Zoisite sealed off the chamber that they were in, sat on the floor and brought out the silk wrapped Crystal from a pocket in his robes. This chamber happened to be the tomb where Ruby's coffin was laid.

"Nii-san, are you really going to stay in this tomb for the rest of your life?" Kunzite asked, tracing patterns into the floor. "Why?"

Zoisite played with the Crystal, letting it roll from one hand to another, not caring if the heat made his skin blister. Kunzite wondered why his teacher wanted to torture himself like that, when he knew full well that his powers were founded in anything and everything cold. The heat from the Crystal would affect him only as much as any ordinary person since his magic was more mind-orientated.

"There is one reason," Zoisite murmured to himself, looking at a spot under his sleeve. Then in a slightly louder voice, he said, "I-I-I don't know." Kunzite thought he sounded very small and lost, and he remembered belatedly that his nii-san had spent his whole life in this place. Perhaps he didn't know what the outside world was like.

"I suppose it doesn't matter anymore," Kunzite said, inching closer to his teacher to give the much needed support. "You did say that there is only one entrance to this Dark Kingdom."

"That is what my teacher told me." Zoisite stood up and paced over to Ruby's coffin. "Are you afraid to die, Kunsaito?"

Kunzite shook his head resolutely. "No. but I wouldn't want to die if I could help it." He walked over to his nii-san's side, just as the opposite wall blasted inwards.

"If there isn't another way to get out, I'll kill the both of you!" Nephrite shouted, bursting in with his disciple, hands glowing with pent up energy.

"There isn't," Zoisite assured him even as the auburn haired man stepped menacingly towards them. Nephrite felt something poking at his sole in the otherwise smooth floor, and suddenly, the floor beneath Zoisite and Kunzite gave way, and like some macabre amusement park ride, teacher and disciple found themselves sliding down a very dark tunnel.

Kunzite made a tiny mage-light to see where they were going, and before they knew it, they landed in water. Kunzite coughed and floundered as the force of impact knocked all the air from his lungs. He felt a pair of hands supporting him, then propelling him upwards. As always, his teacher's strength took him by surprise.

Their heads broke the surface of the water, and Kunzite took over, towing his nii-san to the edge of the lake.

"Let's go," Kunzite urged, pushing down the urge to translocate away. They hadn't escaped from the Dark Kingdom only to have Nephrite track them by their translocation trail. He grabbed hold of Zoisite and ran towards the forest nearby.

Kunzite crouched down as close to the fire as he could get without burning his clothes. There was an abandoned hut in the middle of the forest that Zoisite and Kunzite called it their home now, both of them unwilling to go back to the ruins that they left behind recently. Nothing had changed much – Zoisite still spent most of his time instructing Kunzite on the finer points of sword play or magic.

"Nii-san, aren't you cold?" he called out to his teacher, who was standing some distance away. Even if Zoisite gained energy from the cold, it was a *very* cold night.

"No, I'm alright. Tonight's a good night to try the Silver Crystal again."

Kunzite made a face. "Tonight?"

"There shouldn't be anybody walking around to disturb us on such a cold night."

Kunzite saw the sense in what his teacher said, so he snuffed out the fire and followed Zoisite to an even patch of grass some distance away.

Mamoru cursed himself for forgetting his cloak on such a cold night, but he was too far away from the temple to bother going back. His thoughts strayed back to that golden haired lady he'd seen, and he dreamily wondered if he would see her again. It was so boring back at the temple, seeing the senshi instruct their students in magic and swordplay, and they were so…monotonous! Not even a change in the time they ate breakfast. And now, they were probably having their last practice session of the day. All the senshis would have his head when they realised he played truant.

Mamoru wandered on, inhaling the sweet smell of the night blooms.

:Damn!: Kunzite thought. :Why must people always disturb us when we're practising and not when we're eating or something? And nii-san can't sense anything.: He remembered the last time he broke trance, it ended with disastrous results. :If I wait a little while longer, perhaps that idiot will do us a favour by freezing to death.:

That was mere wishful thinking. Kunzite knew that if he didn't do anything, that clumsy unwanted visitor would fall on his nose before them judging by the way he was stumbling around and cursing any root that was in his path. He glanced over at his nii-san and decided to take that little risk. If he didn't force his nii-san out of trance, perhaps nothing would happen. He rose quickly and stalked out to find the oaf responsible for all the noise.

In the depths of his trance, Zoisite did sense something. The 'yang' was missing, and the Crystal was beginning to rebel against his control. He tried to force it into quiescence, but was unsuccessful, and this time, the Crystal was the one that pushed him out of his trance.

"Kunsaito…" Zoisite coughed weakly, feeling something warm trickle down the side of his mouth. "Kunsaito…" He collapsed in a heap.

Mamoru heard a noise that wasn't caused by him. For a moment, he thought he was hallucinating, and his fantasizing was causing his head to go nuts, but the noise came a second time, fainter. It was a name.

:Is my luck *that* good?: he wondered to himself, hurrying forward, and caught sight of the slender figure as it toppled.

Mamoru reached forward with trembling hands to brush back the flowing locks of gold. She was just as beautiful as the last time he saw her, maybe even more so in her vulnerable state. Then he realized something. He'd mistaken him for a 'her'.

Mamoru blushed hotly, but that newly discovered fact did nothing to change his feelings. He hugged him once, planted a kiss on the slightly parted lips and raging hormones took over completely. A guilty conscience kicked in way *too* late. Hastily releasing the blond, he scuttled back, dressed, and hooked the neatly folded robes at the side, covering him with it. And then, like a coward, he ran.

Kunzite sprang out of the bush, startling Mamoru so much he nearly crashed sideways into a tree. "So it's you again. What do you want this time?"

Mamoru glanced around quickly to ascertain that his clothes weren't untidy and that he was on the forest path, and drew himself up to his full height which fell, half an inch or so, short of Kunzite. "Can't a person even go for a walk? This forest doesn't belong to you after all," he retorted belligerently.

Kunzite thumbed his nose. "This is where my teacher and I practise every day. If I ever catch you here again…"

Mamoru didn't answer, but hurried away, glad that the night was dark enough to hide his flushing cheeks. On the way to the temple, he ran into Mercury.

"You are a disgrace to the Order," she told him acerbically, looking him up and down. "Don't think I don't know what you were doing! You stink of it to all the planets!"

"Don't tell my parents, please!" Mamoru begged, going down on his knees. "It was a moment of folly!"

Mercury glared at him. "We shall see about that. From now on, you are grounded, do you understand? We can decide what to do with you later on." She turned and swept off, Mamoru following her like a little dog, just glad that she wasn't going to advertise his act to the entire world.

Zoisite blinked groggily as his mind cleared, and he gasped as a sharp pain went through him. Strange, he didn't recall wearing his clothes after the Crystal kicked him out. His sleeve was raked up, and as Zoisite pulled it down, he noticed something that nearly made his heart stop. The red spot was gone. Impossible. Zoisite stared at his arm not knowing what to do or say or even think. His confused thoughts milled around in his head. :Kunsaito….:

Kunzite bounded back into the clearing and found Zoisite waiting for him at the side of a tall tree fully clothed.

"Why did you do that?" he asked very quietly.

"The distraction was too great for me to ignore," Kunzite replied, wondering why his nii-san was asking. He thought it should've been obvious. Certainly it was the first time.

"What did I teach you? When you are in trance, clear your mind of everything, much less petty distractions!"

"But nii-san-"

Zoisite turned around to face him abruptly, his expression colder than usual. "Why are you still calling me 'nii-san' after what happened tonight?"

Kunzite was beginning to get very confused. "After what happened tonight? *What* happened tonight? Why can't I call you nii-san? That's who you'll always be to me! Nothing else!"

"Don't you love me?" Zoisite whispered, clenching his hands at his side.

"Nii-san, stop! What's happening? I don't-" :know what you're talking about,: he wanted to add but couldn't complete his sentence when Zoisite advanced one taut step towards him.

"I don't ever want to see you again! Get out of here!" Zoisite nearly shouted, breaking down completely for the first time in his life. Kunzite shook his head and tried to ask another question, but Zoisite snatched up Kunzite's sword and angled it towards his throat.

"If I ever see you again, I'll kill you!"

"Nii-san-"

"Get. Out. NOW."

Kunzite didn't move, and Zoisite ran, translocating midway. Kunzite ran and caught a few of the sakura blossoms in his palm. Was it his imagination or the play of moonlight that made the white petals faintly pink?

Kunzite wandered into the town with his clothes and a few pennies as his only possessions. It was two months since Zoisite had driven him away, and Kunzite had sworn to find his nii-san and ask what was wrong. Since he didn't find his nii-san back at the Dark Kingdom, Kunzite assumed that his teacher had gotten lost, and went on a cross country search for him.

He looked for an inn to have a taste of proper food after wandering in the wilds for so long, but the only inn in the town seemed to have a tiny problem – Kunzite was forced to duck the table that flew out from the inn. :What the hell is going on?:

The girl cried out in pain as the tiny star bursts of power struck her in the hand.

"Give me back my crystal," Nephrite warned, his patience running out. But then again, he never had an abundance of it before.

"NO! It's mine! I picked it off the floor!" the girl replied, ducking behind an already battered and splintered table.

Nephrite growled. "You insolent wrench! That is definitely mine. I dropped it," he corrected, unloosing another shower of power. "And I will kill you when I get my hands on you."

"This looks familiar. Back to bullying little kids again, Nephrite-sama?" Kunzite asked, taking the other man by surprise and knocking him to the side. The girl scuttled over to his side, clinging onto his arm as if he was a life line.

"This is none of your business, boy," Nephrite snapped. "Where's that teacher of yours?"

"You mean nii-san? Oh, he's held up back there for the moment. If you don't want to get into a fight with him, I suggest you go away before he comes. Besides, what are you bullying this girl for?"

Nephrite gritted his teeth. "She stole my crystal."

"Shame on you now! You can always get yourself a new crystal. Now please leave before my nii-san is forced into an open confrontation with you." Kunzite took the bewildered but grateful girl by the hand and led her away.

"Nephrite-sama! Are you really going to let them go?" Jadeite asked, running up to his teacher.

Nephrite smiled thinly. "That boy thought he could fool me. I'm more interested to see what he has up his sleeve, and why he and my junior have parted. Things could grow to be interesting. That crystal was merely a beginner's crystal. Nothing important has been lost. But perhaps I've learnt something about this boy."

The girl yanked her hand free of Kunzite and planted her hands on her hips. "Hold it! I haven't had time to thank you yet. Thank you for saving my life!"

Something nagged in Kunzite's mind, something about the way the girl stood and spoke. But he merely mumbled something. "I was just bored, and besides, Nephrite-sama is my senior. What are you doing with his crystal anyway?"

The girl snorted in a rather un-ladylike manner. "I picked it off the floor, honestly! But I'm being rude. My name's Aino Minako," she said brightly "What's yours?"

So this young sapling was that girl? No wonder she looked so familiar. He wondered if she would remember him.

"I'm Kunzite."

"Kunzite? That silver-haired boy who used to play with me?" Minako shrieked happily. "You've grown so much, I almost couldn't recognize you! You're so tall! How are you? Are you here on a holiday? My dad's got a villa somewhere in the North, and he's organizing a birthday party for me! I'll be 15 in five days' time! You MUST come and join in the celebrations!" She started to tow him away.

Kunzite wondered how he could ever have forgotten that Minako liked things going her way. Whether he wanted to or not, he was going to have to follow her home, or risk having his arm torn out by her impatience.

Zoisite regarded the stony walls of the Dark Kingdom with an equally stony expression. The place seemed so dead with only him in it. Even when he'd first been brought here, there was Beryl-sama and Ruby, and for a short while, Nephrite-sama. Now?

oisite wondered about his decision to continue staying in this half-destroyed place. He was so very young, and so very inexperienced when it came to matters of love. He didn't feel as cold as his ice crystals anymore, and neither could he survive on cold alone. With an astounding leap of intuition, Zoisite realized that this was due to the absence of his disciple, and decided to look for him. His loss of temper that night had taken both of them by surprise, especially himself since he thought he'd gotten rid of that part of himself. Besides, he *did* want to find out how Kunzite was getting along. Two whole months without news of him.

He took the roller coaster ride down to the lake, and discovered, with a hint of irritation, that his swimming wasn't as good as before.

He wasn't the only one on the wandering path, it seemed, for he banged straight into his senior.

"Junior, what a surprise to find you alone here," Nephrite opened, circling around his junior like a predator on a hunt.

Zoisite stepped back sharply. "What do you care, Nephrite-sama? Aren't you alone as well?"

"Jadeite is off on business for me. But you are different. Where's your disciple?"

Zoisite had no answer.

"Let me tell you where he was then. He was at a town with this young girl, and they were *so* close to each other," Nephrite drawled, purposely playing with his words. He watched his junior take another step back. Abruptly, he caught hold of Zoisite's wrist.

"What happened between the two of you?" he snapped. "What have you two been doing?"

"Just a second attempt to charge the Crystal," Zoisite replied, fighting very hard to keep his cool demeanor, but Nephrite read past his pretence anyway. He raked up Zoisite's sleeve. The red spot was gone. "What has he done to you?"

"Stop it," Zoisite shouted. "I don't want to hear anymore. *Nothing* happened." He wrenched his hand away, flinching as Nephrite's blunt questions dredged up unpleasant memories.

"Zoisite! Come back! Where are you going? Damn it! I just don't want you to get hurt!" Nephrite shouted after the rapidly retreating figure. He didn't think Zoisite caught the last bit, and he didn't think he wanted his junior to. He thought of memories of a time not so long ago and sighed. Speaking of juniors, Nephrite was going to teach that silver haired brat a lesson or two about respect.

Kunzite was really in no mood to face a whole crowd of people, much less top pugilists who'd gathered to debate on who was the crème de la crème. He thought of how his teacher would react in a situation like that, and tried to imitate the cool expression. His first attempt was apparently too transparent, for Minako boxed his arm.

"Stop that! Be your usual self, for goodness sakes! I don't want an ice block for my companion! What will my friends say?"

Kunzite nearly choked on the glass of wine he was sipping, the fact that it was his first taste of red wine did not help in the least.

"If you kill me, it won't reflect very well on yourself either," Kunzite retorted, then winced as she pounded on his back this time. Thankfully, a tall blond man came to the rescue.

"Minako! Where have you been? Do you know that your mother and I have been worried sleepless?"

Minako spread her hands in a display of innocence. "I've only been wandering here and there. Besides, I can take care of myself!"

Kunzite groaned to himself. :Amend that to 'I'm always going to her rescue'.:

Uncle Aino rolled his eyes. "Don't think you're so powerful with your current set of skills. You don't even practice half of the time. And who's this young chap?"

Minako giggled. "Can't you recognize him, dad? This is Kunzite! My former playmate! He must have taken leave from the Order to attend my birthday!"

Uncle Aino whistled. "You've certainly grown, my boy. How are you? Is everything fine back at the temple?"

Before Kunzite could even draw breath to lie through his teeth, a very familiar and *very* hated voice interrupted them.

"If it's not my student, Kunzite," Mercury drawled, Mamoru and the new senshis of Jupiter and Uranus following behind.

Kunzite gritted his teeth. "Who are you calling *your* student? I'll never acknowledge *you* or any of the others as my senior or peer."

Uncle Aino was predictably shocked and confused. "Kunzite, you mustn't be rude! Apologize to your teacher immediately!"

Mercury glared at Kunzite in contempt. "I wouldn't dream of calling myself his teacher!"

Uranus and Jupiter stared at each other, Mamoru looked everywhere except at the two squaring off, and the gathered guests turned curious eyes on their party.

"Surely there must be some mistake here," Uncle Aino soothed, then led the group into a separate room. "Now, what's the problem? I thought you were happy at the Order? You didn't send any word."

Kunzite nearly spat at the members of the Silver Millenium Order. "Blame it all on them! Bullying a small child!"

At the side, Uranus stepped back, folding her arms and waiting to see what her elder peer had to say. She remembered this boy, and that the contention was between him and the Inner Senshi. The Outer senshi rarely had anything to say to the Inners; in fact they were almost another Order altogether.

"Bullying? What do you mean?" Uncle Aino asked, brow creasing.

"You promised me that I would learn swordplay and magic from them, but when I went there, they taught me nothing! Not even the most basic foundation. And later they even ganged up against me to beat me!"

Mercury flushed with anger. "You little liar! How dare you claim not to have any knowledge of swordplay or magic? Aino Nataka, I will prove now that this brat is lying!" She flung a ball of energy at him, and Kunzite was feigned ignorance and was forced to duck clumsily out of the way. The bubble fog came next, and Kunzite let himself slip on the wet floor, and in what seemed like an out of control slide, went past Mercury, and he discreetly flicked his fingers, letting fly a few tiny but razor sharp ice crystals. They wouldn't be detected unlike a blast of energy. Mercury reflexively winced and slipped herself. At the side, Uranus rolled her eyes in disgust, and Mamoru and Jupiter gasped collectively.

The next two 'demonstrations' ended up with both Kunzite and Mercury on the floor, not to mention a few additional crystals studding the senshi's body.

Mercury got to her feet, ignoring Aino Tanaka's helping hand, and shot visual daggers at the silver haired boy who had outsmarted her. She stormed out of the room, the rest trailing her, with Tanaka calling after her in vain. He turned back to Kunzite, who was giving a credible performance of being injured, and offered him a hand up.

"I'm sorry that all these unpleasant things happened. Tomorrow's Minako's birthday celebrations and the day we decide which Order's the best. Won't you stay? I've yet to thank you for saving Minako's life properly." "I'm actually looking for someone-"

"What's a day or two? Your auntie and I want to know what you've been doing since you've left the Silver Millenium Order, and how you've been surviving."

Kunzite looked guiltily at them. "Actually, I do have some training."

"Oh?" Uncle Aino raised one eyebrow. "What's your teacher's name?"

"Zoisite-sama."

Mercury flopped down onto the chair fuming angrily. Mamoru sat opposite her. "What happened? How did he beat you?"

"Don't remind me of that," Mercury snarled, covering her face with her hands. "I'll drag him down if only to satisfy my spite."

"But doesn't the tenets of the Order tell us not to indulge in personal vendettas?"

"Don't act like a saint in front of me," Mercury retorted. "You've committed a worse crime against the Order than me. Imagine what will happen if I tell your father about that little *fracas* in the woods."

Mamoru stood up trembling. "You promised not to tell!"

"I did nothing of that sort. I said we shall *see*," Mercury returned. "It all boils down on how well behaved you are."

Mamoru struck the table blindly with his fists and then dashed out of the room to get as far as he could from his senior as possible. His mad run took him out of the inn they were staying in, since Mercury refused to stay under the same roof as Kunzite, and even the town itself. It wasn't a heavily fortified town, since the Aino's villa was but a day's journey away, and with so many pugilists travelling there at different times of the year, bandits generally gave the town a wide berth on their schedule. Mamoru slipped out of the town without challenge, and walked a few steps down the dusty Traders' Road before turning off and setting a rambling course for the sparse forest that was always present beside a town. Efforts of the country to create a 'green' environment. Once in the middle, or at least far away enough from the town, the black haired young man flung himself down on the grass, and began idly tracing a picture in the grass. Ever since that *incident*, every time Mamoru thought of his ethereal beauty, it was with a twinge of guilt, but he couldn't bring himself to forget 'her'. Call him an escapist, but it was easier to think of Zoisite as a girl. "And how could I have done such a stupid thing?" he yelled at himself.

The sound of a twig breaking caused him to cease making so much noise with a barely concealed start. He looked up from the grass and found the person he had been dreaming of standing a few feet away, what looked like a shiny object clutched in his hands.

Zoisite regarded the figure sprawled on the grass warily. Ever since he'd come down from the dark Kingdom, he'd been regarded as easy prey by all manners of bandits, and hence had developed the habit of creating an ice crystal as soon as he saw anybody, be it man or woman. Another little bit of his innocence had flaked off like ice shavings. But when the black haired person raised his head, Zoisite discovered that he wasn't a complete stranger after all.

"Lady Zoisite," Mamoru greeted hastily, rising to his feet. "What are you doing here?" His voice had all the nervousness of a puppy that was about to wet itself in a forbidden area.

Zoisite inclined his head, not in the least bothered by the error in his greeting, and regarded him with clear green eyes that didn't resemble mirrors as much as the first time he saw her. They were very slightly transparent, enough for him to read emotions in them.

"Have you seen Kunsaito?" he asked softly, not expecting an answer, or at least a negative shake of the head like all the replies he'd gotten so far.

Mamoru felt two pangs in him; one was remorse for separating teacher and disciple, the other was pure, unadulterated jealousy that Zoisite asked for Kunzite. But he answered truthfully anyway. "Yes, I've seen him. He is in the Aino Villa a day's walk away." And with those two simple sentences, Mamoru saw a look of joy flash across her icily beautiful face.

"Thank you."

Zoisite walked away feeling an even greater sense of urgency and purpose, and of course hope that he wasn't being led on a wild goose chase. He wanted to reach the villa as soon as possible and meet up again with Kunzite.

Mamoru drifted back to the inn feeling worse than ever, and of all things, Mercury had to be there, standing at the entrance to his room.

"I thought a walk would help to cool your head down a little. What happened to make it the contrary?"

Mamoru tried to push past her, but she refused to budge. "Oh ho!" she exclaimed when she saw the flush on Mamoru's face, starting from his ears. "Let me guess who walked by you just now."

"Shut up!" Mamoru shouted angrily, then slammed into his room, banging the door in her face. Mercury stood smirking outside.

Aino Nataka stood up amid all the cheers and waved his hands. "This is the twenty-first such meeting held in my villa. Thank you to all who've come to join in the celebrations. We gather today to decide who is the best of the best, and the winner shall go on to be the defenders of our country – Crystal Tokyo! Not only that, it is my daughter's fourteenth birthday today, a truly joyous occasion!" Everybody clapped, even a highly unimpressed Kunzite. He was boiling over with impatience to get going, not attend this!

Before everybody sat down in their seats to await the first display of might and magic, a new voice entered the room. "I shall personally take on the champion to ascertain whether they are truly capable of defending the country!"

All eyes turned onto a sweet faced young woman with an almost overly-confident air about her. She stepped into the room alone, and those who recognized her went down on one knee.

"Your highness," they murmured, and the rest immediately followed their colleagues example.

"Princess Serenity, welcome!" Nataka exclaimed, finding space for her in his table, in between himself and the leader of the Quanzhen Sect. Kunzite took the chance to study the heir to Crystal Tokyo's throne, and discovered that at close up, she wasn't so sweet-looking after all. Her cornflower blue eyes had a most disconcerting way of staring at you as if you'd committed the foulest act ever, and Kunzite guessed this was her way of intimidating people larger than her, since she was quite short. Kunzite tried to imitate his nii-san's cool gaze, and this time, attempt was better to judge by Princess Serenity's reaction – she was the first to look away.

"The challenge can be issued now!" the Princess announced, then leaned back in her chair to judge for herself.

Unsurprisingly, the first two groups that leapt out of their chair were sworn enemies with each other, and had been waiting for this chance where they could bash each other up legally. Before they could start however, somebody appeared at the doorway, peering doubtfully into the crowded room to look for one very distinct head.

"Zoisite-sama!" Kunzite shouted, slamming out of his chair to rush over and engulf the slight built man in a desperate, exuberant hug.

Kunzite moved back after a few moments, not sure if his nii-san would be embarrassed by this display of affection, but Zoisite beamed up at him, his wide smile highly uncharacteristic.

"Don't leave me again, nii-san," Kunzite begged. "You know that I love you."

Zoisite nodded. "So do I, Kunsaito."

"Hey! I don't care if you two are dying an inch per second, just get the hell out of here!" one of the irate pugilists swore at them, annoyed that he had to wait a few more seconds before pulping up the other party. Kunzite led Zoisite over to his seat at Uncle Aino's table.

"This is your teacher, Zoisite?" Auntie Aino asked, scrutinizing the delicate blond up and down. Opposite the table, Princess Serenity was doing the same thing, though unlike Auntie Aino, the Princess wasn't so skeptical over Zoisite's fighting abilities. After all, pugilists came in all shapes and sizes. At her parents' side, Minako squashed a pang of envy at Zoisite's obvious good looks.

"Welcome, Lady Zoisite. Kunzite was so afraid he would miss you while he attended the dinner here. Since you're both here, we can enjoy the display."

At the next table, Mercury plotted the foulest way to bring both teacher and disciple down.

Kunzite and Zoisite spent most of the night talking to each other, catching up on events, and totally ignoring the sparring matches going on around them. Kunzite was frankly uninterested in anything other than his nii-san, and Zoisite, being the leader of his Sect, wanted to have nothing to do with it.

Princess Serenity was now going all out against the senshi of Uranus, and all those present could sense that she was just barely staving off a humiliating defeat at the hands of this tall, young sandy-blonde. Energy bolts, darts, balls, daggers flew back and forth viciously, and occasionally, those watching had to duck to escape being decapitated. Princess Serenity's latest laser beam attack flew wide off it's mark and sent the chandelier in the ceiling above the Aino's table crashing down. Without even a change in posture, Kunzite reached out with his mind, caught hold of the chandelier in mid air and sent it flying out of the house. Mind magic was Kunzite's strong point.

"Hey! Can't you even spar without sending things crashing around?" Kunzite asked angrily. "That thing nearly injured my teacher!" Uranus stepped forward, ready to skin him with her tongue, but Princess Serenity held up one hand to restrain her.

"That was very fast, I must say," she praised. "Which Order do you belong to? I haven't seen you fight yet."

"The Dark Kingdom Sect."

The Princess smiled. "Why don't you come up and display what you've been taught?"

Kunzite looked at his nii-san for advice, and Zoisite stepped in. "My Sect is not interested."

Princess Serenity's smile grew crooked. "Surely you are not saying that you're not interested in defending the kingdom. You *do* live in Crystal Tokyo, don't you? Surely you *don't* want the barbarians to overrun our country, do you?"

Zoisite returned a level gaze, one which warned the Princess not to play the word game with him, and his steady stare made those present alter their perceptions of this slip of a 'girl'. "No, however the lack of interest in participating in this display of strength cannot be mistaken as a desire to see Crystal Tokyo conquered."

"But how can I choose the best party to join me in defending the country if people like you insist on not participating? You don't have to come up personally, all you have to do is ask your junior to demonstrate a few blows against the senshi here."

Kunzite jumped to his feet. "Zoisite-sama, let me go! I've a score to settle anyway." In unvoiced exasperation, Zoisite nodded, and handed Kunzite's sword over. As he did, he slipped the Silver Crystal into Kunzite's pocket. It was much cooler than before.

"It's already half-charged by our last two attempts and should protect you against one senshi for the moment," he whispered. Kunzite nodded.

The two opponents bowed in respect to each other, then started with a series of spells and moves designed to test the opposite party.

Princess Serenity watched the exchange, nodding at parts. The boy was good, both with the sword and with his magic. But if only he could maintain a straight face like his teacher – an enemy could read what his next move was from his eyes. She watched with interest as Uranus sent two energy balls at him, one after another, and on different sides. Kunzite took care of the first, but the second bigger and faster ball was going to test his training severely. Princess Serenity wasn't all that sure the boy could deflect it. She glanced over at Zoisite, who wasn't the least bit concerned that her disciple was about to be fried, and frowned. They must have devised a back up system – she'd seen the depth of emotion between them, and she knew that Zoisite would never let her student get injured.

As the ball crashed into Kunzite, white light blazed outwards, blinding everybody temporarily, and when they could see again, Kunzite was standing untouched in a charred circle.

"Fantastic!" the Princess exclaimed, rising to her feet to applaud the concluded round, and beside her husband, Auntie Aino had a thoughtful look on her face.

"I've been thinking about our daughter's future," she whispered in his ear, and Nataka looked over at her.

"You want to betroth Minako to Kunzite?"

"Why not? He's tall, dark, handsome, intelligent and he possess a high level of skill. He's a perfect match. Besides, our daughter is also smitten with him. And he saved her life *three* times! What other relationship would bind our two families closer than the bond of marriage?"

"You're right," Nataka whispered back. "Wait a moment more before I broach the subject to him."

"Are you sure you don't want to come back with me to the palace?" Princess Serenity asked the teacher and disciple sitting opposite her.

"I've told you once that we are not interested," Zoisite said, pride for his student's performance leaking into his cool expression.

Princess Serenity looked disappointed, and Nataka made use of this break in conversation to beckon Minako over to his side. The girl bounded over expectantly, and she caught her mother's side long glance at Kunzite. If she was thinking what her mother was thinking….

"Your highness, ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make. Kunzite, your Auntie and I have decided that you have indeed lived up to our expectations. We would like to betroth you to our daughter as a symbol of goodwill between our families and also as thanks for saving her life. But first we will have to ask permission from your teacher." Minako thought her heart was going to stop when she heard that, she was more than ecstatic.

Kunzite stared dumbfounded. They hadn't even consulted him, before playing matchmaker, and he turned fearful eyes on his teacher. At the next table, Mamoru experienced a surge of hope. If Kunzite was separated from Zoisite permanently, perhaps he had a chance?

"No." Just one simple word.

"No?" Nataka echoed with a puzzled expression, and Minako flushed with embarrassment.

"No," Zoisite repeated. "Kunsaito loves me, and I love Kunsaito. We will not allow anybody else to break our bond again."

Auntie Aino was flabbergasted. "Surely you don't mean him to remain single all his life! Our Minako is a splendid match for him!"

"We have each other. If you insist on formalities, I will marry Kunsaito." He looked up into Kunzite's eyes and smiled when he read the joy and love in them.

The female pugilists and mages, and even a few males, around started gossiping with each other.

"She's so skinny!"

"Damned shapeless too."

"Aino Minako is very pretty. She looks very sweet."

"True, but you have to admit Zoisite is very beautiful."

"Who cares about that? Hmm…how old is she anyway? She doesn't look older than her disciple."

"Can't be. She has to be older!"

"But it's just not done! A teacher cannot marry her disciple!" Auntie Aino protested.

Zoisite's forehead creased into a frown. Having lived in the Dark Kingdom almost all his life, it wasn't surprising that he didn't know the social taboos that existed. And Beryl certainly hadn't bothered to educate him. "Nobody created that rule," Kunzite rebutted. "And I am not interested in Minako."

Minako was devastated. How could Kunzite not want her? She wanted Kunzite, and she always got what she wanted. The blue eyes she turned on Zoisite were brimming with hatred and jealousy.

:Ah ha!: Mercury thought gleefully. :The opening that I need.:

"We have spent two months searching for each other," Kunzite continued. "If you can't accept the fact that we are very much in love, we will leave you to your narrow-minded views." He took Zoisite's hand and led her to the door, but Mercury stood up then.

"Breaking *one* convention is acceptable, but *two* is not. Would you care to enlighten us on what happened that night up in the forest at the foot of our mountain?" Mercury asked, words charged with malicious spite.

"What happened?" Princess Serenity asked curiously.

"Ask them, your highness, what both of them were doing in the nude at midnight. *Alone*."

All eyes turned to look at the two lovers, horrified and condemning.

"What did you vow?" Zoisite asked, all the colour draining from his face, whirling around to face the senshi. Mercury smirked, and a bolt of lightning flashed through the doorway to smash her to the ground.

A brown form materialized next to Zoisite and Kunzite. "How cliched and unbelievably trite I've grown!" Nephrite laughed as Jadeite appeared beside him. "A bolt of lightning to strike the oath-breaker dead," he mocked in dry humour.

Uranus didn't need to look at the blackened form on the ground to know that she was dead. "You killed a senshi without provocation. How are you going to pay?"

Mamoru butted in. He didn't like Mercury very much, but she was his senior, and after seeing his hope crash to the ground devastatingly fast, he just had to lash out to transfer his hurt onto something. Anything. "There's a third convention broken. Zoisite isn't female, like what all of you believe. 'She' is very much *male*."

The assembled pugilists went wild. Love between teacher and student some of them could accept, but not homosexuality. If there was one unifying factor, it would be their phobia of gays. In their eyes, Zoisite and Kunzite were worse than unclean. And Crystal Tokyo had no need for dirt like them. Nephrite and Jadeite were jostled out of the way as the mob prepared to kill the lovers. At the back, not participating in the action, Mamoru smiled to himself, that in the midst of all the ruckus, nobody would question him on his source of information.

Regally distant, Princess Serenity stood atop a table to observe what was going to unfold before her. She wouldn't sully her hands, but she would watch for the fun of it. And two people pitched against eighty to a hundred was always interesting to watch.

Kunzite and Zoisite tried to translocate, then realized that the mansion was sealed of exits, including those by magic. They stood back to back, prepared to take down as many as they could before being torn to pieces. Zosite ducked a wildly swung blade, kicked at a fool who tried to drag him down and flung out one hand. Sakura blossoms sliced their way across the faces of those next to him, and they fell back, hands covering their bleeding faces. This gave Zoisite enough space to levitate above their heads. His small frame wouldn't be a disadvantage to him anymore, and he rained ice crystals down on those below. Those unlucky ones were taken out permanently, the rest moved back a little and engaged him with magic. Even in the dim lighting, it was possible to see that the sakura blossoms were a definite pink, pale but still pink.

For Kunzite, it was very much a physical battle. The Mages among those present were fighting with his nii-san, so that left the hacking and bashing aspect of the battle to him. Mind magic in this case was helpful as well, since he could send pieces of the false ceiling crashing onto his opponents. Circumstances looked a little better when Nephrite and Jadeite decided to join in the fray as well.

":Zoisite-sama, use the Silver Crystal!:" an unfamiliar voice sounded in his head. From the sharp, clipped accent, it was probably Jadeite.

:How?: Zoisite wondered. The Crystal was only tuned to block attacks from the senshi. And therein lay the answer. The backlash when the Crystal responded to the senshi's attacks could allow the four to escape safely. But the Silver Crystal was with Kunzite.

All the mind magic was getting into his system, Kunzite thought distractedly. And his mind was whirling in the possible outcomes if he did this or if he did that, and if he took out this woman, or that man or…. Something dragged down the left side of his robes a little, and a small part of Kunzite's mind told him that it was the Silver Crystal. :Ah!: that small portion exclaimed. A way to escape. He didn't quite like the idea of kamikaze attacks anymore. But how irritating – the senshi were all crowded over to Zoisite and Nephrite's side.

Kunzite sent two of his attackers crashing to the side, muscled his way over to Zoisite, and sent another two pugilists crashing into the senshis. Jupiter jumped out of the way as Uranus went down in a tangle of limbs and weapons and aimed a miniature lightning bolt at him. In the instant she released the bolt, three things happened in lightning fast succession: A man the match for Kunzite in terms of height and weight copied his earlier actions and slammed into him. The Silver Crystal fell out of his pocket. That knock set off a domino effect, seeing how close people were to one another. A mage on the verge of loosing a energy bolt was knocked to one side, and Zoisite who had the original angle covered was smashed into the wall when the bolt was released on reflex. Then the lightning bolt hit its mark.

Though the Silver Crystal had rolled away, Kunzite was still within it's two feet diameter of influence, and it defended with a snap. Light blazed again, and Kunzite groped his way to where he'd last seen Zoisite.

":Never mind about your teacher,:" an impatient voice sounded in his head. ":Nephrite-sama's got him. Just get the hell *out* of this place!:" Almost against his will, Kunzite elbowed his way out into the cool night.

Princess Serenity dived, grabbed the crystal that was rolling about on the floor and challenged the people around her to step on her with a medusa glare. Everybody froze while she picked herself up and dusted her robes. Standing, she inspected it, tested it and smiled.

"And I thought that Kunzite beat you because of his powers. He was actually relying on this crystal. Well, I shall keep it and learn how to use it. But for now, the Silver Millenium Order is in charge of defending Crystal Tokyo. Congratulations."