Of Warriors And Kings

Author's Note: Since the Moon has an opposite alternate in the Dark Kingdom, so do each of the other planets. In this story, both Zoicite and Kunzite are from Yrucrem, which is Mercury spelled backwards.

Chapter 1 -- Smitten Prince

So beautiful. I was completely smitten by his absolute beauty. His silvery-white hair, falling the way it did on his shoulders, the way he carried himself, the commanding tone of his voice, and the way he looked at me was what made me pay attention to him. But it was his beautiful soul, and his absolute devotion to the things that were truly important to him, that had helped me to completely fall in love with him. He was my teacher, and I was his student, but our student-teacher relationship made our trust and love of each other even stronger.

Love was something that was nearly non-existent in the world where we came from, a world of darkness and pure evil. Believe me, I was no stranger to either of those things. In fact, for a large part of my three hundred years of life, evil and darkness were my lovers, and I found nothing more enjoyable than being a warrior and a devoted servant of Queen Metalia. While I was among the younger members of the Dark Kingdom army, I was also among the most elite. I, however, had nothing on the strength and power of this amazing man.

"Everyone, your attention now," said Obsidian, one of the highest-ranking soldiers at the time. "This is a long time associate of mine who has just recently come here from the Kingdom of Yrucrem. He is one of King Hermes' most achieved warriors, and he will now be your trainer and commanding officer. General Kunzite, please come down." In a flash of light, he appeared in the crowd, and I felt a gush of wind against my face. I almost hit my knees in front of him, nearly overwhelmed by his power, but instead my hand came to my chest and I bowed in respect, as did everyone else.

"Thank you, Obsidian," he said with a brilliantly white smile. "Gentlemen, I expect you to work hard and show me nothing but your best. General Obsidian has informed me that you are all becoming stronger in every area, but I expect you to take it to the next level. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Sir!" we all yelled in unison.

"You are dismissed!" Obsidian called, waving us away. Before I had a chance to leave, however, he called to me in my mind. 'Zoicite, report!'

'At once, My Lord,' I said, hurrying over to him and bowing again. I was surprised to feel a hand on my shoulder, and when I looked up, I saw Kunzite smiling down at me. "Kunzite-sama, I am at your service."

"Obsidian has told me of your continued improvements in your training," he said, his voice becoming as smooth as velvet. "I've asked him to see to it that you are made my private trainee."

"I will do my best, Kunzite-sama," I said. My heart was beating like a war drum, and I wouldn't be surprised if I was blushing as I awkwardly looking into his eyes.

"Join me for a drink, Zoicite, and we can talk in my quarters," he said. I couldn't believe it... After knowing me for less than five minutes, he was already asking me to his room. As professional as it would probably be, I couldn't help but think how fortunate I was. I glanced at Obsidian, who gave me a nod and a knowing look, as though he had intentionally set me up with Kunzite. Walking beside him, I could smell a small amount of a cologne that I knew was only available in my home kingdom, Yrucrem, and it was almost intoxicating. "I'm afraid that I'm still unpacking my belongings, so the place is a bit of a mess."

"That's perfectly understandable, My Lord," I said, smiling.

"What would you like to drink?"

'You...' I wanted to say. For reasons I didn't understand, I was completely taken by this man's charm. I was swooning, and yet I was so afraid that I was going to disgust him by the way I was acting. "I'll have a Smitten Prince." He chuckled at me, and I blushed. It was a legitimate drink, but I had just blurted out not only my favorite drink, but also the frame of mind I was in.

"Speaking of princes, Zoicite, why did you give up your place in the royal family to join the Dark Kingdom army?" Kunzite said while still pouring the drink.

"No one but Queen Beryl and my family has spoken to me of that in more than a year," I said, flinching slightly. "Yrucrem was my home, and my family always says that I can come back and retake the throne at any time, but I would much rather train to become a warrior before my father is gone."

"I suppose that's understandable," he said.

"How was my family before you left them?"

"They were well," he said. "Your father asked me to make sure that you were advancing in your training."

"I've heard of you from Father, but I didn't know that you were coming here," I said. He handed me my drink and sat down. "Very few people know who I really am, as I've come up through the ranks on my own. Queen Beryl knows because she was there in Yrucrem when I was born. Thankfully, everyone else who knows has kept it quiet, and they only know because they have also come from Father's guard."

"Well, Your Highness, your secret is safe with me," he said, and I flinched again at his use of my title, something I was no longer used to.

"If you don't mind, Kunzite, please call me Zoi-chan when no one else is around," I said, and he smiled.

"Zoi-chan, he?" he said. "Very cute, but I wouldn't have expected you to allow someone who is actually below you in station to call you such an endearing name within minutes of meeting you."

"Do you mind it?" I asked.

"Not at all... Zoi-chan," Kunzite said. I hardly knew what was happening when his hand came to my face softly. "I don't know what's happening to me, Zoicite. Most men wouldn't admit to this so quickly, but..."

"You're not most men, Kunzite-sama," I interrupted.

"Please, Zoi-chan, call me -kun, not -sama," he said, and I nodded quickly. "I'm certainly not like most men in the simple fact that I'm not in any way attracted to most women. And from the way you're acting, and the way you present yourself in general, with this gorgeous gold hair..." He trailed off, moving hs hand from my face to brush a lock of my hair back to my ear. "It's easy for someone like me to recognize that you too are attracted to men."

"It's true," I said. "As it is almost unheard of at home for two men to have a relationship aside from teacher-student, I've had to keep the fact that I'm attracted to men a secret. I will never have any desire to marry a woman, nor will I ever be able to raise my own child to the throne after I am gone, so I have allowed my brother to have my position as Crowned Prince instead, and either he or his son will one day become king." A light suddenly came on in my mind as to what I had said before about teacher-student relationships, and as soon as realization flashed in my eyes, a broad grin spread over Kunzite's face.

"Your father realizes that you are attracted to men, and I expressed an interest in you to him a great while before I came here," he said. "To be quite honest with you, Zoi-chan, I find you absolutely adorable." I whispered his name, moving forward into his arms and wrapping my arms around his waist, and he engulfed me in his arms. "I don't know yet if I love you, but I know that I'd like to find out." As I looked into those beautiful eyes of his, I saw those eyes narrow as he closed the gap between our lips, and as he kissed me, I felt my cheeks growing hot. I knew I was blushing, but at that point, I didn't care.

"Kunzite..." I whispered when we broke the kiss. "Thank you."

"It is I should be thanking you, my Prince," he said.

End Chapter 1