Earth
Guardian Prince Endymion:
Part One:
A thousand years ago:
The full moon shone down upon the vast rose gardens of the
Earth palace, illuminating it in a liquid silver as the two lovers stood locked
in a needful embrace lost in their own private world. For once it was a
relatively peaceful night, even the fighting had died down to a dull roar. But
it was getting closer all the time. Soon it would reach the palace itself…
Zoisite paused in his rendition of Moonlight Sonata as
a particularly loud scream cut through the night air. The scream had been
human. It usually was. The Dark Kingdom Youma were a relentless tide of
poisonness demons born from the fury and jealousy of courtier Beryl and they
would never stop. Zoisite, himself, had watched the new recruits in the army
leave that morning. Some were no more than twelve winters and they would be
going to their deaths in the name of the Moon Kingdom whilst the lunarians
watched from the safety of their palace content to let the Earth’s children bleed.
And bleed they did and still Endymion refused to yield. Of course, now it was
too late. Beryl had awakened the demon Metallia who had been sealed deep within
the Earth for the last million years and launched her attack upon his kingdom.
Nothing could help that, but the young Prince continued to antagonise the
furious woman so by constantly meeting with the Moon Kingdom’s daughter,
Serenity. Serenity and Endymion were in love. There had been a time when
Zoisite would celebrate the fact that his Master had found someone to share the
rest of his life with, had it been anyone but Serenity that was.
Zoisite, like most, resented the Silver Millennium’s rule.
Yes, they had given life to the Earth and were therefore in a sense Zoisite’s
creators, but over time the people had begun to begrudge the Moon Kingdom’s
control and the prolonged lives they led whilst the villages and towns on Earth
were tormented by plague, their children dying before they could reach
adolescence and the sheer agony of their short lives. Living the beautiful
marble palace, a gift from Queen Serenity, Zoisite knew little of the harshness
that Endymion’s people had to face, but his Master had told him enough times.
Then Endymion had fallen in love.
At the time, Zoisite had thought it a great honour to be
permitted to visit the Silver Millennium, and readily agreed with his Master’s
decision to go. He had marvelled at how advanced their technology and
architecture was. The palace at Earth, at the time, had been a horrible wooden
building with a thatched roof that leaked in winter and the security so poor
that even a dumb Youma could sneak inside. The Moon Kingdom palace was
constructed completely out of solid marble. Even the gates were hand crafted by
the most skilled of craftsmen. It had several huge dining rooms, twenty
bedrooms that all individually created to suit their occupant, ten bathrooms,
and a host of others including a music room. It was in the Moon Kingdom that
Zoisite discovered his love of the piano.
He couldn’t have been very old at the time, ten or eleven
he supposed, but his white hair did make him appear to be a lot older. Zoisite
had fallen in the love with the instrument and, on Earth, he had never seen
anything quite like it. Queen Serenity noted his fascination with the piano and
had insisted that the pianist give him lessons. Of course, Zoisite now
surpassed his mentor and, indeed, the man could just play adequately whereas
Zoisite was a master.
They had stayed in the Moon Kingdom for many years and
Endymion watched Serenity’s only daughter, also named Serenity, grow up into a
beautiful young woman. It was only natural that they should find love, but
Zoisite found himself growing resentful of this. The prolonged stay on the Moon
was a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because there everything was so
peaceful. There were no wars and Endymion matured a lot faster and learnt so
much more than Zoisite or the other Tennou could ever teach him on Earth. It
was a curse because Zoisite started to realise just how much the lunarians
looked down upon him. Not Serenity and her ilk, they were always most gracious
to their guests, but some of the servants and various nobles would call Zoisite
‘dirty human’ under their breath whilst speaking with him despite his magical
abilities or, in the servants case, when serving him his meal.
Zoisite would join Endymion and Serenity on tours of the
kingdom and see just how much better the ordinary people fared and how longer
their lives were. It would pain Zoisite to see just how much Earth life paled
in comparison. Endymion, too, seemed disturbed and often asked Queen Serenity
for help. Her answer was always the same. They created Earth, but it was not
their place to interfere with the day-to-day lives of its people. This hurt the
Master and thus Zoisite began to lose any respect that he had left for the
people of the Silver Millennium.
Beryl had been the epitome of that disrespect.
Beryl was a courtier at the court on Earth and when
Endymion and his guardians finally returned she, along with the many hopeful
maidens who wished to be Endymion’s bride, were waiting for him. With him he
brought the craftsmen who started work on the replica palace and still Beryl
did not think anything of it. Why would she? The lunarians were not known for
their generosity, but the Master’s shy smile and good looks must have endeared
the Earth to them, or so they chose to believe.
Had Endymion not brought back Princess Serenity and
introduced her as his bride-to-be they would have kept on believing this.
Zoisite had warned his Master against such a move. Of course, not in so many
words as it was not his place, but he had hinted that perhaps he should wait
until the girl had reached full maturity at the age of eighteen. The people
were going to be upset at the prospect of another lunarian ruling over them,
but a mere girl of fourteen winters? It was a foolish move and one that cost
the Master a lot of support, especially when he led the Earth to war over it.
Needless to say Endymion’s adoring female fans were
heartbroken and refused to accept Serenity as the future Queen. There had been
a riot and Zoisite led his Master and the Princess to safety whilst the
remaining Tennou took care of things. The Princess was very beautiful, but all
Zoisite could see was the image of his dictators and he hated it.
She tried to befriend him. She would often come to his
rooms and listen to his music, claiming that the notes moved her to tears.
Zoisite had no doubts to her sincerity, but was exceptionally cold towards her,
especially if the other Tennou were around.
Serenity was a child yet she also held a dangerous air
about her. Zoisite was not sure what to make of this, but knew that he did not
like it. All lunarians were unpredictable and you couldn’t trust them. Then war
broke out.
It was well known throughout the kingdom that courtier
Beryl was in love with the Master. It was also well known that the red headed
beauty’s love was unrequited and instead she took to spying on Endymion and
Serenity when they thought they were alone. Zoisite had often considered
confronting her with this, but seeing as he, too, was spying on his Master and
the Princess, he thought better of it.
Instead he watched for a distance until one day Beryl
vanished. Most assumed that she had gotten tired of pining after Endymion and
had left the court. The real reason was a much darker one.
When he was younger, Zoisite could recall his various
maids speaking of a demon called Metallia who supposedly resided deep down in
the centre of the Earth in a place called the Dark Kingdom. The legend had it
that one of Queen Serenity’s ancestors had fought Metallia’s first awakening
and sealed her away using the power of the Ginzuishou. The Ginzuishou was the
sacred weapon of the lunarians and it was said that when the welder released
its power to its full potential they would die along with the unfortunate souls
who happened to be on the receiving end of its wrath. The Ginzuishou had not
been strong enough to kill Metallia and had simply imprisoned her.
Many mortals had tried to find the demon again, but most
were never seen alive when they journeyed to a point in the Artic, known as D
Point, where the beast was said to lay slumbering.
When Zoisite heard rumours of Beryl setting out to find
Metallia with the intension of freeing her from her prison, thus using her
power to take revenge on the lunarians who had blighted the Earth Kingdom and
exact her own personal revenge against Serenity for stealing Endymion away, he
had not been worried. Most likely Beryl would become another casualty of the
Artic and, at best, would never be heard from again.
Three days later the war begun.
Men talked of a sea of demons pouring forth from D Point
and destroying everything in their path. These Youma were birthed from Metallia
herself. Beryl had become twisted by the wills and hatreds of the demon and no
longer cared for the Earth Kingdom. She wanted to crush the life from the
planet and the Moon Kingdom and would kill all who stood in her way.
Endymion had rallied his armies and sent them to fight
against the Dark Kingdom. The Youma may be weak, but Endymion soon learned that
Metallia, fuelled by Beryl’s hatred and jealousies, could simply keep birthing
them into this world and the Master’s soldiers were not limitless. The ones
that had been sent out today were the last. Only the royal guard remained.
Zoisite sighed and got up from the piano to walk out onto
his balcony. His room overlooked where Endymion and Serenity sat talking on a
love seat overlooking a pond. The moon’s reflection shone brightly down upon
the water, but the sight of it was enough to make Zoisite’s blood boil.
Endymion was again imploring Serenity to speak with her mother.
The Earth Kingdom needed help. Endymion’s armies were all
but gone. Once the last man fell the battle would come to the palace. Queen
Serenity, whilst sympathising with their plight, had refused to come to their
aid. She believed that nothing could touch them and a part of Zoisite dearly
hoped that she would be proved wrong.
Another tortured scream cut through the night air and
Zoisite turned away as Endymion and Serenity embraced. He went back inside,
shutting the balcony door with an unusual excess of force. This was the only
outward sign he would allow himself to give to indicate his frustration.
Jadeite looked up as Zoisite pushed open the adjourning
door and entered the sitting area of his quarters. This room, consisting of
several large arm chairs, a burgundy sofa and a drinks cabinet in one corner,
had become a sort of communal gathering point for the four kings since the war
begun. A fire flickered in the heath and the flames only served to remind
Zoisite of the destruction around them. He sat down on the sofa beside Jadeite.
The blonde king had a glass of whisky in one hand and several other glasses
were scattered around the room at various points.
Nephrite and Kunzite were knelt over the oak coffee table,
locked in an arm wrestling contest. Zoisite sighed to himself. The red haired
king never won against Kunzite and true to this the older king’s superior
strength told and Nephrite stomped back over to an armchair and sat down whilst
nursing his own glass of liquor.
“Zoisite?” Kunzite challenged, but Zoisite just shook his
head. It wasn’t in his way to take part in shows of strength between the kings,
but Kunzite was insistent and Zoisite eventually gave in.
Seconds later Kunzite gasped in disbelief when Zoisite
pushed his hand down on the table with surprising ease. Jadeite and Nephrite
laughed at the shocked look on the first king’s face. Zoisite smiled, adding to
Kunzite’s annoyance, and sat back down beside Jadeite as sounds of the battle
reached their ears once again.
“It won’t be long now” Jadeite observed quietly, “A few
days at the most.”
Zoisite nodded, but did not say anything. There was
nothing to say. He knew what they were all thinking.
“The Master is a fool” Kunzite said scornfully, “The
Princess had brought nothing but pain and death to his people and still he
refuses to give her up.”
“Show some respect!” Nephrite sniped back almost bitterly,
“He is still the Master and we, as the Shitennou, have to obey him.”
Zoisite allowed a small smile at this. There had been a
time when he would be the first of the kings to jump to Endymion’s defence. Now
he just felt hollow and disappointed with the man that he had once been proud
to serve. This added to Zoisite’s sadness. He had always thought that he would
die protecting the Master and now it appeared that it would be so, but he would
die in a war he did not believe in.
Kunzite took another sip from his glass and then leaned
back in his chair, “The Moon Kingdom will not help him and still this does not
open his eyes. Will the planet fall to ruin before he realises the truth about
our creators. That they do not care for us or for the fate of the Earth.”
“The Master will win their support” Nephrite replied
half-heartedly.
Kunzite snorted, “They only care for ideals. They have
already thrust this monstrosity upon us” he indicated the palace with a wave of
the hand, “And now they seek to take the Earth’s leader. The Master needs to be
strong and yet he yields to the pretty face of a fourteen year old girl!”
“Hold your tongue” Zoisite said quietly, knowing he was
treading on dangerous ground and not caring, “I believe you go too far.”
“Why? You think the same as I do?”
Zoisite nodded, “You should show the Master a little more
respect. Remember why he is meeting with the Princess tonight?”
“It won’t do him any good. The Princess has no sway with
her mother. The Earth will fall come the weekend.”
“Have faith” Jadeite spoke up, the blonde was usually
quiet during these heated discussions, not wanting to get involved or simply
afraid to voice an opinion, “I do not think that the Silver Millennium will
come to our aid, but we should at least have faith that something will save the
Earth. To think otherwise only leads us to despair.”
Nephrite smiled and leaned over to ruffle Jadeite’s hair,
an act that both annoyed and made him laugh at the same time.
Then the door opened. Zoisite immediately stood as
Endymion entered, as did the other kings. His Master was dressed in his usual
armour, a tired frown etched across his face.
Endymion gestured for them to be seated once more and he
selected an armchair near the fire. For a moment no one spoke, content to let
the silence rein over them.
“Master?” Zoisite prompted at last, unable to bear Endymion’s
calm any longer.
This prompt jolted Endymion out of almost a daze. Defeated
and weary he said:
“The Queen will not help us.”
“As I thought---” Kunzite started, but Endymion cut him
off with:
“But the Princess will.”
“The Princess?” Kunzite scoffed, “What can she do?”
“Quite a lot, actually” Endymion retorted acidly. “Her
guardians have spies who have infiltrated the Dark Kingdom. They know their
every move and we can use this to launch a final offensive. Working together I
know we can defeat the Dark Kingdom.”
“This final offensive?” Kunzite was trying to appear
disinterested, but even Zoisite had to admit that he was slightly intrigued by
what his Master was saying. They could win… there was a way to save the planet!
Even if it meant working with the Sailor Senshi for a while, Zoisite knew he
would do anything to save his Master’s kingdom from Beryl’s clutches.
“What does it involve?”
Endymion smiled slightly, noting the indecision in the
man. “It would be dangerous to tell you the details of the plan at this stage.
If the Dark Kingdom was to get wind of it…” he let the rest of the sentence
hang before adding, “You must understand this.”
“We do” Zoisite assured him, casting Kunzite a sidelong
glance and willing him to stay quiet until the Master had finished, “What is it
you want from us?”
“You will be working together with the four Inner Senshi
who protect the Princess.”
“Sailor Senshi” Nephrite said, a little scornfully, “How
will this help us?”
Endymion sighed, “I know it is not an ideal situation, but
the Senshi are already here. Tomorrow, if you decide to go ahead with this, you
will spend the day with them, learning how each other fight. Then you will be
told of the final stages of the plan.”
“And this plan? It will win us the war?” Jadeite asked.
Endymion nodded, “I am almost certain of it.”
“Well then” Kunzite stood, refilling his glass and then
offering the decanter round, “As much as I dislike this, I will have to speak
for all of us when I say that if this plan of yours will defeat the Dark
Kingdom then we shall suffer working with the Senshi… now at least.”
Nephrite and Jadeite voiced their agreement to this and
Zoisite nodded silently. The Sailor Senshi were, in a way, worse than the Princess
herself as they had the Moon Kingdom’s heir’s best interests at heart. He might
have to work with them, but it did not mean that he had to trust them. Still,
Endymion was his Master and Zoisite trusted his judgement, even now. If the
Senshi were the key to defeating the Dark Kingdom then Kunzite was right. They
could work with the Senshi… for the time being.
******
The next morning Zoisite awoke to the sounds of fighting
in the distance as usual. His head was pounding slightly from the effects of the
pre-victory celebrations that his fellow Tennou had insisted that they have
after Endymion had divulged an outline of his and Serenity’s plan. Of course,
this late night drinking had been a ploy to keeping the Master away from the
Princess and it had worked. Nephrite and Jadeite had all but carried Endymion
back to his quarters in the early hours and Zoisite was amazed that he managed
to stumble back to his chambers without assistance. With this amazement came
alarm. Who had been sitting guard outside the Master’s room last night? For a
few worrying seconds, Zoisite searched his hazed memory for the answer and
dimly recalled something about Kunzite volunteering for the duty as he was the
only one of them who was even slightly sober.
Zoisite rarely drank, but when everyone around you was it
was very difficult to refuse and if it meant keeping the Master away from the
Princess for even a few hours… Zoisite grimaced as he got out of bed, his
headache worsening by the minute. What a great way to start the morning before
the final offensive, he thought grimly and, little did he know, it was about to
get worse.
After several minutes of searching Zoisite located a
rather crumpled looking uniform slung over a chair and had barely put it on and
was still in the process of fastening his cape to the jacket when there was a
knock at the door.
Zoisite was very much aware that he hardly looked in a fit
state to great his Prince this morning with his hair still free from its usual
ponytail and hanging in a loose cloud around his face, he was still not wearing
his boots or gloves and the cape was not fastened properly. Still he couldn’t
ignore his Master and hurriedly pulled the door open. The only comfort would be
that Nephrite and Jadeite at least were probably in a similar state.
“Have I got the wrong room?” the girl on the other side of
the door asked sarcastically as her soft hazel brown eyes took in the
dishevelled state of the second Tennou. “I was looking for Zoisite-sama, but I
had thought that one of Endymion’s guardians would at least be up on time. We
all managed it even after a night fighting to keep some renegade Youma way from
your Master’s palace.”
“Venus” Zoisite said, making no effort to hide his dislike
for the leader of the Senshi. “Who am I to thank for this unprecedented
honour?”
“Endymion actually. Didn’t he inform you of our plan?”
“He did, but I understood that we were to meet to learn
how each other fight?”
“We are so here I am.”
“I don’t understand?” Zoisite frowned, wondering if his
Master had mentioned this at all and if he had managed to forget about it
somehow.
“Part of the plan requires that we fight together in
pairs. We’ll be working together. Sailor Mars is with Jadeite, Sailor Jupiter
with Kunzite and Sailor Mercury with Nephrite” Venus explained, “Everyone else
is already out on the training fields” she added, a little annoyance creeping
into her voice, “When you are ready, we can go too.”
Zoisite nodded, and requested that she gave him five
minutes. Venus was agreeable to this and informed him that she would be waiting
outside the door.
Sighing, the white haired Tennou went back into his room.
He would really be glad when the war was over. As far as he was concerned he
wanted as little to do with the Sailor Senshi as possible and he was sure that
his fellow kings felt exactly the same way.
******
Sailor Venus was the leader of the Sailor Senshi. By
reputation, Zoisite knew her to be cold, at times calculating and seemingly
ruthless in the lengths she would go to, to protect the Princess. Venus, too,
frowned upon Serenity’s relationship with Endymion, though none of the Senshi
openly opposed their union the way the Shitennou did. At first, Zoisite had
considered the Sailor Senshi to be a joke. After all, on Earth, women did not
fight battles, as they were not strong enough or did not have the stomach for
wars.
On the Moon, it would, seem things were a lot different.
The women practically ran the kingdom on their own with little input from the
few male guard that the Silver Millennium permitted into its court. In fact,
from the little Zoisite could recall from his first day at the palace, the
women there had been extremely curious and fascinated at the idea of male
Guardians and, indeed a male heir. Zoisite supposed that the lack of strong
leaders ignited the Princess’s infatuation with his Master and Zoisite could
vaguely recall the little Senshi of Mercury watching Nephrite from a distance
on many occasions and then being scolded by Venus for doing so. Venus was said
to be the Senshi of love and beauty and even Zoisite could appreciate the
reasoning behind this. She had a certain charisma about her and often turned
heads at the palace when they had come before on royal visits. Her skin was
smooth and flawless; her hair always seemed to look perfect and glossy, even
after a morning’s training. Still, Zoisite’s hatred for the Lunarians meant
that he would never see a Senshi as anything more than one of Serenity’s guard…
an enemy.
Now, as he approached the training fields, Zoisite forced
himself to forget about these feelings of resentment. The Master had ordered
that they work together with the Senshi so there could be no discord between
them. Of course, Zoisite wasn’t as naďve to realise that this wasn’t going to be
the case.
Another thing that Zoisite had been told about the Senshi
was that they were vicious, even in mock fights. This wasn’t all together a bad
thing as Endymion himself often told his Shitennou, when training, to really go
for it like their opponent was an enemy. After all, an enemy wouldn’t hesitate
to kill you if you let your guard down.
Zoisite exhaled sharply as Sailor Mars aimed her ‘Burning
Mandela’ attack directly at Jadeite, seemingly with full force, and the blonde
had to teleport from the vicinity to avoid getting burnt to a crisp. He
materialised behind Zoisite, and brushed some dirt off of his uniform before
saying:
“So you finally made it out of bed this morning?”
“I’m not that late” Zoisite retorted, as his gaze
turned to Kunzite and Sailor Jupiter. The brawniest of the Senshi would take a
hand to anything, or so Zoisite had been told, and she and Kunzite were
fighting with swords. The girl, to Zoisite’s slight amusement, was not making
this an easy victory for the strongest Tennou and they seemed to be almost
evenly matched.
“Mars said that Jupiter taught herself from an early age”
Jadeite said when he noticed Zoisite watching them, “When the rest of the
Senshi were playing with dolls, she was welding a sword and practicing
archery.”
Zoisite nodded and Jadeite added, “I think Nephrite got it
easiest.”
Following his gaze, Zoisite saw Sailor Mercury and
Nephrite fighting a little way off. The blue haired Senshi seemed reluctant to
attack with her full power and Nephrite could hardly do anything else but
likewise. It was almost pitiful to watch.
“The Master is still in his chambers” Jadeite said next,
“I think he is feeling the intoxication of last night. I thought it was only
you who couldn’t handle your drink, Zoi-kun. Is it true that Venus actually
came to get you?”
“Of course not” Zoisite replied, haughtily just before
Mars and Venus joined them.
“We only have a day,” Venus reminded them, her voice
seemingly full of contempt, “Are you going to spend it standing around talking
among yourselves?”
Jadeite said nothing to this and Zoisite felt it beneath
him to pick a fight with a mere girl so simply stalked off to the back of the
training field and smirked slightly when she trailed after him. If Venus
thought that they could call the shots in his Master’s kingdom then she was
very much mistaken.
“So, Venus” he said once Jadeite and Mars resumed their
‘mock’ battle. “How do you fight?”
“Like this. Venus love-me… chain!”
Zoisite had been expecting this and simply teleported
away, reappearing behind her and stunning all the Senshi by wrapping one arm
around her, holding her still whilst his other pressed his white and silver
sword to her throat. Venus struggled to pull free, her tense stance radiating
anger and humiliation at this swift defeat. Zoisite smirked slightly at this
fury. The Senshi had no respect for male leadership and were completely in
contempt of the Shitennou and this had angered the second Tennou. Still, his
anger faded when Zoisite looked up and saw the Master had joined them. He
hurriedly let Venus go, and the latter glared daggers at him when Zoisite saw
that Serenity was also present.
Venus whirled around, doing a back flip and striking a
pose before again attacking with her ‘love-me chain’. Zoisite shook his head
and simply teleported away. This time, however, she was expecting this and spun
around as he reappeared behind her and delivered a swift kick to his chest,
sending the white haired king sprawling back several meters.
Zoisite winced at this blow, trying not to let his Master
see how much it had actually hurt as he stood, barely blocking her next attack
and this time managing to grab hold of the end of her chain and pull it from
her hand. Venus cursed softly under her breath when Zoisite tossed the weapon
into some bushes, far from its owner’s reach.
“Venus!” Mars called and when the blonde turned, the
raven-haired Senshi tossed her one of Jupiter’s sword, which the leader caught
expertly in her left hand. Then, switching it to her right, she struck another
pose and smirked at Zoisite as she said: “Give up?”
“Not a chance” Zoisite replied, allowing his voice to show
more confidence than he was actually feeling. Zoisite was more than competent
in the art of swordsmanship, all the Shitennou were, and Kunzite had taught him
moves since he was twelve, but he really preferred to use his magical abilities
in battle.
Of course, Zoisite was not going to let a little girl in a
short skirt make a fool of him in front of the Master. Still… a young woman
welding a sword? Until today Zoisite had never seen anything like it. From what
Kunzite had told him, women could barely lift heavy blades such as the one
Venus held and all they could really do with it was wave it about and attempt
to look threatening.
Venus, however, looked far from stupid as she stepped
forward and raised her weapon. Zoisite’s own sword was shorter and he rarely
actually fought with it, preferring to use it as a tool to channel his magical
attacks.
Nephrite, always enjoying the prospect of a good sword
fight, was generous enough to loan Zoisite his own broadsword, which Zoisite
took before stepping up to meet Venus’s attack.
She swung her blade first, with a strength that surprised
the second Tennou as their swords clashed for the first time. Yet it quickly
became obvious who was the better fighter. Zoisite soon found that Venus was
tiring and, with one upward arch, he managed to knock the sword from her hand
and then, before she could retrieve it, pressed the tip of his own weapon to
her throat.
The anger and resentment still registered in her eyes as
the Master and Serenity made their way over to them. Zoisite lowered the sword
as Endymion reached him.
“Well done” the Master said, addressing both of them with
a smile, “That was quite a battle.”
Zoisite nodded in silent agreement as his eyes met Venus’s
once again, “Where did you learn to weld a sword?” he asked quietly, recalling
Jadeite’s earlier words about Sailor Jupiter.
“Jupiter taught me” Venus replied stonily before turning
around to Serenity and requesting that they take a break for a while.
Serenity, sensing how wounded Venus’s pride was, was in
agreement to this and hurriedly called the other Senshi away.
“I was going easy on you” Venus called over her shoulder
as they made their way back inside the palace.
Zoisite gave her a half smile and replied nonchalantly “So
was I.”
*******
The rest of the morning passed by with relatively no
hostilities between the two parties. Even Zoisite had to admit to himself that
the Senshi weren’t that bad when it came to fighting and Venus had certainly
put much more of an effort into the later battles, though she couldn’t manage
to beat him and, if she had done, Zoisite was sure that Nephrite and Jadeite
would never let him live it down.
They had taken a break for lunch and currently sat in one
of the huge dining rooms of the Earth Palace, which were usually reserved for
royal visits and the like. Zoisite supposed this was a royal visit considering
Serenity’s presence, but he likened the morning’s events more to a day in one
of the palace’s torture chambers. Indeed, the punishments couldn’t become much
worse than this.
Scanning the dining room setting, there were currently two
tables. Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus were already sat at one whilst Kunzite and
Nephrite sat at the other. The Master and the Princess sat at their own private
table at the back of the room behind a painting of the Moon Goddess Selene for
whom Serenity had been named.
“Excuse me” Sailor Mercury hurried between them, not even
pausing when she saw the choice of table. Then, without a word, she walked over
to the table that the two Tennou were sat at and took a seat beside Nephrite.
Jupiter followed her lead and sat down beside Kunzite.
Zoisite and Jadeite exchanged wary glances before sitting
down at Venus and Mars’s table. For a while, Venus and Mars made small talk
between themselves and ignored the two kings completely. Looking over at the
other table, Zoisite was surprised to see that Mercury was talking animatedly
to Nephrite and he appeared to be listening to her with relative enthusiasm.
Jupiter and Kunzite were making polite conversation though they did not look
the least bit interested in socialising.
“The food is good, considering this being the Earth” Mars
commented at last when a servant brought them bowls of soup and bread. Despite
living in a luxurious palace food had become scarce since the outbreak of the
war. They really did have a nerve, he thought angrily. Lunarians… all the same
really. Nothing but a group of self-righteous, shallow and conceited children
who had no knowledge of the world outside the safety of their Silver
Millennium.
“The company is good, considering” Jadeite retorted to
Mars’s comment and both girls glared daggers at him.
Again, the uneasy silence followed until Zoisite caught
Venus staring at the stained glass windows behind him… or at least he hoped she
was staring at that.
“They’re the Shitennou,” he said surprising himself
somewhat. Zoisite was well aware that he was the quietest of them and rarely
started conversations even among only the other kings. He preferred to stay in
his rooms when Endymion did not require his presence and compose music. Music
was his escape and without it Zoisite didn’t know where he’d be.
“The Shitennou?” Venus repeated in confusion.
“They are Gods. We were named after them” Jadeite answered
her, seeing that they actually had the girls’ attention. They are probably
stunned that we would worship someone other than the Lunarian Queen, Zoisite
thought ruefully as Jadeite added:
“Zoisite knows more about them, don’t you?”
Zoisite nodded to his question but was not forthcoming
with any information until Mars prompted him to.
“The one on the left with the trident in one hand and
pagoda in the other is Bishamonten. He is the strongest of the four, because he
is also one of the Seven Fortune Gods.”
“Buddhism” Mars said, “I have heard of it.”
“The one next to him is Komoku. He is said to punish evil
and is often shown carrying a brush in his right hand and a scroll in his left.
On the other side of Bishamonten is Zocho. Zocho is the guardian of the East.
He is said to relieve people of their suffering. Next to him is Jikoku. He is
always holding the Shichiseiken in his right hand. He is said to protect the
world. The Shitennou protect Taisyaku, the God of the Centre and he is a member
of the Twelve Devas.”
Mars nodded enthusiastically, “On the Moon there are
people who still worship the old ways. We even have a Shinto Shrine built in
the palace grounds and--” a cold look from Venus silenced her. The Moon
Kingdom’s people, even now when on the brink of war, were still reluctant to
give up their secrets.
The rest of the meal passed away with strained
conversation regarding sword fighting, archery and then the palace
architectures. Neither party was willing to divulge much about their different
kingdoms but as Zoisite was not in the least bit interested in the Silver
Millennium or its people, it did not bother him as much as it did his
companion. Jadeite had always been the most curious of the Shitennou though he
knew better than to try to sate some of his curiosity for the Moon.
The Senshi, on the other hand, were fascinated about the
Earth, though Venus attempted to appear disinterested. When they sensed that
they were not going to get the two Tennou to speak of their home, they
requested to know more about the religions and Jadeite told them various facts
about different sects and beliefs.
Then, finally, Endymion got up and announced that they
would be going back out to the training fields. The looks on the Senshi’s faces
summoned up what the Shitennou were feeling. This was a complete waste of time.
Zoisite knew how much hinged upon them working as a team and, for his Master’s
sake, had resolved to do his best to cooperate, but he couldn’t shake off his
feelings of mistrust towards the Senshi and it would appear that the girls felt
the same way.
Once out on the training field, Endymion turned to address
all of them. The Master looked so tired lately, Zoisite noted sadly. He dearly
wished that there was something that he could do to take some of the burden off
of his Prince’s shoulders. Having to lead your kingdom into war at any age was
a terrible thing, but at only 18… Despite Zoisite’s distrust for the Princess,
he could see that his Master did not make the decision lightly and, deep down,
Zoisite respected that.
“If you are to work together as an effective team, then
you must learn to trust each other,” Endymion said, after gesturing for them to
stand back in the pairs that they had been in this morning.
With these words, Serenity stepped in front of him. Then,
without a word, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall backwards. The
Master caught her in his arms and Zoisite saw, out of the corner of his eye,
the look of anger on Kunzite’s face as their Prince held the Princess.
Forcing his own expression into one of indifference,
Zoisite turned back to the couple. The Master smiled slightly as he released
Serenity from his arms and said: “The Princess trusted me enough to fall
backwards and that I would catch her. It is a technique that I know the Senshi
have used before” and a nod from Jupiter confirmed this, “It helps to build
trust and confidence in each other.”
An awkward silence followed. Kunzite frowned at Jupiter
and she glared back, making it perfectly clear that she would not trust him.
Jadeite and Mars were giving each other similar looks. Zoisite saw Endymion’s
face fall at the heavy atmosphere and glanced over at Sailor Venus. The blonde
Senshi pretended not to notice the direction of his gaze.
“Nephrite?” the Master said at length, “You’re not afraid
to go first are you?”
The red haired king shook his head, casting a wary glance
at Mercury before stepping forwards. The Senshi of water did the same, but
stood in front of him, her eyes closed.
“Hey, Nephrite!” Jadeite called, “Don’t drop her!”
The second youngest king turned away from Mercury to
answer Jadeite at the exact moment that Mercury began to fall. Even Zoisite had
to stifle a snigger when the Senshi fell right back into him, sending them both
sprawling to the ground.
“Mercury! Daijobu!” Serenity cried as she knelt down to
help her guardian up. Nephrite, too, stumbled to his feet, his face going as
red as his hair and Jadeite’s laughter did little to help matters.
“Who’s next?” Endymion enquired, refusing to be deterred
by this. “Kunzite?” he asked hopefully. The first king shook his head
disdainfully and Jupiter added that they would only go next if she got to catch
him, something that Kunzite would never agree too.
“Venus? Zoisite-san?” Serenity looked almost desperately
to her leader. The blonde shook her head silently and Serenity lowered her
gaze.
Zoisite’s gaze happened to wander to the Master as
Serenity looked away and he winced when he saw the increasingly angry look upon
Endymion’s face. Zoisite sighed to himself. How could the Master expect them to
trust the Senshi? They were from completely different worlds, worlds that were
never supposed to mix! Zoisite hated the Senshi and, judging from the looks that
Venus had been giving him all day, she felt exactly the same way about the
Shitennou.
“I give up” Endymion cut into his thoughts at this point,
his voice lowered to almost a whisper as always happened when he was really
angry.
“Master” Zoisite started, always the mediator, “It is
difficult for us.”
“How? You all want to save this planet, don’t you?”
“Of course” Kunzite snapped, glaring hatefully at
Serenity, “And we will do it without the Moon Kingdom’s help.”
“How, Kunzite?” Endymion said wearily, “The army is all
but gone. Beryl will be upon the palace before long.”
“The palace’s defences have never been breeched--”
“This plan… it would have saved the lives of everyone
inside the palaces walls, but obviously I was expecting too much of you. It is
easier to fight a losing battle, isn’t it?”
“We won’t lose.”
“We will! There is what? A handful of troops and the four
of you against Metallia and millions of Youma? Would you throw your lives away
like that?”
“If it meant protecting you---”
“What good are you to me if you are dead?”
“It is our duty” Kunzite replied hotly, “What else do you
expect?”
Endymion smiled sadly and turned away, “I don’t know. I
don’t know what to do anymore.”
With those words both he and Serenity left, leaving the
Senshi and Shitennou speechless as they walked away.
For a long time no one spoke. Zoisite was just as shocked
as the rest of them. He couldn’t remember the last time the Master had got
really angry with them. Of course, there were often raised voices between him
and the other Tennou, but Zoisite had yet to recall a time when he had been on
the receiving end of Endymion’s fury. He had always served the Master with no
questions asked. It had not been Zoisite’s place to argue and now… he wasn’t
sure how to react to this anger.
The Senshi, too, appeared stunned, though this was little
comfort. Zoisite sighed as he glanced at his fellow Tennou. Kunzite was furious
with the Master, Jadeite was struggling to appear aloof from the situation and
Nephrite, too, was angry, but seemed more hurt than anything else. Zoisite
wasn’t sure what he felt. He only knew that, as the Shitennou, it was their
duty to obey the Master’s wishes, even though this time his orders weren’t
something that Zoisite entirely agreed with.
Glancing again at Kunzite, Zoisite stepped up to Venus and
held out a hand, “It would seem that we have a common goal… for now anyway” he
said quietly.
Venus nodded and took his offered palm, “For now” she
echoed, “For now we shall work together, for the future of this planet.”
Nephrite followed Zoisite’s lead and took the hand that
Mercury offered him. Jadeite sighed and held his out to Sailor Mars. She glared
suspiciously at him for a few minutes before taking it.
After a moment’s hesitation Kunzite and Jupiter followed
suit.
“And this plan? It will win us the war?” Jadeite asked.
Endymion nodded, “I am almost certain of it.”
If it would win the war against the Dark Kingdom and save
his Master’s people, Zoisite knew he would do whatever it took… no matter what
the price…
*****
Endymion smiled to himself as he saw his Shitennou shaking
hands with the Sailor Senshi.
“See” Serenity whispered as he wrapped an arm around her
shoulders, “I told you that would do the trick.”
Endymion nodded, “I’m glad. For now we truly have a chance
to fight for this world.”
*****
That evening the Senshi and the Shitennou gathered in the
music room to await the arrival of their Prince and Princess. Jadeite and
Nephrite sat on the burgundy sofa in the corner of the room whilst Kunzite
leaned up against a wall. Zoisite had taken a seat on the piano bench whilst
the Senshi stood together as a group, keeping away from the Shitennou.
After their somewhat uneasy truce, the Master had sent a
servant to request their presence. There were few servants left as most had
been sent to fight the war and this one had been a boy of twelve winters.
The music room was another usual gathering place, and
because it was isolated from the rest of the palace, Zoisite decided that they
must just be about to hear the rest of the plan. He had to admit he was a
little anxious. The success of this plan would mean the difference between the
Earth Kingdom winning or losing the war. Whilst he did not doubt his own
abilities, the burden of this fact was still a terrible one and Zoisite still
wasn’t convinced that the Senshi had the capabilities of carrying out the plan.
Then the door opened and the Master entered the room,
Serenity behind him and clutching his hand in her own.
Immediately Zoisite stood and the other Tennou did the
same. Endymion smiled slightly and motioned for them to be seated once more as
he addressed them all.
“Despite the bad start, I am glad that you have all
managed to put your differences aside, for now at least, so that we might make
one last stand to save our world.”
It annoyed Zoisite slightly that Endymion should glance at
the Senshi as he said ‘our world’, but he decided not to comment on it as the
Master continued:
“What I am about to say next must not leave this room. If
it does then the planet shall surely be lost.”
Zoisite nodded, voicing his agreement to this. The fate of
the Earth was all that mattered…
Endymion smiled slightly, pleased at this show of support
and took a deep breath before saying, “We have word that Beryl is here on
Earth.”
“Impossible” Kunzite interrupted, as furious as Zoisite
was at the mere thought that Beryl dared to poison the Master’s kingdom with
her presence.
“She is here” Endymion said firmly, “My spies have seen
her with their own eyes. She is here to witness the fall of the palace.”
He did not add ‘and to capture me’, but Zoisite could
easily detect the fear in his Master’s eyes at the mention of Beryl. As much as
Zoisite hated to admit it, he would rather see Endymion in the Princess’s arms
than that of Beryl’s. Beryl was poison. Her mind had been blackened against
everything good and pure in this world. Some said that Metallia was no more
than a myth, even now, and that it was Beryl’s own white-hot rage that forged
the Dark Kingdom. Others said that Beryl was Metallia and her anger had
shaped the dimension known as the Dark Kingdom. Of course, Zoisite knew better
than this. Metallia fed off of Beryl’s rage. Beryl was feeding the darkness
without even realising it.
“She is here on Earth” the Master said, cutting into
Zoisite’s thoughts, “And this represents a rare opportunity for us.”
He hated speaking these words, Zoisite knew. His Master
had always been an honourable man and Zoisite could see where this conversation
was heading and spoke the words for him, not wanting his Master to speak them
as they obviously pained him somewhat.
“A chance to strike back” he said, “If Beryl dies…”
Kunzite looked up as the realisation of what exactly the
Master was saying dawned upon them all. A suicide mission… that’s what it was,
no matter how Endymion tried to disguise it and the Senshi knew this too. One
last chance to strike a fatal blow upon the Dark Kingdom. If Beryl died then
the armies would fall… Metallia would have no outlet for her power and could be
sealed away once more.
Beryl would be guarded. If she were truly on Earth then
she would have thousands of Youma troops protecting her. One assassin wouldn’t
be enough. This was why Endymion had them learn how each other fought, Zoisite
knew. One chance… one chance of saving the world, but at a terrible price.
“Tell us what we
have to do” Kunzite said, taking the lead as always. Zoisite was content to let
him do so as the Master relayed the rest of the plan. Venus also spoke for the
Senshi and agreed to this mission and, for the first time, Zoisite felt true
respect for the Lunarians. Serenity had brought her Senshi to Earth… where they
would die…
*****
After the meeting broke up Zoisite sat alone in the music
room, contemplating the outcome in subdued silence. Nephrite and Jadeite were
on guard duty that night and Kunzite had retired to his quarters. Where the
Senshi were, Zoisite did not know. He sat at the piano, occasionally leafing
through the sheet music. For the first time in years Zoisite had no wish to
play. The Moon shone down upon the piano through the window and the battle cries
reached his ears once more. By tomorrow evening this nightmare would be over…
but at a price…
A knock at the door startled him from his thoughts and
Zoisite called out for the person to enter, knowing full well that it wasn’t
Endymion or one of the other Tennou, as they had no need to knock before being
allowed admittance to a room in the palace.
He turned and, as he expected, Venus stood on the
threshold hesitating slightly before entering the room and shutting the door
behind her.
“It is late” she commented quietly, “I had thought you
would have retired for the night. We have a long day tomorrow.”
“He doesn’t make this decision lightly” Zoisite answered
this, “The Master would not do this unless it was our last hope.”
Venus nodded, coming to a standstill by the piano, “It is
the same for us. The Princess does not want us to die, but I’ve seen her crying
over the fate of this planet. We are your creators and are not supposed to
interfere, but not all of us agree with this.”
“So you would rather be our saviours?” Zoisite replied, a
little bitterly, “Is that what this is about?”
“No” Venus paused slightly, “You intrigue us.”
“We do?”
“We may have created the Earth, but your ideals and
beliefs are your own. On the Moon the women are the guardians, the defenders of
the Kingdom. Here on Earth, its Kingdom has the Shitennou. Men on the Moon are
weak and here you are strong.”
Zoisite allowed her a half smile, “Why are you here,
Venus?”
She shrugged, “I cannot sleep,” she admitted, “Despite
this being a suicide mission I will spare my Senshi that… if I can…”
“We think alike,” Zoisite murmured. Though he was not the
leader he had contemplated much the same thing. It only needed one of them to
get to Beryl and this nightmare would be over. If all the Shitennou died then
there would be no one to protect the Master. It was the same with the Senshi
and they both knew it.
“Then we are decided” the blonde girl said softly, “One of
us must get to Beryl. We can help each other make this so. One of us will die
so that the others can survive and continue to serve the Prince and Princess.”
Zoisite nodded and his gaze drifted towards the window and
the palace grounds. A movement near the window caught his attention and Zoisite
bolted up from the piano bench, just as the creature saw him. It let out a
snarl of fury and bounded away.
“Youma!” Venus cried, “If it reaches Beryl…”
She didn’t have to finish her sentence. If that spy warned
the Queen of the Dark Kingdom then it would all be over.
Venus raced to the open window and jumped out of it,
landing gracefully on the grass before taking off in the direction that it had
taken. Zoisite teleported after her, having to admire the courage of the leader
of the Senshi; the music room was on the third floor.
It was pitch black outside, as Endymion had demanded that
the lights be taken down for fear of attracting unwanted attention, which was
what they had tonight.
Zoisite easily caught up with Venus, as his eyes were more
accustomed to the darkness than hers were. She held her ‘love-me chain’ in one
hand, even as Zoisite drew his own sword. He scanned the grounds for the Youma…
nothing…
“We have to find it!” Venus cursed angrily, “Which is the
nearest exit?”
“To the north” Zoisite answered her, “But it will be
guarded.”
“Then where will it head for?”
Zoisite wasn’t sure. Frantically he searched his memory
for every weak spot in the palace grounds… any way a Youma could have gotten
in.
“Zoisite!” Venus snapped, “We have to find it!”
He ignored her. The Youma aura was still heavy in the air.
It couldn’t have gone far. Zoisite turned around, scanning every hedge… every
cluster of trees… there! He could see a shape huddled under a tall oak directly
opposite where they were standing.
“There” he whispered, indicating the tree with a hand,
“Aim your attack there.”
Venus didn’t have to be told twice. Holding her chain out
in front of her she called out her attack and sent the weapon snaking out
towards the Youma. It snarled again and dodged it, leaping out into the open
now to face them.
Zoisite held out a hand, preparing to summon his own
attack when he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. The pain was so sharp that it
momentarily blinded him and all Zoisite could see was tiny red and white stars
dancing before his vision. With this pain came a slight sense of vertigo and he
staggered slightly, even as Venus called out another attack, striking the
second Youma and it hit the dirt at Zoisite’s feet, dead before it struck the
ground.
“Zoisite?” Venus called, engaged in a battle with the
remaining Youma. “Can you fight?”
He nodded and gritted his teeth as he drew his arm back
and then let his sword fly from his fingertips and it embedded itself in the
Youma’s back. It fell, joining its comrade on the ground and the bodies become
nothing but dust before their eyes.
Venus sighed in relief, obviously shaken and turned to
face the white haired Tennou.
“You’re hurt,” she stated coolly, though Zoisite was sure
he could detect some concern in her voice.
After the initial pain, it had dulled to a slight
throbbing and Zoisite glanced down at his right shoulder and was shocked to see
the end of an arrow embedded in his flesh.
A primitive human weapon, Zoisite believed as he studied
this even as Venus offered to go and get the palace physician.
“He’s in one of the villages” he replied to this, “He will
not be back until tomorrow, which will be too late.”
With these words, Zoisite snapped off the tail end of the
arrow and pushed it all the way through, and smirked slightly at the sickened
look on Venus’s face as he did this. Once the arrow was out the blood flow
became quicker and this Zoisite dealt with by hurriedly knitting together his
torn flesh with a minor healing spell. All the Shitennou could heal flesh
wounds, so he explained to a stunned Venus.
It was strange, as he did this that feeling of vertigo
came back and with it there was a slight wave of nausea. Zoisite exhaled deeply
for a few minutes and these feelings passed.
“Better?” Venus prompted and Zoisite nodded and also
suggested that there was no need to mention his injury to the other Tennou or
the Master. If Endymion thought he was wounded then he might not allow Zoisite
to accompany the others, which would ruin their own plan.
Venus agreed to this and they went back inside and not
another word was said on the subject. Zoisite hurriedly excused himself from
her company and went back to his private rooms. Unfortunately, the Master was
waiting for him outside.
The corridors were always poorly lit in Zoisite’s part of
the palace and he hoped that Endymion could not see the blood on his uniform
and guessed that this must be the case when the Master did not call him on it.
“Where are Jadeite and Nephrite?” was Zoisite’s first
reaction when he saw that the Master was alone.
“I dismissed them” Endymion replied softly, “You will all
need your strength for tomorrow.”
“Of course, Master” Zoisite replied and Endymion went on
to ask where he had been.
“There was some trouble in the grounds. A Youma. It has
been dealt with.”
The Master nodded, “Zoisite--”
“Daijobu. You don’t need to explain. We are your
guardians. This is our destiny.”
“This” the Master smiled sadly, “This is all my fault and
you are the ones who have to pay the price. I would gladly go in your place…”
“It is an honour to die defending the Kingdom.”
“No” Endymion snapped, “Don’t die. I am not sending you
there to die. One of you only has to get close enough to Beryl… You can
complete the mission and still survive.”
Zoisite nodded, though neither of them believed Endymion’s
words.
“I must go” the Master said after a moment or two’s
silence befell them.
“Of course” Zoisite said appreciatively, he was feeling a
little tired himself now and wanted nothing more than to go to bed and forget
all about this and the dull ache in his shoulder.