[• NATALIE A. MARSHALL.]

”Mars Flamed Sniper!” Rhea called as she pointed her fiery arrow towards the green clad warrior that was moving around on the opposite side of her. The two sailor senshi, the wall of the princess’ guardians, were out practicing in a heated match between the two. Rhea was sore, the two of them battling since earlier that morning, but she was nowhere near giving up. Druella was a challenge, a challenge that the Martian war goddess welcomed with opened arms each and every time. There was something about Druella’s warrior spirit that Rhea admired, something about the way that she stood her ground no matter how hard and how hot Rhea’s attacks were. She shifted to her left as a sphere of lightning came towards her, the senshi of Mars easily escaping the thunder senshi’s attack. Hm, something was not quite right here. It should never be that easy. Flames engulfed her hands as she prepped her next attack, her dagger materializing a second later.

It had been a few weeks since Rhea’s incident with Jadeite back in the Eastern Generals’ castle – a few weeks since Druella had found out her secret. In a way it had been good to have someone to share the secret with. It had been slowly killing Rhea to hide her love for the blonde general, even more to hide it from her sisters in arms. Her tryst with Jadeite was a serious action, especially since the Earth was forbidden to the women of the alliance. Since that day it had been easier for Rhea to share things with Druella. She had told Druella about her first time on Earth, the first time she had run into that insufferable general, and how he had gotten so deeply under her skin. She had told Druella how her feelings had developed over time and how Jadeite was the only one that could match her wit for power. It was exhilarating to find someone that could keep up with her and she happily told her sister this when they were alone on patrols or in the safety of her bedroom. It was a bond that had developed between the two, one that Rhea was very thankful for. Slowly she would have been driving herself crazy had it not been for her Jovian counterpart’s interruption that fateful night.

And since that night, things had steadily began to get worse. Serenity snuck onto the earth more often now, growing bold in the time of day that she went. It was difficult for the senshi to keep track of the princess and that was hurting them all, especially when they had to cover for Serenity and lie to her mother. Rhea didn’t like lying. The Martian didn’t like having to drop everything she was doing and drag her ass to Earth to grab Serenity. Granted, the Martian didn’t mind when she bumped into Jadeite but she had a bigger sense of duty than that. Rhea visited the Earth on her own whims now that she had a sexual relationship with Jadeite but she was not fooling herself into thinking that this was a long lasting thing. Rhea knew that her relationship with Jade was impossible. She knew that there was no future for the two of them. However, she couldn’t keep herself away from him. She was like a moth to the flame with Jade and the passion between the two of them was unstoppable. The senshi tried the best they could to keep Serenity at bay but she eluded them at each and every turn. Rhea was at her wits end.

She frowned slightly as she tossed her dagger towards the ground between herself and Druella, crossing her arms as the flames around her body slowly simmered down. ”You are distracted,” Rhea spoke directly to Druella in a firm tone of voice that spoke of no arguments. Rhea had known about the man that Druella had been fawning over. Naturally, Druella had admitted that she, too, had taken a liking to someone on Earth. However, Druella had never allowed the man to get in the way of her battling. Rhea could see that she was thinking about something and it wasn’t the fact that she was fighting Mars. ”Are you thinking about loverboy?” She questioned with a grin on her face. She had noticed the love-struck look on Druella’s face and wondered if there was anything going on there. Had she kissed him yet? ”Did you finally do it?” Rhea stated as she walked towards the middle of their playground, reaching down to collect the dagger from the floor.

[• ANDROMEDA C. MORAN.]

Lightning danced and crackled and hissed, but it was more for show than attack. Her heart wasn’t in it, her head in the clouds – her energy displays pretty, but good for little else. Even her body felt like it was slipping her minds control; moving clumsily where she should be predator-graceful, scorched and scarred where it shouldn’t be. Green eyes focused in on the arrow flying towards her and Druella moved, her feet leaving the ground as she tried to do a spectacular backflipping arch over the bolt of fire –but she had misjudged and moved too slow. The flame scorched her back and she winced, losing her balance in midair and falling hard on her ass.

Rising with a snarl, she flung her hand out in a wild movement, lightning jumping down her arm and collecting at her fist where she let it fly. Of course, she had not really bothered to aim, and her electricity was unruly at the best of times - Rhea dodged it easily, and Druella was left kicking herself. She knew full well why she couldn’t focus, and she felt more and more guilty by the second. This was exactly what she’d been told by some harsher Jovian youths in her time on her planet. Love was the death of duty, the assassin of honour. Whilst it was Jovian culture to marry and cherish their offspring, the elite warriors took no mate – sacrificing one half of Jovian life, to maximise the other. The princess could see the truth in those words now as she struggled to rein in her emotions, her soul that thrilled for fulfilment that a bit of romance brought. She was acting like a love sick puppy, and it was starting to bleed into her work –

And she didn’t even think she minded.

Rhea’s words of the passion she had found with an earthling did little to put a damper on her own fire. Druella’s need for Nephrite was something she found alarming; the Martian fanned this feeling and made her want more. It had only been a couple of days since Nephrite had surprised her with a trip to one of Earth’s most beautiful sights – a beach of some description, with pink sands and cold waters, and cute little non-acid spitting critters he had called otters. A wild, reckless abandon had taken hold of her and she had told him that she loved him. It was stupid, even though she could still hear him returning the words to her, taking comfort in the echo of his voice in the dead of night. It was some sort of folly, some part of her thought – she’d met him only a handful of times, and mooned over him like a child when she was not with him. With Serenity becoming increasingly insistent on going on Earth and endangering them all, Druella was becoming more wary of her own earthling love. She was scared of the dream he offered her; a forbidden romance that was at once both terrifying and exhilarating; but how could she betray the trust laid on her by the Queen? Druella was on the Moon to defend and protect the Moon Princess; it was the highest honour. It troubled her that she was finding out how easy it was to abandon her post, for Nephrite. She was drowning in deep waters, and needed desperately to get out before she sank.

The dagger landing in the ground before her snapped Druella from her thoughts, and the Jovian raised her green eyes to look across at Rhea. The Martian said she was distracted; what else could she do but nod? It was as obvious as the storms of Jupiter. At Rhea’s further comments, however, the taller princess made a face of distaste. “I’m becoming as transparent as Serenity,” the amazon moaned as all traces of lightning faded and Druella was left unarmed, flexing her fingers on her right hand where flame had scorched her glove and flesh both, leaving her fingers cracked and bleeding. “No,” she told Rhea, and her cheeks flushed crimson as she recognised the disappointment in her own voice. “I swear, Rhea, I don’t even know,” the Jovian sighed, dropping her gaze to her injured right hand and watching as lightning gathered between the battered fingers. With a scowl she made a violent motion with her arm, the lightning lancing deep into the ground while Druella watched. Breaking things and similar actions had always been Druella’s way of coping: venting her frustration on targets set up in the training yard, on any inanimate object she saw.

It didn’t seem to be helping this time though.

She lifted her gaze to her partner slowly, frowning as she spoke. “I’ve never wanted something so badly in my life, she tried to explain, realsing her childish she sounded. It had been the same words she’d used as a child, when she had asked her father for a specific animal – what the Jovians used as mounts of war; part horse, part hawk, part hyena. And the three-year old Druella had wanted one, and wanted to call it Snuffles. Nevertheless, Druella knew this was different – this was the romance she ached for, yearned for. Druella had known that one day she would find her perfect man - but why did her perfect man have to come with so many complications? She wanted Nephrite every which way she knew how to have someone. “But I’m…,” she started a little awkwardly. Scared, is what she wanted to say, but what Jovian admitted cowardice? “Not sure that it’s for the best.”

[• NATALIE A. MARSHALL.]

The flames licked at her feet as she stood opposite of Sailor Jupiter, the senshi of war and passion well aware that her partner was not battling to her heart's content. Rhea was well aware of how Druella battled, especially after months of bonding together. It was often times that she was joined by the Jovian senshi when she needed to practice and train. Sailor Venus was always a stickler for training but most of the time the Venusian was busy with political matters and being close to the princess as the lead guardian. As for Athena, they all knew that she preferred to either stay on her own or study in a library. So Rhea trained with Jupiter and tightened up her skills when she needed to. But today was different. Rhea could easily avoid Druella's attacks whereas it would normally be a challenge for Rhea to move left or right. It was absurd to think that Druella had something else on her mind but it was all too obvious and as the flames died, and Rhea went to grab her dagger, Druella had confirmed what Rhea had already known - the woman was thinking of the Earthling that had stolen her heart.

The Martian woman smiled as Druella stated that she was as transparent as Serenity. "Kinda easy when your attacks are barely leaving their mark." Rhea stated as she held up her arms and showed Druella what she was talking about. Her arms were as clean as a whistle. There were no dirt marks on her gloves and her legs were devoid of the normal red marks that bruised her whenever Jupiter's lightning hit their target. The young woman had not even broken a sweat when it came to Druella's attacks and that was a clear sign that something had gone amiss. The brunette clenched her dagger into her fists, the dagger dematerialize once more as Rhea withdrew her weapon for the moment. It was obviously time for a break and the Martian woman wanted to know what was up with her partner. She had grown suspicious for a few days now after having watched Druella walk down the halls with a bit more bounce in her step - the dreamy look lingering in her eyes. It was obvious that she was smitten with someone and since Druella was a bit more open than everyone else, it was all too clear. It was easy for Rhea to hide her love for Jadeite but or someone like Druella it appeared to be impossible.

Rhea's violet eyes followed Druella's movements as the Jovian flexed her fingers, the blood dripping onto the floor of their battling ring. Had she been someone else she would have felt sorry for Druella's injuries. But she was Mars and Mars was anything but merciful. Besides, Druella would want none of her pity. They both knew that battling with one another was rough and they played hard. They would have it no other way. Her expression softened a bit, fully aware and sympathetic of Druella's predicament. She, too, felt the same way that she did. Rhea knew what it was like to love someone from another planet. She knew what it was like to want something so badly and yet have it torn away from her time and time again. "I know what you mean," she admitted quietly, looking around their arena to make sure that nobody was lingering about. Still she would be cautious in case there were any curious ears wandering around. The last thing she needed was for someone to discover their affair and bring about war to the Earth. "It physically aches to have this so far away," she murmured as she awkwardly played with the pleating of her skirt. What a mess she had found herself in.

The Martian looked up from the floor when Druella finished, her expression one of great understanding. "It's okay to feel that way....I feel the same..." She glanced towards the planet in question, the bright green and blue planet that had caught all of their attention. Rhea could not imagine ever going to war with that planet. She also couldn't imagine leaving her love for Jadeite on it. The man followed her everywhere. Her every waking thought centered around the blond hair, blue eyed general that had stolen her heart. "In the long run it doesn't make any sense," Rhea started as she moved closer to Druella, just to make sure that the Jovian was the only one to hear the following words. "We're risking everything - our crowns, our duty, our place as senshi. We're risking war and the lives of many innocent people. In the long scheme of thing this is wrong because we both know that a relationship is impossible. My father would never accept an earthling for me....and Queen Serenity would forever frown upon us if she ever found out." And that was the least of it all. "But then, when i'm with him...I can't help but think - how could all of this possibly be wrong?"

[• ANDROMEDA C. MORAN.]

It seemed that Druella failed at one key aspect of being a Jovian: she was, apparently, entirely unable to balance. Balance her fighting and her outside life, all at the same time. The outside life that should be love, and family, and children – all things her mother wanted of her, all things that (if her inability to focus on anything but Nephrite’s image in her mind,) apparently made her useless at combat. How did the others function so well? Rhea hadn’t suddenly found herself unable to hit a target; and even Serenity hid her passions for that earthling prince with ease. If Athena and Aurora were in the same situation, Druella honestly would not have been able to tell – the Venusian was still as much of a hard ass leader as usual, and Athena just told all her secrets to her books. Of course it would be Druella who was incomptetent at keeping her cool. That was just not in the nature of the storm. The Jovian needed to express herself, to tell everyone who she came in contact with and repeat the words until they all knew it and understand it: she was in love, with an earthling, and no amount of boring non-acid-spitting otters could alter her view of Earth now. Unfortunately… that was out of the question. Druella was not used to having to bite her tongue, she didn’t like skulking around - hence her reluctance to go to Earth, even though she knew what waited for her. She was selfless to ridiculous amounts: she wanted Nephrite so badly it physically hurt; but the fear that followed even the merest thought of the man made her balk at sneaking off to Earth. She owed so much to the Queen. And what would her parents say??

Her expression twisted into a scowl of self-loathing as Rhea proved that she really had fucked up. Not hitting her sparring partner at all was shameful, and so very embarrassing. It wasn’t like she was some kid who had stumbled into the yard by mistake: Druella had been training half her life, and the fact that Nephrite was proving this distracting was… distressing. Still… not a night went by that she fell asleep to the memory of his kiss, his touch – his convincing her to stay with him, just a little while longer. Druella had never considered swearing off men completely; after all, Hera would have kittens if she learned she would never have grandchildren. But Nephrite was so very complicated! If she had met another man that was in any way comparable… but she didn’t, and wouldn’t, and that was that. Druella was so very fucked.

Druella nodded as Rhea sympathised with her. Of course she would. Rhea was going through something similar; but the Martian – based on their first conversation about this subject – was taking steps to further her relationship, to deepen it, secure it. What was Druella’s relationship with Nephrite in comparison? It seemed like childs play in comparison; but she was just so uncertain. Normally reckless and wild, the Jovian found herself unsure in this alien situation. Romance had been an idea planted in her head by her mother; and forbidden romance had always been the juiciest stories of all – it would really be no wonder that Druella was drawn so curiously towards the ideal; but the thought of betraying all that trust…

Ugh, it was just too much to think about.

Rhea started to explain why it was wrong, which Druella really didn’t understand. How was this supposed to help? But then, Rhea had never been the coddling type, and so from her confidant she got the truth. It was better, she realised, to get the truth rather than some sweet, sweet lies. “At best Zeus would challenge … him,” she said slowly, wincing at the thought. “Probably as an excuse to murder him where everyone could see.” Which wouldn’t be the best of ideas, fragile relations with the Earth and all. But Zeus was a man who liked to punch things. “I told him I loved him,” she finally blurted out after Rhea had said her piece. “And he said he loved me and I have no fucking idea what I’m supposed to do with that,” she sighed, satisfied that her fingers were functional and letting her hand drop heavily to her side. “I haven’t been to Earth since,” she added, watching Rhea for a moment. “…. What if I don’t come back?” It was a valid fear. The love she bore for her fellow senshi, the princess, her parents, her planet – Nephrite had something new and exciting to offer. It would be easier to just never see their disapproving faces again, than to feel the shame under their eyes, the shame of failure and betrayal. She knew herself; there was no doing things in halves, there was only full throttle.

[• NATALIE A. MARSHALL.]

Rhea had always been very well controlled but loving Jadeite was proving to be a challenge. She was short tempered but she found herself losing her cool more often times than not these days over the most trivial matters. Loving an earthling was a very tense and tenuous process. She was always on edge, always making sure that their secret was well kept. Serenity was in love with the prince of Earth, Rhea with Jadeite, and Druella with....? It was a mystery that Rhea had not uncovered as of yet. She trusted her partner completely but she hadn't discussed much about Jadeite besides the fact that he was an earthling. Rhea didn't know what Druella would think of she declared that she was in love with the prince's shitennou. They were in enough trouble as it were because of Serenity - the queen would go berserk if she knew that they were after the shitennou as well. It was a mess that Rhea refused to acknowledge for the moment. She knew that should this be discovered that they would create a disaster of epic proportions. She knew that if they were discovered that they could start a war that would leave many people dead and many others furious with what had happened. Rhea was not ready to face that yet.

She watched for Druella's reaction. Her words had been somewhat harsh but they were truthful all the same. Rhea had never been known to sugarcoat anything and she would not start now. The Martian was well aware of the complications that came with their relationships. Jadeite would never be accepted by the king of Mars for more reasons than one. Rhea knew that her relationship with the shitennou would never amount to anything. She would forever be stuck in this bubble where she would love someone she couldn't be with. How she wished that she could take Jadeite and just run away with him. It didn't even matter where they went - she just wanted to be alone with him. Since their night of passion it seemed like their bond had strengthened. She felt much closer to the general and felt like things could only get worse from there. They were making love with one another on a more consistent basis now, with Rhea sometimes sneaking down to Earth on her own because she couldn't stand being away from him for too long. She was living up to her title of Senshi of Passion but she knew the dangers that it wrought. She was lucky that she hadn't been discovered and lucky that Jadeite was just as smitten as she was with him. It was all going so well right now but Rhea knew that the bubble could burst at any moment. It was always in the back of her mind.

"At least Zeus would give him that chance. Ares would rather skewer him right then and there in the throne room. He'd never approve of an Earthling. He thinks them beneath us." She sighed in agitation at the mere thought. Her father wasn't all too thrilled at the prospect of Rhea with anyone that was not a Martian to be honest but he held a higher disdain for the earthlings considering their current situation. The planet was outside of their alliance and Ares would not tolerate his daughter breaking the rules. Rhea had always claimed that nobody on Mars was worthy of her and had vowed - just to annoy Ares - chastity until she found someone worthy, no matter how long that took. But the huge shock that came with the entire conversation was the fact that the two had exchanged 'I love yous'. Rhea gasped, her eyes widening in shock as she glanced at the woman in front of her. She simply could not believe what she had heard. She and Jadeite had slept together which was claimed to be an act of love but Rhea had not uttered the words to Jadeite: the two of them showed it well enough, however. "Oh Dru..." she uttered a bit sadly as she placed a hand on Druella's arm. She thought that Druella was going to tell her that the man had not reciprocated the feelings but she was thankful that it was not the case.

The man did say it back. The problem was that it probably wouldn't be enough for them all.

"There's nothing you can do with that right now, Druella, but enjoy the times that you do have together. I mean, it's all we have." Their duty as senshi came first and foremost. Serenity was their up-most importance. Yet, why did it feel like to Rhea that she was making a mistake? Why did it feel like she should be placing her priorities elsewhere? "Why not?" Rhea quickly demanded of the Jovian once she revealed that she hadn't returned to Earth. But why?! Granted she and Venus always were up for a trip whenever Serenity went missing but it wasn't like they fought for the task. It had just so happened that Rhea or Aurora were at the right place at the wrong time, and they were sent to find the wayward princess. Druella and Athena were always somewhere hiding. Now Rhea knew why Druella had been avoiding the task of looking for Serenity: she was afraid. But of what? The question was answered next when Druella explained that she was scared....of not returning. Well, that was a new one. The soldier of protection. The soldier that was most dedicated to her duty. Was afraid of falling so deeply into her love that she disregarded everything. It was a new one - something that Rhea had not expected. "Nonsense Druella. You know full well that your place is here. You know that everything we have ever come to know is up here....why would you not come back? Is your love for him that great? Does it supersede everything else? Your duty? Your livelihood? Your throne?"

[• ANDROMEDA C. MORAN.]

Everything Druella had ever learned had been turned upside down. She was the soldier of protection, and as such her place was on the Moon by the royal family. It was written into her very being: to protect, to defend, to lay down her life for her charge. Sure, she also had the aspect of courage, but what use was that when she was bound so tightly by her desire to protect? She was brave as anything on the battlefield, yes, and threw herself into danger without batting an eyelid. She wasn’t afraid to die. But the wrath of the Queen and her own parents was something that shook her to her very core. It wasn’t like she’d never gotten in trouble with them before – she was always doing something that the Queen disapproved of, and as you would expect she had been a wild ball of energy growing up on Jupiter. Hell, she’d broken a Mercurian Lord’s nose, and that was hardly she worst thing she’d done.

Druella snorted her dry amusement at Rhea’s words. It might seem like a chance, on the surface, but the Jovian knew her father. Sure, the huge mountain of a man wanted a cross-planetary mate for his daughter, something to do with politics, but Earth? As far as the Jovian King was concerned, the Earth was a mudhole full of treacherous little worms. Druella wasn’t entirely sure that her father even remembered why he hated the planet so much; but there was no reasoning with him when he set his mind to something. Stubborn as an ox and about five times as strong, Zeus would obliterate Nephrite. Hell, even Druella was noticeably dwarfed by her father, and was was no pixie. The soldier of courage could only imagine what humiliatons her father would put her love through; and a crushing defeat and agonising death in the coliseum was utter humiliation, as far as any Jovian was concerned. Druella didn’t even consider that Nephrite would have a chance, such was her faith in her father.

The sadness that radiated off of Rhea now made the Jovian sigh. It was a mess. The entire thing was a mess; but she was starting to realise she coldn’t pull herself out of it if she tried. Druella could avoid Earth all she wanted, as long as she could – but her heart would belong on Earth. Her mouth twisted at the twistedness of it all. It wasn’t all that long ago that she had blindly followed what she had been taught; that Earth was ugly and horrible and full of hideous monsters that didn’t have half a brain between them. What she had found was entirely different. “You’re right,” she admitted, slowly. Their time was definitely short, but Druella wasn’t entirely convinced that was a good enough reason to throw her duties to the wind and lie to the Queens face.

She hated being scared. Druella couldn’t even remember the last time she was scared. It certainly hadn’t been in the face of any quarry that she knew. How did Nephrite manage to unnerve her so? It was a feeling she was not accustomed to, and Druella was unsettled by the sense of not being in control. She listened as Rhea questioned her, frowning as the other young woman spoke. “I don’t know,” she admitted, wearily. It was so hard to leave Nephrite behind; and now with the love bombshell floating about, how could she face him again… and leave? It was no secret that the Jovian, fierce as she was on the battlefield, was a great dreamer, when it came to romance. She had found her dream come to life on Earth, with its flowers and it’s colours and it’s Nephrite; she didn’t know how she could tear herself away from him again. “I know that,” she told Rhea, “but is knowing really enough? We all know that we shouldn’t go to Earth, and Serenity goes anyway. We all know that Earth is forbidden, and look at us,” she pointed out, pushing rogue strands of brown hair from her eyes. The spar had dislodged her messy pony tail even further, making her look even more savage than normal, despite the sadness in her eyes. “I don’t know,” she repeated, “could it? I have never loved anything so much in my life. I can hardly bring him here and hide him under my bed,” she added, trying to inject a bit of her normal humour into the conversation as she referred to one of her Jovian pets. “So that only leaves me going there and hiding beneath his bed,” she told her friend. Unbidden, the image of him striding shirtless into the water fluttered around in her mind, giving way to the dreamt up imagery of the pair of them writhing beneath the sheets, nails digging into the hard muscles of his back –

Shaking her head and feeling the heat rise once more in her cheeks, Druella was definitely struggling with this whole situation. It wasn’t like her to fear anything, least of all fearing leaving her duties far behind her. But here she was. “It would be so easy to lose myself there, with him. I just know it. He just has this… power over me. He makes me forget who I am.”

[• NATALIE A. MARSHALL.]

Druella could be rest assured that she was not the only one that thought her world had been turned upside down. Everything that Rhea had ever believed in was now up in flames. The Earth was terrible! The people were the worst! Love was merely fiction! There were a slew of things that just didn't sink in with the Martian princess anymore. She believed that the alliance were doing everything to protect themselves by keeping the Earth out of it. She had kindheartedly believed in Queen Serenity's cause and her influence on the other planets. But now that she had been on the colorful planet, and had shared moments with the general of the East, how could she believe in their current system? How could she believe that not including the Earth in the alliance was the best thing for all of them? It was clear that the lot of them had found the earth fascinating and it had nothing to do with the men. The planet was filled with so much life and there were things that the rest of them could learn from the earth. How many planets could boast that the weather changed like the earth? How many planets could say that they had thousands of different life forms in terms of plant and animal life? The earth was just waiting to be explored and the alliance would be fools to keep denying themselves of this opportunity.

She sighed. Zeus and Ares would never let them live this down. Her father would rather go learn dance moves from the Venusians and give up war forever than accept the Earthlings. Ever since she was a child the Martian king had something against that planet. Rhea had never asked him and if she brought the topic up now the king would start to suspect of her sudden curiosity. Rhea figured that she was lucky that her father did not have the psychic intuition that she had developed but she still wanted to be on the safe side of Ares' wrath. Rhea did not stop to think about what would happen if things never improved with the earth. She would be expected to marry at some point so that she could take the throne and have a consort at her side. She believed that her father would start making suggestions soon, telling Rhea whom he thought was a good warrior and husband material. She knew that she would balk at each choice and toss everything back in Ares' face. If it wasn't Jadeite she didn't want anyone else. She couldn't picture herself being with anyone else. Her heart had been given to the blonde general and Rhea had no intentions on getting it back. She was passionate and when she loved, she really loved. There was no getting around it.

And Druella was apparently the same. She watched the Jovian with an intense expression on her face. This was an important moment for the two of them. It wasn't often that she found herself being so open with her feelings but Druella understood how she felt. Rhea just didn't like holding the weight of this secret all on her own at this rate. It was exhausting and it would bring her down in the ugliest of ways. The things that Druella spoke about really caused Rhea to think hard. Was knowing enough? She had no idea. They all knew the consequences of going to a forbidden planet and yet they all disregarded those facts. They all knew how dangerous it was to mess with the fates and yet Rhea found herself on Earth enjoying Jadeite's company time and time again. It was ridiculous to think that these were the heralded guardian senshi of the queen's court. At this point Rhea wished that she hadn't been the princess of Mars or Sailor Mars. Sometimes she wished that she had been a simple girl born on earth. It was stupid to think that Jadeite would ever notice some measly peasant girl but stranger things had happened. And it would have been easier for him to be with her and vice versa, even if he was way above her station. She sighed heavily and wiped her brow in her anguish. Druella was right but...why did it all sound so foreboding?

Rhea knew the feeling that Druella was describing. How many times had she lost herself in Jadeite's arms and thought about never leaving? How many times did she have to force herself to leave his embrace and return to the miserable, cold rock that was the moon? There were more times than she would like to count and Rhea considered herself a fool for falling so deeply for him. She managed to laugh a little at Druella's joke, her own image of Jadeite under her bed in Mars amusing her. "It seems like we've sacrificed so much just by being born." She hated admitting such a thing but it was the truth. There was nothing more they could do but try to come out of this situation with their personalities in tact. She sighed softly and found herself staring at the earth yet again. "I know...the same thing happens to me. You don't know how hard it is to come back here....to come back...home? I don't even know if I consider this home anymore. Ever since i've met him i've been questioning everything: our duty, my beliefs, everything that i've ever known. I find it hard to believe that the Earth is bad. How could it be bad when it makes us all feel like this?" She questioned Druella as she placed her hands on her hips. "It's funny. I always condemned Serenity for running off and risking us all but...if it weren't for her stupidity, we would have never met our loves. I guess we have to thank her for a lot of things....even our potential war."

[• ANDROMEDA C. MORAN.]

Casting her gaze briefly about their surroundings, Druella sighed. Even this was dangerous; merely talking about what they had found on Earth. It wasn’t fair. Not for the first time she wondered why the people of the Alliance had made up such tales of Earth and painted it with such tar; what had they done? It was bizarre, but the Jovian knew better than to raise that question to the Queen. Besides, the woman would only bring Druella to her knees with sweet words: was that a flash of resentment she felt? Druella had been slightly wary of going to the Moon in the first place, if only for its drastically different culture. It was the Queen who had made her feel welcome, and the Princess too – Druella immediately felt guilty for ill thoughts towards the silver lady.

Druella thought she was going to lose her mind. She had no one to blame, no one to turn into dust and spread to the wind - she was caught between two forces, each garnering for her attention. Love, and duty.

The Moon was pretty enough and Druella would defend it against Nephrite’s words when pressed, but… it was boring. Earth had a myriad of colours and a thriving life the Moon lacked. The Moon had such plants, and fewer creatures – things seemed to struggle for life here, in a way much different to how they struggled to survive on Jupiter. When she looked around now, Druella found herself disillusioned. The silvery landscape turned a dull grey before her eyes, and the thought of the fiercely cold nights made her shudder. The Moon had nothing on the Earth, she thought, and that realisation made her sad. “This has never been home,” the Jovian rumbled suddenly, her gaze snapping back to Rhea. It was true, though. The Moon… as much as the Queen tried and offered them all the comforts she could, that was the cold, hard truth. The planetary princesses had been taken from their home to be companions of the princess: it was no wonder that Rhea struggled to leave the delights of Earth for the plainness of the Moon. “Mars is your home, and Jupiter is mine,” she reminded the other warrior, not unkindly. Maybe things would have been different, had they never been brought to the Moon. The Moon lacked excitement and adventure; things they found (amongst other things,) on the forbidden planet. Why else would have Serenity set foot on the planet in the first place, if not for a little thrill?

“That’s just it though,” Druella pressed, “the Earth isn’t bad. It’s just another planet, with it’s own people. I’ve seen it. You’ve seen it. Aurora has clearly seen it, and maybe that’s what’s sent Athena running for cover with her books. N – he, he took me to some beach and the sands were pink.” Yes, Druella still was not over that. “What a scary bunch of monsters! All fear the sexy earthlings with their pink beaches of horror!” she drawled, sarcasm dripping off her tongue like acid from a cobra. She nodded as Rhea pointed out the fact that, though the whole thing stemmed with Serenity’s foolishness – they should be greatful for her, in a way. Druella would have never met Nephrite had they not crossed blades in that wood, when she was off to pull her princess back to the safety of the Moon. “War,” she spat, her hackles rising at the word. “You think it will come to that?” she asked, frowning at the thought. War with Earth… it was always a possibility. But how could they do it now? A month or so ago, Druella would have been at the head of any vanguard, ripping through any foe that Earth would care to throw at her. But now… “That’s another reason I can’t go back to Earth. Even if I do come back to this forsaken rock, the next time I go, it might be to kill him. I need to let him go.” Yeah, that would happen. Everytime Druella thought of Nephrite, her face lit up like the sun and her eyes glazed over –

Girl had it bad.

[• NATALIE A. MARSHALL.]

Yes, the moon had never been her home. It had only been a temporary resting place, a stop until she was able to run free and head back to her life on Mars. Rhea had never been comforted by the hopes and dreams of Queen Serenity. She was the senshi of war, after all, and the talks of peace and whatnot had never been interesting to her. She needed to be on Mars with the long deserts and oppressive heat. She needed to be in her archery ranges, needed to be battling with warriors whom wanted nothing more than glory. The moon was too complacent for Rhea, too fucking peaceful and boring. It was a place for polite ladies and pleasantries that Rhea was not known for. Still, after many months here she was not accustomed to the lifestyle. It was part of the reason why she had tended to be out here much of the time, training to better herself and practice her skills. It was one of the reasons why she had gravitated greatly towards Druella. "You're right....but they're also homes that sent us off here. I still do not understand why we're guarding the princess of the moon. What makes her so much better than the rest of us?" It was one thing that Rhea would never understand. What made Serenity special? Why, of all the planetary princesses, did she need others to guard her? Other princesses as that?

What would it take to show the other royals that the earth wasn't all that bad? Rhea knew that if she brought this up to her father that he would blow a gasket. She wondered what the other monarchs would say. She imagined that the King of Mercury would have a tame reaction compared to the fiery Ares, but he would also be curious with his appetite to learn more. The Queen of Venus would probably want to check it out for herself, just to see if the men were as handsome as she had heard. And Zeus, like Ares, would have a much more aggressive reaction. It was all relative though. They wouldn't be finding out any time soon if their daughters had anything to do about it. Rhea nodded along with Druella's comments, agreeing with everything that she had said. The sound of pink beaches made the girl laugh but she wasn't all that surprised. Jadeite had black beaches surrounding his territory. BLACK! "Wow! I haven't seen that yet! But i've seen a black beach...and a blue one." Rhea added as she dreamily remembered how Jadeite had shown her around the area where she had learned so many things; things that the books on the moon or Mars or hell, even Mercury, wouldn't show her shit about the Earth. "And the waters were so clean! And such magnificent creatures that I saw..." she murmured in awe. The sealife...another one of Earth's magnificent wonders.

It was easy to see why Druella was being so sarcastic with her words. It was totally true. But it was also time to get serious. Her amusement drained from her face as Druella spoke of war and questioned if Rhea felt it would come to that. The senshi from Mars nodded slowly, her eyes shifting to Druella. "Yes. I'm not the senshi of war for nothing," she murmured as she flicked her wrist and her dagger appeared once again with a burst of flames in her palm. Rhea played with the weapon, twisting it around in her fingers, "I have a bad premonition. I'm plagued by dreams of death and destruction, Druella. The only bad thing is that I can never tell which side is winning and which side is losing. I can never see the faces. I can never determine what caused the war and who's leading it. It's all vague and it scares the shit out of me," she said fiercely as she stopped spinning the dagger in her hand. Rhea hated admitting anything close to resembling fear but it was the only way she could describe the feelings that consumed her when she thought of war with the blue planet. "I say the same thing but I don't know if I could ever bring myself to do that. How could I stab myself in the heart?" Because that's exactly what she would be doing if she killed Jadeite - she'd kill herself in the process. "I know it's coming Dru but I have no idea what i'll do when I get there. I'm the senshi of war....I live for this. I should be excited at the prospect of causing havoc...but all I can think about is running away."

[• ANDROMEDA C. MORAN.]

It was strange that the Moon demanded such… esteem. But there you have it. There must be something that Druella was missing: she’d never been big on her studying and so history slipped through her fingers like water. Had the Moon been at the heart of the alliance; had some old rulers of the planets pledged fealty to the Moon? There were many possibilities, but Druella had never really given them much thought. Now, though… “I don’t know,” she admitted, uncertainly. The Moon lacked oomph, that was for sure. Druella had been bored of the people within a few days; they were dry and dull and bleh. The Jovian was a woman of many things, but the repeated courtesies and what not were driving her up the wall. What the crap was wrong with these people!? They were little pretty little song birds, repeating everything they had been told. Serenity, at least, lacked that mindless obedience to whatever courtesy spell the Boring Fairy had cast on them all. “There’s probably a reason though, because I don’t think Ares or Zeus would consent if there wasn’t.” Hera might, Druella thought to herself, if only to attempt to culture her reckless daughter.

Taking it upon themselves to teach the monarchs that Earth was not the hideous place they all thought it was… was enticing. Even if Druella knew it would end with her getting laughed out of many a throne room. Still, if it were that easy, one of them would have done it already – but it was the same fear that the Jovian had about her earthling love that kept them back, she was sure of it. Risking such violent wrath was terrible; facing such utter disappointment, hearing how they betrayed the Alliance. Gritting her teeth she cast that possibility aside: it was as impossible as this entire situation. Her expression softened into a smile as Rhea joined her on talking about Earth; “and here I was thinking you’d only seen the inside of his room,” the Jovian teased, her lips quirking into her easy, crooked grin. Still, she nodded ecstatically when Rhea mentioned the sea life; Druella had had experience with that after all. “I know – we saw… sea otters, I think,” she smiled at the memory, “though I did nearly kill them. And us,” Druella added, her voice trailing into a laugh as she remembered. What a perfect day it had been – until she remembered herself, and went to go pick up her charge.

That smile fell off her features as Rhea spoke. This was the last thing she needed to hear. Druella could feel her heart sinking lower and lower as the Martian explained what haunted her in her sleep: and what a horror it was. The Jovian could practically see it as Rhea described it; images of death and destruction swirling before her; the imagined air thick with acrid smoke. Blinking rapidly to clear her head, the taller woman scowled – war cuoldn’t happen – things were… okay, things were a little shaky, but the peace had held for this long. What was going to happen? In silence, Druella let her mind wander out. Would it be Serenity? Was she going to get caught by her mother, who in a rage would declare war on Earth? Or would it be the Prince’s fault – or would it be her own? For a moment, she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Rhea’s sorrow at possibly having to kill her lover pained Druella: no woman should have to do it, but they were something more than mere women. “I would do it if there was no other choice,” she said quietly, knowing it was true. If Nephrite stood against her, he would be the enemy, and Druella had been trained to defeat her enemies – no matter the cost to herself. Suddenly the woman felt sick, her dreams turning to ashes before she could fully realise them. Rhea speaking of running away made her sigh: it all just seemed so… hopeless. “You’ll do what’s right,” she assured her friend, honestly. Druella knew that much, at least. With another wary glance around, Druella crossed what distance remained between her in her friend. “His name is Nephrite,” she informed her friend quietly and quickly. She wanted to share it. She needed to, now. With the smell of war on the air, Druella wanted to share what positive feeling she had left with her partner. Fully. Completely. No secrets, no shadows – she wanted it laid plain and bare before Rhea. “The Southern General.”

[• NATALIE A. MARSHALL.]

Rhea felt the same way about the moon as Druella did. She didn't find anything special about the moon at all. To her it was just a cold rock, a place that tried to pass itself off as a planet when it really wasn't at all. The princess of Mars wished she knew why the other planets took their orders from the moon. Was that the reason why the Earth was not in the alliance? Because they refused to see things Queen Serenity's way? There were still so many things she didn't understand about the alliance and the other planets. Perhaps it was time for her to have a chat with Ares. She was close to being of age and she would have to learn these things eventually, right? Rhea thought that for sure she would grow to learn things in order to rule her own planet; assuming she ever got off this wretched rock to do so. "Maybe...but you do know that Zeus and Ares do whatever the fuck they want regardless of anyone saying otherwise." Their fathers were stubborn and there was no other way around that. Rhea just wished that some things were different in some respect. There was nothing better than knowing yourself and the people around you.

Druella's comment made Rhea blush a bright red but she did laugh off the comment. "Well, I had to see something before I got acquainted with his private chambers," she declared with that red tint still fresh on her cheeks. Rhea had seen quite a bit of Jadeite's lands during the time that she visited the Earth. Jadeite always made it a habit of teaching her new things because he was happy to have her on his planet. She hadn't seen the world but she had seen things that would never be possible on Mars. Besides, they had to do something while she waited for Serenity to finish her visits with Endymion. Fighting and sparring hadn't been enough for the duo and exploring had been next on their list before they had graduated to sex. Rhea laughed. "I haven't seen those but I saw a sea creature called a whale. It was freaking humungous!!! Bigger than the Cretones on Mars!" Rhea had been amazed by the size of the gentle creature. Jadeite had to explain to her how they were hunted at times for both food and oil. It fascinated Rhea to learn about Earth and it's tremendous life. How could this planet be bad when there was so much to figure out? She didn't understand it.

But as good as things looked it didn't stop the feelings of pure terror from Rhea. There was no way that things were going to change. There was going to be a war and there was nothing they could do about it. Her visions were pretty concise and accurate. Rhea didn't dream about things for the hell of it. They came to her when it was important and the woman had to prepare for the worst even if she didn't know when it would exactly happen. There was an unknown enemy out there that would force the senshi to battle, to do things that they had only done on a practice field. "I know. So would I." She was a senshi for a reason. She was the goddess of war. There was no reason for her to ease back when the alliance needed her. Rhea was not scared of anything but facing off with her lover. Not because she feared his power but because it would hurt so much to have to kill the man that she loved. Rhea hoped that this would never come to pass but it was difficult to overlook something of this magnitude. She sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. She was going to suggest that they just take a break and go grab a bit to eat, just so they got off this sorrow filled subject but Druella had surprised her with another bit of information.

The female gasped when Druella closed in and told her that her mystery lover was none other than one of Endymion's shitennou. Rhea would be the first to admit that she didn't know any of the other guardians but Kunzite, having run into him on one of her visits. She knew there were four of them and that they east led a different sector of the earth's forces. Still, it had never occurred to her that she would not be the only one getting that close to enemy territory. The brunette glanced at Druella with surprise before a smile broke out on her own face. Wow, it had to be completely killing Druella if she had come out with this secret. The secret had been killing Rhea too. Now she would have someone to speak to about this. Somehow, a huge weight was lifted off of her shoulders. "Well, if we're going to be coming clean here, you might as well know that i'm with the Eastern General, Jadeite." Rhea revealed in the same low voice that Druella had used. "That's two out of four....if we're with them...do you think there's a possibility of Aurora and Athena messing around with the other two?

[• ANDROMEDA C. MORAN.]

“That’s my point,” Druella stated, thinking of Zeus and Ares. Both were stubborn men and well schooled in the art of war; it was hard to imagine them bending the knee and willingly passing over their daughters for approximately no reason. Especially since they were only children; the only heirs that the Martian and Jovian throne had. Druella had not given the Alliance a terrible amount of thought until recently, when the whole Serenity-Endymion thing had started. Going to Earth had opened her eyes to so much; not only to the fact that Earth was not the planet that she had been told it was, but also the secrets that the Moon Queen must be keeping. Had she ever told anyone why the Earth was so violently rejected? Druella had grown up blindly believing what she had been told; hell, she’d enjoyed the stories her mother had spun of the demons living on Earth. It had become its own sort of mystery… but seeing the Earth for what it really was had unveiled entirely different sorts of mysteries.

Lips quirking into a sly grin, the Jovian laughed as Rhea blushed. “Well, it’s good to know that you’ve experienced Earth outside some walls,” she told her friend. It was true – the Earth held so many interesting things. It had been a huge shock to her when she first looked around; the forest she had been it was alive with life – the smells, the sights, the sounds! Druella would not go far to say that the Earth held more for her than Jupiter (she was a loyal Jovian Princess, after all,) but it was definitely… varied. The beach she had seen had been the largest stretch of water she had ever laid eyes on; and though the otters had not spit acid , they had been undeniably adorable. As Rhea spoke of whales, Druella blinked, trying to picture a huge sea animal in her mind. Of course, the image floating through her brain was nothing like a whale – for one thing it had too many heads – but she may have got the sizing right. Whistling her appreciation of such a huge animal, Druella was simply reminded just how many joys the Earth offered, to those who cared to look.

Nodding grimly as the conversation took a turn for the more serious, Druella realised that letting go of Nephrite had to happen sooner, rather than later. It wasn’t just a case of forbidden romance anymore; wasn’t just a case of betraying the Queens trust and setting foot on Earth – she needed to harden her heart and figure out how to let him go. How could she face him again, now, with the knowledge that one day they would come to blows? If not her, then one of her sisters in arms – because the senshi were almost definitely going to come up against the prince’s guardians in the heat of battle. War made him the enemy. But, something inside her pawed at her mind, pointing out that war had not been declared yet – and even if it had, what if the shitennou and the prince took no part? It was unlikely, but then again, Druella didn’t think that anything could set Endymion against Serenity. It was all so confusing, all over again.

It had been eating Druella up inside that she’d had to keep Nephrite’s identity a secret. Druella, after all, was pretty crap at holding things in – she liked to express herself, and hated it that she couldn’t be free to say what she wanted to say. Add that to the fact that now she might cross blades with Nephrite for real some time in the future, and really, the Jovian had absolutely no chance at holding it back. She didn’t bother trying to hide the surprise that flashed over her face as Rhea declared that her own mystery man was another one of the prince’s guardians, the one in the East. Jadeite. Rhea’s question did make Druella think – it would be horribly coincidental if the senshi had all found their matches with the Eart’s shitennou. “I don’t know,” the Jovian admitted with a shrug, before she smiled once more, “Athena? Really? Come on. I don’t think I’ve seen her out of the library since she found it.”

[• NATALIE A. MARSHALL.]

Rhea sighed in defeat. Druella was correct. Their fathers were just too stubborn and they were not going to allow Jade and Nephrite to pass so easily. In her father's case, not at all. But she was just as stubborn as Ares - as evidenced by her continuing relationship with the eastern general - and she was not going to let her father dictate who she could and could not be with. It was ridiculous! She should be able to choose whomever she wanted, even if he was from the earthern court. It would take a lot of convincing, and a shit ton of arguing, but Rhea was not going to give up on her dream of being with Jadeite. Even if she had to secretly visit him for hundreds of years to come. He was the only man that she would ever love. At least she knew in her heart. It was just difficult when they lived on different planets and the fates were already against them. He was forbidden to her and she should not have even thought about doing anything with him in the first place. These things just sort of happened and Rhea had to find a way to balance her life. There had to be a solution because she didn't think she could keep up with the charade for much longer.

Rhea could feel her face burning a bright scarlet as Druella spoke. "Oh shut up. It's good know that you haven't just been on her back the entire time either," she retorted cheekily to her friend as she thought about the Earth and all of it's wonders. The colors on the planet were just extraordinary to Rhea. She had never imagined that one planet could boast such a variety of substance and life. Mars was predominantly red and Venus was very yellowish for the most part. The same could be said about the other planets in the solar system. But Earth? There were endless colors and Rhea didn't know if she could ever get accustomed to such beauty. "It's just so different from anything I could have ever imagined. He's already shown me so much of the planet but there is still so much to see. It's hard with our limited timing though." She wondered if there would ever come a day when travel to the Earth would not be condemned. It would behoove them all to learn as much about the blue planet as they possibly could. It was just too bad that this fued had been going on for ages.

Now it wasn't all that surprising that they had all been playing around with the prince's generals. It was the easiest access they had and the generals would keep the secret because of their ties to their prince and the kingdom. It would have been very difficult to have a romance with a regular civilian and Rhea should have already put two and two together a long time ago. She had just been wrapped up in her own romance to notice anyone else's. "I guess you're right...Athena just doesn't seem like the type to do something so...scandalous. But I mean, neither are we! It's not like we went to Earth looking to get involved with those two. The same could have happened to Athena. And I don't care what anyone says: I bet she, too, would rather be fucked than stuck in a library reading books all day long," Rhea stated in a matter of fact tone of voice. There was no way that Athena could refuse such advances if one of those generals were right on her back. It would be impossible even for her!

Just the mere thought of their bookworm searching for someone on Earth made her chuckle. It was possible and Rhea decided that she would have to keep an eye open for that. She placed her arms behind her back and glanced at the sky, her eyes softening as they caught the Earth again. She wanted to go back already. Why was this so complicated? "Have you ever thought of letting him go?" She questioned. It had been something she had thought about endlessly. In the long run it would be much easier to just stop seeing Jadeite and allowing her life to return to normal as much as possible. "I've thought about it....so many times....but it's just impossible. It doesn't help that Serenity is constantly running off to see her prince. I just wonder...what is it going to be like when we can't do this anymore? The queen isn't suspicious now but there will come a time when we're all missing at the wrong time...and all hell will break loose. What then?"

[• ANDROMEDA C. MORAN.]

Zeus placed few rules that his daughter needed to obey; but the forbidden nature of Earth was one of them. Druella, like her father, was not fond of rules. Frivolous rules she would break and deal with the consequences, as evidenced by the creatures she had snuck across from Jupiter, the way she had so nearly taken to the sands of Jupiter’s coliseum before being caught by her mother. Like lightning, the woman was hard to control – slipping through cracks and pretty much doing as she pleased… except when it came to the serious stuff. Her duty, thrust upon her by the Moon Queen, was one such thing. Happy as she was to unleash Jovian terrors on the moon, Druella could not find it within her to turn her back on the honour placed on her. Her father had been much the same; accenting just how important het duties would be as a senshi, as Sailor Jupiter. She hadn’t questioned him – in hindsight, she didn’t understand why – but there you have it. The lightning warrior was an odd mix of obedient and rebellious; going to extremes on both sides and getting confused somewhere in the middle. No one could say she was predictable, at least.

Laughing and shaking her head at Rhea’s words, she let them hang there without response. Perhaps if she had been on her back for any duration of her visits, things would be different. She’d have crossed that line and would know there was no turning back. As it was she was toeing it, lusting after her earthling all the while feeling the collar of her senshi rank shackling her to the Moon. “I know what you mean. I love Jupiter. But… it’s almost all one thing. Earth will never have Jupiter’s storms but has so much more of everything else.” Wasn’t that the truth. Jupiter was a planet of green and shades of rust, underneath a swirling vortex of storm. Beautiful, yes. Deadly, of course. But… the concept of four seasons still amazed her, especially when compared to the Moons cold... and colder. The plants had a variety that any Jovian would kill to replicate. Really, Earth was a planet that they should be jealous of. The other plants had their distinct places in the system Earth broke that mould, and how.

It was true, really –they all should have seen it coming. Who else would dare approach a senshi, but someone who had similar battle training? Most earthlings – what with the stories they had heard just as Druella had of them – would probably go running with their tail betwixt their legs. Not that the Jovian could blame them for their fear; the senshi were gifted with powers that were more than just pretty light shows, and tales of how they used them were probably quite extreme coming out of earthling lips. “I guess so…” she started, in a tone that suggested she didn’t really believe it. How could she? They were talking about Athena. Athena the Ice Princess, they called her. “I don’t know. This is Athena. I heard a cupbearer say that he saw her reading while swinging that sword of hers around,” she informed her friend, coming to the conclusion that the Mercury princess was very very weird. Who could read a book while training!? It was ridiculous! And so was she!

Watching as Rhea looked to the sky as if for answers to their problems, Druella sighed. “Yes,” she told her friend without hesitation. It plagued her; and she honestly didn’t know what was worse – the thought of letting him go, or the thought of… not. “I don’t know if it would be easier to just… drop this whole thing. I mean. Part of me would feel better, but the other part… I don’t know,” she finished with a sigh. “I’m not sure I can let him go,” Druella admitted lowly – despite all her thoughts of needing to. What she wanted and what she needed were, clearly, two different things when it came to Nephrite. She listened to what Rhea had to say about her Jadeite; about what would happen when it all hit the fan. “I don’t want to think about it,” the Jovian admitted – she didn’t want to think about what it would be like when their various leashes were shortened even tighter. “On the plus side, it’s not like she can put guards on us. Who would want to risk getting on our bad sides?” she asked, taking a job at brightening the mood.

[• NATALIE A. MARSHALL.]

Rhea sighed. It was so complicated, living in a world where she wasn't allowed to roam free like a wild fire. It was impossible to think that the princess of Mars could ever be fully content with being full time on the moon. Rhea had put up an incredible fight when Ares had told her of her new duty. She couldn't understand why she, a princess, had to protect another princess. She didn't understand why she had to waste her time on the moon when she didn't even consider it a fucking planet. She didn't understand why she had to have so many restrictions when there should be anything but. It was a mixture of 'whys' and 'why nots' and things that Rhea did not comprehend. The only thing she had been thankful for was the other senshi. She didn't speak much with Athena but the woman brought her own set of quirks to the team. Aurora and she had a deep understanding, one where they could speak about almost anything and Rhea wouldn't feel betrayed. And then there was Druella, the one she had bonded with the most. Their relationship was the strongest based on the time they spent together on their patrols. And there was no one else who could provide a challenge like the Jovian could.

"I know," she murmured softly, never removing her eyes from the planet Earth. She hadn't experienced the 'winter' yet but she was excited about seeing snow. Jadeite had promised that he would take her to the colder regions the next time that she visited. It was things like this that kept pulling her back towards the forbidden planet. Why stay away when there was SO much to see and so much to do? Now she fully understood Serenity and her constant breaking of said rules. Rhea made a face when Druella informed her of Athena's weird practices. She couldn't even imagine thinking about a fucking book while she was fighting. It seemed so damn absurd! The Marsian stuck her tongue out in distaste, "If I ever see her doing that I swear i'll burn that damn book right out of her hands." And she would too. Don't make any mistakes about it! She pushed some of her ebony hair out of her eyes and glanced towards the taller woman besides her. "But perhaps you're right. Maybe she is far too innocent...but then again, I thought the same thing about Serenity and we all know that she's not going down there to earth to just talk to Endymion," she said with a roll of her eyes.

Druella spoke about their situation and Rhea definitely listened closely. It appeared that they felt the same way but how was it possible not to? It was a precarious situation, one that Rhea held close to her fucking chest. She was not going to let any of this go. She didn't want to let Jadeite go but she couldn't predict what would happen in the future. At least not yet. She rubbed her face and then glanced at Druella as she flexed her fingers of her left hand before her dagger appeared. "I don't want to think about it either. Lets continue with your battle....preferrably without Nephrite's dick on your mind." She teased Druella as she jumped back from her position and prepared to fight again with her fellow senshi member but was interrupted when she heard footsteps. Rhea quirked a brow as she turned, watching as one of queen Serenity's attendants came towards herself and Druella. "Sailor Mars. Sailor Jupiter. The queen would like to have a word with the two of you." The minute that the words left the servants lips, the only thing on Rhea's mind was 'oh shit'. What could the queen possibly want with them? What had the princess done now?! "Thank you. Tell her majesty that we shall be there shortly."

As soon as the server turned and was out of hearing distance, Rhea turned to Druella quickly. "What the fuck could she possibly want?!" She exclaimed as the dagger disappeared from her hand for the third time that evening. Fuck. What the hell? Had something happened? Was Serenity missing at a bad time? Had she found out about their guys?! Rhea forced calmness upon herself as she began to walk towards the palace. "I cannot even imagine what's going on. Why would she possibly need to talk to us right now?" Rhea hoped that she was not going to receive any news about Mars or Ares. She hoped that she wasn't going to receive news about Earth and how it was forbidden. She hoped that her secret affair with Jadeite was not about to be exposed.