"It must be hard having a bundle of curiosity for a princess."

It was such an innocuous statement, and yet it had such far reaching consequences. It set into motion events that would forever change the fate of ten worlds and millions of lives.

Princess Venus was just coming into her own as a woman. As if on cue, in stepped a handsome man to make her blush. He was arrogant and stuffy, cocky and tacit, and he all together infuriated the young princess.

She was hopelessly taken with him.

Being the expressive person that she was, she could not hide it. Not that she wanted too. She was never reserved by nature. She was the Senshi of Love and Beauty. She thrived on being the center of attention, and it suited her best to have all the planets know that she desired the silver-haired leader of Prince Endymion's guard.

Of course she could not let anyone know. To do so would go against the will of the gods. And while she was the Senshi of Love and Beauty, she was a Senshi first and foremost, sworn to service, and that had to come first.

Kunzite also had to hide his affection, but he too, could not hide completely hide what he felt. Whether his words betrayed him or not, his eyes always would. His gaze was always searching for threats to be neutralized, but more often than not, it would return to her, taking in her lustrous blonde hair, her bright blue eyes, and her sunny smile. Those who knew him best would see his usual cocky smirk replaced with a softer, much more genuine smile.

It was never meant to be, of course. Contact between Earth and the Moon was strictly forbidden. It was bad enough that Serenity and Endymion were secretly meeting. Their liaisons were dangerous enough, and if discovered, could be the pretext for starting a war. Kunzite and Venus knew that they risked the same if they were ever discovered. And being the observant leaders they were, they noted suspicious behavior among their comrades. Evidently, Serenity was not the only princess of the Silver Millenium to be overcome with curiosity.

As the months went by, curiosity grew into something more, something that they dare not name, for it could not be allowed to grow. Times were dangerous. There were whispers on Earth of some new enemy. Mysterious things were happening. Fear was gripping the population. Many wondered if they had the power to stop the gathering darkness. Others had heard stories of the great power of the Silver Millenium, and wondered why all the other kingdoms turned their backs on Earth, leaving them to the mercy of these new demons. Old hatreds thought long buried resurfaced, and slowly, events were set in motion that could only end in tragedy.

Visits became less frequent. The only time they could afford to see each other were during official visits by diplomatic missions from the Alliance to Earth, seeking some way to combat the new evil. It was only during these times that they could meet, and only then as leaders of their respective guards. No words could be exchanged, no tender kisses, no loving touches. No one could know that the ban had already been violated. So they played the parts of good soldiers, loyal to their causes. And when no one was looking, Kunzite would wink at her. If he could not hold her and tell her what he meant, he had to do something to tell her all that he felt. So, in the blink of an eye, he told her everything that mattered.

I love you.

I miss you.

I want to be with you.

I wish for peace.

I'm sorry.

Someday, we'll be together.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

And she smiled a secret smile for him, and let him know she felt the same.

When the negotiations broke down, all hope was lost. They never even got to say goodbye. There was only a hole in his heart that would not heal. It was in this state that Beryl found him.

He was easy prey.

A thousand years and far too many lives lost later, they were finally able to meet as equals again. His mind was no longer possessed by Chaos. He was free. They were free.

It could never be that simple though. They were still sworn guardians, and the Earth had only barely survived the last battle. They had an entire civilization to rebuild, and they had the most powerful people in the galaxy to protect.

When would there be time for them to simply hold hands?

Most tragically, he was still searching for his heart. It would take time if it came back at all. And would she still be waiting when he found it? Having been so intimately acquainted with darkness for so long, he knew better than to assume that it always ended happily ever after. Sacrifices always had to be made. And if Crystal Tokyo rose because he and his fellow Shitennou returned, there had to be a price.

And, in the end, he knew he deserved no less.

The people thought so too. Rumors had begun to circulate about the newly revived Shitennou. Stories were being told, saying that the king had been injured because he tried to call them back. Others said that they had no heart because they had given theirs away to an evil witch. People wondered if they had no heart, would evil be able to corrupt them? Some of the stories were exaggerations. Some were blatant lies. But others, sadly, Kunzite knew to be true. In the end, they were dangerous, and it was unknown if they could be trusted.

Endymion decided it was time to address the people. He needed to make an appearance, first to show that he was indeed recovered from the Last Battle, and to vouch for his revived guardians. And so, an address from the palace balcony was called. Endymion stood forth, Queen Serenity by his side. On his flank were the Shitennou, and on hers were the Senshi. Kunzite surveyed the crowd. They were respectfully attentive to their beloved rules, but he could detect several wary glances been thrown their way.

He could not blame them.

But he was aware of one other glance. It was subtle, but he knew, just to his side, someone was looking at him discretely.

He turned his head to look across at Venus. For the moment, her gaze was forward, scanning the crowd as he had been. It allowed him once again to take her in, as he had not done for a thousand years. He could feel something stir faintly inside him as he once again observed how lovely she was, and all that he had felt for her once upon a time, and how much he wished to feel again.

She once again returned his gaze. Only very briefly though. They were still sworn guardians on duty, and it was inappropriate for them to fraternize at this moment. But there was still so much to be said. And so, in the blink of an eye, Venus told him everything she felt.

Kunzite allowed himself a secret smile. Once again, if only for a moment, he truly felt the same.