Oops. I was actually in the middle of doing a piece for a challenge (the Shitennou's kids) when this little piece popped into my head. It was only meant to be a drabble, something that would take about an hour max. It ended it up being much longer and used up 2 days of my life. I hope it's worth it. Technically it's about the Shitennou being kids, rather than about their own children, that counts, right? ^_~
Anyway, on with the show! It's great to be back.
R&R please?
"Why do we hate them so much?"
Zoisite didn't falter as he polished his blade, only sneaking a quick glance through the corner of his eye to see whether Endymion was pulling a face that made him look as young as his thirteen year old voice sounded. He was; his hand ran through his short hair, leaving a trail of messy black spikes behind. A deep frown accompanied a cold blue stare at the floor. Behind those eyes, Zoisite knew what vengeful thoughts were circulating within his charge's mind, and who they were currently directed at: Kunzite had been the one who'd figured out where he'd run off to and cut short his plans for a secret trip to the Moon. It was because of the Head Shitennou that Endymion was now confined to his room under supervision.
"What do you think?" Zoisite said, turning the question on the Crown Prince. He shifted in his seat, changing the angle of the sword so he could work on the other side. His movements were regular, unwavering, almost graceful.
It was also damn irritating. Having tossed his cloak and shirt on the floor, Endymion flopped himself onto the bed, aggravation radiating off with his every action, "Forget I asked," Zoisite had a tendency to turn everything into a teaching lesson and he wasn't in the mood to deal with his guardian's know-it-all attitude.
Zoisite stopped for a moment to tuck a few curly red strands behind his ear. His leaf coloured eyes travelled up the length of the golden room to meet the unruly Prince's. His lips quirked into an uncaring smile and with a small shrug of his broad shoulders he went back to work on his sword, "You brought it up."
"This is stupid."
"You knew you forbidden from trying to leave the Palace on your own. And you certainly knew that the Moon was out of the question. It's your own fault."
Endymion placed a pillow over his head in a deliberate attempt to block out Zoisite from his view. He'd wanted some form of sympathy, he wished one of the others was there instead. After a moment he retracted that wish, Nephrite would have probably been furious that he had broken their trust, yet again, and would have vented it out like there was no tomorrow. Jadeite would have mocked him for getting caught.
His vengeful thoughts were no longer limited to Kunzite, they now spanned all four Shitennou.
There was a silence in the large room for a while, the two locked in their own separate worlds, neither one paying any real attention to each other, but both acutely aware of the other's presence. Endymion hated having the Shitennou babysit him, it was a task above their station and it made him feel useless. If he was old enough to kill a boar, then he should have been man enough to go wherever the hellhe wanted to in his Kingdom, and the ancient transport system locked away in the heart of the palace counted as a part of his territory. At least, by his reasoning it was. It was unfair, they were smothering him, they had no faith in his abilities. Kunzite was the worst of all, he was almost as bad as the King himself. More and more often it seemed that the two men were alike. Endymion was under the impression that the Lead Shitennou was becoming too big for his boots. Since he had turned 20, the age of manhood, he had become stricter and more distant, opening his mouth now only to subtly reprimand the Prince in some way or another. Endymion felt like his most influential brother was disappearing.
He'd asked Nephrite about it once, considering he was the closest in age to the white-haired leader. But Nephrite only smiled the way he did when he wanted to appear 'mysterious' -Endymion thought he simply looked drunk- and said, "It's a phase. He's only just realised how important he is. He'll calm down sooner or later." The Prince hoped it would be the former.
The quiet in the room stretched on, only the faint noise of the evening birds could be heard, coupled with the slight hiss of cloth against blade. Those who didn't know Endymion would have thought that his steady breathing meant he'd fallen asleep, but experience had taught the beautiful Shitennou very differently. When Zoisite finally finished polishing his sword he slid it back into its sheath and made his way to the floor-length mirror to inspect his appearance, he was meant to attend a dinner with the a certain Duchess later. He preened for a few moments, retying his hair and adjusting his uniform, before noticing in the reflection that Endymion was rolling his eyes.
Zoisite turned on his heel to look at the royal lump on the bed, "Well?"
The Prince replaced the pillow on his head and gave a muffled, "You have a scuff on your shoe."
Zoisite's smooth voice gave no indication of annoyance, "That's not what I was asking," He rubbed the toes of his boots against his calves anyway, in case Endymion wasn't kidding.
Unintelligible sounds escaped through the dark cotton and goose feathers. Zoisite assumed it was something along the lines of "I don't care," or "Leave me alone." More than likely it would contain the new word he'd heard Nephrite use the other day. Nephrite had not been in a good mood, his language had been…colourful, to say the least, and had involved mothers.
Zoisite made an exasperated ffff sound as he sat himself on the bed, secretly hoping that his sword sheath managed to jab him in the ribs, "You asked a question," He started unabashedly poking the Prince in his open chest until he got a reaction.
Zoisite easily blocked the pillow coming towards his face; neither did he miss the stealth attack as the adolescent's hand aimed at his hair, ready to wreck havoc on the Shitennou's curly mane. Endymion's wrist was gripped in a solid lock just above Zoisite's head. "Try it you little beetle, and I'll use you for target practice for the next week." He let go and smiled, bright and predatory, knowing he had won the battle.
Endymion took on a defiant look, refusing to rub at his wrist, "You wouldn't dare, I could have your head for that."
Zoisite's fine eyebrows were only raised for a second before readjusting themselves for his standard impression of condescendence, "You wouldn't be able to reach it if you tried. Especially not with those stumpy little legs." At that point Endymion pounced, his temper was already sour and Zoisite's comment brought a quick, red haze across his vision. From then on, everything happened in slow motion.
Within an instant he'd realised what a bad move it had been, his felt his skinny body fly too far forward as the older boy dodged, that superior look never leaving his face. The edge of the navy bed passed him like that of a cliff and he was faced with nothing but a thin fur to cushion his impact with the stone flooring. His eyes closed, his lean muscular arms braced his head. And then he felt something -all was not lost!- his foot had connected with a solid but fleshy object, he hoped it was Zoisite's jaw.
When he hit the ground the pain wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, his training had kicked in and he had fallen in a decent position, but his small victory was short lived, within the same moment a heavy weight crashed on top of him like a sack of rice filled with pointy elbows and knees. Zoisite practically squawked as he slipped off of the dark bed sheets and ended up sprawled over the only heir to the thrown.
The two laid there on the white fur for a little while, Endymion was in too much pain to move; Zoisite was trying to recover from the kick to the face. The younger boy was the first to move, mumbling as he squirmed his way free from under his older brother. Zoisite stood up immediately and raced to the mirror to inspect his face, not even bothering to help Endymion up, much to the boy's chagrin. As he stood and rolled his shoulder, he missed the split-second over-view that Zoisite gave him to make sure all was well, but that was Zoisite's intention.
He touched the side of his face gingerly, "The dinner's tonight! This better not swell," He ran into the bathing room and splashed some cold water on the injured cheek.
"Or what? I kick you in the face again?" Endymion asked with some satisfaction.
Zoisite's eyes had narrowed as re-entered into the room, folding a small, wet cloth. He said nothing more than a low, "Lucky shot," as he placed the cooling compress on to the side of his face, too preoccupied with dealing with his crisis. The two sat in silence again.
When Zoisite finally decided there would be no unsightly blemish to his face, he dropped the wet cloth and tried to re-engage Endymion, "So, why do we hate them so much?"
Endymion made a grunt of disgust as he stood up from the bed and walked over the window furthest away from Zoisite.
"Answer me," He was aware that it would like he was on a power trip, or asking out of spite (and to a small extent it was a little of both), forcing Endymion to think about politics -a subject he hated with a vengeance and didn't know much about- but it didn't matter, Endymion had been the one to broach the subject. And if there was one thing Zoisite wanted to nurture in the Prince, it was a sharpness in mind, the ability to think difficult issues through.
"I don't have to," The boy was being stubborn, which was unusual. Normally if he didn't know the answer he would simply say so, having learnt long ago that it was just easier to give into Zoisite and allow the Shitennou his long explanations. The Shitennou hoped that Endymion would grow out of this obstinate persona soon.
"Yes you do. You asked a question which-"
"I thought the whole point of asking a question is to get an answer from someone else."
Zoisite continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, "A question which has no right or wrong answer. It's obvious you've been thinking a lot about it, this is the second time we've caught you trying to sneak up there."
"I was just lashing out, I wasn't inviting conversation when I said it."
"Well then, it'll teach you to watch what you say," Zoisite prided himself on always having an answer.
Maybe that's why so many women slap him, Endymion thought evilly. He tried avoiding the question again, "Just because you're older than me doesn't mean you have the right to tell me what to do," He stared out of the window for a moment, longing to be outside to watch the sunset from the tower guard. As an afterthought he turned and added, "You're only four years older anyway."
Zoisite had regained his composure, he simply crossed his legs, laying back on the couch in a nonchalant manner, "No," His voice was a smooth mask again, "I can tell you what to do because I'm in charge of you." He let his head sink back into the edge of the couch, "And I'm four and three quarter years older than you, you may as well say five."
Instead of the reaction he had hoped for, Endymion remained quiet. Zoisite lifted his head and watched the boy.
The Shitennou always thought his eyes were entirely too light, the blue was so clear it was almost bloodless. And as the sun cast a red glow on the young Prince's form, those eyes gave the illusion of actually being violet.
A sensation of fearful weight settled into his gut. Once Endymion grew up; when his eyes would no longer be too big for his face, and his little muscular frame filled out into that of a man's, there would be power in that stare. His stubbornness, if honed and guided correctly, would turn into formidable determination. It was all just a matter of getting him there. Zoisite simply hoped that he and the others wouldn't screw up.
Finally, Endymion turned, leaning himself into the corner of the golden walls. He looked at Zoisite for a moment, almost debating as if he was going to speak. He ran his hand through his hair, messing it up further. Zoisite made a mental note, he has to stop doing that, it's unattractive.
"Zoi," His anger at being caught and forbidden to go to the Moon had dissolved, it was now replaced with a creeping sense of dread at what the consequences may be, "I'm going to be in trouble, aren't I?"
"Do you really need me to answer that?" He twirled one of the longer curls around his finger, he released it and curled it again. He watched as Endymion bit his lip and decided it wouldn't hurt to cut the kid a little slack, "Kunzite will sort it out. Don't worry about it too much."
The boy's whole head suddenly dipped, his shoulders slouching ever so slightly, "Why does he think he's so important?"
Most of the time Zoisite was good at interpreting what Endymion really meant, but this time he was a little clueless, "What?"
Endymion made his way to the couch, plopping himself on the other side, "Nephrite said that the reason why Kunzite is acting like a self-righteous tattle-tale prig is because he's realised that people think he's got a right to be a pompous ass."
Zoisite took a moment to digest what Endymion was trying to say. Once he understood, he had to stop himself from rolling his eyes, "He did not use those words."
"Yes he-" At Zoisite's pointed look he gave up, "It doesn't matter what he said exactly," He paused for a moment, "I just wish he'd start acting normal again."
"He's just trying to do his best. For you, Endy," He poked him again.
"Ow! Will you stop doing that?"
"So put your shirt back on," Zoisite smiled and continued, "It's his purpose in life to protect you. To make sure you grow up to be the right kind of King. Believe it or not, that's a scary job to have. I've tried to tell him it was impossible, but I think some nutcase has somehow convinced him that there's a slight chance you might not grow up to be a baboon."
That earned him a dead arm, only Zoisite's pride prevented retaliation. If he'd hit back, he would have shown Endymion how much his punch had hurt.
"Well one thing's for sure, no-one will ever be able to match your self-importance."
Zoisite sighed as he stood up from the chair and turned on some of the dim lamps, "It's a curse," The little light they gave reflected on the shimmering surfaces of the walls, casting long shadows in unusual places and altering the appearance of the room completely.
After a moment Endymion spoke, "Will you change like he has when you reach manhood?"
Zoisite turned around and looked at the boy sitting on the couch, his legs swinging, brushing the floor with faint swishing sounds. He suddenly looked three years old again, alone and in need of friends, of brothers."Kunzite worries enough for the rest of us. Don't stress yourself over this, when he feels confident enough in himself, he'll go back to the way he was. It's just a phase."
Endymion smiled, "That's the word that Neph used."
"I taught him what it meant," Zoisite shrugged, his tone suggesting he was serious. The Prince doubted it was true, but he smiled anyway. "Let's go for a walk on the shoreline. It's getting stuffy in here."
Endymion frowned in confusion, "But Kunzite said I had to stay in the room."
Zoisite looked genuinely disappointed, "Doesn't anything sink into that thick skull of yours? Do you ever watch Jadeite?" He flicked Endymion's ear, earning a scowl, "Don't you listen to what I teach you?"
"Won't I get into more trouble?" Endymion decided it was best to stop himself from retaliating since Zoisite was offering him a chance to escape the confines of the Golden Palace. "Why is it alright to not listen now?" He didn't want to push his luck, but he couldn't help but feel that Zoisite was being slightly hypocritical, and Endymion couldn't resist trying to rub it in his guardian's face. Had it been one of the other three, the urge wouldn't have been so strong, but this was Zoisite, it was hard not to feel that way.
The Shitennou's emerald eyes narrowed at his words, "Just put your shirt on," He pointed to the piece of clothing on the floor, "And your cloak, it'll be cool outside by the sea." He waited for Endymion to get dressed before he spoke again, "Kunzite's exact words were for you to 'go to your room' he didn't say for how long, did he?"
From under the hood the dark haired Prince shook his head.
"He also said I was to keep you in my sight at all times. I'm not breaking that rule," He thought for a moment before deciding that maybe this wasn't the best idea he'd ever come up with. But Endymion was clearly in need, staying caged within the golden walls was not helping him in the least. Zoisite would deal with the penalty later, when the boy was asleep and Kunzite could chew his head off without restraint, "And despite what you think, being locked in your room is not actually your punishment, we're just waiting until they've decided what your punishment really will be. You're not escaping the consequences of your actions." For a second the Prince's face dropped like he'd been kicked in the teeth, "Well what did you expect? You're getting older now."
Endymion slowly nodded his head in resignation, the hood falling further over his brow and hiding his face completely in shadow.
"Don't look so down, you're maturing Endy, it's a good sign." He paused, his eyes suddenly dancing with glee, "That reminds me, before we head out, you still need to answer your question. Why do we hate them so much?"
"Oh come on!" He should have known really, Zoisite was anything if not stubborn. He tipped the hood back, his eyes flashing with irritation, but the copper-haired Shitennou held his ground. The staring contest lasted for as long as Endymion could bear it, but the older boy was more experienced. With a flare of his nostrils he decided to give in, making it known he was doing so under protest, and because Zoisite was bailing him out, "Fine. We don't know who they are. We're afraid of them because they think they're more powerful than us and we think they're right. It's better to hate them. That way we don't fight between ourselves, we have a common enemy. Happy?"
Zoisite was truly surprised at the Prince's insight, especially considering Endymion's past attitude towards non-physical subjects. Maybe his attempts to visit the Moon were more than just adolescent rebellion and curiosity. Perhaps Zoisite had found a foot in the door, a way of getting Endymion interested in topics like History and Politics. His argument was set out too much like it was a stream of consciousness, but that could be easily be improved upon, "That's only one side of the argument," He tried, coaxing the Prince into a debate, "A sympathetic view towards the Lunarians. Many people believe that they simply want to control us. To sweep us into their vast empire."
Endymion quirked an eyebrow. The boy was not stupid, "I answered your question."
"Alright. But we'll continue talking about it on the beach," Before the Prince could argue Zoisite pressed on, "Don't try and deny it. You know you think it's interesting." He walked over to the door, not missing Endymion's face of disgust as he passed by. He peered out to check briefly that no-one was close by. "Come on," He walked over to the window, "It'll be easier this way, we can head out directly from the back gate rather than try and sneak all the way through the Palace."
Something suddenly occurred to Endymion, "Wait, are you sure? Don't you have to be somewhere soon? Aren't you supposed to call Jadeite to switch duty?"
A sense of pride erupted within Zoisite at Endymion's small unselfish gesture, but he kept it hidden and simply shrugged his shoulders, "The Duchess can wait, she'll appreciate a late night visit anyway."
Two dark eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, "How late? Won't she be sleeping?"
Zoisite jumped onto the windowsill and extended his hand out to Endymion, "You'll get it when you're older." The boy's cheeks instantly tuned a pink hue. He replaced his hood and grappled on tightly to Zoisite's back and neck, eliciting a slight gurgle from the Shitennou. "Damn it Endy, what did you eat this morning? An entire hippo?"
"Just shut up and let's go."
"You'll pay for that little comment when we get to the ground floor. Hold tight." Zoisite dropped down from the shimmering balcony onto one of the marble statues and began his descent.
What did you guys think? Good? Not so good? Boring as coffee without donuts?