Chapter 7: Meeting of the Planets
January 22, 8983
The Moon had been the center of the Silver Millennium for as long as anyone could remember, and the beautiful palace towering over the bustling capital city was the most permanent landmark on that shining silver sphere. In the past few thousand years, however, a second landmark had grown nearby, a much smaller building colored in silver and gold, a temple of sorts to a young godling and his obsession with his beloved but vanished sister. Setsuna stood across the street from the tall temple for hours, unmoving, barely blinking, as hundreds of supplicants and cultists passed through the tall doors throughout the day. Her plan had been to enter the temple, speak with Tranquility, and immediately leave, but she still stood, frozen in place, hours after appearing on the Moon. Her memories of the happy times she shared with Tranquility and his twin sister Serenity long ago filled her mind, threatening to overwhelm her senses. The image of Serenity vanishing in a shower of silver dust inevitably followed, the goddess banishing herself to save a future even Pluto could not see.
"Are you ready to come in, yet?"
Setsuna finally moved, turning to face the winged white-robed man who had joined her in her vigil hours before, his golden hair the same brilliant shade she had known in her youth, his sad blue eyes waiting for her response. No one else would have dared to approach the brooding queen, the mortals well-aware of her solitary nature. "There is nothing here for me."
"I am here, Se. I will always be here for you, whether you want me to be or not." He raised one arm, gesturing toward his temple. "Come inside and see the beautiful art my priests and priestesses have dedicated to her."
Sighing, Setsuna nodded, following the taller man into the cool refuge of the temple, her black dress still sparkling in the light from the gems Aphrodite had used to decorate it. They entered the temple in silence, Setsuna taking a moment to silently admire the stained-glass depictions of her lost friend before entering a small room behind the altar with her male companion. They each took a seat silently, the golden man patient as the dark senshi tried to decide what to say.
"I never planned to come here."
"I know."
"I think your quest to find Serenity is both foolish and doomed. I do not think you should give your followers the power to sense true love or the power to influence the direction of a heart. That is Eros's domain, and you should leave it be."
"I have heard all of this before, Se. And only the most loyal of my followers ever receive a bow and wings. Only they who have ascended to the level of godling can help me search the world for any trace of Serenity. I have done nothing not permitted by my parents and the Pantheon."
Setsuna looked up at him then, worry in her garnet eyes as she extended a data crystal to her old friend. He inserted it into a nearby computer, watching as Setsuna's time knot filled the air before him, fluctuating as new data from Pluto was added. "Do you see? That section at the top is related to your Cupids in some way."
"I see it," he murmured, tapping a few controls and magnifying the spot tinged pink. "There is a black line woven through this section, and a silver one right next to it. Perhaps this means that we can stop the catastrophe if my Cupids can find Serenity."
"Or it means that your search for Serenity is hopeless and something evil is coming for you and your Cupids. I came to you, Tranquility, after Aphrodite noticed that section. There have been two events recently that cleared some of the knot away, and I hoped that you could help me save the Silver Millennium from the coming disaster."
The godling nodded, copying the data into his own computers as he handed the crystal back to the Queen of Pluto. "I will have my Council gather all of the active Cupids on the Moon and Earth, and we will determine the source of this darkness. You will see that my Cult of the Broken Wing can help you."
"I hope so," Setsuna admitted, rising to leave. "There are parts of my past that I never want to remember, but we have always been friends. I am glad that I have your support in this, Tranquility."
Makoto stood silently behind Ami as the princess gave her report to the Queen and King of Jupiter, her three brothers lined up behind her. Meika nodded as Ami finished, turning to summon someone from her reception chamber before standing from her throne. "I do not know much about the Uranus situation, but what Queen Yumemi told you is true. There is a Full Council on Titan in a few weeks."
"We expect you two to accompany us to that meeting." Ami gasped as her mother emerged from behind the throne, ice blue eyes locked on her daughter. "I came to discuss the situation on Titan with Meika, and we have decided that both of you are ready to be the next generation of senshi to defend this galaxy."
"I haven't finished my survey yet," Ami argued, eyes wide as her blue-haired mother held out the Mercury henshin stick without hesitation. "I'm not ready." She would never be ready, as her mother well knew, but she had to take the power willingly.
"You have to be," Amami replied earnestly. "We queens are getting old, and our power is waning while yours is growing exponentially. Meika received a report today that the daughter of Queen Rikuriko defeated her mother in a fierce battle for the Mars henshin stick. It was one of the most epic battles between a current and future Sailor Mars that I have ever seen, that I have ever even heard of. Just before the end of the fight, Minako, daughter of Asakaze, managed to force her Sailor Venus transformation without ever having seen the henshin stick, and that is unheard of. Minako is your age, Ami, and Rei is only a few months older. There have never been senshi so powerful and yet so young. The leader and second-in-command of the Inner Senshi have transformed; now they need a team to lead. You two are that team, not Meika and myself. We are old; it is your time to fight, now."
When Amami held the henshin stick out for a second time, Ami did not hesitate. She gasped as a cool rush of sensation flowed through her slender frame, the uniform of Sailor Mercury replacing her travel garb and a tiara appearing on her forehead. She felt her consciousness pulled in a thousand different directions as her mind worked overtime to analyze her environment and calculate to the last detail what action each person might take next, extrapolating past relationships and future desires. She watched impassively as Meika descended from her throne, having already deduced that the Queen of Jupiter would also pass on her henshin stick, smiling as her strong guard transformed into Sailor Jupiter in a swirl of lightning.
Makoto and Ami released their transformations, staring at their mothers in wonder at the turn the meeting had taken. Neither one of them had expected to leave the throne room as Sailor Senshi, but clearly that had been the plan of the queens all along. Amami moved to stand beside Meika's throne, her daughter cataloguing every action for future analysis. "Now that you two are senshi, you must travel to the Moon and begin your training with Venus and Mars. I am sorry to have thrown you into battle so quickly, but this Council meeting indicates that there might be a fight and you need to be prepared."
"We understand," Makoto replied, bowing to the throne before marching out of the room with her brothers on her heels. Ami and her research team followed moments later, something she had seen bothering the Mercurian princess.
Makoto led the group to the Royal Wing of the palace, her brothers taking their guests to quarters where they could freshen up before the midday meal and their departure, but Ami, lost in thought, absently followed the green-haired princess into her chambers. Makoto closed the door and watched as Ami sank into the nearest sofa, her blue eyes distant as calculations swam through her mind. Shrugging, Makoto removed the rust-colored armor she had been wearing that morning, dropping it on a nearby table to be cleaned as she headed for her private bath.
When she emerged ten minutes later, running a comb through her damp locks and wondering how long it would take to get her hair dryer fixed, Ami was still sitting on the small couch, sapphire eyes staring blankly into space. Crossing her arms over her chest, Makoto cleared her throat, wondering what the genius was thinking about. Ami glanced up at the noise, blushing furiously and turning away at the other woman's state of undress. "I . . . uh . . . Mako, you're naked."
"Happens after you take a shower." Makoto tilted her head to one side as she realized that Ami wasn't going to take the opportunity to look at her, so she was going to have to take the first step. "Don't you like what you see?"
Ami's blush darkened and she swallowed convulsively a few times before she was able to answer. "I've never seen . . . and you have very large . . . I don't think I should look."
"I think you should," Makoto purred, walking forward and kneeling before Ami on the couch. She reached out and cupped Ami's cheek in one hand, smiling gently at the smaller woman as blue eyes met green. "Do you think my breasts are too large?"
Ami shook her head, letting herself smile a little. "They just don't look the same as when you were wearing your armor."
"Of course not; I have to bind them a bit so that I can fight easily. Otherwise they are always getting in the way."
"I hear that on Earth there are women warriors called Amazons who cut off one of their breasts so they can shoot arrows without that problem." Imparting knowledge was Ami's natural reaction to embarrassment, but at least her blush faded somewhat.
"Really? That might help, but I kind of like both of mine just fine." Makoto leaned forward and kissed Ami's forehead, smiling as she stood and walked over to her closet. "You should get cleaned up before the midday meal; we'll have to leave right after."
"They're lovers."
Makoto turned back to Ami after slipping a shift over her head, raising one eyebrow at the certainty in the other woman's eyes. "Who?"
"Meika and Amami. They have been for some time. I have been analyzing what I observed in the throne room and I think I figured it out."
Makoto shook her head in denial as she pulled a gold-accented green dress from her closet. Although she preferred suits and armor, her father insisted that she dress in a ladylike manner while she was in Court. She didn't usually mind it, but she would miss the casual dress code of Ami's survey mission. "Ami, there's no way. Mother has been happily married to my father for years and they have four children. Why would she jeopardize that by taking a lover?"
"I think it's the other way around. They married to cover up their relationship." She watched as Makoto slipped into her gown and sat in front of her mirror to brush her hair. "Do you suppose the Ancient Laws forbid a marriage between two senshi because it is likely to happen if the princesses follow their own hearts?"
"I think it might happen . . . if I were to follow my own heart," Makoto admitted softly. A long silence stretched between them as Ami considered the Jovian's words, trying to decide what she should do about her feelings for Makoto. The green-haired princess knew that her shy companion did not know what to say, so she carefully moved the conversation back to her suggestion when she emerged from her shower. "Ami, my servants will be here in a moment to fix my hair and makeup. If you'd like to wash up, I can have something brought for you to wear, too."
"Thank you, Mako; I will."
Rei had only ever visited the Moon Palace once, and she had been so young she barely remembered anything. Standing outside of the huge building, Minako on one side and Kazemaru on the other, she let herself revel in the awe inspired by the sight. "It is a lovely palace."
"I wouldn't have expected a Martian to say that," Kazemaru replied, his voice teasing as always. "Beauty is not your strong point."
"And you don't know when to be serious. This is a big moment for us, coming to the Moon to meet the Princess and begin to train."
The Uranian shrugged. "I've spent too much of my life serious, and I imagine that most of the rest of it will also be like that. Sometimes we just need to relax and have fun."
"Well, you have certainly chosen a good place for that," Minako observed, watching as a handful of her servants carried their luggage into the palace, a Lunarian servant running off to fetch the queen. "The Moon Kingdom is the most peaceful place in the entire Silver Millennium. For a few days, we will have feasts and visit with the Royal Family along with the princesses of Jupiter and Mercury, but once we start training we won't have time to hang out with you. I hope you can keep yourself occupied, Kazemaru."
"I'm sure I can find something to do," he replied, his emerald eyes sparkling with mischief. He paused suddenly, turning to stare into the distance, his stance catching the attention of the two princesses.
"What?"
"A storm is brewing," he whispered, his eyes glowing with a strange light. On his left side, hidden from his two traveling companions, the Space Sword glowed in excitement for just a moment. Shaking his head to clear the echoes of the premonition, he found that he was looking at a silver and gold temple in the distance, the tall spires calling to him. "What is that temple?"
Minako shrugged. "That's the Temple of Serenity." When her companions looked at her in confusion, she explained its origin. "Legend has it that there were once three young gods who roamed the cosmos, playing together as the best of friends. Two of them were twins of light, Serenity and Tranquility, and the third was the dark daughter of Hades, but her name has been long since lost. They created the first Sailor Senshi, the ones before the Patron Gods decided to get involved, and founded the nine kingdoms ten thousand or so years ago. Serenity the goddess, daughter of Eros and Psyche, was the parent—and that's the exact wording, parent instead of mother—of the first Queen Serenity of the Moon, though the name of the other parent is unknown. She united the kingdoms and thus began the Silver Millennium. At some point, a few thousand years later, the goddess Serenity saw a dark future for our kingdoms if she remained alive, so she scattered herself to the cosmic winds on the condition that she would be reborn when 'the Moonlight shines in the Darkness and the Wind and the Sea give birth to the Sun'.
"Her death drove her brother almost insane, but in time he calmed and formed a cult of loyal followers to help him find his sister and determine the meaning of the prophecy. The most loyal he promotes to Cupids, giving them wings and the ability to influence love in others. Most of us don't believe that they have any real power other than their wings, but they worship him and his lost sister. They call him Cupid #1 Alpha and they themselves are called the Cult of the Broken Wing. The people of the Moon tolerate their presence, but their fanaticism and power make everyone uneasy. There are other temples in some of the kingdoms, but this is their power base."
"I'd like to see that prophecy."
Minako nodded, having expected that reaction. "This is probably the only place in the entire Silver Millennium where you can. The Palace keeps a paper where Tranquility scribbled the words, but I have always thought that it was incomplete."
"A physical paper? Is it not on the InfoNet?"
"No. Many generations ago, the Queen of Pluto banned any electronic copies of many of the earliest prophecies. They only exist in their original printed forms, though most of those started to vanish about seven thousand years ago, and the ones that are left are probably buried in a vault on Pluto somewhere. I'll take you to see that one, though."
The trio looked up as a flurry of activity and a blaring of trumpets announced the arrival of Queen Serenity to the courtyard amid a cloud of ladies, advisors, and guards. Minako, Rei, and Kazemaru stepped forward, their own small retinue of servants clustered behind them. The silver-haired queen, her lavender eyes kind and wise, smiled at the trio of travelers, holding out one hand, palm facing outwards, in the traditional Lunar greeting. "Welcome to the Moon."
"We are honored to be here," Minako replied, touching palms with the Queen before dropping to a curtsy. Rei echoed her curtsy while Kazemaru bowed. "I am Minako, High Princess of Venus, current Sailor Venus."
"You are most welcome here, Minako. Please, introduce your companions."
There was an old—often considered very odd—tradition on the Moon that the leader of each group would introduce herself and all of her companions, no matter if they were all of equal rank. Kazemaru had heard of the tradition, but it felt weird not to introduce himself to the High Queen of the Silver Millennium.
"This is High Princess Rei of Mars, current Sailor Mars, and this is Kazemaru of Uranus, son of the High Duke of Umbriel." The blonde Uranian resisted the urge to wince as Minako referred to him as a son, but in all fairness he did dress and act the part of a man. He, however, always introduced himself as the child of the High Duke, rather than the son. "We heard that the princesses of Jupiter and Mercury will be joining us."
Queen Serenity nodded. "I have received that information, as well. They are supposed to arrive tonight, so I have prepared a great feast to honor all of you. I am glad to see a new generation of senshi taking up the mantle of protecting this kingdom. Please, let me show you to your suite." The queen turned back to the palace, her flock fanning out around her in a new pattern that left space for the three newcomers to walk by her side.
The huge entrance hall shone in the sunlight from the windows high overhead, the effect dazzling to the three guests. Serenity led the trio down a large side corridor, a plush white carpet on the floor to muffle the sounds of footsteps, paintings covering the walls on either side. They reached a set of golden doors moments after entering the hall, the queen smiling as her servants reached for the handles. "This is the largest guest suite in the palace. There is a main room, as you can see, and five bedrooms branching off. Each bedroom has a private bath, and the door in the back leads to the princess's private gardens. I have assigned these servants to you while you are here, so if you need anything, please just ask." All of the servants who had followed the queen—Kazemaru counted twenty in total—separated themselves from the main group and filled the room, entering the private rooms in pairs to organize and stock them. "Since Duke Kazemaru traveled here with you, I assume you want him to stay in these chambers with you? There are enough rooms if you do, otherwise I can arrange accommodations for him across the hall."
"Kazemaru can stay here," Rei replied off-handedly, already walking around the room to examine a pair of statues sitting on a corner table. "He isn't much trouble, in any case."
"Will you require more servants, then? I can have some man-servants assigned to you."
Kazemaru shook his head. "No, Your Majesty, that will not be necessary. My father never had much use for personal servants, and I am used to taking care of myself without them." Indeed, over the last five or so years, Kazemaru had rarely used his servants for serving, more for flirtation games and sexual release. Once his father had learned of that, all of the female servants in the palace had been reassigned and he had been given a trio of very silent manservants from Pluto who cleaned his suite and provided what he needed but did nothing to alleviate the boredom of palace life. He did not miss that at all.
"As you wish. Please, take your time settling in. I have many important meetings today so I will not be able to enjoy the midday meal with you, but I will have a servant bring you to supper after the other two arrive."
Queen Serenity stopped dead at the sight that met her eyes. Lounging in the ornate throne-like chair at the head of the conference table as if she belonged there, sat a brooding queen who had vowed to never again visit the Moon after the Presentation of Serenity fourteen years earlier. The dark woman turned her head as the silver-haired queen dismissed her servants and advisors, garnet eyes calling for her across the room. "I was wondering if you were going to take all day with those princesses, Serenity."
The queen swallowed, not used to being at a loss for words, as the tall, green-haired woman stood from the throne and sauntered across the room. Her customary long, black dress sparkled in the light, and Serenity found herself remembering the ball on Jupiter where they first met. "Hello, Setsuna."
"It is good to see you again, Serenity. How is your daughter?"
"She is strong and spirited, and she will grow into a graceful woman and a wonderful queen. Would you like to see her?"
Setsuna shook her head, standing an arms-length away from her regent. "I came on business, and I cannot stay long. In a few weeks, I and the other queens and senshi are going to have a Full Council on Titan. Princess Hotaru is awakening as Sailor Saturn."
"What?! There hasn't been a Saturn in almost two thousand years!"
"I know. There is a huge distortion in the time continuum that I cannot unravel, so I have been traveling to the various planets to see if I can solve it."
"Why are you here?"
Setsuna smiled and reached out, resting a hand on Serenity's cheek. "I've missed you," she whispered, the threat of tears in her voice. "I wasn't going to visit the palace, but I found it impossible to stay away once I was on the Moon."
Nuzzling Setsuna's hand briefly, Serenity reached up and pulled it away to stop the desire threatening to fill her frame, holding it gently in her own hand. "Why did you come here in the first place, Setsuna?"
"I had to speak with Tranquility." The pain in Setsuna's voice brought tears to Serenity's eyes, and she felt the dark queen reach up again to brush them away. Even after fourteen years, Setsuna could still calm the smaller woman. "He has mobilized his Cupids to try to identify a dark tangle in the time knot. Being in his temple brought back a lot of old memories, most of them very painful, so I wanted to see you. In the past seven thousand years, I have only truly been happy with you."
"You could stay for a while," she offered, knowing that her former lover would refuse.
"I can't. You're a temptation I could never resist. I just needed to see you for a moment. Please, tell your daughter that I would have liked to see her if I had more time."
"The Senshi of Time talking about not having enough?"
Setsuna grinned and stepped back, calling on her Sailor Pluto transformation, Time Staff appearing in her hand. "We never have enough time for the ones we love." She vanished in a flash of garnet light, Serenity falling into a nearby chair as silence filled the room. Seeing Setsuna again . . . had shaken her. All of the memories of the good times they shared vied for attention in her mind, but she focused on the last time she had seen the dark queen. Setsuna had been standing in her royal chambers, a silent baby in Serenity's arms and tears in both of their eyes. She remembered watching as her beloved Sailor Pluto vanished from her life, and it had taken her years to get used to being alone. Seeing Setsuna, touching her for the first time in fourteen years, almost shattered the fragile control she had built to protect her heart from the loneliness. The silver-haired queen sat in the silent conference room for hours, struggling to regain her former calm. She was mostly successful.
The wind blowing across the sea drove the waves to crash against the base of the great castle, staining the dark blue marble with white foam. Watching the elements vent their fury, the aqua-haired princess sitting in her room high overhead felt something in her soul stir in agitation. The sea had always called to her with its healing beauty, but there was a need on the wind this morning that she could not identify. If only she could look into the Aqua Mirror . . . but her mother kept it locked away where it could not bother her.
"Michiru."
The princess looked up from her thoughts, a data pad forgotten in her hands. Her mother, a tall woman with aqua and blue hair highlighted in white, glared at her only child with cold teal eyes. Michiru did not remember many moments of warmth from her mother, a woman mourning her lost love. Michiru's father had died before she was born, and all of the servants blamed Shousha's attitude on losing Tsuyu, but Michiru suspected that he was not the source of the queen's pain. "I thought you were studying."
"I finished everything on your list for today and tomorrow." Her voice was calm and unwavering, even in the face of her mother's harsh criticism. Nothing Michiru have ever accomplished in her life seemed to matter to the harsh woman; she demanded more, and better, every time.
"Then why haven't you started memorizing the speeches of the first Neptunian Queens?"
Michiru turned back to her window and suppressed the urge to tell her mother how boring she found those speeches, trying to decide the best way to express the odd urge she felt as she watched the waters slam into the base of the castle. "The sea is stormy," she whispered, her teal eyes darkening almost to sapphire. Shousha started at her only daughter's words, struggling to hide her shock as the princess turned back to her. "In any case, I decided to read some of the Ancient Prophecies and the multitude of translations of the Ancient Laws. There are some serious discrepancies between the various translations, and it is impossible to know which one is the most accurate."
"The prophecies are all too obscure for it to matter what language they were translated into, but the Ancient Laws have accepted translations already. It is pointless to study them now. Memorize your speeches." Shousha turned to leave, having already decided to check the Aqua Mirror to see what had set off her daughter's premonition, but she stopped halfway across the room. "I heard that you dismissed another servant today."
"She said my hair was the color of seaweed."
"It is," Shousha replied flatly.
Michiru tossed her wavy aqua hair over her shoulder, miffed that her mother's quick observation mimicked that of the dismissed servant. "It is the color of the ocean when the sun shines through the depths and it has the texture of finest silk. She also fumbled multiple times when she was fixing my makeup, and I cannot have mistakes that might mar my appearance."
The queen sighed, knowing what a lost cause her slightly narcissistic daughter could be sometimes. She had never been so much trouble when she was a young princess. "Do you know how hard it is to find servants who will even enter your chambers these days? You have them terrified that one slip-up will end their easy jobs in the Royal Palace."
"Nonsense. I hear that you hire them into your wing if I reject them."
"Sometimes you are impossible." As Shousha left her reception room, Michiru allowed herself a brief smile. The servant had not been bad, but the only rebellion she had ever been allowed was the right to dismiss her own servants. She barely needed any servants at all, so she kept a minimum staff to take care of her dresses, hair, and makeup. She was tidy enough that her servants only had to spot clean, so the few she had were the happiest in the palace.
Shousha glared at the dark surface of the mirror, fighting back a headache as she tried to see what had worried her daughter. No matter how long she stared, the Mirror remained black, the henshin stick silent in her hand. She had not tried to transform or look into the mirror in over twenty years, and now it was clear that she would never be able to again. What should she do?
"You must pass them on to Michiru," a dark voice answered her unspoken question. Sighing, Shousha turned, not the least bit surprised to find Sailor Pluto standing uninvited in the center of her armory. "You did not answer my message."
"I do not plan to attend your meeting," the blue-haired queen replied, her teal eyes hard and unyielding, as they had been since the day Kazeko died. "No matter the crisis, I am not interested in seeing the other queens and kings any time soon. I suppose you forgot what happened the last time we all gathered."
"I have not forgotten," Pluto replied, an old pain in her soft voice. "Unlike all of you, I am not afforded the luxury of forgetting anything." Her garnet eyes bored into Shousha's teal until the latter turned away in surrender. "You have your annual trip to Uranus in two days, and after that you must board a ship to Titan. It is clear to me now that the Neptune henshin stick no longer responds to you, so it would be a good idea to pass it on to your daughter before your trip."
"I will decide when it is time to pass it on."
"Michiru is already having premonitions. She is beginning to feel a disaster coming, one you cannot see without the cooperation of the Aqua Mirror." Pluto wrapped both of her hands around the Time Staff, darkening eyes challenging the younger queen. "You will come to Titan after you visit Oberon. You do not want me to come fetch you."
Shousha sighed and turned away from her one-time friend. She remembered fighting alongside the dark queen during the uprising on Pluto, back when the queens had been strong senshi and she and no yet known the loss of her beloved Kazeko. In deference for the allies they once had been, she decided to acquiesce. "No, I don't." Accepting that Shousha would not break her reluctant agreement, Pluto vanished in a flash of sound, leaving the brooding queen alone with her quiescent mirror.
Makoto and Ami followed the Lunarian servants into the spacious Moon Palace, one of them offering some excuse for Queen Serenity's absence that involved meetings, while another explained the history of the building and the various pieces of artwork they passed. The Jovian rolled her eyes, but restrained her impatience when she noticed that her scholarly companion seemed genuinely interested in something the servant was explaining. They reached their destination faster than Makoto had expected, one of the servants opening a pair of silver-inlaid opalescent doors to reveal a huge gathering room that rivaled the princess's own chambers in Io Palace in both size and beauty.
"Wow," she breathed, watching as the servants scurried into two adjacent side rooms, one carrying her belongings and the other carrying Ami's. "I didn't realize the rooms here would be so beautiful."
"The Moon Palace is known for its luxuriance," Ami replied, walking slowly around the chamber, examining the plush couches, embroidered cushions, and elegant tables. "My mother would have a fit if she saw so much unused space."
"Ah, our other guests have finally arrived."
Both princesses looked up at the husky voice, shocked to find a tall, blonde-haired man watching them from beside one of the other bedroom doors, his emerald eyes sparkling with humor and something else that made Ami blush. "H-hi," she managed, unable to determine what about the noble man sent shocks through her body or why her legs were suddenly weak. Makoto, sensing her friend's predicament, walked over and took Ami's arm, leading her to a couch where she could sit down.
An irritated sigh followed a crimson-haired woman into the room, her amethyst eyes glaring at the blonde man. "You should be more careful where you point those things, Kazemaru. I think you almost gave her a heart attack." Turning back to Makoto and Ami, the red-head smiled, putting both of them at ease. "Please forgive Kazemaru; he's a shameless flirt, but he's mostly harmless."
"Hey!" Kazemaru's objection fell on deaf ears as the red-head, whose appearance and poise marked her as Martian royal stock, approached the newcomers.
"I'm Rei, High Princess of Mars and the current Sailor Mars."
"I'm Makoto, Sailor Jupiter, and this is Ami, Sailor Mercury." She hesitated for a moment, not quite sure how to address the issue of the blonde noble man. "We didn't know you had a suitor with you."
Kazemaru chuckled at the statement, stepping closer to Rei and running a gentle hand down her arm, feigning injury when the Martian slapped his hand away. "He is certainly not my suitor, and please don't give him any ideas. He's just some scoundrel we picked up on Venus and we can't seem to get rid of him."
Kazemaru stood taller, straightening his suit jacket before offering a bow to the two new princesses. "I am Kazemaru, child of the High Duke of Umbriel. I am also currently single, so if either of you ladies is currently looking for a mate . . ."
"We're fine, thanks," Makoto replied dryly, sensing that the Uranian was teasing them. She had never known a Uranian who wasn't a shameless flirt, though she had met quite a few more women than men. They had all been harmless, though, as Rei had mentioned. Ami smiled shyly, her Mercurian mind noting that the duke's boots had a bit of heel to give him added stature, while his coat seemed a bit loose at the waist.
Her observations were interrupted by the arrival of their fourth senshi member, a slender blonde with intense blue eyes who glided gracefully into the room and offered a curtsy to the newcomers. "I am Minako, High Princess of Venus, and it is wonderful to have you both here. I know you had a long trip, so please take a moment to refresh yourselves before the dinner in an hour."
Ami watched Rei's reaction to the blonde, her mind furiously connecting the dots. The Martian's eyes dilated slightly when the Venusian entered the room, the pulse visible on her neck increasing as her smile deepened. She never looked away from the blonde, and she seemed to be holding herself back slightly. The Uranian, on the other hand, seemed to ignore Minako, despite his shameless flirting with both Ami and Rei moments before. Since Minako herself, as a Venusian, lived to flirt and would never refuse his attention even after marriage, she could not have been the one to curb Kazemaru's tongue. If not her . . . then Rei must have warned him off the blonde, a possessive action common among Martians toward threats to their partners. Were Rei and Minako lovers, then?
"Are you lovers?"
Ami shrunk back into the couch cushions as four pairs of shocked eyes turned to her, the Mercurian belatedly realizing that she had asked the question out loud. Kazemaru broke the silence with a chuckle, turning to Rei and shrugging. "She's a Mercurian, and the planetary senshi at that. She has deductive reasoning skills you can only dream of."
Ami nodded reluctantly, hoping that she had not alienated her new friends. "The signs are subtle, but other than your intense physical reaction to Minako, it's obvious that you warned Kazemaru to leave her alone, as any Martian would to protect her mate."
"It could be that Minako isn't his type," Makoto offered, offering the other two senshi a way out of confessing.
Rei snorted, reaching out to pull Minako into her arms. "Kazemaru doesn't have a type, and no one would believe him if he claimed to. You're right, of course, but we would prefer if you kept it among us."
"I would never tell," Ami promised. "My mother and Makoto's mother are also lovers."
"So are my mother and Rei's," Minako replied, shrugging. "We are told that a senshi's soul mate can only be born into a female body, one with power, so I assumed that all of us and all of our ancestors have senshi soul mates. The Ancient Laws will eventually separate us, but for now Rei and I are happy."
"You two should get ready for the dinner," Kazemaru offered gently, sensing that Ami was becoming uncomfortable talking about relationships. He guessed that the little blue-eyed woman had feelings for her tall companion that she had yet to figure out, but a little time on the Moon with people who would not judge them should help the pair settle into a relationship. The Mercurian looked up at him gratefully, excusing herself as she headed for her room and a quick bath. Makoto left, as well, and Kazemaru glanced over at his friends. "How long do you think they'll take?"
"Five days," Rei guessed, having noticed the same signs that had intrigued her Uranian companion. "Makoto is confident, but Ami will take some time both to get used to the idea of a relationship at all, let alone the idea of one with another woman."
"No, they will only take two days," Minako countered, blue eyes confident. "They've already done some of the initial things, like cuddling and kissing, so intimacy will follow quickly, Mercurian or not."
"Three days," Kazemaru argued. "Makoto will not want to push Ami, and Ami doesn't want to disappoint her Jovian. It will take them one day to become accustomed to the Moon and to us and one more day to do something romantic, like walking in the gardens alone or stargazing from the rooftop. After that, Makoto will be so wound up that even Ami will catch on to the mood, and they'll be lovers by the third day."
"You have it all planned out."
The Uranian grinned at Rei as he walked toward the doors leading out into the garden. "I have seduced dozens of women from every planet in the Silver Millennium, and I know how each one will react—and how long it will take to get them into my bed—from the moment I meet them. Jovians, like our dear Makoto, are brash and confident, much like Uranians, but without that burning passion thing you Martians seem to have in spades. If it weren't for your mothers and the restriction of the Ancient Laws, the two of you would have been together the first night." With that parting observation, he slipped out of the suite, heading deep into the private garden and leaving the Martian and Venusian alone.
"He's right, you know," Rei murmured, leaning down and gently nipping Minako's neck, her amethyst eyes darkening. "I wanted you as soon as I saw you, but I couldn't identify those emotions until later. If we had ended your search when you recognized me as your soul mate, I would have walked you to my room immediately and had my way with you."
Minako shivered at the desire coloring her lover's voice, glancing at the clock on the wall before grabbing Rei's hand and leading her into one of their rooms. There was no sense in wasting the hour before dinner.
AN (July 23, 2017): No significant changes in the chapter. I will be going through every chapter, adding dates, and making minor formatting/continuity changes before I finish and upload ch36. I want to make sure that any minor confusion that may have happened in the years since I rewrote chapter 1 are fixed before the last 2 chapters are released.