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 : ... weird title. But to keep the "theme" of chapter titles (only words with no other vowel than "E" for Kunzite. Go figure. It just turned out this way), it was the best I could come up with.

Don't set your expectations too high ;)


Chapter 8 : Sheets

It's starting to get late and he's not home yet. With what happened today, I have reasons to worry. Does he even intend to come back home? Or did something happen to him?

I'm about to risk attracting Beryl's attention by scanning the area in search for him, when I feel his presence across the mansion's shield. A moment later, he comes in, hardly more enthusiastic than when he left.

At least he is looking at me. It doesn't do me any good.

"Are you all right?"

He steps closer, like carrying a burden on his shoulders, and stands right in front of me.

"I heard what you said to the Senshi this morning. Since you didn't want to talk to me about my past, I went and asked them. And to Oniwabandana. Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

I'm floored. I try to come up with an answer, but nothing seems good enough.

"Why didn't you tell me that I had been a Shinma, and that we're going to die when they kill Metallia?"

What?

"You are not going to die, Shiro. The Ginzuishou cured you from all of Metallia's energy, so you will be safe when the Dark Kingdom dies."

He doesn't reply right away, shakes his head slowly.

I'm still staring at him like a fool. He makes the last step to me and looks up to me, his face so close that I can feel his breath on my lips when he whispers.

"Oniwabandana told me what I couldn't believe. That you and I... I was your student. I lived with you. And apparently, she and pretty much everyone in the Dark Kingdom knew that we were... more. Is it true?"

Oh Darkness... I thought guilt was something I couldn't feel.

"... It's true".

"Why didn't you tell me about that either?"

"What was I supposed to say? That to ensure that you wouldn't try to rival me or backstab me once you had been empowered by Metallia, I tried to turn your gratefulness into something more? Or that it had been a noble love getting born naturally between us? I didn't want to lie to you, I had done that enough. And I couldn't tell you the truth or you would hate me. Like you do now."

He frowns, and I know I have lost him.

But then his expression unexpectedly softens, bewildered, and he comes closer, wraps his hands around my face.

Kisses me.

I fight my instinct of turning this gentle make-up kiss into something wilder, until he does it on his own. I give in for a while, holding him close and relishing the touch I had been denied. Then I have to stop and ask him.

"Did you recover your memories?"

He shakes his head with a smile.

"So how... why?"

He giggles in his usual way, a delicate hand by his mouth.

"Did you really think you had tricked me into loving you? Lord Kunzite, I respected you and admired you as soon as I saw you in action leading the army, and I started to desire you not so long after... I can't tell if I believed in your love when I was a Tennou. But I know I certainly enjoyed any bit of attention you would give me, fake or real..."

He snuggles back into my arms and rubs his body against mine, purring the next words.

"Can't we just get back to that? How close were we exactly?"

The Shinma in me thinks of all the things I should check before giving in to him, and how I should not give in at all because it makes me vulnerable, and is not proper behaviour for a child of Metallia.

Another little part of me replies that it's Metallia who will cause my death within a too short span of time, and that I should enjoy whatever is left of it as best as I can, proper behaviour be screwed.

And it really doesn't matter what those two parties are arguing over, because my body and the rest of me are already committed to catch up on the time lost with my little sakura, and he's all I care about any more.

It's impatient and messy, yet like drinking after two weeks in the desert. It hadn't been that long since he lost his memories, or since our last wild night before that, but I had always taken it for granted by then. It makes a world of difference.

As the first round trails off, I search for the look on his pretty face, hoping to see the same bliss that I feel.

He rather looks stunned.

I'm struck by the thought that he is not physically the same as when he was my lover.

"Are you all right?"

He seems to reintegrate his body just then, shudders and turns bewildered eyes to me.

"You said?..."

He blinks, as uncertain as I am.

"Oh, wow. Yes, I'm fine. I didn't expect... I didn't think it'd be that good."

I wonder for a split second if that's not just flattery. But with us not being master and pupil anymore, and no hierarchy above us, it's not like that would be of any use to him.

And on second thought, it's not exactly a compliment that he'd be surprised that it was good. I know his previous experiences weren't all that pleasant - if anything because from what I gathered, they were out of necessity, rarely lust from his side if ever at all. But still. He had low expectations, then...

I'm trying not to get bitter about it. I shouldn't be. From what remains of his memory, he has no reason to expect a lot from me. After all, I was heartless and manipulative with him, at that time. It just... stings to be faced with it when I'm trying to... to what? Amend myself?

The Shinma in me stirs. I shouldn't do amends for anything. Whatever happened is the past and can't be undone, and I did nothing than any other Tennou wouldn't have done.

I cringe and lay back, eyes closed, trying to contain a growing anger. I can't let that ruin this moment. I knew it couldn't be easy to adjust to it, for both of us. It won't be the same relationship as I had with Zoisite, no matter what I do.

It will take...

"Lord Kunzite? Did I say anything wrong?"

I feel him moving by my side and open my eyes to see him above me, looking concerned. My resentment is drowned. For the few he remembers... It's a miracle that he does care at all.


To be continued... and merry Christmas for those of you who celebrate it ;)