Chapter 13: Nocturne

When Amelie returned to the White Moon, it was to be greeted by a Lady Jupiter that acted very . . . odd.

One minute the Jovian Senshi was her usual brash self, the next she was . . . actually Amelie wasn't certain she could adequately describe it. Absent-minded? Dreamy? She supposed those words might do. She could think of no others that expressed this . . . anomaly. And then the next it was like watching Mars in the middle of one of her tantrums!

And she spent more time in the gardens than ever!

Even more disturbing; Lady Jupiter spent time in the library. In the weirdest sections.

Oh, she had been in there before; Amelie had seen her. Usually scouring for some sort of fiction to keep her interest. The Senshi of Ice had noted once that it seemed to be the romances, strangely enough, that held the warrior's attention the best.

Amelie had begun to wonder if there was some merit after all to the idea of spiritual possession. Maybe she should speak with Mars on the subject. And perhaps she should let the Martian exorcise the teleport after all. And do the same to the Jovian at the same time.

Venus was no help at all. When Amelie had expressed her concerns the blonde had taken one look out their common room's window to where the Jovian sat in the gardens – staring at the sky and not the plants that she had claimed to be going to tend – and her jaw had dropped as her golden-tinged eyes all but fell out of her pretty blonde head. And then, as if that had not been disturbing enough a spectacle, the Venusian had fallen into a quivering, golden, giggling heap on the common room floor.

Amelie had once heard that there was an alien race that was capable of producing a perfect duplicate of a person from a biological pod of some kind. Perhaps that was what was happening here? Yes. Pod people. It had to be.

o.O.o

It was dusk.

The red-tinged sky was deepening to indigo over the Martian capital as Raechal slammed her bedroom door behind her, but she was not quick enough to drown out the sound of her father's anger even if she could not make out the words he hurled at her. Her response was every bit as violent as she let out an inarticulate shriek of rage and hurled the nearest object at the far wall. It was unfortunate that it had been a throw pillow, for it did nothing to calm her ire.

Her dark lavender eyes were already searching frantically for something else – something heavy that would cause a satisfying crash or a bang – when an arm hooked itself around her waist.

"Well, little cousin. Can't say you don't have dramatic flair."

A second arm looped itself around her shoulders from the opposite side. "Not to mention a good arm."

She sagged against the two bodies closing her in, all her anger suddenly gone and her energy with it. Without a word, the two males traded looks; the younger of the pair nodded and released her to ensure the door was closed and to retrieve the three glasses and the bottle of wine from where they had left it. His brother guided her to the balcony, lifting aside the sheer curtain that shielded her rooms from prying eyes. Silence reigned. They said not a word as they settled her onto a chaise and took their own seats; one on the floor and the other on the end of her seat.

When she had taken a sip from her glass it was the eldest that spoke first. "So what did our esteemed uncle do now?" Deimos watched her steadily from his place near her slipper'd feet. The stress lines around his beloved cousin's eyes were back again, and he frowned. She hadn't been on the mainland two hours and already the king and the princess were trying to kill each other? If only he could say it was a new record.

"He spoke of marriage." Raechal took a deeper sip of the wine. "This is Jovian." She said absently, now examining the deep pink-red wine in the dying light.

The one on the floor absently lifted a hand and conjured a small bright red-yellow flame to hover in the air for her.

"Your favourite. From Io. We stopped by to visit Lady Jupiter before her return and she graciously procured a bottle for us to bring back. Said that she'd have another bottle waiting for you at the Lunar Palace." Deimos informed her smugly.

Raechal nodded, frowning slightly. Strange; Jupiter hadn't mentioned a bottle. Then again, she had been kind of ambushed by Venus and their princess.

"Now, marriage, cousin?" Phobos leant back just enough to see her. His red eyes closed in contentment as she ran a hand through his hair, but he opened them again once she started speaking.

"To Achilles."

Deimos choked on the mouthful of wine he had just taken. Phobos tore his head from her reach as he spun on the stone floor to stare at her incredulously.

She watched them staring at her open-mouthed. Their shock was something that amused her, and she watched them fondly.

They had always been her favourite cousins. Older than she was by several years, chosen for destiny just as Raechal had been the day the Moon Queen's Imperium Crystal had chosen her as a Senshi. Twins, born mere seconds apart. They were identical, tall and lithe with long raven hair pulled back into low 'tails, but for their eyes and the highlights of their hair, for what was red on one was purple on the elder. Named for the two natural moons of Mars, the moons that had chosen them as bearers of the Martian Flames. Deimos bore the Dusk Flame, while Phobos wielded the power of the Dawn Flame.

And Raechal as Senshi of Mars, Passion and Fire.

Phobos seemed to have gathered his wits as he stuttered, "But . . . but he's a . . ."

"Cad." Deimos swallowed, wrinkling his nose in a manner that betrayed his true thoughts. His eyes blazed, as did his twin's when Phobos nodded emphatically. "Much nicer than my own description." The younger added sagely.

"He is a Lord of Mars of high and good standing." Raechal said, in a tone that mimicked her father's.

Phobos spluttered again. "He is a back-stabbing, philandering, no good piece of-"

"Pho." Deimos interrupted swiftly and sternly. Phobos gaped for at least one more minute, his mouth working soundlessly and red eyes wide with disbelief, before he huffed and settled himself sulkily against the balcony rails with his arms crossed over his chest.

"'s not fair, Dei." He muttered grumpily. "Rae-ko deserves better than a tool."

She giggled. Actually giggled. A corner of Phobos's lips turned up briefly at the sound. Deimos also smiled briefly before his face relaxed back into his more usual mask.

"Wonder if we can convince Jupe to treat him like she did Odysseus." Phobos added, ruby-red eyes flickering up briefly to gauge her reaction. Another trill of laughter left her ruby lips, and his smile grew.

"Lady Jupiter would undoubtedly delight in tossing his worthless posterior out the nearest window, if only she could lay hands on him." Deimos agreed, smirking as his words also produced mild laughter.

The quiet came again, shrouding them in darkening night as they each took another sip of wine. Phobos's conjured flame remained, the only light upon the balcony of the Martian Princess.

"Will you do it?" Deimos asked her softly when they had all refilled their glasses.

Raechal looked at him blankly. "Would you marry Ocea?" she asked him evenly, curiously. His nose scrunched in distaste at the mention of the simpering Neptian noble. She laughed. "Guess not."

Phobos laughed, conjuring another flame in his hand and holding it up to his eyes. Deimos leant over and cupped his hand around one side, tinting it with violet as he too gazed into the flame. Raechal, curious in spite of herself, leant over as well and cupped her hand beneath the younger twin's. When Phobos moved his hand to the other side, the flame became tri-coloured; purple to scarlet to orange.

It had always intrigued Raechal that the sight ran through her family's very blood. Even her father held it to an extent. The gift was always strongest in the one chosen as Senshi, but it was always present to some degree.

The twins watched from the corners of their eyes as her gaze became unfocused, and only then did they search the small flame. The flame flickered. The image it captured flickered. A dark purple flower and eyes the colour of the ocean on Neptune's mainland.

Deimos smirked. Phobos grinned.

"Somehow, cousin, I don't think the muscle-bound tool is quite to your tastes."

"His eyes are too dark." Deimos observed with a sniff.

"His hair too." Phobos paused, scrutinising what he could see. "And Achilles is too tall for you."

"Skin is not right either."

"And you like 'em a little less . . . muscle-bound. And a little less tall."

"And in white and grey."

The twins were definitely smirking at her in amusement. She scowled. "I do not like him."

Deimos's smirk grew ever so slightly. "Of course not, Rae-ko."

"I don't!" she protested. "He is insufferable, arrogant, obtuse-"

"Sound like anyone we know, brother?" grinned Phobos.

"And . . . and . . ." She trailed off as she stared at them suspiciously. They were still smirking at her. "And you don't believe me." She finished in annoyance.

Phobos laughed. "Methinks the lady doth protest too loudly, brother mine."

"I would agree with you." Deimos's smirk grew even wider. "You looked awfully flushed when he gave you that flower, cousin dearest. Were you ill?"

"Running a fever?"

"Feeling a little hot beneath the proverbial collar?"

"Certainly flustered."

"Shut up, both of you."

They obeyed her, but they were still smirking, damn them. She loved them both dearly, but by the gods did they annoy her sometimes! Petulantly, she sipped her wine, glaring at them both over her glass. They only smirked back at her.

Deimos tilted his head, and she knew he would speak next. "What is his name?"

For a moment she entertained the idea of ignoring him and enjoying her nice glass of wine. Then she saw Phobos's smirk widen into a grin and she sighed internally. No; ignoring her cousins would not make them go away. It would only provide incentive for them to pester her even more. "Why do you want to know?" Her mind supplied the answer as soon as the words left her lips. "No. No, you are not going to scry for him or spy on him." She finished firmly, lips pressed into a stern line.

Phobos actually pouted. "Spoil our fun."

His brother, ever the diplomat, tried the softer approach. "We only want to make sure he is suitable, Rae-ko."

"Of course he's unsuitable. He's an idiot." Never mind that he was also a Terran. 'Forbidden.' She had no idea how the twins would react when – if – they found out.

Another grin. The twins shared a knowing look before resuming their stares. Deimos was the more patient of the two; the sombre twin, the dark twin. Always had been. Phobos was always more light-hearted, prone to chatter and laughter and smiles. Her father, Ares, heartily disapproved of the younger twin's temperament. Of course. But even Ares couldn't deny that both males were exceptional warriors. Anyone wishing for Princess Raechal de Aine's hand would have to fight them both. Together.

"We didn't realise you liked blonds, dearest cousin." Deimos added slyly.

Another scowl. Like all the other times it had no effect on either of them. Oh yes; she loved them both dearly. But so annoying!

"You are the brothers I am glad my parents never had." She sniped.

Matching Cheshire cat grins. "But we are your brothers in spirit." Phobos told her solemnly, his tone directly contradicted by his cat-caught-the-canary expression. Deimos added "And as such, it is our duty to ensure that the male is a fit suitor."

Her sigh became audible. "Jadeite." She sipped her wine. "And may you find him as unsuitable as I do and curse his existence."

Phobos shared a grin with his brother, and then chanced a glance into his flame. He watched a tall – but not too tall – blond-haired young man spar with another, taller male with long dark hair. The tallest of the pair said something that caused the blond male to laugh, and then another three males tackled not-too-tall blond and handsome from behind to his shocked surprise and the other's laughter. Phobos's grin became softer; a smile.

"Perhaps, little Rae-ko."

She huffed.

o.O.o

Amelie was officially creeped out.

Not only was Jupiter acting beyond abnormal, but Venus was also acting out of character. She had caught their leader in a daydream no less than seven times! And not the sort of daydream where she was thinking about some random guard that had caught her Venusian eye either. The sort of daydream where she was completely oblivious to even their queen!

Princess Serenity was still dreamy and humming everywhere she went, but really that was just par for the course.

And so the Mercurian Senshi all but jumped at the chance to go on solitary patrol a mere two days after her return. If the others thought anything of it, they said nothing about it.

The weather was fairly mild; truly bad weather only really appeared on the White Moon when Jupiter was in residence and in an especially foul mood. By the time she reached the gardens Terra was just rising over the capital city beyond the bridge. As much as she might try to deny it, the sight was a beautiful one. If Venus could see it, Mercury had little doubt that the young woman would have art supplies near at hand. It was a guilty little pleasure of the blonde's that the others had discovered by accident. They hadn't even told Serenity that Venus could draw so well. It just hadn't seemed right to.

But she was still creeped out by the behaviour of the others.

She had just paused to examine a flower bed – more out of curiosity than anything; it seemed to be a new species in the garden – when her communicator beeped.

Amelie thought nothing of it; perhaps it was one of the others contacting her for something or another. A flick of her wrist and the communicator was in her gloved hand. It was instinct by now to press the button, and she did so without looking at the screen. "Yes?"

"Where are you?"

She froze. Actually, she nearly dropped the damned device. Her blue gaze snapped to the innocent-looking pale blue communicator embellished with her planetary symbol and looked at the screen.

"You're not Venus." That was all she could think to say. Her mouth had gone suddenly dry.

The green eyes were blatantly amused. "I should think not. I may be somewhat blond, but I'm certainly not female, Lady Mercury."

Oh definitely, but she might actually be lost for words.

"So, whereabouts are you, my Lady?"

She answered without really thinking about it; she was still in shock. "The east gardens."

There was a hummed note and the green eyes sparked with something. "Wait there?"

There really must be something wrong with her, she decided. "If you'd like."

"I'd like." He grinned, and the communicator blipped out.

With an absent flick of her wrist, the communicator found its way back into her subspace pocket. Amelie really wasn't sure what possessed her, but she stayed where she was watching Terra rise in the sky with a pensive frown marring her delicate porcelain face. That was how he found her, watching Terra, standing near the flowers as a gentle breeze lifted her hair and the ribbons of her uniform. It was the only part of her that moved.

"How did you get up here?"

She had spoken so softly, so quietly, that he hadn't realised she had spoken at all until his mind had processed the words. Zoicite moved to stand beside her and gazed at the view in awe. He had never thought he might see a sight quite like this; their last visit hadn't exactly afforded them the time to stop and smell the roses. Earth was tilted just right to give him a clear view of his own territory, and he pointed this out to her now. Sapphire eyes lit with curiosity before turning their gaze up to him expectantly.

He smiled. "Via the teleport, my Lady." Zoicite waved a grey-gloved hand negligently. "Figured it was time that we visited you for a change." He caught her shocked, panicked expression and hastily reassured her. "It's just me this time. Not even Endymion."

"Too dangerous." She nodded in agreement. Then she turned to him, and he'd be damned if she was actually looking concerned. "Maybe too dangerous for you. If you're caught-"

"Not to insult your palace guards, but I won't be caught." He grinned at her. "I just needed to talk to you." He paused. "I wanted to talk to you. Why haven't you been down to Earth with your princess?"

"Do you draw?" she asked suddenly.

Zoicite blinked, looking at her almost warily. "Bit random, don't you think?" When he saw her begin to close off – eyes turning cold and loosing that sparkling warmth that had barely been there to begin with, face becoming more blank than serene – he hastened to reply. "We all can, to some extent. Even Endymion."

It worked; the process halted as she tilted her head in what he had realised was curiosity. Her eyes threw a quick glance to him, and then she started forward, and he moved to follow her, his longer legs easily keeping up with her calm steps.

When they came to a section of the garden that had been allowed to run a little wilder, freer, he paused and bent to touch a glowing white blossom. "Your princess wore one of these in her hair at the solstice ball."

Amelie paused as well, looking back at him thoughtfully. "Moon flowers." She knelt briefly to pluck one from the ground. "They are the flower of the Silver Millennium, symbolic of our realm and the royal family of the White Moon." She paused, lost in remembering. "When Serenity was born, I remember the Moon was among the brightest lights in the sky that night. The flowers actually glow, their pollen is phosphorescent." She smiled suddenly. It was soft, sweet, and to the eyes of the Shitennou in her presence it was perhaps the loveliest thing he had ever seen. "They glowed so brightly on the night of her birth that the White Moon became a star."

He thought he might have heard of the event. "You saw it?" Zoicite asked, tone reverent as he watched her. There, among the Moon flowers' radiance and the light of his planet. He burned the image into his memory. Like this; he wanted to remember her just like this, with the breeze playing with her hair and the ribbons. With that smile.

She nodded. "Yes. I was with my father."

They were quiet once more. He wasn't certain how long they stood there, watching the sky and the flowers. He couldn't tell how long he had watched her.

Finally, she stirred and turned to face him. Some of that warmth, the sparkle, lingered in her eyes. "So, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit, Shitennou of the North?"

His smile morphed into a pensive frown. "At the solstice ball," he began slowly, hesitantly. "There was an attack."

The warmth disappeared, replaced by caution. "Yes, Venus informed me of the event shortly before my return." She examined the specimen in her hands; a perfect blossom. Amelie sighed. "What do you wish to know?"

He watched her, already regretting his words. "What were they? We know you didn't have anything to do with the attack, but-" He cut off when he caught sight of her face. She was staring at him in . . . wait, was that shock? "What?"

"How do you know we had nothing to do with it?" She realised what she had said and quickly added "We didn't, but how could you know this?"

Was this a trick question? Some kind of test? He frowned. "We can all sense . . . honestly I'm not entirely certain how it works. Jadeite and Nephrite are better at it. But it didn't" Zoicite paused, closing his eyes and casting his memory back. He reached out with his magic instinctively, sweeping through the memory. "It doesn't feel like any of you. Granted, I've yet to meet Lady Mars, but I feel safe in saying that it is not her doing either." The gem-like green eyes opened again to see her speculative, thoughtful watch.

"You have magic." She said softly, almost wondrously.

Zoicite balked. Dammit this was exactly what he didn't want them to know!

"You will recall that you already displayed your talent with crystal before you speak." Amelie added as he opened his mouth, most likely to deny it. She felt disappointment well up inside her at the thought that he might lie to her. Why she felt it she wasn't quite sure. Amelie suspected she didn't really want to know.

"Oh, right." He shuffled, for all the world the apologetic schoolboy. "My apologies but . . . it's not widely accepted on our world."

She watched him for several minutes more. "Magic is kept mostly within the royal lines of the Millennium." She stated calmly, holding out one gloved hand before her and focusing on that and not on his face. "Some other lines do exist, but they are uncommon. Each line has specific magic. Mars bonds with flame, Jupiter with nature, Venus with metal. Mercury with . . ." she paused, concentrating. A small flurry of snow and mist vortexed over her hand.

"Snow."

Sapphire eyes watched him from her peripheral vision. "Ice and water. Mainly ice." She waved her hand and the flurry dissipated.

Zoicite watched the flakes fall, sparkling in the glow of the flowers.

She shook the last flakes from her white glove. "The creatures that attacked you are called Youma. They are dark creatures, inherently evil." Amelie began clinically. "Each is in some way unique. We have no way of knowing how many exist or the exact nature of their powers."

"What are they?"

The Mercurian bit her lip pensively, returning to her examination of the flower in her hand. "They are remnants of a time long ago, before the Silver Age of the Millennium. Before the Alliance was formed. I suspect even before Terra and the System went their separate ways." Sapphire eyes watched him thoughtfully. "They were under the control of a higher, more powerful being. We do not speak her name," she added quickly, pre-empting his next question correctly, "but she was imprisoned by Serenity's ancestor, the Moon Queen Selene, and the First Court many centuries ago. It was a long and hard battle, but it was won. Her forces were sealed away just like she was." She turned her gaze to the skies. "Sometimes . . . sometimes the seal weakens a little, and the youma slip through. Only the weaker ones though. The attack on your world was an anomaly." She frowned. "We have never had three youma of that level before in one place. Never ones that took so much effort to destroy."

"Could it happen again?" He asked her.

Amelie looked at him, searching his face for a moment. "It could." She agreed slowly. "The veil has been weakened once. More might slip through." She returned to her flower. "I began including Terra in the scans of the system I perform on a regular basis when Venus first informed me of the event. We are keeping a closer eye on your world now. If something like that happens again we will know."

"Would you inform us?"

Another long look. "If you would like."

He nodded. "Please."

"Very well."

She began walking back towards the main gardens, and he realised during the comfortable silence that ensued that she was escorting him back. Not wanting that to be the last of their discussion, he turned to her suddenly, lightly grasping her wrist to make her stop and turn to him. "Do you play?"

A quizzical glance from Mercury informed him that he had spoken a half-formed thought and he mentally kicked himself. "An instrument, I mean. Do you play an instrument, Lady Mercury?"

Curiosity was accented by amusement, slight but there. "Why do you ask, Lord Zoicite?"

He fidgeted at the formality, pulling a face. "Just Zoicite, please." He begged her. "I'm an informal being at heart." Was added dramatically.

Her expression closed off, and for a moment he feared he had pushed a boundary that should have been left alone. Then, suddenly, she nodded, expression thoughtful. "I suppose, for your comfort." She bit her lip again; he wondered if she knew of the habit. "You may simply call me Mercury, if you desire."

Honestly what he desired was her name, but he would take what he could get. "Thank you." It stung slightly, but he ignored it. "And call it idle curiosity." He added with a charming grin. "You asked earlier if we can draw. Malachite is actually more prone to carpentry, but he can draw. Endymion and Jadeite also prefer more physical pursuits, and Jadeite writes more than he draws, but Nephrite and myself are both very good at painting." He pulled another face. "I prefer music, though. My piano or a flute, or perhaps a violin."

He could see the curiosity in her eyes and smiled. "Perhaps I will show you them, even play for you, if you would consent to return to Terra with your princess once more."

The appraising glance he received for that almost made him laugh.

"I used to." She allowed at last. "When I was younger, before I came to the White Moon. Serenity plays a harp, I used to play as well." Her frown became pensive. "The mind and soul require balance, after all." Her gaze sharpened, refocused. "I believe it is time for you to leave, Lor-" she hesitated. "Zoicite." She finished, pulling a face of her own.

This time he did laugh. "I know. It's not the name I was given at birth, I can assure you. It is the name I was given upon entering service as one of Endymion's Shitennou. More like a title, really."

"Then what is your name? Your birth name, I mean."

It was on the tip of his tongue to gift her his true name, but he held it back. "A name for a name, milady." He chided with a smile as they approached the teleport. "A rose by any other might smell as sweet." She flushed, though she hid it well, and he delighted at the reaction. "I would only grant you my birth name if you might grant me yours. In this we are equals, I'll accept nothing less." He noted that she looked disappointed and rushed to hide his grin. "I will only tell you if you are ready, so don't ask me until you are."

Another curious look as she tapped the screen to find his home world. Task completed, she looked up at him. "And if I ask again?"

He grinned as the teleport hummed its warm up tune. "Are you sure?" he teased. When she only looked at him he beckoned her closer and stepped to the platform's edge. He caught one of her gloved hands in his and raised it to his lips. "Then my name, sweet Mercury, is Kazimir." He pressed a kiss there, released her hand, and faded away.

But before he was gone completely, he caught the whispered word;

"Amelie."