Disclaimer: see previous chapter.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. (Leave me more; they feed my muse ^_^) The story may seem a bit confusing right now, but I (hopefully) am going to tie up all loose ends. There's a reason for everything I've written.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Here's the story.

Rei, Ami, Makoto, and Minako glared in the direction of their princess. Usually, they'd be laughing, drinking, and having a good time at the ball, but tonight was a special occasion. Negotiations with the Moon and Earth had started. None of the senshi, least of all Rei, were happy about it.

These negotiations meant very many things to each of them for different reasons, but the immediate problem they were all facing was the prince. He had charmed Usagi's pants off the day he met her, literally, and Rei had very swiftly convinced him that was a mistake.

From that moment forward, Rei had been trying to keep Endymion, the prince, away from their princess. Usagi talked to Minako about it, and the other blond was doing her best to keep Rei out of the young rulers' hair. Ami was having the same problem with Makoto.

Rei frowned and angrily stalked away from the others. She sat by the bar and tapped her nails impatiently. She sat mostly alone for the rest of the night, purposely not speaking to anyone. Before the ball was over, though, she had a guest join her.

"Not dancing at all tonight, Princess?"

Rei didn't move to speak, but she visibly bristled. She did not welcome her company.

"It's a shame I didn't see you make any moves tonight. I heard you were quite the charmer. I was hoping to learn something from you. I at least wanted to see your famous dancing.

"If I may be so bold, could I ask for a dance?"

"I will destroy you from the inside out in the most painful way possible if you don't leave me the fuck alone, Jedite. I want nothing more than to smell your burned, rotting corpse."

The blond man grimaced at the thought. "You're so violent. You should be kinder to someone you'll soon be dealing with on a weekly basis."

"What?" Rei's eyes shifted slightly toward the man, but she still didn't give her full attention to him.

"Haven't you heard? Mars and Earth are starting an agreement. You're the biggest diplomat on Mars, right? How did you not know?"

Rei didn't respond; her mother was up to something again. She had seen something in the fire but wasn't sure what to make of it so she didn't speak about it. Apparently, it was time for a senshi meeting.

"You and I will be seeing a lot of each other, soon. I look forward to learning about the elusive princess of Mars. There are a lot of rumors about you, Rei."

"Do not ever address me by my name again, Jedite. Call me by my title and I will call you by yours."

The blond grinned. "You're so hostile. No need to be so professional."

"Protocol will be followed to a tee when you deal with me. I'm not sure how you conduct business elsewhere, but we are by no means friends, Jedite."

Jedite opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Minako.

"I hate to interrupt you two, but may I buy the lady a drink?"

Rei smiled and looked at Minako. "No. You're not getting me drunk tonight."

"That wasn't my intention; you'll just be cranky and inhibited. I was offering to get you a soda."

Rei sighed. "Ask Jedite if he wants anything. He must be thirsty from trying to talk a hole in my head."

Minako smiled at the man. "Are you bothering my subordinates?"

Jedite returned the smile. "Probably. I'll leave you two alone, now."

With that, he left, and Minako's fake smile fell. "I hate them all."

Rei sighed. "I hate them more."

Minako looked at her lover and smiled. "We're free to go. Let me distract you for a while."

Grinning, Rei took Minako's hand and teleported to Minako's room.

"My room?"

"You said you wanted to do it in both. I hadn't fulfilled my promise yet."

"Well, let me fulfill mine."

"Usagi's in love with Endymion, the prince. He seems fine, and his guardians seem fine, but I don't trust them. There's something dark there."

"I trust the prince, but I don't like his guardians at all."

"I don't trust any of the motherfuckers!"

"Me either."

"Yes, Rei, Makoto, we know. You hate them all. We all hate them. But we don't know why. None of us can put into words why we hate them. 'I hate all men' doesn't count, Rei. There's a very good reason none of us trust them, but intuition isn't enough to end diplomatic relations."

"There are plenty of reasons to end diplomatic relations. The reaction of the people to their presence is more than enough alone. Everyone wants them gone."

"Everyone except the most important people in the universe, Ami. We need proof that they're bad guys. Usagi's instinct says their good; ours says they're bad. Her opinion matters; ours don't. It's that simple. We have a duty to protect her no matter what-"

"We're trying to but she won't let us!"

"She's not in danger right now, though. She's only falling in love-"

"With fucking Endymion! That is dangerous!"

"Why?"

"Because!"

"Because he's from Earth? Because he's a man? Because he's younger than us? None of those are good reasons, Rei."

"He's corrupting her mind!"

"Yes, Mako, I agree. But not in the way we all think."

Ami frowned. "Are we all just upset that's she's straight?"

In unison, the others replied, "No."

Ami never brought it up again.

"It could be we're just upset she's falling in love with someone, but it's the actual person we have a problem with. We need to pinpoint why. There's just no way to do it."

"Let me burn him to ash regardless."

"You've been a diplomat longer then any of us, Rei. You know that cannot happen and you know the consequences of it."

"Well how the fuck are we gonna get rid of these fuckers?"

"I have no fucking clue."

"Leave me the fuck alone!"

Laughter remained in the room even after Jedite disappeared from view. He teleported moments before Rei's Fire Soul should have incenerated him.

Rei was panting from the slight exhaustion, but she was confident the man was gone. He had taken to bothering her every possible moment. She briefly considered running away to Mars, but that would cause it's own problems.

Sighing when she felt another presence in the room, Rei sat down. She wasn't looking forward to what she was about to have to do, and she would probably end up getting her ass beat.

Regardless, duty was duty and she had to see what the fuck was going on in her quack mother's head.

Minako's eyes widened when she looked up at the Martian in front of her. Bowing at the waist, she introduced herself.

And she was ignored.

The woman looked to be Martian, if her height and dark hair were any indication, but Minako wasn't used to being ignored by anyone.

Her eyes followed the woman's back as she headed toward Rei's room and entered without knocking. Minako wasn't sure who the woman was, but she had to be important. No normal person would ignore a princess, no matter how much they hated the planet she was from.

Deciding that it would be a good idea to give Rei back up in case she needed it, she took the path the woman had just taken and let herself into Rei's room.

The woman turned and frowned at her. "You should knock before you enter someone's room."

Minako refrained from saying, "So should you," and instead looked at Rei.

Rei had her hand on her face. "Mom, be nice."

"Why should I?"

Unconvering her face, Rei looked up at her mother. "Because you're in a diplomatic position and she is a fellow diplomat, if for no other reason."

"She is the daughter-"

"I know whose daughter she is, but that has nothing to do with what her mother did. She is a senshi as I am."

Minako looked at the tall woman again. She did look strikingly like Rei, but she appeared more powerful and regal. She had heard that it wasn't true; Rei's power surpassed her mother's.

"What does my mom have to do with this?"

The tall woman turned to face her. "She hasn't told you?"

Rei stood up and walked between the women. "It doesn't matter if she has or not. It's not her rivalry, nor is it mine. Your problem is between you and her mother. No one else."

Minako frowned. She had no idea what was going on, but Rei's mother didn't seem to like her or her mother very much.

Sighing, Rei closed the distance between herself and Minako. She wrapped her index finger around the blond's. "Can I get a minute? Dealing with her is a pain in the ass on a normal day, but whenever she comes to the Moon I know I'm going to go through hell. I don't want you to see it."

Minako nodded and squeezed Rei's finger with her own. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

Minako turned and walked out of the room, slowly closing the door behind her. Less then thirty seconds passed before she heard screaming. Grimacing, Minako thanked the gods she wasn't Martian.

"I've said my piece and that's it!"

"Mars is my planet too-"

"I'm done!"

"I'm not doing this!"

"Yes, you are!"

"This is a terrible move, mother! This will push us away from the Alliance!"

"Exactly!"

"Mother, that's against everything I've been working towards!"

"It isn't my fault you were working in the wrong direction."

"Stop it, mother! You have received a lot from Queen Se-" A harsh slap ended Rei's sentence.

Rei held her tongue lest she get slapped again. Her mother hated only one thing more than the Queen: Venusians.

"You're going to handle and negotiate an agreement with the Earth. You will be working closely with Jedite starting next month. Prepare yourself."

Rei didn't try to argue as her mother left. At least the woman was leaving.

"Is everything okay?" Minako hadn't seen Rei since her mom had left and the older woman seemed much worse for wear.

"Yeah."

The blond walked up to Rei and grabbed her face. It was faint, but there was a slight bruise around her eye. "Are you wearing makeup?"

Rei frowned and walked away to avoid the question.

Minako followed, undeterred. "Rei, did she hit you?"

Rei stopped suddenly and spun around, almost causing Minako to crash into her. "She beat me. She beat the shit out of me."

Blue eyes softened. "Why?"

Rei looked at the floor. "It doesn't matter."

Minako gently raised Rei's face. "It matters to me, Rei."

"Why?"

"Because..." Minako dropped her hand and let her eyes fall. In a voice smaller than a whisper, she said, "Because I love you."

"I can't hear you."

Teary eyed, Minako looked up at Rei. "It matters, Rei. Everything about you matters to me. I care about you. I- I love you, Reiko."

Rei smiled. Leaning down and rubbing her nose against Minako's, she asked. "Do you mean it?"

A sniffle and a nod were her reply.

Nothing else needed to be said when Rei lowered her lips down to Minako's.

"Rei, you never told me why your mom beat you."

Rei looked over to the naked woman laying beside her. "Because of this."

"This?"

"For having a Venusian in my bed."

Minako sat up. "She beat you because of me?"

Rei nodded, nonplussed.

"Why?"

"You didn't know that she hates Venusians?"

"I had heard, but I didn't think it was true."

Rei held her arms apart and motioned for Minako to lay down. "Before we were born my mom fell in love with your mom."

"No way."

"I'm serious. But your mom broke up with my mom to marry your dad and my mom never got over it. That's the reason why Martians hate Venusians."

"But you don't."

"Right."

"Can't you change popular opinion?"

"I can, but mom would kill me before I got the chance."

"How did she find out we were sleeping together?"

"When you left she asked me if I had slept with you and I told her I had."

"Why didn't you lie?"

"I'd rather take a beating than lie about being with you."

Minako grinned. "Aww. You're so sweet!"

Rei blushed and looked away. "Go to sleep, Minako."

The blond kissed her lover on the cheek and laid back down. "Alright. Good night, Reiko."

"Good night, Mi-chan."

Minako was on her way to sleep, and almost missed what Rei said next.

"I love you, Mina."

Minako turned her head to the woman laying on her left. She smiled at her lover. "What?"

Rei didn't flinch. "I love you."

Minako, suddenly self-conscious, pulled the blanket up to her neck and sat up. "Where did that come from?"

Rei never stopped smiling. Rather than speaking, she pointed to the left side of her chest.

Blushing, her Venusian girlfriend stood from the bed, taking Rei's covers with her. "That was sudden."

Rei frowned, feeling hollow and exposed now that her lover had moved away. "Isn't that what you wanted to hear for almost a decade now?"

"Yeah, it is, but…"

"Is it not as satisfying as you imagined it would be? Do you wish I hadn't said it? Do you think I don't mean it? Tell me what's wrong!" Rei had sat up while she was fussing, and her smile had contorted into a leer. "Should I regret it?"

Minako sighed and sat down beside her lover, still wrapped in Rei's bed linen. "No, no, no. Calm down. I just… It caught me off guard, that's all."

"So?"

Rei's eyes were dark and harsh and made Minako flinch. "So, say it again. I need to react properly this time."

Rei frowned, crossing her arms and turning away. She closed her eyes and refused to say a word. For a while, Minako ignored her, instead replacing the covers she stole. When she finished, she laid back under them like she was laying before: on her back, half covered, staring at the ceiling. "Lay down, Rei." The Martian didn't move. "Rei." Nothing. "Reiko I will only ask you one more time; lay down." When Rei still didn't move, Minako grinned maniacally. Had Rei seen her she would have run, but the stubborn woman refused to look at her lover. The blond's hands slowly produced her chain, and just as slowly she sat up, reaching for Rei's wrists.

The next thing Rei knew she was chained to the bed, unable to move anything but her legs. Still determined to ignore Mianko, she closed her eyes and turned her head away from the infuriating woman. Minako poked her stomach, smiling when Rei jumped. "Don't make me tickle you, love." Rei grimaced, torn between steadfastly ignoring her lover and giving in to avoid such torture. Before she had a chance to finish contemplating, laughter tore itself, unwillingly and ungracefully from her body. She tried to writhe and move away from the horrible fingers abusing her, but she was bound too tightly.

Minako grinned as she watched Rei's body contort. Her back arched and her face turned red. It wasn't long before Minako's eyes drifted from Rei bare torso up to her bouncing breasts. She was the only person alive who had seen them; a thought which made her beam with pride. She glanced up at her lover's beautiful face and frowned when she saw tears there. Yes, she had made Rei laugh, but she hadn't made her relent; thus, she could not afford to stop her current ministrations.

Rei wrapped her legs around Minako's body, pulling her down to the bed and holding her as tightly as possible. Her hold wouldn't last long, but Rei was grateful for the break. Minako grimaced and, summoning her chain, circled it around Rei ankles, holding them apart. Rei was panting, her face red from laughter and her hair mussed from her writhing. Her fingers and toes were clenched tightly, preparing for her impending demise. Rather than tickling her, however, Minako looked down at the glistening moisture between Rei's legs. Slowly, she leaned her face down, unknowingly breathing heavily on Rei's privates. Purple eyes shot open and looked at her.

"Don't."

Minako grinned again. Rather than speaking, she stuck her tongue out of her mouth.

Rei's muscles tightened, but she was still unable to move. "Seriously, don't. Mina!"

Minako closed her mouth and sat up, studying Rei's features carefully. She knew Rei had a problem with intimacy of any kind and was taking her time with the raven. At the same time, her desire and inability to be closer to her lover was killing her.

Rei sighed and tried to relax. She and Minako had been together for over ten years, but before that Rei had spent more then 300 years single. No one else had seen as much of Rei as Minako had, emotionally or physically and it scared the Martian. She was trying to overcome her fear – although she'd never admit she was afraid – but after finally confessing to Minako and seeing her reaction, she wasn't feeling very sure about herself.

Minako reached down and stroked Rei gently. She frowned when Rei's muscles tightened. "You still don't trust me?"

Rei was still steadfastly ignoring her lover. She turned her head toward the wall and closed her eyes.

Minako looked at her hands, studying them. She was surprised when she saw a tear drop into her palm. She was supposed to be making it as easy as possible for Rei to love her and now that she finally heard it she ruined it. Refusing to give up until Rei loved her again, she leaned down and sucked on the side of Rei's neck, just below her ear. Rei turned her head toward her, pushing Minako's face away with her cheek. She frowned when she felt the wetness on Minako's face. "Are you crying?"

Mianko averted her eyes and hid her face in the pillow behind Rei.

"Minako, look at me. Mi-chan?"

Minako tentatively turned her head toward Rei. "Yeah?"

"Un-chain me, Mina."

Blue eyes blinked and her chain disappeared. Immediately, Rei's arms were around Minako. "Why are you crying?"

Minako sniffled. "Because I finally heard you say it but I fucked up and now you don't want to love me anymore."

Rei looked at Minako closely; cursing herself with each tear she saw fall down Minako's face. Rather than speaking, she wiped Minako's cheek with the back of her hand. Rei smiled when Minako sniffled and rubbed her nose against the blond's runny one. Tentatively, Minako returned the smile which eventually turned into a dry chuckle.

Neither was sure how, but when they came together in a loud, unison cry of ecstasy, they both felt much calmer than before.

Rei lost her fingers in blond hair, absently smiling as she did so. She looked down at the head resting on her chest and grinned. "You're such an idiot."

Blue eyes looked up at her and frowned. "What?"

Rei grinned, but didn't say a word. Minako was confused. Earlier that night, after coming together with Rei, she had heard that she was loved. Now, she was an idiot. She squinted up at the grinning Martian, trying to glare but failing. "Explain yourself."

"Nope."

Minako quickly sat up and pinned Rei to the mattress, hoping to wipe that annoying smirk off her face. It didn't work. "Stop smiling like that!"

Rei willed her features into a blank expression, much to Minako's dismay. "Rei!"

"Why are you so flustered?"

The blond frowned and laid back onto Rei's chest. She didn't know. She could answer none of the questions Rei had asked her that night. "I wish I knew, Reiko."

The Martian kissed the crown of Minako's blond head. "I know why."

Rei grinned, but Minako didn't see it. "Why?"

"Because you're an idiot."

Minako sat up and slapped the side of Rei's stomach. "I am not!"

"Don't you want to know why I keep saying that?"

The blond frowned again, torn between curiosity and animosity. Silently, she nodded.

"Because you are." Rei laughed at Minako's put off expression before continuing. "You're just as scared as I am, Mi-chan." Minako blinked at her lover, disbelieving that she had correctly called her bluff, and more so at the fact that she admitted she was afraid. "But," Rei continued before Minako could interrupt her, "I think I'm less scared of being hurt by you, and more scared of hurting you. I don't ever want to lose you, Mi-koi." She noted Minako's blush, but continued before she lost her courage. "Mina, Mi-koi, will you marry me?"

Speechless, Minako back away from Rei slowly, settling back on her legs at the foot of the bed. "Rei... Do you mean it?"

Again, Rei pointed to the rib that caged her heart and smiled. "I said it from here, love. I want to marry you."

Teary eyed, Minako lept forward embracing her prone lover and kissing her passionately. She pulled away and devilishly grinned at Rei. "Does this mean that I can..." A sudden shyness crept up in the Venusian and she looked down toward the junction of Rei's legs. "Can I... kiss you... there?"

Rei blushed. "Okay, just... don't use the chain."

Minako smiled sweetly at her lover. Rei could become very much like a caged animal if she didn't have control, and the last thing she wanted was to scare the stoic woman. Her thoughts ground to a halt when she saw Rei looking at her expectantly and remembered she could be doing something much more interesting than thinking at the moment.

Mentally flashing a "V" for victory, Minako noticed that Rei didn't ask her to stop even once for the very first time.

"We did it. We did it, Rei." Minako looked down to the simple band on her left hand. "I can't believe... We finally did it."

Rei simply smiled and grabbed the blond's hand.

"I love you so much, Rei."

Rei kissed her smaller wife and grinned. "Is this the point where I get melodramatic about how amazing this is?"

Minako laughed. "Yep. Time for tears, Rei."

Rei ran her finger across Minako's cheek. "I think you've got that covered, love."

The blond sniffled despite herself. "I'm just so happy." Her inherent smile fell abruptly. "But we can't tell anyone. Not even Usa."

Rei frowned, feeling the same weight her lover felt. "I know. It's for our own safety. We have a lot to lose with diplo-"

"Not now, Rei. I want to have sex, enjoy my marriage for the time being, and forget that I'm a princess who has to become a queen."

Sighing, Rei agreed. Rationality was far less appealing than fucking her gorgeous wife.

"I have to go to Mars. I'll be back as soon as possible, but I don't know when that'll be. Mother is up to something terrible and I'm not sure what. I only know that I can only stop her from there.

"I don't know what I'll be back. Will you be alright without me?"

Minako smirked. "Don't be so cocky. I can handle things here. You have more important things to worry about. Handle your planet; I'll protect our princess."

"If Endymion-"

"I won't let him hurt Usa, Rei. Everything will be fine, and if it isn't, you'll know. Stop worrying and get going. You have a planet to save."

Rei smiled, grateful for her wife's understanding. "I love you so much."

Minako kissed her wife and returned the sentiment before Rei left in a flash of red flame.