I know, it's been a while. But well, school's been frazzlingly busy and summer? Yeah, I dunno what my excuse for that is. I did, however, write this fic in response to the annual Senshi/Shitennou Ficathon run by K. Wyse. It was really an enjoyable experience; hope this fic is equally so.
The question rushed through her mind over and over, like the wind that soughed through the foliage of the surrounding trees. Her figure moved restlessly between the elegant plum trees, a lone butterfly tossed about by the breeze. Despite her constant fluttering, she kept her eyes fixed upon a path that led up to the grassy circle she stood in. Finally, done with moving around, Minako proceeded to rest one porcelain hand upon a tree branch and drum her fingers against the solid wood, a frown marring her face.
Minako had never exactly earned any awards for patience. In fact, for most of her 25 years of existence, she had never needed to. By the age of six she'd learned how much easier it was to bat her eyes at the ice cream truck's next male customer than to actually wait in line. Even Minako herself admitted that her tactics hadn't changed much since her primary school days--that old eyelash trick could still make the boys waver. Unfortunately, curling golden lashes would do her no good at the moment.
A sudden touch to her shoulder came like a spark and she couldn't help jumping. The frown disappeared though, and she turned around. The flaxen-haired beauty opened her mouth to say something, but cut herself off as she met a pair of green eyes. Eyes that stared, piercing her own, piercing her very soul. There was only one way to respond to that …
"ACK!" she screamed, jumping once more. "Don't do that, Artemis!"
A white cat sat perched in the tree that Minako stood beside. It cocked his head to one side and asked her: "Minako, what are you doing?"
Fussily, Minako smoothed out her untouched hair. "Waiting," she responded with a sniff.
Artemis perked up his ears, not sure he'd caught what she'd said. "What?"
"Waiting," the blonde repeated.
The cat's puzzled expression stayed in place. "You do realize you're going to be late, right?"
She nodded, biting her lip as she took in the shocked look that had spread over Artemis's face. "Yes."
"And that's okay with you?"
"Yup. But don't worry," she added, "I'm not planning any mischief nor am I stalking any idol like I did the last time you found me behind a tree." Artemis grimaced at the memory. "I promise this won't take too long. Okay Artemis?"
The cat still looked unsure, but he sighed and said, "I don't worry about you, Minako. Not anymore, anyway. But really, you pick the worse moments to be unpunctual. You're almost as bad as Usagi."
"Ouch."
He grinned. "I guess I should go see to things."
"Thanks, Artemis." Her signature smile lit up her face as she leaned over to pet her mentor.
Nimbly, Artemis jumped from the bough of the tree and began making his way down the same path Minako had been eyeing. He stopped to look back and say, "You're waiting for Kunthan, aren't you? He's the only one you'd ever wait for."
She smiled to herself, a soft, caressing smile. "He's all I've ever waited for."
The cat nodded and in a blink of an eye, disappeared down the path.
Minako released a sigh as she tilted her head to take in the ribbons of sunlight which slowly filtered through the April clouds of grey. Idly, she ran a hand through her golden locks and wondered just how long Kunthan planned to make her wait.
Footsteps caught her attention and she broke into a bright smile as she discovered their origin. A thrill spread over her, increasing with every step Kunthan took towards her. Finally, his body gravitated so close to her own she felt her breath snag.
"Fancy meeting you here," she managed to say, gazing up at him with coyly half-lidded eyes. Another trick she'd learned over the years.
The scent of her perfume and the plum blossoms' sweetness intermingled and filled his senses. Kunthan's silver curtain of hair swayed as he bent over to respond: "Believe me, this was definitely not where I expected to be right now."
Lustrous pink lips formed into a pout. "What's wrong with it?" She motioned around to indicate delicately-wrought silver trees, bedecked with sugary white flowers. The sun continued to burn a hole through the clouds as the blues and indigos of the sky danced together. "I think it's beautiful."
Minako delighted to see the smile that blossomed on his face. "So it is," he acquiesced. "That's why you asked me to meet you here?"
"Well that and," she took a step back, leaving the warmth that radiated from his body, "I wanted your opinion." She threw her arms out so as to give Kunthan an ideal view of her wardrobe.
Uncertainly, he said, "I thought it was bad luck." Still, he took advantage of her position to observe the sheen of the snowy fabric, the daintiness of the flowers that had been threaded through her up-do, the tastefulness of the skirt's drapery. He marvelled that anyone could do the colour white such justice.
"I know people say it's bad luck for you to see me beforehand," Minako broke into his reverie, "but I don't believe in bad luck affecting you on the happiest day of your life. Besides," she added, "I couldn't wait to show you."
Kunthan stifled another smile, something he seldom needed to do unless in Minako's company. He couldn't begin to describe how insane it felt to be standing out here, minutes before his wedding with his bride. The small, hastily written card that she'd found in his hotel room as he prepared for the ceremony had been unexpected. Except that he had expected something unexpected to happen so perhaps he had, in fact, expected the unexpected…oh, never mind.
"I'm still not sure I know exactly why we're here, though" Kunthan remarked as his gaze swept the hotel courtyard. "We'll be late, you know."
"I know."
"That doesn't bother you?" he persisted.
As long as Minako had known him, Kunthan had always focused on the cold hard facts. She supposed all lawyers shared that trait. To tell the truth, it tended to drive her wild.
"No."
"I see." Kunthan nodded, reminding her of a psychologist attempting to diagnose his patient.
"Kunthan," she said passionately, "a few minutes spent together won't hurt anyone, least of all the two of us. And, it may seem like all of this is on a whim, but our love isn't a whim. It's meaningful and sometimes…spontaneous?" she paused, unsure of whether she was talking any sense.
"Spontaneous," he repeated, his face unreadable. Minako felt very doubtful all of a sudden. She knew Kunthan had not always been fond of that word.
"Just a few minutes," she said pleadingly. She inched closer and stroked the lapel of his dark tuxedo, casting her eyes downward.
He watched the golden head curiously. It did feel somewhat strange to be here in his crisp suit, her in her wedding gown, while all of their friends awaited them in the hotel's shrine, and yet...this was, after all, Minako we were talking about so perhaps it could almost be considered normal. And truthfully, though he was always one to practice propriety, something stirred in him that longed to go along with this unorthodox suggestion.
However, he did make one last effort to reveal to her that smiles and kisses weren't all that awaited them should they be late to the ceremony.
"To tell the truth, only one thing really worries me about our being late."
"What's that?" she asked with bated breath.
"Rei won't be too thrilled about it. This is her first wedding ceremony."
Minako felt slightly horrified as she recalled that this would indeed be the Shinto priestess's first time marrying a couple. She had fretted about this wedding even more than she had about her own (which slightly perplexed Jed). She would not be thrilled to have anyone screw it up—especially not the groom and his bride.
Minako's mouth formed into a small "O." As much as she liked to think of this as a day just for Kunthan and herself, perhaps Rei should be taken into consideration.
Besides, Rei had a broom. And a pretty darn big one at that. No telling what kind of destruction it could wreak when within her reach.
But Minako's common sense was doomed to disuse as she met Kunthan's verdant eyes and felt his solid chest rise and fall with each breath. She mentally tried to shake her head free of invasive thoughts of what he was capable of doing with those soft, but firm lips, the muscles that flexed beneath the dress shirt…
"Oh, what the hell, Rei can wait. Let's just hope she left her broom at home," was her baffling statement as she dove.
Her small hands seized his jacket with surprising strength, and he willingly answered the fervor of her lips.
Minako spun his mind into a whirl. Kami, she sent his whole life into a whirl, but he didn't regret any of it.
"You haven't told me what you think of it," Minako said, releasing him too soon for his liking.
"Hmm?" he murmured dazedly.
"The dress!" she expostulated, pushing him playfully. "Even though today is the happiest day of our lives, it's also supposed to be the day you look at me and think, Kami, this must be what goddesses are meant to look like."
Kunthan shook his head and moved closer to his goddess. "Was that supposed to be today?" he whispered, in a voice husky and indescribably hot enough to raise her body temperature. "I guess I'm ahead of schedule."
Her face glowed. "Do you get these lines off the internet or something?"
"No, I believe you taught me most of them," he assured her. Minako giggled at the truth of the statement.
"And just for the record, you're looking fairly dashing yourself," she smiled, her fingers dancing along the shoulder of his tuxedo jacket.
His eyes, smouldering dark green, escaped her notice as they scrutinized her, forgetting the dress, and realizing only the sensual curve of her neck, the smooth shoulders, and the slim hip that his hand soon secured itself to.
She gasped slightly, but then responded to his touch by closing the space between their lips with a heady kiss. Ivory and ebony melded together, and Kunthan mentally thanked her for choosing a silky sheath dress that glorified the curves it swathed. With a hunger that had to be satiated, he kissed her roughly and she countered each of his actions with an equal passion.
Unintentionally, he guided her body to the tree, so that her back was pressed up against it, her body writhing against his. He felt a sudden pressure to his leg as her thigh rose to embrace it and he released an appreciative groan into her mouth. His lips left hers and burnt a trail down the length of a creamy neck, ending at the curve between it and her shoulder. He murmured something into that crook of her neck, words that never reached her ears, too lost in the intoxicating moment was she.
"Spontaneous can be good," he whispered to her bare skin as she moaned.
Up above, the silvery clouds allowed the sun to cloak them once more.
Kisses to all, see you next year!
...it was a joke.