The Four Lovers: Stranded
NINX
CHAPTER SEVEN
RESOLUTION
"Mars....oh Princess Mars...."
"Hmmm...?"
He sighed, a sense of relief in him. It probably wasn't a
good idea for him to be sneaking in here--especially in his
FRAGILE condition--but he couldn't help it. Ever since he'd
woken up three days back, filled with aches and pains and a
searing, screaming voice in his head, he'd been looking for
Mars. When asked, he only replied, "To claim a bet." It
wasn't just the thrill of her kiss that sent him after her,
though. It was seeing her again, watching the light play in
her hair and in her eyes, or trying to measure how long her
legs really were, or--and this was his favorite--seeing her
smile. Which she'd done at him whenever she could since she'd
found him sitting outside her quarters, humming a strange tune
that had posessed his head.
He could not describe the pain he felt when he'd slipped into
unconciousness that day in the forest. Nor could he describe
the fight he'd been through to make it back to life. All he
knew was that deep inside him, somewhere in his inner soul, he
knew it hadn't been his time to leave her. Especially since
he knew he loved her.
Which is why he sat next to her as he slept; it was no trick
to get inside a Senshi's quarters, not when he'd been
teleporting since he was knee high and had used the same trick
to get into many a noblewomen's bed. She was as incredible
asleep as she was awake, a peaceable fire here as opposed to a
lively fire there. He was also a little worried about her;
she, along with Venus, had been rotating shifts for the last
three days watching the Princess. When she hadn't been on
shift, she'd been doing things around the camp, or out looking
for bandages, or praying for the Princess. This had been the
first time she'd slept since she'd awakened to find her liege
in the bed where he once lay. It had taken a hell of a lot of
people to restrain her from avenging herself; it'd taken
almost as many people to actually get her to bed. he
thought, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.
Her fingers suddenly wrapped around his, and yanked, causing
him to choke. Her eyes opened, fierce until they met his.
"Good morning, Mars," he said, voice quivering in pain from
his wrenched fingers. She had a grip like a steel vice!!
"Morning, Jade," she replied, eyes softening, voice
softening, grip FINALLY softening. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to check on you, Lady," he replied, standing, rubbing
his fingers. "To see if you were awake."
"The name is Rei, Jade," she replied, sitting up along with
him, giving a luxurious stretch, luminous purple nightgown
catching a ray of sunlight here and there...and there.
"What?" he asked. "No, you're Mars."
"My given name, Lord Jaedite," she said softly, "is Rei."
"You're given name? If I understand royal rules, you should
never repeat that to someone.."
"...for it gives them power over you," she finished. "I
know, I know." She smiled before adding lowly, "I like the
power you have over me."
"I concur," he whispered, stooping down to kiss her. "I wish
I had a given name to tell you, but when born into my
position, we don't get one."
"Then how do they distinguish you from your predecesor?"
"Numbers. Letters. How do they distinguish you?"
She seemed thoughtful for a moment, but said, "They tack your
given name onto your office. My predecessor, for example, is
Mars-Naru. It's not dangerous when you're dead."
"Rei," he repeated. "Short and sweet. Like Mercury."
"Jade!" she replied, eyes lashing out at him; he just smiled.
"She is short and nice," he defended. When her angry look
refused to back down, he added, "You'd be twice as offended if
I called you short, which you're not. You're tall, and
gorgeous, and I'm damn lucky to be able to sit here, with the
knowledge of your name, and still not be toast in a few
seconds."
She seemed to consider it for a second, then smiled softly.
"I'm sorry, Jade. I've just been a little on edge...because
of the Princess. It makes me so...MAD to see her this way,
and the way Merc and Zoicite are talking, I don't know if I'll
ever get to see her alive again." A tear appeared in her eye,
matching the one cascading down her cheek, and he brushed both
away.
"She's got the best people helping her," he soothed. "You
can't think like she's not going to make it."
"How's the Prince?"
He looked down, and she was amazed to watch his whole body
suddenly droop. "He hasn't set one foot outside of his room
since he got to it. Nephrite brings him food and water, but
he hasn't touched a single bite."
"Something really awful must have happened out there," she
chimed in.
"Something awful," he echoed. "Yesterday, when Kunzite went
in to talk to him, he snapped at him and ordered him out.
SNAPPED at him, Rei. The Prince, in all his years of being
with us, has never denied Kunzite access to his thoughts, not
even after the death of his own mother. But
yesterday...whatever did happen out there, it hit him. Hard."
She studied him and his eyes, his blond hair and his drooping
frame, before saying, "We're depressing ourselves here, aren't
we."
"It is the nature of the Guard to be down when the liege is
down, and up when the liege is up. To live while he lives,
and die when he dies," Jade said, voice mimicking Kunzite's.
Suddenly, he clapped his hand over his mouth, saying through
open fingers, "Rei, kill me. Kill me now, I just sounded
EXACTLY like Kunzite. I swore if that ever happened to me,
I'd do something hideous and disfiguring to myself."
"No, you won't," she replied.
"Why?"
"Because I love you."
He perked up instantly, going from sullen to spritely in less
than a half-blink of the eye. "That changes my perspective on
things," he said, smiling.
"I thought it would," she purred. "Now, get out."
"Why?"
"I'm hungry, I can smell Jupiter and Nephrite's cooking, and
I need to get dressed," she said matter-of-factly.
A darker glint entered his eye. "Can I help?"
"No."
"Can I watch?"
"No."
"Give me one reason not to," he said.
Leaning forward with a catty smile on her face, she said,
"Because you're job is to remove the clothes, Jade. Now move
it."
He smiled back. "I'll consider that a promise," he replied
before standing and disappearing in a swirl of glittering
light.
"I thought you would," she replied as she hopped out of bed
and grabbed her pen.
* * * *
"I need a break," Zoicite said quietly to himself as he
peered at the tiny wires. They were attempting to hook up a
salvaged scanning device to the computer of the ship, trying
to access its database so they could try to help the Princess
more than they already had.
"Go ahead."
He looked up at Mercury, who smiled faintly. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. I managed a few hours rest while Mars was last here,
but you haven't rested at all," she said. "It..concerns me."
He stood, letting the wires fall back to their natural
positions. "I think I will go try and speak with our non-
communicative prince," he announced, prompting Mercury to give
him a sympathetic glance. Venus, who sat near Serenity
looking as pale as the uniform she wore, quietly added in a
whispery voice, "Good luck."
"I'll need every drop," he called. Once clear of the tent,
he stepped behind it and called, "ZOI!"
He appeared behind the Prince, barely making a sound as he
stared over his leader's bent head into the depths of the rose
in his hand. Gently curved petals tucked tightly in the bloom
were shaded from a night without stars black on the outside to
a striking, dark blue of the inner core.
"A Saturn rose," he breathed.
Normally, the Prince would've jumped, spun around, and
greeted him cheerily. Now his head rose in a flinch, and he
didn't look back. Finally, he said back, "Yes."
"Serenity gave it to you," he said, coming around to sit
beside the depressed prince.
"Yes. Is it obvious?" he replied.
"Not to them," Zoicite said. "It was a guess, Endymion." He
clasped his, closed his eyes and tried, "What happened out
there?"
"As I told Kunzite, I refuse to tell," came the Prince's
reply, sauterated with rising anger and quiet anguish.
"I don't mean what happened between you and Serenity. I have
a feeling that will remain between you and the Princess, as
what happens in my own...life does. I want to know about the
crash."
"I...can't..don't remember really anything. All I know is
that I woke up very thirsty and with a headache. I made my
way through the brush toward a stream, and got a drink.
That's also when I found Serenity; we joined up there." A
flicker of the Prince he knew surfaced as he asked, "What
happened here?"
"After the crash, I found myself on the ground, my shoulder
throbbing in pain. Something had lodged in it, I found. I
lay there, trying to get up, like the turtle on his back, when
Lady Mercury appeared." He couldn't help the note of
dreaminess in his voice. "She treated me until Kunzite and
Venus appeared, and we stumbled into the others. The two
leaders had already agreed to join, so we started that night."
He chuckled softly. "Though it wasn't easy."
"Is it...now?"
"No, my Prince. It's hard to have a Princess like this and a
depressed Prince. After all, Jaedite just woke up and.."
"Jade?"
"Attacked by one of those creatures, m'lord, while talking
with Lady Mars."
"Lady Mars? The one with the raven hair who nearly tore my
throat out?"
"Yes, m'lord, that's here. She and Jaedite have been...coozy
since the day of his attack."
"Coozy? He got involved with her?" The Prince was
increduluous. "I thought he preferred blonds."
"He did. But she managed to 'get' his attention," he
replied. "She does have nice legs, after all."
The Prince chuckled. "I didn't notice--all I saw were her
hands--but apparently you did. Interested in her? Or the
brunette?"
"No, my liege. I have my eye on someone else," he said.
"Lady Mercury. She and I have worked together and I've grown
rather fond of her." He smiled a little. "Besides, Lady
Jupiter--the brunette--and Lady Mars are well taken."
He shook his head. "Well, I hope that Jade can handle her
when he breaks her heart. She came pretty close to giving me
the strangling I deserve."
Zoicite chose to ignore his last words, biting off a laugh
instead. "He won't. He wouldn't dare lose his heart."
The Prince choked. "He lost his heart...to HER? JADE! That's
incredible!"
"Lady Mars certainly is. When he was injured, she stuck by
him day and night, just because she couldn't leave him." His
tone was almost reverent; the truth was, he had grown to
respect her much more now, being one of the attendants at her
vigil.
"Amazing. I go away for awhile and my Generals all get
hooked up with the Senshi. I suppose Kunzite and Lady
Venus..."
"Nothing's for sure. His last heartbreak was a rotten one,
and she apparently leaves all the romance with her
brother...but bets have been placed."
"And Serenity and I in the forest...Zoicite, my friend, how
is she?"
He grew serious in the face of his Prince's change of mood.
"She is not out of death's doorway yet, my Prince. But she
looks better. However, Lady Mercury and I are slightly less
than optimistic about it."
He watched Endymion's eyes darken considerably, not in pain,
but in anger. It took a minute for him to realize where it was
directed.
"I failed her," he spat out. "I wasn't close enough to
protect her, Zoicite. I did not keep my promise."
"Which was?"
"To protect her and be her travel companion, since she
couldn't survive alone. But that beast..." his fists clenched
in cold anger, "...the beast attacked her, right under my
nose. So I failed, and she may have lost her life."
His head was bent over again, staring at the rose. For a
moment, Zoicite would've sworn a tear lay in his eye. Then,
his head shifted, and he knew his Prince was crying.
"She means a lot to you, doesn't she," he said quietly.
"More than even I realize," replied Endymion.
Zoicite stood. "Then you should see her, and be there for
her. I think she really appreciate seeing your face when she
awakens."
For the next minutes he couldn't read his liege's face; it
was impossible to get past the tumult in his eyes. Then, he
stood, and placed his hand on Zoicite's shoulder.
"You're right, my friend. I can't wallow in my own sorrow
when she needs me there. I need to be there. Please, take me
to her."
He nodded, and with a whispered "zoi!" they disappeared.
They reappeared in a near empty tent, Mercury gone, leaving
Mars to monitor her. Her eyes widened to see Endymion,
shocked at both his haphazard condition and the fact that he
was here at all, and she stood. "Greetings, Prince of Earth."
"Hello Mars," he replied. "Please, no formality. All of
that died when we crashed."
"Good." A silent second. "Where have you been?"
"I'll go check for Mercury," Zoi said, disappearing out the
tent with a silent whoosh.
The Prince didn't answer Mars right away, instead sitting
near her and taking her empty hand. "How is she?"
"She's not dead, but that's about all we know. Mars and
Zoicite bandaged her head and her back, but without good
equipment, no can be sure."
"She always seemed so strong," he lamented, "that I never
even thought of her as fragile."
"She's always been that way, Prince," Mars replied, studying
him carefully. He was a wreck--a handsome wreck, but he still
had the air of being dragged down a rocky road too many times.
"It always seemed to us that she'd never be sad; she never was
sick, either. Always a happy, bubbly, cheerful, clumsy girl."
"Clumsy?" he asked, dark eyes questioning her. His thoughts
drifted back to her tripping into walls--but to also the
delightful, delicate skip in her walk, and movements he
usually associated with flitting butterflies.
"She grew out of it," Mars replied quietly. He turned away,
and looked down at her, staring at the view that never
changed; a girl who appeared to be sleeping, if it wasn't for
the swatch of white that peeked at you from her hair, or the
less than normal pallor of her skin, or the slightly cold
hands. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see--or did
she imagine it?--his jaw clench, leading her to ask, "Where
have you been?"
"What do you mean?"
"I have this feeling...that you should've been here a long
time ago. That Serenity expected you here, caring for her
instead of pitying yourself."
He flinched visibly at her words as they struck a target no
one could see inside him. It was also then that a loud,
sonorous boom resounded outside.
"I'll go see what it is," she quickly assured him, walking
out quickly--but not quickly enough for a part of him to
notice that she indeed did have nice legs.
he scolded.
he dimly recalled. He was a red blooded Earth
prince, and liked women as much as any other man--but
preferred to work out his passions hunting. His mother had
installed in him a need for grace, compassion, beauty and
brains, instead of the usual beauty and a willingness to open
their legs and close their mouths. This was, he thought
bitterly, the total opposite of his cousin, who preferred to
later to the former by a infinite margin. His hand suddenly
squeezed hers a little tighter, and his thoughts cruelly ran,
flickered
daintly through his mind.
He nodded with the silent thoughts, agreeing with them as the
back parts of his mind grumbled. Forcefully, he told them to
SHUTUP, then looked back at Serenity. For a moment, the image
of her fall came to him, and the sad, sad look in her eyes
when she had fallen asleep, the contact of her hand on his
cheek. In that instant, he felt something connect inside him,
a golden light in the palm of his hand, and she--the sleeping
beauty--smiled at him.
It was also then that Mercury ran inside, crying and smiling
all at the same time. She hastily pulled out her computer and
scanned her, then called out, "Computer!" along with a bunch
of medical terms and techno stats. Immediately, on the tray
beside her appeared instruments, and she gave a joyful cry.
It was then that Zoicite appeared by her side, and someone was
behind him, taking the bewildered Prince outside.
"They need room," the voice explained, the one he finally
recognized as Kunzite's. Outside, Jupiter and Nephrite were
hugging, Mars and Jade locked in a passionate kiss--and he
still had no idea what was going on.
"What happened?" he finally gasped out.
"Jupiter!"
"Jupiter what?" he asked.
"My liege," Nephrite cried out, "I've asked the stars ever
since we've been here how to get out of here. It was giving
me the answer all along--Jupiter--but in my foolishness, I
didn't realize what it was telling me."
"Which was?"
"Prince Endymion, Jupiter is the Senshi of Electricity; her
attacks electrify things!" Mars shouting, smiling brillantly.
"So when I finally got my head together, I had her restart
the ship's computer with her attack!" Nephrite finished.
It dawned on him then that this could easily help them to
heal the Princess, and he shouted, "YEA!!!" and ran over to
Jupiter. Kneeling and taking her hand, he said, "Lady
Jupiter, I'm in your debt. You have saved a very dear friend
of mine today, and there's no way else to repay that."
She flushed; Nephrite seemed awed. "She could claim your
life, my liege!" he stammered out.
"She has saved it," Mars pronounced. "It is a fitting gift
from an honorable Prince."
"I...I accept, Prince Endymion. But I cannot state a request
now. Perhaps later, I will finally come to a decision on what
I would ask from you," she said, stammering yet with the
proper royal tone to her voice. Now everyone gave cheers
again, dancing around the grounds, hugging, exchanging hellos
and apologies, hugs and kisses--especially between Jade and
Mars. Mercury, appearing from the tent with a smile on her
face to see the romp outside, could only call out, "MERCURY
ICE....ASSAIL!"
The sudden spears of ice twinkling in the air got their merry
attention, with Kunzite calling out, "Lady, you have news!"
"Yes. The Princess is going to be all right," she
pronounced.
Cheers louder than before went up, and the Generals unleashed
fireworks into the sky, along with a Mars Flare and even a
blue sparkle from Endymion. She waited patiently for them to
calm before adding, "And she wants to see the Prince."
He nodded to them all before following her through the flap
to see the Princess.
"Ion," she greeted him weakly.
"Nity," he replied, coming by her side and kneeling, taking
her hand and marveling at the sudden warmth it held.
"Ion...you look terrible," she said.
"You're not exactly one to talk, Princess," he replied
warmly, and she smiled at him. It seemed, to the hanging back
Mercury and Zoicite, that a glow had spread from her to him
when he touched her living hand. Already, he was looking
better, they marveled, and the feelings radiating out from the
two suggested that both would be normal soon. In the
happiness of the moment, Mercury looked up shyly at Zoicite.
"I believe I owe you something, sir," she said quietly.
"Yes?" he said, wondering what it was that she could be
indebted to him for.
She smiled quietly, then leaned up and kissed him lightly on
the lips. "We were interrupted last time," she whispered.
"May we be interrupted more," he replied at last, and she
gave him a graceful grin.
"It's good to see you looking better, Princess," he said.
"Yes," she replied, her brow furrowing a little. "Endymion,
have you seen Venus?"
"Venus? No, I haven't seen at all. In fact, she wasn't
outside with us at all," he replied, puzzled.
"I have this terrible feeling about her," she whispered. "I
think I need to talk to her right away."
"Zoicite, go ask the others about Lady Venus," he called out,
and abruptly the General disappeared. When he reappeared
seconds later, it was with disturbing news.
"My liege, Lady Venus has not been seen since Mars releaved
her. She's not in her tent, either," reported the anguished
General.
"Oh no," Serenity whispered.
"Kunzite says he knows where she could've gone, but her lead
on us is great. We may not be able to find her," said
Zoicite. "I'm sorry, Princess."
"Serenity, don't worry, we'll find here," Endymion quickly
consoled.
"I know," replied the Princess, eyes growing troubled. "I
just hope we do before it's too late."
* * * *
The condition of the Princess had worried the Lady Venus
sick. If Mars hadn't slept since that night, Venus hadn't
slept at all. She'd followed the same pattern Mars had, only
with more fervor and more anguish. That morning, even as the
two had pronounced her stable, Venus could see that her liege
was knocking on death's door and asking to come in.
It was then that she decided to kill herself.
She had walked to the cliff's edge again, and sat, but with
no intention of doing any heavy thinking. Heavy, broad leaves
were in her arms, the kind Nephrite used to flavor food; her
knife, the sharp, poisoned blade hafted to a bright handle
emblazoned with her house symbol, was in her hand. To anyone
else, it would seem that Venus, in her grief, had been cutting
leaves in alone with the wrong knife and had accidently cut
herself. The poison was special; she'd be dead in an instant.
She looked over the choppy dark sea and thought of home. Of
her mother, who'd promised her long before she was a thought
to the Court Guard. She also thought of her brother, her
twin, the man she cherished in place of a lover, and wished
him luck with his Outer lover. Finally, she pictured
Serenity, and how she would look at the funeral she wouldn't
attend for her. Dressed in white, blue eyes closed, mourned
loudly for. And her own name whispered among the people, and
cruely slaughtered.
It hardened her resolve; if she wasn't going to fo it now,
it'd be later. She bent over and sliced one of the lives as
she had the others, stopping a short way down and nearing the
edge of her fingers to the knife. "Goodbye," she whispered
lightly, then made a motion to drag it across her skin.
"I wouldn't do that."
She nearly threw the knife over the cliff in surprise, but
caught herself. "Kunzite, what are you doing here?" she
demanded, not sparing her dark tone.
"I suppose, Lady Venus, that is my question."
Her eyes strayed out to sea, away from him, as she debated
what to say. "Suicide," she replied finally. "The Princess
is dying as we speak. I'm disgraced."
"No, she's not. The Princess is alive and on her way to
well," Kunzite assured her.
"She is...I'm sorry, Serenity, but I cannot go back. I'm
disgraced," she repeated, voice sharpening to a hard edge.
"Lady Venus, it isn't true."
"True? Kunzite, please, don't try to ease my mind with feeble
excuses. If I could have found the Princess before, this
whole mess would have been avoided. Even as she lives, there
is nothing I can do to wipe that stain from my name. At least
now I will have some honor. Here, at my..." she stopped,
tears trickling down her cheeks.
"Surely, Lady Venus, there is something you could do," he
said slowly.
"Like what, Lord Kunzite?" she said, rounding on him, eyes
fierce and angry at him. "Is this the same man I spent these
days with? The same man who I thought understood the pressure
I am under, because he shared that pressure? The same man who
swore to me that if his liege was hurt, he would pay the
price? I doubt it. That man, the one I knew--he would
understand." Her tone was sharp, and surprisingly clear even
as the tears ran down her face. She turned back to procede,
sure of no objection due to the stark look in his eyes..and
found her knife gone. Getting to her feet with a twirl, she
found him examining it.
"Standard Venusian knife, Royal Class. Most likely poisoned
edge using that Royal recipe no one's been able to ferret
out," he said as he studied the blade. Turning his grey eyes
on her, he said, "I collect blades, and this would be a
fascinating addition."
Her crescent beam flashed, forming into a sharpened edge.
"Don't make me use this," she warned. "It's much messier." A
cynical smile darkened her face. "As a dying gift, the blade
poision is a combonation of hemlock and crater water from the
far side of Venus. Deadly and effective stuff." Her
expression wavered a bit, and she whispered suddenly, "Give me
back my knife--please."
His steel eyes focused in. "I can't, Venus. I'm going to
need it for myself, later."
Shocked, her beam collapsed. "WHAT? But the Prince is..he's
all right, isn't he?"
"He...while Serenity lay there, he collapsed into a deep funk
as well. I could...not alleviate his pain, nor console him,
nor offer him anything but another thorn in his side. He was
in pain, Lady Venus, a pain sharp enought to cut me. Also, as
you may have not noticed, he did not escape this without
injury--he had minor scrapes, scratches and bruises. I must
fufill my words, no matter how wrongly spoken they were."
"Are you saying that you want to take your life as well?" she
asked.
"Aren't you bright," he replied without malice. "And, since
this seems like confession time, I must admit that the thought
of your death is as devestating as the thought of the Prince
in pain."
"what?" she asked, again caught completely off guard.
"Over these days, you've come to understand me so well. It's
almost like you were inside my head, Lady Venus," he said,
voice low and soft, as if spoke to himself and not her. "You
have become a friend closer than any General; only Endymion
could supersede you. And somehow, you've warmed your way into
my heart as well. I fear that my double loss of you and my
honor would slaughter my heart and break my mind." He finally
looked away from her, handing the knife to her. "So if you
must strike yourself down, strike me down as well. I'll have
nothing to live for without..." and he trailed off, his voice
failing abruptly.
She looked at the knife he'd handed to her, and now looked at
Kunzite. He stood still, hands at his sides, head slightly
bowed, eyes closed. A breeze touched them then, shifting her
hair around her and blowing his back, letting her admire his
sharp features once more, noting the pain creased into them.
And she decided to help him release it.
She softly holstered the dagger, then pressed her nail
against his chest, leaned up, and kissed him lightly. Then
she quietly pulled back and looked at him.
Eyes still closed, he whispered, "Does this warm feeling
spreading through me mean I'm dying now?"
"No, Kunzite. It means you're very alive," she chuckled.
His eyes opened, steel grey to silvery blue, and he caressed
her face. "I thought you wanted to end your life," he said
simply.
"I did. Until you opened your mouth, and showed me there are
reasons to live."
He studied her. "I meant it all."
"I wouldn't expect less from you, Kunzite, then the truth."
"But how do you...feel about this?" he asked, and she almost
heard nervousness in his voice.
"I owe you. You saved my life, and took me away from a cliff
I readily would've jumped off of," she said carefully.
"You're just grateful, then," he said, retracting his hand.
"No, Kunzite. I doubt you knew it, but my friendship with
you has been a rock since we've been here. And to know that
you understood me so well has been a blessing." She took his
hand in her own, and held it tightly. "For being my support
and my confidant and my friend during this hard time, you've
won a place in my heart that I have only given once, and swore
never to give again."
He was silent for a moment, absorbing the full impact of her
words before saying lightly, "Does this mean I get to kiss you
again?"
"Yes," she replied, and he slowly leaned down and pressed his
lips to hers, savoring thier feel as they parted gently
beneath his. The hand she held slowly fell free as she
wrapped her arms around his waist; he pulled her closer as his
arms wended their way around her back. The kiss was gentle,
tenative, and the slow warmth that had been between them
warmed their hearts. When they mutually broke, Venus couldn't
resist saying, "What a beautiful reason to live."
"You are," he replied, pulling her gently to rest against him
in a tight hug. As they stood there, warming each other, she
sighed--and he knew something was up. "What?"
"I think I may love you, Kunzite."
"It's very early for love, my dear Venus."
"It's never too early to tell someone you care."
"You're right." A pause, and then softly, "I love you."
"I know."
"Conniving little thing, aren't you?" he teased, and she
laughed richly with him. "Now, Venus, do you love me?"
She looked up into his rich eyes, and smiled brightly. "Yes,
Kunzite. I love you."
They held each other for only a little moment longer before
he said, "We have to get back. There are people who are
worried about you, you know."
She broke his embrace, smiling a tiny smile. "I know."
Then, it turned to a wry grin. "Besides, I skipped breakfast
and I'm starved."
"Hmmm....Jupiter did say she was making that grain and fruit
thing again."
Her laughter swirled with the wind as they teleported away.
(
geocities.com/tokyo/shrine) (
geocities.com/tokyo)