Desert Kings
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.
Kunzite stared across the fire at their young stow away, annoyed, wary, and puzzled. Annoyed because things weren't going to his carefully laid plans, wary because this young girl could be a spy, and puzzled as to why, if she was not a spy, had she snuck between Zoisite's wares.
Nephrite had taken one look in the wagon and immediately decided to ignore the young girl and any problem until he had at least six hours sleep; he wouldn't care nor try to solve anything until then.
Jadeite was still unconscious and, by default, couldn't care.
Zoisite was the one who had blown up at the discovery of the young girl in between the rugs. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" After that, it took a while before Kunzite could coax her out of the wagon-she had become terrified by Zoisite's yells and had fled to hide in the far corner; it was Zoisite who had besieged with questions and now sat by her at the fire. "I don't know who you are but you're pretty ballsy."
"Zoisite, leave her be," Kunzite grumbled as Nephrite stirred the stew. Kunzite prodded his friend's side. "Go give Jadeite more antidote."
"-I mean, to sneak in between my-a Zojotentian Rider!-rugs and hide there for hours-" he continued to barrage the young girl.
"Zoisite," growled Kunzite.
"-to just lie there-"
"Zoisite!"
"-is amazing. Who are you anyways?" he braced his elbows against his knees, leaning towards the young girl. Kunzite bit his tongue, but didn't yell at him because he was curious too.
She sat there a second before answering. "...you're ...not mad?"
"Huh, oh, no. I'm curious-been curious since I was old enough to ask why. So, c'mon, spit it out."
She sat there a moment, squirming. Kunzite eyed her worn, patched clothes, in case she wasn't preparing to attack them with some hidden weapons up her baggy sleeves. "...I am...my name is Usagi," she barely whispered. "I...was a maid at the guard's post...I...just... I'msorrypleaseIdon'twannatalkaboutit."
Kunzite raised a brow and shared a look with Zoisite.
"So...are you heading to the White City?" she fidgeted nervously. Kunzite shifted and unfolded his arms to place his hands against his folded knees.
"Yes, we are," he explained. "Do you want to tell me what you plan to do in the White City?"
She plowed on ignoring his question. "Is it true? That it doesn't matter whether you're a boy or girl? That it's fair for all?"
Ah, Kunzite thought, that's what this is. He could picture it now-Usagi, if that was her real name, was a maid, probably poorly treated and now looking for some equality. It wasn't the first time he had heard such a story-he knew of a fiery girl who came for a very similar reason, though the backgrounds couldn't be more different. The equality that all Zojotentian Riders had was envied, and thus the race was despised for it in certain circles.
"Yes, it's true," he answered. "We as a people realize that both sexes are important to get any job done." He gave her a wary look. "Why so curious about our belief system? Most people look down on us as corrupt barbarians who can't keep our women in line."
Zoisite snorted, and Kunzite could help but imagine that they were both thinking of the spitfire Rei back home. Zoisite prodded the fire harshly with a thick stick. "The only 'corrupt' one is the Skeit Diamond."
"Zoisite-" Kunzite hissed to him. Usagi turned to stare at Zoisite.
"Your king is corrupt?" she frowned, confused.
"Yes, as is his brother Sapphire. The only damn one who isn't is Prince Endymion."
"Zoisite!"
"The Prince Endymion?" she asked cocking her head to the side. "But I thought he was just a little boy..."
"He's older than you!" Zoisite informed her rather loudly. "He's banished though."
"Banished?"
"Because he refused to follow his corrupt brothers."
"ZOISITE!" Kunzite yelled making them both jump. Nephrite walked up and stirred the stew again.
"Dinner's done, let's eat." He felt a bead of sweat roll down his brow at the odd looks he was getting. "What? What I'd do?"
Usagi kept a firm grip onto Kunzite's waist and sat firmly in the seat of the saddle behind him. Zoisite raised his brows to Kunzite as if to say "Now how does a simple city maid know how to ride?" Nephrite plodded quietly behind him, looking ahead, and ignoring everything else. Kunzite turned slightly to Usagi.
"So then, Usagi, what are your plans once we reach the White City?" he asked. Usagi perked up with a startled look on her face. She shrugged.
"I-I hadn't planned on what I was going to do there..." she began. He nodded, but silently thought that the admission was a dead give away that she had run away, perhaps she really was a simple maid...or maybe she wasn't. "I had just thought...I don't know...don't you think the palace could a least need a pair of good hands?"
Zoisite snorted loudly; the night before Usagi showed that she was as clumsy as they come, nearly tipping into the fire twice, spilling stew down her front, and falling twice-Zoisite and Nephrite, who had sat closest to her, had had to save her from burning to death, and they all couldn't help but chuckle as she planted her face in the ground.
Usagi turned to Zoisite frowning. "What was that supposed to mean?" she hissed.
Zoisite grinned at her. "You're a walking death trap."
Usagi opened her mouth in outrage. "You-! YOU-! AGH!" she yelled and turned to Nephrite. "Is he always like that?"
"No, you're special," he answered. Zoisite quickly tossed his two cents in.
"Special in the head."
"YOU-!"
"He's usually only like that with us or his loved ones," Kunzite explained. Zoisite squawked in outrage; Usagi couldn't help but giggle. "But that's enough now; the city should be just beyond this dune."
"You said that two dunes ago," Zoisite chided trying to get a rise out of him; it failed miserably to his disappointment and to Usagi's amusement.
They grew silent as they crested the top of the dune, and Usagi sucked in a deep breath. "Wow," she whispered.
"So then, maid, what do you think of our city?" asked Nephrite as he drew up along side them. Zoisite stopped the wagon and looked with them at the Rider's city.
"It's beautiful," Usagi gasped as she stared out to it.
The entire city seemed to be cut from a pink sandstone, around the city for nearly a mile a sea of white tents stood out like splattered sea foam. And in the middle of the city rose the White Palace cut from white rock. Towers sprang from it topped with mushroom shaped domes and rose up high into the sky.
"This," Usagi murmured, "is amazing. I've never seen such a place."
"The jewel of our people, our single city, the White Royal City of the Skeit," Kunzite announced.
"'Tis bloody good to be home."
Zoisite, Nephrite, Kunzite, and Usagi all turned to each other before looking over Zoisite's shoulder to see Jadeite sticking his head out of the opening. He looked bedraggled and had dark bags beneath his eyes, but he looked content.
"Hey, Jadeite," Zoisite greeted. Jadeite sighed and sat next to him on the bench.
"You're supposed to be resting," Kunzite snapped.
"I couldn't with all of you yelling." He bent forward to look at Usagi. "So you're the one everyone's yelling about. Who are you?"
"Usa-Usagi," she stuttered.
"Usa-Usagi? Can I just call you Usa for short?" he grinned. Zoisite elbowed him in the side.
"Lay off, Jadeite. Nobody picks on Usagi but me." Usagi stared at him. "Besides, you got Rei-"
"Who's Rei?" Usagi asked to Kunzite while Zoisite and Jadeite argued.
"Jadeite's wife."
"His wife?" she gasped. She hadn't expected the young blonde man to be married. "What's she like?"
Nephrite spoke for him. "She's a hellcat."
"SHE is a respectable sixteen year old woman with a disgruntled disposition towards men in general," Kunzite retorted, ignoring him.
"Disposition? She's sixteen?" she floundered, trying to catch his eyes. He blinked and looked back to her. "When did she marry him?"
"When she was fifteen," he explained her last question first then caught the questioning look in her eye. "It's no different for us then it is for your people-girls as young as eleven can become married."
"But I thought...equality for all..." she mumbled.
"Oh, don't get me wrong-it's the girl's choice to be wed, even though the family might pressure her. If a man gets a woman pregnant he's obligated to ask for her hand in marriage. And our women have more than you would get with your people-women can have representation in court, can inherit, can make a living, and can get a divorce."
"Soooo...if I got a-assualted..." she trailed off looking to him to finish. He caught her real question, frowning lightly.
"He would be forced to ask you for marriage. Then, if you choose no, you can take him to court."
Usagi looked back at the city with a curious look on her face. "Do you think...that maybe..."
"Maybe what?" Kunzite prompted keeping his eyes on her.
"That maybe...I can start over there? With a good life and everything?" She turned to meet his look.
"Usagi..." Nephrite started, but trailed off as he looked to the White City.
"Anything's possible, Usagi," Kunzite spoke. She looked back to him with a small smile, a small smile stole across his own face, and he ruffled her hair. "Welcome to the White City, Usagi."