"Shifting Positions"
Part Two
by Luna and Phoebe

Disclaimer: Sailormoon belongs to too many people to remember them all, but absolutely not to us (*sniff*).

This is, counted together, our tenth murderous attempt at fanfiction. It's supposed to have around five or six parts but do not count on it. I don't do too, because I'm not good in mathematics.

Who writes whom (But it sometimes overlaps a bit): Phoebe does Nephrite, Kunzite, Ami, Naru, Haruna-san and Yasoma-san. Zoisite, Usagi, the nurse, Rei and Mamoru are done by me, Luna. Those things in the brackets are obviously our silly comments, mostly caused by Phoebe's inclination to play on words. Enjoy it or hate it, but pleeeeeeaaaase, tell us: herbert.raaf@t-online.de

"What do you mean with 'she's not here'???" Rei scolded.

"She has left the building some hours ago!" The stout nurse scolded back. "And by the way, you could teach her some manners. She totally knocked me over!"

"Usagi? Knocked you over???" Question marks built over the heads of the group.

"Hm, I say we go, maybe we can trace her back." Rei and Naru nodded, said goodbye and followed Ami down the floor. Naru turned around in midstep. "By the way, what happened to Yasoma-san and that man who was brought in together with them?"

The nurse thought for a moment. "Yasoma-san just overworked himself and will be fine after some rest. And the other ... was it a blonde one looking rather feminine?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"He scared one of our young nurses half to death."

"Why that? What has he done?"

"Oh nothing." The nurse shrugged. "He was just sent to the woman's wing at first."

"What about him now?"

"Follow me, I'll take you there."

"Zoisite, calm down!"

Zoisite stomped through the room. Again. The two long braids flew behind her through the air and almost slapped Kunzite everytime she changed the direction.

"Be reasonable," he scolded her. "We will deal with it."

"Deal with it? Did you say deal with it? I have to walk around in this -- this thing!!!" She grabbed something and readied to throw it against the next wall.

Kunzite jumped up and rescued his favorite vase. "STOP IT!"

Zoisite shook her fists and continued to pace the room. Kunzite put down the vase on the table and grabbed her, pulling her into an embrace. He ran his fingers through her hair, down the braids. "Mmh, we could cut them a bit," he remarked.

Zoisite wriggled free and immediately slapped his face.

Stunned he looked at her rubbing his cheek. "Wha--?"

"AREYOUMADIDONTWANTYOUTOTOUCHTHISIDONTWANTTOMAKEI TALASTINGCONDITIONTHATISNOTMEANDIDONTWANTYOUTO TOUCHANYBODYELSE!!!" Zoisite yelled at him mad with rage.

Kunzite who understood only some parts of the babbled words rolled his eyes. Zoisite who recognized his mien for what it was took a deep breath, a really deep breath and forced all her power into one hand to slap him anew.

The king shot an energy ball some centimeters in front of her feet. When Zoisite looked up at him in sheer shock he stated, "That's enough, little one."

The collected energy on Zoisite's hand disappeared when the feeling of being stunned faded and sorrow overwhelmed her. "I'm -- so -- s- sor-ry," she choked. "I just can't handle it." She sobbed silently.

A pitying look appeared on Kunzites face. Seeing that his koibito was completely at an end of her mental powers - at least for today - he slung his arm around her in order to comfort her. She stiffened her shoulders and slowly pulled away. "No, Kunzite, not in this state, not now," she said very silently. "I'd like to go to bed now."

Kunzite let her go, and watched how she left him. A moment later he thought of something and headed after her. "Zoi! Wait a moment!"

She turned around to him, her blue eyes full of mourn. "Hm?"

"What happened to the owner of this body? I mean -- err --"

"Probably she is in my body, I guess." Zoisite shrugged and went on.

"You want to sleep alone? This time?" Kunzite saw a slight smile brushing her face. "I'll take the couch tonight."

"That's very nice of you koibito." She quickly hugged him. "O-yasumi nasai." Then she closed the door.

The nurse led them down a sterile looking corridor. "This is the section for our comatose patients," she explained.

"Aw," Rei whispered to Ami. "Isn't it horrible? All those rooms full of people who are living deaths?"

Ami looked around intimidated. "Uh-hm, We won't stay here for long, will we." Rei shook her head.

At once the nurse stopped in front of a door. "Are you related to him or aquainted?" she asked.

"Yes, he is our uncle," Rei answered immediately and without any hint that it could be a lie.

The nurse's face lit up. "Ahh, great! Then you can fill out the form on the reception. He had no passport with him, you know?"

Naru just nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat unremarked.

"Would you like to see him right now?" The nurse pointed at the door.

"Yeah, of course. Mom is very concerned about her brother. He didn't come home to her birthday- party and then she --"

"Rei!," Ami scolded her. Rei hung her head.

"We are very concerned," she finished her part.

The nurse nodded and opened the door to a small room with white coats and caps.

"You have to put on these," she pointed to them, "and wash your hands." Then she nodded to Rei. "And make sure you get all your hair under the cap."

After they were ready the nurse checked for one last time explaining it with 'the rules are very strict' and then they entered the room.

"Five minutes, girls, not more," the voice of the nurse sounded after them. Then the door was shut and they were left alone.

Metal gleamed in every corner of the rather small room, cold and sterile. A display stood on a low table, a bunch of cables spreading from it, leading to other machines. It made a beeping sound in five second intervals. A heartbeat. Another machine aside the bed hissed in tact with every third of them. A drip dropped it's contents continually into a tube leading to a needle that stuck in the man's arm.

Naru stepped closer to the man lying on the bed. Tubes were also attached to his mouth and nose,his chest obeyed the rythm of the machine to his side. The skin was unnaturally pale. His eyes were not completely closed so that Naru could see a deep green iris shimmering through the lids. The blonde braid lay squarely over the pillow.

"The poor man," Naru said.

"What happened anyway?" Rei tried to seem untouched but the discomfort in her voice gave her away.

Naru shrugged. "I don't know exactly. I can only remember that he turned to us with one of those gems in his hand and then there was a blue light and he fell down, right into Usagi's arms."

Rei didn't seem to be satisfied with that answer. "That's all? Nothing more? That doesn't help us much."

"Help us much for what?" Naru said puzzled.

"To explain what has happened and where Usagi is now, baka."

Naru sulked and lowered her head. "Why are you so angry, Rei?"

"She is right," Ami supported. "You could be a bit more friendly. It's not her fault."

Ami's reproach made her even more angry. But before she got one of her usual outbreaks she remembered the rules of the hospital and swallowed it down. Only a grumbled sound escaped her mouth. "Anyway! We have to find out what happened to him and to Usagi." She went over to the man and examined him swiftly. "Naru, do you remember in which hand he held the stone?"

Naru thought for a moment. "In the right hand, I think -- at least -- yeah, the right -- or the left? -- No, it was the right hand, yeah the right hand."

"Are you finished now?" Rei's patience was close to an end.

"Sorry that I'm a bit distracted! It was the right hand," Naru repeated.

"Yeah, you mentioned it." Rei made a face which was answered by a sheepish look from Naru's side.

"Would you come over here, Ami?" Rei demanded. "Take a look at his right hand."

Ami came hesitantly over. When she turned it carefully upside down she recognized a slight red mark in the palm. "Hm, looks like he has burned himself with something, something round. Maybe the gem?"

"Elementary, dear Watson."

"Girls!" The nurse shouted from the other side of the door, not too loud. "Would you come out now, please?"

The three girls turned around and headed to the door. Naru glanced one time back over her shoulder at the man lying there. "Bye," she whispered.

Nephrite was back in the church. His mood was awfully deep-ressed (Luna: Stop it Phoebe!).

"Darn it, the youma aren't strong enough. They are too easily defeated. And Sailormoon, if I could only find out who this pert girl is." He paced and mumbled to himself. Then he stopped, scolded himself for wasting the time and tried to make up a new plan. "There must be something she cannot stand." Maybe that was the best time to show himself on the battlefield. He had an idea and began a maniac laughter. "Yeah, that will do it. Sailormoon, I will get you this time."

Kunzite was staring at the ceiling. Somehow sleep didn't want to come. He was too concerned about Zoisite's psychological condition. "Let's hope that Beryl doesn't find out. She will kill him. And I don't wanna lose him because of such an idiotic accident." The king closed his eyes but wasn't able to keep them shut. Thoughts came and drifted away again like waves on a sea. After a while he took a deep breath and stood up from the couch. The room was still covered with total darkness. "What now?" He didn't want to light up the room, it was good that it was this dark. Kunzite walked from wall to wall. He knew exactly how far it was. He had done this many times before. Some minutes later he couldn't bear it anymore. Taking a deep breath again he thought it was the best thing to lie down on the couch again. Yes, he also could have gone out to the Earth Realm and look for Zoisite's body, that would be the best thing to do, without doubt, but he didn't want to leave his koibito alone, not in such a state. Lying down again he closed his eyes and forced himself not to open them before it would be time. Slowly his breath turned into a regular up and down and he was asleep.

The door slowly squeaked open. Usagi stared into the darkness. She fumbled for the lightswitch but didn't find it. Sighing Usagi walked through the room, hands outstretched to prevent any impacts with furniture. "Gods, am I hungry." Her stomach agreed. "Freezer, here I come..." With a loud thump and a crackle her toe firmly met with a leg of a chair. Usagi hardly suppressed a scream and began hopping around on one foot holding the other one with both hands. 'Hope mom didn't hear that.' Suddenly something stood in her way and made her fall over. Hit hard in her belly she didn't fall as far as she had thought but the ground her head at once lay on was warm and moved.

A groan could be heard followed by a deep commanding voice. "LIGHTS!"

The room lit up and Kunzite looked down on his chest. "Zoi, what are you doing here? Changed your mind about sleeping alone?" She hung over the back of the couch and since she didn't do anything against it he helped her into a standing position. Usagi, obviously confused, just watched the tall man in front of her with wide eyes. He wore just a pair of black trousers and black socks, nothing more. Long silvery hair fell over his bare chest.

The king stood up and walked around to her. He wanted to embrace his koibito but the incident some hours ago was still too vividly etched in his mind. So he stood there and stared down at her, eyes full of concern.

Usagi opened her mouth and pointed at Kunzite.

"Yes?" he asked not understanding what she wanted to tell him.

Usagi swallowed, took a breath and tried to start anew, "..."

"Zoisite, what do you want to tell me? I don't know what you want." He shook his head.

Her eyes began to fill with tears. Then, "MOOOOOOM! DAAAAAAAAAAD!" The volume was deafening.

Kunzite's eyes went wide in shock. He almost jumped back but decided to take the other direction in order to stop this terrible noise. He laid one hand over Usagi's mouth and clasped the other arm around her waist. He was totally confused. "Hush!" he demanded and stared deep into her blue eyes hoping to ease her a bit.

Usagi feared the stranger's stare. She quivered from head to toes.

He recognized it. "If you promise to stop screaming I could remove my hands," he suggested.

To all appearances she didn't bother it. Immediately she jerked her hands up and scratched the nails of her one hand over his and the others squarely over his face.

Kunzite let go of her and groped at his face. "Zoisite, are you gone mad? What's up with you?" He felt four traces of her nails burning like hell.

Usagi stepped back fearfully until she felt the wall against her back. For the first time she took a look through the room. Kunzite watched her every move. His concern grew when he saw the fear in her eyes. The king slowly moved towards her, more carefully this time in order not to frighten her more than necessary. "Easy, little one."

Usagi finally had tears in her eyes. "Who are you?" she sobbed.

"Zoisite!" The astonishment sounded unignorable in his voice.

"Who's this Zoisite? My name is Tsukino Usagi!" she yowled.

Flabbergasted Kunzite stood where he was when realization struck him. "Tsukino Usagi?"

"Tsukino Usagi!" she stated and nodded.

Kunzite swallowed and grabbed for something to hold on. 'Hell! We have a problem here, Zoi.'

"Why am I here?" (Phoebe: You have always been here.; Luna: Argh!!) Usagi inquired still trembling.

"Tell me something about you, Usagi!" he demanded.

She just drew her head between her shoulders and crouched down.

"Don't be afraid, little one, I won't harm you. Just tell me something about you. For example what you like and what not? Or how old you are? But please, stop behaving like a shy little rabbit." He spoke in a soft tone and sat down beside her.

Usagi moved away from him and looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "Why am I here? And why are you calling me Zoisite? And how did I get here?"

"I can't answer you these questions. Sorry. I can only try to help you, nothing more." 'DAMN! Zoisite, what did you get yourself into this time?' "Maybe you can tell me the last thing you remember before waking up here."

"I was in a shop of antiques," she told him, "Together with my friend Naru and the shop keeper was behaving very strangely. And there was a man with blonde hair. He lost consciousness and fell into my arms."

"A blonde-haired man? Can you describe him closer?"

"Uhm, he was rather small for a man. In fact he looked like a woman to me. He asked Yasoma for a gem."

Kunzite jumped up and headed towards the door but stopped in his movement and turned around.

"Domo arigato, Usagi. That helps a lot. If you tell me where you live I could bring you home?" he invited her hoping that she already trusted him that far.

"You really bring me home?" she asked sheepishly.

"Yeah, but first, would you help me to find that man?"

Usagi wondered for a moment and then nodded.

"Fine. Let's go!"

"Wait! There was someone else."

"Who?" Kunzite asked suspiciously.

"Someone I've met before. A tennis-trainer if I'm right. You know? Very tall and very handsome with long brown hair ..." She supported her description with gestures.

Kunzite suddenly had an idea of who she was speaking about. "He didn't call himself Masato Sanjoin, did he?"

"Uh, yeah, that was his name. So you know him?"

He nodded having a good idea how to pay Nephrite back. "Yes, he was the one who brought you here."

"Brought me here?" Usagi was stunned. "But he ran over me when I entered the shop and then he was away."

"That may be, but that's all I know. C'mon, let's go." He helped her up.

She followed him voluntarily to the center of the room. He turned around.

"Close your eyes!"

She was taken aback. "Why? I think we were about to leave?"

"Just do it." He saw his reflection in her eyes.

"What if I don't want to?"

"Then we can't go."

"Why not?"

"Do you want to leave or not?"

"That's no answer," Usagi sulked.

"Do you want to wait until Masato Sanjoin comes back? Who knows what he had in mind with you?" Kunzite grinned wickedly.

She blinked. "You have a point." But then she grabbed his wrist. "Wait a moment!"

"For what?" He pulled free.

"If Masato lives here - what are you doing here then?"

"I am a prisoner, like you," he suggested, his patience weakened with every question. Maybe this wasn't the right tactic. But since he had chosen this way --

"You are nuts!"

"Watch your tongue, girl."

She stuck it out to him.

Annoyed he grabbed her, lifted her up and took her to the bedroom again. As soon as Usagi recognized where he was heading she began to squeal. He didn't bother and dropped her on the bed. "Then you have to stay!" He went out of the room and bolted the door behind him. From inside Usagi banged her fists against it.

He smiled. "If you don't trust me I can't help you," he spoke aloud so that she could hear him.

"You-- you tormentor," she shouted.

"Decide what you want, Usagi, come with me or stay where you are waiting for Masato-san to come back."

There was a long silence. It was interrupted by a knock on the door. Kunzite turned around. 'Who--?'He went to open it. When he saw who was standing out there he almost forgot to breathe.

"Nephrite!"

"Yeah," the other grumbled. "I need your help."

"You need my help? You dare to ask for my help after what you did this morning?"

"Come down, Kunzite, it was just a joke." Nephrite just walked in shoving the other king aside.

"By the way, I merely took my revenge for the icewater he had emptied over my head."

"It serves you right," Kunzite stated dryly.

"Heeelp!" A scream sounded from behind the bedroom-door.

Nephrite cocked an eyebrow. "Ahh, you have a new toy? Your taste is becoming better. At least now you settle on women. But, take my advise. Don't chose someone with such a soprano voice next time. It gets annoying very fast."

Kunzite could barely suppress the urge to hit him for that. He swallowed it down and continued in a business manner. "How can I help you, Nephrite?"

"Wait! Who is the new one? I want at least take a look at her." He grinned over his whole face.

"No chance. Get your own."

"Not possessive at all, are we?" Nephrite teased.

"That's enough. Tell me what you have in mind or go, but don't bother me."

Whoever was behind that door began to treat it with her fists.

"Hey, let her out before she demolishes your whole furnishings."

Kunzite stomped to the door and gave it a heavy knock. "Stop it, little one." To Nephrite he said, "Come to the point."

"I intend to lure Sailormoon and I want you to be the bait. She doesn't know you. And we all would be rid of our greatest enemy."

"Skip it!" Kunzite answered immediately. "Why should I help you? It's your task to collect energy and therefore Sailormoon is your problem."

A silent knock could be heard from the door. "Hello? You-huh. Please let me out."

He didn't answer, he just looked at Nephrite.

"Let me out or I'll scream as long and loud as I can," she warned him.

"No!" he barked back.

Then a scream started behind the door, high and most unbearable. The kings flinched and lifted their hands to their ears.

"All right, I'll help you, but first let me handle that problem here," Kunzite said to Nephrite and shoved him out of the room. "Get back to your church, I'll follow you as soon as I can." With that he closed the door and stormed to the other one leading into the bedroom. In a flash he removed the bolt and ripped the door open.

Usagi stood there and was just plain frightened when she looked into his face. He grabbed both of her wrists and lifted her up so that her face was on a level with his. "Now listen, you little pest. Because of your irresolution I had to change my plans. Listen, you go to bed now and sleep, while I try to find that blonde man you met in the shop. Lie down!"

"No way!"

"Don't test my patience!" he warned.

"What if you do something to me?"

"I'll do something to you if you don't do what I demand."

Usagi sniffed. "Would you let me down first?"

He dropped her.

"Not that fast!" she complained rubbing her bottom.

Kunzite just sighed and rolled his eyes, remembering the morning.

After studying his socks for a while Usagi crawled over to the bed. Then she climbed up and onto it. "Nice covering," she remarked, feeling the thick silk between her fingers. She didn't really want to pull it back in order to lie down.

Kunzite stepped closer and waited crossarmed beside the bed. "Shall I help you?"

Usagi lay back very quickly pulling the covering up to her nose. "And now?"

"Sleep!"

There was a long silence again. Instead of leaving the room how Usagi was hoping he stayed where he was and watched her.

"I can't sleep when you are watching me."

He sighed again. "Well, then it's better I go now." Before he left the room he turned around again, "Usagi, where do you live?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"I just want to know."

Usagi gave up and told him. Kunzite marked the point in his imaginary map, darkened the room and left.

The only light came from a small window in the wall behind the bed. Usagi moved into a kneeling position to take a look out of it. 'Where am I?' she thought when she saw green clouds veiling a violet sky and shadowy, steep mountains rising above an opaque sea.

"Where am I?" Usagi sniffed and began to cry again.

"Lie down girl and sleep, dammit!" Sounded it from the other side of the door.

She slid under the covers again and closed her eyes in surrender.

"Rei! I still can't believe that you filled that form full of lies." Ami was shocked.

"You didn't know the right answers either, so stop complaining. And this way they will inform us if his condition changes," Rei reasoned.

"Yes, but Hino Mamoru, don't you think there will be another Mamoru very angry with you?"

"He doesn't have to know, does he," Rei threatened her blue- haired friend.

Naru, who couldn't bear it any longer, asked, "Where do we look for her next?"

Rei counted with her fingers the many places where they had already searched for Usagi. "Well, there is just one possibility left. At home, I would say. She certainly lies on her bed and sleeps, dreaming of Tuxedo Kamen or lots of food."

Ami didn't give up. "But what if his real relatives show up?"

"What are you babbling? His real -- oh -- you mean the man. I don't know. They certainly won't mind--hehe. Maybe they are glad that he isn't called by a number anymore. Hey, and maybe they like the name. Eerrg, it doesn't matter. Or if it bothers you, you can return to the hospital and change the form. What about Mizuno Mamoru?"

Ami hung her head. "No, thanks."

END OF PART TWO

Part Three

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