The next day, training was particularly harsh. When Zoisite awoke, Nephrite was in a strange mood, never quite meeting his eyes, his mouth almost perpetually in a scowl. Zoisite himself was tired and empty, not really caring what would happen.
Kunzite as usual paired them up for sparring, and Zoisite couldn't help but notice that even though Kunzite had never in all those months paired him with Nephrite, Nephrite was named as his sparring partner that day.
The two of them moved to the center of the room as Jadeite and Kunzite sat down to watch them. The circled each other for a moment, Zoisite noting the rather hostile look in Nephrite's eyes. It was... alien, unfamiliar. Nephrite blasted him roughly and he fell to the floor, his shins burning in pain.
"Nephrite, please refrain from actually injuring your partner." Kunzite admonished from the sidelines. Nephrite shrugged with a rather venomous smirk at Zoisite and didn't bother to help him up. Zoisite stood up shakily, rubbing his shins and narrowing his eyes at Nephrite.
They circled again, and this time when Nephrite tried to blast him Zoisite blocked the energy, reflecting it back on him. It hit Nephrite squarely in the torso, sending him flying back a few feet and putting a nasty hole in his uniform.
"Zoisite..." Kunzite warned.
Zoisite grinned at Nephrite. "It was his energy, Kunzite-sama. I only reflected it."
Nephrite scowled and stood up, slouching a little from the pain he so obviously felt.
Zoisite and Nephrite traded blasts for a few minutes, each one more powerful than the last. Zoisite had never sparred Nephrite before, and vice versa, but he was sure that there was some personal vendetta in his blasts. After the first few knocked him down, he started to get angry.
Nephrite grinned at him, a sly look coming into his eyes, and suddenly Zoisite yelped as a sharp blast of energy zipped past his cheek, cutting him. He put his fingers to the wound hesitantly, his eyes narrowing when he pulled them away and saw blood.
All right, if he wants to play that way, that's fine with me!
Zoisite gathered all of his energy without showing any anger on the outside. Instead, he put on a persona of fear. He widened his eyes, made his lips tremble, his fingers fidgeting at his sides. He met Nephrite's gaze and projected only fear, and also hurt, despite the fact that inside he was seething. For a moment, Nephrite looked almost remorseful.
A moment was all Zoisite needed. With his arms outstretched, he blasted Nephrite head-on, throwing the auburn haired General back and into the far wall. He didn't get up after that.
"Zoisite!" Kunzite bellowed, striding towards Nephrite. "What have you done?"
Zoisite grinned as Kunzite and Jadeite helped Nephrite out of the hole in the wall. He crossed his arms, a grin spreading across his features as he tapped his foot impatiently.
Nephrite limped toward him with the help of the others, glaring at him with fire in his eyes. "Nice shot, Zoi-chan." He hissed, "But this isn't over."
Zoisite laughed insanely as Jadeite helped Nephrite out, leaving him alone with Kunzite. "Wimp!" Zoisite called after them, and giggled again. Kunzite stared at him. He felt a glimmer of nervousness, but Kunzite did not say anything to him. He merely watched... and waited.
"What? He cut my face, Kunzite-sama. Unforgivable!"
Kunzite's eyes narrowed, and then he shook his head and chuckled. "Zoisite, learn to control that temper of yours, before I kill you myself."
Zoisite simply stared at him, stung, his face reddening. Kunzite turned abruptly and left him there, his fists clenched at his sides. After a moment, he vanished in a flurry of cherry blossoms, re-appearing in the hallway outside Nephrite's room. Casting a hunted glance around, he slipped inside before anything could happen.
He found Nephrite just sitting down on his bed, glaring at Zoisite as he walked in. Zoisite managed to look apologetic, enough so that Nephrite didn't kill him on the spot.
"Don't look so angry, Neffy. You started it." Zoisite walked towards the mirror, examining the cut. It wasn't too bad. At least it wouldn't leave a scar. He let his hair down, shaking it out a little, and then brushed it angrily. He shouldn't have been angry, but he was. His temper had never been very good.
Nephrite stood up and approached him, his limp nearly gone. At least he's recovering. It will take twice as long for my face to heal, Zoisite thought bitterly.
Nephrite grabbed the brush out of his hand, leaning forward to bury his face in Zoisite's hair. He put his arms around Zoisite, resting his chin on Zoisite's shoulder and meeting his eyes in the mirror. For a moment Zoisite wondered if Nephrite was back to normal.
"You are much too beautiful for your own good, Zoi-chan," Nephrite murmured slowly, "I think perhaps you need that scar on your face. Maybe now you won't be so vain."
"Is that so? Well, I wouldn't want to make you jealous of my beauty, Nephrite. You seem to have a flair for violent jealousy."
Nephrite released him and walked back to the bed, sitting down to bury his face in his hands. Zoisite stared at him, annoyed and a little disgusted. "What's wrong? Headache?" Zoisite giggled, tossing his hair out of his eyes.
Nephrite chuckled. "Come here," he demanded. Zoisite took a moment to think about it, then did as he was told. He knelt down in front of Nephrite, one eyebrow raised.
Nephrite reached out to touch his injured cheek with one hand, causing Zoisite to flinch a little. Nephrite chuckled again.
"Funny, is it?" Zoisite hissed.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, it is."
Zoisite scowled, and Nephrite pulled him upward brutally to kiss him. Again, his touch was violent, as if he were trying to punish Zoisite.
Eventually, they moved to lay down on the bed, Nephrite leaning over him with anger on his face. Zoisite still couldn't get used to the hatred in those blue eyes, once so... innocent. But now... they only held malice.
"You love him. Everyone knows it," Nephrite accused, kissing Zoisite angrily to cut off his answer.
Zoisite snorted. "So what? Not like you care anyway."
Nephrite smiled a little, unbuttoning the top of Zoisite's uniform. He kissed Zoisite's chest, his tongue lingering over his nipples, and Zoisite cried out.
"See, I can still make you whimper, Zoisite." He muttered, moving lower down. Zoisite felt hatred marring his features, but it vanished as Nephrite took his organ in his mouth. He sucked ravenously, giving a little chuckle now and then that just sounded so much like Kunzite that it made Zoisite want to weep. "Kunzite-sama..." he murmured, and immediately knew it was a mistake.
Nephrite stopped, glaring at him. "What did you call me?" he asked, voice low and dangerous.
Zoisite rolled his eyes. "I didn't say anything, Nephrite."
Nephrite scowled, moving up to his face. "No, I heard you. You called me Kunzite." He slapped Zoisite across the face, snapping his head to the side.
Zoisite shoved Nephrite off of him. "So? What's your point?"
Nephrite pinned him down again, reaching between his legs, working his sex almost painfully. As Zoisite reached his climax in Nephrite's hand, Nephrite took a knife from his boot and stabbed Zoisite's shoulder, the blade sinking deep into his flesh. Zoisite cried out in pain, tears springing into his eyes.
"You bastard!" he gasped, shoving the bigger General off of him. Nephrite laughed as Zoisite face twisted in agony. Zoisite clasped his hand over the hilt, and braced himself with clenched teeth in order to pull it out, a bloodcurdling scream wrenching from his throat. Nephrite was now holding his sides with laughter, each chuckle a deep, husky bellow of triumph. Zoisite's eyes clamped shut, tears squeezing through his lashes. He hunched over from the pain, merely burying his face into the sheets as the whispers grew louder and louder in his head. He was sobbing now, his gut wrenching from both the pain of the wound and from the pain of the whispered, laughing voices. They seemed to cut into his very flesh!
"Never call me Kunzite again, Zoi-chan. Next time I'll cut deeper." Nephrite said coldly, standing up to straighten his uniform, while Zoisite propped himself up and watched him with narrowed eyes. The laughter had dimmed again, and he took steady, deep breaths to calm himself.
"You bastard," Zoisite forced out through clenched teeth, the pain so great that tears still squeezed from his eyes. Nephrite watched him with an air of cold detachment, then ripped a strip of the bedsheet to wrap it around Zoisite's shoulder. Zoisite wanted to bite his fingers off. "I hate you," he declared as Nephrite finished, clenching his other fist. An ice crystal had formed there spontaneously, long and sharp enough to pierce Nephrite's flesh, to kill him.
Nephrite laughed when he saw it. "You really think you could do it? Think you could kill me, Zoisite? Hah! Sometimes you really are amusing, you know that?"
Zoisite's hand tightened around the crystal. He could do it, if he wanted to. He knew he could... after all, he had done it before. "I could do it," he hissed through his clenched jaw, eyes wild with anger. Nephrite raised his eyebrows challengingly.
"But you won't. Imagine, Zoisite, being alone in this place. Who could you possibly latch onto? Certainly not Jadeite, and Kunzite can't stand the sight of you anymore. They both hate you. Only I have the patience not to kill you, especially with that awful, hyena laugh of yours."
Zoisite flinched, his anger growing. "Kunzite-sama doesn't hate me," he muttered dangerously, but Nephrite laughed again, his voice taunting.
"You actually think that? You think that you, Zoisite, have the power to melt that icy bastard? No one in their right mind would actually care about you, Zoisite. Haven't you learned anything from your father?"
Zoisite's head snapped up, staring at Nephrite with wide eyes, his scowl softening in surprise.
"H-how did you know about that?" he sputtered.
Nephrite leaned forward and glared into his eyes, his expression scornful. "The stars told me," he said sarcastically. Zoisite could only stare. "They told me how you murdered you own father, how you left your sister to rot in that place. How your mother died... Did you know that she never loved you? She spent her last days pining over you father. The stars told me that too."
Zoisite felt his chest tighten, his heart pound. It couldn't be true, could it? His own mother... of course she had cared about him! Nephrite was a filthy liar.
"Oh, she knew all about you, Zoisite. You and your evening exploits. Did you think she would forgive you for it? The only reason you were born in the first place was to keep their marriage together, and that obviously failed. Couldn't even do that, could you?"
Zoisite's fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, his lips trembling, as he tried to tell himself it wasn't true. Couldn't be true...
Of course it's true, Zoisite. Who in their right mind would care about you?
"No! Stop!" he roared, holding his hands over his ears, thrashing about wildly on the bed.
Nephrite laughed hysterically at the sight. "Oh, so you hear the stars too, do you Zoisite? Well, my boy, I tell you, the stars know everything!" Again, he rolled over in peals of laughter, and it mingled with the laughter all around him, worming its way into his head, making it impossible to block out.
"Leave me alone!" Zoisite roared again, blasting a shower of ice crystals at the walls around him. The laughter grew louder, and Nephrite grabbed his arm roughly, shoving him back down on the bed, bearing down on his wounded shoulder for good measure. "Face it Zoisite... you can't kill me, or you kill yourself."
The voices stopped again, and he removed his hands from his ears tentatively, afraid that at any moment they would start again. Utter silence greeted him, and his breathing calmed.
He's right. I won't do it. I'd rather be stabbed every night than be alone in this place.
Oh, mother, I'm so afraid! Please make it stop!
Nephrite stood up and cast him another haughty glance before disappearing out the door, slamming it behind him.
Zoisite leaned back on the bed, breathing raggedly, trying desperately to sleep, trying to shut out the pain which now had dulled to a throbbing ache, searingly hot. He winced, tears again springing up in his eyes. As before, he felt cold and empty, and the urge to jump up and follow Nephrite, begging for forgiveness, was only swayed by his sudden pride. He couldn't do that, much as he wanted to.
Desperately, he hoped that Nephrite would come back, would hold him in his arms as he had done the night before, would suddenly forget to hate him and just hold him as he had done before... the Goddess had blessed them. Blessings! He was beginning to wonder just how blessed this Goddess was.
He didn't care what Nephrite had done to him, he just wanted to be safe! To be held! For that horrible laughter to cease! He watched the door for what seemed like an eternity, half expecting Nephrite to walk in, to yell at him, to do anything, but... he never did.
Hours later, Zoisite wept until his own wretched sobbing lulled him to sleep.
Zoisite opened his eyes groggily, at first, disoriented, confused. There was an arm draped sluggishly over his waist, a calm, even breathing tickling the back of his neck, a warm body spooned against his own. For a moment, he felt absolutely calm, could forget...
But, as he gently removed the arm to sit up, a searing pain in his shoulder reminded him. Wincing, he took the makeshift bandage off and scowled when he saw it. The area was almost grayish green in color, the wound itself blackened, seeping with fluid. Looking around, he was hardly surprised. Dark Kingdom almost seemed to absorb anything positive, be it a simple, gentle thought or a healing wound. Normally, such a cut would not have become so sickeningly putrid after one day.
Oh, perfect, he thought dryly. He slid out of bed carefully and stepped into the shower, maneuvering to keep his wound as dry as possible; but as the hot water splashed against it the pain became to great for him to stand and his breath heaved between his clenched teeth.
I will get him for this. Somehow I will make him pay.
He got out of the shower as quickly as possible and redressed the wound, this time with a bandage. Then he dressed, tying his hair back, scowling at his hands as they shook uncontrollably, making it extremely difficult to do such a simple thing. The pain itself prevented him from lifting his arm too much.
As he attempted to do his hair, a million strategies ran through his head; how to get revenge on Nephrite. He couldn't kill him, he knew that. Queen Beryl would surely punish him, and the prospect of being alone, with the voices...
Zoisite felt tears spring into his eyes, but he forced a sly grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes and marched back into the bedroom.
Nephrite was awake, sitting on the corner of the bed, and as soon as Zoisite entered he glared at him dangerously. "How's that arm, Zoi-chan?" he said, sarcasm cutting through Zoisite.
Zoisite's grin faded a bit, but he forced it back, sitting down next to Nephrite and putting an arm around his waist. "Hurts a lot less than I expected it to," he purred in Nephrite's ear, and Nephrite stared at him, confusion written on his face. Zoisite smiled sweetly, cuddling against him. "You really should lighten up, Nephrite. I'm no fun dead, unless you're into that sort of thing." He grinned mischievously, nibbling his ear and whispering slyly to him. He could feel Nephrite respond as his ministration became more insistent. Zoisite grinned. This was easier than he had expected.
"Zoisite... what are you doing?" Nephrite muttered. Zoisite looked up and smiled at him, kissing him gently. After a moment of confusion, Nephrite responded again to his touch. Ha, the fool. Does he really think I forgive him?
Zoisite pushed him away teasingly. "We have to go, Nephrite. Kunzite-sama will be angry if we're late." Nephrite scowled angrily, but agreed. As they walked toward the training room, Zoisite formed an elaborate plan in his mind. Somehow he would find some way to make the auburn haired General pay. Patience was never his strong point, but this was important. He could wait.
Kunzite was waiting for them, impassive as usual, and as they sat down, he paced in front of them. He glared down at them, his mouth hard. "Now that you are Generals... your training will be more intense, more difficult. Instead of sparring with each other you will be practicing hand to hand combat with me, using no energy directly. You will learn to use the energy inside yourselves, making your movements faster and your instincts stronger. And I will be watching this time. Zoisite and Nephrite, you are first up."
Zoisite scowled. Nephrite again? Why now? He positioned himself at the center of the floor and waited for Nephrite, who was regarding him curiously. He gave him a sweet smile.
Long awaited revenge could wait. He really wanted to blast the sucker.
Nephrite waited for him to make the first move, and Zoisite did so, his attacks held back, as if he really didn't want to hurt Nephrite. He could see Nephrite's defenses weaken as his trust grew. He saw his opening. Stupid fool. Didn't learn from last time, did he?
Nephrite hit him with a gentle kick to the waist, and Zoisite moved forward with lightning speed to grab Nephrite's neck and flip him to the ground. Once he was there, Zoisite mustered all of his energy and blasted Nephrite with seven ice crystals, pinning him, but not stabbing him. He then straddled Nephrite, who was already injured from his blast, holding an ice crystal above his shoulder.
"Zoisite, stop!"
He heard Kunzite yell, but ignored him. He didn't have time to follow rules. As Nephrite started to struggle, Zoisite hit him with yet another blast of pure energy. Nephrite slowly lost consciousness, his blue eyes closing, his auburn hair singed. Zoisite grinned, tossing his hair out of his eyes. He knew he should stop, but something had come over him, entering his mind and making him hungry for bloodshed. He positioned the crystal above Nephrite's heart.
As he felt hands grip his shoulders and pull him back, he cried out in pain. Kunzite had dug his fingers right into the wound! He whirled around, eyes blazing, to see Kunzite staring at him with wide eyes.
"Zoisite, calm down!" Kunzite yelled, taking a glance at Nephrite.
Jadeite had followed him, and was shaking his head at Nephrite with a small smirk on his face. "What did you do, Zoi-chan? I think you killed him!" Jadeite started to laugh and Zoisite crept forward, wary. Nephrite was indeed unconscious.
"You want me to take him to the healing wing?" Jadeite asked Kunzite, his voice wary as usual.
unzite continued to stare at Zoisite and nodded to him distractedly, eyebrows furrowed. Zoisite looked away, still in pain from when he had grabbed the wound. A single tear slid down his cheek before he could catch himself. Luckily, Kunzite didn't see it.
He sat down, exhausted, and covered his face with his hands. He could feel a real headache coming on. Probably used up too much energy. Again, as it had before, the rage left him empty, sore, used up. He couldn't help but feel that he had been used, that all of his energy had left him with that sudden surge of anger.
Kunzite sat down next to him, and Zoisite stiffened. He glanced up at General, who was watching him with an air of contemplation.
"Let me see your shoulder, Zoisite." He said softly. Zoisite merely stared at him, eyes wide. Kunzite... seemed to care about him. But no, that couldn't be right. Could it?
"Why?" he murmured, never taking his eyes away from Kunzite's.
"Because you winced when I grabbed you, and I want to see why." Kunzite's voice was hard as steel, not offering any opportunity for refusal. Zoisite looked down at the floor, then slowly unbuttoned the first few buttons of his uniform and shifted it to the side. He removed the bandage, clenching his teeth as it stuck to the wound..
Kunzite's eyes widened when he saw it, blinking in shock, and then he shut his eyes tightly as if to shut out the image from his mind.
"Nephrite," he snarled, a slight tremor in his voice.
Zoisite nodded, staring at him in wonder. "Last night..." he replied softly. Kunzite didn't look at him, had turned his face away. When he finally turned back towards Zoisite, his eyes showed feeling for the first time since Zoisite had been in the Dark Kingdom.
"Why?" Kunzite asked softly, eyeing the wound in confusion.
Zoisite thought about lying to him... then decided he would rather say it and get it out in the open. What harm could it possibly do? Kunzite already hated him, and couldn't be any crueler than he already was.
"We were... in bed together, and I called him 'Kunzite'," Zoisite said softly, not meeting the General's eyes . He expected Kunzite to laugh, or maybe even stand up and walk out, but neither happened. When he was brave enough to look up, Kunzite was staring at him.
"And so he... stabbed you?" he asked, his voice husky.
Zoisite nodded. "It's okay. He's been moody lately. And I got him back for it." Zoisite looked towards the door, achingly aware of Kunzite beside him, but afraid to look. Afraid to see hostility in those beautiful eyes.
He heard Kunzite stand up, felt his heart lurch. No, don't leave me. Please! He almost cried out, but forced his mouth shut. It would do no good to beg, thought he couldn't bear the sound of footsteps growing fainter as he left the room. He shut his eyes tightly, stung. It would have been better for Kunzite to yell at him, to tell him that he was foolish, that he should stop himself from feeling these things... or even to laugh at him. But... for him to just leave like that...
Zoisite slid slowly to the floor, his face hot, the suffering inside of him more agonizing than the pain of the wound. He covered his face with his hands, sobbing wretchedly, his chest heaving as he fought for breath. Somehow... this was worse than the knife wound, worse than a lecture about emotion, this loneliness. He wanted to die...
And then, as though summoned, the laughter started again.
Zoisite! He hates you Zoisite! Your father hated you! Your mother hated you! Even your sister hated you!
Zoisite clutched his hair in frustration, clenching his eyes shut. No, not again! Please, go away! They taunted and called out to him, chanting his name over and over. Phantoms of schoolchildren surrounded him, poking him with sharp fingers, pulling at his hair and giggling. Zoisite struck out wildly at them, howling and screaming, trying to make them leave, to just stop... but they were ever persistent. He felt little hands pulling at him from every angle, fell to the floor in a heap, struggling madly in a vain attempt to strike out at them.
Julian... they chorused, their voices laughing at him. He felt tears squeeze through his closed eyelids as they jeered. Zoisite! Stupid faggot! Murderer! Zoisite! It was almost like a song, that horrendous chanting, a sick, twisted melody that rang in his head.
"Go away! Leave me alone!"
"Zoisite!"
"No! Leave me alone! I haven't done anything to you!" he screamed.
"Zoisite!"
....not laughter, or the voice of children... it was someone real. He sobbed with relief as the little hands released him, retreating to the shadows.
And then, stiffening, he felt strong arms around his shoulders, pulling him close. At first, this didn't register in Zoisite's mind, he merely collapsed into that embrace without thinking. Strong arms tightened around him, stroking his hair soothingly, and Zoisite almost thought for a moment that he was back by the lake, with Gabriel, and he was loved...
When his weeping slowed, Zoisite could see again, and realized just whose arms were around him. He jerked backwards, blushing wildly, angrily wiping tears from his face. Kunzite was studying him with sympathy evident on his features, and for a moment their eyes locked and they merely stared at each other.
Zoisite forced his eyes away, ashamed. That Kunzite should see him this way... was unthinkable. After all that time he had tried to make Kunzite think that he didn't care about being alone, that he was strong enough to be a soldier... all of those attempts were futile now. He was throwing it all away. Kunzite would really hate him now, there was no doubt about that.
He flinched Kunzite touched his shoulder hesitantly, and his head whirled around to look at him. Kunzite looked almost sad... remorse in his eyes, his gaze reflective.
"Are you all right?" He murmured, and Zoisite shook his head in frustration. All of the anger pent-up inside of him from the past week welled up at once, like a dam breaking, and he pulled away from Kunzite with his fists in rage.
"Who are they, Kunzite?" Zoisite hissed, "Why do they constantly whisper in my head, pull at my hair and call my name-! Why don't they ever go away!" His voice was desperate, his eyes mad, and Kunzite flinched.
"Zoisite, please, calm down," he murmured, pulling Zoisite into his arms again. Zoisite was trembling uncontrollably, his eyes wild, his movements erratic. Kunzite held both of Zoisite's hands in one of his own and picked his chin up with the other, forcing Zoisite to meet his intense gaze. "Zoisite, let them go! They can't hurt you anymore!"
"But they're here! They followed me! How did they follow me, Kunzite-sama?" Zoisite pleaded.
Kunzite shook his head, cursing under his breath as he abruptly looked away. "It's not really them. Listen to me..." His gaze was pleading, and Zoisite calmed slightly. Those silver eyes fixed intently on his own, so that he couldn't look away. "You're doing this to yourself, Zoisite. The demons in this place, they can sense your fears. You have to let it go..."
Kunzite's voice soothed him, and Zoisite reluctantly relaxed in the older man's arms, his frantic heart pounding a bit slower. Kunzite's arms loosened a bit and Zoisite looked at him questioningly, eyes wide.
"Kunzite-sama..." he whispered, then stopped. Kunzite's eyes locked to his, unwavering, and the desire Zoisite felt at that moment made him start to tremble again.
"Zoisite," Kunzite whispered, his brows furrowed, and he reached out with one hand to touch Zoisite's cheek gently. Zoisite closed his eyes, pressing his cheek further into Kunzite's palm. The skin was strangely soft... yet almost too cold to be real, cooling his own feverish skin with a simple touch.
"I'm so sorry, Zoisite. This shouldn't have happened, not to you."
Zoisite felt a jolt in his stomach. But he said nothing, his heart beating rapidly in his chest, his breathing harsh. "What shouldn't have happened, Kunzite-sama?" he whispered, shutting his eyes more tightly. He was afraid that if he opened them Kunzite would be gone, vanishing like a dream.
Kunzite said nothing. Instead, Zoisite felt the soft brush of Kunzite's thumb against his upper lip. Heat spread from his mouth, down his spine, into his very toes. With a sharp intake of breath, he opened his eyes.
Kunzite was still there, watching him, silver eyes filled with an expression of utter intensity. Zoisite trembled, then reached out for him. At that moment he was willing to do anything, to say anything, to keep Kunzite there with him. He knew that if Kunzite were to pull away from him and walk out as he had done before, he would die on the spot.
But Kunzite did not pull away. He wrapped his arms around Zoisite's waist as Zoisite buried his face into the taller man's chest, gasping for air. It felt so good to have Kunzite's arms around him, it felt... safe.
Even though he doesn't love you, and never will.
Zoisite pushed the voice away, ignoring it, telling himself he didn't care if Kunzite didn't love him. Telling himself that it was enough to have Kunzite's arms around him and Kunzite's lips resting gently on his hair.
Zoisite could have stayed in that spot an eternity, warm and protected, but he felt Kunzite's icy fingers touch his shoulder, pulling him away. He resisted, but only for a moment, telling himself he was lucky Kunzite hadn't cringed away from the first.
He looked into Kunzite's eyes, hating how vulnerable he felt. Hating how Kunzite was so completely and utterly in control of him, yet... wanting it all the same. He had once been so independent, so in control of his own emotions. But with Kunzite... his control vanished, leaving him exposed. Kunzite was the only person in the universe that could really hurt him, and he probably knew it.
Knowing this, he should have run away, should have avoided Kunzite at any cost. He wanted to be in control of his own feelings, his own desires. That was becoming more and more impossible around Kunzite.
But Zoisite had always challenged the impossible.
Leaning forward, he planted a firm, insistent kiss upon Kunzite's lips, bracing himself for the inevitable blow, the certain push that would send him sprawling to the floor.
But it never came. Slowly, almost hesitantly, Kunzite's lips softened under his own. Zoisite felt a surge of desire radiate through him, and it grew as Kunzite's hand gently cupped the back of his head, twining his cool fingers into his hair. Lines of fire ran through Zoisite's veins, making his flesh feel feverish, hot. Kunzite's lips, despite their soft suppleness, were as cold as the rest of him, and he thought with an inward chuckle that perhaps he could melt that ice with his own fire. He parted Kunzite's lips with his tongue, exploring the General's mouth tentatively, and Kunzite returned the favor with surprising skill. So, he's not exactly new at this. Should I be jealous?
Zoisite felt consumed by heat, and Kunzite gave a low moan of pleasure in his throat. It sent shivers up Zoisite's spine, but instead of backing down he became more persistent, refusing to allow three months of unrequited lust to go unsatiated. He grasped Kunzite's head in both hands and leaned further into the kiss.
Suddenly a hesitant- verging on rude - clearing of a throat reverberated through the room, startling them both. Kunzite's head snapped up, tearing his soft lips from Zoisite's, and he glared at Jadeite coldly. Zoisite couldn't hide the smile that spread across his face at that look.
"I'm not, interrupting anything, am I?" Jadeite hissed, his voice gruff. When was it that he become so... hardened? Zoisite wondered, staring at him with eyes narrowed curiously.
"What do you want, Jadeite?" Kunzite asked bluntly, his arms not loosening from Zoisite's waist.
Zoisite felt a surge of triumph as he looked at Kunzite. Those eyes, so cold now, had just looked at him with hunger. That scowling mouth had just been soft upon his own. He was almost giddy with delight.
"I just wanted to inform you that Nephrite is severely wounded. He won't be able to attend training for about a week, until he recovers."
He focused a deadly glare on Zoisite when he said this, and Zoisite couldn't help but giggle. "Oops," he muttered to himself, then giggled again.
Kunzite's eyes flashed on him, reflecting humor, and then once more focused coldly on Jadeite. "It doesn't matter now, Jadeite. From your performance today I think perhaps no amount of training will improve your technique, only create more injuries. Don't bother coming in tomorrow, but do inform Nephrite that a little practice wouldn't be such a bad idea for him."
Jadeite glared at them for a moment longer, then gave a short nod and walked out. Zoisite stared at Kunzite, tilting his head in contemplation. "No more training?" he finally ventured. "Then what happens now?"
"We wait," came the short reply.
"For what?"
Kunzite looked towards the ceiling, eyes narrowed, and then turned back to him. "For the Moon Princess to be awakened. In the meantime, we try to awaken the Goddess Metallia." There were so many questions running through Zoisite's mind at that moment, but the memory of Kunzite kissing him prevented him from voicing them aloud. His only thought was to have Kunzite touching him again.
Kunzite seemed about to let him go, about to stand up and leave him, and so Zoisite made a desperate, impulsive, almost defiant move. Reaching out, took Kunzite's face in both of his hands, and pressed his lips to Kunzite's mouth again, kissing him hungrily. Oh no, he's definitely going to kill me now. Well... no one will ever call me a wimp again.
But once again, Kunzite surprised him by not pulling away, and responding to his touch with surprising passion. Is he playing with me? Zoisite thought through the thick haze of his own desire.
At that moment, he didn't care.
Kunzite pulled away after a few minutes, his breathing ragged. Zoisite raised his eyebrows, watching him intently, unsure of what to expect... but Kunzite.. he smiled. "You never cease to amaze me, Zoisite," he whispered with one quick caress to his cheek, "But I hardly think this is the proper place to discuss this further."
Zoisite blushed, and then anxiously followed Kunzite as he teleported away, leaving a carpet of cherry blossoms on the floor where he had once stood.