(Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon)
(UPDATED: 5/18/09)
Once upon a time, in a kingdom like no other, on a planet so different from the rest, a young girl lived as a servant in her uncle's house. She was a beautiful girl, with long golden hair and bright blue eyes. As a child, she was a cheerful thing, loved dearly by her mother and father. Everyone who met her knew that she would live a wonderful life, for she never had any worries and she was kind to everyone.
Unfortunately, her happiness came to an abrupt end. Her father was assigned to attend the envoy, the ambassador of Venus, who was journeying to the Moon Kingdom to meet with the Queen Serenity. Her mother went along as well, invited by the ambassador herself. Their daughter was placed in the care of her mother's brother, until they returned from their mission.
But they never did.
"Minako! Minako, get your arse in here this instant!"
A middle aged man stood at the door to his manor, calling out for his servant. His aged face still showed signs that in his youth he was a handsome man. His shoulder length blonde hair was beginning to turn gray, and the alcohol he had learned existed in his youth glazed his eyes.
"Minako!" He took a few steps forward, searching the fields in front of him. Turning around, he gazed at the house again, searching the windows. "Whe'e is that damn gurl?"
Meanwhile, behind the manor in the woods, a beautiful young woman with long golden hair hid in a large tree. She continued to climb higher, shielding herself behind the green leaves. Although she was lovely, the years she had spent working as a servant had left scars on her fair skin, and her clothes were old and tattered. Her blue eyes searched frantically around her, looking for any sign of the man who was calling out for her.
"He's drunk again, as always," she whispered to herself. "But I won't let him get me this time." Finding a branch that could support her weight as high up as she was, she leaned against the trunk, her legs curled up against her. She wanted to remain as much out of sight as possible. "If I'm not quiet, Uncle will find me."
When Minako had first began to stay with her uncle while her parents were away, he treated her like a guest should be. She had a servant tend to her, and she never had to help around the estate. But, on her tenth birthday, when the news of her parent's death in the attack on the Venusian's envoy, her uncle had completely reversed her role. Because she was now a burden, he had told her, she would have to work for her meals and her bedding. At first, Minako had not minded. The other servants looked after her, teaching her how to cook and sew and clean. But after her uncle fell into debt, he could not afford to keep her new friends around. She, however, was not being paid, so Minako became the sole servant at the manor. He began to drink heavily, and Minako soon saw an even crueler side of her uncle.
"Minako! Whe'e are you, you stupid gurl?"
Minako looked down to find her uncle right under her tree. She held her breath, careful not to move a single inch. Because of the thick green on the tree, she could barely see him, and she prayed with all her might that he could not see her. She wasn't sure what would happen if he found her and caught her. Last time he had whipped her, just because he had felt like it at the time. Before that, he had locked her in the cellar for three days for running from him. She was more grateful to be locked in the cellar than submit to what he originally wanted of her.
When she was younger, it was harder to run from him, and so all she could do was cry. Crying, though, she found, would only bring about a beating. She tried fighting back her tears, and when she was finally older and stronger, she was able to outrun him. However, he always tended to find her in the end, and the longer she hid, the worse her punishment was.
Minako watched him disappear from view, and once she was sure she was in the clear, she slowly climbed down, avoiding as much noise as possible. She could see the river in the distance, and decided that today would be the day she would travel down, to escape this life that she had not chosen.
As her feet touched the floor, she felt fingers wrap around her ankle, pulling her onto her back. Before she could fight back, her uncle had pinned her down with his body. She struggled to get free, but his weight was too great. His face was just inches away from hers, and she was overwhelmed by the putrid scent of his breath.
"You sly li'le devil," he sneered, his eyes laughing at her. His left hand was wrapped around both of her wrists, and she realized her was tying them together with a rope in his right hand. His legs pinned her legs down just above her knees, preventing her from kicking him and causing a great discomfort to him. "You won't get away this time," he whispered, wrapping the end of the rope to the base of the tree. There was barely any slack in the rope, so her hands were held tight to the tree, and there was no hope of her being able to stand up.
He placed his feet on top of hers as he stood up, a painful experience for Minako, and he leaned over and tied two separate ropes to each ankle. He pulled tightly on them both, constricting her movements. "You thought you were clever, hidin' in the trees, didn't you?" He began to wrap the rope around her left ankle to a nearby tree. He made sure there was very little slack in it as he moved on to a tree that was close by but off to her right. "Too bad for you, though. Hidin' in the forest, with so many different places to tie you up. You can't fight me off if you're tied up." His drunken smile made Minako shiver all over, and she fought back the tears. As he tied the other rope to the tree, she found herself in a very vulnerable position, and she knew exactly what it was he wanted from her.
She closed her eyes as he removed his clothes, and she soon felt him touching her all over. She kept her eyes closed the entire time, biting her tongue to keep herself from crying. Tears would only bring more pain, and he would make it worse if she cried. When he had finished with her, he slapped her across the face, but she still kept her eyes closed.
"I told you not to do that, gurl," he hissed, smacking her again. "You'll stay out here the rest of the day for that."
When she opened her eyes and found him gone, Minako let the tears flow. "Somebody rescue me from this hell!"
At the mouth of the river, where it poured into the Venusian ocean, the castle of the king and queen of Venus stood. At night, the light of the planet Earth illuminated the castle and the village surrounding it and it's moon in the black sky. From one of the many windows of the castle, a man with whitish-blonde hair gazed down at the river. Nodding his head, he grabbed his cloak and wrapped it around him. Making sure the rope he had tied around the bedpost was secure, he climbed out of the window and slid down the brick wall until his feet touched the ground. Searching around to make sure no one had seen him, he ran across the grounds until he met the river.
Along the bank, fishermen's boats were tied to the dock. Finding a small one, he hopped into it and untied the rope. Making sure once again that no one had seen him, he pushed of from the dock, and slowly began rowing up stream.
The knocking at the door was loud and consistent, and Minako rushed to the door as fast as she could, or she would be scolded for waiting so long to answer it. Minako was tired from last night, not getting much sleep. Her uncle had left her tied in the forest all night, coming to get her late this morning. Apparently, he had forgotten about her in his drunkenness, and had remembered her only an hour ago. He was the most sober he could be, but he still stank of alcohol.
Minako opened the door, her head bowed low. She saw that the man's shoes were black, and his pants were part of the uniform of a royal messenger. His voice was soft when he spoke, but his tone revealed that he was in a hurry. "Where is the lord of this manor?"
"I'll go retrieve him, sir," Minako said, keeping her head low. She rushed off to find her uncle in his study, which was his most popular place to wallow in. He looked at her as if she was a black spot on his white shirt.
"What is it, girl?"
"There is a royal messenger who wishes to speak with you."
He immediately stood up, brushing past her. Apparently, he was hoping to hear good news from this man. Minako's uncle was once an imperial soldier, working under the king of Venus. As he grew older, however, he was forced into retirement and replaced by younger men. After that, he had started his drinking habit, which Minako suffered from day and night.
Minako stood in the hall, keeping her ears open to their conversation. She could only hear their murmurs, however, and after a few minutes, she heard the door open. Her uncle was at her side in an instant, his hand on her elbow. She was afraid he was about to hit her for trying to eavesdrop, but to her surprise, he kissed her lightly on the cheek and led her into his study.
"Minako, your uncle has been called back into the imperial guard. I will be leaving as soon as possible. It seems that the prince has disappeared, and they fear he was abducted."
"Are they sure he didn't run away?"
Minako flinched when he saw him raise his eyebrows raise at her opinion. "Do not speak unless you're spoken to." He sat down at his desk, searching through the papers on it and dropping the empty bottles on the floor. "Go to my room and pull out my uniform. I'll need to wear it. I'll be away for at least a week, they expect, so pack my things for my trip. If all goes well, I may have a steady position in the king's guard once again."
Minako bowed low, hiding the smile on her face. She was happy to hear that she would be alone. This would be a perfect time for escape. "I will go pack your things right now, my lord."
That evening, Minako's uncle had taken the only horse and ridden off into the sunset, towards the Venusian palace. As soon as he had been gone an hour, Minako gathered everything she had. Her possessions were few: two tattered dresses, a worn pair of shoes, and her mother's wedding dress, which she had taken from her uncle's room, where he kept it. Her mother had given it to her before she left, eight years ago, with the intention that Minako wear it on her wedding day.
Putting her belongings in an old sheet, she tied it together and headed for the woods. It was beginning to grow dark, and the night sounds of the forest began to appear. Minako was not too worried about the noise, though. After spending the other night out here in the woods, she grew accustomed to the creatures' voices. She tuned them out and focused on the sound of running water.
As she traveled further away from the manor, Minako came upon the old apple grove that had been planted years ago. With the dismissal of the servants after her uncle went into debt, Minako was surprised and delighted to see that the trees were in full bloom and heavy with fruit. Deciding to take some apples with her to eat on her journey, she sat her satchel down and started to climb up one of the trees. The apples were bright red, and Minako couldn't resist eating one then.
As she bit into the juicy flesh of the fruit, another crunching sound came from the shrubbery near the grove. Fearing that it was her uncle, come back to find her gone, Minako curled up against the trunk of the tree to hide herself. The footsteps were far apart, and Minako could tell that the person was walking softly and slowly, as if sneaking up on her.
Before long, the noise was right under her, and she could see a head of white hair below her. The leaves blocked her view of the man's face, but she felt for sure it was her uncle. As he began to climb up the tree, she threw the apple down with all her might. It landed right on his head, breaking at contact, and he fell out of the tree onto the ground with a loud 'thud.'
Taking the opportunity, Minako leapt out of the tree and landed on her feet, grabbing her satchel and running toward the river without looking back. Pushing her way through the brush, she slid down the slope into waist deep water.
"What luck!"
Beside her, Minako found a small boat tied to a tree. It bobbed up and down in the water from the splash she had made, and she waded over to it. She tossed her bag in it and used her arms to pull herself up. As her legs left the ground, she heard another splash and a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist.
"Let me go!" she screamed, kicking and thrashing wildly.
"That's MY boat!" another voice yelled back.
Minako was startled that it wasn't her uncle, and she suddenly stopped kicking. Whoever it was that was holding her kept pulling her away, though, and he slipped on the pebbles in the water. The two of them went into the river, Minako still held tightly.
She felt his arms release her as she struggled to reemerge above the water. She stood up, coughing for air, and moaned at her appearance. "I'm soaked!" Remembering that her attacker was still close by, she made her way back to the bank, and scurried up it before he could grab her again.
He was standing up now, looking just as wet as she was. His long, white-blonde hair clung to his face and neck, dripping water down his chest. His white shirt was half open, revealing his muscular chest, which was being covered with water from his hair. His green eyes, however, were giving her such a piercing gaze. He glared at her, as if he was blaming Minako for his appearance.
"You hit me with an apple and then try to steal my boat. Do you know that is treason?"
Minako looked at him, as if daring him to administer it himself. "Who are you to punish me? The king of Venus?"
He started to open his mouth to reply, but then seemed to change his mind. "No, I'm just a commoner."
"Besides," Minako continued. "You attacked me. My master would hold you accountable for rape." In her mind, she thought how ironic that would be if her uncle really did that.
"I wasn't trying to rape you!" he defended himself. "I just wanted something to eat. Those apples were so appealing."
"Then you were stealing," Minako replied, smiling at him rather contently.
"You were stealing my boat."
"I didn't know it was yours."
They stared at each other for a while, trying to determine who would make the next accusation. Minako started to become uneasy by the silence between them, and wondered if she would be able to get up and walk away without any trouble. The sun was beginning to set, and soon it was going to be cold. She didn't want to be out in the open air with wet clothes, and she wanted to put some distance between her and the manor.
"What's your name?"
Minako was surprised at this question. She raised her eyebrow, suspicious of his reason for asking. "Are you going to turn me in?"
"No. It's not even my boat. I stole it from someone else."
Minako couldn't help but laugh. "So I wasn't stealing your boat, was I?" She stood up and started to walk along the bank upstream.
"Where are you going?" The man jumped into the boat and started to row slowly after her. "It's rude not to introduce yourself.'
"You haven't given me your name, either. Besides, I don't have time to converse. I need to get away from here."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him smiling. She noticed how handsome he was when he did so. "You're running away, too?"
Minako stopped and turned towards him. "I see I'm not the only one, then." She saw her bag sitting in the boat. Remembering that her mother's dress was in there, she immediately stuck out her hand. "Would you give me my satchel, please?"
He turned and saw it, and his smile grew wider. "Not till I get your name."
Minako glared at him, and continued to walk on.
He continued to follow her in his boat, and he started to examine her. She was a lovely thing, enough to make a man's blood heat and eventually explode. With her wet clothes clinging to her body, he could tell that he was becoming a victim of such an erotic thought. But he realized her clothes were dirty and torn, and deducted that she was a servant, or even a slave. Her skin was fair, but also covered with many scars. He became angry at the thought of a man hurting such a woman instead of giving her love. Perhaps that was why she was running away.
"My name is Kimishii. And you're right: I am running away."
Minako stopped, taking a deep breath. "Minako. My name is Minako."
"After the Goddess of Venus? It suits you well. You are rather lovely."
Minako frowned at him. "I don't care what I look like. I'd rather be an ugly, wrinkled woman than look like this."
Kimishii was shocked. "But why? I know many women who could only dream of looking like you."
Minako wrapped her arms around herself, feeling very uncomfortable. "What is it you want?"
Kimishii, seeing the discomfort in her body language, suddenly shook his hands back and forth in front of him. "No! I don't mean to seem like that. I mean, you are lovely, and being a man I find you attractive, but I'm not someone who forces myself upon a woman."
Minako finally met his eyes, and she found truth in them. "Then what?" she said softly.
"Well, I can tell you're anxious to get away from here, and walking can only take you so far." He rubbed at his neck, a sure sign of his nervousness. "I've been lonely, traveling by myself, and would appreciate a companion. Just for traveling, mind you."
Minako kept her eyes locked to his, and determining that he was being honest, nodded her head. "I'd appreciate that."
Kimishii rowed over to the bank and held onto the bushes as Minako climbed into the boat and sat across from him. Pushing off, he picked up the oars and began to row upstream once more. "I can take you as far as Utopia, mind you. That's where I'm going to."
"Utopia! That place is a den of thieves and murderers." Minako suddenly felt like jumping out of the boat, frightened by the thought of traveling with a dangerous man.
"That's true, but there they don't care who you are, what your status is, or what you've done. It's a place to start over." His eyes drifted away, and Minako wondered what it was he was running from.
"Start over?"
Kimishii nodded his head. "My life is one I did not choose. I've heard stories about Utopia, where convicts and other rebels can go to escape their punishment, where many have started a new life as a new person."
"Wasn't Utopia the first colony?" Minako asked, letting her fingers run through the water as they pushed their way against the current.
"Yes. It was founded on the idea of a perfect planet, where the law was not necessary and there was peace and prosperity. But society cannot live without rules. So Utopia has become a neutral city, with no governor, and it's citizens may be thieves, but they are welcome to runaways and renegades."
Minako looked back from him to the water. She thought about where else she could go, but could think of nothing. The thought of people not caring who she was was a welcome idea. If they did not turn her in to her uncle, she could start her life over in Utopia, just like Kimishii.
"I'll go to Utopia with you."
