Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ All's Fair in Love and War ❯ A Peace Treaty, War, Truce, and Meeting ( Chapter 39 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

It was as though the woman before her was dead, but even so she was pulsating with life. It was a mystery which Venus had been mulling over in her head for a few hours now, since she had first entered the room and seen Selenity sitting there on the patio of her room. The two of them had come inside when it started to get dark out, and now they were on Selenity's bed, sprawled out, not at all like Queen's should be. It didn't matter though at the moment. Venus had Selenity's head cradled in her lap and was running her fingers through the silky strands of hair. She had long since taken the twin buns down and brushed out the tangles and snares, leaving a mesmerizing, cascading waterfall of silver hair across her lap.

Selenity's eyes were closed and she was allowing herself to enjoy the gentle ministrations of Venus. It just felt so good to have her hair touched so much, and had she been a cat, Selenity was sure she would have started purring. Her hands rested on her stomach and for the moment she was content just laying there. When Venus had come they had talked about what had happened on Mars, and Selenity found herself in tears one too many times. Still, the story was not over yet.

"Venus," she murmured without opening her eyes. "When we came back to the Moon, I did as I promised and made Yokiro Master of the Sword. He was pleased, although he was very humble about taking the position."

Venus chuckled. "I can see him blushing as you stripped him of his former title and gave him his new one."

Selenity nodded ever so slightly, then frowned. "There's one more thing that I haven't told you though. The day we got back, all of us were checked over by the palace physician, just to make sure we were all right." A lump started to form in Selenity's throat, and Venus could see that Selenity's face was starting to warm up. "When he checked me over, he told me that I was pregnant again."

"Pregnant?" Venus gasped out. "How?"

For the first time since her return from Mars, Selenity felt like laughing. "Do you really wish for me to explain that process to you?" she asked.

"No," Venus said with a smile. "It just surprised me." There was a pause as Venus' smile faded and she frowned. "Kino didn't know then, did he?" she asked hesitantly.

Selenity pursued her lips, trying to hold back tears. "No, he didn't."

Venus continued stroking Selenity's hair. At least now she had her answer as to why Selenity seemed to be pulsing with so much life when she seemed so dead. In a way, Venus was very pleased to hear that Selenity would have another child, since it would help her focus on something other than Kino. The problem was that the child was also Kino's, so that would serve as a reminder of him in a way as well. Venus sighed. It was a very difficult situation, one which she hoped she would be able to help Selenity with.

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The weather was starting to get a little nippy and even in the light of the afternoon sun, Mars shivered. This was a change from his normally warm planet, but he had to be come to the Moon--no, he wanted to come to the Moon. He sat down on the bench as he waited for Selenity. He felt nervous, and for the first time he dreaded seeing her. The sound of footsteps brought his attention to the path leading to the palace, where he saw Selenity walking towards him followed by Luna and Artemis. He stood and waited for her to reach him before he bowed. "My Lady," he said gently as he straitened back up. Her eyes were cold but not hate-filled, as he had thought they would be.

"My Lord Mars," she said, "it is a pleasure to see you on the Moon once again. I trust that you're journey here was uneventful."

Mars nodded, noting her serious, formal tone. "Yes, it was. I am honoured to be in your Majesties presence once again."

Selenity gestured towards the gardens. "Shall we walk?" she asked, although the statement was more of an order than a question. Mars had no choice but to nod and begin walking next to the Queen. Luna and Artemis followed behind at a suitable distance. "My Lord, I do not wish to waste time with formalities and pleasantries. I wish to get strait to the issues at hand, if you don't mind."

Mars swallowed, the moment he had been dreading having arrived so suddenly. "Of course not my Lady. There is much we have to discuss."

"Yes, there is much to discuss, and I wish to begin with an apology."

Mars paused mid step, feeling rather confused. "Apologize? My Lady, it is I who should be offering the apologies, not you."

Selenity stopped as well and turned back to look at the confused man. "No my Lord, I have an apology to offer on behalf of my husband and me. You never accepted our apology of lying to you. Therefore I offer it again and beg your forgiveness for what we did, and I hope you can forgive and forget."

Mars found himself completely at a loss for words. He had arrived expecting anger and harshness, coldness and bitter words. Instead he, the one who should have been on his hands and knees grovelling, was receiving an apology. "I-my Lady, you-there's no need…"

Selenity kept her cool gaze fixed upon Mars. "It is a simple request, my Lord. You can forgive us or not, that is up to you. I wish to establish peace either way, but I do wish to know what ground our potential friendship is on before we continue."

The situation Selenity presented was the most humbling one Mars had ever experienced. Even though she herself was being humble by apologizing when she had every right to be berating him at the moment, she chose instead to put herself in the negative light first. Mars felt a new sort of awe and respect for the Moon Queen, and he felt emotion bubbling up inside him and overwhelming his senses. All he found himself capable of doing was falling to his knees and grabbing Selenity's hands. She flinched at the sudden action, but made no other move.

"Selenity," Mars whispered, his voice raspy and cracked. "You have no reason to beg my forgiveness. It is I who should be on my knees before you, and so I am. I have wronged you and Kino greatly, jumped to conclusions and accused you of things you never did. My actions brought about much pain and suffering, for your people, my people, and the people of all the nations in this solar system. If the renewing of our friendship and peace depended on my forgiveness alone, then everything would already be as it once was. I have nothing left to forgive, but if you demand me to say it, yes I have forgiven you and I hold nothing against you. However I fear, my Lady, that it depends now more on if you are willing to forgive me."

Selenity glanced up at Artemis and Luna nodded her head in the direction of the path. "Leave us," she said, then gazed back down at Mars. "Mars, please stand. I do not wish to have you kneeling before me. As long as you are willing to accept my apology then I am happy, I do not require begging or groveling."

Mars stood slowly, not once tearing his eyes from the Queen's. "I do accept the apology. I could see the love that Kino had for you when he needed to save your life, and I saw then that he was not trying to be better than me before when he claimed your heart."

Selenity cast her eyes down to the ground. "Why did you let him go?" she asked.

"He needed to save you, Selenity. I needed to save you. He was the only one that could at that moment, so I did the only logical thing. Besides, you were holding your daughter. I knew what it would be like if anyone tried to harm my own daughter, and I could not let you go through that. I couldn't not let him go."

Selenity nodded. "Thank you," she whispered then brought her gaze back up. "Thank you for wanting to save Serenity, that does mean a lot to me. I don't know what I would have done if she had been hurt."

Mars nodded. "I know what you mean. I worry about Rei night and day. I don't know how I'm going to raise her. She has no mother, and I don't want her growing up without female guidance and companionship."

Selenity took her hands from Mars' and the two resumed walking. Selenity stared off into the distance thoughtfully. "Would you consider allowing her to stay here?" she asked suddenly.

Mars glanced at Selenity. "Here on the Moon with Serenity? That would be an inconvenience for you. The thought had not crossed my mind."

"I think it would be wonderful to stay here to grow up and train with Serenity. She could stay here for certain periods of time and on Mars for the rest of the time. That way she would not be isolated from you but she would have that female companionship that you desire for her to have."

"I could not trouble you with such a thing," Mars replied. "Unless…" Mars paused.

"Unless what?" Selenity prompted.

Mars stopped walking and looked at Serenity. "It's nothing. It was just a thought, but nothing really."

"Well if you won't tell me, then I will have to keep insisting that you allow Rei to spend a portion of her time here on the Moon so that she can develop a friendship with Serenity. The two could become close friends."

Mars rubbed his chin. "We will see. I would be very happy if the two of them could become friends."

"Very well. We will discuss the issue at a later time once you have had a chance to think things over."

Mars nodded. "That sounds reasonable to me."

"I would like all of the girls to become friends, so that they can have people to rely on and have a good circle, just like we did when we were younger." Mars nodded but said nothing. They walked for a while in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. The peace and tranquility of the day made everything seem so fresh and new. Finally, Selenity spoke. "Come, we should head back to the palace. There is much for us to do, and I wish to do it as soon as possible. We will have to write up some new peace treaties and sign them, and I would like to get started on that today."

"Very well, let's head back then."

Together they walked back to the palace, enjoying each other's company for the first time in years.

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It was two weeks before Selenity heard anything from Paris, and the letter which she received form him did not appeal to her. He was refusing to budge on his claim that Beryl needed to be annihilated, and she knew she had to be just as stubborn about not handing the girl over. The letter she sent in reply was simple and to the point; she would not allow Beryl's demise. The second letter Paris sent took only days to come. All it said was that he was prepared to do anything to get Beryl and protect his people and family. Thus started a new war, a war between the Moon and Earth.

In the mean time, Selenity began a purification routine with the Dark Princess. Each day she would bring the girl from her confinement and put her into a deep sleep. While the girl was sleeping, Selenity used the crystal to clear out traces of dark energy from the girl. Each day she increased the level of energy and purification, and each day more dark energy would seep into Beryl's body. However, slowly, Selenity was draining the dark energy out.

It was a full year before it took about a week for the dark powers to re-establish themselves in Beryl, so for a week at a time she was pure. Selenity at this point sent word to Paris, telling him how things were going in hopes that he would be willing to end the war between them. He was still stubborn. None of the other planets were involved in this war, since no one knew where to take a stand, and both Selenity and Paris did not allow anyone to take sides.

In that year, Selenity gave birth to her second child, a boy. She named him Shingo, and for two days after he was born she refused to leave him anywhere. Both of her children provided her with light and happiness and they helped dull the ache in her heart.

Another year passed, and Selenity could see her victory against the dark powers in Beryl. For half a year the Princess showed no traces of the Negaverse, and Selenity once again sent word to Paris.


My Lord Paris,

Two years have passed and our nations have been at war, and I wish to bring an end to all this, as you well know. The issue that still remains as a thorn in our relationship is the Princess Beryl. I must emphasize that I am still not willing to hand her over to you if your intentions are the same still. However, if it would please you to examine her and see for yourself that there are no traces of darkness in her, I would be happy to welcome you to the Moon under a truce. I would still like to keep her here for some time for observatory purposes.

I would like to discuss with you what we are to do with her if she is, in fact, free from any taint of the Negaverse. Despite the strain our relationship has been under, I do still value your expertise and opinion, and would be greatly honoured if you would advise me on the matter.

Selenity went on to detail a few other things before sealing the letter and sending a messenger with it to the Earth,. Within two days she had her answer.

Selenity,

You can expect my arrival in one week. Until then all fighting stops under the agreement of a truce.

Paris.

Selenity was pleased. It was the first step to hopefully re-establishing peace. She sorely missed Helen, and even though Venus had been bringing her news from her, it just wasn't the same. She wanted to see her and talk to her personally. It had been more than two years since the two of them had spoken, which was simply too long. More than anything, though, Selenity simply wished to see the war end. She had seen three major wars in her life time, and the sooner the third ended the better. It was starting to be very taxing on both her and her people, but she didn't want to use the Silver Crystal to end things, since the death of Earth was not her goal. Thus, she kept a very defensive stance throughout the two years.

With a sigh, Selenity placed the note in her letter holder and walked out of the small library. She had much to prepare in the next week. Venus was already on the Moon, Jupiter was visiting Mercury so she could invite both of them at once, and Mars was scheduled to arrive in the next day or two anyway to discuss a new trade route with on of his planets. She wanted them all to be together again in unity.

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He was near her room. She felt it in the air. Even though so many years had passed, she could still feel his presence. He and Jupiter had arrived the day before and they had talked only briefly. It felt nice being on the same planet as him, it always did. Too many years had passed, though, since they had shared any private moments together. Not since that night, so many years ago, before she was married….

Yes, that really had been a long time ago. It was before the birth of Mina, before the wars, before his marriage, before hers. Had it really been nearly eight years? Time flew by so quickly. A small smile touched Venus' lips as she gazed out over the gardens from her balcony. Everything was so dark but beautiful at the same time. Nights like these were rare for her, when she could just gaze out at a serene setting and allow her mind to wander. She wondered if he still though about her, but she doubted it. Sure, he still remembered the times they had shared, but he probably never though about her the way she did about him.

She had to admit the truth; she missed him. It wasn’t that her husband had not been good to her, quite the contrary. He had been a man who had loved her dearly and always treated her with respect, honour, and dignity. He loved her as a woman as well as a Queen, and she loved him for loving her with such passion and strength. Still, sometimes when she was laying in his arms, she would remember and blue eyed man from her past who had captured her heart and still held on to it.

She never would have imagined going back to that place where they had been happy together. She had a husband, he had a wife, and neither of them would ever consider being disloyal to their spouse.

Venus never really know the depth of the relationship Mercury had shared with his wife. It was clear that he had a very strong affection for her and that they were close, but how close, Venus did not know. It was not something they had ever discussed, and she did not see his emotions. It wasn't that she couldn't, but she had promised him she wouldn't. It was something she didn't feel she had a right to see. It did hurt her to see him smiling at another woman, but she was relieved he had found some happiness in his married life as she had. After all, all she ever wanted was to see him hap--

Her thoughts were cut off by a knock at the door. She turned around and walked into her room and headed strait for the door. After unlocking it she slowly opened it. She nearly lost her breath when she saw a pair of sapphire eyes staring at her, a deep desire that had been buried for years now visible in them. He stood there, motionless, his eyes unblinking. Venus didn't even realize she had been holding her breath until he held out an envelope for her.

"Here, Selenity asked me to bring you this before I went to bed."

Venus finally took in some air and nodded her head. "Thank you," she said softly as she took the paper form his hand, nearly jumping at the jolt of electricity that went through her body when her fingers brushed against his. She clutched the paper to her chest, not daring to move. Why did she feel like this after to many years of keeping her feelings under control.

Mercury took in a deep, shaky breath. "I know that could have waited until morning. I hope I didn't wake you."

"No, you didn't," she whispered. "I wasn't in bed yet."

Mercury glanced at his feet before bringing his gaze back up to rest on her face. "I don't know why I came here now…" Venus was taken back a little by his comment. He didn't know why he had come? It was to deliver the note, wasn't it?

"Is something the matter?" she asked softly.

"Venus," he said, his voice raspy. "I-I don't know if I'm making a mistake with this, but--I want you to be able to read my emotions again."

Venus blinked at him. "Read your emotions? But I though we had a deal that I wouldn't once you and I were married."

"Yes, but since we no longer are…what you see you may not like, and I don't expect anything." As he spoke, he didn't know she had already opened the gate to his heart and was looking it, and what she saw made her heart leap. "I mean, if you just want me to--" she put her fingers to his lips, thus effectively cutting him off.

"Kiss me," she murmured, taking her fingers from his lips. He did, and as the door closed behind them, Venus silently thanked Selenity for sending the note. It could wait until the morning though


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