"Did you have a good night, Duchess Kaiou?" Michiru blushed at the sly smile on the captain's face. "Yes, thank you. When do you think we will reach Okinawa?" "We can either get there late tonight or early tomorrow morning. I prefer to arrive in the morning, if that's alright with you." "Perfect," a husky voice purred from behind the duchess as two long arms twined around her slender waist. Michiru rolled her eyes as Haruka pulled her close. "I really don't like the water, but this trip hasn't been so bad." "I imagine, Duchess Ten'ou, that it is not the water you enjoy." With that parting shot, the captain bowed and returned to her duties. Haruka pulled Michiru to the balcony and found a spot where they could watch the shoreline speeding past, sitting down and leaning against the nearest wall. She pulled Michiru into her lap and they sat there in silence, needing no words. They never noticed, but each woman was enveloped in a gentle glow, the aqua and gold merging together as they sped past the shore. People on the mainland watched in awe as the ship meandered past, a glowing beacon of power on the bow. The light resembled an eagle and dolphin twined together in the tightest of lover's embraces, those lucky enough to spot the miracle holding that image in their minds and hearts for the rest of their lives. The day the Sky kissed the Sea. *~*~*~*~*~*~* "I just don't get it! Haru-chan's better at this stuff than me!" Makoto growled and dropped her brush on the table, glaring at the blotched paper. Ami's neat letters were on one side and her wavering attempts were on the other. Ami sighed and picked up the brush, wiping up the small spot of ink left where it landed. "Makoto-san, you can't give up. You have the talent, but you're not very patient." "In my life patience doesn't pay. Most of my opponents rush hard and fast and there is no time to sit and wait. I'm a very impatient person." "We'll just have to overcome that. You can write your name just fine, but you lack even the most basic knowledge of the hiragana and katakana alphabets. You don't know very many kanji, either." Makoto sighed as Ami held out the brush again. "Do you really think I can do this?" "Makoto-san, I know that you are lonely without Haruka-san and that you've never had to tackle any opponent alone, but this is just a piece of paper and some ink. Just a few lines on a piece of paper." Ami put the brush in Makoto's hand and smiled kindly. "Please try one more time." "Okay." *~*~*~*~*~*~* "Yes. The figures are right there. Oh." Eiki covered his mouth with his hand. "I'm sorry, Mako-chan. I forgot." "I'm learning how to read," Makoto protested. "It's only a matter of time. Why don't you just tell me about the people that want to speak to me today? I can remember that." "Okay. There's a dispute over land in Gifu-ken and fishing rights in Ishikawa-ken. Those two are the biggest, followed by individual complaints from people." Ami watched from the door to Makoto's quarters, smiling as the tall brunette listened to her uncle and prepared for the day. The Duchess of Chugoku could see her student trying to read the reports, focusing on the furigana above the kanji and trying to make out the letters. At least the poor woman was trying! Ami turned to leave, catching a flash of something as Makoto caught her eyes, a shock of lightning, a strange warm feeling, and she froze. Makoto's emerald eyes locked with Ami's sapphire eyes, and a signal passed from one to the other, a memory of times past, worlds away, and Ami nodded, returning to Makoto's room. She sat on the chair looking out the window, letting a small blue stick appear in her hand, staring at the powerful tool in her hand. "Sailor Jupiter," she whispered. "Is it really you?" "I am she," a familiar voice replied from behind the blue-haired woman. "When you turned away, I saw something very powerful and I realized that you had to be one of us, a Senshi. What planet are you? Mercury?" "Yeah. I've been trying to find you, Jupiter. Is your friend Haruka-san also a Senshi?" "Yeah. She's Sailor Uranus. Rei-san and Setsuna-san you already know, and Michiru-san is Sailor Neptune." "Neptune? That would explain a lot. It looks like the Senshi are gathering." Makoto joined Ami in the next chair, reaching out and turning the other duchess to face her. "You don't seem very happy about that, Ami-chan." "I'm not sure if I want to be part of this fight. I know that I will fight since the gods have called me to this duty, but I like my life. I don't want to give it up." She shook her head as she let her henshin stick vanish. "Mako-chan, our ancestors have always had power, some of the duchesses more than others, so why are we the ones who have been chosen? I never asked to be Sailor Mercury." "I never asked to lose my parents in a plane crash when I was a child and to be raised in a Fighting Palace for fifteen years of my life." Makoto raised her hand when Ami moved to speak. "No, let me finish. I've been fighting for my entire life for stupid things and the pride of a man who tried to rape me. I want nothing more than to be able to relax and learn to be a duchess, but fate never listens to us. See, the thing is, I don't want to fight for no reason, but this Senshi thing, from the legends I've heard, is a pretty good thing to fight for. The Senshi of the past protected the planet from all sorts of evil and were revered and worshiped by the people of Earth so much that the first Senshi became the duchesses of Japan and their leader was crowned queen. That's the kind of fight worth fighting, and even a peaceful person like you can defend the Earth." Ami smiled, shaking her head in wonder. "It sounds like you've had a long time to think about this, Mako-chan." "Whenever I was fighting in the Tokyo Fighting Palace, I always pretending that I was defending the people in the crowd from the men I fought. It worked for a while, but deep inside, I always wanted to do it for real. Now I can, and it's a little exciting." "What does Haruka-san think of this?" "She won't want to fight. For fifteen years, she's been the strong one, hidden her needs, her desires, her emotions in order to protect me from Kurai. And she did a wonderful job, but it left her a little cold and hard. All she wants is for all of this to be over. If she wasn't falling so fast and hard for Michiru, she never would have taken that henshin stick in the first place. Now her attention is turning toward protecting Michiru-san, but I know that she will never let Haru-chan stay so cold and distant. Michiru-san will warm her up, turn her passion into love and her anger into power. Over time, hopefully Haru-chan will be happier. I'm glad she found her soulmate." "You believe in that? It's a very old-fashioned idea in the modern age." Makoto nodded. "I know. But I keep hoping that I will find my soulmate one day. Then I can be as happy as Haru-chan." "You will," Ami promised, her eyes suspiciously moist. "When do you have to begin your meetings?" "About an hour. Are you hungry? Chef promised some of his best sushi if I need a snack before that formal lunch I have with my Lords. You could come with me." Ami grinned as Makoto pulled her to her feet. "A date, Mako-chan?" The former fighter blushed deeper than the red of her rose earrings. "Anouuu . . . maybe a little, Ami-chan." "Then I accept." Ami slipped her arm through Makoto's, letting the taller woman lead as they headed for the kitchen of Chubu Palace. The brunette glanced at the blue-haired woman on her arm and thought about soulmates and destiny. Was Ami her destiny? Were they meant to be, or was it some passing crush? Makoto had never thought of it before since the only contact she had with men was across the ring or Kurai, but she did not really like men. She didn't hate them, but she did not think she would ever be able to date one. Then was she a lesbian? Haruka was for certain, but Makoto wasn't really attracted to women, was she? "But if I am, then Ami is definitely my type!" *~*~*~*~*~*~* In the middle of Tokyo stood a tall, dark gray building, a huge oval arena with thousands of seats. In the middle of the dirt brown field, five men faced off against three others, one group wearing the green of Midori's Osaka Palace and the other three in Kurai's black. The crowd cheered as the fight began, the men struggling to beat each other to a bloody pulp and get fed that day. One by one, the fighters fell until only one green and one black remained. For the first time in ten long years, the green triumphed, forcing hundreds of spectators to scream in fury as most of the thousands lost their bets and went away empty-handed. In the small room overlooking the field, Kurai clenched his fists and growled his fury. "My Palace has never lost a fight so badly," he raged, sending orders that the three fighters were to go hungry that night and be flogged in the morning. He kicked his chair before plopping down and staring out across the city, wondering what happened to his two best fighters. Ten'ou Haruka never lost a fight, even against that youma, and Kino Makoto would have made an excellent bedmate. Kurai smiled at the thought, wondering if there was any way for him to get those two back and return to the old days of winning and fabulous profits. "There is one way," an oily voice oozed from behind him. The man whirled, jumping to his feet at the sound, relaxing when he found himself facing a tall woman with dark red hair and crazy eyes. "I am Beryl, Queen of an army of what you call youma, led by my Queen Metallia who was trapped by the last group of Senshi thousands of years ago." "I remember hearing stories about her," Kurai whispered. "You serve her?" "Yes. And we need a man like you to help us defeat this generation of Senshi and take over the Earth." "Senshi? The ancestors of the current Duchess Lines and the Queen Line were called that, weren't they? And they have the power to defeat youma and daimohn." "Yes. The two fighters you recently lost are members of this group, and I can help you get them back. We can punish Haruka for defying you and you can take Makoto to your bed, forever destroying her power. I want the Princess and her ancient Prince, but the other Senshi are all yours. Even Duchess Kaiou Michiru." "Kaiou Michiru?! She's one of them?" "Yes. She is the soulmate of the ancient Warrior of Uranus, Ten'ou Haruka. You can get revenge on both if you just punish one." Beryl could see a dark light fill the little man's eyes, and she grinned. "Queen Metallia, he will be easy to turn." "Excellent. Good work, Beryl. Bring him here and we will give him power to enforce your demands." "As you wish, my queen." Beryl held her hand out as the man grinned. "Come with me, Kurai. My queen wishes to make you a general in her army so you can get the revenge you so justly deserve."
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