The following week, Kunzite arrived at the coffeeshop as usual, only to find it packed with people. The entire establishment was brimming with the vibration of life. The light and noise of people chattering excitedly rumbled his senses as if he was treading upon the back of a great, unpredictable beast. He was still frowning at the scene when Izou arrived by his elbow.

"Oh, I forgot, we're doing a promo thing today." He caught sight of Kunzite's tension and smiled. "Shall we go elsewhere, Saitou-sama?"

Kunzite sensed the opportunity and his spirits lifted tentatively "The closest library is across town, but we won't be able to speak comfortably there. Any ideas?"

Izou thought about it. "Well, there is my place, but I don't really have enough room." His eyes lit up excitedly then. "Where do you live? Perhaps we could go to yours."

Kunzite surged with a rush of success. "That would work. I don't live too far."

"Where, where, where?" Izou asked excitedly.

"Very close to Honan Station."

"By the park?"

"Yes. We could drive there, my car is close by."

Izou's face brightened up even more. "That's perfect! Let me make a call and we'll go right over."

Kunzite couldn't help but smile. "Good. I'll meet you outside."

It didn't take Izou long to make his phone call. As soon as he reappeared onto the street, the two made their way over to Kunzite's plain, silver Subaru.

"You'll have to show me your guitar when we get there," Izou called over the car as he got into the front passenger seat.

"Only if you study well," Kunzite said, sliding in likewise. He gave Izou a bit of a teasing twinkle in his eye and Izou laughed.

"Of course," was the boy's response as he buckled up. "Saitou-sama, you know I'm always very good."

A faint memory of Zoisite diligently working over papers, hand in hair, with his quick, cramped writing, flitted briefly in Kunzite's mind. He pushed the bittersweetness aside to focus on the sense of satisfaction presently swelling in him instead. The car came to life, and shortly the two were on their way.

The moment Izou stepped in the door, Kunzite could tell he was enchanted. Kunzite's apartment wasn't very large or expensive, but he had taken great care in making sure the necessities were there and well-maintained for Zoisite's return. The apartment was neat and tidy, and what furniture was there was well-made, and even vaguely coordinated. With its blank walls and nearly empty bookcases, the apartment appeared to be deliberately minimalistic and chic to the unassuming eye.

In actuality, Kunzite had simply been conserving his resources for when Zoisite would finally join him. This home had been Kunihiro's for a long time, but it had no life, no spirit. Its only splash of colour was the single guitar in the corner of the living room, kept only because its music still resonated with Kunzite even after his awakening. Once his memories had fully resurfaced, Kunzite understood why the home had been bare as it was...it was waiting for Zoisite, for his love, charm, and personality.

Thusly, it warmed Kunzite's heart to see Izou flitting in between the rooms immediately, an echo of how Zoisite had once gradually explored the cavernous rooms of their Dark Kingdom castle.

"Saitou-sama," Izou exclaimed when he reappeared into the living room. "Your home is so lovely!"

Kunzite allowed another faint smile, but shook his head dismissively. "It's functional."

Izou thumbed daintily over his shoulder. "Although -...there's a sign on the door that says, 'dark room'? Does Saitou-sama do photography?"

It was where Kunzite meditated, virtually a closet that he kept as a basic retreat when he needed to. Dark Kingdom or not, Kunzite still preferred the occasional total backness, and the now-empty space inside served as an excellent respite.

Kunzite shook his head as he readied the kitchen table with the work he had prepared. "No, but the previous tenant did. I thought it was cute, so I kept it."

Izou's face scrunched a little at that, as though he was trying to hide a giggle. "Saitou-sama likes cute things? How unexpected."

"I imagine there's a lot of things about me people would find unexpected."

The expression on Izou's face indicated that he was looking forward to finding out those things. But they wouldn't have time now. Whether it was by intuition or a calling from Zoisite's past, Izou naturally glided into the seat next to Kunzite, ready to tackle their next lesson. It amazed Kunzite sometimes, how easily Izou seemed to fit back into his life. It was as though Zoisite had never left.

When the lesson was completed, Izou immediately vanished from the kitchen table. As Kunzite tidied up, he noticed Izou bent over the guitar in the corner, admiring its curves and glossy finish.

With the lessons put away, Kunzite made his way over to the sofa. "Bring it here," he suggested.

Izou seemed surprised, but did as instructed. He lifted the instrument with great care, and brought it over to Kunzite's side on the sofa.

Rather than lifting the instrument into is own lap, however, Kunzite carefully placed it back onto Izou's instead. When Izou pulled back in surprise, Kunzite took his left hand and gently placed his fingers onto the board.

"Here," he said. "Give it a try."

Izou's eyes widened even more as he quietly readjusted himself to hold the guitar more comfortably. He turned his gaze up to Kunzite in awe.

"You'd trust me with this, so quickly?"

Kunzite was confused at the comment, but brushed it off. "I know you'll take good care of it."

"Shirai-san won't even let me touch his piano," Izou said, almost in a bit of a whine. "And Kuroi thinks I'll only make noise," he added with a laugh.

"Don't people underestimate your potential," Kunzite said absently as he adjusted Izou's right hand over the strings. "Now press here..." He lightly pointed to each finger he wanted Izou to hold the stings down. "And then run your nail down like this..."

Izou did as instructed and a clean, crisp chord rang through the air. His little mouth dropped in a look of amazement and Kunzite almost smiled with pride. "Now this one…"

This continued on for a little, with Izou slowly learning a few more basic notes and chords. Eventually, Kunzite eased off on his instructions, and allowed Izou to experiment to his heart's content. Apart from the occasional readjustment, Izou hardly needed any more guidance – already his notes rang clearly, his chords hummed sweetly, and soon he was even plucking the strings to a brief, little tune in his head.

"You're very good," Kunzite couldn't help but observe. "Are you sure you haven't played music before?"

There was a slight pause, and Izou's cheeks faintly blushed.

"No," Izou answered, before he returned to picking at the strings absently. "I'm fairly certain I haven't..."

There seemed to be a poignancy to those words, but before Kunzite could pursue it further, Izou quickly turned to him with a big smile.

"You play something!" He presented Kunzite with the guitar.

Kunzite rearraned himself a bit so that he was able to play more comfortably in the crook of the sofa corner. "You're already much better than I am," he said, taking the guitar, "so you've been warned."

By the way Izou had crossed his legs and perched his chin on his hands, Kunzite could tell he hadn't believed a word of it. Kunzite remembered that face. It was the same face that he often caught from Zoisite when he thought Kunzite wasn't looking: from his desk, from his bed, by the fireplace. But Kunzite had seen them; he had always seen them.

It took Kunzite a couple of tries, but eventually he got the first chord right. The rhythm started slow, simple, with slight pauses in between as Kunzite tried to tap in to the sound that was older than own memory. Eventually he began to hum, a deep, modest rumble that made Izou's eyes widen in surprise and his mouth part in awe.

Unexpected, indeed...

After some time, some of the lyrics eventually returned to him. Even in the Golden Kingdom, this had been considered an ancient song. The words tumbled like old rocks, some smooth like river stones, while others scratched with the grit of cracked mountain ridges. Kunzite could only sing the ones he remembered, stitched together by hums in-between. Even then, they sounded more like notes and vocalizations than anything – but he knew them to be words, even if he had forgotten their meaning as well.

Even if Izou could not recall where it had been sung from, in a few glances Kunzite could tell they unlocked something in him a bit. Leaf-green eyes were utterly captivated as the boy sat entirely still, gripped by Kunzite's deep voice and the accompanying melody, only to be released by the song's end, fading like smokes of opium into the air.

When Kunzite's voice finally trailed off and he set the guitar back down, Izou's finally came back to life.

"That was incredible, Saitou-sama," he breathed. "Where is it from?"

"From my childhood," Kunzite replied, and it wasn't entirely a lie.

Izou's eyes were still twinkling in wonderment. "Was Saitou-sama born in Japan?"

Kunzite shook his head. According to the memories of his third life, he had parents once, possibly even siblings. But they were gone from an early age, with no-one to replace them. He had been a nomad, in a way, in all of his lives.

He felt Izou edge closer, and Kunzite wished then he could just wrap his arms around the beautiful man. Zoisite had always been his home.

At that very second, the clock struck the hour, and its quiet chime startled both of them out of one another's spell. As the moment dissipated, and both men looked away with some unrealized embarrassment. Both their cheeks were somewhat rosy, and Kunzite cleared his throat out of habit to disguise the awkwardness.

"Forgive me, Saitou-sama," Izou finally said softly, when his temperature had returned to normal. "I'm afraid I ought be going now..."

Kunzite glanced at the clock. It was six, earlier than when they typically finished their lessons.

"Of course." He wouldn't force Izou to stay, as much as he would have liked to share more time with him. "You have prior arrangements?"

Izou nodded, his cheeks having returned to his usual colour. "I promised Kuroi I'd meet him after work. He should be done now."

Kunzite nodded again, trying to ignore the stiffness that gripped his chest whenever Izou spoke that name. "Where are you meeting him? I could drive you."

"Oh, just at the park," Izou chirped. "He was working there today."

It was hard to meet Izou's eyes, but Kunzite wasn't quite ready to say goodbye. "Let me walk you there."

Thankfully, Izou beamed at this suggestion. "Sure!"

The stroll was fairly short, but in the softening colors of the sunset, it was sweet and warm. If Kunzite didn't think of where they were going, he could almost pretend that they were together again. Almost.

"I really enjoyed today," Izou said sincerely, as they passed through the stone walls of the park. The tall trees lined before them like a deep forest, secluded and cozy in the shade they provided. It almost reminded Kunzite of their jungle backyard, back in the Dark Kingdom. "Thank you so much for showing me your guitar."

The park was so quiet. Only the sound of their feet rolling on stone steps could be heard. Kunzite glanced at Izou, walking so elegantly - shoulders poised, limbs delicately tucked in. One arm was folded over his stomach, while the other hand hovered over his heart. How was he so naturally this beautiful?

"Anytime," Kunzite replied just as sincerely. "If that is something you enjoy and would like to pursue, I'd be happy to let you borrow it whenever you wish."

Izou glowed in response. How wonderful was it, to have a friend who supported his interests so genuinely.

As the trees thickened, Kunzite couldn't help but feel something was amiss. It had been a gradual sensation, but as they walked deeper and deeper into the park, it began to grow stronger and stronger. A sense of familiarity, as if he had seen this park this before. But as far he could tell, he never stepped foot on its grass once.

Up ahead, they caught sight of Kuroi coming on the other side of the path. He was dressed in all white, but most of it was roughed with dirt. He had started to wave, but upon catching sight of Kunzite, his hand stopped, and his smile disappeared.

Kunzite, however, was too distracted by this sensation of deja vu that he kept looking around him. The sun had sunk now, and the park was growing bluer and bluer. He could've sworn he had seen this place once…

Suddenly he heard Izou gasp sharply, ad his head snapped over. Izou was tight, his body clenching as he took a each step.

"Izou? What's the matter?"

Izou winced. "Nothing, just...suddenly I'm a bit...nau-.."

But before Izou could even finish his sentence, he stumbled to his knees. Kunzite darted to catch him, but as soon as did, he was struck with a sudden spark of recognition.

In the distance, Kuroi caught sight of this and launched into a run.

"Izou!"

As Kunzite continued to hold onto Izou's arms, he turned to survey their surroundings. Tall, dark trees. Soft, blue-green grass. Three youma , he remembered Zoisite showing him. Three youma in a park, one that threw seeds that exploded, another that threw shockwaves, and the third -

Izou had slid from his arms, and was on his knees now completely. He was doubled over, clutching his head in front of a thick oak tree.

"What ...why...?"

Kunzite's eyes came to rest on the thick oak tree, and the grass before it. He remembered how it had been stained with blood. Shining, murky green blood and that glimmered so viscerally, even in the projection Zoisite had showed him.

Nephrite's blood.

Kunzite took a step back, realizing what he need to do, too late. Coming to his senses, he went to pick Izou up, but Kuroi had now arrived by his side.

"Izou!"

"We have to get him out of here," was all Kunzite could think to say. This whole park was a trigger point, and Izou was starting to hyperventilate.

"Well obviously," Kuroi retorted, as he held both Izou's shoulders firmly. "Izou-chan, hang in there. I've got you."

Before Kunzite could protest, Kuroi had gathered Izou up and hoisted him over his back. As Izou clung to him, whimpering and groaning, Kuroi looked to Kunzite like he was insane.

"Aren't you an officer? Go call for help!"

Kunzite snapped back to his senses and turned immediately.

"You head for the entrance," he told Kuroi, "I'll have the car here by that time."

He was about to bolt off when he heard Izou whimper again, this time, something familiar.

"Kun...zite-...sama…"

Hearing his name, Kunzite froze. But Kuroi hadn't caught what Izou had rasped out, and still had enough sense to keep them both on task.

"Saitou! Get the car!"

Realizing the more important matter at hand, Kunzite shook his head clear, and both men hastened for the entrance.