A/N: Psst! The lovely iiya did another piece of amazing artwork for this chapter. Head over to AO3 or Tumblr to check it out!

~-0-~

Chapter 2

Venus clenched her fist, attempting to stop herself from shaking. She wanted to tell herself that this was some kind of trick, some kind of elaborate plan to lie to the Senshi again, but she couldn't. She knew Serenity wouldn't lie to her about something like this.

"What do you mean they're disappearing?" she asked, her voice much calmer than she had expected to come out.

"They're spirits are becoming more and more transparent," Serenity answered. "At first we thought it might be a temporary thing, but for the past two years … that is why Endymion and I began the project to dig for the four different types of mineral rocks. We'd hoped that it would help them."

"But why are they disappearing? They didn't disappear immediately after Metallia's defeat. They hung around for … for so long, so why are they disappearing now?" Venus asked.

Serenity shook her head. "We have no idea. We don't know why they are disappearing and what is causing them to disappear. Perhaps it's the simple fact of their energy supply coming to an end, but … the mineral rocks don't seem to be helping any longer."

"Did you ever ask Ami-chan about this?" Venus asked.

"Endymion did ask her about this, without specifically telling her what it is for, of course," Serenity replied. She lowered her head. "But they didn't come up with an answer."

"Maybe it's because Ami-chan wasn't given all the information," Venus pointed out. "She wasn't certain what she was working with—I mean, we don't even know how Endymion worded it. Perhaps she just didn't figure it out because she didn't have everything she needed."

Venus resisted the urge to remind her queen that the King wasn't the best when it came to words.

"Why … I suppose it was Kunzite who didn't want us to know that they are still around," Venus said.

Serenity nodded.

Venus inhaled deeply, closing her eyes.

"Venus … he just didn't want the four of you hurt again," Serenity said gently. "They'd … all of them had hoped to regain their bodies, so that they could stand in front of the four of you again. Endymion and the Shitennou had been trying different methods throughout the years, but … nothing worked."

"At least we would've had two hundred and fifty years together," Venus said, and it was almost difficult to keep the harshness out of her voice.

With their projected lifespan, it probably wouldn't seem that long, but it was enough. It would've been a chance to make up for what they had lost and left them with one less regret.

But instead …

"They'd hoped that the four of you could find your happiness elsewhere. They didn't want you to go through the pain of losing them again," Serenity explained.

"I know that," Venus replied, her eyes blurring. "I know what they would think. I know all of their concerns, but it doesn't stop it from being … I don't even know how to put it, Serenity, but I can tell you one thing: If they had given us the chance to choose, we would've chosen to stay by their side for the last two hundred and fifty years, even if it meant that we might lose them again."

Serenity's cerulean eyes were filled with pity and sadness as she got up from her seat and went over to where Venus was sitting. Gently, the queen wrapped her arms around her.

"It isn't fair," Venus whispered as tears fell as Serenity patted her back.

"I'm sorry, V-chan."

Venus shook her head. She knew why Serenity had chosen to not inform the Sailor Senshi. If Venus hadn't found out about the existence of the Shitennou today, her queen had probably hoped that she would go on with the rest of her life in ignorant be honest, had she been in Serenity's shoes, she wasn't sure what she would've chosen to do either, so she couldn't really bring herself to blame her queen.

She didn't remember how she returned to her quarters. It didn't help that while she lay on her bed, her mind seemed to be filled with a soup of different information.

What should she do now? Should she let the others know? Why were the Shitennou disappearing? What was causing them to disappear? Who else could she ask for more information?

She knew that she could probably think of an answer or two for each question, but she couldn't calm herself down enough for that to work—the look on Serenity's face made everything seem so hopeless, and Venus had never felt more helpless.

She walked around in circles in her room, inhaling and exhaling deeply, until finally, she felt the emotions running through her settle down. She couldn't let them run wild at the moment. There must be a way out of this. She—They just weren't looking in the right direction.

A thought flashed through her mind, making her eyes light up, and she quickly walked out of the room. Once she was in the hallways, she broke into a run, stopping when she got to the control room. She walked up to the control panel, pressed a couple of buttons, and waited for the computer to do its work.

It felt like an eternity, but she breathed out a sigh of relief when Michiru's familiar face appeared on one of the holograms.

~-0-~

Minako stared at the mirror in her hand, her meeting with Michiru still in her mind.

"They can't regain their bodies when pieces of their souls are missing."

Minako bit down on her lower lip as she recalled the Neptunian soldier's words. Although she now had one question answered, she'd gained more questions along the way.

How did they lose parts of their souls? When did they lose them?

Michiru had given her the Deep Aqua Mirror when they parted ways, telling Minako that she "might need it". Minako had no idea why she would need it, given that even Michiru couldn't see anything else in the mirror other than the fact that Shitennou had lost parts of their souls, but Michiru was never one to say things without reason, so Minako came back to her quarters with the talisman.

Her thoughts went back to the problem at hand.

How could she bring back those soul pieces? Could she bring them back? Was there a way to bring them back? Or did she need to travel back in time.

If she traveled back into the past, that meant she would need to speak to Sailor Pluto about this.

No, though the Plutonian soldier might be neutral towards the thought of Minako saving the Shitennou, she would not be amused with the idea of Minako attempting to change the past in order to accomplish that.

Lying in bed, Minako looked back towards the mirror she was polishing with a towel, a small part of her suddenly wondering what would happen if she accidentally broke it. It shouldn't break that easily, should it? After all, Michiru had brought it into multiple battles already, and there wasn't even a crack on the thing. Not to mention it was one of the objects used to summon Saturn, so it shouldn't be made with something that was easily broken, right?

Brushing that random thought out of her mind, she placed the mirror on the bedside table before lying down to go to sleep.

The last thing she remembered before drifting off into darkness was how strange it was that the mirror seemed to softly glow in the dark.

~-0-~

Minako let out a sigh, wondering for the hundredth time how she'd ended up in this kind of situation.

If she hadn't been sure when she'd just woken up, she was positive now, while she stood in the middle of something that looked like a town hall, that she was no longer in Crystal Tokyo. That would've been a problem if she hadn't been more preoccupied with the question of when she was.

Of course, different parts of the new Silver Millennium preferred different styles and materials for everything from their buildings to clothing, and she wasn't Ami and so couldn't start naming and explaining things right off the bat and off the top of her mind, but the place she was at was … lacking. It wasn't that there wasn't technology in here—the lighting system wasn't quite 30th century, but neither was it 20th century, and the wards preventing her from escaping weren't familiar—but it just didn't feel as high-tech as she was accustomed to.

Her eyes flickered over to the young man who'd found her, when she'd woken up on a slope overlooking farmland. Thankfully, he hadn't searched through her possessions—well, she was wearing a sporty sleep shirt and shorts, and he either didn't notice her pockets or he didn't feel comfortable searching a young woman. So thankfully, that meant that she still had her transformation pen.

Though then again, she wasn't even sure if she could transform here. What if it was like one of those Dark Moon holding cells where they couldn't transform? She took another look at the technology in the room. Okay, probably not.

A frown appeared on the young man's face when his eyes met with hers, and—did he just give her a dirty look? Okay, he was definitely looking at her with disdain in his eyes.

Before she could give him a piece of her mind—which would've included a well-placed jab in regards to how she'd caught him eyeing her exposed legs despite his disdain towards her—footfalls sounded behind her, causing her to turn around.

She felt her breath catch in her throat. She barely saw when the young man kneel down and heard when he murmured "my King" as she stared at the man who was walking towards her. She'd just seen him less than two days ago, but this—this was different.

He wasn't a spirit.

With a barely noticeable nod of his head, Kunzite acknowledged the young man before he looked at Minako. His eyes widened slightly, but the look in his eyes was one that was foreign to Minako—it was one of polite unfamiliarity and curiosity. It was a look of distance. It was a look one would give to someone they first met and wasn't certain whether the other person could be trusted or not.

This Kunzite didn't know who she was.

"Where did you find her?" he asked the young man.

"On the farmland, sire," the young man replied, suspicion swimming in his eyes as they glanced over to her. "I've checked the surveillance, sire, and she appeared out of nowhere."

"My King" … "sire" …

Minako froze. She couldn't possibly have traveled through time? However, that was the only possible explanation for the situation happening around her.

"There weren't any breaches in security or glitches in the surveillance system? She couldn't have accidentally gotten in through a broken fence?" Kunzite continued to ask.

"No, sire." The young man shook his head. "I've checked the surveillance twice and checked with the guards patrolling the farmlands barriers after I noticed her appearing. She'd appeared out of nowhere, as if she'd teleported in."

Their words pulled Minako out of her shock, and her mind worked quickly to analyze the situation she was in. If she was in the Golden Kingdom, teleportation could only occur in certain areas, and the young man would need a teleportation license. Judging by his reaction, this was something he didn't have. Being in the Golden Kingdom also meant that it would be dangerous for her to mention anything about her being anything other than Terran.

Well, technically, she could be considered Terran, but it wouldn't do well for her to let them know that she was a Sailor Senshi.

But first things first, she still needed to find out if she was in the past.

"I am on a mission set forth by the High Priest Helios," she lied, keeping her posture as regal as she could.

The young man's eyes bugged out.

An expression of surprise appeared on Kunzite's face.

Minako kept her eyes on him, waiting to see if he would fall for it. A corner of his lips twitched upwards into a hint of a smile.

"The … I …" the young man stuttered.

Minako turned her face towards him, tilting her head slightly upwards until she was staring down her nose at him, almost as if she was daring him to contradict her words.

They stared at one another until Kunzite cleared his throat.

That was when uncertainty settled into her. To be honest, she didn't know if Kunzite was familiar with all of the Maenads. Despite the fact that she could probably lie and say she was one of the new initiates, it would give leeway to more trouble and he might find it suspicious enough for further investigation which was something she wanted to avoid at the moment. In the worst case scenario, she could transform and fight her way out of this, but none of the Sailor Senshi liked it when they had to direct their powers towards a human being, even while said humans were brainwashed, let alone when they weren't. This Kunzite didn't know her, so it was a good indication that he hadn't been corrupted by the powers of Metalia yet.

"I'll handle this from here, Seif," Kunzite said, his eyes still on Venus.

After the young man, Seif, left, Kunzite waved his hand, and two chairs came flying through the air, one landing behind him and behind her. He sat down in his chair while gesturing for her to do the same.

Once they were both sitting down, Kunzite spoke. "So … a mission set forth by the High Priest—"

"Yes."

"You're one of the—"

"Maenads, yes."

"Your hair color is different."

"... I dyed it."

The amusement in his eyes grew.

Almost as an afterthought, she added, "And there aren't any rules about lilac-colored hair being a necessity to be a Maenad."

"Fair point." He nodded his head.

In her mind, she'd already compiled up a whole list of questions he might ask and the corresponding answers she would give him. Therefore, when he stopped asking her questions, she could only stare.

He raised an eyebrow at her, and those who didn't know him as well as she did would've never caught on to the fact that he was holding a smile back.

What did she do wrong? Was it something she said? Or was it something she did wrong? Did he want to put her under surveillance for the time being? That wouldn't do. She wasn't even sure what the date was, so she didn't know when Kunzite would be meeting the Sailor Venus of this time period. That also reminded her that she would need to avoid bumping into the current Sailor Venus. She still remembered how Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask nearly disappeared because of the two different versions being in close proximity to one another.

"... So when are you going to let me leave?" she finally asked.

"You can leave any time."

She gestured to the bright circle around her. "The wards?"

The smile he'd been holding back finally appeared on his face, and Minako felt her heart sink. "I've deactivated the wards the moment I entered the town hall."

She gawked at him. "But …"

"There's a glitch in the system that still needs fixing and so the lighting will take some time to turn off, but I can assure you that the wards are no longer up."

Minako opened her mouth to say something before she snapped it shut. She quickly calmed herself down. She couldn't let emotions overcome her. This was Kunzite she was facing, and he wouldn't let her out of his sight without figuring her out yet. If he was going to let her leave, then there must be some way with which he was monitoring her, but at the moment, she couldn't tell how.

There was also the problem of him smiling so it meant that she had accidentally let something slip. Nonetheless, she couldn't just stay there and stare at him until he told her everything she wanted to know. This wasn't the Kunzite she could persuade—Rei would probably call it "harass"—until he gave her information.

Plastering a sweet smile that was just a smidgen away from being sarcastic on her face, she said, "Then I bid you good day."

With that, she turned around and walked as gracefully as she could outside of the circle, fully expecting the wards to either force her back to the middle or suddenly pop up. She was pleasantly surprised when neither happened.

"Priestess."

She stopped in her steps, three steps away from the door, but before she could turn around, a cape was draped around her shoulders. The warmth and the familiar scent of something distinctively him suddenly surrounding her caused a faint hint of a blush to appear on her cheeks.

"I fear … my citizens are not quite accustomed to a lady walking around in … attire similar to yours," he said with just a hint of laughter in his voice. "And … the power source of the wards is directly linked to Elysion. You knew that, of course, since as one of the Maenads, you would've seen the aura of the ward when it was activated. Have a good day, Priestess, and I'm looking forward to when we meet again."

~-0-~

Embarrassment followed Minako out of the town hall. Granted, he hadn't exposed her lies in front of Seif, but it still made her feel a bit awkward, as if he'd one-upped her. She turned around and stuck her tongue out at the door before she realized that it was a bit childish.

When was the last time she acted like this?

True, he was suspicious of her, and he must be tracking her in one form or another if he was willing to let her walk out of the town hall like this, and there was still the problem of the Shitennou disappearing in the future. Not to mention she was still stuck here out of all places with no way to go back. However, the first problem wasn't something she couldn't handle, and perhaps just seeing him alive and well in front of her helped in momentarily relaxing her.

Sighing to herself, she turned around and walked onto the streets, watching as people started getting ready for the start of the day. Stalls were being set up on the street that led directly to the town hall, and early risers were already stopping randomly and asking for prices.

It was a brand new world to Minako. The memories she had about her past life were vague, and she doubted she had the chance to walk through marketplaces and haggle with the locals back then. Despite being very tempted to stroll along the streets and explore, she knew she had other priorities.

Now that she was finally alone and no longer in danger of being carted off to prison, she should decide on what to do next.

She must've been sent here by the Deep Aqua Mirror; she couldn't think of another reason for how she ended up here. Not to mention she vaguely recalled how the mirror seemed to be glowing right before she drifted off to sleep.

She stopped in her footsteps as a thought went through her mind, ignoring how passersby gawked at her.

She had been thinking about finding a way to travel back to the past right before she fell asleep. Did the mirror tap into her thoughts? Was that how she got sent back in time?

Did the mirror even have that kind of power?

If it did, that also left her with the problem of said mirror being missing at the current moment. She hoped to the dear gods above that she didn't somehow manage to lose it. She could probably raid Endymion's bank account to pay Michiru back—she was trying to save his Shitennou after all—but she didn't think the Neptunian soldier would accept monetary payback.

Then again, she couldn't be held responsible, could she? It wasn't as if she'd done it on purpose. She didn't even know how that damned mirror worked.

She bit down on her lower lip when she realized something even worse: How was she supposed to return to her own time period? What if she couldn't go back to the future? She wasn't exactly sure how long she could live. Ami hadn't been exactly upfront about it, so she assumed the Mercurian soldier wasn't sure either, but assuming that she could live forever … No wait, there was still the fall of Silver Millennium ahead of her and Saturn swinging down her Silence Glaive.

She was so dead.

Who was going to protect her Queen now? Okay, sure, there were still the other Sailor Senshi, but if she had to die, she'd hoped that it would be for something worthy.

Okay, Aino Minako. Think.

Maybe there was something she had to do. Perhaps she just had to trigger something and she would be sent back to her time. She wanted to change the Shitennou's future, so maybe accomplishing that would catapult her through time.

Even if it didn't, she had no idea if she was going to be stuck here temporarily or forever, so it would be stupid for her to not do anything while she was here. What could go wrong?

Other than the obvious answer of not exactly having a game plan? Nothing, I suppose. And maybe because there was another version of me running around and bumping into her would mean bye bye for the both of us? And also because of the upcoming feature of war?

She blew the bangs out of her eyes. This was going to be much harder than she'd thought it would be.

A frown appeared on her face. She supposed she would also need to make a list of things she shouldn't do, lest she change the whole future.

Then again …

Changing the future …

And let the Venus in this world live on …

Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion living happily ever after in Silver Millennium without the need to reincarnate …

She sighed again. While all of that was good in imagination, she knew it wouldn't be practical. It was something that a younger her might've done. Heck, she probably wouldn't have needed to think twice about it. However, after the things she'd gone through, the possibility of negative consequences lingered and left a bad taste in the back of her tongue.

Just what if things turned out for the worse?

While she appreciated chances to save the Shitennou … this wasn't exactly the way she'd imagined it. There were no manuals about how to maneuver around things, and there were too many things at stake. She didn't travel back in time via the Time Gate, so while she might try to save the Shitennou, it didn't mean she was willing to bulldoze her way through this.

Besides, who knew? Perhaps she would wake up in the morning and be back in the future.

Sighing, she looked at her surroundings. If anything, she supposed she had at least one clear objective: Finding a place to stay at just in case she had to stay here for more than one night.

~-0-~

If anyone asked Minako, she would've come up with hundreds of plans in regards to how she might try to save the Shitennou. Really, she could probably come up with perfect diagrams and basic directions in regards to how to accomplish it. However, after a year and three months into her "new life", she realized that things didn't necessarily always happen the way one willed it to.

As it was, she was now standing in front of her former lover slash current superior. Though she used the word "former" loosely, given the fact that though they did attempt to kill one another while he was brainwashed, technically, they never broke up.

Seconds slipped by, and she resisted the urge to shift on her feet.

More out of impatience than fear though.

"What you just saw in the garden—"

"I didn't see anything."

"—is to remain a secret."

"I was momentarily blind. Didn't see anything. At all. You can read up about it. It's a common … thing."

"..."

When he didn't reply, Minako chanced a look at him. He had on an expression of confusion and—was that suspicion? How could he be suspicious of her? Her. With her impeccable acting and skills in lying?

However, understanding flashed through his eyes—what did he understand? Minako had absolutely no idea. She didn't even say anything.

"You are Venusian, are you not?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Your princess—"

"Never saw her in my life."

"..."

And then, he sighed, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips.

"Many men talk about the beauty and grace of Princess Venus. It is not shameful to admit that one is attracted to her," he said, his silver eyes kind. "There's another Venusian young man in the troops who is also enamored of her."

Oh. Oh.

Really, Minako wasn't that much of a narcissist.

Also, did he seriously compare her to Adonis? If the excuse wasn't such a perfect one for her current situation, she would've considered hurting him.

He clapped Minako on the shoulder. "I'm sure she would appreciate the fact that you've kept the Moon Princess's … escapades secret."

"... I'm sure."

"You're name is … Eros, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir."

He nodded and clapped her on the shoulder. Without saying another word, he turned and walked away.

~-0-~

The interaction left Minako on edge.

People—or at least, most people—didn't get to high statuses by being trustful towards strangers, and this was especially true for someone who reached as high of a position as Kunzite. She almost expected him to be watching her at every corner and whenever she was alone.

But this was Kunzite, so she knew that even if he were keeping an eye on her, she wouldn't immediately notice. Thankfully, she was pretty certain that he couldn't see through her disguise. Due to Ami's tweaking, an extra function had been unlocked in their transformation pen, giving them powers similar to Usagi's Disguise Pen.

On top of everything else, she also worried about running into her past self. While she wasn't overly worried about the Sailor Venus of this era seeing through her disguise, she still remembered how Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask, and she started fading from existence after staying in the thirtieth century for too long. Minako had no interest in a repeat of that experience, especially when she didn't know how to return home to the future yet.

If she could return home.

Then again, she wasn't disappearing now, and she'd been here for fifteen months already. She wondered if it was because the other her was too far away or because she'd traveled back in time with an unconventional method. However, this wasn't a problem she spent too much time on. After all, she wasn't Ami, and she doubted she could figure out the whole science behind it. Therefore, after dismissing the question from the mind, she carried on with her "new life" and took extra care to avoid running into her past self.

She knew she must've passed whatever test Kunzite had set up in secret for her when he approached her one night, requesting for her assistance.

"But I didn't see anything that night," she argued.

"It had nothing to do with that night."

"Then why not ask someone else? Like … I'm sure Nekorthu would be ecstatic if you asked him to do something for you."

"Is there a particular reason why you are so adamant about not doing this?"

Because who knows if the other me will be the one following Serenity here tonight?

It wasn't like she had a list of who was responsible for each night.

She bit down on the inside of her lower lip. She couldn't be sure if there was suspicion in his voice, and she didn't want to risk looking him in the eye.

She took a deep breath. "The citizens are becoming suspicious about … people from the skies. If they find out about the Prince and … well …"

"Such as Lady Beryl?"

Minako clenched and unclenched her fist. "For example, yes."

"You dislike her." It wasn't a question. "Why?"

Because she's a bitch who deserves to die the most horrifying death, preferably with me at the other end of the sword that's being driven into her blackened heart.

"I'm just a soldier, sir. Speaking ill of a noblewoman can be punishable by law."

"Not if what was said holds true."

If only I had proof.

Instead, she remained silent. It was tempting to tell him, even just parts of what she knew, about the dark future that lied ahead of them, about his and his brothers' fall from grace. But she knew she couldn't, not without being treated like she'd lost her mind. None of the Shitennou had been brainwashed yet, evident by how utterly loyal they were to the Prince, and how they guarded their liege and Serenity's escapades. The mere mention of betraying Endymion would seem like some absurd joke or a lousy attempt at tainting their names.

In the end, she somehow still got roped into standing watch for Endymion and her Princess.

As if she hadn't done that enough times in her past life.

Surprisingly, however, she never ran into her past self. While some might chalk it up to the fact that there were four Senshi rotating on the job and she wasn't called upon to stand watch every single time, it felt more than a little suspicious after forty-six times.

"You still haven't seen Venus?" Jupiter, with whom Minako had become fast friends, asked.

Much to Minako's surprise, amusement flashed through the Jovian soldier's eyes.

"Nephrite, er, General Nephrite … mentioned that you … admire Venus, don't you?"

"... So I've heard."

"Hm …" A grin appeared on Jupiter's face as she shifted in her seat on the bench. "You've heard of Adonis, yes?"

"Yes." She would personally strangle Makoto if the latter compared her to Adonis. "I'm not very familiar with him though."

"Oh, you don't need to be," Jupiter said, waving her hand. "I just remember how he was one of the soldiers in the know, so to speak, about the Princess traveling to Earth, and he used to help out. Until one day that is."

"One day?" Minako raised an eyebrow.

The smile on Jupiter's face grew. "Until someone let it slip to General Kunzite that he joined the army to get closer to Venus."

"You're saying …"

"I'm not saying anything," Jupiter said, getting up from the bench and straightening her skirt and hair as Nephrite sauntered over to where they were chatting.

If Minako weren't so glad that this solved the problem of her running into her past self, she probably wouldn't be able to decide whether to be more amused or annoyed by Kunzite's actions.

~-0-~

The final war was inching closer.

Although Minako had always known it would, she couldn't help the sorrow from settling into her bones and flickering across her face whenever she thought nobody was looking.

It didn't matter how many times she reminded herself.

These people were already dead by the time you were born in the future.

She smiled wanly at Fotobul, a fellow soldier, as the latter hopped around, trying to put on her shoe.

This is probably the only way to pave the way to peace in the future.

Nekorthu was speaking to Tristan, reassuring them that with the Prince and the Shitennou around, the rebels didn't stand a chance. Always the fanboy.

If Serenity didn't reincarnate into Usagi-chan, Metalia would probably still be lurking around somewhere in the dark, waiting to sink her claws into the unsuspecting.

Myron was doing push-ups in the corner, not sparing others glances. Overachiever.

Everything will be fine in the end.

Kilavith talked to one of the servant girls who was here to collect clothes for washing. The latter had expressed affections towards "Eros" just two days ago.

Perhaps I should just focus on how to save the Shitennou, over two years and still nothing.

Minako closed her eyes and resisted the urge to punch something.

~-0-~

She entered the meeting room, and her eyes immediately scanned the room, only stopping when they landed on him.

He was looking at the window, his back towards her.

She closed the door behind her, and somehow the room felt somehow muted—she wasn't even certain if that was the right word. However, even sounds from the courtyard sounded much farther away than it should.

"Sir, you wanted to see me," Minako spoke.

"The Shitennou will be leaving in the morning," Kunzite said, without looking at her.

Minako's head snapped up as she felt her heart skip a beat. Fear sank its claws into her gut and gnawed at it, making her breaths just a bit quicker. She didn't know—or rather, she didn't remember—when each event in the past took place, but there was one particular date that she remembered, and it lined up too neatly with this expedition—

Kunzite turned around, his eyes slightly narrowed as he observed her.

"To where?" she asked. She quickly added, "Sir. If I may ask."

"You know something."

"About what, sir?"

"You know what I am talking about, Eros."

Minako opted to stay silent, holding his gaze in the process.

"When I told you the Shitennou will be leaving in the morning, you immediately felt fear. Why?"

"There are riots everyday. General Nephrite and General Jadeite both got hurt last time. Of course I am worried," she replied.

It suddenly hit her why the room felt more muted than usual—he'd warded the room, adding an extra bit of magic to monitor her emotions, something she knew he hardly used because it drained his powers much more quickly, but for him to use it now …

She should've known. Even after a year of seemingly trusting her—

But if he didn't trust her, why didn't he do anything about it beforehand? And if he did trust her before, why the sudden mistrust?

"The sorrow is far too acute for it to be normal, Eros," Kunzite said quietly. "Were you sent here … by her?"

Which her?

Yet, somehow, she knew the answer, and she knew it wasn't her Princess or Queen Serenity.

"I was sent here from Venus to help with the riots, sir."

She didn't know how much he believed her, and the smile on his face … It seemed like he believed he knew something, but she wasn't too sure what he thought he'd deduced.

She was trying to keep her emotions under check, especially when she didn't know if he was still monitoring them, but it would've been much easier to do so if she'd been prepared.

She tried to think of something to tell him, anything. She needed to keep her cover after all. But nothing came to her. She was usually much better at this.

Not towards someone you cared about, a small voice in the back of her head whispered.

She shooed it away; she didn't need imaginary voices disturbing her thought process.

But what did one tell a man walking almost unknowingly down a tunnel leading to darkness?

He probably thought the worst destiny that might befall him was death.

And even after she returned to her room, she still couldn't manage to wave away the heavy feeling of sorrow in her heart.

~-0-~

A/N: Thanks to those of you who've read, faved, and added to alerts!