Author's Note: ! Omg, thank you guys all for the wonderful messages! I'm so glad to hear how this story is resonating with people so far! I'll do my best to get to the meatier parts of their relationship soon without sacrificing the rhythm of the story.

Btw, did anyone have a guess as to who is Izou's boyfriend from the first chapter? I didn't want to write an actual original character for the role, so I gratuitously borrowed from another Kunzite-esque figure from a similar series…

Below are some independent review responses because I'm old fashioned like that:

Karen: OMG thank you for your long reviews! I'm so happy to hear you're really vibing on the same parts of the fic that I am. As for the subtitles, my version say the same as yours. It's a shame that grammatically the subtitles are correct, but they really miss the power of Kunzite's final words. In that scenario, I do feel like the subtitle team could have used a little artistic license to better capture the sentiment, as well as the literal translation.

Guest (1): Thank you! Will do!

Guest (2): LOL I know! I'll do my best to speed things up while retaining a sense of realism in the fic. Unfortunately I'm not the most concise writer (and I love to indulge gratuitously in small slices of the normalcy of domestic life), so I hope you'll enjoy the ride :)

Without further ado, here's Chapter 2!

It took Kunzite a while to adjust to this new information about his long-lost lover. Perhaps he had been foolish to assume that finding Zoisite and bringing him back to his life would be so easy. Perhaps this was cosmic karma of some sort; after all, if he had failed to protect Zoisite before, why would the universe give Zoisite back so easily?

It wasn't until later following week when Kunzite had another chance to speak to Izou about the situation. It was a weeknight evening, and Kunzite had stopped by the coffee shop after work, hoping it would coincide with Izou's shift. The shop was quiet, filled only with young students who were studying hard in the booths.

Thankfully Izou was indeed working, manning the till diligently. As Kunzite came up, Izou saw who it was, and his smile lit up.

"Ah, Saitou-sama," he greeted cheerfully. "I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?"

Kunzite came to a rest in front of the till. "I'm well, thank you. And yourself?"

Izou was wiping the countertops. "I'm very well, thank you," he answered happily. "What can I get you today?"

"A large black coffee please. And a sandwich."

Izou rang up the order. "No tea today?"

"I'm afraid I'll need to stay up late tonight," Kunzite explained, paying for his dinner. "We'll be training the junior officers tomorrow morning and I need to run through the preparations."

The till trilled happily as Izou took the money.

"Ah, you're such a hard worker, Saitou-sama," Izou commented gratefully. "Thank you for all your hard work in keeping our neighbourhood safe."

Kunzite grunted offhandedly in response. It was his duty, after all. As Izou handed him the coffee cup, he gauged to see if this would be a good time to inquire beyond the usual polite pleasantries.

"How's your studying going?"

Izou pulled the sandwich from out of the display and placed it in the mini oven. "Oh, that. Um, it's going well, thank you." But Kunzite could tell Izou wasn't being entirely honest.

"Have you been able to find a tutor?"

At this, Izou's head shot up as though he had just remembered. "Ah! I forgot- please forgive me, I hadn't meant to run off so abruptly the last time."

Kunzite was conflicted between trying to hone down a reason for them to see each other consistently, or finding more about the friend.

"It's no problem," was all Kunzite could finally say.

Izou smiled thankfully just as the oven bell rang. As he took out the hot sandwich and began to arrange the little cutely-cut vegetables on it, he did seem to be considering something.

"Well, if it really isn't a bother," Izou started off hesitantly, "is Saitou-sama's offer to tutor still available?"

He held up the plate, all beautifully decorated, as though it were an offering.

There was no way Kunzite would ever say no.

"Of course," he said with a little smile. "I'd be happy to."

The look of relief and joy on Izou's face was already warming Kunzite's heart.

"Thank you!"

Kunzite took the plate, unable to keep his own happiness from rising to the surface as well.

"You're welcome. When would you like to start?"

Their first tutoring day arrived quickly on a Thursday evening, and Kunzite could not have been more excited. This would be the first time he would be able to spend time with Zoisite in any personal capacity, and he could not stop imagining how it would go. Perhaps they'd sit next to one another and Zoisite would find his presence familiar. Perhaps they'd reach forward for the book and their hands would graze. Perhaps, having caught Kunzite's scent, Zoisite would pause...and recall long ago how he used to cuddle with it, how he had missed it in the pillows of their bedroom. Just as Kunzite had done with Zoisite's.

When he arrived at the cafe, he found Zoisite waiting for him in the quietest booth in the farthest corner. The boy gave him a wave and Kunzite made his way over. Books and papers were already spread out on the table, and there were two steaming cups of tea and a plate of biscuits.

"Saitou-sama, good evening," Izou greeted him happily, as Kunzite took a seat close to the cup of tea that was clearly meant for him. "How are you? How did the training go?"

It was so sweet of Izou to have remembered, and Kunzite found his confidence inflating marginally. "Fine, thank you," he said sincerely. "And yourself?"

Izou had the most loveliest of smiles. "I'm well, thank you. Please eat, I know this is around supper time…"

How Kunzite wished he could just wrap his arms around the boy now and kiss him on the cheek. But he kept himself in control; having Zoisite this close was already immense progress.

"Why don't we get through the lesson," Kunzite suggested, "and then we can have supper afterwards, my treat."

Izou shook his head. "I can't have Saitou-sama spending any more money!" he exclaimed. "Saitou-sama's time is more than enough. If anything, I should be treating you to supper."

"Maybe you can, when you're a world-renown physicist."

This made Izou laugh. "I don't think I'll ever be that good."

"You never know," Kunzite said with a smile. "Come. Let me show you."

By the time the lesson was completed and the cookies were gone, Izou was making remarkable progress. As Izou worked through the remainder of his assignment to commit the new information into his memory, Kunzite took the time to just observe him.

It has to be Zoisite, he thought to himself distantly, as he watched Izou bite his lip and wrap one curly strand of hair around his knuckle. Zoisite used to work exactly the same way, even going as far as chewing on his locks during a particularly difficult plan. Kunzite often had to remind him of his habit.

"It seems like it's coming a lot easier to you now," Kunzite commented as Izou finished the last question. The boy handed over the sheets for Kunzite to assess.

"A bit," Izou agreed, leaning back with a sigh of relief. "This isn't so bad, but a lot of the later chapters are much more difficult for me…"

"You'll get there," Kunzite reassured as he went through each answer thoroughly, making notes where needed. "If you have a solid foundation, the rest will come a lot easier."

As Kunzite continued the marking, Izou sat forward with his chin perched in his hands, elbows on the table. He seemed to be gazing at Kunzite with the same sort of observatory curiosity that Kunzite had been.

"Saitou-sama really is a good teacher," Izou commented. "The junior officers must be really lucky."

Kunzite shrugged. Having been so used to Zoisite being his partner in the line of duty, none of the other officers could really compare.

"What program are you thinking of applying into?" Kunzite asked, changing the subject.

"Mn, I haven't decided yet," Izou answered thoughtfully. "I had considered applying to technical college instead...I might be able to find a job faster that way."

Kunzite glanced up briefly from his marking. "Surely you'd be able to find a higher paying job if you completed a degree. You're more than bright enough."

Izou waved a hand modestly. "Well, money's a bit tight," he admitted. "I haven't the funds to attend a full degree program. If I can graduate faster and get a job, I'll be able to send money back home to my parents sooner."

Parents? That was news to Kunzite. He had been used to living with Zoisite alone that the idea of his partner having relatives was alien.

"Where do they live?"

"In the countryside," Izou answered. "They sent me to study in the city when I was fourteen. I don't want to burden them anymore, so if I can graduate sooner, that would be ideal."

So Izou had been somewhat independent for a while. It wasn't an unusual circumstance.

"Do you live with roommates then, or other family?"

Izou shook his head. This was interesting to Kunzite; he had been expecting Zoisite to say that he was living with his new partner.

He flipped the page and started on the next few questions, clearing his throat.

"What about...that friend of yours?" As much as Kunzite did not want drive the conversation back to that particular individual, it was necessary information. If by any chance Zoisite had accidentally hooked up with the wrong man in his absence...

Instantly Izou's eyes lit up excitedly. "Oh, Kuroi-san? No...we're good friends, but he already has a roommate." Yet, there was a slight hint of disappointment in Izou's voice.

"How did you two meet?" Kuroi was easily closer to Kunzite's age than to Izou, so it seemed a little suspicious.

Abruptly, Izou seemed to shift uncomfortably. "We...run in the same circles," he answered vaguely, but Kunzite could instantly pick up something was off.

"Oh?" Kunzite wanted to know more. "Hobbies, you mean? Or, at the gym?" It wasn't like Kunzite to prompt this much in conversation, but he knew his usual interrogation tactics were not going to work in this kind of situation.

"He works at the community centre I sometimes go to," Izou answered. "He does landscaping and garden maintenance there."

Kunzite was nearly finished marking.

"If you don't mind me asking," Kunzite decided to venture forth, "how close are you two exactly?"

A redness flushed to Izou's face at the question. Orientations weren't exactly brought up quite so straightforwardly and perhaps Izou had yet to fully awaken his own sexuality. This was somewhat new to Kunzite, as Zoisite has always been very clear about his preferences and certainly was never shy about them.

"It's okay," Kunzite reassured, assuming that perhaps Izou was worried he might disapprove. "I'm not going to judge. Is he you're…" Kunzite fumbled a bit, not because he was uncomfortable with the topic, but because he had actually never used this word. He had always tended to avoid romantic labels of any sort as a principle. "Are you two...official?"

Although Kunzite had thought himself as quite graceless with the question, Izou seemed quite amazed. Slowly his blush receded and his shoulders relaxed.

"Well, we're not quite official," Izou began hesitantly, watching Kunzite carefully to gauge that they were still talking about the same thing. "We've only just started spending more time together, but I think we both think it's going to go somewhere serious…"

Kunzite made sure to keep his own personal feelings tightly repressed as he scanned for the pertinent information he needed.

"How do you know?"

Seeing that he and Kunzite were indeed talking about the same thing, Izou's eyes lit up. It must've been a great relief to be able to talk to someone about his orientation, and with another man no less! Izou could hardly contain his excitement.

"It's just the little things, you know?" Izou couldn't help but start gushing. "I mean, I've had crushes before and the occasional date but, with Kuroi-san, it's just so ...real. We were friends first, you see, and over time we just got closer and closer."

Despite how understandably difficult this was for Kunzite to hear, he continued to steer himself for the next depth of questions.

"What is he like?"

Izou could hardly stop beaming. "He's so good, Saitou-sama. Like, so good. He's always warm and friendly to everyone we meet, and he loves helping out others. Everyone at the centre treats him a little like a big brother. He's just got that - ...presence, you know? Like he knows how to take care of people, and he's always looking out for me."

The irony was not entirely lost on Kunzite, who was staring at the papers with the pen gripped so tightly he thought it would break.

"He's also so brave. Like, he's not ever afraid of telling someone what he thinks. He's really confident that way."

Kunzite recalled how Kuroi had swept in that first evening with the massive bouquet of roses. It didn't seem like Kuroi was the sort of man that was subtle about anything.

"That's really the best thing so far," Izou said dreamily. "He's my first really serious relationship, and I'm always a little nervous that I don't know what I'm doing when I'm with him, but - he makes it so easy, so natural. He's never afraid to show me how much he cares for me...he'll touch my hand as we walk down the street, or put his arm around mine, and buys me little gifts…" A warmth of color rose on Izou's cheeks and he sighed contently.

As Izou spoke, Kunzite counted the times in which he had done the same things in their past. Unfortunately it was hard to remember - most of their intimacy had been in private, as Kunzite rarely ever left the darkness of the Kingdom unless absolutely necessary. And of course they always had to be professional when on the job...with the occasional exception...

But if Kunzite was honest with himself, he and Zoisite had never officially labelled their relationship either, even in private. And certainly never beyond student or mentor in public. No matter their fondness of one another, they were servants to the Kingdom first.

"Are you sure it's not just a crush?" he asked then, but really more for himself than Izou's sake.

Izou glanced at Kunzite with a bit of a hurt expression. "Of course it's not," he insisted. "He returns it, Saitou-sama."

And there was the kicker. Despite his lack of self-awareness in certain aspects, Kunzite knew himself well enough that reciprocating affection wasn't exactly his forte. Whenever Zoisite's demonstrativeness became too much, Kunzite often had to abruptly duck out - not because he thought the emotional display silly, but because he found it quite overwhelming. Dark Kingdom aside, romanticism and feelings weren't ever topics Kunzite had confidence in handling, and he had never been sure what to do with any act that required more than a cuddle or a smooth-over. It was easier to sort of, pat Zoisite on the head and return back to work.

Kunzite glanced back down at the assignment in front of him, and the numbers and formulas began to look like a foreign language to him. How was he supposed to awaken Zoisite like this? The boy had fallen in love with the wrong man…

"What about you, Saitou-sama?" Izou asked, interrupting Kunzite's thoughts. "Does Saitou-sama also...prefer…?" he trailed off, implying the word men.

Kunzite was pulled back into reality. "It, um," he cleared his throat authoritatively, "it doesn't really matter, to me. It's all the same, beneath the skin."

Izou's expression changed to that one of wonderment. "What do you mean?"

Finding it difficult to look at Izou without feeling uncomfortable, Kunzite settled to staring at the sheet as if he was still marking. "If it's true love," he started, approaching the topic as if it were a philosophical topic and not a personal one, "surely it is a person's essence, their core, that one finds primarily attractive? The rest of it, the physical, the matter - it's secondary. It fades with time, changes through age, metamorphosizes."

"I suppose I would still like Kuroi even if we were older," Izou admitted slowly, "but I don't think I could like him the same way if he wasn't a man…" Suddenly Izou made a sour face at the thought, and Kunzite nearly laughed out loud.

"Perhaps I misspoke. Complimentary," Kunzite clarified. "The physicality, the body, it supports and complements the essence, adds to its beauty, but never overshadows it. And when the support recedes, the essence is what lives on after the body decays - it remains, against the passages of time, the ravages of uncertainty."

"The soul, you mean?" Izou piped up. "If it had a physical manifestation, I imagine the soul would be the most beautiful thing I could think of."

At that very moment, Kunzite recalled the last time he had seen such a thing. A mass of colored lights, psions fading and flashing and dissipating.

Zoisite - the plane where your soul resides - guide me there!

Suddenly Kunzite couldn't continue down this conversation anymore. The memory of his last words rang loud in the cavern of his mind, echoing throughout the coffeeshop. No heads were turned and no one suspected a thing, but the sound of his voice seemed to penetrate so deeply that the walls themselves seemed to tremble with its resonance.

Abruptly, Kunzite picked up his mug, and clunked it hard onto the table. The spell was shattered.

The sound startled Izou out of the intensity of the conversation as well. "My apologies, I think I got a little distracted there," he said with a bit of a laugh, not realizing what had just happened. His eyes grew warm and vaguely amazed. "I didn't know Saitou-sama was so poetic."

Kunzite merely grunted noncommittally and returned to marking Izou's assignment. The memory of his last words had unnerved him and he wasn't sure how to continue. He felt Izou slide his elbows forward on the table, and saw that the boy was gazing up at him with his chin in his hands.

"I must be honest, it's a bit of a relief, Saitou-sama," Izou admitted with a sigh. "Not many people are so aware about this sort of thing, much less officers."

"Of course we need to know," Kunzite replied seriously. "We wouldn't be able to do a good job if we didn't know who we were protecting, would we?"

"Ahh," Izou sang in agreement. "Saitou-sama has probably encountered all sorts of things while on duty? Different neighbourhoods, special bars, clubs?"

"There isn't much I haven't seen," Kunzite affirmed, as he neared the end of his marking.

Izou unfolded his arms and stretched them. "Has Saitou-sama ever been in relationship?" he asked innocently. "With a boy?"

The question took Kunzite off guard and he momentarily stiffened. The memories of his time with Zoisite flashed through his mind like a spinning reel - Zoisite laughing, lounging, biting his thumbnail, cuddling into him, waking up next to him, gazing at him with such softness in the early recess of the morning -

Kunzite merely sat up and returned the pages back to Izou.

"You have grasped the concept soundly, but I've noticed you keep making this error consistently-..."

The abruptness surprised Izou, and vaguely, Kunzite could tell that the boy knew he had tred on some very private ground. For the remainder of the lesson, Izou kept his questions polite and professional.

It vaguely hurt to turn Izou away so unexpectedly, but it didn't hurt quite as much as remembering Zoisite. Once Kunzite had finished explaining the error and Izou had amended some of his solutions, the magic of the night seemed to have dissipated. Now there was only the darkness of the windows, the coolness of the air conditioner.

"Same time next week?" Kunzite asked.

Izou nodded, gathering his things. Catching the slightly uncertain look on Izou's face, Kunzite quelled his own upset and tried to focus on making the boy feel better.

"Shall I walk you home?" Perhaps he could find a better way of apologizing as they strolled.

By the way Izou's face lit up, Kunzite knew he was going to be alright.

"That'd be lovely, thank you."

The stroll hadn't been very long, but it had been very quiet. It seemed as though neither men knew what to say at this point, or were both deep in thought. Kunzite decided to focus on the experience rather than thinking about the past - it was soothing, to be walking in the still of the night with his old partner again.

When they reached the bus stop, they didn't have to wait long for one to arrive. As one rounded the corner, Izou broke the silence.

"I…'m sorry, Saitou-sama," he said genuinely. "I hadn't meant to be so forward…"

Kunzite shook his head. "Not at all," he murmured. "Don't mention it."

The boy slowly smiled again, reassured that they were okay.

"Thank you again, for teaching me today. It's been really helpful."

Kunzite's shoulders relaxed marginally and he allowed himself a little smile. "No problem."

The wheels rolled up, and bus' doors opened, releasing a trickle of passengers out from the exit.

As Izou was about to get onto the bus, he paused, and quickly turned back around. There was still something else he was itching to say.

"You know...I just want to say," Izou started, "that...when Saitou-sama does find someone, I know they'll be the luckiest person in the world. Boy or girl."

Strangely enough, those words actually did seem to help. Unable to help himself, Kunzite lifted into a sincere smile as well.

"I'm glad you think that."