----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Love at Second Glance Part 4 by Calico Kat ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "He did what?" "I'm telling you, Azurite had me kidnap some guy. That's not his style. I doubt he's got a grudge aginst this one. It just bothers me, not that I ever can guess his motives, but it dosen't settle right this time," the tall red skinned youma said softly to her companion. "Mabye, or mabye this one was just praticulary handsome, eh?" the other, a male with metallic blue skin that glinted like steel in the dim lighting of the bar, asked jokeingly. "I thought so, but then I'm a woman. One way or another he'll be dead now. I just don't like change, that's all. Azurite has followed the same patterns for years..." the woman said with a sigh, she might have said more but the bartender brought out a cup of thick bubbling brown liquid which the youma decided was more important, or at least more intresting, than her current conversation. For a moment she sat quietly sipping the drink as her companion struck up a conversation with the bartender. "What did he look like?" The two youma turned as one to face the newcomer. She was tall, reptillian, and generally looked like someone that neither of the youma cared to mess with. The red skinned woman looked pensive then replied, "Copper blond hair, green eyes, damn good looking. I think his name was Zosa... Zosi... Zoisite, that's it, Zoisite." The third youma's eyes lit up and she ran for the door muttering, "What a lousy day." The two youma exchanged confused glances and decided to forget the whole matter over a few beers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "What do you want with me anyway?" Zoisite asked angerily. "Nothing really, you're just a way to get to Kunzite. Still, you are a pretty little bird," Azurite said, softly caressing Zoisite's cheek. "Don't touch me!" Zoisite yelped, jerking away. Azurite sighed and walked over to a table, with two places set. Zoisite wanted to rip the self-satisfied smile off of Azurites face, but knew that wasn't possible given the current situation. Azurite looked over at him and said politly, "There is absolutly nothing you can do aginst me no matter what I decide to do with you. So calm down, come, eat." Zoisite felt the bonds fall away and cautiously walked over to the table. Azurite sat down and looked patiently up at him. "No poisons, proimise. There's no fun in that." Zoisite sat down in the soft blue cushioned chair, biting his lip to hold back a feeling that threatned to form into tears. He was scared, more scared than he had ever been in his life. What scared him the most was that he had absolutly no way to know what would happen to him. He was completly at Azurites's mercy, with no hope of escape. Pushing back his fear he decided to go ahead and eat. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Kunzite-sama..." a voice hissed from the shadows of the bedroom. Kunzite sat up in bed and absently brushed his bangs from his eyes, squinting to identify the source of the voice in the darkness. Finally he spotted a shadowy figure leaning aginst the window frame and tensed, "Ninjana! How did you get in here?" "Check your barriers more carefully in the future prehaps, my lord." Ninjana said cooly, then went on, "I learned something that migt be of intrest to you, I thought it best to report right away." "This better be good..." Kunzite said bluntly. "One of our legion has been taken captive by Lord Azurite, the boy, Zoisite. Really, my lord, this sort of direct action aginst this legion should not go unpunished," Ninjana stated. Kunzite decided not to punish her for barging in, knowing that she was concerned about the standing's of the legion because she was looking to get a premotion as the head of her own unit. She would be a good commander and she had every reason to worry if her position could be jeprodized, and in the long run Kunzite had nothing to fear from her, she could never attain his rank. "Azurite is a powerful foe, and taking action agisnt a superior officer is not something to rush into. I'll consider this Ninjana, but don't think of coming into my quarters again or it will be at the price of your life, understand?" Kunzite said sharply. "Yes my lord," Ninjana whipered and bowed quickly, obviously she hadn't given much thought to the matter before she teleported in. "You are dismissed," Kunzite said absently, and watched her merge into the shadows, leaving him alone with his thoughts. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotaru bit her lip and studied the four gaurds that stood watch at the door to Azurite's chamber. They were at least twice her size, barrel-chested with wrestlers arms and thick legs. Certanily not built for speed they did have thin tails with wickidly sharp blades and a long narrow snout like a arab horse's tipped with curved ebony-black horns. They reminded Binzer of the legandary assasian youma of the Silver Mellinum, modified for combat in the cramped quaters and rough terrain of the Dark Kingdom. Hissing sharply she tensed and launched herself at the nearest one, sending a ball of bright hot light, her trademark power, into one of it's large color-less eyes. The youma screeched and brought it's tail blade down on her, but she was faster and grabbed a hold of it, redirecting it into another of the youma's chests, where she hoped the heart would be. The second youma fell and the other two converged on her, as the first clawed at the charred hole where it's eye had once been. Hotaru realized she was hopelessly outmatched and turned tail and ran, only to slam into a hauntingly framilier figure. Slowly she regained her balance and looked up into Azurite's cold blue eyes. "Well shit this just isn't my day," she said calmly, then blinked and added, "Hello sir, I'm selling vacuum cleaners, only seventy dollers and nintey five cents. Would you be intrested in purchasing one?" Azurite smiled and grabbed her wrist, teleporting them both away. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Sorry, I had to attend to a rather urgent matter," Azurite said cooly, reappering in his chair. Zoisite scowled and clutched his fork until his knuckles turned white, wishing to all the gods that he could, prehaps, gourge out one of those sparkling blue eyes with it. "You don't have to look so tense, I'm not going to hurt you," Azurite added, making Zoisite feel even more helpless for some reason. He disliked feeling helpless, which made his anger double twice over again. Chewing angerily on a slice of meat he thought, not for the first time, about how he'd like to be anywhere but here. When he refocoused on his surroundings he felt a weight in his stoumch, despair. "Leave me alone! What do you want from me?" "Actually I was hoping for your assistance," Azurite said cooly. Zoisite felt himself begin to tremble. He sternly told himself to quit and shoved another fork full of food into his mouth. But he couldn't help but look at Azurite. The self assured air, the silken blue bangs that framed his tan skinned face, the smooth deep voice, all vauge shadows of Kunzite. It was unsetling and putting Zoisite entirely off his gaurd. "Assistance, what do you mean?" "I need your help, aginst Kunzite. You are, after all, closer to him than any of his underlings." "Do you really think I'd help you, after you kidnap me and..." Zoisite trailed off, leaning back into the chair cushions as if they offered some protection. "After I kidnap you and am a perfectly cival host? I'd think I'm probably treating you better than that mentor of yours ever has, ever will for that matter." Zoisite once again stopped the fear filled trembling that he hadn't realized he'd begun and tried to focous on the food before him. "You're a cold hearted bastard, everyone knows that. The second I finished whatever job you have in mind for me you'd kill me, or worse." "I see your logic, you have no reason to trust me. Therefore I'll have to be a little more persuasive I suppose," Azurite said with a smile. "What do you mean?" Zoisite asked cautiously. "You'll see," Azurite said cooly, grabbing Zoisite by the sholder and ushering him into another room, "I think you'll find what I have to show you very intresting indeed." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kunzite stared absently at the ceiling, but his thoughts were elsewhere. He thought about Zoisite. Zoisite at practice, only fifteen, smiling with pride as he sucessfully completed a complicated spell. Zoisite at sixteen, sparring good naturdly with... that youma girl. Zoisite, now nineteen, listining dutifully to Kunzite's plan, almost seeming to forget that he was supposed to be angery at him. Then less desrable memories. Zoisite in the study, facing death. Zoisite being knocked into a shelf of glasses. Zoisite doing something as humiliating as dressing as a girl to help Kunzite achive his goals. -Why am I so creul? What did he ever do but try to please me? She said he cared about me... how can anyone care about someone like me? I should try and help him... it's the least I could do.- Kunzite thought. Then other memories flashed through his mind. A boy with blue hair buying him ice cream in a park he could no longer quite rember. The same boy helping him with home work. Roasting marshmellows in the fireplace while snow fell a few feet away beyond the frosted window. Good natured pillow fights that covered the living room with downy white feathers while their parents slept peacefully upstairs. The face Kunzite found very framilier, but it was blured by time and, prehaps, by necessity. -Why is this happening now.. these memories.. and the dreams...- As if on cue the vision kicked in, this one clearer than before. The moon rose like a fat white pearl above the city of Tokieo. Kunzite found himself walking along the marble floored balcony of what seemed to be a palace. He looked up at the moon in admiration. Watching the lights of the silver kingdom sparkling above him he almost didn't see Zoisite. When he did he noticed the way the young boy's sholders trembled as her leaned aginst the smooth wooden rail of the balcony, looking down at the courtyard bellow. He was crying. "Zoisite? Are you alright?" He asked worridly, or more, the person in the dream asked worridly. Kunzite suddenly found he was not in control of his body. When there was no response he stepped over to rest his hand in the unbound silken copper hair that cascaded over Zoisite's sholders. "Zoisite? Are you-" "No, I'm not okay! Someone tried to kill us! What did we ever do? I've been here less than a week and I've been beaten up, spoken down to, and almost killed by... god knows what that thing was! I... I want to go home. I want to be at home! I want to see my parents.. and my brother!" he said frantically, verging on sobbing. "Shhhh. It's okay. Tell you what..." Kunzite trailed off, lifting Zoisite's chin until the moist green eyes met his own. The crying stopped, if only for a moment. "Tell you what. Until you go home, I'll be your big brother, ne? I'll protect you." Zoisite didn't anwser, just buried his head in Kunzite's chest, soaking the dark blue jacket with his tears. For a moment there was no further sound save for the crystaline singing of the fountain in the courtyard bellow and Zoisite's ocassionaly sharp gasping breaths. Finally Kunzite sighed and said softly, "It's okay to be afraid sometimes. No one thinks any less of you. I was scared today as well you know." "But... there were so many. And that poor horse.. I just... just..." Zoisite whispered through his tears. "I said I'd protect you, I promise I will. Don't worry... don't worry..." Kunzite sighed, the vision hadn't knocked him out, thankfully, but left him with a deep feeling of sorrow, as if he had betrayed someone very important to him. Then again, mabye he had. -I'll protect him... won't I.... I promised.- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "HOTARU" Zoisite gasped, all semblance of control leaving him as he ran to his friend's side. She was bound tightly enough to draw blood, but it hadn't been enough to crack her cool exterior, she seemed as calm as ever, despite the traces of pain and fear that danced across her eyes. "Oi, Zoisite-kun, what's wrong? There's nothing to be upset over, I'm fine, I'm fine," she said with a smile. Zoisite rembered where he was and forced himself to calm down as well. He reminded himself sharply that he was not a child and shouldn't act as one. "I'd hate for anything to happen to your pretty little friend, so mabye you will take the time to listen to my request, ne?" Azurite smiled and Zoisite felt his stoumch knot in fear again. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Kunzite-sama!" Zoisite exclaimed, appering in the living room and startling the silver haired man halfway to hades. "Zoisite.. I thought you had been captured by Azurite." Kunzite said, his voice calm but his eyes betraying a bit of relief as well as confusion. "He had to go somewhere... I killed the gaurd and just walked out, he didn't think I'd escape without using magic," Zoisite explained. "Well, that's good, it will humiliate Azurite greatly that a half-trained boy managed to escape him," Kunzite said, still finding Zoisite's story a bit unbelivable, but not being able to find another explination. "You say Azurite's room is ungaurded... mabye I can arrange a nasty suprise for him when he gets back..." Zoisite nodded and watched as Kunzite headed over to his bookshelf, his back to him. He fingered the spell-enhanced dagger that Azurite had given him nervously. It was a plain dagger, well balanced for hand fighting or for throwing. The spell was powerful enough to cut through most barriers, prehaps even Kunzite's powerful sheilding. -I hardly know this man.. all he ever is is creul to me... for Hotaru... I have to... I.. have to...- Zoisite grimiced and tightened his grip on the knife, silently he stepped up behindKunzite, gritted his teeth and swung at him, feeling like he was doing something horribly wrong and knowing he'd regret it later. Luckily Kunzite turned and caught his wrist, he flicked his other hand and Zoisite noticed his fingertips glow brefily. -The poision.. he tried to use it... in self defense... but it's not there anymore. S'funny, I kinda wish it was,- Zoisite thought. Kunzite's eyes widended in suprise as Zoisite wasn't phased by this, he didn't move as Zoisite yanked his wrist free, secure in the knoladge that the untrained-boy would never break his sheilding, he was shocked to watch the knife slice through his barriers and... stop. Zoisite stepped back, letting the knife slip through his fingers and clatter to the floor, he felt his eyes brimming with tears and dropped to his knees, "I can't... I'm sorry Hotaru.. I just can't...." Kunzite kneeled by him slowly, unsure of how to handle this but too stunned to consider killing the younger man. "Zoisite-san.. ??" "I'm sorry Kunzite-sama... I'm sorry.. you can kill me now, really, I deserve it," Zoisite said shakily. "First, why don't you explain to me what happened just now?" Kunzite replied sternly. "Azurite.. he.. " Zoisite began, and then went on to quickly explain what had happened. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Azurite sighed and tapped his fingers impatintly on the delicate arm of his large ebony chair. He wasn't sure it was the best idea to send the young man after Kunzite, as it was impossible to tell where the boy's loyalty lay. He was certanily good friends with the youma girl, and friendship was a rare gem in the dark turbulant society of the Dark Kingdom. "You *sure* I can't intrest you in one of those vacuum cleaners?" Hotaru asked cheerfully. Azurite sighed, she was many times past annoying. "I have no idea what a vacuum cleaner is, and no I would not like to purchase one, thank you," Azurite anwsered, trying not to show that this was getting to him. "They're really amazing, clean up dirt from carpit like nothing else. I've got some nice american models that are..." Hotaru shut up as Azurite gave her a glare that would freeze lava. "Oh yeah, these are stone floors, well I'll be darned." "You are trying my patience child," Azurite said, rising from his chair. "I'm am considering scilening you, premently." Azurite paused as an all too framiler aura flared up behind him. He turned away from the frightningly cheerful youma girl and glared at the new arrivials, "Kunzite...." "Harassing underlings is hardly what I'd expect from someone of your rank Azurite, and I'm sure Nephrite isn't going to be too happy that you've been taking his soliders hostage either," Kunzite said coldly. Azurite glared at him, and then at the copper haired man that stood behind him, before his face became expressionless once more. "You betrayed me Azurite," Kunzite said, "And now you dare to assult my legions openly?" "Betrayed you? You must me mistaken, I only look out for myself you see, you were just a means to an end," Azurite smiled sweetly. Kunzite didn't reply, but his eyes flashed with pain as long dead memorie's resurfaced. He lept at Azurite, his fist glowing faintly red withenergy. The blue haired man dodged easily and landed a well placed kick on Kunzite's side. Smirking Kunzite grabbed his leg and flipped him over, but Azurite managed to land on one foot and jump free, slipping a knife from his shirt as he landed. "Better than I rember, I'll give you that," Azurite said, standing slowly. Kunzite remanined silent, his hands glowing ice blue now with pent up energy. Zoisite watched in scilence, -They fight like mad dogs... no thought or plan, just wanting to rip the others throats out... But they're so alike... in skill and in apperance... could they really be brothers? I guess it's been like this... all along.. it's built up so much that now it'll all pour out until they destroy themselves...- Zoisite quickly re-foucoused on the battle before him as Azurite dove foward, doging Kunzite's energy blast to bring the suddenly white hot knife down towards Kunzite's ungaurded chest. Kunzite stepped back, grabbing Azurite's arm and flinging him into the wall. The opponets released energy blasts simoultaniously. The bolts clashed in a spray of bright blue pyrotechnics. For a moment time seemed to stand still, neither beam gaining or loosing ground. Then with a viscious smile Kunzite increased his energy blast, crushing Azurite's quickly weakning blast. Azurite paled, if he jumped he'd have to drop his energy barrier and would likely be crushed before he was clear of the blast. If he'd be incinirated in a matter of seconds. Kunzite intensified the beam again, bearing down on his opponet, but as he saw the look of shock on Zoisite's face, and the look of despiration on Azurites own, he suddenly lost his focous and a wave of energy, burning brilliant blue, shot foward like a misfired rocket and sent him crashing into the table behind him. Kunzite blinked dazedly, pushing away the broken dishes and overturned chairs, trying to recover before Azurite took atvantage of the sitution. He tried to rise, and felt Azurite's fist slam down on his skull. Dazed he dropped to his knees, waiting for the final blow to come... it didn't. Slowly he looked up to see Zoisite smiling down at him. The copper haired man offered his hand and Kunzite allowed him to help him up. They looked at each other with vague new respect, then turned to face Azurite, who was lying on the floor several feet away. "Damn you both..." He said slowly, staggering to his feet, an ice crystal jutting through his sholder. Before either Kunzite or Zoisite could move he lept foward, agile as a cat, blazing white dagger in hand. Zoisite saw the blade slicing down at him, too close, to fast, to doge. Then he felt something slam into his sholder, and then he impacted with the ground, a sharp pain lancing through his side.. but he found himself otherwise unharmed. He felt a warmth covering his side, and turned slightly to see Kunzite. His face creased in worry when he noiticed the jagged gash in the silver haired man's sholder. Kunzite didn't seem to be in too much pain, though, as he sat up slowly to look at Azurite's still form crumpled on the ground near him. Then Azurite's breath returned in ragged gasps, and he rolled onto his side, with obvious pain. Zoisite bit his lip when he say the kinfe embedded up to the hilt in Azurite's left breast. "Well... didn't think you'd actually be.... stupid enough to put yourself... in danger..." he coughed, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. He tried to sit up and a shuddered, dropping back to the floor. His tall frame seemed weak now... almost fragile. Kunzite stood and walk over to him, dropping to his knees, a strange look of concern, mixed with hatered, haunting the deep silver eyes. "I don't need your pity..." Azurite growled, then he began to shudder again, his body suddenly twisting spasmaticly. When he opened his eyes again they were no longer cold eyes, no longer filled with bitter hatred, insted his gaze was soft, almost regretful, tinted with pain and deep concern. "... E.. Eric?" Kunizte didn't respond, but his eyes lost their rage, insted they went cold, almost emotionless, but somehow seemed to ache with sadness. "Eric is dead. You killed him..." "Eric," Azurite said again, more confidently, although his body shook like a leaf with each breath he took. "I... I'm sorry I failed... I told you I'd protect you... What did I... what did we become? How... how... I.. I'm sorry... I know you.. the real you.. somewhere in there can hear me... I'm sorry... so sorry..." Suddenly Azurite's body twisted in convulsions, his eyes went wide with pain and he doubled over. And then he was still... dark blue hair hanging limply aginst his quickly paleing cheeks, deep blue eyes distant and lifeless. Zoisite stepped foward, putting a hand on Kunizte's sholder, and then froze. An erie black mist began to creep from Azurite's mouth, then from his nose and around his eyes. The mist writhed like a living thing and seemed to be despretly trying to hold itself together, and then, it too gave up, wafting into nothingness. Zoisite almost fancied he had imagined it. After a tense scilence a quiet voice wafted from the corner of the room, "Guess he won't be needing those vacuum cleaners..." "Hotaru..." Zoisite turned and ran over to his friend, undoing the bonds with a quick spell. "Arigato," Hotaru said quietly, standing up. "Sorry I got you into this mess..." Zoisite muttered. "It's okay, it's okay... I have to go now. I won't see you again Zoisite... it's not because of this, there are some things I have to take care of. You take care of yourself now, you hear?" she said with a soft smile, hugging him tightly, and then she was gone, like dust swept away by the wind. "She was your friend then?" Kunzite queired, rising and looking quickly away from his brother's lifeless corpse. "Hai... I guess that's the word for it," Zoisite replied quietly. "Come on, we both need to rest," Kunzite stated, placing a hand on Zoisite's sholder and teleporting them both away. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zoisite awoke in his own bed, after a rest strangly devoid of dreams. He looked about the darkned room, then brushed the mind of the refrigarator-soul-youma and learned it was already well into the morning. "Ack, can't be late for practice," he said, throwing on his uniform, quickly brushing out his long copper-blond hair and throwing it into a loose poney tail. He checked to make sure nothing in the house had been disturbed when he was kidnapped and teleported to the practice ground. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Good job, you're learning more quickly these days, you know." "Only because I want to be of more use to my partner." "Partner's? Are we now?" "As you said, as long as I'm in on your plans, I might as well make myself useful. We're taking down Queen Beryl someday aren't we?" Kunzite paused, shook his head and smiled one of his rare, sincere smiles, then snapped his sword foward and attacked again, "Mabye we will, mabye we will." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The End ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, that's the end. I hoped you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! =^.^= Sorry it took me so long to post this segment. I'd like to thank Khymera and Cresent Star for helping plot out the ending, and of course Becki and Viger for posting my stories. Now I just gotta get the other 2 fanfics in this continum done... questions? comments? e-mail at: calico516@aol.com