There was something… wild and dangerous in Kunzite’s eyes as Venus stared at him. For a moment it reminded her of the old him, the one that was a soldier for the Dark Kingdom. She instinctively stepped back, not sure if with his powers, his old self was returning as well, until she saw it wash away from his gaze. When his eyes looked normal again and he finally spoke to her, she gave herself a once over and shrugged.

“No, probably just some scratches. Thanks for the assist.” She looked at him intently, trying to decipher what was going on in his mind. “I didn’t realize… you’d still be able to… that you’d still have some powers…” She hadn’t expected this, and it was yet another thing that she would have to adjust to. In this life, he’d been an enemy and then an innocent civilian, and now… she had no idea what he was. He had his powers from the past life, it seemed, so did that make him the prince’s guard again?

“Did you know that you could do that?”

Kunzite was silent for a moment while he pondered her words. When he reincarnated, he had assumed that all his powers were lost to him, even the ones he had during the Silver Millennium, before Beryl. It had hurt, but he had come to terms with it. The possibility of them being back was unsettling to say the least. 

"No, I did not," he answered finally, looking at her. She seemed to be a bit apprehensive about him again and he honestly couldn't blame her. Where had that power come from? Now that he had it, what would he do with it? Could he pick up as the Prince's guard? Would the current reincarnation of Endymion event want that? There were so many questions now, he had no idea where to begin.

"Does it bother you that my powers have seemingly returned?" he couldn't help but ask the question, fearing the answer she may give.

Venus considered the question. It wasn’t the powers that bothered her exactly—well, okay, it was, but more along the lines of what it meant. “I don’t know,” she said finally, honestly. “I mean, it’s not that I prefer you to be powerless or anything. But for a split second there, it looked as if it was… affecting you. I’m just worried it’ll bring back your… darker side.”

She hugged herself, not liking the thought at all. Could it be that he wasn’t completely purified? She must talk to Usagi and Mamoru about this.

Looking around, she realized they were now standing alone with no more enemies in sight, and detransformed back to her civilian form. “Let’s go home for now. We can figure this out later. I really can’t skip any more classes than I already have.”

ooc:

After walking Minako back to her class, and exchanging contact information, Kunzite began putting together a plan to slowly charm Minako back into his life. She still loved most foods, which was how he had originally won her over the first time. Couldn't hurt to try again, could it?

He carefully planned out the menu, selecting things he thought she would like, avoiding the foods he knew that she didn't in this lifetime. He carefully attempted each recipe ahead of time, using his brothers as guinea pigs, wanting the food to be absolutely perfect. 

It had been easier than he expected to get her to agree to meet him at this apartment and allow him to cook for her. She should be here any minute. Double checking to make sure that the table setting looked immaculate, but not overly fancy, he waited with baited breath.

Minako wasn’t sure that coming to Kunzite’s home was a good idea, but she’d decided to tentatively give him a chance. And honestly, if he wanted to kill her, he could have just done so when that monster had her in its grips. It would be easier than this elaborate plan of winning her over, making her lower her guard, and then poison her or something.

Besides, she trusted Usagi and Mamoru. If they said the shitennou were healed and were good again, then they must be… right?

She stopped in front of his door and checked the apartment number. Right. So this was it.

She raised her hand and hesitated briefly before knocking three times. It was so weird to be standing here, not quite sure what they were starting, going right back to the beginning in many ways. Minako thought she’d put this one heartbreak behind her, and she’d worked so hard to get over him. To stop feeling anything so that she could treat him as an enemy.

Now she was risking getting hurt all over again, but… that was the point of love, right? One of these days, it might just turn out to be worth it.

Kunzite paused listening as three knocks echoed throughout his tiny apartment. She was here. He let out the breathe he didn't know he had been holding. Part of him had been worried that she wouldn't show up; not that he could blame her. His betrayal in the Silver Millennium and the work he did while a member of the Dark Kingdom was horrendous. It would be hard for anyone to put that aside and forgive him. He still hadn't been able to forgive himself, for all the people he had failed, had betrayed. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. No point in dwelling in the past. He had to look forward if he wanted to be able to move on. 

He moved towards the door, snagging an item he had placed on the little table by the door, hiding it behind his back. Taking another calming breathe, he opened the door. 

"Minako," he breathed. Gods above, she was gorgeous. Even after all this time, she manage to astound him with her beauty. After a few heartbeats of silence, he recovered enough to invite her in. 

"A beautiful flower for a beautiful lady." He produced the flowers from behind his back once she was in the apartment, bowing slightly in flourish. He hoped that she would take them as a sign of his affection.

Minako’s heart skipped a beat when the door finally opened. It was so strange seeing him in such… a normal environment. In an apartment of all things. This was definitely new, since back in the past it had always been castles and courtyards, and then it was the Dark Kingdom’s dark lair. She almost giggled at the really odd sight, but wherever he was, he still looked good. It reminded her of why she’d been so drawn to him in the first place. Just looking into those eyes for a few seconds had made her feel all flushed.

Once she had stepped inside, she looked at the flowers he offered her in surprise. A slight blush crept into her cheeks. “Thank you,” she said shyly, taking them. “They’re beautiful.” She was honestly surprised; she didn’t expect him to go to that much trouble especially since he was already cooking for her.

“So… this is your place, huh?” She looked around, and her gaze fell onto the dining table, which seemed to already be prepared. “And what’s for dinner?” she asked, finding herself curious and excited despite herself. Having been spoiled by Makoto’s cooking, she wondered if Kunzite’s would hold up to her expectations. She had tried to make sure she didn’t expect too much, but she was also curious how good he actually was and what dish he would pick to try and impress her.

Kunzite couldn't help but chuckle when Minako became excited when she saw that he had already set the dinner table. Some things didn't change. The way to this ones heart was definitely through her stomach. 

"You'll see in a few moments, it's almost ready," he said. "Why don't you have a seat while I go and finish up in the kitchen?" He had settled on having a few decorative flowers, different than the ones that he had given her, their colour complimenting the food he had painstakingly prepared for her.

As much as he wanted to linger and talk with her, he couldn't risk the chance that the curry he had made would burn. Taking some rice out of the rice maker, he carefully arranged it on the plate. Grabbing the tonkatsu he had resting, he quickly cut into thing bit size stripes, laying it gently over the rice. Lastly, he spooned the curry he had made onto the plate, making sure to only put a little bit over the tonkatsu as decoration, stopping it from becoming soggy. 

Bringing both plates with him, he placed the complete katsu kare plate infront of Minako first, before putting his plate on his own place mat. He waited with baited breath, hoping that her reaction would be positive.

Minako took a seat as Kunzite told her to and carefully inspected the table. For a guy, he had pretty good taste with all these flowers. She would have never expected to see such a feminine touch.

When he finally put the plate in front of her, Minako squealed. “Curry! My favorite,” she grinned, surprised that he remembered it from their conversation. “Well? Are you just going to stand there watching or are we going to eat?” she asked jokingly.

Normally she would have dug in already, but she was trying to keep a good impression.

Did she think he had poisoned the meal, and wanted to see him eat it to make sure it was safe? He accepted her challenge, making sure to have a bit of curry and tonkatsu on his spoon before putting it in his mouth. He wanted to moan with how good it was. He had really out done himself this time. 

Raising his eyebrow he silently challenged her back to see if she trusted him enough to eat his cooking.

Minako watched as Kunzite tried his own creation, and seeing no alarming expressions, she dug in without hesitation. It turned out to be really good, actually. Almost as good as the one from her favorite restaurant. She swallowed a couple more mouthfuls before speaking excitedly, “I must say I’m impressed. This is really delicious. I may need to get second helpings.”

It was strange yet pleasant at the same time, to be sharing an intimate and ordinary moment like this with him. For so long, all thoughts of him had been overwrought with battles and betrayal and heartbreak. It had always been about their fight and their status as senshi and agent of the Dark Kingdom. She realized that she had completely forgotten—no, she never even had the chance to know—the Kunzite that was from this lifetime. She knew who he was in the past, but after being reborn, she didn’t know him at all when he wasn’t all brainwashed and evil.

“So how exactly did you learn to cook this well? And don’t tell me you’ve been taking cooking courses because I don’t know if I can handle that thought,” she joked, imagining him sticking out like a sore thumb in a cooking class. The image was certainly hilarious.

"I learned mostly by experimenting and watching cooking shows on the television," he answered, smiling at her laugh. "Someone had to feed us and the others weren't very adept at cooking. Eating the same thing day in and day out got quite boring surprisingly quick." He took to cooking quickly, Zoisite teasing him that he was a natural. Perhaps he was. He found the activity calming, helping him still the constantly racing thoughts in his mind. It had kept he and his brothers fed and it was something he enjoyed. 

"Although I wonder taking a cooking course would be a good idea. The teacher may not like the fact that I have better skills with a blade than he does," he teased, referring to the fact that during the Silver Millennium he had been one of the best swordsman on the planet. At his age, it had been quite an accomplishment. Many of the older men in the army didn't appreciate it when he attempted to correct their form in an attempt to better their skills. 

"How about you, do you cook at all?"

“Cooking shows?” Minako suppressed a laugh. Into her head popped an image of Kunzite wearing an apron, watching a cooking show intently and trying to mimic the instructions.

She smiled at his comment about the cooking course. “I think you’ll find that sword skills don’t always translate to chopping food all that well. I should know.” Though she didn’t use a sword as much as he did, she was still the wielder of the Holy Blade, the one she had once used to kill Beryl with. The memory sobered her up a bit, reminding her that their past was still fraught with so much tragedy.

But then she burst out laughing at his next question. “Me? Nah, you don’t want me in a kitchen. I once thought I chopped my finger off when I was cutting a carrot… turned out it was just a flesh wound. But it could have easily been a severed limb,” she said somberly.

Kunzite snorted at the vivid imagery that her story created. Venus, while a serious person when it came to her duty, had been known to over react on occasion about things in her private life. The amount of parallels he was able to draw between the two women sometimes made his head spin. They were different, yet at the same time so achingly familiar. It was in moments like this, where she was happy and laughing, where he found himself longing to run his fingers through her hair like he use to. 

It wasn't a liberty he was permitted anymore however. If he even stood a chance of being that familiar with her again, he had to earn it, which would take time. He was a man of patience and planning after all, so mentally settling himself in for the long haul wasn't deterring in the slightest. 

"You never were all that good with that sword of yours. You insisted that hacking at target was the way to go. There's a certain art to swordsmanship, a finesse to it. To block, parry, maneuver your target to where you want it. Movements of swords should be graceful, not blundering," he laughed at the memory of the one time he had attempted to teach her the finer art of swordsmanship. To say it hadn't gone well was an understatement. They had both left angry that day, but making up later had well been worth the frustration at the time.

Minako remembered that day they had sparred so long ago. How he’d tried to teach her how to use a sword, and how her pride had caused her to be stubborn and yelled at him that he was the one doing it wrong. What was wrong with hacking at something, anyway? That was the point of sharp pointy weapons, right? She remembered thinking it wasn’t for dancing, the way he seemed to insist it was. “Well, maybe we need another sparring match. Maybe modern day me is better at fencing than past life me.”

This was not true at all. She had yet to actually touch a real sword in this lifetime beside the Holy Blade which she used for like maybe once. But she still had her past life’s memories, so why not her old skills, too?

She pretended to pout as he said she lacked finesse. “I’ll show you finesse,” she said, pointing her fork at him. “And I’m totally graceful. I’m the goddess of love and beauty,” she added haughtily, even as she took a huge spoonful of curry in a decidedly unladylike manner and put the entire thing in her mouth, oblivious to some of the sauce staining the side of her lips.

Minako was the picture of irony right now.

Placing his spoon on his plate, he arched his eyebrow at her. "If you're so confident in your ability and grace, perhaps we should have a duel, so you can prove your skills."

He didn't actually think she would take him up on his challenge...then again, she wasn't exactly knowing from backing down from a challenge or a dare. Who knows how this would go. 

Regardless, he was confident in his abilities and foresaw himself winning any potential match between them.

Looking at her, he realized that she had a little of the curry sauce on the corner of her mouth. He reached out unconsciously, thumb rubbing softly. His brain catching up with him, he froze, unsure of her reaction.

“Ooh, you’re on!” Minako pointed her fork at Kunzite with a determined fist. She couldn’t wait to spar and show him that she still had skills!

Then suddenly, his hand was on the corner of her mouth. Minako froze, her exuberant words died out, and she saw the shift between his almost casual gesture to the surprised look on his face. He hadn’t even realized he was doing it, had he?

For one brief moment, she almost felt like Venus again, like they were back in Silver Millennium, right back at the beginning. Feelings that she hadn’t felt for centuries and millennia surged back to the surface, and she had to physically withdraw herself from his touch in order to regain her senses.

“Uh… thanks,” she managed to mutter at last, pulling back a little bit. She blushed, grabbed a napkin, and wiped her mouth to make sure there was no other stains. “I… apparently am not as graceful as I thought.”

She could not meet his eyes; her entire face was too hot, and not just because she was embarrassed about her blunder.

When she physically withdrew as if his touch burned her, his brain finally turned itself back on enough to withdraw his hand and sit back down. Stupid, he chastised himself. Though the way she recoiled from his touch...was this even going to work between them or was it simply foolish, wishful thinking on his part? 

"I apologize for taking liberties I do not have," he said, attempting to catch her eyes to convey how sincere he was, yet she avoided them. 

Foolish en-devour indeed.

The situation had become awkward after it was so easy before, and Minako didn’t quite know what to say. She shook her head at his apology and smiled a little.

“No, it’s okay. I was just… having a flashback.”

Did he remember more than her? Less? She didn’t know. She knew they were supposed to start over, with both their past and present merging together, but it was harder than she thought. Could she trust every feeling she felt toward him, not knowing if they were Venus’ or hers? Because as much as she liked to think they were the same, they weren’t really. Their soul was, but they were two separate people.

“Do you remember the necklace you gave me in the Silver Millennium?” she asked suddenly, another memory rising to the surface.

It Kunzite a moment to recover from her question, not having expected her to bring that up ever, especially not this early into getting acquainted. He remembered everything about the necklace from all the planning he had done to hide the necklace from Venus and his nosy brother-at-arms to taking months to select the right piece of jewelry. Eventually he had gone with commission something custom made, having had no luck in finding what he had wanted for her. 

It was a shame that she no longer had it anymore. If had survived the last thousand years in space, it would be in the ruins of the Moon Kingdom somewhere. Shame. He would have loved to see her wearing it in now. 

"I do," he said cautiously, gauging the situation. "How - how much of it do you remember?" he couldn't help but ask, wanting - no, needing to know.

“I don’t remember where it ends up yet, or even if I do have that information,” she admitted. “These past life memories… they are strange. Fragmented… and sometimes melted together with my present life memories that I can’t tell the difference at times. But I just remembered more about it.”

Before, it had been a vague memory, but now it surfaced clear as day, Venus’ memory interchanging with hers. “I remember you giving it to me. I remember saying I could not wear it because our relationship is supposed to be a secret… but that…” she took a deep breath, finding the next part difficult to say.

“That it was as good as a wedding ring, if not more.”

She could not fathom the idea that once upon a time, she was ready to tie her life to his, for good. It seemed so hard to reconcile now.

His memory of the day he had given the necklace to her was crystal clear, unaffected by time. For him, the necklace was a sign of his commitment to her - as much as he was able to at any rate. 

"It was." As much as he wanted to say if things had been different, he didn't want to cheapen or dismiss their commitments to their charges or to each other. 

"Perhaps your memories will sort themselves out with time," he said idly, giving her the option to change the topic to something less intense.

“Well, thank you for the food,” Minako replied after a moment, smiling. “It was really good.”

The atmosphere had grown heavy, and their past lives once again hung above their heads. Minako was definitely feeling more comfortable around Kunzite now, but she was still not ready to take any further step just yet. “Perhaps I should go. It’s getting late. But I… I really did enjoy this today.”

She hesitated, then added, “Maybe we could do something like it again sometime.”

"I would like that," he said, pushing his chair back from the table as he rose. He was glad that despite the atmosphere had turned heavy, she had enjoyed herself. 

"Can I interest you in something to drink?" He stacked the plates as he waited for her answer. He had coffee in the kitchen or tea which he could make, reluctant to have her leave his company so soon. If she turned the drinks down, he would understand. Tonight had been a big crucial step and he didn't want to push it too far.

“I… think I’d better go,” she replied, though with a heavy heart. “I just feel like… it’s getting a bit much. Small doses is probably better.” She attempted a smile to show him that she really was trying, and that she still wanted to make this work.

“Any idea what we could do next? Maybe we could enjoy a festival or something? Get you up to date on local customs and how the normal people live in this day and age?” she asked teasingly.

Over the next several months, Kunzite and Minako slowly got to know each other, in small doses. They met, with increasing frequency, to share activities that they each liked, with Minako showing Kunzite various modern activities, some he had liked better than others. 

Honestly, he couldn't remember the last time he was this happy. 

Tonight, he was taking Minako to the local Cherry Blossom festival. He stood waiting for her, dressed in his Yukata Kimono, feeling slightly uncomfortable. This was nothing like the armour he was use to wearing or his uniform, but he was told that it was traditional wear during festivals such as this.

Minako hadn’t felt this nervous to go on a date since as long as she could remember. She had checked and double checked her appearance so much that Artemis practically had to yell at her to leave when she returned to her mirror for her umpteenth time. She was dressed in a yellow kimono with orange flower patterns. She had opted to leave her hair down, and as per usual, she was wearing her red bow.

Thanks to her running back and forth to check how she looked every five seconds, she was running late. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was subconsciously trying to prolong this, if some part of her was scared to face Kunzite tonight. But that was silly, right? She’d gone out with him plenty of times now. Tonight shouldn’t be any different.

Of course, her feelings for him had certainly changed since those first few times…

Minako made her way to their meeting place right in front of the street where the festival was held, and spotted him from afar. She suppressed a smile when she saw him wearing a yukata, looking strange yet somehow fitting. He always was a man that belonged in another era, and this attire actually looked more normal on him than modern clothing.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” she said when she approached. “You look pretty cool, by the way,” she added, half grinning half blushing.

"Thanks," Kunzite replied, blushing as he smoothed the Yukata he was wearing. "You look beautiful." She really did, the kimono she had chosen complimented her skin beautifully and she glowed in the soft light that the festival lamps gave off. 

"Since you're more familiar with tonight's festivities why don't you lead the -" He paused as he heard screams in the distance. His muscles tensed, his training taking over as it became apparent that they weren't screams from people having fun, but rather screams of terror. 

"Should we investigate?"

“Thanks,” Minako replied with a smile. His compliment sounded sincere, not just a generic line thrown because it was expected from him.

She was thinking about where to go next when suddenly she heard the screams. Her heart seized as she turned in that direction.

“Of course,” she replied, turning from the shy, nervous girl into the alert soldier as if she’d flipped a switch. She started walking fast in that direction, finding running impossible not only because of the precariously high sandals but also the restricting form of the kimono. “Damn it, I can’t be fast enough. Do you think I should transform right now? But it could be nothing. Maybe you should go on ahead.”

"Not out here where people can see you." He looked around quickly, trying to find somewhere that would be safe for her to transform in order to keep her secret identity. "There, go between the two tents and transform where its darker." If there were issues, it would be beneficial to have her as Sailor Venus there. 

"Keep out of sight and make your way there in case its nothing, we don't need to cause a scene if it turns out to be nothing we need to be concerned about." Looking at her one last time he quickly made his way to where he could hear the screaming coming from. He hated going into a situation unarmed, but what choice did he have? He wasn't completely useless without his sword, it just made him feel more comfortable in these situations.