Silver Moon Millennium: May I Never by Covenmouse

Chapter One

 
 
Chapter One
“Our First Days”
 
            A chill that had nothing to do with the howling blizzard outside prickled spots across her porcelain skin. The ceremony that had only just ended had left her Aunt, the former Senshi Mercury a well respected Duchess, and thus had taken Amiru herself from the confines of student to the public eye as their Guardian. That she would one day be so, Amiru had known; that it had come at such a young age was terrifying. In the mirror stood a woman where a young girl should have been. Thirteen wasn’t a mature age, and yet the weight of maturity had been settled upon her shoulders. To her own eyes, Amiru could think that her body had aged years in the course of a few uncomfortable hours, even as she knew that the idea was ludicrous.
            The high-skirted uniform was strange to her, but not for being unfamiliar. Her Aunt had worn it Amiru’s entire life, and she’d seen it in all the paintings of her predecessors. What was unusual to her was wearing something so revealing. Another chill ran across her, and the gem on Amiru’s tiara flashed. A faint blue glow left her body like a rain falling upon the ground at her feet and with it went the Senshi uniform. In its stead, the young woman was left in the long, full skirts and tight corset she was used to. Her long hair was bound back into the beaded net in which it was kept, and in a blink of an eye there was almost nothing to indicate that she’d ever stood as anything but the Princess of Mercury. Everyone knew better, however, and the mark on her forehead related that fact.
            Turning at last from the mirror, Amiru took a few careful steps towards her bedroom window. She sat upon the seated sill and let her forehead touch the freezing pane. Cold no longer bothered her as much as it should have. Even when she was only a student her power had protected her, but now that the full force of the Senshi power was hers to command, the pane that would have given anyone else cold-burn was nothing but a pleasant chill to her. At least this chill was substantial, as opposed to what lay within her heart.
            Not a moment after the Ceremony had ended, King Aqui, her brother who had ascended the throne not too long after their father’s death, had held the court longer to make a shocking announcement. The High Queen Serenity had made a world-changing proclamation: The Senshi were no longer property of their respective planets. While they were still royal children, their new duty was to the future High Queen, the now High Princess Serenity, and the well-being of all their kingdoms. From a purely logical standpoint, Amiru could understand why this was a smart move for the Queen. However, her heart hung heavy at the thought that all she had been raised and trained to know suddenly seemed moot.
            Not only this, but her own rise to power had been more than what her teacher had first told her. The ex-Senshi Mercury had been emphatic on the point that she was stepping down early thanks to Amiru’s amazing take to her own powers. Now she knew, or had an idea, that this decision had been rushed more because in three days’ time Amiru was to board her ship to the Moon Kingdom–her new home. Leaving this place, against her own will at that, was enough to make the fragile young woman sick to her stomach. This she did not show to her brother, court or the Dowager Queen that sat in high regard at the King’s right hand. To them she had simply curtsied and accepted her position even as her insides coiled and turned to ice.
            Alone in her room, the Senshi Princess cried.
 
~~**~~
 
            Three days was a very short time for goodbyes, especially when one wasn’t certain one would be coming back any time soon. That was all the time she had been allotted, however, and Amiru had no say in that matter. As Senshi it was her duty to do as her King told her, and her King was telling her to shift her loyalties to someone else. It went against the grain, yes, but it was simply what must be. Shoving that sadness under a rock of logic, the Princess of Mercury boarded the Ice Titan, the ship that had been hers since her father presented it to her when she was five, and nodded to the captain. The crew, of course, was not the same after all these years, but it’d only changed once. Each member had been selected for their families’ loyalty to the crown, and each knew the quiet, secular little Princess quite well. In turn, she’d never had to search her memory for their names, though friendship could not be said to be a part of this bond.
            Two new cabin boys, freshly signed from the Captain’s own family, hauled aboard the luggage Amiru’s maids had packed for her. Most of what she was bringing had already been stored away in the cargo hold. These articles would be in her private cabin with her.
            On the deck, Amiru stopped and turned to stand by the rail. Her long white hands graced the equally delicate-looking railing of blue-painted wood. It had been fashioned to look like ice crystals growing along the edge of the ship, but an actual rail had been laid behind it for hand holds. Her blue gaze swept across the port, focusing on the cheering faces of the people she’d grown to love, who were running up the flowing streets of Harinasole to the sweeping spires of the Marina Castle. Home, but never again.
            Amiru squared her shoulders and let a small, shy smile grace her lips. Her hand lifted, waving politely to the whole city who had come to see her off. She had expected more people to be in turmoil in this great change of tradition. Thankfully, few questioned what the High Queen dictated. Of course, she had the Priesthood backing her up on this. What it was that they saw, Amiru couldn’t say, but she trusted it was right.
            “Amiru,” A deep voice sounded at her side and a heavy hand touched upon her shoulder. Amiru turned to see her brother standing at her side, and the crowd cheered more boldly for their King. The young woman smiled as much as was polite in public and gave her brother a bare tip of a curtsy. Aqui nodded to her, his own smile curbed to a polite air. “This change in your duties was unexpected, and perhaps it comes as a bad omen to you. Know, however, that at this court you represent all of us for those who would have Mercurians be a cold, barbaric people. Please, keep this in mind as you serve your new Mistress. While I have lost a Guardian, I hope to be gaining an ambassador.”
            His words were a slight comfort that she would have some link to her old home. Here was solace that even when her duty was away with the Queen, she still belonged in part to her family, so that link would not be severed so completely. A small light of hope sparked within her, and she nodded slightly. “Yes, my liege. I will do my best to serve my home in this way. Though my body and duty may belong elsewhere, my heart shall always be Mercurian.”
            King Aqui gave her an appreciative smile and then turned his little sister’s shoulders gently. The much older man bent to hug her, and planted a familial kiss upon her brow. This display of affection caused the crowd to cheer once more. Shouts from the crew signaled that the galleon was almost ready to disembark. “Take care, Amiru.”
            “And you too, dear brother,” Amiru whispered softly. She watched as her brother and his guards descended the plank and it was drawn up onto the deck again. The Captain moved up to the bow to take his place beside the helm. No one minded when Amiru chose to keep her place at the starboard railing, out of the way of the sailing crew. These men and women would be her guards and company for the next few weeks as they traveled to the Moon Kingdom, for she’d not been allowed to bring any other guardian along with her. She wished her logical mind didn’t smell a trap, but a part of her did. There was something no one was saying about this court they had volunteered her for, Amiru was sure of it. The tantalizing, evasive question of “what” would linger upon her mind during the long space voyage.
 
~~**~~
 
            “Princess, the Uranian ship is approaching from the starboard bow.” The first mate of the Jungle’s Heart paused halfway down the ladder into the cargo hold. The Princess she was looking for was supposed to have been down collecting some provisions the cook had requested, but there was no sign of her in the darkness down here. The woman’s heels remained hooked on the rail even as she leaned outward to get a better look. Most of the sailors Literi had known had the disquieting habit of being able to walk down a ladder as if they were proper stairs, something that had yet to come naturally to the teenage Princess.
            “I’m here,” Literi finally acknowledged her caller after a moment, standing from where she’d been crouched behind a barrel of apples. Holding the large clay bowl she carried against her hip, Literi finished putting a few more of the bright red fruit into the vessel and turned towards the ladder herself. “Have they hailed us?”
            The first mate nodded. Tatiaris was her name, Literi remembered after a moment. She was a beautiful woman, long of leg and arm with a gorgeous mane of violet-black hair and matching slanted eyes. Judging from the accent, Literi thought the woman hailed from the forest moon of Sinope. In fact, the resemblance to the Senshi Sinope, Urak was so strong, Literi guessed that she might have been one of his sisters. Woolgathering aside, Literi followed Tatiaris up the ladder again as she replied, “They have. It seems they had a slight run in with pirates as they were passing Saturn. Their ship sustained some damage, and they mean to stop at Io for repairs.”
            “What does this have to do with us?” the fourteen-year-old replied, accepting Tatiaris’s hand in getting out of the cargo hold. Together the women closed the hatch and Literi settled her bowl back on her hip. She needed to drop the apples off with the cook, but this didn’t seem to be the kind of problem that could wait. No matter that she was to be considered a co-captain of this ship in political aspects, most of the crew didn’t bother to treat her as anything other than a fellow sailor when it wasn’t important. As such, Tatiaris never would have sought her out when she was serving the cook if this wasn’t something that couldn’t be resolved without her.
            “As you’re being brought to the Moon Kingdom, so is Prince Hoku. They’re already behind schedule, and stopping for repairs will only make them more so. They wish to make their request to your person, however, Princess.”
            “Lita,” Literi eyed the woman who had long become her friend. She nodded after the woman agreed; it wasn’t hard to see what the request was. Indeed, Literi wasn’t disappointed when she reached the Captain’s quarters where a crystal screen displayed the three men no doubt standing in a similar room on the other ship.
            The one to the left was a first mate like Tatiaris, there was no question of it. For all that he was dressed nicely, there was a deference in his very posture that the woman on her own side echoed. Some things, such as basic human nature, transcended nationality and race; that much Literi had learned quite well during her tutelage under her Aunt. The thought of the stern woman who had so recently renounced her power only doubled in strength when Literi’s gaze shifted to the broad shouldered man on the other side of the screen. His stern, almost bird-like features reminded her of Narou without any real reason behind it. The two looked nothing alike, but perhaps it was more in the serious glint of his eyes and the set of his wide, thin lipped mouth.
            Age had marked this man, wearing tunnels into his squared jaw and cheek bones. Sun had speckled his skin and bleached the little of his hair that she could see sticking out from underneath the white crowning cap on his head. He was a good head taller than both of the other men, and about as wide as the two of them put side by side. Even without the formal-looking lace lining his over-robe, Literi would have marked him for the captain. That left the teen in between the two as Prince Hoku.  She’d heard a lot about the two Senshi Princes that had appeared in this generation, but to meet one was a moment of awe.
            Outwardly there was nothing too remarkable about Hoku. He was handsome, with short fair hair and baby blue eyes, but not so handsome that he’d stand out among a crowd. His height was fairly average, at least by Jupiter’s standards, and his shoulders were broad, though not so bulky as the captain’s were. She knew better than to be fooled by his average appearance, however.
            Guardian, or Senshi power was rarely given to men. No one knew precisely why it had become a female trait, though some theologians speculated that it was to balance the power of men. When the tradition had begun, most of the planets were ruled by men singularly. Even now, some planets, such as Mercury and Uranus, kept the tradition of male rulers; when a king would die, his Queen became Dowager and the eldest son was named the King. In the event that no son was available, the Crown Princess’s husband would rule, or the King’s brother would step in for him. Jupiter itself was had been the sole exception to this rule. Though their patron deity was male, Zeus’s great love of women had shown itself in their deep tradition of female rulers. Never had a King of Jupiter been allowed to rule solely, and it was noted as being the only kingdom to accept homosexual rulers. (In truth, lesbianism among the Queens was something held in high regard. Of course, unlike most of the other kingdoms, shape-shifting was a common talent among the Amazons of Jupiter, thus explaining how the current rulers of the planet were both female yet had a plethora of children.)
            Still, Literi was smart enough to know that one exception wasn’t enough to change a rule, but it was enough to amend it. Perhaps that was why males were, eventually, allowed to wield the power of the Senshi. It was still a rare occurrence, and more often then not as soon as a sister came along, the male bearer would pass the power to her or the power would willingly leave in favor of her. When the males kept their powers, however, it came with consequence. This “consequence” was something Literi was familiar with: shape-shifting. In taking Senshi “form,” as they called the allowance of the full power to course through your veins, the power would temporarily transmute its male carrier into a female. The effect was said to last for hours or days after the fact, thus making these individuals more than a mere male or female in the eyes of many. Certainly, they were respected as well as feared by most men for their willingness to give up their own masculinity.
            Her speculations as to whom held what office were confirmed momentarily when Hoku took a step forward and bowed to the crystal screen, “Good day, Princess. I thank you for your gift of time.”
            The younger girl couldn’t help but smirk. The Prince’s Jupetese was awkward, but understandable. She knew how to speak Intersteller, also called the “common tongue,” but decided it would be rude of her to switch when he’d offered to put himself at a disadvantage for her sake. “Good wishes to you as well, Prince of Uranus. I hope your fight went well.”
            “My soldiers are strong, and we were not to be taken by such cowardly individuals. Indeed, at first sign of trouble they turned and ran. However, we were not strong enough, it seems. My ship has taken damage and is in sore need of repair.”
            Literi nodded, though she’d already heard this much. It was good to hear the words from him. As Hoku righted himself out of his bow, his blue eyes flashed up at her, perfectly clear in the crystal’s panel, and Literi felt herself blush. He was very handsome, she amended her earlier thought on the subject, and swallowed before she replied. “The nearest port you’ll find is on Io. I see no reason as to why you shouldn’t be allowed to take port there.”
            “Thank you for your reassurance, Princess, there is a more pressing matter we wished to ask of you, however. I was on my way, as are you, to attend the Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. I was prepared to send word of my late arrival or charter a ship from Io in order to try and make port in the time allotted when we spotted your ship on the Sand King’s scanner. I thought that I might ask, Prince to Princess, if it would be possible to beg passage on your own ship? I don’t come empty handed, of course. I have supplies on board that you’re free to have in payment.”
            Literi smirked, shifting the laden bowl she was carrying and nodded, “We’re fit for a good trip, in truth, though I’ll have our supply manager go it over. After all, it wouldn’t do to run out or let your own perishables go to waste in port.”
            “Is this a yes, then?” Hoku teased, much to Literi’s surprise. Such behavior was nearly unheard of, but he hadn’t missed his mark: the Princess found she appreciated it. It was always hard for her to keep up the sterile politeness of courtiers; she was much more inclined to speak her mind as bluntly as possible. That was what a Senshi’s place was supposed to be–a warrior, not a politician. Trying not to focus on this change from what she had thought would be, Literi offered Hoku a grin instead.
            “It is,” She nodded. “We’ll slow for now to allow the transfer to be made when you catch up. Do hurry, Cook will have dinner done shortly.”
              “Yes Princess, thank you very much.” Hoku bowed again before the crystal went blank. Literi’s cheeks flushed again when she found both her Captain’s and Tatiaris’s eyes upon her. The women grinned after a moment, and the Captain shook her head. As they turned to leave the stateroom, Tatiaris said nothing, save, “You’d best get those apples to the Cook and inform her there’ll be at least one more mouth to feed.”
            Literi knew she was right and hurried after her. Let those two believe what they wished about her reason for agreement; she knew her reasons were innocent. Of course, he was very handsome.
 
 
~~**~~
 
 
            The Martian warship, Rising Phoenix, was one of the first to appear in the silvery sky of the small Moon Kingdom. Being one of the closest of the planets, at least at that time of year, it was unlikely the red planet’s representative would be the last one to arrive. Rayna wasn’t certain if this was a good thing, as much as she knew she’d be damning herself had she been “late.” With the jump points built between kingdoms, it was possible for the trip to take a mere month where it would have taken several of straight travel. That same, bitter part of her wished that jumps had never been invented.
            They had come out of the jump point a day’s travel from the moon itself. From here she could see not only the Moon Kingdom, but the Earth. She had traveled many times between Mars and Venus, but each time she’d managed to miss the misty blue planet. Whether it was coincidence or purposely scheduled, Rayna had been glad for it. The Earth was another of the kingdoms Mars had ill relations with. While their relations with one another weren’t as volatile as the situation with Mercury, it was still something that wasn’t lightly picked at. Mercury had rather strong ties to Earth, and many Martian fugitives had taken refuge on Earth as well. It wasn’t as politically damning as harboring the leaders of a civil war, but it was not something easily overlooked, either. Yet, Earth remained the major trade nexus of the inner planets, and so outright war with them would have been even more foolish than the harboring of criminal elements.
            Rayna took her time examining this planet now that she’d finally gotten the chance. The revelation that she was to be a part of a court and not at her sister’s side had been a dual one. On one side was the heartbreaking realization that she would never be able to fulfil her unspoken promise to Ranfan. On the other lay the need to see these places she’d studied from afar for so long. Upon the power’s choosing of her, Rayna had rarely been allowed to leave her sister’s side. Even on their summer vacations to Venus, the two had always gone together. If Ranfan was sick and unable to go, Rayna was made to stay with her. This enforcement on their bond had strained it, causing the girls to grow more apart than they might have originally. The relief Rayna felt at being let go was a burden in itself, but one that she was not yet ready to face.
            Instead, she shook her head to clear the spider’s tangle of thoughts, and refocused her attention on that brilliant blue gem floating large in the spacial darkness beside the silvery Moon. The white swirls across it must have been clouds, she decided, and the speckles of green and blue were landmass. Of all the kingdoms to study, Earth had been one of her favorites, not for their rocky relationship, as she told her parents to get them to agree to the books she requested, but for the fact that this planet harbored the most cultures in the known system. Every other planet in the system had a single language, a single culture, a single ruler. Earth, however, was a like a System within a single planet. They had their own High King, whom the rest of the System referred to as the King of Earth. Underneath him, there were four other sets of rulers, one each for five separate territories on the large continent of Earth with the High King at their middle. (Rumors were that Earthen Scholars said the continent was beginning to split into two. It wouldn’t split in full for a million years or more, but they were certain it would happen. Most people put this down to insanity, nothing more.)
            The five areas were split roughly into the four cardinal directions; one ruling family for each, and a whole gaggle of courtiers beneath them, as well as their own cultures and languages. It was strange to a foreigner such as Rayna, but at the same time it seemed almost as efficient a way of dealing with excess royal children as what the Martian family had put into place. The Gods knew that Martians were known for their belief in large families, especially among the ruling class.
In contrast, the Earthen royal family–the High Royal Family–had only two children. Even then, the younger child, a girl whose name most of her own people didn’t even know, was kept under wraps. It was said that the Earthen King had entered a marriage contract with the Queen of Sol, the Sun Kingdom that had long since closed itself off to the rest of the System following a series of brutal wars that had left many feelings bruised, if not embittered forever. Two children had been produced of the alliance, one for each kingdom.
            It was rumor only, thus far, for few had seen the supposed younger sister of the Prince, and no one spoke of any other Queen but Aeris having ever sat upon the Earthen throne. It was notable, however, that she’d been proven barren and was publicly pronounced as Endymion’s step-mother.  Despite what could have been seen as a public embarrassment, the Jade family was well loved among their people.
            It was during these reflections that Rayna first noticed the dark shape coming from the planet. As her own ship turned round the side of the Moon to where the port would be, her viewing angle turned so that she could see this shape was indeed a ship like her own. The lines of power stemming from its nose–visible only to a select few, even among the Senshi–were a bold orange-brown that glittered like gems. She imagined that had it a smell it would be deep, damp loam freshly churned in a farmer’s field. With that information, she knew it was one of the Earth’s own ships and not merchants or pirates. The sails and flag said that it was the royal family’s ship. As such, Rayna guessed it was the Prince himself, come to pay his respects to their juvenile High Princess.
            “Princess,” The voice broke her attention on the window, and she turned to find a man standing at the door to her stateroom. One of Rayna’s sharp black brows arched delicately in question. “We’re about to enter the Moon’s atmosphere. The Captain thought you would like this notice to prepare yourself.”
            “Thank you, Luitenant.” Rayna bowed to him and waited for the man to leave her quarters before she let her attention wander once more. Her new home awaited and new wonders and cultures to study were at her very fingertips. Was it so bad that this prospect excited her?
                                   
 
            ~~**~~
 
            The silvery light that embodied the moon’s entire planet seemed not to come from the yellow sun, but rather to radiate from the planet itself. That fact was at once whimsical and terrible to the Earthen Prince as he looked outside his cabin window. They had just pulled into port beside a dark ship dressed in the stark red and black that could only belong to Mars, the same ship they’d spotted coming in just before them, he didn’t doubt. For a moment the commotion on both ships distracted him from what he’d come below deck for when a knock at the door pulled him back into the moment.
            “I wonder why you bother knocking anymore, Kun.” Endymion half turned from the window to grab his formal tunic and slip his arms into it. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the first of his generals already standing in the doorway watching him. Kunzite was a frightening man, even to those who had known him as long as Endymion had. His fair coloring and long hair meant nothing when compared to his tall, muscular build and the sharp looks he was known to give. If that wasn’t enough, Endymion had seen Kunzite make hardened criminals cry and beg with little more than one of those looks. It was when the looks failed that things got truly ugly.
            “Call it a lingering sense of politeness,” Kunzite stated flatly, taking a step into the room. The door didn’t close behind him, for a blonde-haired body had blocked its path long enough to jump onto Kunzite’s back. Jadeite’s arms wrapped about the elder man’s shoulders and stuck a saliva wetted finger in his ear. Endymion hid his smile as Kunzite added onto his statement in an irritated monotone, “Despite others’ efforts to kill it.”
            “It’s probably a good thing he doesn’t know that was dog spit, huh?” Jadeite stage-whispered to Endymion. That he was intentionally provoking Kunzite was obvious to both men, but it got the desired effect anyway. With a gag of disgust, Kunzite flipped Jadite off of his back and let him hit the ground. There was a resolute thump indicating how hard Jadeite hit the floor, but the blonde laughed anyway. Endymion rolled his eyes, a slight chuckle indicating his amusement. Such an exchange was not uncommon amongst the five of them, and indeed Endymion was grateful for it. They had been as brothers growing up, a fact that had never changed when they’d become older and accepted more individual responsibilities. They were his companions and trusted advisors, as they always would be.
            He lifted a brow at the two still standing–more appropriately, one standing and the other laying on the floor–near the door. “Where are Nephrite and Zoisite?”
            “Nephrite and the ship’s astronomer are attempting to finish that debate they started last night before we left, and Zoisite got himself roped into helping the crew dock,” Kunzite reported dutifully. His cold eyes grazed over Endymion’s half dressed body and he shook his head. “And I came to make certain you were ready.”
            Endymion tried not to blush at the hidden reprimand and nodded instead. “I’ll be ready by the time they finish docking.” As if to emphasize his promise, Endymion wrapped a sash around the tunic and underlying loose pants to tie them in place. The style of Central Earth, Endymion’s hailing sector, was considered plain by his guardian’s standards, but Endymion rather preferred it to some of the more elaborate contraptions his companions suffered through on formal occasions. Today, however, they were dressed in their Companion’s Uniforms, each slate grey and high collared with lining the color of their family’s crest.
            Kunzite moved to help Endymion with his cloak, both deciding it was a better idea to leave off the armor and weapons, no matter if they were traditional. When that was done, the Prince went to a mirror to do his own hair. Jadeite had removed himself from the floor during this and taken up vigil, spread on his stomach across Endymion’s bed. The silence was comfortable, the kind of silence born of true friendship, and it wasn’t until the door opened again that anyone bothered to speak.
            “Ship’s docked and Nephrite is waiting up deck for us. You’d think he and Socrates were joined at the hip,” Zoisite laughed as he shut the door behind him. The three inside the room nodded, and Kunzite and Jadeite got up from their relaxed positions to smooth their uniforms out. Zoisite himself looked like he’d stopped to change and brush his long, fine blonde hair out. Over one of his arms was a heavy weight of cloaks. Two of these he passed out to Jadeite and Kunzite before flipping the third about his own shoulders and tied the cloth helm about his head. There was another small section of the wrap that wound over his face. This last edition was a custom of the Central Earth soldiers, something the Companions had picked up for their own a few years back. Normally Endymion would have joined them in this, but here he needed to have his face shown.
            “Speaking of waiting for us, though she’s not, it seems the Princess from Mars is still onboard her ship,” Zoisite mentioned as the four of them headed out of the cabin and up onto the poop deck. Behind him, Endymion couldn’t help but see Jadeite stiffen in warning. Rather than say a word, however, he let it slide. He knew he was about to see the darker side of the playful blonde, but the thought that had just crossed his mind was too good a political move to pass up. Long had Mars and Earth had touchy relations, Jadeite’s family being a portion of that, but this new Court had a significant purpose to further lighten the air between planets and strengthen the peace that High Queen Serenity had worked most of her life to obtain.
            “That’s an interesting note, Zoi,” Endymion murmured to the man. His distracted tone got the attention of his three companions–four, as Nephrite had joined them when they reached the ship’s deck though Endymion hadn’t noticed–and they found their Prince’s gaze drawn to the city stretched beyond the harbor. They’d seen the Moon Kingdom once or twice already, yet it was hard not to be awed every time. The silver light that radiated from everywhere and nowhere at all was magnified by the crystal-like building structure most everything was made of. As far as the eye could see, white and silver buildings flowed and spiraled into one another. Occasionally, equally white trees with translucent leaves would pop up between buildings, or there would be a different building material dotted in for a strange splash of color. Even more interesting to the unfamiliar eye was that anything near those color wells acted as a prism would, soaking up the pigment and fracturing it into rainbows and hues that ran rivers through the city. It was a truly entrancing sight.
            Endymion tore his sight away from the harbor and attempted to refocus his thoughts on the idea he’d had a moment before. That was when he focused on a much different, but nonetheless beautiful sight. Martian colors were something he recognized through intelligence reports and study, but he’d never been really close to a true-blooded Martian. Now, however, the ship directly next to them was full of them, one in particular drawing his attention.
            There was no doubt in his mind that this was the Princess of Mars. Even though her face was turned so that her midnight hair hid the mark upon her forehead, the very air she exuded gave her status readily enough. From the upward, confident tilt of her chin, to the perfect posture and impenetrable self confidence, this young woman was regal to the core. As if that wasn’t enough, her striking beauty would have stolen any man’s breath away. Long, pure black hair fell down past the princess’s waist, the ends thumping gently at where he guessed her knees would be on long legs. The dark dress she wore kept him from being too sure, however. It clung to her upper body almost like a second skin, but flowed out to fall somewhat behind her at the bottom. The sleeves followed suit, tight up until the middle of the arm and then flowing out to where they would cover all but the tips of her fingers.
            The man in him was grateful that her current stance, with her arms wrapped about her waist, was loose enough to not hide the swell of well-developed breasts underneath the black cloth. The neckline ended in a high collar around the girl’s graceful neck. All the darkness about her caused the porcelain color of her skin to effectively glow, and heightened the brilliance of her cherry red lips, and a pair of startling violet eyes.
            It was only then that Endymion realized those eyes were focused on him, now, and that he could, indeed, see the faintly glowing red form of the Martian insignia under the fringe of her hair. He recovered himself quickly and swept a deep bow in her directly. Upon his looking up, the girl offered him a curtsy of equal depth when a man appeared at her elbow. “I thought the Inner Princesses weren’t allowed to bring their Guardians?” Zoisite asked softly. From the corner of his eye, Endymion saw Kunzite turn as if to issue a reprimand then stop. Had the question come from Jadeite it might have been rude, but the Spaniard’s cousin sounded merely curious.
            The Crown Prince took a moment to look over the Princess’s companion. He was much taller than the tiny woman, but for all the height difference their facial features, eyes and hair matched well enough that the Prince would have wagered his crown on their being family of some sort. A sweep of his eyes across the rest of the ship–by name, the Rising Phoenix, if he was translating the Martian script written near the bow correctly–earned a slight grunt of surprise. Almost every sailor in its crew was similarly featured. There were a few brunettes, and eye colors were hard to see, but the resemblances were uncanny. Endymion was suddenly glad he hadn’t made that bet, and finally responded to Zoisite’s question. “They weren’t. That man has no mark; he isn’t either of their Secondary Senshi. I couldn’t tell you if they were related or not, though.”
            “I don’t think anyone could,” the long-haired blonde replied in a soft voice. The statement was less than diplomatic, but a clear voice of what they all had to be thinking. Then second voice proved them both wrong.
            “I can,” was all that Jadeite said, but in that correction was voiced a clear disdain both for the Martians and the implication that they all looked alike. Endymion gave his friend a glance and was, for the first time, annoyed at the fact that the cowls they wore only left their eyes open to read. Jadeite wasn’t too adept at hiding his anger, but the more complex emotions could easily be hidden without other facial clues to go by.
            “It must be hard walking that fence post, hm, little Sand Dancer?” Nephrite put a hand to Jadeite’s shoulder. The words could have been enough to incite an argument had they been given by anyone else, but Nephrite’s understanding tone and comforting use of Jadeite’s age-old nickname softened the blow to nothing. Instead, the blonde backed down, and Endymion gave their brunette friend a grateful nod.
            “My lord, the carriage arrives to carry us to the palace.” Endymion nodded at the cabin boy who’d delivered the message. The sound of hooves from the cobbled harbor street caught his attention, and he looked up to see two carriages on the street below. One looked to have been there for some time, and as he watched the Martian Princess was being handed into it. Four guards followed her in, all looking like doppelgangers to his eyes, before the door shut and the matched dapple greys pulled the carriage away. The second rolled up into its place, then, waiting for its own burden to pull. There went his idea of sharing a carriage with her.
            Endymion surprised himself with his own resolution to make the chance to speak with that Princess later on. He couldn’t deny the attraction he’d felt for her, and it was in his duties to make better connections to the surrounding planets. Being able to bask in the light of a beauty such as she would only be a perk, as he saw it, assuming her personality wasn’t too unbearably bubbly like many Princesses he’d met through his life.
            “Your Highness?” Kunzite’s voice called Endymion back to the present, and the Prince laughed at himself.
            “Sorry, Kun. I suppose I was daydreaming. Come, lets not keep the Queen waiting.” With that the five of them made their way down the gangplank and down the dock to where their carriage awaited. It seemed a strange start indeed to a curious turn of history, and Endymion, at least, was glad to be a part of it.
 
 
~~**~~
 
 
            The Moon Kingdom was beautiful, of that there was no doubt. Miran had never been to a place with so many impromptu mirrors. Yet, it wasn’t the golden forests and sparkling rivers of her home world. This part, this homesickness, was not something that the Moon Princess with all of her sweetness and love for the world could help with. The Venusian had arrived almost a month before any of the others. Her family apparently ready to be rid of her, but the girl still missed them deeply. For all the differences between her and her siblings, she had loved them all. It was for this reason that when she heard that the Martian envoy had finally arrived, the young woman had practically leapt with joy.
            Though the cousins had. had very little time together with one another over the years—only summers and select holidays—they’d always been close. Years of letters and secret joint diaries papered the years since they had met. Not a person on Mars or Venus wasn’t aware of the special friendship between the two Senshi, and all had taken it as a good omen for the future, and later on the court. Miran didn’t care about any of that, though. What was important to her was that she was not completely stranded with strangers, not anymore.
            The moon, like Venus, wasn’t too restricted on behavioral rules, so her clattering steps down the long halls as she ran towards the front gates went unchecked so long as she didn’t cause any major accidents. Behind her the younger Princess ran in kind, long white hair streaming out from the two buns on either side of her head like glistening banners. The Princess had surprised Miran by not being all that stuck up. In truth, she was quite the happy, lovely young girl, if not in body. The High Princess was impossibly thin and short. With how much she ate it was amazing that she didn’t weigh a thousand pounds or more; instead she looked as if she hardly ate at all. The girl’s bright blue eyes took up more than half of her head, they were so large, and her hair was stark white and stringy to a fault. There was a possibility of beauty there: Miran could see it, but it would be slow to blossom.
            It was her personality that made her what she was. Within moments, the girl had won Miran’s heart over to her side, and the Venusian was certain that if any of the others were resentful of their hijacked places, Serenity could turn that charm as easily upon them. There was something so pure and honest about her, an unquestionable truth in her very being that made her mere presence fill a room. Rayna, Miran thought a moment later, would be a perfect test of this. Her beloved cousin, sweet as she could be, was also a very hard person to get close to. Miran had. Had the loop hole of being family to break the ice in Rayna’s heart: Serenity would not.
            Together the pair passed through an elaborate ballroom and climbed their way up the split staircase that lead towards the entrance of the Lunar Palace. Upon bursting through the carved double doors that gated the front walk of the Palace, the two found themselves on a broad veranda overlooking a cobbled U-shaped road where carriages could bring their charges up to the front steps of the Palace. It was upon these steps that the first of two such carriages had stopped to release its prisoners. After two of her guards, the familiar long-haired woman was given a hand out of the vehicle. The moment one black-slippered foot touched the ground, the Venusian Princess gave a great shout of joy, the Martian’s given name ringing off the cobblestones even over the sound of the horses or the men exiting the second carriage. All attention turned to the two cousins, taking in the exquisite sight of the Martian’s eyes growing wide with surprise before the Venusian’s hair obscured her from sight for a moment.
            Rayna returned the embrace when her shock had faded, and a true smile settled across her pretty red lips. Miran was happy for that, knowing that this was a wondrous amount of expression for the other girl, even if it didn’t match her own wide grin. “Miran,” Rayna laughed slightly, her hands finding her cousin’s and she gave them a familiar squeeze. “I didn’t know you were here already.”   
            The Venusian nodded, giggling merrily. “A month already! I was hoping you’d get here soon.”
            Rayna began to say more when her eyes darted over Miran’s shoulder. Following that gaze, Miran half turned to see Serenity behind them, focusing off to the left. Raising a brow in a direct mimic of Rayna’s own expression, the cousins turned in unison to the left where a group of men were standing. Miran wasn’t certain who the four cowled ones were, though she suspected they were guards just as all the Princesses had with them, but the fifth one was obvious. “Prince Endymion?”
            The man bowed, and his guards followed suite. “Princesses,” He gave a charming smile that got Miran’s knees to melt a little. The man was handsome, of course, with a glorious sheen in his straight black hair and deep blue eyes. It wasn’t really that about him that was attractive, though. There was a pull in his smile, a sort of cultivated charm that could easily draw in a person and drown them in its depth. As soon as she realized that, Miran broke the “spell” off easily; you weren’t raised in a Venusian court without meeting a few of these skilled charmers, and learning how to shake one off. It didn’t hurt, the blonde added wryly, that she was one herself.
            Together, Miran and Rayna offered curtsies to the group as was only polite. “We hadn’t heard you’d arrived yet, Prince,” Miran gave him an apologetic smile. “Or I might have curbed my rather... unorthodox welcome of Princess Rayna.”
            “No apologies are necessary, my Lady,” Endymion shook his head. From the corner of her eye, Miran could just barely make out the little twitch that spoke of her cousin biting her tongue. The blonde understood perfectly why–after all, she hadn’t been apologizing–but there was no reason to cause further awkwardness amongst the group. A glance to her side showed the largest contributing factor to that continued sense of unease–Serenity had yet to cut her silent staring. Miran made a soft noise, taking up a leader’s role again as she took a step forward with her hands cupped in front of her, “Welcome to the Moon Kingdom, Highness.”
            “Please, just Endymion will do.” He smiled. A half-finished gesture suggested that the Prince’s first inclination was to take her hand and kiss it. He’d stopped himself, however, and for that she was grateful. A shadow beside her moved and Rayna came into her peripheral vision once more.
            “Endymion,” The solemn Princess of Mars nodded, indicating that her presence wasn’t to be ignored. The true-to-form style of her cousin earned a smirk from Miran before the blue-eyed Princess looked back to the Prince and his guards. She felt, rather than saw, Rayna’s own identically colored squad assembling behind them, and the tension in the air grew a little more. For a few weeks now, Miran had all but forgotten the enmities present between many of the planets. Now it was here again, being tossed into their faces with the arrival of a welcomed face. Was this court Queen Serenity had in mind really such a good idea?
            Rayna cut the tension like a knife, then, by stepping forward a second step. She offered her hand out to the Earthen Prince, who took it immediately. Miran watched with wide eyes as Rayna allowed the former enemy to kiss her hand before she offered him another curtsy. “It is a great honor to meet you. My apologies for not meeting with you earlier. I saw your ship dock.”
            “Nay, my Lady,” Endymion held her hand a moment longer than Miran really saw necessary. Her instincts sparked a little at witnessing that, even as she heard a slight choke to her right. “We were both in a hurry to get to the palace, after all. We had long journeys.”
            “That you did,” Miran interjected. She too stepped forward to reclaim Rayna’s hand with her own. Squeezing Rayna’s fingers after she’d hidden them in the folds of cloth between their bodies, Miran half turned to gesture towards the recovering Serenity. “And you’ve yet to meet her Ladyship, the High Princess Serenity.”
            “My Lady,” both offending parties said immediately. With them their guards bowed, giving Serenity a last moment to reclaim the rest of her dignity. Dignity, Miran thought with a slight amount of regret, that she didn’t have much awareness of.
            “P-Princess Rayna, Prince Endymion,” Serenity stuttered for a moment, pink claiming her pale cheeks. She hesitated once more, and Miran felt the surprisingly strong urge to kick her. That wasn’t too necessary, however, as Serenity finally took a few shuffled steps forward to meet them. “Welcome to the Moon Kingdom. Please, forgive my silence, I was simply so happy to see you both here!” The girl clapped her hands together in glee and bounced a slight bit in a joy that was entirely unfeigned.
            Miran felt Rayna tense, the Martian’s fingers closing tighter over her own; she didn’t even have to glance at the girl to know that Rayna didn’t trust Serenity one bit. That couldn’t be helped, though. As sweet and kind as Serenity was, the girl was deceptively moody, one instant bewildered, angry or sad, and the next bubbling and full of cheer. It was hard for one so bubbly and bright as Miran to accept most of the time, and it was only reasonable that a person as solemn and emotional as Rayna would find it untrustworthy at first. A fleeting thought questioned whether Rayna would ever learn to trust it and if she would be right not to do so–Miran locked these thoughts away and turned back to the slowly defusing conversation. 
 
 
~~**~~
 
 
            “You kissed, her hand.” Fury raged through the man’s veins like blood, tightening his muscles and boiling his mind. It sparked in his eyes and flowed through the contours just barely concealed by the helm and cape he wore. He’d barely been able to reign in that anger when it’d begun: only Nephrite and Kunzite moving closer to him in warning had been enough to force it down. When the Princesses had left them alone in what was to be Endymion’s suite for as long as they remained on the Moon, he hadn’t bothered to let it hide anymore. Never had they hidden their feelings from their Prince–they weren’t just guards, after all, they were friends–and today would be no exception.
            Jadeite tore his helm and cape off, wadding the cloth mass into a ball before he slammed it down into one of the lushly cushioned chairs with which the sitting room was littered with. All around him the four other men of their party were ridding themselves of the bothersome contraptions but in not so violent a fashion as their youngest friend. The room itself was relatively large and very well furnished. Here, the Moon’s habitual tendency towards silver had been over looked in favor of more Earthen blues, browns and greens. That in itself was a wonderful gift for the young Prince, for the return to normality eased any hesitance he might have felt in speaking his mind. For his friends this was a curse.
            “Jade,” Endymion sighed. The Crown Prince ran a hand through his thick black hair after he’d let his cape drape over the back of a similar chair. Leaning a little on the back of it, he favored Jadeite with a rather annoyed look. “She’s my peer and a Lady in her own right. She deserves the respect.”
            “Respect,” Jadeite spat at him, letting the fury eat at his words and roll off his tongue like acid. Turning to pace between his neglected chair and the fireplace on the other side of the room, Jade copied the elder man’s gesture with both hands. His fingers tangled and knotted into his bright colored curls, however, and he didn’t bother trying to loosen them. “Respect! What the hell do Martians know about respect?”
            Whipping around, Jadeite faced Endymion with something between a smirk and a snarl, “I saw the way you looked at her, Endy; I’m not blind. How could you? You know the feelings between our peoples, and yet you have serious plans of–”
            Kunzite chose that moment to enter the argument, thus staying whatever Jadeite was about to accuse his Prince of–it wasn’t hard to figure it out, however. Normally the stoic man stayed silent for such things, only speaking when his wisdom or leadership was necessary. Because of this, Jade was inclined, even mid-rage, to stop for a moment and listen. “Jade, we know your family history. It might be hard, but this is politics. You know as well as we do that personal feeling and grudges need to be set aside. Especially when we’re here.”
            This might have been turned into an order, had Kunzite the chance to look up, for the man knew that while his words were powerful, the specialized glances and stares he’d long since perfected could scare the wildest of stallions into behaving. Nephrite chose that moment to tack a comment onto his fellow’s speech that only embittered and further enraged the blonde. “Besides, don’t you have some Martian veins in your blood? If we go by what you’re saying, you must not deserve any more respect than she does.”
            “Nephrite,” Zoisite snapped but it was too late.
            “Is that what you think of me?” Jadeite hissed, blue eyes narrowing. He wasn’t a step closer to Nephrite, however, when Endymion’s hand landed on his shoulder. Turning, he found the elder, taller man looming over him with an anger of his own written on his features.
            “Is that what you think of me?” Endymion countered. Jadeite’s frown deepened, but Endymion continued. “I know how you feel, and how many of our planet’s peoples feel. If you really want to get into that, Jade, there are a good amount of runaways and fugitives on Earth. There will probably be one group or another that would take offense to whomever I’ll end up marrying in the end. Be that as it may, we’re not talking about marriage here; we’re talking about a simple kiss on the hand. If you consider good manners to be flirting, then so be it, but you need to get your priorities in order.”
            Jadeite winced a little at the words. While they did a little to ebb his anger, it wasn’t nearly enough to kill it. Endymion didn’t stop there. “I told you that a Princess of Mars was to be present at this court, as was plainly obvious from the explanation of it the High Queen issued to us all. You walked into this willingly when I gave you a chance to decline, knowing that I was going to have to speak with her, and yes, make friends with her. Maybe even flirt a little, for whether or not you might like it, there’s been talk of my betrothal to one of the off-planet princesses instead of among our own noble houses.”
            Jadeite knew he was shaking now, the rage growing almost intolerable. The renewed thought of a Martian on the throne of the planet his family had come to think of as home was nearly enough to send him packing right there. He didn’t voice this opinion and turned instead to stalk towards a back door he’d spotted upon entering the room. Jadeite had no idea where this door led, only that it was definitely the direction he wanted to go: away.
 
 
~~**~~
 
 
            The silver halls of the Moon Kingdom weren’t as confusing to Amiru as they might have been to any of the other Princesses. Finding your way amongst glass and crystal wasn’t much different from doing the same in a cavern of ice, and she had done so many times beforehand. Of course, that skill only helped when one had an idea of where they were intending to go in the first place.
            Earlier that day, shortly after Rayna and Endymion though she didn’t know it, Amiru had arrived on the Moon Kingdom. No Princesses had been there to run out to meet her, for they were busy with their first two guests, and so the Mercurian Princess had been left to the hands of the palace steward. She, a tall bubbly woman that babbled more than anyone Amiru had ever met before, had lead the Princess to a sitting room where she’d met for the first time with the woman who would be their new teacher, Luna.
            There was an immediate rapport between the two, and Amiru felt a sudden ease within her heart at the thought of staying here. Luna had proven to be as pleasant a woman as her name sounded to the ear. She wasn’t tall enough to be imposing, but not short enough to invoke a childish impression. Her long dark hair floated about her like a waterfall, softening any harshness her body’s angles may have offered. Beyond that, the woman was obviously well-read and mannered. After a short, welcoming conversation, Luna had seen Amiru personally to the quarters the Princess was to call her own.
            They were located inside the Royal wing, up a small tower of their own. Amiru found the entire set-up a little strange, if she was to be honest with herself, but at the same time practical. The tower itself had six levels. The first held a common sitting room and a communal bathing room that they passed through rather quickly. The next was her own room and Luna explained that the third belonged to Miran, the Princess of Venus, the fourth to Serenity, the fifth to Rayna, Princess of Mars, and the sixth to Literi, Princess of Jupiter. This last name cause a smile on Amiru’s somber face as well as a tremor in her heart. While she was familiar with the Venusian Princess, Amiru knew Literi rather well. That was an understatement, actually. The only scar on her body, a small pale mark on her left palm, was from where she and Literi had performed a ‘blood sisters’ ritual three summers prior. Her mother had about had her hide for “ruining” her skin in such a manner, but Amiru had never regretted the choice. To be so far away from Literi, and yet so close, was a strange idea, especially as the structure meant that there would be two people between their rooms—two people that they both disliked.  Hated, Amiru corrected herself, was perhaps too strong a term in her case, but for the moment she’d decided to let it rest.
            After she’d been shown about her room, Luna left her to get adjusted. Amiru found her things had already been brought up. and had taken the time to unpack and organize as well as poke her nose about the place. It had been decorated in Mercurian fashion, much to her own relief; it was like a little ward against homesickness. She pretended the portrait of her family hung upon the wall was more helpful than hurtful, but after a short time of silence in such a strange place the delusion proved hard to uphold. In defense, Amiru stole away from the rooms and decided to explore a bit about the palace itself.
            It was during that exploration that she saw a familiar curly blonde head walking about, looking as aimless as she was. “Jadeite?”           
            The man turned, and Amiru’s heart quickened in joy that she’d been right. Her friend’s usually dazzling blue eyes were dark this day, but it was definitely him. Quickening her pace a little, the short, petite Princess caught up to him in a matter of seconds. “It is you! I hadn’t been told that Prince Endymion had already arrived.”
            “Good day to you too,” Jadeite snorted softly. It was then that Amiru realized why his eyes had lacked their usually dazzling charms. She sobered instantly, only to be rewarded by a slight chuckle from the man in front of her. “Don’t look at me like that, Ami... Please. I didn’t mean to snap.”
            Jadeite’s soft smile returned once more and Amiru’s heart lightened. “Nor did I mean to downplay your importance to me, Cousin,” The woman smiled. Though she and Jadeite were hardly related–his bloodline was of Mercury, but too far from Amiru’s own to have counted–they’d been raised to treat one another as family and the title only made the both of them smile. “Something is bothering you?”
            The man hesitated and Amiru knew she had hit upon something. What it was would remain secret, it seemed, for the man shook his head, “I was simply thinking. When did you arrive?”
            “Several hours ago, I do believe,” Amiru nodded a little. What he was hiding worried her, and she knew that it was written on her face. Still, the Princess did not press the matter and turned instead to look down the hallway. Following her cue, they both continued down the length of the corridor, their pace slowed so that they could converse as they did so.
            Though Jadeite’s home was on Earth, and his place at Endymion’s side had hindered lone travel through much of his life, the ruling houses of Mercury and Earth were close to one another. As such, Jadeite’s trips to Mercury for much of his training and vacations had gone unquestioned. She’d rarely met most of the other Companions, only Endymion standing out in her mind. The others were eyes or hair colors, but nothing more. “We arrived this morning,” Jadeite offered, one hand scooping through his curls in an annoyed gesture.
            Thankfully, the girl knew him well enough to know that it wasn’t directed at her. She couldn’t help a spark of curiosity for what it was, and what had driven him out on his lonesome in a foreign castle. “Jade,” the girl asked softly, her voice lowered to keep their privacy from any listening ears that may have been in the non-existent shadows. “Something’s bothering you, isn’t it?”
            The man sighed, and he offered her a measuring glance. She’d no doubt that he wasn’t angry with her, and so Amiru said nothing more. It was always this way with them; he’d be raging about one thing or another, and she would act as his good sense about it by simply giving him a sounding board. Some thought of it as a rather parasitic relationship on his part, but Amiru didn’t mind. Her friends were everything to her, and their problems worried her.
            In the end, the Princess wasn’t made to wait very long. “Endymion and I had a little... disagreement about political relations.”
            That sounded ominous indeed, and Amiru frowned slightly. She had a fair idea of what that might mean, for while her “cousin” was a shrewd politician when he needed to be, Jadeite usually preferred to stay out of such matters. That something political had upset him was a strange thing indeed, and a pretty good sign that it had to do with the one soapbox the blonde was well known for. “I take it the Princess Mars has already arrived, then?”
            “How do you do it, Ami?” Jadeite surprised her with a soft chuckle. He nodded his head and gave a dull snort then. “She has, and it seems my Prince is quite taken with her.”
            “Oh dear,” Amiru sighed. To anyone else it would have sounded patronizing, Amiru was well aware of that; however, those that did know her knew she meant it. Her brow furrowed a little at the thought of it, before an errant thought formed into a fairly sound idea. “Taken with her in so short a time? You say you’d only just arrived this morning.”
            “We did,” Jade nodded once more. After a moment, he seemed to see what she was getting at and stopped abruptly. The Princess sucked in a breath and stopped with him, sure she had pushed her luck. She was readying a statement to stave off his anger when his own words stopped her. “I know this seems overly dramatic, Ami.”
            “I’m glad you realize that,” Amiru said with more brutality than she was generally known for. She smiled then, a somewhat worried expression that eased any bruising she might have given him. “But I can understand why you would take it so far. It can’t be easy watching a friend be easy with someone you’ve been taught to hate and distrust.”
            Jadeite nodded faintly, a small sparkle returning to his eyes. “What about you, Ami? What are you going to do with this?”
            “The same thing Endymion has done,” she said softly. The quietly strong young woman reached out to touch her friend’s hand. It seemed he was about to pull away from her, but Jadeite stopped and let her hand close over his. “It doesn’t mean that my love of you is any less, Jade. You’re my friend, my Cousin, and you always shall be... but you must understand that I’m honor-bound to respect what the High Queen has dictated. The Princess Mars and I might never get along, but we shall have to be able to work with one another despite. Please don’t make this any more difficult than it already is for me... and for Endymion.”
            The clouds returned to his face, but Amiru felt she’d gotten through to him. Seeing this, she kept his hand for a minute more, then dropped it gently. “Would you like to walk with me? I’m not entirely certain where I’m going, but I’d be glad of the company.”
            “I would,” Jadeite whispered. She had gotten her point across, but the blonde still didn’t like it. That was fine, for he always took a while to come around to sense... he could be one of the sweetest men on earth, but his rages were still as harsh as his Martian grandparents had been. “But I shouldn’t. I need to return to Endymion’s side... I’m sure you understand?”
            “I do,” Amiru nodded. She offered him a small smile and curtsy. He returned a short bow before turning and walking back down the corridor the way she’d come before. When he’d gone, the dark haired woman sighed and relaxed a moment. Jadeite’s family, the Fuegojoyans, were a well known and respected family on both Earth and Mercury now. Originally, their house had been renegades from the last Martian civil war whom Amiru’s own grandfather had taken pity on and offered refuge to. Soon after their arrival, they had several marriages into one of the lesser Mercurian houses, and another house which had several children marry into the Southern ruling family on Earth. Their takeover was so complete that even the house name had been changed to Fuegojoyan. No one was surprised when one of the new Southern King’s sisters had married into their neighboring kingdom to the East.
            There was a great amount of people that viewed their family as a power hungry plague, and despite her own relations to them, Amiru couldn’t help but see the validity in that statement. Certainly she had no problem with Jadeite or his siblings, but the Matriarch of their family was another ordeal. Lady Ratix was a cold, bitter woman perfectly suited to her new home on Mercury. Though the ice planet didn’t normally allow Matriarchies, Ratix had quite effectively wormed her way into the role of a single exception to that ruling. Her vice hold over the new husband she’d found on their planet hadn’t relaxed until the day he’d died and named her ruling heir of their house in his will. Because of the man’s favor in the late Mercurian King’s  eyes, his wish had been upheld thus insuring Ratix’s own hold over her own family. Privately, Amiru believed that even if the rule had been turned over to one of Ratix’s progeny it wouldn’t have mattered. Perhaps that was why it was allowed, so that there would be no doubt as to who was the leader in that situation. After all, the saying had always gone that “it is better to know where the ice drake lies. than to flush him out and have him hide elsewhere.”
            A sound behind her broke Amiru’s reverie. The dark haired woman turned in the sunset-lit hallway to see behind her a girl she recognized without ever having seen her before. For a long moment, Amiru and Rayna stood staring silently at one another, each with no doubt as to what the other was thinking. A slight pink crept into Amiru’s cheeks that had nothing to do with the light siphoning in through the long windows to her left. Questions flitted through Amiru’s mind: How much of their conversation had the other Princess heard? Had she been standing there long, or just caught Amiru staring into space?
            “Princess Mercury,” Rayna dipped a slight curtsy, which Amiru matched immediately in equal depth to indicate their identical positions. Her face was impossible to read, Amiru realized after a moment of watching her. It showed neither animosity or acceptance, and as the woman had yet to say another word, it seemed up to Amiru to open the conversation.
            “Princess Mars,” she replied softly, not knowing what the Princess’s given name was. “Good evening.”
            “To you as well,” Rayna offered, but nothing more. Again awkwardness began to settle its heavy hand between them when a bubble of sunlight danced into the hall from the door it seemed Rayna herself must have come through. Miran’s laughter bounced about the corridor, ringing off the ceiling and playing along the glass. Upon seeing what she’d walked into a shade of darkness threatened her smile, but it was only a minor threat. Indeed, her infallible cheer chased away any ghost of unease left between them as Rayna turned quickly and offered her cousin a wide smile.
            That sudden change in the other girl’s nigh-unreadable face was nearly as startling to Amiru as was the Venusian’s entrance. She shook that off and tried to recollect herself as the other two spoke. “Rayna, what is taking so long? We were waiting on you!”
            “You’re too impatient, the lot of you,” Rayna replied sharply, trusting the smile to ease her words, “I haven’t even had time to make it back to my room, much less search for a single broach.”
            “Excuses, excuses!” Miran stuck her tongue out in such a childish fashion that Amiru was once more sent into a mild state of shock. She’d rarely seen anyone, at least anyone of royal blood, above the age of seven act in such a fashion. The other two Princesses didn’t seem to find anything strange about it at all, however, and Miran continued her babble. “We need to decide what we’re going to wear for the ball; there’s only a few hours left.”
            “And as I’ve said a hundred times before, this entire thing would be more appropriately done in our sitting room. After all, we’d only have to run up a few flights of stairs for different items, rather than across the palace.” Rayna countered with an argumentative arch of her eyebrow.
            “And I keep telling you that Hoku isn’t allowed in the girl’s quarters,” Miran retorted. Her arms crossed over her chest and she settled back on one foot. Amiru, still standing forgotten across the hall, frowned a little. The name Hoku sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. At the moment, her vision was filled with her first sight of the Venusian and Martian Princesses. As neither Venus nor Mercury had problems with Earth, one would have thought they might have met before at Earthen functions, or that their own families might have met since they had no real quarrel with one another. However, though Amiru had met and even played with the children of the Venusian ambassador, she’d never once met or seen a picture of the Venusian royals. All she had was hearsay, but from what she could see before her it seemed to be true.
            Miran was nothing less than gorgeous, that much was certain despite her relatively young age. Her hair was as golden as the sun, like long tresses of pure gold flowing down past her knees. In true Venusian fashion it was left loose, a habit among most women from other worlds that still left Amiru vaguely uncomfortable. In truth, looking between the two cousins in front of her, it was like watching night and day converse. The only things the two seemed to be able to agree on, color wise, was pale toned skin and eyes. Where Rayna’s skin was a light, but healthy, porcelain, Miran’s was creamy and slightly tanned from the outdoors. Her eyes were blue, but not unmatched to Rayna’s own pale violet.
            The robes Miran wore were outlandish to Amiru’s eyes, but beautiful in their own way. A cream colored wrap with the faintest hint of golden swirls woven into the fabric was fastened around her bodice and shoulders for a collar. Under it was a darker gold piece that Amiru could only define as a full-body wrap. It tied about her waist with a gold and cream chord, and flowed out a little looser around her ankles than it did her chest. Somehow the split managed to stay closed, though on a closer inspection revealed that it was actually allowed to flap open a little near the bottom to show off scandalously naked ankles. Once more a blush rose to Amiru’s cheek at the thought of any man being allowed to see a woman’s ankles, and she pressed her hand over her lips to hide her expression. Even the shoes that Miran wore helped to show off more of her ankles, for they were barely more than soles with a few strips of leather to keep them on. Sandals; Amiru thought they were called “sandals.”
            Amiru looked up to find the Venusian’s dancing blue eyes upon her. She made a soft noise, then nodded slightly to the blonde. Miran nodded in return, a slow grin spreading across her features. “Amiru.” The name rolled off her tongue like a statement, with which Miran took a step forward. Boldly, the girl reached her hands out to take Amiru’s and the Mercurian was so startled by this that she let her. “It is good to meet you. I’m sorry, we didn’t get word of your arrival. You haven’t been on your own too long, I trust?”
            “N-no...” Amiru stuttered softly. The familiarity with which Miran carried herself was strange to someone as reserved as Amiru was wont to be, but it wasn’t hard to be sucked into. “No,” Recovering her voice, the Princess of Mercury offered her new companion a slight smile, “I was just looking for you, and the Crown Princess... and...”
            Miran followed the gaze that pierced over her shoulder, turning to see Rayna still standing behind her. Once more it was left to her to introduce the estranged Martian. “Princess Rayna.”
            Rayna nodded to Amiru once more, then took a step forward as her cousin had. “Welcome, Princess....?”
            “Amiru,” the girl offered. She dipped her head in turn. Before silence could try to settle in the group again, Miran tugged upon her captive’s hands.
            “Come! We were just in the middle of preparing for tonight’s ball–you do know about the ball don’t you?”
            That certainly broke whatever spell Amiru had found herself under. Finding herself being tugged into a relatively small, and notably cluttered, sitting room, Amiru almost gave a small squeak of surprise. She choked that inclination down enough to get a feel for her surroundings before she made too much a fool of herself. Some back part of her mind registered Rayna’s leaving, likely to go get the broach Miran had mentioned earlier.
            This room wasn’t as large as some that Amiru had “discovered” upon her wanderings earlier that day, but neither was it precisely small, either. Three couches had managed to fit into the room, forming three sides of a square while the fourth side was reserved for a great fireplace. Surprisingly, there was a flame burning there, though it was practically summer weather outside.
            “It’s cold to us, Ami, remember?” A familiar voice whispered into the girl’s ear. This time Amiru did squeak–in pleasant surprise rather than astonishment. Turning, Amiru found to her great joy the familiar face of Literi smiling from above her.
            “You’ve hit another growth spurt!” she gasped, her happiness abundant in her voice alone. Indeed, the Jupiterian had grown several inches since they’d last seen one another at the start of the last summer Amiru now had to crane her neck upward to fully see her friend’s face. That thought brought home the young woman’s words, however, and Amiru nearly froze at the realization. It was late fall here, not even winter yet, but it felt like the dead of summer to her frozen blood. What would it feel like during true summer she wondered.
            “No, you’ve just grown shorter.” Literi’s laughing reply pulled Amiru’s thoughts back to the present. and the pair grinned. “When did you arrive?”
            That seemed to be a common question; Amiru found herself getting quite sick of it, but dealt with the whole round of questions once more. It seemed Literi had arrived a few hours after her, actually, but had joined up with the Princess’s group sooner. Another guest had come with her, one that Amiru was even less prepared for: The Prince of Uranus, Hoku, a boy she’d barely heard tales of. For a man to take Senshi Power was something both respected and mostly unheard of on Mercury. Indeed, she suspected that she’d only been taught such things were possible because her mother had suspected what was to come later on in her own life; if they’d left that information out as they usually did, Amiru wouldn’t have been prepared to face either Hoku or Endymion’s true power. As it was, she was now expected to fight alongside both Senshi Uranus and Senshi Earth, wasn’t she?
            Amiru’s unasked questions were shortly answered, however, after she’d been introduced in turn to their new liege, Princess Serenity. Bunny, the young woman corrected herself, that was the name this Crown Princess preferred. It wasn’t too hard to see where that nickname had come from, even if Amiru’s own heritage rebelled against such demeaning things as animalistic nicknames. As it was Serenity’s own wish, Amiru held her tongue. She was much surprised at the next announcement, however.
            “We told you there was to be a ball, correct?” Bunny asked, her bright smile at the mention of the event evidence enough to how much the girl was looking forward to it. As if it weren’t enough, the entire group was swimming among a sea of party dresses, shoes, and jewelry the girls had each brought from their luggage. Apparently there was some effort being put in to try and make the girls “match” in one form or another, though with the vast differences in style between the five of them, that seemed an impossible task.
            The only one not sharing in the whole fiasco was Hoku, who was far more content making well-meant fun of their preoccupation with dresses and jewels. It didn’t take Amiru long to see his greater purpose, however; Hoku was quite adept at defusing the tense air that hung between Miran and Literi. Both girls were trying obviously to ignore the animosity between their persons–trying and failing for the most part, it seemed. Still, no true fight had yet to come of it and so Amiru saved the rest of her reflections on the subject for later, choosing instead to concentrate on the task at hand.
            “You did mention it,” Amiru nodded. She fingered a silky Venusian number she had laying in her lap as she carefully thought over her choice of words. “though not why it’s being held.”
            “To celebrate the forming of the Court, of course!” Bunny chirped as if it were the most obvious answer in the world; which it was, Amiru noted with a slight sense of shame for not having seen what was right in front of her. Fortunately, Bunny was far too engrossed with one of the complicated wooden bead necklaces Literi had brought along to really notice.
            “After which, most of us will retreat back to our home planets and duties,” Hoku winked at Amiru, though she wasn’t sure why. A sudden, sharp sense of hope sprang into her chest a moment later. Were they to be allowed to leave? That hope died as soon as it formed, however, struck down by the ever-mighty logic she held in her petite frame.
            “Retreat? Whom?” she asked instead, allowing her puzzlement to show.
            “You didn’t know?” Miran asked softly. When it was apparent that Amiru did not, Miran blatantly ignored Literi’s indignant snort about the matter, and explained. “Only we four–that is, Rayna, you, Literi and I–are to stay as the permanent court. The others have pressing duties and assignments that they must be allowed to return to.”
            That made sense, even to Amiru’s fresh sense of disappointment. Had she been any other person, that light write off of her own duties might have made her a little angry or indignant. The Princess of Mercury held no delusions about herself, however. She knew that, logically, there was a greater duty to be had here than there was for her back home. Indeed, not even the time-tested “duties” of the Senshi Princess were that great on Mercury–they’d all been delegated to other, “more efficient” male officers long since her time. In truth, all she was generally used for was a figure head. Her training had been real, but the function it was supposed to have served wasn’t. That lacking sense of purpose had once been loathed, but now she longed for it with that sickening lurch she’d begun to associate with homesickness.
           
~~**~~
 
 
            Literi couldn’t help but feel Amiru’s own sense of disappointment along with the darker haired Princess. It wasn’t fair, their being dragged along to play babysitter to a–her thoughts skidded to a halt as she turned her sights on the silver-haired Moon Princess. The blood in her veins wanted to boil. It wanted the electric fire of rage to sing through it and fuel her body and mind so that she might be able to run full tilt back to her homeland. One look at Bunny, however, and she was hooked. There was simply something about this girl that was spellbinding. It was almost as if they were made to be here.
            The Venusian’s words had set her on edge, however. Miran hadn’t needed to inflict as much as she had upon the fact that the others had true reason to return to their lives when the four Inner Princesses had not. It was, however, only one of many things the blonde did that ticked her off. The majority of the causes were the simple facts that Miran lived, breathed and possessed a singularly enraging smile.
            The Jupiterian’s fists clenched, her body shifting to settle her hands behind her and under one of the couches so that they wouldn’t be seen. It wouldn’t do to let Hoku know that she was angry again–he’d already seemed so disappointed by the near fights he’d had to regulate that day. Truly, it shouldn’t have been his business but Literi couldn’t stop the quickening of her pulse and catch of her breath that told her that any part of her life he wanted to look into would be his at a moment’s notice.
            For the past month they’d lived, eaten, trained and laughed together on board of the Jungle’s Heart and Literi was only too glad that nothing much had changed upon disembarking. Sometimes friendships made that way weren’t inclined to last, but Hoku hadn’t been treating her any differently. Her heart raced as he leaned over the back of the couch to brush her shoulder and whisper a question in her ear. It wasn’t anything romantic, indeed just a question about customs he wasn’t really good at remembering. She whispered it back to him, however, letting her lips stray a little closer to his than was necessary when she turned her head to do so. Literi caught the slight narrowing of Miran’s eyes when the Venusian witnessed this and gave a mental smirk. So, the blonde daughter of a whore had eyes for her own cousin–albeit Hoku and Miran were only related by marriage–that was just in line with everything else Literi had learned about Miran. The girl could find herself another catch; Literi had already decided to claim Hoku as soon as she could. She didn’t think he’d have any objections to her intentions, and knew he wouldn’t come the result.
            The door opened, ripping blue eye from green, and Rayna stepped in with the broach she’d gone to fetch. The commotion Miran and Bunny both made over this little trinket dispelled the negative air completely. Literi turned, eyeing the broach Rayna held impassively in her hand. A slight smirk settled on the amazon’s lips; watching Rayna’s expression shift gradually from bored to annoyed was positively delightful. She didn’t mind the dark haired Princess so much, though Literi couldn’t help but think that Rayna was more than a little dry. There was something about her that made her seem far older than even Literi, who was the eldest of the girls present.
            The brunette leaned back, resting herself against the legs hidden in the deep blue skirts of her best friend’s dress. Looking up, Literi smiled. Having Amiru here helped more than she could express. It was hard to be in a place alone–even her budding friendship with Hoku wasn’t enough to fill that void. Ever since she and her sister had begun their heavier training years ago, the bond that was between them had weakened. These days, it was almost as if Nanari was a totally different person than the girl Literi had known. Of course, all odds were on that this was entirely true, but that didn’t help Literi’s outlook on it in the least. Amiru turned to look down at her a moment later and the two shared a smile. Ami was as unnerved as she was, Literi thought. She took a little, selfish comfort in that and relaxed once more into the preparations.
            Why Serenity and Miran had decided for them that they’d all try to match in some fashion or another, they were never told, though they were under orders from both the Queen herself and their planets’ ambassadors to wear the colors of their individual home planets. As each planet had widely different color–as well as fashion styles–this matching game was more difficult than one would normally think. Still, they were trying; Literi guessed that it was yet another attempt to find some common ground between them. From the looks of it, that worked just fine for them–clothes were things most girls were excited about on these planets as far as Literi could gather.  She cast an eye down at her own clothing and Amiru’s hand suddenly touching lightly upon her naked shoulder reminded her of something she’d quite nearly forgotten.
           
            The way humidity and sweat froze upon the girl’s brow caused gossip among the palace children. In less than a few hours, the Princess from another star had become more of a side-show for her peers than a delegate or person of power in her own right. Literi had been among them, hiding in the brush as they watched the Princess timidly walk around the few pathways that were placed in the “palace gardens” that were really just a formalized extension of the jungle beyond. From the way the Mercurian dressed, it wasn’t too much of a jump for them to assume some lack of intelligence on her part. The way that the sun beat down upon them, combined with the smothering moisture in the air, made clothing more of a burden than a help, even to such amazing warriors as the Jupiterians were known for being; armor was even limited to wooden weaves and light, supple leather.
            Despite this, Princess Amiru, as Literi knew her, was clothed head to foot. Her skirt was full and seemed to have several more skirts underneath it, so many that the children about her never glimpsed her feet! Over her chest was a tight, thick bodice with a high collar that seemed as if it would hurt her neck were she to turn her head too much. Her sleeves fit the theme of her dress in an awkward sort of way. Puffy about the top, they tightened along her forearms only to billow out once more into a trail that fell all the way to the ground. She must have been sweltering, for surely she looked peaked and sick. The only thing that debunked this theory were the ice crystals forming about the visible parts of her skin; the look it gave her was indescribable. One of the children suggested that Amiru was part snake, a theory the others decided against not too long later. Amiru was far too bird-like to be considered a snake. The best that Literi could come up with as a description of the phenomenon were the cold tendrils of frost across an icy lake she’d seen in a painting once, a long time ago.                                                
            It was during this scrutiny that Amiru’s searching eyes had finally found theirs among the greenery. The red that showed on her cheeks then was hilarious. The humor didn’t downplay the true embarrassment that was there, or the fact that Literi’s companions had had the heartlessness to burst into wild laughter. Literi’s own smile died as a betraying sparkle appeared in Amiru’s eyes. After glaring her companion’s into silence, the ten-year-old crawled out from the bushes and stood to face her peer. “Princess Amiru, right? Sorry about that. They’re not really used to off-worlders.”
            The Mercurian’s eyes had gone wide once more, to Literi’s own surprise. There wasn’t a shine of tears any longer, though the shock that replaced it was more than obvious. With a frown, Literi looked down at herself. “What?”
            Amiru made a soft noise, her hands twitching and held aloft about her middle, as if she’d been about to press them to her mouth and thought better of it. Or, Literi added silently, she’s too frozen to move. Vocal talent slowly retook the Mercurian Princess, and when it did she gave a slight curtsy complete with an apologetic smile. Literi wasn’t appeased by so little, however, and Amiru’s eyes still held a tale of great scandal. “It’s a pleasure to meet you... Princess Literi?”  
            “Lita,” the girl responded with a shake of her head. Seeing that she’d confused Amiru, the girl impatiently explained. “Literi is my full name, but I go by Lita.”
            “Lita...” Amiru acknowledged slowly, rolling it over her tongue like one would savor a piece of steak. For a moment Literi entertained the idea that it truly was for the other girl. She’d been told that Amiru was the intellectual sort, after all—the girl had gone out of her way to learn Jupetese for the simple fun of it! Literi didn’t really understand that sort of fun, but she didn’t bother saying as much. One thing the number of siblings she’d grown up with had taught her was that people came in all shapes and paths. Some paths were just stranger than others.
            The Mercurian decided to further prove that point by running her eyes over Literi’s body once more. Literi wondered if Amiru had said something that she’d missed. She was close to snapping when Amiru spok. “Please, forgive me, Princess Lita. I didn’t mean to be so rude...”
            “Well... we were staring at you,” Literi offered a moment later, when her own small surprise had worn off. The ready apology certainly hadn’t been expected, though the reason for it was still a little vague. “Why were you staring at me like that, anyway?”
            Once more, Amiru’s cheeks flushed. No snake but a lobster, a small voice in the back of Literi’s skull chuckled. The girl allowed herself a slight smirk before she shushed her sense of humor and returned to the present. “Your... clothing. I.. You don’t...” Amiru seemed so timid; it was really hard to take offense to anything she was saying. Truly, Literi was more confused than mad anymore and she put a hand out on the other girl’s shoulder to calm her. Finally, the answer burst forth. “You’re almost naked!”
            Literi found herself staring stupidly at the other girl. It wasn’t that there wasn’t any truth in her words–in fact, Amiru was exactly right–the real issue was that Literi couldn’t really understand why that was strange. Beaded, braided hair clinking about her face, Literi let her gaze drop down for the third time to contemplate her own body. The rather plain, somewhat dirty leather loincloth was the only thing she was wearing that day, if you didn’t count mud splattered over her feet and up her legs; the dried dirt was almost as thick as leather, at any rate, and as hard to be rid of as tar. Her chest had just begun to bud a little, but there wasn’t enough there to require being held back, and so Literi hadn’t yet bothered with any sort of wrapping for it. Perhaps that was the problem, she thought, looking back towards her company, “I don’t really have breasts yet, so it’s okay.”
            If anything, Amiru’s face just became a darker shade of red, closer to garnet or blood. Literi could hear twittering behind them again, a strange soundtrack to the awkwardness of the moment. Upon hearing it, Amiru seemed to shrink back. Literi’s eyes darkened and she readied to swing around to lay into her rude “friends.” The other Princess surprised her, then, by standing up a little straighter. While Amiru’s cheeks still held a touch of pink–Literi feared the girl had actually given herself a sunburn!–she seemed to shake off her fear and timidity at a moment’s notice.
            “Of course it is. Please, forgive my rudeness. It’s my first time away from home and...”
            “And you couldn’t have known what to expect,” Literi grinned. Most of the palace that day had been wearing more “common” tunics and robes, even Literi’s parents. They’d tried to explain why to Literi, but she hadn’t listened. At the first chance, the young Princess had changed her clothes and run off to enjoy time with her friends while she could. The thought of the snickering idiots behind her made her turn, only to find that they’d run off. She frowned then, more than a little bruised at the abandonment. Little did she know that only days later she’d thank them. Because of their disappearance, she’d made one of the best friends she’d ever have.                      
 
            No, Literi had never thought much of fashion or its supposed rules. While she’d always dressed in the “fashion” of her own people, her choices had been more guided by practicality. The elaborate tunic she wore today, heavy with golden trim and elaborate stitching, wasn’t a good example of her own fashion sense. It’d actually been handed down to her from Narou the day that Literi had taken up the full title of Senshi Jupiter. The specific instructions had been to wear it her first day, at least, for “first impressions should be good impressions,” as the woman had said. Despite the hard years between them Literi now found it difficult to think of her aunt without smiling. The physical pain and suffering she’d been put through during her training were wounds that wouldn’t be quick to heal, if ever they did, but there had been good times too. As loving as her mother and father were, Literi found she felt more like Narou’s daughter for all the time she’d spent in the woman’s company.
            “Lita!” Literi found herself face to face with an impeccably sunny face before she’d even realized the girl was there. Cursing herself for the lapse in awareness, Literi tried to not let it distract her, and homed in on Bunny’s question. “Are you certain you don’t have any dresses like these?”
            The amazon had to move Bunny bodily out of the way by gently guiding her shoulders back. That done, she was left to look over a set of three dresses, now. It had taken some time, but they had finally found three dresses that were somewhat similar. From the colors, it wasn’t hard to guess which dress went with what girl. Literi gave a soft snort and shook her head, “I don’t have any dresses, actually. We don’t wear them.” Behind her, Amiru made a soft, amused sort of sound. The Mercurian knew that Literi was exaggerating, of course, but she didn’t voice it; for that, Literi was grateful.
            “No dresses!” Bunny exclaimed, managing to cut off a comment Miran had tried to begin. It was probably for the best, as the look on the blonde’s face indicated that it likely wasn’t anything pleasant. “What do you wear then?”
            “Tunics, loincloths and pants, right Lita?” The mixed question and answer brought a smile to Literi’s lips, and she let her brilliant green eyes fall upon the blonde man that was stretched upon one of the couches. Hoku had long given up formality, much more inclined to toss his over-robe into the surrounding piles of dresses and relax while the girls chatted. He’d even removed the wrapped cloth–a turban, if she remembered the term correctly–from his head and allowed his slightly curled blonde hair to remain free. She tried not to think of how closely he resembled the bubbly blonde girl in the room and instead gave him a smile and nod. “Yes.  Those items are more commonplace...”
            “Wow...” Bunny breathed, her eyes wide in her complete enthrallment. The girl leaned forward a little, balancing on her knees over a dress. “I’ve never been allowed to wear pants! ... And what’s a loin cloth?”
            “It’s a strip of material that goes through your legs and is held in place by a chord around your middle.” Literi said after a moment. The slight frown of confusion that she was met with signified a slight lack of understanding on Bunny’s part.
             Bunny didn’t seem to mind that, though, and smiled suddenly. “That sounds fun! Maybe you could wear one of those!” A slightly embarrassed cough issued from over Literi’s shoulder. The Jupiterian glanced up and grinned to see Amiru’s red-cheeked face. The girl had yet to say much, but she could see she felt the need to interject now.
            “Princess Serenity, forgive me, but I do not think that would be so wise a thing.” Amiru warned, her voice barely loud enough to be heard. But hear it Bunny had.
            “Ahhh? But why?” Bunny whined, a soft but rather pitched sound that caused a wince on everyone’s face but Amiru’s. Literi wondered for a moment if the girl was immune, yet one look at the way her friend’s hands clenched dispelled the idea. Amiru was merely too poised to have let Bunny see how much it pained her.
            Amiru hesitated in answering and a sharper voice answered instead. “Loincloths are too open for people here. Besides, it’s cold outside; they’re not practical.” Literi and Bunny both looked up, their gaze falling upon Rayna’s impassive face. Rayna arched a brow: a challenge, Literi thought.
            “Rayeee,” Bunny whined again, and Rayna’s matching brow rose to join its partner. The rather quick informality Bunny had was at once charming and somewhat unsettling, even to Literi who preferred informality as a rule. Rayna was obviously on the other side of that fence, no matter how well she’d accepted using the term “Bunny.” If it wasn’t for political difference, Amiru and Rayna would get along rather well, Literi thought–or, perhaps, it was that they were too much alike. “It’s her normal clothes, though! She should be comfortable!”
            “She will decide what is comfortable for her, especially in this weather. Some of us are not so used to the cold.”
            “Ehh?” Bunny pouted. Not seeming to catch the hint, she turned her sights to Literi once more. Literi fell back a little, propping herself up on her hands as Bunny seemed to fall into her lap. “What do you think, Lita? It isn’t too cold is it? I’d love to see your normal clothing!”
            Literi’s mouth dropped open a few degrees, her astonishment rather noticeable. It was rather cool, by her own standards; had she been at home she would have thought them to be having a freak cold flux. Jupiter was nothing but a vast, humid jungle. Now that Rayna had brought it up, she could just barely see the other girl shivering from her seat directly in front of the fireplace. While she wasn’t so cold herself, Literi thought she understood how the other girl felt. The thought of wearing her traditional clothing in this weather made her shake a little. However, the way that Rayna had put it caused a spark of anger in Literi’s heart; while it was the truth there was no reason to put it so harshly. Besides that, there was something about the innocent curiosity in Bunny’s pale blue eyes that made it hard for the Amazon to deny her. “Well... Sure. There’ll be a lot of people there and dancing. It’ll probably be warm enough.”
            That got a squeal of joy from the little girl half curled into Literi’s lap. A second later, Literi found herself thrown back with the girl’s skinny white arms wound about her shoulders, and pale white-blonde hair obscuring her vision. A fresh spike of shock shot through her system; so much had already happened, though, Literi found it inconsequential and soon enough began to laugh with the others, her own arms coming up to hold the twelve-year-old. There was something about this girl, something that Literi couldn’t quite name, that just made a person love her; it was almost as if they were caught under a spell.
 
 
~~**~~
           
            The outdoor ballroom pavilion was a magical place that night. Bunny’s blue eyes widened with joy as she looked out over the crowds of nobles and officials from all nine planets. All sorts of colors and dress styles were spread amongst the white and silver decoration. Even the roses that grew in swirls up and around the massive white pillars that outlined the pavilion were white, their nearly translucent stems void of the traditional green coloring. No one knew what caused the plants growing upon the Moon’s surface to loose their “proper” coloring, but no one questioned it, just as no one questioned the lava lakes of Mars, the wild jungles of Jupiter or the sandstorms of Uranus; it simply was. To Bunny, it was normal and natural for it was all she had ever known.
            White, translucent gauze that held a faint sparkle to its weave was draped over the top of the pavilion, coming to a gentle peak in its middle where it was suspended by wires in the trees that were so fine they were nigh invisible. In this peak a beautiful crystal chandelier was hung. While suspended the ornament turned very slowly, casting a supernatural light around the entire enclosure. The gauze curtain flowed down all the way to the grass. Splits had been drawn in it between every other set of columns where the material was drawn back and tied in the flowers to form doorways by which the guests could come and go. A pair of guards was assigned to each doorway, one on either side of it. Bunny didn’t think about why there were more guards beyond that spread out in groups of three and four throughout the entire garden. To her, this was not an uneasy situation but a joyous one. For years she had waited for the day her court would be formed–the day that she’d have children of her own station to play with. (It wasn’t that she minded playing with the servants’ children–she hadn’t thought anything of it until the day had come when Naru’s station in life had left her with no more time for child’s play. Bunny still saw her around the castle now, but Naru was expected to work as hard as any grown woman of twelve. The reality of it hurt.)                                                                                                  
            A lone trumpet sounded and Bunny rose with the rest of the guests as her mother entered. High Queen Serenity’s beauty held no equal here, especially not in her daughter’s eyes. The woman’s long white hair drifted behind her in the soft breeze that was flowing through the garden that night. Like Bunny’s, Serenity’s hair was done up in two traditional buns on either side of her head, with longer “tails” of hair flowing behind her. The Queen’s hair was so long it actually trailed along the floor behind her, mixing in with the trail of the silver dress she wore. Her skin, white as the flowers around the pavilion, glowed with what seemed to be an ambience all of its own, highlighting the slight pink touch of her cheeks and lips. The only color on her person at all was the pale blue that still lingered in her eyes. It was said that once her eyes had been dark as midnight but the sheer power flowing through her veins had long since washed the color away.
            The entire room kept its silence, save a violin in the musician’s dais that had picked up a strain of the Moon’s anthem. Its slow melody was soon joined in by the entire woodwind and string company, though that brave violin kept the lead. It continued as Serenity mounted the short flight of steps that lead to the dais the royal table was set upon. At the top, the High Queen stopped and turned to face the many people watching her, her dress and hair swirling about her feet like the billows of a cloud. As the last note of the anthem died, Serenity raised a hand and made a slight gesture. At that simple command, the entire assembly retook their seats at the tables spread on the outskirts of the pavilion. The middle, a designated dance floor, was left empty for the moment.
            “Good evening, my family, friends and colleagues,” Serenity’s smile was returned through the crowd at such a warm opening statement. From her seat, Bunny could just barely see her mother’s face, but she knew the look the woman was giving the crowd. It was with no small amount of pride that Bunny witnessed again that smile she’d seen so many times before–a smile that could melt the heart of the coldest person in the galaxy. There wasn’t anyone alive who could hold a candle to her mother, of that Bunny had no doubts. “I thank you all for joining us tonight. As you know, this is a very special occasion. For many years now the stars have spoken of change coming to our system. The omens have been mixed and moody, often times reluctant to reading, but there was one thing all the signs on all the planets agreed upon. Tonight, the message of these signs has come to life. After seven years of training, a new generation of Sailor Senshi, the esteemed guardians of their respective planets, have been given the full power of their birth right, and for the first time in history, they are all together now, on one planet.”
            A slight mummer spread across the crowd like a wind-born ripple on a stream or pond. Serenity waited for it to pass before she continued her speech. Raising her hand to insure silence when the tide seemed to have stilled, Serenity went on. “Not only have they gathered, but they have agreed to form a new court. Until now, all of our kingdoms were mostly kept separate. Delegates, Ambassadors, are sent between kingdoms... but some of us are still reluctant to forgive wrongs of the past.”
            Again, Serenity was cut off. This time, the mummer was more energetic. Some voices sounded angry, even with the threat of guards not too far by. Bunny found herself tensing. She had prayed there would be no true problems tonight, but it was a prayer she was beginning to fear would go unanswered. “With this generation there will be a new order. As all the Royal Houses came to pledge for peace in those woeful days following Mau’s destruction, these children have come to pledge themselves–not to me, but to my daughter. Through the planets there shall be a combined law enforcement; a combined effort to make our system safe for us all. These are the Guardians, the defenders of our realm; from this day forth, they will answer to no one but the High Queen. Their armies will answer to them alone.
            “From this day forth, there will be no more inter-planetary war, for there will be no leaders to go rogue.”
            This statement at first shocked the crowd past the point of anger or indignance. Serenity had used her most powerful card with this, even Bunny knew it. Before Serenity, there had been war and chaos among them all. She had lead them from the darkness; she had destroyed that nameless evil that had consumed Mau; she was their savior, how could they defy her? This loss of royal controlled armies might have been seen as weakening the separate royal houses–and indeed, that’s exactly what it was–but she made good points. Without armies to command, the planets could no longer wage war amongst themselves. This way would also solve the problem of an outside force being able to worm its way in so far as it had with Planet Mau. No longer would the peoples be out for only their own protection.
            The silence didn’t last for long; before it could really register as anything, even awkward, these thoughts had gone through the crowd like lightning in the sky. The assembled rose, cheering and applauding their Queen’s wisdom in what had been seen thus far as a strange and fairly treasonous movement.
            Serenity had to raise both hands this time to calm her people. Her smile, warm as always, held a note of triumph the gathered overlooked; it was only right that she be pleased; after all, many had expected this formal proclamation of what she had planned to go awry. “Please welcome them, the eight Sailor Senshi, who have come to claim their new stations. As is fitting, this is the first time they have appeared in public outside their own home worlds.”
            The Queen moved to the side, taking a place behind her daughter’s own chair. A comforting, slender hand was placed upon Bunny’s shoulder and the girl looked up to grin at her mother. The herald was introducing her new Court then and Bunny looked away before Serenity could reply. All eyes had gone to the back entrance of the Royal dais were the Senshi would appear.
            “Introducing her Ladyship, Princess Amiru Gwynn Ap Nudd Mercurous...” The Herald’s voice filled the entire pavilion though he didn’t shout. Behind him, the curtain parted and Amiru mounted the steps. “Ami,” Bunny whispered to herself, smiling at the shy ice princess. Amiru was lovely, Bunny thought, though she didn’t seem to know it. Her hair was a dark black that shone with a faint sheen of blue in the light of the moon. It had been pulled back into a woven net of fine silk and pale sapphires so that it only touched the back of her neck. Bunny couldn’t help but wonder how long it would be if she ever left it down–possibly even longer than Rayna’s or Miran’s. That darkness only emphasized the pale skin under it and the glowing blue eyes. The moon princess at once loved to meet those eyes, they were so beautiful to look at, and yet feared them. There was a sadness there that not even her cheer could deny; it scared Bunny, so much that she hadn’t even the heart to ask why.
            The skirts that Amiru had to lift an inch or so off the floor in order to walk still didn’t betray sight of the slippers beneath for all the layers of fabric billowing beneath the main dress. The dress itself matched its wearer as surely as a properly tailored glove fit a woman’s hand like the skin beneath it. Its main colors were a brilliant medium blue, like the Earth’s oceans from the distance the Moon could see them at night, with a trimming of a midnight blue so deep it nearly matched the blackness of her own hair. Ice blue lace, as fine as frost on a morning window pane, decorated the high collar and very end of the skirt, mingling with the darker blue so that it most reminded one of the light water reflected up onto the top of a cave. Bunny thought the dress was splendid, even though it didn’t at all match the scheme she and Miran had spent so many hours attempting to put together. They’d known that it was all for naught anyway.
            “...Sailor Senshi Mercury!” The Herald finished as Amiru paused at the edge of the dais. She gave a curtsy to the crowd, eyes fixed upon the floor, and then stood straight in her spot. There was a pause, customary to honor her position, before the Herald announced the next Senshi in order.
            “Introducing Princess Miran Aresta Amore...” From the back came the blonde beauty herself. Bunny’s focus switched as the curtain parted to admit the shining golden face of her newfound friend. As she had before, her lips formed the nickname she’d already become used to, “Mina.” The nickname, as well as her full name, fit the princess wonderfully. It was as musical as she was graceful, a quality she showed quite readily in the way she seemed to dance across the dais towards her intended spot. The brilliant spot of sunshine that was the Princess of Venus seemed a perfect contrast to the winter waters of Mercury. Her hair, radiant as spun gold, was left loose to billow and furl around her waist and legs, the bright blue eyes in the middle of a healthy pink heart-shaped face radiated warmth and cheer, as did the sway in her steps.
            Unlike Amiru, her dress did fit with their plan for the event. Gold and blue in color, as were her planet’s official colors, the dress form fit her upper torso, the neckline swooping to show off the little curves she’s accumulated in her fourteen years. It boasted no sleeves, but a sheer, shimmering golden wrap helped to ease the chill against her bare skin. The royal blue cris-crossed ribbons across the bodice accentuated the fact that she kept herself in fighting shape, without making the muscles there in anyway unfeminine. It was a delicate balance, but one the Venusian was well accustomed to dancing. She stopped beside Amiru, flashing the shy girl a brilliant grin before she dropped a curtsy to the crowd. Bunny couldn’t help a soft giggle at the way Miran purposely showed off a flash of ankle when she did. The Venusian was a tease, and it suited her. “..Sailor Senshi Venus!”
            “His Majesty, Crown Prince Endymion Solesti Jade, the Sailor Senshi Earth!” The Herald continued his announcements. Bunny found her cheeks turning pink all over again as the dark-haired Earthen Prince ascended the dais. Endymion was dressed in the style of his home country on Earth. From what she’d been told, Earth was a strange place in relation to the other planets. Unlike most, it had a conglomerate of cultures and languages rather than just a single predominant one. Though Bunny wasn’t sure how that worked, she didn’t really care, either, at this moment. While unused to seeing a man in clothing that could be termed as a “dress,” Endymion actually looked right in this fashion of clothing. It was, she would later learn, termed a “kimono;” his in particular was a deep black lined with a gentle copper. The colors together made his dark sapphire eyes stand out, even under the fringe of his hair. Bunny ducked her head, trying to hide her blush. He was so handsome, she couldn’t even bear to look at him for too long. There was something there, deep inside of her, something that tingled at the very thought of his presence.
            The Herald took pity on her, then, as Endymion took his place beside Miran and gave a bow to the crowd. “Princess Rayna Contess Necou Mars, Sailor Senshi Mars!”
            The dark fury of the war planet came then, her hair flowing behind her like a river of shadow. Rayna had found a dress similar to Miran’s own in her wardrobe. The brilliant red dress was accented by crossed ribbons of a black so deep no other color could penetrate it. The stark contrast between passion and despair in the colors of the dress seemed to reflect the personality that radiated from Rayna’s shockingly violet eyes. Bunny tried to meet those eyes, but when she did she had to look away. Rayna was calm and stern, passionate and elegant. She was, in a word, amazing. Bunny had to admit that she admired this girl; they were only two years apart in age, but Rayna seemed more like an adult than anyone she’d ever met.
            “Her Ladyship, Princess Literi Zusiri Amezin; Sailor Senshi Jupiter!”
            A soft gasp rang across the gathering from more than a few lips. Only the delegates from Juipter didn’t seem at all surprised by the girl’s appearance. Unlike the other girls, she didn’t wear a dress–to point of fact; the girl wasn’t even wearing men’s pants. Bunny found another blush rising to her cheeks now that she knew how little clothing the average Jupiterian wore during the day. A spot of color had appeared on Literi’s tanned cheeks at the crowd’s reaction, but she never faltered a step towards her place beside Endymion.
            The tallest of the female senshi, Jupiter’s long legs were wholly on display for the assembly. Only a loincloth of dark green dyed fur and trimmed with lighter green silk fell between her legs to hide what was there. It seemed a woven band of sturdy reeds or stalks of some sort held the loincloth in place, a knot of exotic flowers streaming from it down her left hip. The early developed bust was secured by a similar form of woven stalks, braided into two cups–one for each breast–and held by loops over the shoulders and around the back. Inside the cups seemed to be lined with green silk as well, and flowers, held by a woven choker, accented her right shoulder. Literi had her hair done up to match; it was pulled back into a tail and woven into more braids than Bunny thought she’d ever be able to count. Various tiny flowers–Pigmies, Bunny recalled; they grew some in the gardens–dotted the luscious brown of Literi’s hair along with its seemingly customary beads and charms. To top off this barbaric-seeming outfit the princess had on no shoes and seemed completely ignorant of that fact. Her very stature in front of the staring eyes gave her respect, even from those ladies in the crowd who looked on the verge of having “vapors.”
            After that, the next in line didn’t seem so strange. “His Highness Prince Hoku Randas Uranus; The Senshi Uranus.” Hoku was almost as radiant as Miran was. His hair shone in the light of the pavilion, more of a sandy color than the gold of the Venusians, but still bright in its own fashion. His skin, long darkened from the deserts of his planet, gave him an outlandish look, at least what could be seen of him beneath his robes. Even though Uranus was one of the hottest planets in the system (the highest ranking in that class being Mars) their people dressed in a fashion that seemed as if it should rightly smother them. He was robed from head to toe in heavy-looking robes that brushed the floor and sported wide sleeves much too big for even his muscular arms. The top robe was left open to reveal another beneath serving as a “shirt” and was tucked into a brightly colored wrap around his waist, falling over pants baggy enough to be easily termed a skirt.
            The only thing at odds with his native garb was that he had forgone the traditional cloth head wrap of his people. A smile, strikingly white next to his own skin, seemed to split his face apart and he shared a laughing look with the Amazon to his right. Bunny smiled for them and the way that Lita looked at the prince. They would make a cute couple, she thought; it was too bad that Hoku wasn’t staying on the Moon. It was then that the next princess was brought forward–one of the three that Bunny hadn’t yet met.
            “Introducing Princess Micherite Arista Triton, the Senshi Neptune.” Bunny’s eyes grew wide at the sight of this beauty. Behind her the crowd seemed to be holding its breath as if some great deity had pulled a string about all their necks at once. Of course Neptune would be put beside Uranus. Like several of the other planets present, the two had a long history of war between them. In fact, the battles between their planets were the only ones still being fought, occasionally. It was mostly scuffles between trade ships–merchants who hadn’t learned how to adapt to the change in their respective planets’ foreign policies—but that didn’t stop there being bad blood between all concerned. In her favor, Micherite didn’t seem much interested in acting untowardly to Hoku.
            Bunny doubted that Micherite could act untowardly towards anyone. There was something angelic about her, even barring the tint of her hair. Aqua locks waved and curled about her soft face like the waters her planet was known for. By the radiant light of the moon it seemed to have a life of its own, rippling about as she moved. Her skin was as white as anything upon this planet and made her eyes seem darker than a well. The way that Micherite held herself and moved, a graceful sort of step that once more reminded Bunny of an ocean, was more powerful and beautiful than any dress could have been. Try as she might, the girl couldn’t seem to focus on the fabrics clothing Neptune’s body. It seemed as if others were having a similar reaction.
            Even Bunny wasn’t so naive as to not notice the way that Hoku’s head turned or the way he stared. As Micherite stopped beside him, their eyes met and it seemed as if the entire crowd should know. Bunny’s hands clasped and pressed into her chest. It was like seeing a love story come to life in the wordless glance that passed between the two of them. Their eyes parted a moment later as the next, and final, Princess was announced.
            “Crown Princess Setserin Glacia,” The herald’s voice filtered through the crowd for the final time. “Senshi Pluto!”
            This Princess was much older than all the others, though she didn’t show it. Hers was the darkest of all their colorings, with skin a deep chestnut brown and hair so black it shone green under the pavilion. It swept the floor by her ankles, which were perfectly in sight, as she did not wear a dress. No, the Senshi stood in front of them in all her glory, the Staff of Time at her side, with the dark Garnet Orb settled in its place on top. A moment of silence reigned for the Senshi of the Underworld as her chilling red eyes swept over the crowd; The same eyes that met Bunny’s a moment later.
            For one long, terrifying moment Bunny felt herself trapped by those eyes. Then Setserin nodded to her and the slightest of smiles crossed her painted lips. Bunny returned the nod, realizing in that instant how wildly her heart was beating under the press of her own hands. There was something about that woman; a presence that was heady and fascinating and oh-so-dangerous. She returned to reality as her mother had once more taken the center of the dais with Bunny’s court still standing behind her.
            “Unfortunately there has yet to be an heir born to Saturn, and we could not ask King Sen to attend this function with the situation his Queen and people are suffering,” Serenity gave a light, sympathetic smile towards the delegates from the plague-ridden planet. The Ambassador of Saturn nodded tersely in return. Bunny shivered a little in the silver and white dress that covered her tiny form; that man scared her. His hawk-like eyes and hooked nose gave the impression of a great bird, such as the ones that had been sent to pluck the eyes and liver from Prometheus’s still living form in the ancient days long past. “So please, join me in welcoming not only this new addition to our court system, but a new tradition and way of life for us all.”
            At this the applause began again, and Bunny smiled as she stood to join it. Everything was going so well! Turning slightly, she let her eyes roam over the line of Princes and Princesses that were the New Court. The High Princess wasn’t sure what this feeling was that tugged at her mind and heart, but somehow she knew that there was something here–something special. Something had begun.
                                                           
 
 
                                                                                                               
 
 
 

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