Fearless: An Ami and Zoisite Interlude By: Angelike Riddle E-mail : angelike_riddle@yahoo.com URL: http://koishii.net/moon ................................................................... Author's Notes: This is just a little ditty I've had floating through my head for some time now. Short and sweet, this is for all you Ami/Zoisite fans out there. Summary: As the final battle of the Silver Millennium draws near, Zoisite ponders his love and his fear of the future. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- There was just something about her that had drawn him from the very first. Something that, even now, he couldn't quite identify. Some claimed it was her quiet beauty that captivated him so, but he disagreed; though the young Princess of Mercury was lovely in her own special way, she could never hope to hold a candle to the Moon Princess or even her fellow members of the Inner Court. Beside her companions, she seemed little more than a handmaiden who'd raided her mistress's wardrobe. Gentle, mousy Ami was nothing at all like the radiant Lady Venus or the fiery Martian Priestess or even the strong and exotic Princess of Jupiter -- and to compare the timid young woman to her passionate and charismatic ward would be to compare the flickering light of the candle to the blazing rays of the sun at high noon! Candles, of course, have their own uses; if the sun could always light the way, candles would have never been fashioned of wax and wick. A candle will light the way down even the darkest of paths at any given time, while sunlight is restricted to the daytime and it can only reach those places on the topmost surfaces of the world. As opposed to sunlight, a candle can also be relied upon not to harshly assail one with killing heat from which there is little relief... »If my beloved is a flame,« he thought wryly, »that would make me a moth.« Yes, he was a moth drawn to a flame. And a witty little flame she had turned out to be since he'd first made that fateful decision to indulge his curiosity and ask the "lesser" of the Princesses to dance. Not only was she inclined to sarcasm and dry humor, but the girl had turned out to have a brilliance of mind that rivaled even his own; in fact, if he hadn't managed to defeat the Lady at chess (a repeating occurrence, which he suspected had more to do with her great consideration for what she referred to as his "manly pride" than anything else) he probably would have held a grudge against her. Or not. Honestly, it was a relief to have finally come across a woman who could carry on a conversation that consisted of substantially more than gossip and fashion and other such nonsense. Whatever elusive trait had beckoned him to her, it was her mental prowess and good sense that kept him coming back -- not to mention her soothing presence. Actually, that night it was the latter that drew him to her from the twenty thousand duties he was supposed to be doing, but couldn't quite bring himself to. War was in the air, and all he wanted to do was run for the hills or make like an eight-year-old and hide under his bed. »Coward? Who? Me?« But it wasn't cowardice that kept him trying to distance himself from facing his responsibilities -- not really. It was just good sense; he should be afraid. Heck, everyone was afraid. In the face of the growing power of Metallia, the harbinger of chaos and destruction, only a fool wouldn't want to flee. If he didn't know for a fact that there was nowhere he -- or anyone else, for that matter -- could go where Metallia couldn't follow, he would have tossed Ami over his shoulder and ran long ago. No doubt, his fellow shitennou would have joined him on such an endeavor. When the woman you love is in danger there is nothing -- not murder and not treason -- you wouldn't do to keep that woman safe... He looked up from the palace window he'd been blankly gazing out of for the past ten minutes only to meet a pair of shockingly blue eyes shimmering with worry. “There is something troubling you,” she observed. There was a question in her eyes, but it remained unvoiced. He heard it just the same: “Will you confide in me?” It pained him that she didn't feel she had the right to ask. It pained him more that she needed to ask. »She knows I've been keeping secrets from her. It bothers her, but she'll say naught...« “Yes, dearest,” he murmured softly, “there is something troubling me: the war.” “Things are going badly?” “Yes.” Should he tell her just how badly? No, it would be best not to frighten her. Ignorance is bliss, as the old saying goes. "I'm sure we'll manage to drive Metallia from the Earth, but at what price? I confess... I am afraid." Her smile was full of sympathy and understanding. Her smile had a calming effect, as always, and he could feel some of the tension drain out of him. »How can she smile in the face of a future so dire? She may not know just how badly we fair in our battle against Evil's minion, but she isn't nearly so ignorant as to trust that the universe will recover completely. This war brings with it the fall of the Silver Millennium...« “Aren’t you afraid?” She blinked in surprise, tilting her head ever-so-slightly to the side as she always did when she was caught off guard and not quite sure what to say -- a habit he’d always found rather endearing. “Afraid of what? Death?” No, not death. “Of anything.” She was silent for a moment, her eyes studying his face with such intensity that he found himself hard-pressed not to look away. “There is one thing I am afraid of.” >From the haunted look in her eyes, it was apparent that it was no fear of dark places or of spiders that she was thinking of. He hated that look. “What is it?” “You.” Amazing how one word could hurt so much. Why would she be afraid of him? Had he not proven his loyalty and faithfulness time and time again? Had he ever given her reason to doubt his intentions? A thousand questions raced through his mind, but he had no answers. There was just a black pit of confusion. She must have recognized his inner turmoil for her next words stopped his racing thoughts in their tracks: “I’m afraid of being without you.” His response was automatic and definite. “That will never happen.” “Then I guess I am fearless, my Lord,” she said with a coy little smile, stepping a little closer and moved her dainty little hands to caress his face. “Aren’t you going to seal your promise with a kiss?” Who was he to deny the request of a Lady? Fearless. She needn’t have feared. She wouldn’t live long enough to miss him for any reason. Fearless. He kept his promise. He followed her soon after. Fearless. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Completed: March 18, 2004 Yes. That was kind of depressing. I know it. Please keep in mind the fact that it is well past midnight as I write this. It's also a school night. Blah. For those of you who are confused over the last few lines, I was referring to the fact that soon after this interlude Zoisite falls under Mettalia's sway and attacks the Moon Kingdom. In my universe, Zoisite personally kills Sailor Mercury. He then commits ritual suicide. I may or may not actually write a one-shot based on this; if I do, it'll be very dark and angsty. It would be R-rated at the very least -- maybe it would be NC-17. Angelike Riddle angelike_riddle@yahoo.com http://koishii.net/moon