Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Every Time I Love You ❯ One ( Chapter 1 )

Author's Notes:  know it has been a long, long time since I last touched this story. I always had something in mind for this one but then Covid happened. I was working every day without really having a day off and when I did, I was working on other stories. I always thought this one would never be worked on again. I was always certain that it would just gather dust.

I honestly contemplated offering it up for others to take over, but I couldn't do it. This was one of the stories that I had first written. Although it had meant to be for another anime altogether, I had decided to change the pairings and thought that Sailor Venus deserved a story.

Speaking of Venus stories, does anyone have the first chapter of the Venus story I wrote a long time ago? The name escapes for the moment. I cannot find the story among any of my older stories. I do have The Other Selenity. I may work on that one later on and bring it back up, but I need to finish up these stories I have on my plate first.

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Every Time I Love You
By Utena

"Magnificent. Spectacular. Possibly an artifact belonging to a member of the Dark Kingdom?" Artemis proclaimed enthusiastically casting a side glance toward his quiet companion. He could see her blue eyes sweeping over the artifact and filing it into memory. Yet, he could see recognition in the depths of those sapphire blues but yet was unable to draw any conclusion about the past.
Artemis was always aware that his mistress always felt something missing in her life after her revival. She had always searched among the crowd looking for an image she knew belonged to the faceless man that haunted her over and over again.

But the curse had always stopped any progress she tried to make, forcing her to realize that she would put duty before her own heart. This had always made Artemis frown because he saw that the Inner Senshi struggled to try to be happy with their lot in life. They were the Inner Guardians that protected their King and Queen of the new Silver Millennium. This had been drilled into them since the vast beginning of their lives. They lived for Selenity and not for themselves. Any happiness they had was meaningless.

Artemis hated this. He hated that Minako laid her heart down and gave it for the throne. It had never been fair. Not to her and not to the other Senshi. Of course, Uranus and Neptune never had to worry about love - they had each other. Selenity had Endymion. And he had Luna and Diana.
So, why couldn't the Inner Senshi find their respective halves?

"It's interesting," Minako answered carefully, still studying the artifact even further in detail. "I feel a connection from it."

"Is that a good or bad thing?" Artemis wanted to know. He had hoped that this artifact would jog some part of her memory.

Minako shook her head as lemon-blond strands brushed against her face and shoulders. "Why are you so adamant you want me to remember my past so badly? You know it should be left there - in the past. Even if it jogged something or lead me along a road to discovery, I could not even fathom enjoying any of it. I have a duty to Neo-Tokyo and the King and Queen. I promised that as the leader of the Inner Senshi, my duties came first and foremost."

Minako knew Artemis wanted her to be happy more than anything, but they came here for an investigation and they would leave with information about the sword before they left. Her eyes lifted once more to the sword. It was beautiful with a gold and jewel-encrusted hilt. The blade was simple. Although it held no decorations along the blade, it was elegant and strong as the one who wield. This was a weapon that was used by the strongest of owners and used to defend the country and its throne.

Minako's gloved hand reached to touch the case lightly. Whatever pull it had, she could no longer feel. Not that it mattered to her. She wanted the past left where it should be - buried deep within the crust of the Earth and never see to the light of day.

"Does the museum have any notion who the sword belongs to?" Minako wanted to know as her hand dropped back down to her side and her head turned to look at her companion.

Artemis shrugged. "We will need to find the curator."

Minako tugged on the sleeve of his jacket and led the two of them back toward the front of the museum. The building was large and filled with so many artifacts dating as far back as the first human and the dinosaurs that had held their sway over the planet before their extinction. Rarely, Minako would have visited a place like this but Selenity had been given word that the sword was something to look into. Even Endymion seemed adamant that she go in for an investigation. The two of them believed that this sword had something to do with the far past prior to the rise of the Dark Kingdom.

"Ah Lord Artemis and Lady Venus," the curator spoke upon coming upon them. "I hope your assessment of our newest arrival has met your expectations."

"Yes, it has," Minako answered. "I must say I say I have never seen such a fine sword before. May I inquire who it was that offered it to the museum?"

The curator furrowed his bushy salt and pepper brows together as he tried to remember. "I am not sure but if you will follow me, I am sure I can give you a direct answer."

Artemis and Minako looked at each other before following in step behind the curator and followed through the maze of bodies and exhibits. Just at the end of one hall was a small hall that contained several small offices belonging to other staff members. As they were ushered into one of the larger rooms at the far end, Minako and Artemis took their seats in front of a large polished oak desk.

The curator made his way to the right side of the room, opening up a file left upon the top of a metal cabinet. Flipping it open, the curator’s dark eyes swept over the file’s information until he found exactly what he had been seeking.

“The owner of the sword comes from the Middle East. A Crown Prince named Malik Hussein. There is no history he has left behind so I am unable to offer any further information,” he offered freely. “All I know is that this was a goodwill gift to our museum by Crown Prince Malik.”

“Is there any way to get in touch with the Crown Prince?” Artemis wondered rubbing his chin with his forefinger.

“Unfortunately,” the curator sighed taking a seat in the large leather armchair, “he left us with no way to gain his attention. There is, however, an event to be held for the sword in a few days. He may appear at the time, but I have no way of knowing if he will.”

Placing the file down, he half-rises and looks about his desk for the invitations he had for Venus and Artemis.

“Ah! There they are!” The eureka moment lit up on the old man’s face as he held out the two invites to Minako and her companion.

Artemis took both and slid them into the inside pocket of his jacket. Two invitations meant he would be tagging along with her to this event. Luna might not be entirely thrilled with his absence but her sense of duty to the crown would outweigh her displeasure.

Minako’s lips pressed together. She did not like the fact that Artemis had gained the invitations before she had the chance to look them over. She may have had the idea to invite one of her fellow Senshi with her to this gala; and now she was going to be stuck with her longtime companion, who make sure to entice her into enjoying the event rather than making any dent into the investigation.

Minako rose to their feet and held out her gloved hand. “Thank you, Curator Yoshida,” she said sweetly.

The man nearly tumbled over his table to shake the hand of Aphrodite Incarnate. He felt pleased and could not wait to go home to his family and tell him about his day.

Artemis and Minako stepped out of the office, closing the door behind them.

“Do you think he will appear?” Artemis wondered aloud.

Minako shrugged. “Who knows? I mean he is a Crown Prince and he may be too busy to attend his own gala. I can not say I would be able to if I were in his shoes.”

The two moved through the hall and out into the maze of displays and bodies.

“But what do you think of the sword?” Artemis asked pulling up the sleeve to reveal the teleportation bracelet.

“I don’t know,” Minako said earnestly. She held up her arm and touched her own teleportation bracelet. “We will talk about it when we return to the Crystal Palace.”

Gold swirled around them, wrapping them comfortably before the pair disappeared.

Their arrival had been met with little fanfare with only two Senshi there to greet them - Jupiter and Mars. The two women were warm in their smiles and happy to see both of them. Minko loved her friends more than anything. The camaraderie ran deep between them all and despite their royal duty and the shared front, they had to provide for the humans under their protection.

"How did it go?" Makoto was the first to ask. Despite her intimating height and her menacing presence, Makoto had always been the complete opposite of what others thought of her. She preferred to be in the kitchen whipping up delicious desserts that she would bring the other Senshi on nights of them winding down.

Rei, on the other hand, took her role as the Senshi of Mars and as a temple priestess seriously. She often arrived at the Crystal Palace dressed in the red and white robes of her priestess robes consisting of hakama, a white kosode, and some white or red hair ribbons more than in her Senshi uniform of red, white, and purple.

Minako considered both of her friends to be beautiful and filled with wisdom and duty. Yet, she could feel that there was a deep loneliness that neither could find to fill. They did date here and there, but any relationship that had the possibility to form did not go any further. All of them would return feeling neither fulfilled nor hopeful of finding the right one. All of them had promised they would no longer look among the males walking the Earth and maybe the other half will come to them later on in life.

"It went as well as we could have expected," Minako stated breaking the silence that once held strongly between them.

Rei frowned. "So nothing?"

"The owner of the sword is from the Middle East and is a Sultan. He gifted the sword to the Museum as goodwill," Artemis provided. "We have been invited to the gala for the sword, but we don't know if he will arrive."

"Do you think he might come?" Makoto asked.

"I don't know," Minako said truthfully. "We won't know until I go to the gala."

Makoto smiled slyly. "I am sure Artemis twisted your arm. I know you enough that you hope to maybe score a male to have an affair with."

"That is not true!" Minako sounded offended and like a good Leader of the Senshi, she stalked off in a huff leaving both Rei and Makoto to smile at each other.
Minako knew they meant well but she had seen no reason to draw herself into any relationship. After all, that curse placed upon her had continued to be felt even today. So, Minako never bothered to look outside of the palace walls.

Artemis fell into step beside her and took note of how much his companion had come along the way. In the beginning, she accepted her fate and took to her role as Sailor V without complaint. She even played her part of being the decoy Princess Selenity with every bit of her duty. She did this knowing that her part in playing Moon Princess would end soon.

But he noticed a slight change in her after her fight with Adonis. Danburite had confessed that he had always been in love with her, but her attentions and her heart seemed to be elsewhere with another. Unrequited love would turn into a curse changing Minako altogether. Yes, she had crushes but they would never amount to anything further.

He had watched her from afar with Luna and Diana and they had front seats to watching refusal after refusal to the males that tripped over their own feet to gain her attention.

Artemis shook his head clearing his thoughts as they entered the private quarters of Selenity and Endymion. They found the royal pair enjoying a nice quiet afternoon after having to deal with various relations within Tokyo and diplomats with other countries.

“Selenity,” Minako spoke and curtsied to the royal couple.

A smile appeared on Selenity as she rose and moved across the room to nearly tackle Minako to the ground.

“Mina!” The queen happily cried out hugging her Senshi tightly in her embrace. “I missed you. It was boring without you being here.”

Minako chuckled and returned the tight hug. “I am quite sure you dazzled as always,” she assured her best friend.

She may be Selenity now but Minako knew Usagi would always be Usagi outside of the royal duties. She still invited them in the evenings to eat with both her and Endymion. She still loved gossip, still loved the tight bond they still had and more than anything they were there when royal duty became too much.

“Usako, you can let her go,” Endymion stated scolding softly but underneath his words was teasing.

Usagi looked back at her husband and blushed. “Sorry, Mina.”

Minako waved away any concern and smiled at Endymion. “I hope I did not come at the wrong time.”

“No, Mina,” Endymion promised. “We just arrived to rest and relax.”

“Did you learn anything about the sword?” Usagi asked changing the subject and returning to the real reason Mina had come.

“It once belonged to a Middle Eastern Crown Prince who donated the piece to the museum,” she stated. “All we know is his name is Malik Hussein. I am going to ask Luna to see if she can find any further information on him, but there is a chance he may appear at the Museum gala set in the next few days.”

Endymion contemplated. “Are you going?”

“I will have no choice,” Minako sighed. “If we are going to find out how this sword managed to find its way into the hands of Hussein family, I will need to attend. There may be the chance he won’t be there but if he is, then I would miss the chance to ferret the information.”

“That is a logical conclusion,” Usagi agreed. “Will you be okay going?”

“Regardless of my own thoughts, this is a duty that needs attention,” Minako reminded her friend. “What if we missed our chance to learn more about the sword?”

“She is right, Usako,” Endymion agreed. “There may be a slim chance that the Crown Prince may attend but if he does not, then we will have to find other means.”

Usagi knew her husband was right and she relented, “I suppose I can get my seamstress to make a dress for you within the time frame. I will send her to you within an hour or so to discuss the dress.”

Minako reached out to grasp her friend’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t worry, Usa. I will be fine.”

As promised, the seamstress arrived to take measurements as many sketches were spread out across the floor. There were so many designs that Venus could feel her head spin. Each one is beautiful. Each one enhanced the color of her eyes and showed off her beauty. But each one had been meant to draw attention to the curve of her body, the uplift of her breasts, and offer a glimpse of her toned legs. It had not mattered which gown she chose. Each one had the same offer that she left the decision to the seamstress to surprise her. She had even watched the woman’s face light up and she departed with the promise to have her evening gown ready for her beforehand.

Once alone, Venus headed to the vast closet of and turned on the light. There upon a mannequin was her princess dress. A beautiful lemon yellow gown with an abundance of ribbons. It was a dress that a youthful Venus had been so proud to own and wear among the Lunar Court. Every inch of it was beautiful. The yellow shone brightly against the silver color of the Lunarians. It had once been her favorite gown in the whole world but now it belonged to the past. To the little girl who had proudly taken the mantle of Sailor Venus and Leader of the Inner Senshi.

Minako turned to look at the variations of gowns in her closet. Pieces that she had showed she had grown away from the yellow gown to a vast array of colors. Each one more beautiful than the other. She had often considered giving the gowns away to charity actions to clear up her closet, but she had been too far selfish with her collection. She hoarded them here where they would never see the daylight again.

“You need to clean out your closet, V,” Mercury’s gentle voice wafted into her thoughts.

“And a good evening to you, Ami,” Minako replied turning to look at her blue-haired friend. “Done with the analytics tonight?”

“I suppose you could say that,” Ami said propelling herself into Mina’s closet and sitting down on of her velvet chairs. “I heard about the sword. What are your thoughts?”

Minako sat down across from Ami. “I am not sure. If it was once owned by a member of the Shitennou, who? Prior to being told to go looking at, Endymion could not recall any information. He had seen it – the face that owned it was always unclear. It was the main reason I was pushed out to investigate.”

“I saw Artemis asking Luna to see if she could pull up any information about the Crown Prince and that was about three hours ago,” Ami provided.

“Do you know if she found anything?” Mina pressed hoping to have some report done and to present to Endymion and Selenity.

Ami shook her head. “Negative. They were still working on it.”

“I should go see if they found anything,” Mina replied preparing to raise.

“Mina,” Ami’s voice halted her, “do you think it belongs to the Shitennou?”

Mina wasn’t sure how to answer it. “Honestly, Ams, I don’t know. It may be or it just may be a reproduction of it. We won’t know until we talk to the Crown Prince himself.”

Ami rose to her feet and headed toward the doorway. “I will go see if I can help Luna and Artemis. Go rest, Mina. If we find out anything, we will tell you in the morning.”

“Thank you, Ams,” Mina said taking a moment to relax in her comfortable chair. She watched her blue-haired disappear from view and she sighed softly. She was trying to understand why that sword meant so much. None of them could recall its importance nor the face who owned it. They knew it once belonged to one of the Shitennou, that was for sure but there was nothing concrete. The sword could either be a replica or their assumption of the sword’s original owner could put them right back at square one.

Mina placed a hand on her temple. She could feel the onslaught of a headache. She had been working on this whole sword thing ever since it had been brought before Endymion just a month ago. It had been Artemis and Luna that had discovered it and something in their memory banks had been triggered but neither of them knew why. The sword was familiar and none of them knew why. They had decided it was time to bring it to Endymion and something triggered him. The owner had to be one of his Shitennou, he believed, but the face was always blurry or faceless. There was never a voice or anything that would stand the owner out.

Mina worried that this whole thing was a wild goose chase and Endymion would be hurt. She knew the king was searching the crowds each time hoping to find one of his former Shitennou among the crowd. He wanted his guards but most of all his friends. They grew up together, attended the same classes, and trained together. She would not be surprised if some part of him resented the Senshi. They were alive and Usagi had them, but Endymion had always had to do things on his own. He did not have the luxury of counting on another for help.

Mina frowned. She had always felt sorry for Endymion even when he was Mamoru. There was always a far-off look in his eyes shortly after their celebrated victory. Usagi never saw it but if she did, she never said a word or probably asked him about it.

Mina did not interfere. It was not her place to ask only to observe.

Mina pushed away her thoughts and rose from the chair. It was time for a nice hot shower and bed. Tomorrow, she would deal with everything. Tomorrow after she had a good night’s sleep.