More Breaking News
from Disclaimer Land:
I do not own Sailor
Moon. I know this comes as a shock to all of you, but it's true.
Sorry to disappoint everyone. :)
Well. I was just reading over the author's note for the last chapter of Heart's Thunder and I said I hoped to have this finished over the summer. Here it is December and I'm not even done with Part II!! I'm so sorry, guys. :( I took the semester off from school in order to work at the Renaissance Festival, and that left me pretty much exhausted. Now I'm ASM for Little Women, and it's a three weekend show... we usually only do two weekends at my theatre. Once it's over, it'll be Christmas, but then I'll have another two weeks or so of winter break before next semester starts. Two weeks is plenty of time, right? :) Let's hope...
If you go back and read Part I of Heart of Ice again, you'll notice that my whole matchbox twenty rant is now gone from the author's note. Why, you ask? Because I decided not to use "If You're Gone" after all. When I wrote that I was hoping to have the story out before the song was released, but that didn't work. So I switched to a lovely Evan and Jaron song that will appear in either this part or the next one. I'm not completely sure yet. :)
I guess that's all I have to say for now. Keep the feedback coming; it really does encourage me!!
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Ami, Princess of Mercury
and Senshi of Knowledge, stood before the mirror in her blue-toned bedroom
and let out an exasperated sigh. "Why didn't I listen when Minako-chan
told me to grow out my hair?" she demanded of the room in general.
"What am I going to do with this mop?" She ran her hands through
the thick, unruly blue waves of her hair and snorted in disgust.
"It's hopeless," she decided, flopping down on the bed. "No men are worth this trouble, Earthlings or not. They're just going to have to deal with at least one senshi who is less than perfectly groomed." But then she thought of how beautiful and perfect the Venusian princess would look, and she jumped up to stand before the mirror once again.
There was a knock on her door, and she recognized the pounding as belonging to no one but Makoto, Princess of Jupiter. "Coming!" she called, hurrying to hide the evidence of her vanity and rushing to join her impatient friend in the corridor.
"At least one of us is on time!" the tall brunette said with a huff. "Neither Minako-chan nor Rei-chan are ready yet. Can you believe it? And Rei-chan going on and on about how she's just so bored with hearing of the Earthlings. Come on, Ami-chan, you walk too slowly!"
She was practically running to keep up with the longer-legged girl, but she simply nodded and picked up the pace a bit. "Mako-chan, I really don't think we're going to be late," she ventured at last.
"That's hardly the point. I want to be there ahead of time, don't you? It wouldn't be seemly to be seen rushing through the palace corridors as though we're actually looking forward to meeting the Earthlings."
Which, of course, is
exactly what they were doing. Ami decided it wouldn't be prudent
to point that out at the moment, so she clamped her mouth shut and listened
as Makoto continued to harangue their fellow senshi for their complete
lack of consideration and punctuality.
An angel. He’s as beautiful as an angel. It was an absurd thought, of course, but the only one in her head when she first laid eyes upon Zoisite, Prince Endymion's youngest general. Ami dipped her head, hoping that the heat she felt in her cheeks didn't display itself in a bright blush. She managed a decent curtsy, but was more than a little relieved when Queen Serenity suggested a walk through the grounds. She loved the cool serenity of the palace gardens almost as much as the warm, dusty silence of the library.
Ami frowned slightly as she watched her friends pairing up with the Earthlings: the Prince and Princess, Minako and Lord Malachite, Makoto and Lord Nephrite, and, warily, Rei and Lord Jadeite. With a start she realized that the lovely Lord Zoisite was at her elbow, smiling down at her kindly.
"You're Princess Ami, are you not? I've heard..." She was charmed by his blush, and smiled up at him encouragingly. "I've heard that you enjoy a challenging game of chess."
"I've heard the same of you, Lord Zoisite. Would you care to play?"
He grinned and nodded, his golden curls bouncing. "Most certainly, Lady Mercury." She accepted the arm her offered her, and they walked together in silence for a time. At last he said, "The Moon is more beautiful than I had imagined... as are her protectors."
She opened her mouth to murmur something polite in reply when she caught sight of his shy smile. Why, he was flirting with her! She blushed deeply. "The beauty of the Moon is... is quite different from that of Earth, I understand," she managed at last, taking comfort in a cool, logical approach: compare local ecosystems.
"Indeed," he agreed, his own tone becoming businesslike. "This is all sustained with Queen Serenity-sama's magic, is it not? On Earth we need no such magic to make the atmosphere hospitable to life."
"You should visit Mercury sometime, Lord Zoisite. It is similar to Earth, as is Mars. Jupiter and the outer planets are very different indeed, and Venus is so very hot!"
"And Mercury isn't?" he asked, amused.
She smiled up at him sweetly, and he felt his heart skip a beat. "No, it isn't. We keep our planet cool and pleasant; the Venusians prefer hot and steamy. It's something I'll never understand."
He cleared his throat, trying to keep his mind on the topic at hand and away from the depth of her dark blue eyes. "Your power involves water and ice, does it not? That's odd, considering your home planet is so close to the sun."
"Mercury is a very aquatic planet; we enjoy the water. Oceans and lakes are plentiful, for all that the planet is so small. Our magic sustains it, as Queen Serenity-sama's sustains the Moon. I suppose you Earthlings are lucky in that you may enjoy your planet without having to worry about all the effort that goes into keeping it the way you like."
He nodded slowly. "I suppose."
"You sound doubtful, while just a moment before you seemed to look down upon our magic."
"Oh no, Lady Mercury, not look down upon! It is impressive that Queen Serenity-sama and the rulers of each planet have such power. It's just that on Earth, our magic goes toward other things."
"Mmmm," she murmured. "What, I wonder, since it's our job to protect Earth?"
"I fear I've angered you," he said, deflated. Would he never learn to say the right thing? Malachite-sama was always chiding him for his thoughtlessness, and now it seemed he had upset the lovely Princess of Mercury. "Please forgive me, Lady Ami."
He sounded so sincerely contrite that it touched her heart. "There's nothing to forgive, Lord Zoisite. I'm afraid I must have misunderstood you; it is well known that Earth has looked upon the Moon with mistrust for many years, and it is my true wish that our relations with one another return to a state of harmony. I wouldn't want to risk that through a simple misunderstanding between you and I."
Oh. She was thinking of only the diplomatic relations between Earth and the Moon. Well. Naturally; of course that's all she was thinking about, and it was all he should be thinking about, as well. He bowed over her hand and pressed his lips lightly against her knuckles. "We forgive each other then?" he asked, looking up at her with bright, hopeful emerald eyes.
Ami felt her heart catch in her throat as she looked down into those eyes. They were so... she bit back a sigh... so beautiful. She managed to smile lightly and say, "Of course we do, Lord Zoisite. Come; I believe you promised me a game of chess!"
He straightened with
a laugh. "I believe I did, Lady Mercury. Lead on!"
"Do you believe in such things as curses, Ami-san?" Zoisite asked her, contemplating the chessboard with a frown before moving his knight. It was the third day of their visit to the Moon, and this was one of many chess games the two had shared. He felt sure he could trust her, but he knew he must tread carefully.
"Curses?" She considered for a moment, capturing his knight with her bishop, and said, "I believe that it is belief in curses that gives them their power. The power of suggestion and all that... I believe in magic, of course, because I can see it for myself. But what power can a curse have unless there is someone to believe in it?"
He returned the favor by taking her bishop with his queen. "Check. So if my fellow shitennou and I believed that there was a curse on our Prince, we would be the ones giving it power?" he asked carefully.
She moved her king out of danger and met his emerald gaze with her indigo one. "Is there? A curse, I mean?"
Zoisite picked up Ami's recently captured bishop and rubbed the smooth crystal piece as he carefully considered his answer. "There are many different types of curses, Lady Mercury. Perhaps this one is more... wishful thinking than anything else."
"Wishful thinking on the part of whom?" she asked, careful to keep her voice cool and neutral. Whatever Zoisite had on his mind must be important, and she didn't want him dropping the issue before she knew everything there was to know.
He positioned a rook and tucked a golden curl behind one ear. "You've heard of the Earth woman, Beryl? The one who's been causing such mischief of late?"
"Indeed," Ami agreed, moving her knight to protect the king from the little obsidian castle.
"Apparently," he said, studying the board intently, "she has some twisted desire for Endymion-sama. She has made it known that any bride he chooses shall meet with a terrible end. I'm not saying it's an actual curse per se, but it is something to worry about, don't you think?" At last he raised his eyes to meet hers. "Check mate," he announced, knocking her remaining bishop aside with his queen.
"Shimatta," she muttered before turning her attention back to Beryl. "And you are worried for Princess Serenity's health, I presume?"
He shrugged easily. "It's no secret that my prince and your princess have grown close... I simply thought Princess Serenity-sama's senshi should be warned."
She twirled his bothersome
queen in one hand, unconsciously mimicking his earlier gesture with her
bishop, and said thoughtfully, "I don't believe that this Beryl poses much
of a threat to our kingdom. Surely you Earthlings can handle her,
ne? Unless she finds some advantage that we haven't previously thought
of, I think Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion-sama are perfectly safe."
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"Amy-san? Amy-san, are you all right?" a voice, accompanied by a light poke in the arm, said, pulling Amy from her sweet daydream.
She blushed brightly and smiled up at the speaker. "I'm sorry, Zachary-san, I must have drifted off." What an idiot! Now he would think he was boring her... why couldn't she just keep her mind in the present, and not send it off gallivanting around in fantasy land?
It's his eyes,
a bothersome little voice whispered; who could concentrate with those
eyes staring down at you, all cool and green? She ruthlessly
silenced the voice and met his gaze as neutrally as possible.
"Perhaps you could
go over it again? I didn't sleep much last night, I guess."
"Maybe we should take a break for now," he suggested, meeting her smile with one of his own. "You do look pretty tired," he observed, reaching out and brushing her thick blue bangs away from her forehead.
The feel of his cool fingertips against her skin caused the blush to deepen. What was he saying? Something about a break? Yes, a break would be heavenly... but not as heavenly as a kiss... one small, sweet little kiss... Amy shook her head violently and returned to reality with a crash. "I'm sorry, Zachary-san, but I should go. I have a busy day tomorrow and..." She trailed off, unsure how to continue, and instead busied herself with gathering her things.
"Matte," he said softly, catching one of her small hands in his own. "Please don't go yet, Amy-san. Have I ever told you how much I enjoy our time together?"
His voice was soft, melodious, and she fought the urge to close her eyes and drown in the sound. "I enjoy it as well, Zachary-san; it's nice to meet someone who shares my interest in academics."
Academics? Was that the only reason she came, for dissecting theorems and sonnets? He'd much rather compose a sonnet to her... Suddenly he chuckled aloud, and she glanced up sharply. "Oh, I'm not laughing at you!" he said hastily, reading her pained expression easily. "Something just popped into my head... are you familiar with As You Like It?"
"Vaguely, yes. I prefer the tragedies, though I suppose they're just as silly in their own way. Why do you ask?" Her indigo eyes were wary, and he tried to set her at ease with a smile.
"'Then comes the lover, with sighs like a furnace and a woeful ballad made to his mistress'... eyebrow,'" he quoted. "You see, I was thinking of composing a sonnet to you, my little water sprite, but then I got stymied by what feature I would pick to extol the most."
Her eyes widened and a pink tinge crept over her pale skin.
"Ah, there you are," he said softly, brushing a finger down her cheek. "You prove my point exactly with your lovely dark eyes, such a contrast to your pale skin. But then there's your remarkable hair, such an unusual color, and so thick and soft."
She made a face. "It's too short. All my friends have lovely long hair, and I have a boy's style."
"It suits you. Too much hair would overpower your delicate features." He leaned in close, and she could feel his breath brush across her cheek as he whispered, "May I kiss you, Amy?"
The words stunned her, and she sat rigid and still for a long moment. "I--" she began helplessly.
"Shhh," he murmured, cupping her cheek with an elegant hand. "Please... just let me..." He touched his mouth to hers softly, like the brush of butterfly wings, then did it again and again, until her lips felt warm and lusciously soft. He pulled away and delighted for a moment in the heavy, liquid darkness of her eyes and heated flush of her skin. She smiled a little, shyly, and it was all the encouragement he needed.
Amy felt her body melt into his as he pulled her to him. Her arms came up and she felt her fingers tangle themselves in his golden curls almost of their own volition. Their mouths met again, but this time she was kissing just as much as he was. His tongue brushed against hers, and she tried to gasp before realizing that she couldn't; the kiss had robbed her of breath, but she didn't care at all.
Abruptly he pulled his lips from hers and pressed his forehead against the side of her throat. His arms were tight around her waist, and she ran gentle hands through his hair. His breath was coming in short, panting gasps, and she flushed at the feel of his mouth against the skin below her ear. "You're so beautiful, Amy," he breathed, "so sweet and so smart. You're everything I've always wanted... do you understand?"
Her heart froze at these words, and she realized suddenly what was happening. Oh Gods, she had let him kiss her! Had she lost her mind? Hastily she pushed him away. "I -- I have to go, Zachary-san. Gomen nasai," she said quickly, jumping up and grabbing her things.
"Amy, wait, please!" he called, but she was already gone. "Damn," he muttered, throwing himself back down onto the couch. How could he have been such a fool? Amy was clearly not the type of girl who could be rushed into anything, and here he'd practically dragged her down on the floor and raped her! He'd acted like a Neanderthal; no wonder she'd gone running.
Zachary let out a long sigh, wondering dejectedly how he was going to manage to extricate himself from this particular mess.
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I'm a total idiot.
For all that my IQ is through the roof and my test scores are the top of
the class, I’m a complete moron. Why in the world did I run from
him? The kiss was fabulous, amazing, more wonderful that I thought
a kiss could be, and then he all but tells me he's in love with me, and
I run! Really smooth, Amy! Let's go over a very basic rule
of thumb: when a gorgeous guy kisses you and whispers fabulously sweet
things into your ear, you do not react by running away!
But what else could I do? I panicked. I'm not the type of girl a guy like Zachary Sorenson needs. I'm too quiet and shy, and not nearly pretty enough. He needs someone strong and beautiful... someone like any one of my friends. But he said I was all that he wanted...
It was something he just said in the heat of the moment, that's all. He was caught up in the kiss and he just blurted out words he didn't mean. A man will say practically anything to get a woman into bed, right? But... Zachary didn’t seem like that sort of man. Who am I kidding? I hardly knew Zachary at all, and he hardly knew me! How could he know that I was what he wanted when he didn't even know me... or that I'm Sailor Mercury?
Relationships are more
difficult than they have a right to be. Why can't things just be
simple?
Boy and girl meet, fall in love, live happily ever after. I wish
I believed in happy endings anymore. And I wish I knew then what
I know now.
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End II