"A mess!?" Artemis nearly shouted and swat Luna's paw out of his face. " I have been looking for you for the past three days! Strange things have been happening and I guess this mess you speak of has something to do with these strange events?"

"That's odd," spoke a familiar voice. Artemis quickly jumped off the bed and hid in a pile of Usagi's stuff animals that were on the floor. He then heard the door open. Artemis could see that person was Usagi's mother. "I thought heard a man's voice in here, but it's only you Luna." She then left the room closing the door behind her. 

Artemis climbed out of the stuff animals and jumped onto the windowsill. He looked back at Luna. "We better talk about this else where. You can sleep later. I want to hear this now." He then jumped out the window hoping Luna would follow him.

Luna mewed at Usagi's mother, and blinked from the bed. She didn't even shift her position when the woman closed the door. 

"But Artie.." Luna whine. "I'm comfy." She looked at him pleadingly. "Window sills and stranger's beds aren't the same as your own." She yawned. She hated that she hadn't told or looked for Artemis in the last few days but it was such a blur, and things had happened so fast, that there never seemed to be time to update her partner on what happened. "Please Artie.." But he was gone. "Damn." She got up slowly, she muscles sore from shifting back and forth so much lately, plus sleeping in her human form did her little good the other night. 

She carefully jumped down from the window, to land next to Artemis. "You're lucky I like you bub, or your face would be ground beef in appearance." She was too tired to try and claw him up now, and she didn't want a fight she wanted to sleep. 

"Lead the way oh annoying one." Luna mumbled as she set off after her lover.

Artemis just rolled his eyes at Luna. She got annoyed too easily. He guided them away from Usagi's house and he led them to a park. Artemis then found a tree for them to talk in. Once up in the tree, Artemis gave Luna a serious look.

"Now, you better tell me everything," he spoke trying to keep a calm voice. " And don't leave anything out! I want to know about these strange events and where you have been." Sadly he ended up snapping at her. He couldn't contain his anger. He was really worried about her and he hated be left out in the dark.

Luna followed Artemis to the park. 'Oh not here.' She thought, this was the last place she wanted to be right now. At his words, Luna knew he was upset, true and she would be too if she was in his shoes, so to speak, but she also knew when to let a sunning cat lie! She opened her mouth to start speaking an only managed a yawn. "Really Artemis, dear you worry too much." She said curing up again in the sun. At least it was a nice day, she could enjoy this.

So lying in the sun she started from the beginning leaving nothing out as per her man-cat's instructions. When she finished, she opened one eye to look at the while Mau next to her. "Happy?" She asked, "Can I go back home and get some real rest?" she pleaded more than asked the last part. She didnt want to put off talking to Artemis but she was so tired. "I will say if you have questions go ask the moody ones. I've told you everything I know." She closed her eye, and started purring softly, the sun felt so good on her back.

Artemis was shocked to found out that the Shitennou were alive. He couldn't believe that the Silver Crystal revived them. His anger soon faded away as Luna continued on with her story. He was happy that she kept their promise to leave the girls alone. However he felt sad that the Shitennou were being dragged into this mess. They deserved happy lives as well. When Luna was talking, Artemis jumped down the tree without saying a word. He felt bad for bothering her now and decided to let her sleep. Artemis ran off to go find one of the boys. She awaken Kunzite and Nephrite?

He left the park and came to a stop. Luna didn't tell him where they lived. Artemis let out a hiss and bit his lip in anger. He could just turn around and ask her, but he didn't want to disturb her again. Plus she probably would claw his eyes out. Artemis kept on walking and came to another stop when heard a whistle. He turned his head and saw a high school. Artemis wonder if one of the Shitennou was a student there. Luna did say that three of them were attending school. He jumped over the school's face and headed over to the soccer field. When he got closer, he saw Jadeite was a goalie. He was standing there yawning and looked rather bored.

'Alright!' Artemis thought to himself. 'I can follow him home.' He then stuck around the school grounds waiting for the day to end.

Kunzite sighed heavily as Nephrite retreated to his room. He knew his brother would react this way - the kid was so stubborn. It was just like him to try and be alone at a time like this. Kunzite couldn't really blame him - after all, he had reacted in the same way. But a part of him didn't want Nephrite to feel alone through all of this. He wanted to be there for his brother, and make him understand that they could get through this together.

But there was no way in hell Kunzite was going to let Nephrite endanger himself like that again. If anything happened to Kunzite in battle, he needed Nephrite to stay and watch over Jadeite and Zoisite. Kunzite would never forgive himself if something bad happened to his brothers. It was his job to protect them and guide them, just as it had always been.

That thought brought back the memory of his prince. Where was Endymion now? Kunzite felt it necessary to find him and make sure he was okay, but of course he could never tell Endymion about the past. It would be too much for him, Kunzite decided. 

His head was pounding as the millions of thoughts and questions coursed through his mind. Exhaustion pulled at Kunzite's tired muscles, but he knew the time for sleep was no where near. He still had to talk to Nephrite and Luna about what had happened, after all.

The door to the apartment opened and shut, and Kunzite guessed his two youngest brothers had left for school. He couldn't help but feel a little bad - they were probably wondering what the hell was going on.

Shrugging the thought away, Kunzite stared up at the ceiling as he listened to the running water from the bathroom move through the pipes. After what seemed like an hour of waiting but was probably only about ten minutes Kunzite got up to knock on his brother's door. He winced, feeling the pain in his back from slamming into the tree, but ignored it as he walked out of his room. 

Loudly, Kunzite knocked on Nephrite's bedroom door. "Nephrite?" he called. "Wanna go for a walk or something?"

Around lunch time Artemis wondered around the school grounds looking for Jadeite. During his search he spotted Zoisite sitting under tree with friends. He started at them for a bit and couldn't help, but smile. It was nice to see the boys enjoying their new lives as well. He carried on and eventually found Jadeite. He was sitting on a bench eating his lunch alone. Artemis slowly approached him and when the boy noticed him he just meowed at him. Artemis then jumped up on the bench. Jadeite ignored him and kept on eating his sandwich. Artemis just sat there staring at him. He wasn't sure why he wanted join Jadeite. 

"Would you go away?" Jadeite finally spoke up and looked at the cat. "I hate it when animals stare at me."

"Mew," Artemis replied.

He sighed. "You're hungry aren't ya?" He just broke off a piece of his sandwich and placed it front of the cat. "It's tuna."

Artemis then felt his stomach growl. He tried not laugh at it. He then took a bite of the sandwich and the two of them enjoyed a quiet lunch together. When the school bell rang, Jadeite got up from the bench. 

"Lunch time is over, cat," he spoke as he looked at Artemis. "It was nice having you around." He then pat him on the head. Before Jadeite could walk away he heard a rustle in the bushes behind the bench. He then slowly walked up to the bushes and a fox like yoma jumped out. It struck Jadeite in the chest causing him to the fall to the ground.

"Jadeite!!!" Artemis cried out and leaped off the bench. He then stood between him and the yoma. 

"Did you just talk!?" Jadeite asked in alarmed voice. He sat up and stared at the cat in awe. 

The mau bit his lip. The yoma was small, but there was no way he could take it on by himself. The only thing to do was to have Jadeite fight it.  But was that the right thing to do? Wasn't it selfish to make the boys fight instead of their girls? Mau just stood there in doubt.

Nephrite took his shower on autopilot, his brain struggling to stay online even after sleeping for most of the night. He was tired, sore, and cold, and his upper back and neck were stiff from sitting outside in the slight cold all night. His own fault really, but what could he do?  He honestly hadn’t meant to stay out all night, the emotional exhaustion catching up to him quickly.
 
His thoughts and packing of some clothes to put his earlier plan into action, he was startled when Kunzite loudly banged on his room door. Dammit, this wouldn’t be good is he was caught packing. He called back that he would be out in a moment to Kunzite’s offer of going for a walk. Quickly storing his bag in his closet, he dressed and exited his room, finding Kunzite in the kitchen making some tea.
 

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not really up for a walk right now. I thought I heard the brats leave, we should be alright talking here,” he offered, gesturing back to the living room.

Holy crap the cat just talk!!

Jadeite's mind was racing. He wasn't sure what to think at this point. Did he fall asleep? Yeah he must have fallen asleep! Cats can't talk and there are no such things as monsters. He quickly pinched his arm and felt pain. Damn it! This is real!


"Please forgive me!!!" the white cat nearly scream and turned to face him. There were pain in the cat's eyes. The crescent bald spot then glowed and a beam of light hit Jadeite's forehead. The beam light unlocked Jadeite's memories of the past. 

Jadeite closed his eyes in pain as each memory rushed through his mind. Meeting his prince, swearing his life to his prince, betraying his prince not once, but twice. He reopened his eyes and saw the cat still standing before him. He then felt a stone in the palm of his right hand. He glanced it and saw it was Jadeite stone. He knew what he had to do. Jadeite quickly stood up and smashed the stone the ground. His clothes transformed into a white uniform with a blue trim and black pants. He also had a cape and a sword. 
The yoma growled at Jadeite and leaped toward him. Jadeite quickly dodged and took out his sword. He rushed toward it and was able to stab it right in its back. The yoma than fell to the ground and disappeared. 

"That was too easy," he spoke up and looked back at the cat.

"It was a small one," Artemis replied. "Looked like it didn't gain enough energy to become an actual threat."

Jadeite just frowned and folded his arms. 

Artemis laughed nervously and said," I have a lot of explaining don't I?"

Jadeite just nodded his head.

Kunzite nodded, making himself comfortable on the couch. He sighed, rubbing his temples. How was he going to tell Nephrite what he wanted without upsetting him? Nephrite was rather...emotionally explosive. 

With a sigh, Kunzite looked into his brother's eyes with seriousness. "How...are you feeling about all of this? And don't lie to me - I want to know your thoughts. Obviously there are a lot of things we remember now, and..." Kunzite paused, mentally cringing at the memory of the Silver Millennium's downfall. "Look, I...I don't want you fighting anymore. It's dangerous out there, and I can't afford to have my brother getting hurt. Also...don't tell Jadeite and Zoisite about any of this. Their lives are already complicated enough. The last thing I wanted was for you to get involved, but I guess there's no going back now."

Taking a seat opposite from Kunzite, the brunette couldn’t help but brace himself, knowing that this talk wasn’t going to be fun. As he listened to what his elder brother had to say, he couldn’t help but feel like his heart was being stabbed over and over again. The man that he had trusted to lead him into battle in the Silver Millennium, and who had trusted him in return to be at his side, to back him up, no longer wanted him to fight.
 
It felt like the ultimate betrayal. Had the acts he had done while under the influence of the Dark Kingdom that unforgiveable that Kunzite felt like he could no longer trust Nephrite to fight by his side?  
 

“Don’t worry brother,” he said standing when he was sure Kunzite was done speaking, “I’ll keep your secret. Now if that’s all you had wished to discuss, I’m going to take a quick nap before my afternoon classes.” With a slight nod, he made his way back to his room, not looking back. Closing the door firmly, he leaned against it wearily. That had hurt much more than expected. Scrubbing his face with his hands, he made his way to his bed. He would take a nap and when he left for his afternoon classes, it would be the last time he would be back here. His talk with Kunzite had just strengthened his resolve. He was no longer wanted nor trusted at home. There was no longer a place for him here. With those thoughts racing through his head, Nephrite fell into an unease sleep.

Kunzite watched in surprise as Nephrite left, without even answering his question. With a groan, Kunzite rubbed his face with his hands. Why did Nephrite have to be such a drama queen? 

Sighing, he got up and went to his room, grabbing his jacket and making sure his transformation stone was still in his pocket. He needed a walk and the fresh air it supplied. He left their apartment feeling disappointed. He had expected that talk to run in a much better fashion than it had. 

As he was walking, Kunzite began to think about the past and the things he had done. Lately, it seemed like he just couldn't get Venus off of his mind. The things he had done, the way he had betrayed her...it was something that he could never run away from. 


He needed to face it, but...how? 


Little did he know, the blonde plaguing his thoughts was walking around the corner just a few steps ahead of him. Completely distracted, Kunzite ran straight into her, knocking her to the ground. Her hands smacked against the concrete in an attempt to catch herself, causing him to cringe. But really, he was focusing more on the pool of blonde hair on her head, other than the fact he had just knocked her down. 


She turned around from her position on the ground, her bright blue eyes glaring at him. "Hey!" she said, an angry tone in her voice. "What where you're going, idiot!"


Kunzite stood there, blankly staring at the goddess in front of him.

It was Venus.

Jadeite sat on the bench listening to Artemis's explanation. Reality was slowly sneaking in. He was realizing that his life wouldn't be the same anymore. He clenched his hands on his pants. Every part of him wanted to run away and pretend none of this happened. However, Jadeite knew that he had to do this. The girls deserved peace and this could be his chance no they're chance to redeem themselves. 

"Did you get all of that?" Artemis asked him. "Again Luna has a better understanding than me at the moment. But, I can do my best to answer any of your questions."

Jadeite just shook his head. "I'm good. My brothers and I have to fight monsters. There's nothing to it until we figure who's behind all of this."

"I'm glad," Artemis replied then let out a heavy sigh. "I'm afraid we should awaken Zoisite. We stand a better chance if all four of you are fighting together."

Jadeite shifted in his seat slightly. Tell Zoisite?

"How about I awaken him after school?" the white cat continued on. "We can do it here seeing how we're out of public eye."

Jadeite just stood up and made his way back to the school building. He didn't say a word. Artemis remained where he was standing. He hoped this wouldn't turn into a fight. Jadeite entered the building and returned to his classroom. Due to being late the teacher made him stand out in the hallway. After school, Jadeite stood in the entry waiting for his youngest brother. Artemis was sitting on the gate waiting with him. Jadeite had his arms crossed and he was wondering if this was the right thing to do. Artemis was right. They would stand a better chance against the enemy with all four them fighting together. But Zoisite was so young. Okay so was he, but still! 

"Jadeite..?" spoke a voice.

The middle brother glanced up and saw Zoisite standing there. He looked shocked to see him. "Hey."

"What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you. What took you so long?"

"I had band practice today."

"Oh, right..." Jadeite turned his back to his brother and looked up at Artemis. What should he do? Should he let him awaken his brother?

"I'll be going now.." Zoisite slowly moved forward wondering if something was wrong with Jadeite. He never waited for him before. He always went straight home after school.

"Zoisite wait!!" Jadeite caught up to him and grabbed him by the collar. Zoisite gave him a look of annoyance. Jadeite bit his lips. He should take him around back. That was the right thing to do. Jadeite could feel Artemis's gaze beating down at his back. But he shouldn't get involved. He was the youngest. "I was waiting to see if you wanted to hang out." 

Zoisite just stared at him. He wanted to hang out? What was with him all of the sudden? They never hung out. He was just there for Jadeite to poke fun at it. "..Maybe some other time? I need to go to the book store to pick up my order."

"Great! I'll come with you!"

"What!?"

"Yeah, it will be fun. Then I'll treat you to dinner."

"But I was just going to rush in grabbed my book and head home. I'm still worried about Nephrite and Kunzite...."

"I told you to forget about them," Jadeite replied grinning his teeth. "Let them solve their problems on their own. Now, come on." Jadeite then dragged them off to the bookstore. His planned was to have them stay away from home for awhile. The cats can't bother them at home if they got back too late. He's going to have to make sure neither of them get near Zoisite.

Artemis was still standing at the top of the gate. He let out a groan under his breath. Jadeite was going to make this difficult. He'll have to get Luna's help. He then jumped off the gate and went to go find her.

Kunzite fell to his knees, his hands on Venus's shoulders. "I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" he asked, feeling the hot tears threatening to appear. Here she was, the woman he had fallen in love with and still loved all these years. The woman he hadn't been able to stop thinking about since getting his memories back. She was alive, she was well, and she was just as perfect as he remembered. 

The girl in front of him widened her eyes in surprise. "Uh...I'm fine..." she said, scrambling to her feet. It was then Kunzite realized how awkward he was making the situation.

He stood, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Sorry about that..." Kunzite said, trying not to make it obvious that he was staring at her, drinking in all of her that he hadn't seen in centuries.

"Um...I should get going, so uh...bye," Venus said, starting to walk past him. Without even thinking, Kunzite reached out and grabbed her wrist. 

"Venus, wait."

The blonde teen froze, turning back to look in Kunzite's eyes. There was a brief flicker of remembrance, but it faded just as quickly as it had appeared. In the blink of an eye, the girl lashed out and slapped Kunzite in the face. He reared back, placing a hand to his burning cheek. 

"Don't touch me, creep!"

And with that, the girl was gone. Feeling like an idiot, Kunzite stood and walked back to his apartment, no longer feeling the need for fresh air. He had seen her again, for the first time in forever, and he completely ruined it. How could he be so dumb? He knew the social norms, so why was it so hard for him to follow them?

Grumbling to himself, Kunzite entered the apartment and flopped onto the couch, glaring at the TV. He wanted to see her again, to hold her, to kiss her. He missed her smile, her laugh, her voice. All of that had been right in front of him just moments ago. So why did it feel so...unreal?

Jadeite and Zoisite entered the book store. It was quite small, but it was filled to the brim with books. Zoisite walked over to a man behind a counter. He told the man about his order and he went to get his book.

"So what book did you order?" Jadeite asked his brother. 

"Guardians of Earth," he replied. "It's a fantasy novel about four knights and their prince."

"I always pictured you reading about art and history."

"Oh, I do, but sometimes I like to read fantasy novels to escape from reality. What kind of books do you like to read?"

"Books? Nah I read manga."

Zoisite snorted at the comment and Jadeite punched him in the arm. He then headed over the graphic novel section. He grabbed a manga off the shelf and skimmed through it wondering if he should give this series a try. The door to the shop opened which made a bell rang. Jadeite glanced over and saw a blue headed girl walking through the door. It took him a second to recognize her. Her name was Mercury...no Ami! Yes she was Ami in this life. He looked back at Zoisite and saw him watching Ami from afar. He smiled a little and walked back over to his brother. 

"You should talk to her," he whispered. His brother jumped which made Jadeite laugh.

"No, I will not!" Zoisite hissed. "No go back to your picture books."

"Oh? And Guardians of Earth is fine literature? Sounds like it could be made into a manga series."

Zoisite glared at his brother. He was about to say something, but the man returned with his book. He then payed for it and the two brothers left the store. They then went out for dinner and returned home only to find Kunzite on the couch staring at the TV. Zoisite was about to approach him, but Jadeite punched his arm.

"Go do your homework."

"Would you stop punching me!!"

"No. Now go."

Zoisite glared at him once again and headed to their room. 

"Kunzite," the middle brother spoke in a low voice. "I know." He hoped that his eldest brother understood him. He didn't want Zoisite to over hear their conversation.

Kunzite was so deep in thought that he hadn't heard his brothers enter the apartment. Hearing his brother's words snapped him out of his haze, and it took Kunzite a few seconds to figure out what Jadeite had said. 

He...knew?

Kunzite could feel the chills running down his spine, and the goosebumps dotting his arms. Inhaling sharply, the silver-haired man stood and looked his younger brother in the eye. He could see the hardness in Jadeite's eyes, the seriousness and the maturity that he had shown so many years ago during the Silver Millennium. It was Jadeite - the one he had fought alongside for almost his entire life. 

"Damn it all..." Kunzite breathed, pulling his brother into a short hug. "I'm sorry, Jadeite."

'

Jadeite stood there motionless as his brother hugged him. He was lost with words. Why was he apologizing? This wasn't his fault! He didn't awaken him! Suddenly it hit Jadeite and he understood his brother's emotions. He pushed him away and folded his arms.

"Kunzite," he spoke in a hush tone. "There is no need to carry the burden of the destruction of the Moon Kingdom." He walked over to the window and gazed at the moon for a second. He then glanced back at his brother. "The four of us share the same blame, but this is our chance to redeem ourselves. We need to stand together and fight this new foe." He paused for a moment. "So please don't push me away like you did with Nephrite." He finally understood their argument or at least he thought he did. He hoped that this would encourage his brother to stop take all of the responsibility. All they had we're each other and Jadeite didn't want to lose them again.

Hearing Jadeite's voice was like a slap to the face. Not because of his words, but because of his tone. It was deep, full of authority, full of  maturity. Jadeite was still the same person he was before being awakened, but deep down, he was also the same person from a thousand years ago. 

Jadeite was right. They were all responsible for the Silver Millennium's destruction, and they needed to redeem themselves. Kunzite couldn't handle it on his own. As much as he wanted to let his brothers resume their normal lives, he knew that wasn't possible anymore. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, they had to do this together. All four of them.

Sighing, Kunzite sat back on the couch and leaned his elbows in his knees. Rubbing his temples, he glanced at Jadeite out of the corner of his eye. "You're right, I'm sorry," he said. "Does...Zoisite know?"

A struck of guilt hit Jadeite, when Kunzite asked him about Zoisite. Here he was talking about how they had to stand together, but he prevented his brother from awakening. He looked ashamed for being so foolish. 

"No," he whisper quietly hoping Kunzite wouldn't hear his answer. "But he could have.." Jadeite looked back at the moon. He then let out a heavy sigh. There was no point in hiding it from Kunzite. He walked over to his eldest brother and sat down next him on the couch. "Artemis awoken me today while at school. I was attacked by a Yoma at lunch. He wanted me to bring Zoisite to him, after school let out. I waited up for him and when he was leaving school, I took him out to dinner instead..Kunzite, I was being foolish and selfish. I was protecting him. He's still just a child after all, well so am I...but I will be 18 next year!" He then looked back toward the window. Jadeite didn't want to see the look on his face.

Lifting his head, Kunzite met Jadeite's eye. "I understand. I would have done the same thing. Hell, I tried it. And now I know I was wrong. But...we need to tell him. He may be young, but his memories last for centuries. I'm sure you feel the changes, too. I have noticed the change in your eyes and your voice. Even if Zoisite is the youngest...he is the most intelligent, and we cannot leave him out. We are brothers. We stick together, alright?"

Standing, Kunzite put a hand on Jadeite's shoulder. "We need Nephrite and one of the cats."

Yes, he felt the changes. Jadeite felt like a new person, but yet felt the same. The memories he had during the Silver Millennium were precious too him. However, that wasn't his life anymore. This was his life now. He was now a 17 year old high school student who liked to bum around and flirt with cute girls. 

"You're right, Kunzite. Our goal now should be to move forward with our lives. Despite the past we are different people now. We're entitled to happiness too." He then turned to face his brother. "Before we awaken Zoisite we need to hunt down Nephrite. I think it would be best not force him to come back here. I think he is seeking independence. He's a man now after all."

Kunzite cringed at the thought of confronting his brother...again. Nephrite was stubborn and wayyy too emotional for Kunzite to handle. But maybe with Jadeite there, it wouldn't be so bad. And he agreed that telling Zoisite about everything should wait until after they find Nephrite. But the thought of Nephrite being a 'man seeking independence' was almost comical. He thought the solution to his problems was to run away from them - so how could he possibly think he could handle himself in the world? 

But Kunzite knew he couldn't put it off any longer. He needed to apologize and set things straight. They had a mission, and stupid brotherly drama couldn't get in the way of that. 

"Alright. Where do you propose we look?"

"Our best bet is school," he replied. "I'm sure he wouldn't stop attending his classes." Jadeite pause trying to remember Nephrite's schedule. He had both day and night classes. It would probably be better to catch him during the day. But both Jadeite and Kunzite were busy in the day. He had school and Kunzite had work. Jadeite didn't care about skipping school. "We should go tomorrow during the day. I can stay home sick tomorrow." He then rose from the couch and gave his brother a look. He didn't want to argue over this. They had to get Nephrite back. Jadeite didn't want to lose any of his brothers again. 

He then made his way to his bedroom. When he open the door, he saw Zoisite doing his homework at his desk. Jadeite felt relieved. He was worried he would try eavesdropping on their conversation. He closed the door behind him and planted himself on his bed.

"What was that all about?" Zoisite asked when he noticed his brother was back in the room. 

"Something personal," Jadeite replied. 

The younger brother frown and looked back his homework. He was hoping they were talking about Nephrite. He closed his text book and turned off his desk lamp. He couldn't focus on his studies anymore so he decided to go take a shower before bed. He rose from his desk and left the room.

Jadeite let out a heavy sigh. "Nephrite, you idiot." He then buried himself in his covers and fell asleep.

Kunzite nodded, thinking Jadeite's logic seemed pretty sound. As he settled onto the couch for the night, the silver-haired man found it hard to sleep. Knowing was out there somewhere made him feel uneasy. What if there was another monster attack? What if Nephrite had to battle all on his own, and he was hurt? After what seemed like hours of worrying, tossing, and turning, Kunzite was finally able to get some sleep. But his dreams weren't any more peaceful. 

Morning came too soon, and Kunzite was dismayed to find that Nephrite still hadn't returned home. He had slept on the couch so that he could intercept Nephrite should he come home, but no sounds interrupted Kunzite's slumber. 

With a sigh, he trudged to the kitchen to make some coffee, not bothering to fix his messy hair. It was going to be another long day.

It wasn't easy to convince Zoisite that he was sick. The boy was too clever for his own good. Once he finally left for school, Jadeite got out of bed. He changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He then left his room and greeted Kunzite in the kitchen. By look of things he didn't get a good night sleep.

After breakfast, the two brothers headed Nephrite's school. They looked everywhere around the campus and couldn't find him. Before giving up they decided to look in the school's library. They finally spotted their brother. Jadeite just marched up to him and grabbed his shoulder.

"Care to join us for a little chat?" he asked in a demanding voice. Jadeite was not in the mood to mess around.

When a hand landed on his shoulder, Nephrite nearly turned and hit the person with his fist, only managing to hold back when he recognized Jadeite's voice. Great, this is not what he needed right now. 

"Not with that attitude," he said, attempting to appear calm. Glancing at the clock, he realized it was almost time for class. Speaking of classes thought, what was Jadeite doing here? Shouldn't he be in school? He needed to remind himself to give Jadeite a lecture about skipping classes, preferably when Kunzite wasn't around. If it had just been Jadeite that had come to talk, he may have stayed but tag teaming with their older brother?

"If you gentlemen will excuse me, I'll be taking my leave now so I'm not late for class." with that, he sidestepped Jadeite and went to make a hasty retreat to the stairwell.

Kunzite followed behind Jadeite, arms crossed over his chest as he watched their exchange. In his opinion, Nephrite was in no position to be talking about 'attitude'. Before Nephrite could step away, Kunzite took a large step towards him and grabbed his arm tightly. His iron grip would let Nephrite know this was serious and they needed to talk.

"Nephrite, don't try to run away this time. We need to talk, now. There is a duty that we swore to fulfill, and it's time we talk about it as brothers." Kunzite was getting tired of chasing Nephrite around like this was some sort of game. His brother needed to man up and realize that he was only making things worse by running away every time.

"I have no problem fulfilling my duty," Nephrite said, making sure to keep his voice low. Dammit, had Jadeite been awoken? Was that why he was here as well? "If and when there are any youma, I will do my duty and take care of them, that was never in any question. However, I will be doing it on my own."

Giving Kunzite an assessing look, he decided it was time to let the others know of his plan. "I also will not be returning to the house. I have decided it is high time that I got a job to pay for my schooling, and my own place. I will of course, continue to help support Jadeite and Zoisite in any way that I can. As you so graciously pointed out, I was a burden before, but I plan to rectify that. Now if you'll excuse me, I really cannot be late for class." 

With one last look at Kunzite, he briefly wondered if the other had any idea how much he'd hurt Nephrite, before neatly sidestepping them and making his way to the elevator.

Kunzite felt anger flare up in his chest at Nephrite's selfish, arrogant, thoughtless words. There were so many things Kunzite wanted to say, but he knew that by saying them, he would only make things worse. If Nephrite didn't want to be a part of their family, then so be it. Kunzite would be able to handle things perfectly fine with Jadeite and Zoisite behind him. He only worried for Nephrite's safety. The idiot wouldn't be able to handle a monster on his own - he would learn that sooner or later. Did he think that by getting a job and paying for his own schooling and working on his own made him a man? Kunzite had to resist the urge to laugh.

And so Kunzite said the one thing he knew would do a better job at reaching Nephrite than anything else:

"Endymion would be disappointed in you."

Nephrite froze to the spot when Kunzite dragged Endymion into their argument. How dare he. It was a low blow, and Nephrite could feel his anger churning. All he wanted was to help his brother, to support him. Having his memories back was painful, knowing what their relationship use to be like. Now, it was a pale mockery of what it had once been. 

Whirling around Nephrite marched back towards his brother. “You are the one who said I was a burden in the first place. You are the one who will not allow a single other person to help or support you. If you say Endymion would be disappointed in me, well he would be disappointed in you as well!” This wasn’t like the brother Nephrite respected and loved. Perhaps regaining their memories hadn’t been a good thing.