AN I know! It's a miracle! An update! I hope it's worth the wait. Now without further ado...

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A Silver wrapped gift

Chapter 6

Second Encounter

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Laughter flooded through the air. Selenity ran through the garden, chasing Endymion. He had disappeared from sight, but she had seen him turn right at the end of the lane. Only when she arrived, she didn't see him. Of course, he did know these gardens better then she did, but that didn't mean she would just allow him to disappear on her.

Arms encircled her waist. So perhaps he had not vanished, but simply tricked her. Which was also highly unfair. Happily she leaned back in her love's embrace. It wasn't the first time that she noticed just how at home she felt in his arms.

"Miss me?" his voice whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"Why would I?" she taunted. She loved teasing him.

"Oh, I don't know," he sighed. "I though maybe you did, since you spent the last two hours chasing me around."

Chasing him around? Of all the... "Two hours?" she exclaimed, turning around to frown at him indignantly. "Now you listen here. First off, I don't chase people around, quite the contrary surely, and second, it's not been ten minutes! You really like to exaggerate, don't you?"

His shoulders slumped and his eyebrows drooped. "It's nice to dream."

"Poor little prince. Always dreaming. And what do you dream about, little prince?" she teased patronizingly.

"About a princess from the Moon," he whispered. "Who's teasing the living daylights out of me!" he added, his voice raising.

Taking that as her cue, Selenity turned and fled. She didn't get very far though. There was a good reason that she had failed to catch Endymion earlier. He was just too fast. That also meant her escapes were always quickly done with.

Not that she minded. Putting her arms around his chest she hid her face in the crook of his shoulder. Breathing in the earthy scent of her love, she let out a shaky sigh, perfectly content.

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Halfway the afternoon Venus was simply exhausted. Her princess sure was difficult to find. She figured she had seen every continent by now, and pretty much all of the larger islands. No trace of the princess.

Closing her eyes she wished to find a place where she could rest peacefully, without risking to be disturbed by earthlings. The world shifted as the teleported. Opening her eyes she found the most pleasing surroundings. A long plane stretched out before her, the lush grass dotted by summer flowers. As she turned she saw a tree line, rather close to her. She couldn't see how dense the woods were, but she thought she might enjoy the shade the tall trees provided.

She found she would, but the moment she sat down she was very distracted. Laughter flooded from somewhere to her right. It seemed the place was not as deserted as she thought. Unable to contain her curiosity, which had been the source of Mars's displeasure many a times, giving the fiery Sailor Soldier cause to chastise her leader, she rose to her aching feet and moved towards where she thought the source of the laughter was.

The sound becoming more distinct, indicated she was nearing her goal. She could discern two voices now, the light tingle of a woman and a deeper sound from a man. But then she stumbled upon a wall. Blinking up at the towering white structure she wondered what laid beyond that. 'There's only one way to find out.' She bent her knees and pushed off from the ground, easily clearing the white wall.

To her surprise she found herself in quite a stunning garden. For a few moments she forgot h reason of jumping over the wall and simply admired her surroundings. Early summer flowers spread their petals to take in as much sunlight as possible and she smiled at the enchanting sight all the different colors made.

Then the reason for her exploring made itself known again. Venus concentrated on the sound and deduced the source couldn't be that far. Brushing dust from her short skirt she set out. If she hadn't been so intent on finding her goal, she would have stopped to admire her surroundings. Now she could only spare them a fleeting glance, but even then she could see the natural beauty displayed.

It didn't take her long to reach what appeared to be the source of the laughter she had followed, just like she had predicted. Who would be enjoying the outdoors in this area? She was about to glance around the hedge separating her from those people, when a hand clasped her shoulder.

"Excuse me, but what are you doing here?"

Oh, great. How could she explain this one. Sorry, sir, I come from the moon and I'm looking for out princess? That would go well. She turned to bite the head of the man who had the audacity to interrupt her investigation, but the words died on her lips.

Oh, wow. She had seen quite a number of handsome men in her days - her mother insisted on her meeting a few eligible husbands - but never had she seen a man of such exquisite looks. He stood tall, towering above her at a height of at least six feet, if not more, dressed in a neatly pressed grey uniform. Silver-white hair hung down to broad shoulders, brushed behind the ears to keep it out of his face. A very handsome face with a smooth forehead, straight, aristocratic nose, high cheekbones and a sculpted mouth. And those eyes! A piercing ice-blue that seemed to look straight into her soul.

She fought the blush that threatened to spread. She would not appear as a young maiden in front of this man. He was an Earthling, thus she was undoubtedly older than him. "Spying, what else," she answered his question with a baring of teeth that could not be mistaken for a smile.

He seemed a little taken aback by her answer, but recovered quickly. "And would Lady the Spy care to explain why she was spying at the prince?"

That last word made her forget the spy comment. "Prince?"

A strong hand clasped her shoulder and turned her around so she could look at the clearing with, she noted, a gazebo in the middle. And walking towards that gazebo were two very different figures. One was a young man, almost as tall as the one holding her shoulder right now. His hair was jet black. From his shoulders hung a cape. She figured that must be the prince. It had be, considering the other one was princess Selenity.

"Yes, prince," the silver haired man said, rather close to her ear. She suppressed the shiver that threatened to run up her spine. "I am the first general of his court."

"And what would your prince be doing with my princess?" she retorted.

A finely shaped eyebrow arched upwards. "Princess?"

"Yes, princess Selenity of the moon kingdom."

Now why would she think this was the first time that expression showed on his face? He looked absolutely baffled. Rather cute actually. 'Alright, Minako, enough with the flirtatious thoughts.' He stared at her with eyes twice their usual size. "Moon princess?" he asked in a soft voice. Did his tone imply he questioned her sanity.

"Yes, Moon princess. I am Sailor Venus, captain of her guard, princess Minako of the planet Venus. Now, would you please let me go, so I may retrieve my princess to take her home?"

He blinked confused at her. Then he suddenly seemed to realize something. "Retrieve? You mean she ran of without you knowing?"

This couldn't be good.

"Some captain you make, letting you charge run off like that. You should pay more attention."

She snorted. Of all the nerve... "And what about your guarding talents? You didn't even know who your prince was off gallivanting with! For all you knew she could have been a money or power hungry snobby woman, ready to ensnare every impressionable young man ready for a little romance. Yes, some guard you make."

The eyebrows had lowered now. "I have been careful with Endymion. If I had suspected anything concerning your princess, I would have acted."

"Oh, would you? And what if you would have come up with the wrong conclusions and accused our princess wrongfully of something or other? That would have been very bad as well."

The man in front of her stared at her incredulously. "What do you want? Do this, do that, you're wrong, you should. Can't I do anything right?"

Well, that was too good an opportunity to pass up. "Of course not. You're a man." She smiled indulgently. "But don't worry. I don't hold it against you." She thought his eyebrows would disappear underneath his hair. The puzzled expression on his face was priceless. Deciding he was no longer an issue she turned back to get her princess.

The clearing was empty. "Oh, great, now look what you've done. Where could they be? How big are these gardens anyway?" She stepped forward to look around. Would the princess still be here, or had she teleported to somewhere else? If only Earth's atmosphere didn't interfere with he senses. Then she could simply locate Selenity's aura and things would have ended ages ago.

"What do you mean I've done? It's not my fault they disappeared," a disgruntled voice spoke up behind her.

Minako shot him a look that clearly stated that it was. "Now where do you think they could have gone off to?"

The man growled. "How am I supposed to know? I'm not clairvoyant. I suggest you start looking around here first."

She beamed up at him through gritted teeth. "Great, you can help me then." She snatched his wrist and started dragging him along. "Though it might be nice to know what your name is."

"General Kunzite." He sounded a bit dazed.

"Well, general, do you know where your prince likes to be in these gardens?" she asked, as she slowed down a bit to walk next to him, releasing his wrist.

"I think to the west."

They continued in silence for a while. Occasionally she could feel Kunzite's eyes on her, scrutinizing her. "What?" she barked, when she'd finally had enough of his staring.

"Nothing," he answered coolly. "I just wondered whether you always wear such short skirts."

"Excuse me?!" she shrieked. "That is rude!"

"No ruder than dragging me along like you did."

She shot him a frosty glare and stalked off, leaving him to follow at his own decision.

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AN Well, that's it. Kunzite and Minako have met. I'm not going to make any promises about the next chapter, because I don't know when that one will be finished. It may take a while.

About Strawberry and Vanilla. I may do something with it, extend it, or something like that. I'm not sure yet, but I'm not done with it yet.

About Fear, I'll rewrite the first chapter. A second will be added once I have the answer to my question.

For those of you who reviewed, thank you very much, and please do it again? I want reviews, please?