Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha Comics, and Toei Animation.

In one sudden and fluid movement, Nephrite dove forward, seizing the cat by her scruff. She screamed and spat, flailing her legs and tail with the frenetic energy of a trapped insect.

"I knew she was no good," muttered Zoisite in that low, dark tone. "Popping up wherever she pleases in this house, and now-" his chatter turned into a question, "-where is Jadeite?"

Luna's copper eyes widened, her feline features seeming to melt away. If it is possible for an animal to carry such a human expression, the one conveyed by Luna - dangling as she was from Nephrite's grip - was one of almost abject innocence.

Her mouth opened, revealing pearly needle-teeth and a bright pink tongue. However, what came out was hardly a kitten's mewl.

"Nothing! Nothing! I have done nothing!" she squealed, her voice as high and tiny as a child's. "Your companion has taken a fall!"

Nephrite nearly dropped her. "My God!" he cried, more from the shock of a talking cat than Jadeite's apparent fate.

"A fall, she says." Kunzite's soft voice was almost as startling. Instantly, unfazed by the evident miracle of nature held in Nephrite's hands, he and Zoisite were gone from the kitchen. Their footsteps, brisk and loud, could be heard marching their way to the foyer. Nephrite paused for a moment, then decided to follow, keeping Luna in a two-handed grip.

He moved quickly through the stuffy corridors, faintly aware of Luna trying to bite him. She wasn't talking anymore, the only noises coming from her being a perturbed, catty gurgling.

The light from the windows was stronger now, the outside sun fully risen and effulgent. Shafts of it fell bright yellow into the foyer, catching in their way a cloud of golden dust particles. Undoubtedly, they had been stirred up by something.

His eyes met Kunzite and Zoisite, standing at the foot of the stairwell. Nephrite gazed up at that magnificent spiral, noticing only then the gap in the carved banisters. Immediately, his eyes dropped again to the floor, his gaze resting upon the space before Zoisite's feet.

Jadeite lay on his back, perfectly spread-eagle, unmoving. His eyes were closed, their lids and sockets purple and faintly glossy. There was no blood to be seen within or without; his lips had paled to match his face. His yellow hair seemed almost white against the dark hardwood, blending into his skin at some soft, indeterminable border. Nearby, two broken banisters lay, mercifully missing him in their fall.

"He's very cold," Zoisite said curtly, kneeling beside Jadeite, "but I can feel his heartbeat."

It was during this moment of singular distraction that Luna managed to squirm out of Nephrite's hands, giving a slight "prt" as she landed on the floor. On tiny pink pads, she skittered away, towards the two front doors, now closed and dark.

"Where are you going, cat?" said Zoisite suddenly, an adequate amount of derision put into the last word.

"Away," replied Luna, her tone almost as rude.

"Hardly." Fueled by his recently-consumed loaf of bread, Zoisite half-stooped, half-lunged to Luna's side. Before she could scurry away, he'd deftly seized her by the tail.

"Let me go!" she yowled. "I told you, I have done nothing! If you demons can't keep your balance--"

"What's that you say?" Zoisite badgered, shaking Luna as he talked. "That Jadeite simply fell?"

"I don't know! I don't know! He chased my up the stairs, and all I saw when I looked back was him going over the side!" Her voice trailed off into a soft mewing sound, more appropriate for a cat. Mixed in with the noise, Zoisite thought he heard words being uttered. Something along the line of "Artemitsu, Artemitsu."

He looked at Jadeite upon the floor, handing the cat absently back to Nephrite.

"You keep hold of her this time," he said, a little more gently than he'd intended. He raised his right hand, touching his fingers to his hairline.

"I suggest we take Jadeite off the floor," Kunzite said suddenly. "There must be a bed in this house somewhere." He stooped, attempting to pick up Jadeite in a careful manner, the injuries hard to discern. Finally, he succeeded, hauling the blond king's form up with him.

"Nephrite," Kunzite said, "run up to the second floor. I think I passed by a bedchamber or two up there. See if they're furnished."

Nephrite, still holding the cat, nodded. His lingering hunger had left him with no energy for objection. First things first, after all. He climbed the stairs, his boots loud and reckless on the wood.

Kunzite started to follow, his pace slower and more deliberate.

"Do you honestly think Jadeite just fell over the railing?" Zoisite asked, joining Kunzite.

"I hardly think that cat had anything to do with it, if that's what you're implying."

"I don't know," Zoisite murmured. His eyes went to Jadeite, resting limp in Kunzite's arms. Again, Zoisite's hand went to his forehead, as a faint wave of illness passed through his body. "This place...."

"He hasn't eaten yet," Kunzite put forth. "Perhaps he fainted."

"You haven't eaten yet, and you didn't faint."

"I'm in much better shape."

Nephrite greeted them at the top of the stairs, squinting as the light form the windows struck him in the eyes. He held his hand above his brow. "There are five bedrooms up here; two are larger than the others. He doesn't need a big bed, though."

The others followed him into an adjacent room, it's smooth door half-open. It creaked as it was pushed back, the floorboards echoing it.

The room had a window, on the pleasantly shaded side of the house; the light filtering in was a comfortable grey. It was a smaller room, plain and serviceable, almost unfurnished save the blue-quilted bed standing at the far wall.

Silently, slowly, as though entering the house of an enemy, the kings stepped into the room. Their boots clacked on the wood, quieting only when they crossed the woven throw-rug.

Kunzite reached the bed first, bending forward and depositing Jadeite upon the quilt. The latter had not moved an inch, his breathing so shallow it could hardly be noticed.

"I'm uncertain of what will happen if he does not wake up soon," Kunzite said. "Without magic to heal, that may be a long time. And he needs to eat."

"I say we stay nearby," said Nephrite. "There are so few of us already, we'd best pay close attention to Jadeite. Here," he turned to Zoisite, "take the cat for a moment. I'm going down to get some more food. Even if Jadeite doesn't wake to eat, that doesn't mean the rest of us should starve."

Zoisite mutely took Luna into his hands, ignoring the irritable struggling she made. He watched Nephrite retreat towards the door, only then speaking out.

"Wait, Nephrite."

"What?"

Zoisite's grip had inadvertently tightened on the cat, and she growled. Zoisite opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. He didn't truly care about Nephrite's well-being; it shouldn't be there, this worry. But look what had happened to Jadeite, alone in the house, and his own misadventure in the hallway....

"Nothing. Don't take too long is all." He dropped his eyes to Luna, and attempted to scratch her ears. She snaked her head and nipped at his fingers.

Nephrite snorted, tossed his auburn hair back over his shoulder, and marched out of the room.

Gentle silence followed, as Jadeite for the moment became no more than an addition to the furniture. Kunzite stepped up behind Zoisite, looking over the younger man's shoulder. Though Zoisite was pleasantly aware of Kunzite's hand resting on his lower back, he was rather irked by Kunzite's gaze, which was fixated upon the black cat.

"Well, Luna," the silver king said suddenly. "Care to tell us why we're here?"

"Pardon?" the cat squeaked. She blinked her eyes at Kunzite's towering form.

"You know, why we're all in this house. You of all... cats... should know."

"Well, I don't."

"Serenity's crystal ended the battle for all of us," Kunzite said. "One moment, we all stand together on the Moon - you were there too, I know - and the next moment, we all awaken in a forest."

Luna stared at him, her eyes dark and unreflecting- very unlike those of a cat.

"It looks like Earth, doesn't it?" Kunzite said, turning his face to the window. "But it's not. And I think you know that as much as I."

No reply.

"But I don't think you're supposed to be here," he said, looking down at Luna. "Serenity made a little mistake. Wasn't there another one of you? Artemis, was that his name? Poor choice of names, actually; Artemis was a woman."

"What are you going on about?" Luna said, trying her best to sound menacing. Kunzite, however, was thoroughly outdoing her.

"I understand if you don't want to tell us what exactly Serenity has done." Kunzite dropped her a grin. "You'll probably want to eat, take a nap, give yourself a tongue bath... do all your little kitty things."

Luna murmled indignantly.

"But I know you know where we are now, Luna. And you, who are just as eager to leave as we, shall tell us soon enough."

The clatter of lone boot steps signaled Nephrite's return. He squeaked the door wide open, his arms enfolding a mass of various foodstuffs- mainly bread and dried fruit. He dumped it all on the small wooden table beside the bed.

"This comprises most of the pantry," he said. "Pity there's nothing to drink."

"There's water," Zoisite interjected.

"That's not what I meant."

Zoisite leered at Nephrite for a moment, then grabbed a handful of fruit.

"Aie, don't eat so much!" Nephrite protested. "Who knows how long the food here will last us!"

"Nephrite," Kunzite sighed. "Since the idea of an abandoned house having a full, fresh food storage is unlikely enough, I hardly think it will run out. I believe this place was designed to welcome... guests."

"What a welcome," Zoisite muttered. He looked down at Jadeite, still recumbent on the bed. The very wrinkles in his clothing were just as Kunzite had left them. Zoisite felt the dull headache stir behind his eyes once more.

In silence, the three Dark kings - and the cat - ate the food on the table. It was there they stood for quite some time, their attention divided between the shifting of the sunbeam along the floor, and the inert Jadeite, still yet to awaken from his fall.

Nightfall had come suddenly; winter, it seemed, had not quite left this place. The kings had remained inside all day, alternately checking in on the still unconscious Jadeite, and poking about the house. A main parlor, several other sitting rooms, a dining room, four other bedrooms, and two baths had been discovered, all decorated with austere furniture and dust. The pantry had yet to empty.

Zoisite padded over to the bedchamber window, staring out at the trees' black silhouettes. He had a sheet draped over his shoulders; his uniform discarded once he'd figured out how to draw a bath. His headache was gone, for now, and all he could feel was the lingering warmth of the bath water. The house, by all logic, should have been deathly cold, even during the day. Yet it was forever warm, just as the food was forever present. He didn't like this place.

Nephrite had conceded to taking the room next to Jadeite's, assuming with surprising unsurprisedness that Kunzite and Zoisite would be sharing one of the larger bedrooms. This was the one they had chosen, particularly for its many tall windows, arranged along the two outer walls.

It was very dark within; firewood was to be tomorrow's task. Everything was illuminated by the windows' blue light, the moon and the stars less visible than the night of Zoisite's awakening. He found his way back to the bed slowly, his dark-adapted eyesight less fit than it had been back in the Kingdom.

Kunzite was already in bed, his silver eyes catching, compounding, and reflecting the window's glow. Perhaps, if there was one thing Zoisite disliked about other king, it was his eyes. True, they were very beautiful to look at, narrow and flashing. But all Zoisite could ever see in them was his own reflection.

"Kunzite-sama?" he asked, finding his place in the crook of Kunzite's arm.

"Hm?"

"Do you really think Luna knows what we're doing here? Or were you simply goading her?"

"Both," replied Kunzite, winding Zoisite's damp hair about his fingers. "I will maintain that Serenity did not intend to kill us during that battle. I'm merely hoping Luna will condescend to tell us why."

"Why? Why do you think that about Serenity?" Zoisite sat up and perched on his knees, blocking the light from the window. Even then, Kunzite's eyes would not stop glittering.

"I don't think Serenity could kill anyone." Kunzite took a handful of Zoisite's hair and pulled him back down. "That's not what she was." He kissed Zoisite once, by the ear. Zoisite sighed, grumbling into Kunzite's shoulder.

"What was that?" the silver king growled, loosing a broad smile as he spoke. He pushed Zoisite onto his back, rising above him.

"Kunzite-sama, please," Zoisite said, bracing a pale, cautionary hand against Kunzite's chest.

"Yes?"

"These sheets are so white."

"And so?"

"I might bleed."

"What? You never do."

"No, no, I mean from here." Zoisite pushed aside his bangs and indicated to his brow. "It happens whenever I get... worked up."

Kunzite raised his eyebrows, his expression softening. He sank down again, wrapping his arms around Zoisite's smaller form. "You won't bleed," he whispered into Zoisite's ear. "You won't bleed."

It must be nighttime, Jadeite thought, as his clearing vision revealed the darkened room. Why did his back hurt so much? He was on a bed, alone of course, probably in one of the smaller rooms. He hadn't remembered going to bed... or eating, for that matter, as his stomach soon reminded him. He was even still wearing his boots. He felt almost angry with himself, for not being able to recall the evening go by.

He lay back, deciding it would be best to just sleep until dawn. His back ached furiously, as though he'd been lying in the same position forever. Yet, he possessed no volition to move.

The silence of the room had encroached upon him. He became aware that he was at that point, the point at which the earnestness of listening transforms silence into noise. Tiny noises, the normal sounds of an old house settling. At least, this was what Jadeite told himself. In all honesty, the sentient mind would not read the little squeaks on the floorboard as normal at all. They seemed so close, so precise.

Yet, even as Jadeite tried to meditate on this, he could feel his exhausted mind slipping back into sleep. He sighed and relaxed, dismissing his nagging fears, and stared blearily across the room.

As his eyes closed and he fell away, it did not occur to him at all that the shadows moving along the far wall were not those of the undulating trees outside.