Disclaimer: It occurs to me that disclaimers are not amazingly necessary. After all, no one on is really making any money off of these stories…at least, they shouldn't be. But, in the interest of tradition, I am taking this moment to renounce all claim of Sailor Moon, and anything else in this story that I ought to renounce claim of.

A/N: So, this is kind of a character/relationship study using the Senshi. A couple notes (this is the longest A/N that will show up in the whole thing. Bear with me.):

(1) Like in my other SM stories, I westernized the references, etc. Honestly, I know more about western culture, and I really don't want to mess up someone else's culture. Furthermore, I don't think you can really understand another culture well enough to write about it unless you have visited the place, and, since I've never been to Japan, and I don't intend on going just for this story, I have my excuse.

(2) I gave the Generals normal names, too. Usually I dislike it when they are changed, but, honestly, what are the logical chances of four guys who just happen to be best friends all sporting the names of minerals? Initials correspond

(3) While this can easily be read without reading my Awkward series, it fits into said series. That is, there are no contradictions between the two. This is set a while after Stumbling, as shown by the fact that Ami is already dating Zach (Zoicite). Vague references to the Awkwards are made, but nothing essential to the plot.

(4) The T rating is just for language. I'm paranoid.

(5) I purposefully made no reference to the girls being Senshi or the guys being Generals. In fact, in this world, there is a high probability that they're not. This is, quite frankly, because this doesn't really have a storyline, and I didn't want to have to incorporate the mess there would be if they did have superhero identities. Also, I'm kind of going for normal relationships. Not "I've loved you in a past life" relationships.

(6) I originally put this under the Usagi/Mamoru section, but then I realized that I wasn't being entirely truthful. Really, all the pairings get love, but, since AmiZoi is my favorite, they show up a teensy bit more. So, I'm re-filing this under the AmiZoi section.

(7) I always end up apologizing for being long winded. I'm sorry. Really.

Without Further Ado:


Blossoming

Meeting: Orchid

Lita Kino was an avid gardener.

She grew practical, sturdy plants; plants that were useful for cooking; plants like tomatoes and rosemary and thyme.

She also grew orchids.

When she had started up on this hobby, her friends had looked at her in confusion. "But Lita," they had said, "why would you want to grow something as useless as orchids?"

(Actually, to be truthful, they hadn't sounded nearly so polite about it. Or coherent, for that matter. More like a jumbled, "Lita? Orchids? Why? What the Hell?") (Lita didn't expect anything less. She could not, in her right mind, expect four loquacious women to courteously state a logical question in complete unison and agreement, now could she?)

She had explained in a stilted manner that she just wanted something pretty in her garden, at which point the girls had (prudently) backed off. Though they remained supportive after their brief moment of disbelief, it was their incredulous reaction that put Lita off of telling other people about her slight obsession with the flowers.

She knew that, if she did, they would ask her questions that she was far too embarrassed to answer.

For she had, indeed, been truthful in her reply to the girls—she loved orchids because they were pretty. Nothing more, nothing less.

Orchids were so delicate, so lovely, so exquisitely grateful…

…so very unlike Lita herself.

Really, Lita found herself envying the flowers' uselessness.

They didn't need to do anything. All they needed to do was sit there and look pretty (look beautiful) and they would be taken care of, waited on hand and foot, simply to maintain their looks.

Lita was far more like the other plants in her garden: useful, sturdy, resilient, and rarely noticed for anything but that she could make any food taste good when applied in enough quantity.

Not that Lita wanted to be taken care of all the time. In fact, if someone were to try to do that, she would, to put it bluntly, kick their ass. She was not what one would call a "submissive" person—she was strong-hearted, strong-headed, and took charge of every situation she could.

She didn't really want to be useless, either, though the orchid definitely was so. She liked being useful—liked being able to help her friends with culinary and physical pursuits, liked feeling like she was doing something worth doing, that she had a purpose.

But she couldn't deny that it might be nice to have someone want her in their garden just because she was herself, minus any benefits she could give them. To have someone she could rely on, someone who would take care of her even when she felt useless.

Oh, her friends did that, to some extent. She knew that they'd accept her, at the very least, no matter what, and probably take care of her through anything.

But, if she were to be completely honest with herself, she would admit that she always rather imagined the person who would treat her like an orchid to be male.

(Mina had occasionally accused her of being a romantic. Looks like she was right.)

What she wanted, what she really wanted, stripped of all metaphors and symbolism, was to fall in love.

True love.

Unconditional love.

***

"Come on, Lita. You promised, didn't you?" Ami didn't usually whine, but this was a dire situation.

Lita was, with reason, reluctant, "I dunno, Ami. Isn't this going to be…awkward?"

Ami looked exasperated, "Of course it's going to be awkward. But it'll be even more awkward if I'm alone, so I need you!"

Lita couldn't really refuse that, so she grumbled something about "they're your boyfriend's friends, you know. Don't see why I have to meet them" and followed Ami into the café.

It was crowded inside the café, but the two girls were immediately waved over excitedly by a tall blonde man who had clearly been waiting for them anxiously, as evidenced by the frazzled state of his long, pulled back hair and the speed with which he jumped up when he saw them.

Lita amended that thought: he had clearly been waiting for Ami anxiously. For, indeed, his eyes had locked on the blue-haired girl immediately. Lita was just the moral support.

(Lita had, upon her first conversation with this man, mistaken him for a stalker. While she was still a little distrustful, she couldn't help but feel heartened by the fact that his gaze did not make the usually shy Ami blush, but made her smile, instead.)

By this point, they had reached the table, and Zach had greeted his girlfriend, after which Ami introduced him to Lita.

He smiled, shook her hand, and turned to the three young men sitting around the table. Upon opening his mouth to speak, though, he was cut off by a jumble of words.

"So, this is the famed Ami, huh? I—"

"—who's the other one, then?—"

"Why is your hair blue—"

"—do you have two girlfriends, or some—"

"Where's the bathroo—!"

"Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on, guys. This is, indeed, the famed Ami" (Now, she did blush) "and her friend, Lita" Zach gave the aforementioned young women an apologetic look, before saying, "girls, I am pained to present my discourteous and altogether rude friends: Kevin," a white-haired, forbidding looking young man, "Jason (the bathroom's over there, by the way, Jase)," this blue-eyed boy gave the girls a smile and a hello, before disappearing off in the direction where Zach had pointed, "and Nick." Nick had medium brown hair and a vague look, even though Lita was sure that he was paying intense attention.

"Hi." Ami was clearly a bit embarrassed, now. But Lita saw her friend relax as Zach's hand slid subtly into hers.

Lita had no such reassurance, but Ami shot her a grateful smile, which helped a bit. Lita took a deep breath as Kevin began asking Ami something.

Then, Zach smiled at Lita a bright, lighthearted smile, and asked her something about how he'd heard that she was a fantastic cook.

Ah, here was a subject she understood! She was on home ground.

Okay. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

***

It wasn't, either. Lita soon found herself embroiled in a conversation with Jason (who had returned from the bathroom), Nick, and Zach about (of all things) different herbs used in cooking.

Lita didn't even realize how much time had passed in the company of these men until Kevin (who had been talking with Ami) announced that he was going to grab a bite to eat, and did anyone want to come?

Jason was the only taker, so Lita stood up in order to let him get past her to leave. As the two began to walk away, Lita made to sit back down, only succeeding on tripping on the chair and stumbling.

She felt herself being steadied and looked up to see Nick smiling down at her, "Whoa there, need some help?"

"No, I don't. I can take care of myself just fine, thanks." Lita would later explain her rudeness by explaining that she was surprised into it. (Jason, upon hearing this excuse, would politely scoff).

Nick just laughed, though, and said in his vague sort of way, "I suppose you can, but you seem like the sort of girl who takes care of herself a lot," she gave him an odd look, "I thought you might want a break."

Unable to find a good answer to that, Lita just shrugged, and looked around the room. Jason and Kevin had gone, and Ami and Zach seemed to be in their own little world, despite the fact that the pair was virtually devoid of public displays of affection.

Nick, (in his first sign of nervousness) broke the silence by asking, "Come talk to me?"

Lita was jolted out of her observations by the question, but, once she figured out precisely what he was asking, she looked at him with cynical, suspicious eyes.

"Oh, I get it. You need someone to talk to while Zach's over with Ami and your other guys are gone, don't you?"

"On the contrary, I would just enjoy your company."

She looked up sharply at his honesty, surprised for the third time that afternoon, and she was struck with a rather shaky, completely random, altogether improbable, but extremely heartwarming thought.

"Nick," she found herself asking, "do you like orchids?"


A/N: By the way, I didn't actually factor this into the writing of this chapter, but, if anyone's interested, the all knowing internet claims that orchids mean "Love, Beauty, Refinement, Beautiful Lady."

Review! Tell me what you think! The next chapter is First Date: Rosebud. Take a guess which Senshi that one is about! Tell me which one you think it is in your review, by all means!

~FB~