Untitled. Part two

Here's part three - for disclaimers look at part one.

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"You said that you were brainwashed by Calcite - how, and why you?" Kunzite sighed before turning to the blue haired girl.

"He chose us I suppose because of our position in the Earth Kingdom - we had access to areas he needed to take over the planets, and the trust to be able to do and go where we pleased. As for how, the spell he cast over us was powerful - more powerful than I had ever thought Calcite was capable of casting. To be successful the spell had to be accepted by the recipieant, so he fooled as into beleiving it was just a spell for fun - a joke of some sort, and we fell for it" He shook his head in disgust.

"He used us all and abused our friendship" Serena broke the silence that hung in the air after Kunzites last comment.

"How did he ever get close enough to the four of you to use you like that? Was he a member of the Royal gauard or a Duke of some sort?" Jedeite shook his head.

"He was only lower middle class" He stated softly.

"We met by accident" With that, the four Generals thoughts drifted back to a time that Calcites brainwashing had only temperarly erased ..........

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(note: this happens in the Silver Millenium about say 8 months before the invasion on the planets. I was going to do it all in itallics, but I know how annoying that can be..)

Life was good, Nephrite decided as he dropped himself into a chair. He had women falling at his feet, good company and the best wine the galaxy had to offer and all he had to do was get through this meeting and he could enjoy his three favourite things to abundance. As he poured himself a drink the remaining three Gardians entered and as they sat down the meeting was unofficially called to order. All of the Guardians wanted to get the meeting over and done with as quickly as possible as it was much to nice a day to have to spend inside for long.

"Alright" Kunzite started, drawing everyones attention

"Zoicite, have you and Jedeite got security in order for the Prince's visit to the Moon Kingdom?" Zoicite nodded. Kunzite turned to Nephrite

"Neph......" Nephrite interupted

"Yes Kunzite, the envoy is being sent to Mars as we speak" Kunzite smiled - it seemed as though he and Zoicite would have plenty of time for their picnic, Earth seemed to be running itself pretty well at the moment and even Prince Darien was managing to keep out of trouble.

"Any other matters of buisness?" He asked, and was suprised when Zoicite spoke up.

"My scouts have revealed that there's another anti-royalty rally going on - I suggest we send someone to check it out." he stated.

"They are being held fairly often, they've never been violent before, do you suspect this one might?" Jedeite asked, slightly concerned. The rallies were becoming more popular in the country side but were never really any threat and were to small to worry about.

"Not really, but one of the rally leaders, name of Calcite, is getting fairly popular - we just need to make sure he's not saying or planing on doing something to threaten the King or Prince"

"By someone you mean one of us don't you?" Kunzite said, reading his lover well. Nephrite groaned.

"I'm not going - last time I had to go into the country for one of Zoicites  scouting missions it took me hours to get the grass and grit out of my hair" He sniffed as the other three rolled their eyes

"Nephrite - that particular 'country' had a population of over 600 - it was a proper and modern village - not some backward civilisation. That kind of thing doesn't exsist anymore ...." Before Zoicite could continue his lecture Nephrite interupted him

"Yeah, Yeah I know. We have advanced to a stage in society where their are no homeless, no hungry, no poor, the Earth Kingdom provides for all. All I know is that I'm not going."

"But Kunz and I have tickets for the opera!" Zoicite pratically whined. Jedeite sighed as they all turned to him.

"Alright I'll go - who is this Calcite anway?" Zoicite grinned at Kunzite
before turning back to Jedeite, all buisness again.

"Unfortuanatly we don't have much on him" He stated, opening up a folder in front of him.

"He's 24, Upper Middle Class at the very best, probably much lower than that. Education unknown. Family unknown. Magic capability" jedeite cut him off before he could finish

"Let me guess - unknown. Your not giving me much to work with here Zoi" He sighed. Zoicite smiled at him apologetically. As Zoicite handed the near empty folder over to Jedeite Kunzite glanced at each Guardian to check that there was no more buisness left. Apon reaching the decision that there was known he dismissed the meeting.

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Jedeite entered the village, Korin, where the Rally was to be held inconspicuously and dressed in simple clothing. The main township was nothing more than a small square and there seemed to be only a few hundred houses that made up the village in total yet there seemed to be close to a couple of thousand people either in the square itself, sitting on roofs of surrounding buildings or hanging out of windows. The extra people most proberbly came from the surrounding countryside - this Calcite must be even more popular than even Zoicite's Scout had imagined. Jedeite himself was overcome with the atmosphere and colour of the festivities. Sure, as someone so high up in the Earth government system he had been to his fair share of parades and parties, but always more as a observer. Even as a participant he had never been to something so, so ..... disorganised and loud, but somehow he found he enjoyed it. Loud carnival music was being played by a band and brightly coloured flags decorated the square that contained hundreds of dancing people. Shops that brushed the edge of the square where in full selling mode, and the sound of bartering could be heard amoungst the laughing and singing. Jedeite stood by one such stall, one selling some sort of sweet that tickled at Jedeite's senses. Never having been in a siuation remotely like this before he had know idea what to do and was contemplating just how long he could stand there merely observing when a young girl, most proberbly hardly older than 15, came up to him shyly.

"I noticed you hear alone - would you like to dance Sir?" Her long peasant skirts flittered around her ankles as she stared deemurly at her bare feet. Jedeite smiled gently.

"I'd love to" He started, before waving his arm towards to dancers who were swinging around wildly in a fashion that Jedeite had never seen.

"But I'm afraid I have no idea how!" The girl grinned before taking hold of his hand

"Then I will show you, no?" With that she dragged the laughing Guardian in to the group of dancers.

After nearly an hour of dancing Jedeite collapsed into an empty chair, a smile on his face. The way he had been able to fling himself around wildly and with abondanment, not having to worry if he was making a fool of himself or conforming to the 'norms' had left him feeling happier, and freer than he could remember being for a long time. He noticed that many of the dancers were begining to sit down, and a quiet hush came over the crowd as torches that lit the stage at the front and around the edges of the square came into play as dusk began to fall. Jedeite hadn't even realised when it had started to get dark, and for a time he had even forgotten the real reason he was on the mission.  As a murmer washed over the sea of people Jedeite realised that a man had stepped up onto the stage. He guessed that this must be Calcite from the crowds reaction alone, the man was barely visable in the shadows created by the torches and all he could see was a breif outline. As he stepped forward into the light Jedeite couldn't help but let out a small gasp. Calcite was of medium height - taller than Jedeite himself but not quite as tall as Kunzite, with deep brown eyes that seemed to be able to burn right through to one soul. Even from the distance he was at Jedeite could recognise a hint of humour in those seemingly endless orbs, and the combination made him certain that one could get lost in those hypnotic eyes if one stared long enough. His hair, a rich silky brown was bound back from his face by a simple leather band yet it still cascaded 3/4ers of the way down his back and in the light shone in assorted shades of red. He cleared his throat once before stepping up to the microphone at the front of the stage and Jedeite took the opertunity to shake himself back to reality - and his mission.

"People of Korin" He started, his voice commanding attention despite it's deceptive soft velvet tone.

"Your King, the one who has sworn to protect and provide for his people has compromised you and your fellow yeomen for his ideal Kingdom. The Earth King said he will not tolerate poverty, so he hides and drives out those who are poor into areas where he and  his supporters need not deal with them. The Earth King said he would wipe out disease, yet as many of you know this did not happen through miracle vacines and cures as he so proclaimed, but from the rounding up of those who where ill and seperating them from the rest of us, never to be seen again. The Earth King said that no child would ever go hungry, yet it is your children who suffer to endlessly feed and stuff those of the Dukes and Lords, who have never had to work or toil under the hot sun, or know what it is to go without."

"And" Calcite continued, leading up to the ending of the opening speech

"The Earth King said that we all have the freedom of speech, then why tell me, are prominant anti - King speakers going missing? Why are supporters of our movement being beaten and arrested even when they have done nothing wrong? Yes people, we know that the Earth Kingdom and it's policies, so envied by other planets are nothing more than a sham. We know there is a problem, the question now is, what are we going to do about it?"

"Raise up an army!" One man shouted

"Fight for what is ours!" Another yelled. As the crowd started to cheer Jedeite began to panic. Had Zoicite been right to suspect something was going on? Was Calcite really going to try to overthrow the King? Before Jedeite could contemplate anything else Calcite spoke up again.

"No." He stated simply, rendering the crowd silent.

"If we use physical force to fight the King then we are the barberians that he thinks we are. We will not stoop to his level, but rise above it" As the crowds veiw swung in favour of this murmers of how began to rise, and again Calcite answered.

"By holding rallies" He stated

"With peaceful marches and demonstrations. How long can the King ignore us? Even if he tries others will notice and the King will have to react or the Kingdoms reputation will be forever ruined - he will comprimise" With this a cheer even louder than the last one rose from the crowd, and Jedeite rubbed a hand across temple.

*Damn but these people can change there minds fast* He couldn't help but think, neither could he help being impressed by Calcite, even if the man had no idea what he was talking about. At least Calcite was promoting non violence, that was a plus, but he didn't know why Calcite was out to slander the Kings good name. Those kind of things hadn't happened for hundreds of years - Earth was one of the most advanced planets in the system. He decided that at the first chance he had he would find out the motives and reasons of this mysterious man.

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It wasn't until much later that Jedeite was able to approach Calcite - everyone in the village seemed to want to speak with and congratulate him. Finally he found him in a near empty bar on the edge of the village, it appeared that he was also renting a room there. Unsure how to advance he leaned against the door way and studied Calcite who sat in the corner, oblivious to the fact he was being watched. Close up he lost none of the grandure that he had held when he was on stage, even though now he was in a relaxed position. Jedeite shifted slightly, and in doing so caught Calcites attention. With a grin the aurban haired man threw his arms in the air

"Ah - another admirer! I take it you enjoyed the speach?" Jedeite smirked and wondered if this guy was really as arrogant as he seemed.

"It was ....... interesting" he replied, setting himself across from Calcite and accepting the drink offered to him.

"Entirely fictional, but interesting neetherless " With that CAlcite tilted his head to the side.

"Do tell"

"Well" Jedeite began, leaning forward.

"The kingdom is nothing like you stated, not in the last hundred or so years anyway. the King hasn't done a thing you've said - so why do you go arround slandering his work? You don't seem to want a violent uprising  - so what do you want?" In reply he got a short laugh, devoid of any humour. Calcite leaned into Jedeite, his eyes serious.

"Who are you?" He asked, eyes searching. Startled, Jedeite quickly recovered.

"Excuse me?" he simply replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Your certainly not one of the countryfolk - you hold yourself differently - even when you were watching me from the doorway it wasn't with a look of awe or hero woreship - more like I was an equal, maybe even as if I was inferior" Calcite smiled slightly as suprise drifted breifly accross Jedeites face.

"Yes I knew you were there" He turned serious again.

"So not a commoner - but a nobleman wouldn't attend one of my rallies, they have no interest in the people they govern" Jedeite was shocked by the bitterness in his voice.

"So you must be one of Zoicites scouts" he deduced, eyeing Jedeite up and down. In turn Jedeite gave a mock bow.

"Who am to dent such an observation?" He stated.

"I suppose the question is, are you here to observe me, or to kill me?" Jedeite raised both eyebrows at this.

"Contrey to what you may believe the King doesn't have people simply killed off because the simply slander his good name". Calcite shook his head, a wry sort of amusement in his eyes.

"You really beleive that don't you?" he stated, wonder creeping innto his voice.

"And all that crap about poverty and so on ........" He shook his head again at the conformation he found in the other mans eyes.

"You live in a nice dream world  ....." Calcite broke off, realising he didn't the scouts name.

"Jedeite" Jedeite replied simply, secretly pleased at the look of shock that passed over Calcites face.

*About time he was on the receiving end* he thought. He had already received several shocks himself in the past few minutes and he was more than happy to return the favour.

"I suppose you've heard of me then" He added, a small smile gracing his lips. Calcte regained his composure.

"I suppose I'll have to get down on my knees and kiss your feet" Calcite remarked, pouring himself another drink but looked up in suprise when Jedeite snorted.

"Somehow I can't imagine you kneeling down for anyone" Taking a sip of his barely touched drink. Leaning back in his chair Calcite studied the younger man and his relaxed and easy manner.

"Somehow I can't see you as a guy who overally enjoys people doing it to him" Calcite finally concluded.

"It's an ego thing " Jedeite admitted

"Respect for someone doesn't have to be shown by demeaning the other person, and respect should be something thats earned - not associated with someone's position" Jedeite thought darkly of the people he knew who used their positions to get what they wanted regardless of who they stampled on.
Calcite hated to admit it, but he was having doubts about his origional opinions on the Guardian.

"You may have swallowed all that bull about how great your King is, but you're not as gullable as you first appeared" He admitted.

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not" Jedeite replied dryly.

"You never answered my origional question" Jedeite continued, switching the conversation back to the first one.

"First question? Oh - why I'm doing this, right" Calcite took a gulp of his drink.

"If you had been listening you would have already have your answer" At Jedeites inquistive gaze he continued.         

"Contrary to what you believe earth isn't as wonderful as you've been told. Everything I said in my speech? It's true. Your King would do anything to make earth seem like a perfect Kingdom, even at the cost of those who don't have the power or money to do anything about it" At the doubt in Jedeite's face he sighed. Did he really think he could convince the young man?

"Of course why would you ...."

"Show me" Jedeite cut him off, his voice soft. Calcite searched Jedeite's eyes in suprise and found them to be serious.

"You say these things are happening, then show me" Jedeite repeated. His voice was nether demanding  nor accusing, it was merely a request. For what seemed like the upteenth time that evening Calcite shook his head.

*There's more to this boy than I thought* He couldn't help think. Instead of voicing his thoughts he simply asked

"How long?" Jeeite ran through the future palace events in his head. The Kingdom was quiet at the moment and he wasn't needed for the convoy to Mars. Besides, he really was due a holiday .......

"Two weeks?" he questioned. He read the smirk that crossed Calcites face correctly and looked at him coldly.

"I know that you don't seem to beleive that those with any sort of power have to work much or have any sort of responsibilities, but I've had to work the past six months due to the trade confict with Jupiter without even a weekend off and damn it if i don't deserve some sort of break now that everythings quietened down!" Calcite bowed his head in concession, but Jedeite could tell he still had reservations on just how hard the Guardian had to work, which for some reason really annoyed him. All four of the Buardians were dedicated heart and soul to the Kingdom and worked long hours, not just protecting the Prince but also dealing with military, political and economic issues. Noting the hint of coldness that had remained in Jedeites eyes Calcite quickly changed the subject.

"Two weeks it is then - I hope you can ride a horse, a carrage won't get you to some of the places where we'll be going" Jedeite rolled his eyes, but in humour.

"How do you think I got here unrecognised?" He glanced out the window and noticed with a groan that there was only a few hours before dawn.

"If we're going on this trip I'l need some sleep" He commented, stretching as he stood.

"Here at say seven?" he asked, calculating that that would give him about five hours sleep, nothing unusual considering the last six months. If Calcite was suprised at the early time he didn't reveal it, instead just nodding.

"Sleep well" he simply said and was rewarded with a genuine smile that seemed to be devoid of any sort of tension. With a nod the young Guardian was gone, and Calcite was once again alone.
 
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Calcite stretched in his seat, eyes still on the door even though his thoughts were turned inwards. This .... man  - Calcite wasn't sure if that was the right term as Jedeite was only a year older the Prince himself who was only 18 himself, had aroused much interest in Calcite. He differed from the Upper Class people that Calcit had the displeasure of meeting. Even though Jedeite disagreed with Calcite over many things he had still listened and taken him seriously, to the point where he was willing to let Calcite prove his believes true. No blond jokes could be associated with Jedeite, he mused with a smile. He seemed intelligent and well educated, probably what one should expect from a Guardian, then again, compared to some of the people in power ...... He sighed, and remembered Jedeite's parting smile. It had truelly lit up the mostly dark room and had made his pale, arristocratic face even more beautiful, breathtakingly so. CAlcite saw no reason to deny that the guardian was every bit as beautiful as people wher always saying, although he felt that the the discriptions he had heard really didn't do the blond man justice. Those blue eyes were like windows to the young mans soul. In the time that they had talked he had seen them sparkle with humour, darken with seriousness and go cold with anger. It made him wonder if anyone who looked into his eyes could determine if he was ever lying - his eyes seemed too expressive to make him a convincing lier. he filed that information away for future reference, ignoring the small voice that questioned exactly why he had been studying the younger mans eyes. Standing up he again stretched as he headed for his room. Two weeks. That was plenty of time to shatter Jedeites illusions - he hoped the young man was up to it. It would, he couldn't help but also think, give him plenty of time to get to know Jedeite better, something he found himself strangly looking forward to......

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That's it for part three! email at cairnsynz@yahoo.com  -  it would be greatly appriciated. Still no title I know ....... any ideas?