January 18, 621
Minako awoke in the morning and found herself alone in Kunzite's bed, still naked and covered only with a sheet. The sun was not very high on the horizon telling her it was still early. She allowed herself to linger for a bit longer before moving from the bed, keeping the sheet wrapped around her body. A glance around the room showed that her wet dress from last night was gone as were the towels and any other indication of their dash through the rain.
As she walked around the bed, she noticed that a fresh dress had been laid out for her on the bench seat at the foot of the bed. She couldn't help but to blush wondering when the dress had been brought in and what she had looked like when it happened. Hopefully it had been Kunzite who had brought the dress into the room, but by the way that it was laid out, she had a feeling that it was Rebecca.
As she reached for the dress she saw that a note had been left folded on the bodice. She knelt down and picked up the paper, noticing its heavy weight. When she unfolded the note, a pendant fell out into her hand.
Not only a gift, but a promise.
The pendant was raindrop shaped with circles overlapping within and inlayed with diamonds. Minako turned her hand and held the pendant next to the ring she wore on her thumb noticing the similarities in the design.
Dressing quickly in the simple dress, she slipped from Kunzite's room and down the stairwell. She contemplated what she would do - where she would go. Kunzite most likely had left for the day. Rebecca would know his schedule, but Minako was not eager to see her so soon after having been caught in Kunzite's bed. She knew that the woman would not pass judgement on her. If anything, Rebecca seemed forgiving of most sins. Still, the young blonde felt unsure of herself, afraid of passing looks she received from the house staff even though they were only offering her polite greetings.
Did anyone notice that she did not return to her room last night? Were they seen out in the gardens for what must have appeared to be a midnight tryst? Worse, was anyone talking about what she had done earlier yesterday? Kunzite warned her of house gossip.
The sound of giggling caught Minako's ear and she spun to find the source. Two young maids stood in the corner, their heads close together. Minako could feel the flush growing across her cheeks when she noticed the one maid had been playfully tapping at a mark on the neck of the other. Her hand rose up to her own and she prayed that she did not have anything marring her skin.
Just thinking of such a thing made her stomach flutter as her mind flashed back to Kunzite's mouth on her body, his lips dancing across her skin. It was surely her inexperience that made her blood rush, although it was his experience that made her fear that last night had not been anything worthwhile to him at all.
She shoved her fears deep down inside of herself, along with all her reasonings for allowing him to bed her. He never needed to know what words pushed her into his arms. He never needed to understand.
Stepping out into the warm sun, Minako made her way out to the stables where she was sure she would find little company. Kunzite's horses were housed in a separate stable from the other soldiers that lived on the grounds. A couple of his highest ranking men were allowed to share in this space as well as anyone visiting from the palace. Otherwise the area was to be completely off limits.
She walked into the shaded area of the stables and asked the stableboy to retrieve the mare that had been gifted to her by Kunzite. There was no doubt that the nearly pure white horse had cost a small fortune for her breeding and rare coloration.
When the stableboy returned with the mare, she offered him a gold coin in thanks. As he moved to pass on the reins to her, the horse began to kick its legs in irritation, rearing up as it snorted. The boy tried to regain control of the horse, pushing Minako away.
Her eyes went wide and she froze in place. An arm wrapped around her waist and forcefully pulled her away, spinning her away from where the mare stomped its feet. She curled in on herself, unsure of where she stood in proximity to the stomping horse. When she heard the frantic snorts turn into soft blowing sounds followed by deep sighs, she allowed herself to look up.
The mare appeared calm now, her nostrils still flaring, but no longer moving about. A treat slipped into her mouth by the stableboy.
"Take her back to her stall and don't mention to anyone what happened," a commanding voice said from behind Minako.
She looked over her shoulder, following the length of arm around her waist to see the owner behind her.
The blond soldier from the other night looked down at her as though he had forgotten she was there. "There was a snake that spooked your mare," he said, turning his back on her to grab his horse's reins, busying himself with adjusting the saddle.
Minako looked over to where a snake now lay dead, a small dagger through its head. "Thank you."
"My only other option was to let you get trampled. I can't imagine that would have gone without punishment."
"Should we continue to pretend to not know each other then?"
He froze his motions, body stiffening at her words. "Kunzite will not allow for us to be friends. You are not to befriend any of his soldiers and I especially am no exception."
Her eyes looked over his uniform, the color and style so similar to Kunzite's own. "We were friends once."
He looked around to ensure that they were still alone. "Do not say that out loud." He grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the entrance towards an empty stall. A whimper escaped her lips at the contact. "Why did you call me Jadeite?"
"Because you clearly were pretending to not know me, so I pretended to not know you. Why did your friends call you Dâni?"
"Only Taka does. It's a stupid name."
"And what name should I call you by?"
"You would do best to use Dâni."
"How did you end up here?"
Adonis snorted. "Luck it would seem. Have you told Kunzite?"
"No. We don't really...he usually..." she stopped and shook her head. "I hope that I didn't get you in trouble for the other night."
"He's said nothing to anyone. I heard that he had words with you though."
"I'm fine," she said, her voice dropping. She could see him shift his weight as though he would reach out to touch her, but he didn't. "You're one of his top soldiers, surely he wouldn't mind if-"
"I am no one," he said, cutting her off. He grabbed the reins of his horse and led the stallion towards the open stable doors. As he reached the entrance he paused and looked back at the distraught girl.
"Have I done something to offend you?" she called after him.
He sighed and hooked the reins of his horse to the wall and walked towards her. "Kunzite and I have a very tenuous relationship. His attentions are fickle but he always remembers." His eyes looked to the pendant around her neck one more time and he took another step towards her. "Can I be honest with you?"
Minako took a small step back, her lips parting in surprise at how close he moved towards her. "I suppose."
"He is gifted with a tongue of silver and knows how to deceive with it. He lives for the chase. You are not the first that he has promised the world to."
"Is it your intention to make me feel like a fool standing here?" she asked.
"Perhaps I am the bigger fool for speaking in the first place. I only meant to warn you against wearing your heart on your sleeve the way that you do."
Minako took another step back and shook her head. Her lips parted to speak, but no words would come out.
"I'm sorry," Adonis said, turning his back to grab the reins of his horse.
~~~(O)~~~ (&) ~~~(O)~~~ (&) ~~~(O)~~~
Nearly a week passed before Minako came across Kunzite for more than a few moments in passing. Often when she saw him he was flocked by other officers under his command or some member of his staff he was giving instructions to. Usually he would offer her a smile if not a few words. In his less harried moments he would pull her away and brush her lips with his. The moments were brief, yet intimate for what they were.
Minako had not wanted to pursue Dâni's claims any further. His words had stung her deeply, telling her that she was little more than companionship for a short time. If she hadn't had the same thoughts upon her arrival, Dâni's words probably wouldn't have stung nearly as much as they did.
Kunzite had told her the story behind their engagement. That he had no intentions of forcing her hand in their union. That marriage was her choice. While he wasn't right on either hand, it was her choice whether or not she wanted him.
And after their previous night of intimacy together? She wanted him. Her uncle would be horrified that she could put aside all that had been done over one night. He would perhaps be even more horrified that there had been a night at all.
Her father would not be proud of how she found herself close to the general, but he would be proud to know that she had done all that she could to ensure this marriage happened. If his ever accumulating mountain of messages was not evidence of his belief in her ability to fail, she didn't know what was.
She would have felt more confidence in her place here if it had not been for Dâni's words. Underneath that handsome face and hard body, Kunzite did possess a poet's tongue. Everything he said made her believe that he could want her the way he claimed. His words were enough to make her wonder how deeply she could fall for him.
But then she would again hear Dâni's words and fear that maybe he did know Kunzite well enough to be right. And what of the woman - Esmeraude - that he didn't choose? Did he not love her? Or did he tire of her?
The way that Kunzite had so quickly shut down that conversation between himself and Endymion led her to believe that there was something worse than anyone would admit to.
~~~(O)~~~ (&) ~~~(O)~~~ (&) ~~~(O)~~~
When Kunzite finally had a free evening, they had dinner together. Much of the staff remained out of sight throughout their meal. Minako couldn't help but to wonder if he had instructed everyone to avoid making their presence known to prevent any interruption to their time together. Perhaps, she mused, she was excessively romanticizing the evening and she had just failed to notice anyone else's presence in the room.
"May I ask you something?" she said as the remaining dinner plates had been cleared from the table and they found themselves alone once more.
Kunzite leaned back in his seat, fingers splayed across the base of his wine glass. "You may ask me anything."
She studied the look on his face. Shadows played across his features, accenting the definition of his cheekbones. "But you will not answer everything."
His lips pulled into a wry smile. "Is there no question that I could ask you, that you wouldn't want to answer?"
Minako shifted in her seat and recrossed her legs at the ankle. "I don't know that there is anything so bad that you could ask me."
"Then may I ask you something?"
She smiled coyly in response. "You may ask me anything."
Kunzite's fingers tapped on the glass of his cup causing it to slide forward ever so slightly. His long fingers moved over the base of the glass and slid it back towards him. "Who was he?"
Minako leaned back in her chair, eyes dropping to the table. He would ask her the one question that she couldn't answer. "Why would you ask me about that?"
"I suspect he wronged you."
"And what if he did?"
"I would make it right and see him punished."
"He was someone that even you would not be able to touch."
"There is no one that I cannot reach."
"Have you been engaged before?" she asked, shifting their discussion.
Kunzite watched her, his eyes studying her, debating his next response. "No," he finally answered.
"Have you been in love?"
"That's two questions. You asked for one."
"It was a precursory question."
"Ah, you can understand my confusion then," he joked as he took a sip of the deep burgundy colored wine.
"Is this a question that you will not answer?"
"It's not a fair question."
"It's a simple question."
"No."
"'No' it's not a simple question or 'no' to being in love?"
"Once. I was a fool."
Minako shifted in her seat again and brushed an imaginary strand of hair from her face, her eyes watching his fingers tapping against the base of the wine glass. "The woman before me, did you love her?"
"She was no one."
"Esmeraude was her name?"
"What is it that you want to know, Minako? What type of affair did she and I have? What about the other women that came before her? There was once a stable maid that I kissed when I was a boy of eight years. My father later gave me one of the worst beatings of my life over it. He said I was tarnishing our breeding standards. Would you like to know about her as well? We both know that your question is not really what you are asking."
"I had heard talk of her."
"You know what makes her specter so interesting? Because there was nothing interesting about her. She was no one. A woman in passing who I would sooner forget than spend another minute thinking about."
"Did you mourn for her?"
Kunzite pushed his drink away and sat up in his seat. Minako could feel herself shrinking back from the look in his eyes. "I am a soldier, Minako. I have watched the light fade from peoples' eyes, more often than not, at my own hand. Maybe you don't see me for what I am, but a man doesn't ascend to my rank without leaving stains on his hands that even lifetimes later will never wash away. Mourning is not always something that I can afford to give."
Before either could speak another word, the sound of knuckles rapping on the doorframe interrupted them.
"Rebecca said that you were occupied," an unfamiliar man's voice said, "but I didn't realize you were busy with company."
"What's so important, Jadeite?" Kunzite asked.
Minako turned in her high backed seat and looked over her shoulder. Standing in the entryway was a trim man with shaggy blond hair and startling blue eyes. He wore a uniform identical to Kunzite's indicating his rank as General. Their eyes met and he smiled at her.
"Ah," Jadeite said, "you must be Minako. Serenity's cousin." He stepped further into the room and bowed at the waist in Minako's direction. "I am Jadeite, fellow servant to the crown. We've seen each other but I don't think we've met."
"Minako LaRue," she said softly, her eyes looking to Kunzite.
"Jadeite?" Kunzite asked, his eyebrow raised in question.
"We have a...problem that needs to be discussed. Posthaste of course."
"Of course," Kunzite said wryly, rising from his seat. He offered his hand to Minako and she took it as she stood as well. His head tilted down towards her and murmured so that only she could hear his words. "Regardless of who you or I were a few months or even years ago has no bearing on today. We both have our own skeletons in closets that we would like to keep buried. Leave them there."
Minako pulled her hand from his. "Good night then." She turned to face Jadeite and wished him a good evening as well before walking from the room.
"She is nearly a doppelgänger for her cousin," Jadeite said once Minako had left the room. "Does Endymion worry that you might be competition for his own bride?"
"Fortunately Serenity is safe from the scandal," Kunzite joked.
Jadeite sat down in Minako's seat, stretching his legs out in front of him and placing the heel of one booted foot on top of the other.
"What brings you here, Jadeite?" Kunzite asked, sitting in his own chair.
"There was a skirmish on the Northeast border. Some of Nephrite's soldiers stopped a traveling troupe. The men claimed that they were passing through and that their caravan contained performers. For one reason or another, something seemed off and they decided to look through the carriages. Needless to say, there were no jugglers to be found."
"Casualties?"
"Two of Nephrite's, all of theirs. I was told that they all went down fighting and refused to be taken."
"Did they find anything useful?"
"Some weapons, black cloaks, some articles of clothing."
"Shouldn't Nephrite be giving report and sending the family of the deceased condolences?"
Jadeite dropped his feet flat on the ground and leaned forward. "This is where it gets interesting though. One of the men, as it turns out, was able to escape. He took off on horseback and nearly went unnoticed. As he fled, his horse fell and broke his leg."
"The horse's leg or the soldier's?"
"I'm guessing the horse's. Apparently the horse made a ruckus and the guy was found laying on the ground. He was holding his guts in as best he good, but was pretty delirious when they found him."
"Is he dead now?"
"They took him for medical care, but I suspect that he won't survive if he hasn't passed already."
"So he's useless to us."
"He said that we're too late to stop Danburite."
"Who's Danburite?"
"I don't know. My gut tells me their leader."
Kunzite paused. "Was that a joke?"
Jadeite smirked. "Unintended."
"Take me to see him."
"He's probably dead by now. No one survives injuries like that."
"I'll take my chances." Kunzite rose from his seat. "Where is Zoicite?"
Jadeite stood as well, smoothing out his uniform. "He's away with Endymion until tomorrow. I'll make sure he's made aware when he returns."
"No, I'll talk to him. He and I will take some soldiers and head up that way when he returns and see what we can find. Someone must have seen where they were coming from. In the meantime, let's see if this man still lives."
"Nephrite has sent out a few of his scouts to rendezvous with his soldiers to retrace their steps."
"Good. We'll depart now."
~~~(O)~~~ (&) ~~~(O)~~~ (&) ~~~(O)~~~
Kunzite returned home in the early hours of the morning. The sun was still low on the horizon and dawn's fog covered the ground leaving everything coated in a sheen of dew.
After leaving his horse in the hands of the stable boy, Kunzite made his way through the halls of his home, boots heavy as he trudged up the stairs. The night had been long and the only thing he craved in that moment was the comfort of his bed and the couple of hours of sleep he would be able to afford himself.
He opened the door to his room, kicking his boots off in the foyer area. Not bothering to remove his uniform or even sword belt, he dropped prone onto his bed, sleep overtaking him.
Warm lips pressed against Kunzite's throat, rousing him and bringing him to the brink of consciousness.
Two women smiled down at him, one with brown hair the color of caramel and the other with wild red hair and piercing green eyes. The darker haired woman leaned forward and kissed him before he could say anything. "If you want us to go, we can leave, but I just thought," she kissed him again, "that you might," and again, "want some company." She reached across him and pulled the red haired woman's lips to her own, slowly running the tip of her tongue over the edge of the other woman's bottom lip.
Kunzite's hand reached out as he whispered the woman's name, "Esmeraude." The other woman, with flowing red hair, placed her hand on his cheek turning his eyes to face her. "Esme was always so kind at sharing," she whispered, red lips pursed seductively.
He awoke suddenly, his eyes darting open as he took in the sights of his room around him, daylight filling the darkened room of his dream. It had been weeks and he had never once had her haunting his dreams. Perhaps it was his conscious letting him know that his words over dinner with Minako were too harsh, although not entirely undeserved. He could feel his body tensed at such a vivid reflection of that memory. Esmeraude had been many things but it was her ability at seduction that had drawn him in so tightly from day one.
He sighed heavily, angry at himself for dreaming of an affair past.
From out in the hall, Kunzite could hear the sound of a door opening and closing with practiced softness. He slid out of bed, his tired muscles protesting with every movement.
In the foyer he found Rebecca bringing up breakfast and a handful of folded parchment papers with various wax seals coating them. Red for Jadeite, green for Nephrite, blue for Zoicite, gold for Endymion, white from the North, orange from the South, and many other combinations of colors and symbols - all indicating the letters' importance and requirement to keep or destroy upon reading.
"Good morning, my Lord," Rebecca said, dipping her head in brief acknowledgment as she continued moving around.
"Rebecca," Kunzite grunted in response as he walked towards the washroom to splash water on his face and rinse the morning taste from his mouth. When he finished, Rebecca was waiting for him in his office, a letter in her outstretched hand. "What is this one?"
"There are two," she answered, and separated the two stacked letters. "One from your battle commander and the other from our Prince."
Kunzite frowned as he took the first letter and scanned the contents quickly. When his eyes reached the bottom of the page, he crumpled the letter in his fist. "Who gave you this to deliver to me?" Kunzite asked. "This is clearly not his handwriting."
"Your battle commander had his assistant drop it off."
"This is mostly nonsense. She didn't take dictation and most words are spelled wrong."
"She was a shy, pretty thing. I suspect that the word 'assistant' is really just a formality."
"Clearly putting his wages to good use," Kunzite grumbled, his eyes again scanning the contents of the wrinkled letter in his hand. He placed the letter on the desk and picked up a pen, scribbling a quick note at the bottom 'deal with this'. He refolded the paper and handed it to Rebecca. "Seal this and have it delivered to Adonis. He can make sense of this nonsense. Where is Endymion's letter?"
Rebecca handed him the gold embossed letter, watching as he broke the seal with his thumb and read over the looping scroll that she recognized as Zoicite's. "Is that the wrong seal on the letter?" she asked.
His eyes continued to read and re-read the letter, not responding to her.
"Master Kunzite?" she asked, her voice louder this time.
"There were rebels found in the capital. Six guards were killed," Kunzite finally answered, his voice low.
"In the capital? I don't think we've ever had an attack in the capital."
Kunzite crumpled the letter. "We haven't." He rubbed his hand over his jaw. "I'm going to be away with Jadeite the next couple of days."
"You should have breakfast before you go," she said, gesturing to the plate that she had placed on the table.
"I've lost my appetite." He turned and walked into his bedroom, shaking his head and thinking about the paper still clutched in his hand. These rebels appeared out of nowhere with no declared leader and no demands or wants. How do you fight a group that has no purpose?
As he entered his room, he began grabbing spare uniforms and shoving them into a saddle bag. It was poor timing that was sending him away when he clearly needed to be home.
But fate was what she was.
"I didn't mean to impose if you're busy," Minako said, interrupting his thoughts as she knocked on the open door to get his attention.
"It's fine," Kunzite said. "I'm packing for a short trip."
"Rebecca said you'd be gone for a few days," she responded her voice soft.
"Was there something that you wanted?" Kunzite asked the blonde girl after several moments of silence, his voice noticeably brusque.
"No."
His eyebrow quirked as he looked at her quizzically. "No?"
"Yes," She paused, "but no, it's nothing. Nothing that can't wait anyway."
"I need you to stay here for the next few days. No traveling, no wandering away from the grounds." He pressed his lips to her forehead as he moved to walk around her from where she stood in the doorway.
"Why?"
He turned to look at her. "Did you have travel plans?"
"No."
"Then my request should come at no inconvenience." He turned to walk down the hallway towards the washroom.
"Just because I had no intentions of going anywhere doesn't mean that you shouldn't tell me why you are making your request," Minako called after him as she followed him down the hall.
"So if I had said nothing you would have been happier?" he asked her, unbuttoning his shirt to reveal the smooth skin of his defined chest and abdomen.
"That's not what I said." Her eyes followed him as he moved across the room, discarding his cape and shirt onto a chair against a wall.
"Were you planning to follow me into the bath?" he asked, nodding his head towards the large tub that was full with hot, steaming water.
Her cheeks reddened and she shook her head. "That's not why I'm here."
He pulled his belt free of the pant loops and laid it over his shirt before pulling at the laces that held his pants closed at his waist. "Are you going to continue to stand there and watch me then?"
Somehow her cheeks reddened even further and she turned away from him. "When are you leaving?"
"After I wash up," he responded, his voice regaining some of its brusqueness. "I'm waiting on Jadeite."
"Is everything okay?" she asked, turning back around to look at him and watching as he slid into the water, his back turned to her. Both thankful for the loss of the distraction of his body and disappointed to have lost her view of him, she moved to sit on the ledge of the bathtub.
"I'm sure everything will be fine."
"Why are you being called to go?"
"It's a personal favor."
Minako watched him, the curve of his downturned lips telling her that the conversation was over.
"What's bothering you, Minako?"
Her eyes turned to look at the water that swirled around his torso as he sat up. "You seem stressed today."
He smiled as he reached out to cup her chin, water dripping down his arm and off his elbow onto her gown. His lips brushed hers and she smiled into the kiss. The fingers of his other hand brushed her wrist and trailed up her bent arm, pressing into her hip. Her eyes opened wide at the contact, blue eyes meeting green eyes. As her lips parted and she began to shift her body away, his hold tightened on her and pulled her over the edge. Her body landed on top of his as the water sloshed around them, going over the edge to spill across the floor.
A shrill scream escaped her and Kunzite pulled her against him, tucking her body against his. Water saturated her dress, weighting both of them down.
"I won't forgive you for this," she muttered as his arms tightened around her.
"Then it's a good thing that I'm not asking your forgiveness."
Minako swatted his lips away as he moved to kiss her again, eliciting another deep laugh from him.
"You are still beautiful," he said.
She forced herself to not smile at the ridiculousness of the whole thing. His arms released her from his hold and he helped her to slip over the edge of the tub, her pale colored dress now nearly transparent against her fair skin.
"Beautiful or not, I feel like a drowned rat in this tangled mess." She tried to reach around to her back to tug at the small clips that held her dress in place, a futile effort at best. Kunzite attempted to help her as well, but found himself quickly frustrated by the amount of small clips that his larger fingers had a hard time getting purchase on.
Irritation taking over, he pulled at the sides of the dress, the fabric tearing as the clips ripped free from the material. Several of the small pieces of metal skittered across the floor. Minako shook her head in response.
Kunzite stepped from the bathtub and helped to pull her to her feet, the heavy dress sliding free of her body. "I'm starting to realize that the rumors of how dangerous you are may be greatly exaggerated."
"Vicious rumors and gossip," he smiled at her, hands sliding over the curves of her waistline, his eyes holding her gaze.
She slipped free of him and grabbed the large black robe that had been hanging on the wall, pushing her arms through the long sleeves as she draped the material over her shoulders. Kunzite followed after her and brought her to face him, her back against the wall. His breath was warm against her cheek as he pressed his forehead against hers. Minako paused, lips pursed, silencing the words that had been ready to roll off her tongue. She could feel his hard length pressed against her lower abdomen and a warm sensation rushed through her.
"You are so beautiful," he murmured.
"And you are rather handsome yourself," she exhaled.
Every inch of this man had been shaped to a perfection that she was sure would make the gods envy with hatred. His body was not large once stripped of his uniform, rather he was slender and fit, muscles defining every plane.
She wanted to touch every part of him, to remember every bend and curve of musculature. It was a fine line that they walked together, both driven by a fierce sense of independence and pulled together by an even more ferocious desire.
"How is it that you can pull me in and push me away from one breath to the next?"
"I'm not ready to fall for you," Minako responded, her eyes locked with his.
"Have you ever considered that giving yourself to someone means they are giving themselves to you? Carrying my name does not make you my possession."
"If you were a poor man that might be true."
"Should I forsake my title and my kingdom for you?"
"No," she exhaled. "I am but a girl."
"You will be my queen."
"Then this queen shall have a fool for a subject."
Their lips met one last time in a kiss before Kunzite grabbed his sword belt off the stool by the door and wrapped his arm around Minako, leading her out of the washroom and down the hall to his own room. The bathrobe hung comically large against Minako's smaller frame causing her to hold the bottom hem like she would a gown to keep from tripping over it.
Her eyes watched his movements as he stepped around his bedroom, grabbing a clean uniform from his wardrobe and laying it on the bed next to his sword belt. "How did you get that scar?" Minako asked, her eyes on his still nude body.
"Which scar?" he asked her.
"This one." She ran her finger over the small scar above his lower abdomen.
"Saving a small child from a runaway carriage, of course."
"And I suppose you saved a puppy in the same breath."
"Of course not," he grinned in response. "I was forced to slay a dragon with nothing but a twig and a stone."
She smiled at him before returning her eyes to the blemish on the otherwise smooth area of skin. "Did it hurt?"
"It was a lucky arrow that managed to slip through my armor in battle. Fortunately it went no further."
"Lucky indeed." She trailed her finger over the surface one last time before stepping away and leaning against the bed, watching him as he pulled on his pants. "How long will you be gone?"
"A couple of days, three at most."
Minako reached for his sword belt and withdrew the blade from its sheath. She held the blade out towards the open space of the room, the weight of the metal keeping her arms low. "How do you make use of such a heavy thing?"
Kunzite slid his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against his chest, his hands resting on top of hers as he lifted the sword upright. "This is my short sword for close quarter battle."
He moved her arms in a slow swinging arc, mimicking a blocking blow. "There is a reason that each soldier first trains as a squire before he is set off to fight on his own. You need to learn how to hold the weapon." He held the blade with bent elbows, Minako's body pressing closer to his. "How to carry the weight and use its momentum." He slashed the blade in a downward left motion with practiced slow precision, then back up slashing to the right. "But most important of all, how not to become disarmed." Keeping his hands on top of hers, he lifted one arm so that it went over her head, putting himself next to her and pulling the hilt from her hands. He tossed the blade on the bed and resumed dressing himself.
"Are you the best?"
"I'm not the worst."
"Your modesty is certainly humbling."
"You will never be safer than at my side, Minako, I will promise you this."
"Then should I go with you as you head east?"
"No."
"Am I safer here alone then with you?"
"Minako, it is my hope to never have to choose between someone important to me and my Kingdom in the heat of battle." Kunzite picked up the short sword and slid it into its sheath before placing the belt around his waist. He crossed over to her and placed his hands on her cheeks. "We'll go away when I come back. Hopefully this should be the end of my tour after this."
"Where will we go?" she asked, eyes wide with excitement.
"Where do you want to go?"
"I've never been anywhere in the kingdom before."
His lips brushed against hers. "We'll figure it out when I return. If you need anything, ask Rebecca." He kissed her one more time before departing from the room, leaving Minako standing alone in his bathrobe, the feel of his lips still tingling against her skin.
