Drowning

By Shari

A/N: This is only my second attempt at writing a PGSM fanficcie! It's short, and I haven't seen all of the Acts but you really only need to be familiar with the Acts to enjoy this. R and R!

I paid little heed to the squelching of boots upon the muddied ground. I seldom paid attention to anything anymore. Why should I? Beryl-sama has forsaken me. She is right to do so. I am not worthy to stand in her presence. I am not worthy to bask in the glory of Metallia's darkness. I am nothing. I have nothing. That bastard took it all from me and this is what is left. A pathetic shell of a man, trapped inside a body that is of no more use to me than it is to Beryl-sama. My clothes reek of burned flesh; the red jacket scorched away in places showing the outcome of my latest battle against the Senshi… a battle that I had willed would take my life. Indeed I thought it had when Sailorjupiter used her latest toy against me. I prayed to Kami-sama that the strike would be true and my suffering would cease. It did not. Instead I have to listen to Kunzite's constant torments and even worse, Dark Mercury's pity. I hate pity, pity is for the weak, and pity is for humans.

The footsteps abruptly ceased. I forced a frown to spread across my face, as I squinted, trying to get a look at the person above me. This was my part of the kingdom, though it may stink of death and decay and the floors may be pooled with rainwater, it was still my part of the kingdom and intruders were not welcome here. So I tore my gaze away from the slowly forming puddle at my feet, and collected my thoughts, readying myself for the taunts, the jeers and the insults or perhaps even the punishment Kunzite would inflict upon me for defying Beryl-sama. I did not see it as defiance, all I had wanted to was to kill the Princess so that she may love me as she did Jadeite and Kunzite and even, to an extent, Dark Mercury. No matter how many times Kunzite failed, Beryl-sama would always love him, though I knew that he was not interested in her love.

My eyes widened in surprise when I realised that the person standing above me was not the ice cold bastard who had stolen my place as Beryl's first commander and nor was it that traitorous, two-faced little weasel Jadeite. Even Dark Mercury's company would have been preferable to the man who stood before me. Zoisite. My lip curled back in an automatic sneer. Jadeite may have betrayed me but he would never have betrayed our Queen the way Zoisite had done. No matter what Beryl-sama did to me, I would never deceive her… never.

As he looked upon me, uttering strange words about our supposed past, I was horrified to see compassion in his eyes. I muttered a retort, angry that tears prickled my eyes. Zoisite was mad, I told myself. He had always been so, even when serving our Queen, he would lock himself away for weeks at a time with only that damn piano for company. He claimed that he could use his music to align his soul with his victims. It was just music to me. I had never felt any sort of intrusion into my mind. Even Beryl-sama thought Zoisite to be strange and to my knowledge, he had never appeared before her in person, relying on Youma and on several occasions myself to report back his findings to our Queen. Though he was crazy, I had never once let my guard down around him. Zoisite was not to be trusted, what had happened to Jadeite had been proof of that.

Thankfully he let me be. Murmuring something about coming to see him if I changed my mind. It would be a cold day in hell before I accepted help from him. But wasn't this already a sort of hell for me? I watched him retreating, and with a shake of my head I went back to studying the continuing pooling of water at my feet. He may have gone, but his presence still lingered in the damp air. I could hear that damn piano again. I had lost count of the number of times that I had wanted to take the thing and smash it to pieces. I had never acted upon this impulse. Why? It was simple. Zoisite's music may not harm me, but it certainly bothered Kunzite to the point of near collapse. Seeing Kunzite in such pain always brought a grin of malicious joy to my face. It gave me a small comfort to know that the strongest of the Shitennou wasn't as impenetrable after all.

My thoughts were interrupted when a small rat scurried across my line of sight. Rats were not uncommon here in the Dark Kingdom. My skin started to crawl as it scampered across the cave floor, its little nose twitching with excitement as it breathed in my scent, and the smell if charred flesh. As I watched it wandered too near to the pool and slipped. It gave a squeak of fright as it was submerged. The pool was deeper than I had thought and the sides too slippery. The doomed creature was swimming round and round in circles, sheer panic reflecting in its usually greedy little eyes. Seeing it struggling the losing battle reminded me of myself when I had first entered the audience with Beryl. Jadeite had failed three times and each time a new adversary had been awakened. I had been so confident that I could obtain the ginzuishou and kill these so called Sailor Senshi. Yet I, like the rat, was doomed. Jadeite fell and then Zoisite and Kunzite was awakened. The first king cared little for Beryl-sama and our Great Ruler but still Beryl-sama put up with his constant mistakes, his foolish errors that cost us a lot of energy and resulting in more Sailor Senshi appearing and then the Princess. Beryl hated the fact that she was unable to control the most powerful of the Shitennou and so I was held to blame. My own mistakes were highlighted above Kunzite's own and held against me.

Then I caused my own undoing. I crossed him. Only in little ways, attempting to bring Beryl's wrath down upon him. Kunzite would retaliate, mostly by holding his sword to my throat. I did not fear this, Kunzite liked to mess about with his most prided weapon. He did not mean anything by this; it was merely a demonstration of power. Power which would become my undoing.

I had fell and now joined the rat in the pool. I swam in circles, merely exhausting my energy supply until I would slip under the surface for a final time and only then would I find relief.

The rat was swimming slower now, its little legs growing weary and, like me, it had resigned itself to its fate. Taking pity upon the poor beast, all the while berating myself for such an act, I reached out and scooped the sodden thing up in one hand. It gave me an inscrutable glare and bit my thumb. I flung the creature into the shadows, as thick blood welled up through my glove. Again, it reminded me of myself. I had been offered a way out and I had bitten the hand extended to save me from my own personal pool.

So I stood, my legs threatening to give way, as I made the short journey towards the back of the tunnels, towards the music. I pushed open the door and the music ceased. The man sitting with his back to me, slowly turned, a gentle smile upon his face. I could not ever recall seeing Zoisite looking like this. Indeed I could not ever remember seeing him smile a true smile. Perhaps there was some truth to his words?

"You have changed your mind?" Zoisite asked softly.

I nodded and collapsed to my knees, the tears that had been threatening to spill over since we first spoke now did so, pouring a salty river down my cheeks.

Zoisite crossed the room and extended a gloved hand to help me. I stared at the offered palm for a few moments, before reaching out and taking it. I would not become the rat again.

The end

A/N: So what did you think? It was supposed to be a one shot but I have ideas to further it? Should I continue or leave it how it is?