Chapter 2
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He had always thrived on parties. Even though he tended to be a bit more bookwormish than most and generally gave off the impression that he was not, in fact, a people person, he lived on attention. And at balls . . . the location was beautiful, the decorations were beautiful, the women were beautiful. Very beautiful, and very attentive. In fact, he had had to pry one, if not two, from his arms. And yet, through all off the glorious things around him and the fun everyone else seemed to be having, only one thought went through the head of Third General Zoisite.
'I'm bored.'
So he commenced to wander the circumference of the party, trying to find at least one of his friends. Prince Endymion was easy enough to spot, dancing, carefree, with a lovely young girl he assumed to be Princess Serenity. They were completely swept up in each other, fallen hard in love, and making the arranged marriage that much easier. He wasn't at all surprised to see that Jadeite had already found a dance partner, what surprised him was who she was. The legendary Princess Rei of Mars, infamous for her temper . . . and yet she seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself. Nephrite too had his arms around royalty, waltzing Makoto of Jupiter across the room and laughing as they shared a private joke. Much to his shock even the stoic Kunzite had hit the dance floor, the graceful and lovely Princess Minako making up for what he lacked in ballroom skill. But if the four of them were out having fun, all he could do was find himself a dance partner. Where was that beautiful Neptune princess . . . in the arms of a tall blond man and smiling happily. So much for that idea. The heir from Pluto was gone and no way was he dancing with the child from Saturn. Breathing a deep sigh of frustration and boredom he took the first exit he found. Out onto a balcony.
Only to find it already occupied. She seemed to be sleeping and he was about to turn and leave until he recognized who it was. A Martian would find it very offensive to find the princess of Mercury fast asleep during a ball. Just before waking her, he took the liberty of the prolonged stare he would have otherwise been denied. When he had first seen her as he promenaded in she had seemed too stiff and practiced that he had barely noticed her until their eyes caught, and even then she had seemed more distant than the rest. But now, now she was completely relaxed and true beauty shone through. Hair like the sky at dusk dusted her cheeks and fell across her ears as her head leaned to the side to rest against the white stone railing. Her dress was sleeveless save for two thin straps that swept behind her neck and the thin fabric shimmered in the moonlight, its dark color a stark contrast to her pale skin. Clasped gently in her long-fingered hands was a . . . book? How did she get that? Laughing gently to himself, Zoisite settled on of his hands on her thin shoulder and shook her gently, whispering in her ear, "Your Highness? I believe you should wake up."
Ami heard a soft voice and gently pulled herself from the land of dreams, her eyes fluttering lightly before opening fully. And what a sight to open them to. The Third General Zoisite stood before her, the light from the glass doors streaming in behind him and casting pale shadows on his face. His loose ponytail had fallen over one shoulder, a few of the unruly blond strands standing out against the dark storm gray of his uniform. Green trimmed the edges of his outfit, highlighting his fair skin. 'And bringing out his eyes,' she thought to herself as their gazes met once more and she almost lost herself in those emerald orbs. Then realizing the prolonged silence she had caused, she struggled valiantly not to blush purple. "My apologies, General Zoisite, I must have dozed off. Many thanks for waking me." 'Why do I have to sound so formal?' she wailed in her own mind.
He only smiled and she felt her knees go slack. Good thing she was already sitting down. "May I be so bold as to ask what you are reading?" he asked with a joking lilt to his attitude that made his eyes sparkle like jewels. It took all her will power to quit staring and summon up an answer.
Gently she lifted said book and turned the front cover to face him. "Starlight Rhapsody has always been a favorite of mine," she confessed, "I couldn't resist bring it but if the other girls find out-"
He cut her off as politely as he could. "They will not find out from me, Your Highness."
Smiling gratefully, Ami let out a soft sigh. "Thank you, general, your silence is much appreciated." 'Loosen up,' she tried to tell herself. It wasn't working.
A warm grin was his return. "Do you mind if I join you? It has gotten somewhat stuffy indoors."
She shook her head, feeling a slight blush rise to her cheeks. Why was it he affected her this way? "Not at all, general. I must say that I myself found it rather uncomfortable there as well."
Zoisite gave her a slightly quizzical look. "'Uncomfortable?'" he quoted, "How so?"
'Bad move,' she told herself. Most of her uneasiness came from the feeling of being an ice cube tossed into the fire, but no one save her family and the other girls knew that she was a senshi. Still, she had some other excuses up her sleeve. Being the guardian of wisdom did not come from being unprepared. "I come from a place where intellect is prized above all else," she told him smoothly, the ease coming from years of lies, "We believe what we can touch, what we can prove. But on Mars? It is a plant full of psychics who deal with the supernatural and other things that have no basis in scientific fact. Our people just rub each other the wrong way. Mercurians aren't the most . . . accepted here. Princess Rei is a good friend of mine and I love her dearly, don't get me wrong, but . . ."
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bad place to stop, i know, but i had to or this would be too long. thanks for the support you gave with your reviews, but dont stop now. if you liked this, read some of my other stuff too! (i've got two more ami romances going, ones ami/taiki the other's ami/heero (or the sequel will be) so check those out)