Chapter 11: Seas of Neptune

January 27, 8983 – February 11, 8983

"I've never used a weapon before."

"Any weapon?" Michiru shook her head, and Haruka sighed. "I'm not sure how much I can teach you. I'm not really sure how much I should teach you. Your people are known for their pacifism, and I wonder how Sailor Neptune even fights."

"We can fight, but we simply prefer not to. My mother was proficient with her powers when she had to fight on Pluto decades ago, but I have never seen her handle a weapon."

"Well, we can't practice your powers until you have them. I can at least teach you some unarmed combat and basic self-defense." Haruka raised her hands and indicated that Michiru should copy her stance, throwing a quick punch and watching curiously as her partner dodged it. "As Sailor Neptune, you will have the power of premonition, right? It seems that you already have a little of that. You saw my punch coming."

Michiru nodded as she watched Haruka. "It was kind of like a pressure on my side telling me to move. I have to completely trust that feeling. I think that it will be easier when I receive my powers."

"Close your eyes."

"Eh?"

Haruka shrugged. "Close your eyes. Just focus on that feeling you were talking about and you'll avoid all of my attacks."

Michiru nodded and took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she waited for Haruka to attack. The blonde moved an instant later, watching as Michiru dodged her kicks and punches, eventually raising her arms to block Haruka's attacks. The princess of Uranus kept her attacks at half strength, knowing that her opponent was no warrior, but Michiru blocked her next punch and grabbed the blonde's wrist. "Don't hold back," she hissed as she opened her eyes, the teal color almost sapphire as she accessed her latent powers. "If you treat me like I'll break, I'll never learn anything."

Shocked at the princess's words and the determination in her eyes, Haruka nodded and stepped back, preparing to attack again. She struck with her full Uranian speed and power, grinning when Michiru blocked her first punch and dodged her second. Michiru, her intense eyes never leaving Haruka's, began to glow with the aqua color of her power as she gave herself over to the spirit of her world. As the glow around Michiru increased, so did her premonition ability, slowly reaching the point where she could see what move Haruka was planning to make before the blonde had even decided herself.

Haruka grunted as Michiru landed a punch on her shoulder, moving to counterattack as her sparring partner grunted in pain and fell to her knees.

"Michiru?" Haruka fell to her knees beside the shaking princess, pulling Michiru into her arms. "What's wrong?"

"That premonition of darkness again," Michiru whispered, grateful for the strength in Haruka's embrace. "Maybe I shouldn't try to access the power of Neptune without my henshin stick. I don't think my head has ever hurt this much in my life."

"Do you need to go lie down?"

"No, just let me rest here for a minute." Michiru looked up at Haruka, smiling at the concern in the Uranian's emerald eyes. "I might have to wait until tomorrow to train again. Without my full powers, this is very taxing."

"Does your mother know that not having your henshin stick and talisman is killing you?" She ran her fingers through Michiru's hair, staring at the imposing castle towering over them. For a moment, she had forgotten the rest of the Silver Millennium, but Michiru's growing powers reminded her why she had traveled to Triton. "She didn't leave them here, by chance?"

"No. She hasn't transformed into Sailor Neptune since before I was born, but she still carries the mirror and henshin stick with her. Recently, I've been considering breaking into the armory so I can look into the Aqua Mirror, but she has never given me the chance. How did you get your henshin stick?"

Haruka shrugged as she helped Michiru to her feet. "Pluto stole them for me. My father was planning to give them to me as soon as I chose a husband and became the kind of queen he wanted."

"A husband? You?"

"Yes, well, that was my response. I don't have an interest in men." She glanced down at Michiru, raising one eyebrow at the amusement in her companion's eyes. "Does your mother know that you prefer women, as well?"

"Well, no. I thought it would be better not to let her know. I've met a few suitors, all of them from Neptune, but I have rejected each one. I have also sent politely-worded refusals to all of the letters I receive from off-world nobles. Mother thinks I do it to rebel against her, but the truth is that I've been waiting for you."

"Is that so? I've been waiting for you, too." Haruka leaned down and kissed Michiru's forehead, desperate for contact with the slender princess but determined to keep their relationship professional. "If we can't practice combat, what would you like to do?"

Michiru's eyes lit up as she turned to face the sea. "Let's go swimming."

"Swimming?"

Michiru chuckled at the skepticism in her partner's voice. "It's good for building strength. Come on, I'll race you." Slipping free of Haruka's arms, Michiru took off across the pale blue sand of her private beach, her aqua hair streaming in the wind. Unable to resist either a challenge or a chase, Haruka dashed after her, knowing that she would easily overtake the younger princess. Surprisingly, they reached the water's edge at the same moment, the Neptunian pausing to strip out of the loose gray pants and shirt Haruka had chosen for her training session, dropping her undergarments in a neat pile on top of a large chest sitting above the high tide mark before diving into the sea she loved.

"What, naked? Michiru, you have got to be kidding."

"It's a private beach," Michiru replied, the sea hiding her body from Haruka's eyes, though just barely. "No one will see us. Even the servants are forbidden here unless I bring them myself to tidy up after a storm. Take off your clothes."

"You just want to see me naked."

"Well, I admit that I need proof of your femininity. Everything I've seen so far makes me think that you are a man."

Haruka rolled her eyes as she unbuttoned her jacked and threw it haphazardly on top of Michiru's carefully folded clothes, dropping her pants and undershirt on the sand beside them. She felt Michiru's intense aqua eyes watching her as she unwrapped the tight cloth she used to bind her breasts, though they were almost small enough that she didn't need it. She hesitated before removing her last article of clothing, having never stripped for someone she did not plan to immediately bed. How could she keep their relationship platonic if Michiru insisted on swimming naked together? Sighing, Haruka removed her underwear, gold-flecked emerald eyes rising to meet lust-darkened sapphire ones.

"Are you happy now?" Even to her own ears, Haruka could tell that her voice was even huskier than usual. She had wanted Michiru to see her for days, ever since she appeared on this moon, but only the other princess's gentle request could have forced this situation.

"A little too happy," Michiru replied, the blush on her cheeks spreading down to her chest. "Come in the water, Haruka."

The blonde obeyed, naturally wary of the sea when her world had nothing like it. Michiru floated closer to her, staying just out of arm's reach for both of their sakes, glancing down at the water gently lapping against Haruka's breasts. "You tie them?"

"Well, the suits I wear are kind of tight around the chest. If I didn't tie my breasts back, it would be very obvious."

"Does it hurt?"

"Does your corset hurt? There's very little difference." Haruka glared at the greenish water surrounding her, the salty tang of the ocean irritating her nose. "Are you sure it's relaxing to be in this much salt water?"

Michiru chuckled, finally moving close enough to touch Haruka's cheek. "You worry too much. Just enjoy this experience."

Haruka managed to spend almost an hour cavorting with the aqua-haired siren, ending their games when her hunger forced her to shore. Standing on the blue sand, she tried desperately to wring the salty water from her hair and shake the sand off her feet, having little success. Michiru chuckled as she followed Haruka from the water, removing her clothes from the top of the chest and opening the waterproof box. Pulling out two towels, she tossed one to the irritated blonde, using the other to dry her hair and body before slipping back into her loose training pants and shirt. Wrapping the towel around her hair and grabbing her shoes, Michiru headed back to her palace.

Haruka caught up with her moments later, towel draped around her neck, jacket in one hand and boots in the other. Without the bandages around her chest, Haruka looked a lot more feminine. Haruka caught Michiru staring at her as they left the sandy beach and paused on the grass of the garden that skirted the castle to slip into their shoes. "What?" She dropped her undershirt on the ground and struggled to rewrap her bandages while Michiru watched her with possessive teal eyes.

"Even though I can't be with you in the way that I know we both want, you're mine, Uranus Haruka. I'm just glad that no one else gets to look at you."

Haruka chuckled as she slipped back into her shirt and grabbed her jacket. "Ah, is that why you wanted to go swimming today?"

"Of course. One always inspects an item before claiming ownership."

Haruka narrowed her emerald eyes at the princess walking by her side through the gardens. "I should be offended."

"But you aren't." Michiru's matter-of-fact response left Haruka smiling, the blonde amazed that her new companion could read her so well. "Let's take a bath before eating. I don't like the feeling of salt in my hair after it dries."

"Again. Attack me this time, Michiru. We'll never get anywhere if you just run away."

Michiru sighed and lowered her arms, ignoring her teacher's glare. "We aren't going to get anywhere like this. Haruka, every fiber of my being is telling me not to fight you. What do you expect? I'm supposed to be your partner, not your enemy. Why can't we try fighting as a team against someone else?"

Haruka lowered her own arms, taking a moment to consider the princess's plea. Michiru, having exchanged her loose outfit for leather armor three training sessions earlier, had become quite a challenge for Haruka, but the blonde senshi could tell that her partner's heart was not in the fight. In truth, Haruka was just as reluctant to hit Michiru. "You want to fight someone else?"

"Haruka we've trained against each other all week. Maybe it's time we train with each other. There are several fine warriors among my mother's personal guard who would train with us."

Haruka nodded, following Michiru into the castle and out to the main training grounds. "What about the members of your personal guard?"

Michiru shrugged as she waved a hand to summon a hovering servant. "I don't have a personal guard, Haruka. I never leave the palace, so there is little to guard me against." She sent the servant to find the captain of her mother's guard, all of whom were always left behind when Shousha traveled to Uranus for Kazeko's memorial.

Haruka glared at the tall man who approached, nine subordinates in his wake as he entered the training ground. "The leader is strong, but his bulk makes him slow," Haruka murmured, laying out the weaknesses of their opponents for Michiru's benefit. "The two behind him are weak but fast, so don't let them out of your sight. That one in the middle looks Martian, which gives him strength and power, but not speed. As long as you don't get into single combat with him, I can keep him off balance and defeat him. The next four are just muscle, nothing important and very easy to beat, even for someone new to fighting. And where did your mother find a Jovian for her personal guard? That one will be strong and she has quite a long reach. You won't be able to prevent her from striking you, hard, if she gets close, so stay away from her. As for that last one, she's from Uranus so she has both speed and agility on her side."

"How should I deal with her?"

"Same way you deal with me. Counter everything and hope for an opening."

The captain of the guard, a tall man with dark blue hair, bowed to the princess, his distrustful pale green eyes never leaving Haruka. "How may we be of service to you, Highness?"

Michiru smiled, the feminine gesture clashing with her warrior outfit. "We would like to fight against you. We've been training against each other for too many days and we would like a new opponent."

If the captain found Michiru's request odd, he had the good sense not to say anything. "Of course, Your Highness. Which of us would you like to fight?"

"All of you." Her sweet, confident words shocked the guards, all of them fidgeting uncomfortably at the request. Even the captain looked surprised.

"All of us? Your Highness . . ."

"I hope I was not unclear," Michiru replied sweetly, venom hidden in her soft words. Watching the exchange, Haruka realized that her gentle partner had no love for the captain of Shousha's guard, and she would relish the chance to defeat him in unarmed combat. "We will be fighting without weapons. I also do not want any of you to hold back, because I promise that we will not."

The guards shed their weapons quickly, gathering in a semicircle before the two princesses. Haruka turned to Michiru, placing her hands on the other woman's shoulders as the captain tensed at such informality toward his princess. "Just relax and do the same thing you've done with me this past week," Haruka murmured, trying to give some of her strength and confidence to her partner. "Focus on your power. You should be able to feel me first, since you are used to my aura, but don't attack until you can feel all of your opponents, too." Michiru nodded and closed her eyes as Haruka walked back to her side, eyes on the group of guards. "The princess will make the first move," the tall blonde announced, her stance daring any of the guards to argue.

Silence settled on the group as Michiru gathered her power, faint aqua light flickering around her slender form. Without even the slightest warning, Michiru's eyes shot open and she attacked. Haruka moved with her, choosing her target as Michiru attacked her own. They moved as a unit, Michiru dispatching the first two guards while Haruka scattered the rest of the group. The blonde easily knocked down the four warriors she had described as "just muscle", keeping the Jovian and Uranian occupied while Michiru faced off against the captain and the Martian.

Haruka dodged the Jovian's attack, finding Michiru at her back as they spun around and switched positions, the blonde landing a punch that broke the Martian's nose while her partner ducked low and kicked at the Jovian's leg. Haruka heard something behind her snap, then Michiru was gone again, leading the Uranian guard away from Haruka and her two opponents. Haruka laughed as the Martian tried to stop the flow of blood from his nose, ducking the captain's next attack and kicking the Martian in the chest with all of the strength her royal line could boast. The Martian cried out in pain as his sternum cracked from the force of Haruka's kick, falling on the ground beside the Jovian with the broken leg. With only one opponent each left, Haruka felt Michiru's back against hers again.

Haruka dodged the captain's fist and turned to the side, dashing off across the training field, Michiru at her side. Haruka ran as fast as she could, faster than the wind could cross the same distance, and somehow Michiru kept up with her. Despite the battle, the Uranian princess allowed herself a moment to admire the Neptunian's power and determination, sensing the other Uranian falter in her steps. Never before had anyone been able to match her pace, but her partner would not be left behind.

As they reached the edge of the field, Haruka turned on one heel, grabbing the Uranian guard's arm and throwing her to the ground, counting on the other woman's flagging strength from the run to keep her there. Michiru chuckled at the final guard's fate before ducking the captain's final attack, slipping under his arm and burying her elbow in his throat. With a shocked gurgle, the captain of the Queen's Guard fell to the ground, barely able to draw air into his lungs. The Uranian groaned and rolled onto her side, clutching her broken rib and possibly broken arm, all of their companions lying on the ground hundreds of feet away.

Haruka nodded in satisfaction, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she was finally able to use her full strength against a decent enemy. She turned to Michiru, the other woman's teal eyes filled with the joy of a battle well-fought. "For a pacifist, you sure take to fighting well."

"It's all in the partner," Michiru returned, the aqua light fading from her body. With a scream of pain, she fell to the ground, muscle spasms leaving her quivering on the ground, unfocused eyes searching desperately for her partner.

"Michiru!" Haruka scooped the Neptunian into her arms, holding her close as the medics flocked toward them. Spasms tore through the young princess's slender form, Haruka barely able to hold on to her.

"What happened?"

"I don't know," Haruka growled, letting the nearest medic rest a hand on Michiru's forehead. There were always a handful nearby when the training field was occupied, ready to heal any injury sustained. "She always gets headaches after trying to use her power, but never anything as bad as this."

"She seems to be having a seizure." The medic grabbed a small device from her bag, placing it on the princess's forehead and tapping a command. Slowly, Michiru's convulsions stopped, the exhausted woman barely able to focus on Haruka's face. "Princess, how do you feel?"

"It hurts," Michiru whispered, her voice weak. Haruka pulled her closer, forcing back her tears as the princess relaxed in her arms. "I just want to lie down."

"Yes, Highness, that would be best. Should I have the medics carry you to your chambers?"

"No, Ruka will take me."

Haruka rose to her feet, cradling Michiru to her chest as she turned back to the castle. The medics scattered to tend the injured guards, trusting the princess into the care of her visiting Uranian soldier. Haruka felt Michiru relax in her arms, slowly regaining her strength as they reached her chambers. Haruka carefully placed Michiru on her bed, eyes scanning for any lingering effects from her episode. "I'm fine," Michiru assured her partner, leaning back into her pile of pillows. "Just let me rest until dinner."

Haruka nodded and draped a light blanket over the princess, stripping out of her armor and dropping it in the chair by the window, heading into Michiru's private bath. As soon as the blonde was gone, Michiru removed her own grimy armor and placed it neatly on the floor to be cleaned and oiled, gathering a robe and heading for her secondary bathing chamber, trying to keep her mind off of the vision she had almost seen in the middle of her seizure.

Haruka sat on the roof of the castle staring out at the stars. From her balcony two wings over, Michiru watched the senshi statue. Michiru's wing of the palace was separate from most of the main rooms, so there was little chance that anyone was going to see a senshi on the roof, especially one that had been explicitly banned by the Neptunian queen so many years earlier. The princess had wanted to see her partner as a senshi, but even the sight of Haruka's feminine uniform did nothing to break the dark cloud that had hung between them since her seizure.

After a silent and very strained dinner, the blonde had transformed into Sailor Uranus and jumped up to the roof, her gray eyes hard. She had settled into a watchful position facing Neptune hanging in the night sky, one long leg pulled up to support her chin while the other one dangled carelessly from the edge of the roof, arms wrapped loosely around both. She hadn't told Michiru what she was watching, but the younger woman was getting worried.

"Haruka?"

Sailor Uranus looked down from her perch at the soft call, blue-gray eyes hard in the dim light. She stared at Michiru for a long moment before standing up and walking across the roof, her steps deliberate but wary. Reaching the roof above Michiru's chambers, Haruka jumped down, her transformation fading in a swirl of pink rose petals.

"I should never have taught you to fight."

When Haruka finally spoke, her words were barely a whisper, but Michiru sensed the self-hatred in her partner's voice. The blonde blamed herself for Michiru's condition.

"Ruka . . ."

"These headaches of yours have been getting worse, haven't they? Every time you use your power, they get worse. And now you're having seizures!"

"That wasn't my first seizure."

Haruka's eyes widened at Michiru's admission. "How many have you had? I've only ever seen you get headaches."

"I usually only get headaches when I'm using my power actively, but at night I keep having these visions of destruction, urgent ones, and I feel like there's something I need to do. Right when I can almost see through the darkness, a headache or seizure ends it. You aren't making it worse, Ruka, I promise."

Haruka sighed and wrapped her arms around Michiru, tucking the aqua-haired woman's head under her chin. "What are we going to do? I can't fight something like this."

"I just need the mirror so I can see what my dreams are trying to show me." Michiru smiled as Haruka's aura embraced her, making her feel safe for the first time in her life. "I think we should train the same way tomorrow. I'll get the medic to give me something to prevent seizures ahead of time and I won't push the vision."

Haruka closed her emerald eyes, relaxing as Michiru's aura washed over her, soothing her shattered nerves. "Can you control it?"

"I think so. I'm not the first Princess of Neptune to suffer from debilitating visions before receiving the mirror. I'm sure everything is going to be alright."

"Everything is going to be alright," Haruka whispered. "I'll make sure of it."

"I don't feel like training today."

Haruka raised one eyebrow as she grabbed her bracers off of the table in Michiru's main suite. "Then what do you feel like doing, Your Highness?" She wasn't very surprised by Michiru's words, especially since she had thrown herself vigorously into her training over the past week, ever since her seizure on the training field.

Michiru laughed gently into one hand, a dark navy-blue dress draped over one arm, a fluffy towel obscuring her slender form. "I thought we could visit my favorite place."

"Judging from that flimsy piece of cloth hanging from your arm, my leather armor will not be acceptable for this visit."

Michiru shook her head, an amused smile brightening her face. "I was hoping you would wear a dress."

"No."

"Oh, come on. No one will see you except me, and I've already seen you naked."

Oh, those eyes. Haruka felt Michiru exerting every ounce of control she held over the blonde, trying to convince her Uranian to don a dress just this once. "I haven't worn a dress since that day you saw me at Princess Serenity's Presentation."

She was cracking. Michiru saw the tiniest give in Haruka's armor, and she used every ounce of charm she could muster, hoping to force the blonde to surrender. "You were quite lovely that day. You are a beautiful woman, Haruka, despite the masculine clothes you choose to hide behind. I'd like to see that, just once."

Haruka glanced down at her armor and sighed. "Will anyone else see me?"

"No one except me, my Ruka. I promise." Michiru held out her arm, offering the navy-blue dress to her partner, teal eyes hopeful. Haruka reluctantly took the dress and held it up, mildly surprised that it seemed to be long enough to fall to her feet. "It'll look wonderful on you."

Sighing, Haruka gave in. As she stripped out of her armor, she marveled at the fact that this aqua-haired woman she had only met again two weeks earlier could control her so easily. The biggest surprise for the free-spirited woman was how much she desired Michiru's control. As soon as her armor was piled haphazardly on the floor, Haruka reached up to remove the bindings from her breasts, Michiru's hands reaching out to help her. "Do I have to wear anything under this . . . dress?"

Michiru nodded and grabbed a slip off a nearby chair, helping Haruka into the sheer sheath of fabric. The blonde raised her arms as Michiru slid the blue satin dress over Haruka's head, pulling it down until it fell to the Uranian's feet. Haruka glared at the dark fabric hugging her curves and brushing her toes, pulling at the slender straps lying across her shoulders. "It's too tight."

"It's perfect," Michiru whispered, her eyes shining in the morning light streaming in the window. "You look perfect. Let's find you some high heels."

"Heels?!"

"You wear heels as Sailor Uranus," Michiru argued, already turning to her closet.

"Heeled boots," Haruka replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Will you wear high heels as Sailor Neptune?"

"Every Neptune before me has. This is the planet of femininity, and what's more feminine than heels?"

"In that case, I certainly don't want to wear them." Michiru turned to her partner and smiled, giggling at Haruka's belief that she had a choice.

"These hallways are always empty. Mother does not believe in keeping staff in the unused portions of the palace."

"Why is it unused?"

"You'll see." Michiru led Haruka through a maze of dimly-lit hallways, amused by the sound of her partner trying desperately to walk in heels without hurting herself, finally stopping in front of an unmarked door. Touching a button beside the door, Michiru led Haruka inside, waving one hand at the glowing raised circle that took up most of the small chamber.

"A transporter," Haruka breathed, following Michiru onto the platform. "Where does it go? The one on the Moon has a single destination."

"As does this one. It goes to the retreat where my mother and yours met in secret for years. After Kazeko died, my mother sealed off this wing of the palace, but I decided to claim her retreat for myself."

"How do you know?"

Michiru shrugged as she tapped a command into the console at the edge of the platform. "My lessons are simple and rarely keep my attention. I did some research once I was old enough to understand why my mother visits Uranus every year."

The transporter room faded, dropping the pair into the center of a huge chamber, intricate patterns covering the floor. The walls and ceiling were crafted from translucent blue crystals, but Haruka found her attention drawn to the full-sized piano occupying most of the room. A violin sat on a stand beside the piano, sheets of music covering a nearby table, a handful of chairs scattered nearby that did not seem to get used often. "Wow," Haruka breathed, slowly approaching the piano. "Do you play the piano?"

"No," Michiru whispered, walking over to the violin. "I play this. You told me when you were a child that you played the piano, so I found one for you."

Haruka sat down in front of the piano, adjusting her unfamiliar skirt before lifting the lid and running her long fingers over the keys. Michiru lifted her violin to her chin, teal eyes watching her partner examine her own instrument. "How long have you been waiting for me, Michiru?"

"Fourteen long years, my Ruka. Play something."

"What?"

"Anything. I'll join in with you."

Haruka closed her emerald eyes and began to play, pouring every ounce of her conflicted emotions into the melody. She heard Michiru's violin join her, their music merging perfectly in the crystal cathedral as their instruments sang everything they couldn't say. Haruka smiled as the pain of her childhood and adolescence was washed away by the melody she and Michiru wove together. She couldn't say it—she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to say it—but in that room, she was able to show Michiru how she felt. The aqua-haired Neptunian princess opened her eyes, and Haruka could see her own feelings mirrored there. She wasn't a Venusian who could detect her soul mate with a touch and she wasn't a Martian full of fire and passion, but she knew that she loved Michiru and that her siren loved her back.

In that moment, alone in a crystal cathedral on Larissa, the two princesses forgot about their mission, their parents, their senshi powers and partners, and the coming battles. For just a moment, they were just two women in love.

Haruka stared at herself in the full-length mirror, running a hand across the blue satin hugging her hips. It was almost the same color as the navy from her senshi uniform, but a few shades lighter and quite a bit shinier. "It's not bad, but it's not me."

"Once in a while, you should let the woman inside you come out."

Haruka turned her head to the side, watching her princess slip out of her dress. They had eaten their dinner in Michiru's room since the Neptunian was unwilling to let her blonde back into a suit and the Uranian would never wear her dress even in front of servants. Night had fallen once more, and only soft artificial lights caressed Michiru's naked skin as she selected a sheer nightgown and slipped it over her head.

Taking that as her cue, Haruka unhooked the straps from her shoulders, letting the blue satin pool at her feet as she stepped out of her borrowed dress and searched for her own significantly more opaque night clothes. As soon as they were both mostly clothed, Michiru stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Haruka's waist, the blonde automatically embracing the smaller woman. "What?"

"Stay with me tonight." The blonde stiffened and the younger princess chuckled at her reaction. "Not like that. But I had a vision last night, and it was almost too much for me to endure. If I have one tonight, I want you to be there and hold me. When you hold me, I feel safe."

"You are safe," Haruka murmured, resting her chin on Michiru's head. "You will always be safe with me. I'll stay with you tonight."

Haruka pushed herself up on one elbow, intense emerald eyes watching Michiru sleep. The princess was even graceful when she slept, both hands tucked under her chin, her whole body curled trustingly toward Haruka. While the blonde watched, Michiru's eyebrows furrowed, her fists clenching in the pillow. Without any other warning, Michiru's eyes shot open, completely sapphire in the dim light, and Haruka found herself drowning in her partner's vision.

Darkness spreading across the Solar System, engulfing every planet and leaving behind nothing but death. Screams filling the empty air. The Moon covered in ruins, bodies everywhere, some of them senshi. They have failed in their duty. The Queen is dead, the princess is dead, and there is nothing left of the Silver Millennium. The darkness reaches for the Earth, but a brilliant golden light drives it back, protecting that one last planet of hope. The silver light of the ginzuishou cleanses the Moon, followed by the vibrant purple light of a scythe that buries the ruins and decimates the darkness gripping the other planets. The bodies are gone, the souls released to be reborn, and Time screams into the emptiness.

"Do you see?" Michiru whispered as she buried her fists in Haruka's shirt, the light in her eyes flickering. "We have to stop the darkness, we have to keep that scythe from falling, but if we cannot do that, we must find that golden light. Everything depends on it." As she breathed the last word, her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell back against the pillows, limp.

"MICHIRU!"

"I'm sorry, Sir, but she's in a coma. There's no physiological reason for her malady, but I cannot wake her."

Her fists clenched in the hopeless realization that there was nothing else she could do, Haruka stared at the pale woman on the hospital bed, a flock of white-robed medics with their machines tending the princess's every need. As she watched Michiru struggle for every breath, despite the tubes under her nose giving her oxygen, Haruka knew that there was only one way to save her. "The Mourning of Kazeko has only just finished, so Queen Shousha should still be on Oberon. Have a message sent to her."

"What should the message say?"

"Five words: return immediately; Michiru is dying."

AN: Yay for a whole chapter dedicated to Haruka and Michiru! Larissa is a small non-spherical moon of Neptune. For those of you watching the timing, two full weeks pass during this chapter. Since Haruka's birthday/Kazeko's death happen the day Haruka leaves the Moon, the two week memorial for Kazeko is over the night Michiru goes into the coma. There are now ten days left until the big meeting on Titan. Thirteen days after the meeting will be Michiru's birthday (for the sake of keeping me sane: since Ten'ou Haruka is thirty-eight days older than Kaoiu Michiru, Uranus Haruka is also thirty-eight days older than Neptune Michiru). On a side note, I calculated the 38 days and then looked at my calendar to double check it and kept getting 39 days from the calendar. Frustrated, I re-calculated then pulled up a calendar online and only then realized that this was a leap year so my 39 days included the twenty-ninth of February. Forgive my tired brain -.-

Electra Red: I'm glad you get excited to read this fic. I get excited to read everyone's reviews =) At first I thought I made H/M first meeting too tame, but after reading the reviews it seems that it came off perfectly in character.

Neptune's Lover: I've been waiting to write the meeting between Haruka and Michiru as much as you all have been waiting to read it. For some of my fics, I write the scenes I feel like working with that day, filling in the middle stuff later, but for this fic I am writing it from start to finish as you are reading. When I post this chapter, nothing after it is written yet (though the plot and certain scenes are waiting in my mind) so I get as eager for certain scenes as you guys do. As for confessions of love, I have recently started watching the musicals and the scene where Uranus confronts Neptune (recently turned by a vampire) in Super Senshi e no Michi - Last Dracul Jokyoku pretty much explains how I see these characters. Even as she is confronting Neptune as her enemy, she can never say aisheteru, but her arigatou is powerful enough.

I truly love the scene where Haruka loses her temper. She has spent the last few chapters as the sempai of the senshi, giving them advice and acting like the older sister, so to have her control snapped by this fourteen year old girl on purpose was quite the scene to write. It also parallels some of the anime where Uranus and Neptune spend so much of the S season at odds with the inner senshi, and only Sailor Moon can bring them into the group in the final episode. In the same way, only Serenity can break Haruka's rage. It was also a really easy way to have Makoto and Ami discover the truth so I could send Haruka to Neptune. I hope you enjoy their interaction during this brief interlude from all of the other characters.

petiyaka: They're all at that rebellious age where they don't care what their parents think (as Rei and Minako have shown by rejecting their mothers' advice) and Haruka especially does not care what Koshu thinks about anything she does. Haruka has just been burned by Serenity telling her that she did not know love, and she is upset about the fate waiting for Rei and Minako (and Makoto and Ami) when they are finally forced to separate. Until last chapter, she didn't think about the consequences of princesses having other princesses for lovers and soul mates. Just coming off of that revelation and after the explosion of anger she just had, Haruka is unwilling to even consider the idea of love or soul mates. In this chapter, it's clear that she becomes comfortable with Michiru as they grow close despite her initial intentions. Anyway, all of the other women Haruka slept with were just flings—servants, idols like Laira, and minor ladies—but Michiru is the woman she fell in love with all-unknowing fourteen years ago. If anything, she is going to hold back because she has been waiting so long and doesn't want to ruin anything.

Keeper Aki: So glad to attract another fan. So far I have been updating once a week (except for the week I wrote Venus Rising, but I gave two chapters last week to make up for it) so you should have something to read from me every Friday-ish.

Haruka Tenou: I'm so glad you like my writing style =) And yes it has changed drastically over time, to the point where I scrapped the original The Last Sacrifice because my style had changed so much. I don't plan to stop writing any time soon so hopefully I can keep you entertained for quite some time.

Meneldur: I based the Emdymion/Serenity/Haruka scene off of the scenes from Stars where Haruka warned Seiya to stay away from her princess and all Usagi wanted was to be with Seiya. Haruka posturing is always fun, and I liked the part where Endymion questions whether she is actually a princess. You might not believe it, but when I first planned the scene with Haruka fighting the inner senshi, it was very tame, just a training exercise and she would eventually transform to beat them. When I wrote the line "Why did you choose me to guard you?", I knew that I could build an even better scene. Having Serenity tell Haruka that she didn't know love just came to me and I went with it, letting Haruka lose her temper and fight the inner senshi. Making Serenity the only one who could snap her out of the rage seemed fitting and overall the scene played out beautifully.

Haruka has manipulated everyone she has met in this fic. She manipulated Rei the moment they met on Mars, manipulated Minako in Rei's recovery room, manipulated Asakaze a bit on Venus, and definitely manipulated Makoto and Ami, but without even trying, Serenity has manipulated her. When Haruka realizes that her princess is trying to break her, she snaps. After watching those video logs, she doesn't want any of it. If she had met Michiru first, before everyone else, she probably would have flirted with the Neptunian and ruined their chance at a real, honest relationship, but after the scene on the Moon she is too hardened against the idea of love to even respond to Michiru's flirting the way the other princess wants. Without a physical relationship, their love can grow, and you can see in this chapter that Haruka realizes she wanted something like this all along. I also like the confident Michiru who controls everything she can despite not yet having her henshin stick. In the anime, Michiru was always the one in control, always the one chiding Haruka for caring too much about Sailor Moon and the other senshi, and the one reminding her partner of their mission.

The goddess who impregnated the mother of Kazeko, the first senshi and Queen of Uranus, was Se. In A Child of Darkness and Light, Tranquility fathered the first King of Earth, Serenity fathered the inner four senshi lines, and Se/Setsuna fathered the outer four lines. That will never be brought up in this fic, though, since no one knows that Setsuna was the dark goddess of the Trio who founded the Silver Millennium. They do know that Tranquility of the Cult of the Broken Wing and the missing Serenity were involved, and they know that Serenity fathered (onto Se's daughter of Pluto Chiyoko) the first Queen Serenity who united the planets. Se has written herself out of the history books (see chapter 7 for the version that the princesses know) and had the oldest books restricted to physical copies so that no one can guess her true nature.

Yes, Setsuna puts Koshu in his place. He irritated her as a noble of her court, and he irritates her more since he ignored her friend Kazeko's daughter. A part of her blames his attitude toward Haruka for the time knot, and as a goddess she does get tired of mortals disrespecting her. In chapter 1, fourteen years ago, he acknowledged her as his superior, but now he's storming into her palace demanding things. I enjoyed the thought of Setsuna lifting him off his feet by his collar.