Disclaimer: If I owned, do you think I'd be writing this now?

Author's Note: Writer's Block is a B$#$#itch!!!! I'm sorry for the long delay, but I couldn't think of anything. So what did I do? I watch my Roswell DVD's. Not a bad idea, because now Phoenix has alot of ideas, they're just all Roswell related. I love Max and Liz during the first season, especially the episode Blind Date a drunk Max was great! Also I had to do a lot of moving, moving out of my place, moving my sister out of her place and back to the house, and now I have to help move my boyfriend out of his place into our new place. Joy! (Can't you hear my sarcasm?)

I was surprised that no one wanted to put up a guess for what is going to happen next. Shrugs. Oh, Fanfiction is being funny and won't print out the stars and tildas properly. Argh, going to have to fix Blood Sisters Chp2 again! So, when you see the horizantial line, think flashback.

TriGemini: Things do get interesting for Zoicite and Ami, just not the way you may think.

cheeky-bear007: Confession is good for the soul. Yeah, Ami did kind of get a raw deal, and I'm about to make it worse. Sorry.

Lil' Mercurain Angel: Here's another, hope you like!

Arabella Silverbell: I wanted the Outer Senshi because I think they're fun, plus, I think it shows another side to them that we didn't get to see. I just remembered in the Manga that they were really lonely in the Silver Mill. and that never sat right with me. So sorry for taking so long, and if you think this is bad, consider this, I haven't updated my first story in over a couple of years. But I do admit I need to get of my butt and finish not only this fic, but Buried Memories. I can see all of the PoT fans coming after me, with sharp objects.

Ellen: Thanks for the review, scroll down and read some more.

Faraday: Wow, so many people like my fic! I'm getting all WAFFy inside. Hee hee :)

Jupiter-1685 : Well, I hope you like this one too. Thanks for your support!

MoMo-ChAn1: Yea, you could, but didn't. Of course, this ficcy isn't going to exactly follow cannon. It's what I wanted SM to be, and hopefully, my vision is similar to what others see.

:): Wow, I feel lucky that you like my fic. Well, here's more! For some reason FF won't let me load the original characters from your review. Silly FF

Princess Destiny Moon: Ah, details to really make a story more believable don't they? I'm glad you like them, because they take me forever to think of let alone write.

Kelly: I'm sorry for taking so long. Hopefully, this chapter was worth the wait.

Catherine: Thanks for the praise, as for Ami's situation, let me just say, it changes in this chapter.

Angelike Riddle: Oh, I'm definitely interested, but I don't think I should post anywhere else until I'm a little further along. God knows I've tortured you all for how long, and you want me to do it to a bigger audience? Anyway, I checked out the site and must say, I liked what I saw, long live Ami and Zoicite!

And what you've all been waiting for!!

Ami finished another lap. Why didn't she follow her convictions? Would it really have made that much of a difference in the end? If only she had remained true to her promise not to fall in love with Zoicite, but what was the point of pondering "What if?" What is done is done, the past cannot be changed and wishing things were different only makes the wounds more painful. She glided swiftly through the water as pushed off the tile wall. Things between Zoicite and her were a bit strained, since Endymion and the other generals seemed to be plotting to get them together, while the other princesses did their best to prevent such situations. Of course, when the other girls arrived from the moon, the schemes seemed to increase. She understood their reasons now, she almost laughed when she remembered the sheepish looks Minako and Usagi had given her when they explained their reason is this lifetime. "You two were taking so long, and you looked so cute, so we decided, that the two of you would look nice as a couple. But everybody wanted to help, not just Rei-chan and Makoto-chan, but Endy-kun and the other generals thought that you two were perfect together."

She never told them why she kept trying to avoid their schemes. Yet, that was how things went for about a week, schemes to get Zoicite and her alone. For example, Serenity wanted to see the water gardens of Mercury and since the gardens were out in the open, the senshi needed to come with her. Then Endymion would express a desire to also visit the gardens, and so his generals would have to go with him. Since they were on Mercury, Ami was required to be the guide. As soon as Ami finished guiding them around; each of the inner senshi would conveniently "remember an errand," and a general would "offer to escort" her back to the palace; leaving a somewhat embarrassed Zoicite alone with an uncomfortable Ami. Or another favorite of the girls and boys included switching the seating around during functions like dinners or concerts so either the two would be sitting next to one another or they would eating across from one another. Michiru, Haruka, and Sestuna could only do so much with out attracting the attention of the other girls, but each tried their best to get Ami away from a tense situation. Like the garden situation, Michiru would "accidentally" come across them because she got "lost." Setsuna would ask if Ami wanted to switch seats because she had a better view of the stage. Yet the tension between the two friends only continued to grow until the night of her birthday, the night of the royal ball.

Ami was looking over the room somewhat nervously. Since the ball was in her honor, no one would start dancing until she chose a partner and looking over at her friends she noticed that they were already holding hands with their partners. It would be rude of her to pick one of them, and she knew that they wanted her to choose Zoicite for the first dance. She mentally curse herself for not have the foresight of asking Endymion for the first dance the night before, when he had given her a single crystallized red rose as her gift. Ami quickly looked over to see if there was another guest, whom she could choose without arousing the suspicions of her friends, or hurting Zoicite's feelings.

"May I have this dance, milady?" Haruka smirked at her, before Ami noticed Haruka's wardrobe. She was wearing a male's dress outfit. Haruka, a well known tomboy, had upon numerous occasions dressed as a male at several royal functions on the moon. Some habits die hard. Glancing to Michiru and Setsuna, she saw Michiru give her a wink. Ami let out a very relieved laugh before accepting. Crisis averted, for now.

It must have been a couple of hours later after much laughing and dancing; Ami had accepted a dance with Endymion, when Serenity and Zoicite came by. Seeing her lover, Serenity asked very nicely if Ami would mind switching partners. Being too kind-hearted to refuse her friend, Ami let go of the prince's hands only to have them be picked up by Zoicite. Neither could look each other in the eye until Zoicite finally spoke, in a voice so low, Ami almost didn't hear him. "You...you look breathtaking Ami."

She gave him a small smile, "Zoicite, you know me well enough to know that you don't have to flatter me so."

"I'm being honest." Looking up into his face, she realized he was being completely honest, and that did not help her nerves at all. Unable to take the tension any longer Ami gathered up her courage to talk to him.

"We should talk." They both stated at the same time.

"You first," again the two spoke in unison. The both laughed at each other; then Zoicite spoke up, "Why don't we both say what's on our minds at the count of three?" Ami nodded. "One, two three-"

"I only want to be friends with you." They both announced to each other. The unison only continued. "You do? I'm so relieved." She was relieved for the most part. So a very small part of her did wonder what it would be like to have Zoicite kiss her, but they were good friends, respected one another, and enjoyed being together, why mess with their current relationship with a doomed romance?

"I thought I was going to have to hurt Jadeite when we got back to the Moon, for all of the scheming he's been up to. I swear he's not acting alone." Zoicite confided to her.

"I know; Serenity and the others are probably in on it. Thank the gods for Michi, Ruka, and Suna, if they hadn't helped me out, I would have kept feeling like a nervous basket case around you."

He grinned at her; a mischievous glint showing in his eyes, "I was wondering about that. Anyway, you do know that this means though don't you?"

She returned his grin, "Revenge?"

"Absolutely."

"Got a plan?"

"Umm, we could pretend that the schemes worked."

She shook her head. "That's like encouraging them. Besides that would put a damper on your 'activities' during royal functions and I'm a horrible liar."

"True, and if we pretended that we had a fight, I have a feeling that your friends Haruka and Makoto will make sure I never be able to enjoy a lady's company again." Ami giggled at his choice of words. "What if we pretend we don't know about the schemes?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, it must be very frustrating for them to plan of these ways to get us together only to see no results. Can you imagine how annoying it will be for them to plan and instead of falling in love, we just stymie their plans any way we can? I mean this dance; you can bet that they're just watching us out of the corner of their eyes, hoping at any moment we admit our feelings for each other."

Ami nodded, "They're probably also whispering about how perfect we look together and so on."

"Exactly, and what would happen if we parted ways, with no change in our relationship, especially if we told them that all we talked about was chess or battle strategy?"

"They'll be disappointed." She paused, the realization dawning on her, "Very disappointed and exasperated. In fact, I'd bet they'll try again."

Zoicite returned her grin, "So what do you think?"

"It's perfect. Let me tell Michiru and the others, I think they wouldn't mind helping us for the rest of the time you're here."

It was exactly as they predicted. The day after the ball, everyone decided that they wanted to go out and see different parts of Mercury. Apparently, they had made plans with different dignitaries, but "forgot" to include Zoicite and Ami in their plans, so they effectively left the two alone in the palace. Both believed that somehow the schemers were actually watching their movements, so the pair tried very hard not to give into the humor of the situation. Therefore, Ami asked if Zoicite wanted to see the library, then afterwards eat lunch on the terrace, and play a game of chess.

"I believe that we should do something different today, Ami." Zoicite told her as they prepared the chessboard.

"Why?" She asked innocently as she looked up to see his face.

He gave her a grin and leaned a bit closer to her, "Well, I just thought we could spice some things a bit."

Smiling, she gave him a coquettish smirk,"What did you have in mind?"

Going in for the kill, Zoicite came a bit closer so their lips were dangerously close to one another before he answered. "Speed chess."

She leaned back into her seat to consider his proposition, "Agreed." She distinctively heard a curse coming from below the balcony and fought the urge to giggle. Looking at Zoicite, she could tell that he was fighting the same battle by the sparkling quality in his eyes.

Haruka and Michiru showed up sometime later; they were concerned about leaving Ami alone with Zoicite for too long. In actuality, both Zoicite and Ami welcomed their intrusion, so when Michiru suggested using the opportunity to race, Ami practically jumped at it. On their way to the pool, Ami quickly whispered plan Zoicite and she had devised. The grin on Michiru's face told Ami that not only had the older girl approve of the new scheme, she was willing to participate in it.

"Ami, when did you get so devious?" She asked the younger girl.

"I blame it on Serenity. If she didn't spend most of her time trying to scam her way out of class, I wouldn't have ever needed to devise schemes to get her stay."

Michiru giggled at her statement before an even wider grin graced her lips, "I have an idea."

"Hmmm."

"How do you think the others will feel if Lord Zoicite flirts with all of the other girls but you?"

Ami looked at her friend; she had a matching grin on her face as well, "I think he needs to be more charming than usual, don't you think?"

They laughed before heading to the pool. Haruka and Zoicite decided to be referees; afterwards, Haruka challenged Zoicite to a fencing match. As Haruka prepared for her match, Ami took the time to tell her of the current situation, while Michiru had a few words with Zoicite. Like Michiru, Haruka felt that the idea was brilliant. She even agreed that Zoicite should be an charming cad in front of her. So, Zoicite made a point of flirting outrageously with both Michiru and Haruka, and since the two were in on what Ami and Zoicite were doing, they flirted back. When the two finished sparing, the four were fairly certain they heard several groans coming from the hallway; smirking, they just ignored it.

There were other schemes and attempts to get the pair together, but Ami and Zoicite found it very amusing in just foiling their attempts, by talking about other things besides the obvious. Swimming, Ami felt herself grimace. If only things could have stayed so simple and carefree. Although her actual birthday came and past, the celebration was to last for full month before Ami and her friends would have to return to their lives. People often say that hindsight is 20/20. While she was in the water, Ami could understand the saying. Remembering the events of that month, she could see all the mistakes made; all the warnings ignored, indeed hindsight is 20/20.

I sum up the error in on word: Complacency. They had gotten complacent, not just her planet, but also the entire Silver Alliance. Their complacency became the downfall of their entire way of life. The first time Ami noticed something out of place was when a guard in the palace went missing then found unconscious 2 days later. She wasn't even informed until after the fact, because no one wanted to disturb her during the celebration. Other small incidents began to pop up, missing uniforms, robberies on the outskirt of the city, but they were disjointed, random. Ami never made the connection, until it was too late for anyone to do anything about it.

"I can't believe I have to go back in a week. I can see why you love it so much Ami." Serenity told her friend as they walked to the castle's gardens. "It really is such a shame that you can't visit home more often."

Ami gave her friend a smile, "The Moon is my home Serenity. But you're right; I do miss being here sometimes." They continued toward another section of the castle to meet up with the others, but stopped when they heard a loud klaxon. Ami froze as she realized that the noise was their alarm sounding an attack. Her guardian instincts kicked in, grabbing the princess, Ami ran towards the throne room.

"Ami! Wait, what is going on, why are you running so fast? What's this horrible noise?"

"We're under attack. I need to get you to the throne room, hopefully the others will remember to join us there, because we'll need contact the Queen and make sure the Moon is safe before we teleport you there." Ami gasped out as she ran towards the room dragging the slower princess behind her. When Ami's words began to sink in, Serenity began to run along pace with her friend. When they got to their destination, Ami felt relief seeing the other senshi already transformed and waiting for them. They must have already contacted the Moon. Shoving Serenity into the group, Ami barely had a chance to duck from energy blast. "Go! Get her to the Moon!" She shouted as she began to create a fog in the room. Since her senshi powers were derived from Mercury, Ami was most powerful on her own planet. She didn't need to shout out the incantations needed to attack her enemy, the planet just responded to her needs.

"But what about you?" Serenity shouted. "You may get hurt, and you'll need help."

"My duty is to see you safe first, and I must stay to defend my planet." She told the princess. "Don't worry about me. The others will come back as soon as you're safe." Ami turned to Minako. "GO!" Minako nodded and the girls joined hands to begin the transport.

Before they left, Haruka turned to Ami, "Endymion and his generals are still on Mercury; they're said that they'll stay and help you in anyway they can."

Ami nodded as the girls were enveloped by a rainbow of colors and then were gone. Convinced that Serenity was safe, Ami's mind focused upon the danger on hand and transformed to Sailor Mercury. Who would be bold enough to attack Mercury during this time of peace? Why attack at all? Calling upon her computer, Ami quickly activated her visor to search out information on her enemy. The energy pattern was something her computer didn't recognize, but it was extremely dark and powerful. Running out of the room, Ami headed towards the balcony to see what the situation was outside of the palace. All of her life, she had been trained for battle, but no amount of training prepared her for what she saw or heard. The screams of her people, people who tried to defend themselves and the cries of the people who cruelly killed them all as Ami stood on the balcony in horror. Her home. These people were destroying her home and were having fun doing it. She felt a fury unknown to her and the planet responded to her fury by cold, harsh winter winds and snow descending upon the battlefield, while Ami teleported herself to the fray below.

She was unsure of how long she fought or how many of her enemies she destroyed, but she kept fighting. With her visor, she could quickly spot weaknesses within her enemies' formation. Shouting instructions she watched as one of the palace guards took down an opponent. Her visor began to beep violently. Absorbing the information quickly, Ami turned around and ran towards the other side of the palace hoping that her readings were wrong. When she got there, Ami saw Endymion and the other generals fighting monsters she didn't recognize, but were giving off the same dark energy signatures her computer picked up earlier. Her father was also in the fray shouting out orders to the other fighters. Ami shook her head; her father took his responsibilities so seriously, even sick, he wouldn't abandon his people. Raising her hand, Ami joined the fight by calling on ice attack after ice attack upon her opponents. She watched helpless though as their numbers only seem to increase. Where were the others? Was it possible that the palace wasn't the only place attacked? As if answering her mental call, an image appeared on her visor screen revealing Michiru.

"Mercury, how are you doing?"

"We're holding, but there's so many of there, where are you?"

"On the out skirts of Hermia. The Inners are on the South side of the planet, I'm sorry Mercury, but there's too many of them, the entire planet is under attack."

"Get as many as you can off the planet, send out the message to evacuate, Neptune, let the others know and then get out of here as soon as possible."

"I understand, but what about you?"

"This is my planet. I must lead its fight until all of my subjects are safe; go alert the others of my decision."

"Don't die, or else Serenity will never forgive you."

Ami gave her friend a smile at the remark, "I'd say the same to you. Don't worry, I have no intentions of dying today." She closed off communications as she started the work on her computer to hook up to the global network to sound evacuation alarms and to power the teleporters. Ami had finished when she saw an energy blast heading towards her.

"AMI!" Endymion's yell kicked in her back into defensive mode quick enough for her to form a shield of ice in front of her. Unfortunately, his shout also distracted her father. The king turned and ran to his daughter to make sure she was all right. He didn't see the creature smirking at him, nor did he notice the energy ball the creature threw at him. The creature's aim was accurate and Ami screamed as her father fell on the battlefield only a few meters away from her feet. She ran to him and knelt by his side.

"Maia are you all right?" The king asked his daughter as she cradled his body. With her visor on, Ami could tell that the damage the creature inflicted on her father was too much. She only nodded, not trusting her voice. "You must be more careful," his voice became softer and labored.

"I will. I promise." Her vision began to blur.

"If your mother saw us, she'd scold me for not taking better care of you. Can't have that." He tried to laugh, but it came out as a wheeze, while Ami gave him a faint smile through her tears. "Remember, you will always be my little girl whom I'm so proud of," and the King of Mercury looked once more upon his child's face before closing his eyes one last time.

At this point Ami knew she was crying, but she didn't care as she nodded again at her father, "That's right, I promised didn't I? Father? Father, talk to me! Father, please," she pleaded as she continued to cradle the prone body. "Father, it's Maia, your little girl, please say something." When she heard nothing, Ami let out another scream. The planet responded to her grief and rage by unleashing an ice storm. Her sobs only fueled the harsh cutting winds as the fighters watched in amazement as enemies began to freeze due to the current weather, and at the eye of the storm sat a grieving princess over the body of her loving father, two weeks after she turned 17.

She didn't know how long she sat there sobbing, but eventually the amount of energy she used to command the planetary ice storm along with the emotional turmoil she went through took its toll. Ami collapsed over her father's body. When she awoke, she woke up around the familiar surroundings of infirmary on the Moon surrounded by the concerned faces of Artemis, Luna, and Queen Serenity. Ami tried get up, but the queen stopped her. "You shouldn't try to get up. You're still very weak from all of the energy you used Maia." Ami sank back into her bed, the queen looked over her with concerned sympathetic eyes, "Maia, how much do you remember?"

Ami blinked confused by the question, her mind still a bit fuzzy from sleep before the image of her last moments on Mercury, her home, bombarded her. "I," her voice croaked from being dry and lack of use. "I remember we were under attack and I got Serenity to the throne room to teleport her to the moon. Then I went out to fight, I sounded the evacuation, and then..." she paused for a minute, her grief resurfacing along with her tears, "I remember Father dying, I screamed and then I let loose an ice storm, and then nothing."

The queen closed her eyes in reaction to Ami's pain. When she opened them, Ami was surprised to find her crying as well. "Endymion and his generals brought you and your father's body here after you collapsed. You had used a lot of your life force in order to sustain that storm, so you were very weak when you got here. When you're ready, we'll give your father a proper burial, don't worry about the details, Artemis and Luna are taking care of it."

Ami nodded to the information, "What about Mercury? My people?" She asked.

Queen Serenity sadly shook her head, "Not many got out Maia, only a couple hundred."

Ami only stared at her, a couple hundred out of a couple hundred million survived. How was that possible, how could she fail so badly? Her mind barely registered the fact that the queen was still talking, something about the palace in ruins and that most of the buildings in the capital were destroyed as well. She could only turn her head away and close her eyes in attempt to stop the pain and grief of her failure from consuming her. The queen saw Ami's pained expression and stopped her narration. She leaned over and stroked Ami's hair before leaving, along with her two advisors.

Jadeling's Notes: I know you all hate me. Okay, well, I have to move in two days, so this will be my last update in a while. Sorry. Dodges rotten fruit and multiple sharp items from people