Adonis ran through the halls of the Venusian palace with Minako in tow. She was running late – as was the norm for her – and so he had been sent to retrieve her before the shuttle left without them forcing them to miss this trip. Her senshi heels clicked and clacked in the empty corridors behind them making Adonis wonder once again why it had taken her so long to get ready when she was travelling in senshi attire. She could be so infuriating at times, especially more so now than ever because she had been acting so unlike herself.
The king and queen each took a moment to murmur a hushed conversation to the young princess, reminding her of the important role that she played in diplomatic relations between Venus, the Moon, and Earth. She nodded her head, a solemn expression on her features as she clasped her hands behind her back, but Adonis could tell that she was waiting till she could turn her back to roll her eyes and make a face. Adonis took her hand and walked her, slower this time, towards the spaceship knowing that the gesture would please her parents by allowing them to think that there was more to their relationship.
‘If you continue to act this way you’ll be forced to marry me,’ she whispered as they moved out of hearing range and up the narrow metal dock that would lead them into the spacecraft.
‘If you continue to ignore your other suitors I’ll be the only one left for you to marry.’
‘If I didn’t know any better I’d think that you were secretly in love with me.’
Adonis laughed and withdrew a single card from his sleeve. He held the card up so that only the red diamond weaved back of the card was visible. She sighed, the dramatic gesture filled with mock annoyance and pulled the card from his hand so that she could turn it over to reveal the ace of spades. ‘Ah, but it appears that our love is not to be,’ he said as she placed the card back into his palm.
‘My parents may never forgive you for refusing to marry their daughter,’ she said with an exaggerated shake of her head.
‘I can only hope then that the Queen of Hearts will not demand off with my head,’ he chuckled, smiling as she laughed along with him.
They shared very little conversation during the flight to Earth. She seemed to be preoccupied with her thoughts just as much as he was with his own. After all the stories that he had heard, he was now even more eager to visit the Earth to meet these men of legend and their prince. Above all, he wanted to know who it was that had managed to fluster the Venusian princess – a daunting task that even he had yet to accomplish.
When the spacecraft landed they were ushered out into the planet’s bright sunlight that left Adonis feeling as though he were on display. He had never before left his native planet like the senshi at his side, leaving him somewhat off balance at this new experience. The beautiful scenery of the golden kingdom attempted to steal his attention but he managed to school his focus on the approaching figure of the prince and shadowed by another man, who despite walking behind the prince almost appeared to be leading. Adonis felt himself become awestruck at the sight of the well-favored man and based on these sparse few seconds he felt that he could both see and feel the commanding presence of this man who he had no doubt must be the lead Shitennou.
Endymion extended out his hand in a traditional Earth greeting while offering a smile that promised kindness and almost in turn asked for Adonis’s loyalty to which he felt himself wanting to offer the dark haired stranger. A brief verbal exchange was made then Endymion moved on to greet the senshi of Venus. There was a knowing look shared between them, although he had little time to explore it further as he found himself face to face with the fair haired man who stood several inches taller than him.
Adonis prepared himself to exchange a handshake with the man as he had with Endymion, but was surprised when the Shitennou brought his two fingers to his lips and with his other arm held at his chest, bowed deeply at the waist in the traditional Venusian greeting that one would perform when in the presence of someone of royalty or high social status. Forcing the surprised look from his face, Adonis performed the same greeting as a show of respect for the man who had taken the time to familiarize himself with the Venusian customs – although for some reason he felt that he shouldn’t be surprised.
With a nod of his head, he moved on to greet Minako with a brisk nod of his head. This surprised Adonis, but he didn’t have time to dwell on this as Endymion gestured for the group to follow after him. Adonis walked at the prince’s side while the senshi and Shitennou walked several steps behind him. He could hear the faint sounds of a whispered conversation behind him of a curious delinquent princess and a voracious prince.
‘Where have you hidden away your princess today?’ the tall Shitennou asked her almost as if he wasn’t really interested, although Adonis could see through the tone to know that he was teasing her.
Her eyes sparkled as she responded in jest, ‘I figured that as long as I’m here to keep a proper eye on your prince my princess will not be so easily distracted.’
‘He can’t be blamed alone for her actions.’
‘My princess would have never known these actions if not for him.’
‘You’re saying he has corrupted her?’
‘That is what men do to rational women,’ she commented in an offhanded tone.
