A/N- Third chapter! What do you guys think so far? This one is a little bit longer than the first two, but that's also to make up for the fact that Zoi didn't get any input in the prologue. So, here's your insight on our green-eyed stud, let me know if you like it or not. Reviewers are showered in adoration!

Disclaimer: Unless I have a split personality, each in different bodies, I do not own Sailor Moon.

000

"Zane! Get your lazy ass out of bed, we're going to the fair today!"

Zane groaned as he tried to roll over and pull his pillow over his head. Only tried, because about halfway through the motion he was pounced on.

"Dammit, Jad!" He flung the pillow at the laughing blond's head. "If you didn't have a girlfriend I'd swear you were gay! Get off of me!"

Sky-blue eyes twinkled at him, a smug grin firmly in place as Jad pushed the pillow back at him. "Says the man with hair longer than most women. And you have no girlfriend to say any different, my fine fussy friend," He swung his legs over and sat on the edge of the bed. The twinkle in his eyes dimmed as he looked Zane. "In fact, you haven't had a steady girl for a couple years now. Just your flings. Why is that, Zane?"

Zane sighed and ran a hand through strawberry-blond curls. "Jad… C'mon, don't do this, we're supposed to be on vacation." A quick glance showed his friend to be entirely unimpressed. Another sigh. "I just haven't found anyone that captivates me quite as much as Rei does you, my fine nearly-affianced friend." A remembered flash of azure eyes made him pause for a moment, startled. She captivates you… He shook his head and dismissed the small protest, then glared sourly at the man on his bed. "Now will you please go away and let me sleep?"

Jad tsked at him. "Now, now, grumpy Zane, I wasn't kidding when I said we were going to the fair. C'mon, get dressed. Breakfast is ready, so hurry up or it'll be cold. Naoki made omelettes, and they're actually pretty good." He hopped off the bed and sauntered out the door, throwing a last comment back over his shoulder. "I just want you happy, Zane Shui." The pillow hit the door as Jad slammed it closed, laughing.

"Shit," Zane swore, and lifted a hand to his face. Jadrick had been on him about his casual playboy ways for years; especially lately, as they got older. Zane saw nothing wrong with the way he lived; he was young and free, right? So what was the big deal if he hadn't found someone to share his life, dreams, anything with? After all, it wasn't as if he was lonely… Besides, relationships didn't work for him. The one time he'd really tried, it had…well. He closed his eyes again briefly, then opened them and sat up. As he ran his fingers through his hair again he reflected on the moment of insanity that had him remembering a woman he'd barely spoken to for three minutes last week. Ami. Her name was Ami.

He couldn't figure out just why she had caught his attention; she was so…small and quiet. Gorgeous, to be sure, with those blue eyes, perfect skin, and that little pixie face. Not to mention those slender legs that he could just imagine wrapping around his waist… Yet, she had none of the flash and verve of his usual fare. It puzzled him. They hadn't even talked for more than a brief greeting; she'd been distracted enough to barely even glance at him as Jad'd introduced him. A fleeting pressing of palms, and she was off and running to help with more planning. He shook his head once more, then rose and stretched, his muscles flexing fluidly.

"No matter," he muttered to himself as he snagged his brush to tame his mane to something approaching manageable. "We're out here for a good time, away from all of that anyway…" Exactly what 'all of that' was, he didn't know, but he also wasn't willing to think about it anymore right now. Never a morning person to begin with, Zane was grumpy about the method of his waking today.

He grumbled about perky blonds sick enough to enjoy mornings as he looked through the clothes he'd brought. His vanity pricked him into selecting the green silk shirt that exactly matched his eyes to go with his stonewashed jeans. He preened in the mirror for a moment, before catching his hair back in a loose ponytail and ambling out to the kitchen to get something to eat.

The only person there was Kenta, who looked up from his paper to smile at Zane. "Good morning." He gestured at the coffee pot and stove. "There's fresh coffee, toast, and one omelet left. Help yourself."

Zane sniffed appreciatively, and went to pour himself a cup of coffee, snagging a piece of toast on the way and shoving it into his mouth. Coffee acquired, he dumped the omelet onto the plate that was left on the counter, grabbed a fork, and headed for the table. After he downed his first cup, he felt much more human. "Ah, better."

Kenta slanted an amused look in his direction. "Glad to hear it. Now finish primping, peacock, we're leaving in ten." The grin that tugged at Kenta's mouth was all-together too smug for Zane's taste.

"Ha, then it's a good thing I already did all my primping, isn't it? I just need to brush my teeth. So there." He couldn't resist throwing in the last bit, even though it was childish. Still, all of them had been teasing him about his natural inclination to show himself off to the best of his ability. He grinned. "Give me five and I'm ready."

Kenta chuckled. "Fine. Five, or we're leaving without you."

Mamoru appeared in the doorway with his fingers busy as they buttoned his shirt. "Better hurry, Zane. Kenta likes a tight schedule."

Naoki and Jad wandered in together, both of them with huge grins. "Who wants to take bets on how many minutes over he'll push it?" queried the brunet impudently.

Jad just laughed. "I'll bet ten!"

"Five!" Naoki challenged.

"Eight!" Mamoru chimed in.

"Oh, I'd say only three, since he seems pretty together this morning." Zane shot Kenta a betrayed glare.

"You're all asses! I'm not going to go over!"

Kenta gathered his three dollars eight minutes later as they all walked out the door.

000

Zane wandered the fair, bored, while the others were off doing whatever it was they were doing. For some reason, he couldn't seem to get that girl off his mind. It was starting to frustrate him; everything seemed to turn his thoughts to her. In fact, it was getting so bad that he was imagining seeing her right now.

Wait. No, that was her! Zane straightened, surprised. It was Ami! What the hell was she doing here? Then he remembered Mamoru telling them that he and Usa had stayed with Ami at her summer house once on the beach, and he'd loved it. That was actually the reason he'd chosen this spot to vacation at. Although, Zane was also beginning to suspect that Mamoru had gambled on the likelihood of his bride-to-be and her party being here as well. This he didn't mind, seeing as it put him in the perfect position to remind the little blue-eyed beauty that he actually existed.

She looked so peaceful there at the table as she listened to the pipe performer. The expression on her face made him want to smooth a hand across her cheek; it was so sad and lonely and wishful, all at once. There it was again, that quiet sweetness that he just couldn't resist getting close to. He slipped up behind her and marveled once more at her lustrous, silky-looking hair, wondered how it would feel under his hands when he held her still for a kiss that would turn into much, much more… Distracted by his own thoughts, he decided that perhaps it was time to say something. "Good, isn't he?"

He nearly laughed as she emitted an almost-squeak. Those wide blue eyes that had trailed him for a week now were trained on him; obviously, she'd been too caught up in the music to realize that he was behind her. Oops.

She stared at him for a moment, and he took the time to examine her in more detail. His dreams hadn't been exaggerating. There was that same delicate face and those subtle curves that he remembered, all wrapped up in a very becoming ensemble of white button-down shirt and form-fitting jeans. For a mere second he had the hungry, primal image of her in one of his shirts; in nothing but his shirt. As he shook off the lusty picture, he saw her eyes widen briefly, but before he could figure out what he'd done, she spoke.

"Yes, he is." The distrusting glance she threw at him should have flayed him to the bone. He found it rather cute. She continued, "You startled me."

He grinned; he couldn't help it! This woman was making a fool of him without even trying. She was just so damn adorable there should be vaccinations against her. Then she frowned, and he spoke before that could turn into a scowl, apologizing. "Sorry." He knew he was still smiling, but he honestly had no control over his facial muscles at the moment; they seemed to have been taken over by the gods of mischief. "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 felt his mouth stretch in another grin, and enjoyed the moment.

Which was over all too soon as she exclaimed, "Ah!" He jumped, startled, and narrowed his gaze at her, wondering what had caused that. The rakish little grin she gave him more than made up for it, though, and when followed by the brightest smile he'd ever seen, he decided that all was forgiven. Even if she had made him jump. Then she ruined it.

"I know you! You're Jad's friend, Zeke, or Zach, or something."

…She didn't even remember his name. For a moment he was crushed, then he glowered and thrust his hands deep into his pockets to keep from either shaking her or kissing her until she never forgot him again, he didn't know which. "It's Zane, actually, Zane Aestus."

She smiled, and he melted again. "I'm Ami Mizuno; I met you briefly about a week ago at one of the wedding parties." Huh, as if he'd forget. He'd seen her face waking and sleeping for a week now; he could practically diagram her freckles. Not that he thought she would admit to having freckles, but he could. "You probably don't remember me, we were all pretty busy." Of course. The irony of it didn't escape him, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He ignored the hand she proffered because he knew that if he felt that soft, creamy skin he'd want more than a handshake. He took a moment to control himself as the urge to take her in his arms and drive out thoughts of anything but himself nearly gained ascendancy.

He was unable to suppress the edge of desire in his voice, no matter how hard he tried. "I remember you. Though apparently I didn't make as much of an impression as I would've thought." That last was almost bitter; Zane was unused to women forgetting him so easily.

He looked on sourly as she laughed, and wondered if perhaps it would be more difficult than he thought to insinuate himself into her life. A sudden frown as he realized what he'd just thought. Into her life? That was a bit more than his usual conquests. But, she was-...interrupting his musings.

"What are you doing here, anyway? I thought all you guys were going somewhere for a break, same as us." As she spoke she ran a hand through her hair, and his fingers twitched. Damn, this must be a bad case of lust, he never wanted a woman this much. At least, that's what he told himself as he tried to disregard the acid mutter of May be more than lust, boyo his mind offered with sweet venom. He grinned at her while he entertained himself with mental pictures of her with mussed hair after a vigorous session in bed and stomped any ideas on what the mornings would be like in favor of the nights.

"Oh, we did. In fact, we're still here." To his bemusement she appeared to be almost irritated at that. He'd have to change that. He didn't want her irritated that he was around; maybe off-balance, surprised or nervous, but not irritated.

Then that trace of chagrin left her and she lit up and asked, rather redundantly, he thought, "Wait, you mean that all of you are here?" She laughed in delight, though at what he wasn't sure. When he gave her a puzzled-but-game look, she explained, "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."

He agreed that it was a bit funny, but it wasn't really surprising when you considered just how devoted the betrothed couple were. He privately thought that the two would most likely go through anything just to be together. The little dark-haired woman in front of him, though, wasn't paying attention anymore. She had this little, private smile playing around her rose-colored lips that nearly broke his control. To distract himself he pasted on a smile and-

Shit! A shriek from nearby cut him off before he'd even gotten anything out. Startled, he glanced up in time to see a familiar blonde bounding towards them and babbling as she dragged Mamoru along. "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?" The others roved out behind, each with their respective female. There was Naoki's saucy, long-legged number, Kenta's blonde bombshell, and there was Rei, Jad's little spitfire. He grinned as he saw Rei; they'd become friends as soon as Jad had brought her around. She was like his own baby sister, now, and he was often the one to tell them both they were being idiots when they were fighting. Though, they did enjoy fighting together, if only for making up.

The blonde, Usagi, kept going on about something, but he wasn't paying attention anymore. Rei had spotted him and yelled, "Zane! There you are, it's so good to see you!" He grinned at her as she tackled him in a hug, and wrapped his own arms around her as he smiled over her head at Jad.

Who, the smug bastard, took in who he was standing with and asked innocently, "Lost your way or found it, Zane Shui?"

Zane gritted his teeth and told himself that homicide caused too much paperwork, and orange wasn't really his best color. Besides, Rei would kill him if he did away with her boyfriend, no matter how well he hid the body. Still, he leveled a glare at the man that he hoped would scorch him where he stood. It didn't; moreover, Jad had the audacity to laugh at him. Insolent prick. He'd get him back for this.

"Zane Shui? Dare I ask?"

He cringed inside, but wouldn't back down. His arms crossed over his chest in a protective, guarded move. Rei and Jad were highly amused; he'd get them both later. He wasn't going to say anything, damn her blue eyes!

Rei poked him where she knew he was ticklish and told him, "If you don't tell her, we will."

Traitor! He held his growl behind his teeth, and turned to Ami, determined to get it over with in as few and least incriminating words as he could. "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."

There. That was basically why, even if it didn't tell her the utter debacle it really was. Miz Ladyborne, a woman who was as much lady born as himself, had been one of the worst jobs of his life. The ditz had wanted ceilings thirty feet high with windows everywhere, not to mention she didn't want any doors facing south, just north and the other directions. When he'd attempted to explain that doors were two-sided, she'd just waved him off, saying if he was as good as he said he was, he'd figure it out. It'd been impossible to please her, and every time he'd tried it had just been an exercise in futility. He'd finally built the house, but even then she wasn't happy with everything. She'd almost given him an ulcer, and he'd sworn to never work with another person like that again. He'd hand it off to another architect if that happened, and it didn't matter what the commission was.

As he headed toward Jad with murder on his mind, the others all started heading off. Swept up in the tide of bodies, Zane had no choice but to go the same direction. Rei snagged his arm as they walked and clung to him stubbornly, even when he shot her his death-glare as he tried to spot where Ami had disappeared to. When he saw that Ami was already attached to Naoki, he admitted defeat and let Rei take him where she would, feeling entirely dejected.

"You know, peacock, you shouldn't slouch like that, it makes for bad posture." Rei's violet eyes twinkled at him, and she gave him her best grin. He scowled and shrugged, and she frowned at him. "Zane, what is wrong with you? You've never gotten so huffy about Jad teasing you like that before." Concerned eyes peered up at him, sought out his own. "Aren't you feeling well?"

His mouth twisted, and he went to answer her when he heard the laughter that made his heart turn over. What he saw then set lightning lashing his heart, and his expression went thunderous. She was laughing with, talking with, touching Naoki. The snarl worked its way out of his throat before he could catch it, the feral sound vicious. Rei started and glanced in the direction he was staring. Her eyebrows flew into her hairline and she nodded slowly in realization. "Oh, I see."

Zane turned on her, upset and discouraged. "You see what? That for some godforsaken reason I'm obsessing over this woman I've only met twice now? That she turns me into a beast that can barely hold the mask of civility? That I've gone completely, utterly, and irreversibly insane? Fuck! Rei, I don't even know her, but I know too well how much I want her. She's your friend, can't you tell me it's a lost cause so I can stop this bullshit and forget it?" He was almost pleading with her, his voice rough and low as he strained to keep from screaming. This was impossible; people shouldn't feel this intensely this quickly, that only happened in movies and romance novels.

She looked at him somberly. "Do you think you could? I mean really, Zane." He raked his fingers through his hair forcibly, the digits catching when they met with the hair tie, uncaring of the mess it produced. "Ami isn't the kind of woman for a one night stand, peacock. She's more than that, deserves more than that. I think you're fighting this because you're terrified of where it might go." She regarded him with a softly sad smile. "I know what Marja did to you, sweetheart, but Ami's not the same."

He winced and closed his eyes briefly at the mention of his former fiancée. "It's not even that. It's that I feel out of control, firefly. I'm being consumed by something I never asked for, and it's ridiculous because she didn't even remember my name."

The gentle chuckle surprised him. He glanced at Rei, and she flicked his nose. "Oh, peacock. You never saw how fast and hard the rest of us fell. It may've taken a while for any of us to admit it, and yes, we all had to work through problems and issues, but this entire group has a tendency to know their match. My grandfather would've said that it's because soul recognizes soul, my mother would've said that it was the red string of fate tying us to that person, but it all means the same thing; we know who we're supposed to be with. If she's your match, it'll work out. Don't worry." Her smile warmed him. "It seems to me that you two would make a good pair." She flicked his nose again in warning. "But, she has her own problems, and if you hurt her I'll kick your ass, got it?"

He offered her a wry grin. "Yeah, I got it." He let out a whoosh of air, and glanced at her again. "So, any insider hints?" His grin crooked upwards sincerely, and she laughed before gesturing him down so she could mutter conspiratorial pointers in his ear.

000

He'd sat next to her at lunch, hoping to be able to involve her in some conversation, but she intently ignored him after he'd startled her again. He hadn't meant to…much. Really. The entire time she sat there so stiffly he wanted to reach over and hug her shoulders, and would've, if he didn't think it would have earned him a shriek and a slap rather than a smile. He was about to give up for today as they finished up lunch without her talking to him any more than she absolutely had to, when someone said something about the beach. His ears perked, and when the pretty blonde at Kenta's side, Minako, he thought, suggested they all meet at the beach he could've almost shouted with glee. Another chance! Plus, the advantage of getting to see her in a bathing suit… Oh, yes, this was going to be a long, interesting day.