Title : Wipe Out
Fandom : Sailor Moon (anime) Dark Kingdom
Pairing : Kunzite / Zoisite
Rating : a bit of violence and hints of sex
Copyright : Zoisite, Kunzite, Sailor Moon and the rest are the property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation, if I recall.

Author's notes : Zoisite is an insecure little weasel, that's for sure, but he is a sneaky, plotting insecure little weasel. Even without his powers. It's not a Dark Kingdom thing. He always had it in him.

Chapter 7 : Information

Sensations come back in my limbs and I shift on the couch. I look at Lord Kunzite, wondering if I should let him know that I've heard his talk with the Senshi. Surely he had reasons to hide me my past, and the odds that we'll die, whether Beryl wins or loses...

And maybe I could get more info from him if he doesn't know what I know, since he doesn't want to tell me things right away.

So, I only reply briefly to him, hoping he will feel inclined to fill in the blanks. Of course he doesn't. He just retreats to the table and ignores me, feigning to be absorbed in removing his plasters.

His hands don't heal very fast. Every morning and every night, he uses a healing spell on them, trying new variations each time, but it works only ever so slightly.

The black, crippled skin from the beginning has turned into a brown bark lacking suppleness, then into a brownish-green slightly softer skin. It was still hard under my fingers the last time I massaged them with balm, last night.

It doesn't seem to hurt him anymore, though. I figure it might if he hadn't cut sensations into them.

Still it's strange to see him actually wounded. He's mastering all sort of shields that even Queen Beryl hasn't been able to go through last time, and he can teleport without even thinking. So it's hard to get to actually hit him.

Even when he fought with the regular army, no one ever managed to go through his guard. Not even Tanzanite's spies. He spotted them from too far.

He said it's the Ginzuishou that did that... I wonder how. If only I could ask the Senshi...

Now that's a plan. If Lord Kunzite convinced them not to attack us anymore, I could actually go and ask them. They were there when he told Queen Beryl he was signing off. Maybe they've seen what happened before.

And after what he told them, and Mercury's reaction... They probably won't be too wary of me. After all, I'm defenseless now... hmpf

I get up from the couch, stretch my body to eliminate the last effects of the Shabon Spray, and walk towards the door.

He calls me.

"Shiro? Where are you going?"

I can't lie straight to his face, so I keep my back to him.

"I'm hungry. I'll have lunch in town."

I wish I could see his face. But then he'd see mine.

"... Don't leave unarmed. And run away if you come across these girls again."

snigger

Yeah, right. That dagger is better than a dog's collar, uh? It even tells you when I'm in trouble.

It's all I have, I figure. I walk back to the couch to take it, and leave.

Now I have to find the girls. And this town is desperately huge. I go back to where I met them first. They can't have gone very far.

It takes me some time, but I finally spot the girls on the terrace of a coffee shop. All of them, except that they don't wear their Senshi outfits. They are talking and comforting Naru.

Well, most of them. The odango-haired one is busy eating the biggest ice-cream on the table.

I think of how Naru doesn't seem to acknowledge that her friend is a Senshi, how the other ones lied to her, put two and two together, and realize that they probably are under cover. People don't know they are the Senshi. So unless I provoke them, they won't start a fight in public.

Good. That should prevent some problems.

I don't quite know how to chat them up. Mercury may be willing to give us a chance, but Naru, Nephrite's pet, certainly won't. Hey, I wouldn't let it go either if someone killed lord Kunzite.

Here's my chance. Stupid hair and Naru leave together while the other ones remain sitting. I wait until the two are out of sight, then I walk quietly and openly to the others, trying to look as innocuous as possible.

Don't laugh. I can do that.

Anyway, they do look startled, but they just exchange worried looks, without alarming everyone. So, I was right I figure.

I choose to follow Lord Kunzite's version, even if it's not completely true by now.

"Hello. I'm Shiro. It seems we've met already."

Mercury discreetly checks her pocket computer, probably looking for signs of a trap, while a blonde one - that would be Venus, if I remember - replies.

"Did you recover already?"

"Yes, thank you for asking."

Oh, I should have tried that earlier. Talking nicely. Because the look on their face is priceless. I refrain from giggling but I can't help smiling.

"Anyway, Lord Kunzite told me that he had made a kind of... deal, with you, and I was wondering if you would give me just some help."

Mars growls.

"We didn't make a deal with your master."

Venus softens her.

"Well, not really... But we talked about it and it seems that you are not... the main danger for now. So as long as you don't attack innocent people, we will leave you alone. But don't push our patience too much."

She looks sweet but sounds determined. In her quietness, she may be stronger than Mars. I make a mental note not to underestimate her.

"It wasn't my intention. I am just curious. I remember seeing you the night I awakened - in the Starlight Tower. But I don't remember anything else from before. Could you tell me what happened that night? What did you see?"

The tall one, Jupiter, gives me a distrustful glance.

"Is that all that you want?"

I catch myself from snapping back, and instead reply with my best 'lost puppy' eyes.

"I can't remember where I'm coming from, and Lord Kunzite won't tell me anything. But I have the right to know what happened to me, right? What am I doing here?"

They keep silent for a while, exchanging glances. Then Mercury speaks thoughtfully.

"We don't know everything that happened to you. We had a fight, you and Kunzite took Tuxedo Kamen away. And some time later Kunzite brought you back in the Starlight Tower, unconscious, took the Ginzuishou from Sailor Moon, and used it on you. Then you... awakened, Queen Beryl appeared... And you know the rest."

The Ginzuishou? He used it on me? Why? As far as I know, it does no good to any of us. Sealing our energy, dissipating it, or healing humans from demoniac possession...

Oh... Could he be the one who took my powers away from me?

But I can't begin to understand why. The obvious answer is that I must have done something when I was a Tennou that angered him, and that this is his way to punish me. But it doesn't make sense.

Maybe it has something to do with Nephrite's death? He didn't seem too sad about it when he talked about him, though.

"Did he say..."

"Ah ah! Queen Beryl will reward me if I bring back your head instead of the Ginzuishou, traitor!"

I jump aside just as a firebolt crashes on our table. I roll on the ground and turn back to see who talked. It's a youma, of course - one I don't recognize, who looks like an ugly old witch. I'm just lucky that these dumb creatures tend to brag before they fight.

Combined girl voices cover up her frustrated comments about her failure.

"Mercury Power, make-up!"

"Mars Power, make-up!"

"Jupiter Power, make-up!"

"Venus Power, make-up!"

Various light effects blind the youma while I creep from table to flower pot to sneak away. I don't want Lord Kunzite to find out what I did by using the dagger. Besides, this is not my fight, not really. Better let the Senshi deal with the problem.

"Shabon Spray!"

Mercury's attack dissipates a second fire wave, but it creates a deep fog in which the youma can hide. And while the Senshi can't strike without risking hitting each other or an innocent bystander, the youma is only surrounded by enemies.

"Hold on, I will make light for us!"

I hear Venus' Crescent Beam invocation interrupted by a shriek and a loud thump.

"Venus! Soul Fire!"

Silly, that. Mars strikes in the direction from where Venus cried, but the youma wasn't dense enough to stay in the same place, and now she knows where Mars is.

A buzz and a shadow come from Mars's direction, followed by a stuffed cry. Two done, two to go. Oh come on, Senshi, can't you do better than this? Don't tell me I will have to help you to save myself?

That wasn't this youma's usual attack, though, and most of them only have one. Could there be two of them?

I perceive very slight whispers, not enough to understand what they are or place them, then I hear from somewhere else :

"Supreme Thunder!"

A bolt electrifies the air, and the water fog condenses into droplets, clearing out the view. The two Senshi left are hidden, though, when Mercury raises from behind a bush and strikes another Shabon Spray at the ugly witch youma.

It crosses the youma's fire attack, freezing it and the youma into ice.

Jupiter stands up from her hiding place and waves to Mercury.

"Your plan worked!"

It's too late when I hear sliding footsteps behind me. An arm blocks my shoulders, two others grab my waist, and a sword's blade raises against my throat.

"Mine too", says a playful voice in my ear.

Mercury and Jupiter turn to us.

"Stay quiet, ladies. My mission is to capture the traitor Kunzite and his pet. Please stay away and you will be fine."

How's that, his pe...

A black whip takes away the blade from my assaulter's hand, and I shake her hold to escape while she's surprised. A shadow kicks her away and the next thing I see, a four-armed youma with pointed ears and golden eyes is stabbed by another youma wearing a ninja-like outfit. This one I recognize. She's Oniwabandana, one of Lord Kunzite's favorite youma.

The four-armed youma bursts into flames and Oniwabandana turns to me, then bows.

"Apologies, Lord Zoisite. I didn't know if you had a reason to wait before striking Ashura, but I thought it was better to intervene, in case of."

Uh? Oh, yes. I am Zoisite. "Lord" Zoisite? I like the sound of that...

But... striking? Doesn't she know that I'm not a Tennou anymore?

"What are you doing here?"

She looks down as if it was a reproach. Wow. I didn't think I'd see the day where a youma would show me respect and fear. They didn't treat me badly because Lord Kunzite said I was useful, but as a human I couldn't compete with them.

I want my powers back!

"I was keeping an eye on Ashura since she was supposed to track you down, as I told Lord Kunzite this morning. I hope I didn't interrupt one of your plans?"

I figure... that means that she remained faithful to Lord Kunzite? Well, certainly. And if she did...

"No, that was fine, thank you."

"Do you want some help to fight the Senshi?"

Mercury and Jupiter, who were trying to reanimate Venus and Mars, stand up and face us angrily.

"What? Zoisite, you promised!"

Yeah yeah... Well no, Kunzite promised, I didn't, but you are useful, little girls.

"No, thank you Bandana. We... Lord Kunzite made a kind of non-aggression deal with the Senshi."

"Ah, I was wondering why they were protecting you..."

People around us start gathering, staring at the girls in sailor suits, and even more at Bandana.

"Bandana, could you teleport us to some place else? I, uh, I guess Ashura blocked my power or something."

"Of course."

She takes us away into a human flat.

"It's small but safer here. I protected it with spells."

I nod and work a way of getting information from her while convincing her not to talk about it to Lord Kunzite. She takes me by surprise.

"You must feel very happy now."

Happy? That my lord took away from me the powers that would allow me to defend myself? That we're both going to die very soon when the Senshi will have their final fight against Beryl?

I try to figure out a believable answer when she adds.

"You don't have to lie. We all knew your feelings for him, and how upset you were when he was cold to you. So you must have been very glad when he chose to defend you against Queen Beryl. It cost him a lot to do so."

I stare at her blankly, then remember that I'm not supposed to be surprised and I turn my back to her, collapsing on the couch as my legs betray me.

Chose... me? Over Beryl?

Were we?...

"Uh... Bandana?"

"Hai?"

"What... did you know exactly about... Uh... Lord Kunzite and me?"

She giggles.

"Well you were never very discreet, the two of you. It was cute, though. Especially when you asked me to take that picture of you together."

I try to imagine Lord Kunzite posing with me for a "cute" picture. That is VERY weird. Surreal, actually.

I don't try to picture me and Lord Kunzite having any kind of relationship other than professional, because that comes to my mind way too easily and I want to stay as focused as possible on making Bandana reveal me more.

"So... everyone knew?"

"Almost everyone in the Dark Kingdom, yes. I am not sure about Queen Beryl, otherwise she might have thought about it twice before trying to kill you, even if you had disobeyed her. But then, maybe she thought that you were just playing around and that Lord Kunzite wouldn't care. Those of us who know you both better were not that sure. I can't say I expected Lord Kunzite to go that far, though."

I'm glad I'm sitting already. She's saying that Lord Kunzite rebuffed Queen Beryl and got banned from the Dark Kingdom because she tried to kill me and he wouldn't let her do it?

That's just... I can't believe it.

I mean, I would have done it for him. I would give my life for him without any question. But I never dreamt he would do even half of the same for me.

I feel tears coming up to my eyes and I hate myself for that. Lord Kunzite always said that I shouldn't let my emotions come in the way of my duty.

And he gave up his task of Tennou to protect me?

That's just too difficult to grasp. I need... evidences. There is probably something else to it. A plan, or...

"Are you all right, Lord Zoisite?"

I jump on the couch. I had nearly forgotten that Bandana was there with me. I try to divert the conversation.

"Uh, yes. I never asked... What is Lord Kunzite's relationship with Queen Beryl exactly? Before I... joined the Dark Kingdom?"

There's a slight pause.

"As far as I know, he always tried to please her because she had freed Queen Metallia, and later after our defeat against the Moon Kingdom, she was her chosen vessel. Is there anything else?"

I don't know how to phrase my question, so I just give up subtlety and ask bluntly.

"He loves women better, usually, right?"

I'm surprised to hear her giggling, but I must still be looking teary-eyed so I don't dare looking at her.

"Oh, that's the point? He usually does, I figure. But I don't think he touched one ever since you and he became... an item. To the dismay of a few youma."

"And before?"

Another thoughtful pause.

"I'm not sure I should discuss this with you. Lord Kunzite might not like it. Why don't you ask him directly?"

I finally turn to her.

"Ask him about his past before me? To Lord Kunzite?"

She softens.

"Forgive my honesty, Lord Zoisite, but why are you so distrustful of him now? What more proof do you need of how important you are for him?"

I stare at her in complete confusion. I guess... I guess I never really believed that he could love me and I just tried to be content with what little attention he gave me...

And now that it seems that he could, indeed, feel something for me... I'm scared. I'm scared to believe in him and find out it was a lie. It's worse than when I didn't have any hope.

To be continued...