Note: I'm glad to see that quite a few people are looking at Rules! ^^ Arigato gozaimisu, minna! Now, on with the story. Enjoy! Don't forget, any questions, comments, complains, suggestions, etc. to: MercuryMoon26@hotmail.com
Reflection: (Zoi's POV)
Even though it was rather rude, among us generals, we had always judged the Princess of Mercury to be...well...a cold fish. Or perhaps an ice statue, at best. It was true that we didn't know her very well, and she wasn't exactly bubbly like the Princess Serenity or even passably warm, as Lita of Jupiter was. Certainly the Venusian and Martian Princesses were very cordial, but... Ami had been known to us just as a political figure who was only as polite as she had to be and extremely impersonal. How wrong we were to think that she had no feeling, when, in truth, she had the most of any person I had ever known.
Rules Are Meant To Be Broken-Part 2
Zoicite sighed, wishing that his trip was not ending. He loved sailing through space, and this particular airship was his beauty, the Crystal Dream. His fellow generals had been apt to snicker for a while until Kunzite had christened his ship the Quicksilver, Nephrite named his own Starshine. Jadeite still couldn't come up with the creative genius to name his own prize.
The crew had seen the Moon and Venus many times and did not make a big deal out of viewing the celestial bodies, but the general stayed glued to the window of his cabin for almost the entire trip, marveling at their magnificence. Now, however, he had to dress "appropriately." While most of his general uniforms were either gray or white, he had to wear his only black one to show proper respect for Leon. It looked basically the same as the others, with the thin green trim along the shoulders, slanting downwards. Green embroidery also decorated the wrists and collar. As he pulled it on, Zoicite turned pale as he heard an unsettling rip. Looking at his sleeve, he sighed when he found that the shirt seemed to have shrunk. And because he did not possess another tunic...
*half an hour later*
Washing his hands of the blood leaking out of holes made by the evil needle, Zoicite glared at his reflection in the mirror and consoled himself with the thought that he had remembered to use black thread-unlike Nephrite. The last time the astronomer had tried to mend one of his gray shirts, he had used yellow thread and hadn't even noticed until the others had started laughing at him. What made it worse was that his needlework was even less passable than Zoicite's, and together, the gens and Endymion had been unable to untangle the canary-yellow mess of threads enveloping the button. Jadeite and Endymion had never let the brown-haired man live it down... The blonde smiled in remembrance and looked at his sleeve smugly.
His satisfied grin disappeared as a crewman pounded on the door hurriedly. "My lord! We've landed, and the princess herself is awaiting you!!!"
"Damn!"
~~~~*~~~~
Ami shifted impatiently, smoothing her elegant black gown. This particular dress was her least favorite. The stifling collar was high and almost reached her chin, and the cut was not fashionable, she hated the color, and the sleeves fanned out like balloons until they narrowed very sharply at the wrist, where the material clung tightly. It was rather unfortunate that this dress was her only suitable one for mourning.
Would the Terran embassy never appear from their ship? They had reached the port at least two hours ago, and plenty of crewmen were running around inside, but no people had appeared on the little ramp that had been extended the minute they had docked. All of the most important inhabitants of the Mercurian Palace were waiting eagerly for a glimpse of the Earthlings, even those that had already seen them before.
As Ami watched the ship, her mood brightened when at last a booted foot appeared from the door. And then the other leg appeared, along with the entire person-naturally. Her luminous blue eyes appraised the general sharply. Of course, she had known who he was the moment he had appeared.
A lean but muscular form was accented by the gen's clothing, while the bright green embroidery was flashy but not overdone. He was of medium height among men, perhaps a head or so taller than her. Zoicite's hair, normally irascible and unmanageable, was (for once) tied back neatly. The sharp angles of his face were softened by wavy bangs and finely-carved mouth that curved upwards in a smile.
Deep, sapphire blue met brilliant green for one breathtaking instant, and Ami wrenched her glance away, fighting to catch her breath. There was power in his gaze, the type of power she and the other princesses possessed, but there was also something else that she couldn't define. Compassion was there, certainly, but not pity. Curiosity? Before she had time to muse further, Greg coughed at her side, and she realized that the Terran Embassy (all of which had assembled while she had been staring at the general) was waiting for her welcome. Pasting a smile on her face and shoving aside her worries, she greeted, "Welcome to Mercury. We hope you have had a safe journey and will enjoy your stay on our planet. Please do not hesitate to ask for anything you may need, for we wish to extend every possible courtesy. As you may be tired from your trip, we propose that any meetings will take place tomorrow. We only ask that to honor Sir Leon, who passed away this morning, that the appropriate color of black is worn."
Stepping forward to speak for his people, Zoicite bowed and replied, "Thank you, your highness. You are very kind, on our behalf, to take account of our travel. We hope, my lady, that you will accept the condolences of Prince Endymion of Earth, our liege."
Wishing this could be done and over with, she nodded in return, making sure the corners of her mouth were still turned upwards. "We gladly accept these condolences of his highness Prince Endymion."
<....>
After what felt like eons to Ami, the entire group of Terrans had been escorted to their rooms, and she could be left in peace. In her solitary room once more, she stood tall and straight, looking out the open window. The walls of her rooms were pure white stone, comfortable and homey. She looked across the vastness of the palace grounds. Before her, in the distance, were the large and famed pools where water lilies and lotuses resided. They were the pride of the gardeners, with their beautiful flowers of all hues. The gigantic lily pads and multicolored, one-of-a-kind blossoms were spawned by these plants. The cup-like blossoms were pink, red, white, yellow, and even blue (which had taken many years of experimenting with hybrids of many different species). Also in the center of the large ponds resided a beautiful ice sculpture that never melted, tribute to the power that the Mercury senshi held. The statue was actually the god of Mercury, with his winged sandals, cap, and a mischievous grin on his face, hovering over some crossroads. He was rumored to be a joker, patron of thieves, and very tricky. Normally, the view from her windows gave her troubled mind peace, but Ami just couldn't relax this time.
Pacing around her room once more, she stared at the blank walls, the bookshelves crammed with books, neat desks, bureaus, nightstand, bed...everything was in place. And yet...she felt unsettled. Closing her eyes, the princess sat down and massaged her temples gently. Almost immediately, a memory came to her mind's eye, an afterthought of the greenery she had just seen. A pair of intense green eyes regarded her own inquisitively, with a spark of humor and intelligence lurking in their emerald depths. Gasping, Ami opened her eyes and shoved the image out of her mind. This would not do at all. She had met plenty of men, especially in the past five years, but none of them had evoked this reaction in her, no matter how handsome or intelligent or talented they were.
~~~~*~~~~
Relaxing at last in his own quarters, General Zoicite leaned back lazily and smiled. His reflexes, however, were still jumping and very active-and not completely due to Kunzite's brutal training to keep them all on their toes. The door was well-maintained and opened silently, but his ears still picked up soft, creeping footsteps and an almost mute creak of the door. "Very good, Antin. You're improving."
The man Antin, Zoicite's good friend and personal steward, sighed. "You're too good, my lord. I shall give up trying to surprise you."
Raising his eyebrows, he asked mildly, "Why so formal?"
Looking nervous, Antin whispered, "The men say, and I agree, that there may be, well, someone listening in on what we say."
"Nonsense," he laughed, "it would be a breach of hospitality. The princess did not seem the type to me. Besides, surely I would have tested the rooms with my magic and found nothing, right?"
Reassured for the moment. Antin nodded. "That isn't the only thing the men are talking about, Zoi."
Turning around, the gen motioned him towards a seat. It was always useful to have Antin around, for his listening skills had been sharp in the beginning. Honed by Zoicite, he was a very useful courier of very useful information. "Tell me."
"The entire crew's unnerved by the princess, and I have to say, so am I. She was so formal, and she almost never moved. It was as if she were carved of ice, so chilly and impersonal. And that smile on her face...you could hardly call it a smile."
"It was a perfect mask for such an occasion," he agreed readily. "But surely there is nothing wrong. She followed all the rules of protocol. I'm impressed. Five years of ruling have certainly produced an able woman."
The other man crossed and uncrossed his legs uneasily. "No one follows the rules that well, my lord. There were no flaws! And she was so cold. Her expression never wavered, and it was as if she were robotic! You listen to me, Zoi. These princesses of the planets have magic, and I'm willing to bet on my life that she's a powerful one."
"A powerful what?"
"Sorceress, that's what!"
Humoring Antin, the general remarked casually, "So, because I also have this magic, am I then a sorcerer?"
Casting his eyes down, the steward shook his head. "No, my lord. But...she still makes us nervous."
"I'll keep that in mind, then. Well, I'm off."
Looking surprised, Antin inquired, "Wherever to?"
"To meet with the Princess of Mercury, of course."
"But-"
"You'll hold down the fort for me while I'm gone, won't you?"
"But-"
"Good man." Smiling cheerily, Zoicite added, "I'll be back before you know it."
As he disappeared out the door, the poor man slumped in his seat and glowered at his retreating figure. "Generals aren't the same as they used to be."
~~~~*~~~~
Commander Greg Urawa wandered aimlessly around the Mercurian Palace, muttering preoccupied greetings to those that waved to him along his way. The problem was, he wasn't exactly sure where he was going. The castle was built in a series of intriguing spirals, all curves without any straight edges. Unfortunately, for anyone who didn't know the layout well, they could become hopelessly lost in abandoned parts of the place until someone rescued them. But the architecture was part of the charm of the palace, and Ami had refused to change any part of the basic foundation, although she had began renovating the less-used parts of her home. Greg thought about his princess-often. In fact, he pondered the subject of her every free moment he had.
Ever since she had returned from the Moom, the commander had felt that the people of Mercury had lost their little princess. He remembered the carefree, playful child that he had played with as a boy. Their parents had been close, and he was only a few years older than her. Ami had run circles around everyone as a girl, charming them at the same time. She had gotten punished for quite a few pranks, but they were always completely harmless (except one that Greg remembered in great detail, having been privy to the scolding she had received from her parents). Because they had been good friends, even best friends, during their childhood, Ami had return him often from the Moon, telling him about her life and the other princesses. But as the years passed, her letters grew more and more infrequent (with the excuse of being busy with training as a senshi). He himself had been occupied in obtaining the credentials needed for him to hold the position of Commander General of the Mercurian navy and army. He often wondered how he could hold the positions of Commander General and Prime Minister but shrugged it off and told himself that when the time came, he'd deal with it. Gradually, the princess and the commander had become almost complete strangers. Greg scowled darkly as he remembered her homecoming, at the age of twenty, to the death of her father. He had been away the previous year when the Queen had passed away, so that had been the first time he had seen her in ten long years.
*flashback*
She stepped off the ramp of the airship gracefully, holding her head high but meeting no one's eyes. There were no tears to be seen, and only the rest of the Inner senshi had known how much she had cried before. Inclining her head graciously as Greg bowed to her, Ami curtsied and murmured, "It's a pleasure to see you again, Commander."
"It's been a very long time, princess."
"I trust all is well?"
"Yes, my lady." As she met his eyes for the first time in their short, impersonal conversation, Greg was jolted by the agelessness in her eyes. They were as old as a goddess's, but at the same time, they were as young as the princess he remembered frolicking around the palace with. Her deep cerulean eyes spoke of deep pain and endless suffering. But once again, everything the brown-haired man was refuted and contradicted. They told of undying loyalty, and friendship that would last until death-and perhaps beyond. Yet, what shook him the most was the realization that she had experienced the sacred, secret emotion of love. And in those few moments he had, Greg had fallen hopelessly in love with his princess.
From then on, the men of the marine corps had never understood why he had refused to become interested in any women. He hadn't gone with them on any midnight excursions, didn't even flirt or pay civil compliments to them unless he was forced to. His friends had never connected his strange manner with the return of their princess, something that Greg was very grateful for. It would have been extremely embarrassing if they had found out he had fallen for one of the only women he would never be able to have. She was also the only women that would never look to him for love; rather, she would seek wise counsel, perhaps even friendship, but never more.
~~~~*~~~~
Rules Are Meant To Be Broken
Infinite Ice
