Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Alliances ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Minako sat at her dressing table bleakly, so angry and upset about the night's coming events that she had become numb. She brushed her hair as if she were in a trance, deciding that she wouldn't wear it down like usual. Her hair was one of her best features, and if she was to meet the man she was being forced to marry that night, she would certainly not allow him to witness the golden waves that typically flowed to the small of her back.. She decided to frame the curls that now piled on her head with the crown of her planet, the crown the Senshi of Venus before her had worn. She couldn't call the older soldier her birth mother as the other younger Senshi could, for the Senshi of Venus before her had remained chaste. The Venusian Senshi weren't born of a woman, they always emerged from the foam of the seas of Venus, as had the Goddess Aphrodite countless millennia ago. The Senshi was bound to celibacy after that, so devoted to serving her Queen that she had no time to think of fleshly pleasures. Tradition had it so that the Senshi of Love herself would never love, but in exchange, could make others love. Minako had always upheld this honor proudly, and knew she should be continuing the tradition set by Venus Senshi before her, but no, she was bound to an Earth man by an unforgiving, unfaltering Royal Decree. She secured the crown and stood up from the mirror, grabbing the dress that she was to wear.

If she had it her way, she would have met her fiancé wearing a beggar's clothes; burlap sacks loosely fitted over a dirty body. Perhaps then she would repulse him into doing something drastic, like killing himself…or better yet, killing her. But no, Queen Serenity had chosen a positively exquisite dress for her. It was made of gold silk, having a thickly boned, strapless corset top and a layered, flowing skirt. It fit her splendidly, she thought as she tightened the lacings on the bodice, groaning in displeasure as she saw how nicely it fit her body. She tugged hard on the lacing, hoping that the lack of air in her lungs would make her weak and give her an excuse to leave early. She gave it a final tug and tied it in a secure bow, positive it was squeezing the life out of her with every passing breath. She slipped on her simple gold heels and studied herself furiously in the mirror, cursing Serenity and the Silver Alliance for making her marry against her will. Tears welled up in her eyes and rage boiled inside her as she stared heatedly at her reflection. The anger overtook her and she cried out in anger and frustration, punching the mirror with all her might It shattered easily. The glass nicked her right hand and wrist in many spots, leaving one particularly deep cut in her palm. She examined it blankly, thinking of the Queen's reaction to her self inflicted wound. Let Serenity see it, she thought as the blood began to rise in a few of the deeper cuts. This is her fault anyway, and if I can help it, there will be more where this came from. The deep cut on her palm was bleeding profusely, so she cleaned it quickly and used her energy only to stop the bleeding. She didn't want to heal this one all the way, not yet, at least. No use in getting blood in my hair or on my face, though, she thought as the wound formed a scab. The clock chimed 8, and Minako felt the anger disappear in a rush of sadness and desperation. She was late. She would meet him tonight, she would finally get to see the decorated Earth General for whom she didn't even know a name yet. She would meet him, hate him, and be wed to him in two weeks. That was reality, no matter how much she loathed the prospect. She examined her hand again before heading out the door, much of the blood already clotted. Blood shed in vain, she reminded herself as she walked out the door, her anger now morphed back into a sick, dismal numbness.