Authors Note:
     Do I really need to tell you that legal stuff? Didn't think so, consider
it here.
     I put a charchter in this chapter called Binzer. She isn't really 
important now, but she is in "Starlight Memories." For those of you who
have read some of "Memories," this happens about a year before the prologue.
     The Hotaru mentioned here has no connection with Sailor Saturn, it 
translates "firefly," which was her original name.
     Also a force bolt is like a telekinitic blast. There is no energy, 
light, or heat released, it's like a bullet made of air.
     Those seem to be the only trouble spots. Any questions or comments?
E-mail at: calico516@aol.com 

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Love at Second Glance
Part 2
by Calico Kat
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     Kunzite sighed and looked over at the young man curled, asleep, on his
bed. Mabye Zoisite was pretty, in a strange vaguly masculine way, but Kunzite
didn't really want to think about his students like that. He wasn't sure
that bringing Zoisite to his room was such a good idea. If Zoisite awoke,
still drunk, the younger man might do something...
     Just then Zoisite began to awaken. He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his
eyes, and looking about with a rather girly bewildered look on his face.
     "Where am I?"
     "You were drunk, you passed out, you're in my house."
     "Lord Kunzite? Oh, what did I do?" Zoisite squeaked, falling backwards
off the bed in suprise.
     Kunzite ignored this and motioned for him to get up, "More than you 
should have, but you passed out before you could make a complete fool
of yourself."
     Zoisite's cheeks flushed and he felt a flash of resentment, that Kunzite
had once again seen his moment of weakness. "What did I say?"
     "Things I'm sure you didn't mean, you were drunk. Don't worry little
one, already forgotton. But you did make one good point, as long as you're 
on on my plans, you might as well make yourself useful. Come, we've much to
discuss."

     "So you need Lord Azurite's position at the head of the court to have 
the authority to gather enough troops to complete your plans, right?" Zoisite
said, almost forgetting how much he hated Kunzite for humiliating him, 
almost. He found the idea of destroying the pompous Lord Azurite quite 
tempting.
     "Yes, but we'll have to be careful, he has many powerful allies. And
always travels with a legion of body gaurds. Although he hardly needs them,
his power far surpasses all but Beryl's."
     "He lives in the main palace right?"
     "Yes."
     "I can get around there."
     "Get around?"
     "My old... training partner Hotaru knew all the palace's secret 
passeges, and showed me many of them."
     "Mabye we can hit him from the passage and teleport out before-"
     "We?"
     "What were you thinking? I'm telling you all this for my own 
enjoyment?" Kunzite snapped.
     "Nevermind. Anyway, it won't work, teleportation inside the palace is
monitered, you know that." 
     Kunzite realized he had forgotton that, and was more than a little 
sore that Zoisite had spotted weakness in him, "Right, this'll take some
thought."
     Zoisite saw Kunzite's eyes narrow and abruptly remembered his position.
The resentment fired up in his chest and he resisted the urge to teleport
back to his home. For all he knew Kunzite could trigger the poision with a 
thought.
     Kunzite quickly brainstomed a way to save face, he could not apper 
weak, it was unacceptable. "If we teleport near the cental heating system
the intense concentration of energy will act as a scrambling device."
     "We'd have to travel through the air pipes, they're never cleaned."
Zoisite stated, looking sick at the thought.
     "Get a backbone child, or you'll never amount to anything." Kunzite
muttered irritiably.
     Zoisite's face went scarlet with the supressed anger finally spilling
out, and he utterly forgot who he was speaking to. "CHILD? I'm no child
you arrogent, bleach haired, oh-so smart, freak! I won't stand to be 
humiliated like this! I-"
     "Sit then," Kunzite snarled fireing a force bolt to knock Zoisite 
across the room into a table, which held a set of crystal wine glasses.
Zoisite's head cracked aginst the wall and he fell onto the glasses, razor
shards cutting into his hands, arms, legs, and, he realized with a pained
maon, his upper thighs and back end. He tries to stand and fell back,
driving the shards deeper.
     "DAMN YOU!"
     Kunzite began to chuckle softly, verging on actual laughter. Finally
he stopped and said cooly, "We will attempt to kill Lord Azurite tomorrow
morning when he takes his usual trip to the palace bathhouse, his guards 
always wait outside the door, not thinking of any other entrances, like
the air vents. Until then, little one, you might want to have a healer look
at those wounds."
     Zoisite gatherd his energy to teleport, but couldn't resist having the
last word, "And just how do you know Lord Azurite's bathing habits?"
     Kunzite scowled as the snikering Zoisite dissapeared.
 
     The laughter didn't last long, however, as Zoisite tried again to stand,
and nearly passed out in pain. He gritted his teeth and began to remove the
crystal shards one by one, ignoring the warm red blood that spurted from the
wounds.
     He managed to dislodge all of the glass but one peice. A rather large 
peice that portruded from his upper arm.
     Already in a considrible amount of pain he probed the bone for the 
poision capsule. With extrodinary determination he popped the capsule from
the bone, extracted it from the wound, cast a minor healing spell, and
promptly passed out with a satisfied smile.

     Zoisite managed to force open his eyes and lay staring at the celing 
for some time. Every inch of him hurt, but it would hurt more to move. He
smelled the faint metallic tang of blood and smiled, every drop was a 
badge of victory.
     -Hah! I must be better than Kunzite thinks if he only managed to control
me for one day! Of course, after we kill Azurite, I can destroy Kunzite
and take the open court position myself. He'll never know what hit him.-
Zoisite thought with a smirk.
     Dragging himself over to his small desk he decided to take Kunzite's
advice and call a healer. Pulling out a small blue crystal he sent the 
telepathic summons to the healers hall, that would notify them of his
need.
     Less than thirty seconds ater he felt someone enter the room. Rolling 
over to look at the healer he was suprised by what he saw. -Only a child,
how can she help?-
     She was small with wavy dark blue hair and large limpid blue pools of
light for eyes set in a round, but not overly so, nearly white skinned face.
She was dresses in a baggy teal tee-shirt and knee leangth skirt of the
same color. If it wasn't for the air of onfidence and long taloned fingers
she could almost be considered cute.
     Suddenly she stepped over beside him and bent to examine his wounds.
     "You summoned my lord? Oh, I suppose you did, you look dreadful. Here,
you stay still and I'll see what I can do. Now don't bother talking, it'll
hurt my concentration. I don't take any back talk from anyone, understand?
Of course you do. You look young, I suppose you are. I'm only twelve, but
better than most at what I do, which is healing. My name's Binzer. What's
yours? Oh, I know, you're Zoisite. You know Hotaru-san right? She used to
say good things about you, but I don't think she's seen you for a while,
right? Well, of course, or she'd still talk about you. I must admit my lord,
you are rather pretty. That's not what she said, but what she said was all
good, or as good as it gets here. I like painting, reading, and mathmatics,
what about you? Oh, I suppose you like fighting, like most of the rest here.
We healers are a rare breed. we aren't built to fight, but to heal people.
Like I just did. Have a nice day Lord Zoisite!" the girl chirped happily,
and then she stood, turned, and dissapered through just past the door.
     Healing spells are usually painful. The torn flesh must be rebonded or
formed anew and this causes exisitng cells to streach and rapidly multiply.
Sometimes healing aftershocks can kill people as sure as any wound. Then 
there are the espically talened healers who can do just about anything
painlessly. Binzer was one such healer, Zoisite hadn't felt a thing.
    -Amazing, she talks, I listen, and then she is just gone. What a strange
youma. I've never met one so cheerful... not even among the healers. I wonder
how that witch Horaru is doing anyway...- Zoisite thought, remembering with a
trace of affection his old training partner who had left for the ranks of
one of the officers Zoisite was only vaguly framilier with, Nephrite. -That
name, everytime I hear it it sounds like it should mean something. Same with
that kawaii blond Jadeite...-
     Then he looked at the time peice on the desk and realized it was five in
the morning.
     "Uh-oh! Better get ready! I don't want Kunzite any MORE mad at me!"

     Kunzite awoke at exzactly sic o'clock. His natrual mindclock more 
accurate than any time peice. He skipped breakfast with the idea that minds
are dull on a full stoumch. pulling on his uniform he called upon what small
psysic abilities he posessed to summon Zoisite.
     :Zoisite, report.:
     Zoisite appeared a moment later. A little startled, but more keyed up
for battle than anything.
     Kunzite frowned as he sensed this. It didn't settle well with him that
Zoisite was so eager to draw blood. Zoisite's air of confidance pressed into
Kunzite's mind, and indeed the copper haired man stood a little strighter
than before. He was over sure of himself, that was the main reason he wasn't
an officer already anyway.
     Zoisite looked at Kunzite stright in the eyes, bolder than before, "When
do we go?"
     "Are you sure you're ready?" Kunzite asked warily.
     "Whenever you are," Zoisite replied nonchalently.
     Whatever had changed, Kunzite didn't like it a bit.

     "I-will-retech-on-you-if-you-make-me-go-in-there," Zoisite stated, 
eyeing the entrance to the air duct, which oozed dark green liquid.
     "It's alge, it won't bite. it grows in the condensation on the walls,
which eventually drips down here, taking the plant with it. You're not scared
are you?"
     "Of course not!" Zoisite snapped, crawling into the tunnel. He gave a
strangled gasp as his white gloved hand touched the thick mush that lined
the duct, but that was all. "Why didn't we enter from the inside, insted of
one of the drainige ducts?"
     "We could be easier seen inside, too risky." Kunzite stated, climbing 
in behind him. He couldn't read the expression on Zoisite's face as they
ascended into the gloom, something akin to anger and disgust, with his 
eagerness to get the job done burning through both.
     They climbed up the long steep duct, heading for the lighter spot of
blackness that was the main airshaft. Suddenly Zoisite's hand met something
more unplesent than usual, and quite unidentifible.
     "Eeepp!!"
     Kunzite felt the younger man slide down next to him and managed to snag
Zoisite's arm before the younger man slid to the bottom. Careful to maintain
the minor levitation spell that they had been using as a climbing aid he 
secured his arm around Zoisite's waist and dragged the younger man to the 
top. 
     As soon as they were on level ground Zoisite pushed away and scowled
into the blackness. "I don't need your help!"
     "Believe me, little one, you need all the help you can get." Kunzite
whisered, mostly to himself. Zoisite was going to retort but insted jumped 
back in suprise as Kunzite summoned a ball of glowing pale pink energy.
     "Wow, there's no heat. Why can't I do that?"
     "I'm sure you'll be able to someday. But this is neither the time nor
place for a lesson. I stuided the floor plans of the palace last night,
the bathing halls should be this way."
     With that Kunzite crawled, slid, away. Leaving a alge covered Zoisite
to follow the light as best he could.
     
     If one thing had to be said about Lord Azurite, it would be that he was
a handsome man. he stood six feet five inches tall, with a soft, almost 
boyish face. His silken blue hair hung to just bellow his ears, with his 
bangs parted mostly to the right. His kin was unblemished and natrually tan,
the perfect frame for his sparkling blue eyes. If not for his height one
would never guess he could come close to his thirty-nine years. He seemed
perpetually sixteen. 
     Other things could be said about Lord Azurite. Such as: vain, arrogent,
self assured, creul, and manipulitive. It is noteable that of the seventy
known frightnedm naive, drunk and otherwise helpless people that have entered
Lord azurite's quarters, only five had been seen again, only two alive.
Azurite didn't seem to differentiate between males and females, but more 
often chose the latter.
     Walking towards his privite bath house he flashed a charming smile at
a group of youma girls heading to the public bathing rooms. The girls had
the sense not to smile back. Not in the least bit phased Azurite continued
on.
     He didn't consiously think about the gaurds that stopped by the door and
stood gaurd as he entered the room. He was so used to their presence that
he thought no more of it than breathing.
     Tossing his garmets carelessly aside he stepped into the warm pool, 
leaned aginst the wall, and proceeded to think about nothing in praticular.
Drifiting into an almost trance-like state.
 
     "We're here," Kunzite whispered, pointing to tunnel a few feet away 
that put out light brighter than the orb's. When we get there I want you
to make an ice crystal. I'll enhance it with my powers, and you guide it
to strike Lord Azurite."
     "Me?"
     Kunzite sighed, he looked away for amoment, then back at Zoisite. "You
are far better with a spear than I. My skill lies in sowardsmanship."
     Zoisite was shaken, from Kunzite's icy stare or the fact that Kunzite
had admitted a weakness he was not sure. Both were equally disturbing.
     They slid down to the vent. The bars were a good half foor apart,
more than enough room for Zoisite to make the throw.
     Zoisite closed his eyes, the moisture in the air above the bathhouse
made it easy to form a sizeable crystal without expending enough energy
to attract attention. He felt the crystal grow heavier and the parts of
his hand that touched it went numb, Kunzite's magic. Azurite was begining
to get uneasy, sensing the building energies.
     Wordlessly Zoisite took aim and hurled the crystal at the blue haired
general.
     ...
     THUD
     Azurite managed to deflect the crystal, which slammed halfway into his
sholder, slowly turning the skin around it to ice. Azurite broke it in a 
flash of blue energy and quickly returned his skin to it's normal condition.
He wheeled to find the assasin, but didn't notice the vent near the celing
of the room.
     Kunzite muttered an ininteligible curse, grabbed Zoisite's arm, and 
motioned for him to head up the tunnel. Zoisite, however, was looking 
down at Azurite with something more than general intrest.
     Groaning Kunzite managed to pull Zoisite back into the main air duct,
just as a force bolt slammed through the vent grating. 
     "He knows we're here, we've got to hurry. The generator is this way!"
Kunzite whispered shoving Zoisite ahead of him. The younger man snapped
out of his trance and hurried down the duct. They barely got clear of the
fireball that exploded aginst the wall behind them.
     They made it twenty more feet down the tunnel when all light behind
thembegan to slowly fade out. Kunzite reformed the mage lantern to see a
sickly black cloud roiling up the tunnel.
     "Oh SHIT!" Zoisite screamed, he knew poision when he saw it, and began
heading down the tunnel at break neck speed. Kunzite followed, fast, but
not so reckless. Soon they saw they were heading towards a burning white 
light, the central heater.
     The heater was run entirely by magic. The first three spells generated
the heat. These large balls of white hot flame were trapped in a spell sheild
that allowed the heat to escape, but not the fire. The last spell kept the
walls of the room at a constant sixty degrees fairenhiet so that they 
wouldn't be scalded and cracked by the intense heat. The entire room was a
huge sphere with twenty seven tunnels that channeled heat to the rest of the
palace.
     Zoisite paused at the edge of the tunnel and looked down, nearly one
hundred feet, to the bottom of the room. Already the heat was nearly 
unberable. He sensed Kunzite moveing to crouch beside him. "Can we teleport 
now?"
     "Hardly, we need to be inside the fire sheild first, or we can still
be detected." 
     "Inside? We'll be roasted! Dead! That's insa-" Zoisite cut off as 
Kunzite placed his hand on his sholder and brougt the younger man aroung to 
face him.
     "I'm the leader and I have this all worked out. Just don't let go of
my hand, and trust me on this one, okay?"
     -Trust him? Him? Oh, that'll happen,- Zoisite thought angerily. Then
Kunzite grabbed his hand and yanked him off the ledge.
     Zosite felt his body tempature dropping as the heat rose. Soon he 
was nearly freezing, and they were approaching the fire sheild. He felt the
sheild pass through his body, sending a wave of nausea through his innards.
As the further disorientation of teleportation hit him he did something 
most unprofessional. He threw up.
     
     Kunzite looked at the mess on his living room floor, then back up at
Zoisite. "That was uncalled for."
     "S-sorry I f-felt kind-da- Zoisite was cut off as he heaved up the rest
of his breakfast.
     Kunzite stared up at the celing, not a bit nausous himself, but not
wanting to think about someone cleaning the mess up. -Give me streangth.-
     Finally Zoisite ran out of breakfast and stood, pale and trembling,
looking down at the floor, "Sorry Lord Kunzite. I-I'll clean it-t up."
     Kunzite met Zoisite's gaze and said bluntly, "Of course you will. But
if you are going to help me kill Azurite, you're going to have to get a 
backbone, little one."
     Zoisite didn't respond, but summoned a bucket and sponge from his room,
choaking up again, but his stoumch was empty. Kunzite chuckled and headed to 
his study, by the time he was to his desk he was oughtright laughing. But
mabye with a little less of a mocking tone, and a little more affection than
he would like to admit.
     -I like this child, he amuses me,- he thought, sitting down at the 
desk. Then he was all business again as he began to plan a second attack on
Lord Azurite.

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  There should be four parts to this eventually, expect the next in about
two weeks when I get back from my vacation. Hope you've enjoyed it so far.