AN: I spent last weekend at a convention so forgive me for taking so long on this update! Also, I got my picture taken with John de Lancie (Star Trek's Q and MLP:FIM's Discord among others) and I'm still kinda excited from that. I just posted a much longer rewrite of "In The Darkest Forest" and the introduction of Uranus explains a bit more about the sa'usikha concept and the balance of sajink and saliis. You don't have to read it to understand this chapter, but if you've seen the Stars season and don't mind the spoilers, it might help a tiny bit. Enjoy!
Chapter 13: Rushing Wind
February 12, 8983
There was no such thing as a windless day on Oberon. Some unexplained combination of the atmospheric generators and the gravity of the serene gas giant the moon orbited kept the wind moving constantly. It was no surprise to anyone that the power of Uranus was wind, nor that the warriors of Uranus were always adept at fighting in rough conditions that kept others indoors.
Ono Hikari, the Fourth War Queen, contemplated that as she stared across the verdant expanse of her estates, a message in one hand and a cool drink in the other. Her youngest daughter had left Oberon more than two years earlier to apply for a post in the Neptune Guard so that she might obtain enough titles to earn a decent husband. Miki had risen through the ranks quickly, as was expected when a Uranian warrior entered a pacifist militia, and had been promoted to Shousha's personal guard, having won the war titles she had desired. Despite her own feelings toward the cold and bitter queen, Hikari knew that such a post was a testament to her daughter's strength. Now, two years after she had last met with her daughter face-to-face, the girl had sent her an encrypted and highly confusing message. "Mother, I send my regards to you and to our Princess. Your youngest son Rukaze is returning home for a visit after a brief three week absence. He needs a kind ear and some sound advice when he arrives."
What could the message mean? She had no son named Rukaze, so Miki must need her to help someone hide from the king, but who could it possibly be? And why would Miki send her regards to the princess when she knew, as well as every Uranian, that Haruka had vanished three weeks earlier?
Oh. "It can't be," Hikari whispered, golden eyes trained on the ground below her. Her daughter's private shuttle had landed in the main courtyard, away from the security measures clogging the main spaceport and away from anyone looking for the missing princess. As the first visitor exited the spacecraft, Hikari realized with the cold shock of sudden clarity whom Miki needed her to hide. The tall, confident blonde who appeared on the ramp of the shuttle wore a finely embroidered and very masculine suit colored in white, navy, and gold, but there was something decidedly feminine about her gait, her stance, and even the way she glanced around the garden. As soon as her elegant heeled boots touched the ground, she smiled, as if being on Oberon energized her. Only a senshi would react that way.
"Princess," Hikari breathed, only the balcony under her trembling hands supporting her. The blonde looked up at the faint word the wind carried to her ears, her emerald eyes meeting Hikari's golden ones across the garden, and she paused, a slow smirk spreading across her face. She turned slightly as a slender, aqua-haired beauty joined her on the ground, the smaller woman the epitome of elegant femininity. The blonde took her partner's hand and headed for the huge mansion, both of them moving in perfect sync, as if they had been partners for their entire lives. Hikari could easily recognize the second woman as a Neptunian of high breeding, but what was her princess doing traveling the system with one of them?
Haruka followed the nervous servant through the huge mansion, admiring the rich color of the carpets and the fine weapons on display along the walls. Beauty and strength were twin concepts on Uranus, even to the point where the words shared the same linguistic root, and Hikari had excellent taste. Michiru walked beside her, their steps in sync, but it was clear that the Neptunian's idea of fine art did not generally include ancient jewel-encrusted weapons. The servant stopped before an open door crafted from the finely grained wood of a golden ash tree, bowing low as the two princesses entered the War Queen's audience chamber.
Ono Hikari stood before the balcony overlooking the gardens, her dark brown hair falling just past her shoulders and her golden eyes showing nothing of her emotional turmoil. She was taller than Haruka, and her perfectly straight hair shone with golden highlights as she moved across the room, every step as graceful as the princess's. Her slender form embodied that perfect balance between masculinity and femininity that Uranians bred for; though she currently wore a dress, she could easily pass for a man if she had chosen a suit that morning. Michiru was beginning to understand that Haruka's androgyny was not a conscious choice, but rather a casual effect of her genetics that her Plutonian father could never understand. On planets like Neptune and Venus that valued beauty and grace, a woman was expected to always dress and act like a woman, but on the war planets Mars and Jupiter, women would often dress as men for expediency and to aid in their fighting prowess. Uranus seemed to be situated perfectly in the middle, where the women held all of the power and therefore were expected to fully embody both aspects, male and female. Ono Hikari tended just slightly toward the masculine, whereas Haruka had pushed herself much further.
The tall woman dropped to one knee when she reached the pair, joy in her golden eyes. "Princess, you have returned."
"Please, War Queen, rise. I am not here as your sovereign."
"It is enough that you are here." Hikari rose to her feet as if lifted by the wind, nothing in the action indicating a strain on any muscle. Michiru watched her, utterly entranced by her grace and wondering how she had not known how much her people had in common with the Uranians. "To what do I owe this great honor?"
Haruka glanced at Michiru, waiting for the princess to offer her curtsy before beginning her introductions. "This is High Princess Michiru of Neptune, current senshi of her world and future queen. As of yesterday, she is also my ch'kuri."
Hikari's eyes widened as she took a step toward the center of the chamber, gesturing for her guests to take seats on one of the many floor cushions. She joined them, running a hand through her hair in a gesture Michiru had seen Haruka use many times during her time on Neptune. "By whose orders?"
"Queen Shousha's."
The War Queen snorted, shaking her head. "The fool. She did not see you."
"Most foreigners cannot see us, not really. Even my own father would not understand. Be that as it may, I chose not to reveal myself to the queen."
"And so, the princess of another world is your ch'kuri, and you must find a way to wed."
"I don't know this word," Michiru admitted, entering the conversation only reluctantly. It seemed that Haruka and Hikari were talking on a different level, using words and phrases that did not make sense even in Sol Standard. She had learned three of the most common Uranian dialects as a child, despite her mother's disapproval, but there were some dialects that off-worlders could never truly learn. This word that Haruka was using had to come from one of them, most likely Secret Umbrien, which was used for their most important ceremonies.
Hikari smiled at the princess, waving her hand as she tried to decide how to explain. "On your world, men and women are roughly equal in status, and thus arranged marriages are uncommon except at the highest ranks. Throughout most of the solar system this is true, though men are slightly higher on Jupiter and Mars except for the Queen. Here, we long ago subdued our men and trained ourselves to be great warrior women. We embody the concept of sa'usikha or double-self. Each woman strives to balance her masculine and feminine halves to become a perfect person, making a male partner mostly unnecessary. Indeed, most woman with any rank here have harems consisting of both male and female partners, though noble women almost always take a permanent husband. Our current king does not approve of this practice, so we War Queens have tried to keep up the image of a simple monogamous marriage to appease him. In the case of a marriage, and with very few exceptions, the husband of a worthy noble is offered to her by the man's mother after the noble woman has received substantial titles and accomplishments, in a ceremony known as the ch'kai'urh. After the ceremony between the women, a brief interlude must pass before the wedding to ensure that the two are compatible, and during that time the male is referred to as the woman's ch'kuri. The closest translation in Sol Standard is probably betrothed."
"So, when Mother flat-out ordered me to marry Haruka, I became her ch'kuri." Michiru marveled at the odd culture on her partner's world, suddenly wondering what it was like for Haruka to know that her father hated the part of her that was the most Uranian.
Hikari nodded. "It is quite an honor to be the ch'kuri of the princess. Unfortunately for the two of you, this marriage is illegal and can never happen."
"That's why we came to you."
"Long ago, your mother came to me for the same reason, but I told her then that there was no way around the law. She wanted to marry Shousha as much as you want Michiru, but no amount of love will see you through this. I can probably find you a priest that will perform the ceremony—well, I can definitely find you a priest—but there is no place free of the laws of the Silver Millennium for him to perform your wedding." She raised one eyebrow as she regarded the pair, remembering the note her daughter had sent her. "Why did you come to me?"
"When I was standing in the throne room and I had to formally introduce myself to Queen Shousha, I gave my pedigree as the youngest son of Fourth War Queen Ono Hikari. My mother's spirit has guided me more than once in these last few weeks, and it was certainly her guidance that led me here. She wanted me to come to you, and I guess she thinks that you have the answers I seek."
A servant slipped through the open door bearing a tray of snack and drinks, placing it carefully on the table between the floor cushions before bowing and leaving the trio in peace once more. Hikari gestured for her guests to refresh themselves as she took another glass of fruit juice for herself. "Princess, do you know why your mother's spirit would tell you to come to me and not to one of the other War Queens or diplomatic functionaries such as the members of the Duchess Council?" She asked the question as one who knew the answer, and Haruka was glad that someone could explain it to her, especially since Kazeko had not spoken to her since the Moon.
"Call me Haruka. And no, I have no idea. She didn't speak to me, just pushed."
"Well, let me explain. On all of the Moons of Uranus, you will not find a single woman more loyal to Kazeko—and, by extension, to you—than myself. Kazeko's mother, Queen Chisaki, had a younger sister named Yumi. She never aspired to be a great warrior or artist, content to let her title of Princess win her a husband. I am her only daughter, and I was never content to live by my mother's title. I grew up in the palace, but I was treated as an outsider by most of the nobles since my mother had no warrior name of her own. As a child, Kazeko befriended me and we trained to become warriors together, even though I was five years older than her. When the former Fourth War Queen died in that great battle on Pluto, I fought a dozen contenders for her title, winning it and finally finding an official position in your mother's court. Kazeko always turned to me first for advice, viewing me both as her older sister and as her most important tactical advisor. She was with me when I gave birth to Miki, already pregnant with you, and she told me that she would not survive the birth of her daughter. She said that if she lived, the Silver Millennium would be forever lost. I swore to her then that I would always protect and obey you, Haruka, and that I would love you as my princess even if the whole world blamed you for Kazeko's death."
"And is that why my mother would send me to you?"
"The whole system is looking for you, Haruka. Your father just flew off to Pluto to ask Queen Setsuna where you had gone. But I'm the one person on Uranus who would never betray you to King Koshu. If you want to tell him that you are here, you are welcome to do so, but I will not." Hikari pushed a plate of candied fruit toward Michiru, gesturing for the Neptunian to try the delicacy. "Speaking of your travels, how have they gone? Your mother returned to Uranus after only one week, but you have been gone far longer."
"I went to Mars and watched Princess Rei challenge her mother for her henshin stick. The princess of Venus, Minako, managed to force her first senshi transformation in the middle of the fight to save Rei from her mother's uncontrolled bloodlust, and Rei won the battle immediately after. Ares appeared to congratulate her."
"Oh, nice. He hasn't been seen in generations."
"Aphrodite appeared to Minako later. It was clear that Rei and Minako were lovers, so I followed them to the Moon to see how their relationship would develop. Makoto of Jupiter and Ami of Mercury arrived that night, after just receiving their own henshin sticks, and then I met the Princess."
Hikari nodded. "She's something else, isn't she? She is so young and so innocent, but she has this power beyond what a warrior can comprehend. She's going to be stronger than her mother, you know."
"I can see that. She asked me to train the senshi for a while, so I did, and I watched their relationships grow. Somehow, Princess Serenity could see through me, and she knew that I was in pain, that I had never known love." Michiru reached over and twined her fingers with Haruka's, offering the blonde her strength as her words faltered. "She said that to me and I snapped. I forced the senshi to fight me to rescue their princess, but she stopped me before my rage overwhelmed them. I've never seen anyone break a Uranian out of that state with words alone, but she has a great power. I hope she's alright, with only those four to protect her. I promised that I would keep taking her to see that prince of hers, but . . ." Haruka's emerald eyes widened as she trailed off, her grip on Michiru's hand tightening with her excitement. "I know where we can go."
"Where, Ruka?"
The blonde turned to her partner, a wild joy filling her eyes. "Michi, there is a place in this solar system that is not part of the Silver Millennium and does not have to obey most of its laws. From what I know of the implementation of the Ancient Laws, it would be exempt from their prohibition. I don't know why I didn't think of it before."
"Where?"
Setsuna stepped out of the Time Gate, staff in one hand and Aphrodite's fingers in her other. The Goddess of Love was afraid of the myriad streams of time Setsuna had led her through, unable to see the paths her cousin could follow easily, so she maintained contact with the blonde until they exited the Gate. The dark queen was surprised to see a large contingent of Cupids awaiting her exit, all of them standing silently along the walls of her throne room as if they had been waiting for days. "You've multiplied since the last time Tranquility sent me this type of gift."
Five of the Cupids stepped forward and bowed to the Queen of Pluto, each identically attired in loose, flowing white robes with silver quivers filled with golden arrows on their backs, a white bow hooked over each quiver. Each of them had a golden symbol on their forehead, the letters Tau, Upsilon, Phi, Chi, and Psi marking them as the leaders of their respective Cupid Groups. The Tau leader, a red-haired woman with pink eyes, smiled at the pair of goddesses as she gestured toward the gathered Cupids. "Lord Tranquility sent us here to help you unravel the Time Knot and monitor the time streams. We are yours to command, Goddess Se."
"I am not a goddess in this form. Call me Queen Setsuna but never call me Se."
"Of course; forgive my slip. There are Cupid groups assigned to every planet and we will pool our resources to help you save the Silver Millennium."
Setsuna raised Aphrodite's hand to her lips and kissed it gently, smiling at her longtime friend. "Thank you, Aph, for accompanying me to Elysion. I'm not sure what we learned, but I am glad that I did not have to travel alone."
"You aren't alone, Se. Your family and friends will always be here for you."
"I know. I just forget that sometimes, especially when I have been mortal for so long. Give my regards to Ares and my parents when you return to Olympus."
"I will." Aphrodite kissed Setsuna gently on the lips, tears in her eyes. "I wish I could heal your pain and your heart."
"My heart has a bad habit of choosing women I can never keep. Don't worry about me, Aph. Right now, I need to focus on this time knot." The golden-haired goddess vanished in a shower of rose petals, Setsuna scattering the soft pink disks as she walked toward the Cupid leaders. "Well if you're here to work, let's get to work."
Serenity stepped out of her chambers, smiling at the four women who greeted their blonde princess. Rei and Minako stood on one side of the door while Ami and Makoto stood on the other, all of them at full attention despite their elegant dresses and high heels. "Good morning, ladies."
"Good morning, princess," the four chorused, falling into step behind her as the girl headed for her mother's private dining chamber. They had adopted this routine the morning after Haruka vanished, protecting their princess as she performed her daily duties. While she was safely in her tutoring sessions or asleep, they trained and increased their powers as Haruka would have wanted them to. Though the senshi lacked a teacher, they were growing stronger daily, honing their skills for the battle Haruka warned them was coming.
The princesses entered the queen's dining chamber, all five of them dropping into a practiced curtsy before taking their chairs around the white table. Queen Serenity smiled as she gestured for the servants to bring breakfast, a small cat on either side of her. Rei watched the two royal advisors as they tore into the fish they were offered, Luna blacker than the night and Artemis whiter than the table he sat on. She had been told that they were from Mau, a planet far away that had allied itself with Sol millennia earlier, and that they had powers the senshi would probably never fully understand.
"How is your training going?"
"Well, Your Majesty," Minako replied in her capacity as Senshi Leader, poking at her eggs with a delicate fork. Rei could sense her partner's tension, but she could do nothing to ease it. The meeting on Titan was in only seven days, and they were not ready to fight a war against a darkness only Haruka had yet to see. "We have reached a level where fighting against each other no longer teaches us anything, so we have begun to practice combining our powers."
"Very good. Your mothers were never very successful at combining their powers until they were much older. The four of you are the strongest senshi in thousands of years, and I know my daughter is in good hands with you as her protectors."
Minako smiled as she returned to her food, even the princess silent this morning. Her soldiers were tired of making small talk with the queen and pretending that everything was fine when they were so worried about their missing companion. A sharp knock on the door to the chamber startled the women, all of them turning in their seats as the queen called for the servant to enter.
"Forgive the intrusion, Your Majesty, but a visitor is requesting an audience with Her Royal Highness Princess Serenity."
"Who?"
The servant shook his head, keeping his eyes on the floor. "He did not say, but he insisted that you would see him if I told you his rank."
"Then tell me," Serenity replied, blue eyes curious.
"Child of the High Duke of Umbriel."
Serenity gasped in shock, jumping up from her chair and dashing out the door faster than her guardians could even rise. Grinning uncontrollably, Minako apologized to the queen and excused her warriors, following the other three women chasing after Serenity. The queen watched them leave, confusion in her lavender eyes. Why were they all so eager to see that blonde Uranian?
"This won't take long." Michiru stood patiently by Haruka's side, the picture of calm, but something in her teal eyes betrayed her nervousness. Her partner wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, emerald eyes filled with understanding. "Don't worry, Michi; you're going to get along with them just fine."
"I hope so."
"Haruka!" The pair looked up as a blonde bundle of energy in a white dress ran across the courtyard almost faster than Haruka herself could have covered the distance. With a child-like squeal of joy, the blonde launched herself into Haruka's arms, giggling when the Uranian swung her through the air in a circle before setting her back on her feet.
"It looks like you missed me, Princess."
"She isn't the only one," an amused voice with a faint Venusian accent replied from the direction of the castle as four smiling women approached the princess and senshi. "Welcome back, Haruka."
Haruka released Serenity, smiling as she took Minako's hand and kissed it gently, repeating the gesture with the other three women. Rei watched the blonde curiously, her amethyst eyes flicking to Michiru curiously for a moment before returning to the tall Uranian. "You've changed. Because of her?"
"Typical Martian; cut through the pleasantries and go straight for the main event." Haruka's smile made it clear that her words were not an insult as she reached for Michiru's hand and pulled the Neptunian forward. "This is Michiru, High Princess and senshi of Neptune. She is also my ch'kuri."
Makoto's eyes widened in shock as Ami gasped, both of them understanding the word and the intent behind it. "How? How did you convince her mother to agree to that?"
"Ruka didn't convince Mother of anything," Michiru replied softly. "Mother ordered her to marry me."
"Marry?! Haruka, you know that it is illegal!"
"Yes, Rei, it is. However, a former advisor to my mother has helped us devise a plan. If you'd like, we can go inside so I can explain it."
Serenity nodded as she reached out to take Michiru's free hand, surprising the aqua-haired woman. "You're very beautiful. You're the most elegant and graceful person I have ever met; hopefully I can be like you one day."
"Princess . . ."
"I'm glad Haruka found you. She was hurting so much when she left, but now she's whole. Thank you for healing her."
"I didn't do anything," Michiru protested, still holding Haruka's hand as the senshi surrounded the trio. "She's the one who helped me."
"You healed her heart where I couldn't. I'm glad she found you."
Haruka took her customary seat on one of the couches in the main room of the suite, pulling a blushing Michiru into her lap as Serenity sat beside them and the other four senshi crowded onto the opposite one. Ami leaned over and whispered something in Makoto's ear, the Jovian nodding and poking Rei and Minako. All four of them turned to Michiru and Haruka, mischief in their eyes.
"What's up with you guys?"
"We'll tell you in a minute," Rei replied. "What's your plan for this marriage thing?"
Haruka shrugged, leaning forward so she could see over Michiru's shoulder, letting the Neptunian's gentle scent wash over her. "I developed a new identity, as the youngest son of the Fourth War Queen Ono Hikari, and I went to her for advice. She's my mother's cousin, but she was never content with her mother's lack of sajink—"
"What's that?"
Ami, the genius always ready with an answer, interjected before Haruka could reply. "Uranians believe in the concept of sa'usikha, or two selves inside a single female form. There are two halves, sajink or masculine strength, and saliis or feminine beauty. Every woman is supposed to find a balance between the two, and they must obtain a certain number of titles to be offered suitors. If Ono Hikari's mother lacked sajink, she probably never obtained any titles of her own. It's a great shame on Uranus for a woman to live off her mother's titles."
Rei nodded at the explanation, everyone turning to Haruka as she continued. "Because of her mother's shame, she was never a popular child, but my mother befriended her and they grew up together. She won her titles, including Kazemaru and Fourth War Queen, and she was always my mother's most loyal warrior. Hikari helped me find a priest who is willing to perform the ceremony, but there is no world in the Silver Millennium where it is legal for two royal women to wed."
Haruka let her words trail off, grinning when Serenity gasped in shock. "Earth! Haruka, you want to have your wedding on Earth? You can't go there!"
"Why not? You visit there often enough."
The princess grew silent, the four Inner Senshi turning to her in shock. "You visit Earth? How often?"
"I've been there a lot, Rei," Serenity admitted, sinking deeper into her seat cushions. "But I promised Haruka that I wouldn't go alone anymore."
Minako turned to face her Outer counterpart, one eyebrow raised. "Is that where you and Serenity ran off to that last day you were here? You took her to Earth?"
"It was the other way around, but yes. She has a crush on the prince down there."
"It's not a crush," Serenity whispered. "We're in love."
"Princess," Minako began delicately, her tone gentle but unyielding, "the Earthlings are a fragile race. They barely live sixty years, their infant mortality rate is staggering, and they are technologically primitive compared to us. They have refused us every time we offered to better their people, and they are arrogant. There have been many instances of Lunarian women conceiving children fathered by Earth men, and sixty percent of their pregnancies ended in miscarriages, with thirty percent of the survivors dying before the age of three. They are weak, Serenity, and you cannot consider a future with him."
"Endymion isn't weak."
"Serenity, they are all weak. Your lineage isn't as strong as it once was, you know. Your grandmother had a miscarriage before birthing your mother, and it was a terrible day for the kingdom. Everyone feared that the Silver Millennium was going to be consumed in the darkness foretold in the ancient prophecies. When your mother was born, everyone rejoiced, but you cannot endanger your lineage by marrying a weakling."
Serenity turned her head away from Minako's authoritative gaze, tears forming in the corners of her blue eyes. Feeling oddly protective of the little blonde, Haruka cleared her throat. "Endymion isn't as weak as most Earthlings. He has a reservoir of power I would not expect from that planet. Perhaps being the prince has given him powers we would not expect."
Makoto raised one eyebrow as she regarded her fellow warrior silently, noting the hope shining in Serenity's eyes. "Do you really think this Earthling prince could be a suitable mate for our princess?"
"It's not for me to decide," Haruka returned. "It's Serenity's decision, and we are here to guard her but not to order her around. Besides, when you meet him I think you will agree that he is worthy enough." Serenity flashed the tall Uranian a grateful smile as the conversation returned to the topic of Haruka's upcoming wedding.
"So, a wedding on Earth? Will the marriage be legal?"
"Well, Ami, according to Uranian law, any marriage performed by a priest of the Silent Wind Temple is legal and binding. We aren't very picky about the peculiars, since marriage is not popular on my world. Shousha agreed to obey the laws of Uranus in the matter of the wedding, so it will be legal on Neptune. Earth has no laws preventing two noble women from marrying, so it will also be legal there."
"Legal or not," Rei murmured, "the queens will not be pleased when they find out about this. I'm not sure I want to be there when they discover the truth."
"Speaking of truth," Minako began, breaking the strained silence following Rei's words, "we have some questions."
"Oh?"
Ami waved her hand, the Mercury Computer falling into her palm. She tapped a few keys and cleared her throat, staring at a list filling the small screen. "Where did you go immediately after leaving the Moon?"
"Neptune."
Ami nodded. "Rei and I guessed Uranus, so Minako and Makoto each get one point. Okay, how long after appearing on Neptune did it take for you and Michiru to meet?"
Michiru glanced at the blonde curiously as Haruka shifted her onto the couch, leaning forward and glaring at the inner senshi. "Did you guys take bets on what would happen after I left here?" The four younger princesses shrugged, nodding as Michiru giggled.
"Answer the question, Ruka. If they took bets, they deserve to know the answers."
"Michi, I don't think you understand. I taught them how to take bets on other peoples' love lives, and some of the questions on that list are probably very intimate."
The aqua-haired princess shrugged. "Answer them."
"Fine. She was there when I woke up."
"Ah well, Makoto and I thought it would take longer. When you tried your Kazemaru routine on Michiru, did she believe you?"
"Not at all," Michiru answered, teal eyes sparkling as she began to enjoy the game. "I knew immediately that she was hiding her identity, since Kazemaru is a prestigious title and the High Duke of Umbriel is the honorary name of the goddess who fathered the first Queen of Uranus. She told me the truth as soon as I called her on it."
"One point for me, then, and a third for Minako. Did she train you to fight before confessing?" Michiru nodded, watching as Ami tapped another key. "Points for the warriors. Did anyone else see through your masculine disguise?"
"Well, the Uranian guard did, but only right before we left."
"It still counts," Minako cheered, punching the air triumphantly. "Another point for me!"
"And for me," Makoto added, leaning over Ami's shoulder so she could read the next question. "When did you confess your love?"
"Hey!"
Michiru rested a hand on Haruka's arm, forcing her partner to relax and enjoy the game instead of bristling at the questions. "From what you told me of your visit to the Moon, you were pretty nosy about their relationships," she reminded the blonde. "I don't mind answering them. In any case, Haruka just confessed a few days ago, but I knew from the moment I first saw her."
Ami raised one eyebrow as she scanned the responses. "Since the question refers to Haruka's answer, Rei and Minako get points, since both chose 'over two weeks'. Ok, how did Haruka confess? Was it spontaneous or forced by another person?"
"Forced, by my mother of all people."
Haruka crossed her arms over her chest, an odd light in her green eyes indicating that she was enjoying herself despite her aggressive posture. "I don't need words to express myself, you know."
"Which is why Minako and I both guessed that someone else must have forced you," Rei replied, grinning evilly. "The next two questions are fun. Have you kissed?"
Michiru tilted her head to the side, clearly trying to remember if they had. "Haruka has kissed my forehead and the back of my hand, and I have kissed her palm—"
"That's not the kind of kiss we mean," Rei interrupted.
"Then no, we haven't."
"Wow," Makoto breathed, shock in her emerald eyes. "I guessed that you hadn't, but I was debating what to answer even until the end. How can you not have kissed yet? If that's your answer . . . then I suppose you haven't become lovers yet, either?"
Haruka smirked, running a hand through her hair nervously. "Didn't any of you listen to my lessons? Neptunians are special, and they certainly aren't the kind to jump in bed with just any Uranian."
"Only with you, Ruka," Michiru whispered, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "And only after the wedding."
Minako groaned and let her head fall into her hands. "Great, we won't get any sleep for a week. I've heard that Uranian women are loud."
Michiru regarded Haruka curiously, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips as the Uranian blushed. "Are you loud?"
"I suppose you'll just have to wait and find out," she replied huskily.
"And now I'm glad that my rooms are at the other end of the palace," Serenity giggled, glancing at Ami as the genius tallied the bets. "Who won?"
"Well, I got three points, Makoto got five, and Rei got six. Since Minako was the only one to get the last questions wrong, she also has six points."
"Tie-breaker!" Serenity turned to face the pair, clapping her hands excitedly. "What made you realize that you love Michiru? I mean, really love her, like you can't live without her."
Haruka's eyes grew distant as she considered the question, Minako standing from the couch to offer her guess. "While they were playing music together, Haruka realized the truth and confessed!"
Rei stood next to her soul mate, purple eyes filled with the pain of knowing the only thing that could have made the blonde confess, in this life or any other. "Michiru was dying and you saw what your world would be like without her. Even though you had never kissed or been lovers, you knew that you needed her in your life."
Haruka slowly nodded, reaching out to take Michiru's hand in hers. "We did play music together, and I did feel a connection then, but love is a strange and foreign concept to a Uranian. Her visions began to overwhelm her and she slipped into a coma, nearly dying before Shousha returned and gave her the henshin stick. In those last moments, when her heartbeat started to falter, I just wanted to follow her into death."
Rei smiled triumphantly, turning to the other three inner senshi and raising an eyebrow. Groaning, Makoto nodded. "I know, I've got your guard duty for the rest of the week."
"And I have your chores in the barracks," Ami continued, closing her computer and letting it vanish again.
Minako held out her hand silently, summoning her Love Me Chain and handing it over to her mate, head bowed in defeat. Grinning, Rei accepted the offering, hooking it on her belt as a blush spread across Minako's cheeks.
"What kind of prize is that?"
Haruka snorted at the princess's innocent question, Michiru blushing as her mind began to supply her with images of what the Martian could do to her mate with the chain. She might have lived a sheltered life, but even she had to admit she was turned on by the possibilities. "It's the best of them all. Maybe one day Endymion will show you. But for tonight, be glad your room is at the other end of the castle."
A soft knock interrupted the conversation, Rei pulling Minako toward the balcony for a brief, private conversation as Makoto walked over and opened the door. A royal page bowed to the princess, his eyes focused on the ground. "Your Highness, I bring a message from Her Majesty Queen Serenity. She invites all of you and your guests to dinner tonight in the main dining hall, and she hopes that you can attend."
Makoto shrugged. "Sure, we'll be there."
AN2: I actually have half of the next chapter written, since I got into a mood and forgot to make a chapter break so I could post. Looking at all of the scenes and events I still have planned, I think we are probably at about the middle of this fic (8/16/17 edit: haha, no, not even a third of the way through!), and the meeting on Titan is very, very soon (8/16/17 edit: also not true, it's not for 8 more chapters). Next chapter is the wedding and some more fun stuff with Cupids, Earthlings, and Setsuna's time knot. Also, I wrote that entire scene with the bet just so I could have Rei get Minako's chain (sexual innuendo for the win). It took me forever to decide which senshi would get each question right.
Electra Red: Read the scene with Tranquility assigning the Cupids. If you can guess the identity of the mystery woman they are talking about you might be able to see the beginning of the end. We'll have more of that in the next chapter and it will probably be frighteningly clear. I am a super huge fan of Greek mythology, too, and I have always loved the intricate personalities of the gods. I actually did something new and fun with Uranus in the new version of "In the Darkest Forest", and I will probably reference it at some point in this story.
petiyaka: The planets aren't terribly restricted, so a pacifist planet having warriors in their guard roster makes sense. Uranians, Martians, and Jovians travel to other worlds so they can gain quick titles and glory, and the other planets accept them because they are experts on the art of war. In the highest ranks of the Martian, Jovian, and Uranian military it is common to find Mercurian strategists, just as a well-balanced diplomatic team on Pluto would have at least one Venusian. The planets depend on each others' strengths to offset their weaknesses, making the system as a whole much stronger. The shorter answer is that I needed Miki here to send Haruka to meet Ono Hikari, so Shousha has a Uranian guard.
Samaka: Here you are! Hopefully the next update after this one will be faster.
Gwaeren: Hopefully I'll move on to writing my own books at some point, but all of those have kind of been stalled for a while. I can't imagine I'll ever stop writing Sailor Moon fanfics as long as I have source material and fans!
Haruka Tenou: Yes, you got both of the anime references, and the second SeraMyu was just Ono Hikari's name. Technically, Miki is also the name of an actress from the My. The title of that chapter and this one are from "Harsh! Saint Cry" and "Koi no Senshi Ja Irarenai" but it was Yuuka-Michiru's line from "Harsh! Saint Cry" that I could not get out of my head while I was naming the chapter. Also, it sounds really narcissistic to say (since I wrote the line) but my favorite interaction between was Michiru's line that if the price of saving the solar system was Haruka's life she would pay it double and follow Haruka to the other side.
Neptune's Lover: I'm glad that I kept Haruka and Michiru in character. They aren't easy to write, and even now I think I need to rework some of my earlier stories because of how I've written them here. Haruka might be the one that dresses like a man and leads in battle, but I've always felt that Michiru is in charge, completely. I enjoyed writing the fighting scenes, especially giving Michiru the "mirror" power where she can instantly counter her opponent's moves and anticipate what Haruka will do next. As for Michiru knowing about her mother's relationship with Kazeko: she has a lot of free time. The lessons her mother gives her hardly keep her busy, so she has had plenty of time to play her violin, swim, read encoded communications logs from before she was born, and find locked wings of the palace. Just like for Haruka with her retreat on Miranda, Michiru needs somewhere to be away from her mother and the demands of her station. Her handful of servants know about it (someone had to help her move that piano) but her mother would never return there and bring up those painful memories. As for Shousha's blindness about her daughter falling in love with another woman, it is the reason she has kept Michiru isolated for her entire life. She doesn't know (or at least, won't believe) about the senshi soul mate deal, and she thinks that if she keep throwing men at Michiru her daughter will pick one. Haruka looks like her mother, but she has a lot of the sajink while Kazeko had more saliis, so the resemblance is not perfect. Shousha and Setsuna will see the truth in time and with a lot of yelling.
Meneldur: I wanted to have an entire chapter dedicated to Haruka and Michiru. It's their fic, they deserve some alone time. I like the thought of Michiru not believing Haruka is a woman until she sees her naked, and I like her possessive streak. Neither one of them is sure why, but both of them are certain that if they become lovers, something will happen. Once Shousha orders them to get married, though, that worry is gone. They both expect to die to protect the Silver Millennium, just as they both expected to die to stop the Silence, but their role will not become clear until the end. Yes, Haruka and Michiru's decision is one part of the coming destruction, and the Cupids are the other. Both groups have the power to end the Silver Millennium or save it, but the answer might not be clear for a few chapters. At the moment, the time knot is stable while the Cupids help gather information and give power to a new priestess on Earth and out favorite couple plans their wedding.
Originally, Setsuna visited Helios on her own, but I wanted another observer. Aphrodite was a good choice, since she will keep checking in on her friend and they can talk about Elysion. They met Helios nine hundred years before the "present" in the fic (the final months of the Silver Millennium) even though he hasn't been born yet. This should tell you that someone took him back in time specifically to take his place as the guardian of the Golden Crystal (a couple of my other fics tell you exactly that). You should be worried about the stirring of the Cupids, especially since they are fanatics with a lot of power. Even Setsuna is worried about the amount of power they have.
I was worried about the Haruka/Shousha confrontation. It had to be enough to force the queen to hand over her henshin stick without her realizing Haruka's true identity. As Michiru says to Haruka, she intentionally forced the visions so she could get her henshin stick, so she isn't going to treat her mother as a savior. She's actually still irritated that it took a near death experience for Shousha to pass on her powers, and their relationship cannot be a warm one until Shousha lets Michiru live her own life. As for Ono Hikari, I hope that it is clear why she was so close to Kazeko. I needed her as an outsider to explain the sa'usikha concept to Michiru (and the readers) so that she could see that Haruka resents her father the most for hating everything that makes her a perfect Uranian woman. As a Plutonian and a man, he can never understand this concept, and you should all be wondering why Setsuna would choose Koshu to marry Kazeko, knowing that their daughter would strive for perfect balance or even lean a bit toward the masculine strength side of the spectrum. He doesn't like true Uranian women (Kazeko was a bit more toward the feminine side and always pretty frail), he's not a huge fan of Hikari, so why would Setsuna pick him specifically?