Give back a hungrier stare
Oh, guard the pounding sound

Kahlil almost didn't go.

In the end, it was the request from Rei that had him straightening the cuffs of his black dress shirt. He'd gotten out of work late, which was probably more due to his own procrastination than the amount of work he had. He'd been about to get into his car and drive straight home when the text came. It was from Junichi's number, but it wasn't his friend's words.

Junichi: She's waiting for you, you know. It's finally your move, so will you?

In the parking garage, Kahlil let out a breath and leaned back against his car. The fact that she'd taken off again had thrown him for a loop. If he was being rational, he knew in her place, he may ask for the same thing, just a bit of time to pull things together in his own plan. And she was so like him, so what made him think she'd go marching in without some sort of battle plan?

Swallowing, his throat felt tight, tight enough for him to need to loosen his tie. Closing his eyes he gulped in the cool night air like he'd been holding his breath for hours. His briefcase and jacket slipped from his fingers as he took a moment to just breathe. Rei was right, it was his move. For maybe for only the second time since he'd discovered Minako was the girl he'd been dreaming about since before he could remember, it was his move.

So why wasn't he moving?

When the question was asked like that, it made him feel foolish and maybe a little cowardly. As Kunzite he had rode into battle with nothing more than a plan and a sword. He wasn't known for letting fear hold him back in either this life or the last, so why wasn't he moving. It was worth it, wasn't it?

Of course it was.

Besides, Venus always said love was just another battlefield. Feeling his mind shift into something he was more comfortable with, Kahlil took a deep breath and was ready. Bending down calmly, he scooped up his briefcase and jacket depositing them in the passenger seat of his car before he slid in and started the engine. Life wasn't known for handing out second, let alone third chances, he'd be a real idiot to squander this.

When he arrived at the downtown club, Izumi, he tossed his keys to the valet and left his tie behind. Releasing the top two buttons on his shirt, he shrugged into his jacket and gave the scene around him barely a glance. Even from outside the doors he could hear the baseline echoing and was thankful that this location was playing more than just techno. Kahlil bypassed the line, letting the bouncer know his party was already in the VIP lounge and then he was inside. Just inside the door he paused, feeling something tug at his chest. Pressing his hand over his heart he rubbed lightly, recognizing the feeling for what it was: magic. She was here, and he knew it, but duty was duty no matter who was present.

Maneuvering around high top tables and the push of the crowd coming on and off the dance floor, Kahlil finally spotted a head full of blonde hair. It wasn't the one he was looking for, but it was familiar none the less.

Usagi squealed and took off at a run when she spotted Kahlil.

"You came!" She laughed and threw herself into his arms. Kahlil couldn't help but laugh and hug her back before she was pulling him insistently to where their group was.

"I couldn't miss the chance to see you, Usa," He said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as Usagi laughed. Tucking her hand into his elbow, Kahlil let her lead the way back to where their group was. Almost as if they were holding court. The thought made him smile.

"Careful," Mamoru's voice was sharp but his eyes were laughing. Kahlil was still smiling, even as he inclined his head and clasped the other man's hand in greeting. "I keep telling you Usako, you have to be careful of this one. He's a wolf."

Kahlil winked at Usagi who was playfully slapping Mamoru's chest before inclining his head again to the pair. Glancing around he took inventory of the scene around them before turning back to their group.

"What are you looking for?" Junichi had sidled up to him as he was looking out over the club, a second glass of bourbon in his hand.

"Old habits I guess," Kahlil took the proffered glass and took a sip watching the other man's eyes meet with a dark haired, violet eyed woman at the bar. She nodded to them both.

"He's worried about you," Junichi tipped his head in the direction of where Mamoru was laughing with Usagi and Ami without removing his gaze from Rei. "We're all aware that if left to your own devices you'll become a complete and utter recluse."

"Probably," Kahlil agreed. He was never one for big crowds, but he was one for friends. Sometimes the pull of the latter outweighed the discomfort of the former.

Nicholas came up on his other side, giving his whiskey glass a stir. "If you're looking for her—"

"Who said I was?" Kahlil practically growled.

Both Junichi and Nicholas laughed.

"Because," Jun clapped Kahlil's shoulder. "Old habits, my friend."

Nic gestured with his glass to where Makoto and Minako were dancing together, seemingly oblivious to the number of men trying to work their way in. Every now and then they would laugh with one another like they'd just remembered the funniest joke in the world. Both girls were beautiful, but where Makoto was earthy, Minako was ethereal.

Except that wasn't the right word, because she wasn't, not like she had been before. Venus was hard to look at sometimes, her beauty so unearthly that it hurt to behold. Minako held the same luminosity, but it was clear that this was exactly where she belonged. They were one in the same, but also so, so different. The differences had Kahlil's heart stuttering in his chest.

"They apparently started pre-gaming," Nic said with a laugh, handing his now empty glass to a passing waitress. "C'mon, let's go ruin a few dreams." With a push, Kahlil was moving toward the floor, Jun having grabbed his still half full glass at the last minute.

It took them a few minutes to push through the dancing bodies on the floor. Every now and again Nic would look back to make sure he was still there, or maybe it was to follow the form of one of the ladies who reached out to try and entice him into a dance. But like him, Nic was on a mission, or maybe it was a mission his behalf.

Kahlil too was pulled on by the odd woman here and there, sirens trying to lure him away from the solace of his shore...or maybe Mina was the siren calling him to a watery death…

Or maybe he shouldn't have skipped lunch, because that bourbon was starting to hit him pretty sharply. But as he drew closer, he wasn't so sure it was just the bourbon.

By the time he reached Mina, Kahlil wasn't sure of anything anymore.

With a twirl, Nic had intercepted Makoto, managing to do what no man had yet to accomplished. Minako let her go with a laugh, letting out a cat-call as Nic pulled Makoto in for a kiss that left Kahlil feeling like a voyeur. When he turned to Minako, she too was watching the pair with a satisfied smile on her face. They stood that way for a few beats, giving Kahlil a chance to really look her over, and gods she was gorgeous. Long legs in black leggings and a pair of heels that left him biting the inside of his lip. Her top was a button down shirt with panels of lace that gave glimpses to the bra, and more importantly skin underneath. It was tame for her, compared to the scraps of material she used to call dresses in the past.

So who was she now?

As though feeling his eyes on her, Mina turned and he was finally certain that it was the woman in front of him that was the siren because he was drowning. Kohl lined the bluest eyes he'd ever seen and the light catching her gloss reminded him of her kiss swollen lips from days before. He reached for her as she moved into him, his hands coming to rest on her waist even as her arms curled around his neck. Her lips brushed his ear and he was just able to make out her words over the bass of the song that was playing.

"They're a good match." Minako's fingers found the top of his shirt, seeking out skin instead of fabric. "So were we."

Kahlil's hands tightened on her waist before they slid down her gentle curves to her hips. With a sharp pull, she was flush against him.

"Are, Minako, are." One of his hands came up to cup her chin, pushing the waves of blonde curls back so he could see the delicate column of her neck. He wanted so badly to kiss her there, where he knew melted her so easily. But she wasn't his, had asked for time, for space. Instead he brushed his thumb along her skin and pulled back. "Could be."

It was the hardest thing he'd ever done. Like a man in the desert turning away from his oasis, every part of his body was screaming to remind her why he would only be the only man for her. He needed her to remember who they were, what they used to be…and maybe what they weren't.

Rei was wrong, it wasn't his move, it was hers. It had always been hers. It was a hard pill to swallow that once again she, whether she knew it or not held his heart in the palm of his hand. For a man that prided himself on control, how had all of this become so out of his control? The wounded part of him didn't want to be here, wanted her to come to him when she was ready, when she had realized as he did that there wouldn't be another. Because there wouldn't be another for him, not ever. It was terrifying to once again have everything within his reach but know that the second he reached for it, it could vanish, fading back into the world of his dreams where she'd first materialized.

What was he doing here? Kahlil started to step back again only to realize that she hadn't removed her hands from around his neck.

"Kahlil…" His name was a plea and it had his mind spinning to fast. How could she always throw him so hard? A finger to his chin had him meeting her eyes. Didn't she realize that this was torture? The reins he held over himself were starting to chafe, the wounds starting to bleed. What was she doing to him?

"Kahlil," This time his name from her lips held no gentleness. It cut through everything and had him focusing on her instead of the tumultuous thoughts in his head. It reminded him that the woman before him could be more warrior than goddess when the time called for it. Gods help him and his mangled heart.

"There you are," She laughed and started to move her hips, closing the distance that he'd placed between them. "Where did you go in that head of yours?" Her fingertips moved up the side of his face and pushed his hair back from his temple before winding around his neck again. She asked another question, but he didn't remember it, and suddenly she was pulling him through the crowd toward the door. Kahlil was in a fog, lost in the push and pull that was their magic.

He followed as she paused to say something to another woman at the bar, nodded his usual greeting the woman who he belatedly recognized as Rei. He waited with her as the valet pulled his car around and opened her door. Kahlil barely recalled her asking if she should drive, and then he was behind the wheel pulling into a parking garage that wasn't his.

It wasn't until her lips crashed down over his that he snapped back into himself. She kissed the life back into him and he felt his body tremble under her touch.

"Minako."

"Yes." Her emphatic response was the answer that he'd been waiting for, but he had to be sure. This was too large to be mistaken. It was too much a part of him and he didn't know her well enough this time around to assume.

"I want everything. I can't…It can't be any less."

"Yes."

"Minako, you have to be sure—"

"I already said yes. Now, will you just shut up and kiss me, already?!"

Kahlil's smile was slow and wolfish. Mamoru had been right.

He let the reins go and there were no more words.

You be the moon, I'll be the earth
And when we burst,
Start over, oh darling
Begin again
Begin again
Begin again