Minako sat at her dressing table bleakly, so angry and 
upset about the night's coming events that she had become 
numb. She brushed her hair as if she were in a trance, 
deciding that she wouldn't wear it down like usual. Her hair 
was one of her best features, and if she was to meet the 
man she was being forced to marry that night, she would 
certainly not allow him to witness the golden waves that 
typically flowed to the small of her back.. She decided to 
frame the curls that now piled on her head with the crown of 
her planet, the crown the Senshi of Venus before her had 
worn. She couldn't call the older soldier her birth mother as 
the other younger senshi could, for the Senshi of Venus 
before her had remained chaste. The Venusian senshi 
weren't born of a woman, they always emerged from the 
foam of the seas of Venus, as had the Goddess Aphrodite 
countless millennia ago. The Senshi was bound to celibacy 
after that, so devoted to serving her Queen that she had no 
time to think of fleshly pleasures. Tradition had it so that the 
Senshi of Love herself would never love, but in exchange, 
could make others love. Minako had always upheld this 
honor proudly, and knew she should be continuing the 
tradition set by Venus Senshi before her, but no, she was 
bound to an Earth man by an unforgiving, unfaltering Royal 
Decree. She secured the crown and stood up from the 
mirror, grabbing the dress that she was to wear.
If she had it her way, she would have met her fiancé 
wearing a beggar's clothes; burlap sacks loosely fitted over a 
dirty body. Perhaps then she would repulse him into doing 
something drastic, like killing himself…or better yet, killing 
her. But no, Queen Serenity had chosen a positively 
exquisite dress for her. It was made of gold silk, having a 
thickly boned, strapless corset top and a layered, flowing 
skirt. It fit her splendidly, she thought as she tightened the 
lacings on the bodice, groaning in displeasure as she saw 
how nicely it fit her body. She tugged hard on the lacing, 
hoping that the lack of air in her lungs would make her weak 
and give her an excuse to leave early. She gave it a final tug 
and tied it in a secure bow, positive it was squeezing the life 
out of her with every passing breath. She slipped on her 
simple gold heels and studied herself furiously in the mirror, 
cursing Serenity and the Silver Alliance for making her marry 
against her will. Tears welled up in her eyes and rage boiled 
inside her as she stared heatedly at her reflection. The anger 
overtook her and she cried out in anger and frustration, 
punching the mirror with all her might It shattered easily. The 
glass nicked her right hand and wrist in many spots, leaving 
one particularly deep cut in her palm. She examined it 
blankly, thinking of the Queen's reaction to her self inflicted 
wound. Let Serenity see it, she thought as the blood began 
to rise in a few of the deeper cuts. This is her fault anyway, 
and if I can help it, there will be more where this came from. 
The deep cut on her palm was bleeding profusely, so she 
cleaned it quickly and used her energy only to stop the 
bleeding. She didn't want to heal this one all the way, not 
yet, at least. No use in getting blood in my hair or on my 
face, though, she thought as the wound formed a scab. The 
clock chimed 8, and Minako felt the anger disappear in a 
rush of sadness and desperation. She was late. She would 
meet him tonight, she would finally get to see the decorated 
Earth General for whom she didn't even know a name yet. 
She would meet him, hate him, and be wed to him in two 
weeks. That was reality, no matter how much she loathed 
the prospect. She examined her hand again before heading 
out the door, much of the blood already clotted. Blood shed 
in vain, she reminded herself as she walked out the door, 
her anger now morphed back into a sick, dismal numbness.