The Truth Emerges
Started on 5/30/00 by Darien
Starring Zoisite, Kunzite, Darien, Guardian, Michiru,
Nephrite, Beryl
++++++ ++++++ +++++++
*Have you ever wondered what role your life plays in
the cosmos? To
look up at the stars and wonder what they think of
you, of your past,
even as they planned your future. To see them as
impasionate veiwers
on your life, never caring of the mess you've made and
laughing at your
futile atempts at fixing the wrongs of your past. And
what if that
past is hidden in dreams? Are we doomed to follow the
mistakes from
before even when we can't remember what they were?*
Darien sighed as these thoughts rambled through his
mind, breathing out
smoke as he stared up at the heavens. He had wondered
a lot about what
was happening. A strange urge was in him, a feeling
of wanting and
longing that he could no longer bury with daily
routines. Grounding
out a cigarette stub on the balcony railing, he lit
another one,
ignoring the ringing phone in his apartment. There
was something he
had to do.. but what was it?
Kunzite sat on a chair of craved wood, blacken and
twisted in abstract
forms, his ssteepled fingers touching his lips as he
frowned at the
image floating in front of him. He was in the Dark
Kingdom, in his
strong hold there, watching the flickering form of the
reporter as he
had been doing for the past week. He had never knew
the vain and
superfiscal man was actually one of the senshi allies
until a few weeks
ago, but now he had time and lesuire to take the man
on. He snapped
his fingers and a form appeared by the side of his
chair.
"Hullo, mate, you called?"
"Twist, get me everything on that man ASAP."
"Sure, no prob, mate. Be back soon."
Zoisite wandered down the sidewalk,
lost
in
his
own thoughts as
his
headset played on with Kid Rock's "Only God Knows
Why". Humming to
himself
as he wove in and out of the crowd, his eyes wandered
to the
storefronts,
considering what to spend Nephrite's money on today.
Some new clothes
would
be nice, even though he had two closets full of them.
Candy in another
caught his butterfly like attention. Nibbling his
lower lip, he
grinned
cheerfully to himself. Yes, with Neffy-okami's credit
card in hand,
the day
had great possibilities.
Beryl stared calmly at the face in her
globe,
*He
looks oddly like
him,
oddly so. Is it possible that he is the same,
reincarnated in this
time.
If so I wonder if I dare allow Kunzite to carry out
whatever plan he
may be
concieving.*
Jeremy leaned against the balcony of
his
apartment
and stared out
at the
hordes of people walking the streets, *Darien. Who
would have thought
that
he was the Preacher. He'll be a target, he will be a
target.*
Michiru slammed her phone down. "Men, who needs them
anyway!" she cried and flung herself on her bed. ever
since she got hurt in the nurse's office Darien's been
distant. Almost avoiding her. She called and called
and he never answered. Did she do something wrong?
Why was he avoiding her so much?
She picked up her pocket book and stormed out of the
room. She would go shopping and then to Darien's.
The shopping part could have been avoided, but if she
didn't calm down she was going to ring his neck.
Nephrite sat in his cathedral alone, in deep thought.
"The stars know everything." he muttered. He looked
up at the ceiling. "Gemini, give me guidence."
A shift in the atmosphere signled Twist's return. The
skinny man did
not look like a typical youma, instead he gave the
appearance of a
young punk in his leather pants, torn t-shirt, scuffed
jacket and
enough earrings and necklaces for several people. A
pair of mirrored
sunglasses completed the effect, and if no one heard
his distinctive
British accent, they would have thought him a senior
member of the
Yazuci.
"There isn't much about him, boss," he said with a
shrug. "He's just
your average everyday man with a series of bad breaks.
However,
according to what I've scrounged up, he did associate
with the young
lady that unfortunatly did away with Jaddo. They
weren't the close of
friends but.."
"I see," Kunzite said with a sigh. What did he
expect, anyways?
Public records did not tell one who was a senshi as
far as he knows.
But that didn't change anything. He had to deal with
this person
before the senshi could get to him. From what he had
heard, Darien's
alter ego was a formidable opponet as well as insane
in meriting out
justice.
Twist shifted on his feet. "Want me to do something
or shall I go back
to my previous task?"
"Go, I'll take care of this," Kunzite replied with a
wave of his hand.
Twist made a face before disappearing.
Alone, Kunzite stood and stared at the image before.
"I wonder if you
even realize your potential," he murmurred. "Maybe I
should see if you
do.."
Michiru wondered aimlessly from store to store.
Nothing caught her eye at all. Maybe it was because
she was depressed. She decided to take a small break
from all the walking to get a drink. As she watched
people pass she sighed. *Why can't I just have a
happy life with a normal boyfriend.* she thought.
(*growls* My post never made it *whines for a bit and
reposts*)
Zoisite never flinched as he felt the
cold
muzzle of a gun being
pressed to his spine. The stinking breath that flowed
past his cheek
as the
man's hand slid about him to start grubbing for his
wallet brought a
disgusted expression to the sakura's face. "Just
gimme all yer cash
and
don't try nothin funny. You try sumpin, and yer guts
will paint the
wall
before you, boyo."
To Zoisite's credit, he let his
wallet
be
taken, noticing the
greedy
glinting in the thief's eyes as he paged through all
of Nephrite's
credit
cards. Eyes flicking side to side to see if anyone
were about, a faint
smile of hungry delight curved his lips. As the
robber glanced back up
and
saw that smile, he shoved the gun in Zoisite's face.
The rest happened as a blur to a normal
person.
The small hand
rose,
batting aside the weapon as if it were a toy. The
sharp report of a
bullet
being fired deafened Zoisite for the moment, something
that went
unnoticed
as his smile widened, revealing the needlesharp points
of his fangs.
His
other hand pushed forward, flinging the thief into an
alleyway as it
knocked
him off balance. Kicking the gun away, Zoisite
leaped, landing on the
man's
chest. A soft caress was given to his victim's cheek
as he turned the
man's
head aside, teeth sinking into his throat as the blood
spurted down his
throat.
Kunzite teleported to an alley, Twist following him
with annoyed little
sigh. Glancing behind him at the youma, Kunzite
smiled faintly.
"You will be well compensated for your time, of
course."
"If you say so," Twist replied with a shrug. "Just as
long as I get
paid for the other job too."
Laughing quietly-- the new youma he made were
certainly
individualists-- Kunzite nodded towards the mall.
"Cause a stir,
something that will bring out our friend. Something
painful."
The youma shrugged again and wandered off towards the
mall, not even
glancing down as he passed Zoisite. Kunzite waited a
few moments until
he was sure the sakura could hear him properly, then
said quietly,
"Zoi-chan."
Guardian stared at the apartment below,
he
had
been there all day
watching, waiting for Darien to leave, waiting for the
Negaverse to
attack,
but as of yet it had not happened. Finally he made
his decision and
turned,
heading away from the apartment. Neither as Guardian
nor as Jeremy
Satterlee did he have what was needed to confront the
man.
He paused and glanced down at the mall
before
falling into the
shadows
and detransforming. Once there he slipped a black
glove over his right
hand
and pulled the hood of his sweatshirt up so that it
covered his face
and
merely made him look like someone trying to hide his
face from the
world,
suspicious, but less conspicious than his Guardian
outfit.
He slowly entered until he came across
what
he
had
been looking for
since his stop to find her not there. Silently he
slid into the seat
across
from Michiru, keeping his head angled down for a bit
of extra security
before speaking in the same even, deep tone he used as
Guardian, "Your
boyfriend is just a beacon for trouble."
Zoisite rose to his feet with the
catlike
fluidity he usually
possessed
even when not hunting. Flicking his tongue over his
lips to gather up
the
last flecks of red from his lips and chin. He didn't
have Kunzite's
neatness or style with bringing down his dinners, but
he was getting
better.
He no longer had any sort of sickness at
doing
what
he did.
Moving to Kunzite's side, he lifted his
head
to
brush a kiss along
his
cheek. One arm slid about the ice king's waist as his
eyes rose to
meet the
cold platinums of his lover's. Something wasn't quite
right in the
sakura's
opinion... either Kunzite was preoccupied or upset.
He wasn't sure
which.
"Yes, love?"
Michiru looked up at the new comer. Her heart almost
stopped at the sound of his voice. "Excuse me?" she
asked. "I know you..from somewhere, don't I?" She was
very nervous at this sudden appearence of a total
stranger. Now she really did wish Darien had answered
his phone this morning.
Kunzite looked down, one hand carassing Zoisite's
chin, tilting his
face up with tenderness even as he bent his head down
to press a
lightest of kisses on his lover's lips. Even the
faint taste of
Zoisite's kill brought a shuddered response to
Kunzite's frame, but he
quickly gained control of himself before the hunger
took over.
"I am moving in on that reporter, the one that hit you
with that rose a
while back," he said. "we're going to call him out
into the open,
force him to transform and hopefully even capture him.
I'd thought
that you would want to be in on it."
Guardian kept his voice flat as he noticed
the
nervous reaction.
He
sighed silently to himself and kept his voice low so
Michiru could hear
him
but no one else could, "Put your fears aside Peace
Keeper. I am a
friend
and an ally and we have met before. Those concerns
are not ours to
contend
with for the moment. It will only be a matter of time
before the Dark
Kingdom and their wicked Queen finally make a move
against your
boyfriend."
"Against Darien?" Michiru asked. "But why him? He's
been acting strange lately I know, but I doubt he's
working for them." she said defensively.
Pressing his lips against Kunzite's palm,
Zoisite
smiled faintly
at
the thought of getting near Darien again. A hint of a
frown marred his
lips as his jaden eyes met the cool platinums of the
ice king's. "I
don't know... there's something about him. It's
like... there's two
people within him. We... I ... saw it before.
Remember that night at
your club?"
Kunzite frowned in reply, looking past Zoisite at the
shopping area.
"Hai. It was certainly different. Most people don't
act that way when
given a dark energy boost."
Darien tossed away his cigarette stub and dug around
for another one
but the pack was empty. Looking around for more, he
glanced at his
accusing phone before looking back over the city. He
felt like doing
something, an itching sensation in his spine that
wouldn't go away.
Guardian kept himself calm, "Merely search
your
memories of the day
in
the nurse's office when you met Setsuna, that should
be explanation
enough.
He is a threat to them, no reason other is needed."
"What are we going to do then?" Zoisite asked as he
slid his hand into Kunzite's.
"All I remember is getting hit and a rose. I thought
it was your rose and I passed out. I lost so much
blood that day that I didn't regain conciousness until
later, at least...I think that's what happened."
Michiru said softly.
"We are going to flush him out of hiding by
endangering one of his
senshi friends," Kunzite replied, giving his hand a
squeeze. "I have a
youma working on it now. Then we can easily capture
him and take him
to the Dark Kingdom for study. I want to see exactly
what makes him
tick."
"I have an idea of what makes him tick,
Kunzite-sama. I don't
think you want to know. I doubt that he's your type,"
the sakura
replied, winking up at his companion as they moved
down the street.
Lifting the ice king's palm to his lips, his
tongue flicked over
the skin. "So what would you like me to do for you?"
"Now or later?" Kunzite teasenly replied. "I have a
few things I'd
like to try out.."
Darien left his apartment in search of more
cigarettes. Even as he
left, he could hear his phone starting to ring again.
Making a face,
he shrugged his jacket on better and headed downtown.
The rest of the
world can wait until he got a pack of smokes.
Twist hung up the phone and smiled at his reflection
in the phone
booth's glass. A few steps away was a green haired
woman talking to a
enshoruded man. Twist grinned, his reflection looking
like a pointy
eared devil in the glass.
"This makes things so much easier," he said cheerfully
to no one.
Zoisite poked him with a seductive smile.
"Later for us. What
do
you want me to do as far as snaring up our new toy?
Think of all the
fun we could have with him. Too bad we couldn't grab
his girlfriend as
well. She seemed rather fond of you."
"So true, but you never know," Kunzite replied with a
shrug. "What I
need you to do is keep on eye on him. I last saw him
at his apartment,
but he could be moving by now. When he heads this way
to help his
girlfriend, I need to be told so the trap can be set.
Is that okay
with you?"
Zoisite nodded and pressed a kiss to Kunzite's
cheek. "I'm on it,
love."
Teleporting out from Kunzite's side, Zoisite
reappeared on top of
Darien's apartment building with his usual flurry of
sakura blossoms.
Peering over the edge, he grinned cheerfully at
finding his quarry.
Another
leap brought him to the building after, following him
from above. It
beat
walking. ~~
Guardian sighed, "I am surprised that the other
Senshi in
attendence
failed to mention it, or that he didn't mention the
results. The rose
was
not mine, it belonged to Darien."
Michiru looked up. "Darien's...but...he." she said
and put her head down. "This is so confusing. Is
that why he's staying away from me..because he's one
of the Knights?" she asked. She was about to go on
when a scream cut throught he air like a knife. "What
the..." she asked looking in the scream's direction.
Guardian's head turned and light hit his face
just
right to notice
the
faint trace of a scar on his lower chin, "It would
seem to be a
situation
worth investigating. We must be careful though, you
are likely bait
for a
trap."
Michiru looked at Guardian and smiled. "Hey, I'm a
big girl now..I can take care of myself you know." she
said and stood up heading for the scream, "lets go."
Guardian simply got to his feet not saying a word
a following
behind
Michiru. He reached up and pulled the hood out more
on his sweatshirt,
tightening it, forcing the shadow over his face to
remain. Silently he
followed, *Overconfidence can be a killer Michiru, I
hope you never
have to
learn that.*
((Scream? What scream? Who screamed?))
Vclothing changing in a ripple, Zoisite hopped
down, landing
lightly
behind Darien. A moment was taken to watch the way
he moved,
remembering a
night not too long ago. Purring in delight, he
bounced to the other
man's
side. "Darien-chan! How are you?"
Darien looked up and grimaced slightly. "Just
peachy," he muttered his
head dropping down and his eyes fixed firmly on his
feet. He looked
like death warmed over, his pale skin white, his hair
unkept, the
stubble of several days worth of beard on his face.
~Good, keep on him,~ Kunzite told Zoisite, stepping
into the mall. in
his normal jeans and loose shirt, he looked like
hundreds of others
shopping or eating or plain gossiping. The screams
turned out to be
from a large cluster of women fighting over a sales
both. Without
appearing to, he stepped in and calmed down the worse
of the group.
Nothing must distract his target when the true attack
comes. Nothing.
((Shame on you Phantom *wags finger* I'm not ready
yet *evil
chuckle*))
Zoisite eyed Darien with a fair amount of
concern... or at least as
much
as he could show for one of his favourite bedmates.
He still had a
nearly
unnoticable scar on his chest from Darien's bites that
night... well,
at
least until Kunzite would notice it and make him get
rid of it.
Small, soft hands rose to cup the haggard man's
face between them,
orbs
of jade trying to see the depths of his sapphire ones.
Ripples of his
own
dark energy seeped into Darien. If the man fainted or
died right here
on
the sidewalk, nothing would be accomplished. Gently
stroking the other
man's flesh with his fingertips, the sakura's voice
dropped to a near
whisper, "What is wrong? Can I help you?"
~Kunzite-sama? He's sick... really sick. He
looks like Nephrite
after
drinking for a straight week.~