Zoicite tapped his fingers against the pommel of his horse's saddle. He and his men had been watching the unassuming residence for hours now waiting for something to happen. A trim man, with long curly blond hair swept back into a ponytail, he knew that patience was a virtue he possessed in spades, yet even he was starting to reach his limits. He didn't know whose house he was watching - he didn't even know what he was expecting. What he did know was that he was tipped off to be here well before a yet-to-be-named enemy was expected to make an appearance.
The cloudy sky and moonless night left him and his soldiers masked in the shadows of the trees, so he had no concerns of being spotted. Yet one always had to be aware that the longer their presence lingered, the more likely they were to be noticed.
Zoicite turned his head up to the sky, looking for any stars that might be visible so that he could get some indication of how much time had passed into the night, but there were none to be seen through the cloud cover. He stretched his arms out in front of him, the white sleeves practically glowing in the limited light, relishing in the feel of his stiff muscles moving and the gentle popping along his spine.
Hoofbeats could now be heard approaching from the West at a fast pace. Zoicite made two short, low whistles, alerting the men surrounding him to be prepared to move on his command.
A dozen or so men on horseback appeared on the horizon, riding up over the crest of a hill to come into sight. As if commanded, the horses all stopped and the night fell back into silence. Zoicite moved his hand to the hilt of his sword, fingers curling and uncurling against the cold metal, preparing himself to move forward into battle if they had somehow been spotted. Three of the horse-backed men turned and retreated from the way they came, leaving the remaining band of men to resume riding forward. Seven of the men dismounted their horses at the entrance to the large estate, the other two remaining seated and alert.
'It was almost too easy,' Zoicite couldn't help but to think to himself. Nine men to his four - he almost even felt a little too prepared for this assignation.
He remained seated on his horse, still watching, waiting to see if any other riders approached or if the other three men would reappear. A woman's scream broke the silence and Zoicite tensed. He was unsure if he was about to lead his men into a trap, but he couldn't allow harm to come to what he had to presume to be innocent civilian.
A sigh escaped his lips and he withdrew his sword, tapping the heavy metal against the outside of the scabbard. Two of his soldiers dismounted and slipped through the shadows towards the men on horseback. Barely a sound could be heard as both riders were yanked from the safety of their mounts, necks slit, leaving them dead before their bodies were brought to the ground.
Zoicite and his captain Loren dismounted and tethered their horses before moving swiftly towards the front entrance of the home. They paused at the entryway, eyes searching the horizon for a trap. Shards of moonlight broke free to shine down on Zoicite, the outline of his high cheekbones and thin nose highlighted for seconds before the moon returned into hiding.
From where he stood, he could faintly hear the echo of a woman's voice, but her exact words were lost to him. With a slice of his sword he cut the reins and saddle straps of the rebels' horses before sending them galloping away so that they could not be used to assist in anyone's escape. Tonight there would be only those captured and those who fell in fight.
The front door slid open to reveal a darkened entryway. The four men made their way through the hallways using the woman's voice as their guide. Her voice fell silent as a man spoke over her, but his voice was not clear enough that his words could be understood either. When the woman screamed, Zoicite broke into a run. The pitch in her voice rang out with pain; no longer just in anger.
Rebels standing guard to the room yelled to the others when they saw Zoicite and his men. Swords were drawn and blood spilled, bodies falling to the floor. Two of the men tried to use the ensuing fight as a distraction to gain escape, but did not go unnoticed. Zoicite waved for two of his own men to chase down the retreating figures while he and Loren made quick work of dispatching the remaining men.
When the last body fell, Zoicite glanced around, noting that both he and Loren were thankfully unscathed despite the blood staining their uniforms. He indicated that the captain should stay in the hall and stand guard as he moved inside the room.
A sparsely dressed couple were the only people left in the bedroom. The woman had brown hair and laid in a puddle of blood while a man with shaggy blond hair wearing only breeches, held her in his arms, his tanned skin a stark contrast to the woman's pallor.
"Does she need a doctor?" Zoicite asked.
"Leave us," the blond haired man growled.
"Does she need a doctor or is she dead?"
The man looked to Zoicite, his teeth bared, tears staining his cheeks.
Zoicite uttered a curse, now recognizing both the man and the woman.
He uttered another curse for good measure.
"Tell me that Kunzite knows you're here, Adonis."
"It's Kunzite's fault that Esmeraude is dead," Adonis spat, his hand gesturing at the woman.
Zoicite's eyes looked the woman over, noting that she was naked beneath Adonis's hold. "What does Kunzite have to do with this? Why are you here? And what are you doing with Esmeraude?"
"She's dead because they weren't going to allow Kunzite to take her. You would have brought her right to him."
"Kunzite didn't send me for her." When Adonis turned his eyes back to the woman at his side, Zoicite sheathed his sword and took a step closer. "You'll have to come back to the palace with me. Endymion will want to speak with you. Kunzite too."
"Leave me to bury her. Say nothing of seeing either of us here."
"I can't do that, Adonis. I don't know what you are doing here - with her of all women - in this place where rebels came to meet. If you have done something that you will hang for, know that I will not hang with you."
Adonis let the brunette slip to the floor and he leapt to his feet charging at Zoicite. Zoicite tried to block the attack, but both men went sprawling onto the floor. Adonis yelled curses at the young General and swung his fists, trying to get hits in wherever he could.
Zoicite blocked the blows and struggled to grab Adonis's arms in an attempt to subdue him. The sound of the struggle brought Zoicite's men running into the room where they saw their commander being assaulted. They tried to pull Adonis off Zoicite, but when they could not succeed, one of the soldiers withdrew his sword and hit Adonis over the head with the hilt, knocking him unconscious. Zoicite rolled Adonis off of him and rubbed his jaw where a particularly hard blow had managed to land. "We need to dress them both. Speak nothing of tonight to anyone. Ever."
~~~(O)~~~ (&) ~~~(O)~~~ (&) ~~~(O)~~~
Kunzite walked through the halls of the palace, his footsteps echoing with each heavy step. Palace servants scrambled to get out of his way, not all as successful as others. Dressed in a uniform of a white shirt, brown pants, and a blue cape, Kunzite stood at over six feet tall and was considered to be a daunting man on a good day. His silver hair fell past his shoulders to reveal a chiseled face with defined cheekbones, a Greek nose, and piercing green eyes. Thin lips formed into a deep set frown, but did nothing to detract from his good looks.
He came to stand in front of the door to a palace study - a lesser used room with fewest amount of eyes and ears around to take notice of the going ons. The General steeled himself, taking a deep breath and exhaling before opening the door and closing it behind him.
Adonis sat at the table, his head resting on folded arms. His ears perked at the sound of the door, but before he was able to lift his head, hands grabbed his tunic, yanking him up from his seat. The chair fell backwards with a loud clatter as Kunzite pushed the soldier against the wall, not sparing a care when Adonis winced at hitting his head against the stone.
"You have some explaining to do, Adonis," Kunzite growled. "Why are you out of uniform and what were you doing with Esmeraude and those men? Start at the beginning and make it the short version."
"I didn't think it appropriate to be in uniform when on personal business."
"What was your business? Were you giving them information?"
"I don't know who they were!" Adonis protested, his hands pushing against Kunzite's fists that pressed precariously close to his throat.
"What were you doing with Esmeraude? Were you sharing her bed while she was sharing mine?"
"You didn't love her. You didn't care anything about her when you had her, why do you think you have the right to now?"
Kunzite's hands loosened. "Tell me everything that happened leading up to tonight, and when you are done, I will determine what happens to you next."
"You killed her. What is left to talk about?"
Kunzite stepped away from Adonis. "I had nothing to do with tonight."
"She's dead because of you."
"She's dead because of her own decisions."
"You did this to her!" Adonis took a step towards Kunzite as if to hit him.
Kunzite grabbed Adonis's tunic again and pushed him against the wall. "I know you're angry, but it won't be me that you take it out on. I'm going to let you go, and then you are going to sit down and explain everything. Do you understand?"
~~~(O)~~~ (&) ~~~(O)~~~ (&) ~~~(O)~~~
Kunzite exited the room into the hallway to find Endymion, the dark haired prince, standing in the hallway. His black cape lay draped over the shoulders of his crossed arms, his right foot braced against the wall. "Does he still live?" Endymion asked, blue eyes flashing with a mixture of concern and curiosity.
"He's fine," Kunzite muttered.
"And what about you?"
"I told Adonis to take time off," the General answered, ignoring Endymion's question. "He is not to return for three weeks."
"What good does three weeks do?"
"It gives him a chance to think over everything that happened and gives me time to stand by my decision to forgive him. In the meantime, I will look into Esmeraude's death. I will find out who is responsible. I expect to return within a week or so."
"Isn't Minako expected to arrive today? You should probably be there to greet your future bride when she gets here."
Kunzite faltered for a second. "My staff will see to it that she is attended to until I return."