Chapter 9 : Baptism of fire

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 : Kunzite narrating. This is the last part I think, and it's pretty short. I can't think of anything else for now... Hope you enjoyed it.

It's been six nights since Shiro was taken away, when Queen Metallia calls me. When I materialize in the throne room, it's packed full of every single youma in the Dark Kingdom, as well as the two other Tennou.

Nephrite already wears the epaulettes of second in command that were Tanzanite's before his demise. Let's hope that he will be smarter than his predecessor and will stay in his place, at least while Shiro isn't fully trained. I don't think Queen Metallia would forgive me as easily the loss of a second Tennou right now.

She is not here yet, though. We all wait in silence, bowed on one knee except for Queen Beryl, until she appears in a cloud of shadow. But my attention is drawn to the one she brings with her.

Shiro wears the same green-piped uniform as Tanzanite did, though a few sizes smaller and minus the epaulettes. That will take some time to get used to… The transformation hasn't changed anything of his beautiful features, yet he is somehow different.

He looks more… radiant. Like if he was previously hiding, and had only just revealed his true self. He also seems to be notably more self-confident. Which I'm not sure is a good thing for me. I wouldn't like him to grow so assured that he would bypass me, or worse, try to rival me.

I try not to stare at him too long. Neither he nor the rest of the audience should think that he matters more to me than he does. I need not to worry about it being noticed, though. They are all looking at him, though many of them seem to wonder what a pretty and frail looking thing like him is doing there in a Tennou uniform. He certainly doesn't look the part.

When Queen Metallia introduces him as the Tennou Zoisite, however, the youma all obediently acclaim him by his name. Queen Beryl, Nephrite and Jadeite keep watching at him with disdain or annoyance.

In a matter of seconds, their opinion of him changes to "Queen Metallia's latest whim" to "something to be weary of", as the newly named Zoisite raises from the ground in a twirl of wind.

I must admit that even I am impressed, even though I knew from experience that he held such surprises in himself. Still… Levitating just after having been infused with Queen Metallia's Dark Energy? She doesn't do it very often, yet that was unheard of.

Queen Metallia puts him back to his place in a more gentle way than usual. She must be favorably impressed, too. Shiro - Zoisite… - reacts perfectly, getting down on the floor and paying her respect. It would seem that she gained his allegiance. It should not be a problem since we both serve her, but I will have to make sure that his loyalty for me remains his prime.

Once she publicly announced that he'd be trained by me, he comes to my side and I get us both to the training room.

I need to find out if I can still rely on him. I've seen the changes that Queen Metallia's energy caused in Jadeite. I also can't ignore the possibility that she would have taken precautions to severe his ties with me - whatever they really are - to ensure that his allegiance would go to her alone.

I watch him more attentively as he stands in front of me in military discipline. His self-confidence seems to have dropped a little, maybe as an effect of Queen Metallia's remonstrance. Tanzanite's uniform on him slightly turns me off. If there's an afterlife, the dead Tennou must be biting his fist to the bones right now.

I have to test exactly how much energy he has now, and what's his control over it. Under other circumstances, I would have started by teaching him how to reach the Dark Power… But from his demonstration in the throne room, I'm curious to see how much of it he can figure by himself.

He avoids my first shots mostly through his speed and natural agility, until they get that close that he has to try deflecting them. I can sense his efforts affecting the energy patterns around him, condensing it to form shields. Even though the results must be looking painfully weak and useless to him, it's promising. He's doing it solely based on what he saw me using in a few occasions, and maybe what the youma told him.

I don't stop pushing his limits, though, even when the light beams start hitting more often than they miss, as fatigue and pain hinder his moves. I know he's sneaky enough to fake loyalty if he needs to. But I also know that his temper will betray his real intentions if I irritate him far enough.

And I finally reach his boundaries. Just after warning him of a nasty attack coming, I sense a sudden raise of Dark Power coming from him. The outburst of flames around me take me by surprise. I rather expected him to find out how to shot a magic missile, instead of what he triggered the most volatile attack of all, centered on me.

I hear him shouting my name as my attack blows him away, and this surprises me, too. He still used the honorific "-sama" despite the shock, and his voice holds no rage any more. Just pain, despair, and… what sounds like alarm?

I sweep away the fire around me and look at his fragile shape, half held against the wall. My eyes meet his worried look, then his head falls down in exhaustion.

So… He's still bound to me, I figure. As confirms his vehement answer when I tease that I shouldn't turn my back on him.

His feelings are so transparent and so unstable, I can't help but play with them. He's even prettier when he looks lost, or when he's pouting.

As soon as I kiss him, I feel him melting against me then closing his arms around me eagerly. Then he winces against my mouth, which is not surprising considering the many bruises on his face.

I don't like to see him hurt or his pretty body damaged, but I can't help feeling amused. And flattered by his dedication…

Reassured about his allegiance, I take him to my quarters and start to heal his wounds. There's nothing serious, I used attacks meant to provoke him rather than to do real injuries. It's also a good excuse to put my hands on him again. Not that it was planned, or that I need any excuse - he certainly doesn't seem to take offence.

Despite his obvious reaction to my contact, he tapped so much into his new powers that he drifts into sleep while I'm still working on his bruises.

It's probably better this way. From what I've seen, he seems to have established a direct connection to the Dark Power through his emotions. Which may explain why he accessed them so fast when it took so long to Jadeite, or even to us.

In any case… I don't want to think of what would occur to my bedroom if we had sex before he's learned to keep some control over this.

Though… It will be interesting to see what he comes up with, in that domain too…

But later. This training session exhausted me, too, and the healing spell used on someone else than me is a demanding one. And we don't want to lose the credit that Queen Metallia gave us for your successful transformation.

So, my little Shiro, now Zoisite, we will both have to wait some more.

The end ;)