Author's note: This is as far as I'd gotten before deciding to put it on Zoisite won't be the only one who gets what he wants. It's a rule to get a matching set in this kind of story, isn't it?
Disclaimer: See Ch. 1. It still applies.
Warnings: See Ch. 1. They count for the entire story.

Chapter 2: Want You Back

Don't know how it's been for you.
Are you seeing someone?
Just tell me,
Are you happy?
It's good to hear your voice again.
Better if you tell me you still want me.
'Cause you still have me.
You're the one thing that matters.
Do I matter, too?

If you think baby after so long
That I'm over you, baby, you're so wrong:
I want you back.
Every time I kiss, I still kiss you.
No matter who it is, I still miss you.
I want you back
In my life.
-Natalia 'I Want You Back'
::::::::::
Minako gasped as she dragged the group towards one of the numerous stands selling either food or Three Lights merchandise.

Upon finding the four ex-Generals there, they'd decided to let them tag along but ignore them. Their strange way of keeping an eye on Saan seemed to be enough of an excuse to stay near her.

"Minako-chan, you already spent all your money on those plastic roses. And the talking action figures. And the plushies," Ami said. Minako looked up and checked her wallet. Her smile dropped.
"But I don't have this one yet. It's a new one," she said, looking longingly at the T-shirts. Kunzite worked his way to the front of the group.
"What is the problem?"
"Minako spent all her money and now she hasn't enough left for a T-shirt," Usagi said, twirling around her single red rose.
"And there will be no other occasion for this?"
"In Kyoto, on a school night, next month. Kaasan and Tousan will never let me go, let alone pay for a ticket," Minako pouted. Kunzite reached into his back pocket.
"I do not see what makes it so much different from what you are wearing--"
He waved vaguely at her Three Lights T-shirt.
"This one is not the official Back From the Dark Tour-T-shirt!" Minako shouted.
"And that makes it special?"
Minako seemed ready to hurt him.
"It's a collector's item. The Lights don't hand the items from this tour out because the profits go to the Tokyo University Hospital, children's cancer ward." Ami said.
"Ah, I see. That explains these ridiculously high prices." Kunzite nodded patiently, reaching into his back pocket. Minako took a step back, before he came up with his own wallet.

She frowned.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Trying to counter some of my bad karma," Kunzite shrugged as he paid for a T-shirt. He held it to Minako.
"There you go."
Minako looked at the shirt in suspicion, then to the small, insecure smile on his face.
"You said you wanted one," Kunzite said, as if that made perfect sense.
"Why buy me one, then?"
"You wanted one," Kunzite repeated. His smile was starting to lose it's battle with a slow, panicky frown.
"And so you buy me one? Out of the goodness of your heart?" Minako asked suspiciously.
"Iie. You'd be sad if you did not get one. So I bought you one."
"What do you care if I'm sad?!" Minako demanded.

"Minako-san, Ite-kun was just trying to make you happy. Is that so bad?" Saan asked.
Minako turned to Saan with a vengeance.
"What do you care if he--"
"He comes alive when he sees you."
The quiet reply hung in the air, between the laughing and chattering of the other concert-goers.
"What does that mean?" Minako asked. Saan shrugged calmly.
"Just what I can feel. He comes alive when he sees you, more so when he is near you, even if you are being vicious. A benevolent kind of life."
"How would you know what benevolent is for him?" Minako gritted out.
"Malevolent would be shouting at you, hitting you, hurting you back, wouldn't it? Malevolent or painful would make me sick," Saan said.

Kunzite looked at the T-shirt in his hands, not caring that Saan was trying to convince Minako to let go of what probably amounted to one of her most basic mind-sets.

He was so stupid.

Walking into the trap.
Not fighting the spell harder.
Clinging to Zoisite as he'd done.
Believing he could make Minako smile with just a stupid piece of clothing.

But his hand wouldn't let go of it. He carefully shook it out.

He'd seen the way Minako looked at the pale one. Pale, long hair, longer than his. A warmer white, somehow. Colored eyes. Softer features. Less bulky. Less assassination attempts on his name. Better than him. So much better. What did he care about Minako being sad?

"I care," Kunzite said at last. The girls stopped arguing and looked at him in confusion.
"You asked if I cared for you," Kunzite said, pressing the shirt in Minako's hand, "and it's probably less than your white friend cares, but I care, too."
Kunzite's grey eyes were carefully icy, distant as storm clouds raining out somewhere else. Minako looked at the T-shirt in her hands.
"I--Arigato."
Minako was stammering for more words when the speakers announced that the concert was about to begin.

Halfway through the third song, Saan swooned. Mamoru steadied her before she fell.
"Saan-san?" he asked. She shook her head.
"Daijibou. I'm just tired."
"Perhaps you should go backstage. It's cooler there."
"But I want to hear--Itai!"

Saan hit the ground hard as someone bumped into her.
"Oh! Gomen nasai!" Yuuichiro said, helping her back up. Jadeite pushed him angrily.
"You should watch where you're going! She could've gotten hurt!" he shouted. Yuuichiro blinked.
"I apologized. She didn't--"
"You--"
Rei stepped between the two men.
"Leave him alone, Jadeite!"
"What do you care about him? He is nothing to you!"

The slap left an angry red mark on his cheek.

"Don't you dare talk about him!" Rei shouted.
"He made Saan fall!" Jadeite pointed.
"It was an accident! Yuuichiro-kun doesn't go around terrorizing girls, unlike some people I know!"

Yuuichiro put a hand on Rei's shoulder.
"Rei-san, please calm down a little."

"Stay out of--" Jadeite started, before Mamoru tugged him away from Rei and Yuuichiro.
"Saan is feeling unwell. Take her backstage, before something else happens," Mamoru said, nodding towards the hall's exit. Jadeite opened his mouth to protest.
"If you don't want to get on Rei's very bad side, you leave the subject Yuuichiro untouched and holy," Mamoru said softly, pushing Saan gently into Jadeite's hands.

Saan tugged him away from the crowd, from the others.
"What was that all about?" Jadeite asked.
"Rei likes Yuuichiro, or so we think. We know he'd give up one of his most treasured possessions to just go out with her once."
Jadeite stopped, pale.
"She--she has--She's taken a lover?" he whispered.
"No. She's got a not-quite crush on him."
"Rei-chan has a lover?" Jadeite repeated, the way people who see their world about to come crashing down repeat things.
"Not yet. They're getting there, though," Saan blinked.

Jadeite fell into a chair as soon as they hit the Lights' dressing room. Saan stretched out onto the sofa.

"You like Rei-chan, then?" Saan asked. Jadeite nodded miserably.
"Ite-kun..."
"What does he have that I don't?" Jadeite asked hopelessly.
"Money. A kind of naiveté or... well... stupidity that melts Rei's heart. A sun tan, perhaps. Uh... Ite-kun? Daijibou?"

Saan got up, stumbled over to him. He was crying.
::::::::::
They laughed as the four young men flew in and dove under their booth's table.

"Sanctuary!"

"Looks like someone's in trouble," Seiya remarked.
"We didn't do anything!" Zoisite announced in a small voice from underneath Taiki's milkshake. Ami returned to her drink.
"I didn't know you were a ventriloquist, Taiki-kun," she smiled. Taiki laughed.
"We're harboring fugitives under the table, actually, Ami-san," Taiki informed her. Saan peeked under the table.
"What are you hiding from, actually?" she giggled. "There's seats free, you know."

"Oh," said Yaten's lemonade. Kunzite slipped up, sat down next to the pale-haired boy. The others scrambled up, scratching the backs of their heads in embarrassment.
"They were chasing us," Kunzite protested.
"And they didn't seem... Well, word-dominating kind of evil..." Jadeite continued. Zoisite nodded energetically.
"And--and--and! It seemed unnecessary to hurt them, so we sort of..."
"Ran," Nepherite deadpanned. "We felt unreasonably threatened by a semi-large group of girls who apparently felt a need to invade our personal space and chase us throughout Tokyo, so we ran."
"And you can say it with dignity, too," Yaten remarked.
"There are more shameful things to admit to," Nepherite explained. Ami bit her lip shyly, trying not to laugh.
"Why did they chase you, then?" Saan asked. The four of them shrugged in unison.
"Some of them were waving some magazines," Jadeite pointed out.

"Maybe they wanted to hit you guys over the head with them," Rei suggested as she came back from a claw machine. Saan sighed.
"Why are you so mean to Ite-kun, Rei-san? They're nice guys," she said. Yaten shrugged.
"She's got a point."
"Don't make me laugh," Rei sniffed.
"C'mon, Rei," Seiya cajoled, completely missing the 'don't go there' gestures made by Jadeite. "What did they ever do to you?"

Rei clenched her fists, eyes alight with rage.
"They ruined my life," she seethed. "And ::HE:: started it!" she pointed at Jadeite. Saan seemed shocked. Taiki turned to reason.
"From what I hear from Ami-san, none of them could help themselves at the time. And you would never have met any of your friends if they had not been there. You would still be alone, Rei-san."
"That's not true!" Rei shouted, and ran out.

Jadeite slumped down into his seat, biting back tears.
"So much for that," he whispered sadly.
"I'll go talk to her," Saan said, patting his shoulder and going out, after Rei.

"So... Mizuno-san told you about us?" Kunzite asked conversationally. Ami blushed.
"Just... Readings and... Well, pretty much the story of how we ended up being... What we are," she said. Nepherite sighed.
"Also the Silver Millennium?" he asked. Ami nodded.
"Of course."
"The entire story? Or just what you remember?"
Ami frowned.
"We remember everything we need to know, don't we? I mean, you guys were probably just caught by Beryl because you were... Powerful?" she asked. Jadeite shrugged.
"You don't remember everything," he announced. He got up, got some change out of his pocket and chose out a game to play.

"He seems unhappy," Seiya remarked, a bit put out himself. Kunzite shook his head.
"We know. He's been like this ever since he met Rei's friend during the concert," he said.
"Yuuichiro? He's been going after Rei for years. And she after him. Well, she goes after him when she needs a boyfriend," Ami shrugged. Zoisite shook his head.
"She likes the boy."
"I never said she didn't. There's other boys she could ask, but she always asks Yuuichiro."

They were quiet for a while. Motoki cleared the empty glasses, Minako and Makoto came to say goodbye. Usagi and Mamoru were making more noise than seemed necessary at a game console.

"So... Were you... ::really:: chased by girls?" Ami blushed. Zoisite grinned nervously.
"Aa. From work to he--"

"EEEEE!!! They're here!!!"

"Hell," Kunzite groaned as a herd of young girls stormed in, straight at them.
"Looks like we're not the only ones with fans any more," Seiya laughed as the mob mauled them for autographs, pictures and poses. The remaining trio seemed dumbfounded. Ami giggled, drawing Zoisite's gaze towards her. When had it gotten so... stuffy... in the arcade?
::::::::::
A routine settled down, slowly. Saan's 'Ite-kun' would be chased down to the arcade, where they'd all be waiting. Sometimes they were left alone, sometimes not.

Jadeite would try to convince Rei he wasn't evil incarnate, and Rei would find new ways to try and make clear to him she didn't believe him.
Zoisite would, very, very quietly and unobtrusively, try to draw Ami's attention.
Kunzite would every so often take a shot at wooing Minako, always making sure he was well out of her personal space by the time she started thinking about what had just happened.
And Nepherite would be there to draw them all back to earth and out into the park, where they'd play with those peculiar toys Saan had introduced them to.

Saan and the Three Lights thought it was hilarious to see, which it was, at first. Kunzite seemed to have no control at all, while Zoisite appeared to grow extra joints as he slipped the straps over his fingers.

And then...

"Jadeite isn't here?" Rei asked. Zoisite shook his head. His hair trailed into his drink.
"Iie. He said he wanted to check some stuff out."
The blonde grinned.
"Why? Developing an interest?" he teased. Rei glared.
"Iie. And cut your hair, if you can't control it better than that!"

Zoisite looked up. When he noticed, he jerked his head back, hand holding the glass jerking up to his hair. The glass went flying, spilling vanilla milkshake all over him and the table.

"Shimatta!"

Ami got up, letting him go to the restrooms. Motoki cleaned the mess up while he was busy.
"Odd. Zoisite-kun is usually quite... graceful," he commented. Ami cocked her head.
"Graceful?" she asked.

She tried to apply the word to Zoisite. She'd only seen him... Well, blundering along. He was quite nice, if you kept all fragiles and fluids away from him, able to follow a reasonably intelligent conversation, after a while of meaningless stuttering. Graceful didn't stick.

"Try spying on him," Saan suggested, eyes twinkling. "He only loses all semblance of control when he knows you're around. We're going to the park later."

Ami nodded. She knew they were going to the park later. They always went to the park after the arcade. She and Saan usually made their homework during lunch.

"You started... Something with a staff, a few days back, didn't you, Kunzite-san?" Ami asked. Kunzite nodded.
"Long staff, yes. I'm more skilled at working solid objects, much like Nepherite, actually. I don't know quite as many tricks as he does, but he's been at it longer than I have. He gave up on poi much sooner than I," Kunzite laughed. "Probably says something about how often common sense wins it from sheer stubbornness with me."

Zoisite returned, wet shirt over his arm. His hair was dripping water all over his bare upper chest. Ami stared. Somehow, she'd imagined Zoisite half-naked--not that she'd done so often--a bit... softer. Without abs firm enough to break something on, at least.

"See something you like, Ami-chan?" Minako laughed as she came back from the fifth Sailor V game.

Zoisite was probably the least hated of the four men. He was the only one who looked completely different from his Dark Kingdom counterpart. Freckles. Tighter and longer curls. Platinum blonde hair instead of light brown. Eyes like a cloudless winter sky, the most perfect pale blue. A smile brighter than the sun.

Ami blushed and looked away.
"You're being silly, Aino-san," Zoisite said. "Mizuno-san probably has a boyfriend already, anyway."
"She hasn't. Hasn't had one since Urawa-san, right, Ami-chan?" Minako beamed. Ami shook her head desperately.
"Iie. Ryo-kun is just a friend of mine," she protested weakly. Minako shrugged.
"But he has it bad for you, doesn't he?" she asked.
"I can imagine many boys to have that problem," Zoisite smiled gently. "Perhaps Urawa-san was the only one who dared speak his heart to Mizuno-san."

"So, basically, you're saying most guys would be too humiliated to speak their heart to Ami-chan?" Minako asked.
"Iie! Iie!" Zoisite exclaimed, waving his arms defensively. "I didn't mean that at all!"
"It sounded like it," Minako pointed out.

"Minako-chan, don't make Zoisite-san uncomfortable, please," Ami said quietly, looking at the table. "He was just trying to be polite."

Zoisite fidgeted nervously. Almost as if on purpose, his soaked shirt slid from his arm, to Ami's textbook. She caught it before it could hit the pages.

"I'll go ask Motoki-san if he has a plastic bag for this, then," she chuckled. "Before we have any more accidents."
::::::::::
It should have been wrong. He shouldn't have approached the youth at all. But... Jadeite had wondered about him. He'd gone over to the shrine one day, during school hours, when both Rei and his Princess were safely at school. It had been stronger than himself. He knew that tearing the boy limb from limb with his bare hands would not have won him Rei's favor, however strong that initial urge had been.

And then the boy had greeted him. It had become clear to Jadeite that he needed a reason for his presence, so he'd flapped something out. An apology. And the boy had laughed it away and invited him in.

They'd talked. A lot. Yuuichiro wasn't all that bad a man. He lost all of his smooth charm and nerve around Rei, but he would do anything and everything if it were to make the girl happy.

"Maybe we should start a self-help group," Yuuichiro suggested. "'Guys Who Cannot Find A Way To Make Clear To Hino Rei That They Are Heads Over Heels In Love With Her Perfect Self' Anonymous."
Jadeite laughed.
"A bit long, but the idea's sound," he commented.
"You try for a better one, then," Yuuichiro shot back.
"'Rei-Crushed Hearts United'?" Jadeite tried, and laughed. "We're pathetic when Rei's concerned."
"And we don't mind, because it's Rei," Yuuichiro nodded. Jadeite raised his glass of green, strong-smelling liquid. Yuuichiro ticked his own against it.
"Amen to that," Jadeite said, sipping his drink. "Almost makes me wish we had something alcoholic to drink instead of..."
He grimaced.
"'Green Calf'?"
Yuuichiro shrugged.
"At least I can make a few drinks," he defended himself. Jadeite shrugged and emptied his milk-with-mint-syrup. Yuuichiro took his glass.

"So, how was today's shoot?"
"Hectic. Location flooded, make-up wet, you name it, we got it," Jadeite sighed. Yuuichiro grinned.
"Bet you still looked stunning."
"Naturally. I have an apartment to pay off," Jadeite said.
"And you're going to be late for your date with Saan," Yuuichiro pointed out.
"It's not a date!"
"You're gonna be late all the same."

Jadeite looked at his watch and cursed.

"Better run, lover boy," Yuuichiro laughed as Jadeite stormed off.

Jadeite passed Rei down the stairs, earning him a surprised yelp. The girl looked after him for a moment before storming up the stairs. She hadn't forgotten Jadeite's rage at Yuuichiro. As a matter of fact, it was about everything keeping her idea of Jadeite's being evil incarnate standing.

The acolyte was washing some glasses in the kitchen as she ran in.
"Ah, Rei-san," he nodded, smiling carefully.
"What--What was Ja--"
She gasped for air.
"Jadeite? He came to talk some. Why?" Yuuichiro asked.
"Talk?" Rei frowned.
"He's been coming here for a while now. He's a good friend," Yuuichiro nodded. Rei saw a certain inalienable truth about to become untrue, looming at the horizon.
"But--At the concert--"
"I could see Saan-san was unwell. Jadeite and his friends hold her very dear. I don't know why, but I understand that he'd be upset when someone would hurt her."

Rei couldn't deny 'Ite-kun' cared a lot for Saan's well-being. One of their fans had tried to get closer by pulling Saan away by her long brown hair. The four of them had looked ready for murder when they heard her cry out. Ami had already told them Saan was not Beryl's reincarnation. But the four of them had taken them for their Princess, Queen, goddess.

"But..." she said softly. Yuuichiro looked up.
"Rei-san? Daijibou ka?"

The dam broke. Rei started to cry.
::::::::::
Ami, normally, didn't approve of spying for anything else than Senshi business.

But... Studying in the park was nice. And Zoisite hadn't noticed her yet. He completely went up in his... dancing? Whatever it was, it was pretty. Zoisite seemed completely at ease. He smiled easily, prettier than the nervous little smile Ami'd grown used to.

He seemed less tense, this way. Less pressured. Ami felt her cheeks heat up as she realized Zoisite looked... very attractive, like this.

There was music, from a small boom box near them. Ami couldn't catch the lyrics, or most of the music, but she could feel the beat. The five of them were perfectly in tune with the rhythm, and each other. It was seamless teamwork.

Ami hardly recognized the blonde. Partly because his hair was braided and down his back, but also because she'd never seen the boy so focused and comfortable. He was smiling, his eyes sparkled with personality.

And then Kunzite's long, narrow rod slipped from his fingers, and everything collapsed like a house of cards in a typhoon. Saan laughed, a bubble of joy wiping away Kunzite's apologies as she showed him something. Zoisite took his towel and wiped the sweat from his face...
...And noticed Ami on the bench as he came up again.

"Oh, right, we invited Mizuno-san," Saan beamed. "You were cleaning up, I think."
For someone who hated it when anyone was lying, Saan herself was pretty good at it. Zoisite's easygoing manner disappeared faster than a snowball in a nuclear reactor.
"Mizuno-san!" Zoisite squeaked. "Gomen, I didn't see you, I--" he gestured frantically.
"You were having fun," Ami smiled nervously, staring at her shoes. "I know some kinds of fun make you both deaf and blind."
Zoisite whimpered faintly, lips moving soundlessly. He paled to an almost corpse-like white.
"You must love this a lot," Ami tried again when she got no reply.
"I love you more!" Zoisite flapped out.

Silence, followed by a four-headed laugh.
"That sure took you long enough," Kunzite nodded. Ami looked at them in confusion.
"I don't understand--I--"
"I can repeat it! Find tons of synonyms! Say it slower! Anything you like!" Zoisite offered frantically.
"He's had it bad for you for a while now, I think, Mizuno-san," Nepherite explained.

"But--I thought--During--You and Kunzite--" Ami stammered. This was not happening. This couldn't be happening. Common sense dictated this could not be happening and she was stuck in a bizarre dream.
"Oniisama and me?" Zoisite frowned. "When did I ::ever::--"
Kunzite was laughing.
"Bad choice of words. I was angry. Gomen for causing such confusion," he bowed.
"You're... Brothers?"
"Biologically? Emotionally? Historically? Yes," Kunzite said. "Even though we share little physical traits."
"We share a father," Zoisite frowned. "You really thought I had something going on with oniisama?"
He seemed hurt and confused and vaguely disgusted by the idea.

Saan coughed.
"Ami-san, this is the first I heard of it," she said. Ami felt relieves. If Saan, who spent most of her free time with the four of them, had missed it, it wasn't bad that she hadn't noticed either.
"You thought so, too?!" Zoisite squeaked. Saan shrugged in embarrassment, smiling nervously.
"I sort of thought... Something... Might have... Once... Happened?" she tried.

"But you're not?" Ami asked hopefully.
"Of course not!" Zoisite exclaimed.

Had they all really forgotten so much? That their own Princess didn't remember was bearable, but... But losing Ami had burned and stung and hurt in a million different ways.

"You didn't try anything because you believed I was standing in your way, Mizuno-san?" Kunzite laughed. Ami blushed.
"Maybe," she admitted. "I don't really try to obtain anything that is obviously far beyond my reach, most of the time."
"You usually get everything you want to get, Mizuno-san. Even if it appears to be unobtainable," Zoisite said. The smile he had now was gentle and soft and hopeful. It made butterflies Ami had believed long dead awaken from their hibernation and beat against the inside of her stomach. She smiled back shyly.
::::::::::
"I don't believe this," Makoto groaned. Saan giggled.
"Ami-san having a boyfriend?" she asked.
"Iie. I can't believe Ami got Zoisite. He's totally cute!" she exclaimed. "Anyways, wasn't he with--"

"Brothers," Saan said before Makoto could finish her sentence. Makoto stared at Kunzite.
"I don't believe you," she deadpanned. "'Cute' and 'hot' and 'handsome' doesn't count when you're talking similarities."
"But it does wonders for my ego, Kino-san," Kunzite smiled. "And we're both very light in coloration. That counts."
"Perhaps," Makoto admitted, looking at Zoisite and Ami at the racing game. "But I still feel sort of cheated Ami has a boyfriend with cool hair and I don't."

Jadeite laughed.
"You're jealous because you like Zoisite's hair?"
"You ever had curls, blue-eyes? It's trickier than it seems." Makoto snapped. Jadeite shrugged.
"I know. It's why I keep mine short," he said. "And Nepherite has curly hair, too, if that's what you're looking for."

"He loves Naru. You don't make passes at guys who already have a girlfriend," Makoto said.
"I thought Naru was with... Whatsisname? Bowl cut, funky glasses, smart except when he tries for casual conversation?" Saan said.
"Umino," Makoto helped.
"Yeah, him. He's devoted to her beyond reason. You'd be mad to pass that up," Saan said.
"Naru's done some pretty insane things for Nepherite, if I can believe Usagi," Makoto said. Saan looked at Nepherite.
"While I will not deny that Kino-san's statement might be true, I doubt Osaka-san would remember me. I have not seen her in three years now," he said, voice pleasantly neutral.

"And saying I do stumble across a guy who's cute and nice and available," Makoto went on, too far gone in her self-pity to acknowledge the fact that what she was looking for was sitting eight inches to the right, blowing bubbles into his milkshake, "I have never kept a boyfriend than two weeks. I'm too tall and too violent and--"
"Independent," Nepherite said as he watched his drink in fascination. "Fools," he added after a moment's thought.

"I'm repulsive," Makoto concluded.
"You're not," Nepherite said calmly.
"Stop being nice to me," Makoto snapped.
"Would you prefer I be rude and mean?"
Makoto frowned at him.
"Why do you keep on making sense?"
"Someone has to keep you from going into total depression, ne? It would be truly sad if there were no one to point out that--"

"--you're going to be late for that video game's shoot," Jadeite yawned. "And so's Zoisite."
::::::::::
"Sugoi! Mizuno-san, how did you get Diamond Druid Forest-Quest? It's not supposed to be out until next month!" Umino exclaimed, staring at the cd case in fascination. Ami quickly shoved it back between her books.
"Her boyfriend gave it to her," Minako winked.
"Nani? Ami has a boyfriend?"

The whispers escalated quickly. Every available boy in the school was matched and rejected.

Ami stared at the clock in desperation. Only ten more minutes and the last period--free study--would be over.

"Wataru, he--"
"Iie, I'm not. I'd remember."

Five more minutes. Three hundred seconds. Not long at all. Ami fidgeted with her pencil. If only she could focus through all of this chatter. The constant mentioning of her name was so bothersome.

"Who is it, Mizuno-san?" Umino asked.
"Nani?" she frowned.
"Your boyfriend! Who is he?" Naru chimed in. "We give up!"
"Oh! His name is Atlantinium Zoisite."

Three more minutes. Ami started to hope for a fault in the system, so the bell would ring sooner.

"What does he look like?" Naru asked. "Is he handsome?"
Ami shrugged and got the cd case back out of her bag. She pointed at the winking wizard in the picture.
"This is him," she said. Silence, then laughter.

"That's a video game character, Mizuno-san!"
"Did she really--"
"Kami-sama, so desperate--"

Ami felt tears well up in her eyes as the taunts became more plentiful.

The bell rang. Ami packed her bag and raced out. Her classmates' laughter followed her down the stairs, through the hallways and into the courtyard. Someone grabbed her arm, whirled her around into a firm embrace. Worried, ice-blue eyes looked at her.
"Amini... What's the matter?"
Ami wrapped her arms around him and cried.

Zoisite looked up at the group of staring students.
"You have got to be kidding me," Wataru said in disbelief.
"You're so mean, making fun of Ami like that," Minako sniffed, walking over to Zoisite.
"Gomen. It's my fault. I sort of... Flapped out Ami had a boyfriend," she said. Zoisite shook his head.
"Why does everyone seem to have so much trouble understanding that Amini has a boyfriend? Am I that ugly?" he asked.
"Ami-chan just hasn't really had that much boyfriends yet," Minako sweatdropped.
"That's no reason to make her cry!" Zoisite said angrily, tightening his grip on Ami. Minako laughed.
"What?" he asked.
"You two are the cutest," Minako giggled. "That's all."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means you're a good boyfriend, protecting Ami-chan's virtue and honor the way you do, of course," Minako smiled. "Baka."

Zoisite stuck out his tongue at Minako. The girl chuckled and got into Seiya's car with the rest of the girls and the Lights.

"Looks like I made you miss your ride. Gomen nasai, Amini," Zoisite apologized. Ami put her head on his shoulder, nuzzled his neck.
"I'm supposed to go in the other direction today, Zoisite-chan," she said softly. "Cram school."
"I'll walk you there!" Zoisite said, in a flash of inspiration. Ami chuckled and kissed him on the cheek.
"Arigato. Both for walking me and cheering me up."

They walked hand in hand, smiling at each other every time their eyes met.
"How did I cheer you up, anyway?" Zoisite asked after a while. "I didn't do anything out of the ordinary, I think."
"You were there for me."
::::::::::
"How much did you pay for him to come to school, Mizuno-san?" whispered Wataru acidly as the cram school teacher had his back turned.
"I--I didn't," Ami said.
"Bullshit, you did it to show off you're loaded!"
"That's not true," Ami said softly.
"What would an older guy like that see in an overachiever like you, then?"

The question haunted Ami's thoughts throughout her three hours of cram school. Zoisite came running as soon as school was out. Ami smelled chemicals on him. His smile was the same heart-melting expression of love as he noticed her.

"I'd hug you, but I've been working with methylated spirits and some other nasty stuff. Gotta shower first," he apologized. Then he noticed her sad expression.
"Hey, Amini, what is it?"
Ami shook her head and wiped at her eyes to keep the tears at bay.
"Nothing, just some mean things Wataru-san said. He's an idiot."
"What did he say? I'll--"
Ami had never seen Zoisite so angry as he looked all over the mass of people, swearing bloody murder on a stranger.
"He said there was no logical reason you'd be interested in a bookworm like me. I've heard worse."
Zoisite whirled around. While Ami was sure it wasn't on purpose, he smacked Wataru in the face with the remains of his braid.
"Nani? That nitwit couldn't understand?"

"Why do you love me, then?" Ami playfully asked as she started walking home, hoping he wouldn't hear her voice tremble, ever-so slightly. Zoisite ran to catch up with her.
"Because you're smart and pretty and strong and brave and sweet and nice and polite and I like you. And if that good-for-nothing says anything mean to you ever again, I'll throw him out of a window."
"Zoisite-chan! You can't do that!" Ami protested.
"An open window, then," Zoisite pouted. Ami looked hurt.
"An open, first-floor window."
"Let me take care of my problems on my own, in my own way. I know he's wrong. You know he's wrong. Isn't that all that matters?" Ami smiled.

In the back of his mind, Zoisite knew he'd agree with everything Ami said when she smiled like that. And that it was horribly unfair that she used it on him to keep him from defending her good name. But he agreed all the same.

"We're here," Ami smiled, waving at him to follow her in. Zoisite was surprised to find Ami had brought him to her home. Ami didn't seem like the type to move so fast.
"The bathroom is that door," Ami pointed. "I'll bring a towel in a minute."
He blinked, then smiled. Right, he still needed to shower.

He went into the roomy bathroom and disrobed, before stepping under the shower and adjusting the temperature to a pleasant level. He scrubbed at his chest and arms and hands and fingernails, washed his hair furiously, until he'd gotten rid of a scent he'd learned to associate with colored flames recently. The effect was pretty, but the cause toxic and smelly.

He cursed when shampoo dripped into his eyes. He opened the shower, grabbing for a towel at the rack next to him, wiping furiously at his face.

When he looked up, Ami was blushing only a few feet away from the door. He felt his own cheeks heat up as he apologized profusely, wrapping the towel around his waist.
"I should have knocked, it's my fault, I'll go back out, gomen! Gomen!" Ami babbled, running out. Zoisite was left feeling a little insecure. Was he really that ugly?

He sprayed off the rest of the soap, wringing out his hair before wrapping it in a second towel and drying off. He slipped back into his pants and put his T-shirt into a plastic bag from his pocket.

Ami was sitting in the sofa with her hands clasped over her lap. She was still blushing.
"Gomen for not knocking," she whispered.
"It's okay, Amini. It's not like you haven't seen before, right?" he asked. Ami blinked.
"Before? That was the first time I've... Well... You know..."
Zoisite frowned.
"Hai, in this life, it is. The first time was... You know, after the lake," he said, motioning with his hands vaguely.
"Lake? We've never been to a lake," Ami said. "I'm sure we haven't. We'd need to take the train."
"I meant during--You really don't remember?"

Zoisite seemed hurt.
"I don't believe you! Queen Serenity would never have been that cruel! She wouldn't hate us that much!" he cried out. Ami saw tears in his eyes, before he turned and ran. The door slammed shut. When Ami followed, the hallway was empty.
"Zoisite," she whispered softly.

She managed to stay calm for less than five minutes before calling to the four their apartment.
"Moshi moshi, Kunzite here."
"Kunzite-san? Is Zoisite there? Please say he's there," Ami pleaded. Kunzite seemed surprised as he replied.
"Hai. He came in just now. He's in his room, squalling like a newborn. What happened?"
"I--He--I don't know, really. I think it was something I said. He forgot his T-shirt, too," Ami said, taking it from the bag and holding it up to her nose.
"Whatever you do, don't breathe over--Mizuno-san? Ami-san? Ami! Kami!"
::::::::::
Ami felt so tired, but when she opened her eyes, she was on the softest, biggest bed she'd ever been in. She was naked. Someone was kissing her shoulder. It tickled. She squirmed under the onslaught, giggling.

"Amini..." purred a familiar voice behind her. "By all the gods, aishiteru. Forever. Always and ever. Promise."

She was shocked, but her body didn't obey, just stretched, yawned, smiled.

"Zoisite no baka. You'll leave if your Prince so declar--Gomen. I for--I... Zoisite-chan."
The kiss was slow and bittersweet.
"I know," Zoisite smiled sadly. "You're feeling guilty for still having a Princess, when I lost mine due to my own stupidity."

"You were but a child," Ami protested, vaguely wondering what in Kami's name they were talking about.

"Kiss?" Zoisite asked, eyes full of emotion, lips rosy in the early light of dawn. Ami shook her head, chuckled and kissed him.

What was the matter with her? She was naked in a bed with Zoisite, and he wasn't wearing anything, and they were so close and she was perfectly comfortable. And her body didn't obey any commands she tried to give it.

"Don't know what it's going to take for me to forget the lake, though. You told me you hated them, and then--"
He kissed her again.
"You love water. I wanted to make you happy," he smiled. She laughed as he scattered kisses over her bare skin.
"You're too selfless for your own good, Zoisite."

And Zoisite didn't think it odd, too.

Someone knocked on the door. Zoisite laughed silently as Ami jumped up and transformed.
"Accept that you look magnificent no matter in what state, Amini," he said, stretching out, showing off every... asset he had.
"Get dressed," Ami hissed. Zoisite made an appreciative noise.
"A little possessiveness suits you, Amini."
He got up and pressed a kiss against the back of her neck.
"Makes me feel like my efforts last night appreciated."

Efforts? They hadn't, they--

Their visitor knocked again.
"Come in!" Zoisite called, pulling the sheet over himself. It was Kunzite. He was dressed in a pristinely white uniform, with glittering silver edges.

What the--
::::::::::
Mizuno Saeko watched the boy who'd taken on vigil at her daughter's sickbed. He'd been, in a roundabout, passive way, responsible for the girl's current state. But he'd called the hospital, rode with her in the ambulance, had gotten sedated when they tried to take her away from him. He loved her daughter dearly, clearly. Atlantinium Zoisite.

"I--I--"
"If it wasn't for you, we'd have had to find out what had harmed her in the first place. And it might have been too late," Saeko smiled.
"I should've taken better care of my things, told her it wasn't good for her, I--"
"You were lucky not to have inhaled it yourself," Saeko chided. Zoisite sunk back into a miserable little ball, drowning in a sea of pale blonde curls.
"I wanted to surprise her for Valentine's day. With blue flames. Only, I found barium chloride before copper chloride, so I figured I'd practice with that."
Zoisite sobbed.
"I'm an idiot."
"Probably. Copper chloride is only poisonous when you eat or drink it," Saeko nodded. "And crying won't help her, either."

Zoisite looked up.
"I'm the worst boyfriend there is. I don't deserve someone as pretty and smart and good as Amini."
"Amini? Is that what you call her?" Mizuno smiled. Zoisite nodded.
"She's so tiny on the outside. And then she opens her mouth or looks at you and you realize that that tiny body contains a whole, beautiful world you could get lost in," he smiled wistfully, stroking Ami's hair. He wanted to touch her face, feel that she was still warm, but there was a breathing mask on her that he was too scared to remove. Needles in her arm he didn't dare upset. She looked even smaller than usual.

"Will she get better, dr..."
He trailed off as he read the nameplate.
"The toxicologist says you dissolved the compound thoroughly. She should be fine in a few days, maybe two weeks," Saeko said. Zoisite stared at her, then started crying again.
"I'm a selfish, horrid bastard. Amini said her okaasama worked at the hospital, but I didn't come looking for you," he sobbed. Saeko put a hand on his shoulder.
"Now, now. That you forgot only shows how much you care about my daughter," she said, offering a handkerchief. "Now smile. Ami-chan will be upset if she sees you crying when she wakes up."

Zoisite looked at the woman, who was on the verge of tears herself.
"Gomen... Gomen..."
Saeko held him, and they cried in Mizuno Ami's hospital room, in Tokyo University Hospital, in the middle of the night.
::::::::::
This time, she was lying on a kind of beach. But the water hardly moved. Ami wondered why she never wore clothes in her dreams lately.

And then Zoisite was there again, walking from the lake like a newly discovered god entering the world, water trailing down his body as he sent a heated look her way, lips moving as if kissing her, then those darkened eyes winked and he licked his bruised lips as the water cascading from his hair, fingers of his right hand drumming on his right hipbone.

She felt sort of sorry, both towards Zoisite and herself for forgetting this particular scene.

"Mercury-san..." growled the blonde. He had an accent.
"Ami. Watashi wa no namae Ami des, my lord."

Then again, perhaps not.

"Amini?" Zoisite tried, his usual language demanding he add an extra syllable. "Like... Like 'Cute Small One'?"
"Nani? I said--"
"I know it's wrong, but... Cute and small sort of works for me," Zoisite grinned coyly.

Ami got up and pushed him back in the water. Zoisite grabbed her waist just in time. They hit the water with a splash.

"So eager already, Amini? After so short a while?"
He kissed her, the water beating against their shoulders.
"I already feel guilty for picking so pretty a flower, will you make me consider proposing, too?"
Ami felt horrified at the thought. She was seventeen! She had ::studies:: to finish!
"Sounds like a plan," Ami grinned. "If I get to see-well, not see--what the little lord can do again, a lot sounds like a plan."

Ami was horrified when she felt that Zoisite was actually up for it, in every possible way, starting with the... ::insistent:: nudge at her thighs and ending with that slow, cat-who-got-the-entire-milk-cart smile.

But then he kissed her again, so slow, so tender, so different from when they had been mock-taunting one another. So careful, as if she might disappear if he wasn't gentle enough.

And he was gentle. First with his fingers, then with his... self. Careful and sweet, whispering endearments to her the entire time, not shouting or being selfish, just restrained whispers of love as they barely upset the water with their lovemaking. And Ami found herself replying, saying the exact same things she wanted to say as the memory provided every possible sensation of the thing. He kissed her in that same gentle way over and over again, until they were drunk on the feeling of soft lips brushing against the other, and the taste of lake water and love.

How could she have forgotten...

These sweet lips, this powerful young body, this loving smile and tenderness...

...What had happened at the lake?
::::::::::