AN: I'm so excited about this one. Ami and Zoi are my favorites. I haven't really worked out all the details for this story yet, so it will probably go a little slower than the others. But here is a tid bit to start with. Enjoy. (And I don't own Sailor Moon.)

The Snow Queen

Prologue

Ami sipped delicately at her glass of champagne, wrinkling her nose as it tickled her tongue.

The speaker was droning on and on and had yet to introduce the main person she'd come to see:

Yamazaki-san was one of the best inventors in medical technology in the past fifty years, and privately Ami thought he was the most brilliant mind in the past one-hundred years.

He rarely published articles, but she had a copy of every single one he'd written.

She blushed just thinking about how ridiculous her obsession must sound to her friends. She'd spent the better part of her lunch last week with Makoto just dreaming about meeting her idol at the hospital fund raising gala tonight.

"Excuse me," she heard a light, masculine voice beside her and turned to see a very beautiful young man in a tux.

"Yes?" she asked shyly. Men always made her extremely nervous, especially men who were as blatantly attractive as the green eyed blond in front of her.

"I've been wandering around this place for hours, it seems," he said, "but I have no idea where the bar is – and I could really use a glass of that."

He nodded at her champagne.

"Oh," she colored, "actually, th-this is the last one. The bar ran out an hour ago and they've sent someone for more."

He looked a bit peeved, but shrugged and, to her complete surprise, he wrapped his fingers carefully around her own on the stem of the glass and asked:

"Do you mind?"

Ami didn't know what to say, she was so shocked. He took her silence for acquiescence and bringing her flute to his mouth took a quick sip of the champagne.

"Thanks," he smiled, licking his lips, "You've no idea how much that was called for."

Ami stared at him and he glanced back at her, catching her expression. Instantly his face furrowed.

"Did I offend you?" he asked, "I assure you I didn't mean to. It's just that I have to give a short speech in a few minutes and I really needed..."

"Look," he said suddenly, "I'll find you another glass."

He immediately turned and hunted down one of the over worked waiters, asked him for an empty glass and carried it back to where she was standing, still amazed that a strange man had drank her champagne.

"Here," he said and took the glass from her limp fingers. He carefully poured the champagne into the new glass and handed it back to her.

"There," he smiled, brushing his curly hair out of his face, "That's better right?"

Ami thought it wise not to point out that he'd already tainted her champagne, never mind the glass. He seemed genuinely apologetic for startling her.

"It's alright," she nodded, "Thank you."

"Well, thank you," he returned cheerfully, "for giving a nervous man some courage."

A name was called and he spun toward the stage.

"Oops, gotta go," he turned back to her and took her other hand, pressing it warmly, "thanks for the drink, wish me luck," he kissed her hand in a breezy, half-humorous manner and sped toward the stage.

Ami was so dumbstruck all she could do was stare in horror at her hand, until someone jostled her from behind and caused her to spill her champagne down the front of her dress.

"I'm so sorry," the woman whispered apologetically.

"It's alright," Ami murmured distressingly and went to the ladies room to clean herself up.

By the time she came back the crowd was clapping so enthusiastically she couldn't hear the name of the next speaker.

"Who finished speaking?" she asked the woman who'd bumped her.

"Yamazaki-san," the woman replied, still clapping, "he's simply amazing. What a presence!"

I missed him?! Ami thought dejectedly.

"Is your dress alright?" the woman asked, seeing her face fall.

"Yeah, it's fine." Ami mumbled, and turned to walk to the bar.

She plopped down in the farthest chair in the corner with a glass of fruit flavored vodka and tried to make herself a small as possible.

Her thoughts fled from her disappointment in not seeing Yamazaki-san to the added rain cloud of the day...

"Do you mind?"

She heard a familiar voice ask.

She glanced up as the blond man from before gazed down at her, a friendly smile on his face.

"Uh-" she started and blushed.

"Thanks," he said, drawing up a chair next to her so that he could face her with his back to the rest of the room.

"I hate to keep bothering you like this," he added in a low voice, "but I thought this looked like the best place to sit to get away from them."

Ami wondered who 'them' was and glanced over his shoulder. About six women had entered the room at that moment, of varying heights and descriptions, giggling and talking, and looking around as though they were trying to find someone.

"Are they with you?" Ami asked, curiously.

"They wish," he muttered, but she didn't quite catch this.

In a louder voice he answered, "Not really, you know how it is."

Ami didn't have any idea, but she nodded politely.

"So," he said, flicking his hair over his shoulder, "did you like my speech?"

"Oh," she blushed faintly, "I'm sorry, I think I missed it."

He must have gone just before Yamazaki-san.

"Oh, well, you didn't miss much," he grimaced, "same old stuff they always ask me to talk about here."

"My name is Zoisite, by the way," he added, extending his hand in a Western fashion, "Zoi for short."

"I'm Ami," she murmured, shaking his hand gingerly.

He noticed her dainty grip and smiled to himself.

"So what brings you to this gala extrodinare?"

"Oh," Ami swallowed, "I work at the hospital."

"Really? What department?"

"Diagnostics," she replied.

He whistled.

"Heavy stuff," he joked, "so you're like the Sherlock Holmes of the hospital, right?"

She surprised herself by laughing a bit at this.

"I like puzzles," she agreed, then put her hands to her mouth in mortification.

"I-I don't mean I think of patients as puzzles!" she stumbled.

He chuckled at her stricken expression.

"I'm sure you care deeply about all your patients, Ami-san." he replied.

"Yes," she smiled shyly.

He had such easy manners that drawing her out of her shell was not terribly difficult – and the alcohol didn't hurt either.

"What do you do?" she asked.

He shrugged.

"I just tinker around mostly, I'm a technician."

"You've never seen me before, have you?" he asked suddenly, "I mean, you didn't hear my speech."

"No," Ami assured him, "Why?"

He broke into a real grin.

"I just wondered," he answered lightly, "you look a little familiar, that's all."

"Oh," she nodded.

"Do you want another one of those?" he asked, eying her empty glass.

To her amazement she realized she'd finished off the screwdriver.

"Well," she paused, she was about to exceed her two drink rule.

"Let me buy you something."

He grinned, "it all goes to charity anyway, right?"

"Well, that's true," Ami smiled.

Five drinks later (on both sides) they were laughing and giggling together like school girls at their well hidden table.

It seemed that Zoisite held his liquor about as well as Ami did, which is to say, not well at all.

He was telling her a story about a prank he'd played in high school – dressing up like a girl to infiltrate the girl's dormitory, and she was listening to him with tears in her eyes.

"No, wait, wait," he panted, grinning crazily, "this is the best part, so I fell out of the closet at that exact moment -"

"Oh, no!" Ami clapped her hands over her mouth, giggling.

"And landed on the dog-"

Ami lost it.

"And the cream, balloons and everything, it went everywhere. I got in so much trouble!"

"I swear it's all true!" he shouted, slumping back wards into his seat.

They were both laughing so hard they couldn't breathe.

"Ah," Zoisite sighed, wiping the tears from his eyes, "wow. Oh, look, Ami, we're the last one's here."

They both looked around at the abandoned bar area.

"Maybe we should go," she suggested softly.

"Yeah," he nodded, and rose to stretch. Ami tried not to notice how nicely he looked doing it, but her self control wasn't what it usually was.

"Let's go," he sang, and offered her his hand, which she took willingly and they walked out arm in arm, grabbing their coats on the way.

He snagged a cab for them and rode with her to her apartment, even opening the door for her to help her out. He walked with her to her door, his arm casually around her back to steady them both.

"Well," he grinned down at her, "this was fun, we must do it again at the next fund raiser."

Ami giggled and nodded.

He took her by both shoulders and planted a quick kiss on each cheek, leaving her already flushed cheeks redder.

"Goodnight, fair Ami-san," he declared, "please sleep well and dream of strange diseases."

"Thank you," she tried not to laugh, and managed to bow.

He returned her bow smoothly, despite his inebriated state, and waved at her as she went through the door. Then he turned and she watched him as he made his careful, slightly weaving way back to the cab.

He's nice. She thought hazily as she fell into bed, still wearing her stained dress. She closed her eyes and sighed, already nearly asleep.

It's too bad I couldn't have met him earlier...