Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ All's Fair in Love and War ❯ Torn Apart ( Chapter 16 )

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

She sealed the envelope, and headed to the door where the messenger was waiting. He bowed to her when she came out. As he straightened up, she handed him the envelope.

"You are to give this to one but Prince Kinotsu. I have already given you the funds. Go as fast as you can with as few stops as you can handle. Understand?"

"Yes, my Lady," the man said, and with that he left. She sighed as she turned around and headed back into the room. The door closed softly behind her with a gentle click. As soon as she sank down onto the bed, there was a soft knock on the door. She groaned and got up, ready to welcome any visitor.

"Come in," she said. The door opened, and Mercury poked his head in. She smiled, and motioned that the coast was clear. He slipped in the door and closed it behind him, turning the key in the lock. She smiled as she came over to him, and slipped her arms around his neck. He smiled down at her as his arms snaked around her waist.

"It's so good to see you again," he murmured to her. She smiled up at him and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"It's wonderful to see you," she murmured back. He pulled her in closer and wrapped his arms around her tightly. She sighed, breathing in his clean smell. It reminded her of clean rain on the earth, mixed with cold ice. She sighed, and slowly pulled away.

"You're tense," he said to her, and pulled her over to the bed, and she didn't protest. She lay down and he started to massage her back, slowly, but with strong hands. She gave a deep sigh, enjoying the attention. "So, what's the latest on the Kino/Selenity issue?" he asked.

She turned her face a little to the side so that she could talk. "Selenity sent Kino a letter telling him that she didn't love him."

"What, why?" he asked, a little shocked. He moved his hands to her neck and shoulders.

"Her mother isn't allowing her to marry him. So Selenity wanted to soften the blow by making it easy for him to find someone else," she replied. He hit a spot between her shoulder blades, causing her to moan. He smiled, but that smile quickly turned into a frown.

"She can't do something like that. It would hurt Kino anyway."

Venus nodded her head slightly. "I know. It just doesn't work that way, those two needs to be together. I sent Kino a letter today as well, trying to straighten everything out." She sucked her breath in sharply when he hit a nerve just below her left shoulder blade.

"What did you tell him?" he asked. She told him exactly what she had written. He sighed. "So Selenity is promised to Mars…Knowing him, he's not going to let her go without a fight, even if just to spite Kino."

"Why do you think so?" she asked, raising her head a little. He pushed her head down again and kept on going.

"Well, he and Kino have always been in competition. It's never been serious, but you know how much Mars hates to lose. He won't give up something that he believes should be his."

Venus sighed. "You think so? Do you think that he would try to fight for her just to spite Kino?"

She felt his hands pause their massaging before he resumed and spoke. "I don't know. I suppose not. It's too big of an issue. But maybe because of that he would not step down easily."

Venus sighed, and arched her back up into his strong hands. "I hope that you're wrong about that. It won't help if Mars is also against Kino and Selenity. We're going to need his help to make this work."

Mercury nodded his head as his hands glided over her hips. "I hope I'm wrong too," he said. Venus turned onto her side so that she was facing him and propped herself up on her elbow. He stared down into her eyes, her features etched with worry.

"For now all we can do is hope that things will turn out for the better. Otherwise, it's Kino's move now, and we have to wait for him to reply."

Mercury nodded. "So we can't really expect an answer in less than three weeks," he concluded.

"Perhaps a little sooner than that. I sent my messenger just minutes before you came, and I told him to go without stopping if possible. I'm hoping that his letter will arrive at the same time or soon after Selenity's. She sent hers about four days ago. I would have written it yesterday when I was still on the moon in the morning, but she would have found out. The rest of yesterday and most of today was spent traveling, so there was not much I could do until now."

Mercury kissed her gently on the forehead. "You're a good friend to her. You've done all that you can up to this point."

Venus chuckled. "I just hope that Selenity does not murder me for sending a letter to counteract hers. She specifically ordered me not to go and speak with Kino about the matter. She never said that I could not write him a letter, but it was implied."

Mercury chuckled too. "I don't think that you have to worry. Your strength is in dealing with love, remember? You usually have good judgment on these things."

She smiled at him. "Thank you. But if I'm so good-" she leaned up and pecked him on the lips, "-then why are you not 'loving' me yet?"

Mercury gave her a lopsided grin as he leaned over and captured her lips in his. When he pulled away, he gazed down at her. "Because," he said, "I thought that women liked it if we men listen to them. Besides," he nibbled at her ear lobe, "do you think that the massage was not my way of starting to seduce you?"

Venus giggled and blushed. "Oh really?" she asked teasingly.

He smirked at her. "Well, I got you to be impatient for me, didn't I?"

Venus blushed, and brought her hand to the back of his head. "You're not allowed learning from me anymore," she whispered as she pulled his head down for another kiss. He growled deep in his throat as he straightened his back and leaned over her more, causing her to fall onto her back. He pulled back from the kiss and gazed down at her. Her hair fanned out around her head like a golden glow, shimmering in the candlelight. Her lips curled into a smile that said she knew what was coming, and he couldn't resist taking them into a kiss again.

She still had one hand on the back of his head, and the other lay limply on the bed. He brought his hand up from her waist to her arm to her shoulder, and started to slip the yellow dress from her. His fingers glided over her smooth skin, teasing and caressing. She felt him tremble a little, and smirked against the kiss, satisfied that she still had such an effect on him.

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They lay together, entwined in each others arms. She rested her back against his chest, and his arms were wrapped around her slender waist. She held his hands in hers, studying them. He shifted a little and pulled her in closer, and then he heard her sigh.

"What is it?" he murmured in her ear gently, kissing at as he did so.

She smiled as she gave his hands a gentle squeeze. "It's nothing, forget about it," she replied, planting soft kisses on his hands. He pulled one free and caressed her cheek.

"I can't just forget about it, you know that," he replied, then paused. "How long are you here for?"

He didn't see the pained look on her face. "Four days at most, and then I have to go back home," she told him. Now it was his turn to sigh as she pulled her to his chest still closer.

"I wish you didn't have to go." he murmured against her neck, causing her to shiver.

"I know, I don't want to go either," she whispered back, feeling a tear slide down her face. She moved to wipe it away, but he was faster. He grazed her cheek with the back of his hand, removing the stream of salty water. He pulled away and turned her so that she was laying flat on her back, and then he propped himself up on his elbow so he could look down at her.

"Don't cry," he whispered, brushing her hair from her face. "We both knew that this day would come."

Venus nodded a little. "I know. That doesn't mean that it isn't hard."

Mercury leaned over and laid his lips on top of hers, and let them stay there for some time. She brought her arms around his neck and brought him down to her so that he was laying on her chest, his own arms wrapped around her petite form. She wanted to stay like that forever, safe in his embrace, but she knew it was not to be.

When their lips finally parted, Mercury laid his head on her chest just below her collarbone. "I love you, and you know I will always love you," he said, causing a new wave of tears to well up in her eyes.

"I know," she whispered, afraid that her tears would start to flow again. She ran her fingers through his hair, stroking him, causing him to completely relax against her. She stared up at the canopy of her bed, lost now in her thoughts.

I love you too, Mercury. You know I don't want to leave. But I have to. Selenity's brother is to be my husband within a fortnight. We both knew this was coming from the day we started to see each other. We both knew…so why is this not any easier? This isn't a surprise, we have been preparing ourselves for it now for years. She hugged his head closer to her. It's going to be so hard to let go.

He responded by tightening his grip around her waist. Venus could still hear her mother's words two and a half years back, when she had first caught Venus and Mercury kissing.

"Venus, you are being very unfair to me. You know that I am not one to stand in the way of love, but you know that you are already promised to Selenity's brother. That is a match I can't break for you and Mercury, and you know that." Venus had cried then, but her mother kept talking. "Look, I can make a deal with you though. If you are discreet, I will close my eyes upon you and Mercury, but when the time comes for you to be wed, you will stop any contact with Mercury that is not solely on the friendship level, and you will go and join your intended husband. Otherwise I will be forced to take drastic measures to keep you and Mercury apart at all times from now on".

Both Venus and Mercury had agreed to this, happy that they could at least enjoy each others company until then. Now that the time had come, they were both finding it difficult to let go. In a few days they would part as lovers and after that meet only as friends.

Mercury lifted his head and looked up at Venus. "You know what Venus?" he asked, and she looked down at him. "You're not really all that beautiful.

Her mouth dropped open, and Mercury chuckled. "What? Why would you say something like that now?" she gasped out.

He lifted himself up so that he was supporting his weight on his elbows, and looked down at her. "Because I was hoping that I could lie to myself and feel a little better," he kissed her on the tip of her nose. "It didn't really work. You are too beautiful for words."

She traced a finger along his jaw. "Love me," she whispered, and he was more than happy to comply with the request.

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The next three days flew by much too quickly for both Venus and Mercury's taste. It was the night before she was to leave, and Mercury was in his room, preparing to go to her. He had just finished blowing out the candles, and the only light left in the room was the still cheerfully cracking fire. He was about to leave when there was a loud knock on his door. He cursed a little under his breath for the upcoming delay.

"Enter," he called, and was rather surprised when Venus opened the door, entered the room, and closed the door behind her. "Venus, I was just coming to-" he was cut off as she threw herself into his arms, sobbing. His arms wrapped around her right away protectively, and he held the shaking form to him. He stroked her hair, and listened to her cry, not wanting to ask why, since he already knew the answer.

"I don't want to leave you," she sobbed into his shirt. "I love you, I can't let you go, please don't make me!"

Mercury sucked in his breath sharply. She had been so strong about it, until now. He felt an odd prickling at the back of his own eyes, but he refused to give in to tears. One of them had to keep their head clear, or else they would do something that they would both regret later. He brought her over to the fire and sat himself down on the ground, leaning against the sofa. He pulled her down to him so that she was sitting between his legs, her body resting against his chest, his arms wrapped around her shoulders.

She leaned her head back so that it was resting on his shoulder, tears still streaming down her face. He lifted his hand and wiped them all away. The fire crackled as she buried her face in the crook of his elbow, trying to get herself to stop crying. He ended up shifting her so that she was half sitting on her side, half leaning against his chest. She grasped his shirt in her hand as she cried into his chest. He kept stroking her hair, a stabbing pain in his heart.

"It's ok," he murmured into her hair, bringing a new flood of tears from the woman he held in his arms, "it's ok, we'll get through this." She snaked her arm around him and clung to him, afraid that he would dissolve before her eyes if she let go. She froze when she felt a tear land on her hand, one that was not hers. She lifted her head a little so that she could look up at Mercury, and right away saw the glistening of tears in his eyes. She reached up and wiped his face dry, but started to blink wildly when he started to chuckle, although it was a sorrow filled chuckle.

"What's funny?" she asked, a little bewildered. He kissed her softly, making her heart melt into his.

"Nothing. All I had to do to make you stop crying was to allow myself to shed a few tears." Venus smiled at him, although both knew it was not a smile of sheer joy. "I'm sorry," he said quietly as he brushed a few strands of hair from her face, "I know I shouldn't be making jokes at a time like this."

Venus shook her head and ran on of her hands up his chest to his face. "I don't mind. One of us has to lighten the mood somehow." Mercury smiled and turned his head to kiss the delicate hand caressing his face.

It was the last time the two would spend the night in each others arms, bathed in the warm glow of the fire, for many years to come.

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The champagne-satin gown swished as Venus paced back and forth in the room. It was less than half an hour before she had to go, half an hour before she became the wife of the Prince of the Moon. She sighed as she flopped back into the chair for the tenth time in the past hour. Her heart was thudding in her chest, and nothing she did could stop it.

After today I will be a wife, with a husband, and no Mercury. At least the wedding is happening here and not on the moon, since it means less traveling back and forth. I'm glad that we will be living here and not on the moon, at least not everything will be new. She sighed, and gazed down at her hands. I hope that he likes it here...

She was jerked from her thoughts by a knock on the door. "Enter," she called. Selenity opened the door and walked in. "Thank goodness it's you. I'm going crazy here with the tension."

Selenity smiled and came to sit next to her friend. "You're nervous, aren't you," she said, placing her hand gently on Venus' shoulder. Selenity saw a flash of pain run through the blondes eyes.

"Yes and no," replied Venus, looking at the door wistfully.

"Just be glad that Mercury's not here," Selenity said gently. The wedding was only family members of the bride and groom, no one else. Venus had made that arrangement with her mother so that Mercury would not have to go through the pain of either watching the love of his life bind herself to another man, or the discomfort of rejecting the invitation. That did also mean, however, that Paris, Helen, Jupiter, Hera, and Kino had also not been invited.

Venus nodded her head absentmindedly. "Yes it is good…." then Selenity's words registered in her mind and she snapped her head around to look at her now grinning friend. "Why should it matter to me if Mercury is here or not?" she asked defensively, her heart fluttering just at the thought of him.

Selenity looked at her friend compassionately. "I may not be able to read hearts like you Venus, but I have not missed how….close you and Mercury have gotten."

Venus stared at Selenity wide-eyed. "No one was supposed to know. That was one of mama's conditions…."

"Don't worry," Selenity said as she gently stroked Venus' hand, "I don't think anyone else noticed, you two were very discreet. Not even my mother and brother suspect anything, and I'm not about to tell. We've known each other too long though, and with a few clues, I figured it out. You're very brave for still going through with this."

Venus nodded her head, a little relieved that someone knew and she could talk to them about it. She felt tears stinging her eyes again, but she refused to let them go. Selenity saw the glossiness in Venus' eyes though, and pulled the girl in for a tight hug. Even though she didn't want them to, Venus' tears fell from her eyes, screaming in silent agony as they fell down her face, and the only real sound filling the room was Venus' gentle whimpering. It was several minutes before she finally calmed down, and the two women pulled apart. They looked in each other's eyes, a deep understanding running through their veins. They each knew the pain the other was experiencing, and each pitied the other more than herself.

Finally it was time to go. Within a short time, Venus was no longer a free woman, although she did not lead an unhappy life after that without her first love. She grew to love Selenity's brother, and he loved her back more than anything else, perhaps even more than Mercury had loved her. Perhaps.