Chapter 3
Zachariah watched along with his colleague video after video of actresses pretending to be the warrior of love. The blond man really wanted to hit his head into a brick wall. Some of these women may look the part, but they sure did not know a thing about who Sailor Venus was or what she stood for. His green eyes turned to his long time partner in the filming business. "I feel your pain."
Kendal closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Video after video, and I still cannot find the right woman to play this blasted part!"
As the silver-tress man began clicking on another video, his long time partner spoke, "Why not ask Ms. Aino to audition?"
Kendal's stare alone could melt the sun if he had lasers in his ice-blue eyes.
Zachariah held up his hands in defense and sighed, "Alright alright! Sheesh. It was just a suggestion."
"Don't ever bring up that name again," uttered the older film maker, angry that she was even suggested. What was with that woman anyways? She had no class and irritated him beyond all reason. Why would she even think that she was in the same league as Sailor Venus anyways? Ridiculous.
He looked at the time. It was almost five in the evening. He still had eighteen more videos to review.
Great.
The doorbell rang as a small petite person walked into the room. Both men looked up to the guest, and Zachariah smiled brightly, "Ah! My beautiful Snowflake!" The young woman with short blue hair made her way into the room. His friend stood up from his seat and went over to greet her with a chaste kiss on the lips. She smiled widely and gave him a hug, her ring glinting in the low light of the office. Kendal rubbed the bridge of his nose again. In the two in a half months he was gone, his friend got hitched to a young woman he barely knew.
He still couldn't believe it.
Every day Zachariah came to work, he had the biggest smile on his face. Before the photographer met Ami, he was a content man satisfied with most things in life. Now that Kendal returned from abroad with a newly wed friend, this "friend" was in a very, very good mood, and his happiness increased when he saw the love of his life in instances like this. She was a sweet and quiet girl. Kendal personally admired how smart she was. She proved her intellect time and time again by giving valid information that was important to a situation (or in his case, the believability of something in a film). She would speak when it was most important. Kendal appreciated that.
"What are you both doing?" she asked curiously.
Zachariah lead his wife to the computer with a new casting video rolling on the screen. "We are trying to decide who we should cast in the last role he has for his movie."
Her eyebrows raised. "Oh. Well what's the part?"
"Sailor Venus," spoke Kendal, the words rolling off his tongue like honey. He kept his eyes glued to the computer screen listening to this new woman as she auditioned for the part.
Ami looked between the two men. "You haven't found anyone to play Sailor Venus?"
"Not yet," confirmed her husband. He ran a hand through his messy curly hair. He quickly tied it back in a low ponytail as Kendal sighed and exited out of that audition video.
"If you don't mind me making a suggestion," spoke the young doctor in training.
Kendal's eyes turned to her, and he listened to what she had to suggest. Perhaps she had something worthwhile to recommend.
"I think Minako might play the part of Venus quite well actually-"
She immediately saw the icy glare in the older man's eyes. She gave a small gulp and leaned in closer to her husband. "Did I say something wrong?"
Zach sighed and immediately began pushing the chair to the desk in and grabbing Ami's hand. "It's way past time for us to be here," spoke the blond as he half dragged his wife out of the room. "Good evening Kendal! Don't stay too late!"
"What did I say?" asked Ami as they were halfway out the door.
When the door slammed, Kendal growled deeply and shut off the computer screen. Why were they bring up that woman anyways? The woman "who must not be named" was becoming the bane of his existence.
"Headache?"
That voice.
He looked up and couldn't believe his eyes. Orange Uniform, pointed heals, gloved hands and arms... It was her. She stood before him clothed in her uniform, ready for battle.
"Sailor Venus. How?"
She smirked, "I owned a favor to Minako. I didn't think I would be meeting you here so soon after our last... visit together."
Visit?
Kendal tried to remember. Wait... that blasted girl Ms. Aino said... she agreed to set up a meeting with him and the senshi of love. Wait, but how? Wasn't that a dream? Didn't he dream that he caught up to Sailor Venus and shared a kiss with her? He woke up in his bed this morning, surprised that he slept through the night. He had suffered from jet lag the evenings before. Was it all real? Did it really happen? If the Warrior of Love really kissed him, then he would return the favor tenfold to her. Heck, maybe he would have a somewhat better outlook of that "woman who must not be named".
"Ms. Aino requested that I come visit you. She said something about wanting to audition for a part pretending to be me?" asked the blonde warrior. She leaned against a desk, her confidence boosting up his esteem to ask her something he thought was very important.
He smirked in return as he got closer to her. She was perfect in every way. In no way did she seem intimidated by him. "I would like for you to play the role of yourself in this movie."
She coyly replied, "And forget to protect the city of possible danger?" she smiled sweetly to him, "I'm sorry Fanboy. I cannot be so selfish to the public like that."
Not all hope was lost. "Then perhaps you may consider going to dinner with me one of these days? I would like to get to know your personality better so I can cast your roll to someone highly qualified."
"And risk revealing to you my secret identify?" smirked the senshi, "Don't hold your breath."
"Then meet with me in secret like this," he suggested becoming very, very close to her in proximity.
She watched with humor in her eyes. "I think you are out of your league Mr. Aimes."
"Perhaps not," he uttered softly looking at her lips, "Perhaps an instant replay of this early morning is necessary."
She turned her head to the side and missed touching his lips with hers. Instead, he kissed her cheek. She gave an exaggerated sigh. "Love. It makes you do such crazy things." She felt his lips begin to trail along her chin heading towards her lips. He leaned back, determined to give her full kiss. He gently grabbed her chin and held it still as his lips neared hers for a second time.
"Do I need to leave the room?"
It was another male voice. Kendal's ice blue eyes became stony as he glared at the new male on the scene. It was a blond man with short hair, eyes as blue as Venus's and a uniform white with red trimming.
"Jadeite," spoke Venus as Kendal lowered his hand from her face, and she neared the man who could pass as her twin. "You came to crash the party?"
He smirked at her and 'gently' combed some of her hair behind her ears. "I've been looking all over for you, my dear Venus."
"Oh, you're to sweet my little Jade."
Kendal watched the display, jealousy beginning to form in the pit of his stomach. Never did he consider that the woman of his interest might already be seeing another man... a man who perhaps was her equal on the battle field? No. For some reason, he knew that she had to be stronger than he.
So why the heck was she doting on this man?
"Are you ready to leave? My sunshine?" flirted the man.
She took his hand, "Of course." She turned her blue eyes back to the producer and blew him a kiss. "It was a pleasure speaking with you."
He didn't get another say in. Jadeite, that crazy jerk of a man, had pulled her into his embrace and vanished from view.
Kendal was livid.
Minako and Jay reappeared in the Shrine, Rei raising an eyebrow to why they were so closely intertwined. She went back to meditating by the fire.
The two released each other, and Minako sighed in relief almost trying to wipe away those kisses that the silver-hued man placed on her cheek and jaw."You weren't kidding me when you said Kunzite was territorial of me as Venus in the past! I think he might still be!"
"It would have gotten worse," spoke the man, "If you had gone by yourself with no way to teleport, he would have tracked you all the way back here or until you passed out."
"Thank you," she replied still surprised at what just happened.
Jay's clothes returned to normal. He crossed his legs and sat in front of the fire. Minako followed pursuit. "Kunzite never said many words unless necessary. He always made an extra effort to speak the words to you in your alter ego when in private or to show you how he felt when he thought you both were alone." Jay leaned his head back and looked to the ceiling, "None of us believed you when you told us he was showing you affection. It was very out of character of him." He returned his gaze back to the senshi. "Then one day I stepped in on something I'd rather not speak aloud."
"Wow..."Minako allowed her senshi uniform fade and her warmer clothing return as she sat on the floor. She shook her head, "That was too close."
He shrugged, "I told you. I'm glad you went with my suggestion."
"He was pissed," muttered the blonde woman. She looked to the man who looked like her blood brother, "I don't know what he would have done had you not intervened."
"All in the days work to protect my sister," he nodded.
"I wonder what he might do when he finds out who we really are," spoke Minako after a long while, "I hope he doesn't get too mad!"
"Who knows." Jay shrugged. "Maybe it might take him some time to adjust to the knowledge of you being both Minako and Venus."
"I can tell he cannot stand me," frowned Minako.
Jay smirked, "But he's putting his hands all over Venus."
"I hope he doesn't kill me," groaned the young woman, "I want to get married and have a family some day!"
"He might be willing to take on that task," teased Jay.
She huffed angrily with a bright red blush. "Forget it! If he's treating me this poorly now, then I won't give him the time of day when he discovers my identity as Venus."
The blond man laughed out loud. "Ruthless!"
"Argh!" she yelled, "No wonder I decided to play pranks on Kunzite in the Silver Millenium! He's such a jerk!"
The business man nodded in agreement. "Those were good times. When we both would pull pranks on Kunzite, we usually didn't get caught. If we did, I would escape with you to the moon or you would escape to earth with me. Endymion would command him to stand down and let it go. He did passive aggressive things that we could never link back to him directly."
Minako laughed and wiped away some tears that fell from her face. "So tell me again, how did you not end up with me but ended up with Rei?"
He crossed his arms and looked at the meditating woman by the fire, his eyes filled with memories of old. She was too far gone in her meditation to pay attention to their conversation. Both of them knew it too. "She has to learn to trust me. I'll give her half a year to a year. Until then, I'm a sitting duck. When she learns to trust me and that I'm here to be her protector, like how Zachariah is to Ami, then I will pursue a relationship with her."
"At least you have hope," the blonde woman sighed, "I don't seem to have any. Not with Kendal greatly desiring Venus but wanting nothing to do with me as Minako."
"Give it time," spoke Jay, "When Kendal receives his memories back, then he will love you for who you are."
She shook her head, "No... I want someone to love me for who I am without a past history. If he can't accept who I am now, then I really want nothing to do with him."
Jay shook his head. "Only time will tell."
A ding rang on Minako's phone. She pulled it out of her pocket and turned it on. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "I don't believe it."
Jay leaned over to look at the phone screen.
Kendal was requesting that she send in a video audition for the part of Sailor Venus.
"Well I'll be..."
Author's Note: If you want to read chapter 4 within 24 hours, I need 10 unique reviews. I have the chapter ready for when that 10th review is given. Ready, Set, GO!
