CrystalMaker: First off, I hope everyone out there had a happy holiday and a great New Year's! And all rights to Sailor Moon belong to people who aren't me (mores the pity --).
Secondly, as has been tradition for the last couple of chapters, I will now express the Mariana Trench deep feelings I have for the readers and, most especially, the reviewers. To be truthful, you guys are a big part of what spurs me to get my fingers typing. I just want to make you happy! Well, and make myself happy too, but that's on a much smaller scale.
And lastly… Yami Hime Hikari! She's my Beta-reader and a great one at that. All bow down and revere her, for she is the Dark Princess! Muahahaha!
Oh, and one more thing; for everyone with confusion over the last chapter in regards to Pluto and her decision to leave the other Senshi in the dark about their new enemy. I was asked why she didn't tell Uranus and Neptune of the new threat, since they, above all the others, would want to know. Here's a lengthier explanation for Pluto's actions (or lack thereof) concerning these two:
Uranus and Neptune will always want to protect the people, but their mental state of the present hinders their reactions in response to any dangers. The two of them are distant with everyone else, but, more than that, they've become out of touch with their surroundings. Because of this they are now mere shadows of their once formidable selves (like so many of the others).
Their crumbling sanity has dwindled the focus of their ultimate mission, to protect the Princess and her people. This means that they only see the danger when: a) The Princess tells them there is a new enemy to be concerned about. Or b) They come face to face with the enemy itself.
Yes, in the past they certainly would have taken Pluto's warnings to heart, but at this point, they now see Pluto as everyone else does—the stoic Guardian of the Time Gates—and memories of close companionship with her are fragmented and hazy at best. In this time Pluto's warnings now fall on deaf ears, and she knows this. Thus, she keeps the information to herself.
I hope this clears up any remaining confusion on the matter. I probably should've made this clearer in the story. Forgive me?
Right. Sorry to delay you. Now (finally), here is the fifth installment of "Mistakes." Enjoy!
Day 3
By the time Makoto made it to her door, still tired and drowsy, she was sure that Venus had dented the polished wood beyond recognition. Her ruthless pounding was so brutal that the bedraggled brunette was surprised the Love Goddess hadn't just kicked down the ornately carved structures in her obvious haste to talk to her.
With much trepidation, Makoto opened her door and narrowly avoided a gloved fist still aimed for a wooden surface. She coolly met the enraged gaze of the owner of that fist, scrounging up whatever dignity she could with her appearance as disheveled as it was.
"Good morning, Venus," she said, her voice still scratchy from sleep. "To what do I owe the pleasure of you beating down my door?"
The Senshi of Love, flanked by two blank-faced soldiers from her quadrant, narrowed her eyes to slits, and her voice was harsh with anger when she spoke.
"Don't get smart with me, Jupiter; you're in enough trouble as it is. Not only did you neglect to hand the reports for your quadrant in last night but, you failed to attend the mandatory Evening Meal. And now I also hear that you threw a fit and broke one of your office windows! Explain yourself!"
"She will explain herself, Venus, but not to you."
Four pairs of eyes turned to the new speaker. There stood Mars, haughty demeanor and all, with the fire of a challenge in her eyes; just begging for her blonde comrade to question her intrusion on the matter; and she did.
"Excuse me?" Her voice had gone dangerously low, but Mars matched it, tone for tone.
"You heard me," she said, and abruptly her violent gaze switched to Makoto, "Their Majesties wish to speak with you."
"Alright," the Jovian Princess replied, "I just need to clean myself up first. I'll only be a minute."
Mars said nothing to this; she simply went back to staring down Venus. Makoto hesitated, briefly considering going to see the King and Queen as she was, her appearance be damned; she just didn't want her friends to come to blows. And with the way they were glaring bloody murder at each other, it was quite possible they would.
Biting her lip, she quickly slipped back into her rooms, praying she didn't make a huge mistake by doing so. Though she really did look like a mess. At super speed Makoto rushed about to make herself more presentable. Because the longer she took, the closer Rei and Minako would get to having a bonafide catfight.
It was no secret to anyone in the city that the Soldiers of Mars and Venus disliked each other. It was a constant one on one battle between the two that had started centuries ago. First it began as a simple clash of personalities, then a differing of opinions that became more heated between them as time went on.
Face clean, teeth and tangled tresses brushed and bound, followed by whispered words and the brief but bright flash of lightning was all it took. Makoto, now as Sailor Jupiter was back in the palace hallway in less than 60 seconds. She stepped up to Mars, blocking the woman's gaze from her orange-clad opponent.
Her sudden appearance snapped Mars out of her staring trance, and without a word, the raven-haired warrior turned and led Jupiter away.
Venus stood there, watching their retreating backs, an ugly scowl marring her beautiful face. She never questioned her Majesties' orders, so she let the Soldier of the Storms go without a fight. But that didn't mean she wouldn't track her back down to talk to her. Jupiter was hiding something, she could feel it, but this wasn't the time to act on her suspicions. She would back off… for now.
Jupiter was surprised to find that instead of traveling the familiar walkways to the Throne Room, she was being lead deeper into the Crystal Palace, to the King and Queen's rooms themselves.
She raised an eyebrow at this. These days it seemed that Serenity and Endymion never left the Throne Room or any other public areas of the palace, preferring to be fawned over endlessly by the courtiers than to have any real privacy. Apparently they decided to take a break today or, the worse alternative, one of them was sick.
Jupiter hoped it wasn't the latter. Though she may no longer approve of their ruling, that didn't mean that she wished them ill.
She arrived at their doors, massive constructions of opaque crystal, just in time to see a familiar face walk out of them. Now her curiosity was piqued; what was Helios doing here? She turned to ask Mars if she knew anything about it but, the angry woman was already walking back down the halls that they'd come from.
The Guardian of Elysian's eyes were downcast but as they passed each other he looked up and gave her a sad smile. She returned a bright smile of her own, hoping it could help to lighten up his mood.
No such luck: his gaze returned to the floor again as he walked away. But Jupiter had no time to dwell on this as she was quickly ushered into their Majesties' company by a pair of well-groomed, well-muscled guards.
She had been to the King and Queen's rooms many times in the past, but the immense size and beauty of their suite still took her breath away. The very sitting room that she stood in now could easily encompass all of her own rooms with space to spare.
It seemed that the décor within this large crystal cavern had not changed since the last time Jupiter had been there.
Still, the magnificent crystal chandelier hung by silver chains from the ceiling, glittering brilliantly in the morning light; the large glass topped coffee table was where it had always been, situated in the very center of the room; the familiar sight of plush chairs and loveseats, made from the finest fabrics and of the loveliest colours, still surrounded the table, making it an inviting place to hold a conversation. Here and there, in corners and by the balcony doors were expensive vases holding an array of sweet smelling flowers. The green warrior welcomed the calming scent of nature.
Their Highnesses sat together on one loveseat that faced the entrance to their rooms. It appeared that neither of them was sick after all; rather they wished to spend a quiet tea break away from prying eyes. Both looked up simultaneously from their cups as Jupiter entered.
Serenity gave a wide smile, looking genuinely pleased to see her.
"Ah, Jupiter," she said warmly, "Please come in! Have a seat. Would you like some tea?"
The Jovian woman sat across from her rulers on the loveseat opposite their own. She politely declined on the tea and Serenity gave a delicate shrug at her negated offer, carefully placing the china teapot back atop the table.
"I presume you know why we summoned you here," the former Moon Princess inquired.
"My Queen, if this is about my failing at my duties last night, then allow me to apologize—"
"There are no apologies necessary, Jupiter," the lovely Monarch cut in, "I understand completely."
This caught the Thunder Senshi off guard, "You do?" she asked.
"Yes, regarding the circumstances, it has been a trying week for all of us but, I can't imagine how much it must have affected you. I'm concerned for you, Makoto."
The use of her civilian name, combined with the gentle smile from silver cerulean eyes gave Jupiter the brief glimpse at the Princess she had befriended so long ago.
"We have all felt pain of Mercury's betrayal but, it must have hurt you most of all. The two of you were so close. Even now, it stings my heart just to think about it."
And at the mention of Mercury, that brief glimpse was gone and the cold Queen who ruled Crystal Tokyo was back.
The Warrior of Jupiter was left speechless. Just what could she say? She didn't agree with the sentence placed upon Ami, but could she really risk revealing her thoughts on the matter? The answer, for now, was no. Not yet, not until she could figure out what Ami had been trying to tell her.
She didn't want to lie on the matter either. So Makoto did the wisest thing she could think of and stayed quiet, offering no comment to her Queen.
Her silence caused Endymion, who had yet to say a word, to narrow his eyes in suspicion, but Serenity didn't seem to notice. She continued to speak, oblivious to the sudden tension in the air.
"No, Jupiter, it is I who should ask your forgiveness. I gave you no time to become accustomed to the tragic change of events. I allowed you little rest to deal with the pain you must feel over Mercury's… abrupt departure, and for that I apologize. I see the error of my ways in your face. You look absolutely exhausted, my friend! Please, take a couple days off, let yourself heal. I will have Mars oversee your quadrant in the meantime."
Jupiter's emerald eyes widened. If there was anything that she had expected from this meeting, it was most definitely not to be granted leniency from her duties.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," she said, oddly grateful, "I'll admit, I have been feeling somewhat under the weather lately." Being up for nearly three days straight can do that to you, she added wryly inside her head.
After that, the three of them exchanged mild pleasantries before the auburn-haired soldier got the hint that she should leave. Bowing to her King and Queen, she retreated from their chambers and, seeing as she now had the day off, went for the peace and quiet of her personal sanctuary.
To say that Jupiter, now simply attired as Makoto, was surprised to find another within her Garden's supposedly "secret" glade, was an understatement. She was thunderstruck! Of course, when she saw just who the perceptive intruder was, it all made sense.
Helios turned as she entered, his gentle amber eyes going wide in surprise as well. So she hadn't been the only one not expecting company within this clearing.
He composed himself quickly though, and offered a polite "Hello," which she returned.
Now the situation became awkward. The Soldier of Jupiter and the Guardian of Elysian were hardly what you would call friends; hell, they were barely acquaintances, so you could imagine it was hard to find a suitable topic of conversation for them.
No longer standing the uncomfortable silence, Makoto was the first one to "break the ice," so to speak.
"I thought I was the only one who knew of this place," she said quietly.
Helios nodded to her.
"You were," he said, "I only just found this small haven today, as I admired the roses. It's very peaceful here."
"Yes," the Jovian Princess agreed. "It is."
The Guardian's eyes came up from gazing at a rose of the softest sugar pink, to stare at her.
"You created this." He gestured out to the grass of the glade, and to the surrounding walls of rose bushes. "Didn't you?"
"Yes, I did."
"It doesn't surprise me," he said, smiling, "Rini—I mean, Small Lady, once told me of your gift with plants." Now his smile faded, and the sorrow that had shadowed his face when first she saw him today, came back.
There was no use in Makoto asking the young man if he had talked to the pink-haired Princess lately; she knew the answer to that herself. Small Lady never left the company of the children of the court, not for anything, not anymore.
"If you don't mind my asking, what was it that you went to see their Majesties about?" she questioned instead.
Now Helios's face became even darker, and the Soldier of Jupiter instantly regretted bringing up the subject.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, "That was rude of me. Forget I said anything."
The Dream Keeper shook his head at her apology.
"No, no," he assured her. "It's quite alright. It's just that…" He sighed sadly. "The reason I came here today was, unfortunately, to deliver ill tidings, but they would hear none of what I had to say. It worries me greatly."
The poor boy looked so distressed that Makoto couldn't resist putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. There was nothing she could say to cheer him up, not when she had her own concerns weighing her down.
They stood that way for some time, both adrift in their own gloomy thoughts, before Helios proclaimed that it was time he returned to Elysian. They bid each other farewell and parted ways.
Makoto found herself wandering the Royal Gardens, instead of relaxing in the solitude of her now-not-so-secret glade as she had originally intended to do. Her brief talk with the troubled young man stirred her own worries back to the surface, and she found herself restless because of them.
And just what bad news did Helios have for the King and Queen, anyway? And why did they ignore it? No matter how minor the problem may have been, they should not have dismissed it so easily. That was not right.
The Thunder Senshi put these new troubles on the back burner of her mind because, at the moment, she had more pressing issues to think about. Her resolve strengthened, she strode purposefully back into the Rose Garden's clearing, and sat herself down, Indian style, on the fresh grass.
Her mind was far too jumbled. If she had any hope of getting anywhere with her musings today then she needed to clear it.
Eyes closed, deep breaths, her body held completely still.
Makoto fell into her familiar meditative trance almost immediately. Her senses were on high alert. She could smell the mingled scents of flowers, earth, and wind. She could hear the rustling of leaves and the chirping of nearby birds. She could feel the gentle caress of a springtime breeze. And in her mind's eye, she saw her friend.
The Princess of Mercury stood, embracing her lover outside of his house. Her face radiated with happiness, but her eyes glittered bitter tears of sorrow and regret.
Before, when she'd watched this scene from that strange "well," she'd been confused by Ami's sad eyes. But now, Makoto understood why she cried.
It was because of everything she was leaving behind; all that she had to sacrifice, just to be happy. And such sacrifices should not have had to be made in the first place!
Labeled a traitor, for loving someone in a non-plutonic way? Back in the Silver Millennium, it had never been considered a crime for one of the Senshi to pursue a relationship. It had even been encouraged as a means to bring the planets and their rulers closer together. So why had Serenity instigated such a stupid law for Crystal Tokyo?
Because she was scared. The answer bubbled up from deep within Makoto's psyche. Yes, it seemed that the Jovian Warrior was not the only one who felt as if Crystal Tokyo would not always be a sure thing. Their great Queen had feared its destruction as well, perhaps sensed the same thing Makoto did at times; that the entirety of the Neo Millennium was a hoax, something that would disappear in the blink of an eye.
And what better way to ensure the future of her prosperous Kingdom than to confine the ones who guarded it so well? Mercury had been the first of any of the Senshi to leave the glittering walls of the enormous city in nearly 900 years! The others would venture outside the walls, but they only ever went so far, and that was only after gaining explicit permission by the King and Queen.
That had been the first law placed upon them; restriction from the rest of the planet. The second came as an extra means that none of the Senshi would forget the primary reason for existing: to protect the Rulers of Crystal Tokyo. Any life outside of that was quickly swallowed up by the large increase in their duties and by the fact that they were no longer allowed to pursue intimate relationships with any of the city's inhabitants.
Thoughts of getting married, of beginning families of their own, of living lives of their own making were driven out of their minds. The only exception to the rule was with Haruka and Michiru, but the two had shown time and time again that their duties came before each other, so none worried about either of them distracting the other from their primary mission life.
Ami had broken a law that should never have been made in the first place, and lost all she knew in doing so. Thus, the Mercurian Princess cried.
Makoto saw it all again in her head, more clearly than she had before. She stared good and hard into Ami's deep blue eyes, and forced all her concentration into reading the specific movement of her lips, as they formed that single word.
She replayed this part many times in her mind, and each time she brought her sight closer and closer until finally, her friend's pale face was all her mind-sight saw. That was when she caught it, like a whisper on the wind, a voice. It was hard to make out, but it brushed through her ears at the same time Ami's mouth moved.
The word sounded so familiar, just on the tip of her tongue. Makoto strained for all she was worth to recognize it. And it appeared that the Ami image in her head knew she was close, too; because her eyes lost their shimmering sorrow and took on an anxious quality, pleading for the Soldier of the Storms to solve her puzzle.
Those blue orbs lifted skyward, as if asking for divine assistance and Makoto followed her friend's line of sight, stopping suddenly when her green gaze landed on the glowing planetary mark upon Ami's forehead. It was the Ice Senshi's proof of her birthright. It was the symbol of Mercury.
The meditating brunette's breathed whooshed right out of her as the answer revealed itself, hitting her like a ton of bricks.
"Mercury," she said breathlessly, "They're on Mercury."
It all made sense now! No wonder the Senshi couldn't track the lovers down! The only place they'd thought to scan for their life signatures was on Earth! It never occurred to any of them that the two fugitives could be on another planet!
Makoto got up and ran. She had know idea where she was running to; her body just seemed to move of its own accord, like it was being pulled somewhere, answering a call that her ears couldn't hear but her heart could feel.
She didn't stop until she found herself at a recently familiar house. The tugging at her core receded as she stood on Greg's front lawn, in the very spot that he and Ami disappeared from.
So now what? she thought.
Why was she here, of all places?
Theelation she felt at her great discovery of Ami's whereabouts severely dampened now that it dawned on her just how foolish she had been for coming here. There was nothing of importance here that she could see and she did not sense anything special about the place either.
Top it off with the fact that she got here by running through the Palace and the city like a madwoman. If that did not raise suspicions and call yet more negative attention to her, then she didn't know what would! And Venus breathing down her neck was not something she needed right now.
Confused, frustrated and disgusted at herself, Makoto turned to leave; and that was when the snowflake caught her eye.
It obviously was not a normal snowflake by any means, seeing as how its diameter was easily the width of her palm and by the fact that the last snowfall Crystal Tokyo had was three months ago. No, this had the power of the Ice Senshi written all over it.
Its delicate white form drifted softly in the air, floating down to land in Makoto's outstretched hand. It did not melt upon contact with her body heat either, further proof that it was a creation of Mercury.
The Thunder Senshi stared down at the intricate patterns that made up this small wonder and then began to blink rapidly, afraid she was seeing things. Were her eyes playing tricks on her or was the center of the snowflake slowly shifting its ivory essence into the symbol of Mercury?
Said symbol flared to life, in a blaze of iced blue, and Makoto could feel her own Jovian sign burning on her forehead in response. Nope, her eyes were fine, she was not seeing things.
A gust of frigid wind, a blinding flash of light, and the stunned Soldier of Jupiter no longer occupied Greg's front lawn. She now stood at the Golden Gates, the entrance to the paradise known as Elysian, the planet's very heart…
And it was dying.
CrystalMaker: Ohhh, I'm bad. Cliffhanger naughty. Bad CM. Bad, bad CM. Oh well, it gives me the drive I need to get started on the next chapter, so I consider it a necessary evil.
Apologies for taking my sweet time with this one, I just couldn't get myself to sit down and write it some days. Personally, I blame my Muses. They went on vacation and took my Initiative with them. Then they came back plastered, and suffered one Hell of a hangover for nearly a week. It wasn't a pretty sight, let me tell you.
So inform me what you think of my efforts so far, and I will love you 'til the End of the World for your precious, precious input.
