The Four Lovers: Air On a Cosmic String
IV. Firsts
 Here I wait in the 
 Twilight 'neath
 The Flowering Apple Tree...
 Now that daylight is 
 Faded and gone
 Now will she come to me?
    --"The Flowering Apple Tree" 
       A beautiful song I hope to someday
       put on my page

I'd stand in the rain...
Deep in my shame
Just to have you back
    --Country song with ?lyrics?
      not belonging to me.

 The flowers in her hand felt exceptionally heavy this time 
around.  Not that they always felt light--that was silly--
but this was the five year anniversary of that day 
and....and it was hard.  They finally had to accept what had 
happened, with five years between them and it.  
 Hard wasn't the word for it.  Hard didn't come near to 
describing it.
 In fact, the day seemed to clash and contribute with their 
sadness.  It was one of those delicate days, with sunshine 
and clouds and blue sky and just a hint of a breeze all 
swirled together in one, fragile construct.  Spring was in 
full evidence around them--trees leaving and flowering, sap 
rising thickly in their trunks; the days not too cold and 
not too hot; flowers bursting from nowhere all around them; 
and the smell of love and lust hot upon the air.  
 Maybe that's what bothered her most.  Five years she had to 
spiral away from life and slowly reel herself back in, and 
not a one of those years was she ever lost in a dreamy haze 
of love.  Others were, like Amy (though she lost her man to 
a dream) and Raye (who lost hers out of that mixture of 
scorn she fed him) and Molly and Melvin and Andrew...it was 
infuriating.  The mirror told her she was beautiful 
everyday, her friends told her she was beautiful, but no 
special guy ever said those words. She craved those words 
and "I love you" on about the same level now.  
 The park was wide open, and still fresh even this late in 
the day. Unable to pick the blossoms of her favorite tree--
most likely because she didn't even know if it flowered--she 
had settled upon the flowers of a cherry tree.  They were 
the soft, pink clusters she had loved, and loved more 
when...
 No.  There was no point.  Five years.  She had to remember 
the five years....
 Roses already lay on the spot they'd chosen, all together.  
That was before Raye and Amy had drifted away, their rage at 
Darien breaking them away from their group.   she thought to herself, a 
whisper of a smile on her face.   she cut that thought to lay down her blossoms.  Amy 
and Raye had already put down their flowers of choice--
chrysanthemums and orchids, respectively--and now Mina laid 
down her lilies, white with just a hint of a gold sheen.  
Five stems, one for each year.  
 Now she had to fight back tears.  She always did at this 
moment.  Raye and Mina didn't seem to care, though; they 
never did, letting the silver streams run blindly down their 
face.  Amy was normally on the verge, but this year one or 
two slipped past her guards and spilled out.  
  her mind whispered.  
 One by one, she let the tears fall, fat drops plopping to 
the ground by the flowers.  One would think they'd have let 
go with such a distance in time between them...but it was 
never easy to let go of a friend.
 Especially a girl like...like the one she'd knew.  she cried to herself, and the tears ran 
a little faster.
 |Good-bye, Serena,| Raye suddenly whispered.
 |Good-bye, Serena,| Amy repeated numbly.
 |Good-bye, Serena,| she whispered, hating herself for 
letting the words pass her lips.
 Mina looked down at the flowers, but she didn't say a 
thing.  Instead she just turned and quietly walked away.

 The three of them caught up with her outside the gate.  She 
had taken out a small black pouch with a gold clasp, and was 
fumbling around in it.  While the others looked at it 
curiously, Lita shook her head--but at the same time, she 
understood.  
 Finally, she shook out one of small, thin American 
cigarettes, and her lighter.  She expertly lit it before any 
of the others could snatch it away, and started down the 
street.
 "Still smoking, I see," Raye snapped.  
 Mina didn't say a thing, and Lita quickly caught up beside 
her.  
 "Uh-huh," she finally replied, exhaling a cloud of blue 
smoke.  Lita felt her nose stiffen in repugnance.  
 "You know, that's really bad for you," Amy perked up.  
Although her voice had lost its high edge over the years, 
she still could maneuver it into that range...
Lita quickly calmed herself down.   
she thought softly.    
"It can cause heart disease, and cancer, and lung diseases 
like bronchitis and..."
 "I know, Amy," Mina replied, taking another drag.  "The 
packs have warnings."
 "But you don't know..."
 "She knows."  Her voice came out a little rougher than she 
hoped, and she could feel Amy cringe...but still, they gave 
her the same lecture everytime they saw a lighter flicker 
around her.  True, it was a bad habit, but Mina KNEW that; 
if they kept bugging her like this, she'd smoke on her death 
bed.  
 Tension seemed to sour after that, with Mina lighting 
another cigarette off her first and the rest of them in 
silence.  Well, in sorta silence.  Raye seemed to be having 
some sort of conversation with Amy, something about nasty 
people...
 A flurry of black hair caught her eye, and she smiled.  
"Good afternoon, Darien," she said politely, stopping her in 
her tracks.
 He rewarded her with a rare smile, which brightened when he 
saw the rest of them.   her mind 
added, but she let the thought pass by.  
 "Hey, Darien," Mina said, starting to take another drag.  
Calmly, he reached out and plucked the cigarette from her 
fingers, and ground it into a pulp.  
 "Mina," he said, and she shifted her feet.  Lita almost 
giggled; she knew Darien hated to see her smoke.
 "Darien," Amy said stiffly; Raye said nothing, but her eyes 
blazed.
 "Hello Amy, Raye," he said, his voice cordial but a little 
stiff.  "I don't see you around much." 
 "I have NOTHING to say to you," Raye replied harshly, then 
looked expectantly at Amy.
 "Um...I have a lot to do," Amy replied softly.  "The 
hospital and all."
 "Perhaps..."
 "No," she said, glancing at Raye, "I can't.  You know why."  
She took a step away, then added, "Good-bye."  The two of 
then briskly walked off, Raye talking to Amy in a way as 
fast as her feet.
 "Those two," he sighed. "Some things never change."  He 
shook his head, and added, "Happy fifth, ladies."
 "Nothing happy about it," she said bluntly.  
 "That's the truth," Mina said darkly, eyes briefly filled 
with harsher emotions.  "But we shouldn't talk about that 
here..."
 "Where is dinner tonight?  I keep losing track," Lita broke 
in.  
 "My place," Darien said with a grin; swiftly, it turned to 
a grimace, and a small sweat drop formed.  
 "What?" Mina asked.
 "I forgot the groceries," he said.  "Again."
 Mina smiled reassuringly, and placed a hand on his 
shoulder.  "It's a day to forget," she said.
 He flinched.  "I never will," he nearly growled.
 "Neither will I," she replied, flicking a glance to Lita.  
In reply, Lita shrugged.  She knew what it was like to be 
stuck in the past; she'd probably still be chasing the 
memory of her old boyfriend around, if she felt she could.  
Still, she had a feeling there was more to what they said 
than she could ever know.
 "Let's go get the groceries, Darien," she said gently.  "I 
know this wonderful place that sells these..."
 He smiled, handed his keys to Mina (with the admonition not 
to smoke anywhere but the far side of the balcony) and 
started to walk, but then a prickle shot up his neck.  
Startled, he turned around, rubbing it, unsure of what it 
was or what it meant.   he thought. 
 "Are you okay?" Lita asked.
 "Yea...just felt weird for a moment," he thought, his eyes 
drifting towards the sky.   he 
thought with a sigh.  
 Perhaps if his eyes had drifted down a notch or two, he 
would've seen the small figure that looked down on them from 
above.  Blond hair hung about her face in long waves, teased 
slightly by the wind, and her eyes matched the color of the 
sky that day, set in a face that was paler than usual.  
Paler because she had seen...felt...the man she loved.
 She turned away, back to the world, touching her heart and 
nearly sliding to a curled up position.   she 
wondered.
 Suddenly the door opened, and Zach's face appeared.  "Tea's 
ready," he called cheerfully.
 She grinned--she had to--and went inside.  
 The apartment was Setsuna's; no one could doubt that.  It 
was tastefully done in the darker shades of red, green, and 
black; right then, they sat in overstuffed chairs around a 
low table that looked frightfully expensive.  Small, narrow 
cups of tea sat in cute little saucers, and there were 
finger cookies available as well.  Serena grabbed a close 
cup and a few of the buttery little snacks and grabbed one 
of the free chairs.  Setsuna herself was already seated and 
daintily nibbling; Zach took a seat by Jade, and Nate 
bustled into the room with another cup of tea.  Kev was 
nowhere to be seen, though the light under the bathroom door 
was a clue.
 Soon, the six of them were sitting around, enjoying the 
green tea (which Serena found good for tea) and nibbling the 
cookies.  Finally, Setsuna put down her tiny cup and asked 
them, "What do you know of me?"
 The five of them quickly finished what they did, prompting 
a smile out of her.  It had been quite a long time since 
she'd been able to leave the Time Gate; however, these 
events in Tokyo were serious, with many paths that could be 
chosen, some leading straight into destiny, and others to 
death of one or more of the ten people.   she 
thought with a sigh,   Still, she really didn't 
have to worry about the Gate at all; she'd set enough wards 
around it that anyone without a special key (seriously 
special--not a Reenie time key, but a only-for-Setsuna's 
hand time key) would be chrono dust within instants.  
 "You were the Princess of Pluto," Kevin finally said.
 "Training to work with...time, I believe," Nate said.  "I 
know it was something like that."
 "No one saw much of you," Zach said, his voice almost sad.  
She knew why--the General and herself had been good friends 
way back when, even in her seclusion.  "But you knew a lot 
about everything--science, social matters, nobility rules, 
forbidden things--and you helped to counsel the Queen." 
 Jade smiled, a smile so smug she was afraid that what he 
would say would make her blush.  She held her cool, though 
she did take another bite out of a cookie.  "You were an 
attractive lady, and a noble, and I remember several famous 
Pluto pursuits.  Prince Endymion befriended you, even then, 
but then someone else came along..." the smugness faded.  
"I'm not sure who, though."
 "I remember you as a friend," Serena finally spoke up.  "A 
wonderfully wise and fun person."  Her voice was a trace 
wistful.  
 She nodded to it all.  Yes, that was her...had been her.  
How could she explain?
  she decided.
 "You," she said to Serena, red eyes focusing intently on 
her, "have quite a man."
 Twin blushes applied themselves to Serena's cheeks, and 
Sets felt her own start to warm up a bit.
 "When you left Tokyo five years ago to this day," she 
started, "the course of destiny changed.  After all, you 
were never supposed to meet the Generals.  They would've 
gone through their lives only knowing that they had a sense 
of past that somehow eluded them, a piece that never was 
quite fulfilled.  You and Darien would've been together 
again, and you would know much more than you do now about 
your future and life together.  However, when you left, it 
set about a reaction that eased the Generals out and you 
into their lives.  And Darien and I--quite secretly--went on 
a mission to make sure the future would be as safe as the 
past."
 She'd meant to keep her tone quite warm, but the look in 
Serena's eyes told her she'd come off just a little too 
frozen.  From the vein that was lurking about on Jade's 
forehead, he'd heard it to.
 "Setsuna, I'm sorry..." Serena said, sniffling.  "I was 
just a kid and..."
 "I know, Serena, I know," she said, and found her tone was 
warmer.   
she decided.  "Don't worry about it.  The mission succeeded, 
though with a few more bruises than before.  I was the only 
casualty."
 That seemed to knock them for a bit, and they all stared.  
Finally, Zach managed to sputter out, "Did you die?"
 "Yes," she whispered.  "I stopped time, and died."
 "But how..."
 "That in itself is a long story," she said.  "Perhaps I 
will tell you later.  But right now, you need to know that I 
am here to help all of you."
 "Why?" Nate blurted out, Kevin quickly adding, "I just 
remembered something else.  You said once, to me, that you'd 
only leave your post if there was an extreme danger.  Does 
that mean..."
 "Yes," she said simply.  "But to who, or from what, I 
cannot say.  It would be too...harsh, I believe you would 
say."
 The news dulled their spirits a bit, and she gave them time 
to let it sink in.  Finally, a lackluster Jade said, 
"Setsuna, where are we staying? We've just come off a long 
flight, and I'm sure we all could use some rest."
 "Actually, you'll be staying right here," she replied, not 
able to help the impish quality that snuck into her voice.
 She would've sworn their eyes bulged out of their heads the 
way they looked so surprised.  "Sets, that's very nice," 
Serena began, "and I'm used to living with two guys, but I 
don't think..."
 "Only you'll be staying with me, Serena," she said.  "The 
company has provided me keys to your apartments, gentleman, 
though you'll have to double up." 
 All heaved sighs of relief, but Kevin suddenly interjected, 
"The company?  Do you work with us?"
 "As a matter of fact, I do," she replied.  "I'm a systems 
person, doing a little bit of designing, a little bit of 
fiddling, a little bit of spying..."
 "Setsuna!" Jade mocked.
 "...and quite a bit of work," she finished with a smile.  
"But you should probably go to your rooms now.  I'll 
just...oh no." 
 "What?  WHAT?" Nate asked.
 "Is something wrong?"
 "Is the Gate all right?"
 "Are you feeling all right?"
 "Tea not like you?"
 "No...no, I love the tea, and it loves me, and the Gate and 
everything's basically okay...I just forgot the keys," she 
admitted with a sigh.
 A moment, and then everyone burst out laughing.
 "Sorry," Nate admitted as he fell off his chair.  "It's 
just that you've been so serious, and...well, you don't seem 
like to person to forget your keys!"
 "That's it, General Nephrite," she said, and immediately he 
was on his feet.  The others quieted down a little, though 
Jade still snickered a bit. 
 "What, Lady Setsuna?" he automatically replied.
 "You are accompanying me to get the keys," she said with a 
prim smile and a wink.
 "The pleasure, m'lady, is all mine," he replied, brown eyes 
sparkling.  He took her arm, and as they strolled out, more 
laughter erupted behind them.
 "Well, they won't be back for awhile," Kevin said once the 
door shut.  "Anyone want to come with me onto the balcony?"
 The other guys seemed to ignore him, drinking their tea and 
pushing themselves further into the couch.  Jade looked 
absolutely exhausted, he noticed, and the pallor of Zach 
seemed a coat too thin as well.  Yet in Serena's pasty face 
her eyes gleamed, and cordially she said, "I will.  We 
should talk."
 He cocked an eyebrow at her, but gladly stepped out into 
the moist air with her.  The sun was sinking now, bathing 
the balcony in a red-gold light.  A breeze of excitement 
twisted around them, palpable in the air; he wondered if the 
taste in his mouth was from the current or his unbrushed 
teeth.  Serena, as usual, glittered, even in her tired 
state; the more and more heart shaped broach glittered a 
deeper salmon color, a soft pink almost.  Yet he couldn't 
see himself, else he would've wondered at how the sunset 
shone through his whitish hair to make it glow as well, 
lighting his soft steel eyes in the process.
 "You're beautiful," Serena said shyly.  "Though I still 
think you should let your hair grow out longer."
 "Maybe I will," he said, fingering the not-quite-collar-
length hair.  "But..it depends..."
 Serena shook her head, and moved to the balcony edge, 
gazing out.  He moved beside her, letting his eyes skim over 
the city and everything that lay below him.  
 A stream of sunlight took Serena's eyes along the lines of 
the city, caressing the skyline with a gentle, loving touch.  
She let out a small, fluted, sweet sigh, and Kevin had to 
smile.  He, too, was responding to the effect of the city + 
a gorgeous sunset, and like it or not, both were being drawn 
into it, hearts expanding...
 A gasp escaped Serena, and she touched Kevin's arm and 
subtly pointed.

 Mina felt her fingers itch, and she knew that she'd have to 
step out on the balcony for a moment.  Even though she tried 
to avoid it by washing, hurricane style, the dishes, drying 
them with the speed of a whirlwind, and nimbly yet rapidly 
setting them out on the table, it still itched at her.  But 
it always did after exchanging words with Raye.   she 
thought to herself as the last fork went down.   The smile that formed, though, didn't help 
the urge.  Looking around for Luna--she knew the black cat 
was around her somewhere--she quietly eased the door open, 
and slipped outside.
 The setting sun was a magnificent sight, but she wasn't too 
concerned about that.  She fumbled open the pouch, gold 
clasp painful between her fiddling fingers, and shook out a 
smoke.  She lit it instantly, and walked to the edge, 
exhaling as the nicotine roared through her.  Turning, she 
grabbed another drag, and then leaned her back against the 
edge.
 Her eyes automatically went up as the cigarette went to her 
mouth, and met another's.
 The cig lazily wagged in her fingers, then dropped.  Her 
heart started to thump wildly in her chest, and a jittery 
feeling cascaded throughout her body.  A strand...a full set 
of strands swept across her face, the same breeze tearing 
through his silky hair, a grayish color highlighted in gold.
 And the Elder Venus inside her reached for the Elder 
Kunzite that lay within him...
 She had to turn away.  It was necessary for her to..she 
couldn't bear it anymore.  She wrenched her eyes downward 
and went down with them, feeling around for the cig she 
dropped.   she thought 
hurriedly.  Yet, it was hard to see now.  Extremely hard to 
see, in fact, because the sun was nearly down.  Besides, it 
was mostly ash anyways.
 When she looked back up, he was gone.
 
 Serena looked at Kevin, who was planted firmly on the 
ground of the balcony.  She smiled a little at him, but his 
eyes were on the ground, chest moving slowly in and out as 
he tried to grab air.
 "Was it..."
 "Mina?  Uh-huh."
 He leaned back, head knocking hard against the concrete; 
yet he didn't wince.  "I didn't know..." he started, then 
let the rest of the words go in a rush of air.
 "Hey...I understand.  I saw the top of Darien's head today, 
and I wanted to..."
 "Yes," he said, licking his lips nervously.  Suddenly his 
eyes met hers.  "It wasn't like this before," he whispered.  
"It took them such a long time."
 "Maybe..maybe they don't want to wait that long this time," 
Serena said simply. 
 "Yea," he whispered.  "Maybe."

 Setsuna found Nephrite----charming and 
fun, and he, too, was delighted with the time he spent in 
the mystery Senshi's company.  Her personality was 
startlingly open, and she was startlingly young--truthfully 
only about four and half, she'd admitted, though her 
appearance was that of a woman in her later 20's.  He could 
also feel something else from her, an especially heavy 
burden about their coming hardships.  All in all, he liked 
this eclectic mix of hers, and promised himself to spend 
more time with her.
 He was also surprised to learn that there'd never truly 
been a man in her life.
 It was on their way in that they had an "incident."
 Two entrances, opposite each other, one used by each party, 
led to this..."incident." Lita and Darien both carried 
armloads of groceries, and Setsuna and Nathan were examining 
the keys.  Neither party was paying attention--or could see-
-where they were going.
 Still, only Setsuna was knocked down by Lita, causing all 
four to stop and, in the other two's case, put down their 
groceries.  Nathan quickly helped her up, and Darien asked, 
"Are you all right?"
 "Fine, fine," she brushed off, then straightened as she 
recognized the voice.  Nathan automatically steadied her, 
remembering the earlier conversation, and Lita stared at 
her.  Something rattled around her mind about her...about 
him...
  she automatically thought.   
she added, and suddenly felt herself blush.  Something about 
those eyes...besides being a gorgeous brown...
 As for Darien, the whole scene was setting off warning 
bells he'd never heard before.  The guy was tugging at one 
string, the woman at a completely different other.  His 
eyes, as if on cue, narrowed with his thoughts, and he 
asked, "Are you sure?  I'm really sorry about that."
 "Yes, yes...I'm fine.  And no...well, it's all right," she 
replied, voice slightly hasty, as she brushed off her 
sleeve.  Her eyes were down, he noticed, as if she was 
deliberately camouflaging them from him.  In his mind he 
took a mental snapshot of the both of them, and stored it 
away for future reference.  He felt, somehow, that it'd be 
needed again, soon.
 However, the pairs soon went their separate ways, Sets and 
Nate heading for the elevator as Lita and Darien hauled 
their groceries towards their side.  As soon as they were 
away from them, Setsuna gave a soft, heavy sigh and slumped 
a bit.  "Was that...Darien?" Nate asked softly, slipping 
into the Sol tongue.
 She seemed surprised, but quietly shushed him in response.  
"He has ears like a rabbit for his name," she whispered.  
"And yes, it was him...oh dear.  This complicates things."
 "Why?" Nate asked as he pushed the elevator button.
 "He lives in this building!" she exclaimed.  "This wasn't 
supposed to happen...too much tension in between them..." 
She trailed off as the elevator opened.  They rode up in 
silence, and after stepping off, Setsuna reluctantly said, 
"We should probably tell the Princess."
 "She has a right to know that the Prince is in the 
building," he agreed distantly.  His mind reflected not back 
to his Prince, but to the young woman in the lobby.  "But 
should we tell her who he was with?"
 Setsuna gave him a puzzled look.  "Of course," she said, 
pulling out her keys.  "Serena can't feel threatened by 
Lita, and..."
 "Lita! THAT was LITA!" he exclaimed as she fiddled with 
lock.  Inside his head Nephrite chuckled cheerily at his 
stupidity...how could he not recognize her?   he 
though.  Again, Nephrite chuckled, and he had to grin 
himself.  Well, he'd officially met Lita now...his mind 
selected a snapshot of her, blushing slightly, emerald eyes 
bright, brown hair gleaming beneath the lights.  His smiled 
could only widen as they strolled into the apartment, 
announcing proudly, "We have a story to tell." 
 Jade and Zach barely registered, but Serena and Kevin both 
stood, Kevin replying, "So do we."
 
 Selene, obscured by the darkening night, appeared in the 
park, grumbling.  As the youngest of the Dark Trio, she had 
been given the job to go create a "disturbance" to attract 
some Senshi.  Furtively, she gripped her cloak around her, 
covering her nearly skimpy outfit until it was time.  She 
wouldn't show herself to anyone but those Senshi; besides, 
it was a little chilly.
 "Stupid Earth," she growled, powering up the Darkforce.  
Easily it rose to her fingers, and she began to lay down the 
"shape" she needed. Finally, the DF dragon looked lazily up 
at her.  Now she HAD to smile, this one a powerful, sexy 
smile;  she thought,  
 "Go, Dark Bane," she said, stroking its head.  "Go and 
destroy! Bring us some of those Senshi brats!"
 With a satisfied growl, the beast moved smoothly off, 
leaving Selene to laugh richly and loudly in the night.

 Darien was still puzzling over the meeting as he stirred 
the sauce into the large pot.  They were having spaghetti 
with mushrooms that night, and though he normally enjoyed 
whipping up the quick meal, his mind was on the mysterious, 
green haired woman who Lita knocked into.  He only paid 
about a quarter attention to the conversation between Lita 
and Mina about some guy; it didn't seem important.   He had 
to smile, though, as she described that heart pounding, 
jittery feeling of seeing the light haired man.  It reminded 
him of what he'd often felt when he first saw Serena 
everytime they met--those seconds of nervousness, of a 
purely physical and primal reaction to her.
 The thought of Serena slowed his stirring of the contents, 
and his eyes teared a bit.  Tonight they'd talk about his 
meatball head over dinner, reminisce and try to ease this 
five year pain.  For him, though, it never eased.  He knew 
why she'd gone, and...and...
 He had to stop thinking about this.   he though slowly, trying to 
joke...and failing.
 "Darien, how's dinner?" I'm starved," Mina asked, coming up 
beside him.
 "About done," he replied with forced cheer.
 He should've known better.  "Are you all right?" No, wait, 
of course you're not."  She touched his arm.  "Perhaps we 
should switch to salad on these days."
 "You've said that since the beginning," he replied with a 
slight smile.  
 "Well, I've tried to keep you from indulging in the pain, 
but you're too masoistic..."
 "Masochistic," he gently corrected.
 "Right...whatever...anyways, you're too mas-o-chis-tic for 
your own good."
 "You girls do the flowers every year," he pointed out.
 "Only in memory.  We usually separate ourselves the rest of 
the year," she shot back.
 He turned back to the simmering pot.  "You know I can't," 
he finally said. 
 "Won't stop me from bugging you about it," she said 
lightly.  "By the way, that looks done to me.  Can we eat 
now?"
 He smiled--Mina could make him do that--and dragged the pot 
off the stove towards the table, Mina scurrying ahead with 
pot holders.  Lita was ready with a spoon, and quickly they 
began to eat, silent as they thought of a memory to share.
 Not tonight, though.  The girls' communicators beeped in 
unison, and upon checking them, Amy appeared.  Quickly she 
detailed out a monster attack in the park, and that they 
needed to get there ASAP.  Darien nodded that he would 
follow as soon as he covered the spaghetti, and in flashes 
of orange and green Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus 
appeared.  With a wave and a smile and a "get there soon" 
they bolted onto the balcony and leapt off.
 
 Setsuna burst in from the other room, eyes bright, holding 
a purple transformation wand in her hand.  "I just picked up 
a call from the Senshi," she crowed.  "Fight in the park."
 "You bugged the Senshi?" Nate asked as they rose from the 
couch.  The men had been sharing stories and the two that 
hadn't seen their ladies were gettin' psyched up.  Well, at 
least Jade was; Zach seemed a little more reserved than 
usual.
 "Someone has to keep track," she shrugged off.  "Do we have 
a plan?"
 "You and Serena will hang back," Kevin immediately said.  
"It gives us an ace in the hole, just in case we should need 
one."
 "Good," she said before Serena could protest.
 Immediately, on an unspoken cue, Kevin called, "ASSEMBLE!"
 Their change was no longer a mighty sheet of light, but 
just a faint aura that enhanced them to their General form.  
Setsuna quickly became Sailor Pluto in a lavender burst, 
Time Staff and Orb giving off a soft radiance.  "Serena?" 
she asked.
 Touching the Dark Crystal set on the chain around her neck, 
she took a deep breath and called out, "Crystal Maiden 
Knight, makeup!"
 Immediately a spread of purple-black energy erupted from 
the crystal, and with it came a warmth that seared across 
Serena's chest, making her gasp.  Dark feathers and purple-
black ribbons spiraled around her, enveloping her body in a 
blast of dark light.  The crystal itself floated off the 
chain, lost its setting, and formed into a near duplicate of 
the Silver Crystal before binding itself around her arm in a 
complex band.  The blinding light poured back into the 
crystal, leaving behind a Serena decked out in black, almost 
ninja-like garb, the most important part being the face 
coverings that hooded her eyes and ran up over her nose, 
almost completely obscuring her face while letting her see.
 "Whoa! Ninja Serena!" Jade called out in a feisty Japanese 
accent, and they all laughed.  Well, except for Serena, who, 
under the combined power of both crystals, was going into 
serious battle mode.
 "Save your breath," she said.  "You'll need it."  Then, 
touching the arm band, she called out, "DARK CRYSTAL, 
TELEPORT!"
 And they were all whisked away.

 "JUPITER THUNDER...DRAGON!"
 The giant electric dragon formed and lashed out at its 
ebony enemy, roaring and snapping as it opened its mouth to 
swallow the prey.  However, it simply wasn't that easy, for 
the flowing lizard merely stroked the electric scales with 
its claws, absorbing the energy in a flurry of sparks and 
arches.
 "It didn't work!" Jupiter cried out.
 "Mercury! What's up?" Venus yelled as Mars formed another 
attack, assisted by the ever ready Tux.
 The problem was the dragon didn't stick around to face its 
punishment.  It moved off again, lumbering along in slick 
and quiet movements, causing Tux to take to a tree and leap 
ahead of it, darting a few roses into its hide and leaping 
back.  The dragon snarled and attempted to claw the rose 
free; it hated Tux's attacks.  And Venus' and Mercury's as 
well; the others it just ignored.
 "I can't get a reading!" Mercury cried out, trying to 
ignore the pain in her side.  Earlier, the dragon had lashed 
out at her--specifically her--and hit her with a sticky, 
black substance that smelled slightly like tar and felt just 
as gooey.  
 "MARS CELESTIAL FIRE...SURROUND!" cried out the raven 
haired Senshi, aiming her rings at its tail and back.  They 
splattered against it like soft butter, and the dragon 
seemed barely phased.
 "Come on!" Venus yelled, leaping from her feet into a tree 
and vaulting from that into bushes near the dragon.  
 she thought 
as she fingered her chain.  
 "VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!" she yelled, summoning and 
whipping the heart shaped links around before letting them 
fly.  It struck the beast on the nose, and the monster 
growled fiercely and turned her way.  She darted to the 
side, and at the same time as Mercury launched her "MERCURY 
ICE STORM BLAST!" she let loose with a "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM 
SMASH" on a different side.  The two attacks struck nearly 
simultaneously, and as Mars shot a flare across its nose, 
Mercury read the effects of the attack on the web of energy 
she saw.  
 "It absorbs energy!" she called out.  "We need...AHHH!" She 
barely managed to duck a claw, and in a rage she leapt over 
and fired, at near point blank range, another "BLAST."  This 
coated most of the creature's face, and in a rage as it 
tried to swat it off, its tail began to move, striking all 
about the ground and earth, making a lot of noise.  One eye 
free now, it could once again sense the positions of those 
menacing brats around it, and moved swung its tail...
...right towards Venus, whose back was turned.
 Selene appeared high up then, waiting to take the blond 
away.
 Suddenly, a cry of "VENUS!" rang through the night, 
accompanied by a gray haired man snatching her from the 
sharp sting.  He darted away, putting her down as he did, 
more from his trembling hands than anything else.  She moved 
back, unsure, but he didn't turn on her.  Instead, he yelled 
in a deep, strong voice, "GENERALS ASSEMBLE!"
 "Who?" Tuxedo Mask wondered aloud.
 Three splashes of color came flipping into the crowd, 
appearing as the remaining Generals, each holding a weapon: 
a crystal piece for Zoi, a sword-like spear (he called it a 
spord) for Neph, and the ever popular tipped whip for Jade.  
Kunzite raised his hand, and in He-Man style a sword 
appeared within it.  Pointing towards the monster, he yelled 
out, "ATTACK!"
 They needed no second warning, and weaving among darting 
Senshi, and the furious dragon, they began to strike their 
blows.  Meanwhile, Tux, who'd heard the beginning of 
Mercury's cry, converged on her.  "How?" he asked, not 
sparing any more words.
 "We need to draw energy away from it," she replied. "It 
absorbs anything else but those things that can puncture 
it."
 "Why didn't Jupiter..."
 "It's too close," she replied.  "You and I can do it."
 "You?"
 "My ice draws off energy naturally," she said.  "And Venus, 
of course."
 "We need to get past them," he pointed out, unleashing his 
cane.  
 "No...just between them.  Get Venus, she seems a little 
shaken," replied Mercury brusquely, then bounded off. 
  he thought, leaping himself towards 
Venus.  "Hey..." he said.
 "They're amazing," she whispered.
 "What?" he asked.  
 "Them," she pointed, revealing the fine tactics of the four 
men.  Each took a part in distracting the dragon, allowing 
the other three to work their damage on it.  Right then, 
Jade was uncoiling his rope across its nose, tiny spark of 
energy on the energy like the sting of a bee...allowing 
Kunzite and Zoicite to converge on its tail and back of the 
neck at the same time.  Although Kunz was thrown, Zoi manage 
to stick a crystal through the tail, pinning it to the 
ground as sparks of pink roared into the night sky.
 "No time to watch, Venus!" he whispered fiercely.
 "Who said I planned on watching?" she laughed.  "Only 
surveying...VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!" The chain of hearts 
flew from her hands again, and dashed the creature's nose 
and wrapped around its neck, drawing orange energy from it.  
Tux smiled at her, then struck with his cane, stabbing just 
under the chain and drawing energy along it.  
 Selene, above, was shocked.  In just about a minute, the 
plan was being ripped to pieces...and the dragon was 
shrinking along with it.  With a yell of rage, she plummeted 
closer to the ground, streaks of sticky DF darting into the 
ground around it, moving along in random paths.  Most of the 
Generals were struck, and Venus' chain was sheared off its 
neck, barely intact.  The feedback caused Tux to drop his 
cane, holding his smoking hands.  
 Now focused upon a new target, Mars and Jupiter both let 
bursts fly, a "SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE" and a "MARS FIRE 
IGNITE" that spiraled together in the night air to dig in 
against Selene.  Unfortunately, a DF shield had shimmered 
into place, but the impact was still enough to knock her off 
balance.  
 "NO!" she yelled, coming down on the back of her pet.  "YOU 
WILL BE MINE, SENSHI!" 
 "Over my dead body, lady!" Jade cried out, his whip flying 
forward to snag around her.
 "Ooooh....I like that, blondie," she purred, and his eyes 
narrowed.
 "Like it now?" he asked as energy soared up the rope, and 
with a tug he snapped her to the air.  She growled and 
unleashed her own attack, frizzling away the rope and 
knocking him back.
 "STAR POWER!" Nephrite called out, and strands of the white 
lined black energy snared around her, snapping her into the 
air like the whip she'd just broken.  She broke out of it 
soon enough, but facing away from the purple blast of energy 
that rammed into her with the force of a goat going oh, 
about fifty.  It threw her higher into the air, and towards 
the trees.
 However, they on the ground weren't watching; she wasn't 
the trouble anymore.  "NOW CRYSTAL!" Kunzite yelled out.
 For a moment, there was silence...then with the sound of 
breaking glass she appeared in the midst of the battle 
field.  "DARK CRYSTAL, REFORM!" she yelled, hand clenched on 
the armband, and in seconds she held a wicked looked, 
purple-black dagger in her hand.
 In the back of Tux's mind, a buzzing went off.
 "Kunzite, Zoicite," she yelled, and the three of them 
leaped into finish off the dragon.  Kunzite spun a hook of 
very fine energy and used it to encircle the nose of the 
beast, closing its gaping jaws.  This still left the claws, 
though, but Zoicite was doing its best to draw its fire by 
letting off bursts of petals around it, keeping its 
attention away from the dark clad figure that had circled 
around.  
 "Prepare to be dusted, creep," she whispered, and then 
leapt from her shadows onto its back.  Immediately knowing 
foe, the dragon began to buck, and the Crystal Knight 
wobbled; however, with almost ease, she regained her balance 
and slid down to stab it in the head.
 "AHHHHHH!" she screamed as the backlash slid up the knife 
like honey, but she still retained her grip, digging it 
deeper into its skull.  Soon, the very tip of the blade had 
passed through its thin skull, dripping darkforce in thin 
streaks of black blood.  
 Now the other Generals struck, as well as Mercury and Tux, 
all drawing energy out of the creature.  In the shadows, 
Sailor Pluto silently pulled as much as she could into her 
Garnet Orb, charging it for the next battle.  Even Mars and 
Jupiter and the slightly weak Venus attempted to draw away 
energy, informed by Mercury on the fighting strategy.  
 Now, the shrinking of the dragon proceeded more rapidly, 
yet the Crystal Knight held on tightly, eyes squeezed shut 
as the hot and cold flashes rippled over her chest, energy 
dancing along her arms.  The Generals' eyes were not 
unseeing--Zoicite and Jadeite even looked worried--but they 
could do nothing as they pulled out the energy. 
 And the buzzing in Tux's head increased, nearly bad enough 
to give him a headache, and certainly enough to attract his 
notice.  Yet all he could do was shake it off, and grunt and 
strain at the energy.   
 "MOVE AWAY!" Crystal suddenly shouted.  "NOW!" 
 The Generals were obedient, as were the closer fighters, 
and suddenly the two groups were rubbing shoulders at close 
quarters.  At time's like this, it was hard not to sneak 
looks at their women; Jade to Mars, whose face was pale and 
smeared; Neph to Jupiter, who breathed heavily, eyes and 
tiara glowing; Zoi to Mercury, almost apprehensively, and 
startled when she met his back; and lastly, Kunzite to 
Venus, looking down on the blond who had slumped to her 
knees, the effect that had come through the chain 
devastating to her.
 Crystal pulled her knife from the beast, and energy plumed 
out of the hole.  The dragon gave one last cry, and as 
Crystal flipped away and toward her friends, it exploded 
massively.  Waves of wind and DF blew towards them, blowing 
their hair and skirts and capes back in a gigantic burst.  
It even picked up Crystal and forcibly tossed her into the 
arms of Jade, who just happened to be standing next to Tux.  
 The buzzing peaked as she slumped over, pained and 
exhausted, both from jet lag and from the fight.
 There was a collective breath on the battlefield, and then 
Selene appeared, looking ragged.  "Next time, Senshi," she 
whispered, eyes sparking green in fierce bursts, "I WILL 
Have you."  She cast her eyes at the Generals, and smiled 
lazily.  "And you as well, pretties."
 "Never," growled Jade as he held her.  
 "Over my dead body, at least," Nephrite retorted.  "Though 
most likely over yours." 
 She merely smiled back a them, a point of DF appearing over 
her heads.  "Save your words for later times, handsome," she 
breathed, and then the DF lightning struck, and she was 
gone.  
 The night winds moved in next, sweeping along in soft 
breezes to awaken those who'd been unaware before.  Jupiter, 
Mars, and Mercury all stared at the newcomers as Tuxedo 
Mask, mosquito buzzing with defiance in his head, stared at 
the girl in Jade's arms.
 Jade, on the other hand, was mostly unaware of anyone else, 
except for Serena and the eyes of Mars.   he wondered.  
However his immediate concern wasn't her, and he whispered 
softly, "Are you all right, Crystal?"
 "Yes," she whispered back, pushing away weakly.  "Just let 
me steady myself."  She took a moment, and did so, then 
nodded.  He let her go, and she took two steps away before 
stumbling, this time Zoicite's arm going out to catch her.  
"Thanks," she said.
 "Anytime, Crystal," he replied thickly, helping her up as 
he avoided Mercury's curious eyes.  The thick blue was 
disconcerting for him now, as pangs of love and sorrow 
washed over him, mixed within him, one part rejoicing as the 
other screamed in agony.  
 Kunzite moved over to her, and whispered softly, "We're 
being watched.  Stay or go?"
 "Stay, for the moment," she said.  "I need a few minutes to 
regain enough strength to teleport."
 "Crystal, we can always link and teleport you back," he 
said.
 "It'd take too long," Zoi immediately answered for her.  
"We haven't practiced."
 "Just a few minutes, Kunz, and we'll be out of here," she 
assured him.
 "Who are you?" Tux demanded as Nephrite and Jadeite joined 
the small grouping.  Now they stood in the circle, ringed 
with Senshi unsure of whether to press or not.
 "We are the Generals," Kunzite replied curtly, nobly, 
bowing slightly.  "Born to serve the Prince and his 
Princess."  A slight grin appeared on that.  "I am Kunzite, 
leader." 
 "I am Nephrite, second," stepped in the auburn haired 
General.
 "I am Jadeite, third," added the blond.
 "I am Zoicite, fourth," said the curly haired Gen, not 
looking up from Serena.
 "I am...the Crystal Knight, friend," came the feeble call 
from within.
 Suddenly, it struck Mars as to why she'd been feeling deja 
vu all of a sudden.  "NEGAVERSE PIGS!" she yelled out.  "How 
dare you..."
 "Silence, Sailor Mars! These men just saved your life!" 
came a indignant voice, and Sailor Pluto appeared in their 
midst, staff slamming into the ground as her maroon eyes 
burned.  
 "You..." Tux whispered, and she turned, nodding.
 "I," she said.
 "You..."
 "Yes."
 "But..."
 "Forgiveness," she said.  "And that's all you need to know, 
Tuxedo Mask."  Raising her voice slightly, she added, "As 
well as my role to aid the Generals and the Crystal Knight."
 The other Senshi stared, amazed to see another of their 
kind in the midst, siding with men who'd been their foes.  
Mars felt confusion; Jupiter shared it; Mercury put hers to 
work scanning them all; Venus rose to her feet to look at 
them.
 "I am Sailor Venus, leader of the Senshi.  We welcome your 
aid," she said quietly.
 "VENUS!" Mars yelled, and Jupiter looked just as mad.
 "Quiet," she snapped.
 "We are glad to offer our help, Sailor Venus," Kunzite said 
slowly.  "But that does not mean you should depend on us."
 "The Senshi, General Kunzite," she bit back, "do not depend 
on anyone except who we trust.  And right now, you are 
untrusted.  However, consider this an act of faith."  Her 
eyes hardened.  "If you breach it, though, you will be 
destroyed like the Negaverse scum."
  Serena thought, standing straighter 
now.  "We are glad to accept your aid as well, Senshi," she 
said.  "And yours, Tuxedo Mask."
 "It would be a privilege to offer it," he replied starkly.  
"However, if you should betray us..."
 "There's no need for threats," Sailor Pluto said.  "Trust 
them as you trust me, Prince, and you will worry about 
nothing." She looked to Serena.  "Are you ready?"
 In response, she touched the Dark Crystal--it had returned 
to her armband--and called out, "DARK CRYSTAL, TELEPORT!"
 Wind chimes sounded, and a scattered breeze whipped up, 
pulling them away.
 Immediately Mars appeared in the middle of the field, 
calling out, "Senshi meeting at the temple, in the morning.  
You too, Tux."  Her eyes met Venus's.  "Bring the cats.  We 
need to talk with them." 
 She nodded, and then the group went their separate ways.

*       *       *       *
 "Good-night, Princess," Pluto softly called.
 "'Night, Pluto," Serena murmured, and she shut off the 
light.
 Pluto stepped out of the room, and headed straight for the 
balcony.  As she did, she de transformed, turning in a few 
small steps from Sailor Pluto to Setsuna once more.  She 
slid open the balcony door, and emerged to look out into the 
night air.  
 Once arriving home, the Generals had quickly grabbed their 
keys and departed for their rooms, completely exhausted.  
She agreed with them--she was tired and tense as well.  
Battles had always done that to her, even though she was 
skilled with her powers and cool under fire.
 Confronting the Senshi and Tux, though...that could put 
anyone's nerves on edge.   she thought 
with a grimace.  
 Shaking her head, she wondered as lust.  Somehow, the job 
of Time Gate Guardian (TGG for short) had always kept her 
away from that particular run of emotions.  She recognized 
them, yes--surely she'd seen it tonight--but she just 
couldn't feel it.  The soft love of the Generals, 
though...that she could live with.  Softly she sighed.   her mind said gently.  
 Far, far below her, the contradiction to Setsuna's thoughts 
looked up.  To the rest of the world, she was a speck, 
blending in with the night as well as a shadow did.  To his 
eyes, she was a lavender glow among dullards, a shade that 
had painted itself on his mind with finesse.
 "Soon," he whispered into the wind.  "Soon."

    Source: geocities.com/tokyo/shrine/1721