WARNING: Plot? Yeah. Just plot.
With love,
Korrupted
Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own Sailor Moon. At all. Not one bit.
Makoto was so very tired of being called a hero for such terrible events. Last time it had been when her aunt had died. This time, when Lysander betrayed them all. If this is what made a hero, then she wanted no part of it.
She was also sick to death of being confined to bed. It had been two days since the lake incident, and still she was recovering from the frostbite on her fingers. At least Serenity had gotten Haruka to carry her into the moon princess' own room earlier. Currently the butch was dozing in a chair nearby, Serenity cuddled up against her body. It was oddly nice to have everyone taking such care with her, and that the Queen had interrogated every guard to ensure that there were no more turn coats.
"Mako?" Serenity whispered so softly, Makoto thought she had imagined it.
"Yeah? What is it?"
There was a long pause before Serenity spoke again. "If... You ever were to fall in love with someone... Or... Someones... I wouldn't tell." She was barely making a sound to hide their conversation. "All I ask, is that... You let me know. So I can help you and them be safe. Okay?"
Makoto felt her body go freezing cold. "B-but I can't. The vow s-says so."
Serenity scooted up to be eye-level with her closest guardian and friend. "Screw the damn vow, Mako. I never wanted you to take it anyways. You're one of my best friends, and I want you to be happy. I care about you." Blue eyes flicked to the slumbering butch before landing back on Makoto. "All of you. It's my fault you are wearing those things. Trust me to keep your secret. I won't let you down. I promise."
A long pause stretched between them, Makoto finally nodding slowly. "I... Understand."
Another long silence.
"When did you know?"
Serenity smirked. "When you stammered around Michiru and Sets almost all the time for the past month."
Makoto blinked and blushed. "Jeez... I didn't even know what it was, and here you were. Figuring it all out."
The princess giggled. "I do the same thing around Prince Endymi-" Serenity gasped and cut herself off, Makoto pouncing on the new information swiftly.
"Serenity, you've been going to Earth?! You know you can't!"
The smaller princess pouted. "Aww, c'mon. You just don't understand how lovely it is there. It's like all of our planets in one! Cold, and hot, and forests, and ice, and fire!"
"Forests?" Makoto inquired, instantly perking. "Earth has forests? I thought only Jupiter did."
Serenity grinned, knowing she had her ensnared. She had almost won her over already. "Big, green forests. Rivers, and storms. The air smells so different there. Kind of like how the gardens smelled after we added more natural Jovian plants and removed the synthesized ones. But way stronger."
Makoto chewed on her lower lip, looking at the crystal wall. They weren't supposed to go to Earth, ever. It was expressly forbidden. But it was so close, and there were forests, and rivers. It sounded like a paradise, and she was so starved for those little comforts.
"Can we... Can we go see it?"
Serenity almost squealed. "Let's go now, then!"
They had been so very quiet sneaking out of Serenity's room to avoid waking Haruka. Makoto had to change out of her sleepwear and into a dress before they were on their way, tiptoeing past guards and to a large doorway past where the very first Princess Sailor Pluto guarded the doors of time. To Makoto's surprise, there was nothing really special about it; just a wooden door with moons and other elegant shapes carved into it. "You sure this is right?"
Serenity rolled her eyes. "I've been using it for a few months now. Of course I'm sure."
"And you're going without any guards? You two are hopeless." A playfully stern voice stated.
Both of them jumped and spun around, seeing the three Outer guardians watching them with smiles.
"We aren't stopping you. Just going with you." Michiru beamed, Setsuna nodding.
"Well. Open the door." Haruka urged. "Or are you chickening out?"
A red-faced Serenity nervously pushed open the door, a warm breeze almost hypnotically pulling them in. In the next instant, they were in the middle of a bright forest, birds chirping strange songs around them, a loamy breeze caressing their skin.
Makoto felt the cool grass under her feet, the warmth and felt so much closer to home than ever before. She looked at the other girls, grinning at the awe on the faces of the Outer Senshi, and the contented smile on Serenity's. This place was paradise, and it was beyond strange to hear so many whispers from the trees again, to have the plants turn towards her and rise as if straining to touch her.
"Oh Serenity, this is amazing!" She beamed, gaining a distracted nod from the elder girl.
"Yeah. It is. Oh!" Serenity squealed and dashed off. "Endymion!"
The four other women turned to see a man with intense blue eyes and jet black hair walking towards them, catching the excited blonde in a firm embrace. His black and silver clothing was accented by his red cape, his face easing as he kissed the princess in his arms.
Makoto felt both happy for her dear friend, and intensely jealous, her hands folding to stroke the cuffs in unease. She had taken maybe three steps when her eyes started to sting with tears, refusing to shed them at all costs. A hand gently rest on her shoulder, causing her to turn and face Setsuna, the woman nodding to their left and guiding them both a bit away.
"You're troubled." She stated when they were far enough from the others.
"Not entirely. Just... Confused." Makoto admitted. "How did I fall for them? And how could I not know?"
Magenta orbs looked up into the sunlit leaves above them. "You fell for them because your heart cannot be bound by a vow, nor golden cuffs. They protected you, defended you, fell in love with you." She chuckled. "We all care about you, Mako. We want to see you happy, even through these terrible events."
The Jovian sighed. "How did I not see it?"
"Simple. You didn't know what to look for." Setsuna moved to stand before her, looking into her eyes. "Look for how they remain so close to you. How if you are sad, they are there to cheer you up. How they are willing to stand in danger's way to keep you out of it. It's more than just being your comrade. It's love. It draws you to the ones you love." She gently cupped Makoto's cheek. "It causes even the strongest, or most isolated of warriors to dream of even the barest touch from the one they love."
Makoto blinked at Setsuna in stunned silence as the eldest Senshi pulled away, her heart beating irregularly in her chest. The olive skinned woman tenderly kissed the top of Makoto's head, and a small part of Makoto's mind started frantically shoving all the pieces into place. Both Michiru and Haruka had done all those things, and she felt that she truly did care for them in return. Them, and...
"Wait..." She whispered as Setsuna moved back towards Serenity and the others. "Sets, do you mean...?"
Though she hadn't said the words, the sweet yet sad smile that she received from Setsuna was telling enough. The very flowers and trees around them were saying all the things that the guardian of Pluto could not; whispering of love and compassion. They carried the silent messages from Setsuna in a way that only Makoto could understand, and it was both fulfilling and terrifying to know that they all loved her the way she loved them.
"Hey, Mako!" Haruka called, breaking Makoto out of her semi-trance.
With a slight jump, Makoto looked at the butch, watching her jog closer. "What were you and Sets talking about, Tiger?"
"J-just... Things."
"Well, things or no, I do need to talk to you. Michi and I talked about it earlier."
Makoto felt herself go cold in terror. "About what, Haru?"
Haruka rubbed the back of her head nervously, clearly unsure of herself. "Well..." Her voice dropped to a hushed tone, her posture anxious. "The kiss for a start."
At the silent nod, she went on. "Look, Michi and I have... Liked you for years. Really, really liked you. The kiss was out of frustration, but I had wanted to do that for years." Haruka sighed. "Michiru and I, we know it's wrong. The vow makes it dangerous, deadly even. But, we want to... To try, if you do too."
Suddenly it seemed to dawn on her that she had never even asked if the young Jovian felt the same for them, and Haruka began the grandest attempt of back-peddling that Makoto had ever seen.
"I mean, fuck! I'm really sorry if I was out of line! And I never, ever meant to hurt you. Neither of us did, because, I mean, we love you. And, FUCK! I mean, do you like us? Because if you want us to go away, we can totally try, and leave you to be with the Inner branch, and they would be happy to watch you. Not saying that we don't want to! We do! For Serenity's SAKE!" Haruka looked red in fear. "I just, we just!"
Makoto wanted to laugh until she cried at her crush's antics, instead settling on a very unorthodox method to end this mess. With a fluid motion, Makoto cupped Haruka's cheeks, and kissed her on the lips, silencing the tirade of fumbling apologies. It only lasted a moment, but the result was everything she had hoped for; Haruka was blushing, silent, and smiling a bit idiotically.
"I do care about you both the same way. Tell Michi that for me, okay?"
Haruka nodded dopily, a bit stunned as Makoto giggled on her way back to Serenity. While she was glad that Serenity had already approved, her being involved with anyone in secret, Makoto had to admit that she was relieved that the smaller blonde had been too distracted by her own forbidden romance to see what had happened. In time, she would confess everything, but right now she just wanted to keep it all to herself. She wanted to stay inside the bubble of happiness and discovery of now; surrounded by trees, plants, and the ones she loved.
It had been beyond nerve-wracking to sneak back into the palace, and yet they had managed to miss all the guards due to both Setsuna and Haruka using their abilities. The gaggle of women moved to their rooms, breaking down into anxious giggles when they reached Serenity's door. They hadn't been caught, and they had enjoyed Earth so much.
"We have been looking everywhere for you!" Minako scolded from down the hall.
All five of them practically jumped out of their skin, looking at the angry looking commander, flanked by the two youngest of the Senshi. The whip that was fastened to the belt on her waist looked somehow a bit more dangerous as the Venusian stomped over.
"Do you have any idea how worried I was?!" Minako growled, tears spilling over her eyes just before she pulled both Serenity and Makoto into a firm hug. "Mako nearly dies, and then all of you vanish?! Don't scare me like that again!"
Makoto smiled sadly at the three Outer branch warriors as they took their leave, then hugged the crying blonde back. "We're sorry, Mina. We didn't think about how it would affect you."
Serenity stroked Minako's hair soothingly, looking at Ami and Rei apologetically. "Let's spend the day together. The five of us. We haven't done that in a while."
Minako sniffled and pulled back, nodding in agreement. "I'd like that. What should we do?"
Rei tapped her chin, then looked at Makoto, grinning. "Why don't we all spar? The five of us never do it together, just with our mentors. It could be fun."
Makoto knew that Rei was clearly suggesting it for her sake, and she was grateful to the Martian. Perhaps they could do some meditations afterwards for her. "That sounds pretty cool."
Ami frowned, then tapped her chin. "Should we do a tournament style? With Serenity being the final opponent?"
Selene breezed over, winking at the five girls. "What mischief are you kids thinking up?"
"A fighting tournament! But we only have five, so one has to sit out until the end. Probably me." Serenity mewled sadly.
"Well, I will have to be the sixth person, then." She mused. "Of course, I will have to tone down my fighting. You five aren't as experienced as the Outer branch. While they could take a full fight, I don't think you can."
Rei puffed up indignantly at the mention of them being weaker than the eldest trio. "I want you to be my opponent first."
Selene arched an eyebrow, nodding her assent. "Then to the sparring hall."
The group of women breezed down the hall, Minako worriedly holding Makoto's hand like a lifeline. The Jovian knew than Minako cared very deeply about the safety of her fellow warriors, but it saddened her that she had drifted a bit apart from the Inner branch. They were supposed to be her team, and yet she preferred the company of the Outer branch. Yes, she loved them, but she should be with her own team more than she was.
As they entered, Rei and Selene moved to the middle of the room quickly, the much younger girl looking determined as she took up her katana and wakazashi blades. Selene drew crystal blades with ease from her garter, cautiously eyeing up the youngest guardian as Minako called the match to begin. The duo circled each other before Selene slid forward testingly, earning a cut on her left forearm for her efforts when she was swiftly blocked.
"Did you see her move?" Serenity whispered.
"Mars is very structured. Rei says her people had blade training from the moment they could walk." Ami replied, taking notes quickly.
Rei was calm, silent, and poised as she watched her opponent. Everyone underestimated her, and she used it to her advantage every time. She glanced at Makoto, internally smug that the older girl was visibly impressed with her moves as her attention returned to Selene.
Rei seemed to glide along the dirt floor as she gracefully moved towards Selene, violet hues locked on the target. Nimbly, Selene careened to the side, throwing a few daggers down to force the young warrior to change her path. Rei turned and rolled to the side, snatching up a discarded bow before dodging away from more knives. It only took another few minutes before she had taken a quiver from the racks, notching an arrow into the long bow.
"I yield." Selene called out as Rei drew back, watching her slowly ease the weapon down. "You fought far better than I had expected. Well won, Rei."
The admittance was one to be cherished; Selene was a tough opponent, but she clearly knew when she was outmatched. Rei was incredibly talented with a yumi bow, and her accuracy was unmatched; there was no way that the older woman could have hoped to get a victory.
The young warriors cheered and dashed over to their youngest member, hugging her in congratulations. "That was amazing, Rei!" Minako squealed.
"I've never seen anything like that!" Makoto praised.
Rei smiled humbly to them, blushing at all the praise. "It was nothing. Really. Who's next?"
After drawing lots, Minako found herself facing Makoto, the duo both quickly transforming before taking their places in the sparring circle. Everyone watched Makoto twirl her naginata expertly, Minako sizing up the younger girl. "I'll go easy on you. You're still recovering." The commander gently told her opponent.
Makoto clenched her jaw, her pride wounded. "I won't go easy on you."
"Fight!" Rei called out.
The two warriors moved at each other swiftly, Minako flicking her whip out at Makoto ducked and used her weapon to pin it to the dirt, quickly rendering both useless.
"Is she going for hand to hand?" Serenity whispered.
Ami nodded vaguely. "Seems so. That would put Minako at a disadvantage."
"I'm not so sure." Rei tapped her chin. "She is still recovering. She could be over estimating her own abilities."
"Wink Shocker!" Venus called out, unleashing a mild beam of concentrated light at her opponent.
Jupiter didn't have enough time to move, instead taking the hit directly to her chest. She stumbled, but remained upright, gritting her teeth in frustration. "Supreme Thunder!"
Venus jumped away from a bolt of very strong lightning, a bit uneasy at how much power had been behind it. "Mako, this is just sparring." She called. "Take it easy."
Instead she had to dodge another bolt that blackened the dirt she had just been on. "Stop treating me like a baby! I'm not glass!" She seethed, the years of being deprived so much that the others took for granted now apparent. "Protect Mako's this! Don't do that here! Don't taint Mako's that!"
The spectators watched in silent awe and mild fear as Jupiter put Sailor Venus entirely on the defensive, wood and lightning shot at the elder warrior with a ferocity that seemed reckless. "Makoto! Ease up, okay? You're not at full strength!" Venus pleaded. "Don't exert yourself too much!"
It only seemed to infuriate the warrior of courage more. "Do you think our enemy's care if we're injured?!" She roared, tears welling in her wild green eyes. "Did the rebels care were sleeping? That we were children?! Did they care when they tried to murder us countless times?"
Rei watched with clear worry as Ami set aside her notes, everyone watching Jupiter finally cracking under the pressure. How could someone so strong just start breaking down during a sparring match? She didn't understand it at all.
Sailor Venus had to duck behind a small pillar to avoid a wayward bolt, not even sure if Jupiter was in control of her power anymore.
"Lysander... He didn't care! He was going to kill us no matter how we thought he was family! He was going to kill Serenity! He was going to kill Haruka! He was going to kill me! To Thunder with me nearly dying from his plot; he was going to finish the job regardless of how defenseless I was!" She dropped to her knees. "I'm not... Don't treat me like an outcast just because of my damn Vow! I'm one of you, damn you!"
Venus moved around the pillar, watching the younger guardian with a heartbroken expression, hurting at how her friend was hurting. She was supposed to be their commander, to protect them, and yet she had made Makoto feel isolated. They all had over the years. She had grown fond of the company of men, which was something that she couldn't share with her friend. And so they had drifted apart to an extent. Maybe that was why she sought the friendship of the Outer branch. A group of outcasts comforting the pariah of the others.
"No one cares if we are hurt! We can't relax!"
"Mako, please, listen to me." Venus pleaded tenderly. "I'm not the enemy. I'm your friend. It's okay, we don't have to fight. We're safe. We can relax. You're scaring the others." She gestured to the others, to the crying and distraught Serenity, the clearly frightened Ami and Rei. A bolt of lightning struck a foot in front of her, making her jerk back. "Please, stop attacking me! I want to help!"
Sailor Jupiter looked at the other three, and the concerned Selene, and wrapped her arms around her body, crying. "I can't be weak... I have to... Protect the princess..." She grit her teeth. "I have to be strong, damn it!"
As she half screamed her words, a large root surged out of the ground to strike at Sailor Venus, the blonde crying out in fear at the sudden attack. Sailor Jupiter gasped, willing her attack to stop uselessly. This was her fault; she had been weak, breaking in front of her comrades like this. They needed her to be strong, to protect them, to be brave. "NO!"
All at once, the attack halted with an explosive bang, splinters embedding themselves into the dirt as if made of steel instead of soft wood. Both girls were untouched, panting, and staring at the warzone in shock, Jupiter's transformation failing as she started to sob.
"I'm sorry... I don't want to b-be alone... Not wuh-when you're all right th-there..."
Serenity rushed over to embrace Makoto, whispering gentle assurances as the others moved to join them.
Selene watched from a distance, then turned to walk away, deeply troubled. She had to talk to Ren; they had to help Makoto before she was put under too much pressure. No matter how terrible their duties were, this was just the painful start to a miserable, painful way of life.
Queen Serenity frowned at her little sister, fidgeting with her cake slice. "So... What do you suggest?" She inquired at last.
Selene gave her a sad, uncertain glance. "We can't help her. Even under Haruka, she seems to be strained. We don't have anyone to properly train her, and the stress of the Lysander incident is pushing her too much. She might need a change of scenery."
Queen Serenity nodded, then smiled. "I think all of them could. Perhaps... Selene, send word to Queen Jupiter. Ask if it would be at all possible for her to allow them children to stay with her a while. I think four months should do it."
Selene arched an eyebrow. "Ren, they are almost all teenagers or adults now. They are hardly children."
Her older sister grinned. "Well, when you will live thousands of years if not killed in battle, such an age is truly just still a child. But please, make haste with Akira. I'm sure she would be glad to see her daughter again."