AN: Next chapter is Michiru's birthday party!

Chapter 29: Flowers and Rituals

March 1, 8983 – March 3, 8983

"NAO!"

Serenity shot awake at the cry, staring in shock as her lover fell out of bed and landed on the floor, hard, still too wrapped up in her dream to notice. The queen slipped to the floor and wrapped her arms around Setsuna's shaking form, whispering soothingly into her ear as the dark queen's shivering subsided. "Se? Are you alright?"

The Plutonian's garnet eyes slowly cleared and she nodded, resting her forehead on Serenity's shoulder. "Forgive me, my love. I was remembering Nao's death."

"You two were close?"

Setsuna nodded as she stood, pulling Serenity to her feet, as well. Realizing that they both had little chance of returning to sleep, the two women slipped into silk robes and headed for the main room of Serenity's suite. One of the servants had left a pot of tea on the warmer against the wall, and Setsuna poured each of them a cup before sitting beside her lover on the couch. "We were," she answered at last. "She was the best friend I ever had until this incarnation. Before she, Yuuka, and the rest of their partners were born, I never saw a reason to make friends with my fellow senshi. I only allowed myself to be born when I sensed that a great crisis was coming, so I simply performed my duty, gave birth to a child or two, and let myself die. But Nao would not let me just exist in my solitary fortress. When the Martian moons both began to revolt, Nao came to Pluto and forced me to join her team to quell the riots, forced me to swear fealty to her as the leader of the Outer Senshi."

"Forced you?" Serenity smiled over her cup of tea, lavender eyes sparkling in the rising steam. "I can't imagine you on your knees at Sailor Uranus's feet."

"Yet it happened. I was furious at first, being forced to obey a mortal, but the laws I set forth nine thousand years ago did make her the leader of the Outer Senshi and, in turn, the leader of all the senshi. She led us in the Mars Riots and she was magnificent. I began to respect her after we subdued Deimos, then I became her friend in the final battles for Phobos. She was attacked by hundreds of protestors as the rest of the moon fell, and one of them sliced her across the face, but Nao did not retaliate. Instead, she subdued the woman and asked for her loyalty and the obedience of her people. She showed mercy to a woman who permanently scarred her, and I was amazed that a mortal could be so kind. I began to spend time with my fellow senshi and I grew to love them over the decades that followed."

"And then?"

"They died, Ser, all of them. After the Antares Uprising, they took their own lives in order to seal the Planet Crystals and protect this solar system. They died because I told them that they had to."

Serenity stared at her partner in silence for a moment, carefully placing her cup on the table before them before speaking. "Se, I've known you for too long to believe that. You didn't order them to die." Setsuna's garnet eyes rose to meet Serenity's gentle lavender, and the silver-haired queen nodded. "I was right. I can see it in your eyes. You took the blame for someone else's choice and it hurt you."

"She was my first friend," Setsuna whispered. "Because of her I began to interact with the other senshi more and more. I met you because she taught me to be human. I cried at her death, the first time I have ever cried for the loss of a mortal. When my own daughter Chiyoko died, I never really shed a tear, but I loved Nao like the sister I never had. She has been reincarnated, Ser, as our errant Princess Haruka, but I see no recognition in her eyes and that hurts me. I want her to remember me, remember the great times we had, but I never want her to remember the terrible end of the Antares Uprising or the choice she had to make."

"Nao made it? She chose to seal the crystals? Se, why?"

Setsuna turned away, running her fingers through her sleep-mussed hair. "I don't know if I can tell you. I'm not sure you would understand without knowing what happened back then. But the choice she made at the end was a terrible one and I could not let her people misunderstand that. She was a great queen and the finest hero of the Antares Uprising, and they called her Nao the Conqueror. Haruka will be just as great, just as magnificent a queen, but I regret that she can never be as strong as my lost friend."

Serenity grew silent for a moment, staring into her tea. "Were you there when she died? The circumstances surrounding the deaths of Nao, Yuuka, and the other queens of their time have always been so mysterious, but it is said that they died of a broken heart after the Antares Uprising. The historical records show that Nao lost a son there."

"On Uranus, Mars, and Jupiter it is said that they all sustained terrible wounds and they went away to die as warriors. Mercury claims that the Planet Crystals were not meant to be used so intensely for so many years and their power was simply drained away, causing both the death of the carriers and the loss of the crystals themselves. Venus originated the broken heart theory, which the Moon gladly accepted, and the people of Saturn claim that the gods came to take their children to Olympus after their heroics in the war."

"That's an odd reaction to the loss of the six queens."

Setsuna chuckled, running her fingers through her hair in a very human contemplative gesture she had picked up over the centuries. "There is no patron god of Saturn, and that makes them worship us all the more. They have always been a strange and secretive people, though they are warriors of darkness almost comparable to the finest Kazemaru Uranians. On Neptune and Pluto, on the worlds that stand guard against threats from outside of our solar system, the people claimed that the blood stain of so many pointless deaths in the struggle against the Star Senshi weighed heavily on their souls and they let themselves die to atone for so many lost lives. That's probably the closest to the truth that any mortal will understand."

"Star Senshi? I have heard legends of them, but there has not been a sighting of one in thousands of years. If my history is correct, most of the last of them were lost in the Antares Uprising."

"Correct. Nao killed the last of the dark Star Senshi in the final battle, and the handful that we managed to capture alive had their star crystals removed by Sailor Galaxia and her surviving Council. They all took their own lives after that, unable to live without the power that had defined them their entire lives."

Serenity tilted her head in curiosity, lavender eyes narrowed. "Sailor Galaxia? I have heard that name, but I thought it was impossible. It is said that she was the Star Senshi of Alderamin and that her twin sister was the last Sailor Sol. It is also said that her mother was Queen Serenity, but none of that can be true."

Setsuna grinned and shook her head in disbelief. "And how did you hear about that? I know that the records of the Shadow Wars have been well-sealed and nothing of Galaxia should have survived."

"You and I will have a conversation about the security of your computer systems one day, my love, but I doubt that what I read was inaccurate. How, then, could all of that be possible? I know that the ginzuishou prevents any descendant of Serenity from giving birth to more than one child, her daughter and heir. How could Galaxia and another Star Senshi have been the children of Serenity and my line have survived?"

"It's hard to explain, but I suppose that I owe you something." Setsuna twisted her wrist and her Planet Crystal appeared in her palm, the dark red and black stone glowing softly in the dim light. "These Planet Crystals are intimately bound to the ginzuishou. Even when they slumber, as six of the Planet Crystals have been doing for thousands of years, they still power your crystal. When they are strong, your crystal is equally strong, but their weakness makes you weak. In the past, there was no restriction on how many children the daughters of Serenity could birth, and there were times that the queen had a dozen children filling this palace. Hanami, whom you know as Sailor Galaxia, and her twin sister Kiria, the last Sailor Sol this system has known, had two older sisters, one the heir Serenity, before their father died. The Queen Serenity who ruled during the Antares Uprising had two daughters after the heir, Serenity, was born. But that Serenity and all of her descendants have only had one daughter each."

"Is the ginzuishou too weak to produce multiple children now?"

"Something very much like that. It's the closest explanation that I can give you. It's also the reason . . . it's also the reason that the ginzuishou shatters its carriers."

Serenity shot up from her couch, tears in her eyes as she remembered her own mother's death at the hands of the ginzuishou. "The loss of the Planet Crystals is what caused my ancestors to be shattered? Se . . . the effects of the shattering have been getting more and more brutal over the centuries. Does that mean that the planetary senshi are getting even weaker? Does that mean that soon the ginzuishou won't have enough power to create even one child per generation?"

"No, just the opposite," Setsuna argued, moving to embrace the smaller woman. "The symptoms of the instability inside the ginzuishou are becoming worse because the senshi are growing stronger. Soon, they will be strong enough to support the ginzuishou as they did in the past even without the assistance of the fully powered Planet Crystals."

"How can you know that for certain, Se?" Serenity rested her head on Setsuna's shoulder, struggling to the control her tears.

"Because your lineage has begun to have multiple pregnancies again after three thousand years," Setsuna replied, running her fingers gently through Serenity's hair in an effort to calm the queen. "Your mother had a pregnancy before you, but was unable to carry it to term. It was not, as people suspected, evidence of your lineage's decline, but rather of its growing power. You only have one child, but that is by design more than anything else. Your daughter might be capable of giving birth more than once. The senshi are growing very strong, my love. You will never be shattered by the ginzuishou."

"How can you know that for sure? You've said it before, and you are always so certain, but my fear keeps me from believing you."

"I can't tell you how I know since I barely understand it myself, but I can promise that you, my beloved, will never be shattered by the ginzuishou. It was true the day your mother died and it is still true now."

"Oh, Se, I hope so."

Setsuna pushed Serenity away and gazed into the pale eyes she loved so much. "Now you can tell me how you gained access to highly encrypted and protected files on the birth of Sailor Alderamin and Sailor Sol."

Haruka had not moved from the covered balcony for hours. She sat on a bench carved from the bones of an immense predator from the deep deserts of Umbriel, sometimes running her long fingers across the smooth pearlescent white surface, but her gaze never wavered from the city spread beneath her palace. The other senshi had sat with her at first on some of the other benches clustered on her balcony, but one-by-one they filtered back into the spacious meeting room and left her alone. Michiru, however, stayed seated beside her wife, hoping that her presence could help the Uranian sort out her conflicted emotions. As the sun began to set over the arid world, it seemed that her efforts were finally noticed.

"You should go eat."

"I won't leave you."

Haruka finally looked away from the city, smiling at the Neptunian. "I know. Thank you. I needed some time to sort out what I saw."

"I only experienced a fraction of Nao's emotions but I did feel what Yuuka sensed from their link. She mourned the loss of their son, but obviously not to the extent that Nao did. Her choice . . . was it driven exclusively by the death of Tsukihiko?"

Haruka shook her head, running her fingers through her feathery blonde hair. She pulled at the strands above her neck, chuckling as she realized what she was searching for. "My braid is missing, Michi. It did make me feel powerful, but I don't think I would want one again. Anyway, the choice wasn't about Tsukihiko. She loved her son, but it was the loss of her fellow Star Senshi that brought the truth to her. She and her fellow Planet Senshi were not strong enough to defeat the threat in Antares and she worried that the wars could come here and destroy everything she loved. The Antares system lost an entire planet during the Sailor Wars, and Nao feared the loss of one of our worlds if the Silver Millennium was ever the target of rogue Star Senshi."

Michiru took Haruka's hand in hers, teal eyes worried in the dimming light. "And at the end, Haruka? What did she feel at the end?"

"Betrayal," Haruka whispered, closing her emerald eyes. "She projected that feeling into her daughters as she sang, and her soul screamed with the despair of her pain in her final moments. She was betrayed, not by her people or her fellow senshi, but by her own crippling weakness. Nao, the Queen of Uranus, realized that she was too weak to fight the wars of the senshi, and she could not live with the betrayal of her own soul. She could not save her friends, her wife, or even her son from that weakness." Haruka stood from the bench, storming across the balcony as she glared out across the city and the people moving between the buildings with no knowledge of her internal turmoil and the pain she had seen in her past life. "But I am not her! I may now carry a small portion of her memories, and my soul shared her life, but I am not Nao! I am not afraid and I will not betray myself or my sister senshi to the coming darkness. We will reform the crystals because we deserve to have the full power of our ancestors. We will be strong enough to defeat the evil threatening the Silver Millennium."

"And do you know how?"

Haruka nodded, sensing the other princesses return to the balcony and gather behind her. "Yes. I've known how since I saw them sealed, but I needed to connect with Nao's soul to understand the mechanism she used to project directly to Uranus when she wanted to punish her goddess. There was a moment of it in the flashbacks we saw."

"Why do you need to know that?"

Haruka turned to Makoto, smiling at her question, her answer echoing something Minako had said when they were discussing the planet crystals on Larissa. "Because the gods sealed the Planet Crystals, and only the gods can unseal them. And now I know how to force them to do just that."

-hr-

It was a quiet day in the underworld. To be truthful, it was always a quiet day in the lowest of the three divine realms, but with all of his servants and attendants elsewhere, Hades felt that his home was quieter than usual. Persephone was visiting her mother on Olympus proper and Cerberus had a stomachache so she had taken him with her to see if Demeter could cure the giant three-headed dog. Charon had been busier than usual ferrying his souls, mostly from Earth, and they were colored with a strange dark taint that Hades had been struggling to identify. Staring out across the vast expanse of caves and underground rivers than defined his realm, Hades realized how much he missed his beloved daughter.

"Thinking of me again, Father?"

The God of Death had a reputation for being dark and gloomy, but that perception could not be further from the truth. Hades stood from his throne as Setsuna appeared before him, wearing one of the brightest gowns he had ever seen on his dark child, a velvet dress patterned in forest green and vibrant blue. "Se," he whispered, wrapping his strong arms around the slender godling. "How did you get here? You've told me time and again that you can't travel to Olympus as a mortal, and I know that you have not died recently to become a god again and return to us."

Setsuna nodded as she backed away, running her fingers through her dark green hair. "I had Aphrodite bring me. She and Ares are keeping Charon company for the moment because I needed to ask you a few questions. There's some darkness on the souls that he is brining here that could be related to the time knot I showed all of you days ago."

"Is that all you came for?"

Setsuna chuckled as she led her father away from his throne that overlooked the entire Underworld and headed deeper into his castle toward his records room. "No, Father, I have missed you greatly. The more time I spend among the humans, the more I miss my family, but when I am here I cannot stop worrying about the mortals."

"That is the curse of godhood, my child, one that your uncles and I recognized long ago. We love the mortals and despair when they die. I, more than anyone, feel that pain. It must be worse for you, living among them."

"It is," Setsuna whispered, stopping just inside the record room. "That's why I need your help, Father. I had a dream last night about Nao."

"Nao? Wasn't that the name of the last woman to carry Uranus's daughter's soul?"

Setsuna nodded as Hades moved to one of the panels, pulling up information on the souls that had passed through the Underworld in the past ten thousand years. "She was my first true human friend."

Hades glanced up at the pain in his daughter's voice, red eyes clouded. "I remember how you cried at her death. We mourned with you and with the planetary gods who lost their beloved senshi."

"Has she been reborn since?"

Hades scanned through his records, symbols that only the gods could read scrolling across his screen. "It seems that this is her first reincarnation since she was Nao."

"Why? Souls usually cycle faster than that."

Hades tapped something into his computer, watching as more names appeared next to the one that represented the soul that Nao and Haruka carried. "This entire generation of senshi has waited thirty centuries to be reborn. I had nothing to do with it; the souls were simply not ready until now."

"Is that usual?"

"No. Hmm, it seems that the interval between rebirth for this entire group of souls has been incredibly erratic, but seemingly linked to severe galactic events, and they are always reborn together. The souls themselves are growing more powerful over time, clearly trying to reach some final evolution." Hades tapped a few more commands into his console, tilting his head at the results. "Yes, I thought so. This is unusual behavior for mortal souls. They are exhibiting an awareness that I haven't seen in ten thousand years, though Uranus did tell me that this evolution was possible. She must have done something to her daughter's soul to encourage this growth toward a greater goal."

Setsuna stared at the screen, crimson eyes narrowed. "Haruka said that she is Uranus's ultimate senshi, but I haven't been able to find the goddess to ask her what that means. I don't know if that means her soul is the soul of the ultimate senshi or that Haruka herself is going to be the most powerful senshi of Uranus."

Hades turned to his daughter and tilted his head, trying to decide how to explain such an important concept to his daughter. "There are two types of avatars, my child, as you well know. The first type includes all of the normal senshi who are physical descendants of the patron gods of each world. The other type includes you and the prophesized most powerful of senshi, souls that are born into mortal bodies with full knowledge of their entire existence. I believe that you explained the second type of avatar as a god born into a mortal body with full knowledge of her true self."

Setsuna summoned her Time Key and released the Garnet Orb from its setting, holding it gently between her hands. "How can any mortal become a True Avatar? They would have to be gods."

"No, they would have to gain the knowledge of true rebirth. The ultimate senshi will know their previous lives, they will be able to see the incarnations of their souls, and through that knowledge they will reach their full potential."

"Father, I don't understand." Very few gods had any knowledge of souls and rebirth, though Setsuna knew more than most of her family. Hades, however, as the god of death and rebirth, had an innate knowledge of the power and movement of souls that was almost incomprehensible to the other gods and certainly beyond the ability of any mortal to understand.

"It's a secret known only to a handful of gods, including myself and Uranus. The mortal queens think that they are breeding the ultimate senshi through many generations of daughters, but they don't realize that the normal senshi are not growing stronger fast enough to achieve the goal of creating the ultimate senshi. At the normal rate of mortal evolution, it could take fifty thousand more years to reach the ultimate senshi.

"When you encouraged her to rejoin the gods, Uranus quickly realized that the mortals could never breed the ultimate senshi, so she found a better way. She decided to give birth to a daughter, a powerful demi-god soul born into a fully mortal body who would live and die as a mortal through multiple incarnations until the day that the soul 'awoke' as a godling and gained full access to the powers of her mother. The other gods followed suit, of course, recognizing her wisdom in such matters, but they never understood the true reasons behind her choice. The evolution of that group of empowered souls is the only true indicator of the power of the senshi lines, and they are only reborn when they are truly needed and can achieve the greatest growth. According to my soul records, they have each lived only a half-dozen lives, yet they are nearing the peak of their evolution. Haruka carries the soul of Uranus's daughter, just as the princess of Neptune carries the soul of Poseidon's daughter, and so on. I'm sure the other gods have not realized it yet, but they will recognize their children soon enough."

"Does that mean that they will defeat this darkness? Does that mean that they won't die again?" There was a desperation in Setsuna's voice that Hades had not expected, an attachment to the mortal senshi that was uncommon among the gods.

"It means that if they die, they will be reborn as the same people and they will possess the full memories of this life. If that happens, they could conceivably be strong enough to eventually unlock the power of their heritage."

"How can they be reborn as the same people? Passage through the underworld and time spent in the Elysian Fields erases memories and prepares the soul for a new life."

"Sometimes souls do not pass through Elysian. Sometimes they move forward to their new lives without my interference. If these souls are to become the ultimate senshi, they must first be reborn without passing through the underworld." Hades had ruled death for as long as the gods controlled the Earth and its sister planets, and his greatest annoyance was that some things were beyond his reach, out of the realm of his powers. Setsuna knew that, and she could tell that her father did not actually approve of these senshi souls that might one day escape his grasp.

"You do not approve of these super-powered senshi souls." Hades had always had a very close relationship with his daughter, to the point where the godling could almost read her father's mind.

"You know that I don't. There should be nothing in the underworld that is out of my control, yet these souls ignore the rules that have held sway here for millennia. Uranus told me to ignore them, to let them evolve at their own pace, and she told me not to worry when they manage to facilitate their own rebirth."

"How can they do that?"

Hades chuckled, leading his daughter out of the records room. "I have asked Uranus that many times, but she just said that it will happen in its own time and its own way. I feel like she is trying to create these super-powered souls for some other reason than having the strongest senshi of all time, but I have never been able to determine her true motives. I also do not know what will force these souls to evolve, and I have to admit that I have no idea how something like that could even occur. If it is meant to happen, I suppose that Balance will arrange it."

"That's what I'm most worried about," Setsuna murmured, staring into her orb as Ares and Aphrodite joined the two dark gods inside the palace. "If Balance is to be a part of the evolution of the senshi, there is as much chance that she will force the change through Chaos as through Order. And the Chaos part frightens me."

Shousha stalked through the huge gathering hall with her hands linked firmly behind her back, dark green dress whispering across the fine sapphire blue, aqua, and silver-white marble as she moved. The hundreds of servants swarming through the hall and across the ceiling were all outfitted with anti-gravity harnesses to allow for the most efficient and silent movement possible, so her heels were the only sound echoing against the floor. She had always believed that servants should be as invisible and silent as possible to avoid disturbing her or her daughter. Shousha passed clusters of servants cleaning and polishing windows, shining floors and walls, and hanging decorations, nodding her head as she decided that their efforts were adequate. The castle on Triton was considered one of the most opulent in the system, and Shousha had decided to take the beauty of her palace to its highest levels yet for the visiting royals. She would impress them in a way that they could never expect.

"Majesty, the Head Chef has submitted five different course options for the party."

Shousha glanced up at the two servants floating before her, one holding a data pad and the other carrying an armful of brightly colored cloth. "Tell me."

"Option one includes dishes composed of only plant materials, suitable for members of the Mercurian delegation. Option two includes fruits, vegetables, and fish that would be suitable for Venusians and Neptunians. The fish chosen include the rainbow sailfish from Venus, the red-bellied snapper fish from Nereid, and the cave glowfish from Titan. Option three includes fruit, nuts, vegetables, fish, and avian meat suitable for Plutonians and Lunarians, and he has suggested a honey berry desert that is popular on the Moon right now. Option four includes fruit, vegetables, fish, and meat from the yisrit deer of Io and the mizrash bovine of Umbriel, a course that has been declared suitable for Jovians and Saturnians. The fifth option includes desert plants and cactus fruits from Uranus and Mars and the meat from a variety of reptiles native to both worlds. The desert in the fifth course include exotic cheeses made from the milk of Uranian and Neptunian bovines and a sweet desert made from cactus flowers that are native to Mars. This meal option is only suitable for Martians and Uranians, of course, since some of the plants offered here are poisonous to inhabitants of the other worlds."

Shousha smoothed her dress as she considered the options offered to her. "Mercurians are strict vegetarians, so the first option must be available for them. Venusians and our own people will not touch any meat except fish, while Plutonians and Lunarians will not eat any animal that lives on the land, only birds and fish. The people of Jupiter and Saturn have an odd connection with the birds of their worlds and will only eat fish and the meat from land animals, while Martians and Uranians only eat reptiles and plants that are often deadly to other races. They consider any other meat to be unfit for warriors." She took the data pad from her hovering servant and considered the extensive list, sighing in resignation. "We have never hosted such a varied delegation. Tell the chef that a huge buffet table will be arranged below the main windows facing Neptune, and all of these foods will be available for the guests to choose from, and they must be well-labeled to avoid any issues. Remember to keep the various meats separated so that no one's beliefs are compromised and have the fruits, vegetables, and deserts arranged in the most pleasing method possible. Assign my seven finest design specialists to his team."

"Yes, Your Majesty. Also, the seamstress has sent a sample of cloth and asked if you would choose something suitable for yourself and the princess to wear." The second servant moved forward, her feet hanging just above the marble floor as she presented the pile of colorful cloth samples to the queen.

Shousha rifled through the materials, selecting a few of her favorite colors for her own dress and multiple complementary colors for Michiru's dress. "Have the seamstress tailor a suit for Rukaze that will match Michiru's dress and, of course, I expect a liberal application of precious stones and jewelry for all of us. If I recall, my daughter had a few suits made for her new husband while he was visiting here, so I would guess that her personal seamstress still has his measurements. Also, send my personal guard to the royal treasury to retrieve my ceremonial crown and the most ornate princess crown that Michiru has used in social situations thus far. Find something suitable for our new prince to wear, as well."

The two servants bowed, somehow managing that feat while floating in mid-air, and flew away to carry out her orders. Shousha continued her tour around the room, nodding as she observed the preparations, glad that her daughter would be home in a few days.

"Is this really necessary?"

Laira shrugged, green eyes revealing very little emotion as she helped the princess into a sleeveless floor-length golden dress and adjusted the chains of emeralds around Haruka's waist. "It is required. You have been summoned by the War Queen Council and they expect your report on your recent mission to Miranda."

Haruka growled something rude in Low Umbrian as she tried to pull the dress higher to cover her cleavage, more irritated that she was being required to wear a dress than in the summons itself. The garment actually fit quite well, hugging her small breasts without constricting them as she would have preferred, the chains of gemstones enhancing her slender waist while the length of the dress emphasized her considerable height. Makoto was similarly irritated with Miki as the new War Queen helped her into a simple short dress, the dark green material showing off the warrior's sun-tanned legs while the short sleeves left her arms free and unencumbered. Rei had chosen an off-the-shoulder dark purple gown with voluminous skirts that she had never considered wearing before, but she enjoyed the way it swirled around her legs as she moved. Minako had chosen a short dress colored in pale pink and shimmering gold, perfectly happy to dress up for a meeting with the War Queens and put on extravagant amounts of fine jewelry. Ami had chosen a much simpler dress than the other princesses wore, a moderately plain material in sky blue with only a bracelet and her keystone necklace as adornment.

"Haruka, if you keep pulling at the dress, it will never sit right."

"Serenity, I would much prefer to wear a suit for something so formal."

The young princess, having chosen a flowing gown of silver and pink, chuckled at the discomfort in Haruka's words and stance. "Perhaps the War Queens wish to keep you off-balance. Once in a while, I'm sure they would like to have the upper hand."

"It's simpler than that," Miki replied. "The custom is for women of rank to always appear before the Council displaying their saliis because, for the most part, we spend more effort developing our sajink."

"It is nice to know that your world has some rules," Michiru teased from the doorway linking the main room and the sleeping chambers, a light aqua dress swirling around her slender form. The dress emphasized her breasts and slender waist, fine jewels woven into her hair and wrapped around her neck, arms, and waist. "If you refuse to wear the dress, my love, I'm afraid you won't be allowed to attend the meeting on my arm."

Haruka crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring the effect that such a move had on her breasts. "You would blackmail me?"

Michiru stepped closer and wrapped her arms around Haruka's waist, teal eyes shining in the light provided by the sun beaming down outside. Miki and Laira had procured golden chains studded with tiny colored stones for each princess to wear in their hair in place of a tiara, the gemstones matching their senshi colors and marking them as royalty. Haruka found it extravagant and pointless, but she wore it anyway. "I don't have to. You'll do what I want without coercion."

Haruka snorted, but Michiru could sense her wife's acceptance. "Fine, let's get this over with. Miki and Laira, lead the way."

Brilliant light filled the Council Chamber, both from the bright sunlight filtered through colorful silks covering the windows and from the artificial lights hanging from the high ceiling overhead. Nine of the ten War Queens sat patiently on their high dais, dozens of Lesser War Queens filling the lower table as noble women, their ranked husbands, and even a few highly ranked children filled the floor. Ado, her straight hair hanging down her back in a very relaxed style, watched the barely-controlled chaos below her with contemplative gold-flecked eyes, her fellow War Queens as silent as their leader. Hikari hummed something to herself as she read through a number of reports, nudging Yuri and showing her one of the pads. The Fifth War Queen chuckled and tapped a command into her own console, sending a message to her private estate.

Since the ceremony couldn't actually begin until the princesses arrived, Sanae gave into her curiosity and leaned forward, staring down the table at her friend. "What are you reading, Hikari, that has you so amused?"

"I was just reading the invitation to Princess Michiru's birthday again. Since Haruka is masquerading as one of my sons, I and my entire family have been invited to attend, though I think only a few of my children are even available. However, considering the word for family in High Mirandan is jolisiiar, which refers not only to physical relations but to those who share a war honor-bond, I informed the palace on Triton that I will be bringing all of my fellow War Queens and a select number of their children as well as three or four Lesser War Queens to whom I owe debts of honor. Queen Shousha's response was quite shocked, to say the least."

"But she has allowed it?"

"She had no choice," Yuri chuckled, her light voice amused. "Hikari knew that, out of sheer diplomatic courtesy, her request could never be denied. Since the princess has ordered all of us to be in attendance, Hikari's message solved the problem of us not technically being invited."

"I can't wait to see the look on Shousha's face when ten of our Klihjhau-class war ships appear in orbit over her pretty little planet," Keiko mused, unnerving golden eyes staring into space as she contemplated the spectacular sight. "Odd that, of all the nobles and royals Shousha invited, Haruka herself was specifically left out."

"Even more odd," Hikari added, "is that Shousha never deduced my lack of a son named Rukaze. How hard could it have been to discover her ruse?"

"Hikari, any commoner can name every daughter of every War Queen, and they know our lineages by the time they leave primary school. However, I would say that no one outside of the War Queen Council itself could ever name all of our sons, especially your excessive brood, my dear Hikari."

"Shousha may be duped," Hiroko murmured from the end of the table, "but the queen of my grandmother's world is no fool. Setsuna will see through the ruse quickly."

"Perhaps not quickly enough," Hikari replied. "I am told that she has been preoccupied with our imminent destruction as of late."

A commotion at the entrance to the chamber caught the War Queens' attention, ending their conversation and effectively silencing the rest of the room. Koshu, his dark blonde hair tied at the base of his neck in a style currently popular among men of rank, stepped into the room, green hazel eyes rising to meet Ado's gold-flecked green ones. "As the Consort of the late Queen Kazeko and father of Princess Haruka, I believe that I have the right to be present at all High Ceremonies?"

Ado smiled, the first non-confrontational display she had ever shared with the man. "As Kazeko's Consort, you do have that right. I believe this is the first time you have entered the Council Chamber by choice, Koshu."

Koshu grinned, his smile a bit lopsided and somehow a little endearing. Ado realized with a start that the man who had fought her for twenty years had the ability to be kind, gentle, and charming, something that must have attracted Kazeko decades earlier. The First War Queen found it strange that she could only see his appeal now, after he had been deposed, but perhaps the demands of government had weighed heavily on his broad shoulders. He was, after all, only a man.

The doors opened again to admit Sixth War Queen Ono Miki, who had still not chosen her new family name, dressed in fine cerulean blue silk gown covered in a scattering of embroidered silver leaves and sparkling aquamarines. Her shoulder-length hair was held back by a delicate net of silver and diamonds, the finery suitable for the formal occasion. "Welcome to the Council," Ado called, watching as the newly-promoted War Queen took her rightful place at the highest table.

"I still can't believe that this is my seat," Miki murmured, running her sun-tanned fingers over the smooth pinkish wood of the council table. After her years on Neptune, the finery of the Uranian court was almost primitive, but she preferred the simple wealth of her home world to the extravagance of foreign ones. "The princesses are finally ready."

"It took you long enough to get them looking presentable," Hikari chided, smiling at her youngest daughter. "Were you having trouble getting Haruka into a dress?"

"No, but we did have trouble finding one that would fit. I had to borrow one of yours."

The Fourth War Queen shrugged as the main doors opened again. "Yes, that was what I had to do, as well. Haruka refuses to keep a collection of her own dresses at hand, but I have instructed some of the royal seamstresses to see to a wardrobe for her."

The War Queens straightened as Lesser War Queen Taichen Laira entered the chamber, all voices silencing at her arrival. She bowed to the council, hands folded before her dark red dress with the palms facing outward in a sign of deference and respect. "Allow me to introduce Her Highness Princess Haruka of Uranus and her companion princesses from Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune. I am also pleased to announce that Her Supreme Royal Highness Princess Serenity of the Silver Millennium is also here with us today." Laira took her seat at the head of the Lesser War Queen table beside Takako, turning to watch the princesses enter the cavernous chamber.

Haruka entered first, the princess clearly both uncomfortable in the dress and irritated that she had been summoned before the full council. The golden dress sparkled in the light of the chamber, a color that Hikari wore often enough, emeralds accenting her waist and neck, a golden chain tiara restraining her unruly hair. The gathered Uranians bowed as she entered, offering homage to their beloved princess, and that seemed to ease her irritation somewhat. Haruka's eyes met her father's for a moment, but she declined to offer any other sign that she noticed his presence. It would be a while before father and daughter could see eye-to-eye once more. One step behind her, Michiru entered the chamber as a princess should, smiling and emanating an aura of nobility and peaceful calm. She was as comfortable in the layered aqua dress as in her senshi uniform, and as the princess of a world concerned with artful beauty she was practiced in the art of making an entrance.

Rei and Minako followed their fellow senshi into the room, Rei's rich purple dress just a few shades lighter than her vibrant eyes. She had woven chains of gold into her wild red hair in addition to the borrowed tiara, her keystone the only other jewelry she allowed herself, knowing that the Venusian on her arm would shine brightly enough for the both of them. Minako's gold and pink dress was far shorter than she would normally wear, but the silk was covered in filigree patterns decorated by multi-colored topazes and was clearly far more elegant a dress than she had worn since leaving Venus. Her pale pink heels were designed to match the shoes from her senshi uniform, a fine swirl of pale pink diamonds decorating the sides to make them look even more elegant. Unlike her partner, Minako had chosen a plethora of jewelry with which to enhance her beautiful dress, including a golden band hugging her upper right arm, delicate golden jeweled chains on each wrist and one ankle, and a pink choker with the symbol of her planet sitting proudly in the hollow of her throat. She had pulled the top portion of her hair back in her favorite style, a jeweled pink bow holding the silky mass while tiny golden gems sparkled in the restrained strands. She had dressed the part of the High Princess of Venus, and Rei wondered how she would be able to top the look for Michiru's birthday party.

Makoto and Ami wore much simpler attire, a clear contrast to the vibrant extravagance of their Martian and Venusian counterparts. Though Mars and Jupiter were both planets of war, the Jovians had little need for extravagant ceremonies and colorful dresses, the people of the forest quite content with a simpler look. Mercurians, though they were as peaceful and contemplative as the Venusians and Neptunians, did not have the same love of art and beauty as their sister planets, so Ami's dress was far simpler than her friends'. Makoto's dark green dress was short but still loose and feminine, the warrior wearing only her keystone around her neck and the simple golden chain tiara in her loose green hair. Ami's short sky-blue dress, though elegant compared to her usual attire, was still the simplest dress among the senshi, the minimalist style very popular among her people.

The six senshi split into two groups as Ami and Makoto entered, three senshi on one side of the door and three on the other. The princesses bowed their heads as Serenity entered, the teen wearing soft pink and bright silver, the colors a far cry from the white and gold she normally wore in the Lunarian Royal Court. Her pale blonde hair almost reached the floor, restrained by an intricate web of braids in a pattern known on Uranus as Miranda's Lace, pink pearls marking every intersection. She wore strings of pink and silvery white pearls around her neck, waist, and wrists, a small tiara from the Uranian Royal Treasury on her head. Serenity smiled as all of the gathered Uranians bowed, gesturing for them to rise as she followed her senshi to stand before the War Queens' Table.

The ten War Queens stood as the princesses reached the table, Ado gesturing toward a servant standing near the door. The First War Queen glanced toward the Fourth and indicated that she should take the servant's bundle and begin the ceremony. Hikari took the small leather pack from the servant and placed it on the pale pink table before her, golden eyes rising to meet Haruka's curious green ones. "I'm sure you have all been wondering why you were summoned before the Council."

Haruka shrugged, an irreverent half-smirk on her face. "The thought had crossed my mind, cousin. Please, do tell me why you called us here. Miki, Laira, and Takako were scheduled to fight with my sister senshi all day today."

"Those fights will proceed as you intended," Hikari assured her princess. "A few of my other children will join Miki and Takako, as a matter of fact. However, I believe that you journeyed to Miranda yesterday and did not give a report to the War Queen Council."

"I had a lot to think about after all we saw."

"Well, we would love to hear your report now."

Haruka turned to Michiru, eyes a cloudy pale blue. They want to know about the Chime Cliffs, beloved.

Why don't you want to tell them?

We did nothing worth recognition, Michi. I just feel . . . tired when I think about it.

"Does your wife request your silence, Princess?"

Haruka looked up at Ayumi, smiling kindly at the Ninth War Queen. "My wife shares my heart, but she does not yet understand my reluctance to talk about Miranda. I went there to perform the Kaniihk'cha ritual and I learned more about my past than I wanted to see. I spent last night considering what I saw."

"Your soul ended on Miranda? Princess, very few powerful warriors have ever died on that desert moon." The slight emphasis on the word powerful indicated that the War Queens knew that none of the failed Chime Cliff mountaineers could possibly have been the carrier of Haruka's soul. Hikari glanced at her fellow War Queens, sensing that Ado, Sanae, Miki, and Hiroko understood the relevance of Haruka having found her soul on Miranda, though the other women were confused. Hikari reached out and opened the small bundle on the table before her, revealing seven tiny feathery flowers, each one a different pair of colors. "The flowers of the Jakti Lumas are distinct among all of the plants of the Silver Millennium, and they only grow in one place."

"The top of the Chime Cliffs," Haruka confirmed, pointing at the navy and gold flower that she had picked. "My soul died there, along with the soul of my wife."

Sanae leaned forward in shock, her green eyes wide. "You carry the soul of Nao the Conqueror," she whispered, awe coloring her tones.

"The Kaniihk'cha ritual revealed that I carry her soul, yes," Haruka replied, holding her hand up for silence as the murmurs in the lower part of the room threatened to erupt into a cacophony of cheers and questions at her revelation. "I carry her soul, but I am not her. I am Haruka, daughter of Kazeko and Koshu, and I will lead my own life regardless of the identity of the previous carrier of my soul." She had spoken in High Mirandan as the noise in the room silenced, making it clear to her people that she would not be seen as or judged as Nao.

Sanae glanced at Ado and tilted her head, clearly asking her superior a question. Ado nodded, and Sanae turned back to Haruka and the gathered princesses. "The Kaniihk'cha ritual is meant to reveal the deepest fears in a warrior's soul and help her come to terms with them so that she can reach her full potential in each lifetime. Most women never learn the true name of the previous carrier of her soul and only receive vague images to indicate what kind of person they were. Despite that, everyone who completes the ritual successfully learns a truth about themselves. What did you learn, Princess Haruka?"

Haruka straightened, the faintest golden light surrounding her lean form. "I learned that I am not afraid of the darkness and that I am strong. No matter what happens, I will spend the rest of my life striving to become the most powerful senshi of Uranus."

Ado smiled and waved her hand at the flowers in front of Hikari. "Then I think we can get to the true purpose of this meeting. Princess, you and your fellow princesses climbed the Chime Cliffs and have joined an elite group of warriors who followed the Dark One's momentous path to recover our beloved goddess from her solitude. As such, you will all be awarded a title that represents the war and arts in scope, the title Yamakami."

Michiru snorted in the privacy of Haruka's mind, too well-mannered to make any other response to Ado's words. What a pretentious people! That means mountain god in High Mirandan, doesn't it?

And why shouldn't it? After all, we created the title to honor the goddess who managed to scale the Chime Cliffs despite Uranus's defenses and then determined how to get past the Jakti Lumas cacti through the offering of her blood, Haruka replied smugly, clearly quite proud of her heritage. However, now that I know the dark god, the High Duke of Umbriel, is really Setsuna, I find myself amused that we are about to be honored for following in her footsteps.

Hikari reached into the pile of flowers and lifted the gold and navy one, holding it up for the entire court to see. "Usually, in a situation like this, the warrior is kind enough to bring the flower before the Council herself and request the title, but you seven did not see fit to follow tradition. Miki found these flowers in your armor and brought them to our attention, and we decided that you are all deserving of this title. This is a dual arts and war title, rare among accolades, and it ranks among the top three titles we can award, the other two being the war title Kazemaru and the arts title Asachou. Princess Haruka of Uranus, daughter of Kazeko, descendant of Nao the Conqueror, child of the High Duke of Umbriel, you stand before us as Yamakami today. Welcome."

"Welcome, Yamakami Haruka!" The people filling the chamber echoed Hikari's words, their voices unified as they cheered their princess.

Hikari lifted the teal and sapphire flower, smiling at Michiru. "I must admit that I was surprised to see that you reached the top of the Chime Cliffs. You are beautiful, and I have seen that you are brilliant, and I have seen you fight better than many of our own warriors, but that cliff challenges even the strongest and most practiced Uranians. You managed a feat that no other Neptunian has ever achieved."

"Not entirely true," Michiru replied, one hand raised. "After all, the Kaniihk'cha ritual revealed my soul on top of that cliff, as well. Yuuka managed the climb, somehow."

Hikari tilted her head, amused at the response. "Very well, you are the second of your people to reach the top. However, you are most certainly the first to receive the title. Welcome to the Uranian Nobility, Yamakami Michiru, daughter of Shousha, descendant of Yuuka the Magnificent, child of the Seas of Triton."

"Welcome, Yamakami Michiru!"

"Princess Ami, daughter of Amami, descendant of Chieko the Strategist, child of the Line of Hermes, please step forward." Hikari plucked another flower from the pile before her and held it up for the gathered nobles to see, the sapphire color and faint ice blue tips marking it as the property of the Senshi of Mercury. "The people of your world are known for their brilliance but there are no significant mountains or cliffs on your planet. Never before have I heard of a Mercurian attempting a climb of this magnitude. I am extremely impressed with your achievement."

"Forgive me, Hikari, but I could never have done it without the help of my friends. I do not feel like I accomplished much at all."

Sayuri, a distant relative of the petite Mercurian princess, leaned forward from her place at the table, blue/black hair hanging in front of her dark blue eyes. "No one said that you had to climb the mountain alone. As a matter of fact, no Uranian has ever reached the top of the Chime Cliffs alone, especially considering the strange nature of the rock itself. Even Nao had Yuuka. With both the rock and the wind desperate to prevent you from reaching the top, it is a miracle that you could finish the climb at all. You have never climbed a mountain before and some of your friends have not, either. All of you deserve this title, and we as a people are honored to have all of you join the elite ranks of the Yamakami."

"Welcome, Yamakami Ami!" Ami blushed at the words, edging closer to Makoto.

The next flower Hikari plucked was the gold and orange one that had bloomed for Minako, the bright colors suited to the senshi of beauty. "When a Uranian touches the Jakti Lumas cactus, the colors of the flowers brought before the Council tend to be strong but dark. We are warriors, and the cacti seem to know that. Haruka's flower is one of the brightest ever recorded, and of course the flowers of off-worlders have always been quite colorful, as well. Your flower is among the brightest and most vibrant I have ever seen, and I am glad to see that your physical beauty extends to your soul."

Murata Ayumi stood from her chair and glanced at Hikari, silently asking to complete the rite for the daughter of her grandmother's world. Hikari nodded. "Minako, daughter of Asakaze, descendant of Minami the Gentle, child of the Light of Aphrodite, as a relative of your world and lineage, I am honored to welcome the first Venusian Yamakami."

"Welcome, Yamakami Minako!"

Hikari resumed her role as speaker for the War Queens as the cheers for Minako died down. "Rei, daughter of Rikuriko, descendant of Reiko the Fierce, child of the Sword of Ares, please step forward." Hikari lifted the red and purple flower, holding it toward Rei as she continued. "You are not the first Martian to attempt the climb, though you are among a select few who reached the top. It has been over five centuries since we have awarded this title to one of your people, and we are proud to welcome you to the honored rank of the Yamakami."

"Welcome, Yamakami Rei!"

Makoto's flower was dark green with pink tips, a color combination that Haruka had called odd when the Jakti Lumas cactus flowered. "Princess Makoto, daughter of Meika, descendant of Mariya the Just, child of the Wilds of Ganymede, you are welcome here among us. Many Jovians have visited Miranda and quite a few have reached the top of the Chime Cliffs. I believe that the last Yamakami from your family was your great-grandmother, though one of her brothers died in the attempt. Your actions have brought him and the rest of your family great honor among us, and we are pleased to grant you the title that so many in your family have quested to attain."

"Welcome, Yamakami Makoto!"

Hikari carefully cradled the final flower in her hands, glancing at Ado for permission before walking around the table. The other nine War Queens followed her, standing before the gathered princesses on the empty area of the dais above the Lesser War Queens' tables. Hikari knelt in front of Serenity with the silver and gold flower in her hands, waiting for the other War Queens to echo her action before she began to speak. "There has never been a princess of the line of Serenity to step on the sands of Miranda. None of your ancestors has walked the crystal sands, none has attempted to climb the Chime Cliffs, and certainly none have offered the gift of blood to our goddess's Jakti Lumas cacti. Your flower reflects the gentle purity of your soul, and all of Uranus is proud to offer you the first title ever granted a princess of the Moon. Princess Serenity, descendant of Eurynome and the goddess whose name you carry, child of the Silver Moon, we welcome you as a member of the Uranian Nobility."

"Welcome, Yamakami Serenity!" As the gathered nobles cheered, Haruka fell to her knees beside the War Queens, smiling ruefully as she offered the same fealty as her people, the other princesses kneeling with her, regardless of the difficulty offered by some of their dresses. Serenity blushed, not used to feeling superior to her friends, but she couldn't say anything as tears of pride and joy filled her eyes. When she scaled the cliff with her senshi, she had never once cared about the outcome, but now that she had been "knighted" as a member of the Uranian nobility, she could not remember anything she had done in her life that made her so happy.

"What an odd ceremony," Ami murmured, typing her observations into her computer while her fellow princesses finished their evening meal. After the ceremony, they had changed back into simple fighting armor and spent the rest of the day practicing their fighting skills against the many Kazemaru members of the war councils who were eager to face the senshi in combat. They had not found a moment to talk about the council meeting until they gathered in privacy for their evening meal. "Haruka, when Ayumi, Sanae, and Hikari questioned you about our trip to the top of the Chime Cliffs, you told them that you performed the Kaniihk'cha ritual. What is that?"

"I think Sanae explained it adequately," Haruka replied, spearing some blue lakha wheat noodles on her plate. "Every Uranian warrior seeks to connect with her previous life, to see what lessons she learned in the past so that she does not repeat the same mistakes again, in this incarnation. Most of them, through many years of rituals and meditation, can determine where they died, and they will then consult the local government's records of deaths in the area to see if their soul recognizes one. As I'm sure you can understand, this process is sometimes futile. One of my distant cousins found her soul in a busy hospital on Deimos and it became impractical for her to find her name."

"What do the warriors do when they can't identify their soul?"

"They will usually complete the Kaniihk'cha ritual anyway, hoping that some glimmer of recognition will break through the cacophony of souls lost in that place. If the warrior does find her name, however, many sentimental items from her previous life can be used to channel the spirit and the ritual is usually much more successful. Depending on the strength of the warrior and the vibrancy of her soul, sometimes she is able to relive very brief but powerful moments from her previous life and retain some lesson from the ritual. Not all warriors attempt the Kaniihk'cha ritual and not all can complete it once they begin. Sometimes a man has successfully completed a Kaniihk'cha, but it is very uncommon. The ritual was made for women of great power."

"Is that what we did?" Rei waved her hand vaguely toward Miranda, the moon hanging serenely in the Oberon sky. Obviously, since both Miranda and Oberon were satellites of Uranus, they were not orbiting each other, but Miranda's position in its orbit near its larger companion made it appear that it was hanging above the capital city of Oberon. "Did we all complete a Kaniihk'cha ritual?"

"Yes. We did not originally know the names of our previous incarnations, but because we died in unique locations and we knew those locations, we were able to connect with our souls' memories. We saw more in our rituals than has ever been recorded by other warriors who were successful in completing the Kaniihk'cha. Because of your help and Serenity's unique power, I was able to see even more than the rest of you."

Michiru glanced up at her wife, placing her cup down before folding her hands in her lap. "Haruka, how long have your people been practicing the Kaniihk'cha? It is unique among the nine worlds."

"Yes, it is. I believe that the first recorded Kaniihk'cha occurred almost seven thousand years ago, near the beginning of our recorded history. Before that time, Uranians were a violent, warlike collection of tribes with no clear leader, but our first queen was born to Uranus seventy-seven hundred years ago and united our people. Her descendant, Kisha, ruled sixty-nine hundred years ago and taught our people how to see into their souls."

"What did she see?"

Haruka shrugged, unable to answer Rei's question. "I never researched that."

Ami tapped a few commands into her computer, accessing the public Uranian records and requesting the information. "Most warriors report their completed rituals to the main library, including the names of their souls and the location of their death. That way, if they are reborn again, they can find themselves more quickly the next time," Ami murmured, summarizing the heading on the Kaniihk'cha database files. "It seems that Queen Kisha recorded her own experience here as well as outlining meditations and rituals that would help her people see their souls, as well. The name of her previous soul was Kiurani."

"Kiurani! Ami, that's the name of the first true queen of Uranus, the daughter of our goddess. Uranus told me that I carry her soul."

"Then you also carry the soul of Kisha, Naurani, Jishae, and, of course, Nao." The library was updated every time it received data on newly completed rituals, linking all known carriers of a single soul for faster archiving.

Haruka glanced at Michiru, shock giving way to confusion. "If I was Kisha, then she did not learn how to perform the Kaniikh'cha ritual, she created it. Why would she be so concerned with soul lineage?"

"For you," Minako answered, offering the only possible answer. "She needed you, her ultimate descendant, to be able to see her previous lives. Our soul grows through each life, each incarnation, and that is how the ultimate senshi will be born. We need lifetimes of experience and knowledge to reach the level of power that Uranus has indicated we are reaching, not just centuries of good breeding."

"Uranus seemed to think that we have reached it. Her words to Haruka claimed that we are already the ultimate senshi."

"No, Makoto, I don't think we are yet," Ami replied cautiously, her mind analyzing all of the new data offered to her and extrapolating the only possible conclusion available. "If we are growing more powerful by remembering only parts of our previous lives, then it stands to reason that we must have full access to every one of our former incarnations in order to reach our full and ultimate potential."

"Don't we have to die again for that to happen?" Serenity's question silenced her fellow princesses, echoing the same question they had been asking themselves for weeks.

"We'll find a way to reach our full power without needing another reincarnation," Haruka replied, fists clenched beside her plate. She would not accept death.

Reviews: (Spoilers for "Kazeko" and Sailor Stars season follow; read at your own risk) I've been planning Miranda forever, and I wanted the senshi to have to cross a desert in order to reach this secret place where Uranus hid from her fellow gods. The cacti were fashioned after venus fly traps and mosquitoes. Venus fly traps eat flies to get enough protein to grow and female mosquitoes eat blood in order to reproduce, so I combined those two concepts to create the cacti. I wanted the spines to react to pressure because no creature would land on normal spines in a way that would permit the use of hypodermic needle-like spines to absorb the blood. Many animals would land on a smooth surface, allowing the cacti to choose when to feed. The flowers, reproduction, are the reason that the cacti need blood, and those flowers are the proof needed to show the council that a warrior reached the tops of the cliffs. Also, the cacti ask for blood in the name of Uranus because that is the greatest sacrifice one can give, a portion of her own life.

I actually had Haruka grow a braid during her pregnancy in one of my other fics, and I thought it would be interesting to have her wear one here. I used to have very long hair myself, and when I cut it all off I felt that loss that Haruka points out in this chapter. And there would be no reason for Nao to look like Haruka, though she would share the same coloration that is so common among the Uranian nobility.

The god story is something I've considered for a long time. Obviously, I adjusted the details for this fic, but I have considered that it would be very easy for highly advanced beings from another world to be perceived as gods by primitive humans, even to this day. There's no reason that the gods of any mythology – Greek, Hindu, Norse, Native American, Judeo-Christian, Islam, Native African, etc – could not be real or have been real (you've seen Thor?) and I do so love the complexity and humanity of the Greek mythos. This is the first time I have put the origin of the gods in Sailor Moon into concrete words, but the struggle between Chaos and Order, including the introduction of Balance to control both, are used in "Kazeko" extensively.

Galaxia's origins are revealed here. Her mother was Serenity and her "father" was Sailor Moonlight, the last one before Ailan takes that role in "Kazeko". Her mother Serenity is the one who begged Hades to seal the Moonlight Crystal away to prevent any woman from suffering her heartache when the carrier of that crystal inevitably died. This is why Setsuna told the other senshi that Sailor Sol could not rise, because she cannot be born without the power of the Moonlight Crystal. Setsuna cannot tell Serenity that Moonlight was Galaxia and Sol's father because of the threat posed by Balance at this point in the time line.

Now that Haruka has seen her past self and her death, she knows what she is not: weak. She refuses to be broken to the point where she would sacrifice her power and her soul mate to save the Silver Millennium. Of course, Nao's fears are justified in Sailor Stars when Galaxia comes to the Sol System to find the ultimate star seed. Haruka is going to unlock the Planet Crystals and seal her own fate in her next life, death at Galaxia's hands. She will also give in to her deepest fear there, that she is not strong, and she will betray her princess to get Galaxia's power in the hopes of defeating her. In the end, she was wrong in both lives: no amount of force or destructive power can stop Galaxia, only Usagi's power of love.