Chapter 27: Martian Blood Rage
February 28, 8983
Neptune glanced at Venus, testing the weight of her borrowed swords as she considered her partner and weapons. The swords were very light and perfectly balanced, far finer than anything she had ever wielded and more beautiful than any weapon had a right to be. Glancing at the intricate scrollwork on the blade itself and the runes engraved on the jeweled hilt, Neptune could understand the beauty within war that Uranus had tried to show her. "She planned this." Her wife had tried so many times to explain the concept of sa'usikha but Michiru had never been able to understand. Now, holding a pair of beautiful swords while facing ten silent Uranians, Michiru thought that she might finally be closer to the truth.
"Of course she did," Venus replied ruefully, her voice light but still free of the usual emotion associated with use of her native language. "She loves to watch people fight, especially beautiful people like us."
Neptune took a deep breath, closing her blue eyes to narrow slits as she opened her mind and reached for the vibrant aura pulsing beside her, struggling to touch the blinding light emanating from her partner. "I don't suppose you can tone it down?"
Venus shrugged as she readied her chain, choosing her first target. "Probably not. Are you ready, Neptune?"
"Always, Venus." Neptune sensed the aura beside her tighten and focus, darkening as Venus moved forward, her chain glowing with her power. Neptune moved in step with the blonde, eyes opening as she chose a target on the opposite side of the group from Venus, hoping to scatter the Uranians.
She heard her wife laugh from the dais overhead, Haruka knowing that Uranians were too well-trained to be frightened into scattering. The laughing silenced as Haruka realized what her wife had planned and she gestured for her fellow senshi observers to lean forward and watch the battle carefully.
Saitou Kai and Murata Natako moved to the side of the circle as a unit, having already decided to band together against the senshi. They were both strong and dangerous, but if none of the other women would side with them they would be easily overwhelmed. Ono Takako, Ono Miki, Saeki Seira, and Seo Yasuko slipped between the advancing senshi, each still calm and patient, hoping that the other combatants would wear themselves out first. Takako was clearly the leader of the group; as the second oldest daughter of a reigning War Queen she had much more practical experience and power than her fellows. Seira, whose lineage descended from one of the members of the Duchess Council, kept her Saturnian-purple eyes on Venus as she passed the blonde, her long red braid nearly brushing the senshi as they passed. She was known for her archery, but she had chosen a long sword for the contest since they would remain in close quarters where arrows would be useless. Yasuko, her silver hair short and flame-colored eyes emotionless, descended from two powerful lineages on the Council and had been championed by her distant cousin Sanae who shared a common ancestry through the Martian Royal Family. Her father's mother had been a Lesser War Queen in the skirmishes on Pluto, serving well and fighting fiercely despite being the only member of the Uranian Court to trace her lineage from the lesser royals on the Moon. Serenity's line only had one daughter per generation, but the other members of the Moon Royalty had powers and abilities of their own, most of them barely understood in the Outer Planets.
Haru Chikage stood alone, her orange eyes tracking Venus as she ran a distracted hand through her black and red hair. Her choice of Ami as an opponent had alienated the other candidates, leaving her alone at the edge of the circle and, consequently, the easiest target for the senshi. She carried a double-ended spear and wielded it as confidently as Makoto with her quarterstaff, though she was clearly unhappy to be standing by herself. The last three combatants stood clustered together more out of a lack of anywhere else to stand than through any genuine desire to combine their strength, and they would lose just as quickly once Venus and Neptune realized that their alliance was weak. Iemura Junko flexed her long fingers, her dark blue hair and choice of fist weapons betraying her Neptunian lineage. She watched Neptune as the sea senshi moved away from the wall, teal eyes glancing at the mirror on her opponent's belt before returning to the senshi herself. Junko recognized the threat offered by a senshi who could learn, but she had no idea how to deal with it.
Wakamatsu Megumi shifted away from her partners as she coiled a long chain around her arm, having chosen the same weapon Sailor Venus carried. Her long, tightly braided mint green hair was clearly a result of Jovian blood mixed into a Uranian lineage, but there was no explanation for her blank white eyes. The final combatant, a distant relative of Third Tahara Hiroko through her Plutonian blood, Eguchi Shiori, was as unnerved by Megumi and her fighting prowess as any who had met her, and carefully edged away from the older woman. Shiori's silver eyes flicked to Venus as she backed away from the obvious threat, raising her sword with one hand while she pushed a stray wisp of pale blonde hair away from her face. She glanced at Neptune briefly as the senshi circled behind the group, but none of the warriors paid the senshi of femininity any mind.
Venus, tired of dancing around the warriors, flicked her wrist, grinning as her chain captured Chikage and pulled her off-balance, the Uranian reacting instantly by raising her spear to release the tension holding the chain against her body, eyes widening in shock as Neptune took advantage of her distraction and slammed the hilt of her borrowed sword into the back of her head. Silently, Chikage crumpled to the ground, unconscious and officially out of the contest. The other nine women nodded in acceptance of the message Neptune offered to never turn their backs on either of the two senshi. The could see that the two women fought together as a unit, capable of communicating without the need for words or gestures, leaving the Uranians at a disadvantage.
Megumi glanced at Shiori, requesting support, smiling as the silver-eyed woman agreed to the brief alliance. They moved as a unit, Kai and Natako flanking the senshi on the other side as the warriors attacked. Neptune rolled back, avoiding all weapons as she kicked at Kai's legs, unbalancing the warrior for just a moment as Venus jumped. Kai reached for Natako's hand for support, leaving herself vulnerable while the other warriors watched Venus somersault over the group, kicking out with her legs as her hands touched the ground. Natako grunted as a heeled foot connected with her head, struggling to keep her balance as Venus's talisman moved of its own accord and wrapped around her ankle. Neptune grinned as she swung her sword at the group, forcing Natako to release Kai in order to defend herself. Venus jerked on her chain and pulled Ayumi's cousin to the ground, watching Megumi and Shiori back away as Neptune pointed one of her swords at Kai's throat. Both women dropped their weapons in surrender and the senshi stepped away, giving them time to leave the ring and join Chikage and the healers attending her.
Takako and Miki exchanged a glance, understanding each other as only sisters could, turning to Seira and Yasuko and gesturing toward the senshi and warriors standing on the other side of the circle. The four women moved, hoping to outnumber and overwhelm the two senshi, Junko joining their attack while Shiori and Megumi moved away to await the outcome. Venus and Neptune faced their foes, one twirling her swords thoughtfully while the other weighed her chain in one hand and rested her other on the hilt of her own sword. Takako moved to attack, faster by far than the three defeated opponents and much more clever than Megumi and Shiori. She aimed for Venus, Junko and Seira with her, while Miki and Yasuko faced Neptune. Unlike every other combatant, Miki carried no weapon, instead relying on her expertise in unarmed combat, and Yasuko kept her sword sheathed in deference to her partner's choice. Neptune rolled to the side, away from Venus, and sheathed her twin swords, fingers brushing over her mirror as she raised her hands in a defensive posture she had learned from Haruka.
Venus jumped away from her three enemies, swinging her chain along the floor as she moved. The three warriors jumped over the golden links, hot sparks of light bouncing harmlessly off their boots, Junko freeing a handful of tiny knives from her bracers and throwing them. Venus laughed as she easily dodged the projectiles, blinding the trio with a flash of light from her tiara, drawing her sword and throwing it at the warrior who had dared attack her with ineffectual knives. Junko grunted as the sword pierced her armor just above her hip, the senshi's aim so perfect that the Uranian did not receive even a tiny scratch. The momentum of the sword carried the warrior to the ground, pinning her in place as the sword pulsed with its senshi's power, daring Junko to rise. She raised her hands in surrender, the sword vanishing from her side and reappearing in its senshi's sheath, allowing Junko to leave the field of battle. Seira, startled by Venus's perfect shot, backed away to join Megumi and Shiori, leaving Takako to face Venus alone.
Neptune danced away from her opponents, none of their punches landing and none of their blows reaching her. She smiled at them, teasing the women who sought to defeat her, knowing that her power was greater than theirs and that they could not make a move that she would not foresee. She could tell that Miki was trying to switch to a more erratic fighting style, remembering their battle from Neptune, so she moved just a little more slowly, dodged just a little less quickly, and allowed a handful of punches to land. Miki tilted her head in confusion as she suddenly gained the upper hand, backing off at the first indication of a trap.
"She's smart," Haruka murmured, too quiet to be heard by the combatants but loud enough for her fellow senshi to follow. "She sees the trap, though I am surprised. I would never expect one of you to fall for Michiru's trick after having seen it once, but she only learned that after Neptune. Miki has never seen it."
"She does not need to know the exact nature of the trap in order to sense that one has been set," Ami replied, glancing at her computer screen as she recorded the fight. These were some of the finest young warriors Uranus could offer, and their varied fighting styles begged further study. "Neptune's speed has slowed by only five percent, but your cousin rightly determined that a senshi, even one from a pacifist world, could never be tired so quickly. Yasuko, however, seems fooled."
Yasuko's confidence grew as more of her punches landed, her overconfidence not at all surprising to the pair of senshi. Neptune caught Venus's eye for just a moment, smiling at her partner as she dropped to the ground and rolled forward, kicking up as she regained her balance. Venus dodged away from Takako at that moment, swinging her chain in a wide arc over Yasuko's head, watching as the silver-haired woman predictably ducked, gasping as the force of Neptune's unexpected kick knocked the breath from her lungs. The aqua-haired warrior laughed as she grabbed Yasuko's shoulders and pushed with her legs, lifting the taller woman from the ground and throwing her back as far as she could. Yasuko grunted as her head hit the ground, closing her eyes in defeat as a fierce headache pounded through her skull. She was out.
Venus returned her attention to Takako and drew her sword, offering a simple battle to Hikari's tall daughter. Smiling, Takako accepted the challenge, drawing her own sword and facing the Venusian princess. On the other side of the ring, swords drawn as they watched Neptune rise, fearful of her after she so easily dispatched Yasuko, the other three women watched her warily. Neptune raised her mirror and glanced into its turbulent surface, smiling as she twirled it around her finger before replacing it on her belt. She had seen their weaknesses, and these three women were no threat. From the sidelines nearby, Miki backed off to watch, knowing that her sister would not accept her assistance and that the other three did not deserve it.
Seira attacked as Neptune moved forward, her single sword slicing through the air only to be met by one of Neptune's blades. Megumi joined the fight a moment later by attacking with her chain, followed by Shiori as the three women realized at last that their only hope for victory lie in teamwork. Neptune easily blocked their strikes and dodged Megumi's spinning chain, dancing with the trio as ribbons of aqua power began to swirl around her frame. She was enjoying the fight in a way she never had before, giving every ounce of herself into the concept of war, as determined to win as her blonde counterpart. Haruka nodded as her wife finally learned the Venusian desire for victory and incorporated it into her own fighting style, joining it with the Uranian love of beauty within war that she had already learned during their time training together on Neptune. The slender woman quickly disarmed Seira and sent her away, leaving only Megumi and Shiori before her.
Venus parried another strike from Takako as the older woman began to understand that her opponent was not a typical Venusian. There was no peace in those blue orbs, no mercy or gentleness, only fire and light and victory. At that moment, when Takako realized that Venus would most certainly win, her guard wavered and she took a wrong step, leaving herself vulnerable to attack. Venus sensed her hesitation immediately, pushing her sudden advantage and forcing the Uranian into a defensive posture.
"Takako will lose," Makoto announced, emerald eyes watching the dance. "She has given up, accepted that Minako is her superior, and now she cannot hope to win."
"True. She is a fine warrior, though, with a great deal of honor and courage. Others flock to her in recognition of her leadership ability, but she is not quite right to be a full War Queen. Perhaps she could serve you as a Lesser War Queen?"
Haruka nodded at Rei's suggestion, emerald eyes focused on the contest between Neptune and two of the last three combatants. "Perhaps you are right, Pyro."
Neptune quickly tired of fighting two opponents, irritated by the friction between them. Megumi was reckless and brash, too confident and too much of a loner to ever accept assistance from another, nearly striking her partner as she attacked the senshi with her wild chain. Shiori was terrified of the white-eyed warrior, having accepted that they needed to band together but unable to truly do so with someone she could never trust. Neptune slid between them and forced them further apart in a bold move she had learned from Makoto, more interested in testing their strength separately in the hopes of seeing something amazing. As she stepped between them, Megumi manage to land a blow with the edge of her sharpened chain, the wild warrior grinning as a line of blood appeared along Neptune's side just above her hips.
Neptune stepped back slowly, looking at her wound curiously but without any measure of concern for her own well-being. Blood stained the pure white of her senshi uniform, the wound healing nearly as quickly as it had appeared. She could sense Haruka's worry in the back of her mind, but she was beyond caring about such emotions. Inside her soul, emanating from the same well of power from which she could call forth the sea, fire raged and screamed, begging to be released. Smiling, she reached for it.
"By the gods," Setsuna whispered, taking a brief second to scold herself for using the expression; "she's bloodlusting. That should not be possible."
"The rage is consuming her," Rei affirmed, amethyst eyes sparkling with wonder. "I have never seen it in a non-Martian, but Michiru has learned my race's greatest strength. When did she have time to absorb the power of a blood rage?"
"She never fought you while you were in the throes of the rage," Haruka murmured, now more curious about her wife's strange power than concerned for her small injury. "The only one who has seen your power is me, and I am not fighting beside her."
"You aren't the only one," Rei reminded the tall blonde; "Minako was there that day, on Mars, and she saw my power. She transformed into Sailor Venus while I and my mother were in the throes of it, so that power signature could certainly have imprinted on her aura, despite the fact that Sailor Venus cannot learn to copy it."
"By fighting beside Sailor Venus, opening herself to our leader's aura, Neptune has inadvertently copied the Martian Blood Rage that Minako witnessed that day," Ami murmured, furiously typing on her computer. "Setsuna, have you ever heard of such a thing in your time as Sailor Pluto?"
The dark queen shook her head, itching to summon her Time Key but knowing that it could not give her the answers she sought if she did not even know the correct question to ask. "I know that Yuuka learned some very strange things in her day, things that the person teaching her did not know though they had been exposed to it before. I am only talking about small things, like a certain flower-arranging technique known to Mariya's younger sister but not to the princess herself. Yuuka was able to master it after spending a great deal of time with Mariya while her sister was off-world, so I suppose that the power of her mirror lets Neptune copy things that others have experienced even if they cannot perform the action itself. But the Rage . . . only a Martian can summon it. She has no ancestry from your world, Rei, as far as I know, so this is something that I cannot explain. I do not like things I cannot explain."
"I enjoy a good mystery once in a while," Ami countered, glancing up at the queen; "as long as we can eventually solve it."
In the ring, Neptune's eyes had changed to black, the color that took over when a Martian entered the Rage, the color of the certain death promised by her wild, maniacal grin. She moved without warning and with a greater speed than she had yet expressed, striking out at Shiori, forcing the other woman to retreat. Venus, knowing that Hikari's daughter had surrendered and was no longer truly fighting her, disarmed and defeated Takako, turning to watch Neptune fight the silver-eyed blonde. Shock flared in her pale blue eyes as she recognized the Martian Blood Rage that had consumed her friend, a strength she had only seen once before. How could Neptune have learned that?
Miki moved to stand beside Venus, a temporary truce stalling their contest while they watched the princess of a pacifist world moving in the throes of a rage born from the descendants of the God of War. Megumi silently moved away from the blonde pair, her calculating white eyes searching the ground for something to help her win while the others were distracted. Neptune, finally tired of playing with her foe, crossed her swords in front of her chest and used them to grab Shiori's weapon, disarming the woman before kicking her legs out from under her and forcing her to the ground. Her black eyes stared at the Uranian down the length of one of her swords, the tip just barely pressing against the woman's exposed throat as the senshi fought the urge to finish her opponent off. She held her second sword behind her back, ready to swing it forward if her opponent dared to move. The rage in her mind screamed for death, but the seas urged calm, patience, and mercy. Slowly she lowered her second sword and stepped back from Shiori's prone form, fighting the bloodlust as she waited for the defeated Uranian to rise.
Miki turned to Venus and grinned, raising her hands in a challenge as she prepared to fight the leader of the Inner Senshi, ignoring Shiori lying on the floor just a few feet away and the senshi standing over the defeated warrior. Accepting the challenge and trusting that Neptune could gain control of herself, Venus sheathed her sword and wrapped her chain around her waist, silently promising to fight the wiry woman with no weapons, no powers, as Miki's stance requested. Behind them and on the other side of the ring, Megumi finally found the scattered knives that Junko had thrown at Venus earlier, reaching down for one and aiming it at Neptune's unprotected back.
Miki centered her weight and moved to attack Venus, freezing at the movement she could sense behind her. Turning toward Megumi, leaving herself open if Venus chose to attack, Miki knew at once what her fellow warrior was planning, and she knew that Neptune was still caught in the throes of the Rage and would not be prepared to defend herself. Wind rushed through the chamber as Haruka realized that same terrible truth, as she sensed the imminent danger to her wife, but she was too far away to help and her transformation would take far too long. An instant before Megumi threw the knife, Miki leapt for the aqua-haired senshi, pushing her out of the way without concern for her own safety. Venus watched, shocked, as Megumi's flying knife buried itself in Miki's right shoulder blade, knowing without the need for Neptune's mirror that it would have struck one of her fellow senshi's vital organs. Megumi's intent had been the senshi's death.
Neptune's borrowed rage dissipated in an instant, the princess falling to her knees beside Miki's prone form, her sword clattering on the marble floor. Haruka was beside them a moment later, not wasting time checking on her uninjured wife when one of her cousins had been so gravely wounded. The other senshi, Serenity, and Hikari joined them on the lowest level a moment later, Shiori and Megumi backing away as it became clear that the contest was over. Takako walked over from the sidelines, furious, and grabbed Megumi, punching the warrior hard enough to knock her out.
"Miki?"
"Princess," the wiry blonde replied warmly, gold eyes free of the pain she most certainly felt. A warrior would never show weakness, especially to her princess. "It didn't hit anything major; a few moments with the healers and I will be alright."
"Why did you do it?" Neptune's voice was soft, trembling with shock. She was lost somewhere between fury that one of the warriors would intentionally try to kill her and wonder that another would risk her life to save an outsider.
Miki turned her gaze to Michiru as the princess dropped her transformation, wincing as Ami helped her sit up so she could examine the knife. "You are the soul of our Princess, and she could never stand to see you injured. She loves her sisters, her partners, as much as she loves our world, and to see you injured would wound her greatly. I could never harm her, and so I could never harm you or see harm come to you no matter the price I must pay to protect you. Non-lethal combat is one thing, but Megumi meant to kill you. I saw into her soul on Neptune, Michiru, and I knew then that my princess would need me to protect her heart. It was said that Nao the Conqueror always spoke of her fellow senshi as beloved pieces of her own soul, and she could never consider living without them. Haruka sees you, all of you, in that wondrous light, so I did what I had to do." It was the best way she could explain her actions with Setsuna listening, knowing that the Plutonian queen could not know about Haruka and Michiru's relationship. She had saved her princess's wife, knowing that Haruka would never be able to live without the aqua-haired siren. She clenched her fist as Ami removed the knife, one of the hovering medics cutting a larger hole in the young warrior's armor to allow for easier access to the wound. "It's not the first time I have had a knife in my back."
Haruka smiled and cupped Miki's cheek in her hand, a rare show of affection from the warrior princess. "Of all the contenders, you are the only one who understood the point of the contest. I never expected any of you to defeat my sister senshi, and I certainly did not need to see your prowess as warriors. All of you have the titles to mark your skills, but I needed to see into your hearts. Some of you have proven yourselves cowards, some are too self-involved to ever be great leaders, but you, Miki, have shown me a part of your soul, a strength that my mother once saw in yours."
"You love your princess as dearly as I loved mine," Hikari supplied helpfully, smiling at her youngest daughter and the reference to Kazeko whom she had loved so much. "You have proven that you would follow her into death if she asked it of you, and you will protect those she loves without question or reservation."
"You have proven your worthiness to be named Sixth War Queen." Haruka glanced over her shoulder at Takako, gesturing for the tall brunette to release Megumi into the custody of the waiting guards, nodding for Yasuko to join the senshi, as well. Miki stared at her princess silently, shocked by Haruka's words and her sudden promotion, despite the fact that she had been fighting to win just such a recognition. "Ono Takako and Seo Yasuko, please join us for a moment." Haruka stood from her crouching position, sensing her fellow senshi stand with her, supporting whatever decision she was about to make. The young Moon Princess remained on the floor with Miki, holding the newly-promoted Sixth War Queen's hand while the healers poked at her bloody wound.
Yasuko watched her princess silently, her red-orange eyes dancing with the excitement of the recent fight as she waited for Haruka to speak. Her silver hair was messy from the fight, the unintentional style matching the eternally wild mess of the princess's blonde locks. "Yasuko, I watched you fight and listened to your choice of opponents. I saw you face my fellow senshi unarmed; knowing that Michiru has less experience with weapons than a Kazemaru of Uranus, you gave her an option to fight on as level a playing field as you can offer. You stood with Miki in that choice, and your honor shone brightly at that moment. Though you will not be Sixth War Queen, I offer you a position among the Lesser War Queens in recognition of your fight today."
Yasuko bowed, joy in her eyes as she accepted her promotion with quiet Uranian dignity. "You honor me, Princess. I will serve you to the best of my ability and I will race the winds by your side."
Haruka grinned, clapping a hand on Yasuko's shoulder in a warrior's gesture of unity as she turned to Takako. "Ono Takako, daughter of a woman who loved my mother and served her more than could ever be expected, you are a born leader and a fine warrior. You gathered these women to your side without even a word, and a leader like that would be welcome among my Council. I name you a Lesser War Queen, as well, to one of the High Seats that has been empty for some time. You will take control of all of the troop deployments among the Lesser War Queens and act as their leader in all acts of battle during this dark time, even as Taichen Laira has taken control of all acts of art to distract our hearts. Welcome to the Council, Ono Takako and Seo Yasuko."
"Uranus sure has simple ceremonies for the most important events."
Haruka shrugged as she led her fellow senshi to the dining hall, ignoring the two War Queens and three Lesser War Queens following in their wake. "Ami, my people care more about actions than speeches and elaborate ceremonies. They serve no purpose."
"Ceremonies help us focus our mind and serve as a means of communicating our power to our people," Rei countered, keeping one eye on Setsuna while they walked. The dark Queen of Pluto had not said anything since the fight ended, presumably still occupied with the mystery of Neptune's blood rage. "As chanting focuses my mind during fire readings, huge and largely unnecessary elaborate ceremonies focus our peoples' strength behind us."
"The fight itself was enough for that," Minako countered, having spoken in her birth tongue for so long that the others no longer noticed. The Uranians following them, however, did not speak Venusian, Serenity glancing over her shoulder at them as she realized it. Laira caught the princess's eye and shrugged, indicating that she and her fellow warriors did not care if they could understand the conversation or not.
"I have to go," Setsuna murmured at last, fingers flexing as she itched to have her Time Key in hand once more. "Now that you have control of your world and a Sixth War Queen, I need to return to my meditations."
"Will we see you on Neptune for Michiru's birthday?"
Setsuna's crimson eyes darkened for a moment, the goddess of time clearly sensing how important that night would be. "Yes, I will certainly be there." The group stopped in the center of the hallway as the other senshi turned to face their departing member, Serenity reaching for Setsuna's hands with a gentle smile on her face.
"I am glad you were here, Setsuna."
"Thank you, Princess," the goddess whispered, smiling as her Time Key appeared in her hand. "I will see you on Neptune."
Haruka felt herself relax as Setsuna vanished, Michiru reaching for the comfort of her wife's touch. Minako felt Rei slip an arm around her waist as Makoto ran her callused fingers through Ami's short hair. Laira glanced at Yasuko and Takako, nodding toward the open displays of affection among the senshi, Miki and her mother intently pretending to ignore it from their flanking positions on either side of Princess Serenity. "I will feel so much better once all of this is in the open, for better or worse."
Michiru pulled Haruka's hand to her chest at her wife's words, concern in her sapphire eyes. "She will understand, given time. After all, she is in the same situation."
"She's the one who made the rules that keep us apart," Rei reminded her sisters, a touch of fury swirling in the depths of her amethyst eyes. "No matter how much she becomes part of us, she will always be different because of her ancestry. We cannot be truly together until she stands as one of us, forsaking her family for her humanity."
Queen Serenity had always been a light sleeper, disturbed by the slightest noise or change in the light streaming through her window. She whimpered something unintelligible as she rolled over, scrunching her brow as her dreams bothered her, the moon mark on her forehead glowing slightly. Serenity's lavender eyes shot open as she pushed herself into a partial sitting position, long silver hair covering her body and flowing across her white blankets. "Who's there?"
"Who else?"
Serenity smiled at the soft voice, the words completely true. "Yes, who else, indeed? I did not think you would come back here so soon."
"I went to the meeting," Setsuna began, slipping free of the concealing shadows and into the moonlight streaming through the glass balcony doors, her deep red dress sparkling in the faint light. Chains of dark opals hung from her slender waist, matching the jewels in her hair and hanging from her neck and ears, the sparkling decorations far more formal than anything the dark queen would normally choose to wear. "We discussed many things, including the power and strength of this generation of senshi, power that I have never before imagined in my ten thousand years. Haruka told us that Uranus visited her and offered a glimpse of the future and a warning, both of which worry me. Then we all went to Oberon to calm the uprising resulting from the death of Sixth Yasuda Mari."
Serenity nodded. "Yes, I heard about that unfortunate event."
"Haruka chose Ono Hikari's daughter Miki to take Mari's place. It was quite a contest." Setsuna's voice was dark, confused, and Serenity knew they had finally reached the core of whatever was bothering her beloved. "It seems that Minako instinctively copied the Martian Blood Rage when she first transformed into Sailor Venus in the presence of Rei and Rikuriko so many weeks ago. Sailor Neptune, Michiru, was able to learn the rage from Venus when they were fighting together, something I did not think possible."
"Wasn't Yuuka able to learn things through other people who had experienced them? I thought I read that in the history files."
Setsuna nodded, moving to sit on the edge of Serenity's bed, Time Key conspicuously absent. "Yes, she was. Yuuka was desperate to learn, to better herself and her people, and she was able to copy things she never intended to learn. It was a surprise to me when I found out that she could do something like that, but what Michiru did was far beyond Yuuka's feats and completely unintentional. She doesn't even know how she copied the blood rage, only that she opened herself to Venus's aura and suddenly the sea in her soul changed to fire when one of the combatants injured her. I have never seen Neptune's inherent ability behave in such a way before, and after combining my powers with them I wonder how much stronger they can all become."
Serenity reached up and ran her fingers through Setsuna's dark green hair, gentle fingers lingering on her lover's dark skin. "You know, there aren't any Lunarians with your complexion. I have met some darker skinned Martians and Jovians, and Yumemi's uncle has skin the color of dark cinnamon, but your color is unique even among your own race. It's unique even among the gods."
Setsuna nodded, knowing that her lover was changing the topic on purpose. "Zeus said it was because I was born in the Underworld, a place of death where no life should be able to grow. Only Demeter or her daughter Persephone could even have conceived and given birth in a place as dark as that. As a god, I have the ability to change my appearance, but I think that the form I choose to take as a mortal is important to my destiny, even down to the color of my skin. I am a child of darkness struggling to find the light through my friendship with Tranquility and Serenity, and through my relationship with you. I hope that one day I will find it, and that one day my heritage will not burden my soul with so much despair."
"Do you regret your past?"
Setsuna nodded, twining her fingers with Serenity's, her crimson eyes having darkened almost to black. "Being a god when all of your friends are mortal and fragile is a terrible burden, my love. My first daughter became the most powerful of Senshi, being claimed as the partner of the Moonlight Crystal, and she died giving birth to Serenity's twins. It was the last time those of us you all call the Trio ever bred with mortals. After that first, terrible moment of loss, I pulled away from the other first senshi, never caring for their daughters and granddaughters until I no longer cared for any of them. I began to live alone on Pluto, in my silent castle, with only my granddaughters to keep me company. Even Tranquility and the other gods stopped visiting me, leaving only Serenity's love to keep me sane."
The queen lowered her lavender eyes to their clasped hands, having always known that Setsuna might have loved her for over two decades, but Se's only love was the goddess twin of Tranquility the Leader of the Cupids. How could she ever hope to compete with the goddess of light Se had mourned for thousands of years? "What happened to bring you back into the Silver Millennium?"
"Chiyoko, the first Sailor Sol, twin to the first Queen Serenity, died in the final, terrible battles of the Chaos Wars, and it hurt me more than the death of my own children. She was my first granddaughter and my Serenity's beloved golden child. Her sister, who had just united the planets and become Queen Serenity, cried at the loss of her twin, and that tear became the ginzuishou that you carry, the crystal that shattered your mother. I began to see the senshi again, walk among them, and I realized that they needed a wise and ancient teacher, so I arranged to have myself born as a mortal every few generations to keep them on the right path."
"Is that what you regret?"
Setsuna looked up at last, smiling at her silver-haired partner. "No. Until the meeting, I did not regret anything. I missed you, missed being with you, missed seeing her grow, but I never truly regretted any of my decisions. Then, somehow, the meeting turned to the talk of soul mates and I realized that I have become more human than any god has a right to be. I . . . I have died too many times, suffered the loss of too many close friends, and ordered the death of too many more. And I realized that I regret so many things that I was so certain of fifteen years ago and three thousand years ago and nine thousand years ago. I regret showing Nao and Yuuka what I knew about the Planet Crystals during the Sailor Wars, I regret bringing their daughters to see them at the end, and I regret leaving you. Ser, in my ten thousand years, that is what I regret most of all."
"Se . . ."
"I love you, more than I ever loved her." It had taken Setsuna years to realize that truth, and Haruka's words about her soul screaming forced her to face her own heart. In the end, she had known that Serenity was her soul mate all along, but she believed herself too pure, too divine, to be trapped by such mortal concepts. In the end, though, she was all too happy to admit to her human weakness. "I know that you think you are second to her memory, but it isn't true. I love her with my heart because I was raised with her, because we shaped the Silver Millennium together, and because she was a gentle and giving soul. I love you with my soul, in a way that a god should never be able to love a mortal, and I love you for the fire you hide beneath your gentle exterior. You were willing to risk nothing less than the very destruction of everything I built in order to stay by my side. There was a wild light in your eyes when you told me that you didn't care if everything burned as long as we could be together, and that frightened me. I had only seen it once before, in Nao's eyes the day she and Yuuka died. When I realized that . . . I think that you are the partner of my soul, Serenity, and I can't stay away from you any longer."
The queen felt tears fill her eyes as Setsuna's arms slipped around her in a protective embrace, the Plutonian silently promising to never leave again. "You will endanger our secret, my love, if you stay."
"No, I won't. The other senshi know about our relationship but they never guessed anything beyond that. It will be safe for us to be together, as long as what happened before does not happen again."
Serenity smiled as she leaned her head on Setsuna's shoulder, smiling as her lover held her close, listening to Setsuna's heart beat in the silence of her room. "Never leave me."
"Never again," Setsuna promised, knowing that she would do everything in her power to make sure she never lost her beloved soul mate, despite the darkness threatening to consume their kingdom.
Rei sighed as she faced the fire, hands clasped in her lap. "I don't understand why I need to do this. Can't Michiru's mirror show you the same thing?"
"Michiru's soul was present on Miranda the day that Nao and Yuuka died," Haruka countered, correcting Ami's stance as the Mercurian faced Takako in the training room. Miki sat with Minako and Makoto, using the computer system against the wall to explain various combat strategies perfected by the Uranian military over the years. Michiru sat next to Rei, mirror in hand, as she waited to see what the Martian's fire would show them. Laira sat with Serenity, explaining the various war and arts titles available to the Uranian nobility, and Hikari had left with Yasuko to arrange the evening meal. "If there was something that Nao did not want us to know, Yuuka could have easily instructed her talisman to keep that secret. Presumably, Reiko would not have taken such a drastic step, especially if she did not know the true and full reason for locking the planets, as Uranus suggested when I spoke to her. I need to know who was present the day Nao and Yuuka died before we depart for Miranda."
Rei nodded and closed her amethyst eyes, beginning the chant she had used on the ship above Jupiter, focusing all of her power into the crackling flames. She stared at the fire for what seemed like hours, focusing on that instant of Reiko's death she had experienced on Deimos, hoping the flames would show her what Haruka had asked her to see. From her position on the other side of the room, Minako suddenly grunted and doubled over in pain, falling to the ground as searing pain lanced through her skull. Rei's eyes shot open, glowing with a strange fiery light as she began to sing. The haunting words of The Last Betrayal filled the room, everyone turning to face the Martian as her fire faded.
"What did you see?"
Rei shot to her feet and crossed the room, pulling her soul mate into her arms as the pain faded from both of them. "I'm sorry, I pushed too hard and you caught the backlash from my fire reading."
"I'm alright," Minako gasped, resting her head on Rei's shoulder as she accepted her lover's comfort. She spoke in Standard to make sure that everyone understood her, not wishing for the Uranians to wonder about her pain later. "Answer Haruka, Rei; tell her what you saw, what I saw across our bond."
"There were five gods present that day, on the Chime Cliffs," Rei replied, glancing up at the Uranian princess who had joined them. "The fifth one brought Nao and Yuuka's daughters to Miranda so that they could see the choice she had made to protect them."
"I know that Poseidon was there, and Amphitrite's words indicate that she was present, but who were the other three?"
"Uranus was there, of course," Ami replied, "but I am as confused as Michiru concerning the identity of the other two observers."
"Artemis," Haruka whispered, remembering her goddess's words that morning in the temple. "Nao forced Uranus to court Artemis, knowing that the archer goddess would be a good match for the goddess of the winds, so I imagine that she had to be present."
"Se was the last god present." Serenity shrugged when her senshi turned to her, knowing that she was right and that no other answer could be possible. "You all know that it had to be her. The other visions we saw indicated that she initiated the sealing of the planets, so it follows that she would be present when the final senshi died at her command."
"If Setsuna was there, if she knows the choice Nao had to make, why did she not mention it at the meeting?"
"Because that choice was harder than she thought it would be, and she regrets the actions that led to the deaths of her friends and the aftereffects that have kept soul mates apart for the last three thousand years." Rei ran her fingers through Minako's hair, smiling at her partner. "The gods do not want us to be apart and they never wanted us to seal our planet crystals. If they did not want it, and if the senshi did not want it, then only Se's insistence forced the issue that day. She must regret that decision, even if it seemed necessary at the time. We must retrieve your crystal, Haruka, and see the death of the final senshi three thousand years ago, and we must do it soon."
"Tomorrow," Haruka replied, nodding slightly. "Tomorrow will be the right day. We will learn the truth of Nao's choice and I will finally know how to unlock these crystals. After that, we only to need decide if we should."
AN: Next chapter, Uranus Planet Crystal and the choice given to Nao three thousand years ago.
Reviews: Since I'm very tired and have to open in the morning, I'm going to condense the Ch25/26 reviews into one blurb. A lot of you didn't receive the chapter alert due to the ffnet issue last week, so hopefully all of you got an alert for this one. For the song: it was the only way they could reveal what was in their hearts, but you still haven't guessed why they sang it or why it was named The Last Betrayal. You'll see in the next chapter. Setsuna has begun to open up to the other senshi, to admit that despite the circumstances of her birth she is as mortal and fallible as they are. In this chapter she admits that she has a soul mate, just like the others, and she is no longer afraid to be with the woman she loves. Her conversation with Serenity is important, too, because she finally admits that she loves this mortal woman more than she ever cared for the goddess she has mourned all this time. She's finally letting Serenity go, but Tranquility and his Cupids are still desperately searching for her. This one moment will set the stage for the final scene of the fic. The senshi getting to relax and just enjoy some girl time on Jupiter was a parallel with the show itself, since they value their human time more than their senshi time once they are reborn in the future.
The search for Michiru's planet crystal touched on a lot of important points, one being that each senshi is recognized and loved by her own god but not necessarily by any others in the Pantheon. That close relationship is much more important in the Crystals of Love series, but it was worth pointing out here. The Nao/Yuuka reversal (where Nao was the musician and Yuuka her student) emphasized the change that happens each time the souls are reborn. In the past, Nao was the clear leader and Yuuka her follower, while in the present the two are fairly evenly matched, learning their powers together and experiencing the world as a unified pair. In the future, Michiru will discover her powers much earlier than Haruka, leaving her as the teacher and leader while Haruka plays the part of reluctant soldier, leaving a gulf between them that hampers the development of their relationship until the incident at the Marine Cathedral.
I always intended for Yasuda Mari to die because Miki had to ascend to the position of Sixth War Queen by showing that she was willing to protect Haruka's heart and the people she loved. She almost slips up when she is explaining her choice, but when she remembers that Setsuna does not know about Haruka and Michiru's marriage, she changes her words to indicate that she sees the senshi as Haruka's beloved sisters. In truth, she only jumped in front of that knife because Michiru is Haruka's soul mate and harming her harms Miki's princess. That's why she chose to face the senshi with no weapons, because she could not bear the thought of harming Michiru. If you've read "Crystals of Love: Blood of the Rose", you remember that the Chancellor, Ayura, is the daughter of Sixth Telura who loved Haruka and wanted to serve her in a non-violent way after the fighting briefly mentioned in that fic. Telura is Ono Miki's daughter (now you get to wonder about that for the rest of the fic, especially since you all know that the Silver Millennium is completely destroyed). The entire point of these two chapters was to create continuity between this fic and that one.