Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.

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"SO...anything new with you?"

Ami nearly jumped out of her skin when Zoisite's voice sneaked out of the shadows of the niche besides her. She placed a had over her racing heart than shook her head. "You're either going to give me grey hairs or a heart attack..."

"And you gotta learn not to be so jumpy. You draw anybody's attention when you jump like that."

Ami grumbled to herself mentally but didn't comment and went back to scrubbing the walls. That Zoisite...always trying to get the better of her-!

"Well, Ami, anything new?"

Not bothering to stop her scrubbing she reached into her shirt and withdrew a thick looking envelope. "Urawa sent this to me."

"Ahh, so how is our stable master these days? Gotten any better at kissing, Ami?" his voice was cheeky and made her want to snap at him. Her eyes narrowed and before she could stop herself her words slipped out.

"Well, at least he's good atkissing!" she snapped. "You ...kiss like a horse!"

There was an instant silence before he talked again. "Ah, Ami, and here I thought you didn't want to talk about the time you jumped me."

"I-I was drunk!" she spluttered. "I couldn't control my actions."

"Oh, Ami dear, you and I know you weren't that drunk." he chuckled and slid away from the niche out the window of the first floor. Ami spluttered and nearly growled at him.

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Usagi sat in one of the gardens, during her lunch break, staring at the locket in her hands as she hummed a tune. As she sat by the fountain surrounded by flowers, she simply sat there looking at the locket.

"So, Usagi," She started slightly in surprise at his voice. "Where are you from?"

Pressing it close to her heart, she sighed. She looked back to the fountain and murmured a question. "Mother? What would you say if you saw me like this now..."

"Well, you make a fine maid so I don't suppose she'll be to upset with you."

Usagi blinked and whipped around. To her delight, she found Nephlite standing on the path in front of her. "Nephlite!" she laughed and hugged him. "I haven't seen you in weeks!"

He laughed and patted her head. "It's only been two weeks, Usagi..."

She waved her hand in a flippatity matter. "Never mind, what are you doing here?"

He grinned down at her. "Me? I'm a royal astrologer."

"Really!" gasped Usagi excitedly.

"Yes, but don't go around telling a lot of people."

"Why?" she asked but then slapped her forehead. "Right, spy..."

"That and I'd have a bunch of people asking me to doing a reading for them and such." he pipped. Then a bead of sweat ran down his forehead at the look on her face. "But of course I'll do a horoscope for you."

She cheered joyfully.

"Alright, when were you born?"

"I was born sixteen years ago."

"Ah, alright, what day and month were you born?"

"June 30th."

He grinned. "Alright then." He closed his eyes and straightened leaning back a bit and a mystical air seem to flow over him as he hummed a bit. "You are...loyal, reserved but not unfriendly...and you prefer your day dreams...to reality..."

She laughed as he slouched a little once again returning to his relaxed posture. "Dead on, I must admit!" He shook his head.

"THAT was nothing. If I had my star charts and telescope, then I could really show you something." he chuckled, amused. "So what are you doing here, Usagi?"

"Lunch break! But...well, really nothing at all." she sighed then brightened. "Hey, would you like to come with me and met my friend?"

"'Friend?'" he echoed then smiled. "Any friend of your's is a friend of mine. Let's go see this friend."

She laughed, grabbed his hand, and pulled with along as they left the garden and headed along through the corridor. Nephlite raised a brow and chuckled at her excited face.

"Eager for me to meet your friend or just anxious to see them?"

"Both!" she laughed and he couldn't help but laugh too.

"Ah, alright, so who is this friend of your's?"

"Oh, he's really nice-"

"Ah, a male. Continue."

"Yes, a man. He's nice and funny and brave and-I'm sure you'll like him!" she babbled happily. Nephlite raised a brow.

"Brave too, eh?"

"He saved me!"

Nephlite stopped dead in his tracks causing her to jerk to a stop. She turned and pouted at him.

"What?"

"He SAVED you?" he repeated, shocked.

"Oh, it was an accident-I was heading to the stables, horse got loose, charged in my direction and he pushed me out of the way!" she gushed. "He's a bit of a prat, but he IS really nice!"

Nephlite's expression softened. "Undoubtly. Pushed you out of the way of a charging horse, eh? NICE is the least that can be said of that. So shall we continue; I must met this man." Usagi's face light up and went back to tugging him along. They quickly left the twisting hallways and corridors to find themselves outside across from the stables.

Usagi pulled him along heading to a large corral. Around the corral, men gathered about shouting and cheering as a man rode a bucking horse. Usagi gasped, dropped his hand, and ran to the corral. "WHAT'S GOING ON!" she shouted over the ruckus to one of the men while Nephlite padded over.

"MAMORU'S BREAKING THE HORSE!" shouted the man back.

"WHY!"

"IT'S WILD-YOU GOTTA BREAK IT FIRST BEFORE RIDING IT!"

Nephlite ignored the others and watched the man on the horse-in fact, he hadn't paid attention in the least. He was a Zojotentian Rider for Yu Huang's sake-this wasn't the first time he had seen this done. He couldn't quite catch the man's face as the bronc kicked up dust and his headdress hid his face.

The horse gave a magnificent jump and the man went flying. Before anyone could stop her, Usagi had hopped the fence-no easy feat in itself but she was determined and would not be stopped by some paltry barrier-and had rushed to the man's side. With a yell, nearly every man clambered over the fence, lassoing and subduing the horse and racing towards the man and Usagi's side.

Nephlite had remained rooted to where he was-he had had the knowledge hammered into him as a youth to not jump in a corral with a bucking bronc. For one thing, he would only get in the way-Nephlite could ride a horse frontward, backward, and sideways but even he shied from a wild, untamed horse. He simply knew better than that.

That didn't keep him from worrying about his friend. He waited til he saw her pulling the man up before exhaling the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. He heard her scolding the man and saw the man walk a little lopsided.

Usagi helped the man wobble over to the fence. "What were you thinking riding that horse!"

The man took a deep swig from a waterskin before talking back. "My job." he huffed drily. "What were you think jumping in here with that horse loose?"

She glared and huffed. "Well, are you at least alright."

He gave her a two finger salute. "Right as rain, Usako."

Nephlite raised his brows at the affectionate pet name. "Don't call me that!"

"Usako." sang song the man.

"Ahh! Fine, Mamo-chan!"

Nephlite's mouth fair fell open with that comment. A couple loud guffaws came from the men around them. The man grinned and patted her head. "Alright, I'm Mamo-chan, and you're Usako."

"You. Are. IMPOSSIBLE!" she shouted at him. He grinned and turned to Nephlite. They both stiffened as they recognized each other. Usagi raised a brow. "Do you two know each other?"

Mamoru recovered nicely. "He's the chief astrologer of the Skeit. Who doesn't know him?"

Usagi rolled her eyes but smiled. "Bah. And here I wanted to surprise you both but you two already know each other." Mamoru grinned at her.

"Oh, but Usako, it is a surprise."

"I must admit I hadn't suspected you to befriend Mamoru, Usagi." chuckled Nephlite. "By the way, Usagi, when does your lunch break end?"

Usagi scrunched her face up in thought and then yelped. "Oh no!" she gasped and raced into the palace as the men behind her burst into laughter.

Nephlite turned to Mamoru. "We need to talk."

---------------

"So...how did you two meet?" asked Nephlite, standing next to Mamoru as he pitched hay into a horse's stall. "Is it true then you saved her from a horse?"

Mamoru shrugged. "She was just standing there-I couldn't just let her get killed."

"Mamoru?"

"Yes."

"Usako?"

He laughed. "It's just a pet name!" he leaned against the pitch fork. "So how are you and Usagi friends?"

"Mamoru...she's one of our spies."

Silence reigned as Mamoru's eyes widened. He looked so shocked that it made Nephlite feel queasy for him. "Oh." Quickly, he turned and began to pitch hay at a feverish pace into the stalls-stalls that didn't even house horses currently. "...I want her removed."

"Why? She's pretty useful." commented Nephlite through half hooded eyes.

"She's too young for this!"

"She's sixteen-she's old enough to marry if she wants." he pointed out and then smiled. "You like her, don't you?"

"Get. Her. Out. Of. Here. Now." he hissed. Nephlite's eyes widened.

"Oh. You REALLY like her." He stood in dumbfounded silence as Mamoru said nothing to deny it. "...I won't let Kunzite remove her."

Mamoru turned to him so fast that the pitch fork nearly nicked his nose as he swung about. "Neplite-"

"She IS useful." murmured Nephlite. "Besides, she knows too much already. We'd have to kill her, you know that."

Mamoru grumbled and went back to work. Nephlite smiled reassuringly.

"She is useful, but not in any danger at the moment-the moment she is though, we'll have her carted out of her so fast, the wind will have to race to catch up with her."

"See to it then." huffed Mamoru. Nephlite's eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Don't worry, I won't tell Kunzite."

"You are nearly as bad as Zoisite with your teasing."

"Oh, surely I'm twice as bad at times."

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"I'm a bird trapped in this beautiful cage of jewels and royalty."

She had always thought that that statement would always ring true.

"A bird may still use it's beak to destroy the lock holding it there."

But she wanted oh, so desperately to be true.

Minako sat upon her cushions, veils tossed to the side. She glared at the jalis, the cage that was holding her there with it's simple boundaries. She looked out into the courtyard, right outside, right where it had happened. Where she had met him.

"A bird may still use it's beak to destroy the lock holding it there."

Finally, a tension that had been building in Minako since she was born snapped. She hated this hidden life, barred from the freedom of the open air.

She wanted out.

She stood up and stalked to the jalis doors. She gripped the door knobs and swung the doors open.

For one pure, blissful moment everything seemed to ring truer. The sky was bluer, the air was fresher, and everything just seemed better. She smiled and sucked in a deep breath. She grinned and looked across the courtyard.

For the first time in her life, Aphrodite Minako the Third of the Aino Line swore.

"Shit."

Across from her, in the courtyard, stood a rather shocked look of nobles.

In the front stood the Skeit Diamond himself, glowering at her.

(pants) DONE! This chapter took forever!

whitey9h-A VERY good question in deed. XD

Megan Consoer-Heard ya. Here's more.

Serenathy-Actually, they'd be in big trouble if they had gotten caught. Him and a possible wife to the Skeit meeting unchaperoned? BAD. Very bad. You'll see what I mean soon. And...it's hard to explain...it's like she's just grateful for him...just being him. The stables are in the palace's gates but it's out in a courtyard. An assassin, eh? X3

Friends1004-Okay, you addict, here's your fix. Usagi's secrets guard themselves better than I thought.

Sapphire Midnight-Hee, I'm glad you liked it, I was kinda worried. Looks like Mamoru just found out and Nephy isn't going to tattle on him... But that's not to say that Kunz isn't going to find out though. Right now, the person to be worried about is Minako. More M/K next chapter! And then...Usagi's story is going to pick up. I see the ending not too far in sight...