Zoran was, once again, laid out in the same place across his couch. How much time had he spent sprawled across the cushions since his return? How much time had he spent trying to figure out what seemed to be a never-ending mess?

He'd had no control over himself. He hadn't been able to move his body, hadn't been able to form words of his own choosing. Something else, someone else, had been controlling him. He'd been relegated to the sidelines. A few short weeks ago, he would have never guessed anyone else resided in his mind. Then, he'd assumed he was just losing it, allowing the stress to play tricks with his head. But, now… Now he had to admit that there was more. There was even more than Jacob had hinted at.

It wasn't just a presence or the emotions that were there. It was a person. A man. That man. Zoisite. Ami had loved him. It had been there, between the words and in her eyes. He was a lot to her. And, underneath the regret, guilt, and agony that had flowed from that place in the back of his mind, he'd felt that Zoisite had loved her, as well. The intensity of it had been as much a blow as the loss of control. He'd had felt hints of feelings before, but he hadn't expected the full force of the man's unbridled emotions.

He'd been jealous. He'd talked him Ami, watched her, and gotten to know her in the last few weeks. He had undoubtedly been drawn to her before, but now he liked her. She was smart, dedicated, kind, thoughtful… He could wax on and on. But, she had loved this man. And, this man had loved her. This man was alive inside of him. He felt as though that made him irrelevant to her.

His door opened and closed without a knock. He knew who it was without having to look. He couldn't explain why he knew, but he was just sure that it would be him. Zoisite knew, as well. He felt him shift in his mind for the first time since he'd locked himself away earlier that day.

"Did Ami tell you where I live?" he asked without looking up as the footsteps entered the room.

"She was worried," Jacob answered and Zoisite heard him collapse in the chair across the room. He didn't talk, didn't ask him about earlier that day, just sat silently.

When Zoran finally glanced over, Jacob was just studying his nails, "You're not going to say anything?"

"Minako and the Damned Therapist have taught me that some times saying nothing allows the most to be said," Jacob answered, glancing up at him and leaning forward.

"Damned Therapist?" Zoran asked, swinging his legs around to sit up.

"Yeah, great guy. Been seeing him for a few months now. Really grew on me. Let me know if you ever want his number," Jacob appeared completely at ease.

"Right," Zoran muttered, finding himself inexplicably annoyed. Jacob seemed so calm while his entire world was unraveling. "You didn't tell me that he could do that. You just asked if he had talked to me."

Jacob winced, "I didn't expect it to happen. I mean, it took his presence for Jadeite to do it and we were so careful to keep him away from you."

"Jadeite?" the question came from two places. He'd asked out of confusion, curiosity. But, Zoisite had asked out of excitement, longing. Zoran tried to push it back, build the wall between them himself. Zoisite was able to block him out so easily. Zoran had hoped he could lock Zoisite away just as easily. It didn't seem to be working, however. Zoisite remained right there, interested in Jacob in ways he hadn't been before. Was he getting stronger?

Jacob narrowed his eyes, studying Zoran for a long a moment. He knew. Somehow, Jacob knew that Zoran was fighting for control with that other piece. Even more, he understood it. It was that same sense of comradery as before.

"Has he still not spoken to you?" Jacob finally asked and Zoran shook his head in response. "Hmm."

Zoran sat in silence while Jacob continued to study him, looking for something. Zoran found himself growing uncomfortable with the look. And, Zoisite was growing... obstinate?

Finally, Zoran broke the silence, "Was Jadeite…"

"Yeah, the same as him."

He went silent again. So, Jacob did understand as much as Zoran had believed. Zoran wondered how far some of these similarities went. His mind flashed back to Ami, to the emotions he'd witnessed in both her and Zoisite. He shifted his gaze away from Jacob, studying the painting just over his friend's shoulder, "Ami loved him."

Jacob drummed his fingers, continuing to stay silent for several more minutes, and Zoran could tell he was debating his words. When he finally spoke, it was more avoidance than response, "Maybe you should talk to her about that."

"He loved her."

"Maybe you should talk to him about that."

For the first time, Zoran realized that Jacob may be debating on what was his place to tell Zoran as much as how much Zoran should know. Makoto had said information was Ami's choice. Jacob had continued to respect Khaled's wishes despite clearly disagreeing with them. They had all been assigned roles to play and none of them seemed interested in going off script. No. It wasn't that they weren't interested. It seemed like it was more than that. They were reluctant to go script. Reluctant to change the status quo. It was a part of that thing that made these people different from others.

He wouldn't get the answers he wanted from Jacob.

Zoran sighed, "There's nothing you can do for me?"

Jacob gave a pained smile, "Just offer support and understanding. And, request that you meet my friend. He could give you more answers, more insight."

Nooo, the voice was pained. He didn't want to face whoever this was, whatever it meant. He'd only felt this level of resistance with the man from the bakery. The one everyone had worked so hard to keep from him. The one he'd worked so hard to keep away from. That Zoisite clearly wanted nothing to do with this man made Zoran realize he would certainly get some answers in the meeting.

The resistance bolstered his resolve, made the decision for him, "When can I meet him?"

Jacob pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen, "Approximately five minutes if you agree."

That terrified him. He wanted to meet Mamoru. He wanted to have some answers. Zoisite clearly did not want him to do it. It was such a large decision and he wasn't sure how to make it. His mind flashed to Khaled, normally so calm and collected and ready to support him, "Does Khaled know what happened?"

"Yes."

"Does he know what you are planning?"

"Yes."

"Did he agree?"

"Is he here?" the exasperation was barely concealed in Jacob's tone. "Even if he did, he wouldn't be here. He doesn't want to see him."

Those words only served to terrify him more. So, Khaled was as reluctant to meet this man as Zoisite was. He wondered what it would do to him to meet him. Jacob seemed to value this person, but he'd always inherently trusted Khaled's judgement. He wasn't sure how comfortable he felt going against that, even if it was Jacob who was leading him down that path. Plus, this other him knew who it was, knew what would happen. He knew that it would change something. Zoran felt pretty confident that it would change everything.

"You said remembering changed you… Was it bad?" Zoran asked.

He saw Jacob weigh his answer again, "No, not entirely. It was rough. It was painful. But, I think the changes were for the best. I have something important to me. Someone important to me now."

"Rei?"

"No. Well, yes, I have Rei and she is important to me. But, there's someone else that's more important to me. And, you should understand that, he will always be more important than anyone else. More important than Ami," the seriousness reflected in Jacob's eyes.

"Mamoru?"

Jacob nodded and smiled.

Did Zoran want things to change?

Yes, he suddenly realized, he did. He was tired of feeling lost, pointless. He'd been happy getting to know Jacob and Khaled and Ami and all the others. But, there was something else there. Some empty piece that had been eating at him his entire life. Zoisite may be reluctant to face the future, but Zoran needed it.

Finally he nodded, "Okay. Just… meet him."