Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, nor do I claim to. Naoko Takeuchi does.
Venusians were known for their captivating beauty. Blonde hair or blue eyes usually indicated that one was a child of Aphrodite.
The Princess of Venus, Minako, was not an exception. In fact, she inherited both remarkable traits, something that was neither common nor rare on Venus. Ever since she was young, Minako always looked beautiful. Even after harsh training sessions with her father, Minako was still able to keep her grace as she panted. Her golden hair, reaching her waist, was usually accompanied by a large, crimson bow. Her azure eyes were always looking around, observing her surroundings.
Tonight Minako had put in a special effort to make herself look presentable, much to the chagrin of her mother. A transport shuttle from Mercury should have landed by now. It would send Minako to the Lunar Palace where she would be trained and educated to become one of the Moon Princess' guardian protectors, along with three other girls from their respective planets; Mercury, Mars and Jupiter. Because Mercury and Venus were currently in a transit phase, the Mercurial girl's transport shuttle would also pick Minako up.
Minako often wondered what the other girls would be like since her parents had told her about her duty to Princess Serenity. There were the universal stereotypes, of course, but Minako had met far too many people and listened to too many experiences to know that these stereotypes weren't always true. Just like Venusians weren't all vain and lovesick, the Venusian heir knew that not all Martians were war-hungry and fierce, or Mercurials shifty and self-involved, or Jovians petty and lovers of sex, consensual or not.
Since she was six years old, Minako attended the monthly Lunar balls with her mother and father on a regular basis. Mostly people of high-status and royalty were allowed to attend. During the nine years of attending, she met and befriended many people, regardless of their background or clothing. It was probably these cultural differences that attracted Minako in the first place. She only limited herself to people she would not be able to converse with because of language differences, but usually everyone who attended the Lunar balls were able to speak Lunarian, the universal language, a little, if not fluently. She listened to many different people's life-stories, and had met most of the planets' rulers. Minako was especially close to the Martian Queen, before she died.
Children were allowed to attend, but the Venusian Princess was the only child present at the Lunar balls. Two years after Minako had begun attending, Princess Serenity, the Moon Princess, attended for once. Excited that there was finally another child, and a girl her age at that, Minako greeted the Moon Princess enthusiastically. Serenity was a bit hesitant at first, but soon, Minako's bubbly personality influenced her and she became just as social as the Venusian heir. They became good friends and were always together at the Lunar balls since that was the only time they could see each other.
Dressed in a thin, white dress reaching her knees, Minako exited her spacious bedroom, closing the large, wooden doors for what would probably be the last time. She walked down the high-ceiling hallways, making her way to the spaceport where she would board the transport shuttle and depart Venus. She said her goodbyes to the several guards and maids along the way, becoming sadder with every step. She would probably never see these people or walk down the halls of Magellan Castle ever again.
As she stepped into the spaceport, she was pulled into a tight embrace. "Minako, what was taking so long? The shuttle's waiting."
"Sorry," Minako said as she snuggled deeper into the embrace. "I was just making sure that I looked alright, Mama."
"Silly girl, you'll have plenty of time on the shuttle. It's not that short of a trip," Minako's mother, the Venusian Queen, said. "Now we don't have any time to talk."
"You say it like we're never going to see each other again," Minako laughed. She removed herself from her mother's arms to look up at her. "We'll still see each other at the Lunar balls, right?"
"Yeah, but that's only once a month! That's not nearly enough time to-"
"Ilithiya, she will be late if you keep her any longer," spoke a soft but domineering voice.
The Venusian Queen and Princess turned their heads to the direction of the voice. The owner was an elderly woman, whose cobalt eyes retained their sparkling youth. She was also Minako's grandmother on her mother's side. Melia was her only living grandparent. The only other grandparent Minako had met was her father's father, Maxwell, but he had died when she was a young girl.
Standing to the right of Melia was Thallo, Minako's father. On the other side stood Maxwell, Thallo's elder brother. Both were strikingly handsome men with blonde hair.
"Your mother is right, darling," Thallo said, grinning. "We don't want Minako to be late for her attendance with the Queen."
Ilithiya pouted. "What will a mere hour do to a five-day trip?"
"We would not want the Mercurial Princess to be late either," Melia announced.
"Princess? I didn't know that she was the Mercurial Princess!" Minako exclaimed. "Are the others Princesses too?"
"Yes," Thallo answered.
'Wow, I'll be able to meet Anseris' daughter!' Minako thought.
"Only people of high-status have the honor of gracing the Moon family with their presence," Maxwell said. Minako noted the bitterness in his voice.
"Is Princess Minako ready for departure?" asked a servant.
"She will be right there," Melia said to the servant, watching Ilithiya wrap her arms around Minako once again. "We just want to say goodbye."
"Be careful, okay? You're only fifteen, so don't push yourself too hard, okay?" Ilithiya murmured. "It might be dangerous, so make sure you look after yourself! If you're having any trouble, just tell us and Mama will do something about it! Or if you aren't getting along with the other girls, Mama will-"
"Mama, it's okay! I'll be fine," Minako said, laughing at her mother's overprotective habits. She looked into her mother's cobalt eyes. "Really."
Minako kissed Ilithiya on her forehead and smiled. Ilithiya released her tight hold on her daughter, letting her say goodbye to the rest of the family.
"Goodbye, Papa," Minako said, hugging her father tightly. "You'll have to spoil Mama instead now. Make sure she doesn't get too lonely when I'm gone."
Thallo grinned, kneeling in front of Minako as he kissed her hand. "Of course, sweetheart. Have a safe journey."
"Do not give Artemis and Luna a hard time over there," Melia said, stroking her granddaughter's back. "I know that you and Princess Serenity do that often at the balls."
Minako giggled. "I'll try, but I can't make any promises. It's just too fun."
Melia slightly frowned. "You have to grow up into an elegant, young lady, Minako. You must become mature and-"
"I know, I know," Minako sighed. "Please don't give me a lecture before I leave, grandmother."
She kissed her grandmother on her forehead before turning her attention to her uncle. He kneeled before her, taking her hand in his and kissed it gently. "Take care, princess."
Minako smiled. "Thanks, uncle Maxwell."
The Venusian princess stood before her family, eyes a little misty. "Thank you for everything. I love you all so much!"
Minako boarded the transport shuttle. It was like the other shuttles she had used before when she would go to the Lunar balls except that it was much smaller and had a lesser amount of rooms and facilities. It was still very high-class, which was to be expected of the Moon Kingdom's transport shuttles.
Minako gave her greetings to the attendants on board as she walked past them. She wanted to find the Mercurial Princess; it would be rude of her to not greet the other girl. She also wanted to speak with her as soon as possible. She found the Mercurial Princess seated in one of the passengers' seats, reading a book, which Minako presumed was in Mercurian.
Minako sat beside the girl, smiling. She said, "Hey, I'm Minako. What's your name?"
Minako noted that the Mercurial girl was very pretty. She was petite, had short, blue hair and eyes that looked as deep as the ocean. She had fair skin, and looked a year or so younger than Minako. On her coat was the Mercurian insignia, consisting of a tortoise and a coin pouch. Minako realized that the girl seemed a bit nervous and uneasy.
"Ah, sorry, I forgot!" Minako said, switching to Mercurian. She had learnt a few basics of the other languages during the Lunar balls. "My name is Minako. You?"
The Mercurial princess looked at Minako in surprise. "I am Ami. Do you know how to speak Mercurian?"
"Just a little bit," Minako answered. "Do you speak Lunarian?"
"Yes," Ami replied, speaking in Lunarian. "Will it be easier for us to converse?"
Relieved, Minako said in Lunarian, "Yeah, much easier."
She looked at Ami's book. "What're you reading?"
"'Cultures and People of the Inner Planets,'" Ami answered.
"Interesting?" Minako asked.
Ami closed the book, placing it in her lap. "Yes, I suppose."
"You interested in foreign cultures?" Minako asked, trying to get Ami to talk, instead of just merely answering the questions.
Ami nodded her head in response. Minako spoke after a short silence, saying, "Me too. Well, I'm not really one for reading books; I'd rather meet and speak to people from other planets. Have you ever met anybody from a different planet? Like, before me?"
"No, I have not," Ami replied, shaking her head. "This is my first time traveling from my home planet."
Minako found this strange. She had met the Mercurial Queen on a few occasions, at the Lunar Palace during the balls and at her home on Venus, the Magellan Castle. She knew that the Mercurial Queen, and Mercurials in general, loved traveling.
"I've only ever been to the Moon as well. My parents didn't let me to go to the other planets, saying it was unsafe there," Minako said. "Well, they said that only about Jupiter and Earth. I'm not sure why they didn't want me to go to Mercury or Mars, there hasn't been a war on Mars in years..."
Minako waited for Ami to reply, but she merely nodded. Minako continued, "But I've met many people at the Lunar balls. That's where I learned how to speak a little bit of Mercurian, and also Martian, Jovian and Earthian. Do you know how to speak any other languages?"
"I am fluent in all languages," Ami answered.
Minako noted that Ami was not boasting, just answering the question. "Wow, that's amazing! Wait…you can understand Venusian?"
"Oh, that…Sorry, I am not that good with socializing," Ami apologized, lowering her head.
"It's fine, don't worry about it!" Minako said, smiling. She realized that Ami was probably reading that book earlier in order to understand other people better. "We'll be together for a long time anyway."
Ami smiled back. Realizing that the transport shuttle had already taken off, Minako looked out the window to view her home planet one last time. She could still make out her home, the Magellan Castle, in the broad Aino plains, where Minako would often go horse riding with her father.
During the five-day trip, Minako was already able to understand what kind of person Ami was. She had asked Ami about her family on the first day, and never asked about it again. She learnt that the only family member Ami knew was her mother, but the Mercurial queen seemed to be quite the stereotype. She was self-involved and loved traveling, which meant that Ami was often left by herself and neglected. Minako assumed that this lonely upbringing was what caused Ami to be the shy and polite person she was.
"Your belongings will be carried to your rooms, Princesses Minako and Ami," said one of the attendants as they walked off the transport shuttle.
"Thanks," Minako said, curtsying. Ami bowed her head low to him in thanks.
"The guards will escort you to the ballroom where you shall meet the Queen."
"Oh, it's fine," Minako said to the guards. "I know my way around here."
She noticed one of the guards give her a stern look. She grinned, saying, "I promise I will go straight there, Duane. No detours."
"Very well," Duane said. Bowing, his white cloak raised a few inches off the floor as Minako walked past.
Ami followed Minako, looking around the palace with keen eyes. She took in every detail of the fine wallpaper and of the white tiles with crescent moons in the center. It was much more elegant in person compared to the books she had read.
They turned a corner and continued walking down to the very end of the hall where a guard on either side of the tall, wooden doors stood. Minako curtsied as the guards opened the doors to let them through.
Minako looked around the ballroom, and saw two girls about the same age sitting on the edge of the stairs. Minako could immediately tell which was Jovian and which was Martian. The Jovian Princess had her brunette hair tied in a ponytail. She wore black, leather boots, overlaying her thick pants, and a dark green coat, holding the Jovian insignia; an eagle and thunderbolt. The Jovian Princess was indeed beautiful. The Martian Princess wore similar clothing, except that it was all in black. The Martian insignia, also on her coat, showed a wolf and an eagle owl on a shield. The Martian Princess had dark, elegant hair, reaching her waist, and sharp, violet eyes. She looks just like Anseris, Minako thought.
Minako realized that she was not wearing the Venusian insignia and mentally slapped herself. Her grandmother would be yelling at her for not taking pride in her Venusian heritage if she was here. She noticed that the Martian and Jovian Princesses were much more heavily dressed than herself and Ami. She guessed that they must be hot in their clothing, seeing as how the Moon was probably much warmer than their home planets. Minako herself felt a bit cold; Venus was the warmest planet, despite Mercury being much closer to the sun.
Minako smiled at them, and spoke in Lunarian, "Hey, I'm Minako."
She looked to Ami, who bowed politely, saying, "My name is Ami."
The Martian princess introduced herself. "I'm Rei."
Minako curtsied, looking into Rei's dark eyes. Rei smiled courteously. Minako turned to the Jovian Princess.
"I'm Makoto."
"Nice to meet you," Minako said. "Are you both fluent in Lunarian?"
"I'm alright, I guess," Rei answered.
Makoto said, "Not really."
Minako smiled sympathetically. "Then, we'll just have to get Ami to teach you! She's really smart, you know! She knows how to speak all-"
"Minako!" exclaimed a voice. "You're here!"
Minako turned around and saw the Moon Princess, Princess Serenity, running towards her, followed by her mother, Queen Serenity, and advisor, Luna (currently in human form). Princess Serenity hugged Minako tightly, saying, "It's so good to see you again!"
Minako hugged her back, and as the Queen approached them, she saw the others kneel down before the Queen in respect. She pulled back from Serenity's hug, and followed suit.
"You may stand, Princesses of the Inner Planets," Queen Serenity said, elegantly. As the princesses stood, she continued, "We are pleased that you have graced Us with your presence. Do you accept your duties as guardians to My Daughter?"
"Yes," the Inner Planets' Princesses answered, firmly.
"You understand that you are to forever be in My Daughter's service, and you are willing to put Her safety above your own, if needs be?" the Queen inquired. "Above any allegiance to your planets, your religions, your families or any other persons you may hold dear?"
"Yes."
After Queen Serenity said all that she needed to say, she and Luna left the ballroom, leaving Princess Serenity with her new guardians.
"Ahh, that took forever!" Serenity groaned. "Mother is so formal, and speaks far too much."
"Hey, it was an important matter," Minako pointed out. "Anyway, have you greeted the others yet?"
"No, but I was about to!" Serenity mumbled. She faced the other Princesses, and said, "Hi, I'm Serenity!"
Minako moved to Serenity's side, holding her arms and making her curtsy. "It's 'I am Princess Serenity. I leave myself in your care.'"
Serenity pouted. "Why must you criticize everything I do?"
"It is my duty to watch over you and correct you in your manners so that you will develop into a fine, young lady," Minako said, mockingly. "Pff, like you'd ever grow up to-"
"Minako!"
"Hey, hey, let them introduce themselves properly, Serenity."
Serenity turned to the others, who had remained silent and watched Minako tease their Princess. She smiled at them. Rei was the first to speak.
"My name is Rei. It is my honor to serve you, Princess Serenity."
"No, no! Not so formal! Serenity is fine."
Rei nodded her head. Ami introduced herself politely, with a little push from Minako. Makoto greeted Serenity, awkwardly. It seemed that the Jovian Princess really was new in speaking Lunarian.
Minako sat down on the stairs, looking up at the people around her. Serenity sat beside her.
Silence ensued.
Minako coughed. "Anyway…is this is your first time here in the Lunar Palace?"
Rei and Makoto nodded their heads. Rei said, "This is the first time I've ever been away from my home planet."
"That's the same with Ami! What about Makoto?" Minako asked.
"Yeah, same here."
It became quiet once again. Trying to start another conversation, Minako turned to Rei and Minako, saying, "Both of you look very much like your mothers."
"You've met my mother?" Rei asked, incredulously.
Minako nodded her head. "Yup, I used to talk to her a lot at the Lunar balls when I was younger. She told me that she had a very cute daughter a year older than me. She'd tell me many stories about herself, and you too."
"I see…"
"She also gave me this bow when I told her it looked pretty," Minako continued. "She was very kind."
"I never saw you speaking with anybody," Serenity mentioned. "You were always with me."
Minako said, "This was before you attended the Lunar balls. And, I did not only speak with you. You probably didn't notice while you were devouring all the deserts."
Serenity looked to Rei and the others. "I wasn't devouring th-"
"Oh, come on," Minako said, laughing. "I had to practically leave a trail of deserts if I wanted you to leave the dining room and dance with me. Don't lie."
"Minako, that's not true!" Serenity sulked. "You're the one who'd always stay in the ballroom, dancing and flirting with people twice your age!"
"Hey! I only began flirting last year, okay?" Minako retorted. "And twenty-three is not twice my age!"
"It's close enough!"
"You are just jealous that you can not dance as gracefully as me," Minako said with fake humbleness. She continued, normally, "I wouldn't stop you if you wanted to dance with an older person."
Minako looked forward as she quickly thought over something. She faced Serenity, saying, "As long as they're attractive, of course. If they're ugly, there's no way I'm letting you dance with them."
Serenity broke her intense stare at Minako, turning to look at Rei and the others. "See, Minako's just like all Venusians. Ill-tempered, flirty and vain."
"And you are nothing like the elegant and graceful people of the Moon. You're loud, cheeky-"
"All of which I got from you!".
"And a glutton," Minako finished her sentence.
Serenity gasped, exaggeratedly. She stood up suddenly, looking down on Minako. "I am appalled that you think so of me."
The other Princesses watched Serenity as she began walking up the stairs, haughtily. Upon reaching the top, she said, "I bid you ladies a good evening."
"Sweet dreams, Princess!" Minako shouted after her, laughing to herself. She felt the puzzled stares on her from her comrades, and said, "Don't mind us; we're only joking."
After a moment's thought, she added, "But she really is a glutton."
Ami and Makoto nodded their heads. There was a moment's silence before Minako said, "Sit down if you want."
Ami sat beside Minako, placing her hands in her lap. Makoto sat down on Ami's other side, and Rei remained standing.
"Do you remember the name of the woman you believed was my mother, Minako?" Makoto asked, slowly, still adjusting to the foreign language.
Minako answered, after thinking hard, "Sorry, I don't. I only met your parents on few occasions. They didn't attend the Lunar balls often, right?"
"Yeah, Jupiter is far away. It's a long journey to get here," Makoto answered. "Took me about eighteen days."
"Whoa, that long? My trip was five days and I was bored out of my mind!" Minako exclaimed. "Ah, not that you're boring, Ami! I just don't like being stuck indoors for long periods, really!"
"It is alright. I was a bit bored too, to be honest," Ami said, shyly. "But I am glad that you were on board my transport shuttle."
Minako smiled. She looked to Rei. "Were you in the same shuttle as Makoto?"
"No, her shuttle's course didn't pass my planet. I left eleven days ago," Rei answered.
"Oh, I see…were you bored?" Minako asked. "I would've been lonely if I was all by myself on a trip. Well, there'd be the attendants and pilots, but they were always busy so I couldn't talk to them."
"I'm used to it," Rei replied.
Minako recalled one of her last conversations with Rei's mother, the Martian Queen.
"How come your family doesn't come with you to these balls?" asked an eight-year old Minako. "They're missing out on a lot of fun."
Anseris smiled and stroked Minako's hair. "Rei doesn't like traveling in the transport shuttles. She says it makes her feel sick."
"What about your husband? Why doesn't he come?
"Barrex is a very busy man."
Minako asked, "What's so important that he can't come with you?"
"Well, there is a very big fight happening on Mars right now, and Barrex is doing his best to stop it," Anseris said, putting it in more simpler terms for Minako.
"Oh…" Minako thought for a moment. "So, after the fight has stopped Anseris' husband will come?"
"Most likely, he won't," Anseris said.
"What, why not? I want to meet him!" Minako said, sincerely.
The Martian Queen smiled, touched by the Venusian Princess' openness. "Though Barrex is my husband, it was an arranged marriage; he does not love me."
Minako remained quiet as she took this in. "You love him, but he doesn't love you…why? That's not nice."
"Sometimes the person you love is just too different from you and does not understand your feelings."
"But, but…that's too sad."
Anseris smiled sadly. "Yes, it is."
Looking up at the Martian Princess, Minako wondered what had happened to Rei after her mother died. From what Minako knew, the Martian King was not much of a family lover. Rei must have been neglected too, just like Ami was. Minako looked to Makoto, wondering what her childhood was like. She remembered her meetings with the Jovian King and Queen. They seemed friendly enough, though they did not talk much about their lives on Jupiter. Well, she would leave the family topic alone; she had a feeling that it was a touchy subject for each of the Princesses.
Minako noticed Ami yawn politely, covering her mouth with her hand. She herself felt a little tired from the long journey. "You guys tired?"
They nodded their heads. "Let's go to our rooms."
Minako began walking up the stairs, before stopping midway, realizing that the others were not following her.
Rei asked, "Do you know where they are?"
"Uhh, well, I know where the dormitories are, but I'm not sure if that's where we'll be staying," Minako replied. She continued a little more optimistically,"But we can just ask the guards or servants on the way."
Ami and Makoto began walking up the stairs. When they stood by Minako's side, she asked, "You coming, Rei?"
Rei did not reply or move. Minako said, smiling, "We won't get lost, I promise."
Still Rei did not respond. Minako frowned at Rei's distrust. "If you're unable to trust me to take you to your room, I can't see how we'll ever get along if we're in a battle together."
Rei stood there for a moment, before complying and began walking up the stairs. Minako smiled, turning around and proceeded to the dormitories. She could not think of anywhere else in the Lunar Palace in which they would be staying. She hoped she was right; otherwise she would not be able to befriend the Martian Princess as easily.
A/N: Um, Rei's mother's and Minako's family's names are all places on Venus and Mars. Rei's father's name is taken after one of the many epithets of the Roman God, Mars. Barrex means "Supreme One." Or something like that. And on the planet Venus, there is an actual Aino Planitia (Planitia is Latin for plain).
Also, the planets each have their own God/dess; Aphrodite, Hermes, Ares and Zeus because they are the Greek counterparts of the Roman God/dess, which the planets are named after. The people of their planets have some things in common with their God/dess (i.e., the "universal stereotypes"), or whatever role They had or whatever things They did in mythology (like Ares being a war god; Hermes being a protector of travelers; Aphrodite was a bit vain and ill-tempered; and Zeus slept around a lot, sometimes forcefully). The planets' insignias are all symbols of importance to the Greek (and Roman, I suppose, seeing as how they're both very similar) Gods and Goddesses. I mentioned but didn't describe the Venusian insignia; it consists of a dove holding a rose, seated in a lime tree. All three symbols are of some significance to the Greek Goddess, Aphrodite. The same goes for the other insignias, though each for their respective God.
…Sorry for the long and boring notes; that will be the only time I'll ramble about such trivial matters. Anyway, thanks for reading. Please tell me what you think about it. It's my first time. Wait...That sounds wrong, lol. xD