Metalia-sama

It hurt, everything hurt. Physical pain was nothing, Zoisite had long ago learned how to push that aside for lengthy periods of time. What hurt was the knowledge of what was going on above him, what his King had ordered, and how there was nothing he could do to stop it. Did the Master really have to die in order for the rest of them to be free? That wasn't how this was supposed to work. They were his guardians, sworn to protect him. Perhaps this was some kind of divine punishment for their failure to keep him from Metalia's possession.

What troubled Zoisite further was the constant thought that if the Master did die, Jadeite would be free. Lately he had been more concerned with Jadeite's well being, and with Metalia's presence, it had become increasingly more difficult to be concerned for the Master. Zoisite did not wish for the Master to meet with some kind of ill fate, but if he needed to choose between Jadeite and the prince, he knew he would choose Jadeite in a heartbeat.

Zoisite had his eyes closed while he was lost in his own thoughts. The sudden noise of a door opening down the hall was more than enough to get his attention. He opened his eyes and lifted his head, he could hear voices down the hall, but who and what was being said was lost on him. The voices seemed excited about something.

Soon the sound of someone running down the corridor could be heard. Zoisite was shocked when he saw Jadeite come to a skidding halt outside his cell. “Zoi!” he called out, then looking over his shoulder, “Nephrite, hurry up with the key already!”

“Jade?” Zoisite asked, his voice sounding very tired and defeated when compared to Jadeite's own.

“We did it!” he exclaimed. “Metalia's gone!”

The full meaning of these words took a while to sink in with Zoisite. Long enough for Jadeite to finally wrestle the keys out of Nephrite's hands, open the cell himself, and fling himself at Zoisite. At this point, the aches and pains of being locked against a wall for so long were felt in full force.

“Oh Gods, I'm sorry Zoi,” Jadeite apologized, backing off a bit, but still staying more or less seated on Zoisite's lap. “Nephrite, unlock the chains already, will you?” Jadeite demanded.

“Metalia's gone?” Zoisite asked.

Jadeite nodded enthusiastically. “The Master will be back to his old self when he wakes up. Kunzite's with him now. Oh Zoi, I'm so happy! We can finally...” and with that, Jadeite wasted no time in placing his lips on Zoisite's.

Zoisite, even though he was happy for the contact, gave a muffled protest. This sent Jadeite back a bit. “What's wrong?” he asked, a bit worried.

Zoisite gestured as best he could at the cell across the hall. When Jadeite got a good look at the man that Nephrite had been busy releasing first, Jadeite bolted to his feet and bowed deeply. “Your Majesty, forgive me, I didn't know you were there. I...” he was worried again, probably at the realization that the King had just watched him kiss Zoisite.

“You can relax, Jadeite,” the King said softly, “Zoisite has told me of your relationship.”

“He did?”

By this point, Nephrite had left the King's side to finally unlock Zoisite's wrists. His arms fell limply to his sides. He found it difficult to move them, and any attempts were met with a shot of pain.

“You have my blessing,” the Master's father continued.

Jadeite quickly gave another deep bow, “I don't know how to thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Well, for starters, you could help Zoisite up. I'm counting on you to get him back to full strength. The last day has been rough for him down here.”

Jadeite looked from the King to Zoisite and back again. He gave another bow and then returned to Zoisite's side.

Zoisite groaned a bit as he stood, one arm wrapped around Jadeite's shoulders. Zoisite didn't think that Jadeite would be able to handle the amount of weight Zoisite was putting on him, but even so he waved off Nephrite's attempts to help.

“Jadeite, remember what we talked about,” Nephrite said as they exited the cell.

“Don't let the Master know anything, I know,” the youngest Tennou replied.

Zoisite felt a bit in a daze as Jadeite helped him up the stairs and through the hallways, back to their rooms. Every once in a while he would look over at his lover, who would smile back at him. How long had it been since Zoisite had last seen Jadeite smile like that?

“Here,” Jadeite said as he guided Zoisite into one of the stuffed armchairs in their room. Slowly, Zoisite's muscles were coming back to life. As tired as he was though, he couldn't go to bed in the state he was currently in.

“I could use a bath,” he said.

Jadeite nodded, “you should probably have something to eat and drink as well. I'll draw your bath and get one of the servants to bring you something.”

Jadeite ran off before Zoisite could even give a word of thanks. Zoisite shook his head and finally managed a small grin. It was like Jadeite was a new person, or rather the person he used to be. It was still difficult for Zoisite to accept that the Master had actually been freed of Metalia's control, but he would be able to see for himself soon enough.

Don't let the Master know anything. Jadeite's words repeated themselves in his head. The Master probably didn't remember much, if anything, of what's happened the last few months. If he knew what Metalia had been doing, he would never be able to forgive himself, even though there was nothing he could have done to stop it. It would be best if they could keep as much information as they could from him. Unfortunately, that might be difficult, as the Master likely wouldn't accept not being told anything.

Just then, Jadeite came back into the room. “It's ready, let me help you.”

Zoisite managed to stand mostly under his own power while Jadeite helped him out of his dirty uniform. The dungeon cell had turned it a light grey, and Zoisite himself felt as though he too were coated in the same filth.

Slowly he made his way to the bath, and when he finally got into it, it was the most heavenly feeling in the world. He sighed as he got settled and the hot water started to work wonders on his aching body.

Jadeite dipped a cloth in the water and rubbed it over Zoisite's shoulders, standing behind him outside the tub. Zoisite couldn't help but smile and reach up with his left hand and placed it on Jadeite's own. “Is it really over?” he asked.

“Yes, we can be together now,” came the reply. Jadeite wrapped his arms around Zoisite's neck and shoulders. “We can be together forever.”

---

When Endymion opened his eyes, he found himself in a rather peculiar situation. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it. For starters, he was on the floor. This confused him, but not nearly as much as his hands being tied behind his back did. If he had been in an unfamiliar room, he might have panicked, but these were his private chambers, and Kunzite was standing nearby.

Why did Kunzite have his sword drawn? And more importantly, why was it pointed at him?

“Kunzite?” Endymion asked, managing to roll himself over enough to look up at the leader of his personal guard.

Kunzite looked surprised by something Endymion had said. “Master? Is that you?”

This worried Endymion a bit. “Who else would I be?” he asked, “why are my hands tied?”

Kunzite looked over to his side, and Endymion heard a woman speak. “Her presence is very weak right now. It's him.”

“Sorry, Master,” Kunzite finally said, as he knelt down to untie the ropes. “Unfortunately, it was necessary.”

“Necessary?”

Kunzite grew silent, and Endymion grew increasingly concerned. He stood up and looked at his most trusted guardian, noticing for the first time that Kunzite's hair was down and obscuring one of his eyes. He had always pulled his hair back so that it wouldn't get in his way. “Master, what's the last thing you remember?” he finally asked.

Remember? Had he forgotten something? Endymion tried to think. What had happened yesterday? The day before? As he tried to remember he became increasingly concerned. He knew that time had passed, but how, or what he had done in that time was only a blur of images, foggy images that made no sense. “I...” he trailed off. He tried to remember back further in an attempt to grasp some kind of solid memory.

“Do you remember your father being ill?” Kunzite asked.

“Yes!” Finally there was something he could work with. He father was very sick, and he had heard of a power that had the potential to save him. “I wanted to save him, so I went looking for...”

“Metalia.”

The way Kunzite spoke that name sent shivers down Endymion's spine. Yes, that was what it had been called. “I think I found it and...” it was at this point that his memories began to fail him. He remembered feeling a sensation of immense power, almost more than he could bear, and then... “Is my father all right?” Endymion blurted out, “did I? Was he cured?”

“Yes, he's fine now,” Kunzite replied. Endymion noticed for the first time that Kunzite's voice had changed from what he remembered. It no longer held the same strength and authority it once did. “So, your memories end there?”

Endymion nodded, and then asked the question he was dreading the answer too. “How long?”

Kunzite looked hesitant to answer, but he did regardless. “That was over six months ago.”

“How? How is that possible?”

“Master, you should rest,” Kunzite said, trying to change the subject. “Tomorrow we'll...”

“No.”

“Master?”

“You are going to tell me what happened now.” Endymion actually surprised himself with the tone of his voice. He didn't mean to sound so dictatorial, it just happened to come out that way. What surprised him even more was Kunzite's reaction to his voice. The usually imposing man tensed up, straightened his posture, and even took a step backwards. “I... I didn't mean...” Didn't mean what? The Earth Prince was confused by everything. His missing memories, Kunzite's apparent fear of him. None of it made any sense.

Suddenly, as if a light had been lit inside a darkened room, things started to become clear. Endymion looked over at Kunzite, suddenly very frightened himself. “Kunzite, what did I do?”

---

Jadeite moaned happily when Zoisite pulled him into an embrace. His lover was exhausted, almost falling into the bed when Jadeite had managed to get him there. Still, even though he was about ready to pass out, he still managed to wrap his arms around Jadeite before drifting off.

He wasn't tired yet, he was too excited to be tired. Instead of sleeping, Jadeite was content to simply lie in bed and watch his lover. He was happy to just be close to him again.

The Master must be awake by now, but Jadeite had no desire to go see him. His entire world right now was focused on the white haired man lying beside him. He had come so close to losing him, but that would never happen again. Never. He knew Zoisite would never have wanted him to go as far as he did, to sell his soul to Beryl, but Zoisite didn't have to know that. Just like he didn't have to know about the little vial of black liquid that Jadeite had been carrying around in his jacket.

The younger man bit his lip when he realized that he would have to hide that vial somewhere. He couldn't let Zoisite find it, or his lover would get ride of it, and then lecture him on how important his life was.

Jadeite carefully slipped off the bed and quietly padded his way over to his discarded uniform. He looked over his shoulder to make sure he hadn't disturbed Zoisite, but the other man hadn't moved an inch.

Pursing his lips in thought, Jadeite looked around the room for a place to hide the item. There really wasn't a whole lot in the room that lent itself to being a hiding space. Anywhere in the desk was a terrible idea, it was used far too often. There was the wardrobe they used to store their uniforms, as well as a few other clothing items that were rarely used. Figuring that he had few options, Jadeite checked his side of the wardrobe. He found a small pouch hanging towards the back, used on the rare occasion when they travelled to carry money. He grabbed it and stuffed the vial inside, and then put the pouch back where it was originally. That would have to do until he thought of something better.

“Jade?”

Jadeite spun around at the sound of Zoisite's voice. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you,” he said softly, closing the doors of the wardrobe.

“What are you doing?” Zoisite asked sleepily.

“It's nothing,” Jadeite replied, hoping Zoisite wouldn't press for details. He climbed back into the bed and under the sheets. Familiar arms found their way around him again, and he pressed up close to his lover. Jadeite smiled when he felt Zoisite's fingers playing with the blond curls on his head. “I don't want to be apart from you ever again,” he whispered into Zoisite's chest.

“Thank you.”

Jadeite's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “For what?” he asked.

Zoisite continued stroking his hair as he answered. “I was so afraid that you were going to do something to hurt yourself,” came the soft reply.

“Oh.” It was all Jadeite could say. Zoisite would be so disappointed in him if he knew the truth, but he couldn't help it, he was nothing without Zoisite.

Zoisite shifted his weight then, and moved his hand to Jadeite's chin, angling it up so that he could place a soft kiss on his lips. Jadeite was still thinking about his wrist however, and so Zoisite pulled away shortly after. “What's wrong?” he asked.

Jadeite shook his head, “it's nothing, just thinking about things. Sorry.”

Zoisite gave a soft smile. “You don't have to apologize. A lot has happened. If you ever want to talk about it...”

“I know, but I'm fine.” In truth, now that the Master was back to his old self, Jadeite just wanted to put the whole thing behind him if he could. He wanted to explore this relationship most of all, especially now that they were free to do so. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Better, but still tired.”

“Then I should let you sleep, I'm sorry I woke you up.”

“Nonsense. I got to see you didn't I?” Zoisite reached out a hand and cupped Jadeite's cheek. Jadeite smiled and leaned into the contact. “Are you having trouble sleeping?”

It wasn't uncommon for Jadeite to stay awake all night with insomnia, although his reasons were very different this time. He nodded, the smile fading from his face.

“We can go see him if you want. He should still be awake,” Zoisite suggested. He was assuming that Jadeite was preoccupied with thoughts that the Master was still possessed, and perhaps it would be best if Zoisite continued to think that.

“I'll be OK, I think I'd rather wait until tomorrow.”

“Alright.” Zoisite withdrew his hand and lay back down on the pillow. He looked at Jadeite, probably waiting to see if he decided to stay in bed or get up again.

“I think I'm going to read for a bit,” he said, “I don't want to bother you.”

“You are not a bother.” Zoisite said, and not for the first time. “Good night.”

“G'night.”