"It must be hard having a ball of curiosity for a princess."
Those were Kunzite's first words to her. The man had been in her presence countless times before and he ignored her completely until Venus had finally introduced herself. After speaking her name, praying that the beautiful man in front of her would utter the incredibly romantic words etched on her wrist, he decided to tease her.
How she hated him for it.
He had been perfect. Beautiful, powerful, and, best of all, forbidden.
She hated him for not belonging to her. Even after finding out that he was evil, even after he killed her, she still hated him for not saying the words on her wrist.
After being reborn and gaining memories of the life she once lived on the moon, Minako regained hope of finding her soulmate in this lifetime. After all, the words hadn't changed. But then he showed up again. She should have been thankful that he wasn't her soulmate after that. She still mourned him.
Minako fell in love at first sight almost on a daily basis, hoping that one of them would say the words she'd been waiting a thousand years to hear. After her third- fourth?, she lost count- death, Minako had given up on finding her soulmate. She came to realize he probably died in the Silver Millennium War before she could meet him, and you only get one soulmate. She shed a few tears for her unknown love.
When Neo Queen Serenity announced the return of the shitennou, Venus and Jupiter drank themselves under the table. Jupiter had uttered Nephrite's words- and he hers- back in the Silver Millennium, but after losing him twice Makoto didn't know how to handle his return anymore. Mars and Mercury never went down to earth and therefore never met the shitennou before they became evil puppets. Still, they sympathized having never found their own soulmates.
Neo Queen Serenity ordered their attendance at the swearing in ceremony. Jupiter managed to sober up and compose herself. Venus, on the other hand, only appeared sober and struggled in controlling her hiccups.
The shitennou made their way in to the throne room with Kunzite in front, as always. The sight of him made her dizzy, she wished she had snuck the flask in her dress. How come he looked better than his past two lifetimes? It wasn't fair! Minako looked the same. Granted, the same constituted of incomparable beauty, but still! He hadn't made it halfway through the room and she was already annoyed by him.
This is why they weren't soulmates. She completely forgot about how insane his stupid face could drive her. Look at it! Just as serious as ever. You'd think the guy would learn to smile after 3,000 years.
The shitennou reached the front, and all at once sank to a knee. Venus failed to hide another hiccup and earned herself a pinch from Mars. Endymion began to speak and she rolled her eyes knowing this was going to take forever. Mamoru could be so long winded.
She tried looking anywhere but at Kunzite. She even closed her eyes for a few minutes before she felt herself sway and decided that falling flat on her face asleep might earn her a reprimand from the royal couple.
Finally, after she couldn't take it anymore, she looked at him. And he was looking at Endymion. How dare he?! He was supposed to be staring at her! Longing for her! How can she ignore him if he won't look at her? She felt just like she did when she was chasing a young Princess Serenity around the forbidden earth- beyond pissed at being ignored. He spent so much time avoiding her. She knew that she wasn't supposed to be on earth but his behavior had been just plain rude.
3,000 years later and nothing had changed. He might not be an evil zombie-puppet, but at least evil zombie-puppet-Kunzite acknowledged her existence.
The ceremony ended and the celebration began. Mars made an island of herself, unabashedly distrusting the shitennou. Jupiter went straight up to Nephrite and had the first dance. Ami spoke quietly with Jadeite while the royal couple introduced Zoicite to some of the city officials. Kunzite stood opposite her, still not making eye contact.
Minako had enough and left the celebration. She should have stayed. Usagi would be disappointed in her for leaving, but she couldn't be in the same room with him anymore.
She hated the feeling of being invisible. It hadn't been since middle school before she met Usagi and the girls that she felt so ignored. She was no longer the shy schoolgirl with no friends. She was superstar Minako Aino. She was head guard of the senshi, Sailor Venus. She was the reincarnation of Aphrodite, the freaking goddess of love and beauty. And he ignored her?!
Minako stopped walking towards her quarters. No. To hell with walking away. This was her freaking palace first. She'd be damned if he'd make her feel like she was below him. Minako power walked back into the celebration, preparing to give Kunzite a piece of her mind.
She found him politely greeting every person in the room. Making eye contact. Politely nodding his head to as many people as he could. She stared in disbelief at his before unseen charisma until his eyes spotted her. He looked away immediately.
Minako felt her blood boil. 'That son of a-'
Mars saw the exchange and tried to intervene but the death glare Venus shot at her made her back away.
Minako snatched a champagne flute off one of the servers and downed it in 2 seconds flat. She then marched her way to the man who had been trying to walk away and yelled loud enough to be heard over the party.
"LOOK AT ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
The entire room went silent.
Some felt that the young woman should have been ashamed of herself for causing such a scene. Those who knew her prayed she had gotten all of it out of her system in the initial outburst.
Kunzite stopped walking away. He turned back to her slowly and, for the first time that millennium, made eye contact with her.
Minako felt like crying. He was just so handsome. His eyes held a fierceness she almost envied. But he didn't belong to her. He never had. The champagne was making her blush, his gaze was crushing her- why had she wanted it in the first place? She should just walk away.
She had resolved to leave when the weirdest thing happened. Kunzite began to smile. She had never seen a genuine smile from him before. She had seen him smirk teasingly on occasion, he often stretched his lips politely, she'd seen him grin wildly in the middle of battle, and laugh cruelly when possessed.
But this...this was something else entirely.
This was a happy smile. Why was he smiling? She was still glaring at him! 'Glare harder!'
He sighed. He sighed happily. The son of a bitch was content.
Minako clenched her fist, ready to wipe the damn smile off his face when he spoke.
"Thank God it's you."
Her fist unclenched and she staggered backwards.
They were her words. The words written on her wrist. Her soulmate's first words. But...how?
"It's not possible."
"I know I'm not what you expected."
She took off her glove and stared at the words he had uttered.
"What? It's not possible, Kunzite. You... I... these weren't our first words. I remember. And again, when I was just a kid... We've spoken before."
"We may have spoken before, but I was not your soulmate then."
She shook her head. "What are you talking about? My words have always been the same. You're not making any sense."
"I have waited 3,000 years for you to yell at me. Venus, when you first met me, my soul wasn't whole. It was being stolen from my body before we ever met."
Her head was reeling. She needed to see the proof. She grabbed his wrist and pushed his sleeve back. And there were the words she had just shouted.
'Look at me, you son of a bitch.'
This truly was her soulmate. The man she'd longed and mourned for, the man that had constantly ignored her in the silver millennium and even now he still-
"You wanted it to be me."
"Venus, I know I am the last person you would want as a soulmate. I am aware of the seriousness of my transgressions. Even if my actions were not my own, I know I deserve death for the betrayal."
"You wanted it to be me. You never looked at me back then. Pointedly ignored me. You wanted it to be me."
"I did everything I could possibly think of to try to make those your first words to me." Minako felt her eyes begin to burn. "But when you finally first introduced yourself...I hate myself because the disappointment made it easier for the witch."
Her tears were flowing freely now. She held on to his wrist tighter for support.
"The more I got to know you, the angrier I became. How could it not be you? You, with your ever changing emotions, your complexity. My God, Venus. You are the fiercest warrior I've ever seen. Every time I saw you, I swear, my heart would break a little more. I'll never be able to repent enough for my weakness."
Still in shock, Minako could only whisper. "You wanted it to be me."
Kunzite took a deep breath, looking deep into her cerulean eyes replied, "I wanted it so desperately to be you."
Slowly, and with more joy she could ever remember feeling, Venus smiled. "Thank God it's you."
Kunzite realized with a start that what she meant by repeating his words back. 'She wanted it to be me.' The realization propelled him forward and gently, but passionately, kissed his soulmate.
Venus cupped his face as they kissed, the celebration around them forgotten.
Minako could hardly believe the truth, that this was actually happening. If it weren't for the fact that she knew she couldn't imagine how sweet being kissed by him would feel, she'd swear she'd conjured it all up in her mind. For how else could a girl be so blessed?
Somewhere towards the front of the grand room, the king handed the queen $5 as she whispered, "I told you so."
* The end!
I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please leave reviews letting me know what you thought! First meeting didn't get any, so I guess that wasn't a huge hit! Haha! But it did get a few favorites so I appreciate that so much!
I have not forgotten about The Space Between. I know exactly what I want to happen. How to write it is a whole nother matter. : - /
But stay tuned! That's coming and so is another multi chapter short story for Minz & Kunz.
Much love, stay blessed. Xoxo