feelings and buried them deep within. She would handle it later once she was alone.

"But just then when you faced him they also told me that you will be an even better bet. Cheve will go far, he has the mind and the ambition for it, but my instincts tell me that given proper training you will go even further. I'm a survivor and I don't intend to loose on my way to the top, I will one day rule Tennor. So if you want I can teach you all there is to know about the game of politics, more than the Queen ever could. Think about the power and what you can accomplish with that."

Before she could reply one way or another the carriage stopped and Galina's elderly driver opened the door.

"Thank you for the ride." Mina murmured to her hostess over her shoulder before she let the driver help her out. She was not surprised to see that her mare was already set loose and standing ready and waiting for her, somehow Galina struck her as a woman who would surround herself with only the most efficient of servants.

Galina leaned out the window and watched her with solemn eyes. "My estate is by the Three Landings, an hours ride south east of Luneir. I have a lot of parties going all the time, just come by anytime you want, the invitation is open. Think about what I just said."

With that Galina signaled to her driver to resume their journey.

Mina stared after the carriage as it disappeared down the road. She did not know what to make out of the lady Galina and even less of the conversation they just had. Was she truly offering her friendship or was that just another ploy on her part to trick Mina into giving her something she want like Cheve did?

Mounting her mare once again, Mina rode back to the castle slowly. Now that her temper was spent, she took her time. As she rode down the street of Lunair, she saw with far different eyes the chaos that transpired on the street. People fought for food and knew only of one thing: their survival. Mina knew the cold calculated reasons behind all of this, money and the ultimate power it would give, her body shivered and she knew it was not due to the temperature.

She halted in the courtyard, the grand stairs leading up to the white marble castle stretching out in front of her, the pale walls shone like crystal in the sunlight. From behind her she could still hear the noises of life from the street but silence and peace seemed to radiate from the castle like a serene haven in the middle of all chaos. A haven, that is exactly what the castle had been to her, Mina realized. From behind those thick walls she had led a safe and sheltered life, she had been taught how to read and to write, how to walk and talk gracefully and to dance like a butterfly. She knew all about important historical events, geography and social etiquette; everything a proper princess was to know, she knew even knew how to fight. Yes, she had been taught everything, everything but real life, everything but the reality outside these sheltered walls.

Today however, she had had a rude awakening, today was an important day for her. After the initial shock of knowing that she had been with a man and had lost her virginity, she had been thrilled, in Venusian tradition that was the first step a girl took into adulthood, changing her from girl to woman.

An empty hollow feeling filled Mina's chest and she felt an overwhelming sadness. She suddenly felt so alone and homesick. She had never felt like this before, not even when her parents had left her to live here at the age of six. Back then she had her friends and they had made it all bearable, now she was not so sure. It was true that they did not spend all their time together. There were times when they were separated, as they each spent time with their families mainly during summer, yet even then the distance had not felt as great as it did now.

Before summer began they all went their separate ways and now summer was over and she was the only one that had returned. Usagi was on Earth, their former enemy only half a century ago, seeking refuge from an unwanted engagement. Rei was so into the study of Firey that Mina was not even able to feel her anymore in her mind. Lita was too involved in finding her parents' killers and ruling her Kingdom and poor Ami was buried under such a heavy workload Mina would've been surprised if Helios even let her eat, much less sleep. Did any of the girls even think of her as she did them? Mina recalled her last meeting with Lita and what her friend had said to her; neither of them had spoken to each other since.

A strong wind blew past, pulling the leaves from nearby trees and carrying them with a gentle caress before letting them float down to the ground. Mina brushed back some strands of blonde hair from her face and wondered at the same time if this was not just another sign to her. She thought about her friends, she thought about Cheve and everything that had happened and she thought about Galina and what she had just told her in the carriage.

Something made Mina look up to one of the palace's many windows, she saw the tall lithe form of her aunt standing there. Their eyes met and a silent understanding passed between them, without being told Mina knew that her aunt was aware of everything. It startled her, but she was even more surprised by the fact that she was able to read her aunt's face so easily, something she had never been able to do before no matter how hard she had tried. There was sympathy there, as well as sorrow and regret and Mina realized with a sudden insight that the reason Selenity was able to feel all those things was probably because she had been through a similar experience herself.

"The winner controls the Game but in the end it's the Game that controls everything. Not even Queen Selenity is immune." Galina's voice drifted back to haunt Mina. As she watched her aunt, she finally understood the meaning of those words. Unlike before, Mina was finally able to understand her aunt and the position she was in, distantly she wondered how she never saw or realized this before. Was it because she was still a child back then and only saw things through rosy colored glass?

If this was what being adult was, then Mina prayed that she never had to grow up. She didn't want to loose her friends, she didn't want to be part of a world so cold and calculated, where power meant more than integrity and love. Yet she knew in her heart that she had taken the first step and there was nowhere to move but forward for better or worse.