Note on Planet Names: Ten'ousei=Uranus; Kaiousei=Neptune; Meiousei=Pluto; Dosei=Saturn; Kasei=Mars; Suisei=Mercury; Mokusei=Jupiter; Kinsei=Venus ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "Minako-chan! A message for you!" Minako opened her door, brushing her hair behind her ears. When she found herself facing her little sisters, nearly identical twins, she smiled. "A message?" The older of the two, lavender-eyed Fujiiro, handed Minako a piece of paper, while Gin'iro, her silver-eyed twin, smiled at Rei through the door. The Princess of Kasei joined her lover at the door and read the paper over her shoulder. "Michiru-san's party? All of our families are invited? Even these little ones?" "And your older brother and younger sister, too. Do you want to go?" "To see Haruka-kun and Michiru-san fool the entire Silver Millennium? Absolutely." Minako crouched down and smiled at her younger sisters. "How would you like to go to a party?" "Yeah!" "Good. Then go find Mother and Father and tell them to meet me for lunch in my garden. You guys show up, too, and we'll suggest the party." "Okay!" Minako's sisters ran off, and the princess of Kinsei returned to Rei's arms. "I wonder why Haruka-kun invited us." "Why else? To show us how to embrace our love. I'd like to see her in action as Duke Urakaze Haruka one more time before her identity is revealed." "How long do you think it will take Shousha-san to figure out the false identity, Rei?" "Not long after the public announcement of Michiru-san's marriage. She'll be really angry." "Then we had better be there to support our friends and partners." *~*~*~*~*~*~* "Saiki! Eiki!" "If I ask you what you want, will you leave us in peace? We are in the middle of something very important." Eiki raised his long, thin sword, watching Saiki's every move as he trained his younger brother. He didn't even bother to look at Ken'nin. "Haruka-kun and Michiru-san have invited us to her birthday on Kaiousei. Actually, they invited all four of the Inner families, including our parents." Eiki raised his hand, pausing the lesson, as he turned to look at the message Ken'nin held. "Is she trying to get everyone to figure out her secret?" "I don't know. Maybe she just wants to see us all again. She really must be lonely, without any siblings of her own." Ken'nin pulled out the emerald necklace and let it sparkle in the light. "We can give this to Mako-chan at the party. And if all of the Inners are going to be there, we can tell them what Pluto told us." The other two Kino sons nodded, watching the emerald catch the light. "Let's go tell Mom and Dad that they've been invited, too." *~*~*~*~*~*~* "Careful; you don't want to hurt yourself. Just go slowly until you get the hang of it." Ami bit her lip nervously as she carved the tiny figure, making an animal she had only seen once from a report on Earth. "There," she sighed, carving the tiny creature's perpetual smile. "It's finished." "It's beautiful, Ami. A dolphin, right? Do you want to paint it?" Ami nodded, smiling at her partner. "I can't believe that you do this so much. Don't you ever hurt yourself?" Makoto held out her hand, tiny scars visible. "Wood-carving is not easy or safe, but it's fun to create beautiful figurines. Like that swan I gave your sister." "She loves the things you make." Ami looked up at the collection of animals on her dresser, all created by Makoto during their long association. Courtship? "So do I." "Now you can start to make your own." Makoto handed Ami her blue paints and touched the tiny dolphin. "I don't do water creatures." "I like them. Maybe I can give this one to Michiru-san for her birthday, if you think it's good enough." "I think it's exquisite. I'm working on a model of Neptune. I made them a wedding present, though. Look." Makoto pulled out a model of a crane flying into the sky, the waves reaching for its long legs. "See? Michiru-san and Haruka-kun are compatible." "It's great." Before Ami could continue, a knock on her door interrupted the pair. "Yes?" "Ami-chan! Father sent us with a message for you and Mako-chan." Hakuchou and Kaichou slipped into the room, smiling at their sister. "We are all invited to the birthday party of Michiru-san, all of us. You, too, Mako-chan. Are you coming?" "Sure, we'll go. Tell Father that we'll be ready to leave." The twins left, and Ami looked up at Makoto. "Is she crazy? Does she want everyone to know that she's a woman?" "I don't know, Ami. But we'll find out soon." Makoto pulled Ami into her arms and touched the golden chain running under the smaller woman's shirt. "What's this?" Ami pulled out the necklace and showed Makoto the sapphire inscribed with the symbol of Mercury hanging from the chain. "It's an heirloom of sorts. Every Sailor Mercury wears it. I think it links us to our planet. Pretty, huh?" "Yeah. Do you think there's one for Jupiter?" "Absolutely. Every planet has one. They're passed down from queen to princess. Your mother probably still has it." "I don't think so. She would have been wearing it. Can only the Senshi wear them?" "Yeah." "Then Ken'nin is probably taking care of it for me. I'll see him at the party and ask for it." *~*~*~*~*~*~* "Kazan?" "Yes, father?" "Memo from Kaiousei. Is Momoiro in there?" "I'm here," the young girl answered, looking up from the reports she was skimming. "What does the message say?" The children's father, Akaneiro, sighed as he entered the room, his wife, Rikuriko, following him. "You two are far too lazy to be Hino children. Look at your sister and her voyages to the other kingdoms." "She went to Kinsei, Father, and not for the joy of traveling. She went because she couldn't stand to be separated from her lover." Akaneiro crossed his arms at his son's words. "Kazan, Rei has constantly asked us not to talk about or interfere in her love life. She's promised to marry a duke or lord some day, as long as we don't try to separate her from Minako. In any case, Kaiou Michiru has invited all of the Inner royal families to her birthday, and your mother and I have decided that we will go." "Do you think Rei-chan will go?" "I imagine so, Momo-chan," Kazan answered. "My little sister likes Michiru-san a lot." "So do you," Momoiro teased, looking up at the oldest of the three Hino children. "You've tried for her hand twice now." Kazan glared at the youngest Hino. "Momoiro, that is none of your business. Michiru-san was very nice and she was kind to me both times. All I know is that she has yet to marry and I still have a chance. So I will take it." Momo chuckled. "I am so glad that I'm a girl. The men come to me and I don't have to worry about anything." "Why couldn't Rei have your attitude?" Rikuriko shrugged when her children and husband looked up at her. "I know. But Rei needs to think more about the future of our planet than this fleeting love she has for Minako." Akaneiro looked up when one of his servants entered the room, and he and Kazan excused themselves to deal with Kasei business, leaving mother and daughter alone. "Why are you so upset about Minako and Rei? You loved Asakaze right up until her wedding to Shinrai." Rikuriko nodded. "I know. But love between Senshi is painful when it is and it can't ever last. I don't want Rei to go through what I went through before my marriage." Momoiro touched her mother's arm. "Don't worry about her. She'll be fine." *~*~*~*~*~*~* Haruka opened her eyes slowly, savoring the weight of Michiru in her arms. The Neptunian Senshi was still asleep, her face peaceful, unaware of the dangers and troubles facing the pair in the future. Haruka envied her sleeping wife. "I'm not asleep," Michiru whispered groggily as she struggled to full consciousness. "I wish you would quit thinking about me when I'm trying to get a little more sleep. It's very distracting." "Sorry," Haruka whispered. "How do we do that, anyway? Hear each other's thoughts, I mean. I don't think any other Senshi can." "I always know when you're watching me, beloved. I can't exactly hear what you're thinking, anyway; I just sense it." "Really?" Haruka leaned over her wife and bit her lip, concentrating. 'I'm going to kiss you now.' "Then do it." "You heard that? I thought you couldn't hear my thoughts." "Not unless you project, baka." Michiru smiled as Haruka kissed her, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. "Maybe because we went farther than any other pair. We broke all rules and traditions for the sake of love and married. None of the others ever did. So we get . . . perks." Haruka chuckled. "Perks? We are in so much trouble, Michiru." "I know, Haruka. But it doesn't matter. We're bound now, for the present and the future. We don't have anything to worry about, really. Now, let's get dressed. We have to greet the guests." Haruka reluctantly rolled out of bed, but not before caressing Michiru one last time. Staring into the closet, she rifled through her suits and looked over her shoulder at Michiru. "What color are you wearing, love?" Michiru laughed as she slipped out of bed, covering herself with the sheet, far more modest than her partner. "You just like to stand in the middle of the room stark naked." "And?" Michiru glared at her lover as she pulled a pale blue dress out of the closet. "This one. When am I going to see you in a dress, Haruka?" "When I show you my world, I promise to wear a dress for you." Haruka pulled out her dark blue suit and held it up against Michiru's dress. "It'll do." The two dressed quickly and Haruka waited while Michiru brushed her hair. Kaiou Michiru glared at her partner as she walked to the door, annoyed at how little Haruka had to do to get ready for the day. "Why is your hair short, anyway?" "It makes this duke's son thing more believable," the blonde replied flippantly. "I think I kept my hair short because I wanted to be more like my father. Besides, with short hair, I can dress like a guy and attract girls." Michiru stopped, hand reaching for the door handle, one eyebrow raised. "Have you always been attracted to girls?" "Since I saw you at Serenity's presentation. So, basically my whole life." Michiru smiled as Haruka joined her. "Somehow, that makes me feel powerful." "What?" "Knowing that I'm the reason you like girls. It's nice to know that I made an impression on you." "Always and forever, Michiru." Michiru smiled at her wife's words, pausing as she opened the door and a stray thought hit her. "What do you mean, 'you're hungry'?" Haruka started at the slim woman's question, sifting through her thoughts for a moment before smiling and caressing Michiru's cheek. "Stay out of my head," she whispered.
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