The Shitennou Awakened

By Bashfulglowfly

Chapter One: Kunzite

There weren't very many places to hide in the one room apartment but the boy managed to squeeze into the cupboard that held the futons. He shut the door as far as he could but there was still a crack where he could see what was going on.

It wasn't the first time that his mother brought a man home. And it wasn't the first time that she would argue with one. But this man was different. He wasn't having sex with his mother. And he sort of looked like her.

"FINE!" His mother screamed. "FINE! TAKE HIM IF YOU WANT! HE'S HOLDING ME BACK FROM THE LIFE I DESERVE ANYWAYS!"

The man clenched his fists but took a deep breath and didn't hit the boy's mother. "Where are his belongings?"

"WHO CARES?! JUST TAKE HIM AND GO!"

The man walked over to the cupboard and knelt by the door. He didn't try to open it but spoke in a calm, even manner. "Kazuya-kun, I'm your uncle, Kenji. I'm here to take you home with me. Would you like that?"

"GET THAT BRAT OUT OF HERE!"

For the first time, the man, Kenji, raised his voice in anger. "Shut up, Shizuka! We will leave when we are damned good and ready!" He turned back to the cupboard. "I can't promise you that everything will be perfect. But my wife and I will try our best. We've just moved into a new house and you would have your own room, a real bed and a lock on the door. Would you like to come with me?"

"Would I being going to the school that I'm going to now?" Kazuya spoke for the first time.

"No. We live in Sendai, not in Tokyo."

Kazuya pushed open the cupboard, crawled out and stood up. Kenji was surprised by how tall the boy already was even though he was only ten years old. Being in the cupboard had disheveled his white hair, but the boy looked almost painfully clean.

"BOTH OF YOU GET OUT OF HERE!"

Kazuya ignored his mother and went to the cupboard that held his belongings. Kenji glared at Shizuka. "He's ten and all of his belongings can fit into two plastic grocery bags. Gods, you're worthless!"

Shizuka threw a plate at Kenji who ducked. The plastic plate rattled harmlessly off the wall and onto the floor. Her hate-filled eyes glared at Kazuya. "I should have drowned you a long time ago."

Kenji raised his arm to strike his sister but he was blocked by his nephew's hand on his arm. Kenji settled for glaring at her and opened the door to the apartment and motioned for Kazuya to exit.

At the door, Kazuya stopped, turned and bowed to his mother. "Mother, may you get the life you deserve."

Kenji chuckled as he shut the door. "Kazuya-kun, you know how to give a good curse! But don't do it too often, bad karma, you know."

"I know, Uncle." Kazuya hesitated a moment. "Uncle, my school books…what should I do with them?"

Kenji thought for a moment. "Is there someone around here that goes to the same school as you? Perhaps you can give them the books to return."

"I know someone, his father owns the bar down the street." Kazuya led the way. Kenji wouldn't let him go inside but he watched as his uncle took the books and gave them to Abe-kun's father. The two men spoke for a minute, Abe-san nodding thoughtfully. Kenji bowed good-bye and left the bar.

"I didn't bring my car so we will take the train to Sendai. If we are lucky and the trains are on time, we should arrive home in time for dinner." Kenji grinned down at Kazuya who laughed. On their walk to the train, he called his wife, Ikuko and told her that they were heading for the train.

On the trip to Sendai, Kenji spoke about Ikuko, the baby they were expecting, his job as an editor for one of the national newspapers. Kazuya learned that Kenji had started out as a photographer for the paper as a teenager and had worked his way up.

They arrived in Sendai and Kenji ushered Kazuya to his car. Before Kenji turned on the ignition, he looked at Kazuya. "Just to warn you, Ikuko is going to be upset over the fact that you have so few clothes and other belongings. So, she will more than likely drag you to various stores and buy you things. Let her, please. She likes doing that sort of thing in the first place but with her being pregnant, it's gotten a bit worse."

"I understand. It will be necessary. I don't have much." Kazuya looked down at his worn sneakers.

"Kazuya. Don't be ashamed. You've done well. I went to your school before I went to your mother's apartment and got your records." He smiled. "I should have gotten you first so that you could return your schoolbooks and get your records at the same time." He paused. "You know that your mother didn't mean most of what she said. She's… very ill."

Kazuya looked back at his uncle. His gray eyes were steady. "Uncle, my mother is a junkie and will do anything to get her fix."

Kenji winced at Kazuya's words but didn't refute them. "Kazuya, she didn't do anything more than hit you did she? She didn't let any of the men she…slept with hurt you?"

Kazuya shook his head. "No, whenever she had someone over, I usually slept at a neighbors or outside. No one EVER touched me like that."

Kenji took a deep shuddering breath and rested his head on the steering wheel for a moment. "Good, I'm glad you were never hurt in that way. I'd have to go back and kill my sister if she had allowed that to happen." Kenji patted Kazuya on the shoulder then pulled out his cell phone and called his wife and let her know that they were on their way.

As the car pulled into the driveway, Kazuya saw the front door open and the silhouette of a woman standing in it. Kenji motioned for him to get out of the car. Kazuya retrieved his belongings and stood awkwardly until Kenji joined him. The man and the boy walked up to the front door. Kazuya cautiously eyed the woman standing there. She was pretty with her long dark blue hair and sparkling eyes. She was also very pregnant. She smiled at him and held out her hand. "Hello Kazuya. I'm your Aunt Ikuko. Welcome home!"

Without even thinking, Kazuya put his hand in hers and she led him into the house. Ikuko swiftly showed him the first floor then took him upstairs. She opened a door. "This is your room. There isn't much here at the moment, but whatever you would like to have, we'll get it for you!"

Kazuya walked into the room. There was a bed on one wall. There was a nightstand with a lamp next to it. On another wall, under a window was a desk with another lamp on it and a chair. Against another wall was a bookcase and a dresser. Kazuya was overwhelmed. He had never had anything like this before. He turned to Ikuko and saw that Kenji was standing in the doorway. He bowed to his aunt and uncle. "Thank you. I…" His voice choked. Tears filled his eyes as he looked up at his family.

Ikuko gather him into her arms and hugged him tightly. "You don't have to thank us. Ever!" She placed her hands on his cheeks forcing him to look at her. "You are family. This is what you do for family." She pulled him back into her arms. Kazuya jolted. A pregnant woman never held him before and he felt something thump against him several times. Ikuko laughed. "The baby likes you! She's hasn't kicked like THAT before." She smiled and placed Kazuya's hand back on her belly. He smiled at the rapid thumps against his hand. "She likes you." Ikuko repeated softly.

"It's a girl?" asked Kazuya. "How did you find out?"

"We took a special test called an ultrasound." Said Kenji. "We couldn't wait to find out." Kenji placed his hand over Kazuya's and they both smiled as the baby kicked. "There won't be much time before you become a big brother, just two months, so you better get ready!"

"What are you going to name her?"

"Usagi." Ikuko laughed. "'Rabbit of the Moon'! And you are 'Peaceful One of the Moon'!" She touched Kazuya lightly on the nose. "Are you going to make my life peaceful, Kazuya-kun?"

Kazuya smiled at his aunt. "I will try."

Kenji grinned. "Good man, don't make too many promises! I think our girls will keep us too busy!"

In the distance, a bell rang. Ikuko turned and started walking out of the room. "Put your things away, Kazuya-kun. Then wash your hands and come down to dinner." Kenji winked at him and followed behind her.

Kazuya ate dinner for the first time with his new family. For the first time he could remember he was allowed to eat his fill of whatever he wanted. Ikuko watched him closely, making sure that he wouldn't get ill from eating too much. After his head nodded sleepily for the third time, Ikuko gently suggested that he get a bath and go on to bed. Quietly the boy complied and as he trudged up the stairs, he heard Ikuko tell Kenji "it will be over my dead body before that woman gets her hands on him again!"

After his bath, Kazuya crawled into bed and was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow.

He woke to find himself in a different place. A place with no horizon: there was whiteness as far as he could see. He began to walk. As he walked, he wondered if he was dead and that Uncle Kenji and Aunt Ikuko were merely a dream.

"Kazuya."

The voice came from behind him. Kazuya turned and standing there was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had a long silvery gown and silver hair that was bound in two buns on her head with the rest trailing down in two tails to her feet. She smiled gently. "Hello, Kazuya."

Kazuya bowed politely. "Hello, ma'am." He tilted his head to the side. "Are you an angel?"

The woman laughed, the sound was like bells. "No, my dear child. I am not an angel. My name is Serenity and I was once the Queen of the Moon Kingdom."

"What's the Moon Kingdom?"

The smile left the woman's face. She stepped closer until she was standing in front of Kazuya then knelt down until their eyes were level. She took a deep breath. "I need to ask you to do something for me, Kazuya. This will mean, in a way, a lifetime of servitude. But the people who you will serve will always love you and you will always love them. And you will have the greatest love of your life. They will never be harsh masters but loving ones. But, there will be times that they might ask you to do terrible things. But, I must do something that will change your life forever before that can occur."

Kazuya considered her words. "Is what you need to do to me bad? Will it hurt?"

Queen Serenity bit her lip. "I need to give you memories of your past life. It will, in a way, make you a man in a child's body."

Gray eyes stared into silver ones. Kazuya considered for a moment then nodded. "Okay. I agree."

She smiled, tears glittering in her eyes. "I'm so sorry to do this to you Kazuya." She leaned forward and kissed him on his forehead just above his eyes.

The world exploded and Kazuya cried out from the Pain and the Glory of it all.

Kunzite opened his eyes and looked at Queen Serenity. He bowed deeply. "Your Majesty."

A tear rolled down her cheek. "Hello Lord Kunzite."

He sighed and looked at his hands. They were soft and small. It was going to take time get into shape. He looked back up at Queen Serenity. His eyes questioning.

"Serenity will be reborn soon." She said simply.

Realization bloomed across his face. "Usagi."

"Yes." Queen Serenity smiled. "I think you will love the parents that I chose for her. They will love both of you quite well." She grew serious. "But there is a reason why I have awakened you Kunzite. Normally, you would have come into your powers when you turn 14 but I could not wait for that to happen."

A chill drove down Kunzite's spine.

"The evil that you fought against is going to return and you must be ready. Serenity must be ready. This time she must assume the mantle of Sailor Moon. I failed her when I let her be 'normal' back in the Silver Millennium. But you must not fail her."

"Will Usagi be similar to Serenity?" he asked.

"Perhaps, only time will tell." Queen Serenity frowned. "Kunzite, I'm not asking you to be a harsh taskmaster to her. Allow her to be as gentle as she wants. The loving heart that she had before is what she will need now. But she must also be strong and prepared to fight against the evil that is coming."

Kunzite nodded. "I will do my best. Make a warrior but still keep her a lady." He hesitated for a moment. "Endymion, and the others. Have they been reborn?"

Queen Serenity smiled. "Endymion and the other Shitennou have all been reborn. In fact, you will be meeting one of them soon. And no, I won't tell you who. You'll have to figure it out for yourself."

He nodded in acknowledgement. "And the Senshi? Have they been reborn as well?"

"Mars has already been reborn. But she's not much older than Serenity. The rest of others will be born before the end of the year."

Kunzite's eyed widened. "Wait, that means Venus will be ten years younger than I am."

Queen Serenity was puzzled. "Yes…"

Kunzite groaned "She's going to drive me insane before she's of legal age!"

Queen Serenity smiled dryly. "I'll give you a spell for a chastity belt."

Kunzite grinned back. "For me or for her?" The two laughed together. "Your Majesty, I will do my best to raise Serenity to be the best person, princess and warrior that I can make her."

"Thank you, Kunzite." Queen Serenity caressed his cheek. "Sleep well Kazuya."

Two months later, Kazuya knocked carefully on the hospital room door. Uncle Kenji opened it. He looked tired but very happy. "Come in, Kazuya-kun, and meet your sister."

Kazuya smiled. He liked the idea of being a big brother. Uncle Kenji and Aunt Ikuko made it clear that he was their son, not their nephew. He looked at Aunt Ikuko; she too looked weary but happy. In her arms was a tiny bundle. Kenji motioned to a chair near the bed. Kazuya settled down in the chair. Kenji gently took the bundle from Ikuko and turned to Kazuya. "Hold out your arms, son."

Kazuya complied and Kenji carefully handed him the baby, not letting go until he was sure that Kazuya had a good hold on her. Kazuya looked down at the tiny being in his arms. Her head was covered in a golden fluff and her lips rosebud pink. Her tiny fingers clasped one of his but didn't even surround it. Her eyes opened and the cerulean orbs gazed at him.

"Hello, Princess." Said Kunzite.

Author's Note: According to WikiTravel, Japanese trains leave and depart on time WITHOUT FAIL, which is why Kazuya laughed. Kenji was making a joke.