Chapter 8 : Introduction
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 : Shiro narrating. We're reaching the canon storyline here. There's only one chapter left to do before the end of the fic.
Lord Kunzite's voice awakens me. He speaks softly, and it brings back fantasies to my mind. Fantasies that have now become memories, for some of them. A warm thrill runs along my body as I remember where I am and how the debriefing ended. I open my eyes to see Lord Kunzite gazing at me.
I can't help but smile. He's so handsome. And I can't believe how lucky I am that he apparently finds me pretty enough, too.
His kiss achieves to revive me in excitement, but it's drenched right away when he announces that we're going to see his Queens.
He won't betray me now, will he? Or was it just a farewell night? He seemed pretty satisfied with my... services.
I try my best to look soldierish while he's gone, and some time later I'm introduced to the Queens.
I hate Queen Beryl right away. She's snotty, treats Lord Kunzite disrespectfully, ignores me and flaunts her breast in a way that even the lowest rank courtesans wouldn't.
Queen Metallia... is freaky, but in a more subtle way, like Lord Kunzite. She looks like a gorgeous woman, except for her green skin and a few thorns. But there's a darkness and a strangeness about her that goes beyond the looks. I swear I could feel her presence in this room even if I was blind.
I go to her and she takes my hand. I feel her shadow surrounding me, passing right through me and searching my mind and heart. I shiver in fear of what she might see, and try not to think of Tanzanite's death, or of Lord Kunzite. But it just conjures up more images of both.
I think I hear a faint giggle in the dark, then I don't hear or feel anything any more and I melt into oblivion.
When I open up my eyes next, my sight is blurred and deformed. I try to move and realize I'm floating in a sticky green fluid. Through a thick membrane, I see a room full of huge rampant flowers, some of them bearing human-sized oval fruits of various colors.
A shadow blocks my sight suddenly. I only catch a glimpse of a blade brandished in front of me, then my cocoon is pierced and I crumble on the ground in a splash of sap.
A very tall youma with a blade-shape arm helps me to stand up with her normal hand. I cough and spit the sap, though I wasn't actually choking. As I start breathing air and sensations come back in my limbs, I feel like fire has replaced blood in my whole body.
I stumble and gather myself, and I seem to recover quite fast. What's burning inside me doesn't hurt me, it rather helps restoring me.
"Your majesty, the fledgling is ready" the youma announces.
Queen Metallia walks in the room and smiles gracefully at me, maybe with a gleam of mockery in her black iris-less eyes.
"How do you feel?"
I'm still shaking, but I don't feel bad. Actually, I feel more energetic than I've ever been. And that means something, considering how restless I've always been.
It's just that now, my body is strong and resistant enough to go with my impulses.
A victorious smile raises on my lips in spite of me, and I bow to the one who granted me this power.
"I feel fine, your majesty. Thank you."
She nods and moves her fingers. A Tennou uniform appears on me, with a green piping and without Lord Kunzite's epaulettes. I blink, impressed. That spell was faster than what he did on my first day in the Dark Kingdom.
"Let's introduce you to the court then."
We're teleported in the grand hall. Queen Beryl stands up from the throne and bows to Queen Metallia. I'm pushed towards the stairs edge, and I see a crowd of youma, all on one knee, waiting for the Queen to talk. On the front line, closer to the steps, the three Tennou wait in the same position.
My heart misses a beat when Lord Kunzite looks up to me, but he barely seems to acknowledge me. By his side is a guy with long auburn hair who I assume is Nephrite. Last is Jadeite, with short blonde hair paler than mine. Both seem to ponder if I am going to be a nuisance for them.
"Behold the new and fourth Tennou, Lord Zoisite"
The youma all claim "Hail, Zoisite-sama!".
Oh, that feels good... The power in my veins, and the power over this crowd paying me respect... My heart bursts with enthusiasm.
Nephrite and Jadeite, who were mostly glaring at me disdainfully, look surprised suddenly, as I become aware of a wind raising around me. I turn my head to Queen Metallia thinking she's responsible of it, and notice that she looks smaller now. Or rather, lower.
I look down at my feet. They're not touching the ground anymore.
Queen Metallia is not as taken aback as her people.
"Well, that was an unnecessary but impressive display of your new talents, Zoisite. Kunzite with train you into mastering them and use them when required."
I'm pretty sure to catch a malicious gleam in the shadow pits of her eyes. I manage to keep my balance as the levitation effect fades, then I bow to her. A small price to pay for her gift.
I walk down the stairs and take place by Lord Kunzite's side, then we're all dismissed and he teleports me with him back in his castle, in the training room.
Strangely, it's only now that I'm starting to get nervous. The effect of the hot rush of energy in my body must be fading, or I may be getting used to it.
Either that, or I'm just worrying that having become a Tennou will affect whatever relationship I have with Lord Kunzite. He steps away and stare at me in my new uniform.
"Congratulations. You've done it."
I instinctively click my heels and salutes.
"Thank you, Lord Kunzite."
"Do you feel changed?"
I don't know if my transformation shows in my appearance. I suddenly freak out at the thought that I may be looking like one of the most hideous youma, even though all the other Tennou are perfectly human-looking and handsome.
"I feel a power in my veins. Did I just levitate in the throne room?"
He finally concedes me a smile.
"You did. Was it on purpose?"
I blush slightly.
"I'm afraid not. I was just… glad to be still alive and to feel that… force."
Lord Kunzite chuckles.
"I thought so. You just made yourself an enemy of Nephrite, though."
I had noticed that the dark Tennou had frowned at that moment, yes, while Jadeite was just surprised.
"Why is that?"
"It took him several weeks to teach Jadeite how to levitate. Making it appear so easy will cast a doubt on his teaching skills - reinforced by Queen Metallia's choice to put you under my tutelage."
Ah. Not that I care about Nephrite's feelings. Tanzanite was the most powerful next to Lord Kunzite, so neither Nephrite nor Jadeite are a match for my lord. And while they might have tried something against me when I was still human, I doubt they would openly attack me now that I've been personally appointed by Queen Metallia. Even if…
"Isn't there another reason why she made that choice?…"
"She probably thought it would be more productive that way, since we already worked together."
Productive? Hm. That's not what I'd have called our last night…
"Do you think she knows?…"
"You mean that you killed Tanzanite, or that we slept together?"
A feminine giggle echoes in my memory but I don't have the time to figure what would be worst for me. My mind stopped in its tracks at the past time used in his answer. Not "sleep", "slept". He adds.
"She probably does for both, anyway."
It doesn't seem to worry him one bit.
"She doesn't care?"
"If you were able to defeat Tanzanite without any specific powers, even as part of my plan, then she'd rather have you on her side. For the rest… Whatever we do out of your training isn't relevant as long as it doesn't come in the way of work. Actually, I think it rather amused her."
As much as the thought irks me, I guess he's right.
"Do we start the training now?"
I am hoping for a negative answer, as he pauses with one of his inscrutable gazes, but he replies :
"If you feel fine enough."
I sigh inside but try to keep a steady face. I don't dare pretending that I'm recovering. Not only he probably knows better, but it wouldn't convince him to do the other kind of exercises I was thinking about.
"I feel great. What should I do first?"
"I'll test your new powers and how it affected your past training. Go to the other side of the room. I'll cast various attacks at you. Avoid, deflect or neutralize them in any way you see fit."
I don't ask if the blows will be fake or really dangerous. Lord Kunzite thinks training isn't efficient if the danger isn't real. Which I figure is true if you train with someone who can heal the damages caused by this method. The soldiers don't remain incapacitated, but the memory of pain does stay with them. I did experience that a couple of times.
So I'm pretty nervous as I reach the place that he assigned to me. I make sure to stay a few steps away from the wall, to have some retreat space. Then I bow to show I'm ready.
Lord Kunzite raises his hands and a small light disc flies in my direction. I jump aside thinking I can avoid it easily, but it bends its course to follow me. I duck and roll aside faster and it explodes on the ground just behind me.
From then on I don't have time to think anymore. I dive, jump, and try to focus the energy in me in shields, like the ones I've seen Lord Kunzite using. But I never have enough time to get the gist of it. After several attempts, the best I manage is to slow down or curve the path of his light discs a bit, but they keep going through to me.
Soon enough, my brand new uniform is reduced to smoking shreds. My skin is in a scarcely better state, but I'm too rushed to feel more than a general pain. And Lord Kunzite won't stop.
My sight is blurred from blood or sweat, and I can't figure out how to fly or to block his attacks. I've never been told how to strike back.
Lord Kunzite makes a brief pause but crashes my hopes to see the session ending with a quiet :
"You'd better block this salvo better."
How am I supposed to?! You never taught me!
But I can't even catch my breath to reply that. A barrage of light boomerangs come my way. I clench my fists and jaws, ragingly projecting all my willpower against them and their sender.
Just before they pierce through my mold shield as through tofu, I see fire bursting around Lord Kunzite.
I'm thrown against the wall, shouting his name, and crumble into a pile of aching limbs on the ground, my back against the rock. I painfully look up to where he was standing, anguished. I never meant to…
The flames split from inside. Lord Kunzite stands unharmed in the middle. He looks at me. I'm too weak and crushed now to avoid any more blows. I let my head rest on my chest.
I hear his footsteps coming closer and stopping next to me.
"I always knew that I shouldn't turn my back on you."
That's not fair!
"I didn't want to hurt you! I don't control…"
I stop as I realize that he's actually smirking. He crouches by my side.
"Obviously, control is something we'll have to work on, yes. The intensity and reactivity were rather good, on the other hand."
And he bows to kiss me. My anger dissolves into bliss and I throw my arms around his neck to hug him fiercely, only to be reminded by a biting pain that I'd better not move at all. Lord Kunzite's lips parts from mine and he chuckles.
"Zoisite, you are way too enthusiastic for your own good…"
To be continued...