TITLE: The Fall of Zoisite and Mercury
AUTHOR: Calicia caliciac@yahoo.com
RATING: PG
PAIRING: Ami/Zoisite
SYNOPSIS: Just before the battle between the Moon Kingdom and the Dark Kingdom,
Zoisite and the other generals are sent to Earth. As Zoisite is returning to the Moon
Kingdom, he is captured by the already-corrupted Nephrite and Jadeite and corrupted
by Queen Beryl. During the battle with the Moon Kingdom, Zoisite and Mercury meet.
DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and all it's characters belong to Takeuchi Naoko-sama. This
is a work of fanfiction, and is not making any money.
NOTES: This is the first Ami/Zoisite I've written, I've only just discovered that I like that
pairing ;-) It's also my first story based on the Japanese version, I normally write Zoisite
as a woman and use all the English names. So, I hope it's turned out okay grin

***

In the velvety darkness of night two people stood on one of the balcony's of a graceful
palace, looking at a blue-green planet in the sky.

"I must return to Earth, Ami-chan," the copper-haired man said to his blue-haired
companion. "We have discovered that there are a few tribes who still remain unaligned,
and Prince Endymion is sending Kunzite-sama, Nephrite-kun, Jadeite-kun and me as
his envoys."

"I don't feel right about that, Zoi-chan," Ami replied. "The night before Queen Serenity
suspects the Dark Kingdom will attack you discover that there are unaligned tribes on
Earth? It feels like a trap to me. A trick to lure you and the other generals away from the
Moon Kingdom...,"

"We're not *that* important," Zoisite interrupted, smiling.

"You are important!" Ami said. "And maybe Metallia was hoping to lure Prince Endymion
away, too. Who knows what she thinks? But I still think that this is a trick, a trap, a way
to keep whoever the Prince sends from joining the battle. It's a mistake to go, Zoi-chan,
I just know it. I might never see you again."

"We did discuss that, Ami-chan," Zoisite replied. "But we must go. I will be back before
the Dark Kingdom attacks," he added. "I'll be there and ready to fight. You'll see me
again." He stepped back. "I'll return," he promised, before turning and leaving. Ami
didn't look after him. Instead she kept her eyes on the Earth, hanging in the sky.

"Princess Serenity," she heard Zoisite say from inside, and turned around as the Moon
Princess came out onto the balcony.

"Ami-chan!" Serenity said, seeing Ami's sad look. "What's wrong?"

"Princess...," Ami said. "Serenity-chan, did you hear about the unaligned tribes?"

"Yes, I did. Don't worry, Ami-chan, Zoisite-kun will be back soon."

Ami shook her head. "I'm afraid it may be a trap, Serenity-chan," she replied. "To
discover *now* that there are unaligned tribes?"

"Ami-chan's right, Princess," someone said from the doorway. Serenity and Ami both
turned to see who it was.

"I said the same thing to Kunzite-chan," Minako added. "He said he had to go anyway."

"So did Zoisite-chan," Ami said.

"You're all right," Serenity said. "It does sound like a trap. Mother, Endymion-chan and I
thought so, too. But we have to send people, just in case it isn't. and we have to be
prepared, just in case it is."

Ami and Minako nodded.

"Yes, Princess," Ami said.

"Don't worry, we'll be ready," Minako added. "For anything."

***

Zoisite felt disquieted. There had been no-one where Prince Endymion had sent him,
which gave substance to what Ami had claimed and what the Queen, Prince, and
Princess had suspected. It was a trick of some sort, but Zoisite wasn't sure what its
purpose was. It wasn't an ambush, because he had been able to leave freely. It was a
puzzle, and a worrying one.

//At least Ami-chan wasn't completely right,// he thought. //I will be coming back to her.//

"Zoisite-kun!" he heard someone call as he was returning to the Moon Kingdom. He
looked up.

"Nephrite-kun? Jadeite-kun? Why are you here?" he asked. The other two generals
weren't on their way back to the Moon Kingdom, as he was. They seemed to be waiting
for something.

"There was no-one where the Prince sent us," Nephrite explained.

"So why didn't you return to the Moon Kingdom? The Dark Kingdom will be attacking
any minute now. We're needed there."

"Who cares?" Jadeite said. "They don't care about us, why should we care about
them?"

"Jadeite-kun! You sound like one of Metallia's followers!"

"He's right, Zoisite-kun," Nephrite said. "They don't care about us. The Moon Kingdom
toys with us. We don't owe them anything. Come with us, and fight with your people,
not against them."

Zoisite began to back away. "Traitor! I fight with my Prince. I'm not one of Metallia's
lackeys, and I don't believe her lies!" He felt something behind him, and glanced over
his shoulder. When he looked back to Nephrite and Jadeite, his expression showed his
disappointment.

"Youma? How could you? Prince Endymion trusted you."

"Zoisite-kun, we used to be just like you," Nephrite said. "But when I was returning from
that false meeting Endymion sent us to, Queen Beryl came to talk to me. She showed
me just how mislead I had been."

"And then Nephrite-kun found me as I was returning, and he explained everything to
me," Jadeite said. "And now we're passing our knowledge on to you. Come with us, and
we'll prove to you that we're speaking the truth."

"You mean Metallia will brainwash me as she has you," Zoisite said. "And then what?
The three of us will take Kunzite-sama to Metallia to be brainwashed as well? Or have
you two already done that? And then we'll attack the Moon Kingdom on Metallia's
behalf? No. Leave now. You were once my friends, I can't attack you now, but the next
time we meet we will be enemies." He turned to the youma. "Zoi!"

The youma quailed under the blast, and then was nothing. Zoisite began to walk away
from the other two generals, but Nephrite grasped his arm.

"No, Zoisite-kun," he said. "You *will* come with us."

***

Zoisite opened his eyes and stared at the rocky ceiling above him. Where was he?
What was he doing here? Didn't he have something to do, something important?

"You do indeed, Zoisite," a woman's voice purred. Zoisite turned to see who the
speaker was. He hadn't been aware that he was speaking his thoughts aloud. A flame-
haired woman sat nearby, a crystal ball in her hands.

"Get up, Zoisite," she ordered. "Join the others. I want to get the attack underway
quickly."

"Attack?" Zoisite asked. "What attack? Who are you, and what am I doing here? Who
are the others?"

The woman frowned, her green eyes flashing. Zoisite flinched away from her.

"I am Queen Beryl," she said. "*Your* Queen. You are one of my generals, and we are
attacking the Moon Kingdom when you join the other generals and get to the front!
*Go*, Zoisite. No more questions."

Zoisite scrambled to his feet and bowed. "Yes, m'Queen," he said. "Right away." He felt
nothing at knowing Queen Beryl wanted him to betray his Prince. He believed in what
he was now doing, believed it had been Queen Serenity who had tricked and
brainwashed him and Queen Beryl who had returned his own will to him.

"Zoisite," Queen Beryl called as he turned away.

"M'Queen?"

"The Sailor Senshi, Princess Serenity's guardians, are sure to interfere. You'll have to
kill them before you can kill Serenity and her mother. Don't hesitate to do so -- or to kill
Endymion."

Zoisite nodded. "Yes, m'Queen." //Why did she feel she needed to say that?// he
wondered as he left the throne room. Outside the throne room was someone familiar to
him.

"Kunzite-sama!" he exclaimed. "You're here! I had feared you were still under the
influence of the Moon Kingdom."

Kunzite smiled. "As you can see, I am not. I am here, as much out of Queen Serenity's
power as you are. Come, Zoisite-kun, Nephrite-kun and Jadeite-kun are waiting to launch the
attack. We must be there to help them." He took Zoisite by the arm and teleported them
both to where the other two generals were.

"The Senshi are likely to pose the worst threat," Kunzite said, taking charge. "I'll deal
with Sailor Venus. Nephrite-kun, you deal with Sailor Jupiter, Jadeite-kun will deal with
Sailor Mars, and Zoisite-kun with Sailor Mercury."

"Hai!" the other three chorused.

"We'll centre on the palace," Kunzite continued. "Once that falls, the entire Silver
Millennium will fall. The youma will go in first, with the people of Earth to back them up,
and they'll draw out and weaken the Senshi. Perhaps they'll even manage to kill the
Senshi. Then we can enter the palace and finish off Queen Serenity and her daughter."

"What about Prince Endymion?" Nephrite asked.

"Queen Beryl would prefer us to capture him if possible. If not, we'll kill him, too. He'll
most likely be with the princess. Everyone knows what they're doing?... Good." He
turned and walked away, and the other three went to take their positions.

***

The battle was going well. The youma and Earth citizens were quickly overwhelming the
Moon Kingdom's defences, and Zoisite had heard that one of the Senshi had already
fallen. All was going according to plan. Ahead of him, he saw a blue-haired woman in a
navy-blue fuku fighting off some of the youma.

"Zoi!" he shouted, intending to finish her off while she was occupied. Mercury turned at
the shout, and her eyes widened.

"Nani?!" she cried out, stunned. She didn't even try to avoid his attack. It hit her and
knocked her backwards, and the youma were quickly on the fallen Senshi.

"No!" Zoisite called, striding over. "Leave her to me. Continue with the attack."

The youma departed, and Zoisite looked down at Mercury, who lay on the ground as
she painfully attempted to keep breathing.

"Zoi-chan...," she whispered.

Zoi-chan...the name summoned a myriad of emotions in Zoisite, and he looked at the
dying Senshi with growing horror.

"Ami-chan," he whispered, dropping to his knees beside her and taking one of her
hands in his own.

//What have I done? Ami-chan!//

"When you promised that we'd meet again, I never thought you meant like this," she
said. Zoisite shook his head.

"Neither did I," he replied. "Ami-chan, I...." He shook his head, trying to clear it from all
the different thoughts and emotions racing through it. Gradually, order was restored to
his confused mind as Metallia, far in the distance, realised that he was being lost to the
Moon Kingdom and took steps.

"Why?" Ami asked.

"Because I had to. I'm sorry, Ami-chan, but you have to die."

Tears formed in her eyes. "But why? Why are you doing this, Zoi-chan?"

Zoisite refused to let her tears get to him, and didn't answer directly. "I'll make this
quick," he promised. He disentangled one of his hands from hers, bent down and gave
her a deep kiss. During the kiss, a crystal shard formed in his free hand, and he
plunged it into her heart. She made barely a sound of protest as her lifeblood spilled
out, staining her fuku, Zoisite's uniform, and the ground she lay on a deep crimson that
would turn brown as it dried. Zoisite straightened and looked at the dead Senshi with a
sadness that began to fade as Metallia's grip tightened on his mind. He brushed blue
hair away from Mercury's already-closed eyes, then stood and walked away, leaving his
crystal shard embedded in her heart.