Kunzite knelt by the side of the stone coffin crying softly as he watched Ruby wheeze her last few breaths.

"Don't be sad," Zoisite murmured in his cool, distant way. "Everybody has to die sooner or later. Ruby has lived a very long life."

Ruby coughed painfully. "Master, I have served you for a long time, and I have not asked for anything in return."

Zoisite nodded, standing over her head. "Indeed, Ruby. And you have served my teacher, senior and me well."

"I ask but one favour from you. Accept Kunzite as your disciple please. He is a good and clever boy, and you will be lonely by yourself in this Dark Kingdom. Take care of him."

Zoisite didn't say anything for the next few moments, merely watching his dying servant staring at him with pleading eyes. Finally, he inclined his head slightly. "I will take Kunzite in and make him a disciple of the Dark Kingdom. He will stay in the Dark Kingdom and learn whatever he can from me. You can die peacefully now, Ruby."

Kunzite sniffed, and wiped his nose inelegantly on his sleeve when Zoisite slid the lid of the coffin into place. "Are you really going to be my mentor?" he asked, looking at Zoisite with intense silver eyes.

Zoisite turned, and beckoned the boy to follow him from the chamber. They traversed down many dark and narrow tunnels, the Dark Kingdom resembling a huge underground catacomb more than a castle, until they reached another chamber, this one smaller than the earlier one, and bare of all furnishings save a tiny alter and a picture of another red haired woman. Kunzite gasped at the resemblance to Ruby.

"This is Beryl-sama, Ruby's half-sister, the founder of the Dark Kingdom and my teacher. Pay your respects to her, Kunzite." The silver haired boy dutifully bowed thrice in respect. Her hair was even longer than Zoisite's, reaching all the way to her ankles.

"You are now my disciple, Kunzite," Zoisite said gently. "You may address me as 'Teacher'.",P> Kunzite smiled up at him. "Can I not call you Teacher? Can I call you nii-san instead?"

Zoisite looked faintly curious. "Why?"

This time, Kunzite's smile turned impish. "Well, Mercury used to be my Teacher as well, and sometimes I dream of her and curse her in my sleep. If I refer to you as Teacher as well, I may end up cursing you too!"

Zoisite smiled too. "Yes you may. I have accepted responsibility for you, and have decided to take care of you for the rest of my life. If by any mischance I die before you, I will kill you before I die." His voice was so soft, so gentle that Kunzite wasn't sure at all if he'd heard correctly, but before he could ask for a repeat of that sentence, Zoisite had already moved on.

"Come with me. You'll need to dress like a disciple of the Dark Kingdom if you're going to stay here." They entered what looked like a store room, and Zoisite rummaged through two boxes before he located what he wanted.

"Let's see what suits you. Grey and…blue! Perfect! It suits you so well!" Zoisite exclaimed, sounding no older than Kunzite in his enthusiasm. "Try it on!" Kunzite was puzzled at this change, but did as he was told. Zoisite arranged the folds of the robes so that they draped gracefully over Kunzite, and after a few more minutes of fussing, stepped back and admired his handiwork. Then, to Kunzite's greater puzzlement, he reverted back to his former, frosty self.

"I will go and tell the senshis that you are no longer a member of their Silver Millenium sect. Stay here until I return." With a faint musical chime, he disappeared, employing none of the preliminaries that Ruby employed, but with a delightful sprinkle of those snowy sakura petals. Kunzite reached over to finger one petal, inhaling it's sweet fragrance, all the while thinking of how his luck had changed for the better.

Kunzite stared at Zoisite in amazement as he leapt an impossible hundred feet into the air, and with two swift motions, gathered all the sparrows that were flying about in the air. There were at least a hundred sparrows. When Zoisite came back down, he flung back one voluminous sleeve, and all the birds flew away.

"Nii-san! Will I be able to do that?" Kunzite asked excitedly.

"It is my intention for you to learn to catch the sparrows," was Zoisite's reply.

"How long will it take?"

"Four years if you're fast. Five, if you're slow."

"So long?" Kunzite sounded very disappointed.

Zoisite smiled. "There is a purpose to this. Once you can get all the sparrows like me, your internal strength will be nearly unmatched by even the senshi. For now you can start with three sparrows. Up you go!" With one easy motion which belied Zoisite's strength, he sent Kuznite scrambling in the air to reach the sparrows. First try was a flop, the second try was slightly better, and on the third try, the boy caught one sparrow.

"Good. Now, try for two."

Kunzite jumped, used a touch of his levitation technique to stay longer in the air, and in two wide sweeps of his arm, caught all the sparrows flying around. He landed on the ground and released the sparrows, the tiny birds making a frenzied dash for the top of the chamber as far away from this strange silver haired creature as possible.

Kunzite smiled, feeling nothing but satisfaction at finally mastering the skill. The sound of a soft step, and Zoisite was at his side, nodding and smiling as well.

"Nii-san! I've done it!" Kunzite crowed happily.

"Indeed. That and more. I think you're ready for the hardest skill of all." Zoisite led the way, Kunzite falling in beside him. He'd had two growth spurts within the space of four years, and now, he literally dwarfed his teacher.

"What I am going to show you is the secret skill of the Dark Kingdom, and the hardest to learn. I myself have not mastered it as it requires two people. When we master it, we will be able to counter anything that the Silver Millenium Order sends against us,"

Kunzite furrowed his brow. "Why particularly the Silver Millenium Order? There are so many other sects around as well."

Zoisite inclined his head towards his disciple. "The founder of this sect, Beryl-sama, once fell in love with a man called Endymion. But he betrayed her love and eloped with the founder of the Silver Millenium Order instead. Beryl-sama swore to kill him as revenge, but died before she had a chance to carry out her wish. She left the Silver Crystal in the Dark Kingdom so that one of us would fulfill that wish someday. My senior left sixteen years ago before learning the skill."

The chamber they entered was tiny, no more than five feet wide, and in the centre of the chamber was a big, transparent crystal, as big as two fists, sitting on a rock outcrop. It illuminated the chamber with it's gentle glow.

"This is the Silver Crystal," Zoisite murmured reverently, lifting it off it's seat with two fingers. Kunzite wondered why his teacher was making minimal contact with the Crystal until he brought it next to him. At close range, the Silver Crystal was hot.

"What are we supposed to do with it?"

Zoisite regarded the Crystal with unreadable eyes. "It is filled with a power that we have to tap. Once tapped, it acts like a force field that protects us from the senshi's attack and allow us to return their attack with fatal results. But before we tap the Crystal's power, we have to imprint it with our own signature."

"Then why do two people have to imprint their signatures? Why not one?" Kuznite asked, touching the Crystal and snatching his finger back as it burned his skin. "Ouch!"

"What have I taught you? Focus your internal energy, Kunsaito," Zoisite chided, transferring the Crystal to his disciple's hold once Kunzite followed his advice. "It requires two people because this, like most things, require two people to activate it. I believe the saying is, 'it takes two to tango'. Also, two are required for balance, one to take the 'yin' and the other to take the 'yang'."

"Then how do we tap it?" came the next question. Surprisingly, Zoisite didn't answer immediately. Kunzite looked up from the Crystal and noted that the fair complexion was unusually flushed.

"Nii-san?"

Zoisite looked away. "We have to channel our energies first. It is a dangerous process, since we have to go into trance, and as the Crystal holds a lot of energy, it will reflect its heat to us, and we have to strip to do it, or our clothes will trap the reflected heat and burn us. We can't do it in the Dark Kingdom either because the something about the quality of cold here will prevent the excess heat from draining out of the Crystal, and it may explode."

Kunzite scratched his hair, which was shoulder length now, and blushed as well. "So what will we do nii-san?"

Zoisite turned back, a determined glint in his eyes. "We will have to go on with it, not only because of Beryl-sama's wishes, but for Ruby's sake as well. That debt has yet to be collected."

Kunzite nodded, then an idea lit up in his head. "There's a forest near the Dark Kingdom, at the foot of the mountain, which is pitch black at night and surrounded by bushes. We won't be seen by anybody then!"

"All right. We shall try tonight. In the meantime, to warm up, I will see how much your sword skills have improved."

That night was indeed pitch dark without even the faint light of a faraway star to guide their path. Kunzite led Zoisite to the forest, and Zoisite nodded his approval. He unwrapped the Crystal from its insulating layers of silk, and placed it in between both of them.

Mercury wandered through the lovely silent forest thinking of her second student, Ami, and her progress so far. Though the girl was quiet and possessed of less power than her peers, she could handle her power well. Somebody tapped her shoulder from behind, derailing her train of thoughts, and Mercury bit back the urge to blast the intruder into oblivion.

"It's only me, senior!" Mamoru whispered in her ear, a smirk clear for all to see on his face.

"So, other than to show your disrespect, what are you doing here?" Mercury whispered back, feigning a punch at the son of the founders of the Silver Millenium Order who had just officially enrolled into the Order.

"Oh, nothing much. I'm just going for a walk, like you. What are *you* doing here?" Mamoru shot back.

"Thinking," Mercury replied loftily.

"Of what? Or should I say who?" the black haired youth queried with a sly glint in his eyes. This time, Mercury really punched him.

"Have more respect for your seniors!" she retorted hotly, unaware that there were others in the forest besides her and Mamoru.

"That's wonderfully good respect you show towards the son of your leader," Mamoru remarked, not the least bit phased by her.

"That's because you don't deserve it!"

Kunzite heard voices speaking from the depths of his trance, and he slipped out of it into full consciousness. There were two people actually, one male and one female, and they were very close and ignorant, considering how their voices rose with every sentence.

:The 'yang' can break off trance at any time, but not the 'yin'. But if I don't tell nii-san and somebody comes along, we'll be in trouble.: Kunzite looked over to his nii-san, who had a vague frown etched across his brow. :They're coming closer, what am I going to do?: The Silver Crystal, which had been pulsing in synch with their heartbeats was now showing an erratic beat, and Zoisite looked as if he was in trouble. Kunzite caught sight of somebody's head and that settled it. He shoved Zoisite out of his trance mentally, and caught hold of him as his nii-san stirred, choked and coughed out blood.

"Enough of this stupid exchange. There's light over there. Strange," Mercury whispered over to her companion.

"Let's go and take a look," Mamoru suggested, and strode over to the bushes. He caught sight of two people, one male and one female, and both in the nude before a flurry of activity blocked his vision. Mercury crept up to his side, gasped in horror and reproof when she saw the two. She looked towards Mamoru, expecting him to make a similar sound, and she caught sight of the pole-axed expression on his face.

Kunzite wrapped the Crystal in it's silk coverings, threw his own robes on and snagged Zoisite's robes over, veiling him in dark grey and green. Zoisite blinked a few times painfully as Kunzite knelt beside him on the ground, more than half supporting him.

"Why are you trespassing?" Kunzite demanded, looking at the two who'd disturbed him and his teacher. He sucked in a shocked breath through his teeth when he realised who the woman was. "Oh, it's you."

"You brat! Since you recognized me, aren't you going to pay your respects? This is our ground, and you are the ones trespassing." "Kill them," Zoisite whispered. "NO one must know of this."

As Kunzite stood up, drew his sword and prepared a blast, Mercury sensed that his power had increased exponentially since the last time she'd seen him, no doubt due to proper teaching. "It's bad luck to kill your teacher," she called out hastily, shoving Mamoru out of harm's way as he continued to stare at Zoisite with big, moonstruck eyes.

"That's true, unfortunately," Zoisite murmured with a sigh. "Make them swear not to tell anybody about this then."

"You heard my nii-san. Swear it!" Kunzite demanded, advancing with his sword leveled at their throats. Mamoru looked towards Mercury, who gave a small nod.

"I swear not to tell anybody of what happened this night, or may lightning strike me dead," Mamoru muttered out sullenly. Mercury repeated Mamoru's oath word for word, and flounced off, Mamoru following behind a little reluctantly as he strained for one more glance of the delicate beauty he saw.

"Stop acting so lovelorn," Mercury snapped at him when her junior finally caught up with her. "Silver Millenium and the Dark Kingdom never mix. What we saw today was a very shameful act between teacher and student."

"You're not going to tell anyone about it?" Mamoru asked in an anxious sort of way.

"My oath is given. But I don't believe in lightning striking me if I lie," came the cryptic response.

Kunzite laid Zoisite gently down on his bed since he'd never been into his teacher's bedroom, and this was the most convenient place to translocate to. "Are you alright, nii-san? Did you sustain any internal injuries?" he asked anxiously, then berated himself for being an idiot. :Of course he has, or he wouldn't be spitting out blood. But the question is how much?:

"Kunsaito, I am dying soon. I promised Ruby that I would take care of you. Come here." Zoisite lurched to his feet, and drew his sword. Kunzite shook his head in disbelief.

"Nii-san, you wouldn't hurt me, would you? Don't kill me! Nii-san, you're not going to die, you're *not* going to die," Kunzite yelled out, ducking away when Zoisite swung his sword at him. It all looked very nightmarish – Zoisite weaving on his feet, coughing blood and brandishing a very sharp sword, and Kunzite could sense that Zoisite was going to employ his magical powers to immobilize him. He didn't want to die, not now when he hadn't even reached his eighteenth birthday yet.

The bedchamber was lit by a single lamp in the ceiling, and Kunzite smashed it with his mind, plunging the chamber into darkness. He used it a cover to run, but his decision to do so was unnecessary, since Zoisite had already collapsed onto the floor in a faint.

Kunzite ran and ran, almost for a whole day, until he reached the foot of the mountain, until the entrance to the Dark Kingdom was a speck at the top of the mountain. Then he stopped and his mind began to unlock from it's position of overwhelming fear and began to think properly again.

"I shouldn't have done that!" he shouted at himself. "Nii-san would never ill treat me. Worse, I've left him all alone when he's injured. What a fool I am!"

"Who are you talking to?" a voice sounded behind him, and Kunzite whirled to find himself face to face with a blond man. His face was all sharp edges, with scintillating blue eyes and a thin mouth.

"Nobody," Kunzite replied, regaining his equilibrium.

"I'm looking for a way up these mountains. Do you know of one?"

Kunzite hid suspicion and feigned ignorance. "The mountain? I don't know. I'm only a simple person. Besides, they say that the mountain is haunted!"

The blond man scoffed at Kunzite's words. "Nonsense. You must have come from there, since the nearest village is a good two days' journey away, and the Silver Millenium Order is on the other of this mountain. Take me there, or I'll kill you!"

Kunzite pretended to flinch when the edge of a sword came to rest next to his neck. He had no doubt that he could beat this man in a fair battle, but why alert him so fast? Besides, the last time he'd seen this blond, it was in the company of another auburn haired man. "I'll take you, but it won't be my fault if the ghosts come and haunt you."

"Oh, get on with it," the blond muttered with an impatient flick of his wrist which returned the sword to it's sheath at his hip.

Kunzite purposely took a long and winding path to the summit of the mountain, waiting for the time when his companion grew careless and lowered his guard. There was no way he was going to allow him to reach his nii-san.

"Why is it taking such a long time to get to the top?" the blond snapped, fanning himself with his hand. Kunzite squinted up, gauged the distance and decided it was time to throw this man off his tracks. The trick he was about to employ was actually Zoisite's personal attack, but he'd seen Zoisite do it so many times he could replicate it on a small scale with the desired results.

"What are you doing?" the blond asked suspiciously when Kunzite closed his eyes in concentration.

"Can't you feel the ghosts?" Kunzite squeaked out, letting loose the Ice Crystal Storm as he did so. The crystals were very small, making it seem as if there were truly unseen creatures poking them on all sides. The blond yelped and started swatting the air all around, and Kunzite took advantage of the confusion to translocate into the Dark Kingdom.

"Nii-san? Nii-san! Are you alright?" Kunzite shouted, running though the cramped tunnels as fast as he could without falling down, too anxious to bother using his magic powers.

Too late, something behind him exploded, sending shards of rock flying everywhere. Kunzite glimpsed something brown before he punched at a hidden button on the wall and sealed off the tunnel behind him.

"Don't bother, Jadeite. This place is riddled with traps. Do you know who that silver haired brat was?"

"Unfortunately not, Nephrite-sama, but I think he belongs here. He seems to know the way around quite well."

The auburn haired man examined the wall before him with utmost concentration, but he answered his disciple's comment. "That would only mean that my junior, Zoisite has finally taken on a disciple. Unbelievable. How did the ice princess get one?"

Jadeite looked a little puzzled. "I thought that only males were allowed in this sect."

Nephrite shook his head. "That is a sweeping statement. The founder of our sect was a female, Beryl-sama, and she chose Zoisite and me based on merit, not because we were males. If there had been a worthy female, she would have taken her in as well. But your question was directed to another aspect. Zoisite is very much male."

Nephrite's fingers hooked on a well camouflaged lever and he pulled it, revealing another tunnel to their right. "Let's go. The sooner I get what we came for, the sooner we can leave."

Kunzite pounded into his bedroom and tried to switch on the light, only belatedly realizing that it was broken. He made a tiny mage light and let it float to the top of the room, the chilly blue flames casting everything in unflattering light. Zoisite was still sprawled on the floor, though his eyes were open.

"Nii-san! I'm sorry for leaving you all by yourself here. How are you feeling? Are you still in pain?" Kunzite helped Zoisite to a sitting position, rearranging his robes around the slight boned man so that he looked like a fragile butterfly with wide, creased wings.

"My senior is here," Zoisite coughed out, and Kunzite was glad to see that no blood accompanied it this time.

"Indeed, Zoisite. I see you are injured," Nephrite remarked, stepping into chamber. "How are you feeling, junior?"

"Well enough, Nephrite-sama. What brings you here today?"

"The Silver Crystal," Nephrite answered.

"Teacher said that you were not to get it unless you repented your ways and come back to live in the Dark Kingdom permanently."

Nephrite sneered. "Teacher, who is six feet in the ground now, told you that? Are you going to stop me if I take the Crystal? Oh, but I forget, your rank is almost as high as mine, if you remembered to trim your hair, and you have a disciple with you now. Shoulder length hair? Are you sure he merits such a high rank. My disciple here is more modest, I think. You are injured, Zoisite. Remember that.",P> "Don't belittle my nii-san!" Kunzite snapped out. "Kunsaito, do not be rude," Zoisite rebuked quietly.

"Nii-san? Kunsaito? How intimate," Nephrite laughed. "Bring out the Crystal, Zoisite, or do not blame me if you or your little disciple gets hurt."

Zoisite rose to his feet a trifle unsteadily, but his gaze was clear and steady. "You will not get the Crystal, Nephrite. Kunsaito, leave now. This is between my senior and me."

Kunzite lingered on, reluctant to leave his injured nii-san with these two strangers. Jadeite circled round the chamber to meet him, one on either side of the door. The blond had a few scratches on his face from the storm of ice crystals earlier on.

"You had a lot of nerve to do this to me, whelp!" Jadeite snarled, holding out his sword at the ready.

"You asked for it," Kunzite retorted cheekily then unsheathed his own sword.

"Kunsaito! I told you to get out!" Zoisite snapped, deflecting a ball of energy into one wall. The wall shivered in protest, but stood, for the moment.

"I won't leave you, nii-san," Kunzite replied, using his longer reach and better skill to trap Jadeite in the corner. He hooked one long leg under his opponent's leg, and Jadeite fell onto his back heavily, winded momentarily.

"Your Ice Storm, nii-san!" Kunzite shouted, knocking Nephrite to the ground in a kamikaze attempt. The auburn haired man spat curses as he was forced to fling one hand up to shield his eyes from the tiny, deadly crystals. Kunzite grabbed hold of Zoisite's wrist, and dragged him out of the chamber. It took but a second to activate a hidden button and a stone slammed down, blocking the entrance.

Zoisite was breathing very heavily, and he sank down onto the floor, whatever reserves he had tapped to fight Nephrite was dry.

"I really am going to die, Kunsaito. Leave now. I won't kill you. I've decided to die with my senior. When you leave the Dark Kingdom, make sure you seal off the entrance. There is a button at the top of the entrance. Once you press it, the entire system of tunnels and caves linking to the entrance will collapse, and a ward against translocation of any kind will snap into place. Nobody will be able to go out or come in then." Kunzite shook his head stubbornly. "I won't leave you, I've already said so, nii-san. Is there any way I can help you?"

"I've lost a lot of blood-"

"Then we'll do a blood transfusion on the spot," Kunzite declared, slitting his and Zoisite's wrist, and clamping their hands together. Using his mind, he forced the blood from him into his nii-san. Pinned down under Kunzite's superior weight, Zoisite could only sit through the transfusion. As the process neared the end, he relaxed and rested his head on his disciple. Kunzite felt a mysterious blaze of exhilaration at that contact, one which he was sure was felt by Zoisite through their teacher-disciple bond. Everything felt distant and insignificant in the light of their feelings. But all good things came to an end always. The stone blocking the entrance of the chamber jumped as Jadeite tried to move it with his telekinetic abilities.

"Let's go," Zoisite decided, rising to his feet when Kunzite eased away. "Perhaps we will be able to get out of here after all."

Kunzite agreed, followed his nii-san as they ducked in and out of tunnels, and couldn't help but notice that something intrinsic in his teacher had altered. Subtly.

"Nii-san, why don't we just translocate? Wouldn't that solve everything neatly?"

Zoisite didn't answer. Kunzite thought he saw something stir in those deep green eyes.

"Life is seldom neat," a smooth voice interjected, and Nephrite stepped out in front of them. "Just hand over the Crystal and nobody will get hurt."

Zoisite shook his head. "I've already told you that I can't. Don't force me, senior."

"Stop being so stubborn, Zoisite. You can't win past me alone and in your current state of health."

Kunzite stepped in front of his nii-san. "You'll have to get past me first!" he said defiantly. ,P> "Kunsaito, don't throw your life away, please."

"Nii-san, either you go with me, or we don't go at all. If I you die, I want to die with you. Either way I would be content."

Nephrite stared at Zoisite with an expression that included jealously, amazement and a hundred more emotions, all mixed together. "Who would have thought that even living in this tomb, you would have the chance to find someone who cares for you so much, some one who is willing to die for you?" he asked softly.

"My relationship with Kunsaito is strictly a teacher and student one," Zoisite corrected coolly.

Nephrite glanced at Kunzite, who was still glaring at him, and took Zoisite by the hand, leading him away. "I can tell otherwise from the look in your eyes. Both of you are very fond of each other. Yes, you can fall in love, little ice princess, but beware of love. What is love but an outlet for your enemies to exploit? And what is our mission in life but to defeat the senshi? Give me the Crystal, and I will make that happen."

Zoisite snatched his hand out of Nephrite's grip and backed away. "You gave up that mission a long time ago when you left the Dark Kingdom out of your own free will. Defeat the senshi using your own power. Our teacher was very clear in her instructions concerning the Crystal." He spun an ice crystal out of thin air, and flung it at the ceiling. That depressed the button, and in the distance, the sounds of rock collapsing could be heard.

"You idiot!" Nephrite howled in frustration. "How those senshi must be laughing!"

"Beryl-sama's mission is wholly ours. You, who left the Dark Kingdom sixteen years back have no part in it. There is no way out for you."

"There isn't one for you either," Nephrite growled.

"That won't matter," Kunzite butted in, taking Zoisite's hand and leading him away. "We have each other. *You* can go and die with *your *disciple."