Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ All's Fair in Love and War ❯ Kinotsu's Kingdom ( Chapter 8 )

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

The formal greeting were finally over, and the group retired to the library. Kino's father had been thrilled to see them, but everyone was happy to get away from the formalities. Kino ordered tea to be brought into the library and then he shut the door on the outside world.

"Ahh, now we can all relax," Lord Takahashi said. He motioned for everyone to take a seat, and then took a chair near the fireplace.

"It was so kind of you to invite us Lord Takahashi," Helen said once everyone was settled.

He smiled at her. "It has been too long since I have seen all of you Helen. I was sorely disappointed that everyone could not make it, but I am glad that all of you could at least." He then turned to look at Hera and Jupiter. "I was surprised as well as pleased when you two decided to come as well. Kino told me at first that you would not be able to come due to your condition. I give my congratulations to you."

Hera smiled warmly at Lord Takahashi. "Thank you my lord. I spoke with the doctor right after Kino extended his invitation, and he told me it was still alright for me to travel." Jupiter looked tenderly at his wife, who had her hands resting on her stomach. Lord Takahashi smiled at the two, and then turned to Mars. "I have heard rumours that your father is planning another conquest. Is that true?"

Mars nodded his head. "Yes. He has been planning his new campaign for quite some time now, and I think that he will be carrying it through soon." Lord Takahashi nodded his head thoughtfully.

"Will you be going too this time?" Paris asked Mars, who nodded his head.

"Yes, father would like me to go along, at least for a while," he said. "It shouldn't be a long campaign though. There is a small moon next to one of the planets that father already occupies. They have been starting small rebellions, but it should not be too difficult to settle."

Selenity sighed. "You know, your father has been involved in more wars and campaigns in the past eight years than all the rest of the planets in our solar system combined."

Mars chuckled. "I think you're over-exaggerating a little bit Selenity. Father has not participated in that many wars. Some of them just lasted longer than others." Selenity sighed at the comments but said nothing, not wanting to start up the same argument she had with him every so often.

Jupiter looked at Mars. "I don't know Mars, I think that Selenity's statement isn't too far from the truth." Mars looked like he wanted to shoot back a comment, but Helen changed the subject quickly.

"Come now, let's not sour the mood with talks of war. There must be a more pleasant topic which we can turn to." Everyone nodded their heads in agreement to this.

Kino looked at Paris and Helen. "You two could tell us about how your honeymoon went," he suggested, which made the young couple blush.

"Yes, I suppose that I have not given you two congratulations yet," Lord Takahashi said, "Kinotsu tells me that the wedding was quite and event."

Helen smiled. "We wanted a smaller wedding originally, but once we sat down to make a list of the people we wanted to invite, the list grew larger than we originally thought it would." She looked at Lord Takahashi, "We were sorry that we could not see you there my Lord."

Lord Takahashi gave her an apologetic smile. "I wish I could have been there, but unfortunately we had some delegates here at the time and it was impossible for me to leave." Helen nodded her head in understanding.

Paris put his arm around his wife's shoulders. "I'm happy that we were able to see as many people there as we did," he said.

"Weddings are always wonderful events for people to meet and for old acquaintances to catch up," Lord Takahashi commented.

Everyone in the room turned to the door when there was a knock. "Enter," came Lord Takahashi's strong voice. The door opened, and three maids entered bearing trays with tea and teacups, followed by a man the group had been introduced to earlier as being the king's advisor. The maids went to the main table and began pouring tea while the man came over to Lord Takahashi.

"My Lord, I am very sorry to disturb you, but a message just arrived for you," he said as he handed a letter to Lord Takahashi. He accepted it, and quickly skimmed its contents. He looked up at the small group apologetically.

"You will have to excuse me, but this is somewhat urgent," he looked to Kino, "I'm sure that my son will not mind taking my place as host for the remainder of the evening." Kino smiled up at his father and nodded his head. "Very well. I will see you all in the morning at breakfast." He then turned to the man who had brought him the message. "Let's go Artemis," and with that the two men left the room.

Kino looked back at Helen and Paris and smirked. "You two have still not told us how your honeymoon went." Helen shot him a glare, and Paris grinned.

"It was nice," Paris said, "we really enjoyed it. It was actually very relaxing."

Jupiter chuckled at the comment. "I would have thought that you would come back exhausted," he commented, causing both Helen and Paris to blush strongly. Paris had a silly grin on his face and Helen was trying hard not to giggle.

"No, it was relaxing. We didn't have to worry about anything the whole time." Helen said.

Paris arched his eyebrows. "Besides Jupiter, what do you mean? Why would you think that it should have been exhausting?" he asked slyly.

Jupiter smiled. "Well, I should think that you two spent a lot of time…. in each others company, no?" Helen caught on to what Paris was doing, so she smiled sweetly at Jupiter.

Selenity looked at them. "Yes, they probably did spend a lot of time in each others company. Why should that not be relaxing?"

Mars looked at her uneasily. "Well, you know…." he let the sentence trail off. Kino noticed Selenity's confusion and chuckled.

Hera noticed too, and she noticed Kino chuckle. "Come on Paris, remember, there are still three here who shouldn't have a clue what we're talking about."

Jupiter nodded his head and put his arm around his wife. "You're right my dear. We shouldn't confuse them."

Mars shot him a look. "You know, we don't have to be married to know what you're talking about-" he paused and blushed, realizing that he had just revealed a part of his personal life that he didn't like to talk about. Kino, Jupiter and Paris began to laugh, while Hera and Helen hid their smiles behind their hands. Selenity still looked from one person to the next, obvious confusion streaking her young face.

Kino looked at her and mouthed, "I'll explain later." She nodded her head. After this the conversation wandered around many topics. Within about an hour, Helen and Hera were off in their own little world talking about weddings and babies, and Jupiter, Paris and Mars were having the debate about war that Helen had prevented earlier.

Kino came over and sat down beside Selenity. She looked up into his eyes. "It feels so nice to be here again Kino. Everything is just like it used to be. Even your father looks like he has not changed."

Kino chuckled. "Well, he thinks young so he seems young I guess," he said.

"You look like you have aged more than him," She noted.

"Oh, do I really look that old?" he asked, a teasing tone in his voice.

"No, it's not that. It's just that he looks like he has not changed in the six years I have not seen him. You on the other hand look very different that you did five years ago."

"Have I really changed that much?"

"Kind of. You've let your hair grow longer, and you're taller. You…you look more like a man than a boy," she concluded, and blushed. Kino noticed, but couldn't understand it.

"I think that you've changed more than me, Tenshi. You've changed for the better."

Selenity looked at him with a surprised look on her face. "You've changed for the better too Kino! You look more handsome now than you did five years-" she paused, a bright crimson color illuminating her pale face. "I-I mean…. it’s not that…. what I meant was…."

Kino smiled, feeling his own cheeks warm up. "You look more beautiful than you did five years ago too, Tenshi," he said. She stopped babbling and stared at him. He could see the innocence in her eyes. He wanted to reach out and stroke her smooth, pale skin, and he felt his mouth go dry at the thought. "Tenshi, I-" he was cut off by Helen's voice.

"Selenity, what do you think. Will it be a boy or girl?" Both Selenity and Kino looked over to the two women, both happy and disappointed for the distraction.

"I-I don't know, it's hard to tell," she replied.

Helen sighed. "I agree with Jupiter, I think it's going to be a girl this time around. Hera seems to think that it's going to be another boy though."

Hera smiled at Helen. "I don't know why, and I'm not saying that it's going to be a boy for sure. It's just a feeling that I have."

Selenity smiled. "Well, Hera was right last time, so I would place my bets on it being a boy," she finally said. Hera nodded her head and smiled.

Kino laughed at the conversation, causing all three women to look at him. "What is so funny Kinotsu?" Selenity asked her voice having a tone of shock.

He looked from one woman to the next, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Does it really matter if it is a boy or girl?" he asked.

Hera gave him a thoughtful smile. "No, it doesn't matter if it is a boy or girl. We're just speculating." Kino nodded his head.

It wasn't until way past midnight that the group decided to retire. Kino called for torches and they ascended the staircase and followed a series of hallways to where their rooms were located. A servant walked each group to their room, and Kino led Selenity to hers. At the door, they stopped.

"Kino, you promised that you would explain to me why everyone was laughing earlier." Kino blushed a little, not really sure how to explain it to her, not knowing how much she already understood about…. that.

"Well, what did you think that they were talking about?" he asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders. " I really don't know, I thought that they were talking about Helen and Paris relaxing on their honeymoon," she said quite sincerely.

Kino nodded his head. "Well, they were. Ummm…. what do you know about what two people in love do once they are married?" he asked a little cautiously. He noted that she blushed a little

"I-I know that they spend much more time together and that they…. well, you know….sleep together…" she paused. "Is that what they were talking about?" She asked, feeling her cheeks flare up.

He nodded and smiled. "Yeah, that's what they were talking about. That's why Hera wanted to switch the subject. Although Mars seems to know about the subject enough already," he said and rolled his eyes at the last comment.

She looked up at him with a surprised look on her face. "You mean that Mars has…” Kino looked at her and nodded, a small smirk on his face.

"Yes, Mars has enjoyed…. the company of women," he said, noting an odd expression on Selenity's face. She looked at him, seeming a little embarrassed.

"Kino…h-have you…." she paused, "Have you enjoyed the company of women?" she finally asked, and looked down at her feet, her cheeks burning. There was a moment of silence, and the she felt his fingers on her chin as he tilted her face up to look at him.

"No, Tenshi," he said, "I have not enjoyed the company of women. At least not in the same way as Mars has." The corners of her lips twitched into a smile.

"Have…. have you ever been in love with a woman?" she asked him. He was thrown back by the question a little. Before he had a chance to even think about the question, his mouth was already blurting out an answer.

"Yes," was all he said. He gazed at her face, the glow of the torchlight illuminating her features, making her eyes shine with an inward glow. She opened her mouth to say something, but the sound of someone approaching stopped her as she looked in the direction of the sound. He did too and saw one of the servants with a torch rounding a corner, heading towards them. Kino sighed, and looked back down at Selenity.

"Sleep well," he murmured. She nodded her head and quietly slipped into her room. Kino stood there for a moment, before turning around and walking to where the servant was. His hands were trembling as he walked down the hallways to his own chamber. Once in the safety and privacy of his own room, he sat down on his bed and let his mind go free.

Why did I answer yes right away? I didn't meet someone while I was gone. He sighed as he fell backwards onto his bed and looked up at the dark ceiling, a small smile creeping onto his lips.

I didn't have to meet her. I already know her. He grinned, knowing that the very woman who had asked him the question, was the one he had fallen in love with. If only you knew….