Chapter 5
Seven years later…
The teenage girl hummed her favorite song as she sat on the railing of her
balcony, kicking her legs freely as she stared at the sunrise. Parts of her large dress hung
over the railing and was blown about by the light autumn breeze. Her gloved hands
clutched onto the railing as she gently rocked back and forth with her legs crossed. Her
slightly curled hair was hung loose with the gold crown placed on the top of her head.
It'd been a present from Athena for her excellent progress in her training. She admired
the scene after watering the beautiful potted plants which was planted on her balcony as a
hobby. This is one of her rare, early mornings. She'd never gotten dressed and ready this
early before. "All this time, I missed such a beautiful view…" she breathed.
"One day you're going to fall off," a voice came from the left of her. She turned
her head and realized that the silver haired man had come out of his balcony also to
retrieve two swords he'd polished and bathed under the pure moonlight, one with a
golden handle and the other with a silver handle.
"Good morning, Kunzite. Those swords are beautiful, how long have you been
working on them?" she asked, her gaze fixed on the golden handled sword. He stared at
her in amazement and she finally noticed. "What, is there something on my face?"
"I've been doing the same thing for four years now. You've JUST noticed?" he
said loudly with his eyes widened at her.
"Well, I'm not exactly a morning person," she said as she narrowed her eyes.
"You know, if you weren't the princess, I'd say something," he said as he placed
his concentration back on his work. With an old rag, he began to brush the dust that had
settled onto the swords. Minako just sighed in frustration and rolled her eyes. For seven
years she'd tried to get Kunzite out of his serious cocoon like everyone else, but she'd
found it to be the hardest thing she's ever tried to do.
She held back roars of laughter when she realized that a piece of his hair has been
sticking out of nowhere. It flawed his "perfection", as he would've called it. He just
stared at her a little, bewildered and nervous under her constant gaze. "What, is there
something on my face?"
She reached into the room and grabbed a hairbrush. She immediately threw it at
him and he caught it with surprise, puzzled as he stared at the item. "Use a hairbrush, Mr.
Perfect." He felt around his hair and found the misplaced strand.
Tucking it behind his ear and holding it in place, he glared at the princess.
Usually, that glare made people cower, but not this girl. No, she simply smiled. He'd
never been able to figure her out. He blushed at the realization that he still held her
golden handled brush. Immediately, he threw it right back at her. "As I said earlier, if you
weren't the princess, I'd retaliate."
"Except she is, so you better not say anything disrespectful," another male voice
came from the other side of Minako. With a bright smile, she turned and greeted her
silver-haired guardian. "Good morning, Minako."
She was just about to reply when the other interrupted. "Talk about being
disrespectful. You don't even address her as the princess."
"That's because Minako and I have been friends since she was born. Which
makes it a completely different case," he said with a glare. Very soon a glaring contest
took place with her in the middle. She just sighed in frustration and marched back into
her room, leaving the two boys with their usual bickering.
"Can't a girl get a little peace around here?" she said, but her voice was stifled
with her face in the pillow as she plopped onto the bed. "I know!" She said with joy as an
idea popped into her head.
She quickly burst out the door and ran down the ivory steps she now knew so
well. She ran right into a tall figure as she turned the corner. "I'm so sorry I- Zoisite! I
was just coming to see you!" she said as she recognized her friend's familiar, curly
blonde hair.
"Well, you obviously did more than just see me…" he muttered. Then, he smiled
warmly and stared at her. "So, why were you so anxious to see me anyway?" She opened
her mouth to reply, but was immediately cut off. "Kunzite and Artemis again?" She
nodded, realizing how long it'd been going on and how obvious their rivalry was. "I was
just heading down to the library, care to join me?"
She simply shrugged. "May as well. It's probably the most peaceful place in the
palace," she said with a smile. They began to walk down the familiar halls of the palace
and finally approached the large glass entrance of the library. They were both surprised to
see Jadeite there with Nephrite. "Okay, am I hallucinating?"
"Very funny," Jadeite said with a grin. "I only came here to annoy the heck out of
Nephrite and he's not being very helpful right now. He's supposed to be annoyed by
now." He seemed puzzled as he stared at Nephrite, trying to figure out the source of his
sudden calmness.
Minako smiled a little and walked over to Nephrite, her long dress flowing as she
walked. It's almost as if she's floating. Her etiquette lessons have taught her much.
Slowly, she brushed the brown hair away from his ears and it revealed two balls of
cotton, one in each. She gently took them out and Nephrite looked up. "Did you say
something, Jadeite?" he said with a triumphant smile.
"That's not right. You see, that's just… you know what? Forget you, I'll go
bother Kunzite or something," he said as he began to turn around. He became speechless
when he found two almost identical silver-haired men standing in the doorway.
"You'd be taking Artemis job if you do that," Minako whispered in his ear.
"The queen would like to see all of us in the hall," Artemis said as he kept his
warm gaze on Minako.
"Immediately," Kunzite added with a cold gaze to everyone before he turned and
left for the hall. Everyone followed, giggling because of the silence.
They stepped into the hall in a straight line across. The four generals in order or
rank, then the princess, and finally her guardian. In unison, they bowed at the prince,
queen, and king. They've been through this so many times they've managed to grasp the
timing. "My, have all of you grown," she said with a warm smile.
"Your fifteenth birthday is approaching, right, Minako?" King Iasius said softly.
His eyes glittered with a glint of kindness.
"Yes, Uncle Iasius. It is just two weeks away."
"Yes, October 22. There's something you must know, Minako, about your
fifteenth birthday…" Queen Demeter's voice seemed to have drifted off.
Confused, she stepped up in front of the straight line. "Yes?"
"Well, I know it's going to be hard but… you and Artemis must transfer to the
moon the day after your fifteenth birthday. It's… it's important that you begin your duty
as the leader of the four senshi and Artemis as your guide…" They all gasped with shock
and their eyes widened. They'd never seen this coming. They'd always thought that
they'd be together for…ever.
A few seconds of silence followed, and finally Minako blinked, still shocked. "W-
will I ever see you again?" she asked softly, afraid of the answer.
"Of course you will, sweetie," Queen Demeter said in her usual, gentle voice.
"We're going to come visit you, and you can always come visit us."
"I see," she said, keeping her head down. She knew it wouldn't be the same
though. She grew up with these people, they're family. And here, she still keep in touch
with her parents. They'd told her that things are much better back home now, but she still
wanted to stay.
"That's why we propose that you seven take the next two weeks off and spend
some time with each other," the king said, avoiding their gaze. He could tell that they're
all hurt by the sudden news. "You're dismissed," he said finally after a moment of
tension in the room.
They bowed and all walked out slowly, still a little shocked. Everyone was
speechless, even Jadeite. They just walked to wherever their feet would take them.
Somehow, they ended up outside, in the woods by the lake. Minako, Endymion, and
Zoisite shared a rock while Artemis, Jadeite, Nephrite, and Kunzite shared another. They
all gazed at the natural wonders, the lake, the trees, the sky, while they became lost in
thought, each wondering how different life would be without the cheerful blonde. None
of them even smiled.
"Hey, don't be so sad. You heard her, we'll still see each other. I mean, it's not
that easy to get rid of me," Minako said in a soft voice while putting on a sad smile. She
tried to cheer everyone up. She couldn't stand that they're unhappy because of her.
"But you know it won't be the same. We'll be so far apart," Endymion said
calmly. Inside, his emotions ran free and ripped at his heart. He was going to lose his
'little sister' forever.
"It'll be so weird without you around to make me look bad or tease me," Jadeite
said as his blue gaze stayed on the grass. She'd never seen him so sad.
Her smile spread a little wider by force. "Don't worry, Jadeite. You can make
yourself look bad even without me. The teasing part, well, I'm sure the rest of the guys
would love to substitute for me."
Zoisite leaned his head back so it'd be against hers. "I'm going to miss you so
much, you have no idea," he said as he breathed out a sigh. She'd always brightened his
day ever since the first day she arrived. Before, the palace was a really strict, lonely, and
boring place. But she'd completely changed everything. He didn't want it to go back to
the way it was.
She cheered up a little, not because her friends were sad, but because she knew
they'd be part of her forever. "I'll miss you guys too. That's why we have to do as much
as we can these two weeks. I'd like to make some happy memories before I leave so I can
bring a little part of each of you with me."
"You're right," Endymion said with a bright smile, slightly cheering up. "So what
do you guys say we go trash the palace." Every smiled cheerfully, as if they didn't have a
care in the world. They were determined to have the best two weeks in their lives. Even
Kunzite broke a smile on his stone face. Inside, he felt his heart being torn apart.
"Last one back is a loser!" Minako squealed as she jumped off the rock and
dashed for it.
"No fair!" They all said as they began to run after her…
Seven years later…
The teenage girl hummed her favorite song as she sat on the railing of her
balcony, kicking her legs freely as she stared at the sunrise. Parts of her large dress hung
over the railing and was blown about by the light autumn breeze. Her gloved hands
clutched onto the railing as she gently rocked back and forth with her legs crossed. Her
slightly curled hair was hung loose with the gold crown placed on the top of her head.
It'd been a present from Athena for her excellent progress in her training. She admired
the scene after watering the beautiful potted plants which was planted on her balcony as a
hobby. This is one of her rare, early mornings. She'd never gotten dressed and ready this
early before. "All this time, I missed such a beautiful view…" she breathed.
"One day you're going to fall off," a voice came from the left of her. She turned
her head and realized that the silver haired man had come out of his balcony also to
retrieve two swords he'd polished and bathed under the pure moonlight, one with a
golden handle and the other with a silver handle.
"Good morning, Kunzite. Those swords are beautiful, how long have you been
working on them?" she asked, her gaze fixed on the golden handled sword. He stared at
her in amazement and she finally noticed. "What, is there something on my face?"
"I've been doing the same thing for four years now. You've JUST noticed?" he
said loudly with his eyes widened at her.
"Well, I'm not exactly a morning person," she said as she narrowed her eyes.
"You know, if you weren't the princess, I'd say something," he said as he placed
his concentration back on his work. With an old rag, he began to brush the dust that had
settled onto the swords. Minako just sighed in frustration and rolled her eyes. For seven
years she'd tried to get Kunzite out of his serious cocoon like everyone else, but she'd
found it to be the hardest thing she's ever tried to do.
She held back roars of laughter when she realized that a piece of his hair has been
sticking out of nowhere. It flawed his "perfection", as he would've called it. He just
stared at her a little, bewildered and nervous under her constant gaze. "What, is there
something on my face?"
She reached into the room and grabbed a hairbrush. She immediately threw it at
him and he caught it with surprise, puzzled as he stared at the item. "Use a hairbrush, Mr.
Perfect." He felt around his hair and found the misplaced strand.
Tucking it behind his ear and holding it in place, he glared at the princess.
Usually, that glare made people cower, but not this girl. No, she simply smiled. He'd
never been able to figure her out. He blushed at the realization that he still held her
golden handled brush. Immediately, he threw it right back at her. "As I said earlier, if you
weren't the princess, I'd retaliate."
"Except she is, so you better not say anything disrespectful," another male voice
came from the other side of Minako. With a bright smile, she turned and greeted her
silver-haired guardian. "Good morning, Minako."
She was just about to reply when the other interrupted. "Talk about being
disrespectful. You don't even address her as the princess."
"That's because Minako and I have been friends since she was born. Which
makes it a completely different case," he said with a glare. Very soon a glaring contest
took place with her in the middle. She just sighed in frustration and marched back into
her room, leaving the two boys with their usual bickering.
"Can't a girl get a little peace around here?" she said, but her voice was stifled
with her face in the pillow as she plopped onto the bed. "I know!" She said with joy as an
idea popped into her head.
She quickly burst out the door and ran down the ivory steps she now knew so
well. She ran right into a tall figure as she turned the corner. "I'm so sorry I- Zoisite! I
was just coming to see you!" she said as she recognized her friend's familiar, curly
blonde hair.
"Well, you obviously did more than just see me…" he muttered. Then, he smiled
warmly and stared at her. "So, why were you so anxious to see me anyway?" She opened
her mouth to reply, but was immediately cut off. "Kunzite and Artemis again?" She
nodded, realizing how long it'd been going on and how obvious their rivalry was. "I was
just heading down to the library, care to join me?"
She simply shrugged. "May as well. It's probably the most peaceful place in the
palace," she said with a smile. They began to walk down the familiar halls of the palace
and finally approached the large glass entrance of the library. They were both surprised to
see Jadeite there with Nephrite. "Okay, am I hallucinating?"
"Very funny," Jadeite said with a grin. "I only came here to annoy the heck out of
Nephrite and he's not being very helpful right now. He's supposed to be annoyed by
now." He seemed puzzled as he stared at Nephrite, trying to figure out the source of his
sudden calmness.
Minako smiled a little and walked over to Nephrite, her long dress flowing as she
walked. It's almost as if she's floating. Her etiquette lessons have taught her much.
Slowly, she brushed the brown hair away from his ears and it revealed two balls of
cotton, one in each. She gently took them out and Nephrite looked up. "Did you say
something, Jadeite?" he said with a triumphant smile.
"That's not right. You see, that's just… you know what? Forget you, I'll go
bother Kunzite or something," he said as he began to turn around. He became speechless
when he found two almost identical silver-haired men standing in the doorway.
"You'd be taking Artemis job if you do that," Minako whispered in his ear.
"The queen would like to see all of us in the hall," Artemis said as he kept his
warm gaze on Minako.
"Immediately," Kunzite added with a cold gaze to everyone before he turned and
left for the hall. Everyone followed, giggling because of the silence.
They stepped into the hall in a straight line across. The four generals in order or
rank, then the princess, and finally her guardian. In unison, they bowed at the prince,
queen, and king. They've been through this so many times they've managed to grasp the
timing. "My, have all of you grown," she said with a warm smile.
"Your fifteenth birthday is approaching, right, Minako?" King Iasius said softly.
His eyes glittered with a glint of kindness.
"Yes, Uncle Iasius. It is just two weeks away."
"Yes, October 22. There's something you must know, Minako, about your
fifteenth birthday…" Queen Demeter's voice seemed to have drifted off.
Confused, she stepped up in front of the straight line. "Yes?"
"Well, I know it's going to be hard but… you and Artemis must transfer to the
moon the day after your fifteenth birthday. It's… it's important that you begin your duty
as the leader of the four senshi and Artemis as your guide…" They all gasped with shock
and their eyes widened. They'd never seen this coming. They'd always thought that
they'd be together for…ever.
A few seconds of silence followed, and finally Minako blinked, still shocked. "W-
will I ever see you again?" she asked softly, afraid of the answer.
"Of course you will, sweetie," Queen Demeter said in her usual, gentle voice.
"We're going to come visit you, and you can always come visit us."
"I see," she said, keeping her head down. She knew it wouldn't be the same
though. She grew up with these people, they're family. And here, she still keep in touch
with her parents. They'd told her that things are much better back home now, but she still
wanted to stay.
"That's why we propose that you seven take the next two weeks off and spend
some time with each other," the king said, avoiding their gaze. He could tell that they're
all hurt by the sudden news. "You're dismissed," he said finally after a moment of
tension in the room.
They bowed and all walked out slowly, still a little shocked. Everyone was
speechless, even Jadeite. They just walked to wherever their feet would take them.
Somehow, they ended up outside, in the woods by the lake. Minako, Endymion, and
Zoisite shared a rock while Artemis, Jadeite, Nephrite, and Kunzite shared another. They
all gazed at the natural wonders, the lake, the trees, the sky, while they became lost in
thought, each wondering how different life would be without the cheerful blonde. None
of them even smiled.
"Hey, don't be so sad. You heard her, we'll still see each other. I mean, it's not
that easy to get rid of me," Minako said in a soft voice while putting on a sad smile. She
tried to cheer everyone up. She couldn't stand that they're unhappy because of her.
"But you know it won't be the same. We'll be so far apart," Endymion said
calmly. Inside, his emotions ran free and ripped at his heart. He was going to lose his
'little sister' forever.
"It'll be so weird without you around to make me look bad or tease me," Jadeite
said as his blue gaze stayed on the grass. She'd never seen him so sad.
Her smile spread a little wider by force. "Don't worry, Jadeite. You can make
yourself look bad even without me. The teasing part, well, I'm sure the rest of the guys
would love to substitute for me."
Zoisite leaned his head back so it'd be against hers. "I'm going to miss you so
much, you have no idea," he said as he breathed out a sigh. She'd always brightened his
day ever since the first day she arrived. Before, the palace was a really strict, lonely, and
boring place. But she'd completely changed everything. He didn't want it to go back to
the way it was.
She cheered up a little, not because her friends were sad, but because she knew
they'd be part of her forever. "I'll miss you guys too. That's why we have to do as much
as we can these two weeks. I'd like to make some happy memories before I leave so I can
bring a little part of each of you with me."
"You're right," Endymion said with a bright smile, slightly cheering up. "So what
do you guys say we go trash the palace." Every smiled cheerfully, as if they didn't have a
care in the world. They were determined to have the best two weeks in their lives. Even
Kunzite broke a smile on his stone face. Inside, he felt his heart being torn apart.
"Last one back is a loser!" Minako squealed as she jumped off the rock and
dashed for it.
"No fair!" They all said as they began to run after her…