Archive 'Fic: The Bracelet, pt. 3 [Sailor Moon]

[ramblinprose]

So we come to our end.


Jupiter had spent a long night staring at the ceiling. Those three kisses had ignited something in her that was hard to put aside. She tossed and turned, playing the scene over and over in her mind until she felt sick. She longed for the slow comfort of the night before, the way the warmth shared between them had burned all wakefulness out of her. Now that she had tasted it, she craved it, and it made her feel even more alone.

She had barely found fitful rest when her alarm chirped beside her. She sat up and shut it off. The sound was soft and persistent, yet she hadn't been surprised when Nephrite'd slept through it yesterday. He wasn't from her planet; he wouldn't understand what it meant.

The sadness filled her lungs like water, and she bent over from the waist, arms tight around her, gasping for breath. She pushed it back slowly, and each breath came easier, smoother, until she could sit straight up again. But it still hurt, aching at the center of her, a reminder of what she faced every morning to come.

|It's just the lack of sleep,| she thought to herself, and knew she was lying. The need for sleep burned in her veins like a drug, so much so she was woozy with it, but the emotions beneath it had their own fire. Lack of sleep might fan the flame, but it didn't ignite it entirely.

No, she had done that by herself.

Pushing away those thoughts again, she stood up and moved to put her face on. What was it that Cho had always said? "The worse you feel, the better you dress. It's a most effective camouflage."

If so, then today she was going to shine.

Jadeite stirred his tea absently. The four of them were set to meet with the Outers this morning, starting with Jupiter, but he had shown up early. Ostensibly it was so he would be an especially visible presence to these people, since he had certain deals he wanted to strike with them; in actuality, he was there to gauge his cousin. They'd found yesterday that the planetary delegations always showed up before they did, even if they were promptly on time for the meeting. Kunzite had dismissed it as another facet of Lunar protocol. Jadeite thought it was a way to emphasize Earth's status as petitioners, rather than those-being-petitioned.

Either way, they had all decided to send at least one person early. Given his rank and relation to this person, he had been the one chosen. Jadeite privately thought they also didn't want him to see what they were going to do. He'd been the one to object the most, after all.

Not that anybody had listened to him.

|Not that they ever DO, really,| he thought to himself. |Always saying I'm too 'overprotective'. As if they didn't take twenty unnecessary risks everyday! Trying to give me grey hair early, they are.|

He picked up his teacup, sipped from it, watching his cousin over the rim. She had arrived just after him and taken her customary place, trailed by several servants and minor functionaries. He had looked at her and immediately tried to hide his reaction; he still wasn't sure if he had succeeded or not.

He'd always thought her lovely, which he assumed was part bias and part truth. Today she'd come in, and he knew she was lovely, and more than that, gorgeous, a fact she'd taken pains to emphasize. The only similarities between this dress and yesterday's was that they were both green and fell to her feet. Yesterday's had been rather plain and severe in cut; this one...wasn't. The fabric held a shine, a sheen to it, and as she moved the light picked gold and rose threads out of it. It clung to all the right places. It was slit generously up the side. The bodice was cut low, an effect enhanced by two things: the pale rose trim, and the symbol of Jupiter dangling right into her cleavage. Her veil was a short affair made of a shimmery, gauze-like fabric, one that seemed more like an invitation than a separation; he couldn't fathom how it was attached. She wore slippers that were--and Jade had never thought this about any sort of shoes before--downright obscene.

He wasn't sure if he should applaud her choice or go make her change.

He nodded to her when she was seated, and received a brief bob of the head back, which was all the communication that would pass between directly between them until the meeting ended. He picked up a pen and pretended to make a few notes on the paper in front of him. In reality, he was trying to read her.

A sense of power always accompanied the planetary Princesses; magic was said to run in the royal lines up here in the System. While that power was still present, it seemed much more...dormant...than usual. As if she had "muted" herself somehow. He picked up his tea cup and took a sip, taking a moment to let the power gather, then set it back down and picked up his schedule. He made a show of examining it, and as he did so, began to hum.

The sound was barely audible to him, and he doubted those across the way were aware of it either. Jupiter might have recognized it for what it was, but with all the milling about her, he was sure she wouldn't notice.

The power unfolded from him, tendrils reaching across the room towards her. He went slowly, allowing it to weave naturally through the other people before sliding it, ever so gently, towards her. He touched her with it gently, seeking only to skate it across the surface of her aura, taking the barest impression of her back to him.

Tired. Cold. Very, very sad. Unsure.

He shifted the hum up a notch, and the power uncurled from her and slowly drifted back to him. When it collapsed back inside him, he looked up from his papers and smiled, ever so slightly, to himself. |Poor cousin,| he thought. |My poor dear. I only hope that you don't kill us all for what we're about to do.|

It was then that Kunzite and Zoisite entered the room. Jadeite lazily stood, to show proper (but not too proper) respect for his Commander, then sat back down when he did. Kunzite seemed unaffected by Jupiter's new look, but Zoisite turned a little and gave him a wide eyed, raised eyebrows look. Jade gave a little grin and a nod back, as if to say, "I noticed."

A moment later, the Speaker for the delegation gestured, and a servant struck a tiny gong. "This meeting between the Princess of Jupiter and the Four Kings of Earth is called to order," she intoned. "All rise."

Both sides stood, then bowed to each other. Jupiter sat first, then the Kings.

Immediately, Jupiter handed a message to the Speaker. She read, "The Princess was told she would be meeting with four of you. Is this incorrect?"

"Not at all, Lady," Kunzite answered, voice smooth. "Our fourth member, Nephrite, cannot be present today."

A minute, then another piece of paper handed out. "The Princess regrets that this man has become ill again."

Zoisite shook his head. "We thank the Princess for her consideration, but he does not suffer from Moon Illness," he said, voice steady.

Another minute, another piece of paper. "The Princess sends further condolences, and asks that you tell her the nature of his illness, so that she may inform the Lunar delegates if extra rest days are needed."

Jadeite could barely conceal a smile. |Smart, cousin. Very smart. Of course...it's my turn now...|

|I really hope she doesn't kill me for this.|

He leaned forward a little, and said, "We again thank the Princess for her concerns, and while we wish we could inform her what has befallen our comrade, we do not know. The Lunar Healers have speculated that it was a heart attack, a condition not unknown in men of our comrade's age. We shall pass her condolences to him, should he awaken."

The room went quiet, so quiet that a dropped pin would've rung out like a gong. Jadeite managed to keep his face composed, though he could feel his cousin's distress, even without touching her aura.

Then, a note emerged from Jupiter's position. The hand that held it was obviously shaking.

"The Princess," the woman read, voice slow, "offers her most heartfelt sympathies for you and your comrade...and bids you to proceed with your opening statement."

Jadeite felt Zoisite and Kunzite glance at him, and suppressed a smile. |Dear Emi,| he thought, |I had no doubt that you would carry on. Which, incidentally, has won me a good deal of money, some of which I shall have to use to buy you...something nice. Something very nice.|

He shuffled the papers before him, and added to himself, |But I wouldn't want to be in your way when you leave this room.|

The meeting seemed to last forever.

In truth, it went a little short--only forty-five minutes--before the Speaker wrapped up her remarks. Yet every second seemed an age, every minute an eon, to the woman behind the veil.

She had cultivated a multi-track mind and the ability to multi-task while at Court, yet it was a struggle to keep her mind anywhere near the proceedings that day. She wanted to get up, call this meeting off, and run as fast as this damned dress would let her to the Infirmary. She nearly did, several times. Only her sense of duty to her planet and the Moon, and her inability to think of any excuse to get out of something she had started, kept her in her chair.

But she chafed at it.

When at last it was over, she took a long, deep breath, and forced herself to stand up at a reasonable pace. She stayed a few minutes longer to congratulate her delegation on presenting itself well. Then, she turned away, and glided out of the room with as much grace as she could muster. Kunzite and Zoisite nodded to her, and she paused for a fraction of a second to nod back to them.

She stepped outside the door, and her heart sank.

People. Far, far too many people for her to make the mad dash she wanted to. She wasn't Venus, or the others, who could dash about these halls as if they were born to them. They had been, in a way. She hadn't.

So she moved as a Princess should, brain screaming at her the entire way. She reached the doors of the Annex, pulled them open, and stepped outside.

She turned back to make sure the door closed. When it clicked shut, she turned back to the walkway.

Nephrite stood in the middle of it.

Her knees buckled, and she caught the rail with gloved fingers, steadying herself. He stayed where he was.

"Nephrite?" Her voice came out childishly high, a torrent of emotions in one word,

He nodded. "I am here, Lady," he said.

"But...they said you weren't awake," she said.

"I wasn't," he said, taking a step towards her. "Not until a few minutes ago."

"But how...what..." She closed her mouth, grabbed air through her nose, then blurted out, "You should be in bed!"

He shook his head. "No. I had to be here."

"But Jadeite...he said you had a heart attack," she said. Her mind was literally a-whirl, the thoughts flying about in such a jumble that she felt lucky to speak.

A breeze blew through the open walkway, picking at his hair, her veil. He lowered his head. "You could say that," he said, voice quiet. His face softened. "It's a nice way of saying what really happened."

"What really happened?" she asked, voice small, quiet. Afraid.

He looked up at her, and though she knew he couldn't see her face, his eyes seemed to bore through the veil and lock onto hers. He held them for a moment, then turned away, into the wind. The breeze slid through his hair, billowing it back; his hands gripped the wood in front of him, knuckles whitening. He stood like that for a long, long time, and just when she thought he wouldn't answer her question, he spoke.

"My heart stopped, Lady. I died."

She couldn't breathe. Oh, goddess, she couldn't breathe.

"You...what?" she managed.

He turned towards her again, eyes down, and said nothing.

She moved, one hesitant step at a time, until she stood less than a foot from him. Hand still clutching the railing, she reached out and pressed her palm flat against his chest.

She was relieved when it didn't pass through him. She was even more relieved when his chest rose with a breath, and his heartbeat sounded under her hand.

"But you're alive," she whispered. "How...why...what..."

He raised his head, and she could see his eyes. They shone with life, and compassion, and a depth of feeling she'd never, ever thought she'd see directed at her.

He reached out and took her hand. "I had something to give back to you, Lady," he said, voice somehow mischievous and serious at the same time.

He turned her palm up in front of them, and dropped something into her hand. She looked down at it, then up at him, then down at it again. She began to shake.

Her bracelet sat in the palm of her hand.

Nephrite looked down at the trembling woman and cursed himself. This was not how he intended this to happen.

Though, thinking about it, his intention to present the bracelet with a less serious lead-up probably would've fallen flat anyways. He'd known that plans had changed when he first saw her. Odd to think that, even with the veil, he could read her emotions just from the lines of her body. There had been a great deal of weight etched on her body, and he didn't think it had been a happy one. "The weight of sunshine does not bow the spine," or whatever Kunzite occasionally said.

|Reading her emotions without looking at her face? Now what does that say to you?|

He ignored the thought, and reached out to grip her shoulder. Her dress was made in such a way that his thumb slid across bare skin. He tried not to notice it. "Lady...we should go somewhere and talk," he said.

She didn't look up at him.

He put his other hand on her other shoulder, and leaned forward a little. He caught the scent of her, like new evergreens, and pushed that away along with the feel of her beneath his hands. "Lady?" he asked.

It was then that the spasm hit.

Zoisite had warned him that this could happen, but he hadn't warned him of the extent. It felt like someone had cracked open his chest; the world slowed to the pulse in his head, rapid and loud, and the rattle of his breath. His grip on her shoulders tightened as he bent forward, head down, body curling reflexively against the pain. Her head came up--he felt that--but then he was trying too hard to breath.

"Nephrite?" Curious. "Nephrite!" Worried. "Are you all right?"

"It'll...pass," he said, voice raspy. The pain had already begun to recede a little. "In a moment," he added. He forced himself to stand upright, and pulled his hands from her shoulders.

That wasn't, as it turned out, an entirely good idea.

The pain flooded back, and he winced, grabbing his chest. He staggered back a step or two until he could steady himself against a post.

"We need to get you to the Healers," she said, taking a step towards him.

"No," he said, grimacing. A third wave of pain overlapped the second. "No, this will pass, Lady. And until it does, nothing can be done." |At least, I think so,| he added to himself. |Lunar medicine probably doesn't cover shadow sickness.|

"They could ease your pain," she said. Her voice was strong, but it trembled a bit around the edges.

He shook his head. "I fear this will only be eased by time," he said. He opened his eyes--when had they closed?--and looked over at her. "And I...we MUST talk, Lady." His face softened. "I'm sure you have questions, and I want to answer them."

She inclined her head. "Yes," she said, voice hesitant. "But I don't want you to risk further injury by..." She stopped, and looked away, towards the fields.

He read her unspoken words: she was afraid her presence had caused all of this, and would do further damage to him. Despite himself, he smiled a little. "Lady," he said, voice light. "I am sure I am safe with you." He ducked his head. "The opposite, though..."

She turned back to face him, and he could feel her Look, even if he couldn't see it. Quickly, he added, "And...I want to see you, Lady. Without the veil."

She stiffened a little, then let out a sigh. "Very well then, Lord Nephrite," she said, voice edged with chill. "I know just the place."

They did not go to her rooms . Nephrite had half-expected this, yet was still disappointed. That environment was comfortable for them both, and charged with memories that could soften her reaction and save him from part of the ass-whupping he was about to receive.

He had thought she would be emotional. What he hadn't counted on was his reaction her emotions.

|So, Nephrite,| he wondered, |how quickly can you learn how to grovel?|

The room they ended up in was a lounge of some sort, a wing or so away from the Negotiation Annex. Its halls were deserted, as was the room itself.

"Would you like some tea?" These were the first words she had said to him since they left the walkway.

"No, thank you," he said, looking around. Overstuffed chairs, sofas, and tables were scattered throughout the room, which was done up entirely in neutral tones. The lights she had turned on were rather dim as well. "What is this place?" he asked.

Jupiter took a seat in a comfortable looking chair in front of a low table. "It's a place to gather after meals, to continue discussions," she said, voice neutral. "Or to come and rest between negotiations." She paused. "I doubt we'll be disturbed, though."

He nodded, then took the chair across form her. They sat in silence for a minute or so, she calm in her chair, he fidgeting in his.

"Lady...may I see you now?" he asked. He didn't particularly care to bare his soul to a woman without a visible face. Plus, he could better gauge her reaction to what he said.

She said nothing, and did not move.

|I am in so much shit,| he thought ruefully.

"Lady...please, since I cannot see you, what are you thinking?" he tried now.

This stirred her a little. "I am thinking," she said quietly, "that I don't know what to think. That I don't know what to feel." She spread her hands. "Should I be angry, or hurt? Grateful, or stricken?"

"All of them, perhaps," he said, voice quiet and level as he could make it.

"Oh, I've gone through all of them," she assured him. "I don't quite know how I've got room for what I've been feeling." Her voice was strained and raw around the edges, as if she was barely holding herself together.

"Lady..."

"Why?" she suddenly said, in a voice much louder than before. "Why would you do something so stupid? Why would you..?" She cut herself off, gloved fists clenching. "Why?" she asked, and her voice was pleading, and soft, and it seared across his brain with such intensity that, for a moment, he thought his heart had stopped again.

"I wanted to fix it, Lady," he said. It sounded so inane, coming out like that. He didn't stop to figure out how else he could say it, though. "Ever since I met you, Lady, I have been trying to...repay you. You took me into your home, nursed me, let me stay..." He trailed off for a moment, as the memory of that night intruded on his thoughts.

"Yes...and?"

"I'd found your bracelet that first night, broken. In fact, it kept turning up around me. When I went to talk to Venus, I thought she could tell me where to get it fixed. Instead...it ended up on my wrist."

He leaned forward a little. "Everyone who saw it there became so distraught that I knew I couldn't keep wearing it. And when I heard your story...I knew for sure." His head drooped. "And I thought, Lady, that this was something I could fix. Truly, truly fix. I remembered what you said..."

She took a short breath, like a quiet gasp.

"...and I knew," he pushed on, "that I could, well, do that. Sort of. Without actually doing it." He paused. "I already knew it didn't respond to my magic, or Jade's. The Commander's also didn't work." A little lie, as Kunzite hadn't tried, just looked at it and pronounced it 'beyond Earth magic.' "Zoisite said the charm couldn't be separated from the metal without destroying the whole thing completely. So the only way, Lady, was for me to..." He trailed off, for she had looked away from him.

"So you...did," she said, voice soft.

"In a way," he said.

"A way?" she said, voice sharp. "I was told this morning that you had had a heart attack." There was heat in her voice. "That you had not awakened."

"Again, both are...true." He grimaced, looking at his hands. "My heart did stop, though for less than a minute. And I was resting until the end of your meeting. A...healing trance."

She regarded him, then her cool voice said, "That's not the whole truth." A pause. "None of this has been, has it?"

He winced, as if her words had struck him across the face. "I have told the truth I am allowed to tell," he said. "Please, understand that."

She looked down, and her posture seemed to relax a little. "That I do," she said, voice quiet. "We all have our guarded secrets."

He nodded.

"But," she said, reaching up, "I still feel there's something missing." She undid something on one side, then the other. She lifted the veil completely off of her head, and set it aside.

Then, she looked at him.

With the veil on, she had been cool, almost cold, and very in control. Now that he could see her face, he knew it was all an act, one of supreme will. She looked so fragile, and transparent, every emotion playing across her face and in her eyes. It almost hurt to look at such vulnerability.

"Why?" she asked again, voice soft, all emotion laid bare to him. "Why did you do this?"

Emotion called to emotion, and something within him...broke.

He raised his head, and without thinking said, "Because I'm in love with you, Lady."

This was not the answer she had expected.

Her jaw dropped, and her hands came up, one by one, to cover her mouth. Her cheeks went bright pink. Her eyes grew until they looked oddly comical, a shimmer to their depths.

For a moment, his internal reaction mirrored hers. He turned and turned those words over in his head, examining every facet of them for a single grain of doubt. Yet there was none to be found.

Finally, through her fingers she said, "What did you say?"

He looked up at her, then rose. Before she could move he was in front of her, kneeling. He looked up into her eyes, meeting them squarely with his own, and said again, "I'm in love with you." His voice was full of truth, and not just a little amazed.

She stared down at him. Slowly, one by one, her hands came away from her mouth, and laid on her lap.

"But...you know nothing about me," she said, voice a whisp.

"I'll learn," he said.

"I know nothing about you," she said.

He slid a hand over to hers, and raised it to his lips. Even with gloves on, the gesture made her shiver. "That's not true, Lady," he said, voice quiet. "You know what I'd do for you."

Her hand clenched around his. "I don't want anyone to die for me," she said.

He shook his head. "No, Lady, not that," he said. "But you know how far I will go to earn your goodwill. And to repay any kindness."

Her eyes had started to water, and she blinked rapidly. "There's no way for us to be together, though," she said. "I am sworn."

Part of him wondered about this, too. Yet, he couldn't withdraw his claim now. "Lady, I honestly cannot say anything about what the future holds," he said. "It is not among my powers. But..."

"But?"

He kissed her hand again. "I do not want to give up a chance at this, due to fear of the future. Because I am afraid of the duties that may come upon you." He turned her hand and laid it against his cheek. "Please, Lady. Please. Let me...let us...take this chance." He paused, then added, "Let us make a present to blot out all possible futures."

She said nothing, simply looking down at him; he couldn't read her at all, so much was passing across her ace. Then, her face changed all the more, becoming pained, and tears welled in her eyes again.

He lowered his eyes, and tried to swallow against the sudden lump in his throat. He tried to absorb every bit of this moment in its bittersweet glory: her scent, the warmth of her hand on his face, the glorious color her eyes had been.

Her fingers curled against his cheek, then moved away. He let out a sigh. "Lady, I..."

Both of her hands slid across his cheeks, and a soft pressure raised his head. "Nephrite," she said, and unable to resist, he met her eyes. These glided over his face, and a small smile appeared. His heart clenched in his chest, anticipating her next words. She would let him down softly, this lady, for the sake of what they had shared.

"You were right," she said quietly.

"What?"

That small smile broadened. "You were right when you said I should fear to be alone with you," she said.

"Lady, I only meant it as a jest," he said, voice strained.

"I know, Nephrite. But truth can be found in jests," she said.

He stared at her, not understanding her words. "Lady...what do you mean?"

"I mean this," she said, and leaned over and kissed him.

It was a soft kiss, an affirming kiss, and she broke it off quickly and with a smile. Now his eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open. "Lady...do you mean..." He stopped, unable to get the words out.

She smiled again, and this time it was a full smile, one that touched and illuminated her eyes. "Please, Nephrite," she said, "call me Emi."

Nephrite had never tried to predict how his day would go. He'd been surprised by life once too often for that. Even so, only in his most fantastic dreams had he ever pictured that he would end up in a bath with Jupiter. Or, as she preferred in private, Emi.

The thought of knowing that name still sent tingles down his spine.

Currently, she lounged across from him on one of the slightly raised seats. Her skin had taken on a pinkish-red cast from the heat of the water, and her eyes were closed contentedly, enjoying the warmth.

He took in the picture for a long moment, then said, "My Lady, you have gorgeous breasts."

Her eyes came open at his comment, and she blushed a little. "Really?" she asked, voice coming out almost as a squeak.

"Yes," he said, voice emphatic. "I thought so when I saw your dress this afternoon, but now...I think it even more."

She giggled, then slid off the seat. He reached out and pulled her to him, thankful again for the size of her bathtub. She had claimed that it had been built this way with her taller, larger framed people in mind; privately, he felt someone had not been completely honest with her. But whatever the reason, it was a luxury he enjoyed.

"And you're never allowed to wear that dress again in public," he murmured into her hair.

"Only in public?" she asked, grinning at him.

"Why should I deny myself?" he asked, grinning back.

She shook her head. "Already so selfish," she said with a sigh.

"When it comes to you, Lady? Intensely," he replied.

"Mmm," she said, tilting her head back to kiss him. Her lips were quite soft, and moist, but he held the kiss to a light one.

She pulled back and studied him for a moment, then said, "What is it?"

"Well, Lady..." He paused, debating whether to go forward. In the end, his curiosity won out, and he asked, "What persuaded you?"

"To take a bath?" she said. A coy smile appeared on her face. "Well, after what we did..."

He shook his head. "No, Emi. I meant, what persuaded you to take up my offer? It was not...well presented."

"Ah, that," she said, looking away from him. She was quiet for a long moment, and he felt suddenly uneasy.

Then, she said, "Venus."

He blinked. "How so?" he asked.

She shifted against him, and was quiet again for a long moment. Then, quietly, "You know that she told me directly after...what happened."

"I had assumed so," he said.

"I didn't..." She stopped, shook her head a little, then continued, "I didn't quite take the news well."

"For good reason," he murmured.

"Mm, perhaps," she said, voice soft. She was quiet again for a moment, and he wished he could see her eyes, to gauge better what she was feeling.

"To try and calm me down," she said, "she told me all of what happened between you."

He stiffened. "Lady, I didn't mean to..."

"Oh, it's all right, Nephrite," she said. "We have been friends for a long time, and I know of her...power." A pause. "I have felt her power."

More questions poured into Nephrite's mind, but he said nothing.

"She said...well, she said that you had tried to comfort her, by telling her about your Commander's past." To his surprise, she giggled a little. "She said your words were not the most carefully chosen."

Nephrite flushed.

"But," Jupiter added, "she said it didn't matter what you said. What mattered was how you said it. Your face, and the tone of your voice." Her voice had gone soft. "I knew what she meant."

She shifted in his arms to look at him. "So this morning, when made your offer, I didn't listen to the words. I listened beneath them. And what I heard there..." She let out a soft sigh, the breathe warm against his lips. "What I heard there, I have wished to hear all of my life. And I could no longer refuse it, for the sake of things unknown." She leaned forward a little, and touched her lips to his.

He let the kiss carry forward to its natural end, and when they broke apart, both were smiling. She faced away from him again, and said, "The fact that you kiss extremely well was, of course, an added bonus."

He laughed, and she laughed with him, a warm, soothing sound.

After a moment of cuddling, she broke away, and turned to face him. "Since we're asking questions, I have one of my own," she said, eyes alight.

"Ask away."

"How did you get Mercury, of all people, to help with your...plan?" she asked.

He grinned. "She was with Zoisite when I found him, and he thought she'd be helpful. She was." He shifted a little in the water. "And between you and me, I think it pushed her buttons a little. She and Zoisite both."

"That sounds nothing like her, you know," Jupiter said, a look of disbelief on her face.

He shrugged. "I wouldn't know, Lady," he said. He grinned then, and gave her a wicked look. "Though I'm sure she might think that you would never pick up a sick man, and keep him over two nights in your room."

"Ha ha," she said, then added, "If she's so keen on...such things...I hope she doesn't get your friend into trouble."

"Zoisite?" He shook his head. "That man's cautious enough for two people. She'll be all right."

"Good," she said, then slid back towards him again. He enfolded her in his arms, and they curled up contentedly together, enjoying the heat.

Some time later, she stirred against him, and said, "Nephrite?"

"Yes, Lady?"

"How long do you think this conference will last?"

He blew out a sigh. "I don't know, Lady," he replied honestly. "It depends more on the Prince than us."

"Ah," she said, and fell quiet again.

He had just relaxed fully into the water again when she said, "Nephrite?"

"Mm?"

"When you go back to Earth...would you like to take my bracelet with you?"

He inhaled sharply, and sat up, pushing back from her. She turned, eyes wide and clear, and regarded him.

"Lady...what do you mean by that?" he asked, voice cautious.

She shook her head. "Not to wear," she said. "I was thinking...more like a keepsake."

"A keepsake?"

She nodded quickly. "Something to remember me by," she said, voice soft.

"Oh, Lady." He scooted closer to her, and raised a hand to cup her cheek. "There is no way I could forget you."

She smiled slightly, and pressed her cheek into his palm. "Thank you," she said. "But..."

"Yes?"

"I want it to be with whom it belongs," she said, voice quiet.

He stared at her for a long moment, then said, "Oh, Emi."

They came together again, not in a kiss, but in a tight embrace. He stroked her back for a long moment, then turned and whispered, "Thank you."

"Oh no, my Lord," she said. "It shouldn't be you thanking me."

He pulled back a little, just enough so he could rest his forehead against hers. "Yes it should," he said.

She let out a sound like a sigh, but this one was much more...happy in sound. They stayed pressed together for a minute or so, then she drew back, smiling.

"What?" he asked.

"Well, it's probably safer with you, too," she said. "I mean, you never know who could end up sick against a pillar again." Her eyes glinted with mischief. "Perhaps one of the Neptunian party...have you seen them? So elegant."

"Lady," he said, voice pained, and she giggled softly. At which point, he had no choice but to lean down and give her the kiss that sort of comment deserved.

When they surfaced, she had quite a different glint in her eyes. A hand moved under the water, and his eyes went wide, a little gasp escaping.

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation outside the bath," she said, voice light, fingers continuing to move.

He let out another gasp, then reached down to still her hand. "If you persist in that, Lady, we won't make it there."

She smiled up at them, and their eyes locked for a long moment.

Then her fingers, ever so lightly, began to move again.

(24,334)


I originally started this 'fic for a themed fic drive at the Shitennou Forums (which might have been, then, the Shittenou Forums--it's gone through more than one revamp). It was called FAT in honor of the challenge, and later "Gertrude" after someone's comment on said forums. I ended up actually writing a much shorter 'fic for that drive, which is still over at shitennou_ai, and I should stick it here one of these days.

Anyways. This 'fic was started one year and finished the next, right around the same time--I sometimes move in cycles like that. It was written primarily in a notebook in green pen, usually in the haze of a four a.m. night or a lazy afternoon. (Green pens apparently inspire much productivity in me--I wrote a lot of my first Bleach 'fic in a specific green pen.) It's actually the first fic in another cycle of stories, all having something to do with jewelry, since ladykorana had me watching a lot of QVC at the time. It was also my first fic after a long time of pounding my head against original fic, and you can see a slight maturing of style and content. Slight. The romance stuff is still really overblown, but that fits both time period and genre. I also wanted this Nephrite to be kinda Sam Spade-ish, which meant that he's such a softie beneath any sort of hardboiled shell, and really susceptible to a woman in trouble. Lucky for him, Jupiter is not a femme fatale; she just has her own problems.

When I finished this 'fic, I did a Q&A about it on my Shitennou Forum journal, which was later purged. *sigh*

...I keep thinking I had more to say, and then I totally forget what it was. I'll edit this later as needed.