Haruka rolled over, green eyes tightly closed, desperate to escape the images assaulting her mind. Fancy dresses and regal suits, jewels of unknown power, other planets, kingdoms of unmatched majesty, Michiru . . . her beautiful Michiru was there, everywhere, shaping her entire life from the instant she first saw the child, by her side until the very end. Haruka turned over again, fingers desperately twined in her sheets, as the final battle filled her mind. Blood and screaming and death and fear . . . she told her pregnant wife to run, but the slender aqua-haired senshi refused outright. She felt Neptune's gloved fingers twine with hers as they both escaped the pain of the Silver Millennium for the peaceful silence of death. "NOOOOO!!!!" she screamed, sitting up in bed. Michiru woke with a start as Haruka's scream filled the house. Shocked, she looked up into her lover's haunted emerald eyes, gasping as memories flooded her mind. Setsuna, hair slightly disheveled, dashed into their bedroom, Hotaru just behind her. Haruka finally managed to catch her breath, and she slipped out of bed, pulling on a rode as she stopped beside the window, panting slightly. Her partner followed her, leaning her aqua-haired head on Haruka's shoulder. "What?" "Our past, Setsuna-san," Haruka whispered, eyes closed. "I just remembered everything. It was this huge burst of information, and I . . ." "It was a lot," Michiru finished. Remembering her last encounter with Sailor Pluto, Michiru spun to face the green-haired woman. "Setsuna-san! I remember now. I gave Helios to you! That's how he ended up on Earth!" Setsuna nodded, remembering the boy she birthed. "Thank you." "Any time." Setsuna gently pushed Hotaru out the door, knowing that the two women needed to be alone. "I'll see you in the morning, then. Good night." Haruka turned to Michiru after the rest of their family left, a smile spreading across her lips. "I told you to run." "I had to stay with you, Haruka." Michiru let Haruka wrap her arms around her waist, pulling her close. "I can't live without you." Haruka leaned down and kissed Michiru, tears drying on her cheeks. "Aishiteru, Michi." Michiru laughed as Haruka pushed her to their bed, kissing the taller woman as the blonde landed on top of her. "Aishiteru, Ruka. Besides, everything turned out for the best." "It did." Before Haruka could instigate another game of passion, Michiru laid her fingers on the blonde's lips. "Haruka, remember what happened the last time you and I combined our powers? I, for one, am not eager to upset the balance of the Universe once again. Promise me that whatever else you touch me with, no Senshi power." Haruka laughed at her wife's choice of words, letting her lips settle into a pout. "Hmph. I never get to have any fun." "Sure you do; I'm just limiting the field of acceptable outlets." She pulled away, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest, smiling as Haruka's eyes wandered to the edge of the half-closed robe. "Promise me, Ruka, or you'll find yourself on the couch. Again." Haruka winced at the memory. "Okay! I promise. Now, come to bed." Michiru smiled as she let her amorous lover lead her back to their nest. She briefly wondered how the younger senshi were dealing with the memories, and she hoped they were having as much fun as she was. *~*~*~*~*~*~* Minako fell to the floor as the last of the images faded, her pale blue eyes wide. Struggling to catch her breath, the senshi of love pushed her hair out of her eyes and looked out her window toward Hikawa Shrine. "She loved me then," the blonde whispered. "She really did." "I imagine she loves you now," Artemis pointed out from his perch on the dresser, blue eyes reflecting red in the last of the silver moonlight. "But she . . ." "It's all in your imagination, Minako. You always run away; you've never given her the chance to tell you how she feels. Makoto and Ami took that chance, and look how happy they are. I always knew you two were a difficult pair; you're both too stubborn and frightened." "I'm not afraid!" "Yes you are. You may be the goddess of love, but you have been burned by it so many times that you are unable to believe that anyone could truly care for you, especially your best friend. You have to let go of Alan and your bad experiences in England and embrace the beauty and wonder you've found in Japan. You have to give her a chance." "What about the wedding? She could have said something . . ." The little white cat snorted. "She didn't say anything because she was afraid of scaring you off. She asked you to dance because she wanted you to have a good time and you looked a little sad. All of you traded partners many times, but you'll notice that Rei-san managed to dance with you a lot." Minako nodded as she stared out the window. "What should I do, Artemis?" "Go to her," the cat purred. "She'll want to talk, too, after Setsuna-san returned your memories. If you ever planned to speak to her, now is the time." Minako grabbed the nearest dress and slipped it on, for once thinking ahead as her henshin stick appeared in her open hand. A moment later, Artemis hid his head from the breeze blowing in the window Venus left open as she jumped across the next rooftop and toward her hot-tempered Martian Princess. *~*~*~*~*~*~* On the top of a hill in Tokyo, a young priestess awoke, heart pounding fiercely. The image of Sailor Venus reaching desperately for her as the only world they knew fell to pieces around them brought tears to Rei's eyes, and she sat for a moment to clear her mind and calm her heart. "Minako," she whispered. "I had no idea. What have we lost?" Knowing that she would never get back to sleep, Rei changed into her miko clothes and headed outside, sitting on the steps leading away from the shrine. She briefly considered praying to the Sacred Flame, but she dismissed that thought as quickly as she conceived it. Her emotions were too wild, too raw, and she knew she could not find solace in those flickering orange-yellow depths. Image after image of her former life filled her mind, most of them side-by-side or arm-in-arm with the stunning heir to the Venusian throne. Some of the memories were in her bed, and she felt her pulse quicken at the feelings. "Now I know why you're called the Goddess of Love," she whispered. "You earned that. I remember Haruka and Michiru convincing us not to give up our love for anything, but it looks like time did what our fathers could not. Back then it was so easy, and I knew that I loved you, but how can I show you now what I feel? How can I make you see that I've fallen in love with you again even before Setsuna returned our memories? How can I live without you, Minako? How can I keep what I never had?" She could sense the world awaken as the sun crested the eastern horizon, rising out of the sea and coloring the world in orangey-gold, the color her beloved had taken as her own. Rei looked over her shoulder at the temple she had called home since her mother died, and she wondered if she should go prepare breakfast or pray. The priestess stood to leave, halting her retreat as she caught the barest flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. She watched, a tentative smile spreading across her face, as the dawn brought a golden-haired beauty to Hikawa Shrine. She had not been the only one to remember her past. Minako jumped into Rei's arms, both women crying. "Rei," she whispered. "I am so sorry. I should have told you before we grew so far apart." "Why didn't you Minako?" "Because you've always been in love with Usagi, and I can't compete with our princess." Rei pulled away, looking into Venus's blue eyes. "Oh, Minako. You don't understand. I'm not in love with Usagi. After we returned from Haruka-san's wish, from the world where Usagi was my girl, I realized that she and Mamoru-kun were and are destined for each other. I do love her, all senshi do, but I've never been in love with her." "I think I understand," Minako smiled. "We all love her, even Haruka-san and Michiru-san, though they try their best to hide it. It just seems that you love her more." Rei laughed. "Do you think I love Usagi more than Ami-chan does? No! But she doesn't express her emotions as vividly as I do." "Apparently it's enough for Mako-chan." Rei smiled. "Do I show it enough for you? I know that we aren't the same princesses that died in the Silver Millennium, but my feelings are the same as hers." "Mine certainly haven't changed," Minako whispered. "Aishiteru, Rei." "Mo, Aishiteru, Minako." Rei leaned down and let her lips touch the blonde's, and a fire she had never before known filled her frame. She pulled Minako closer as she sent a brief prayer to whichever god had convinced Setsuna to return her memories and her lover. Regardless of what she told Setsuna the day Ailan appeared, she needed her memories. And she needed Minako. *~*~*~*~*~*~* Makoto awoke to a pounding on her door from a sleep her body had only reluctantly returned to after memories of her past life filled her dreams. She tucked her loose hair behind her ears as she opened the door, eyes widening. She was met by a blue-haired woman she knew very well, and Ami let Makoto pull her into her arms. Some memories were best shared. Ami was shaking when she pulled away, tears in her sapphire eyes. "I never wanted that, Mako. I never wanted to remember seeing you die." "I'm sorry I couldn't save you, my love." "You couldn't have. You were destined to die, as were we all. Please don't feel bad for what you could not prevent." Makoto pushed her door closed and pulled Ami to her couch, sitting down and pulling the smaller woman into her lap. Ami pulled Makoto's arms around her as both let their memories of their previous lives run through their minds. They didn't have to say anything to know that they were thinking the same thing. "How could we forget? How could I let our love die?" "It wasn't us, Mako. Setsuna's reasons for keeping our memories away were perfectly valid at the time of her decision. And we fell in love even without them. But it's nice to remember." Makoto leaned down and kissed the top of Ami's head. "Yes, it is."
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