Preparation of Self and Comrades
“WHAT! How can you be so sure? I don't feel anything!”
“Calm down, Ruka, it's all right, we should have seen this coming in the first place.”
“How can I be calm? If what you say is true, the Princess is coming to meet us. And if she sees us, she'll surely want us back at the Kingdom.”
“Not necessarily,” Minako objected. “The Princess may have grown up a little differently than the one you remember. She could just happen to be crossing our path on her way to visit someone across the sea.”
Rei scoffed as she tightened her grip on her arms. “Yeah right. And the only reason the Princess would set foot into a kitchen is to relay a message. Why would the other Senshi be with her otherwise?”
“To protect her? It could be a rather long journey,” Makoto offered.
Haruka still smoldered with panic. “If she's heard anything about this ship and its captain, then there's no doubt of her intentions.”
At that, Rei looked to the sky for the answer to her pondering. Eventually, she asked Mina, “Say, when was the last time we spoke of Pirates when the Princess was listening?”
Apparently, Mina had been thinking of the subject in recent times, as she effortlessly answered, “We only spoke of it once, just after Mako-chan and Ruka-chan left us. It was early morning when we realized it and therefore discussed it, so naturally, the Princess was half-asleep through it all. By now, I'm thinking Setsuna-san filled her in at least a little though.”
Suddenly interested in a possible change of topic, Makoto asked, “What'd you say when we left?”
Rei glanced at Makoto then, flashing briefly to Minako and Haruka, before sighing. “It was very basic, especially on Ami's terms. She told us the markings of a pirate ship, how to identify a pirate if you ever came across one, and if you were outnumbered, use a flare and run. Of course, I'd never see a reason to run from pirates, so it really didn't matter to me.”
A suspicious gleam crossed Haruka's expression. “There was more, wasn't there?”
The Senshi of Love shook her head. “It just so happened to be a busy day then. We voted to talk about it on a later date, but we never got around to it.”
There was a long silence before Makoto nervously prompted, “So... what do we do? You said Setsuna, Michiru, and Ami are aboard too?”
Rei nodded. “Their energy signals are undeniable. Especially the Princess'. I suppose we could try to reason it out with them. Are you sure you'd be against coming back with us?”
Uranus nodded back vehemently. “The Kingdom just isn't for me. I'll protect it from other pillagers and send warning if I catch sight of possible invaders, but for now, I have no intention of going back. Right Mako-chan?”
The Senshi of Lightning remained silent, finding the speck of dust on the deck utterly captivating. When prompted further for an answer, she only murmured, “I don't know... probably... sure.”
Sensing her indecision, Minako softly declared, “You were always meant to be a part of the Princess' private guard, Mako-chan. It's only natural for you to feel a bit of indecision now.”
A gruff nod from Rei was noted before she straightened and stood up. “I'll act as a messenger. Something tells me that out of all of us, the Princess and Setsuna-san will react best if I'm the one to tell them.”
At that, Mina stood up as well. “Tell them what?”
Rei sighed and turned to face all of them. “We're going to stick together at the very least, until Mina's birthday comes along. Any matters considering the placement of the two pirate Senshi are to be resolved then and only then with the Princess or not at all. The two of us willingly boarded your ship, and will remain perfectly unharmed in the duration of our stay. The Princess is welcome to reacquaint herself with the pirate Senshi, if nothing else, to assure herself that they are still on her side. Be prepared for the worst, or you aren't prepared at all.
“In case you've forgotten, Setsuna-san can predict the most likely future, can see into the past, and is very diplomatic concerning everything. Michiru-san's mirror shows the true nature of the creature it reflects, and is also capable of being used as a lie detector, so let's not make any of the important details lies. Ami is incredibly gifted in the field of academics and medicine, so she may just be there in case anyone gets hurt. The Princess is surprisingly intuitive, so much so that you'd best acknowledge all of your deepest and darkest secrets, because given time, the Princess will learn of it. Depending on the nature of the secret, she may say nothing at all, or pry until you wish you weren't tied to her by duty.”
Another long silence prevailed until Haruka made a low whistle. “That's some analysis report you have stockpiled. Just out of curiosity, what would you say about us?”
Rei paused, debating the merits of answering Haruka's question, before letting out a soft exhale. “I don't think I know you very well to judge, so I'd rather not say. Is that all? When the Princess' ship anchors near ours, as I know it will, I'll board their ship. I shouldn't be gone for more than a day or two at the most, so...”
“Rei wait.” The fire priestess paused, her hand on the door knob. Mina cast an uneasy glance at Makoto and Haruka, bowed her head quickly, and ran after Rei. They departed together.
Both remained quiet, knowing the topic on the other's mind, but neither truly wishing to breech it. Eventually though, Haruka gritted, “You don't want to stay here with me?”
To which Makoto hastily answered, “It's not that! Just... the Princess is important to all of us, no matter how we show it. Mina-chan's right... I was always meant to be an Inner Senshi... and an Inner Senshi stays close to the Princess to protect her.”
“Then what about the other Outers? They can protect the Princess in our place.”
“It's not the same. Knowing that she's safe... because of something one of us did... you have no idea how great it feels.”
“How... how can you know? We both left before we fully gained our Senshi powers.”
Makoto smiled, a nostalgic gleam in her eyes. “When I was ten, the Princess convinced me to go with her to the abandoned house on the hill to clean it up, and then teach her how to make a meal for her mother. You'd think she could be taught just as well in the Royal Kitchens, but of course, she was too embarrassed to be in any position to be seen by anyone while she practiced. Anyways... we actually did manage to clean it up pretty well, and she was making a surprising bit of progress with the recipe I set her up for, but then a convicted criminal disguised as a beggar came to the door. The Princess, darling that she is, wouldn't hear of the beggar staying outside, so she invited him in for some just-set-to-cool chocolate chip cookies.
“I think it took him about five cookies worth before he finally realized who we were. Apparently, courage thrives on panic, even if it's flawed. He turned the table over and in the commotion caught up the Princess and held a knife to her neck. He demanded a hefty ransom or else he'd kill her. Being only ten, you can guess that the both of us were pretty scared at that point. Then... I don't know what came over me, but I calmly called his bluff to harm the Princess with a rubber knife, and then while he was distracted, I flung him away from her, making sure he was unconscious before I tied him up with rope and prepared to call the authorities to him.
“After everything was over, the Princess made sure I was listening, and then thanked me. It was such a heartfelt thanks the reached from her smile to her eyes, that... I don't think I could have ever been happier.”
“So that's it then? You want to be happy? Being a pirate doesn't make you happy?” Haruka was struggling to isolate the root of the problem.
Makoto only shook her head. “It's a different sort of happy. Pirating... it's happiness from acceptance and independence. For the Princess... it's happiness from protecting her and knowing you're making a difference.”
Another long silence followed, ending with Haruka's growl as she stood. “If we're expecting company, I might as well tell the boys to clean themselves up a little. I think she'd appreciate a cleaner ship too, but we've done so much the past few days... it's no big deal. Meet you at the mess hall?”
Makoto smiled, knowing that Haruka was slowly accepting her decision, whatever it was. “Yeah.” Standing, she added, “If the Princess is coming, and her appetite's about the same as before, I'll warn the cooks to make a lot more.”
The soft music of laughter surrounded the duo as they exited the room.
“Princess, are you sure this is what you want to do?”
Usagi twirled around and gave her closest adviser a gentle smile. “Of course it is, Setsuna-san. They deserve to know; we deserve to know the truth.”
“How much more truth is there to learn?” Michiru wondered aloud, contempt almost visible. “Can't you feel their energy signals, Princess? They've congregated with pirates. They've turned their back on the Kingdom.”
For the fourteen time in the last half hour, Usagi sighed and protested, “We don't know their intentions as of yet, Michiru-san. We can't afford to jump to conclusions.”
Ami stepped forward to show her support for Usagi's judgment, or lack thereof. “The Princess is right. Minako-chan, and Rei-chan, they're both loyal to the Kingdom, and they always have been. They are sure to have a perfectly good reason for this.”
At the reminder, Usagi's smile softened to a different meaning. “If Rei-chan agreed to this whole thing, there is sure to be a good reason, since she wouldn't do anything without one.”
Setsuna frowned slightly, remembering the vision she had seen. “Be that as it may, we must approach with caution.”
Usagi grinned as a small child only would. “Now, Setsuna-san, when have I ever failed to approach a subject without due caution?”
Her followers silently groaned with the coming tide.
Back to Voyage of Love Index - Back to Sailor Moon Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction