Zoisite sat at his piano, as usual, but he wasn't playing. Kunzite had slammed the lid shut on the keyboard. He just sat there, listening to Kunzite rant. He had seen Kunzite angry before, angry at the tiny senshi that always managed to get the better of him, angry at the princess, angry at Beryl, angry at Endymion, but never like this.
After a bit, Kunzite stopped for a breath. It seemed that he had run out of ways to insult Zoisite's intelligence. It had been interesting to listen to his tirade though, Zoisite couldn't help but think. He felt oddly detached from the situation.
"Tell me again what happened," Kunzite ordered suddenly.
"The master was dying because of Beryl's curse," Zoisite said for the third time, "I had to do something, so I went to see her." He looked up at the taller Shitennou, "I have to protect him. She would not agree to remove the curse, but she did agree to-"
"Transfer the curse to you," Kunzite finished. He stopped to control his temper. It wasn't easy. "Was the curse transferred exactly? Your life fades when you think of the moon princess?"
"Not... exactly..." Zoisite admitted slowly.
"What then?" Kunzite demanded. When Zoisite did not answer, he grabbed the other man's shoulders and shook him a bit, "Tell me!"
*~*~*~*~*
The two curses on Zoisite were battling it out right before Kunzite's eyes. Zoisite's body glowed white, and then violet, and then white, and then violet again. The white haired Shitennou was unconscious now, courtesy of an expertly placed blow to the head. It would be less painful for him that way.
One curse was slowly killing him. The other would not let him die.
Beryl had kept her word. She had removed the curse from Endymion. Kunzite had convinced Zoisite not to tell the prince this - and for several days all had been quiet. Even Metallia had been unusually calm.
The senshi had been quiet as well - Kunzite's energy collecting had gone unnoticed. Then again, he always prided himself on being smarter than Jadeite and Nephrite. No one noticed when the crowd at a show felt a bit drained after an exciting performance.
It was almost insulting how easy it was to slip into the back row of an Aino Minako concert and siphon energy off the crowd. No one noticed him. He collected the energy in small crystals - by now he had a whole jewelry box full.
A groan from Zoisite brought Kunzite back from his musings. The leader of the Shitennou sighed and took a glowing crystal out of the box, folding it into Zoisite's hand.
The crystal glowed brightly for a moment, and then dulled as Zoisite absorbed the energy from the crystal. The Shitennou stopped glowing and settled down, much to Kunzite's relief.
Some how, it seemed that Endymion was linked to the moon princess. He always knew when she was in trouble and this morning, he had hurried off to her aid. Five minutes later, Zoisite collapsed.
Usagi's trouble this time was more of the mundane variety this time, but Mamoru's protective instinct still took over.
A young man in Usagi's grade was attempting to sit next to her in the ice cream parlor. If Rei or Makoto had been with her, they would have made short work of the flirt, but she was alone, and she was not pleased with the attention.
Mamoru slipped into the ice cream parlor and stated her name.
She looked up and a grin spread across her face, "Mamoru!"
"I'm sorry that I am late," he said, walking over to the counter and inserting himself between her and her would-be-suitor.
After ice creams had been ordered, received and eaten, a rare serious look crossed Usagi's face. "But what about the curse?" she asked softly.
Mamoru blinked. He hadn't really thought about it, but by now he should have been feeling the effects. And yet... he felt nothing. "I feel... fine," he almost sounded puzzled by that.
"You aren't lying to me, are you?" she asked.
He shook his head. "I feel fine."
A grin crossed her face and she cheered, getting some odd looks from the other patrons.
"I'm not free yet," he cautioned her.
"I know," Usagi said, a bit wistfully, "But you have to take care of the Shitennou - even if they are our enemies now, they were your friends before."
*~*~*~*~*
Mamoru spent the afternoon with Usagi without feeling any ill effects. Beryl must have removed the curse after all.
Upon returning to the Dark Kingdom, a firm blow across the back of his shoulders sent him sprawling. He scrambled to his feet and turned to face his attacker, who for once was not armed with sword.
"Kunzite."
"Master," he replied ironically, "Where have you been all day?"
"I had some business to take care of," Mamoru responded evenly.
"With the princess."
"With Usagi," Mamoru corrected.
"Now that you have returned, I have something to show you," Kunzite said, "Come with me."
Mamoru was hesitant, but followed Kunzite further into the Dark Kingdom. He relaxed somewhat when he realized they were going to Zoisite's music room. However, all was silent, the piano sat there, unoccupied. Kunzite led him through another door that the prince had never noticed before.
The door opened onto a sparsely furnished bedchamber, the large bed in the center was covered with the white form of a man.
Mamoru gasped, "Zoisite!" he rushed over to the bed and then looked accusingly at Kunzite, "What happened?"
Kunzite leaned back against the wall. "How were you feeling when you were with the princess?"
"With Usagi," Mamoru corrected automatically, "I felt fine, actually."
"Didn't that surprise you?" Kunzite asked.
"At first," the prince admitted, "But Beryl has relented on the curse before."
"And tell me, what would happen to you after spending time with the princess?" Kunzite continued, as though Mamoru had not spoken.
Mamoru looked to the bed again as Zoisite groaned. Kunzite could have blessed the white haired Shitennou for his timing.
"He would do anything to protect you," Kunzite said, "Although for the life of me, I cannot understand why. He made a deal with Beryl-sama."
*~*~*~*~*