#20: Walk

Lita strode into the celestial palace's library, chewing on her lip. "Mina, have you seen Amy about anywhere? It's almost dinner time."

Mina, who sat at a table, ostensibly reading over a treaty with Kunzite, seemed to Lita a bit pinker than usual. She also sat much closer to the head general than was necessary, really.

Mina shook her head as she casually shifted her chair away from Kunzite's. "Not here, Lita; and we all know the library would normally be Amy's first escape."

Two days prior…

"Oh Zoisite, couldn't we go to the library instead?" Amy pleaded as he dragged her along by the hand, a determined look on his face. "It's quite hot out today, and I have a treaty to write up. And besides, I've been eyeing a lovely book of verse Jadeite brought from Earth last week…"

"Verse? Look no further, my dear. I can spout poetry as readily as a brook babbles!" he assured her, still unrelentingly pulling her through the wood that arced around the palace. As they continued to tramp through the dewy grass, Zoisite began a poem of his own invention, reciting in strident tones,

"There once was a lady from Ducket,

Who tripped right over a bucket

She soon made a plan

To be with a man

Tossed care to the wind and said-"

"ZOISITE!"

The grin on his face was completely devoid of sheepishness. Excitement soon replaced it, though. "We're here!" he announced.

Looking around, Amy felt a small pang of disappointment. She had not expected anything grand, to be sure, but they looked to be in a cove, a clearing of the woods. Perhaps she was not well-versed in wood clearings, but truthfully, she thought they all looked the same, and she was not sure how this cove was any different from all the other coves about, though certainly the beeches and oak trees had a loveliness about them when she wasn't picking twigs from her hair but -

The sound of water reached her ears.

Zoisite smiled at the light that came into Amy's eyes. Now she dragged him along, through the last ring of trees until they faced a small waterfall. Lush and sparkling, the water gushed over black rocks and entreated them to jump in.

"Oh, it is lovely," Amy breathed.

Zoisite agreed, eyes on her. "Shall we? The sun is blazing now, and this water looks too tempting."

Amy began to nod, but hesitated as she looked down at her attire. She wore a modest blue gown of chiffon today, and had none of her bathing things. She could transform, she supposed, but—her thoughts ground to a halt. Zoisite had begun to disrobe, his coat and cravat already discarded; his fingers worked the buttons of his shirt one by one. Amy felt a blush come on.

They were lovers now, she supposed, though not in the strictest sense of the word. A stolen kiss in the corridor, a stray hand there…but she had yet to see Zoisite in his, uh, natural state.

Zoisite paused upon seeing the stricken look on Amy's face. He strode toward her and gently took her hand. "Only if you wish it, dear heart."

Only if she wished it.

Seeing Amy's indecision, Zoisite said, "We'll just dip our feet in first, shall we?"He removed his boots. Amy followed suit and soon they sat at the riverbank, calf-deep in crystal, cool water, the sounds of the waterfall misting around their ears. They laughed and chatted, talking of the state dinner the other day when Raye had tried to throw her curried lamb in Jadeite's face; of the small, magical book of riddles Amy had given Zane for his birthday, a book that upon opening replenished itself with newer and trickier conundrums; of the beautiful places on Earth Zoisite wanted to take Amy; of the beautiful people of Mercury Amy wanted to introduce to Zoisite. The topic of poetry resurfaced as well. They were two halves, she speculated as they talked She unhesitatingly twined her fingers with his.

He smiled down on her, the sunlight playing with his golden eyelashes and brightening those clear green eyes.

"That I should love a bright particular star," he said softly. He smoothed her bangs from her forehead. "Bright Star, would I were stedfast as thou art –

Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night

And watching, with eternal lids apart…"

She loved his bright eyes, his kindness; his teasing laugh, absent of any mockery; the feel of his smooth and rough hands; his ready wit; she loved a thousand things and everything.

"Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,

To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,

Awake for ever in a sweet unrest…"

She let his lilting tenor wash over her. She watched his lips form the words, but her ridiculous brain could not focus on anything except how very much she wanted to kiss those lips.

"Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,

And so live ever — or else swoon to death."

Yes, she believed she would kiss him, she decided.

Zoisite sounded a bit petulant as he said, "My dear madam, I do believe you haven't attended to a single word I've said! I thought you said you wanted verse! From now on mmph—!"

He does not seem displeased by the change in activity, was Amy's last coherent thought.

He tasted of lemons, a burst of fresh sweetness. While the smell of fresh, sweet jasmine clung to her skin, Zoisite noted. He sought to close the last few inches between them. Her fingers tangled in his dark blonde curls. He kissed her ardently, as if it were the first and the last time. When they separated, both found themselves pleasantly breathless.

Eyes cast down, Amy quietly said, "I wonder if we might take that swim now."

Zoisite's heart rammed against his chest. It was to his credit that he managed to not splutter out the words, "That sounds...delightful."

She shyly set aside her diaphanous shawl. And began to pull her dress off.

Zoisite's throat went suddenly very, very dry.

He realized he was staring and turned to his own…disrobing. Only to find this new, assured Amy, in only her thin chemise before him, helping him undo his buttons. "God, Amy…" He pulled her to him to kiss her again—but he had tugged her back too quickly and they both lost their balance, falling promptly into the shallow river.

He barely gave her time to giggle before crushing her to him, tasting her, feeling every part of her, hands on hot, wet skin, her fingers drifting to places they never had before…and a burst of fresh sweetness and blinding light in their eyes, like a bright, particular star.

Mina looked thoughtful as she leaned back in her seat. "I vaguely remember Amy mentioning something about an afternoon walk earlier. You know, she took a very long walk two days ago, I think."

Kunzite's ears perked up. Now that Mina mentioned it, Zoisite had also said something about a walk two days ago. Yes, he had arrived back after a few hours, looking rather disheveled, with his sleeves and pants damp.

"Just a walk and a quick private swim in the lake," Zoisite had said in as casual a voice as possible. Kunzite knew Zoisite hadn't any bathing clothes, but shrugged it off. The boy had been alone, after all.

"Yes, I think I saw Amy that day, too. Her clothes were rather damp after that walk. Must have worked up quite a sweat."

After a beat, Kunzite had a sudden, violent coughing fit, while the Senshi looked on in confusion.