Dreaming of Dreams

Chapter 6

Minako stood at the bottom of the staircase, her arm entwined with the white haired-man's. She only glanced up at the door once before turning back to the man at her side.

"…will you ever tell me your name?"

"You should know my name." He didn't look at her, but at the dance floor instead.

"I don't, though…"

"You should remember soon."

"How can I? You're obviously not helping me very much."

He turned to her then, his usually light face dark and brooding. "It is not my place to help you. You should be helping yourself."

She looked down at the floor, her eyes brimming with tears. "I don't know how."

"You are not helpless, as you are trying to appear. You are much stronger than this." He looked away from her and noticed someone coming toward them. He frowned deeply.

"Mina-chan, Sere's worried about you. She has been rushing all about and telling everyone that you are being a very bad friend to her. What's overcome you to do such a thing?"

Minako looked up to see a familiar face staring at her with concern. She instantly recognized the luscious brunette locks and deep emerald eyes.

"Mako-chan…" She whispered, letting go of the man's arm and rushing into her friend's arms. "Oh, Mako-chan! I'm so glad to see you!"

The brunette blinked and hugged the trembling girl. "Mi…Mina-chan? Goodness, darling! Is something the matter?"

Minako shook her head and pulled away, smiling. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just very happy to see you."

"But…but we've been together all night, dear. We just spoke not but five minutes ago." Makato still looked baffled.

"It was a very lonely five minutes, though!" Minako teasingly said, giggling.

Makato laughed. "Well…that's better. You sound much more like yourself." She looked over at the white-haired man, who hadn't spoken for several minutes. "Goodness, Kunzite, you look like a lemon! A very sour, nasty lemon at that! Smile a little…you'll finally be free of this whole ordeal soon, and you and Mina-chan will be happy again."

Minako grasped onto his arm again, staring up at him confusedly.

Makato frowned when he remained silent and rolled her eyes. "Well, fine, Kunz. Be that way, then." She turned to Minako. "Honestly, Minako…sometimes I don't know how you put up with him. Anyways, is something wrong between you and Sere? She's making quite the fuss."

Minako shook her head. "No, no. Nothing's wrong. I was just…having a bit of a dizzy spell when she came up…I must have not registered clearly what was going on." She bit her lip.

Makato reached out and squeezed Minako's arm gently. "Dizzy spells still? Poor Mina-chan. I'm sure Ami would be able to help you…maybe you should talk to her about it."

Minako nodded slightly.

Makato smiled. "Well, Nephrite's going to wonder where I am. I will see you both at dinner." She kissed Minako's cheek and walked away lightly, her sparkling green dress flowing softly about her.

Minako turned to look up at her companion. "Kunzite…"

He frowned and looked down at her glazed eyes. "That was not the way that I was hoping you would learn of my name."

"Why does it sound so familiar to me, though?"

"Because whether you realize it or not, you are still the same as your former self. You may be Aino Minako in your present life, but you are still the same Princess Minako of the planet Venus that you have always been since the beginning of time. Deep inside you, your true self, the real you, is still there, trying to show you the truth…you will come to realize that soon."

She sighed. "I'm so confused."

He smiled at her then, and kissed her forehead. "That is to be expected." He looked out at the dance floor. "Would you care to dance?" He asked without even glancing at her.

She blinked and her eyes widened. "I guess…but it's been a long time since I've waltzed. I might not be a good partner."

"You will do fine." He let go of her arm and took her hand instead, pulling her amidst the other dancers.

Gingerly, she reached up and placed her hand on his shoulder, blushing furiously. He noticed her discomfort and smiled slightly.

"Minako…" He leaned down and touched her nose with his. She blushed and glanced into his eyes for a moment before looking down again. He laughed lightly and began leading her in the dance.

After dancing for a few minutes, Minako finally began to relax in his arms and she even looked up at him and smiled several times. While resting her head on his shoulder, she looked around at the people in the room and noticed the many stares and envious glances she was receiving.

"Kunzite?" She lifted her head and looked up at him questioningly.

"Yes?"

"Why are they staring at me like that?"

"Many are jealous of you, while others are pleased."

"I don't get it. Who would be jealous of me? I'm nothing special…"

He frowned. "Well…" He sighed. "I suppose you do deserve an explanation. Come with me. We cannot talk here." He led her off the dance floor and out a side door to a terrace. She looked about her in wonder, thinking he was going to stop here, but he proved her wrong by taking her around the waist and leading her far away from the ball and into a garden. She was finally released from his grip when they reached a small stone bench beside several beds of tulips. She collapsed on the bench and looked up at him in expectation.

He stood a few feet away from her and stared up into the night sky as he began to talk. "As you have most likely started to figure out, in this time and place you are Princess Minako of Venus. Right now, we are at a ball on your planet, celebrating…our engagement."

She gasped. "Engagement?"

He turned to gaze at her. "Yes. And now, I suppose that you are wondering why it is you here with me and not your counterpart, the princess. Well…it is not easy to explain. But I will try. Though to you, this is only a dream, and when you awake, it may seem that nothing happened at all. But, to me, to the rest of those people in that ballroom, and to the princess within you, it is our lives."

She raised an eyebrow. "Then how come SHE isn't here?"

He shrugged. "You may not understand, and even I do not understand, but the Plutonian has told me that this is the way it must be, for your present life to succeed."

"The Plutonian?"

"The time keeper."

"Sailor Pluto!"

His eyes became wide. "You know her?"

"Very well! She's a friend of mine, actually. She has helped the other senshi and me several times."

He nodded. "Well, according to her, you must be here for you to be able to succeed in your own life."

"So…there's something that's here that I have to figure out for me to be able to go on in my own life?"

"I suppose so, Minako. You only have a limited amount of time, though, before the princess takes over your body again."

"Does she realize what's happening?"

"Yes. She's within you, after all. Even though it is you that is with me now, she is with me as well. It is hard to explain and hard to grasp, I know, but it is true."

She looked up at the night sky. "But I don't understand…what does that little girl have to do with anything? In my first dream, there was a little girl. And why in my second dream were you supposedly acting like my husband? But now you say that you are my fiancé."

He looked down at her and frowned. "Is that what you meant when you said 'you again?'"

She nodded.

He blinked. "I had wondered what you meant. I did not ask because it was obvious that you were confused, and I did not wish to confuse you more."

"What does it mean, though? In my second dream, you were my husband!"

"Obviously, my future self served a purpose in this as well…as well as the little girl, whoever she may be."

"So even you can't tell me what it all means?"

"I am afraid not." He shook his head. "It might be that I have helped you too much already. The time keeper made it clear that you have to finish this task on your own."

Minako stood up and stomped her foot furiously. "But I don't even know what the task is that I'm supposed to complete!"

He laughed at her antics. Reaching over, he brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. "It may seem difficult, but I am sure that you will figure it out. I have great faith in you."

She blushed. "You do? But you don't really know me…I'm not your love, my past self is."

He nodded slightly. "Yes, but…" He kissed her lips gently. "You both are one and the same."

She smiled. "We are…" She looked back at the building she had come from. She gasped. "So this is the…palace of Venus?"

"That it is."

"Wow." She murmured, gazing at the magnificent structure. She looked back at him. "So tell me, why were those people jealous of me? Because I'm a princess?"

"Partially, yes. And because you will be marrying soon."

"Why would that make them jealous?"

"Many of the people in that room are the ones that have been leading the country. They have been a part of the governmental council that was formed to run the country until you are married."

"And when I wed, they won't be in power anymore?"

"Right."

"But why was the council formed? What about my parents? The…king and queen?"

"They died many years ago when you were a child…your mother in childbirth, and your father in a war defending Venus."

She looked down at the ground. "So I never knew my parents…"

"I am afraid not. You were but two years old when your father passed away. You were raised by your parents close friends Furuhata Tomoro and Kyeka."

Her head shot up. "What did you say? What was their family name?"

He looked confused. "Furuhata…but why does that matter?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Alright, then…we should be rejoining the ball." He took her arm and led her in the direction of the palace. She followed numbly behind him, her heart beating in her ears.

"Kunzite…"

He glanced at her and noticed her paleness. "What is it?"

"The Furuhatas…do they have a son?"

"I believe so, yes. They have a son and a daughter, actually."

She collapsed and fell to the ground.

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"She's not waking up, Mamo-chan. It's been nearly six hours, and she's still napping." Usagi worriedly brushed her fingers through Minako's hair as she watched her friend sleeping.

Mamoru frowned and glanced at Minako. "It is strange. No one can sleep on these flights well, after all. But I checked her vital signs just a little while ago, Usako. She's fine, just sleeping. I have a feeling that she hasn't been sleeping well, and maybe finally it's catching up to her…"

Minako jerked in her sleep, her eyes shut tightly. Usagi gasped and jumped. "Mina-chan!"

The sleeping girl only murmured in her sleep and turned back over.

Sunny blonde hair was flying wildly. A girl was panting heavily, running from something…what she was running from, she didn't know…

"Momma!"

The girl stopped. "This is too familiar." She whipped her head around and took notice that a small girl was standing before her. She gasped at the girl's appearance. Bright, honey blonde hair was tied up in pigtails and she looked up with tears in her baby blue eyes.

"Those eyes…they look so familiar." Minako bent down to the ground and brushed her hand over the girl's face. "Who are you, little one?"

"Momma? You don't know me, Momma?"

Minako frowned. "Again…another one that calls me Momma." She stood up and turned away from the child. "I'm so confused."

"If you would listen to your heart, it might not be so confusing, Princess."

Minako turned back around to see that the little girl was gone and before her stood Sailor Pluto, her eyes reflecting years of wisdom.

"Sailor Pluto! This is all your fault!"

The guardian of time shook her head. "No, Princess. This is no one's fault. This is your destiny."

Minako frowned. "I don't believe in destiny."

"This isn't a matter of whether you believe in it or not. It will happen no matter what you believe. This is just your chance to control it."

"Control it?"

"Your task is to learn to control your destiny. You must choose your own fate. You must decide what will make you happy."

"How do I do that? What am I supposed to be choosing?"

"You are choosing between two fates. Two fates of the past that will you affect your present and future."

She looked at the time keeper and noticed that the green-haired guardian was become very blurry. "Pluto!"

"I am once again sending you back into the past, into your dreams. You must choose between the two fates that are placed before you. The fate that you choose for your past will affect how you will decide your present fate. Good luck, Princess."

Minako fell to the ground in a faint.

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Minako groaned and sat up. "Am I really awake this time?" She looked around and noticed she was in the bedroom from her second dream. She sighed. "Nope." She got up out of the bed and noticed she was still in the same dress from the ball. She looked around, searching for Kunzite. She frowned when she noticed he was nowhere to be found. She saw the door that led out of the bedroom and she instantly started for it. She slowly opened the door and walked out. Two long hallways with many doors faced her. Sighing, she began to make her way to the door at the end of the first hall. Suddenly, it opened and a tall man walked through.

Minako stopped dead in her tracks, disbelief filling her blue eyes. "Motoki-kun…"

The man frowned. "Princess, they told me you were sickly. What are you doing up?"

She kept staring at him. Adorned in a blue cloak and armor, the shocking blue eyes and straw blonde hair made it obvious that it was definitely Motoki.

He blinked. "Princess…?"

She shook her head as if to clear it and smiled at him brightly. "Motoki-kun."

He smiled back, though with a smile much weaker than hers. "Good morning, Princess."

Minako blinked. "Motoki-kun…why are you acting like we're strangers?"

He stared down at the ground. "Mina, I can't go on like this, and you and I both have realized that. I thought we made it clear yesterday that we cannot see one another at all, any longer?"

She blinked again. "What?"

He sighed. "You're engaged to another man, Minako. And it's obvious who you've chosen, as you were showing off your wedding dress just yesterday morning, and to my eyes, it seemed like happiness was in yours."

She looked in his eyes and noticed sadness. "Motoki…"

He shook his head. "Good day, Princess." He brushed past her and into a door, shutting it behind him.

She stared at the door. "But I don't even know this Kunzite…Princess Minako might love him, but I don't." She looked down at the floor. "I love you, Motoki." She whispered before falling to the floor.

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Minako awoke to stare into the blue eyes of Usagi. The usually bubbly blonde was looking rather pale and worried. She noticed Minako's open eyes and gasped. "Mina-chan!"

Minako smiled slightly. "Usagi-chan." She whispered, before slipping back into sleep.

She looked around and noticed she was sitting on the stone bench in the tulip garden. Someone walked up behind her. She whipped her head around and noticed it was Kunzite, looking at her with adoring eyes.

"Kunzite." She nodded.

He looked disappointed. "Still Minako, I presume. You have not finished your task yet?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm sorry, Kunzite." She stood up and turned to face him, her full pink dress billowing around her. "Tell me, though. Do you love the princess?"

He smiled softly. "Of course. I would not be marrying her if I did not love her."

She hugged her arms to herself and sat again on the bench. "Do you truly love her, though? Do you believe she is your soul mate? Do you trust that she will always love you? Do you promise to love her in return, forever, no matter what happens?"

He joined her on the bench, noticing the paleness in her face. "I do not personally believe in soul mates. Neither does Princess Minako, as far as I know. And my promise of love to her will be marrying her."

She stared at a yellow tulip that was beginning to wilt. She reached out and stroked her fingers against it. She stood and turned to him. "Does she love you?"

He looked up in her cerulean eyes. "She is marrying me."

"But does she love you?"

He looked away, down at the flowers in the garden. "She has never uttered the words, no."

She nodded sadly. "I was afraid of that."

He looked up at her then, his eyes fearful. "What do you mean?"

She cringed. "Well…"

He grabbed her shoulders. "Minako, what do you mean by that?"

She sighed deeply and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I believe she loves another…because I love him as well. I also believe that's why I'm here."

He grew pale and released her shoulders. "Who is he?"

She smiled sadly at him and reached out to brush her fingers against his cheek. "I'm truly sorry, Kunzite."

He flinched slightly at her touch and repeated his question.

She bit her lip and pulled her hand back. "I don't feel right telling you, when even he doesn't know."

He nodded and turned away. "Do you truly believe she loves him as well?"

"Yes…I know she does. I am she, am I not?"

He nodded again, mechanically. "I will call off the wedding myself. Do not worry yourself with it. If this is your task…" He looked up at her with tears brimming in his eyes. "…go and complete it."

She nodded. "Thank you."

He smiled slightly. He kissed her forehead. "I did love her."

She smiled up at him. "I know. I am sorry."

He nodded. Turning he walked away. She stood and watched him until he disappeared inside the palace, and then turned herself and ran in the opposite direction. She ran until weariness overcame her and she collapsed.

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She looked around her and saw nothing but blackness. She frowned. "I thought I would awake and see Motoki…"

"I am sorry to disappoint you, Princess." Sailor Pluto emerged from a cloud of shadows. She bowed slightly. "Though, you completed your task."

Minako walked up the green haired senshi. "You mean I picked the right one?"

Sailor Pluto nodded. "You picked the fate that you thought was right for you. Now, Princess Minako is back in her own body again. She will be the one to carry out her own fate now."

Her shoulders slumped. "So I won't get to see Motoki."

Pluto shook her head. "No, not the past Motoki. Now that you've realized for yourself, though, that you love him…I see no reason why you can't see him in your own life."

Minako looked up and sighed. "But I'm on a plane to Paris. I won't get to see him for nearly two weeks."

The time keeper laughed. "There are return flights, my dear! Just hop on a plane!"

Minako smiled. "Yes, I could…"

Pluto nodded, smiling.

Minako gasped. "But wait! What was the dream with Kunzite as my husband supposed to be about? And the little girls? Who were they?"

"It was a look into the future of the Princess, if you would have chosen that fate. I would have gone as far as to show you the fate of the Princess if she had married Motoki, but you figured it out in time so I didn't have to."

"…and the little girls?"

Pluto laughed. "You can figure that out for yourself, I believe."

Minako blushed. "Yes…I believe I know, too." She looked up at Pluto. "Why does it matter though, that I chose Motoki and not Kunzite?"

"If the princess had married Kunzite, she would have become miserable, with only a daughter to keep her happy. Kunzite would have left her for another in only a matter of three years after they married. But, with the fate you chose, she will be happy for the rest of her life."

Minako frowned. "But what does this all have to do with me?"

"If you had left it alone, then you wouldn't have been happy in your own life... The fates showed me that Motoki would have given up hope on you after seeing you with another…Kunzite."

She frowned. "But there is no Kunzite in this life…is there?"

Pluto shook her head. "I have already told you enough. Go back home now, my dear."

Minako sighed. "And the blurriness again."

She fainted, hearing the faint, pleasant laughter of Pluto echoing in her mind.

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End Chapter Six