Archive 'fic: The Bracelet, pt.1 [Sailor Moon]
Finally gettin' around to putting this up.
Which is fitting, since it took me two years to write it. Might as well take two years to put it up after I've finished it.
Like all my Sailor Moon 'fic, it never went through a beta, though I did spell check it before putting it up here.
Pairing is Jupiter/Nephrite. Beware, beware, these stories are really how I get my romantic kicks. And I have an awful lot of fun writing that overwroughtly. :)
Nephrite went to the Moon and got sick.
It happened, he learned, to about a quarter of all first time visitors. Some just had light colds; others had full-blown flu. It had something to do with the Moon enclosure and the heavy magic there; Zoisite had spouted a bunch of gibberish about it. As if that were comforting.
Unfortunately, he was also required to attend the Opening Feast. This meant wearing his obnoxiously heavy official dress uniform and the Earth court hair style, a neat braid that trailed part way down his back. Overall, he made a striking picture, one that was, in truth, extremely uncomfortable. During the feast, he alternately froze and burned within his uniform, and the roots of his hair began to ache. After dinner came the entertainment, featuring singing and dancing that went on far too long. Then everyone else had to dance, too.
Privately, Nephrite wondered exactly which sins he was being punished for.
Even worse, he normally liked these sorts of events. Oh, Kunzite and Jadeite could write them off as social bores, but the food and drink were nearly always good, and there were always pretty girls. He and Zoisite could cut a swath through a room before the affair was finished.
Privately, it amused him that Zoisite, of all people, was his partner in reckless flirting. Put the man in a room of books, and all you could hear was the soft sound of knowledge being inhaled. Put him near a pretty girl, and all you could hear was the soft whish of charm flowing out. He wasn't sure where the man put it all.
And now, he couldn't enjoy any of it.
Finally, he managed to extract his liege's permission to go. He'd tried to catch the man's attention for hours, but wouldn't you know it? The Moon was full of Endymion's favorite party favor: pretty blonde girls. It meant that he'd finally had to wade through the horde and present himself, at which point he was told he looked like hell and was dismissed. After a few glasses of punch, Endy's mouth was almost as reckless as Jade's.
He exited the Grand Whatsit, and found himself confronted by a plethora of hallways. In his cooked brain state, he wasn't sure exactly which one to take. Did the blue one lead to their wing, or the green?
Toss-up. He could summon a servant, of course, but the thought of clapping his hands made him wince. Truthfully, he wasn't sure if he could snap his fingers at this point.
He decided on green. He took two steps down the short staircase, stumbled, and nearly went sprawling on the floor. Instead he toddled down the rest of the stairs and bobbed about before finding a stabilizing pillar.
|Okay. Plan 2: Powers.|
He really wasn't supposed to do this--not in plain sight, at least. He looked about until he saw a cluster of heavy shadow by the far wall. He stumbled away from the pillar and headed for it, hands fuzzing slightly with gold light. He slid inside the waiting shadow and was about to let himself dissolve away when someone else tripped down the stairs.
He slid back into focus, and noticed it was a woman. She wore a green and amber dress cut for state; that made her a noble. And by the look of it, she was feeling distinctly unwell.
Shit, shit, shit. He was far, far too much of a sucker for this.
He eased fully into focus. She didn't seem to notice; instead, she found her way to her feet, and staggered over to a pillar, which she clutched like salvation. There she leaned, and breathed, until he called out, "Lady."
Jupiter was drunk.
It was a problem of tolerance, she knew. Mercury and Mars could somehow swallow drinks all night, something she suspected had to do with their powers. At least she did better than Venus, who from the first sip acquired rosy cheeks and a very concentrated air of attempting to be sober. The two of them normally vowed to watch each other, but no, she had to have a dramatic moment and disappear with some guy instead.
So she'd gone, one, two, three cups beyond her normal limit. This wasn't helped by the fact that balls were "all dressed up and no place to go" events for her, full of watching everyone else work their way down the path to getting laid.
It wasn't fair.
She'd eventually caught herself at the bottom of a glass, her stomach lurching, her head pounding, and decided it was time to eighty-six her night. That the need to be sick was the best way to do so spoke volumes.
Not fucking fair at all.
So she'd slipped out the door, cursing Venus with every step, and, of course, had fallen down the stairs.
The universe obviously hated her. Or, at least, her heels.
She'd managed, somehow, not to vomit all over the floor nor her dress. It'd been quite a feat, but then, that's what Jovians were known for--pulling off shit no one else could.
She'd gotten up and found a pillar to lean on. Jovian. An Outer Princess at an Inner Court. Accepted some five hundred years ago as a way to bind the two halves of the system together. Accepted because of the strength they would bring...
She wouldn't wallow. She'd drunk too much to wallow; it would be dangerous, now. No, she was going to leave this room, go to her quarters, and throw up. Then she'd curse Mai--Venus, Venus!--until she fell asleep.
Much better than wallowing.
"Lady?"
She snapped about, and regretted it. The world swam for a moment, then refocused on a man in heavy uniform. Tall. Auburn hair, whisping from a braid. Oddly pale, too.
"Lady," said the man again, voice hoarse. "Help."
He staggered against the pillar closest to her. She just stared. |Help?| she wondered.
"Damn, damn--can you understand me?" he said.
"Yes," she replied.
"Oh, thank the stars," he rasped back. Up close, his forehead was covered in sweat, and he really was pale. "I'm trying to find my room." He sat down heavily against the pillar. "Only I can't think."
Something swam through her foggy brain. "You're from Earth, aren't you?"
"Yes. I would get up to introduce myself, but apparently, I'm dying." He gave a pathetic cough.
Her head pounded. Her stomach churned. She understood and agreed with the sentiment.
"Come with me," she said, holding out her hand.
Nephrite staggered in and sat on the ledge of the bathtub. It was deep and long, made of green marble streaked with spiky white. He leaned over and brushed at the woman's head where it lay against the privy.
"Feel better?" he asked, voice gentle.
Jupiter gave him an unfathomable look, and sighed. "I hope that didn't disgust you too much."
He smiled, even though it hurt. "Not at all, Lady."
He thought she blushed. She pushed away from the privy, hands falling to her lap, head down.
"So, do you usually do this sort of thing?" he asked, stumbling over the words. Internally, he groaned. This was not a way to gain a proper interstellar reputation.
She looked up at him. He wondered again how anyone's eyes got to be that green. Or how someone managed to keep that much poise when they'd been throwing up for the last few minutes.
He was rhapsodizing. Damn, he was ill.
"No," she said, and her voice was very quiet.
He sensed the nerve, and looked away. She reached out and touched his hand, and he met her eyes again.
They were narrowed.
"You're sick."
"Dying, actually," he said, grinning. That hurt, too, but he couldn't resist.
"No, no, just sick," she said, and now she stood up. "Moon Ill, I'd guess," she added, pulling him to a stand. He stumbled against her, noting that her eyes nearly met his, and how easy it was for her to steady him. She touched his forehead, and winced.
"Why aren't you in bed?"
"Had to go to the Feast," he replied woozily.
The look she gave him told him he was an idiot. He shrugged in reply--he was already quite certain of that.
Once again she was leading him, her grip tight on his hand. Last time, the journey had been cut short. This journey was also short, as she pushed him onto a bed.
He laid there for a moment, then said, "Lady?"
"Yes?"
"I'm not at my best now, but..."
She smacked him on the ass with a pillow. "You'll sleep here, for now. Your room is too far away."
He blinked. "But what about you?" he asked, voice plaintive. That made him wince internally, but her look softened.
"I've got a couch," she said.
He sat up completely. His brain thunked against the inside of his skull. "No," he said.
"No?" she said, eyebrows going up.
"No," he said again, and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He stood up; she went to push him back down, and he caught her hand. The bracelet on her wrist jangled.
She stared at him, and her grip tightened. He squeezed back, matching her. Their eyes met.
Finally, softly, "It's your bed, Lady."
Equally as soft, "But you weren't disgusted."
Her eyes flickered, and part of her was exposed.
|SHIT.|
He gave in, let go of her hand, and sat back down.
She smiled, hesitantly, and said, "You should get that jacket off." Then she disappeared back to the bathroom.
Nephrite shrugged out of his jacket, then reached down to take off his boots. A hint of metal glinted at him from the floor, and he picked it up. It was the Lady's bracelet, a simple thing of links of copper. It was broken between the links--strange, it had just been whole on her wrist.
She came back with a glass of black fluid. He swallowed it anyways, sticky and thick as it was. Immediately his brain started to shut down, and he fell back onto the pillows.
He heard a rustle, then nothing more.
His last thought was, |I don't even know her name.|
Jupiter would later attribute the dream to alcohol. Her dreams were normally faint, misty things, which this was not. It was full of color in fantastic shades, the play of light bringing out the deep color in everything; the sound was fresh as a whisper in her ear, as if piped directly into her brain.
Even later, she would understand.
She dreamt of the Shrine, and the Seer, two things she had not thought about in a long time.
She heard the words again, words she had never understood before, nor since. No more did they seem a casual remark, though, but words of portent and power.
She took the box from the man's hands. She had been a young girl before, but now her hands were the same size as always, and the box was small within them. She ran her fingers over the carved pattern, the whippy branches and sharp leaves, and let them glide to the latch.
|How do I open it?|
|You will figure that out, soon enough.|
She had. She slid the insert out with her nail, twisted it over a touch, pressed a leaf. There was a click, and she opened the lid, expecting to find what had been in there before.
Instead, there was another box.
She stared. The carved box dropped from her fingers, and against everything she knew, shattered.
She looked between the pieces and the new box in her hand, which somehow was bigger than the precious wooden box of her childhood. It seemed flawless, carved from jade, and very solid. A pattern of leaves twined around it.
"When it breaks, rejoice."
She looked up. Her eyes widened.
She awoke.
Muted light played over Nephrite's face. He stirred, a line of chills running down the back of his neck. His mind was caught between sleep and waking, in that hazy place of semi-consciousness. He was warm, and cold; awake, and asleep; and all together, in a state of unusual receptivity.
As such, he heard a soft whisper, words just out of reach of his hearing. A sibilant hiss of breath, powerful, neutral. Words he could almost make out.
Then, the sound of a flute attempting to blast out his eardrums.
He shot up, and moaned. The chills swamped his body, his head throbbed, and his mouth felt coated in sticky paste.
"You look like hell," Jadeite observed, hovering at the end of the bed.
"Feel like it, twice over," he replied thickly. He glared at Jade. "Did you have to wake me that way?"
"That, or watch you sleep all day," Jadeite replied. "And while it's a pleasant sight for some, I'll pass." His voice was dry, touched by the desert he'd grown up in.
"Is there a reason for it, or are you just being obnoxious?" Nephrite retorted.
"Both," Jadeite said, smiling a little. He raised the flute to his mouth and play a quick half scale. "It's always a pleasure to annoy you, my lord."
"Yes, that's a given," Nephrite replied, pushing himself up so his back was to the headboard. "And?"
Jadeite played a series of minor thirds. He looked suddenly serious. "You weren't in your rooms this morning. I thought I should find out if you were dead or not."
Nephrite sighed. It was one of those Jade things.
"So I 'looked you up', so to speak," Jade said, brandishing the flute. "And found you here, in a woman's room." Somehow, he managed to make that last bit sound like a verbal leer, Nephrite thought. Jadeite leaned back on the air, smiling sardonically. "I should've expected it."
Nephrite grinned. "Jade, for once, it's completely not what you think."
"Oh? It was for our Commander."
"No shit. He...he found her?"
"Looks like it," Jade replied, and crouched forward again. "I guess you missed the reunion scene, huh?"
"Jade, I barely could stand last night," Nephrite explained, and was about to elaborate further when the door opened and the Lady came in. She was carrying a tray, and dressed in green men's pajamas, her hair bound neatly back. She caught sight of Jade and somehow managed not to drop the tray.
"Lady," Nephrite began, but Jadeite smiled, unfolded himself and floated down.
"May I assist you, Lady Jupiter?" he asked, giving a slight bow. He reached out and took the tray from her hands, and let it float over to Nephrite, where it settled easily.
|Lady...Jupiter?| Nephrite thought to himself, looking down at the tray.
Jupiter gave a little curtsy to Jade. "Thank you, Lord Jadeite, though I'm sure that if a little girl like me can carry it from the kitchens, I can also put it on the bed." There was a hint of a smile at her mouth.
"What is the Lady Jupiter doing, attending the kitchens, when she has one of her own?" Jade asked, again with the slight bow.
"The Lady Jupiter does not need to answer silly questions, Lord Jadeite," the Lady replied, again with a slight curtsey.
"You two know each other?" Nephrite asked.
"You two don't?" Jade said, and both averted their eyes. "Oh. Wow. You don't!" There was glee in his voice. He stepped between them and extended his arm. "Lady Jupiter, this is Lord Nephrite, shadow master, womanizer unparalleled, and nob supreme." He bowed to her, then turned to Nephrite. "Lord Nephrite, this is Lady Jupiter, Warrior of the Princess, excellent cook, and all around most shoddy card player." He dropped his arm, eyes glittering. "Usually I try to get the name before I cohabitate."
Jupiter folded her arms across her chest. "Interesting words from a man who frequents the anonymous Five Hours."
His body tensed, but his voice was silk. "Low blow...cousin."
Jupiter's smile widened. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to invoke blood," she said, voice soft.
"Never soon enough, it seems," he replied, voice almost...gentle.
They embraced. Nephrite pinched himself. This had to be a fever dream.
The two rocked together for a moment before pulling back. Their eyes turned to him. Jupiter covered her mouth. Jade grinned, said, "I wish I had a picture of the expression on your face."
"You two...know each other?" he asked, voice whispery.
The two exchanged looks, then split to opposite sides of the bed. Jupiter pulled a chair up close; Jadeite hovered again, flute across his lap.
"You know my family immigrated," Jade said.
Nephrite nodded. "I thought you meant..." he spread his hands, confused. "I didn't think you meant another planet!"
"We're spread out all over the system," Jade said. "My part just happened to come from Ganymede..."
"A moon my family has been, let us say, intimately connected with," Jupiter said, settling into her seat.
"So we're related, somehow," Jade finished. " 'Cousin' is the best word for it."
"When I left home, my parents gave me some family names to look up in this area, to make me more comfortable. This bastard was the only one who would take my calls," Jupiter said.
Jade shrugged. "I don't fear the Moon," he said simply. He looked between the two of them, and added, "Yet."
Jupiter smiled at him. "As it should be."
"I've got to be dreaming," Nephrite muttered.
Jupiter reached over and touched his head. Her smile disappeared. "Still some fever," she said.
Jade gave him a concerned look. "You're sick? I thought you'd been drinking."
Nephrite sighed. |Here we go.|
Jupiter said, "Yes. 'Swhy he's here, after..." And now she looked down, shuffling her hands.
Jade looked between them, and shook hi head. "I shall inform the Commander, then," he said. "If I can pull him out of bed..." He flashed them both a wicked grin, and vanished with a soft chime.
Jupiter was looking at him now. "You should eat," she said.
He looked at the tray. "Does dream food taste good?" he asked.
She smacked his arm gently. "It's soup and orange juice, and you're not dreaming."
"That's hard to believe," he replied, pulling the lids off both the bowl and the cup. Steam rose, filled his nostrils with a delicious smell, and the orange juice was a very pretty shade.
"Why? You don't often accompany women back to their rooms without knowing their name?" she teased.
He pointed the spoon at her. "I always get a lady's name first," he said, then dipped the spoon in the soup.
"You didn't with me," she said, voice still teasing.
"And you didn't get mine," he said, blowing on the spoonful of soup. He sipped it tentatively, then swallowed the whole thing, noticing that she suddenly looked a little anxious.
He ate another spoonful, and another. The warmth spilled down his throat, and seemed to immediately attach itself to all his cold spots. He shuddered a little at its touch.
"Is it that bad?" she asked, voice quiet and quick.
He paused, spoon at his lips, and raised his eyebrows. She smacked a fist into her palm, swearing. "I'm sorry, I'll..."
"You made this?" he asked quickly, then finished his last swallow.
She nodded, hands still clenched.
He smiled a little. "For me?" he asked, voice deepening.
"For everyone," she replied, and her voice was quiet.
Nephrite looked down at his bowl, then waved his hand over it. The mixture swirled a little, and she gave him a puzzled look. He spooned up another bite, swallowed, and sighed.
"Now it's just for me," he replied, and his eyes smiled at her.
When she closed the door some twenty minutes later, the faint blush on her cheeks still remained.
Venus was waiting for her in the kitchens. "Ah, you're out of bed," she said.
"Pfft. I've been up forever," Jupiter replied. She took in Venus's hair--pulled up quickly and knotted back--and her clothes--the wrinkled, rumpled sort. She raised an eyebrow. "You, on the other hand..."
Venus blushed. Jupiter nearly dropped her tray. The usual response to that was something catty, something cruel, something for them to laugh over. But this time, only a blush.
"So when's the wedding?" she asked, keeping her voice light as she turned to drop the tray at the dumbwaiter.
"Emi..."
Jupiter stiffened. Her voice went low. "That soon, hm?"
Venus moved, leaned against her, arms settling softly around her neck. "You read me so well," she whispered.
"I've had a lot of practice."
Then, to her surprise, Venus began to sob. It was light, and quiet, and it shattered Jupiter's heart.
She sighed, turned, wrapped her arms around her friend, and let her cry against her.
"Don't you talk to Mars about these things, Mai?" she whispered.
"Not now." The woman sniffed. "Not this. Emi..." At which point, she began to cry harder, sobs wringing and wracking her form.
Jupiter held her, face laid against her hair. She stroked her back, and whispered the right words, and let the rest of the world go blank.
Nephrite awoke. The room was dark. He sat up muzzily, trying to remember when he had drifted off.
An image: Jupiter, blushing, smiling shyly. The soup vanishing spoonful by spoonful. The bitter tang of orange juice. The persistent, painful erection he'd had since she'd walked over, sat down by him, touched his hand, all in those men's pajamas.
That, at least, was gone now. He pushed the covers aside, grabbed a fistful of shadow, and scrubbed the evidence away--magic truly was good for some things. A shower would be even better, though.
He slid to the side of the bed and swung his legs over. He ran his hands over his face, through his hair, trying to judge his health. His skin was clammy, his hair sweaty, and he felt kitten-weak, but the fever seemed to be gone, at least.
He plucked at his sweaty clothes. |And I'll be washing this uniform twice over before I wear it again,| he thought.
He stood up, and something fell to the floor beside him. He leaned over and picked it up; it was the same copper bracelet he'd seen the night before. It dangled from his palm, cool and broken, and he wondered if the Lady would be able to get it fixed. It was obviously well cared for.
He frowned down at it then. He faintly remembered this bracelet, and not just from the night before; he had dreamed, now or long ago, and this bracelet had been apart of it. He thumbed a length of shadow over it, probing the metal.
The thought was interrupted by something smashing against the door.
He slid into the shadows and out into the living room. Jupiter was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, hands balled into tight fists. Shards of pottery littered the grey carpet.
|This looks familiar,| he thought. Raising his voice, he said, "Lady?"
Her eyes flew open, angry and emerald for a few heated seconds. Then she relaxed, saying, "Nephrite. Did I wake you?"
"No, Lady. I was already up," he said.
"I'm sorry. I needed to throw something."
He chuckled. "We all do sometimes, Lady." He scattered shadow, raised a hand, and the pieces of a plate came together. He let it float there for a moment, aligning the cracks, before touching it. It healed, and dropped into his hands. Then, he moved to her, held out the plate. She took it, stared at it for a moment, and hurled it at the wall. It shattered.
Nephrite watched a sliver quiver in the wall. He looked at her. She didn't meet his eyes. "I needed to throw something again," she said.
He raised an eyebrow. "That's a very offensive plate, Lady."
"It is. Or, it was," she said, voice drained.
He touched her arm. "Would you like to talk about it?" |Please?| he thought. She seemed quite different from before, similar to when he'd first seen her. He'd been a sucker for it then, he was a sucker for it now, and...something more.
"Yes. And no." She looked up at him. It wasn't that far to look, but it still amazed her that there was any distance at all. She noted a return of color, his messy hair, his carelessly affectionate brown eyes.
"More yes, or more no?" he asked, almost smiling.
"I...I'm not sure."
He reached down and took her hand. She let him, enjoying the warm feel of someone else's touch. Unconsciously she moved closer, other hand reaching out. He caught it, squeezed it, and she closed her eyes and let it all wash over her. Her head bowed, touching his shoulder.
He stared at her, and for once, didn't think. He let her hands drop, and slid his hands to her waist, pulling her a little closer. Her head moved, and now her cheek was on his shoulder, and her arms were around his chest. He turned into her hair, tempted to press a kiss there, tempted yet unsure.
He'd never been this unsure before.
"You need a bath," she murmured, and he found himself chuckling again.
"I do." He slid his mouth close to her ear, felt her shiver at his breath, and asked lowly, "And would you join me?"
She pulled back. She stared at him, and her eyes flickered. And then, just as he thought she was going to clock him, she smiled.
"No," she said, voice soft.
He tried to grin and hide his feelings, the small trace of disappointment, at the same time. It mostly worked. "Well," he said, voice light, "if you won't join me, will you at least keep me company?" |Talk with me? Tell me what you're hiding? Tell me what's going...|
|Stars and SHIT, what am I, a bloody poet now?|
The smile came swifter this time, and she ducked her head. "I have a better idea."
The better idea, as it turned out, was a shower. Her bath came equipped with both, something of a Moon indulgence, but one Nephrite was happy to see. She left him in there, humming in the steam, and exited with a small smile on her face and his pile of dirty clothes in her arms.
The smile faded as the door shut. She had not expected his overture to her, or the serious light in his eyes when he had proposed it. Nor had she expected her sudden urge to join him; she barely knew him!
And yet...
She set his clothes down on a nearby chair, and moved to the bed. Mechanically she straightened the sheets and comforter, then crawled on top of it to pull all the pillows back into order. She sang softly to herself, a song with no words and easy melody, and thus it took her a moment to realize that someone else was singing with her.
"Cousin," she said, not looking up, "don't you ever use doors?"
"What are doors?" Jadeite replied, voice flippant.
"Oh, you know. Three sided portals used to enter rooms the proper, polite way. Oftentimes people knock, too," she replied, straightening the last crease on the comforter. She slid off the bed, turned around, and crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at him where he hovered at the edge of her bed.
"Proper and polite ways? What are those?" he asked, mouth tugged into a small smile.
She sighed, and resisted the urge to throw a pillow at him. "The things that you always ignore," she sighed.
"For quite a good reason, too, cousin. You know that."
She gave him a pointed look. "Charm and confidence aren't going to get you out of everything," she said.
"Well, no, but I was always happy about the prospect of dying young," he replied, voice far too flip for him not to be serious.
She gave another exasperated sigh. "And I wish you wouldn't say things like that, either. Especially not..." She stopped. She closed her eyes, and took a breath, and shook her head.
He studied her for a moment, then hovered lower, onto the bed. "Is everything all right? With both of you? I don't see Nephrite snoring his mind out as usual--did he leave?"
"He's in the bath," she said, not meeting his eyes.
"Oh? Well. That's cozy," he replied, a hint of leer in his voice.
"He needed to get clean, Jadeite de..."
"Oh, don't start with the full names, now," he said quickly. "No need for that between family, eh, Emi?"
She shook her head, then sat on the bedspread, running her fingers over the thin leaves. "No, I suppose not," she said.
He studied her again, then moved closer, reaching out to catch her hand. Their fingers twined together, and she squeezed tightly; quietly, he said, "Emi, are you all right?"
She shook her head.
"Has someone wronged you?" he said, voice low, a growl around its edges. "Because no one, even if they can use your shower, wrongs my cousin."
She gave him an exasperated look. "No one has wronged me, Jade." She cocked her head. "Anyone ever tell you that you have a complex about that?"
"That, I already knew," he replied, voice mock-fierce.
"Idiot," she sighed.
"Well established!" he said, and unable to help it, she laughed.
"And I snapped you out of it," he pointed out, voice softer.
"Somewhat," she said, then leaned back until her head was nestled on the pillows. A moment later he joined her, the sides of their head just touching.
"Can you talk about it?"
"No," she said. "It's not even my problem."
"Then why worry?"
"Because it's..." She paused, remembering how Venus had clung to her, the sobs shuddering through her body. "Because I do," she finished.
"You know, there are some things I just don't understand. The commander. Men in tiny bathing suits." He squeezed her hand. "Extraneous worry that is obviously eating at you, yet you won't talk about it."
"Cousin, I love you...and I know you. You are not the one to talk to about this sort of thing."
"Ah. That sort of thing."
"Yes." A pause. "Jadeite, if you..."
He laughed, low and pure. "I have no clue what sort of thing you mean, Emi. Except it probably involves love, if I'm not the one to talk about it." He turned his head slightly, whispered, "But I know who you could talk to."
"Who?" she asked.
"Nephrite."
She shivered suddenly, and said, "Why him?"
"He listens the best of the four of us. Truly. And to pretty girls? He listens even better." He squeezed her hand again, then sat up. "Talk to him, Emi."
She sat up as well, facing away from him. "I don't know what to say, though," she replied.
She could feel him smile. "Don't lie, cousin," he said lightly. "You will."
He whistled softly, and she felt his weight leave the bed. She turned a little, and saw him above the bed, chin resting on his hands. Their eyes met for a moment.
"I am glad of your faith in me, cousin," she said.
His mouth quirked slightly, and he gave a short nod. Then his features shifted, and he said, "If I may talk business for a moment?"
She nodded.
"Lord Nephrite's absence was all right for today, but there are major meetings tomorrow," he said. He had a voice for pronouncement, as much as it didn't fit his image. "The Prince will require him by his side, to speak for his region." His voice dropped into a softer tone. "As I assumed you will be called to talk of the Outers' interests."
Jupiter nodded stiffly. "Of course," she said, barely keeping disdain out of her voice.
His serious facade cracked, and he shook his head. "You are the worst Princess ever," he said. "Everyone else is salivating over the prospect, and you find it a chore."
"For me, it is," she said, voice sharp. She slid off the bed, and moved towards the chair that held Nephrite's clothes.
"Cousin," he said, and she felt him move closer to her.
She flung her hand out, stopping him before he moved any closer. "No need for kind words, Jade. I am long used to it."
He said nothing, and she dared not look at his face.
She turned to the chair and picked up Nephrite's clothes. Pitching her voice lighter, she turned back to him. "From your speech, I'd guess you were taking Nephrite home tonight," she said. "But given that he's taken all this time to get clean, it seems wrong to put him back into these."
Jade floated closer, and wrinkled his nose. "Wrong, indeed." He extended a hand and hummed a note; the clothes stiffened, as if wrapped in something. For a moment he regarded her, then said, voice back to wicked lightness, "Dare I ask how you got those from him?"
"He handed them to me from behind the curtain, if you must know," she said, quite happy to be back to banter. "Honestly, Jade, is everything dirty in your head?"
He managed a slight smile. "Almost everything, cousin."
"Almost?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
A swirl of emotion flashed across his face, and his eyes half closed. "Cousin," he said softly. "Tell me..."
"Yes?"
"Tell me why your bracelet is missing?"
Jupiter's hand went to her wrist, and she blinked in surprise. "I hadn't...I hadn't even noticed." She shook her head slightly. "How strange." Then her features tightened, and she said, "That's also not what you were going to ask me about, was it?"
He smiled ever so coyly, then pulled out his flute. He fingered it lightly for a moment, then said, "I see no reason why Lord Nephrite need come back to his quarters this evening. His presence is not required until tomorrow morning, after all." He raised his eyes to meet hers again.
She found herself unable to say anything.
"You know when and where he'll be needed," he said. "See you on the morrow, cousin," He raised the flute to his mouth and played a trickle of notes; the clothes flashed with light. A trickle more, and the light faded away--as had he.
Jupiter picked up a piece of clothing from the pile. It was clean; Jade must have switched the dirty out with his magic.
She raised her wrist again. Oh, she'd occasionally lost her bracelet before, but that had been before Mai--Venus, Venus--had shown her the trick with the clasps. Now, though, where could it have gone?
And did this have anything to do with her dream?
The thought surprised her, and she shrugged it off. No, it was just coincidence--she had seen far too many of those to believe it was some sort of portent. Mars was the woman for that.
The sound of water being shut off broke her from her thoughts. She quickly got dressed for bed, tying her hair up once again, then knocked on the door.
"Yes, Lady?"
"I have clothes for you," she said.
A pause. "Lady, if it's the same..."
"No, no, Jadeite brought them."
"Ah." Another pause. "Could you leave them on the bed? I shall be out in a moment."
"Certainly." She set the pile of clothes on the bed, quickly knocked on the door, then scooted out of the room, unable to understand why her hands were suddenly sweating, or why she could hear her heartbeat in her ears.
Nephrite opened the door a crack, and peeked cautiously around the door frame. No one in sight. He pulled the towel close around him, then crept into the room. He looked around again, checking the shadows, then dropped the towel completely and rummaged through the clothes. Uniform pants, jacket, undershirt...then he stopped, and held up a ratty cotton shirt. A moment more of rummaging, and he found the pair of faded pants that went with it. In other words, his usual sleepwear.
He frowned to himself. |I can never understand what that man is thinking,| he thought. |The Lady is his cousin, and yet...| He stared at the clothing for a moment more, then shrugged and pulled it on. It was much better suited to his current condition than his other clothes. Perhaps that was Jade's reasoning.
He had just managed to get the rest in order when a knock came at the door. "Decent?" she asked.
"Yes. Do come in, Lady," he replied, picking up the pile of clothes and setting them on the chair.
She opened the door cautiously, stepped in, then stopped. She covered her mouth. "Nephrite," she said.
"Yes?"
"Why is that...on your head?"
"This?" Nephrite touched the half-turban on his head. "A towel, Lady. To let my hair dry."
She smiled. "It looks..."
"A little silly?" He smiled back. "Quite, Lady. Quite. Jade, even Zoisite, give me nothing but shit about it. But when you have hair as long as mine, Lady, you have to have some way to keep it off your back when it's wet."
"It makes sense, Nephrite," she said. "I'll admit that." Then she smiled again, a hair larger, a hair closer to reaching her eyes. "But it's still quite silly looking."
He smiled. "That it is." He picked up the wet towel off the floor and fiddled with it, unsure of what to say next. She shifted her weight, seeming to feel the same way.
"Um, Jade...when he was here..."
"He showed up himself?" he said, eagerly latching onto this bit of conversation.
"Of course. Miss a chance to tease me in person, my cousin? Hardly," she replied, voice sounding a little less forced.
"Of course," he nodded, then swept a hand down his clothing. "He doesn't miss a chance to tease or confuse, it seems."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"He brought me my sleep clothes," he said. "True, they are much nicer to wear than my uniform, but I do not understand why he brought that, too."
She suddenly appeared nervous again. "He did, did he?"
"Yes. Rogue," he said, shaping the word with a chastising affection.
"He, um, uh, he..." She stopped, shook her head, her body tightening up: shoulders hunching, arms pulled in close, hands turning to fists. She held this for a moment, then relaxed; as her body did so, she let the words out.
"He said that he did not see any reason for you to go back tonight."
He froze. |Shit shit shit, Jade, I may have to kill you.|
"And I...I think...he's,"
"Lady," he started.
"I think he's right," she said, taking a slow step towards him. "I think he's right," she repeated, voice far more confident now.
He blinked. His eyes sought her face, searching it for any indication that this was...not her saying it. Jade would never do that to him, would he?
But no--her eyes were open and clear, and she was blushing. Besides, this was his cousin, one he seemed to have some affection for. Jade was a bastard, through and through, but even he wouldn't do such a thing.
|On second thought, Jade, I may not have to kill you after all.|
"I have been sick," he said, slowly, as if testing the thought.
"Yes. Moon-Ill," she said.
"And it would perhaps be best if I husbanded my strength for one more night," he said, again flavoring his words with caution.
He heard her stifle a sound, and carefully looked up. She was holding back a grin, and once she caught his eye said, "Not too much, Lord."
"Lady?" he asked, voice coming out a touch hoarse.
The grin threatened to explode over her face; she barely kept it in check. "I mean, my Lord, that I was thinking of having tea." She cocked her head. "Would your stores of strength extend to a cup of tea with me?"
He checked his own smile, his own laugh. "I think I could manage it," he said.
"Excellent,'' she said, still holding back her smile. "I'll attend to that, then. The towel," she pointed at the one he'd picked up four centuries ago, "you can leave in the bathroom."
He nodded, then caught her eye for a moment. The scrunch of inheld smiles and laughter slid out of her face, and he felt it drain from him as well. A nervous energy moved into the air between them.
"Lady?"
"Yes?" He steeled his face against the tremor in her voice.
"Thank you."
She seemed about to say something, then just nodded. In unison, they turned away from each other.
They ended up having tea in her room. She lit candles, and the tray was set carefully on the bed. Nephrite poured, hands shaking slightly, as she set out biscuits fro the both of them. All was done in silence, as if neither knew quite what to say.
The towel on his head was starting to slip, so he shrugged it off, reaching up to untangle pieces of his hair from it. He instinctively pulled out his brush, and caught quizzical look from her. "Lady?"
"How did you do that?"
He smiled slightly. "We all have a...pocket, of sorts, that we keep such things in. Jade may like to pretend that he keeps his flute elsewhere, but this is where it actually comes from." He looked at his brush again, frowned, then slipped it back in the pocket. One did not brush their hair at tea. Instead, he took fingers of shadow and pulled his hair back, leaving it loosely fashioned.
Jupiter didn't notice this; she was staring into her teacup, remembering.
|You should talk to him. He listens best of all of us.|
|I do not know what I would say.|
|Don't lie, cousin.|
She blinked it back, then picked up her teacup. He did the same, and they quietly toasted each other. She took a short sip of tea, then blurted out, "Do you believe in love at first sight?"
He sipped the tea--hints of vanilla and orange--and considered the question. She watched him, trying to keep her face composed, trying to keep it all from slipping out of her eyes.
Finally, he answered, "No, I don't."
"Oh." Jupiter took a biscuit, broke it in half, then paused. "But what if you've seen it happen?" she asked, eyes down.
He regarded her for a moment. "Do you know someone it's happened to, Lady?" he asked.
She ate the biscuit, first one half, then the other. She shook the crumbs off her fingers daintily, then picked up her cup again. She took a sip of her tea. Then, quietly, she said, "Yes."
His eyebrows went up. "Really? Love, actual love, and not lust?"
"Oh, it's love," she replied, voice too casual. "But..."
"But what?" he asked gently.
She raised her head to meet his eyes, and her eyes shone bright and raw. Once again, he saw part of her revealed, and it tore at something inside him.
"She didn't wait." The words were like lumps of lead in her mouth. "And now..." She looked back at her cup. "Now...she could lose it."
"This happened to a friend of yours, Lady?" he asked, voice soothing. He had the impression she just barely held it together.
"Yes," she said. Her voice came out in barely more than a whisper.
Nephrite leaned back, cup in hand. Something about this stirred his memory. "Recently?" he asked, keeping his voice as gentle as possible.
"Yes," she said, in the same hollowed out tone.
This morning, Jade had said something...what was it again?
|He found her.|
Oh, yes...
Nephrite's face split into a grin. "He didn't wait either, Lady," he said.
She looked up from her cup. "Pardon?"
"Your friend..."
"Venus," she supplied, the word sharp and quick, as if to conserve air.
"Your friend, Venus, is with my Commander, Kunzite," he said, still smiling. "I don't know if you saw him the other night--tall? sour looking?"
"Silver hair?"
"That's him."
A tightness in her shoulders slowly eased. "Is he the one Jade calls a 'stuck-up prig'?"
"No, that's me," Nephrite sighed. "Kunzite is 'Commander Giant Stick Up His Ass,' after his tendency to, you know, make Jadeite do what he's supposed to do."
His words had further effect; the tension in her face, her body, eased even more. A tentative smile appeared on her face. "My cousin has a way with words."
"It'll be the death of him," he said, taking a sip of his tea.
The smile slid away. "As well he knows," she said, voice soft. "It's something he wishes for, I..." Her voice trailed off, as if she'd said something she hadn't meant to.
"Yes," he replied. "Yes."
There was a moment of quiet, then he cleared his throat and asked, "More tea?"
She nodded, and he poured. After a moment, he said, "So your friend, Venus, is worried because..?"
Jupiter sipped her tea, then turned the cup in her hands, thinking. "She has something of a reputation here," she began.
"Ahh. A bad one?"
She nodded.
"She shouldn't worry too much," he said, keeping his voice light. "The Commander told us stories about her for years, his one dear love. But it didn't keep him from..." He spread his hands, trying to think of a word. "Practicing," he finally said. "When he could."
"Venus...practiced as well," Jupiter said. "But it's more than that."
"How so, Lady?" he asked.
She paused a moment, then said, voice low again, "This stays between us."
He was momentarily taken aback, then quickly said, "Do you wish me to swear on something?"
Her eyes went wide for a moment, then she shook her head. "No, no. I trust you."
The words came so easily, she could hardly believe it. She tried them once more, just to be sure. "I trust you." Same easiness, same fluidity, same spreading warmth in her chest...
He nodded slightly, as if the repetition did not surprise him. "Thank you, Lady," he said, voice husky. |That must be hard for you,| he thought. |Thank you, again...|
She shook off her daze, sipped at her tea, then carefully set the cup down and told him about Venus. It wasn't a long story, and when it was done, she watched him carefully. He seemed to be digesting it all, absently crumbling a biscuit between his fingers.
Finally, he said, "I can understand why she is concerned, but..."
"But?" Jupiter asked.
"He--the Commander--is...I've known him almost my whole life," Nephrite said. "He's the toughest bastard I've ever met." He paused, unsure if he should add more details. He had no problem displaying his personal magic, but Kunzite could be awfully touchy about such things.
"Oh?" Jupiter thoughtfully sipped her tea. "Perhaps, then, you could speak to her?"
"Venus?" He paused, then grinned. "Yes, yes I could. Tomorrow?"
She nodded. "When Jade was here, he reminded me to remind you that your presence will be required tomorrow."
The words were innocent, but they changed the mood of the room in a snap.
"This means I should get to bed soon, I suppose," he said, trying to keep his voice innocent. He picked up his cup and sipped again at his tea, thinking of a way to change the subject back, to recover a mood which wasn't nearly so...loaded.
"Yes," she said, and her voice had gone soft again.
He did not let himself catch her eyes now, instead letting them fall to the tea set. The china had a pretty pattern of thin, deep green leaves around the edges, and was obviously both well-cared for and well-used. He smiled to himself. "You do this a lot, don't you, Lady?"
"Tea?" She seemed surprised. "Whenever I can..."
"No," he said, before he could stop himself. He raised his head, met her eyes, before he could stop himself. More words followed, as if he'd now lost total control of his tongue.
"No. Help your friends, I mean. Protect them.' His voice was gentle. "'Take their needs upon yourself."
Unexpectedly, tears sprung to her eyes. She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat, then stood up. Her hands blindly found the tray, and she said, "I'll clear these away, you get some sleep. The summits can be..."
"Lady?"
She paused, plates in her hand, and met his eyes. They were warm, cinnamon warm, smoky in color, silk in their feel on her.
She thought he would thank her again. If he did, she didn't know she could stand it.
But he didn't; he only nodded to her. Even so, tears welled up in her eyes and she nodded back quickly. She gathered the rest of the china as quickly as she could, and he rose and moved towards the bed.
She left the room with no intention of going back to it. Yet here she was, sneaking in not an hour later, excuses tumbling through her mind. She'd forgotten to brush her teeth, wash her face. She wanted to change her shirt, put on her slippers. She wanted an extra blanket and pillow for the couch.
(She wanted one more moment in that room with him in it. Just one more.)
When she entered the room, hands quivering, heart in her throat, a candle on the table still burned. Its low light cast shadows across the bed, where Nephrite appeared to be asleep: breathing low and regular, form curled up facing her. She moved to her dresser and (quietly) pulled out another shirt, then stepped to the bathroom.
She came out fifteen minutes later, shaking out her hair, arms comfortably bare to the cool room. All she had to do was get the linens, and she'd be set, and all without waking him.
She moved to the table by her bed to set down her hair tie, a ritualized gesture. The candle had burned fairly low, and she licked her fingers to snuff it.
The hair on the back of her neck pricked up just before she heard the soft, "Don't."
She looked over to the bed. He was watching her, and his eyes held that same, unreadable look she'd seen before.
Only, now, something in her understood it.
He turned fully towards her. His hand slid from under the covers, fingers uncurling from his palm towards her.
"Lady..."
She reached out and touched his fingers, warm and still slightly pruned. For an eternal moment, she stared at the contact between them.
Then she moved her hand over, flipped the covers aside, and slid in beside him.
Which is fitting, since it took me two years to write it. Might as well take two years to put it up after I've finished it.
Like all my Sailor Moon 'fic, it never went through a beta, though I did spell check it before putting it up here.
Pairing is Jupiter/Nephrite. Beware, beware, these stories are really how I get my romantic kicks. And I have an awful lot of fun writing that overwroughtly. :)
Nephrite went to the Moon and got sick.
It happened, he learned, to about a quarter of all first time visitors. Some just had light colds; others had full-blown flu. It had something to do with the Moon enclosure and the heavy magic there; Zoisite had spouted a bunch of gibberish about it. As if that were comforting.
Unfortunately, he was also required to attend the Opening Feast. This meant wearing his obnoxiously heavy official dress uniform and the Earth court hair style, a neat braid that trailed part way down his back. Overall, he made a striking picture, one that was, in truth, extremely uncomfortable. During the feast, he alternately froze and burned within his uniform, and the roots of his hair began to ache. After dinner came the entertainment, featuring singing and dancing that went on far too long. Then everyone else had to dance, too.
Privately, Nephrite wondered exactly which sins he was being punished for.
Even worse, he normally liked these sorts of events. Oh, Kunzite and Jadeite could write them off as social bores, but the food and drink were nearly always good, and there were always pretty girls. He and Zoisite could cut a swath through a room before the affair was finished.
Privately, it amused him that Zoisite, of all people, was his partner in reckless flirting. Put the man in a room of books, and all you could hear was the soft sound of knowledge being inhaled. Put him near a pretty girl, and all you could hear was the soft whish of charm flowing out. He wasn't sure where the man put it all.
And now, he couldn't enjoy any of it.
Finally, he managed to extract his liege's permission to go. He'd tried to catch the man's attention for hours, but wouldn't you know it? The Moon was full of Endymion's favorite party favor: pretty blonde girls. It meant that he'd finally had to wade through the horde and present himself, at which point he was told he looked like hell and was dismissed. After a few glasses of punch, Endy's mouth was almost as reckless as Jade's.
He exited the Grand Whatsit, and found himself confronted by a plethora of hallways. In his cooked brain state, he wasn't sure exactly which one to take. Did the blue one lead to their wing, or the green?
Toss-up. He could summon a servant, of course, but the thought of clapping his hands made him wince. Truthfully, he wasn't sure if he could snap his fingers at this point.
He decided on green. He took two steps down the short staircase, stumbled, and nearly went sprawling on the floor. Instead he toddled down the rest of the stairs and bobbed about before finding a stabilizing pillar.
|Okay. Plan 2: Powers.|
He really wasn't supposed to do this--not in plain sight, at least. He looked about until he saw a cluster of heavy shadow by the far wall. He stumbled away from the pillar and headed for it, hands fuzzing slightly with gold light. He slid inside the waiting shadow and was about to let himself dissolve away when someone else tripped down the stairs.
He slid back into focus, and noticed it was a woman. She wore a green and amber dress cut for state; that made her a noble. And by the look of it, she was feeling distinctly unwell.
Shit, shit, shit. He was far, far too much of a sucker for this.
He eased fully into focus. She didn't seem to notice; instead, she found her way to her feet, and staggered over to a pillar, which she clutched like salvation. There she leaned, and breathed, until he called out, "Lady."
Jupiter was drunk.
It was a problem of tolerance, she knew. Mercury and Mars could somehow swallow drinks all night, something she suspected had to do with their powers. At least she did better than Venus, who from the first sip acquired rosy cheeks and a very concentrated air of attempting to be sober. The two of them normally vowed to watch each other, but no, she had to have a dramatic moment and disappear with some guy instead.
So she'd gone, one, two, three cups beyond her normal limit. This wasn't helped by the fact that balls were "all dressed up and no place to go" events for her, full of watching everyone else work their way down the path to getting laid.
It wasn't fair.
She'd eventually caught herself at the bottom of a glass, her stomach lurching, her head pounding, and decided it was time to eighty-six her night. That the need to be sick was the best way to do so spoke volumes.
Not fucking fair at all.
So she'd slipped out the door, cursing Venus with every step, and, of course, had fallen down the stairs.
The universe obviously hated her. Or, at least, her heels.
She'd managed, somehow, not to vomit all over the floor nor her dress. It'd been quite a feat, but then, that's what Jovians were known for--pulling off shit no one else could.
She'd gotten up and found a pillar to lean on. Jovian. An Outer Princess at an Inner Court. Accepted some five hundred years ago as a way to bind the two halves of the system together. Accepted because of the strength they would bring...
She wouldn't wallow. She'd drunk too much to wallow; it would be dangerous, now. No, she was going to leave this room, go to her quarters, and throw up. Then she'd curse Mai--Venus, Venus!--until she fell asleep.
Much better than wallowing.
"Lady?"
She snapped about, and regretted it. The world swam for a moment, then refocused on a man in heavy uniform. Tall. Auburn hair, whisping from a braid. Oddly pale, too.
"Lady," said the man again, voice hoarse. "Help."
He staggered against the pillar closest to her. She just stared. |Help?| she wondered.
"Damn, damn--can you understand me?" he said.
"Yes," she replied.
"Oh, thank the stars," he rasped back. Up close, his forehead was covered in sweat, and he really was pale. "I'm trying to find my room." He sat down heavily against the pillar. "Only I can't think."
Something swam through her foggy brain. "You're from Earth, aren't you?"
"Yes. I would get up to introduce myself, but apparently, I'm dying." He gave a pathetic cough.
Her head pounded. Her stomach churned. She understood and agreed with the sentiment.
"Come with me," she said, holding out her hand.
Nephrite staggered in and sat on the ledge of the bathtub. It was deep and long, made of green marble streaked with spiky white. He leaned over and brushed at the woman's head where it lay against the privy.
"Feel better?" he asked, voice gentle.
Jupiter gave him an unfathomable look, and sighed. "I hope that didn't disgust you too much."
He smiled, even though it hurt. "Not at all, Lady."
He thought she blushed. She pushed away from the privy, hands falling to her lap, head down.
"So, do you usually do this sort of thing?" he asked, stumbling over the words. Internally, he groaned. This was not a way to gain a proper interstellar reputation.
She looked up at him. He wondered again how anyone's eyes got to be that green. Or how someone managed to keep that much poise when they'd been throwing up for the last few minutes.
He was rhapsodizing. Damn, he was ill.
"No," she said, and her voice was very quiet.
He sensed the nerve, and looked away. She reached out and touched his hand, and he met her eyes again.
They were narrowed.
"You're sick."
"Dying, actually," he said, grinning. That hurt, too, but he couldn't resist.
"No, no, just sick," she said, and now she stood up. "Moon Ill, I'd guess," she added, pulling him to a stand. He stumbled against her, noting that her eyes nearly met his, and how easy it was for her to steady him. She touched his forehead, and winced.
"Why aren't you in bed?"
"Had to go to the Feast," he replied woozily.
The look she gave him told him he was an idiot. He shrugged in reply--he was already quite certain of that.
Once again she was leading him, her grip tight on his hand. Last time, the journey had been cut short. This journey was also short, as she pushed him onto a bed.
He laid there for a moment, then said, "Lady?"
"Yes?"
"I'm not at my best now, but..."
She smacked him on the ass with a pillow. "You'll sleep here, for now. Your room is too far away."
He blinked. "But what about you?" he asked, voice plaintive. That made him wince internally, but her look softened.
"I've got a couch," she said.
He sat up completely. His brain thunked against the inside of his skull. "No," he said.
"No?" she said, eyebrows going up.
"No," he said again, and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He stood up; she went to push him back down, and he caught her hand. The bracelet on her wrist jangled.
She stared at him, and her grip tightened. He squeezed back, matching her. Their eyes met.
Finally, softly, "It's your bed, Lady."
Equally as soft, "But you weren't disgusted."
Her eyes flickered, and part of her was exposed.
|SHIT.|
He gave in, let go of her hand, and sat back down.
She smiled, hesitantly, and said, "You should get that jacket off." Then she disappeared back to the bathroom.
Nephrite shrugged out of his jacket, then reached down to take off his boots. A hint of metal glinted at him from the floor, and he picked it up. It was the Lady's bracelet, a simple thing of links of copper. It was broken between the links--strange, it had just been whole on her wrist.
She came back with a glass of black fluid. He swallowed it anyways, sticky and thick as it was. Immediately his brain started to shut down, and he fell back onto the pillows.
He heard a rustle, then nothing more.
His last thought was, |I don't even know her name.|
Jupiter would later attribute the dream to alcohol. Her dreams were normally faint, misty things, which this was not. It was full of color in fantastic shades, the play of light bringing out the deep color in everything; the sound was fresh as a whisper in her ear, as if piped directly into her brain.
Even later, she would understand.
She dreamt of the Shrine, and the Seer, two things she had not thought about in a long time.
She heard the words again, words she had never understood before, nor since. No more did they seem a casual remark, though, but words of portent and power.
She took the box from the man's hands. She had been a young girl before, but now her hands were the same size as always, and the box was small within them. She ran her fingers over the carved pattern, the whippy branches and sharp leaves, and let them glide to the latch.
|How do I open it?|
|You will figure that out, soon enough.|
She had. She slid the insert out with her nail, twisted it over a touch, pressed a leaf. There was a click, and she opened the lid, expecting to find what had been in there before.
Instead, there was another box.
She stared. The carved box dropped from her fingers, and against everything she knew, shattered.
She looked between the pieces and the new box in her hand, which somehow was bigger than the precious wooden box of her childhood. It seemed flawless, carved from jade, and very solid. A pattern of leaves twined around it.
"When it breaks, rejoice."
She looked up. Her eyes widened.
She awoke.
Muted light played over Nephrite's face. He stirred, a line of chills running down the back of his neck. His mind was caught between sleep and waking, in that hazy place of semi-consciousness. He was warm, and cold; awake, and asleep; and all together, in a state of unusual receptivity.
As such, he heard a soft whisper, words just out of reach of his hearing. A sibilant hiss of breath, powerful, neutral. Words he could almost make out.
Then, the sound of a flute attempting to blast out his eardrums.
He shot up, and moaned. The chills swamped his body, his head throbbed, and his mouth felt coated in sticky paste.
"You look like hell," Jadeite observed, hovering at the end of the bed.
"Feel like it, twice over," he replied thickly. He glared at Jade. "Did you have to wake me that way?"
"That, or watch you sleep all day," Jadeite replied. "And while it's a pleasant sight for some, I'll pass." His voice was dry, touched by the desert he'd grown up in.
"Is there a reason for it, or are you just being obnoxious?" Nephrite retorted.
"Both," Jadeite said, smiling a little. He raised the flute to his mouth and play a quick half scale. "It's always a pleasure to annoy you, my lord."
"Yes, that's a given," Nephrite replied, pushing himself up so his back was to the headboard. "And?"
Jadeite played a series of minor thirds. He looked suddenly serious. "You weren't in your rooms this morning. I thought I should find out if you were dead or not."
Nephrite sighed. It was one of those Jade things.
"So I 'looked you up', so to speak," Jade said, brandishing the flute. "And found you here, in a woman's room." Somehow, he managed to make that last bit sound like a verbal leer, Nephrite thought. Jadeite leaned back on the air, smiling sardonically. "I should've expected it."
Nephrite grinned. "Jade, for once, it's completely not what you think."
"Oh? It was for our Commander."
"No shit. He...he found her?"
"Looks like it," Jade replied, and crouched forward again. "I guess you missed the reunion scene, huh?"
"Jade, I barely could stand last night," Nephrite explained, and was about to elaborate further when the door opened and the Lady came in. She was carrying a tray, and dressed in green men's pajamas, her hair bound neatly back. She caught sight of Jade and somehow managed not to drop the tray.
"Lady," Nephrite began, but Jadeite smiled, unfolded himself and floated down.
"May I assist you, Lady Jupiter?" he asked, giving a slight bow. He reached out and took the tray from her hands, and let it float over to Nephrite, where it settled easily.
|Lady...Jupiter?| Nephrite thought to himself, looking down at the tray.
Jupiter gave a little curtsy to Jade. "Thank you, Lord Jadeite, though I'm sure that if a little girl like me can carry it from the kitchens, I can also put it on the bed." There was a hint of a smile at her mouth.
"What is the Lady Jupiter doing, attending the kitchens, when she has one of her own?" Jade asked, again with the slight bow.
"The Lady Jupiter does not need to answer silly questions, Lord Jadeite," the Lady replied, again with a slight curtsey.
"You two know each other?" Nephrite asked.
"You two don't?" Jade said, and both averted their eyes. "Oh. Wow. You don't!" There was glee in his voice. He stepped between them and extended his arm. "Lady Jupiter, this is Lord Nephrite, shadow master, womanizer unparalleled, and nob supreme." He bowed to her, then turned to Nephrite. "Lord Nephrite, this is Lady Jupiter, Warrior of the Princess, excellent cook, and all around most shoddy card player." He dropped his arm, eyes glittering. "Usually I try to get the name before I cohabitate."
Jupiter folded her arms across her chest. "Interesting words from a man who frequents the anonymous Five Hours."
His body tensed, but his voice was silk. "Low blow...cousin."
Jupiter's smile widened. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to invoke blood," she said, voice soft.
"Never soon enough, it seems," he replied, voice almost...gentle.
They embraced. Nephrite pinched himself. This had to be a fever dream.
The two rocked together for a moment before pulling back. Their eyes turned to him. Jupiter covered her mouth. Jade grinned, said, "I wish I had a picture of the expression on your face."
"You two...know each other?" he asked, voice whispery.
The two exchanged looks, then split to opposite sides of the bed. Jupiter pulled a chair up close; Jadeite hovered again, flute across his lap.
"You know my family immigrated," Jade said.
Nephrite nodded. "I thought you meant..." he spread his hands, confused. "I didn't think you meant another planet!"
"We're spread out all over the system," Jade said. "My part just happened to come from Ganymede..."
"A moon my family has been, let us say, intimately connected with," Jupiter said, settling into her seat.
"So we're related, somehow," Jade finished. " 'Cousin' is the best word for it."
"When I left home, my parents gave me some family names to look up in this area, to make me more comfortable. This bastard was the only one who would take my calls," Jupiter said.
Jade shrugged. "I don't fear the Moon," he said simply. He looked between the two of them, and added, "Yet."
Jupiter smiled at him. "As it should be."
"I've got to be dreaming," Nephrite muttered.
Jupiter reached over and touched his head. Her smile disappeared. "Still some fever," she said.
Jade gave him a concerned look. "You're sick? I thought you'd been drinking."
Nephrite sighed. |Here we go.|
Jupiter said, "Yes. 'Swhy he's here, after..." And now she looked down, shuffling her hands.
Jade looked between them, and shook hi head. "I shall inform the Commander, then," he said. "If I can pull him out of bed..." He flashed them both a wicked grin, and vanished with a soft chime.
Jupiter was looking at him now. "You should eat," she said.
He looked at the tray. "Does dream food taste good?" he asked.
She smacked his arm gently. "It's soup and orange juice, and you're not dreaming."
"That's hard to believe," he replied, pulling the lids off both the bowl and the cup. Steam rose, filled his nostrils with a delicious smell, and the orange juice was a very pretty shade.
"Why? You don't often accompany women back to their rooms without knowing their name?" she teased.
He pointed the spoon at her. "I always get a lady's name first," he said, then dipped the spoon in the soup.
"You didn't with me," she said, voice still teasing.
"And you didn't get mine," he said, blowing on the spoonful of soup. He sipped it tentatively, then swallowed the whole thing, noticing that she suddenly looked a little anxious.
He ate another spoonful, and another. The warmth spilled down his throat, and seemed to immediately attach itself to all his cold spots. He shuddered a little at its touch.
"Is it that bad?" she asked, voice quiet and quick.
He paused, spoon at his lips, and raised his eyebrows. She smacked a fist into her palm, swearing. "I'm sorry, I'll..."
"You made this?" he asked quickly, then finished his last swallow.
She nodded, hands still clenched.
He smiled a little. "For me?" he asked, voice deepening.
"For everyone," she replied, and her voice was quiet.
Nephrite looked down at his bowl, then waved his hand over it. The mixture swirled a little, and she gave him a puzzled look. He spooned up another bite, swallowed, and sighed.
"Now it's just for me," he replied, and his eyes smiled at her.
When she closed the door some twenty minutes later, the faint blush on her cheeks still remained.
Venus was waiting for her in the kitchens. "Ah, you're out of bed," she said.
"Pfft. I've been up forever," Jupiter replied. She took in Venus's hair--pulled up quickly and knotted back--and her clothes--the wrinkled, rumpled sort. She raised an eyebrow. "You, on the other hand..."
Venus blushed. Jupiter nearly dropped her tray. The usual response to that was something catty, something cruel, something for them to laugh over. But this time, only a blush.
"So when's the wedding?" she asked, keeping her voice light as she turned to drop the tray at the dumbwaiter.
"Emi..."
Jupiter stiffened. Her voice went low. "That soon, hm?"
Venus moved, leaned against her, arms settling softly around her neck. "You read me so well," she whispered.
"I've had a lot of practice."
Then, to her surprise, Venus began to sob. It was light, and quiet, and it shattered Jupiter's heart.
She sighed, turned, wrapped her arms around her friend, and let her cry against her.
"Don't you talk to Mars about these things, Mai?" she whispered.
"Not now." The woman sniffed. "Not this. Emi..." At which point, she began to cry harder, sobs wringing and wracking her form.
Jupiter held her, face laid against her hair. She stroked her back, and whispered the right words, and let the rest of the world go blank.
Nephrite awoke. The room was dark. He sat up muzzily, trying to remember when he had drifted off.
An image: Jupiter, blushing, smiling shyly. The soup vanishing spoonful by spoonful. The bitter tang of orange juice. The persistent, painful erection he'd had since she'd walked over, sat down by him, touched his hand, all in those men's pajamas.
That, at least, was gone now. He pushed the covers aside, grabbed a fistful of shadow, and scrubbed the evidence away--magic truly was good for some things. A shower would be even better, though.
He slid to the side of the bed and swung his legs over. He ran his hands over his face, through his hair, trying to judge his health. His skin was clammy, his hair sweaty, and he felt kitten-weak, but the fever seemed to be gone, at least.
He plucked at his sweaty clothes. |And I'll be washing this uniform twice over before I wear it again,| he thought.
He stood up, and something fell to the floor beside him. He leaned over and picked it up; it was the same copper bracelet he'd seen the night before. It dangled from his palm, cool and broken, and he wondered if the Lady would be able to get it fixed. It was obviously well cared for.
He frowned down at it then. He faintly remembered this bracelet, and not just from the night before; he had dreamed, now or long ago, and this bracelet had been apart of it. He thumbed a length of shadow over it, probing the metal.
The thought was interrupted by something smashing against the door.
He slid into the shadows and out into the living room. Jupiter was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, hands balled into tight fists. Shards of pottery littered the grey carpet.
|This looks familiar,| he thought. Raising his voice, he said, "Lady?"
Her eyes flew open, angry and emerald for a few heated seconds. Then she relaxed, saying, "Nephrite. Did I wake you?"
"No, Lady. I was already up," he said.
"I'm sorry. I needed to throw something."
He chuckled. "We all do sometimes, Lady." He scattered shadow, raised a hand, and the pieces of a plate came together. He let it float there for a moment, aligning the cracks, before touching it. It healed, and dropped into his hands. Then, he moved to her, held out the plate. She took it, stared at it for a moment, and hurled it at the wall. It shattered.
Nephrite watched a sliver quiver in the wall. He looked at her. She didn't meet his eyes. "I needed to throw something again," she said.
He raised an eyebrow. "That's a very offensive plate, Lady."
"It is. Or, it was," she said, voice drained.
He touched her arm. "Would you like to talk about it?" |Please?| he thought. She seemed quite different from before, similar to when he'd first seen her. He'd been a sucker for it then, he was a sucker for it now, and...something more.
"Yes. And no." She looked up at him. It wasn't that far to look, but it still amazed her that there was any distance at all. She noted a return of color, his messy hair, his carelessly affectionate brown eyes.
"More yes, or more no?" he asked, almost smiling.
"I...I'm not sure."
He reached down and took her hand. She let him, enjoying the warm feel of someone else's touch. Unconsciously she moved closer, other hand reaching out. He caught it, squeezed it, and she closed her eyes and let it all wash over her. Her head bowed, touching his shoulder.
He stared at her, and for once, didn't think. He let her hands drop, and slid his hands to her waist, pulling her a little closer. Her head moved, and now her cheek was on his shoulder, and her arms were around his chest. He turned into her hair, tempted to press a kiss there, tempted yet unsure.
He'd never been this unsure before.
"You need a bath," she murmured, and he found himself chuckling again.
"I do." He slid his mouth close to her ear, felt her shiver at his breath, and asked lowly, "And would you join me?"
She pulled back. She stared at him, and her eyes flickered. And then, just as he thought she was going to clock him, she smiled.
"No," she said, voice soft.
He tried to grin and hide his feelings, the small trace of disappointment, at the same time. It mostly worked. "Well," he said, voice light, "if you won't join me, will you at least keep me company?" |Talk with me? Tell me what you're hiding? Tell me what's going...|
|Stars and SHIT, what am I, a bloody poet now?|
The smile came swifter this time, and she ducked her head. "I have a better idea."
The better idea, as it turned out, was a shower. Her bath came equipped with both, something of a Moon indulgence, but one Nephrite was happy to see. She left him in there, humming in the steam, and exited with a small smile on her face and his pile of dirty clothes in her arms.
The smile faded as the door shut. She had not expected his overture to her, or the serious light in his eyes when he had proposed it. Nor had she expected her sudden urge to join him; she barely knew him!
And yet...
She set his clothes down on a nearby chair, and moved to the bed. Mechanically she straightened the sheets and comforter, then crawled on top of it to pull all the pillows back into order. She sang softly to herself, a song with no words and easy melody, and thus it took her a moment to realize that someone else was singing with her.
"Cousin," she said, not looking up, "don't you ever use doors?"
"What are doors?" Jadeite replied, voice flippant.
"Oh, you know. Three sided portals used to enter rooms the proper, polite way. Oftentimes people knock, too," she replied, straightening the last crease on the comforter. She slid off the bed, turned around, and crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at him where he hovered at the edge of her bed.
"Proper and polite ways? What are those?" he asked, mouth tugged into a small smile.
She sighed, and resisted the urge to throw a pillow at him. "The things that you always ignore," she sighed.
"For quite a good reason, too, cousin. You know that."
She gave him a pointed look. "Charm and confidence aren't going to get you out of everything," she said.
"Well, no, but I was always happy about the prospect of dying young," he replied, voice far too flip for him not to be serious.
She gave another exasperated sigh. "And I wish you wouldn't say things like that, either. Especially not..." She stopped. She closed her eyes, and took a breath, and shook her head.
He studied her for a moment, then hovered lower, onto the bed. "Is everything all right? With both of you? I don't see Nephrite snoring his mind out as usual--did he leave?"
"He's in the bath," she said, not meeting his eyes.
"Oh? Well. That's cozy," he replied, a hint of leer in his voice.
"He needed to get clean, Jadeite de..."
"Oh, don't start with the full names, now," he said quickly. "No need for that between family, eh, Emi?"
She shook her head, then sat on the bedspread, running her fingers over the thin leaves. "No, I suppose not," she said.
He studied her again, then moved closer, reaching out to catch her hand. Their fingers twined together, and she squeezed tightly; quietly, he said, "Emi, are you all right?"
She shook her head.
"Has someone wronged you?" he said, voice low, a growl around its edges. "Because no one, even if they can use your shower, wrongs my cousin."
She gave him an exasperated look. "No one has wronged me, Jade." She cocked her head. "Anyone ever tell you that you have a complex about that?"
"That, I already knew," he replied, voice mock-fierce.
"Idiot," she sighed.
"Well established!" he said, and unable to help it, she laughed.
"And I snapped you out of it," he pointed out, voice softer.
"Somewhat," she said, then leaned back until her head was nestled on the pillows. A moment later he joined her, the sides of their head just touching.
"Can you talk about it?"
"No," she said. "It's not even my problem."
"Then why worry?"
"Because it's..." She paused, remembering how Venus had clung to her, the sobs shuddering through her body. "Because I do," she finished.
"You know, there are some things I just don't understand. The commander. Men in tiny bathing suits." He squeezed her hand. "Extraneous worry that is obviously eating at you, yet you won't talk about it."
"Cousin, I love you...and I know you. You are not the one to talk to about this sort of thing."
"Ah. That sort of thing."
"Yes." A pause. "Jadeite, if you..."
He laughed, low and pure. "I have no clue what sort of thing you mean, Emi. Except it probably involves love, if I'm not the one to talk about it." He turned his head slightly, whispered, "But I know who you could talk to."
"Who?" she asked.
"Nephrite."
She shivered suddenly, and said, "Why him?"
"He listens the best of the four of us. Truly. And to pretty girls? He listens even better." He squeezed her hand again, then sat up. "Talk to him, Emi."
She sat up as well, facing away from him. "I don't know what to say, though," she replied.
She could feel him smile. "Don't lie, cousin," he said lightly. "You will."
He whistled softly, and she felt his weight leave the bed. She turned a little, and saw him above the bed, chin resting on his hands. Their eyes met for a moment.
"I am glad of your faith in me, cousin," she said.
His mouth quirked slightly, and he gave a short nod. Then his features shifted, and he said, "If I may talk business for a moment?"
She nodded.
"Lord Nephrite's absence was all right for today, but there are major meetings tomorrow," he said. He had a voice for pronouncement, as much as it didn't fit his image. "The Prince will require him by his side, to speak for his region." His voice dropped into a softer tone. "As I assumed you will be called to talk of the Outers' interests."
Jupiter nodded stiffly. "Of course," she said, barely keeping disdain out of her voice.
His serious facade cracked, and he shook his head. "You are the worst Princess ever," he said. "Everyone else is salivating over the prospect, and you find it a chore."
"For me, it is," she said, voice sharp. She slid off the bed, and moved towards the chair that held Nephrite's clothes.
"Cousin," he said, and she felt him move closer to her.
She flung her hand out, stopping him before he moved any closer. "No need for kind words, Jade. I am long used to it."
He said nothing, and she dared not look at his face.
She turned to the chair and picked up Nephrite's clothes. Pitching her voice lighter, she turned back to him. "From your speech, I'd guess you were taking Nephrite home tonight," she said. "But given that he's taken all this time to get clean, it seems wrong to put him back into these."
Jade floated closer, and wrinkled his nose. "Wrong, indeed." He extended a hand and hummed a note; the clothes stiffened, as if wrapped in something. For a moment he regarded her, then said, voice back to wicked lightness, "Dare I ask how you got those from him?"
"He handed them to me from behind the curtain, if you must know," she said, quite happy to be back to banter. "Honestly, Jade, is everything dirty in your head?"
He managed a slight smile. "Almost everything, cousin."
"Almost?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
A swirl of emotion flashed across his face, and his eyes half closed. "Cousin," he said softly. "Tell me..."
"Yes?"
"Tell me why your bracelet is missing?"
Jupiter's hand went to her wrist, and she blinked in surprise. "I hadn't...I hadn't even noticed." She shook her head slightly. "How strange." Then her features tightened, and she said, "That's also not what you were going to ask me about, was it?"
He smiled ever so coyly, then pulled out his flute. He fingered it lightly for a moment, then said, "I see no reason why Lord Nephrite need come back to his quarters this evening. His presence is not required until tomorrow morning, after all." He raised his eyes to meet hers again.
She found herself unable to say anything.
"You know when and where he'll be needed," he said. "See you on the morrow, cousin," He raised the flute to his mouth and played a trickle of notes; the clothes flashed with light. A trickle more, and the light faded away--as had he.
Jupiter picked up a piece of clothing from the pile. It was clean; Jade must have switched the dirty out with his magic.
She raised her wrist again. Oh, she'd occasionally lost her bracelet before, but that had been before Mai--Venus, Venus--had shown her the trick with the clasps. Now, though, where could it have gone?
And did this have anything to do with her dream?
The thought surprised her, and she shrugged it off. No, it was just coincidence--she had seen far too many of those to believe it was some sort of portent. Mars was the woman for that.
The sound of water being shut off broke her from her thoughts. She quickly got dressed for bed, tying her hair up once again, then knocked on the door.
"Yes, Lady?"
"I have clothes for you," she said.
A pause. "Lady, if it's the same..."
"No, no, Jadeite brought them."
"Ah." Another pause. "Could you leave them on the bed? I shall be out in a moment."
"Certainly." She set the pile of clothes on the bed, quickly knocked on the door, then scooted out of the room, unable to understand why her hands were suddenly sweating, or why she could hear her heartbeat in her ears.
Nephrite opened the door a crack, and peeked cautiously around the door frame. No one in sight. He pulled the towel close around him, then crept into the room. He looked around again, checking the shadows, then dropped the towel completely and rummaged through the clothes. Uniform pants, jacket, undershirt...then he stopped, and held up a ratty cotton shirt. A moment more of rummaging, and he found the pair of faded pants that went with it. In other words, his usual sleepwear.
He frowned to himself. |I can never understand what that man is thinking,| he thought. |The Lady is his cousin, and yet...| He stared at the clothing for a moment more, then shrugged and pulled it on. It was much better suited to his current condition than his other clothes. Perhaps that was Jade's reasoning.
He had just managed to get the rest in order when a knock came at the door. "Decent?" she asked.
"Yes. Do come in, Lady," he replied, picking up the pile of clothes and setting them on the chair.
She opened the door cautiously, stepped in, then stopped. She covered her mouth. "Nephrite," she said.
"Yes?"
"Why is that...on your head?"
"This?" Nephrite touched the half-turban on his head. "A towel, Lady. To let my hair dry."
She smiled. "It looks..."
"A little silly?" He smiled back. "Quite, Lady. Quite. Jade, even Zoisite, give me nothing but shit about it. But when you have hair as long as mine, Lady, you have to have some way to keep it off your back when it's wet."
"It makes sense, Nephrite," she said. "I'll admit that." Then she smiled again, a hair larger, a hair closer to reaching her eyes. "But it's still quite silly looking."
He smiled. "That it is." He picked up the wet towel off the floor and fiddled with it, unsure of what to say next. She shifted her weight, seeming to feel the same way.
"Um, Jade...when he was here..."
"He showed up himself?" he said, eagerly latching onto this bit of conversation.
"Of course. Miss a chance to tease me in person, my cousin? Hardly," she replied, voice sounding a little less forced.
"Of course," he nodded, then swept a hand down his clothing. "He doesn't miss a chance to tease or confuse, it seems."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"He brought me my sleep clothes," he said. "True, they are much nicer to wear than my uniform, but I do not understand why he brought that, too."
She suddenly appeared nervous again. "He did, did he?"
"Yes. Rogue," he said, shaping the word with a chastising affection.
"He, um, uh, he..." She stopped, shook her head, her body tightening up: shoulders hunching, arms pulled in close, hands turning to fists. She held this for a moment, then relaxed; as her body did so, she let the words out.
"He said that he did not see any reason for you to go back tonight."
He froze. |Shit shit shit, Jade, I may have to kill you.|
"And I...I think...he's,"
"Lady," he started.
"I think he's right," she said, taking a slow step towards him. "I think he's right," she repeated, voice far more confident now.
He blinked. His eyes sought her face, searching it for any indication that this was...not her saying it. Jade would never do that to him, would he?
But no--her eyes were open and clear, and she was blushing. Besides, this was his cousin, one he seemed to have some affection for. Jade was a bastard, through and through, but even he wouldn't do such a thing.
|On second thought, Jade, I may not have to kill you after all.|
"I have been sick," he said, slowly, as if testing the thought.
"Yes. Moon-Ill," she said.
"And it would perhaps be best if I husbanded my strength for one more night," he said, again flavoring his words with caution.
He heard her stifle a sound, and carefully looked up. She was holding back a grin, and once she caught his eye said, "Not too much, Lord."
"Lady?" he asked, voice coming out a touch hoarse.
The grin threatened to explode over her face; she barely kept it in check. "I mean, my Lord, that I was thinking of having tea." She cocked her head. "Would your stores of strength extend to a cup of tea with me?"
He checked his own smile, his own laugh. "I think I could manage it," he said.
"Excellent,'' she said, still holding back her smile. "I'll attend to that, then. The towel," she pointed at the one he'd picked up four centuries ago, "you can leave in the bathroom."
He nodded, then caught her eye for a moment. The scrunch of inheld smiles and laughter slid out of her face, and he felt it drain from him as well. A nervous energy moved into the air between them.
"Lady?"
"Yes?" He steeled his face against the tremor in her voice.
"Thank you."
She seemed about to say something, then just nodded. In unison, they turned away from each other.
They ended up having tea in her room. She lit candles, and the tray was set carefully on the bed. Nephrite poured, hands shaking slightly, as she set out biscuits fro the both of them. All was done in silence, as if neither knew quite what to say.
The towel on his head was starting to slip, so he shrugged it off, reaching up to untangle pieces of his hair from it. He instinctively pulled out his brush, and caught quizzical look from her. "Lady?"
"How did you do that?"
He smiled slightly. "We all have a...pocket, of sorts, that we keep such things in. Jade may like to pretend that he keeps his flute elsewhere, but this is where it actually comes from." He looked at his brush again, frowned, then slipped it back in the pocket. One did not brush their hair at tea. Instead, he took fingers of shadow and pulled his hair back, leaving it loosely fashioned.
Jupiter didn't notice this; she was staring into her teacup, remembering.
|You should talk to him. He listens best of all of us.|
|I do not know what I would say.|
|Don't lie, cousin.|
She blinked it back, then picked up her teacup. He did the same, and they quietly toasted each other. She took a short sip of tea, then blurted out, "Do you believe in love at first sight?"
He sipped the tea--hints of vanilla and orange--and considered the question. She watched him, trying to keep her face composed, trying to keep it all from slipping out of her eyes.
Finally, he answered, "No, I don't."
"Oh." Jupiter took a biscuit, broke it in half, then paused. "But what if you've seen it happen?" she asked, eyes down.
He regarded her for a moment. "Do you know someone it's happened to, Lady?" he asked.
She ate the biscuit, first one half, then the other. She shook the crumbs off her fingers daintily, then picked up her cup again. She took a sip of her tea. Then, quietly, she said, "Yes."
His eyebrows went up. "Really? Love, actual love, and not lust?"
"Oh, it's love," she replied, voice too casual. "But..."
"But what?" he asked gently.
She raised her head to meet his eyes, and her eyes shone bright and raw. Once again, he saw part of her revealed, and it tore at something inside him.
"She didn't wait." The words were like lumps of lead in her mouth. "And now..." She looked back at her cup. "Now...she could lose it."
"This happened to a friend of yours, Lady?" he asked, voice soothing. He had the impression she just barely held it together.
"Yes," she said. Her voice came out in barely more than a whisper.
Nephrite leaned back, cup in hand. Something about this stirred his memory. "Recently?" he asked, keeping his voice as gentle as possible.
"Yes," she said, in the same hollowed out tone.
This morning, Jade had said something...what was it again?
|He found her.|
Oh, yes...
Nephrite's face split into a grin. "He didn't wait either, Lady," he said.
She looked up from her cup. "Pardon?"
"Your friend..."
"Venus," she supplied, the word sharp and quick, as if to conserve air.
"Your friend, Venus, is with my Commander, Kunzite," he said, still smiling. "I don't know if you saw him the other night--tall? sour looking?"
"Silver hair?"
"That's him."
A tightness in her shoulders slowly eased. "Is he the one Jade calls a 'stuck-up prig'?"
"No, that's me," Nephrite sighed. "Kunzite is 'Commander Giant Stick Up His Ass,' after his tendency to, you know, make Jadeite do what he's supposed to do."
His words had further effect; the tension in her face, her body, eased even more. A tentative smile appeared on her face. "My cousin has a way with words."
"It'll be the death of him," he said, taking a sip of his tea.
The smile slid away. "As well he knows," she said, voice soft. "It's something he wishes for, I..." Her voice trailed off, as if she'd said something she hadn't meant to.
"Yes," he replied. "Yes."
There was a moment of quiet, then he cleared his throat and asked, "More tea?"
She nodded, and he poured. After a moment, he said, "So your friend, Venus, is worried because..?"
Jupiter sipped her tea, then turned the cup in her hands, thinking. "She has something of a reputation here," she began.
"Ahh. A bad one?"
She nodded.
"She shouldn't worry too much," he said, keeping his voice light. "The Commander told us stories about her for years, his one dear love. But it didn't keep him from..." He spread his hands, trying to think of a word. "Practicing," he finally said. "When he could."
"Venus...practiced as well," Jupiter said. "But it's more than that."
"How so, Lady?" he asked.
She paused a moment, then said, voice low again, "This stays between us."
He was momentarily taken aback, then quickly said, "Do you wish me to swear on something?"
Her eyes went wide for a moment, then she shook her head. "No, no. I trust you."
The words came so easily, she could hardly believe it. She tried them once more, just to be sure. "I trust you." Same easiness, same fluidity, same spreading warmth in her chest...
He nodded slightly, as if the repetition did not surprise him. "Thank you, Lady," he said, voice husky. |That must be hard for you,| he thought. |Thank you, again...|
She shook off her daze, sipped at her tea, then carefully set the cup down and told him about Venus. It wasn't a long story, and when it was done, she watched him carefully. He seemed to be digesting it all, absently crumbling a biscuit between his fingers.
Finally, he said, "I can understand why she is concerned, but..."
"But?" Jupiter asked.
"He--the Commander--is...I've known him almost my whole life," Nephrite said. "He's the toughest bastard I've ever met." He paused, unsure if he should add more details. He had no problem displaying his personal magic, but Kunzite could be awfully touchy about such things.
"Oh?" Jupiter thoughtfully sipped her tea. "Perhaps, then, you could speak to her?"
"Venus?" He paused, then grinned. "Yes, yes I could. Tomorrow?"
She nodded. "When Jade was here, he reminded me to remind you that your presence will be required tomorrow."
The words were innocent, but they changed the mood of the room in a snap.
"This means I should get to bed soon, I suppose," he said, trying to keep his voice innocent. He picked up his cup and sipped again at his tea, thinking of a way to change the subject back, to recover a mood which wasn't nearly so...loaded.
"Yes," she said, and her voice had gone soft again.
He did not let himself catch her eyes now, instead letting them fall to the tea set. The china had a pretty pattern of thin, deep green leaves around the edges, and was obviously both well-cared for and well-used. He smiled to himself. "You do this a lot, don't you, Lady?"
"Tea?" She seemed surprised. "Whenever I can..."
"No," he said, before he could stop himself. He raised his head, met her eyes, before he could stop himself. More words followed, as if he'd now lost total control of his tongue.
"No. Help your friends, I mean. Protect them.' His voice was gentle. "'Take their needs upon yourself."
Unexpectedly, tears sprung to her eyes. She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat, then stood up. Her hands blindly found the tray, and she said, "I'll clear these away, you get some sleep. The summits can be..."
"Lady?"
She paused, plates in her hand, and met his eyes. They were warm, cinnamon warm, smoky in color, silk in their feel on her.
She thought he would thank her again. If he did, she didn't know she could stand it.
But he didn't; he only nodded to her. Even so, tears welled up in her eyes and she nodded back quickly. She gathered the rest of the china as quickly as she could, and he rose and moved towards the bed.
She left the room with no intention of going back to it. Yet here she was, sneaking in not an hour later, excuses tumbling through her mind. She'd forgotten to brush her teeth, wash her face. She wanted to change her shirt, put on her slippers. She wanted an extra blanket and pillow for the couch.
(She wanted one more moment in that room with him in it. Just one more.)
When she entered the room, hands quivering, heart in her throat, a candle on the table still burned. Its low light cast shadows across the bed, where Nephrite appeared to be asleep: breathing low and regular, form curled up facing her. She moved to her dresser and (quietly) pulled out another shirt, then stepped to the bathroom.
She came out fifteen minutes later, shaking out her hair, arms comfortably bare to the cool room. All she had to do was get the linens, and she'd be set, and all without waking him.
She moved to the table by her bed to set down her hair tie, a ritualized gesture. The candle had burned fairly low, and she licked her fingers to snuff it.
The hair on the back of her neck pricked up just before she heard the soft, "Don't."
She looked over to the bed. He was watching her, and his eyes held that same, unreadable look she'd seen before.
Only, now, something in her understood it.
He turned fully towards her. His hand slid from under the covers, fingers uncurling from his palm towards her.
"Lady..."
She reached out and touched his fingers, warm and still slightly pruned. For an eternal moment, she stared at the contact between them.
Then she moved her hand over, flipped the covers aside, and slid in beside him.