She didn't take him out of her purse until later that night. Artemis was spending the night with Luna so she had the apartment to herself. She placed the stone on her dresser and backed away to the bed. She wasn't sure what to expect but figured space would be advisable. She waited for a moment or two but when nothing happened she rolled her eyes.

"Are you gonna talk to me?"

She took the silence as a definite no. Did it work this way? Maybe she needed to be holding him in order to communicate. She stood and approached the dresser but before she could grab ahold of the stone it rolled back.

"Not this again! I can't believe the terrifying Kunzite is running away from me." She hoped that would get him to protest but the rock stayed silent and still.

"Fine!" She threw her hands up. "Don't talk. Not like this is anything new. Talking to you was like talking to a door back then too. Or is it 'wall'? Whatever, talking to you has always sucked."

She crossed her arms. How was she supposed to find out the truth, get closure- if that's what she was after, she wasn't sure what she wanted- if he wouldn't acknowledge her? An idea struck her then. If he wouldn't come out willingly, then she would force him out.

"You were better at other things, though." The Kunzite she remembered was too much of a stick in the cement to allow her to speak such things. "Your mouth may not have been good for talking but, oh boy was it good for other things." If this didn't get him out, nothing would. "Remember that one time behind the throne room? The angles you -"

"Alright!" Kunzite interrupted. Minako would have been satisfied with herself had she not been so shocked at the corporeal form standing in front of her. She didn't realize he could materialize, she thought she would just be having a conversation with a rock. Instead General Kunzite of Elysian stood before her- a ghostlike version but nonetheless him.

It was easy to tell the difference between the clone and the real deal now that she knew the truth. There was the obvious stuff that made Minako want to kick herself for not noticing before, his eyes were gray not puke green, and his hair had always been pure white as the snow, not the silver shade his clone had carried.

Then there were the less obvious trains that were still clear indicators of an imposter. The clone had always had a smile on his face- a cruel, sadistic smile while her Kunzite would only smile in the rarest of occasions- but when he did it was the easiest, most charming smile she had ever seen. And the way he stood avoiding eye contact, how he did when he was uncomfortable, it was so rigid and awkward and so completely Kunzite that it made her heart ache. How could she have ever confused him for that fake? Kunzite could never be evil, he was too genuine for that.

"I"m so stupid," she did not realize her words were spoken out loud.

His eyes moved over to her though his entire body still screamed uneasiness. "Inappropriate? More often than not in my opinion. Stupid? Never." He said, clearly still irritated with her. It made her smile. His voice was deep and smooth and it did things to her she hadn't felt in a thousand years.

Minako sat on the bed and raised her knees to her chin while wrapping an arm around her legs. She never took her eyes off of him, she couldn't. She could still hardly believe he was standing there, talking to her. He had never betrayed her, never tried to kill her, and she had never killed him. Of all her sins, this one was the one that stung the most. As much as she had tried to convince herself she didn't feel guilty over killing a traitor, she knew she never succeeded and the weight of his death bore on her in both lifetimes. Staring at him, not quite alive but existing nonetheless, she felt lighter, almost giddy.

"Tell me what happened." It was the absolute last thing she wanted to know, but she needed to.

Kunzite regarded the walls, she hoped he was admiring her art- she collected each piece personally from artists just starting their profession. He was silent long enough to let her know he didn't see anything but memories in her walls. When he finally spoke it was a disappointment.

"It's in the past."

"I'm learning that the past holds the password to the future."

"What's a password?" His brow quirked and Minako swore his confusion was the cutest thing she ever saw.

"You figuring this world out would be fun to watch."

"It certainly is different from the old days," he said, still avoiding eye contact.

She kept silent waiting for the explanation he owed.

Kunzite spoke quickly as if trying to get the words out of his mouth and the conversation over with. "Beryl gave us an ultimatum, join or die. I chose death, the others followed."

"That can't be all."

"This is a cruel form of torture, Venus."

"My name isn't Venus anymore, I mean it is but not like, right now," she struggled to explain. "And I'm not trying to hurt you. I've lived my life believing you to be a monster. Hating you, thinking I murdered you. Whether I was right to or not didn't really help the fact that I thought I killed my lover." She noticed his fists were clenched and wondered if it was the old Venus in her that wanted to reach out and relax his hand or if it was Minako. "I just want to understand exactly what I'm guilty of."

Kunzite whirled on her. "You're guilty of nothing."

"From what I'm understanding, neither are you."

"I've told Mamoru countless times, we failed him. We failed our kingdom. We failed everyone. We're not worthy of redemption."

"Wow. You're deep in the pity party, aren't you?" Minako had to hold a giggle back at Kunzite's offended expression, he had always been too much fun to mess with. "In case you're forgetting- or choosing to ignore- you weren't the only ones that failed. Be grateful you only failed the one time." The last sentence was just barely a whisper.

"Sounds like you've been having a pi-ty par-ty yourself for a while." He said the words 'pity party' as if he were testing them. She once again felt the urge to show him everything in the 21st century. Everything from cars to pet rocks, she wondered how long it would be before he started saying the words 'in my day' like a proper old man. "May I ask a question?"

Minako shrugged, giving him the go-ahead.

"What started you on this path to find out about the past?"

"Oh, I had a dream last night that you were a duck. Seemed worth looking into." She was being purposely vague. Nothing gave Venus more pleasure than seeing General Kunzite flabbergasted. The way his brow furrowed just slightly in confusion and his jaw clenched in frustration, it was a sick fascination of hers.

He opened his mouth twice to speak, but thought better of it both times. She took pity on him and decided to elaborate.

"There's this ballet," she began but he interrupted immediately.

"What's a ballet?"

"It's a form of dance. You have to be really skinny and stand on your toes."

"Sounds awkward."

"It's actually very beautiful, here." She brought out her phone and youtube'd a clip of Swan Lake. She turned the phone towards him and had the pleasure of seeing his eyes light up at the technology.

"Is that Mercury's computer?"

"No, but the technology is very similar to what we had back then. Everyone has one of these now."

"Amazing," he said lowly.

"But look at the dancing. See how pretty?"

"They call that dancing? Looks more like contortionism."

Minako turned the phone back to face her and frowned. "They're so graceful! It's romantic."

"That is not romantic. I remember dancing and it was not as awkward as that."

"There are many forms of dance, Kunzite." Mina's lips turned upward in an evil smile as she got an idea. "As a matter of fact, take a look at this." She typed 'twerking' into the search bar and turned the phone back around to the ghostly figure in front of her.

Kunzite's eyes widened for a second before standing straight again and turning away quickly. Could a ghost blush? "That is not dancing."

"Okay, boomer."

Kunzite shook his head at her, clearly not understanding her reference but feeling too frustrated to ask any more questions. "Perhaps it's better if I go back to the stone."

"That desperate to get away from me?"

"I fear this world has changed too much."

"Yeah. But there's a lot of good in it too. Indoor plumbing is definitely a plus, and I'd die before going back to a time that doesn't have social media apps." He looked confused and she wracked her brain for something that might interest him, but what did he like? Had they ever spent enough time together to learn? For all her feelings for him her heart clenched at the thought of not really knowing who Kunzite was. "Don't go," she said quickly when he turned back towards the stone.

Kunzite paused his movements. "I don't want my memory to be a burden to you."

"Then don't run away. Stay. If you won't tell me about the past, then tell me about you."

"There's not much to know about a spirit that lives in a rock."

"What's your favorite color?" She rushed the words out, desperate to say anything to keep him around.

"Why?" She knew he wasn't asking why she wanted to know his favorite color, but rather why seek him now. She knew she couldn't keep hiding behind coy answers, not if she wanted real ones from him too.

"Because I watched a dance that reminded me of you. It was beautiful and romantic and tragic. Then I had a dream that made me wonder if I identified with the dance because there existed some truth in its story. Then I almost broke my ankle in the park having a vision of you- a memory. Do you remember when we danced?"

He had turned to face her fully during her explanation. His face was stony as ever, but his eyes told a completely different story. They told the story of a man who remembered perfectly well the dance she spoke of and what he said back then. Minako didn't wait for him to answer.

"I remembered that night and everything we said… and didn't say." She lowered her legs to the floor and rose slowly. She stepped near him and she could tell by the tensing of his jaw that he wanted to step back. She was glad he didn't. "You said that you would love me until the day you died. I suppose you did in fact keep your promise." His face betrayed no emotion but she kept going. "I don't expect you to still love me, that was a long time ago and I'm a different person now. But I wanted to tell you, that the person I was back then," she took a deep breath steeling herself to say what she did not have the courage to say before, "she loved you too."

"I know," he said firmly. Minako wanted to laugh at how confident he sounded, as if it had been the most obvious thing in the world.

"Okay, Han Solo," she said as she rolled her eyes. "Oh! That's something you would like! Star Wars! It's filled with explosions and light sabers, you always loved new weapons, I know that! And it has super cute little cuddly bear things and -oh my gosh! I just love Baby Yoda!" Minako knew he didn't understand, but maybe someday she could find the movie and play it for him. Surely he needed a break from being inside a rock.

"Are you happy?" His question caught her by surprise.

"For the most part," she answered truthfully. "Life isn't ball after ball anymore but I also don't have to sneak out every time I'm hanging out with a boy- not since I turned 16 at least!" She laughed lightly, secretly hoping to make him a little jealous.

"I'm sure they're lining up for the chance to catch your eye."

"Tinder has made it easier to weed out the creeps. Still, nothing beats secret dancing."

"I'm not so sure about the dancing these days," Kunzite said eyeing her iphone warily.

Minako laughed. "An old fashioned dance would be more acceptable."

Kunzite reached out a ghostly hand and her breath caught. Never did she think she'd ever get the chance to dance with him again. She hesitated but only from shock. Could they even touch?

Tentatively, she reached out and touched his hand. It wasn't solid, but it certainly wasn't not there either. It felt like touching very thick mist, she wondered if he could feel her. She looked up and saw his eyes were tenderly looking at their hands. She raised her left hand to lightly rest against his shoulder, taking care to not press too much for fear of going straight through him. His other hand went to her waist and despite not really being able to feel it, Minako still blushed at the contact.

"There's no music," she said.

"We've never needed anything to follow each other's rhythm." How was it that centuries had passed and this man still knew how to make her melt?

Without signaling- because he was right, they didn't need it- the pair began their dance. With synchronized movements the two moved about her bedroom, careful to not bump into furniture, feeling light as air, though Kunzite surely felt that literally. His eyes never left her face and had he been anyone else other than the man that stole her heart all that time ago, Minako would not have had to struggle to keep his eye contact. His gaze was intense and held so much within it that it made her question what their feelings were for each other now. Did she still love this man? Did he love her?

The moment felt so surreal, so magical, she started to wonder if it was a dream. She prayed it wasn't, but if it was, she didn't want to wake up.

"In the ballet," she said quietly, "the princess was under a spell." Kunzite lowered his gaze to her lips to watch her speak and she wished she had applied lipgloss prior to taking him out of her purse. "You were the princess in my dream." That snapped him out of his concentration on her mouth and he frowned slightly. She laughed at his expression and continued. "You were a swan, enchanted by an evil sorcerer. Doomed to spend half your life as a swan."

"Were you my rescuer in the dream?"

"I was supposed to be. But I woke up before I could do so."

"How would the curse have been broken?"

Minako thought back to the ballet and her demeanor darkened some. "Well, in the story, the prince is supposed to make a vow of everlasting love for his princess. But things go wrong and he fails. The two commit suicide in order to be together."

Kunzite frowned deeply now. "Did Mamoru see this?"

She knew he was worried about how it would have made their lieges feel since their past was comparable. "Yes. Usagi slept through half of it, but then I think she did so on purpose, not wanting to see the ending. I'm sure Mamoru knew about it, it's a pretty popular story."

Kunzite nodded. There wasn't much he could do about it now. "Their choice back then was stupid and I would dare say the same for the prince and the swan in your story."

"I agree, and I think they do too. Usa doesn't like to talk about it. I think it's the only thing she clearly remembers about those days. She volunteers at suicide prevention hotlines when she can." They all had in support of her when the opportunity became available. It left them all drained at the end of the day, so they would all volunteer together when they could.

"From what he's told me, their romance has not been less eventful this time around."

"Nothing has been uneventful for any of us. But it's a blessing the others don't remember our past together. I think it would crush them to know the truth. Now more than ever."

"Has it been hard for you?" His misty hand caressed her cheek and Minako closed her eyes to try and feel the sensation more.

"Nothing I can't handle." She opened her eyes and pierced him with her gaze. "It would be easier if I had you by my side."

They stopped their swaying and he stepped back. She was sure the longing in his eyes were reflected on hers. "Why do you refuse to accept the magic to return?"

"There were times when we didn't. Mamoru wanted us back so desperately, we willed ourselves to return, but nothing happened." Minako's heart broke at this revelation. They had tried and failed to come back. Maybe it really wasn't possible. "I understand and accept my punishment. Though I wish the fate were different for the others."

"I can't imagine the pain you are all going through."

"As much as I don't want them stuck with me, I have to admit it would be much harder if I were alone."

"How are they coping?"

"Nephrite's grown the quietest. He worries us, so every now and then Zoisite pesters him enough to get him to lash out and rejoin us. We're grateful, but by the time he succeeds, we all want to kill Zoisite." Minako laughed remembering how annoying the little shitennou could be. "Jadeite normally keeps the conversation going. He can't stand the loneliness."

"And you?"

"It's my job to provide morale. I answer whoever speaks whether the others want to or not."

He was dodging the question and they both knew it. Unfortunately, it was enough of an answer for her. She wished she could do something to release them from their prison. But if Mamoru had tried tirelessly, and even the silver crystal had failed, what could she do?

"I could visit more often." It was all she could offer. She knew there was no way Mamoru would let her keep him and she wouldn't do that to the shitennou.

Kunzite shook his head. "I won't have you wasting your life looking after me. It's bad enough that Mamoru feels obligated."

"I wouldn't be wasting my life-"

"No."

"You can't tell me what to do."

"I never could. But you usually saw reason."

"I think we can agree both of us threw reason out the doggy door in the end."

"All the more reason." Damn it. She hated when he was right. But she didn't care, she would ignore all logic again because there was no evil sorcerer to stop them now. She wasn't sure how she felt about him, but she wouldn't let him suffer alone any more.

"Kunzite, I will do what I want. If visiting you occasionally will lessen your pain then I promise to do so. And if you don't like it, tough. I'm sure Zoisite, Nephrite, and Jadeite will appreciate the company. You cannot deny them that."

It took a moment, but he eventually smiled softly. "They would appreciate it." Then, "is that your vow?" He joked.

If only that could break the curse, she thought.

"Well, since neither of us are too keen on suicide and you're not really all that alive anyway, yeah, I guess it is." Kunzite gave an honest to goodness chuckle and Minako felt her heart soar. She loved that she could make him laugh, it was a feat few had achieved.

He bent forward and, before she could figure what he was doing, laid a kiss on her cheek. "I will always love you," he whispered before straightening and returning to his stone.

She stood frozen to her spot. Kunzite had never been a tender person, except when it came to her. He still loved her. And damn it all, she still loved him.

Minako looked at her clock and noticed it was a few minutes til midnight. She had class in the morning and should go to sleep. Quickly changing into a nightgown, she climbed into bed. She laid quietly for a few seconds before making up her mind. She ripped the bedsheets off and walked over to the dresser, snatched the kunzite stone, and climbed back into bed.

"I love you too. Always have and always will." She gave the stone a kiss and held it as she fell asleep.