#venusxkunzite

It was no secret to their friends that Minako and Kunzite did not like each other. If they didn’t share their circle of friends, they would most certainly never be seen together but, such is life, or however that saying goes.They were always on opposite sides of discussions and he mocked her at every chance he could. Of course, she would throw fire right back at him. He was just so arrogant and serious and never any fun.  Fortunately, after one too many rather public fights, they silently agreed that they should just stop ever talking to each other unless something nice could be said. After that, they barely spoke and always made an effort to sit as far apart as possible whenever there was a group get together. She still wasn’t sure how she would get through a whole weekend with him.

It was a few weeks prior that he asked her for a favour. She was hesitant, of course. What kind of favour could you ask of someone you don’t like? Well, it turned out he needed a date.

As the train curved past a small town, she recalled the conversation.

“You want me to be your date to a wedding?”

Kunzite’s face was its usual stoicness. Of course. He never did show emotion, after all.

“Yes. My little sister’s wedding.” He was silent after those words, hoping that was going to be enough but the disbelief on her face said that she needed more information. “If you must know, my mother has been...pestering me for some time about my single status. She has been rather insistent about me finding someone so I told her several months ago that I was seeing someone. Unfortunately I did not take into account bringing this fictitious woman to my sister’s wedding.”

“And you chose me?” Minako said somewhere in between mockery and confusion.

“Yes.” His face was in disbelief as well. “Unfortunately, my mother knows my friends and their significant others too well for me to utilize one of them. And it would be incredibly inappropriate to ask someone from my work.”

Right. He was a bigshot partner at some law firm and everyone he worked with worked under him. Yeah, she supposed that would be weird. And he was such a damn workaholic that he really didn’t have time for anyone else outside of his usual circle. But there were other things he could do.

“And before you say anything derogatory, no, I will not hire someone from an escort service.”

Damn. How did he know she was thinking that?

She looked him over. He looked surprisingly genuine with his turned down eyes and, was he fidgeting? Hmmm.

“What’s in it for me?”

“I would pay for the whole weekend, of course. And outside of the wedding itself and the rehearsal dinner, we can completely avoid each other.”

Minako eyed him skeptically.

“That's it?”

“And,” Kunzite continued as if it pained him to continue, “my firm recently gained a new client. If the weekend goes well, I could arrange a meeting with Minami Ogawa.”

Minako eyes popped. “The casting director?!”

It was true that Minako had been trying for years to get her big break in the entertainment industry. Her friends knew it, their partners knew it, and, of course, Kunzite knew it. This could make her career. But she also didn't want to quite admit defeat yet so she reigned in her excitement for one more clause to the deal.

“And you'll pay for two new dresses for me for the weekend?”

“Two?”

“Yes. I can’t wear the same dress twice in one weekend. You want me to look presentable, don't you?”

Kunzite sighed before holding his hand out. “Deal.”

Minako pulled out of her reverie. She tried to enjoy the summer sights but she couldn’t. She looked back down at the binder in her lap and mock gagged. She had insisted that they just wing it but he disagreed. He had to make things so much more complicated, as usual. She had met boyfriend’s parents before and she always come off lovely and charming and promising the mother she would keep in touch. It would be easy. Instead of winging it, he made a comprehensive binder listing details that he felt she should know. You know, things a girlfriend would know. How they met (common friends, at least he stuck with that one), where they had their first date (Ginza Sky Lounge), their second date (Jindai Botanical Gardens), the first movie they saw together (some pretentious Western movie she had never heard of), his family (both parents still alive and one soon to be wed little sister), and it went on.

At first, she tried to look at this as an opportunity to practice her acting skills. Surely, a weekend of playing a doting girlfriend would be good practice, right? At first, she took the binder with enthusiasm, determined to learn her part. But then, as she got further into the details, she found it harder and harder to continue. The thought of dating Kunzite was just…weird. And as the date loomed closer, she found herself pushing the binder away. But she was due at the station in under an hour and if she wanted to woo Kunzite’s family and get that meeting with Ogawa, she had to learn the last few pages quickly.

The wedding was in a small town a two hour train ride outside of Tokyo. They were staying at a hot springs inn a little ways from the station and the wedding was in some nearby hall she had never heard of. Well, that was probably because she didn’t venture much outside of Tokyo.

Kunzite didn’t say much about his sister in the binder. Just that she was four years younger than he was, she was a kindergarten teacher, and that the groom was an old college friend of Kunzite’s. It was weird to think of Kunzite with family. He never talked about them so she just sort of assumed he didn’t have any or he wasn’t close with them. Apparently it was the latter.

Her phone pinged with an unwelcome trill and she tried not to visibly shudder. She set his text tone separately so she knew it would be a message from him. The tone she chose was called chimes. It was a nice, pleasant sound that she hoped would balance the dread that would inevitably follow. So far, it hadn’t worked.

Did you manage to catch the train?

Only he could sound so condescending over text. To even it out, she typed back in her most sarcastic manner.

Yes. I did catch the train. I’m not a moron.

Good.

Was that really all he had to say? Jerk.

She thought about going back to the binder but she pushed it away with a grimace. Instead, she pulled up her contacts and called one of her best friends.

“Minako?”

“Hey Rei.”

Both girls paused. Rei waited for Minako to say why she was calling, but Minako wasn’t sure what to say.

“What’s up?” Rei asked. “Shouldn’t you be on the train right now?”

“I am.” She paused again before continuing. “Am I crazy? This is crazy, right?”

Minako could practically hear Rei’s smirk over the phone.

“I did say the whole thing was rather ludicrous.”

“Thanks for the encouragement,” Minako drawled.

“If you wanted encouragement, you should have called Makoto. You called me so you must have wanted me to talk you out of it.”

“No. I don’t want that. Just...do you think this is doable?”

Rei sighed. “If you’re both committed to it and don’t yell at each other, maybe.”

Right. The yelling. To be fair, it didn’t happen often. Their whole gang was discussing some heavier topics and, of course, Kunzite had the complete opposite opinion of her.

“What the hell do you mean?” she asked.

“Simply that if you cannot afford to have children, people should be careful about their-” he paused, searching for the right word, “dalliances.”

“So people should just never go out and enjoy themselves? Is that it?”

“No, that’s not what I-”

“Or do you think we should all be abstinent and boring like you?”

“If you would just listen-”

Before Kunzite could finish, Nephrite slammed his hands on the table. “Stop it both of you.” They both stopped and sat back. At least Kunzite had the sense to look mildly embarrassed. Well, as much as a piece of granite could look embarrassed. “Hearing you two argue is not what I had in mind for my birthday so if you could both just cut it out, you won’t have to leave.”

Minako shrinked back in her seat as Nephrite changed the topic. While Nephrite was usually the happiest of the group, he could be downright scary when he was mad. So Minako glanced at Kunzite and they both nodded, as if finally realizing how much their arguing was getting in the way of their friends.

Stupid Kunzite. He always had to escalate things. Since then, they just tried to avoid being in the same conversation, with some near misses.

“And how do I manage that?”

“Minako, you’re an actress. Just act like there’s something about Kunzite that you find desirable.”

Minako slumped her head against the window. “Any suggestions?”

“You won't believe a thing I have to say anyways. Pick things you can work with. He’s attractive, right? Use that. Find a few things about him that you can latch onto and talk about to his family.”

Minako massaged her temple with her free hand. “That’s going to be hard.”

“Then get off the train at the next station, turn around, and go home.”

“And miss my chance with Ogawa?”

“That’s up to you. But if you do want that meeting, you have to do a good job impressing his family and pretending like you’re in love with him.”

“Whoa. No one said anything about being in love. We just have to pretend we’re dating.”

“Minako, you don’t bring someone that casual to your little sister’s wedding. If you bring someone to a wedding, it’s someone that you’re going to be in love with.”

Shit. Rei was absolutely right. How could she overlook that? Shit shit shit.

“So I have to be lovey dovey with Kunzite?” The thought almost made her retch.

“What were you expecting to do before?”

Minako shrugged, although she knew Rei couldn’t see that. “I don’t know. Just hold hands and be lovely to his family?”

“You know Kunzite will need more than that. If you’re going to sell this, you need to do more than that. Channel Makoto. You know how lovey dovey she gets with Nephrite.”

Minako pictured the couple in the midst of one of their cutesy wutesy talks and chuckled. “Thanks. That kind of helps.”

“Good. Are you alright now?”

Minako let out a breath. “I think so.”

“Good. Because I have to go. Jadeite is burning lunch.”

Minako hung up and used the rest of the time on the train to begrudgingly learn the rest of the binder. Fortunately, it wasn't overly complicated and she was able to skip some redundant parts Kunzite wrote. Did she really need to know what his favourite food was? Or the colour of the walls in his apartment?

The final section was, oddly, about her. It would seem that Kunzite told his mother some details when pressured so, of course, Kunzite felt the need to include all those details too. According to him, Minako was a receptionist who enjoyed museums and dabbled in fine wine.

She scoffed. A receptionist? How dull and uninspired was that? Was this the kind of woman Kunzite looked for? Well, she supposed that would be perfect for him. She wouldn’t threaten his success and they could be dull and uninspiring together.  

As the train slowed to a stop, Minako heard chimes again and shuddered.

I’m in the parking lot.

Minako groaned. It was a half hour drive to the hotel they were staying at. Minako insisted she could take a cab but Kunzite seemed to think it would look better if they arrived together. And of course he had to drive. He was too good to ride the train like a normal person.

Okay she replied and resisted the urge to add a rolling eyes emoji.

She hoisted her bright yellow suitcase off of the train and wiped her brow at the sun’s heat beating down. Her wheels click clacked on the tiles as she made her way through the station and finally through to the parking lot. He was standing by his too fancy car, sunglasses on. Women stared at him as they passed and Minako remembered Rei’s words. “He’s attractive, right? Use that.”

Sure, he was attractive. She wasn’t blind. He had a strong jawline, relatively broad shoulders, and always dressed well. It was just his personality that was so unattractive. She wanted to yell the truth to the women passing by, that he was arrogant and entitled and probably wouldn’t give them a second glance unless they were models or something.

He raised his hand slightly to get her attention and Minako could feel the jealous looks on her back.

“Hi,” he said as she approached.

“Hi.”

An awkward moment passed between them before he reached for her suitcase. “I can get that. The car’s unlocked.”

She muttered in acquiescence, slid into the car, and realized she was wrong. His car wasn’t just too fancy, it was WAY too fancy. There were a ton of buttons that she couldn’t even figure out the purpose of. There was a fancy screen mounted on the dash and she found herself waiting for some kind of personalized AI to jump out of it.

The driver door opened and Kunzite slid in. The car started up again but the engine was so quiet, she barely noticed. The only sign of the car starting was the screen coming to life and a full blast of AC.

It was at this point that normal people would make small talk. He would ask how how the train ride was or tell her a bit about the hotel they were staying at. But no. This was Kunzite and he was Mr. Silent, Mr. Unfriendly. He could never be bothered to say something nice to someone else. So she supposed it had to be up to her.

“So have you been to this place before?”

“No. But that does remind me.” He reached down to the console and punched in a few things on the screen. Next thing Minako knew, she heard an electronic female voice coming out of the console, directing them where to go. Kunzite seemed to have forgotten Minako’s question and stayed silent.

So much for small talk.

Well, if he was going to be silent, she could too. She fiddled with the radio, trying to find a good station. He eyed her out of the corner of his eyes but said nothing. She found something with some fun pop and settled back in her seat. It was only a half hour to the hotel. She could manage that.

Well, she lasted seven and a half minutes.

“Are you going to be like this all weekend?”

“Like what?”

She gestured at him wildly. “Like this. All stony and quiet. Can’t you be a little more interesting?”

“Interesting,” he echoed in a deadpan voice.

“Yes. Interesting. I can’t work off a piece of granite all weekend.”

“Are we trying to impress someone right now?”

She opened her mouth and then closed it again. “No.”

“That’s why I made the binder. No extra contact with us, right?”

Minako shrugged. “I guess. So you just want to figure this out when we get there?”

“You act as if it’s going to be difficult. As long as we have both prepped for this, this weekend will run smoothly. And I thought it best not to talk too much if it wasn't necessary. Keep the peace and all.”

Minako picked at a loose thread on her shorts to avoid looking at him. That was a pretty good point, she supposed. If the two of them ever fell into a conversation, it always escalated into a full on argument. I mean, does he have to be so disagreeable all the time?

She realized she still hadn't said anything so she muttered, “I guess that makes sense.”

The sounds of a Jpop star filled the silence and Minako decided to watch the scenery, though there wasn't much. Just lots of trees. Then, she heard the music change.

Kunzite's hands were still on the wheel but it was definitely a different station. He probably had fancy controls on his steering wheel.

“What was that for?”

He raised an eyebrow. “I changed the music. Those top 40 pop songs give me a headache.”

“So? I was enjoying it. And besides, it wouldn't kill you to listen to it for a half an hour. May I remind you that I am taking a weekend out of my life to do something nice for you.”

“Something nice?” He scoffed. It was the most emotion she heard in his voice the whole ride. “You're only here so you can meet Ogawa so don't pretend like you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart.”

Damn. He had her there.

“Well,” she trailed off for a moment, trying to find the right words. “If I were in your shoes, I would at least try to make a guest feel welcome.”

She crossed her arms, sank into her seat, and rested her feet up against the dash.

He swatted them down without taking his eyes off the road. “My car, my rules.”

“You know, it wouldn't kill you to do something nice once in a while.”

“Like let you dirty my car and blast your terrible music? No thank you.”

Minako rolled her eyes. “That's not what I meant.”

“It's exactly what you meant. You want to have your own way.”

“What?”

He shrugged and continued as if it was common knowledge. “You do. And no one else’s opinion matters.”

She was aghast. “Excuse me?”

“Come on. At least admit it. It’s obvious.”

Her cheeks reddened. How dare he? “I don’t do that. I just want people to be included.”

“Against their will.”

Her face grew an even brighter red. “Well at least I'm not a stick in the mud with a stick up my own stick ass.”

“At least I don't always have to be the centre of attention. I understand subtlety and I don’t make everyone around me uncomfortable.”

If steam could be coming out of Minako's ears, they would be.

“Pull over,” she demanded.

He raised an eyebrow but obliged. Before the car could fully stop, she was out the door. She walked around to the back and Kunzite watched her struggle a bit before she stormed over to his window.

“Open the trunk please,” she said. Her voice was calm but her teeth were clenched.

He pulled a latch and she stormed to the back of the car again. After an awkward yank, she hoisted her suitcase out of the trunk and began walking away.

Kunzite sighed and stepped out. “Where are you going?”

“Isn't it obvious? Back to the train station. I clearly won't be respected this weekend so there's no point in me staying.”

She paused, waiting for him to say something. Instead, he glanced over her, settling on her feet. “It's probably about a three hour walk back to the station and those shoes don't seem to be built for that.”

True, her wooden wedges were less than suitable for the rocky sides of the road. “I’ll call a cab then.”

He leaned against the car, as if he had all day. “Do you even know where you are?”

She was aware of the long pause she took but she still said, “Of course”

He said nothing. He just stood there and stared at her. It was a challenge. He was calling her bluff.

“Well, I should start back to the train station then,” she said. “Anything is better than being in that car with you for five more minutes.”

With that, she flipped her long golden hair and continued walking away.

“Okay then. Good luck.”

She didn’t even look back as she reached her arm high and waved goodbye. She waited for him to get back in his car. She waited to hear the hum of an engine and the sound of him driving away. Then she remembered how quiet his car was. Damn. Did he already drive away? Should she risk a look over her shoulder?

She forced herself to count to twenty as she walked away. Then she took a glance over her shoulder.

He was still there. In fact, he hadn’t even moved.

“Are you done?” he called out to her. “Will you get back in the car?”

She turned around and took several steps towards him. “What do you mean?” she yelled back. “I’m storming off. Tell your family I was sick or something.”

“You and I both know that you’re not going to miss out on a chance with Ogawa. Now will you stop wasting time and get back in the car?”

Her eyes darted back and forth as she weighed her options. Her act of storming off was supposed to make him apologize but if she went back now, he had the high ground. And she didn’t like losing.

On the other hand, it was true what he said. She could just prolong this and hope she ended up with the higher ground. But she also had a feeling that he wasn’t going to budge. He was definitely stubborn like that. Stupid stubborn jerk.

“Okay.” She was still a fair distance from him so she still had to raise her voice. “I’ll come back. But you have to be nicer to me.”

Minako thought she saw him roll his eyes behind his sunglasses but she was too far away to tell. “Fine.”

She walked back to him, expecting him to step forward and help her with her suitcase again but he just got back in the car. She hoisted her suitcase back in the still open trunk and made sure to slam it shut with more force than necessary.

Minako stared out the window. She didn’t think she could look at him without getting mad again. Neither had said a word since she got back in the car. She thought about trying to find a neutral conversation point but her imagination kept coming up with ways he would argue with her.

Okay. Maybe he was right. Maybe they should just avoid talking to each other unless they had someone to convince that they were madly in love. So instead, she flipped through her phone and the radio stayed quiet. The only sound she heard was his dash, telling him where to go.

As they turned the corner and pulled into the hotel, Minako forgot about her vow of silence.

“It’s gorgeous!”

It really was. It was a little more modern than she expected. There were glass walls intermixed with the wood but still held an older look. It fit perfectly amid the surrounding greenery, the crisp, fresh smell of it wafted on the air.

After pulling out their suitcases, they made their way into the building. It was beautiful. Rich, traditional wood architecture mixed with more modern brickwork and glass. Rooftops rose high to a peak, making the dark wood seem more airy, and doors were wide open, letting in the warm summer air. But it got a bit gloomier when Kunzite took her hand. It felt weird. His hand was stiff and had callouses. Before she could ask why, she realized a middle aged couple was walking towards them.

“Kunzite. You made it.”

It was the woman who spoke. She had long dark hair and a friendly smile. The man with her had neatly trimmed hair and glasses and she assumed them to be his parents.

“Hi mom. Hi dad.”

Minako forced herself to stand a little straighter, her posture for girlfriend who was madly in love. At the last second, she stepped closer to him. Intimacy, right?  She didn’t miss the look he threw her. But it passed quickly. His parents were approaching fast.

His mother pulled him in for a hug and then smiled wider when she looked at Minako.

“So, you must be Minako.”

“I am. It’s so nice to finally meet you. Kunzite has told me so much about you.”

Her words had the desired effect of making his mother blush.

“I’m so glad to hear that. We haven’t seen him in ages and he kept refusing to send me any photos of you. I was starting to wonder if you even existed.”

“Well, it is hard to get him to be in a picture with me. If it wasn’t for us going out in the daylight, I would have thought he was a vampire.”

Minako felt Kunzite’s hand squeeze a little harder but his parents were laughing. It even allowed his dad to interject.

“Kunzite never was one for photos. He always looked far too serious in them.”

Minako laughed but she felt like Kunzite was getting annoyed. He overcompensated for it well though.

“Well, we should really check in. We don’t have too much time before dinner and we should get settled.”

“Oh,” his mother began, ruffling through her purse. “I actually got everyone checked in. You two are in room...” She pulled out a key card and squinted at the number, “204.”

She handed Kunzite the key card and it wasn’t until she let go that he realized what she said.

“Both of us in the same room?”

“Of course,” his mother waved her hand dismissively. “You’re an adult now.”

“And this isn’t our trip to Nara,” his father said.

“We are perfectly comfortable with you two staying in the same room.” Kunzite looked shell shocked. If Minako wasn’t so shocked herself, she would have wished she had a camera. “Now hurry up you two.” She glanced at her watch. “Kunzite’s right. There really isn’t too much time before dinner tonight and I would love to get together with you both before that so we can get to know you.”

“Of course,” Minako said, keeping her voice soft and light. “I would love that.”

“Perfect. Then we’ll meet you in the restaurant at five?”

“That sounds wonderful.”

With a wave, his parents walked away and it took Minako and Kunzite a moment before they snapped back to reality.

“Let’s go,” he said, letting go of her hand.

She was happy to let go and took the moment to rub a bit at her face. Maybe that smile had been overcompensating a bit.

The trip to the second floor was quiet and when they reached their door, Kunzite swiped his card and held the door open for her. Minako raised her eyebrows and wondered where the sudden chivalry was coming from.

“Take the luggage in. I’m going to get another room.”

So much for chivalry.

The door closed behind him and Minako was left to check out the room. It was lighter and airier than the rest of the hotel. The walls were off white with wood accents. The bed was large and looked incredibly comfortable. That was confirmed when she ran her hand over it and experimentally flopped onto it. But what really caught her eye was the view. The balcony was large with a couple of chairs and looked out on a sea of green. She felt herself getting calmer already.

Then the door opened again. Loudly. Leave it up to him to break the serenity.

Minako walked back inside and saw the frustrated look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

“The place is completely booked.”

“What?”

He huffed before continuing. “We’ll just have to make do with separating the futons and not look at each other.”

Kunzite was still in the entryway. He didn't see the bed. He didn’t know.

“Umm. That might be a bit difficult. This place is a bit more modern than that,” she said pointing towards the bed that he couldn’t see.

He quirked an eyebrow and walked in to see the very sturdy, very heavy bed frame, bearing a single, whole mattress.