Chapter Nineteen

That night, after the small ball, the two retired to Kunzite's room. It was a rather joyless evening, as far as Venus was concerned. There were a few guests who took the opportunity to enjoy the festivities, but most were somber. It was hard to celebrate when people you knew and loved were missing. Kunzite, she noticed, tried to act as if all was well, but subtle hints gave him away to those who knew him. Jumpy after a crash in the kitchen. Super alert of the smallest sounds.
After they had tried to preform a rather face paced dance—that he insisted he was okay to do even though she did not think so, Venus saw him wincing, and suggested they leave early.
Kunzite took off his jacket and sat next to the bed. Venus fetched some bandages from his washroom, along with a basin of water, and helped him change his dressings. She helped him into the bed and laid down aside him. Part of her had wanted to scold him for doing too much, but a bigger part of her was drowning in the relief that he was here. Alive. Maybe not well, but alive. She could save the scolding for later.

Blood. Screams. Falling stone. Fire. Smoke looming through the air. Kunzite looked around in a panic. What was this? Where was he? He ran. Not knowing where he was going. He was looking for something, but what?

Clack clack, boots on the stone. Badump, badump, his heart racing. Where were his feet taking him?

"Help! Please, no!"

Endymoin?

He raced faster. The hall he was in entered into a large chamber. His Prince, in the center of the room, bound by the wrists, kneeling on the floor. Shadowy, hooded figures surrounded him. One, two, three, four, five. Five of them. Could he kill them all before they killed the Prince?

"You there!" he cried out. "Stop!"

Laughter.

"I said stop!" He ran into the room, sword ready. But then, all of a sudden, his feet froze to the floor. Ice began to creep up his leg. It was cold.

"Silly man." The leader of the group said. "You are too late." With that, she brought her sword down into Endymoin.

"NOOOOO!"

He could see a smile creep across the assassin's face. She began to step toward him. The ice had made it to his torso. He couldn't move. He couldn't escape. Where was everyone else? How had this happened?

The figure was close enough to swing at. He took the shot. She easily knocked the sword from his hand, and swiftly placed it's tip on his chest. "Did you really think you could beat me?"

"Who are you?!"

"Your end." She plunged the sword into his chest. As he sputtered on his own blood, she cackled and raised her hood.

Venus?

Venus awoke to a violently shaking Kunzite. He was drenched in sweat. Immediately, she thought of infection to his wounds, but he came to gasping for air, confusion and fear in his eyes.

"Are you okay?" She tried to help him up, but he pushed her hands away and got out of the bed, holding his palm to his forehead. "Kunzite? What's wrong?"

Kunzite looked at her. Stared into her beautiful, confused, blue eyes. What was that dream all about?

Venus got out of the bed and slowly approached her lover. "Kunzite?"

He turned from her and looked out the nearby window. When her hand touched his exposed shoulder, chills ran through his body. When she kissed the base of his neck, a second chill.

She wrapped her arms around his torso, bringing her body flush with his, and scattered a few more kisses on his back, hoping to calm him.

He rested his hand on hers and let out a sigh. "Bad dream. Thank you."

Eventually, the two made it back to bed. When the morning came, they met with a few key people to discuss their next move. Until he was healed, Kunzite would stay, but the rest of their forces were to move on. Venus had persuaded him to take a short trip with her to her home, to take a break, and although he wanted to stay and work, had accepted the offer. At least on Magellan, he could rest up.

They arrived a short while after the final battle plans had been finished, which got them there shortly before dinner was served. The visit was unannounced, and when they arrived, staff scurried around trying to make arrangements for the two. Someone called for the cooks to be called in to prepare a feast, but Venus assured them it wasn't necessary. When the older lady looked at her princess in confusion, Venus assured her they could throw a fabulous feast the following day, but tonight, the travelers were just looking to rest.
Artemis caught wind that his princess had come for a visit, and found her in her room. With him. He was stunned to see a male in his dear Venus' chamber. Luckily for Kunzite, he was not on her bed, merely sitting in one of her sitting chairs. Venus had been unpacking a few thing when she noticed Artemis was in the room.

"Artemis! So good to see you!" she ran to him and gave him a hug.

When the words came back to him, as he came out of his stupor, he looked to the visitor and then back to his charge. "A moment?"

She shot Kunzite a warm glance, and stepped out into the hall.

"A man? A MAN in your room? What are you thinking? Who is he?"

"Calm down, Artemis."

But he would not be calm. "Ah HA! This is why you have been distracted. Distant. Absent."

Venus felt her face grow hot at the accusations. "What would you know about love, Artemis? And why can you not just let me be happy? This can work. I can do both!"

With that, Venus stormed back into her room and left her friend in the darkened hall.

Artemis did not sleep well that night. He had never seen his princess so angry—at least not at him. He found out the following morning that the visitor was none other than the King of the East from Earth, which only worried him further. There was far too much going on at the moment for his dear Venus to be fraternizing with this man. Would she be able to see through him if it turned out he was up to something? Or would her heart be too invested? Could she pursue this relationship and keep up with her duties? What would the others think? Oh, and what if the Queen relieved her from her duties as senshi? What would she do then? Was she even thinking?

He needed to know more about what had been going on. So, he did the only thing he could think to do. When the couple left her chambers in the morning, he snuck into the room and stole a tiny, leather-bound book,