Karaoke of Love

Disclaimer: I don't own Pretty Guardian Sailormoon. Also, all lyrics used where found at the website The Manga of Takeuchi Naoko.

Author's warning: This fic is based off of the live action Sailormoon! It does contain spoilers from the series.

Author's Note: Much thanks and love to Zimarah, who proof read and helped with editing! Thankies!!!

Sixth months had passed since she was last in Japan. Her life had changed greatly in those sixth months, causing her to be a little hesitant of her return. Would her friends still treat her like she was the same girl that they had known for four years? Or would they all be changed like she was? For once, she did not know the answers to the question that had been thrown her way. The girl who was credited as a genius was at a loss and while it only served to increase her worries, it also made her feel relieved. She wasn't the perfect genius that she had been at fourteen. Rather, she was blossoming into a young adult, filled with desires and ambitions, struggling to find out the answers that only time could reveal. Clenching and unclenching her fists several times, she gave a quick nod and strode forward, leaving the airport behind her. She would just see her friends later that evening at the party and receive her answers then. Until then, all she could do was smile and revel in the feeling of being back home. America was nice but nothing could beat the joy she felt at being in Japan.

"Tadaima(1)!" she called as she opened the door to the apartment she had once shared with her mother. She remembered returning home many days to an empty apartment and that day was no exception. Her mother was a doctor and usually worked late nights. It was something she had grown accustomed to. Of course, that did not mean she and her mother were distant from each other. On the contrary, she knew her mother still kept their old whiteboard. After slipping off her shoes and into a pair of blue slippers, she padded over to the whiteboard. As usual, there was a message scrawled in neat kanji on one side: Ami, I'm sorry I couldn't be home for your arrival. I promise we will be able to be together tomorrow. I am very proud of you! Love, Mama.

She smiled at the little message and took the marker, writing in equally neat kanji on the opposite side of the board. She knew she would most likely be fast asleep when her mother got home, hence the message. It was something she had been doing since she was a small child. After being away from home for so long, it was nice to return to at least one thing that had been left unchanged by time. Finishing her note the same way her mother had, the young woman placed the cap back on the marker and set it on the ledge of the whiteboard. She had to get ready for the party or else she would be late. 'Usagi-chan would never forgive me if I were late,' she thought with a tiny smile. She recalled all the occasions where Usagi had been late and couldn't help but laugh aloud a little. Hopefully married life had changed Usagi for the better. It would be too much if Usagi were still constantly late to every gathering. With another little laugh, she headed of to her old bedroom.

Once she opened the door, she saw that it, too, had been left just the way she had left it before she had left. She gave a smile and walked over to her bed and sat down on it. The last time she had slept in her bed had been the time she returned home for Mamoru and Usagi's wedding, six months prior. She remembered feeling immensely proud of Usagi that day. Her friend had done so much growing up since they had all met. All of them had. Their time together as Sailor Senshi had given her some of her most cherished memories. It was because they had awakened as Senshi that she was back in Japan that day. Another of her close friends was getting married in a few days. Nothing short of death could have kept her away from her home for the occasion. It wasn't every day a person got married and they had all gathered for Usagi's wedding, so it made sense that they would gather again for Makoto's wedding and eventually for Rei, Minako, and herself. 'If I ever find someone as good for me as Mamoru and Motoki,' she thought a little sadly. At nineteen, she was already a successful doctor and barely had time for a social life. There was a lot of pressure on her because she was the youngest doctor in pretty much the world and a genius on top of it all.

She sighed and shook her head, clearing it of all the thoughts of work and romance. She didn't have time to get absorbed in her thoughts; she still needed to pick out an outfit to wear to the party. Usagi had said that it was just a casual get together at the Crown like they had done in the past, only it would be celebrating the upcoming wedding of Makoto and Motoki. Pushing herself up off the bed, she made her way to her closet and slid open the door. After browsing through her older clothes for several moments, she finally settled on a light blue turtle neck tank top and a slightly darker mini skirt. It was classy and casual at the same time, which was typically how she dressed. As for her hair, she decided that she would leave it down. Once satisfied with her choice, she took the garments out of her closet and proceeded to change for the party.

"...Atsui kimochi wa... C'est la vie... Watashi ga watashi de iru kagiri... C'est la vie...! (2)"

She could hear the bubbly voice of Usagi singing even as she approached the door to their usual karaoke room later that evening. It had been a long time since they had all been together there. A painful memory resurfaced of the last time they had met there. They had all been sitting around their table with Rei reading the goodbye letter Minako had left them before she had passed on. That day had consisted mainly of tears, none of them knowing that the Ginzuishou would return her life to her.

"Ami-chan! What are you doing standing out by the door?" The young woman turned around quickly, smiling at the person behind her.

"Motoki-kun, konban wa(3)," she greeted her friend's fiancé in her usual quiet manner.

"Ah, you're just in time! We have another special visitor tonight!" Motoki continued on, opening the door to the karaoke room and ushering Ami inside quickly. The dark haired young woman blinked at Motoki in surprise but allowed herself to be sent into the room and down the steps. Another special guest? She hadn't the slightest idea who or what Motoki was talking about. As far as she knew, everyone but she had been in town earlier that week.

"Motoki-kun, what do you mean another spe -"

"AMI-CHAN!!!" Ami was cut off in the middle of her question by Usagi's excited cry. The music ended abruptly as everyone turned to see Ami and Motoki coming down the stairs together. There was a rush as Usagi hopped off the stage and dashed to the stairs, Makoto, Rei, and Minako following at a much slower pace. "Ami-chan! Welcome home!!" the odango haired young woman exclaimed as she threw her arms around Ami, giving her a tight and loving embrace. Ami laughed and returned the hug as the other three uttered similar sentiments and tried to get Usagi to release Ami. Motoki watched on, stuck on the stairs by the group of five.

"I'm so glad you could return, Ami-chan," Makoto said when she was finally able to give Ami a hug.

"It feels nice to be home again," Ami responded and returned the embrace, ending it quickly if only to allow Motoki to get by and join his fiancée. The girls all moved to allow Ami to enter the room and take her usual blue coloured chair. She noticed that three extra chairs had been set around the table: a black one, a second green one, and a second red one. She knew that the black one was definitely for Mamoru because it was close to Usagi's pink chair and the green was definitely Motoki's because it looked like a turtle shell had been painted on it. However, the second red one was a mystery to her.

"Ne, ne, Ami-chan! Come and sing with me for old time's sake!" Usagi exclaimed the moment Ami had sat.

"Usagi, calm down and let her rest. She's probably tired from her flight," Mamoru spoke up, looking over and giving Ami a slight nod. Ami smiled and returned the nod to her friend's husband. She had known him just as long as she had known everyone else in the room but she still felt slightly distant from him. She assumed it had something to do with the fact that they had viewed him as an enemy for the longest time.

"Arigatou, Mamoru-kun, demo(4)... I really missed getting to sing with everyone," she said quietly, looking down to cover up her faint blush.

"Wai!! Ami-chan wants to sing with us! Minna, let's all sing together!" Usagi cheered, rushing around the room, hoping to get the others to agree.

"Usagi, calm down. We can all sing later. We still have all night ahead of us!" Makoto laughed as she and Motoki sat down in their chairs together. Usagi gave a pout but stopped rushing around the room and plopped herself down into her chair.

"Hai(5)," she said, defeated.

"Don't pout, Usagi-chan. If we sing later, I can give everyone a sneak peek at my latest single," Minako said reassuringly, knowing she could remove the pout from Usagi's face. And, of course, it worked. Usagi sat straight up and leaned over towards Minako, her eyes wide.

"Honto ni?(6)" she asked, the excitement returning to her voice. Watching Usagi caused Ami to laugh out loud once more. She had definitely missed her friends a great deal even though it didn't seem as though they had changed much. It also occurred to her that maybe she hadn't changed as much as she thought she had. Upon running into Motoki and being reunited with her friends, she felt like she had slipped back to being fourteen once more.

"Ah! Before I forget again! There's someone here who wants to see you again, Ami-chan!" Motoki spoke up, once again bringing up the mysterious other guest. Ami tilted her head to the side and gave Motoki a curious look.

"Honto? Who is it, Motoki-kun?" she asked, her eyes glancing briefly at the empty red chair.

"That would ruin the surprise!" Makoto spoke up, smiling mischievously. She was in on the whole scenario, as were the other former Senshi and Mamoru. After Motoki had explained the story to Makoto, she could not help but tell her friends. They all shared the sentiment that Ami should be reunited with the mystery man that had fallen in love with her.

At the mention of a "surprise", Ami looked around at her friends. She couldn't get anything just by examining Minako or Rei; they both had perfected the art of masquerading their thoughts. Mamoru had an amused look on his face, as though he knew more than everyone else did about this special person. Makoto was giving her a reassuring smile that told her not to worry. And lastly, Usagi and Motoki both wore huge grins and excited expressions. This was something good that they felt they were doing for friends and, them being them, they were excited to see the happy ending their hoped for.

Ami felt rather trapped by the situation; she was still a little awkward around people despite working with them daily. It was different when it was doctor-patient interaction. It was her job as well as her dream come true. However, interacting on an equal level was still something she needed to work on. Granted, spending time with Usagi and the others had gotten her to open up just a little bit more with her peers back in junior high, which had helped her during high school a great deal. "Hai... I would like to meet this person," she said, slowly.

"Yay! I knew you would, Ami-chan!" Usagi exclaimed, excitedly.

"Just go to the next room over," added Motoki, sounding equally as excited as Usagi. Their enthusiasm was contagious and Ami couldn't help but laugh as she stood up and left the karaoke room. Once she was gone, Motoki turned to his friends and grinned. "Nephikichi will be ecstatic to see Ami-chan again!"

"Uh... Motoki-kun... did you even tell him you were doing this?" Makoto asked suddenly. Motoki just gave a hearty laugh and wrapped an arm around her. Makoto hook her head; his reaction spoke volumes to her.

Ami slowly opened the door to the next karaoke room. She did not know what to expect when she entered. There was no one from the past that was coming to mind. Even though she had been a Senshi, nothing extremely big had happened to her in her normal life. She couldn't even recall a specific person she had taken any interest in, either. Part of her wondered if the others were playing a prank on her. The part of her that thought that suddenly became sad and worried. What if they were trying to pull off some prank on her? And what had she done that was so terrible she deserved such a thing? The irrational Ami was winning the war against her rational side. It would only be a matter of time until she gave way completely to her irrational side. And when she did, she would feel like the world's biggest fool for being so trusting.

"No. Have faith in Usagi-chan," she scolded herself aloud. She could not let herself believe that Usagi would be so cruel towards her. It was not in Usagi's character to purposely be cruel to people. The girl was too kind for such things. Slowly, Ami walked over to the small stage that was set up almost identical to the one in the usual room. She couldn't sense anyone else in the room with her but she figured that the person would arrive soon. Of course, passing the time with a little karaoke never hurt anyone. 'Plus, I need some practice if I'm going to sing with Usagi-chan later,' she thought as she carefully picked up the microphone. She turned on the karaoke machine and was just about to start practicing C'est La Vie when she heard the sound of footsteps in the room. They were not coming from the door; rather, they were coming from all around her. Her guard went up as she set down the microphone. She had no idea what was happening but she doubted it would be good. She prayed that she would be able to fight off whatever had decided to appear without her Senshi powers.

"Sailor Mercury," came a gruff, male voice from behind her. Ami turned around quickly, her arms up in case she needed to shield herself. However, there was nothing behind her save for the karaoke machine.

"Nani...?(7)" she murmured, confused by the situation.

"Foolish girl," the same voice spoke again. Turning once more, Ami was confronted by a black portal. She backed away and took a fighting stance as she waited. Out from the portal stepped a man clad in red. It was a man she recognized immediately, a former Dark Kingdom Shitennou.

"Nephrite," she half growled. She had thought that the Shitennou were loyal to Mamoru, their master. Now she was being confronted by one of them and if her memory served her right, he had a very violent temper.

"I see you do recognize me, Sailor Mercury. Iie, Mizuno Ami," Nephrite said as he stepped closer to her. Ami kept a close eye on him, even after he stopped a few feet in front of her.

"I thought you were loyal to Mamoru," she asked suspiciously.

"Yes, I am loyal to the Master. He is the reason I am here," was Nephrite's response.

"If you're trying to hurt the Princess, I will stop you!" the black haired woman warned. Senshi powers or not, she was still destined to protect Usagi. Ami would not let her friend down.

Nephrite, on the other hand, was amused by the young woman's antics and comments. It was plain that she still did not trust him - or the other Shitennou for that matter. He wondered how she would take the other surprise he had in store for her. An amused smile made its way to his face. When the Master had told him of Motoki's wish to see him again for the wedding, Nephrite had been hesitant. However, when it was mentioned that the Sailor Senshi would be present, Nephrite had insisted on being present as well. He still was indebted to Sailor Mercury for her acts of kindness towards him. The cape and the horrible cookies she had given him still laid at the front of his thoughts. If he did not repay her, his honour would be ruined as a Shitennou. "I came for you, not Princess Serenity," he told her and took another step towards her.

"What would you want with me?" she demanded, not moving back as he advanced closer. She would not back down or show fear to her opponent. If she did, then he would definitely have the upper hand.

"Twice you showed me kindness, even if not intentionally. I am merely here to repay my debt," he told her in his gruff way.

"Eh?" Ami's arms dropped as she cocked her head to stare quizzically at Nephrite. With a smirk, the red-clad Shitennou changed into his human form - the form he had had while he was a live-in part-time employee at the Crown. Ami's jaw dropped as she watched the transformation. "Nephikichi...?" she asked quietly, shocked by the revelation.

Nephrite's smirk vanished. "Do not use his mocking name for me!" he almost roared but remembered himself at the last moment. "I am still Nephrite of the Shitennou!" he boasted in hopes that he would save his dignity. The nickname Motoki had given him reminded Nephrite of the turtle that the Crown employee had kept as a pet. He would not allow himself to be likened to a mere turtle!

"You want to repay me for those cookies?" she asked him, taking a step closer to the Shitennou.

"And the cape you gave me while you were Kunzite's puppet," he said, callously reminding her of the time she had been part of the Dark Kingdom. His eyes went wide as he saw her flinch at the memory. It was obvious she regretted that part of her life and with good reason. She had caused her friends a great deal of pain.

"I don't remember much from that time... but the cookies were a present. You don't have to repay someone for a present, Nephrite," she told him softly.

"No! My honour is at stake!" he countered quickly, his voice rising. Ami just gave a nod and a small smile.

"Hai..."

"I will accompany you to that man's wedding to your companion," Nephrite said without even bothering to ask Ami. The young woman just blinked. His tone implied that there was no room for argument. He had made up his mind and that was all there was to it. The two of them looked at each other in awkward silence for a few moments.

"All right... demo..." Ami started, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Master warned me that you would be hesitant but I am determined to do this! When I attempted before, I was stopped by the sudden defeat of Queen Beryl! I will not fail this time, do you understand?" he told her, his tone harsh and confident. Ami just gave a curt nod and pushed by him. If that was all he wanted to say to her, there was no point in delaying her return to her friends any longer than she already had. "Sailor Mercury!" Nephrite called, reverting back to his real form.

Ami stopped and turned around to look at him. He looked so different with his red hair and red uniform. She had been wondering why she had not noticed four years ago that they were one in the same, but now she saw it. He was not nearly as handsome as a normal young man as he was in his Shitennou apparel. 'Did I just think of him as... handsome?' she thought, suddenly turning red. Was it possible she was attracted to him? True, she had been intrigued by him two years ago when he was working for Motoki but she had not given him a second thought after Queen Beryl had been defeated. He had just disappeared and none of them had known why or where.

"Yes?" she forced out, reminding herself he had just called her name.

"Thank you," the red-haired Shitennou said before leaving the karaoke room. Ami stood there, rather dumbfounded by his sudden word of thanks. Until that point he had been gruff and demanding with her. His gratitude had caught her off guard. Blinking away her shock, she regained her usual composure and headed out of the room as well.

"Nephikichi! You should get up there and sing karaoke too!" Ami heard Motoki exclaim as she re-entered the room the party was in. A song was just ending as Ami made her way down the stairs. It looked as though Usagi had coaxed Mamoru to sing with her and won because the two of them were getting off the little stage.

"Why do you still insist on calling me that?!" Nephrite snapped, pulling away from Motoki.

"Because it suits you!" Motoki exclaimed, grinning at his former co-worker. Ami just gave a shake of her head as she touched the ground and walked over to her friends. It had always amused her to see Motoki and Nephrite together, especially now that she knew his secret. No matter how angry the Shitennou ever got with Motoki, he never lashed out at the man. Instead, he seemed as though he started growing fonder of the man who had helped him out.

"That is not my name!" Nephrite exploded again. "And I will not degrade myself by doing something as foolish as karaoke!" However, he let out a soft growl as the comment left his lips, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. His master had just finished singing karaoke with the princess. "I mean… that's not what…"

"If Nephikichi doesn't want to sing, I will," Ami spoke up, making her presence known to the group. The fiery Shitennou looked over at the young woman, his expression a mix of confusion and annoyance. She had saved him again, making him even more indebted to her.

"Ah! Ami-chan, thank you! Maybe if you go up and sing Nephikichi will loosen up!" laughed Motoki, a little nervous after Nephrite's comments. Ami gave a quick nod and headed over to the stage while Nephrite skulked over to the seat that was saved for him, moving it closer to Mamoru. His master turned and gave him a reassuring little smile before turning his attention to Ami, who had just selected her song.

The upbeat music to Aino Minako's song Romance blared out at them and Usagi grabbed Mamoru's hand, grinning at her friend. This was the song that Minako had been singing the day the young couple had gone to see her perform. It almost seemed as though it were their song and the fact that one of her best friends would be singing it made Usagi incredibly happy. "Go Ami-chan!" she cheered from her seat.

Ami grinned and waved back at Usagi before lifting the microphone to her lips. Shyly, she started to sing the song, "I love you baby, baby… Raito keshite… Baby, baby kiss wo shite… baby, baby romance kizuite… Hora kakuretenaide, hora hajimaru wa…(8)"

As she let herself get into the song, she started to mimic Minako's dance moves as well. Her actions got her a round of applauds from her famous friend, which caused Ami to burst into a fit of giggles part way through the song. The other girls, even Rei, swayed back and forth while listening and lip syncing along with their genius friend. However, what none of them noticed were the slight movements coming from Nephrite as he watched, transfixed by Ami's performance. He had known there was something special about the young woman since he had first encountered her in the Dark Kingdom. Her voice was well suited for music and just hearing her sing the song sent a shiver down his spine. Was he experiencing the emotion he had been so long without? Was he starting to fall in love with one of his former enemies? 'No… this feeling has been dwelling here since I was stripped of my powers,' he thought, knowing that more than just honour had pushed him to look for a gift for her. It was more than just his honour that had pushed him to talk to his master about attending Motoki's wedding. It was the beginnings of love.

The song ended almost too soon for the Shitennou. The clapping and cheers from Ami's friends pulled him back to reality and he returned to sitting sulkily in his seat. He would not be caught by staring in awe at the woman. No, he was not ready to show that he cared even a tiny bit for her. After all, he did not even know if his feelings would be returned, regardless of his accepting his demand to attend the wedding together.

"Now it's your turn, Nephikichi!" Motoki exclaimed, peeking over the disguised Shitennou's shoulder. Nephrite just about jumped from his chair in shock. Turning, he glared daggers at Motoki.

"How dare you make me look like a fool!" he yelled, clenching his fists in fury. He did not know why he let Motoki pester him without making him pay for the things he did. He knew he was not going soft. There was just something about the man.

"Nephikichi-kun, did I scare you? You jumped so high!" laughed Motoki as he pat the other man on the soldier.

"Why you!" Nephrite exclaimed, reaching out to grab Motoki by the wrist. However, he was stopped in mid reach by the soft laughter coming from behind him. Freezing briefly, he turned to see Ami there, her hand over her mouth to muffle her giggles. The Shitennou's cheeks flushed crimson for a few moments and he looked back at Motoki. "Do not make me look foolish like that again damn it!"

"Then go sing, have fun, laugh!" Motoki countered, his face turning serious. "I have never seen you smile, Nephikichi. You just look grumpy." Nephrite snarled and went to strike at Motoki but stopped when he saw all eyes upon him. The looks from his master and from Ami caused him to drop his hand to his side and look away.

Suddenly he turned around and looked at Ami. Holding his hand out to her, he looked up and said, "Give me that stupid microphone!" Ami looked slightly taken aback but she nodded and passed the wireless device over to him. Casting a determined glare at Motoki, the Shitennou walked over to the stage and made his selection.

"Go Nephikichi!" cheered Motoki, clapping for the other man. He seemed to be the only one in the room who even bothered to get Nephrite to interact. Not even Mamoru was doing anything and he was responsible for Nephrite that night. The married man had thought it best to just let Nephrite brood by himself, at least he would keep out of trouble.

However, Motoki would not have his former co-worker isolated. He honestly cared for Nephrite, despite only knowing him for a short time. He had looked out for Nephrite and tried hard to help him fit in more with people. He would not give up so easily. It just was not in Motoki's nature. After all, persisting had gotten him so far in life. He had great friends; he had managed to get Makoto to start dating him; and now they were going to be married in a matter of days. It was now his turn to help out one of his friends. He had seen the way Nephrite had watched Ami as the days passed on. And his ambition to get her a present… Motoki had been completely awe struck by that. He had tried to help once before by lending Nephrite some money but then the man had just up and disappeared for four years. 'Good luck, Nephikichi! You can win Ami-chan over!' Motoki thought as he settled into a chair next to Makoto. He leaned over and placed his hand over hers just as Nephrite started his song.

"Shareta koto ienai keredo… Sotto soba ni ite ageru… Diary moji azayaka ni… Kimi to ashita egakou…(9.1)" he belted, his voice matching the background music perfectly. Caught off guard by the impact of his voice, the girls looked at each other. They had never expected the gruff young man to be a rather decent singer. True, he was not super star quality but his voice was deep and rather emotional. His eyes remained closed, as though he were nervous, for a few more bars of the song.

When his eyes did flutter open, he was looking right at Ami, as though he were singing just for her. "… I do love you ore no inochi… Pretty baby, dakishimete ageyou…(9.2)"

Her breath caught in her throat and she felt her heart beat quicken. His gaze was so intense she felt like she was being smothered by him. Almost immediately she felt panicked. What did she know about being in love? She had never really considered it as an option. She had always been so busy with her school work. It was something safe that she could depend on. The feelings that Nephrite's song was stirring inside of her scared her because they were new and foreign. She had to get out. She had to get away. Before the song was even finished, she was standing up and dashing for the door. It was all too much too soon. He was forcefully proclaiming his feelings for her while she did not yet know how she felt towards him.

As soon as Ami made her dash up the stairs, Nephrite stopped singing. His fist clenched visibly around the microphone. He was also visibly upset by her action. With a low growl, he set the electronic device down and stormed off after the young doctor. He would not allow her to get away so easily, especially without an explanation.

"Should we intervene…?" Usagi asked quietly once Nephrite was out of ear shot. She looked like she was ready to chase after them, with or without agreement from her friends.

"Iie(10)." The others turned to face Rei. Her tone was firm and a little bossy but she did not look like she could be budged from her decision.

"Demo… Rei-chan!" Usagi exclaimed helplessly, pleadingly. Ami's distress was breaking Usagi's heart; all she wanted to do was comfort her friend.

"Rei… is right. Usagi-chan, we need to let Ami figure this out for herself. We cannot interfere with her choices," spoke up Minako, seconding Rei's decision. Usagi's face crumpled again and she turned to look at Makoto for support on the situation.

Makoto gave a slight nod at Usagi but did not move. "I understand how you feel, Usagi. However, Rei and Minako are right. We have to let Ami deal with this." Sighing in defeat, Usagi nodded and gave a half pout. The others just laughed, knowing they all felt the same as Usagi. Collectively, they all hoped that things would turn out for the best for their friend.

Ami stood outside the karaoke centre, her arms wrapped tightly around her torso. She was trying to calm herself down. She was still scared by Nephrite. She had never been so nerve wracked in her life, not even when she was still fighting as a Sailor Senshi. Fighting youma was easier than falling in love. At least the youma could be killed if it hurt her; a person could just walk away while she was left to suffer. It was a scary thought to Ami.

On the other hand, she was jealous of Usagi and Makoto. They both had found their soul mates and were both very happy in love. Deep down she wanted to experience the same happiness as them. She wasn't like Minako or Rei. While she could live happily by herself, she was not as fiercely independent as either of them. 'Though, I bet they feel a tiny bit envious of Usagi and Minako sometimes, too,' the young doctor thought, looking down at the plain cement. How could they not? They were human, too.

"Sailor Mer… Ami… I want to know why you ran off like that!" Ami froze and tensed up at the sound of Nephrite's ever demanding voice. The last thing she had expected was for him to follow her out. She had assumed it would be Usagi to come after her.

Without turning, Ami responded, "What is it, Nephrite?"

"I want to know why you ran out!" Nephrite demanded, stepping closer to the Senshi. He hadn't the slightest clue that he had scared her off by being so forceful. In his mind, the former Senshi was toying with him. Nephrite did not like to be toyed with.

"You are why I ran out, Nephrite," Ami answered calmly. Still, she refused to turn around and look at him. Normally calm and collect, his constant demands were wearing her thin. She was not fond of the constant demands that the man was giving her.

"Me?!" Nephrite exclaimed suddenly, Ami's words finally hitting him full force. He had been nothing but courteous to the young woman and it had come back to slap him in the face. What had he done to her since he had showed up at the karaoke centre? 'Absolutely nothing!' He, too, felt his patience wearing thin. Ami was being absolutely impossible as far as he was concerned and that ticked him off. He wanted nothing more than to release his growing frustrations. However, lashing out physical at Ami would not result well for him. If anything, he would definitely live to regret the day he provoked the woman. He had seen what she was capable of while she was in the Dark Kingdom.

"Damn… you are frustrating for a stupid human," Nephrite muttered to himself before turning away from Ami. He knew if he dealt with her any longer, he'd end up doing something he'd regret. His temper was too volatile to hold a half normal conversation with Ami.

Ami, on the other hand, was now furious with him. Whirling around, and stood with her hands on her hips and an angered expression on her face. It was a rare and foreign expression for her; she never flew off the handle so quickly with anyone. "If I am just a stupid human, why were you sending the message that you had feelings for me?" There. She had said it. She had spoken her mind about the situation, finally pushed to her limit. Nephrite stopped in his tracks and turned quickly, ready to tell Ami she had been imagining it until he saw the expression on her face. Not only did she look angry but she looked as though she were about to cry. A crying woman was not something Nephrite had any experience with. He knew he would panic and do something completely stupid if he had to start at that moment.

"Wait! Don't cry!" he stammered, starting to panic already.

Ami's cheeks reddened and her frown deepened. "I am not going to cry!" she snapped, her eyes starting to fill with tears. Nephrite's eyes went wide and he paled slightly. She was going to start crying and then he would definitely have to answer to the Master. He had been warned against upsetting any of the former Senshi. With his luck, Kunzite would stick his nose into the whole affair. Nephrite growled at the thought, knowing that Kunzite could be considered his only real competition for Ami.

"I… I… I do feel something!" he stammered out, hoping to keep Ami from crying.

"What…?"

Nephrite looked away rather sheepishly. He did not know if he should be ashamed or proud of admitting his feelings for the young woman. His Master certainly thought that love was something to be proud of but he was still on the uncertain side, having been under Beryl's influence for so long. "Ami… I think I have been experiencing the emotion you know as love since…" he started, trailing off momentarily. He knew that her time in the Dark Kingdom was a touchy subject but he ascertained that he had been feeling that way since then. "It started out as the desire to repay your kindness and changed from that," he said, deciding to be obscure about which time he was referring to.

With a quick nod, Ami looked down at her feet, her cheeks still flushed. "I… I have thought about you… I mean, Nephikichi-you… a few times since you disappeared. I was… worried," she admitted quietly. At nineteen, she still found it hard to express romantic feelings towards the opposite sex. While she had become much more confident in other aspects of her life, this was one area she had left alone for many years.

"You worried about me?" Nephrite asked, speaking in a much quieter tone than before. He had not expected that his sudden absence from the karaoke centre had had that affect on anyone aside from Motoki.

"Hai," Ami answered, looking up briefly. She gave a small smile at the surprised look on the Shitennou's face. "Nephrite?" The young man looked her in the eye, still a little shocked by her comment. "I think I might feel the same way… demo… I am not good at this. Love and relationships… that is more Usagi's type of thing." Admitting that it was embarrassing for her but she sensed that Nephrite understood perfectly. She knew he could not possibly have much more experience then she did.

"It… would not kill either of us if we made an attempt," he mused aloud, looking a bit perplexed by his own decision. Ami could not help but laugh. Nephrite blinked and stared at her, letting out yet another growl. He did not like to be laughed at for any reason. "But do not think that this makes me weak or anything less than I am!" he added, hoping to keep his pride from taking on too much damage.

"Wakarimasu(11)," Ami said through her laughter. Nephrite watched her for a few seconds before joining in with a nervous laugh. Some how, he knew he would not have to worry about looking weak or appearing like less of a man to her. And in return, Ami knew she did not have to worry about becoming embarrassed about every little thing she thought she was doing wrong.

"The wedding will definitely be a learning experience for both of us," she pointed out once their laughter had subsided. Nephrite gave a nod and looked Ami over once more. They had reached a dead end already. He had no idea what they should do now that they had some semblance of an understanding.

"What now?" he asked, vocalizing his thoughts. Ami looked up and smiled at him.

"Maybe we should return to the party before our friends worry about us," she suggested, taking his hand in her own. It would only be a matter of time before curiosity got the better of everyone and the party made their way outside. Nephrite, on the other hand, avoided making eye contact with Ami. His cheeks had turned slightly red when she had taken his hand. 'These feelings will take some time to get used to,' he thought as he took the lead and led Ami back into the karaoke centre.

The two made their way back into the karaoke room just in time to see Minako take the stage. The idol looked up quickly and gave a smile when she saw that her friend was returning rather happily. The other girls turned to look as well, giving Ami supportive winks before sharing looks of happiness with each other. Ami turned red again but gave a wink back at her friends as she lead Nephrite back over to the table.

"As I promised, I'm going to give you all a sneak peak of my next single," she told the room, speaking into the microphone. Without any music, she took a deep breath and started her song, "Osakana oyogu suisou… Nozoite miru to… Karafuru parasoru tachi… Nijiiro shizuka ga hikaru…(12.1)"

Ami smiled as she listened to the lyrics, stealing a glance at Nephrite. Even if nothing more than going to a wedding with him happened, she would be content. She would finally be able to say that she took a chance on love and that was enough for her.

As Ami started to hum along to Minako's song, Nephrite took his turn to steal a glance. He would definitely make sure he stayed around. Falling in love with someone was starting to intrigue him, as was the former Senshi. He was seeing her more and more for the person she was and less for the Senshi she had been. 'Maybe Master was right about falling in love with someone. I will definitely not give up this woman without a fight. I want to explore these feelings further,' he thought and unknowingly gave her hand a firm squeeze. He gave a smile when he felt Ami return the gesture.

"…Itsu made mo issho day o anata to… Dakara asu mo aeru kitto ne... (12.2)"

The two looked up at each other and gave sheepish grins as they took in the last bit of Minako's song. They both knew without a shadow of a doubt that there was something there. All they had to do was explore what they were feeling deeper. Running away was not an option; they had their honour as warriors to think about and they had their hearts to listen to. Happiness was not far from them and both of them wanted to obtain it.

Leaning closer to Nephrite, Ami smiled and whispered, "Dakara asu mo aeru kitto ne(13.1)."

Returning the smile, Nephrite nodded. He knew she wanted what he wanted. To him, the hardest part was over. All they had to do now was make things work and neither of them would give it less than their all. That was how they had always worked. "Aeru ne(13.2)."

Post notes: I used various Japanese phrases and songs as PGSM was never released in English. All the songs (except Dakishimete Itai) are from PGSM and are sung by Aino Minako (Komatsu Ayaka) and Mizuno Ami (Hama Chisaki). Included is a guide to understanding the terms (Side Note – Senshi and Shitennou are not included in this guide!).

1. Tadaima – I'm Home

2. Lyrics from C'est La Vie, sung by Komatsu Ayaka

3. Konban wa – Good Evening

4. Arigatou – Thank you; demo - but

5. Hai - Yes

6. Honto ni/Honto - Really

7. Nani - What

8. Lyrics from Romance, sung by Komatsu Ayaka

9. Lyrics from Dakishimete Itai, sung by Furuya Tohru

10. Iie - No

11. Wakarimasu – I understand

12. Lyrics from Yakusoku, sung by Hama Chisaki

13. Phrases taken from Yakusoku; 13.1 means "So I'm sure we'll be able to meet again tomorrow."; 13.2 means "We will."