Swishing was the only sound in the room besides the occasional muttering of Minako when she figured out a new security risk. She and Rei were bent over a list of guests and the layout for the ballroom.
"Rei, give it a break! If you still haven't found any in the next five minutes, you and Minako need to relax," Serenity ordered, her tone exasperated yet tolerant.
"Hai," Rei grumbled, looking at her princess, who was innocently smiling at her. She looked over the plans but was thwarted as there were no more apparent threats. She turned and stuck her tongue out at her princess who did the same, smirking at her best friend.
The herald came into the room to notify them of the order in which they were to enter. They nodded and began to talk about the next day, completely ignoring the ball, which no one wanted to talk about.
"Her Royal Highness, Princess Setsuna of Pluto!" Setsuna walked down the stair slowly, her greenish-black dress swishing as she descended the stairs. The golden circlet on her head glimmered and the green-tinted jet in the strands of gold that wound from her circlet all the way around her hair, ending in a large gem at the end of her hair glinted in the light. She took Daiki's arm as he offered it and swept onto the ballroom floor to await her princess.
"Her Royal Highness, Princess Hotaru of Saturn!" Hotaru daintily stepped down the stairs, her amethyst dress shining. Her silver circlet held 5 strands of silver and amethyst, 4 draped from one side to the other and one hanging straight down from the back. She accepted Koichi's arm and followed Setsuna's lead.
"Their Royal Highnesses, Princesses Haruka of Uranus and Michiru of Neptune!" They cut an elegant figure, Haruka in her navy suit with a gold circlet and her lapis lazuli chains arranged like Hotaru's and Michiru in a stunning spaghetti strap aquamarine dress that draped to her feet. The delicate silver circle on her head held in place the lengths of silver and aquamarine that draped around her hair like they had in Setsuna's hair.
"Her Royal Highness, Princess Ami of Mercury!" Her floor-length sapphire dress flowed down from its straps like a waterfall, making her dress look like it was constantly moving even when she was not in motion. Her silver circlet was of the same design as Hotaru's and Haruka's and the sapphires were in many different shades of blue. She ignored the male admirers and glided to Zoicite who stood at the edge of the dance floor, waiting for her.
"Her Royal Highness, Princess Rei of Mars!" The red of her dress blazed against the white of the doors, the one strap across her chest laced with purple. Her silver and ruby chains twined around her hair, ending like Setsuna's with one large jewel. She glowered down upon all the men but her gaze softened as the group parted for Jadeite to approach her.
"Her Royal Highness, Princess Makoto of Jupiter!" Makoto walked quickly and efficiently down the long staircase, her emerald dress making no noise. The crown that graced her brow was golden, tethering her hair accents to her head. As soon as she stepped off the last step, Nephrite grabbed her possessively and steered her to the dance floor.
"Her Royal Highness, Princess Minako of Venus!" Suffice to say, the strapless orange dress was stunning and the gold and topaz were a beautiful combination. However, there was no crowd at the bottom for her as Kunzite's dangerous stare kept all males but him away as she made her way down the steps.
"Her Most Royal Highness, Princess Serenity of the Moon!" Silver and white it seemed, would be the fashion at the next ball as everyone oohed and ahhed at the draping of the dress around her slender legs and curvaceous figure. She stared regally down her nose at everybody, but winked at Endymion as he waited patiently for her at the bottom of the stairs and allowed him to whirl her to the center of the floor.
As the music began, the royalty danced for the first few bars before others joined in, transforming the floor into a kaleidoscope of colors. They whirled gently through the first song until they got to a second, faster song when all but the fittest couples remained. Most dropped out halfway, leaving only the original couples to finish the exhilarating dance to thunderous applause. After a few more dances, they pleaded exhaustion and found their own little corners to talk.
Rei and Jadeite, Ami and Zoicite, and Makoto and Nephrite went onto the balcony while Minako and Kunzite took the first watch over their prince and princess. The cool night air stimulated them quickly enough but they stayed outside to escape the heat of the ballroom.
Zoicite and Ami leaned on the rail, Zoicite trying not to notice the way her dress pulled tight around her dress and how pink her lips were. He tried to keep his eyes on her face but looked away after thinking about how nice it would be to kiss that pale skin. When he tried to look at her hands, he thought about the same thing again. He finally gave up and listened to her pointing out the scenery.
When Zoicite finally got over himself and approached Ami to kiss her, she was fine until the very last moment when she pulled away, blushing furiously. He noticed the way her hands twisted nervously and the way she darted glances at her fellow Senshi.
"Is it too public here?" he asked, his eyes fixed on her face and his voice low, meant for her ears only. She nodded shamefacedly, her eyes fixed on the floor.
"Come with me then," he said, his eyes pleading with her before she finally gave up and allowed him to lead her. They quickly made their way through the ballroom and slipped out a secret entrance. Ami followed Zoicite to a door that she recognized as his from the time she had taken him there.
She darted through the door, leaving him to close the door behind them.
"Now, where were we?" he asked in a quiet voice, approaching her as she stood in the centre of the room. She unexpectedly made the first move, looping her arms around his neck and pulling his face down to hers. Her lips were just as soft as he had imagined, perhaps even softer. When they finally broke apart, it was not for lack of air but the need to see each other's faces.
"You did that on purpose, just to get me her," Zoicite realized, his green eyes going wide as he focused on her face. She just grinned and pulled him down for another kiss.
"People will talk, Ami," he warned her as he lay down on the sofa and she lay next to him.
"It's not like we did anything," Ami said, giggling as he kissed the top of her head. "I don't care what people say. I'm just happy to be near you."
"Ami just used one of her most favorite tricks," Rei murmured to Jadeite. "She pretends to be innocent and shy and she can manipulate people into doing almost anything. However, this is the first time she's used it on a man. She must really love him. She's never even been out of our sight with a man besides one of our friends who's already taken."
"Amazing," he whispered back. "What say we follow their example?"
"Well, maybe," Rei considered, appearing to be deep in thought. "Do I get a choice in the matter at all?"
"Probably not," Jadeite said, wrapping his arms around her and teleporting both of them straight into his room. He released her only after capturing her lips as she struggled to tell him off before finally surrendering to his kiss in a burst of fiery passion.
Next chapter: We see the last of the ball and the last of the couplings. Sorry about the shortness.