"You guys really don't have to follow us." Serenity's nose scrunched, her silvery blue eyes two orbs of defiance which would have been endearing to Venus under most circumstances. Not when it came to this. Her own gaze shifted up at the silver gargoyle at her side who had been silent and all too present at the same time. His brow lifted when he shifted his gaze down to her in return, lips tensed and expression bordering boredom.
"All due respect Princess, as head of Endymion's guard it's my duty to ensure his safety." His voice was that calm that annoyed her, patient the way she imagined he spoke to Endymion as a child.
"You know I must stay close Serenity, I need to make sure you aren't found, and that the Prince keeps his hands to himself." Venus shot said Prince a knowing look. He merely snorted in response, chuckling and shaking his head at her because she knew damned well that it was far too late for keeping hands, let alone other things, to himself. Serenity pouted, glancing behind her to make a face at the two guards before she pulled Endymion down to her level to whisper something in his ear that made his grin turn devilish. "Don't think of it or we'll leave at once." Venus bit, crossing her arms as they walked to glare at the two royals who would do as they pleased and didn't need her input to do so. They did so like to pull their ranks above herself and Kunzite who remained silent at her side. "Do something!" She hissed up at him. Kunzite merely gave her the smallest of shrugs and continued his rigid walk at her side.
"Let them ahead a little Venus. We don't need to breathe down their necks." She scoffed silently but could say nothing. Kunzite was if anything impeccable at making sure the gardens were vacant of other guard aside from the Shitennou who barely interfered unless it was their night watch. Her shoulders deflated with her lungs, watching as Serenity took it upon herself to drag Endymion ahead of them with that giggle that spoke of mischief.
Night had long since fallen, the leisurely strolls through the gardens of Elysium were no rare occurrence these days and his Prince and her Princess walked perhaps farther ahead of them than they should have. Darkness was the only veil they could trust, the threat of prying eyes could land the Prince on trial for treason and the head of his guard an appointment with the hangman or worse, the guillotine. The only way she knew where her wayward Princess was was the bell like chime of her giggles or the illuminated slip of silver as the Moonlight bathed over her in spotlights between the shadows. His Prince was all darkness, a brilliant camouflage against their forbidden trysts.
There was a brush against her hand again, Venus dared not look up or even acknowledge it. Serenity turned and said something back to them but she spoke too softly though she was certain it had to do with giving them some privacy. She rolled her eyes skyward and prayed to Aphrodite for some deliverance from her Princess' careless antics before her hair turned as pale as the General's at her side. The very second the royal couple turned the corner, perhaps to seek a solace of their own, his hand was at her wrist and her back met the stone wall of the palace.
Moments like these are all they have between pretending like the other is merely another fixture or flower in these gardens and simply making sure the secret affair of the Moon Princess and Earth Prince remains that of a secret. Moments where his forehead presses against hers, life ignites behind the pale lunar shade of his eyes and his hands pull her against him, trapping her between the stone wall of his duties and himself, Kunzite comes to life.
"I can still taste our sins, I've craved little else." He whispered so softly against her lips, brushing with each word of his lightly accented tongue. Venus felt quick to drown in a sea of want, a pool of all of her forbidden desires, an ocean named after him. "And I didn't hear you complain about my filthy Terran hands the other night." His lips brushed her ear and she shivered in reference to the comment she'd made to Endymion just moments prior.
"Your hands aren't filthy because you are Terran, but the manner you put them to use." Venus giggled quietly when his breath tickled down her neck with a small laugh of his own. "I'll never complain about that use, but sin is no way to live General, you'll starve." She breathed, his hands slowly shifting up her sides. Venus shuddered beneath the memory of these hands and the devastation they brought to her body that no mortal man should have the ability to achieve on a Goddess. She swore he smirked in the shadows, never a full smile just the lightest quip of his lips. He'd already shown her that his mouth was more deadly than his hands and that there was no going back from the utter perfection of the rest of his body.
"Fortunate for me that your Princess escapes your watch so often." Venus rolled her eyes at the amusement laced on his voice, her fingers tensing against the thick canvas fabric of his uniform.
"Perhaps I let her on purpose. Maybe it is almost nightly that I forsake my oaths and allow your Prince to ravage the heir to the entire Alliance." His forehead met hers again, she bit her lip at the nuzzle of his nose.
"It's a fool King's luck that I defied love to the stars and Aphrodite saw fit to take it as a challenge herself. I am not worthy of your sacrifices." Venus felt her heart crumble in her chest, the ache too much to bear.
"Kunzite we promised each other we wouldn't..."
"Shhhhh... we don't have much time." He whispered before his lips descended on hers giving the heady floral scent of the gardens a much spicier note as it mingled with his.
Such order broke into chaos the moment their lips touched and Venus felt herself cling to him as if he was the only thing keeping her from disappearing entirely from anything but the surrender of his arms. His tongue brushed her lip, fingers tightening in her hair at the base and there was no hesitation in parting her lips to devour the heat behind his. The urgent entanglement of tongues and gripping of hair and uniforms with gloved fingers became heated and unraveling by his wandering hands that alone reduced her to urgent and wanting sighs. Even with distance between them, the effort was needed to remain quiet when his lips moved and trailed fire across her jaw to the soft flesh of her neck. Venus bit the swollen petal of her lower lip to stifle a low moan when his teeth nipped at her, and she pulled his mouth feverishly back to her own by the silver hair she'd long since woven into her gloved fingers.
"I want you." She gasped, her eyes snapping open to meet the icy fire within his grey ones. She wanted all of him, and she couldn't say it. They'd said it in so many words but not directly to the other. There was too much risk in it, but their cruel, cruel fate had been sealed the first time they kissed. His arms pulled her flush against him, his body responding to her declaration with pressing need against her. There was no time for it, no time for them. She'd broken too many laws the one time, she didn't know if the opportunity would present itself again and contemplated breaking those laws again.
"And so I'm yours." He whispered, pulling an oriental white lily from seemingly nowhere though she knew they bloomed in his personal garden not far away and yet was determined it was with magic that he materialized it. It was a game of theirs, a small token that was easy to conceal aside from their stolen kisses and brushes of hands that were easy enough to hide. So far she had fifteen different flowers pressed between an unassuming book on her bookshelf on the Moon, and each night they met he presented her a new flower.
Each flower represented a moment. Considering the many nights she spent on this alien planet so breathtaking with the colors and scents of their gardens, the moments were brief and too few. Sometimes they were allowed more time. Sometimes the Prince would steal her Princess away to his rooms and leave them to guard his private entrance in the outdoor courtyard. Sometimes these moments came easy, other times they were almost caught, and sometimes Venus found herself in a verbal sparring match with him.
It was clear that there were deep oceans between them. Oceans of doubts, denial, and perhaps lies but Venus couldn't help herself. Their bond was red, tangled in knots that she didn't understand yet and being without him for too long was like suffocating. Knowing it was the same for Kunzite, only made these moments harder. They needed to be better than their soldiers, they needed to fight this, but after that stormy night Venus knew there was no going back. Her hand wrapped around his as she took the delicate white lily, coming up on her toes for one last light kiss before their trained ears would hear the shuffle of skirts heading in their direction, the clear sign that the moment had passed.
"Venus!" Serenity called out from not so far away, and Venus knew they'd taken too long this time. Kunzite gave her a look, his face becoming stone once more as he released her. He shifted his cape to hide the blatant arousal from their brief encounter, leaning beneath a small tree with a sweep of his hand through his hair to smooth what she'd mussed. Her eyes shifted to the sky, arms crossing over her chest with the flower spinning between her fingers lazily. Truly she wanted to com bust and burn out like an ancient star. "Venus I thought I'd lost you!"
The Princess came bounding around the corner, her own dress wrinkled and tailed buns messy themselves from whatever heated activities consumed the royal couple. She forced a smile, accepting Serenity's hug and allowed the vibrant girl to drag her forward to catch up with Endymion. Kunzite followed slowly behind them.
It wasn't long before they were back in formation, Serenity and Endymion walking ahead of them en route back to the Prince's private gardens where they would teleport home. Kunzite was at her side, silent again though he brushed her hand a final time.
"Damned gloves." He grumbled so quietly only she could hear and she stifled a laugh, a growing joke between them that lacked humor because Gods she really just wanted to touch him, and actually feel him. He glanced down at her and Venus placed a light kiss to the sweet smelling flower he'd given her, and he raised his fingers to his lips to kiss them. Their own secret code. Had Endymion or Serenity spied him in the act he would have pretended to yawn, or Venus would simply act as though she was smelling a stolen flower. The act interrupted with a feigned yawn that dragged her attention away from him with a quickness.
"Perhaps I should switch up my guard these nights, Kunzite can't be very good company for you Venus." Endymion was walking backward observing the two silent guardians lost in their own private worlds.
"Your General is as entertaining as that statue, though I fear it's important that we continue to guard together. We must maintain a certain form of consistency if we are to effectively keep up this charade, don't you think?" Venus made a face up at the stoic man, fighting so hard not to stare at the man that seemed to defy everything she'd ever been taught of Earth's men.
"I will have to agree Endymion. Certain aspects of guard detail should remain consistent. Venus and I should continue to discuss strategy of our plans." She watched Endymion's eyes shift from the tall man at her side to her, then back to Kunzite.
"There is nothing else?" Serenity giggled while Venus and the General suffered the intensity of the Prince's too blue stare.
"I'm not sure what you imply Endymion but I suggest you wipe that look off your face." Kunzite frowned, his normal face it seemed when they were in the presence of others.
"I only imply that while you two repel like oil and water your soldiers seem to get along... possibly a little too well?" Serenity laughed a little, wrapping herself around Endymion's arm affectionately.
"I think it's romantic. Vee, you and Kunzie should give it a go, you two are BEAUTIFUL together!" Venus prayed the darkness concealed her flush, and Kunzite blanched at her side with the ever hated nickname.
"Princess you will keep your voice down. Kunzite and I were just discussing earlier how the pairings forming must stop. We are in no position to jeopardize our plans to help Earth unite to the Alliance. It's simply just not to be." She tried to stop her fingers from tightening around the lily in her fingers and crushing it, feeling the need to cling to anything to keep herself together. From not shouting to the entire planet how unfair it was how meant to be they truly were. "You two engaging in a forbidden romance is bad enough, the last thing we need is four more. Kunzite and I have more pressing matters and he seems to have no trouble finding a woman to warm his bed from what you've told me."
"I should hope you aren't saying such filthy things Endymion. Venus is a Princess too, I thought I taught you better or you've been spending too much time with Jadiete." There was warning in his voice, she knew it would be there. Venus had a heavy heart in accepting that he would probably not remain loyal in his affections for her, even if Kunzite was probably the most loyal man she'd ever met. No blame to be placed since she was forbidden to him, there was little hope and even smaller chance that their encounters would last passed these very short, very hidden moments.
"Serenity, you should say your goodnight, we'll be missed if we're gone too much longer." Perhaps the sadness in her voice was too audible, the way Kunzite stared at her a moment seeming to forget himself told her so. Serenity who normally might have whined a little simply nodded and kissed her cheek. "General." She nodded a goodnight to Kunzite who would exit the garden's opposite her to allow Endymion and Serenity privacy.
Venus stepped into the shadow heavy exterior of the garden, leaning against the ivy covered wall and stared down at her flower. His hand, his bare hand, seemed to come from nowhere but it wrapped around her arm gently to get her attention. He'd quickly wrapped around the wall to meet her once more before Venus would be surrendered to her Princess and stolen away from the gardens she'd grown to love so much. The tingling havoc the warmth of his fingers brought to her arm, her face when he tilted it up to press his lips to hers was almost enough to break the dam of her.
"Soon." He promised with another soft kiss. "I worship you alone my Mina." His thumb brushed her cheek, his pale eyes searching hers in the dark. Venus merely kissed a petal from her flower and the Silver God was gone with a kiss to his bare fingers.