The feeling of a blade against the neck was not pleasant. The Teacher knew this. It was why he made sure Kunzite could feel the sword's edge so close to slicing open the vein and ending his life. It was something never to be forgotten.
"Can anyone tell me how I was able to defeat him?"
Jadeite, Zoisite and Nephrite looked on speechlessly. Kunzite was the best of them, and the Teacher had disposed of him as though he was a mere child. Perhaps that was not far from the case. The boys were only sixteen, barely more than children.
The Teacher let go of Kunzite, who fell unceremoniously to the dirt. His stance was once again relaxed, and he was indeed The Teacher again, rather than a warrior.
"I won this match because I wanted to win. Kunzite did not want to win. He wanted not to lose."
He looked at the three standing pupils, each of whom seemed to wither a bit under his scrutiny.
"You are the Shitennou; the chosen ones, sworn to protect this kingdom and the Prince. The swords you carry are not children's toys. They are weapons, meant to kill."
He helped Kunzite to his feet before continuing.
"The blows you struck were child's play, meant to disarm and deflect. And those are fine. But if you are to be a guardian of this kingdom, you must learn the next lesson. And that is to kill."
The eyes of each boy widened at that pronouncement.
"You have learned your lessons well. You can wield the blade well enough to fight a civilized duel. But you will fight very few of those. The enemies that threaten this kingdom do not fight honorably, and will not be content to hear you say you yield if they disarm you, nor will they yield if you disarm them. They will fight tooth and nail to their last breath to tear down all that we have built. Your resolve must be greater."
The teacher handed Kunzite the sword he had so deftly disarmed him of.
"As long as you hold this blade, you must be willing to fight to your last breath. You must not take half measures or do what is merely adequate."
His hand came heavily down on Kunzite's shoulder.
"You must not fail."
The battle was going well. The outer defenses were breached, and the armies were starting to march on the Moon Palace itself. Kunzite had promised Beryl that he would not fail, and he was a man of his word.
He knew it was important for him not to fail. It was his sworn duty. He did not know much, but he knew duty came before all else. Earth came first. And today, once and for all, they would be rid of the arrogant Moon Kingdom. That was his purpose, his duty, and he would not fail.
He knew that there was one last obstacle, but it was minor.
Her head was so filled with thoughts of love that she would be no match for him. She blushed at the slightest attention, and she was never serious enough to focus on the task at hand.
Sailor Venus might have been the leader of Princess Serenity's Senshi, but he knew she would be no match for him. He was the mightiest warrior Earth had ever known, and he would defeat this girl. She was nothing.
The first clash of blades told him everything he needed to know. She was not fighting to win. She was merely trying to occupy him, always holding back from inflicting any real harm. It was as though she was trying to spare him. She was a fool. Kunzite fought with no inhibitions. She was in his way, and if she persisted, he would kill her. It was that simple.
The duel was fierce. In spite of her unwillingness to do him harm, the girl was proving to be a more troublesome opponent than he'd anticipated. But Kunzite knew he could not afford any further distractions with this girl. At the moment she became vulnerable, he trust his sword into her unprotected stomach.
Her eyes widened for a moment before filling with tears. Kunzite smirked. The foolish girl had not been prepared for battle. He withdrew the blade and prepared to move on, but felt something pulling at him. He looked down to his sword arm to see a chain wrapped around his wrist.
Pathetic. The girl had not given up. She did not realize she had already lost. He started to shake the chain loose when he suddenly felt the other end of the chain wrap itself around his neck. It was his eyes now that widened in shock as the chain sliced his neck.
As he felt his life slipping away, something else began to tug at the corner of his mind. It was as though a heavy fog was lifting from him. Slowly, awareness seeped in as he took in the girl who was now leaning against him, her life also slipping away.
The chain had severed his vocal chords, so he could not say anything, and he began to slowly comprehend all that needed to be said.
He had failed.
"Kunzite."
The voice was very faint. It was strong enough to reach the spirit world, but only just.
"Kunzite."
It was a familiar voice, one that he trusted, and one that moved him.
"Kunzite."
It was not merely calling. It was almost pleading. Kunzite wasn't sure his heart had survived two lifetimes of betrayal, but something inside him was compelled to follow this command.
"Kunzite."
The voice grew in intensity, and slowly, he emerged from his slumber to obey.
Suddenly, it was as though a great wind had a hold of him and was blowing him forward into something he could not see. Each passing moment made him feel different, more solid, more real. Gradually, he became aware that he had a body, and it was able to move.
And just as suddenly, he felt ground beneath his feet and power in his hands. But what had his attention above all else were the piercing blue eyes of his liege.
"Kunzite."
"My Lord?"
"I need you. Do not fail me."
His master's call had redeemed him. Once again, he held an honored place as leader of His Majesty's Shitennou. He had honor, respect and loyalty.
Still, deep down, Kunzite felt like a failure. Twice he had fought for the forces of darkness. Once, he had destroyed a civilization. Twice he had fought the woman he loved. Once he had killed her. Twice, she had killed him. Twice he had broken his oath. Twice, he had been given a second chance. Twice, he had lost his heart.
Things were changing, he knew. There was an understanding of sorts between him and Venus. And something within him was changing as well. Perhaps it was just time, perhaps it was Endymion's improving health, but something was changing. His brothers felt it, and he felt it too.
And so, he sought her out. There was still so much unresolved between them, so much felt, so much still to say. There was no blade at his neck, no horrible witch intent on destroying the world, but he still found it hard to speak to her. In the end, he decided he should keep it as simple as possible.
"I'm sorry. I failed."
She smiled sadly at him and put a hand to his cheek.
"It's okay, I forgive you. You won't fail this time. I know it."
He wanted to believe her. "How do you know."
Her smile brightened inexplicably. It was contagious.
"I just do. Here, I'll show you."
And with that, she pulled him down for a kiss. Timid and gentle at first, but slowly giving way to more passion an ardor, the likes of which Kunzite had yet to feel in this lifetime. Something inside of him was responding to her, and he knew she was right.
This time, he would not fail.