The Four Lovers
Air On a Cosmic String
II. Saddle Up!
I've spent so many mornings
Just trying to resist you
I'm trembling now
You can't know how
I've missed you
--"As If We Never Said Goodbye"
from "Sunset..."
"Nate," Kev asked, "are you nuts?!"
Nate's laugh reduced to a giggle, but he kept it going
for a couple more minutes. All of them stared blankly,
even angrily at him, but he didn't care. he
thought in a giggle,
"No, no, Kevin," he breathed, his stomach aching as the
last fitful laughs escaped from it. "I'm not crazy.
Just...surprised. And HAPPY!--just in case you couldn't
tell."
"Oh, I never would've guessed," Jade muttered
sarcastically.
"What's going on, Nephrite?" Serena asked, her tone
half stern, half wondering.
Immediately he caught himself on a smart remark, and
said, "I just received word that we all have jobs in
Japan." Then, "Oh, Princess! Stop using that formal
tone! It ruined the surprise!"
"Pardon me, Nate, but I don't think the lady's in a
mood to be toyed with," Petal tossed off in a Brooklyn
accent.
Petal's pronouncement hit the air, and immediately
there was silence. All four of them stared at Nate in
an odd way, like they'd just seen him smooch with a
large, ugly youma. He, on the other hand, still
retained his grin, as if he'd just had something
refreshing to wash down his cherry pie. They stared at
each other this way for a few moments...a minute...a few
more moments...
And then the cacophony----broke
lose.
"We have WHAT?!"
"WHERE?"
"WE have WHAT WHERE?!"
"We're going to Japan!"
"I'm not going home alone!"
Another moment of silence as the news began to sink
into their brains. Serena slowly collapsed to a sitting
position, scooting up by the other three, who now ringed
Nate as if he was a lead about to sing a song in a fresh
musical. Indeed, he'd turned his charm on full, and you
could almost hear the music starting in the background
as he rose and began.
"Yesterday, while I was at work," he began, "I started
to overhear bits and pieces about some big new project
going on. And when I say big, I mean BIG. The buzz was
all over the office, but I couldn't catch any of it with
real meaning. A few people even came up and
congratulated me, which was odd enough, considering most
of them were about ready to string me up on charges of
nepotism. Anyways, I didn't hear anything about it from
any of you, so I assumed it'd just been a random
phenomenon."
"Then, last night," and here Petal uttered a cough, and
he glared at him. coursed through his head, but he
ignored it and went on, "my father was waiting up for me
when I came home."
"THAT'S strange," Jared chimed in.
"Your dad NEVER comes home," Kevin added, sounding so
serious it was hard to see the joke.
He nearly rolled his eyes in reply, though it was true-
-his father was rarely at home. But then again, with a
flourishing business to run and the personality that
demanded excellence, he wouldn't have expected less.
That's why he was here, to watch over the house, his
mother, and various other things. It was a sign of age
and respect, and he wore it proudly.
Still, he did wish he could get out more often...
"Go on, Nate," Serena urged, her eyes questing, wanting
the rest from him.
"I was a little more than buzzing at the time, but I
could see that he wasn't going to wait until morning.
So, when he motioned me to sit down, I did."
His eyes fluttered to half shut as a hazy, sparkling
image of himself and his father sitting heavily on the
fine couches winged its way across his vision. His
father had hair that was darker than his--except for the
tips of white at the roots, but it enhanced him in an
eaglish, noble way--eyes darker than his, skin darker
than his, and ways darker than his. He was a
businessman, plain and simple, and the look that he'd
pinned Nate with as he groggily tried to push his way
back to being had helped him along significantly.
"What then, Nate?" Jade asked in a hushed breath, and
his eyes came fully open again, turning their power on
the others. He caught a breath, shaking the vision----and then started to
speak again.
"He was unusually talkative, which only piqued my
curiosity even more; it took us a record five minutes to
get around to his business. Which is what the
conversation was about--his business. You see, the
company has been pushing for some time to expand into
the Asian market; the need for our services is primed
there, but Dad was hesitant. He didn't have anyone he
really trusted to go over there, and besides that, no
one in the company knows the culture, speaks the
language, etc. etc."
"Except for us," Kevin said softly, his eyes jumping
with his mind to the conclusion.
"Except for us," he nodded. "Which is why the five of
us, in about a month's time, are heading to Japan."
The silence descended upon them again, except for the
small scooting sounds Serena made as she came closer to
Jade, leaning on him as he leaned on her. Nate sat down
in his chair again. Petal stayed put, a mild shock on
his face. Kevin went to the piano, sat down, and put
his fingers to the keys, playing some nonsense melody,
adding harmony, each touch of the white an emotion
around them. Right now, the music was mostly soft and
low, like the rumblings of thoughts around someone's
mind. Kevin had never been sure where the talent had
come from; the core of Kunzite he had was as puzzled as
he to learn of the talent, but it had surfaced around
the same time he had. One of those little "mysteries"
that surrounded them all.
Suddenly, the music changed, and a glow sprang into
Petal's eyes. In fact, the whole atmosphere of the room
seemed to change, and one by one their gazes all fell on
Petal. The piano tune in the background moved
effortlessly from minor to major, and intense
anticipation seemed to waft from the instrument.
Petal licked his lips, and whispered softly, "We'll get
to meet our women."
WHAM! Kevin's ten fingers came down mercilessly on the
piano keys, and Nate winced. "Watch it, Kev!" he
yelled.
There was no apology as the light haired man slipped
back in among them, but a growing excitement on his
face. And it was catchy. Jade seemed to glow. Petal
bloomed. Inside him, he felt a warmth rise from the tip
of his toes, sluicing through him until it touched the
tips of his hair, and he felt like he was blushing. It
was like he'd been in a closed room, and someone had
finally pried open the window and let in some fresh air.
"Mako," he whispered, his lips the first to get around
the name. Even now he could hear Nephrite singing
within him; that name always brought out the best of the
memories.
"Rei," Jade said, smiling a secretive half smile, his
eyes the burning blue of a pale, morning sky.
"Ami," Petal chimed in, his voice half nervous, but
eyes so bright that it seemed they start sparking green
gray points of light.
"Minako," Kevin said finally, the name coming out as if
he'd exhaled his last breath. It was incredible to
watch a change wash over him, as his features seemed to
relax, his steel eyes soften, and his heart suddenly
appeared on his sleeve. Not that it lasted long, but
some traces remained.
The beautiful atmosphere they exuded lasted a few
seconds after Kev breathed last. And it was Serena's
voice that burst their bubble.
"Actually," she said, painfully matter-of-fact, "Lita,
Raye, Amy and Mina, now."
"Your friends?" Nate burst out.
"The ones you wrote to before you left?"
She nodded. "They were my Senshi."
Their eyes widened in comical unison, and except for
the serious atmosphere of the room, Serena nearly
started to giggle. She'd told them some stories of her
friends over the years, and of her and her Senshi
fighting the Negaforce, but she'd never connected the
two for them. And apparently, neither had they.
"You mean the same friends who you used to hang around
with, fight with, scream at, talk to...they were your
Senshi?" Zach asked slowly.
She nodded.
"WHY didn't you TELL US!?" Kev suddenly burst out, eyes
so gray Serena could feel their power on her. "SERENA!"
She swallowed, and took a breath. "I didn't think...I
wasn't...I didn't want to. I couldn't."
"And WHY not?" her brother asked, voice ice. No, not
quite her brother. The mention of the Senshi had
brought more General to the surface, and that part of
them was calmly reasserting itself over them.
"Because..." she stopped for a second, then plunged
ahead. "Well, because I was never going back, and you
always told me you'd be with me. And if I wasn't going
back, I didn't want to play with you by revealing their
identities and then staying here...it'd be too cruel...I
know how I'd feel..." she stopped herself as the tears
welled up in her eyes. "Sometimes I feel him," she
whispered as her hand brushed away the cool drops,
"here, right here, in the room with me. And I smell
him...and I couldn't..." She choked on her air, and
stopped.
"Oh Serena..." Nate said, but Petal intervened, calmly
hugging her. "I understand," he whispered softly. "I
understand, dear Princess."
"We all do," Jade said softly. "It's just that...well,
it was a long night."
A lopsided grin appeared on Nate's face, and even
Serena smiled. That was Jade's famous line, and one he
used every time he failed to totally get himself out of
something. It had turned into something of a joke
between them all; best of all, it broke the tension in
the room.
"Don't worry, Serena," Kev said, kneeling down behind
her. "Soon, you'll be home, and in the arms of your
prince again, and we'll have our ladies once
more...Serena, what is it?"
She'd risen out of Petal's arms, and looked up at him,
a peculiar smile on her face. "It may be sooner than
that, Kev," she said. "Help me up."
Automatically he pulled her to her feet, and the rest
stood with her, wondering what kind of news she was
going to spring on them now. "Serena," Nate began
cautiously, "its not another surprise, is it?"
"Well, sort of," she said with a smile. "A pleasant
one, though. But first," and now she turned to Zach, "I
need you to drive me to the video store."
Zach's head cocked a little, and he smiled. "Good
plan, Princess," he murmured. "Good plan."
"Be back in five, boys," she called, and the two of
them left three very confused Generals wondering just
what was going to happen next.
* * * *
The next week's went both fast and slow, were hectic
and boring at the same time. For one thing, all of them
were refreshing their Japanese skills, and learning a
little more culture than they'd known before. For
another, Nate's dad was drilling them completely on
everything, from hiring natives to getting the office
completely set up. The four of them were moving up in
their positions (though Serena, at her insistence,
remained where she was), and they needed to get used to
that command feel.
Which wasn't a problem at ALL for Kevin.
Unlike the other guys, Kevin had no problem in adapting
to Kunzite. The two of them seemed to have been a pair
separated at birth, yet still connected in a strange,
psychic way; therefore, the meshing brought around by
Serena's arrival was less of an upheaval for him than
for anyone else. In fact, unlike the others, there
seemed to be no separation. Calling him Kevin was just
like calling him Kunzite.
However, for the first time, the meld seemed to be
slipping. And the reason was Minako.
The other three had been so pumped about seeing their
women again, even Petal, who Kevin knew did not have the
best memories of his last moments with his woman. He'd
caught some of the enthusiasm--it was hard not to when
around the others--but at night, when he should've been
sleeping, he would pick through Kunzite's memories of
Minako. he reminded himself softly, but it
didn't help. She was still Minako in his mind, their
mind, and that was what the problem was. She was all
Kunzite's, not his. How he acted around her, how he
thought of her, how he LOVED her--it was all his.
This was the schism between the two. He didn't know
this woman except through the other man's biased sight!
What if she was some bubble headed twit? He couldn't
stand that! Yet according to Serena, they could be soul
mates! Soul mates! WITH A WOMAN WHO COULD HAVE THE
INTELLIGENCE OF AN OYSTER SHELL!
He couldn't deny her beauty, though, or the way Kunzite
leaped within him when he saw her. He still wondered
what it would be like just to touch that mass of shining
blond hair, to run his fingers through it, or press his
face into it. And the sparkle in her blue eyes, her
adorable face...that brought a certain fondness to his
mind. But he didn't know her. And so, he couldn't love
her.
He wondered if he really ever could.
There was also another problem the five of them
discussed. They were going back not only because of
their jobs, but because the Senshi needed them. There
was only one problem, though--what to do with Serena?
"You can't be Sailor Moon," Petal pointed out over
cocoa. They were sitting in Perkins, working through
the last details of their departure, and the
conversation had (inevitably) turned to the Senshi and
fighting.
"I know," she replied with a sigh. "The minute they
saw Sailor Moon, they'd hunt me down unmercilessly.
Then they'd determine if I was a fake or not." She
sipped the cocoa, wiping a spot of whipped cream from
her nose. "And with you four around, there is a good
chance they will think I'm fake."
"What do you mean?" Jade asked.
"Well, we've already fought the Four Dark Kings," she
said. "And they were NASTY. Constantly attacking our
friends, turning people into youma, hunting for Sailor
Moon all the time, calling me 'Sailor Brat'..." she
shuddered at her memories. "It wasn't fun."
"But what does this have to do with us...our uniforms!"
Nate asked, then answered himself. "We wear similar
uniforms to the Dark Kings, then!"
"Except for the fact that your lining is purple-
blue...yep, you do wear about the same uniforms," she
replied.
"There's got to be some kind of alteration we can make,
both to ourselves and you," he put in. "With our powers
and the crystal...there's a solution somewhere."
The boys found themselves grinning proudly as Serena
nodded. They were fiercely proud of their abilities,
even if they did cause a little havoc once in awhile.
"Yea, Serena, don't worry! We'll cook up a disguise so
good, even the Prince won't notice you!" Jade crowed.
At the mention of her Prince, Serena abruptly clammed
up. She stirred the whipped cream into her hot
chocolate and staring at the sworls on the surface,
contemplative. When Jade finally noticed, he gently
asked, "What's wrong, Serena?"
"It's Darien," she replied softly. "I know you four
have wonderful, caring women to go back to, and once
they understand your story, they'll be no separating you
eight. But Darien...its not like he ever lacked for
women company...I think he was dating before I even left
Japan."
That shocked them out rightly. Their memories painted
different pictures of the many sided Prince, but when it
came to how he loved his Princess, they were all in
shocking accord. He wouldn't give her up for anything--
not even death.
"Serena..."
"Maybe I shouldn't go back," she started, eyes glossy
with tears. "I don't know how I'm going to face
him...and what if he has found happiness besides me,
what then? I can't just barge into his life and demand
his love! What..." she trailed off.
The four men sat silent for a minute, and then each of
them suddenly began to talk.
"Serena..."
"There's no way!"
"Another woman? When he has you? And canines pass
through my alimentary canal!"
"I'll kick his..."
They stopped, realizing they were talking, and that she
was looking at them, expressionless.
"And canines pass through my alimentary canal?" he
whispered to Petal.
"It sounds better than 'when pigs fly out of my butt',"
he replied. "And I prefer dogs to pigs."
"Serena," Nate started, brown eyes soft, "I know you
think that Darien was wrong in what he did. And he was.
But you have to remember that this man will ALWAYS love
you, whether he knows it or not...so don't lose hope."
She still looked a little unsure, so he (unexpectedly)
chimed in. "Serena, I know your memories a little
hazier than ours, but from what I know, the Prince would
rather walk naked through a volcano rather than lose
you. He'd take a thousand paper cuts and then walk
through an ocean to get to you. There isn't..."
His words were suddenly interrupted as Jade brashly
sang out, "Ain't no mountain high enough!" and danced in
his seat a little bit. Nate joined in, and soon the two
had a regular chorus going, attracting the attention of
some of the patrons in the restaurant as he turned beet
red. Only when the waitress finally came over to ask
them if they needed anything else did they stop.
"Well, that was effective," Petal murmured.
"And even though it was a rude interruption, its true,"
he added. "He loves you that much."
Serena had turned both pale and red, so it looked like
she'd been scared in the cold, but her eyes shone with
acceptance and amusement. "Thank you," she whispered.
"All of you. I can't even imagine what life would be
like without you four."
"Ditto, Serena," Jade said, giving her a side hug. The
rest of them smiled, and she rewarded them with a
radiant smile in return.
It was then that a light bulb went on over his head.
Quickly, he leaned forward and asked, in a lowered
voice, "Serena, do you have your Luna Pen?"
She blinked for a moment, confused, then nodded.
"Can I have it?"
"Why?" asked Nate as she took her pen and passed it to
him.
"Because I have an idea," he replied mysteriously
as his hand closed around the pen. And that was
all he needed to say.
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