He is a god in my eyes -
the man who is allowed
to sit beside you - he

who listens intimately
to the sweet murmur of
your voice, the enticing

laughter that makes my own
heart beat fast...
- Mary Barnard, Fragment Thirty-Nine

There are no words to describe how I envy him. I envy the way he can sit beside her at mealtimes. I envy the way he can look at her without fear of blushing or making a fool of himself. I envy the way he can touch her hand, take hold if it and kiss each knuckle without any care for what onlookers think.

I am always thinking of the onlookers. I am always thinking of what it may look like. The line between devotion and obsession is wafer-thin.

I should know.

I know all about devotion, because it's part of my job. To be a sailor senshi is to be devoted - to your star, your planet, your people. Your princess.

My princess. The smell of olives, white hands, tangerine hair and eyes of flame. A sweet smile and a touch on my shoulder.

"Thank you, Star Fighter."

Oh, I know she loves me. She loves me as her protector, her dear friend, her sister. The word hisses in my mouth, a snake at my bosom. It is a privilege and it is my prison.

Yet I love my tormentor. I would do anything to stop her being hurt or harmed. That is what it means to be a senshi: to give your princess everything.

Especially your heart.


DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to Naoko Takeuchi.