AN: This is just a little story about Ami and Zoisite back in the time of the Silver Millenium.

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters.

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Ami smiled until her teeth hurt. Her white, even, perfect teeth were clenched as she nodded to the foreign dignities from the different galaxies. Nobody would have ever guessed from looking at the quietly dazzling, beautiful princess of Mercury that she was thinking in expletives and bloody murder.

*I think that I'd like to see how far I can shove this shoe down Mr. Mince Your Words when you know full well that we will never give into your demands. And you, Miss Simper and Smiling, I'd like you to try and stand itchy pantyhose for three hours! Better yet, I'd like to see Mr. Mince Your Words wear the panty hose! Damnit!* Ami cursed silently. Her makeup was starting to set, like a mask, and her hair felt like it was carved from stone, with all the jewels and spray in it. Her dress, which had felt so smooth and soft earlier, was now feeling clingy and itchy and downright hot! Her heels, which were totally pointless since nobody could see her feet, were bending her feet at what she felt were impossible angles.

Ami stifled a yawn and another silent stream of expletives as the herald announced the last group of dignitaries.

"His Highness, Prince Darien of Earth, and his four generals, Kunzite, Jadeite, Nephrite, and Zoisite." Ami's eyes widened imperceptibly as five men strode into the room. The first, in the front and at the center with an air of quiet authority and command was obviously the prince. Striding behind him in V formation were four men with the same self-assurance; it was obvious from the proud tilt of their chins and clear intelligent eyes of each that none of these men would make easy or silent enemies.

The prince and generals each bowed briefly, with their fists over their hearts. Princess Serenity and her scouts each returned the favor, and then Princess Serenity and Prince Darien started to engage in formalities. The scouts weren't required to do anything, but simply stand and act as bodyguards and ornaments.

Ami looked over all the generals, assessing their manner and bearing. There was one with long silver hair who looked as if he might have been carved from stone, another with short blond hair and laughter living in his face, a third one with long brown hair and eyes that seemed to see more than they were meant to. Ami's pulse skipped a beat as she paused on the last general. He had an almost fey, angelic beauty, with pale skin and long blond hair. However, his keen, clear, wide green eyes belied his appearance. Ami noticed that the general was doing the same as she was, discreetly scanning Princess Serenity and her scouts. Their eyes met, and Ami felt she was drowning in clear green pools, even across the royal hall. Ami had never believed in love at first sight, but she was afraid that something akin to it had just happened. However, the general was obviously not as moved as she was; the general smiled briefly. Ami sent a polite, cold smile in return, ignoring the rising heat and her quickening heart.

Zoisite was aware of all eyes on him and the prince and his fellow generals as they strode across the floor. Although Zoisite hated formalities and such false glitter, his heart always swelled with pride when the generals and his liege made such a presentation. After they stopped and made a curt bow, the Prince engaged in formal court procedure with the Princess. Zoisite started to scan the Princess and her court. He looked at the girl who looked much like the princess, the next with long brown hair and green eyes, the next with purple eyes and long black hair. Zoisite felt his breath catch as his eyes settled on the last scout. She was looking at him, probably doing the same thing as him. When his eyes met her clear blue eyes, he felt like he was falling through a lake of clear blue. Shaking his head mentally, he sent a polite, brief smile. The princess sent a small smile back to him, although it was cold and colorless.

With a shock, both Ami and Zoisite realized that the formalities had been concluded. Both the courts of the moon and earth bowed once again to another, and then the Earth court departed with a swirl of capes.

The two courts met again formally at the private court; before, they had been at public court, where anybody from the moon had been allowed to attend. The two courts sat at a long table, with each scout facing a general in order to discuss an alliance between the two kingdoms. Ami found herself face to face with the general she had seen earlier.

She smiled across at him, again a cold and colorless smile that was all gleaming white teeth. She didn't like what he was doing to her pulse or hormones, and she damned well wasn't going to show it at the bargaining table. He returned kind for kind, and not surprisingly, his thoughts were running across the same lines.

"My name is Princess Ami of Mercury." She briefly introduced herself.

"General Zoisite." His reply was even shorter. However, his next statement caught Ami completely by surprise.

"You could cut diamonds with that smile, Princess." He muttered softly. "Cold and brilliant." Ami flashed him another smile, feeling stung, but determined to retaliate. "Yes? Well, I hope that after you trip up on your ridiculously long capes, you won't mind having something a hard and brilliantly deadly pill of poision shoved down your throat." Ami hissed, then instantly felt mortified at the venom of her reply; despite his comment, it hadn't been deserved. But there was something about this man that set her on edge, that made her act in totally unusual ways. perhaps it was that Ami was disappointed that he had such a poor opinion of her-wait a minute, why should I care what he thinks about me? Ami gave herself a mental shake.

Zoisite's eyes widened at the virulence of her reply, but then narrowed as he saccharinely said, "Cold, brilliant, and deadly. Quite a combination, princess, tell me, how many people have you killed with that tongue of yours? I should think that after a few words that they drop dead from the venom in your words. On second thought, princess, save yourself some money and why don't you just feed me a few of your words? That should do quite as nicely as poison; if you ask, it would do better."

Ami clenched her teeth. "You know, in our briefing on you, they didn't mention that you were arrogant, selfish, utterly impolite cads!" Ami's voice had risen to a stage whisper. The nearest general and scout, Lita and Nephrite, and suddenly the rest of the table was staring at Ami. Ami flushed red, and then fled suddenly out of the hall. Both courts exchanged startled glances, and then Queen Serenity decided to proceed with talks. Princess Serenity and her court knew the huge breach of protocol that Ami had committed, but they knew that leaving in search of her would be an even larger breach, so they concentrated on the talks instead. Zoisite resisted the urge to bury his head in his hands; he didn't know why he had said all he had, but around his Ami, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, things just popped out of his mouth that he seemed to have no control over- oh no, he was already starting to think of her as his Ami. Zoisite stifled a groan; things were NOT going well.

Ami grimaced as she eased her red and swollen feet out of her heels. Her troubled thoughts boiled in her mind; Why had she acted like that? She almost never lost her temper! Correction; she never had, until today. The Princess of Mercury was famed for her calm and cool temperament, and had sometimes been criticized for being to cold in interpersonal matters; perhaps that was why Zoisite's comments had stung so deeply. She frowned, her brow furrowing; she had been called cold by other before, but had always laughed it off with her friends. Why should his comments hurt so much more? Cursing quietly, she slipped into soft slippers that allowed her to walk soundlessly through the corridors. She slipped through the intricate labyrinth of the moon palace out to the ice rink. This was the only real place that she felt at home; yeah, the scouts were her best friends, practically sisters to her, but sometimes Ami needed to be by herself. And there was nowhere she felt more at home than skimming across the ice.

Dancing across the ice, her flying form gilded by the starlight, Ami lost track of the time as she fell into the poetry of the dance. She seemed to float across the ice, gliding effortlessly, twirling easily, almost suspended in air. Ami's troubled thoughts fell away like water from a swan. For a few moments, there was nothing but skating, nothing but flying, floating across the ice.

Zoisite grimaced as he changed out of his uniform into more casual clothes. The talks had gone well, but he was now in turmoil over a certain blue- haired princess. Zoisite hadn't been able to concentrate on the talks at all, and he kept dwelling on his harsh exchange with Ami. Zoisite mentally cursed. Why did he keep on calling her Ami? She was a princess, a lady of the court of the moon. She meant nothing to him! Zoisite ignored the nagging voice at the back of his mind that Ami had already become important to him.

Zoisite slipped out through the back, past the guards and into the garden. His brow furrowed when he heard the ring of steel on ice. Those sounds only came from skating. He walked softly towards the sound, and then stopped, entranced when he saw a fairy floating and twirling. It was Ami, princess of Mercury. Starlight turned the form into quicksilver that seemed to be dancing like lost magic.

Ami slid to a stop in the middle of the ice, dimly becoming aware of all the time that had passed, and then became aware of the sound of applause. She smiled, then mock bowed in all directions, as if there was a huge crowd surrounding her. She grinned, then turned to see who the person was.

Her back stiffened and the smile faded when she saw Zoisite there. Zoisite winced at her obvious displeasure at seeing him there, but bravely plowed on.

"Princess. I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but you skating was amazing." Zoisite told her politely.

"What can I do for you, General?" Ami's voice was cool and distant.

"Princess. Please accept my apologies for my comments tonight. They were inexcusably rude and I most sincerely regret them." Ami unwilling looked up into Zoisite's eyes, and when she saw the sincerity there, she smiled reluctantly, then said,

"I accept. The things I said were inexcusable as well. And besides, you haven't seen my normal smiles! The ones you saw were only low-grade smiles! My high grade ones can actually sometimes drill through the hard heads of foreign dignitaries!" Ami dimpled, than dissolved into laughter at Zoisite's nonplussed expression.

Zoisite grinned at Ami's sudden hilarity; if the princess was dazzling with a cold smile, she became radiant when she laughed. "Now, princess, I don't believe that's quite diplomatic of you, is it?" Zoisite assumed a mock snobbish air, with his nose stuck up at a near impossible angle in an imitation of the other foreign dignitaries. Ami was laughing helplessly, and Zoisite started laughing to. When the laughter finally died out, they were both smiling.

"Friends?" Zoisite asked, extending a hand.

"Friends." Ami said firmly, giving her hand to him.