Veive tapped her fingers against the window ledge, not looking back at the man asleep on her bed. It wasn't Voltumna at all, one of the random males picked out and divided as booty. They had done well, but that was six months ago. Veive was itching to make another move other than raids. They were not going well, especially since someone in the Neo Millennium had gotten a clue.

It was snowing, and it seemed to be growing stronger. Veive frowned. There was nothing wrong with snow, it was winter after all. Still, something seemed off to Veive. Maybe that someone realized that they might have to do more than try to defend themselves after all...

"Damn it!" Veive shouted, throwing herself away from the window just in time to avoid the sharp spear of ice that crashed through the window, spraying glass everywhere. Veive growled as she brushed it off her, ignoring the cuts that it made as she jumped out the window and not looking behind her as she did.

As soon as Veive's cursing had died down, Ryuu opened his eyes. He had done his best to keep his identity a secret, if only to protect the others. He didn't know exactly how many, but as long as he kept up the idea that he was completely unrelated to any of the senshi, Veive would slip sometimes.

Ryuu opened the box at the side of the bed. This was quite possibly the only chance he'd get. It didn't matter if he kept the contents neat or not, Veive would know that he'd gone through it after she was done fighting. All the Ryuu hoped for was enough time to escape. He wouldn't be able to get everyone, but maybe if he got back he could tell the others to rescue the enslaved citizens of the Neo Millennium.

He found what he was looking for and grabbed it. Ryuu left the room , his heart pounding as he tried to decide whether or not it would be better to run for the cells or stay quiet. He debated that in his head until he finally reached them, most people staying quiet in the night. Ryuu had made it this far, hopefully he'd make it farther as he approached one of the cells. "Minako?" he said, keeping his voice low.

Minako's eyes were open as soon as she heard Ryuu's voice. For a second, she mistook it for Aaron's voice. Her confusion cleared away as soon as she was certain that it was Ryuu. He was standing in front of her cell, holding something and looking concerned. Minako was confused as she sat up, brushing her hair out of her eyes. It was definitely Ryuu, this wasn't another one of Menrva's tricks. She always used Aaron.

"Do you have it?" she asked. Ryuu nodded, sliding her henshin brooch into the cell. "Finally." Minako snatched it off the ground, transforming as she did. She would finally be back where she belonged, far away from this godforsaken planet, back with Aaron. She missed him so much... Minako wanted to do anything to be with him, she had to get back there. That was all she knew.

**

"Where are you, you little coward?" Veive screamed as she made her way blindly through the blizzard. Whoever was attacking would pay for this! It was too damn cold for Veive's liking and the snow was definitely not improving her mood at all. Damn it, where were the others? Then again, those others would include Tinia. Damn Tinia and damn Nethuns, both so damn smug ever since the destruction of Crystal Tokyo. "Come out and attack hand to hand, that's honourable!"

"You don't know the first thing about honour, bitch!" Ah, she was giving her location away. Veive smirked as she turned. When she tried to move though, she fell to the ground as her feet refused to move with her. Veive muttered a few curses under her breath as she tried to push herself back up, but found she was stuck in that horridly uncomfortable position as ice kept her hands stuck to the ground.

"Who the Hell are you?" Veive screamed. She would not call for help, not so Tinia could rescue her! Veive would rather die than have that happen.

"You should remember." A hand grabbed Veive by the jaw and forced it to the side, so that Veive could look at the cold glare of Neo Winterstar. "Don't you remember me, your little wimp?"

"Why should I remember someone as pathetic as you?" Veive would've spat if Neo Winterstar's grip on her mouth hadn't tightened as soon as Veive had said that. Veive tried to struggle but to no avail. What was worse, being rescued by Tinia or being killed by that wimp?

"Considering you targeted my family specifically, I would think you would remember me at least. You said I had no honour, which is so goddamn funny considering you killed my mother and my brother. They were not involved at all. You killed that innocent little boy. Tarchon, was that his name?" Veive's eyes grew as Neo Winterstar's grip tightened.

Neo Winterstar smiled coldly, managing to hide the doubt she felt inside. She'd definitely touched a nerve with Veive. How much blood did that bitch have on her hands out of her petty views on revenge? "Isn't it funny how you can't wield that weapon? The weapon made by your sacrifice of him? You know why? Because you are so bloodthirsty you don't stop to think. It's all been adding up."

Neo Winterstar removed her hand from Veive's mouth. "You wouldn't do it!" Veive screamed. "You're too cowardly to! You couldn't even save your own brother, what makes you think you can take revenge?"

"Because someone has to, and that's me." Neo Winterstar tried to make herself freeze Veive to death. It wouldn't be too hard, but she couldn't do it. Revenge wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. What the hell had she gotten herself into? "Besides, I know how much you would hate being killed by someone like me. I took my time and I waited. Shame you'll never learn that's how to do things."

Veive smiled to herself. The little coward was hesitating. "Then kill me if you're so much better at this than me. If it's so easy for you to get me into submission like this, killing me should be absolutely no problem at all. Go on, do it."

"Shut up!" Neo Winterstar kicked Veive in the ribs as hard as she could. Veive grunted in pain but her smile didn't go away. "Damn you, suffer!" She kicked harder, nearly breaking Veive free from the ice holding her down.

"Why? What is killing me going to do?" Veive refused to let that girl see that she'd actually managed to hurt her. She breathed in sharply and regretted it instantly. "Why draw it out? You're a coward, nothing more than a wimp and you don't deserve to be a senshi!"

"I said be quiet!" Neo Winterstar screamed as ice filled Veive's mouth, keeping it shut. Now Veive was in pain. "You are going to suffer for everyone that you've killed and you're going to regret it all!"

Neo Winterstar smiled as she picked up the dagger from Veive's side that had fallen to the ground. "How many people have you killed with this?" she continued as she looked at it. "How much blood have you cleaned from it?" Yes, that was why she was doing this. Someone needed to stop Veive. Veive was so scared of dying, Neo Winterstar could see it in her eyes. "How did you kill my mother?"

Neo Winterstar moved the dagger's edge right up against Veive's throat. This was for her mother. This was for Billy. This was for that innocent little boy Veive had murdered. This was for all the other innocent people that Veive had murdered in Crystal Tokyo. "You slit her throat," Neo Winterstar whispered into Veive's ear. "You knew where to cut, right in the jugular. She bled to death in seconds and didn't stand a chance at all."

All those months of planning and Neo Winterstar couldn't slice the dagger. Her hand was as frozen as Veive's were. It was simple, just a simple slice and Veive would be dead. Someone had to do it and Neo Winterstar had appointed herself to be the avenging angel upon that bitch who claimed revenge to justify all her killing.

But she could not move that dagger at all.

Neo Winterstar's hand shook until she dropped the dagger. It fell against the ground, clattering at against the ice. Veive's mouth twisted into a smirk but Neo Winterstar didn't notice. She stood up and turned around to leave, still keeping her eyes on that dagger. Maybe leaving Veive stuck to that spot would do. Neo Winterstar's head turned and looked right at Tinia.

"You people never learn," Tinia said, smirking at both of them. Neo Winterstar froze as Tinia quickly moved her spear and stabbed her in the stomach. Neo Winterstar fell right on top of Veive.

Tinia shoved Neo Winterstar off Veive casually and broke the ice that had trapped her. Veive had finally found a worse fate than being killed by Neo Winterstar and that was being rescued by Tinia from being killed by Neo Winterstar. This was so embarrassing, Veive almost wished that she was dead. "Like I said, you're nothing but a cowardly wimp," Veive said, spitting at the girl.

"That's still better that than you!" Vines grew out of the ground, trapping Veive and Tinia as Neo Springstar rushed to Neo Winterstar's unconscious side. "Aries, Pisces, over here!"

Tages walked along blindly until he saw the commotion going on in the palace gardens. Why exactly was he supposed to get involved with the war effort? He had no idea what Neo Cancer wanted him to do as he clutched his sides to keep himself warm against the cold. He was a good boy, good boys didn't wander into battles at night. That was the business of women.

"You!" Tages turned around to see a girl with short copper hair dressed in the enemy's fuku with an older man with longish brown hair. The girl grabbed Tages by the shoulders. "Do you know a way out of this place?"

"We aren't going to hurt you," the man said. "We want to leave this place. We promise we won't."

"Unless you start to scream and make a fuss." The look in the girl's eyes scared Tages. She was deadly serious about leaving. "You'd make a good shield, don't think we won't do that-"

"There's no need for that," the man said, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "We just need to escape, no battles."

"There's one over there," Tages said quickly, pointing over at Veive and Tinia. He didn't know what he was doing anymore. All he'd wanted to know was why that girl had been staring at the palace in the middle of a blizzard at night.

"That's Ryuu!" Autumnstar Kamen whispered as he saw the two of them with one of the Andromedans, grabbing Neo Summerstar's arm as he pointed. "And Minako!"

"Oh, so we have a reason to be here for more than George!" Neo Summerstar said, smiling at Autumnstar Kamen warmly. "Chloe, if you will please..." Neo Springstar looked at Neo Summerstar strangely. "Move aside, please," she said in a cooler voice. Neo Springstar moved away, looking at Neo Summerstar strangely.

"Oh please, don't tell me you're going to threaten us. You're an even bigger coward than her!" Veive said, rolling her eyes with Tinia nodding in agreement reluctantly.

"Do you really think so?" Neo Summerstar pointed at the sky dramatically. "Do you see your sun? It is growing hotter as we speak! Do you know how much this will change your climate? Big catastrophe if you don't release Seijitsu Minako and Morino Ryuu back to us!"

"Uh, Essie..." Autumnstar Kamen said in a low voice.

"Not now!" she hissed back, patting him fondly on the head before turning back to Veive and Tinia. "Don't you feel it growing hotter by the second! It is, don't you know! If you don't release them, your whole system will burn!"

"Essie..." Neo Summerstar sighed as Autumnstar Kamen looked sheepish. "It'll take some time for the effects to be felt, speed of light and all. And it's night, I don't think they can see it..."

"I knew that!" Neo Summerstar sighed dramatically. Science, it was just getting in the way of her dramatic abilities. She was finally able to do something that fit her talents and it was only making her look silly. Oh well, she would just have to work with that. Improvisation was the mark of a good actress. "Do you wish to risk it anyways? I could do that and take them all away from here while your kingdom perishes. I don't really want to do that, but if you don't want to cooperate..." Neo Summerstar shrugged like they were leaving her no choice.

"You wouldn't," Tinia said.

"Oh yes I would, you people are quite pesky. When you must deal with pests, you call in the exterminator." Neo Summerstar smiled coldly. "It would bring me fame for generations to come too and I do love fame. I'm sure you both understand what I mean." It disgusted her to say that, Neo Summerstar wanted fame but not this way. Let them believe that she would do it, most people would if they believed the tabloids.

"Don't risk it," Tinia said to Veive. "The safety of our kingdom isn't worth two people."

"No!" Veive said sharply. "I will not give in like this!"

"Your choice," Neo Summerstar said, sighing reluctantly. "Summer Heat Inferno." Nothing changed that anyone could see, but she knew that their sun was beginning to burn brighter. "I'll keep this up as long as I have to. Are you absolutely certain you want all these people to die because you can't bear to part with two people?"

"Ask your princess the same question!" Veive screamed. She would not give into them, she would not let Tinia be right, she would not be embarrassed any more than she already had been!

"We did, she's just as stubborn a bitch as you are," Neo Springstar said sharply. She looked at Neo Summerstar warily, wondering whether it really was an act or Essie was really able to be as big a bitch as Veive. "Time is running out, you're going to have to decide soon."

"Give them up!" Tinia said sharply. "They're not worth it!"

"You're asking me to give up my honour!" Veive hissed. "That man was given to me specifically because of that, a gift to show my honour..." Veive sighed. She was the leader of the Andromedan senshi, but she would lose her honour while Tinia kept her own intact. Veive had to keep making sacrifices that Tinia didn't.

"You will have no honour if you kill everyone over this pettiness! They are being quite reasonable about this, let them go, don't make everyone suffer because of your pride!"

Tinia still had her booty. Veive needed to keep her status, she would just have to take it away from somewhere else... Tinia would do well. Veive smiled coldly. "All right then. Those two are free to return." Tinia relaxed as the plants disappeared and Neo Summerstar relaxed too, clearly done with whatever she had been doing. "You boy!" she shouted, pointing at Tages, looking like a rabbit in headlights as Veive looked at him. "You will go with them since you seem so keen on helping them!"

Tages looked between Ryuu and Minako before looking at Neo Winterstar as Aquarius Knight picked her up, holding her closely in his arms. Aquarius Knight looked down as Tages saw him. Tages didn't notice as he walked like a puppet being led by its strings to join the Neo Star senshi with Ryuu and Minako. He didn't have time to say goodbye to his family. They wouldn't want to anyways, not for his betrayal.

"You'll be fine," Ryuu said, putting a hand on Tages' shoulder as they slumped down. "It's not the end of the world, you'll survive. I learned that a long time ago." He had, the death of Seishi hadn't been the end of the world, not for him anyways. He'd learned to move on, so would this boy. Ryuu only hoped that his family was waiting for him and that this would be worth it in the end.

Veive's cold smile remained on her face as the Neo Star senshi and their company left. As soon as they were gone, Veive stormed back into the palace, Tinia hot on her heels. "What did you think you were doing, that was not worth it at all!" Tinia shouted. Veive ignored her as she walked into the men's quarters where the booty slept most of the time. "That was a foolish thing to do, your honour is not worth the destruction of our kingdom!"

"Quiet!" Veive turned and smiled at Tinia. "Where is your Maouko?"

"What do you want with him?" Tinia was actually frightened of Veive for the first time. She was a petty idiot who only made things more troublesome for Tinia. This was not going to bode well for Tinia at all.

"Oh, there he is." Veive smiled as she saw the Hakano Maouko that had been assigned to Tinia as her honour gift. "Maouko, come here!" Yes, Maouko would more than make up for Ryuu. He was younger and far more handsome anyways. Veive smiled warmly at Maouko. "Move your belongings to my quarters. You will no longer be Tinia's. You are now mine."

"What do you think you're doing?" Tinia exploded as Maouko nodded and moved quietly in obedience. "He is mine, not yours!"

"You've stolen my honour, I'll just steal yours since it seems so worthless to you." It was so satisfying to Veive to see the look on Tinia's face. "Maybe this will teach you to treat my honour so lightly!" Veive turned and left with Maouko following her closely. He had no choice in the matter at all.

"I'll see how she does without me," Tinia muttered. She was the true power behind the Andromedan senshi, she would not let Veive treat her in this way!

By the time this war was over, Veive would know the full extent of Tinia's wrath.