Chapter 17: Venus Love and Beauty Shock

February 14, 8983 – February 15, 8983

Tranquility leaned back in his chair, scanning the latest reports from the outer planets in silence. His loyal Cupid leaders stood silently before him while they waited patiently for their god to finish. "The reports lack promise."

"Yes."

"How is our new priestess doing?"

The Alpha leader, a tall man with black hair and grey eyes, offered a small smile at the question. "She has quite the following now. In only a few weeks she has stirred up more support for our cause than many priests can manage in years. She would like to meet you, Lord Tranquility."

"Now?"

The Alpha, Kiyoshi, shrugged one slender shoulder, his quiver shifting with the motion. "She seems eager to serve you, my Lord. And she says she is having visions."

"Visions?! Of Serenity? We must go meet with her at once." Tranquility stood from his seat, gathering the ten Cupid leaders around him in preparation for a teleport. With his forces spread so thinly across the solar system, he enjoyed having so many group leaders with him once again. As he raised his hands to perform the spell, the door to his meeting chamber swung open, admitting a young servant boy dressed in the livery of the Silver Palace. "What are you doing here? I sent you away weeks ago."

The boy nodded and bowed his head. "I know, my Lord, but I have news."

"I'm very busy right now."

"I can accompany you, if you don't mind. What I have to say . . . is very important to the Temple of Serenity."

Tranquility sighed and grabbed the boy's hand, jerking him into the circle as the flock of Cupids vanished. An instant later they reappeared on Earth, a handful of white feathers falling to the ground as the group headed for the small temple they had established on the backwards world years earlier. The newest temple, on that snowy island where the new priestess's family ruled, was not yet completed, but was expected to rival this one in size and beauty. The boy, mesmerized by the clear blue sky and fluffy clouds, could only follow the Cupids mutely into the stone edifice.

The temple was primitive and cold, fires in braziers along the wall unable to fight back the biting chill. As a god, Tranquility neither felt the cold nor cared about it, and the Cupids had their wings to keep them warm. The servant boy, however, shivered in his light clothes, questioning the sanity of traveling to Earth without even a simple cloak to keep him warm.

The group passed through the great hall and admired the plush silver carpet covering the floor. The people of Earth liked to kneel on the ground or sit on cushions when listening to sermons, so there were very few chairs in the temple and even fewer tables. The place was primitive, bare, and inhospitable, only the images of Serenity brightening the gloom, and Tranquility found himself wondering what kind of priestess born on so dismal a world could possibly be worth his time.

The door to the inner chamber opened with a touch, the metal hinges well-oiled and the wood for the door surprisingly light, revealing a welcoming row of carved, low-back chairs gathered before a huge throne. Tranquility led his group into the room, stopping before the throne as he examined the woman occupying it. She bowed her head as he entered but offered no other obeisance, something he did not expect from the weak race that ruled the Earth. Her wild hair was colored in red, the dark shade of blood just before it dried, and her eyes were filled with a strange but dark power. His first instinct was to run, to vanish, to leave her far behind, but the god pushed that ridiculous notion away as soon as it appeared in his mind. "You must be Beryl."

"My Lord Tranquility, I have been expecting you. I had chairs brought for your Cupids, if they would like to relax."

Tranquility waved his hand and his Cupids each took a seat, even the boy choosing one of the chairs. Frowning, Tranquility realized that there were exactly enough chairs for his entourage, taking the last one for himself, surprised to find that his wings fit over the back of the chair perfectly. "Intriguing."

"You are surprised that I knew how many you would bring."

"Yes."

"Don't be. I know things I shouldn't, but I see things that I should. Tell me, my Lord Tranquility, if the Holy Grail would be of interest to you."

"The Grail?! Serenity's Grail?" He leaned forward, Kiyoshi's words about the woman's visions filling his mind.

"The same. I saw it in a vision, summoned by the power of the Sword, the Mirror, and the Orb. From what I know of the Silver Millennium, those are the talismans of the outermost planets, correct?"

"They are. What else did you see?"

"The grail cannot be summoned in this world. There is a condition to its return that I cannot see, but that condition will lead to the world where it can be called forth."

"Your riddles do not help me." Tranquility moved to stand, irritated that he had wasted time hearing information about the Grail that he already knew, but Beryl's hand on his arm made him stop. No one save Se had touched him in thousands of years, and the power he sensed from the redhead's barest brush gave him pause.

"Let me tell you something else, then. The Silver One cannot return until the Moonlight shines in the Darkness and the Wind and the Sea give birth to the Sun. Have you heard that one, my Lord?"

"Not in thousands of years. You saw that in your dreams?"

Beryl nodded. "The Sun is stirring in its sleep, and my power is increasing as it grows more restless. I think I am close to seeing through the veil of time to Serenity's rebirth, and with help I may be able to help her return to this world."

Tranquility regarded the human silently, confused for the first time in millennia. He had the ability to create Cupids, but he could not make the decision to birth one lightly. If he gave her power, she might be able to help in the search for his sister, but she could just as easily turn to darkness and become a threat to the rest of his following. He had destroyed dozens of promising members of his temple over the millennia when they became dark and unstable, and it was becoming harder to hide his mistakes from the gods. "Why do you want to be a Cupid?"

"Honestly? Not to find Serenity." The Cupids gasped at her blasphemy, but Tranquility smiled, encouraging Beryl to continue. "I don't know her, and I never have; as a citizen of Earth I don't even know much about her. If I become a Cupid, I know that I can help you, but I want the power for a selfish reason. The man I love . . . I want your power to win his heart. He's not impressed with my temple and my followers, but if I become a Cupid, he would have to notice me."

"You love him?"

"I do." She was telling the truth, as far as the godling could tell. She believed that she loved him. Unlike his father, Tranquility did not have the power to sense true love in others, though he hoped that Eros would help him give his Cupids that gift one day, but he could see a lie. Beryl was telling the truth, and he found himself liking her.

"You don't care about my sister, and I think you are the first person in millennia to tell me the truth when I asked that question. In time, I think you will come to love her as all of my Cupids do, but for now it is enough that you have a pure intention. I will allow you to become a Cupid so that you can win your beloved's hand."

"Thank you, my Lord."

"Lord Tranquility, I think that you might want to hear my message now." The servant boy stood from his chair, forcing himself not to shake as he stared his god in the eye. "Michiru, the High Princess of Neptune, wed yesterday."

"And? What care I for the concerns of the mortals?"

"Her husband, introduced as a son of the Fourth War Queen, is an imposter."

"So? Some servant or low-caste noble who fell in love with a princess—"

"A princess who fell in love with a princess," the servant interrupted, smiling as shock filled his god's eyes. "Her husband is actually her wife, the Princess Haruka of Uranus."

"Are you sure?"

"I watched her transform! There is no doubt."

"The Wind and the Sea," Beryl murmured, her eyes unfocused. "They are coming together, crashing against the shore, and they will destroy everything if left unchecked. The Sun is trembling because it desires a senshi to stop the coming war, but it cannot call one forth as long as the Wind and the Sea are one under the protection of the Silver Moon Kingdom."

"What should we do?"

"You must destroy them," Beryl whispered, the beginning of insanity in her dark eyes. "You must destroy them."

Uranus and Mars stood to one side as Neptune and Venus readied themselves for a fight, Mercury and Jupiter watching silently from positions flanking their princess. Venus tested her sore ankle, finding that it could hold her weight with no problems and that the pain was manageable, so she lowered her arms into a defensive stance and nodded at Neptune. With no more warning than that, the senshi of the seas attacked.

It was no secret in the Silver Millennium that the senshi from the Outer Planets were a breed apart. When Uranus returned to her people thousands of years earlier, she trained them to fight and win no matter the cost, and the other gods noticed. Zeus, as the King of the Gods, had little time to watch his world, so the warriors of Jupiter were strong but could never quite reach the same level as the Uranians. Hades never paid any attention to his planet, but from the power Setsuna could wield, it was clearly because he did not need to teach his senshi how to fight. Poseidon, on the other hand, had always worried that his senshi would never be strong enough to protect the solar system since they were pacifists by nature, so he gave his avatars the ability to learn from others and copy their fighting styles. Uranians were the most feared warriors in the system, but a fully trained Sailor Neptune had the ability to defeat any opponent if given enough time. Venus wanted to test that, test Michiru, and she knew that she wanted to win.

Neptune smiled as she flew past Venus, her punch inches from the blonde's face as the other senshi dodged. Blood rushed through her veins, exciting her as much Haruka's touch had the night before, and she realized in that frozen instant how much she loved fighting. Her sparring matches with Haruka on Triton had been fun, but her first real fight against her mother's guards awakened something inside her, a feral hunger that she could not satisfy. She wanted to fight, to win; she wanted to be what her people feared most: a warrior. Her mother had never enjoyed fighting, but Michiru knew that she would never tire of the power in her gloved hands, the blood lust teasing the edge of her consciousness, the beauty of every move her opponent made. It was art, as much as her music and her paintings, and it was an art that she could perfect given time. She could run and jump and fight and win . . . she could defeat any opponent and surmount any obstacle. She was the essence of femininity, but she was also the raging sea, powerful and inexorable, and she would crush the Venusian.

"Hmm, she's waking up now."

"What do you mean?"

Uranus watched Venus and Neptune test each other, their punches and kicks more for show than anything, but the blows were going to start landing soon. "Unlike the other senshi, Sailor Neptune does not awaken fully when she receives her henshin stick. Her power must grow and mature over time until she is ready to become the sea and cast aside her gentle mortal trappings in the heat of battle. Neptune's power is the ability to mirror her opponent, as Venus said, but she doesn't just mirror moves and stances. She mirrors intent, emotion, and desire. Venus desires victory, so Neptune desires it. Venus wants to lead, to have power, so Neptune wants power."

"Yes, but Venusians aren't self-proclaimed pacifists like Neptunians," Mars argued, her dark amethyst eyes narrowed in thought as she watched her lover duck Neptune's punch and attempt to kick the other woman's legs out from underneath her. A quick balancing act on one leg and a graceful somersault left Neptune standing proudly behind Venus, ready for the next encounter.

"Poseidon, the patron god of Neptune, feared that his senshi would never be strong enough to stand against a threat from outside the system. Sometimes, Neptune is the outermost planet, and she has to stand alone. So he gave her the ability to learn from her fellow senshi so that she could become a warrior in abilities and mentality, despite being born on a world of peace. Michiru spent weeks practicing with me, fighting me and fighting alongside me, and she learned one thing in that time."

"What?"

"Uranians seek beauty within strength as much as we seek strength within beauty, and, to us, war is just another form of art. Like any other form of art, Michiru wants to learn it and perfect it, whether she knows that or not. Neither one of them can win, because neither one will ever concede defeat; they aren't capable of even considering it."

"Then why let them fight?"

Uranus turned to Mars and grinned, a wild light in her emerald eyes. "Because war is art, and she is beautiful to watch."

Venus was not predictable, Neptune soon realized. Her moves were not just wild, but completely without a recognizable pattern, and her style was so convoluted that it seemed impossible for her to land even one hit. The sharp pain in her side was evidence that Venus's style had merit, but Neptune could not follow her opponent's thoughts well enough to anticipate her next move. Mildly irritated, she switched to the offensive, using the speed she had learned from Haruka to land a multitude of minor blows while she considered her next course of action. Speed, strength, prescience, fury . . . none of those would work against Venus because her desire to win was stronger than anything Neptune had learned from the other senshi. She had to be calm and patient like the sea, waiting for the slightest opportunity to throw her opponent off-balance.

Venus growled in annoyance as the slippery Neptunian dodged another kick, landing a flurry of small punches before leaping away. The aquanette was unpredictable, her precise moves an amalgamation of styles from the other senshi, and she offered no openings for Venus to exploit. The blonde had managed to land only one hit, a sharp blow to Neptune's side, but the other woman's retaliatory kick nearly snapped her leg in two. For such a slender, graceful woman, she was strong, and for a pacifist she fought like a seasoned warrior, an unexpected lust for battle in her sapphire eyes. She was a strange contradiction, this wife of Haruka's, and Venus wondered how she could possibly defeat her.

They danced around each other for what seemed like hours, blocking punches and dodging kicks, neither gaining ground and both losing strength. The wind around them began to gust fitfully, its blonde guardian concerned as she watched her wife begin to intentionally take punches that she could have easily avoided or blocked. Venus grew more confident with each punch or kick that landed, never realizing that Neptune was using her own body as a trap. The aquanette, her sapphire eyes cold and calculating, let Venus stretch out her leg for a kick, grabbing the appendage as soon as it connected with her body. Time stood still for the combatants as Neptune drew her left arm back and punched Venus in the torso as hard as she could, her strength greater than anything Jupiter had ever managed, but Venus was already moving for a counterattack before the fist connected. Her hands landed on the top of Neptune's head and pushed down as soon as the other senshi grabbed her leg, the blonde using all of her strength to jerk her knee up and slam it into Neptune's forehead.

Neptune collapsed, unconscious, and Venus cried out in agony as she fell to the ground a few feet away, several ribs broken, gasping for breath. Jupiter and Mars ran to Venus's side, the Jovian carrying a first-aid kit and a medical scanner. Mercury fell down beside Neptune, her slender fingers probing the angry bump on Michiru's forehead, an anxious Uranus slipping her arms under her wife and pulling her close. "It's minor," Mercury murmured reassuringly, placing a circular device from her medical kit over the bump and watching as the swelling slowly receded. "She'll be fine as soon as she wakes up."

Mercury moved to tend Venus next, sighing at the blonde senshi trembling in her lover's arms. "You just had to provoke her, didn't you? Mako couldn't have punched you that hard no matter the situation, but it seems that Michiru broke five of your ribs."

"Yeah, it feels like it." Venus was barely able to speak, a combination of the pain and her partially crushed lung preventing normal conversation. Mercury grabbed a small patch out of her kit and placed it on Venus's arm, watching the blonde relax as the potent painkillers kicked in. "Oh, better."

"Don't move. I'm going to mend your ribs, but this is a very delicate procedure." The senshi of wisdom activated her visor and linked it to her scanner, staring at a live x-ray of the blonde's broken ribs while she calibrated a device Mercurians had developed to mend broken bones. Using her left hand to gently push the broken ribs back into position, she pointed the device at the first break and watched the bone slowly knit back together. Repeating the procedure four more times, she nodded in satisfaction as she closed her bone-mending device and deactivated her visor. "You should be fine now."

"I'll take your word for it," Venus murmured, letting Mars help her sit up. "Breathing is . . . still an issue."

"Give your lung time to reset itself. I'm going to go check on Michiru, but try to avoid any more fights for a few days."

Venus grinned, leaning back against Mars's chest. "Yeah, well, it was worth it."

Uranus ran her fingers through Neptune's hair, smiling as her wife's blue eyes fluttered open. "Welcome back."

"What happened? Who won?"

Uranus snorted and helped Neptune into a sitting position, glancing at the bump on her head. "Neither one of you. She has five broken ribs and she knocked you unconscious."

"Yeah, well, it was worth it."

Venus smiled warmly at Neptune as their partners helped them stand, Princess Serenity congratulating both of her senshi on a fine battle. "You're good. I made sure not to use the same style throughout the fight, but you managed to trick me into attacking you so that you could get a solid punch in. You sacrificed your body to win."

Neptune nodded, wincing as the multitude of bruises blanketing her form began to make themselves known. "Sometimes a sacrifice is necessary for the greater good. You must spar with Mars a lot; that last move was sneaky and something I would expect from a Martian but not a Venusian."

Venus smiled as Mars wrapped a comforting arm around her waist. "It's good that we can learn from each other. We'll be the strongest Senshi ever as long as we can avoid killing each other."

"What are these?"

"Mind puzzles. They are very popular on Mercury and they can help train you to think and reason faster. Since we will not be sparring over the next few days"—Ami glared at Minako and Michiru before continuing—"I thought we should try exercising our minds. I have some excellent strategy games here, too." She placed the pile of boxes and data crystals on her bed, letting the other senshi examine them before packing them away and placing them with her bags. "The dinner will be starting soon; we should probably get ready." Haruka nodded and took Michiru's arm, leading her wife, Rei, Minako, and Serenity back to their rooms, Makoto closing the door behind them.

"Your mother knows, doesn't she?"

Ami shrugged, slipping out of her traveling clothes and searching for a formal dress in her bag. "I never thought I could hide it from her; that's why we arranged the rooms when we first arrived. I wanted to confront her in private before the dinner to avoid any awkwardness. This meal will be interesting enough as it is, with my cousins gathered." Ami selected a rich purple dress that brought out the color of her eyes, checking the embroidered edges for any fraying. Satisfied with her choice, she slipped the dress over her head, the hem falling just below her knees and the lacy sleeves almost reaching her elbows. Sitting down at her vanity, the genius selected a simple necklace and bracelet from her jewelry box, slipping a pair of harp-shaped silver pins into her hair.

"Which cousins? The ones I know?" Ami nodded an affirmative, finding a pair of low heels that matched her dress and slipping them on. Glancing at her lover's color choice, Makoto searched through her luggage for a dark blue dress with lighter accents, slipping it over her head and reaching for the zipper on the back. "Ami, can you get this? My arms can't reach."

Ami nodded and reached over from her seat, sliding the zipper closed and tugging on the hem that just brushed the Jovian's knees before reaching up and releasing Makoto's hair from her customary ponytail. "You should wear it down tonight."

"Whatever makes you happy," Makoto replied, quickly running a comb through her green hair and checking her earrings.

"You make me happy."

Makoto smiled and pulled Ami into her arms, kissing the top of her head. "I love you, Ami. You know that, don't you?"

"Of course," Ami whispered, "because I love you, too." She rested her head against Makoto's chest, letting her presence relax the Jovian. She was used to spontaneous declarations of love from her partner, knowing that each one stemmed from emotional turmoil that Makoto couldn't work through on her own. "What is it?"

"I'm worried about what my mother will think of us," Makoto admitted. "Mercurians understand logic but Jovians tend to only understand strength. I have to convince my mother to accept our relationship, but I don't know if I'm strong enough to confront her."

"You'll be strong enough because I'll be there with you." A sharp knock on the door interrupted whatever Makoto planned to say in response, the taller woman sighing as she released her lover. "Yes?"

"Her Majesty the Queen invites you to her table for the evening meal, Your Highness," a servant replied from the other side of the door. "Her Highness the High Princess of Jupiter is cordially invited to attend, as well."

"We will be there presently. Thank you."

Makoto slipped into a pair of jeweled sandals and offered Ami her arm, smiling as the smaller woman accepted the escort. They left the princess's bedroom and headed for the main dining hall, collecting the other senshi and the Moon Princess along the way.

Amami and Kashin stood as the procession of princesses entered the dining hall, the other guests copying their action. Jurin, Haname, and Kounin exchanged glances as Ami and Makoto entered first, their linked hands making it clear that they were no longer going to hide their relationship, proud of their cousin for finding love. As Ami and Makoto took a guard position on one side of the door, Lilia winked conspiratorially at the shy princess and her lover. Rei and Minako entered second, wearing the same red and gold dresses that had alerted Asakaze to their relationship weeks ago, taking position opposite the other senshi. All four women bowed as Princess Serenity entered the dining hall, the Mercurian royals also bowing to their High Princess. The blonde smiled and gestured for everyone to rise, lifting her pink skirt to avoid tripping over it as she headed for the chair held for her by Prince Kaichou. The four senshi took their seats as well, turning to the door as the last of their companions entered the dining hall.

Michiru smiled and offered a curtsy to the Mercury Royal Family as she entered the hall, her ruffled, knee-length dress colored in a pale teal that accented her blue eyes and her hair loose around her shoulders. Her eyes widened as she spotted the blonde woman seated beside the black-haired Mercurian Duchess, a smile gracing her face as she took her seat. "It's good to see you again, Laira."

"I share the sentiment, Your Highness, as well as the surprise. I had not heard that you were traveling." Laira's long, golden hair hung down her back in a simple braid, a thin golden chain around her forehead to mark her position as a Lesser War Queen of Uranus. The four Mercurian guests watched the interaction, mildly curious about the Neptunian and the relationship she had with Lilia's new girlfriend. "I'm here with my partner, Lilia, Duchess of Urawa. Have you met?"

"No. It's very nice to meet you, Lilia."

"The same, Princess Michiru. Ami didn't tell us that you would be coming."

"Well, it was a bit sudden. I'm here with my partner, as well." Michiru raised one hand and waved gracefully at the door, offering the introduction that Haruka had requested as soon as she realized the only possible identity of the other Uranian visiting the palace.

Haruka stepped into the dining hall with a purposeful stride, her dark navy suit edged in gold and the Space Sword strapped to her hip. Nothing in her proud stance or richly embroidered clothing indicated that she was a woman, but there was a brilliance in her emerald eyes that marked her as royalty. The Mercurians bowed their heads in greeting, but Laira sat, frozen, as she stared at the taller Uranian. She pushed herself to her feet, unable to hide her shock or the recognition in her dark green eyes. "It can't be you," she breathed, something in the princess's eyes preventing her from falling to her knees in obeisance. "How?"

"Laira, it's so good to see you again," Haruka purred, taking her seat next to Michiru and gesturing for the actress to relax. "It's been years since Titania."

"Y-yes, it has. I . . . I never expected to see you here."

"You two have met?" Lilia glanced from her girlfriend to Michiru's wife, wondering what bond the two shared and whether she needed to be jealous of the taller Uranian.

"Years ago, after Laira was knighted on Neptune," Haruka replied, glancing at Michiru again. "Oddly enough, she has been a topic of conversation between myself and the senshi recently."

Michiru took Haruka's hand in hers, smiling as her gaze met Laira's across the table. "Please, allow me to introduce my partner whom I recently married. This is Rukaze, youngest child of Ono Hikari, Fourth War Queen of Uranus."

The shock in Laira's eyes changed into amusement as the servants placed the first course on the table. She waited until the Mercurian royals began to introduce themselves to the visiting senshi before smiling across the table at her princess. "So that is your angle."

One eyebrow raised in surprise, Haruka glanced at her wife before shrugging. Laira chose to speak in the most obscure dialect of their native tongue still in use on Uranus, High Mirandan, to make sure that none of the Mercurians could understand them, so Haruka answered her in the same language. As far as she knew, only Michiru could understand the dialect Laira had chosen. "I ran away. Are you surprised?"

"No. The War Queens are calling for Koshu to step down, to let them look for you. It will be a bloodbath, Haruka. You cannot allow the War Queens to depose your father."

Haruka nodded sadly, taking Michiru's hand in hers. "How bad is it?"

Laira shrugged, sipping her soup as Lilia touched her arm in a question. The actress shook her head, indicating that she would have to explain later, when she decided how much the duchess could be told. "Ono Hikari, Kimura Sanae, and Endou Ado are counseling against ousting Koshu, but the others will gain support from the Lesser War Queens and the Duchess Council in time."

"Hikari, huh? She knows the truth, but you're right. She can't control them for long."

"What will you do, Princess?"

Haruka turned to Michiru, running her fingers through her wife's aqua hair. "I have to return soon, Michi."

"I know," the Neptunian replied.

"You should return now, Haruka. If your father loses control . . ."

Haruka silenced the actress with a sharp hand gesture. "I cannot. There are things I must do before taking my place as Queen. You have to return in my place."

"Princess?!"

"Go and tell Hikari to reveal the truth of my absence. Tell everyone that I ran away like most young Uranian women tend to do, and that I will return in my own time and not when someone finds me. Tell everyone not to panic, that they must not start a war with the other planets just because I needed to learn how to become the wind." The phrase she used at the end confused Michiru, but Laira understood the sentiment perfectly. When a Uranian woman left her home, it was said she had to learn to become the wind and satisfy her wanderlust before she could settle into her birthright. As the Princess, Haruka had more power than most Uranian women, so she had more to work through before she would be ready to assume the throne.

"I can do that, Princess."

"Thank you." The two women returned to their meals, Laira whispering something to Lilia to make her blush and forget the secret conversation she had just shared with Haruka. Jurin and Haname chuckled at some story Ami was relating from their aborted survey, Kashin watching the princess of his birth planet and her Uranian husband silently.

The conversations lulled as the main course was placed on the table, and the tall king with aqua-highlighted black hair chose that moment to address Haruka. "Rukaze, have you been to Uranus recently?"

"I've been gone a while," she answered evasively, sipping her wine. "I visited to present Michiru to my family a few days ago."

"Then you must have heard that the War Queens are mobilizing to search for Princess Haruka. They are frantic with worry, and the people of Neptune know it." Ah, that was the point. Kashin wanted to know from the son of a War Queen if his birth planet was in danger from their warrior neighbors.

"King Koshu can keep them calm," Haruka assured the king, everyone silent as they listened to the blonde. "In any case, Fourth Ono Hikari and her closest allies are with him, calling for patience. The Princess will return."

"I don't know why she hasn't been found yet," Lilia commented, her attention on her meal. "They say she looks just like Kazeko, so why is it so hard to find her?"

"Kazeko died twenty-one years ago," Haruka replied, a hardness in her voice that worried her wife. Michiru took her hand, offering her silent support, for which the blonde was grateful. "It's not like her image is posted across the system. In any case, a large number of Uranians are blonde with green eyes, as you can see with Laira, so finding one woman among thousands that match the basic physical description of the Princess will be hard."

"And there's another thing," Laira added, letting her eyes meet Haruka's across the table. "Even on my world, even on Oberon itself, no one has ever seen the Princess. Only a select few outside of the War Queen Coalition and the Duchess Council have ever laid eyes on her magnificence, and almost everyone who has is still on Oberon. She has not left our world since Princess Serenity's Presentation, and she was just a child at the time. How can anyone find a woman that no one has ever seen?" Haruka smiled at the sparkle in Laira's eyes, the blondes both knowing that it would be impossible for a non-Uranian to understand that everyone was looking for a woman, but they should be expecting a man. Laira, as a true Uranian, understood that Haruka's sajink was very strong, but these foreigners would never see that.

"Would you recognize her, Laira?"

The actress turned to her girlfriend at the question and smiled. "In an instant, but none of you ever would."

"Then how can anyone find her?"

"They won't," Haruka replied easily, confidence in her tone. "She will return when she is ready. That is the princess's choice."

Asakaze was not looking forward to seeing her daughter again. In contrast, Shinrai, dressed in his finest suit of brilliant white and gold, was almost bouncing with joy, unable to stand still as a brilliant, multi-colored light filled the palace courtyard. Their twin daughters, Fuji'iro and Gin'iro, held their mother's hands tightly, eager to see their older sister but wary of invoking their mother's wrath by rushing forward without permission. The bright light in the center of the courtyard faded to reveal five senshi with a tall man and a young woman standing in the center of their circle. The two senshi in the front, a blonde and a redhead, faced Asakaze across the courtyard, challenge in their eyes. The queen sighed and turned her head to the side, agreeing not to fight with Minako and Rei while they were visiting Venus, and the two senshi relaxed. All five of the senshi let their transformations fade and escorted Princess Serenity forward, the group of royals exchanging bows and curtsies before Minako stepped forward to hug her father.

"Welcome home, Mina."

"It's good to be home, Father."

"It hasn't been the same around here without you. Your sisters have been excited all day since we told them you were coming home."

Minako leaned down to greet her sisters, standing before her mother in silence before offering a gentle hug. Shinrai watched the frigid interaction, wondering why his wife and daughter were fighting but knowing that he'd never get a straight answer from Asakaze. "Hello, Mother."

"Minako, it's good to have you home. Your message said that your training regimen requires spending some time on Venus to learn the terrain." Her voice was skeptical, calling her daughter's bluff, but Minako only shrugged.

"Rukaze wants us to train on every world, so here we are. I would think that you would be happy to have visitors, no matter the reason."

"Of course I'm happy," Asakaze replied, offering a genuine smile as she turned to the other women. Serenity grinned at the queen, her excitement infectious as she took the tall blonde's hand. Perfectly happy to let the Moon Princess distract her mother, Minako walked over to the servants waiting behind the royals, requesting blankets, towels, food, and supplies for their day trip to Sunrise Bay. She turned to watch the interaction between Serenity and her mother while she waited for the servants to return.

"Good, because I'm excited to be here. I've never been off the Moon before, and I hear that Venus is a beautiful planet. My senshi will be busy training all day, but I would love to spend the day with you showing me your world." Her eyes implored the queen to agree with her plan, and the pink-eyed woman relented.

"Of course, Princess; we would love to. Fuji, go have some servants prepare a vehicle and supplies; we can get going as soon as everything is ready." Asakaze glanced up at the tall blonde man standing beside the princess of Neptune, tilting her head in confusion. "Your name isn't Kazemaru."

"No." The blonde's voice was husky, confident, and powerful. He was so much stronger and more centered than he had been during his first trip to Venus, and it confused the queen. There was something about him . . . something familiar . . . but she couldn't place it. "It's one of my war titles. I am Kazemaru Rukaze, child of the Fourth War Queen Ono Hikari, and Michiru is my wife."

"Seems like you found what you were looking for."

"I tend to." He glanced at Serenity, his emerald eyes dark with worry as he touched the princess's sleeve. "Are you sure you don't want to watch the training?"

Serenity turned to Haruka, smiling as she took the taller blonde's hand. Minako caught Asakaze's attention and pulled her away, leaving the princess alone with her senshi. "Ruka, I read that list of crystal locations. The Venus one is in Sunrise Bay, and that is hands down the most beautiful and romantic place on this entire planet. By extension, since this is the planet of love and beauty, it's the most romantic place in the entire Silver Millennium. I know what Minako plans to do there once she finds her crystal, and I am not interested in observing that."

Haruka blushed, looking down at Michiru as the aquanette giggled. "Princess . . ."

"I know. Just enjoy yourselves today, and I will get the grand tour of Venus from the Queen and King. I'm only fourteen; I don't need the six of you scarring me for life."

Minako pulled her mother closer to the castle, away from the senshi and the rest of her family. "Mother, I need something from you."

"What?"

"The keystone."

Asakaze's hand flew to her neck, touching an intricate chain that matched the one Ami now wore, carefully extracting the topaz from under the neckline of her dress. "Why?"

"Something is coming, something that we senshi will discuss in full with you on Titan in a few days." There was no time to beat around the bush or pretend like their world wasn't in danger, and Minako's sudden and intense seriousness shocked her mother. "I need the stone as part of our plan to prevent it."

The pink-eyed queen regarded her daughter silently for a moment, staring into those intense blue eyes that had the ability to command in them, an ability that Asakaze never mastered as Sailor Venus. Her power and her control were greater than anyone had expected to see from Asakaze's child, and it was clear that she had no idea how strong she was. Standing there, her golden hair teased by the light breeze dancing across the courtyard, Minako was the Goddess incarnate, a perfect blend of beauty and power, and she would never take no for an answer. Her words were a request, but her stance was an order. Silently, Asakaze passed the orange topaz to her daughter, relinquishing her Sailor Venus mantle at last to the child who had surpassed her in every way.

Asakaze and Minako returned to the center of the courtyard as Haruka burst out laughing at Serenity's parting words, the warrior collecting the five senshi and leading them away while a flock of servants carried their luggage into the palace and their assigned rooms. Another pair of servants handed the senshi a bag of supplies for their training session while the silvery blonde twins attached themselves to the Moon Princess, excitement in their lavender and silver eyes. Asakaze stared at Haruka as the five senshi prepared to teleport, something in her memory struggling to surface, but she could not place that face, those eyes, that laugh. Something . . . somehow she knew that man and the sword he wore so proudly on his hip. An instant later, the senshi vanished in a flash of lights as they had arrived, leaving three excited young blonde princesses in her care and a silent, brooding, strawberry blonde husband by her side.

"What did Minako ask you?"

Asakaze shrugged as she watched the scenery roll past, the three princesses in the front of the vehicle occupied by the beauty of her world. Serenity was genuinely excited to be on Venus, and her attitude was infecting the twins. "She wanted the keystone."

"Why didn't you give that to her when you gave her the henshin stick? I thought that was the custom." Shinrai's amber eyes watched his wife carefully, waiting for a reaction to his probing. He knew something was going on between her and their daughter, but both women had learned long ago to never answer a direct question from the king. Like all of his people, the Martian was direct, but Venusians rarely were.

"I didn't give her the henshin stick." Shinrai's eyebrows shot up, and his wife sighed in defeat. She was going to have to tell him sooner or later. "While she was on Mars, she forced her transformation in order to save the princess's life." She was being deliberately vague, and her husband could sense that she was avoiding some important truth in the story. A Martian warrior needing help from a Venusian never trained to fight? What kind of situation could call forth the transformation to Sailor Venus?

"Why?"

"Because she needed to." Avoidance again. "I requested the security footage from Mars, if you want to watch." Shinrai nodded, and Asakaze tapped a code into the arm of her chair, watching as a holo-image faded into existence before them. He watched the first part of the fight in silence, wincing as two of Sailor Mars's arrows sent Rei to the ground, eyes narrowed as the blonde Uranian he had met earlier stepped out of the crowd and spoke to the princess. The recording did not catch any part of their conversation, but when Rei turned back to her mother with a new determination in her eyes, it was clear that Rukaze had been encouraging her to win.

Shinrai leaned forward, clearly entranced by the intensity of the second part of the fight, his Martian blood raging as he watched Rei's bloodlust in action. Rikuriko summoned a flaming sword in place of her bow, meeting her daughter's swords in the center of the field. Rei was determined, but untried, and even with her rage she might not be strong enough to win. "She's fighting for something now," Shinrai whispered, his amber eyes never leaving the recording. "In the beginning of the fight, she just wanted the henshin stick, but that wouldn't be enough to call forth this rage." He held his breath as Rei fell to the ground, Rikuriko raising her sword for the final blow, and he knew that she meant to kill the child.

Shinrai jumped back, amber eyes wide, as Sailor Venus suddenly appeared between the pair, golden chain in one hand, as Minako's scream echoed across the field. She was glowing, her power still new to her, determination in her pale blue eyes. She turned to Mars, fury in her stance, and accused the queen of trying to kill her daughter. Rikuriko refuted the claims, but Shinrai had seen the rage in her eyes, had heard her call for her daughter's death. A Martian's bloodlust could be strong enough to cause a mother to kill her child, but it was so uncommon that Shinrai had never heard of it happening. Rei stood, one sword still in her hand, and sent Venus away, her soft words full of gentle affection. "Thank you, but I am your champion, not the other way around. Let me finish this battle." He watched her pray to Ares, anger slowly filling his frame, and he silently nodded as Rei defeated her mother. He couldn't find words until after Ares appeared and named Rei his avatar, the recording ending on the symbol of Mars Security.

"You didn't tell me that they are lovers."

Asakaze's pink eyes widened in shock, both at the unexpected words and the rage in her gentle husband's voice. "What?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know. I saw Minako's silent challenge to you when she appeared today, and Rei was not fighting her mother to win the henshin stick. She was fighting to protect her mate. Any Martian can see that clearly." He took a deep breath to calm his rage, turning the recording off as their vehicle entered the trade district. "She won the Venus henshin stick because . . . because Rei is her soul mate."

"Yes," Asakaze admitted, her voice no more than a whisper.

"Is it . . . normal? For a senshi to have a senshi for a soul mate?"

Fuji'iro squealed as the vehicle stopped, a pair of servants letting the twins climb out into the bustle of the trade district as a flock of guards surrounded the young royals. Serenity glanced over her shoulder at Asakaze and Shinrai before following the twins, knowing that the royal couple needed some time alone.

"Yes," the queen finally managed, unable to meet her husband's gaze. The secret that had been slowly crushing her for decades finally lifted, and she felt tears of relief fill her eyes. "The soul of a senshi is too strong to be bound to a man."

He had expected that answer for years, but it still hurt worse than any sword he had ever taken in his time as a Martian warrior. He knew that he wasn't Asakaze's soul mate and he had known since he saw Rikuriko's face the day Minako was born, but it still hurt to hear his wife admit it. "Do you love me, Asa?"

The blonde turned to her husband, to the man who had accepted her marriage proposal on Mars all those years ago, and she smiled. "Of course I do, Shin."

"But you love her, too."

"Rikuriko. Yes. I'll never stop loving her." In her voice was a request, and Shinrai smiled as he took her hand. How could he not forgive her? She was a Venusian, a woman who simply loved without reservation or regret. It wasn't her fault that the laws of the Silver Millennium prevented her from being with her soul mate, and she had been the perfect loving wife for decades.

"I can live with that," Shinrai whispered, reaching up to cup Asakaze's cheek with one hand. "I know I can only have you for this life, but it's enough for me."

"I was expecting a little more possessiveness from a Martian," Asakaze admitted.

"I'm not a normal Martian. Maybe that's why Rikuriko picked me."

Asakaze smiled and leaned her head on Shinrai's shoulder, silently watching Serenity, Fuji'iro, and Gin'iro enjoy their trip to the trade district. He wasn't the partner she had wanted when she was eighteen, but she was glad to have him.

AN: You know what's coming in the next chapter. It's a treat, since we're going to be having serious apocalypse discussions and queenly confrontations for a while. I'm using the fights to examine the different ways each planet and each senshi view war, since all of them are required to participate, and to let them hone their skills for the coming battle. Also, if you remember, in chapter 12 Tranquility was talking about a new priestess; now you finally got to meet her. I hope you were pleasantly surprised (or that you guessed her identity five chapters ago).

Meneldur: Like I said, it took me a long time to write the HxM scene. I'm not the hugest fan of stereotypes where the butch is always on top or always in control, and I think that a woman who is in control and "on top" all day might enjoy having someone else control her at night. Also, I like making Haruka the screamer. You see what the servant does in this chapter and now you get to wonder what he will do later. He's the same servant boy that Princess Serenity scolded after everyone returned from HxM's wedding, as you can see from his interaction with Tranquility. And you're right, Haruka deserves to be teased, especially about something that Michiru did to her when she wasn't in control. As for her losing, it is just a friendly battle and she doesn't want to win as much as she wants to test Minako. For what's next, I will work on CSS and ACDAL probably simultaneously, since they have a different feel to them, and I know that I am going to start an edit of Kazeko, but not a huge one. Mostly I want to write two companion pieces for that fic to round out some of the interactions.

Neptune's Lover: Sex scenes are still the hardest for me to write so I was really worried about the HxM one last chapter. I wanted it to be more realistic than some of what I have read but still be able to paint the right picture. From your comment I think that I accomplished what I wanted. For Ami, I went back and read her first scene where Lilia tells her that she is attracted to Makoto and should make the most of it and wrote the scene between her and Amami as a partner to that. She's grown and she has had time to consider her options, but her capacity to love is greater than her desire to obey the rules and be a good girl, so she refuses to give Makoto up. Haruka guessed earlier that Ami and Mako would eventually fall into the same pattern that their mothers had chosen, but in reality she is the first one to defy her mother in the forever sense. Now she gets to be strong for Mako when they visit Jupiter in two chapters, which gives their whole relationship a new dynamic.

Nep vs. Jup fight scene was mostly to begin Neptune's awakening process. She is learning love battle, to find the beauty in it, which is very important for a pacifist. You called the fight between Neptune and Venus: Nep is calm and calculating while Venus lets her emotions get in the way. As soon as she thought that her opponent was weakening, she pressed her advantage, falling into Neptune's trap. In the end, neither won because both of them have flaws and both have to learn to overcome them.

The morning after: Michiru is proud of the bruises she left, regardless of how Haruka feels about them. She considers everything she did to be artistic, and what artist would be ashamed of their creation? Serenity's innocence is, as usual, perfect for the situation, and Rei is never going to let Haruka live down those bruises since Haruka has teased Minako about the chain marks she keeps developing. Yes, Pluto and the queens are going to be livid; that scene is already developing itself in my mind. The boy who saw them transform has a slightly different role (and what minor servant would run around tattling to the Queen of the Silver Millennium?) but you will see that he has damage of his own to cause. Pluto will find out the same way every other queen does: too late and with a great deal of yelling and accusation.

Haruka Tenou: thanks. I've been trying to keep my updates consistent, but this section of the fic is more movement and action, so it's easier to just write and release chapters when they are done. I'm hoping for two chapters a week until I go into training (when my updates might have to slow down) but I can't guarantee the days I will post. Next chapter is more sexiness so I hope you enjoy this one and the next.

Samaka: I'm glad you enjoyed the HxM scene, too. The fighting scenes are fun, since no two pairings will end the same way, so I do plan to keep incorporating both types of scenes.

Afantis: Thank you, I'm glad everyone seems to have liked the honeymoon scene. The fighting scenes in the last chapter were a setup for the Neptune x Venus scene, since I've always kind of wanted to pit them against each other and see where it goes. I hope that you liked the fight in this chapter just as much and all of the couples are going to have some fun in Sunrise Bay next chapter.