Zoisite had told him five o'clock. Five o'clock that afternoon, at the Starlight Tower. He didn't know why he'd selected such a prominent landmark for a showdown. Perhaps it was the architecture; he'd always admired the way it was built. It might not be standing come this evening.

What time was it now? Five in the morning. The pale sun was beginning to touch Tokyo's bay, a gentle closure for the night's events. Perhaps it was good that no one had seen the bizarre dealings played out amid the warehouses. Trapping the senshi and Tuxedo Kamen had proven entirely futile, thanks to the emergent Sailorvenus. Ah, well, all that wasted effort would be repaid in full this afternoon.

Zoisite still had twelve hours to wait, and he stalked the looming halls of Kunzite's home. He and Kunzite should probably rest. Their queen's impulses forced them to sleep only when they could, and the time for it could never be planned.

"Zoisite," a quiet voice spoke from behind. Long arms wrapped about his waist.

"Kunzite-sama."

"We should sleep now," Kunzite said. Zoisite leaned back against the white king, feeling the soft breaths on the back of his neck.

"Hai."

It was only a few paces down the corridor to their bedchambers. Kunzite opened the heavy door, letting Zoisite walk forth and step into the room.

A great, circular dwelling, most of the bedroom was occupied by a thick, woven rug. The odd item of furniture sat here and there, but little else. No wardrobe, for their clothes were their own creations. But there were two other exits. One, a door, led into the bath. The other exit, raised slightly into the wall was, in all simplicity, a hole in the wall. Shrouded by a soft black curtain, it was the entrance to the bed.

If one were to pull back this curtain, as Zoisite was doing now, and climb through the hole, one would find oneself in another circular space, this one smaller. There was no floor, for upon entering through the stone mouth, one crawled immediately onto the ample bed, sheets and cushions filling the area wall to wall.

Here Zoisite sat, surrounded by a cozy darkness, pulling off his boots and uniform. He leaned over and dropped them on the other side of the curtain.

A sound of protest come from without, and Kunzite pulled back the drape, crawling onto the bed beside Zoisite.

"Zoi-kun, you should undress before you get into bed. Then you don't have to throw your uniform everywhere."

"Why? It will disappear soon enough," Zoisite replied, pulling the blue elastic from his hair. He regarded Kunzite, who had sensibly disrobed before climbing into the niche.

"I know, but you bring dirt from your boots onto the quilt. See, it's gritty." Kunzite passed a disdaining look before pulling back the coverlet.

"You're sweet when you're fussy." Zoisite rose up on his knees and nuzzled at Kunzite's throat, planting little kisses. Moving closer, he ran his fingers along Kunzite's back.

"Zoisite, no," Kunzite said softly. "We need to rest."

The young king withdrew, sitting back down on the bed. Kunzite was right. They'd wasted so much energy on that stupid crystal hunt. Granted, Zoisite had caught a glimpse of Tuxedo Kamen's face, but that was hardly worth a whole night of traps wrought with precious power. And now poor Kunzite... he was the one who'd sustained that shadow barrier for a few good hours. His only rewards had been the stinging welts that arose from the strike of Venus' crescent beam.

Zoisite nestled into the bed, forming a comfortable fort of pillows, covers, and Kunzite around him. After sneezing out an irritating wisp of his hair, he closed his eyes. As he drifted into beckoning sleep, he felt the soft stroke of Kunzite's hand upon his head, and a low murmur in his ear.

"Sweet sakura."

Though his dreams still played in his head, his state of unconsciousness was getting lighter by the second. Somewhere, he could hear his own breathing, slow and cavernous within the deep confines of his body. But now there was another sound, not his own, that cut into his sleep. The more he heard it, the more awake he became. It sounded like... clicking?

Zoisite opened his eyes, half sitting up in bed. His thoughts, still confused and nonsensical, tried to recall what had woken him. A sound? Yes, a clicking, scratching sound. But he couldn't hear it now... probably just a part of his dream.

He lay back down, peering through the gap in the curtains at the old clock on the wall. Two o'clock. Still a while to go....

He squirmed about in the blankets. Somehow, he'd managed to get impossibly tangled in the covers, trapping himself in a knot of dark sheets. Carefully, he worked at freeing himself without waking his bedmate.

Finally succeeding, he looked over at Kunzite to be sure the other was still asleep. The older king lay on his belly, his head turned to one side. His ribs rose and fell with each sleeping breath, but no other movement could be seen.

Zoisite found himself staring, as he often did, at Kunzite's face. Dark lashes bordered those closed eyes, such a noticeable contrast to that ghostly head of hair. A while ago, Zoisite had been told that Kunzite's hair had once been ebony-black. Before Beryl took him.

It could have been true; Kunzite didn't say much about it. Then again, he didn't say much about a lot of things. Perhaps, Zoisite thought, this was what made him so easy to love.

A sharp sound interrupted his thoughts. He recognized it immediately; it was that same foreign noise that had dragged him from his dreams. A soft, yet frantic sound, it alternated between scrapes and clicks. It seemed to be coming from the bedroom floor. An intruder?. No; the noise was too small, too quick, to be anything larger than a insect... or a small animal.

Now very curious, Zoisite plucked one of the sheets of the bed, draped it around his shoulders, and poked his head into the main bedchamber. If it was an animal, how did it get inside? The tiny creatures of the Kingdom were scarce enough, and usually kept to the twisted foliage of the bogs. They rarely came into the tunnels, and never entered the buildings.

His first scan of the round room revealed nothing. Zoisite looked up and down, but neither substance nor shadow seemed out of the ordinary. He was just about to withdraw unto the bed, when movement from under a chair caught his attention. Something little, and rather shiny, was thrashing among the legs of the seat. Click, click, click, went its claws.

Swinging his legs over the opening, Zoisite stepped down onto the floor. He still held the dark blanket about his shoulders, keeping it more for warmth than modesty.

He crept across the room, artfully sneaking up on this struggling creature. It seemed completely oblivious to the padding of Zoisite's approaching feet, as it occupied itself in its predicament. As Zoisite drew within arm's length, he was able to identify the busy animal. Amazingly, it was a lizard, long and thin, with glistening green scales and a wild, tapering tail.

But this was not a lizard of the Kingdom's swamps, nor the one of the black, gnarled wood. It was, beyond mistake, from Earth. How had it gotten in? Lizards can't open gates.... It was such a tiny thing, and Zoisite, in utmost curiosity, felt compelled to pick it up.

However, he could not, as the reason for the reptile's struggles revealed itself. The animal had somehow gotten one of its twig-like toes firmly wedged beneath the leg of the chair, and was having trouble freeing itself without injury.

It had clearly sensed Zoisite's arrival, and doubled its escape efforts, flailing uselessly. Zoisite, almost automatically, reached forth and lifted the chair, watching as the reptile scuttled free. It ran with startling speed across the room, then stopped at the main door, its escape blocked.

Quite obediently, Zoisite trundled over, intent on seeing his little visitor off. The lizard skittered away a few feet as Zoisite approached the exit. However, it returned as the young king opened the door, and quickly ran out of the room.

Zoisite watched as it scurried down the hall, and, before he could mark it again, out of sight. There were a few distant clicks and rustles, but they faded within seconds. He hadn't any intentions of following it around the house; he'd probably never find it. Besides, he was still tired.

As he climbed back into bed, his mind still played to him the nuances of the little creature. It's skin, its claws, that whiplike tail flying behind it as it ran. That was an Earth-lizard, beyond doubt.

It seemed to have taken its new surroundings gamely, as Zoisite remembered it trotting down the hall. Strangely, he found this thought disconcerting. That something from earth could adjust to the Dark Kingdom, running about wherever it pleased. After all, it had managed to get into his bedchamber, hadn't it? What if there were more? This thought tantalized Zoisite as much as it terrified him. What if the Kingdom was not as separate as they all envisioned. And if more came....

Suddenly, all of his thoughts were purged, chased off by a sudden, proximal voice:

"Zoi-kun."

Zoisite opened his eyes, muddled suspicions and fantastic thoughts dissolving as his vision focused upon Kunzite. The older king looked down upon him, a little smile drawn upon his face.

"Kunzite-sama, I... was dreaming."

"Were you?" Kunzite bent to kiss Zoisite's brow. "It's four-thirty."