As instructed by her lab partner, Minako sat on her hands. She pouted adorably as he tried to explain to her in dumbed down terms what he was doing but she didn't understand regardless. Her blue eyes flitted over the pages of the textbook in front of her that outlined detailed instructions of the day's lab that her partner had already gone over in simpler language twice. All she saw were formulas, measurements for chemical compounds, the order they would be added, chain reactions, and the words stopped making sense over the prattling rude tone of her lab partner.
Mina told herself for the thousandth time that week that she needed to drop the class with mental note to never listen to Ami again when she said a class was fun. Her blue haired friend was just so insistent that she could do it, that despite her protests she should further her education, that it would serve her well in the coming years where their future would really start. Mina tried and couldn't see how mixing chemicals would come in handy in the royal court of Crystal Tokyo.
Her lab partner made it worse. Initially, like most guys seemed to be, he was interested in her and was alright as far as guys went. Sure he probably thought, and hoped that Mina's intellect matched her beauty because why else would someone sign up for a chemistry class? Certainly not the easy A. His interest flew right out the window when she damn near cleared the school by accidentally mixing up the wrong test tubes and made mustard gas instead. Since that day her partner made it clear that she wasn't to go near any of their actual work, counter productive to the money she shelled out to take the class or any learning experience she'd get from it.
Mina was fine with it really, the guy was what she would have called vanilla anyway. He was boring with his tidy brown hair and eyes. Though he had a great smile he made her feel like an idiot. He was excelling at that beautifully at the moment too, and in perfect earshot of the professor who was some older gentleman that seemed like he was in constant fear of his students. Even now she watched him wipe a bead of sweat from his brow, his cataract laced eyes shifting toward her nervously then over to her partner. The old man adjusted his tie and pretended to work on something at his desk as her partner's tone became increasingly condescending behind her.
"You paying attention Aino? Did you even hear what I just said?" Her blue eyes snapped to the vanilla guy - his name was even Dan, how much more boring do you have to be? His tone was as acidic as the chemical in the beaker he held in a gloved hand and she found herself glaring harshly at him and sliding down from the stool she sat on. She was a good three feet away from their actual work station and even that made him tense at her approach. Dan slowly began placing the beaker back down toward safety with mild panic in his eyes that thankfully shut him up if nothing else. Mina had enough.
"Nope, and I hope you spill that in your crotch." She tried to look dignified as she could in her rush to gather her purse, coat, scarf, heavy backpack, and a large black art portfolio. A hard feat when your fingers were asleep from sitting on them too long. "I may be dumb but at least I'm not an asshole." She muttered when she walked by them, leaving Dan and the Chemistry Professor slack jawed and nailed to the floor.
She fumbled with her full arms as Mina pushed through the doors of the crowded campus and out into the cold fall air. The Sun had already dropped low, setting early in the shortening days but the very faintest of light still crept through some of the bleak grey clouds that matched how her day was going, and her current mood. The bright fall leaves were much more potent against the bleak background which would have normally brought on a sense of excitement for the coming fall festivities and her birthday. However, with everything happening in the background of her life these days Mina could feel a new low hanging over her head with the incoming rain. Panic settled into her stomach as she continued to struggle against the armful of bags, coat, and scarf since she started to feel the cold splash of raindrops sprinkling onto her bare hands and none of the people merely standing around talking felt inclined to help. She wished she would have at least put her coat on first.
Mina picked up the pace, her cute heeled oxfords clacking against the pavement in her rush to reach the cover of the bus stop before any of her drawings or sketchbooks crammed into her backpack got wet, so she could readjust and at least get nestled into her coat. She felt the prick of tears behind her eyes knowing she'd let Ami down yet again, feeling more stupid and worthless the harder she walked and the rain began to come down harder, dampening the thigh high stockings she wore with the shorter skirt she always felt so cute in. Not today. Her good looks and otherwise sunny demeanor often landed her in that 'dumb blonde' category but mostly she just wanted to make her friends proud, make them proud to call her their leader. Having more than just an incredible smile and pretty face had become increasingly more important to her the more failures she racked up.
Minako never felt like she fit in. Not in school, not with her friends, not even in the magical girl lifestyle she'd been thrust into since she was thirteen. College was a nice perk, normal, and while she did great in art classes- she failed at anything else. She hated failure but it seemed to be her only real talent in life thus far. Mina was even cursed with memories of a past life wrought with failure of the highest and continued to fumble with her life now as she did with all this crap in her arms that became heavier with every step. The rain began to creep in harder and she could feel everything shift in her hands in a disturbing way. She nearly ran toward the small shelter by the bus stop at this point, desperate to make it before she lost her grip.
True to her luck, she was a mere three meters or so from the bus stop when her book bag fell and Mina had to watch in horror as some of the drawings spilled onto the damp concrete becoming saturated immediately along with the contents of her purse which fell directly after. She wanted to cry, and swallowing hard she kneeled to quickly try to salvage some of her work and haphazardly shovel her purse contents back into her bag. It wasn't until her fingers brushed his that she realized she wasn't alone and the rain had stopped pelting her back.
"You look like you could use a break." Her eyes widened when her blue eyes clashed with gray of the most familiar sort. Seemingly her knight in shining business attire these days. They'd spoken since that night he picked her up at the pier, but Khai was good at giving her space, giving her time to adjust. Times like now he was more than welcome company and she had to fight the urge to burrow into his fancy wool coat and disappear. He held an umbrella over them with one hand and his other was carefully peeling paper and drawings from the sidewalk. It took her a second to gather herself and continue collecting her spilled belongings. Even if she didn't really know him anymore, he always had a sharp understanding about him. Especially when it came to her.
"Um..thank you." Mina winced inwardly, her normal charm not coming forth in her tone and yet he smiled gently as he stood. He'd tucked the damp drawings between to wide sketchbooks and tucked it all carefully back into the portfolio with one hand, far more skillfully than she'd managed herself with both of hers on a normal day. The portfolio was tucked beneath his arm holding the umbrella, the strap of her backpack draped over his strong forearm when he extended a hand to her.
"Let me hold your purse for you while you put your coat on." She blinked, her blue eyes wide and she slowly obeyed the command, draping the strap over his offered hand cautiously and mentally screaming at herself for being so robotic. He'd stayed at her house only earlier that week, nothing scandalous just a lot of goodbyes and hopeful new beginnings. She liked Khai, really she did, but trust isn't earned overnight and she liked to think they both struggled, though it was probably just her. Mina hadn't realized how much she was shivering until she slipped her arms into her coat and buttoned it over the plain grey top she wore and shifted her scarf around her neck. The rain came harder. It pounded against the umbrella and the wind blew the rain against them making the nylon little shelter almost pointless. "The shrine isn't far, we can wait out the rain."
"O-okay." She heard her voice come out so weak, something she refused to be in regards to anything and it only furthered her sour mood. Khai only nodded, and carried her backpack and portfolio even though she insisted on carrying her purse and took the bag back with a perhaps deliberate brush of his hand. It was almost graceful the way he shifted his arms, one hand easily holding her two heaviest bags and the other holding the large black umbrella above them both. It made sense and she totally didn't want it to. Hikawa Shrine was always open to them. Even so, she knew Rei was away at some legal conference. They'd be alone anyway.
Mina nodded once, squinting when the rain invaded the shelter of his umbrella. They walked in silence, like they could effectively talk over the loud patter of rain and biting wind. She wasn't sure what she'd say if they did speak. Mina knew she should say something, her awkward coldness and sour mood probably made him think she'd closed herself off to him again, that maybe she'd changed her mind. Instead she stared down at her shoes as they shuffled over the sidewalk lined with brightly colored leaves that stood out against the slick dark grey of the concrete beneath their feet.
Orange pumpkins dotted the storefronts and warm yellow lights of the interiors of the cafe's and festively decorated homes they passed telling of the coming holiday that was also telling of her birthday which made her frown again. She'd be turning twenty this year and unlike most of her friends she didn't have much of a path. It reminded her that Khai would be turning thirty, still too young to be a successful as he was. Not that she was bitter that a former enemy and the source of most of the trauma of her earlier teens was faring far better than herself or even most of Earth's population.
No, Mina wasn't bitter at all because she hadn't dedicated her life to protecting the planet he threatened or anything. You know, the planet HE should have been charged with protecting that harbored her Princess and his Prince. Nope, not bitter. Gods she tried not to be bitter with him. She had forgiven him which was far from an easy task for Mina, and had to remind herself that he was forgiven. It wasn't his fault.
"You're drawings are really good." His voice snapped her out of her thoughts, distracting her from the vibrant colors of Autumn that made her want to paint and forget the bitterness of her thoughts. Mina had all but moved on for the most part before he and his friends showed up without warning to derail any of her own progress against her childhood traumas. Khai just had too much about him. Even in her fear upon first seeing him she felt the draw. Mina knew why, she wasn't an incarnation of the Goddess of Love for nothing, but it was in her very nature to stay stubbornly far away from him as possible.
She didn't forgive easily, but there was something undeniably forgivable about a distractingly gorgeous man who stops his entire day to help a distraught failing college student with no path, like herself. She of course made the mistake of looking up at him at the sound of his smooth voice that was so calm and steady. The gentleness in his face, so new, made him look younger and warmed her thoughts with memories of the other night. How she'd been craving his kisses ever since
"Thanks... if only they paid the bills." She half laughed, certain she might have flushed a little at the way his pale grey eyes peered at her over the collar of his own black wool coat, his even paler silver hair contrasting against the dark fabric and hung neatly down his back. Mina was suddenly aware of the mess she was, hair matted and messy and her makeup was probably smudged, and her dark stockings damp from splashing through the various puddles before her pale knight could come to her rescue. She almost laughed again with the notion that every time Khai found her, she was a disaster.
"Maybe one day they will." Khai offered as they approached the long flight of stone stairs that lead up toward the shrine. She watched as his hand tightened on the umbrella when a vicious gust of wind nearly ripped it from his grasp, and threatened the integrity of its structure. Her hair was damp, and whipped around her though she tried to tame it with an impatient hand.
"I doubt it. It's good to dream though. I think I'm doomed to be a failed college student and secretary until... until I'm not." She really didn't feel like discussing the day history would repeat itself and she would be reduced to nothing but duty again. Mina had a job working as a secretary for some big shot modeling agency downtown and as her eyes shifted to the pavement in front of them, his expensive Italian leather shoes reminded her that this man had done quite well for himself. Her future was already written for her, she knew pursuing a real career was bordering on pointless. Khai merely nodded with an added gesture toward the shrine stairs when the rain began to fall harder, the cold wind beginning to beat on them with the telling rumble of thunder in the sky.
The shrine stairs only became more offensive the harder it rained. It was clear that while Rei was out of town working some legal case, Jeison still saw fit to come by and maintain the yards though as leaves and branches shed from the trees, he'd have his work cut out for him the following morning. Deimos and Phobos were freely perched outside on the porch, greeting them with a caw that added to the strange eerie peace that settled over the vacant shrine despite the chaos of the October storm brewing. Mina threw the sliding door open, warmth washing over her from the Martian fires forever burning in the other room. The part that made up Rei's house was toward the back of the structure, tightly locked though her sacred fire left the entire temple in a state of immense heat. Rei liked it that way.
Mina left the front doors open allowing some of the fresh air to mingle with the heat inside and discarded her damp coat to the floor near the table she'd spent so many study sessions and Senshi meetings at with the girls. Out of habit alone she plopped on the mat she'd normally occupy in the group with an exasperated sigh as Khai closed and left the umbrella outside on the porch. She paid attention to his every movement, how he stood in the threshold of the door with his back to her watching the rain for a brief moment and how gently he set her bags down inside before his fingers went to work on the buttons of his coat. Of course Khai hung his neatly on a rack on the inside of the door, his dress shoes making slight noise against the traditional bamboo flooring with each shift of his weight.
No surprise that he was dressed in a perfectly tailored three piece suit. Dark grey with a matching vest, black shirt with the tie absent, the first few buttons left undone as they always had been. He'd probably removed the tie as soon as he left his office. She swallowed hard, shifting nervously as he raked a hand through his perfectly trimmed hair that fell just between his shoulder blades smooth in that unique pale silver. It probably cost more than her entire wardrobe but the form the suit gave him suggested what lie beneath proving worth every penny. The downward curve of his side to narrow hips and long powerful legs, he was still built like a God and Mina wondered how his poor secretary got any work done at all. He was always so business with a rocker edge, sometimes sporting leather instead of the warmer wool coat or even jeans and boots with his business attire. A sophisticated business man with a bad boy edge, an anomaly down to the silver hoop he wore in the right side of his nose and stylish, but accidental, scar through his left brow. The look he gave her, kind but cautious didn't help matters. If she'd never seen him before this moment, she wouldn't have been able to come up with a more beautiful man.
"You don't really need that school anyway, you'd blow those other models out of the water you know." Her fingers tightened into fists against the familiar low chabudai she sat at. "You could even sell your art on the side."
"I think we both know we have more pressing things to worry about, the end of the world...Crystal Tokyo... " Her brow raised just slightly when she looked up at him and he looked almost surprised by the conviction in her tone, how she said it so casually. Truly Mina could see he just wanted her to be happy, maybe have a taste of those dreams she'd never been able to achieve. Even now Khai knew what to say and could produce some plan of action at the drop of a hat. It wasn't a secret that once upon a time she wanted to be an idol and had gotten very close to achieving her dream on more than one occasion. Duty was always the big brick wall in her way, and as she grew older Mina didn't mind so much because fame was a child's dream- and she really wanted to be more to someone than what she looked like. It wasn't vain the way she knew how beautiful she was, it was the nature of WHAT she was and nothing that she could control. It was a perfect cover for how miserable she was some days because acting was so easy for her and her smile was a perfect mask to hide behind.
"Mina...Those things will come some day. Maybe tomorrow, maybe a hundred years from now." Her name from his lips gave her the chills and she pretended it was from the chilled breeze that cut through the persistent warmth of the house."I have no expectations after Sunday night, but don't you think you should focus on what makes you happy? Things outside your line of duty while you can I mean."
She frowned, drumming her fingers lightly on the table. Why was this so awkward? She thought after everything that either things would click into place and they'd be lovers, or at least friends. Not this familiar place as though they were restricted to talk of duties as though Old Gods still glared their judging gazes down upon them. Both had broken enough promises to the other to never forgive themselves, Mina had been less than accepting of his return and stayed rather vocal about it, and the few run ins they had were confusing and further proved to herself all the reasons she should stay far, far away from this man she was so incredibly drawn to. Could she turn back now? Mina watched as his gaze shifted outside, the wind howling through the shrine's many porches and thunder rattled the house, really took him in. No.. there was no going back. Not for her.
Storms like this reminded her of memories she hoped he didn't think of too. Memories of passion that had woken her up on more than one occasion with their intensity. Mina stood suddenly, not wanting to think about how the lightning flashed and the pattering of the rain reminded her of being pressed against a door by his strong body and the fevered actions that made the core of her ache. He gave her a look and shifted further into the room with his hands in his pockets.
"I'm going to make some tea...I'm sure Rei won't mind." She swallowed hard, her black heeled oxfords noisy with her first steps toward the tiny kitchen. Everything was so loud without the care free banter and lively chatter of her friends, or the music they listened to during their study sessions and meetings. It gave the air a tension, or perhaps it was brought on by the knowing fires, the charms and magics this shrine was rumored to have and the two fated people seeking shelter. Perhaps this wasn't a coincidence.
"May I?" He gestured down at her leather portfolio, stopping her in her tracks near the door frame of her salvation. Aka the room away from his imposing grey stare. She nodded, hurrying into the kitchen as he kneeled down to tend to her art. Mina could hear his shuffling while she fought with the ancient stove, grateful that at least the kettle was new. She began putting the tray together out of habit, gathering two tea cups and some plates, pulling their stash of cookies and chips from the pantry though she wasn't sure when this awful day had turned into an awkward tea party with Kunzite's latest incarnation.
Khai was kneeling on the floor in his grey suit laying her drawings out to dry by the old radiator. It felt like her heart constricted a little the gentle way his larger hands, which she knew could be deadly if they wanted, handled the sketches like they were some priceless works of art.
"You didn't have to..." He turned and smiled, standing after taking a long look at them, running his hands down the front of his suit jacket. Mina nervously began to ring out the water from the ends of her long gold hair, it had begun to dry in deep waves where she'd spent so long that morning making sure it lay straight.
"I know...but they should dry as soon as possible. I don't think there was much damage." Khai stepped toward her, she stepped back only to run into the door frame of the kitchen. His sigh was audible and his hands fell limp at his side as though defeated but he said nothing. To say the silence was awkward was an understatement and even though it made her jump, she'd never been so happy to hear the squeal of the tea kettle. "I'll get that." He offered weakly, gauging her reaction when he stepped toward her, brushing her shoulder lightly in passing to the small kitchen. Mina exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
She plopped back on the mat by the table, guilt beginning to nag at her for being so stand off-ish when he was being so nice. Khai was a musician as well as accomplished business man and most importantly the best kind of person. Considerate, generous, and still serious as hell if not a little bit quirky. He was Kunzite, and not Kunzite. Khai was a perfect mix of the old General's cold stoicism, Saito's charm and wit, and something so new that was purely Khai. Things that might have lined up with the old war beaten Commander had his life not been constantly balanced on the edge of the sword. There was a draw to him she couldn't deny lead by more than the fact he was gorgeous and exotic and far more interesting than guys like Dan who were a dime a dozen, and she'd dated her fair share of guys like Dan.
The wind howled against the building and she hoped the storm would calm soon, not seeming likely when thunder rumbled above and it sounded like a tree branch hit the side of the house. A weather advisory popped up on her phone, she heard it ring out from his in the kitchen as well, and she frowned at it. Severe weather was not on her side. Of course Usagi started a group text, she hated storms, and Mina took solace in the fact that she had Mamoru now to protect her from her silly fears but Usa was still sweet. Checking in to make sure they were all safe. Mina didn't tell her where she was, or who she was with.
Khai emerged shortly, placing the tray of tea and snacks on the table. She was glad he sat across from her instead of beside her. Mina took a breath, her lips parting to speak when wouldn't you know that her luck got worse when the power went out as soon as his butt hit the mat? Mina groaned, she couldn't help it, but sprung to her feet to shut the rattling front door and latch it from sliding open again. The light on her phone helped her find the lighter Rei always kept in the small dish by the entrance, and she ran into his brick wall of a chest when she turned to light the candles. His arms grasped hers before she could fall backward.
"Gods don't sneak up on me like that!" Mina gasped, lightly hitting his chest. He laughed a little, smirking down at her in the dim lights from their phones. His fingers lingered at her arms, trailing down the length in a motion so familiar, so old that it actually scared her. A loud crack of thunder made her jump a little, cursing under her breath and she shifted away, grazing her hand down his forearm to light the candles Rei kept for weddings or ceremonies she used the room for sometimes. Mina placed a hand on her chest, wondering why her heart was pounding so hard, why this energy between them was so different. She inhaled the fragrant tea when she sat back down, taking a small sip and smiled warmly, it helped ease her anxiety. Khai was gazing out the front window, watching the trees bend and listened to the wood groan. "Might as well have some tea, it's the best." She offered, grabbing a cookie and taking a large bite. Chocolate seemed to be her only friend today and it went well with the orange blossom tea.
Khai turned, exhaling something he seemed to be clinging to as well and he allowed his lips to quirk in a half smile that emphasized the dimple in his cheek. She could smell the spicy musk of his cologne or soap when he sat beside her this time and took a sip of the fragrant tea, visibly deflating some weight from his shoulders. "You're not kidding, that's really good."
"Thanks...I mean for everything." She smiled and took a drink of her own cup. The warmth hitting her perfectly in efforts to melt away the dismal aftermath of the day so far and Mina found herself folding her legs beneath her strategically, trying to ignore the dampened state of the thigh highs she wore without giving him a show in her short skirt.
"So... can I ask what happened?" The hesitation in his voice didn't suit him, as though he were afraid to talk to her the way they talked before. She felt guilty about it, like she'd pushed him away and stolen the hope she gave him that night Mina hadn't stopped thinking about for an instant. It was all still so new to her, to him. Like the nose ring, the silver hoop she'd stared at in fascinated wonder of the story behind it. Mina sighed, blowing through her bangs and considered not telling him but the rage she felt renewed after that horrid class just bubbled in her belly and in true Minako fashion she had to tell someone.
"I let Ami talk me into taking this stupid class and I just don't understand it. I tried but every time I read the textbook chapters they just didn't make sense to me. THEN oh my gods the LAB partner I was assigned is a total jerk. As if I didn't realize that I wasn't getting it and I'm probably just dumb and failing miserably he had the audacity to remind me every two seconds and make me feel worse! So what if I accidentally made mustard gas my second Lab and spilled some acid on his shoe? That's no reason to make someone feel bad about themselves. I guess I just had enough of feeling like an idiot." She crossed her arms and slumped her shoulders. Her bottom lip pouted slightly, and before Mina began to rant some more about the absent minded professor, she noticed he was laughing. "Excuse you Khai Zoltan I just had a really crumby day, I'm glad you find my frustrations hilarious."
"Woah Mina, I'm sorry... I'm not laughing AT you..." He held his hands up and smiled nervously. The laughter and smiles were so not him, and yet they suited him beautifully and she struggled to stay mad. This was better, this was what she wanted. Casual and natural, falling into place the way they had once she dragged him from the shell his tortured soul had trapped him in. "First..I'm shocked Ami would let you within ten meters of a Chemistry lab...I'm guessing that was the class, and second I just find it hilarious that you managed to make mustard gas. You probably wiped out half the school."
She almost laughed at the memory herself. Mina had been the first one out of the classroom before she realized what she'd done and Dan was stuck trying to diffuse the situation. She HAD wiped out half the school and became hero of the day because they had to air out the school for another day afterward.
"It was pretty funny I guess." She lowered her gaze and played with the hem of her skirt. "I'm tired of failing. Falling on my face every step, I'm at odds with everything. I can't even understand chemistry of all things." Mina rest her head in her hand, her eyes were closed tightly in refusal to accept the stinging pricks behind her eyes that made her feel even weaker.
"You understand love better than anyone on the planet." His fingers lifted her chin and she was forced to stare into his grey eyes that were always so steady, so commanding and sure. "You're one of the smartest people I've ever met Mina, I don't ever want to hear of anyone make you feel like less again. Chemistry is NOT easy even if it's base concept is fairly simple, a concept you know well even if you don't think you do. Don't beat yourself up over this."
"You don't know me anymore, for all you know I'm a fumbling idiot. In fact that's the perfect way to describe me." She felt her cheeks grow hot and she had to lick her lips because they felt dry. His gaze snapped to her mouth before meeting hers again, the candlelight dancing over his chiseled features and somehow making his grey eyes look green. Mina had to move her head to escape his fingers, the way her skin felt under his touch was distracting and she tried not to want more. "Besides, knowing about love isn't going to get you an A in chemistry, and don't give me that horse crap about love being nothing more than a chemical reaction. You and I both know there's so much more to it."
Her cheeks felt hotter, he was the last person she wanted to have THAT conversation with. Was she ready for those age old emotions? That little four letter word she labeled herself sovereign of? Was this a runaway train she had no power to stop? Mina knew he stared at her a moment and she refused to look back but he was leaning forward, his silver hair falling over his shoulder and she became distracted by it a brief moment, watching as his calculating eyes seemed to contemplate something.
"Chemistry is a lot like love, or human interaction. Different elements coming together to create something remarkable or ... make mustard gas." His smirk over his shoulder was charming and Mina almost choked on the tea she drank. "It's like love. Some people are meant to work together, others meet and carry on with life because they do nothing. Others are harmful or explosive."
"Explosive isn't always a bad thing." She found herself staring at him, and he stared back from over his shoulder. Mina didn't know what she was looking for in his grey eyes that were pale and reflected the cool colors of the room back at her. She cleared her throat when he shifted to face her better, leaning on the short table with one arm like a damned GQ cover. Mina felt the need to fill the awkward silence. "Anyway, thank you for your help today. You may have saved my drawings," She smiled and realized it was genuine, " but I am definitely breaking up with chemistry."
"Mina, may I test something?" Something about the way he said it made it harder to breathe. Everything about his demeanor, how he sat up and leaned toward her just slightly caused her hair to stand on end. Everything told her to say no.
"Sure..." Was what fell out of her mouth though she knew her eyes would tell a different story. They were full of fear. His face became a mask of determination and it became very clear what he meant to do the way he leaned in, the way the skin over her cheek seemed to come alive and tingle beneath the warm touch of his calloused fingers. His eyes were hard fixed on her mouth as he leaned closer and it allowed her to fully take in his face in all it's angles and to appreciated the well groomed way his pale silver hair framed his tanned complexion, the well formed mouth with lips parted to accept her own.
Her stomach clenched as though she were falling the second she felt his breath on her lips, his fingers tensing against her jaw to help urge her into him, and then they connected. It was a slow, simple kiss and yet she felt each blood cell in her body come to life all at once. Her brain began working overtime and yet each thought that came was gone instantly with the next press of their lips. Mina didn't have a clue how her hands ended up on his chest, fingers lightly gripping the lapels of his suit jacket. She could feel her palms grow a little sweaty, her lips tingling when they parted and her body seemed to go absolutely haywire because she didn't want it to stop and yet she didn't know if seconds or minutes had passed because time itself became irrelevant.
"What is it you were testing exactly?" Her voice cracked and sounded weak because truly it was a simple kiss but it had pulled the rug out from under her feet and his lips twitched as though he refrained from smiling. It wasn't like she could forget how gorgeous he was, but it had been long enough for her to forget how addicting he was. Mina had dreams of that mouth of his that would make a sex worker blush and she found herself wanting more. The danger of it was unspeakable. The romantic candle light, the storm raging outside, the old traditional Japanese shrine that was already beautiful and polished, the fact that they were stuck...
"Well...I was partially curious if you'd punch me. Glad to see that theory panned out...so far." He chuckled lightly, a sound that was foreign and she didn't want him to stop. She became distracted when he wet his lips again and his brows lifted just slightly. "How do you feel?"
"My heart... feels like it's about to burst out of my chest and run away.." She flushed and wiped her palms on her skirt nervously, "my palms sweat when I'm nervous and I seem to be having trouble catching my breath." It was an honest interpretation of how she felt and she was surprised and unnerved at how honest she was being with him when she couldn't even tell Usagi how she felt on a daily basis. He leaned in and kissed her again, briefly, but lingered closer to her. He ran his fingers through a bit of her hair and Mina swore she felt a tingle in her scalp to the root. "What is this?" She whispered, lost in the stormy color of his eyes. Like she didn't know.
"It's all chemistry Mina. Dopamine and cortisol reactions in your brain." She bit her lip, considering everything involved. The feelings rising from a time displaced so far from modern times initiated by his scent, his mere proximity making her entire body react from a mere kiss. Her brain went haywire and coherent thought lost in the feeling of unbridled want. Everything she felt when he kissed her the other night, weightlessness and freedom.
"Do tell me more about neurotransmitters of the prefrontal cortex." She rolled her eyes mockingly only serving to fuel heat behind his eyes when she whispered back to him. "You know it's a soul thing... something spiritual. Chemistry is only a symptom." Mina had never been a shy girl, so it was her that slipped her fingers below the sharp line of his jaw and pushed herself toward him on her knees to re-close the few inches between their lips. She felt hungrier, brushing his lip with her tongue and enjoying the raspy sigh that escaped him when his lips parted, slanting to invade her mouth with his. He shifted so his back could lean against the table in unison of her movements to crawl onto his lap with a whimper in her throat when his hands only pulled her closer. He slumped back completely as it turned into Mina trying to devour his lips making small notes about the slight five-o clock shadow peppering his jaw and how soft his hair felt in her fingers. She felt his hand rest on her thigh, just at the top of her stockings so his thumb could brush her bare skin and she realized she really had crawled on top of him. It felt like a dozen memories she'd only relived in dreams.
"What was that?" He sounded breathless as their lips parted but Mina made no move to get off of the businessman. She couldn't help but smirk, feeling smug at the dazed look in his eyes. There were no alarms to stop this this time, nothing to interrupt the current they were riding fueled by the electricity of the storm outside.
"I think you would call that an endothermic chemical reaction." He smirked as Mina planted a kiss at the corner of his mouth, and another on his dimple.
"Sounds dangerous." He muttered, catching her bottom lip with his teeth. She gasped, flushing and feeling mildly embarrassed for the reaction.
"Mmm... could be explosive." She was almost melted by the heat of his stare when he pulled her mouth back to his and she was fast to unbutton the suit jacket he wore, followed by the vest so she could explore him better through the thinner fabric of his shirt. Khai leaned forward a little to shrug out of the two top layers with her eager help, the heat of the temple beginning to seep into their skin. His hands went to her thighs, boldly slipping higher under her skirt to the very tops of her legs where the fingers massaged lightly in rhythm with their kisses. Explosive indeed, she was at the mercy of the most sinful mouth she'd ever kissed, his fingers digging in to the flesh so near to where she wanted him to touch her and yet she still felt the apprehension. She did certainly have a better appreciation for chemistry.
"Still having a bad day?" He breathed between kisses he placed across her jaw and trailed his lips down to her neck.
"I was having a bad day?" Mina's eyes rolled when he sucked on her pulse lightly and had to bite her lip to keep her moan light as she tilted her head back to urge him further. The rattling thunder and brief flashes of light seemed to add to the electricity, speech lost when she boldly rolled her hips closer to him, brushing the rather large, tight tent in his slacks. His growl was all it took for his hands to cup her bottom and pull her core into him again, for her hands to start tearing at the buttons of his shirt.
"Are we going to fast?" He gasped between the grinding of her hips and eager hands when they met the muscle of his bare chest. He was wild when she looked down at him, a familiar image of a man she knew so well and wanted more than anything this world had ever taken from her.
"We can stop... if you think we are." She bit her lip and searched his face, Khai sat up to kiss her again, sliding his hand up her back lifting her skirt only to let it fall back to cover her when his hands reached her waist. "I want you Khai, but if it's to fast for you-"
His mouth interrupted her, and she felt him shift beneath her, finding herself on her back against the mats and him pressed intimately between her thighs. Khai pushed the table away a little, the light clanking of glass telling her he'd probably spilled some tea in his haste. His hands pulled the grey long sleeved shirt she wore from her skirt and allowed her to sit up a little before he pulled it over her head with care that her long hair didn't get caught in it. Mina leaned forward to kiss the center of his chest while she reached behind her to unclasp her bra, tossing it aside before she fell back against the mats.
Her back arched into his hands, eyes alive in the candlelight when they ran lightly up her stomach to toy with the shell pink tips of her full breasts that peddled beneath his fingers despite the heat. Khai teased her with light touches followed by sharp pinches, enjoying that the plush round flesh was only slightly more than what would fit in his larger palms. One of his hands shifted up her thigh, resting at her hip so his thumb could brush and lightly tease through the cotton of her underwear. Her knees spread a little wider automatically, hips moving to try and increase the pressure of his light strokes that further aided in the saturation of the fabric from her arousal.
Mina gasped, canting her hips when his thumb finally slid beneath the fabric to the slick silk of her center. He was hard, she felt him pressing against the back of her thigh, gently rubbing against her in seek of his own pleasure. It was enough, and almost too much with each circle of his thumb around her swollen clit but she wanted, needed more. Her hips lifted, an invitation to remove her underwear that was gladly accepted. Khai seemed careful in their removal to not disturb her thigh high socks, or studious looking heeled oxfords she so loved. She bit her lip at his light moan when he brought his thumb to his lips to suck the remaining essence of her arousal from it, eyes searing into hers.
Khai shifted back a little, his eyes met hers as he lowered his head to kiss the flesh of her thigh between her skirt and thigh high sock . Mina licked her lips in anticipation, feeling his hands slide up the sides of her legs and under her skirt to pull her closer to him. His teeth nipped her, kissing up higher until she was certain her breathing was the wind beating the windows. Her skirt lifted, his eyes still locked onto her and so she nodded her affirmation, the first sweep of his tongue through her aching wet folds stealing any chance of going back for her.
Mina had always been a vocal lover, not a screamer really but her moans were breathy and for once her partner needed little direction because he seemed to remember most of what did it for her. What he wasn't sure of, her tightened fingers in his silvery hair confirmed for him. Her eyes rolled, he had her so close but his tongue made slow circles around the swollen bundle of nerves at her core and all she wanted to do was fall in to madness beneath his sinful mouth.
"Faster.." She breathed, gasping when he nipped at her command. He dipped his tongue into her and lapped upward making one last circle, sucking hard before he withdrew. She whimpered and sat up enough to pull him on top of her by the unbuttoned shirt left hanging on his shoulders to kiss him. She eagerly drank him in, savoring her own essence across his lips, moaning again when she felt his hand at her hip, his thumb stroking at her sensitive center. "I need you.." She gasped loudly against his lips and her hands fumbled to find his belt.
The words were too right, and true each life they were spoken. She needed him, and in their clumsy joint efforts to get his belt and pants undone Mina realized she was a fool to think she hadn't always wanted him by her side. Needed his steadiness to ground her chaos. She stroked him as soon as his pants and boxer briefs left his hips, her other fingers tracing the defined line of his hips that dipped downward, each vein in the upward curve of his cock, and she swirled the swollen head with the bead of moisture gathered there. She enjoyed his breathy moan, the light sound of her name on his lips and allowed him to push her back onto the mats beneath him. Her fingers tensed on his forearm when he pressed into her finally, gasping and tensing at his size as he stretched her in slow shallow thrusts. He wasn't a monster, but certainly much bigger than the average guy she'd been with.
"You okay?" He half growled, half moaned with his forehead pressed to hers, thrusting lightly until he was seated fully inside of her.
"Better than okay..you feel so good" She gasped with a roll of her hips that landed them into a heated rhythm. Her body gripped into him with each thrust, she could feel his stuttering breaths against her shoulder and would pause to kiss her, or turn his attentions to her neck or breasts when he got too close to coming. A normal man would have irritated her or pounded out his release without much worry for her own, but he knew how to keep her aroused and occupied and Mina appreciated a man who prolonged his own torment just to make sure his mate was satisfied.
Khai pressed her into the mat, not uncomfortably but so his body was flush with hers, sliding on sweat from the temple's heat so he could catch that angle that made her moan louder with each stroke of that sweet spot inside of her. So his pelvic bone could rub relentlessly at her core until her thighs began to shake and breathing became impossible. Gods he knew how to deliver her into oblivion like no one ever had. "Harder.." She moaned louder than she was accustomed to, praising his name to him when he delivered.
"Let me feel you come Mina, Gods you'll drag me with you, come for me goddess..." Khai breathed, moaned really, into her ear and that alone had her eyes closing and that coiling feeling in her core intensifying as his head dropped, lips dragging over her neck with distracted kisses. He thrust harder, and like clockwork her thighs began quivering, sliding on sweat along his sides when she tried to raise them up higher. She could feel his breathing become labored, he was a quiet lover but he moaned and she knew he wouldn't last, she didn't want him to.
"Please..." She urged, locking her eyes to his with a resolute nod that only served to fever his motions further. Her nails bit into his sides when her whole body seized in pleasure with intensity she'd never felt before and she pulled him closer in her struggles to breath in the drowning orgasm that had her pulsing almost painfully around him. He issued a loud gasp to the Gods and stilled as the hot rush of his release filled her further.
It took them several moments to come down enough to process any thought. The regret she thought might come, didn't and somewhere in the heat of their actions the storm seemed to calm to gentle patters against the roof. She felt lighter actually, spending the next moments with him connected at the hip and mouth before he slid from her slowly. Her hair was wild when she sat up, the table a disarray of spilled tea and saturated cookies shoved to the side at an odd angle and the other cushions in complete a disheveled pile. The rest was a line of her drawings which were dried by now and their crumpled clothing.
"I promise I didn't plan this..." He offered while he began to re-button his shirt and re-dress, leaving his vest and jacket off.
"I didn't plan on you, but here you are." Mina laughed lightly, sitting up to gather her clothes with care of not making a mess with the aftermath of their session beginning to seep onto her thighs.
"I'm afraid to ask, but is that a good thing?" His brow raised down at her while he re-buckled his belt. She didn't miss how he stared, awed by the wild image she made propped up on the mats they'd no doubt need to clean. Mina stood carefully, heading back toward the bathroom to clean up and gave him a smile.
"A very good thing, maybe the best thing?" She disappeared through the darkened hall with a lingering glance, leaving him to tidy up the room.
All was in order when she emerged, Khai was in the kitchen washing the dishes they barely got a chance to use and her portfolio was packed up for her, coat and scarf place neatly with her things. Gods he was such a neat freak.
"I'm reconsidering dropping that class..." She mentioned, leaning in the door frame of the kitchen. She could tell he was trying to not grin like an idiot like guys tend to do after hot sex with the woman he loves.
"That so?" He mused, wiping his hands on a towel. He was so very un-vanilla, she was grateful her soulmate wasn't just another Dan.
"I think I'm beginning to understand it better, chemicals and how they can react under the right circumstances." Mina grinned almost sheepishly. "Of course I think I have a pretty good tutor."
"I'd be happy to extend lessons... maybe after dinner?" Mina bit her lip, glancing over his face which was masked over with emotions and things that scared her but she was open to explore.
"Something tells me your lessons won't get me an A... " Khai chuckled and stepped toward her, pressing his lips to her forehead.
"Maybe not... but I can probably fumble through making a grade school volcano." Mina laughed, feeling something melt around her heart when his smile broadened bearing a charming white smile.
"Dinner would be nice..." She gazed up at him, his eyes so light and alive when he pulled her by the hand toward the door to get their coats. Her knees were still wobbly and Mina wondered if it was the aftermath of the sex or something purely in her soul telling her to melt into him, to ignore her doubts and idiotic theories about staying away. How could she now?
"You should maybe try just sticking to art?" He suggested, of all things she wasn't embarrassed about was the fact that he was the subject of more than one of the drawings. Mina punched him in the stomach playfully and rolled her eyes.
"Fine, I'll drop the class but that means you're fired as my tutor." She followed Khai back down the stairs toward the unrelenting rain. He gave her a hard look before he opened the umbrella and held it out for her to step under.
"You don't know what you're missing. Your loss I guess." He stayed so nonchalant but Mina knew to look for the twitch of his brow which suggested he struggled not to raise it or he would betray his own sense of humor. She found it was odd that she had spent so little time around him, but knew how to read his face perfectly.
"Oh don't think you're off the hook. I plan on diving into it much further. Plus I'll need an interesting subject for my art." Mina could feel the flush crawl over her cheeks when she found herself plastered to his side beneath his heavy arm. He never did re-button the jacket of his suit.
"Well I charge by the hour...and nudes cost extra." His lips twitched and Mina found herself leaning into his side, wrapping her arm around his waist with a laugh that felt more like herself.
"Hey buddy, throw a starving artist a bone." He chuckled then and she found herself closing her eyes, leaning against his side. It felt light as though the pieces floated into place instead of falling as the phrase would typically go. It felt right.
"I'm sure we can negotiate something." His lips brushed her forehead and Mina peered up at him. She realized what that unease she felt was as his arm tightened over her shoulder. It was happiness.
There was a lot of pain between them, but the love had been so much more potent than all that. All this time she reveled in dreams of him because that was all that was left. She longed and ached for him, knowing that the prophecy spoken over her heart when she was just a kid was self fulfilling because there was no one else but him to lift the darkness from her. No one else that could make her forget idiots like Dan, or the Professor that really didn't cater to his students, her failures and self doubt. She and Khai had history of both the darkest and most beautiful calibers and Mina was quickly reminded of how easy it was to talk to him, to sing, and how he always called her out on her bullshit and was quick to kiss away the burn.
Soulmate wasn't strong enough a word for them because they were more than lovers, and friends. They had a bond that extended far beyond the chemical synapses of the brain. Science had yet to dissect the intricacies of love but Mina knew every difficult and complicated corner of it and the way souls spoke to each other with the mind and body and loudest with the heart.
Love wasn't a mere chemical reaction- it was a chain of them coursing through someone's body at the sight of their lover. The way their skin heats beneath the touch of another soul and the sound of their voice causes irregular heartbeat and restricts breathing. How you crave that other person on every sensory level that exists, even after a short time without them. The way it feels like falling when lovers kiss and in moments like this that are so perfect that no matter the day you've had, you feel completely and utterly at ease.
Khai had been gone from her too long. She knew he'd been missing and she craved every inch of him but was content to be lost in his scent while they walked. He had a habit of making everything easier and making everything make just a bit more sense. Khai- or Kunzite once upon a time- was the other piece of her soul. Where she was chaotic, he was calm and he filled in every other gap between. Simply put- they had chemistry in spades and Khai had been the missing element all along.