Chapter 6 : Debriefing
Title : Onnagata
Author : dark kingdom
Email : kataki2001-at-yahoo.fr
Fandom : Sailor Moon (anime) Dark Kingdom
Pairing : Kunzite / Zoisite (they're only just meeting here...)
Rating : a bit of violence and hints of sex
Copyright : Zoisite, Kunzite, Sailor Moon and the rest are the property of Naoko Takeuchi.
Author's comments : this chapter is about... uh... misunderstandings. Yeah.
Apparently, I'm going on a "two chapters by Shiro, one by Kunzite" rhythm. It may be because Shiro is so much more open about his feelings. Or just more of a chatterbox…
Finally, Lord Kunzite reappears, his expression as inscrutable as ever. He gazes at me and nods.
"Saiyuki, thank you for your service. Ladies, you're dismissed."
They bow and vanish, each in their own way. Lord Kunzite comes to me and takes Tanzanite's sword from my clenched wrist. I haven't been able to relax since I used it.
"And you're not even injured."
How can his voice be so quiet if he has any idea of what happened? I snap :
"Just bruised and burnt."
He cocks his head and pays some attention the marks left by Tanzanite's fire whip on my arms and chest.
"We'll take care of that while you tell me your story. I bet it's interesting."
He gets us by the pool side, like that first day.
"What is left to tell? You know what happened, obviously."
He gives me a smile and sweeps my hair with his hands. When he moves back, it's back to my usual color.
"Queen Metallia called me to report a disturbance in her power. Lord Tanzanite died on Earth. I'm impressed."
I blush and frown altogether.
"Yeah, well, I don't know how. He kissed me and started choking like if he'd kissed a toad. I just took advantage of it to stab him."
Even though I don't know for sure, I have suspicions about the 'how' that make me fume.
"Nice to see the poison worked so fast."
I hiss and slap away the hand removing the burnt kimono jacket from my shoulders.
"You poisoned me?!"
"It's only dangerous for people from the Dark Kingdom, it has no effect on humans."
Well obviously, or I would have been dead already.
"When did I become poisonous?"
"Along the time you spent here. There was a substance in your food that got transformed by your body, and I reinforced it right before you left."
Monster.
"So I wasn't a spy but a bait? You knew he liked boys!"
"It's a rather known weakness of him. He's the only one of us bringing humans here for his pleasure. But I wasn't sure it would kill him right away and I didn't want to waste the idea without further precautions. I'm surprised that stabbing him was enough, though."
I mumble.
"I cut his head off, too. And his hands."
And I wish I could do the same to you, puppet master. I am not a bait!
He just smiles more widely and my temper rises.
"I would almost pity him. Good move on you to pick his sword. A regular weapon probably wouldn't have worked."
He swings it by his side.
I shrug. The move stretches the burnt skin in my back and I wince.
Shortly after a fresh sensation soothes the pain.
There's a yellow gleam around the Tennou's hands so I know that he's healing me, but it won't make me forgive him. Especially if he intends to tease me again, as it seems to be the case from his undressing me.
"What will your queen do about Tanzanite's death?"
"There's nothing she can do any more."
"Won't she guess that it's your work?"
He smirks.
"Even if she does, if would be unwise of her to harm her strongest Tennou, in particular after losing her second strongest one. Queen Beryl might do it, but Queen Metallia won't."
I can just assert. His hands are soft against my back, and I can hardly stay as angry as I wished. I stir uncomfortably. I can hear a smile in his voice when he asks :
"Are you afraid of me, after defeating one of us?"
I rush into the pool to avoid responding. Is it a threat?
I do fear him, because killing me would destroy the evidence that he is behind his rival's death. And because I doubt he can use me the same way any more.
Important people will be more careful with actors for a while, unless they know them personally.
I shiver in the warm water as I realize that I'm no longer useful to him. He picked me up because he needed a boy to reach Tanzanite, and he gave me training so that I would have more resources to kill him.
My task is done.
I turn to him from the pool center and watch him with fear now. I'm back to the day he found me. More skilled, but still hopeless. I feel tears coming up to my eyes and immerse myself in the water to hide them.
Its warmth awakens the pain on the burning marks on my arms, where Lord Kunzite didn't have the time to heal them.
I surface suddenly. Heal them? Why would he heal my wounds if he intends to kill me?
Oh, it's aggravating! I can't tell what's in his mind. Not when he's pulling my strings like a puppet, or with these eyes showing no emotion.
But I won't give up as long as I gave a chance.
Determined to play all my cards, I get out of the pool and walk to him. He's still standing, looking at me as perplexed as I am, it seems.
"Why didn't you tell me about the poison? Didn't you trust me?"
"I didn't want Tanzanite to guess it from your behavior. You're way too transparent sometimes."
I clench my jaws and become even more irate as it proves that he's right.
"You didn't need to know it anyway", he adds.
"It could have been dangerous for my tutors."
He chuckles.
"Not unless you would have intimate contact with them. The poison is in your fluids, touching your skin is safe."
I blush again. With the life I've led and the game he plays with me, I shouldn't let mere words affect me, but it's gross to hear him talking about my fluids. He keeps teasing me.
"But maybe that is the real cause of your anger…"
I glare at him.
"I'm not you. I don't have that kind of relationship with your youma."
Ah! I scored that point. He keeps silent with his eyes half closed, no longer smiling. Finally he responds.
"What do you know about it anyway? You talk about my sex life with the youma now?"
I shrug and turn aside.
"No. They just don't care if I overhear their many stories of you."
I feel the weight of his look on me in the silence and wonder if I haven't been too bold. I wanted him to give me more time, not to convince him to get rid of me now!
It just sucks that he was right about my temper, too.
I nearly jump when he touches my right arm, and can't help but looking up to him in hope I could read something in him. A chance of survival.
But he rather looks colder than usual.
I open my mouth to plead, though I don't really know what to say and I don't want him to see me weak. Then the feeling on my arm stops me.
The healing spell again.
Stop it already!
Stop being nice when I expect you to punish me, and to drown my hopes after lighting them up!
"What did they tell you exactly?"
Ah, so he's just buying information. I defy him.
"Is there any of those youma you haven't slept with?"
His other hand closes on my left arm, glowing with the healing spell as well, and he makes me face him.
"Actually, yes : Bupu. Apart from that, for obvious reasons I only revealed your existence to the youma I trust best. And I tend not to sleep with those I don't trust at all, unless I want them to report something to my enemies. And it's not your business anyway. Though for a moment it nearly looked like you were jealous."
I shiver and look away before he could read in my eyes, but he won't let me go. Of course I was jealous.
But after having faced Tanzanite… That crazed look and how he smelled my fear… I'm not sure to want any youma sex anymore.
He stops the healing to lift my face to him - what?! Is he suicidal or what?
I back away to avoid his kiss.
"Don't!… The poison!…"
He flashes the most amused smile I ever saw on his face.
"Is that all you can think about? Do you think I'd be stupid enough to give anyone a way to kill me?"
"But… you said…"
"I conceived this poison, but before I'd use it on my enemies I made sure to immunize myself to it."
Oh. Well he certainly doesn't look afraid of touching me, and I don't back away. No fire whip. No "You're just a bug that I will crash" look. Just his hands over me, his body against mine, and a hot kiss.
He releases me to let me catch my breath. I'm lost to him already. I'm still fearing he'd turn the same disgusted face at me that Tanzanite did, though.
"How much poison can you take?"
He holds me closer with this smug smirk of him that I hate. Or love.
"I'll take all that you let me have. Don't worry unless I turn to green."
From his grin as he teleports us to his quarters, I could almost think he likes me. Hey, at least he finds me entertaining. It's as good as I can get from a demon, right?
To be continued...