Disclaimer: I don't own anybody in the stories so please don't sue me… I'm just a pitiful fanfic writer…

Of Love and War

Chapter One - "Nostalgia"

The sixteen-year-old Crown Princess, Usagi of the house of Serenity, perched herself upon a garden chair around a large table. The table was nestled amongst the elegant silver blossoms of the Lunar roses, grown without success on any planet besides the Moon. Serenity's court, seventeen-year-old crown princesses of Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus, likewise took a chair at the table.

Ami, Mercurian Princess, sat down gently on the chair. Her court dress was new, made of royal blue raw silk with silver bubbles embroidered on the bodice. She did not appreciate the hints her mother had dropped about attracting the Mercury Knight hopefuls with it, but she was not the type to ruin a beautiful gown. Rei, Martian Princess, took the seat to the left of Serenity without a second thought. Her fire-red dress was not going to be harmed any more by sitting down then by her usual activities. The Princess Venus, Minako, lighted upon her chair in an instant, the one to the right of Serenity. As leader of the Inner Senshi, she took her place, the position of power. Makoto, Princess Jupiter, in her raw silk emerald gown, took her the seat on the far right side of the table.

Luna and Artemis, advisers to the lunar monarchy, glided as a pair through the gilded door from the palace and up to the table. The two cats bounded onto the table and straightened up into a sitting position, their backs facing an empty seat.

"Welcome, ladies. Her Majesty, Queen Serenity, awaits you in the teleport room." Luna began, "The luggage you sent ahead has already been transported to Earth. Your teleportation will commence at four o'clock." Turning to Usagi and Minako, Luna continued, "Take care that you don't miss this flight because you got lost in conversation. You have fifteen minutes to get to the teleportation room from now, so I suggest you don't dawdle." Luna then turned to her companion, "Anything else to say, Artemis?"

"No, I think you've pretty much covered everything…"

Artemis and Luna gathered themselves up to go when Artemis turned back "Oh, Mako-chan, your mother wanted me to remind you to, ah.. keep an open mind. If all of them are uninterested in the position and considered unworthy that… um.. well, that she and your father will pick one." Artemis winced mentally at having to say this but he knew he was safe from Makoto's wrath; this kind of message wouldn't be a surprise to anyone at the table. Makoto was rather transparent that she did not want anyone employed to protect her.

Makoto groaned inwardly, She knew I'd ignore them all, didn't she? She knew I was planning to spurn them all and make them never want to be near me, to torture them with snobiness and idiocy and…. Oh, why do I have a mother who knows me so well? She knows that I despise Earth too… After it took Shinozaki…

FLASHBACK

Age 4

The Princess Makoto curtsies shallowly to a boy with chocolate-brown hair and sapphire eyes. He bows deeply before her. Queen Jupiter stands behind Makoto, and smiles at a tall, athletic man with chocolate hair and then at the boy's mother who stood but a few inches shorter than her husband.

"It really has been to long, Athena. I have missed so much of young Shinozaki's growing up!" the Queen smiled and then winked, "He is almost a young man at his -what is it now?- six years."

The dark haired woman smiled, "And I have missed the second, third, fourth, and fifth birthdays of Makoto. It has been far too long and we should have introduced them to each other long ago. Makoto doesn't even remember me."

"And neither does Shinozaki remember me… But now you have returned to live in the capital and all will be well!"

Age 6

"ZAKI!" Makoto came racing out of the palace to see Shinozaki, although he had been at the palace only yesterday. She hugged him as he met her on the steps.

Athena Miyake just grinned, "Come on you two! We were here yesterday!"

Shinozaki and Makoto laughed and sprinted off to the stables.

Makoto's favorite horse Kaminari was a chestnut mare with grace, wind-like speed, and Mako's daring. Shinozaki took Mari's twin in speed though not looks. Taranaich was coal black and unbelievably good-tempered. Although brave in his own right, he was not as fiery as Mari.

The two rode long into the afternoon over the emerald hills, until the high general Raijin was set loose to corral them, which he did, although not without trouble.

Age 9

The air rang with laughter as Makoto doubled over, while Shinozaki grinned up at her from the ice. Shinozaki had gotten himself tangled in his own skates as they had been practicing a piece that Kura-san, Shino's cousin, had taught them. Kura-san and her partner were practicing for an interplanetary competition and had taught the two their new routine. Mako and Shino had gotten almost all of it, except the last triple axle. Although usually no problem for Shino -both he and Mako surpassed everyone else at the skating rink- but for some reason, Shino had mixed himself up and had fallen in a great thud with a short yell.

Once Makoto recovered her breath, she gave Shino a gloved hand and he pulled on it a little too promptly. She was caught off balance and fell right into his lap.

Shino grinned at her, "you don't think you get to laugh at me and get off, do you?" Then he began tickling her until she couldn't breathe for laughing. The Queen's voice rang out, "Makoto, Shinozaki, are you here?" and he immediately stopped. The pair got up, chorusing,"Yes, Mom/Your Majesty".

LATER…

"Mako.."

"Yeah?"

Shinozaki sighed and leaned back against the wall - she wasn't going to take this any better than he had at first.

"Mako, I have to go to Earth the day after my birthday."

"Why? When will you be back?"

"For knight training, and I have no idea…"

"Knight training?! But you'll be there forever and –"

"I know. There isn't anything I can do. It's my parents' duty to send a son to train."

"But mother could make-"

"That wouldn't be right Mako and you know it."

"I know…. But why now?" She started crying silently, protesting every urge to accept that he would have to leave, boys didn't always come back.

He hugged her tight and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, I'll come back…" he gently wiped her tears away with his hand, "You'll see, I'll be back during the holidays… It'll be faster than you think."

But he didn't come back for the holidays, he didn't come back once that whole first year or the second or the third…

END FLASHBACK

I miss him

Minako waved her hand in front of Mako's face. "Moon to Mako-chan, come in Mako-chan!"

"What?"

"Just waking you up, you were staring at that hedge for a long time."

"Was I? Was just thinking, that's all"

"Totally spacing actually, but I'll take thinking, I guess"

Then, Minako got up and motioned for Makoto to join the others who were standing at the door, waiting to go inside the palace. Makoto quickly joined them and the group walked across the palace, arriving just in time at the teleportation room.