Nobody Wins
Author: Maetel
Author's Note: This was the hardest one of this little series so far. Two more parts before I close the book on this one and fully devote myself to Already Met You. This has been a little strange writing a bit about a pairing other than Usagi and Mamoru. I know I've covered Rei and Jadeite, but it was just strange after so long. I've discovered I'm secretly a Minako/Kunzite shipper after all! Anyways, enjoy and keep an eye out for the next part in this series.
"You destroyed him," Kunzite stated as he appeared behind the orange clad senshi.
His rage was churning inside him, barely contained. He wasn't going to let himself lose to it however. He wanted to see her. Especially now that he knew the reason why her eyes had haunted him since before their first meeting in this life.
"I did what I had to do. He was going to kill her," Venus stated, hardening herself against the barrage of emotions his presence caused in her. "You would have done the same if it had been one of your warriors being threatened."
"There are no more warriors being threatened. You and your senshi have seen to that," Kunzite snarled. "One by one, you've taken them from me. Taken my brothers in arms from me."
Venus snorted softly. "Would you have us allow them to kill countless numbers of people? I wouldn't be much of a protector of this planet if I had stood by simply doing nothing. You should know that. You've been fighting this war just as long as I have."
"Is that why you came to me? That night in England. You came to plant the seeds of treachery in me in an attempt to lure me from my place by my queen's side?"
Venus turned to look at him, her expression incredulous. "You think I went there with the intentions of seducing you? You think I wanted to act like some sort of Mata Hari? You think I'm so foolish? I went there because I couldn't—can't sleep! I went there because it was your damned face haunting my dreams at night! Ever since Adonis or Danburite or whatever his name is triggered my memories awakening!"
Kunzite snorted at her outburst, though he was taken aback by the idea of her having dreamed of him just as he had her.
"Do you honestly expect me to believe that? Believe that you stalked out one night and happened to stumble upon my establishment? You had to have some sort of ulterior motive—"
"No! I didn't! I couldn't sleep! I can't help it if fate decides to screw me over by making me meet and fall in love with my own murderer! Again!"
Kunzite felt his response drop off of his tongue. He knew that what he'd felt wasn't just the attraction based solely on a one night… Okay, two night stand. He'd never bothered with really exploring his own feelings, but did she love him?
And murderer? He'd not killed her. He'd been angered enough to try the last time they met before her revelation of her true identity. The depth of her betrayal that night when she had changed into Venus from the blonde face she bore publicly. He couldn't though. Not really. And in their past life, he'd not killed the princess. What little he knew told him that it had been Beryl who had ended the Moon Princess' life. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't place what.
He stared at her for a moment, a flash of Venus in the past with her cornflower eyes staring at him mischievously flitting in his mind as some long lost memory tried to emerge only to fade once more.
"I didn't kill you then. Beryl claims to have been the one to have killed you during the attack," Kunzite stated, confusion dancing in his eyes.
Venus felt her stomach tighten as she realized the mistake she had made. In her pain, she'd let her memories bleed out into her speech, overriding her place as the decoy.
"Beryl's lying. You killed me, Kunzite. She had each of you kill us. I watched as your comrades killed my sisters. Watched as they laughed as they reveled in the blood on their hands. Because of your bitch queen lying to them time after damnable time!"
"You're hiding something," Kunzite stated. He stalked up to her slowly. "Besides, why would she have me kill the princess? Beryl's obsessed with her now. I doubt it was much different then."
Venus smiled sadly at him. "Because just like now, I loved you. The only time it was ever serious."
Kunzite felt his heart skip at the sight of her smile. He didn't know what he felt, but the way she looked at him left him filled with regret. Filled with a sense of self loathing that he couldn't explain.
"How could a princess have loved an enemy?" he asked. "You're lying again."
She shook her head and stared into his eyes. "Because we weren't enemies until the day that she attacked the Moon. We were… We were close. You can feel it. The way fate has bound us to one another. The goddess of love doesn't play games like that."
"But fate does, hmm?" he asked lifting a hand to her cheek. He didn't know what he was doing anymore. "Fate would pit us against each other one last time?"
"Never last. We'd meet again and again so long as the desire for the ginzuishou is carried by Beryl," she said, letting a lone tear fall from her eye to soak into the soft glove touching her face. "Until Beryl and Metallia are defeated, then we're doomed to be apart."
There was a flash of hatred in his eyes as she spoke. "And what of our desires?"
"They mean nothing in the face of duty, Kunzite," she replied softly. "I can't ask you to desert your queen for me. You're too honorable. You'd sooner die than be branded a traitor."
"And how can you be sure?"
Venus lifted a hand to gently grasp his. She turned her head to press a soft kiss against his gloved palm. "Because you were the same back then. The burgeoning alliance between the Moon and Earth was the only reason you allowed yourself to grow close to me. Fate was working in our favor that time. Or so we thought."
The words were so familiar. The idea of an alliance. But what had happened? Beryl knew, he was sure. How could he honorably follow a leader who was possibly lying to him? Could he still consider himself honorable then?
He let his hand fall from her touch. "I… I should not be here. Not like this. I should be taking you to Beryl. I should be demanding the ginzuishou."
"And I should be at home ignoring the way my heart is telling me to stay with you," she commented. "We're both really bad at doing what we should in this life."
He felt the left side of his mouth quirk upwards at her joke. He wanted to be with her. To discard what he thought of as honorable, but he couldn't.
"I should go. I need to think," he said as he turned and started to walk away from her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her delicate voice carrying on the wind.
He shook his head and teleported to the room containing the bodies of the shitennou. He sat there for almost an hour before Beryl appeared behind him, drawing him forcefully from his thoughts.
He felt her hand on his shoulder, and for a moment, his thoughts went cloudy. He tried to grasp onto the words which Venus had said to him, but found that they'd slipped from his mind.
Before he knew what was happening, Kunzite was in Beryl's thrall once more.
"If only we had the ginzuishou. It would be a simple matter to revive them all. You must gain it for us if you wish for your brothers to live again," Beryl purred. She'd known of the slipping control she had over her strongest warrior. Had felt it since his return from England. She'd just needed a way to draw him back to her. Find him with his guard down. It had taken time, but now, he was hers once more.
Two nights later, Kunzite hovered above Tokyo, drawing the energy out of everyone and everything. When the senshi appeared, Minako watched as he absorbed the attacks of each of her senshi.
Kunzite, what's happened to you? she thought solemnly before forcing herself to focus on the battle at hand.
In the end though, it all happened too fast. Endymion had been injured and the princess had woken. They'd all been bathed in the light of the ginzuishou, Kunzite included. Beryl had drawn him and Endymion to the Dark Kingdom, leading him to his warriors while the prince was taken elsewhere. The crystal had indeed restored them to life, but the resurrection had been temporary. He watched as their bodies returned to stone once more, and with that something inside him broke.
"We were reborn to find our master. We hadn't been born to serve this vile creature… Venus had been right," he murmured softly. "Where is he? Endymion-sama?"
His head throbbed as memories blocked flooded forth. They'd been born to find Endymion. Before they could, however, Beryl had found them and…
"Oh, Gods…" he muttered staring down at his hands. "What have we become? What has that witch… Not even…"
They weren't even human anymore. They'd been lured to Beryl's cause and changed. He realized as he looked at the stones that had once been his brothers that when he fell, he too would suffer the same end. How could he search for his master like this? What more, how could he face Venus now that he knew the truth?
Over the passing week, Minako had spent most of her waking time wondering about the welfare of Kunzite and the Princess. She felt guilty for letting her mind wander to the well being of someone who was supposed to be their enemy. Especially after he was the one who'd attacked the princess so brazenly. But hadn't that been her own fault? She could have stopped him from returning to Beryl's clutches.
In the end, the blame for everyone's pain was her. She wasn't sure who she felt more worried for though—Usagi or Kunzite. That led to more guilt.
When her communicator went off after school, she saw that it was Rei's face on the small screen.
"We're going to visit Usagi-chan in a few. We want you to come with us. Maybe you could help us draw her out of her house," Rei stated.
"What's going on?" Minako asked, wondering if she was missing something in this conversation.
"She's not been to school in a week. We want to see if she's all right after the fainting spell after the battle with Kunzite," the young priestess stated.
Minako felt herself grow sick with worry. How could she have not realized something like that was happening? She'd been too focused on Kunzite.
"No more," she muttered aloud. "I'm sorry, Kunzite, but the princess is my duty first. I'll get you back, but now, I have to keep her safe."
The words turned into an unintended lie as the next time they met, Kunzite was fully in Beryl's control. Venus gazed sadly at the small stone adorning his brow and knew that he was lost.
Forgive me, she thought before rallying the senshi. They combined powers and attacked, destroying the body that remained. She watched as the stone remained only to disappear in a dim flash of light.
She felt a part of her close off as she watched the stone disappear. He was gone. Fate had played a cruel hand.
"V-chan? Are you all right?" she heard Sailor Moon ask.
The leader of the senshi nodded. "I'm fine. Besides, We should be worried about you. You're the princess," she said, erupting in the long practiced smile that she always wore when worried. She was just glad that Artemis wasn't around to see the expression. "I'm just a little drained. The combined attack usually takes a good deal out of all of us."
She listened as the others agreed and laughed. "How about I escort you home before calling it a night myself?"
Jupiter shook her head and placed a hand on Moon's shoulder. "I've got her. I live closer to her anyways."
"Thank you, Jupiter," Venus said before clearing her throat. "We meet tomorrow. With the destruction of the last shitennou, we need to figure out where to go from here."
They all agreed upon meeting at Ami's apartment before parting ways.
When Minako arrived back at the silent apartment, she felt her mask fade. She stumbled to her room and collapsed to the floor in tears.
"I'm sorry, Kunzite… I wanted to save you," she sobbed. "I wanted so much."