“I want you to teach me to fight like you do,” Venus looked to Kunzite.
He stood like a dear in headlights, his sword hand frozen in place mid-stroke as he slowly turned to look at the blonde standing behind him.
There had been a nonstop barrage of meetings since Endymion’s arrival on the moon, and through it all Kunzite had hardly been able to find time to take a break from it all. Currently he was between his previous meeting and the scheduled dinner that was to take place in ten minutes. He had entered his room with every intention of laying down for a few minutes to ease the pounding in his head, but instead decided that he needed to work off some of his excess energy and so headed towards the Senshi’s training grounds hoping to find them empty. Once he arrived he let out a sigh of relief that he would have the peace that he was looking for. He unsheathed his sword and swung it in several large arcs, enjoying the heavy feel of the blade against his palm. At some point he became so focused on his movements that he did not even notice the slim blonde girl that had slipped into the arena, which brought him to his current predicament. “Teach you?” he asked, slowly lowering his arm so that the tip of the blade rested against the floor.
“Yes,” she closed the distance between them. “Teach me to fight with a sword like you do.”
“I’m sure there’s someone else who could-,” he attempted to protest.
“There is no one else,” she interrupted him. “I have already been trained by the best the Moon guard has to offer. None of them move the way you do.”
“Perhaps you should ask Jadeite instead. He is a master swordsman.”
“Are you afraid to teach me?”
“It’s not that,” he hesitated.
“Do you think you’re too advanced for me?” she contested, stepping to the side as if she were going to circle him in challenge. “I can assure you that will not be the case.” She rested her hand on top of his sword hand and slowly pulled the blade from his grasp. “This is very nice sword,” her hands expertly welded it as her eyes glossed over the surface. “It looked heavier.”
“Than?” he questioned, raising one eyebrow.
“Than my own.”
“May I see it,” he asked.
She froze and he cringed as she allowed the tip of the blade to clatter against the ground. “I’m not supposed to let anyone else use it. I don’t even know if you would be able to hold it.”
“Well seeing as how you just put a chip in my sword I would think that it was only fair to trade.”
Venus cast her eyes around the arena to ensure that they were alone. “This stays between us. Do you understand?” Her voice sounded urgent as her eyes stared intently at him.
“You can trust me, Minako. I thought you would have understood that by now.”
“I do,” she answered hesitantly before calling her sword to her hand.
His eyes opened wide as he took in the sword made of crystal. The sword glowed briefly in her hand as if every light in the room were suddenly drawn to it before dimming in its intensity. “What is this?” he held out his hand and gently took the sword from her, amazed by the intense weight. Even now the beauty of the sword continued to stun him, his eyes still set on the sheen of the afterglow.
“It is made from the same material as the Silver Crystal. This sword has been entrusted to me as leader of the Senshi. I treasure it above all else,” she responded.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before, it’s spectacular.” He stepped back from her and tested his motion with the blade. At first his movements felt awkward under its weight, but then as he gripped it tighter he could feel the sword growing lighter in his hands until he was able to make smooth fluid motions, even more so than when he held his own blade that he had trained on since he was a young boy. “I can feel the power in this sword.”
“It has accepted you.”
“I don’t understand,” he stopped swinging the sword and held the hilt firmly in one hand and rested the flat end of the blade in the other. “How can this accept me? It is not a living being.”
“This sword radiates with the power of the Silver Crystal – it is very much alive.” With a smile she stepped back from him and held his sword up, posed for an attack. “Now will you teach me to fight like you?”
“I think it is you that has taught me something,” he finally pulled his eyes away from her sword still clasped tightly in his hands. “We’re expected for dinner any minute now.”
“We won’t be missing anything important. I doubt that we will even be missed.”
“Then how about we compromise,” he reached forward and pulled her close to him, one arm wrapped tightly around her waist, both warriors holding the other’s sword at their side. “Why don’t we wait until after everyone is asleep, and we can meet then so that we can practice uninterrupted?”
“Tonight?” she smiled seductively. “Are we still talking about using our swords?”
“Did you have a different request of me?” he countered.
“Several in fact,” her smile seemed to widen. “I hope you realize that I am at my best in the later hours of the night.”
“I look forward to the challenge then,” he eyes reflected her amusement.
