Lord of Darkness
Chapter 13
Ami's Story, Part 2
______________
Thirteenth part of Lord of Darkness.
Wow, I'm so happy I got so many reviews.
And yes, I do know it's been a while
since I updated, but school's been
driving me nuts. Whoever said senior
year with four AP classes and one
non-academic class is easy was 100%
lying! Even my junior year was easier.
Not to mention college applications and
all that twaddle that determines my
at-the-moment-not-so-bright future.
Oh yeah, and tests and quizzes that (even
my teachers agree) are ridiculously hard
and given within unreasonable time
restraints. But hey, welcome to the real
world. Enough ramble.
One more thing before we start -
To Kiwi Gal: You surprised me greatly
with your review. I didn't think anyone
would get that close to guessing who the
dress really belonged to. You deserve
an award for that. And that's why
I'm working in overdrive to get this
out.
* indicates thoughts
Anything not between // are present
time, and yes, this chapter starts out
in the present before moving back
into the past.
_____________
Lord of Darkness
Chapter 13
Ami's Story, Part 2
____________
Ami stopped her narrative for a moment, and her two
listeners waited with baited breath for her to continue. After
an immeasurable short amount of time which felt like an eternity
and more to Rei, Minako finally broke the silence.
"Ami, who did the dress belong to?"
The princess's voice was tentative, a little hesitant,
as if afraid to stir up painful memories. To Minako's surprise
and relief, Ami smiled, sharing a mischievous wink with Zoicite,
her blue eyes dancing with mirth. She shot a glance at her lover,
and the strawberry-blond haired general sighed in mock defeat,
raising his hands in surrender.
"Me."
He admitted, smiling a little sheepish. The raven-haired
girl's eyes grew as wide as saucers, and her blonde companion
seemed too shocked to speak.
"You?"
Rei whispered, her voice hushed, before her face split
into a sadistic grin.
"That was a lousy joke, Zoicite."
Ami shook her head, still smiling.
"You're right, Rei, that would be a lousy joke. But
fortunately, it happens to be the brilliant truth."
"But how is that possible?"
Before Ami could answer, Minako put a gentle hand on
Rei's arm.
"It's obvious, is it not? After all, it wouldn't make sense
if that dress belonged to anybody but General Zoicite. You only have
to look at him to know that it belongs to him."
The joint-third general looked at her a little worriedly.
*Is she delusional? How can a dress belonging to a guy be
reasonable to anyone?*
He broke himself out of his thought as Minako continued.
"Rei-chan, just look at his feminine features! Can't you
tell that he cross-dresses because he's transsexual?"
Zoicite sighed inwardly at the sweet yet sarcastic tone.
*Okay, maybe she's not feeling so bad after all.*
He turned to his lover.
"Ami, dear, why don't you continue with the story? Maybe then
they'll understand?"
The healer nodded slightly, even though her face clearly expressed
that she'd much rather keep her audience in confusion, and found it quite
entertaining. She glared at Zoicite for the briefest instant, daring him
to call her 'dear' again (A.N. Didn't expect that from Ami, did ya?) in
front of others before she picked up the storyline again.
// (Ami)
"The dress belongs to me, Ami."
Ami stared at him, a hand moving automatically to cover her gaping
mouth.
"But, sir, I thought you were male!"
A moment of silence followed before the slave dropped to her knees
again, as if understanding that she'd overstepped her boundaries.
"Forgive me, master."
Zoicite rolled his leaf-green eyes in exasperation.
"For the last time, Ami, I have a name. From now on, I command you to use
it."
"Yes, mas-Zoicite-sama."
He brought himself to her eye-level, raising her eyes to meet his. She
visibly flinched as if he'd struck her.
"Ami, let's make a few things clear. Never kneel before me; I can't stand
it when people act so submissive. And also, don't apologize for something you
didn't do wrong."
He raised her to her feet, and motioned her to sit. She obeyed automatically,
still too shocked to think properly.
"All right. I suppose the most pressing question you have now is why I
wear a dress when I'm clearly male. Well, I'm a rather high-profile person, and
sometimes it's a pain not to be able to go anywhere without random people
stopping me and asking for favors. The dress is a camouflage. I thought about
using peasant clothes before, but how do you explain to the servants why a
peasant stepped out of my room? But Terran Rule 794 states that 'no servant
may demand the explanation of the female companionship a man may keep.' So
that's the only way I can sneak out. Of course, the prince and my fellow generals
know this little secret."
Ami had appeared a little calmer as she listened to his explanation.
A small grin curved her lips as she suddenly thought of something.
"You should smile more, Ami. It suits you."
"Thank you, my lord. But - if I may be so bold - how do your fellow
generals react to the fact that you wear female clothing?"
Zoicite shrugged.
"They'd probably laugh me out of this galaxy if they didn't do something
like that themselves. General Jadeite uses the disguise of a bellboy, General
Nephrite becomes a chambermaid, and General Kunzite - the day he clothes himself
in anything remotely feminine is the day I die of a heart attack - as a bodyguard.
For himself, though."
//
By the mention of General Kunzite's name, a quick grimace of pain flashed
across the princess's flawless face before being submerged by indifference. Rei
shot Ami a warning glance, unnoticed by anyone else. The blue-haired healer nudged
Zoicite gently, silently asking him to continue the story as she slipped out of
the room.
// (Zoicite)
Ami smiled again, as Zoicite watched her with interest. A sudden thought
occurred to him, and he decided to test his new slave's intelligence. Granted,
she was very pretty, but did this blue-haired angel also have brains to match
her looks?
"Ami. Have you heard of a game called chess?"
The young girl's sapphire eyes sparkled with excitement as she nodded
her head.
"Yes, Zoicite-sama."
"Do you know how to play?"
Ami hesitated, and agreed affirmatively.
"A little."
Zoicite grinned. He clapped his hands, and a maid suddenly appeared,
seemingly out of nowhere, placing a small table in front of them with a
chess board.
"Pick a color."
Ami studied the board a moment, recalling the rules she had been taught
as a small child.
"Black."
She answered.
Zoicite turned the board, so that he was facing the black pieces, and
immediately moved into an offensive strategy. She countered him move for move,
not only blocking his advances but also nearly rendering him helpless. His
earlier resolve to go easy on her quickly disappeared as she took piece after
piece, putting his almost-lone-sovereign in check more times than he'd like to
remember. As she gazed at the white king, surrounded by his remaining protectors,
Zoicite was amazed to detect a hard glint in her eyes as a tiny smirk curved
her lips. It seemed that Ami's gentle exterior hid a diamond-hard mind. Zoicite
smiled, glad that she had forgotten that he was there, and was solely concentrating
on the game.
"Checkmate."
She whispered softly, a satisfied expression on her face. He realized
that to her, he was no longer master nor general, only an faceless, nameless
opponent she was determined to defeat.
When he didn't immediately respond (still recovering from the shock of
a peasant girl claiming to know only 'a little' of the game being able to
beat him so ruthlessly), Ami raised her eyes to meet his. Zoicite was once
again surprised by the variety of expression flashing across her face. Triumph,
shock, indecision, pain, fear, indifference, before being replaced by that
hated mask of indifference and submissiveness.
"Zoicite-sama, I apologize."
The strawberry-haired general thought a entire string of curses, growling
that the young, self-confident woman a second ago had turned back into the meek slave
girl, resisting the overwhelming temptation to rip his hair out. Taking a deep breath,
he counted quietly to ten, willing the intense anger to disappear.
"What are you apologizing for, Ami?"
"Zoicite-sama, it was wrong of me to win. I promise it won't happen again."
"Ami, the point of chess is to try to checkmate your opponent. If you intend
to lose on purpose, why in the name of Athena* would I ask you to play?"
Ami shifted uncomfortably. Her voice was barely audible as she spoke.
"Some masters wish their slaves to lose at playing games with them."
Zoicite stared at her in confusion.
"Why?"
Her voice was even quieter than before.
"Because then they can either punish their slaves for losing, justifying that
they are not worthy to serve their master, or penalize them for winning, classifying
it as an act of rebellion and disrespect."
Her answer made Zoicite want to commit suicide just so he could go to hell and
kill the man who came up with the idea of slavery a second time, horribly.
"Stop it, Ami. I'm not your master, and I most certainly will not punish you
over something you had no control over. I am, however, delighted that you beat me."
The girl raised her head slowly, her eyes wide.
"You are ... not angry?"
Zoicite laughed.
"Of course not, Ami. I'm proud of you. You're the only person who has been able
to defeat me in a game of chess. I've never met a woman who had a integrity to match
her breath-taking beauty."
Ami blushed scarlet.
//
Zoicite paused for a moment as Ami reappeared in her room, carrying a steaming
cup of crystal clear substance. She placed the cup on the nightstand, resuming her
place next to Zoicite.
The general sighed softly, smiling fondly at the girl next to him.
"Ever since then, she has lost much of that meek, submissive nature I so
hated and regained much of her self-confidence."
Ami gazed at her lover with adoring eyes, subtly slipping her hand into his.
"It is thanks to General Zoicite that I did not become a lifeless doll. He
treated me with kindness and courtesy when I believed I was to become a sex toy ..."
Zoicite unconsciously tightened his hold on her hand as Ami continued to
speak, showing no reaction, as if she was relating a possible solution to another
person as a part of an audience.
"... for another cruel master. He brought me to the palace, where I met
Makoto and the other generals. Ever since then, they have been like brothers and
sister to me. Endymion showed me acceptance and became my liege. I owe more than
just loyalty and faithfulness; I owe him my life and love. I perform the duties of
a healer not because it is required of my oath to serve him, but because I WANT to
serve him. I would willingly give my life for my friends here, and they would do
the same of them. I can never repay Zoicite for how he helped me."
Rei had listened intently as Ami spoke, but now she smirked.
"How exactly did he _help_ you, Ami-chan?"
Ami blushed swiftly, catching Rei's double entrendre. Since denial would
not work, she quickly tried to explain.
"Well, I help Zoicite plan battle strategies, and try to predict our
result with a game of chess. He plays the part of Endymion's army, and I try to
imitate the steps of our opponent, after we've extensively studied him or her,
of course. Zoicite was also kind enough to teach me of how to master my powers
over the three forms of water."
She pointed at a small bowl on the table which had previously held Rei's
soup, and Minako was amazed to see with fill with water. Ami waved her hand, and
the liquid condensed right before their eyes, becoming steam as it spread
comforting warmth throughout the room. Another wave, and the steam along with
the remaining water sped into Ami's hand where it formed itself into a spherical
ball of ice.
"Wow."
Minako breathed. Rei moved closer to Ami, a small fire carefully concealed
in her hand. Ami stared at the slowly melting ball in surprise, before she caught
the gentle heat and glow from Rei's closed fist. She smiled wickedly and asked Rei
in a deceptively calm voice:
"Rei, please open your fist. It reminds me too much of someone who's ready
to punch me."
The raven-haired girl guiltily opened her hand, the flame disappearing, but
shrieked in indignation as Ami threw water at her, incasing the hand in iron-hard ice.
She shook her hand violently, but the ice would not break. Finally losing her temper,
a fire flowing from her other hand broke the ice, her fingers blue.
"If you're going to play with fire, you'll get burnt."
Rei hissed, violet eyes glinting evilly.
"Stop Rei, that's enough."
Minako's calm voice broke through to Rei. She immediately obeyed, not wishing
to damage the princess's poor health anymore. In a more neutral voice, she asked the
healer:
"So how close are you two? After all, you've been together for over four
years now."
Ami smiled secretively at the strawberry-haired general, revealing a diamond
and sapphire ring on her left hand.
"We're to be married in August, one month from tomorrow."
Rei and Minako both congratulated them, as Ami explained the meaning of
the sapphire ring.
"That's Endymion's gift, to show that he approves of our marriage."
Rei thoughtfully complemented that.
"You know, he's not such a bad person as I first thought, though I can't say the
same for Jadeite."
Zoicite grinned slyly.
"Does that mean that you believed him to be nice when you first met him?"
Rei held up a hand, threatening to burn his ponytail off as she furiously
denied that claim. Ami just ignored them, asking Minako to sip the crystal liquid
she had brought. A muffled gagging sound caused both Rei and Zoicite to turn back
towards them. Minako's face was pulled into a grimace.
"That stuff is gross, Ami-chan."
The blue-haired healer sighed. Minako's choice of words was like that of
a five-year-old who had been told to eat his vegetables.
"You need it, though."
The blonde grumbled some more, and drank the rest of the foul medicine.
*Okay*, Ami thought to herself, *an obedient five-year-old.*
As Ami loosened the empty cup from Minako's hand, Rei gently helped the
princess to lie down. As soon as Minako's head touched the pillow, she fell asleep
again. Ami sighed, running a tired hand through her hair.
"She should be fine when she wakes up, but I would recommend that she
stay in bed for a couple more days. But Minako's has a strong spirit; I'm not sure
if she would agree to that."
Rei gave a curt nod.
"She'll stay in bed, even if I have to tie her down."
Zoicite agreed, and the three people continued their vigil as the sun
slowly rose in the sky, night becoming day again.
*******************************************
*Athena: the patron goddess of the city of Athens, she was the goddess of war and wisdom,
representing logic.
Sorry it took so long to post this chapter, but I hope it was worth the wait. Next chapter
will be more on Minako, Kunzite, Rei, and Jadeite. And you'll know what Jadeite wanted to
talk to Rei about.
Chapter 13
Ami's Story, Part 2
______________
Thirteenth part of Lord of Darkness.
Wow, I'm so happy I got so many reviews.
And yes, I do know it's been a while
since I updated, but school's been
driving me nuts. Whoever said senior
year with four AP classes and one
non-academic class is easy was 100%
lying! Even my junior year was easier.
Not to mention college applications and
all that twaddle that determines my
at-the-moment-not-so-bright future.
Oh yeah, and tests and quizzes that (even
my teachers agree) are ridiculously hard
and given within unreasonable time
restraints. But hey, welcome to the real
world. Enough ramble.
One more thing before we start -
To Kiwi Gal: You surprised me greatly
with your review. I didn't think anyone
would get that close to guessing who the
dress really belonged to. You deserve
an award for that. And that's why
I'm working in overdrive to get this
out.
* indicates thoughts
Anything not between // are present
time, and yes, this chapter starts out
in the present before moving back
into the past.
_____________
Lord of Darkness
Chapter 13
Ami's Story, Part 2
____________
Ami stopped her narrative for a moment, and her two
listeners waited with baited breath for her to continue. After
an immeasurable short amount of time which felt like an eternity
and more to Rei, Minako finally broke the silence.
"Ami, who did the dress belong to?"
The princess's voice was tentative, a little hesitant,
as if afraid to stir up painful memories. To Minako's surprise
and relief, Ami smiled, sharing a mischievous wink with Zoicite,
her blue eyes dancing with mirth. She shot a glance at her lover,
and the strawberry-blond haired general sighed in mock defeat,
raising his hands in surrender.
"Me."
He admitted, smiling a little sheepish. The raven-haired
girl's eyes grew as wide as saucers, and her blonde companion
seemed too shocked to speak.
"You?"
Rei whispered, her voice hushed, before her face split
into a sadistic grin.
"That was a lousy joke, Zoicite."
Ami shook her head, still smiling.
"You're right, Rei, that would be a lousy joke. But
fortunately, it happens to be the brilliant truth."
"But how is that possible?"
Before Ami could answer, Minako put a gentle hand on
Rei's arm.
"It's obvious, is it not? After all, it wouldn't make sense
if that dress belonged to anybody but General Zoicite. You only have
to look at him to know that it belongs to him."
The joint-third general looked at her a little worriedly.
*Is she delusional? How can a dress belonging to a guy be
reasonable to anyone?*
He broke himself out of his thought as Minako continued.
"Rei-chan, just look at his feminine features! Can't you
tell that he cross-dresses because he's transsexual?"
Zoicite sighed inwardly at the sweet yet sarcastic tone.
*Okay, maybe she's not feeling so bad after all.*
He turned to his lover.
"Ami, dear, why don't you continue with the story? Maybe then
they'll understand?"
The healer nodded slightly, even though her face clearly expressed
that she'd much rather keep her audience in confusion, and found it quite
entertaining. She glared at Zoicite for the briefest instant, daring him
to call her 'dear' again (A.N. Didn't expect that from Ami, did ya?) in
front of others before she picked up the storyline again.
// (Ami)
"The dress belongs to me, Ami."
Ami stared at him, a hand moving automatically to cover her gaping
mouth.
"But, sir, I thought you were male!"
A moment of silence followed before the slave dropped to her knees
again, as if understanding that she'd overstepped her boundaries.
"Forgive me, master."
Zoicite rolled his leaf-green eyes in exasperation.
"For the last time, Ami, I have a name. From now on, I command you to use
it."
"Yes, mas-Zoicite-sama."
He brought himself to her eye-level, raising her eyes to meet his. She
visibly flinched as if he'd struck her.
"Ami, let's make a few things clear. Never kneel before me; I can't stand
it when people act so submissive. And also, don't apologize for something you
didn't do wrong."
He raised her to her feet, and motioned her to sit. She obeyed automatically,
still too shocked to think properly.
"All right. I suppose the most pressing question you have now is why I
wear a dress when I'm clearly male. Well, I'm a rather high-profile person, and
sometimes it's a pain not to be able to go anywhere without random people
stopping me and asking for favors. The dress is a camouflage. I thought about
using peasant clothes before, but how do you explain to the servants why a
peasant stepped out of my room? But Terran Rule 794 states that 'no servant
may demand the explanation of the female companionship a man may keep.' So
that's the only way I can sneak out. Of course, the prince and my fellow generals
know this little secret."
Ami had appeared a little calmer as she listened to his explanation.
A small grin curved her lips as she suddenly thought of something.
"You should smile more, Ami. It suits you."
"Thank you, my lord. But - if I may be so bold - how do your fellow
generals react to the fact that you wear female clothing?"
Zoicite shrugged.
"They'd probably laugh me out of this galaxy if they didn't do something
like that themselves. General Jadeite uses the disguise of a bellboy, General
Nephrite becomes a chambermaid, and General Kunzite - the day he clothes himself
in anything remotely feminine is the day I die of a heart attack - as a bodyguard.
For himself, though."
//
By the mention of General Kunzite's name, a quick grimace of pain flashed
across the princess's flawless face before being submerged by indifference. Rei
shot Ami a warning glance, unnoticed by anyone else. The blue-haired healer nudged
Zoicite gently, silently asking him to continue the story as she slipped out of
the room.
// (Zoicite)
Ami smiled again, as Zoicite watched her with interest. A sudden thought
occurred to him, and he decided to test his new slave's intelligence. Granted,
she was very pretty, but did this blue-haired angel also have brains to match
her looks?
"Ami. Have you heard of a game called chess?"
The young girl's sapphire eyes sparkled with excitement as she nodded
her head.
"Yes, Zoicite-sama."
"Do you know how to play?"
Ami hesitated, and agreed affirmatively.
"A little."
Zoicite grinned. He clapped his hands, and a maid suddenly appeared,
seemingly out of nowhere, placing a small table in front of them with a
chess board.
"Pick a color."
Ami studied the board a moment, recalling the rules she had been taught
as a small child.
"Black."
She answered.
Zoicite turned the board, so that he was facing the black pieces, and
immediately moved into an offensive strategy. She countered him move for move,
not only blocking his advances but also nearly rendering him helpless. His
earlier resolve to go easy on her quickly disappeared as she took piece after
piece, putting his almost-lone-sovereign in check more times than he'd like to
remember. As she gazed at the white king, surrounded by his remaining protectors,
Zoicite was amazed to detect a hard glint in her eyes as a tiny smirk curved
her lips. It seemed that Ami's gentle exterior hid a diamond-hard mind. Zoicite
smiled, glad that she had forgotten that he was there, and was solely concentrating
on the game.
"Checkmate."
She whispered softly, a satisfied expression on her face. He realized
that to her, he was no longer master nor general, only an faceless, nameless
opponent she was determined to defeat.
When he didn't immediately respond (still recovering from the shock of
a peasant girl claiming to know only 'a little' of the game being able to
beat him so ruthlessly), Ami raised her eyes to meet his. Zoicite was once
again surprised by the variety of expression flashing across her face. Triumph,
shock, indecision, pain, fear, indifference, before being replaced by that
hated mask of indifference and submissiveness.
"Zoicite-sama, I apologize."
The strawberry-haired general thought a entire string of curses, growling
that the young, self-confident woman a second ago had turned back into the meek slave
girl, resisting the overwhelming temptation to rip his hair out. Taking a deep breath,
he counted quietly to ten, willing the intense anger to disappear.
"What are you apologizing for, Ami?"
"Zoicite-sama, it was wrong of me to win. I promise it won't happen again."
"Ami, the point of chess is to try to checkmate your opponent. If you intend
to lose on purpose, why in the name of Athena* would I ask you to play?"
Ami shifted uncomfortably. Her voice was barely audible as she spoke.
"Some masters wish their slaves to lose at playing games with them."
Zoicite stared at her in confusion.
"Why?"
Her voice was even quieter than before.
"Because then they can either punish their slaves for losing, justifying that
they are not worthy to serve their master, or penalize them for winning, classifying
it as an act of rebellion and disrespect."
Her answer made Zoicite want to commit suicide just so he could go to hell and
kill the man who came up with the idea of slavery a second time, horribly.
"Stop it, Ami. I'm not your master, and I most certainly will not punish you
over something you had no control over. I am, however, delighted that you beat me."
The girl raised her head slowly, her eyes wide.
"You are ... not angry?"
Zoicite laughed.
"Of course not, Ami. I'm proud of you. You're the only person who has been able
to defeat me in a game of chess. I've never met a woman who had a integrity to match
her breath-taking beauty."
Ami blushed scarlet.
//
Zoicite paused for a moment as Ami reappeared in her room, carrying a steaming
cup of crystal clear substance. She placed the cup on the nightstand, resuming her
place next to Zoicite.
The general sighed softly, smiling fondly at the girl next to him.
"Ever since then, she has lost much of that meek, submissive nature I so
hated and regained much of her self-confidence."
Ami gazed at her lover with adoring eyes, subtly slipping her hand into his.
"It is thanks to General Zoicite that I did not become a lifeless doll. He
treated me with kindness and courtesy when I believed I was to become a sex toy ..."
Zoicite unconsciously tightened his hold on her hand as Ami continued to
speak, showing no reaction, as if she was relating a possible solution to another
person as a part of an audience.
"... for another cruel master. He brought me to the palace, where I met
Makoto and the other generals. Ever since then, they have been like brothers and
sister to me. Endymion showed me acceptance and became my liege. I owe more than
just loyalty and faithfulness; I owe him my life and love. I perform the duties of
a healer not because it is required of my oath to serve him, but because I WANT to
serve him. I would willingly give my life for my friends here, and they would do
the same of them. I can never repay Zoicite for how he helped me."
Rei had listened intently as Ami spoke, but now she smirked.
"How exactly did he _help_ you, Ami-chan?"
Ami blushed swiftly, catching Rei's double entrendre. Since denial would
not work, she quickly tried to explain.
"Well, I help Zoicite plan battle strategies, and try to predict our
result with a game of chess. He plays the part of Endymion's army, and I try to
imitate the steps of our opponent, after we've extensively studied him or her,
of course. Zoicite was also kind enough to teach me of how to master my powers
over the three forms of water."
She pointed at a small bowl on the table which had previously held Rei's
soup, and Minako was amazed to see with fill with water. Ami waved her hand, and
the liquid condensed right before their eyes, becoming steam as it spread
comforting warmth throughout the room. Another wave, and the steam along with
the remaining water sped into Ami's hand where it formed itself into a spherical
ball of ice.
"Wow."
Minako breathed. Rei moved closer to Ami, a small fire carefully concealed
in her hand. Ami stared at the slowly melting ball in surprise, before she caught
the gentle heat and glow from Rei's closed fist. She smiled wickedly and asked Rei
in a deceptively calm voice:
"Rei, please open your fist. It reminds me too much of someone who's ready
to punch me."
The raven-haired girl guiltily opened her hand, the flame disappearing, but
shrieked in indignation as Ami threw water at her, incasing the hand in iron-hard ice.
She shook her hand violently, but the ice would not break. Finally losing her temper,
a fire flowing from her other hand broke the ice, her fingers blue.
"If you're going to play with fire, you'll get burnt."
Rei hissed, violet eyes glinting evilly.
"Stop Rei, that's enough."
Minako's calm voice broke through to Rei. She immediately obeyed, not wishing
to damage the princess's poor health anymore. In a more neutral voice, she asked the
healer:
"So how close are you two? After all, you've been together for over four
years now."
Ami smiled secretively at the strawberry-haired general, revealing a diamond
and sapphire ring on her left hand.
"We're to be married in August, one month from tomorrow."
Rei and Minako both congratulated them, as Ami explained the meaning of
the sapphire ring.
"That's Endymion's gift, to show that he approves of our marriage."
Rei thoughtfully complemented that.
"You know, he's not such a bad person as I first thought, though I can't say the
same for Jadeite."
Zoicite grinned slyly.
"Does that mean that you believed him to be nice when you first met him?"
Rei held up a hand, threatening to burn his ponytail off as she furiously
denied that claim. Ami just ignored them, asking Minako to sip the crystal liquid
she had brought. A muffled gagging sound caused both Rei and Zoicite to turn back
towards them. Minako's face was pulled into a grimace.
"That stuff is gross, Ami-chan."
The blue-haired healer sighed. Minako's choice of words was like that of
a five-year-old who had been told to eat his vegetables.
"You need it, though."
The blonde grumbled some more, and drank the rest of the foul medicine.
*Okay*, Ami thought to herself, *an obedient five-year-old.*
As Ami loosened the empty cup from Minako's hand, Rei gently helped the
princess to lie down. As soon as Minako's head touched the pillow, she fell asleep
again. Ami sighed, running a tired hand through her hair.
"She should be fine when she wakes up, but I would recommend that she
stay in bed for a couple more days. But Minako's has a strong spirit; I'm not sure
if she would agree to that."
Rei gave a curt nod.
"She'll stay in bed, even if I have to tie her down."
Zoicite agreed, and the three people continued their vigil as the sun
slowly rose in the sky, night becoming day again.
*******************************************
*Athena: the patron goddess of the city of Athens, she was the goddess of war and wisdom,
representing logic.
Sorry it took so long to post this chapter, but I hope it was worth the wait. Next chapter
will be more on Minako, Kunzite, Rei, and Jadeite. And you'll know what Jadeite wanted to
talk to Rei about.