"What do you have with you?"

"It's a flower."

"You brought it back?"

Zoisite nodded, smiling a little as he unfolded his hand and revealed the slightly crumpled blossom. It wasn't exactly like the flowers that grew here in the Dark Kingdom. Those flowers barely grew at all, their movements more of a slithering up from the ground. Their petals were different too, sticky and rubbery.

But the one he held now had little feather-petals and didn't weigh a thing.

"I pulled it off the tree."

"Idiot." Kunzite placed a hand on Zoisite's head. "You were supposed to be keeping watch on Endymion, not picking flowers."

"You were the one who lost sight of him, not I."

"Perhaps if you had been watching too, I might have had the opportunity to blink once and a while without losing sight of him."

Kunzite's tone was light, so Zoisite didn't lower his eyes. It was rare these days to hear him joking; he hadn't been as enthusiastic about these missions since he'd heard of Beryl's plans. When they were alone, he had told Zoisite of how foolish he thought these designs on Serenity were.

"I thought since visits to Earth may stop fairly soon, I should bring back something." Zoisite started to pull off the petals, but stopped himself.

"They aren't 'visits'."

"You know what I meant."

Zoisite thought Kunzite might say something in return, not a joke this time. But he remained wordless and took a few paces away. Zoisite followed, for he really didn't like it when Kunzite moved away so silently. He stopped about a foot behind the silver king.

"Ku-- !" Zoisite squeaked as Kunzite, in one fluid movement, turned and swept Zoisite up against his chest. He held he young king tightly, stroking his back with one hand and resting his cheek on Zoisite's crown.

"Kunzite-sama?" Zoisite's voice was muffled.

There was a pause, and then Kunzite was in motion once again, loosening his grip. He looked down at Zoisite, his eyebrows raised in a manner that eased the shadows under his eyes. He looked younger.

Zoisite felt himself blushing, and now he did look at the floor. "You never do that, Kunzite-sama."

"You don't like it?"

"Oh, no no, I do. I...." He trailed off, turning his attention to the now very wrinkled blossom he held.

"What kind is it?" Kunzite asked suddenly.

The question was unexpected, and Zoisite responded only by examining the flower more closely. "I'm not sure," he said, thumbing the petals. "I think I've forgotten."

Nephrite arrived through the front door, arms full of twigs and branches, growling about the 'bugger who'd bolted the back entry'. His eyes were clearly searching for Zoisite, but when they couldn't find him, he vented his frustrations on Jadeite. Then he stormed through the hallways into the kitchen, leaving a trail of leaves and melting snow in his wake. Jadeite, for a lack of anything better to do, followed.

When he joined Nephrite, he noticed with mild shock that the other king had cast his load of wood all over the table, along with all the filth he had brought with it.

"You'd think in such a forest there'd be more firewood," he muttered. "But of course not. It's all soaked and rotten in the thaw."

"I still don't understand why we need firewood," said Jadeite. "It's perfectly warm in here."

"You would prefer to have a cooked meal, wouldn't you?"

"Who's going to cook it?"

Nephrite fell silent for a moment, frowning. "I had assumed Zoisite would."

"What? You'd trust Zoisite with cooking?"

"Well, he is the most domestic of us."

"Domestic?"

"All right, then. He is going to cook as punishment for locking me outside." Nephrite began peeling the leaves from the branches on the table.

"Locking you outside?"

"Yes. I left the back entry open for a reason."

"And instantly you assume Zoisite locked it?" Jadeite joined him in the leaf removal.

"Are you being his advocate?"

"You have a habit of blaming him, don't you?"

Nephrite 'hmph'-ed and tossed some loose wisps of hair over his shoulder. Jadeite paused in his task and raised his head to regard the other king. "Why is that?"

Nephrite stopped as well. "Why is what?"

"That you talk to him that way. I've seen it." Jadeite fell silent. Nephrite was giving him a dark look, the leaves making 'crunch-crunch' noises in his hand. Instantly Jadeite wished he hadn't been so inquiring.

"Then listen." Nephrite shook his handful of leaves for emphasis. "When you watch an officer who has been part of the forces for no more than a month ascend in rank until he is nearly matched to you, simply because of his relations to another officer who surpassed you in rank, then ask me again."

"Oh," Jadeite said finally. He turned his head to look out the window, noticing only now the clouds that had come over. Then he spoke again, "But mind you, he did play his part in the fighting."

Nephrite glared at him, and instantly Jadeite cast his eyes down.

"I'm taking some food out," said the auburn-haired king, turning towards the pantry door. He grasped the wooden handhold and pulled, his back straining a little more than usual against it. Finally it gave, air coming out of it in a sizable blast. Nephrite swung the door open fully and strode into the cramped space.

"My God!"

The loudness of Nephrite's exclamation was enough to make Jadeite drop the leaves he'd collected all over the floor. He crossed the kitchen in two strides, grabbing onto the storage door frame to stop himself from running into the other king. "What is it!?" he asked, Nephrite blocking his view.

Suddenly, the latter stooped, and then started to back out. Jadeite scuttled a few steps in reverse, allowing Nephrite room for his clumsy retreat.

"What is..." Jadeite began, only now realizing that Nephrite was dragging something. Peering over the other's shoulder, he at last got a good look at what it was.

"My God!"

The repetition would have been amusing, had it not been Zoisite retrieved from the pantry. Nephrite let go and stood up, examining from his full height the limp form sprawled across the stone tile. Jadeite's breath caught in his throat, and he crouched down beside the young king.

"He's not dead, is he?" Jadeite asked, his voice high and whispering. His hands hovered uselessly over Zoisite's body, unsure in his shock of what to look for.

"No, no," Nephrite said, stooping again. Making up his mind, he seized Zoisite's collar and hoisted him into a sitting position. "Wake up," he commanded, shaking the narrow shoulders. Zoisite's head merely fell forward, his form even more slack than it had been before.

"Stop that," Jadeite hissed. "You'll injure him!"

"I think he already is." Nephrite laid him back down on the floor. "How long do you suppose he's been in there?"

"Can't be that long; I spoke to him earlier this morning."

"I'll go find Kunzite," Nephrite declared. His voice was low and steady, as though he'd pulled out a bundle of potatoes rather than the third king. However, as he rose, Jadeite caught a glimpse of his eyes, whose brows were knit tightly, and whose shadow hid the alarm in the gaze.

As Nephrite left the room, Jadeite turned back to Zoisite, unsure of what he should be doing. He sat there for a moment in silence, watching with parted lips the minute rise and fall of Zoisite's chest. The young king's face was nearly grey, and Jadeite reached forward on impulse to brush away the long bangs. His fingers snagged in Zoisite's hair, at what he thought to be a particularly stubborn knot.

But when he withdrew his hand, his fingers were sticky.

"Oh, not this again," he muttered, wiping his hand unconsciously on his uniform trousers. This time, he discovered, the blood had run back into Zoisite's hair, matting it with little red ribbons.

However, this was not all. With Zoisite's long neck thrown back, the red welts on his throat had become visible. It had taken Jadeite a few moments to notice them, but once noticed, he could help but stare. Those hadn't been there this morning, he was sure of it. Curious, he delicately probed beneath Zoisite's collar with his fingers. The marks did not end there, but trailed down beyond Jadeite's access. He restrained himself for searching farther; Kunzite walking in to discover Jadeite crouching over a half-dressed Zoisite was an incident to be prudently avoided.

Nevertheless, Jadeite found himself staring harder. The more he looked, the more fierce these marks seemed to appear. They striped the skin at the base of Zoisite's throat, nearly purple now, as though changing colour as the seconds went by. In the wake of his patience, the shapes of the imprints were becoming more and more definite. He watched with fascination, his breath caught in his throat, bending over to get a closer look. What had before been a series of red bruises had now become three fingers, and a thumb.

It was still daylight when Zoisite opened his eyes. His vision was blurred, but he knew right away where he was. The counterpane was drawn right up to his chin, and the light from the bedroom windows made it glow. Everything was white, so different from what he last remembered.

What did he last remember? In truth, he couldn't remember a thing, and the thought made him a little giggly. He sighed and settled back into the sheets. Perhaps he'd just slept in. No... no, he'd spoken to Jadeite today, he was sure of it. And Kunzite too. And Luna was--

There was the sound of splashing water, and as he looked up again, a different kind of white filled his vision. He heard himself laughing a little as Kunzite's hair fell across his face. The other was leaning over him, passing a wet cloth across his forehead. This made him a little irritated. Why was his forehead getting sponged? Was he sick?

"Kunzite-sama..." he mumbled.

"Zoisite?" Kunzite sat back and regarded Zoisite with a look of surprise. Then his face softened. "Zoisite." He leaned forward again, touching his brow to Zoisite's. The kiss he offered was very delicate, very gentle. Almost sad.

"I'll be back shortly," Kunzite said suddenly, rising. "I'm going to get some fresh water."

"Wait, Kunzite-"

But he was gone.

Zoisite squirmed a bit under the sheets; his joints were aching. Fed up, he threw the blankets back and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He didn't feel sick.... Just a little tired. His uniform, he spied, was hung over a chair near the door, right next to the mirror. It was an ugly old mirror, fogged and warped, but at least he'd be able to see just how he looked at this moment.

The room felt cold to Zoisite (Since when had he removed his uniform?), and he hurried over and snatched his clothing off the chair.

In the swirl of fabric and the speed of his movements, he had at first not noticed his reflection. It was only when he stopped, hands holding his jacket in mid-swoop, that he saw the bruises. His skin, typically so pale, was covered with red and purple blotches. Handprints.

He reached up and touched one cautiously. It was tender; it was new. He swallowed. Turning around dumbly, he sat down upon the chair, uniform bunched up in his lap. Outside, he could see the trees bending in a slow wind, more snow falling from them onto the ground below. He didn't feel cold anymore, though his hands had gone clammy. He didn't look down at himself, not did he turn and face the mirror again.

"Zoisite," came a tiny voice.

Zoisite screamed, leaping up from the chair. As his pounding heart slowed, he saw Luna emerge from her hiding spot.

"How long have you been here?" His voice was shaking.

Luna chose to ignore his, her little copper eyes roving up and down his body. Suddenly self-conscious, he held his crumpled uniform against himself.

"There's no point in being bashful," said the cat.

"Go away," groaned Zoisite, sitting down on the floor this time.

"I know what happened to you."

"I said go away!" He took a halfhearted swipe at Luna. "I want to see Kunzite-sama."

"Oh no, I don't think you do." Luna sat down in front of him, and began cleaning her paws.

"What?"

She straightened herself and looked up at Zoisite. Her eyes seemed so human for an animal. "Zoisite, this place is not safe."

"I know that," he said miserably.

"Not just for you," she continued, "but for all of us. Listen to me, demon." She strained to get closer to Zoisite's face. "The only reason I have to help you is that I shall be helping myself in turn."

"What do you mean?"

"I there are things I can tell you about this place."

"What?" Zoisite became suddenly focused. "What do you know? Why haven't you told us-- "

"Shhhh!" she hissed. "Kunzite's returning. I shall talk to you some other time."

"Why can't Kunzite hear?"

"Will you hush! I'll talk to you later!" said Luna, as she bounded off. "Find me when you are alone."