Author's Notes:

I wrote this somewhere around Christmas 2000. It features female Zoisite because I had not yet learned of the joy and glory that is Zoisaito-kun. But I still like this, and I even like Zoisite/Malachite stories as well as Zoisite/Kunzite. Zoisite's androgynous enough in character and appearance that he/she pretty much transgresses all boundaries of gender anyway. :) This one is mushy and sweet. Hope you enjoy.

~*~

ON CHRISTMAS EVE

Somewhere in the dark recesses of the Negaverse, in the living room of an old mansion that sat atop a lonely hill, a young girl sat curled up before the fire. Long golden-brown tendrils framed her face and she coughed weakly into the tissue she gripped in her hand.

It was Christmas Eve, and she had the flu.

The girl was huddled into a little ball beneath a large afghan, and her two emerald eyes peeped miserably out from under her tangled mane of hair. She was a general, one of the highest-ranking officials of the Negaverse, a huge accomplishment for her tender age of nineteen, although she was normally anything *but* tender. On any given day, she was a strong, commanding, rude, arrogant brat who would connive and stoop to any level to get her way. But not this evening...

Tonight, she was content to be curled up in a blanket. She was much too tired and weak to do anything else, and as she sat gazing at the fire, her eyelids felt heavy with a sickly sleepiness. She felt awful, was sure she looked equally bad, and for the moment was just thankful that Nephrite and Jadeite weren't there to diss her about it.

Waves of sleepiness poured over her now, and she felt her head nodding down toward her chest. It was all she could do to stay awake.

"Why don't you go to bed, Zoisite?"

The girl turned her head and saw the usually stern face of her teacher looking down at her. Tonight, however, his ice-blue eyes seemed to have melted a bit and he regarded her with affection.

In response, she coughed.

Her silvery-haired teacher smiled softly and sat down beside her. She almost involuntarily snuggled up against his warm body, her slender hands gently clutching the front of his uniform. One of his hands crept up the back of her neck and massaged her, sending mixed waves of pleasure and comfort through the young girl. She smiled drowsily at the kind gesture. She was the only one who ever saw this side of him, and she treasured every instant.

"You know," he whispered into her hair, "Good little girls need to go to bed so that Santa can leave them their presents."

She smiled sleepily and nuzzled her face against his chest. "As you well know, my lord, I'm nothing close to being a 'good little girl'."

The man chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "I do know that. It just makes you that much more adorable."

She coughed and rolled her eyes at that one. "If you think I'm adorable right *now*, you're crazy," she muttered.

He wrapped his arms around her. "Call the psychiatrist," he murmured. He kissed her deeply.

She pulled away after a minute. "I'm going to get you sick!" she warned.

He shrugged. "It will be worth it. It's not every day you're as cute and vulnerable as this."

She narrowed her eyes. "Please. I'm *not* cute. I'm a powerful Negaverse warrior!"

He chuckled softly and lay down on the floor, pulling her down with him. "Right."

~*~

The fire had gone out (both literally and figuratively) and now all that remained on the hearth were a few glowing embers that sizzled defiantly. On the floor a few feet away was a tangled mass of two bodies pressed against each other, with discarded garments strewn decoratively around the furniture nearby.

The golden-haired beauty was tracing patterns with her fingertips on her lover's chest, and she sighed softly.

"You are crazy, Malachite," she teased. "You're going to be sooo sick tomorrow."

"Nonsense," he said, stroking her back, "I never get sick."

"Yeah right," she giggled. She sighed again and wrapped her arms firmly around him. "Thank you. I think you cured me."

"See? Now you won't have to be sick on Christmas."

"Mmm," she murmured. She sat up and leaned down into her lover's face. "If Santa thought I was a bad girl before, I wonder what he'll think now?" she grinned seductively and kissed him on the nose.

"Hopefully he'll think you're so bad, he'll never visit you again, and then I get to keep you all to myself."

She purred into his ear. "And what does a big, strong man like you need a girl like me for, anyway?"

"I'm sure I can think of a few things."