A/N: Hope y'all like this. It's getting close to the climax now. Enjoy!

Chapter 24

He hadn't slept and it was obvious on his face. He sat on his bedside rim and just stared at the stirring figure. When Nephrite finally opened his eyes the first thing he saw was Kunzite staring down at him blankly. Then he noticed the soft blonde hair tickling his chin and the coppery haired person curled in a ball by his feet and knew. "I was caught, wasn't I?"

It was a rhetorical question but he answered anyway, "Yes. I'm sorry."

"Hmm? For what Kunzito? It wasn't your fault. If we're going to place blame on someone, it should be me. I'm the one who went off on my own, despite my own warning that we shouldn't. You shouldn't blame yourself."

Kunzite's silver orbs gained none of their usual life despite his best friend's reassurances. Instead he managed a ghost of a smile and hung his head. "I hit Endymion last night."

"Seriously? Why?" Nephrite asked, traces of amusement coloring his words.

"He hit Zoisito."

Silence. He closed his eyes in understanding. "I see. Are they asleep?"

"Yes."

"Good." A pause. "I pity them. They may be the youngest age-wise, but I sometimes wonder if they're actually older than us mentally. We've all suffered, but they can only take so much. We all have our limits. But they may very well have reached theirs."

Nephrite's hand found its way to Jadeite's golden curls in which he entwined his fingers and sighed deeply before opening his eyes again. "Kunzite. My guess is, we don't have much time left. Let's make what time we do have last." He smiled and his blue eyes glittered.

Kunzite stared.

"Kunzite, what is it?" Nephrite asked.

"Your eyes are blue again."

Surprise registered in the second oldest Shitennou's gaze before the smiled returned, this time a bit sadly. "Well, I guess we shouldn't be too surprised about that. Remember what happened to you and Zoisito? It's probably the same thing."

"I guess," Kunzite allowed with a small smile of his own. "What do you say we do in the mean time?"

"You're asking me, leader?" Nephrite teased.

The snowy-haired man sighed again. "I don't feel like being the leader right now."

Smiling gently, Nephrite whispered, "I understand." He took a deep breath and continued, "Well, I suggest we prepare ourselves for the Gathering in a few days and the Constellation Ball after that. Look on the bright side, at least there'll be wine and dancing. If you're lucky, you may be able to convince Zoisite to wear a dress."

That drew a laugh from the frozen general melting him in a welcome way. "That would be a sight to see. I've only seen him in a dress once and I swear I almost took him right then and there. He was shaking and blushing like a virgin maid."

Nephrite snorted. "He was probably scared to death you'd hate him. You know how he is about you. Everything he says and does is for you. You're his life."

"Like Jadeite is yours," Kunzite said.

Nephrite nodded. Then he closed his eyes and moaned. "Mmm. I've got a splitting headache so here's what I say. I say we sleep the day away and give our best tomorrow. What'd'ya say?"

"Hmph. I agree. Whole heartedly." With that, Kunzite lowered himself to his bed, pulled a still sleeping Zoisite against his chest resting his own head on his lover's, and willed himself to sleep. Maybe Nephrite was right. There was nothing they could do right now, so why not try to forget it and take advantage of what they did have. Zoisito-koi. I love you so much my little sakura.

XxX

They were all dressed in their official Shitennou uniforms, the cream outfits with the crimson velvet capes, and standing from highest ranked to lowest. Thus Kunzite stood tall at the head of the line, Nephrite next to him, Zoisite after Nephrite, and Jadeite last. Lady Beryl stood to King Elis's right side while Prince Endymion stood to the left and a bit behind his father on a raised platform in the center of the Patio in the Sanctuary of Elysian. From where he was standing near Endymion, Zoisite could see Helios leaning against a column on the sidelines. He wanted to wave, but the formality and importance of the Gathering prevented him. Instead, he flashed his brother a smile which was quickly returned along with a small wave and reassuring nod.

Over the last few days, the Shitennou had kept to themselves and rarely left their chambers. If they needed to go anywhere they teleported to avoid contact with others. They needed each other's company more than anything else, and above all they wanted to avoid Prince Endymion at any cost. Besides, Nephrite had been bedridden the whole first day from a splitting headache. Zoisite winced at the mere memory of his own identical headache.

"People of Terra!"

Pulled from his thoughts, Zoisite realized the Gathering had been called into order. King Elis dressed in his finery with his son and Heir Apparent by his side was addressing the people. At the sight of his master, Endymion, Zoisite winced inwardly and lowered his eyes. Kunzite had been kind enough to place a glamour over his still healing eye. He was able to open it fully now, but it was still tender and, without the glamour, a sickening brownish green. He had asked Kunzite to hide it for him because, while he was hurt and angry about Endymion striking him, the prince was still his master and, as his loyal Shitennou, he was still bound to him.

But it still hurt. He looked up again when he heard the king bring up the matter he had been studiously avoiding thinking about and feared ever since he'd first learned of it. He took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and when he looked up again his face was as calm as he could make it. Though he was sure that the vestiges of pain and suffering were still visible.

He stared straight forward, careful to avoid eye contact with Helios. He hadn't had the courage to tell his brother yet and he doubted he could take the priest's predictable reaction. It would probably break whatever control he had been able to scrape up for this and now more than ever he needed to keep his cool. He needed to play the part of a devoted lover to Princess Mercury otherwise the people wouldn't buy it. Although a secret part of him was sure they wouldn't buy it period.

Ever since the Shitennou had started showing their affection in public, rumors of their love lives had spread like wild fire. Almost everyone knew the Shitennou were lovers and had continued to accept them for who and what they were. For them to suddenly turn their backs on their true loves for the hands of women who were not completely trusted and most definitely not the Shitennou's true loves would probably split the crowd. But he had to try. They all had to. It was what they had decided to do. It they had to, they would marry their betrothed ladies and carry on their affairs in secret. If they had to.

"I am pleased to announce the engagement of my son, Prince Endymion, Heir Apparent, to Princess Serenity, daughter of Queen Selena of the Silver Millennium, thus uniting our two great empires. Also, this celebration will be increased by the combined engagements of the four Shitennou of Terra to the four Princesses of the Celestial Bodies. The pairings are to be as follows: Lord Kunzite of the Northern Territories and Princess Venus of the planet Venus, Lord Nephrite of the Eastern Territories and Princess Jupiter of the Planet Jupiter, Lord Zoisite of the Western Territories and Princess Mercury of the planet Mercury, and Lord Jadeite of the Southern Territories and Princess Mars of the planet Mars. May these unions bring peace and prosperity to us all."

The crowd had already started booing the sentiments before the king had even finished speaking. Some were even shouting out their disagreements. Zoisite could catch some of the cries and couldn't help but feel his heart warm at the loyalty of the people.

"But that's not fair!"

"They don't love them!"

"You can't force them to do that!"

"How could you!?"

But this warmth was quickly replaced by biting cold when his eyes flickered almost uncontrollably to Helios. The white-haired priest was standing stock still, his orange eyes wide enough to make saucers jealous, and his delicate mouth open in horrified shock. When their eyes met, Helios' eyes grew saddened and tears slipped from them until he covered his face with his hand and turned away.

That broke Zoisite. What little control he had over his emotions was fraying quickly but he somehow found the strength to hold his own. Helios was crying all the tears the Shitennou couldn't. The priest was giving vent to all the pain the Shitennou were feeling, where they could not. Helios wept his heart out openly while the Shitennou suffered in silence. Helios sobbed while the Shitennou smiled.

The king tried to change the subject to other, less important matters but it seemed the people wouldn't hear of it. They kept returning to the topic of the Shitennou's betrothals, until finally the king had to call an end to the Gathering. On their way down from the platform to their temporary quarters where they would ready themselves for the teleport that would take them to the moon palace, the Shitennou were continually stopped by concerned citizens begging to know if their betrothals were a joke and not real. Every time the Shitennou had to hold their smiles in place and repeat King Elis's words while trying to escape to their longed for solitude.

When all four Shitennou had finally made it to their combined chambers Helios was there. He said nothing, just stood there staring at them as if waiting for them to speak. After several moments of silence, Zoisite said quietly, "I'm sorry."

"Why, brother? You don't love her. None of you love them. Would you give up true love for an endless masquerade for the sole purpose of putting on a show and pleasing your superiors? Is that what you want? Because that's what you'll get."

Not once did Helios raise his voice. It remained soft and quiet, a gentle sound. Zoisite strode forward and hesitantly embraced the priest. Holding his brother like this, Zoisite had the distinct feeling that this would be the last time he would ever see his friend in the flesh. So he whispered the only words he could say aloud without giving to much away to the others, "Goodbye, Helios. I'll miss you."

He felt the priest stiffen as he picked up on the underlying message within his brother's words. He held the second youngest Tennou tightly before he released him and started towards the door. Just short of leaving, he turned around and met the Shitennou's eyes with his. "Don't forget who you are. Sometimes the masquerade can become more real until finally all that remains is the mask. The person beneath it is forgotten. Remember that. Remember who you are."

Then he left.

XxX

When everyone going to the Constellation Ball were gathered on the Patio the generals activated their teleports simaltaniously and dematerialized. When they rematerialized again, they were standing in front of the enormous, sparkling white palace. They were formally greeted by several well-dressed footmen who guided them into the palace's vast interior and on into the beautiful dining hall.

Zoisite blinked when his eyes were suddenly assailed by numerous bright lights. Several long tables with elegant finery and the best silver had been set up in an intricate design in the center of the room at which many nobles were already seated.

All of a sudden, Zoisite felt distinctly underdressed. Even though he wore the official Shitennou uniform, he still felt somehow out of place. As if he not only didn't fit in, but that he wasn't exactly welcome period. It was like walking into a home you'd been told you were going to stay in and having your host stare you down and then ignore you the rest of the time you were there.

He felt his depression, temporarily forgotten by the dazzle of beauty, return like a weight on his heart. He wanted more than anything to press himself against Kunzite, kiss him deeply, and declare to all these rich bastards present that he and Kunzite were lovers and nothing would tear them apart. But he couldn't. He wouldn't.

Swallowing hard against his dry throat, he followed the guides who seated them at the head table. Queen Selena was seated in the right center chair with King Elis on her left and her advisor, the shape-shifter Luna, on her right. Princess Serenity was seated on Luna's right flanked by Princess Venus, Princess Jupiter, Princess Mercury, and Princess Mars on down the table in that order. On King Elis's left sat Lady Beryl followed by Prince Endymion, Lord Kunzite, Lord Nephrite, Lord Zoisite, and Lord Jadeite. Artemis leaned almost casually against the column directly behind his queen, but his eyes constantly flickered around the room seeking out any and all potential threats.

The table directly across from their's held the elegant figures of four other women. They stood as the royals seated themselves and waited to be introduced. In her usual sad, gentle voice Queen Selena said, "May I present Princesses Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, emissaries from the Outer Bodies and friends of the crown. I hope you can all get to know each other well over the next few nights."

When the introductions ceased, the four new princesses bowed and seated themselves. Zoisite watched them closely before bowing his head and burying his fingers in his hair. This was going to be the longest three days of his life.

Next the gentle queen turned to her subjects who had become respectfully silent when they saw their sovereign stand. "My people, may I present King Elis, Prince Endymion, and their four loyal Shitennou from Terra. Please, make them feel at home. Now enjoy the meal and the dancing afterwards. But try not to overwork yourselves. We have two more days of festivities for you to enjoy, after all."

The guests laughed with their queen before standing and bowing to her. When Queen Selena returned the bow everyone reseated themselves and the food was served. Zoisite was a bit hesitant to eat anything he wasn't familiar with. He'd had a rather…unfortunate experience last time he tried that and he was not ready to have a repeat of that particular experience.

Everything seemed to go relatively well from Zoisite's point of view. That is, until he felt a sudden chill and his senses became suddenly hypersensitive and alert. On instinct, he leapt to his feet in a defensive stance and scanned the room for potential enemies.

The palace guards noticed his sudden movement and moved to defend their queen when someone called out, "Wait!"

Kunzite took one look at his lover's face and knew something was wrong. So he too stood and held up his hand calling for the guards to wait. "Zoisito, what is it? What do you sense?"

He saw those beautiful twin pools of jade flash in his direction and he saw fear in them. That in and of itself made him nervous. Zoisite's next words didn't help any.

"Something approaches. I don't know what, but it isn't friendly. I'd almost go so far as to say it means the opposite. And it's powerful."

Nodding, Kunzite turned to a still surprised and confused Queen Selena and said urgently, "My Queen, tell your guards to watch the doors. Zoisite's never wrong about these kinds of things. I would trust his word if I were you."

Selena studied Kunzite's silver eyes carefully before she nodded and gave the order. No sooner had she done that then Zoisite whispered in a thin, shaky whisper, "It's here."

The other Shitennou had also risen and followed the guards to lend their efforts when they stopped and turned back to their comrade. Zoisite's face was as white as death and his eyes were focused on the main entrance to the dining room as if in a trance. Now Kunzite felt it and he was sure the others did as well. They all followed Zoisite's gaze to the elaborate doors.

They opened and it entered. A beautiful darkness.

XxX

…tick…tick…tick…what is this darkness?...tick…tick…tick…time runs short…tick…tick…tick…it's said…tick…tick…tick…that stars shine brighter…tick…tick…tick…just before death…tick…tick…tick…I wonder if the same is true…tick…tick…tick…for the four Shitennou?…tick…tick…tick…

A/N: Sorry about the cliffy but I had to end somewhere. Can anyone guess who the "beautiful darkness" could be? Cookies for whoever gets it right. ;)

It is now 2:05am. :oZZZZzzzzzzz…..

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