Disclaimer:  Hay guys, what's up?  LOL... Anyway here's chapter three, 
enjoy, and afterwards email me!!!! Oh yeah, I am not the original 
creator of these characters though the story line is all my own and I 
am not making any profit off of my stories, blah, blah, blah, yeah 
that should do it! hehe  *Email* at inspiredthoughts@hotmail.com

Rated PG-13 for some mild language...


			Chapter Three

	I hopped up and down, trying to keep warm in the cool night's 
breeze.  'This jacket is not only hideous it isn't even helping to 
ward off the cold!' I thought balefully as I drew it closed and 
pointedly ignored the strange looks I was getting.  After all it was a 
pretty fancy restaurant and it wasn't even day a girl showed up in a 
yellow jacket covered with pink hearts and purple puppies.
	"Lita, I thought we had reservations," I said acidly to my 
friend as we stood outside the packed café.
	"We do, only they're under Nephrite's name and this bumbling 
fool won't let us in!"  I winced and tried to avoid the hate filled 
glare of the employee stationed at the door who was only allowed to 
let people with reservations in.
	"Look buddy," Lita said heatedly, her voice rising with anger, 
"We're part of his party.  Please let us in, now..." The last was said 
with a good bit of steel in the word and I cringed and sighed as the 
man frowned and motioned no.
	"I'm sorry miss," but the rules are you can't come in until 
the one who made the reservations arrives..." Lita, already red, 
turned several shades darker and I began to wish myself invisible.  
Once you got her going you could rarely stop her and I didn't 
particularly revel in public humiliation.  She drew a deep breath and 
I could almost see the foul words lining eagerly up in her mind, each 
more biting than the last.
	"Look you nerdy, dorky, excuse for a parasite, its cold and I 
want in now otherwise I'm going to cut off your..." A cheerful hello 
momentarily paused her tirade and I thanked who ever was up there for 
the small respite.  Nephrite hugged the now smiling Lita and I tried 
not to laugh at the employee's very relieved expression.  Apparently I 
wasn't the only one who disliked scenes.
	"Hello pookie," my friend cooed in a sugared voice and I 
winced again.  This was going to be a looonnnng evening.  "Where's umm 
our friend, Ami's date sweetie?"  Nephrite laughed good naturedly at 
Lita's stern look.
	"Don't worry rose bud," he said brightly as he kissed her.  
"He's parking his car, said he didn't trust the valet."  Lita grinned 
and turned to me.  
	"See Ami," she said earnestly.  "He must have a really nice 
car if he won't trust the valet..." I made an appropriate noise of 
semi agreement and sighed inwardly.  Great, just what I need, a man 
more interested in his car than his blind date.  Lot's of fun 
guaranteed there all right!  'Honey, would you mind walking home, I'm 
afraid you might get dirt on my car's floor mats...Thanks!!'  I 
snorted and caught Nephrite's eyes.  He gave me an encouraging look 
before we all went into the restaurant.  
	"Don't worry Ami-chan, he's really a great guy, you just have 
to give him a chance..." I frowned at his words as my mind began to work 
overtime.  Something was up here, I thought as I studied Lita's covert 
glances which she shot my way every few seconds and Nephrite's oh so 
positive words.  They obviously thought that I wouldn't like this man 
but had decided that it was still setting us up on a blind date...
	Oh no, what if the blind date wasn't Lita's full plan, what if 
there was some diabolically evil thing that I was missing?  I tried 
not to wail but steeled myself as a waiter led us to our cozy booth in 
the back of the restaurant.  I could get through this, I would!

	I sighed as he walked towards the restaurant entrance.  How 
had Nephrite talked me into this blind date?  What on earth poscessed 
me to accept his absurd attempts of matchmaking?  Oh yeah, he had 
agreed to clean the toilet if I went on this date.  It wasn't fair!  I 
would have helped clean but Ami was just getting out of class and I 
had the bright idea to go say hello, armed with a water gun that 
rivaled a bazooka.  It had been worth it though...  She had been 
furious.  I chuckled to myself before sighing again and slinging my 
dark blue sports jacket over one broad shoulder as I reached the 
entrance.  
	"I'm part of Nephrite's party," I told the doorman.  The man 
blanched and muttered darkly before shuffling and opening the door for 
me.  I frowned a little at his rude display but shrugged it off and 
went on in after he pointed out the general direction of the table.  
	I strode past other tables and ignored the appreciative looks 
I got from their respective females though I couldn't help preening a 
little and tossing some blonde hair over my shoulder with my jacket.  
I only hoped that my 'date' wasn't too bad.  Hell as long as it was a 
woman I didn't care but with Nephrite and Lita at the root of it all I 
had my doubts.
	As I drew nearer I could see Nephrite facing me with Lita next 
to him.  My date's back was to me and she was significantly shorter 
than the other two so all I could see over the booth were waves of 
sapphire colored hair.  Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after 
all...  Blue was deifinately my favorite color, which probably helped 
explain my fascination with little Ami, and even if her face was 
horrendous I could always fix my eyes on her hair.  
	Comforted by the thought I put more confidence in my step and 
strolled the rest of the way there.  Nephrite saw me, nudged Lita, and 
waved enthusiastically to me.  I nodded cooly to show that I saw them 
and broke my control enough that I bit my lip as my blind date turned 
around slowly face me...
	The first thing I saw were aqua eyes, clear and lovely and 
breathtaking.  Slowly I registered a furrowed brow, pert lips, and 
blushing cheeks...  All of the features were terribly familiar, in 
fact they looked remarkably like Ami's...  Ami...  They were Ami's...  
Nephrite had set me up with Ami...  
	"Oh my god, not him!!!"
	I was going to kill him.

	After I screeched out my acute dismay I felt tears rise up in 
my eyes.  I whirled, furious, to face Lita and her crestfallen man.  
"I hate you both!" I yelled, for once in my life oblivious to the 
scene I was making of myself.  "I hate you, how dare you set me up 
with that, that thing?!"  Zoicite, not to be outdone, stalked up until 
he was standing beside me, outrage contorting his own features.
	"Where do you get off setting me up with this childish little 
brat?!"  Furious I twisted to glare at him.
	"Brat?  Look who's talking you wretched creature.  You 
wouldn't even let the valet park your precious car you vain peacock!"  
At that, if anything, he became more enraged.
	"Peacock am I?  Well at least I have some sense of fashion."  
With that savagely said he picked up my horrible jacket and began to 
wave it in the air, taunting me, while Nephrite and Lita watched on 
helplessly.  I looked at him for a full second, shocked by the much 
more biting than normal mockery we shared.  The tears, those stupid 
baby tears, welled up even more in my eyes until I couldn't contain 
them and abruptly burst out sobbing.  
	I shoved aside the momentarily surprised Zoicite and ran 
blindly to where I thought the lady's restroom was, only slightly 
aware of Lita who vaulted over the table, skirt and all, to follow me.

	I stared at the retreating Ami, dumbfounded.  In all the 
teasing we had exchanged I had never once see her cry, never.  All I 
ever saw was a stern, forbidding demeanor.  Cold and unyielding she 
stared me down with her dispassionate icy gaze.  This total display of 
very female emotion unnerved me, even more so than I already was.
	I slid into the seat she had just vacated and stared at the 
table, purplexed and totally oblivious to Nephrite's scowl.  "She 
cried...  She never cries.  Why did she have to go and cry and ruin my 
fun.  Now I feel bad for her, the Ice Princess!  Go figure..."  
Nephrite snorted and leaned forward into my line of sight.
	"If you gave her half a chance you'd be crazy for her.  Heck 
if we didn't have our lovlies the rest of the generals would be asking 
her out in an instant and you know it.  She just got the short end of 
the stick because she got stuck with you."  I felt shame flush my 
cheeks and then absurd anger.
	"Crazy, for her?  Never!  Give me curves, give me flat, give 
me tall, give me short, give me smart, give me dumb but not Ami!!"  
Nephrite studied me with his intense eyes, mouth pursed in 
exasperation before asking.
	"Why the stars not?  She's smart and pretty and has enough 
brains for the two of you,"
	"I resent that!"
	"Quiet...  Like I was saying she's perfect, she even has blue 
hair.  Ye gods man, how much more do you want?"  I slumped down in the 
bench, glaring holes through the table top moodily.  
	"So what?  She also has an attitude, I've never even seen her 
smile, not once!  She's a spoiled snot.  Her mother makes tons of 
money, she's always had everything she's ever wanted.  Spoiled, let me 
spell it out for you... s-p-o-i-l-e-d!!"  Nephrite gave a snort of 
disbelief.
	"Attitude huh?  Look who's calling the kettle brat.  As for 
smiling perhaps if you wouldn't harass her then she might look at you 
with something other than a healthy dose of disgust.  And for your 
information Mr. Armani she's five times as unspoiled as you.  You're 
just jealous because she has looks and brains, a juggling feat which 
you haven't quite mastered yet."  I sniffed.
	"Well I definitely have the looks so I guess you're implying 
that I don't have brains?"  Nephrite grinned, a slow sardonic smile 
that curdled my stomach.
	"Who ever said you had to have at least one?"  It was hard, 
but I resisted the urge to hit him, barely. 
	"Waiter!" I barked, furious, "get us a round of drinks, some 
strong ones."

	I banged my head against the plastic stall yet again, almost 
an hour after the horrid scene with Zoicite.  "Ami, please come out, 
please."  I growled under my breath and refused to budge from my spot 
inside one of the bathroom stalls in the Moon and Stars Café. 
	"No.  I am not going back out there to face that son of a 
baka.  I don't like him and I will not spend any more time than 
nesscary in his presence."  I heard Lita sigh and then grow quiet.  
Curious I peeked through the crack between the door and the plastic 
wall.  Lita was frowning, staring at the door thoughtfully.  I 
blanched.  Lita was thinking, oh Mercury I was in for it now.  She 
smiled and I swear she looked like the cheshire cat.  I groaned and 
steeled myself.
	"Come one Ami, give it half an hour.  Please, pretty please.  
Otherwise, otherwise we can't keep our little bargain.  One blind date 
in exchange for us totally butting out of your love life and any real 
date has to last at least a half an hour.  I swear if you don't go out 
there now I'll, I'll set you up with that guy at the library who 
stalks you!  I'll tell him you confided in your deep abiding love for 
him..."  
	I swallowed and put a horrified hand to my mouth as I pictured 
the creepy guy who worked at the library and followed me around, 
trying to talk physics.  He smelled like rotting fish and looked 
little better.  I slowly reached for the bolt and paused, slender 
fingers hovering uncertainly before I relunctantly unbolted the stall.  
I swung the door open and came face to face with an estatic Lita.
	"I'm never forgiving you," I muttered darkly as she squealed 
and began to drag me back to the pit of no return.
	"I know," she responded brightly, beaming.  'Never, never, 
never,' I thought stubbornly as I allowed myself to be propelled back 
to the table of torture.

	I looked at Nephrite through bleary eyes.  'I think I had one 
too many drinks,' I thought to myself, okay I had two, but I don't 
handle acholhol well.  Okay I never drink, I hate it, but I felt 
rotten.  Geeze, I had made a poor kid cry.  Okay so she wasn't much 
younger than me.  And she was cute but she was such a pill also!
	"Ya know what?" I asked in a slightly slurred voice.   "I 
really like Ami but she's so cold...  You guys have it easy...  She 
talks with you and laughs and jokes but ya know what I get?  A wall, a 
wall of ice.  Give me a way to break through and presto, I'll have her 
eating out of my hand in a millisecond."  Nephrite slumped further in 
the booth as he watched me through eyes only slightly less dazed than 
my own.  He looked up at the last and grinned before grimacing and 
reaching for a pitcher of cold water that the waiter had brought back 
fifteen minutes ago.  
	"Wanna know how to break through that wall?"  Curiosity 
peaked I leaned forward and attempted to put my glass on the table.  
An abrupt shattering startled us both and I frowned.  I could have 
sworn that the table was over there a minute ago, guess I was wrong.
	"Ya mean a weakness, a chink in that invincible armor?  Do 
tell..."  Nephrite smiled, eyes glinting.  He leaned forward as well 
before whispering the treasured secret in my ear.
	"Double dare her, she can't resist it."  I sat there, letting 
it process for a moment before shaking my head, confused.  It didn't 
add up, any way I looked at it.
	"Double dare her?"  I asked, perplexed.  Nephrite nodded 
vigorously.
	"She can't say no to a double dare.  Lita made me swear not to 
tell but she simply can't resist one.  Kind of like you now that I 
think about it.  Lita even said one time that Ami went outside in her 
nightgown on the roof in the middle of winter and sang 'You Make me 
Feel Like a Beautiful Woman' to a stalk of celery."  I rocked back as 
my fuzzy mind took in all the possibilities before smiling.  
Recognizing my look of extreme satisfaction Nephrite cocked his head 
and reconsidered what he had just told me.
	"Oh no...  I did a bad thing didn't I?"  Not bothering to 
answer I sat back and rubbed my hands briskly together.  This was 
certainly getting interesting.  We both looked up as the two girls 
returned.  My grin, if anything, grew as I saw Ami approaching.
	"Ami-chan," I called out in a sickeningly sweet voice.  "I 
double dare you..."

Author's Notes:  So how was it?  It gets good after this...I think...
LOL... Everyone have a good week!