A few weeks later, Earth
Ami picked up her skirts and hurried along behind Princess Serenity as the Moon Princess nearly ran down the palace hallway in her rush to see Prince Endymion.
"Princess, please slow down! You're going to trip and hurt yourself!" Ami called. Serenity looked over her shoulder and laughed.
"Don't be silly! I'm not going to-" Before she even finished her sentence, Serenity tripped over the front edge of her long white dress, sending her tumbling forward and into the arms of Prince Endymion, who had just turned the corner.
"-trip." Serenity finished with a bashful giggle. Ami sighed in relief and curtsied to the prince.
"Your Highness." She said softly. The prince nodded, his attention already fully focused on Princess Serenity.
"Princess Ami." A voice spoke from behind Prince Endymion, and Ami's heart sped up slightly as she noticed that Zoisite had appeared behind his prince. He walked over and offered his arm to her.
"I believe the prince and princess will be busy for a little while. They will be safe inside the palace, so why don't we go to the menagerie?" He suggested. Ami's eyes lit up as she remembered Zoisite's earlier promise and nodded. Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion watched the two go, smiles playing on their faces.
"What do you think those two are up to?" Serenity asked. Prince Endymion chuckled and wrapped his arm around Serenity's shoulders.
"Whatever it is, I'm sure they'll be fine." He replied, "Zoisite may not look like it, but he knows how to treat women well."
"Ami-chan doesn't know a thing about love." Serenity replied, "Zoisite has to be careful around her." Prince Endymion laughed and lead Serenity away.
"Who was saying anything about love?"
Menagerie
Ami stared in amazement at the grey colored bird that Zoisite carefully placed on her arm inside the menagerie.
"Hello there." She cooed softly, using one finger to gently stroke the bird's soft feathers.
"Hello!" The bird squawked, "Hello!" Ami giggled in delight.
"They say that this bird is one of the smartest animals in the world." She said softly as she touched the bird's cheek, "I always wondered how they learned so quickly. Oh, I wish I could examine it more closely, but there's so little time for all that I want to do!"
"You can come as often as you'd like." Zoisite offered. Ami smiled wistfully.
"I couldn't do that." She replied, "It'd be too much trouble." Zoisite chuckled and gently poked at the bird.
"You should praise the smart princess sitting in front of you." He prompted the bird.
"Pretty lady!" The bird squawked, "Pretty and smart!" Zoisite's jaw dropped and Ami's cheeks turned bright pink.
"Who taught you to say that?" Zoisite shushed the bird, "That's embarrassing!"
"You said it." The bird squawked in reply, sending a pink tinge flushing around Zoisite's cheeks. Ami giggled awkwardly and looked away, suddenly feeling like butterflies were dancing in her stomach. She cleared her throat and looked up, eager to change the subject.
"It looks like it will rain today." She commented, looking up at the gathering clouds above the glass walls of the bird house. Zoisite cleared his throat and looked up to.
"Ah, yes." He agreed, "That would be um, quite a shame, wouldn't it?" They fell into an awkward silence as Ami scrabbled for something to reply with. Thunder suddenly crackled overhead, causing Ami to jump. Zoisite looked down at her.
"Are you scared of thunder?" He asked. Ami swallowed and shook her head, hiding her trembling fingers against the parrot's soft feathers. Another clap of thunder cracked overhead, this one loud enough to cause Ami to cry out and jump up from her seat. Her mind raced for something to hide behind, and the next thing she knew, she had her face pressed against soft, warm fabric, her trembling fingers gripping the silver cloth tightly. A warm hand patted her hesitantly, but gently on the shoulder.
"Princess Ami?" She heard Zoisite's voice say softly. Ami blinked, slowly taking in the situation. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she realized that not only had she grabbed onto Zoisite for protection, she had also buried her face into his shoulder!
"Oh..oh…!" Ami stammered nonsense as she backed away from Zoisite, her heart hammering in her chest.
"I'm so sorry!" She squeaked, turning away quickly in a useless attempt to hide her embarrassment. Ami slapped at her cheeks, willing them to stop feeling so hot. Still, her thoughts slowly wandered back to the touch of Zoisite's shoulder against her face and his hand on her shoulder.
It was warm...and kind...and strangely, it felt so...safe…
Ami shook her head, clearing the thought from her mind.
"I should probably get going!" She declared, hurrying towards the door.
"Wait!" Zoisite's voice made her stop, and her breath hitched in her throat as she felt him place his hands on her shoulders. His voice was soft, almost hesitant, as he spoke.
"You can...depend on me, if you want." Zoisite said softly, "I will protect you, even if it's just from thunder." He turned her around and looked into her eyes.
"I don't know as much as you do, but...if you need protection, I will give it to you." He said earnestly, "I liked you a lot, Princess Ami." Ami gasped softly as he took her hand and placed it against his chest, where she could feel his heart beating as rapidly as her own. She swallowed hard.
"Zoisite-san…" She said softly, unsure of how to express the emotions that were welling up in her chest. Zoisite pulled her in a little closer.
"Call me Zoi-kun." He murmured softly before his lips closed onto hers. Ami squeezed her eyes shut as her heart began pounding so hard, she was sure Zoisite could hear it loud and clear. His kiss was gentle, but hesitant, like a child trying something out new for the first time. Anyone could tell that he had never kissed a woman before. But...Ami thought back to how she had enjoyed having him visit her in the library, and how the way he said her name made it sound ten times better.
Is this...love?
Ami was left breathless as Zoisite pulled away, and she poked experimentally at her lip before looking down shyly.
"My brain is sending signals to the adrenal gland to secrete hormones that flow through the blood." She mumbled. Zoisite tilted his head in confusion.
"Pardon?" He asked. Ami blushed.
"My heart is pounding." She explained. Zoisite's eyes lit up with understanding.
"Then...you like me as well?" He asked. Ami swallowed hard as she looked up at Zoisite's hopeful face.
"I...am not sure." She admitted honestly, "I've never felt like this before, but as to whether this is love or not, I cannot tell you that now." Zoisite thought for a moment, and then nodded.
"I understand." He said with a little smile, "I will wait for your answer." He clasped her hand lightly before letting go.
"But don't make me wait too long, okay?" Zoisite said hopefully, holding out a pinky. Ami allowed herself to smile a little and linked her pinky around his.
"Okay." She promised, "I won't."
Silver Millenium
"No, not this one." Ami's fingers flew rapidly through the book's pages, her eyes quickly scanning the words for the information she needed. She yanked another book from the library shelf and rifled through the pages. A hand reached out, took the book from Ami's hands, and gently closed it shut. Ami looked up in surprise to see her fellow guardians standing in front of her.
"You guys…" She said softly. Minako sighed softly and placed the book on the table.
"No textbook is going to tell you the information you want, Ami-chan." She said softly, "When iet comes to love, the answer comes from here." The golden haired guardian reached out and pointed a finger at Ami's chest. Ami looked from one friend to the other.
"How did you know I was looking for that?" She asked. Rei laughed.
"Please, it's written all over your face." She said, swiveling a finger around Ami's face, "You're an open book, Ami-chan." Makoto sat down on the edge of the desk.
"Did General Zoisite confess to you?" She asked, "He's always in here when Prince Endymion comes to visit." Ami's cheeks flushed pink.
"...Yes." She mumbled. Minako squealed in delight and clapped her hands together.
"Then you must respond to his confession as soon as possible!" She declared, "He'll bring out all the fun in you. That way, you won't have to read books all day!"
"I like reading!" Ami protested defensively. Rei laughed and pulled Minako back.
"Enough." She chided, "But Minako is right. Textbooks are not going to tell you if you've fallen in love or not." Makoto reached over and grabbed Ami's hands.
"Which is why you need to come outside with us!" She declared, "You need to get some fresh air. It's so stuffy in here." Ami sighed and looked back wistfully at her books as her friends dragged her out of the library.
I suppose I'll have to find my answer later.
Earth
Zoisite whistled cheerfully as he tucked the parrot back onto its perch after giving it some food.
"You are so naughty." He scolded the bird, "You embarrassed me in front of Princess Ami!"
"Good bird!" The bird squawked as it ruffled its feathers. Zoisite chuckled and patted the bird on the head.
"Yes yes, you're the best." He cooed softly.
"Are you talking to the animals again, General Zoisite?" A silky smooth female voice interrupted Zoisite, sending a shiver down his spine. He turned and smiled politely at the red haired woman standing in front of him.
"Lady Beryl." He greeted through gritted teeth. Beryl's red lips curled upwards into an amused smile.
"It seems that you have become quite attached to that little princess by the Moon Princess's side." She observed, "But if I were you, I'd keep far away from her." Zoisite hesitated, knowing it was better not to probe any further, but his curiosity got the better of him.
"What do you mean?" He asked cautiously. Beryl smirked.
"You know that the Moon has always been secretly spying on the Earth." She said as she circled to Zoisite's back, "Your little princess is the most intelligent person in the Moon Kingdom. Who do you think is leading the effort to watch the Earth?" Zoisite took a shaky breath as Beryl's cold fingers pressed against his shoulder.
"There is no evidence of either one of your allegations." He growled, "Watch your words, Lady Beryl." Beryl laughed.
"You can deny it all you want, General Zoisite, but when the truth is revealed, do not say that I didn't warn you. If you ever change your mind, you can always come to find me." She cooed. Zoisite closed his eyes and breathed out slowly as Beryl walked away. He could still feel the unnerving touch of Beryl's fingers on his shoulder, her cold breath tickling his ear. He clenched his hands into fists and quickly headed for his room. Beryl was often at the forefront of the anti Moon effort; it was no surprise that she would try to put him at odds with Princess Ami.
There's no way I'm going to let that woman sway my heart and mind.