Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Different Story ❯ Chapter 02...In Search Of The Stones : Sailorvenus ( Chapter 5 )

A longtime partnership meant words were not necessary as the long-haired blonde and her two companions trod across the rocky ground. It didn't mean, however, that she'd keep quiet. “I'm still angry, Artemis.”

“I know you are. But that doesn't change our mission.”

“I can't believe you're holding a grudge still, personally. Not that I can't hold a damned good grudge when the mood strikes me, myself, but this is something you're still pissy about from a lifetime ago. Besides, give the guy some credit; death seemed to give him a good perspective on his fuck-up.” The tall red-head made no real noise as she walked alongside them, entirely invisible to both their eyes. Venus glanced her way, and snorted haughtily.

“It doesn't change what's happened! As if acting in such a manner now fixes the problems of the past; he willingly betrayed his prince, which is unforgivable. That Mamoru-san would accept the apology without hesitation….! Iie, I hope not.” Focusing twilight forward, she didn't notice Artemis rolling his eyes in disbelief, and of course, couldn't see whatever expression Alex wore in similar feeling. Which she mostly likely had; the long-haired blonde knew she was mostly lying, but damned if she'd admit it. Old wounds lingered painfully, and this one most of all. Even now, the very thought caused her heart to twinge.

The Kage stone had deposited them within what looked to be a rocky, sparse canyon, traversable in only one direction. With the sun not quite directly overhead, Artemis had speculated that they were walking mostly west, as the canyon made several lazy corners and one or two sharp turns. The scenery was plain to say the least. Turkey seemed to be a rather boring place already, and if the rest of the region was the same, Venus could well understand how Kunzite could have been from the area.

Finally, they reached one last sharp turn, and stopped dead.

The canyon had opened up into one larger, with no exit. A pair of time worn pillars were positioned across from them, flanking an altar of similar age, holding a round blue stone the size of Venus's fist. It glowed in time with the Kage stone in her hand, and as she held it up, she laughed. “Kunzite's Hi stone! Already we've found it!”

Moving quickly, they came up to the altar to take the stone. As Venus lifted it up, the ground shook; all three of them, used to the mild tremors of Tokyo, braced themselves instinctively. “An earthquake, at such a time? Venus, Alex, I don't like this,” Artemis remarked, glancing around uneasily.

“It may just be a normal occurrence around here. But why wait around and find out?” Alex replied.

Venus scoffed, touching the stones together; they flashed brilliantly before molding into one blue stone, square cut and twinkling beautifully. She tucked it into her bodice, hesitating only for a second at the strangely assuring warmth it gave her. “Hai, let's go quickly. Baka Artemis, it's probably just a mild little tremor. It's nothing at all, compared to this past spring.”

Indeed, the tremor was already finished. Smiling, the long-haired blonde led them back to the smaller canyon path, relieved that the mission wasn't going to take very long at all, that they could be back in no time.

As they nearly reached the path, Venus cocked her head as she caught sight of what looked like a wooden box half-hidden by several fallen rocks. “Ne, ne, Artemis, sensei! Look over there. I wonder what's in that box?” She pointed for their benefit, even as wandered towards it. “Maybe something valuable and pretty I can keep as a souvenir? After all, V-chan always has a souvenir for her travels!”

“And what happened to those? Your little Greek Parthenon model was never taken out of the box, and the market jewelry you've worn once. And all of your Chinese fans and dresses you wasted your allowance on are sitting in the back of your closet!” The white feline snorted as she completely ignored him and picked up the box, rolling his eyes skyward. “I live with this, you realize.”

“At least she isn't threatening to replace you anymore.”

“Replacement? Sounds more like `retirement' to my ears.” He shook his head as he watched his charge fiddle with the small box, trying to pry open the lock. An ear twitched nervously as she began to bang it on a nearby boulder instead, muttering under her breath. “Would I be placed in a secure environment?”

The sound of the box breaking was surprisingly muted, though Venus's cry of exclamation was, of course, not. Gloved fingers were gentle as they lifted a golden band from the wreckage, a brilliant topaz inset catching the light beautifully. Several smaller lapis stones accented the wrist, surrounded by stylized etching. “It's beautiful,” she sighed, rolling off her glove to try it on.

It had no clasp, but it still fit perfectly. She rolled her wrist, cooing at the piece of jewelry as it sparkled in the sun, as Artemis and Alex sighed in unison. “You know, we'd like to get home at some point,” Alex suggested as the long-haired blonde struck another pose.

Artemis nodded vigorously. “Hai, hai, home, and out of this dry, nasty heat. Fur and double degree temperatures don't mix.”

“Fine, fine! Worryhogs.”

“Warts, Venus. Worry `warts.'”

She just waved it off with a foppish gesture, pulling her glove back on over her new accoutrement. Smoothing the fabric over her wrist, she frowned slightly as she felt a frisson of power roll through her fingers, and she paused in her walk. What in the world had she put on? A bit apprehensive now, she hurried forward to meet the other two, saying, “Artemis, I think this bracelet has some kind of power—“

The second tremor knocked them off their feet. As they fell, the ground opened up beneath them, a yawning rip into darkness they couldn't even estimate; screaming, shouting, and howling, they dropped down, and down, and down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

….Chapter 2 : In Search of the Stones - Sailor Venus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Ittaaii….”

“Auugh….I feel like I was run over by an onslaught….in Technicolour…”

“Ooo….where are…where are we…?”

The ground beneath them felt rather unusual, but was unarguably hard enough to have killed them if the tall red-head hadn't managed to slow them in time. Opening an eye slowly, Venus rolled onto her side to get a good look at it, only to blink open both in surprise. Brick? Man-made paving? “Artemis, sensei….we've landed on a street or something! Or maybe a house!”

“Don't be silly, Venus, we fell underneath a canyon, we couldn't possibly have landed on….perfectly set paving stones?” The white feline, rolling over as well, tapped his claw against the stone. Some of it was covered over with faint green growth, as nature was wont to do over time, but there was no disputing the fact that they had landed somewhere that had been man-made. “Alex, are you seeing this?”

A moan was the only response. Then: “The psionic in question is currently nursing a killer headache due to saving three mammals from freefall. Leave a message at the curse word.” She then cursed eloquently, and, from the sound, rolled over.

Venus stood up, a bit wobbly on her feet, and stared out at what had to be a mirage: a town of clay and brick houses, in obvious use, lit by a source she couldn't identify; it seemed to be a constant low-level illumination coming from the ceiling and upper walls. It was also quite warm for an underground cavern. “Sugoi,” she whispered, rubbing her hip. On her wrist, the bracelet felt almost painfully hot; Kunzite's stone was burning her breast. “It's an underground world. Kunzite's home…?”

Out of the thicket of houses ran a young man, concern clear on his face. Artemis braced himself for a scene as Venus tensed, twilight narrowing; if the town was what she thought it may be, she had no easy trust for anyone living in it, not when the traitor himself may have once grown up in one of the houses. Even if the man looked genuinely innocent. “By the gods, are you all right? You fell from such a height! No one would survive that.”

She continued to stare at him as he trailed off, staring hard at her face. His eyes moved up to her hair, then down again, over her body in such a direct, honest manner that even she couldn't find a reason to be offended. In turn, she studied him, though there wasn't much; young, dark-haired and eyed, his skin a medium tan like another's colouring (and she was not going there, she was going to turn back from that precipice, by the kami), his clothes hand-made and simple in design. She twitched an eyebrow at the realization that she understood his language; she'd forgotten that aspect of their powers.

But her woolgathering came to an abrupt end as he exclaimed, “You're so beautiful! A young, lovely, beautiful girl has fallen into my path - please, please accept me as a partner for your affections! Surely you must be a goddess to be so perfectly beautiful!”

“N-nani?! I've only just gotten here! And what are you saying!” She took a step back, unsure of what to do as he advanced. “You've got me confused with someone else, obviously, I'm completely ordinary!”

“Not at all!” another cried out, and she whipped her head around to see another man coming towards her, this one slightly older. “Don't listen to him, he's too young! Be my lover instead!”

“Not him! Chose me! I'll shower you with gifts, I'll make you the happiest woman!”

“Forget his empty promises! I can do better!”

“C-chotto! I didn't fall down that hole for this! I don't even know who you are!” she protested, turning around to see a third man coming at her, with the same adoring smile on his face. “Artemis! Sensei! Tasukete!”

A ghostly hand grabbed her wrist and yanked her forward, around the first man. “Smooth one, Alice. Next time we go anywhere, I'm taking the lead!” Alex snapped as they ran, Artemis hot at their heels. Behind them was a miniature mob, almost as fast; several more men had joined in the chase. “I know blondes get more attention, but this is ridiculous!”

“Keep running!” Artemis panted as they skidded around a house.

“What do you think we're doing!?” Venus cried, risking a look back; every single one was giving her the kind of stare she'd only seen in romance movies, of which she'd hoped for from a guy she was actually interested in. This was far creepier, even worse than the perverts on the subway. “Why are they even chasing me like this? I'm not even that pretty!”

“I told you you're the incarnation of the fabled goddess of beauty, but do you ever listen? Of course not, that would mean you were paying attention!”

“Then why can't I find a nice normal sexy idol boyfriend? Tell me that, since you're so smart!”

“Will you both shut up and run like hell!”

“But why are we even running?! Can't you do a mind trick on them, like in the movies!” the long-haired blonde gasped as she was hauled along, her pace ragged as her heels conspired to catch in every single crack and dip along the way.

“Oh yes, let's have the token psionic save the day as usual! Especially after said psionic has just carried the weight of several hundred kilos with her mind and is still, I repeat, still nursing a headache that's threatening to reach migraine status if I have to do something that stupid again!” It definitely sounded as though she was still in pain; every other word seemed to be bitten off. “My incorporeal state doesn't prevent my brain from hurting, and right now, the 1812 Overture is playing, complete with the cannons, thank you very much!”

They stopped short around the third house at the sight of the men in front of them, having run around the other way. Venus was now the one to curse; in one swift gesture she removed her heels, cradling them under her arm as they darted between houses, hearing the uneven thunder of several men behind them. The stone pavement hurt her feet, so used to carpet and wood when bare, but it was better than being caught by a group of lechers. “Hasn't anyone noticed what's going on? Why aren't we being helped?”

Rather comically sliding, they turned around corner and ran for dear life past a communal well in the middle of the village, stopping to look behind them. “I think we lost them around the last house,” Artemis panted, sneaking a few hasty laps of water.

“I wouldn't bet on it. And as I'm making conclusions, have you two noticed anyone else in this village that doesn't have testicles?”

“We haven't seen anyone else but those men….but, still…a village of only men?” Venus frowned, touching a finger to her lip. Why did that seem less than absurd to her? She could reasonably deduce that this had once been Kunzite's home, in their previous lives, though now, she wondered if she didn't have a memory of it herself; with two lives in her head, she tended to simply forget much of the first. There was no real reason to dredge up that past anymore unless she was directly asked, considering that her mission to find everyone and imitate the princess as a decoy was long over.

Had she once visited this place?

Her mulling was interrupted by a tug on her wrist, pulling her into the shadow of another house. “They're still following us,” Alex grumbled beside her as they pressed themselves flat against the wall, listening to the pounding as the men passed by. The group had also grown bigger; several older men had joined the procession, nearly hobbling on weakened knees and holding canes, but determined nonetheless. One in particular was chanting something loudly - and, from the thickness of his voice, drunkenly - that sounded like mere noise instead of actual language, waving around a small golden statue.

A small golden statue that looked like a slim, slender figure with long hair.

Creeping forward, the trio practically dove into the open door of a nearby house as the crowd threatened to see them, collapsing in a heap on the dirt floor. The door itself consisted of merely a flap of blanket, which settled into place neatly just as the men stamped past, the old man's chanting now infecting them all. “What a very weird place.” Artemis twitched an ear as he peeked out around the blanket. “And what was that chanting? Venus, could you understand it?”

“Iie. It just sounds like noise, like nothing at all,” she replied faintly, clutching the bracelet around her wrist again as it throbbed against her skin. Something about all of this was becoming familiar to her, as if the past incarnation of Venus was remembering the stories of her life, hiding them from the present with a teasing laugh. “But this very place….why does it now seem familiar to me? Sensei, have I been here before?” she directly queried her mentor.

Apparently, she was facing the wrong way, as Alex answered behind her, “I don't know. Venus did whatever she liked, whenever she wasn't under obligation to me. Maybe, if this really is Kunzite's old village - and we have reason to believe it - you chased Serenity here. After all, she kept going down to Earth to seek out Endymion.”

“I don't think so. I think I came here on my….on my own.” It came out as a whisper as she clasped her wrist, protectively holding it to her breast. Artemis gave her a look of pity.

After she had woken up as Venus, standing alone in the ruins of the set with Adonis's words hanging over her head, she had effectively closed back up. She was Venus, but she refused to talk about it further, instead continuing on as the happy-go-lucky Minako with a secret identity: Codename wa Sailor V. Artemis had tried to coax her open again over several months, but though they had become - dare he say it? - friends since he had found her, she remembered their relationship from their previous lives; that is, to say, barely one at all. He and Luna had been ambassadors, the Queen's advisors, and her close friends. Of the sailor soldiers they knew little except that they were the guardians of the princess and the kingdom, that they were Venus and Mercury and Mars and Jupiter, and that they were answerable to only two people in the entire kingdom. Artemis and Venus had not been friends; they had been business associates.

Finally one day, as the Dark Kingdom seemed to be preparing for a step-up in plans - Jadeite would begin his campaign in a month, prompting Luna to finally find and awaken Sailor Moon - she broke down. As Sailor V she had been caught in the crossfire between the police and some idiot Americans trying to smuggle drugs out of the harbor, and she had spent an hour protecting a girl trapped with her. The girl had been in love with one of the smugglers, a second generation Japanese-American, who had not wanted to help them at first; he had come to Tokyo precisely to stop them. But they had quickly talked him into it, luring him with promises of money and power, and he had turned his back on her to go to the harbor. That night, as the girl had sobbed in her arms, he and the rest committed suicide finally, detonating a grenade.

When she had returned home, a scratched-up, frightful mess, she had staggered into her bedroom and collapsed. And cried. And talked. She talked about Venus, about her fears and insecurities, about her life as the dedicated leader, and about a love affair that never fully materialized before the end. About Kunzite, and his eyes, and his smile, and their meaningful gazes from afar.

About his betrayal.

Afterwards, she slowly began to forget that life, holding onto the memories as long as she needed them, until their princess awoke. Then, even Artemis could recognize the signs of forgetfulness, though he never begrudged her the opportunity to live her present life fully without that shadow of her past. Neither had their guardian, though Artemis wasn't sure how much she knew of their private lives from that lifetime. She seemed to understand, just as he did, how important it was to simply live.

Now, Venus was remembering that particular time. She had nursed that old wound - of Kunzite's betrayal - since the beginning, kept it slightly festering in the back of her mind. That wound would never heal, not when her present life, with all of her sighs and agonizing over love not found, continued to remind her. But there was more to those memories than simple loving gazes and coyly exchanged words. More to add to her pain.

A sound outside had his ears standing straight at attention; footsteps, heading purposefully their way. “Someone's coming,” he hissed, at which Venus lost her ruminating look and swiveled to stare at the blanket. “Alex, can you hide us?”

“I can try, but it'll hurt. Retreat into that second room; maybe they won't be entering this particular house.”

Venus scooped up the white feline and darted into the second room, flinching at the blast of heat from the cooking fire set against the wall. She paused to look around, eyebrows rising as she saw the alcoves cut into the walls holding candles for light, a bookshelf full of neatly-bound books, and a grill much like a hibachi in the middle of the room. Even a lumpy bed sat against the wall, with roughly-woven blankets. “Venus, this isn't exactly a time for sight-seeing!” Alex reminded her, and she scurried around the wall to drop Artemis somewhat ungratefully on his feet. He gave her a glare, which she ignored. “Whoever it is, it's a single man; and he's coming in.”

“Nani? Another man!? Mou, this isn't my day!” Without bothering to consider the alternatives, Venus whipped the blankets off the bed, grabbed her cat by the scruff and threw him under, and rolled in herself. She arranged the blankets messily around her as she curled around Artemis, holding her breath and clapping a hand over his mouth as he looked ready to snap at her. “Shhhh, Artemis!”

That is single-handedly the stupidest thing I've seen you do yet. Apparently, disgust traveled, even if the `voice' sounded a bit weak.

Nyah. You're just jealous. Venus smiled brilliantly as she returned the thought.

There were footsteps as the man entered his room, humming cheerfully. Holding herself firm, the long-haired blonde forced herself to breathe evenly through her nose, still clamping her hand over her cat's mouth as he glared back at her. His tail twitched in irritation against her bare leg. “How strange everyone was acting today,” she heard the man mutter under his breath as he walked around. “Telling me, `Darcy, don't mind us, just go home.' And walking in circles! Everyone's gone mad, except me.”

A pot clanked as he lifted it. “The way things are going….ah, well. I'm just glad to be home.”

Venus was beginning to lose the battle with her lungs; she needed air. Even more so when, right as Alex shouted in her mind, the man sat right down on her stomach. “KYAAA!”

“Iyaaaahhhgg!” the man howled in return, and as Venus sprang up, he fell backwards, nearly landing on the grill. A queer little backpedal had him catching himself in time, dumping him instead in front of the other fire. Disheveled, blond hair fallen in his face, he lay there as Venus began a rapid fire apology.

“Gomen nasai, gomen nasai, I didn't mean to scare you, gome-e-en!” she babbled, bowing up and down as he slowly sat up, brushing the hair out of his face. “It's just that these crazy men were chasing us, and I had to hide, so I ran in here!”

Bowing her head in submission, she chanced a peek up.

The man was staring at her in much the same awed manner as the rest, though, at her glance, he lowered his eyes hastily. “Those men….well, that's understandable. You're so lovely a girl. But how many of you can there be? I see only you.”

“A-ano….did I say `us'? I meant `me.' Just me. Just me, and my loyal cat, Artemis.” She pulled the unfortunate feline out from the bedcovers, holding him out for the man to see. “I'm Venus. Sailor Venus.”

“Venus….? Just like the goddess. It suits you perfectly. You're just as lovely.” Sitting up, the man gestured to himself. “My name is Darcy, and this is my home. I'm honored to have such beauty within.”

Even though he was being respectable about it, his constant stare was beginning to unnerve her. Setting Artemis down, she said, “I'm flattered that everyone thinks I'm beautiful, but enough is enough, ne? It's a little strange to be so stared at. Everyone acts as if they haven't seen a regular girl before!”

“You're hardly regular, Venus…but, my apologies. You're right, we're not used to such beauty. This is the village of Rias, within which only men reside. That is why you were chased so desperately.” Darcy stood up, brushing the dust off of his clothes, which were well-worn and dirty enough already that it seemed a useless gesture. “Though I think there was another reason…that you've visited us before. It's strange, but I'm positive that I've seen your beautiful figure before.”

Rias.

Her eyelids sank to half-mast as she considered the name, and the strangest feeling of comfort associated with it. This had to be Kunzite's home. Only a village of men could contain the strength and pride of the silver-haired boy before he was elevated to a status benefiting his power. “The village of Rias….deep below the surface of the earth, in a cave. The village of men. Maybe I did visit this place, long ago.”

If you did, why would he remember you? Alex asked within her mind, still sounding faint and weak. He doesn't look any older than his twenties. And the people of Earth didn't have long life spans like the Silver Millennium.

I don't know, sensei.

Darcy shrugged, holding his hands wide. “It could be possible. But, enough of that. I have a job to do; we're having a party tonight, and I have to help prepare. With you here, would you come? It won't last very long; we always have a party to celebrate when one of our boys become men. It will be at the village temple.”

“A party? Well, I suppose so…after all, I'm a bit hungry,” Venus agreed, though she had to hold her smile a bit falsely when Artemis gave her a covert glare that quite succinctly told her what he thought on the subject. “We'll be there!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few hours later, after they had talked to surely everyone in the village, they had gained nothing but several marriage proposals to Venus, a few dance promises, and two declarations of binding fate. Venus refused to do anything else but rest until the party, so they had taken up a perch on the farthest corner of the front steps of the temple. She had dropped her heels by the pool, so now that she had picked them back up, she spent some time cleaning the dirt off of them. “This is pointless anyway,” the white feline protested as she ignored him, scrubbing at her shoe, “we already have Kunzite's stone. Why can't we just go home? I, for one, need to eat; I refuse to touch anything these men may have cooked. They live underground! Who knows what kind of mosses and mildew they might eat?”

“You also need a bath; you smell rather ripe,” Alex riposted, earning a dirty glare in her general direction. “Though mon chat is right; why aren't we going home? I'd like to at least be visible again. This ghostly shit was tiring the first time around.”

Deciding her shoes were finally clean, she stuffed her feet into them rather carelessly. She spared a bright smile for an admirer as he walked past and into the temple, giving her a lovesick stare as he passed by. “Because, sensei, Artemis, I want to go to the party. I want to know why I remember this place; was I really here? Did I visit that treacherous general? My memory won't tell me. I don't think I want myself to know the truth.”

“Maybe you're trying to spare yourself some anguish. Nothing wrong with that.” The dust swirled into a tan-coloured tornado in front of Venus, shaping itself into a familiar figure; the older, stronger Silver Millennium Venus, holding the holy sword that had been destroyed in the Arctic. She turned, her eyes staring lifelessly into that of her younger self, lifting the sword to salute. “Is that still you? You're Sailor Venus, but she was not Aino Minako. Venus went through those troubled times, not you. Is it really worth it to dredge up the past?”

A sharp wave of her gloved hand dispersed her mentor's figure back to dust. “Iie. But I want to. Venus is still Venus. And he hurt us. That life is long gone, but the memories - the pain - all of it remains in one form or another. You know that, sensei.”

“Touché. But my life is still my life. Even as Chouno Moriyakumi or Sakakku Kotaiko, it was still me. The Sailor Venus of then and the Sailor Venus/Aino Minako of now are not the same, no matter what you want to think.”

Venus shrugged, looking away towards the line of men and boys coming towards the temple, dressed in what was assumedly their finest clothing and robes. “But I still want to know,” she murmured, before standing up to join them. Putting on a bright smile and a laugh, she took a proffered arm from a particularly cute boy around her age and allowed herself to be led inside as Artemis and Alex hustled to follow.

Inside was a magnificent stone floor and tapestries, platforms holding dancers and jugglers performing marvelous feats, and tables full of steaming bowls of food. Venus was lost almost immediately as they crowded around her, begging for dances and attention. “Well, at least she can't say she isn't the center of attention,” Alex sighed, as Artemis sniffed suspiciously at one of the pots.

“Give her an hour, she'll grow tired of it. What do you think this is?”

“Looks like raw tripe, honestly. Try that other one, at least it looks cooked.”

So as they found a seat and Artemis stuffed his face, they watched the long-haired blonde laugh and smile her way through dance after dance; even Darcy managed to catch her for awhile. They put on a show of acrobats for her, presented her with gifts of jewelry - earrings and bracelets and pendants that she would have a hard time explaining to her mother - and left her flushed and laughing. More than an hour passed, and she still had not, as Artemis had predicted, grown tired of it.

Finally, after almost two hours, Venus danced her way over to them, collapsing next to Artemis with a giggle. “Ara, I'm having so much fun! Everyone is so nice to me; and look, Artemis, look at these pretty things!” She spilled the jewelry onto the seat, what she hadn't had the time or space to put on; she had already put on a pair of heavy gold and lapis dangling earrings, two gold rope necklaces, a gold and topaz choker, and a gold and lapis slave bracelet over her glove. The rest of it was basically the same mess of gold and topaz and lapis.

“Hai, hai, and I'm sure your mother will completely approve of this. If you're lucky, she may not either take it all for herself, or pawn it next week.” He stamped a paw as she ignored him, admiring the gleam of her bracelet. “Venus! Kami-sama, we would like to go home to Japan! Have you finished having fun and extending our mission needlessly yet? The others could already be back, waiting for us to save Mamoru-san!”

“Fine, fine! And who says mama will know? But I want to explore that last room, first.” Pausing as she scooped up her acquisitions into a velvet bag, she pointed back towards the stairway at the end of the room. The stone changed as the stairwell went up into shadow, to a strange grey colour that could not have been locally quarried.

Muttering under his breath as the tall red-head sighed, they snuck off with Venus up the stairs, passing through complete darkness before they arrived on the second floor; no tapers had been lit, presumably because no one was meant to go up. When Artemis noted this, he was unsurprisingly ignored.

The second floor was even more marvelous than the first: there was a long platform set into the floor at the end, upon which stood a statue - in full uniform - of the shitennou Kunzite, hewn from grey marble. The platform was offset by large squares in the floor which were set with what looked to be emeralds, sparkling magnificently in the glow that came from the ceiling and upper walls. A perfect place to worship a man who had not been a god, but a merely elevated mortal.

It also came with a puzzled-looking girl wearing the uniform of the Oppositio Soldiers, surrounded by what could only be replicated youma of the kind from Juuban. Standing in front of the taller Kunzite statue, she was looking around in an obvious tizzy, completely oblivious to the trio watching her from the shadows. “The Kunzite stone is somewhere in this village of men. It has to be! You have to find it. Ishtar needs that stone before Venus arrives. Go and search for it; it doesn't matter if someone gets in your way, kill them. The stone is more important!”

“Nani!?” Venus hissed, balling her fists. Tying her bag of jewels around her waist, she strode out angrily, pointing at Ishtar. “Don't you dare! Killing people is no way to get what you want. The Communist countries may allow it, but Sailor Venus does not!” Rapidly assessing her situation - four youma and Ishtar - she settled back into a fighting stance. “I'll always be here to stop the evil from harming the innocent. I'll do it now!”

“You….how dare you!? Oooo!” Ishtar stomped her foot like a child who had been denied. “You annoy me! Ishtar hates that! Youma! Do something about her, please!” she cried, gesturing madly at the long-haired blonde.

“Four of them; that can't be too difficult,” Alex remarked at her right.

“That's what you always say,” Artemis lamented.

The first youma came swooping in, swinging its scythe in a wide arc which they easily avoided, though it separated them. Artemis leapt at the second, catching its robe with his claws; he scrambled his way up, yanking its hood down over what passed for its face. A nearby urn flew at the third, knocking it into the wall.

“Crescent Beam!” The magic smashed into the first youma as the fourth attempted to dive at Venus, necessitating a hasty dive. Trying to keep an eye on Ishtar while fighting two youma was not easy; as she exchanged blows with them, ducking and dodging their wicked blades, she was also caught more than once by a sharp slice as her attention failed to catch up. She didn't want to expend her powers if the Oppositio Soldier chose to fight her after she finished her minions, so she was using the lowest levels of her power possible; power which had not beaten the Dark Kingdom easily to begin with. Though honestly, the girl seemed completely oblivious; she was too busy throwing a childish fit over watching her youma being beaten.

“Look o-o-o-out!” the white feline howled; Venus looked up to see him clinging desperately to the hood of an out-of-control youma, heading her way. Muscles tensing, she leapt out of the way of a scythe, grabbed Artemis, and arced gracefully over the creature as it slammed into the other two, hitting the wall. As she landed, she spun around to release her power; all three of them turned to dust, too weak to last under the onslaught.

The last youma was struggling weakly under the urn, which had been turned upside down and dropped onto its head. It was easily destroyed, though the urn itself fared no better; it fell to the ground and shattered immediately.

“Oh come on! That isn't fair! Not fair, not fair!” Ishtar ranted, stomping her foot again. “You're not supposed to be so strong!”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” Venus replied coolly.

“Mo-ou! Well, it doesn't matter. Ishtar will still get the stone, no matter who has it!” She took a step back, presumably to attack - Venus called power to her hand, poised to return - when she knocked the statue from its spot. It slid back several centimetres as she mumbled, “Ooops?” and the room became pitch dark. Ishtar activated what looked to be a personal shield.

There was silence for a long minute.

Then, as the darkness lifted, Ishtar looked around curiously. Venus wasn't saying anything; she had been turned to stone. Only Ishtar's shield had prevented her from sharing the same fate, though she failed to notice the twitch of a white tail behind her enemy's legs. “Well, that's interesting. Ishtar's shield protected me from becoming stone as well as her, annoying person. She got what was coming to her.” Sighing, she threw up her hands. “I wonder if everyone else is stone? Mou! Now Ishtar will really have a hard time finding Kunzite's stone! Ishtar has never been good at looking for what she's looking for.”

Artemis twitched an ear; she seemed to be even more of an absentminded girl than Minako on a bad day.

“Oh, well. Ishtar will find it….eventually.” And with that, she vanished. Artemis sighed in relief, coming out after he made a quick check around - with his eyes and his nose; Ishtar had a peculiar scent that was already dissipating - to make sure she was really gone.

“Alex, did you hear that?”

“Unfortunately. And here I thought Minako was the worst case of ditz, when she puts her mind to it, I'd ever seen. I stand corrected. I also seem to be standing next to a stone statue. How the hell do we turn her back?”

The white feline shook his head. “I don't know. I don't understand why I wasn't changed, either. Did Ishtar set off a security trap? If so, why didn't I become stone? Or you?”

“Probably because they wouldn't assume cats or ghosts can steal statues.” A piece of the urn was picked up and tapped against Venus's arm. “Solid. You know, I don't think that Ishtar chick even realized who Venus is. Otherwise, she might have figured out that she's got the stone already. Not very bright, that one.”

“Well, Ishtar and Venus are corresponding deities.” Artemis snorted, tapping a claw against Venus's leg. “This is not good. Maybe we can ask one of the villagers how to undo this.”

A subtle glow at her wrist took care of the problem; with a cracking noise and a flash of light, the stone fell from Venus's body, nearly flattening Artemis. She shuddered, taking a step back as if dizzy, touching a hand to her forehead. “Artemis? Sensei? What just happened to me? I felt….I felt cold….”

Invisible hands steadied her, holding her upright. “Just take a moment to catch your breath, chere. You were turned to stone. We were just trying to figure out how to change you back when you did it on your own.”

Venus shook her head, lifting her wrist. Beneath her glove, the faintest glow was still visible. “Iie. Not me….the bracelet. And I could swear…” She swallowed, lowering her hand as she felt the burn of tears. “I could swear that I heard Kunzite.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently, they wouldn't be asking the villagers much of anything.

“Everyone's gotten stoned,” Alex said in what sounded like a bit of personal humour. “All I can sense is a loud babble of voices at the same time; they don't know what's happened to them. Odd security system that statue has.”

“What do we do? How can we turn them back?” Venus queried anxiously, looking sidelong at a nearby fellow who had danced with her merely an hour ago. He had left the party afterwards, claiming he was going to find her some pretty flowers - though where he'd find those, she'd be hard pressed to guess - and was now currently frozen on the steps to the temple in mid-stride. Knowing how suddenly awful it was to be turned to stone, she felt nothing but a rising terror for the welfare of the village the longer they stood around.

They had tried the bracelet on the first man they had seen, back inside the temple; it had done nothing. Not even a flash of light.

If this was how Kunzite treated his village over matters of statuary, she was going to have a long discussion with the bastard once they returned to Japan.

“We can try looking for help. I think there's another village west of here I'm hearing as well. Maybe they've got some magical voodoo stick to shake to turn them back to normal.” Artemis flicked his tail as he circled her invisible legs.

“Not to be cruel, Venus, but why are we deciding this when we need to return to Japan as quickly as possible? Mamoru-san's life hangs in the balance, as I've reminded you. The others may have already returned. Perhaps these villagers will return to normal after a time. It really isn't our concern,” he stated carefully, though his heart didn't seem to be in it. He knew that particular expression Venus was now wearing, and it meant he'd better watch his furry ass, because she was about to kick it.

She didn't kick it, but she hauled him up by his scruff all the same, glaring at him. “I can't believe you. A soldier of love and justice abandoning a village in trouble? Mamoru-san's life will be saved, of course. But these men need help too, and it's partially my fault that they've been turned to stone!” Tucking him under her arm as though he were a piece of luggage she began walking briskly towards the west (and turning dutifully when a ghostly hand directed her in the opposite direction), continuing to harangue him. “How can you say such cruel things? Sailor Venus never abandons anyone in need. Besides, I'm sure we'll resolve this quickly and go back home as fast as possible; that Ishtar looks easy to deal with and silly as well, ne?”

“Certainly lives up to her counterpart,” he muttered under his breath, howling when she dropped him unceremoniously into the dirt.

They exited the village by way of a slender, twisting path that looked to be hardly used; visible footprints showed the exit - and not entrance - of the last pedestrian. They led up a second path that curved out of sight, but a second set of prints came from the winding path in front of them. Since neither seemed to have returned, they chose to go straight, turning almost immediately south as they followed the narrow path.

Small globules set into the wall high above their heads left off enough ambient light to clearly see. Venus suggested taking one home as a souvenir, which was rapidly vetoed.

A few more metres, a turn, and a pace later, they came face to face with the youma.

It stood directly in their path; a slim, slender, obviously female creature with green skin and sharply almond eyes. And a horn big enough for the cornucopia centerpiece in the middle of her forehead that gave off an eerie iridescence. “Sailor soldier. I recognize your dreaming offal; even awake, it smells of your goodness.”

“Hey! I don't smell, I just bathed last night!” Venus snapped, though she didn't know exactly what offal was, and that dreams had any. It sounded like a dire insult nonetheless. Pointing a finger, she added, “And you're in my way. The soldier of justice won't allow this. Either move, or I'll destroy you without a blink.”

“Actually, she'll destroy you anyway, seeing as it's her job,” Artemis stressed pointedly.

“Ano…well, hai, hai, but I figured I'd at least be nice about it and give her a chance! Stop ruining my moment, cat!” she replied, eyeing the youma's smirk. “All right, fine then. Crescent Beam!”

The worlds were barely out of her mouth when the creature sprang, vaulting easily over the golden beam to land where the trio had been standing a second earlier. Venus tumbled and rolled quickly to her feet, power called back to her hand; Artemis landed, leapt again, and took refuge atop a small shelf in the wall; and Alex, wherever she had gone, was silent. Staring down the soldier, the youma dipped her head. “Brute force cannot defeat me, golden one. Now, sleep.”

Transfixed, Venus stumbled to her knees as the horn began to glow. Even her companions' sudden shouts of alarm did nothing to tear her eyes away; eyes whose lids were growing heavier by the second. She dropped, limp as a doll, asleep before her head hit the dirt.

She opened her eyes to see a grassy plain stretching out in front of her, smelling sweetly of the sun. Earth was certainly beautiful in the sunshine with so much green, even if the flowers couldn't compare with the intense fauna of the Moon's gardens. It was a pity that the people were so carelessly selfish and unaware of their goods.

Turning her head, she saw what she had been looking for; a flash of gold and white, a ripple of laughter on the wind. Setting her face into a placid stare - their mentor had always employed such a mild face when she was most upset; it worked to scare them into compliance more often than not - she headed towards her princess, trying to think of a suitable chastisement. None came to mind, as Serenity, their gentle, innocent princess, simply couldn't keep her promise not to return to Earth again. She had her pick of the Silver Millennium's princes and youthful kings, and even two queens, and yet she continued to swoon over a simple Earth royal.

Closing her eyes momentarily, she contacted the others through their mental bond; a far more efficient means than their communicators, and one discovered only in their generation by their guardian and teacher. It was not telepathy, she said, only a resonance of similar minds. They could contact each other through thoughts and mental words, but no one else. This time, her communication came back with Mercury's impatience, Jupiter's annoyance and slight disgust, and Mars' preoccupation as she studied a bird. For a daughter of the warlike Martians, the soldier of Mars was honestly a sweet girl. She smiled despite herself, because no matter how much they both appreciated lovely things, they, Jupiter, and Mercury, were still the fiercest of fighters, and downright dirty when they needed to be.

“Looking for someone, Sailor Venus?”

A shadow fell across her face, and she lashed out without thinking with a hand, chopping for the neck; it was caught by a larger hand that engulfed her own, and she opened her eyes to see the lightly tanned face of Kunzite. Even though she was sworn to her princess's side, her fealty solely to the kingdom of the Moon and its hegemony, she couldn't help but imagine briefly what a life on Earth and in the general's arms would be like. It had to be his eyes, damn him; they were the colour of steel, of a silvery hue darker than their queen's, and full of…she wasn't sure what. What she did know was the way they seemed to darken whenever they looked at her full on.

And she knew how strangely warm they made her feel.

“General Kunzite.” She stated his name simply as she pulled her hand free, letting it drop at her side. “Of course I'm looking for someone. My princess. I believe she's here again.”

“Of course she is. My prince is quite taken with her, though I'm not sure that's wise.” He looked away from her, and it was as if the clouds had hidden the sun; she felt bereft. Then she felt angry at herself for it. Then she didn't know quite what to feel. “Our two worlds, Earth and Moon, are not supposed to interact so closely. Perhaps, we're the simpletons the Moon believes us to be in a way. Our laws - our magic - are different.”

Venus frowned at the back of his head, speaking before she considered her words. “So, that means that their love must be tempered by the wishes of others? That true love can't survive through adversity? I can't believe that. Even my world of love freely exchanged has tales of such devotion.”

She could hear his smirk before he turned to her, tapping his chin. “I would never thought to hear you denouncing the edicts of your queen. Nor supporting their illicit affair. Of course, I, as a loyal soldier to my kingdom and prince, would not stop them if it was not Endymion's wish. Is it your Serenity's wish that you intervene, or your queen's?”

“The wishes of my queen are sacrosanct,” she said coldly.

“Nonetheless, is it her wish?”

Her mouth compressed to a thin, displeased line. What could she say? That her queen seemed to be curiously disregarding what amounted to a breach of century-old protocol? That their guardian saw nothing wrong with it, being Earth-born herself? That it was more the understanding of the four soldiers together that sent them constantly to the blue planet to take her back home, knowing what laws their princess broke? Obviously, their queen never stopped them, nor their guardian. But neither had they shown any inclination to put their foot down and prevent Serenity from going in the first place.

Venus knew that the sacred laws were just that; sacred. Unbreakable. It was what sent her and the other three constantly back to Earth, again and again, to take her away from his arms. Even with every trip bringing her in contact with the man in front of her, staring at her with those eyes. Making her feel as though she were the villain for doing her job.

“It is the wish of the kingdom that the sacred laws are not broken,” she finally said, just as frostily as before. Folding her arms across her chest, she stared at him stubbornly, refusing to back down from his contemplative gaze. “And it is the desire of your kingdom as well, isn't it? If only out of spite and malice, and a desire to remain as backwards and violent as you are.”

Now, she was simply being spiteful, and she knew it. But instead of irritating him, he simply widened his eyes in a curious show of innocence, saying, “And does that make me backwards and violent as well? A curiousity to the people of the Silver Millennium?”

“No, it simply makes you irritating and exasperating,” she retorted before catching herself and shutting her mouth tight.

Kunzite looked away towards the far-off figures of their prince and princess, blue and gold and virginal white mixed into one body as they held one another, a perfect fit. Venus followed his gaze with a casual eye, though her heart suddenly ached with the realization that such a love was not hers to ever known; as a sailor soldier she was to remain unattached, devoting her heart and soul completely to her princess. As the princess of Venus, she would have been similarly unattainable, because his rank disallowed such a union, and the marriages of her royal house were fixed by the queen and king on basis of fertility and looks. Even if she had loved someone else, she could have never had them. It was enough for her to dally through the beds of the kingdom's bachelors, breaking hearts and mending others, but none would ever be hers to call home.

For the soldier of love, it was a cruel irony indeed.

In profile, Kunzite had a clean face of sharp angles and a fading tan, framed by the platinum of his hair. Not a mark on him, at least not from her side; few laugh lines; not much of anything at all, though his looks were nice enough. She didn't understand what made her feel so warm inside when he looked at her, because he was, to be crude, not even up to her usual standards. Her men were always the prime of their kingdoms, if not always as good in bed as they were looking; next to them, the general was almost plain.

But he had a brain. He had an understanding of her role, much as she did for his, as they were almost exactly the same. If they had ever truly conversed, she doubted she would ever be bored, though the rumours painted him as a reasonable sedate and chaste man, barely ever leaving his prince's side. If they ever sparred, which she secretly longed to do - her only partners were her fellow soldiers and their guardian, as the knights and soldiers simply didn't have the stamina or recuperation time - she could only imagine they would be equals, or nearly so. None of her liaisons had done that; spoiled royal brats, one and all.

So lost in her woolgathering, she hadn't even noticed his shift, the sudden lean he had towards her ear. It was only when he spoke directly into the canal, sending shivers down her spine, that she realized he'd moved. “If I am irritating and exasperating, I assure you, that means I'm only doing my job, and doing it all too well. As a man, I am…perhaps…not as annoying.”

“It doesn't matter to me who you are outside of your uniform,” she replied, internally cringing at the sound of her voice - she sounded as if she had no control over herself in his presence! She, the princess and soldier of Venus, who had conquered so many men without batting an eye! It was all too obvious that he was coming on to her, and she was ruining her reputation. “As it does not matter to you who I am. We are both bound to our roles.”

“There's always a moment to be stolen,” he murmured before straightening up. As she mulled over his statement, he turned and walked entirely away, to his prince's side, Serenity passing him by in the company of her guardian soldiers as they led her. The sounds of their chastisement reached Venus' ears, but she didn't take the time to recognize them; she was still considering his offer. Wondering.

Pain rocked her face, and the sunny day ripped apart around her. Dimly, she realized someone was calling her name, and she sat up gingerly. “Hai? Aino Minako de-su,” she warbled painfully.

“She's awake! Thank the kami, she's conscious.” A furred white face nudged into her cheek, a wet nose sniffing at her ear. “Daijoubu, Mina?”

“Until you smacked me.” With gloved fingers she explored her cheek, tenderly feeling the bone; yes, indeed, she'd be bruising soon, and probably quite colourfully. Artemis had really walloped her good. “What happened? I was fighting the youma, and then, there was a light…”

“She put you into a dream state,” he said in disapproval, chastising her, as usual, through the tone of his voice rather effectively. She scowled at that, showing quite plainly through her expression that she hadn't expected the creature to do such a thing. The subtle roll of his eyes showed just how much he thought of that, and how blithely ignorant she had been of the danger and possibilities. A short sniff of derision said flatly how little she thought of his point of view, and how well he would have done, given the circumstances.

Thus was the extent of their long partnership; a minute's worth of voice inflection and expression said everything without the need for words. Sometimes, Venus rather ruefully wished the others had the same subtle manner; even Mars was reduced to loudly snapping when she disagreed. With Artemis, there could be an entire interplay of subtext without words in the time it took for her to transform.

Glancing away, she looked around the youma; perplexingly, she saw nothing of the sort. That was certainly odd, considering they were trapped within solid rock, and the creature hardly blended into the scenery. “Artemis, where did it go? Did it disappear?”

He was looking at her oddly now, in a way that made her uneasy. “You don't remember? You fell as if you'd lost control over your body; the youma said she put you into a dream state. Then you suddenly leapt up and told the creature you wouldn't take such casual evil, and destroyed it with your beam. After that, you just started screaming, so I leapt onto you and knocked you down, and slapped your face. And you just woke up.”

“I did….what?” Turning her head, she scanned the path before recognizing the misplaced heap of dust that lay behind them; the last remains of an evil creature. She paled, mentally scrabbling for a memory or a trigger - kami-sama, what had her dream been about but a peaceful conversation? Why would she have done such a thing in her sleep? “Artemis, how could I do such a thing? My dream was peaceful….”

“Then tell us why you were speaking the Lunar language while you attacked.”

For the first time in a very long time, Aino Minako no Sailor Venus had no words.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ishtar was alone, in a room full of knobs and buttons and levers, and she pouted. Why didn't Sin ever trust her? She knew they thought she was an idiot, even if she pretended to misunderstand and completely ignore their belittling words. Even sending her on this mission had been, to them, a gamble, because Ishtar was careless.

So she sat alone, in a room full of technology she didn't understand, and she waited. Sin had told her Venus would come. She only hoped the soldier wasn't too difficult to deal with, or Sin might be even angrier with her. But she was also growing very bored…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They entered the village a short time later, a trio of sedate, quiet travelers. After being told of her mysterious sleepwalking, Venus had shut up tighter than a dead clam and refused to divulge even the details of her dream; she had walked ahead, staring dully into the rock walls. Both Artemis and Alex watched her in concern, though neither mentioned it.

Within a minute of entering the village properly, they could tell it had to be some kind of counterpart to Rias; every single person who crossed their path was female. Even if one or two were so heavyset and hairy it was almost hard to tell. “This must be the village of women,” Venus finally observed out loud, as they passed a particular couple holding hands.

“Whatever would give you that impression?” Alex queried sweetly from the back.

Just like Medias, the village had its own temple, though it look reasonably better kept. Soft but clean illumination kept the entire place at a reasonable level of light, though it still seemed a tad too dark for the long-haired blonde's empowered sight. Without bothering to ask her companions, Venus headed straight for the white pillars, gaining more than a few curious looks along the way. All of them, however, gave her what looked like a gesture of respect, touching their fingers to their lips, their heart, and then bowing their heads.

“Why do I have the feeling this village knows you as well, Venus?” the white feline muttered, prancing at her heels like a proper idiot cat.

“Maybe they do,” was her reply.

“Respected Venus!”

Startled, they turned at the steps of the temple to see a young woman rushing up, clutching her patchwork skirts. She did the same exact gesture - lips, heart, head - and gave Venus an imploring look. “Lady Verna is awaiting you. Please, come with me.”

“Lady Verna? Who's that?” Narrowing her eyes, Venus added, “And how do you know me?”

“Lady Verna told us of you. Of the golden-haired soldier of love who visited our village long, long ago.”

Without any additional explanation, she turned on a heel and strode off, still holding her skirts off the dirt. Exchanging a look with her comrades - though she wasn't sure if her mentor was giving them the same - she skipped into a quick trot behind the girl. They were led across the village to a rather large house in respect to all of the rest, where they were abandoned.

Venus frowned, watching the girl walk away. Apparently she was meant to walk in alone, unannounced. That was a sure reason for paranoia.

Screw it.

Squaring her shoulders, she marched right in through the door, head high, twilight blue quick to scan the room, Artemis at her heels. It was a large room but not large enough for the outside, which meant there was a second room. The first seemed to be a sitting room and eating area, complete with a fireplace and comfortable cushions on the floor, rugs outlining the walking path. Most of them seemed pristine, as if lightly used. She took the one leading into the second room with nary a pause in stride, straight through the open doorway and into the second room - where she abruptly stopped.

It was practically empty. The carpet led to the wall and stopped, bisecting the room. One fireplace in the nearby wall was lit, throwing a good heat into the room; across lay the bed, neatly made and just big enough for one. And in the very middle of everything, standing there as if she had been waiting calmly for hours, was, obviously, Lady Verna. “Hello, Sailor Venus. My name is Verna.” Her eyes were very plainly red, but devoid of any evil glimmer.

“Hajimemashite, Verna-san. How do you know my name?” She cocked her head, folding her arms across her breast. “After all, I've only just arrived here. Haven't I?”

“I can show you how I know, Venus. If you will follow me, I can show you.” She smiled, gesturing with her hand back towards the door. Venus rolled her eyes impatiently behind her back, earning her a glare from Artemis. But for the love of the kami, she just wasted time walking just to walk again somewhere else?

They went out the door and were walking again, this time right back to the temple. It was a slow trip this time around, as Verna seemed to have no desire for haste, and it gave all three an opportunity to study her at length.

She wore a far more colourful outfit than the women they had passed in the village, all red and gold and almost perfectly made, with a skirt just long enough to touch the tops of her sandaled feet, but short enough to keep the hem clean. A shawl draped across her shoulders matched, all of it marvelously showing off her long black hair under her red hat. Whoever she was, she certainly had what passed for class underground. Either she was important, or, for the village, very rich.

Up close and very personal, the temple was far smaller than its counterpart at Rias. It looked like a proper receptacle for a god instead of a large gathering place, because it was doubtful the entire village could even fit inside. Verna led them straight in, though she dipped her head before entering; most likely touching her lips and heart as well, though none of them could see it. Inside, Venus took three steps before coming to an abrupt halt to stare at herself.

Verna's knowing smile was ignored as she gaped like a fish, staring keenly at the golden statue that stood in the middle of a giant seashell, floating in the middle of a pool. It was herself - no, Venus - who was frozen in sculpture, holding the moon sword that was long gone and destroyed aloft. The girl was almost a woman; she had fuller hips, a taller frame, and a far more knowing look on her face. She had seen and done more than Aino Minako no Sailor Venus ever had in her few pitiful years as a soldier.

“I've been here. Venus had been here,” she finally whispered. She felt slightly dizzy - was it hot in the temple? Surely that was incense she smelled - touching a gloved hand to her forehead. The stone at her breast burned exquisitely.

“Yes. In a previous life, Venus was a frequent visitor. She was a beautiful goddess to us, and this statue was made in her honour.” Verna was so casual in her reference to Venus and the girl standing in front of her as separate people that the long-haired blonde looked at her sharply. She merely smiled. “Yes. I can see that you are not the same as Venus. You have the power and the face, but the girl you are now is not the young woman she was then. When the Silver Millennium was destroyed, she was cast into darkness.”

“Iie….I have her memories…I can remember that life…!”

“Memories of an existence. Panes of glass are not mirrors. They reflect echoes.”

Venus shook her head, remembering the dream. It was true, she knew, deep down, that she was indeed a different person; that the reincarnation had not been complete. Her power had been awakened far too late in life as an interloper to Minako, and was only a partial rebirth, though still more complete than the others. She had memories. She had images. But they were not of her.

Unbidden, she saw the last battle on the Moon; a memory she visited only once, in such a quick flash, as the memories of Venus had come back to her that day on the movie set. It had been colours and sounds and rapid-fire imagery that she didn't want to see, didn't want to hold up for inspection and realize what she had done - what the Earth's ragtag soldiers had done.

It was happening all over again as she stood there, staring at the replica of her sword. She could smell dust and blood; she could hear screaming. As someone shouted her name, she whirled around, the pommel slippery in her hand with someone else's fluids. This was not a battle she had ever expected to be involved with; this was a dirty war, not a clean strike.

“Venus! Where are the others? I can't find them, and I can't find either Serenity yet.” Their guardian stopped in front of her, uniform torn from a sword blade, and blood dripping slowly down her hip. Her own weapon was tight in her hand, nearly black with spatters. She had the most unusual look in her eyes; normally calm as the darkening sky, they were now cold and vacant, mirroring the same Venus was positive she herself now had.

“I don't know, Guardian-sama. When you ordered us out here, we split up. I haven't seen the princess yet, nor our queen. That was your task, to find them.”

“Merde! I can't find them, and I've been everywhere.” Both of them looked out over the battlefield as a flash of lightning passed them by; Jupiter ran past on swift feet, leaping to intercept and bring down a lieutenant in the Earthen army. His neck was cleanly broken, though half of his body was covered in electrical burns. Despite the horrific wounds, neither of them flinched; so much had already happened that it seemed unreasonable to cringe at everything. For her part, Jupiter merely acknowledged them with a burning glare, face streaked with blood and dirt, and ran on.

They looked towards the horizon, where the Earth hung heavy in the sky, perfectly tranquil. Did the king and his court know what was going on? Were they sitting down to a savory meal, laughing as their army stormed a peaceful palace? Of course, Venus knew the Moon was peaceful only by the fact that it refused to take part in disputes, preferring instead the high moral ground whenever its planetary kingdoms chose to start a war. Privately, Serenity had sent her sailor soldiers and their guardian on many missions of espionage and what was rather accurately called assassination, claiming it wasn't the Moon actively being involved; rather, they were an extension of the Silver Millennium's task force.

But even so, most of the citizens of the Moon did chose peace, and applauded every decision their queen made to sit on the sidelines. Now, many of them were dead, slaughtered when the Earthen army made no distinction between the Moon soldiers in their white uniforms and the average citizen fleeing in terror. Venus had saved several families only to see them cut down while her back was turned; it was an almost unholy fervor that gripped the heathen Earthlings. She herself had finally fled from one in particular, with eyes as black as night and a plethora of magical spells that had countered everything she had thrown at him.

“What would make them do this, Guardian-sama? Surely you must know, being of their blood. This unnatural fighting….even the Earthlings can't be so naturally bloodthirsty,” Venus finally queried, dropping to her knees to clean off her blade on a patch of clean grass. She caught her mentor's flashing eyes before turning away.

“Of course, it's always the fact they're just Earthlings. Never mind that you're all…fucking hell, forget it. I don't know, Venus. Their minds are empty, their emotions are completely wired. I wouldn't bet money on the king knowing about this. Someone else is leading them.” Her mentor's gaze caught on someone past the blonde's shoulder, narrowing to slits. “But somehow, I don't think it's you, general.”

Startled, Venus whirled around, blade held at the ready, only to face the unsmiling face of Kunzite. He held his own weapon at his side, but he seemed hesitant to use it. At the look on her face, he shook his head. “Sailor Venus. I wish it hadn't come to this.”

“Come to what? Kunzite, what are you doing?” she whispered faintly. “Surely you can't be involved in this….this massacre!” Years of training held her arm straight, the keen edge of her sword perfectly balanced to strike his throat, even though she felt like dropping in despair. “Then, your prince…Endymion….!”

“Endymion has been in hiding on the Moon for several hours now. Protecting his precious princess. Flaunting the sacred laws and throwing our pride in our faces.” His face altered subtly; an unholy light filled his eyes. “The Moon has been our uncompromising master for far too long, Venus. Not only has she ground us to dirt under her heel, she has subjugated you all, even your own planet. Now, we strike back.”

He raised his own sword, his eyes trained solely on her. Every word he spoke slapped her in the face harder, until it was a brutal verbal assault; if not for her training, she would have begun to cry. How could she have trusted this man? He was a different man than she had expected, a dangerous enemy. But her arm never wavered. “If you say that, General Kunzite,” she said steadily, feeling the ice suffusing her veins, “then you are my enemy. You wish my queen harm. You wish my princess harm. I will not allow you to go further.”

“So be it.”

Before he met her lunge, a third blade intercepted him and parried, shoving him back. Venus reeled as her mentor stood in front of her, exchanging blows with the silver-haired general as fiercely as he gave them, snapping, “Venus, find Serenity!”

“But, Guardian-sama, this is my fight—“

“I gave you an order, Venus!” With a sweep of her leg, she knocked Kunzite to the ground and turned to face the younger girl. “Never fight in anger, or heartbreak. If you live through this, you can scream at me later, but go. Go now!” she shouted, turning to catch Kunzite's blow. Venus nodded, turning to run towards the gates and the palace, meeting no resistance along the way. But the ominous black cloud that hovered over the tall spire was not a good sign.

As she reached the gates, she turned to take one last look.

Kunzite had been reckoned to be the greatest swordsman of his age. When he and Venus had sparred, they had finally called a draw; her increased strength and speed had just proven enough of a match for him that he couldn't defeat, nor she him. It had been an exhilarating battle, one that gave her bruises for weeks and a satisfied feeling for nearly a month to know her equal.

The man she watched was not that man. This one seemed to be frenzied, as if something else used his body; as he fought, his skill seemed to wane, turning into completely random, frantic motions to parry and block her mentor's blade. If she squinted, she could almost see a black, filthy aura around his head, one that grew larger as he lost fine motor control as if feeding off of his anger and fanaticism. He hacked and slashed at the Guardian like a fanatic, grinning wider every time his blade nicked flesh.

Venus ran away from them both, into the palace gardens. It was a fatal error: as she ran down the walkway, barely noting the irony of the fountains still pouring their sparkling water, a young woman cut down Endymion on the palace steps. The dark, vicious cloud surrounding her grew, laughter echoing across the grass, as her princess screamed, “Iyaaaa! Endymion! Endymion! ENDYMION!”

The young woman turned as Venus ascended the steps at a nearly impossible speed, her sword swinging. “Woman” was barely the term for the fresh-faced, dark-haired female in the skirts of a witch or a seer who stared at her in confusion, sword at her side. She looked old enough to perhaps claim her first husband, not to be fighting in an army, nor murdering her prince. But the darkness surrounded her, shaping into two nebulous eyes and a jagged, laughing mouth, and Venus never thought to hesitate as her blade cut neatly through the woman's stomach.

Her mouth opened wide in shock; blood dribbled past her lips, welling up from a mortal blow. As Venus dragged in a breath, feeling the drag of hours' of fighting, the woman fell to her knees. She had been dressed in ridiculous clothing for a battle, and her sandaled feet looked pitifully small beneath her skirts, which were rapidly staining red. “If you were their leader vowing a victory as prophecy, you've lost,” Venus sighed, finally feeling a bit of pity for the girl as she slumped back onto the steps.

It didn't last long. With a shuddering roar, the dark cloud that had fed on the woman's kill rose up above the weary soldier, and she had a terrifying view of what it looked like inside; utter, lamentable darkness, a nightmare come true. It shook her to the core, pinioning her in place as a wave of power slammed into the stone at her feet, ripping up chunks of the steps to whip at her face, beating her within a cyclone of stone. She screamed as she tried vainly to protect herself, feeling wetness drip down her cheeks as her eyes were bludgeoned, her naked flesh torn.

Someone was crying as she fell to her knees, no longer able to stand. Serenity. In her zeal to cut down the woman responsible, she had forgotten about her princess, crying over the body of her prince. Now she turned sightless eyes towards the sound, only to hear another distinct, fatal noise: of a sword sliding into flesh, and of a choked scream of pain. “Serenity….? Serenity, what's happened!”

“…..Endymion,” was all she heard. It was also the last.

The Silver Millennium fell that day, sending her spirit, and those of her allies, to the very planet that had betrayed them. A new world, cleansed by the power of their queen and a destroyed dynasty, she was to be reborn several times throughout the centuries, virtually unaware of her past. Always afterward, in transit, did she realize that all of them were reborn close together, called to flesh by the birth of the witch woman and the possibility of her power.

But when she truly awakened, when she knew without a doubt that she was alive, she found herself in a body that didn't obey her, that didn't even acknowledge her; within which, she was a locked and guarded prisoner. She could see through the eyes of the girl “Aino Minako,” she could feel her accessing her memories and skills unaware, but she could do nothing to move the body, to take control and finally be alive - Sailor Venus no Princess Venus - once more.

She was nothing more than a ghost who refused - who could not - let go.

With a start, Venus opened her eyes.

Verna and Artemis were staring at her, one placid and unconcerned, one twitching his whiskers in an impatient, concerned manner. The touch of ghostly fingers on her arm let her know that Alex was still there, unable to speak in front of the seer. She moistened her lips, surprised to feel tears drying on her cheeks. “Venus….I'm her. But she's not me. She's inside of me, like a…like a visitor who's given me her clothing to wear, even though she has the exact same outfit. It fits, but it wasn't an outfit meant for me…” she whispered, unaware of the excellent metaphor she'd put together; usually, her metaphors came to her much in the same way her puns did, ill-fitting and improper.

Sniffling, she wiped her cheeks with a gloved hand, staring up at the statue of the young woman she had once been, in another life. “Is this why you brought me here, Verna-san? To show me the truth?”

“Not exactly. I thought you were the original Venus reborn, only, you'd forgotten about us. I wanted to show you who we were. Instead, my soul showed me that you were someone else.” Verna waved her hand, gesturing to the lazily curling ribbons of smoke around their faces. “The incense of the temple is to cleanse the mind and reveal all secrets. For you, it showed you the truth of your power. I am sorry if it was painful, but it was not meant to be.”

Venus sighed. “But it was, anyway. I knew that there was a separation between us, but I didn't know….” Catching the white feline's eye, she smiled wistfully. “Yare, yare. What's done is only time.”

“You mean, `what's done is done'?” Alex murmured into her ear. “That's a relief. I was afraid you were getting maudlin on us. Now I know you're fine.”

She laughed, despite herself, and smiled. “Daijoubu, sensei,” she said under her breath. Out loud, she said to Verna, “But that wasn't the reason for me coming here this time. I didn't want to find out my past. I came because everyone in Rias has become stone!”

“Turned to stone…..? How unusual. How did it happen?”

“The statue of Kunzite in their temple was moved, and a strange light came out of it. I was protected, but everyone in the village became stone.”

Verna looked at her rather craftily, though she didn't ask the obvious. Instead, she touched a finger to her lip, considering. Finally, after a long minute of thought, she nodded her head. “A woman named Radina. She may have the power to reverse the spell. It sounds like a spell of protection, and I am merely a seer, not a witch, to reverse such magic.”

“Where is this woman Radina?” Artemis queried, earning a quirked brow from Venus. “Is she in this village?”

“No. North of our village, you can find the ancient castle Zagsen. Radina is sure to be there.” Verna smiled sadly, her eyes drifting away towards the golden statue that continued to watch over them, unaware of their conversation. “To my knowledge, she has never left it.”

“Well, that should make our mission easier,” Venus said brightly, this time earning a dirty look from Artemis. Whatever he muttered under his breath was probably not constructive, so she was glad she couldn't hear it. “Arigatou, Verna-san. I'll save Rias village, even if they were the ones to once harbor a traitor.”

There was that look again; a twinkle in the woman's eye spoke of knowledge she hadn't given them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“You know, with all of this walking and partying we've done, we could have been long home by now, and I could be having a lovely catnap,” Artemis groused as they turned the corner, the village disappearing behind them like a slow dream. Many of the women had appeared to watch them go, unconcernedly staring at their backs as they left, some of them with arms full of laundry or hands holding pots and plates. It was both flattering and eerie.

“You may as well give it up, Artemis,” Alex sighed from behind them. “I think we pummeled the `Soldier of Justice' into her head a bit too well.”

“Why are you talking about me as if I'm not even here?” Venus snapped.

They walked in silence for a few metres, their feet - and paws - stirring up the dust of the less traveled path they followed northward. After a while, Artemis was sneezing, throwing a dirty and put-upon look back up at his partner, most assuredly upset that his normally clean coat was now approaching a shade of grey. His paws especially looked as though he'd pulled on a pair of thick wool socks. As usual, Venus ignored him.

After a few more minutes of calm, Alex broke the peace with a rather sudden question: “What did you see?”

“Nani?” Stopping in her tracks, the soldier turned towards the sound of her mentor's voice, twilight blue narrowing. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. In the temple, your pulse was racing; your emotions were so strong it gave me a headache. You saw something before you made up your eloquent metaphor about clothing. And I'm asking you what you saw.”

Venus set her mouth in a thin, displeased line, looking away. It was foolish to hide anything from someone who could read minds, and though she knew it wasn't a question asked lightly, she felt anger and displeasure that Alex would even do so. What right did she have? She had been there. She was still the same woman that had fought Kunzite on the moon so many lifetimes ago, who had sent an older, stronger Venus away to her death. What was she supposed to describe, the pain of dying? Of feeling betrayal in a new body that wasn't hers? And they weren't even her emotions, her memories; they were someone else's, thrust into her brain without her permission. It had been almost a year since she'd finally gotten over the upset of realizing she had been reborn; now, she had to deal with the realization that she was not entirely reborn as partially awake.

“Venus….?” Soft fur touched her calf as Artemis pressed himself to her leg in a comforting, entirely feline twist of body and tail. Green eyes that had given her only the barest of glances in a previous lifetime, all of respect and distance, were now filled with concern. Artemis was her friend. He had not been Venus's.

The thought made her smile.

Looking up, she touched her fingertips together, marveling at the feeling of the fabric - a strangely soft, yet incredibly tough weave that her common clothes simply did not have - and sighed. “I saw the last battle. When I awoke as Venus on the movie set, I saw it, but I didn't want to…I didn't want to know. Everything came so fast. In the temple, just now, I saw it again. I saw what I did. Iie….I saw what Venus had done.”

Dropping her hands, she toyed with the hem of her skirt instead as she said, “You had sent us to fight while you looked for the queen. But you couldn't find them; you asked me if I had seen them, even though I had been fighting. Then, Kunzite appeared….”

“And he was going to fight you, because Beryl had sufficiently twisted his mind into thinking the Moon had to be destroyed,” Alex said softly. “You were heartbroken. I told you to run away and find Serenity. I wouldn't let you fight him.”

“You wouldn't,” Venus agreed, feeling a tear fall down her face. “I didn't….I didn't want to! I thought he had cared about me….but he was ready to fight me to the death, and I thought that, maybe, I had been wrong all along about him.” She wiped her cheek, swallowing a lump in her throat that was threatening to grow. “I ran away. You told me to run, and I did, because I didn't want to see what happened next - if he killed you, or you—“

“Killed him.”

Venus sagged, catching the wall next to her with a trembling hand. “I didn't want to know! For the love of the kami, how could you kill him so simply and yet tell me this now? How can you argue for the side of a traitor that you yourself killed!”

“Because you want to know, no matter what you say. And because he died bravely, even if his mind was twisted because of that sick bitch, which is what he would have wanted. It could have been worse. Had I not intervened, it could have been you on the end of his sword; he wouldn't have stopped, wouldn't have given you mercy. Would that have been better?” the tall red-head queried darkly, touching her hair. “Maybe he was dissatisfied with the Moon kingdom. Almost everyone from Earth was. But I don't think he was a traitor. I think Beryl gave him the proverbial push off that cliff.”

“But he could have fought. He had his own power, I know he did! Not all of Earth was unable to wield magic, and he could. He could have done something to stop her!”

“Why? To make you feel better? Life isn't fair, Venus. Bad shit happens. Kunzite was caught up in something that was probably bigger than he understood, and he couldn't get out. Neither he nor the other three left that battlefield alive before Serenity destroyed everything. They might have betrayed their prince, but even Mamoru understands forgiveness. After all,” Alex added, “he was there. And Usagi hasn't held it against him.”

“Usagi forgives everyone. She's so innocent and trusting. But I can't. I won't. I fled from that traitor and into darkness. I killed Beryl before she could cause anymore harm, and Metallia killed me for striking her down.” Jabbing a finger towards her mentor's voice, she snapped, “And what do you know of such things? You survived, you always survive! No matter how we all died, you lived to tell me this now, and you—“

“What do I know? Because I survived one war, that's grounds for accusing me of not understanding your pain? Have you forgotten that I've lived several lives as well? That I was fighting for my life years before I even trained you? That I died more than once?” Alex's voice rose in volume, even as Venus tried to out-shout her. Artemis was staring back and forth in bleak desperation; a ranting, destructive Minako was easy to handle. A ranting, self-destructive, accusatory Venus was something else entirely, especially with someone else thrown into the mix who had a history of not backing down. He had a feeling that if she and Mars ever went at it, this was what it would look like. “How would you like to be the one who survived? I had to find you all lying there dead, when I had assumed you would have lived. I had to be the one to comfort Serenity when she found her daughter with a sword sticking out of her guts, her fingers still wrapped around the fucking handle. Don't you tell me I don't know.

“I saw Clarice die in front of me, ripped apart by her own powers. I had her hand when Sean couldn't quite reach her, and I felt her dissolve between my fingers like smoke. She had been scared of using her powers because she had killed someone with them, and she used them to save the rest of us, she sacrificed herself so we would live.

“I've seen the world end in a blaze of crystal; I was nearly killed by a madman who had been my trusted professor. I've had a teammate ripped apart by a psychopath with claws, just so he could escape his cage. I've held my father's body in my arms so limp, I thought he was dead. You want to hold up your losses to mine, like this was some kind of game? It won't work.”

Venus was silently crying, tears coursing down her face. She had crumpled within the span of seconds it took for Alex to snap back, and she was on her knees, dismissive of the dust, feeling the ebb and flow of emotions attached to a memory that wasn't completely hers. “But you still come out on top. I didn't. I didn't….”

Ghostly arms circled her, hugging her tight, as Artemis leaned up to nudge her face. “I know, chere. But you can't dwell on the failure of a lifetime. All you can do is look ahead. Don't ruin yourself over someone else's memories.”

“Sou yo. You're our Venus now. You're Codename wa Sailor V. Even Venus needed her friends at your age, when you were solo. Don't hold yourself up to an old standard.” Licking her cheek, Artemis tickled her with his whiskers to make her laugh. “And I like you this way. Venus was always off doing something I would have probably disapproved of.”

“Baka Artemis, you disapprove of me now.” But the swat she gave him was affectionate.

“It's what dysfunctional families do. Well. On American TV they do,” Alex amended, before giving her one last squeeze.

It wasn't long after that, during which Artemis and Venus gave up their truce and began bickering at each other about Minako's study habits, that they walked into the immense cavern that held the castle. The sight was enough to shut them both up; it towered over their heads for several stories, made out of sleek, obviously imported grey stone, its windows decorated with red banners that looked brand-new, and its sconces burning merrily as if Radina was prepared for their arrival. “Sugo-o-o-i-i,” Venus breathed, craning her head. “I want one.”

“Maybe tsukimidango will lend you hers.”

They entered quietly, though no amount of stealth could stop a pair of heels from clicking on stone. A long hallway in front of them ended with two directions and a wall; suspicious, Venus stopped. “Sensei, can you sense anything? It's been too quiet….only one youma so far.”

“Nothing.” She sounded annoyed, and a bit puzzled. “If there's anything evil, they're definitely shielding themselves well.”

“That's not comforting,” Artemis grumbled.

The faintest of tickles ran up their spines; all three, in unison, shivered. It was followed by a stronger tremor, which had them literally shaking, though it quickly died in the adrenaline rush triggered by the sight of the twin youma now standing in front of them. “Speak of the devil,” Alex murmured.

They were women - obviously; very rarely had they seen males - and exact duplicates of each other, with hideously clashing orange skin and pink clothes. It looked as if they had raided a store simply to cover themselves up, knowing humans disliked casual nudity, but they hadn't the brains to recognize that their skin would set them apart anyway. Their skirts didn't fit, their tops barely covered them decently, and they wore sneakers with the laces untied. If they hadn't been evil denizens of a destroyed kingdom, Venus might have started to laugh.

Instead, she struck a pose. “Codename wa Sailor Venus! Don't think that because you've surprised me, you'll walk away from this. The soldier of love eats things like you for a snack!”

“Hnnnfff.” The one on her right cracked a whip, snapping her ankle. Before she could sever it with a beam, she was flung up into the air and snapped down painfully into the stones. Ripped back up again, she twisted in mid-air to see the second youma laughing strangely; a wheezing, strangled sound that most likely indicated a lack of a true voice. No trading witty quips for them.

She hit the ground again, managing to cushion her landing with her arms, and was flung back up as she called power to her hands. Artemis, seeing her do so, launched himself into the face of the one wielding the whip, ripping at her with his claws, as Venus let a Crescent Beam fly to sever the whip. This time, she crash-landed rather spectacularly. “Ittaiiii!”

Rolling to her feet, she saw the second youma being flung around by invisible blows, and the first throwing Artemis across the room, its face ripped and bleeding, an eyeball hanging from its socket by a vein. Without preamble, the youma pushed it back in, with a squishy, wet sound that made Venus's toes curl; when she saw that it had also burst, she felt close to vomiting. “For the love of the kami, that's completely disgusting! Just for making me ill, I should destroy you.” She summoned her chain, snapping it out to bind the creature, but the golden links sailed past harmlessly as it leap high into the air. “Shimatta.”

They collided, rolling across the ground in true anime fashion, beating on one another with their fists, Venus loathe to use her powers lest the youma blow up in her face. As they came to a stop, she punched the creature across the nose in a hit that ripped skin and crunched bone, most likely shoving splinters up into what should have been its brain. It was a good, solid hit, with most of her muscle behind it; imagine her surprise when the youma simply grinned and punched her in the chest, knocking her off and stealing the wind from her.

Across the hall, she could see the second youma still stumbling as it was buffeted by blows, half of its face destroyed. Venus frowned. Both of them should have been, at the very least, taken down long enough to be easy targets. She had handled tougher youma with less effort and a quicker time frame; she was beginning to suspect they had to be given a fatal blow at the same time. “How great, for someone on her own,” she grumbled.

Well. She wasn't technically on her own, but she was the only one with the powers of a soldier at her disposal. It was still a damn sneaky trick, and she suspected she wasn't meant to figure out as quickly as she had.

Sensing danger, she rolled to the side as the youma raked claws through the space where she'd been, spinning on her back to kick it full in the head. Flipping to her feet to kick it again, this time in the ribs, she dropped onto its chest to pin its arms with her knees, touching her finger to its forehead. “Sensei! You need to hit the youma fully at the same time as me! Synchronize!”

“At the same time? Figures.” The second youma swung out blindly, only to be clocked in the jaw. “Ready when you are.”

Calling power to her hand, Venus smiled grimly at the golden glow suffusing their faces. Her muscles tensed to spring, balancing on her toes, she whispered, “Crescent Beam.”

She leapt away, partially aided by the force of the detonation. It was quite the explosion; youma chunks flew everywhere, turning to dust in mid-air. She landed gracefully on her ass, blinking away the afterimage, to see that both had indeed been destroyed. “Yo-o-shi! I knew it would work. Ne, Artemis? Ne?” she queried, looking around. When no reply was forthcoming, she stumbled to her feet. “Artemis!”

They found him at the foot of the wall, completely out cold from the blow. Gently, Alex lifted him, carrying him in her arms as they left the hallway and walked down the second, though Venus said he was stupid enough to be left behind for attacking a youma like that. Obviously, she didn't mean it.

When they found the stairs, they ascended without hesitation, though Venus kept her fist at her side glowing with power. Artemis stirred only once, feebly batting his paws, and rolled back into sleep; Venus gave him a quick, affectionate smile before turning back to the stairs. “If Radina is here, I think the enemy may have gotten to her.”

“I wouldn't put it past them. If they can go through time, they can definitely get here before us,” Alex agreed with a snort.

At the top, the hall led them to the right. Venus lifted her hand as she felt the first touch of dark energy; it suffused the entire floor, though it was almost weak enough to be dismissed. A faint heaviness to the air that lingered in the back of the throat. She was beginning to wish that Ishtar - crazy girl that she seemed to be - would at least have the decency to fight her face to face, instead of using innocent people. Because she was now certain Radina was probably possessed; they'd find her under the influence of an evil magic, trying to kill them, she'd have to hurt the woman to free her, apologies would be exchanged, and she'd feel slightly guilty.

Radina stood motionless atop a dais in the corner of the room they finally entered, her eyes closed in sleep. She looked drained of colour, a black and white photo image; it was from her that the energy radiated, stronger as they came closer. Artemis began to stir again as they approached, opening one eye to reveal bloodshot green. “Nani…? Evil….”

“We know, Artemis. Just go back to sleep,” Venus soothed him, touching his head. “Sensei, watch him. I can handle this alone.”

Without waiting for a confirmation, she strode towards the motionless woman. At two steps, Radina's eyes opened. At five, her head was rotating like a stop-motion doll to match Venus's look. It was blank and pitiless. “Who are you to disturb me? I sense light…love, and happiness. I will not tolerate such near me!”

“Get used to it, wicked creature. I am the pretty-suited soldier Sailor Venus! Whatever evil you might be up to, I'm here to stop it. Kunzite the traitor may have condoned it, but I will not!” She came to a halt, flashing the victory sign in a gesture that ended with her low, prepared stance. Power glowed within her hand, primed to strike.

Radina hissed like a….

….twilight blue rolled up to follow her sudden transformation…

….a gleaming, scaly tail sprang out from beneath her robes, slapping the soldier aside…

….like a snake.

Venus landed hard, gasping for breath as she felt her bruised ribs, looking in shock over her shoulder at the grinning woman atop the dais. She had torn off her robes to reveal what had become of her body: she had become a grotesque half-snake with purple and green scales climbing up her torso and breast, her legs now a solid, winding mass of twitching tail. Her fingers had lengthened with claws, matching the steak knives she had in her smile. “Kami-sama,” Venus moaned, rolling onto her knees.

“Do you like my form? The wicked nature of the snake suits me.” Radina's words rolled off a forked tongue with the hissing `S' typical of movies and TV creatures of the same nature. Though she meandered down the steps with an easy and slow grace, she turned into a speed demon once she hit the ground, slithering forward to lunge at the blonde. Regretting the sudden movement, but having no choice, Venus sprung forward to catapult off Radina's head like a gym horse, arcing cleanly over her tail.

Landing, she snapped her wrist as she called her golden chain to her hand, throwing the magical links like a lasso over the woman's head. Radina countered the action by grabbing a length of chain and yanking hard, only to have a heel snapped into her face once Venus was close. Fuming, she swatted her with her tail again, and though Venus was fast enough to dodge, she was still thrown aside by a clip to her shoulder that nearly dislocated her arm. Already, she was beginning to regret her decision to treat Radina lightly; whatever possessed her was definitely stronger than some drone.

Standing, she mentally catalogued her injuries as she summoned more power. Bruised ribs, possibly one cracked, as well as a muscle near her shoulder that felt pulled. Her ankle was a bit sore from kicking Radina in the head; her scales were harder than they looked. All rather minor pains compared to what she had experienced in other battles, but she was also solo this time out; if she kept up her current pace, “minor pains” could multiple into a detriment. She was stubborn enough to fight through the pain until unconsciousness took her down, but this wasn't the place to do it; the skills of an old lifetime knew better than that.

Dodging a swipe cleanly this time, she considered blasting the ceiling, then discarded the idea; she had no clue how old the castle was, and how fast it might all collapse. A fast blow to the head could do it - she leapt over another swing - but then again, her scales seemed too strong and made for protection against that kind of foolish attack. Biting back a curse under her breath that would have made her mother blush, she swung her arm around as she called out, “Venus Power! Love Crescent Shower!” holding open her old compact. The golden energy burst from the crescent compact in what looked like an explosion of rain, showering Radina with cleansing power. It usually worked to free someone from a spell.

Radina simply grinned at her and slapped her so hard she saw stars. The wall broke her flight, and another rib. As she slid down, the compact falling from her hand, the snake opened her mouth wide in a hearty laugh, thrashing her tail. “You're very spirited, Sailor Venus! Not many would try to cleanse my spirit. What a shame for you that it didn't work.” Lifting herself up onto her tail as one would their feet, she licked her lips. “Whatever you came here for, this will be your grave.”

“Iie. The soldier of love doesn't give up. Especially when an innocent is forced to suffer.” Even though her voice cracked on the last word, Venus glared at her menacingly. She felt as if a truck had been dropped on her. Whatever had taken over Radina was now going to get its ass kicked for this, she'd just apologize later. Once she figured out how to defeat her, that was…

Glancing down to pick up her compact, she froze at the image reflected: Radina the snake caught in the act of lunging, made out of smooth granite, with the woman Radina standing in front, perfectly human. Radina had topaz eyes that shone like jewels when she smiled at Venus, gesturing for her to turn the mirror on the snake. It was a simple maneuver; reveal the creature's true visage in the mirror to destroy it. She could have done it earlier, had she not channeled her power through the compact and rendered the mirror useless.

“You seem to be quite lazily giving up right now,” Radina hissed as Venus looked up, fingering the crescent. It was so laughably simple that she took her time in standing, tossing the compact from hand to hand.

“Never say never: that's my motto. Stay the course!” With a flick of her wrist, she opened the compact, showing the snake its reflective interior. “And of course, it's always good to carry a mirror, to always look your best. Too bad for you, you always look your worst,” she said cheekily, giving Radina a wink.

As the snake saw her reflection, small as it was and in duplicate form, she reared back with an unearthly howl. She threw her arm up to shield her face, screaming, “NO! I am flesh and blood! Don't show me that cold stone shape! I don't want to see it!”

“You can't run from your true form. And yours is cold stone.” She lifted the compact higher, catching a flash of topaz.

White light from the compact bathed Radina as she screamed, writhing as if she were being tortured. Slowly the limbs stiffened, turning the polished grey of granite; her mouth, opened impossibly wide, became a dainty circle of surprise before becoming stone. When it was over, a twisted statue of a half-woman, half-snake stood in her place, and Radina the human stood in front of it, naked and shivering. “Oh…oh! S-s-so cold….”

“Here.” Her discarded robes, mended back into one piece, were draped over her shoulders by invisible hands. “This should help.”

“Oh! Thank you. Sailor Venus, thank you for saving me. I had hoped to be within your presence again.” She tugged the robe around her nakedness roughly, not bothering to pull it on properly, before bowing low in respect. “Honorable Venus. It is a joy to be able to see you again! That form was so cold and lonely.”

“You've known me too? Is everyone someone from my past?” Venus asked, exasperated. Radina looked up at her curiously.

“Of course I know you, Honorable Venus. You were the one to offer me sanctuary in Sariel village.” At the perplexed look on the soldier's face, she elaborated, “Because of the terrible mistake on Mars. I had to flee, or I would be sacrificed to the Elder Woman. You brought me to the village of women to hide me, because the Martians would not follow me to Earth. Don't you remember, Honorable Venus?”

A muscle twitched in her cheek. No, she did not remember her, much like she didn't remember Verna, or the village of men in Rias. Just because she had those memories in her head didn't mean she could call them up at will; she had subconsciously trained herself not to do so, and had long ago succeeded. Now, she couldn't do it if she tried. Pieces would come to her at odd times, remain with her like an old shirt she couldn't throw away, but not a single memory she retained had either woman in them. And she couldn't remember anything about an incident on Mars, either.

Radina was giving her a rather sad look. “You're not the Sailor Venus I knew. Are you? Perhaps, in body and spirit, but not completely. Has it truly been so long since I last spoke to my princess?”

“Perhaps it has been,” Venus agreed dully. “The Silver Millennium has been destroyed for lifetimes. The Sailor Venus of then died, and was reborn within me, but I'm not…..I'm not her. Not in the way you want.” She watched Radina as she jerked back, eyes wide with the revelation. “How have you lived so long in this place that you would have known Venus?”

“When I arrived in Sariel village, I told no one of my past except Verna. But soon, the general Kunzite arrived to call for me; he told me of a strange monster living in the abandoned castle north of the village, and asked me to destroy it. It was bound within the walls, he said, but children from both villages continued to go there despite the tales, and were being killed.” Shivering, Radina looked up at the statue behind her. “I came here to vanquish it, and instead, it consumed me; it used me as a host. And so I was living, but not living, as it used me for physical things.”

Venus mentally calculated the years passing, holding back a shiver of her own. So many long, cold years spent trapped within a monster, keeping her alive far past her time. “It used you to lure children, didn't it?” she murmured quietly, seeing Radina's breath catch in her throat. “Did it succeed?”

“No,” Radina sighed, “it did not. When the tales of my disappearance spread, only one child was foolish enough to see me; the story she took back frightened everyone away, finally. So in the end, perhaps I succeeded.” She smiled weakly, adjusting her robes. “It took no more children. But it existed merely to kill, not to feed; it lived throughout the long, long years without sustenance. It was a foul creature of darkness. When you revealed its true form - a charmed statue - you returned it to that form.”

“Ara, that's good. I was afraid I'd have to really get nasty with it.” With a gesture, she called power to her hand and pointed towards the coiled stone snake. A few quick shots of her beam reduced it to a smoking pile of rubble and dust, one menacing grey eye staring at her from the top of the pile. The noise woke Artemis, finally; she could see his furry head jerk upright in Alex's arms. “There. That's finished. You're free to return to Sariel village, Radina.”

The woman had tears in her eyes that she didn't bother to wipe away as she stared at the pile of rock. Slowly, she bent to pick up the solitary eye, saying, “Once, I stared through this eye as if it were my own. A prison not of my making. But, given the choice to save the children….I would do it again.” She held it tightly within her hand, showing Venus a bright, blossoming smile. “Thank you, Sailor Venus. How can I repay my princess for this?”

Any urge to correct the woman died on Venus's lips; after all, a part of her was heir to that long-lost throne. She simply returned the smile instead, giving her a rakish wink. “Ara ara, sailor soldiers don't require payment for doing a job well done! But, since you did ask, I do have a problem. Rias village has been turned to stone. When I asked Verna-san for help, she told me to find you.” She also didn't mention the nagging suspicion she now had that Verna had been more interested in her doing the dirty work of rescuing Radina than finding help.

Radina tapped her lower lip with a dusty finger, pondering. “I don't see why. I am a witch warrior, not a true sorceress with the strongest power. Perhaps I can repel the trickery, but if it is a solid spell of intent, I can do nothing for you.” She shuffled away towards the dais, disappearing behind it as she dropped to her knees. Artemis glared at her groggily, then over at his partner, who gave him a pleasant smile.

Finally, Radina came back out, holding up her hand a dirty, tarnished silver chain, on the end of which dangled a teardrop topaz the size of her fist. Venus gawked; the sucker was huge. She could bludgeon someone with it. “However, I'm not sure why the village would be cursed. Kunzite placed a spell of protection around it long ago, as it was the home of his birth.”

“I don't know, Radina-san. A statue of…him…was moved, and a sudden bright light turned everyone to stone, except me.” So she was fibbing; she doubted Radina would notice. A sudden flash of heat at her wrist had her unconsciously gripping the bracelet through her glove however, as if it recognized her lie.

“Perhaps it was released upon his death. Curious.” Taking the chain with both hands, she swung it over Venus's head and set the topaz against her breast. “I have named it Rias, as I have charmed it to repel the trickery of the village. If it works or not, simply leaving it around general Kunzite's statue, and I shall retrieve it later; it is a very valuable gem. All you need to do is focus your golden light through the gem on the statue.”

Lifting it up to the torchlight to watch the colours sparkle through its facets, Venus said, “Hai? That sounds easy. Why is it so valuable, Radina-san? Besides being pretty, of course!”

Radina smiled wistfully. “Once, we discussed the aspects of my witchcraft, when I was first brought to Sariel. I gave you the names of all of my gems, as well as their secret names. I whispered in your ear every property of every gem and bauble. Topaz in particular was your favourite, because it repels enchantments and can give you strength and invisibility. It was also rumoured to prevent death. You said you always wore your mother's brooch pinned to your hair ribbon in case such an event happened.” The smile on her face faded. “Perhaps it isn't as lucky as the ancients say.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trip back to Rias was mostly uneventful, save for a pair of youma that Venus seemed to take unnecessary pleasure in destroying. Ever since Radina had described the stone's properties, it seemed as if it had taken the initiative to give her the strength she needed to run circles around the creatures, her power ripping through the air faster than before. Maybe the bracelet had been enspelled, and her words had triggered it; whatever the case, it was a hot brand on her wrist, burning each time she used an attack. But there was no sound of his voice this time, and for that, she was glad.

Artemis was still being carried around like a kitten, something he had complained about vociferously for a few metres before being told to give it a rest by both of them; then, he merely sulked. Alex didn't speak at all, save for telling him to shut up, apparently content to follow Venus as she gave them both her own silent treatment. She didn't want to talk about it, didn't care to dredge up her feelings, and most of all, didn't want to acknowledge the bottomless pit feeling that had taken residence in her stomach ever since Radina had mentioned her old superstitions. Venus's. Hers. Both of theirs. She didn't even know.

She had already died once this lifetime, going out with what she had thought was one last bang, striking back at Metallia because their princess couldn't do it. The memory - the uncomfortable reminder that she had experienced death and lived to tell the tale - was bad enough without realizing it was not her first time. It had been totally unexpected, because the sailor soldiers were supposed to be the good guys who won their battles, instead of finding themselves cut down by a ballistic human army and their pet demon. The Sailor Venus of then had been prepared for battle, but not for dying. She had not expected to die until years - maybe centuries - down the road. And she had indeed been wearing the brooch in her bow, a lovely octagonal topaz surrounded by sapphires, that had remained on her head until the moment she died.

Idly, she wondered where it was now. Maybe still in the dust on a long-dried corpse.

For some reason, that seemed hilarious to her. Gallows' humour, perhaps.

As they ascended the steps into Rias temple, passing several stone statues, Alex finally spoke. “What do you plan to do if this doesn't work?”

“I think it will. Somehow, I have a feeling,” she replied, nose wrinkling at the smell of congealing food in the heat. It was only a few degrees cooler underground than above; any food left out unattended would soon be spoiled, even after an hour or two.

In the upstairs room, Kunzite's statue was exactly as they had left it. Including a fuming Ishtar standing behind it, staring across the room at Venus with a look of fury. “You! You are Ishtar's enemy! I recognized you after I left. Ishtar doesn't care what Sin thinks. She said you would find me; Ishtar has found you instead!”

“It took you so long? The soldier of love isn't as popular as she once was.” Venus sighed, affecting a shrug. “Yare yare.”

“So! You've come back here. Is it to do something sneaky? Is Kunzite's stone here, maybe? Inside this statue perhaps!” Ishtar jabbed a finger towards the statue, her eyes shining. “Lucky! Ishtar can have the stone and defeat Venus at the same time!”

Venus twitched an eyebrow. “Are you really my enemy?”

Ishtar glared at her, opening her mouth to yell; then stopped, eyes focusing on the topaz around her neck. “Ne, ne, the stone! You have the stone! Creature! Hey, you!” she shouted, waving her arms frantically to summon a youma just like the robed, floating creatures at Juuban. It floated between them, brandishing its scythe, as she laughed. “Take care of her! Ishtar needs the Kunzite stone!”

“You can't even fight me alone? Mou! What kind of enemy are you for me? Now I'm upset, and that never makes me happy! Crescent Beam!” she snapped, hitting the youma with a force so hard it threw it across the room. She blinked; Ishtar craned her head to watch the creature go flying. It hit the wall and vaporized. “Ano…I meant to do that! You see how powerful I am, as the strongest sailor soldier. Now get out of here, before I defeat you!”

“How cruel of you! Ishtar won't fight on these terms. You're too sneaky for me; just you wait, I'll prove Sin wrong! You'll have to deal with me soon enough!” With an impatient flip of her hair, Sin vanished. Artemis snorted.

“I think this proves evil is a product of inbreeding. There's no other explanation.” Venus giggled, though it was a bit forced.

“Sensei, evil is just evil. How can you be evil by breathing?”

“Breeding, not breathing. I know my accent isn't that bad in this language.”

Venus giggled again, her laughter trailing off as she eyed the statue. It was still out of place, swung around to stare at an opposite wall. She quickly yanked and shoved it back into place, trying not to handle it any longer than necessary. Just because she had a village to save didn't mean she had to take her time doing it.

She stepped back several metres, lifting the Medias topaz. “How can I do this? At point blank, it would destroy the gem.”

Artemis tilted his head, wincing at the effect. “I don't think so. I think it's made to focus energy. If you put your finger against it, calling your power, it should go straight through.”

“Like sunlight through prisms. You did pay attention in science class, didn't you?”

“Of course not! Why would a future idol require science? And who needs to know the Theory of Relatives anyway?” she replied blithely.

“….you know, sometimes I really wonder why I even bother correcting you,” Alex groaned. “It's the Theory of Relativity. And can you please get on with this so we can get back to that cramped little island we call home?”

“Hai, hai, obaa-chan.” Lifting the topaz just a bit higher, she placed the tip of her finger against the very center. Holding it out at arms' length, she aimed for Kunzite's crotch; somewhat petty and vindictive, but she doubted a statue would notice. “Crescent Beam!”

The golden beam fractured as it passed through the topaz, splitting into dozens of miniature beams of the same colour, bathing the statue in light. Then, like a larger refractor, the statue itself exploded with light, blinding all three of them again, passing through their bodies and the walls. When it was over, there was silence; Venus cracked open an eye to see the statue still in the same place, the topaz a mere gem. Without bothering to ask, she stepped forward to swing the chain over the statue's neck and left it there.

Outside, standing on the temple steps, they watched as the stone slowly melted from bodies, living tan flesh emerging. Inside the temple room they could hear the excited babble of voices as they were freed. “I'm so glad,” Venus remarked.

“Lovely Venus!” One of the men approached her, practically falling to his knees at her feet. “Thank you so very much for freeing us! Take this as a token of my thanks, and for your beauty.” Reaching into his tunic, he withdrew a plain brown sack. Opening it, he took out a small metal pot, which he handed to her. “Rouge, for your lovely lips.”

“A-ano….I don't really….that is, I'm always glad to help, but…!”

“Venus! Venus, thank you!” another one cried as he ran up, taking her hand and kissing it fervently. “It was so cold within that stone. But, you've freed us! Please, allow me to gift you with a better token.” He pulled a similar sack from his tunic, though the glass bottle he withdrew looked like an older version of nail polish. She took it with an embarrassed smile and bow.

“Arigatou. But, really, I don't need such gifts—“

“Beautiful Venus, how can I thank you for freeing us?” A third man approached her from the open door of the temple, clapping his hands together as he bowed in forgiveness. “Please, accept a gift from me as well, for your extraordinary body.” Again, the sack, though his was slightly better in quality; his bottle was also nicer, with gold leaf trim, and a clear liquid inside. From the smell, it was lily and snowdrop perfume. “The sweetest of perfume from our flowers.”

Now she was juggling the gifts a bit awkwardly, trying to hold three containers with two hands. “This is really very nice of you, but as a sailor soldier, I'm dedicated to helping those in needs…these gifts aren't necessary!” She stumbled away as they closed in on her, speaking at once to catch her attention, begging her opinion on their gifts. “N-ne, ne, I really don't need this much attention!”

Hands grabbed her arms, swung her around, and pulled her off the steps in a frantic run. “This is the last time we take you anywhere,” Alex groaned, carrying Artemis; he bobbed up and down like a puppet on invisible strings.

“This isn't my fault!”

“Neither was the vase in your mother's bedroom,” Artemis retorted.

“That….it just fell on its own! I didn't touch it!”

They ran around the pool, dodging several more admirers, and ducked behind a house. When that failed, they ran back around the other way, past two houses, and behind a third. When that one failed as well, as the three had grown into a quintuplet, Venus leapt up onto the roof. “This is insane! Why can't they just thank me and leave me alone!?”

A barely audible thump next to her signaled her mentor's landing. “Maybe because you're the only female they've seen in this village for a long time?” she theorized blandly, bouncing an already-green Artemis more comfortably into her arms. “The only one who hasn't gone completely batshit is Darcy.”

“Darcy-san! Let's hide there again. He won't tell anyone.” Without waiting to see if she were following, Venus slid down the other side, leaping across to the next roof. Below them was a group of puzzled men, apparently never giving a thought to looking up above their heads. Even when her heels made a loud click on the tile, they simply swiveled around and headed for the opposite side of the house.

They darted into the relative quiet of Darcy's house, hastily whipping the door shut behind them. As Venus let out a relieved sigh, a familiar head peered into the front room. “Sailor Venus? Is that you?”

“Hai, hai! Gomen ne, but I've intruded on you again in haste. I needed to hide.” She smiled brightly, bowing in forgiveness. Behind her, she heard Artemis grunt as he was dropped onto the floor, thankfully hidden by her body. “I seem to be just as popular as before.”

“Of course you are! You saved us from the stone. We're so deeply in your gratitude, Sailor Venus. Thank you so very much,” he said in return, walking briskly forward to take her gloved hand and giving it a kiss. “I don't know how to repay you, save for a gift.”

Venus thought about the velvet bag holding all of her gifts, already bulging at the seams, and quickly shook her head in denial. “Iie, I have so many already! Your thanks is enough!”

But he was already off and digging in a large wooden trunk near the wall, carefully setting objects wrapped in cloth on the floor as he took them out. Venus fidgeted, playing with the bracelet through her glove, until he finally stood back up, a silken bundle in his hands. It was a dark blue, tasseled in gold, and carefully folded.

Standing in front of her once again, he unfolded it corner by corner, to reveal another piece of topaz jewelry; a golden choker, ribboned to look like fine lace, from which dangled a topaz cut in the shape of a heart. He lifted it up carefully for her to see how finely crafted it was, how delicate the weaving. Dimly it registered in the back of her mind that it would fit perfectly over her uniform's standard, embellishing the plain orange beautifully. “It's beautiful, Darcy-san, but I couldn't possibly accept such a gift!”

With a smile, he shook his head at her. “Sailor Venus, whose name represents beauty. This is a gift I desire you to wear. It is called the Rias Topaz.” Smoothly he unwound it - it hooked in the back like a corset, instead of clasping - and without asking, reached around to carefully fasten it around her neck. Then he led her to the shining mirror on the wall for her to look.

Oh, it fit perfectly. She could see the plain orange fabric of her uniform through the gold weave, making it look sumptuous. The heart nestled into the hollow of her collar bones, perfectly shaped to fit without overlapping them. “How interesting for it to be another topaz,” she muttered, reaching up to trace the curve of the heart. “But, still,” she said in a louder voice, “I can't accept this. It's a treasure for your village!”

“But it was made for you, Venus. It is formally known as the Rias Topaz, but legend names it more commonly as `Venus's Treasure,' made for her love by our general, Kunzite.” She spun around at that, staring at him with a second's madness, but he seemed completely unfazed. “You visited our village often to see him, in a quiet world beneath the stones. Here, he was our family; here, he was free of the burdens of his role, and he could be acceptable to you. When he died, we were preserved perfectly to wait for him; however, he returned with darkness in his soul. So now, our village simply counts the minutes until we are taken to that world to be with him. It will be a clean, simple death at last.”

Adjusting the choker with nimble fingers, he added, “He would have wanted you to have this, finally. You never saw it. He was called away before he could deliver it to you, and then…he was no more. Everything I remembered as I was stone, as if Kunzite himself spoke to me.”

“I don't want it. I don't want the jewels of a traitor.” She reached up to unfasten it, or even to rip it off if need be, but something paused her hands; the heavy weight of the bracelet on her wrist. Slowly, she lowered her hands, staring at Darcy in defeat. “If I don't take it, you'll never forgive me, will you? To take his jewels….”

“Sailor Venus, please consider mercy. Kunzite was a man of the coldest winter, not our warm summers, but even he was moved to compassion by the touch of a goddess. He would not have been a traitor. Take his gift, to remember his humanity.”

She sighed. Adjusting the choker again for her own comfort, she considered her options. Now that the village was freed, she could go home. However, she was pretty sure she had to return to the spot Kunzite's Kage stone originally left them for the whole stone to take them back home. As she was currently the kami only knew how far below ground, she was stumped on how to get back up. “Darcy-san….do any of you return to the surface?”

“Do you wish to leave? Ahh….it's too bad.” He pulled off a convincing pout that looked far too cute on his handsome face; Venus laughed in appreciation, though her eyes lingered long enough that Artemis whacked her shin. “It's very easy. North of the path leaving our village is a secret path that leads to a cave. Inside is something of yours that will take you wherever you wish to go.”

“Something of mine?”

“Your ship. The flying ship you would come down to Earth in.” He made a shaping motion with his hands, shrugging in careless confusion. “I was told that it was a beautiful ship, made to fly amongst the stars.”

“I don't need to fly amongst stars, I just need to get back to Tokyo! Mou, that won't help at all!” she groaned, palming her face. “I can't fly a ship back home. Everyone would see it and stare!”

Darcy laughed at her. “Venus, have you forgotten? You said it could teleport you anywhere you wished to go. It was a magical vessel. Perfect, for a goddess.”

“Then, sayonara…Darcy-san.” She raised a hand to halt his words before they even passed his lips. “Sayonara.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The path was a little more difficult to find than Darcy had indicated; it was overgrown with weeds, and cleverly cut into the stone at an angle that almost seamlessly matched the rest of the wall. At several angles, you couldn't even tell there was even an opening. It was only the recently stamped down path of weeds that gave Venus the clue that it did in fact exist.

Clearing aside the broken stems, Venus sighed. “I hope I can still work this flying ship, or whatever it is. After all, I'm not Venus. Not the one who once flew it.”

Sitting down in the grass with a sigh, she touched the choker still hanging around her throat. Artemis fixed her with a curious stare, finally asking her, “What's wrong, Venus? We're going home. You don't have to be so concerned anymore. Mamoru-san will be healed, and you won't have to deal anymore with him.”

“I don't know what's wrong. This whole trip….I remember Kunzite as a traitor. But was he something else? Something more, that I can't….I don't want to…”

“That you don't wish to remember, knowing the end as you do?” she heard, whispered softly into her ear.

“Kunzite?!”

She stood up, whirling around to nearly smack into Kunzite's broad chest. He was dressed the same as she had always known him; grey uniform perfect, boots spotless, his gloves snow white and clean. But he wasn't standing in a dirty tunnel beneath the dirt; he was in a field of lilies, stretching as far as the eye could see, to end in blue faceted walls. So was she, for that matter.

But as she moved to speak, she realized that her mouth had begun to move without her; someone else was using her voice. “I know how it ends, just as you do,” she snapped sharply, dismissing him with a wave of her hand. “Your betrayal does not lessen over the years. Our guardian was wise to kill you, before I did.”

Venus - Minako - felt herself drifting, watching the scene from a distance. Her body was not the same; taller, more assured and confident, fitting perfectly into the uniform. It was the Venus of the Silver Millennium talking now, accusing Kunzite of betraying his prince, speaking in rapid Lunarian punctuated with jabs of her finger. The stone, the pieces of his soul that she had merged, had pulled them in, she realized abruptly. Was her actual body still awake? Or was Artemis and Alex fretting over her unconscious form? She couldn't tell. She wasn't even in control of the body she had in this place.

“It was witchcraft, Venus, not betrayal. Of course I despised the Moon Kingdom! Would you not feel disgust towards those who treated you like inferior beings? To allow one of us to be the family's protector, while still treating us as filth, is hypocrisy. And my prince allowed it to continue with his dalliances!”

“How interesting, for I seem to remember you having no trouble with him sullying my princess's virgin skin. Because it was his `wish' to do so, you would never move to stop him.” Venus's voice was dropping further into subterranean with her disgust and anger. “Yet I stood up for her pride, and that of her kingdom! I was the protector I swore to be! And you, the man chosen to not only be one of the shitennou, but their respected leader, the foulest of traitors, did nothing.”

“Is this where your anger springs from? My duty to my prince? Perhaps we interpreted our roles differently; I was always taught to obey, not disobey. And even then, I did, for the touch of your hardly-pure skin. Those stolen moments. Did you love me, princess? Or was the beating of your heart a lie?”

The sound of her hand slapping his face was surprisingly muted in their blue world. His cheek, so pale and perfect, blossomed with a vicious red mark. “You bastard! I am the princess of Venus! Not some whore for you to play with, but of a bloodline purer than that of your thoughtless prince! Don't you dare throw those feelings in my face!” She had tears in her eyes that she blinked back furiously as she began to scream louder. “I was betrayed by you, I was defeated by you, and even now, even in a new world and a new face, I still wish for that touch of your hand, you bastard, you filthy traitor! For your touch alone! Even though you sought to kill me, and I wish you damned to the depths of your purgatory, I still wish. The girl I am now doesn't understand - she can't understand this love. And I won't allow her to. I'll make her follow you to the ends of this planet if you ever return. I swear it!”

Kunzite didn't even blink during the onslaught, didn't even move to so much as touch his burning cheek. When it was over, and Venus was on her knees sobbing like a child, he slowly nodded his head. “If that is your wish, my beautiful Venus. If I did return, I would face her gladly. Because with the memories come the pain. Beryl destroyed within me the capacity for love and forgiveness; now, free of that bondage, I know. I remember. It was folly to even say these things to you.”

“You betrayed me, just as you betrayed him,” Venus sobbed, beating her fists on the ground. “Folly! I thought I loved you! You alone. Be gone, you shade of jigoku, go back into that darkness that you were banished to. Within my new body, I am at least at peace. It's her battle now. And it will be yours if you dare to speak to us again,” she choked, staring up at him with red-rimmed eyes. The proud warrior reduced to a snot-streaked face and trembling lips.

He didn't say a word to her as the world went dark, expelling them from the stone. Venus shuddered awake, blinking as she looked around. “Nani….Artemis? Sensei?”

“How was the nap?” Alex asked her from somewhere nearby. “You crashed so hard, we figured we'd let you sleep. Artemis was out like a light a few minutes after you.”

Asleep….she touched the topaz at her breast, Kunzite's stone. She wanted to cry for what she had seen, but what would be the point? Sailor Venus, the soldier of love, seemed destined to be eternally alone. Adonis had cursed her, but it seemed she didn't even need such magic to so thoroughly destroy her future. The image of Kunzite's impassive face, his eyes burning like two points of light, was burned into her brain.

She didn't want to see these damned visions anymore. What did it matter to her, Aino Minako, that Kunzite had erred so seriously? Well, it did matter, but not to her personally, so terribly, as it did Venus. She would fight Kunzite for betraying his kingdom and his prince; she realized it now, wiping her eyes, that even the centuries-old tale of heartbreak didn't stir her passion as badly as his broken oath. It was a sad story, but ultimately not hers. And she had to understand that, or fall victim to the same despair and hatred that the shade of Venus had become inside her head.

Perhaps Venus was right; she didn't understand their love.

But she understood betrayal easily enough.

Hauling herself up, she casually peeled back her glove to expose the bracelet. Without a word passing her lips, she unclasped it and let it fall into the weeds, a twinkling golden star that slowly faded to a dead brown. She didn't need it. She didn't want it. The choker was more Darcy's gift than his, so she would keep it; the bracelet, lost in the weeds until another found it, was junk to her. Strangely liberated and satisfied, she rolled her glove back up. “Ne? Venus? Are you planning to continue?” a sleepy Artemis asked behind her, obviously having just woken.

“Hai, Artemis, sensei. I have a new purpose. We have to get back to Tokyo, to save Mamoru-san.” And to get rid of Kunzite's soul hovering around her once and for all. She wanted nothing else to remind her of the silver-haired general once this mission was over.

“As you wish,” Alex said archly.

They tramped their way down the path, more out of necessity than trailblazing; the weeds were so tall still, even though someone else had gone through recently. After several minutes of stomping, Venus lost her temper and fired off several salvos of power, reducing the remaining stalks to charcoal. When they rebounded back and had them leaping around like madmen to avoid being hit, Artemis lost his and swore he'd put himself in the nearest pet shop just to find a sensible owner. Venus gave him the names of five she knew of.

Emerging from the cloud of soot, they found themselves standing in a small cavern, somewhat kitty-corner from a second tunnel. The footsteps in the dust led off to the alcove to meet a second set; apparently, the place was used for clandestine meetings. None led to the second tunnel, which, upon entering, gave them the tickling impression of a force-field that most likely repelled anyone attempting to enter who wasn't allowed. Speculation on what it would have done to invaders was not pretty, especially when they came to the second cavern to find nothing more than a softly glowing white platform. Technology that had been lost centuries just sitting there; the security had to be good.

Alex said, “Who wants to try it first?”

They all looked at one another - well, you get the idea - before looking back at the platform, which looked like a rather general model from every science fiction show and movie they'd collectively seen. Nothing flashy or unique; just a silver base, and a lit interior, all of it a perfectly round circle. Venus sighed, rolling her eyes around to find controls. “How does it turn on?”

“We probably just have to stand in the middle, and it will activate itself. Smart technology.” Artemis padded towards it, tail twitching in apprehension; though his memory included such teleportation, it didn't mean he got along with the theory. Never had, if that same memory told him right. The very idea of being disassembled at the molecular level and being reassembled like a puzzle was disturbing.

“Well, then let's get on! Mamoru-san needs this stone as soon as possible!” Venus snapped, grabbing the indignant cat on her way to hop onto the platform. “Sensei, will you be all right?”

“I guess we'll find out,” she said from behind her, sounding not at all amused. “Never did like these things. The possibility of an accident -“

“Accident!? What do you mean, accident!?” Artemis howled.

The teleportation was quite possibly the oddest sensation Venus had ever experienced. Even as Artemis howled in her arms, every single hair on his body stood upright, along with that on her arms and neck; a warm flush through her body made it feel as if she'd just been rinsed out with water; her eyes saw the brightest white light before there was total darkness for a span of time that was both too short to remember and too long to forget.

Then she blinked to see herself standing on the deck of a ship.

It looked like the wooden deck of the ships she had seen in history class; Admiral Perry landing in Japan in his - frittata? Fridge? She could never remember that clumsy English word, so harsh on her tongue - well, landing anyway in his ships. The decks of those ships reminded her of the one she stood on currently, though it was far smaller in scale. She couldn't imagine a party of more than about six riding on it, though it looked to be ornately decorated with gold leaf and scrollwork everywhere. Several small trunks were stored near the front of the ship, tied neatly shut.

She dropped Artemis, who was doing his best to impersonate a dead cat, and went to open them. After all, they were technically hers, right? Right. “I hope there's something interesting in here, like a new weapon or maybe clothes,” she muttered, tugging impatiently at the ropes.

“Haven't you opened enough mysterious chests for one day?” Alex snorted, making an obvious amount of noise to mark where she was walking. Ghostly footsteps on ancient wood sounded just as haunting as anyone could expect; Venus glanced over her shoulder warily, then looked back to her task.

“Of course not! Besides, it's technically mine, ne? And I would be smart enough to leave useful items in case I needed them. I can use them now.”

The first chest held a strange piece of folded fabric; unfolding it, she found herself looking at what appeared to be a tasseled belt made of gold and small topaz gems. It was an exquisite piece of work, but hardly seemed functional, or even appropriate. Frowning, she dropped it back into the trunk and closed the lid, turning to the next one and yanking off the ropes. It held a small statue of a swan in flight. Again, nothing special to her eyes. Where were the weapons?

Now irritated, she opened the third one, expecting even more useless junk; she wasn't surprised when it turned out to be a gold, topaz, and lapis tiara. It looked like a companion piece to the discarded bracelet, but made differently - it was more delicate, more obviously designed for a woman. “I can't believe I left nothing of value on this ship!” she finally exclaimed. Artemis gave her a pointed look, and she snapped at him, “Just because I can be silly Minako doesn't mean I was that way before as Venus. I should have been prepared! What good does jewelry do me here?”

“Perhaps they're magical items. What are they, anyway?”

“This belt thing,” she yanked it out of the trunk to wave it like a flag, “this bird statue,” she lifted it up, “and this tiara, which has more topaz! I'm really beginning to not like it anymore.” Tossing them all back into the truck, she stood up, dusting her knees off. “Let's explore the rest of the ship. The teleport pad will just send us back down if we try it. We need to find some controls.”

“Aren't you even going to take those with us, in case they're of value to you as a soldier?” he queried in annoyance, looking at the sad heap of gold and white.

“I have enough strength on my own,” she said shortly. “Sensei, we're going below. Are you coming?”

There was no answer; she'd probably already gone ahead without them. Sighing, Venus descended into the dark well of the stairs, blinking in surprise as lights turned on automatically for them. They illuminated a gently curving stairwell that was far less organic as the deck above; nothing but smooth white walls that looked like marble, and tiled steps. Artemis's claws clicked loudly and precisely as he walked, matching the sound of her heels. Running her hand along the wall as they went further down, Venus wondered how often she had come this way before. This was the first place she had visited that her past self had been that was not destroyed or was not truly her own; this ship had been hers, not anyone else's. Had she dictated the building of it? Had she decorated it herself?

Stopping that line of thought cold, she looked forward towards the doorway they were passing through. It was the room she had been looking for; a control center. From the quiet muttering in the corner, Alex was trying to figure things out, and, honestly, she was better suited to it than her. Whereas she held the memories of another life she had not personally lived, Alex had been there; she had seen the technology and wielded it; she may have even flown such a ship herself. Though Venus thought that last part highly unlikely, the way their guardian was grumbling under her breath; it didn't sound pleasant, even in a different language.

A door opposite her caught her eye. It was a plain white door with golden scrollwork, closed to keep the room beyond from prying eyes; she felt a moment of déjà vu as she envisioned herself opening it carelessly, laughing at someone else's words. She didn't realize she was doing the same until she heard the click of the lock releasing, and the door swung open in front of her.

Inside was coolness, an almost antiseptic clean smell; the ship must have had automatic filtration to keep the air fresh after so many centuries. Not even a thin layer of dust marred the surfaces of the furniture she saw in slow succession as automatic lights flickered on. A four poster bed carved out of what looked like red stone and hung with gold and sapphire curtains sat at an angle with the wall, its back curiously set towards the door. Belatedly, Venus realized why, flushing a deep red; it would be moderately embarrassing for the blonde to have been caught in flagrante delicto with some suitor without some kind of barrier in case someone barged right in. She could also imagine, without any prodding, who Venus would have most often been astride.

A chest of drawers, carved out of the same stone or similar material, was against the wall, holding an immense mirror. She was reflected within as Aino Minako in her school uniform, smiling brightly, with the Sailor Venus of the Silver Millennium behind her, gloved hands on her shoulders in a fond grip. Venus blinked, biting her lip at the sight. Was she truly growing that far apart from the previous life? Was it her reluctance over time to accept those memories, or had her experiences in Rias created the schism? It was a sobering thought.

The clothes within the drawers were silken, insubstantial scarves and shawls and dresses, all of which she would have been completely embarrassed to wear in public. She might consider herself flamboyant, but not so completely mad. Yet another reminder of the past, of the differences between them. “Is this life so very different?” she sighed quietly, running the silks through gloved fingers. “I would never wear these things, yet they were made for this body. Is it right for me to feel shame now, when I wouldn't then?” She didn't expect an answer; the little voice in her head remained silent. It always had. She folded it up and set it back inside, then closed the drawer.

“Venus!”

Artemis's shout snapped her out of her reverie. In two quick sprints she was through the door and back in the control room, poised for battle. She saw her partner's arched back, fur standing on end, as he hissed at the blonde girl standing in front of the main control panel. Her face was set in a petulant pout which grew even worse as Venus snapped, “You! What are doing in this place!”

“Nani!? You wouldn't expect Ishtar to show up? Baka!” Standing straight, Ishtar stomped her foot in a childish fit of temper. “I know you have the stone! You have it! Sin-sama wants it too, and you need to give it to Ishtar!”

A blast of power slammed Venus into the wall before she came up with her retort. Dazed, she wondered why Ishtar had used youma if she had so much power at her beck and call; though honestly, she was probably just making excuses for herself. “It's right where it belongs, in my hands! And don't damage this ship! This happens to be private property!” she snapped back, bringing her arm up and around. “Rolling Heart Vibration!”

The spiraling golden wave never made it; it made impact against a shield Ishtar had around her, dissipating harmlessly into the air. With a gesture, Ishtar threw her own attack, but this time, Venus was prepared, and she leapt aside easily. Calling power again, she whipped off another spinning wave, then followed with the golden links of her chain. “You're playing dirty! What's wrong, Ishtar, are you afraid to really fight the soldier of Venus?”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Am not, not, not!” Ishtar shrieked, flying at Venus like a harpy. She collided, two blondes rolling across the floor like children in a playground fight; she pulled hair, she bit, she scratched, and it was all Venus could do to protect her face. Finally, they hit the wall and rolled apart, crawling to their feet to face off again. “Ishtar is strong. Ishtar can make Apsu-sama proud of her! No one is as strong as me!”

Two snaps of power collided in mid-air, blinding them both. After the light faded, they attacked again, meeting in the middle; again, there was a flash. Warily, Venus circled Ishtar, twilight scanning her opponent from head to toe. The girl was strong, but something was off; some fundamental flaw in her head was obvious, making her so strangely child-like at one minute, and a vicious adult in the next. Unpredictable. For Venus, who was at the core a strategist in battle - or at least, her Silver Millennium self had been - this was anathema. It was also very dangerous. “Why are you working for this Apsu-sama? What have they offered you to do this?”

Ishtar stopped dead, cocking her head at her like a curious puppy. “Ne?”

“Why are you going through time and doing these awful things?” Venus condensed.

She just continued to stare at her, as if the reason hadn't occurred to her. Venus felt very close to grinding her teeth; what the hell was the girl doing with them, if she had this much trouble giving her a credible answer? Finally, Ishtar stuck out her tongue as she contemplated the matter a bit further, looking even more the child, until she said, “Ishtar doesn't know! Apsu-sama didn't offer me anything at all. Ishtar went with Nabu to visit Apsu-sama, and then she gave us all magic to fight the sailor soldiers!” She giggled, looking pleased with herself.

“Ishtar was never very happy in the city. Always working too hard to paint walls, and moving dirt, and sewing new clothes. But the people in charge of me said Ishtar would be happy with a boy they knew, and so Ishtar was married! But Ishtar wasn't very happy at all,” she said mournfully as Venus stared at her, “not at all. Then he had an accident. It was bad.” Unconcerned, she shrugged, playing with her fingers. It was as if she had completely forgotten they were even fighting, and maybe she had. “Everyone was mad at me. But the white lady said Ishtar was sick, even though Ishtar felt fine, and said Ishtar could go home. Then Ishtar made friends with Nabu, and we were the bestest friends ever! So Ishtar went with Nabu to meet Apsu-sama.”

Venus met Artemis's eyes, wide with concern. It wasn't difficult to figure out what Ishtar was saying. It was just disturbing. If she ever met Neo-Queen Serenity again, she was going to ask her what in the name of the kami she had been thinking allowing a girl like Ishtar walk around free. “You killed your husband?” she finally managed to say.

Ishtar frowned at her, a strange look in her eyes. They narrowed suspiciously as Venus realized the mistake she had made; madness was not any safer than sanity. She dropped like a rock as a blast of power nearly took off her head, scorching the wall above her. “He had an accident! Don't you blame me! Not me! Not me!”

Time went syrupy slow around them. She began firing energy like a human machine gun, flailing blast after blast at the frantic soldier, who was hard pressed to dodge. Ishtar's eyes were empty as she came close, though they had gone wide with perhaps a memory; she had speaking, though the words were lost in the noise of her attacks. Apsu had taken her despite her flippancy and silliness to prevent her from running to the queen with her story of Nabu's disappearance, and had found the memory buried deep within her head; that of a beaten and abused girl who had finally fought back. The girl who had become Ishtar had finally snapped and taken a tire iron to his head, not knowing what it was and what it could do, and afterwards had become a giddy idiot. Given so much power, she was a loose cannon that Apsu thought she could ultimately discard after her usefulness was over.

Ishtar, on a level she could no longer consciously reach, knew it. She knew Nabu had not befriended her out of kindness, but cruelty; she had wanted an outlet for her venting, for her extreme thoughts, needing someone who either didn't understand or didn't care who would still listen. She knew Apsu thought her a moron who could be relied on to be unpredictable and semi-useful despite her blank smile and incomprehension. But it didn't matter, because Ishtar didn't want to know such things; understanding brought with it pain, and anger. It brought a darkness that had not begun with the descent of the tire iron, but earlier in life.

But the darkness was always there, hovering at the edges.

Waiting for the opportunity.

Venus was finding that out painfully as she felt a sizzling pain across her calf as she didn't quite make it out of the way; she slid across the floor, gritting her teeth against the agony of her burn. But it gave her a reprieve as she had disappeared behind the console, and she took the moment to consider her position. One: her enemy was certifiably insane. Two: time was still slow around them; Artemis was moving as if underwater in a partially frozen lake, trying to leap. Whatever Ishtar had done had effectively stripped her of her allies. She was mad, but not as stupid as Venus had expected.

Panting, she slid around the console as Ishtar screamed, “Give me my stone! Ishtar wants it now!” and fired off a blast that rained bits of white ceiling on her head. She slumped back, staring directly at the still-ajar bedroom door, trying to catch her breath. Almost hilariously, she wondered what Ishtar would see if she looked into it; as Venus, she seemed to have a constant supply of mirrors telling her exactly who she was inside. Damned if she knew why. Maybe it was because she seemed to be always fighting enemies who were afraid—

She blinked. It couldn't be that simple. Not after it had recently worked on an entirely different creature.

“Venus stays the course,” she muttered, steeling herself to run. Silently screaming as she put pressure on her leg, she sprinted towards the open doorway as Ishtar walked around the console and spotted her, barely avoiding another blow. Artemis, still frozen, had gained a few centimetres, thankfully not enough to be hit. She ran, knowing Ishtar was behind her like a maddened bull, grabbed the mirror - which was far heavier than she had expected - and swung around to face her.

The compact, small as it was, wouldn't have had the same effect. Ishtar wouldn't have seen herself fully - as she saw herself now - and stopped dead in her tracks. She began making a strange keening noise, staring at whatever it was she saw in the glass, beginning to tremble. Holding up the mirror, Venus's arms began to ache; the damned thing was not only heavy, but awkward. She couldn't see Ishtar's face, only hear the animal noises she was making. And she couldn't see the blast of power that slammed the mirror into her cheek, throwing her and the mirror frame into the dresser as Ishtar screamed piteously, “Ishtar is strong! Ishtar doesn't need anyone!” echoing dimly into darkness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some time later, Venus felt a rough tongue against her cheek. “Venus? Venus, daijoubu?”

“Artemis….ne, let me sleep. Mama will get me up in time….”

“Chere, get your ass up. Otherwise, we're not getting any closer to home.”

Painfully, she opened her eyes to see the canopy of her former bed, Artemis hovering over her with one of his anxious faces. Seeing her awake, it turned into one of relief. “Ara, you're finally awake. Ishtar hit you hard.”

“It feels like it. Ittaaaiii, my head!” She felt the lump growing where it had hit the wall, a bruise where the mirror hit her cheek. On the floor, she could see the frame and the shattered pieces of glass, many of them scorched black. “I wonder what she saw.”

“Whatever it was, it couldn't have been pretty. She played around with time - you two were moving faster than I could watch. And then we heard glass breaking, and everything was back to normal. Ishtar was gone.” Alex lightly touched her bruised cheek. “You were out cold. It's been ten minutes now since the crazy bitch left.”

“At least now we can go home, ne?” Venus laughed, though it sounded forced even to her ears. “I have the stone. Usagi-chan is probably waiting very anxiously for us. And I want to go home and take a nice long nap in bed and read some manga.”

Artemis rolled his eyes at her. “You know you can't do that when the enemy is active. Why do you even bother to say such things?”

“Because even the heroes have to take coffee breaks! I need one. Though I don't drink coffee, maybe a can of tea and some cookies, if mama's made any, which I doubt because mama said last time I'd be making my own.” She stretched, regretted it immediately, and slid from the bed. “Yo-oshi! Let's get back to Tokyo finally! We'll be the first ones back, ne, Artemis, sensei?”

Both of them snorted. Venus flashed the victory sign anyway, doing her best impression of happy as she all but danced out the door and back towards the teleportation device.