30Chapter 6: Venus part 2- Sibling rivalry
Author's Note: I just realized how long its been since I updated or talked to Yuuki Yami, and I am so sorry. I know, I'm terrible at updating, and I don't want to put the story on hiatus since I still keep hammering away at it, but I get distracted with school and life in general. I'll try to get something out in the next month or two, but no promises as I don't really know if graduating is going to make me more busy or less.
Formatting is mostly the same:"pretend its Japanese here" [Silver Millennium language here] This is what inner thoughts look like And this means the speaker/thinker is emphasizing something. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\ signals a flashback or dream sequence being experienced by one of the current characters. ~~o~~o~~ signals a break within that same dream or flash back sequence. "This is the new terrestrial language that isn't pretend Japanese format"
"Annd jump!" the excited pop idol shouted to her tense companion on the small sand skiff as it launched off a rocky outcrop. She laughed with wild abandon as the boat shuddered but held together when it returned to the ground. The Martian dogs huddling in the center of the deck folded their ears back and whined while their temporary mistress groaned in exasperation.
"If you break this thing we'll be eating sand if we're lucky, and those rocks if we're not," the priestess grumbled. "Can you at least stop trying to get more air than the others while you make them eat our dust?" Rei tried to reason as she looked back to the former Senshi of Venus.
If she hadn't been wearing goggles and a face wrap the former Senshi of Mars might have mustered the appropriate look of fear for the smile Minako gave. "But Reiko, I have to beat them in style or I wouldn't prove how superior my piloting skills are," the idol explained happily. "I can't let them think I didn't deserve their money when we get to Markham," she continued, "They might feel cheated if I didn't properly beat the pants off them."
"They might feel cheated anyway with you taking most of their earnings and we'll still need their help getting to the palace," the priestess countered. "Its one thing to beat them Minako, but its another to completely...make a sharp left!" she abruptly shouted.
Following years of conditioning in a previous life the pop idol listened to her second without question. She'd learned to trust that tone of voice to keep her and her companions alive, and she wasn't about to start questioning it when she was moving at breakneck speeds in a sand skiff.
Moments later a swoop blew through their dust trail and almost clipped their tail in its hurry to be past them.
Rei stared in shock for a moment as she and Minako corrected their course. "What was that?" she asked in concern.
The former princess of Venus scowled after the fading dust cloud as she pulled on the guide lines with the priestess. "A desert swoop. I'm surprised they still look like that," she answered, "The Mercurian engineers must have been focusing on their engines instead of the machines' bodies again."
"Wait," the former Senshi of Mars interjected, "You mean that thing is normal?"
The former Senshi of Beauty nodded in confusion, "Yes. They were about as common as cars are on Earth now, but normally they're more considerate of trading caravans like ours."
Rei sighed and shook her head. "If stuff like that is normal then why are we in a sail boat?"
"Sand skiff," the idol automatically corrected.
"Whatever."
"I thought you would have realized considering your background," Minako chastised, "Its ceremonial. Giant swans have to be transported this way or you mess up the blessings."
"Blessings?" the former Senshi of War asked in confusion, "Please tell me we're not tagging along with a group of pilgrims coming back from sort of Venusian shrine."
The pop idol shrugged nonchalantly. "I thought you knew, and its not like its come up in the past few days," she commented leaning back to to get them back on course. "Now help me get us going again or we're going to have to pay one of those apprentices with the money we don't have."
"Grandpa was right," Rei grumbled as she worked to help her friend, "Idols and nobility have no respect for money."
The senshi and shitennou spun to see where the shots had come from and froze when they saw the Mercurian soldier threatening Mamoru.
"Mamoru!" Usagi cried in fear while her senshi waited for an opening.
"Master!" the Jadeite and Nephrite called as they began to step forward to aid their prince.
"No! Stop!" the former prince of Earth commanded as he saw the barrels of the rifles the Moon soldiers swing to point at his generals. [We're just trying to find our friends,] he told the man hoping to pacifying him without saying too much. [We were told to talk to Mars Nodens to find out where they were sent.]
[Friends?] the soldier scoffed. [Why would the general know where your friends went Earthling?]
[Because one of our friends is Noden's older sister,] Demos replied as she held a dagger to the Mercurian's neck.
[Don't,] Phobos warned the other soldiers as she stood slightly behind their crouched forms with arms crossed in front of her chest and sharp black feathers between her clenched fingers. [Eight of you will go down before you even start aiming, and I'm sure you can guess the rest of your chances with guardians of the Mars Crystal.]
The Mercurian glanced at the woman holding the dagger before slowly easing his pistol away from Mamoru and placing it on the ground. His men followed suit a second later and slowly stood up to face the Coronian that was threatening them.
[Hands on the back of your heads and get on your knees,] Demos instructed. She kicked the pistol away as the man went down and turned part of her attention on the prince of Earth. "Please step back Prince Endymion."
Once he complied Phobos began, [These Earthlings are our guests and are assisting us to find our princess. The law allows Earthlings to pass through if they're assisting one of the thrones.]
The blue haired man glanced back at her and argued, [Only if their planet is part of this system, and whichever princess you're talking about it can't be one of Mars'. Princess Reiko has been dead since the Moon was destroyed and Princess Alaisiagae hates the Earth. You two have no business helping anyone else if you really are guardians of the Mars Crystal.]
[Both of us died on this moon too Mercurian,] Demos snarled pressing the blade into his exposed skin. [Now stop stalling and tell me where to find Nodens before I have to drag you through the tents to find him.]
The man hesitated and another from the larger group of riflemen called out, [Prove it.]
Phobos looked at the man. He was dressed in red, and had black hair and purple eyes. Stupid stubborn Martian psychics, she grumbled to herself as she motioned for him to stand. Aloud she asked, [How?]
[It doesn't matter,] he replied, [just prove that the Prince of Earth is really friends with Princess Reiko.]
The Coronian considered the request for a moment, but hadn't reached a solution before the Moon princess squealed excitedly.
"I've got it!" she cheered pulling out her phone and nudging Makoto and Ami to do the same. "We can show him pictures from the wedding. Rei and Mamo-chan were getting along fine then."
The former senshi of Mercury and Jupiter looked at their former princess in complete confusion for a second before Zoisite realized the problem and translated, "They want proof of Princess Rei's friendship with the Master."
"Oh!" Ami exclaimed as she and Makoto quickly dug out their phones.
"How is this?" the senshi of courage asked holding out her Teletia S. On it the other two could see Mamoru, Rei, and Minako casually sitting around a table. Minako had an obvious blush and her posture seemed a bit stiff while Rei was laughing hard and Mamoru had the obvious smile of a man who'd just told a good joke.
Well that's a role reversal, the young doctor commented to herself. "How did you catch Minako by surprise like that Mamoru?" she asked while nodding her approval of the photo.
"Forget that! He made them stop acting like enemies during the wedding," Usagi argued, "Mako, how did you manage to get out of there without either of them going after your phone with this on it."
The florist blushed. "Minako's manager," she answered with embarrassment, "He took it and sent it to me so we could remember that Minako is just as human as the rest of us. He also mumbled something about us being the last place she would look for blackmail material."
"Achoo!" the pop idol sneezed as she jumped off the sand skiff with the last of their belongings.
Rei smirked at her stumble and commented, "I wonder who's talking about you. " Seconds later she found herself sneezing violently.
Minako grinned as she rubbed at her nose and regained her balance. "Well if it includes you it must be Usagi and the rest, or some unscrupulous gossip rag. They probably noticed we disappeared together."
The priestess looked at her companion curiously. "So?" she asked.
Minako shook her head at Rei's apparent disconnect with the rest of the world. "So," she began, "while you may think contemplative and serene when you hear about an isolated mountain temple or shrine, the rest of Japan thinks of a mysterious and romantic getaway. Add a prominent senator who's been trying to keep his daughter out of the news for years, an idol who can't maintain a steady boyfriend for unknown reasons, and then both of us suddenly disappearing together and you get an instant scandal." She patted the horrified priestess' arm and told her, "Face it Reiko by the time we get back, there will have been so much speculation that we'll have to be seen together just so they can assume we broke up when I go back on tour."
"The shrine!" the former senshi of Mars whimpered.
The former princess of Venus frowned in confusion at her companion's unforeseen response. "Which shrine? The one in Tokyo or Kyoto?"
"Tokyo damn it!" the former Senshi of Passion growled as she grabbed Minako's arms to lightly shake her. "My grandfather owns that shrine and he's about as predictable as you! When those vultures in the press realize nothing interesting happened in Kyoto they're going to ask him about it, and he could tell them anything depending on his mood."
"So?" Minako asked unconsciously repeating Rei's question.
"So how will it affect your career if there is confirmation of our relationship rather than just speculation? Mine could be shot and so could my father's. We need to get home soon Mina! I don't care how we have to strong arm our relatives from the past-life, but we need to be home within a week or things could get really messy."
"Oh don't worry about it!" the pop idol reassured her companion with a broad grin and a pat on the shoulder. "I'm sure Ji-chan and the other residents of the shrine will look out for your best interests. They all seemed to really love and respect you any time I stopped by."
The familiar address for her grandfather and suggestion that the idol had been to the shrine multiple times changed the tone of the priestess' panic. Rei looked at her friend suspiciously. "You go to the shrine regularly then?"
The former princess of Venus stilled once she realized her slip and began to glance around for an escape as she slowly replied, "Only once or twice...," she paused nervously spotting safety, "a month when I'm in Japan."
The former Senshi of War's face twisted into a scowl at the news and she began to scold her companion accordingly. "Minako!"
The idol's past life gave her enough experience to know how to pick her battles with her former second. This had always been one to avoid, and so she shoved her bags into Rei's arms while happily yelling, "Oh look they finally caught up! I better go collect our winnings before they try to stash some of their money, and that was a great point before! I shouldn't just take their money. I think I'll treat them to a round or two of drinks to make sure there are no hard feelings. See you and the hounds there."
One of the dogs jumped out of the skiff to follow the former Venusian while Rei just sputtered dumb founded. How does she do that! She mentally groused.
"Damn it Minako!" she yelled following with their bags and the remaining two dogs.
[Well it looks like the alliances between Mars and Venus should still be secure,] General Nodens commented looking at the picture on Usagi's phone. [I take it that they're both just as blind this time around about their emotions as they were in the last life?] he questioned the assembled former dignitaries of the solar system.
[Worse,] Phobos declared as she leaned against his camp desk. [Last time they grew up together and could read each other better. Now,] she continued with a shrug, [they treat each other like strange cats half the time and like secret friends the rest.]
[So what are the rest of us missing if you two are still protecting my sister?] the Martian asked now that he was convinced of their story. [The Silver Crystal is gone, you're reincarnated selves aren't really your former selves so old oaths aren't really valid, and the princesses still for whatever reason have access to some magic. What are two guardians of the Mars crystal doing guarding an earthling?]
[There haven't been any new senshi have there?] Kunzite cut in from near the tent door. [The inner senshi still hold their planets' crystals but can't fully tap into the power for some reason,] he theorized, [That's the missing key isn't it. They're like they were when they were children before they took their oaths to the Princess or their planets.]
[I told you he would figure it out first,] Demos bragged to her sister.
Phobos rolled her eyes while replying, [Yes, and like their child selves they are in serious danger if they have to deal with real threats. Their crystals could be taken from them or they could be destroyed with them if the worst were to happen.] She took on a lecturing tone as she continued internally wincing at the pressure her revelation might place upon the former inner senshi. [Mars had already resurrected the old guardian system before the war so we were automatically sent with Rei until she could make her choice like they all must. They're not really the same people, but they must face many of the same choices their past selves did.]
[What choices?] Usagi asked in an uncharacteristically serious tone.
"Will you protect or damn your people," Demos answered making sure all the girls could understand her. "The senshi guard and guide their planets. They are a manifestation of balance among each of our people and are often called upon to settle major disputes."
"They also protect us from the things that make it past the outer senshi like that minotaur that tried to level this camp," Lieutenant Cloris added. "When we have them the senshi fight things that we can't. Even a young senshi should have been able to take that youma, but we need a platoon of psychics or twice that many normal soldiers to stand a chance against something like that."
"But the heaviest burden," Phobos somberly continued, "is that you ensure the life force of your respective planets. They're all dying right now, and have been since the fall of the Silver Millennium. Based on what we've seen from the studies your astronomers have made I would say either Mercury or Mars are the worst off, but the planets still have time to start going again."
"Its not much of a choice then is it?" Ami asked in a subdued tone from another chair. "Will we still be able to carry on our normal lives on Earth?"
"It probably depends on the level of the threat," Mamoru speculated. "The shitennou and I don't normally run into any issues, but if there are more things trying to get past the outer senshi now that the galaxy thinks the Silver Crystal is back there probably will be more trouble."
"So I understand what all of this means for Ami, Rei, Minako, and myself, but what about Usagi," Makoto asked the Coronians. "The Silver Crystal is gone and from what I can see the Moon is completely dead, so can she at least have a normal life?"
Phobos sighed and avoided looking at the former Moon princess and her prince as she answered the former Jovian. "It all depends on whether or not the crystal is really gone."
Rei had been gaining ground on the former Venusian when she rounded the corner of a building and abruptly stopped. Barely managing not to run her former commander over the former senshi of Mars began to berate her travel companion. "Minako what the..." she began only to trail off as she noticed where the former senshi of love's gaze was directed. They were not far from the crowds along the parade route and could see a palanquin with a statuesque woman with golden hair smiling and waving to the people gathered to see her.
"I remember doing that once," the pop idol commented in an odd tone that made the priestess concerned. "I had just visited the Sanctuary of the Graces with my brother and sister, and was told I would be the next Sailor Venus."
"Is that what she's trying to do?" Rei questioned.
The former Senshi of Venus' expression shifted to a frown as she considered what both Dione and her apprentices had told her. "Most likely," she answered in a troubled tone, "but what I can't understand is why. Planetary crystals don't usually move laterally in a family except to shift from one branch of a family from one generation to the next. The only way she might inherit would be if neither she nor Cinyras had any children, and I think his wife was expecting before we died in the past life."
[She was jealous,] the former senshi of Passion said in a faraway voice. [Being Sailor Venus gave you everything without the baggage that your brother had as King of Venus.]
The pop idol looked at her friend with concern as she noticed an odd sheen to her eyes. "Rei?" she questioned.
The priestess blinked rapidly as if to clear away a fog before she turned her clear gaze back to her former commander. "I think she told me that once when I was visiting the palace in the past...,but it gets confusing after that. I think... she tried... to kiss me?" she went on in a puzzled tone. "But what would that have to do with being jealous of you?"
The former Senshi of Beauty's eyes hardened at her one time second's words and her lips curled into a frightening smile. That tramp! she raged internally, If she was so unhappy she should have just found her own lover, not tried to steal mine! "I don't know Reiko, but perhaps we should observe for a bit instead of immediately going to talk to her once the parade is over. She might be less accepting of our return if you think she was trying to start fights between us in the past."
Rei couldn't tell if it was her returning memories of the past life or her own experiences with the temperamental idol that sent alarm bells ringing in her head from that fake expression, but she took their warning seriously. "That sounds reasonable," she cautiously agreed hopping to avoid setting the unpredictable woman off. She stepped back just in case only to bump into the three dogs cowering behind her. Their whimpers did not reassure her.
"Great!" the former princess of Venus enthused. "The best way to hear gossip is to make some so lets go get some better clothes with our winnings and join that party!"
Rei barley managed to hold on to their belongings as Minako grabbed her arm while she dashed off to find their caravan companions and a few boutiques and salons.
No. The dogs whimpers did not reassure her at all.