Title: The Twisted Sakura [1/?]
Author: Corbeau Noir
Genre: Angst, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Email: noir_corbeau@hotmail.com
Site: www.geocities.com/corbeaun

Summary: Sometimes love just isn't pretty. A Dark Kingdom 
tale of Zoicite and Kunzite.

Notes: Anime and manga were tossed into a big pot and 
stirred; please take with a grain of salt :)

Disclaimer: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon was created by 
Naoko Takeuchi.

===========================================================

                     The Twisted Sakura 
                       By Corbeau Noir


              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
              I know that I shall meet my fate 
              Somewhere among the clouds above; 
              Those that I fight I do not hate, 
              Those that I guard I do not love

                                   ~ W.B. Yeats
              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Part 1 
~~~~~~


      "...opened on March 33, 1958..."

      The young man stands in front of the immense paned 
windows of Tokyo Tower's second observation deck, silent 
and detached from the rest of the sightseeing crowd. He 
stares out into the distance, gloved hands clasped behind 
his back, smooth boyish face cold and indiscernible in the 
falling light. The city, in all its steel and concrete 
glory, spreads wantonly below him against the starless 
night, unfurling beneath his intense gaze without the 
slightest reservation. Tokyo has no shame.

      He loves her for that.

      "...is 333 meters high..." 

      Strangely enough, it is love that makes what he must 
do so much easier. Perhaps he's just odd that way.

      No regrets.

      "...annual number of visitors are around 
3,000,000..."

      The tour guide steers everyone back to the elevator; 
nobody comments on how where the uniformed young man had 
been, there is now only empty space. One of the tourists 
drops his camera; he stoops to pick it up, pausing as he 
notices something pink drifting to the tiled floor. Then 
someone calls out and he hurries after the others, whatever 
he'd seen dismissed easily from his mind.

	Darkness falls on the iron-girded room. On the floor 
before the looming windows, sakura petals lay illuminated 
by city lights, silken skin slowly discoloring where they'd 
been trampled.


* * * * * * *
[two years ago]


      The pony-tailed young man flashed a grin at the 
waving brunette and then, readjusting his book bag over his 
shoulder, turned and headed toward the cluster of cherry 
trees that he knew was in the middle of campus. Stepping 
off from the beaten path and onto the grass, his feet 
slowed as he neared the center of the grove.

      The cherry trees arching over his head were in bud, 
and on campus, a few early ones were already in bloom. He 
reached for the tip of one flowering branch, fingers 
brushing the silken petals that were just beginning to 
unfurl. The wind rose unexpectedly then, and pink-white 
blossoms swirled around him in the sudden whirlwind. His 
eyes closed as a hand gently plucked a stray petal from his 
hair.

      "I thought I'd find you here."

      He smiled, eyes still closed. "Kunzite."

	The hand dropped abruptly from his face. "You're 
wasting your time with these humans."

      Startled, he looked up and found impassive gray eyes 
staring coolly back into his. A sudden ominous chill 
gripped his chest then, and he drew back, stepping slowly 
away from the other man. "Something's happened," he finally 
stated hoarsely, resignedly.

      "Yes." The silver-haired king smiled, cold and 
without humor. "Jadeite has failed and Nephrite is to 
succeed him."

      Turning his back on the coldly smiling king, the 
younger man walked up to a blooming cherry tree and gently 
laid his hands against the dark, coarse bark. For a long 
moment only the sound of birds chirping disturbed the 
silence. "When did this happen?" he asked at last in a 
deceptively even voice.

      Kunzite watched the bowed golden head through 
narrowed eyes. "Last night," he replied just as evenly.

      "Well." With that one word, Kunzite saw how the other 
man visibly pulled himself together, his body shifting 
effortlessly into its natural grace as he pushed away from 
the trunk of the tree. Then Zoicite bared his teeth in a 
fierce grin, "What are we waiting for? Let's go."

      The illusion of jeans and sweatshirt melted away, and 
Kunzite allowed himself one appreciate glance as the 
younger king reappeared in his uniform. Then with a snap of 
his fingers, a black hole whirled into being and swallowed 
both of them whole.

      In the abandoned grove, a forgotten book bag slumped 
under an early blooming cherry tree.



[End "The Twisted Sakura" - Part 1]
===========================================================
Author's Notes:

I always wondered about Zoicite, and the relationship 
dynamics between him and Kunzite. Zoicite's psyche alone is 
a minefield, but add him and Kunzite together and the 
couple becomes a psychiatrist's worst nightmare come true. 
Which is why I love them, hehe... ^^;;

I almost didn't post this even though it was sitting in the 
back burner for *months*. But I finally figured, why not? 
I hope this doesn't send anyone screaming into the hills 
and that it's not *too* awful.

Feedback will be loved, cherished, and hugged within an 
inch of its life. *^-^*

--------------------------
noir_corbeau@hotmail.com 
www.geocities.com/corbeaun
--------------------------
===========================================================
Created 4.4.02
Modified 10.5.02