Interlude (title tentative)
Enraged after a meeting, Kunzite went to Minako for comfort. But little did he know their interlude would spin off a series of events that were more than he had hoped for.

Chapter One – Rage

~ Conference Room, Crystal Palace ~

The tense atmosphere smelt of a threatening silence. No one dared to make a noise, for fear a single phrase might trigger the damnedest explosion. The softest sound as breathing was unmistakably audible. Before decisions were made, laughter was present. But merry had been shortly replaced by anxiety.

Neo-King Endymion had called a conference with his trusted shitennou. He knew they were the only people he could trust to resolve the many subtle issues that had been troubling him for weeks. He had been optimistic they would answer to all his requests, no matter how trivial, like they used to back in the Silver Millennium. What the young, rash king had not known was that he had taken the wrong move.

Endymion had forgotten centuries had passed since his shitennou had last given him any advice. He had overlooked that they suffered great pain as the heart wrenching memories of the past flooded their brains upon their resurrection. He should have known, but he had neglected it for a split second.

That carelessness alone greatly annoyed his platinum-haired friend.

Kunzite glared daggers at the men in the room. His handsome features were masked by the infuriated expression he wore. He was a man who normally bore no obvious emotions. Few had seen his soft side, let alone the barest hint of a smile. If any did, it was merely a mock image, most likely a hallucination. People had become so accustomed to his emotionless exterior they had given him the nickname of 'The Ice King'. There was no reason for him to set aside his harsh façade if he were one of the shitennou of Crystal Tokyo.

As a man of high rank, his loyalty lied mainly to both his king and kingdom. Nothing ever came before his duty to his liege. Not family, temptation, or even love – something everyone craved. He knew by heart any negligence could easily jeopardize the prosperous kingdom established by his king and queen, that which had been achieved through immense loss and bloodshed.

The Silver Millennium had taught him a critical lesson about that.

While he was recovering in Elysian, Kunzite had pledged to himself not to let history repeat itself. The blow of the past had a strong impact on all the children of the Silver Millennium. His precious beloved especially blamed it on herself; regardless of the words of comfort he had given her. He did not entertain the thought of being separated from her again. Not when she was beginning to accept him in this lifetime.

On his arrival, Kunzite had repented his sins and other wrong doings he had committed while he was under Beryl's command. The senshi doubted the authenticity of his vow but Neo-Queen Serenity had overruled their mistrust by making Kunzite and his fellow shitennou promise to perform any task required by the court.

Endymion, his liege and friend, however, was asking too much of him.

"I will not play charade for you again, my lord," Kunzite stated simply, his tone calm but lethal. "You have ascended the throne as king. There is none in the entire universe who does not know of your appearance. You should be capable of taking your responsibilities by now."

Endymion tried to force a smile on his face. It had always been tough to reason with a scowling Kunzite. He looked at his three other advisors and devoted friends, pleadingly, but to no avail. They knew Kunzite too well to trigger another verbal spar. He could barely be controlled when he was furious. Anyone who dared messing with him always ended in a horrible state. He would never listen to anyone, except…

"I understand, Kunzite, but Serenity and I wish for a break. We have not had the time to relax since the construction of Crystal Tokyo began. Our ascending the thrones even made matter worse," Endymion lied matter-of-factly. "If you would put up this charade for us, Serenity and I would be eternally thankful. You can also make use of this opportunity to get to know Mina-chan better..."

At the mention of his lover's name, Kunzite's anger faded temporarily. The thought of her melted his fury to sadness. His brows knitted close, his body went stiff. When it hit him what his king was asking of him, he exploded in a frenetic fury.

"DO NOT DRAG MINAKO INTO THIS!" Kunzite bellowed, his eyes flashing in anger. "The lady has enough to worry about. She does not have to be involved in another task until she was through."

"Kunzite, please listen..."

Kunzite interrupted before Endymion could continue. "My decision is firm, my king. I sworn my loyalty to you, but I refuse to do anything beyond my vow. May the Gracious bless you a splendid evening. Humbly take my leave."

Before the ebony haired king could protest, Kunzite had slammed the door right in front of his face when the flustered monarch attempted to follow him. Endymion could not understand his friend's unusual strict behaviour. Kunzite would normally listen to his pleas or offer close advice. He could not recall any similar incident of getting denied by his closest friend. None at all.

The remaining shitennou sneaked a glance at one another before breathing a sigh of relief in unison. They had been wanting for this moment to come as soon as the meeting was over. Knowing Kunzite, he was the last person to irritate unless anyone was in search of a ruthless death.

Then again, there was always the presence of a careless, daring individual amongst a group of the wisest men.

"What's wrong with the ice prick? He needn't have to be so mean to Endymion," blond-haired Jadeite wondered out loud. He was the closest to his king after Kunzite.

"Ask the Lady Venus and you will know, Jadeite," Nephrite, the stargazer and conciliator, replied and gave his temples a massage. Jadeite's occasional forgetfulness had begun to irate him. "The stars would not tell me any more than that."

"You forfeit your life should you dare pester Serenity's best friend. She warns not to disturb the court, particularly Minako," Endymion explained in a troubled tone. "I know the girls must be up to something, only they will not let us know. 'Time is not ripe', as they say." He shrugged, sinking onto the nearest chair to deduce a better solution.

The last and youngest shitennou, Zoisite, sighed heavily. "Then I pray someone will reveal it to us soon. I cannot put up with Kunzite's unsteady temper any longer. One day he will blow up the whole palace ― or worse, Crystal Tokyo ― if no one should put a stop to him. Like, now."

~ North Wing, in the House of Venus ~

Minako hummed an enchanting tune to herself as she combed her long mane. She studied her nude reflection in the full-length mirror and grinned, acknowledging her perfect body. Artemis was right; she was the image of perfection herself. Each day she resembled the Goddess of Love and Beauty, Venus, more.

Her angelic appearance was more than enough to capture any man who dared look her in the eyes. With her lengthy, silky golden locks, a tanned, well-trained figure that was curved in all the right places, and her unexpectedly long and slender limbs, few men had managed to resist the alluring essence of hers. There had not been any exception as soon as Crystal Tokyo was established.

"It was also this body which melted the ice in his heart," she often added silently to herself.

The thought of her lover brought an exquisite smile to her lips. At that time the shitennou entered the antechamber, she was not convinced if Kunzite still loved her. Or did he forgive her for killing him. He had shown indifference to his surroundings, including to her. He kept his distance and acted as though there were nothing between them when he pledged to serve the kingdom.

Minako was, thus, convinced that her longing for him body and soul did not imply Kunzite feel the same way. All her worries were only washed away when he escorted her back to her chambers after dinner that night.

She remembered what happened vividly. The happiness and surprise she felt when Kunzite confessed he desired her forgiveness more than acceptance from the others. The almost forgotten sensation when their lips first met after a thousand years. His aggressive but passionate movements when he made love to her that fateful night…

A loud, abrupt opening of her door woke Minako out of her reverie. She immediately grabbed her robe and spun around in defence. Her long years as senshi woke up the warrior instincts in her, preparing her to fight the intruder. Finding no one but Kunzite, she slackened her guard and sashayed towards him.

Kunzite caught his breath when Minako drew closer. He had not seen her for weeks. His heart ached to touch her and hold her tightly in his arms. He had had women before meeting her but he had never missed them. Nor did he care. Minako had successfully changed that and stolen a special place in his heart. She was a trophy to him, a trophy he would give anything to gain.

When she was barely a foot from him, Kunzite dove into her arms, burying his head in her hair. His sudden behaviour alarmed her but he soon found himself lost in her tender caresses on his back. She was trying to calm him like a mother comforting her scared, weeping child.

He thought he heard a sigh escaping her. Standing tall, he tenderly enfolded her into a close embrace. He spoke directly into her hair. "What is troubling you, little princess?"

Minako closed her eyes and leaned against his solid chest, listening to the regular rhythm of his heartbeat. "You are," she paused. "Troubles with your liege?"

Kunzite lifted her chin and looked into her cornflower blue eyes with a sad smile. "Is it impossible for me to hide anything from you?"

"You have bounded your soul to mine. I can almost read your thoughts," she touched his cheek and frowned. "Is he demanding for a charade again?"

Kunzite kissed her palm and guided her to the bed. He pulled her down with him gently, while she fitted her way into his strong arms. He wrapped one arm possessively across her shoulders, his other hand twirling her hair. "You know Endymion," he stated simply. "His requests can be unreasonable. Immature, and most definitely selfish. Just like a child, if I could say that."

Minako giggled softly at his confession. She pulled slightly apart to take a better look at him. "Because 'we never grow up' as you shitennou are always saying about us," she commented. "We may be thousands of years old, but in the insides, we retain the playful and selfish characteristics of our younger days. We…"

Her remarks were cut off by his unexpected kiss when Kunzite lowered his head to seal their lips together. He rolled her onto her back, his muscular body pushing her down with the silken mattresses of the bed.

Minako opened her mouth to him, returning his hungry kisses. It had been a while she had felt his lush, sensual lips on hers. She found herself losing control when his skilled tongue traced the insides of her mouth. She knew where this would lead to and she wanted him to finish it.

She encircled her arms around his neck. One hand groped its way in his silvery curls, the other stroking his back lovingly. She bent her exposed legs and rested her feet at the edge of the bed. Her bare thigh brushed across his clothed leg inadvertently, sending a shiver to run down his spine.

Kunzite abruptly broke their kiss apart. Minako arched her partially naked body against his in disapproval. His vision blackened briefly as he pulled himself up to study his lover. Her hair fanned around her creating a golden mess. A few strands had escaped and found their way onto her bare shoulders. Her normally pale face flushed baby pink from the long kiss, with her swollen lips open, inhaling deep gasps of breath. Her robe was loosened, revealing creamy shoulders and half breasts to him. He could feel himself getting hard at the sight of her.

Then he noticed her reddened heaving chest. He immediately regretted for crushing her too hard onto the bed. He knew his weight could have ruptured her ribs. The rage from the meeting had not yet completely faded. Slowly, he disentangled her arms and sat at the edge of the bed, with his back facing her.

Kunzite was puzzled and aggravated, disgusted at what he had just done. He did not know why he was seizing his anger on his precious Minako. He knew he wanted her, but he had not expected himself to abuse her. He lowered his head in his hands and began to blame himself.

In his state of self-loathing, Kunzite felt Minako leave the bed and away from him. He heard the closing of the door, convinced that she must be disappointed in him. When he looked up, Minako stood in front of him, her robe untied. She slowly slid the garment off her delicate form with grace, all the while staring at him with harsh, piercing blue eyes.

"Do you not want me, Kunzite?" she asked brusquely.

When he gave no reply, Minako slapped him, hard, across the face. It came as a total surprise to Kunzite. He knew she must be damn furious but he had not known she was going to be hard on him. He tried to search her face but she would not look at him.

Her voice shook when she addressed him. "You disappoint me, General."