A/N: This is my first posted fic and it's still a WIP. Hopefully I will have the endurance to finish the full story, but in the meantime, enjoy this Venus/Kunzite romance :-)

I receive no profits from this story and do not own Sailor Moon (thank goodness, because if I did it never would have been completed!)

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VENUS

Curious about the planet that had ensnared her princess, Venus had volunteered to scout the surrounding area.

It didn't take long to see why Serenity was so drawn in.

Earth was like a mosaic of all the inner planets, yet it was… different. Everything on this world seemed so alive. It was chaotic, as if trying to figure out the rules of a game by testing every possible move. But it was beautiful.

She wished Mercury could hear the cascades of waterfalls against the rocks. That Jupiter could see the fireflies twinkling in the echoes of the forest. That Mars could lie on the grass and look up at the clear night sky.

But maybe it was better not to know such beauty, if it was just going to be taken away.

Venus ran her thumb across her ring finger, and remembered Artemis's warning.

The pull of the soul is a hard thing to resist. You must keep Princess Serenity away from the Earthen prince.

After she spoke with the Queen tomorrow, she would not see this world again. It was going to break Serenity's heart and she-

The image of blue-gray eyes flashed before her.

Well, she supposed she was lucky that she hadn't found the other piece of her soul. Still, she hated keeping secrets, especially from her friends.

And maybe the fates agreed.

Eros strike me!

Venus looked down at her communicator as it buzzed. Had she really been gone that long?

Picking up her pace to check the last of the perimeter, she opened Serenity's message.

I'm sorry V. Don't worry, we will meet you back at the rendezvous in two hours. I'll be safe- I promise. Try to enjoy yourself!

Venus's heart pounded against her chest, but honestly, she wasn't surprised.

Closing the communicator, she teleported back to the glade and wondered, not for the first time, what she had ever done to be bound to such an exasperating princess.

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"How could you let them out of your sight?!"

"Me?" Kunzite's eyes narrowed, but his tone kept it's usual air of impassivity. "Where were you? Last time I checked it does not take that long to secure a perimeter."

She drew herself up to full height. "I wasn't gone more than fifteen minutes!"

"That's ten minutes longer than it should have been."

He was right, a fact that only served to fuel her anger.

"Only if I wanted to do a shoddy job of it. But then, you mortals always do like to cut corners."

A small smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. "I would have thought you knew by now that I am not so easily baited. You can insult me as much as you wish, princess-"

Venus gritted her teeth.

"-but I know you are hiding something."

She almost laughed.

"Of course I am! We are not partners, or friends. We're temporary allies. And," She knew it wasn't true even before she said it. "I don't trust you."

It was gone before she could identify it, but for a brief second she could have sworn she saw something akin to sadness flicker in his eyes.

"That's a shame, princess. Because I trust you."

Venus folded her arms across her chest. "And here I thought lying was beneath you."

"I'm not lying."

She did nothing to hide the cynicism that must've been written all over her face.

"That's not to say I trust you explicitly. I don't. But I do trust your loyalty to your princess, your ability to keep her safe. This was simply an inevitably."

A hint of a smile played at his lips. "Those two have proved very skilled at sneaking off together, and Prince Endymion spent much of his childhood exploring the secrets beyond the castle walls. If he doesn't want to be found, he won't be."

"So, what then? We don't even bother looking for them?"

Being around this general was like having constant whiplash.

"We could. But if I didn't think it would be a complete waste of time, I would already be out searching."

Venus took a steadying breath and tried her best not to get riled up by the veiled insult.

"What do you suggest we do then? Just sit here and wait?"

He shrugged. "You can do whatever you want. But I for one am hungry, and am going to see what is left over from dinner."

And with that, he started walking toward the castle.

Venus's mouth was still hanging open when he glanced over his shoulder.

"You coming, princess?"

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"You can drop the illusion now, if you want. There's no one down here."

Kunzite paused as he reached for the door handle. "Still, let's keep this closed in case any of the kitchen staff comes in early."

He stepped through the threshold and Venus unglamoured and powered-down. It didn't seem as though she would need her armor any time soon, and the warmth from the fireplace felt nice on her skin.

Moving over to the window, she once again took in the beauty of the moonlight dancing through the space between the trees. With great reluctance, she drew the curtains closed.

"Sweet or savory?"

Venus whirled around to see Kunzite holding two serving trays filled with various leftovers.

She grinned. "Sweet."

Kunzite chuckled. "Somehow, I'm not surprised."

It was the first real laugh she had ever heard from him. A knot formed in her stomach and for some reason, she found herself wanting more.

She shoved the thought away as he cocked his head toward the sofa, signaling her to go first.

Venus eyed the food he placed on the coffee table in front of her with curiosity. There were so many ingredients she didn't recognize.

Kunzite rolled his eyes. "It's not poisoned, I promise." He snagged a cookie off the top, and popped it into his mouth as if to prove his point.

"I didn't think it was!" She picked up a star shaped pastry and took a bite.

Her eyes widened. "Cestus of Aphrodite! What is this?!"

He took a closer look at what she had selected and laughed again. "Of course."

"What?" Dread washed over her. Had she eaten a garnish or something?

"It's a passionfruit tart."

Venus covered her mouth as she grinned. "It's so good! If Jupiter could get her hands on a few of these…"

But she never would.

Venus looked down at her hands with a pang of guilt and fell silent.

"You're not coming back, are you?"

Venus jerked backward in surprise, then shook her head. "I had hoped this would all resolve on its own, but clearly, it's not going to."

She leaned against the sofa and closed her eyes. "I have an audience tomorrow with Queen Theia. It's past time that she knew."

"I agree."

Venus bristled, opening her eyes to glare at him. Of all the things she would miss about this planet, the constant critique from the Prince's lead general was definitely not one of them.

Kunzite raised his hands in surrender. "I wasn't criticizing you, Venus."

It was the first time he had addressed her without using her title.

"You're right. This is too dangerous to be allowed to continue." He gave her a sad smile. "But I have to admit, sneaking around aside, they are good for each other. I have never seen the Prince so happy."

"I know." Venus hung her head. "I doubt Serenity will ever forgive me."

Kunzite began to reach toward her, but dropped his hand on the cushion beside him.

"I'm sorry you have to be the one to end this." His voice was soft, comforting. "But I'm sure that, given time, the Princess will come around."

Venus didn't know if it was her guilt, the overwhelming need to confide in someone, or the fact that she actually had come to trust him, but in that moment, she made a decision.

"Under any other circumstances, I might agree with you…"

She stood, pacing back and forth in front of the sofa, trying to figure out where to begin.

Then, the words seemed to just flow out of her.

And she told him everything. About the soul fragments, the dark forces invading Earth, and Artemis's warning.

Everything, except the tie to her own soul.

Kunzite's features remained carefully guarded as he listened, but in the silence that followed, she could almost see the wheels in his head begin to churn.

"So," His voice was distant as stared into the fire. "It might already be too late."

She had no answer, but he didn't seem to be expecting one.

Without another word, he walked over to the fireplace and added a log to the dying flames.

Venus looked down at her hands to find herself, once again, tracing circles around her ring finger.

The pull of the soul is a hard thing to resist…

When she glanced up, Kunzite was watching her. Her hands dropped immediately to her sides.

Don't ask.

"Venus." He stepped closer.

Don't ask.

"Who else knows?"

She breathed a small sigh of relief. "I'm not sure. The ethereal royal counsel, most likely."

"And the Princess?"

Venus shook her head. "You are the first person I've told."

At her words, Kunzite's expression filled with a kindred sadness.

"Thank you."

"For warning you?" Venus brushed his words aside. "I figured at least someone in the Prince's inner circle ought to know."

"For trusting me."

The warmth of his gaze was hypnotic, and Venus suddenly became very aware of how close they now were.

Maybe it was a good thing he was always so painstakingly reserved. If he had looked at her like this more often, she didn't know how long she would've been able to keep herself in check.

Kunzite's eyes widened.

Venus froze and a furious blush crept into her cheeks. She had been projecting.

"I-" Her apology died on her tongue as heat flooded his gaze.

Her heart pounded wildly in her chest and, without thinking, she found herself pulling him toward her.

His lips were soft as they moved hungrily against hers.

Her mind reeled as it tried to reconcile the cold, distant general she was used to with the man in front of her. It was as if he was a completely different person tonight, so unguarded and warm...

She knew she should stop. This would only complicate things further.

But it was her last night on Earth. In all likelihood, they would never see each other again. So why not enjoy themselves while they could?

Because it's dangerous.

Venus swatted at the small voice inside her head, pushing the thought away. Everything nowadays seemed to be dangerous.

But she should have known that Kunzite's unyielding conscious wouldn't let him do the same.

He pulled back.

"I'm sorry." Venus caught her breath. "I didn't mean-"

To her surprise he lifted her chin, recapturing her lips against his.

"Don't be. This just isn't a great place to…" He rubbed at the back of his neck.

Venus bit her lip, trying not to smile. It wasn't like him to be at a loss for words.

"...The door doesn't lock." He finished lamely, his face turning slightly red.

She couldn't help it. Her smile broke through.

"If that's your only hesitation…"

He gazed curiously at her as she reached up to unthread one of the red ribbon straps from her chiton.

With it in hand, Venus opened the door and, after glancing around to make sure no one was there, draped it over the handle.

Grinning, she rejoined Kunzite by the fire.

"There." She brushed her fingertips playfully along his jaw. "Universal sign for 'do not disturb'."

In one quick motion, he seized her wrist, pulling her flush against him.

His kisses were fast and desperate, making her pulse ring in her ears.

She wanted more. Potent waves of desire rolled off her, but she didn't bother to stop them.

Kunzite jolted backwards. His eyes were dark and unfocused as he watched her reach for his belt.

It hit the floor with a thud.

They stared at one another, breathing heavily.

The silence held an unspoken warning: This was it. One last chance to walk away.

They both waited, giving the other the opening to take it.

And then, the space between them disappeared.

But it wasn't enough.

Kunzite snaked an arm around her waist, and Venus wrapped her legs around him as he carried her forward.

She gasped as her back hit the wall and Kunzite began to trail kisses down her neck. He slowed as his lips grazed her collarbone. Shivers shot down her spine and for a moment, her eyelids fluttered closed.

Sweet Aphrodite, she loved this side of him.

Quickly growing impatient, she tugged at his hair, trying to lift his face back to hers. But he kept roaming lower, grinning at her obvious frustration.

"Shh, princess." His breath tickled against her skin. "You're going to wake up the whole castle making noises like that."

His voice was smooth and heady, like a fine wine, and Venus fought back the groan hovering in the back of her throat.

"Do you always have to be so in control?"

Using all her strength, Venus pulled him back up to her lips and kicked the coffee table aside.

Kunzite didn't even blink as the serving dishes clattered to the floor. His steely blue eyes were completely fixated on her. Returning his gaze, Venus pushed him back onto the sofa. Then, slowly, she lowered herself into his lap, deciding to put her question to the test.