Part 3: Council of the Inner planets.

They could hear the usually brilliant gong of the bells form the moon city. Today however they sounded like the foretelling of a death.

"But no one has died. And no one will die as long as we keep the peace. The princess will not let anything happen to her fair cities." With a slight shudder from the light summer wind, Ami closed turned away from the window and took her seat at the table of elders. The long glass table had 16 places set at it. At the head was the moon Queen (long, majestic, and as powerful as usual), her two advisors by her, the young moon princess (still in training) sat next to one of them, and each respective princess with their two advisors had sat down in threes around the table.  The moon queen raised one long hand as a start to begin the council. Minako admired how pale she was. Her white power was very evident. Her voice shook the air around her. The queen's fierce voice broke Minako from her daze.

The meeting went as they usually do but this one was tenser than any had remembered. They all understood the real problem they were to discuss.

"As you all know" the queen began, "the earth has made signs of rebellion. We have talked with the leaders of the Earth and they have confirmed their good intentions. However, we know that the constitutions are not always as they would hope to be."

"Your highness I don't think the Earth could be of any problem to us. They are the weakest of the planets and couldn't possible be any threat to us." The princess of Mars crossed her arms in front of her chest in more of a protective move than a defiant way. The white of her cape crushed under her attempt of hiding her worry. All the members of the council wore white uniforms except for the princesses who wore their respective crowns and dashes of their signature color throughout the gowns.

"I agree your highness" the princess of Jupiter interrupted." I don't understand why we should be too worried. I know they can do some serious damage but what can we do about it?" She tossed her curls behind her shoulder again and gazed around the table. To everyone's surprise the little Moon princess spoke up. Her hand folded in her lap as she had been trained to do.

"It's not really the Earth were worried about." She raised her demure head to face Jupiter.

The elegant queen nodded. "The leaders of Earth have been good to us for generations. In return for their materials we have sheltered them. But the people of the earth have begun a rebellion."

"And your majesty", the princess of Mercury looked delicate as a blossom in her lily gown. "We really don't know what the Earth is capable of. My first councilor has reading of a black shadow slowly materializing over these three points. (If you would kindly look at the thirty-third page in the hand-desktop given to you.) My people have had a growing concern over its negative effects for many months now."

"That's true Blue lady. But it's only part of the problem. We don't know yet who is in charge of this raid of problems. Such as-"

"So what is it to us? We have no place in interfering with inner-terra issues. Let them solve this one as we always have!" The princess of Mars sat up and placed her hand on the table before her. Her shear presence demanded attention. Everyone knew she usually passionate about problems but today she seemed uniquely bothered.

Minako silently considered what was being said. Being the leader she had to advise as best she could. She was taking mental notes about each comment and putting them together in an itinerary should later present to her councilors in her own room. But simultaneously, she silently studied her friend's faces. As the yelling continued around the table, she began to let her mind wander back to the man she had seen a few weeks since. She couldn't remember his face as well as she did when she first met him but he was so gentle. Her name was called and she was shoved back into reality. Three hours later, the meeting was concluded.

* *  * *  * *  * *

Soon the meals were finished and the planetary personal meetings had concluded. Minako was in her room sitting in a white chair by the fireplace brushing out her hair as she did every night. Her eyes were closed; her muscles were just starting to relax. She almost didn't hear the soft shuffle of feet crossing the room. She took up Minako's hair and began to braid the strands gently twisting around the fine hairs of silk. They did this mechanically; the two very silent in reflex ion, went on in this fashion for a while until Minako raised her hand and stopped Rei from braiding.

"Enyalis-sama." Minako whispered the familiar term to her friend. "What's wrong?" She put down her hand. Mars continued the braiding and finished it with a yellow silk ribbon Minako had left on her tabletop.

"Aphrodite…I don't know how to say this." She threw up her hands and sat on the downy blankets on Minako's bed. "This is going to sound SO dumb. " she pulled a pillow to her face and hid it in the pale yellow lace. "ie-beht-ah-jemereal."

"N-Nani? What? That makes like…NO sense at ALL." She flopped onto the end of the bed and crossed her wrists under her chin. She picked up another pillow and whacked Rei with it giggling "Come out!"

"Ooooooo! Your such an idiot Minako-san!" she grumbled and lifted her head only to rest her chin on the pillow. She looked away from Minako to hide her slightly red cheeks. Her ebony hair slid over her face and she whispered. "I found someone I like... I mean I really, really- (she clenched her fists around the pillow)-really like him"

Minako yanked up her hands and opened her mouth to let out a shrill squeal of joy but just as she was going to wake the entire palace, she opened her eyes to see that her friend was trembling. "Uh…I'm...I'm sorry Rei? Is that-uh-it?" Blinku?

"He's from Earth." She admitted miserably.

"An Earth boy? How divine! But how did you meet a boy from Earth? You don't seem to care much for the Earth's affairs. When did you meet him? Well, more importantly, how did you meet him? I mean…how?"

"I snuck onto the planet and I saw him. Ok?"

"Rei…" she said somberly and very seriously. "You broke your own law!"

"Shut up! I did not! I'm a princess and I can do what I want as long as it's for the good of the people."

"Right! And I'm sure that that's why you went."

"Of course it was!"

"Sure."

"Minako!"

Feathers flew as a pillow fight burst forth. The laughter of the two was like a dawn in the cold hallways of the palace. Minako always knew how to make Rei smile. Annoying as she sometimes was. They fought and ran around the room spreading white fluff around and occasionally knocking over a table. Rei took a hold of a pole form Minako's four-poster bed and swung around it. She hit Minako one last time with her pillow before crashing into her. They fell together onto the bed in a fit of childish laughter. Some deep place in Enyalis's heart burst and her laughter turned into sobs. Minako at some point wrapped her arms around her crying friend. There they laid, the two girls with the fire's glow warming the room and the light bending over the slim, delicate figures. Rei must really like this guy…she's never like this…so weak.

But this story is not about Rei. It's about Minako and Kunzite. So while Minako is occupied with the fire goddess, Kunzite too was in deep contemplation. 

He was standing in front of his mirror. Pop pop pop. He hit himself in the face. For some odd reason he though he could change the way he looked. He pulled it jaw; he yanked his cheeks and puffed up his chest but to no avail. Reluctantly he leaned backward on the hallway's wall. He cocked his head as he stared at the figure staring back. It soon didn't even look human, just shapes. He picked up his candle from the floor and made his way down the rest of the hall glancing absentmindedly at the pictures hung in the palace hallways as he passed. Once in the music room, he sat on the piano bench heaving a sigh he didn't know he had been holding in. He skimmed his fingers over the keys but dared not pluck them for fear of waking the rest of the castle's sleeping inhabitants. He looked out the window and found, very easily, the small orange planet in the distance.

"What a fool I am. If I ever see her again, which is entirely likely now," he reminded himself very angry about his mistakes. "I must pretend like I've never seen her before. She'll think it was a dream. A vision." He was comforted a little but still scolded himself for his great folly. "I must have been under some spell. The goddess of Venus is an entrancing woman. I've never heard of anyone who did not…admire her." This thought: designed to comfort, it made him wince to vision of billions of people surrounding and fawning over her. Also, he could not entirely make himself believe that it was only the Goddess's powers that made him stare. However it wasn't just her beauty, although beautiful she was, that made him…admire her.

"Destiny." A deep, manly voice joined the Earth crickets outside the window. Kunzite turned abruptly to spot the door to the music room open with a man's figure standing in it. His wavy brown hair was slumped over his shoulders. "You were talking allowed."

The two friends sat together on the piano bench each deep in thought. Finally, Nephrite spoke, "So, how did it go?"

"I got a pretty good lay out of two of the castles. Doors, alarms, guards, windows. (He paused.) But they will probably be changing and tightening their security from now no due to a little…slip up."

"You were seen?"

"Yeah…I was. By a low ranking guard." He turned his face away.

"Will they recognize you?" Nephrite frowned and turned his head to look at his friend who looked more worried than his voice allowed.

"No. It's been several months now. I don't think it will be a problem." He truly believed that it wouldn't be. He only showed his face for a moment and only by the dim light of the sky. It seemed enough for Nephrite.

"You alright old boy? I won't ask you if you don't want to tell me." He crossed his arms and looked out at the sky trying to find what Kunzite had been staring at.

"But you did ask didn't you?" he sighed and heaved his weight to his backwards turned hands.  "It's nothing really. I'm just a little anxious about the festival. That's all." It was true. He was very worried about seeing the princess again. But he jogged his memory and reminded himself that he had already fixed that problem.

"So am I." He paused. "Can I tell you a secret?" Nephrite looked around comically. "I can't wait to see the Planetary Princesses. I've heard so many great stories from Endo it's just too amazing. We finally get to meet the beauties of the universe." He clasped his hands and rests them behind his head. "Especially that one…uh…what's her name? Oh you know that one chick with the long blond hair?"

Kunzite's lungs jumped inside him but outside he was able to keep a puzzled look. He also had to show his disapproval of the word 'chick'. "Aphrodite?" he suggested casually.

"Yeah! That's the one! Aphrodite. Man. I've heard that woman can do things to a man's head." He laughed casually and then had to adjust his level remembering the entire palace was asleep.

"Yeah…she can…"