Chapter 19: Fire Soul
February 15, 8983 – February 16, 8983
Tranquility stared at the screen, white knuckles gripping the arms of his chair. The god had not moved in hours, forgetting even to mimic the human action of breathing as his Cupids watched in silence. From where they stood, the three Leaders could not read the highly complex script filling the air before their leader, but they knew that the data crystal delivered by a former acolyte hours earlier contained information so important and so valuable that it had shocked a god. In patient devotion, they waited.
"She hid this from me." Tranquility's words shattered the silence in the small room, his companions neither moving nor responding as they waited for him to continue. "The book these prophecies are from . . . I remember it. Almost ten thousand years ago, when we first created the Silver Millennium, Se had a fit of prophetic visions in her lonely castle on Pluto. She wrote them down, barely understanding anything she saw, but the visions frightened her. I remember Serenity telling me that Se saw the End and did not want to ever remember that again. This book . . . she hid it on Earth. How did the senshi find it? Why would they keep this a secret from me?"
"What does it say, My Lord?"
"Many things," Tranquility replied, waving one hand at the screen as he scrolled to the first prophecy that interested him. "This one is the one that I remember, the one Serenity herself repeated the day she disappeared, the one Beryl saw, but this book records the full version. The Silver One cannot return until the Moonlight shines in the Darkness and the Wind and the Sea give birth to the Sun. On that day, her soul will awaken from its host and herald the destruction of the Earth and the dawn of a new crystal . . . something. Even I do not know this last word. Serenity said that her return would be heralded by the birth of the Messiah of Light and here is the prophecy relating to that. In the darkest hour, when all hope is lost, a Messiah of Light will rise. She will have power without end, love without reserve, and strength beyond measure. When the Three Talismans gather, they will light the way to her birth."
"Does that mean everything will have to come to an end for the Messiah to be called?" The Cupid Beta leader, a woman with black hair and striking ice-blue eyes watched her god's reaction carefully, eager to help him unravel the prophecy.
"Possibly. Moonlight shines in the Darkness . . . Sailor Moonlight? If this part refers to her, then we might have a great deal of work to do. The Moonlight Crystal has been sealed away for thousands of years and only a great tragedy can call it forth again."
The Beta walked forward and leaned over Tranquility's shoulder, her pale eyes reading the next prophecy on the screen. "I've heard this one before. Well, I've heard part of it. Isn't this the Ancient Law so revered by the Senshi Queens? The Moon will Rise over a great kingdom, shining in the sky for thousands of years, until the day that the Sun turns in its sleep. It will Call but no one will be able to answer. On that day, the Sun will cry as dark blood soaks the ground and loneliness grips the Dark One. The galaxy will be consumed by the Scream of Time and the Silver Moon will fall to the Earth in a harvest of desperate ruin when the lights of two star seeds combine. The capricious Tear will shatter its last and only the Golden Light of dreams can preserve the hopes of the future. It's much longer than the one I learned in school. If this really is the end of the Silver Millennium, perhaps the harvest of desperate ruin—which I assume refers to Sailor Saturn since harvest is the common term for her power—will be a darkness great enough to call the Messiah of Light."
The other two Leaders, Pi and Xi, also stepped forward to read Tranquility's screen, the Xi leader narrowing his eyes. "Beryl said that we have to destroy the Wind and the Sea, and I think that her reasoning may be sound. Have you read this part?
Scattered to the harsh Winds of Time
Bound by a desperate thought;
She will seek rebirth when all hope is gone
And all love at last is lost.
The Sword will scream, the Mirror break,
And the Orb will mourn them all;
Three talismans crossed will summon the Grail
And release her tortured soul.
"The Grail is what can summon the Messiah, and the Messiah will herald the rebirth of Serenity. She cannot return until all hope is lost and the wielders of the powers of Sailor Uranus and Neptune have died and been reborn. If the Silver Millennium continues as it has, the Sword and Mirror will never die and Serenity can never return."
"They have to die," Pi confirmed, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's not like they won't be reborn in the next generation if the talismans are inside them."
"I can't kill them," the god whispered, scanning the rest of the prophecies for anything useful. "There are laws that bind the Gods to prevent us from interfering in the affairs of the mortals. I can make Cupids and Se can interact with them as Setsuna, but even we cannot kill. You, my trusted Cupid Leaders, are bound by the same restrictions."
"Then we will find someone who is not," the Beta Leader replied, a wild light in her ice blue eyes. "We will bring about Serenity's return no matter the cost!"
Serenity smiled at the double row of guards on either side of her as she waited patiently for the Martian Royal Family to appear in the courtyard. The people of the red planet tended to like to make their visitors wait to increase the impact of their appearance, but the Moon Princess didn't mind. Rei hadn't exactly told her parents who was visiting, only that she was coming home for a day to visit. Since she and her mother had parted on less than amicable terms, it was no wonder that the small group was still standing in the dusty courtyard while a dry breeze gusted around them.
"Will you stop that? It's hard enough to keep my hair tangle-free as it is." Rei, one arm around Minako's waist, glared at Haruka through dark amethyst eyes as the wind finally died down. Serenity glanced at the two warriors, wondering how Rei had known that Haruka was creating the wind, wondering how a senshi could do something like that in her civilian form. The Uranian never reacted to the Martian's hissed words, her suit colored in dark blue and green to match her wife's rich emerald dress, but there was a strange light in her stormy green eyes that told her fellow senshi how amused her friend's words had made her.
"I have been wondering something, actually," Michiru murmured, her teal eyes lighting on Rei's blonde partner as she ran a hand through her aqua locks. "How does that work, logistically? Don't you both get your hair tangled? Or do you tie it back before you . . . become intimate?"
Rei's face darkened to match her crimson hair, Minako giggling beside her. "Is that really a question you should be asking?"
"Minako doesn't seem like she minds the question," Haruka replied, her husky voice barely raised above the soft tones her wife had used. "Michiru's hair is short enough that it doesn't get in the way, and Makoto and Ami are in the same boat as us, but you two both have excessively long hair. Whoever is on top is probably fine, but the person on bottom is guaranteed to get tangles."
"By Serenity, why are we talking about this?!" The Moon Princess giggled at the curse, having always been amused by people swearing in her mother's name. Rei glared at the smaller blonde, sighing and rolling her eyes as she turned back to Michiru. "Yes, there are times that my hair gets tangled."
"And when you're on top?"
"Minako has to be tied up. She's too feisty otherwise; it's the only way I've found to keep her still." Minako blushed at that, burying her face in the crimson hair her lover had just been discussing. Makoto chuckled at the other warrior's words, tilting her head as she noticed some odd red scratches on Minako's neck.
"Minako, what happened to your neck?"
If it was possible, the blonde's blush darkened, one hand flying up to cover her neck. "The sand . . . it's not as soft as it looks."
"Your back must be a mess, then."
"It will heal," Minako replied, pulling away from her lover as she regarded her fellow senshi. "And what was that storm? I didn't know we could summon our powers like that in civilian form, other than the occasional wind our beloved Uranian likes to grace us with." She nodded toward Haruka at her words, but the intensity in her light blue eyes never changed. "I've never heard of senshi being able to summon their power at will."
"Setsuna can do it." The six senshi turned to Serenity in shock, the small princess shrugging. "I've seen her summon her Time Staff and teleport away in civilian form. I've seen her summon images in her Orb and I've never seen her as Sailor Pluto. Maybe having her planet crystal gives her more power than you?"
"Maybe it's the talisman," Michiru returned, touching the sword on Haruka's hip. "You always have yours, my love, so the wind always obeys you. It has since your visit to the Moon, hasn't it?"
Haruka shrugged, running her long fingers over her sword's jeweled scabbard. "Yes. It didn't feel any different yesterday than it did on the Moon. It's always there . . . the wind is always whispering to me, asking me questions, begging for direction. When I am with Michiru, I lose control of it."
"Like I lost control of my fire powers yesterday?"
"Yes, I saw the beach you glassed," Makoto chuckled, twisting her fingers to summon her talisman. "The glass was gold, filled with light. It's beautiful and the people of Venus will admire it for years to come." She stared at the staff in her hand, tracing her fingers across the runes. "I summoned my talisman on that beach and Haruka always has hers. If that is the trigger, then when did the rest of you summon your talismans?"
Michiru reached into a hidden pocket of her dress, revealing the Deep Aqua Mirror. "I always have mine with me. Considering how long as my soul screamed for my talisman, I cannot stand to let it out of my sight." She waved one hand at Ami as she hid her mirror again, the genius tilting her head to one side. "You showed me your harp during that insanely long trek, remember? And Rei got skittish when the wind picked up and pulled her bow on that defenseless orange plant." Rei shrugged dismissively as all eyes turned to Minako, the senshi realizing that they had not seen their leader use her talisman that day, despite the light Makoto had seen inside the glass on the beach.
The blonde shook her head at the sudden scrutiny, glancing at Rei for permission before speaking. "I summoned my chain just after you and Ami left."
Haruka reached over and grabbed Rei's wrist, pushing up her purple sleeve to reveal a line of very familiar chain-shaped welts marring her smooth skin. The Martian jerked her hand away, pulling her sleeve back into place as a slow grin graced her face. "Why do you think I glassed the beach?"
A cacophony of trumpets effectively ended the conversation, the seven princesses turning to face the palace as the royal family arrived at last. Rikuriko led the small procession, most of her red and gold hair pinned back into an intricate set of braids under her golden crown with a few strands free to frame her face, pink eyes wary of meeting her daughter again after their last encounter. Akaneiro, a native of Jupiter, boasted short, curly indigo locks—one of the rarer shades from Europa, his home moon—his red eyes widening almost imperceptibly as he spotted the young High Princess among the gathered Senshi. The interruption in his stride made his son pause, the tall red-eyed High Prince tilting his head curiously at the gathered princesses. His crimson hair was cut short in a popular warrior style, the black highlights more visible than when it had been longer. Kazan stared at the princesses in confusion for a moment before he recognized Michiru, his eyes narrowing in fury at the blonde man holding the Neptunian close. Haruka noticed his scrutiny at once, the warrior pushing her wife behind her protectively as she stood taller and glared at the prince, daring him to challenge her.
The last member of the party was a woman clearly younger than Rei, her pink and red hair flowing down her back in unrestrained curly waves, a thin circlet on her brow to mark her position, her lavender eyes both innocent and entrancing at the same time. She smiled politely at the gathered princesses, but her eyes were drawn to Haruka, to the only masculine noble in the group. The blonde shook her head as the two royals stared her down, one jealous of her obvious relationship with Michiru and the other determined to seduce her. Sometimes I should just dress like a girl.
Michiru giggled softly from her position beside her wife, sapphire-tinted teal eyes sparkling as she squeezed Haruka's arm. You should.
Sometimes you should stay out of my head.
"Rei, you didn't tell us that you were bringing guests." Rikuriko's voice was welcoming despite her chiding words, the tall queen's posture indicating that she was eager to keep things cordial, despite her two non-senshi children watching Haruka intently. Rei smiled warmly at the queen, clearly willing to be friendly.
"It's good to see you, Mother. When I sent the original message, it hadn't been decided if the High Princess would travel with us. We have been so busy training that I must have forgotten to update you." She gestured toward her companions, each of the senshi stepping forward as she introduced them. "You know Princess Serenity, of course. This is Minako, the High Princess and senshi of Venus, Ami the High Princess and senshi of Mercury, Makoto, the High Princess and senshi of Jupiter, and Michiru, the High Princess and senshi of Neptune."
Michiru offered Rikuriko a perfect curtsy, her teal eyes sparkling in the morning light. "I didn't know that Shousha had passed on her henshin stick," Kazan commented smoothly, his eyes never leaving the Neptunian's face.
Haruka narrowed her emerald eyes, only Michiru's gentle touch on her arm preventing her from skewering the prince. His words had interrupted the introductions, but Haruka was not willing to let his obvious interest in her wife go unchallenged. "She was dying. It was necessary." Her husky voice was hard and unyielding, the blonde using her deepest register possible in an attempt to intimidate the older royal, but the Martian did not scare easily.
He crossed his arms over his chest, pointedly exposing his sword as he glared at the taller blonde. "Who are you to know so much about the gentle princess? A low-born warrior from the rough, backwards moons of Uranus shouldn't be allowed anywhere near her gentle grace."
That was too much. Rei and Makoto reached for Haruka at the same second, but the blonde was way too fast for them. She slipped free of Michiru's hold, moving too fast for any of the Martian warriors to see as she drew her sword and laid it against Kazan's throat, her free arm pinning his arms just above his waist and her chest pressed against his back. "I think you underestimate your opponent," Haruka hissed, all of the dark fury bestowed upon her by her Goddess shaking her lean frame. Wind screamed across the courtyard as the guards drew arrows and fought against the gusts to point them at the blonde, all of them struggling to get a bead on her and end the threat to their prince.
"Lower your weapons." Rei stepped forward, holding her arms out as the symbol of Mars glowed from her forehead. "I said lower your weapons!" She spoke the command in Martian, her tone brokering no argument. The guards reluctantly lowered their bows, Rikuriko and Akaneiro watching the confrontation in silence. The blonde warrior was faster and stronger than their son, and Martians would not protect a weakling from his own mistakes. "Rukaze is the future King of Neptune and you will not point weapons at him. Kazan, you are not the future king of anything and I suggest you apologize. Ruka is neither low-born nor deaf."
Haruka grinned from beside Kazan's ear, pushing the Space Sword against the exposed skin of the prince's neck. "Michiru is my wife, little prince, and I suggest you remember your place in the Silver Millennium." Kazan grunted and pushed against the arm holding him as Haruka's sword drew a trickle of blood from the prince's neck. "If I ever catch you looking at her again, I will remove your lecherous little eyes." Haruka released the Martian and pushed him away, sheathing her sword as she returned to the group of senshi. Kazan watched the blonde walk away as Michiru sidled up to Momoiro, the aquanette taking the Martian's hand and leaning close to her ear.
"I saw you looking at my partner," she whispered venomously, only the Martian able to hear. Haruka glanced over her shoulder at the exchange, her wind bringing the words to her, and she smiled as her wife's possessive streak finally reared its head. "Ruka is mine and always will be. Don't waste your time or mine chasing something you can never have. Do I make myself clear?" Momoiro nodded nervously, frightened lavender eyes never leaving the Neptunian as she returned to her wife. Michiru let Haruka wrap an arm around her once more, smiling at the Martian royals as if nothing had happened. "Please, let me introduce my partner, Kazemaru Rukaze, youngest child of Fourth War Queen Ono Hikari of Uranus."
"Pleased to meet you," Rikuriko returned, offering the blonde warrior a polite bow. "I had not heard that you wed, Michiru."
"It will be announced at my birthday celebration in a couple of weeks. I assume you have already received your invitations?"
Rikuriko nodded. "We have, and we will all be honored to attend such a momentous occasion. Kazan and Momoiro are especially looking forward to it." She turned her pink gaze on her children, silently commanding them to behave as Kazan stood and took his position beside his father. The prince bowed in response, the smile on his face nearly a grimace of either pain or loathing, and the princess offered a shaky smile, as well. "For today, however, I am told that you have training to do."
"We do," Minako replied, her blue eyes narrowed slightly. She had observed the entire scene between her senshi and Rei's siblings, but she did not fully understand either the provocations or the conclusion.
"And will you be staying the night?"
"If it won't be too much of an imposition," Minako returned, offering Rikuriko her most gracious smile. As the leader of the Inner Senshi, she spoke for the group, hoping that the previous confrontation with Rei's mother would not endanger their mission.
Clearly, Rikuriko was willing to declare peace with her daughter's soul mate. "Of course not," Rikuriko replied, gesturing for some of the nearby servants to gather the bags piled behind the group of princesses. "I will have the upper guest wing prepared for you at once. Where will you be training?"
"Deimos, the Kirash Crater."
"Rei, it's the middle of winter there. It's freezing! How do you plan to train in that kind of weather?"
"We will wear plenty of cold-weather gear to protect us in our civilian forms, but as senshi we will barely feel the cold at all. Anyway, Serenity picked the place, since she has never seen snow before, and I did warn her about the cold."
"I don't mind cold weather," the princess confirmed, eagerness in her light blue eyes. "Rei promised me snow today."
"Are you sure it's wise to take the High Princess into the wilds of Deimos?"
"I trust my senshi with my life," Serenity replied, her soft voice full of authority and pride. "They would never endanger me. Besides, Rei is the senshi of fire; if anything happens she can take care of us."
Rei reached out and took Serenity's hand, bowing her head to her mother. "I'll take them inside and get some warm clothes for Deimos." A servant appeared before the group and bowed, indicating that the princesses should follow him, leading them away as Rikuriko grabbed her daughter's arm. Rei understood her mother's message without the need for words, silently following the queen into the palace. They moved into a small room off the main hallway, Rikuriko's pink eyes intense in the dim light.
"Are you still with her?"
"I am."
Rikuriko sighed, shaking her head. "I had hoped you would have gotten over that by now. There have been a lot of suitors here to see you."
Rei shrugged, amethyst eyes hard and unyielding. "I'm not interested. I'm never going to be interested. You have paraded dozens of men before me since I was fifteen, but I never showed any interest in any of them. The instant Minako walked in the room, I wanted her. I've never wanted anyone before, man or woman. She is my soul mate, Mother, and I won't hurt her by marrying some man. I'm marrying her." It was the first time she had admitted that she wanted to marry Minako, and Rei paused for a moment to savor that feeling. Rikuriko narrowed her eyes, prepared to argue with her child, but the look of joy on Rei's face gave her pause.
"What do you think will happen if you do that? How can you continue your lineage or rule without a king?"
Rei, having expected more bite in her mother's words, paused as she considered how to answer. "A queen can rule with or without a king. Shousha is proof of that, and I have heard that she was the only one in charge even when Tsuyu was alive. As for a child . . . there's an old Uranian custom that Mina and I were considering in order to continue our lineages. I'm planning to take a Consort."
"A what? Isn't that like the leader of a harem?"
Rei chuckled. "How does that word translate so badly? A Consort is a man chosen to father a Queen's child when her official mate cannot do so. Marrying Mina wouldn't stop me from birthing an heir. She has a couple of cousins who would be willing to have the title and honor of fathering the next princess of Mars."
"And you would ask Kazan to do it for her? I saw the way she looked at your brother; she would never sleep with him."
"As if a Martian could share her mate, in any case. No, Ami told us about this technique from her world called artificial insemination. They wouldn't have to sleep together for him to impregnate her." Rei reached out and ran her fingers through her mother's red and gold hair, smiling at the older woman. "You don't have to worry about us, Mother."
"I see that now." Rikuriko pulled her daughter into her arms, gently kissing the smaller woman's forehead in the same spot Ares had weeks earlier. "I can see why our god chose you, my child. You are stronger than me." She shook her head when Rei opened her mouth to protest, pulling away and freeing an ancient golden chain from her other necklaces. She handed the necklace and the ruby red keystone to Rei, waiting until the current Sailor Mars took it before speaking again. "You are stronger, and Ares was right. You are going to be the finest Sailor Mars in the history of the Silver Millennium. Take this; it belongs to you, now. And make her happy."
"I will."
"So, what was that all about?"
Michiru shrugged, pulling her scarf tight to block out any cold wind. Haruka, Space Sword visible outside her heavy coat, tried to keep the angry gusts to a minimum, but the unstable nature of the moon prevented her from being completely successful. "Kazan . . . was one of my suitors." She felt her wife tense in fury, sighing as she placed a gentle hand on Haruka's arm to comfort her. "Ruka, you know that I refused every suitor for three years. You're the only man or woman for me." The blonde relaxed, her emerald eyes satisfied behind the goggles that protected her from the bitter wind. "Kazan wasn't like my other suitors. Most of my off-world suitors would accept my politely-worded rejection letters and move on, but Kazan didn't. He was persistent."
"That sounds like my brother." Rei waved her hand dismissively before glancing down at the pulsing red stone in her gloved hand. "He never gives up. I imagine all of the princes have been courting you, though."
"They have. Ken'nin and Eiki sent their suits two years ago, Kazan sent his three years ago, and Lord Kounin of Gaoren on Mercury sent his last year. I even received a missive from Mochi, the oldest son of Fourth War Queen Ono Hikari. None of them ever met me or truly knew me, you know, and I refused them all, but Kazan has sent messages every month since then. Some of them he sent directly to my mother."
"And?" Haruka's voice was colder than the wind screaming in their ears, but Michiru knew that her anger was directed at the Martian prince. Serenity glanced up at her oft-unstable Uranian senshi, worry in her light blue eyes.
"Mother said I had to wed by my twenty-first birthday. She said that if I did not pick someone, she would accept Kazan for me."
The group stopped at Michiru's words, the wind suddenly too strong for them to push through. Snow flew up from the ground, creating a small localized blizzard, as Haruka tried desperately to control her fury. The fire in her emerald eyes said it all: I will kill that boy when next we meet. Michiru and Serenity stepped forward, each placing a hand on the blonde's arms, offering their loving support despite the layers of warm clothes that prevented physical contact. "Michiru picked you, Haruka, and not that arrogant, self-important prince. Release this fury, please." Serenity knew she could resort to Lunarian and force Haruka to calm down, but she wanted the wind senshi to have the chance to be in control of herself, not a slave to a promise she made fourteen years earlier. Michiru didn't say anything, but her sapphire eyes were full of love as she smiled at her wife. A moment later, the wind finally died back down, leaving silence behind as Haruka pulled Michiru into her arms.
"I can't stand the thought of him with you."
"He doesn't have me. He never will, because I found you. Do not worry about what might have been, Ruka."
Rei glanced back at her keystone as the Neptunian calmed her lover, narrowing her amethyst eyes as the pattern of flashing light changed slightly. She stepped forward again, her boots crunching in the icy snow, and the light brightened. "I think we're close to the planet crystal." She moved forward again, turning toward the set of low hills they had been steadily approaching for the last hour, Minako and Serenity close on her heels. Makoto and Ami followed more slowly, Haruka and Michiru taking up the rear-guard position as usual. They reached the low, snow-covered hill in silence, the keystone's glow steady and finally devoid of any flickering. "Now what?"
Haruka stepped forward from her position behind the group, slipping her gloves off and holding her left hand out to Rei. Confused, the flame senshi also removed her gloves, wrapping the keystone's chain around her right wrist as she took Haruka's hand with her left. "Summon your bow so you can access your power," the wind senshi directed, the bitter cold already turning her hands red. Rei's bow appeared on her back and she summoned her flame in her right hand, using her power to warm her left hand enough to ward off the cold. Haruka nodded and summoned her wind, pulling on Rei's fire with her senshi strength, combining the two energies in her left hand and pushing it at the hill before them. The heated air melted the snow and dried the ground at the same time, the pile of white fading to reveal a stone mound covered in ancient carvings and letters.
The other senshi watched in silence as Haruka and Rei dropped their hands, slipping back into their gloves before the Martian stepped forward. "Hmm . . . I don't think I can read this. It's an ancient Martian dialect, if the simplicity of the carvings is any indication."
Ami leaned down beside her friend, tracing her fingers over the rough grooves. "I think the dialect is older than the carving. The words are from the Maitán Dynasty or possibly the later Jyuûkashi Dynasty that ruled all of Deimos before Mars annexed its moons nine millennia ago, but the carving was done by a precision laser cutter, and that technology is maybe five thousand years old. From the flash burning on the edges of the grooves, my guess is that it was done with a FireWing 42- or 45-series and they weren't even widely used anywhere except Mercury until about thirty-five hundred years ago."
"Can you read it?"
"Probably." Ami summoned her computer and pulled up one of her files on ancient languages, comparing the runes on the stone to the translation matrix on the screen before her. "Okay, it seems that this is the tomb of a Queen from the Martian Royal Line, which supports my theory of a post-Jyuûkashi burial. This here lists her accomplishments . . . she was Sailor Mars, of course, she had seven children . . . when she was nineteen she won the title of Royal Commander and took a . . . this can't be right. It says she took a wife at the age of twenty-two."
"I thought senshi marriages were forbidden."
"Well, we did read in one of those files that the senshi used to marry each other over three thousand years ago," Minako reminded her partner, staring at the runes curiously. "Does it name her wife?"
"Um, I haven't even found her name yet. Oh, her wife is buried here, with her. It says that they both fought in the Antares Uprising . . . Serenity save us. This is the last Sailor Mars to have the complete Planet Crystal. This is the one whose marriage to Venus forced Sailor Pluto to create the keystones." Ami lapsed into silence, unwilling to finish translating the rest of the tomb. She touched the runes that named the two women buried beneath the stone, tears in her eyes beneath her goggles.
"They had to have known that their daughters would always live apart from their soul mates. For a Venusian to know that is a torture greater than I could ever wish upon an enemy." Minako ran her gloves fingers across the runes, a sad smile on her face. "My ancestor, the last of us to be with her soul mate."
Rei climbed onto the hill of stone and sat, legs crossed, above where her ancestor's bones had been laid to rest. She closed her eyes and placed her hands on her legs, the keystone on her wrist glowing a fierce red that soon covered her whole body. Glancing at the other senshi, Michiru summoned her mirror and focused her power on the senshi of flame, the similarity between their powers letting her project what Rei was seeing.
"It's not fair." The tall Martian woman, her dark purple hair streaked in red, clenched her fist around her planet crystal, the stone glowing faintly. Her red eyes met the sad, dark ones of her patron god, but Ares could not argue with his avatar. "We will be weak. We will never be able to fight as we did in Antares again. Our children will be weaker than us, and if anything threatens the Silver Millennium they won't be able to defend it." The lines on her face made her look old, worn, and tired; it was the face of a warrior who was done fighting.
"I know, Reiko, but what can we do? Se is right; if the planets combine, darkness will swallow the Silver Millennium. Everyone will die."
"So you would sacrifice us and our hearts and our children's hearts instead?" The woman standing beside Queen Reiko spoke as Ares silenced, her golden eyes as tired as the Martian's, her golden hair marking her as a Venusian while the chain around her waist marked her as the Queen. Reiko's wife, Minami.
"I argued against it," Aphrodite whispered from beside Ares, "but Se was one of the gods who created the Silver Millennium. Her rules, past and future, hold sway over us. She ordered the patron gods to bind the powers of the planets. Your daughter is already strong in her own right, Minami; she will not be powerless."
Minami nodded, her eyes hard as she handed her golden planet crystal to Aphrodite. "Take it, then, and hide it somewhere my descendants will never look. The keystone that you want to create, give it to Kinae. I won't be returning to Venus." She unhooked the Love Me Chain from her waist, passing it to her god as she took Reiko's hand. Silently, the Martian handed her bow to Ares, never releasing her planet crystal.
"Bind my planet, God of War, and I will hide the crystal somewhere none of my children will ever look."
"Where?"
"Here." Reiko drew her short sword and stabbed herself through her belly, slicing across and up to make sure that her death was quick. "I will not live a weakling." With that, she fell to the ground, crystal still in her hand as her blood covered the dry, rocky ground. Ares stared at his avatar in horror, a single tear falling from his dark eye. The tear solidified into a ruby-red stone, landing in the god's outstretched hands. On the ground, the Fire Dust Crystal of Mars went dark, its power sealed away.
"No!" Aphrodite grabbed Minami's hand as the Venusian drew her own short sword, golden eyes dark. "Please, don't do this."
"I will not live without my soul mate, and I cannot live knowing that I doomed my child to never be happy. I have three daughters to carry on in my place, and Reiko has four children of her own. I imagine the other senshi are making the same choice today, none of us able to live with Setsuna's decision."
"You don't have to."
"We do!" The Venusian's voice was hard and cold, the commander of the senshi having lost all gentleness when her wife died. "The only thing that can seal the stone is the tear of a god, and we have to die for you to feel that sorrow. I'm sorry, but this is the path you all chose for us. Goodbye." Without another word or even a grunt of pain, Minami followed her wife into the next life.
Standing over the crumpled body of her senshi, Aphrodite cried uncontrollably, her first tear solidifying into a golden-orange keystone as Ares waved his hand. Rocks grew to cover the bodies, sealing them into a tomb both to hide the Mars Planet Crystal and to protect them from scavengers. "We have to go tell Narumi and Kinae," Ares whispered, pulling Aphrodite into his arms. They vanished as snow began to fall over the grave.
Rei fell to the ground, shaking, as the last of the vision faded. Her amethyst eyes met Minako's pale blue ones, and the Martian nodded. "That was us, Mina. Reiko and Minami were our past incarnations. I could feel it." Minako nodded, the other senshi not sure what to say as Rei ran her fingers over the stone beneath her. "They must have had consorts to father their children, like we plan to do. I guess Narumi and Kinae came here and marked the grave afterwards. The snow . . . it has snowed in the Kirash Crater for three thousand years, but no one was ever sure why."
"Do you know how to get the crystal?"
Rei nodded, tears in her eyes. "She knew, so I know. Mina, come up here with me." The Venusian joined her partner, turning to face a single smooth stone that seemed to jut out from the rest of the pile. Rei removed her glove and pulled a small dagger from her belt, making a tiny incision across her palm. Minako copied her actions, letting Rei cut into her hand, the blood welling up from the identical wounds and dripping onto the loose stone before them. It began to glow with a fiery light as their senshi healing sealed the cuts and they put their gloves back on, waiting. A crack formed on top of the stone and spread down its sides, the entire rock fading into nothingness to reveal a large hole in the tomb. Nodding, Rei carefully reached through the hole and grabbed a small, smooth stone, ignoring the brittle bones that brushed against her glove. She extracted her hand and watched as the stones sealed behind her, the Fire Dust Crystal safe in her grasp.
"I don't understand."
"Reiko knew that someone of her lineage would find this place one day, but she didn't want a weakling to have the planet crystal. She used the last of her power to make sure that only her next incarnation could open this tomb if she was worthy."
"By worthy, you mean with her soul mate."
Rei nodded as she and Minako stepped down from the hill, storing the crystal safely in a pocket of her heavy jacket. "You heard what she said at the end. She wanted to make sure that she did not retrieve the crystal until she could use it properly. Separated from our soul mates, how could we ever attain the high level of power that our ancestors knew? I find it a bit arrogant that she would only let herself retrieve the crystal, though."
"I find it expected," Haruka replied, smirking at the Martian. "I wouldn't want anyone but me to find my crystal, either. And Ares did say you were his strongest Avatar; I would think that Reiko was probably the last strong Sailor Mars. You have already reached her level without the full power of your crystal; I can't imagine what you will be able to do when you figure out how to activate it."
"You guys are the strongest senshi of all time." Serenity smiled as her warriors turned to her, accepting her praise and hoping that she was right. They would have to surpass their ancestors in order to stop the end of the Silver Millennium. "I can't wait to be Queen and have all of you in my court. It's going to be a wonderful time of peace."
"Yes, it will," Michiru replied. She pointed at the handful of snow Serenity was playing with, teal eyes curious. "What is that?"
"A snowball! You pack it together like this, then you throw it at someone. Endymion told me about having snowball fights when he was younger."
"How is that fun?"
Makoto's response came in the form of a snowball to her face, shocking not only the thunder senshi but all of her companions as well. Everyone stood frozen for a minute, glancing between the High Princess and the Jovian as they tried to decide what to do. Rei broke the tableau by reaching for her own clump of fluffy snow, squeezing it a bit before chucking it at Serenity. The blonde squealed in shock and sent a retaliatory missile back, running away before her fire senshi could get a bead on her. Grinning, Haruka threw a snowball at Rei, declaring her side in the little war, Michiru joining her as the other three senshi joined Rei. All thoughts of prophecies and past lives vanished as white missiles flew across the field and the senshi practiced the princess's new game.
Beryl smiled at Tranquility, bowing to her god. She still insisted on wearing her dark burgundy gown, refusing the traditional Cupid bow and wings, but power sparkled in her dark eyes, almost hiding her insanity. "I know a way."
"Good. From what I read of the prophecies Se wrote ten thousand years ago, this is the only option we have."
"Don't worry, my Lord. Serenity will return."
AN: So, here's some fun for you in the form of past lives and the mundane affairs of courtship in the Silver Millennium. Next chapter is the rainforests of Jupiter and after that is Titan and the big meeting!
petiyaka: Yes, unfortunately for the senshi, it's time to get serious. Everything is starting to come together, and it isn't all for the best.
Neptune's Lover: I never get to let Makoto use her tree power that much, but I like how this scene turned out. I'm glad everyone seems to like the scenery of Sunrise Bay since it took me over a week to work it out myself. The servant was cleaning the rooms they had used on the Moon, and the crystal was one of Ami's copies (as you can see from this chapter). I like when the three warriors get to do "guy" stuff together, even though scenes like that are easier to write in the present day than in the Silver Millennium. As for the various sex scenes: I wanted them to all be different but true to the characters. I'm glad you liked them.
Haruka Tenou: Thank you. I'm beginning to enjoy writing my lemons a bit more than I originally did, and it seems that they are coming out well.
isobelchase: Thank you, it's nice to have a new fan. I update as often as I can, and usually at 4 in the morning as I'm struggling to stay awake.
Meneldur: Here's your answer to the Cupids' response. It's not all flowers and kittens, unfortunately. I'm having more fun with the traveling senshi than I thought I would (as evidenced by the fact that they were supposed to be on Jupiter by now) and I'm learning as much about the solar system as you are. I searched on my main file and through ffnet but I can't find "Mercutian" anywhere so if I did use it accidentally, I must have fixed it in one of those tiny bug-edits no one ever noticed (usually done when I realize that I misspelled a word). I read Guardian multiple times and the author uses the "t" but it doesn't sound right to me, so I use the "r". I read somewhere that Rei and Minako are a good lesbian couple because there is no definite "top" and "bottom" but I like to think that any of the three couples could reverse roles frequently, regardless of the fact that one of them dresses and acts like a man and looks like she would always be in control. So I like to have fun with that in my scenes. As for Haruka – she is always ready to jump someone! Can't you hear it in Ogata Megumi's sexy voice or see it on Takagi Nao's face?! Totally wired at all times. The line came from watching Nao in Chou Wakusei Death Vulcan no Fuuin which I may be obsessing over at the moment.