Kunzite watched the blond young woman, his eyes narrowed. She had been like that the entire ball, laughing, smiling, gaily accepting dances asked of her. Every often, the tinkle of her laugh could be heard over the noise, almost like a tiny bell being rung. Currently, she was laughing up at her dance partner, a debonair man with dark brown hair and a ready smile.
Kunzite decided he hate that man.
When he saw her raise her arms to place them on the man's shoulders, he decided he had enough, and stomped off towards the balcony. Clutching the railing, he took a few steadying breaths, as though the air he was breathing could steady the slight shaking of his fingers.
"What's the matter, Kunzite?" He should've known Endymion could sense his frustration.
"Nothing, Your Highness, nothing at all."
Endymion's lips twitched to a smile. "When you call me 'Your Highness', it's usually a sign that you're upset. Now, are you going to tell me, or do I have to read your mind to find out?"
Kunzite looked at his liege with horror. "You wouldn't!"
"Try me."
Kunzite's eyes narrowed. "Fine. It's about... A girl."
Mamoru smiled again. He couldn't remember a time when Kunzite actually showed attraction to anyone. "To whom?" Kunzite remained silent. "Is it to a commoner? I promise I would accept her as your..."
"She's not a commoner!" Kunzite burst out. "She has grace and beauty. Her breeding shows in her actions, as she..."
"Okay!" Endymion said, holding up his hands. "Could it be one of the senshi?" Noticing Kunzite's reddened cheeks, Endymion's smile turned into a full-fledged grin. Trust Kunzite to pick a woman who could actually beat him up! "Could it be Mars?"
"No, too volatile."
"Mercury?"
"Too quiet."
"Jupiter?"
"Are you kidding? She could break every bone in my body if I said something that offends her!"
"So... Venus?"
If it was even possible, Kunzite's cheeks reddened even more.
"So it is the lovely princess Venus!" Endymion exclaimed, chuckling. At Kunzite's glare, he held up his hands again. "I'm not laughing at you. I mean, I don't blame you. I'm just saying, you're going to be having a lot of rivals."
"What did I expect? She's the Goddess of Beauty," Kunzite said broodingly. "What can a mere earth general offer?"
Endymion shook his head in disbelief. The chief of his staff, the man who was capable of raising and leading an army against various enemies, was afraid? "That's not like you."
"Yeah, well, I don't feel very me right now, and don't even think about telling Jadeite and the others," Kunzite said, more than a little grumpily. "How did you do it with the Princess Serenity, Endy?" He asked suddenly, after a moment of silence. "From what I heard, she had a lot of admirers too."
"I don't know, myself," Endymion said, wonderingly. "All I know is that she chose me and..." Suddenly, his lips turned into a grin again. "Kunzite, I don't think you should be too worried."
"Huh?" Turning around, he expected to see Endymion smirking at him. Instead, he saw the top of a blond hair, with a bright red bow perched on top of it.
"Hi! Can I join you?" The perky princess of Venus looked at him, smiling expectantly.
"Oh... Er... I... Um... Sure?" Kunzite stammered.
Venus giggled. "Are you nervous?" She asked playfully.
"No!" Kunzite denied, but the squeak that burst from his lips betrayed him.
At this, Venus laughed outright. "Don't tell me Prince Endymion's chief general's scared of a puny girl!"
"I'm not scared! It's just..."
"Just what?"
"Nothing."
Minako sighed, half in annoyance, half in amusement. "Are you always this tight-lipped?"
"No."
Minako rolled her eyes. This wasn't going to be easy.. "Do you want me to leave?"
"No!"
"Then why aren't you talking to me?"
"Well... I..."
"You...?" Minako prompted.
"Look, you make me nervous! You're so
pretty and nice and I..." Kunzite blabbered, not really sure of
what he was saying anymore."Really? You think
so?" Minako giggled delightedly. "Thanks!" Argh!
"Well, if it makes you feel better, I think you're cute, too."
"What?" Kunzite couldn't believe his ears.
"Yeah. And strong. I mean, you should be strong, right? You are leading the Shitennou?"
"Well, I..."
As they talked, Endymion watched with a grin. The two didn't even notice him standing from the side. He hoped Kunzite would find the same happiness that he had with his princess. Turning around, he went back to the ballroom. Time to find Serenity and tell her what happened. She would be pleased.
