He remembered the first time he saw her. Captivatingly beautiful and bright as the planet she represented, the princess of Mars was a sight to behold. She was dressed in a flowing red gown, red studs sparkling in the bright light of the ballroom as she turned ever so slightly to secure the position of her liege, the princess Serenity. Her brown eyes sparkled with every emotion, a soft laugh turning up the corners of her lips and making his heart flip. Suddenly, Jadeite wasn't regretting Prince Endymion's invitation to join him at the ball tonight. Just one look at this girl was making the Terran general weak at the knees.
"See something you like?" Jadeite jumped as Nephrite appeared next to him.
"Where did you come from? I didn't hear you at all!" He demanded, flustered and embarrassed that his friend had caught him staring.
"If you like the girl go and say hi. Introduce yourself won't you?" Nephrite winked, "Maybe she'll dance with you."
"Ooh, what's this, Jadeite's got a crush?" Zoicite came up with a drink in his hand, followed closely by Kunzite.
"I can hear the wedding bells already." Kunzite said playfully, earning him a slap from Jadeite.
"Don't be ridiculous! She doesn't even know my name!" Jadeite could feel his cheeks burning up in embarrassment, sneaking another glance at Princess Rei, only to see that she had just spotted him, which of course meant that their eyes had just met. Jadeite cleared his throat and looked away, flustered. The other three generals burst out laughing at their comrade's embarrassing situation, earning themselves a furious look but laughing on nonetheless. Princess Rei smirked slightly in amusement before returning to her conversation with Princess Makoto.
"Great, now I look like a fool!" Jadeite said furiously, "Thanks." Zoicite shrugged.
"You can just be a man and go over to ask her for a dance."
"Well what if she says no?" Jadeite said in a panic.
"Well, in that case, you'll just have to swallow your pride and take it like a man." Nephrite shoved him forward.
"Come on, you're a general for goodness sakes, you can ask a simple question!" Kunzite admonished as Jadeite gave them a pitiful look. Jadeite took a deep breath and straightened his jacket before striding through the crowd, his heart hammering anxiously as he neared the princess.
"My Lady." He said as he bowed to her, drawing the attention of both princesses. Jadeite looked up to smile cautiously at Princess Rei.
"My Lady Mars, if I may have this dance?" He held out a gloved hand to her, his heart pounding as he waited for her response. She laughed softly, a musical tinkle like the soft flow of water and Jadeite felt his heart race even more as she placed her hand in his.
"It would be my honor, General Jadeite." Jadeite felt his heart relax, and he smiled happily as he led her to the dance floor. She was so easy to dance with; her body fit easily against his, her movements practiced and precise. He barely even noticed the dance ending until she was making a curtsey to him and he kissed her hand before letting her go. He stood there in a daze until he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Prince Endymion looking at him with an amused smile.
"Master!" Jadeite exclaimed as he hurridly bowed, "Just…how much did you see?" Endymion looked like he was about to start laughing.
"Enough to see there's love in the air." Jadeite blushed and ducked his head.
"It's only one sided Master…"
"I could help make it reciprocal." Endymion offered, earning grins from the other three generals around him. Jadeite shook his head quickly.
"I can take care of it myself."
"If you say so." Endymion replied as Princess Serenity came up to him, blushing adorably as she saw the generals around him. She tugged on his hand and led him away, eliciting laughs from the four generals. The princess had their prince wrapped around her pinky.
"See Jadeite, you can be like that with Lady Mars." Zoicite nudged him playfully. Jadeite glared at him.
"Talking behind people's backs is generally considered rude." They jumped as a voice spoke behind them, and four sheepish generals turned to see Princess Venus standing with her arms crossed as she looked at them levelly.
"Do you have a crush on my teammate?" She asked immediately, her stern look losing it's effect as a twinkle entered her eye. Jadeite groaned. Leave it to the guardian of love and beauty to pick up on his feelings first.
"And if I do?" Venus smirked.
"You don't need to know my answer." Her eyes met Kunzite's, and she blushed before curtseying and hurrying away. Jadeite raised an eyebrow at the silver haired general, who gave him a glare to shut him up in return. Jadeite chuckled and turned to the stage as the lights dimmed, his head tilted curiously as a tall figure emerged onto the lighted plateau. Who-? His breath caught in his chest. Her. He had almost failed to recognize the dark haired beauty in the traditional Martian costume, her hair tied up in an elegantly swirled bun, light dashes of makeup accentuating her features. Jadeite's jaw dropped slightly as she began to dance, her feet stamping to the lively rhythm of the music that was playing. She had him captivated; her body twirled and leapt in perfect rhythm as she performed the traditional Martian celebration dance. How she managed not to fall was way beyond his comprehension, but that only drew him in more. There was no one else in the giant Lunar ballroom. There was just her. Rei. He was only brought back to reality by the steady clapping of the guests, cheers ensuing as the princess took a bow. Jadeite swallowed hard, and in a surge of boldness, he stepped forward and bowed in front of her.
"My Lady." She turned to look at him curiously as he kissed her hand.
"That was beautiful. I have never seen anything like it." Princess Rei laughed softly at the praise.
"Rise, General Jadeite. My simple dance is not worthy of such a high level of admiration." Jadeite stood and smiled at her.
"I truly am impressed though." She drew a sweeping curtsey, her feet poised elegantly and her hands just touching the edges of her gown.
"Thank you General." Jadeite felt as if his heart would burst with his feelings for her; she was all he had ever hoped for and more. But it couldn't be safe to let her know, he knew that. Love between those of the Earth and the planets was often looked down upon, and Jadeite knew the issue would be even bigger if it involved royalty. No, he couldn't afford that, especially when their prince and princess had already fallen into that trap.
"General?" Jadeite started as he realized he had completely zoned out into his thoughts, and looked up to see Princess Rei looking at him in concern.
"Is something wrong, General?" She asked. He shook his head.
"Nothing princess."