A Third Life

Zoisite had slept in later than usual and jumped out of bed when he got a clear look at the clock. “Damn it,” he muttered to himself. The girls had probably already had breakfast.

He dressed himself as quickly as he could, but he mind kept drifting back to Kunikiyo, no Kunzite. He believed him, believed what he told him, that his real name was Zoisite and that they had been lovers before he lost his memory. “But he didn't say that, did he?” He hadn't, but they had to have been. No one could have known that much about his body unless they had been together for years.

“The last time I saw you, you were dying.”

Dying. Obviously he wasn't dead, so what had happened? Is that how he lost his memories? What had happened to him? Zoisite had so many questions that he needed to ask Kunzite.

Once dressed, he brushed his hair and pulled it back into the loose ponytail he preferred, then he hurried down the stairs to the kitchen in hopes that there was still some breakfast left over for him. He stopped in his tracks when the five girls were all waiting for him, a variety of grins and smirks on their faces.

“You have to tell us about him,” Erika said immediately. “He was gorgeous!”

Zoisite felt an inexplicable twinge of jealousy at her comment, but was distracted from that by Yuki.

“And apparently he's a terrific lay on top of that!”

“What?” Zoisite asked. How the hell would they know about that?

“Oh, come on, we heard you all the way down here. Your acting is good, but it's not that good.”

Zoisite felt his face begin to burn. How loud had he been screaming? He looked away from them and grabbed a plate, helping himself to the cool leftovers.

“Oh come on! You have to tell us something.”

Zoisite took a seat at the table and the other girls hurried to grab the remaining seats with the exception of Kotone who continued to lean against the counter and remained silent for the most part. She was the oldest of the five, made the most money of all of them, and was also something of an assistant to mama-san.

Zoisite looked down at his food for a moment. “I think he knows me,” he said quietly, cutting off a piece of the egg and bringing it to his mouth.

“Knows you how?” Kotone asked.

He swallowed the first mouth full, a bit disappointed in the temperature, but unwilling to make himself a whole new breakfast because of it. “He knew about my amnesia,” Zoisite began, “including when it begins. Also... he knew my body better than I do.”

“Did you get paid?”

“Kotone!” Yuki exclaimed. “He may have just found his old lover and you want his money?”

“It's alright,” Zoisite said, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing the funds. “He paid me anyway.”

Kotone left her spot by the counter to collect the fees, seemingly satisfied for the time being. Yuki pulled her chair closer to Zoisite in hopes of getting more of the story. “Do you think you two were lovers?”

Zoisite couldn't help but smile a bit and nod in reply. Yuki's subsequent squeal of joy was a little harsh on his ears.

Erika folded her arms over her chest. “Figures, all of the beautiful ones have to be gay.”

“Can you tell us a bit more about him?” Umeko jumped in. “What's his name? Where is he from? He was well dressed, definitely not from around here.”

“Well, his name's Kunz-” Zoisite stopped himself, remembering Kunzite's rather cryptic remark about not using their real names. “Kunikiyo,” he said, “I'm not really sure where he lives though.”

“That's an odd name...”

Zoisite nodded and continued with his breakfast.

“Izou,” Kotone spoke up again, “I don't have to remind you that this is the fifth time someone has tried to pull this on you.”

Zoisite shook his head, “this is different. I didn't believe him at first, which is why he gave me the money, but there is no way he could have known me that well.”

“He just happened to be good in the sack,” Kotone continued, “and he wants you for himself.”

“Then how did he know about my memory problems?” Zoisite asked. “Did anyone here ever say anything?”

A round of “no”s and “not me”s proceeded and soon all eyes were on Kotone. “Who knows how he found out? He could have talked to one of your regulars for all we know. The fact of the matter is that he could just as easily be another man trying to take you home, and when he does you know that he'll do everything in his power to keep you and control you. No one here wants to see you hurt, Izou. Be careful.” Kotone excused herself, leaving Zoisite with the remaining four girls.

Yuki watched over her shoulder as Kotone left and then turned back to Zoisite. “Well, if he is your old lover, then I am so happy for you! When will you see him again?”

Zoisite smiled, “he said he'd be back early tonight.”

“I can't wait to see this guy,” Takara said, the last of the five to say anything. She hadn't been in the house by the time Zoisite had returned home with him, and didn't get to see Kunzite leave either. “White hair, dark skin, and well built? Damn, you are so lucky, Izou!”

Zoisite smiled at her and finished his breakfast. He had been going by Izou for as long as he could remember, but it was starting to sound so wrong now. He stood and brought his dishes to the sink. “I have a lot of things to do today, I'll see you guys later.”

---

Laundry was his job in the house this week, and Zoisite finished it as quickly as he could. He would have to be back in the lobby and “ready to perform” by eight, and getting ready usually took him a while. He wanted to run over to the nearest library, which was a bit of a trip out of the district.

He put on the best clothes he owned, which unfortunately weren't all that great. Most of his money went into things that would make himself more marketable, including outfits to wear for clients. His best outfit that wasn't designed to attached a buyer's attention was a black T-shirt and a pair of jeans that were torn around the bottom.

Money for transit wasn't a problem, not after last night. He felt a little guilty about using Kunzite's money, but at the same time it would be to find out more about him, and himself. Zoisite figured that if he didn't want their real names getting out, there must be a reason for it. It wasn't anything that Zoisite could think of, but if it was public knowledge, it would be at a library.

He wasn't a complete foreigner to the library. In fact, he had learned much about his surroundings by reading up on them here. He read about the frozen state this world had taken and about the twentieth century before that had happened. Even the Golden Kingdom and the Silver Millennium he was somewhat familiar with, as his King and Queen had transmigrated through time from that point.

Zoisite picked out a computer away from most of the other patrons. He had no idea why such names as “Zoisite” and “Kunzite” should be avoided, but he would heed that advice until he understood the reason himself.

The search that resulted from the names surprised him. The computer pointed him towards several history books about the Golden Kingdom as well as the Dark Kingdom, the latter of which he was not familiar with. The first entry was always a good place to start, and so he headed towards the shelf containing a book about “The Shitennou”.

The book seemed divided in half, the first half about the Golden Kingdom, and the second about the Dark Kingdom. Zoisite started with what he knew and began to read about these “Shitennou”. He learned quickly that he and Kunzite shared names with two of the members.

The Shitennou had been guardians of the Earth Prince Endymion, now King of Earth in Crystal Tokyo. The five had grown up together and had been close friends. Kunzite was the eldest and the leader of the quartet, while Zoisite was the youngest.

A woman named Beryl had desired Prince Endymion's hand in marriage, but the Prince had eyes only for the Princess of the Silver Millennium, Serenity. In an effort to stop the proposed marriage, Beryl came in contact with an entity known as Metallia and had gained considerable power. She began to brainwash the people of Earth, and eventually even the Shitennou turned against the Silver Millennium.

Zoisite read with great interest. The Shitennou sided with Beryl and Prince Endymion fled to the Silver Millennium, and fought to defend it against his own people. He and Serenity were killed in the battle, along with Serenity's own guardians, the Sailor Senshi. Queen Serenity, the Princess' mother used the Ginzuishou to seal Beryl and her followers.

The general gist of the past battle Zoisite was familiar with, but the Shitennou were new to him. The book continued to go into detailed descriptions of each of the members. The first two were about Jadeite and Nephrite, and Zoisite opted to skip those chapters entirely in favour of his own namesake.

Zoisite had been sixteen at the time of the battle, and had received most of his training directly from Kunzite. As a result, the two had become close over time, but it had been a surprise to everyone just how close.

When Endymion's marriage to Serenity had been announced, the betrothal of Endymion's guardians to Serenity's had also come, but not without some resistance. Zoisite had been engaged to Princess Mercury and had been the most adamant against such an arrangement. In secret, he and Kunzite had become lovers. The idea of being forced to marry another had been repulsive to the youngest Tennou, and as a result, their relationship had been revealed.

In the case of Zoisite and Kunzite, it was this reason which resulted in their distance from the Prince, and their ultimate turn to Beryl. They believed that their Prince could no longer see beyond the Princess of the Moon and had lost focus of what was important, his own people.

Something about the story truly touched Zoisite, but he was still no closer to understanding why his name would be so widely rejected. True, they had turned against Endymion, but it wasn't without reason, and Beryl's manipulation had played a large role.

He flipped quickly to the second half of the book, the Dark Kingdom. This he was not familiar with, and so he read more carefully.

In the twentieth century, Serenity, Endymion, and the Sailor Senshi had been transmigrated. They lived as normal humans with no knowledge of their past lives.

Over the years, Metallia had lay quiet, but slowly she gained power, and soon Beryl, along with Endymion's old guardians had been revived. They began to steal energy from the humans of Earth in order to revive Metallia and take over the world. They also set their sights on the Ginzuishou itself, and Beryl's desire to wed Endymion had not faded with time.

Zoisite learned that his predecessor had become a backstabbing villain, willing to hurt anyone who stood in his way. He had a particular hatred for Nephrite, which seemed to stem from a desire for power on Zoisite's part. Nephrite out ranked him, and Zoisite wanted to be second Tennou, after Kunzite.

Nephrite's death had come at Zoisite's order, and as a result, he was put in charge of the operations on Earth. Tuxedo Mask became his new worst enemy, and the Zoisite of the present day knew that Tuxedo Mask and King Endymion were in fact the same person.

Zoisite had tried to kill Tuxedo Mask on many occasions, and the final time had come after Queen Beryl had ordered that he be taken back to the Dark Kingdom alive. As a result, Zoisite was fatally wounded by Beryl.

In all of this, Kunzite and Zoisite had continued their relationship, even without their memories of the past. Kunzite had carried Zoisite from the throne room and had made his death as comfortable as possible.

After the defeat of the Dark Kingdom, Beryl and the Shitennou were all considered to be dead. New enemies were to follow, but Zoisite cared little for them, and he closed the book.

What did it mean? He and Kunzite shared their names with these two enemies, but surely they were not supposed to be the same person.

“The last time I saw you, you were dying.”

Zoisite shook his head. There was no way that he was the person depicted in that book. He had nothing but the greatest respect for the King. The idea that he could have tried to kill him sickened Zoisite. He was starting to understand why these names wouldn't go over well with the general public. They were enemies of the current monarchs, and anyone who supported King Endymion and Neo-Queen Serenity would be against them.

If that was the case, why would they have the same names unless...

Zoisite returned the book to its shelf. He had his answer, or at least part of it, and so he left the library and started on his way home.

The story of Zoisite and Kunzite's romance hadn't been particularly descriptive, but something about it pulled at him. It felt... familiar, and he was certain that it wasn't because he was developing feelings for the Kunzite that had come to see him last night. 'I've only known him for a day, how could I possibly be in love with him?' Zoisite asked himself as the train reached its last stop.

The day was getting late, and he wouldn't have much time to get ready for tonight if he dawdled. Remembering that Kunzite promised to come again tonight made him smile and he hurried back to the brothel to get ready for him.