Chapter 1
Princess
Minako sat, listlessly staring out of her window. She sighed, then turned away
and lay back down on her bed. Venus looked like a small yellow ball way off in
a starry background. *Same as always, * she thought. She pulled her soft,
orange cover over her head and closed her eyes.
*Must sleep. I have a long day
tomorrow. *
A soft
rapping came from the other side of her door. Minako sighed heavily again, then
pushed the cover back and slipped out of the bed. She stood against the wooden
panel and waited.
-Tap, tap, tap-
"Yes?" she
asked quietly.
"Open the
door, Mina. This floor is freezing." A muffled voice whispered. Mina giggled
and swung the door open.
"Lita, your
late. You were supposed to be here over an hour ago. I was about to fall
asleep."
"Yeah, well…
anyway, I got it." Princess Makato 'Lita' Hino held up an old, deep red book
triumphantly. Mina closed the door, ran, and flopped onto the bed. Lita
followed. She handed the book to Mina, and then sat back. Mina opened the book
and her eyes widened.
"Is this
what the honorable princess does with Darien?" she asked quietly. Lita nodded
her head and chuckled.
"As far as I
know. But if you go farther into the book, there are things in there that seem
impossible to do. Even for them."
Mina observed
the book with a grin. *How could anyone be able to do this? *
"Where,
Lita? Where did you get this book?"
"From
the library. It was hidden in the far corner near the garden window. It was
quite dusty, so I can imagine it hasn't been used much." She grabbed the book
from Mina and examined the cover. "It's called… oh, the title is gone." She
frowned, and then gave the book back to Mina. "Strange."
"
So I guess you were wrong. I think it HAS been used a lot. Probably even by the
lovebirds themselves." Mina giggled as she lay down. "I'm going to finish this
book tomorrow, then I'll give it to you."
Lita
rose and walked to the door, yawning. "Tomorrow, then?"
"Yes,"
Mina whispered as the door closed. " Tomorrow."
The
dawn sun shone softly across Mina's face. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing
the serious, misted blue eyes that were her trademark. She yawned, and then
stretched. Slipping out of bed, Mina tied her robe and trudged towards the
door. She opened it, and was greeted with the same wondrous sound as every
morning-
Silence.
*Thank the planets. *
She made her
way slowly down the stone staircase and into the kitchen. Grabbing an orange,
she turned back toward the staircase. And bumped into something.
"Excuse
you." She grumbled and sidestepped her blocker. He followed, getting in her way
once again. Mina looked up angrily, and found herself caught in his golden stare.
She felt her knees buckle. His gaze, whoever this beautifully perfect man was,
was drawing her in, into a wondrous feeling of security and pleasure. His hazel
eyes were mysterious, cold, almost deadly, but so inviting…
"Who
are you?" he asked, his voice deep, but as cool as his eyes. Mina blinked twice
and shook her head. She felt light-headed, dizzy, and extremely confused. But
then, the anger from before came back. Mina put her hands on her hips.
"Why
sir, how dare you ask me who I am? The real question here is who exactly you
are." She replied, her voice cool enough to match his. He smiled and lifted her
head up slightly by her small chin.
"
You are the princess of Venus, are you not?"
She shifted
uneasily beneath his soft touch and looked him straight in the eyes, praying
not to be trapped again. "I am." She answered.
He smirked,
and then leaned in close enough to her ear for her to feel the warm breath on
her earlobe. "Then to you my dear, I am your worst nightmare."
