A/N: So, This is a piece I wrote between Minako/Kunzite in the Silver Millennium. I felt that they would slowly establish themselves with each other- and this is one scene that I've just had in my head. That the two would converse over strategy, sizing each other up, learning from each other. It's a relationship I haven't written much of, and was sort of a practice at something different. I found this hard to write- but I hope you enjoy !
Very Special Thanks to MessySketchPad who is is incredibly talented, and I was blown away by the art she did for this fic (this is reposted from AO3, the art is not included here). Check out her art on Tumblr! Also Thanks to My Bestie Beta The Rising Phoenix, who puts up with my shenanigans and bugs me on her morning commute reliably! And finally Thank you to The SSminibang, and its moderators and contributors for doing such a fun event, and connecting us together.
Princess Venus pushed open the door to the lecture hall looking at the blue haired, well dressed lecturer who was talking about kingdom economics to the business counsel. None of the counsel turned their attention away from the senshi, losing a moment's focus with the Mercurian genius could allow the others a tactical economic advantage.
Venus raised an perfectly groomed blonde eyebrow, catching the bluenetts attention, though she didn't let on outwardly.
The Princess of Venus sent the tap signal, the one that was code for 'Is the Princess in the kingdom?'
Without missing a beat in her discussion on trade agreements, her visor appeared in front of her eyes, and after a moment she tapped by her ear three times.
Twice was a yes. Three times was a no.
The Princess had absconded the Kingdom. Again.
Subtly in these situations was imperative. There were already rumors of the Princess breaking the Queen's own laws and undermining her authority and more importantly the authority of the counsel to abscond to a kingdom unwelcome in the Silver Millennium.
The place where chaos festered.
Princess Serenity was fearless, especially in matters of the heart. Within a blink of an eye, the most watched and protected figure in the solar system would disappear to the once place she was forbidden to go despite the advice of everyone around her.
And now, Venus had to drag her back likely kicking and screaming. She left the conference as quickly as she entered it, quickly walking down the pristine hall.
She placed her hand against the marble in a particular spot, and the wall shimmered away briefly for the Princess of Venus to step through. The inside of the the chamber was much like the rest of the castle, smooth marble floors, decorative pillars, and high ceilings. Intricate designs were carved into the stone, years of delicate, loving artistry to celebrate what was the most peaceful time known to civilization. The palace a gift to its rulers, as much as their rule was a gift to those they served.
But this room was an amory. Among hanging weapons on the walls, in the middle of the room was a display case, thick navy fabric with ornate objects resting on top. The contrast of the dark background with the glimmering primarily pink and gold magical items was stunning, all decorated with the golden crescent moon that was the insignia of this kingdom.
Venus inspected the case, tapping her hand on the side for the glass to disappear. She reached in, picking up a small pen, pink and gold with a large pink jewel on top. She turned it over in her hand briefly with a nod, and held it above her head.
"Disguise pen, turn me into a paige from the Kingdom of Elysion!"
Light flashed, and the oranges of her dress faded away, her hair receding to a short bouncy curl, her outfit replaced by leather armor and a sword. Her red bow transformed into a muted red cap. The armor clung to her curves, though she didn't look quite feminine, it would catch a few questioning stares. It was good enough.
She remembered when Endymion's Guard and suggested a paige disguise, that it would be easier to get an audience without drawing attention. Venus had noticed quickly how princesses and sleek curvy dresses, on a beautiful maiden (if she did say so herself) always caused stares. She wasn't sure what it was about Earth, but human men… some men were feral creatures.
She didn't understand how Serenity could delight in the resting place of chaos. Not when women were treated so differently, not when respect seemed to be based on whimsy instead on capability.
But then again, some of them shone through of true nobility. And if it was one thing Serenity was good at, it was finding hope in the darkest of places.
And thus, Serenity found him, and his guard. Strong, calm men, with good heads on their shoulders. With such similar missions to their own, there was lots of common ground, common stories, things share and tell. But also, whiffs of danger, of cultural misunderstandings. Not that Serenity minded teasing Endymion when he lost in a sword fight to Venus, but Venus could tell his ego had been bruised, that there had been murmurs from his guard.
That they, these aliens, were dangerous.
And that's when Kunzite had really taken notice of her, and stopped thinking of her as an earth-like woman, but as a peer.
She ripped herself out of her thoughts, closing her eyes and gathering energy to teleport across space appearing in the foreign kingdom.
Elysion had its charm- wildlife, wind and nature abound in such a dazzling array of beauty. In contrast was shocking how the humans disregarded he color palate their planet offered them, using their resources and habitat to build large grey stone castles on lush grassland.
She appeared outside the kingdom gates, in a small cobblestone alley that Kunzite insisted would be an appropriate spot. Matter of factly he'd advised "the only men here will be drunk and disheveled, and will not notice your magic." Then he provided advice not to feel guilty if she must fend one or two off. She shrugged then, though felt more appalled. And her Princess was scampering around this kingdom, alone?!
She stood there in the edge of the alley. The last time she'd been here had been the edge of summer- now the lush greens of trees had turned to vibrant reds and yellows, the flowers that had dotted the sides of the dirt roadways now gone, browning grass left in its wake.
She stepped out into the setting sun, people around her in light coats and capes, though she didn't feel particularly cool in the armor and loose undershirt. She steped around people and horses and chatter, ducking past merchants and peddlers, avoiding the young children who she quickly learned were as likely to be playing as they were to be pickpocketing.
Earth was such a dynamic place.
They mostly stayed out of her way, and she took long strides to the gates of the Castle. She explained her desire to speak to the guard, and after some deliberation she was let in and directed towards a gardan.
Venus kicked a small pile of leaves, colors worthy of the Venetian landscape left her momentarily awestruck, this kingdom was full of secrets only time would reveal.
She scanned the courtyard, familiar white hair underneath a tree clinging to the green of summer. He was observing a man across from him, bent over a wood platform, scrutinizing the black and white pieces. Kunzite leaned back against the large tree, eyes watching him coolly, as the other scrutinized the pieces to make a decision.
"Nephrite, precision and speed are both important concepts."
"Your banter is a distraction I will continue to ignore, Kunzite." He said not taking his eyes off the board. Venus shifted her weight, just enough to get the attuned warriors attention. In truth every time she'd seen him she'd been making increasingly subtle movements, just to test his awareness.
The man was always aware. Always on guard. It was impressive.
His eyes set upon her, and he frowned.
"Nephrite, we have company."
Nephrite looked up from the round stones on the square board, pushing back brown hair back behind his ear. "Well, if it isn't the traveler."
"If it isn't the two men who should be aware of where their prince is?"
They looked at eachother. "She's here?"
"Of course she is. Do I come otherwise?"
She could see Kunzite's ice blue eyes move as he thought about the movements of his prince throughout the day. Much in the way she did when it got far too quiet, and she realized her Princess had slipped away. She knew he had been categorizing the likely places he could be.
While he was thinking, she let the transformation disguise fade away back into the formal dress wear of her kingdom, the bright oranges that matched that of Earth's fall. She casually wrapped her blue shawl around her shoulders for warmth. Kunzite's eyes glanced over her for a moment too long, and Venus gave a knowing smile that he ignored.
Nephrite interrupted the brief moment, "He should be with Zoicite and Jedite today."
"Both are far too easily distracted." Kunzite stated simply. "Go find them, come back here."
"Do you want me to get the Prince?"
"Not yet." Venus stated simply. "Just be aware, she's…"
"We know who she is. Royalty." Kunzite said, his eyes rolling and his voice conveying annoyance and exhaustion.
"No, stubborn and creative. You find her too fast, and she'll just find a better hiding spot. I don't need her getting good at this. And you don't either."
"Very well." He then turned to Nephrite. "We can start a new game next time. You were going to lose anyway." Kunzite stated calmly, in a way Venus now knew to take as brotherly teasing, but just came off as completely arrogant.
Nephrite tipped the wooden board with his foot, just enough so the white and black stones tumbled into the grass. "Guess I'll leave you to clean up then, while you entertain your guest." He turned away leaving Kunzite looking at the pile of stones with a frown.
Kunzite motions to the spot of grass his comrade had been sitting at. "Sit. Want to play a game?"
"What is it?"
"It's a game called Go. Have you played it before?"
She had actually. After Serenity had discovered this land, Mercury, dear Mercury, had gone on a cultural mission to educate the four of them incase of other misadventures (the discovery that clothes on Earth were always required unless actively involved in intimacy had been awkward for all involved), and common tactical games of the time had been included.
Venus and Mercury had hypothesized it would let them get into their way of thinking, to understand how they prepared themselves for conflict, and battle. And after all, they were something new to this world.
"I am familiar." She stated curtly, sitting down softly picking up the little white stones off the blades of grass with her slender fingers, their hands brushed momentarily and she looked up at him before stating "Some say that this game represents our kingdoms, have you heard this?"
He raised an eyebrow, continuing to pick up the stones, as if he didn't notice the touch, and placing them into the wooden bowls. After it was done he slid the wooden bowl across the board.
She reached out and took it, her hand touching his slightly again. She knew it was intentional this time.
His eyes locked with hers for the briefest of moments, those silver-grey eyes that always seemed so steady, the chiseled perfection of his face that just remained neutral, not betraying his thoughts. She didn't either, pulling the bowl and setting it beside her, even though her heart fluttered momentarily.
"The board is said to have much astrological significance." He stated back. He withheld a question, watching her.
Mercury had gone on about this for ages, and had been rather excited about it, actually. The Princess of Venus had half listened (she was trying to understand how the pieces interacted with each other, the beginning of the game left so many possibilities, which was a stunning metaphor for opening relationships with another planet, how the first move could impact something hours on in the game).
"Yes, each location on the board symbolizes the stars and night across the days of the year."
"It's not quite the full calendar year, it's three days short."
"Is it?"
He shrugged. "It can't be perfect. You begin."
She shook her head anyway, sitting in the soft grass looking at the wooden board. She carefully took a white stone, placing it in the right quadrant closest to her, a move that Mercury had insisted was common enough, and the game began. Kunzite gazed at it momentarily, his expression unredible, before placing a stone in response and stated "Go is symbolic of the relationship between the kingdoms." He watched as Minako's eyes locked on him speaking, more than game itself; unimportant to the veil of diplomacy. Satisfied that he had her attention, he continued "It is said, the large board represents the days of the year, the celestial travel of the Earth. The black stones are our movements and the white, the movements of the stars in a never ending battle for territory."
Minako didn't lose her focus on the game, placing a stone and stating carefully "You mean to say that you fear conquest from us."
"That isn't quite what I said." She noticed he hadn't made his next move.
"The Queen is uninterested, quite frankly."
"Everyone is interested in power." His black stone made a soft click on the board as he placed it.
"The universe is bigger than you think, this planet…"
"Inconsequential? You beings coming here, acting as if you understand us?"
"I don't pretend to, unlike you."
"Serenity acts as if she understands everything."
"Fascination isn't quite understanding. She's…"
"Fascinated in getting into bed with Endymion."
Venus snorted, of course she had heard stories of exactly what Serenity wanted. "Perhaps." She conceded before changing the subject. "This planet-"
"She just wants the one thing that isn't hers. She has the whole solar system, you say, Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus...all of them, but here."
"That...isn't true! It...it is just incredibly different is all."
"How so?"
"Magic, the magic that makes our lives, our worlds possible, isn't the organic life that sprung from this place, the natural mismatch order that makes Earth so dynamic and unique. Like, today it's cool the wind and the leaves, they change color with the seasons. That...doesn't happen where we are from. It...weather isn't a concept we really have, the environment is incredibly consistent."
"Does it rain?"
"Kind of. Yes, but not in the ways in which you can have a tempest or a typhoon, or just a light drizzle. These unpredictable events in such varying scale. The moon, it does rain, on Monday afternoons for 30 minutes in an exact amount and exact pattern. It's expected and the same. Every week."
"Hmm." Kunzite quietly digested this information by placing a stone on the board, and Minako followed.
Patterns started to take shape, staggered in areas. Mercury had told her the importance of what they called 'eyes' ways that a territory couldn't be surrounded, though constructing them on such a large board one piece at a time was complicated. She considered her moves carefully, staring at the pieces. It was a beautiful game, the dark stained wood with the polished smooth stones balanced on top. One could lose themselves in wonder, much as you could looking at the sky. They were silent for awhile, each playing the game.
Venus finally broke their silence, "Earth is unique among the stars, in this system. It...may be more resilient than anyone could ever expect. What sustains life here, and keeps life up there are two...fundamentally different sources. And maybe that unpredictability makes you stronger than you realize."
"What do you mean?"
Venus shook her head, she had said something she hadn't quite meant to say, and cursed herself mentally. She made a sort of aggressive move, one that was more shocking to try and get his focus back on the game. But Kunzite knew the stakes, and the game was forgotten as he stared at her. "What do you mean?" His voice was firmer, more commanding.
"Do you understand it's not...it's not your people or your magic or this place that we fear? That it is what harbors underneath the surface, buried deep within the ground. It may very well what gives this place its complex life, the harsh rains, the coldness of winter, but also the bloom of summer. It isn't you. It is what comes with you."
"You are talking nonsense."
"I see this place, and I begin to understand that somehow in spite of what our fears are, you thrive here, and I wonder if there's something about you- about humans that makes you stronger in the face of something that we fear."
"The great Silver Millennium fears us?"
"No. We call it chaos, a force that can corrupt even the strongest of us."
"I have never hear-"He raised an eyebrow then, to be interrupted by two men walking up. Zoicite, hands in his pockets shifted back and forth slightly, his long curly hair pulled back.
Kunzite let the manner with Venus drop, standing up to look at the two blonde men, Nephrite standing behind.
"I see you lost your charge."
"I see you have company as well." She was still sitting, so she stood and nodded to the two men.
He ignored the implication of interest in Venus, but Venus caught it. Her face blushed in the cool weather, and she hoped it wasn't noticeable. Had he talked about her with the others? She ignored her own thoughts and focused aloud "Endymion. Where is he?"
"With your princess, presumably." Jedite gave the obvious reply, before continuing. "I'm thinking the queen's grove. The trees just turned and Serenity is enthralled with nature."
The game forgotten, the five of them walked to their new destination.
Venus always watched their natural formation. It was apparent how the four of them trained together from a young age just like her team. It was then she always felt a little weary with the way they watched her, gauging her actions as much as she was gauging their own. She generally chose to flank Kunzite, simply because she knew him best, and he was their commander. He would glance at her, each time as she took to his side.
She assumed that it was uncustomary the first time this situation had taken place, but he did not say anything. She would not aquisess her own power or status for his comfort. But the ways his eyes quickly glanced over her, sizing her up, she knew she had his , she'd fall a step or two behind just to be out of his peripheral sight, and the whole team would unconsciously adjust beautifully. She sort of liked doing things that- catching his gaze that way. She needed him to be aware of who she was, even if she was on a different land. That she understood him.
The trees were thicker here, the foliage bright; yellows and reds still clinging to the trees, and there were small animals that scattered on top of dry leaves. It was stunning and peaceful.
Venus heard Serenity's giggles, before she saw her. Leaning against a tree enjoying Endymion soft touches to her arms, her face; his fingers fluttering across her body.
She stood out stunningly, even in the Earthen green dress she'd worn today to blend in, her shoulders carrying a dark cloak. It did nothing to hide the lunarian complexion, her skin alabaster white, blue bright eyes even striking from a distance. She looked so small, but she stood tall, and with Endymion right there it was clear she was royalty, even if she hid her crescent moon and didn't wear a crown.
Venus always had a million thoughts when she saw the two of them together. It was the way he looked at her; how he glanced down so carefully, tenderly, how his breathing changed and his face softened. You'd have to be a blind not to notice the chemistry between the two.
And, Serenity, her poised Serenity, how she relaxed. How her voice had more of a song, how she stepped less carefully and more excitedly. The way her hands fluttered when she talked, and how she unconsciously reached for his hands, her eyes meeting his, the way her sentence would trail off for a moment as she collected her thoughts. Every moment, every thought was for each other.
Serenity gasped quickly; sensing company, as she darted behind one of the other trees, quick and light on her feet as always.
Endymion calmed his flushed face; turning towards the five of them. They crossed the courtyard quickly.
Endymion nodded to his guard with a simple, honest smile. "Kunzite, I trust you've been entertaining our guest?"
He nodded without a single word glancing at Venus. "Were you sufficiently entertained, Princess of Venus?"
"He is engaging as always."
Serenity clasped her hands together with a smile, returning from the spot she had hid in, pink blush on her face.
"Please skip the formalities, for the both of us." She rolled her eyes, and clasped Endymion's hand. "It would do all of us good to relax, we're safe here."
"That's not for you to decide." Kunzite and Venus stated at the exact same time. Their eyes locked briefly and Venus felt her breath catch.
Serenity smile brightened, and Venus saw how Jadeite and Nephrite looked at each other as if their friend and ally had grown another head. Venus, rightfully assumed that was not something that happened often.
It made her breath catch in a way she hadn't been expecting. She turned her focus to her princess, who smiled with a twinkle in those eyes, and glanced back, her hand gently against Endymion's arm, before dragging him a few steps away deeper into the trees.
Endymion meanwhile was still looking at Kunzite with a peculiar look for a moment, but turned towards Serenity was starting to say goodbye.
Serenity whispered in a hushed voice, on her tiptoes to just be a little closer to his ear. And then she laughed, loudly.
Before she could grab her princesses hand , the two lovebirds ran off in the opposite direction, hand in hand, like schoolchildren.
"Oh, bright goddess!" Venus head looked up into the sky, exasperated.
Jadeite and Nephrite had already taken a few steps forward towards them, before looking back at her.
Kunzite snorted, with a glance at Venus. "She's your princess. He didn't act like this before she got here."
"She changes everyone she meets." She meant it honestly. Serenity always stunned the soul, somehow, some way.
Kunzite looked at Venus contemplatively, his gaze held for a moment too long, the way he looked at her as if he'd been changed somehow.
And maybe Venus was changing too in this new world.
Nephrite cleared his throat, the moment lost as their attention turned to him. "Do we give them time?"
Venus nodded, "A few more minutes before we will return. I thank you for your patience."
"I'm beginning to think you enjoy it here as well." He flashed a genuine smile, Nephrite always seemed the most friendly of the four, even if Jedite was the most expressive.
"Perhaps."
Something in her knew that his analysis was true.
What was it about Kunzite?
"So, what do we do in the meantime?" She asked to the four. They glanced at each other trying to come up with a good answer. In their silence she could hear their footsteps, just out of line of sight. It was annoying her, the tactical sense going off.
Venus looked up through the treetops for a moment before calling out into the air, "Child of the Moon, stop circling around us."
Kunzite looked impressed. Venus realized she liked that look on him.
Serenity then returned, footsteps crashing in piles of leaves, cheeks red, eyes wide with a huge smile. "I'm sorry Venus I…"
"May we get back before the Queen notices?"
"Trade deliberations are not until late afternoon at the earliest, and the Mars Trade Association takes up all of her attention. You know how they are easily enraged when feel they are ignored. You wouldn't even dare interrupt those meetings."
Serenity was right, Venus hadn't dared. She'd gone straight to Mercury and out the door- the Queen was not disturbed.
"Regardless, she is my Queen. I have explicit orders."
"But love is your nature." Serenity smiled, placing both hands on her shoulders. With a firm voice of a leader she stated "Dear Princess, I think there is much to be found here."
Serenity had a matchmaking twinkle, and that is when Venus knew. Serenity grinned. "Next time, will you come with?" She added as an afterthought, not hiding her intentions with any skill, "To protect me of course."
Venus sighed with a nod. It was a commitment and Serenity knew it, even though she dared not say it in front of his guard. The men looked at each other, and in a flash of light they were gone.
But, they all knew they would return. And this time, Venus was looking forward to it.
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