End of the Millennium A Xian Shade Production Author's Notes: Ahh, brotherly discussion. If you don't have siblings, it's not easy to understand. The duo speak of that which bothers them, the danger of the coming war becoming more and more clear. What can be done? Disclaimer: I do not own any aspects of Sailor Moon or Phantasy Star. If I did, this would be an anime, or manga, or both. Thanatos, Ares, Chronos, Aljus, King Marcus, and the worthless one are © Xian Shade and may not be used without my permission. People failing to follow this rule have broken Xian's Law #849, paragraph 3, line 2: Don't fuck with my shit. The Path of Finding Destiny, Chapter 22: A few days had passed, and Samuru tolerated the pampering from his princess, though he knew she shouldn't have been doing it, because she no doubt had plenty of work to do. The pain was gone, and the medicines were unnecessary, so when he was finally alone, he pulled into the black space of his cloak and shunted out to Mars to find his brother. He didn't have to search for very long. "Hey, y'little punk. What're you doin' on my planet?" Samuru whirled about to see his brother, leaning on his mighty red sword. It was a wonder it didn't sink through the stone he rested it upon. Samuru crossed his arms and spoke their native tongue. -"Ares, have you been mindful of the events occurring in the system regarding battles and wars?"- Ares blinked stupidly at him, putting two and two together in terms of how this mortal could know his brothers' personal language. Samuru could almost see the cogs turning inside his brother's skull. -"Thanatos? That you? HAH! So you went and made yourself mortal too, huh? Of course I've been doing my job, you damned spectre."- he said jokingly. It was then that Samuru realized his brother must be somewhat intoxicated, because he was smiling stupidly. -"Earth is sneaking their way into the alliance. What can you tell me about that?"- Ares' mood quickly sobered. -"I wasn't aware of such a thing."- -"It's been happening for months, but the biggest attempt happened a few days ago."- -"Unnerving to learn this from a source other than my own power. Let's hear it."- -"The generals of Earth's four quarters have been attempting to court the princesses of the inner planets. I believe they were doing so to gain a foothold in joining the alliance."- -"Much like you were?"- -"Wha... how did you know that?"- -"I know a squabble fueled by hatred, Thanatos. I knew about the beginning problems between you and King Marcus of Mercury. You and Zoicite put on quite a show of anger in the forest, too."- -"Very well... anyhow, you should know this already. You fought Jadeite for the right."- -"Yes, but I didn't think much of it after I sent him on his way. They've probably been moving for the inner worlds because Saturn separates the outer worlds. Saturn's princess is too young, the princesses of Uranus and Neptune aren't interested in men, and Pluto's princess is being courted by Chronos. It makes sense I suppose. So one of the generals succeeded?"- -"No, it was their Prince himself. Snagged the attentions of the Lunarian Princess."- -"Brilliant move."- Ares said, stroking his chin in admiration, and pacing in thought. -"Binding himself right to the core of the alliance... perhaps you should have thought of that."- -"Shut up, Ares. You know the unification isn't my main focus."- -"C'mon, Thanatos. Serenity's gorgeous, even I'll admit that."- -"Ares..."- Samuru said in a warning tone. He'd have to remember to keep his brother away from alcohol. Why had their father invented such an odd drink? He was fortunate Reianna wasn't around to hear him. -"You know I only prod you for a reaction. Now let's see..."- Ares closed his eyes and focused his mind on the blue orb not too far away from their own orbit. Despite the obvious intoxication, he didn't seem to have a problem focusing his immortal abilities. -"Hm... if any of the leaders have negative thoughts, they're not related to war. The prince himself is giving off a particularly strong positive aura... I'd almost mistake him for a creature of light if I didn't know he was human."- -"They wanted this pretty badly. General Zoicite had caught me off-guard when Amilia told the king that she chose me."- -"Congratulations, you lousy peasant!"- Ares clapped him on the shoulder, and went to shake his hand, only to give a puzzled look as he squeezed. -"Eh? Thanatos, when did you start wearing a gauntlet?"- -"It's what I meant about catching me off-guard."- He pulled up his black sleeve, and showed Ares the laconian mechanical prosthetic. -"While I was distracted by what she said, he cut off my arm."- -"THAT'S what that scream was about?"- -"You heard that all the way here?"- -"You have a nice set of pipes, Thanatos. I thought maybe you finally got lucky. So they had to replace your arm?"- -"You're so vulgar, Ares... but yes. Observe."- he said, still gripping Ares hand, and gave it a little squeeze. Ares cringed, trying to squeeze back, with little success. -"Ow... damn it... ngh... sunova... ow... owowowowowowowwww! Let go!"- Samuru let go and grinned, flexing the mechanical prosthetic. -"Impressive, isn't it? I was only squeezing a little, too. Crushed some bedside device on my first try, just trying to pick it up. This laconia material is strong stuff."- -"That which does not kill you makes you stronger."- Ares said, flexing his hand to see if anything was broken. -"Hey, I like that saying."- -"So do I. Hit me."- -"Huh?"- -"Hit me. That hand won't kill me, so it MUST make me stronger."- Samuru laughed. -"Go easy on the wine from now on. You're being very silly. Keep your eye out for any war thoughts, and keep me informed, all right?"- -"Sure."- Ares mumbled, watching his brother pull forth his cloak and step inside, the cloth then zooming off. This bothered Ares... why weren't the humans setting off his knowledge of war? This was the second instance of not being able to sense an incoming war. Could they possibly be up to something without his knowledge? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ares, not knowing about war? This could be a problem! When the very man who knows all about war doesn't know when it's occurring, that can only mean one thing. What is it? If you weren't reading the early chapters, you might not know. Later people, and kindly review!