Chapter 4
"You think we should do something?" asked Venus as she sat down in front of her friends.
"Do something? We must get those two back together! Mercury is almost suicidal, and for what I've been told, so is Zoisite!" answered Jupiter, crossing her arms on her chest.
"By the way, why did they break apart?"
Serenity took the word now: "Mercury started crying in her sleep. She was dreaming about her past. After that, she tried to tell him she couldn't love him because she was afraid something wrong might happen to him. He was hurt, and left."
Serenity knew it; Mercury had always felt that she was doomed to be alone. When she was young, her father King Hermes had died in the battle against the Moldavians. The king had always being Mercury's example, and when he left, she was crushed. Only the loving care of her mother got her out of the depression she went into, and just when she was recovering completely, her mother died also. Queen Aurora had sacrificed her life for her home planet. They were being attacked again, this time by a more powerful enemy... the Orions. They thought that being Mercury the smallest planet in the Solar System, it would be the weakest too. Their army was stronger and more powerful than the blue ones, and they were being killed like flies. Again, the Moon couldn't help them, and Venus was in the middle of a civil war, so Mercury was left on it alone.Seeing that they were going to be destroyed, and if knowing that if they fell, the Silver Millenium soon would follow, Queen Aurora used all her vital energy to reinforce the shields on the planet, and then destroyed every alien left on the surface. The Queen resisted for days, until the Moon army arrived and took care of the Orions still left in the Mercury's space. But, it was too late for Aurora. She didn't had any energy left, and only could give her blessing to princess Lina (Mercury's older sister) before dying in front of Ami's eyes.
These two deaths were too much for the young princess (at that time 9 years old). She only had Lina as family left. Her mother had died, and with her, a part of Ami's heart. Her sister Lina, who was 18 at the time, took the crown. She ruled wisely, and Mercury was soon re-constructed. For 3 years, the small planet had being at peace, until again, a misfortune reached the blue planet. Queen Lina got sick.
Supreme Queen Serenity had used the Silver Crystal to heal her, but it could do nothing, because it wasn't an illness from the body, but from the heart. Lina had been betrayed by her love, and was never the same again. She lost every desire for living, and had slowly but inexorably gotten weaker and weaker, until one fateful day, she had died. Then, every planet in the galaxy had dressed in black. And that day, Ami became Queen Mercury. (Every queen was called by her planet's name until they were 18, when their true name was revealed to everyone). But, Mercury's heart was so sad that she didn't cry for her sister's death. She had no tears left. Since then, Mercury thought that everyone she cared for, died. So, she became a lonely girl. Her books were her only friends, her studies the only thing she did. Mercury was at the edge of a crisis. The planet needed a leader, and Ami wasn't ready yet.
So, Queen Serenity named one of her most trusted ambassadors a temporary governor. She understood the young girl's pain, and knowing that in her home planet there was nothing she could do to help her, she brought her to the Moon. There, Mercury met the other princesses, who with their friendship and comprehension, had worked hard for her to recover. And they had done well. For Mercury's 14th birthday, the young girl was so happy, no one would have recognized her. Her eyes shone brightly, and she no longer studied all the time. But deep inside her, Mercury still carried a conviction. If she ever loved someone as deep as she had with her parents and sister, he would die. So, since then, she had tried, and did well, in not getting involved with any man. But, everything had changed when she had met Zoisite, at the age of 17. That was Mercury's past, and Serenity knew it haunted her everywhere she went.
Why? They spent three wonderful weeks together, why did she have to remember this now?
wondered the Supreme Princess. She was very worried. She had always had a special sense to detect people's way of feeling, especially with her closest friends. And what she had sensed the past weeks on Mercury's mind, wasn't good at all. Several times, she had found an idea that startled her most. Mercury had thought of killing herself.For three months by now, Mercury had been alone, crying or just contemplating Earth, as if she could see him one last time. Serenity and the Senshi had tried everything to cheer her up, but nothing worked. She was apathetic, the only thing she did was sit on her balcony, with a pink rose on her hands, and look to the infinite. Then, suddenly, she would close her eyes and sigh, and tears would come out of her eyes. She then would clutch the rose in her chest, as her tears wetted it. Jupiter and Mars had once caught her humming a song, and it reminded them of a lullaby song. The Senshi were worried. Her friend had never being so depressed, not even when her mother died so many years ago. Even the Outer Senshi had come to the Moon to talk to her, but to no use. She wouldn't answer, and just stare at her feet. She had done this while talking to Uranus, and the older girl had gotten angry.
"Damn it Mercury. Look at yourself! Don't let that man get the best of you! Wake up!" The blue-haired girl didn't answer, and Uranus' anger flared. She had taken her by the shoulders, and shook her violently. "Mercury, WAKE UP! Don't you see what's happening? You're destroying yourself! He isn't the only man in the universe for Christ's sake!" She then stopped shaking her, and heard the only words Mercury spoke to her or anyone else for the rest of the week: "He is to me..."
Uranus was taken back, and seeing as the younger girl's eyes started shining, was left speechless. She had never being too good at these heart-matters, and didn't know what to do. Mercury had hid her face in her hands, and sobbed quietly. Uranus had shifted uncomfortably, nervousness all around her. She had then reached up to Mercury's shoulder, to try and soothe her a little. Mercury had cried in her chest then, until she calmed down. Uranus had whispered to her then: "Ami, don't worry, it will be OK..."
Mercury had nodded, then excused herself, and went to her quarters, not to leave until the next day. Uranus and the rest of the Senshi, who had being watching the scene had being so angry, that had sent Jupiter, Uranus and Mars to earth, to talk to Zoisite. As they arrived, they were received by Endymion and the rest of the Generals.
Zoisite was standing apart, looking somewhere else. Uranus had immediately walked to him, without even saying the proper words of thanks, and asked him with eyes like fire: "Why did you leave her, you son of a..."
"URANUS!"
Jupiter's voice interrupted her of saying something she would later regret, and letting him down, said coldly: "Lord Zoisite, we came here to ask you one simple question. How dare you break that innocent girl's heart? Don't you have any consciousness of what you are doing?"
The general had answered with a voice that could freeze ice: "That's none of your business."
"Of course it is, you..." a cold voice interjected icily.
"URANUS! CLOSE THAT BIG MOUTH OF YOURS!" This time, it was Mars. Walking to her friend's side, she pushed her back, while telling her: "We will accomplish nothing if you continue speaking like that. Shut up, and let me do the talking!" The blonde had looked at her angrily, but she backed off anyway. Princess Mars then addressed Zoisite: "Lord Zoisite, please answer our question."
"As I already told you, there's no need for you to know that."
Jupiter's fists clenched, as she held back her anger. How in the name of God could Mercury have fallen in love with this man? A couple of Jupiter thunders would do no bad to him…
She heard a mumble by her side, and saw that Uranus' fist was also clenched. Knowing that a war with Earth wasn't good, calmed down, relaxing her friend too.
"In that case, there's only one more thing I need to tell you, Lord Zoisite. When you left her, you broke her heart. I think you knew the happy girl she was once. Well now, she is only a shadow of that, and it's just because of you. Until new advice, you are forbidden to set foot on the moon again. Have I made myself clear?" said Mars.
"Perfectly."
Endymion tried to help his friend. "Lady Mars, don't you think this is too quick. I mean... it's just a girl...."
Jupiter then blasted out. "She is no ordinary girl, Prince Endymion. She is the Queen of Mercury, first planet on the galaxy, Senshi of wisdom and ice, and also, OUR FRIEND! So don't you dare speak of her like that, do you hear me?" Jupiter stopped, gasping for air. Mars said nothing, and motioning to her friends, walked back to their spaceship, and left the Earth...
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