A/N: I guess I never mentioned this before, but:
Speech "blah"
Thought: 'blah'
That's all you need. ;)
I hope you enjoy this chapter.
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"Princess Minako? Yeah, I know of her. Who doesn't? She is the glamour girl of the Silver Millennium. Trend setter, heart breaker, intrigue and gossip, all that. And a looker too..."
Said a guy he caught in the streets.
"You're looking for Minako-hime? Well, she's probably in the Venus Palace at the complex, of course. I hope she can live with herself after what's she's done to Lord Ivan. Toying with men like that... Destroying their lives... That is no way for a proper lady to behave. Well, she is a Senshi, and all that, so you really can't expect her to be a lady after all..."
The jealousy of the random court lady Mamoru picked upon was oozing from her words. Mamoru had a feeling she envied Princess Venus's way with men more then disapproved it.
The last person he asked gave the most intriguing peace of information, although one not relevant to his cause. It was a very old woman, now Head of Staff of the Main Palace, but she used to be a maid at the Venus Palace.
"I know what other people told you about her. You must think her empty and shallow, but... She wasn't always like that. She became this... bubbly and... Silly I guess... After the tragedy.
You can still see the remains of what she used to be like in her work. She is the leader of the inner Senshi, you know. And she does an excellent job. "
And then she hurried after her work, before Mamoru had a chance to ask about 'the tragedy'. Filing that information for later, he made his way to the Venus Palace.
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No libraries this time, thank god. As the earth's prince, he was a very educated man, and enjoyed books, but there was nothing like spring… Be it on Earth or Moon. And the garden here was really unbelievable – all the plants seemed to be foreign, and were strange, colorful and wonderful. His educated guess was that they were Venusian, and he had no idea how they grew in the Moon's much colder climate. Might be magic... It was rare on earth, but he knew other planets had less inhibition about using it.
But there was one part of the garden that stood out. Compared to the explosion of colors and forms everywhere else, it looked calm and subdued. Still, it had a beauty of its own, and it mesmerized him. He was reminded of the old woman's words, and he wondered if it represented what Minako used to be.
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She stood naked, with a look of distaste upon her face. The girl in the mirror was so lucky; she had wonderful golden hair flowing freely, a glowing cloud around her face. Her eyes were an incredible blue, clear and large. They could be seductive or innocent and pure; but at this moment they projected bitterness.
Her skin was colored white of snow, white of frozen cream; but not as flawless as the rest of her. There were streaks of red marring her forearms and stomach; ugly, angry crimson slashes. The girl's fingers slowly traced the lines, picking at the scabs and sometimes making more blood come out. She hissed with pain when she touched the fresh one on her arm, and it was almost enough, but she could still remember; still FEEL other things beside this simple physical pain... And that could not be allowed.
A glint of cold metal appeared in her hand and another line of red suddenly stood out against the creamy, tender skin of her belly. A brief flash of pain, followed by an insistent throbbing drove out all other thoughts out of her head and the girl just stood there for a time, shivering.
Concentrating on the throbbing, she barely heard the soft knocking on her big wooden door.
Perfectly aware she couldn't ignore it, she answered softly: "Yes?"
"You have a guest, Princess Minako. It's the Earth's Prince, and he's waiting for you at the garden. What should I tell him?"
Already looking for a clean cloth to clean up, she told the maid to tell the Prince she will see him. He might prove to be a welcome distraction. Anything or anyone would be a welcome distraction, right about now.
Suddenly, the girl reappeared in the mirror, wearing a yellow summer dress and a smile, and the change was complete. Here was Minako; beautiful and without a care in the world. She never wore sleeveless gowns, though.
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Mamoru held his breath as this exquisite creature came floating down the path. She was so like Usagi! They could easily pass as sisters, maybe even twins... But as she came closer, he saw the likeness was not so great. Everything about Usagi somehow looked softer and frailer, although the girls were the same size.
The difference was not so much in their built or their facial characteristics; it was in the way they carried themselves. Usagi made you want to protect her, and everything about her seemed chaste. Minako made you want to throw yourself at her feet and worship her. She was not vulgar, but she was... Sensual. That was the right word.
She extended her delicate arm with a regal motion, and it seemed only natural for him to bow and kiss it.
'So this was the leader of the Senshi? This feminine, elegant creature? Will all of them surprise me so? Princess Serenity, Princess Mercury, Princes Saturn... Princess Venus. I know they are brave, tough and completely dedicated to their duty. Everybody knows they keep the system safe. So how could they be...? These women... So different from each other, yet so feminine and impressive? 'His inner monologue was interrupted by a subtle cough coming from the Princess.
"Prince Mamoru... I didn't expect to meet you so soon, but I am glad. As Princess Serenity's guardian and close friend, I am very curious about you." Her voice was sweet and friendly, and instantly put him at ease.
"That is one of the reasons I came to see you. The announcement of out engagement was not official in the first place; although it was often mentioned and certainly hoped for by our parents. Serenity is now old enough to choose for herself... And I am not her choice."
Mamoru watched closely for her reaction. She didn't really seem surprised, which he half expected – gossip spread quickly and this girl was notorious for it. But she also seemed saddened by it. He almost couldn't tell, but still... Her smile was just a little bit less wide and her eyes a little bit duller.
This reaction confused him, but still he continued:
"It seems my gender is not her choice, either. She definitely likes girl. And she is in love with one now."
Her voice sounded weary as she answered.
"I see. I am sorry for your loss... But I'm afraid I still don't understand why you came here".
"I care for Princess Serenity, and I want her to be happy. I want her to get what she wants. She wants this girl, one of the Senshi, but the girl is stubborn, and has a temper. Usagi is afraid of rejection and hasn't said anything about her feelings so far."
"We never talked about any of this to me, but she told you all this??" Minako interrupted incredulously.
The prince shifted in his seat, and there was a slight flush to his cheeks,
"Well... Not exactly. I overhead a conversation she had with Princess Mercury. She doesn't know I heard it. Please don't tell her! I really want to be her friend, and let her talk to me when she's ready. But I just can't sit around and wait... So I came to you for help. I heard you are and expert in romance."
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Minako's whole world came crashing down on her. So everything she suspected was true. Of course it was; she was the Senshi of Venus, the goddess of Love, was she not? She should know these things; and she could help anyone but herself.
Usagi was very careful not to give herself away, but she spent as much time watching Rei as she did, so of course she noticed. Sweet Usagi just couldn't be as subtle and discrete as Minako, the Queen of Intrigue. And there was this strange feeling, this instinct that told her that Usagi loved Rei even if she knew nothing else.
She was her Princess. The one she was sworn to protect from everything. So to love the same woman as her Princess... To love Rei... Was the ultimate betrayal.
This strange silent love triangle existed for almost 2 years now. Only, nobody but her knew it was a triangle. She was careful, and nobody noticed her feelings, and Rei seemed to be oblivious to either girl's love. Rei was so distant from anyone... As Mamoru said, difficult.
Minako knew that she could never say anything about her secret love. One more thing to hide along with all the rest; one more thing to ignore and distract herself from. She instinctively traced her cuts over the fabric of her dress, and then realized Mamoru was still there and apparently waiting for an answer. She took another few seconds to collect herself, but then he spoke again:
"Well? Will you help me get Usagi and Princess Saturn together?"
Her mind reeling and her heart beating incredibly fast, she stuttered: "Usagi a-and H-Hotaru? Are you sure?"
She almost stopped breathing while waiting for an answer.
"Of course I'm sure! Usagi was very clear about it. Yes, it shocked me too, when I met her, but what can you do?"
Rei can be mine, she thought. She could be mine.
"Yes, I'll help. Usagi deserves to be happy."
'And maybe... So do I... Just once.'
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A/N: I didn't intend this chapter to have so much angst; but this is how it turned out. I'll be very glad to read your praise, criticism and comments on this one.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed: Cookie, Rami-chan, ConservErie, EPM, Strife3, summer_girl, Whiro, Hi, Cheshire, summers_2004, Tenkaichi and Ze. Hope to hear from you again.
I see we have more Usagi/Rei fans then Minako/Rei so far. We shall see. :)
Next chapter: Rei.
Keep reading. ;)