Behind the Scenes

Chapter Seven: Episode 18 - part 3

Zoisite sat on the bed and leaned back against Kunzite\'s chest. They had been sitting there in silence for some time. Zoisite had since managed to calm himself down. Kunzite was here now with his arms wrapped around him. Nothing could touch him.

“Feeling better?” Kunzite asked softly.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Kunzite felt Zoisite\'s body stiffen at the question. He didn\'t vocalize his answer, but Kunzite knew what it was. He moved his hand to Zoisite\'s chin and gently coaxed his head around to face him. Zoisite flipped himself around, but he couldn\'t bring himself to look at Kunzite\'s eyes.

It was then that a small mark on Zoisite\'s forehead caught the older Shitennou\'s attention. Kunzite brushed Zoisite\'s bangs to one side with his hand and looked at the tiny wound. “How did this happen? It looks rather resent.”

Zoisite stiffened again. He freed his chin from Kunzite\'s hand and rested his cheek against his lover\'s chest. He wanted to avoid talking about it, but Kunzite wasn\'t going to let him cuddle his way out of this one. “Zoisaito...”

There was silence for a moment, then Zoisite spoke in a very quiet voice, “it was Nephrite.”

“Nephrite hit you?”

“He threw me into a wall.”

Nephrite was not one who easily lost his temper, Kunzite knew this. “What exactly did you do to warrant that?”

“He didn\'t like that I was looking for the Ginzuishou on Earth. He said that I should be reporting to him. I disagreed.”

Kunzite said nothing. Something small like that wouldn\'t normally cause such rage in Nephrite. Kunzite would ask him about it personally. “So, what happened after this... dispute.”

“Nothing. I came back here and...” his still quiet voice trailed off.

“And you fell asleep,” Kunzite finished for him. Zoisite said nothing in response. He wrapped his arms around Kunzite and clung to him desperately. Kunzite could tell that the memory was painful, but knew that it would be better for Zoisite to talk about it. “Alright, you don\'t have to tell me about it now,” he relented, but gently pushed Zoisite off his chest. “Sit up. I\'ll help you out of that uniform.”

Zoisite sat himself on the edge of the bed and let Kunzite undo the clasps and buttons of his jacket. As Kunzite pulled the jacket off his shoulders, Zoisite whispered, “it felt so real.”

Kunzite stopped for a moment, contemplating whether to urge Zoisite on, or to just let him be. He hung the jacket over the arm of a nearby chair, then returned to the younger man and helped him out of his boots and pants. Zoisite lay back down on the bed, facing away from his lover. Kunzite joined him once he was similarly disrobed, lying behind him. He wrapped an arm around the copper haired beauty, “what felt so real?”

“I was waiting for you to return, I was sitting by the window. Someone grabbed my wrist, I thought it was you, but... He pulled me up and told me that I needed to learn my place. I tried to fight back, but he was stronger... He... he held me against the wall...”

Zoisite\'s voice trailed off. Kunzite propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at Zoisite with concern on his face. “And?”

“...He raped me.”

Kunzite knew the answer to his next question, but had to ask it to be certain. “Who?”

“Nephrite.”

Kunzite lay back down and held Zoisite close. “It was only a dream.”

“I\'m not so sure...”

Zoisite knew as well as he did what telepathic abilities the Shitennou had. What Zoisite was suggesting had already crossed Kunzite\'s mind as well, but now was not the time for Zoisite to be entertaining such theories. “I am,” Kunzite replied surely, “you should relax, and sleep.” Kunzite waved a hand over Zoisite, placing him into a dreamless rest. He remained beside him a moment longer before getting up and dressing himself.

Kunzite found Nephrite on the balcony of his Earth home. He had not been spending much time in the Dark Kingdom lately. Kunzite appeared behind Nephrite, floating just slightly off the wooden deck.

Nephrite turned his head slightly, acknowledging Kunzite\'s presence. He waited for his superior to speak.

“I will make this quick, Nephrite. Did you or did you not telepathically control Zoisite\'s dream?”

Nephrite smiled slightly, “Why? Did the little boy have a nightmare?”

This comment caused Kunzite\'s temper to flare. The wind picked up and his eyes began to glow a bright white. Nephrite finally stood up and turned to face Kunzite. He had never been on the receiving end of Kunzite\'s wrath, and was surprised that the comment he made had brought this out.

Kunzite repeated the question, speaking slowly and advancing on Nephrite. “Did you or did you not telepathically control Zoisite\'s dream?”

Nephrite looked Kunzite in the eye, as difficult as that was. “No. I did not.”

Kunzite\'s eyes returned to normal and the wind died down as well. He continued to stare down at Nephrite though, it was the auburn haired Shitennou who broke off the glare. “It\'s not my style to go meddling in someone else\'s dream,” Nephrite explained, returning to a partially finished drink sitting on the table. “Whatever nightmare he had, he brought on himself.”

Kunzite turned to leave, but stopped and turned his head slightly back to Nephrite. “One more thing. Zoisite reports to me, regardless of what realm he is working in. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal,” Nephrite responded, then added, “it would seem the rumours are true after all...” He watched Kunzite for a response, but didn\'t get much. The leading Shitennou continued to watch Nephrite out of the corner of his eye and over his shoulder. “For your sake, I hope Queen Beryl-sama doesn\'t listen to the rumours spread by youma.”

Kunzite ignored his comment. If it was a threat, it was an empty one. He turned and teleported back to his castle.