**First Meetings**, chapter 10: Finale

by Lily

lilian413@yahoo.com


**********


Ren's voice was enough to give Zoisite all the energy he needed, filling his heart with
rage. Standing up, almost falling twice and slipping with his own feet once, he shielded
Mercury with his body,.

"You will never touch her, as long as I live".

Little did Zoisite know, he had just given the fish the best bait...
a fight. A man like Ren never let the chance of a good, not clean, very unfair,
and of course, with him as a winner, fight.

"Well then, the best man shall get her!".

Ren launched himself towards him, with energy gathering in his hands. Zoisite
jumped out of the way, taking Mercury in his arms. She clung to his neck, and hid
her face in his shoulder.

As Ren landed, he twirled, and fired.

There are times in people's lives when they do not think.

They react.

This was the reason why Zoisite, in a glimpse, almost a reflex, summoned a
crystal shield. For a split second, he panicked.

He had left his side open!.

The next, he cursed himself.

{Idiot!. You know magic does not work here!}.

He closed his eyes, hoping that his tattered body was enough to protect Mercury
from the blast.

A blast which never came.

As he opened his eyes, Mercury's tiny whisper was like heavenly bells.

"Look... ".

In front of them, shinning in all its glory, like a solid eye of destiny...

A crystal shield.

Zoisite's crystal shield.

The blast was reflected, and exploded a few meters away, leaving a smoking crater.

They did not see any of it. Nor did they care.

"Mercury, we have our powers back!. We must have crossed the limit from the North side!".

Ren grinned. Good. This was looking like it was going to be one hell of a fight.
He hadn't had one of those in years... not ever since he had sworn loyalty to the Negaverse.

"Let's get it on then!".

Mercury and Zoisite did not break appart, even if they had already landed.

This infuriated the Saturn Prince. How dare he touch his bride!. The pathetic
creature!.

He cried out and blasted a tree behind them.

It was then that Zoisite understood that as long as Mercury stood by him, she was in
danger. Even if Ren was obsessed with her, he would not doubt to kill her if it meant
killing him. Softly, he pushed her aside.

Before she could protest, which she *was* going to, by the angered glint in her eyes,
Zoisite, whispered at her.

"Stay out of this, Mercury".

She huffed, and answered back.

"Stay out?. Now that I can help you, I won't just stand and watch!".

His hand grabbed her wrist tightly, and forced her to stay still.

"No!. Leave this to me!".

He did not have time to say anything else, because Ren had already had it with them
talking. Specially by the way they looked at each other. The little whore... they weren't even
married yet, and she was already cheating on him!!. Let her do as she pleases for now... soon,
she will do nothing without my permission!.

"Stop talking to her!".

His anger took physical form.

A sword.

Black energy swirled around his hand, and took the shape of a sharp, long
sword. It flickered back and forth, sparks flying everywhere.

{Thank you, Mother, for giving me power}.

Zoisite, as he saw the new turn things had taken, called upon his crystals too,
and created a sword himself. When any other sword carved by any blacksmith in the
Universe, would've been heavy, and dull, his was just the right weight,
enabling him to maneuver skillfully. Also, the color... so pure, so shiny...
no crystal ever created would've shone so bright or looked so beautiful.

{Mercury does...}.

{There you were!. I thought you had quit on me, Romantic}.

{Nope. Always here to bug the hell out of you!}.

He smiled. Even if he was going to die, he would not die alone. The little voices
in his head would accompany him... but he would not die. At least, not today. He had
a treasure to guard. An angel. An angel who he would not leave alone to be corrupted by the
evil of the world...

With a cry of fury, they both jumped forwards, their swords meeting in the middle.
Electric sounds echoed in the morning, as evil and good tested their champions. The weapons
were locking each other, the warriors sending killing glares at their enemy. Their
gritted teeth were visible, as their lips were drawn back in a snarl.

They jumped back and forth, their swords meeting at every thrust. It
wasn't possible to say who was better at using the sword, or who
would win... they were evenly matched, both in skill and experience.

Every time, they would block their enemy's attacks easily, answering
immediately with one of their own. Ami looked at one and then at the other, her heart
squeezing in her chest... please, let him be alright!.

As she looked at the general, her heart leapt in joy as he made the prince
take a step back, to then curse silently as Ren recovered the lost territory.

She had gathered her own attack in her hands, but wasn't ready to use it.
What if she injured Zoisite?. Her ice was deadly, even fatal if misdirected... she would not
risk him. Besides, even in this situation, her sense of justice was claiming for
a fair end, and was gluing her to the floor. However, her heart was beginning to win
over her brain, demanding her to do something.

{Be okay, be okay, please be okay}.

The thought ran through her head like a mantra. Over and over again, she repeated
it, until the words lost its meaning to her.

Meanwhile, Zoisite was trying his best not to let Mercury or Ren
know that his arm was hurting like hell. Unluckily for him, he was right
handed. The bandage was now deep red, and a thin trickle of blood ran down
his arm onto his elbow, where it dripped onto the ground every time he moved.

Every time he moved his arm, flicked her wrist, or stopped one of Ren's attacks,
it ached in protest. Soon, the dull ache turned into a sizzling pain.

The wound had opened.

Several times, he had had to pray for energy, his body too tired to continue.
But just a look towards Mercury, standing there, following every move they made,
was enough to give him what he needed to go on.

He jumped, dodged, parried and launched forward, but he wasn't accomplishing anything.
It was like hitting a brick wall, only that this one, *did* hit back.

Ren had realized by then, that if this went on, they would probably tire each other out.
And the weakest one would fall. And the part of his mind that was still human, that was still
doubtful of Metallia's gift, was whispering that the defeated could be himself.

He would have none of it.

He always won. No matter what.

Whatever it took, he would win.

He did not have any qualms about cheating. Never had, not even when he was still
a young, healthy, sane boy, who played in the fields of Saturn. Before he was evil.
Before Metallia had reached him. Before all of this.

With a shook of his head, he drew all those thoughts away. He had a fight to win.

He waited. He knew when to strike. He had noticed that Zoisite's arm had been
lacking skill. The deep gash on top of it was the most probable cause. He smiled.
Idiot. That was all he needed.

He waited for the chance. For the opening...

There!!.

Zoisite's turned his side to him, exposing his ribs.

{Fool!}.

Ren stretched out his hand, faster than Zoisite could ever react, and
fired a powerful blast.

The force of the impact sent him flying several feet away.
Immediately, he jumped, his sword in front of him, aiming for the general's heart.

Zoisite felt nothing. Only that he was flying... falling backwards...
God, he had been so stupid!. The pain in his arm had been so strong, he had began
slipping. And he had given Ren exactly what he needed to finish him off.

A General never let his guard down. Ever. That was the first thing they
learnt when they had become Endimion's protectors and friends... and he had broken the rule
like an inexperienced freshman... cursing himself, he landed hardly, his back scratching
the rocky floor.

For the first time, his eyes showed fear, as he felt
totally powerless to protect himself. Or Mercury for that matter.

She gasped, and all of a sudden, *knew* Zoisite was going to die. It dawned
on her like a tidal wave, devastating her. And she screamed. Not in fear. Not in pain.
But in instinct.

She had to protect him. She was going to protect him. This time, she would be the
one to save his life. She screamed again, this time, getting Ren's attention. He stopped,
his black sword just inches away from Zoisite's throat.

"S--stop!".

He turned to look at her. And she shook. Gods, she remembered those eyes!.

"Or what, Princess?. You will scream some more?".

Still shaking, she tried to stand up to him. It was not looking good.
He had all the confidence he needed and more... and what did she have?. Nothing.

Oh, yes, she had her powers back... but to what use?. They were too weak.

Mercury's Bubbles... yeah, if he wanted to entertain him!. So useless...
what use was there in being a Senshi if you could not protect those you loved?.

"Just-- just go away!. Leave us alone!".

Ren knew she was bluffing. What was worse: Ami knew Ren knew she was bluffing.
but what else could she do?. She could not stand and watch as Zoisite was killed before her
very eyes... but on the other hand, she could do nothing to help him!.

Talk about contradictions.

"Now, now, don't yell at me. I'm your future husband, and as so, you must
treat me with respect. This man must die. Now, stand aside, and let me finish my work".

Memories were beginning to awaken. Memories she had stirred some minutes ago,
when she had told Zoisite the story of her life.

"You have no energy left to fight, Princess. Stay there, and I'll
come for you soon".

Yes... Deja Vu.

'you have no power to stop us. You are too weak'.

'you should've left when you had the chance. Now, you will die with her!'.

'Too weak'.

Anger flooded through her veins. Anger like she had never felt before.
Anger at Ren, for ruining her life. At herself, for being so weak. And at everyone who
had ever dared to question her rank as a Senshi.

Strength she had thought long gone returned to her.

'Yes, my daughter. This is it. This, is your true power. Embrace it'.

Mercury... God Mercury...

She was not weak. She had never been weak. She had just been afraid to accept her
birthright. Scared of the responsibility, of the imprisonment... of giving up her freedom.
But now she understood. She was not giving up nothing.

A Senshi was only called in times of need... otherwise, she and her powers remained hidden, only a legend throughout the planets. She would have an entire life for herself.

The Silver Millennium was peaceful. And would continue to be so forever.

The Senshi would only be nominal... dormant... waiting for a time which would never come.

And so, she embraced her power. Her true power. The power of Mercury.

Her eyes shinning with newborn confidence, and the strength of a whole planet within her,
she spoke.

"You will never win, Ren. Now, leave before you regret it".

As she stared into his eyes, so dark, so evil, she only felt a faint tremor running
down her spine. A ghost of fear. She wasn't afraid anymore.

"And who's gonna make me?. You?. You are just a spoiled little
princess, you can never beat ME!".

There was a time in which she would've accepted that. A time in which she would've surrendered, no questions asked. That was the past.

This, was the present.

This was now. And now, she was powerful. She was strong.

"I'm such a better person than you are, Ren. I don't understand how I was ever afraid of you".

Ren wasn't listening anymore. He had never been a very sane man... the shock of the
Ngaforce absorption had thinned the line even more. He now crossed it every time he was put
under pressure... which was pretty much what Mercury was doing now.

"I'm protected with the powers of the Negaforce, and you are nothing compared to it!.
I will kill both of you, and no one will ever dare to question me again".

A little bit of drool gathered at the corner of his mouth, and traveled down his chin.

It only added to the pathetic picture he presented.

Her anger flared. Kill them?. *Kill* them?. No sir, no. She didn't have a thing
against her own death... but there was no way he was getting *near* Zoisite ever again!.

He was going to pay. For scaring the hell out of her. For forcing her to run away.
For keeping her on her heels for hours. For chasing them through the forest. And most of all,
for putting Zoisite in danger.

Her power sky rocketed. Pure energy coursed through her...

"We will see about that!".

She gathered power in her hands. Her intention was to fire a Mercury Bubbles... but
the amount of energy escalated like never before. And it went past anything she had ever felt.
Unlike anything she had ever called for before.

Her gloves became blue with the glow, as the bubble of power grew with each passing second.

"TAKE THIS REN!".

She fired at him, and groaned as power flowed through her and exited through her hands.
It flew towards her enemy, its target clear. She had never been as angry as right now; her
little body was completely overloaded with power.

Ren only could open his mouth to scream, as the powerful blast hit him directly. But no
sound came out.

He wasn't even able to cry out, as his whole body twisted and turned in weird angles. Pain was the only thing he felt, leaving his pores, tearing him apart. He was
being split in two... totally swallowed by the light, Ami wasn't able to see
him anymore.

What she did not need to see to understand, was the incredible amount of
pain that she was causing him...

"Oh. My. God.".

His aura had dropped abruptly.

She stretched out her senses, but she couldn't feel him anymore. Where once
was occupied by the powerful, evil ki of a monster, was now empty hole.

She sank to her knees.

She had killed him.

Her breathing was the only sound that broke the silence, as even the birds
quieted. It felt like a reproach to her. Like disgust.

Only when a firm hand was placed on her shoulder did her vacant eyes focus.
Zoisite was precariously standing, the bandage long ago fallen from his arm,
leaving the wound exposed. It had began healing, but it still looked ugly to her.

Specially with the trickle of blood running down from it.

"M---Mercury, are you alright?".

She could only nod, hesitantly. She turned her eyes to her right again, and
looked at the prone body laying on the ground.

It wasn't moving.

He was dead.

"Zoisite, I---I killed him!. I killed him!".

She hadn't meant to!. She had been so angry... so furious... and--- it had just
happened!. She didn't mean to!. Oh, heavens, she had killed a man!.

She could only bury her face in his chest, and cry her heart out.

Two days of excessive adrenaline, of utter fear, of running, of escaping, of
fighting caught up with her. Everything fell on her like a bucket of water, and
poured into her.

She could not control it, nor stop it.

So, she cried.

And Zoisite held her. Little could he do to comfort her.

"Sssh, Mercury. Don't cry. It wasn't your fault".

Hollow words. They held no meaning to her. All she could think about, all
she could see, was Ren's tortured face, a he was propelled backwards, like
a leaf in the wind...

"But---{sob} it ---{gasp}---was. I killed him!. How can I ever face my
friends again!".

Mercury's little hands were wrapped tightly against Zoisite's shirt, almost tearing
it off. He brought his hand up, and began stroking her head, trying to
calm the girl in his arms.

She was in her own little private hell. She had killed.

She was a murderer.

She was no better than Ren.

But, Zoisite's touch was like heavenly balm to her shattered nerves.
It was soothing, relaxing... his hand caressed her hair, softly.

"Don't cry little one. Don't cry. It's okay. It's okay".

His voice helped her to retreat from the lonely corners of her mind,
where she did nothing but blame herself.

Most of you must have sometime in your lives, made a mistake. What's
worse than the most excruciating punishment your parents/boss/couple
could ever think of?.

Yourself.

It's our own self the one who makes us guilty, who gives
us the harder lectures, because it knows our own weaknesses.

And right now, Mercury's responsible mind, was giving her the
scolding of her life...

But Zoisite's voice was cutting through the lecturing, like a strong
light through heavy clouds of a storm... he was slowly overcoming the muttering
of her Accusator...

Herself.

She calmed down a bit, and managed to stop crying a few moments later.
She continued listening as he told her it wasn't her fault, that it was an accident,
that she had nothing to do with it.

Mercury opened her eyes, and looking up, to Zoisite's worried face,
whispered, her voice childish and trembling.

"Are you sure?".

"A hundred percent".

She smiled slowly, and to Zoisite, it was as if the skies were opening,
and angels were coming down to Earth...

There is nothing more beautiful than a smiling woman. Specially to someone
who's heart she was conquered.

Zoisite had to bite his cheek to avoid the blush spreading through
his features, and to prevent his knees from wobbling from under him. He also thanked
the Gods that they were kneeling on the floor, or he would've surely fell down.

They stayed together, on the ground, hugging.

Mercury was still too fragile to let go.

Zoisite didn't want to let go.

These would be the last minutes they would spent together. Soon,
they would return to the Moon Palace. And Mercury would be whisked away from him,
taken away by her friends... and he would be surrounded by his fellow Generals,
asking him question he did not want to answer, and making suggestions he would not
like.

He needed this moments of closeness. He craved it like a starving man,
for they would be their last. He had made the decision some time before this battle had
started... he would not tell her about his feelings.

He would remain quiet, silent and forgotten... he would suffer alone.

He would not give her the burden of his love.

It wouldn't be allowed, anyway. He was too old for her.

And Princesses married Princes.

Not low-class Generals, whom had only a rank to offer.

As sadness began creeping upon his heart, he shook it off. This was no time
for mourning... that would come later. Now, it was time to rejoice in the last
moments of happiness he would ever had.

But Mercury took the chance from him.

Her sobbing had stopped a while ago, yet she had remained with her face
hidden against his chest. But now, she was slowly releasing herself from his hug.

Reluctantly he let her go.

She cleaned the tears away, and smiling hesitantly, whispered.

"Well, we defeated him at last".

"So it appears".

She bit her lips, and he swallowed the groan that threatened to leave his throat.
Gods, did she even know how sexy she looked doing that?. Probably not, judging by
the way she insisted on doing it.

"Zoisite, can I---look out!".

As she spoke, she watched as a big shadow rose behind Zoisite, like a
towering spike of evil. Spikes did not have eyes, though...

Ren did.

As she screamed, the Prince had already picked up his sword, and was
wielding it over his head. A big scorching hole could be seen in his midrif, the painful
reminder Ami's outburst. The heat had cauterized the wound, so no blood was coming out... but that did not help it to look any better.

With maniacal laughter, Ren made his last threat.

"I may die, but I'm taking you with me!".

Zoisite was taken by surprise, but so many years
in the battle field had taught him that the best reaction to an unexpected
situation is to react quickly.

Without even thinking, he drew out his sword, and turned around,
facing the enemy. Nothing prepared him for the sight which greeted him.

The hatred in his eyes.

The spite. The anger.

Ren wanted to kill them. Both. And it would take everything
he had to stop him.

Mercury covered her eyes. She could not stand the look in his eyes.
She could not see it, she could not look at it...

Even through her glove, she felt as something hot splashed against her arm.
As she lowered her hand, a red stain greeted her pupils.

She gasped.

Blood.

{Please, Zoisite, no!}.

She raised her eyes, pleading, begging...

Zoisite was on his knees, his sword in both his hands, holding it up firmly.
The crystal shone, and blood covered it, running down to Zoisite's hands... but it wasn't his own.

As he held the handle, the sharp end was protruding from Ren's back.

Right through his heart.

The prince of Saturn choked. His eyes were wide and unbelieving, as Zoisite's surprised
features let everyone know he had never meant to kill him. Even so, Ren looked at them both, his eyes still shinning with evil.

"I---I will have my revenge!".

Disgusted, and fed up with his attitude, Zoisite pushed forward,
forcing his body to the ground. With the sword still inside him, he fell to the floor.

Zoisite, pale and shocked, stood up, his eyes never leaving the body of their common enemy.

There always was something heart-breaking whenever you killed someone... even if he was a jerk like Ren.

Not even in death would the Prince surrender. His pride was too big.

"The Negafore will prevail, no matter what---".

GLARG.

A choke interrupted him, a spurt of blood coming out of his mouth.

"You will pay . . . I know you will".

As his voice faded out, and his eyes closed, life began pouring out of him.
His face fell to the side, and stared at Mercury.

She shrieked, and closed her eyes, trying to vanish the image from her mind.

No such luck.

She knew, that as long as she lived, she would remember his eyes, fixed on her, accusing her...

'Murderer'.

Suddenly, the crystal sword shone for a moment, then dissolved in a puff of
white smoke.

Ren gurgled one last time... then died.

His body began glowing a dark tone, to then dissolve into a black,
sticky substance. Even in death, Metallia did not give him up. Whether other souls died and waited to be reborn, every servant of the Negaforce, would be forever locked within it,
fueling it like batteries for years and years to come. When they were spent, and no longer
could sustain the evil power, they would simply vanish... never to be born again.

The curse, the oath to the Negaverse went way beyond life.

And death, for that matter.

Ami fell to her knees, exhausted.

{It's over. It's really over}.

Next to her, Zoisite sunk to his knees too.

She turned to look at him, and for the first time, noticed
he was covered with bruises. And he was far away from the handsome, perfect general who had
approached at the fountain, all those hours ago.

His hair was loose now, his ponytail long gone. A deep scratch over his
eye was pouring blood over it, forcing him to blink rapidly to try and clean it.

His neck and hands were graced with red marks, a painful memory of the net
which had captured him before.

His once immaculate shirt had several rips, exposing the skin beneath. Which did not fare any better... scratches, cuts and wounds... thousands of them, small but as painful
as the one in his arm.

His cape, once elegant and fluttering around his shoulders, was now just a four by five inch piece of cloth hanging around his neck.

Smiling, she spoke.

"You look like hell".

He smiled back, and looked at her too.

Mercury had a big scratch on her face, that ran from the right side of her
forehead, passing over her nose and ending on her chin. Probably a side effect of the fall
from the cliff. Her sailor fuku was no longer recognizable, just a mess of blood, dust and
dirt. Her left leg had a deep wound, which, with the blood running free, was staining
her boot with red.

She *certainly* was not the picture perfect image of a Senshi people had.

They laughed together, weakly. They no longer had the
energy to do it any louder.

It then dawned on her. They were safe. Everything was alright.

And they had their powers back.

"I'm a fool. We have our powers now, don't we?. I can heal both of us".

She closed her eyes, and called upon her deeper power. Now that she had come to terms with the quantity of her real magic, it was an easy thing to do.

Zoisite watched in silence as her body glowed, and it focused on her hands.
He looked intently, and saw as the light began taking shape...

A caduceus.

The Mercury Caduceus.

He gasped. Somehow, he *knew* this was a sight not many people had the chance to see.

It was big. Bigger than he had pictured it to be. Almost arm-length, it filled her cupped hands. It was made of some strange blue wood, and carved on it's top, the Mercury symbol
rested.

She opened her eyes, and grabbed the caduceus properly.

"So this is the famous Mercury caduceus... are you sure you
know how to use it?".

"Of course I do. I was taught a long ago. Now, we
have to stand up".

She rested her hand on the floor, and stretched up,
until she was fully standing. She looked down, at the general, who had not followed her.

One look at his strained face, and she understood.

He couldn't do it. He was trying, but he was too worn out to. His last energies had been used in the fight against Ren, but now that the adrenaline was leaving him, he
was slowly becoming aware of his injuries.

Ami smiled, and walking the few steps that separated them, took his hand,
and pulled him up. He was heavy, and she was tired... but when it came to him, she always defied the laws of nature...

Zoisite was too weak to even protest, and he just let her do it. However, she pulled too hard, and he, without an ounce energy on his body, stumbled forward, and ended with his arms
around her, and his head on her shoulder.

He just closed his eyes, and mumbled an apology.

"Mercury, I... I am sorry, but I---".

She smiled, eventhough he could not see her.

"Sssh Zoisite. Don't be".

Without saying anything else, she focused her remaining energies on the caduceus that
laid between them, trapped with their bodies...

She closed her eyes, inhaling his scent, which now enveloped her completely, just as his body did, and whispered, right in Zoisite's ear.

"Mercury ultimate healing... activate".

They were both surrounded by a blue glow.

Zoisite's first impression was the warmth... it was so relaxing... he knew that for healing magic to work, the healed must allow it to... so, he opened up his mind, and let Mercury's soothing power enter him.

Which he did not know, was that with Mercury's power came something else.

He wasn't sure if it was his imagination...but there was someone speaking to him. One look around, through the blue healing glow, was enough to let him know there was no one there
but them.

'You are worthy'.

{Uh?. Must've taken it hard on the head... I'm hearing voices now}.

'No, you're not. You take care of her, okay?'.

{Ahhh, sure. Whoever you are, figment of my imagination}.

Juvenile laughter ringed in his ears.

'Just ask yourself this. Who is Mercury's guardian?'.

With those last words, the presence receded, like fever. And he wasn't even sure he hadn't made up the entire thing.

As he became aware once again of his surroundings, he realized he was getting stronger. he could *feel* the wounds closing, new tissue appearing, and bones reaccomodating.

When he felt strong enough to move on his own volition, Zoisite straightened up, and lifted his head off Mercury's shoulder.

He did not release her, though.

They were now looking into each other's eyes, their bodies locked in a warm embrace.

{Who is Mercury's guardian?. Who guards a guardian?}.

The question ran through his head, over and over again...

{You would think I would be able to figure this one out... damn!. I can't think straight when she looks at me like that!}.

{Who watches over Mercury?. Who watches over the Senshi?}.

The answer struck him so hard, it was almost physical.

{The Gods. Oh, man... I was talking to God Mercury!}.

Only then did his words make sense. He was being granted permission. He had just being granted permission by a God himself to court Mercury!.

He made up his mind, and spoke before he chickened out.

"Mercury, I... I need to tell you something".

The faint blush covering her cheeks added beauty to her face... if that was even possible.

"So do I Zoisite".

Her eyes were downcast... shy.

Gods, stop that!. Her every move was arousing feelings in him he had thought dead.

"Then say it. Ladies first".

She fell quiet, and Zoisite looked at her, watching as the blue glow began closing the scratch on her face. As skin touched skin, and blood smears disappeared, she spoke.

"Zoisite, I... I don't know how to say it. Ever since I met you, I felt this--- this strange new sensation I had never felt before. And whenever you would look at me, or touch me,
I--- I thought I would die, I felt so happy. You--- you're very special to me, and please,
don't think I'm rude or anything, but I--- I need to say this, o I'll burst...".

She did not finish. Expectation was killing him.

"Go on, Mercury".

"....".

"What?. I can't hear you, say it louder, please".

"I said, I LOVE you!".

{That's it. I said it. Now I hope he doesn't laugh on me}.

Her eyes remained down. She waited.

Nothing happened.

How was she supposed to take that?. Normal people answer!. A yes, or a no, that was
all she needed!. And he remained quiet!. What was that suppoused to mean?.

Zoisite was awestruck.

{She loves me. She really does!}.

Ami was beginning to cry. Gods, she had opened her heart to him, and he did nothing!. Did that mean he did not care?.

Suddenly, before the tears could come out, and embarrass her beyond belief, a warm hand was placed against her chin, and tilted her head up. She ended up looking at Zoisite straight
in the eyes.

She expected to see mockery. She expected to see amusement.

She did not expect to see... *that*.

Whatever it was, it made her melt. It made her knees wobble. It made the world seem
brighter.

It was love.

It was understanding.

It was happiness.

Her feelings were reciprocal.

He whispered at her, slowly... unbelieving.

"Mercury...I---I love you too. You are that special someone I was waiting for.
Until I met you, I was empty, but you changed it all. You are the owner of my heart,
and always will be".

Mercury smiled fully now, and hugged him. The healing rib in his chest
screamed in protest, but he couldn't care less.

They separated, the glowing still around them, healing the last
remainings of their battle; it was almost fading away.

Mercury looked into Zoisite's eyes, and literally drowned in them.
Zoisite did the same, traveling through the deeper corners of her soul.

Through their rudimentary connection, Zoisite knew her wish. She wanted
her first kiss to be special. And his heart bubbled up in anger,
as he realized she had given up what she wanted the most, just for him.

He would fix that.

He would give her a kiss to remember.

He would give her a kiss that would forever erase the memory of Ren's.

Softly, his arms, tight around her, pulled her against him...

Since the beginning of time, males and females had had a code. Specially for
situations like this, where love made an appearance. Mercury had never been properly
kissed before... but instincts born of countless rebirths, told her what to do.

She stood on tip-toes, and closed her eyes.

He smiled. So innocent. So pure. So young.

Se would protect her. Forever.

As he lowered his head a bit, their mouths got even closer. Mercury
could feel his breathing, and her heart jumped in anticipation.

And, their lips met.

Zoisite covered her mouth completely, savoring the taste of
her lips. They were a bit salty, like sea wind. She melted in his arms,
returning the kiss, though she had never done it before. She enjoyed the
feeling, and for the first time, she understood what true love was. Her
rose pink little lips were eager kissing the more tanned and firmer ones of
Zoisite. She was so happy... she never wanted it to stop. Only by
instinct, she placed her hand in his shoulders, and caressed them lovingly.

Zoisite had to bend over a little, but he had never felt this way in his
whole life. He had kissed other women before, but never like this. They
always were experts, who had other intentions. But Mercury, Mercury was so
innocent, so pure, so naive. She was so much like him, a lonely soul that
had found her other half. However, she kissed him with everything she had,
not knowing what to do next. He was stroking her back, ruffling her hair,
drowning his hands in it.

And Ami cried. She cried in happiness.

At last, she was getting what she had longed for years... her first true kiss.

From the lips of the man she loved.

Her first kiss... she sighed loudly, happiness evident in every fibber of
her being. Finally, her dream was coming true.

Only the imperative need for air broke them apart. But, their link did
not stop. Their eyes locked, they drank into each other's happiness.

Her cheeks were flushed, mixing pretty nicely with her blue eyes and hair.
The groan did leave his throat, this time. If she did not stop that, which was kinda
difficult considering she didn't even know she was making him uncomfortable, he was
sure his intention would take a *very* different path from the perfect gentleman he wanted to be.

"Mercury, you know something?. You look way too gorgeous with your cheeks like
that".

She blushed even deeper, and pinched his nose, the giggle obvious in her voice.

"It's Ami, Zoisite, Ami".

"I'm sorry?".

"My name, it isn't Mercury. It's Ami".

"Ami... lovely. Just like you".

She smiled. And hugged him, her small arms barely encircling his chest.

"Thanks Zoisite".

"If you told me your secret name, I'll have to do something too. Call me Zoi. It's shorter".

"Zoi?. I like it. That way, I can---ohhhh!".

She was cut short, as her eyes widened suddenly, and her legs seemed to give out
from underneath her. Before she could fall though, Zoisite's strong arms had scooped
her up.

"Ami, what is it?. Are you Ok?".

As his chest came in touch with her body, he stiffened.

She was cold!. She was freezing!.

"Yeah---I'm just tired. I used all the energy I had left to
heal us".

She what?.

"You did WHAT?. How could you?".

His worry escalated by thousands... all her energy?. Gods, if
she did not rest right away, she would slip into unconsciousness...

"You silly. I couldn't let you go on as hurt as you were. Besides, I'm very
comfortable inside your arms... ".

He grinned widely, and hugged her tighter.

"I kinda love it too... having you here, I mean. Come on, little imp,
let me take you home".

Mercury rested her against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Zoisite
scooped her legs up, and as they dangled over his right arm, he twirled.

She shrieked in surprise... it soon turned into a giggle of delight.

Even before they had stopped, he looked down, and whispered against her ear:

"Zoi".

And they were gone, in a flash of light...

A single, lone petal, flew by, the only reminder of their presence...


********************


TBc....