Heavenly Kings

Disclaimer: I do not own this anime/manga, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

That evening at the ball, I spent all of my time with Maena, for which I'm sure she was eternally grateful. I knew that this would be our last night together, but I wasn't sure I could tell her what was really happening without getting both of us killed. So, I simply left it where it was. She would find out soon enough. Nephrite and the others were, as I could tell, putting on a brave front for their princesses as well so that they would not alert them to what was going on. When Kina, Maena, and Reina had gone to powder their noses, I spoke to Nephrite and Jadeite alone.

"Enjoying your evening, gentlemen?" I said, and they just looked at me with something that looked like disgust.

"Kina is trying her hardest under the circumstances," Nephrite said. "She nearly hit me when I told her." I smiled, knowing how strong she was. "But she said that when she returned from the lake, she was quite a bit happier. Skating always cheers her up."

"And she and Princess Serena are two of the best skaters in the kingdom," Jadeite said. "Prince Endymion is good at it too, although he and Princess Serena have never been seen to practice together."

"That's because, unlike us, he is not allowed to see her in a personal manner in public without a mask," I said. "They are more than friendly in private, but while he is acting as the Captain of the Moon Guard, he is not allowed to interact with her in a courting matter."

"I haven't seen him tonight," Nephrite said. "She is spending time with a man who is wearing a..." The light finally came on in his mind, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Oh."

"It took you that long to figure it out?" Jadeite laughed. "Everyone knows that the prince dresses in a tuxedo and mask when he's able to do so that he can see the princess. But apparently..." He stopped long enough to get Nephrite in a headlock and give him a noogie. "...you didn't." We all laughed, glad to have something to take our minds off the situation. Soon after this, the princesses came back to us and we all walked out to the dance floor. We were soon joined by Princess Serena and Prince Endymion, who many had aptly nicknamed "The Masked Tuxedo." We knew who he was, but Queen Serenity had agreed to allow it, and all of us were glad of that. We also knew that they were betrothed to one another, and it was one reason that he had been appointed to be the closest guard the princess had.

That night, I chose to be alone instead of returning with Princess Maena to her room for a finaly passionate night together. I was too torn up inside to share true, pure passion with her. Instead, I sat at my desk and took a pen in my hand. If I couldn't say what I wanted to say to her with my voice, I would write her a letter and have it sent to her after I left.

My dearest Princess Maena, I first want to say that I love you. That is the one thing I know in this entire insane universe. I will always love you, no matter what happens. You are my life, and my life is yours. But this letter is to give you a very heartfelt warning -- prepare for a fierce battle. What I told you is a diplomatic mission on Earth is not that at all. It is an attack on Earth, led by Queen Beryl and Prince Diamond of the Dark Kingdom. They told us that we either had to join forces with them or you would be killed by spies who have been planted within your attendants. I never thought that anything would frighten me so much, but the thought of losing you is killing me. When I return to the moon, I will not be the same person. I will probably have been brainwashed and hardly know you. But in my heart, I will only ever love you. Please be strong, and if we must fight against one another, do not forget the training I have given you over the years we have known each other. You may have to kill me, as I will probably be after your blood by that time. If you face that challenge, do not hesitate. It is my hope that I will come to myself in my last moments and be able to see your beautiful face one last time. Once again, my darling, I love you. Farewell, Beloved, and may the Goddess of Love protect us both. Yours forever, Kunzite."

By the time I had finished the letter, the tears were pouring down my eyes. My hand grazed the hilt of my sword, and for the first time in my life, I considered taking my own life, ending it all. How many people would die at my hand if I did this? Would I come face to face with destroying the woman I loved and her family? Would we actually be forced to fight one another? Would she kill me? I almost welcomed at this point. Better she killed me than I her.

"Kunzite, are you crying?" Zoicite said as he walked into the room, the concern in his voice obvious. He practically flew to my side and threw his arms around me. I turned in my chair, my arms going around him as well. "Shhh," he cooed as I audibly sobbed. "It'll be okay, Kunzite. It'll be okay." For some reason, I caught the sense that he wanted to use the word "baby" or some other term of endearment instead of my name, although I really didn't care at that point. Yes, we were close friends, and the events of earlier that afternoon had proven that, but why were feelings of desire for a more intimate relationship surfacing now? I was absolutely in love with Princess Maena, and I knew that Zoicite felt the same for Princess Amiya, but as he held me in his arms, I felt the urge to kiss him, to feel something besides pain.

"Zoicite..." I whimpered. In a seeming answer to my unspoken urge, I felt his lips on my cheek, trailing along my chin, and finally landing on my lips. The kiss was soft and comforting, having no urgency of anything but to make me feel better. And feel better I did, so much so that I deepened the kiss, moaning into his mouth as I put my hands on his face. He answered with a moan of his own, then broke the kiss and looked into my eyes. "Um... Wow..." He said nothing, but smiled at me sweetly as he wiped the tears from my cheeks. "I think you may have read my mind, Zoicite."

"It was a complete surprise that I did it actually," he said, blushing slightly. "Who'd have thought I'd end up being part queer."

"Well then I am as well," I said, finally able to smile. "I guess it doesn't matter now. This perfect life will soon be no more, and all will be darkness. There will be love in only the trace memories of any who survive what is about happen, and most of them will belong to the Dark Kingdom, unable to ever love again." Zoicite was quiet, biting the edge of the gloved thumb of his right hand, deep in thought. "We have an early morning tomorrow. We should probably get some sleep now."

Zoicite moved over to his bed and pulled down the covers, then pulled off his cape and shirt. He normally spent the night in the pants he had worn during the day, then taken a bath the next morning. But tonight, he pulled off everything but his very tight underwear, and climbed into his bed. I could see in his eyes that he wanted me to join him, so I obliged his non-verbal request, stripping down to my underwear as well and climbing into the bed. We knew we weren't looking for anything physical, but as I began to fall asleep, I felt our legs twist around one another and we snuggled tighter together.

"You're so warm, Kunzite-sama," I heard him whisper. "Please, don't let go."

"Goodnight, Zoicite," I whispered, kissing the top of his head.

End Chapter 3

Author's note: Another surprising turn of events.