Sailormoon Genesis: #7 - The Lovers By: Janelle J. (janelle@sailormoon-millennia.net) Official Webpage: www.sailormoon-millennia.net Note: This episode introduces something new to Genesis (well, not entirely new, just something I am only focusing on now). That is, the idea of each planet representing a culture or civilization that once existed on Earth. This will be explained further at the end of the episode. The Assassin stalked the two beauties quietly, just as she had been trained, just as she had been programmed. This was her first true duty as trusted and high ranking captain of the Black Star Army. She could not afford to fail. However, she knew that it would be impossible for her to fail. She was too perfect a killer, too perfectly engineered to allow this mission to do anything but succeed. Besides, it was simply too easy. She wondered why this kingdom even bothered with a military when all they knew was peace. She knew from her past that a soft army would do little more than dely the inevitable destruction of the civilization for a mere moment or so. She saw images of the past flash before her eyes. A world made out of gold. Invaders from the future. Destruction she never actually saw, only the aftermath of the great battle. And what of her past comrades? Those other women she once trained beside? The leader with the great sword, the two secret lovers, the promiscuous one, the dancer, the artist? The images of all eleven of them flashed before her eyes one by one, but there was no feeling attached to these pictures. They were merely ghosts of the past she would never see again. The Assassin shook her head, she had to concentrate on her targets, not reminisce about a past she felt no emotion towards. The two were laughing, sharing a private joke perhaps. She knew they were anxiously waiting to hear the results of who would be chosen as the guardian of Time and Nature. A powerful position. A Soldier with such power should never exist in the Universe...well, that was what Queen Hydraja had told her, anyways. The two were too distracted with their frivilousness to notice a black shadow moving behind them: the moment they stopped to behold the beauty of a rose or simply to smile would be the end of their laughter. However, just as the Assassin moved to strike, a figure stepped out from the building they were passing by. She weilded a tall bladed weapon that looked particularly menacing, but nowhere near as menacing as the girl's eyes. "Princess Saturn..." one of the twins gasped, the Assassin couldn't tell which one had said it, nor did she care. "You should be careful." the girl replied softly. The Assassin knew she had been discovered and slipped back into the shadows so she could disappear peacefully, without her head being severed from her body by that detestable blade. "You are being stalked..." the girl added just as the Assassin had evacuated the planet via teleportation. Today's mission was a failure it seemed, truly a disappointment. Yet, despite not fulfilling the mission valuable lessons had been learned about just how vulnerable the Silver Millennium truly was. Next time, she would not fail. * * * * * "I hate these...what are they? These...diplomatic functions." Titania sighed heavily as her blue eyes glanced over the gathering crowd. Some of the more professional officials were already taking their seats. Other, less serious ambassadors, such as herself were still busy talking. "Oh, Titania. I know you hate these so much, which is part of the reason I made you come." Dione grinned. Titania shot her a dark look, Dione smiled brighter. "You know I'm just kidding, Titania, dear. We needed a representative of the Outer Planets. Prosperina is increasingly busy these days with the training of the Sailor Soldiers...and well, Amphitrite...is being herself." Dione said tactfully, Lady Amphritrite rarely did anything for the good of the Silver Millennium. "Oh yes, the training of the Sailor Soldiers. Miranda is very excited about it, she's confident she'll be chosen. Naturally, Uranus couldn't be happier." Titania mused, purposely ignoring an impatient glare from one of the ambassadors. "I think Lord Aerius is starving." Dione noted catching the man's glare at the couple, "We should probably take our seats so they can serve dinner." she suggested. Titania shrugged and the two took their seats at the table. Titania tried to hide her disappointment that she had been assigned to sit with some of the most insanely boring people in the entire Universe. Titania threw a glance to Rhea de Mokusei who was sitting next to Maia de Suisei at another table. She sighed heavily at the apparent laughter the entire table was sharing and practically groaned at how dull her own table was. There was the terminally fat and grumpy Lord Aerius of Hiyana, she was positive he would start raving about the youth of his planet. Next to him was Queen Majel of the Nereid Galaxy, she was tolerable, but annoyingly quiet. Sitting on her right was someone Titania had never met before, from a planet she could not even pronounce. She decided to ask Dione about it later, since Dione knew of these things. "So...Lord Aerius, how was the trip here?" Dione asked softly, Titania knew that Dione would have also preferred to sit with people she knew...but unlike Titania, Dione wouldn't show her displeasure. Titania often felt immature next to Dione, she was younger than Dione, but not by more than several hundred years. "It was horrible! What's wrong with you young people, these days? Always pushing for us to go faster and faster, but then you all so selfishly take your time when it betters your own interests!" ranted the old man. Titania glanced at Dione, wondering what Dione would say. Titania wondered if all citizens of the planet Hiyana were all as grumpy and stiff as he was. "I'm very sorry for making you wait, Lord Aerius." Dione apologized. "Well, it couldn't hurt you to put off eating." Titania joked. "Excuse me, young lady?" Lord Aerius demanded. Titania sat nervously for a moment, repeating her own joke over and over in her head. Did that come off badly? she wondered. "Lady Titania was just noting that there's enough food for everyone." Dione said quickly. Lord Aerius eyed the two suspiciously but decided, diplomatically, to remain quiet. "Ah, let...us change...the subject." said the one ambassador whom Titania did not recognize. The man had a raspy voice and spoke in a very accented manner, slowly and with a slight hiss. He sounded like a reptile. "Tell us why...you powerful...civilizations have not...helped." he said, his dark eyes flashing. Titania suddenly became serious, "Helped with what?" she questioned. "The...threat...of the Black Star Galaxy...even now they're...mobilizing against my home planet and its...neighbors." the man said coolly, or at least, that's how Titania percieved it. "The Black Star Galaxy?" Dione repeated with a worried voice. For years now she had known about their expansionist policy, but the Silver Millennium had never heard anything but positive reports, well, with the exception of Luna and Artemis' account of the destruction of Mao. "Yes...and do you not worry...of the Dark Kingdom? They are practically your neighbors...and they are nothing more than a puppet regime of the Black Star Galaxy." the man cautioned. "We are on good terms with the Dark Kingdom, we are in constant communication with Princess Beryl." Titania replied. The man glanced at Titania as if she were a naive child, "You...should not be so trusting. I would...be prepared, if I were you." * * * * * "Princess Serenity is missing?" Mars, who at that moment was Sailormars, asked with a sigh. "What a surprise." "My Lady, shall we commence our search?" the guard implored. By now, this series of questions and answers were all ceremonial. The guards were required to ask whether or not they should commence searching for the missing Princess, by now the Sailor Soliders had learned to simply wave them off to other more pressing matters. "Something must be done," Jupiter frowned as the guard walked off, "We've been letting her get away for too long. My mother told me that there may be a war coming, in these times she shouldn't be running off to Earth to see Prince Endymion!" "But she's in love," Venus sighed heavily. She too knew what it was to love dearly, but she, unlike Serenity, could not just go and see her beloved. She had a duty that she had to fulfill, but she wished secretly that one day she and Lord Kunzite could one day meet again. "People who're in love are irrational, they follow their hearts." "What good is following your heart if its going to get you killed?" Mercury asked. "For Serenity, not being with Endymion is like dying anyways." Venus sighed, she knew the feeling all too well. "I guess the best thing we can do is to lecture her as soon as she returns," Mars suggested as they headed towards Serenity's room for the all-too-familiar ambush. "She never listens to us, but at least it gives us a sense that we're actually fulfilling our duty." "Maybe rather than giving us a sense of fulfillment, we should actually try and do it." Jupiter frowned. "Do you ever feel that sometimes we're ill-prepared?" "It makes you wonder, doesn't it. If we are the protectors of Princess Serenity, but we can't even keep her from sneaking away at night, what good are we?" Mercury asked, her question was a rhetorical one, but the Soldiers were silent with reflection. Venus sighed again heavily as she looked into the clear blade of the Holy Sword, the sword of stone. "If your mother is right about an impending war, Jupiter, then we'll soon find out just how prepared we are as Sailor Soldiers." * * * * * "Y`vei uri maru myt`sh vela rhysa." "And what on Earth does that mean?" Endymion asked as quietly rowed the boat across the pond. The air was warm, somewhat humid. Serenity was lounging across from him, her chin resting upon the edge of the boat. She was tracing her delicate fingertips across the surface of the water, creating tiny ripples which followed them. "Literally? I don't really know. It has something to do with life being wonderful as long as you are with a lover." she admitted with a slight giggle, "I know I should probably know the Ancient Tongue better than I do, but its difficult. Few people speak Ancient Tongue anymore, even in the Moon Kingdom, its mostly ceremonial." she explained. "Its beautiful, its unlike anything I've ever heard before in my life. It sounds like music, especially when you say it." Endymion murmured. "Oh, I can't really say very much. Just the basics." Serenity blushed, "You should ask Princess Mars to speak it. She and Princess Mercury are particularly well versed in Ancient Tongue." "I only want to hear it come from your lips." Endymion said seriously. Serenity blushed more deeply this time. The two had been secretly meeting on Earth for quite sometime now, despite the fact she had been warned over and over not to come to Earth. But she couldn't help it, she felt drawn to this warm blue planet and its former Prince. "Teach me how to speak the Ancient Tongue and I'll show you something of Earth." Endymion said with a glint in his eyes. Serenity sat up and smiled, "Okay, that sounds like a fair trade." "How do you say...Hello?" Endymion asked. "Kh`yv vela." Serenity replied. "Kiv vera?" he repeated, Serenity laughed brightly. "Well, close enough. You speak with an accent." she said with a smile, "Okay, now its your turn to show me something." Endymion released the oars and sat silently for a moment, his eyes were on the shining yellow lights which danced about. Serenity had noticed them before, but passed them off as magic. She saw dancing lights all the time in the Moon Kingdom. Suddenly, Endymion reached out and grabbed a light between his cupped hands. He gestured for Serenity to hold out her hands and she complied, with a delicate motion he dropped the light into her palms. Serenity gasped as she saw that it was some sort of strange tiny creature. "How beautiful..." Serenity gasped as the tiny creature blinked its lights at her. "How can a living thing be so magical?" "Many living things are full of magic, you just have to look for them." Endymion smiled as he tucked an errant strand of her hair behind her ear. "This little thing is called a firefly." "Fire fly? How appropriate. In the Ancient Tongue that would be umm...M`reiyv uri ka. M'reiyv is, well, I guess its an insect. Uri is a possessive particle and ka means fire...oh nevermind, I don't know what I'm talking about." Serenity said as she blushed. "Mree-iv oorika? That somehow sounds better than firefly, or at least it is when you say it." Endymion smiled as he stared into Serenity's blue eyes. "So, teach me one more thing. How do you say, 'I love you'?" "Y`vei tel rhys." Serenity said quietly as she felt herself falling into Endymion's gaze. "Y`vei tel rhys, Serenity." Endymion whispered as he gently kissed her cheek. "A`lhe y`vei tel rhys." she murmured back, "I love you too, Endymion." she leaned forward and laid her head against Endymion's chest and listened to his heartbeat. They were silent now, simply enjoying one anothers company. She felt so right with him, so ] right on Earth. She loved Earth as much as she loved Endymion. I love this, I wish it would never end, Serenity mused, I swear that I will protect Endymion and protect this Earth until my eyes close eternally. * * * * * Princess Uranus eyed the girl shyly. She looks especially pretty today, Uranus thought. Princess Neptune always looked beautiful, her mother insisted upon it, but for some reason Uranus found her fascinatingly lovely today. The girl turned her head and caught Uranus' gaze. Uranus quickly turned her head away. Neptune smiled ever so slightly, she thought Uranus' actions were adorable. Over the course of Senshi training, Neptune had found the girl to be more and more interesting. She couldn't quite put her finger on why exactly she liked the girl so much, but maybe it was Uranus' delicate blend of masculinity and femininity. It was intriguing. Training had ended, so Neptune took this chance to talk to the amber-haired girl, as far as she knew Uranus, she had never spoken to Neptune unless she had to. "Princess Uranus..." Neptune began as she walked up to the sisters, Uranus' sister Miranda gave Uranus a secret smile before abruptly leaving. Good thing, Neptune didn't care much for Miranda. Neptune thought Miranda to be a brown-noser who was far too concerned with being at the top of the class. "Princess Uranus, I was wondering if you wanted to escort me to the Crystal Spire? I have to ask for a prayer for my mother, but its dreadfully lonely walking alone." Neptune said, "Only if you're free, of course." she added. Uranus blinked her blues eyes and stared at the girl, she would be alone with her in a non-class setting. Why, that was always what she wanted to do. Finally, she'd be able to shake this horrible quietness that Senshi training had always cursed her with. Miranda was constantly teasing Uranus about how for some reason Uranus turned into this meek, shy, little girl when she was around Neptune at training rather than the gruff, sarcastic person she normally was. Miranda thought it was cute, Uranus found it annoying. This was going to be the start, the beginning, Uranus resolved, I'll make this Princess so in love with me she'd die for me... Uranus smiled at Neptune, sort of a crooked smirk-smile, signature Uranus smile. "I'd love to escort you to the Spire, my Lady." she replied as she held out her arm to Neptune. Neptune returned with her own slight smile, it was sassy--Uranus loved it. Neptune took Uranus arm, she looked up at Uranus and smiled broadly. "Why, Princess Uranus, you almost fooled me for a moment. You have the grace of a charming Prince." Uranus grinned, she couldn't have been happier. * * * * * "Kunzite..." Zoicite sighed as he stared out his window. Below he could see Kunzite and Nephrite below practicing their fencing. He was feigning illness today since he couldn't stand being around Kunzite when Kunzite wasn't in uniform. It ached his heart too much. Zoicite fell back onto his bed, his loose strawberry-blonde curls falling about him. He was dressed casually, in a loose-fitting white blouse and a pair of black pants. "Oh Metallia, what can I do?" he sighed, "I love him and desire him so much, but I know he doesn't feel the same way for me...his heart is set upon Princess Venus." Zoicite was talking to no one but himself. "Even if he returned my affections, we could never show our love properly. Its not right for high ranking officials to have romantic inclinations with one another." Zoicite stood up, he was restless. He walked around his room in anguish, his heart aching. Finally, he settled back upon the window and peered outside. Kunzite was tiny from this distance. Zoicite held out his hand to the glass and squinted his eyes until he imagined his fingers stroking Kunzite's tiny face. "Oh, this is just pathetic!" he exclaimed in disgust as he retracted from the window and walked towards his fireplace. Sitting on the mantle was the weird little doll that Jadeite had left him several days ago. He thought it was rather a cute little trinket and sat it on the mantle jokingly. Jadeite told him it was disrespectful, since this was no ordinary doll, it was an idol of Metallia. However, Zoicite had shrugged it off and had forgotten about it until now. The figure was made of wood and was vaguely in the shape of a woman. Its crudely cut mouth smiled at Zoicite. He picked up the doll and turned it over in his hands before examining the face. "What are you smiling about?" he asked it with a fake pout, "How come you get to smile and I don't?" the idol smiled back at him. He sighed and rubbed its face with his thumb. "Can you hear me, Metallia?" Zoicite whispered. Of course I can hear you, I can hear all... "Oh, what am I doing, this is so stupid talking to a trinket." he sighed and tossed the idol on his table. He flopped down into the overstuffed chair and put his hands on his forehead. He sighed again, this time more loudly. He knew he had to do something, he had to stop being so damn passive-aggressive...but what could he do that wouldn't embarass him or even worse, embarass Kunzite? His eyes glanced back to the smiling idol. He stretched out until his fingers touched the carved wood and brought it back to him. He stared at the face once more. For some odd reason, he felt that praying to this little trinket would bring about some sort of outcome. Naturally, his rational mind called him stupid. "What's it going to hurt?" he said aloud, as if he had to hear his rationalization in order to continue to pray to this object. He took a deep breath, he could feel his heart pounding as if he were asking a King for a favor. "Metallia, if you can hear me...please listen to my plea. I'm a desperate man, my heart aches every day for someone who doesn't love me back. I'll give anything, anything if you'll just let Kunzite love me." I shall grant all your wishes. I will make your dreams come true...but there will be a price, my child...and a great price you wil pay for such a selfish desire. Naturally, Zoicite could not hear the voice of the goddess, for she was nothing more than the wind in the air. Perhaps if he had heard her reply he would have recanted, or maybe he was willing to sacrifice anything for love. Regardless of what he would have done, Zoicite unknowingly sealed his fate and the fate of everyone he knew. In one irrational act, destiny was set: Eternally. Notes on "Culture": The Silver Millennium, in my fanfic, takes place not 1000 years before the common era, but more approximately around 10,000 years before the modern-time. In fact, it is the remnants of the Silver Millennium that spawned the great cultures and civilizations of the world. So what does this mean? Well, very little. All it really affects is the aesthetic, how the characters dress is influenced and architecture and the sorts. This is also not a new concept as the general designs of many of the characters were based on various traditional garments of civilizations. Here are the following civilization notes (remember, these are ancient cultures, not their modern representations): Mercury: Persian & Babylonian Mars: Ancient Chinese (and Japanese and Korean) Jupiter: Ancient Roman (pre-Empire) Venus: Ancient Indian Saturn: Egyptian Uranus: Celtic Neptune: Ancient Greek (Classical) Pluto: Olmec and Mayan (elements of Incan and Aztec too) Please note, I don't want fanart of Saturn with a snake-headdress walking around the Great Pyramids or Venus as a belly-dancer. Don't use stereotypes to imagine these worlds, I'll try my best to describe them--but think of it like Amidala's (Star Wars) gowns which are obviously inspired by kimono and Roman headdress, but also have their own distinct appearance. These "cultures" aren't THE cultures from Earth, just the planets that spawned them on Earth--thus many things would have changed in thousands of years, just like modern Japanese culture is nothing like it was just 500 years ago.