The flash of red light only lingered to surround in a few moments. But its effects still prevailed even after its peaceful aftermath. The burning red aura was suddenly replaced with a familiar vision of home. Enyalis Rei saw the symbol of Mars burning brilliantly in the midst of the hall where her throne stood, gently lighting up even the little crevices inside the palace. She saw the two radiant spheres casting its own dim reflection on the tall window---the moons of Phobos and Deimos over the rusty plains.
     "How was your teleport, Princess?" she heard a familiar voice say.
     Phobos and Deimos smiled and bowed down. Their Princess is home.
 

     This time, the Princess of Venus had only quietly stumbled upon the Earth allies as they went on with their meeting. She barely heard the ongoing discussion, of which the Prince of Earth was only giving instructions to Jadeite before he should go. Her eyes fell on the stoic General Kunzite whose manly stance acquired him a dominant presence. She watched them all bow to their prince before they left one by one. General Jadeite was the last to linger by his prince, casting a dispirited emotion over his serious facade.
     Minako leaned morosely on her wall and locked herself in a worried state. Why didn't he know? she thought. His own friend? His own friend to betray him? I saw both of them! It is clear who Enyalis Rei loved! And both of them inlove with her ...
     She sighed at the thought. She remembered how the serious and very manly general asked her to dance. All of them were very handsome, but he had chosen to dance with her--the comely Adonis who was handsomest of them all! His long platinum blonde hair that graced his broad shoulders and those perfect thoughtful stare that he cast.... Minako's eyes gleamed as she reminisced.
     "Princess Minako."
     Her thoughts were disturbed when she had been discovered again. Kunzite shot a glance at the shamed princess. And she immediately cannot conceal the emotions welling inside her, and had decided that now was the time to tell him.
     "You didn't know, did you, General Kunzite?" she pleaded innocently.
     Kunzite took a step forward to move near her. "Huh?" he asked.
     Minako retreated and shook her head. "The Princess of Mars...Enyalis Rei...my friend," she cried, her voice cracking a little. "I saw her and General Jadeite!"
     Kunzite nodded absentmindedly and tried to comfort her, but she unabashedly turned her back against him to continue on her monologue, with her hands linked as if in prayer.
     "They touched so sweetly. He is so inlove with her! And I know Enyalis Rei is, too... maybe she doesn't show it at all, but you should see them together! I know Enyalis is also inlove with him!"
     Kunzite scratched his head again. He was baffled and at the same time, inevitably amused at her determined confession, though he already knew what she was talking about.
     Minako turned to him, almost teary eyed with her hands still linked in prayer. "You understand, Kunzite-sama? You mustn't stand in the way of true love!" she pleaded. "True love is something very unique and special...even if you also love Enyalis Rei...."
     The shock almost lifted Kunzite from his position. Him inlove with Enyalis Rei? She went on to say how he always asked about the Princess of Mars from her and always looking for her. Kunzite didn't know what to do with her innocent presumptions. A huge question mark hung low above him. He, however, wanted to tell her that he wouldn't stand in the way of his friend and the Princess of Mars, just like she asked. Now desperately marveling at her naive concern for her friend that he can't help but stand there, waiting for her to end her speech about the lovesick Jadeite and the Princess of Mars; and finally turning her face to him. And maybe move on with everything else she had not known---since her melancholy disposition only made Kunzite miss her cheerful smile....
     "Please, Kunzite-sama? Don't take Enyalis Rei from Jadeite-san," she pleaded seriously, finally facing him with the same gleaming eyes. "And--"
     Kunzite had impatiently interrupted her, that the Princess of Venus wasn't able to finish her own tedious discourse. He kissed her instantly before she even spoke another word, much to the chagrin of the fair princess. Her blue eyes grew large in surprise, her cheeks coloring a faint crimson as she smiled after he broke his 'brief interruption.'
     Kunzite knew that was the way he had exactly remembered her, and began to kiss her again....
 

     Enyalis Rei watched the sacred fire blaze angrily on the low scaffold.  Its flames throwing itself on a turbulent wave and with its height amazingly not reaching the high ceiling. It was an interesting mix of fiery red and orange, and the powerful shade of blue in the center, however small it was, had the greatest intensity of heat, which was as blue as ....
     The Princess of Mars bowed her head in desperation. She yielded to her conscience which greatly disabled her from meditating by the sacred fire. No matter how much she tried repeating her chants in all kinds of tones, she can't empty her mind of any unwanted burden.
     "Your Highness..."
     Phobos broke the trance as she entered the room.
     "Do you wish to go out, Princess?" she asked. "You have stayed here...almost...the entire morning!"
     The entire morning? The Princess of Mars produced only a scant result from her meditation! All she accomplished was watching the fire dance its flames up, then down, then....
     "Something's wrong, isn't it, Princess?" her guardian asked with the same insight that reminded her of Makoto.
     "No!" was Enyalis Rei's instant answer, accompanied by a weak smile.
     Phobos had expected that feigned response from her princess. She had guessed correctly that her concerns were as far away as Queen Serenity's kingdom. From the time Enyalis Rei came back, she was never the same, having an enormous depression that she, herself cannot comprehend. The last time she came by the fire, was when she wanted to know the name of the intruder.
      Enyalis Rei swore that his was the last face she saw before she left---misted by the enormous flash of her brilliant aura. How strange that the mind should play tricks on one's own guilt! Imagining that she saw him before the light changed her surroundings to home!
     "Maybe you should go back and settle your troubles, Princess." Phobos suggested, as if she truly knew that her princess was beleaguered by the same stranger.
     But the princess of Mars had already returned to her trance---watching the flames curve its fiery hands, moving turbulently on the platform, up, then down....

     The Princess of Jupiter patted her apron until the kitchen was filled with a dust of flour haze. She coughed a little as she began opening the oven door. Tiny gray vapors emanated from the oven to mix with the unsettled swirls of flour dust in the air. Makoto pulled her little treasure from inside the oven---a pleasing medium sized, white pastry on a dish, all its chocolate thoroughly misted with snowy sugar and creamy twists of icing. She placed it on the table and lamented that not even the Princess Serenity was there to enjoy it. And it was a beautiful little masterpiece even to her own strict standards.
     "Why does everything have to remind me of him?" she murmured softly to herself. But then, everyone loves chocolate! Serenity and Minako would certainly fight over it...except they are both out right now...busy with...someone... Still, everyone loves chocolate! And that's why Makoto thought to have baked one for herself. It stood there with its most delectable appeal---alone. If not, in fact, the only perfect thing she's ever done. And not because it was anyone's favorite. She hadn't at all considered that, surely.
     A sturdy presence had, however, cast a shadow on her fine piece of work, making its wintry icing to dull in the light. Makoto realized that her company in the kitchen had unconsciously managed to take away the cake's glory, and looked up to see who it was.
     Nephrite stared at the statuesque princess, scantily covered with white dust of flour all over her pink cheeks and some all over her brown hair. Makoto immediately patted herself off, ashamingly, in front of her guest, feigning her surprise that he had found her in the kitchen. She tried to smile cheerfully in front of him while she dusted herself. The auburn-haired general watched amusingly from where he was and then diverted his gaze to what lay on the table between them.
     "Were you the one who baked this?" he inquired seriously.
     Makoto, thinking that he was still upset, nodded her head in disappointment. She watched the gallant Nephrite take the glove off his right hand and settled it on the table, and wondered what his next step would be. Much to her surprise, he dipped a piece of icing from the cake and tasted the entire frosting, licking all the contents from his finger. He had acquired a curious expression right after, and all the more with Makoto, who was very anxious about what he was going to say. That he should already tell her if he was upset and get it over with.
     "It's delicious!" Nephrite nodded in satisfaction.
     Makoto smiled at his reaction but was immediately caught up when he again dipped his finger with icing and presented his entire hand with the frosting close to her.
     "Here, try it, Makoto. It's delicious!" he told her, with her cheeks turning more pink.
     She tried to smile at his seemingly serious offer, and managed a gentle nod. Then, she immediately dipped her own hand into the frosting and tasted it for her own, still all the more flustered at his undivided attention when she did.
     He smiled amusingly and finished the frosting he had offered her. And then observed that she sighed comfortably after that. But Nephrite wasn't done yet. He leaned further to her and tried to wipe off the flour on her cheeks with his other hand, suddenly feeling her startled apprehension with his action.
     "You have some more on your cheeks," he said as she remained calm upon his concern. He then steadily lifted her chin to him as he leaned from across the table, trying to move her closer. Makoto, on the other hand, had not managed to control the blush on her cheeks as she saw him close his eyes and felt the soft pull of his hand, except that....
     "Nephrite-san!" she interrupted. Nephrite opened his eyes and was now the one startled at this moment. "You also have something on your cheek..." she said, and began wiping the dust with her hand. He closed his eyes again and as she allowed to be gently pulled closer to him.
 

     The Princess of Mars stood on the same patio where everything had all begun for her and the blonde intruder. The night that she slept, she had received visions that she had not asked where he was always in it. The kind general was as benevolent as he was then, but his soft aura was being overtaken by a huge cloud of darkness. Swallowing him completely until she could not see his face anymore. The darkness was not satisfied to take him away as it tried to overcome the Earth's peaceful glow, and even that of the Moon....
     Still unknown to her, the dream had become her own solitary warning of the future. But right now, she had wasn't yet capable of deciphering the current situation. Phobos and Deimos had told her that even men are incredibly capable to err, especially in the slightest situation, but that doesn't mean that they could not all be trusted. Except that Jadeite was always the stark opposition to what she had loyally believed in. He was to be the gentleman instead of being her terrible trespasser. He even turned out to be handsome, as well! That was probably the only thing she can't help but admit. And he had even defied her wishes from the very start! Why did he have to prove himself honorable? And why should he be the only exception?
     "Goodbye, Princess," Phobos and Deimos greeted as they entered the patio.
     The Princess of Mars remembered their words to her that morning. They told her to go back to the Moon and confront the trouble herself, as they had known her to always boldly finish whatever she endeavored into. She then nodded to her guardians.
     Enyalis Rei had decided serenely that she would follow the advice of her guardians. She had remembered Jadeite's face instantly as their words echoed in her mind. The Princess of Mars would go back to the center of the Silver Millenium and take that risk with the hope that she would not be too late. She closed her eyes and proceeded to wrap herself in her own aura. Her guardians watched closely as she initiated to teleport.