Part 11: Thoughts From A Cat

"Minako?"

"Hm?"

"You've been quiet lately."

"Gomen. I think I'm just tired."

"Tell me what's on your mind." He didn't believe her. He came to her and sat on the edge of her bed tilling it forward under his weight. He was now a boy with long white hair. Not as silver as his but still, very fair and long…

"Nothing really. Just Rei Chan and the up coming trip to Mercury."

"Really?"

"Um hum." Minako looked back out the window. "I'm excited to see her again."

"I see. Nothing else?"

"No I'm fine Artimis. Really I am."

"Minako-"

"What are you so sad about?" She jumped up as if to show him she was just fine. She spread out her arms and waved them around like a sick goose. "See no broken bones." He did not believe her still. He gave her a very flat exasperated look that told her that was not what he meant. "What?!" She gave up and fell face first onto the bed. Her hair came flying out behind her and around her face. "If you must know I think She's in love."

"Who?"

"Rei-Chan of course."

"And that's what you've been thinking about?"

"Mostly."

"Mostly?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." They sat together. "Why is that a bad thing?"

"It's not." She lifted her head and rested her chin in a characteristic way. Artimis fought the impulse to reach out and stoke her yellow hair flung carelessly around the bed.

"It's just-" she closed her eyes to hide the pain she was fighting back. "I wanna be in love. I wanna be loved Artimis." She looked up to him now mostly under control of her bodily functions. She would not cry.

"I love you."

"I'm not talking about you Artimis." He was taken aback and slightly hurt. He had meant his words to be comforting as well as casual. She knew all too well what he meant. "Oh don't look that way. I love you too. Know that I do Artimis. But this kind of love…is different."

"I know. I know it Minako." He ran his hand across her back. She was cold and clammy.

"I just can't do it."

"Do what? Fall in love? You've never had a problem with it before." He smirked and was promptly punched lightly on the arm.

"I mean it!" She sat up in her bed sitting on her legs. "I mean it all seems unfair but then I think about it and…it's not so bad."

He was confused but tried to look as if he understood.

"I love the senshi. I love my planet. And I love with all my heart, my princess. That's all I need right now." Her eyes were slowly turning from a lonely kind of mist to a strong solid warrior gold. Her expression started to melt and she looked somehow…so much older than her years. She was confident. She looked him strait in the eyes. "That's all I need right now."

He nodded. His hand came out and cradled her head in the palm of his adult one.

"You're brave Minako-Chan."

She smiled. "It's my job. As long as I have my friends and princess and you Artimis." Her smile grew. "I'll always have you won't I?" She cuddled into him very tired. Her emotions had gone up and down and all around until it settled on the duty of her passion. Why wouldn't she be tired? Artimis gladly took her into his arms and was glad the "K-word" was not brought up. But still. As the tired princess lay like stone doll in his arms, he could feel her lies were not enough. Perhaps they were enough to suffice her for now but they could not fool him. Perhaps she did not even know she thought of him constantly. Perhaps the distance between their hearts would last too long and she would find out.

Artimis thought of these things and gave her a hug. He sent her to bed and she nodded with a sleepy head. After exiting the room he wandered the halls for a long time. The tiny candles around the castle were all lit as the dusk faded from the highest point in the sky. He gripped his hand and wrung his eyes.

He remembered once when she had looked at Kunzite. Such a look she had never given him. One of respect and adoration. But the look that Kunzite had returned was not of love. But of simple respect. He could see now how clearly those golden eyes of hers were hurt. How deeply she wanted him to smile back. And in a moment the look of hope had gone from those eyes and what was left was sorrow.

Artimis would not see that look in her again. He had then made a promise to try to keep them away from one another. Not that that was much of a problem. They hardly ever spent time together as it was. But this did not defer her love for him. And though time passed, and he could see Kunzite's melting expression when she wasn't looking, Venus did not know.

But that was the thing that confused Artimis and clung to his heart. She still cared for him. Even though he had not flirted back as the General Zoicite had often done (for games or not) and though he did not smile with charm and flatter her all the day, there was still something that made her heart beat for him.

Artimis was lost in thought and stopped at a window of the palace.

What was he to do? What if she really did love Kunzite above all others? Never had he expected such feelings from a little girl much less to another man. But it cut him. And Artimis was heart broken.

Minako was no child. This was plain by the way her eyes glinted in anger or the powerful expression she presented herself as queen. Though her silly exterior was bright and so deceiving, she was, indeed, a woman.

He had to see it now. Coming upon age she was a woman and capable of things his screaming child princess could not. Just yesterday her training had extended far past anything he had expected. She glowed with power even when she didn't focus.

He sighed to himself and dropped his hands to his sides. He would have to start treating her as a woman.

But what about her duty to the princess? Her planet? Her friends? Herself? What about Kunzite? Was he right for her? Would he hurt her heart, the child she was? No. Minako was no child!

Though her eyes sparkled with youth long past, she made every one smile, she laughed out loud at inappropriate moments and she was weird. He couldn't help but laugh about recent events involving flour.

"Venus look out!" POOSH a cloud of white dust filled the air.

Laughter could be heard through the mist. Steadily everything came back into view. "Mako-Chan! You're covered!" Mercury stood gripping the edges of her apron behind Minako still perfectly clean. Mars had ducked behind Mako who had instinctively protected her.

"Venus!" Ghost Mako grit her teeth.

"Makoto!" Rei covered her mouth but was soon laughing as hard as Minako. Even Ami had joined the laughed and fit of giggles. They all held onto one another for support.

"She's been Moon Dusted!"

"Venus!" she said again warningly.

"What?" Venus looked up from under Mars's weight and Mercury's hand with only one eye. "It's not like I did it on accident OH I mean! On purpose! I didn't do it-" But by that time she was laughing too hard at the mistake. Rei took had doubled over and Ami brought both of her hands to her mouth to cover her sweet laughter.

Makoto had continued to grit her teeth and clenched her fist even harder. "Venus!"

"Oh Jupiter!" The blond tried to stand upright with Rei still weakly clinging to her apron strap and walk toward her dusted friend. She didn't make two steps forward when some flour that had been left on the floor some how made her way to stop the friction between her shoe and the ground.

She, Mars, and then Ami from her surprise of Mars's incoming legs all fell to the floor in a heap.

It was Mako's turn to laugh. She bent down and scraped up a small pile that had been dropped strait from the bag Venus had been carrying. She promptly gripped the pile in two hands and tossed in upon the other three. Through the cloud of white their eyes blinked. For a good fifteen minutes almost nothing could be seen through the kitchen. At one point or another a cook or a servant would try to cross that room but slowly backed out with wide eye or a kind smile to let the flour fight continue. 

In the end, the aprons didn't help much and no one noticed when Artimis came in to stop the fiasco-obviously.

He smiled to himself seeing the some of the four most prominent beings in the solar system covered from head to toe in powdery mess. He shook his head and chuckled. Then he thought of her honey colored eyes when she was serious. When she trained or when she learned a new document. The glaze of determination and duty shadowing her features. As bright and fairy-like as she looked tonight sitting on her bed staring at nothing, lying to herself, that dim glaze of duty was too powerful. But perhaps she was right.

Her words along with that sharp image of those too wise eyes came back to him. "That's all I need right now."

Artimis bit his lip and shut his eyes in despair.

"Minako…"

Nothing yet to say thanks. It's late but I thought you guys might like this!

As I said, I'll write thanks and question of the week. Ummm

I think, write a poem from the story thus far. ^^

A my lil late lovelove,

Vbabe

Mcd03003@byui.edu