Sailor Moon 1. The Tranquillity of Love

**Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon are the legal property of Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha Monthly Nakayoshi, TV Asahi, Toei Animation Co., ltd. and Pioneer Entertainment (USA) LP.**

**Author's Note:** When starting this story I didn't want to use their name from the series and calling them Princess something or Sailor something would get tedious and repetitive so I gave them name:  
Akai = Princess Mars  
Mizuiro = Princess Mercury  
Midori = Princess Jupiter  
Kiiro = Princess Venus  
Aiiro = Princess Uranus  
Hukamidori = Princess Neptune  
Makkuro = Princess Pluto  
The names are the Japanese words for the colours red, blue, green, yellow, deep blue, deep green and black. Colours in the order as the names. Translation for Japanese word used in the story at the end of each chapter. 

**The Tranquillity of Love**

* * *

He felt the tip of Jadeite sword against his throat and threw his own to the ground as a sign that Jadeite had won. The sword disappeared and a sigh escaped the young blond man. 

"What's with you today?" he asked him and Zoisite looked up at his friend through a sweaty mess of long blond curls. "How can one expects to win over you in an honest fight if you don't do your best?" 

"I'm sorry I guess my heart is not in this today," he said and rose from the ground and dusted the sand of his clothes. 

"Neither is your head, my friend," Jadeite said and graced his cheek with the tip of his sword and a thin line of blood trickled down it before the healing crystal that surrounded the training ground got to work and healed the cut without a trace. 

Zoisite looked at Jadeite in surprise it was a very long time since anyone had given him a reminder. Gracing someone's cheek with the tip of a sword or a knife was known as a reminder and given to someone to make them remember to do their best in battle exercises. 

They looked at each other assessing the other, they were both wearing the traditional training clothes, lose fitting pants and shirts that was parted down to the waist leaving the chest bare. No protective armour was used, the soldiers were trained until they didn't suffer any lacerations, and the crystals in this area took care of any wound. 

Zoisite held out his sword arm and the sword came flying to his hand and he made a lunge for Jadeite and knocked the sword out of his hand, then with a blow of the hilt he sent the younger man sprawling on the ground. He put the tip of the sword to his cheek and graced it. 

Jadeite looked at him with a dazed gaze, groggy after the blow, the cut healed quickly. 

They looked up when they heard someone clapping and saw Nephrite standing at the door with a sword in his hand. 

"Good move Zoisite," he said, "let's see if you can repeat it." 

"Still looking for revenge?" he asked him with a smile. 

"Always, Zoisite, always," the younger man said also smiling. 

"I hate to interrupt your little fun," Kunzite said and emerged from behind one of the pillars, "but you really should get ready for the banquet tonight." 

"How long have you been standing there?" Jadeite asked the white haired man. 

"Long enough," he answered and left them. 

"Another time then," Nephrite said to Zoisite with a friendly grin. 

"Sure," he said smiling amiably back at him. 

"Next time bring you heart and your head," Jadeite said and looked at him over the blade of his sword. 

"I will," Zoisite said and left the training grounds with a smile on his face. 

* * *

"Kunzite-sama, matte," Kunzite heard Jadeite calling behind him and stopped and allowed the younger man to catch up. 

"You sure are in a hurry," Kunzite said to him as he caught up with him barely out of breath. 

"I wanted to talk to you," he said treading his finger through his short blond hair, "I noticed that Zoisite has been acting weird ever since the Prince told us about the banquet." 

"I have also noticed it," Kunzite said, "he never acts like this and he never lets you win a fight." 

"Exactly," Jadeite said, "something sure is wrong." 

"Maybe I should talk to him," Kunzite said. 

"Maybe, you should?" Jadeite asked him and crossed his arms over his chest and a frown on his face. 

"I will," he said. 

"I was just going to say that," Jadeite said with a smile. 

"Yes in your own subtle I-will-kill-you-if you-don't-way," Kunzite said also with a smile. 

"You know me so well." 

"After fifteen years of friendship what would you expect?" 

"Nothing less," Jadeite said and took of, "matte ne, Kunzite-sama." 

Kunzite shook his head with a smile the young man was really bursting with energy. He continued his walk but with a new destination. 

* * *

Zoisite looked out of the window in his quarters when he entered it. Being in the Prince's bodyguard had its upsides and downsides, the downsides were that you had to attended a lot of boring official meetings and even more boring parties and events, the upsides were that you lived more comfortably than anyone else. 

He could still remember the day that he had been chosen to come to the court to be trained as a member of the royal guard. He had been five at the time and was of a good and highly respected family so naturally he had been chosen for it, but he was also very good with a sword and had a strong sense of loyalty, even as a child. 

The first day he had felt lost and lonely, but then he had met Kunzite, and they had soon become good friends. Kunzite, who was the same age as he, had like him been chosen to come to the court to be trained. 

Kunzite had been chosen because he had been good with sword and bow, loyal and had good leader instinct. Nephrite and Jadeite had joined them the following year, after that they had started their training. A training that turned them into the Prince elite bodyguard and earned them all the title Shitennou, the four kings of heaven, a very honourable title. 

He woke up from the past and returned to the present, he poured himself a glass of water from the crystal carafe and went out of the balcony. It was a beautiful autumn day the sun was shining and the sky was blue, it would have been a perfect day but the gentle breeze brought a sad and gagging odour with it. The stench of burnt flesh lay heavy both night and day since the funeral pyre never seemed to cease, many lives had been lost during the resent war, a strange war, were human was fighting youma. An alliance with the moon kingdom had saved them all from falling in the clutches of the darkness. 

He thought back to that day when the treaty was signed the day the war turned to their favour. It was the same day he had lost his heart to the most beautiful girl in the whole solar system. He had noticed her the moment she had walked into the room with the moon princess and some other girls. The girls short hair had the same blue colour as the lake near his childhood home and eyes to match, she had been wearing a blue long dress and hidden in the folds of her dress was a book. He had felt as if he hadn't lived until the moment he saw her, although he had thought himself being in love many times, but the peacock brained girls at the earth court was beautiful on the outside and had only air inside. No wonder he preferred battle practice to talking to those peebrains. 

Anyway he knew that a romance with someone at the moon court would be difficult to maintain since they both had their duties at separate places, but the real blow came when the queen introduced them to the girl that had arrived together with her daughter. She had introduced the girl as the Princess of Mercury, Sailor Mercury one of the inner senshi. He felt at that point how his heart sank down into his boots. 

That was five months ago and he hadn't thought about it with the war and all until two days ago when the Prince informed them of the traditionally celebration of the victory of the war, the moon queen, her daughter and the senshi were all invited, which meant that he would see her again. 

He sighed and went inside and closed the door to keep the smell of fire outside. He put down the glass on the table and began to strip out of his sweaty clothes and walked into the bathroom. He sat down on the side of the bathtub and touched the water that was cold as ice by now but it raised to a higher temperature as he touched it, it was an ability he had obtained with the title of Shitennou. 

He undid his long braid and stepped into the bath and relaxed his aching muscles, Jadeite had been pretty rough today. Since he hadn't been fully concentrating Jadeite had taken the opportunity to pay back all the hard times Zoisite had given him. He had been the one training both Nephrite and Jadeite in sword technique and they had never been able to defeat him except the few times he had been distracted like today, but he always made it up by being ten times rougher with them the next practice. 

He sank down under the surface and stayed there until he could no longer hold his breath and then he broke the surface gasping for air, his long hair covering his face like a curtain and he pushed it back. He seldom let his long hair flow free, as it annoyingly fell into his face obstructing his vision so he always tied it in a lose ponytail unless he had battle practise then he wore it in a tight braid. 

He grabbed the soap and used it to clean of the smell of sweat and dirt from his body. The soap had a faint but sweet fragrance of lemon, a smell he had always enjoyed ever since he was a child. 

He reached for a bucket of water that was standing beside the bathtub and poured it over him to rinse of the soap, a yelp escaped him as the icy water poured over him, he'd forgotten to warm it. He rattled his teeth as he wrapped a towel around himself and stepped out in the living room he froze as he saw Kunzite sitting in a chair obviously waiting for him. 

"Kunzite-sama?" 

"I noticed that you weren't doing your best at the battle practise today," the man said and rose from the chair, "why?" 

"I was distracted," he answered. 

"What was the distraction?" 

"Nothing in particular," he said, "I can't seem to get by that we lost so many in the war, so many friends and loved ones." 

"It's sad yes," Kunzite said with a nod, "but that is the nature of war as a solider you should know that and not let it distract you." 

"I'll try to banish such thoughts during practise and concentrate better," he said. 

"That's good," he said and the stern face of the leader disappeared and was replaced with his friends mocking smile, "and now the truth." 

Zoisite looked at him with a surprised look on his face. 

"I don't understand..." he began but Kunzite cut him off. 

"We've known each other too long to keep secrets from one another," he said, "tell me what's bothering you?" 

"Unrequited love," he said and the smile vanished from Kunzite's lips. 

"Anyone of the court?" he asked. 

"No," he said and looked out the window, "it's someone I can never get, or tell how I feel." 

"I hope this isn't going to reflect on your duties?" Kunzite said. 

"Believe me when I say that work is the best way to forget this inconvenient affection," he said. 

"I believe that you won't let it affect you responsibilities, but it will tear at you," Kunzite said, "perhaps it would be better to tell this girl how you feel." 

"And have her laugh in my face, or worse, pity me," he said turned to Kunzite. 

"You have it your way," Kunzite said and turned and walked out the door, "don't be late." 

'Now why would I be late to my own personal hell', he thought as he went over to the mirror and picked up the brush to comb through the wet tangles of his hair. 

His mind started to drift and of course they drifted to the one thing he could never have. In the mirror he saw the sweet innocent face with the blue eyes and blue hair. Princess Mercury, Sailor Mercury, guarded by the innermost planet of the solar system and have the power to control water. 

He thought back to the first time he saw her fight and remembered her attack at that time. A group of soldiers together with her had been trapped by some youma and his group was coming to the rescue. He had seen her raise her hands to the chest, sparks of water flying around her as she twirled around and raising her hands over her head and she throw away strong beams of water immobilising the enemy letting them take care of the rest. 

He had heard her shout out 'Shine Aqua Illusion' as she formed the attack. She had the grace and calmness of water, and she was truly beautiful and from what he had heard very intelligent. 

He knew many men that didn't like girls that were intelligent, just as long as they had a beautiful body and face they were happy, sure he liked that too but he wanted something to exist behind the beautiful exterior. 

She was everything he wanted but they where from different worlds, literally. Suddenly his legs could no longer support him and he fell down on the floor to his knees. His hair flowing free around his face and tears came bursting and he buried his face in his hands and cried, he hadn't cried in years but now they came like they were never going to stop. 

* * *

She was nervous as she reached the transport area, she looked at the crystals that came from the nine planets of the system. 

If she could she would have transported home to Mercury but she couldn't, she was nervous about meeting the third of the Shitennou again. Just the thought of him made her heart beat faster and she got trouble breathing normally. 

She saw that the mark for earth was drawn on the ground in the middle of the transport circle and the blue crystal form Earth was placed in the centre. 

She looked around but the threes green leaves reminded her of his green eyes, those eyes she had tried very hard to forget but couldn't. 

She couldn't for her life understand why she had fallen so for a man from earth. When the others had been talking about the Shitennou and the crown Prince she had left the room with an excuse and fled out into the gardens to be alone with her sorrow. They knew that the Prince wasn't married but they suspected that the others were, although they had never heard anything about them being married. 

She thought back to the first time she had seen him when the Prince had come to ask for help in the war. She had entered the room with the others and seen him, as soon as she saw him it was like he was the only one who existed in the room everyone else had become air and they were the only once to remain solid. They had been in the Chamber of Winds at the time and his long hair tied in a loose ponytail had blown dramatically in the wind. As she studied him she noticed that his skin was flawless and seemed to be very smooth. 

"There you are," she heard a voice say and turned and saw Princess Mars approaching and a few feet behind she saw the queen and her daughter together with the rest of the inner senshi. 

"Are you feeling okay?" Akai asked her and she nodded. 

"I'm fine," she said, "just a little nervous, that's all." 

"I almost forgot that you didn't like big banquet's," she said, "you would rather be home on Mercury locked in the library I guess." 

"At least its quiet and less crowded," she said and Akai nodded. 

"That I admit," she said. 

The other reached the transport area and they all stepped into the circle joining hands, concentrating their thoughts on the blue planet a wind blew up and when it ceased the sounds and smells were quite different. The smell of burnt flesh was heavy in the air, they saw the sun setting and the heaven seemed to be afire. 

Five men approached them. 

"Welcome to Earth Queen Serenity," the Prince said and bowed and the other did the same. 

Mizuiro saw Zoisite and felt her heart increase in speed. He looked sad for some reason and she wondered why. For a fraction of a minute she wanted to walk over to him and kiss that sadness away. 

"Lets return to the palace, your highness," the white haired man, Kunzite, said and the Prince nodded. 

It was cold outside, she hadn't notice the cold outside when they first had arrived, but then again her mind was preoccupied with other things. 

Kiiro on the other hand shuddered and Kunzite took of his cape and draped it over her shoulders. 

"It gets cold in the evenings when its autumn," he said to her and she pulled the cape more closely around her and smiled faintly at him a smile that he returned. 

"It was warmer when we were here earlier," Akai said. 

"That's two months ago," Zoisite said, "as the Earth rotate the season changes and it gets colder or warmer depending on how close the Earth is to the sun." 

They all looked at him and he blushed. 

"Gomen," he said and the Prince laughed. 

"No need to apologise, my friend," he said, "just warn us before you dazzle us with your intelligence again." 

Zoisite nodded and she looked at him, she felt as though her heart would break. 

'He is everything I want in a man', she thought, it wasn't often she had thought about what kind of man she wanted but it had happened and he was everything she wanted. 

"Can we please go inside before I turn to ice?" Kiiro asked and they continued their walk toward the palace. 

The dining room was big and was lit up by huge chandeliers that hung from the ceiling the prisms cast rainbow-coloured spots over the room as they reflected the candles. The room was in marble like the rest of the palace. 

They were sitting at the table upon the podium as it was reserved for the high court and its guest. She was sitting between Akai and Midori so she couldn't see him but she could hear him and it sent shivers down her spine ever time he said something. 

"What did that awful smell outside come from?" the princess suddenly asked. 

"It came from the funeral pyre," Jadeite said. 

"You burn your dead?" she asked and she sounded horrified. 

"Yes, in order for the soul to be freed from its earthly prison the body most be destroyed and its ashes returned to the very earth that created it," he said. 

"Sounds a little barbaric, but at the same time poetic," the queen said. 

"Well, it's tradition," the Prince said. 

"I was thinking that it would be a great idea for the senshi to learn a little about earth," she said. 

"Well, you need only to ask," the Prince said, "now is a good opportunity since Zoisite seems to have memorised everything he has ever been taught, so if anyone knows the answer to your question its him." 

Question was something they had and they practically hailed over the long blond man as the dinner proceeded in a slow tempo. 

She was standing outside on the large balcony listening to the music that were played inside the ball room, she was not much for parties and preferred the silence of an empty room rather then the multitude of voices in a crowded one. 

"Be careful so you don't catch a cold," a voice said and a warm cape was placed over her shoulders. She looked up and saw Zoisite standing there, suddenly her voice disappeared and she could only look at him. 

"Not much for social gatherings?" he asked her and she nodded still unable to answer. 

"Me neither," he said and looked at her. "Come with me," he said and placed an arm around her shoulder and guided her down the steps and away from the palace toward the gardens. 

They stepped through a stone portal and she found that the air was much warmer, she gazed surprised at her surroundings; the place was filled with tropical flowers and plants, and she could even hear birds signing, even though it was dark outside there was a soft light in here. 

"Its beautiful," she whispered. 

"I thought you'd like it," he said, "I usually come here every time I want to be alone, study or just think." 

"So you like to read," she said and looked at him and he nodded. 

"I have found that reading is very relaxing and after a whole day of battle practice one needs to relax but I would like to study instead of wielding a sword," he said and she nodded with a smile. 

"I too prefer studying to doing battle practice," she said sitting down on a stone bench and he sat down next to her. 

"It would be nice if there wouldn't be any war," she said and felt a blush spread over her cheeks as she felt heat from his body that was so close to hers. 

"I think that this last war was the last forever," he said and she looked up at him, "people has lost too much and Earth has suffered to many casualties, to start a new war would be devastating." 

"So peace is reigning now?" she said and he nodded. She looked around at the many different flowers in the garden. "I've never seen any of these flowers and don't know any of their names?" 

"I can show you around and tell you their names if you're interested?" he said and she looked at him with a smile. 

"I'd like that." 

He rose from the bench and held out his hand toward her and she took it. 

* * *

Jadeite spotted Kunzite standing by one of the huge windows talking to Princess Venus, he had been looking for Princess Mars but he couldn't find her in the crowd and began to look for Zoisite it was something he wanted to talk to him about but he couldn't find him either. 

"Kunzite-sama," he said tapping the older man on the shoulder and Kunzite turned to him, "have you seen Zoisite?" 

"No I haven't," Kunzite said, "isn't he here?" 

"I can't find him and Nephrite hasn't seen him either since dinner although the only thing he has seen this night is the bottom of his glass, he is getting a bit tipsy," he said. 

"How many glasses has he had?" Kunzite asked with a frown. 

"Two," Jadeite said, "that man can't hold his liquor that's for sure, but I wouldn't worry Princess Jupiter was with him and that lady sure emits a protective aura." 

"Have you checked the library?" Kunzite asked. 

"He wouldn't," he said and remembered who they were talking about, "he would, wouldn't he." 

Kunzite nodded. 

"I saw him talking to Mercury outside on the balcony awhile ago," Princess Venus said and they both turned and looked at her, "they talked for a few seconds and than they headed that direction." 

She pointed in the direction of the gardens and they both relaxed. Seemed like they didn't want to spend the rest of the night in a crowded and noise room. 

"No need to alert the palace guard then," Kunzite said and they both laughed and Venus looked questioningly at them. 

"You don't have to worry about your friend Princess," Kunzite said, "if nothing else he will probably bore her to death." 

Now it was their time to look surprised as Venus laughed and for the first time they both heard a royal lady laugh with real mirth and not some faked giggle. 

"Bore her to death," she said after awhile and with laughter still in her eyes, "not likely, her idea of a good time is sitting in the library solving mathematics calculations." 

"Funny," Jadeite said that was the first to recover from Princess Venus revelation, "it seems like she just described our Zoisite, although his idea of a good time is studying ancient languages." 

"Then it seems like we have a match made in heaven there," she said and both men smiled, she was probably right. 

He was just about to say something when the music stopped and silence lowered itself over the room. The crowd parted and he saw the Prince standing in the middle of the room waiting until he was sure he had everyone's attention. 

"Nearly a year ago the Earth was plagued by youma and we all feared annihilation," he said, "five months ago that turned as we asked the Moon Kingdom for help that we thankfully received." 

He turned to the Moon Queen and bowed as a sign of gratitude and she accepted it with a nod. 

"The war has been over for nearly two months now and still though the Earth is healed, the scars in our hearts run deep and the fires outside is a constant reminder to all that is lost to us forever," he said, "however though we will mourn our loved ones for a long time to come we have to keep in mind that they didn't die in vain since everything has a meaning." 

"The war brought the Earth out of her one-thousand year long isolation and out back among the stars and so as proof of our gratitude and my personal admiration and deep affection, likewise, to strengthen our alliance with the Moon Kingdom I, Endymion, Prince of the Earth ask you, Serenity, with all my heart, Princess of the Moon Kingdom for your hand in marriage." 

At the end of the sentence he got down on one knee and looked at the Moon Princess that blushed so hard she looked like she had a fever. 

Slowly she stepped out on the floor and over to him. 

"I, Serenity, Princess of the Moon Kingdom," she said with a strong voice though she was trembling, "accept your, Endymion's, Prince of the Earth, proposal." 

Endymion rose and pulled her into an embrace and all the court applauded and Jadeite saw Endymion whisper something to Serenity and her eyes widen and she hugged him more fiercely. 

"True love," Princess Venus sighed and they turned and looked at her. 

"Really, boys," she said and they both startled it was a long time since someone had called them boys, "I'm the Princess of Venus, the planet of Love, don't you think I would know real love if I saw it." 

Jadeite caught a glimpse of black and red in the corner of his eye and turned and saw Princess Mars disappeared out on the balcony and he was not going to miss her this time. 

"Excuse me but I just saw someone that I need to talk to," he said and excused himself. 

* * *

Kunzite looked out the window and saw Jadeite approaching Princess Mars. 

'I wonder...' he thought but his thought was cut off by Princess Venus voice chirping something. 

"What did you say?" he asked and she pointed to something at the back of the room and saw that Nephrite was in the process of making a total fool of himself. He sighed and shook his head, it didn't seem that bad though since Princess Jupiter was trying to hold him in check. 

"Aren't you gonna do something?" she asked him. 

"Nobody cares," he said, "we are all used to him getting this way." 

"But still," she said. 

"Don't worry, Princess," he said putting a comforting hand on her thin shoulder. He looked at her, she sure was pretty, but she was still a little girl. 

'A girl that fought along side me in a war that was not her own', he thought, 'cried the tears I didn't dare to cry.' 

She wore a light yellow dress in some light material that was too thin fore the temperature outside. The dress left her arms bare and reached her down to her knees, a little cape was attached to it fastened in the front with a brooch in the form of the mark of their planet. The clothes looked similar to their solider outfits. 

She wore sandals with straps that were laced high up on her legs. 

'Kunzite,' he heard Endymion's telepathic voice say. 

'Hai,' he answered. 

'Take Nephrite to his room,' he said. 

'Right away,' he said. "Excuse me Princess but I think my friend has had enough fun tonight." 

"Now you care for him," she said with a smile and he bowed and left to deal with his drunken friend. 

* * *

They walked for hours, she listening to him telling her about the different plants in the garden and she asked questions when there was something she didn't fully understood, but mostly he did the talking. 

"What's that?" she asked and pointed at a big white flower resting on the surface of a pond only slightly jostled by the ripples caused by the waterfall at the far end of the pond. 

"That's a water lily," he said, "very common in the northern region were it grows free." 

"It's beautiful," she said, "it looks so peaceful where it rests upon the surface of the water." 

"You're right," he said, "it looks peaceful, never thought of it before." 

"I envy things that are peaceful," she said as she watched the flower, "I have little time to myself and when I'm alone I read, and so I don't have much of a social life and then some people tend to distance themselves from you." 

"I understand what you are saying," he said and she looked at him, "I was five when I was chosen to come to the court and has been training daily since I was seven, a training that didn't leave much room for social encounters or childhood. As a result I read or just come the gardens to sit and think when I'm off duty." 

"Do you ever fell lonely?" she asked him and he looked straight into her eyes when he answered her. 

"Everyday." 

Without a conscious thought she put her arms around him and put her head against his chest listing to his steady heartbeats. She felt his arms encircle her and he put his cheek against her hair. 

She didn't know how long they stood there, two lonely spirits seeking solace in each other's company. 

"It will soon be dawn," he said and she looked up and saw that he was right, the sky had become lighter and a small brim of pink was visible at the horizon. 

"Seems like it," she said and looked up at him. 

"You're so beautiful," he said and she felt her cheeks turning red, soft hands cupped her head and he kissed her ever so softly on the lips. Almost afraid to continue and even more afraid it would end she tightened her grip around him and intensified the kiss. 

When the kiss ended she looked into his green eyes that were huge in surprise and amazement, and also something else. She felt courage return to her by his obvious surprise. 

"Dai suki," she whispered softly against his lips. 

"I love you too," he said and he kissed her again and she felt as though she was truly alive, as if his words alone had opened up her eyes to the world, a world filled with love. 

As they broke away she saw that the sky had become much brighter. 

"I must be going," she said and he nodded. 

"Wait just a minute," he said and walked over to the pond and picked up a white water lily, he cut the long tough steam off with a silver knife and then walked back to her gently cutting a lock from her hair and one from his own. With a frown he concentrated on the three items floating in the air in front of him. A water droplet materialised out of the moist air and joined the others in their dance. The water droplet extended itself as did her hair lock and his shortened and they started to twine themselves into a braid. When he deemed it long enough he placed it around her neck and turned his attention toward the lily and it began to shrink. When it was about two centimetres in diameter he moved it toward the lose end of the braid and they coalesced with the water lily right on top of the seamless seam. 

She touched it carefully expecting it to be cold and hard but it was soft and warm. Small water beads were still on the flower petals. 

"They have the texture of their original matter but will be more durable than diamond. You can remove it at any given time just imagine you hold it in your hands and you will, the same when you put it on, just imagine it around your neck and it will be there." 

She noticed a small shin of perspiration over his forehead and he looked tired, she couldn't even begin to comprehend the amount of energy he must have used in the creation of the necklace. 

"Arigatou gozaimasu," she said and kissed him again and he gave her a weak smile as she broke away. "I must go before they come looking for me." 

"I understand," he said, "I hope we meet again soon." 

"So do I," she said and turned toward the exit and remembered she was still wearing his cape. She retraced her steps and gave it back to him. "Matte ne." 

She turned and walked out of the greenhouse, and when she was outside she spread her arms wide and took a deep breath of fresh air, the wind was coming from behind her and so didn't bring the horrible smell of the funeral pyre with it. With a smile of joy on her lips she broke into a run towards the assembly place and saw that the others were also gathered there. The queen looked relieved when the spotted her. 

"Where were you?" the queen asked her. 

"I was talking to the third of the Shitennou," she answered and the queen relaxed even more. 

"Thank the Moon," she said, "next time warn me before you wander off like that I don't want to have to inform your mother and father that their precious daughter got lost during a banquet on Earth." 

"Can we go before I freeze my butt off," Kiiro said and the queen smiled at the ill placed words of bluntness from the princess of Venus. 

"I assure you my queen that nothing could have happened to her as long as she hadn't left the palace premises," the Prince said, "and she wouldn't have been able to leave either without an escort." 

"I trust the inhabitants of your planet but she is in my care," the queen said, "and thus her safety is my concern." 

"Yes, my queen," the Prince said and bowed. 

They formed a circle by joining hands and as before they thought now on the moon a wind blew up and then they stood in the transport area. 

"Now I want you all to return to your chambers and rest, we will be busy," the queen said and they all began moving toward the palace. 

"You missed something absolutely wonderful," Kiiro said as she caught up beside her. 

"Nani?" she asked. 

"Endymion proposed to Serenity," she said. 

"Masaka!" 

"You better believe it," Kiiro said with a happy sigh, "and she accepted." 

"Yokatta," Mizuiro said. 

"So am I," Kiiro said, "I wish the man of my dream could do something like that but he is a solider and as we all know they are as thick as bricks, except the man you talked to all night." 

"He is quite different from all the other men at the court," she agreed. 

"Well I got to go," she said and quickened her steps, "Oyasumi Nasai, Mizuiro." 

"Oyasumi Nasai, Kiiro," she said to the back off a departing Kiiro. 

'Zoisite', she thought, 'for the first time in months I can sleep with peace in my heart and be glad to wake up, because you have made so me happy.' 

She turned to watch the Earth rise and smiled as she knew her loved one was down there feeling as happy as he was. 

* * *

Zoisite stayed in the greenhouse until he had regained enough strength to walk back to the palace. He was met by a steel eyed Kunzite. 

"Where have you been all night?" he asked with a stern tone. 

"Out getting my heart mended," he said. 

"So the girl return your feelings," he said. 

"She does," he said with a smile and Kunzite raised a questioning eyebrow that indicated he wanted details. 

"Get your mind out of the gutter," he said, "nothing like that happened, I just made her a necklace to remember me by." 

"I believe you," he said, "but you missed the main event of the evening, the Prince proposed to the moon princess and she said yes." 

"I'm truly happy for him," Zoisite said, "and if I can get a few hours of sleep I will mean it." 

"Can you walk or should I carry you?" Kunzite asked him with a smile on his lips. 

"I can walk if you help me," he said and Kunzite put a strong arm around him and helped him to his room. 

The last thought before he fell into a dreamless sleep was: 

'I won't regret waking up in the morning and that is all thanks to you my sweet princess.' 

* * *

In another chamber Jadeite stood before a roaring fire seeing in the flame the graceful figure of a raven hair goddess of fire. 

* * *

**Translation of Japanese words**  
-sama = its an honorific used for royals and gods, and to people that is of higer status than you  
matte = wait  
matte ne = see you later (rather informal)  
Shitennou = this is what the four general of the Dark Kingdom is called in the manga, meaning something like The Four Heavenly Kings  
youma = monster or demon  
gomen = sorry  
dai suki = I like (love) you  
arigatou gozaimasu = thank you very much  
nani = what  
masaka = can't be  
yokatta = I'm glad; thank goodness  
oyasumi nasai = good night  
hime = means princess  
Iie/Iya = no, the other is also no but to an action  
mizu = water  



	2. The Fire of Love

**Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon are the legal property of Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha Monthly Nakayoshi, TV Asahi, Toei Animation Co., ltd. and Pioneer Entertainment (USA) LP.**

**The Fire of Love**

* * *

He awoke with a terrible ache in his body and saw that he had fallen asleep on the marble floor in front of the fire, which was now cold ash and harsh autumn daylight flowed into the room through the window. 

There was a knock on the door and he straightened his uniform and the door opened before he got to it and outside stood a servant. 

"His majesty wants to see you in his study," the servant said and bowed. 

"Tell him I'll be right there," he said and with a bow the servants disappeared. 

He stretched his aching muscles and walked out of his room. 

"Did you get lucky last night?" Kunzite asked him as soon as he stepped into the Prince study, indicating his clothes. 

"No, I fell asleep on the floor," he said and sat down in a chair, "have I missed anything." 

"No, we haven't begun yet", Endymion said, "Zoisite isn't here yet, we can't start without him." 

"Strange that he isn't here yet?" Nephrite said twirling a crystal glass filled with water between his palms. 

"You're right, he's never late," the Prince said. 

Jadeite could see that Kunzite looked worried at the mentioning of Zoisite being late. Suddenly the door opened and a flushed panting Zoisite came in. 

"Sorry I'm late," he said and sat down in a chair tying a ribbon around his hair to keep it from falling into his face. "I overslept." 

"Had a late night?" Nephrite asked him. "Up studying again?" 

"Zoisite, next time you take a guest to the garden for an extended period of time tell someone about it," the prince said, "the Moon Queen almost got sick with worry when they couldn't find Princess Mercury last night." 

"I'm sorry, your majesty," he said, "it won't happen again." 

"I said the queen got worried. I knew you were with her, because I saw you two leave," the Prince said, "and I know that you would never hurt her." 

"No sir, I would never hurt her," he said with a quiet voice, very unlike him and the Prince gave him a worried look. 

"Are you feeling well?" he asked him and Zoisite nodded. 

However, as the meeting continued it became soon clear that Zoisite was anything but well. After an hour his skin was so pale it looked almost transparent and his green eyes was glassed. 

"Zoisite I think you should go and find a healer you don't look so good," Jadeite said and Zoisite's lips twitched into a smile. 

"I look as I feel," Zoisite said and got up, "if you will excuse me, your Majesty, I don't feel very well." 

"We can finish this later," Endymion said, "no one will benefit from you getting sick on us." 

Zoisite got as far as to the door before he collapsed and Kunzite caught him before he hit the floor. 

"I can't breathe", he said and fainted. 

"Zoisite," Kunzite gasped and sank down on his knees with the blond man in his arms. 

"Nephrite, get a healer now," Endymion said and Nephrite hurried out of the room. 

Jadeite got down on his keens beside Kunzite and checked for a pulse on Zoisite's neck. It was faint and irregular but there, his skin felt hot, like fire and loose hair tendrils was plastered to his face. Two crimson spot stood out on his unnatural pale cheeks. 

"What can be wrong?" the Prince asked he had sat down beside them and put a hand on Zoisite's shoulder but pulled it back like he had been burnt and looked at his hand and Jadeite could see that he indeed had been burnt. 

"Your majesty, are you all right?" he asked and Endymion traced his finger over the burns and nodded as they disappeared beneath his touch. 

"It's Zoisite we should worry about," he said and Jadeite saw worry written all over his face, "something is terribly wrong with him." 

"We should take him to his room," Kunzite said and got up from the floor still holding an unconscious Zoisite in his arms. 

As they left the room they met Nephrite and the healer. 

Back in Zoisite's private quarters the healer gave him a thorough check, while the others waited outside the bedroom. 

Everyone was worried and Jadeite even caught himself biting on his nails, something he hadn't done since he was five and new at the court. It was actually Zoisite that had made him stop with that bad habit, every morning before practise Zoisite had rubbed on some ill tasting lotion on his fingers to get him to stop. But now he was so nervous that he did it out of reflex. 

He looked at Nephrite and saw that even if he didn't show it he was worried too, since he was chewing on a strand of his hair, which was also a bad habit that Zoisite had cured. The first time Zoisite had seen Nephrite doing it he had given him a thorough scolding and threatened that if he ever saw him do it again he would cut his hair off. The threat had proved to be real when Nephrite in spite had chewed on his hair and Zoisite had been over him with a pair of scissors and a few minutes later Nephrite was practically bald, suffice it to say he never disobeyed Zoisite again. No soldier in the palace army disobeyed him, if they valued their honour and life. 

Jadeite didn't know if Zoisite had broken any bad habits the Prince and Kunzite might have had but it was pretty clear that he had have an huge impact in their lives. When he thought about it, he could remember vaguely a fight about ten years ago when Zoisite, who had been ten, and the Prince, who had been eight, had had an heated argument about a sky blue blanket that the Prince was dragging with him everywhere he went, Endymion had had it since he was little and in the five years he had had it, it had turned from sky blue to dull grey. The argument ended with a victorious Zoisite coming out of the Prince room with the blanket, head held high and limping. 

Suddenly the door opened and the healer came out and the grave look on his face hold them that he hadn't any good news to tell. 

"He is sleeping now," the man began, "but his condition is very grave and there is nothing that I can do." 

"What's wrong with him?" Kunzite asked. 

"His life energy is almost completely drained," the healer said. 

"Then why didn't he try to drain energy from me when I touched him?" Kunzite asked. 

"Because he can't drain or receive energy in the quantities he needs right now," the healer said, "I reprogrammed some crystals to try and replenish him but it seems like something is draining what little energy he gets." 

"Can I see him?" Kunzite asked. 

"I was just gonna suggest that someone would watch him," the healer said, "you can go first." 

The healer gave Kunzite a little black stone attached to a golden chain. 

"Hang this around your neck and were it inside your clothes while in there so the crystal won't take your energy." 

Kunzite nodded and did as he was told and walked into the room. 

"He will be fine, won't he?" Endymion asked and the healer shook his head. 

"I've only postponed the inevitable," the healer said, "he is dying and there is nothing I can do to prevent it unless we can find the reason for this, then I might be able to reverse whatever it is." 

"Is there absolutely nothing you can do?" Endymion asked and the healer shook his head. 

"Nothing." 

They all sat stunned in the parlour after the healer left. Jadeite felt like crying, why Zoisite? Why did it have to be Zoisite? 

"Someone once told me that the Gods allow humans like Zoisite to live for a little while so we will know what wonders the Gods can achieve," Nephrite said, "seems like whoever said it was right." 

"Can we wait with burying him until he is dead?" Jadeite said with an angry look at him. Another of Nephrite bad habits, that not even Zoisite managed to cure, was that he said the wrong things at the wrong time. 

"I was just saying..." Nephrite begun but was interrupted. 

"Will you two please shut the hell up!" Endymion said. 

They were all close in age, the prince was born a year after Nephrite and Jadeite and they were born a year after Kunzite and Zoisite making them the oldest, but Kunzite was born on the spring and Zoisite late at winter thus making Kunzite oldest of the all. 

A pressing silence fell over them, a silence none of them felt compelled to break so they sat there with a beautiful day outside that seemed to mock their sorrow. 

* * *

"What a beautiful necklace you have there Mizuiro," Akai said. All the other eyes were turned her way and a faint blush spread over her cheeks. 

"There is no need to be embarrassed Mizuiro-chan", Midori said, "we are your friends." 

"That's right," Kiiro said, "and as your friend we all have the right to know who gave it to you, ne?" 

Typical Kiiro, she practically already knew; she never said anything about it, but made every effort to make you tell so everybody else got to know. 

"I got it from Zoisite-san", she said and they all smiled knowingly. 

"The one man with a brain in all of Earth's court and you manage to catch his interest", Serenity said. 

"I would be surprised if you two actually talked about something without dissecting it first," Akai said with a smile. 

"He took me to the garden and he taught me the names of the flowers there," Mizuiro said. 

"Well, I guess that's romantic in a way," Kiiro said, "I mean heart and brain has to communicate for being romantic." 

"I thought Zoisite-san didn't like women," Midori said, "the only women I saw him ever talking to was Aiiro and that was during the war otherwise I only saw him talking to other men at the court." 

"Well, considering the intellectual quote on the females at the court I too would rather talk to others," Akai said, "and the question isn't if Zoisite-san likes girls or not but does Aiiro likes boys?" 

A sudden knock on the door made them all turn and saw Queen Serenity standing there. 

"Am I interrupting?" she asked them. 

"Not at all hahaoya", princess Serenity said, "please join us." 

"I'm afraid I can't, love," the queen said, "I have an important meeting with some officials otherwise I would love to stay." 

"It's a beautiful necklace you have their Mizuiro," the queen said and walked up to her, "did you get it from Zoisite-san?" 

"Yes, my queen," she answered. 

"Well, a little romance have never harmed anyone," she said with a smile and put a pale slender hand on Mizuiro's cheek, "and at your age it's only natural, just be careful." 

"Yes, my queen." 

"Good," she said and walked out of the room. 

"Where were we?" Kiiro said and looked questioningly at the others and they all laughed. 

* * *

They were sitting in the prince study looking very unhappy, there was no good news on Zoisite's condition, despite the fact that the crystals pumped him full with enough energy to blow up a small island he didn't get better - more like the opposite. They had been able to speak to him earlier but that was all. It seemed like the more energy he got the more he lost. 

A sudden knock on the door dispelled the gloom from a moment and a servant came in. 

"This letter just arrived," the servant said, "it's from the Moon Queen." 

Endymion took the letter and the servant left. The prince scanned through it and groaned. 

"What is it?" Nephrite asked. 

"She wants to meet to plan the wedding," he said, "I completely forgot about that." 

"Understandable," Jadeite said, "considering the circumstance." 

"I'll have to write the queen a letter and tell her that we have to postpone this wedding," Endymion said, "I can't even bring myself to think about having a wedding while one of my Shitennou is practically lying on his deathbed." 

"I can't imagine dying at the age of nineteen," Jadeite said, "we survived a war that cost billions of lives and now one of us is lying inches from death by unknown causes." 

"It's a wonder that we are still able to feel this much after this war or maybe it's just that he is one of us that makes this so much harder?" Nephrite said and they all went quiet. All of them thinking the same thing that they would have to grieve a loved one, one they perceived as more than a friend in arms, more than a friend a brother. 

* * *

Jadeite was sitting in his study looking into the fire not really seeing it. The time had passed midnight a long time ago and he would do best in going to bed, but he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. His thoughts were too confused to give him a good night's sleep, thoughts of Zoisite were interrupted by thoughts of raven black hair. 

He took a sip from the warm spiced wine he had poured to himself, he normally didn't drink except on parties and official meeting when it was required to do so, but now he felt like it, even though he could here Zoisite's voice telling him never to drink alone. 

A soft knocking on the door woke him out of his thoughts and he went to open the door, outside stood a small slender person wrapped in way to big cloak. 

"That took time," a female voice said, or rather a girl's voice on the verge of womanhood, "you really know how to keep a woman in suspense." 

The lithe creature swept past him and into his room and he closed the door. She removed the cloak and the first thing that caught his attention was the raven black hair and then the beautiful face with big blue-purplish eyes. 

"Hime-sama," he said completely stunned at seeing Princess Mars in his room in the middle of the night. 

"Hai," she said, "it's me Jadeite-sama." 

"What are you doing here?" he asked her. "Does anyone knows you are here?" 

"No, I came here on my own," she said and looked confused at him, "aren't you happy to see me?" 

"I'm very happy to see you," he said and managed to give her a small smile, "but there will be hell to pay when they find out you are missing on the moon." 

"Nobody knows I'm in your room," she said and he looked at her with a stupid face, "they know I'm on Earth." 

"Come again," he said. 

"I was the one who came with the messages," she said, "I was suppose to wait for an answer and since it grow late I had to stay on Earth and the Prince was kind enough to offer me a place to sleep in the palace." 

"Still doesn't explain why you are in my room in the middle of the night," he said and she sighed and muttered something that sounded like 'stupid men' but he wasn't sure. 

"I was supposed to leave a message for Zoisite-sama from Princess Mercury she was home but she sent me this letter before I came here but they wouldn't let me see him so I came here to you and ask you if you could give it to him," she said and held out a white envelope with the signet of the Mercury Royal Family. 

"Sure I'll give it to him," he said and took it. 

"May I ask why I couldn't see him?" she asked him. 

"It seems like he caught a cold last night," he lied to her, "the weather now gives everyone a little problem with their health." 

"I see," she said, "glad it wasn't something serious." 

"Can I get you anything?" he asked her. "The only thing I have to offer at the moment is some warm spiced wine, but I'm guessing you are to young to drink?" 

"One glass won't harm me," she said, "and I'm going to be seventeen in a few weeks." 

"I thought you were younger," he said as he led her to his study and seated her in a comfortable chair in front of the fire. 

"I'm not sure if I should be flattered or insulted by that," she said and accepted the glass with the warm wine he handed her. 

"Dose it matter?" he said and sat down. "You are beautiful either way." 

He looked at her and saw crimson spots spreading over her cheeks and he wasn't sure if it was his words or the heat in the room. To get the conversation going again he thought about something neutral to talk about. 

"I've never been to Mars," he said and she looked up at him, "what does it look like?" 

She looked at him and took a sip from her glass. 

"It's very much like a dessert land like the once you have on Earth," she began and got a dreamy look on her face, "except the sand is red as blood and it's in constant motion because of the winds so the sky seems to be as red as the land. Since the water on Mars is sparse and runs deep underground it only rise to the surface in oases. Lush domes, designed like giant glass bowls have been placed over them and small communities has been created there." 

He listened to her talking about her home planet and family and he started to remember his own family, he hadn't seen them since he was five years old and that would be nineteen years ago on his birthday in two months. 

He didn't remember that much about them except that he had a little sister and brother, he couldn't remember their names though. During the war he had got news that his father had died when their home had been attacked but the rest of the family was unharmed. It had troubled him that he didn't feel anything when he heard of his father's death, but then again he hadn't seen the man since he was five and from what he could remember about him he didn't seem like a person anyone would miss. 

He hadn't liked his family and had been glad to get away from them and to the court and get friends and even though their training sometimes got though he never once wanted to go home. 

"Jadeite-sama," she said and touched him and he returned to the here and now, "am I boring you?" 

"No, I just started remembering my own family when you talked about yours," he said, "I'm glad that you have a family that loves you." 

"Didn't your family love you?" she asked surprised. 

"I don't know if they did," he said, "I sure as hell didn't like them." 

"That's sad," she said, "not to be loved and love one's family." 

"Actually I count my fellow Shitennou as my family," he said, "for nineteen years we have trained, lived and bled together. I wouldn't want to change anything in my life, except maybe the war, so many loved ones were lost." 

"So your friends has become your family," she said and he nodded, "that seems nice." 

"Well it was a little shaky when we started to notice that girls were for more than pulling their pigtails," he said, "then we weren't so good friends all the time." 

"Are any boys that?" she asked him with a smile. 

"I guess not," he said. 

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked him. 

"Of course." 

"Well, me and my friends were talking today and we all had noticed that Zoisite-sama didn't talk that much to the females at the court," she said and he knew what she was hinting at and smiled, "and we wondered if he liked girls or not?" 

"What do you think?" he asked her with a smile and she blushed. 

"I think he does like girls," she said shyly. 

"He dose," he said, "he just doesn't chase them around the palace like others does." 

"Seems like the perfect man," she said and he laughed. 

"I've heard people say that before," he said, "and I guess they are right most of the time." 

"Isn't he as nice as he let's on?" she asked. 

"He is as nice as anyone can be, it's just that we have known him for a very long time." 

"I see," she said, "well, Mercury sure is going to appreciate this bit of information." 

"Princess Mercury?" he said surprised. 

"Yes, she and he were talking the other night after they both disappeared from the banquet, Mercury said he took her to the gardens," she said with a smile, "I guess smart, lonely people attract each other." 

Jadeite smiled now he knew what the prince and Zoisite had talked about this morning. 

"Tell Mercury she can feel flattered," he said, "as far as I know he has never taken anyone out into the garden." 

"I see," she said and got up, "it has been nice seeing you, but right now my bed is calling me." 

"Yes, it is rather late," he agreed, "I should turn in too." 

He followed her to the door. 

"I hope I have a chance to see you before you leave," he said. 

"I'm counting on seeing you before I leave," she said and walked away. 

He went out on the balcony and stood there letting the fresh, chilly night air ruffle his short blond hair. In the distant he could see the light from the funeral pyre, as he stood and watched them he saw one of them flicker and die soon another followed. Soon every fire would flicker and die, soon all traces of the war should be gone and life returns too normal. 

Iie, things wouldn't be normal, Zoisite was dying, and with him gone, everything would go wrong. He was the one that kept their spirits up, not just in battle but in the grey mundane reality he kept them up. How could they possibly be happy without him being with them, always there to help them with their problems and stay up late if they needed company. Everyone's brother everyone's friend. He'd do anything for them and never ask for anything in return, not even now when he needed their help. They couldn't do a thing to help him from dying. Nothing. 

Whiteout him they would be next to powerless, The Four Kings of Heaven would be a joke if one of them died. Separate they had strong powers, together their combined force could destroy an entire planet. Their power was deeply rooted in the four elements water, air, earth and heat or more known as fire, outside that they had other abilities that was individual. 

He thought back to the day they had got the title..._It had been in the middle of the summer and the day was absolutely perfect, clear sky blue heaven, not a cloud in sight. A brisk wind blowing making the bright sunlight bearable. _

It had been a happy day, they had finished their training and was now to be officially declared as the Shitennou, The Four Kings of Heaven, ever since their training had begun, they had been referred to as the Shitennou, but that was not their official titles. To prove that they had left their old lives behind when they arrived at the court they had been given new name, names taken from semiprecious stones. 

They had been given new uniforms for the occasion they were white with gold linings on the front and brown flowing capes. 

The biggest problem was nobody knew how the ceremony was suppose to go, the last Earth prince to have Shitennou had been hundreds of years ago; it was a rare occurrence and the circumstances around it were extremely fuzzy. The only thing that was clear was that if a child of the Earth ruler was born with the mark of Earth on his forehead it was time to look for the Shitennou. 

Normally the mark of Earth didn't appear on the successors forehead until the old King died and then it didn't matter if it was the first born or not. 

Well, of course one person had known something about the ritual, and that had naturally been Zoisite, months before the ceremony he had locked himself in the library and studied every available book on the subject and so he knew more than anybody else and yet there wasn't much he knew about it, but since nobody else knew anything, he knew pretty much. 

Standing in the blazing heat from the sun while the High Priest of the Sun temple read and incantation in an old language that would do something like call the powers of the four corners of the heaven according to Zoisite. 

As the High Priest read the incantation dark clouds came rolling in and the wind stopped blowing. 

Suddenly strong winds from north, south, west and east started to blow and converged on the podium were they stood and the marks for the four elements appeared on their foreheads. 

Kunzite air, Zoisite water, Nephrite earth and he fire. 

It had been a wondrous day and the four strong winds meeting like that and not harming them was a good sign that they indeed were the Shitennou. That had been five years ago and even though it had nothing to do with the other planets, or  
the Moon Kingdom, the Moon Queen had sent two representatives, two people no one had ever expected to see, Princess Uranus and Princess Neptune. Next to the Moon Queen herself the two princesses from the outer planets was a incredible honour, although something that even exceeded them was the elusive Princess Pluto who stood guard at the Time Gate since the beginning of time till the end of time. 

Although she didn't greet them with her presence she had sent a message to them with the outer princesses and with her respects a scroll telling about the past Shitennou role in the history of Earth and what they really was about. The scroll had been in an ancient, dead language and after the Prince had given up trying to read it after the third attempt, Zoisite had taken over and read it, naturally, without stammering or much thinking. 

Much of the scroll had been clues to finding the four that was to becoming the Four Kings of Heaven, and little about the ritual appointing them and some about their powers but the most important in the scroll was their duty. Their duty was the same as the duties as the heaven to protect the King of Earth. After that followed tales of previous Shitennou and their adventures in the past, Zoisite had stopped there for no obvious reason and said that they had been gathered there to celebrate not study ancient history and everyone agreed. The rest of the night he had seen Zoisite talking to the outer princesses obviously enjoying their company as they seemed to enjoy his, maybe it hadn't been that surprising they were the same age. 

As the last funeral pyre flickered and died he pulled his thoughts back from the past and looked up into the heavens and saw that instead of the black velvet of night it had taken on the gradually lighter tone of predawn. 

He sighed, soon a big funeral pyre would be burning in the sacred temple, even though they were the Prince protectors they were essential to his survival, like the heaven with it's rain and atmosphere was essential to the survival Earth, as it had stood in the scroll, the Shitennou was human incarnation of the four corners of the heaven as the Earth Prince was an incarnation of Earth itself. 

Suddenly restless he left his quarters and ventured down into the Fire shrine and stood there in front of the holy flame. He stepped over into an alcove and removed his clothes and put on a tunic, barefoot he walked out on the cold marble floor and up to the fire, it was warmer near the fire but hardly enough to make a difference. There were three more shrines, one for each element, this section of the palace had been sealed off upon till five years ago, when they had learnt what it actually was, and now the shrines was being attended to by specially appointed servants. 

His element fire, just like her the raven haired goddess that had captured his hearth, even though he had thought himself in love many times it felt different this time. She was different, she occupied his every waken thought and also his dreams. 

He had fallen for her the first time he saw her which was when she and the rest of the Inner Senshi joined their battle and the war turned to their favour. 

She seemed to be lit form inside by an eternal fire that affected her entire surrounding, he had seen it in his squadrons as soon as she had set foot in the compound they seemed to get their spirits back, even the most battle wary solider seemed to regain some of their strength and will to fight. Even he who had seen to many of his soldiers die in squeamish and out right battles that he lead them into felt that they might just have a chance now that they had help. 

"They told me you might be down here," a voice said and he turned and saw princess Mars standing there. 

"I see you have gotten your reply," he said as he saw the letter in her hand and she nodded. 

"I have," she said, "I'll go back to the moon but I wanted to see you one more time before I leave." 

She walked up to him, he marvelled at her beauty, she was as fire, a creature made of fire to serve fire. Suddenly he got an idea. 

"Would you like to help me with something?" he asked her and she looked hesitant on him. 

"What would that be?" she asked. 

"It take to long to explain," he said, "you just have to trust me, you think you can do that." 

"I think I can," she said hesitant and looked straight into his eyes, "yes, I trust you." 

He walked up the stairs to the fire and stood on the edge he turned toward her and reached out his hand. 

"Leave the letter and take of your shoes," he said and she did so, her dress was small enough and wasn't in any danger of catching fire, "now come up to me." 

Carefully and probably nervous she walked up to him and took his outstretched hand, he pulled her close as he reached into the fire and cleared a path to the middle of it. With sure steps he pulled her with him into the middle of the fire and the path closed and they were surrounded by fire. 

Frightened she latched onto him and he put his arms around her trembling body and she relaxed a little. 

"Are you familiar with the legend of the Phoenix?" he asked her and she shook her head. "The Phoenix is a bird that burns itself every five hundred years and get reborn out of its own ashes, it's supposed to symbolise eternal life." 

She looked up at him and now she was truly frightened as she noticed how the flame closed in on them and suddenly they were in the middle of a blazing inferno, flames flowed right through them searing them with their warmth, heating their souls. 

He looked into her eyes and saw that even though she was terrified she trusted him enough to stay and not leave the circle of fire. 

"Don't be afraid," he said and held her closer, "as long as you are with me the flames won't hurt you." 

"I love you," she said and he looked at her, stunned, "I loved you from the moment I saw you, that day we arrived on Earth to join you in the battle against the youma." 

"I love you too," he said as he realised that that was what he felt for her, he loved her and he had done that from the moment he had laid eyes on her. 

"Dai suki da," he said and she leaned up to kiss him, he captured her lips in a loving kiss. As the kiss intensified the flames around them grew higher kindled by the pureness of their feeling toward each other. 

As the kiss ended and they stood there panting looking at each other the noticed they were standing on the floor in front of the stairs up to the fire. 

He noticed something warm between their joined hands and he motioned for her to let go and as they did so they revealed a little red Phoenix bird. 

"Seems like we have received a gift from the fire," he said, "you take it as a proof of our love for each other." 

"I'll treasure it forever no matter what the future brings," she said and she bent to pick up the letter and put on her shoes and left the room, but not before she had kissed him good bye. 

Jadeite was in Zoisite's bedroom together with the prince, they had diced that they would take the watch together and sent of Kunzite to his room with the explicit order to get some sleep. 

Jadeite sat in the rooms window and looked at the unconscious from of Zoisite lying among white pristine sheet like he was dead. 

'Iya, stop that thinking,' he chided himself, 'he is going to be alright and don't dare think anything else.' 

They were in on their third week of Zoisite's mysterious illness, the healers were surprised he was still somewhat alive considering the condition he was in. The prince was also worried about that and on top he was also worried that there had been no word from the moon since Mars had left with their replay and he thought that the Moon Queen was maybe thinking about breaking up the engagement. 

A knock on the door startled them and they got up as a servant looked inside; he stayed in the door so the crystals wouldn't steal his energy as he wasn't wearing any protection against them. 

"What is it?" the Prince asked. 

"Two messengers from the moon has arrived and are requesting to see you, your majesty," the servant said with a bow. 

"Who are they?" the Prince asked. 

"Princess Mars and Jupiter, your majesty," the servant said. 

"Tell them I'm coming," Endymion said and sighed, "are you coming or are you going to stay here." 

"I'm going to stay a little while longer," he said, "Nephrite should be here shortly, I leave when he arrives." 

The prince nodded and left the room, Jadeite sat down on his knees beside Zoisite's bed and took his hand between his, it was cold and limp, suddenly he felt a slight twitch and he looked up and saw that Zoisite's eyes were open though they didn't seemed to be focused on anything. 

"Tasukete," he whispered, "tasukete...mizu." 

Mizu, why would he be asking for water? Whatever it meant he hadn't time to figure it out now since Zoisite was trying to get up from bed. He grabbed hold of him to get him down onto the bed again but Zoisite managed to shove him out of the way. 

Completely taken aback by the assault he crashed into the wall and fell to the floor. Groggy he got to his legs and started after him, Zoisite didn't seem to have made it far since he was struggling with Nephrite inside the living room. 

"Hanase!" he screamed trying to twist himself out of his grip. 

"Not likely, my friend," he said. Jadeite came up to them and together they managed to get Zoisite down on the floor. The words that left his mouth was nothing they would ever guessed could be coming from him. 

"Does he even know what some of those words mean?" Jadeite asked Nephrite as the hauled Zoisite up from the floor and into the bedroom. 

"How I'm suppose to know that," Nephrite said, "not even I know some of those words." 

"That's because you don't read or listen to other people," a voice behind them said and the looked up and saw Kunzite standing there. 

"Aren't you supposed to be in your room sleeping?" Jadeite asked him, dodging a fist aimed at his jaw. 

"I was, now I'm here and it seems like you need some help," he said and with a flick of his wrist he had rendered Zoisite immobile, by erecting a force field around him. 

"Thank you," Nephrite said, "who knew the little bugger would be so strong when being this sick." 

"Well, I'm here now you can both leave," Kunzite said. 

"I'm not going I just came," Nephrite said and Kunzite looked at him and Nephrite took a step back. 

"I said get out," Kunzite said and looked at them both with a stern gleam in his grey eyes. 

"It's Nephrite's turn," Jadeite said, feeling a little insecure. 

"What part of 'get out' is it that you don't get?" he asked them and they both hurried out. 

Outside in the corridor they stopped and looked at the closed door to Zoisite's quarters. 

"I know they have known each other longer than us but isn't he taking this a bit to far," Nephrite said absentmindedly chewing on a lock of his long hair. 

"It's not our business," he said and pulled the abused strands out of his mouth. "And I know that you are just as worried as he underneath the cool surface." 

"And how do you know that?" Nephrite asked him with a smug grin on his face. 

"You are chewing on your hair," he said, "if Zoisite knew it he would cut it off." 

"And who has been biting on their nails?" Nephrite said and grabbed his wrist and held it so his abused nails was clearly visible. 

"So we are both going to get scolded when he gets better," Jadeite said. 

"If he gets better, that is," Nephrite said and walked away. Jadeite stood in the corridor suddenly feeling very lost and he walked with heavy steps to the shrine to see if he could lose himself for a few hours in meditation. 

* * *

She had excused herself from the meeting as she had nothing to do with it, she had only accompanied Midori to Earth. She walked through the corridors of the palace trying to sense Jadeite's ki. 

There it was, but it was so faint and sad like something very saddening had happen to him, she managed to track him down by using his ki as a pinpoint. 

She found him in the shrine sitting on the floor in front of the fire, his shoulders were shaking as if he were laughing at something but the closer she came she could here that he wasn't laughing he was crying. 

She put a hand on his shoulder and he turned and looked at her and she could see that his eyes were red from all the crying and his cheeks were flushed. 

"What's wrong?" she asked and sank down on her knees before him and he just shook his head. "Please tell me? Maybe I can help?" 

"There is nothing you or anyone else can do," he said and she put her arms around and he burst out in tears again. She held him close to her as he cried. She wondered what in all the world could get a grown man that had survived the horrors of a war against youma to cry like a frightened child. 

She looked up and she found herself staring into the flames and in the flame she saw flashing green eyes and blond hair in a vision, it was short and unfocused but with it came the feelings, deep affectionate feelings. As the picture disappeared she got a sense of ending and she knew that whoever it had been that she saw was going to die. 

* * *

In the darkness of Mizurio's bedroom no one, not even she noticed the small water droplets that adorned the water lily returned to their natural state and trickled down from the petals on her night-shirt and bare skin. 

* * *

**Translation of Japanese words**  
-chan = used by girls and friends, also to children and pets  
-san = is used to people you don't know equvelent to Mr. Mrs  
hahaoya = menas mother  
hai = yes  
tasukete = help me  
hanase! = let go! 


	3. The Power of Love

**Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon are the legal property of Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha Monthly Nakayoshi, TV Asahi, Toei Animation Co., ltd. and Pioneer Entertainment (USA) LP.**

**The Power of Love**

* * *

"So what brings you to Earth, hime-sama?" Endymion asked her as they sat down in his study. 

"The queen is a little suspicious about the last letter she received," she said. 

"In what way?" he asked. 

"She thinks that you are stalling the whole thing," she said and he sighed. 

"I'm not doing that," he said, "as I explained in the letter one of the Inner Court is sick and even though it doesn't seem contagious the person's condition is very critical." 

He hated referring to Zoisite like he was someone unimportant, but he didn't want to give out who was sick, especially not to the Moon Court, not even the people of the city was aware of this fact. 

"The queen respects that and is willing to wait for as long as possible but there is more than one suitor hanging around the Moon Palace and they are not going to give up just because of an engagement and they are going to try to make this delay into their benefit." 

"I see your point," he said and felt anger as picture of other men hanging around his hime, but the fear of losing Zoisite was even greater at the moment, "but right now there is nothing I can do about it." 

"On my world it is custom to give the girl you love a token of your affection," she said and he looked at her. 

"It would be a good idea," he said, "but it's impossible for now anyway." 

"How's that?" she asked and he got up from his chair and turned to look out the window. The garden outside was slowly withering to go into sleep, autumn was approaching fast this year as if the Earth itself was sharing their grief. 

"On Earth we have a similar custom," he said, "but here the thing you give your love has to come from the heart and made by your own hand." 

"Then what's the problem?" she asked him. 

"I need to see her for that to happen it's something only the royal family can do," he said even though he was pretty sure that his friends could do that to. 

"Now you've lost me," she said. 

"Out of my power and love for her some thing would come into existence," he said, "it could be anything and would be individual." 

"Why don't just give her something for the time being," she said and he looked at her. 

"That would a good idea," he said, "I'll see if I can come up with anything before you leave." 

"We are not scheduled to return until morning," she said and got up from the chair, "I'll see you then." 

He watched her leave and then sank down in his chair and leaned his head against the desk, he felt a strong urge to bang his head against the desk but it would just look weird if anyone would stop by and he would surely have a headache after that. 

He was troubled and he hated being troubled, he was going to have some of Zoisite's calibre to handle this one but there were none as good as he was. They were all indispensable to him and had been even more so during the war, Kunzite was the strategist and a good leader, without him they would have surely lost the war or suffered more casualties, Nephrite was the one that kept the hope up when there was almost none and given enough time he would be able to get a dead twig to get up and grab a sword. Jadeite had always gone out of his way to keep people's spirits up and worked therefore much together with Nephrite, Jadeite had been a great helper to the army surgeon, keeping the wounded hopes up and aiding comfort to the dying. 

However it was Zoisite's idea to ask the moon queen for help, they had long discussed the issue of open up relations with the Moon Kingdom and the other planet Kingdoms in the system but never had a good opportunity to do so and this had been their chance. 

Hadn't it been such a great idea he might not have had this problem hanging over his head right now, why had he met Princess Serenity or more accurately why had he fallen in love with her? She was such a sweet girl, a little whimsical at times, but she would surely grow out of that, he hoped, but he wouldn't mind if she didn't; it was how she was and he loved her. 

He hadn't realised it until he had seen her on the banquet, dressed all in white and with her soft flowing hair in the traditional bun style with long tails. She had really looked regal and loveable, he had overheard in various conversation that night about how lucky the Moon Kingdom was for having such a worthy successor. 

One problem was that the royal family of the moon often got only one child and then a daughter, well in this case their daughter would inherit both the Earth and the Moon. 

What could he give her, what could you possibly give the Princess of the Moon? It didn't get better by the fact that the royal family of the Earth didn't have any family treasures, they had had them once, he knew, because Zoisite had told him so, however they had been lost a very long time ago when one Prince of Earth had seen how poor and starving his people had been because of many years of failing crops. Horrified by this he decide to renounce his heritage and the resolved the court entirely and went live among his people as one of the them, helping in anyway he could, years went by and it became only worse. The Prince got more and more desperate, he cared for his people he didn't want them to die, but he couldn't do anything. 

One day when he had been in the forest collecting fruits, eatable roots and herbs he wandered in to a clearing and there he saw a little child sitting and crying as he approached the child it looked up at him with huge ocean blue eyes and tear streaked face. The child was a little girl claiming to be lost and the Prince offered to help her home. She said she lived by the ocean and he agreed to follow her, as it was a three days journey to the ocean he shared the little food he could find with her and as the reached the ocean the little girl transformed into a beautiful woman, saying that she was a manifestation of Earth itself. She told him that the Earth was in trouble and needed his help he agreed to help in anyway he could. What happened after that nobody knew except that after that the famine ended and the Prince returned together with the female and four other men that the Prince called the Shitennou. Establishing an entirely new court changing everything, the earth never gave bad crops after that and the Earth prospered again. 

The Prince died just a few years later and the woman he had met followed him, their son however was raised by the Shitennou that acted as little Prince guardians until he was old enough, and then they become his advisors. 

Who the strange woman really was were never explained some called her mother Earth since she clamed to be a manifestation of Earth other called her the Umi no Hime, the four men was never explained either but as legends go they always appear in time of trials. 

Before all of this the Earth Kingdom had been just like any other kingdom but now there weren't any jewels at all, except some for ceremonies and such, crystals and other valuable stones was used for medical purpose not trading or jewellery. 

He looked out the window and saw the faint outlines off the moon on the clear sky, once again the weather seemed to mock their sorrow. Suddenly he remembered something, there was something he could give her. He got up and walked to his rooms that was located one floor above the Shitennou quarters, when he had been little he used to collect stones, little stones that where to no use, they had been pretty and since he was the Prince and only a child they allowed him to keep them. 

After a few hours of looking he found what he was looking for a clear, translucent white stone, he had been told that they were called moonstones and were often used by women for 'obscure' reasons. 

Holding the stone in his palm he concentrated on it and using his will alone to get it to change form into a crescent moon. It wasn't big but at least it came from the heart and that was what counted after all. Finding a gold chain that one time had belonged to his onee-sama who was by the way happily married, he had only had one sibling, his parents thought two was enough. 

He attached the stone to the chain and held it up with level of his face and looked at it, yes it would do and it seemed funny that he had chosen a moonstone and made it into a crescent moon to give to the Princess of the Moon. But moonstones had always been his favourite stone. 

* * *

Violin music flooded the room and Aiiro looked as the planet Neptune came into view, suddenly the music stooped and she turned and looked at Hukamidori. 

"The ocean is uneasy," she said her eyes fixed on something only she could see, "a storm is approaching." 

"It's been approaching a long time," Aiiro said, "its about to burst out, the sacrifice was made years ago and now the consequences of that sacrifice is noticeable, let us hope it was not in vain." 

"It's a shame to think of the many broken hearts it will leave in its wake," Hukamidori said. 

"Better a few broken hearts than an entire civilisation destroyed," Aiiro said and turned back to look at the planet, "the sacrifice was made with an open mind and clear heart, he accepted the fate and now he simply have to walk the path he chose." 

* * *

Kunzite looked up the minute Zoisite opened his eyes and looked dazed around the room, he noticed that Zoisite's eyes were clear and he seemed to know where he was. 

"Daijoubu ka?" he asked him and sat down on the bed. 

"Awful," Zoisite said and Kunzite put a hand on his forehead. 

"The fever is at least gone," he said, "are you thirsty?" 

Zoisite nodded and with the help of Kunzite he managed to sit up supported by the pillows. Kunzite handed him a glass of water and he accepted it, finishing it he held it out and got it refilled. 

"How long?" he asked. 

"Three weeks," Kunzite answered. 

"That long." 

"I have a letter for you," Kunzite said and Zoisite looked surprised at him, "it's from Princess Mercury, probably stacked with questions." 

"Perhaps," Zoisite said and looked at the letter, "I wouldn't mind if it were." 

"She's pretty cute," Kunzite said and Zoisite nodded not really listening to him, "actually they are all pretty cute." 

"What did you say?" Zoisite said looking at him. 

"I said all the princess are pretty cute," he said. 

"Looks is only superficial, you know," Zoisite said, "it's what's inside that counts." 

"And that's coming from you," Kunzite said, "you could have any women you like, yet you remain single although you said you had someone, didn't you?" 

"I do," he said and pulled a skinny hand through his knotted hair, "and I guess it's a good thing because I guess I look awful." 

"Aside from the hollow eyes, sunken cheeks and that the hair looks like a bird nest you look pretty good," Kunzite said, "for being half dead." 

"You're miserable at picking peoples spirits up," Zoisite said grinning badly at his words, "in a few days I'll probably be dead." 

"You don't know that", Kunzite said. 

"Kunzite-sama," Zoisite said and Kunzite knew that his friend was being serious, "I'm a trained solider and one of the Shitennou I know when something is wrong with me and right now I know that I'm dying." 

"Thing's can change." 

"Yes, they can, but not this." 

Silence lowered itself over the room, not saying a word to each other. 

"It's pretty ironic, isn't," Zoisite said breaking the silence. 

"What is?" Kunzite asked. 

"Surviving a war that was so horrid that even our worst nightmare seemed like paradise," he said, "and to die weak and helpless in bed against something unseen." 

"You're strong," Kunzite said, "and you're not helpless." 

"I'm weak and pathetic," Zoisite said, "all my life I have lived as others have dictated, been the one everyone can count on helping them in tricky situations, always smiling and helpful, sometimes I'm so tired of it that I just want to scream. That's why I spend so much time reading, not just because it's fun, but books doesn't ask you things or tell you what to do." 

"You wouldn't be human unless you didn't feel something," Kunzite said and took Zoisite hand in his, giving it a comforting squeeze. 

"Are we human then?" Zoisite asked him. "We have powers like no one else have and we have names after rocks, does that still make us humans?" 

"We certainly look human," Kunzite said, "that's enough for me." 

"Ever been in love?" Zoisite asked him. 

"Of course," Kunzite said. 

"I mean really in love, the one person you can't bare to lose?" 

"I don't know," he said, "how about you?" 

"What did I say when I came back from the garden three weeks ago?" 

"I see," he looked at the letter in his friends hand it was still unopened. "Now you have to tell me, who is the girl?" 

He could guess by now but he wanted conformation. 

"Mercury-hime," he said with a little smile and Kunzite looked at him with a dumbfounded look on his face, hearing it straight out though he had accepted that answer it was harder to believe in hearing than suspecting. 

"Eto...shinjirarenai," Kunzite said shaking his head and Zoisite chuckle merrily at his friends stunned appearance and obvious discomfort. 

"Believe it," he said and started to cough and continued to cough until he almost choked and he coughed up lumps of dried blood together with fresh. The healing crystals in the room started to glow with and almost blinding light and Zoisite cried out in pain clutching at his chest. 

"Zoisite," he said and put a hand on his friend's shoulder but withdrew it quickly, he was burning hot. 

"Get away from me," Zoisite managed to get out between clenched teeth. 

Kunzite took a step back and looked worried at his friend that arched his back in pain, suddenly his eyes got vacant and he fell back to the bed unconscious. 

The crystals returned to their normal glow and he heard hurried footsteps outside and the Prince and Nephrite came rushing in. 

"We heard screaming," Endymion said and looked at the blood on the blanket, "worse?" 

"Not better anyway," Kunzite said. 

"This is slowly driving me insane," the Prince said. 

"Seems like we are better at fighting wars against youma than handling the fact that one of our own is slowly dying and there is nothing we can do," Nephrite said and Endymion turned and looked at him with his blue eyes blazing with anger. 

"Well, you can start by shutting the hell up," he hissed at him and stormed out. 

"He is right you know," Kunzite said, "you really need to learn how to keep your mouth shut." 

"It's hard when you have the gift of the gab," Nephrite said. 

"Do you know were Jadeite is?" he asked him. 

"I think he is down in the shrine praying or crying," he said. 

'The shrine', Kunzite thought, 'maybe I should take a break and get down there myself, if nothing else it will at least soothe my nerves for awhile.' 

He went up to Zoisite and took the letter from his friend's lax hand. 

"Why don't you stay here for awhile," Kunzite said and Nephrite nodded, "send someone to change the bed clothes." 

"I will," Nephrite said and sighed, "his majesty is right this is slowly making us all crazy." 

"The war took care of that," Kunzite said and Nephrite looked at him, "his death will probably brake us." 

"I can live with that," Nephrite said, "I'm more afraid what will happened to us as the Shitennou?" 

"Didn't that the scroll we received from Princess Pluto say that?" Kunzite asked. 

"How I'm I supposed to know that!" Nephrite said. "Zoisite has never said a word of what came after he stopped reading." 

"Come to think of it I haven't even seen the scroll since then," Kunzite said. 

"Neither have I," Nephrite said. 

"An neither of you will ever see it again," they heard Jadeite say behind them and they turned and looked at him. 

"What do you mean by that?" Kunzite asked. 

"Zoisite burned it five years ago," he said, "it was the most weirdest thing I've ever seen, he was standing before the fire inside the fire shrine and threw the scroll into the fire but the flames didn't seem to touch it at first but it seemed as Zoisite forced the flames to consume the scroll, the strangest thing was that the flames almost seemed on the verge of dying out in processes of burning it." 

"Why would he burn it?" Nephrite asked confused. 

Kunzite looked at Zoisite lying on the bed, his friend seemed to know what was happening to him and whatever it was it was surely connected to that scroll whatever had been in it. He had never known Zoisite to keep secrets about himself, Kunzite had learned early in the first year of their friendship was that Zoisite didn't hold any secrets to those he counted as friends, he gave it all or nothing. 

"Probably by the same reason he stopped reading at the ceremony," Kunzite said, "whatever his reason were then he is now dying as a result of it." 

"You don't think the scroll was cursed to kill the person who tried to destroy it?" Nephrite asked and they both looked at him. 

"No," Jadeite said, "I would think that it was rather something inside the scroll that he wanted to destroy when he burned it." 

They turned to Zoisite as he started to moan and they saw to their horror that his lips had turned blue and he was shivering violently. Jadeite walked up to the bed and put his hand on Zoisite's forehead. 

"His cold," he said, "very cold, I would guess his body temperature is far below normal body temperature." 

"See if you can raise it," Kunzite said to him. 

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Jadeite snapped at him and Kunzite saw red light emit from Jadeite's hand into Zoisite's body. 

Gradually he stopped shivering and the blue colour on his lips disappeared, Nephrite helped Jadeite to his feet and helped him over to a chair so he could sit down. 

"What in all heavens is wrong with him?" Jadeite asked as he looked at Zoisite and Kunzite noted that Jadeite looked awfully pale and his hand shook as he was cold. 

"What do you mean?" he asked him. 

"I used enough with warmth to cremate him before I got a rise in his body temperature," he said, "whatever he is suffering from it ain't normal." 

"He seems to be asleep now," Nephrite said. 

"He is," Jadeite said and sighed, Kunzite looked at Zoisite and saw indeed that he was asleep, although it looked more like he was dead if it hadn't been for the red blush on his cheeks and the soft rising and falling of his chest. 

"I have to take a break now," Kunzite said, "or I'm going to get sick one of you stay and keep and eye on him." 

He walked out of the Zoisite's room and went to his own, he managed to get in and to the bed before he collapsed. This strange sickness that had claimed his best friend since childhood was tearing at him mentally and physically. He was worried and so sleep was welcomed, however his dreams were far form restful. 

_'Aniki, tasukete, tasukete.'_

He awoke with a start and found himself lying on his bed in his own bedroom. Getting up he tried to put the dreams out of his thoughts and he caught sight of the letter that Zoisite had got from Princess Mercury. He picked it up and was tempted to read it but it would be wrong and an intrusion on Zoisite's private life. He put down the letter on his desk and turned and looked out the window. 

He didn't know how long time he stood there. A light from outside illuminated the room and was followed by rolling thunder that made the window clatter, he turned and looked out through the window as another bolt of lightning crossed the dark sky. 

He saw two people running across the yard toward the transport area and noticed that one was Jadeite but he had no idea who the other was except that it seemed to be a woman with long black hair. 

Suddenly he come to think of something and despite the storm outside he rushed out in the direction of the garden as he stepped through the stone portal the horrible smell of decaying plants and musty stank of foul water hit him. He put his hands over his mouth and nose and looked around in the garden and saw that it was totally destroyed, the land was cracked and dry, all the plants had withered and the trees that was still standing were barren and twisted beyond belief. There were no birds singing and he could see why, they were dead, just like the garden. 

He walked further into the garden mourning the once beautiful place that now looked more like a graveyard. The garden had been here for as long a Zoisite had been at the court, he had actually requested a piece of land large enough to create this garden, the plants and flowers came from various regions on earth that he brought home from travels. Aside from Zoisite only the prince and the other Shitennou had access here. 

He heard a cracking sound behind and looked and saw a soaked Jadeite standing there with a horrified look on his face not believing what he saw. 

"This is too much," he said with a small voice, "what is going on?" 

"I don't know but one thing I do know is how Zoisite got this garden to look as beautiful as he did," he said. 

"Zoisite induced little of his life-force in it," Jadeite said, "that's why Endymion doesn't have any control over it nor ever got." 

"I don't think Endymion would have survived had he succeeded, prince or no prince," Kunzite said. 

"Guess you're right." 

"Is it raining outside?" he asked pointing at Jadeite clothes. 

"Yes, it surprised me on the way back to the palace," he said, "I had escorted princess Mars to the transport area she wanted to go home before the storm really hit us. Princess Jupiter is staying until it's over." 

"I see," he said and noticed something in the corner of his eye and turned in that direction, further away he noticed a pond and went over there and Jadeite followed him. 

Bending down at the pond he saw that the water was still clean and white water lily's rested on the surface. 

"The garden isn't completely dead after all," Kunzite said. 

"That's because Zoisite isn't quite dead," Jadeite said. 

"Well that's something to be grateful for," he said and got up. 

"Shall we go back or wait out the storm here?" he asked. "At least its dry in here it a down pour outside." 

"Let's go back," Kunzite said, "I rather get wet than stay here an get depressed." 

* * *

Nephrite was sitting down in the royal kitchen looking out the windows and the storm that was raging outside. He was holding a glass of warm milk in his hand that he slowly sipped, he heard the door creak open and turned to see who it was since no one was supposed to be in the kitchen at this hour. 

"Hime-sama," he said as he saw that it was Princess Jupiter that stepped through the door and she looked surprised at him. 

"Nephrite-sama," she said and blushed, "I was told that there was no one here." 

"You were told right," he said, "I just got down here to fix some warm milk that's all." 

"Trouble sleeping?" she asked him and he shook his head with a smile. 

"Not at all, it's just that when I was little, my mother used to make me a glass of warm milk whenever there was a thunderstorm." 

"Don't you come from a rich family?" she asked. 

"Yes I do," he said, "and warm milk was the only thing my mother could make." 

"I see," she said, "well, I came down here to bake I asked the prince and he said it was okay." 

"I'm not going to argue," he said, "do you want me to leave?" 

"No, you can stay if you want to," she said. "I usually bake whenever there is a storm at home," she continued, "it's relaxing and fun." 

He sat down at the table while she looked through the cabinets and took out what she needed and sat to work. She worked swift and with the expertise one acquired after long practise. 

"I guess I should apologise for my behaviour at the banquet," he said and a smiled played over her lips. 

"Why do you think that?" she asked still smiling. 

"I was drunk I must have said some offending things," he said. 

"No, you were adorable," she said and he blushed. 

"What did I do?" he asked her. 

"You were very attentive," she said, "and although some of your wording wasn't exactly appropriate you actually avoided making a total fool out of yourself and also Kunzite-sama took you to your room before anything major happened." 

He sighed and leaned his head against the table, well according to her it seemed less severe than at other times. 

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," she said, "but if you know that you can't drink why do you do it?" 

"I can handle one glass, then it's over," he said. 

"I see," she said, "could you light one of the ovens so I can bake the bread." 

"Sure," he said and got up to light one of the ovens. And as soon as she deemed it hot enough she put the bread inside. 

"Well, in the mean time I'm going for a stroll outside," she said and he looked at her. 

"It's full storm outside," he said and she nodded. 

"I'm aware of that and I'm not afraid since my guardian planet is Jupiter the planet of lightning and thunder," she said. 

"I'll go with you just in case," he said trying to sound brave inside he was quivering with fear he hated thunder. 

Sitting on a marble bench under and old oak they were shielded from the worst of the rain even though the thunder still rumbled and lighting occasionally struck the sky as to remind people that it was still there. 

"We can go back inside if you want to," she said to him and he shook his head he didn't trust his voice. His fears of thunder and lightning was pretty pathetic but not unfounded, years ago he had nagged Zoisite into a training duel in a thunderstorm, Zoisite had been hesitant and with good reason but he had been persistent. Had they used wooden swords instead of metallic swords as Zoisite suggested the day might had ended a little different, as it was a lightning struck as just as their swords crossed and the shock threw them both to the ground, the healing crystal had activated immediately and they survived even if they both hadn't been able to speak for over a month, thankfully Zoisite was not a person to hold grudges, but he was less kind than usually in battle practise after that. 

"Can I ask you something?" she said and he nodded. "I was looking through a book the other day and came across your name but it was about semi-precious stones, how come?" 

"That's because my name is from a stone," he said, "actually it's the soft variation of jade." 

"So it said," she said and pulled out a stone attached to a chain, "I found this at a the market place on the moon and bought it but I didn't know what kind of a stone it was and neither did anyone else." 

"That is soft jade," he said. 

"Your name sake," she said and he nodded, "I came to the conclusion since it described the stone, had been easier with pictures and a updated book I don't know what language it was written in so I had to use Princess Mercury as a translator and even she had problem reading it." 

"Can I take a look at the stone?" he asked. 

"Sure," she said and held out the stone for him to take. As soon as his finger touched the stone a bolt of lightning struck it. 

To there surprise none of the was hurt, even though it sparkled a little around Princess Jupiter's hand but otherwise they were both fine. 

"That was odd," she said looking up into the sky and then back at the stone, "that is even more so." 

"What is odd?" he asked and she held up the stone in the chain and he could see the mark of Jupiter sparkle inside the stone as if lightning itself had let itself be trapped inside and formed the mark inside the stone. 

She put the stone in her hand and a smile crept over her face. 

"The stone is tingling," she said and held it out to him he took it in his hand and felt that she was right. 

"So it does," he said. 

She put the stone away inside her clothes and shivered and she began rubbing her arms. 

"Here take this its warmer," he said and pulled of his cape and draped it over her shoulders. 

"Thank you," she said, "it is really much colder now than the last time we were here." 

"In the autumn the temperature is dropping rapidly," he said, "I guess you don't have seasons on your planet." 

"No," she said, "since there is no atmosphere the city's are covered with giant glass cupolas and the temperature is regulated so we don't have seasons." 

"You don't live on Jupiter do you?" he asked remembering something Zoisite once said about the outer planet being gas giants with no real surface. 

"No we don't," she said, "we live on the moons surrounding Jupiter, the capital is located on Io." 

Nephrite was desperately trying to remember the little he had learned about the planets in the solar system, but found he couldn't remember a thing. 

'Nephrite, where are you?' he heard Jadeite's telepathic voice ask in hid mind. 

'Outside in the park,' he answered. 

'Go to Zoisite's garden,' he said and then he was gone. 

"How 'bout moving," he said, "it's not good to sit still on a day like this and there is one thing I have to check." 

"Sure," she said. 

* * *

Melancholic violin music flooded the room and the drapes fluttered softly in the soft artificial breeze that came in from the gardens outside the palace. 

Aiiro looked at the blood red roses that stood in a vase, beautiful but dangerous, like everything else in life. 

Suddenly the music stopped and she looked up at Hukamidori. 

"The storm is approaching faster and faster for each hour," she said and Aiiro nodded. 

"I know but we can't do anything by ourselves we have to wait for Makkuro," Aiiro said, "and I have a feeling we won't have to wait for long." 

* * *

The worst rain was over and was now only a fine drizzle, they walked in silence over to the gardens. 

When he stepped through the stone portal and saw the garden his jaw dropped to the ground as the sight of the once beautiful garden. 

'What on Earth?' he thought and heard Princess Jupiter gasp behind him. 

'I take it you are in the garden,' he heard Jadeite's voice say. 

'I am,' he said. 

'Try to use your power to sense what's wrong with the garden,' he said and Nephrite got down on his knees and put a hand on the ground and opened his mind to feel the flow of life that would be in the garden, but there were none except a little faint whisper but it was rapidly fading. 

'It's dead or rather dying,' he said. 

Jadeite didn't respond and he didn't feel his presence either. 

"What has happened here?" Jupiter asked and he looked at her, her face was a study of disbelief at the vision before her. "This place seems to have been dead for ages." 

"Actually, believe it or not but three weeks ago this was a beautiful garden," he said, "the most beautiful garden on the palace ground." 

"It's hard to believe," she said, "when it looks like this." 

"It sure is," he said. 

"Oh, I totally forgot," she stormed out of the garden, she was still wearing his cloak so it looked pretty dramatic when she left with it flowing around her. He watched her in surprise and then followed at a slower pace. 

He found her in the kitchen and she was sitting by the table and an odour that in away reminded him of the funeral pyre lay in the air. 

"They're ruined," she said and he went over her and saw the source of the smell. The bread she had made was completely ruined and looked like charcoal. 

"Left them too long in the oven?" he asked and she nodded. 

"Has it stopped raining?" she asked without looking up from the bread. 

"Yes, the sky is clear now," he said and she rose from her chair and looked at him. 

"Then I'm heading back to the Moon," she said, "I'm just going to find the prince and inform him that I'm leaving." 

"I can fallow you to the transport area if you want to?" he asked her and she nodded. 

"I'd like that," she said. 

"I wait at the in the main hall while you find the prince," he said as they walked out of the kitchen. 

"I'll be there shortly," she said and they parted. 

* * *

"Princess Jupiter!" a voice rung out behind her and she turned and looked at the man standing there, he had short blond her hair and blue eyes, Jadeite, one of the Shitennou. 

"Yes," she said and he came up to her. 

"I need to ask you for a favor," he said and she looked surprised at him, "when you come back to the moon I need you to tell Mars that I need to see her and it's important." 

"I'll make sure to tell her," she said and he bowed. 

"Arigatou, hime-sama," he said and disappeared down the corridor. 

As she came down in the main hall she was Nephrite standing there waiting for her. 

"You're finished?" he asked her and she nodded. 

"I am," she said and he healed up the door for her and they went out. 

The sun was shining and even though the air still was a bit chilly after the rain it wasn't cold, the air smelled fresh as it always did after a rain, but she remembered how it had smelled the last time they had been here. 

She had still nightmares about the war, nightmares so horrible that she was almost afraid to go to sleep at night. 

The thing that scarred her most of her the most was the memory of the time they had been driven up in the mountains by some resilient youma. None of them had had any weapons left and she was uncertain if she could use her attacks or not since she didn't have enough space when suddenly the earth started to rumble and a big crack appeared in the mountain at the exact place were the youma were standing and as the crack widened they fell to their death as the crack closed over them. 

As she had looked up she saw Nephrite and a group of soldiers come towards them and she felt like she could have cried with relief as she saw them but she couldn't and when she felt his hands on her shoulders she fainted. 

"We're here," she heard him said and looked up and saw that they had arrived at the transport area. 

"So we are," she said and before she stepped up into the ring she took of his cape that she was still wearing and handed it over to him, "thanks for the loan." 

"Any time," he said and slipped her a piece of paper and she looked surprised at him. 

"Don't open it until you are safely on the moon," he said and she nodded. 

She walked into the ring and she felt the rush of energy through her body that was needed for transporting her to the moon. Her vision blurred and when she could see again she was standing on the moon. 

Stepping down the transport she opened the paper and read what it said; 

Dai suki da Jupiter-hime 

She turned and looked at Earth, she read the note again and felt how a comfortable warmth spread through her body. Suddenly little sparks came from the place beneath her clothes were the stone was and she took it out and saw that it sparkled and the tingling sensation had spread up to the chain it was attached to. She remembered what the prince had said when they had spoken about giving something to a person you love. 

"Something out of love!" she said to herself and looked at the stone. With a smile she turned and walked up to the castle, there was no storms on the moon and no seasons so everything around her was calm but inside her heart, feelings as powerful as the storms on Jupiter was flowing and all because of three little words. 

* * *

As the swirling mist parted violet eyes looked at the two princesses' on their knees in the big fog filled marble hall. 

"Princess Aiiro, Princess Hukamidori," a soft voice said, "what gives us the honour to your visit?" 

"The sacrifice has been made and is about to be fulfilled," Aiiro said. 

"It has been a long time ago to wait for the fulfilment of a self-made prophesy," the voice said and a shadow coalesced inside the fog and came forward out of the mist. 

Princess Pluto, the senshi of Time was an impressive sight where she stood shrouded in mist back lit by the light from the time portal. In her hand she held her staff that allowed her to control or if she choose to stop time. 

"There is still time left," she said, "but soon it will all be over." 

The mist swept in again and covered the three outer Princesses in white. 

* * *

Endymion sat on a chair in Zoisite's room reading some book he had found in Zoisite's own library and he had no idea what it was about even though he was half through it. It was about astronomy and since he didn't know anything about it the book was mostly written in gibberish. 

Suddenly the crystals started to glow and he looked up and saw that Zoisite was moving and he got up and over to him. He was whispering something but he couldn't hear what he was saying so he bent forward. 

"Gomen nasai, itoshii," he said and the Prince drew back and looked at him. He hadn't known Zoisite had a loved one, no wait that wasn't true, he had been seen with Princess Mercury so it was possible that he had fallen for that sweet looking girl. 

Terrified Endymion saw a drop of blood fall from Zoisite's eye down his cheek. 

* * *

**Translation of Japanese words**  
Umi no Hime = Princess of the Ocean  
onee-sama = big sister, one can put -san or -chan after, and this can be used on any person older  
daijoubu ka = are you okay/how do you feel  
eto... = used while thinking  
shinjirarenai = I don't belive it  
aniki = menas big brother, informal can only be used on your own brother  
Gomen nasai, itoshii = something like 'I'm sorry my beloved' 


	4. The Passion of Love Part One

**Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon are the legal property of Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha Monthly Nakayoshi, TV Asahi, Toei Animation Co., ltd. and Pioneer Entertainment (USA) LP.**

**The Passion of Love; Part One**

* * *

Jadeite came out from Zoisite's bedroom and leaned against the door, the others had waited out in the living room with Endymion who had been close to hysteria and was now calm; after four glasses of really strong wine. 

"Have good news and bad news," he said, "the good news is that he has stopped crying blood, the bad news is that on top of everything else he is now suffering from blood loss, too." 

Endymion took another sip and Nephrite poured himself a glass and took a swig. Jadeite leaned his head back and began banging it against the door and Kunzite rose and led him away from the door and forced him down on the sofa. 

"I think we all know that we have a little problem," Kunzite said, "who is going to inform Princess Mercury about this?" 

Jadeite and Nephrite groaned, the prince said nothing and he had a strange vacant look in his eyes, suddenly the glass fell from lax fingers and shattered on the floor, his eyes rolled back into his head and he fainted. 

"I'll take him to his room," Kunzite said and rose to pick up the unconscious Prince and walked out of the room. 

"I have a feeling that we are going to see the Princess soon," Jadeite said and looked out of the window, all windows were cowered except one, so the pale autumn sun shone in and reflected itself in some prisms that cast tiny rainbows in the whole room. 

"How come?" Nephrite asked him. 

"I asked Princess Jupiter to tell Princess Mars that I wanted to see her," he said, "I have no doubt that all of them will come." 

"I guess girls in that age are all alike no matter what planet they come from," Nephrite said and Jadeite nodded. He rose from his chair and headed for the door. 

"Where are you going?" Nephrite asked him. 

"To my room to get some sleep then I will probably kill myself," he said. 

"Let me know if you need some help with the later," Nephrite said too tired to put any feeling into the banter. 

"You'll be the last I call," he said as the door closed behind him. 

* * *

"Are you sure?" Akai asked for the hundredth time and Midori nodded for the hundredth time. 

"Yes, he said he wanted to see you as soon as possible," she said, "he didn't say why, but he looked pretty serious and said it was important." 

"Well, I have to do a reading for Princess Serenity and I believe you have something to deliver," Akai said and Midori nodded. 

As they both stepped into the Princess room they saw that Mizuiro and Kiiro were also there, sitting at the low table on the floor and Artemis and Luna were asleep on the bed. 

"Princess Serenity," Midori said and knelt in front of Serenity, "I have a gift from your betrothed." 

Midori took out the necklace from her clothes and held it up so they could all see it, the moon shaped stone caught the sunlight and glittered. 

"It's beautiful," Serenity said in awe. 

"He said it was called a Moonstone, supposedly it's a female stone" she informed her. 

"How fitting," Akai said and looked amused at the stone. 

"You're just jealous Akai because I have someone and you don't," Serenity said and Akai gave her an angry glare. 

"I happen to have someone that loves me and he has proven it," she said still glaring at the princess that had backed a step. 

"Is that the palace guard who was flirting with you?" Kiiro asked and Akai's anger disappeared in a flash and was replaced with indignity. 

"How dare you even word such a thought," she almost screamed at her, "I have never been so insulted in my entire life." 

"So it is Jadeite-san then?" Midori said and Akai's turned red and began to stammer something incomprehensible. 

"Remember to breathe Akai," Mizuiro said and Akai took a beep breath. 

"So I was right then?" Midori stated teasingly and she nodded. 

"Then there are three of us that have found love on Earth then," Serenity said, "now Akai can't you do that reading now, that is after all what we are here for, ne?" 

"You're right," Akai said and sat down on the opposite side of the table so she was facing Serenity, and took out her cards. 

Silence fell over them as she laid out the cards and regarded them with a concentrated frown on her face. 

"Although love seem far from you right now it will soon come and you'll be very happy, marriage is to expect in the eminent future," she said, "the future looks very bright." 

"Sounds pretty good," Serenity said and fingered the moonstone, "even though they are not always one hundred percent accurate they are still good indicators for what is to come." 

"Can you do me to?" Kiiro asked sprightly and Akai nodded. 

"Sure," she said and Kiiro and Serenity traded places. 

Once again Akai laid out the cards and looked at them. Suddenly she flushed and looked up at Kiiro with a smile. 

"What?" she asked. 

"You have someone that loves you very much, but he is afraid of showing it," Akai continued thoughtfully, "sad things are happening in his life and that may get him to turn from you, but if you live up to your name 'Ai no Megami' you may be able to help him." 

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard," Kiiro said and rubbed her hands together with a determined look on her face. "I just use my feminine qualities and he'll be so dazzled that he won't know what hit him." 

"Well, she is nothing if not self-confident," Midori said and they all laughed. 

"How about you Mizuiro?" Akai asked and looked at her. "Would you like me to make a reading for you?" 

"I don't know..." she began but Serenity pushed her down at the table. "I guess one wouldn't hurt." 

"That's the spirit," Kiiro said and Akai smiled and started with the cards. 

Halfway she gathered the cards and muttered something that sounded like; 

"I made a mistake better start over." 

* * *

Zoisite slowly opened his eyes and noted that he was all alone in the room. It was dark since the windows were draped but a small crack allowed enough daylight in to let him make that assessment. 

His body ached all over, not even during the war had he felt such a pain as he was feeling right now. Suddenly he started to cough and he sat up so that he wouldn't choke. After what seemed like half an eternity he coughed up a lump of dried blood and he was able to breathe again but not for long as he started to cough again and this time it was fresh blood. 

As he finally stopped he got up from bed and staggered over to the door and opened it. He saw Kunzite sleeping on the sofa and there was a bottle of wine standing on the table, either his friend was drunk or he had just fallen asleep out of exhaustion. 

Opening the door he sneaked out of the room. It was a slow process walking down the corridor he had to stop every tenth step to cough and of course he coughed up more blood and as soon as he had left the room with the crystals he began to get weaker but he had to get to the shrine, no matter the costs. 

"Gomen nasai minna, gomen nasai hime," he whispered as he got to the stairs leading down to the main hall. 

"Zoisite, what do you think you are doing?" he heard Jadeite's voice behind him and looked up and saw him standing by the railing two floors up. 

"Stretching my legs," he said and continued on his way down, faster - or rather as fast as he could. 

A faint whisper in the back of his mind told him that Jadeite had called on the others. 

'They are not going to stop me,' he thought as he reached the ground floor, 'this battle of mine has to end.' 

* * *

"How could you be so stupid as to fall asleep?" Nephrite almost screamed at Kunzite when they met up. 

"Well excuse me for being human," he said and Nephrite glared at him. 

"You've certainly never acted like one before!" he scolded. 

"Kono..." he never got any further since Jadeite stepped in between them. 

"Will you two shut the hell up and concentrate on the task at hand," he said, "let's catch Zoisite and take him back to his room then you can kill each other." 

"Did you see which way he went?" Nephrite asked. 

"He was heading downstairs," Jadeite said, "the only place I can think of is the shrine, otherwise we just have to follow the blood trail." 

"Then let's go," Kunzite said and they ran down the stairs. 

They spotted Zoisite at the stairs leading down to the shrine; he seemed to be resting where he was leaning against the railing. He must have sensed them approaching since he looked up directly at them and raised his hand and fired an energy ball toward them, it dissolved as it hit their combined protective field. 

"Zoisite, what the hell are you doing?" Jadeite said and Zoisite looked at him with thin eyes. 

"Ending a battle," he said and started to descend the stairs. 

"Zoisite stop it," Kunzite screamed and they rushed forward to the stairs and they had to dive for cover on the floor as another energy ball was fired. 

"Didn't know he had strength enough for that," Jadeite mumbled as he helped Nephrite up from the floor, seemed like he had dislocated his left shoulder as they hit the deck. 

"I don't think he has much energy left, what ever it is he is doing it sure seems important enough for him to go this far," he turned to Nephrite and nodded to Jadeite who took a firm grip of the brown haired man. "Let's see if we can pop that shoulder back in place!" 

Nephrite turned white as the meaning of his word sank in and he started to stammer as he tried to break free from Jadeite's grip. 

"You don't have to, it doesn't hurt that much," he said but Kunzite ignored him and pulled the shoulder back into place. 

Not a sound escaped Nephrite except a harsh breath. 

"There you go," he said and Jadeite released him, "you are more useful to us in this condition." 

"One day I'm going to get you for this," he hissed at him. 

"It's the pain talking," Kunzite said and turned toward the stairs and started down. 

"Kunzite look down there!" Jadeite cried out, he did so and saw Zoisite lying at the foot of the stairs in an odd angle on the floor. 

"He most have fallen down," Nephrite said, "he isn't dead but I would be lying if I said he was okay." 

To their surprise they saw Zoisite get up from the floor and continued walking toward the entrance to the shrine of water, his right arm was hanging useless by his side and they saw blood dripping from his arm and creating a red trail after him. 

They hurried down the stairs but as they approached the entrance to the shrine they saw that a protective shield was erected before it. 

"This can take awhile," Jadeite said with a critical look on his face as he searched for weaknesses in the shield, "Zoisite is as thorough in magic as in swordmanship." 

"You will have even more trouble since it is a water based shield," Kunzite said and looked through the barrier at Zoisite that was sitting at the edge of the fountain looking into the water, it could be an illusion created by the shield but it seemed as the waterfall and fountain sprouts was getting thinner. 

* * *

Serenity was watching Akai putting out the cards on the table for the seventh time and she could see that Mizuiro was getting nervous and as a frown passed on Akai's face and she moved her hand to gather the card she grabbed her wrists and Akai looked up at her. 

"Tell us what the card says," she said, "no one, not even an amateur would lay out the card wrong seven times." 

Akai looked away and bit her lip, it was clear that whatever it was it wasn't good news. 

"Tell us Akai," Serenity said and let go of her wrist. 

Akai looked down on the card and a sweet drop trickled down her forehead to her chin and she wiped it away with her hand. 

"Great sorrow is imminent since the lonely battle will take away everything and replace it with beautiful memories," she said and her voice shook, "however as the truth becomes clear an offer will be made and if you are strong enough the happiness that would not be can be yours." 

Mizuiro looked at the cards and then at Akai then back to the cards, suddenly a petal from the flower on the necklace fell off and landed on the table were it wilted to dust. Mizuiro stared at it for awhile and then with a startled gasp got up and hurried out of the room. Shocked they first looked at each other and then they followed her. 

As they got outside the palace it was quiet clear as to where she was headed, the transport area, even though Kiiro was the most athletic of them and Mizuiro wasn't it was impossible to catch up with her and it was not just because she had a head start. 

Since no one had used the transport area since Midori had returned from Earth the crystal for Earth was still in place and as they approached they saw Mizuiro being engulfed in a bright light and when it faded she was gone. 

As they reached the top of the stairs, they saw the necklace laying inside the circle, it was broken down into what it was made of, the flower had completely wilted away and was lying in a pool of mouldy water, the lock of hair that had belonged to both Mizuiro and Zoisite-san was still entwined to each other but the blond curl was pallid and torn. 

"Something must have happened to Zoisite-san!" Midori said. 

"Masaka!" Akai said and they turned to look at her and saw that she was paler than a sheet. 

"What is it?" Serenity asked her and Akai looked up at them. 

"Then, the one who was sick," she said and they all knew what she meant, "that must have been Zoisite-san, no it is he, Jadeite-san told me that the reason why I couldn't see him was because he had a cold, but it must have been worse." 

"That must have been why they were so reluctant to tell us who was sick," Kiiro said and the other nodded and Serenity went up to the Earth crystal and saw that it glowed has somewhat faded do to the constant use of it today. 

"Everybody transform," she said and they looked at her with surprise written all over their faces, "Mizuiro is not only a fellow senshi she is also our friend and were she goes we follow." 

The others nodded and brought out their transformation crest and held them high in the air. 

"MARS POWER!" 

"VENUS POWER!" 

"JUPITER POWER!" 

Serenity walked over and held her hand over the Earth crystal ready to transport them the minute they transformed, their combined power would give the crystal the power it needed to transport them all to Earth and what ever waited there. 

"Serenity, minna," she heard her hahaoya call out and she looked up and saw her coming running towards them and after her came Luna and Artemis, "stop!" 

"Gomen hahaoya," she whispered. 

"MAKE UP!" 

She put her hand on the stone and the wind blew up around them and as it subsided they found themselves standing on a platform with a cold icy wind greeted them under a grey and rain heavy sky. 

"Must be autumn now," Kiiro said obviously remembering Zoisite's lecture they got at the banquet the last time they two had been here. 

"Let's get to the palace before we turn into ice statues," Akai said, her teeth's clattering violently. 

"Just a minute," Serenity said and ripped apart her dress at knee high, "now lets go." 

As they broke into a run a rainstorm erupted and as they reached the palace entrance they were soaked, despite that they now looked more like drowned cats then princesses the guards recognised them and opened the door, they also noticed that one of them had five long scratch mark on his cheek. 

As they entered the palace Akai started to run toward what looked like a spiral staircase that led down, she must have sensed someone's life-force. 

As they reached the stair they heard voices coming from down there and they listened intently to the conversation; 

"There must be some way to break down that barrier?" they heard Endymion's voice say. 

"Please, be my guest, Your Majesty," Jadeite's voice said dripping with sarcasm. 

"Wipe that smug grin off your face Kunzite," Endymion said. 

"Seems like we have to wait until he is dead," Nephrite said and the sound of a hand impacting with skin in high speed was heard followed by a stream of foul words in a well known female voice. 

"She must be really mad," Akai said and the other nodded, "seems like we might just as well join the party downstairs." 

* * *

"We have company," Nephrite said and Jadeite looked up and saw that the rest of the Princess of the inner solar system had arrived together with the Moon Princess. They were all flushed and in battle gear, just as Mercury had been upon arriving, Serenity's otherwise white pristine dress was ripped knee high and she was as flushed as the others were. 

"Hime-sama," Endymion said surprised as she ran up to him and threw herself into his waiting arms. 

"We were so worried when Mercury ran away like that," she said and looked up at the blue haired girl. "You're alright?" 

Mercury nodded, her normal calm expression replaced with anger and resolution. 

A terrible scream was heard from the shrine of water and a tremendous burst of energy followed and knocked them all to the floor. 

"For heavens sake," Jadeite said and got to his feet it was hard to see in the dust that had yet to settle after the blast. 

"Not quite right," he heard Zoisite's voice say but at the same time it wasn't his voice. 

"A youma," Mars said that had also got up from the floor and was standing beside him. 

"The little girl is right," they could now see the monster - rather Zoisite's body - coming toward them in the dust filled room. 

"Were is Zoisite?" Endymion asked. 

"He is finally dead," the youma answered with an evil sneer, "hadn't you interfered for so long this would have been over much quicker." 

"Like we would let a friend die," Kunzite said. 

The demon looked around and the evil sneer broadened. 

"So you are all here," it said, "and I remember you all well, the princesses are unexpected. But having you all here is so much better for me. Now I can kill you all!" 

"We'll see about that," Jadeite said and held out his hand and a sword of fire appeared and he launched himself against the monster that easily dodged his attack. 

"Still reckless and eager," it said as it dodged a second blow, "some things never change. Since you were the first to attack you will be the first to die, just like the last time, you go first." 

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jadeite looked at it with his sword raised. "We've never met you before?" 

"Naruhodo. So you don't remember, well it doesn't matter," it said with a smile, "with or without memories you will die just the same." 

Bolts of pure energy flowed from the demon's hand and hit him squarely in the chest and threw him into the wall and with a thud he landed on the floor. 

"Jadeite!" Mars cried out and ran up to him. 

"I'm fine," he said and felt a sharp pain in his chest as he moved and he felt the taste of fresh blood as he started to cough. 

"Nasakenai," the demon said and shook its head. 

Nephrite had sneaked up from behind with sword in hand and had the prefect opportunity to decapitate the demon, but the monster seemed to sense the imminent danger and ducked the blow, the only thing being severed was Zoisite's long ponytail, that fell to the floor and lay there like a pile of threaded gold. 

"Clever," the demon turned toward him, "but still too slow." 

An energy bolt passed him as he ducked and it hit the wall. 

The demon was knocked of its feet as Kunzite managed to sneak up behind it and with a well aimed kick into the backside of the knees the demon fell. 

"Not everyone is slow," he said and laughter came from the demon. 

"Perhaps not slow, but some never learns." 

Unarmed and unprepared the blast sent him into a wall, however he seemed unaffected by the blow. The demon looked at Kunzite with glee in his eyes and fired another blast that was absorbed by the shield, which was now in place around him. In his hand he held a sword and his eyes were blazing with anger. He charged forward but the demon blocked him with its right arm, the same arm that Zoisite had broken in the fall down the stairs, and the sickening sound of bones being crushed was heard. 

"We fought a whole war filled with your kind one more doesn't matter," Kunzite said and laughter was the demon's only answer. 

"Alone you are weak and helpless," Jadeite said and the demon looked at him. 

"That is what you think, little boy!" it said and with a push it sent Kunzite staggering backward trying to regain his balance, "those weaklings you fought in the war can only put up a fight against humans with no magic abilities, you however could have won the war alone without realising your full potential." 

"And destroyed much of the Earth in the process," Nephrite said. 

"One can't have everything," the demon said and shrugged its shoulders, "where were we, oh yes now I remember." 

It turned to Kunzite who had regained his balance, but before the demon had a chance to attack Kunzite a powerful blast came from the water shrine and knocked the demon into a wall. 

"Learn this," a familiar voice said, "for someone to die the body has to die too." 

"You barely had enough power to get down here how can you still be on this plane?" the demon shouted. 

"My body failed but my soul still has enough power for this one last battle," came the cold reply, "Sailor Mars if you would please take care of the demon so that it calms down a bit." 

Mars got up and threw a strip of paper at the demon shouting; 

"Akuryo Taisan." 

The demon was hit in the face and became completely immobile. 

"Minna go to your shrine and attack the demon with all your power only then will you be able to destroy it," Zoisite's voice rang out in the whole room. 

"If we do that you're body will also be destroyed and will surely kill you too?" Jadeite said. 

"Your point being?" 

Nobody said anything. 

"This is no time to be selfish, this is Earth's safety we are talking about and we as the Shitennou are born in times of danger to use our power and help it, so do as you are told!" 

"Our combined powers will most likely destroy Earth along with the demon," Nephrite said. 

"Not if I can help it," Endymion said and they looked at him and saw the mark of Earth blazing on his forehead. 

The stairs leading top level disappeared and Endymion got over to the place since it was in the centre and a green pillar of light shot up around him. 

Watching the world through a green light he could see the auras of everyone it the room and their power that flowed around and through them. 

"Now everyone, get ready," Zoisite's voice said and they walked over to their respective shrine, standing in the portal the power needed started to build inside of them as they called upon their respective element. 

He saw that the Sailor Senshi together with their princess had taken refuge by a wall and erected a force field around them for protection. 

"NOW!" 

They released their powers as one and they hit the demon that had now got loose from Mars's anti-evil spell however it didn't stand a chance against their combined powers, at the impact of their target the hole building shook violently. Before the strain of protecting the Earth against the tremendous power of the elements became too much he swore he saw the faint outlines of Zoisite in the portal to the shrine of water. The forces raged outside as well as inside and it was hard to protect the Earth but he had to and before he could take any more it ended and the green light disappeared and he fell to his knees in sheer exhaustion. 

As the light and dust cleared they were able to get a clear picture of the effect of their attack on the target and saw that Sailor Mercury was already sitting there gently cradling a badly wounded Zoisite's head in her lap. 

"The youma is gone," she said without looking up and they all gathered around them. 

With his last remaining power Zoisite managed to open his eyes, they were astonished that this was still possible considering the amount of injures their powers had caused. That he was still alive was also inconceivable; but his soul most have reclaimed his body after the demon died. 

Jadeite was horrified by the big, ugly gashes from which fresh, darkred blood oozed that covered his upper body and legs and was visible through what remained of his charred clothes. At some places whites of bone was visible. Only his face, though covered in blood, seemed somewhat untouched even though the now short hair was half replaced by horrible burn marks. 

Kunzite bent down and covered their fallen friends body with his cloak and clear green eyes turned toward him. 

"Does the marks of victory appal you?" he asked nobody answered. "I guess they do." 

"Get a healer quickly," Endymion said. 

"And my dear prince what will they do?" Zoisite asked him. "Just prolong the inevitable, just let me die with the little dignity I have left." 

"The healers might help you," Mercury said and he looked up at her and with his unbroken arm reached out and touched her cheek. 

"They might, but it's too late," he said with tears in his eyes, "I'm just glad I got to see you one more time, my love." 

"Zoisite," Kunzite said and once again Zoisite looked at him. 

"I'm sorry I can't stay," he said and his eyes slid shut, "please, forgive me." 

The hand that had touched Mercury's cheek fell to rest on a motionless chest, a single tear made a clean path down his cheek and he was gone. 

Jadeite buried his face in his hands and cried, as did Endymion; Nephrite turned around and only his shaking shoulders betrayed that he was crying too, Kunzite however showed no other emotion except indifference. 

"No Zoisite, please don't leave me," Mercury cried out, tears streaming down her face, "I love you." 

The Sailor Senshi also wept, they knew Zoisite since the war but what moved them the most was Mercury's sorrow. 

Suddenly the room was filled with mist and lights of blue, green-blue and black-violet coloured the fog and the surroundings turned dark as space. 

"The lonely battle has ended and peace is once again given at a high price," a smooth feminine voice said. 

"Makkuro-hime," Serenity said with a small voice and as the fog cleared three tall females materialised. 

"Uranus-hime, Neptune-hime," Endymion said. 

"Forgive our intrusion in this hour of sadness," Uranus said, "but we are here to insure that it can still end in happiness for all parties involved." 

"Jadeite-sama," Neptune said and pointed at him and in front of him a book appeared, "this book is from your own library, since you are next after Zoisite the most academic person in this court, read the book and retell the content to your comrades." 

Jadeite opened the book and looked through the pages with a frown. 

"You are familiar with the language in question, are you not?" Uranus asked him and he nodded. 

"I am, but it's going to take some time," he said, "it's not directly an everyday language." 

"Take your time," Pluto said and turned her gaze to Sailor Mercury, "Mizuiro-hime, Princess Mercury right now your sorrow is great and may lead you to places your rational mind wouldn't go, but I make you an offer and if you are strong enough you will prevail." 

Mizuiro looked up at the woman know as Princess Pluto with tear streaked face. 

"The spirit being freed from a body is the start of death but the road to afterlife is long and hard," she said and as she spoke a dark and gloomy looking portal opened, "if you walk swiftly and with purpose you may find the soul of the man you love, but now you must hurry, though time is non-existent in the realms of death it's not a place you want to linger in. Do you understand and accept this difficulty?" 

Mizuiro rose from the floor and stepped up to the portal, Venus tried to grab hold of her as she passed but Kunzite stopped her. 

"I accept," Mizuiro said and lifted her hand and removed her tiara and she de-transformed, she stood in front of the gate clad in a little blue dress that reached half down her thighs and left her arms naked. 

"Then enter Mizuiro-hime and find what you are looking for," Princess Pluto said and Mercury stepped closer to the portal that reeked of death and darkness. 

Jadeite knew there was something he should remember about this but as usual he had forgotten and it isn't easy trying to recall something long forgotten, as Mercury stepped one foot inside the portal her body slumped to the floor. 

"Mizuiro," Serenity called out and Endymion had to hold onto her so she couldn't follow her friend. 

To their amazement they saw that Mercury continued inside the portal despite the fact that her body lay on the floor. As it dawned on them that it was her soul they saw walking further into the shadows Jadeite remembered what he had read and forgotten - no living creature could set foot upon the domains of the afterlife, however living creatures were able to enter it, if leaving their psychical form behind whether they ever emerged again was not told. As she disappeared from view the portal closed and Pluto turned toward them and while hers remained incoherent the others bodies seemed to solidify. 

"While we await disaster or miracle we will remain with you and when the blond scholar here have finished reading the book we will fill in what is not revealed in there," Aiiro said as Princess Pluto disappeared. 

"Well, the Princess' of the outer solar system is of course always welcome here," Endymion said politely though uselessly. 

* * *

Akai flopped down on the cushions in the sofa with a dark look on her face, the others looked at her wanting to know what had made her angry but afraid of approaching her. 

"Ne, Akai?" Midori said sitting down on the sofa with enough space between them to be out of harms way, just in case, "what's troubling you?" 

"That blond baka is what troubles me," she said wheezing the sentence between her clenched teeth's. 

"Is he still locked inside the library?" Serenity asked. 

"He has been there for three days now," Kiiro said, "are you sure he is still alive?" 

"He is alive alright," Akai said, "I knocked and Aiiro-sama answered she practically threw me out off the library wing, saying not to disturb them again." 

"Well, face it Akai you aren't that good in ancient languages," Serenity said. 

"Like you are so much better," Akai said and Serenity blushed as she chewed on her lower lip. 

"This is an ancient Earth language," a voice said and the looked up and saw Hukamidori standing in the doorway. 

"Hukamidori-hime," Kiiro said, "please join us." 

She smiled and sat down in one of the armchairs. 

"Aren't you upset?" Akai asked her. 

"Upset! Why would I be upset?" she asked. 

"Because Jadeite-san is hogging Aiiro-sama," Kiiro said. 

Hukamidori laughed and looked at them with mirth in her eyes. 

"Glad to see that someone is finding this amusing," Akai said, "because I don't find the idea of a handsome man being locked up in the library with a gorgeous female that funny." 

Neptune laughed again and rose from the chair. 

"I wouldn't worry Mars-hime," she said with a smile, "Aiiro wouldn't try anything and if I were you I would have more faith in the one I love." 

No one said anything until she had left the room. 

"See Akai you should have more trust in him," Serenity said and Akai gave her a venomous look. 

"Would you if it were Endymion in there?" she asked and Serenity said nothing. 

"Well you can sit here and dawdle all you want I'm going to try and melt some ice," Kiiro said. 

"So it really is Kunzite-san you are after," Midori said and Kiiro blushed fiercely. 

"Yes, something wrong with that?" she said. 

"No," Midori said, "its just not your style tilting windmills, that's all." 

"Maybe that's because there are no windmills on the inner or outer planets to tilt," Kiiro said and left the room. 

* * *

"Mou!" he exclaimed getting up from the chair in frustration knocking over a stack of books in the process. 

"What is it now?" Uranus asked and looked at him as she moved to put out another spontaneous fire that was dangerously close too some valuable ancient books. 

"I've been starring so long at those infuriating words that the letters are starting to waltz around the pages," he said. 

"The last time we met you were pretty good at waltzing," she said and he looked at her in surprise, "join them, find the rhythm and learn what it stands." 

He chuckled and rubbed his eyes. 

"I will," he said, "just need to rest my eyes for a moment." 

"Then I can stop chasing fires for awhile, ne?" she said. 

"Sorry about that," he said with a sheepish grin. 

"You are stressed and worried and on top of that you have lost a friend," she said, "you have nothing to apologise for." 

"Still I feel helpless and a little lonely," he said. 

"Maybe I shouldn't have thrown Akai out of here had I known you felt lonely," she said and he looked at her. 

"I thought I heard her voice," he said with a smile, "but that wouldn't have mattered she could hardly do anything against this loneliness." 

"You miss your friend," she said and he nodded. 

"After fourteen years of friendship that would be expected," he answered, "and I do miss him, maybe it had been less painful losing him had I known he hadn't suffered." 

"Bodily he may suffered to the very end," she said, "but you being there may have eased some of the pains from his soul." 

"Well, we'll never forget him, that's for sure," he whispered. 

"I know what you mean," she said, "I've only met him once but he sure made an impression, it's not every day you meet such intelligent young men, or so good looking, and especially not in one and same person." 

"We all look good so we tend not to notice," he said attempting to smile a little and then he got over to the desk and continued unlocking the mysteries of the book. 

* * *

Kunzite was standing by the window in his quarter, looking out on a beautiful, sunny autumn day whiteout really seeing it. His childhood friend was gone, his 'otouto' was dead. 

He sighed, nothing mattered anymore, everything had died in that room together with Zoisite, he hadn't planned to live a life involving only his friend and fellow Shitennou but they had been in the picture. He hadn't planned that any of them would die after the war, had he died in the war he could have accepted it and moved on, but like this and by their own power. 

Nothing made sense anymore, nothing at all and nothing mattered. 

Taking a sip from the glass he held in his hand he never noticed the door opening and closing. 

"Kunzite-sama," a voice said and surprised, though not letting it show on his face, he turned around and saw Venus standing there. 

"Venus-hime," he said, "it's rude to enter a persons room without knocking." 

"I know, gomen nasai," she said looking down, "I hope I'm not disturbing you." 

"Not really," he said looking at her. Her hair looked different it was pulled back into a loose ponytail, her hairstyle combined with the blond colour reminded him painfully about Zoisite and it was the last thing he wanted for her to remind him of his friend, when everything else in the palace and his own room reminded him about what was lost. 

"Would you mind letting loose your hair?" he asked and she looked questioningly at him. 

"Doushite?" she said. 

"Your style looks similar to the way Zoisite used to wear his hair," he said and realisation dawned on her face and she tugged at the ribbon holding the hair in place and as the restraint disappeared the hair cascaded down around her and she seemed to stand underneath a waterfall of gold. 

"I'm sorry I didn't know that it would effect you like that," she said and bowed apologetically. 

"It really doesn't matter," he said, "everything in this palace will in some way remind me of him." 

"Seems like he meant a lot to you," she said carefully. 

"He was my first friend at the court," he stated, "from the very first day." 

"Friends like that are hard to find," she said with a nod, "but you still have the other two, they are your friends too, you shouldn't cut them off because one is dead. Talk with them and you might just find a way out of this grief together." 

"It's not that easy," he said. 

"It is that easy," she declared, "you grieve, get over it and move on, you don't stop living just because a person you care for dies." 

They just looked at each other for a moment and then a smug smile spread over her face. 

"Unless you are afraid of showing any sign of emotion that is?" she said. 

"What is that suppose to mean?" he asked her, slightly insulted that she would be so brazen. 

"Just that some men think that showing emotions is a weakness," she said matter-of-factly, "seems you do, since you didn't cry for any of the men that fell under your command in the war." 

"Had I cried for everyone of them I wouldn't have done anything else," he said. 

"You could have at least mourned them in some way, not just stand there like an ice statue when the casualty report came in," she said and he saw a light flush of anger on her cheeks. 

"You cried enough for two, I saw no need in doing it," he said without changing expression but inside he was beginning to smile; she was so impulsive and he had almost forgot how amusing he found it to tease her - as long as it didn't go overboard. 

"Well, somebody had to," she said and he noted that she had caught on to the fact that he was just teasing. 

"I may not have cried for them, but I prayed for the lives that was lost every night," he said, "I can't cry, because if I lose control for just one minute I will lose control forever." 

"Is that so bad?" she asked him. "If you lost that coldness?" 

"I've thought about it and come to the conclusion that it would be very bad," he said. 

"You could at least cry for Zoisite-san," she argued. 

"When I know he is truly dead I will cry," he replied gravely. 

"Tilting windmills, indeed," she breathed and sighed. 

* * *


	5. The Passion of Love Part Two

**Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon are the legal property of Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha Monthly Nakayoshi, TV Asahi, Toei Animation Co., ltd. and Pioneer Entertainment (USA) LP.**

**The Passion of Love; Part Two**

* * *

Serenity looked up at Endymion as they walked outside in the sunny weather, it was cold but the coat she was wearing was making the cold tolerable. 

"Is it always cold like this during the year?" she asked him. 

"No, it's usually a little warmer," he said, "in fact it is very cold for this time of year." 

Suddenly something brushed by her cheek and then she saw little tiny flakes of white falling from a now grey cloud filled sky and the air got a lot chillier. 

"What the," Endymion said and held out his hand and the little flakes landed in his hand, "yuki? This is definitely to early." 

"Your majesty," they heard Nephrite's voice call, "Endymion-sama." 

They saw him coming running from the direction of the palace and with him was Midori. 

"Nephrite, what is it?" Endymion asked as Nephrite came up to them and before he could answer anything he had to catch his breath. 

"What's wrong?" 

"Down in the shrine...Zoisite's...Mercury's bodies...turned...dust," he said panting. 

"What?" Endymion and Serenity asked in unison. 

"They turned into ashes right before our eyes," Midori said while Nephrite was trying to remember how to breathe. 

"Do you know why?" Endymion asked and they both shook their heads. "Let's go back to the palace, there has to be a logic answer to this." 

As they started to walk Nephrite stopped dead in his track and looked up. 

"Endymion-sama," he said and Endymion turned, "when did it began to snow?" 

"A few minutes ago," Endymion answered. 

"Something really weird is going on here," Nephrite said and they hurried back to the castle. 

As they entered the shrine of water they saw that all the others were there, even Jadeite seemed to have crawled outside the library. He was holding a hysterical crying Akai and he didn't look that far from breaking himself, tears had made tracks down his dust covered cheeks, dust obviously from the books he had plunged through the last three days. 

Kunzite was holding Kiiro who was also crying he on the other hand seemed as stone faced as ever if not even more. 

"What happened?" he asked and Aiiro that had been standing in the shadows stepped up. 

"The line for returning back safely has been crossed and this door is closed," she said, "now everything depends on their own will to live." 

"How? Return to what?" Nephrite asked. 

"Resurrection," she said and placed a hand on Jadeite's shoulder and he handed over Akai to Midori and followed her. 

Kunzite dumped Kiiro to Serenity as he stalked out of the room. 

"That insensitive clod," she heard Kiiro hiss, "not crying over lost men is one thing but not crying over a friend is another, how can someone be so cold?" 

Serenity could feel Kiiro's nails digging into her as her friend shook from a new wave of tears and sorrow and she felt her own tears well up in her eyes and flow free down her cheeks. 

* * *

It was dark, cold and misty but the most appalling was the stench of decay, a smell he had familiarised himself with this spring and summer during the war, on hot summers day the stench of blood and rotting corpses was so thick it made one gag. 

But it was a far better place then the one he had left, the pain was gone the overwhelming compassion of his friends was also gone and that was a huge relief, he loved his friends but their kindness and tiptoeing during this ordeal had been so annoying. Their ignorance and his reluctance to tell the truth had kept him on the edge between life and death. He did love his friends but in his desire to please everyone he had inevitable created an aura of reliability around himself; it wasn't a lie he was dependable, but too many depended on him too much. 

As the demon was depriving him of strength they supplied more energy to keep him alive which prolonged the suffering, he had only himself to blame since the fault was his alone. 

Ever since he let himself be possessed by the demon he was very careful not to drain himself in his use of energy and before the war it went fine, during the war however he had come close to loose the control many times and then during a few hour of insane happiness he had let go of that control completely and now paid the price. 

With a heavy sigh he continued forward or what he believed to be forward, it was hard to tell in these surroundings. Vaguely he heard a voice and slowed, there it was again louder but still the word was unclear, he stopped altogether as he heard it a third time. 

It was approaching fast and soon he could make out what it was the voice said, it was a female voice calling his name and he knew that voice. He had dreamed of that voice and it had been there the seconds before his death. 

For a moment the mist parted and he saw her as did she and she started running towards him and the mist swept in and obscured the view but he started to walk the direction he had last seen her and as the mist parted again he found her in his arms. He held her tight and inhaled the fresh smell of sea that was she, a welcomed smell in this place. 

"I've missed you," she whispered and her breath was hot against his neck. 

"I've missed you too," he whispered in her ear. She was warm, soft and very much alive in this place that was death. 

"How did you get here?" he asked her and her arms tightened around him. 

"I was given a chance to bring you back to life," she said looking up at him, "I took the task willingly because I don't want to lose you." 

"Foolish woman," he muttered and he felt her nails dig into his back. 

"I came here because I want you to be with me in the world of the living and not as a wonderful memory turned bittersweet by your death," she said and he nodded, when he realised that he would probably have done the same for her, fully knowing that it would never have happened, only he was kind and stupid enough to actually fight such a strong demon alone. 

"How are we supposed to find our way back," he said and she looked concerned. 

"I don't know," she said trying to hide the tremble in her voice and looked around in the thickening mist, "don't you have a link to your friends that is still working, I broke mine when I removed the tiara." 

"I can feel them all faintly," he said shivering as a cold wind started blowing, "but not enough to get a bearing." 

"Then I guess we have to find our way out of here blindly," she said but he could see that her hands was trembling slightly, "maybe not such a clever plan but it's better than staying here doing nothing and at least we will be together this time." 

"Let's go," he said and with his arms around her shoulder they started walking in what seemed the opposite direction from where they had been heading. 

* * *

"Will you cry now?" he heard a voice say and he turned and saw Venus standing there with her hands on her hips and a determined frown on her face. 

"Oh, it's you," he said and turned his back to her, going back to what he was doing and ignoring her. 

"Don't you dare ignore me," she said and he looked at her again and saw spots of crimson on her cheeks, she was flushed with anger over his treatment of her. 

"You may be a princess and one of the Sailor Senshi, but here on Earth I have more authority than you, meaning you are just a little girl!" he stated coldly and her whole face turned red at his patronising words. 

"Little girl?" she said her voice low, "I have you know that I turn seventeen in a month." 

"As I said, a little girl," he said knowing fully well that she wasn't little at all, but he wanted her out of there and instead of throwing her out, which would have been easier, he didn't, since their pointless conversation in some morbid way pleased him. 

"You insensitive jerk," she shouted, "you don't feel anything do you? Your friend is dead, the man you've known since childhood is dead! And you don't cry! You don't even say good bye, you just walk away and start working as if nothing has happened!" 

"Death is a natural part of life," he growled, "you told me to get on with life!" 

"Because when something we cherish is gone we have to end it in a way that release the emotion we feel over the loss," she said in a calmer voice, "if we don't it will only build up until one breaks beneath the weight." 

"I can't believe that I'm actually sitting here listening to a little girl dictate to me what to feel," he said. 

"And as I told you I'm not a little girl," she said and turned with a force blast she had melted the door lock and rendered it useless sealing them inside the room. 

"And just what did you hope that that would accomplish?" he asked her and she turned back to him removing her tiara, in a flash of light she transformed not into her normal self but rather something more breath taking. 

"Omae ha dare?" he said in awe at the apparition in front of him. 

"Ai no Megami," came the answer, the blond hair flowed around her as did the buttercup yellow dress that was fastened at her shoulder with straps and ribbon flowed down her arms, a yellow band encircled her slender throat and a necklace with a gold shaped drop rested against her breast right above the heart; her normal bow that rested in her soft hair had a red rose added to it, her normal blue eyes were the same colour as the golden necklace. 

"Goddess of love," he breathed. 

"The true form of Princess Venus," she said and the mark of Venus appeared blazing on her forehead. 

"Doushite?" he asked and she stepped close to him and gentle cupped his face smiling gently. 

"Because you need to be thought a lesson," she said, "a lesson in what it means to be human." 

She leaned forward and kissed him, her lips were warm against his, her entire body was warm against his. Suddenly an overwhelming urge to cry flooded him and tears began streaming down his face, he sank to his knees as the sadness and pain took away all his strength. 

His arms encircled her waist as he stood on his knees, his face hidden against her stomach as he cried, tears he had wanted to shed since this whole bizarre ordeal began weeks ago. He had so wanted to have hold Zoisite as his life slipped away to let his friend know that he loved him but he hadn't been able to move, hadn't been able to grasp that his friend was going to die. 

He felt her hands in his hair and the sadness and pain eased a little. 

"It's all right to cry," she said with a soft voice, "we all feel better afterwards." 

"I feel like such an idiot," he said with a low raspy voice, not even he recognised as his own at first, "I never got to tell him that I loved him." 

"I think he knows that," she said and he looked up at her, "you were his friend and friend knows without telling, so I think he knows." 

* * *

She threaded her fingers through his silver grey hair, it felt just like silk, she could still remember what it was that had first attracted her to him and it had been his steel grey eyes. The first time she ever looked into them it had felt like she had been struck by lightning. As soon has she could think again and she had thanked all the gods that she hadn't drooled or something else embarrassing, she had noticed that he was a lost case, he seemed to be made of ice and stone and as Midori had pointed out she wasn't the kind that went tilting windmills. 

She wondered where Midori had picked up that proverb since it wasn't a aphorism that was used or existed on the other planets, she most have picked it up this summer during the war. 

Feeling that he looked at her, she looked down and met his gaze, and felt her knees go weak. He was so handsome, she felt that she could spend hours just looking into his eyes, actually this time they looked quite different instead of being cold and closed off they were full of emotions. 

He got to his feet and now he was looking down at her and she looked up at him, transfixed by his eyes she hardly noticed the soft hand that was placed against her cheek moments before his lips touched hers in a gentle and sweet kiss. 

Looking into his eyes she noticed that underneath everything else there was desire and it was directed at her. 

"Kirei," he whispered and traced his fingertips lightly over her lips, she took hold of his hand and lightly kissed his fingertips one at the time never loosing eye contact. She kissed the inside of his palm and moved down to kiss the wrist right over the veins that was clearly visible underneath the thin, soft almost translucent skin. She felt a faint shudder run through his body as she did so she also felt his rapid pulse beneath her lips. 

"Ai shiteru," he said and she looked at him in surprise, she hadn't expected this at all, she never thought he would be capable of this kind of emotional display. 

"Atashi... Ai shiteru," she whispered and kissed him. She gasped in surprise as she felt a strange energy flow into her, and she looked at him and saw that he was surrounded by a pink and purple glow that seemed to emanate from his heart. The energy seemed to be a part of his power and it appeared love was that power. Of course, his real power was that of air, but something in this seemed to be the very essence of him. 

"I won't leave you for tonight," she said and leaned her head against his chest listening to the sound of his heartbeat. 

"I don't want you to leave," he said, "and you blasted the lock on my door remember." 

She felt a blush creep over her cheeks. 

"Oops," she said and turned to kiss him again. 

* * *

Zoisite stopped dead in his tracks and she turned and looked at him, she saw that a small flush had spread over his cheeks and he had an embarrassed look on his face. 

"What is it?" she asked him and he looked at her and the embarrassment was replaced with mirth. 

"I felt something," he said, "it's faint but it was from one of my fellow Shitennou." 

"Who?" 

"Kunzite," he said and smiled, "I would say that whatever has happened in the world he has other things on his mind than grief, I'm glad." 

She shuddered as she felt something warm and fuzzy flow through her system for the fraction of a second. 

"Kiiro!" she said surprised. "She did it!" 

"Did what?" he asked her. 

"She seduced him," she answered, "she really did it." 

"You mean..." he said and she nodded and they both burst into laughter. 

"My God," he said realising something, "if we can feel it here, I wonder how the others will react?" 

"I don't think we want to know," she said and noticed that it seemed to get a little brighter and turned and saw a pink golden light glimmer far in the distant. "What's that?" 

"I don't know," Zoisite said looking at the light with a thoughtful expression, "but I think it's a good idea to walk towards it." 

She didn't move and he stepped up to her, making her look up at him he looked into her eyes. 

"What's wrong?" he asked her and she put her arms around his waist leaning her head against his chest, she felt his arms encircle her in a comforting embrace. 

"As much as I want to get away from here," she said, "I'm afraid of what will happen when we get back, if we ever get out of here?" 

"We will, don't worry," he said to her, "we've come too far to simply give up, when you are offered the chance to live you don't give it up." 

"I know, but I'm scared," she said. 

"Have faith and trust in yourself," he said, "true courage comes when you know your fears and face them, so don't give up." 

"Sir, yes, sir," she said and they both smiled. He put his arm around her shoulders and they began walking towards the light. 

* * *

It had been ten days since they had won the battle against the youma and lost both Zoisite and Mizuiro, seven days since it began to snow and their lost friends bodies had turned to dust. Seven days since they had last seen Jadeite and Aiiro-hime outside the library. The snow lay heavy over the country and it never seemed to stop either, but right now it seemed to have slowed and the sight was clear for about two hundred meters or more. 

They had all been summoned to a parlour in the guest wing by Jadeite and were now sitting in the comfortable sofas or arm chairs drinking hot chocolate that Midori-hime had made, while a big fire was roaring in the marble fireplace heating the room. 

They all looked up as a puffy eyed Jadeite and a weary Aiiro-hime stepped through the door. None of them looked very lively as they sat down. The room was quiet, silence thick enough you could cut it with a knife. 

"It's still snowing," he said somewhat surprised as he looked out through the windows. 

"Yes, it has snowed non-stop for seven days," Endymion said, "hadn't you covered the windows you would know that." 

"A necessary precaution," he said, "it was distracting." 

"And speaking of distractions," he continued and glared at Kunzite and Kiiro-hime, "can you two keep it down, the first time I came close to burn up some very ancient books! And the second time I almost set fire to Aiiro!" 

"Gomen," Kunzite said trying to wipe away the foolish grin that had crawled over his face and Kiiro-hime was blushing so much that a tomato would look pale in comparison. 

"That reminds me," Endymion said and turned to them, "Kiiro-hime I realise that you love my Shitennou but I do need him from time to time so I would be glad if I could borrow him when you're not using him." 

The grin disappeared in a flash from Kunzite face and he was all business, but Kiiro-hime was if possible blushing even more fiercely. 

Jadeite put down a book on the table and they could see it was the same that he had been given in the shrine ten days ago. 

"I have managed to decipher it and learned what it has to tell," he said, "it is written in a ancient language and the handwriting is none other than Zoisite's." 

He looked at the book and it opened and it started to flip through the pages by it's own. 

"The book retell the same story as the scroll we received from Princess Pluto the day we were appointed our title's as the Shitennou," he said and the book stopped on a page where the text was written in blood red ink, "on this page a incantation begin that's why its written in blood red ink, to warn people." 

"I thought incantations were always glowing?" Endymion said. 

"When they are active yes, this one isn't and that was why I was able to translate it. The demon we fought was trapped inside the scroll this is only the retelling of the original incantation," he said. 

"Trapped by whom?" Kunzite asked. 

"Us, the Shitennou," he answered. 

"What?" Kunzite and Nephrite said in unison. 

"As we all know the last war took us out of our isolation that Earth has been in for thousand of years what is not known is why we were isolated so sudden," he said and rose as the book began flipping idly through the pages, "thousand of years ago Earth was open for commerce with the rest of the planets. But suddenly a youma started to wreck havoc in major cities with transport's point trying to get of planet. To trap the youma on Earth all the transport points were destroyed and the Shitennou was called in to destroy it. Unfortunately, this was a dangerous era in Earth's history when youma attacks wasn't uncommon and since the Shitennou were the only ones with the power to fight them they were too tired for this battle. The battle lasted for weeks, day and night made no difference as they battled. Weary and almost beaten the Shitennou of water, Zoisite, sent a communiqué to the Sailor Senshi of water, the queen of Mercury, they came up with a temporary solution and that was to seal the demon inside the scroll that told the history of the Shitennou. Using their combined forces they succeeded in sealing it inside the scroll. And using their last remaining powers, they sent the carrier of water off the planet, his power automatically brought him to Mercury. With the queen's help he wrote the incantation that would release the demon and then managed to take the scroll to Princess Pluto entrusting it to her until it was time to fight again." 

"So what went wrong?" Jupiter asked and Jadeite continued ignoring her question. 

"What nobody knew about was the little extra that he added in the incantation. When it was read, it would release the demon into the person reading it." 

"Why?" Endymion asked. 

"Because just as our Zoisite decided to read the incantation and release the demon inside him, did that Zoisite write it so it would happen," Jadeite said and put a hand on the book so it stopped flipping pages by itself, "the truth about our origin is revealed in the beginning in the book a part that Zoisite skipped the last time this was read." 

"What is the truth?" Nephrite asked. 

"Our names doesn't derive from stones because of a fluke," he said, "the first Shitennou to come into existence was made out of Kunzite, Nephrite, Jadeite and Zoisite. The Earth itself created them out of these stones and imbedded in them the powers of the elements also the essence in the stones used was created to create the souls of the Shitennou so each time reborn the same person for the same position throughout time." 

"You can't be serious," Nephrite said, "if that was true we would remember our past life and we don't." 

"That's because Zoisite blocked them," Jadeite said, "I know this to be the truth since the block was lifted from me as I read the spell to reverse it." 

"Why didn't automatically bring back ours then?" Kunzite asked. 

"This sort of magic only works when one is subjecting the person to it," he said, "that means hearing or reading it. But the question you need to ask yourself is do you want your memory back or not, because either way you will remember in your next life." 

There was only silence. 

"It would be better for you and us all if you accepted and regained lost memories," he said and looked at his friend, "you will be more at ease with yourself if you do, small personality changes can occur but in the end you will be what you were destined to be and the things I've just said will make sense." 

Kunzite and Nephrite looked at each other and a silently conversation seemed to pass between them. 

"We agree," Kunzite said looking up at him and Jadeite smiled. 

As he started to chant something in an ancient language that none of them understood he started to glow with a green colour, the room was completely quiet and nobody moved. 

As he stooped chanting and the green light disappeared both Nephrite and Kunzite looked dazed and stared out onto nothing. 

"I think both of you should return to your chamber and rest for tonight," Jadeite said and they both nodded both rose and walked out the room. When Kiiro and Midori made a move to follow them he raised his hand and stopped them. "They have a long nigh ahead of them so let them be alone." 

"And how do you know that?" Kiiro asked him. 

"I didn't spend ten days looked inside the library because I enjoyed Aiiro's company," he said and walked up to Akai and whispered something to her and she followed him out of the room. But before the left he turned and looked at them. 

"Rest," he said, "there is nothing more you can do tonight." 

And then he and Akai were gone. The rest looked at each other and returned to their respective quarter to sleep, thinking about or generally going over the day's events in peace. 

* * *

The unnatural winter had claimed all of Earth with bad weather and storms, wrecking havoc with Earth delicate ecosystem. 

From the moon the queen looked on in growing terror as the shining blue green planet was being cowered in dark storm clouds. 

In the confinements of what once had been Zoisite's garden something happened. At the exact moment of Zoisite's death the garden had died completely, but suddenly the small waterfall at the pond was beginning to run. At first there was only mouldy sluggish water, but soon fresh, clear water started to flow and purified the water in the pond and also awoke the water lilies resting on it surface. 

Little green buds started pocking up beneath dead leaves and a soft green sheen covered the now soft dark brown earth. Hesitantly buds opened on trees and soon they started blooming and bird song was heard in the comfortable spring like air full of the sweet smell from hundreds of different flower mingled with the spicy smell of tropical plants. 

But even though the garden had sprouted back to life it seemed as if it wasn't forever. It appeared to be waiting, waiting for something to return, all over the garden lay an air of expectation. 

Over by the pond on the rocks near the waterfall lay an object also expecting something or someone, it was a beautiful necklace, the chain was braided in golden and dark blue strands and the third was pure water as an ornament sat a water lily with tiny water droplets on the soft flower petals. 

Outside it stopped snowing and the cloud dissipated and showed a starry night with the moon full and bright in the sky illuminating the snow covered landscape. 

* * *

Kunzite sat up in bed panting heavily and cold sweat was running down his face and back. He couldn't remember what had woke him up, he only knew that he needed to be somewhere and that that somewhere wasn't his bedroom. He got out of bed and put on a robe and walked down to the main hall were he saw Nephrite and Jadeite stand in the open door looking out into the now clear night, they also wore their sleepwear with only a robe as protection from the cold. 

"So you managed to drag your ass out of bed," Nephrite said without looking at him, "we have been waiting." 

"Well now that I am here," he said, "can one of you tell me what is going on?" 

"Can't you feel it?" Jadeite said and Nephrite and Kunzite looked at him. 

"Feel what?" Nephrite asked. 

"The presence," Jadeite said and stepped out side, "we have to get to the garden." 

"Kunzite," he heard Endymion call and turned and saw the Prince coming down the stairs and after him the Princess and the Sailor Senshi. 

"Endymion-sama," he said as the Prince came up beside him, "you shouldn't be here." 

"Where is Jadeite going?" he asked, ignoring him. 

"The gardens," Nephrite said taking a deep breath he stepped out into the cold night and followed in Jadeite's footprints. 

"Well, here we won't do any good," Mars said, "we might as well follow them." 

"Good idea," Midori said and walked out and the others followed her. 

Stepping into the garden and it had turned out to be Zoisite's garden they all stood in shock, different kinds of shock. 

Those who had seen it decaying was utterly surprised that it had come back to life, its beauty amazed the ones who hadn't seen it before. 

"It's so beautiful," Kiiro said, "it seems almost magical." 

"Something weird is going on here," Nephrite said to Kunzite and he nodded, something weird indeed. 

"And weirder it gets," Jadeite said and pointed at something in the distant and they saw a blue light illuminating everything drawing them towards it. 

* * *

Blue light surrounded them as the wind started to blow and with it followed the scent of fresh water, clean air and the wonderful and delicate smell of newly opened flowers. 

"What is going to happened now?" Mizuiro said holding on to him as it seemed they were lifted upward carried by the wind and the light grow stronger as did the sensation of smell. 

"I think we are going back," he said and she looked up at him with her blue eyes wide. 

"Honto ni?" 

"Hai," he said and gave her a reassuring smile and put his arms around her and she managed to smile as he offered her some protection. 

The wind grew stronger as did the light and they continued upward. 

* * *

Following the blue light they arrived at the pond that looked as peaceful as ever, the whole garden was peaceful and that had been the goal with it. 

"Look over there by the waterfall," Serenity said and they all looked and saw a necklace laying on one of the rocks. 

"It's Mizuiro's necklace but it was destroyed as she transported to Earth?" Kiiro said sounding confused. 

"They are on their way back!" Kunzite said unable to hide the hope in his voice, "they are on their way back right now." 

"And not a minute too soon," they heard Aiiro's voice say and they turned and saw her and Huka-midori coming towards them. 

"Now that everything is in order we will leave you," Hukamidori said and Princess Pluto appeared behind them and they were surrounded in mist and when it cleared they were all gone. 

"As always they disappear at leaves the rest to you," Serenity said and the blue light intensified and it seemed to be concentrated at the waterfall. 

"Why here?" Midori said. "Of all places, why here?" 

"Because they are both connected to this place through the necklace," Jadeite said. 

"And just how do you know that?" Kunzite asked him. 

"A very secretive woman told me so," he answered. 

"Aha," Kunzite said, "we will have a long and nice talk later." 

Jadeite just looked at him but their attention was drawn back to the light and the waterfall as it seemed to solidify into shapes and suddenly they heard the sound of water hitting skin. The light faded and under the falling water stood Princess Mercury and Zoisite holding each other, however their appearance was anything but descent, except for Mercury that was once again wearing her necklace, either wore even a thread of clothing. 

Zoisite was the first one to notice them and he whispered something to Mercury and she looked up and blushed deeply, still they remained mostly hidden by the waterfall. 

'Your help would be greatly appreciated right about now,' Kunzite heard Zoisite's voice say in his mind and with a smile he gently tugged Kiiro's robe of her and his own and wadded out into the pond handing the reborn the clothes and returned to the shore them following a moment after and coming up on land soaked, but covered. 

"Welcome back," Jadeite said as he helped Zoisite out of the pond. 

"It's good to be back," he said and was pulled into a fierce embrace by his friends. 

The princesses were taking turns hugging Mercury and like girls' reunions usually are, it was loud and full of overjoyed tears. In all the excitement Serenity launched herself towards Zoisite to hug him, completely surprised by this act he lost his footing and they both fell into the pond. It looked quite comical seeing them in the pond, Serenity was clinging to Zoisite who was sitting propped up on his arm in the knee high water. 

"I'm glad to see you too, Serenity-hime," he said and she looked up at him with blushing cheeks and gave him a foolish grin. 

They all laughed and Nephrite and Jadeite waded out into the water and helped them both up. 

Twenty minutes they were ready to leave the garden to go back to the castle to sleep or talk, whichever came first. 

"Snow? Now?" Zoisite said as he looked out over the white landscape and the others nodded. "Seems like I really can't leave this place alone for a minute before everything falls apart," he said with a smile and soon he was running in full speed toward the castle with his fellow Shitennou after him, trying to catch him so they could bury him in the snow. 

* * *

He was standing by the window looking out, the winter had certainly came early this year, the last time he had had a chance to look outside it had been early autumn that had been the day before everything had started. 

Mizuiro was fast asleep in his bed and though one could easily fit two normal sized people in it he had no hurry back to bed - he had spent more weeks then he wanted to know in. 

He turned as the door creaked open and he saw that it was Kunzite. 

"You are still up," Kunzite said half surprised and half expected. 

"Can't sleep," he said. 

"I'm surprised to hear that, considering what you two have been through," Kunzite said. 

"Also I'm in no hurry to return to that bed were I was lying waiting for my death," he said. 

"That I understand," he said, "why didn't you tell us about this?" 

Zoisite froze at his words and looked away. 

"I wanted to protect you I guess," he said, "just like I thought the last time when I rigged the scroll." 

"We are your friends," he said and put his hands on Zoisite's shoulder, "you could have told us." 

"You would have overreacted," he said and looked up at Kunzite, "and that was the last thing I needed." 

Kunzite smiled as the meaning of his word sank in. 

"Well, growing up and learning everything anew is hard," he said, "but you can't blame anyone but yourself for that." 

"And what have I done to deserve friends like you?" 

"Being born." 

Kunzite put his arms around him and held him tight, Zoisite responded in kind and put his arms around him. 

"Thank you for coming back," Kunzite said. 

"It's good being back," he said, "as much as I'm glad I died in order to get rid of the demon I'm glad I could come back once more." 

Kunzite loosened his grip but still held him, it was a welcome change in his friend. Though he hadn't regained all his past memories until today he had some come back to him as he had read the scroll, after all he had wrote it and with those memories came the knowledge of how his friends should be. No big changes in Nephrite or Jadeite, the biggest change was Kunzite, he had become cold and unfeeling it seemed to those who didn't know him, but even to his friend he sometimes acted cold and indifferent. 

"I'm glad you are back to yourself," he said and Kunzite sighed. 

"I'm kind of glad that I am too," he said, "as well being in control feels, some people can take it the wrong way." 

"So it seems," Zoisite said and fainted by pure exhaustion. 

* * *

Kunzite picked up the unconscious Zoisite and carried him into the bedroom and laid him down next to Mercury and exited the room. 

"Checking up on our hopelessly kind-hearted friend?" he heard Jadeite say and saw him standing in the corridor. 

"What I am doing is none of your business," he said, "but if you must know yes, I did." 

Jadeite smiled and walked up to him placing his hands on his shoulders. 

"Welcome back Kunzite-sama," he said and hugged his friend, "we missed you." 

"It wasn't that bad was it?" he asked as Jadeite released him and took a step back. 

"No, just enough to notice a difference when we all remembered again," he said, "we all have feelings for a reason, they are there so we can feel love, hate, fear and compassion." 

"Why do you sound like Zoisite?" he asked him. 

"If you look deep enough in your memory you will find out that we are more alike than we care to admit," Jadeite said, "after all we are the Shitennou, the Four Kings of Heaven, we are always together." 

"Somebody has to keep out of the library," he said and Jadeite laughed. 

"Actually, I came here to find you," he said, "neither Nephrite nor I could sleep so we went to the auditorium to talk and drink we wondered if you would care to join us?" 

"Love to," Kunzite said. 

"Good," Jadeite said, "we better hurry, Nephrite has a head start and you know he can't really hold his liquor." 

They headed down the corridor to auditorium content with that everything was back to normal and with the promise of a happier future. 

**Seven Months Later  
The Isle of Atlantis**

The sun was shining and the sky was as blue as the ocean and it was hard to tell where one began and the other ended. Zoisite was standing on the shore looking out over the ocean wishing he could go for a swim. 

"There you are," he heard Mizuiro's voice behind him and he turned and smiled at her as she approached him. She looked absolutely beautiful in her blue Princess dress. All the princesses wore almost identical dresses, though there were some differences, beside the colour on each one. On either one of Mizuiro's shoulder straps there were three golden circles with a blue stone in the middle and instead of the necklace that he had given her she now wore a gold chain with a golden tear drop in also with a blue stone and a lace encircled her slender neck, the dress left much of her back exposed. "Kunzite sent me to find you." 

"He is a grown man," he said, "I believe he can take care of himself." 

'Get over here or you'll be sorry!' he heard Kunzite's voice snap at him in his mind. 

'Aren't we a little touchy today?' he said in the same fashion. 

'Just get up here, now.' 

As they walked back to the temple dedicated to the Ocean he saw Kunzite and the others Shitennou standing there talking. 

"I'll take that," Zoisite said and snatched the wineglass from Nephrite's hand and gave the glass to one of the servants that passed by. 

"Well, there is one reason to wish him dead," Nephrite said and the others smiled, they knew him to well to do anything else. 

"I will not have you drunk and ruin the wedding," Zoisite said and Nephrite gave him a dark look, "if you are thirsty drink water instead it is better in this heat." 

"Zoisite it is a wedding today," Jadeite said, "loosen up and spare us the lectures." 

"And who did I see lurking around the library this morning?" he asked and Jadeite tried to look innocent. 

"What were you doing in the library?" Nephrite asked holding a wineglass again that Zoisite again handed to a passing by servant. 

"Avoiding me for sure," a voice said and they looked and saw Princesses Akai, Midori and Kiiro coming up the flower and leaf ornamented ail. 

The princesses had arrived last night to help in the final arrangements of today's wedding. 

"I would gladly talk to you hime-sama," he said and her eyes narrowed at his formal language, "but you insist on talking but nothing but marriage and other things like that and I haven't even proposed yet." 

"Then do so already, baka!" she muttered and rolled her eyes. 

"So that's what you wanted to get at?" he asked and she nodded, "you could have just said so." 

"And spoil the surprise," she said. 

"You're playing with fire," he said warningly to her and put his hands on her shoulders. 

"I hope so," she said and they embraced in a fierce kiss. 

"Calm down or get a room," Kunzite said and they parted reluctantly both panting for air. 

"That's rich coming from you," Nephrite that was bereft of his third glass of wine that was now disappearing in the sea of people and he looked at Kiiro's stomach. 

"Are you going for twins or have you been eating too much?" Jadeite asked her and she just looked at him with a stormy gaze that he met with a smile. 

"There is nothing wrong with me and I'm not fat either," she said, "you should try it, it might actually do you some good." 

"I would love to princess," he said, "but there is a little problem, a biological problem, men can't have children." 

"Someone's got to be the first," she said and held up her hand. 

"Don't you dare," Akai said and stepped between them. 

"When are you planning to make an honest woman out of her?" Zoisite asked Kunzite and got a dark look back. 

"When the wedding dress will fit me," Kiiro said, "I'm not going to add twelve inches on the dress for it to fit around my stomach." 

They continued to talk a long time and as the sunset was approaching and the moon appeared in the sky along with the sun the bride and groom arrived from different directions and walked together up the aisle that was cowered with white and red flowers from all over Earth and some of the Inner planets. Endymion was wearing is traditional armour but white instead of the usual black and Serenity was wearing a snow white dress that was tight around her upper body and flowed around her legs in several layers of silk and laces. Her blond hair was piled on her head and then cascaded down her back in blond corkscrews decorated with tiny white flowers; her veil was attached on the top of her head with a golden tiara, a crescent moon adorning it. The veil was held up behind her by the two cat advisors Luna and Artemis who were wearing silver collars with sapphires around their necks. 

As the bride and groom passed the Shitennou and Senshi flanking the aisle on both sides, they closed it off behind them, holding their respective love and watching the couple being wed as the moon replaced the sun on the sky; watching the moon strengthening its band to Earth forever. 

At one point Zoisite glanced over at the moon queen, who was dressed in her customary royal attire and saw her discreetly wiping away a tear from her eye and looked at her daughter with a smile and he turned and looked straight ahead again with a smile on his lips. 

Being back in the palace continuing the celebration Zoisite noticed that Mizuiro sneaked out and away to the gardens and he followed her and find her in the garden where they had went the first time, she was standing by the pond watching the water lilies resting their on the surface. 

"Waiting for someone special?" he asked her. 

"Not anymore," she said and turned toward him. 

"And why is that?" 

"I'm looking at him," said and he walked up to her and kissed her on the forehead where her sign still glowed. 

"That tickles," she said, "the sign is very sensitive when it's apparent as it is now." 

He traced the character with feather light fingers and she trembled slightly and her eyes glazed over as she looked at him and he bent down and kissed her lips in sweet kiss. 

"Ai shiteru, Mizuiro, zutto," he whispered and looked into her eyes that seemed to be huge in the dim light from the moon. 

"Ai shiteru, Zoisite, with all my heart," she answered and he claimed her lips for a kiss, her arms slid around his shoulders and her hands buried themselves in his hair that he for the first time had left hanging free; his arms encircled her slender waist and pulled her close as the kiss deepened. 

* * *

Somewhere faraway from Earth a violin was playing a slow, romantic waltz all by itself as its owner danced with her partner. The view over Neptune was breathtaking and cast a pale green blue light into the room as they danced, both in their Princess clothing, deep blue silk mixing with turquoise as they whirled around the empty hall together to the seductive sound of the violin. 

As the music stopped they halted in their movements and walked over were a crystal carafe white chilled wine waited and Hukamidori poured two glasses and gave one to Aiiro. 

She raised her glass in a toast and so did Aiiro. 

"To happy endings and ever lasting love," she said and the light sound of crystal touching crystal was heard in the vast hall. 

* * *

**Translation of Japanese words**  
Ai no Megami = Goddess of Love  
kono = Kono yarou! is the whole insult and means bastard and when really angry only Kono comes out  
minna = everyone  
naruhodo = I see  
nasakenai = pathetic  
Akuryo Taisan = 'Evil spirits begone'  
baka = idiot, stupid  
mou! = enhough! or Geez!  
otouto = little brother  
doushite = why  
yuki = snow  
Omae ha dare = Who are you  
Kirei = beutiful  
Ai shiteru = I love you, really emotinol  
Atashi = feminine way to say 'I'  
Honto ni = Really  
zutto = For a long time, forever 


End file.
