A.N.: I've realized that having so many different Mina's running around—and into each other—is going to be confusing. From here on out (since I'm too lazy to go back and edit the last chapter), Crystal Tokyo's Mina will be Venus (though she and others will still occasionally refer to her/herself as Mina), the Silver Millennium's Mina will be Minako, and Tokyo's Mina will be, well, Mina.
Still confused? Try writing it.
Also, before any of you ask, it's been roughly three thousand years since the Silver Millennium ended (ergo, Crystal Tokyo has existed for nearly a thousand years). If you're not a Moonie and don't understand my reasoning…eh, your problem.
And because nobody reads the Author's Notes, I'll say it one last time:
Crystal Tokyo's Mina—Venus
Tokyo's Mina—Mina
Silver Millennium's Mina--Minako
Also, I need a beta for this one. Any takers/suckers/masochists?
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CHAPTER TWO: Lost Innocence
They entered the Gate.
And Venus' breath caught in her throat, because the woman standing on the other side, waiting to greet Pluto and her strange friend, was…herself.
Of course it is, Venus thought, and, almost as an afterthought: Crap.
She'd expected to run into herself. Of course she had—wasn't that partially the point of this?—but as Venus stared into the curious gaze of her former self, she found that she wasn't nearly as prepared as she'd thought. Not that this is really the kind of thing one can be prepared for.
It wasn't like gazing in a mirror, and somehow she'd assumed that it would be. She'd thought to see only a physically younger version of herself, but this Venus was young in too many other ways. There was a simplicity in this Venus' eyes that hadn't been in her own in centuries, an innocence that she'd never thought to see in any reflection of herself. She didn't think anyone else would have noticed that out-of-place naiveté, but she also couldn't help wondering how it could have been there in the first place.
Had she ever been so much a child?
Something in her heart hardened even as it ached, and she forced her features into a carefully neutral expression. She met her counterpart's vaguely interested stare, curved her own lips into a polite smile. "Hello," she began. "I'm Setsuna's friend, Molly."
Something flickered in the other blonde's eyes, but even Venus couldn't read it. "I'm Minako," the other girl answered softly. Her gaze darted back towards Setsuna. "Lady Pluto."
The name was a greeting, but something in it had Venus' eyes sharpening. Was that…fear in the other girl's voice? Or just uncertainty? She acts like they're strangers. Why is she so uncomfortable?
Venus still hadn't regained all of her memories of this time in her life—lives?—but even if she was still missing something crucial, her other self's uneasiness around Pluto didn't make sense. Setsuna was one of her closest friends, always had been. She was the senshi Venus trusted above all others, so why would her past self act like this?
She sent a quick glance Setsuna's way, not bothering to hide the question in her eyes. What haven't you told me, Sets?
Pluto was busy glaring at Venus' younger self and didn't offer any kind of answer.
At least Minako didn't wilt under Setsuna's glare—she was too much the senshi for that, no matter how youthful she might appear—but her discomfort was still a little too obvious.
Interesting. She's practically twitching.
Venus cleared her throat, bringing their attention back to herself before the tension became dangerous. "So," she began, pretending to smile ruefully, "Setsuna mentioned that you had a place for me to stay?" She allowed her smile to widen. "I'm kinda tired," she admitted. "Travel always wipes me out."
Minako blinked, confusion briefly dancing over her features. "Wipes you out?"
Venus' smile truly was rueful, this time. Oops. Forgot. Sista's not down with my modern lingo.
And that sentence just hurt. Note to self: never do that again.
"Molly?"
Venus blinked, then smiled again at her former self. "Sorry," she muttered. "Just an expression from my home world. Feel free to ignore me."
Curiosity instantly replaced the unease in Minako's face and posture. "Your home world? Where are you from, again?"
Open mouth, insert foot. I'm screwing up already, aren't I?
Venus shrugged. "Tokyo," she answered almost gently. "I'm from Tokyo."
Setsuna stiffened beside her.
Minako was still watching Venus, though her curiosity suddenly became more…absent. "Never heard of it," she admitted, her attention obviously no longer focused on Venus' answer. "Is it far from here?"
Venus couldn't help grinning, knowing that even if she'd slipped up, at least she hadn't hurt anything; Minako obviously didn't care about a world she'd never known existed. "Far, yes," she replied, voice just this side of flippant. "It'd take you about a thousand years to get there." Well, just under three thousand, to be exact…
Pluto cleared her throat.
Yes, yes, I know. Bad Mina.
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"Well?"
Venus glanced over at Setsuna, almost startled to hear the other senshi speak. Pluto had been silent since Minako had deposited the two older senshi in one of the guest suites, leaving Venus to her own thoughts as the smaller woman unpacked the few items she'd brought.
The former blonde paused and considered the question for only an instant, her lips curling into a sad smile. "She's a child," Venus admitted. "I'd known she wouldn't be as…experienced as I am, but I wasn't expecting her to be so…so…" She stopped, not knowing quite how to describe her younger self.
Sestuna didn't have that problem. "Innocent?"
Venus considered that as she finished putting the last of her belongings away. "I'm not sure innocence even covers it," she finally decided, though that had been her initial impression, as well. "She's supposed to be a warrior, but when I look at her, all I see is…oh, I don't even know. Not a warrior, at least." She turned, frowning as she tossed the empty bag into a corner of the room. It landed with a soft thud, the course material collapsing into a heap on the floor.
Venus leaned against the nearest wall, crossed her arms over her chest as a frown gathered in her eyes. "It's hard to believe I was ever like that," she quietly observed. "We've been fighting for so long, and I…" She cut herself off, suddenly glanced at her friend. "Is it wrong that I'm grateful for it?"
"Grateful that you're not like her?"
Venus nodded. "Yes." She sighed, bit her lip. "I can admit that I've become jaded, but some of the decisions I've had to make…as she is now, I think they would have been too much for her."
Setsuna considered that. "I think," she eventually replied, "that you're underestimating her. Yes, she lacks experience…but you've always been strong, Mina. In all of your incarnations." She smiled a little, though the curving of her lips was more sad than anything else. "Give her a chance, Meens. She'll surprise you."
Pluto had never been one to offer empty compliments, but whatever Venus thought of the other senshi's words, she only shrugged. "It doesn't matter," she muttered, her features devoid of all emotion. "We didn't come to—"
The knock wasn't loud, but of course it was enough to silence Venus. She turned, moved swiftly to the door, pulled it open.
Minako was on the other side, expression glinting with the same curiosity she'd shown earlier. She smiled a quick greeting at her counterpart, though her expression tightened as she immediately turned to Setsuna. "The Queen heard that you were here, Lady Pluto," she began, her smile freezing a little as she looked to the senshi of Time. "She's hoping you'll attend the feast tonight."
Of course Selenity's request wasn't one, and Venus quelled the sudden flash of sympathy as Pluto's face tensed. The blonde didn't think even her younger self had noticed the pain that flashed so briefly through Pluto's eyes; even Venus would have missed it if she hadn't spent the last several centuries learning to see beyond the emotionless expression Pluto always wore.
And just as she saw the pain, Venus could also guess the reason for it: Selenity, the Queen they'd failed to save, though they'd all died trying.
The Queen they could still save, but only if they were willing to lose everything else.
Temptation didn't even begin to cover this one.
My sacrifices are nothing compared to Setsuna's, Venus found herself deciding as Minako bid her farewells and left them alone once more. I have to live with my failures, with my losses, but at least my dead can only haunt me in the metaphorical sense. Setsuna's… Venus stopped herself from shaking her head. What strength must she have, to literally look her ghosts in the eye, knowing she could warn them, save them, yet also knowing she can't ever say a word?
Can I be as strong?
She'd have to be.
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As it turned out, Selenity was not the first test.
Selenity would have been easier.
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They met in the gardens, the man Venus had crossed the centuries to watch and the woman she'd once been. It wasn't a planned meeting—that much was obvious from the surprise that so briefly flittered over their faces—but Venus, watching from her hiding place among the hedges, couldn't quite decide if the meeting was a welcome one, either. Both man and woman were too quick to tuck their emotions away, conceal them behind carefully guarded expressions, and Venus realized that she no longer knew either of them well enough to see beyond the masks they'd pulled over their features.
It surprised her, this inability to read them. Malachite she could understand—it'd been nearly two thousand years since she'd even seen him, after all, and another thousand beyond that since she'd looked for anything beyond hate or disdain in his eyes. No surprise that he'd become little more than a stranger to her, for all that she—
Venus almost ruthlessly killed the thought before it could finish forming, instead refocused her attention on the woman. Minako was exchanging a few distantly polite pleasantries with the man who would one day take her life, her lips frozen in a similarly polite smile. Venus stared at her, feeling almost…cold as the questions that had brought her to this century picked away at her own composure.
She pushed those away, as well, turned with equally guarded eyes to her taller companion. "I don't remember any of this," she admitted in a soft, almost apologetic voice. She sighed, though the sound was quiet enough that even Setsuna wouldn't have heard. "Tell me, Sets—does she love him yet?"
It was Setsuna's turn to glance over at her shorter friend. She considered the question for a long moment, and then she, too, sighed. "I can't answer that," she finally said. "I can't see inside her head, Mina, and she's so guarded around him that I can't judge by her actions, either."
Venus almost smiled, though the not-quite-curving of her lips held more bitterness and regret than anything else. "We both know that's a sign in itself, Sets. If she didn't feel something for him, she'd have nothing to guard." The blonde looked back at her other self, watching silently as her targets finally put an end to what was clearly a stilted conversation. They both turned and began to walk in opposite directions, Malachite moving a little too stiffly, Minako a little too slowly.
"She's already in love with him," Venus muttered, almost wincing as Minako paused, glanced lingeringly over her shoulder at the silver-haired man's back before continuing on her way once more. "And damn them both for it."
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For all that she'd chosen to wear her senshi's uniform rather than the required formal gown—or perhaps because of this—Pluto's arrival at Selenity's nightly gala caused something of an uproar. Setsuna was a legend even among this people, and too many of the guests were staring openly as the tall, imposing woman moved through them to Selenity's dais.
Outwardly, Setsuna gave little sign that she'd even noticed. Inwardly, she was probably squirming.
I'm going to owe her big time for this, Venus thought. As shy as she is, this is probably hell for her. She's a better friend than I deserve, I think.
Venus sighed, tore her eyes away from her fellow senshi and focused instead on the tray of hors d'oeuvres balanced so precariously in her hands. The blonde—no longer blonde, and no longer sporting "Molly's" red-brown hair—weaved carefully through the throng of dancers, offering appetizers to the very people making Setsuna so uncomfortable. She hid her distaste for their ogling behind a bright smile, though of course most of them were too focused on Setsuna to notice her expression anyway.
And why should they? I'm just the serving girl. They don't even see me.
The thought was amusing enough that, for just an instant, her smile became genuine. Innocent snobs, the lot of them, the woman mused almost fondly as she tossed her pale, Lunar-silver hair over her shoulder.
The smile abruptly faded as Pluto came to stand in front of the queen, as the dark-haired senshi dropped to one knee and murmured her greetings to the slender monarch. Better than I deserve, Venus thought again, watching with an aching heart as the queen smiled a welcome.
Venus tore her eyes from her friend and her ruler, swiftly concealed her guilt behind another falsely bright smile and wrapped her fingers a little more securely around her tray. She turned away, began scanning the room for her targets. Minako was nowhere in sight, but Venus felt her breath catch in her throat as her pale eyes eventually landed on a tall, silver-haired figure in a grey uniform.
Jackpot.
Venus continued smiling even as her heart clenched, began casually making her way across the room to the silver-eyed general. She couldn't quite force her eyes away from her former lover, though she paused now and then to offer hors d'oeuvres to the guests, trying to keep up the pretense in spite of her rather blatant staring.
As least she wasn't the only one gaping at the taciturn human. Snobs they might be, but more than one member of the court clearly found the human general attractive, and most of them were being far more obvious than Venus. I can always pass myself off as a fangirl, she quickly decided, eyes still riveted on Malachite's tanned face. As gorgeous as he is…it'd be believable.
She would always wonder, later, if Malachite had somehow sensed her gaze. Or perhaps some higher power was simply laughing at her. Whatever the reason, Malachite suddenly glanced up, and against all odds and even from across this crowded room, his silver eyes immediately landed on hers.
Venus' heart stopped completely, started again when a jolt of…something lanced through her body. That something set every cell on fire, stole the air from her lungs and left her gasping, disoriented, physically drained.
…the hell?
Their eyes had locked for only an instant before Malachite looked away again, but that slight movement of his head was enough to bring Venus back to herself. She almost flinched, paled instead, realized that whatever had happened, she'd been staring a little too openly even for an admirer. She swallowed, immediately turned to offer another appetizer to the first guest who crossed her path.
Coincidence, she told herself, her thoughts still shaky. That's all it was. No human could ever recognize the real me under all this magic. That glance meant nothing.
When she dared look up again, Malachite was gone.
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Venus Smurf's Jokes of the Day:
Every fight is a food fight when you're a cannibal.
"I've got a phone, an answer machine, a TV set, a computer, and a hand grenade—everything you need to run a business in Los Angeles." (Ice T)
Send me your jokes, and I'll include them in the next chapter!
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My thanks to: Pendragon'sGurl, Chibi-Yaten, Chrystalline Tears, judith9, AnnechanB, Sassy-Chan, BN, IthinkIloveyou, A.Lee, XYRDXD, JadesRose, and minamine for the reviews!