The Moonlight Rhapsody was one of the Princess Mercury's favorite songs. The melody was sweet, soft and lulling. She loved listening to it, and she had a small jewelry box that played the very same song at the instant it was opened.

Today, however, instead of closing her eyes and concentrating on the song, her eyes stayed wide open and she was tense as a tightrope. She was shaking when she was usually swaying gently to the music; she was nervous when she was usually calm. Her hand trembled in General Zoicite's as they went to the center of the banquet hall to dance.

Zoicite threw a sidelong glance at her, afraid that he might scare her off if he looked at her directly. He had sensed the trembling in her hand, and she had not said a word since he had asked her to dance. Come to think of it, he, too, had not spoken since then…

"My dear Princess, believe me when I say that you look ravishing tonight," General Zoicite said in earnest, all the while admiring her while he did. The blushing Princess' blue eyes quivered slightly, and she preoccupied herself with the tiles on the marble floor. Her soft voice was barely audible in all the noise around them as she hesitantly replied, "Arigato, General Zoicite-sama."

Upon reaching the middle of the dance floor, General Zoicite expertly draped her hand on his shoulder, slipped his hand around her waist, and took her free hand in one smooth motion. The bright pink flush that had flooded Princess Mercury's face turned into a deep scarlet, and she turned to stare in another direction, flustered to the worst degree.

I must be scaring her, a deeply horrified Zoicite thought to himself. Damn! I shouldn't be so straightforward with her, because she's not at all like the others. He found himself looking down at the flustered Princess, wondering what to do next. As soon as he got the gist of the Moonlight Rhapsody, he started to lead her in a waltz, as he had been expertly doing with all other women.

"Forgive me, your majesty, for my uncouth behavior," he began, as they spun around on the dance floor in graceful waltz steps. "I was not being very proper." At this, the Princess Mercury looked up at him with her beautiful blue eyes, much to his delight. She tried to look into his deep green eyes, and was relieved to have found no signs of dishonesty in them. She smiled at him, a gentle smile that seemed to captivate him even more. "That's fine, General Zoicite-sama. I should be thankful for the compliments you give me. Gomenasai."

General Zoicite's enjoyment was immense as he twirled the Princess Mercury across the ballroom, passing Kunzite and Venus, Jupiter and Nephrite, and finally Jedeite and Mars, who both waved to them. Mercury waved back, chuckling softly. Her laughter was music to Zoicite's ears. Ah, if only this moment would last forever, he mused listlessly as he held her in his arms. The Moonlight Rhapsody would now be his favorite song from now on.

"My Princess, if I may," he asked her. "I would like to get you a drink. Perhaps we can go out on the balcony and converse for a while." He looked at her pleadingly, his eyes full of hope. The Princess Mercury hesitated for a moment. "I would love to, General Zoicite-sama. But let us do that after this dance is over."

"Isn't the earth beautiful at this time of night?" Princess Mercury meekly asked Zoicite a few minutes later. She was leaning on the balcony railing, looking out into the sky where the stars and the earth could be seen. General Zoicite stood up and walked over to her, enjoying the same pretty view. He handed her one of the two champagne glasses he had in his hands. "Yes, it most certainly does," he replied. "The green and blue of that planet is the most lovely in the galaxy. I could never get enough of imagining trees and plants and rivers, and the deep blue waters they call sea."

The Princess Mercury nodded in return. She was once again silent, and it scared him. He decided to change the subject.

"Your Majesty, you were a very graceful dancer. Do you do this often?" Zoicite casually inquired, followed by a swig of champagne. Princess Mercury held her glass in both hands and observed the swirling of the red champagne as she moved the glass around slightly. "As a matter of fact," she replied, not looking up from her glass. "I don't."

"Then it must be a gift. This must come natural to you, ne?"

"And you, General Zoicite-sama? You were very good yourself."

"Maybe it comes from my experience. I usually have ten dances lined up at every party."

"Then I presume you are very popular with the ladies," she blurted out. She suddenly blushed at her prying question.

But Zoicite never noticed. "I must be. They're the ones who usually come to me," he said, unconsciously giving away his vanity.

"I see."

"Your majesty…"

"Yes?"

"I would prefer it if you called me Zoicite alone. It will do."

"Yes, uh-Zoicite…"

"May I know what your name is, Princess Mercury?"

The Princess hesitated demurely, and finally gave in, "It's Ami. My name is Ami."

"Ah, Ami. It's such a lovely name…"

"Domo arigato, Zoicite-kun."

Zoicite smiled. He turned to her so that their eyes met. "Forgive me for asking, dear Princess, but can you take off your mask?"

The Princess Mercury held her breath. "Why?"

He hesitated. "Uh, perhaps it's this masquerade ball. I've been seeing so many people with masks and I desperately crave for the sight of an unadorned human face. I just might forget what people used to look like if I don't see a mask-less face soon."

She giggled softly. "Okay, you win. I'll take mine off if you take yours off, too," she said, shocked by her boldness, yet reveling in the sheer excitement of it.

General Zoicite unfastened the string that held the mask to his face, and it fell to the ground. The Princess held her breath as the deep green eyes met hers without the mask to come between them. She was speechless as she caught a full glimpse of the General's face. He was undoubtedly handsome, every angle of his face perfect, from his Grecian nose to his thoughtful brow, from his deep green eyes to those lips of his…

Their eyes held each other for a long time. The Princess Mercury, for some unknown reason, could not tear her eyes away from him. Never taking his eyes off her as well, Zoicite slowly reached out for the ribbon that fastened the Princess' mask, and soon, it came hurtling down as well.

Zoicite was dragged into the same state of speechlessness. She was more beautiful than he'd ever imagined. The blue eyes he had only caught a glimpse of behind the mask now seemed more vivid without it, and everything about her was perfect. The creamy white skin, the cute nose, those soft rose-colored lips, and the faint red of her cheeks…

Minutes passed. Then the Princess suddenly snapped back to reality. "Ah, I'm very sorry," she apologized, flustered and deeply embarrassed at her behavior. "I'm very sorry, very sorry, Zoicite-kun!" She looked as if she was about to cry. Zoicite looked equally embarrassed, cursing himself for staring at her for too long.

With out another word, the Princess Mercury ran off. General Zoicite, with great dismay, pleaded with her, "Please, please, dear princess!"

"Sumimasen, General Zoicite-sama! Good night and good bye!" she cried hastily and in panic as she ran off to her room, across the crowd of people at the ball, unaware that Zoicite was trying desperately to catch up with her.