All DISCLAIMERS apply.  The villians are
MINE in this story.  ENJOY!

       The Four Lovers
    Air On A Cosmic String
            Part 1

I. "Let's talk..."
 Will you miss me, when I'm gone?
 Will you remember all the good times we've had?
 The hardest thing about leaving 
 Is saying goodbye
              --"Only A Memory Away"
 The only thing that stirred Jade from his haze of sleep 
was the insistent ringing of a small bell right near his 
ear.  He smacked at it in his dreams, for he was less 
than two inches from the dark flame that he'd been 
chasing all night.  He could catch it, he could, he knew 
he could...except for that ACCURSED BELL that was 
ringing in the background! 
 Finally, he dragged himself away and from his covers, 
hand reaching out to snag the phone, voice roughly 
demanding, "What?"
 "Hey Jade! Bad night?"
 He sighed.  "No Nate--just good dreams.  Until you 
called."
 There was soft laugh on the other end, despite the fact 
that he didn't think the situation AT ALL funny.  "Well, 
I've got just the news to brighten your day."
 "Really?  Do tell," he replied, trying to sound bored, 
but he was truly interested.  Nate rarely tried to 
"brighten" his day, and if he had news THAT good, it was 
bound to pique Jade's curiosity. 
  "Not now," Nate replied.  "It's only about 9:00 in the 
morning, and I've still got to confirm the news."
 "9:00!?! It's only 9:00!!!!  Nate, next time I see you, 
I'm going to beat you about the head and shoulders! What 
is your problem, calling me at NINE in the morning when 
you KNOW I was out for most of the night, considering 
YOU were THERE!!" he ranted into the phone.
 "Hey, Jade, calm down! I was just too excited about 
this! Besides, I don't want to see your face--along with 
the others--until past noon.  I should have my 
confirmation by then."
 "Nate," he started.
 "Don't even try, Jared Gold! I checked the schedule, 
and NONE of you are working!" Nathan cooly replied, then 
hung up the phone.
 Jared slammed down the receiver and growled under his 
breath.  He checked the clock, found it was truly on a 
little past nine, and grumbled some more.  "And he 
lectures me about getting too excited!" he muttered as 
he tried to settle himself into the warm haven of his 
bed.  It took a little tossing and turning, but he 
finally got comfortable, and soon was dreaming again, 
dreaming of a tiny purple flame that was just out of his 
reach...

 It wasn't until a little before 12:00 that the smells 
of cooking in the kitchen aroused him from sleep.  
Tiredly he padded into the kitchen to see Serena busily 
concentrated on the stove in front of her, trying to 
make eggs.
 "Oh Serena," he groaned, and she turned sheepishly from 
the stove.  
 "Morning Jade!" she said as cheerfully as she could.  
"Want some breakfast?"
 "I don't prefer charcoal in the morning, thank you," he 
replied as he opened the fridge and rummaged for orange 
juice.
 "Jared! I'm not that bad a cook and you know it!" she 
said, stamping her foot.  He grinned inside the fridge 
at her behavior before pulling out the orange juice and 
shooting her a look.  She shot one right back before 
turning back to the stove, blue eyes crinkled as she 
stabbed at the eggs.  Good humoredly he sidled past her, 
wacking her on the butt with the tip of his robe.  She 
nearly smacked him with the spatula, but he ducked out 
of her way with a grin, eyes belying wide-eyed 
innocence.
 "That didn't work with your mother, and it doesn't work 
with me," she said in a harsh tone.  "Now do you want 
any eggs, or should I burn some toast for you?" 
 "Actually, I feel like a salad this morning," he joked.
 "I'll give you a salad," she murmured back, and 
grinning he took a seat at the small table.  Now that 
his mother had remarried, he and Serena shared the 
house. Well, and... 
 "Morning, all," Petal said as he dragged himself into 
the kitchen, hair pulled back in a knotted ponytail.  
 "You look horrible," Serena admonished.  "Want some 
eggs?"
 "I didn't sleep well, and sure," he replied, pulling up 
a chair next to Jade and slouching on the table.  His 
delicate features were creased with lines, and Jade 
wondered what could've troubled his sleep so much.  He 
didn't noticed Serena start at the stove, and the wave 
of sadness that washed over her face.
 A coupla minutes later Serena plopped down a plate of 
eggs in front of each, as well as one for her, and they 
sat down to eat.  "So, Serena," Jared said, unconciously 
checking the clock----"what happened to you last night?"
 She suddenly seemed to choke on her eggs, and he stared 
at her strangely as she tried to clear her mouth.  There 
was something strangely old about her eyes this morning, 
as if she'd watched a thousand deaths...it was just 
WEIRD.  "Um...nothing much, Jade," she finally said.  
"Just came home and went to bed...that's all." 
 "Serena," he asked, going on a hunch, "are you all 
right?"
 She seemed to choke again, then painfully pushed the 
food down her throat and said, "Yea.  I...we...all of us 
need to get together.  I need to talk."  Her eyes, 
usually bright and cheery and wonderful, avoided his 
completely; the glimpses he caught of them were like 
looking into a raw, blue wound, and emptiness surged 
into him.  He shivered unconciously.
 "About what, Serena?" asked Petal, eyes curiously 
worried.  Although it had been just him and Serena at 
first, the death of Petals's father had driven his 
mother into a deep depression, and he'd come here 
seeking refuge.  Which was perfectly all right, because 
three paychecks paying the bills worked much better than 
two, and Petal and Serena had always gotten along.  
 "You'll see, Zach," she replied, a bit of life coming 
into her voice.  She stirred the contents of her plate 
for a minute before asking, "So, how'd your night go?"
 The two men exchanged smiles, and then Jared calmly 
said, "It was the usual.  Four lonely men trying to pick 
up cute, lonely woman...."
 "And failing?" she suddenly piped up, in a voice more 
worried than teasing.  
 "Not fair, Serena, you always spoil the ending!" Petal 
protested.  
 "My job, Zach," she replied, smiling. 
 "Yea, but...anyways, you should've seen the moves Nate 
tried to put on this one woman last night.  She was this 
lovely creature, aqua-ish hair, who seemed so el..."
 "NATE! Duh, I forgot!" Jared suddenly exclaimed, 
slamming his near full glass of orange juice on the 
table.  The other two watched as the juice threatened to 
slosh over the edge, and looked up at him when it 
didn't.
 "Lucky," Petal whistled.
 "What's up with Nate?  Other than the fact that he's 
hitting on other women?" Serena asked.
 "He's invitied us over today," he said.  "To 
reveal...something or other."
 "Hmmm...sounds like Nate," Serena said.  "Always 
keepin' secrets."
 "That's our business, Serena," Petal gently replied, 
smiling.  The five of them had worked for Nate's dad in 
high school, and continued on now that they were out of 
high school while applying for aid for college.  The 
four had slowly worked their way higher, and Serena had 
traveled with them as a sort of assistant/secretary to 
all of them, her skills in organization a valuable 
asset.  (Though, secretly, she often wondered where 
they'd suddenly come from.) She also had done some 
designing for the company, a logo or two, a roughly 
sketched layout, and had been rewarded for those skills.  
Her drawing skills were her little secret; only the two 
of them had really seen what she could do.  They were 
all lovely, and all so sad as well.  
 She rolled her eyes at him, and he broke in again.  
"Well, anyways, he wants us to be there sometime after 
12:00; knowing Nate, probably between one and one-
thirty."
 "Sounds about right," Serena said, then rose.  "Off to 
shower then.  Zach, you have the dishes."
 He nodded, and she left, hair wafting behind her.  
Quickly Petal moved in by him, whispering, "Was it just 
me, or was she not with it this morning?"
 "What do you mean?"
 "Well, bluntly, she looked like she was hiding 
something."
 He nodded.  "Like when I asked her about her night, and 
she nearly choked?" 
 Petal nodded.  "Or her eyes...and what she said about 
Nate!  It was..." he suddenly stopped, eyes raising.
 Serena looked down at them, face tilted, eyes cool and 
crammed with emotion.  "I forgot..." she whispered, then 
grabbed something off the stove and took off out of the 
room.
 They sat there for a moment, watching her disappear.  
Finally, in a choked voice, Jade said, "Something is 
DEFINETELY wrong here."

 The trip over to Nate's was uneventful and legal 
(mostly due to Serena's driving), and they arrived 
between 1:10 and 1:15.  To their surprise, they were the 
first ones to arrive; not even Nate was home, as the 
nicely uniformed lady (pin: "S. Charon") informed them.  
She offered to show them upstairs, and even though they 
declined, promised a tray in five minutes.
 "Nice lady," Petal murmured as they started up the 
stairs.  The room was two carpeted flights up.  
 "She's paid well," Serena said softly.
 "Feeling jaded today, Serena?" Jared asked teasingly.
 To his surprise, her figure hunched, and she 
accelerated up the stairs.
 "Ever hear of tact, Jade?" Petal murmured to him.
 "Don't joke, Petal...something's REALLY wrong," he 
replied.  Both had stopped on the stairs, and he stared 
up after the trail of blond hair that breezed after her.
 "We've established that," he replied.
 "I know, Petal, but its...its just...well,"
 he started, but then a warm hand fell on his shoulder.
 "I know, Jade.  I can feel it, too."  His eyes stared 
after her.  "I just hope she hasn't been to the doctor 
lately." 
 "Don't scare me, Petal.  You know I have an overactive 
imagination," Jade replied, starting up the stairs 
again. 
 "Hah.  Scare you?  I'd have a better chance of 
scaring...oh...a mouse!"
 "Oh really?  I seem to recall a ninth grade fear of the 
locker room..."
 They bantered back and forth up the stairs, finally 
arriving in the study in good spirits.  Once again, 
Jared wondered if he should've accepted his mom's offer 
to move in with her and Tim.  Then, he'd thought she was 
trying to delay him growing up; now, he realized what a 
pain in the butt it was to pay for utilities.  After 
all, Nate still lived with his parents, and he was doing 
fine.
  he thought, internally sighing.  He and 
Zach took up places on the floor; Serena was curled up 
in a nearby overstuff chair, a hand absentmindedly 
twisting her hair.
  he thought as he glanced 
at her.  His bond with his "sister" had grown steadily 
over the years, and now she was as much of a comfort to 
him as he'd been to her.  Sometimes, a part of him would 
wish for more from her, more than to know she loved him 
as a brother.
  he recollected,   He wistfully withdrew 
his eyes from her, closing them and leaning his head 
back.  He hadn't suceeded...in his dreams...of catching 
the dark purple flame.  It had always remained just THAT 
much out of reach, though it grew closer each night.  
Still, something inside him ached to know what he was 
chasing, and why, and where it was going to lead him.  
It was important--that much he'd figured out.  
  his frustrated mind spat out.  
 His ruminations probably would've continued on, except 
for the suddenly opening of the door to admit "S. 
Charon" and Kevin, each carrying a tray.  Kevin wore his 
usual black and gray, yet his face seemed strangely un-
Kevin, like he had something to say.
 "Hey Kev," Petal called, patting a place next to him.  
Serena opened her eyes and smiled upon him; he returned 
it with a nod.  Despite the general closeness within the 
group, those two had never grown as intertwined as, say, 
he and Petal had.  In fact, sometimes he looked at her 
in a pained way, as if she brought a memory to the 
surface he'd rather forget.
 "Is Nathan here yet?" he asked, voice a touch excited.  
Jared's hackles raised immediatley;  
 "Nope," he replied, and Kev's face twisted.  He set 
down the tray in front of him and Petal, and Miss Charon 
set down the other in front of him before scurrying 
away; it was only then that Kev sat down.
 "Did you hear from him this morning?" Petal asked 
delicately.
 "Yea.  He called me about 9:30 this morning, incredibly 
excited, and starting spouting off about some important 
news."  He sighed in frustration.  "But when I asked him 
about it, he couldn't tell me anything--he hadn't 
checked his facts yet.  I started to berate him..."
 "...as you do when any of us aren't organized," Jade 
jumped in.
 "Hmph.  Anyways, he stopped me mid-sentance with the 
time to be hear, then hung up the phone," Kev finished.
 "That doesn't sound like Nate," Serena said softly.  
 "I know," Petal said, eyeing me.  "Sounds more like 
Jade here."
 "Hey!" he protested.  "I didn't get up until Nate 
CALLED me!"
 "Uh-huh, sure," Kevin retorted.  "If this is one of 
your practical jokes I'll.."
 "Nice to see you all here!" Nathan burst in, voice and 
eyes and face full of uncharacteristic exhuberance.  
True, he'd loosened up over the years, but had still 
retained some of the calmer aspects of his personality.  
Now, though, he was just acting odd.
 "Nate, did you call us this morning?" Kevin asked.
 "Say yes, Nate, before they lynch me!" Jade quickly 
added.
 He nodded, then plopped down on the floor next to Jade.  
"Pass the grapes," he said.  
 "Well...what's up?" Petal asked as Jade handed him the 
bowl.
 "Wait," Serena said, standing suddenly.  "I'd like to 
say something first, if you don't mind." 
 "The floor is yours, Princess," Nate acquiesed, and 
Serena walked through their little square to stand a 
little ways away.  The four of them silently admired her 
as she glanced them over once again, filling her eyes 
with a sight she was afraid she wouldn't see for a long 
time.
 "Generals," she began, and they immediately sat up.  A 
prickle of curiosity ran up Jade's spine--this was the 
FORMAL address, and she'd only use it if something 
REALLY important was about to happen.
 Strangely, he felt excited and scared about this all at 
once.
 "Friends," she continued.  "Brothers."  A small smile 
formed on her lips briefly before she plunged ahead.  
"Nathan has called you here today for whatever piece of 
news he has to give you, and since he's fairly excited 
about it, I assume its something important.  But what I 
have to say is important also."  A halted breath.  Looks 
between Kev and Jade, Jade shaking his head.  "Last 
night, I had a strange dream, a dream of my home, my 
friends, and others I'd left behind."  Strangeness on 
the faces of the men, Jade feeling an unfriendly chill.  
"And they were all in danger."
 "What?" Petal asked.
 "Serena, what do you mean?" Jared asked quickly.
 "I don't know what it is, or what plagues them...but I 
do know one thing.  If I don't get there soon, some of 
the people I love most of all are going to die."  Her 
eyes turned glossy, glassy, and hard. "And I CAN'T let 
that happen!  I WON'T let that happen!"
 "Serena..." Kevin began, but Nate looked like he'd just 
eaten a cherry pie.
 She smiled.  "I know I'm beating around the bush, but 
there's just so much I have to say...before I go home."
 Silence.  Three of the boys looked at each other, then 
to her, and to each other again.  Their eyes seemed to 
say,  and ruminate on their fate 
without her.
 Yet Nate, calm, normally cool and composed Nate, threw his head back and
laughed.

    Source: geocities.com/tokyo/shrine/1721