Butterflies went rampant in her stomach, her blue eyes giving herself another once over in the mirror having changed back into the gown she was wearing earlier. The other girls had no doubt not changed since this morning so she didn't want to be the only one of them showing up in uniform. So she told herself it had nothing at all to do with their guests. The loud knock on the door followed by Artemis' annoyed tone grabbed her away from her thoughts with a small startled jump. Venus frowned and glared at her door, adjusting the ribbon in her hair slightly and turning to the side to appraise her gorgeous but rather uncomfortable corset once more before her guardian knocked again.
"We're late!" She rolled her eyes, half at herself and half at her impatient guardian before heading toward the door to her rooms to prevent another round of loud knocking. "You do realize we're being served dinner in about three minutes right?"
"And it takes two to walk downstairs." Venus winked, grinning widely at the feline-like man who remained all too unamused. "You and General Kunzite seemed to be hitting it off earlier."
"The man's curiosity is odd." Artemis frowned seemingly to himself as they began to walk down the hall, the statement piquing her own curiosity.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well in efforts to be hospitable I invited him for tea since Luna was otherwise occupied this afternoon. He had many questions about the Senshi... I had thought he might have been more intrigued by our military and yet he had the mind to ask about your names, and why the Senshi forfeit them for the Silver Millennium." Venus felt her stomach bottom out at his words, struggling to maintain the easy smile on her face as they approached the doors leading outward to their favorite stone terrace by the gardens. Convenient that she caught the sound of his voice as they approached. "I mean he still asked about our military but he's still an odd man. A bit... dull maybe?"
"You were at least kind, right Artie? I can only imagine they are a nervous to be here to say the least." Venus raised her brow up at Artemis whose face was glum with annoyance. Dull as Kunzite had seemed initially it was hardly the word she'd use to describe him now. Hearing him speak in the meeting, and even now over whatever topic he discussed with her Queen there was passion to it, an undertone he suppressed as he appeared to suppress everything. Venus returned Artemis' glowering stare, it was fine when he wanted to berate her for every little detail of her job, but when she questioned him he became a grump.
"I was a perfect gentleman I assure you. The General just asked a lot of questions is all, should we be trusting them so much?" She rolled her eyes, speaking softer once they reached the threshold of the wide porch where everyone was waiting for them. Fashionably late as always.
"Yes. You WILL trust them because they are our honored guests by the Queen's will. Hardly any information on us you provide isn't already written in some book Artie so you will do well to behave yourself." Artemis did roll his eyes at this, surrendering to her harsh stare with an impatient sigh. "You taught me there was nothing to fear of them...what happened to that acceptance?"
"I taught you no such thing. That I fear, is a conclusion you came to on your own. It's one thing to say it, but these three have power. They are harbingers of great magics. Were they just mere Earthen men I wouldn't be concerned. And I saw the way that General looked at you..."
"Then they are no different than me, except they clearly don't know how to use said powers. Do what you will, but be nice!" Venus bit with a light jab of her finger in his tailored coat. Sweet as it was that as always he was ever the Guardian to her, she began to find he was cantankerous toward every man that paid her even the slightest of attention after the Ryo incident. "Every man looks at me, he is no different. After acting as my Guardian so long I thought you'd know this by now."
"Then you will do well to behave also. I wouldn't have said anything except I saw YOU looking at him too." Artemis glowered down at her with folded arms in attempts to make her feel small. She was good at pretending it didn't work. She knew there was carelessness involved in the shock she felt upon seeing not only just him, but the other Earthen royalty as well. Of course there was a chance she stared at Kunzite in particular for a bit too long. Venus stopped a few feet away from where the Queen and Serenity stood speaking to said Terrans, attempting to keep her face civil while they spoke quietly.
"Forgive me if I haven't seen people from their world since I was born. They are different, and yes I can feel they have magic, but Artemis you will not jump to conclusions because we have eyes, okay?" She frowned, heart starting to race with his rather accurate implication that Venus was indeed very attracted to the rather unique silver haired man. Further proven by the sight of him once more, tall, strong, and silver like he fit there. He was ever more the Silver God Venus had initially thought without the shadows masking and deepening the fine chiseled form of his face. She was smart enough to know he wasn't for her, that even with progress made he'd be just another diplomat she'd have to work with. Nothing had changed.
"Fine." He bit, brushing passed her to join Luna who stood by directing the house staff in arranging their meal while Mars provided the warmth of a massive bonfire on the lawn. Had there not been other people in earshot she might have growled in frustration at her guardian who had been a perfect snobbish gentleman since Endymion and his men arrived. Not to mention his blatant dismissal of her in the moment, even in private he was being different, though it occurred that maybe she'd been caught staring again. She did exhale, slow and deep as she approached the Queen and Terran party, taking her place beside Princess Serenity mid conversation. Anything to keep her anger in check.
"Our Venus is nearly devoted to a fault, I'm not sure what my Kingdom would be without her. She is certainly the same to Serenity that General Kunzite appears to be for you." Venus beamed happily at her Queen, always so doting on her despite her many indiscretions as far as her duties went. Everyone knew she at least tried. Her lips quirked in the slightest of smiles, their eyes locking with grey ones for a moment and she found her lungs suspiciously void of air. Kunzite didn't turn his head, seemingly very discrete, perhaps more so than herself, but she kept her eyes locked on his, brushing Serenity's shoulder as she moved away toward the table of her girls.
"It's about time you joined us." Mars spat, pulling out a chair for herself beside Mercury. "You just HAD to change didn't you."
"I didn't want to be the only one in uniform!" Venus defended, making a very unladylike face at the Martian and her unending implications. She knew Mars wasn't wrong in them though, that perhaps she knew of her growing fascination with the prophetic 'Pale Knight.'
"Oh leave her alone Mars." Jupiter smiled warmly, pulling Venus to her side with a loving arm around her shoulder. "She's stuck in that uniform far more than we are, she deserves to get dolled up every now and then. Even if it's for-"
"You know... no reason!" Mercury chimed in before Jupiter could even hint that anything about Venus' appearance was for their beautiful Earthen guests, just in time for Zoisite to join them with a rather tired sigh.
"Well don't let me interrupt." He offered, more to Mercury than anyone else. Venus was shameless, uncaring if Jupiter had been able to finish her sentence. There hadn't been a thing to suggest her intentions outside the professional realm with any of the Shitennou, to their knowledge anyway. Not that she'd admit to anything, certainly nothing to do with a very specific fountain.
"Nothing to interrupt General, I trust Mercury has been a good guide?" Venus spoke with purpose, knowing the young General would simply burst at the seams with questions and gushing compliments about their libraries, architecture, the art- and he didn't disappoint. Mars stared at Zoisite, blinking in mock interest while he began to theorize and discuss things he'd love to implement in Elysium if given the opportunity. Venus met Jupiter's eyes in amusement when her lips simply mouthed the word 'Wow,' and Mercury joined his conversation with ease. Goal achieved.
She motioned with her head to scoot up the table a few chairs, leaving the Earthen General and his blue haired companion to speak passionately about Terran biological capabilities and potential technological advances that flew way over her head, so that she could continue to speak with her other two soldiers. Jupiter was excited, rambling about some recipes she'd found in an Earthen cookbook she'd doctored up to make her own that they'd be serving this evening. The affair was rather casual, buffet style, with good music and a bonfire to warm them as the Lunar nights were somewhat chilly.
Queen Serenity ushered her daughter, Endymion and Kunzite toward the table in time for some of the house staff to begin pouring the wine. Naturally Venus shuffled to her feet, playfully cutting in front of Kunzite in line to be by Serenity with a flirtatious wink. He seemed somewhat amused by it, if not appraising with only the slightest tense of his lips.
"OOH Venus, do you think the Prince is skilled enough to balance our plates on those fancy pauldrons of his?" Venus was mostly impressed she knew the word for them, but far more amused by the prospect of him trying.
"I don't know...Prince Endymion, hold still please we have a theory in need of testing." She spoke too properly, and in a too snooty voice that had Serenity giggling wildly.
"Princess I really don't think-"
"Nonsense!" Serenity interrupted in a voice clearly trying to mock Luna. "If you'll just hold still..."
"We're quite coordinated, we'll just set these down at the same time..." Venus finished, earning a panicked look from Endymion when both she and Serenity lifted their plates near the elegantly carved plate armor of his shoulders.
"Princess, surely you won't make me beg?" Endymion raised his brow, quirking a nervous smirk back at Serenity who immediately retracted with a flushing, beaming smile at her forbidden love. Gosh they had horrible poker faces.
"Maybe I will." Serenity teased, taking a page from Venus' book in flirtation when she gave him a well meant wink and floated off toward her seat leaving Venus unamused and sad they didn't follow through with their threats. She gave the Terran Prince a warning look, and headed toward her own seat.
The day grew darker, the silver Eden of their gardens becoming a haven for strange fireflies that sparkled silver in the night instead of an Earthen gold. Venus of course was used to the sporadic crystals catching the light and throwing random rainbows on the white and silver terrain and yet the Terran party seemed enchanted, the magic of it all only enhanced by the firelight. She'd giggle to herself over her glass of wine that she must have appeared much the same her first time in those Elysian gardens, so child like in her curiosity as they were in theirs.
It warmed her heart to see them all speaking so freely around the table, Jupiter forcing her cooking on anyone in line at the buffet as though she needed to ever twist their arm in regards to anything she ever cooked. She was probably as skilled as a cook as Mercury was smart, Endymion and his men would be in for a treat. Venus took a healthy sip of the wine, sweet and crisp as the air around them. She motioned for a refill, knowing maybe she should slow down but in her eyes it was a night to celebrate. Months of forbidden actions, anxiety, and careful planning all boiled down to this very moment where men of Earth would sit beside them and share a meal at the Moon Queen's table.
Her heart of course decided to stop functioning the very moment that Kunzite took a seat beside her, Endymion beside Serenity who promptly stole a bite of his food with a light hearted laugh. Venus was reminded that the Queen was very much a lively and wonderful person when she joined in their laughter and the teasing Endymion was enduring from the Mother and Daughter duo who attacked relentlessly with countless and sometimes silly questions. She took another healthy sip of wine, feeling light and surrounded by love which for once had little to do with the amount of wine she'd consumed. The Queen gave a toast, signifying they could formally begin their meals.
The night was loud with conversation, even Kunzite made efforts to talk to her girls but never to her. Venus was fine with it, his presence at her side distracting enough to permanently tense her. A careless brush of her arm against his was more than enough payback for his dismissal of her, and when her fingers lightly brushed the top of his gloved hand when she reached for a napkin, Venus didn't miss his eyes widen and throat constrict around an offensive mouthful of wine. She might have even blamed the effects of his proximity on the amount she'd been drinking, drowned out only by her own amusing banter with Endymion, or Mars, or even Zoisite across the table. She was charming, and vain enough to admit it even when Kunzite seemed rather oblivious. Queen Serenity did not stay with them long. Long enough to enjoy the food and their guests before she bid them all goodnight. Venus watched her retreat, growing silent and somewhat withdrawn.
It changed nothing, after three days the nature of their arrangement would allow them to visit Elysium during the day if duties allowed, but the affair between the Prince and Princess was no less forbidden, a rather specific point made by her Queen that again had her questioning what she knew. A step in the right direction perhaps, once more reminding herself that this was a victory. Venus noticed then in her silence that she'd stopped hearing Kunzite's voice, that he too had grown silent but very present beside her. She focused on the music, the soft ambient light of the white lanterns of varying sizes sprawled out sporadically over the terrace. She nearly scoffed in realization that the atmosphere was rather romantic.
"I'll admit my expectations have been exceeded." Venus snapped her attention to him, eyes wide and Kunzite lifted a small toast with his glass. The way his lips were tensed almost suggested the beginnings of a smile. Relaxing only to kiss his flute of wine with a small drink.
"Were they so little?" Her brow raised, intoxication allowing her lips to follow suit in a smirk typically reserved for flirting. The sound of Jupiter's light laughter had her shifting her eyes, noting she was in a rather private conversation with Mars, heavy with gossip about them no doubt, both shuffling toward the fire when they knew they'd been discovered.
"I had none." Kunzite shifted in his chair almost too casually for what she knew to be his normal behavior around her. It had her shifting as well to better face him, scoffing and ready to call him out on his lies.
"You appear to be omitting information again General. I refuse to believe you came here with no expectation." Her face was smug, searching his eyes she saw the danger behind them. Not only very real danger of the physical sense, but how severe it would be if she allowed herself to entertain the idea of this man that could ground her antics with a look, maybe dominate her with a simple word, and the thrilling thought that he might be strong enough in body to do the same. There was always something about him that placed her at the very edge of a dangerous cliff. It was so thrilling, seductive, and oh so very dangerous.
"In present company, I'll only say they were exceeded upon arrival." His eyes shifted away from her almost too smoothly, popping a small bit of cheese into his mouth, reaching for his wine with an easy hand. He never looked back at her, only seemed to watch his Prince from across the table. "We'll just leave it at that."
"For now." Venus mused, feeling that thrill, that danger he brought her with so few words. She downed her wine again as though she wouldn't feel such an air of foreboding if her inhibitions were lower. She found she only felt more like teetering toward the edge of that cliff. He caught her staring, be it the wine or company Venus simply couldn't help herself. "Are all of the Four Kings so eloquent? I hadn't thought you so capable of speaking the way you did in the meeting earlier."
"The Shitennou are said to be wiser, more powerful than other Earthen beings. Hardly the Legends we are made to be as you know, some of even the Heavenly Four could stand to mind their manners." She laughed, thinking on a shared memory only Kunzite would have known about. She'd almost felt bad for teasing Jadeite so but it was justice served for his crudeness. "Pleased to prove you wrong I suppose. I hadn't realized you found me so incapable."
"Oh no It's not that at all!" Venus shifted in her chair, her hands waving as though she tried to erase her statement that came out completely wrong. Decidedly she'd blame the wine for any stupidity that flew from her mouth in her flustered wine induced state. Her next words a testament to her nervous rambling, how her leg leaned shamelessly into his when she'd shifted toward him in a flurry to make her idiocy right. "Quite the opposite actually, I find myself admiring you. I mean- the way you always seem so sure and steady, certainly stronger than the average man of Earth. But I mean you have to admit you hardly speak, and when you do..."
"I say exactly what I need to say Venus." He seemed irritable again, frowning into his empty wine glass. He looked so refined really, the light catching the silver of his hair, darkening his skin just slightly with the contrast of his equally pale uniform jacket that held strategic lines to reveal the shape and power in his strong build. Best of all the grey shade of his eyes that shifted from pale to deep depending on many variables she hadn't deciphered yet. She was coming to know the subtle shifts in his face, but there was still too much she simply just couldn't read.
"Well what if you WANT to say something? Needing to say something, and wanting to can be equally important General."
"Was there something you wanted to tell me Venus?"
Serenity cut the moment short, Venus thought she should be grateful except the ecstatic Princess had her by the arm, dragging her to her feet in excitement to dance. She knew the girl was excessively anxious about the ball, ready to dance with her Prince, but Venus found herself falling forward in the process, her hand finding Kunzite's shoulder to steady herself. It all happened rather quickly, her wide eyes meeting his pale grey. She smiled despite herself, the wine forcing her lips to curl with the thrill that shot through her. Her blue eyes remained locked on him, and him on hers as Serenity dragged her with impatience toward the lawn grabbing Mercury en route.
The tempo of the song picked up, and Venus found herself twirling and winding between the girls who each took their turn dancing with her. She was rather proud of her skill of course, as in her nature as a child of Venus she would always speak best with her body. Some of it was silly of course, some of it fluid and graceful, others more intimate or erotic as she made her way to Mars.
"Show off." Venus gave Mars a wide grin at her grumbled accusation turned breathless as the song ended and she pulled the raven haired girl toward her to press her lips against hers. The girls were used to Venus and her sometimes random kisses ranging from chaste to more passionate, knowing her nature it was one of many ways she told them she loved them. This one was somewhere in the middle, Mars was always her favorite victim based solely by their close friendship and the chemistry well known between their people. Venus was batted away however, too amused by the red state of the beautiful Martian's cheeks to protest it. She winked as Jupiter, still laughing, pulled Mars away to fall onto the grass kicking up the sparkling silver moon dust no doubt in wine induced giggles.
Endymion had approached with his Generals in tow not to dance, but an attempt to lure Serenity back to him with promise of dessert- perhaps the only thing that could have saved him from being whisked away by the next song. Instead Endymion became witness to how strong the small silvery Moon Princess was when she pulled him back toward the huge stone veranda raving about the chocolate lava cake Jupiter had prepared. Apparently they both had an affinity for chocolate. Zoisite approached Mercury again with arm extended and amusement laced in his vibrant green eyes.
"Care to join me? If I'm going to try one of these infamous lava cakes I may need your water abilities should something as hot as lava actually be involved." Jupiter nearly snorted with laughter as Mercury flushed as she always did, infectious because for once even the Martian joined in amusement. Even if Zoisite's humor was a bit awkward, she knew with that charming smile he had that anything he requested would be hard to deny. As the night calmed and Mercury joined Zoisite and the Prince and Princess on the veranda, her other two soldiers spoke quietly and peace drifted over the courtyard.
She wasn't alone, it was always obvious enough to her based on the weight his eyes held. Venus soaked it in though, eyes closed she lifted her face to the stars and inhaled deeply, still coming down from the dance. The fire was comforting, offering a dryer heat that reminded her of home. It had been too long since she'd been to Venus, to wander the lively marketplace and feel like she belonged to the color and life of her people. Her breath caught suddenly when she realized it was how his presence felt to her. A dry warmth, comforting, like home, and it almost made her choke on her next breath.
She didn't know him, not well anyway, and it was the most ridiculous notion to feel as though she'd been tossed over that cliff he had her walking for weeks. No, she still had a hold on this, whatever had developed between them Venus still grasped on tight to it. It wasn't a thing she could chance. Not when her goals were finally moving forward. Kunzite was too different from her, too contained and controlled by his own devices, nothing like the wild erotic freedom of Magellan and yet she couldn't shake the notion that it all fit somehow.
"Care to walk? I showed you my gardens, it's only fair that you show me yours." She smiled, possibly from the poor innuendos and Venus decided maybe he'd spent too much time around Zoisite. He was striking by firelight, the warmth only absorbing into the bronze tones of his skin and denied by the silver tones of his hair and eyes. She considered it a moment, glancing over at Artemis and Luna who sat on the steps of the terrace enjoying dessert of their own. They scarcely paid attention, but Venus knew their absence would be noticed all too quickly. She also knew well that they paid more attention than they let on.
"That's no fair General, you have no supervision over you in your gardens. I'm afraid mine won't be as forgiving since my Guardian is quite aware of your presence. He may think I've dragged you off to take advantage of you." Kunzite's brow lifted to his hairline, the wine making her tongue loose and a bit too free.
"A common occurance Princess?" Venus sighed thoughtfully, gazing deeply into the fire to avoid his stare with the smallest of laughs in her throat. She knew the reputations of her people, the fact that she was still pure an anomaly on her planet after the age of sixteen.
"I am known to kiss men with fickle intent. Playful really but never take advantage." She admitted fully, but only to herself that fear kept her from taking her ardent advances any further. That love was a beautiful dream she'd refuse, even if everything inside of her told her to embrace it. To seek it relentlessly. Soulmates were hard to find without council of the Ancient Thread Spinners, and yet finding hers was a fear, not a gift. Venus could love, but it terrified her, the prospect of finding a potential soul bind could be damning to her position. When a Venusian truly gave romantic love to another, it was absolute, and consuming. "Amorous as Venusians can be, most of us are harmless really. I know what my nature should be...but it's not. I have kept my virtue."
Kunzite took a step forward, his eyes locked onto her with little care for who saw it seemed. She didn't look at him but could almost feel his eyes drift over her face, the glimmering gold of her corset and she didn't dare think of anything else he made note of. It didn't incite any disgust or fear, but thrill that he looked at her where he'd made such efforts to avert his eyes before. Their first meetings somehow infuriating that he wouldn't just look at her. Vanity was what it was, that she wanted him to appreciate her beauty. Perhaps he would become lost to it, so Kunzite could stop asking her for things like her name. If their attraction should be anything, it should be a shallow one...
"So you haven't bewitched me then?" Venus looked then, noting his eyes locked onto her mouth, drifting upward over her face with lingering intensity. How she wished he would have looked lower, to appreciate her in a lewd manner as every other man did. Again she felt thrilled by it, something building between them that she refused to name, but it was ten times as forbidden.
"Not by any source of magic, no. So I don't know General," Venus sidled up to him, tilting her head slightly to peer up into his own enamored face. "have I bewitched you?"
"No. I suppose not." She watched him swallow hard, eyes hardening and shifting forward with his first steps toward the bench by the inner wall of their garden. Venus could see his exterior ice over, becoming that man she'd met initially that wouldn't look at her, or speak to her. Gods help Kunzite if he expected allowance to be rude, because she drank a lot of wine prior. He was on her turf now, it simply wouldn't fly and she didn't care if there was some stupid tension between them. As usual he implied so much in so few words. Tense or not, she wasn't going to let this go no matter how much she knew she should have walked away right then and there.
"Avoiding questions again General?" He sighed, running a careful hand through his silver hair that looked like fine silk as he shifted his long dark cape to sit on the bench, seeming wary when she joined him.
"I simply didn't find it appropriate to engage in conversations about such intimate things. Forget I said anything." Kunzite seemed more aware now, taking in his surroundings and avoiding looking at her at all costs. He wouldn't see her roll her eyes, annoyed that he was such a closed book. Again- the wine wasn't helping reign in her already non-existent patience.
"Didn't find it appropriate or do you just not understand?" His lips tensed, only shifting back to her because she tried to face him better without touching him. That bench wasn't very big to begin with and Kunzite was tall, shoulders rather broad confirming his suggested potential strength.
"Both." His annoyance was clear, and infuriating. For some reason, Venus had expected Kunzite to understand that first and foremost she'd never bewitch anyone. The question alone had sent chills down her spine at the affirmation that maybe he thought about her as often as she found herself thinking of him. Something best left unspoken of course but they were polar opposites and yet so the same. Surely he knew the kind of life she'd lead.
"Well you for instance, you rather sordid reputation with women. You may act as you please, take lovers as Venusians call it." The frown on his lips was telling that Kunzite wasn't thrilled about the conversation, the sigh he released telling of irritation. Maybe he was anxious by the surrounding audience? Or maybe it was that aversion her Mother had warned her about, that others weren't as comfortable speaking on intimate matters so casually as she would be.
"I don't love those women." It bit quickly from his lips, his attentions drifting to his boot which anxiously shifted in the pale grass at his feet. Clearly she made him highly uncomfortable, or he still wasn't getting it.
"On Venus when you take a lover it can be a casual occasion, or a repeated one with no emotional bonds. Love isn't limited to binding relations General, love is love and you can feel it for a moment or it can last eternities if it is powerful enough, and there is no power greater than that of true love. As a Venusian, relationships of all kinds are essential to our need for mental or physical stimulation. We are selective of who we allow close to us because toxic relations have no place in our lives, we have a need to feel love of some kind to thrive. Based on my roles here I have limited myself to kisses. Sometimes ardent touches but nothing beyond that."
Venus exhaled slowly, Kunzite was an excellent listener though she found it hard to look at him when he watched her so intensely, grey eyes slightly widened but intrigued and finally understanding. They took turns during her explanation, one posting guard as if they were somehow doing something wrong by just talking, making sure their friends slowly gathering on the lawn or the Mauan chaperones weren't paying them too much attention. Mostly while his stare drifted over the courtyard she could watch him, appreciate his sharp but exceptionally handsome features. It all might have been easier had he not been so damned gorgeous.
"So you kiss men to feel something?" Her cheeks felt hot, knowing it wasn't from the fire in front of them. There was something ironic about when he said it. Venus had been watching Serenity being thankfully cautious about the way she sat with Endymion. She could feel the adoration between them, the unrestrained love that made her feel so, so hollow under its crushing potency. It made her sad to hear it from the lips of someone else, someone who tempted her with his own lips more than once.
"Yes..." Venus spoke softly, finding her gaze locked onto those lips. The kind that based on the way he spoke, or smiled, or even tensed his mouth suggested that his skill with them far extended passed the realms of speaking. She shivered, snapping herself back to attention with a dismissing wave of her hand. She hadn't meant to sound so weak or become lost to the dangerous idea of what it might be like to really kiss him. "I mean Venusians aren't just a bunch of attention mongering, sex crazed people, we can LIVE without affection...Lips to my people are mostly a sensory organ used to speak intentions only we can feel, and taste those intentions, the emotion behind them. Touch is almost a secondary requirement even if a kiss is a form of it."
"I would have never accused you to be such a thing. I think your status has been made something of a public affair. Odd considering who you are." Kunzite leaned back on his hands, his arm pressing into hers while he watched Jupiter and Mars sit in the grass talking with Mercury and Zoisite nearby. "I knew such intimacies were held sacred by the people of Venus. In my lands, love was more about possession, keeping women be it many wives or concubines separate in haremlik. It was said to be a sacred space but how many wives you hold often spoke of status."
"I don't think it's so odd. I was born to purpose, same as you General. Steps were only taken to shift some of those more distracting qualities in me toward that purpose." She laughed softly to herself. "I don't know how well it's worked since I still find myself wondering how things ended up the way they did. You seem to deny your own culture... you are older than I, far past marrying age. Do you have many wives?"
"No. No wives. I find it gluttonous and disgusting. Women aren't things to collect but free creatures to come and go as they please. Fitting since men of my planet seem to do the same regardless of region. Of course not all look at women as equals but the weaker of our kind. Perhaps sometimes weaker in body but I have known strong minded women. You don't find it odd that so many people fought to suppress the very nature of who you are?" His pale brow quirked, face unreadable and serious as his attention shifted back to her. Venus wanted to laugh but was too dumbfounded and hurt. Her eyes clenched shut, lifting her chin to the heavens again and relishing the warmth of the fire on her neck. Odd? She didn't find it odd, only manipulative, but they could only forge so much of her. Each thing was it's own and she refused to belong to anyone.
"Women are held in places of power in our Alliance obviously, I understand it isn't so on your world. You are a rare man of your planet to feel that way. I guess you had no more say in your own status than I had in mine. I... " Venus frowned, she stared hard into the fire remembering those stabbing words Ryo had gifted her with. She was a owned by the Silver Queen- or it would have felt that way had she not fallen in such deep love with Serenity. It was a noble purpose, one she was working so hard to achieve and letting the truest love write itself. She was her own in this.
"You seem to have a grasp on your duties. You wear them well." He was already looking at her when her head snapped back to look at him. Venus wanted there to be some sort of warmth there but his face had been kept an exceptional mask for most of their trip so far. She told herself it was a symptom of being on an alien planet and yet she craved walking with him. She had been able to lean into his side better that way, take comfort in his warmth, but could only lean into his arm just slightly now, relaxing into his warm but spicy scent.
"What about you? For all your reputations... has there been no one?"
"No." He replied with shifting grey eyes. They roamed so slowly, barely discernibly over her face before drifting over to the fire. Venus was shocked how those steely eyes denied the fire it's warmth and only became a clearer, lighter shade. "Well... there was a woman..."
"Oh?" Her heart raced, wide eyes betraying her unwarranted hostility toward this woman. Venus wet her lips, watching as sadness pierced his eyes and his brows furrowed with a dark laugh in this throat. She felt silly immediately for the outburst.
"Not that kind of woman... she raised me." Kunzite took a deep breath and seemingly leaned on the arm that still touched her a little more, warming her side. "She was already too frail to join me in Elysium. I told myself I had time... and I scarcely wrote her before..."
"I'm sorry." He frowned, hair falling forward as his chin met his chest and his eyes closed at her apology. Venus could feel his sorrow, a guilt that showed her that Kunzite had experienced love on some level before. That he was very capable of it outside the harsh demands of the crown he served and loved just as passionately.
"No... I should be sorry. I am from Earth, and I'm on the Moon of all places gifted such hospitality and beautiful company. I should be thinking of happier times. Death is the hardest part of life for Terrans...You never really get over it, it just becomes a part of you."
"And you deny that what we are doing won't save your people from feeling the sadness you feel now?" She whispered, so the nearby group by the fire in the grasses wouldn't hear. They'd been so wrapped up in conversation with Serenity and Endymion, all laughing, and Venus noticed how his Prince would gaze over at them in intervals. She could feel it too, a sadness linked to love, and it hurt. "Did you tell her?"
"Did I tell her what?"
"That you love her." For the first time, Venus saw an unrestrained emotion in Kunzite's eyes, wide, and grey, and sad. She very subtly placed her hand over one of his, holding him up on his arm behind him. When she thought he was beautiful in his cold stoicism, she hadn't been prepared for his sadness. "She knew... if you told her or not. People show love in a lot of ways. She knew."
Kunzite swallowed hard and stared at her for perhaps too long, but Venus removed her hand, wanting very badly to embrace him or offer him comfort, to kiss it away maybe, noting how his lips untensed and softened. She knew it wasn't her place and tore her gaze back toward the fire, clearing her throat and wetting her dry lips again.
"Her name was Zara...I think she very much would have liked you." Venus smiled to herself, feeling a sense of pride in some odd way. Kunzite didn't seem to be a man to hold things as sentimental and yet the idea made her feel accepted.
"Would you tell me about her?" His face warmed some, she felt something by the way he leaned into her by his arm alone, watching the others for a brief moment and seeming to relax just the slightest.
"She was a slave. My father bought her when she was young and still beautiful... but he was cruel and mutilated her, marked her as his own so she would never be allowed to marry or see her family again." Kunzite winced when her eyes grew wide and outraged, tensing those lips back into a pursed line. Venus found it hard to believe such a man would have given life to someone like the General at her side. "My countries were brutal lands you understand, Earth gained its reputation somehow and I fear my lands were partially to blame. My Father was a horrid Sultan, and worse human, which is why I took such strides to reverse the damage he'd done."
"That's... so sad.." She'd whispered, trying to tell herself it wasn't admirable, desirable that he cared so much. Venus had been given stories of Earth's kingdoms, recognizing from his descriptions that he was of the Middle Eastern realm said to be barren and exiled until fairly recent times. She found it fitting, and the tone of his skin should have given it away. There was so much she still wanted to know, to ask him about. A dangerous errand in itself because if you've ever tried to tell yourself not to feel something, it's often those emotions don't listen. They leaned on each other at this point, Venus dangerously close to just leaning her head on his shoulder. It was so easy, and silly that a sweet thing like that be so dangerous. She felt herself waver on that cliff he kept her on, unsure how much longer she could keep the balance.
It seemed like he might talk, eyes soft and lips parted to speak but his grey eyes lifted, and his face turned to stone in the sharpest shift of features as she'd never seen before. Kunzite sat up straight, casually adjusting one of his gloves as if it had shifted out of place. She missed the warmth of the arm that leaned against her, and fought the urge to glare Artemis down in his approach but mostly because she'd almost fallen over when Kunzite shifted his posture so suddenly.
"Venus. Your shift is beginning soon, you'll want to change and begin your rounds." She didn't miss the way he looked at Kunzite, feeling the tension perhaps because her sweet guardian was just that protective, but she was disappointed in him all at once.
"Forgive me General, I've appreciated your time. We'll hopefully be allowed to speak again before your departure." She gave him a saddened look, standing with a quick hand to smooth out her skirts. Part of her wanted to thank Artemis, but his uncouth behavior was little to be desired. She shouldn't want this, to be near him and get to know him as more than Commander of the Golden Army. But in true soldier fashion, Kunzite gave her a polite nod and stood as well.
"Thank you again Lady Venus. Please extend our gratitude to your Queen as well, this evening was beautiful." He offered a shallow bow and walked away then, seeming to glance at Artemis behind her, knowing the Mauan was there to shoo him away from her and Venus turned on her guardian with a glare.
"That was rude. We were talking."
"Speaking or not, you have duties to attend to this evening. You're late already, I thought I was being generous." His brows were raised in that butlerly way, lips turned into a small frown as though Artemis tried to look dignified. Venus saw it for what it was, his attempts at appearing important so the good looking man would leave her alone.
"Well you could have been more polite. Staring at him like he's some pest isn't going to help relations any, he's the General of the entirety of Earth's army you realize." Her arms crossed, fingers drumming on her arm impatiently while Artemis stared her down as well.
"Nothing has been decided. He is still forbidden to you, you understand that don't you?" Her eyes grew wide, blood boiling with anger. Artemis seemed mildly intimidated, stepping back when she stepped forward to glare up into his face.
"This is a diplomatic affair, an attempt to better relationships. They WERE forbidden to us and so we want to spend what time we can learning from them. I'll probably have to work with him soon and you act as though I plan to drag him off to my bed. I thought better of you Artemis. It hurts to know you trust me so little to control myself."
It did hurt. Perhaps it hurt more that she found her words so dangerously accurate to how she really felt. Not to drag him to her bed, but to sit on that bench and learn all about his lands and the woman that raised him. To learn about the Kunzite beneath the Elysian soldier, and if nothing else, know his lips. But he was still very forbidden to her, and it wasn't Artemis that hurt her truly but the reality of it. Sure the implication stung a little, but she was impulsive after all.
"Venus-" She raised a hand to silence him, brushing passed to begin her rounds with a sweep of her golden hair. She felt bad mostly because it wasn't that he mistrusted her, or even Kunzite for that matter, because Artemis was protective of her. Venus never had a true Father, and while her guardian was far more of a friend than Father it was the closest she'd ever known. There was prejudice there for certain, he'd never acted this way toward that soldier growing up, or even Ryo who was far worse of a man than she ever would have guessed.
She felt light regardless, opting to not transform into uniform for night watch as a form of rebellion, floating across the castle grounds in a gait of flowing golden skirts. Venus watched with some fascination as workers still tirelessly installed grasses, Terran soil, and flowers that Endymion so graciously gifted the Moon Kingdom. In addition he supplied them with a rather large supply of wood- a material more valuable than most rare gemstones on the Moon for its lack of trees. She smiled, it was a move Endymion thought of on his own. A Gift that signified that Earth is more than valuable in its weight of wood and trade negotiations were a high price touch that Venus hadn't thought of.
Hours passed and Venus grew bored. Never looked upon as a bad thing when night shifts went uneventful but her mind was never kind to her by this hour. Not after her trip into the markets earlier, or the fact that Endymion and his two guard were so close and everything, forbidden and not, going on in the middle of it all. She walked along one of the main sides of the palace, crossing a huge courtyard just below wide terraces and balconies along the ballroom and other rooms used for entertainment. She felt it almost immediately, the weight of his stare as her laced sandals padded almost silently along newly installed grasses that seemed so alien to her on this crystalline planet of silver. No doubt by morning would be coated and sparkling with moon dust by dawn the way the lightest of breezes carried it.
Time was obscure, it was either very late or very early when she spied his pale silhouette leaning against the railing to the main ballroom. Venus knew it to be him right away based only by his broad form and height, much taller than the average Lunarian and the air of authority with which he held himself. Curiosity won her over as always, her footfalls carrying her back into the main entrance of the palace with a brief nod to one of the doormen who watched with lust in his eyes hoping to fall victim to her vicious and empty seductions. Everything in her mind told her this was a foolish errand, that she should have kept walking, but she felt obliged to apologize for the way Artemis acted, that maybe he'd walk with her and offer company she found herself longing for during these lonely patrols.
Venus slipped passed them and into the silent halls illuminated only by the stained glass skylights casting a faint blue haze over the silver and white marble giving the elegant archways a dream-like quality that mingled with faint candlelight. She could smell the delicious scents of the kitchen, already in preparation of the feast for the ball to honor the Terrans. Venus thought perhaps Jupiter was in there baking up a storm still and decided to check in to steal a sample once her other more dangerous curiosity was sated. The ballroom was already decorated, an elegant display of white marble and crystal with golden plates and candle holders in honor of Earth's Golden Kingdom. Relics she imagined were dusted off and polished for this very occasion and never used before. They appeared out of place around the other silver accents built into the gilded ceilings and wall fixtures but seemed to fit all at once with the lace tablecloths and crystal centerpieces.
He remained as a statue when she stepped onto the vast balcony, his hands resting on the railing ungloved and casual without his sword at his side or cape on his back. All the same, his pale eyes seemed to sweep over the castle grounds as though they were his to guard. He didn't flinch or show any signs that he even noticed her when she came to his side to lean against the railing. Venus peered up at him briefly to watch his cold and calculating stare over the world below.
"Can't sleep General?" Kunzite remained unaffected by her presence as though he expected her. Venus gazed out over the grounds, resting on her elbows against the intricately carved stone railing. He didn't turn his head, but merely shifted his eyes down at her casting a shiver up her spine.
"I guess it's the shift in atmosphere." He commented in a cold, almost annoyed tone she hadn't heard from him in a while. Venus felt bad immediately, Kunzite was a very observant man, surely he didn't miss the way Artemis treated him earlier. Once again she longed to talk to him, longed to see him shift into someone a little warmer and comfortable so they could continue their conversation. The way the gentle breeze carried his scent helped nothing, something spicy and cool mixed with the sweet hint of liquor that told Venus he'd been drinking.
"Today went well I think.. Queen Serenity was very pleased with the proactive moves on Endymion's part. She might even agree to the joining of Kingdom's through marriage eventually..." She trailed off, remembering her Queen's comments from earlier about her Mother's hope for her own love's fortune and it felt heavy. It reminded her again of the fight she had with Ryo, how he reminded her of her path and the rather colorful way he expressed himself. The words 'Venusian Whore' rang in her mind the loudest and she had to clench her eyes shut, exhaling slowly to try and rid herself the darker thoughts trying to claim her. "Look I need to apologize for Arte-"
"You never got to tell me your name." His voice alone made her heart leap into her throat, and those cursed words he spoke made her stomach feel as though it was clenched in iron. Venus refused to look at him, silently sweeping the grounds with her eyes once more.
"You may refer to me as Venus, my name is of no consequence Gener-"
"My name is Kunzite." He interrupted again, scowling down at her, his expression cold and yet she could feel something like desire roll from him as though he fought to suppress it and was failing. "There is no need to be so formal at two in the morning when both of our worlds and their diplomats sleep." There was a light teasing that laced his voice that wasn't there before which gave her the courage to finally look up at him to see a bit of the ice crack and melt from his expression. There was intoxication in his deepened grey eyes that gave logic to the desire she felt from him that Kunzite was scarcely able to contain. His stare lingered too long into her eyes, drifting to her lips and daring to dip down past her chin. She knew his reputations, Serenity had long educated her on the Shitennou's way with women and Kunzite was one of the worst offenders. He was just more discreet about it.
"I am no mere girl you can simply lure to your bed General. Don't forget that I know your reputations." She smirked, and nudged him with her shoulder for good measure. No need to injure his fragile male ego, just a friendly reminder to him of who exactly he was dealing with. The half smile he offered her sparked amusement in his eyes and she got distracted by the rare appearance of the dimple in his right cheek. Somehow this made him less intimidating she thought, probably why he didn't smile as often as she thought he should.
"I wouldn't dare accuse you of being some mere girl Venus." He turned his body, leaning on one elbow to look down at her. His towering form made her feel so small, a rare attribute in a man that could make someone like herself feel almost powerless. It was thrilling to think that perhaps he could overpower her if he tried and Venus found herself distracted by the sheen of his silver hair as it drifted over his shoulder. "As I mentioned, people like us aren't afforded the luxury of falling in love and building lasting lives with our intended. As a soldier I wouldn't place the burden of my busy schedule, or the thought that I may never come home to our children, or a woman I may or may not even love. It is easier to relish a woman for a night of pleasure than a lifetime of worry."
"You restrain your happiness because you feel like your love is a burden?" She offered an inquisitive gaze, feeling something in the way he said it that there had to have been more to perhaps his upbringing since he'd mentioned his father was such a tyrant. It was utter desolation to her that anyone grow up and not feel as though their love was worthy, no matter who that love was directed toward. The urge to do something damning had her grip tightening on the balcony railing when she truly wanted to embrace him because he'd made it very clear the person he loved was no longer with him. But he had Endymion, and the other Shitennou same as her, and that was enough- wasn't it?
"Your Mother hears the prayers of every Terran on that planet to guide them to the other half of their soul. I have only ever asked for guidance on how a woman would fit at my side on the front lines of war. Or beside me as I guard Endymion during diplomatic occasions where a sniper strings his bow and I must shield him from the arrow. Or as I wander night after night across Elysian's grounds to find a poacher or assassin seeking to cause the royal family harm. Need I go on Venus?" His smirk became smug while he proved his point and gazed up to the stars that seemed so close and he fell distracted by them as though he could reach out and touch one of them.
She knew their people weren't long lived, that medical advancements of the Alliance had not been shared with his people, only basic knowledge that allowed them to skirt by for the seventy or so years of life they were allowed. Possibly shorter due to illnesses no doubt, a thought that tormented her a moment. It would feel like a few years to her but a lifetime would pass for him, and Kunzite would be gone. The thought tightened her throat, he was already well passed marrying age and the only love he knew was of his Nanny and Prince. She'd never experienced it first hand, but Venus knew of love outside the realms of their duties and families, she felt it every time Serenity was with Endymion and it opened a void of longing in her that only a native of Venus might understand. It was something she hoped for everyone and yet somehow the thought of a woman on this man's arm had her insides twisting, a constricting feeling caused by more than the gold corset she still wore. But Gods did he deserve that, to know what it meant to love someone so completely.
"At least you are allowed to love if you wanted. I think Endymion would be pleased to get rid of you if only for a moment." They both laughed, his face still lifted to the diamond lit sky she noticed that he was far more than just beautiful and it made her ache more vibrantly. "You also have three other very capable men who would do all of those things for you as well as Endymion in a heartbeat. If a woman cannot love you through all that and stand proudly at your side, risks or no, then she is no woman. Not one worthy of a King's affections." Her eyes grew wide, and she tore her stare away feeling the blood rush to her face, occupying her hands by weaving her hair through her fingers. Venus knew he stared at her as though she had spoken some revelation that he'd never heard before.
"You speak as though you are forbidden to love, that seems absurd." Kunzite raised his scarred brow, amusement falling from his features completely. Venus wanted to grab him by the front of his uniform and shout. No one more than her knew how absurd it was and yet when she dissected her duties and tried to fit love into her life beside Serenity it didn't work, didn't add up, and what agony that was sometimes. For a child of Love itself to be so displaced from it.
"I may fall in love- I just cannot be married. I just do not see a point in hurting myself that way. I am Venusian and when we fall in love... " She shifted back to look at him and was met by very intense, very pale grey eyes. She swallowed hard and tried to not let them suck her in. "...it's absolute. When it's truly love, we love with everything that we are."
There was a beat between them, something silent and tangible that clenched her insides. His eyes were a deepened grey, the light in his hair rivaled starlight and she wanted nothing more than to touch it, to lace her fingers in it, if it meant becoming lost in him. Venus couldn't remember feeling a draw like this to anyone in her short life, and she'd met more people than she cared to think about in the moment. Odd to her that it was this man now, beautiful as he was, inexperienced in the ways of love, that she was so drawn to that every cell in her body ached. She lowered her head, turning away from him to hide behind the thick curtain of her golden hair and away from his eyes before she became more lost. Venus was regretting this meeting suddenly the way she'd almost regretting walking with him through his gardens. She'd never heard him speak to anyone the way he spoke to her, freely and casually, not even Endymion.
"The meeting is early.. you really should try to rest." She offered from behind the solace of the wall her hair built that hid the way she struggled to breathe, the hard conflict of her expression. A rational dismissal, but one she didn't want to make. It was clear to her that he ached to kiss her the way she wanted him to, and they were both fools to think that could ever come to pass.
"It is you that seems to be averting questions tonight my Lady. I had hoped we could speak more..." Her heart jerked erratically and she flinched, feeling his fingers lacing through her hair to move it behind her shoulder and unobstructing his view. He barely touched her but she felt her scalp tingle with the action, her eyes fluttering closed briefly.
"I'm afraid your questions are difficult for me to answer." Her voice sounded weak, breath strained when she felt his calloused fingers trail so lightly down her arm. There was desire, and for once she couldn't tell if it was his or her own so she swallowed it down hard and gazed up at him with wide eyes. Venus stared with purpose at his lips, sculpted and regal features locked in an expression similar to her own. He wanted her, she wouldn't have found shame in it if it wasn't so damning that she wanted him too. She'd realized her mistake too late, and knew she had to get back to her patrols. Anything to end this madness before she fell off that cliff. "I'd very much like to talk more... but given the hour..."
"Matters of the heart I understand the strain of discussing, but your name is hardly a difficult question my Princess." His hand grasped hers gently, fingers brushing over her palm when he raised it to his lips for a lingering kiss that seemed hardly appropriate on her knuckle. His lips were soft and she wanted to scream to drown out the part of her that wondered what it might be like to pull those lips to her own. His eyes greeted hers again, hardening slightly when he realized yet again that she would remain silent instead of providing him her name and his hand slipped slowly from hers with a rather intimate brush of his thumb. "Goodnight Venus."
He retreated slowly, all she could do was watch with feet cemented to the spot as Kunzite disappeared beyond the darkened doorway. Another minute before she began to breathe again, and she had to move twice as fast to finish her rounds before the sun peeked over Earth's horizon offering light to the glittering Moon. Venus even forgot to peek in the kitchen for Jupiter, too enraptured by the evening to think about cake or muffins. Too busy tracing circles around the knuckle he kissed with the pad of her finger nervously while she walked with her heart beating rapidly in her throat. Each echoing pulse in her ears ringing out the word 'forbidden.'