Disclaimer: None of the Sailor Moon characters belong to me.

A/N: I kind of have writer's block as far as Two's Company goes, so I decided to start a new story. The pairing is Ami/Michiru since I have wanted to do something for this couple for a while. It takes place in the S season. This first part is relatively short but the next chapters will have more to them. Please do review!

Aquatic Beauty

Prologue

-Meeting in the Water-

Ami dipped her toes into the lukewarm water. This week she had been taking multiple exams day after day, so every afternoon she'd go to the pool to relieve herself of some of the stress she carried. Unlike her friends, Ami felt she only possessed two talents: doing well in school, and swimming. Other than that, she had nothing. Why her own view of herself was that low was quite a mystery. Her friends have made numerous attempts to raise Ami's self-esteem, but it never seemed to work. Certainly Ami's friends knew she had a lot going for her, but conveying this to normally such a bright girl was a difficulty. Ami shivered slightly, causing goose bumps to cover her body. She slipped into the pool silently, although due to the fact she was all by her lonesome, the splashing of the water boomed and echoed throughout the pool. The blue-haired girl leaned against the ledge idly and stared into the ceiling, as if in deep contemplation.

Perhaps the reason for her rather low self-image was the fact she felt pressure to good the best at nearly everything, particularly academics. Of course, being human, Ami wasn't always the best and was occasionally surpassed when she was having a bad day or something like that. And whenever this happened, rather than encouraging their daughter to do better next time, they scolded her and forced her to study even more. As if the poor girl needed any more study time. Every time this happened, Ami felt under the weather for a few days, part of her pride dying in the process. It was like her parents thought Ami wasn't human and was forbidden from making mistakes. She inhaled deeply before submerging herself underwater and swam for quite a while before reappearing to the surface. Satisfied, Ami exhaled and brushed away her wet strands of cobalt hair. To her, this was certainly a nice break from her academics.

The door opened, the sound of foot steps following. Ami raised an eyebrow uncertainly. No one had been coming here for the past few days Ami had been there. And, truth be told, Ami relished having an entire pool to herself. Better one person than a large group, at least. Ami shifted back and forth, trying to avert her gaze from the door. Still, she managed to keep sight of the door from the corner of her eye. A beautiful young woman with flawless waves of aqua hair appeared.

Ami immediately recognized her. Michiru Kaioh. She was everything Ami wasn't, or so she believed: tall, graceful, rich, and seemingly perfect. If Ami's parents were to see her, even after the way she glamorously entered, they surely would have said, "Look at her, Ami. Can't you be more like her?" Ami shuddered. The last thing she needed her parents to do was compare her to someone else. She tried to rid her mind of her pessimistic thoughts. After all, she was at the pool to escape them. She reached out her arms in front of her and shoved the water out of her way, still watching Michiru, who was about the enter the pool at that point. Ami froze, hoping Michiru wouldn't notice her. That was unlikely though, since they were the only two there.

Ami couldn't help but wonder where Haruka was. Normally the racer would follow to watch her lover swim, if nothing else. But today Michiru was solo. Ami felt tempted to ask, but was nervous enough as it being in the artist's presence. Noticing she had been floating idly in the same spot for several minutes, Ami distractedly moved about in the water. Unbeknownst to the darker-haired lady, Michiru was stealthily creeping up behind her, only her teal eyes above water level, with a seemingly mischievous gleam in them.

Michiru uncharacteristically threw her arms around Ami's neck, causing droplets of water to fly through the air. Ami yelped in shock. That was the last thing Ami had expected Michiru to do. Had Usagi possessed her or something? Ami turned to face Michiru, who had a playful painted on her face.

"Um...hi Michiru-san," Ami squeaked, trying to recollect herself after that little fright. Michiru nodded in respect and broke out into a small giggling fit. This only furthered Ami's confusion.

"I'm sorry," Michiru said with a chuckle. "I just love doing that when people don't expect it. You should have seen your face." This deepened Ami's rosy blush. She wasn't sure if she should have been offended by that or not. As if reading the younger girl's thoughts, Michiru continued, "Don't worry. I do that to Haruka all the time."

"Speaking of which," Ami replied, glad that Haruka was brought up so she could get the subject off of herself. "Where is Haruka?"

Michiru had to think for a minute or so before remembering. "Oh, right. Haruka said she had to go out of town on a racing competition. I would have gone, but the plane ticket for herself alone was terribly expense. So instead she calls me every night so I can send her my support." She tucked damp locks of hair behind her ears casually. Ami nodded while admiring Michiru. Even when talking, she did it in a polite, formal way. Her voice was melodious and drew Ami in, even when she only said a few words. The way she talked was nearly as graceful as how she swam. If only Ami could be more like her. Maybe then she wouldn't feel like she was constantly under pressure.

After that was said, Michiru proposed a challenge. "Remember how we had little swimming races before?" She waited for Ami to nod before going on. "How about we have one of those again?" Michiru's devilish yet sweet grin widened, inducing a feeling of obligation in Ami. Admittedly she was apprehensive, considering how talented of a swimmer Michiru was, and she came to swim with intentions to only relax. But with the pleading glisten in Michiru's eyes, Ami wasn't sure how to turn down the offer. After some deliberation, Ami agreed and paddled behind Michiru to one side of the pool. As Ami looked out towards the other end, the other side seemed farther away than ever. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead as Michiru explained some of the guidelines. When asked if she was ready, the smaller girl gulped and nodded slowly. After this, Michiru shouted, "GO!"

Despite the fact she felt her stomach in knots, Ami pushed her feet against the wall like Michiru did before diving into the water. Swiftly and gracefully, Michiru stroked away the water in her way with ease. Ami tried with unconditional effort to follow her elder's example, but she began to feel her body break down. Energy leaked out of her body, her pace gradually slowing down. Her breathing slowed simultaneously with her weakening vision. Soon everything was nothing but a blue blur...

And soon the blue faded to black.

To Be Continued...

Nothing that interesting yet, but I do promise it will get better. Let me know what you think so far.