This is the first part of Arc II, and as you will soon see, there will be a shift in the focus. I debated titling this "Ladies, this is what's known as a jerky guy…" but decided against it. Oh ya, a little yaoi at the end, for those of you who like it, and for those of you who don't. Ghost_inthe_threads@hotmail.com

August Moon
Part 14 : You Can't See What I Can See
©MMI T h r e a d s

It had been about two weeks since she had told Nephrite.

Well, she actually hadn't told him, so much as he had assessed the situation and jumped to a risky conclusion, which of course, had been correct.

For the first couple of days, she had desperately wanted to cry, but could never find the tears. She was beyond crying it seemed. Maybe subconsciously she had already been set up to be rejected, so when it finally happened, it came as no shock to her.

Or maybe she was too hurt for words. She could never tell.

Either way, all she knew that it was only her who stood in the middle of the main hall of the King's castle, by herself.

She had decided to go exploring today. She would have gone wandering in the palace gardens, or perhaps even have gone horseback riding, but the rains had been pouring incessantly since before dawn.

The castle was far bigger than her mind could ever have imagined.

She took a right down one of the long, dark hallways. She passed an inconceivable amount of doors and stewards until she came to the end where she found two large oak doors with deep etching in them.

One of them was slightly ajar.

She stepped in slowly and looked around in surprise. It was an enormous sunroom embellished with a large, thick Persian rug, chairs, couches, ottomans, and large amounts of books.

She walked eagerly to the glass and pressed her hands against it and watched the rain slide down. It had eased up a bit, but not by much.

A chair creaked slightly.

Naru turned to see Nephrite sitting in one of the large chairs, his feet up on a footstool. He wore an amused look.

"Oh!" Naru said in surprise. She could feel her awkwardness already setting in. "I… I didn't know you were in here, Nephrite-sama."

Nephrite nodded and took a sip from his glass.

"I'm sorry. I'll leave you be." Naru said quickly, stepping past him, towards the door.

"No. A moment of your time, if you will."

Naru stalled and walked back to him.

He took another sip from his glass.

"Now really Naru, why did you come here? What did you expect?"

"I don't follow…"

Nephrite put down his glass.

"I know you followed me here." He said bluntly.

"I didn't Nephrite-sama. I don't know-"

"Save it." He said quietly.

Nephrite rose from his seat, and adjusted his gray sweater as he did.

He motioned for her to take his seat and moved towards the exit.

"Wait." Naru said suddenly. She put a hand over her mouth in her own surprise.

Nephrite turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"Does the lady wish to say something?"

"Only that…" She paused, searching for something to say. "I wasn't following you."

"Very well then." He said nodding in that smart-assed way that only Nephrite could manage.

He turned to leave.

"One day you'll see."

Nephrite paused mid-pace and slumped is shoulders in annoyance. He didn't bother to turn to her.

"And I shall see what, exactly?"

"That what I feel for you is something I can't get around, and I'm sorry if it inconvenienced you so, but I know that one day you'll understand it."

Nephrite sighed heavy.

"Please Naru, just let this be."

"I will. But you'll still see."

Nephrite stood there for another moment, contemplating a response that would send her on her way for good, but as he opened his mouth to say it, instead he was greeted by his own, strange silence. Instead, he walked away.

Naru frowned sharply, and wiped away the tears she felt welling up in the corners of her eyes.

She left the room in blur, not wanting to think about what had happened, no matter how much courage she had been able to summon to talk to him that one last time.

She followed a dim hallway of repetitive wood paneling, trying to remember the path she came.

She stepped down a corridor to the left.

An argument could be heard. She paused momentarily to listen. She couldn't' tell what they were saying exactly, but she recognized the rumble of Kunzite's voice when he was upset.

She took the right instead.

"Kunzaito-sama, please!" Zoisite said with dark eyes. Kunzite leaned against the wall, his face deeply ingrained with displeasure.

He turned to Zoisite, offering no modesty to the negative emotions that played across his face.

"I'm sorry…" Zoisite said slowly, "I just…"

Kunzite continued his even stare.

"Kunzaito-sama… I just don't like feeling as though I am being whispered about. That's all."

"And are you being whispered about?" He replied; his voice a cool, even rumble.

"No. I don't know. I don't want people to think I got where I am because of you."

"But you did."

"But not like that…"

Kunzite cocked his head slightly. The smugness of his body language was enough to make Zoisite slap him… but he would never dare.

"Doesn't it matter to you? Don't you care?"

"About?"

Zoisite breathed in slowly, swallowing the frustration that crawled up within.

"What people say."

"Nobody dares say things about me." Kunzite said casually, "Nobody should care." He added, looking at Zoisite slowly.

Zoisite looked at his feet for a moment, then back up at Kunzite, evening his stare.

"I'm sorry. I have to go. Let's just leave things alone for a while."

Zoisite braced the moment he finished speaking for the impact of Kunzite's hand, but was never met with such force.

He walked past Kunzite's blank stare, slowly to the door.

Zoisite didn't understand what was happening. Kunzite would never let him speak that way, least of all, without causing a scene in protest with the only purpose of demonstrating his dominance over Zoisite.

Zoisite reached for the door handle, but Kunzite's hand slowly folded around his wrist.

Zoisite looked up in surprise, and Kunzite squeezed harder.

"Kunzaito-sama… please don't…" Zoisite half muttered, looking the other way.

"Look at me." He snarled.

Zoisite's eyes remained locked upon the carved wood in front of him.

Kunzite's grip tightened.

"I said…"

Zoisite still did not submit.

Kunzite held him tighter. His grip was unbelievable.

"Kunzaito-sama… please… you're hurting me… you're going to break my wrist…"

"I said-"

Zoisite looked up at him sharply. His eyes clouded over as they met the gray pair looking down at him.

Without so much as blinking, Kunzite yanked him closer and switched his hold of Zoisite's wrist to a portion of hair behind his right ear.

"Kunzaito-sa… sama…" Zoisite yelped in surprise.

Kunzite bent down and pulled Zoisite up close to his face. Zoisite could feel his master warm breath down his long neck, and his lips brushing the top of his ear lobe.

"How dare you…" Kunzite said. His harsh whisper was like steel against Zoisite's eardrum.

"Please, Kunzaito-sama…"

"I know what goes on around this castle. I know what things are being said. Your worry is not one of them."

"I just…"

"No…" Kunzite said. His whisper was more gentle this time.

"I'm sorry, I just…"

"Shh…" Kunzite cooed again. Even though he held Zoisite tightly by one side of his hair, Kunzite's other free hand went up to stoke the other side.

Zoisite let out a slow, quiet sigh.

Kunzite pushed Zoisite to the back of the door, and pulled his head to the side abruptly, but he still did not let go.

Zoisite could feel Kunzite's lips down along his neck, kissing it gently. Though sometimes he felt his teeth.

He felt Kunzite's free hand slip down and feel it's way towards the doorknob.

Zoisite heard the lock click.

End Part 14.

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