~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hi, Mizuno Neko! Miss me?"
Neko stopped her brisk walk towards her next class, just short of running into a cheerful Amethyst, who had appeared right in front of her. She instantly checked to make sure no one was watching and reached for her henshin stick.
"Neko, Neko, Neko," Amethyst scolded her as she took Neko's hands in her own, putting them behind Neko's back so that her arms were loosely around her. "Is that anyway to greet an old friend?"
"Friend?!" Neko looked around and tried to figure out the best way to get out of Amethyst's clutches. "You tried to kill us!"
"Oh, please, you're not still going on about that, are you?" Amethyst shimmied up to Neko. "Come on, sweetie, admit it," her voice dropped in pitch, and she smiled mischievously, "you really just can't wait to kiss me, can you?"
Neko fought the urge to screech, "Etchi," and instead shoved Amethyst away as hard as she could. Amethyst staggered back a little, but refused to show any shock at Neko's reaction.
"Whatever," she said disdainfully. "I wasn't really here for you anyway. I just thought you might like to know what my sister told me today."
"Not likely," Neko answered, glaring at her.
Amethyst ignored the daggers Neko's eyes were sending her. "It's actually quite interesting. Do you know, for example, that Jaspy and Tenshi have very similar auras? Imagine that both of our boyfriends are so similar!" Amethyst loved to torment Neko about Tenshi's Knight-ness, although Neko had gotten over the fact that Night Angel was a guy in the last few months. "I mean, isn't obvious that you and I aren't all that different either?"
"We are nothing alike!" Neko pulled out her henshin stick, ready to transform.
"Tsk, tsk." Amethyst shook her finger at Neko. "You shouldn't do that in front of other people, you know?"
"Huh?" Neko glanced furtively around to see what possible spectators Amethyst had seen. Too late she realized that it was a bluff. But before she could react, she found herself thrown against a wall, Amethyst's arm at her throat.
"Look, sweetheart, I didn't come here to fight. I was actually hoping your boyfriend was here."
"Leave Tenshi alone!" Neko yelled at her.
A sly smile played upon Amethyst's lips. "A little worried? You know, you might not want a kiss, but I bet Tenshi wouldn't mind too badly, her being so much like Jaspy and all."
A knee to Amethyst's stomach was all it took for Neko to free herself. "If you were the last girl in the universe, Tenshi-kun still wouldn't even think twice about considering kissing you."
"My, that sounds like a challenge!" Amethyst winked at Neko. "Besides all I need is for her think once about it." She wisely transported herself away before Neko could return the black eye Amethyst had once served her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tenshi wasn't all that far from Neko as the other faced down Amethyst. She was actually on her lunch break.
So when she turned the hall corner and ran into Neko, she was pleasantly surprised. Neko, however, seemed upset. "Tenshi-kun!" she sobbed as she ran up to her girlfriend and hugged her, relieved that she was okay.
"What's wrong?" Tenshi asked with concern.
"Amethyst's back. She was just here."
"Nani?!"
Neko shook her head. She didn't want Tenshi to worry on her birthday. "No, it's fine," she said, trying to get her voice under control. "We'll worry about her tomorrow. Just enjoy your birthday, okay?"
"Koneko�." But Neko looked quite resolved on the matter. Tenshi let her face relax a little and changed the subject. "Will you come to my birthday party tonight? It's just me and my family, but Michiru-mama said I should invite someone to join us. Will you?"
Neko's eyes shone at her as she nodded. "I'll come," she promised. "Arigatou."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Did you have fun torturing your favorite little Senshi?" Carnelian asked as Amethyst appeared in their mansion. She didn't really have to ask. Amethyst had a gloating smile that stretched as far as her little mouth would go, and her eyes were bright green.
"She is so much fun to mess with!" Amethyst laughed. "And I am this close to smashing the poor couple to bits!"
"Well, hurry it up, already!" Carnelian said impatiently. "I have my boy primed to do anything I ask him, and Amber's finally committed to this thing now. We could have it over by tomorrow night!"
But Amethyst shook her head. "Jaspy and I aren't working tomorrow. It's our anniversary."
Carnelian had forgotten that, but she didn't think it was relevant. "It's not like you guys are married! It's not something that we can wait for. Daddy wouldn't let you!"
"Well, Dad's not here!" Amethyst shot back without thinking. Seeing the shocked look on Carnelian's face, she immediately repented. Her voice softened as she continued, "Carni, look�, it's really important to me. Dad would forgive us for taking a day off. We've been searching for a planet of our own to rule for fifty years. It won't matter if we put it off for one more day. It'll be mine and Jaspy's anyway, so it's our decision. Can't you just do this for me?"
Carnelian had sworn to herself that she would never fall for Amethyst's innocence ruse, but she didn't think she could win this argument. "Okay, fine. Enjoy your day off."
Amethyst squealed and hugged her twin. She was having a great day.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Amber ate her lunch silently, moodily. She didn't feel she had that much to say as Puroko and Kono chatted incessantly. Now that the two had made up, it seemed to her as if Puroko didn't even care if she was her friend. It was just as well then, Amber decided, that she was going to use the little brat for Team Eclipse.
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