Chapter 12: My Deep Sea

February 11, 8983-February 12, 8983

Darkness swirled around the wary golden-haired goddess and her dark companion, mist gathered at their feet as Setsuna walked along a path only she could see. "I see why you don't come here much," Aphrodite whispered, keeping one hand on the queen's free arm. "How far do we have to go to see this time disturbance?"

"We're only tracing a small part," Setsuna offered in lieu of an actual answer, using the garnet light from her orb to reveal the path before them. It was invisible to all but her; even the other gods could not navigate time safely unless they were at her side. "Most of the threads I have identified, but somewhere in the center was an odd silver/gold spot that did not match anyone or anything I know. We're trying to find the source of that."

"Seems very vague."

Setsuna shrugged, waving her Time Key through the mists rising around the pair. "Well, Time Walking is not an exact science. This power that I inherited from my divine father is uncontrollable and incredibly unpredictable. Wait, I sense something." A pinprick of light appeared before the pair, Setsuna reaching out to touch it with her Garnet Orb. A shriek of silver surrounded the two and pulled them forcefully from the Time Stream, through the mists, and into a beautiful garden surrounded by tall silvery white pillars.

"I was wondering when you would come."

The two women looked up at the voice, surprised to find someone waiting for them in this oddly peaceful garden. The pale, silver-haired man was taller than Aphrodite but shorter than Setsuna, his glowing golden eyes regarding the pair warmly. His white robes were simple, reminding Setsuna of a priest's garments, and he seemed to belong in the garden. "Who are you?"

"Ah, I see, you have not met me yet. You are from the Silver Millennium?" Setsuna nodded. "How old is Uranus Haruka right now?"

Surprised by the sudden turn in the conversation, Setsuna was still able to provide the answer instantly. Sometimes she enjoyed having a perfect memory. "She just turned twenty-one. Why?"

"It's easiest to measure your timeline by her age. I know when you are from, and you have not met me yet, but the time is coming. Welcome to Elysion, Se, daughter of Hades, and Aphrodite, Goddess of Love."

"Who are you?"

The man bowed, waving one hand to encompass the entire garden. "I am Helios, the Pegasus guardian of this place and the Golden Crystal of Earth. Right now, you are over nine hundred years in your past. This area is not a physical part of Earth, though without this sanctuary and the crystal, the Earth would not exist."

"Where are you from? I found you in the center of a time disturbance that I have been trying to unravel, and I need to know if you can help me." Setsuna could see the power radiating off the man, enough power to make him a senshi if he had been a woman. She had never seen a mortal male so powerful before, but something told her that he was an immortal, like herself, if not quite a god.

"I cannot. No one can. You, Se, are the only one who can solve this riddle. You will make many wrong guesses, but on the final day you will help to save everything. Just trust your instincts and your heart, Queen of Pluto."

Setsuna narrowed her garnet eyes. "I distrust someone who seems to know more about the future than I do. It is my domain."

Helios nodded, the red gem in the center of his forehead catching the light from the noon sun. "I know. But you taught me how to read the time streams when I was a child, and you told me everything that happened at your current point in time. I'm still there, on your Earth, and as long as the Earth remains a place of hope and dreams, I will be there to protect the peace. I am a tiny part of your time disturbance and you will not understand until the end, but everything will turn out for the best."

"How can you be sure? Helios, everything is falling apart." She did not know why she trusted the Pegasus, but if he had knowledge of the future she needed it.

"Everything is falling together," the oddly powerful man countered. "You just need to trust that everything will be alright in the end. You should go now; there are no answers for you here. I will see you soon."

Setsuna waved her staff to open the Time Gate again, both intrigued and confused by this strange boy who seemed much older than his appearance would suggest. Aphrodite placed her hand on Setsuna's arm as they both stepped back into the Time Stream.

"The Cupids are stirring," Helios called as the Time Gate shut, his last words echoing through the mists. Setsuna couldn't tell if the words were supposed to be a comfort to her, or a desperate warning.

Shousha ran a weary hand through her hair, struggling to tame the wavy, multi-hued mass as she relaxed on the plush couch in her suite. She and Koshu hated each other, but as a visiting queen she demanded suitable accommodations, servants, and guards, which the Uranian King was honor-bound to provide. The Mourning had ended the night before with a prayer song by the priests of the Umbriel Storm Temple, leaving Shousha in an oddly upbeat mood all day while she had supervised her servants as they packed her travel cases and arranged for her transport home. Oddly, for the first time in twenty years, Koshu had not been present during the two week Mourning event, leaving the blue-haired queen to offer her prayers to Kazeko in peace.

A sharp knock on the door shook Shousha free of her thoughts, the queen rising before calling for her visitor to enter. A young servant entered the chamber, eyes on the floor as she offered a data crystal to the visiting queen. "What is this?"

"A message from Neptune, Your Majesty."

"From whom?"

"There was no encoded signature, but the transit stamp indicates that it originated within your palace."

Shousha shrugged and took the crystal, dismissing the servants as she dropped the crystal into the nearest data reader. The seal of Triton Castle flashed in the air, followed by five simple words, no audio or signature.

Return immediately; Michiru is dying.

A wave of ice-cold shock spread from her heart through her body, the queen staring at the Neptune henshin stick that had suddenly appeared in her hand. Michiru, dying? It hardly seemed plausible, but Setsuna had warned her to pass on the Sailor Neptune powers. Had she waited too long? If she waited for a ship to transport her back to her planet, her only child would be dead long before she arrived. As the thought filled her mind, power she barely remembered flowed through her, the queen transforming into Sailor Neptune for the first time since the day her lover died. An instant later, she was gone.

Tranquility twirled the goblet between his fingers absently, staring at his reflection in the facets of the gems along the edge. "Continue with your report."

"Most of the Alpha group has met her, and she has a great deal of power for an Earthling. She has as much devotion to Serenity as any young Cupid, and she has been able to see the Grail in her dreams. Not many of our recruits could say that." The Cupid glanced at his data pad, skimming the information, though he was already familiar with the details of his report. "She is the clan chieftain of a large island near the capital city of Earth, and she claims some distant relation with the Earth King's wife. The archipelago where the Earth King lives is comprised of some six thousand islands, though only four are of any noticeable size, and fewer than five hundred are inhabited. The recruit's family rules the northernmost large one and its nearest tiny neighbors, though most of them are too cold to have many inhabitants. She calls herself queen, though I believe that it is a self-styled title used by some of these rougher primitive Earth tribes. She offers her people into your service, as well, though I would recommend that they be considered for their supplicant and proselytizing abilities only. None of them showed any real promise."

The young god nodded, turning his attention to the group of Cupids arrayed before him. "Well, I am always willing to accept new priestesses. Install her in the Temple on Earth on the outskirts of the Earth King's capital city and let her lead the daily prayers. If she is strong, promote her to Cupid. I will judge her after that and decide if she is worthy of a seat on the Council. Your suggestion for her people is sound, so instruct them to build a new temple on their snowy main island as a test of their devotion.

"In the meantime, we will be redistributing the main Cupid core to help Queen Setsuna of Pluto determine the source of a newly developed time disturbance. The Tau, Upsilon, Phi, Chi, and Psi groups will travel to Pluto at once and place themselves under the direct supervision of the Queen. I imagine she will have you help her monitor the time streams. Omicron, Pi, and Rho groups head for Uranus; Mu, Nu, and Xi to Neptune; Iota, Kappa, and Lambda to Saturn. There may be some disturbances there already, so make sure you get a solid baseline before you start searching for disturbances. Eta and Theta to Jupiter, Epsilon and Zeta to Mars, Gamma to Mercury and Delta to Venus. As pacifistic as the two inner planets have always been, I don't expect much in your reports. Alpha group you will return to Earth and monitor the situation there. Observe our new priestess, too, and give her any assistance she requires. Beta group, stay here on the Moon. I'll need you to gather all reports from the other groups and send me anything that will require my further attention."

The Leader of Beta Group stepped forward, bowing briefly before speaking. "Where will you be, My Lord?"

"I will take the Omega group to Olympus and confer with the gods." The leader of the Omega group displayed no emotion at the announcement. He was a perfect example of an evolved Cupid, every ounce of his energy given to finding Serenity. Omega group was filled with the elite Cupids, and only they had ever been allowed on Olympus. Being assigned to Omega group had long been seen as the fastest track to a coveted Cupid Council position, and certainly all Council members had either been Group Leaders or members of the Omega team. "You all have your assignments."

The Cupid Leaders raised their wings and vanished, each of them headed back to their own barracks to gather their troops. Nodding in approval, Tranquility also vanished. He enjoyed stirring his Cupids for a great mission like the one Se had given him.

Michiru had been moved back into her room after the medics stabilized her condition. There was nothing they could do in the hospital wing, so they decided to make her as comfortable as possible. Haruka sat in a chair beside the princess's bed, Michiru's hand held in hers, emerald eyes never leaving the Neptunian's pale face. She had risked her own life to see that vision, but if she died how would Haruka find the strength to keep it from coming to pass? Without Michiru . . . why would she want to live? The servants had pestered her at first, wary of this nobleman from Uranus staying in their princess's chambers, but a single glare from Haruka had silenced them. One of Michiru's loyal servants, a girl by the name of Nakiko, brought Haruka tea and food, forcing the blonde to eat and keep up her strength. Haruka was grateful for the concern, but as the night faded into day and then night again, she despaired of ever seeing Michiru wake.

A sudden commotion outside Michiru's chamber caught Haruka's attention, the blonde raising her head as the Queen of Neptune burst into the room, wild teal eyes settling on her pale daughter. "What happened?"

Haruka had not realized until that exact second how angry she was at the blue-haired queen. Aside from insulting her as a child and taking Michiru away, Shousha's pride and selfishness had forced her daughter to suffer through headaches, seizures, and a coma because of visions her mother was too weak to see. Haruka pushed herself to her feet, emerald eyes blazing with a uniquely Uranian fury, fists clenched at her sides. "You dare ask that question? You knew that your link to the Neptune henshin stick was fading, but you refused to pass it on to Michiru and let her take her rightful place among the Sailor Senshi. You've kept her locked up here for her entire life, keeping her from people who would be her friends and partners on the other planets, and look what that has done to her. She has been seeing a vision of destruction over and over again, and without the Mirror it has put her into a coma!"

"Don't you dare raise your voice to me! Who are you to judge how I raised my child or when I chose to pass on my powers?" A true queen, Shousha pulled herself to her full height, though her posturing was wasted on Haruka, especially since she wasn't any taller than the princess. The blonde was dangerously close to the rage she had experienced on the Moon, but without the calming influence of Princess Serenity to save her.

"I'm someone who cares about your daughter more than you apparently do! Your pride and selfishness are killing her!"

Shousha ran over to Michiru's side, taking one of her daughter's cool hands in hers. The queen was gone, replaced by a concerned mother, the scene beginning to calm Haruka's fury. She didn't have the strength left to hate Shousha, any more than Shousha had the strength to fight her while the only person either of them cared about was slowly dying. "Oh Michiru, I never meant for this to happen."

"What does it matter if you meant it or not? She's dying because of you!" Haruka closed her eyes, forcing back her tears as she quieted her voice. She returned to her chair and took Michiru's free hand in hers, turning her face to the dying princess. Drained, she was barely able to whisper her next question, though the words cut Shousha more than the Uranian could imagine. "Is it worth it, losing her to keep your powers?"

Shousha's head shot up as she turned her fear and anger on the Uranian once more. "How do I know it wasn't something you did? I come home to find my daughter in a coma and a strange man in her room. Who are you?"

Haruka leaned across the bed, her face inches from Shousha's, one hand still holding Michiru's and the other tangled in the sheets in a desperate attempt to keep her from punching the Neptunian Queen. Her emerald eyes had darkened nearly to black and her voice was accusatory when she finally spoke. "Who am I? I am the person who has been here, holding her while she suffered headaches and seizures because she was trying to force a vision so she could save the Silver Millennium. You've been off mourning your lost love while your daughter has been dying."

"How was I supposed to know that it was this bad? She never said anything." Shousha had moved past the anger and blame; her defensiveness was just the final step before desperation. Either her worry for her daughter would force her to do something drastic or she would give into despair and watch Michiru die. Haruka hoped that she could push the queen toward the former, but without proper knowledge of the Neptunian's mind, it would be very difficult to force Shousha to see the truth.

"She told you that the sea was stormy," Haruka whispered, falling back into her seat beside the bed. She ran her fingers through Michiru's aqua hair, wishing that her partner would just wake up. "You should have known what that meant."

Shousha held out her free hand and watched as the Neptune henshin stick appeared in her palm, obedient for the first time in decades. "You know, it let me transform to come here in time." Desperation. She had finally reached the tipping point. Haruka knew that, of all the queens, Shousha was the one least likely to ever see her daughter as worthy of the henshin stick, but perhaps knowing that only the powers of Neptune could save Michiru would be enough.

"What do I care," Haruka growled, fingers dancing across Michiru's forehead. She had to feign ignorance of the powers of the henshin sticks and their planets, no matter how hard it was not to yell at the older woman for hesitating even now.

"I think it wants to save her."

"It's a henshin stick. It doesn't have wants." Haruka was tired of this conversation, tired of the queen who loved her mother and hated her guts, tired of sharing Michiru. She was too drained to even summon the fury that had sustained her since Shousha entered the room, and all she wanted was to be left alone with her dying partner. She could feel Michiru's heart faltering, and it was clear that they were out of time. If Shousha would not hand over the powers of Sailor Neptune willingly, there was no hope.

"The henshin stick is an extension of the planet's life force. You could never understand, but it decided to let me transform and come back to her."

Haruka closed her eyes and rested her head on Michiru's breast, listening to her siren's failing heartbeat. She could feel the Uranus henshin stick in her pocket begin to pulse gently, whispering to her, power tingling against her hip. She sensed Shousha move and she glanced up, her emerald eyes dull. The queen, her teal eyes hopeful, pried Michiru's hand open and placed her henshin stick on the princess's palm. Michiru's fingers slowly curled over the stick, but there was no other response. Haruka's henshin stick began to pulse faster, power flowing through her body and reaching for Michiru. Curious, Haruka pulled Michiru's hand to her heart, trying to funnel the power from her henshin stick into her partner's still form. Unlike every other time she had used her powers, there was no golden glow, even though Uranus was almost screaming in her mind. It did not want to lose its partner.

Haruka watched, breathless, as the Neptune henshin stick began to respond to Uranus's call. Michiru's fingers slowly tightened around the slender rod, aqua power gathering around her hand. A flash of aqua light filled the room, fading to reveal Sailor Neptune sitting up in the bed, one gloved hand held to her forehead and the other still holding Haruka's in a death grip. "Ruka," she whispered, tears in her eyes as the blonde half-stood and embraced her, both of them unable to speak.

Shousha cleared her throat, ending the reunion as Michiru reluctantly pulled out of Haruka's arms. Her teal eyes searched her partner's dark green for an explanation, and Haruka nodded at her uniform. "You transformed. I guess it broke your coma."

Sailor Neptune glanced over her shoulder at her mother, something preventing her from wanting to embrace the queen. "Thank you," she managed. "How did you know?"

Shousha nodded at Haruka. "Your suitor here sent me a message. I'm not sure how you knew to find me on Oberon, however. I'm also not sure when you and he became so close, since I have never met him before." With the disaster averted, Shousha wasted no time berating her daughter for her choice in companions. Haruka wondered if the blue-haired queen had always been so harsh and unfeeling toward her daughter.

"Ruka's been keeping me company while you were gone. I've learned a great deal about fighting and controlling my power from him." At the deliberate masculine pronoun, Haruka tightened her grip on the slender princess, wondering why she was intentionally lying to the queen about her partner's gender. Michiru's voice was sharper and more commanding than when she spoke to Haruka, and there was a cold undertone reserved only for her mother. Why was the princess of Neptune keeping her mother distant?

Shousha stood from her chair, her own demeanor decidedly less open. "When you are feeling better, I will see both of you in my throne room. And I expect you to introduce your suitor properly." Without waiting for a response, the queen spun on one heel and left, the guards at the door following her.

Haruka finally released Michiru after the door closed, holding her hand to satisfy her protective instincts. "I thought you were going to die. You forced that vision."

"I had to. I'm sorry that I worried you. But I knew that I would be safe since you were here watching over me." Michiru smiled apologetically, letting her transformation fade as Haruka sat down beside her on the bed.

Haruka tilted her head to one side, suddenly understanding her new partner's plans. "You did it on purpose. You knew that something would happen if you saw the full vision, and you were hoping that it would be something bad enough that your mother would have to come home and give you the henshin stick."

"This was the only way I could think of to get my powers. I need them to be able to fight with you and protect the Silver Millennium."

Haruka cupped Michiru's cheek in one hand, emerald eyes full of pain. "Don't scare me like that again, Michi. I don't know what I'd do if you left me."

"You'll never have to worry about that."

"What does she want with us, anyway?"

"I'm not sure, Ruka."

Michiru held an aqua-colored mirror up and stared at her reflection, frowning as she fixed one of the loose curls framing her face. Her servants had spent over an hour fixing her hair and makeup, determined that she would be presentable when she presented herself to the queen. Haruka tugged absently at the bottom of her jacket, freezing as she identified the mirror Michiru was staring into.

"Are you using your talisman to check your hair?"

"I saw you use your sword to cut flowers for me this morning." Michiru's deflection was a clear admission of guilt, though Haruka knew that she would never admit to using her senshi powers for trivial tasks.

Haruka chuckled and ran her fingers through her hair. "I haven't used it to fight in a while. I wanted to test its edge. It was a little dull."

"Are you blaming your sword?" Michiru's eyes danced as she teased the blonde, lowering her mirror as she smiled flirtatiously. Despite her near-death experience, the Neptunian was as spirited as ever.

"I don't think I've lost my edge," Haruka replied cockily, almost making herself blush as she flirted back for the first time in weeks. She had been trying to keep herself from growing too close to the aqua-haired beauty, but after Michiru came out of her coma, Haruka could barely hold herself back.

From the sparkle in Michiru's blue-tinted teal eyes, the slender princess felt the same way. "Do you want to test that?"

Haruka nodded toward the main chamber of Michiru's suite and the servants they could just hear through the not-quite-closed doors. "Maybe later when we're alone. We have to go meet your mother now." Haruka reached out and took Michiru's hand, kissing it and watching her partner blush. Struggling to control her own reaction to the mental images she was conjuring up, the blonde led her partner out of the bedroom.

Four of Shousha's guards met them at the door to Michiru's chamber, all of them mostly recovered from the injuries they received they received fighting the princesses of Uranus and Neptune. The Jovian and Martian bowed to Michiru respectfully while the Uranian winked at Haruka, the wiry Neptunian glaring at both of them. The four guards moved into flanking position and the group headed for the throne room, Haruka never releasing Michiru's hand.

Neptunians were a people of elegance, always insisting on elaborate and highly complex ceremonies for even the simplest of events. Four servants flanked the two huge doors leading to the throne room, pulling them open and bowing as the princess and her blonde partner entered the huge chamber. Haruka had only a moment to admire the sea-colored windows and dark blue marble floor before the sound of trumpets filled the hall. Her grip on Michiru's hand tightened as she recoiled from the pageantry, but Michiru looked up at her and smiled, silently asking her to endure the torture for just a moment.

Shousha sat in a splendid throne alone at the top of her dais, her silvery blue dress far fancier than Haruka would have expected for a simple conversation between a mother and daughter. The great hall was empty of fawning nobles or alert guards, only the light of a false sun to keep the trio company. Haruka and Michiru stopped at the stairs leading to the throne, the Neptunian dropping into a shallow but perfect curtsy, her partner offering the queen a modest bow.

"How are you feeling today, Michiru?"

"Much better, Mother. How was your trip?" Michiru's voice was light, but there was a sharpness as she asked her question that shocked Haruka. How could her gentle Michiru be so cruel when speaking of Shousha's trip to mourn her lost lover? She glanced at the aqua-haired princess, surprised to see that Michiru was troubled by how she had spoken, even though her words and tone had been deliberately chosen. She did not want to push her mother away, but she felt like she needed to create a distance between them.

Shousha stiffened at the question, her teal eyes hardening. Whatever small amount of warmth she had shown her daughter after her near-death experience was gone, leaving a cold and bitter queen alone on her throne. The Space Sword on Haruka's hip whined in her mind, reminding the blonde that her mother's spirit was watching the interaction through her daughter's eyes. She wanted nothing more than to be with Shousha, but Haruka did not have enough power to free her mother from the Sword. "I don't recall you asking me for permission to entertain a suitor."

"I don't recall needing your permission to have a friend," Michiru replied sharply, releasing Haruka's hand and crossing her arms defiantly over her chest. "I never said anything about a suitor."

Shousha stood from her throne, her calculating smile worrying Haruka. "You didn't see the way your blonde friend looked at you while you were in a coma. No one in almost six decades has raised their voice to me without fearing the consequences. This Uranian noble cares about you enough to risk my wrath, to even tell me that I was wrong not to give you the stick and the mirror earlier. No one except Pluto Setsuna has dared to say that to me. If it had been anyone else who spoke to me like he did, I would have ordered him deported, or flogged, or both. However, I cannot do that to the person who loves you enough to summon me home in time to save you."

"Loves me?" Michiru turned to Haruka, her teal eyes demanding an answer from the flighty blonde. Haruka fidgeted uncertainly, reaching out to take the princess's hand in her own. She hadn't meant for her feelings to become a topic of conversation in the throne room, but she had to admit that her actions had given her away to Shousha the night before.

Her conversation with Serenity after they returned from Earth filled her mind as she tried to decide how to answer. "In my language, there is no word that even comes close to approximating the feeling you call love," she murmured, reaching up to run her fingers through Michiru's hair. "I don't have the ability in any language to put into words the feelings I have for you."

"You don't have to say anything," Michiru whispered, closing her eyes briefly as she enjoyed Haruka's gentle touch. "I understand."

"Then it's decided." Michiru and Haruka turned back to Shousha, neither of them understanding the queen. Shousha waved one hand at Haruka, impatience in the action. "Before I tell you both what I have decided, I suppose I should allow your suitor to formally introduce himself."

Haruka gave herself a moment to decide what answer to offer, something in Michiru's stance warning her to pick a man's name and a proper rank for herself, instead of using the High Duke of Umbriel introduction she had concocted on Mars. "I am Rukaze, son of Fourth War Queen Ono Hikari, and I hold the title Kazemaru."

"Impressive. Ono Hikari has seven sons, so I imagine that you are unlikely to inherit much of anything from your mother's estate." Haruka was lucky that Shousha only knew the size of Hikari's brood and not the members, though she was counting on the fact that few outside of the Uranian nobility would bother to learn the names of so many lightly-titled men. Of all the War Queens, Hikari had been the most prolific.

Haruka shrugged. "At this rate, I think I could agree with that statement." Until Koshu recognized his rebellious daughter as the rightful Queen of Uranus, Kazeko's "estate" would never pass to her.

"Fine, then in recognition of your bravery and the feelings you have for my daughter, I offer you my estate."

"What?"

"Marry my daughter." Ah. That was quite a bit more clear.

Haruka stared at the queen, completely at a loss for words. Michiru stepped forward, one hand held out toward her mother in something that approximated supplication. "I don't think you understand what you're saying."

"I understand completely, Michiru. Seventy-six suitors have come to this palace and asked for your hand in marriage. Twelve of them were even visiting nobles from other worlds, but you have never shown even an ounce of interest in any of the men who stood before you or in the letters written by the ones I would not allow to meet you in person. I had considered lifting the ban I have on off-world nobles meeting you, but clearly you have somehow solved that problem for me. I have been gone for only two weeks, but you have managed to fall in love in so short a time. You're going to be twenty-one in just over three weeks, and I did tell you that you had to choose a husband by then."

"Yes, Mother, but I don't think that Ruka—"

"Well I do think that this is the right choice. You may be Sailor Neptune now, but I am still Queen of this world and I expect you to obey me."

Michiru turned to Haruka, her eyes full of desperation. She knew as well as the blonde that marriage between two high noble women was forbidden throughout the Silver Millennium. They couldn't get married, but if they told Shousha the reason why, she would banish Haruka from Neptune forever.

Haruka nodded at her partner, her mind devising a plan as soon as the shock of Shousha's demand had faded. "If you insist on forcing our hand, we will obey. But as a Uranian I insist that Michiru return to my home on Oberon so that a priest of the Silent Wind Temple can bind us." Uranians did not value marriage the same way the other worlds did, and few commoners ever bothered with the practice. All noble women and heavily-titled commoners chose husbands, and most of them were married in private by a priest of the Silent Wind Temple, usually with fewer than three guests in attendance. From Haruka's words, Shousha could tell that she would not be one of the few invited guests.

"I would prefer that Michiru's wedding be held here, on Triton."

"Prefer what you will, but no Uranian with any rank or title can respect a marriage carried out by a foreign priest. It might be your decree, but it will be my world, my priest, and my privacy."

Shousha glared at the blonde from her high perch, Haruka's emerald eyes determined. After a few silent moments, Shousha relented, sighing as she looked away. "You remind me of a Uranian I once knew. I had forgotten how stubborn your people can be. Fine, have your wedding on Oberon. I'll probably be on Titan by the time you return, so I will not see you again until Michiru's birthday. I expect to see your marriage certificate on that day."

Haruka bowed her head in acceptance of the terms, taking Michiru's hand and leading the aqua-haired princess out of the throne room. The four guards flanked them again, leading the silent pair back to Michiru's chambers, the Neptunian returning to his other duties once they arrived. The Jovian and Martian took positions outside the chambers, on either side of the door, while the Uranian guard entered the chamber first and checked it for dangers before leading the princesses inside.

Michiru sighed and collapsed on her couch, one arm covering her eyes as she struggled to digest the conversation from the throne room. Haruka crossed her arms over her chest as the Uranian guard watched her, the wiry woman's golden eyes full of wonder. "What?"

The guard dropped to one knee, head bowed. "I just wanted to say what an honor it was to fight you, Your Highness."

"How did you know?"

"I thought I recognized you when we sparred days ago, but I wasn't sure until I read the recent reports from Oberon and realized you were missing."

"Who are you?"

"I am Miki, the youngest daughter of Fourth War Queen Ono Hikari."

Haruka chuckled as she loosened her formal jacket and tossed it at a nearby chair. "How interesting. I just used your mother as an alibi to Queen Shousha. Hikari has no love for the Queen of Neptune, especially since she used to be a key advisor to my mother."

"Mother says that all of the War Queens attended your birth, but only she was allowed to speak with Queen Kazeko that day. Whatever plan you have that requires my mother's support, she will be with you every step of the way."

Haruka pulled the smaller Uranian to her feet, taking a seat on the couch beside Michiru and offering her arm to the troubled Neptunian. "It's nice to know that at least one person who attended my birth does not blame me for the death of my mother." The young guard opened her mouth to protest, freezing when Haruka waved her hand. "Don't worry, I don't blame myself. I know that my mother chose to give me all of her strength because something is coming that she could not fight. Miki, send a message to your mother. Tell Hikari that her youngest son Rukaze is coming home from Neptune and needs some advice." Miki bowed and turned to leave, closing the door behind her.

Michiru relaxed as soon as she and Haruka were alone, but her eyes were still full of dread. "Why did you agree to this, Ruka?"

"How could I not agree? If I had told her the truth, she would have thrown me off this world and I would never see you again."

"But you know the Ancient Law as well as I do."

Haruka nodded, pushing herself off the couch and walking to the balcony overlooking Michiru's private beach. She sensed the Neptunian leave the couch and move to her side. "The galaxy will be consumed by Time and the Moon will fall to the Earth in a harvest of ruin when two planets combine," Haruka murmured in Plutonian, making sure that her accent and inflection were perfect. "That word, jahjku, is different than the word that literally means planet, jajku, and the inflection most commonly refers to the senshi, but not us."

"No, it means the senshi as they were thousands of years ago when they had full access to their planetary power. We don't have that anymore."

"I know. Sailor Pluto ordered the other senshi to remove their keystones from their Planet Crystals after the Antares Uprising in order to prevent this prophecy of doom from coming to pass. Without those keystones, we are not jahjku and we don't have to worry about the galaxy being consumed by Time."

"But?"

Haruka clenched her fists at Michiru's soft question, having hoped that the younger woman did not sense her trepidation, but Michiru could read her just as easily as she could read the Neptunian princess. "You saw Saturn's scythe in your vision. The harvest of ruin refers literally to Saturn's power of the harvest. She destroys everything to bring about a rebirth. And there is a Full Council on Titan in a week."

Haruka did not have to say anything else. Michiru knew the implications of having a meeting on Titan especially with the vision of destruction she had been seeing. "The other senshi, the ones you spent time with on the Moon, they want their full powers to stop the threat that is calling Sailor Saturn, don't they?"

"Yes. If we take our keystones, we could conceivably stop Saturn, but we would risk the fulfillment of the prophecy. At the very least, you and I could never be together again."

Michiru stepped in front of Haruka, taking the blonde senshi's hands in her own. "Ruka, we are warriors with a duty to protect the Silver Millennium from any threat. If we have to take our keystones in order to stop Saturn from awakening, then we will do that as warriors, and we will save the world."

"No matter the cost?"

Michiru smiled and kissed Haruka's palm, the gesture far more intimate than anything the blonde would ever allow from anyone else. "Before you arrived, I could have said that. But after being with you, and after seeing your heart, I cannot accept that fate. A world without you, Haruka, isn't one worth saving. If the price of saving this solar system is your life, I will pay it double and follow you to the other side." She raised Haruka's palm to her cheek and held it there. "Any other cost is manageable."

Haruka smiled, light from the artificial sunlight sparkling in the depths of her emerald eyes. She wrapped one arm around Michiru's slender waist and pulled the aqua-haired beauty against her chest, chuckling at her startled squeak. "Well, at least if we have a wedding, we will be entitled to a honeymoon night."

"I like the sound of that." Michiru rested her head on Haruka's shoulder, finally able to relax after the meeting with her mother. "How are you going to manage this wedding?"

"I'm not sure. But we'll figure something out."

AN: Review responses next chapter. I got this one out way faster than I thought. There are two anime references (one episode, one special) and two SeraMyu references (one major, one minor) this chapter. Hopefully you can spot them all. Also, something terrible just happened this chapter, but it might be hard to spot.