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Silver and Steel by Nephthys Moon
 | The Dark Queen |  |
This story contains adult material. If you are not of legal age, leave this page now.
Chapter 7 – The Dark Queen.
It was hard to accept that she wouldn’t give him the memories that would enable him to help her. Did she even care for him at all? He knew he was being irrational, but he didn’t care. He knew that she was giving him the time to think it over because she cared for him. In fact, it was kind of scary how much she cared for him.
Yes, there was a connection between them; he’d felt it the day they met. And promptly pushed it aside. Over the intervening years he had gone on a few half-hearted dates with Rei; he’d even had one encounter with Ami that was better left unspoken. And then there was Ann. For some reason, she’d latched onto him while Usagi had dated her twin brother. He shuddered at the memory. Whatever anyone said, it was possible for a woman to rape a man; especially if she drugged his drink. He pushed the memories aside; there was no point in hashing them over once again. Right now, he needed to focus on the memories he didn’t have, as if simply knowing they were there, locked inside his psyche, would be enough to set them free.
He closed his eyes and brought up the images of the past few days, particularly those of Usagi in her Senshi fuku. Ignoring the sudden rise of certain body parts at the sight of the red boots he was slowly developing a fetish for, he focused instead on the other, less physical feelings the sight aroused. There it was – that urge to protect her, to pull a rose out of thin air and fight alongside her. The only problem was he didn’t know how to do it.
“Mamoru-kun?” He opened his eyes to find Motoki in the doorway, looking down at him curiously. He motioned the other man into the room, hoping that perhaps if he explained what he was thinking, Motoki, with his superior understanding of emotions, would be able to help him sort through this deluge of them before he drowned in it.
~~~
Makoto looked down into the sleeping face of her princess and sighed. So much heartache, so much responsibility in one so young. Rationally, Makoto knew that she and the others were the same age as Usagi, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been young, and she rather suspected the others felt the same. As she thought about it, she realized she could probably equate the loss of her youth with the loss of her family, and she’d wager that Rei could, too. Minako’s youth was stolen by the responsibilities of Sailor V, long before the others had awakened, and Ami was probably born fully responsible, book in hand. Of them all, Usagi was the only one that had been lucky enough to have anything resembling a normal childhood, only to have it snatched away by the fate of the world.
Makoto didn’t mind the fate of the world. It was a relief to have something to protect after her family had been cruelly taken from her. She sometimes wondered if the Ginzuishou hadn’t arranged for the death of her family to ensure that she would have no greater tie than her loyalty to Usagi. She didn’t voice the concern, of course – if Usagi even suspected that she viewed the crystal with something resembling bitterness she would be heartbroken. And regardless of what her duty to the Earth was, in her mind, the duty she owed Usagi was far greater. Protect Usagi, and she protected the world. It was that simple. It was reassuring, really. All she had to do was what every fibre of her being demanded she do anyway. Usagi, on the other hand…
Makoto sighed. It was too much to ask a girl like Usagi, so fun-loving and happy, to shoulder the burdens of the world. She shouldn’t be responsible for so much. Especially since Mamoru didn’t remember that it was his world that she was protecting – that he was supposed to help her. It was obvious that he wanted to, but equally so that he didn’t have a clue how to.
As for her, Makoto knew that soon she would have to confront Nephrite over his betrayal. That he had given up his pathetic existence as Beryl’s minion to save Naru spoke very highly of him and his morals, but she still had a few things she wanted to say. She pitied Jadeite, especially. The things Rei had spoken of doing to torture him had been something no woman should ever do to a man, even one who’d betrayed her – especially a man who’d betrayed her in a past life and couldn’t currently remember doing it. At least give him a chance to remember, she scoffed.
Makoto picked the slender body of her princess up and tucked her into the pink sheets. “Sleep well, Usagi-chan.”
~~~
Motoki could think of half a dozen things he wanted to say to Mamoru, perhaps more, and at least half of them would not be exceptionally flattering. “Do you mean to tell me that all of this – stuff – between you and Usagi-chan started out as a practical joke?” Though the words were soft, there was no denying the underlying fury in them, and Mamoru wisely took a step back.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered in reply, his eyes downcast. “I thought we’d have a little fun at the girls’ expense and confess the truth in a week or so,” he continued. “I didn’t count on all of this.”
“I’m hoping that by ‘all of this’ you’re referring to more than the revelation that she’s Sailor Moon and you’re Tuxedo Kamen, Mamoru-san,” Motoki said angrily. “I’m hoping that you’re saying that ‘all of this’ includes you falling in love with Usagi-chan – or rather finally realizing that you’ve been in love with her since she was fourteen.”
“In love?” Mamoru’s eyes were wider than he’d ever seen them as he repeated the words.
“Mamoru-san, even before the accident, she was constantly on your mind. If she was in the same room, you couldn’t take your eyes off her and you did everything you could to monopolize her attention. If she wasn’t there, you’d stare at the door, waiting for her to come in. Hell, Rei even got you to sign that agreement because she found a rather interesting sketch you drew of Usagi in a skimpy version of her school uniform with a heart around it,” he muttered in disgust. “You’ve been in love with Usagi-chan for the past four years.”
“I don’t know how to love anyone, Motoki-kun,” the other man breathed dejectedly. “Least of all someone like Usa.”
“Do you hear yourself?” he all but shouted. “You’ve already given her nicknames and you rushed to her the moment you sensed she was in danger. Whether you know how or not, Mamoru, you do love her.”
“Even if I do, how do I know that it isn’t just that past she told me about?” he demanded, clearly angry.
“So what if it is?” Motoki growled in frustration. “If a past life you loved a past life her it must have been because you were both the same people then that you are now. It’s always been obvious you were attracted to her and you, cold bastard that you are, put up a million walls and blocked her out with your trademark cruelty. Now this little ruse of yours has finally given you a chance and you’re doing again!”
“What do you mean by that?” Mamoru asked, his voice much softer.
“You’re blocking her out again. You’ve got this convenient excuse that you don’t really care for her, that it is all this past life bullshit, and you’re going to jump on the chance to keep hiding from the fact that regardless of the reason, you’re in love with the girl,” Motoki finished, a smirk on his face as he watched Mamoru digest it. He knew that his friend, dense as he was, was finally getting the picture, so he decided to let the information sink in for a bit.
“I’m going to check on Mako-chan,” he said, walking towards the door. “Just – take some time to think about it, alright?” Mamoru nodded absently as he left the room.
~~~
Minako ducked further into her menu, looking at her companion in distress. “How did they find us?” she whispered but Ami just shrugged as the two men walked towards them.
Kunzite sat across from her and pulled the menu out of her hands, and she felt the breath leave her lungs. She forgot how to breathe. She knew her mouth was hanging inelegantly open and she didn’t remember how to close it. Speaking was entirely out of the question.
Two nights ago, she’d lain in his arms, feeling more whole than she had since she woke up from a three week coma with no memory of the time leading up to it, and now that she did, she found herself completely unable to function like a normal human being around him. Her mind was completely blank. Desperately, she tried to think of something to say; anything would do, be it an accusation for his past betrayals or a declaration of undying devotion, but her brain refused to cooperate. She couldn’t even turn her head to look beseechingly at Ami for help. She was afraid that Ami wouldn’t have any to offer either. Her head was buzzing, if he was speaking, she certainly couldn’t hear him. And she couldn’t tear her eyes from him to try to read his lips, either. Desperation had set in and she was so afraid that she would never figure this out.
“Minako.” She blinked. His voice had penetrated the haze of her mind and broken the spell. Suddenly she could think again, breathe again, and her anger, something she had been terrified would always desert her in his presence, returned full force.
“You!” she spat, disgust filling her voice. A soft voice in the back of her mind that sounded suspiciously like Usagi reminded her that he wasn’t the same person that had betrayed her on the Moon, that he had no recollection of having done so. She felt Ami and Zoisite’s eyes on her, startled by her vehement outburst when she’d been so silent until that moment, but she didn’t care. She impatiently brushed aside the warnings in her mind and glared at the man across from her.
Instead of shrinking from the heat in her gaze, his eyes narrowed and he met her eyes unflinchingly, returning the spite she felt emanating from herself and causing her to pause.
“You’re judging me for actions that happened centuries ago, Minako, things that were done by a different Kunzite who, from your own advisor’s account, was under the dark influence of an evil witch,” he said softly. It was the same tone she remembered; the angrier he was, the softer his voice would get. He’d never needed to raise his voice to get his point across, and that, at least, had not changed. She was ashamed, suddenly, embarrassed by her own emotions.
“You can hardly blame her for her feelings, Kunzite-san,” Ami piped in softly, drawing the intensity of those beautiful eyes away from her. “She has just had a great many things dumped into her lap, and one of those is the fact that a man bearing your name and likeness – and personality – literally stabbed her through the back. It will take time to prove to her that despite the fact that your past life betrayed her, you will not do so now.”
For a moment, Minako stared at Ami in shock, surprised to see a blush cross the other girl’s cheeks until she realized that it was not just Kunzite she was speaking to. Her words could easily be about herself and Zoisite, and it was clear that the other man realized that, too.
“Forgive me,” Kunzite said softly, too softly to have completely let go of his anger. “You are right, as always Mizuno-san. My own distress at learning the actions of my past have made me blind to the influence it would have on Di.” He stood and gave Zoisite a pointed look until the blonde man followed suit. “At your service, ladies.” He bowed deeply as he said it, and then spun on his heel and walked away – out the door. Minako was overwhelmed with a sense of longing at the affectionate nickname he’d bestowed upon her in the past, too much so to immediately recognize the implications in it. As Zoisite followed suit, Ami looked at her, her face devoid of all color save her normally bright blue eyes, which seemed washed to almost whiteness themselves.
“He remembers,” she whispered horrified, and Minako stared at her for a moment in stupefaction.
“Who? What?” she stumbled over the questions, resisting an urge to shake Ami in her frustration.
“Kunzite,” Ami breathed. “Don’t you see? He called you Di – he used to call you Aphrodite, after the goddess – but he wouldn’t know that unless he remembered.”
By the time Ami finished, Minako knew that her face was as white as her friend’s. He had his memories, had perhaps had them the entire time! The thought screamed through her head, repeating itself, circling around and around until she wanted to shout it aloud to the room. She was shaking, the tremors reaching to her very toes as she realized the full implications of his knowledge. He had known who she was from the first, had known what he had done in the past when he took her to his bed in the present – had known, before Luna had begun speaking that she and the others were Senshi and that he had betrayed them, that he had killed her. Ami put a comforting arm around her and drew her into her shoulder.
“Is it just him, or do they all know?” she asked through teeth that threatened to chatter.
“I don’t know,” Ami answered softly. “But he is a very deliberate person, Minako-chan, and he wouldn’t have used that name if he didn’t want you to know. We need to talk to the others right away.” Minako nodded and mulled over Ami’s words as the two dropped a few bills on the table and left the café.
~~~
It was time, she realized triumphantly as the moon reached its zenith in the sky. She would finally be free of the cage that had held her for so long, able to finally seek revenge against those who’d kept her from her rightful place at the Princess’ side. She raised her weapon, a beautiful silver tipped spear with powers she had only dreamt of using these many millennia.
“Silence Glaive Surprise!” she shouted, her long dark hair billowing around behind her as she touched the weapon to the ground at her feet. She watched in delight as the world below her fell into darkness.
~~~
Author’s End Note: HA! Had you fooled, didn’t I?
To be quite honest, I had myself fooled, as well. Up until I finished this chapter, I was absolutely positive that the Dark Queen would be Nehelenia (perhaps my favorite villain to write about), but at the 11th hour, it came to me that it should definitely be someone else. When I write Silver and Steel: Silver Millennium, I’ll explain how Saturn came to be what she is now, but for the time being, let’s just see how it plays out, shall we?
Saturn’s attack has put something of a hold on the pressing issue of Kunzite having his memories the entire time, and it puts a real sense of urgency to Mamoru finally regaining his, as well. It’s also done several other things that are really important later, but for now, let me just offer another apology for the horrid delay in getting this out to you and hope that you’ll all forgive me if I can put the next one out more quickly.
Love, Luck and Lollipops,
Nephthys
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