Earth Guardian Prince Endymion

By Senshi of Ruin and Mizu no Senshi

Act Forty Three Recap:

(Mamoru’s POV)

Masaki’s death did more than just hurt us, it divided us. I blamed myself for not being a stronger leader and for not taking the Ginzuishou when I had the chance, but how was I to know that this would happen? I wanted so badly to believe in Usagi and now I don’t know what to think.

“But… he’s okay?” she ventured, “How’s Mamoru-san?”

“Grieving. You’d do best to leave him alone, Princess.”

Usagi nodded, “I’m sorry.”

“So you keep saying, but it won’t bring him back, will it?”

“I know, but…” she trailed off and said again, “I’m sorry.”

Kisho has made his own feelings about Usagi clear and I am almost inclined to agree with him. She killed my friend and I still love her. Kisho and Taro must never know this. If they did then there would be no going back. I even hate myself for it, but the fact remains. Usagi killed Masaki.

“I have decided that, whereas the past is important, that we should learn from its mistakes. Had we not been so focused on our past lives then perhaps this could have been avoided.”

Kisho spoke the truth. Had we been united from the beginning then perhaps Masaki would still be alive. I am glad that Kisho and Taro want us to fight together, but I’m secretly afraid for them. Masaki died and they could easily follow. I am supposed to be their Prince and I can’t protect them.

“Master--”

“Stop it! My name is Chiba Mamoru. Why can’t you call me that? Why must you always call me ‘Master’?”

“Because that’s who you are.”

“In the past, perhaps, but not in this world, Seiichi. Things are different! What are you so afraid of in the present?”

Looking back, it was unfair of me to force Seiichi into explaining about the Youma, but we were all grieving and I just didn’t know what to do anymore. I tried to be patient with him, hoping that he would come around in his own time, but time is something that we are now running out of. Is he Komoro Seiichi or Zoisite? I know he made his choice long ago but I hope, for Seiichi’s own sake, that it was the right one.

******

Act Forty-Four:

“But not yet. He is too weak. To act now would only bring Metallia’s wrath down upon the both of us. I advise that we wait awhile longer. The remaining Tennou and Endymion will keep Metallia at bay… for now.”

Mio pushed open the room to her quarters, lost in her own thoughts. Had Beryl guessed her betrayal? When she had left the throne room, Mio had been confident that she had given nothing away, but now the tiniest of doubts started to flood through her mind. If Beryl thought that Mio were going to deceive her then she would have her shadow killed. Though Mio may be a part of Beryl, it did not mean that she could not die. There was also the remaining Dark Senshi to deal with. They hated Mio for killing Venus and she knew that this could lead to their own action against her. Still, their own disloyalty could be used against them. With Beryl’s own betrayal of Metallia, the red haired Queen would be nervous and thus easier to manipulate. She would never suspect Mio’s true intentions until it was too late.

Of course, for Mio to achieve her own ambitions, she needed Masaki, for now at least.

As she processed this thought, Mio stopped dead in her tracks as she glanced up at her bed and found it vacant and the duvet half on the floor.

“Masaki-kun?” she called, struggling to keep the alarm out of her voice as she looked around the room, a sigh of relief escaping her when Mio saw him standing by the window, gazing out at the desolate kingdom.

“Masaki-kun?” Mio took a step towards him but again halted in her tracks when he said:

“I can see why you are so hateful towards our planet. It must be terrible to be trapped in this world of darkness.”

Mio frowned. She had never really thought about it. Her plans had nothing to do with preserving the Earth as it is now. She only wanted to shape it in her own image, to be more like the Dark Kingdom. Still she knew better than to voice these thoughts and answered instead, “Now you can see why we long for your world.”

Masaki laughed bitterly, his voice sounding full of pain and he trembled as he spoke, “You expect to gain my sympathy? You’d be lying if you said that you just wanted to live alongside the people of Earth, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes. I intend to take your planet for my own.” Mio answered, mentally wincing after she spoke the terrible truth. What was she doing? Surely he wouldn’t help her now? Would she have to kill him after all?

Masaki was silent for a minute that, for Mio, seemed to last for hours. He stepped away from the window, coming to sit down on the bed.

“They betrayed me” he said simply, “They betrayed me and you saved me. You never did tell me why?”

“Because we’re the same. No one ever truly cared for us. No one cared for our suffering.”

“You suffered?”

Mio nodded, “I tried so hard to make Endymion love me in the past life. All I ever wanted was for him to return my love, but he spurned me for Serenity. It is the same in this world. He rejected me in favour of Tsukino Usagi.”

Mio placed a tentative hand on his arm as Masaki quietly debated her words. She could feel the dark energy’s grip tightening by the second and Masaki’s own sinister demeanour only served to feed this until it almost became too much for Mio and she was forced to let him go.

“Masaki-kun?” she prompted when he refused to speak.

“I…” he trailed off as he looked up at Mio. Though he appeared calm, Mio could sense the fury and hurt directed at his friends. These emotions were overwhelming him and he clenched his hands into fists, as though trying to assuage these feelings as he said, “They never cared about me did they? They were too wrapped up in their own lives to care about what happened to me. For that they must pay.”

Mio nodded, showing no outward emotion, but secretly pleased by his anger, “I will help you to take your revenge” she promised him as she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Masaki and pulling him towards her she crushed his lips against her own in a fierce kiss.

******

Taro pushed open his front door and stepped into a silent house. For once he loathed this silence. He wanted desperately for his brother to come out from the kitchen and to give him a hard time about work, about being late, about anything at all really.

Taro had spent the remainder of the day at the hospital. Both Kanaye and Michie were in comas, or so the doctor had said. They were the eighth and ninth patients that day. The doctors and nurses were at a complete loss as to what could be causing this, but Taro knew. He also knew that no one would wake up until that Youma had been destroyed.

“A part of Metallia?” Nephrite whispered, raising his sword against the Youma. It blocked it and the force of its counter blow nearly threw the Tennou backwards. He bit his lip to suppress a cry of pain when it struck a second time, this time its upward blow knocked Nephrite’s sword from his hand. It swiftly landed a well-aimed kick to his chest, sending him back onto the concrete.

“Kuso” Taro cursed softly, clenching his hands into fists so tightly that they hurt. That Youma had beaten him with relative ease. Only Mercury’s presence had saved him from being killed by it. Taro doubted that even a combined attack would work against it. He had felt its power… a power that no other Youma had ever possessed.

“What are we supposed to do?” Taro said out loud, his own voice sounding hollow and despondent to his own ears. “What the hell am I supposed to do?”

“You do know that talking to yourself is the first sign of madness?”

Taro whirled around indignantly when he recognised his friend’s voice. Kisho smirked slightly, but his amusement fast faded when he saw the hurt on Taro’s face.

“How did you get in?” Taro snapped irritably.

“You left the door unlocked” Mamoru said gently, “We did knock, but you didn’t hear us.”

Taro sighed and stalked into the front room, gesturing for them both to have a seat. Mamoru sat down beside him on the sofa whilst Kisho opted to stand impatiently by the closed door.

“We heard about Kanaye and Michie” Mamoru added, his expression somewhat sorrowful, as it had been since Masaki’s death. “Whatever it was,” he continued, “It attacked my college class, too.”

“It is different to a normal Youma” Kisho stated, though this was apparent, but the oldest of them was merely thinking out loud. “The power is possesses… I’ve never known anything like it. It is as almost as if it’s---”

“Metallia herself?” Taro cut in and they both glanced up at him, “I’ve seen it before” he admitted grudgingly, “Right after Masaki… It is strong. I didn’t have a chance against it. It would have killed me had I not teleported away.”

“You teleported away?” Kisho echoed.

“What else could I have done?” Taro snapped defensively. If Kisho was calling him a coward…

“You did the right thing” Mamoru cut in, “If it was that strong…” he shook his head, “Could we defeat it together?”

Taro hesitated slightly before answering, “No. I don’t think the three of us are strong enough.”

“That’s ridiculous” Kisho declared haughtily, “No matter how strong it is it is just a Youma!”

“No” Taro replied quietly, “It’s not.”

Kisho opened his mouth to retort, but a shake of Mamoru’s head lapsed him back into silence. For a moment or two, no one spoke, each lost in his own thoughts.

Kanaye… Michie… Taro felt his rage directed at the Dark Kingdom surging forth again. No matter how strong this Youma was…

“What about the four of us?” Mamoru said suddenly, “Could four of us defeat it?”

Could they? Taro wasn’t sure. He felt that if it were just himself, Kisho and Mamoru that the Youma would triumph. After all it seemed to have more strength than Endymion himself had ever possessed.

“I don’t know” he answered honestly, “I’m not sure how much of a difference one person would make.”

“But you’re not saying we would lose” Mamoru said, turning to Kisho, “What do you think?”

“We are not as strong as we were” Kisho admitted, “The Shitennou were almost unbeatable in the past life, but without Jadeite and Zoisite… as much as I hate to say it, if Taro is right about this Youma, I don’t think we’d have much of a chance.”

That’s a bit of a back track, Taro felt like snapping, but Kisho had changed since Masaki died; they all had. His older friend hated to admit a defeat, but now seemed willing to listen to other’s points of view and perhaps seek counsel from them rather than rushing in alone as he used too.

Mamoru stood, “I’ll talk to Seiichi” he volunteered.

“If we are to defeat the Dark Kingdom we must not dwell on the past or, yes, it will repeat. Who are you really? Are you Komoro Seiichi or Zoisite?”

“Zoisite.”

“It’s taken you over! Can’t you see? You had a life before you met Artemis, I know you did. You told me!”

“It wasn’t real.”

“It doesn’t have to be like this, Seiichi.”

“Yes. It does.”

Taro frowned slightly, recalling Mamoru’s words. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? We could go together” he offered, “We blamed him, too, remember?”

Mamoru shook his head, obviously uncomfortable with how he had spoken to his other friend, too. “I’d rather go alone” he admitted.

Sensing how bad he felt about all that had happened, Taro decided not to force the issue, though, in reality, he thought it would be better if they went to see Seiichi together. How else could they convince him that this life was the only life that truly mattered? Did Mamoru honestly think he was going to get through to Seiichi alone?

*******

Artemis sat alone in Tsukino Usagi’s bedroom, staring down at the transformation locket set upon her desk. Usagi had gone to Osaka Naru’s house for a study session and Luna had gone with her, hidden in her bag of course. Artemis had not wanted to go. A part of him was furious with Usagi for refusing to fight, but a part of him felt sorry for her. She was so kind hearted, she had just wanted a normal life and instead she… It was her destiny; Artemis argued with himself, Usagi didn’t have a choice.

“Artemis, please don’t force me to change my mind. Venus didn’t want me to fight, either and I refused to listen to her. I won’t make that mistake again.”

Venus, Artemis knew, would not have wanted Usagi to be put in this situation. It didn’t matter that Ueda-san was one of the Shitennou. He was dead and Usagi had killed him, or had she?

“That Youma is connected to you. When it feels pain so do you and vice versa. It happened because you both used your powers at the same time whilst you had hold of its arm. The two light and dark magics cancelled each other out, but allowed the welders to form the connection. It used to happen occasionally on the Moon, too. You won’t be able to kill that Youma without also dying.”

Seiichi, to Artemis’s knowledge, had not found a way to break the connection and yet he was still alive. The plushie had been all over the park and he couldn’t find a trace of Ueda-san or the Youma. Why else had he been almost begging Usagi to hold onto the Ginzuishou? Seiichi was still alive so it stood to reason that the Youma also lived which meant that Ueda-san could be alive, too.

If Ueda-san were alive then perhaps Usagi-chan wouldn’t feel so terrible and would want to fight again? As much as he tried to hide it, it pained Artemis terribly to hear her crying herself to sleep night after night.

“She brought ruin down upon my Master’s kingdom in the past life. You recognise her weakness as much as I do, don’t you?”

Artemis pawed at the carpet anxiously as his thoughts turned to his charge. Artemis had not believed in Usagi enough to go with Luna and ask her for help. Instead he had asked Seiichi and Seiichi had betrayed him. Still… Artemis cursed himself when he found himself wondering how his charge was. What he was doing… worrying about him.

“Enough” Artemis whispered harshly “Usagi is my Princess and I will respect her decision until I know for sure if Ueda-san is alive.”

And then?

Artemis did not know.

*******

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? We could go together. We blamed him, too, remember?”

“I’d rather go alone”

Mamoru frowned to himself as he entered the apartment block where Seiichi was staying, wishing that he had taken Taro up on his offer to go with him. To say that he was a little apprehensive was an understatement, though he knew that Seiichi wouldn’t be angry with him for turning on him like that.

That was exactly the point, Mamoru thought uncomfortably. Seiichi wouldn’t get angry. He would say something along the lines of ‘You were upset over Jadeite’s death, Master. It is only natural that you should want to lash out’. The latter part was true, Mamoru knew, but he was sick and tired of being called ‘Master’ and he wanted desperately for Seiichi to see that he was more than that, if not for Mamoru’s sake then for his own. Mamoru had tried not forcing the issue, though, in theory, he supposed that he could order Seiichi not to call him Master, but he doubted that the older man would be able to obey this command. If Seiichi had become so fixed on the past life then who knew what, if anything, would be able to draw him out of it.

Mamoru sighed to himself and paused outside Seiichi’s apartment door, hesitating slightly before knocking. Still, he was shocked when the door opened and he was greeted by Ikuhara Tetsuya and not Seiichi.

“Mamoru-san” Tetsuya greeted him warmly, though the relief on his face was obvious as he ushered him inside. “How are you?”

“Fine, thank you” Mamoru answered, declining the tea that Tetsuya then offered him, “Is Seiichi here?”

Tetsuya’s face fell, “No. I thought you’d know where he is.”

Mamoru felt his blood run cold at these words, “What do you mean?” he struggled to keep his voice casually, but he felt sure that Tetsuya could detect the hidden unease behind his eyes.

“I’ve been in Kamakura” Tetsuya said, taking a seat on the sofa opposite Mamoru, “I only got back last night. Of course, I came straight here to see Seiichi. This time of year is difficult for him so I wanted to make sure that he was all right.”

“His father” Mamoru stated softly.

Tetsuya looked up in surprise, “Who told you?”

“He did” Mamoru answered in some confusion. Confusion that Tetsuya hurriedly lifted by adding:

“He doesn’t like to talk about Zinan. The only person I know he told was your other friend, Masaki.”

“I know what its like” Mamoru said to this, struggling to keep his voice steady at the mention of Masaki, “I lost my parents, too.”

Tetsuya sighed and took a sip of his tea, “I thought that Seiichi was coping, but…” he gestured to a note set on the coffee table between them, “I got back and found this. He says he needs some time alone and not to worry, but he knows I will! Especially as he doesn’t say where he is going!”

“And you hoped that he would be with me?” Mamoru asked, “We’re not exactly on friendly terms right now.”

“He looks up to you” Tetsuya snapped, his demeanour suddenly changing, “But he’s changed. Your mission changed him.”

“You know about the mission?”

“I know enough” Tetsuya allowed.

For a moment they lapsed into silence and in that moment, Mamoru realised that Tetsuya’s concern ran a whole lot deeper than simply as Seiichi’s manager.

“Tetsuya came with me because he still felt that he had to honour his promise to Zinan and look out for me”

There was something else… but Mamoru knew that to call Tetsuya on it would simply cause more problems and the last thing they needed was another complication.

“I know you’re concerned” he said instead, “I am, too, but I’m sure he’s fine. If he needs some space then we should just give that to him.”

Tetsuya’s anger faded as he agreed with Mamoru’s words and for this Mamoru was thankful.

“If I hear anything I’ll call you” Tetsuya offered as he walked Mamoru to the door.

Mamoru thanked him and hurriedly left the apartment block. As he did so he took out his mobile phone and dialled Seiichi’s number. It went straight to voice mail so Mamoru left a brief message, explaining that he was sorry and that, when Seiichi was ready, he could perhaps give him or one of the others a call.

“But he’s changed. Your mission changed him.”

“You know about the mission?”

“I know enough”

Mamoru was deeply shocked that Tetsuya knew anything about the mission. He couldn’t imagine Seiichi confiding in him, but then again how well did he know his friend really?

“I know you’re concerned. I am, too, but I’m sure he’s fine. If he needs some space then we should just give that to him.”

Was it wise just to let Seiichi be on his own? Mamoru just didn’t know. He knew what he would want had the situation been reversed, but this was different somehow.

“Kuso” Mamoru cursed as he decided to head back to Taro’s and explain the situation to them. He just didn’t know what to do anymore.

*******

“They never cared about me did they? They were too wrapped up in their own lives to care about what happened to me. For that they must pay.”

Masaki watched in silence as Mamoru left the apartment, making sure that he remained hidden around a corner, lest the other man catch sight of him. That wouldn’t do, Masaki mused to himself. Had Mamoru of seen him then he would have had to have killed him and this was something that he did not want… well at least not yet.

“Masaki. Stop her…”

“Even now” Masaki whispered bitterly, “Even now he still has Mamoru running after him, trying to make him fit in when he knows it isn’t truly what Seiichi ever wanted. Doesn’t he realise that Seiichi only cares for the mission? That his Prince, as a normal person, means nothing to him. Why can’t he see this?”

“Endymion was always misguided by his heart” Mio pointed out softly, “Despite it always leading him to ruin.”

“I’m afraid that I might kill someone. Please take it, I’m begging you.”

“No”

“Master--”

“No. The Ginzuishou stays with her.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t believe that you have that weak a heart. You can overcome this, Usagi, I know you can. You just need to trust in yourself more. You’ve been fighting alone for so long. I know you can do this.”

It was true, Masaki clenched his fists at his sides as his loathing for the man he had, in the past life, called Master threatened to overwhelm him once more. He took a deep breath, knowing how little simply letting them feel his fury would achieve. Mio explained that they had to be patient if they wanted to hurt the remaining Tennou hard enough.

“Why have you brought me here?” Masaki said instead, forcing himself to keep his voice even.

Mio smiled craftily, “Think about it. None of them knows where Seiichi is. This is the perfect opportunity for you to find him first and make him pay for what he did.”

“Then who are you? Don’t tell me you’re another obsessed fan who managed to sneak in the back door.”

“I did sneak in through the backdoor” he admitted, “But I don’t know about being an obsessed fan. It seems to me that you have a too high opinion of yourself, Komoro-san.”

Seiichi…

“Masaki-kun?” Mio prompted, “He almost traded your life for his own. Surely you are not going to allow this to go unpunished?”

Masaki shook his head slightly, firmly crushing any misgivings he might have. They had all betrayed him and, one by one, they would suffer for it.

“No” he answered her. “I’m not having any seconds thoughts, none at all.”

******

“He’s what?”

Mamoru winced slightly at Kisho’s scornful tone as he relayed to his friends what Tetsuya had said when he had visited Seiichi’s apartment. In truth, Mamoru was dreading explaining the situation to them partly because he felt to blame for it and was afraid that they might also decide to hold him responsible for this latest turn of events. Also Mamoru was concerned that they would be angry with Seiichi for disappearing right when they needed to be united, now more than ever before.

On this way back from the apartment, Mamoru had, had time to think and he had come to the conclusion that they should just let Seiichi be for now. What else could they do? None of them knew where he was though, and had Mamoru known, he would have disregarded his own advice and gone straight there. He deeply regretted what he said to Seiichi after Masaki’s death, despite it being the truth and despite the fact that he was grieving Mamoru knew that there was a lot more to this than he had first thought and, certainly, blaming his friend was only going to make them all feel bad.

“He just needs some time alone” Mamoru repeated patiently, avoiding making eye contact with Kisho as the older man stood up and started pacing up and down Taro’s front room.

“We don’t have any time,” Kisho answered, “What does he need to think about? He’s either with us or he’s not.”

“Some thing’s aren’t that simple” Mamoru replied quietly, “I think we should do as he requested and give him some space.”

“While this Youma ruins even more lives?” Taro asked. He was calmer than Kisho, but the pain in his voice was easy enough to detect.

“You can’t blame him for that.”

“I don’t” Taro sighed, “I blame myself. I blame all of us for not making a little more of an effort with him.”

“We did all of the running” Kisho pointed out, “He’s just not interested in working together with us, remember?”

Mamoru sat back down, heavily, and sighed as he said wearily, “Perhaps we should have tried harder, but there is nothing else we can do now.”

“What are you saying?” Taro asked.

“We’ll find the Youma without his help.”

“Even if we could find it” Taro answered this, “We can’t defeat it.”

The tired tone in Taro’s voice really got through to Mamoru somehow. He was also tired. He was tired of this battle. He was tired of them fighting and he was tired of shying away from his leadership.

“Transform” he ordered quietly, “We’re going to find that Youma and we’re going to kill it.”

“That’s impossible--” Taro started, but Mamoru’s own transformation cut him off mid-sentence.

“Aren’t you sick of this? This is our planet and those are our people that Metallia is attacking. Even if we can’t kill that Youma we can surely weaken it.”

Mamoru awaited their response with baited breath. This was as near he would come to a direct order and a part of him still hated himself for taking advantage of who he was in the past life. He needn’t have worried.

Taro and Kisho exchanged glances and nodded, also transforming to signal that they were with their Prince.

Mamoru was the leader and, for the first time, he truly felt like one.

******

“I see. Thank you. Goodbye” Tetsuya sighed to himself as he set down the telephone and crossed the New Otani off the long list of hotels in Tokyo that he had gathered. Despite Seiichi’s letter, Tetsuya had felt very uneasy since Chiba Mamoru’s visit and, because of this, he had decided to find his charge and make sure that he was all right.

Tetsuya knew his concern was irrational. Seiichi was an adult and Tetsuya knew that he should respect that and treat him as one but ever since Zinan died, Tetsuya had felt so much more responsibility for the young star and Shina was counting on him to make sure that Seiichi was all right.

Tetsuya mentally winced as he recalled his trip to Kamakura. Only a year had passed since Zinan’s death, but for Tetsuya it felt as though it had been a lot longer. When he had reached the house, Shina was obviously troubled to see that her oldest son had not come. Etsu was disappointed whilst Yasuo was scornful of his brother, still angry with him for deserting them.

At the time Tetsuya had been angry too, but at the same time he understood why Seiichi needed to leave. There was too much sadness in Kamakura, although, a year later, Tetsuya had learned Seiichi’s true motives; the mission.

Admittedly, Tetsuya knew little about the mission and had not pressed Seiichi for details. He had seen Seiichi transform into Zoisite and understood that the conflict between his past and present lives was coming to a head. Tetsuya also understood that Chiba Mamoru was ‘Master Endymion’, although who Endymion had been, Tetsuya did not know. Ueda Masaki also fitted into this somehow and so did Tsukino Usagi. Tetsuya, though he only knew vague details, knew enough to understand how the mission was tearing all concerned apart and he wished that he could help somehow.

This was part of his reasoning for ringing around hotels to begin with. Whatever was happening at the moment, Tetsuya had a suspicion that he would be unable to help his charge without alerting Mamoru to his whereabouts first.

With these thoughts in mind, Tetsuya picked up the phone and dialled the Imperial’s number. It rang three times before a cheerful receptionist answered it.

As he had done before, Tetsuya requested to know whether Komoro Seiichi was staying with them. Out of all the hotels he had tried, most of the younger receptionists thought that Tetsuya wanted to make a booking on behalf of Seiichi or thought he was joking and the older one’s had never heard of him so the response he gained this time was encouraging:

“I’m afraid it’s against the Imperial’s policies to give out the names of guests.”

“I’m his manager, Ikuhara Tetsuya. I just need to know if he’s staying with you.”

She giggled slightly and answered, “If you are his manager then surely you know where he is staying?”

“Of course” Tetsuya replied, hurriedly thanking her and hanging up, feeling a little foolish as he dialled the studio’s number, requesting to know if anyone had made a charge against the studio’s account at the Imperial in the last few days. There had been one charge made. Thanking them, Tetsuya hung up and then dialled Mamoru’s number, cursing when he simply got voice mail.

“Chiba-san, it’s Tetsuya. I think I’ve found where Seiichi’s staying. It’s the Imperial hotel” Tetsuya then gave Mamoru the address before adding that he would head over there now and hoped to meet up with Mamoru later on.

Setting the phone down for a third time, Tetsuya whirled around when he sensed a presence behind him.

“Kuroki Mio” he had barely time to stammer out her name before she held out a hand, black energy flowing from her palm and engulfing the stunned manager. Then his world went black.

******

Who are you really?

I don’t know…

Seiichi scribbled his name in the notebook that was offered to him, giving the girl a smile whilst he did so and she hurried off back to her group of friends and their voices accelerated from a whisper to an ecstatic squeal when he looked over at them again.

It had been the same all day, Seiichi mused to himself. Ever since he had checked into the Imperial he had fans coming up to him and requesting autographs. He didn’t mind, despite his message to Tetsuya stating that he wanted some time alone, Seiichi had gone down into the hotel’s restaurant and had been staring into a cup of coffee for most of the afternoon. It was strange how he had told Tetsuya that he wanted to be alone and now that he was, Seiichi realised how much he hated it. Being alone meant that he had to think about what the Master said and how much his words had hurt him, mainly because they were true. Seiichi had killed Masaki and he had allowed the mission to take him over but it had been so much easier that way. So much easier to focus on becoming Zoisite rather than his own mistakes. Had he just listened to Artemis from the start then Zinan would still be alive. This pained Seiichi more than anything so he had just blocked it from his mind. That was easier than facing the truth; that he had killed his own father.

Drawing in a harsh breath, Seiichi looked up as the agony of his current situation and the despair he was feeling began to quickly overwhelm him, mingling with the darkening aura that was so familiar to him; Youma aura.

“Seiichi-kun?”

That voice… it couldn’t be…

“Masaki?” Seiichi whispered, stunned disbelief rooting him to the spot when he saw the younger man standing before him.

This was impossible… Seiichi shook his head, silently berating his reaction, mixed in with his current inner turmoil. Of course it was possible. If his Youma had survived the blast, which it must have or else he wouldn’t be here, then why not his friend? Though why had Masaki waited so long before informing them of his presence?

“Don’t worry” his friend said, some merriment in his eyes as he spoke, though his voice was somewhat cold and unfeeling, “I’m not a ghost.”

“I didn’t think you were. You surprised me, that’s all. I thought you were dead,” Seiichi admitted quietly, keeping his voice low so that they were not overheard.

Masaki smirked, “You can’t get rid of me that easily, Seiichi-kun.”

Seiichi nodded uneasily. Masaki seemed different. His bruising had healed, but there was more to it than that. His mannerism had changed. He appeared more confident and Seiichi wasn’t sure that he liked this at all.

“I saw your letter” Masaki continued, “Tetsuya-san seemed to think that you would be here.”

“I didn’t think he knew” Seiichi answered honestly, before adding, “I wanted some time to myself.”

Masaki smiled, “I thought that was probably the case. Tetsuya-san did, too, but he was happy for me to come and see you.”

“How did you survive?” Seiichi asked, wincing at the suspicion that had suddenly entered his voice. Masaki was his friend and he knew that he should be relieved that he was alive, but all he could think of was to ask questions to ease his own sense of guilt.

Masaki shot him another cold smile, “This isn’t really the place to be talking about the mission, is it?”

“No” Seiichi admitted quietly, his sense of unease heightening as Masaki added to this that they might want to go to his room where they could talk without fear of being overheard.

Seiichi stood, agreeing to this, but still feeling some agitation as he led the way out of the restaurant and back to the room.

His room in the Imperial was not as spacious or luxurious as his room at the Okura but Seiichi hadn’t really noticed this until Masaki pointed this out, coupled by another smile as he took a seat on the pale blue sofa.

“So why are you here really?” Masaki continued, seemingly unaffected when Seiichi refused to be seated and opted for leaning back against the closed door. “Is the apartment not good enough for you anymore?”

“I wanted some space,” Seiichi repeated quietly.

Masaki smirked, “Did Endymion give you a hard time over allowing Princess Sailor Moon to try to kill me?”

“Don’t thank me. Had I thought it would do any good I would gladly have him try to beat some sense into you.”

“W-what?”

“You heard me. I had thought we understood each other, Seiichi-kun, I guess I was wrong.”

“A bit” Seiichi admitted, biting his lip as the Master’s words echoed in his mind along with Masaki’s own. He had allowed the Princess to almost kill his friend… Did Masaki blame him, too? He must do. Why else would he come here first?

“The Master was upset” Seiichi added, more to reassure himself than anyone else.

Masaki stood, his calm demeanour suddenly changing, as did the aura around him.

“You’re always so aloof aren’t you?” Masaki hissed vehemently as he stalked towards him, “Always trying to keep your true feelings hidden, but I can see passed that. I can see what you truly are; a coward. You sent me against the Princess because you didn’t want to die, didn’t you?”

“Masaki--” Seiichi trailed off as his friend transformed, suddenly realising the true nature of this visit and he tried to move, but with his back pressed up against the door and Jadeite in front of him there was nowhere to go.

“It’s been like this from the beginning, hasn’t it?” Jadeite continued, “All you ever cared about was your precious Master. The rest of us were just pawns to you, weren’t we? All a part of this past life that no longer exists.”

“The past life is---”

“All that matters? You’ve kept telling yourself that for a year, but deep down you know that this is the real lie and you’re scared. You’re scared of facing up to who you are in this world. Pretending to be Zoisite is easier for you, isn’t it? But really that is all it is! A pretence, a lie to cover up how scared you really are.”

Seiichi felt his blood run cold at Jadeite’s words. They were true… he was afraid. He’d as good as killed his father because he hadn’t been strong enough to face up to the past life and so he had blocked it out. Pretending that his life as Komoro Seiichi meant nothing was easier as it meant that he didn’t have to face up to the awful truth; that he had killed his father. Zinan was dead because of his son’s cowardice.

Who are you really? Are you Komoro Seiichi or Zoisite?

I don’t know… I don’t know!

Seiichi recalled the first time that he had been asked this. He had been so confident in his reply. Now he did not know…

“You would have gladly traded my life for your own” Jadeite cut through his thoughts, “You knew what the Princess could do to me!”

“No” Seiichi stammered out, hating the weakness in his voice, “I didn’t want you to get hurt. That was the last thing I wanted!”

Jadeite shook his head, “You’re a liar. You left me to die and I would have had I not been saved.”

“Saved? By whom?”

Jadeite smirked and held out a hand, white light pulsing from it and momentarily blinding Seiichi. When he could finally see again, Seiichi felt sick when he saw the creature next to his friend.

“Youma?” Seiichi breathed softly. The Youma stood taller than Jadeite yet the blonde’s presence seemed to dwarf it somewhat despite it being about twice his size. Its body was made up of green vines twined closely around each other to make up its body. It had arms and legs, also made up of green vines, but with brown claws for fingers. It had no clear head, but dark holes where its eyes and nose should be in relation to the rest of its body.

“The Dark Kingdom saved me,” Jadeite all but shouted as the Youma lunged forward, even as Seiichi tried to evade it, more vines shooting out from its hands and encircling Seiichi’s wrists, forcing his arms to be pulled up above his head as he was pinned back against the wall next to the door. Another vine wrapped itself around his chest and then up to encircle his throat, squeezing tightly and almost crushing his windpipe as Jadeite walked slowly towards him.

“The Dark Kingdom saved me and helped me to realise how you had betrayed me; all of you” Jadeite snarled as he unsheathed his sword, “Endymion is a traitor in this world and the last and I am going to make him pay for it.”

“You’re the traitor” Seiichi managed to gasp out, despite the immense pressure on his lungs although his heart suddenly wasn’t in this exchange.

Who are you really? Are you Komoro Seiichi or Zoisite?

“Endymion will know what it is like to feel the pain of betrayal” Jadeite continued, “And he will suffer greatly before I kill him.”

“Jadeite--” Seiichi started, as the Youma released its hold on his slightly so that the blonde was able to press the tip of his sword to Seiichi’s throat. Then Jadeite paused, taking a wary step backwards before turning to the Youma and saying:

“Kill him” before teleporting away in a yellow light.

Seiichi winced in pain as the Youma’s grip on him tightened once more, but with this pain came a strange feeling of acceptance. He could transform, Seiichi thought to himself. He was pretty sure that, despite his current helplessness, he could still transform and save himself, but… he was afraid, Seiichi realised. He was afraid to become Zoisite again. Why else had he stopped himself from doing so when Jadeite had first shown his true nature?

Who are you really? Are you Komoro Seiichi or Zoisite?

I don’t know… I don’t know!

He began to feel light headed as the Youma’s grasp strengthened and Seiichi felt his energy leaving him. It would kill him and somehow he didn’t care. He just wanted for this to be over. He didn’t want to fight it anymore…

********

“The gym?” Nephrite said doubtfully as the three of them gazed up at the tightly shut double doors of the local gymnasium. “What’s it doing? Working out in there?” he joked, though both Kunzite and Endymion ignored this quip.

Endymion frowned to himself, wondering if, perhaps, they had got the wrong building. It had been difficult to track the Youma, especially as there was just the three of them and now they had finally pinpointed the energy to this spot, it seemed doubtful that the Youma was inside.

“We should check anyway,” Endymion decreed, forcing away these misgivings. “We have to find it, and quickly.”

With these words, Endymion turned to face the gym once more and, as he did so, his phone clattered onto the pavement behind him.

“You brought your phone with you?” Nephrite asked, kneeling down to pick the offending item up off of the ground.

Endymion nodded silently. Usually when they transformed they were without their phones, but he had made a point of holding into his… just in case.

“You’ve got a message,” Nephrite added as he handed the handset back to Endymion.

Endymion thanked him and hurriedly listened to it, eager now just to get inside the gym and see if the Youma was there.

“Chiba-san, it’s Tetsuya. I think I’ve found where Seiichi’s staying. It’s the Imperial hotel”

Endymion cancelled the message after hearing the address, a frown on his face as he looked up to meet his friends’ expectant gaze.

“It was Tetsuya” he allowed his voice to sound casual although, in actual fact, he felt anxiety threatening to overtake him once more and the want to go there and see if Seiichi was all right. It would be the same, he knew, whichever one of them it was. The Shitennou were important… perhaps more so than Endymion’s own life.

“Did he find him?” Kunzite asked and Endymion nodded.

“Then go” Kunzite smirked, “We can handle things here.”

Endymion shook his head, torn as to what to do for the best. His place was here with his friends… but Seiichi was his friend, too.

“Go” Kunzite urged him; “We all know that you won’t be happy until you’ve made sure that he’s all right.”

“Wait here” Endymion said at last, knowing full well that Kunzite had no intention of doing as he asked, “I’ll get Seiichi and we’ll both meet you outside.”

With those words, Endymion started to hurry back down the street, towards the hotel. Casting a glance over his shoulder, he saw Nephrite and Kunzite entering the gym, as he knew they would.

I just hope I’ve made the right decision Endymion thought to himself, for all their sakes.

********

Mamoru de-transformed as he entered the hotel, finding it bustling with people checking in and out and those who had turned up in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the Imperial’s star guest. Still, the Youma aura was unmistakable and Mamoru managed to slip passed the reception and up a flight of stairs towards where the aura was coming from.

“Why didn’t you call for us when the Princess appeared? Did you decide that you wanted to play the hero and then Masaki turned up to try and save you when it all went horribly wrong?”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“Then what was it like? Masaki’s dead because of you!”

Mamoru paused outside the room in question, as he sensed a very painfully familiar aura; Jadeite. That was impossible, he told himself. Jadeite was dead. Forcing away his grief, Mamoru struggled to open the door. It was locked and he had to force it, throwing all of his weight against the door to get it to open. The lock buckled and Mamoru stumbled into the room, coming face to face with a Youma.

“Seiichi!” Mamoru shouted when he saw his friend pinned against the wall by the beast in question, his head slumped forward onto his chest and his eyes closed. As Mamoru shouted, the Youma released him and the older man fell to the floor.

Mamoru transformed, rage blinding him as he drew his sword and lunged at the Youma, slicing through the vine covered hand that reached for him, seeking to ensnare him as it had the other man. It squealed in pain and lashed out with its remaining arm, catching Endymion a blow around the face, knocking him to the floor beside Seiichi.

“Master” Seiichi whispered, looking up as Endymion felt another vine encircled his sword hand and twisting it roughly, forcing him to drop the weapon.

“Seiichi!” Endymion shouted, “Seiichi, transform!”

Seiichi hesitated slightly and, in his hesitation, the Youma whirled around, another vine snaking out and once again wrapping tightly around his neck.

It snarled and started to drag the other male towards it and, to Endymion’s horror, Seiichi wasn’t even resisting this.

What is he doing?

Wildly, Endymion snatched up his sword, blocking yet another attack as he did so, and struck back, cutting through the vine that held his friend and then embedding the weapon in the Youma’s chest.

It let out a piercing scream, enough to force Endymion to cover his ears, as it died becoming nothing but a fine dust that settled on the carpet before them as it broke down.

Endymion sighed, sheathing his sword at his side once more before extending a hand to help his friend up. Seiichi accepted this help in a somewhat humble manner and then looked away, as though ashamed of his actions.

His silence only managed to infuriate Endymion and, despite his resolve that he had come to the Imperial to help smooth things over between them, he couldn’t help but shout:

“Baka! Why didn’t you transform?”

Seiichi looked up, his eyes widening in surprise at Endymion’s anger, but he offered no explanation for his actions.

“It could have killed you! What were you thinking?”

“To be taken alive would be even worse. But I’m not keen to die.”

“I…” Seiichi trailed off, now unwilling to meet Endymion’s gaze as his Prince crossed the room to stand in front of him, barely noticing that his trembling had increased slightly as he snapped:

“I don’t understand you, Seiichi. Do you truly want to die?”

Was that it? Did he think there was some great honour in dying for the mission? Endymion didn’t know. He just didn’t know what to think anymore.