Note on Planet Names: Ten'ousei=Uranus; Kaiousei=Neptune; Meiousei=Pluto; Dosei=Saturn; Kasei=Mars; Suisei=Mercury; Mokusei=Jupiter; Kinsei=Venus ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Haruka didn't bother to move as the three Inner Queens reached the room, hands covering their mouths in shock. Setsuna appeared behind them, shaking her head. Then their daughters, dressed in whatever they had thrown on when they heard Shousha's voice in the small meeting room, appeared behind them. Rei and Minako chuckled, not surprised at how Haruka's secret had been revealed, and Makoto pulled Ami away, desperate to escape before her mother shook free of the shock. Michiru opened her eyes. "Hello, Mother. Did you want something?" "How long have you known?" Michiru shrugged. "Since the night before you ordered Haruka to marry me. She was getting ready to leave, and I couldn't let her go without spending one night in her arms." "That was your storm. Michiru, why would you disobey me?" "We were only following your orders," Haruka countered, her soft voice reminding Shousha of her lost lover. "I would never have dared this, no matter how much I love Michiru, if not for your command." "Yoruno Kiyoshi knew? He went to Earth willingly to perform the ceremony?" That news shocked the queens. They would never have contemplated a trip to Earth for any reason, yet these two young princesses had gone there and married. Meika noticed her daughter just then, and her glare stopped the pair in their tracks. "You knew." "We were invited," Makoto shrugged. "All of the Senshi were there. Including Setsuna-san." Setsuna shrugged at the shock in her friends' eyes. "I was too late to stop them, and destiny has shown me that she wants these two together. The world of the future will fall without their union, though I have no idea why." "That doesn't matter! You two are princesses! You cannot be married." Narrowing her eyes, Haruka pulled her tunic off the nearby chair and slipping it on, sliding out of bed. "Just because you didn't have the courage to marry my mother does not mean that Michiru and I cannot be together. Destiny needs a bonding of Kaiousei and Ten'ousei, and we are not afraid to indulge her." She slipped her pants on and crossed her arms over her chest. Without the vest, outer tunic, and cape, Haruka looked much more feminine. "Courage has nothing to do with it! Kazeko and I were very much in love, but we were smart enough to preserve our kingdoms." "And yet when she did what she was supposed to, when she got pregnant, you turned away from her." Silence. Shousha, fury in her blue eyes, clenched her fists. "I did not turn away from her." "Yes you did, even though she was nothing but supportive when you conceived and lost your son. You refused to see her, to speak to her, until the day I was born. The day you lost her." "And I've hated you ever since," Shousha hissed, more powerful the more Haruka's words cut her. "If it wasn't for you, she would never have died and I would never have lost her." "She died because she gave up! She died because she thought you hated her. She went into labor and there was no one there to hold her hand, to love her and her child. Where were you when she needed you most?" "I came! I was there!" "You didn't come until Serenity sent the massage to the Moon that Kazeko might die. Then you realized that you would be alone, and you finally showed up! How selfish. If anyone killed my mother, it was you." That accusation hung in the air, quivering in the charged atmosphere. Michiru pulled her bed dress on and joined her wife, taking her arm for support. "It's not my fault," Shousha whispered, an instant from tears. "It's not my fault." "Whose fault is it, then?" "No one's. Nobody could have saved her." "Just as nobody could have killed her." As Haruka's words sank in, Shousha's deep blue eyes widened. "Nobody killed her," Shousha whispered. "I didn't kill her, Serenity didn't kill her . . . you didn't kill her. Just like Hakuchou and Kaichou could never have killed their mother." Haruka's gaze softened. "You lost a lover that day, a soulmate, they lost a partner, Father lost a wife, my kingdom lost a queen, the Silver Millennium lost Sailor Uranus, and I lost my mother. Do you understand? I lost my mother." Shousha nodded, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Then all these years, I only blamed you because I still blamed myself. No one could have saved Kazeko, no matter how much we loved her. It was her time to go. It was her destiny." Haruka wrapped her arm around Michiru's waist. "And this is our destiny. Nothing happens without reason; Kazeko's death was planned and required, even as our marriage was planned and required. There is something we will do together to save the future world." "If they are kept apart," Setsuna whispered, "the future world will never exist." Shousha reached her arms out to the two women, eyes pleading. "Forgive me, please. I didn't know." Haruka took her mother-in-law's arms and smiled. The brilliance in the young woman's eyes reminded Shousha of her lost lover, and she swallowed. "I am a lot like her, Shousha-san. I know you see that. And I want to preserve my kingdom as much as she did, but, unlike her, my destiny is to surrender to my love, to marry Michiru. It will all make sense one day, and I hope you will be supportive of me and Michiru." "I am, Haruka-kun. I know Kazeko would be proud of you." Haruka pulled Michiru into her arms again and bowed to the other queens. "We didn't want to lie to you guys, but we had to keep this a secret. Thank you, Setsuna-san, for not telling anyone what happened on Earth." Setsuna bowed her head, dark green hair falling over her shoulders. "I keep my promises, Haruka-san. Always. Now, I suggest you get some rest—" and she stressed that word to the other queens' amusement "—before you have to go tell your father what you did." Haruka's eyes widened. "I forgot about that. How mad will he be?" The Space Sword, resting calmly on Michiru's dresser, glowed. 'He'll be mad at first, but he'll get over it. He always will.' A tall, blonde-haired spirit appeared in front of the group of queens, brilliant emerald eyes shining in the dim light. She wore the navy and gold Sailor fuku of Sailor Uranus, though not exactly the same as the fuku her daughter wore. Kazeko smiled and reached her arms out to her partners and lover. "Hello, Shousha. How have you been?" "Kazeko," Shousha whispered, reaching her hand out. "Moons of Neptune, how are you here?" Kazeko pointed at the sword and henshin stick on the dresser. "I hid in them until my daughter would take her place as Sailor Uranus. Now that she has her necklace, I can walk about a bit. I visited your dreams earlier, if you remember." "My dreams? That was you?" Shousha touched the apparition's cheek, surprised to find warm flesh beneath her fingers. "I'm so lonely, Kazeko." The spirit embraced Shousha, kissing her forehead. "We'll be together again some day. For now, your dreams will do." Kazeko's spirit slipped into Shousha's body, and the sapphire-haired woman collapsed, unconscious. Haruka laughed as she easily lifted the queen, gesturing for the queens and senshi to retire to their rooms. "She'll be busy for a while. We can all return to our beds now." Haruka carried her mother-in-law into her bedroom while the women dispersed, laying the dreaming queen in her bed and pulling the blue-aqua-white blanket over Shousha. Smiling at the sleeping Queen of Kaiousei, the blonde senshi turned to return to her room. Michiru was standing right behind her, staring at her mother. "She's so peaceful, Haruka, so happy. I've never seen her so happy." Haruka looked at the queen and smiled. "She shouldn't push people away like she does. She never lets anybody get close to her. I don't blame her, but . . ." "Thank you, Haruka." Confused, Haruka looked back at her wife, catching the image of Kazeko's spirit as it passed through Michiru's mind. "Kazeko? She chose to hide in the sword. It wasn't my idea." "It was your love and your courage that let her out to see my mother," Michiru whispered, deep blue eyes full of tears as she looked up. "You made her so happy." "I guess it's my job to take care of this family," Haruka whispered, wrapping her arms around Michiru. "Let's go back to bed; my mother will take care of yours." Secure in Haruka's arms, the aqua-haired princess let her lover lead her back to their room. Kazan, alerted by the commotion coming from Michiru's room, watched the pair return to their bedroom, eyes wide. Haruka was most definitely not a man. *~*~*~*~*~*~* "That's not possible. Shousha-san would not let a woman marry her only daughter." Akaneiro glared at his son, daring the boy to dispute his words. "Father, I know what I saw. Men don't have breasts." Akaneiro rolled his eyes, ignoring his son for a moment while he concentrated on his breakfast. "Haruka-kun is a very nice young man and it's not nice of you to call him a woman. If he was a woman, would he say 'boku'? Trust me one this once. In any case, it's not a prince's job to question the actions of the current and future queens of a different planet. What happens on Kaiousei concerns the royal family, the queens, and the senshi. No one else." "Meanwhile," Momoiro interrupted gently, "Where's Mother?" "I don't know. I guess she's with her queen friends. She hasn't seen them in a while and I want her to be happy." "I'll bet Mother knows that Haruka-kun is a woman. All of the queens were gathered around Michiru-san's room last night right before I saw Haruka-kun carry Shousha-sama to her room and take Michiru-san back to theirs. Without that vest and outer tunic, Urakaze Haruka really did look like a woman." Akaneiro shook his head. "Your curiosity and stubbornness are not good or useful traits in a mere prince, but I suppose a little research wouldn't hurt. Okay, I'll make you a deal. Stop harping on this and go search the archives for a picture of Urakaze Haruka from Ten'ousei's files. That'll tell us the truth." Kazan nodded. "Very well." His meal finished, Kazan excused himself and went to discover the truth of Urakaze Haruka's identity. *~*~*~*~*~*~* "There must be something! The Moon Archive lacks nothing!" The servant on the other end sadly shook his head. "Forgive me, Hino-sama. There is nothing." Kazan rubbed his eyes wearily. "Okay. Then pull up the marriage file for Urakaze Haruka and Kaiou Michiru." The controller touched a few buttons on his console, and the file appeared in the air before the young prince, floating mockingly. Nothing. The file showed that no marriage for Urakaze Haruka of Ten'ousei was ever recorded. "Not possible. They are married, the priest said so. Wait, I know. Pull up all information you have on Yoruno Kiyoshi, Priest of the Order of the Winds of Ten'ousei, Oshou of the Ten'ou no Utsukushii no Uta Temple." "Yoruno Kiyoshi has performed literally hundreds of weddings, Hino-sama. Do you only want his recent activity?" "Very well." A list replaced the empty marriage file for Urakaze Haruka, and Kazan glanced at the entries. "They're not here. What's this?" He pointed to a gap filling the last week, ending the day before when the priest appeared at Kaiou Michiru's birthday party. "It seems that the Oshou asked for some free time for prayer and solitary reflection." "And?" "And . . . here. He left Ten'ousei for Mokusei that afternoon." Kazan touched the transport file and keyed in a request for all transport files concerning the same old priest. There were many. "He was busy! Look at this! He went to Mokusei, Kasei, the Moon, back to Kasei, Kinsei, Mokusei, Suisei, and finally back to Ten'ousei the morning before Michiru-san's birthday. A little past midday yesterday, he was called to Kaiousei for the party, then he went home. This list of activities does not seem to indicate a week of solitary prayer. He was on a mission, but what? What did he do?" "Should I check the records of the planets?" "Yes. See who else showed up around the same time he did." A list of visitors to the planets appeared beside Yoruno Kiyoshi's activity log, the computer highlighting and deleting name after name until the new list was gone. "Nothing was recorded of the same guests at any two planets." Kazan thought a moment. "Bring up the logs of the Inner Princesses." Shrugging, having missed the intellectual leap the prince made, the controller brought up the files. "Look here, Hino-sama. It seems that Minako-hime, Rei-hime, Makoto-hime, and Ami-hime were all on the Moon about a week ago, and Queen Serenity entertained two unknown guests. It seems that she had two guests rooms prepared for some reason. The people aren't listed, but their descriptions match a pair seen on Mokusei, Kinsei, Kasei, and Suisei the same time Yoruno Kiyoshi was there." "Do any of the other kingdoms record names?" "Um, Mokusei's records list Kaiou Michiru and Urakaze Haruka as guests. Hmm, look at this. This was not Urakaze-sama's first visit to Mokusei." The list of Urakaze Haruka's activities over the past few months flashed into existence, and Kazan raised an eyebrow. "Kasei, Mokusei, the Moon, then Kaiousei, and there is no official transport record for him. So how did he move from one place to another so easily?" The controller pushed a button, and the events listed moved into chronological order. "First Urakaze Haruka appeared on Kasei and trained Rei-hime for a while. Then he went to Mokusei and trained Makoto-hime. While he was there, one of the servants filed a report of a sighting of Ten'ou Kazeko's spirit in the communications and archive room. He then visited the Moon and apparently left in quite a hurry, appearing on Kaiousei and saving Michiru-hime's life the same day he was recorded on the Moon. Then he and Michiru-hime left Kaiousei, and Yoruno-san left Ten'ou no Utsukushii Uta Temple the same day. He was later recorded on Kasei and Mokusei, the day before all of the princess appeared on the Moon. Then this Urakaze Haruka, Kaiou Michiru, Hino Rei, Kino Makoto, Aino Minako, Mizuno Ami, and Yoruno Kiyoshi went to Kasei. Yoruno Kiyoshi then accompanied Hino-sama and Aino-sama to Kinsei. He traveled to Mokusei, where Urakaze Haruka confronted King Meisha and Queen Meika. Yoruno Kiyoshi, Kino-sama, Mizuno-sama, Kaiou-sama, and Urakaze-sama then traveled to Suisei, where Kino-sama and Mizuno-sama remained. Urakaze-sama and Kaiou-sama then returned to Kaiousei and Yoruno Kiyoshi went back to his temple." Kazan nodded. "So, sometime during that whirlwind of traveling, those two married. But none of the Inner Planets record the wedding?" "No, Hino-sama." Lost, Kazan pulled up a map of the Inner Planets, pushing the holographic chronological list of events to one side for the moment. He drew a path with his finger, leaving behind a pale pink line indicating Kiyoshi's path. He then drew in Urakaze Haruka's path in white. "They had to get married here, where the paths are one. But Haruka-kun was never seen while the priest was on Mokusei and Kasei. Only on and after the Moon. I guess my sister and her friends would be there as witnesses, so Michiru-san must have gotten married here, on the Moon." "We have no record, Hino-sama. I checked personally." Kazan nodded, eyes moving away from the tiny white pearl that represented the Moon, and his eyes stopped. "No," he whispered. "It can't be. They wouldn't have married on Earth unless they had something to hide. When did Urakaze Haruka first appear? What other news passed between the planets that day?" The controller pulled up a list, deleting the trivial ones. "Oh, look at that. Ten'ou-sama sent a message to all of the kingdoms recording the kidnapping of his daughter that day. She, the Space Sword, and Uranus's henshin stick all vanished." Kazan shrugged and reached to change the story, then something deep in his memory clicked. "The Space Sword? Computer, picture." He stared at the image floating in front of him. "Bring up pictures of Urakaze Haruka from the party today." He skipped until he could see the beautiful sword hanging from the Duke's waist. "That sword! Is he the one that stole it?" "Ah, here's a picture. This is Ten'ou-sama's daughter, Ten'ou Haruka." "Haruka?" Kazan looked at the picture and fell back. "Urakaze Haruka didn't steal the Space Sword because it belongs to her. To Ten'ou Haruka." He touched the screen, and a file appeared in front of him, listing two marriages that Yoruno Kiyoshi performed, each stamped with the exact same time; Kaiou Michiru to an unnamed groom and Ten'ou Haruka to another unnamed groom. "He married them. Ten'ou Haruka married Kaiou Michiru." The controller's eyes widened, but he was wise enough not to say anything. The connection was suddenly severed. Kazan looked over his shoulder as Shousha entered the room, hands on her hips. The servant bowed quickly and left, knowing without having to be told that he was not to discuss any of Kazan's findings. "So you know. Congratulations; it took me a week after meeting her to discover the truth about Haruka-kun." "You know?" "We all know, Kazan-kun. All of the queens. I made the connection last night while we were discussing how our daughters seem to be attracted to each other. Your mother mentioned that if Michiru was attracted to women, she'd probably fall for Kazeko's daughter. That was when I made the connection between the names. Haruka is a woman, but it doesn't bother me." "I thought you hated Ten'ou Kazeko's daughter." Shousha smiled and shook her head. "Not anymore. Are you going to tell anybody?" "I should tell my Father." "He knows by now. All of the kings know. So do Makoto-san's brothers, actually, and Amami's twin daughters. Now you know and Momoiro-san will, too. There is no secret to tell anymore." Kazan stood up and looked at the queen. "You seem different, Shousha-san. What happened to you last night?" Shousha blushed as she shooed the prince out. "Go talk to your father; I need to call Serenity." When the boy was gone, Shousha sat down in front of the console and dialed Serenity's personal code. The Queen of the Silver Millennium was quick to answer. "Shou-chan?" "Hello, Serenity. How have you been? Had any interesting visitors on the Moon lately?" Serenity raised one eyebrow. "What are you getting at?" "Visitors. You could have mentioned that my daughter was on the Moon. With the person she just married." "I didn't think to call you, Shou-chan—wait. Married? She wasn't here with that duke's son you told me about." "Really? I'm sure she was. Where did he say he came from? Uranus? I think his family was Urakaze." Serenity narrowed her eyes for a moment, then she gasped. "Shou-chan! Urakaze Haruka . . . you know. You already know. Are you telling me that Michiru married Ten'ou Haruka?" Shousha began to laugh, her free hair tickling her face and neck at the unexpected movement. "Yes, Kazeko's daughter is now married to and sleeping with mine and I'm happy for them. It was never my fault or your fault that Kazeko didn't live, and it was never Haruka's fault that she died. Haruka-kun told me that when I caught them, and I discovered something else." Serenity, at a complete loss for words, raised an eyebrow. "Kazeko was in that damn sword, Serenity. She was there all along. And when you gave the necklace to Haruka-kun, she gained the ability to leave the sword for long periods of time. She joined me in my dreams last night. I actually held Kazeko again, and it's all thanks to Michiru and Haruka breaking the rules." Serenity leaned back in her chair, remembering Michiru and Haruka's visit to the Moon. "I thought there was something going on between them when they were on the Moon. The night they spent here, one of my servants was cleaning in the hallway and swears that there were two people in Haruka-kun's room, and there were noises. The poor servant was too embarrassed to tell me what noises he heard, but if they were married, I know what they were up to. I ignored him, but I guess he was right. Serenity discovered that Urakaze Haruka was just a disguise for our missing Uranian Princess, and I figured it out after that huge fight I had with Haruka-kun before she left the Moon. I guess she went to Kaiousei after that. When did you first meet her?" "It was much later. Apparently she appeared the same morning I left for Ten'ousei. It was the anniversary of her death. I guess I never thought about it, but Haruka-kun's birthday passed while she was on Kaiousei, and she never said anything to anybody. I didn't come back for more than a month. That was about a week ago." "You thought she was a man?" Shousha nodded. "Yeah." She laughed lightly, remembering the morning after she returned. "They made quite a storm that night, Serenity. I watched that hurricane brewing all night and I just couldn't figure out who was making it. I remembered my nights with Kazeko . . . I didn't think about it again until just now. They were so powerful, Serenity. The next morning, when I caught her in Michiru's room, I reacted automatically. I ordered them to marry." Serenity chuckled. "You ordered them to marry?" Shousha nodded. "Haruka-kun pointed that out while we were arguing. She had a good point, I have to admit." "Where were they married, Shou-chan?" "On Earth." Serenity stared at Shousha. "Wait a second. Earth? When was this?" "When Haruka-kun and Michiru returned to the Moon. A priest named Yoruno Kiyoshi was there with them." "Who else?" Shousha shrugged, wondering where the conversation was leading. "Makoto said that all of the Senshi were there." "All? Do you think Serenity was there? Oh . . . Haruka-kun and Michiru-san took her into the city that day, and the guard fell asleep . . . Shou-chan, my daughter went back to Earth!" "And?" "Did you know she was at Michiru-san's party last night? She and that Earth prince she's been visiting?" Shousha shook her head. "Serenity, don't fight this. Let your daughter be happy." "I can't let her keep going to Earth. He'll die soon and she'll be alone again. She doesn't need that pain." "Like she doesn't need to be Sailor Moon?" Serenity stared at the other queen. "Shou-chan. I'm surprised at you. You've changed a lot. I guess Kazeko had quite an influence on you." She turned to one of her servants and murmured an order, turning back to the screen when he left. "As much as the marriage of two noble women goes against the laws and traditions of the Silver Millennium, especially two senshi, that's not as bad as one of us with a prince of Earth. He won't live long enough to giver her heirs, and I won't have her heart broken." The servant returned, and Shousha watched him bow nervously to his queen in the background, muttering something. "Serenity's vanished again?" "She's not going to stop leaving, Serenity." The silver-haired queen looked at her friend. "Shou-chan, she doesn't listen to me. Right now I don't think she even likes me. If she's on Earth, I can't get to her. There is unrest on that planet, and the Moon Queen would be an easy target for the rebels. Serenity isn't safe, either, but Setsuna doesn't worry much about her visiting, so I know she's safe enough. But I can't let her stay. Only one person has ever been able to bring her back." "Haruka-kun. Of course. Look, when they wake up, I'll suggest that Haruka-kun and Michiru take a trip to Earth before heading for Ten'ousei. Be patient, old friend. She'll fix everything; it's what she does."
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