"Oh, Minako, you two are here earlier than I expected," Mamoru leaned against his doorframe, smiling at Minako and Adonis.
"Who was it, Mamo-chan?" Usagi's voice called from inside the apartment. She casually stepped out of the bedroom and made her way to the door, still putting on her sweater. "Minako! You're all right? How did it go?"
Mamoru stepped out of the way, allowing for Usagi to open her arms wide embrace Minako. Minako closed her eyes and felt the familiar warmth and calm.
"Well, it isn't all resolved just yet, but I think that we made some progress," Minako responded cheerily. She watched as Mamoru let Adonis into the apartment and prepared a mat for him. "Actually, there's a reason why I came here so early. I was hoping to speak to Mamoru…"
"Oh," Usagi nodded, letting go of Minako. "Well, I have to get going now, my parents are expecting me. Call me when you get home, okay? We were all so worried about you."
Minako waved to Usagi as she left, then turned to face where Adonis and Mamoru stood.
"What is it that you both wanted to ask about?" Mamoru asked, handing both of them a cup of tea.
"Endymion, would it be possible for you to summon the Shitennou? I should like to speak with them, and Venus has some questions to ask," Adonis spoke politely, still viewing Mamoru as the prince that he once had the honour of working under.
"Psyche was born on Earth, after all, and so was Cupid. Even if you don't remember them, maybe your guardians do," Minako explained. Although I came here looking for answers, the closer I get, the more scared I feel. What if what Psyche said was true? What if I did kill him with my own hands? Do I really want to know…?
"I have consulted with the Shitennou about this before, and none of us remember people by those names," Mamoru said apologetically. "But I will still summon them for you. Maybe they will remember something that will be useful for you."
Mamoru closed his eyes and a glow surrounded him, emanating from his chest. The rocks that he always carried with him floated out of his pocket on their own, and eventually they transformed into the four generals, each of whom bowed before Mamoru.
"General Kunzite," Adonis said softly. "It's me, Adonis."
Minako watched as Adonis awkwardly stood in front of Kunzite's spirit. He seems so nervous, embarrassed even. Well, I guess that the last time they saw each other they were both under Beryl's influence, after all. But even still. He looks so cute like that, eyes wide and cheeks bright red.
"Adonis," Kunzite nodded in recognition. "So it is true—you have gained a corporeal form once more."
"Master," Jadeite spoke. "Is there a reason that you called us here?"
"Is something the matter?" Zoisite asked, concerned.
"It isn't me who wants to speak to you today," Mamoru shrugged.
"It's us," Minako said, stepping forward.
"Of course," Kunzite smiled. "You want to know if we remember anything about your sister or her lover."
"Well we don't," Nephrite said bluntly.
"Not by those names, anyway," Zoisite added.
Not by those names… So it's possible that they knew the two under different names? Or have memories of their actions but not their names? Minako glanced over at Adonis and saw that he was watching the Shitennou intently. We came here for a reason. I have to try. She took a deep breath. "There would have been a girl on Earth who was shunned by almost everyone. Even though she was thought to be a normal human, she had strange powers, similar to those of the guardian of a planet. She might not have known how to control the powers, maybe even accidentally injured someone. People would have been afraid of her, and one of you would have had to investigate…"
Adonis smiled softly, impressed by Minako's eloquence, proud of the strong woman she had become.
Mamoru closed his eyes, as if trying to remember something from a dream. "That sounds strangely familiar… a young girl, so small I could hold her in one arm… and yet she was terrified to get near me. Not because she was scared of me, but because she was scared of herself."
Kunzite nodded. "Yes, I also remember this girl, vaguely."
Minako's eyes widened as she started to gain hope. "I know that I learned of her existence, and then sent for her. Do any of you remember maintaining correspondence with me about this?"
"We kept correspondence about many things," Kunzite replied.
Adonis' eyes flickered between Kunzite and Minako. As Minako started to blush, Adonis felt a twinge of jealousy. "What about a boy? Do you remember a boy being with her?" he interrupted, unable to stop himself.
Kunzite shook his head. "I do not," he said. Then he continued, smirking, "Do not worry, Adonis. The correspondence between Venus and myself was purely professional. It typically dealt with matters concerning Princess Serenity and her sneaking down to Earth to visit our Prince."
Adonis' entire face went red when he heard that Kunzite had caught on to his jealousy. "Forgive me, I didn't mean—"
"Relax," Minako couldn't help but giggle. "We're all friends here, after all." I remember pining for Kunzite in the past… as the two leaders of our groups we had to maintain contact with each other constantly. It's funny how things change. I wanted him to acknowledge me so badly back then. But now, I'm relieved to hear him tell Adonis that there was nothing between us.
Adonis breathed a sigh of relief. Until this point, Adonis had remained standing in front of Kunzite, out of respect for Kunzite's rank as general in charge of the troops from Venus who had been sent to help Earth. But after hearing Minako's words, and seeing the way she looked at him, he realized that there was somewhere else he really should have been standing: next to her. Without saying another word he walked toward her and stood beside her, the sleeve of his shirt just lightly touching her own.
When Adonis came to stand beside her, Minako felt suddenly calm. I feel so comfortable like this. She glanced down at his hand, so close to her own, and desperately fought the urge to grab it and never let go.
"It seems we have just about reached our limit," Zoisite sighed.
"But we have so many more questions to ask you!" Minako exclaimed.
"And I have much more I wish to tell you," Kunzite smiled. "The boy… there was no boy. That's why we didn't recognize her as your sister…"
Minako grasped at air as Kunzite's voice and presence faded away.
"What did he mean, saying that there was no boy?" Adonis wondered out loud. "Cupid existed. I saw him…"
"But he wasn't there when she was found struggling on Earth," Mamoru commented. "I think I can remember fragments now. That girl was alone. Didn't you say that he was the person who stood by when everyone else shunned her?"
"Yes…" Minako nodded, confused.
"Oh no," Mamoru's voice sounded shaky.
"What?" Minako and Adonis asked in unison.
"What if when we found her, she hadn't met Cupid yet?"
"So?" Minako asked. "What would that mean?"
"After coming across a case like hers, where she had no where else to go, I would have brought her back to the palace," Mamoru explained. "And someone with powers, especially one who has difficulty controlling her powers, would have had a guard with them at all times."
"Cupid was one of your own," Minako said, finally understanding.