AN: Just a slight update with dates added
Chapter 8: Sword Dances
January 22, 8983 – January 24, 8983
The immense garden hidden between the wings of the palace was beautiful, despite Haruka's aversion to the word. She stood still on a crystal-studded path among the rainbow of flowers and well-tended bushes and let herself relax for the first time in weeks. Wind rushed to surround her tall form, whispering secrets that she couldn't yet understand, and she raised her arms, emerald eyes closed, enjoying the sensation.
"Do you like my gardens so much?"
Haruka had trained as a warrior her entire life, so the shock she felt at the appearance of the other woman never manifested itself in her stance. She turned slightly and opened her emerald eyes, falling to her knees as she instantly identified the owner of both the voice and the gardens. "Princess," she whispered, keeping her voice restrained to the husky, masculine register she had adopted years earlier. She should have expected to see the young Moon Princess at some point, but not like this.
The girl standing before the Wind Senshi was only fourteen, her slender form clad in a flowing silvery white dress and her golden hair reaching her ankles from two buns that matched the ones her mother wore. "Don't bow to me here," she whispered, watching the blonde rise to her feet. "I never want to see you on your knees, Haruka."
The Uranian's emerald eyes widened in shock as she felt her masculine image shattered in an instant by this tiny, blue-eyed princess. "How did you know?"
Serenity smiled and walked deeper into the garden, the warrior princess compelled to follow. "My mother received a report this morning from Miranda Castle. Apparently, the Princess of Uranus, her henshin stick, and the Space Sword were suddenly abducted a few days ago. King Koshu has gathered the War Queens' Council and declared a state of emergency, requesting permission from my mother to mobilize his troops to search the entire Silver Millennium for his missing daughter." She glanced over her shoulder at her companion, a smile on her lips. "But I knew your identity as soon as I saw you, before my mother ever greeted you this morning. I've been waiting for your arrival."
"Why?"
"Because on the day I was born, you promised to be my protector, and I need you."
There was something in the princess's tone that silenced any argument from the Uranian as the pair settled onto an elegant bench overlooking a small pond. Haruka looked down at her hands, unsure if she should ask the question burning in her mind. "What threatens you, princess?" She was sure that the princess had expected her query, so there was no use in prevaricating. "And how can you remember something that happened the day you were born? Babies cannot form memories."
"Not usually, no. But we daughters of the ginzuishou are a bit different. You swore to me in Lunarian, a bond that can never be broken, and it was something I surely needed to remember, so I do. Will you honor your vow and protect me?"
Haruka waved her hand uncertainly across the garden at the small porch leading back into the suite she shared with the four senshi. "Your senshi are here now, Princess, the Inner Senshi who are meant to be your guardians while I protect us from outside threats. Why do you need me and not one or all of them?"
"Because they did not make the vow you did. I'm going to visit someone and I need a protector who won't tell my mother. They could never agree to that. Will you honor your vow, Uranus Haruka?" Her tone was no more insistent the second time she asked, but Haruka knew that she could not avoid replying a second time.
"Of course I will," the blonde responded without hesitation, unable to answer any other way. If her princess needed her, then she would always be there. "Please don't tell anyone who I really am. I need this time away from everything."
"I can understand that," Serenity whispered, glancing up at the Earth hanging overhead. "I will take you to meet someone in four days' time, Kazemaru, and you will see why I need you and not any of them."
Haruka was quite sure she wouldn't like Serenity's reason.
Makoto woke slowly, her dreams begging her not to leave, but some vague sense of impending danger forced her return to consciousness. Emerald eyes shot open to find a slender, slightly curved sword hovering inches from her throat, a blonde Uranian smirking at her from the other end. "You should be more alert while you sleep, Jovian."
Sighing, Makoto slumped back against her pillows, watching the blonde warrior sheathe his sword. That scabbard, covered in jewels, looked so familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen it before. The sword's hilt was also a strange, twisted shape, but Uranians were known for their eccentric weapons. "Of course you would wake someone with a sword."
"I had to wake you up somehow. The Princess sent a messenger summoning her new senshi to join her for breakfast. I was already awake so I thought I would help the rest of you get up."
"I can think of more pleasant ways to wake up," Makoto grumbled, slipping out of bed and rummaging through her closet for something formal to wear. She felt the Uranian's eyes on her form, but she had worn a loose shift to bed and he couldn't see anything.
"Mmm, I agree, but unfortunately for me you have already been claimed by the little Mercurian. I would have liked to dance with you, Jupiter Makoto."
Blushing at the man's forwardness, the Jovian grabbed a dress and draped it across the back of a nearby chair, grabbing a brush from her dressing table and running it through her slightly-curled green hair. "Don't you have someone else to annoy this morning? I need to get dressed."
Kazemaru grinned and nodded. "I have to wake everyone else."
Makoto narrowed her eyes and turned the full force of her royal glare on him. She had never been shy to give commands on her world, and it was clear that she understood how to use her noble power even against the confident Uranian. "Don't pull that sword trick on Ami. You'll give the poor thing a heart attack. Go bother the love birds and I'll wake Ami myself."
"Agreed." Kazemaru left the bedroom, closing the door so Makoto could dress in peace, and she found herself wondering why she was so at ease in his presence. Never before in her life had a man entered her quarters uninvited, and no one had ever pointed a sword at her without retribution, but she wasn't in the least bit bothered by Kazemaru's erratic actions. She felt like she had known him her whole life, and she felt closer to him than any of her brothers, despite the fact that she had only met him the night before. Why, when he had done nothing to earn her friendship, did she feel like he was one of them, one of the senshi? She would have to speak with Ami and their new partners about this strange Uranian man who somehow fit into their group without trying.
Rei felt a disturbance in her room before her eyes even opened. Every sense was on full alert as she jumped out of bed, grabbing the sword that had been leaning against the wall as she spun to face her opponent. She heard Minako stir behind her, the blonde laughing as she identified the threat before Rei's grogginess faded. Growling angrily, the Martian sheathed her sword and crossed her arms over her chest, purple eyes furious. "What are you doing in here?"
Kazemaru grinned unrepentantly, allowing himself a moment to rake his emerald eyes across Rei's naked form as he sheathed his own sword. "I came to wake you for a breakfast with the princess."
"Clearly, I'm awake," Rei growled, not in the least concerned with her lack of attire. Modesty was not a known Martian trait, though they preferred not to let others see their mates in any state of undress. "And it's not generally a good idea to enter a Martian's chambers with a drawn sword, Uranian." She freed one hand from her crossed arms to wave at Kazemaru's sword, wondering why that twisted hilt and jeweled scabbard looks so familiar. She had not met many Uranians, so it had to be one of the famous weapons she had learned about from her history tutors.
Kazemaru pointed at Minako, the blonde clutching the sheets to hide her nakedness as she watched the pair of warriors argue. "It's her room, and Venusians never mind when beautiful people enter their chambers."
Minako blushed at the tall man's words, coughing to hide her embarrassment as her lover spun at the sound. "It's mostly true," Minako admitted, "but now that I have you, I don't need any other beautiful people in my room." Rei puffed out her chest proudly, relaxing as Minako leaned up to kiss her on the cheek. "Go ahead and get dressed, Rei."
The Martian nodded, strolling past Kazemaru without worry as she grabbed a dress from the closet and a handful of undergarments from the top drawer of the dresser, turning on the lights as she reached her vanity. "Don't wake me up like that again, Kazemaru."
"I won't," the Uranian promised, running a hand through his short blonde hair. "You noticed me faster than Makoto, in any case. I had my sword at the Jovian's throat before her eyes opened."
"I have something to protect," Rei replied, adjusting her slip as she grabbed the dress. "If you insist on invading our chambers, you might as well help me dress. Tie the laces for me, please. And keep your back to the bed so Minako can dress."
Kazemaru helped Rei slip the dark purple dress over her head, letting her adjust the position of it while he carefully pulled the laces in the back tight. He heard the Venusian getting dressed behind him, but true to his promise to leave Minako alone, he ignored the sounds and the temptation associated with them. As soon as Rei's knee-length dress was properly tied, she handed him a brush and sat on a low stool while he worked the night's knots from her crimson hair. He pulled the top layer of her hair into a loose twist, pinning it in place with two jeweled flowers and leaving the rest of it loose.
"Wow, it's beautiful." Minako, clad in pale pink, nudged Rei off the stool and sat down, smiling up at Kazemaru expectantly. Chuckling, the Uranian grabbed the brush again and ran it through Minako's golden hair. He started a multi-layered braid at each temple, joining them at the back of her head, weaving pink and red ribbons through her hair as he tied the braid off and let the rest of her hair fall loosely down her back. Finding a jeweled red bow among the trinkets on the table, he used it to secure the end of the braid behind her head, letting the princess admire his handiwork in the mirror. "For someone with short hair, you're really quite good at this," Minako remarked, touching the red bow. "I like it."
"I'm glad. Pleasing women is my specialty." Despite the Uranian's intensely flirtatious personality, there was no sexual innuendo in his words.
"Whoever your soul mate is, she will be very lucky when you find her."
Kazemaru smiled at Minako's words, bowing as he left the Venusian's room and returned to the living area to wait for the princesses to emerge. He sank onto one of the plush couches and stared out into the garden as he remembered Princess Serenity's words to him the day before. She had specifically invited him to breakfast by name, clearly grouping him with her other senshi despite the fact that the others did not know his true identity. He wondered how long he could keep it a secret, or if it was even a secret worth keeping. Even worse, how could he tell these young princesses that he had been lying about his identity? It was best that he keep this secret for now.
"Today we are starting with sword training. After swords we will work on unarmed combat and non-lethal weapons. Tomorrow we will focus on tracking and archery, and the day after that will be diplomacy and tactics. Day four will be elemental training where you will learn to focus your senshi attacks and day five will be full-power combat simulations. Since you are all princesses and senshi, I understand that you have learned the basics in most of these fields, so after day five you will each focus on your own weakest area and improve it as much as possible. You have a meeting on Titan in just over three weeks and you must be a coordinated team by then."
The four women faced Kazemaru, each dressed in armor from their home world and fidgeting uncomfortably. Princess Serenity had asked him to begin training the senshi personally and immediately at the impromptu breakfast meeting, surprising the Uranian himself and all of the senshi. After waking up with a sword at her throat, Makoto agreed with the princess's decision to have the blonde train them, eventually convincing her fellow senshi that it was a good idea.
The blonde pulled out a sword, using one of the practice blades that did not have a sharp edge rather than the slender, slightly curved blade he carried that all of the senshi felt like they recognized but couldn't quite identify. The four women quickly echoed his action, each holding a single-handed sword as he quickly demonstrated a few basic moves. Once they had a grasp of the elementary motions, he showed them a simple series of Uranian Sword Dances, highly complicated attacks that were popular on his world but rarely seen on any of the others. Very few off-worlders had much insight into the Uranian psyche, but the combination of art and war was exemplified in these deadly dances. Training their muscles to be able to handle this difficult art form would help the senshi in their future battles.
Rei and Makoto mastered the most basic Dances quickly, Kazemaru helping them move through the more complicated ones as Ami and Minako struggled with the simple Raven Dance. There was no way for them to know, but Kazemaru did not show them the most intricate Dances, moves that took Uranians years to learn and were generally never seen off of their world. Most of them required multiple participants, and without a partner on the Moon, he would never be able to perform them effectively. The senshi would never be able to learn them before their meeting on Titan, so he would save that demonstration for the future, preferably when he had another three Uranians to participate.
From an open balcony overlooking the training fields, Princess Serenity watched the five young warriors practicing with their swords, smiling at the sense of camaraderie she could see them developing. "I am surprised that you asked him to train your senshi. How could he possibly understand the power they wield?"
The princess shrugged as her mother joined her on the balcony, smiling as Rei moved through the Sunset Sword Dance without a mistake. Kazemaru congratulated the Martian then demanded that she repeat the Dance four more times while Makoto completed the Sunrise Sword Dance and Ami mastered the Double Raven Dance with Minako as her partner. The Moon Princess had learned when she was a young child how to present a united front to their people by agreeing with her mother in public. In private, however, the girl disagreed with the silver-haired queen more often than not. She knew that her small rebellions often worried the queen, but Serenity let her daughter get away with pretty much anything she wanted. The blonde princess knew that part of it was because her father had died when she was just a few days old, and her mother was uncomfortable reprimanding her given that past.
"Mother, you are the one who taught me long ago that Uranians are the most versatile and powerful warriors in our vast kingdom. Kazemaru is the best person on the Moon to teach my senshi about conventional weapons, strategy, tracking, tactics, and diplomacy. They will have time to discover their senshi powers on their own after all of that, but they need that basic knowledge. Everything Kazemaru is teaching right now will help them reach their full potential."
"It is still outside of the realm of normalcy." Serenity's voice was cool and formal, that regal voice she used to impress her people. It never seemed to work on her daughter.
"Who trained your senshi?"
The silver-haired queen looked down at her daughter, lavender eyes full of a pain she could never share with her innocent child. "Sailor Pluto. Usually, one of the Outers is chosen to train the Inner Senshi, but of your Outers only Pluto has come into her power."
The princess smiled, her pale blue eyes secretive, as she turned back to watch the senshi training below. "Then I think my choice is perfect."
"Sometimes I do not understand you, my daughter."
"It is for the best."
"Martians tend to use two swords in their attacks, and they always carry extra knives for sneak attacks." Kazemaru glanced at Rei, both of them remembering her fight for the Mars henshin stick. "Princess Rei will show you some of the moves that require two swords. The Sword Dances are more for building your strength, but what she will show you are moves that are more useful in actual combat. You should each decide which sword style you like the most and use that one when we get to combat simulations." He stepped to the side and let Rei begin her demonstration, glancing up at the palace while everyone else had their attention on the Martian. He was surprised to see the princess watching their training session from the balcony, and he raised one eyebrow, wondering if she was testing him more than the Inner Senshi.
As soon as the senshi had suffered through enough sword-training, Kazemaru paired them up for unarmed combat. He stood back and watched Makoto face off against Rei, correcting the Martian's stance as the Jovian threw herself into the match where she was clearly the superior. He paired Ami and Minako up together, facing them himself since neither one had a strong background in physical attacks. They sparred for the rest of the afternoon, the partners changing as everyone's skills increased. Kazemaru was surprised that the senshi could learn so quickly, committing moves to muscle-memory in hours that would take a normal person months or years. He let them finish the day battling with quarterstaffs, Makoto's talisman and specialty, as he took a break in the shade of a tree overlooking the training grounds.
"They are learning quickly."
"Senshi always do, Princess."
Serenity, hidden in the shade, reached out and placed a hand on Haruka's shoulder. "They aren't fighting with their full abilities."
"I don't expect them to, yet. The next few days will give them the knowledge and the skills to fight, but they will have to find a reason on their own."
"It's always the same reason."
Haruka nodded reluctantly, knowing that her princess was right. For a few years after Serenity's Presentation, Haruka had known the love of her father and had spent every available moment with the man. Inevitably, she began to mimic the person she idolized, and he frowned upon such behavior. He had little tolerance for the dual nature of the women he ruled, the desire to balance masculine and feminine, but he had easily accepted Kazeko when she had been alive. Since his wife had died, Koshu could not bear the masculine tendency of some of the War Queens and his young daughter. When Haruka started dressing like a man and seducing women to her bed—unmarried minor ladies and servants—he had begun to push her away. Haruka had not been able to understand his change of heart until she began to study the Ancient Laws, but the Uranian princess could not bring herself to forgive him for not loving her despite the parts of her he didn't like. "It's a stupid reason."
"Love is a stupid reason to fight? Why is your heart so hard, Haruka?"
"What have I known of love, Princess? It's all nice for you, living here with billions of people who worship you, cherish you, love you, but on my world . . . it's not something you expect from anyone but family members. And I learned not to expect it from him."
Serenity raised her hand to Haruka's cheek, forcing the hardened warrior to look into her watery blue eyes. "I'm sorry that your father can't accept you, but I love you as I love all my senshi. Those who fight for love can overcome more obstacles than they would ever believe possible. My senshi already trust you, though they don't know why, and they will love you as a sister when they know the truth."
Haruka stood, her emerald eyes hard and cold. "It's not something I want or need. The Inner Senshi protect the Princess while the Outer Senshi protect the Solar System. We aren't meant to be friends or to fight together. I will never be a sister with them." She stormed off, the wind in the gardens gusting with her fury and despair as she rejoined the senshi and checked their progress.
Serenity pulled back the hand that had been resting on Haruka's cheek and held it to her chest, tears filling her eyes. "Oh Uranus, your pain is greater than even I can heal. I hope you find someone soon who can soothe your wounds and show you that love isn't a worthless emotion."
Makoto helped Ami walk into the living room, collapsing on one of the large couches together as Rei and Minako mimicked them. With a relieved groan, Makoto let her head fall against the arm rest, every muscle in her body protesting the punishment she had subjected herself to throughout that long day. Kazemaru followed the four younger women into the suite, his own movements still powerful and graceful where theirs were tired and sloppy. "Maybe I should have started with endurance training," he teased, pouring four cups of restorative tea from the kettle that the servants had delivered just before they arrived, carrying them to the table in the center of the room. "If that is all it took to tire you, perhaps our training schedule will have to be extended." He handed a cup to each senshi, watching as the Mercurian herbs in the liquid gave them a burst of energy and pain relief.
"We'll be fine after some rest," Rei promised, forcing herself into a sitting position. "I haven't trained like that in years."
"I expected you to last longer after seeing your fight with your mother," Kazemaru purred, his eyes sparkling with a challenge.
"I would really like to see that fight," Ami admitted, sipping her tea slowly.
"I'll download a copy from Mars Security," Rei promised, reaching over to run her fingers through Minako's hair, her eyes softening as her lover leaned into the gentle caress. "I think we have about an hour until supper, if everyone would like to take a bath and get changed."
"That's a good idea; I'll summon your servants while you bathe." Kazemaru shooed the four women away, watching as Rei and Minako entered one bedroom while Ami and Makoto hesitated at the door to Makoto's room.
The Jovian reached out and cupped Ami's face with her hand, using her thumb to rub away an errant smudge of training field dust. "You can join me if you want, Ami." Her voice was soft and sensual, perfectly balanced to tempt a woman into her bed, but Kazemaru knew that the shy Mercurian would reject her offer.
Ami blushed and shook her head, kissing Makoto's palm to take the sting out of the refusal. "I'm not sure we'd get much done like that," she managed. "Maybe next time?"
The Jovian nodded, watching Ami enter her chambers before she sighed and turned back to her own, frustration in her voice. "My tone was perfect."
"To tempt someone from Jupiter," Kazemaru replied; "or almost any other planet except Mercury. They are shy and prudish by nature, though you seemed to have picked one of the most open-minded ones. It will take some time, but don't give up. Just keep pouring all of your charm on and she will give in eventually."
Makoto nodded, turning back to smile at the Uranian conspiratorially, having softened her opinion of the blonde after a busy day of training. "If you think Ami is an atypical Mercurian, you should have met her cousin, Lilia. The woman is practically Venusian!" Kazemaru chuckled as the Jovian entered her room, his smile fading as soon as he was alone in the living room.
"At this point I'd like to meet anyone," Haruka whispered, fists clenching at her side. She stood still for a moment until she was in control of her emotions once more, walking to the door to summon the small army of servants the princesses would need to prepare for a formal dinner with the Queen and Princess.
"Raise your arm Ami. Makoto, focus on your target before you release your arrow. Minako, don't bend your arm like that. Rei, your aim is perfect so start focusing on speed." Kazemaru walked behind the line of senshi, each dressed in much lighter armor than the day before and wearing arm guards and archery gloves while they sent arrow after arrow into the targets across the field. He tapped Ami's shoulder, nodding as she held her arm higher and sent her next arrow into the bull's-eye. Makoto took an extra second to focus on her target, improving her penetration as Minako worked on her stance. The Uranian touched Rei's shoulder blade, tapping it every time he wanted the Martian to release an arrow. He felt the Martian trembling with the effort, but she managed to land each and every one in the center of the target. As soon as the four women emptied their quivers, Kazemaru sent a group of servants to retrieve them so they could begin again.
After spending a couple of hours on close-ranged targeting, Kazemaru moved them to a larger field and taught them how to judge distances for ranged shooting. Surprisingly, Ami had the best accuracy at long range, since she could calculate the angles and wind velocity in her head much more quickly than her counterparts. The Uranian moved back and watched as the shy Mercurian taught her new partners how to quickly determine an enemy's distance and use that information to hit them with an arrow every time. The tall blonde smiled as the small group of green senshi took their first step together in working as a team, relying on Mercury's information to quickly decimate their straw-filled targets. When they finished their ranged lessons ahead of schedule, their teacher let them have fun shooting flaming arrows onto oil-soaked dummies, the huge fireballs when they scored a hit more rewarding than his own praise could ever be.
Serenity surprised the group by joining them for a picnic lunch in the center of the training field. Her servants arranged the blankets and food while the four senshi freshened up in the barracks, leaving Serenity and Haruka alone for a few minutes.
"Mother does not approve of my choice for their teacher."
Haruka shrugged. "If you think it's best to tell her my true identity, the choice is yours, Princess. I am content letting everyone make their own decisions."
The princess nodded. "I know. I told her that she gave this decision to me, and I am happy with what I chose. Mother had her say, but she will let me make the final decisions in regards to my senshi."
The senshi joined Serenity and Haruka a few minutes later, and the group eagerly dug into the baskets of food, famished after a long morning of training. While the others ate voraciously, Serenity took the time to get to know them better.
"I watched your fight with Rikuriko. I'm amazed at how strong you are, Rei! And to watch a senshi summon her transformation for the first time to save someone's life was a powerful moment, Minako."
"Thank you, Princess. The fight for the Mars henshin stick was necessary, but I can't say that I didn't enjoy it."
"You come from a warrior people; it is expected that you take pleasure in a fair fight. Your mother fought you with all of her strength." Serenity paused, knowing that her next question might be a little personal, but she needed to ask. "I find myself wondering why. Why did you fight like that, and why did you Challenge for the henshin stick?"
The four senshi froze at the question, unsure if they should reveal Minako and Rei's relationship to their princess. Haruka sighed and ran a hand through her hair, a touch of amusement in her husky voice. "You might as well answer. She'll find out on her own."
"But the Laws . . ."
"She won't care any more than I do."
Serenity glanced at her Uranian senshi as the Martian fidgeted on the blanket. "Mina and I . . . are soul mates. I fought for her because Mother said we could not be together."
"So your transformation into Sailor Venus came when your soul screamed," the princess murmured, one hand on her chin. "I had read something about that from one of the earliest sagas, but I have never seen it firsthand. Aphrodite must have been impressed with the power of your love."
Minako blushed, scooting closer to Rei in an effort to hide her embarrassment. "She came to us after Rei woke up, and she said she was proud."
Serenity turned to Makoto, reaching out to take the startled Jovian's hands in hers. "And I heard that you fought in the Ganymede Invitational Tournament when you were just barely thirteen! They rarely even allow women in but you managed to fight, somehow, and you beat everyone even though they were older and bigger than you."
Makoto blushed as everyone turned to her, the warriors shocked at the information and the others absorbing their princess's excitement. "My oldest brother was invited to compete, and I was so angry that they didn't invite me that I knocked him out before the start of the tournament and entered in his place. He used to wear his hair much longer and I didn't look much like a girl when I was that young and wearing his clothes, so the judges believed that I was Ken'nin. Imagine their surprise when my brother woke up just in time to interrupt the Awards Ceremony. There was a huge inquiry, but, in the end, my mother told them that I had won, fair and square, and they had to crown me champion."
"The Ganymede Invitational is the largest and most prestigious martial arts tournament in the Silver Millennium," Haruka supplied, knowing that the Venusian and Mercurian would have little knowledge of the fighting events hosted by the three warrior planets. "I wasn't invited until I was seventeen, after Makoto's win forced them to change the rules to allow any participant regardless of gender, and my final opponent was the High Duchess of Callisto. It was an interesting fight, since I had never battled a woman before, but I won. I doubt I could have taken the crown as young as Makoto did."
"And you won when you were only thirteen?" Ami's wide sapphire eyes stared up at Makoto in shock and something approaching awe, embarrassing the Jovian even more.
"I'm sure you have accomplishments you haven't mentioned to Makoto yet," the princess offered, glad that the research she had done on her new senshi was helping her make friends with them. "You were the youngest Mercurian ever to be declared a Scholar in seven different fields, when you were twelve."
Ami nodded hesitantly, modestly admitting to her achievement. Her earlier shyness was gone, replaced by the eagerness of an introverted woman who had never sought friends but was glad they had been forced upon her. "In order to be Sailor Mercury or receive any Title on my planet, you have to study to be a Scholar in five fields. I chose to go for seven, and I demanded to be Tested when I was twelve. My mother was shocked when I passed all of them, even more so when I decided to receive Scholarship in the other six fields the Academy qualifies. As a consequence, I currently hold the only Scholarship on Mercury in Ancient Texts, since the subject is less than popular on my world."
"I didn't realize I had fallen for such a genius," Makoto purred, her emerald eyes full of wonder. "I'm not sure I'm good enough for you."
"Mako! Don't think like that!" Neither one of them realized that the Jovian had revealed their relationship to the princess as Ami pulled the taller woman closer and rested her head on Makoto's bosom. "I don't want you to ever think you aren't good enough, Jupiter Makoto. I love you just the way you are."
For the thunder and water senshi, the rest of the group might as well have not existed. Makoto leaned down and kissed the top of Ami's head, both of them realizing at the same time that Ami had used the L-word first, far sooner than Makoto had expected it. "I love you, too, Ami, just the way you are," she whispered.
Haruka glanced over at Rei and Minako, one eyebrow raised as the thunder and water senshi kissed. The Martian raised her hands in defeat, seeing that it would not take Makoto four more days to entice the blue-haired woman to her bed, but Minako raised her hands and made a heart symbol, indicating that she still believed she would win. Shrugging, Haruka turned back to the pair and cleared her throat. "I like you both just fine, too, but it's about time we wrapped up lunch and headed back to training."
Serenity stood from the blanket, her senshi quickly following suit, the princess embracing each of them in turn. "I'm so glad that you are my senshi. You're all so wonderful and powerful and loving and I can't wait to have you as members of my court. I'm so happy right now, everyone." She glanced at Haruka over Rei's shoulder, letting the Uranian know that she was included. "Go back to your training and become as strong as you can. We won't have a formal dinner tonight, but I will join you tomorrow for lunch again."
They group bid their princess farewell, following Haruka back into the castle as a small flock of servants cleaned their meal. The tall blonde led silently, planning out the next lesson as she struggled to reassert her Kazemaru personality. She had let her identity slip when she mentioned her win at the Ganymede Invitational, and she worried that one of the princesses might have been listening and would be able to figure it out. Sure, none of them knew her age well enough to calculate the year she had won, but Haruka had still been sloppy and she could not allow it again.
The final training session of the day was tracking, and Kazemaru hid Makoto and Rei in the capital city, ordering Ami to track the Martian and Minako to track the Jovian. He sent one servant with each senshi, letting them communicate the women's progress to him while he spent the time training with the guard captain. Since the pairs he had chosen had no bonds to each other and were only barely friends, the session took over five hours, but eventually all four senshi and the servants shadowing them returned to the palace. Kazemaru, happily exhausted from fighting against the guard captain and his best lieutenants all afternoon, congratulated the princesses on locating each other without their senshi powers, dismissing everyone for an early night.
Makoto and Ami walked back to their rooms slowly, both thinking about the day and what they had reveled in the presence of their princess. "Hey, Ami."
"Yes?"
"Since there isn't a formal dinner tonight, would you like to go into the city and eat? I saw this nice restaurant on the roof of the building where Kazemaru made me hide."
Ami nodded, smiling up at her Jovian. "I would like that."
The princesses spent an hour preparing for their impromptu date, a flock of servants filling their two bedrooms as the other three residents of the suite relaxed in the living room and enjoyed the flurry of activity. Makoto and Ami dismissed all of the servants when they were finished getting ready, Kazemaru closing the door behind them before calling for the princesses of Jupiter and Mercury.
Makoto emerged from her room first, smoothing her hands over her dark green satin dress before spinning in a circle so the others could see her attire. Small pink roses ran along the top edge of the bodice and the bottom of the long dress, pale green embroidered leaves covering her loose skirt. She had chosen to wear her hair down, green locks curling over her shoulders and down her back, a pair of rose hair pins holding her hair back from her face. "What do you think?"
"You look beautiful," Ami replied as she emerged from her own room, sapphire eyes taking in her Jovian girlfriend. The Mercurian had chosen a light blue dress with a low neckline and loose sleeves, the lace-edged hem sitting just below her knees.
"Same to you," Makoto purred, stepping forward and running her fingers through Ami's loose blue hair. "You should wear dresses more often."
Makoto offered her arm to the smaller woman, bidding the other three warriors good night as she escorted her girlfriend out into the city. Kazemaru waited for them to leave before turning to Rei and Minako, arms crossed over his chest. "It won't be tonight."
"It will," Minako replied confidently. "They looked lovely; after a romantic dinner, there's no way that Ami will resist her!"
"Believe what you will, but it will be tomorrow after training. Ami isn't ready and Makoto won't push her." He glanced out at the garden, emerald eyes unfocused as something called for his attention. "I'm going to meditate for a while. You two enjoy your night." He walked outside, his pace measured and steady, despite the turmoil he sensed from his element.
Outside, the wind was gusting fiercely. Since all of the weather on the Moon was controlled by computer, there should not have been any unexpected wind, but the Uranian knew that she had caused it. Taking a seat at the bench where she and Serenity had talked two days earlier, Haruka closed her eyes and focused on calming her powers.
"What's wrong?"
"How do you always know to show up when my thoughts are in turmoil?"
Serenity shrugged as she joined her senshi on the bench. "Freak wind is kind of a dead giveaway. What's bothering you, Haruka?"
"I'm not sure. I keep getting this sense of impending doom, but when I try to focus on the feeling I just see a turbulent ocean spurred on by a furious wind slamming wave after wave against a cliff. I've read the accounts of my predecessors, and I know that this kind of feeling is often a premonition. Usually, in this situation, I would travel to Neptune and ask the current senshi what she sees in her mirror."
"And why don't you?"
Haruka snorted, running her fingers through her hair. "The current senshi is the one who prevented me from making friends with the other princesses on the Moon the day you were born. She hates me, but I've never been sure why."
Serenity stood from the bench, taking Haruka's hand and tugging insistently. "Let me show you something."
Confused, the senshi of Uranus followed her princess back into the palace and through a veritable maze of corridors until they reached the Main Communications Room for the Lunar Palace. The place was pretty empty, since most official communications happened during the day, but two techs sat at stations across the room from the door in case any messages came at night. The two junior communications officers ignored the princess, either knowing better than to question a Moon Royal or so used to her presence that they dismissed her out of hand. Serenity slipped into a private room attached to the main chamber, using her personal security codes to activate a console. "Why are we here?"
"Every communication that passes between planets is recorded here, no matter how minor. No one can view these files except for the queens, but some files are locked even from them. These are the logs from the day you were born."
"What?" Haruka sat down at the console, emerald eyes wide as she began to read the screen, reaching up to touch the first file on the list.
"Queen Uranus is in labor," a nondescript Uranian soldier announced in his native language. "She requests the presence of Queen Serenity and the Senshi."
The next file originated from Mars. "King Koshu is in a conference with King Akaneiro and King Shinrai. Should I activate an emergency teleport?"
The Mercurian on the other side of the communication shook her head, ice blue eyes betraying a worry that her careful tone did not. "That will not be necessary. Kazeko is fine, but I thought he should know that her labor is taking longer than expected."
The Martian soldier nodded. "Very good, Your Majesty. I will inform the King." If Queen Amami had been that worried about Kazeko, why hadn't she summoned the Uranian's husband back? Curious, she clicked on the next message.
Queen Serenity appeared on one side of the screen, the symbol of the Moon on the other. "Se, please answer me," she whispered in Plutonian. She could not keep the desperation from her voice as she clutched one hand over her heart. "I don't think she is going to make it, Setsuna. What should I do? I think I can save her with the ginzuishou . . ."
"Don't." Setsuna's face appeared on the screen, her garnet eyes mirroring the pain in Serenity's soft lavender orbs. "Don't use the ginzuishou."
"She might die."
"If you use it, you will." Setsuna glanced over her shoulder at a sound too faint to be picked up by the transmission, turning back from the distraction a moment later. "I'm coming to Uranus."
Shousha appeared on the screen next, her aqua and blue hair tied back from her face haphazardly, her teal eyes wild with worry. Her message was in Neptunian and addressed to her sister, and Haruka struggled to translate it. "Raya, are you there? I need to talk to you. Kazeko is dying, Raya! What am I supposed to do? She's been in labor for so long and she was always fragile . . . this stubborn child is going to kill her!" She paused a moment, reaching down to touch her swollen belly, thinking about her own impending child birth. Haruka realized that the unborn child was Michiru, that girl she had spoken to for only a moment on the Moon. "I can't lose her, Raya. After I miscarried my son she was there for me. She kept me going. Then Tsuyu died in that accident not long after I became pregnant again and Kazeko supported me even with her own pregnancy so advanced. She's my everything, Raya. I can't lose her."
Haruka turned to Serenity in shock, finger hovering over the next message. "Shousha and my mother . . . were lovers?"
The princess nodded slowly, tears in her eyes in response to Haruka's pain. "My mother locked these files to keep anyone from learning how common a practice it is for the senshi to be lovers despite their marriages and families. Kazeko was Shousha's soul mate, but she was always described as fragile for a Uranian. They say that you got all of the strength and power that your mother never wanted. Watch the last one."
The final communication was to Mars again, King Koshu moving into focus on one side while Queen Serenity and Queen Amami stood silent on the other. The tears in the Queen's lavender eyes confirmed the worst, and the king clenched his fists at his sides. He was from Pluto, a people not often given to strong emotions, but tears glinted in his hazel eyes. "Koshu, I'm sorry," Serenity whispered in Plutonian.
"We did everything we could," Amami continued in the same language, "but she was too weak and the labor lasted too long. For all of our medical advances, sometimes it's just not possible to save everyone."
"And the child?"
Serenity gestured off-screen, and Setsuna entered the field of vision, a newborn blonde baby in her arms. The Queen of Pluto looked as tired as her companions, but the pain in her eyes stemmed from knowing that Kazeko was going to die and not being allowed to do anything about it. Haruka remembered Setsuna telling her that Kazeko had been one of her closest friends. "You have a daughter. She will one day carry her mother's henshin stick in service to the Throne."
"As if I care about that!"
"Koshu, think clearly! This child is Kazeko's heir. What will you name her?" Setsuna kept her tone neutral and her words Plutonian, clearly believing that Koshu's native tongue would help calm him.
"I don't care. Kazeko never told me what she wanted to name our child, and now I can never ask her, can I?"
"Koshu."
"Fine. Call her Haruka." He reached up to end the transmission, pausing when Shousha entered the transmission. Her eyes were red from crying, and the Senshi of Neptune looked more disheveled than any of her fellow monarchs had ever seen. "Shousha."
"She's dead now; are you happy? You spent years trying to keep her from seeing me, but now you have what you want. I'm alone, without even my closest friend and it's all thanks to you and your brat!" She was no longer speaking Neptunian; she had changed to Uranian and every furious word cut into the King.
"Shousha!"
The queen spun to face Amami at the reprimand, eyes full of fury. "I never want to see any of you again! And especially not that damned child of hers!" Reaching out with one hand, she summoned her henshin stick and vanished in a flash of teal, leaving three women staring at the baby in Setsuna's arms.
"She will always blame poor Haruka for this." Serenity turned to face Koshu, her stance regal and commanding. "Don't blame her, Koshu, for the loss of your wife. There was nothing anyone could do, and she will suffer the loss of her mother for the rest of her life." Koshu nodded stiffly before ending the communication.
Haruka pushed herself away from the console as Serenity locked it back down, her face dark and her emerald eyes dull. It took her a long time to gather herself enough to speak, one hand resting on the Space Sword and the other clenched into a fist on her lap. "She hates me . . . because my mother died?"
"She loved your mother," Serenity whispered, her senshi's pain beating against her.
"And I must suffer because of it?!" The pain changed to fury in an instant, Haruka's eyes burning in the dim light. "Something is coming, something that the Outer Senshi might be able to prevent, but I can't go talk with Michiru about it because her mother has a grudge against me for something I didn't do! Doesn't she understand that I would give anything to have my mother back?"
The Space Sword on Haruka's hip glowed with a golden light at the question, and a tall, transparent figure appeared before the two shocked princesses. The figure smiled kindly at the Uranian, emerald eyes locking with emerald as Serenity watched, amazed at the similarity between the two women. They could have been twins, except that Kazeko had always worn her golden hair long while Haruka kept it short, and she was somewhat shorter than her daughter.
"M-mother?"
The figure—ghost?—smiled kindly, nodding at the question. "Hello, Haruka."
AN: Sorry you had to wait an extra week for this chapter! For anyone who has me on Author Alert and not just Story Alert, you know that I posted a short fic last week called "Venus Rising" that I couldn't get out of my head. After I cleared that image from my mind, I wrote this chapter (the longest one yet!) so apparently that worked. This one is actually much longer than I planned, but I needed to fit in the first two days of training (and I still had to end it early) but I hope you enjoyed it. I know that I am switching between Kazemaru/Haruka and him/her in this chapter but it's on purpose. You'll notice that Haruka feels more like herself around the princess and manages to keep up the Kazemaru facade when only with the other senshi. I hope it's not too confusing but it's on purpose and necessary. Also, when I originally wrote this fic, Princess Serenity was kind of flat and boring. I enjoy writing her a little more mature and mysterious for her age, since it makes up for the immature crybaby she'll be as a human. In the manga and live action she's much more mature as Princess Serenity than as Usagi, so I tried to write her that way. It's also fun letting her know something her mother doesn't.
Since I didn't have review responses last chapter, here are the ones for Chapters 6 & 7
Meneldur: This is the first time I have ever really written Makoto/Ami, and I think Haruka's bet with Minako and Rei pretty much sums up how I was trying to decide to write their relationship. For me, a fiery and passionate pairing is more easy than the calm, shy interactions of Ami and Makoto. I had planned to have Aphrodite visit Minako alone, but then I thought it would be more fun to have Rei yell at the gods for bothering them and then show off her protective side when Haruka visits. You'll get an explanation on the "child of the High Duke of Umbriel" bit in either the next chapter or chapter 9 when (spoiler!) Haruka finally meets Michiru. If you've read "Kazeko" then you understand the prophecy about Serenity's rebirth that Minako recited to Haruka, but of course you don't meet Serenity (the goddess) in "Kazeko" at all. And now you have seen (Usagi) Serenity, and as you can see Haruka is as eager to see Michiru as you are. I was toying with the idea of Makoto and Ami meeting Michiru, but as you can see from Shousha's three interactions with other senshi, she would simply never allow her daughter to meet any of the Inner Senshi.
As for Serenity, Tranquility, and the other gods, they will play a huge part at the end of the story but remember what Aphrodite said - Se's own rules prevent them from interfering with the mortals and their own avatars. The Silver Millennium is going to fall (we all know that) but that scene on Mars when Minako's soul was screaming shows you why the gods aren't going to interfere to save it. Regarding the Cupids, I had always planned that the early Cupids, members of the Cult of the Broken Wing, are super fanatics and such devotion to anything or anyone other than Queen Serenity would worry the Lunarians. The accept the Cult, but normal people being elevated to sub-god level by a god who had been insane in recent history should worry the members of the Silver Millennium. I'm glad you liked my interpretation of Michiru. After rewatching all 200 episodes over the last few weeks it seems that Michiru was always unbalanced before she was joined by Haruka. She struggled as a lone senshi, but once she found her partner she could be more feminine and elegant. Watching their final scene as civilians in episode 196 and as senshi in episode 198 showed just how much they need each other so it makes sense that they would both be more unbalanced and flawed alone. You can see from this chapter that Shousha cares so much about her daughter, keeps her isolated, and pushes her so hard because Michiru is all she has. Her first child was a miscarriage and her husband and lover died only months apart. You'll probably have plenty of reason to dislike her coming up (and if you read the first version of this fic) but she has a purpose.
petiyaka: Haruka has had plenty of time to sleep with dozens of women since she's the oldest of the current generation of senshi and has had plenty of time to travel. As you can see from her comment about the Ganymede Invitational, she has already traveled to other worlds for events and such, and Uranus is the most welcoming world of the Outer Planets (not mentioned, but it is). Until Koshu disbanded Haruka's "harem", she had time to practice her lovemaking skills on members of every world in the Silver Millennium.
Neptune's Lover: I got to send Makoto and Ami on a date this chapter. It was kind of fun. In a sense, they are at one end of the spectrum with dating first while Rei and Minako take the other end with the whole jumping into bed thing. Michiru and Haruka fall in the middle, with Michiru insisting on doing things the "proper" way, including dressing up and going on dates, while Haruka would rather scrap that idea and go straight for the flirting and sleeping together bit. Of course, when faced with Michiru for the first time, Haruka might restrain herself knowing that this woman is worth the wait. That line of thought led to the Makoto/Ami date and even Ami's refusal to share a bath with her girlfriend. As for the narcissism, I have begun to realize that as the essence of femininity Michiru would put the most care into her appearance (which is already apparent in the anime and manga) and that her talisman is a mirror of all things! It's incredibly narcissistic! I can totally imagine Hotaru in the "present" waking Haruka and Michiru up after a night of love-making, and Haruka just throws on a shirt, leaving her hair tangled while Michiru whips out that mirror and fixes her hair and makeup before putting on something absolutely perfect before opening the door. Shousha takes that character flaw to a higher level, becoming a control freak regarding her daughter where she is supervising her schooling and even assigning her servants because she doesn't think Michiru has enough. Michiru clearly believes she has plenty, but her mother has to be in charge of every detail of her life and her daughter's.