A few days later, the rest of the Inner Circle was back on Crystal Tokyo.

SunTzu had kept a low profile, and either had stood guard literally next to Chibiusa, watching over her like a hawk, or helped Ami with the aftermath of the raid on the Triads in Yokohama. The mission per se had been a success, the danger had been neutralized, the Triads massively weakened and the blasters, including information where they had come from, had been seized.

For SunTzu it still felt like a failure, apart from Chibiusa almost being hurt, or worse, Setsuna hadn't even shot him one glance anymore.

He had seen her just once in the last days, while doing an close combat training with his pink-haired fosterling, who after almost getting shot, was more than eager to train and get better with SunTzu's help.

She had trained with, or rather against, Cilghal and although she was a healer, the Jedi Master from Dac was a seasoned swordswoman but against Setsuna, who attacked with such an ferocity that it surprised the Mon Calamarian, she merely stood a chance. Apparently the emerald-haired Senshi was still angry as she got even more aggressive in her fighting style when she noticed SunTzu. So much for trying to talk with her and apologizing.

The day after the Royals had returned a regular meeting was scheduled to inform all the leadership about some news and update them.

As usual, Mamoru and Artemis held the briefing.

They began with news about that transgalactic gate that the Taskforce had secured together with the Special Forces of the United States back on Usk Peth 1138. It had been brought to a secretive US Military Installation and apparently it indeed was repairable, therefore Lieutenant Colonel Meiou would travel to the United States and help the US Space Force at the secretive location.

SunTzu was sitting in the last row with Haruka, Chibiusa and Hotaru and to his astonishment Setsuna had sat herself her in front of the the two teenagers. Was it to let him know, that she wouldn't let them be unsupervised in his presence?

When the two teenagers talked to her about her mission to the US after the meeting, which had ended with Mamoru saying he might had to make another important announcement soon, she turned around and catched SunTzu's curious impression.

"What's the matter, Captain? You look like you don't understand something." She looked at him in her usual Ice Queen Stare but not more angry or stoic as usual.

"So-sorry, I was just wondering why you go and not Ami for example."

Her gaze became a nuance more stinging into him.

"I have a doctor in physics, astrophysics and chemistry as well. I am very well-abled to help our allies in this matter. Just for the record, I helped develop AICA's navigational systems."

"You did... You never told me." SunTzu told in surprise.

"Well, you never asked me." Came the response.

"You honestly didn't know that? I've talked with AICA about that several times already." Hotaru now chimed in.

Setsuna shot SunTzu a last glance and then got up. "At least AICA and her second pilot knew it." She wheezed, grabbed her belongings and left.

Michiru had quietly observed the conversation and now watched how SunTzu's gaze, a certain kind of sadness in his eyes followed Setsuna out of the room.

Poor Guy.

Around one hour later, SunTzu was sitting at a desk in the Air Center working through the inevitable paper work, with Haruka sitting at the opposite side of the table, struggling with the same. Both had their uniform jackets hung up on the back of their chairs.

"I bloody hate this, why did I tell Michiru I'll do all of it on my own? I swear I write more reports than I spent time in the cockpit."

"You know how it is, if we want to have those GA funds we gotta proof that we are fighting."

"Bollocks. I mean Rei was one of the Senators who promoted that bill, shouldn't that be proof enough?"

"That would be corruption and you know the Queen's stance to corruption. So we go with transparency."

Haruka leaned back against her chair and looked at the ceiling.

"I'll need a break. I'll see what the little one is doing. Coming along?"

"Nah, I'm coming along at a good pace. I'll see her later at the hangar for a flight anyways."

Haruka shrugged before she jumped up, took her jacket and left.

Twenty minutes later, SunTzu had finally finished all the reports when his mobile phone he had laying on the desk next to his computer vibrated.

Curiously he grabbed the phone and checked what he got sent. It was Michiru who shot him a message, she had went swimming with Ami after the meeting and now told him to come over, as she had some news to share, and Haruka wouldn't answer.

SunTzu nodded to himself, Haruka could easily forget time, and everything else around her, when she was doing something with her foster daughter.

Soon after SunTzu arrived at the swimming pool, Michiru had entered it again and was now swimming more lengths.

SunTzu stopped at the edge of the pool on the line Michiru used, observing her way to where he stood.

From the other side of the pool she dived all the way to him and then surfaced.

She was wearing a black, sportive and very tight swimming suit, the contrast highlighting her teal hair and the same colored nails as well as her deep blue eyes even more. She smiled at SunTzu after she had taken a deep breather after surfacing again.

"Lady Michiru of the Pool, you assembled me?"

"Hello SunTzu. You're alone?"

SunTzu shrugged with a grin.

"Any idea where my girlfriend vanished to?" Michiru continued.

"Left her paper work to hang out with her daughter."

"Oh. No wonder she doesn't write back. Anyways, so you're the first one to get the exclusive news then."

"Exclusive news?"

"Oui. Ami just told me that you Knights get augmentation. This is what Mamoru was teasing."

"New Knights, huh? Who could that be?"

"Two very intelligent men. Married to Senshi." She winked at him.

"Ryo and Kenji?" SunTzu's face took on the look of dumbfoundness. "But they are not fighters."

"I know. The Neo Queen decided to enlarge the order and include a new title, the title of scholar. The celebration will be held in two days."

SunTzu nodded, this meant Setsuna wouldn't be attending. Which at least means he couldn't fuck it up any more with her. Nonetheless deep down it might have been an unforced chance to spent some time with her or, one could dream, ask her for another dance, just to get close to her again. Then again, who was he kidding, she definitely wouldn't dance with him anymore.

Of course Michiru noticed that something was moving SunTzu and of course she knew what or rather whom that was. As she watched him absorbed in thought look into the water of the pool, she pressed her lips together, thinking about what she could tell him to make him feel better.

"It's typical for her." His gaze wandered over to Michiru and now that she had his attention, she jumped out of the water and moved out of the pool, rising up in front of SunTzu. "The more she feels for someone, the more she tries to persuade herself she hasn't feelings for that person. It was exactly the same the last time."

SunTzu was about to ask Michiru something when suddenly Haruka appeared in the room.

"Oi Michiru! I'm sorry, I was doing some training with Hotaru and didn't see your messages. Ey, SunTzu what are you doing here?"

Michiru's shot a glance to SunTzu and then began to grin. In her incomparable ways Michiru would get back at her girlfriend for interrupting her trying to lift up her friend's mood.

"Since you weren't available I asked SunTzu to come over to rub my back dry." She reached to the starting block of the lane she had used and grabbed her towel from it and handed it to SunTzu.

Haruka's eyebrows furrowed as Michiru turned around and SunTzu begun to dry her back gently with the towel.

They furrowed even more when Michiru straightened up, popped her chest out and tilted her head to look at SunTzu. Her beautiful features now were on full display in the swim suit.

"SunTzu, do you think my bathing suit is too tight?" She asked in a very flirtatious voice.

And then both, her and SunTzu, bursted into laughter after taking a look in Haruka's confused face.

Still laughing a moment later, SunTzu handed Michiru the towel and she began to dry herself while both of them let Haruka know about the upcoming ball and Knighting.

Of course it was pure coincidence that AICA and SunTzu were having a little exercise flight over the bay of Tokyo just at the time the Royal Shuttle left for the United States with a single passenger onboard. And training to escort a shuttle wasn't the worst exercise to spontaneously incorporate into the A-Wing's and it's pilot's training program.

SunTzu was pretty sure she knew that he followed the Lambda-Shuttle as he couldn't feel her at all in the Force which meant she was cloaking herself. Nonetheless he followed Captain Tanaka piloting the shuttle into the beginning of space and then said his goodbye in form of a wave of AICA's stubby wing followed by peeling off back towards the Bay of Tokyo again.

SunTzu felt as bad as he had when Setsuna had totally neglected him the last times he had seen her when he crossed back into Earth's atmosphere.

What he didn't know was that she had been observing his escort the whole time.

She actually had masked her aura to make sure he wouldn't sense her excitement for the gesture, the butterflies in her tummy, the acceleration of her heartbeat. It had been decades that someone had given her a honorable escort just for her, not because she needed one, no, especially to show his care and adoration to her. Chivalry apparently wasn't completely dead and this shown to her by that damn troublemaker that SunTzu was, how ironic. No, today this wasn't fair to say, with this little action he showed that there was that man possible of being the First Knight of Crystal Tokyo underneath all that mess that SunTzu was. It almost made her forget her anger with him.

Good thing she was off to the states. Damn Troublemaker.

As First Knight of Crystal Tokyo SunTzu was an important figure in the upcoming ceremony to knight Kenji and Ryo along with the Grand Knights. And since the Neo Queen had become pretty fond of these formal ceremonies, they all had to exercise the whole thing until they almost dropped. It was especially hard for Yuichiro, who never had done much drills before. Not that SunTzu had done a lot of them but at least he had enough military background and experience for it.

Somehow they had managed it in time to be presentable for the invited guests and since Yuichiro and the Neo Queen were old buddies, the Knights of Crystal Tokyo were even allowed to keep their facial hairs, something Yuichiro, SunTzu and Rudy were very fond of. According to a certain blond First of the Senshi who had been there the King had asked his wife as well if he should try out growing a beard or at least keep some stubble as well but was immediately told to not do so by the Neo Queen.

The ceremony began in the late afternoon with an inspection and approval of the Knights and the Royal Guards through the Royal Couple before the two new Knights Scholars of the Royal Order of Crystal Tokyo were knighted just as SunTzu and the others had been before them, SunTzu standing on the right of his King and Sailor Venus on the left of her Queen, with the Rest of the Inner Circle close by, except for Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter, who had been positioned next to their husbands. Ami was proudly beaming and Makoto even had tears in her eyes when the Queen, using her husband's sword, knighted them.

After the knighting ceremony, and a lot of shaken hands afterwards, a banquet was to be held before a ball. Attendees, apart from members of the Court, Government and Military of Royal Tokyo, were mostly friends, coworkers and family of the two new Knight Scholars as well as selected state guests. Setsuna was not the only high-ranking member of the Taskforce who was missing as SunTzu had learned the day before that Master Cilghal had traveled to Coruscant for a meeting of the Jedi High Council. SunTzu couldn't help but think that maybe the usual fall into unruliness that the typical ball in Crystal Tokyo had, might could have encouraged the rather quiet Jedi to miss out even more.

This time the long table was back and SunTzu was sitting close to the Royals with the Senshi, the Grand Knights and the newly appointed Knights Scholars, who had been placed in the middle of the Sailor Senshi.

The Senshi had detransformed for the ball, or in Makoto's and Ami's case, were in their princess forms.

Haruka was sitting next to SunTzu and she definitely stood out this night. Wearing a fitted creme-colored three piece suit without a collared-shirt underneath, which prominently displayed a lot of cleavage as the first buttons were open, as well as stiletto heels, she both draw the attention of ladies and gentlemen.

From her constant grabbing and the sparkle in her gaze SunTzu could tell that Michiru was mesmerized by her girlfriend and couldn't wait to leave with her.

"Haruka, looking sharp tonight." He greeted his best friend as he sat down, being one of the last to enter the room the banquet was held in.

The blonde-haired smiled and tightened the fit of her jacket, drawing even more attention to her cleavage.

"Yeah. Women, men, doesn't matter. Tonight I'm making everyone gay."

Both friends laughed before they took the glasses of champagne on the table and clinged them together.

SunTzu was the only one, except Diana and Hotaru, who had to be told by her teal-haired foster mother to once join the table and not stand guard, who was there without company. SunTzu of course knew that it was custom to bring a companion to a Royal Ball, especially in a position like his, and for the shortest of moments the thought to find someone to accompany him tonight had crossed his mind. Only to be immediately being dismissed again. No, if it wouldn't be with her, he rather would break with etiquette and go alone, but of course the topic came up at the table.

"I really thought you'd bring a date tonight."

"Uhm, yeah, Yuichiro. Bad choice of topic."

"Why?"

"As if the kraut could get any pussy at all."

"Haruka!"

"I'm sorry if you thought you could take me for a dance tonight, but if you saw that famous actor couple on the other side of the table, that's my double date for this night. Just wanted to eat in peace so I didn't let them sit at my side."

"Such a handsome man. And that woman..."

"Oi!"

"Thank you Michiru. I'm having myself two servings of yummy dessert tonight."

"But for real now, SunTzu, I expected someone who dated this beautiful although fiery woman next to me to not have problems bringing a date, especially to such an occasion."

"Yuichiro, don't be so curios. It's not your godsdamn business."

"No, it's really okay, Yuichiro. After what happened with my last girlfriend I'll try to take things easy."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that then."

"Yeah, because you goof couldn't stop it."

"No it's cool. Don't worry Rei."

"Waiting for the right one then I guess."

"Yeah. Waiting for the right one."

Fortunately for Yuichiro the conversation was then interrupted by the waiters serving the first course, right before Rei could slate him some more for his curiosity.

As always the food had been exquisite and after the banquet the attendants were called to the ball room. At this point the new Knight Scholars already needed the firm grips of their wives to stand firm as they had to toast with what seemed to be the half Taskforce. The mood was frolicsome and Michiru and Haruka had an impromptu idea. After a quick conversation with the Palace staff a piano was rolled into the room.

Before the dance floor was opened Michiru, supported by Haruka on the piano, sang Alicia Key's "If I ain't got you" for the party at the ball, a little vow of love for the woman she just couldn't keep her hands off tonight.

Of course they earned thunderous applause afterwards.

The dance was then officially opened by the Neo Queen and the King dancing to a Waltzer before the Princess and her boyfriend as well as the two Knight Scholars and their wives joined in. It became obvious fast that the two academics weren't as agile dancers as the King though, especially in their already tipsy state.

While the rest of the attendants afterwards flooded the floor to dance, SunTzu stood back at the edge of the dance floor and watched on, how Minako in her yellow ball dress danced tightly with that famous actor, how delighted Chibiusa was to dance to with Helios, how deeply mesmerized from each other King and Queen were.

SunTzu was thinking about to get a drink and to post himself at the bar the rest of the night, Setsuna wasn't here so she couldn't care, especially if he kept a low profile instead being visible on the dancefloor, when suddenly a soft, delicate hand grabbed around his right hand.

"Care to dance with me?" Hotaru asked the dumbfounded SunTzu.

"Errrr… sure." SunTzu replied and she nodded and then glanced in another direction before she lead him onto the dancefloor.

Out of curiosity SunTzu turned his head towards where she had been looking, only to see a young man, the Neo Queen's younger brother, standing right there, apparently looking for someone.

They danced to the next song that came on, with Hotaru, dressed in a high-necked black dress with lots of net lace, curiously glancing over SunTzu's shoulder before visibly becoming more relaxed after having behold what she had wanted to see as they took position on the floor.

"Oh, very good. A three quarter Waltzer. Mom loves Waltzer so it's best you're becoming really good at those." Hotaru announced after they both had stopped in front of each other at the dancefloor and then grabbed SunTzu's hands.

"I don't think your mom has any interest in dancing with me." SunTzu stated soberly and the teenager's head slightly slumped down.

"I'm sorry that she's so often mad at you because of me."

A finger under her chin forced her gaze back onto his.

"Stop saying stuff like that, Firefly. It always were mine decisions and actions. You're not to blame for it."

She looked at him with big eyes.

"But it's nice that you try to built me up. And thanks for taking your old trainer for a spin."

Both smiled at each other.

In that moment Chibiusa whirled around them.

"Hey Taru, up for a dance with a hot pink-haired baddie? I sent Helios to get me something to drink.

Hotaru looked at SunTzu and he nodded softly.

"The Princess is a way better dancer than I am anyways."

She smiled and then they ended their dance and the two girls immediately grabbed each other's hands and began theirs.

SunTzu made his way off the dance floor when he saw the probably most eye-catching couple that night.

"Can I have the next dance?" He asked Michiru, whose ball dress in the colors of her hair was definitely a sight equal to Haruka, and Michiru nodded.

"Haruka, I'm thirsty." She told the other half of her soul and took SunTzu's hand. While Haruka had no time for a comeback as both had already swirled away.

"I have to say I'm suprised, mon'Cher. I didn't think you were in mood for dancing."

"Guess your daughter got me into one. Oh and the prospect to steal you out of Haruka's arms for the stupid look on her face did it's part too."

Both shared a small laughter as they danced, one hand on each other's hip and the other on the shoulder of the other.

"But I have to be honest, Haruka is pretty much succeeding in her mission giving everyone the hots tonight."

"Poutain, I love her tétons in that outfit."

"EVEN I love them in that outfit. Shit, did I just say out loud that I love something about Haruka? Stays between us, okay?"

Both laughed again.

"Do me a favor and never loose your humor." Michiru said as they danced on.

"If I ever do that, I want you throw me out of an airlock." For a moment they danced on to the quiet song that the Royal Orchestra of Crystal Tokyo was playing.

"Did you hear from her?" SunTzu finally asked while the song slowly came to an end.

"Yes. Busy as always." Michiru nodded.

"I see."

The slow song was replaced by a much more livid one and since Haruka still wasn't back the two Guardians, strictly through their eyes and unspoken words, came to the accordance to share this song on the dancefloor as well.

Moving to the music, they whirled over the dancefloor for the song and then left, Michiru really needed a drink now.

"Good that Mina and Rei teached you to dance properly. That was fun."

"Hey Michiru?"

They were at the beginning of the dancefloor when SunTzu stopped and Michiru turned towards him.

"We were interrupted before."

"Our talk about Setsuna?"

SunTzu nodded before he asked. "What happened last time?"

Michiru was silent for a moment before she took a side glance at Hotaru standing with Chibiusa and Helios nearby talking.

"I cannot tell you. But as I said, before she fell for this man she tried her hardest to bring distance in between them. So, keep it up with her, she needs that." SunTzu's gaze followed her before he himself did as she had done and walked over to Haruka who held up two glasses of red wine.

Michiru was taking a big sip from her glass when SunTzu arrived next to them.

"Mon Dieu, I needed that." She said after savoring the wine for a second, her gaze lying on her lover's chest

"Mhm, Haruka mon cœur, me and SunTzu were talking. You definitely should show the twins more to the public."

SunTzu burst into laughter when he saw the bewildered look on Haruka's face and was joined by Michiru's amused laughter.

When the Teal-haired and the German had calmed down again, Michiru apologized to Haruka with a kiss on her cheek and before linking in under her arm, a intense, love-filled gaze between the two lovers cleared everything.

SunTzu observed the two silently, wishing that one day, he would had something like that as well again.

While Haruka and Michiru teased each other some more he looked around. His gaze fell on all the couples. Ami and Ryo, Usagi and Mamoru, Makoto and Kenji, Luna and Artemis, Chibiusa and Helios, Rei and Yuichiro. The tender looks, the signs of affection, the closeness and intimacy.

Yeah, he missed that. He missed being with someone he loved. And who loved him.

"Hey, I'm gonna have a drink at the bar. I'll catch up with the two of you later." He apologized to his two wingwomen and left.

At the bar he ordered a Cognac and when he received it, he noticed Minako standing at the other side of the bar, in very close distance to the two actors. The actress's hands were already around the Senshi of Love's waist while the male actor whispered something into her ear, which made Minako smile.

The blonde catched a glimpse of SunTzu and shot him a smile to which he answered with raising his glass towards her which made her wink at him before she turned back to the actor.

At least Minako is not a lonely soul tonight.

SunTzu downed the drink and then immediately ordered a new one. No, he hadn't forgotten how to numb down those feelings. It just had been some time.