Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Tales from the Silver Millennium ❯ Kunzite's Tale ( Chapter 3 )
[ A - All Readers ]
By: Lsama-no-miko 
An au version of Kunzite's past
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 05.14.2005 | Updated On: 05.14.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 8.8K | Visits: 199 | Status: Completed
An au version of Kunzite's past
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 05.14.2005 | Updated On: 05.14.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 8.8K | Visits: 199 | Status: Completed
Tales from the Silver Millennium
by Sakura
Kunzite's Tale
I may have been born on Earth, but I consider myself to be 100% Venusian. I was raised on Venus shortly after I was born when my parents moved to Earth's sister planet to be closer to relatives.
I came from a good family. A long line of wealthy merchants. My life before Endymion was highly uneventful and typical of a merchant's son.
I went to school with the other children in our village, got into the usual kind of trouble a rambunctious boy gets into to, even broke a bone or two. Once I discovered I had a talent for art, I enrolled in an extra-curricular art class and found I like it. I could draw or paint or do whatever I pleased to my heart's content without anyone bothering me.
I became so good at it, that everyone thought I was going to be a famous artist one day. Even me. However, fate wouldn't let that happen. I began to spend my summers and other vacations training in weaponry. I never really liked fighting that much, but I never protested either. Somehow it just felt right. I tried to continue my art classes as well, but reluctantly had to give them up eventually as I grew older.
Thinking that my training had ended once my sensei announced I had beaten everyone in the barracks, including him, I immediately began to think of how I could find my art teacher and look her up. But once again fate intervened.
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Shortly after I turned 20, a ship came to the training camp, not an unusual event. Or so I thought. Ships often came to deliver new trainees from all over Venus. Even as far as the great city of Ishtar itself. But once I saw it, I knew that this was no Venusian shuttle. This was a royal Lunar ship.
<What's a Lunar ship doing here?> I think as I watch it land.
It opens up and a figure comes down the gangway. As it approaches the edge of the landing strip, I can see it was a woman with a long staff that looked like a giant key to me. The greened haired woman is wearing some sort of sailor uniform with black trim and boots. She looks around, then looks intently at me for a moment and turns back to speak to Sensei who had just approached her.
I strain to hear what they're saying, but can't. After a few minutes, Sensei and the woman walk up to me.
"Kunzite," he begins, "this is the Lady Pluto. She says that The Queen has commanded that you continue your training elsewhere from now on."
"But why Sensei? Where?" I ask.
"That is of no concern Kunzite." says 'Lady Pluto'. "All you are to know is that it is your destiny to be one of the royal guard of Earth. I will give you two days to prepare yourself to say your good-byes." and with that, she turns and walks away. After walking a few feet, she turns back and says, "I will be waiting at the ship." then walks back to the ship. Talk about cold.
I just stand there too angry to move or speak. <Who does Queen Serenity think she is, ordering a person's life for him like that?! Destiny, my ass! She just likes to play with people's lives. We're nothing but dolls to her.> I fume.
Sensei sees this and places a hand on my shoulder. "I know son, I'd rather have you stay here as well, but Her word is law. It won't do any good to defy Her or Lady Pluto. She has control over time. From what I hear, she can make a person grow old in seconds just by thinking it." he says.
Definitely not a comforting thought. Though, he does have a point. She did strike me as a person who was used to getting her own way. I reluctantly take my leave of him and go to my barracks to pack. <Just two days. Hardly enough time to convince 'kasan and 'tosan that this's for the best.> I sit on my bunk and try desperately not to cry.
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Two days came and went. That very day I was to leave Venus, probably forever.
I took the very next shuttle craft to my home village of Lothlorien. 'Kasan and 'Tosan were overjoyed to see me, for I haven't been home in months. I tried my best to break the news to them as gently as I could, but wound up making my mother cry anyway.
<Pluto, Serenity, I'll make you both pay for this.> I swore.
The next day, I took the shuttle back to the training camp and boarded the ship with Pluto waiting for me at the gangplank.
"I trust you were able to settle things with your family." she says.
"Hai, my lady." I force myself to say. <I swear you'll pay for making me leave my home, my family, my friends, everything I ever loved.>
As I watch her turn and board the ship, I take a long look at the person who ruined my life. She turned to face me again. Her magenta colored eyes seemed to look deep itno my soul. A look one does not want to remember. "Well Kunzite, are you coming with us or not?" she asks rather impatiently. "Time may be infinite, but it is not always patient.
I take a last look back at the golden orange sky of my home for the last time, and reluctantly follow her into the royal transport.
Once inside we are greeted by a young man about two years younger than me. "There you are Pu. We were getting worried. Oh, who's your friend?" he says noticing me as I come out from behind her.
"Endymion, you should know by now that practically nothing can harm me." She smiles. A very rare sight from this one I can tell.
Then it hits me. "Endymon? Endymon-ouji of Earth, our sister planet?" I ask praying I'm not staring.
"Hai. How do you do, er.." he extends his hand toward me.
Not sure what to make of it, I stare at the hand for a few seconds before realizing I should return the gesture. "Kunzite. Kunzite Shidou, your highness." I shake his hand and then bow as I was taught o do when in the presence of royalty.
"No need for formality Kunzite. If I believe who I think you are, we're going to be seeing a lot of each other from now on." He smiles at me. It is a genuine, friendly smile. Not one royalty would use to placate subjects, but as real amiable smile. The smile and his deep night sky blue eyes make me feel more relaxed.
<If I am indeed to be one of the royal guard of Earth, then maybe serving this prince won't be so bad.> I think.
"Perceptive as always Endymion." says Pluto returning me to my previous uneasiness. "This is the other guardian I told you about. Now that we're all aboard, I can tell the captain we're ready to launch. We are all on board are we?"
"Don't worry Pu. I checked. Both Nephrite and his companion are on board." answers the prince.
"Good I'd hate to waste time looking for those two. My time away from the gate is limited. VERY limited. Endymion, why don't you show Kunzite to his quarters then show him around."
"Sure Pu." She was gone before he finished saying her name. "Well I guess you'd better follow me. The cabins are this way." He starts down the long hallway and I follow, glad to be away from that woman.
After a few minutes of walking, the ship begins to shudder and I stumble nearly falling onto the prince in front of me.
"Gomen, your highness." I apologize.
"Daijoubu. It's nothing to worry about. I used to do that a lot too on my first time on a big ship like this. You'll get used to take off, eventually." He gives me a reassuring smile and my uneasiness fades. "By the way, I must insist you drop the formalities Kunzite-kun, after all, we're going to train together."
"Train together? I thought we were going to Earth." I say utterly surprised.
"Didn't Pu tell you? No, I suppose not. She's always doing that, hoarding knowledge and never sharing it. It's ok. Don't let her get to you. Anyway, she's hardly ever around so there's nothing to worry about."
"Just who is she?" I ask trying not to sound like a hick.
"You really don't know who she is? Hmph. Typical of her. Pu's actually Princess Setsuna of Pluto."
"Pluto? The Dead Planet?" I ask in disbelief. "I thought there was nothing living on it."
"Hai, well on the surface there isn't. Listen, I'm not supposed to tell anyone this, but Pluto's whole civilization is under the surface of the planet and the moon of Charon as well. Pu's people are a, well, very guarded and private peoople."
"I could see. So 'Lady Pluto' is actually the planet's ruler?"
"Well, yes and no. You see, she also the legendary Sailor Senshi of Time, Sailor Pluto. Her duties regarding the various time streams keep her away from actually ruling her planet, so the people just govern themselves.
"She mentioned something about a gate."
"'The Gate' I'm sorry Kunzite-kun. I have no idea what she means by 'The Gate'. In all the years, I've known her, she's never told me what this gate of her is or where it leads to."
<Just who is this Sailor Pluto? The more I learn about her, the less I like her. I just pray that I may never see her again. For the first time in my life, I found something or I should say someone who gives me the shivers.>
As we pass several cabin doors, I begin to hear voices arguing from one of the open doors.
"I still say we should've gone to Ishtar." says a female voice.
"You only say that because it sounds like Istar. Admit it 'elf', you're homesick." a man's voice answers.
"Homesick? Me? Oh puh-leaze. Give me some credit 'human'. There was nothing left for me on Krynn. Why should I be homesick? It's you who's homesick." The woman again.
"I should've turned you into the city watch when I had the chance." the man returned.
Endymion-ouji stops at the door. Inside the moderately furnished cabin, are a man and a woman. The man is sitting at a table, a glass of what appears to be wine in front of him. He is wearing clothes in a style similar to mine. <He's probably a traveling merchant.> I surmise. His long auburn hair flows down his back. The woman is... FLOATING IN MIDAIR?!!!
She is wearing a simple, modest emerald green dress that matches her eyes perfectly. Her long golden hair is tied in a ponytail with a matching green ribbon, a few strands hang loose. Around her neck, is a silver triple crescent moon medallion. All three moons being bound together by one full moon. She has delicate features. Almost as if she were carved from marble or cast in porcelain. Her almond shaped eyes seemed to be made from two flawless emeralds to me. But the most striking feature of her face are her pointed ears. I have head of such beings but, I never saw an elf, until now.
As the elf and the man continued to argue amicably, I continued to stare at the elf woman, so entranced am I by her beauty. <Thank you great Aphrodite for letting me gaze upon you.> I think, not able to say or think of anything else.
"Ahem." The prince clears his throat, bringing me back to myself.
"Oh hello, Endymion-ouji-san." says the elven goddess gently landing on the floor. She comes up to greet us.
"Hello Endymion-san. I trust your tour on Venus was pleasureable as well." says her human companion.
"It was. Venus is truly the planet of love and beauty, Nephrite-kun." replies the prince.
"It is, but it is nothing but a pretty polished stone compared to the beauty aboard your ship." I say. <What was I thinking?! Why did I say that?> I feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.
The elf woman blushes briefly, but quickly recovers her composure. "Arigato. And you are?" she says coldly.
<Gods, don't let her be like that Pluto woman. Onegai. (Please)> I silently beg.
"Oh, where are my manners?" says Endymion-ouji. "Nephrite-kun, my lady, this is Kunzite Shidou of Venus. Kunzite-kun, this is Nephrite Stanton of Krynn and his friend 'Milady'."
"How do you do, Kunzite-san." says the man, Nephrite. He appears to be Endymion-ouji's age. I shake his hand and almost get mine broken by his powerful grip. "Ano, Gomen. I usually don't know my own strength half the time." he chuckles. I like it, it's a good-natured, earthy sound.
"How do you do, my lady?" I say bowing to the figure of absolute perfection before me.
"I do fine, arigato." she replies.
"Hajimemashite. (I'm honored to meet you.)" I say taking her hand in mine and kiss it ever so gently. She blushes briefly and goes back to floating in midair.
"Kunzite is going to train with us. He's the other guardian Pluto spoke of." says the prince once again breaking the 'goddess's' spell on me.
"Glad to have you aboard Kunzite-san." says Nephrite.
"Likewise. Now I won't have to worry about keeping him in line with the two of you to watch him." says 'Milady.'
"Ooohhh you!" says Nephrite and gives her a friendly smack on the only reachable place on her body, her thigh.
"Well, I'll leave you two to, well, whatever it was you were doing. See you later Nephrite-kun, 'Milady.'" says Endymion-ouji turning to leave.
"It was a pleasure meeting both of you." I say.
"Likewise, Kunzite-san." 'Milady' says and winks at me. I become rooted to the ship's floor unable to move. <I could have sworn my heart just skipped a beat.>
"You coming, Kunzite-kun?"
<Thank the gods for this Endymion-ouji, or I'd become a permanent part of the hallway.>
"Hai, your highness." I turn and follow him down the hall to my quarters. As I follow him, I hear her voice say. "Catch you later, Kunzite-san, Endymion-ouji-san!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The voyage on the ship was uneventful and I didn't see 'Milady' again as she chose to remain elusive. Neither of my shipmates could tell me where she was. The three of us, however, spent most of the time getting to know each other and practicing in one of the ship's holodecks until we arrived at our destination, which was never revealed to any of us. But what pleased me most was that I never again laid eyes on the Pluto woman again throughout the whole trip.
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At landing, I rush to the door impatient to get a look at what I've gotten myself into.
"Can't wait to get out too?" asks Endymion-san as he comes up to me.
"Hai, Endymion-san. I hate being cooped up." I reply.
"Can't blame you. The others should be here shortly."
No sooner than he said that, Nephrite and 'Milady' come down the hall.
"So, the gang's all here." says Nephrite smiling.
The door opens and Endymion motions for us to stay behind. "Let me see if it's ok first." he says.
"But, Endymion-ouji-san, if we're supposed be your guardians, shouldn't one of us go and check it out for you?" says 'Milady.'
"No, because I already can see it's all right." he says walking down the ramp towards a tall blond man about his age.
"Endymion! What are you doing here?! How'd you find me?!" says the blond man, running up to him.
"I brought him here lad." says the old captain who'd been on the trip with us, helping us with the holodeck controls.
The two are obviously friends or else they wouldn't have been hugging each other. After a few moments of conversation, the prince gestures for us to come join him. We walk down the ramp and when we reach him, he says, "Jed, this is Kunzite Shidou, Nephrite Stanton, and 'Milady.'"
I walk to the blond and extend my hand. "Hello, Jadeite is it?" I ask shaking his hand. He nods. "I'm Kunzite, from Venus."
"Call me Jed. All my friends do." he answers.
"I'm Nephrite, from Krynn. Pleased to meet you." says Nephrite, extending his hand.
"I too am from Krynn. I am honored to meet a friend of Endymion-ouji-san's." says 'Milady', extending her hand.
He stares at her a few seconds, obviously bewitched by her as I was. Then he eventually says, "The honor is mine, my lady." He takes her hand and gently kisses it. "May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?" he asks.
She goes stiff. I go to ask if she is in pain when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn to see Nephrite standing next to me. He shakes his head slightly, warning me I should leave it alone.
"Captain, I'm sure 'Milady' would like to see her quarters." he says.
"Of course. The lass is probably tired from such a long journey. Right this way, my lady." says the old captain forgetting to wait for her as he begins to walk toward the barracks.
She turns and begins to follow him. Thinking I should help her, I go up to her and offer her my arm. "My lady," I say waiting for her to take my arm.
She looks coldly at me as if I had insulted her. I try my best not to be disappointed. <Baka! There's no way this beautiful creature would ever associate with such a lowly person as me.> I chide myself. To my utter surprise, she puts her hand on my arm and indicates I should lead her and I follow the captain towards the barracks.
Along the way, we remain silent, both of us too shy to speak. Then I remember her absence on the ship.
"I don't remember seeing you again after we met on the ship. Were you ill, my lady?" I ask, hoping I'm not prying to deep into her private afairs.
"Not exactly. I just prefer to be alone sometimes." she answers.
"Must be awful lonely." I say remembering times when I felt the same way when I began a new art work.
"Honto ne (Not really), it gives me plenty of time to practice."
"Practice what, my lady?" I ask curious as to what she could practice by herself.
"I have a power that allows me to shape crystals into things."
"I hate to change the subject, my lady, but I'm wonder what a beauty like you would be doing at a training camp." I say suddenly remembering why she was here. She blushes again, but doesn't return to her usual cold self.
"I don't just make pretty baubles with my power." she says with a sly smile.
"Oh?"
"Watch." She produces a crystal from a fold in her gown and concentrates. It grows longer and sharper until it forms a crystal sword.
"Incredible. I've never seen anything like that before." I say staring at the perfectly formed sword. <Masaka! (My god!) She can do that?! No wonder she's at a training camp.> "I hope you don't think I'm being forward, but since we're going to be training together, I think we should know each other's name, don't you think? It'd be very awkward calling you 'Milady' out on the field." I say changing the subject once again and immediately regret opening my big mouth.
She looks down and notices the ring 'kasan gave me before I left. She's trying to hide it but, I see her stare at it out of the corner of her eye. "It's my mother's." I say glad for a chance to cover for my previous mistake. <If she doesn't want to reveal her name, then, so be it. I have no right to pry into her private life.> I chide myself again.
She blushes and says, "It's beautiful. What stone is that? I don't recall ever seeing it on Krynn before."
"It's not from Krynn, but from Earth, my lady. It's a very rare stone and is only found on Earth. I believe it's called Zoisite." I say fingering the ring.
"No wonder I've never remembered seeing it before." she giggles, the first time I've ever heard her do so. <What a charming sound! She must have a beautiful voice when singing.>
She suddenly begins to sob and lose control, shaking uncontrollably. Seeing, she is about to faint, I quickly catch her and pick her up. <Gods! She's so light, like a feather.> I think, carrying her the rest of the way to her quarters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once inside her room, I gently lay her on the bed and ask for a washcloth, a bowl of water, and a bit of lavender. Soon, someone comes with the items I requested and I put them by her bedside.
I dip the cloth into the bowl and wring it out til it is cool and damp. Next, I crush a few lavender leaves with the cloth, letting the fragrance seep into it. Placing the cool cloth on her forehead, I pray she's all right.
She stirs and begins to open her eyes. <Thank Aphrodite, she's awake.> I say looking into her emerald eyes. "Daijoubu desu ka?" I ask unable to tear myself away from those eyes.
"Where am I? What happened?" she asks, struggling to sit up.
"You fainted, my lady. We're in your quarters. I hope you don't mind I carried you here." I say glad she's able to speak.
"I'm sorry for being so much trouble." she says trying to sit up again.
I gently push her back on the bed. "You're no trouble at all. You need to rest." I say removing the washcloth and dip it back into the bowl. As I place the cloth back on her head, I say "I hate to pry, but maybe if you told me what made you cry like that, it'd make you feel better."
She remains silent for a bit obviously caught in some kind of inner struggle. I can see it in her eyes. <She must really be hurting if she's struggling against herself like this.> I say gently taking her hand in mine. She closes her eyes, but only to open them seconds later. I give her a concerned look, she smiles a little and I relax a little. I patiently wait for her to speak. She steels herself and begins to tell me what has been troubling her so much that she could no longer control it.
"...and so when one of us is exiled or banished, his name is erased form all records as if he never existed and is never allowed to return our homeland or he will be killed as an enemy." she says finishing her tale.
I feel such pity for this woman, that I want to hold her in my arms and tell her I'd be with her always, her home, but I know I can't. It would probably hurt her even more if she saw my pity, my true feelings for her, so I push my feelings aside.
"So that's why you didn't want us to know your name. Technically you don't have one now, is that it?" I say trying to be as gentle with my words as I can. It would kill me if I brought her more pain.
"Hai. Thank you for listening to me, Kunzite-san. I really needed to get that off my chest." she says sitting up. I adjust the pillows so she can sit more comfortably.
"How about if I give you a new name, my lady?" I ask hoping to cheer her up.
She stares at me in disbelief. "Nani? You're serious?"
"Very. Would you mind if I gave it to you or would you prefer to keep 'Milady'?" I blush a little trying my best not to embarrass myself.
She blushes and looks away from me. <You did it again, baka! You've probably insulted her again.>
"You'd do that? For me?" she asks.
I stare at her for a few seconds, not believing she wasn't hurt. "Well, as I said before, it'd be awkward calling you 'Milady' out on the field, if you're going to train with us, you'll need a better name." I say chuckling a little.
"What did you have in mind, Kunzite-san?" she says turning back to me. Her emerald eyes shining with hope.
"How about Zoisite? Since you like my mother's ring so much." I suggest.
She blushes again but, forces herself to look at me.
"Of course, if you don't like it, we could-" I start to say thinking I've said the wrong thing. Again. I seem to be doing that a lot today.
"I love it. Arigato gozaimasu, Kunzite-san." she says blushing and, miracles of miracles, hugs me!
Not knowing what else to do, I hug her back and stroke her golden hair. <What is this? Hair or silk?> I say marveling at how soft it is. She falls asleep in my arms and I gently lay her back on her bed.
I pick up the cloth that had fallen from her forehead and place it beside the bowl and lavender leaves.
"Sleep well, Zoisite-chan." I whisper then silently leave to find my own quarters.
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Over the months of training, I begin to slowly accept my new life on Earth. Nephrite, Jadeite, and Endymion, being such good friends, make it easier for me to forget my old life on Venus. Of course, with Zoisite there as well, I have no real desire to return home. At least until, she completely recovers from her past.
Zoisite has been smiling more the past few months and now readily laughs whenever one of us makes a joke.
Over the past few months, the other men and I have been having parties once a week and I invited her to join us, but every time she declined saying she'd be uncomfortable, being the only woman. That was a long time ago. For the past few weeks, Zoisite has been joining in our parties, she being the most rowdy of us.
Several times, Captain Antares has had to pry her off one of us during our sparring matches during the parties. We always wound up wrestling one another over some stupid argument and Zoisite was the quickest to anger, especially when drunk on Venusian wine. I constantly regretted ever smuggling it into the camp that day since it is one of the most intoxicating liquors of the Silver Millennium.
When, we finished our training, months later, we returned to the palace and took up our duties as Endymion's guardians. For several weeks, we stayed at the palace until one day, Endymion surprised us with a residence for each of us not too far from the palace.
I was not surprised to learn that Zoisite's house was closer to mine than any of the others. Somehow, Endymion guessed at our growing friendship. Neither was I surprised when Jadeite refused to leave the palace. Him and the prince are very close friends, I only wish I had someone I was that close to. Perhaps,... No she could never think of me that way. Just having her for a friend is enough.
Our parties however, didn't end. All five of us continued to meet once a week to do whatever one does at parties. And as usual, we wound up with plenty of bruises the next day. Especially Zoisite. I hate seeing her beauty marred by bruises.
It was at one such party, that I discovered how she really felt about me. We both had been at the wine (not Venusian, but a less potent brand) again and while Jadeite was going at Nephrite, yet again, over some foolish thing or other, Zoisite came up to me and whispers in my ear.
"Kunz-chan, can I have a word with you? In private?" she says rather seductively.
"Um, sure Zoi-chan." I let myself be led outside of Neph's house and we didn't stop till we were completely hidden by the trees. "Doushita no?" I ask once I managed to catch my breath.
"Nanimo (Nothing), Kunz-chan." Again she called me that. She always either called me Kunzite-kun or Kunzite-san, she never really dropped the formality, until now. "I just wanted to get you alone, that's all." She smiled the charming crooked smile I love so much.
"Uh, Zoi-chan, what are you doing?" I ask as she begins to unbutton my jacket.
"I've always been attracted to you, you know." she says as she removes my jacket.
<She's drunk, Kunzite. Don't do anything, you'll both probably regret it tomorrow.> my mind warns me, but I lose the battle my instincts is raging against it.
"You have?" I say hoping that it really isn't the wine talking.
"Hmm-mm." She places a hand on my chest feeling the muscles beneath my shirt. "You're so handsome, it's no wonder the ladies at the palace look twice when you pass by."
"You noticed that?" I say blushing.
"Kunz-chan, you're the most handsome man I've ever seen. Aishiteru." She tilted her head and pulled mine close to hers and kissed me. For moments, I could do nothing, but stare in utter disbelief at the sudden forwardness of the usually reserved elf woman. <It's got to be the wine.> I say. <She's drunk and doesn't know what she's doing. Don't do anything.> I warn myself again, but I ignore it and begin to kiss back. I wrap my arms around her and she suddenly pushes away, obviously realizing what she just did.
"Gomen nasai, Kunzite-kun." she says going back to the Zoisite I'm familiar with and blushes. "I must be more plastered than I thought. I'd better head home. Would you tell the others I was tired and went home?"
"Of course, Zoi-chan, but I'd better take you home." I say knowing perfectly well that she could very easily lose her way in the dark woods. I put my jacket back on, but leave it unbuttoned.
"Thank you, but I don't think that'd be necessary."
"It is. I'd like to hear you say 'aishiteru' again." Now it is my turn to blush.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything." she says turning away.
"You didn't. Zoi-chan, I love you too." This time I kiss her and hold her close to me making sure she can't run away.
She stares at me once I remove my mouth from hers and I see the disbelief and hope in her moonlit emerald eyes. "Do you... Do you really love me?" she asks trembling.
"Hai." I say and kiss her once more, passionately.
My mind short circuits as I feel her wrap her arms around my chest and she kisses me back.
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Shortly after that night when, both of us slightly drunk, confessed our love for each other, Zoisite moved into my home. I couldn't believe it when she proposed that she'd live with me since neither of us could last long without the other. I immediately said yes and the very next day we moved her things to my house with the help of the others of course.
Nephrite was a little disappointed that she chose me over him, that much I could see in his face when I told him the good news. I can't say I blame him, because he has known her longer than any of us. He most certainly would've fallen in love with her by now. However, he quickly got over his disappointment shortly after one of the prince's diplomatic missions to the Moon Kingdom. I could tell that the princess of Jupiter managed to snare his heart, plus the two were often missing at the same time as the other. It was obvious what was happening to him.
Jadeite was also happy for us, but I somehow sensed a sadness and loneliness surrounding him whenever Zoey and I were together with him. He buried himself in his books and duties, but I would occasionally catch him sighing or just staring off into space. I knew a man in love when I saw one. I was of course curious as to whom he'd fallen in love with, but I just left him alone believing he'd tell us about his love when he felt like it. I was never one to pry into other people's lives. After that incident at the training camp, I never once pressed Zoisite to tell about her past. I know she'll tell me when she's ready.
Endymion was the happiest. He congratulated us and of course made many jokes about us already being married. Both of us had blushed in embarrassment. It was indeed as if we were married.
Zoisite however, was a little worried about leaving her beloved garden. I assured her that the royal gardeners would keep excellent care of it, especially since it was one of the wonders of the world. No other garden like it existed, except for those of the Moon Kingdom. Zoey had tried her best to grow every plant and flower in the Millennium and did manage to do an excellent job at it. She had every plant growing and blooming for her. All except one, the trees of her home planet. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get the countless seedlings she had imported to take root. Many a time she'd come to me, in tears, saying she should have never left Krynn. And many a time I reminded her that if she hadn't, she never would've met me.
She'd eventually cheer up and try again. But now that she was living with me, she decided to give up on growing the trees and began another garden, though not an extravagant one as her first.
True to my word, the royal gardeners kept the weeds and pests from Zoey's plants and the garden was just as beautiful as if she'd been tending it herself. But, however, still not trusting her 'babies' to anyone else she'd go once a week to work in the garden. She could never find any faults with the gardeners and soon came to respect their ability to care for her garden.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I wake up with a start, sensing something is wrong.
"Zoi-chan?" I call to my lover. No answer. I turn on my side and see she is gone, the bed still warm from her body.
<Probably went downstairs for a late night snack.> I say to myself as I put on my light blue robe and head for the kitchen.
The kitchen is as dark as the rest of the house and still no sign of Zoisite. <Now I know something is wrong.> "She'd never leave without telling me." I say to the shadows trying my best not to panic.
"Do you think so, young guardian?" says a voice coming somewhere from the shadows.
I quickly call up my sword and call forth a ball of light. The light fills the kitchen and before me stands a woman. She has flowing red hair and is wearing a tight, sleeveless purple dress. I recognize her instantly. Beryl, queen of the Dark Kingdom, whom all the Millennium was at war with.
"What have you done to Zoisite, witch?!" I shout preparing run her through.
"Temper, temper, Kunzite. You'd better put that toy away before someone gets hurt." she says smiling a wicked smile.
"The only one who'll be hurt is you and, it'll be too late for you to care."
I say. "For the last time, WHERE IS ZOISITE?!" I lunge at the dark queen and raise my sword, thinking to cleave her in two.
She deftly steps aside and with a single flick of her wrist, my sword disappears and I land flat on my face. <Not a very good way to impress one's enemy.> I think with dry humor.
"Do you really think she loved you that much?" the queen asks me. "Let me tell you something Kunzite, she does. In fact she loves you so much that she'd betray her friends and prince for you." She smiles evilly as I rise to my feet.
"What are you playing at Beryl?" I ask glaring at her. <If I can't kill her with ordinary weapons, then I'll have to use less ordinary ones.>
"Do you know anything about elven lifespans, Kunzite.?"
"What does have that to do with Zoisite? Where is she?!" I silently call forth a spell and keep it back giving the bitch a last chance to answer me.
"Quite a lot I'm afraid. Are you aware they are extremely long lived?"
"I am." I say. "Quit stalling bitch, tell me where Zoisite is or-"
"Or what, Kunzite? You'll kill me with that pathetic spell?" She laughs and I feel the spell's power leave me and fade.
"Now, will you let me finish or do you want me to deal with an extremely unhappy elf?" she asks, her anger poorly veiled beneath a smile.
Both my weapons skills and magic are no match for this demon witch so I sadly nod my head and let her say what she has come to tell me.
"Just what exactly has Zoisite told you, Kunzite?"
I am startled back to reality by the question and stare at her uncomprehendingly at her for a few seconds before answering, "She told me her race live longer than humans."
"True, but do you know just how long?"
I honestly didn't know, she never told me. "No." I say softly. My mind is already grasping where this is leading.
"Elves live up to hundreds of years. Some as long as 700 years, Kunzite. Do you think, she'd actually let herself stay with you only to watch you die while she'd still look young?"
I feel my heart wrench in pain at what she's implying. <It can't be true! She wouldn't just leave me without saying goodbye.> I say.
"Poor boy." She comes up to me and places a hand on my cheek. I flinch at her touch. It is like a corpse's, stone cold. "Not to worry, she only left so she'd be able to be with you and not have to watch you die before her."
"What do you mean?" I ask not understanding a word of what she said.
"I offered her the chance to have a lifespan as long as yours and she took it." she smiled triumphantly as I stared at her, my mouth wide open.
"Iya. She'd never join you. Not even if it was for me." I say not believing a word of it.
"She did and she's waiting for you. I'm only here because she kept begging me for her to see you. I told her that if she really wants a life with you, both of you'd have to be on my side or either one of you would outlive the other."
"So basically what you're telling me is that you're here to convince me to join you. Well, your majesty," I say sarcastically, "it's not going to happen."
"I'm not. She is." She opens a portal and a figure steps through it. I recognize it instantly as my beloved Zoisite.
She is not wearing the blue and green uniform of Earth, but a sickly purplish-grey uniform with green trim, a twisted mockery of what we wore. There was a darkness to her once bright green eyes and her gracefully pointed ears were no longer pointed, but were now those of a human.
"Zoisite! What has she done to you?!" I cry running to her.
"This is the only way we could be together. Gomen nasai, Kunz-chan. I couldn't bear the thought of watching you die before me any longer." I see tears form in her still beautiful emerald eyes.
"Zoey, can't you see she's just using you!" I say.
"I know, but I can't bear to be parted from you Kunz-chan. Please, don't do this to me. Come back with me. I need you." She presses herself against me, letting the tears fall unheeded.
"Do you, or does Beryl?" I ask pushing her away.
"I need you Kunzite. Onegai, don't leave me. Not like this." She places her head on my shoulder and sobs, very much like that time when she fainted at the training camp.
I try my best not to give in. <She's betrayed you. The prince. You must warn him!> I shout at myself, but against my will, I feel my arms envelop her and I begin stroking her golden hair. I could never resist her when she was like this. I always felt compelled to comfort her.
"Shh, daijoubu koishii. Daijoubu." I say, kissing her. I silently make my decision and pray that I am forgiven.
"You win Beryl. I'll join you, but if you ever do anything to harm either the prince or Zoisite, I swear I'll make you pay." I say turning to the snake in a woman's form.
"So be it." she says and opens the portal again. She gestures for us to follow her and I still holding onto Zoisite and wearing my robe, step trough after her.
Once on the on the other side, Beryl turns to Zoisite and says, "Zoisite, see to it that Kunzite is taken care of until I decide what to do with him."
My love bows still possessing the grace of the elf she once was and says, "Of course, my queen."
When the queen is gone, she turns to me and winks before kissing me again.
Author's Note:
I know Zoey's a guy but, I'm making him a her. Call it a little poetic license if you will. Ja ne.
by Sakura
Kunzite's Tale
I may have been born on Earth, but I consider myself to be 100% Venusian. I was raised on Venus shortly after I was born when my parents moved to Earth's sister planet to be closer to relatives.
I came from a good family. A long line of wealthy merchants. My life before Endymion was highly uneventful and typical of a merchant's son.
I went to school with the other children in our village, got into the usual kind of trouble a rambunctious boy gets into to, even broke a bone or two. Once I discovered I had a talent for art, I enrolled in an extra-curricular art class and found I like it. I could draw or paint or do whatever I pleased to my heart's content without anyone bothering me.
I became so good at it, that everyone thought I was going to be a famous artist one day. Even me. However, fate wouldn't let that happen. I began to spend my summers and other vacations training in weaponry. I never really liked fighting that much, but I never protested either. Somehow it just felt right. I tried to continue my art classes as well, but reluctantly had to give them up eventually as I grew older.
Thinking that my training had ended once my sensei announced I had beaten everyone in the barracks, including him, I immediately began to think of how I could find my art teacher and look her up. But once again fate intervened.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shortly after I turned 20, a ship came to the training camp, not an unusual event. Or so I thought. Ships often came to deliver new trainees from all over Venus. Even as far as the great city of Ishtar itself. But once I saw it, I knew that this was no Venusian shuttle. This was a royal Lunar ship.
<What's a Lunar ship doing here?> I think as I watch it land.
It opens up and a figure comes down the gangway. As it approaches the edge of the landing strip, I can see it was a woman with a long staff that looked like a giant key to me. The greened haired woman is wearing some sort of sailor uniform with black trim and boots. She looks around, then looks intently at me for a moment and turns back to speak to Sensei who had just approached her.
I strain to hear what they're saying, but can't. After a few minutes, Sensei and the woman walk up to me.
"Kunzite," he begins, "this is the Lady Pluto. She says that The Queen has commanded that you continue your training elsewhere from now on."
"But why Sensei? Where?" I ask.
"That is of no concern Kunzite." says 'Lady Pluto'. "All you are to know is that it is your destiny to be one of the royal guard of Earth. I will give you two days to prepare yourself to say your good-byes." and with that, she turns and walks away. After walking a few feet, she turns back and says, "I will be waiting at the ship." then walks back to the ship. Talk about cold.
I just stand there too angry to move or speak. <Who does Queen Serenity think she is, ordering a person's life for him like that?! Destiny, my ass! She just likes to play with people's lives. We're nothing but dolls to her.> I fume.
Sensei sees this and places a hand on my shoulder. "I know son, I'd rather have you stay here as well, but Her word is law. It won't do any good to defy Her or Lady Pluto. She has control over time. From what I hear, she can make a person grow old in seconds just by thinking it." he says.
Definitely not a comforting thought. Though, he does have a point. She did strike me as a person who was used to getting her own way. I reluctantly take my leave of him and go to my barracks to pack. <Just two days. Hardly enough time to convince 'kasan and 'tosan that this's for the best.> I sit on my bunk and try desperately not to cry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two days came and went. That very day I was to leave Venus, probably forever.
I took the very next shuttle craft to my home village of Lothlorien. 'Kasan and 'Tosan were overjoyed to see me, for I haven't been home in months. I tried my best to break the news to them as gently as I could, but wound up making my mother cry anyway.
<Pluto, Serenity, I'll make you both pay for this.> I swore.
The next day, I took the shuttle back to the training camp and boarded the ship with Pluto waiting for me at the gangplank.
"I trust you were able to settle things with your family." she says.
"Hai, my lady." I force myself to say. <I swear you'll pay for making me leave my home, my family, my friends, everything I ever loved.>
As I watch her turn and board the ship, I take a long look at the person who ruined my life. She turned to face me again. Her magenta colored eyes seemed to look deep itno my soul. A look one does not want to remember. "Well Kunzite, are you coming with us or not?" she asks rather impatiently. "Time may be infinite, but it is not always patient.
I take a last look back at the golden orange sky of my home for the last time, and reluctantly follow her into the royal transport.
Once inside we are greeted by a young man about two years younger than me. "There you are Pu. We were getting worried. Oh, who's your friend?" he says noticing me as I come out from behind her.
"Endymion, you should know by now that practically nothing can harm me." She smiles. A very rare sight from this one I can tell.
Then it hits me. "Endymon? Endymon-ouji of Earth, our sister planet?" I ask praying I'm not staring.
"Hai. How do you do, er.." he extends his hand toward me.
Not sure what to make of it, I stare at the hand for a few seconds before realizing I should return the gesture. "Kunzite. Kunzite Shidou, your highness." I shake his hand and then bow as I was taught o do when in the presence of royalty.
"No need for formality Kunzite. If I believe who I think you are, we're going to be seeing a lot of each other from now on." He smiles at me. It is a genuine, friendly smile. Not one royalty would use to placate subjects, but as real amiable smile. The smile and his deep night sky blue eyes make me feel more relaxed.
<If I am indeed to be one of the royal guard of Earth, then maybe serving this prince won't be so bad.> I think.
"Perceptive as always Endymion." says Pluto returning me to my previous uneasiness. "This is the other guardian I told you about. Now that we're all aboard, I can tell the captain we're ready to launch. We are all on board are we?"
"Don't worry Pu. I checked. Both Nephrite and his companion are on board." answers the prince.
"Good I'd hate to waste time looking for those two. My time away from the gate is limited. VERY limited. Endymion, why don't you show Kunzite to his quarters then show him around."
"Sure Pu." She was gone before he finished saying her name. "Well I guess you'd better follow me. The cabins are this way." He starts down the long hallway and I follow, glad to be away from that woman.
After a few minutes of walking, the ship begins to shudder and I stumble nearly falling onto the prince in front of me.
"Gomen, your highness." I apologize.
"Daijoubu. It's nothing to worry about. I used to do that a lot too on my first time on a big ship like this. You'll get used to take off, eventually." He gives me a reassuring smile and my uneasiness fades. "By the way, I must insist you drop the formalities Kunzite-kun, after all, we're going to train together."
"Train together? I thought we were going to Earth." I say utterly surprised.
"Didn't Pu tell you? No, I suppose not. She's always doing that, hoarding knowledge and never sharing it. It's ok. Don't let her get to you. Anyway, she's hardly ever around so there's nothing to worry about."
"Just who is she?" I ask trying not to sound like a hick.
"You really don't know who she is? Hmph. Typical of her. Pu's actually Princess Setsuna of Pluto."
"Pluto? The Dead Planet?" I ask in disbelief. "I thought there was nothing living on it."
"Hai, well on the surface there isn't. Listen, I'm not supposed to tell anyone this, but Pluto's whole civilization is under the surface of the planet and the moon of Charon as well. Pu's people are a, well, very guarded and private peoople."
"I could see. So 'Lady Pluto' is actually the planet's ruler?"
"Well, yes and no. You see, she also the legendary Sailor Senshi of Time, Sailor Pluto. Her duties regarding the various time streams keep her away from actually ruling her planet, so the people just govern themselves.
"She mentioned something about a gate."
"'The Gate' I'm sorry Kunzite-kun. I have no idea what she means by 'The Gate'. In all the years, I've known her, she's never told me what this gate of her is or where it leads to."
<Just who is this Sailor Pluto? The more I learn about her, the less I like her. I just pray that I may never see her again. For the first time in my life, I found something or I should say someone who gives me the shivers.>
As we pass several cabin doors, I begin to hear voices arguing from one of the open doors.
"I still say we should've gone to Ishtar." says a female voice.
"You only say that because it sounds like Istar. Admit it 'elf', you're homesick." a man's voice answers.
"Homesick? Me? Oh puh-leaze. Give me some credit 'human'. There was nothing left for me on Krynn. Why should I be homesick? It's you who's homesick." The woman again.
"I should've turned you into the city watch when I had the chance." the man returned.
Endymion-ouji stops at the door. Inside the moderately furnished cabin, are a man and a woman. The man is sitting at a table, a glass of what appears to be wine in front of him. He is wearing clothes in a style similar to mine. <He's probably a traveling merchant.> I surmise. His long auburn hair flows down his back. The woman is... FLOATING IN MIDAIR?!!!
She is wearing a simple, modest emerald green dress that matches her eyes perfectly. Her long golden hair is tied in a ponytail with a matching green ribbon, a few strands hang loose. Around her neck, is a silver triple crescent moon medallion. All three moons being bound together by one full moon. She has delicate features. Almost as if she were carved from marble or cast in porcelain. Her almond shaped eyes seemed to be made from two flawless emeralds to me. But the most striking feature of her face are her pointed ears. I have head of such beings but, I never saw an elf, until now.
As the elf and the man continued to argue amicably, I continued to stare at the elf woman, so entranced am I by her beauty. <Thank you great Aphrodite for letting me gaze upon you.> I think, not able to say or think of anything else.
"Ahem." The prince clears his throat, bringing me back to myself.
"Oh hello, Endymion-ouji-san." says the elven goddess gently landing on the floor. She comes up to greet us.
"Hello Endymion-san. I trust your tour on Venus was pleasureable as well." says her human companion.
"It was. Venus is truly the planet of love and beauty, Nephrite-kun." replies the prince.
"It is, but it is nothing but a pretty polished stone compared to the beauty aboard your ship." I say. <What was I thinking?! Why did I say that?> I feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.
The elf woman blushes briefly, but quickly recovers her composure. "Arigato. And you are?" she says coldly.
<Gods, don't let her be like that Pluto woman. Onegai. (Please)> I silently beg.
"Oh, where are my manners?" says Endymion-ouji. "Nephrite-kun, my lady, this is Kunzite Shidou of Venus. Kunzite-kun, this is Nephrite Stanton of Krynn and his friend 'Milady'."
"How do you do, Kunzite-san." says the man, Nephrite. He appears to be Endymion-ouji's age. I shake his hand and almost get mine broken by his powerful grip. "Ano, Gomen. I usually don't know my own strength half the time." he chuckles. I like it, it's a good-natured, earthy sound.
"How do you do, my lady?" I say bowing to the figure of absolute perfection before me.
"I do fine, arigato." she replies.
"Hajimemashite. (I'm honored to meet you.)" I say taking her hand in mine and kiss it ever so gently. She blushes briefly and goes back to floating in midair.
"Kunzite is going to train with us. He's the other guardian Pluto spoke of." says the prince once again breaking the 'goddess's' spell on me.
"Glad to have you aboard Kunzite-san." says Nephrite.
"Likewise. Now I won't have to worry about keeping him in line with the two of you to watch him." says 'Milady.'
"Ooohhh you!" says Nephrite and gives her a friendly smack on the only reachable place on her body, her thigh.
"Well, I'll leave you two to, well, whatever it was you were doing. See you later Nephrite-kun, 'Milady.'" says Endymion-ouji turning to leave.
"It was a pleasure meeting both of you." I say.
"Likewise, Kunzite-san." 'Milady' says and winks at me. I become rooted to the ship's floor unable to move. <I could have sworn my heart just skipped a beat.>
"You coming, Kunzite-kun?"
<Thank the gods for this Endymion-ouji, or I'd become a permanent part of the hallway.>
"Hai, your highness." I turn and follow him down the hall to my quarters. As I follow him, I hear her voice say. "Catch you later, Kunzite-san, Endymion-ouji-san!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The voyage on the ship was uneventful and I didn't see 'Milady' again as she chose to remain elusive. Neither of my shipmates could tell me where she was. The three of us, however, spent most of the time getting to know each other and practicing in one of the ship's holodecks until we arrived at our destination, which was never revealed to any of us. But what pleased me most was that I never again laid eyes on the Pluto woman again throughout the whole trip.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At landing, I rush to the door impatient to get a look at what I've gotten myself into.
"Can't wait to get out too?" asks Endymion-san as he comes up to me.
"Hai, Endymion-san. I hate being cooped up." I reply.
"Can't blame you. The others should be here shortly."
No sooner than he said that, Nephrite and 'Milady' come down the hall.
"So, the gang's all here." says Nephrite smiling.
The door opens and Endymion motions for us to stay behind. "Let me see if it's ok first." he says.
"But, Endymion-ouji-san, if we're supposed be your guardians, shouldn't one of us go and check it out for you?" says 'Milady.'
"No, because I already can see it's all right." he says walking down the ramp towards a tall blond man about his age.
"Endymion! What are you doing here?! How'd you find me?!" says the blond man, running up to him.
"I brought him here lad." says the old captain who'd been on the trip with us, helping us with the holodeck controls.
The two are obviously friends or else they wouldn't have been hugging each other. After a few moments of conversation, the prince gestures for us to come join him. We walk down the ramp and when we reach him, he says, "Jed, this is Kunzite Shidou, Nephrite Stanton, and 'Milady.'"
I walk to the blond and extend my hand. "Hello, Jadeite is it?" I ask shaking his hand. He nods. "I'm Kunzite, from Venus."
"Call me Jed. All my friends do." he answers.
"I'm Nephrite, from Krynn. Pleased to meet you." says Nephrite, extending his hand.
"I too am from Krynn. I am honored to meet a friend of Endymion-ouji-san's." says 'Milady', extending her hand.
He stares at her a few seconds, obviously bewitched by her as I was. Then he eventually says, "The honor is mine, my lady." He takes her hand and gently kisses it. "May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?" he asks.
She goes stiff. I go to ask if she is in pain when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn to see Nephrite standing next to me. He shakes his head slightly, warning me I should leave it alone.
"Captain, I'm sure 'Milady' would like to see her quarters." he says.
"Of course. The lass is probably tired from such a long journey. Right this way, my lady." says the old captain forgetting to wait for her as he begins to walk toward the barracks.
She turns and begins to follow him. Thinking I should help her, I go up to her and offer her my arm. "My lady," I say waiting for her to take my arm.
She looks coldly at me as if I had insulted her. I try my best not to be disappointed. <Baka! There's no way this beautiful creature would ever associate with such a lowly person as me.> I chide myself. To my utter surprise, she puts her hand on my arm and indicates I should lead her and I follow the captain towards the barracks.
Along the way, we remain silent, both of us too shy to speak. Then I remember her absence on the ship.
"I don't remember seeing you again after we met on the ship. Were you ill, my lady?" I ask, hoping I'm not prying to deep into her private afairs.
"Not exactly. I just prefer to be alone sometimes." she answers.
"Must be awful lonely." I say remembering times when I felt the same way when I began a new art work.
"Honto ne (Not really), it gives me plenty of time to practice."
"Practice what, my lady?" I ask curious as to what she could practice by herself.
"I have a power that allows me to shape crystals into things."
"I hate to change the subject, my lady, but I'm wonder what a beauty like you would be doing at a training camp." I say suddenly remembering why she was here. She blushes again, but doesn't return to her usual cold self.
"I don't just make pretty baubles with my power." she says with a sly smile.
"Oh?"
"Watch." She produces a crystal from a fold in her gown and concentrates. It grows longer and sharper until it forms a crystal sword.
"Incredible. I've never seen anything like that before." I say staring at the perfectly formed sword. <Masaka! (My god!) She can do that?! No wonder she's at a training camp.> "I hope you don't think I'm being forward, but since we're going to be training together, I think we should know each other's name, don't you think? It'd be very awkward calling you 'Milady' out on the field." I say changing the subject once again and immediately regret opening my big mouth.
She looks down and notices the ring 'kasan gave me before I left. She's trying to hide it but, I see her stare at it out of the corner of her eye. "It's my mother's." I say glad for a chance to cover for my previous mistake. <If she doesn't want to reveal her name, then, so be it. I have no right to pry into her private life.> I chide myself again.
She blushes and says, "It's beautiful. What stone is that? I don't recall ever seeing it on Krynn before."
"It's not from Krynn, but from Earth, my lady. It's a very rare stone and is only found on Earth. I believe it's called Zoisite." I say fingering the ring.
"No wonder I've never remembered seeing it before." she giggles, the first time I've ever heard her do so. <What a charming sound! She must have a beautiful voice when singing.>
She suddenly begins to sob and lose control, shaking uncontrollably. Seeing, she is about to faint, I quickly catch her and pick her up. <Gods! She's so light, like a feather.> I think, carrying her the rest of the way to her quarters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once inside her room, I gently lay her on the bed and ask for a washcloth, a bowl of water, and a bit of lavender. Soon, someone comes with the items I requested and I put them by her bedside.
I dip the cloth into the bowl and wring it out til it is cool and damp. Next, I crush a few lavender leaves with the cloth, letting the fragrance seep into it. Placing the cool cloth on her forehead, I pray she's all right.
She stirs and begins to open her eyes. <Thank Aphrodite, she's awake.> I say looking into her emerald eyes. "Daijoubu desu ka?" I ask unable to tear myself away from those eyes.
"Where am I? What happened?" she asks, struggling to sit up.
"You fainted, my lady. We're in your quarters. I hope you don't mind I carried you here." I say glad she's able to speak.
"I'm sorry for being so much trouble." she says trying to sit up again.
I gently push her back on the bed. "You're no trouble at all. You need to rest." I say removing the washcloth and dip it back into the bowl. As I place the cloth back on her head, I say "I hate to pry, but maybe if you told me what made you cry like that, it'd make you feel better."
She remains silent for a bit obviously caught in some kind of inner struggle. I can see it in her eyes. <She must really be hurting if she's struggling against herself like this.> I say gently taking her hand in mine. She closes her eyes, but only to open them seconds later. I give her a concerned look, she smiles a little and I relax a little. I patiently wait for her to speak. She steels herself and begins to tell me what has been troubling her so much that she could no longer control it.
"...and so when one of us is exiled or banished, his name is erased form all records as if he never existed and is never allowed to return our homeland or he will be killed as an enemy." she says finishing her tale.
I feel such pity for this woman, that I want to hold her in my arms and tell her I'd be with her always, her home, but I know I can't. It would probably hurt her even more if she saw my pity, my true feelings for her, so I push my feelings aside.
"So that's why you didn't want us to know your name. Technically you don't have one now, is that it?" I say trying to be as gentle with my words as I can. It would kill me if I brought her more pain.
"Hai. Thank you for listening to me, Kunzite-san. I really needed to get that off my chest." she says sitting up. I adjust the pillows so she can sit more comfortably.
"How about if I give you a new name, my lady?" I ask hoping to cheer her up.
She stares at me in disbelief. "Nani? You're serious?"
"Very. Would you mind if I gave it to you or would you prefer to keep 'Milady'?" I blush a little trying my best not to embarrass myself.
She blushes and looks away from me. <You did it again, baka! You've probably insulted her again.>
"You'd do that? For me?" she asks.
I stare at her for a few seconds, not believing she wasn't hurt. "Well, as I said before, it'd be awkward calling you 'Milady' out on the field, if you're going to train with us, you'll need a better name." I say chuckling a little.
"What did you have in mind, Kunzite-san?" she says turning back to me. Her emerald eyes shining with hope.
"How about Zoisite? Since you like my mother's ring so much." I suggest.
She blushes again but, forces herself to look at me.
"Of course, if you don't like it, we could-" I start to say thinking I've said the wrong thing. Again. I seem to be doing that a lot today.
"I love it. Arigato gozaimasu, Kunzite-san." she says blushing and, miracles of miracles, hugs me!
Not knowing what else to do, I hug her back and stroke her golden hair. <What is this? Hair or silk?> I say marveling at how soft it is. She falls asleep in my arms and I gently lay her back on her bed.
I pick up the cloth that had fallen from her forehead and place it beside the bowl and lavender leaves.
"Sleep well, Zoisite-chan." I whisper then silently leave to find my own quarters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Over the months of training, I begin to slowly accept my new life on Earth. Nephrite, Jadeite, and Endymion, being such good friends, make it easier for me to forget my old life on Venus. Of course, with Zoisite there as well, I have no real desire to return home. At least until, she completely recovers from her past.
Zoisite has been smiling more the past few months and now readily laughs whenever one of us makes a joke.
Over the past few months, the other men and I have been having parties once a week and I invited her to join us, but every time she declined saying she'd be uncomfortable, being the only woman. That was a long time ago. For the past few weeks, Zoisite has been joining in our parties, she being the most rowdy of us.
Several times, Captain Antares has had to pry her off one of us during our sparring matches during the parties. We always wound up wrestling one another over some stupid argument and Zoisite was the quickest to anger, especially when drunk on Venusian wine. I constantly regretted ever smuggling it into the camp that day since it is one of the most intoxicating liquors of the Silver Millennium.
When, we finished our training, months later, we returned to the palace and took up our duties as Endymion's guardians. For several weeks, we stayed at the palace until one day, Endymion surprised us with a residence for each of us not too far from the palace.
I was not surprised to learn that Zoisite's house was closer to mine than any of the others. Somehow, Endymion guessed at our growing friendship. Neither was I surprised when Jadeite refused to leave the palace. Him and the prince are very close friends, I only wish I had someone I was that close to. Perhaps,... No she could never think of me that way. Just having her for a friend is enough.
Our parties however, didn't end. All five of us continued to meet once a week to do whatever one does at parties. And as usual, we wound up with plenty of bruises the next day. Especially Zoisite. I hate seeing her beauty marred by bruises.
It was at one such party, that I discovered how she really felt about me. We both had been at the wine (not Venusian, but a less potent brand) again and while Jadeite was going at Nephrite, yet again, over some foolish thing or other, Zoisite came up to me and whispers in my ear.
"Kunz-chan, can I have a word with you? In private?" she says rather seductively.
"Um, sure Zoi-chan." I let myself be led outside of Neph's house and we didn't stop till we were completely hidden by the trees. "Doushita no?" I ask once I managed to catch my breath.
"Nanimo (Nothing), Kunz-chan." Again she called me that. She always either called me Kunzite-kun or Kunzite-san, she never really dropped the formality, until now. "I just wanted to get you alone, that's all." She smiled the charming crooked smile I love so much.
"Uh, Zoi-chan, what are you doing?" I ask as she begins to unbutton my jacket.
"I've always been attracted to you, you know." she says as she removes my jacket.
<She's drunk, Kunzite. Don't do anything, you'll both probably regret it tomorrow.> my mind warns me, but I lose the battle my instincts is raging against it.
"You have?" I say hoping that it really isn't the wine talking.
"Hmm-mm." She places a hand on my chest feeling the muscles beneath my shirt. "You're so handsome, it's no wonder the ladies at the palace look twice when you pass by."
"You noticed that?" I say blushing.
"Kunz-chan, you're the most handsome man I've ever seen. Aishiteru." She tilted her head and pulled mine close to hers and kissed me. For moments, I could do nothing, but stare in utter disbelief at the sudden forwardness of the usually reserved elf woman. <It's got to be the wine.> I say. <She's drunk and doesn't know what she's doing. Don't do anything.> I warn myself again, but I ignore it and begin to kiss back. I wrap my arms around her and she suddenly pushes away, obviously realizing what she just did.
"Gomen nasai, Kunzite-kun." she says going back to the Zoisite I'm familiar with and blushes. "I must be more plastered than I thought. I'd better head home. Would you tell the others I was tired and went home?"
"Of course, Zoi-chan, but I'd better take you home." I say knowing perfectly well that she could very easily lose her way in the dark woods. I put my jacket back on, but leave it unbuttoned.
"Thank you, but I don't think that'd be necessary."
"It is. I'd like to hear you say 'aishiteru' again." Now it is my turn to blush.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything." she says turning away.
"You didn't. Zoi-chan, I love you too." This time I kiss her and hold her close to me making sure she can't run away.
She stares at me once I remove my mouth from hers and I see the disbelief and hope in her moonlit emerald eyes. "Do you... Do you really love me?" she asks trembling.
"Hai." I say and kiss her once more, passionately.
My mind short circuits as I feel her wrap her arms around my chest and she kisses me back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shortly after that night when, both of us slightly drunk, confessed our love for each other, Zoisite moved into my home. I couldn't believe it when she proposed that she'd live with me since neither of us could last long without the other. I immediately said yes and the very next day we moved her things to my house with the help of the others of course.
Nephrite was a little disappointed that she chose me over him, that much I could see in his face when I told him the good news. I can't say I blame him, because he has known her longer than any of us. He most certainly would've fallen in love with her by now. However, he quickly got over his disappointment shortly after one of the prince's diplomatic missions to the Moon Kingdom. I could tell that the princess of Jupiter managed to snare his heart, plus the two were often missing at the same time as the other. It was obvious what was happening to him.
Jadeite was also happy for us, but I somehow sensed a sadness and loneliness surrounding him whenever Zoey and I were together with him. He buried himself in his books and duties, but I would occasionally catch him sighing or just staring off into space. I knew a man in love when I saw one. I was of course curious as to whom he'd fallen in love with, but I just left him alone believing he'd tell us about his love when he felt like it. I was never one to pry into other people's lives. After that incident at the training camp, I never once pressed Zoisite to tell about her past. I know she'll tell me when she's ready.
Endymion was the happiest. He congratulated us and of course made many jokes about us already being married. Both of us had blushed in embarrassment. It was indeed as if we were married.
Zoisite however, was a little worried about leaving her beloved garden. I assured her that the royal gardeners would keep excellent care of it, especially since it was one of the wonders of the world. No other garden like it existed, except for those of the Moon Kingdom. Zoey had tried her best to grow every plant and flower in the Millennium and did manage to do an excellent job at it. She had every plant growing and blooming for her. All except one, the trees of her home planet. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get the countless seedlings she had imported to take root. Many a time she'd come to me, in tears, saying she should have never left Krynn. And many a time I reminded her that if she hadn't, she never would've met me.
She'd eventually cheer up and try again. But now that she was living with me, she decided to give up on growing the trees and began another garden, though not an extravagant one as her first.
True to my word, the royal gardeners kept the weeds and pests from Zoey's plants and the garden was just as beautiful as if she'd been tending it herself. But, however, still not trusting her 'babies' to anyone else she'd go once a week to work in the garden. She could never find any faults with the gardeners and soon came to respect their ability to care for her garden.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I wake up with a start, sensing something is wrong.
"Zoi-chan?" I call to my lover. No answer. I turn on my side and see she is gone, the bed still warm from her body.
<Probably went downstairs for a late night snack.> I say to myself as I put on my light blue robe and head for the kitchen.
The kitchen is as dark as the rest of the house and still no sign of Zoisite. <Now I know something is wrong.> "She'd never leave without telling me." I say to the shadows trying my best not to panic.
"Do you think so, young guardian?" says a voice coming somewhere from the shadows.
I quickly call up my sword and call forth a ball of light. The light fills the kitchen and before me stands a woman. She has flowing red hair and is wearing a tight, sleeveless purple dress. I recognize her instantly. Beryl, queen of the Dark Kingdom, whom all the Millennium was at war with.
"What have you done to Zoisite, witch?!" I shout preparing run her through.
"Temper, temper, Kunzite. You'd better put that toy away before someone gets hurt." she says smiling a wicked smile.
"The only one who'll be hurt is you and, it'll be too late for you to care."
I say. "For the last time, WHERE IS ZOISITE?!" I lunge at the dark queen and raise my sword, thinking to cleave her in two.
She deftly steps aside and with a single flick of her wrist, my sword disappears and I land flat on my face. <Not a very good way to impress one's enemy.> I think with dry humor.
"Do you really think she loved you that much?" the queen asks me. "Let me tell you something Kunzite, she does. In fact she loves you so much that she'd betray her friends and prince for you." She smiles evilly as I rise to my feet.
"What are you playing at Beryl?" I ask glaring at her. <If I can't kill her with ordinary weapons, then I'll have to use less ordinary ones.>
"Do you know anything about elven lifespans, Kunzite.?"
"What does have that to do with Zoisite? Where is she?!" I silently call forth a spell and keep it back giving the bitch a last chance to answer me.
"Quite a lot I'm afraid. Are you aware they are extremely long lived?"
"I am." I say. "Quit stalling bitch, tell me where Zoisite is or-"
"Or what, Kunzite? You'll kill me with that pathetic spell?" She laughs and I feel the spell's power leave me and fade.
"Now, will you let me finish or do you want me to deal with an extremely unhappy elf?" she asks, her anger poorly veiled beneath a smile.
Both my weapons skills and magic are no match for this demon witch so I sadly nod my head and let her say what she has come to tell me.
"Just what exactly has Zoisite told you, Kunzite?"
I am startled back to reality by the question and stare at her uncomprehendingly at her for a few seconds before answering, "She told me her race live longer than humans."
"True, but do you know just how long?"
I honestly didn't know, she never told me. "No." I say softly. My mind is already grasping where this is leading.
"Elves live up to hundreds of years. Some as long as 700 years, Kunzite. Do you think, she'd actually let herself stay with you only to watch you die while she'd still look young?"
I feel my heart wrench in pain at what she's implying. <It can't be true! She wouldn't just leave me without saying goodbye.> I say.
"Poor boy." She comes up to me and places a hand on my cheek. I flinch at her touch. It is like a corpse's, stone cold. "Not to worry, she only left so she'd be able to be with you and not have to watch you die before her."
"What do you mean?" I ask not understanding a word of what she said.
"I offered her the chance to have a lifespan as long as yours and she took it." she smiled triumphantly as I stared at her, my mouth wide open.
"Iya. She'd never join you. Not even if it was for me." I say not believing a word of it.
"She did and she's waiting for you. I'm only here because she kept begging me for her to see you. I told her that if she really wants a life with you, both of you'd have to be on my side or either one of you would outlive the other."
"So basically what you're telling me is that you're here to convince me to join you. Well, your majesty," I say sarcastically, "it's not going to happen."
"I'm not. She is." She opens a portal and a figure steps through it. I recognize it instantly as my beloved Zoisite.
She is not wearing the blue and green uniform of Earth, but a sickly purplish-grey uniform with green trim, a twisted mockery of what we wore. There was a darkness to her once bright green eyes and her gracefully pointed ears were no longer pointed, but were now those of a human.
"Zoisite! What has she done to you?!" I cry running to her.
"This is the only way we could be together. Gomen nasai, Kunz-chan. I couldn't bear the thought of watching you die before me any longer." I see tears form in her still beautiful emerald eyes.
"Zoey, can't you see she's just using you!" I say.
"I know, but I can't bear to be parted from you Kunz-chan. Please, don't do this to me. Come back with me. I need you." She presses herself against me, letting the tears fall unheeded.
"Do you, or does Beryl?" I ask pushing her away.
"I need you Kunzite. Onegai, don't leave me. Not like this." She places her head on my shoulder and sobs, very much like that time when she fainted at the training camp.
I try my best not to give in. <She's betrayed you. The prince. You must warn him!> I shout at myself, but against my will, I feel my arms envelop her and I begin stroking her golden hair. I could never resist her when she was like this. I always felt compelled to comfort her.
"Shh, daijoubu koishii. Daijoubu." I say, kissing her. I silently make my decision and pray that I am forgiven.
"You win Beryl. I'll join you, but if you ever do anything to harm either the prince or Zoisite, I swear I'll make you pay." I say turning to the snake in a woman's form.
"So be it." she says and opens the portal again. She gestures for us to follow her and I still holding onto Zoisite and wearing my robe, step trough after her.
Once on the on the other side, Beryl turns to Zoisite and says, "Zoisite, see to it that Kunzite is taken care of until I decide what to do with him."
My love bows still possessing the grace of the elf she once was and says, "Of course, my queen."
When the queen is gone, she turns to me and winks before kissing me again.
Author's Note:
I know Zoey's a guy but, I'm making him a her. Call it a little poetic license if you will. Ja ne.