Serenades of the Desert Rose
Chapter Five:: Trust
Author Notes:: Ok, so I'm *trying* to write at least a chapter a week from now on, ok guys? Review to tell me what you think should happen... cause I've got about three ways I could take this story from here.
Disclaimer:: If I owned Sailor Moon, I wouldn't be writing FANfiction would I?
~~*~~
Mina was speechless. She was angry and a bit more than annoyed, too, but speechless about summed up what she felt. It was before dawn and she'd been asleep for a few hours at the very most, before the rude awakening, as she'd come to think of it as.
Here he was, the silver haired pompous idiot who's woken her up, trying to get her on the back of a horse. She wasn't going to have this, she thought, not until the seven pits of hell froze over.
"Come on, Princess..." he managed, though the title sounded more like a taunt than anything with honor attached. "We don't have all day."
She raised an eyebrow. "In civilized society, we tend to have a meal and at least some time to wash up and dress before we go riding blindly into the horizon." she snapped, arms crossed across her stomach. He sighed.
"We don't." he growled, annoyed at her stubborn streak. She smiled inwardly at the rise she was getting out of him. He seemed to notice this through her cold exterior. "We'll have breakfast when we get where we're going." he snapped.
She didn't move to mount the horse. He took a careful breath and made a decision. He took a step forward and grabbed her around her waist, pulling himself into the saddle. She was too surprised to protest much, until she was firmly set into the saddle before him.
"What do you think you're doing, you savage!?" she exclaimed, struggling against his firm grasp. He found it was harder than he thought to hold her.
He didn't answer and urged his horse forward. She settled down after a moment, but slid forward a bit and grasped the horse's mane. He took the hint and dropped his arms from around her.
The silence was thicker than molasses.
They rode at a steady pace, and Mina was just getting the hang of riding, when the sun began to peak over the massive dunes. Glinting off of the sand, the bright light felt brighter, and she turned her eyes away.
"We'll rest soon, Princess." he spoke. He moved his long arm to point to a collection of cliffs. "When we reach the pass." he added. She nodded, and let herself relax a bit. He noted this, silently.
Mina's mind was wandering, dangerously close to home. She hadn't had much time, or extra thought, to be homesick, she realized. She was suddenly swept in a wave of homesickness.
'I can't afford to be homesick.' she thought. She set her shoulders strong and her jaw tightly. Yet, she couldn't help but think of her friends. She wondered how the other senshi had reacted when she'd disappeared. Were they still looking for her? She'd been gone... less than a week she realized. Her eyes grew a bit wide at that.
It had seemed so much longer.
She hoped that no one had been blamed. That she hadn't been labeled a deserter or something worse.
She thought about her parents. Aphrodite and Adonis, the king and queen of Venus, were no doubt furious and worried sick over her disappearance. She suddenly felt very guilty.
She hadn't even tried to escape, or protest her capture. It was almost as if... she wanted this.
Did she?
Of course not, she insisted to herself. Given the chance, she'd go right back to her home, she told herself. She only wondered faintly if she would.
She realized she'd settled back onto Malachite's chest.
She stiffened. Maybe she was more mistaken than she realized.
~~*~~
As Malachite dismounted, he didn't even realize that he turned to help ease Mina to the ground without thinking at all. It was even more of a surprise that she let him.
He swallowed hard as he pulled his hands from her slim waist and turned to unpack the horse's saddlebags. He didn't see her blush as she turned away.
"Can I help at all?" she asked. He glanced over at her, but she still had her back to him. He hefted one of the bags.
"I don't think so. You can get some rest, if you want." he explained. She glanced at him, but her look was much softer than he'd seen it in awhile. It was almost... sad.
'Of course, you idiot. She's been taken against her will from all she's ever known.' he chided himself. 'She's every right to hate you and your people.' he added, looking away with a kick to his own mind.
She took this look differently than he intended and looked away. She held her own arms as if she was freezing, though the desert air was steadily warming in the morning light. He felt a swell of pity and wished he knew how to act around her kind of people.
"Very well then." she spoke softly, walking away from him. He closed his eyes and fought the urge to run to her and reassure her. She'd never become one of their kind, this way.
'What if she doesn't want to be?' he thought. He shook his head. It didn't matter what she wanted, it was the will of the Goddess for Mina to be one of the king's guard. It was his job to turn her into one.
She sat in the sand and hung her head. He took a deep breath and finished unpacking the horse. Setting up a makeshift camp, he was surprised to find a large, heart shaped brooch in the bag. It was orange and gold with the sign of Venus on it. "What's this?" he asked.
She looked up at him and gasped when she saw the brooch. "That's my brooch!" she exclaimed. She joined him at his side. Her hand went to take it, but she drew back and looked up at him. "Can I... Can I have it back?" she asked.
He furrowed his brow. He had no reason not to give it to her. He offered it. "Take it." he spoke.
She took it and suddenly seemed a hundred times reassured. She held it close and he had to wonder at it's significance.
"What is that?" he asked, wary all of a sudden.
"The focal object of my powers as a senshi." she explained, glancing towards him. She seemed wary as well. "You won't take it back, though? Now that you know what you've given me." she asked, tone pleading him not to.
He stood. "Why would I?" he had to ask.
She darkened. "I could escape with this." she spoke, taking a step backwards. "I could return to my home."
He blinked. "I swore to help you return home, Princess... if you truly wish to go, I'll take you myself." he spoke after much effort. If he returned her home... he shook off the thoughts. He realized she was more important, and that almost frightened him.
She eyed him warily. "You don't jest?" she asked. He bowed his head.
"Of course not." he replied.
The moment was silent and she eyed him with a new hint of trust. "What will happen to you should you help me?"
He didn't answer. "It matters not." he replied.
She took a deep breath. Her mind was going a thousand miles an hour. "You brought me here to train me in your ways of war... teach me." she spoke with a sigh.
He raised an eyebrow. "You'd rather stay?" he asked.
"For the time, Lord Malachite. I may yet change my mind." she explained.
~~*~~
AN..2:: OK, short chapter, I know, but it was the best I could do for now. I have an idea, but I really didn't want to go any further this chapter... beware... love is beginning to bloom. ^_^
Chapter Five:: Trust
Author Notes:: Ok, so I'm *trying* to write at least a chapter a week from now on, ok guys? Review to tell me what you think should happen... cause I've got about three ways I could take this story from here.
Disclaimer:: If I owned Sailor Moon, I wouldn't be writing FANfiction would I?
~~*~~
Mina was speechless. She was angry and a bit more than annoyed, too, but speechless about summed up what she felt. It was before dawn and she'd been asleep for a few hours at the very most, before the rude awakening, as she'd come to think of it as.
Here he was, the silver haired pompous idiot who's woken her up, trying to get her on the back of a horse. She wasn't going to have this, she thought, not until the seven pits of hell froze over.
"Come on, Princess..." he managed, though the title sounded more like a taunt than anything with honor attached. "We don't have all day."
She raised an eyebrow. "In civilized society, we tend to have a meal and at least some time to wash up and dress before we go riding blindly into the horizon." she snapped, arms crossed across her stomach. He sighed.
"We don't." he growled, annoyed at her stubborn streak. She smiled inwardly at the rise she was getting out of him. He seemed to notice this through her cold exterior. "We'll have breakfast when we get where we're going." he snapped.
She didn't move to mount the horse. He took a careful breath and made a decision. He took a step forward and grabbed her around her waist, pulling himself into the saddle. She was too surprised to protest much, until she was firmly set into the saddle before him.
"What do you think you're doing, you savage!?" she exclaimed, struggling against his firm grasp. He found it was harder than he thought to hold her.
He didn't answer and urged his horse forward. She settled down after a moment, but slid forward a bit and grasped the horse's mane. He took the hint and dropped his arms from around her.
The silence was thicker than molasses.
They rode at a steady pace, and Mina was just getting the hang of riding, when the sun began to peak over the massive dunes. Glinting off of the sand, the bright light felt brighter, and she turned her eyes away.
"We'll rest soon, Princess." he spoke. He moved his long arm to point to a collection of cliffs. "When we reach the pass." he added. She nodded, and let herself relax a bit. He noted this, silently.
Mina's mind was wandering, dangerously close to home. She hadn't had much time, or extra thought, to be homesick, she realized. She was suddenly swept in a wave of homesickness.
'I can't afford to be homesick.' she thought. She set her shoulders strong and her jaw tightly. Yet, she couldn't help but think of her friends. She wondered how the other senshi had reacted when she'd disappeared. Were they still looking for her? She'd been gone... less than a week she realized. Her eyes grew a bit wide at that.
It had seemed so much longer.
She hoped that no one had been blamed. That she hadn't been labeled a deserter or something worse.
She thought about her parents. Aphrodite and Adonis, the king and queen of Venus, were no doubt furious and worried sick over her disappearance. She suddenly felt very guilty.
She hadn't even tried to escape, or protest her capture. It was almost as if... she wanted this.
Did she?
Of course not, she insisted to herself. Given the chance, she'd go right back to her home, she told herself. She only wondered faintly if she would.
She realized she'd settled back onto Malachite's chest.
She stiffened. Maybe she was more mistaken than she realized.
~~*~~
As Malachite dismounted, he didn't even realize that he turned to help ease Mina to the ground without thinking at all. It was even more of a surprise that she let him.
He swallowed hard as he pulled his hands from her slim waist and turned to unpack the horse's saddlebags. He didn't see her blush as she turned away.
"Can I help at all?" she asked. He glanced over at her, but she still had her back to him. He hefted one of the bags.
"I don't think so. You can get some rest, if you want." he explained. She glanced at him, but her look was much softer than he'd seen it in awhile. It was almost... sad.
'Of course, you idiot. She's been taken against her will from all she's ever known.' he chided himself. 'She's every right to hate you and your people.' he added, looking away with a kick to his own mind.
She took this look differently than he intended and looked away. She held her own arms as if she was freezing, though the desert air was steadily warming in the morning light. He felt a swell of pity and wished he knew how to act around her kind of people.
"Very well then." she spoke softly, walking away from him. He closed his eyes and fought the urge to run to her and reassure her. She'd never become one of their kind, this way.
'What if she doesn't want to be?' he thought. He shook his head. It didn't matter what she wanted, it was the will of the Goddess for Mina to be one of the king's guard. It was his job to turn her into one.
She sat in the sand and hung her head. He took a deep breath and finished unpacking the horse. Setting up a makeshift camp, he was surprised to find a large, heart shaped brooch in the bag. It was orange and gold with the sign of Venus on it. "What's this?" he asked.
She looked up at him and gasped when she saw the brooch. "That's my brooch!" she exclaimed. She joined him at his side. Her hand went to take it, but she drew back and looked up at him. "Can I... Can I have it back?" she asked.
He furrowed his brow. He had no reason not to give it to her. He offered it. "Take it." he spoke.
She took it and suddenly seemed a hundred times reassured. She held it close and he had to wonder at it's significance.
"What is that?" he asked, wary all of a sudden.
"The focal object of my powers as a senshi." she explained, glancing towards him. She seemed wary as well. "You won't take it back, though? Now that you know what you've given me." she asked, tone pleading him not to.
He stood. "Why would I?" he had to ask.
She darkened. "I could escape with this." she spoke, taking a step backwards. "I could return to my home."
He blinked. "I swore to help you return home, Princess... if you truly wish to go, I'll take you myself." he spoke after much effort. If he returned her home... he shook off the thoughts. He realized she was more important, and that almost frightened him.
She eyed him warily. "You don't jest?" she asked. He bowed his head.
"Of course not." he replied.
The moment was silent and she eyed him with a new hint of trust. "What will happen to you should you help me?"
He didn't answer. "It matters not." he replied.
She took a deep breath. Her mind was going a thousand miles an hour. "You brought me here to train me in your ways of war... teach me." she spoke with a sigh.
He raised an eyebrow. "You'd rather stay?" he asked.
"For the time, Lord Malachite. I may yet change my mind." she explained.
~~*~~
AN..2:: OK, short chapter, I know, but it was the best I could do for now. I have an idea, but I really didn't want to go any further this chapter... beware... love is beginning to bloom. ^_^