Chapter 5: The Reawakening – Kunzite
A door opened, and out came a blonde wrapped in a large fluffy towel, her hair twisted into a towel bun to let it dry. She then sat on the boudoir table and started putting on some lotion on her arms and legs.
Mina was happily humming a song as she finished doing her nightly rituals and stood to retrieve her night wear from her dresser. It was a warm night and so she decided to wear a sleeveless shirt and a pair of shorts.
The girl was smiling as she recalled the events of the day. That morning, she got a call from the company doing the play and was informed that they will need an alternate for the lead character.
Mina was speechless for she never expected that they would still opt to have her in the company considering that her performance was, as she thought, awful. She learned however that the director was able to have a glimpse of her potential and thought that she might have the makings of a great actress if given the proper guidance and the chance to improve. And even though she would merely be an alternate to the lead role, it's still one of the best things that ever happened to her.
After stammering a 'thank you' to the director who even called her personally, she went and hugged her doll and jumped up and down in joy, shrieking her lungs out, before fleeing to the park where she met her friends for the picnic.
...speaking of dolls...
Mina glanced back at the object on top of her bed and pouted. Keith wasn't wearing anything because his uniform unfortunately got wet due to two idiotic girls that afternoon. And Mina somehow declined the idea of using the other dolls' dresses for Keith to wear.
The blonde laughed softly as she looked at the adorable doll with nothing but a pair of dark pants on. She stood from her seat and walked towards her bed and lied down with her arms around the doll. Her right hand smoothed down the doll's silver-white hair, devoid of its red ribbon for once. Mina laughed as she raised the doll to have its face at level with hers.
"I don't know why or how it happens but you always manage to lose your ribbon every now and then. The girls told me they haven't been removing it, so I really wonder why..." the blonde playfully tweaked the doll's button nose and giggled.
She really felt happy today: with the production, the afternoon picnic with the girls, -
Mina glanced down at her doll,
"The only thing that's missing in my life right now is a man," Mina spoke in a low voice.
Funny, It's been a long time since I last said that...
Mina then realized that for the past few weeks, she hadn't even thought of boys for that matter, which was rather odd considering that she was well-known by her friends as inherently boy-crazy.
For Mina, finding the man of her dreams had always been a number one priority, even more important than acting, and that love is definitely on top of the list. Hence, the constant flirting with boys and the recurrent number of scheduled and unscheduled dates in a week. Most of the time, she had fun with the guys she dated, but she soon realized however, that she can't bring herself to love them as a boyfriend. Strange as it seems, but most of her dates simply ended up being her pals and even some she referred to as 'big brothers'. It never came to the point where she can truly say that the man was THE ONE. Mina wasn't worried with this because she believed that she has yet to meet the man that she would choose to love for the rest of her life.
Unfortunately, that won't happen if she's been negligent in looking for that man.
For one thing, she hadn't been to a date for almost 3 months now.
Man, I must be loosing it. . .what was I thinking?
She again faced her doll and declared in a mock serious voice, "Keith, tomorrow, I'm going to find myself a man!"
Mina as always would then see a shadow of a scowl on Keith's face and laughed. She then gave her doll a hug.
"Jealous, Keith? Don't worry, you would still have me to hug you at night. And you'll be the only one allowed to do that."
The blonde then yawned delicately and rested her head on the doll, closed her eyes and said in a sleepy voice,
"We'll always have each other, my love."
And off she went to sleep.
Sometime during the night, there was a slight and unusual change in the atmosphere. A subtle but definite current of energy weaved its way towards the figure on the bed, enveloping the sleeping blonde as well as the form she's holding.
Slowly, the doll glowed with an eerie soft light and soon its form started to change. Life gradually seeped its way into the veins of the once lifeless figure and soon the figure grew in size.
The blonde girl, although very much asleep, somehow felt the change when her arms began to draw apart as the object inside them multiplied in size. She mumbled and a delicate frown can be seen on her delicate face. But as the figure finally grew to its full size, the blonde managed to accommodate the change by hugging its neck instead and drawing herself nearer to the comforting warmth, brushing her lips against it.
A sudden intake of breath can be heard as Mina settled herself comfortably in the embrace.
The recipient of that embrace however was not exactly in a very comfortable position.
Kunzite felt the rush of electricity throughout his body when Mina's lips brushed his neck. He tried controlling himself from swallowing the big lump on his neck and slowing down his breathing to relatively normal.
Damn.
Kunzite almost let out a sigh in exasperation, he didn't expect to be transformed back to his normal size in this particular moment, within the girl's embrace...in bed...and bloody half-NAKED.
Kunzite closed his eyes and prayed that Mina wouldn't wake up. They were so tangled up in each other's embrace that he feared any movement coming from him would definitely wake up the blonde and God knows he's not ready to face the consequences to that yet.
Kunzite stiffened when Mina's fingers at the back of his neck started to move and caressed him tenderly as she usually did even when he was just a doll while asleep.
Oh God...not now, definitely not now...
The silver-haired man almost groaned out loud as Mina's fingers played with his nape. Amazingly the girl was still very much asleep, unaware of the turmoil she was creating within the man.
...love, please...please don't...,
Kunzite thought as he clenched his teeth to refrain from making any sounds. His hands were tightfisted as he tried to desist from touching the oblivious sleeping girl.
As if the girl heard his pleas, her hands stilled in its movement, and the man let out a soft relieved sigh. His stoic face suddenly broke out in a mocking yet affectionate grin.
Damn. You always did manage to make me beg, you little witch.
Kunzite let himself rest for a few moments with his eyes closed and then opened them again to look down at their figures.
Sigh. Not even a strand of hair can come between us. How can I move away then?
With that, the tall young man resigned himself to his situation and simply rested against the blonde in their embrace. He was very much tempted to bury his face in Mina's hair as its scent wafted through his nose.
Spring...she always smelled like the spring breeze...even before...
Kunzite's face suddenly became dark and serious when he reflected on a time long ago when he also had thought of Mina's scent.
Damn.
Kunzite was locked in some inner turmoil as he thought of his past where Mina once played a huge part.
For several moments, the young man was lost in the sudden flow of memories that filled his mind...
...the prince and the earth castle,...the engagement with the princess of the moon,...the first time he met the cold leader of the senshi...Mina frowning...Mina and their mock fight...Mina smiling...Mina laughing...Mina looking beautiful in her ball gown...their first kiss...their engagement...
Kunzite's lips twitched amusingly as he remembered his proposal to the goddess of love...the clumsiness,...the awkward moments, ...then the shout of joy and the giggles of an overly delighted girl. . .
They would have been married a few days after that.
But a dark cloud came over that day -
Kunzite then remembered the sadness, the despair and the fear, ...the deceit, the pain, and the betrayal...the time when he almost went over the edge and killed himself because of what he did...
He remembered it all...and Mina,...he remembered Mina weeping.
Kunzite was frowning and his jaws clenched as he remembered the past...
But before the usual guilt and self-pity he often felt after thinking of such things, a whimper was heard.
Kunzite snapped out of his reverie and discovered that he was so intense in reminiscing that he tightened his grasp on the girl's delicate form.
With a silent curse, he loosened his embrace on the girl's form and prayed that she wouldn't wake up with bruises all over her body. Intending to distance himself from the girl, he slowly moved away carefully.
But the young woman seemed to have other plans in mind, even in slumber.
Mina started whimpering when Kunzite moved himself further away from her. The girl immediately tightened her hold on the young man's neck and buried her face further in the crook between his neck and shoulder.
Kunzite stilled himself for a moment hoping that the girl's grasp would eventually loosen up, but never did.
"Don't leave me..."
The young man stopped breathing upon hearing the words coming out of the young woman's lips.
He waited, but she said nothing else, nor did she wake up.
Kunzite sighed, then smiled gently.
"I won't leave you, I promise...not this time...," Kunzite whispered and without even caring if she would wake up or not, gave the girl a kiss on the forehead.
Kunzite then suddenly felt tired, and closed his eyes to rest...
As night grew deeper, two forms were seen having the most restful sleep they ever had...
