It was a celebration, but they didn't have champagne. So, they drank bitter white wine instead. It was all they had.

In fact, Sailor Venus thought it was a bit strange for them to celebrate. Yes, they'd fought the good fight, but at what price? Their kingdom was in ruins. It would take them years to rebuild. They had lost Sailor Pluto, and though Venus had not known her well, she had a silent respect for the woman who willingly set herself apart from the others, from the world, just to guard people she hardly knew. To protect friends she would never have.

But here they sat, toasting a victory they hadn't even won.

Only Venus and Mars were silent, and the blonde could tell that the darker warrior was watching her intently. She supposed it was only natural. After all, it wasn't like the radiant Senshi of Love to be silent at a gala. She should have been off flirting with anything that moved, or at least enjoying herself a little. Instead, she was brooding. It was very unlike her.

After awhile, Venus excused herself, wine glass in hand. She wandered out on to the balcony, staring out at the crystal city before her. It had once been lit up like the brightest jewel, glittering like the finest star. Now it was dim and broken, shattered like a new mirror.

"You're awfully quiet," Mars said as she walked up beside Venus.

The golden clad soldier shrugged casually. "I'm not allowed to be introspective every now and again?"

"I'm not allowed to make observations when things seem out of the ordinary?" Mars asked with a slight smirk, taking a sip from her glass.

Venus laughed slightly, but anyone would have been able to tell that her heart wasn't in it. It was a long moment before either of them spoke again.

"You're not happy," Mars informed her quietly, laying a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong, Mina?"

Venus laughed aloud, reaching up to entwine her fingers with Mars’s. It was a small comfort. “Mina… You haven’t called me that in years.”

“I felt the occasion called for it,” Rei explained quietly. “Talk to me?”

Venus sighed so quietly that it was as if she hadn’t, turning her head away and looking down into the wine glass. She’d never liked white wine. She was only drinking it for appearances sake, and now there was no one left to see her putting up appearances. So she reached over the side and tipped it over, spilling the tart concoction over the edge. After a moment, she spoke.

“I knew this was coming,” Venus said, her voice very quiet.

“We all did,” Mars agreed softly. “We all knew that the Black Moon would--"

“Then why couldn’t we stop it?” Venus asked fervently, tightening her grip on Mars’s hand. “Why couldn’t we… Why couldn’t I have convinced Serenity not to exile them? Why couldn’t I have been better prepared for the assault? Why couldn’t I have saved Pluto? Saved us? Saved… saved me?” She shut her eyes, feeling them start to burn and wanting to stop it. “I’m supposed to be better.”

Mars furrowed her brow and whispered, “This last one really shook you up, didn’t it?”

“I’m supposed to be better,” Venus muttered viciously. “I’m not supposed to… fail.”

“We won,” Mars offered.

“No,” Venus contradicted fiercely. “The girls won. The girls we used to be won. We were dead. What good were we?”

Mars didn’t say anything more. Mars couldn’t say anything more. All she could do was set down her glass of wine and hug the woman next to her, hoping the others wouldn’t see.