Disclaimer: Hay guys, what's up? LOL... Anyway here's chapter three,
enjoy, and afterwards email/review!!!! Oh yeah, I am not the original
creator of these characters though the story line is all my own and I
am not making any profit off of my stories, blah, blah, blah, yeah
that should do it! hehe

Rated PG-13 for some mild language...


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Chapter Three~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



I hopped up and down, trying to keep warm in the cool night's
breeze. 'This jacket is not only hideous it isn't even helping to
ward off the cold!' I thought balefully as I drew it closed and
pointedly ignored the strange looks I was getting. After all it was a
pretty fancy restaurant and it wasn't even day a girl showed up in a
yellow jacket covered with pink hearts and purple puppies.

"Lita, I thought we had reservations," I said acidly to my
friend as we stood outside the packed café.

"We do, only they're under Nephrite's name and this bumbling
fool won't let us in!" I winced and tried to avoid the hate filled
glare of the employee stationed at the door who was only allowed to
let people with reservations in.

"Look buddy," Lita said heatedly, her voice rising with anger,
"We're part of his party. Please let us in, now..." The last was said
with a good bit of steel in the word and I cringed and sighed as the
man frowned and motioned no.

"I'm sorry miss," but the rules are you can't come in until
the one who made the reservations arrives..." Lita, already red,
turned several shades darker and I began to wish myself invisible.
Once you got her going you could rarely stop her and I didn't
particularly revel in public humiliation. She drew a deep breath and
I could almost see the foul words lining eagerly up in her mind, each
more biting than the last.

"Look you nerdy, dorky, excuse for a parasite, its cold and I
want in now otherwise I'm going to cut off your..." A cheerful hello
momentarily paused her tirade and I thanked who ever was up there for
the small respite. Nephrite hugged the now smiling Lita and I tried
not to laugh at the employee's very relieved expression. Apparently I
wasn't the only one who disliked scenes.

"Hello pookie," my friend cooed in a sugared voice and I
winced again. This was going to be a looonnnng evening. "Where's umm
our friend, Ami's date sweetie?" Nephrite laughed good naturedly at
Lita's stern look.

"Don't worry rose bud," he said brightly as he kissed her.
"He's parking his car, said he didn't trust the valet." Lita grinned
and turned to me.

"See Ami," she said earnestly. "He must have a really nice
car if he won't trust the valet..." I made an appropriate noise of
semi agreement and sighed inwardly. Great, just what I need, a man
more interested in his car than his blind date. Lot's of fun
guaranteed there all right! 'Honey, would you mind walking home, I'm
afraid you might get dirt on my car's floor mats...Thanks!!' I
snorted and caught Nephrite's eyes. He gave me an encouraging look
before we all went into the restaurant.

"Don't worry Ami-chan, he's really a great guy, you just have
to give him a chance..." I frowned at his words as my mind began to work
overtime. Something was up here, I thought as I studied Lita's covert
glances which she shot my way every few seconds and Nephrite's oh so
positive words. They obviously thought that I wouldn't like this man
but had decided that it was still setting us up on a blind date...

Oh no, what if the blind date wasn't Lita's full plan, what if
there was some diabolically evil thing that I was missing? I tried
not to wail but steeled myself as a waiter led us to our cozy booth in
the back of the restaurant. I could get through this, I would!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I sighed as he walked towards the restaurant entrance. How
had Nephrite talked me into this blind date? What on earth poscessed
me to accept his absurd attempts of matchmaking? Oh yeah, he had
agreed to clean the toilet if I went on this date. It wasn't fair! I
would have helped clean but Ami was just getting out of class and I
had the bright idea to go say hello, armed with a water gun that
rivaled a bazooka. It had been worth it though... She had been
furious. I chuckled to myself before sighing again and slinging my
dark blue sports jacket over one broad shoulder as I reached the
entrance.

"I'm part of Nephrite's party," I told the doorman. The man
blanched and muttered darkly before shuffling and opening the door for
me. I frowned a little at his rude display but shrugged it off and
went on in after he pointed out the general direction of the table.

I strode past other tables and ignored the appreciative looks
I got from their respective females though I couldn't help preening a
little and tossing some blonde hair over my shoulder with my jacket.
I only hoped that my 'date' wasn't too bad. Hell as long as it was a
woman I didn't care but with Nephrite and Lita at the root of it all I
had my doubts.

As I drew nearer I could see Nephrite facing me with Lita next
to him. My date's back was to me and she was significantly shorter
than the other two so all I could see over the booth were waves of
sapphire colored hair. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after
all... Blue was deifinately my favorite color, which probably helped
explain my fascination with little Ami, and even if her face was
horrendous I could always fix my eyes on her hair.

Comforted by the thought I put more confidence in my step and
strolled the rest of the way there. Nephrite saw me, nudged Lita, and
waved enthusiastically to me. I nodded cooly to show that I saw them
and broke my control enough that I bit my lip as my blind date turned
around slowly face me...

The first thing I saw were aqua eyes, clear and lovely and
breathtaking. Slowly I registered a furrowed brow, pert lips, and
blushing cheeks... All of the features were terribly familiar, in
fact they looked remarkably like Ami's... Ami... They were Ami's...
Nephrite had set me up with Ami...

"Oh my god, not him!!!"

I was going to kill him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After I screeched out my acute dismay I felt tears rise up in
my eyes. I whirled, furious, to face Lita and her crestfallen man.
"I hate you both!" I yelled, for once in my life oblivious to the
scene I was making of myself. "I hate you, how dare you set me up
with that, that thing?!" Zoicite, not to be outdone, stalked up until
he was standing beside me, outrage contorting his own features.

"Where do you get off setting me up with this childish little
brat?!" Furious I twisted to glare at him.

"Brat? Look who's talking you wretched creature. You
wouldn't even let the valet park your precious car you vain peacock!"
At that, if anything, he became more enraged.

"Peacock am I? Well at least I have some sense of fashion."
With that savagely said he picked up my horrible jacket and began to
wave it in the air, taunting me, while Nephrite and Lita watched on
helplessly. I looked at him for a full second, shocked by the much
more biting than normal mockery we shared. The tears, those stupid
baby tears, welled up even more in my eyes until I couldn't contain
them and abruptly burst out sobbing.

I shoved aside the momentarily surprised Zoicite and ran
blindly to where I thought the lady's restroom was, only slightly
aware of Lita who vaulted over the table, skirt and all, to follow me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I stared at the retreating Ami, dumbfounded. In all the
teasing we had exchanged I had never once see her cry, never. All I
ever saw was a stern, forbidding demeanor. Cold and unyielding she
stared me down with her dispassionate icy gaze. This total display of
very female emotion unnerved me, even more so than I already was.

I slid into the seat she had just vacated and stared at the
table, purplexed and totally oblivious to Nephrite's scowl. "She
cried... She never cries. Why did she have to go and cry and ruin my
fun. Now I feel bad for her, the Ice Princess! Go figure..."
Nephrite snorted and leaned forward into my line of sight.

"If you gave her half a chance you'd be crazy for her. Heck
if we didn't have our lovlies the rest of the generals would be asking
her out in an instant and you know it. She just got the short end of
the stick because she got stuck with you." I felt shame flush my
cheeks and then absurd anger.

"Crazy, for her? Never! Give me curves, give me flat, give
me tall, give me short, give me smart, give me dumb but not Ami!!"
Nephrite studied me with his intense eyes, mouth pursed in
exasperation before asking.

"Why the stars not? She's smart and pretty and has enough
brains for the two of you,"

"I resent that!"

"Quiet... Like I was saying she's perfect, she even has blue
hair. Ye gods man, how much more do you want?" I slumped down in the
bench, glaring holes through the table top moodily.

"So what? She also has an attitude, I've never even seen her
smile, not once! She's a spoiled snot. Her mother makes tons of
money, she's always had everything she's ever wanted. Spoiled, let me
spell it out for you... s-p-o-i-l-e-d!!" Nephrite gave a snort of
disbelief.

"Attitude huh? Look who's calling the kettle brat. As for
smiling perhaps if you wouldn't harass her then she might look at you
with something other than a healthy dose of disgust. And for your
information Mr. Armani she's five times as unspoiled as you. You're
just jealous because she has looks and brains, a juggling feat which
you haven't quite mastered yet." I sniffed.

"Well I definitely have the looks so I guess you're implying
that I don't have brains?" Nephrite grinned, a slow sardonic smile
that curdled my stomach.

"Who ever said you had to have at least one?" It was hard,
but I resisted the urge to hit him, barely.

"Waiter!" I barked, furious, "get us a round of drinks, some
strong ones."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I banged my head against the plastic stall yet again, almost
an hour after the horrid scene with Zoicite. "Ami, please come out,
please." I growled under my breath and refused to budge from my spot
inside one of the bathroom stalls in the Moon and Stars Café.

"No. I am not going back out there to face that son of a
baka. I don't like him and I will not spend any more time than
nesscary in his presence." I heard Lita sigh and then grow quiet.
Curious I peeked through the crack between the door and the plastic
wall. Lita was frowning, staring at the door thoughtfully. I
blanched. Lita was thinking, oh Mercury I was in for it now. She
smiled and I swear she looked like the cheshire cat. I groaned and
steeled myself.

"Come one Ami, give it half an hour. Please, pretty please.
Otherwise, otherwise we can't keep our little bargain. One blind date
in exchange for us totally butting out of your love life and any real
date has to last at least a half an hour. I swear if you don't go out
there now I'll, I'll set you up with that guy at the library who
stalks you! I'll tell him you confided in your deep abiding love for
him..."

I swallowed and put a horrified hand to my mouth as I pictured
the creepy guy who worked at the library and followed me around,
trying to talk physics. He smelled like rotting fish and looked
little better. I slowly reached for the bolt and paused, slender
fingers hovering uncertainly before I relunctantly unbolted the stall.
I swung the door open and came face to face with an estatic Lita.

"I'm never forgiving you," I muttered darkly as she squealed
and began to drag me back to the pit of no return.

"I know," she responded brightly, beaming. 'Never, never,
never,' I thought stubbornly as I allowed myself to be propelled back
to the table of torture.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I looked at Nephrite through bleary eyes. 'I think I had one
too many drinks,' I thought to myself, okay I had two, but I don't
handle acholhol well. Okay I never drink, I hate it, but I felt
rotten. Geeze, I had made a poor kid cry. Okay so she wasn't much
younger than me. And she was cute but she was such a pill also!

"Ya know what?" I asked in a slightly slurred voice. "I
really like Ami but she's so cold... You guys have it easy... She
talks with you and laughs and jokes but ya know what I get? A wall, a
wall of ice. Give me a way to break through and presto, I'll have her
eating out of my hand in a millisecond." Nephrite slumped further in
the booth as he watched me through eyes only slightly less dazed than
my own. He looked up at the last and grinned before grimacing and
reaching for a pitcher of cold water that the waiter had brought back
fifteen minutes ago.

"Wanna know how to break through that wall?" Curiosity
peaked I leaned forward and attempted to put my glass on the table.
An abrupt shattering startled us both and I frowned. I could have
sworn that the table was over there a minute ago, guess I was wrong.

"Ya mean a weakness, a chink in that invincible armor? Do
tell..." Nephrite smiled, eyes glinting. He leaned forward as well
before whispering the treasured secret in my ear.

"Double dare her, she can't resist it." I sat there, letting
it process for a moment before shaking my head, confused. It didn't
add up, any way I looked at it.

"Double dare her?" I asked, perplexed. Nephrite nodded
vigorously.

"She can't say no to a double dare. Lita made me swear not to
tell but she simply can't resist one. Kind of like you now that I
think about it. Lita even said one time that Ami went outside in her
nightgown on the roof in the middle of winter and sang 'You Make me
Feel Like a Beautiful Woman' to a stalk of celery." I rocked back as
my fuzzy mind took in all the possibilities before smiling.
Recognizing my look of extreme satisfaction Nephrite cocked his head
and reconsidered what he had just told me.

"Oh no... I did a bad thing didn't I?" Not bothering to
answer I sat back and rubbed my hands briskly together. This was
certainly getting interesting. We both looked up as the two girls
returned. My grin, if anything, grew as I saw Ami approaching.

"Ami-chan," I called out in a sickeningly sweet voice. "I
double dare you..."



Author's Notes: So how was it? It gets good after this...I think...
LOL... Everyone have a good day!

http://www.geocities.com/keitree
inspiredthoughts@hotmail.com