Disclaimer: The song and the characters in this story do not belong to me.

A.N: The song in this story is the translated version of Ami's image song 'Onaji Namida wo Wakeatte'.

Heart's Songs - Ami's Song

********************************

She stood in front of a large, majestic fountain, silver in color, like most of the structures on the Moon. The water was icy; she could feel the cold calling out to her. Dipping one slender hand into the water, she shivered - not from the coolness of the water, because that could never happen with what her element was, but from regret.

A few hours ago, the Prince of Earth, Endymion, had arrived with his four Generals for their short stay in the Moon Kingdom. The Queen had left them alone after introductions, and Princess Serenity had dragged the Prince off to spend quality time alone, finally able to show him her home. Venus had left with the First General Kunzite shortly thereafter, the two of them being already familiar with each other. The Second General, Jadeite, had taken her by surprise by speaking to Mars, whom had also surprised her by answering pleasantly instead of ignoring him as Mercury had fully expected her to. And after they had moved on, Jupiter had challenged Nephrite to a fight, and she had been left with the General Zoisite.

She had found out beforehand from rumors that he was of the intelligent sort, and had offered - after much debating with herself - to show him the Palace library. To her immense relief, he had agreed, and they had read books until a servant came to inform them that it was suppertime.

What had been embarrassing was that she had been compelled to look at him as he read, and had done so - frequently. It was something to think over, and she had mulled over it during supper and after, when everyone went his or her own ways. She had thought about it for a while, and had to wonder...

...was this what Minako would call a crush?

Since recently,

you've been in low spirits

Standing still on the hill road of the wind

He saw her, just standing there with one hand in the water, and marveled at the fact that the hand hadn't gone numb yet.

Then he kicked himself as he remembered that she was the Senshi of Ice, and so of course, she would be able to stand extreme cold.

Sighing inwardly at his own stupidity, he returned to watching her. She seemed to be disturbed about something, and he wondered what it was. His friends had always told him that he was too curious for his own good, and it had been proven true - many times, in fact.

And as he stood there, watching her, he came to a quite startling realization.

"She looks..." dare he say it? "...lonely."

The conclusion left him floundering, and he stewed over that for a while more. He stood straighter automatically when she withdrew her hand from the waters, and headed over in his general direction, head bowed to look at the ground.

Only one question remained.

*Should I?*

Always,

without saying anything

I am worried,

and I become sad

Squaring his shoulders in determination, he purposefully stepped in her path, and grinned inwardly when they collided. She, being petite, was thrown back violently, but he stopped her near-spill by reaching out and steadying her. She looked up at him with those wide, blue eyes of hers, and he felt himself smile gently in response.

She smiled back, more hesitantly, and said in a rushed voice, "I apologize profusely for bumping into you like that General-"

"No, it was entirely my fault," he admitted, as always unable to lie. "I must confess, I stepped into your path on purpose, Princess."

She looked half-surprised and half-wary, "Oh?"

"Yes," he grinned at her as his tone became serious. "I saw you here, you see, and thought to my self that a beautiful girl like you shouldn't be standing all by herself."

He was rewarded with a full blush, and a ducking of the head. It seemed to be a habit of hers, and he vowed to learn all of her quirks.

Lean on my shoulders just a little

It isn't a loss to be weak with me

*She was a hard shell to crack,* he thought as he smiled fondly at the blue-haired Senshi walking beside him.

And it was true. It had taken him hours just to convince her to have a chess match with him in the library and days before she had revealed a genuine smile in his presence. However, his persistence had paid off, she had smiled sincerely with him around, and she was going to play chess with him. The shell had been a tough one, but in the end, it had cracked.

"Are you sure you want to play?" she asked worriedly again, much to his exasperation.

He shook his head slightly and exclaimed, "Of course, why not?"

"Well, General," she spoke carefully, and he reminded himself to tell her to call him Zoisite. "It's just that...not many people like me after we play chess."

He raised one eyebrow with a grin, "And why is that?"

She fidgeted slightly, ducked her head - of course - and mumbled, "Well, I suppose it's because I win."

"Because you..." he broke in laughter, and shook his head again. A short glance at her now outraged face sent him into hysterics again, and he had a hard time getting his next words out, "I apologize, Princess, but...you...it sounds so..."

She blinked, tilted her head slightly, and then ran over what she had said in her head. Her expression turned from angry to embarrassed in a nano-second, and soon she joined him in helpless mirth.

Whatever there is,

whatever there is

Trying to come between us,

if we're together,

it will be all right

Her eyes blazed with intensity as she confidently made her move; chess was one element in which she was totally sure of herself. Of course, this General Zoisite was no beginner; in fact, he was giving her the challenge of her lifetime. It was amazing that she was finding in an Earthling the intellectual equal she had only found in some of her fellow Mercurians. She wondered if there were more like this General, and as she studied his counter move, seriously doubted it.

Still, he was an Earthling, and she was a Mercurian, not only that, but she was the smartest individual in the Queen's entire kingdom. There was no way she could loose to a simple, although brilliant, man from a backwater planet who's people still warred with each other!

She looked up slowly to gauge her opponent, and looked up into caring green eyes, sparkling with an intensity which both terrified and excited her at the same time. Quickly looking down at the chessboard, she bit her lower lip and let her fingers hesitate briefly over the chess pieces. Finally, the path was made clear to her, and she found a weakness in his almost perfect defense.

"Checkmate," she smiled. "It seems as though I have won this game, General Zoisite."

"You've won more than that," he murmured, a warm twinkle in his amazing green eyes. "You've also won my heart."

With that, he disappeared in a slight flurry of wind and petals, leaving her light-headed and blushing up to her roots.

Just like this,

just like this

Sharing the same tears with each other,

never go away from me

Stay like we are now forever

"Was there something you needed to speak to me about, Princess?" he asked cautiously.

After his impromptu confession, the Princess Mercury had avoided him like the plague. Her face would color as soon as he was within sight, and she would run the other way. He had found this heartbreaking and not a little bruising to his ego, but had accepted it, because he knew she needed time.

However, it didn't help that the other Princesses seemed to somehow know of his confession. They exchanged sly glances when he was about, and Princess Venus caught his eye every time she had the chance and smiled knowingly at him as she glanced pointedly at Princess Mercury. Princess Jupiter would always elbow Princess Mercury whenever she caught him staring at the shy Mercurian royal. Princess Mars was the least enthusiastic, merely raising a brow and smirking slightly when she saw him. Princess Serenity seemed to be the most intent on 'helping' him, as he was sure she saw it as, even going as far as to pull him aside for a little 'pep' talk.

All this, and the light teasing he received from his fellow Generals and even from Endymion, added up to a decidedly embarrassed and jumpy Fourth General Zoisite.

Princess Mercury blushed heavily, but didn't run this time, much to his relief, and played with the hem of one of her sleeves as she opened her mouth to speak. She seemed to loose courage, and snapped her mouth shut, looking ready to bolt, until he lightly lay a hand on her elbow. She glanced up into his eyes quickly, and then smiled slightly.

"I...I love you, too, Zoi," she admitted, and ducked her head in shyness, which he found irresistibly charming, as always.

He suddenly felt as if a large burden had lifted from his shoulders. He felt the grin spreading across his face, and knew that it had to be less charming and more...goofy. But he didn't care. Because she loved him, and he loved her, and nothing else mattered, not right now.

It was so cramped,

in the instant picture box,

the two of us made lots of noise

"What do you think the odds are for us winning this fight?"

Her question startled him, but he was quick to recover as he answered, "I don't know. I'd say there's a good chance on the Dark Queen winning, but I wouldn't put us complete out of the running."

Her eyes closed, and she sighed, leaning into his embrace. He held her tighter, knowing that she was tired - everyone was tired these days, emotionally and physically. He knew that they and the others were lucky to have each other to share the burdens with, to spend time relaxing together like this, even if it was in secret.

"I've run simulation after simulation..." her anxious voice trailed off, and he squeezed her hand lightly, encouraging her to continue, "...the results...they aren't very encouraging, Zoi."

"I know," he nodded slightly. "I've done the same, and the possibility that we could lose...it's there. But it's always been there, and everyone knows it."

"That's bad for morale, Zoi," she sighed dryly.

He smiled; the weight of his responsibilities were always less when he was with her, "I don't know. I think people thrive on pressure and bad odds...well, some anyway."

"Adaptation?" she murmured, not really meaning it as a question but wording it like one.

He knew this, but nodded anyway, and grinned, "That, and pure pig-headed stubbornness."

"Not all of us are like you, Zoi," she teased, the smile that crept slowly onto her features saying wordlessly that she couldn't resist the opportunity to jab at him.

"Are you this merciless to all your friends?" he mocked, chuckling.

She shook her head slightly, giggling, "No, only to you, you're special."

"I know," he smirked.

She turned slightly to regard him for a long moment, "I didn't say that was a good thing."

He sighed, and hung his head, letting his forehead rest on her shoulder, "I can never win, right?"

His only answer was a small, but triumphant laugh.

Closing my eyes,

seeing the faces in the photo

Every time we argue,

it makes me able to smile

"A pleasure to meet you, Senshi of Mercury."

She shuddered slightly as she tensed; that familiar voice was not filled with the warmth and love she knew. Instead, the tone was mocking, taunting, and scornful, a direct contradiction to the polite words spoken.

"I am Dark General Zoisite." He paused for dramatic effect, his green eyes sneering at her. "I am your doom."

Well, he certainly was correct about that. She silently cursed herself for her past foolishness. If only she had never fallen in love with him so deeply. If only she had been able to ignore his charms. If only the Earthlings had never visited. If only the blockade to Earth hadn't been lifted.

So many 'ifs...

He was glaring at her in confusion. He had made his little announcement, and now it was her turn to parry. She was glad that this skirmish was with words, not blades or attacks, but this was only a battle in a long war. No doubt, it would come to physical blows towards the end.

"Many have said so before," she murmured coolly, her tone condescending. "And yet...I am still here."

He hissed in anger, "I am not like them. I am more than they were. I am better."

She nodded slowly, patronizingly, "...Of course."

Growling in anger, he summoned up a ball of Dark energy, drawing back his fist to throw it at her. She immediately summoned up a gale of dense fog to cloud his way as she jumped back from his throwing range.

A string of curses came from somewhere inside the fog, and she pressed the button that would release her visor. The blue glass, more durable than even steel, appeared over her eyes. It spouted off a list of statistics and the location of bodies in a mile radius from her position. She didn't need that wide range, and shrunk the program to locate the concentrated amount of Dark energy that Zoisite now had in him.

Beeps signified compliance, and another announced its success. An outline of his form was traced on the visor, and she carefully and silently drew her hands back. A whispered command shot off a torrent of icy water with the striking potency of a battering ram.

His cry of pain and then a crackle of Dark lightning were her answer. She bit her lip as she fought off the effects of the lightning, and narrowed her eyes.

Time for the physical aspect of the war.

This was the first time in her entire life that she hated the fact that she was right.

When I am alone,

If trying to get through it

Is the only solution,

it is so lonely

She was cold.

It would have been impossible, but she was wounded badly, and this was not the cold of ice; the cold that had its hands wrapped around her now was the cold of death.

"Are you afraid of death?"

Even when he was at the brink of death, like she was, he still loved the ask questions. She was glad for that...but she was also angered by it. Why did this evil one, who worked for the enemy and wore her love's face, have to be so similar and yet so different? Why?

"No."

She kept her answers short and her tone filled with biting ice.

"Why not?"

She pursed her lips in annoyance. Would this foul creature never cease?

"Why should I be?"

He grunted in pain, and then asked, "Don't you like life?"

"Yes."

"Then why aren't you afraid to die?"

She huffed in impatience. This was tearing at her. She hated him more than ever now, for asking these questions and acting like the Zoisite that she loved rather than the Zoisite that had given her these same death wounds.

"I had a good life."

He smirked, and then fell silent. A glance at him showed that he was preoccupied with staring up at the sky. She followed his gaze, and found herself staring at the Earthrise from the dark horizon.

She felt a stab of agony in her heart. She had always loved the Earthrise more than the sunrise, because the Earth, being a planet, had more color, more breathtaking qualities. Now, this was to be her last rise.

She regretted that.

Another to add to her list to past regrets, then.

His voice, quiet and subdued, broke the silence, "Do you have any regrets?"

She almost laughed at the irony, but simply replied, "Of course."

"Then why do you say you had a good life?"

She fell silent for a moment, contemplating the question, and looked into his curious green eyes.

She smiled, and opened her mouth to answer.

The warmth of life fled before she had a chance.

Whatever place,

whatever place

It seems we can fall in love,

if we're together,

it will be all right

He heard a delicate voice, crying out the names of the Sailor Senshi, and wondered whom it belonged to. Simple process of elimination led him to believe that the one Senshi who wasn't here, the Mercury girl, was the one asking what was going on.

Mercury...

Something about her tugged at the back of his mind, but he brushed it back with not a small amount of annoyance. He was just about to defeat the Sailor Senshi, there was no time for distractions. One small mistake and they would get away, and he would be rotting corpses like Jadeite and Nephrite. The names of his deceased comrades evoked rage in him, and he prepared to attack again, when something sharp tore into him.

He cried out in pain as he searched for the source of the new attack, but was blinded as images rushed from the back of his mind, taking advantage of this moment of weakness. He almost cried out again as the memories assaulted him, taking no prisoners as they relentlessly attacked him.

*Mercury...* he remembered, his face contorting with agony.

//"...A beautiful girl like you shouldn't be standing all by herself."\\

He hissed, and time seemed to slow to a crawl.

Whatever there is,

whatever there is

Trying to come between us,

if we're together,

it will be all right

He felt the attack pierce him again, this time from behind, and another cry of pain erupted involuntarily from his lips.

//"I...I love you, too, Zoi," she admitted, and ducked her head in shyness, which he found irresistibly charming, as always.\\

*Ami...*

Time returned to normal, and the weapon - a boomerang, he saw as it headed back to its owner - tore him apart with no mercy. He succumbed into oblivion, feeling remorse, and thinking that he deserved worse than this.

*****

She bit her lip painfully, tilting her head as if it would make a difference in the outcome of the fight. It tore up her heart as she heard the pain-filled cries of her friends, and she wished she were there to help them defeat the Dark General.

Suddenly, the confident voice of General Zoisite rose in a painfilled scream, which made her involuntarily wince. Something in her wanted to help him, and she mentally scolded herself for her foolishness and desire to help an enemy.

//Caring green eyes, sparkling with an intensity which both terrified and excited her at the same time...\\

*What is this?*

Just like this,

just like this

Giving the same smiles to each other,

never change from this

Stay like we are now forever

Clutching her head, she stubbornly tried to expel these new images from her mind. She was succeeding, when he screamed again, this time louder, and she knew he had met his end, for his scream was cut off short.

She heard Sailor Moon, Mars, and Jupiter gasp aloud in surprise, not pain, and called out their names, silently asking for information on what was going on. The screen in front of her went a little nuts, showing a new energy signal exactly like the other Senshi, except in a bright orange color.

["...Sailor V..."] she heard Sailor Moon say through the headphones.

Part of her, the logical part, was in awe of the mysterious super heroine vigilante, while the other part of her was mentally crying out in agony. Something had broken down in her mind as the late Zoisite's screams were cut short, and she cut off a whimper of pain as the memories of her Silver Millennium love bombarded her.

Whatever place,

whatever place

It seems we can fall in love,

if we're together,

it will be all right

She remembered.

Remembered the way he smiled at her, in his gentle and understanding way. Remembered the reddish blonde curls that he insisted on pulling back into the ponytail simply because he was too lazy and too irritable to do anything about something as plain as hair. Remembered the charming way he avoided the courtesans, and always somehow managed to make her laugh. Remembered the way he had confessed his feelings for her, in a rather debonair and surprising fashion, if she did say so herself.

Those were good memories, but there were also some that she was not as fond of.

There was the memory from when she first found out that he was working for Beryl and Metallia. When she saw the leading edge of the youma army. When she caught a glimpse of his gray uniform, so uncomplimentary to the memory of him. When he had opened his mouth and his mocking words had spilled out. When he had attacked her. When she had attacked him. When they had struck blow after blow, finally wounding each other to the point of collapse.

Then there were a few that confused her.

He had asked her lots of - annoying, then and now that she thought back on it - questions. Annoying, because the questions served no purpose she could see; it seemed like he was just passing time by with meaningless chatter. And wasted time was something she had never liked, in any life, she was sure.

However, perhaps he had asked her all those questions because he himself was afraid. Whether it was afraid of dying, or afraid of leaving life with many regrets, she was sure of.

What she knew, however, was that the Zoi she had loved, the Zoi she did love, was never satisfied unless he got answers for his many questions. And she remembered never getting a chance to give him her answer for his last, final question.

Therefore, maybe for the memory of the old Zoi, she thought of the answer she had been about to give before her death.

"Just because I regret the way some things turned out, it doesn't mean that I wish the situations had never happened."

The wind received her answer, and privately, she hoped that they would carry the message to the one she had meant it for.

She smiled, if somewhat sadly, "I had a good life."

As she nodded slowly to herself and went back to her normal life, she inwardly wished peace for the souls of the Generals of Endymion, wherever they were.