AN1: if you read this before September 2nd, 2017, there has been a major edit with a new scene added at the end.

AN2: I have recently gone back through every chapter and added dates (based on the Silver Millennium Standard Calendar). The Silver Millennium is 10,000 years old, but the current calendar starts from the day each of the first senshi avatars were born (the ones that are children of the patron gods, not just the original ones who were children of Serenity, Tranquility, and Se). Therefore, the very first senshi were born in 1017 B.U. (Before Unification) and Haruka was born in 8962 S.Y. (Silver Millennium Standard Year). The senshi were all born on the same date as their human counterparts for simplicity's sake. The story spans 21 years and the breakdown and chapter dates are at the end of this chapter.

Chapter 35: Visions in the Flame

March 20, 8983 – March 24, 8983

"Michi?"

The Neptunian shook her head and smiled demurely at her wife. "My stomach is just a little upset, Ruka. Honestly, I'm surprised it's taken this long for me to have a bad reaction to all of this new food I've eaten after a lifetime of eating primarily Neptunian cuisine. It must have been the aljhii berries we had this afternoon."

Ami entered the lounge, holding a blue crystal goblet on a silver serving tray. "The servants brought this for you. It's made from a type of Jovian ginger known to settle upset stomachs. It's pretty bitter, so I had them mix it with sweetener and carbonated soda water."

"Thank you." Michiru carefully took the goblet and sipped it, deciding that the taste was acceptable before finishing the contents. "I don't understand why they needed to use such an elaborate glass."

Haruka chuckled and leaned against the window, staring into the courtyard beneath the palace. "You're their queen. They wouldn't dare offer you a dish that wasn't both gorgeous and priceless. That is one of the goblets gifted to my grandmother by Setsuna's mother at the wedding of one of her cousins to the First War Queen of the time."

"I guess I never thought I would be in a court to rival my mother's in extravagance."

"My people would only show this to one of their own. Outsiders are encouraged to believe that we live a nomadic desert lifestyle with few provisions as they see in our popular films." She glanced back over her shoulder, a trace of worry crossing her features. "Are you well enough to escort Serenity home tomorrow?"

Michiru chuckled and ran her fingers through her hair. "Haruka, it's a simple upset stomach. We will have the power of all seven senshi to teleport back and Setsuna could take us all on her own. Don't worry about me."

"It will only be six," Haruka replied, still staring out toward the distant desert. "The War Queens are in council early tomorrow morning with the main fleet leaders to discuss troop deployments and defenses around Uranus. As the queen, I have to be there."

Michiru could hear the underlying apology, and she smiled sweetly at her wife. "Ruka, don't be upset that your royal duties will prevent you from traveling with us. A queen's place is with her people, and Uranians need their queen more than most."

"That's completely true," Ami replied, her sapphire eyes buried in the tome of prophecies that she had been translating since their trip to Earth. "Remember when Queen Alira traveled to Kinmoku in 5467? She returned to find the Uranian fleet in a standoff with the fleets of Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn over some minor slight to the Second War Queen. It very nearly sparked a civil war."

Haruka nodded, remembering her history tutor describing the political scene that had sparked that unrest. "The Second at the time was a very prim woman from Umbriel, not closely enough related to the Royal Line to be of any influence, even though she held the seat of Second. From what I recall, even the Tenth War Queen commanded a larger fleet and had better suitors for her sons. The Lady of Deimos refused to consider the Second's oldest son as a suitor for her daughter, and war nearly followed. After that incident, the Queen always appoints a Chancellor if she plans to be out of the system for an extended period of time. Until about three thousand years ago, the position was permanent, but the practice has declined since we stopped traveling to other solar systems."

"You may want to consider a rebirth of that custom," Ami suggested. "If the Uranians truly wanted to, I believe that they could take control of the Solar System. It would take a tremendous event to drive them to a peak of fury high enough to precipitate such a war, but it is not a war that the other worlds could conceivably win."

Haruka sighed, her green eyes darkening to gray. "I know. My people have spent thousands of years training themselves to be warriors without equal, the first line of defense against threats from outside the Solar System, but those we protect could easily become victims of our wrath if we ever turned our face toward the Sun. I worry about that constantly, especially after this recent unrest at the death of the previous Sixth. But it's hard to find a decent Chancellor, a woman strong enough to earn the respect of the War Queens but with a heart of peace that can balance the call for war. I believe I can eventually find such a woman, but it may take many years."

Rei started, her purple eyes flashing red as a sudden vision screamed through her mind. Thousands of war ships, their configurations alien to her, filling the skies of Mars. Her own fleet, much smaller than she would have expected, was dwarfed in comparison, though it fought until every ship was disabled, at which point she was forced to call for the surrender of her forces. The image of a tall, older Uranian woman with gray hair and sharp black eyes filled her mind, and she knew the vision to be prophetic. Minako turned to face her partner, her sharp blue eyes boring into Rei's dark purple as the remnants of the vision flashed across their link. "Haruka, you may want to anoint that Chancellor sooner rather than later," the Martian murmured. "Your people easily could make war against the rest of the system, and I fear that it may happen someday."

Haruka turned her gray-green eyes toward her sister senshi of war. "My people will never go to war with the rest of the system as long as I am their queen."

Rei smiled and agreed, but deep in her soul she felt a dark foreboding at the blonde's words. One day, the Uranians would go to war, and that gray-haired woman would lead them against the other worlds.

Tranquility stared across the battlefield and felt a twinge of concern. This Priestess was stronger and more frightening than any woman he had ever converted, but he had faith that she was his best hope to bring his sister back. Beryl crouched among the carnage, one hand on the body of a blonde-haired general, pouring her dark Cupid-power into the corpse. As Tranquility watched, the man struggled to his feet, blood still soaking his dark uniform and a gash stretching across his brow. Beryl touched his forehead and sealed the gash as his dead eyes brightened to a pale grey and locked on the red-haired Cupid. She grinned as she bound his soul to hers, handing him a palm-sized piece of grey-green jade, which she used to control the general's soul. Beryl had explained to Tranquility that this battle would be a test of her new youma and allow her to expand her armies drastically. The generals were an added bonus, and four of them had fallen in the battle. From what Tranquility could tell, these were Endymion's main generals, so controlling them would give Beryl control of the armies.

Tranquility watched as Beryl repeated the process with Zoicite, Nephrite, and Kunzite, giving them gems that bound them to her and allowed them to change the dying into youma. As her armies and her power expanded, she would one day be able to convert the living and healthy. Her four new minions spread out through the battlefield and began to convert the bodies of their men into youma as she rejoined Tranquility and his attendant Cupids, her face pale in exhaustion. "I will have thousands more minions by the end of the day. Thankfully, the generals' souls were strong enough for me to convert without changing them into youma, so they will be able to create more minions for me. If the prince was still here on Earth, this would not have been possible. For an Earthling, his power is impressive. Soon, my legions will dwarf the armies of the moon and we can crush them utterly."

Tranquility smiled, still slightly unnerved by this Cupid's bloodlust. Still, nothing he had done so far had gotten him any closer to finding his lost sister, so hopefully Beryl's approach would help. "Indeed, my priestess."

Shousha had never expected her daughter to visit her in her chambers, even after their more peaceful relations since Haruka's outing on Larissa. The princess, wearing a small but intricate tiara as the Uranians expected from their Queen's beloved wife, sat on a heavily embroidered pillow near the open window, staring out across the desert as the banners on the ramparts snapped in the afternoon breeze. The people of Oberon would celebrate their new Queen for a year, throwing banquets in her honor, sending gifts, and decorating the castle and their homes in her royal colors, far more celebration than even the Neptunians could boast after Shousha received her crown. She was learning more about her planet's celestial neighbor in the past few weeks than she had learned in the four decades since she met Kazeko.

"We have never been close." Shousha had been so deep in thought that she was startled at her daughter's words, but she couldn't help but agree. "I am your first daughter, but I have never had your love. My brother, the child you lost, had more affection from you than I ever have."

"You're right," Shousha admitted slowly, staring down into her wine glass at the words. "Michiru, your father died four days after I learned that I was pregnant with you, and part of me was relieved. I hate to say that, but you must now know that I never loved him and I only ever wanted Kazeko."

"And she died only a few weeks before I was born."

Shousha nodded, feeling her daughter's aqua eyes on her. "I was furious at them, at the other queens, and I hated the child that had been born to my lover. I was not prepared to be a mother at that moment, so I gave you to the nannies and hoped that, in time, I would heal. I almost did."

Michiru leaned forward, hands folded primly in her lap in contrast with the excitement in her eyes. She had never been able to speak with her mother before, especially about something so important. "Then we went to the Moon for the Presentation and you saw me with Haruka."

Shousha looked up at last, letting her eyes meet her daughter's, aqua shining at aqua across the room. "I saw then what took you fourteen more years to notice, that you and she were destined to be together. When my fellow senshi and I were young, we learned the truth about our ancestors, that a senshi soul can only be mated to another senshi, and I knew that you would one day know the loss that I had to suffer when Kazeko took Koshu as her husband. I saw that soulmate spark between the two of you, and I knew that I had to protect you from Haruka, keep you locked away on Neptune until both of you were safely married."

"Well, now we are." Michiru smirked, watching as an answering smile spread across her mother's face.

"I should have known better than to try to keep soulmates apart from each other. I never wanted to push you away, but I saw in you myself as a child, before I was angry and bitter and alone."

"I can say, for the first time in my life, that I am pleased that you saw yourself in me." Michiru stood, brushing her hands down her silky ice blue dress as she walked toward the balcony. When she had first arrived on Oberon, she had squinted when she looked out across the blinding sand, but now it did not stab her eyes as much. "I want you to see that I am happy, and to fully accept my life. I know you have questions."

"Then you know the primary one in my mind."

"You want to know how Haruka and I will have heirs."

"I can say the thought has occurred to me many times since that night."

"We discovered a method used by Nao and Yuuka. The father of Yuuka's children was Nao's brother, and Yuuka's cousin fathered Nao's twins in turn. The children were still royal, with incredible noble lineage, and the queens could be together. Between Aunt Raya's sons and Fourth Hikari's, Haruka and I can utilize the same option."

"I can't imagine Haruka pregnant," Shousha admitted wryly, smiling when her daughter chuckled. "And I also can't imagine that she would approve of you sleeping with a man, even her own cousin, in order to conceive an heir."

"Ami has a method that has been used on Mercury for centuries to breed prized animals and livestock without the uncertainty that natural reproduction can cause. She suggests that this method is sometimes used for people who have trouble conceiving on their own. She calls it artificial insemination."

"Interesting. I would be curious to see if it works."

"I intend that you should be there, in my daughter's life."

Shousha nodded and smiled at her child. "I may not have been the best mother, but I will be a marvelous grandmother." She felt a great sense of relief as she finally came to an understanding with her daughter, finally felt a sense of family. She had not known how much she desired that until Michiru had entered her guest suite.

"Did you speak with your mother?"

"I did. It went well."

Haruka grinned and nodded, swiping through messages that scrolled across the screen on her desk. Now that she was queen, it was impossible for her to get away from the royal minutiae that her father and his advisors had managed for two decades. She was getting used to the constant paperwork, reports, and meetings, but she did sometimes miss her lonely life.

No you don't. Haruka chuckled and looked up at her wife, the aquanette leaning across the desk with her hands resting on its opalescent surface with a smirk slowly spreading across her face. You love the attention, the adoration, the worship of your people.

"Worship?! Michi, that's blasphemy."

"Of all the gods in our Pantheon, yours is the least likely to take offense."

"Even Uranus would object to a mortal comparing herself to a god."

Michiru turned sideways and sat on the edge of the desk, crossing one slender leg over the other. Her skirt didn't quite reach her knees, and she knew what effect she was having on her blonde partner as green eyes slowly brightened to gold. "Uranus is a Titan. Do you think she cares if you are seen as a mere god?"

Haruka paused the scrolling reports, standing from her desk with all of the grace and beauty her people could boast. Her eyes were pure gold, the color exciting Michiru as her own eyes darkened to sapphire in response. "A mere god? I'll have you know that I am a Uranian Queen, soul-daughter to Uranus, Father of all Titans and Grandfather of the Gods. I am more than a god and I will prove it to you." She reached the Neptunian as she finished, long arms trapping her wife against the desk.

"How?" Michiru teased, gently raising her crossed leg until her shin pressed against Haruka's center, a shudder passing through the blonde at the contact.

And that was the last straw. Haruka pushed Michiru down against the opalescent surface, catching her in a bruising kiss as she ground against her wife's now-trapped leg. There was little chance she was going to get those reports and assignments done before her meeting with the War Queens.

Ado and Hikari picked from the bowl of tiny pastries on the table, the Fourth War Queen wrinkling her nose at the red berries in the center of hers. "Never been a fan of Jovian fruit. Too sweet, too juicy for those of us with delicate taste buds."

Yuri plucked the pastry from her colleague's hand, hazel eyes more green than brown as she glared at Hikari. "I like them just fine."

Miki leaned back in her seat, still amazed that she belonged at that table, and chuckled. "Our Queen is late and you are arguing about the food."

"I saw Michiru enter Haruka's study about an hour ago," Hikari replied, touching the edge of the recessed screen in the table and reading through the reports that Haruka had already sorted and returned. The new Queen had stopped replying to reports about ten minutes after she had seen Michiru enter the study in the Royal Suite. "It seems that our new sovereign was interrupted by her blushing bride."

"Really?" Sayuri leaned forward, pushing her ever-present braids behind her ear to keep them from interfering with her view. Hikari waved her hand over her screen, projecting the image into the air where everyone could see the timestamp on Haruka's last report. "Oh to be young and in love."

"You could have that, too, if you would start entertaining suitors again," Hiroko teased, glancing at her long-time lover Sanae who shared her smirk. "Or take a lover. You're far too distant, Sayuri. I know that you are very close with your sisters and their children, but you should have someone to attend social events and royal parties with you."

"Not recently," Hikari retorted dryly, returning to flipping through her reports. "I do believe I saw one of my many daughters leaving your room this morning."

Silence spread through the War Queens, Miki's golden eyes widening in the shock of unexpected discovery as she glanced at Sayuri across the table. There was no doubt in the other War Queens' minds which daughter had entertained Sayuri the night before. The Tenth War Queen blushed and her blue eyes paled at Hikari's words, suddenly wishing that she had not pushed her concealing braids away. "You see a little more than you ought to, Fourth."

"And you're louder than you think, Tenth," Hikari returned, her voice sharper than it had been moments earlier, turning the full force of her golden gaze toward her dark-haired companion. "If you have intentions with my daughter, I do have the right, as her mother, to be consulted."

"It just happened, Hikari, last night. I was going to speak with you today."

"Then speak now." The ten War Queens shot to their feet without a hint of scraped chairs or stumbling, as would be expected from the most graceful women on Uranus. Haruka waved them back to their seats as she entered the small meeting chamber, her deceptively delicate wife on her arm. They took the twin throne-like chairs at the head of the table, Haruka's emerald eyes never leaving Sayuri's. Hikari might be the mother of the lover in question, but Haruka was her cousin and outranked Hikari, giving her the right to consult the pair. Michiru had problems following the ebb and flow of power and responsibility in a room full of Uranians, despite her extensive studies on the subject.

Sayuri stood and bowed to her queen, eyes locking with Haruka's. "I have been alone for a long time, Majesty, and I have refused most suitors. Like my sister Queens, I will one day accept a reasonable marriage proposal, but I never expected to have this kind of connection with one of my fellow War Queens." Miki turned to her cousin, her eyes silently begging for permission to explore a relationship with Sayuri, wherever it might lead them.

One thing that had always confused Michiru was how much of the Uranian language was left to interpretation. Even when speaking Sol Standard, which the War Queens always used when their new second Queen was expected to be in attendance, they never said everything that they meant. Sayuri would never specifically ask for permission for anything, so she waited in silence after presenting her position and laying out her feelings for Haruka to see. The blonde considered her blonde cousin and her Tenth for a moment, smiling at both of them. "Of course you have my permission, Sayuri, as long as Miki will put up with you."

"If she lasts as long as she did last night, I would probably consider a return visit," Miki quipped, grinning as the War Queens relaxed at her words. The tension was gone, and with the budding relationship sanctioned by the Queen they could return to their normal daily business.

Hikari pointed at the reports floating in the air above the table, pulling one out of the mix and pushing it to the other screens. "Majesty, I believe that you started approving the new appointments to our embassies, but you stopped at Venus."

"I got a little distracted," Haruka replied, somehow keeping a straight face and managing not to look at her wife. She fooled no one, but her Queens would never say anything about it. "I approve the Venusian, but I think we need to change the election for Mars. I've met your aunt, Tomoko, and I do not believe that she is up to the challenge of that particular Royal Court."

"She's a fine warrior," Tomoko replied, not a hint of emotion in her voice, "and she has two arts titles."

"She's never had a diplomatic assignment off-world, and Martians are notoriously tribal, though not as bad as Jovians. Your aunt will be perfect for the Plutonian post and I will assign Sanae's sister and husband, since she is related to the High Lady of Deimos, to take that open seat. Their children could use some time off-world to sharpen their war skills so that they are ready to train for the Ganymede Invitational in five years." She let her eyes meet her Second's, grinning at the shock she could see there. "You think that I have had my head in the sand for the past decade? I know that your nieces want to join the Tournament, but without practice against non-Uranian opponents they will never learn the skills they need to win. Tell your sister when this is over."

"Thank you, Majesty."

"Don't call me Majesty, not you. Not any of you. My loyal War Queens, I will always be just Haruka to you."

Michiru smiled at her wife's words, amazed at how well the blonde was adapting to life as the leader of Uranus. This was where she belonged.

Serenity stood beside the huge pile of luggage, every case a different color and shape, Ami and a trio of servants trying to decide how best to organize the collection. The other senshi stood talking in small groups nearby, some with the War Queens, while Setsuna stood at the Moon Princess's side silently. Makoto, remembering how Ami had berated her for her poor packing skills weeks ago, remained as far away from the chaos as she could. "I'm glad we decided to return via ship instead of teleporting."

Setsuna glanced down at the child's words, smiling in response. "You just want to make sure that the senshi have to visit the Palace for a while instead of just returning here when they have delivered you to your palace."

Serenity nodded. "You know I do. When Mother left two days ago, she offered to take me home, but I wasn't ready to be separated from my Senshi. It will be nice to have them visit without secrets about Haruka's identity or the purpose of their mission hanging over our heads. The darkness may still be coming, but they now have their full powers to face it."

"Haruka wouldn't allow Michiru to teleport." That was the real reason the senshi had changed their plans so precipitously, though no one had told the Queens that. If Shousha knew that her daughter was ill, she would demand that Michiru return to Neptune and see her own physicians, something that the young senshi had already refused.

"I know. She was sick again this morning, worse this time, and she has had barely anything to eat all day. Haruka didn't want to let her go, at all, but I convinced her that my mother might be able to help. The ginzuishou has the power to heal, after all."

Setsuna's garnet eyes grew distant at those words, the Plutonian remembering how many queens she had seen shattered in the past three thousand years. "It is a capricious stone, Serenity, and it may not help."

"But the Planet Crystals are whole again, so it must have returned to full strength," the blonde argued, reaching out to grab Setsuna's arm. "I'm sure there is something my mother can do, especially since Michiru refuses to see a doctor."

"I don't require a doctor," Michiru retorted as she joined the pair, looking decidedly better than she had that morning. "I feel fine now, and I'm actually getting hungry."

"That's a good sign. I'm going to assume that Haruka still won't let you teleport."

Michiru giggled, watching as the trio of servants began to load the first of the luggage onto a floating sled nearby to be taken onto the ship. "She's very protective. She would prefer that I not teleport until at least two days after this sickness passes."

Setsuna grinned, turning back to her observation of the luggage. "Overprotectiveness is often considered a Uranian partner's greatest strength. You like it."

"I do. But don't ever tell Haruka that."

Rei stared into the fire, her purple eyes searching for some consolation in those bright depths. Despite their recent success with waking the planets, the Time Knot had not changed that much, as if this step was inevitable. She needed to know what they should do next to stop the darkness that was fast approaching.

"Rei, you've been here for hours. Have you seen anything?"

The Martian shook her head, turning away from the fire and rubbing her tired eyes. An attentive pair of servants had kept her fire going all day, and they still sat patiently to one side with more wood and tools to feed and fan the flame for as long as the Priestess required. Minako waved a hand at them, asking them to feed the fire and then leave the pair alone. As soon as the door closed behind the servants, Minako sat down beside her partner and wrapped her arms comfortingly around the Martian's waist, resting her head on Rei's shoulder.

"Mina, how do you expect me to read the flames with you distracting me?"

Minako smiled at the teasing tone of Rei's voice, cuddling as close as she could without the fire overheating her. Martians had a very high tolerance for heat that their celestial cousins did not share. "Just relax. Maybe I can help light your way."

"Fire reading doesn't work like that."

"You've never tried," Minako scolded. "Don't discount my idea before trying it!"

Rei smiled as she rested her head on Minako's for a moment. "Ok, I will try." She closed her eyes and raised her hands in front of her chest, opening herself to the blonde at her side as she prepared to begin her chant. She grimaced and squinted her eyes as she struggled to accustom herself to the brilliance of her partner's aura. "Now I know why Neptune asked you to tone it down."

She chanted under her breath and focused the power of Mars into the flames, feeling them respond for the first time in days, Venus's golden light pushing back the shadows that had blocked her sight. An image slowly formed in both of their minds, the senshi too close for the Venusian not to see what her soulmate experienced. The first image was of a defiant Sailor Pluto standing with her divine parents and Uranus, facing Zeus and a handful of other gods across an empty Lunar plain as Psyche and Eros cried nearby. Golden feathers littered the ground at their feet, but the scene faded before the senshi could determine why the gods were at odds.

The second scene was of Sailor Pluto standing in a foggy gray world, standing guard beside a pair of tall doors covered in lunar symbols. Neither senshi had ever seen the Time Gate in person, but they knew that Pluto would guard nothing else. Though she stood perfectly still against the Winds of Time, though her long green hair was perfect and her uniform spotless, she looked broken, and alone. There seemed to be tears in her crimson eyes and her hand grasped the Time Key a little too tightly.

The third image flashed by quickly, a small boy with white hair standing in a beautiful garden, golden power glowing from his slight form. Sailor Pluto, the only spot of darkness in that bright world, watched him sadly as he exclaimed over the flowers and dipped his fingers in the pool. A slender golden horn glowed from his forehead.

The last image was completely different, set on a world that both woman instantly recognized as Earth, though one far more advanced than the one that Endymion's family currently ruled. A tall gate, standing at the top of a long staircase, guarded an empty courtyard and a simple building beyond. A black-haired woman in a white shirt and red pants, the style reminiscent of the clothing that Earthlings currently wore, sat inside a room in that simple wooden building, a fire crackling before her. A striking blue-eyed blonde slid the door open and entered, kneeling beside the raven-haired fire-reader and touching her arm. The first woman turned and smiled at her partner, waiting for the blonde to rest her head on her shoulder before letting her dark purple eyes return to her meditations.

Rei jerked out of the vision as the fire snuffed itself out, the power of her Martian heritage breaking the premonition before it became dangerous. She could only look into the future for so long before she became lost and forgot how to return to her own body. Minako shook her head to clear the last of the images away, turning to her partner in a silent request for an explanation.

"I don't know what any of it meant," Rei replied, "and I am not used to seeing such confusing images. The gods have not fought since they retired to Olympus, and why would Setsuna be among them? As far as we know, she cannot visit them as a mortal and tries not to involve them in her life as Sailor Pluto."

"The second image worries me," Minako admitted. "If she is standing alone, guarding the Time Gate, where are the rest of us? Why does she need to be there in person when she has servants and computers to monitor the time streams for her?"

"And who was that child? He seemed powerful, more than I would expect from a boy. He had the power of a Senshi, but different."

Minako smiled at the fourth image as it crossed both of their minds. "That was you in that strange building, staring into the fire. It must be from the same future that we saw with Setsuna, since you have the same black hair."

"And you were with me. I have to admit, that gives me hope."

"I will always be with you, Rei," Minako promised, taking her lover's hands in her own. "We are soul mates, and I will never let you go."

Rei smiled and pulled the blonde into her lap and rested her chin on top of her partner's bowed head. "I know. I will always find you, no matter what."

"Those aren't the clearest visions you've ever had."

Rei shrugged. "True, but the images themselves were very vivid, more than I would expect from a fire-reading. I'm sure that Minako's presence helped."

Haruka nodded, leaning against the wall near the spacious balcony. "When I was with Michi, her visions were clearer and came easier. It helps, not to be alone."

"Haruka, I think that we will be alone." The blonde turned to her companion in shock, eyes pale against her face. "No, I didn't see anything like that in the fire, but that last image was our next life. Something in the way I was sitting and the way Minako entered that strange room . . . they were not comfortable with their relationship. I think they did not remember this life and this love. I couldn't tell Minako, but I think that they did not have the power to detect soul mates. In the future, on Earth, we don't even seem to have the innate powers that we get from our planets, like a Venusian's ability to know her soul's partner. If we have to be reborn into that kind of life to become powerful, I want nothing of it."

Makoto, the only other person in the room, nodded in agreement with her Martian counterpart. "It took me long enough to win Ami in this life, and I know that it didn't take Mariya nearly as long with Chieko. I want her to remember me, even in our next incarnation. Didn't one of Setsuna's prophecies indicate that we would be reborn with memories of all of our lives intact?"

"Yes, one of them. We can only hope that it comes true."

"We should also hope that the others do not learn of our fears," Rei replied in a softer voice. "It's enough that we realize the danger inherent in my visions, eh Wind?"

"Of course, Pyro. They won't hear it from me. Thunder?"

Makoto shrugged nonchalantly. "Of course, I think that we will defeat the darkness and none of this will matter. That is what I am most focused on."

"Agreed," the other two replied together. They just wished they knew what the four visions meant and if they foretold victory or defeat.

"It happens every year. I'm kind of surprised that you haven't heard of it."

Haruka shrugged at Makoto as she tightened the laces on her boots. "I did grow up in near-perfect isolation on Uranus. Who would bother to tell me about a festival on the Moon that I could never attend?"

"It starts on the first day of April, just a week from now," Ami explained, perfectly happy to have a reason to delve into the vast reservoir of knowledge that she carried. Makoto waved a hand at the Mercurian, reminding her to keep fixing her armor while she spoke. "The first day is for introductions and to allow time for the planetary delegations to get settled. I'm told that this event is the reason that the palace has so many guest suites. Then, each planet has a day to present their culture, show off their senshi, and celebrate their place in the Silver Millennium. Mercury goes first on the second day of the festival, then Venus, and so on, until we reach Pluto on the tenth day and a have huge ball on the eleventh. To be honest, after all of the celebrations and parties that we have attended lately, I might be a bit worn out."

Rei chuckled, hiding knives throughout her armor as Minako pulled her hair into a practical warrior's braid. Ever since that morning when Haruka had fixed their hair, the blonde had taken an interest in styling her lover's crimson locks. "This is the first time in over twenty years that every senshi will be present. There is no way that we are letting you out of this if we have to participate. Besides, the last day is my birthday, so if I am willing to miss my own personal party to be part of this celebration, you can show up."

"I didn't realize your birthday was so soon," Minako murmured, pinning the last of Rei's locks in place with a trio of jeweled sticks that had to be weapons of some sort. "Do you usually have a party?"

"A small one," Rei shrugged. "Warriors try not to waste time on frivolities." She looked up as Ado, Hikari, and Miki entered the barracks, the three War Queens already dressed for the battle drills. Haruka had paused in her preparations at Rei's words, confusion in her eyes.

"You have a party to celebrate your birthday?" Michiru straightened at the question, already sensing where Haruka's thoughts were headed.

"Of course," Minako answered, brightening at the question. "On Venus, we make a huge event of it, sometimes lasting days depending on the guest of honor's rank and age. My seventeenth birthday party lasted a week, though I didn't have one this year because of my Soul Mate Ritual."

"I've never had a birthday celebration," Haruka murmured, her eyes fading to blue. "My mother died the day I was born, so my planet mourns her death on that day."

"For twenty-one years?"

"Yes, Minako. My father has arranged the two-week Mourning event every year since she was lost."

The silence weighed heavily on the senshi as they all stopped what they were doing to stare at their blonde leader. Even the War Queens were at a loss for words. They did miss Kazeko greatly, but they had never really considered the damage that Koshu's edict had done to his daughter, a child who had never known her mother.

Michiru moved first, crossing the small room and sitting beside her wife. The three War Queens perked up at the action, intently focused on their rulers. "They spent two decades mourning Kazeko because she was a great queen, but they have you now. It's time they stop mourning her and start celebrating you. She will never be forgotten, but it's time for your people to accept that she is gone and to move on. Next year, my love, and every year thereafter, you will have a two-week birthday celebration, and there will never be a Mourning again."

"Thy will be done," Ado replied as the three War Queens bowed, having spoken in a rather colloquial dialect of High Mirandan, her words clearly a traditional response.

Michiru looked up in shock, glancing back at her wife for an explanation. Haruka laughed and stood up, Michiru's words and the War Queens' response having cheered her up immensely. "You just made your first proclamation, my queen. They will obey you."

"I . . . I didn't mean . . ." The senshi had never seen Michiru at a loss for words, but clearly she had no idea how to respond to this sudden reminder of the power she held over the Uranian people.

"Did you mean what you said to Haruka?" Hikari asked as she straightened from her bow first, the other two War Queens following her lead.

"Yes, of course."

"Then we will see it done, my queen. If we continued to mourn Kazeko now that we have Haruka as our Queen, it would be disrespectful. You're right, it's time for that to be over. I, for one, cannot wait to see Haruka's first birthday party."

Michiru giggled, enjoying that mental image herself. "I can't wait. But, Hikari, please just call me by my name. I'm no more a fan of being addressed by my position than Ruka is. Michiru will always be fine for me."

"Of course, Michiru." Hikari waved a hand at her companions and nodded toward the door. "Are you ready for the battle drills?"

The senshi nodded as Haruka stepped forward and led them out of the barracks, heading for the practice field they had used months ago to hone their powers. It had been so long since she had stood there, teaching the fledgling senshi how to use their newfound power to fight, since she had challenged them in full-on Uranian Fury, since she had teleported away to find Michiru. The blonde stood there, lost in her memories, Michiru's gentle hand on her arm breaking the spell.

"We succeeded in everything you planned back then, Ruka," she murmured. "You are a different person now than you were before we met, as Serenity knew you could be."

Haruka nodded, smiling despite herself. "Yes, she saw through my anger and was able to show me that I needed love. That I needed you. That was the last time I trained here."

"Which is why we are back," Minako reminded them, stepping forward and scratching a line in the dirt with the toe of her boot. "You said that we are starting with speed drills?"

Haruka nodded, taking her spot one step in front of the line as the senshi and three War Queens lined up just behind it. Ado, Hikari, and Miki were by far the fastest, strongest, most powerful, and among the most heavily titled War Queens, and they had been thrilled to join the senshi in their battle training. The other Queens had stayed back on Uranus to manage the heavy workload of the Council while Haruka had been escorted to the Moon by her most loyal subjects.

When she had offered them the chance to help her train the other senshi, all three War Queens had been on board. They glanced at the young senshi, quickly correcting their stances and giving some helpful hints before the race began. The goal was to keep up with Haruka for as long as possible, to push themselves beyond their normal limits, and then for the senshi to transform and do it again. Haruka was easily the fastest of the Uranians, and no off-worlder had ever beaten one in a race, but she was determined that her sister senshi would learn speed.

With barely a flicker of her fingers, Haruka signaled that the race was ready to begin. Five seconds later, she was off, the senshi and War Queens right behind her. They raced across the training grounds and ducked through an archway into the expansive Lunar Gardens. They raced through mazes, around meticulously-kept flower beds, and around the edges of intricate fountains. Keep your focus on the goal, Haruka's voice echoed in their minds. Their link had been growing stronger, and the Uranian's words no longer screamed with the force of a hurricane, merely the whisper of an afternoon breeze. Do not think of your struggle to breath, the burning in your legs, or your body's increasing demands that you stop. Do not think of your lover or your princess or your reward when this is done. Stay in the now, and keep running.

Ami, Makoto, and Minako started to slow first, their flagging strength evident in their labored breathing and missed steps. Noticing that she was losing her followers, Haruka held out her hand, planet crystal glowing from between her fingers. Michiru echoed the action instantly, summoning her transformation as the other women also recognized the command. The six senshi, energized by the life-force of their planets, increased their speed, the three War Queens coming to a halt as Uranus jumped for the roof of the palace. The other senshi followed easily, their strength renewed, but the War Queens could not make a three-story jump with only mortal strength. They watched the senshi group vanish onto the roof, none of them breathing hard despite the long run.

Uranians had much greater lung capacity and ability to process oxygen than people from the other planets, a powerful adaptation that let them survive on their harsh desert worlds. Because much of their food was mildly toxic, their livers were also larger and stronger than normal, which also allowed them to filter and process the lactic acid produced by exercising faster and more efficiently than off-worlders. Haruka could conceivably run for hours without reaching a point of exhaustion, so she let the others transform to give them a chance to keep up.

Sailor Uranus glanced over her shoulder as she raced across the roof toward the inner wall, not surprised to see Neptune at her side, Mars just behind her. Jupiter and Venus followed three or four steps behind with Mercury in the rear. They raced for the better part of an hour across the roof and walls, jumping into the courtyard and dashing past the trio of War Queens practicing their Sword Dances in the training field. Mercury faltered first, falling to the ground in a crumpled heap near Miki's feet, the Uranian crouching beside the senshi and calling for a medic. Jupiter missed the next landing on the roof, tumbling to an open balcony one level down where a trio of medics awaited her. Venus and Mars stumbled at the same moment, helping each other jump down to meet Princess Serenity and another pair of medics. Venus watched Neptune and Uranus race off, knowing that she could have kept up a little while longer, but she had twisted her ankle when she botched the landing on the final jump and she wasn't willing to permanently damage herself in a training exercise.

Uranus was not truly surprised that Neptune was her last companion. She could feel the fluttering of exhaustion across their bond, but Michiru was not ready to stop yet. Haruka pushed herself to run faster, far faster than the easy pace she could have maintained for hours more yet, and she felt even her muscles start to burn as breathing became more difficult. She felt the first stab of pain in Michiru's legs across their link, slamming to a halt as she caught her wife in her arms. They both let their transformations fade as Michiru struggled for breath, completely drained, the muscles in her legs twitching as they struggled to recover. One of the groups of medics waiting in the gardens spotted them as they came to a stop, dashing over to offer what assistance they could.

"You kept up with me," Haruka murmured, relaxing as the medics placed an analgesic patch on Michiru's legs, relieving most of her pain and quieting their link. "It must have been agony."

"Of course not," Michiru replied, offering that sweet smile that she saved for Haruka alone. "I can't fight like you, the Senshi of Battle, but I will run with you and I will always be by your side. No matter how fast you run, you will never shake me off."

Haruka grinned as the other women rejoined them, shooing one of the medics away as he offered to examine her. "Of course not. We will always run together." She glanced up at the four senshi struggling to walk, weak despite the assistance of the hovering medics, Serenity and the War Queens helping them as best as they could. "But for now you have all earned a rest. I am impressed at how long you were able to keep up, and the precision of your jumps has improved drastically since we last trained. The Queens and I will practice some Sword Dances, and you are welcome to watch while you recover. In a couple of hours you will all go through the simpler Dances again, and tomorrow we will work on our powers."

The senshi nodded, Haruka helping Michiru to her feet as she led all of the women back to the training field. She found herself breathing more heavily than usual as the four Uranians approached the sword rack, and Hikari caught her eye as she noticed the labored breaths. "She really pushed you, didn't she?" Haruka nodded, taking a pair of swords from the rack as the spectators settled into the observation area and the Uranians entered the field. "I've never seen an off-worlder run so fast. I see that she can mimic your speed as well as she mimics Rei's bloodlust."

Haruka nodded as she twirled her swords, stretching her back and facing her opponent. Ado and Miki echoed their stance a few feet away. "You approve of my queen." It wasn't a question, but a careful observation. Haruka knew that Hikari liked Michiru and approved of her as their new leader's wife, but she had never been sure that the War Queens approved of Michiru as a warrior until now.

"More and more every day," Hikari replied, her swords meeting Haruka's as they began the Last Wind Sword Dance, easily the most complicated double dance known on her world. The senshi and Moon Princess watched in amazed silence as the two pairs of Uranians demonstrated in perfect synchronicity their world's favorite art form. Haruka had promised them just such a demonstration before she fled to Neptune to meet Michiru, and now they watched in amazement at the speed and intricacy of the sword dances they had not been able to learn. The four Uranians were happy to demonstrate these dances, most of which had never been shown to outsiders before.

AN: The final scene existed to show Michiru's new power over the Uranians and to have that scene between Michiru and Haruka after the race. The dialogue came almost word-for-word from Last Dracul Jokyoku when Neptune is turned into a vampire and Transylvania no Mori (and Kaiteiban) when Haruka is turned into a vampire. I think there are maybe 2 chapters left at this point. This one was mostly to get them back to the Moon for the final battle, advance Beryl's plan, and to give a couple of premonitions about the final chapter. The very end is already written, so everything will be leading to that now.

AN2: Here are the event dates & chapter dates as promised. Eventually I will have every chapter edited with its date, but it takes a while to reupload and reformat 34 chapters. And yes, this chart is correct: there are only 2 chapters left. At that point, I will begin the revision for The Last Sacrifice Part 2: Kazeko and bring it in line with all of the changes that I made here.

Story Year - Senshi (age in ch 2-37) birthdate

0 - Haruka (21) 1-27-8962
0 - TLS:ESM (ch1:pt1) 1-27-8962
0 - Michiru (20-21) 3-6-8962
1 - Makoto (19-20) 12-5-8963
2 - Rei (18-19) 4-11-8964
2 - Ami (18) 9-10-8964
2 - Minako (18) 10-22-8964
6 - Serenity (14) 6-30-8969
6 - TLS:ESM (ch1:pt2) 6-30-8969
14 - Makoto wins Ganymede Invitational (age 13) 12-15-8976
17 - Haruka wins Ganymede Invitational (age 17) 12-15-8979
20 - TLS:ESM (ch 2-3) 10-22-8982
21 - TLS:ESM (ch 4-37) 1-20-8983 to 6-13-8983
21 - The Silver Millennium Falls (ch37) 6-13-8983

Chapters by date

Chapter 1 – January 27, 8962 – June 30, 8969
Chapter 2 – October 22, 8982
Chapter 3 – October 22, 8982
Chapter 4 – January 20, 8983
Chapter 5 – January 20, 8983
Chapter 6 – January 20, 8983 – January 21, 8983
Chapter 7 – January 22, 8983
Chapter 8 – January 22, 8983 – January 24, 8983
Chapter 9 – January 24, 8983 – January 26, 8983
Chapter 10 – January 26, 8983
Chapter 11 – January 27, 8983 – February 11, 8983
Chapter 12 – February 11, 8983 – February 12, 8983
Chapter 13 – February 12, 8983
Chapter 14 – February 12, 8983 – February 13, 8983
Chapter 15 – February 13, 8983
Chapter 16 – February 13, 8983 – February 14, 8983
Chapter 17 – February 14, 8983 – February 15, 8983
Chapter 18 – February 15, 8983
Chapter 19 – February 15, 8983 – February 16, 8983
Chapter 20 – February 17, 8983
Chapter 21 – February 17, 8983 – February 20, 8983
Chapter 22 – February 20, 8983
Chapter 23 – February 20, 8983
Chapter 24 – February 20, 8983
Chapter 25 – February 20, 8983 – February 27, 8983
Chapter 26 – February 27, 8983 – February 28, 8983
Chapter 27 – February 28, 8983
Chapter 28 – March 1, 8983
Chapter 29 – March 1, 8983 – March 3, 8983
Chapter 30 – March 6, 8983
Chapter 31 – March 6, 8983
Chapter 32 – March 6, 8983
Chapter 33 – March 6, 8983 – March 7, 8983
Chapter 34 – March 17, 8983 – March 18, 8983
Chapter 35 – March 20, 8983 – March 24, 8983
Chapter 36 – March 24, 8983 – April 11, 8983
Chapter 37 – April 11, 8983 – June 13, 8983