Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ All's Fair in Love and War ❯ Talks, Weddings, and Invitations ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Venus leaned lazily on the balcony of her room, gazing up into the starry expanses. A small breeze came by and caressed the young woman's face. She smiled as there came a soft knock on her door. She quickly walked over and opened it, allowing her visitor to come in, and then locked the door silently. She turned, and his arms slipped around her waist, his lips coming down to claim hers. She smiled against the kiss and allowed him to take his time, wrapping her arms around his neck.

When he finally pulled away, he had a grin on his face. "Mmmm, can I always expect a nice welcome like that?" he asked in a husky voice, and she giggled.

"If you deserve it, I don't see why not," she said, and chuckled as his face took on a mock look of shock.

"How could I not deserve it?" he asked, but couldn't keep the fake face on and it slowly melted into a smile as she claimed his lips again. When they came apart, she led him to the balcony. He stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her shoulders, her hands on top of his. He buried his nose in her hair breathing in the feminine smell.

She sighed, and then chuckled. "You know, it's kind of funny," she said.

"What's funny?" he asked.

"Kino, that's what's funny."

He kissed her cheek. "Why is he funny?" he asked.

"Well think about it. He only came back today after five years, and he already noticed that there is something going on between us. Everyone else that has been with us the past five years has not even gotten a clue," she said.

He squeezed her tighter. "What makes you think that he might have guessed at something?" he asked, a mixture of amusement and panic in his voice.

She leaned into him a little more. "Oh come on, you saw the glint in his eyes when he asked if there was something going on with us," she said.

Mercury chuckled. "He could have just been asking if we each had found someone separately," he suggested, but even he didn't believe that.

She smiled as she leaned into his embrace still further and felt his breath on her neck. "I don't think so. He's smart. I think that perhaps the change between us has been so gradual that no one noticed, just like you don't notice how much someone is growing if you're with them all the time," she said, "and in the same way Kino came back and noticed that something was different."

Mercury nodded as be buried his face in her neck, and began gently kissing it. "I don't think that he would care if he did know for sure," he said in-between kisses. "We can always ask him not to mention anything to anyone. I think he would understand."

She sighed as she turned around, his arms still around her. "I think you're right. Kino is a good man," she said as she ran her hand up into Mercury's hair, and then down his face. She smiled to herself as she thought of Kino's heart when he and Selenity had returned from their first dance, and for the remainder of the evening. She could see that they both had feelings stirred up in their hearts. I'll have to talk to Selenity about her side of the emotions later, she though.

Mercury leaned his cheek into her caress, and then turned his face to kiss the palm of her hand. "I'm just glad that he can't see into peoples hearts like my family," she added.

Mercury looked down at her and gave her a crooked grin. "I still think it's not fair that anyone can do it, especially you," he kissed her forehead, "it's not fair that you can so easily see how much I care for you, and I can't see what you're feeling."

She smirked. "Well, I suppose I'll have to show you then," she said, and kissed him deeply. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off her feet, causing a giggle to come from her. He chuckled through the kiss, and set her back down. He leaned over and picked her up, and carried her to the bed.

"Go ahead then, show me," was all he said.

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Kino stayed another two days afterward, and then left along with Jupiter, Hera, Paris and Helen. On the evening of their departure, Venus slipped into Selenity's room after everyone had retired.

"Venus, what can help you with?" Selenity asked cheerfully when she saw her friend enter the room.

Venus smiled as she closed the door behind her. "Nothing. I just wanted to see if you wanted to talk for a while."

Selenity smiled. "I'm always ready for a talk," she said, and plopped down on her bed.

Venus came over and motioned for Selenity to lay down on her stomach. Selenity complied, and Venus brought a brush over and began undoing the princess' hair. Selenity gave a sigh of contentment as Venus began running the brush through her hair.

"It was so nice that Kino could stay for a few days," Venus commented, wanting to get on the topic of Kino as quickly as possible. She felt a tingle bubble up in Selenity's heart and smiled to herself, knowing she had hit the right nerve.

"Yes, it was nice," Selenity said, "after all, it was nice to catch up with him since he's been gone so long."

Venus nodded. "Yes, it was. But you kept in touch with him with letters, as did Jupiter, so I suppose not too much of his news was new to you."

Selenity sighed and nodded her head gently so as to not disturb Venus' brushing. "You're right, but some of it from the last seven weeks was new."

"I'm surprised that he didn't find any love interest while he was gone," Venus said, and was satisfied to feel a tinge of fear mixed with jealousy in Selenity's heart.

"Well, I suppose that none of the women he met were what he was looking for."

"Or maybe he had already found someone here at home," Venus suggested, and felt Selenity tense a little.

"You think so?" she asked. "He hasn't mentioned anyone."

"True. I know that" Venus said, and then smiled, "I know that he didn't have anyone in mind when he left. But perhaps since he has returned…" she let her sentence trail off.

Selenity opened her eyes. "Did you see his heart fall for someone?" she asked, and rolled her eyes as Venus chuckled. "No wait, never mind, I know what you're about to say, 'I can't share the matters of another's heart with you without their permission,' so you don't have to say it."

Venus smiled as she continued stroking Selenity's hair. "True, very true, you know me too well. However, when it comes to your heart, I am free to speak." Venus could not see Selenity's face, but if she could have, she would have seen the princess' face take on a new shade of pink. "So, is there anything that you wish to discuss?" she asked cheekily.

Selenity giggled nervously. "Y-you already know Venus, so what's the point of asking?" she said. "I-I may have some new feelings…but nothing serious," she added.

Venus laughed. "Selenity, you know that you can't hide anything from me," she said.

"I know that. Ok, fine, maybe I do have some feelings of….affection towards Kino. Come on Venus, he's been one of my best friends since we were babies, and now that he's returned, I'm just really happy to see him. Besides, it's not like he changed for the worse while he was gone. He's become quite…" Selenity let the sentence trail for a brief second.

"Quite handsome, charming, courteous, confident, good-hearted, funny, sweet…..need I go on?" Venus asked cheekily.

Selenity giggled. "You took the words right out of my mouth," then she sighed, "I'm not getting my hopes up though. He…he probably still sees me as a child, and could never think of my as anything else," she said a little wistfully.

Venus rolled her eyes a little. Sometimes I really wish I didn't have to wait to be Queen to be able to discuss others feelings, she thought with a hint of frustration. "Who knows Selenity," she finally said.

"You know!" Selenity pointed out, which caused Venus to smile.

"Yes, I do know. But you know that…" Selenity cut her off.

"'But I can't discuss the matters of another's heart without their permission,' I know, I know," she sighed. From the hints that Venus had dropped, she was pretty sure that Kino did have an interest in someone, and she was determined to figure out who it was. She didn't know how yet, but somehow.

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It was a month and a half before Selenity saw Kino again. They all came to Earth to witness the wedding between Helen and Paris. The ceremony itself was beautiful, occurring on the banks of a lake, and not in the palace. The weather was beautiful, but Helen was the most captivating creature of the whole day. Her gown was white with green embroider ivy accenting it. It seemed that Paris could not have looked happier.

The banquet that followed the wedding was splendid. By the time that everyone was done eating and the dancing started up, the air was filled with mirth and laughter.

"I think that there are more people here than there were at our wedding," Jupiter commented to his wife as they made their way across the dance floor in a spirited dance. She laughed, but said nothing. Jupiter looked down at Hera lovingly. "You know, you've had an odd smile on your face for the past few days," he commented, "Care to share why?"

Hera smiled, her eyes twinkling. "What makes you think that I have something to tell? Can't I smile just because I'm happy that I am married to such and amazing man?" she asked innocently. Jupiter chuckled as he placed a kiss on top of Hera's forehead.

Mars was dancing close by with Selenity. "You know, I'm surprised that it took them this long to be married," Mars commented, and Selenity smiled.

"I don't think that it's a bad thing, but I know what you mean, we've all been expecting it for such a long time." Mars nodded his head at her comment as the music came to an end.

They parted, and Mars gave Selenity a bow. "Thank you for the pleasure of that dance," he said, a smirk on his lips.

Selenity brought her hand up to her mouth and tried to suppress a laugh. "The pleasure was all mine," she said as he straitened up, a grin on his face. She gazed around the room until she spotted Paris and Helen sitting at one of the tables, talking with Venus and Kino. "Come on, I would like to go and talk to Paris and Helen. I've barely been able to speak to them since last night." Mars nodded and walked with Selenity to the table.

Helen looked up when she noticed the two approaching. "Selenity, Mars!" she exclaimed, "Are you two enjoying yourselves?" she asked, a smile glued to her face.

Mars nodded his head along with Selenity. "We're having a wonderful time. You planned this well," Selenity said, making Helen beam even more. Kino stood up and held a chair for Selenity to sit in, and Mars took a spot next to where Paris was sitting so that he was between Kino and Paris. Selenity found herself between Helen and Venus, with Kino on the other side of Venus.

"So, are you two excited about your honeymoon?" Mars asked.

Helen bushed and Paris masked his smile with a cough. "Yes, we're very excited about our trip. I'm sure that the scenery will be beautiful," he finally said, laying his hand on top of Helen's. Everyone chuckled at the couple's apparent embarrassment.

Mercury, Jupiter and Hera took that opportunity to walk up to the group. Once room was made, all of them sat around the table. Venus perked up. "Oh right, just before you all arrived, Kino was saying how he would like to invite us to his kingdom," she said, and then looked at Kino for him to continue.

Kino cleared his throat and nodded his head as everyone's eyes turned to stare at him. "Yes, that's right. In a month I wanted to invite you all for a three-week stay. We haven't all been together for more than a few days, so I thought that this would be a good time for us to catch up and for you all to come and visit," he said.

Helen smiled. "That would be wonderful Kino. We'll just be returning from our honeymoon so that would be perfect!" Paris nodded his head in agreement. Mercury looked a little forlorn.

"I'm afraid that I won't be able to make it Kino, I'm really sorry. I'm supposed to go with father to see some distant relatives, and I won't be able to get out of it," he said sadly.

Kino smiled at him. "That's ok, don't worry about it. It will be sad not to have you there though," Mercury nodded, and looked at Venus.

"I won't be able to make it either Kino. In two weeks I have to go through one of my training sessions with mother, and it's going to last a month this time." Kino nodded and looked to Mars.

"I would be more than happy to come," Mars said, and Kino smiled.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it," he said.

"I think that mama will let me go, I don't think that she has anything terribly important planned for me for the next while," Selenity said. Venus smiled to herself as she felt Kino's heart leap. He smiled at Selenity, causing her to blush. No one noticed though, other than Venus.

"We should be able to make it," Jupiter said, but stopped as he looked at Hera who was shaking her head.

"I'm sorry Kino, but it won't be possible. I'm afraid I'm not going to be up to any travelling in the next while," she said, and everyone looked at her curiously, including Jupiter.

"Why ever not?" Jupiter asked.

Hera gave him a small smile. "Jupiter, you know that there are times when I can't travel," she said sweetly, as if she were prompting him to find the answer. He still seemed oblivious though.

"Yes, but that was only when you were pregnant…"he stopped as soon as the words were out his mouth, and Hera's smile grew. All the men around the table started to laugh and the girls began 'awww-ing' at Hera as Jupiter sat there open mouthed, as though he was still trying to put things together in his head.

Paris clapped him on the shoulder. "Congratulations Jupiter, you did it again!"

Kino chuckled. "At least we can see that you two are still in love," he joked.

Jupiter's open mouth transformed into a lopsided grin as he took his wife's hand and kissed it tenderly. His eyes were shining as he looked up at her. "You should have told me," he said, as his voice cracked.

She smiled. "I know. But you know now." They smiled at each other for a moment before a cough from Mars brought their attention back to the group. Both blushed and smiled.

"So how long?" Helen asked eagerly.

Jupiter laughed. "It looks like it's your turn next Paris," he said good-heartedly, which caused Paris to swallow hard, creating another round of laughter among the people surrounding the table.

Hera smiled at Helen. "I think about seven and a half more months or so," she said and Helen nodded, her cheeks still crimson. As they all laughed again, Selenity noticed her brother approach the table cautiously. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, gaining some confidence.

"Come, let's dance." Paris said to Helen and stood up. As they walked away, Selenity's brother reached them. Selenity noticed that Mercury had been about to get up, but stopped himself as the young man approached. They all exchanged greetings, and then the young prince turned to Venus.

"W-would you honour me with a dance, Lady Venus?" he asked, a little shakily.

Selenity raised her eyebrows in amusement, since he was usually confident and poised. Venus gave him one of her dazzling smiles and stood up, accepting his hand. He seemed almost relieved as he led her out to the dance floor. Kino noticed that Mercury looked a little disappointed, but said nothing. Instead, he himself got up and looked at Selenity.

"Would you like to dance too?" he asked, and felt his heart race as she smiled at him and nodded her head. She got up and he led her to the dance floor, leaving everyone else at the table sitting out the song.

"I'm looking forward to coming to visit you Kino. It's been so long since I visited, and I feel like I have not seen your father in ages," she said as they moved gracefully across the dance floor.

Kino nodded his head in agreement. "He's looking forward to see you, as well as everyone else. He was actually the one who suggested I invite you all for three weeks." His father liked his friends, and was more than happy to accommodate them.

Selenity smiled up at him. She loved the way that he smiled back, the way his blue eyes seemed to sparkle, the way his dark brown hair spilled around his forehead and framed his face. She smiled to herself as she noticed the faint dusting of freckles across his nose, which had faded a bit since his childhood. His features always expressed warmth and friendliness, and she was surprised how much at ease she always felt around him.

He studied her as well, drinking in everything he could about her. He didn't know why, but something about her, the way she moved, the way she spoke, the way she laughed, that drew him to her. He had met many women in his life, especially in the years that he was gone, but none of them struck him as elegant as the creature he was dancing with. Granted, he thought to himself, her mother raised her to be a Queen.

The song ended, and both realized that they had been staring at the other, and commenced blushing. They walked back to the small group around the table, but before they got within sight, the music started up again. Kino paused mid-step and looked at Selenity. Without a word, he extended his hand to her, which she accepted, and they stepped onto the dance floor once more.