Pt.6 Runaway
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Mina murmured quietly. She sat sullenly on the beige colored couch. Her arms lay uselessly at her sides and a look of defeat marred her beautiful features as she stared at her feet, unable to make eye contact with tall man across from her. The large room suddenly seemed to not be large enough for the two of them. She cringed at his silence and glanced over at him from the corner of her eye. Kunzite stood as still as a statue with his arms crossed and his back against the ledge of the large window overlooking the city. She was thankful to find that they were alone when she arrived at the penthouse that he shared with the other Shitennou, although she had the feeling that he may have encouraged the others to leave.
It had been a couple of months since he had last spoken to her and it had been pure agony to find that he refused to take any of her calls. She had tried everything from stopping by his work to randomly dropping by his home to showing up to places she thought he would be without any luck. The other Shitennou made excuses for him at his insistence, but even they were growing tired of being caught in the middle. Perhaps that was why he finally agreed to meet with her because even he was becoming frustrated by her persistence.
He had no words for her when she first arrived; he just simply opened the door and walked away allowing her to see herself in. She could feel her stomach sinking from this first encounter but said nothing knowing that she deserved it. Even now she knew that it would take more than wishful thinking and a heartfelt apology to make things right.
“How could you not tell me, Minako?” he asked, the disappointment evident in his voice. She was at least relieved that his anger had started to dispel.
She flinched at his use of her full name. “I don’t know what I was thinking that night.” Her mind drifted back to the New Year’s Eve party. “I was angry that I didn’t know you were alive. I was angry that you had been here all this time and never came to me. But I was even more scared because I knew that I was still in love with you. What would you have me do?”
“I would have you tell me that you are already engaged,” he gestured towards the diamond ring that sat on her finger. “I never would have done what I did had I known.”
“You would take back our kiss?” she asked weakly, even though she knew he was implying more than that.
“I would have never allowed us to make love had I known that you were promised to another.”
“I don’t wish to marry Motoki. That was before when I thought that I would never see you again.” Her voice became desperate as she could see her words were failing to reach him.
“I won’t let you leave him for me, Minako.” His voice was firm and without emotion as he continued to stand in the same spot without moving.
Mina wished that he would uncross and recross his arms or scuff his slippered feet on the carpet just so that she could see that he was at least a little uncomfortable by the whole situation. Instead he still appeared calm as if he were discussing the weather. “I want to leave him for me,” she protested.
“You’re making a mistake,” he scolded.
“I wish that you would talk to me,” fresh warm tears spilled down her cheeks. “Stop being angry and let’s talk. We can make things right.”
“We both made a mistake, let it go.” He fought with himself to ignore her tears and to resist going to her side and taking her into his arms. The ring on her finger caught the light and shined brilliantly for a moment serving as an albatross to remind him of the one thing that stood between their happiness.
“I’m pregnant.” She blurted out the words so quickly that he barely had time to register them.
For a moment his world seemed to spin out of control as he tried to reorient himself, her face serving as a slap in his face. “Then you should go back to its father.”
“The father doesn’t want to be with me,” she whispered and his eyes quickly shot over to look at her.
“You’re saying that I - that I am -,“ he paused, placing his head in his hands to think over his words before looking up and continuing. “How do you know that I am the father? Your fiancée could just as easily be the father.”
“He’s not,” she shook her head pitifully.
Kunzite ran his hand through his hair. For the first time in his life - in any incarnation - he had never found himself caught so off guard. “Does he know?”
“Not yet. But I think he suspects, I’m starting to show.” She slowly stood from the couch and crossed over to him, taking his hands in her own. His eyes glanced down to her slim waist and sure enough he could notice that her normally flat stomach appeared slightly rounded. “Please, we can be together. We can raise this child together.”
“And what of your promise to him?” he asked her.
“We can run away and start over.”
“I can’t do that, Mina,” his voice softened as he pulled his hands from hers, breaking their contact.
The couple quickly turned their heads towards the door when they heard the sound of a key being inserted into the lock. Nephrite pushed the door open and looked over at the couple, suddenly regretting his decision to stop home to pick up his forgotten wallet. Mina’s face was completely crest fallen while Kunzite seemed unfazed. “I’m sorry,” he spoke quickly, his voice seeming to echo awkwardly in the silence. “I forgot my wallet. I’ll be out of your way in two seconds.”
“No,” Kunzite spoke firmly. “We’re done here.” He looked back to Mina and started to step away from her.
She quickly reached out and grabbed his shirt, quietly pleading with the man in front of her to no avail. “I’m begging you, please don’t leave me again. I don’t know what else to do and I can’t go back to him like this. We can be together; we can start over where ever we want. Just please don’t do this.”
“You need to go,” he responded in a low tone, extracting his shirt from her grasp.
Mina stood in front of him for a moment frozen by his words. Part of her wanted to hit him for his callousness, yet a part of her could not be angry knowing that she brought this on herself. She wanted to kiss him again, hoping that it would be enough to make him change his mind. Ultimately she could not bring herself to do any of these things. Instead she strode out of the apartment without meeting Nephrite’s concerned gaze.
Once she was gone Nephrite closed the door and turned to Kunzite. “You are an idiot.” Kunzite turned to him with slatted eyes prepared to issue a warning to the dark haired man, but Nephrite did not allow him the opportunity. “She loves you and you would reject her because of some ridiculous honor system that you insist upon upholding. You are making a mistake and you don’t even care.”
“You don’t know the first thing about any of this.”
“She is willing to give up everything she has to be with you. If Makoto would make even half of that promise to me I would take her up on it in an instant. But you would rather be a cold hearted bastard and convince yourself that you are doing the right thing rather than actually do the right thing. Is it better that she stays with this man that she does not love simply because you have ordained that she should?” He grabbed his wallet off the end table against the wall and opened the door, poised to walk out. “Think long and hard about this my friend.” With his final words he departed from the apartment leaving Kunzite alone with his thoughts and the memory of Mina’s words.
A father.