"Mmm.... hard to believe it's been an entire year already."
The words mumbled softly in her ear, so quietly that Minako had almost missed them in her blissful half-consciousness.
She turned slightly to regard her husband, hating to employ the energy needed to push past her state of relaxed reverie and actually turn on her side, the sound of the slow, dragging press of her shoulders against satin sheets the only sound in the room besides the quiet, steady, ever-present hum of the TARDIS.
After what seemed a eternity of effort, she finally pressed herself sideways, a bit of hair falling over her eyes, a matted strand or two finding their way into her mouth. She unconsciously spat them out gently, narrowing her eyes only for a moment in the process.
Blinking groggily, she looked past her golden bangs into the face of the one she loved, and noted he was fast asleep, a placid, child-like smile on his lips as he slumbered.
Her own lips pursing into a soft smile, Minako continued to turn, murmuring slightly and resting her head on his chest, closing her eyes once more, enjoying the warmth of his dual hearts-beat against her ruddy left cheek.
A whole year, she reflected, too relaxed to be truly amazed at it, but too impressed by the notion for it to be a simple passing thought. How things had changed. How she had changed.
A year ago, she recalled fondly, blushing all over as she did so, she had been wed. It had been the wedding she had always desired-- a large, fancy production-- surrounded by all of her friends (save the few who were stuck in the future), herself in a princess-like dress, the center of attention, the heart of his attention, the man she loved.
She had even seen her future child there, sitting in attendance, a promise against the future that she would be happy and content in the months and years to follow. And now, 366 days later, she was happy. Totally, completely, without reservation.
Opening her eyes slightly, Minako tried to summon the strength to pull up her left arm and gaze at her golden wedding band. After a moment she abandoned the attempt, electing not to ruin the blissful tranquility that she and Xadium had created in their little pocket of the world. Instead, she felt the gold of the ring on her hand, using her powers as a Senshi of Venus, its weight, consistency, and atomic structure caressing her finger with its warmth.
And the love. She could feel the love behind the metal still, even now that her powers as the Goddess Venus had seemingly withdrawn from her. That, at least, was left to her as some kind of parting present from the power within-- or a sign that all hope was not yet gone for their return.
As her wedding anniversary had drawn near, Minako had felt something like the stirrings of that energy. At first she had believed, with the giddy silliness that still dominated her personality, that it had returned, and had even gone so far as to try and fix up her future daughter Sakura in marriage on that presumption. But the feeling had been false--at least largely so-- and she had abandoned the attempt, despondent, realizing the match was flawed.
But that despondency had given way to a strange sense of hope, as well as sadness. How had she known the match was flawless? It seemed to her her powers were ebbing and flowing, as if they wanted to return, yet were afraid to do so, like waves lapping at the shores of a beach, heralding the rising of the tide.
That night, she had sensed, within herself, that her dear Sakura-chan was not meant to be paired with anyone, that she was meant to walk alone for all time, touching the lives of many, but never being truly touched by others. That saddened her greatly. It had caused her to leave the company of her friends in tears.
Unconsciously, Minako's left hand found her husband's and grasped it, their wedding rings pressing against one another, the momentary urgency of her soft cool grip a contrast to his warm, relaxed, soporific one.
Tears brimmed in her eyes. Would Sakura never know this? The feeling of closeness, of warmth, of safety? Of knowing you had somewhere to go at the end of the day, a shelter from the battering storms of life? A place where you were loved totally, unconditionally, no matter how silly or klutzy or devious you had been? Where you were accepted, wanted, and yes, even desired?
Desired...
Minako let a small sigh of pleasure escape her lips as she blushed even more deeply, casting her mind back to the events of earlier in the morning, then the night before, then back to her honeymoon and even before that.
She had spent a great deal of her life in the chase, running after this person or that person, one idol after another, cute boy after cute boy.
The problem with those people, she reflected, was that they were cute and they knew it, making them fickle and manipulative. They could use and abuse, and throw away, knowing that a new pretty little thing was right around the corner. Hell, she had been like that from time to time, though not as badly.
Minako almost laughed as she looked up into the slumbering face of her husband. He was certainly not the type she had aimed for-- not at all. She'd have ignored the likes of him completely walking in the street with Usagi and the others, maybe even made fun of him too.
But life, she reflected, was strange like that. Here she was, years later, in his bed, married, happy, at peace. The object of what would have once been her derision was now someone she had contemplated dragging to the future to show off to her friends as a kind of a trophy, to say "look what I have! Before all of you (well except for Usagi, whose love had been fixed by fate long before her birth), I have a husband!"
But that would have been cruel, she realized. For she would not have been flaunting her marital status-- but rather the cold fact that the others had not yet found love, found someone who loved them as deeply and truly as did he.
Michiru-san had felt the same way, Minako realized. That was why she had gone so far, even to the point of inviting public ridicule and scandal, to get Haruka to propose to her, and give her a ring to show the world. Gone to the lengths of making a spectacle of herself at the Tokyo Tower. To show the world-- and herself-- that what she had was neither fleeting nor ephemeral, but a solid, tangible connection that could never be denied or withdrawn.
They're where we were, X-chan, Minako mused, shifting upwards a little and snuggling next to her husband, curling up, resting her head under his chin as his free arm reflexively wrapped around her.
Minako and Xadium had gone from secrecy and stealth to obnoxiously public displays of affection-- largely at her urging-- to broadcast the vitality of their love to the world, to cement it for all time in the general memory. It was, Minako reflected, sort of a thumb in the eye of whatever forces had kept them loveless and alone for so long.
But now, a year later, there was no need for it. No need to flaunt the connection, to make a scene, or "accidentally" leave the TARDIS door open a crack or knock off the stabilizer controls so those outside could hear certain things, know certain things, whether they wanted to or not. Whatever nervous insecurity had given rise to that behaviour had long since melted away in the crucible of married life, the depth of the couple's bond deepening day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, heartbeat by heartbeat.
A year ago Minako had dreamed of her anniversary a year later. Even as Xadium had been nervously pulling her garter down at the wedding, she had imagined herself in the future, at a grand, magnificent party, filled with tasty foods and a hundred of her closest friends, where she'd make him do it again just to see whether he'd still be a nervous wreck, and of course, to advertise her marital bliss to the world.
But when the day had finally come, there had been no party, no celebration. As had been the case lately, the couple had withdrawn largely from the social scene. She and Xadium had simply taken the day to themselves, walking in the park, enjoying lunch with Sakura and a quiet dinner for themselves before retiring to their chambers early in the evening for a private commemoration of their bond . There was no want for the spectacle any longer.
Closing her eyes and murmuring, Minako smiled, tightening her grip on Xadium's hand. That was all she needed. That feeling, that link. A simple gesture that filled her completely. As long as she had that, the world could fry in oil. She knew her place, by his side, and knew that he would always be by hers. That was more than enough.
It had been a long, odd journey, but Minako had made her transition-- at least in when it came to this most personal of matters-- from a giggling schoolgirl to a serene young woman.
Smiling more softly, Minako thought of Haruka and Michiru. They had been together longer, but fixed with a bond that had been forged in the fires of hell itself, in the face of a horrible enemy. They hadn't had the time to relax, to be at peace like this. Now, they were going to finally have their chance.
Gambare, she thought softly, eyes still closed, turning her head slightly to kiss Xadium on the collarbone gently, grateful that those two would have an eternity of this quiet bliss. They deserved it after all this time.
It's your time to shine now.