Disclaimer: You know it and I know it. Raye and her friends don't belong to
me and the never will. They belong to the creators and whomever else does.
Author's Notes: *...* means thoughts, if you haven't figured it out yet. =)
Chapter Two: The Grand Ball
Raye yawned sleepily as the morning light filtered in through her bedroom
window. Her tired body longed for more sleep, but she knew it was time to
awaken. She could almost hear her mother's voice in her mind.
"Ladies do not sleep in."
*They would if they were up half the night* she thought to herself.
After bidding good night to Jadeite, Raye had tracked down Luna and Artemis to
help her find her necklace. They kept asking her why she might have lost her
necklace in the lake, but Raye simply shrugged it off. It had taken her just
as long as the search for her to convince Luna and Artemis not to tell anyone
about their late night excursion.
Dragging herself out of bed, she proceeded to prepare herself for the day.
The search had been futile, and not wanting anyone to notice her bare neck,
she chose a dress with a high collar.
There was a soft knock at the door.
"Come in," Raye said.
In walked Sailor Venus, dressed in her Scout uniform. "Good morning, Raye.
I'm glad you're ready. I didn't think you'd be able to wake up since you came
in so late." Venus had a tint of teasing in her eyes. "Did you and Lord
Jadeite have much to say?"
Raye sighed, exasperated. Everyone's endless teasing was getting to her.
"I was up late looking for something I lost." Raye gave Venus a once over.
"Why are you in your scout uniform? Kind of strange just for class, don't you
think?"
"That's why I came to greet you today. At Queen Serenity's request, our
studies have been cancelled. She wants us to train with the generals. I
thought it might be fun to see them in action, and to see how well Lord
Malachite leads his Generals."
"I'll bet you do," Raye said under her breath.
"What was that?"
"Oh, I said, I agree that it might be fun." Raye transformed and once again
became Sailor Mars. "Let's go."
*****
Jadeite forced himself to be awake. Unbeknownst to anyone, he had awoken
early in the morning in hopes of finding Raye's necklace. But his search had
been useless, the necklace was still missing. When he had returned to his
quarters, Malachite had informed him that they were to train with the Princess'
guards.
So now he stood with the other Generals and Prince Darrien and Princess Serena,
who thought it might be fun to watch, as well as Luna and Artemis.
"Just like females to be late," Nephlyte joked. His remark was counteracted
by a flash of light that momentarily left everyone shocked. When everyone's
vision had cleared, before them stood the four scouts.
"We're not late," said Venus. "We just like to make an entrance."
*That certainly woke me up* thought Jadeite.
"What is going to be our first exercise for today?" asked Mercury.
"Well," Malachite began. "Lady Venus and I have thought about working on
cardiovascular first."
"Yes," Venus agreed. "Lord Jadeite gave us a wonderful idea. A game of tag.
And staying true to his form..." Venus turned to Mars and hit her on the
shoulder. "TAG! You're it!" She giggled and jumped out of range. All the
other scouts and Generals also scattered around as well.
Mars turned to the watching bystanders. "They planned this didn't they?" she
asked them. Prince Darrien and Princess Serena shrugged, but grinned at the
same time. The cats purred innocently. Mars glared at them. "You guys are
getting back at me for last night, huh?" They simply continued to purr.
"Come on Mars!" Zoicite yelled from somewhere.
"Remember, no using powers!" Jupiter also yelled from some direction.
"And none of that clairvoyance cheating either!" came Jadeite’s voice.
*****
Many hours later, all four Generals and Scouts stood in the training area
panting. It had been a rousing game of tag, after which they all begun
sparring with each other. It was determined that everyone was equally matched,
if not in strength, than in speed and wit. When they were all finally allowed
to use their powers, the matches became even more interesting.
Prince Darrien, Princess Serena, Luna and Artemis all watched, amused by the
amount of fun the Scouts and the Generals were having.
"Usually," Luna said, "After this much amount of training, the Scouts would be
complaining, but now they don't even look like they want to stop." The Scout's
laughter rang through the air as Jupiter flipped Nephlyte onto his back. The
girls all high fived each other and the Generals "tsk tsk" in mock shame at
Nephlyte's defeat.
"I think we should tell them to stop," Darrien advised. "They'll exhaust
themselves."
Artemis agreed. "Hey everybody! I think that's enough for today. Don't
forget there's a Ball tonight!"
"Oh yeah!" Venus exclaimed.
Jupiter suppressed her laughter. "If you'll excuse us gentlemen, we have to
prepare."
"As do we," Nephlyte replied, looking directly at Jupiter. One would have
noticed her blushing had the workout not already left everyone with red faces.
Zoicite turned to Mercury. "You will save me a dance?" he asked.
Mercury also blushed. "Yes, if you'd like." The always articulate Mercury
seemed to stumble over her words.
"Are you ready, Mars?" Jadeite asked. She had hooked her arms around his neck
and was now ready for a lift back to the palace.
"And away we go!" Mars told Jadeite. The others watched as he carried her a
way.
"They're so cute," said Venus.
*****
Princess Amy's eyes flickered nervously around the room, obviously searching
for someone.
"He'll be here soon," Raye assured Amy.
Amy looked at Raye and gave a serious expression. "I don't know what you're
talking about," she proclaimed. It made Raye laugh to know that someone had
managed to sway the Lady Mercury's attention away from something other than
books.
Princess Serena also casually searched the crowd. When Raye saw Serena's eyes
light up, Raye knew that the Prince of Earth had finally arrived.
"I hop I look okay," Serena murmured subconsciously.
Darrien approached Serena and held out his hand. "May I have this dance?"
Serena put her hand in his and nodded graciously. Together they walked onto
the dance floor.
"They've got it bad," Mina remarked. Lita nodded in agreement.
Raye suddenly noticed that Amy's demeanor had perked up. She followed Amy's
gaze and sure enough, Zoicite was walking towards them.
"Pardon me," he addressed Amy. "You promised me a dance earlier today." He
held out his hand and Amy put her hand in his. He then bent down to kiss her
hand ever so gently. Amy immediately began to blush.
The three remaining girls watched the pair go. They began to chat amongst
themselves when Raye felt a slight tap on her bare shoulders. She turned
around and Jadeite’s warm smile greeted her.
"Can I have this dance, little lady?"
Raye laughed at Jadeite’s attempt at propriety and humor. "Of course. She
put her hand in his and allowed herself to be taken onto the dance floor.
With her left arm on his broad shoulders and her other hand in his, they
swayed to gentle music. Raye allowed her partner to lead. Glancing over his
shoulder, Raye noticed Lord Nephlyte and Lady Lita engaged in a dance also.
They were both gazing at each other with the same affectionate look. The
chemistry between the two was obvious.
"Lady Lita and Lord Nephlyte are quite fond of each other," Raye told Jadeite.
He chuckled. "Well, that's no surprise. Nephlyte has always enjoyed the
company of women."
"And Lita also enjoys the company of men."
"Ah, looky there," he said. "The serious Malachite has been enchanted by the
presence of Lady Mina." Raye craned her neck and saw Mina and Malachite
talking with each other, both hanging on the other's words.
Raye smiled and turned back to Jadeite, suddenly realizing their faces were
mere inches from each other.
"You're pretty good at this dancing thing," Jadeite whispered.
"Raye laughed softly. "I've had a lot of practice." She was suddenly aware
of Jadeite’s nearness and his strong arm on her waist. She suddenly felt out
of breath and was acutely aware of her heart-beat thumping loudly in her chest.
Time seemed to stop for her.
She tilted her head up and looked into his clear blue eyes, the ones that
seemed to melt her knees. She could feel his warm breath on her lips, drawing
her to him. She still couldn't tear herself from his intense gaze.
*This is what other girls see,* she thought to herself.
Their heads leaned into each other. Her mind screamed, wanting to know why
this was happening, but the urge seemed to melt away that thought.
"May I cut in?" The moment was broken at the sound of a male voice. They
both turned towards it, suprised.
"Charles?" a stunned Raye asked. Sir Charles was one of Raye's old suitors.
She had not expected that he would be here.
"May I cut in?" he repeated himself. Raye had no choice but to comply and so
she was wisked away from Jadeite. She did not know whether to be disappointed
or relieved at the interruption.
*What just happened?*
*****
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