For Love...or Duty by Sapphiregirl

Part 2: Of Balls and Gardens

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon—never have, never will. I'm just borrowing the characters. All hail the wonderful Naoko Takeuchi for creating this fabulous series.

AN: Special thanks go to Dejana for beta reading. ^_^

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." –Proverbs 15:1

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For Love...or Duty

Part 2:

Of Balls and Gardens

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Mina made sure her maid took special care while helping her dress that evening. Their Terran guests had spent most of the day settling into their new quarters and she was looking forward to getting to know them a little better. She was particularly anxious to find out if she had been seeing things, or if Endymion and Serenity really did have a connection.

She watched her reflection in the full-length mirror hanging on the wall beside the armoire as her maid tied a gold bow into her hair. She wasn't ready to admit it to anyone—almost including herself—but silver-haired General Malachite intrigued her. Maybe it was because the man didn't seem to know how to smile or perhaps it was the fact that out of any of the Terrans, not including Endymion, he had shown not a flicker of interest in her that morning. She had never considered herself shallow, but his lack of reaction was certainly…interesting.

Whatever the reason, she resolved to find out more about him. He couldn't be as cold and reserved as he seemed….could he? She frowned absently, dismissing her maid with a thank-you and a reminder to have an enjoyable evening. Malachite didn't have the air of a man in love; it was unlikely his heart was otherwise engaged by some charming maiden on Earth. Therefore, it stood to reason her charming personality could probably soften him up. Mina smiled brightly at her reflection and bounced off to see if the other princesses were ready.

When she reached the Moon Princess's quarters, she realized they had a mild crisis on their hands. While otherwise completely ready, Serenity was one step away from a nervous breakdown.

"I'm too embarrassed to go down. I can't!" Serenity wrung her hands together plaintively. Every time she thought about the handsome Terran Prince and the look in his eyes, her heart started beating faster and she blushed crimson. There was no way she'd be able to spend a whole evening around him and retain her sanity. Her knees gave way and she sank down on the couch, her breathing coming in short gasps.

Rei leaned against the wall with crossed arms. "Oh, please, Sere, it's not that bad." She wore a flaming crimson dress that clasped and draped over one shoulder, leaving the other bare. Her black hair hung free and wispy tendrils curled around her shoulders.

"Yes, it is!"

"Fine, stay here. I'll dance with Prince Endymion." Rei allowed a half-smile to cross her face. "He's probably a marvelous dancer."

As she had expected, given the circumstances, Serenity immediately rose up in arms at the thought of someone else dancing with the Prince. "Oh, no, you don't!" She glared blue daggers in Rei's general direction. "So you're coming?" Rei asked sarcastically, ignoring the lethal vibes emanating from the Lunarian. She didn't like the fact that she had been able to manipulate Serenity so easily, but it was better than having to explain to the Queen why her daughter would not be making an appearance.

"Of course I am." Serenity stuck her nose up in the air. Then, realizing she'd been had, she grinned ruefully at the black-haired girl. "Thank you, Rei."

Rei exchanged a mildly triumphant look with Mina. "Problem solved," she mouthed.

"Good job," Mina sent back.

"Well, ladies," Lita said with a smile, "Shall we go down?" She glanced around the room and frowned. "Ami!"

A guilty look on her face, Ami shoved her book under a cushion. She stood up and smoothed the front of her ocean blue gown, attempting to appear nonchalant. "Yes?"

"We're going down now," Lita told her. "No more books, Ami." She winked cheerfully. "You just might meet someone too. Right, Mina?"

The Venusian beamed. "Exactly!" She struck a dramatic pose. "You never know when Cupid's rock may strike."

The other girls sighed and shook their heads. Lita took one last look in the mirror to make sure that her rose pink ball gown was presentable before moving out of the way. Serenity took her place and smoothed the layers of her white princess gown nervously.

"I'm ready," she announced with only the faintest tremble in her voice.

"Here goes," Rei muttered. She glanced at Mina and said under her breath, "If that man so much as lays a finger on her, I'll fry him."

Mina just rolled her eyes. If Serenity and Endymion were meant to be—and she was willing to bet her crystal sword they were, though she needed more evidence to be absolutely sure—then there would be nothing Rei or anyone else could do about it. From what she had seen that morning, their auras seemed to…complement each other.

As she cast one last look into the mirror before following the others out, Mina decided to keep the news to herself for now. There was no need to alarm anyone or accelerate events any further. Only time would tell.

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The five princesses swept down the grand marble staircase and entered the ballroom. A path was cleared for them and everyone bowed or curtseyed as they passed through to take their places by the Queen's throne. Mina could feel excitement bubbling up inside her at the sight of the Prince and his Generals standing beside the Queen. Ami was right; this truly was a historic occasion.

Queen Selenity stood and raised her hands in the air. "May we have your attention please?" Things quieted down and she smiled. "It is our pleasure and honor to introduce His Royal Highness, Prince Endymion of Earth and his companions, General Malachite, General Zoicite, General Nephrite, and General Jadeite. Please welcome them." The room erupted in polite applause, bows, and curtseys.

"Prince Endymion," Queen Selenity asked when the tumult had died down, "Would you do us the honor of opening the dance?"

"It would be my pleasure, Your Majesty." Endymion crossed to stand in front of the Moon heiress. "Princess, may I have this dance?" he asked with a gallant bow, holding out his hand.

Serenity blushed and placed her small white hand in his larger tanned one. "You may." As soon as they stepped onto the pearl-white marble floor, the orchestra began to play. Endymion swept her fluidly into a waltz.

This left the four princesses and Generals standing together rather awkwardly, all fully aware that the eyes of everyone in the room were now turned on them. After a slight moment of hesitation, Nephrite bowed to Princess Lita. "Your Highness, may I have this dance?"

Lita's face broke out into a lovely smile and she held her hand out to him. "Of course." She noticed with delight that he was a head taller than she.

As they walked away, Nephrite began, "I understand you are fond of the outdoors, Princess. Have you ever gone stargazing?"

Malachite turned to Rei and opened his mouth to speak, but Jadeite beat him to it.

Boldly, the blond general said, "Princess Rei, may I have the honor of your company?" He sensed she would be a very interesting companion and he knew Malachite wouldn't appreciate her.

Rei hesitated for a moment before saying, "I suppose." She gave him her hand reluctantly and the two walked to the dance floor.

"You suppose?" Jadeite asked in amusement. She was most definitely intriguing—it almost seemed as though she'd rather stay on the sidelines. He knew she might have a suitor waiting for her, but as he cast a quick look around, he didn't see anyone lingering about. Very interesting.

"I suppose I could bear to be around you for a while," Rei replied shortly, with a toss of her head. The rest of their resulting argument trailed off as they disappeared into the crowd.

Malachite's attention was distracted by Jadeite and Rei and by the time he came back to himself, Zoicite stood before Ami.

Zoicite took a deep breath and summoned a smile. There was no question really; something about the blue-haired Mercurian princess drew him. He bowed to her. "Lovely Princess Ami, would you do me the honor of dancing this number with me?" His green eyes met her dark blue ones frankly.

Malachite suppressed a groan. He had been thwarted again.

Ami's cheeks flushed pink, a detail Zoicite noticed with growing interest. "I would be delighted, General." They walked off shyly—until Zoicite, racking his suddenly empty brain for something to talk to her about, asked if she ever played chess. The result was an earnest, technical conversation about the ins and outs of the game that would have taken a fellow chess player to understand. They vanished into the dancing couples on the floor, leaving Mina and Malachite alone.

Mina had been watching her friends and the Generals carefully, her instincts kicking in again, and she thought she saw traces of the same link that she knew was growing between Endymion and Serenity. She turned to Malachite, expecting him to lead her out to the dance floor and felt her initial exuberance begin to drain away. He was just standing there, staring at her expressionlessly. The silence between them lengthened and her stomach started to twist itself into knots. She could almost feel the chilly dislike radiating from him and resorted to her best means of attack when in civilian form—coy flirtation.

"You don't have to dance with me, General, if you don't want to," she said with a smile. "It doesn't bother me. I'm quite sure I'll find another partner." Yes, it does bother me, her heart whispered, style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>I haven't done anything to deserve such dislike. Hush. She airily turned to walk away but Malachite's cold voice stopped her.

"It appears that it is my duty to dance with you, Princess Mina, and I always do my duty."

"How comforting," she remarked brightly, holding back the scathing sarcasm she was tempted to interject.

He led her onto the floor and they began to twirl and sidestep in time with the music. Mina noted how he held himself stiffly, keeping her as far away as he could. "I'm not contagious, you know," she said with a funny smile and an arched eyebrow. "I don't bite, either." She winked.

He didn't respond.

As soon as the dance was over, the General excused himself. Mina stared after him for a brief second, a slightly hurt look on her face before she replaced it with a happy face and went in search of another victim —ahem—dancing partner. If he couldn't stand to dance with her, she'd find someone who would. Why am I upset about this? I don't care. I don’t.

Malachite took a glass of wine from a passing servant and sipped it slowly. Much against his will, he found himself searching the floor for Mina's golden hair and bright smile. There was something almost magnetic about her...despite the fact that she was getting on his nerves. He scowled. Stop thinking about her. He tried to still the guilty twinge at the look on her face when the dance ended and he pulled away.

He looked around the room, anywhere but at Mina, who was in sight again, dancing and laughing with another man. Unconsciously, his fist clenched. That man was far too close to the golden princess. Then he realized what he was doing. What am I thinking? he groaned to himself. It's not like she's mine. We've only just met and I don't even like her. What does it matter how close he is to her?

Another part of his mind shot back, He's closer than you were.

He grimaced, There was a reason for that, you know.

His annoying inner voice retorted, Then don't complain.

A moment later, Malachite watched in concealed surprise as Nephrite and Lita breezed past, laughing and chatting amicably, followed by Zoicite and Ami, who moved past slowly, doing more animated talking than dancing. Then Jadeite and Rei danced past, lost in the depths of each other's eyes. Apparently they'd forgotten about their earlier disagreement. With a small growl, he turned to view the other end of the room, away from his friends, and could have cheerfully smacked his head against the wall. Endymion and Serenity were dancing together on the balcony, looking as if they were oblivious to everything else in the universe. Which, he reflected sourly, they probably were.

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Throughout the course of the evening, Mina went gaily from one partner to the next—and managed to make a couple of matches in the process. Then, feeling that she had done her job well, she accepted a glass of crystal-clear Moon wine from a servant and swirled it around in her glass absently. The night was still young, and she had already danced with everyone of interest as many times as she chose. Everyone except Malachite, that is.

It was funny, but she felt a stirring of pity for him. He was too gloomy, and didn't seem to have much in the way of a sparkling personality, among other things. Couldn't the guy relax? He looked like he was simply trying to endure the experience. She hated to see someone who was not having fun at a ball. By the time she was through...well, suffice it to say that the unfortunate person was more than happy to get away from her and go have fun.

Mina looked around the room carefully, searching for his distinctive figure. She found him, leaning up against the wall, face expressionless. A bevy of women stood at a distance, as if they were trying to figure out how to approach him, but he studiously ignored them. Oh, well, might as well take the initiative. She threaded her way through the crowd towards him with a confident smile on her lips.

"Hello, again, General," she said cheerfully. "Will you be so kind as to dance with me?" She motioned to the dance floor. "I think my last partner just found his soul mate."

Malachite looked at her with a cold expression on his tanned face. "Pardon, Princess, but I think not." His deep voice was even and measured.

"Why?"

The simplicity of the question almost threw him, but he recovered immediately. "I am not a dancer, Highness. Now, if you'll excuse me?" He stalked off.

Mina forced back her anger at the deliberate snub. He is so rude, she thought. I can't believe I felt sorry for him. She whirled, head held high, and disappeared into the crowd. The women gradually drifted off, convinced that if the Princess of Venus wasn't able to finagle a dance with the haughty Terran, they didn’t stand much of a chance either.

Malachite resisted the urge to look back over his shoulder to watch her go. He found the golden princess utterly irritating, but she possessed a vitality that was rather compelling. He couldn't help but feel that here was a person who was clearly and completely alive. Not that it mattered. He never fell for women. Never. He had learned they were simply more trouble than they were worth.

The General spent the rest of the evening wandering around, trying to avoid the women who persistently tried to get him to dance. Mina was not one of them. Oddly, it was both a relief and a disappointment.

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When the ball finally ended, Mina dragged herself back to her room and kicked off her shoes. She was in the middle of rubbing her aching feet when Rei breezed in and grabbed her arm.

"We're having a meeting in Serenity's room," the fire princess announced. "Come on, Mina." She dragged the blonde barefoot out of the room and down the hall.

When the two reached the Moon Princess's room, Mina noted with very little surprise that Serenity had a dreamy, far-off look on her face. normal'>I knew it, she thought with satisfaction. She glanced around at her friends and wasn't surprised to see that Lita wore an identical dreamy look as well. Ami was blushing faintly, and even Rei looked somewhat different.

Mina hid a smile. It didn't take a genius to figure out why. Her suspicions about their auras had been correct. The love bug has flown, she thought wisely. She plopped down on a pile of fluffy pink cushions and said airily, "All right. What's going on?"

"I think I've met the man of my dreams," Lita said softly, her green eyes sparkling in the dim light. "Nephrite is amazing."

Mina raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so after one evening we've dropped the 'General'?"

Lita blushed and looked down at her hands. "Yes. He told me to. Not in public, though."

"Naturally." Mina swiveled her head to stare pointedly at Ami, who sat staring blankly at her feet, a half-smile on her face. Her cheeks were flushed. "Confess, Ami," she said playfully.

The blue-haired girl's face turned a brighter shade of red. "Well, I—um...uh..."

"Out with it," Mina teased.

"Zoicite is quite learned," Ami admitted. "We had a fascinating discussion about chess and space/time mathematical problems." Rei raised an eyebrow. style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>That sounded familiar, but she decided not to go into it. In the long run, whether or not the Generals had overheard her conversation with Ami that morning was inconsequential.

"Is that all?"

Ami blushed harder. "Yes." She ducked her head and rubbed at the fabric of her dress.

Mina decided to lighten up on her and pick on someone else. She stared at the black-haired princess settled on the floor. "Rei, I think you have some explaining to do too."

Rei tossed her head. "I have nothing to say." She crossed her arms and held her head high.

"Come on, Rei, tell us about Jadeite," Lita coaxed, "We saw how the two of you were arguing." She shook her head. "He didn’t quite strike me as the argumentative type."

"That's 'General' Jadeite to you," Rei snapped, rising to sit on the couch beside Ami.

"Oooh. Touchy, aren't we?" Mina grinned, her aching feet forgotten for the moment.

"He is...rather interesting," Rei said finally. "And he doesn't appear to be frightened of me either. Which is also interesting."

"He probably hasn't heard the rumors," Lita said teasingly.

"Maybe we should tell him," Mina offered, giving the Martian princess a daring smile. Her blue eyes danced.

A faint flush stained Rei's cheeks. "Don't you dare, Mina," she threatened, "Or I'll fry you. Understand? You’re supposed to be the Senshi of Love. You can't do your job if you're burnt to a crisp.”

Blue eyes wide in mock-shock, Mina nodded, before bursting out into laughternormal'>. I think she likes him. Or maybe she just likes fighting with him. She then turned to the only silent person in the room: Princess Serenity.

"Sere, what about you?"

"Hmm?" Startled out of her daydream or whatever it was in which she was immersed, the golden-haired princess looked over at the Venusian. "What did you say, Mina?"

"Tell us about Prince Endymion."

"Yes!" the other girls chimed in. Rei scowled and dug at the floor with a slipper-shod foot.

Serenity blushed pink. "What about him?"

"You like him, don't you?" Mina prodded gently.

"He's wonderful!" Serenity exclaimed. "I've never met anyone like him before." She smiled and propped her chin on her hand. "I think he likes me," she confessed softly, before slipping back into her daydream.

Since there was no getting the Moon Princess back to the Moon, the girls had to relinquish their curiosity until later and find something else to discuss. They turned to the only person who hadn't yet been grilled.

"How was your evening, Mina?" Ami asked, daintily hiding a yawn. She was tired, but her dark blue eyes were still alert.

The blonde shrugged. "It was fine." She didn’t want to talk about it and hoped the others would get the message.

Lita smiled. "How many times did you dance with General Malachite?" she asked slyly.

"Once."

"Once!" Lita echoed in amazement, green eyes going wide. "That's all?"

Mina looked unconcerned. "Just once. I don't think he likes me very much. He's very cool and aloof—and I think he's a bit rude too."

Ami looked shocked. "He doesn't strike me as the type who would be rude," she protested. "He's a gentleman, Mina. He's rather aloof, yes—and very serious—but he has manners."

"Well, he was rude to me," Mina retorted. "I asked him to dance with me and he said he'd rather not." She looked indignant. "He said he had better things to do! What in the world could he have to do at a ball except dance?"

"Maybe he's shy," Rei put in sleepily.

Mina snorted. "Him? Shy? I doubt it," she said shortly. "If he's shy, then I'm a frog." She snorted again. "He's about as friendly as a block of ice."

Ami yawned again. "I'm sorry, girls, but I need to go to bed. I cannot stay functional much longer."

"I need to go too," Lita added. She gave Mina a sympathetic look. "Malachite must be blind right now, but don't worry. He'll come around." She grinned. "They always do, don't they?"

"You're sweet." Mina gave the brunette a cheery, albeit sleepy smile, "but I really couldn't care less. We've only just met—it's not like I want him to show an interest in me." She missed the sharp glance Rei shot her.

They all filed out of the room and Mina shut the door carefully behind them, leaving Serenity to her dreams. Once in her own room, Mina crawled tiredly into bed and tried to go to sleep. She didn't succeed; images of the evening kept flashing before her eyes and she relived her second encounter with Malachite over and over. Finally, twisting and tossing with embarrassment, which was unusual for her, she sat up. She pushed her hair out of the way and buried her face into her hands.

I am so stupid, she thought. I never should have walked up to him. Why did I do that? Why? Why didn't I just leave him alone? It was obvious he didn't want company. All I've done is make him think I'm a clingy—clingy— The rational part of her mind kicked in suddenly, cutting off her mental tirade. Why does it matter what he thinks of me? Why am I so upset? I don't even like him.

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The next morning, despite the fact that she'd only had a few hours' sleep, Mina climbed out of her bed and transformed. This time, she slipped out of her window in order to get out of the palace. After all, it would be rather awkward having to explain to the Terrans who she was and why she was there if she should happen to bump into them.

When she reached the coliseum, she picked up a long wooden pole from one of the equipment rooms and took it back to the open ground in the center. All was quiet and she felt some of her jittery tension drain away. She began to go through a series of warm-up exercises, twirling and slashing the pole through the air with well-practiced grace.

She felt more than heard the presence of someone else come up behind her. At the last moment, she whirled and leveled the stick, stopping it a mere two inches from General Malachite's chest. He looked faintly surprised.

"You shouldn't sneak up on someone like that," Sailor Venus said evenly. "Especially since you shouldn't be here without an invitation."

He regarded her with narrowed lavender eyes before nodding slowly. "I was intrigued by this building. My apologies...?" he trailed off uncertainly.

"Sailor Venus," she supplied.

"One of the legendary Sailor Senshi?" His eyes were wider now, staring at her in complete and utter amazement. He had heard all about them from a particularly chatty servant the day before. They almost sounded too good to be true, but here was one standing right before him.

Venus flipped some of her golden hair behind her shoulder. "I wouldn't say we're legendary, but, yes, I am one of them." She put her free hand on one hip and looked up at him. "Who would you be? One of the Princes' Generals?" She knew exactly who he was, but style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>he didn't know that, and she was in the mood to play with his mind.

"I am Malachite. Pleased to meet you." he said gruffly.

She nodded gravely. "Likewise." She turned away from him slightly and took a defensive pose with the pole. "Care to join me?" she challenged lightly.

The silver-haired General shook his head. "I wouldn't want to hurt you."

Inwardly, Venus winced. Why couldn't he be this nice to Mina? Outwardly, she smirked. "You won't hurt me," she said coolly, "In fact, it just might be the other way around!" She tossed him her pole and went to retrieve another.

They saluted each other and the battle commenced. They traded blow after blow; blocking, parrying and thrusting. At first, Malachite was determined to go easy on her. True, she was one of the Sailor Senshi, but she was also a woman, and he didn't want to be responsible for accidentally injuring her. He forced his eyes away from her long, slim legs, which were not covered by the incredibly short skirt she was wearing.

"Do all of the Senshi wear such short skirts?" he asked in a disapproving voice, blocking one of her blows to his midsection.

"Of course we do," she replied. "I mean, really, can you imagine fighting in a regular dress? We'd kill ourselves."

"I see." It made sense, he supposed, but still…it was awfully distracting.

Finally, Venus blocked one of Malachite's blows and abruptly slipped the pole behind his ankle, tripping him. He stared up at her in shock. It had been a long time since someone had been able to beat him. She held her hand out to him and he accepted it after a few seconds' hesitation. She helped him up, and then dusted her hands off while he simply looked at her.

In the high tower above the Moon Palace, the clock began to chime the hour. Venus immediately realized it was much later than she'd thought and said, "If you'll excuse me now, General? I have some things to attend to." With a cheery smile, she sprinted off towards the exit and disappeared from the coliseum grounds.

Malachite stared after her, a curious look on his face. He had just met one of the Sailor Senshi and she had managed to beat him in friendly combat. It was something of a blow to his ego, but it meant that these warriors were exactly that—warriors. It was a good thing to know. He frowned. Venus vaguely reminded him of Mina—in looks, certainly not attitude—but they couldn't possibly be the same person. It had to be the fact that both of them were probably from Venus. Slowly, he returned to the Palace.

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Venus quickly detransformed and took the back route to her room. She quickly cleaned up and prepared herself for the day. I've got to stop thinking about him, she thought, but her mind just wouldn't get off of the subject of Malachite. A million questions tumbled over and over in her head. Why was he so cold to her when she was Mina? Why did he seem to be a bit more polite to Sailor Venus? Why was he such a cold, stiff-as-a-board person in the first place?

He was a skilled warrior, that much was obvious, and the fact that she had been able to beat him was more a testament to the fact that he'd been going easy on her than anything else. He hadn't really expected her to be much of a challenge and it had backfired on him. A wide smile broke out on Mina's face at that thought. Well, she'd shown him, hadn't she?

The Venusian took one last look at herself in the mirror. She wore a sunshine yellow dress today and, as always, her front hair was tied back by a matching bow. style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Well, here goes.

She stepped out of her room and saw Lita just emerging from her own quarters. The tall Jovian princess looked rather worried, but her face brightened when she saw Mina. "Mina!" she exclaimed. "Do I look presentable? Should I have chosen a different dress?"

The blonde eyed her critically. The forest green dress suited Lita almost as well as the rose pink gown she'd worn the night before. "I think you look wonderful." Then she smiled slyly." We wouldn't happen to be dressing up for a certain Terran general, now would we?"

"Of course not," Lita replied smoothly. But there was a twinkle in her eye that belied her words.

Chatting amicably, the two princesses joined Ami, Rei, and Serenity as they strolled down to the airy dining room. Serenity looked excited and slightly nervous. Ami was blushing lightly, and Rei appeared to be looking forward to something.

Probably arguing with Jadeite, Mina thought with a grin. She'd noticed that when the Martian princess and the Terran general hadn't been dancing and gazing into each other's eyes, they'd held up a running argument of playful banter. Mostly playful, anyway. Jadeite would never know how close he came to being fried a couple of times. normal'>What he doesn't know won't kill him.

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In the dining hall, Prince Endymion sat with his Generals and the Queen as they awaited the arrival of the princesses. Endymion was impatient to see Serenity, but he politely held a conversation with Queen Selenity.

Selenity, Malachite noted, looked somewhat amused and yet somewhat worried and apprehensive as well. He took a sip of his water and looked around the room. White, pale pink, and silver seemed to be the dominant color schemes in this place. Suddenly, voices approached, silvery, lilting voices, and he and the other men rose politely as the five Inner princesses made their awaited appearance.

"You're a bit late this morning," the Queen observed mildly.

Princess Serenity ducked her head. "My apologies, Mother, Prince Endymion. I—overslept this morning, I'm afraid."

"We were recuperating from the ball," Mina put in respectfully, yet with dancing eyes. It wasn't completely true, since she had been out and Sailors Mercury and Mars had both been spotted around the palace that morning, but it would do.

Malachite looked at her shrewdly. Her voice...there was something about it that reminded him of Sailor Venus's, but again he told himself it was impossible. Princess Mina could not possibly be the calm, cool, serious Senshi he had competed against just a few hours before. She couldn't be.

Rather, and he grimaced inwardly at the thought, he was noticing things in other people that reminded him of the Senshi. Marvelous, he thought bitterly. Just what I need. A woman rattling around in my head. Even if she is a warrior. He kept a scowl from his face only through years of experience.

Due to the fact that the Serenity, Rei, Ami, and Lita all ended up intentionally sitting across from their dancing partners of the night before, Mina found herself seated across from the silver-haired Malachite. "Good morning, General Malachite," she chirped brightly.

He gave her an icy stare. "Good morning."

Mina couldn't help looking at him, so she continued to talk to him, or at him really, since he seldom responded. "Where do you think your Prince will want to go today, General?"

"I haven't the faintest idea." He began to eat, methodically listening and tuning her out.

If there was anything Mina hated, it was being ignored. "We have a lovely flower garden, if you'd care to see that, and perhaps later in your visit we can visit the city." When he still didn't respond, she narrowed her eyes. style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>All right, she thought rebelliously, Ifstyle='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'> you're going to be rude and ignore me, I'll have to keep pestering you. This means war.

When breakfast was over, Endymion stood and bowed politely to Queen Selenity. “It was a wonderful meal, your Majesty.”

"The first ambassadorial conference will be held later this afternoon," the Queen announced. She smiled at the group. "In the meantime, Serenity, why don't you all show our guests around the palace?"

Serenity bowed her head. "Yes, Mother."

After the silver-haired monarch left the room, the princess turned to Endymion. "Where would you like to go first, Prince?"

The young man turned his stormy eyes to Mina for a brief moment. "I believe I heard you say something about the royal flower gardens, Princess Mina?"

Mina smiled. "I did." She glanced at Malachite. "At least someone was listening to me," she teased. He didn't react. normal'>Just you wait, she thought.

Endymion offered his arm to Serenity. "In that, case, Princess, why don't we go see them?"

Serenity happily agreed and the two of them started off. Rei stared after them, and Mina could almost see her fury and suspicions rising. The Martian narrowed her eyes and began to march quickly after Serenity.

Ami and Lita exchanged looks. This was not a good sign. They were all protective of Serenity where men were concerned—but Rei took it to a new level. In her favor, Mina supposed she had more reason to be distrustful of men than the rest of them.

In the midst of gathering up steam to bear down on the Terran Prince, Rei found her path blocked. She looked up and snapped, "Excuse me."

"You're excused," Jadeite said amicably. "Princess," he began, before Rei could think of a retort, "I've heard that there are some fireflowers from Mars in the garden." He conveniently left out the fact that Rei had told him that the night before. "Would you mind showing them to me?"

"Oh, it would be such a shame not to see the fireflowers, wouldn't it?" Rei asked, her voice dripping with polite sarcasm. "We wouldn't want you to get lost in our style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>enormous garden."

Jadeite sensed there was more going on here than met the eye and simply smiled at her. "I knew you'd say yes. You're too kind." He took her arm and began to walk down the hall.

Rei, however, stood fast. "You're trying to distract me," she accused.

His blue eyes danced at her. "Yes. And it's working."

Rei's mouth fell open in shock.

Mina tried to hold back her laughter and braced herself. The Martian princess was going to blow her top. From his place beside the Venusian princess, Malachite shook his head. Jadeite wasn't usually this forward and it looked like it was going to get him into deep trouble. Zoicite, Nephrite, and Lita looked amused, while Ami had a faintly worried expression on her face.

Rei wrenched her arm free and put her hands on her hips. She glared at the blond General, her violet eyes flashing. If looks could kill, Jadeite would have been a smoldering pile of ashes. "You slimy little—" she began hotly. Perhaps not the most diplomatic thing to say to a visiting guest, but she was past caring.

"I beg your pardon," he protested indignantly. "For your information, Highness, I am not slimy."

"No?" she asked in a dangerous voice.

"No. I'm perfectly dry." Jadeite had a serious look on his face. He glanced down at himself. "I promise you I've stayed away from the mud puddles for at least the past week."

Mina lost it. She burst out laughing. It was contagious, and soon everyone was laughing too except Jadeite, Malachite, and Rei. The blond general continued to stare at Rei with a cool grin, despite the deep scowl on her face. Malachite wore the faintest hint of a smile.

In between gales of merriment, Mina gasped out, "Rei, I think you've met your match."

Rei frowned. "We'll see," she snapped testily, pushing her raven hair out of her face. With that, she grabbed Jadeite's arm and tugged him along behind her as she strode towards the flower gardens. She did normal'>not want Mina spouting off some rubbish about how they were destined for each other. Frankly, Jadeite wasn’t going to live that long. Even if he did….well…she wasn't going down that trail.

"Well, style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>that was exciting," Zoicite commented lightly. "Is she this volatile all the time?"

Ami giggled. "Not all the time, but fairly close. You should hear her argue with Serenity."

He winced playfully. "I'm not sure I'd want to."

"It does make studying difficult," Ami agreed. "Most of the time I try to tune them out, but sometimes..." she trailed off and shook her head.

Zoicite cocked his head. "Studying?"

Ami turned to him, a surprised look on her face. Hadn't they covered that the night before? "Of course. We're princesses. We have to learn how life on our planets works. Economics, architecture, science—"

"Food," Lita interjected. "Never, ever forget the food. Especially with Serenity."

"Ah, I beg your pardon." Zoicite hesitated a moment, then asked with a slight bow, "That reminds me, Princess, perhaps we could play a game of chess after seeing the gardens?"

Ami gravely nodded her head, a faint smile hovering on her lips. "It would be my pleasure. This way."

Zoicite offered the slender Mercurian princess his arm and the two meandered down the hall together.

Malachite shook his head. If he hadn't suspected it the night before, he was sure of it now. style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>There goes another one. He’d always considered Zoicite to be the levelheaded one too. Certainly, he flirted with ladies, but he never took things any further. But apparently, he was falling for the princess of Mercury. On that count though, Malachite was sure the attraction was returned. One had only to look at the way Princess Ami blushed.

Nephrite saw the look on his friend's face and almost laughed, knowing what Malachite was thinking. "Princess Lita," he began, turning a charming smile on the tall girl beside him, "Would you care to go to the gardens now?"

"I'd love to," she replied warmly. "Perhaps you can tell me about Earth's forests, General." He offered her his arm and the two walked comfortably to the garden. "I've read about them, but I would dearly love to hear about them from someone who's actually seen them. Jupiter has forests, but I don’t think they’re the same kind.”

Nephrite chuckled. "Of course, Princess. It would be my pleasure."

Before Nephrite and Lita were lost from sight, Mina turned to the silver-haired man with a beaming smile and slipped her arm into his. I'm going to get him to loosen up if it's the last thing I do. "Come on, General. Let's go see if Rei and General Jadeite have caught up to your prince and Serenity yet." With that, she took off down the hall, tugging him along after her.

Malachite winced and lengthened his stride to keep up with her.

Throughout the rest of the morning, Mina stayed close to Malachite, hanging off his arm as long as he could stand it and generally annoying the living daylights out of him. Even if she hadn't been determined to get through his incredibly thick defenses, they would still have been paired together.

Endymion and Serenity were lost in their own little world and the other princesses and the generals weren't in much better shape. Even shy, bookish Ami was having a wonderful time. The blond general was having a ball irritating the Martian princess and keeping her from stalking after Endymion and Serenity. Malachite thought it was very strange; Jadeite didn't usually behave like that.

Finally, the noon lunch hour arrived. Mina was busy pulling Malachite around after her as she flitted around the garden, chattering about this flower and that flower until he heartily wished she would lose her voice. The others were also wandering around admiring the scenes, but they had drifted off in different directions.

Fed up with Malachite's silent treatment, Mina dropped his arm and whirled suddenly, following a silver butterfly out of sheer boredom. She nearly bumped into a black-haired woman coming the other way. "Oh! Luna, I'm sorry. I didn't see you," she apologized brightly.

Luna waved a hand. "I'm fine, Princess Mina. Actually, I've come to invite all of you to lunch. The first conference will be held afterwards."

Mina made a face. "Ugh, stuffy old politics," she muttered. "Well, General, let's get the others."

Malachite refrained from gritting his teeth in frustration as he was promptly dragged away again. He was not going to allow this treatment much longer, proper manners or no. There had to be something he could do.

Watching the pair disappear in the direction of the palace, Luna hid a smile. Mina was obviously punishing the General for something—probably his lack of attention—and it would be interesting to see how long the Terran held out before he snapped.

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