CHAPTER FOUR                                     
			    RAPIDS

		"Well who'd have thought..?"

 Serenity stood quite still on the staircase, looking up it. 
In her mind, she pictured the floating spoon, and the
direction it had taken.  Now she would follow again--only this
time, she followed her mind's eyes.
 Hopefully, she'd get there.
 Hopefully, he'd understand.
 Once more she cast out for other presences, her limited
abilities (for her crescent had to remain covered) finding no
one.  It reassured her more than the knowledge that the others
had gone outside for the day, enjoying the rare excellent
weather.
 Leaving her here.  Alone.  She knew her Senshi would distract
them as long as possible, for she had laid out her plan before
them last night.  Of course, Arashi had objected mightily, as
did Hiko and Aiko.  Kiri seemed slightly distracted, but cast
her vote in Serin's favor, expressing empathy for the young
woman that Serin was grateful to have.
 Slowly, she began her ascension, carefully keeping her steps
soft.  She moved into the dark hallways with a skitter,
jumping at any slight creak.  She stopped to breath for a
moment, heart pounding against her hand with nervous energy. 
This she did a few more times along the hall, and the closer
she got, the harder her heart beat.  When she reached the
door, her heart beat now gonged incessantly in her ears.  She
tried to swallow her fear and nervousness, but it refused to
budge.  As her slim hand closed upon the door, she wondered
for the first time if he would be inside.  Her mouth dried
out, yet there was no turning back now.  Slowly, she turned
the knob, and with a thunderous click, the door opened.
 She pushed it slowly open, peeking inside.  The room's warmth
hit her, bolstering her spirits, and she came all the way in,
closing the door softly behind her.  
 There fireplace was (still) lit, and the chairs were still
there.  However, there was no sign of the Prince--none at all. 
She carefully walked about the lightened room, eyes drifting
across the artifacts there.  The chairs, and small table
covered with a green tablecloth, and set with a teapot and
cups; the window with scratched sill, and the tapestry upon
the wall.  The mantel with its dark, heavily scented candles,
over the low fire which heated the room.
 Yet no Prince.
 She moved unsuredly now, looking for some sort of clue as to
what to do.  He wasn't there, so now what?  She moved to the
window and looked out of it, sighing as the light brushed its
fairy light touch upon her skin.  Slowly she leaned her head
back, closing her eyes, letting the world fall away until
there was nothing but the gentle light.
 She never heard the soft click, nor saw the tapestry move
aside as a shadowy figure entered.  Yet immediately he saw
her, bathed in white, head tipped back with soft lashes
brushing her cheeks.  His mouth dropped open, and the urge to
run overcame him.  He couldn't face her light, for it was
so...
 A low, low, growl rumbled in his mental throat.  Who was this
ninny, afraid of a spectre in white?  Truly, she was
absolutely magnificent now, silver-blond hair and cream skin
infused with silvery white light.  Wonder, awe, the taken
abackedness of such a moment--that was appropriate.  The urge
to run was not.  
 Yet, still, his heart began to pound, and a shivery feeling
crept through his bones.  Why was she here?  Though Kunzite,
Jadeite, and Nephrite had all reported that she seemed sad and
determined after she had...
  he thought to himself.  
 He moved back to the narrow passageway, intending to watch
her until he left.  Fortune, however, was not with him that
day, though, for the hem of his tattered breeks, along with
his hock, caught upon the door frame, sending him tumbling
backwards.  In slow motion she spun about, her blue eyes
piercing the silver-white light about her; he found it a most
wonderful sight until his body crashed against the floor,
wedged in the passage.
 "Oh!" she cried out.  "Are you all right?" She rushed over to
him, unable to halt her need to help just because
he...he...she quickly pushed the thought from her mind as she
knelt by him.  "Oh Prince!  Are you..?"
 "Battered, but all right," he replied quickly, his free hand
waving in what he hoped were nonconcerning gestures at her. 
"Bloody oak," he muttered beneath his breath as he began to
struggle to get up.  After all, the passages were narrow, and
he was not.  Now his hand reached for some sort of purchase,
the door frame or something else solid that he could use to
pull himself up with.  Suddenly, a slim warm hand was tugging
upon it.  He felt a small pull, and a rest, as he strained
himself to pull his hulking body from the confines.  Low
growls rumbled within his throat as he began to squeeze
himself out; then, quite swiftly, there was a jerk, and he
came free.
 "Aroh," he moaned, pushing himself up, brushing off his fur
and feeling for what hurt.   he decided. 
 his eyes flew wide.  "Lady?" he rumbled.
 "I'm okay.  Just fell," replied the small voice.  Soon, he
saw her come out of the shadows, daintily dusting herself off. 
"And...and...you?" 
 His ears caught the tremble, and he sighed within.  "Fine. 
I'll be going now," he replied, standing to his feet and
collecting his cloak about him.  The shadows, spread by his
fall and Serin's light, seamlessly regathered themselves,
swathing about him.  He turned, moved, head down, once more
heading towards the passage. 
 "No, wait!" Serin cried out, voice timid, yet...yet...he
couldn't put his finger on it.  Whatever it was, though, it
caused him to stop in his tracks.  "Please," she continued,
"please stay.  I must," she swallowed nervously, "speak with
you."
 He felt himself soften at her words, and he gritted his teeth
at this.  "Do not delude yourself, Lady.  We cannot speak to
each other without any...extreme reactions.  And I do not wish
to cause such alarm again."  He pulled his cloak closer, and
started towards the door again. 
 "But...we're talking now..."
 He stopped again, eyes flaring in impatience.  "We cannot
face each other, Lady!" gritted out his voice.  "And
I...suggest...you go!"
 "No, m'Lord.  I cannot!  I must face you.  I want to help
you!" she protested, voice shaking, eyes tearing.  "Please!"
 Her fragile cry stopped him once more, and ever so carefully,
he turned.  His hood was still drawn over his head, but the
light managed to grace his furred hands and animal feet.  "You
want 
to...help...me?" he asked quietly, gently, slowly.
 "Yes, yes, of COURSE I do," she replied in a low voice. 
"I...I..."
 "But...you cannot stand the sight of me.  You...fainted, last
time," he replied, eyes finding the carpeted floor.
 She moved closer to him, precariously close, and touched him. 
He looked up, and instantly she saw the blue eyes shaded by
black.  Again, she felt her heart begin to thrash about in her
chest, but steeled herself against it.  She was a Princess;
she could do this.  "You surprised me, m'lord," she said
quietly.  "And your eyes, they were so...powerful.  I am so
sorry.  It is not..." she sighed, "it is not right of me to
let myself be overwhelmed like that.  Again, I apologize."
 She had lowered her face away, but still felt the pull of
those midnight blues.  Softly, hesitantly, a hand touched her
face, and she looked up again.
 "I...I should..." he began quietly.
 "No, don't say a word," she replied.  "It is no fault of
yours, but mine."  She softened, the liquid silver gleaming
from her form once more.  "Let me see you," she whispered,
hands tentatively reaching towards him.  He made no move to
stop her, but trembled in...anticipation? as she carefully
pushed back the hood of his cloak.  He looked upon her fully,
with as blank an expression as he could muster.  Next, she
fumbled open the cape latch, and it fell away.  She took a few
careful steps back, and gasped.
 "Lady..."
 "No, no!" she cried out, eyes brightening, pool of light
expanding about her.  "Oh now...now I see what a fool I was!"
 "Lady," he asked, utterly confused, "what in the world do you
mean?" 
 She laughed quietly, eyes bright.  "My Lord, I don't see how
a woman could faint upon seeing something so beautiful."

*	*	*	*
 "...something so beautiful..."
 The Jewel Sorceress looked up from her potion as the words
fluttered through her head, the voice like the touch of a
butterfly's wing.  Her dark eyes cast about the room, but
seeing nothing, she attributed it to a rising memory, and left
it at that.
 "...something so beautiful..."
 She looked up again, eyes narrowing, calling upon her /sight/
in order to see if any other being had intruded into her
sanctuary, far beneath the Topaz Prince's castle.  Again there
was nothing, and again, she dismissed it, taking up again her
jet black pestle and grinding.
 It happened twice more, and now, it was accompanied by a
vision of white light eating away shadows, the shadows
lessened quite a bit by the second time.  Now she slammed her
pestle down, angry at having been disturbed, but knowing that
all such visions must be answered.  From the strength of it,
the trouble would not take long to locate, but still she
ripped her red hair from the servant's knot she had tied it in
while working; for all she knew, it would take quite awhile to
determine how to fix it.  Sigures upon it.  Yet, this was no
ordinary model, for a strange light shone from the crystalline
castle, and there were flickers of movement upon it--movement
not possible without magic.  
 The sight that made her grit her teeth, though, were the
addition of five other symbols to the map.  Five other symbols
that she knew would be female.  
 Five very large problems.
  she realized
quickly.    Her fist clenched.   She
touched her throat, and a flicker of fear went through her
eyes.  She had heard the stories of what Terrans did to those
of the magic arts, despite the fact that they themselves
carried the seeds of great power.  
 Her mouth settled into a grim line, and she clenched her
fist, summoning her power.  Normally it was unsafe to do this
without dampers, but she did not have time to go to the
chamber and fetch her crystal!  Not with THIS going on.  In a
flickering flash, her crystal, bobbing within its clawed
keeper, appeared before her.  Quickly she sat before it, hands
weaving her spells about it as she peered inside.  Forging
ahead through the spells regardless of what the backlash of
magic could do to her, she managed to bring up the picture. 
Now, her visual contact reestablished, she slowed her pace,
though not by much.  Setting the time back the last few days,
she watched the events unfold.
 When she finally looked away, her cream skin was pale, eyes
marked with fury.   she thought. 
  For a moment, she was tempted to break up
Serin and the Prince--although without sound, she was now
proficient at reading lips--but decided that both would feel
her power as she struck, and perhaps counteract it.  Somewhat
unsuredly, she skimmed for the others, and for the first time
since she had discovered the problem, she smiled.  Almost all
of them were in one place at one time, upon the Rush River,
which was normally peaceful...except for the places but yards
away from their spot.  The Rapids of the Rush, she recalled,
were particularly dangerous due to the hidden rocks and
ferocity of the water there; many  had died upon them.
 A low laugh echoed in her throat, and she bent over her
crystal again.  It wouldn't take much to add a few more to the
list.

*	*	*	*
 "Oh Me...Kiri! It is beautiful!" Aiko exclaimed, flashing a
brilliant smile at her friend.
 "Almost forget, dear Aiko?" Hiko murmured beside her.
 "Yes, but can you blame me?  After all, knowing each other as
one thing for years, and then..."
 "Of course I understand, dear Aiko, but that doesn't prevent
me from ribbing you about it," came the quick reply.
 "Ah, yes.  And here I'd almost forgotten your mouth," Aiko
replied with a dramatic sigh.
 "Will you two ever stop?" Kiri asked quietly, settling down
upon the edge of warm stones, sunlight at play within in her
hair.  She had guided them, with the subtle help of Naosu, to
the spot he had shown her yesterday: a secluded site upon the
Rush, half in shade, half in sun.  The river ran shallow here,
its clear, fast-flowing stream wide and rocky; along the bank
grew the dark grasses, bright pastel flowers, and a large
weeping tree.
 "I doubt it, Lady," Jade interrupted, eyes glinted.  He,
Naosu, and Kishi had accompanied the four ladies out here,
leaving Ryu at the castle.  Actually, it had been at his
insistence, as he looked upon the golden haired Aiko.  Jade's
grin widened at the remembrance of that stolid warrior's
uncertain eyes.
 "And he's only known us three...no, four days!" Aiko laughed,
sitting down among the long, flat grass, close to the bank. 
She patted a spot beside her, and Jade plopped down with
another invisible grin.
 "We're just so transparent," Hiko added in a dark murmur. 
Her eyes fell upon the couple in the sun, chatting at each
other, and swiftly she turned back.  "Arashi, what are you
doing?"
 "What do you think?" came back the fierce reply.  "You try to
unsaddle one of these giant...hey, try that again, dog food!"
 "I'll help," Kishi said before Hiko could offer, stepping off
the branch he'd taken up into the air, floating speedily
towards her.  A tiny trace of annoyance entered Hiko's eyes,
but instead she went further down the bank, pretending to
examine the flowers.  All morning, a moodiness had followed
her, a strangeness in the taste of the air.  She wasn't sure
what it could be, but she thought...well, from her reactions,
she thought something was going to happen to Aiko, or Jade. 
 she
thought, carefully snapping a tiny yellow flower off.  
 Kiri watched with interest as Kishi left, tracking his trace
from the bounce in the branch to the ever so slight whisper of
the air.  She realized that unless one looked very closely, or
was used tracking a wisp of fog (as she was), one could not
see them.  She mentally jotted that down.  
 "What do you think about, Lady?  Surely not chess," Naosu
asked quietly.  Her eyes turned slowly towards his voice,
finding the direction it'd come from, and studying the air
intensely.  Her eyes alighted upon his figure, and stuck
there, the blues flickering within.  His own eyes widened
involuntarily as he felt a touch of power surge about them; he
would swear for a moment that she could actually see him.
 "Not on chess, Naosu, but on you," she said quietly, scooting
under the shade of the tree, closer to him.  
 To say he was taken aback would be like saying an atom bomb
is just a "little boom"; his mind hazed for a few moments. 
Suddenly, he realized that she was still talking, saying, "Or
rather, your invisibility, the others invisibility, and the
magic needed to sustain such."
 "Ahh," he replied, still a little taken aback but
understanding now.  "You return to what we talked of
yesterday."
 "Uh-huh.  I had been meaning to continue our conversation,
but our...matches yesterday distracted me."  She allowed a
brief smile out.  "You play very well, after all."
 "As do you, Lady," he replied.
 "Please, I am not that..."
 "Lady, you beat me several times!"
 "It was blind, blind luck.  I just managed to hit upon an
opening."
 "Kiri, you..."
 "Don't try to compliment here, Lord Naosu," Hiko called out,
eyes shimmering with quiet laughter.  "She will never take it
unless she had perfected her skill."
 "Hiko..." she protested, but Aiko laughed.
 "Kiri, she's right, and you know it.  She'll never settle for
less than the best.  Why, when we were..." she trailed off
abruptly, concentrating once more on the river.
  Jade thought as he exchanged glances with
Naosu.  Although the Silence on names was easily held, the
second understood rule--that of not divulging your past--was
harder kept.  The ladies kept wanting to toss off
reminiscences that could easily lead to who they where, and to
the General's dismay, kept catching themselves.  For the night
before, Naosu had brought up an interesting point.
 "Do you realize," he said from the top of the clock--for the
four where in their meeting room, which was a tower room of
dark and light woods, decorated with such--"that we have no
clue where these ladies come from?"
 Each man looked up from his work, or whatever he did, a
quasi-thoughtful expression on their face.
 "For all we know, they could be demonic intruders from
another realm," Jade agreed, a comic light in his eyes.
 Naosu shot him a dark look.  "Don't venture too far out," he
snapped.  His dark green eyes, touched ever so lightly with
gray, focused back on the rest of them.  "I mean things of a
more earthly nature."
 "Such as?" Kishi asked calmly.
 "You must ask?"
 "Well, there are spells about this place that keep us
isolated and warded," Jade pointed out.  "And the four of
us...well, besides Arashi, I think we're all right."
 "I think you're thinking weird, Jade," Kishi said, eyes to
Naosu.
 "That you are," the man replied, leaning forward.  "There are
dangers in the mortal realm, such as Prince Topaz..." he let
his words trail off, and Ryu sucked in an icy breath.
 "You're right, Naosu," he replied quietly, laying aside his
quill.  "They could be of Topaz."  He turned towards Naosu,
and all eyes came to him automatically.  "After all, remember
that they did say they were out looking for him."
 "No," Jade said.  "No!  They're not the Jewel family type!"
 "However, they may have allies within," Kishi said quietly,
looking to Ryu.  "We have no idea."
 "It could explain a lot, though," Naosu continued.  "For..."
 "Hold, Naosu--I thought you liked them!" Jade protested. 
Startled, Naosu flinched away, eyes almost shocked, face drawn
into a stunned expression.
 "Jadeite," and now everyone looked at Kishi, who seemed
nonplused that he'd broken the Silence, "brings up a valid
point.  We all like them--I mean, they're good looking and..."
 "Quit while you're ahead, Kishi," Jade interrupted with a
grin, emphasizing his name.
 "Still, Naosu's concerns are valid," Ryu added resignedly. 
"Therefore, we must try to ferret out what we can of their 
past--by their admission, of course.  They should drop enough
clues."
 The others considered it for a moment, and Naosu finally
nodded.  "I second," Kishi said aloud.
 "Works for me," Jade said with a shrug.
 And so, each man present was casually trying to ferret out
details for their “quest,” and not succeeding overly much.   
 “You four been together for a long time?” Jade asked Hiko
now, looking away from the water bound Aiko with a half
tremble.
 Hiko gave him a tiny smile, eyes lightening a bit. “For a
very long time.  Since we were children...and you?”
 “Same,” he sighed.  “It’s our bloodline, you know?”
 “No, I didn’t,” she said, voice slightly sour.  “I don’t know
much about you, and I’m really not supposed to.”
  he thought, giving her a physical nod and looking away. 
Across the water, Kiri and Naosu were falling into a deep
discussion on magic; the horse sounds from above told him
Kishi and Arashi were still having problems.  Aiko now was
putting her feet in the water, edging towards slipping to a
stand; “Careful!” he called out to her.
 “Huh?” she asked as she delicately set her feet, not
bothering to look at him.
 “The Rush is shallow here, but swift.  One must be careful,”
he replied, voice potent with warning.
 “Care to help me?” she asked with a slight grin.
 He felt his mouth go dry, and he licked his lips a few times. 
He opened his mouth to stutter out something, but all that
came out was the sound of Naosu’s laugh.  
 “Hah!  Lady Aiko, though you are pleasant to the eyes, it
would take a platoon of women such as you, naked, to get Jade
in the Rush!” he called out.
 “What?” she asked, looking between the two.
 Naosu grinned wickedly as Jade ground his teeth.  “He had a
bad experience with the Rush when we first got here.  The
river terrifies him now--trying to get him to cross it is
like...well, its improbable! He always refuses.”
 “Shutup, Naosu,” he said thickly, mouth still dry. Naosu had
always teased him of his fears, being that the greenish eyed
man had none but those instinctual to plague him.  Even the
others were afraid of something, but Naosu never dared to bug
them, for they could wipe the floor with him.  Jade, though,
was almost matched with him in power, and so he dared.  It was
then, as his thoughts turned dark, that Hiko touched his hand,
and he jumped--mostly because he had no clue how she’d known
where it was.
 “What happened to you?” she asked quietly, eyes concerned.
 “It...well...uh, it is a painful thing, Lady...I would wish
not to speak of it,” he replied quietly.
 She removed her hand from his, giving him a somber smile. 
“If you ever wish to talk, Jade,” she said quietly, eyes
flickering, “I am ready and willing to listen.”  Her eyes
smoldered darker, a dangerous purple, as she added, “I have
had a long acquaintance with pain.”
 He shivered, and replied softly, “That I shall do, Lady.”
 “I hope...” she began, then looked away, eyes falling to the
grass.  He, too, looked back to the scene, watching Aiko in
the rush.
 “You’re the one who does the crosswords in the morning,
right?”
 He looked back to her with an unseen grin.  “Yea, I’m working
on his latest,” he nodded to Naosu.  “Elements.” 
 “Ahh..the Five or the Seven?” 
 His eyes widened, and mentally he chalked up another tally to
her “Knowledge” list. “You know of them?”
 “My...training,” and here her breath caught, as if she was
besieged with memory.  Quickly, she continued on, “It required
me to learn so.  But...we were talking of crosswords,
Jade...and should you ever wish aid on...”
 “I shall find you promptly?  Of course,” he replied, the
smile in his voice.
 “Well, as long as you don’t wake me TOO early,” she added,
and he grinned again.  As if she could sense it, she smiled
tentatively back, a new flicker of light in her dark purple
eyes.
 It was about then that Aiko made it to the center of the
river, water rushing about her calves as she held her skirts a
little above the surface, smiling at her reflection.  She
danced a slow step or two with in with infinite grace, wind in
her long blond hair, eyes laughing.
 It was also then that Hiko’s eyes flew wide.
 “Lady...Lady Hiko, what?” Jade asked, immediately sensing the
mood swing, the tension in the air.
 At this, she closed her eyes, a sudden breeze in the grasses,
rippling the water.  Slowly, a soft, dark whisper came from
her lips, saying, “Power, power,
what...dark...evil...power...NO!” Her eyes flashed open, and
she jumped to a stand.  “Aiko! Get out of there!” 
 “What? Ma...” she turned, eyes panicking.
 “Don’t ask, Aiko, just...” Hiko screamed out, coming closer
to the bank.
 The water suddenly exploded behind her, throwing her
forwards.  The four on the shore could only shield their eyes
as the brilliant flash receded, leaving for their vision
flattened grass and an Aiko-less stream.
 “No!” Hiko yelled, rushing to the bank.  “Aiko!” 
 “Aiko!!” Kiri added, stumbling upwards, eyes frightened.
 “Jade, get Ryu, now!” Naosu snapped, tugging a branch from
the tree.  He held it in the air and waved it downstream,
checking to make sure the other two understood; they did, and
the three took off.
 “What happened?” Arashi demanded, appearing at the top of the
bank, Kishi arriving soon after with a rope halter.
 “Arashi, go get Serin; Aiko got thrown downstream, and we may
need her!” Hiko yelled behind her.  Jade nodded to Kishi, and
then closed his eyes.

 Ryu jammed the quill into his inkpot, frustrated.  All
morning he’d been trying to smooth out his frustrations, first
with music, and now here.  he wondered, slumping over his latest, head in his
hands.
 *Kunzite...Kunzite...*
 He sat up, gray eyes going wide. *Jade?  What...the Sil...*
 *No time for that.  Lady Aiko got thrown into the Rush, and
we’ve lost sight.*
 *Lady Aiko?* he replied, getting to his feet. *Jade...*
 *We don’t know, Ryu.  Honestly, something screwy happened. 
Kishi and Arashi should be back soon, and Naosu and the others
went to look...*
 *I’m coming, ASAP.*
 *Wait, RYU! Grab Prince and Serin--Hiko says they might be
needed.*
 Rage flashed hot over his face, and he felt the resistance
rise.  He slammed it back down, though, and replied, *All
right.  We’re coming soon.*
 *Good.  Link out.*
 Ryu looked down at the beginnings of a sketch in his hands,
and more rage twisted his features.  Crumpling it furiously,
he stood and went to find the other two.
 
 Kiri was frantic.  She had felt from the beginning that the
currents of this river were treacherous; however, she had no
clue, no clue...
  she scolded herself. 
  she cut off.
 Her water sense went out, eyes flicking briefly shut as she
locked onto the river.  Soon, her eyes lightened, and a blue
cast applied itself to her.  Now she turned on her speed,
focusing in on one target, knowing where it was.
 Naosu shot Hiko an amazed glance as Kiri slowed for a few
paces, then sped up exponentially.  She didn’t seem amazed at
all; in fact, relief touched upon her face.  He, too,
quickened his pace, leaving the ground for the air.
 One turn...yes, there it was! Kiri slowed her speed a touch,
and pushed back the water sense.  Her eyes really began seeing
again, and she gasped.
 The Rush Rapids are a sight to behold, fast moving foam
speckled with some large, jagged rock, along with other
strangely smooth ones.  In the midst of this all, the foam and
the mist and the breaking of water harshly upon stone, there
was Aiko.  Blood fell to the rocks and into the river, sliding
slowly from the cuts and bruises upon her head, face, and
hands.  Yet she hung onto the sharp rock, face grim, eyes
pleading across the distance.
 “Kiri,” she whispered, or at least it was a whisper to Kiri,
sound drowned by the roar of the water.  “Help...Kiri...”
 “Hold on, Aiko!” she called out, gathering her strength.  She
then leapt to the nearest rock, steadied, and leapt to the
next.  She did this for the next few stones, bringing herself
that much closer to her stricken friend, knowing her time was
short.  The water of the Rush weren’t brutally cold, yet the
chill was enough to cause serious trouble, especially for the
injured.
 “Aiko, your chain!” she yelled.  “I need..”
 “Kiri, I can’t...my...ahh!” cried back the woman, her hands
loosening precariously from the rock.  “KIRI!” 
 At that moment, she made her decision. Quickly, she shucked
her dress and kicked off her shoes, throwing them a shore with
a shiver as the air and mist caressed her skin. It was also 
then that Naosu came upon the scene.  Horrified at the sight
in front of him, he screamed out, “Kiri, WAIT!”
 She heard not, or at least ‘tis thought so, for she took a
breath and plunged in.  
 The water was just as she had felt: chilled and angry,
smashing at her from two sides at once.  Quickly she pushed
her mind against it, enough for her to surface, breath, and
begin to stroke towards Aiko.  By now the water about her was
faintly pink, staining her limp blond hair, as her arms
strained to hold her body in place, face pale.  The worst,
though, was the bluish color that stained her lips and skin, a
sign of a stress her body couldn’t take.  Kiri let up her
influence a bit, yet the force of her mind was enough to allow
her to cut quickly through the water to Aiko, and take her up.
 “Kiri,” she murmured, her lips a gasping blue, eyes
fluttering.  Her arms were reddened from the gashes on her
hands, gravel and rock and blood caked there.  
 “I’ve got you...Aiko,” she replied softly, shifting her grip
upon the rock, wincing at its sharp edge.  she thought as she glanced at the shore, a bare
few yards away, yet with the swirls, eddies, and whatever else
in the way.  Also, there was the cold; while she could stand
it, Aiko was fading.
  she thought, again shifting
positions within the water, letting most of her body relax
except for her arms.  She would need that energy for the task
ahead.
 “Kiri!” she heard, and her eyes flickered to the bank.  Hiko
and Naosu were there, Hiko looking grimly determined and the
branch...low.  The sight brought a grin to her features, as
well as the knowledge of what to do with Kiri.

 Serin and the Prince had just settled down for a cup of tea
when Ryu burst into the room.  “My Prince...Lady?” he says,
eyes flying wide in amazement.
 “Yes, Kun...Ryu-kun?” he replied calmly, barely missing a
beat despite his slip.  Still, Serin caught it, and gave him a
precious grin as she mentally deleted the reference.
 “Ummm...uh,” Ryu stuttered a moment, mind completely blown by
the sight in front of him.   
 “Please pass the honey,” Serin asked quietly, and as the
Prince handed her the pot of golden liquid, his mind snapped
back into place.
 “Aiko...Lady Aiko got thrown into the River Rush, m’liege,”
he reported.
 There was a pause, and then the Prince turned his eyes full
upon him.  “What?  Which part?”
 “Aiko,” Serin whispered, then looked to the Prince. “My
liege...”
 “Hold, Lady.  It may not be as bad...”
 “‘Tis bad.  It’s close to the Rapids, and..”
 “Rapids?!” the Prince shouted, and then looked to the Lady
and took a breath. “How do you know?” he asked in a lower
voice.
 “Jade told me.  He said something strange had happened, and
that she was thrown into the river, and Naosu, Kiri, and Hiko
were going after her.  Hiko said that Serin should know...they
might need her,” he reported, slipping into stolidness.  Yet,
the way Serin was looking at him was starting to unnerve him,
and he took extra care to keep his eyes from hers.
 “Hiko said...I’d be needed?” 
 “Yes, Lady,” he replied shortly, then looked back to the
Prince.  “Arashi and Kishi are on the way with horses.”
 “Hiko said...OHHH!” Serin jumped from her seat, face having
gone completely pale.  “Please excuse me,” she called out.   
 “Lady, where..”
 “Don’t ask, m’lord,” she said, stopping briefly at the door.
“The..I am forbidden.  I am Silent.”  With that, she turned
and ran from the room.
 “Sometimes I wish I had never agreed to that,” the Prince
growled, eyes locked on the empty frame.  
 “With your permission, my liege, I would like to go out to
the spot and see if I can help,” Ryu said stiffly, aware of
the swift change in the room’s mood.
 The Prince turned his dark eyes upon him, studied him for a
moment, and shook his head.  “No, Kunzite,” he replied, voice
gravally and low.  “You shall accompany to the Golden Table,
to see how the others fare.  Should they need our assistance,
they shall have it.”
 With that, he swept his cape about him, and headed towards
the solarium.  Ryu’s fist clenched, eyes flaring up for a
minute, but he quickly he composed himself and followed.

 Serin fled to her room, and threw open the door to her
closet.  ran her troubled thoughts.
 She ripped through the clothing, hands flying across
the dresses and undergarments.  Finally, she found something
she thought would be useful, and quickly pulled it out,
stripping off her own clothing as it sailed towards the bed. 
In minutes, she was redressed, pulling her hair up into two
silvery-blond buns, twisting the two long tails that hung from
them about to keep them out of the way.  She remembered
briefly that this was one of the traditional Moon Princess
styles, and at that thought tears sprung to her eyes.
  she thought as she
wiped the tears from her eyes.  
 Quickly she ran out of the door, out of the Hall, out of the
castle, until she reached the stables.  She pulled out one of
the horses she had seen on the tour--a well formed chestnut--
and saddled it as quickly as her fumbling fingers could
remember what went where.  Time weighed on her mind, for she
knew Arashi and Kishi were coming back, and she couldn’t
afford to meet them on the way.  There’d be TOO many questions
for her to answer...and, besides, she wanted to get there as
fast as possible, and waiting for them would just be wasting
time.
 So reassured, she pulled the horse outside, mounted up, and
reined it away.  Her eyes narrowed for a minute as she
endeavored to remember the way they had gone; after a few
seconds, she squeezed the horse into a trot, and took off down
the outermost trail.  Once she was about ten yards from the
grounds, she upped her speed to a canter.  she
thought. 
 Not more than a few minutes later, Arashi and Kishi, horses
blown and riders covered with dust, came riding up the inner
trail.
 
 “Hang on, Kiri!” Naosu shouted as he made his way along the
rocky left bank of the river.  Hiko moved like a cat in front
of him, taking careful, fast steps which kept her from falling
into the Rush.  He still hovered, not trusting his feet on the
precarious ledge.  Here, the water was so fierce it slopped
over the sides; Hiko was thoroughly drenched within the first
few yards.  Yet now, they were so close...
 His eyes went to Kiri again.  She had managed to get herself
and Aiko onto the rock, and now cradled her friend in her
arms, eyes closed.  Several times he had wondered if she
would’ve been able to jump to the nearby shore, but Aiko had
picked just about the worst rock to cling to, since both sides
were treacherous channels.  He also had wondered, privately,
if he could take them both to shore; however, he was not the
strongest of the Four, flight and strength wise.  He’d be
lucky to get Aiko to the bank without the both of them
plunging in.  So, really, there was nothing he could do...yet,
despite this, his insides were twisted into knots, and his
mind was constantly slinging him suggestions.
 
 
 
 
 
  he finished
decisively, even as tiny worms of doubt crawled through his
head.  Perhaps he COULD get one of them out of there...Aiko,
most likely, since she was injured.  But...
 But he didn’t want to strand Kiri.  And he wasn’t...he wasn’t
sure he could perform such a maneuver twice.  
  he thought distastefully.  
 Now, though, Hiko had succeeded in getting to the safest part
of the bank, a place where the river began to widen and calm a
little.  “Kiri!” she yelled.  “I'm ready when you are.”
 He set himself down beside her, waving the branch to indicate
his presence and then dropping it into the stream.  It swiftly
fell away, smashing up against one of the smaller, hidden
rocks beneath the surface, bending and splitting from the
force.  He quickly averted his eyes, needing no reminder of
what the Rush could do.
 Now, Kiri slipped back into the water with Aiko, bobbing once
as her hand found a brace, and looking to them.  Slowly, she
closed her eyes, and then let Aiko go.
 “Kiri!” he yelled, but Hiko was squatting next to the edge,
hands outstretched.  And, as if by magic, the woman drifted
downstream to them, not even her hair catching a rock.  With a
darting, swift movement, she caught Aiko up and dragged her
onto shore, laying her out.  She checked her heartbeat and
breathing, and then smiled brilliantly.  “She's okay!” she
called out.  
  he thought, looking back upstream.  His eyes
widened, and he took two steps and plunged into the water.

  Kiri thought once more as she slipped
for a second time into the water, arm firmly about Aiko. 
 She checked Hiko, making sure she was ready, before letting
her eyes close.  She fell languidly back into the water sense,
expanding it to touch finely upon the water around Aiko. 
Quickly, intricately, she calmed its flow, and then let the
woman go.  Now, she clamped down upon the currents, breathing
coming faster, body going laxer as her energy flowed outwards. 
The water bubbled back up at her, and with a deep breath she
rammed the force of her mind into it.  Immediately it calmed,
and Aiko navigated it with no problems; yet, just before she
reached the bank, another swirl appeared, of the lower,
deadlier type.  Despite her lack of energy--she could feel the
chill of the water now--this thing had to go.  She rammed her
mind against it; it wouldn't budge.  She did it again; same
result.  Aiko was coming perilously close to it, and it was
only getting bigger.
  she thought fiercely, grinding her teeth.  Mentally,
she reached out again, ramming her mind into it with a blow
fierce enough to send pain radiating through her head.  There
was a hint of resistance, but it quickly petered out, and the
swirl died.  Now, she relaxed the sense and felt her whole
body go limp.  As her head slowly began to descend beneath the
water, her eyes opened to see Hiko pull Aiko up onto shore. 
With a faint smile, the world faded from view, and her head
went completely under.
 Then, suddenly, there was someone in her vision.  He was a
man, thin and pale, with long, water darkened blond hair that
curled, with greenish eyes that glowed with recognition of
her.  Yet, she had no clue who he was, nor what he would be
doing in the Rush; did not he know the danger of this river? 
And why...she pulled away from him, but her body responded too
slowly, and his hand grabbed onto her wrist.  He jerked her
hard towards him, arms coming about her, as she stared blankly
at his face.  His face...which, she noted, was dissolving
away, becoming invisible to her wondering eyes...
 Naosu sprang into the air, gasping for breath, holding the
semi-conscious Kiri in his arms.  He landed on the bank and
laid her out quickly, checking her breathing and pulse.  To
his surprise, both of them were weak but steady; when we went
to check her eyes, they were already open and staring at him.  
 “ nao..naosu?” she murmured.  “What are...”
 “Shush, Lady Kiri.  We're safe now.  We're all safe,” he
replied back, taking ahold of one of her hands.  Somewhere
inside him he felt a strange warmth, and her eyes widened in
response.  She began to try and get up, but he shook his head;
even so, she continued to look at him with that strange,
strange expression.  “I...” she began, one hand reaching up to
touch his face.  “I...”
 “Thank me later,” he said quietly.
 “No, no...I...”
 “Is everything all right?” Hiko called from across the bank.
 “Yes!” he called back, voice rising to almost a joyful pitch. 
“Yes, we're...” he looked back to her, squeezing her hand,
“we're fine!”
 She gave him a small, sweet smile in reply.
 It was then that, quite suddenly, Hiko (and Aiko, though she
had not regained consciousness yet) found themselves on the
right bank.  Kiri gave them a stunned look, but swiftly a
second pair of footprints appeared in the grass.
 “Lady Hiko, is she all right?” asked a quick voice, which
Hiko realized was Ryu's.
 “She should be find, once we get her back to the  castle,”
she replied, looking back to her friend.  Truthfully, she
looked like mess, but her injuries weren't that bad.
 “That's good,” he replied, and she wondered if she had
projected the note of warmth that lay there.  “That said,
where is the Lady Serin?”
 “Serin?” Naosu replied, voice sharp.  “We haven't seen her
since breakfast, Ryu.”
 “Are you sure of this?” he asked again, and Hiko realized
that his eyes were upon her.
 “Yes, completely,” she replied.
 He took a deep breath, and let out a sudden, sharp curse. 
Kiri's eyes flew wide, and she sat up a little, even as Naosu
motioned her to stay down.  “What is it, Ryu?”
 “When Kishi and Arashi arrived for Serin, we could not find
her.  Being that a horse was missing from the stables, we
thought she had ridden out to help you.  However, if she is
not here...”
 “Then she is missing,” Hiko finished.  “Oh no...”
----------
Kiri-Mercury
Arashi-Jupiter
Aiko-Venus
Hiko-Mars
Serin-Serenity
Naosu-Zoisite
Ryu-Kunzite
Jade-Jadeite
Kishi-Nephrite
Prince-Endymion

                                              

    Source: geocities.com/soho/gallery/8281/anime