Rhea thought it was best to stay aloof at the party. They weren’t her soldiers and it wasn’t her party. She’d leave Shizuki every chance at the attention she deserved. Besides, what was there for her?

Shizuki would take the throne as she rightfully deserved. But she and Gaia… Gaia had the earth’s crystal. If she asked, Shizuki might grant it henshin power. The world hadn’t seen a senshi of earth for a long time. But there was only one moon.

Rhea looked solemnly at the earth as she crossed a bridge over a small man-made creek in the garden. There was another reason she was out her, and for the same reason she worried about Gaia.

She’d wondered whose side she’d take. She wondered if she’d take anyone’s side. She wondered if it would make a difference.

"I would not by my will have troubled you; But, since you make your pleasure of your pains, I will no further chide you."

Rhea turned in the direction of the voice, surprised that she wasn’t the only one this far deep into the garden. She’d always thought of this small section as her personal, almost secret place in the garden.

"It’s from Twelfth Night," the person said. Whoever they were, they had long black hair down to their feet and dark brown skin. They were dressed in long Chinese robes and held a book in front of their face. The question was, what gender were they? They were amazingly feminine… maybe…

"What is your name?" Rhea asked.

"Liu."

"The name of a Chinese empress," Rhea said.

Liu nodded. "Correct."

"And what are you doing here, Liu?"

"I found it was the perfect place to read. The earth’s light reflecting off the water, and the fireflies and the lilies… I heard they were brought in memory of the last two Saturns."

Rhea nodded.

"The senshi of death and life, right?"

Again Rhea nodded, silently taking in every aspect of Liu. Could Liu possibly be…? No, probably not.

"It’s almost ironic, in a way. I mean, the firefly is a male, seeking a mate, and the lily… Sex symbol to remember the dead.

"I find it romantic."

"Sex, or death?"

"Life in memory of those who’ve gone. Thousands of millenia from now, those senshi will have been forgotten, but the lilies and fireflies will still be here. There’ll still be a vague marker that they had once been. Death makes way for new life. A tiny drop of blood can make the rose ever more beautiful."

"What if the thorns outgrow the flower?" Rhea asked.

"Such things happen," Liu said, turning his eyes downward. He wasn’t as taken in by such a subject. "Destroying for the want of it, not mourning that which was taken to crate—or not creating at all… It’s a sin."

"But to create with it?"

Liu lowered the book and brushed giant gold earrings she wore. "I visited India, for Govinda’s wedding to Kamala. I bought these while I was there. One earring is meant for women, the other is meant for men. I bought them as reverence to the god Shiva. He dances on the back of ignorance, keeping it at bay. He holds the symbol of destruction and creation, for everything he destroys brings something new. In every myth, he values remembrance, and balance. He himself is also nothing without the god of sustaining the world."

"You’re about to have your beliefs put to the test," Rhea said solemnly.

"Oh?"

"Tonight there will be an attack on the princess. Tonight the senshi will be called to their duty. Tonight… people may die."

"And you will only stand by?"

"The thorns need to spill blood, and I need see them up close for what they are. All I can hope for is to keep it at a few drops."

Liu smiled demurely. "May I tell you a secret?"

……………….

"I’m sorry, I never meant to talk for so long," Sirius said, turning away and blushing. She’d been going on for the last two hours about the unknown history of Tau Ceti and it’s people. "You never even got a word in."

"I’ve had no words to interrupt with," Minako said. "You must love your father immensely."

"Huh?" Sirius asked. "I mean I do, but I never mentioned him."

"You’re very proud of his history and his people. I doubt you would be so if you felt something against him, at least, you would have mentioned that part if you felt its greatness was detached from him."

"I… I love both my parents. Equally. It’s just that… I’m more worried for my daddy than my mother." Sirius trailed off. Why couldn’t mother have explained before hand? Sirius wasn’t stupid, she knew the looks people were throwing her father, the space they gave him. And her. There was nothing wrong with being half Tau Ceti.

"It’s understandable."

"He’d never hurt anyone. He can’t."

"I know. But you’re afraid of those who won’t listen."

"They’d just bring what they’re so afraid of," Sirius said.

"He has the Star Senshi to watch over him, don’t worry."

"How do you know? They were sent here before us so as not to be conspic—oops."

Minako smiled, but made sure no to be condescending. "Stella didn’t want to look like she was bringing her army with her, did she?"

Sirius shook her head. "Especially not along with my daddy."

"Those four people," Minako said, pointing at four guests, one by one. "Have been following us. They’ve been trading places all night. They’ve been going in a triangle. Following you, then your father, then your mother, changing places every hour."

"Wow." Sirius said. "You must be very smart to have figured that out."

"I don’t think I’m smart," Minako said. "I just like to watch. And listen. Tell me more."

"About what?" Sirius asked.

"Anything," Minako said, smiling.

………………

"I told you, Aya’s the dancing one," Utako said, trying not to trip and barely succeeding. She was enjoying it, though. She got admire Gunhilda’s skill and looks. Her hair was dark purple and short, the perfect length to dig your nails into and pull during sex. Her eyes were big and green. Green like jewels; green like emeralds; green like leaves, like magic. It was a green she wasn’t to see shine in a moment of debauchery, a green she wanted to be buried in.

"Just until this ends," Gunhilda said. "You once said you’d die for me. Dance with me instead."

"Instead?" Utako asked.

"Damnit, you’re horny again."

"I’m romantic."

"Knives and blood and gore are romantic?"

"To me," Utako said, pressing closer. She found this position was easier to dance in. "I want to draw blood. I want to prick you a thousand times. Me and me alone. I want to pierce you beautiful skin and I want to hold you until your eyes are glazed and your hair is nothing but corpse-rot. I want to bring you near death in ecstasy with blades and I want to be the one to go first. I want your blood and flesh and bone and I never want to be without you."

"Sie horniges Weibchen," (You horny bitch) Gunhilda whispered before bursting out loud. She grabbed Utako off her feet and spun her before placing her on the ground and dipping.

"I want to put my nails around your beautiful eyes and squeeze. I want to bring tears and I want to hear you scream."

"Now, that’s no how a princess is meant to act," Gunhilda mock-scolded

"That gives me an idea," Utako said. "Wanna scare the princess?"

"I’m not taking my clothes off."

"Just a little tease then."

"I thought you couldn’t bring your butterflies with you."

"We can improvise."

"After this song."

……………..

Shizuki thought nothing could tear her away from Lorelei’s eyes.

One scream was all it took, especially from Lorelei herself.

Lorelei pulled back, wobbling on her feet.

"What?" Shizuki yelled. "What is it?"

Lorelei pointed past Shizuki as she tried to run, only to fall to the floor unconscious.

Shizuki turned to see Utako and Gunhilda. Utako held two knives in her hands, playing the blades over the skin of Gunhilda’s neck, a few tiny slices welling up and dripping with blood. Gunhilda was pulling hard on Utako’s braids that fell in front of her ears, but both of them seemed just as enraptured as Shizuki had been a minute ago.

‘Why?’ Shizuki asked. ‘Why did this have to happen?’

‘No. I’ll put a stop to it. This is my party, she was mine,’ she thought. Shizuki wondered where those thoughts had come form, but this was her coronation, wasn’t it? Wasn’t she meant to stand up? It could be excused before, but now… ‘It can’t be too much to ask, can it? Just to stop. Just to go away. Just to have her for myself. They made Lorelei faint. She’s so delicate. She’s a delicate flower and I’ll protect her. I’ll save her. I’ll fight for her.’

"You!" Shizuki yelled, smiling as Utako and Gunhilda ceased and looked at her immediately.

The effect was only momentary, for she was interrupted by more screams.

……………..

The monster screamed and hissed and dribbled with its six serpentine heads. Around the thick base of the necks were the heads of dogs, barking ferociously, straining to tear way form the body and rend flesh of any victim within reach. Eight giant feet, all ending in four claws, stomped at the earth, destroying the garden. The creature’s whip-like tail swung, taking down a large Sakura tree,

"Damn," Andarta said, staring at the creature just conjured. Whether the woman they had just met had run away or was merely behind the monster couldn’t be told.

"Shit! No shit." Cuchlaine said.

They dropped everything and tried to run, only to fall from tripping on their long dresses.

Andarta tried to roll away, only to be pinned by a foot.

Cuchlaine was slightly luckier, She rolled and managed to avoid the claws aimed for her. A dog’s head bit her long hair as she took off running, the claw slashing her dress in irony. Now she could run. She’d lost her hindering shoes somewhere in her panic.

Andarta screamed. All the heads glared at her hungrily. The mystery woman wasn’t helping. She found her fallen cigarette, still lit and smoking, and grabbed it. She crushed it against the creature, smashing it against it.

As pathetic as she felt for doing so, the creature reared up, shrieking. Great, she’d pissed it off.

She grabbed her dress, and ran, but the creature swung at her again.

"Ares Fire Javelin!" Someone yelled.

Andarta landed on her face. She still had her shoes on.

She looked up, surprised. Someone who used to wrestle her into submission since she was five, who had one time slammed a door so hard the glass shattered and the hinges broke, who bested the boys at everything but pissing standing up stood in front of her, practically ready to take on the monster barehanded.

"Hitomi?" Andarta asked.

"Get her out of here," Hitomi said, then turned back to the beast. "No one fights my cousins but me!"

Andarta tried to get up, but someone scooped her up and ran.

"Thanks" she said.

She looked up at her rescuer. "Aaron?" she asked, immediately noticing his long waves of blue-green hair and the braid in the back

"That’s senshi work," he said.

Andarta had never respected senshi. Now, though, she was at least glad they existed.

…………………

Two heads shot for Hitomi, who jumped back at the last second. Unfortunately they were too smart for that trick and smashed the garden more, not each other.

"Awright," she said. "You wanna play hardball. How about you meet the next one up to bat?"

"Thanatos’s dream!"

Two purple blades, shaped like bat wings, flew at the creature, spinning like discusses.

"Awman, that one’s way out there, Saturn!" Hitomi yelled, as the blades hit two of the creature’s necks, slicing off the heads.

Instead of falling limp, the necks still wriggled, swinging at trees and statues, smashing things so the senshi were rained with debris.

"Ares Fire Javelin!" Hitomi yelled, throwing another flaming spear at it, taking out one of the dog heads. "Looks like we’re going into over time."

"Lead it away form the palace!" Sailorsaturn yelled.

"Why? We need backup!"

"Because its not going to be our back up!"

Mars turned and realized Saturn was right as a most of a wall exploded.

……………….

Sirius shielded her head as the remains of a wall came crashing down. Only a few bits of plaster and a large load of dust reached her.

"Tethys damnation!" "Blitzkrig blast!" "Artemisian castigation!"

Sirius risked a peek over the ledge of the overturned table she was hiding behind. Three senshi were fighting a nasty looking creature. It had the hind legs of a horse and stood upright on tow long tails, ending in scorpions’ stingers. On it’s back were two sets of dragons’ wings. It had the arms of a human, claws of a giant bird, and a long neck ending with a horses’ head.

"Minako, what do we do?" Sirius asked. "I won’t get in the way if I fight, will I?"

Minako looked at the scene, silent for a moment. The creature and the monster continued to fight, one side would drive the other back, only to be lashed at by another part. It seemed a stalemate, the only loser being the palace and the furniture. "No. No, get outside."

"Why?"

"There’s another one out there. There’s only two senshi and several guests out there. Besides, that’s where your parents fled."

Sirius said nothing. She’d been hoping to use this night to prove to everyone that she and the rest of the Tau Ceti were nothing to fear. Now her father might die anyway. Despite the fact that she knew she should fight, and how much she wanted to, she was on the brink of tears. Aside form the Star Senshi, she and Minako were the only senshi who knew how dangerous it was.

"Dive for the hole in the wall when it turns it’s back. Watch out for the stingers," Minako siad, squeezing Sirius’s hand. She really did understand.

…………………….

"Well, bollocks to that idea! The palace isn’t safe either!" Desdemona said, as she and Aaron skidded to a halt. "What now?"

"This way," Aaron said, still carrying Andarta. "At least it’s away from the fighting."

"We gonna run all night?" Desdemona yelled, following him.

"At least it beats running only half the night."

"Point," she said.