The boy tasted blood, spat and swung his fist up to bash in his captor's nose. Caught off guard, the hulking brute lost his grip on the boy for a minute as the fist connected and reduced his nose to an unrecognizable bloody pulp. The boy seized his chance, and tore down the street, only to crash into another brute. This one clamped a hand over his mouth, the other hand wrapped around his shoulders. The boy twisted and struggled, caught in a frenzy to escape and acting on instinct alone. But his new captor smashed his fist down at the base of his neck, and the boy collapsed in a loose-limbed sprawl.
"Tie him up," the second man called out to the first. "He's caused enough trouble than the rest put together."
The first man grunted, feeling the remains of his nose and cursed in a manner that would make a hard-bitten mercenary blush like a maiden. "Little bastard," he growled. "I'd like to pick him apart and feed him his own guts."
"Remember what the master said. Mark him and you won't even be worth tossing to the dogs," the second man snapped back immediately. He stalked round the corner in search of other boys like the one he caught, and to loot whatever valuables he found in his way. There wouldn't be any people alive once his band moved out of this town, but plenty of slaves.
The boy woke up to find himself in a dank and dark louvered crate with two other children, one boy and one girl. His back hurt from being squashed into the corner, and his head throbbed, due to the blow to his head, no doubt. He was not tied, but that didn't matter since there was barely enough room for him to stretch his arms. Scraping his hair back from his face, he scrutinized his prison mates.
Both were younger than him, but the girl was at most six years old. She was pretty, with big blue eyes and dark brown hair in ringlets. The boy was probably around ten years old, dark haired too, but with hazel eyes. And those two pairs of eyes were fixed on him with a frightened, glazed look."Who are you?" the girl finally asked, breaking the silence that stretched around them. "I'm called Cara," she continued brightly.
"Cara! Mummy told us not to speak to strangers," the boy whispered to her. He was probably her brother.
"I'm Zoisite."
Cara giggled. "You're pretty. Prettier than my brother. Right, Richard? Zoisite's prettier than you."
Richard and Zoisite flushed, turning red simultaneously.
The girl prattled on, saying how much she liked Zoisite's golden hair, and how his emerald eyes were so pretty and slanted ever so slightly. Finally, Zoisite stopped her and asked, "where are we?"
Richard sniffed and rubbed his nose. "Dunno. On a ship."
Zoisite frowned. "That means we can't be travelling very far. I doubt if those louts want to starve us to death. We won't fetch money for them then."
"Fetch money?" Richard echoed, his eyes big saucers.
"Yes. As slaves, you know." Zoisite peered over at the boy and his sister more carefully. Their clothes, though filthy and torn, were obviously made of quality materials. Probably had rich parents, Zoisite thought to himself. They wouldn't comprehend or register what was going on, not when they had been sheltered all their lives. :I suppose it's better to be a street rat than a rich brat. In some aspects.:
"As slaves?" Richard squeaked. "But I want my mummy!" At the sound of that, Cara joined in too, and together they chorused for a mother who was probably lying somewhere on the streets with a slashed throat. Zoisite decided to let them cry themselves to sleep – perhaps they would come to terms with their current situation better.
True enough, the ship that Zoisite and the rest of the children were on stopped soon. The crates were pried open by their captors, and the children shoved to another part of the ship. Having lived all his life in the streets of a inland city, Zoisite didn't know what kind of a ship they were on, but he suspected that it was a smuggler's brig. He didn't see Richard or Cara after that for all of them were separated into little groups. There was a lot of yelling going on between the men, but even if they weren't talking in a different language, their accent made their words unintelligible. Zoisite found himself together with five other boys, all of them around his age, and like him, they were 'pretty'. The former street rat frowned as he considered his group, and the conclusion he came up with was not reassuring. The five boys were not familiar at all, which meant that they were from other towns that the men had raided before his. One of the boys measured him from head to toe with an expert squint to his eye, and Zoisite presumed he was a fellow street rat. The rest looked dumbly at what was going on.
"Hey!" Zoisite hissed at his counterpart. "What's happening."
The boy flashed a smile full of teeth and no humor. "You're smart enough to know. If I'm not mistaken, we've been dumped into one of the many child prostitution rings in the Capital," he whispered back, and paused to gauge Zoisite's reaction.
When Zoisite merely looked back with hooded eyes, the other boy bit his lip. "Say, since we belong in the same boat, why don't we help each other and try to get out?"
That made sense. :Why don't we indeed? I have nothing to lose after all,: Zoisite thought. "What's your name?" The other boy hesitated. So, the hierarchy was about to be established. Zoisite decided to let the other be the alpha male. Being the underdog had it's occasional perks.
"I'm Zoisite."
The other boy relaxed and leaned closer. "I'm Dan. Now, what do you propose we do?"
Zoisite crouched by the door of the van and studied the lock. It was a simple enough mechanism, since the van they were in was obviously a relic that should have been scraped a decade ago. With the proper tools, he could pick the door open. A brief glance around and Zoisite scooted over to one of the boy's side and pulled out a short, slender nail. The black haired boy looked at him curiously.
"What are you doing?" he whispered. Zoisite looked over at Dan, but the other boy was watching the drivers of the van. He wondered if he should tell the boy, and in the end decided that no one deserved to be raped. "If you keep quiet and smart, we have a chance to get out of here," he whispered back, then hurried over to the door again.
The lock and the nail were rusty, and they made a grating noise when they rubbed against each other. Dan hissed at him angrily as one of the men in front nearly turned around. Zoisite muttered a curse, spat in the lock and tried again. Finally, the lock was successfully picked, and Zoisite turned around with a triumphant grin.
"Good," Dan whispered, scurrying over to the door as well. Zoisite signaled for the four boys to come up as well, and he waited for Dan to give the pre-arranged signal. But the dark haired boy simply shoved the doors open, yelled and jumped out. Taken by surprise, Zoisite lost a few precious seconds, and by the time he leapt out with the rest, the two men in charge of them had stopped the van, and gave chase.
Sheer bad fortune had dropped them in the middle of a highway without even a row of hedges lining the sides. Zoisite swore profusely and wondered where Dan had disappeared to. :That traitor! Not only did he not give the signal, he had the gall to yell out and alert the drivers. Which means that his offer of help was not sincere. Bastard! If I ever meet him again, I'll feed him his own balls.:
The man tackled him from behind, and Zoisite landed flat on the ground, but had the presence of mind to fling up his hands and protect his face. He was hauled to his feet and slapped so hard Zoisite was afraid he would go deaf.
"Try that again, and I will cut you into a thousand little pieces," the man warned, and Zoisite realized with a start that it was the same man whom he'd bashed in the nose. The masterpiece dominated the whole of his face, making him uglier beyond belief. He dragged Zoisite back to the van, flung him in, jammed the lock and climbed into the driver's seat. The boy which Zoisite had spoken to earlier on was huddled in the corner with another two boys, but Dan and the remaining one were missing. The other man was in the van by now, and the old van roared into life with an energy Zoisite never expected.
The black haired boy looked out of the window and choked. Dan and the other boy were running in front of the van, and with a sinking feeling, all the boys knew that they had no chance. Zoisite stared stonily into space when he felt the two bumps, ignoring the shocked tears of the boys. All of them might have escaped with their lives if Dan had thought through his actions carefully, which led him to think of the old saying – God punishes people in many different ways – and Dan had paid for it with his life. Zoisite wondered what he'd done wrong, and what his punishment would be.
The thin man with a 'lecher's' mole on the side of his face peered at Zoisite. "This one has promise," he wheezed out, and Zoisite sneezed at the overpowering cigarette smell on his breath. He was cuffed discreetly by Ugly Nose, and hence nearly choked on his next sneeze.
"As for the other two…they're not worth as much as him. I'll give you a thousand for them."
"The blond one gets us five thousand," Ugly Nose warned, fingering the gold rings on his fingers. The pimp sneered at him.
"Four thousand. The police are stepping up on their checks."
"Fine, four thousand," Ugly Nose agreed with a snarl. He pushed Zoisite over to the man, pocketed a check and gestured for his partner to leave.
The pimp shot out a skinny hand and caught hold of Zoisite's chin in a vise like grip. "Great promise. I expect you to bring in a lot of money, pretty boy. You can start tonight." Raising his voice, he called out to a servant and ordered him to take Zoisite away.
"The other boys can instruct him."
Zoisite took one look at the clothes he was supposed to wear and snorted in disgust. "That won't even keep me cold in the air-con downstairs. I'll freeze in two seconds!"
His room mate rolled his eyes. "That's the whole idea!" He was older, probably fourteen, blond haired and blue eyed, with a jaded air clinging to him like a second skin. "Young thing like you, you'll probably get picked up in a minute. Then you'll be warm." With a cackle of laughter, he exited the room, leaving Zoisite to curse and swear all he liked.
There wasn't even half an opportunity for Zoisite to escape, since he had people breathing down his neck all day long. And he couldn't even delay in his room, for Master Pimp himself came to drag him downstairs.
It was exactly as his room mate predicted. Barely half a minute after he came down the stairs, a man sauntered up to Master Pimp and threw a wad of cash at him. "I want this boy," he drawled out, words slurred and the smell of whiskey on him.
The pimp counted the notes and beamed. "He's yours for the night. Enjoy yourself!"
:This is the best opportunity I've had to escape so far,: Zoisite thought distractedly, trying to keep a distance from this half-drunk who insisted on pawing him all over. :Disgusting. If he tries to drag me off to bed, I swear I'll cut him where he lives.:
Master Pimp looked up when he heard a loud thump followed by a crash in one of the rooms overhead. The first few doors were empty, but the fifth one…
Zoisite staggered to his feet, an assortment of bruises on his face and body, but a self-satisfied grin on his face. His would be rapist was sprawled on the floor, the fragments of a cheap but heavy vase scattered around him. The door handle creaked, but at the same time, someone screamed, "RAID!!!"
That someone outside let go of the handle and ran down the hall, his footsteps as heavy and haphazard as a panicked elephant's. Zoisite grabbed the man's coat, wrapped it around himself and opened the window. He was on the second floor, not very far from the ground, and thankfully facing the alleys. He could hear sirens very close by, and the sounds of people shouting, "Police!"
Zoisite jumped down and landed lightly on his feet, having had ample practice back in his home town. Unfortunately, the alley entrance was partially blocked by police cars. Zoisite considered his choices, whether to take a chance and run for it, or to hide in the alley. His decision to run was moot, since a man poked his head into the alley way and saw him.
Not a police man, Zoisite heaved a sigh. The man looked young, probably no older than twenty-one, with pale blond hair and eyes a few shades lighter than Nephrite. Zoisite wondered if he was susceptible to a young boy's pitiful pleas.
Jadeite looked at the boy in front of him. He wore a long-sleeved shirt whose shoulders came down to his elbows, and an assortment of bruises purpled his face. His eyes were very big and very green, matching his dark golden hair perfectly. But he was as thin as he was pretty, and very pale. As he took one wobbling step towards him, Jadeite knew that the boy wasn't going to make it to him. He sprinted and caught the boy as his knees gave way.
"Please, don't let them catch me," the boy pleaded, catching hold of his coat.
Jadeite responded instinctively, and agreed before his brain could catch up with his mouth. With a small, grateful smile, the boy fainted.
"Damn! What the hell am I supposed to do with this kid?" Jadeite asked aloud. "And why on earth did I agree to keep him from the police?" He looked around and wondered how he was going to get past the police. Around the corner, he could hear little shrieks and a very loud, very crude voice protesting that his business was licensed. Jadeite rolled his eyes. If there was half an honest establishment here, he would eat his shoes.
The boy's weight was starting to make his arm numb. With a sigh and a silent prayer, he shifted the boy to a more comfortable position for both of them and pursed his lips in concentration, then walked out of the alley.
"Mage Jadeite," a policeman greeted. "Did you find anybody?"
Jadeite shook his head and hid a smile. "No. Please tell the sergeant that I'll be walking the rest of the way to get some fresh air. And please give him my thanks for the ride so far. Thank you." The policeman nodded, then left to join his colleagues. Jadeite tipped his head upwards where Zoisite was floating along a hundred metres above the ground like a balloon without a string and thanked the night for being so dark. The boy looked so cute bobbing up and down in the air that Jadeite couldn't keep the grin from plastering itself on his face. Thankfully there were no policemen facing his way.
The Mage on night duty looked up as Jadeite staggered in with something in his arms. "Jadeite?"
Jadeite tossed his friend a grin. "Nice to see you, Coral. But you could lend a hand here, you know." The other Mage hurried over to his side and did a double take when she saw what the 'something' was.
"Jadeite? Where on earth did you get this… boy?"
Jadeite gave up and allowed the boy to float in the air again. "You were supposed to help me, not ask questions. Anyway, I…ah…I picked him up in some alley." Then seeing that his friend was about to give him a lecture about picking up strays, Jadeite hastily added, "somebody did say he wanted an apprentice."
The other Mage rolled her eyes. "Kunzite should be glad that you were so enthusiastic about finding him an apprentice, though I was of the opinion he wanted to find one himself. How old is the boy anyway? And what's his name?"
Jadeite flushed, and Coral groaned. "Don't tell me you took him back without even finding out his name? You're ridiculous, did you know that?" She inspected the boy, walking round and round like a shark circling. "Pretty little thing. Well, he does have a bit of the ol' magic feel. You're lucky for that, Jadeite. Why don't you wake him up and we'll see what he says?"
Jadeite grinned, teleported a pail of cold water in and tossed it's contents over the boy without hesitation. At Coral's glare, he shrugged. "That's the fastest way of waking a person up," he said, totally unrepentant. As the boy spluttered and gasped, Coral shoved Jadeite out of the way.
"No parental instincts, you!" she mock-scolded, then took control of Jadeite's levitation spell and allowed the boy to stand up normally.
"How are you?" she asked.
The boy stared at her and blinked a few times, then noticed Jadeite at the side. "I'm fine, if a little wet," he replied carefully. "What happened, and where am I?"
Coral shot Jadeite a glance, then answered the boy's questions. "You're at the Academy of the Mages, and as for what happened, Jadeite took you here." She studied the boy's reactions and was surprised when he didn't even bat an eyelid.
"You did tell me to take you away," Jadeite defended from the side. The boy rubbed his head, and smiled gratefully at him. "Can I stay here, please?"
"Sure," Jadeite shot out before Coral could answer, but this time his friend only gave him an amused smile. "What's your name?"
"Zoisite…sir?"
"There are no 'sirs' here," Coral corrected gently. "You can address us by name, and your instructor as 'sensei'. I'm Coral, and this joker here is Jadeite." She gave Jadeite an elbow in his ribs and he doubled over laughing.
"But it's very late now. Why don't I take you to your rooms? Then you can meet your sensei tomorrow." She steered Zoisite down the corridor, and grinned at Jadeite. "You're on night duty now. See you tomorrow!" Jadeite's jaw dropped.
"B-b-but! Hey! That's not fair!" But Coral was too far away to hear.
Kunzite paused when he heard the knocking on his door, sent out a probe and put down the hair brush when he identified the knocker as Coral. There was another unshielded person with her, and Kunzite wondered who it was.
The normally sedate-looking Mage was grinning from ear to ear, and the other person was actually a thin boy of perhaps twelve years, with short, dark blond hair and emerald eyes. He seemed rather shy, and hung back as Coral stepped forward. Kunzite raised one silver eyebrow.
"Morning, Kunzite!" Coral greeted, then pushed the boy in front of her.
"This is your apprentice, Zoisite." Kunzite's eyes widened slightly.
"Jadeite heard that you were looking for one, so he decided to do you a favour," Coral continued. "Zoisite, this is your sensei Kunzite. He doesn't bite, so you two should work out fine. Bye!"
Kunzite gave her a wry smile. ":I don't bite? Thanks a lot. And thank Jadeite for me too, though I didn't expect him to take the trouble.:"
Coral returned an identical smile. ":Meaning you wanted to do the searching yourself. Zoisite's not a bad lad, and well, Jadeite didn't exactly go around scouting. According to him, he picked the boy off the streets, and it's just his luck Zoisite had a touch of magic in him.:"
Kunzite rolled his eyes at her, then turned his attention to his new apprentice. "Come on in, Zoisite. Why don't we just spend the day getting to know each other?"
Zoisite's brow creased in concentration and he held out his hand. Something sparkled in his palm and it grew bigger until it was identifiable as an ice crystal. "Is this big enough?" he asked, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his other hand. Kunzite squinted at the inch long crystal and gave him an encouraging smile.
"Try for a foot," he said. "You're capable of doing it."
Zoisite willed the crystal to grow, but it stopped at half a foot. "Oops. Sorry," Zoisite apologized, staring at the stunted crystal.
"It's only your first day at this. You'll get better once you start practising everyday. Once you've gained complete control over your Gift, you'll be able to ice up a whole room. For a beginner, half a foot is a perfect size."
Zoisite grinned at his sensei's praise, then let the crystal dissolve away. Four years had passed since he'd become Kunzite's student, and in those four years, he'd learnt almost everything Kunzite had to teach him. Brushing his bangs out of his eyes, he started over again.
Kunzite studied his student discreetly, watched the fair brow furrow in concentration and smiled when he remembered how much Zoisite had grown. That scrawny twelve year old was now a slender youth, and as far as Kunzite could tell, had reached his full height at five foot four. Zoisite had allowed his dark golden hair to grow into a silky waist-long mass, which made him look all the more like a girl, of which the reason for doing so escaped him.
But Zoisite wasn't as absorbed in his training as Kunzite thought he was. With a mental grin, he noted the way his sensei looked at him. He'd never seen his sensei look so dreamily distracted, not even when Kunzite was asleep. :I wonder if he likes me,: Zoisite thought, then noticed where that line was leading and hastily stopped, his cheeks flaming. :Why on earth am I thinking of that? And why on earth should sensei be interested in me? Why am I blushing? It's not like I haven't heard of guys liking guys before…:
"Zoisite, stop! Are you trying to kill yourself?" Kunzite shouted, slapping the crystal out of his apprentice's hand. The three foot long crystal shattered on the floor with a less than musical tinkle, and Zoisite started back to reality and the beginnings of a headache.
"A foot is more than enough, there's no need to try for perfection, you know," Kunzite chided, but the smile on his lips eased the sting of the rebuke. "What were you thinking of? You've gone as red as a boiled lobster!"
Zoisite's flush deepened. "Er…um…nothing, sensei. I-I-I think I've gotten a reaction headache. Could you excuse me please? We'll meet again tomorrow at the usual time?" he squeaked out, then clamped a hand over his mouth and teleported with his usual flurry of cherry blossoms that seemed more disorganized than usual.
Kunzite blinked in puzzlement at the abrupt departure and walked out to the balcony overlooking the gardens. He truly wondered what could make his normally confident student so flustered. Looking down, he saw his student run towards a decorative pond, long hair flapping behind him in the wind. The lad probably forgot Kunzite's work room faced the garden. But this was a good opportunity to find out what was bothering Zoisite so much. Listening to someone's private thoughts was a breach of etiquette, but Kunzite was more interested in his student's welfare, or so he tried to convince himself.
Zoisite stopped by the edge of the pond, panting heavily from the run. He flopped down and retied his hair. "This is so embarrassing. I can't believe I actually teleported away like that. I wonder if sensei's mad at me. No. He's not so pretty, no, petty. Zoisite, what's the matter with you? Perhaps this is just hormonal overload. Ah, the adolescent blues. Okay. There's no point in running away from your feelings, so this is as good a time to sort it out. Face the facts, Zoi. You like your sensei don't you? Rot, of course I like Kunzite. He's my sensei. No, no. Like as in love?" Zoisite flushed again. His other half was definitely having a field day interrogating him.
"Alright, so, what's the matter with that?" he retorted defensively. It felt much better admitting it to himself. At least he knew what he was feeling. And speaking of feeling…Zoisite slammed up his shields, and was rewarded by a tingle on his skin, which told him that somebody's spell had been blocked successfully. Abruptly, he looked up and realized that he was very near Kunzite's work room. His sensei was not at the balcony, but Zoisite was sure the spell had been his. This time, the heat of his flushing face could cook an egg. One red and white koi in the pond had a fishily curious look on its face as it regarded the petite teenager.
"Oh, I get eavesdropped even by fishes," Zoisite muttered good-naturedly, then dipped his hand into the water to let the fish nibble at his fingers. "At least you can't speak. Damned! How much did sensei overhear? He's probably thinking I'm a freak. I swear I'll truly be the first person to see hell by dying of embarrassment."
At the moment, Kunzite was very glad that his student couldn't see his face. :Now I know what it feels like to be a tomato,: he thought. Though Zoisite's thoughts were rather garbled and kept going round in circles, there was no doubt as to what he had been thinking. Zoisite was his second student – his first had been an equally bright young girl who died in a car accident – and it had been quite some time before he could bring himself to teach again. But back to the point…
Kunzite groaned. Zoisite was right. He had to face his feelings too. True, he liked his student a lot, never mind the little rascal was too cocky for his own good sometimes…but how far did this 'like' go on the emotions' scale? Quite far apparently, since he turned even redder. What on earth was his fellow Mages going to think? And contrary to what Zoisite thought, Kunzite didn't think he was a freak. :The Greeks used to say that love between men was the purest form of love. So it can't be wrong. No. Maybe Zoisite's just having one of those adolescent crushes. I'm more than twice his age, dammit! Not only is it not ethical, I can't imagine anybody who would want to marry somebody so old.: Kunzite thought that would calm him down a little, but it merely made him more agitated. The mere thought of Zoisite marrying a stranger was enough to send him climbing up the walls.
"Kunzite, Kunzite, if you don't think about it, you won't feel anything, alright? So stop thinking and clear your mind," he said out loud, trying to get his inner self calmed down. It worked to a degree, and Kunzite gratefully immersed himself in honing his magic. :And using it to keep rioting thoughts at bay. Damn! There I go again. Think magic. Magic, magic, magic.: He repeated the words over and over again like a litany.
Jadeite pulled Coral to one side. "Have you noticed anything?" he asked theatrically. The older Mage frowned.
"That you're being more inane than usual?" she jibed, a sardonic twist to the side of her mouth. Jadeite glared at her.
"No! Let's make things simpler for you then," he retorted. "Have you noticed anything strange about any of the senseis and their students?"
Coral sighed. Jadeite loved beating around the bush and getting prodded for answers. Since she was free at the moment, she decided to humor him. "The senseis and their students? Now, let's see. Mica and Feldspar? They've been wreaking havoc in the gardens lately with their mismatched spells."
Jadeite groaned. "That's old news. Think harder."
Coral scrunched up her forehead and frowned intently for show. After a few moments, she shook her head. "What's the new news?"
Jadeite grinned. "Think of a silver haired Mage…and his student…" "Okay, you rumormonger, what have you dug up this time?" Jadeite was quite reliable as a source of gossip in the Academy, harmless gossip of course, since he was at heart a very kind person. "Well, you have Zoisite turning into a tomato every time he comes down to the dinner hall with Kunzite, and you have Kunzite looking anywhere and everywhere else except his student. So put two and two together and what do you get?" Jadeite looked at Coral expectantly. Coral's jaw dropped. "Are you implying that Kunzite and Zoisite are…" "Am I implying? I never imply things. They imply themselves!" Jadeite corrected, a little miffed. "And it's clear for all and sundry to see, just that people can be so blind when it doesn't concern themselves," he continued smugly. "But then again, even when things concern themselves, they can be so clueless. But that's all for today. Tune in next week for your news update!" He sauntered off with a self-satisfied expression on his face. Coral stared after him and wondered why he had told her. Come to think of it, what he had said was true. Jadeite was a master at observation, and since Kunzite kept a low key profile, not many people noticed him or his expressions. And what was that little bit about people being clueless about themselves? Kunzite was a very good friend of hers, and she decided to pay a visit to him and prod for answers. Kunzite was alone in his work room, surprisingly, since this was the time which he always instructed Zoisite. Coral knocked on the door, waited for him to call out an 'Enter', then opened the door and poked her head in. "Are you free at the moment?" Kunzite nodded. "Yes. My student's got a stomach ache at the moment. I doubt he'll be back anytime soon." :My student, eh?: Coral thought to herself under her tightest shields. :Since when did he get so formal? He used to say 'Zoisite' all the time.: "So, what's the social visit for?" Kunzite asked, indicating a stool for her to sit down. Coral claimed the seat then subjected her friend to a thorough scrutiny, then said, "Zoisite," out loud. :Did I see his ears turn red?: Coral asked herself. :Jadeite was right. That observant rascal.: "My student? Did he get into trouble with anybody?" Kunzite asked, not betraying a hint of emotion on his face, but Coral could almost see the wheels spinning wildly in his head. "No, don't worry. I just wanted to confirm a few things. Kunzite, is there anything between you and Zoisite?" "Me and Zoisite? Er…no! We're getting on fine. The lad's very talented, he's almost finished his training, and-" "Kunzite, stop! You're babbling now," Coral stated. "And if I'm not mistaken, you were near to squeaking just now. I'm not going to make any judgements, all I want is for you to be honest to yourself." She chuckled at the mortified look on the Mage's face. "I thought I was," Kunzite defended. "Well, if you were, why are you so flustered? If I can recall, barely six months back, you were still the perfect ice statue, but now? Be careful, Kunzite or I won't recognize you soon." "That goes for you too. Since when were you such an inquisitive person?" Coral decided to let that distraction pass. Time enough later to have a verbal spar with him. What she wanted now was answers. "Admit it Kunzite, you are very fond of Zoisite, right?" She was on the verge of slapping a truth spell on him when… "Yes," the silver haired Mage growled out. "And it's now going beyond just fond, right?" He gave the barely audible affirmative again. Coral slapped a hand to her forehead. "So, what's all this hedging about? Why all this formality with 'my student' and everything? And if it's because you're twice as old as your student, Jenny just got hitched with Roy." Kunzite raised one eyebrow. "Jenny is old enough to be his grandmother." Coral snorted. "So? They're very much in love, just that they weren't born closer to each other. But it merely proves my point. And besides, the rest of the Mages are cheering them on." "B-b-but, Zoisite's a 'he'." If Coral could have strangled her friend, she would. She still wanted to punch sense into Kunzite. "Didn't the Greeks say that love between men is the purest form of love?" Kunzite started laughing, first in strained wheezing breaths which quickly graduated to the roll-on-the-floor kind. "What's so funny?" Coral asked, non-plussed. "That was exactly the same thing I told myself a few weeks past. So you've gotten your answers and even got to play the counselor. Who told you about this? Did Zoisite go to see you?" "No, it was Jadeite." "Jadeite?!" Kunzite frowned. "I wonder what that joker's up to now." "Zoisite, I swear to you it will work," Jadeite said with a grin, lounging against the trunk of a tree. The blond looked at him skeptically. "You want me to ambush my sensei?" "I wouldn't exactly call it 'ambushing', but yes. I guarantee it will work! Trust me." "If you say so, just don't make me die of embarrassment. I've changed my mind to be the first person to die of it…." Zoisite climbed the ladder, the old rickety thing creaking under every step he took. The puppy whined piteously from where it was trapped on the ledge. Zoisite was barely a rung away from it, and he wondered where Jadeite was. Jadeite grabbed Kunzite's sleeve and started towing the taller man towards the Academy gardens. "What is it that you're in such a hurry to show me?" the silver haired Mage asked irritably, trying to pry Jadeite's hand off his sleeve. "Oh, something important," he said vaguely, gesturing about with his arms. "Oops, excuse me!" he cried, tripping on his untied shoelace and shoving Kunzite to the side as he flailed for balance. As they were walking close to the side, the Mage fell sideways, outside the corridor, and into a wooden ladder, which in turn wobbled precariously and toppled. "Yikes!" Zoisite shrieked as he fell off the ladder, too stunned to think of levitating. Kunzite's head whipped up at the familiar voice. Jadeite watched the scene unfold before him in slow motion, like a scene out of a Hollywood or any other melodramatic movie. Kunzite lunged and scooped Zoisite into his arms before the blond thudded to the ground, and for one awkward moment, their lips met. It lasted an instant, an eternity, that one awkward kiss, and spoke silent volumes of bewildered honesty. Then the timelessness was broken, and both Kunzite and Zoisite tore away from each other as if they had been shocked by electricity. Both of them were blushing a beautiful bright crimson, and they couldn't seem to breath properly again. "I-" they began together, broke off and smiled shyly at each other. Jadeite, resident joker of the Academy and now first time match maker grinned in satisfaction from the corridor. Those two were hooked without doubt, and he lingered on to watch the wings of a wonderful relationship unfold. But when things threatened to get mushy, he got up from the floor and fled. Zoisite grinned. "I was beginning to wonder if anything would scare him off." The grin turned into a dreamy smile as he settled into a more comfortable position against Kunzite. A split second later, he jumped up and winced as his ankle told him he sprained it. "What's the matter?" Kunzite asked, flustered and worried. "I just sprained my ankle. But the puppy's still up there!" Zoisite pointed to the top, and true enough, the puppy was still whining away. "That's easy." A wave of Kunzite's hand saw the puppy safely to the ground. "Why didn't you just levitate to get the puppy? Why bother with the ladder?" he asked. Zoisite smiled sheepishly. "It was Jadeite's idea. He wanted me to 'ambush' you." "That joker!" Kunzite growled, then smiled down at his love. "Well, something good did come out of it. Let me bandage up your ankle. You may injure it further." Zoisite made a face. "Kunzite! I'm still the same Zoisite! I haven't metamorphosed into a fragile butterfly!" he squealed, kicking his good leg when Kunzite scooped him back into his arms. "Nonsense! As my student, you deserve the best treatment" Kunzite retorted with a twinkle in his eye. "And besides, you do look like a fragile butterfly."