His hijacked shadow had been returned to him, and Jadeite felt a lot better for it, as though it kept him anchored to reason and prevented him from experiencing his frequent bouts of panic and paranoia. However, this didn't keep him from being extremely agitated at his new roommate. He hadn't been there for ten minutes before Kunzite took over the entire flat, cranking the thermostat down as low as it could go and claiming the master bedroom – no, Jadeite's room – as his own. And the little blond had had enough.

"No!" he cried, using his arms to block the much bigger man from entering the commandeered bedroom. "You're either going to turn up the heat, or I'm keeping the room!"

"You don't have any authority to say that," Kunzite growled as he plowed through the smaller man and flopped upon the large, spacious bed.

"Of course I do, I paid for the place!" Jadeite screamed, flinging himself at the icy man and futilely clawing at his leg.

"Think, Jadeite," the older man yawned, effectively ignoring the wrathful teen. "I can't possibly have another room. Where would Zoisite sleep?"

"In the garbage disposal where he belongs," Jadeite drawled, and in the next moment, he found himself flung across the room with a severely bloody nose after a swift and strong boot to the head. "Well fine!" he cried, shooting up from the pile of splintered wood that used to be a dresser, blood running like a river from his nose on to the floor. "Keep it, I don't care! But the heat is going on!"

Jadeite dashed from the room, laughing maniacally, and Kunzite just sighed heavily, rolled his eyes, and sluggishly removed himself from the bed, slowly dragging his feet after his crazed companion.

Suddenly, a dull hum began in the flat, followed by a triumphant, insane cry of victory, and a light, warm breeze drifted across the displeased face of Kunzite; the thermostat had been turned up.

With a growl of annoyance, kunzite approached Jadeite and shoved him aside, his strong, large hand twisting the little knob on the wall all the way down once again, and with a flick of his powerful wrist, removed the device from the wall, the little blond screaming in anguish as his method of controlling the climate was forcibly removed, and the gentle warm breeze once again became frigid and cold.

"You!" Jadeite screamed, thrusting his finger against the other man's chest. "You're ruining my life!"

"You're ruining your own life, fool," Kunzite sneered, thrusting the broken knob into his pocket. "Just as you did before."

"Oh, and you didn't? That why you were sitting around in the ruins of our kingdom, all desperate and alone?"

"You shut up. You don't even know what happened," Kunzite snapped. "At least I'm not chasing the foolish dream of being human. Nephrite did just that and it got him killed."

"I'm sick of being a monster like you! At least humans have feelings, at least they have the ability to feel love, unlike you!"

In a fraction of a second, Jadeite was lifted off the ground and slammed against the wall, Kunzite's dark, powerful hands wrapped around the blonde's slender neck, the pale eyes suddenly bright and aflame with unbridled rage. The teen struggled, kicking his legs and his slender hands attempting to pry off the large hands from his neck to no avail.

"Don't you ever – Ever – say that again," he whispered, his voice dangerous and deep, and Jadeite did his very best to attempt to breathe. "I may not be human, but I loved Zoisite, and only someone with no heart to begin with could even think that we are incapable of love as we are."

Jadeite's movements began to slow, and his clawing became weak and feeble as his chest trembled erratically as he gasped for air he could not get. Kunzite's hands tightened further still. "You're a fool. You may become human, Jadeite, but being human won't give you the heart and feelings you lack. You'll be just as empty as you are now…"

"If this racket keeps up, I'll kill you both."

He felt a sudden squeeze in his heart, and Kunzite dropped the smaller general, struggling as his shadow rose from the ground, taking the form of their master. "I am displeased with you, Kunzite. I retrieved you so that I may have a larger force, not a replacement for my most excellent general Jadeite."

"You are too kind…" Jadeite wheezed softly, lacking the strength to lift himself from his pile on the floor.

"We are to work together if we are to be successful. I chose you because I assumed familiarity would allow you to be a team more quickly. Remember," the shadow drawled, "Zoisite's life depends on it."

"Yes, my lord," the white haired man said, his hand laid over his heart and his head bowed.

"Excellent. I am sure you can make peace with Jadeite."

"I will do my best, my lord…" Kunzite growled, glaring at the coughing man as he wiped blood from his nose.

"And Jadeite?" the shadow asked, and the blond perked up. "If you antagonize Kunzite over Zoisite again, I'll kill you myself."

All the color drained from the young general's face, fearfully nodding as he gently rubbed at his bruised neck.

"Very good, now let's all sit down. We have much to discuss," he said, floating just above one of the armchairs.

The two generals eyed each other warily. "What is it you will have us do?" Kunzite asked, and the red eyed man smirked, his expression proud and not a little devious.

"For now, you two are going to defend the Dark Crystal. I have located our enemy's base, and while I survey their position, I need assurance that the crystal is safe and untouched."

"If we have the crystal," Kunzite growled, "then why are we even here? We can bring Zoisite back now, so what are we waiting for?"

"It's not that simple."

"Why not!" he cried, rage burning in his eyes, and the shadow just laughed.

"Do you know how the Silver Crystal works?" the shadow asked, and Kunzite's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Don't change the subject!" the suddenly dangerous man snarled, and Jadeite scooted away from his comrade.

"Don't insult me, I am not changing the subject," the red eyed creature said softly, and Kunzite suddenly fell silent and complacent; their dark companion suddenly seemed much more dangerous than either of the generals. "The two are directly related, and considering how your existence has been dedicated to finding it, I think it serves as a fair comparison to the Dark Crystal."

Glaring at him warily, Kunzite nodded his assent. "Go on."

"All the crystals that exist, seven in total, lay within the body of the one that possess it," the man started, and the white haired general nodded.

"When we found the Silver Crystal, it had been inside Sailor Moon the whole time," Kunzite growled, crossing his arms and clearly bitter about the whole event. The shadow sneered.

"The royal family of the Moon Kingdom was specially bred to be perfectly in sync with it. The entire history of that lineage has been in possession of it, and that's due partly to their energy signatures being nearly identical to that of the Silver Crystal."

"Because nobody has successfully taken it away," Kunzite muttered bitterly, and the shadow grinned broadly.

"That, my dear general, has nothing to do with it." This visibly caught the icy man's attention, and he uncrossed his arms, leaning in and listening intently. "It is because of this synchronization that the Silver Crystal cannot be touched by a being that is not of the Moon lineage."

"Wait, wait, wait," Kunzite interrupted, eyes bright with a burning anger that lay just under his skin. "My kingdom's entire purpose was to get this crystal and you're trying to tell me that it was absolutely and entirely futile?"

"Yes, that's correct. Even if you managed to get it, it would be no more use to you than any rock upon the ground, albeit a bit prettier." The shadow smirked, red eyes narrowing in hostility and resentment. "Only, and only the Moon lineage can use the Silver Crystal."

"I…I dedicated my life to searching for it," Kunzite said, his voice choking with emotion. "Zoisite died for that crystal, and you're telling me that it was all in vain? That Zoisite died for nothing?"

"Yes," was the cold, distant response, and Kunzite's shoulders slumped in defeat. "But let's be honest here. Zoisite's death was in vain when your kingdom failed, not because the Silver Crystal is untouchable."

"Everything we fought for was meaningless!" Kunzite cried, and the shadow looked at him contemptuously.

"Oh, get over it! It does not matter the reasons since your kingdom failed. Everything you fought for was futile, it's true. But it's because you failed. Nothing else matters in the face of failure, not goals, not motive, not anything."

"We were doomed for failure from the start!" Kunzite shouted, losing the cool demeanor that he so usually possessed. "If it weren't for that, we could have succeeded!"

"So what," he snarled, glaring at the petulant man. "It doesn't matter why. You couldn't even get the crystal anyway, so none of this matters. You failed."

The room was tense as the two powers glared dangerously at each other, and it was only then that Jadeite quietly piped in, "Why does some stupid rock have a power output to begin with. I thought only living creatures could have an energy signature."

That immediately eased the tension, as the shadow looked at Jadeite, and Kunzite's shoulders slumped in defeat. "The Silver Crystal, like the others, is a sentient being of limitless power."

"It's…alive?" Jadeite asked, and the shadow merely nodded. "So why does it rest in a human's body?"

"The crystals attach themselves to the host's soul," he said softly. "By doing so, the holder gets the power that the crystal possesses, and in effect, the crystal becomes a living being."

"So…that would mean-"

"It is just as you suspect," he said quickly, cutting the young blond off. "In effect, Sailor Moon is the Silver Crystal. Their energies are identical, and they are forever bound to each other. By its own will, the Silver Crystal cannot be used by anyone but the Moon lineage." He paused to survey his two servants, waiting for any questions that they might have. When none came, he continued. "The Dark Crystal does not function that way. While it too is sentient, it allows itself to attach itself to the soul of anyone who touches it."

"We know where it is, right?" Kunzite said, eyes narrowed indignantly. "So I ask again: why can't we use it now to bring Zoisite back?"

"That," he said, "is where it gets complicated. The Dark Crystal does not discriminate who it will take hold of. But because of this, it tears apart its holder when it's used. Use of the crystal activates its powerful energy signature, and since it is out of sync with the one who uses it, the crystal tears apart the soul it's attached to."

"Why?" Kunzite asked. "Why does this happen?"

"They are two conflicting energies, and when used, they come in conflict." The man shrugged. "It's like trying to fit something that does not belong into an electric socket. You may be able to fit it in, and you will get power out of it in the process, but it is inevitable that one will destroy the other." The red eyes narrowed, focusing on the horrified generals, and he chuckled softly, arms crossed and finger slowly tapping against his arm. "The Dark Crystal will always, always be stronger, and the longer it is used, the more their soul is ripped apart. When the soul is completely destroyed, the crystal takes over the body completely. Eventually, even the power of the Dark Crystal becomes too much for the body and even rips that to pieces."

"So this is all futile," Kunzite whispered. "The Dark Crystal is a stone of death."

The shadow merely grinned. "For most." Looking over his generals, he quietly drawled. "An energy signature identical to the Dark Crystal is immune to these effects and can use it freely. Just as Sailor Moon can use the Silver Crystal."

"And…you can do this?" Kunzite asked softly. The red eyed man nodded.

"I can. I am one of only a handful." His eyes narrowed in sudden irritation, a sense of urgency underlying his mannerisms. "However, the one who now holds it is not one of these. He has not even used it, and it's very presence in his body is beginning to take its toll. We need to act quickly if the crystal is to be safely recovered."

"And what then?" the white haired man scoffed. "You have no body to speak of, and we obviously can't touch the damn thing or you would have had us take it already."

"We are looking for my body currently. Don't worry, we will have it soon. For now, what we must do is focus our forces on making sure the boy is safe and keeping our enemy from the senshi. We cannot have them knowing what he holds. You, Kunzite, for now, will make certain that they keep away from our little friend."

"I can do that."

"Did you tell him they've got a demon?" Jadeite drawled, and Kunzite looked at the smaller man, slight interest in his pale eyes.

"They've got a demon," the shadow repeated. "Think you can handle it?'

He shrugged. "Sure. Not like I'm just some human. I can take a demon on."

"Jadeite, you keep an eye on our boy for now. We need to keep him absolutely safe until we know what assets our enemy has. We don't want them killing him before we have the crystal in our possession."

Jadeite felt his heart sink, and very quickly, in a shaky, mortified voice, he whimpered, "What will happen to him?"

This time, the red eye widened in shock. "What?"

"I…I can't just do this without knowing what's going to happen."

"And why is that, Jadeite? What about this makes you compelled to grow a heart and a sense of morality now?

"I don't know, okay!" He took in a sharp, quick breath and it his lower lip. "What are we going to do once we have it? And that boy, what's going t happen to him?"

"Why do you care?" Kunzite said coldly, glaring at him.

"The boy is dead, regardless of what we do. In the hands of the enemy, he will be sacrificed. In the hands of the senshi, time will rend his soul into nothing."

"And what about us?" Jadeite asked. "Do we have to kill him?"

"Since when do you care about people?" Kunzite scoffed, and the shadow simply glared at him. "You don't need the crystal to become human. You practically are one already."

"If we can retrieve my body first," the shadow drawled smoothly, "then perhaps we can save him. It all depends on how far his soul has degenerated."

Jadeite seemed pleased with this. "And after we get it?"

The shadow shrugged. "I will repay you for your services in the manner you wish. What I do after that is my own business."

"Alright," the blond said, drawing himself up. "I can do what you asked."

"Excellent." With that, he unhanded Kunzite's shadow and returned back into the mirror, once again appearing as a cloaked man, not a mere shadow of something that could have been human. "I am going to our enemy's base to see what we're up against. You two go keep our boy safe. And don't forget," he said swiftly. "At all costs, stay out of sight of the senshi. We are at a disadvantage as it is, since they know and recognize you as enemies. They will be much more likely to attack you and ally themselves with our opponents, and if that happens, quite frankly, we're hosed."

"We will be sure we're not seen," Jadeite said, his fears and doubts washed away as his loyal and ruthless self as he forgot about his desires to be human.

"And if our enemies happen to attack?" Kunzite asked, and the hooded man pondered this for a minute.

"Step in and defend him," he said carefully. "Perhaps a show of defense for a defenseless human will sway the senshi to not fight against us."

"It is a good plan," Kunzite said, pleased with the arrangement.

"Are we ready then?" The two generals nodded, both seeming as lively as they had been years before, and the cloaked man grinned. "Good. Let's go."