Tension of the Past
Part 7
*~*~*~*
One day later...
The walls closed around him, and the songs of free birds sang in his ears. The peacock took flight and flew to his nesting place... the kitchen.
*~*~*~*
She stood there, among the flowers and crystals like a nymph, crystal reflections off her shoulder length black hair, her skin dyed red from the light of roses. A soft smile brightened her face as her mind wandered into the distance, her eyes only seeing her dreams, and she did not notice a pink head peeking above the bushes next to a blue set of hair.
"There she is," whispered Chibi-Usa.
"Uh-huh..."
"This is probably the only chance you'll ever get to be alone."
"Yeah..."
Chibi-Usa scowled. "So are you going to ask her or not?"
"In a minute."
"We can do this two ways. One: go and ask her. Two: not ask her and watch her dance all night with some guy you've never seen before... they'll be staring into each other's eyes, the surrounding world fading away, hearing nothing but their own heartbeats..." Closing her eyes, Chibi-Usa imagined the scene... and unfortunately, so could Ichigo. "They'll walk to this very spot to get away from everybody, and talk all night long about the future and dreams... he'll lean forward slightly, the moon playing off his eyes... she'll be entranced, captivated... they'll kiss and then..."
Chibi-Usa grabbed his ear and tugged hard, making sure he heard her whisper. "You'll be the ring bearer at their wedding!"
"NO!!"
"Huh?" Hotaru spun around, startled and stared at the bush. A second later she watched as Ichigo was shoved out of the shrubbery landing face down at her feet. "Ichigo-kun!"
"Uuuhhhh..." he lifted his head slightly, and stared at her shapely ankles.
Hotaru quickly dropped to her knees and helped him up, her black dress flowing like a gust of dark, mysterious wind. They sat across from each other, Ichigo speechless, and Hotaru giggled, her eyes closing in that sweet way they did. She didn't look eighteen, she looked ageless, so beautiful... he never fully knew her, and yet understood her to her soul.
"What's going on?"
"Uhhh... I was just..." He looked back at the bush, trying to see Chibi-Usa, but such was a princess who learned from only the best... Aino Minako, the idol stalker. "I was just trying to... um..."
There was a rustle in the bushes, a small meow (more of a yelp), and a small gray kitten came leaping from the roses straight at the boy.
"I was just trying to find Diana!" He looked back, and a hand giving the thumbs up appeared out of the bushes.
"I don't know what happened!" she wailed. "I was just sitting on Small Lady's lap, and all of a sudden, she pushed me out of the-"
Ichigo covered her mouth, and smiled.
"The poor kitty... got lost... ahehehe." Diana looked up at him puzzled. "Diana... you're fine now, go back to Chibi-Usa-chan, now... I bet she's worried about you-"
"But she just-"
"She must be looking ALL OVER FOR YOU!!"
"DIANA! DIANA, WHERE ARE YOU?!" Chibi-Usa appeared at the doorway (with a small muttering from Ichigo of "How does she do that?") and spotted Diana. "There you are! Where have you been?!"
"I was-"
"I was so worried!"
"... But... but... you-"
"I promised you sushi, that's right! I'm so sorry. Want to go now?"
"COMING!" The kitty jumped from the boy's hands and raced to the young princess.
When Ichigo made sure they were alone, he stood up and helped her to her feet.
"Thanks."
"Sure..."
"So..."
"Um..."
"..."
"..."
"Was... there anything you wanted to say to me? You seem pretty tense."
"Oh." He lowered his shoulders. "Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you..."
"What?" She smiled sweetly.
"Do... do you... want to..."
"Want to what?"
"To... to... Am I just a little kid to you?"
"What?"
"I mean... I know I'm nine hundred and four... but I'm not growing or anything... I don't look like what I should be... I guess, and..."
"Should it make a difference?" she asked. "You're Ichigo, right? That's all that matters."
"No, it's not." He said heatedly, frowning. Hotaru was taken aback. "I should look older... not like a twelve year old little kid. Like every guy my age should be... I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm just some freak-"
"Stop it," she said. "There's nothing wrong with you. Nothing."
She placed her hand on his shoulder.
"R-really?"
"Of course." His hope brightened.
"T-then, I was kind of wondering..."
"Yes?"
"Well, you know the celebration of the alliance is in a couple days... and..."
"... And?"
"And well, I was just wondering if-"
"GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF-"
"YOU CAN NEVER CATCH ME! I AM THE WIND! THE WIND, I SAY!"
Taiki01 giggled in glee as he ran down the pathway with a bottle of the finest sake in the world in one hand, a small cup in the other, a very angry Jupiter right on his butt, and his silk kimono falling dangerously loose.
"HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING?!"
"WAAAAH!" Taiki hooked Ichigo by the neck and pulled him down the path with him.
"A HOSTAGE NOW? OH, YOU'RE GOING TO PAY, BUDDY!"
"No! Don't do anything, Jupiter-san!"
Suddenly, Taiki stopped, dropped the bottle, cup, and boy, and twirled around to meet Jupiter face to face. Grabbing her hand, he knelt on one knee, and murmured, "Marry me, darling. I've loved you all my life..."
"You've only been alive for two and half months," she said with clenched teeth, and tried to tug her hand away. The glove slipped off, but Taiki quickly grabbed her other hand, massaging her fingers.
"And what a time! I spent hours dreaming of your eyes and lips and those big, beautiful, round-"
"HEY!" She blushed furiously, and went to slap him, but he deftly caught her other hand, and kissed her gloved palm. "Oh, brother..."
"Do something!" shouted Ichigo, who was being crushed by Taiki's knee.
Taiki01 stared up at Jupiter with huge pale eyes, glistening with innocence, and Jupiter blinked, a veil of illusion shading the clone's face into familiar proportions to...
"I-I can't..." she stuttered.
"What? Why not?!"
"He... he looks like... my senpai!"
"Oh my God..."
"My sweet blossom. My tempered rose." Without taking his eyes off of her, he plucked a rose and handed it to the dazed senshi. She took it, startled, and lifted an eyebrow. "I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you..."
"Are you sure you really want to?"
"Absolutely, I would spend my life in captivity for you!"
"So far it hasn't been working."
"...Can't... breathe..."
"I'm a changed man, I promise. I'll learn, I'll do anything for you!"
"REALLY now..." Taiki nodded his head vigorously. "Well then..."
"Yes?"
"Once you get over your hang over, you'll be my slave for the rest of your life."
"... What would this entail?"
"Well, for starters, going to the ball with me."
"Done."
Their palms slid smoothly into a handshake, and Jupiter grinned.
"You have no idea how much you'll regret this," she said through a beauty pageant smile, and sent a current of electricity into his body.
Taiki fell to the ground, a mass of muscle crushing Ichigo. Jupiter rolled him off of the boy with her foot, and helped the prince of Mercury to his feet.
"Ichigo!" Hotaru ran to him, and he leaned on her grimacing in pain, but a grin sweeping across his face in absolute bliss. "What are you going to do with him?"
"Taiki01?" Hotaru nodded, and Jupiter thought for a moment, nudged the collapsed body with her toe and then nodded her head. "Keep my word, I guess."
"W-what?"
"Well, if he's been in a cage all of his life (no matter how big it is), he would have a grudge to those who put him in there anyway, right?"
"I... guess..."
"He's never had a chance to deal with emotions on a society level... we HAVE been kind of harsh, but damnit! What am I thinking?" She slammed a fist into her open palm. "He's a spoiled, two month old who hasn't had a chance to actually live... he's an insult to the human race... he shouldn't have been here, and the thing is... he knows it too." Pity flooded her soul. "He's going to the celebration with me, and that's that. Time to give him a chance!"
"But if he does something?"
Jupiter ground her fist into her palm. "Then he'll be in that cage all his life... without the silk."
*~*~*~*
"Knock-knock!" The sing song voice erupted Yaten's thoughts, and he turned his head to the door, staring as Minako peaked through, beaming.
"Isn't it a custom on Earth to actually slam their knuckles onto a slab of wood instead of voicing a stylized version of the sound?"
Minako shrugged. "My hand hurts after doing it for so long. Can I come in?" She walked inside the guest room where Yaten was staying, and closed the door.
"Sure, why not?" He finally rotated his entire body in her direction, and Minako walked closer to him, her pale yellow organza dress flowing around her figure. The only thing that made Yaten feel at ease around Minako was the sight of the bow in her hair. It was a symbol that not everything had completely changed, they were still the same people, with the same memories and feelings, even if they had a calmer (or not) aura around them.
He still hadn't gotten used to seeing the girls in some sense of formality. If they weren't in their fuku, they were wearing royal attire, fit for the princesses that they were. It had made him seem so foolish in the old clothes he had been wearing when they walked into the palace... but nobody seemed to mind anyway.
"It's too dark in here!" she cried, and went to open the curtains, but Yaten stopped her.
"It's fine, I like the dark."
"No way..." she said. "There's something tragic about a dark room at noon."
She pulled open the curtains, the light flooding into the room. She sighed sweetly and looked out the window into the crystal garden. Serenity, Endymion, Kakyuu, Seiya, Ami and Taiki were all standing and talking, laughing, and enjoying themselves, as the queen and her consort surveyed the garden. Serenity looked up and saw Minako, and she smiled brightly. Minako smiled back and waved, and then turned to see Yaten who stared at the floor, scowling.
"What? Don't like the view? I thought you liked the garden."
"It's more beautiful when empty."
Minako turned back to watch the three couples. She could feel Yaten's green eyes blazing through her, to the queen of New Kinmoku... an ache in his heart that only matched her own. She blinked back the tears of pain, blocked her heart, and the searing heat faded. She wasn't liking this new effect that Yaten had over her.
"Loneliness is such a sad thing to feel, isn't it?" There was a small intake of breath, and before Yaten could say anything back, Minako beamed and said, "I've been trying to find someone to go into town with me... but everybody's busy... want to go? Do a little sight seeing...?"
"Sounds good... I'm busy right now though, maybe later?"
"I could help you, if you want..."
"N-no, that's okay..."
"What are you hiding?"
"Nothing! Really!"
Minako pouted little, and then made a subtle move to look over his shoulder (which wasn't that hard to do), but Yaten kept on blocking the way.
"It's nothing!"
"Then why are you keeping me away?"
"Is this what you do to all your guests?" he said, pivoting to the side when she swerved to the right.
"Only to you!"
"Really, now?"
"Of course! Nobody's hid anything from me before!"
"So why don't you stop hiding your secret from them?"
She stopped and looked at him, her eyes wide. "My...secret..."
Yaten's eyes were flooded with an orange light, a small film that changed the room's perspective ever so slightly. The light from the window's cascaded down like a beacon from heaven, filling the room with its glory, and yet small imprints of footsteps, of fingerprints on the door, of a woman right in front of him... as black and lonely as night.
The sad, warm light suddenly put on an edge of iciness, and Yaten watched as Minako snapped into cold civility and moved back a few steps.
"What about YOUR secret?" she said coldly. "What about why YOU came here? Maybe I should just tell your queen why you left her. Why you left because the sight of her made you weak-"
Yaten's eyes narrowed, as his heart began to panic. "Don't you get into my life! How dare you even try! Who do you think you are, taking a shot like that? Changing the subject? You can't even begin to understand-"
"Understand what?! What it's like to have your heart broken because they love somebody else? To not even get the chance to fulfill your desires because it's forbidden?! It's impossible?!"
There was a very, very long silence as the two stared at each other... both just as shocked by her words.
"What am I doing?" she whispered. "I'm sorry, Yaten... I shouldn't have said those things..."
Minako tore herself away, and began to flee the room, but Yaten caught her hand.
"No..." he said quietly. "Don't leave. You're right. I'm in love with Kakyuu... I love her like... I can't even begin to explain... I did run away... I lowered my status so I couldn't get too close. I don't ever want to get too close. It's painful to be with her... and yet it's painful when my eyes aren't on her. But there's nothing I can do, Minako. There's really nothing I can do. I don't want to run away anymore... but I will NEVER tell her how I feel."
Minako studied his face for a moment, her eyes full of understanding and... and something else... Yaten lowered his gaze, ignoring the feeling in Minako's heart that he knew was there... and hesitatingly squeezed her hand in a way of "I know".
Minako's heart threatened to burst in either pain or happiness at such an affectionate response. She needed to get out of this situation. Her eyes wandered to the bed.
"Oh!" she gasped, and rushed to what Yaten had been hiding. Yaten shook his head and sighed. It was inevitable anyway. "THIS is what you've been keeping away from me?"
On the bed lay several tuxedoes, each slightly different from the others. Minako nodded her head.
"Good taste... you definitely want to go with just black... Pale violet is almost absurd, but Endymion pulls it off well. I don't think anybody else could."
Yaten nodded, surprised slightly by her fashion sense. No one could pull off wearing yellow except Minako, and even then it had to be just the right color.
Minako's eyes caught a splash of pale blue hidden under one of the black tuxedoes, and Yaten watched in horror as she honed in on it. She gasped in surprise when she pulled out a beautiful, pale, silk dress. It was simple with think straps and a low, heart shaped neck, with two layers that slid against each other with liquid fluidity.
She stared, shocked, and looked at Yaten.
"I had been thinking..." he said. "I don't know why I came back here as a male human... maybe to be recognized more? It shouldn't have made a difference... you know what we look like. I understood why Taiki took that form... but me... You can't spoil such beauty on a man!"
Minako only nodded.
"I had been thinking about changing back into a woman to be true to myself. It shouldn't matter really... you are who you are... a soul, a person... but somehow it matters to me. I was a man because of desperation. I don't want to feel that anymore. But I also don't want to feel desperate as a man, you understand?"
"Put on a tuxedo," was all that Minako said. Yaten opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it, grabbed a black velvet tux with it's matching white cravat, and headed behind the dressing screen.
The light from the window was just right enough, that Minako could see a dim shadow, and she watched silently as he undressed and put on the formal attire, the sound of shifting fabric and moving hair flowing to her ears. She turned her head away, and finally heard him come out from behind the screen and stood in front of her.
"Ah..." This would be one of the few times that Yaten allowed anybody to look him over so closely. She walked slowly around him, her hair brushing against his jacket, the golden mane held fast by the black velvet fur. Yaten gazed at the strands' pattern on the jacket, until it was lead around his entire body as she surveyed the cut and fall of the jacket and pants. Finally, she faced him again, and pulled her hair from the tuxedo, and smiled. "Very nice... where did you get these anyway?"
"Makoto dropped them off for me."
"She would."
"Is it me, or is she under a lot of stress lately?"
"It's kind of both. She acts like she's under a lot of stress, but really she's not."
Minako handed him the pale blue dress. Gingerly, he took the dress, trying to interpret the feeling he was getting from her, but it was masked by his own confusion... or was it hers? Ignoring those thoughts, he went back to behind the dressing screen.
Minako's eyes were transfixed now as the shadow changed shape instantly, without sound, from a naked man, to a nude woman. Beautiful and graceful curves replaced the flat lines of dimension, and Minako gazed as delicate arms slipped the dress over slender shoulders.
"Anou..." Yaten stuck her head out from the screen, and Minako blushed furiously, quickly tearing her eyes away.
Perfect, Minako. Just great. How much more obvious can you get? Just don't let her think twice.
"Uh... yes?" She looked up and looked into those large, heavily lashed green eyes.
"Could you finish buttoning the back for me? It's too hard towards the middle." She walked to Minako and turned around, and the blonde haired woman hesitated slightly. "What's wrong?"
"N-nothing. Silly me. I almost forgot how these things work." Yaten lifted her silver hair up from her neck, the long strands spilling over the top of her head, and Minako fumbled with the buttons, wincing as the muscles of Yaten's back flinched when her fingers brushed against the skin. She's probably never really been touched, thought Minako, and wondered at the pale, flawless skin... What are you thinking?! Bad girl, Minako! Bad girl.
"There you go!" she said happily when the last button was buttoned.
Yaten turned around, and Minako made an audible gasp. A moon sprite... so pale, and yet glowing...
"So?" Yaten rose an eyebrow. Minako moved her eyes to the mirror, and both women turned to the reflection.
"The dress," Minako breathed. "Definitely the dress."
There was a small pause, and then Minako grinned. "So now you'll go into town with me?"
"What?"
"Sure! You can borrow some of my clothes! It'll be fun! I haven't really wanted to go out for a long time."
"Wait a second-"
Minako grabbed Yaten's hand and raced down the corridor to her apartment, flung open the doors, pulled Yaten in, slammed the doors closed, and raced to her closet.
A shower of shirts and blouses poured down over Yaten... and with a sigh, she picked up a skirt, studied the quality, and then smiled, deciding a trip into the city wouldn't be so bad after all.
Part 7
*~*~*~*
One day later...
The walls closed around him, and the songs of free birds sang in his ears. The peacock took flight and flew to his nesting place... the kitchen.
*~*~*~*
She stood there, among the flowers and crystals like a nymph, crystal reflections off her shoulder length black hair, her skin dyed red from the light of roses. A soft smile brightened her face as her mind wandered into the distance, her eyes only seeing her dreams, and she did not notice a pink head peeking above the bushes next to a blue set of hair.
"There she is," whispered Chibi-Usa.
"Uh-huh..."
"This is probably the only chance you'll ever get to be alone."
"Yeah..."
Chibi-Usa scowled. "So are you going to ask her or not?"
"In a minute."
"We can do this two ways. One: go and ask her. Two: not ask her and watch her dance all night with some guy you've never seen before... they'll be staring into each other's eyes, the surrounding world fading away, hearing nothing but their own heartbeats..." Closing her eyes, Chibi-Usa imagined the scene... and unfortunately, so could Ichigo. "They'll walk to this very spot to get away from everybody, and talk all night long about the future and dreams... he'll lean forward slightly, the moon playing off his eyes... she'll be entranced, captivated... they'll kiss and then..."
Chibi-Usa grabbed his ear and tugged hard, making sure he heard her whisper. "You'll be the ring bearer at their wedding!"
"NO!!"
"Huh?" Hotaru spun around, startled and stared at the bush. A second later she watched as Ichigo was shoved out of the shrubbery landing face down at her feet. "Ichigo-kun!"
"Uuuhhhh..." he lifted his head slightly, and stared at her shapely ankles.
Hotaru quickly dropped to her knees and helped him up, her black dress flowing like a gust of dark, mysterious wind. They sat across from each other, Ichigo speechless, and Hotaru giggled, her eyes closing in that sweet way they did. She didn't look eighteen, she looked ageless, so beautiful... he never fully knew her, and yet understood her to her soul.
"What's going on?"
"Uhhh... I was just..." He looked back at the bush, trying to see Chibi-Usa, but such was a princess who learned from only the best... Aino Minako, the idol stalker. "I was just trying to... um..."
There was a rustle in the bushes, a small meow (more of a yelp), and a small gray kitten came leaping from the roses straight at the boy.
"I was just trying to find Diana!" He looked back, and a hand giving the thumbs up appeared out of the bushes.
"I don't know what happened!" she wailed. "I was just sitting on Small Lady's lap, and all of a sudden, she pushed me out of the-"
Ichigo covered her mouth, and smiled.
"The poor kitty... got lost... ahehehe." Diana looked up at him puzzled. "Diana... you're fine now, go back to Chibi-Usa-chan, now... I bet she's worried about you-"
"But she just-"
"She must be looking ALL OVER FOR YOU!!"
"DIANA! DIANA, WHERE ARE YOU?!" Chibi-Usa appeared at the doorway (with a small muttering from Ichigo of "How does she do that?") and spotted Diana. "There you are! Where have you been?!"
"I was-"
"I was so worried!"
"... But... but... you-"
"I promised you sushi, that's right! I'm so sorry. Want to go now?"
"COMING!" The kitty jumped from the boy's hands and raced to the young princess.
When Ichigo made sure they were alone, he stood up and helped her to her feet.
"Thanks."
"Sure..."
"So..."
"Um..."
"..."
"..."
"Was... there anything you wanted to say to me? You seem pretty tense."
"Oh." He lowered his shoulders. "Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you..."
"What?" She smiled sweetly.
"Do... do you... want to..."
"Want to what?"
"To... to... Am I just a little kid to you?"
"What?"
"I mean... I know I'm nine hundred and four... but I'm not growing or anything... I don't look like what I should be... I guess, and..."
"Should it make a difference?" she asked. "You're Ichigo, right? That's all that matters."
"No, it's not." He said heatedly, frowning. Hotaru was taken aback. "I should look older... not like a twelve year old little kid. Like every guy my age should be... I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm just some freak-"
"Stop it," she said. "There's nothing wrong with you. Nothing."
She placed her hand on his shoulder.
"R-really?"
"Of course." His hope brightened.
"T-then, I was kind of wondering..."
"Yes?"
"Well, you know the celebration of the alliance is in a couple days... and..."
"... And?"
"And well, I was just wondering if-"
"GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF-"
"YOU CAN NEVER CATCH ME! I AM THE WIND! THE WIND, I SAY!"
Taiki01 giggled in glee as he ran down the pathway with a bottle of the finest sake in the world in one hand, a small cup in the other, a very angry Jupiter right on his butt, and his silk kimono falling dangerously loose.
"HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING?!"
"WAAAAH!" Taiki hooked Ichigo by the neck and pulled him down the path with him.
"A HOSTAGE NOW? OH, YOU'RE GOING TO PAY, BUDDY!"
"No! Don't do anything, Jupiter-san!"
Suddenly, Taiki stopped, dropped the bottle, cup, and boy, and twirled around to meet Jupiter face to face. Grabbing her hand, he knelt on one knee, and murmured, "Marry me, darling. I've loved you all my life..."
"You've only been alive for two and half months," she said with clenched teeth, and tried to tug her hand away. The glove slipped off, but Taiki quickly grabbed her other hand, massaging her fingers.
"And what a time! I spent hours dreaming of your eyes and lips and those big, beautiful, round-"
"HEY!" She blushed furiously, and went to slap him, but he deftly caught her other hand, and kissed her gloved palm. "Oh, brother..."
"Do something!" shouted Ichigo, who was being crushed by Taiki's knee.
Taiki01 stared up at Jupiter with huge pale eyes, glistening with innocence, and Jupiter blinked, a veil of illusion shading the clone's face into familiar proportions to...
"I-I can't..." she stuttered.
"What? Why not?!"
"He... he looks like... my senpai!"
"Oh my God..."
"My sweet blossom. My tempered rose." Without taking his eyes off of her, he plucked a rose and handed it to the dazed senshi. She took it, startled, and lifted an eyebrow. "I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you..."
"Are you sure you really want to?"
"Absolutely, I would spend my life in captivity for you!"
"So far it hasn't been working."
"...Can't... breathe..."
"I'm a changed man, I promise. I'll learn, I'll do anything for you!"
"REALLY now..." Taiki nodded his head vigorously. "Well then..."
"Yes?"
"Once you get over your hang over, you'll be my slave for the rest of your life."
"... What would this entail?"
"Well, for starters, going to the ball with me."
"Done."
Their palms slid smoothly into a handshake, and Jupiter grinned.
"You have no idea how much you'll regret this," she said through a beauty pageant smile, and sent a current of electricity into his body.
Taiki fell to the ground, a mass of muscle crushing Ichigo. Jupiter rolled him off of the boy with her foot, and helped the prince of Mercury to his feet.
"Ichigo!" Hotaru ran to him, and he leaned on her grimacing in pain, but a grin sweeping across his face in absolute bliss. "What are you going to do with him?"
"Taiki01?" Hotaru nodded, and Jupiter thought for a moment, nudged the collapsed body with her toe and then nodded her head. "Keep my word, I guess."
"W-what?"
"Well, if he's been in a cage all of his life (no matter how big it is), he would have a grudge to those who put him in there anyway, right?"
"I... guess..."
"He's never had a chance to deal with emotions on a society level... we HAVE been kind of harsh, but damnit! What am I thinking?" She slammed a fist into her open palm. "He's a spoiled, two month old who hasn't had a chance to actually live... he's an insult to the human race... he shouldn't have been here, and the thing is... he knows it too." Pity flooded her soul. "He's going to the celebration with me, and that's that. Time to give him a chance!"
"But if he does something?"
Jupiter ground her fist into her palm. "Then he'll be in that cage all his life... without the silk."
*~*~*~*
"Knock-knock!" The sing song voice erupted Yaten's thoughts, and he turned his head to the door, staring as Minako peaked through, beaming.
"Isn't it a custom on Earth to actually slam their knuckles onto a slab of wood instead of voicing a stylized version of the sound?"
Minako shrugged. "My hand hurts after doing it for so long. Can I come in?" She walked inside the guest room where Yaten was staying, and closed the door.
"Sure, why not?" He finally rotated his entire body in her direction, and Minako walked closer to him, her pale yellow organza dress flowing around her figure. The only thing that made Yaten feel at ease around Minako was the sight of the bow in her hair. It was a symbol that not everything had completely changed, they were still the same people, with the same memories and feelings, even if they had a calmer (or not) aura around them.
He still hadn't gotten used to seeing the girls in some sense of formality. If they weren't in their fuku, they were wearing royal attire, fit for the princesses that they were. It had made him seem so foolish in the old clothes he had been wearing when they walked into the palace... but nobody seemed to mind anyway.
"It's too dark in here!" she cried, and went to open the curtains, but Yaten stopped her.
"It's fine, I like the dark."
"No way..." she said. "There's something tragic about a dark room at noon."
She pulled open the curtains, the light flooding into the room. She sighed sweetly and looked out the window into the crystal garden. Serenity, Endymion, Kakyuu, Seiya, Ami and Taiki were all standing and talking, laughing, and enjoying themselves, as the queen and her consort surveyed the garden. Serenity looked up and saw Minako, and she smiled brightly. Minako smiled back and waved, and then turned to see Yaten who stared at the floor, scowling.
"What? Don't like the view? I thought you liked the garden."
"It's more beautiful when empty."
Minako turned back to watch the three couples. She could feel Yaten's green eyes blazing through her, to the queen of New Kinmoku... an ache in his heart that only matched her own. She blinked back the tears of pain, blocked her heart, and the searing heat faded. She wasn't liking this new effect that Yaten had over her.
"Loneliness is such a sad thing to feel, isn't it?" There was a small intake of breath, and before Yaten could say anything back, Minako beamed and said, "I've been trying to find someone to go into town with me... but everybody's busy... want to go? Do a little sight seeing...?"
"Sounds good... I'm busy right now though, maybe later?"
"I could help you, if you want..."
"N-no, that's okay..."
"What are you hiding?"
"Nothing! Really!"
Minako pouted little, and then made a subtle move to look over his shoulder (which wasn't that hard to do), but Yaten kept on blocking the way.
"It's nothing!"
"Then why are you keeping me away?"
"Is this what you do to all your guests?" he said, pivoting to the side when she swerved to the right.
"Only to you!"
"Really, now?"
"Of course! Nobody's hid anything from me before!"
"So why don't you stop hiding your secret from them?"
She stopped and looked at him, her eyes wide. "My...secret..."
Yaten's eyes were flooded with an orange light, a small film that changed the room's perspective ever so slightly. The light from the window's cascaded down like a beacon from heaven, filling the room with its glory, and yet small imprints of footsteps, of fingerprints on the door, of a woman right in front of him... as black and lonely as night.
The sad, warm light suddenly put on an edge of iciness, and Yaten watched as Minako snapped into cold civility and moved back a few steps.
"What about YOUR secret?" she said coldly. "What about why YOU came here? Maybe I should just tell your queen why you left her. Why you left because the sight of her made you weak-"
Yaten's eyes narrowed, as his heart began to panic. "Don't you get into my life! How dare you even try! Who do you think you are, taking a shot like that? Changing the subject? You can't even begin to understand-"
"Understand what?! What it's like to have your heart broken because they love somebody else? To not even get the chance to fulfill your desires because it's forbidden?! It's impossible?!"
There was a very, very long silence as the two stared at each other... both just as shocked by her words.
"What am I doing?" she whispered. "I'm sorry, Yaten... I shouldn't have said those things..."
Minako tore herself away, and began to flee the room, but Yaten caught her hand.
"No..." he said quietly. "Don't leave. You're right. I'm in love with Kakyuu... I love her like... I can't even begin to explain... I did run away... I lowered my status so I couldn't get too close. I don't ever want to get too close. It's painful to be with her... and yet it's painful when my eyes aren't on her. But there's nothing I can do, Minako. There's really nothing I can do. I don't want to run away anymore... but I will NEVER tell her how I feel."
Minako studied his face for a moment, her eyes full of understanding and... and something else... Yaten lowered his gaze, ignoring the feeling in Minako's heart that he knew was there... and hesitatingly squeezed her hand in a way of "I know".
Minako's heart threatened to burst in either pain or happiness at such an affectionate response. She needed to get out of this situation. Her eyes wandered to the bed.
"Oh!" she gasped, and rushed to what Yaten had been hiding. Yaten shook his head and sighed. It was inevitable anyway. "THIS is what you've been keeping away from me?"
On the bed lay several tuxedoes, each slightly different from the others. Minako nodded her head.
"Good taste... you definitely want to go with just black... Pale violet is almost absurd, but Endymion pulls it off well. I don't think anybody else could."
Yaten nodded, surprised slightly by her fashion sense. No one could pull off wearing yellow except Minako, and even then it had to be just the right color.
Minako's eyes caught a splash of pale blue hidden under one of the black tuxedoes, and Yaten watched in horror as she honed in on it. She gasped in surprise when she pulled out a beautiful, pale, silk dress. It was simple with think straps and a low, heart shaped neck, with two layers that slid against each other with liquid fluidity.
She stared, shocked, and looked at Yaten.
"I had been thinking..." he said. "I don't know why I came back here as a male human... maybe to be recognized more? It shouldn't have made a difference... you know what we look like. I understood why Taiki took that form... but me... You can't spoil such beauty on a man!"
Minako only nodded.
"I had been thinking about changing back into a woman to be true to myself. It shouldn't matter really... you are who you are... a soul, a person... but somehow it matters to me. I was a man because of desperation. I don't want to feel that anymore. But I also don't want to feel desperate as a man, you understand?"
"Put on a tuxedo," was all that Minako said. Yaten opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it, grabbed a black velvet tux with it's matching white cravat, and headed behind the dressing screen.
The light from the window was just right enough, that Minako could see a dim shadow, and she watched silently as he undressed and put on the formal attire, the sound of shifting fabric and moving hair flowing to her ears. She turned her head away, and finally heard him come out from behind the screen and stood in front of her.
"Ah..." This would be one of the few times that Yaten allowed anybody to look him over so closely. She walked slowly around him, her hair brushing against his jacket, the golden mane held fast by the black velvet fur. Yaten gazed at the strands' pattern on the jacket, until it was lead around his entire body as she surveyed the cut and fall of the jacket and pants. Finally, she faced him again, and pulled her hair from the tuxedo, and smiled. "Very nice... where did you get these anyway?"
"Makoto dropped them off for me."
"She would."
"Is it me, or is she under a lot of stress lately?"
"It's kind of both. She acts like she's under a lot of stress, but really she's not."
Minako handed him the pale blue dress. Gingerly, he took the dress, trying to interpret the feeling he was getting from her, but it was masked by his own confusion... or was it hers? Ignoring those thoughts, he went back to behind the dressing screen.
Minako's eyes were transfixed now as the shadow changed shape instantly, without sound, from a naked man, to a nude woman. Beautiful and graceful curves replaced the flat lines of dimension, and Minako gazed as delicate arms slipped the dress over slender shoulders.
"Anou..." Yaten stuck her head out from the screen, and Minako blushed furiously, quickly tearing her eyes away.
Perfect, Minako. Just great. How much more obvious can you get? Just don't let her think twice.
"Uh... yes?" She looked up and looked into those large, heavily lashed green eyes.
"Could you finish buttoning the back for me? It's too hard towards the middle." She walked to Minako and turned around, and the blonde haired woman hesitated slightly. "What's wrong?"
"N-nothing. Silly me. I almost forgot how these things work." Yaten lifted her silver hair up from her neck, the long strands spilling over the top of her head, and Minako fumbled with the buttons, wincing as the muscles of Yaten's back flinched when her fingers brushed against the skin. She's probably never really been touched, thought Minako, and wondered at the pale, flawless skin... What are you thinking?! Bad girl, Minako! Bad girl.
"There you go!" she said happily when the last button was buttoned.
Yaten turned around, and Minako made an audible gasp. A moon sprite... so pale, and yet glowing...
"So?" Yaten rose an eyebrow. Minako moved her eyes to the mirror, and both women turned to the reflection.
"The dress," Minako breathed. "Definitely the dress."
There was a small pause, and then Minako grinned. "So now you'll go into town with me?"
"What?"
"Sure! You can borrow some of my clothes! It'll be fun! I haven't really wanted to go out for a long time."
"Wait a second-"
Minako grabbed Yaten's hand and raced down the corridor to her apartment, flung open the doors, pulled Yaten in, slammed the doors closed, and raced to her closet.
A shower of shirts and blouses poured down over Yaten... and with a sigh, she picked up a skirt, studied the quality, and then smiled, deciding a trip into the city wouldn't be so bad after all.
