AN: What can I say? I'm sorry. I'm useless. I'm..uh.....sorry. I'm useless.
I'm just one of those people you know.....those people
who.....ah.....don't.....you know......update.....quick. And I truly do
apologize for that, but you see, these chapters just all of a sudden appear
in my head one day and only then can I get one written and I can't exactly
predict......ah.....who am I kidding. I'm useless. And I'm sorry. But
ANYWAY, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,
thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank
you, thank you, THANK YOU all you who reviewed. You're just BLOODY
marvelous. You know that right?? Thank you so much. You're great! Ok. No
promises on the next chapter being out soon, but..... yeah. That's all.
Chapter 7
"Just leave them to the side and get on with the others." Mina ordered. "Come on people, we have done this thousands of times before, this one is no different. Now please, get on with it." With a sigh, she turned and walked out of the hall.
These damned balls. These damned princes, she thought in irritation. This process was most definitely getting old. With a flick of her long golden hair, she walked to the garden, and stared into the pond. Just another dragging task for just another dragging day.
Queen Selene had pronounced there be a ball held for the royal family of Earth and since it was nearing the celebration of Winter Equinox, even more the reason.
In any case, Mina was not looking forward to it. She had a strange sense of foreboding. One, that she believed, was likely to cause pain. It was just a feeling. Something plucked out of female's intuition, but still one that could not be ignored.
Something bad was going to happen.
As if right on cue, she heard a crash coming from inside the hall where preparations for the ball were being made. She closed her eyes and shook her head in discontent, and then inwardly blocking her ears to the noise. She did not want to know.
She sighed once more and kicked a pebble into the depths of the water. It was a mistake this. Being here, by herself. It invited the frightening notion of being alone with her thoughts, dreams..... memories. And that was never a good thing, because that gave her the opportunity to ponder the situations she faced at present time, the chance to dream and hope of things for the future and worst of all, the danger of remembering times of the past.
...Past.....
The Earth was truly spectacular. Where the Moon was laden with surroundings that glistened from the planet's natural light, the Earth was its complete opposite, filled with striking colour and startling elements. Mina would be sure to explore the country in its entire splendor fully on her next visit.
As she strolled through one of the paths leading back to the castle, a flash of light caught her eye. She turned her head to the white and found that it was the sun reflecting its gleam off of a sword. A sword arcing and sweeping in fluid movements. A sword held in the tanned hands of one General to the Earth Prince.
Kunzite.
She stopped in her tracks and observed him. He seemed to flow with such agility and so smoothly, she was mesmerized by his graceful movements. She could see his intent concentration in his practice. Yet, his exercise was not the only thing the managed to capture her attention.
As beautiful as he made his practices seem, the very fact of how absolutely gorgeous he was did not escape the realms of her mind. In fact, his undeniable handsomeness withheld quite a large portion of her interest. At the moment, the training general wore nothing but a pair of drawstring pants hanging off his hips. Mina was all but drooling at the sight of his bare chest and extremely impressive.....other qualities. And all this, gleaming with sheen of sweat left her heart pounding to the fox trot. She watched as one of his actions flexed his right bicep making Mina unconsciously lick her lips.
It was by this time that she noticed his movements slowing down and eventually coming to a complete stop. She still did not move though. She stood where she was and continued to watch as Kunzite came down from whatever spiritual level he may be on. He moved over to the side and rested his sword on a nearby table. He then proceeded to cool himself down with water in a bucket resting on the ground, giving Mina a very nice view of his back.....side. It was the perfect time for her to turn around and leave without being noticed, but strangely enough, she was rooted to the spot.
Yet before she had the chance to command her legs to move, Kunzite stood straight, turned around and stared right into her eyes. "Enjoy the show?" He asked smoothly, his face an expression of withheld amusement.
Mina managed to suppress her flush of embarrassment at being caught and instead, smirked and replied, "Quite."
Kunzite picked up a towel lying on the table, never breaking eye contact while dabbing at the water running down his face and onto his chest. Mina bit down the urge to offer assistance.....replacing the towel with her tongue. She mentally hit herself. Enough of those thoughts now.
"So what is a nice girl like you doing walking around a big palace like this by herself?" He asked, dropping the towel back on the table and slowly stalking towards her.
Mina noticed this with a combination of dread and a lingering sense of excited anticipation. "Oh.....just exploring. Wandering. Observing."
"It is not very safe to be wandering around alone. It can be dangerous." He finished softly, huskily as he walked even closer to where Mina was standing.
"I believe that." Her voice just as soft, just as quiet. She eyed him knowingly, inhaling deeply with awe as she stared at his nearing body. It was so much better up close, she thought to herself. "But I can handle it." Her eyes traveled up past the curve of his delectable lips, passed his chiseled cheekbones and into the depths of his storm coloured eyes. She felt her entire body flush as those very eyes swept the length of her body slowly, as if absorbing each feature and embedding it to memory. He was just too incredibly hot for words.
"I am sure you can." His reply was a blatant innuendo, letting her take it as she pleased.
Although Mina wished to the gods that she could allow them to act out the very thoughts which obviously seemed to be running through both their minds, her brain forced her to put the job first before her desires. She was here as the Ambassador of the Moon, and not as a woman.
So, she took a firm grip of her hormones, squelching down her fierce attraction to the general with great reluctance and switched the tone of the conversation to that of two acquaintances who could be discussing the weather. Clearing her throat and stepping back a few feet she said, "I noticed many ancient Maori tribal techniques in your training. I did not even realize Terrans knew of its existence."
Kunzite raised an eyebrow in amusement at her change of interplay. He noticed by the set tilt of her chin and the straightening of her shoulders that she meant to ignore this undeniable magnetism between them. This made it even better for him. A challenge was always fun. Even more so when he won.
"We know many styles of battle. Even more than people of the Moon I would wager." This ought to stir some things up.
"I highly doubt that." Mina said, chuckling to herself as if he were incredibly stupid.
"Well, you being female, I suppose you would think that." Kunzite said, shrugging and looking away nonchalantly.
Mina stared incredulous at him. "What is that supposed to mean??"
"It is just, I highly believe females are not required in the matters of war. They tend to household matters while their men are off in battles. It is hardly worth a woman learning styles of fighting when it is unneeded. That is what the men are for."
Mina was quite lost for words. Fury was slowly beginning to spark up her eyes. He had better be bloody joking. "That may be so on Earth, but on the Moon the women can match the strongest of any warriors, and it is women who are the main protectors of the throne. At the age of ten, females are sent to the Moon for training as a senshi. Do not tell me women are unneeded in battle. They are exactly the same as men.....if not better." She said the last words under her breath but Kunzite heard them anyway.
"For some reason, I highly doubt that. But since you are so convinced in your beliefs, prove it." He said, staring at her challengingly.
"And how exactly will I do that?" Mina asked, eyebrows raised, head cocked to the side questioningly.
Kunzite turned and walked to the weapons area and picked up two carved wooden bokkens. He turned around and proffered one to her. "Show me your skills."
The senshi frowned in confusion. "Excuse me?"
"Fight me." The general dared, walking closer to her.
"Fight you?" She repeated in a mixture of shock and amusement.
"What? Are you scared?" He stepped up closer to her so that there were only a few feet between them. He dared further with his words, and his body.
"Scared?" She scoffed incredulous, "As in, scared I might hurt you?"
"I doubt that could ever happen." He replied with complete confidence.
"You do not think I could beat you?" She moved a step forward, looking up into his arrogant face.
"No, I KNOW you could not beat me."
Mina was now enticed to riot. If it was a contest of skills and wills he wanted, then he would most certainly get it, but not without a little leverage. She would make her win truly worth it.
"Want to bet?" Hers and Serenity's midnight poker games raised and developed the daring gambler inside of her. It was dangerous, but that was what made it fun.
"Bet?" Kunzite replied confused.
"Yes, bet. That is where we each gamble off-"
"I know what a bet is." He interrupted her with a frown of irritation and a swift dismissal of the hand.
"Then name your stakes." She said confidently, folding her arms and raising her chin up a notch. She knew she should not be doing this, she knew she should ignore the situation and get on with her job; she knew she should just walk away and forget this interlude. But that was impossible. He had not only insulted her fighting abilities but her entire gender too. That called for justice.
"Hmm..... how about....." He trailed off as he stalked around her slowly.....a predator circling his prey. "A kiss."
"A kiss?" She questioned, and eyebrow rose in an amused confusion.
"If I win, I get to kiss you." He stated, his eyes straying down to her mouth, which then darkened as her tongue peeked at to lick her luscious lips. He ached to feel that tongue on his own lips. Soon.
Mina considered this for a while, trying to ignore the urge to pounce on him now and tell him there was no need to fight for a kiss. She was quite willing. She admonished herself, pushing down such thoughts and answered. "Fine." His smile crept up slowly on his face and his eyes gleamed wickedly making her hot with yearning. She then shook her head in an attempt to shake away these feelings and then proceeded to state her terms of the bet. "And if I win, you have to....." she paused, stepping up close to him, almost pressing their bodies together. Almost. Her left hand trailed down his arm and gripped the handle of the sword, watching the flicker of lust in his smug expression, "kiss Endymion." She finished stepping back with a self-satisfied smirk.
Kunzite choked in initial surprise. She had to be kidding. "Say again?"
Mina grinned. "You heard me. If I win, you have to kiss Endymion."
"No way!" He stated loudly.
"I figured you would be too scared." Mina nodded understandingly baiting him to acceptance.
Kunzite glared at the little witch. He should have known this would turn into something ugly. It was lucky he had full confidence that he was going to win. And now there was even more reason to. And besides, one way or another, he would have the little temptress. "Deal."
"Deal." Mina smiled genuinely, tossing the sword to her right hand, doing a couple of arcs to get the feeling of the weapon. Kunzite mirrored her in movements much the same.
He grinned challengingly at her. "Let's dance."
And they did.
...Present.....
Mina snapped out of her reverie at the sound of glass smashing. She disposed of the memory with a firm shake of the head. That was the last thing she needed to be thinking of right now. Musings such as those could not only cost her the mending pieces of her heart, but her almost shattering sanity too.
It was times such as these she needed to occupy her cluttered mind with more trivial things..... like the person who was about to smash every single glass object in the entire kingdom.
Sighing heavily she turned and walked back locking away those memories deep into the dark recesses of her mind. She especially disallowed herself to think of the events that happened so shortly after.
...Past.....
"Nice move." Kunzite stated, blocking an attack from Mina and coming around to make one of his own.
"Thanks." She answered, pivoting to escape an oncoming blow.
From the time they begun their battle, they did not truly take the other seriously. Kunzite expected a typical woman rising to the challenge of jests at her gender. He deliberately insulted her, making her mad enough to respond accordingly. He would then start off the fight allowing her to think that she would be a good enough opponent. Then, minutes into the battle he would overpower her and force her to accept defeat, thereby seizing his prize.
What he did not count on however, was her talent, her strength, her speed, and her skill. He did not consider her true power and the fact that she was quite a deadly force to be reckoned with. She managed to match him strike by strike. Every attack she counter-attacked. She was perfect. And in this, he was not only talking about her fighting abilities. Not only could she contest against him, but also she was by far the most stunning creature he had ever laid eyes on. Her beauty could keep a man spellbound. She certainly had this one intensely enchanted. This challenge may be harder to win than he thought.
Mina, on the other hand, was quite shocked herself at her opponent. It seemed she would actually have to work at winning this time. She had been through this situation before. And no matter what, the result would be her victory. Nobody could ever really match her. This time though, things were different. Kunzite's trainings were most certainly not all for show. With every move he made, with every blow struck, he displayed immense knowledge and power behind each attack. She had finally found her ideal adversary. This was fun.
Speaking of fun, no matter how concentrated she was on every blow, every strike she managed to deflect, she could not help but continue noticing how gorgeous he was. Each move he made flexed a muscle here and there, producing a new layer of sweat glistening over his body. By this time, Mina herself was sweating a little, making her clothes and hair stick to her skin. Kunzite blocked one of her hits while at the same time grinning smugly at her. The man really had to stop doing that. And while he was at it, put on a shirt, for gods sake.....or a full bodysuit would be better. He was making Mina hotter than was necessary.
At the thought, she almost dropped her guard, recovering quickly, but it was enough. Kunzite eagerly drove in for the attack. Luckily Mina was able to block his advance but not fast enough for he was able to back her into the table. She was bent backwards, straining under the strength of Kunzite's sword..... body..... eyes.....
"May I sample my prize now?" The general asked arrogantly, leaning his face only inches away from her own. She could feel his breath stirring the hair on her cheek. She could feel the heat of his chest compressing hers. The small distance between their hips was like a magnet; straining to conjoin. The temptation to say yes was almost overwhelming. Fortunately, and amazingly, she managed to keep her raging hormones in check and retrieve her bearings.
"Yes of course, he is in the castle I think." With that she forced her leg up between them, aimed at his stomach and pushed him away. He was driven back, the air whooshing out of his lungs. Mina took that opportunity to strengthen her grip on the handle of the bokken and strive forward.
That was close. Too close. She rushed in, their bokkens meeting with a sharp clash of wood on wood.
"I should tell you," Kunzite started as if ignoring her last statement. "When I kiss you, it is not going to be one of those close lipped, chaste kisses.....this kiss will include it all. And I intend to take my time too."
Mina's body flushed with anticipation, she then scolded herself for her thoughts and answered, "That is great. I shall let your Prince know."
She forced forward again, retrieving the upper hand and making ground. A scowl of frustration appeared on Kunzite's face and Mina grinned at the sight. It was about time he lost his cocky air and became as aggravated by their situation as she was. He managed to notice the amount of ground she made in her onslaught and it threw him off a little. Mina noticed this and used his distraction to her advantage. Blocking an attack she swept past his guard, ducked down and kicked his legs from under him, sweeping him to the ground. She then stood over him, her feet astride his abdomen, her bokken point at his throat.
She smiled smugly down at his shocked expression. It did not take long for his expression of shock to turn to a scowl of anger. "Pucker up, Romeo." At this, she laughed at the fury in his eyes. It was quite literally a sight to behold: a surly man at the feet of a giggling nymph.
This made Kunzite heady with desire. Gods she was beautiful! He was not going to lose this. It only took a few seconds for him to reach a decision, and with that he knocked her bokken aside, startling the senshi out of her amusement and allowing the opportunity to kick one of her legs out from under her making her fall to the ground. He then proceeded to flip up, take a firm hold of his bokken and turn around to face her.
"Hey, that is not fair." She cried indignantly, taking the stance of defense once again. She glared at the smirking general.
"Who said anything about being fair?" He question, eyeing her with amusement.
"I had you down. I won." She stated, mirroring his circling movements. Waiting for him to strike while trying to argue her point.
"You may have knocked me off my feet, but you did not keep me down." He watched as her eyes lit up with rage. They darkened to a glowing azure. Kunzite's breath caught. She truly was a sight to behold.
"You play dirty." She said sulkily.
"Count on it." He said suggestively before she attacked. He responded automatically. Strike for strike; blow for blow. Each striving for dominance. "Want to extend the terms?" Not waiting for an answer he continued. ""Not only will I get to kiss you, but we spend one whole day together.....doing as I please."
Mina's disobedient hormones were once again jumping up and down, vying for her to forget the stupid bet and accept his terms. Once again, she managed to ignore them. If only just. "Alright. And when you kiss Endymion....." She struck an unsuccessful blow to his side, then backed off a bit. "You will also be wearing a dress."
Kunzite smirked, "That is not going to happen. I shall defeat you."
"We will see." With that, she urged forward, battling to her full potential.
He was deflecting each hit, moving without conscious direction, anticipating her every attack, knowing how her wrath was overtaking her fighting capabilities giving him an advantage for she displayed her emotions in her features, allowing him to predict her strikes. Such was the fact that he was able to anticipate her attacks and block them before she even started to make them. It transformed their fight into a dance. Faster than thought, graceful and perfect, he countered every move she made.
And before Mina could even blink, she found herself crowded back against the wall; before she could breathe, her bokken was knocked out of her hands and her hands were held above her head. Her eyes widened in shock and when she tried to bring her knee up in a blow to his groin, he had already maneuvered his own leg up, blocking the attack. She was held vulnerable. They were both puffing; exhausted by the amount of power they were forced to exude.
Their faces were close, his body held firm over hers. It was then Kunzite smiled. "I win." He stated softly, staring into her wild glare. She struggled against his hold, but she was well and truly defenseless. She closed her eyes, and then thought to do the opposite, hoping it might throw him off.
She grinded her groin into his own, staring up into his eyes.
Kunzite's eyes widened and then darkened with a desire that was almost uncontrollable. Almost. He was at the point of breaking though. Fortunately for him, he saw through her ploy and it only made him hold onto her tighter and press more securely against her. His eyes were almost black in their intensity.
She stared up at him. Fearing the emotions that were raging through her. She was not scared of him she knew that. But she was scared of her thoughts, her feelings, this strong yearning streaming through her. He held her captivated. Not only physically but emotionally and mentally too. She was lost in his gaze, ready to surrender. She lost.
"You win." She stated softly staring up into his eyes, willing him to do as he pleased.
He leaned down, their foreheads touching, their lips only millimeters away. Kunzite closed his eyes and inhaled her scent then exhaling on a shuddering sigh of longing. He gripped her hair at the back of her neck, sifting his hands through the silken strands. And then stepped back, opening his eyes.
She stared up at him, confusion mixed with a hopeful expression of anticipation. It almost made him lose control. "Tomorrow." He said as if reprimanding his wayward hormones. "Meet me here tomorrow." Mina's eyebrows lifted in surprised. She then cocked her head to the side in an unconscious gesture of coyness. She need say nothing.
Kunzite inhaled sharply at the striking jolt of desire as he watched her, and then, quickly before he lost his willpower, he turned and walked away.
He needed a cold shower.
Chapter 7
"Just leave them to the side and get on with the others." Mina ordered. "Come on people, we have done this thousands of times before, this one is no different. Now please, get on with it." With a sigh, she turned and walked out of the hall.
These damned balls. These damned princes, she thought in irritation. This process was most definitely getting old. With a flick of her long golden hair, she walked to the garden, and stared into the pond. Just another dragging task for just another dragging day.
Queen Selene had pronounced there be a ball held for the royal family of Earth and since it was nearing the celebration of Winter Equinox, even more the reason.
In any case, Mina was not looking forward to it. She had a strange sense of foreboding. One, that she believed, was likely to cause pain. It was just a feeling. Something plucked out of female's intuition, but still one that could not be ignored.
Something bad was going to happen.
As if right on cue, she heard a crash coming from inside the hall where preparations for the ball were being made. She closed her eyes and shook her head in discontent, and then inwardly blocking her ears to the noise. She did not want to know.
She sighed once more and kicked a pebble into the depths of the water. It was a mistake this. Being here, by herself. It invited the frightening notion of being alone with her thoughts, dreams..... memories. And that was never a good thing, because that gave her the opportunity to ponder the situations she faced at present time, the chance to dream and hope of things for the future and worst of all, the danger of remembering times of the past.
...Past.....
The Earth was truly spectacular. Where the Moon was laden with surroundings that glistened from the planet's natural light, the Earth was its complete opposite, filled with striking colour and startling elements. Mina would be sure to explore the country in its entire splendor fully on her next visit.
As she strolled through one of the paths leading back to the castle, a flash of light caught her eye. She turned her head to the white and found that it was the sun reflecting its gleam off of a sword. A sword arcing and sweeping in fluid movements. A sword held in the tanned hands of one General to the Earth Prince.
Kunzite.
She stopped in her tracks and observed him. He seemed to flow with such agility and so smoothly, she was mesmerized by his graceful movements. She could see his intent concentration in his practice. Yet, his exercise was not the only thing the managed to capture her attention.
As beautiful as he made his practices seem, the very fact of how absolutely gorgeous he was did not escape the realms of her mind. In fact, his undeniable handsomeness withheld quite a large portion of her interest. At the moment, the training general wore nothing but a pair of drawstring pants hanging off his hips. Mina was all but drooling at the sight of his bare chest and extremely impressive.....other qualities. And all this, gleaming with sheen of sweat left her heart pounding to the fox trot. She watched as one of his actions flexed his right bicep making Mina unconsciously lick her lips.
It was by this time that she noticed his movements slowing down and eventually coming to a complete stop. She still did not move though. She stood where she was and continued to watch as Kunzite came down from whatever spiritual level he may be on. He moved over to the side and rested his sword on a nearby table. He then proceeded to cool himself down with water in a bucket resting on the ground, giving Mina a very nice view of his back.....side. It was the perfect time for her to turn around and leave without being noticed, but strangely enough, she was rooted to the spot.
Yet before she had the chance to command her legs to move, Kunzite stood straight, turned around and stared right into her eyes. "Enjoy the show?" He asked smoothly, his face an expression of withheld amusement.
Mina managed to suppress her flush of embarrassment at being caught and instead, smirked and replied, "Quite."
Kunzite picked up a towel lying on the table, never breaking eye contact while dabbing at the water running down his face and onto his chest. Mina bit down the urge to offer assistance.....replacing the towel with her tongue. She mentally hit herself. Enough of those thoughts now.
"So what is a nice girl like you doing walking around a big palace like this by herself?" He asked, dropping the towel back on the table and slowly stalking towards her.
Mina noticed this with a combination of dread and a lingering sense of excited anticipation. "Oh.....just exploring. Wandering. Observing."
"It is not very safe to be wandering around alone. It can be dangerous." He finished softly, huskily as he walked even closer to where Mina was standing.
"I believe that." Her voice just as soft, just as quiet. She eyed him knowingly, inhaling deeply with awe as she stared at his nearing body. It was so much better up close, she thought to herself. "But I can handle it." Her eyes traveled up past the curve of his delectable lips, passed his chiseled cheekbones and into the depths of his storm coloured eyes. She felt her entire body flush as those very eyes swept the length of her body slowly, as if absorbing each feature and embedding it to memory. He was just too incredibly hot for words.
"I am sure you can." His reply was a blatant innuendo, letting her take it as she pleased.
Although Mina wished to the gods that she could allow them to act out the very thoughts which obviously seemed to be running through both their minds, her brain forced her to put the job first before her desires. She was here as the Ambassador of the Moon, and not as a woman.
So, she took a firm grip of her hormones, squelching down her fierce attraction to the general with great reluctance and switched the tone of the conversation to that of two acquaintances who could be discussing the weather. Clearing her throat and stepping back a few feet she said, "I noticed many ancient Maori tribal techniques in your training. I did not even realize Terrans knew of its existence."
Kunzite raised an eyebrow in amusement at her change of interplay. He noticed by the set tilt of her chin and the straightening of her shoulders that she meant to ignore this undeniable magnetism between them. This made it even better for him. A challenge was always fun. Even more so when he won.
"We know many styles of battle. Even more than people of the Moon I would wager." This ought to stir some things up.
"I highly doubt that." Mina said, chuckling to herself as if he were incredibly stupid.
"Well, you being female, I suppose you would think that." Kunzite said, shrugging and looking away nonchalantly.
Mina stared incredulous at him. "What is that supposed to mean??"
"It is just, I highly believe females are not required in the matters of war. They tend to household matters while their men are off in battles. It is hardly worth a woman learning styles of fighting when it is unneeded. That is what the men are for."
Mina was quite lost for words. Fury was slowly beginning to spark up her eyes. He had better be bloody joking. "That may be so on Earth, but on the Moon the women can match the strongest of any warriors, and it is women who are the main protectors of the throne. At the age of ten, females are sent to the Moon for training as a senshi. Do not tell me women are unneeded in battle. They are exactly the same as men.....if not better." She said the last words under her breath but Kunzite heard them anyway.
"For some reason, I highly doubt that. But since you are so convinced in your beliefs, prove it." He said, staring at her challengingly.
"And how exactly will I do that?" Mina asked, eyebrows raised, head cocked to the side questioningly.
Kunzite turned and walked to the weapons area and picked up two carved wooden bokkens. He turned around and proffered one to her. "Show me your skills."
The senshi frowned in confusion. "Excuse me?"
"Fight me." The general dared, walking closer to her.
"Fight you?" She repeated in a mixture of shock and amusement.
"What? Are you scared?" He stepped up closer to her so that there were only a few feet between them. He dared further with his words, and his body.
"Scared?" She scoffed incredulous, "As in, scared I might hurt you?"
"I doubt that could ever happen." He replied with complete confidence.
"You do not think I could beat you?" She moved a step forward, looking up into his arrogant face.
"No, I KNOW you could not beat me."
Mina was now enticed to riot. If it was a contest of skills and wills he wanted, then he would most certainly get it, but not without a little leverage. She would make her win truly worth it.
"Want to bet?" Hers and Serenity's midnight poker games raised and developed the daring gambler inside of her. It was dangerous, but that was what made it fun.
"Bet?" Kunzite replied confused.
"Yes, bet. That is where we each gamble off-"
"I know what a bet is." He interrupted her with a frown of irritation and a swift dismissal of the hand.
"Then name your stakes." She said confidently, folding her arms and raising her chin up a notch. She knew she should not be doing this, she knew she should ignore the situation and get on with her job; she knew she should just walk away and forget this interlude. But that was impossible. He had not only insulted her fighting abilities but her entire gender too. That called for justice.
"Hmm..... how about....." He trailed off as he stalked around her slowly.....a predator circling his prey. "A kiss."
"A kiss?" She questioned, and eyebrow rose in an amused confusion.
"If I win, I get to kiss you." He stated, his eyes straying down to her mouth, which then darkened as her tongue peeked at to lick her luscious lips. He ached to feel that tongue on his own lips. Soon.
Mina considered this for a while, trying to ignore the urge to pounce on him now and tell him there was no need to fight for a kiss. She was quite willing. She admonished herself, pushing down such thoughts and answered. "Fine." His smile crept up slowly on his face and his eyes gleamed wickedly making her hot with yearning. She then shook her head in an attempt to shake away these feelings and then proceeded to state her terms of the bet. "And if I win, you have to....." she paused, stepping up close to him, almost pressing their bodies together. Almost. Her left hand trailed down his arm and gripped the handle of the sword, watching the flicker of lust in his smug expression, "kiss Endymion." She finished stepping back with a self-satisfied smirk.
Kunzite choked in initial surprise. She had to be kidding. "Say again?"
Mina grinned. "You heard me. If I win, you have to kiss Endymion."
"No way!" He stated loudly.
"I figured you would be too scared." Mina nodded understandingly baiting him to acceptance.
Kunzite glared at the little witch. He should have known this would turn into something ugly. It was lucky he had full confidence that he was going to win. And now there was even more reason to. And besides, one way or another, he would have the little temptress. "Deal."
"Deal." Mina smiled genuinely, tossing the sword to her right hand, doing a couple of arcs to get the feeling of the weapon. Kunzite mirrored her in movements much the same.
He grinned challengingly at her. "Let's dance."
And they did.
...Present.....
Mina snapped out of her reverie at the sound of glass smashing. She disposed of the memory with a firm shake of the head. That was the last thing she needed to be thinking of right now. Musings such as those could not only cost her the mending pieces of her heart, but her almost shattering sanity too.
It was times such as these she needed to occupy her cluttered mind with more trivial things..... like the person who was about to smash every single glass object in the entire kingdom.
Sighing heavily she turned and walked back locking away those memories deep into the dark recesses of her mind. She especially disallowed herself to think of the events that happened so shortly after.
...Past.....
"Nice move." Kunzite stated, blocking an attack from Mina and coming around to make one of his own.
"Thanks." She answered, pivoting to escape an oncoming blow.
From the time they begun their battle, they did not truly take the other seriously. Kunzite expected a typical woman rising to the challenge of jests at her gender. He deliberately insulted her, making her mad enough to respond accordingly. He would then start off the fight allowing her to think that she would be a good enough opponent. Then, minutes into the battle he would overpower her and force her to accept defeat, thereby seizing his prize.
What he did not count on however, was her talent, her strength, her speed, and her skill. He did not consider her true power and the fact that she was quite a deadly force to be reckoned with. She managed to match him strike by strike. Every attack she counter-attacked. She was perfect. And in this, he was not only talking about her fighting abilities. Not only could she contest against him, but also she was by far the most stunning creature he had ever laid eyes on. Her beauty could keep a man spellbound. She certainly had this one intensely enchanted. This challenge may be harder to win than he thought.
Mina, on the other hand, was quite shocked herself at her opponent. It seemed she would actually have to work at winning this time. She had been through this situation before. And no matter what, the result would be her victory. Nobody could ever really match her. This time though, things were different. Kunzite's trainings were most certainly not all for show. With every move he made, with every blow struck, he displayed immense knowledge and power behind each attack. She had finally found her ideal adversary. This was fun.
Speaking of fun, no matter how concentrated she was on every blow, every strike she managed to deflect, she could not help but continue noticing how gorgeous he was. Each move he made flexed a muscle here and there, producing a new layer of sweat glistening over his body. By this time, Mina herself was sweating a little, making her clothes and hair stick to her skin. Kunzite blocked one of her hits while at the same time grinning smugly at her. The man really had to stop doing that. And while he was at it, put on a shirt, for gods sake.....or a full bodysuit would be better. He was making Mina hotter than was necessary.
At the thought, she almost dropped her guard, recovering quickly, but it was enough. Kunzite eagerly drove in for the attack. Luckily Mina was able to block his advance but not fast enough for he was able to back her into the table. She was bent backwards, straining under the strength of Kunzite's sword..... body..... eyes.....
"May I sample my prize now?" The general asked arrogantly, leaning his face only inches away from her own. She could feel his breath stirring the hair on her cheek. She could feel the heat of his chest compressing hers. The small distance between their hips was like a magnet; straining to conjoin. The temptation to say yes was almost overwhelming. Fortunately, and amazingly, she managed to keep her raging hormones in check and retrieve her bearings.
"Yes of course, he is in the castle I think." With that she forced her leg up between them, aimed at his stomach and pushed him away. He was driven back, the air whooshing out of his lungs. Mina took that opportunity to strengthen her grip on the handle of the bokken and strive forward.
That was close. Too close. She rushed in, their bokkens meeting with a sharp clash of wood on wood.
"I should tell you," Kunzite started as if ignoring her last statement. "When I kiss you, it is not going to be one of those close lipped, chaste kisses.....this kiss will include it all. And I intend to take my time too."
Mina's body flushed with anticipation, she then scolded herself for her thoughts and answered, "That is great. I shall let your Prince know."
She forced forward again, retrieving the upper hand and making ground. A scowl of frustration appeared on Kunzite's face and Mina grinned at the sight. It was about time he lost his cocky air and became as aggravated by their situation as she was. He managed to notice the amount of ground she made in her onslaught and it threw him off a little. Mina noticed this and used his distraction to her advantage. Blocking an attack she swept past his guard, ducked down and kicked his legs from under him, sweeping him to the ground. She then stood over him, her feet astride his abdomen, her bokken point at his throat.
She smiled smugly down at his shocked expression. It did not take long for his expression of shock to turn to a scowl of anger. "Pucker up, Romeo." At this, she laughed at the fury in his eyes. It was quite literally a sight to behold: a surly man at the feet of a giggling nymph.
This made Kunzite heady with desire. Gods she was beautiful! He was not going to lose this. It only took a few seconds for him to reach a decision, and with that he knocked her bokken aside, startling the senshi out of her amusement and allowing the opportunity to kick one of her legs out from under her making her fall to the ground. He then proceeded to flip up, take a firm hold of his bokken and turn around to face her.
"Hey, that is not fair." She cried indignantly, taking the stance of defense once again. She glared at the smirking general.
"Who said anything about being fair?" He question, eyeing her with amusement.
"I had you down. I won." She stated, mirroring his circling movements. Waiting for him to strike while trying to argue her point.
"You may have knocked me off my feet, but you did not keep me down." He watched as her eyes lit up with rage. They darkened to a glowing azure. Kunzite's breath caught. She truly was a sight to behold.
"You play dirty." She said sulkily.
"Count on it." He said suggestively before she attacked. He responded automatically. Strike for strike; blow for blow. Each striving for dominance. "Want to extend the terms?" Not waiting for an answer he continued. ""Not only will I get to kiss you, but we spend one whole day together.....doing as I please."
Mina's disobedient hormones were once again jumping up and down, vying for her to forget the stupid bet and accept his terms. Once again, she managed to ignore them. If only just. "Alright. And when you kiss Endymion....." She struck an unsuccessful blow to his side, then backed off a bit. "You will also be wearing a dress."
Kunzite smirked, "That is not going to happen. I shall defeat you."
"We will see." With that, she urged forward, battling to her full potential.
He was deflecting each hit, moving without conscious direction, anticipating her every attack, knowing how her wrath was overtaking her fighting capabilities giving him an advantage for she displayed her emotions in her features, allowing him to predict her strikes. Such was the fact that he was able to anticipate her attacks and block them before she even started to make them. It transformed their fight into a dance. Faster than thought, graceful and perfect, he countered every move she made.
And before Mina could even blink, she found herself crowded back against the wall; before she could breathe, her bokken was knocked out of her hands and her hands were held above her head. Her eyes widened in shock and when she tried to bring her knee up in a blow to his groin, he had already maneuvered his own leg up, blocking the attack. She was held vulnerable. They were both puffing; exhausted by the amount of power they were forced to exude.
Their faces were close, his body held firm over hers. It was then Kunzite smiled. "I win." He stated softly, staring into her wild glare. She struggled against his hold, but she was well and truly defenseless. She closed her eyes, and then thought to do the opposite, hoping it might throw him off.
She grinded her groin into his own, staring up into his eyes.
Kunzite's eyes widened and then darkened with a desire that was almost uncontrollable. Almost. He was at the point of breaking though. Fortunately for him, he saw through her ploy and it only made him hold onto her tighter and press more securely against her. His eyes were almost black in their intensity.
She stared up at him. Fearing the emotions that were raging through her. She was not scared of him she knew that. But she was scared of her thoughts, her feelings, this strong yearning streaming through her. He held her captivated. Not only physically but emotionally and mentally too. She was lost in his gaze, ready to surrender. She lost.
"You win." She stated softly staring up into his eyes, willing him to do as he pleased.
He leaned down, their foreheads touching, their lips only millimeters away. Kunzite closed his eyes and inhaled her scent then exhaling on a shuddering sigh of longing. He gripped her hair at the back of her neck, sifting his hands through the silken strands. And then stepped back, opening his eyes.
She stared up at him, confusion mixed with a hopeful expression of anticipation. It almost made him lose control. "Tomorrow." He said as if reprimanding his wayward hormones. "Meet me here tomorrow." Mina's eyebrows lifted in surprised. She then cocked her head to the side in an unconscious gesture of coyness. She need say nothing.
Kunzite inhaled sharply at the striking jolt of desire as he watched her, and then, quickly before he lost his willpower, he turned and walked away.
He needed a cold shower.