Metalia-sama

When Zoisite awoke the next morning, he rolled over with the intent of snuggling up close to Jadeite, but the other half of the bed was empty. He sighed in the realization that Jadeite had been up all night, he had hoped that with the Master freed, this would stop. The threat was gone, but Jadeite's sleep was still disturbed.

Zoisite got up out of bed, feeling very stiff, but much better on a whole. He grabbed his robe and wrapped it around himself as he left the bedroom in search of his lover.

He found Jadeite in the outer room, sitting at the table with his back to Zoisite. He appeared to be staring at something in his hands intently, and Zoisite figured it would be a book. He walked up behind the younger man and wrapped his arms around him, startling Jadeite.

“Zoisite! You're up.” Jadeite had jumped a bit. He held his hands close to his chest, and Zoisite noticed that there wasn't a book in them.

“You didn't sleep at all?”

Jadeite shook his head and looked back down at the table. If he hadn't been reading, what had he been doing?

“We should get ready,” Zoisite said softly. “We really should go and see him.”

A silent nod from Jadeite this time, and Zoisite released him. He walked over to the opposite wall where his dagger hung. Nephrite must have returned it after he had taken him down to the dungeons. Zoisite reached up and retrieved the weapon and noticed almost instantly that something was wrong with it.

Confused, Zoisite grabbed a cloth and ran it over the blade. As he drew back the white fabric, he noticed dark red stain. “There's blood on the blade,” he said, confused as he continued to clean it. “A day or two old maybe. How did this happen?”

He looked up to see if Jadeite had an explanation for it, but Jadeite's expression caught Zoisite off guard. He looked like a frightened deer, too scared to move. He still held his arms close to him as he tried to voice words, but could only move his lips silently.

Zoisite replaced the weapon and walked over to the other man, concerned about Jadeite's reaction. “What's wrong?”

“I, um... I...”

Zoisite knelt down in front of him and looked up into his eyes. “What happened?” he asked before he noticed Jadeite's trembling. His right hand held a death grip on his left wrist, which he was holding close to his chest. Blood on the dagger... “Jadeite,” Zoisite spoke slowly, hoping that what he was thinking wasn't what had truly happened. “May I see your wrists?”

“Why?” Jadeite asked, far too quickly. Guilt was all over his young face, and Zoisite knew then what had happened. His heart fell.

“Let me see,” he said again, holding out his hand. Slowly, Jadeite complied, bring his arms down and offering his left wrist for inspection. Zoisite did his best not to make any sound or movement that would convey just how disgusted he felt when he saw the slash mark across the inside of Jadeite's wrist. “Jade...” he whispered, he voice shaking. “Why?”

Jadeite's eyes began to tear and he shook his head, “I don't know, I just... I couldn't handle it any more. You were gone, and the Master he...” Jadeite stopped, unable or unwilling to go farther.

What had happened to Jadeite after Zoisite had been taken away? He wasn't sure he wanted the answer to that question. “He punished you?”

Jadeite nodded. “He took me out to the stable... look at my back.”

Zoisite stood and walked around to the back of the chair. He drew back the robe Jadeite wore, expecting to see whip marks or something similar. He was not expecting a severe burn in the shape of the royal family's emblem. “He branded you...” Zoisite whispered, feeling even more disgusted now.

“I couldn't take any more,” Jadeite continued while Zoisite just stared at the mark. “To me, you were already dead, and without you, I couldn't live. Not like that.”

“What stopped you?” Zoisite asked, thankful for whatever it was.

“Kunzite. He took the dagger from me and bandaged my wrist.”

“I'll have to thank him for that.” Zoisite came back around and knelt in front of Jadeite again. He grabbed hold of Jadeite's hands and held them in his while he looked up into Jadeite's eyes. “I am so very sorry.”

Jadeite's expression showed confusion. “Why?” he asked.

“If I hadn't waited so long, if I had just gone to Beryl when I first got her letter, so much of this could have been avoided. I put you through so much pain because I was weak and I-”

“No!” Jadeite interrupted. “No, you helped me so much! You make me feel safe...”

Zoisite shook his head, “If I had acted quickly, I wouldn't have needed to. You wouldn't have that brand on your back or that cut on your wrist. It's my fault.” He wanted Jadeite's forgiveness more than anything, but he knew he didn't deserve it, and so he did not ask. “Even before the Master was possessed, I knew what Metalia was. I should have stopped him from going. All of this, everything is my fault.”

“Stop it!” Jadeite screamed, the sound of his voice startling Zoisite. “Stop it, I don't want to hear this. Please, just stop.”

Zoisite bowed his head silently, not saying another word.

“This is not your fault,” Jadeite whispered, “It just happened. A lot of things just happened, and a lot of them were bad. But some of them were good, weren't they? If the Master hadn't gone in search of Metalia, what about us?”

Zoisite couldn't reply with what he thought, that Jadeite would have been better off without him than to be made to go through everything that he did.

“If the choice was presented to me now, to avoid everything that happened, and to live happily like we once did, or to have gone through everything, being forced to do those things, but to end up with you, I would choose you.”

Zoisite continued to hold his silence, but he shook his head in disagreement.

“I would,” Jadeite stated again, “I'd choose you in an instant.”

Slowly, Zoisite began to raise his head. His eyes teared as he looked back up to his lover's face. Jadeite leaned down and pressed his lips to Zoisite's own, an act which almost made Zoisite break down. “I am not worth this,” he heard himself whisper against Jadeite's lips.

“Yes, you are.”

A knock at the door made both men jump. Before they even had a chance to get up and answer it, an envelope slid underneath the door. Zoisite just stared at it, trying to figure out what it could be. Jadeite had enough sense to get up and retrieve it.

As Jadeite inspected the seal, Zoisite stood slowly and then went over to join him. “His Majesty's seal,” Jadeite said, showing the envelope to Zoisite.

Zoisite nodded that he should open it, and the contents were enough to make both men freeze. Zoisite had to read the letter more than once before understanding it's contents.

“Zoi... this is...”

“Five days...” He stared dumbfounded at the letter, written by the King, and signed by both him and Kunzite. The letter granted both Jadeite and Zoisite five days rest at only minimal duties.

“There are so many things that we could go and do together...”

Zoisite folded the letter and then drew a side glance at Jadeite. “Do you want to go back to bed?”

Jadeite nodded enthusiastically, and Zoisite practically forgot his moment of self loathing. Before he could even will his feet to move, Jadeite had grabbed his arm and was dragging him to the bedroom.

---

“Well, that should make them happy,” Kunzite grumbled.

“What's your problem?”

Kunzite and Nephrite had met up the next morning after Kunzite delivered the good news. After helping the King get back to his chambers the previous night, Nephrite had hurried to join Kunzite with the Master. He had been have some difficulty getting the Master to wait until the morning for answers, and so Nephrite had tried to help with that. They all needed some time to rest and get their thoughts straight, but it was understandable that the Master would be uneasy in his current situation. Eventually they came to deal that would see them meet up first thing in the morning, and they had left the Master to rest, but the night hadn't ended there.

While Nephrite had been helping His Majesty, the King has asked Nephrite his opinion on giving both Zoisite and Jadeite a few days rest, considering everything they had been through. Nephrite had agreed, but apparently Kunzite did not. The two men ended up having a lengthy discussion which Nephrite was not present for. In the end, Kunzite did agree with the King's wishes, but only because he was the King.

Nephrite had gotten the impression from the first time he heard of their new living arrangements that Kunzite did not like the idea of the two Tennou developing a less than professional relationship. Under normal circumstances, Nephrite might have agreed, but sometimes things happen, and Zoisite had helped Jadeite through everything better than either one of them could have. Now that the threat of Metalia was gone, did Kunzite actually expect them to break it off after they had developed feeling for each other?

“It's unprofessional and a disgrace to have that going on among us,” Kunzite replied. “They know that, we all know that, but I seem to be the only one bothered by it.”

“That's because we can all see that more good came of it than bad. If Zoisite hadn't been there for Jadeite, how long do you think he would have lasted?” Nephrite shot back.

“There is a huge difference between offering support and offering your be-” he cut himself off, and Nephrite followed his gaze to the door. The Master stood in the doorway, seemingly uncertain about entering. “Master.”

Slowly he made his way over to the two Tennou, and Nephrite wondered exactly what he had heard, quickly replaying the conversation in his head.

“I didn't really want to eavesdrop, but something told me that it might be the only way I get the full story out of you,” the Master explained quietly, frustration evident in his voice. “Do you plan to hide things from me?”

Nephrite looked from the Master to Kunzite and back again. “We just feel that it would be best to take things one step at a time, Master. A lot had happened, and a lot of it has been unpleasant. It's not really easy for us or for you. We don't mean to be deceitful, just cautious.”

Nephrite and Kunzite had decided on a more relaxed room of the palace to have this discussion in. Instead of a regular conference room, they had picked a study near the prince's chambers. Kunzite gestured to the stuffed chairs and the Master agreed to have a seat.

The Master waited for two of his guardians to be seated before starting. “Where are Zoisite and Jadeite? I've yet to see them.”

The topic of Zoisite and Jadeite was one they had decided to tread around with caution. The Master as of yet knew nothing of their relationship, and more importantly nothing of the abuse the two Tennou had suffered. Kunzite decided to take this question. “Your father decided it best to give them a few days on minimal duties for rest,” he explained. “We can get to the reasons why later.”

The Master didn't like that answer, but choose to accept it for now. “Minimal duties or otherwise, they are still in the palace, are they not?”

“I'm sure you'll be seeing them later today,” Nephrite offered. The Master was no fool, he would know that there was something fishy about the whole subject by now. It had come up the previous evening as well.

He looked from one Tennou to the other before pressing on. “Well, where would you like to start then, I'm obviously getting no where with the questions I have.”

Nephrite looked to Kunzite who began with what they had agreed on. “Why don't we start from the beginning,” he offered. “After you returned and cured your father, you have no memory beyond that, correct.”

“Yes, you know that.”

Nephrite felt a chill go up his back then. This was their old Master, but his tone, probably as a result of his frustration and anger was all too familiar.

“At first we didn't notice much difference. You, or rather he seemed a bit quick tempered, but nothing worse than that. Day by day however, it got worse. He began to get demanding, easy angered if he didn't get what he wanted when he wanted. Over the first two weeks or so, that was all we saw. Zoisite became concerned because he had some knowledge of Metalia, but the general consensus was that you, or he, would get passed it.”

Nephrite tried to read the Master's expression. It was difficult as he stared intently at Kunzite, doing nothing to urge him forward or question anything thus far. Kunzite was trying to be careful with his words, keeping this Master and Metalia separate, but he was having difficulty.

“In the third week we started to see more drastic changes. In fits of rage, he would knock items off shelves, or throw things across the room. Talking did very little to calm him down, and he began to accuse us of sneaking around behind him, or plotting things against him. Accusations that made little sense.

“In the fourth week he became violent with other people. If something didn't go exactly as planned, he would find someone to hit or slap as punishment for what went wrong. We were shocked, and by this point had concluded that Metalia had taken over.”

The Master had become visible unnerved by this last piece of information, but he tried to hide it as best he could. “Is that what happened to your eye?” he asked, finally speaking again.

Kunzite nodded, giving him that much at least. “That was more recent, and more extreme from the usual, but yes.”

He lost his unwavering expression then and looked away from Kunzite, disgust etched on his face. “How could I...” he whispered to himself, but loud enough for Nephrite to hear.

“Not you, Master. It wasn't you.”

“It was me!” Endymion shouted back at Nephrite. “I may not remember it, but I did it, with this body and with these hands!” He held up his hands to emphasis this and then they fell limply back into his lap. He shook his head as he looked down at them. “I've noticed the way the servants in the palace look at me,” he said, quietly now. “Some of them whisper to each other as I pass, others step out of the way and keep a good distance. People I've spoken to all my life are going out of their way to avoid me.”

Nephrite could tell that the Master was trying his best to keep his emotions in check. The Prince didn't want to cry, not in front of his guardians, not in front of anyone. “Not everyone in the palace knows that you are you now. With time, things will start to return to normal, I'm certain,” Nephrite tried to offer.

The Master was silent for a moment, working through his inner thoughts. Nephrite and Kunzite both held their silence as well until he spoke again. “Did I, or did he kill anyone?”

“No,” Kunzite answered immediately. “No one died.”

Relief washed over the prince at this at least. There was some amount of good news. “Jadeite and Zoisite, you said that I haven't seen them yet because they've been given some time to rest. Is there any other reason? They're not hurt too badly or anything?”

'That would depend on your definition of 'hurt',' Nephrite thought to himself. Physically they looked to be in better shape than Kunzite at least, and he figured that's what the Master was talking about. “No, they're both well,” Nephrite replied, keeping the discussion about the other two as limited as possible. “I would suspect that Kunzite sustained the worst damage.” Nephrite noticed the Master's lip twitch at that remark, perhaps it hadn't been the best way to word his explanation.

“OK,” the Master said slowly, “so he was violent with the people around him. Is there anything else I should know?”

The Tennou looked at each other. Nephrite knew that they had to mention the Silver Millennium, but figured Kunzite better to discuss that.

“There were some problems in our dealings with the Moon,” the Tennou leader began.

The Master's head immediately snapped up, “Serenity! Is she alright?”

“She is fine, Master, as far was we know. After word reached the Silver Millennium of what had happened to you, all contact with them was cut off on their end. It is no longer possible to travel there or to contact any person there.”

He seemed partially relieved. “I see, so we will have to wait for them to contact us first.”

Kunzite nodded. “I'm sure they send scouts out frequently, so word should reach the royals quickly.”

“What happened exactly to cause them to cut us off?”

Kunzite paused a moment before answering. “After Metalia took over, he decided that he would take the Silver Millennium by force and make the Princess his Queen.”

If anything, this piece of information confused the Master for a moment, and then some understanding started to set in. “So it wasn't just Metalia then, there was some of me in there as well.”

Nephrite could see how this was a dangerous road to go down. “Metalia's possession of you was gradual. Over time we could see less and less of you and more of the demon. But it was the parts of you that we saw that give people hope that you could still be saved.”

“We should take a break,” Kunzite said. “It would be better if we did this in stages. I'm sure we all want to spread word around the palace that the old Prince Endymion has returned.”

For once, the Master agreed. “I would like that.”

---

Jadeite grabbed a set of casual clothes from the wardrobe for himself. A long sleeved brown shirt and darker brown trousers. It was warm enough to wear a lighter shirt, but he wanted to keep his wrist covered. “I suppose we should try and find the Master now?” Jadeite asked. Most of the morning had passed, and he was surely wondering where they were.

Zoisite had already dressed himself, a black shirt and brown pants, much darker from his usual attire. He sat on the window sill of the bedroom, staring out over the landscape. “The gardens look lovely,” he said, as if he hadn't even heard Jadeite mention the Master, he turned his head and looked over at his lover. “Would you like to go for a walk down there?”

He had to admit, that seemed more appealing that trying to figure out what he would say to the Master. He wasn't sure that he would be able to act normal around him, and he was worried that his anxious appearance would give away that something was wrong. So he nodded to Zoisite, happy to postpone that meeting a while longer.

Once Jadeite was dressed, they headed out together, and Jadeite was excited to be able to do something so normal with Zoisite for once. They didn't need to hide anything any more. They could walk through the gardens together, laugh, talk, hold hands... Jadeite couldn't remember a time when he was this happy.

As they walked slowly down the stone path in the garden, Zoisite put his arm around Jadeite's shoulders. The younger man smiled and stepped a bit closer. He wasn't really looking at the flowers, he was just overjoyed to be able to enjoy this with Zoisite now.

Zoisite stopped and looked down at some collection of small blue flowers beside them. He turned to Jadeite for a moment and looked at him as if to check something, then looked back at the flowers and plucked one off the plant.

He held the bloom beside Jadeite's face. “It's the same colour as your eyes,” he explained, and then proceeded to tuck the stem of the flower into Jadeite's hair over his left ear.

“Hey!” Jadeite explained, and playfully tried to bat Zoisite away. Zoisite fought back, apparently determined to get that flower to stay. Jadeite battled for a moment, but then gave up and accepted his fate to wear the flower for at least the rest of their stay in the garden.

Zoisite looked down at him, a smile on his face that Jadeite had never seen before. True joy, not clouded by fear or sadness or doubt. There was love in that smile as well. Jadeite closed his eyes when Zoisite began to lean towards him. He didn't care who saw them, they loved each other and his Majesty had given his permission. Jadeite wasn't going to hide his feelings from anyone, not when they felt this good.

---

Kunzite made a sound of disgust. “Do they really have to do that right there?”

“If you don't like it then don't look,” Nephrite retorted.

Kunzite continued to watch from their spot on the balcony regardless. Zoisite leaned down, kissed Jadeite gently and wrapped his arms around the other man. Jadeite's hands tangled themselves in Zoisite's long ponytail as he pulled himself closer.

“Surely even you can see how happy they are now.”

Kunzite's eyes narrowed, barely registering Nephrite's comment. The two Tennou in the garden finally parted for breath only to kiss each other again. Kunzite's lip twitched and he started getting that uneasy feeling in his stomach that he felt whenever he saw those two together. It was certainly no secret that he did not approve, but exactly how much he detested seeing them like this he would never say. He couldn't.

“Who's happy?”

Kunzite was drawn from his thoughts by the Master's voice. It had been several hours since their meeting earlier in the morning. Nephrite and Kunzite had decided to discuss the next steps for what they should tell the Master, but they hadn't anticipated seeing him so soon, and now was definitely not a good time or place. Kunzite stepped forward, away from the balcony and towards his Master in hopes of keeping him from investigating. “It's nothing important, Master. Why don't we find a place to discuss-”

“Kunzite,” the Master interrupted. “We have plenty of time to discuss things, but right now I am curious as to what has held your attention so.” He side stepped Kunzite and stepped onto the balcony with Nephrite, who looked like he didn't really know what to do. “After all, I wouldn't mind seeing someone smile for once...” His voice trailed off when he got a look at the garden.

Kunzite closed his eyes and sighed inwardly before stepping back out to the railing. Zoisite and Jadeite had relocated themselves to a bench in the garden, but were still as attentive to each other as before. The feeling in his stomach was back.

“What...?” The Master was looking at them as though he wasn't sure what he was seeing. Kunzite wasn't sure what the Master would be thinking after having this thrown at him.

“This probably wasn't the best way for you to find out about this, Master,” Nephrite said. “We were going to tell you, but we weren't sure how.”

The Prince looked over at his red haired guardian. “They're...?”

“Lovers,” Nephrite confirmed.

Kunzite made an audible sound of disgust at that word, attracting the Master's attention.

“Is this what you were hiding from me?” he asked. “The reason you weren't letting me see them right away?”

Kunzite immediately sensed an opportunity here. He glanced over at Nephrite quickly, who apparently was thinking the same thing. 'Run with it,' his expression said.

“Yes, Master,” he said. “We thought you would disapprove, I know I do, so we hoped to delay that piece of information as long as we could.” When the Master didn't reply right away, Kunzite decided to continue. “It was my fault for allowing this to happen, I hope I can gain your forgiveness.”

The Prince shook his head, “I don't 'disapprove' exactly, I'm just rather surprised. They're being a bit too... public with this, aren't they?”

“Your father recently gave his blessing,” Nephrite jumped in, ready to defend the pair.

This apparently surprised the Prince more than the first piece of news. “He what?” the Master asked, his eyebrows raised. He knew as well as anyone how strict the king was with rules and protocols, at least prior to Metalia. His months in the dungeons had changed him, to the point where Kunzite no longer knew the man.

During their meeting in the early hours of the morning, Kunzite learned first hand how much the Earth's ruler had changed. The King not only was going to allow Zoisite and Jadeite to continue their relationship publicly, but he was also giving them time off to spend together? 'Time to rest and recover' was how he had put it, but Kunzite knew exactly what it was. He pushed back, something he had never done with the King's orders before. He himself had been surprised when the King didn't silence him immediately, but heard his concerns out.

“That was how it would have been before,” His Majesty had said, “but things are different now. I am different, as are you, as is everyone who has been effected by this.”

“I understand that, Your Majesty, but still I must protest.”

“Do you have concerns that go beyond duty and obligation?”

Personal reasons. “No, Your Majesty.”

Kunzite now looked at his Master, needed to somehow explain how his father had changed without going into the details. Then again, the truth behind the King's imprisonment might be accepted a bit more readily than the details behind Zoisite and Jadeite's relationship. “A lot has changed for him,” Kunzite said as diplomatically as he could, “with everything that happened to you, I suppose some of his priorities have shifted.”

The Master shook his head, “that much? I know my views were always more relaxed than his, and even I am not sure what I think of this. I don't even know what it means. Something big happened, bigger than just Metalia.”

Kunzite thought a moment about just telling the Master then and there about his father. Make the pretence of being forthcoming with information now. “Yes, something did happen.”

“Kunzite?” Nephrite asked, but the Tennou leader ignored his concerns.

“If you feel you are up to it Master, we can tell you now, or if you prefer later.”

“Now would be good.”