Author Notes:
There are no tensions between the Earth and Moon as there are in the manga or anime.
There are general tensions, but only because of the difference between the worlds, and
are not bordering on war.  That is, I am taking out the idea of the Negaverse, the
Enemy, and any dark powerful force urging the two worlds to war, and using the rest of
the story, just focusing on the intrigue between the characters.  There will be no war,
because that part's depressing and I don't like people leaving a story on a tragic note.  In
that way, it's slightly Alternate Universe.
             Also, in the manga the girls are much more mature, feminine, and elegant.  I'm
writing them here the way I found them to be in the manga, and am going to try to do
justice to their fabulous manga-y selves.  If there are any discrepancies with their anime
selves, then that is why.  I am also exploring Minako in her role as a leader, and the
stress that puts on her.  Minako is always portrayed as cheerful, but what about the
concerns and responsibilities of leadership?  This is kind of a study of Minako.


Part 1: A Princess, A Prince, and a Sailor Senshi

~~*~~
Artemis banged on Princess Minako's door so urgently that she threw on a hasty robe
and swung it open, stumbling over a stool in the dark, eyes wide and terrified.
             "Serenity is gone to Earth again," he told her, and her eyes hardened as he
entered and shut the door behind himself, her stance taking on less of the uncertain girl,
clutching her robe modestly around her, transforming into the strong and confident
young woman as even the grip on her yellow robe became intentioned -- purposeful.
             "Hang on a sec," Minako grabbed a dress randomly from her closet and went
behind a screen to throw it on, going barefoot and neglecting to tie her hair back with
the customary red ribbon.  The pair ran to the transport room, Artemis admiring the
simple beauty of his partner's appearance.  Her golden hair flew as they raced, filmy
gown rushing into the curves of her otherwise bare body; there was something primal
and alluring in the way her feet slapped against the cold marble and in the clean line of
her ankles.
              Artemis was breathing harder than Minako as she activated the transport for
Earth.  As it booted up, she slipped a small wand from a pouch around her waist, under
her dress, and shouted the transformation spell: "Venus POWER!"
              What followed kept Artemis completely riveted.  The dress melted away to
bare a body without definition but for a simple, curvaceous form, filled with golden
light, which quickly gained body suit and skirt, a long, gleaming blade brandished in
the girl's right hand.  Her hair was still bow-less, but he thought it suited her.
             "You are so much like your mother," he told her, smiling, as they stepped onto
the platform to be taken to Earth.
              The Princess of Venus looked at him, startled.  "Thank you."  There was a
sadness lurking in both their eyes as they looked at each other.  The Queen of Venus
had passed away when Minako was only five, and Artemis had been the woman's
advisor for many years, as Luna was the Moon Queen's.  After her death, he had taken
over caring for the small, orphaned princess, and stayed by her side forever since.
              They closed their eyes and opened them again to green, manicured lawns,
some trees providing them with a bit of cover for the moment.
              They heard murmuring on the other side of the trees and glanced cautiously
past.
             "I don't care," Serenity was saying, clasping Endymion around the neck, "as
long as I can be with you."  Endymion was holding the princess back, love warming his
face, but the worry in his eyes marred that.
              Minako had a horrible sinking feeling in her stomach, but ignored it and
pushed through the bushes, brandishing her sword at the blonde guard that stood up,
moving to protect his Prince.  He was new, she noted, as she had never seen him before
on her missions to retrieve the princess.
             "*Serenity,*" Minako bit out, eying the blonde man warily, "come here.  We're
going home, *now*."
              The princess' spirits slumped visibly but she obeyed, getting behind her guard.
"Artemis, take Serenity home.  I'll be right behind."
              Minako didn't trust the blonde man, he seemed to take her as a threat to the
Prince.
             "I'll see you later, Endymion!" Serenity called, and the Prince smiled at her
warm and a little wistful.
              Venus turned her head to glare fully at her Princess.  "Like *hell* you will!  I
am so *sick* of  " she didn't get a chance to finish her sentence, as a warm body
barreled into her from the side, knocking her down.  The sword fell only a few feet
away.  "Crap," she got out as a blade pressed to the back of her neck, before she was
able to touch her forehead and mutter a brief incantation.  She was lucky only one arm
was pinned under her.  "Venus Crescent Beam  " the man's weight was no longer on
her and she breathed sharply, drawing herself to stand in case anyone else should
decide to play Squash Venus.
             "Idiot," somebody was saying, and she turned to the voice, looking at four men,
two of which were staring at her.  She wasn't surprised they were -- her Sailor outfit
was pretty revealing, which caused lots of men to stare.  She'd gotten used to it, and
was usually too busy to notice the looks anyway.
             Endymion pushed a hand through his hair.  "New guards," he explained in way
of an apology.
              The blonde man who had tackled her was being chastised by another man with
long silver hair.  She was looking at him from the back so she figured he must be pretty
old.
              Ignoring the men for the moment, she picked up her sword -- a blade made
entirely of Silver Imperium Crystal -- and made sure it hadn't gotten too dirty in the
scuffle.  She didn't feel like cleaning it again -- last time, she'd gone through an entire
trunk of rags, because its hard surface kept shredding them.
             "Lady Venus," the men came over, the blonde one speaking to her.  "I'm very
sorry, I did not understand that your role to protect your Princess was so much like ours
to our Prince.  Please accept my apologies."
             "Accepted," she told him absently, taking out the transport communicator and
checking it for damage.  She probed it with her magic and frowned.  "Artemis!" she
called, striding thoughtfully toward her partner and the princess.  "Something's wrong.
Check it."  She tossed the instrument to him, folding her arms and hoping she wouldn't
have to call Mercury down.  Ami was the best technician on the Moon, but she would
lecture them horribly.
             "Can I help?" one of the two aloof men, a green-eyed fellow with long dark
blonde hair, approached Artemis and they tinkered with the transport communicator for
a few minutes as Serenity made her way back over to the Prince.
             "Wouldn't it be wonderful if I was stuck down here?" Serenity smiled, but
Endymion frowned.
             "You'd be in danger.  You know there are people on Earth who would *love* to
hurt you.  Things are bad enough with the wars going on in some of our lower
countries, we don't need one with the Moon because their Princess was hurt on an
excursion down here."  He was right, but Serenity pouted anyway.
             "Just for *pretend*."
             "Princess, shut *up*!"  With every passing moment, Minako was getting more
nervous.  "If we're stuck down here, you won't have to wait for your mother to kill you,
*I'll* take the liberty."
             "Minako!" Serenity exclaimed, shocked.  "*I* didn't break the
deally-ma-bobber thing!"
             "No," Minako whirled on the other girl, furious, "but you came down here,
*without* supervision, *without* telling anyone, and expected everything to be *fine*!
You have to think about other people, too, Serenity!  Like that *huge* Senshi meeting
that I'm the head speaker at tonight! Two-hundred and forty five Sailor Senshi,
Serenity!!"
              The Princess turned her face away, ashamed, and Venus' anger deflated.
              She walked over to the sniffling Princess and wrapped her arms around her,
sighing and murmuring, "I'm sorry, Serenity.  I didn't mean it."
              The Princess was trembling.  "But I-I messed up your plans!  It's all my fault!"
             "It is *not* your fault," Minako murmured, resting her chin on the other girl's
shoulder.  "It's just a stuffy, boring old meeting where I tell everyone a bunch of stuff
they already know.  Mars can take over, anyway.  I always have a backup plan!"  She
turned the Princess and smiled.  "So no more tears, eh?"
             Serenity sniffled again and looked uncertain.  "But you might have met a cute
guy Senshi and fallen in love and gotten married but now you won't meet him because I
*stopped you from going*!" the Princess wailed.
              Venus laughed, hugging her friend again.  "There aren't any male Senshi, but I
wouldn't have time for romance anyway."
             "See?!  See?!" Serenity persisted, "I'm *still* ruining your life!  Because of me,
you don't have time to fall in love!"
              Venus chuckled and sighed.  "Oh, dear little Princess.  I love what I'm doing
now.  Protecting you and the Moon.  How about tonight, after we get back, you, me,
and the other Inners have a pillow fight and then an all-out soul-bearing ice cream
fest?"
             "Really?" the Princess looked up at her hopefully, and Venus nodded.
             "Absolutely."
              Serenity was happy again and threw herself into Endymion's embrace.  He and
his men had discreetly removed themselves to a bench on the other side of the roses,
but as Venus stood there, looking over at them, she was suddenly uncomfortable with
the idea of joining them as easily as Serenity had.  Luckily, she was distracted as
Artemis came over with the transport communicator.
             "It should work now, if you put some of your power in to it before we go."
              Venus smiled.  "Great."
              Moments later, they were in a small triangle, holding hands and concentrating
on the transport communicator.  Venus and Artemis held it together and, as the power
reached its peak Venus cried out "*Venus Power!*"
              With a hard yank, the transport communicator tugged at her power, but
something went wrong, some bit didn't meet, and it lashed back at her, flinging her
from the triangle and into a tree.  She fell, scratched and bruised, and felt warm hands
turning her over.  Someone was calling her name, but her vision was too fuzzy to tell
who.
             "Minako!  Minako!  Speak to me, Mina-chan!" Artemis was crying, cradling
her limp form in his arms.
              Her lips moved, but it took a moment for her to make any noise.  Her
transformation had reversed when the backlash hit her, and golden hair and dress
spread out equally in a display of tragic beauty.
             "P-princess . . . prin . . . princess . . ." she murmured.
             "She's all right, Mina-chan, dear little Mina-chan," Artemis rocked her a little,
his silvery hair falling into her thick gold, seeing her again as a little girl whose mom
had just died -- lost and in desperate need of protecting.  "I'm so, so sorry," he
whispered, head bending low over her.
              The Princess of Venus stared mutely into the sky, unseeing, and fainted.