Kunzite's fingers drummed lazily against the polished wood of his desk. Four years had gone by in a flash of light and the trees rich with Autumn's colors held his pale gaze captivated beyond the windows behind his chair. He often thought of the beginnings, how young and fumbling they all were, thrust into a different sort of life in a whole new land most normal Terran's regarded as Legend. Four years since he'd seen the sands of his homelands and a mere two since Zara was brought to Elysium to be buried beside his Mother, Tahira, in Elysian Fields. Kunzite's lips tugged downward, almost two years to the day.
The others knew to give Kunzite his space near this time of year. It had been the only time Endymion saw the Commander's tears, and it was only Endymion he allowed to see them. They'd all grown bonds most Brother's had never been able to form, yet Kunzite still held a very thin line with the other Shitennou that they were never to see him weak. He tried so hard to keep his sorrow from Endymion, but the faint traces of magics they had begun to discover made that impossible.
They all had extremely minor healing abilities, potentially impressive if trained, but the Prince was an empath, possibly most in tune with his abilities because he embraced them where the others were more hesitant. Nephrite and Jadeite made everything a competition, including their powers. Himself and Zoisite seemed the most hesitant, and therefore were not as skilled in the ways of magic. Not that any of them were by any stretch of the imagination but Jadeite could at least heal a papercut without getting a nosebleed.
"Hey Kunzite, I think I may have found a way for our lands to avoid-" Nephrite strode into the room, only stopping when his warm brown eyes lifted from the paper in his hands to the silver haired man uncharacteristically staring out the window as though he were miles away.
"Going to war." Kunzite finished for him, shifting better in his seat to address the larger man. Nephrite had filled out over the years, growing a few inches taller than himself and built even sturdier it appeared with vigorous training. The man was the size of a house.
"I can leave it for you to review later if you'd like." Nephrite gave that big friendly smile he had and leaned with both hands on the back of the chair in front of him. "Let me buy you a drink later, we can discuss it then. You're due for a night away."
"Dawn's barely broken and you're already itching for a drink? Bit young to start aren't you?" Kunzite quirked what most would call was a pathetic excuse for a half smile, which was really all anyone could pull from him most days. "I thought I was the only one awake."
"I think I managed to wake up at the same ungodly hour as you for once." Nephrite chuckled lightly, ignoring the Commander's comment and stood tall, something knowing and somewhat sympathetic in his smile. They knew, but no one would talk about Zara. "Well I know it's about time for Endymion to wake, I'll leave you to it may God have mercy on your sorry ass. I don't know how you do it every morning."
"I'll take you up on that drink later, I'll put it that way." Kunzite had already begun to read the provided report from Nephrite, not one to waste time on idle conversation, but it made the taller man beam. "This is good, we'll discuss it later. I'll have a full day, do you think you can manage to run drills today? I must meet with the King once I get Endymion up and the others to their lessons, thn I am appointed to meet with our Government heads and grant them a tour of the city. I'll try and bring up some of these points to prevent war to our leaders and gauge their reactions."
"They put you in charge of speaking for more than two seconds?" Nephrite blew through his lips and ignored the icy stare Kunzite shot him. "I'd be happy to run drills for you but you'll be the one buying me a drink later because then I'll have to put up with Zoi's whining that you aren't the one leading them. I'd say it's adorable but as he gets older it's just a bit more concerning that he still thinks the Sun shines out of your ass."
"Watch it." Jadeite bit as he shuffled sleepily into the room, his hair still sticking up at odd angles. Nephrite scoffed and looked behind him as the younger General plopped in an armchair nearby.
"You're one to talk. You give the kid more grief than anyone." All of their eyes lit up when one of the house staff brought in their usual sideboard breakfast of hot coffee and some sort of protein rich dish he knew he wouldn't have time for. Kunzite nodded his gratitude and Nephrite was of course offered a kind smile and thanks that left the poor girl flushing to the roots. He'd accuse him of being a damned flirt, because it'd be true, but it was just the way Nephrite was. Kind.
"Yeah well it's different when I give Zoi shit Neph... he knows I don't mean anything by it." Jadeite staggered over to grab a cup of coffee, loaded with cream, and slid a black cup across the desk to Kunzite. He practically chugged it, reaching for his outline of Endymion's agenda for the day and glancing over it while Nephrite and Jadeite continued their banter in the background. Everything was a competition between those two.
"Jade, go make sure Zoi is up and ready for lessons. Nephrite, I will perhaps arrange a meeting with our government heads tonight before they depart and we can sit with them over that drink to discuss." Nephrite made a face but nodded his agreeance.
"Only if there are more drinks once they leave. Better to have the four of us talk it through than just you and I. Pity being King no longer just stops war with a simple command if both Kings agree." Kunzite stood, giving Nephrite an agreeing glance, following the other two from the room to get Endymion moving for the day.
He always began his day waking Endymion, going over his agenda for the day with the Prince while he got ready for his schooling and seeing that he actually made it to Zoisite and Jadeite who attended the same lessons. Then Kunzite would see to matters of his own Kingdom and report to the King where he would give his reports on the surrounding Kingdoms. The King also took it upon himself to allow Kunzite to shadow him, and try teaching him matters that weren't commonly taught under the umbrella of a standard education. Now in his twenties, Kunzite often found it redundant if not endearing that his King cared so much.
The poor King thought Kunzite paid no attention to the ways of the gentleman, the manners and courtesy a woman should be extended as his reputation seemed to had followed him to Elysium. However Kunzite watched this intently in the ways he treated his Queen respectfully, lovingly, and always placed her ahead of himself. The problem in Kunzite's eyes, was he dealt with common whores and women with no pride in themselves. Women who simply needed a man to fill her night with a distraction that he was mutually interested in.
Of course it did lend to the occasional, often attachment these women claimed to have to him. Kunzite chalked it up to a matter of status, a game common women played, and played often. Anything to gain status to ensure themselves a comfortable life. This alone was why he did not envy Endymion when the time came for him to choose a bride. The stories were all often blown out of proportion of course, palace gossip. Not to say he didn't enjoy the company of a woman, but the outlandish stories came almost nightly and from multiple women. He'd laugh to himself in private because he did have stamina but it was maybe twice a week he'd venture to the taverns, hardly the nightly scandal they chalked it up to be.
"Your highness, all due respect." He interrupted one of the King's lessons and the rounder man shifted his gaze with an amused smile. He'd heard Kunzite's speeches before, and was always so thrilled at the Commander's loyalty- but knew one day his views might change. "I am content at the side of your family, in service to the armies of Elysium and the people who live here. I have no intent or interest to bear Sons or marry. I am aware of my behavior with women, I do not offer them anything they do not ask me for. Contrary to what your sources might tell you that is."
"One day...I hope there is such a woman that can take your stone heart and turn it to fire. You have been soldered under Aphrodite as the Knight of Purity and Affection. Named for a stone of true love and connectivity..as the very leader of the Shitennou we had thought you might bear those attributes." Kunzite offered what he could of a smile. It was a rare placed thing on his face but suited him in ways that not many ever saw. "Goddess knows you have enough women banging on my castle doors for your affections."
"My King...those attributes are what holds my loyalty to your family. Not all love is romance and passion for a singular person. I love Endymion, this is true, your Son keeps me younger and shows me things I wouldn't have thought of before. He is a forward thinker where I've always been more traditional. He challenges me to infuriation sometimes I'll admit." Kunzite shifted his gaze to the table in front of him and the King smiled warmly, effectively halting his speech.
"Are you certain you aren't in love with Endymion? Were my Son interested in men, you would make a fine King for his side." Kunzite's heart leapt to his throat and he was certain he flushed the way his face grew warm and he felt a bead of sweat snaked down the back of his neck.
"No... my King...I know it is a common thing in perhaps Zoisite's lands for two men to engage that way.. " King Adrian laughed loudly.
"It is fine that you fancy women better. I do also of course but the way you two are stuck to the other I wanted to be certain. There's no shame in it." Kunzite exhaled slowly and raised his brow. "I know your lands are strict about such things but if I have learned anything as ruler of all realms it is that love is simply love, we don't get to choose that affection. The heart wants what the heart wants." The King's face was almost too warm as he smiled at Kunzite who merely peered back, his grey eyes serious as always.
"I only wanted you to know that your lessons don't fall upon deaf ears." He frowned and fidgeted with a pen on the table. He was too distracted to correct the silver plaits of hair that fell over his shoulder.
"You're an observant man Kunzite, I don't doubt that should a woman worthy of your affections exist you will know how to handle her. You're in your twenties now, hopefully she finds you soon, we aren't as long lived as some." He nodded slowly and noted the time. "You would probably find her faster if you smiled more, I've heard you speak out of passion and dare I say you have the soul of a poet. Of course when you speak more than two words at a time."
"Of course my King." Kunzite muttered, looking out the window with the sudden urge to disappear. It was strange to behold his King and think 'Father' instead. Even in the letters he'd written back and forth with the man since he was a child suggested parental caring that his own Father failed to provide. A faith that he would no doubt be one of Earth's greatest warriors and guardians- expectations that set Kunzite determined not to fail in his duties. Overall he was doted over, as were the other Shitennou with promise of greatness though his parental appreciations and lectures often set the stoic General on edge. King Adrian seemed to know he was uneasy, business was a safer topic with the Warlord.
"I wanted to go over some events coming up in regards to the Silver Millennium." Kunzite's stare snapped with undivided attention back to his King and he leaned forward on the table. This seemed to amuse the older man. "In a few weeks, a bit after your twenty fifth year, the Queen and I will have to escort the Goddess Aphrodite on an errand to complete Queen Serenity's ultimate peace. We aren't to discuss details mind you but we are making arrangements now and it will occupy much of my time. You will be left in charge in our absence as we will be gone for a few weeks. I expect you'll allow Endymion to take over my duties, but I would like you to guide him."
"Of course my King." He thought a moment, shifting his eyes back toward the aging man. "You've met these Goddesses?" Kunzite was merely curious, as any mortal man under their skies was. He was not an advocate for these Goddesses, their formed Silver Alliance , their laws and rules had purpose and he respected them, but the treatment and displacement of Earth itself was offensive. He tried to see Endymion's point of view when he was told that they did nothing but protect the Earth until their day to prove themselves came. Kunzite often wondered what the cost of this would be.
"I have met a few of them, yes. We meet with Queen Serenity once a cycle. I have met with the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite and have even been introduced to the young Lunar Princess, but I wouldn't worry yourself with them. Serenity has a noble goal, and perhaps one day it will be Endymion that proves our people are just as capable as theirs. They are kind as they are beautiful my boy, and twice as forbidden, and we don't want to be on the receiving end of their wrath."
"I should report to the conference room, the others will be finishing their lessons and I must meet with our four leaders." Kunzite further proved his point with his ability to shift the conversation in few words, utterly changing the topic. The King slapped a jovial hand on his shoulder and grinned, ushering the tall Soldier from the room. It bothered him that they would allow one of the Goddesses to use their planet when it was highly unlikely that they would grant audience to one of their courts- not that they had a means of travel to allow it.
"Of course." The King grinned, "but we will want to discuss arrangements in our absence. This is a very quiet event so things should run around here as they always do." Kunzite nodded and offered the standard Elysian bow. "You're a good man Kunzite. A great man if you put your mind to it, though I think it's your heart that will need the practice in the end. You think too much with your head."
"I will try My King." He responded, slowly turning down the hallway toward the conference room all too eager to part himself from the conversation.
It was a few weeks, just before the King and Queen departed for their errand in regards to the Silver Millennium that he received word that the war between his lands and Nephrites was halted, for now anyways. Kunzite celebrated with a glass of bourbon he'd grown ever fond of and sat at his desk in the company of the other men in various states of lounging near his desk, talking quietly or reading though the only thing Jadeite was content to read was erotica as he was making the shift into manhood with concerning urgency. Kunzite was certain they'd have to chain him in the dungeon at some point to keep him from mauling anything with female anatomy. He was grateful to Zoi who snatched the book from his hands in passing before he hopped up to his spot on Kunzite's desk.
"Keep it on your own time loverboy." He muttered, tossing the book to the side. The two glared at each other but Kunzite's intense stare kept it from turning into one of their famous brawls.
"So they are really forming the Silver Millennium." Kunzite stated, breaking the silence of the room in his calm voice. He'd just been reading the same book Zoisite was reading on their first day, about the Interplanetary Relations and even some rough blueprints of how the Silver Millennium would be structured, he was shocked to find that it nearly mimicked Earths. Nephrite nodded slowly, and Zoisite turned to look at him with his knowing green eyes from on top of his desk.
"It's true. Apparently it's Aphrodite is the cause of the King and Queen's errand, the stars say a great love is coming and something about the spinning of red thread." Nephrite was sipping a glass of ice water, chewing thoughtfully on one of the cubes and leaning against one of the massive bookshelves that he'd probably match in size one day the way he kept eating and training. "Apparently that's when they are saying the Silver Millennium will be completed whatever that means."
"Who knows, it's not like anyone will tell us. Your damned stars are just as cryptic!" Jadeite bit, standing and stepping slowly toward Zoi in a sneaky attempt to steal back his adult literature. "They can throw all the armory, technology, and weapons and stuff they want but what it boils down to is they're afraid of Endymion." He reached over to give Zoisite a wet willy and got punched in the arm for it. He smirked in Zoi's distraction and stole the book back, shuffling back toward the armchair he was occupying to find that Nephrite had taken his seat. The taller boy gave a wide toothy grin and shrugged forcing Jadeite to stand against the sideboard where there was always fresh coffee and ice water.
"Mmm." Kunzite gave an agreeing hum, grey eyes peering down in thought at the book in his lap. Effectively ignoring the antics of the other three. "They fear magic. I assume that if our abilities grow they will fear us too."
"Well we were born with magic on some level..." Zoi spoke knowingly. Fear was the number one reason behind rebellion, and Terrans feared nothing like they feared magic. "Endymion could be the first of any man that could wield the Golden Crystal. It's said the crystal is well hidden and guarded by a strange creature not far from here. It will appear as an angelic boy to the person meant to hold the Crystal's magic but mostly a white horse with dove's wings. It's how they knew we were the Shitennou...we all had a dream of that very creature. Legend states we are part of that myth, guardian to it's holder which would mean Endymion." Kunzite could tell the young boy didn't believe in much he couldn't see or touch by the bored expression in his green eyes as he twisted a blonde curl around his finger.
"The longer we're exposed to the Golden Crystal the more we're supposed to be able to work with whatever magic we're gifted with." Nephrite yawned as he spoke and shifted in his stolen chair. Endymion joined them shortly of course, Kunzite never found him far from his side on a normal day but he often brought light to the conversation, even if like Jadeite his questions sometimes drifted toward girls and he had to monitor them like a rattled nanny.
The harvest season approached, the chilly nights and vibrant leaves enhanced Elysium's beauty like Kunzite had never seen. He hated the cold but the Moon was large and round above them, ever brighter with the stars in the cloudless sky. There was something magical about it that evening after they bid farewell and safe travel to the King and Queen who were off to meet with a real live Goddess and excitement hummed in the air as the group of boys headed off toward their field for the evening for a bonfire. Kunzite lived for these nights though his silent and stone like demeanor was not telling, he was content to listen to their sometimes idiotic chatter and take in the beauty of their home.
Zoisite was draped over his back, his legs looped through Kunzite's arms while he read aloud from a book about Aphrodite since of all the Goddesses there seemed to be the most information about the Goddess of love, beauty, and sex. She was apparently not very shy, and Kunzite decided he rather liked listening to the more erotic tales of their culture. Nephrite kept trying to swipe the bottle of bourbon he had tucked tightly in his back pocket, grateful for Zoi who would swat at him with the book. Endymion stared blankly up at the Moon by his side, Jadeite surprisingly quiet with the exception of smart assed remarks. He kept calling Zoi Princess and Nephrite would reach over to flick him in the cartilage of his ear rather hard until it was red.
"Are you worried for your parents?" Kunzite asked, raising his brow at the dreamy Prince beside him. Endymion's blue eyes shifted up toward Kunzite and he smiled, shaking his head.
"No...I was just thinking about them. The Goddesses, and Gods, Magic... the Silver Millennium... it's romantic don't you think? Ultimate peace and happiness..." Kunzite's lips twitched down and he briefly glanced up at the sky while Zoi continued to read above his head.
"No...I don't." It was well known Kunzite's distrust of them, the unfair treatment of their people. He was only too content to pretend they didn't exist though nights like tonight would be difficult for them to do so.
"Powerful as Gods or not, don't you think they're probably just the same as us? They have feelings as well, families, friends, and loved ones just like we do." Leave it to Endymion to humanize Gods and make them not seem so threatening. It was one of his more endearing and dangerous qualities, his empathy.
"It doesn't change their mistrust in us, they could crush us like ants." Kunzite remarked grimly, his pale grey stare remaining forward toward their destination.
"Why would they though? We've done nothing to harm them, my father has made it very clear that slow and steady wins the race. The Elysian family has a very long history of diplomacy with them, taking every opportunity to show them that we are as dignified and worthy as they are." Zoi had stopped his reading, the group seeming to become more interested in the arguments between Commander and Prince.
"By allowing them access to Earth without ever being invited to meet with their council?" Kunzite's voice raised slightly as did his brow. Endymion's face was almost as serious as his own, he almost cracked a smile at it. "It sounds like we are but a mat they wipe their feet on."
"Kunzite... one day I'm going to the Moon." The Prince's face lifted to the sky again, Zoi tried to peer down at Kunzite's expression and Jadeite was whispering something to Nephrite behind their backs. Probably a scheme to get the booze. Endymion stared dreamily up at the Moon again, Kunzite sometimes felt their eyes all peering down at them from what he imagined were silver thrones.
"No. You're not." He muttered, Endymion's eyes shifted up at him again and he made a face.
"You watch me Kunzite, I'm going to make things right with them and one day there will be a big celebration in honor of our alliance." This actually made Kunzite laugh. Such a rare event that his voice echoed over the field in laughter instead of the typical command that they all stopped and stared at him with slacked jaws.
"No. We won't." He bit between chuckles, ruffling Endymion's hair with a smile that brought warmth to his cold grey eyes and revealed a well concealed dimple in one cheek. He had always been a handsome man, but even Endymion seemed caught off guard by the dashing nature of his smile.
"Shut up Kunzite. We aren't any different from them. So they have power... who cares?" The Prince tore his stare away as they arrived at their well loved fire pit. Jadeite began to speculate what the Goddess of Love looked like, in the lewdest fashion imaginable of course. Kunzite found he was only like this around Zoisite who would become mortified and try to block out his voice with incessant chatter about some technological advancement that went way above Kunzite's head. Endymion went on to ask Nephrite about each star in the sky as it popped up in the sky that matched the Prince's eyes. Zoisite tried to interject of course, only to be corrected by Nephrite who threatened to knock him out if he didn't stop trying to correct him.
Perfect nights like this were precisely why Kunzite loved the younger men. They admired him, he could see it in every question Zoisite posed, in each failed attempt by Jadeite for him to talk about his sexual encounters, or even the philosophical conversation he and Nephrite had sometimes late into the morning hours. Kunzite found there were many of their own attributes as younger men that he admired and sometimes envied.
"The Moon and Venus are extra bright tonight, they must be celebrating." Endymion spoke softly, his starlit gaze lifted toward the heavens in wonder at Kunzite's side. He was chewing on a piece of grass between the rare sip of bourbon that Kunzite offered him and he himself was feeling pleasantly buzzed.
"What do you mean? Ow, shit!" Kunzite growled as Jadeite pushed the needle through his ear, adorning the lobe with crystal spears of almost clear kunzites that hung from simple studs. He took another swig of the amber fluid, the haze keeping him from really feeling much more than the pinching feeling from the piercing. Jadeite snug a drink of the bourbon himself as he sanitized the needle to do the other ear with a clean handkerchief.
"Well the Venusian ceremony is soon, I'm sure they're all celebrating." The Prince answered, thoughtfully fingering a wild flower he'd picked on the way. "It's strange that these planets are all ruled by women isn't it? Goddesses?"
"Count me in!" Jadeite exclaimed as he simultaneously pushed the needle through Kunzite's other ear earning a faint growl from the larger man. He tried to swipe the bottle again but Kunzite swiftly pulled it from his reach. Jadeite cursed at him again, Kunzite's cold grey eyes glaring at him as he took a long drink.
"C'mon Kunzite, Endymion's had some... don't be an ass!" The older General smirked, taking another smug drink from the bottle and eyeing the young blonde with a highly arched brow.
"The King's gonna be pissed about those earrings man, I hope he chops your head off." Kunzite laughed again, he was a bit of a rebel amongst them as hard headed as he was about the rules, he often did things his way from the way he wore his uniform to the gemstones now dangling from his earlobes. Small things that otherwise had little effect over his performance. Nephrite had inspired the act, of course his ears were pierced with simple studs of his namesake and hardly noticeable with his thick head of long brown waves. He was a silent audience to their conversation about the Goddesses, their speculations which were mostly perverse or grossly exaggerated but by this time Kunzite was rather buzzed and found it amusing where he might have been annoyed before. "Any more real details about these Goddesses?" Jadeite seemed serious for once, voice somewhat wistful as he lay back against the cushion of the grass.
"Not really..." Endymion lay back beside Jadeite, Kunzite eyeing the two from his perch on a log, bottle still in hand. "I know just about as much as you guys about the Goddesses. My father has met some of them. Strange to think that there will be four guardians to the Moon Princess when I have four guardians as well. Think it means anything?"
"I think it means Queen Serenity just adopted our structure is all." Zoi sat to Kunzite's other side on the log, toying with a wildflower he'd found. "She's just slapping the Silver Millennium label on it." He begun pulling the petals off the flower one by one and letting them float on the chilled breeze.
"Well I'm hoping by the time I'm King I can find a way to end this stupid tension. I'm hoping whatever abilities I have, I can at least give us an even playing ground. I'd like to see the Moon one day..." Kunzite scoffed silently, lifting his pale eyes to the moon briefly before taking a long drink.
"Can we just talk more about the Goddesses?" Jadiete's snarky voice interrupted the serious nature of their conversation and Kunzite chuckled to himself as the other boys laughed and erupted in wild conversation again. Not his finest moment, but after more of the bottle in his hand was consumed than he should have, Kunzite challenged Nephrite to a sparring match. Nephrite was nearly as big as he was by this time of course, and damned near as strong. Of course Kunzite cut their less than coordinated wrestling match short when he noticed that Jadeite had grabbed the remaining little of the bottle and had begun to retell Zoisite his favorite erotic stories in grosser detail than the author had probably intended. Zoi's face was beet red, Jade's arm strung lazily over the younger General's shoulder with that wicked gleam in his eye. Kunzite conceded to Nephrite, both men laughing when he grabbed the bottle from Jadeite's hand and told him to knock it off.
It was pure comedy that Jadeite appraised his superior, still roughed up and intoxicated, and decided to tackle him. Kunzite wasn't sure if he was that drunk or if the younger boy had grown so strong but he obliged the challenge. Even inebriated, Kunzite ended up sitting on Jadeite's back, finishing the bottle while the younger man laughed, struggling beneath his weight and begging him to get off of him. Kunzite had to be impressed that he'd actually landed a few really good blows.
Training was brutal the next day, everything was with the raging headache that greeted Kunzite upon awakening along with the spectacular knot on the side of his head.
"Damn Jadeite... " He muttered as he stood under a hot shower and forced himself to report to the training ground to lead drills. Of course Jadeite took advantage of that knot during sparring, Kunzite couldn't even allow himself to be angry. If an enemy has a weakness, find and use it was a lesson he'd taught them, Jadeite always was the more cunning of them in combat, borderline a dirty fighter. Weeks went by, each morning the Shitennou gathered for breakfast and Zoisite would read the daily letters the Queen wrote them about their travels to let them all know that they were well. The Queen was an avid and beautiful writer and the words scrolled out on the read parchment left even Kunzite wistful and longing as though he could almost see everything she described.
This particular morning, they boys all gathered with an eagerness that Kunzite rarely saw, like children at storytime. This would be the letter that the Queen would write after the ritual that Aphrodite had come to their planet to perform. Nephrite seemed the most eager really because he refused to tell any of them what the stars spoke of, he wanted to see if they were right. Zoi sat on Kunzite's desk per usual, his legs dangling over the edge now because the boy was growing taller and it was harder for him to cross his legs indian style as he had before. Endymion, Nephrite and Jadeite had pulled chairs up in front of the desk, each drinking coffee or tea and eating fruit or pastries left by the house staff. Kunzite sat at his place behind his desk, his expression not betraying his own excitement as Zoisite shifted his ponytail behind him and broke the golden seal of the letter in his hands.
'My dearest Endymion & Angelic Kings,
It is with a heavy heart that I cannot describe the wonders that I have witnessed for they are secrets belonging to the Silver Millennium, but I can only tell you that I have witnessed radiant and blinding beauty of the Gods and the gentle spirit of Love herself. The oceans here are blue and brilliant green like our planet and the wind was heavy with song and joy. Never has there been a more beautiful event and dare I say there never will be again?
Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love, and Beauty for a reason my boys. Her hair was like the Sun and fell in cascading curls around her. Her eyes were like liquid gold and full of all of the love of the Universe. It is impossible to describe her beauty, her perfection because she was near blinding to behold. Her very essence filled the entire shore with a calming love that I will not soon forget.
The Goddess Aphrodite is a gentle Goddess, she is good to the King and I as well as sends blessings to our beautiful Prince. I am full of so much joy and love that the King has little idea of what to do with me I'm afraid, but if I have learned anything it is that love knows no boundaries and defies time itself. It gives me hope that you boys will know the love that I have known, and that perhaps one day Endymion will unite us with these kind and gentle Goddesses because we have nothing to fear of them.
I know this letter is wistful and romantic, full of hope and love and all of the best wishes of my heart. It is not a story of beautiful cities and countryscapes as my previous ones but after this event I only think of love in all its forms. We will return home in two weeks time, I hope all is well in Elysium.
Kindest Regards,
Your Queen'
Zoi looked up, the men looked near bored except Endymion who was on the edge of his seat. Kunzite felt a bit of unease in his stomach and wondered if the Queen had been bewitched by the Goddess Aphrodite with the knowledge that Venusians were capable of such things. Jadeite was clearly disappointed, probably because more detail wasn't given about Aphrodite and Nephrite was lost in thought.
"Well. I was hoping for more information than that." Zoi said slowly, folding the letter and placing it on the desktop.
"You and me both." Jadeite muttered, brushing some crumbs from his uniform with a hand. Zoi and Kunzite gave him a daring glare at the same time and Endymion sat back with a wistful smile.
"Wow...I wish I could have been there... I wish she could have told us what the ceremony was for, what it entailed..." Kunzite's lips threatened to quirk into a smile and he leaned against the desk on his elbows.
"Some things are better left unsaid." He responded quietly. Endymion sighed, his eyes rolling skyward before he stood up.
"I'm going to meet Beryl, she might know something and I promised her I'd let her give me a reading." Kunzite frowned. The girl had been hanging around the palace lately, doing odd jobs and serving as a sage to the King and Queen despite her youth. She made Kunzite uneasy though he'd be lying if he said she wasn't beautiful. She had pale skin, long red hair that fell in waves down her back and emerald colored eyes that always seemed to pierce him. It was clear that she was in love with Endymion, not that it was hard to do so. She was one of many women eyeing the Prince who was becoming a man quickly and eligible to choose a bride in three years time. The only difference, was the girl was said to have Earth magic and did fortune telling. As a common girl from one of the small towns in the woods not far from there, Kunzite stayed very leary of her.
"Should I join you?" He heard himself offering, there was something about Beryl that he didn't like though others often accused him of being jealous of the girl who Endymion spent time with on occasion. He was only doing his job as protector.
"No... that's okay. You have a lot going on with Mom and Dad gone. We'll just be in the gardens anyway." His frown deepened but he nodded. Endymion knew the pale haired General would make his way down there all too soon to monitor them if he wanted him to or not.
"Do not lead the girl on Endymion, it's clear she feels something for you. A heartbroken girl with magic is not anything we want to take chances on." He grumbled. Endymion laughed, rolled his eyes again and strode from the room, Kunzite's grey eyes following him the entire time. Like that, the day continued fairly normally but something between the letter from the Queen and Beryl set his teeth on edge the rest of the day and of course later he found himself lingering in the gardens, grateful that the young sage girl hadn't stayed long.
The few weeks it took the King and Queen to return felt like a blur for Kunzite remaining as busy as he was in their absence, the winter months coming and going just as fast with all their festivities. It was one of the first warm days that Kunzite took a days leave of his duties to take a much needed breath of air. His boots and slacks no longer bothered him but opted for a much thinner shirt, his sword forever at his side. The warm breeze felt like a lovers touch through his hair as he walked along the black cliffs near the palace. The sea had always brought Kunzite peace and yet he was completely alone out there, and felt it suddenly.
He noticed in moments like this where he was left to his own devices with no task or duty to perform he felt an emptiness he'd convinced himself wasn't there. He had his fellow Shitennou, he had Endymion and even the King and Queen and frowned to himself when he thought of Zara. Thought of her words and hopes for love outside the nightly romps with the girl of the hour. They didn't mean anything and was it meaning he was seeking?
"Ridiculous..." He muttered to himself and began the trek back to the city. It would help to be closer to people and he'd be close enough to the taverns when they opened that he could find one of those meaningless girls and plenty of drink.
Kunzite entered through the artisan district, not an area he'd typically wander through but someone was playing happier music and he felt his spirits lift ever so slightly with the laughing and dancing of smaller children in the streets with their Mother. The smell of fresh bread filled the air and mingled with spices and incense that almost reminded him of home. His pale eyes tried to take it all in, shifting accidentally through the door of an unassuming shop tucked in a corner and full of art. There was a very faint flash of gold that caught his eye and remained concealed behind another painting at the back of the small shop. Paintings really weren't Kunzite's thing but he ducked into the doorway, the shop seeming unoccupied by anything but rows of paintings to be sifted through.
He shifted the paintings delicately, noting that the gold that had attracted him was part of a rather nice frame but he could now see the makings of a seascape the more obstructions he moved from it. When the final painting was carefully tucked aside, he felt the air leave his lungs, and a heartbeat that became erratic and bewildering.
It was a large painting, as though the artist simply plucked the sea with his fingers and transported it into the background beneath a brilliantly painted Sun that struggled to break free of the well painted clouds. The foreground was simple enough, of a small beach lined with tall grasses-all well painted but unassuming otherwise, it was the subject of the painting that had stolen Kunzite's breath.
It was a woman, her skin like cream against the dark rocks and deeper blues and greens of the waters behind her. She was nude mostly, whatever fabric she did wear was nothing of note even, but her golden hair was impossibly long and covered only the parts of her that contained well kept secrets in wild, windblown curls. Otherwise her body was perfect, unmarked, curved, and soft as she stood at an angle gazing behind her at the painting's beholder. It wasn't as most men portrayed Aphrodite in the throes of passion or in scandalous scenarios, it was maybe one of the few times in his life that Kunzite understood the artistic side of the female form. What caught him most off guard however was her face. Her eyes were wide and bright cerulean, features soft with a sadness that made him want to weep. She looked haunted like the world rest on her shoulders, and the shopkeeper scared the shit out of him with a greeting when he stepped from seemingly nowhere beside Kunzite.
"Ah yes... this was just commissioned by one of the noblemen. They attended the ceremony and we're just waiting for the owner to pick it up." The man was old, and thin- potentially malnourished since art wasn't exactly a lucrative field to be in. "She's beautiful isn't she? I'm told this is the closest likeness to date of the Goddess Aphrodite."
"Why does she look so sad?" Kunzite asked, his voice a low soft whisper. The Shop keep chuckled, a gentle and knowing laugh.
"The Goddess of Love carries the weight of love on her shoulders sir. Imagine the prayers for love and romance she gets, blessing us daily with soulmates, families, and friends. Aphrodite carries that with her without ever knowing it herself." It made him sad, a clenching in his stomach that made him long for it too when the man explained it this way. He wanted to embrace the woman in the painting with the sad eyes and full upturned lips that wouldn't quite smile. Kunzite wondered if this feeling that seemed to consume him was what Zara spoke of, if he could feel this for another person. In all it's simple elegance, it was the most beautiful piece of art he'd ever seen- he had to have it.
"Whatever it's being sold for I'll give you ten times the amount." Kunzite muttered, pulling a pouch of coin from his belt and began counting. The old man stared up at him with wide eyes and began to stutter.
"S-sir... this was commissioned by a noble-"
"What is the price sir?" He shifted his eyes down at the man who muttered a considerable amount of money. It was trivial to Kunzite who locked eyes on the painting again while he simply handed the man his pouch of coin. It was more than the man even asked for, more like fifteen times the amount and the artist dropped to his knees in praise of the tall General's generosity.
"If the nobleman that commissioned it gives you any trouble, direct him to the palace and I will handle him. I'm General Kunzite, head of the Golden Armies. I'm not hard to find." The old man was in awe at the Heavenly King and gave a small nod, thanking him yet again for his generosity. Kunzite hoped the man would at least be able to eat now. "You're very talented sir, you should continue to paint her."
"Have you ever fallen in love General?" The man asked, resting a gentle hand on his forearm. Kunzite grew uncomfortable, not used to the sentimental artistic types and their eccentric ideals.
"No." He responded simply. The man laughed and shook his head.
"Of course you have General. You just did." Kunzite raised a brow only feeding the man's amusement. He tensed his mouth and motioned for the guards that lingered nearby to collect the painting, instructing them to remove the god awful painting of hunting dogs from the fireplace in their library and replace it with this one. He shook the artist's hand who promised to keep painting Aphrodite and departed, her haunting eyes not leaving his memory for the rest of the day.
Kunzite sat behind his desk later, drink of course at his side and feet propped up on the dark wood. The pad of paper he'd drunkenly scrawled all over rest on his thighs and he alternated staring at the painting and then the notes in varying intervals. Enemy. It was a funny sort of word, he thought as he stared intensely at the paper on his lap. He'd lost count of how many times he just sat there reading the notes of the planetary Goddesses Zoisite went over with him, along with more scrawling of his own personal research, over and over. Were they really their enemy? Or did them as Terrans make them out to be enemies based on fear alone?
Zoisite walked behind him, tugging on a lock of Kunzite's hair to grab a book off of a shelf near his desk. They'd been together a few years now and the four men indeed formed a tight knit family. They loved each other as brothers and respected each other even more, even when their banter suggested otherwise.
"Your eyes are going to bore holes in those pages soon..." Zoi muttered, selecting his book and circling around to take the seat in front of Kunzite at his desk. Kunzite smirked, dropping the pad of paper into the desk drawer beside him and closing it with a sigh, removing his feet from the desk and leaning forward on his elbows.
"We've been here for awhile now... and since Aphrodite's visit and the annual meeting with the Moon Empress, we haven't seen a soul in regards to the Silver Millennium." Kunzite tried to keep his eyes from glancing at the painting that now hung above the fireplace. It seemed like it fit there in its intricate gold frame against the dark wood. Nephrite had scoffed because it was like a woman was in their otherwise strictly male facility.
"I'd rather they left us in peace. Their snooty politics don't sit well with me." Zoi commented as he rest the book on the desk in front of him without opening it. Kunzite was proud the man Zoisite was growing into. He learned the young King spent most of his time in school, only ruling his lands for three short years when his parents died at the age of ten. He was forced to develop such wisdom and diplomacy in a short time that it rivaled most men of old age. His intelligence had gone unmatched as far as Earth went and under Kunzite's strict combat training he was becoming a deadly force on the battlefield as well.
"I can't deny that I'd kill someone to spend an hour in a Mercurian library though... but I doubt we'll see that day anytime soon." Zoi leaned back and frowned, gazing down at the weathered book in front of him.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Kunzite sat up quickly, jarring Zoi from his thoughts. He lay out a map of the universe in front of them, eyes scanning the layout of the planets which were marked and connected in red by the Outer Galaxy and the Inner Alliance that made up the Silver Millennium, and then there was Earth just hanging out there in limbo. "Why should we not be allowed to see other Kingdoms? We pose no threat to them and it would be nothing for them to punish us should we step out of line- a grim thought but true notion nonetheless." Kunzite frowned.
"You just want to go visit with all those Venusian babes." Jadeite smirked as he entered the room. "Can't say I blame you, I'm certain you'd never see me again if we could go to other planets. Just drop me off and forget about me." Jadeite grinned. "THAT, my friends is why we aren't allowed to visit other planets, Elysian would have no protectors because we'd be too busy getting lost in the seductions of beautiful blonde ladies." Jadeite pretended to woo the girl in the painting and Kunzite rolled his eyes.
"I'd sooner send you to Mars and have you burnt to a cinder than let you set foot on Venus." Kunzite grumbled.
"Who would want to go to Mars? Isn't it stupidly hot and aren't Martian's all hostile and creepy with their intuitions and fire reading? It's ruled by a man no?" He made a face and ran a hand through his mess of blonde waves. "No thank you, give me babes any day." Jadeite gestured toward the painting, master of the obvious. "That's new."
The silver haired general's pale grey eyes fell on the painting, he'd been captivated by it the moment he saw it. Elysian's black cliffs rising above the green sea, the golden haired woman standing wistfully on the sands alone with sad blue eyes. Kunzite thought it was haunting and lonely and it reminded him of how he felt sometimes, a token and testament that he did not have ice water running through his veins. His pride however, prevented him from pointing that out- so he bought the painting for quite a bit of coin.
"Hm, I hadn't noticed it." Zoisite glanced up from his book knowingly and rolled his eyes silently with the sarcastic remark before going back to his book.
"I'd bang her." Jadeite said, taking an apple from a bowl and taking a loud crunching bite, eyes still locked on the painting.
"You'd bang anything that would let you, you idiot." Kunzite muttered, picking up a pencil and going back to a map he worked on tirelessly drawing in kingdoms and continents. Jadeite grinned, taking an orange from the same bowl and winging it at Kunzite's head. Zoisite reached up and caught it without looking up from his book before it could land its target and placed it on the desk in front of Kunzite, who proceeded to begin peeling his new snack.
"Glad your boyfriend's here to protect you." Jadeite laughed wildly and briskly ran down the hall.
"You're such an asshole Jade!" Zoisite sprang to his feet, book forgotten and chased after the snarky General. Alone in the library with Aphrodite, Kunzite laughed as he slipped an orange slice between his lips. That was the morning construction of a new statue began in Kunzite's gardens. He knew of it, but requested a specific artist to do the design once he learned of the subject matter.
There was a palace full of heavy hearts the next morning with news that the Queen had fallen ill rather suddenly. She had battled illness in the past but this seemed strange to the doctors that tended to her. There wasn't anything they could do but keep her comfortable and ease her pain as much as possible. The King of course, one of the most devoted men to his wife that Kunzite had ever seen, refused to leave her side. Endymion however, the usually devoted son, did not cope so well. The Prince sought to drink himself into a stupor every night and sleep almost all day. He made a point to sit with her, talking like everything was ok before he headed out to the tavern of his choice for the night. Kunzite wanted to punch him, do anything to knock some sense into him because his family needed him.
He set up rotations, babysitting the Prince at night when they should have been guarding the palace though at the moment thankfully there didn't seem to be a need to. Scandalous rumors spread throughout Elysian of the wayward Prince who was often returned to Kunzite passed out and slung over the back of a horse by various townfolk, guardsmen, and sometimes Beryl herself much to the Mid Eastern King's dismay. Endymion was grieving before he even lost her.
The Prince came home in a particularly bad way one morning, Kunzite had Nephrite follow him to his bar of choice with strict instruction to keep a distance unless things got really bad. When he returned with Endymion, Kunzite greeted them with a frown. Nephrite had flung the drunken man over his shoulder, already covered in the contents of the Prince's stomach and exhausted from the night's events. Kunzite helped Nephrite put Endymion to bed and relieved Nephrite so he might shower multiple times and have his uniform laundered before getting some rest.
Kunzite frowned, placing one water bucket within reach in case Endymion was ill again, there couldn't be anything left in his stomach, and another of ice water. He tried to wash the Prince up the best he could, taking a clean rag and placed a damped cloth over Endymion's eyes.
"This must end Endymion... she needs you." Kunzite's well sculpted lips turned down, and all the Prince could do was groan with the beginnings of a rather intense headache. Kunzite took his guard in the large chair by the bed, not bothering to return to his own chambers. The grey light of morning had begun to seep between the curtains and he allowed his own grey eyes to shut, exhaustion finally taking hold of the General who fell fast asleep with his hands folded over his abdomen, head falling forward.
Hours later when the Sun was high, Kunzite was awakened by the Prince himself. He had already showered, dressed in his slacks, boots, and a plain white shirt, his black hair a dampened mess around his bloodshot eyes. Kunzite groaned at the horrible pain in his neck from the position he'd fallen asleep in earning an amused smirk from Endymion.
"So the rumors were wrong, you do sleep." He commented, sitting on the edge of his bed in front of Kunzite who was currently testing the mobility of his head, trying to work out the kinks in the tense and sore muscles of his neck.
"So it is true.. you do sober." Kunzite was cranky- justifiably so if you'd ask him. He tried to be understanding but Endymion and his tantrums made it somewhat difficult to be a good friend. On top of everything happening in Elysian, there was a war brewing between his and Nephrite's lands that the two spent countless hours trying to work out before things escalate an ongoing task over the nearly seven years the men occupied Elysium. Sleep was indeed an anomaly to him at this point, just another foreign concept. The smile had fallen from Endymion's face, replaced by humiliation and utter desolation.
"You're right you know...I really need to stop this." He sighed, the Prince knew his father would be useless to Elysian, and here Kunzite was running it for them, trying to stop a war in his own lands and preventing panic and famine, training his armies and simultaneously babysitting him and keeping up with his own training. Kunzite looked awful, purple bags under his eyes, his face gaunt with fatigue. "Have Jadeite run the drills today... it's about time he gets some more responsibility and you could use a day off. Let Nephrite worry about the conflict in your lands from his side today and Zoisite can get me up to date on happenings in Elysian- I don't want you to do a thing today." His grey eyes widened slightly at his Prince, unsure of what to say.
"I'll be on night shift tonight then. The others could use some sleep themselves." Kunzite remarked, getting a nod of agreeance from Endymion. " Will you be alright?" The prince nodded, standing and placing a hand on Kunzite's broad shoulder.
"It's time I stop letting her down, don't you think?" Endymion's expression grew soft, standing up straight and regal like the Prince he was meant to be. The inevitable passing of his mother, their most beloved Queen would be a tragedy no one had anticipated or prepared for. Somewhere along his drunken stupor Endymion became regal, strong, steady, and much like his mother- kind. "Now get out of here, rest, find a woman, explore, the day is yours. I'll see to it that you're not bothered and we can meet up with the others later."
Kunzite nodded, which was confirmation enough for Endymion to leave the room to be with his mother and take care of some business for his troubled father. The maids rushed in to do the cleaning, flushing when they noticed Kunzite still present in the room and proceeded to whisper feverishly to each other. One of the girls gave him a come hither look that had him standing slowly, body revolting from his sleeping arrangement the previous night and he scowled at the girls before returning to his quarters.
He took a shower that left his skin almost red from the heat to try and alleviate the pain in his muscular back and neck, crawling back into bed and trying to get his brain to shut off. Endymion was kind enough to send food up for him when he woke much later that afternoon, not bothering to wake him when he joined the other Shitennou for lunch. Kunzite sat at his desk, the empty plate left forgotten in front of him and he thought of meeting one of the Goddesses. He'd faced down bloodthirsty tribes of savages near his lands, what would one of them be in comparison? He muttered that he needed to find a woman- it had been a very long time since he'd charmed a lady to his bed.
He shifted his gaze up at Aphrodite's sad blue eyes in the painting, realizing how lonely the castle felt when he wasn't hard at work. This spoke volumes because if Kunzite appreciated anything, it was his own space and privacy. He left the castle with the intent to visit his favorite tavern- and somehow found himself walking along the black cliffs of Elysian, enjoying the fresh salty breeze from the green waters of the sea. It reminded him of her, and he almost longed to find Aphrodite standing on guard to the waves that crashed on the rocks below, her long golden curled hair flowing freely behind her. Kunzite found no such thing, only that as he stood at the highest point, it felt like the edge of the world with only green waters in front of him. He felt lonelier.
When he returned to his room to change into uniform, Endymion was sitting at his desk in the Library- his notepad full of all his notes on the Silver Millennium. Zoisite was sprawled out across the arms of his usual chair on the other side of the desk, his green eyes all the more vibrant from the bloodshot state of them as they stared blankly at the ceiling. Jadeite was comically laying face down on the floor in front of the fireplace, and Nephrite's brown eyes were drifting shut as he sat in the large armchair beside Jadeite, held up by is fist and every now and again his head would nod and rouse him awake again. The rooms were beginning to darken with the hour and Kunzite peeked his head in at the exhausted men sprawled around Endymion who was as alert as ever.
"I'll take it from here guys, get some rest." Kunzite said rather loudly. Each man looked up slowly at their leader looking pristine in a fresh uniform and cape, somewhat well rested. Nephrite stood, stretching his huge frame that had only grown larger over the years and nudged Jadeite in the rib with his boot. The blonde pulled himself to his feet, rubbing the heel of his palm into his eye before running the hand through his messy blonde waves that stuck up in a comical poof. Jadeite gave Zoisite's ponytail a rough yank on his way to the door, his hand only being swatted away weakly by their youngest. Zoi stood also, patting Kunzite's arm in thanks filing out behind the others.
"You've kept busy" Endymion remarked at the notepad he held. Kunzite knew he and the Prince had very different views on those from the Silver Millennium who as far as he was concerned were mythical and absent. Perhaps they just spied on them all somehow from their thrones on the Moon, laughing at the Terran's fumbling natures as they tried to figure out this confusing life in some form of sick entertainment. The King had told him they were beautiful, powerful, kind, and just but wrathful all the same. Kunzite had read accounts of their deceptions and wasn't quick to trust them. He wasn't quick to trust anyone.
"I feel it is best to be as informed as possible. Especially regarding beings as powerful as they are." Kunzite took the seat Zoisite had abandoned across from Endymion, the two staring at each other with hard eyes. "Zoisite has brought me reports of the Morning Star, a Venusian warrior who has traveled on her own. Reports that speak of violence and blood, her wrath is becoming known as insatiable and I am supposed to be left unaffected?"
"We... the five of us, are just as powerful. The only difference is we do not know how to wield what we have.."Endymion raised his brows as he tossed the pad down on the desk. "I don't see them the way my father does... they way you seem to." The prince frowned as his eyes stayed locked on the note pad. The page was open to Kunzites elegant but hastened script about the "enemy." Kunzite wondered if he looked that somber when his own infamous frown graced his lips.
"I know." He replied seriously. "And I had hoped to gain some understanding about that, but everything I have seen and read points to us needing to be informed and potentially afraid." He leaned forward on the dark wood of the desk, meeting Endymion's deep blue gaze. "Your father said something once when Aphrodite was here to visit. He said that they were full of grace, kind even."
"My mother, has told me stories. How when she was a lady of the courts in Zoisite's kingdom, she had the honor to meet Queen Serenity once. How beautiful she was, the very depiction of grace, beauty and kindness." His too blue eyes drifted to the painting above the fireplace. "Mother told me, that she could feel the immense power from her, how it did not intice fear but peace and understanding. It enticed serenity." His eyes returned to Kunzite's, cold and grey and painfully intense. "That is what I choose to believe. It doesn't matter what planet it is, even the war planet of Mars wants peace. We fear them because we do not understand the power that we hold ourselves, and somehow find it in our hearts to feel inferior. They fear us because power like this... is dangerous in the hands of those who do not understand how to use it. Like a child given a sword will flail it about unknowing of the consequence it has to the mother that holds it. Does what I say make sense?" Endymion's eyes were almost pleading- hoping the person he trusted the most, hoping Kunzite could see it. His eyes were calculating, frown deepened.
"The child...flailing the sword would do just as much damage to itself in error..." He whispered solemnly. "I understand it though. I do. But it doesn't make it right... they should teach us, not shun us." Endymion sighed, a gentle smile on his boyish face once again, knowing full well his Ward would ponder his words for days to come.
"I'll be in the gardens, I want to get some work in before bed." He stood slowly, Kunzite noted that he had changed into his royal armor for the first time in weeks and smiled. It was good having the cool headed Prince back. He stood to go change into his uniform for night duty, Kunzite's pale eyes turning to the windows to see the moon rising behind the trees turning everything softer in hues of silver and gold. Endymion had a point.