All DISCLAIMER apply.
The Four Lovers: Air On a Cosmic String
III. Conversations
He's near to you...
Near to you...
Though you think he's far away
He is near to you
So near to you
As near as April is to
May...
For its just as though...
He was standing as close as I..
I know its hard to imagine...
..but try....
"Near To You"
A 3-part song from
"Damn Yankees"
Serena stared at the connecting ramp between plane and
gate, and licked her lips nervously. she whispered to herself.
Serenity giggled inside her
head, and she smiled to herself. Serenity seemed to be
almost a perpetual optimist, and it was nice to find
such a sunny side inside her. It wasn't as if she'd
lost her own, but it just FELT like she had. Ever since
that dream, that STUPID dream.
She barely moved her head, but in her mind she
vigorously shook off the thought. She NEEDED to keep an
open mind, no matter what was going to happen. She
needed to be focused on the fact that she was going to
see her Senshi and...and Darien again. She needed to
keep in mind that this wasn't a dream.
She also needed to remember she had four great brothers
now, and that no matter her old loyalties, she loved
them too.
Jade and Nate appeared on the edge of her vision, and
she looked expectantly at them. While Kevin stood guard
at the gate and Zach went searching for ample snacks,
the two of them had the information on...well,
everything. Departure times, scheduled arrival,
captain's name, who was meeting them at the
airport...all of that necessary stuff. After her first
flight here, when she hadn't known where she was going
or who would be there for her, or what was going to
happen to her period, it was nice to know.
"So, how long am I going to be stuck in the plane?" she
asked cheerfully when they approached.
"Quite awhile, Princess," Nate replied with a grin.
"Twelve to fifteen hours, depending when we can get off
the runway and how the weather's going to be."
"I'm surprised they don't know," she said.
"Frankly, Princess, so was I," Jade popped in. "I
think Zach should check it out when he gets back."
She raised an eyebrow as if to say,
He nodded. "Better safe than sorry. After all, we
can't get to Japan if bad weather causes the plane to
crash."
She shuddered. "Thanks, Jade. Something more for me
to dread."
He sat next to her and slung an arm over her shoulder.
"Relax, princessa," he crooned at her. "Nothing is
going to happen to you on this trip. That, at least, is
waiting until we get to Japan."
She had to smile at that one; always a sense of humor.
"Have you boys figured out what you're going to do with
me while you fight for your women?" she asked.
"Stash you in a bush," Nate replied, utterly serious.
"In other words, no," Jade whispered.
"I see," she said, fingering her crystal.
"Have you figured out what to do with us?" he asked
now.
"I have some ideas...but I think Kunzite's are better,"
she replied.
The mention of his name brought the gray haired General
jogging over to them. "Perhaps, Lady, perhaps," he
muttered. "All quiet on the western front, by the way."
"I hate to break it to you, Kev, but that corner faces
south," Nate said.
"I was looking to the left. That's west," he tossed
off easily. "Any news about the plane?"
"We should be leaving soon. Seen Zach?"
"Yea, he'll be back here in a minute or two. Looking
for the elusive cheese and nachos."
"Good luck to him!"
It was then that Kevin noticed Jade's arm casually
around Serena, and coughed a little. The blond General
hastily retracted it, startling Serena away from the
edge of dozing.
"Who's meeting us?" she asked wearily.
Jade hurriedly adjusted his clipboard, flipping through
the pages. "Hmmm...doesn't give a name here. Wait!
Some Heidi character."
"Heidi? I don't remember the name 'Heidi' among the
people who were hired."
"Maybe she's a newbie brought in by one of the others,"
Kev suggested.
"Or a secretary," Serena chimed in.
"Or a Negaverse agent," Jade said darkly.
"Whatever it is, we'll have to keep on our toes," Nate
said, and Jade muttered darkly beneath his breath before
putting away his clipboard.
Serena really didn't notice, though. She'd been tired
all day--they'd had to get up at a mangy 6:00 in the
morning--and the wait just sent her closer and closer to
sleep. Without realizing it, she laid her head on
Jade's shoulder, and as her mind shut down, she had a
brief impression of...jealousy?
And then it was gone.
She awoke to the shuffling of people, and as she raised
her head, she was quickly aware that her feet no longer
touched the ground. In fact, none of her touched the
ground; instead, it was cradled by long arms, one hooked
around her neck, and the other under her knees. There
was a moment when the jostling stopped, and then it
began again.
she thought, snuggling
deeper into the arms of her holder.
Suddenly, she was dropped...into a fairly comfortable
seat. She opened her eyes, looked up...and saw Kevin
rubbing his arms.
"You're heavier than you look," he said.
"YOU!" she gasped.
"We drew straws," he said with a shrug before choosing
a window seat.
"Straws?" she asked.
Nate and Zach appeared in the cabin, each carrying a
small duffel bag. "Munchies," Zach said ecstatically,
grinning at her.
"Are you sure you brought enough?" Kevin asked drily.
"Depends on how much Serena eats," Zach replied, voice
equally as dry. Serena blushed a little; she thought
she'd grown out of her appetite!
Just then, Jade popped into the cabin and took a seat
next to Serena. "Everyone grab a seat!" he called.
"We're about to jet out of here."
As they buckled themselves into the nice seats-- Serena
thought--the captain came onto the speakers. "The seat
belt light is coming on, so if you folks would please
take your seats..."
Everyone looked at Jared, and Serena began to giggle.
"Lucky guess?" she teased.
He shrugged. While Kev had occupied the window seat,
Nate and Zach had chosen two inner seats, one right
behind her, one behind Jade, who was next to her. In
fact, he was looking down on her right then.
"Are you ready for this?" he asked softly.
"Why wouldn't I be?" she retorted playfully, but his
blue eyes were serious. She nodded then, turning her
face away, a strand of blond hair falling across it.
"All right, Princess," he said. "But if..."
"There's no if's anymore, Jared," she said softly. Now
she looked up at him again. "I'm going home, and that's
all that needs to be said."
"Good," he said, smiling.
The weariness she'd felt in the terminal descended on
her again, and as the plane taxied down the runway, she
left her eyes close and her mind drift off into dreams.
The man in the terminal watched the plane go, his dark
eyes snapping from under his hood. Still, he smiled.
he thought.
Serena awoke about three hours into the flight to a
relaxed atmosphere. It turned out that they were some
of the only people on the flight--though none of the
guys would tell her why--and so they nearly had the
whole thing to themselves. Nate and Kev were doing
something behind her seat, Zach was sketching, and Jade
was rummaging through his bag when she came to.
Noticing the seatbelt sign was off, she unbuckled
herself and looked over her seat.
"Evening, Serena," Nate called as he set down his nine.
Kev calmly flipped over an eight, and grimaced. She
smiled; he hated to lose. "Sleep well?"
"Uh-huh," she said. "Who's winning?"
"Me," Kev growled as they flipped over their cards.
This time he collected, a six to a two.
"Got any food?"
"Give me a second," Jade called, before hoisting a
water bottle to her. "Take it...I only had a sip."
"Are you sure?"
"Zach's got a thousand of them down here, Serena. It's
no problem."
"Are we ever going to call a meeting, Kev?" Zach called
from across the way.
"As soon as I'm finished kicking Nate's butt!" Kev
called back.
"Let me guess--about the disguises?" Serena asked,
swallowing a sip of the water. She looked at the
bottle: NAYA(tm). she
thought, swigging again.
"Astute guess, Princess," Kev replied.
"Why is EVERYONE calling me PRINCESS!?" she burst out.
"My name...is Serena. Not Sailor Moon. Not Serenity.
And NOT PRINCESS!"
They all looked up at her; she could feel Zach's eyes
on her from across the aisle, and Jade's beside her.
She didn't care, though. This HAD to stop.
"You call us Generals," Zach whispered. He'd moved
into the aisle now, his sketchpad forgotten.
"Jokingly, teasingly...and certainly not as often as
you four have in the past coupla hours," she replied,
her eyes shining with a pale light. The crystal seemed
to pulse on her chest; as she had become more sensitive
to it, it had become more sensitive to her emotions.
They all stared at her in silence, and then Nathan
looked to Kevin, and vice versa. "You won," he said,
picking up the cards. "Let's call this meeting--now."
Kevin moved out of his seat, and back a row, where he
fiddled with the seats for a bit. Then, moving into the
aisle, and with a Kunzite-like glow around him, he
called, "Assemble!"
Immediately the other three had taken positions close
by; Serena, used to the call and what it meant, had also
jumped at it. She ended up in the row Kevin had
prepared, marveling at how all the arm rest were up, and
the seats pulled down. A marvelous little meeting area.
The others quickly took up spots around her, she and
Kevin (as the senior members of the team) nearest to the
direct center.
"All right, this meeting about disguises..."
"...MAD..." Jade cackled to Nate.
"...comes to order," Kevin finished, his eyes sweeping
around them. "First of all, we have a new item to
address: why do we consistently call Serena Princess?
She seems to dislike it."
"Never did before," Zach popped up.
"It's a way of preparing us for what's ahead in Japan,"
Nate said. "She will be the Princess there, in her home
country, and we'd better get used it."
"Plus, it may help with the Senshi," Jade added.
In spite of herself, she smiled. "I'm afraid, mi
amigos..." she stopped and looked at Zach. "Is that
right?"
"Mis, actually," Zach said with a gentle smile. "But
continue."
"Mis amigos, in Japan, I'll still be Serena. The
Princess Serenity...well, she isn't destined to show up
until the next major battle, and maybe not even then."
She fingered her crystal. "Now that I'm better at using
this, maybe she won't ever appear." She took a breath,
and another sip of water. "So please, there's no need
to call me Princess. Besides, it just may make some
people suspicious."
The guys nodded--Zach and Jade smiled--and then Kevin
called out, "Next order of business--what are we going
to do about Sailor Moon?"
A series of looks circled her, and secretive smiles
appeared on their faces--and then they expectantly
looked at Zach. He was still smiling at her in that
secret way, and did until Nate nudged him.
"Oh yes. My turn. Sailor Moon, Princess, our dear
Serena, you gave us the gift of our memories. Then, the
gift of our powers. Lastly, you gave us your love, when
you had all right to be scared to death of us." His
eyes gleamed, turning a brighter green under the grayish
tint. "Now, we have a gift for you."
He held out his hand, and immediately it became gloved,
the sign that he held the power of Zoicite. A shimmer
appeared on each of his fingertips, and swirled in, the
spiral twisting itself in his hand. Petals joined the
bright white sparks, and suddenly there was a tiny
'pop!' and everything vanished.
Except for the purple-black crystal that lay in his
hands.
She stared it for a moment, recalling the last time
she'd seen one of those: in the hand of Nephlyte as he
stood over Molly, and constantly around Zoycite.
However, she sensed no evil here, but power; a different
power than that of the Silver Crystal, she realized, but
just as good.
"Take it," he whispered, entranced by the look on her
face.
She touched its many faceted length, and hefted it into
her hand. It was surprisingly heavy for something so
small--which confirmed her thoughts on its power. Zoi
had shared with her that it was only the light on its
inside that kept the Silver Crystal from dragging like a
brick around her neck. "What does it do?" she asked
softly.
The men around her drew a breath, and she noticed they
had all changed. "It will tell you," Nephrite whispered
to her. "Just try it."
*Crystal?* she called out to it.
>Princess?< came back the chimes of the Silver Crystal.
*How can I use this crystal?* she asked, rolling it
about in her hand, catching the light.
Neph thought.
Zoi silently pleaded.
Jade demanded.
Kunz thought impatiently.
Suddenly Serena whispered, "Dark crystal, reform!"
Immediately a glow surged from the two tips of the
crystal, and suddenly it turned into an exact mirror of
the Silver Crystal, only in dark purple. The boys
immediately released the air they'd been holding in, and
Serena clutched the crystal in awe. "How did you do
this?" she whispered.
"Kunz tapped the power of the Luna Pen, and Zoi and I
combined our powers," Neph answered. "Jade was able to
help us tune it to you, so it should work for you and
only you."
"I feel...that's there's more to it. What else?"
"The power within will allow you to disguise yourself
as virtually anything, thanks to the Luna Pen, but there
is also a specific way to use it as a weapon," Zoicite
explained. "You must become the Crystal Maiden Knight."
"The what?" she asked.
"Remember how you told us about the Moonlight Knight,
Tuxie's brave soul come to help you?" Jade popped in.
"That's where we got the idea."
"So how do I become this...Crystal Maiden Knight?"
Serena asked, letting the words roll about on her
tongue. It was kinda geeky, and then kinda cool, too.
she reminded herself.
"We aren't exactly sure," Kunz admitted slowly.
>Child,< the crystal called out, >how do you become
Sailor Moon?<
*Yelling "Moon Crystal Power, makeup!" But what does
that have to do with this? It's a powerful crystal, but
not THAT powerful!*
>As it is attuned to you, so am I attuned to it. I
will boost its power, young one--don't fear.<
*I trust you,* she replied to it.
>Good. Don't try it now, though--there's still some
work to be done. Keep it close, though,< the Crystal
admonished, it's voice a set of wind chimes slowly
dangling in the wind.
*I will,* she said, then concentrated on it. Slowly,
it shrunk into her hand, until it was no bigger than the
stone a girl would wear in her ring. Removing her
broach--which was more heart shaped and bolder all the
time--she studied it carefully. Then, she touched the
Dark crystal to the Silver crystal; a setting appeared
on the purplish crystal, which allowed her to slip it on
the silver chain the boys had given her for her
eigtheenth birthday.
"So," she asked, bringing the boys away from their
conversation, "what happened to my disguise pen?"
"It..."
"Uh..."
"Well..."
"Spit it out," she commanded.
"It busted," Zoi admitted, voice miserable. "We think
because all of its power is in the Dark crystal now."
"I see," she said. "Well, now I need to...wait! I got
it!" She plucked off her broach again, and held it up at
them. "Silver Crystal," she called out, "Alter!"
The laughter of wind chimes tinkled in her head as a
beam of the pure light touched on Zoi. Immediately some
subtle changes happened to his uniform--really, the
Crystal had a fine touch--as he could only watch,
amazed.
"I see you found a way to deal with us," Jade said.
"Yep," she replied cheerily. "And you're next."
With a groan, he stepped into the light.
* * * *
After she finished with the four of them, they all
changed back to their normal forms, and the fun began.
First, they taught her how to play several card games--
poker, gin rummy, hearts, war--and then supper was
served. Each of them chose to taste one food, and if it
was good, all of them ate it. If not, it was dutifully
dusted by the taster. Next, each one tried to find the
bathroom in under a minute--Kevin won, as usual. Some
turbulance later on sent them to their seats, and they
calmly watched the a piece of the inflight movie while
munching on Zach's snacks (he had found the nachos).
Slowly, the night wound down, with Zach and Serena
sketching the others--and each other--in various poses.
Finally, each of them drifted off to sleep.
Serena awoke with a pang in her bladder, and removing
her head from Nate's shoulder (as he volunteered to be
her pillow for the evening), she trundled off towards
the bathroom. The cabin was slightly colder than
normal, she noted, and the moonlight was bright in the
darkened room. On the way out, she noticed a bench next
to the last window, and stopped to sit on it and look
outside. Something about its light seemed to penetrate
to her depths, to her soul, she shivered again. There
were more reasons she never...
"You're up?" asked a rough voice.
"Uh-huh," she replied, still staring out the window.
She was slightly surprised that HE would be up at this
hour--she'd seen him snoozing when she'd walked back--
and even more s that he hadn't chose to be solitary.
She and Kunzite...Kevin...were friends, and nearly
close...but in a group like this, close meant different
things. They'd always mantained a distance, a
separation, though she didn't know why. "Why are you
up?"
"I..I couldn't sleep. I have goosebumps."
She smiled softly. "It is a touch cold in here," she
replied, before turning to the window once more.
There was something about her shrug off of his presence
that worried him, and he cautiously asked, "What's
wrong, Serena?"
She turned back to look at him, ice blue meeting soft
gray eyes. She held the stare for a few moments, as if
unsure that he was asking her. "I'm...I'm not sure..."
"Serena, you can tell me...listen, we're going to have
to trust each other. I know I haven't always been the
nicest guy, or the friendliest," he said quietly.
She nodded, then returned to the window. After a
minute, she quietly began,"I never really wanted to go
back to Japan, and now I feel strange knowing I am. I
wrote my letters like wills, Kevin...and I meant to keep
my word, and stay away--forever." She let out a small
sigh. "But now, and even before due to the
Crystal..I've never been away from them. Somehow, I've
always been there...somehow."
"Are you scared?"
She smiled, and glanced up at him. "Only an idiot
wouldn't be. I still, even after all these years,
sometimes wish to be boring 'ole Serena."
"You too?"
"YOU wish to be normal?" she asked.
He grinned. "Yea, then I could've dated you."
"Me? But you're so...serious," she replied, half
jokingly.
"Serena...the four of us...well, you've always been so
beautiful. Always have been, always will be."
She modestly blushed...a little. "But you've always
been so accepting, and a fantastic leader. It's just
hard to see you doubt."
He nodded. "It's always been easier for me to accept
than doubt, to stride forward instead of meandering
about, wallowing in the mire of overthought."
"Poetic..."
A small smile glimmered on his face. "My other hidden
talent." Then, "But I am only human. And sometimes the
thought of never truly beiing normal...bugs me."
His face fell a little, and something in his gray eyes
and voice begged a question from her. "But that's not
all, is it?"
He seemed uneasy for a moment, as if wresting the
anseer from himself. "Minako...Nako...Mina."
"Huh?"
"Mina. She...I...well, I'm worried about meeting her."
"Why?" All she had ever seen from the Generals was
anticipation in meeting their Senshi, even with the
obstacles ahead of them. After all, hadn't the other
Generals tried for their deaths? Still, this was the
first worry she'd ever head of.
"Do you remember Kunzite and Venus of the Moon
Kingdom?"
She pondered the question, then said, "A little. I
didn't see much of you two together. But what I
remember...you two were always so close...and always so
warm towards each other. It was...beautiful."
He nodded. "Yes, it was. My memories speak of times
in the past in which we literally thought along the same
lines. We were bound by understanding and love; we
clicked perfectly." He sighed, trying to clear the
bitterness from his voice. "But now, we're going back,
and I'm going to face her, try and win her...and I have
to ask myself, can I do it? Can I care for someone so
deeply? Will I be able to care for her so deeply? Can
I make Kunzite's lover, Kevin's?"
Serena, slightly taken aback, had no answer for the
man; instead, she simply thought about what he said.
He, too, became lost in thought, eyes wandering to the
window that she stared out of.
The hair prickled on the back of his neck, and a sense
of forebooding filled him. Was it just him, or was
there a face in the window? A man's face with dark eyes
surronded by a swirl of a lighter color? Yes--yes there
was! Staring at Serena!
"Princess!" he cried out abruptly, sharply, and she
looked to him.
"What?" she asked quickly.
"There was someone staring at you through the window
and it gave me the creeps," he replied quickly.
She didn't ask stupid questions--the tone of his voice
seemed to warn her not to--but she did ask, "What did he
look like?"
"Dark eyes, light hair, interesting face."
"Nothing else?"
"Nothing else. He vanished...are you all right?"
She stared at him as if she'd seen some gorgeous.
"Kevin, remember what you asked earlier?"
"Which one?"
"Could you care for Mina?"
"Yes."
"I think you just answered your question," she said
slightly. "You see, if you can care for her as much as
you care for me, I don't think she'll ever complain..."
He stopped her there by scooping her up into a big hug.
"Thank you, Serena," he whispered.
"Anytime, Kev. Anytime," she whispered back.
* * * *
Fast forward now, to Japan, and to what awaits the
Princess and her Generals there. A tall, square
building, friendly and sinister, standing on a shadowed
corner. Inside, three people sit, each bathed in an
earthly glow that rivals their deep, emerald eyes.
"I'm tired of this!" snarled one, a man. His face was
roughly handsome, his hair the deep black of space,
which set off his glowing eyes. "We cannot afford to
feed anymore on just these...these humans!"
"I agree," simpered the woman across from him. She was
curvy as a mountain road with the same deep black hair
as the man; however, the set of her face, her skintight
clothes, and the touch upon her eyes marked her evil.
"They never survive long enough."
"Where else to go, though?" remarked the last woman.
She was taller, a little less curvy, with fair skin and
pure red hair. Her eyes glowed no less than the others,
but there was something markedly different in them.
"Senshi," hissed the man. "They've been talked about
enough."
"Calm your lusts, Hielo," snapped the blond.
"No, no, Kat...it's perfect! Those little snips are
more than human, and should have enough energy to supply
to...all of us," the raven haired woman remarked.
Suddenly a stark blue light fell on them, and they
relaxed as the energy crawled through their veins and
replenished them. "Master," Kat whispered.
"You will soon hunt the Senshi, my minions," the smooth
voice said. "Soon. The Princess has returned home, and
then we will have them all--and she will be mine!"
The laughter rang through the building as the light
touched upon the dozens of bodies that lay sprawled
around them.
* * * *
"Time to get off," Zach remarked as he gently shook
Serena awake. She uncurled herself off of Nate, who
yawned fiercly.
"Already?" he murmured. "It feels like I just got to
sleep."
"Silly," Serena remarked sleepily.
"Come on," Kev tugged tiredly. "We've got to get off."
So the five of them trudged tiredly from the plane,
hauling their half filled duffels with about as much
energy as a quintet of ICU patients. It didn't help
that the airport was bustling and crowded, hordes of
happy Japanese awaiting their flight or boarding or
waiting for others to disembark.
"So where's Heidi?" Nate yawned.
"Maybe we're early," Kev suggested.
"Maybe not. There seems to be someone coming this
way," Serena sleepily mentioned.
Indeed, a tall woman with dark hair was coming toward
them, though her eyes and face were hidden. It wasn't
until she stepped into their space that she looked to
them.
Gasps echoed around them, and she smiled slightly.
"Hello, and welcome to Japan," she said in smart
English.
It was only Serena who could get in the words. "Pluto?" she whispered.
(
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