Dawn

Chapter One

The Boring First Part

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Thanks for all the reviews.

To LadySerenity who reviewed before I had to re-upload some the

story: I don't mean to sound rude, but considering the fact that

the girls are 18 (as you'll find out later in the story) and that

this is 17th century Italy, where noble girls were commanded to

remain sexually pure before marriage, I'd say that I'm probably

correct in assuming that she is a virgin. And this is rated PG-13.

You seem to be suggesting that is should go up to a rating of R,

but this contains no lemon whatsoever, not even a lime.

Huh, I don't know that much about Venice, so I just described it

the way I would like it to be. I know it's probably wrong, but hey,

in my fanfic world, what I say goes. I'm sorry for all the errors.

Finals week drove me crazy (not to mention my teachers decided

to give me as many tests as possible the two weeks before finals).

And my editor was busy with her terribly hard freshman year (yeah,

right. Wait till she gets to her junior year *snicker*), so she didn't

have time to read it. I think I need a personal secretary. Would

anyone like to finance it? *wink wink*

Summary: Mina Silveri is famed throughout Venice for her charm and

beauty. Though she does not avoid men like the plague, no one can

boast of having claimed her heart. Sir Kunzite Glory is mysterious,

dark and dangerous, who can coax any female into his bed. But the

moment he sees her, he vows that she'll be his. Yet, he was not

prepared for the battle of wills, nor did he expect to lose his heart.

But will she return his advances?

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Dawn

Chapter One

The Boring First Part

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Laughing, Mina twirled in Zoicite's arms, feeling the other

knight's eyes bore into her back. She smile smugly, pleased to have

caught the arrogant soldier off guard, not to mention that Zoicite was

a wonderful partner. He told her amusing stories, introduced her to

some of the older generals, and (after realizing her great love for

the martial arts) reluctantly agreed to have a match with her. Suddenly,

Mina laughed softly, the sound like twinkling silver bells, and Zoicite

saw the raven-haired beauty from before hugging a blond-haired young

man.

"That my older brother, Jadeite. He is sort of my personal

bodyguard. Any man who wants to court me has to pass his inspection

first. He calls the little chats a heart-to-heart talk, I call them

death threats."

Zoicite smiled, though a little confused.

"What's so funny? If I had a little sister like you, I'd

probably be a bit over-protective, too."

Mina shook her head.

"It's not that. It's just that Lady Rei - the dark haired

woman embracing, supposedly the most unattainable and beautiful

lady in all of Italy - loves him. She's the girl who once swore

that all men were worthless. I'd never have guessed that she'd

fall for Jed, though he had a crush on her for ages, ever since

we became best friends."

Zoicite shot her a sideways glance.

"And is that your perspective, too, Lady Mina?"

Mina shook her head again.

"No, not really. But I think Rei's mistrust of men

has rubbed off on me. I believe that men are fickle."

Mina blinked as a rhyme flashed before her eyes, and she

began to chant, her pupils wide and unfocused, though no one noticed

that, not even Zoicite.

"Tomorrow is Saint Valentine's day,

All in the morning betime,

and I a maid at your window,

to be your Valentine.

Then up he rose and donned his cloth,

And dupped the chamber door,

let in the maid, that out a maid,

never departed more.

By Gis and by Saint Charity,

Alack and fie for shame,

young man will do 't, if they come to 't,

by Cock, they're to blame.

Quoth she "Before you tumbled me,

you promised me to wed."

"So would I 'a done, by yonder sun,

An thou hadst not come to my bed*"

Zoicite stared at her, awed by her lyric ability, as she

grinned wickedly at him, feeling pleased. Finally, he managed to

twist his tongue to let loose a few coherent words.

"By Goddess, there's more to you than meets the eye, Lady."

Minako raised an eyebrow, unconsciously smoothing out a few

wrinkles in her dress.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"As it was intended."

They both grinned.

"Mina!"

Mina gasped as two strong arms circled around her from behind,

and she turned to see the twinkling eyes of Jadeite.

"So, sis, what kind of trouble have you been causing all these

time?"

Mina laughed softly, again.

"Let's see, the first breakfast I made went up in flames, causing

a silent explosion. Cook was so mad he took a burning piece of what was

supposed to be a cake and threw it out of the window, accidentally setting

a rosebush on fire. Then I walked in on three of the maids scrubbing the

floor. I tripped over Hikaru, slipped, and was send crashing head first into

a table. Now, that hurt. Later in that week, Ami and Lita invited me to study

with them on the arts of ancient Greek sculptures. They used one of Ami's

father's hunting lodges for that and send me the address. I misread the directions

and ended up in a whorehouse. My chauffeur literally had to become a bodyguard

for me to leave it. As it was, he ended beating up two of the guys who tried

to 'buy' me. On Friday morning, when I had just woken up, Tomoyo brought me

breakfast. I heard the sound of metal scraping against metal, and believed that

someone would trying hurt me, forgetting that I ordered breakfast in bed the

previous night before. So when the door opened, I threw my shoes at whoever

was coming in. Tomoyo let loose a shriek, the bowls of food flying from her

hands, and dumping over me. Took ages to get all that grease out of my hair.

Well, that's about it."

Jadeite shook his head, grinning broadly.

"You've certainly been a busy gal."

His eyes lighted on Zoicite standing mutely next to Mina, and his

glare was suspicious.

"Who is that?"

He spat out the last word as if Zoicite was some kind of bug or nasty

vine clinging to his sister's arm.

"This gentleman here is Sir Zoicite Fame."

A strange gleam entered Jadeite's eyes after hearing Mina's explanation.

"Just so there's is no misunderstanding, Sir Zoicite, it you decide to

court my sister, understand..."

Mina inwardly cringed. She knew Jadeite was back to his treat-my-sister-

with-the-utter-most-respect-or-you-answer-to-me-by-the-wrod-understood speech.

Those little heart-to-heart talks she'd dubbed the death threats. Her dismay grew

as she noticed the silver-haired knight striding purposefully in her direction, a

glint of steel in those mesmerizing eyes. Frantically casting her eyes around for

a distraction, ANY distraction, she found Rei being forced to dance by a nerdy

young man with huge glances. A flash of pain crossed the dark-haired girl's face

as the man repeatedly stepped on her toes. She wondered briefly for a moment who

he was before their gaze locked, and she read the message clearly in those bright

amethyst eyes: 'Do something or you'll be dying a very painful and drawn-out death'.

Mina was only too happy to comply as she interrupted her brother.

"Jed, I believe Rei needs some rescuing."

Jadeite stopped in mid-sentence, his eyes searching the room for his

girlfriend. When he finally spotted her, he moved so fast that a blink would

have prevented one form seeing him run. Mina breathed a sigh of relief just

as the silver-haired knight stepped up to her, bowing low.

"Milady, may I have this dance?"

Mina was a bit annoyed as the soft bass voice caught her off guard. It was

gentle and comforting, very different from what she'd imagined after watching his

actions tonight. A cursive glance took in every aspect of him. Though she would

never admit it, there was no way she could deny that he was gorgeous. His silver

hair added a touch of sophistication to his sharp and well-defined youthful features.

His body was well-toned and muscled, a magnificent body, every female's dream. He

was, Mina reluctantly thought, a perfect specimen of the male gender, and that made

him an extremely dangerous man.

*The better a man looks, the more dangerous he is.*

Rei's voice echoed in her head, something she'd heard the raven-haired girl

say once. She had no desire to dance with him, but as a hostess it was her duty to

respect a guest's request. With an inward sigh, she placed her small hand in his

gloved one.

"You may."

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Kunzite watched through emotionless eyes as they danced, inwardly pleased at

himself. She was lovely, even more beautiful up close. Her eyes, seemingly blue

before, displayed a touch of ocean-green as they fastened on his face. Her eyebrows were

winged and the arch of her nose gently proud. His gaze dropped to her mouth. The lips were

rosy and full, lips that he yearned to kiss, to feel their silky softness. She turned

slightly, presenting him with flawless skin and the long ivory column of her neck. Suddenly,

her entire face brightened, mouth formed into a lovely smile, revealing perfect teeth. She

stopped suddenly, and he nearly fell. Kunzite gave his head a mental shake; he'd been so

enchanted by her beauty that he'd missed the end of her song. He turned to where she was

gazing to see a petite blue-haired girl smiling and waving, hanging onto the arm of a

young man. Kunzite's face turned a deathly pale though his eyes flashed dangerously. He

knew that man.

Sir Gregory.

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*Copyright note: Shakespeare, Hamlet Act 4, Scene 5, Verse 53 - 71

Yeah, Cliffhanger! Now, why does Kunzite hate Gregory so much? I personally don't like him,

that's why. I'd have put Andrew but I've gotten a complaint from a very insistent Mercury

fan that I don't write enough on Ami, though I put this little twist in. Hope you enjoyed,

and leave a review of any pairings you'd like (considering Minako and Kunzite, your review

will determine whether it will have a happy ending or not). By the way, it will either end

with Minako being with Kunzite or not, there will be no way, I repeat, NO WAY, that she'll be

with Andrew. Anime fans, don't get your hopes up, I cannot stand them. Review!!!!!!!!!