A/N- Here's the next chapter for you! Here's where things start to happen, folks, so let me know what you think. Thanks to Filmmaker1690 and Nyght Musique for reviewing last chapter, and I hope everyone enjoys! Next chapter will be Zane's perspective on things, so you will get to find out just what he's thinking, I promise. Happy reading.
Liari
When they got to the fair at about ten-ish, it was in full swing. People were everywhere in noisy, happy abundance. The air was laden with scents from the fair food to the ocean breeze, and full of the sound of vendors, laughter, and tinkling music. The entire scene was a riot of colors; the bright hues of tents and awnings, the vibrant shades of toys and prizes, the rainbow of the clothes on the people themselves. It looked fantastic. The women all grinned at each other; this was going to be fun.
"Okay, guys, in case we get split up, let's meet back here by the ice cream stand in two hours,. We all have our cells, but just in case someone doesn't pick up her phone, we have a plan. All right?" Four pairs of eyes turned to a blushing blonde trying very hard to pretend that Makoto wasn't talking about her and her phone habits.
"What?" Usagi muttered, "Sometimes I just don't hear it.. That's not my fault!" She played with the corner of her white jacket and looked embarrassed.
Rei laughed at her. "That's what vibrate is for, Usa. Put your phone in your jeans, that way you'll feel it."
Minako slanted a sly glance at Rei, a smile lurking around her lips. "That's not all vibrate is for, Rei, or has Jad not gotten to that yet?"
While the crimson-clad Rei spluttered and turned as red as her shirt the others laughed, and Usagi snagged Makoto and ran off towards the food booths. "C'mon, Mako! Let's go see if they have anything that can compare to your cooking!" Makoto was dragged off laughing, the end of her scarf trailing behind her in a banner of viridian.
Minako grabbed Rei's hand as she spoke. "All right, firecracker, we're gonna go check out some of that jewelry and talk about the finer points of phones." Rei glanced helplessly back at Ami, her gaze beseeching, but the blue-eyed woman had already turned her attention elsewhere. Minako got her way as she shuffled Rei over to the jewelry vendors, and called to Ami over her shoulder, "Wanna come, Ames?"
Ami shook her head, and answered, "No thanks, Mina, Rei, I'll catch up to you later." She had caught a tantalizing ghost of a note, the sound barely there through the clamor of everything around her. She rotated slowly as she tried to locate it and strained her ears for another hint. There! She set off in the direction the wisp of sound came from, the sound of her boots on the pavement a determined clack clack!
The crowd parted briefly, and she saw what she was looking for. There he was, with his eyes closed, looking as if there was nothing else in the world but himself and his music. Ami smiled and made her way to his booth, happy to lean on the table that held all the different pipes as he played. The melody wrapped around her, haunting notes that sang of a sweet sadness she knew too well. Her own eyes closed as she listened, lost in the worlds he created.
"Good, isn't he?"
Ami nearly shrieked at the voice as it murmured into her ear. She snapped her head around, azure eyes wide, to stare at the owner of that voice. It was a man, taller than she was but not towering. His blond hair was pulled back a bit harshly, but the little locks that escaped and curled against his face and gave him a softer look. His clothing was on par with everyone else here, jeans and a shirt, but the emerald green of his shirt set him a bit apart, and the silky material it was made of just begged to be touched. The top three buttons were undone, and exposed his collar bone rather enticingly… Ami's eyes widened further at that thought, and she abruptly stopped looking, turned her attention instead back to the man playing. "Yes, he is," She shot him a look from the corner of her eye, measuredly. "You startled me."
His answering grin did nothing to soothe her. Of course, it probably didn't help that it also sent pangs of something that felt suspiciously like lust shooting through her…nor that she just discovered that his eyes were as green as his shirt. Then she frowned. Wait, she- …lost her train of thought as he replied. Dammit.
"Sorry." He didn't look sorry. "I didn't mean to scare you, it's just that you looked so peaceful there, listening to him, and he really is good." He grinned again, and she firmly squashed the errant half-formed idea of how to get that grin off his face. That kind of thing was unacceptable in a public place…and she had no business thinking such things about a stranger. Though for some reason he seemed familiar… That was it!
"Ah!" Her exclamation made him jump and stare at her. She gave him her own gamine grin as he glared, and beamed at him triumphantly. "I know you! You're Jad's friend, Zeke, or Zach, or something."
He sulked for a moment, and shoved his hands in his pockets as he scowled. "It's Zane, actually, Zane Aestus."
She almost laughed at his expression, but decided that might be a little over the top, so merely allowed herself a slight smile. They'd actually met just a bit ago at one of the wedding planning parties. Jad had dragged him along to help, and he had immediately hit it off with all the guys. In fact, if she remembered correctly, he was even one of the groomsmen now. She extended her hand, feeling much more inclined towards amiability now. "I'm Ami Mizuno; I met you briefly about a week ago at one of the wedding parties," She shrugged. "You probably don't remember me, we were all pretty busy."
He studied her for a moment, and she felt her smile start to falter under his scrutiny. He didn't even take her hand. She knew she was a bit forgettable, but did he really have to look at her like that? It was so intense. She dropped her hand back to her side, and when he spoke again she shivered a little at something in his voice. It sounded…husky. That was the only way she could think of to describe that note in his voice, the slight deepening of his words.
"I remember you. Though apparently I didn't make as much of an impression as I would've thought."
She laughed nervously, and tried to change the subject. "What are you doing here, anyway? I thought all you guys were going somewhere for a break, same as us." She ran a hand through her hair absently as she wondered if he had decided not to go.
"Oh, we did. In fact, we're still here."
He had his grin back, to her chagrin. Then what he said actually registered. "Wait, you mean that all of you are here?" The irony of it made her laugh, which got a strange look from him. She felt compelled to explain. "I think it's funny. We go on breaks to get away from the wedding and just spend time with our friends, and it turns out that we all picked the same place to go. Usagi and the girls have probably already found their other halves." She smiled to herself as she thought of them all. They were such good matches.
When Makoto first started her restaurant she worked the counter as well as the kitchen, and met Naoki Hoshikawa, an astronomy teacher at the local college that most of her customers came from. Naoki kept coming for lunch, captivated as much by the purveyor as the provender. They'd been dating for over two years now, and were supremely content.
Rei, on the other hand, had a rather explosive relationship with Jadrick Fulsi that had been on again, off again, and on again for the better part of three years. They'd first clashed when Rei sold a song to a band that claimed the American as their agent. The band loved it; Jad hated it. That song started it all; the volatile nature of their passion still ran hot, but had turned from despise to desire. Ironically, the song's name was Hearts Aflame. Ami stilled laughed when she thought about it.
Kenta Kiyoe was a lawyer of the highest degree. When Mamoru's editing company had hired him as legal council, he had become a good friend, fitting into their inner circle without a hitch…or at least, not much of one. Fascinated by a certain blonde, he had been one of the lead investors in Love's Design when it had started, which had placed him exactly where he wanted; in near daily contact with the woman of his desires. Ami happened to know that Kenta intended to propose on Valentine's Day this year.
She shook off her distraction and returned her attention to the man in front of her. She immediately regretted that as she was captivated by the beginnings of laugh lines at the corners of those bottle-green eyes. Stop it! She scolded herself. You've seen other gorgeous men, in fact you're friends with four you can think of off the bat, so what makes him so special?
He smiled and started to answer, but a nearby shriek cut him off. "AMI! Ami, look who's here! Mamo and all the guys are renting a cabin just a little bit away from here, isn't that wonderful?" Usagi bounded over, her bemused fiancé in tow and the rest of the group straggling behind, the three other couples looking amused at her antics. "I can't believe that we're all in the same place! I mean, we've all been to your place before, but I didn't know that Mamo liked it so much here that he would choose it to get away to like us!"
As Ami tried to make sense of that sentence, Rei saw Zane and exclaimed, "Zane! There you are, it's so good to see you!" Rei stepped up to the man and hugged him, an affection he returned with a warm smile for both her and her boyfriend.
Jad stood and grinned at him, sparkling blue eyes cheery. "Lost your way or found it, Zane Shui?"
The scowl Zane shot at Jad should have fried him on the spot. As it was, Jad just laughed at him. Ami quirked a brow, curious about the nickname, even if she didn't understand what Jad was teasing him about. "Zane Shui? Dare I ask?"
Jad aimed his grin in her direction, and Rei giggled from beside Zane, who crossed his arms over his chest and refused to speak. Rei glanced at him, then snickered. She poked his side, making him jump, and informed him, "If you don't tell her, we will."
Zane's scowl deepened, and he turned to Ami brusquely. "I'm an architect. At one point, I had a client who was very…interested in Asian influence, and wanted her house built to accommodate that interest. Every room had to have the proper feng shui, and I was a little, well, frustrated, since her designs and the laws of physics didn't really go together. Jad likes to remind me of this. Constantly."
Luckily, at that point the rest of the group interrupted, Mamoru and Makoto herding everyone towards the café set up nearby before Zane had a chance to get his hands on Jad. In the shuffle Ami ended up next to Naoki, Mako's chestnut-haired amour. She smiled up at him in greeting, and gave him a quick hug on the move. Naoki and she had a good friendship, and they could talk for hours about the stars, his favorite subject other than Makoto, and just about everything else. He squeezed her back and gave her a fond look before releasing her.
"Hey, Ames. How're you enjoying the free time so far?" His wide, soulful brown eyes crinkled at the corners with the question, his smile sincere.
She wrinkled her nose at him and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "What free time? So far it's been activity after activity!" she laughed, inviting him to share the moment. "I'm looking forward to this afternoon, when all we have planned is relaxing on the beach." She shrugged, then sparkled at him. "Though I do admit, it's a lot of fun being with the girls like this. It's been a while since we were all together with just us, you know?"
The slightly wistful way she said it didn't escape Naoki, and he tucked her against his side companionably, slinging his arm around her shoulders. "True… Us guys have taken up most of their time, haven't we? Sorry about that, Ames, you know you're always welcome, though, right?"
She leaned into him, glad of the comfort and understanding he offered. "Yeah, I know, Naoki, but sometimes I feel like a fifth wheel. You know I like you, all of you, but between careers and relationships, every now and then, it's like I've been left behind." She sighed, then shrugged again. "But, it's okay. I'm glad we're all making it."
He smiled, and nodded. "Yeah. And you're too sweet not to find somebody, Ami. If I was single…"
He waggled his eyebrows at her comically and made her laugh. She swatted at him with a giggle, and gave him another hug before moving away again. "Thanks, stargazer. Even if you are lying through your teeth," she teased him, grateful that she had the friends she did. He just flashed his teeth at her jokingly, then went to join his girlfriend as she shooed them all to a table that would seat everybody.
Ami made her way over and took a seat next to Usagi, who was currently babbling to Mamoru about everything they had been doing. She allowed herself a slight upward curve of her lips that wasn't quite enough to be called a smile. It looked like girls' time was over. Ah, well. She nabbed a menu and idly dragged one finger down the items to see if anything caught her eye.
"Can I share that?" She meeped and nearly jumped out of her skin; the voice had come from right next to her ear. She glared over her shoulder at Zane as he moved around to sit next to her.
"You enjoy doing that, don't you? That's twice, and I've only met you as many times!" Disgruntled by his responding smirk, she thrust the menu at him. "Here, you can have it. I'll get another one."
He raised a hand placatingly. "Hey, now, I'm sorry. I wanted to share it, not take it away from you. Though I don't see how it's my fault you aren't more aware of your surroundings." His bold green gaze dared her to take offense.
She took in a breathe to snarl at him, then released it without saying anything. Her hair rustled as she shook her head and sighed. "You're right." He looked surprised. "I should be more aware of who's around me. You can have the menu, though, I already know what I want." She handed it to him, not giving him time to protest. He took it, bemused. She turned to the waiter as he appeared to take drink orders, and asked for an ice tea, no lemon. Then she did her best to ignore the man beside her as he ordered his own drink and fumbled with the menu she'd given him, embarrassed that she'd almost lost her temper.
"Hey." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and lifted one elegant brow as if to ask, 'what?' "I…" he started, faltering as she just looked at him. "Look, I didn't mean to make you mad. It was just a joke."
"Fine," she answered him shortly, then gratefully turned her attention to Kenta as he asked her a question from across the table. The rest of lunch was spent with her attempting her very best to keep cool, Zane's presence at her side the worst kind of distraction. When it was over she breathed a small sigh of relief; she hadn't tasted anything, and she just wanted to get out of there and to the beach for an afternoon of relaxation.
"Hey, why don't you guys meet us at the beach in about an hour?"
At that moment, Ami could've cheerfully strangled the blonde on Kenta's arm with her own peach-colored sash. The others all looked at each other and agreed eagerly, making plans on what to bring. Ami just fumed silently and despaired as she thought of the entire afternoon spent trying not to make a fool of herself. Then she thought of just what everyone would be wearing-or rather not wearing-including one strawberry blond with those green, green eyes…and she nearly moaned. This was going to be a long day.