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	           THE FOUR LOVERS: DEEP IN THE HEART
                              by Ninx

                       	  CHAPTER ONE	
                          Picnic and Choose
  Jaedite thought to himself as he reclined against
the tree.  The grass was cool beneath him, thick strands
colored Kentucky blue-green forming a pillow beneath him; what
was of the sun was warm, and the 'sky'--what he thought of the
Silver Crystal kept dome above him--was a beautiful, pale
blue. It seemed a near paradise.
 Until a pair of violet eyes twinkled at him, and a raven-
haired women (hair shining deep violet in the sun) sat near
him, dressed informally in a simple dress, Martian style.  
  he quickly rescended, rising to greet her
with a soft, "Hello, Lady Mars."
 "A pleasant good afternoon, Lord Jaedite."
 Furtively but without appearing so, he glanced around.  "Is
there anyone around?" he asked in a thick whisper.
 She shook her head, and he promptly kissed her soundly upon
the lips.  
 "Ho, Lord Jaedite!" 
 The kiss was broken, and their eyes met, a sudden single
thought running through their brains: WE'RE BUSTED.
 It wasn't as if the court wouldn't have accepted the couples,
who would've easily closed their ears to the gossipmongers and
fools who resided there.  It was their own people, on Earth
and their respective planets, that would've grumbled against
them.  The Generals especially had much to lose; many non-
nobles in the higher positions in the Earth Court held QUITE a
grudge against the Moon Kingdom and its affiliations.  Kunzite
had once regalled the other three with a tale of a man who'd
gone on for two hours on the sneaky ways the Moon used to
undermine their treaty with Mercury, just to set up their own. 
It'd been laughed off then; now, it was a problem.  
 "Play it cool," he whispered to her, then turned.  Those
advancing toward them were another couple; such were common in
the Guardens.  Both the man and women had pale, silken hair
and oval eyes, marking them as Seafolk; the man wore the blue
and pearl clothes of a higher ranking Sea soldier, while the
women was dressed in a simple shell outfit, such as one worn
by the middle class.  Another warning bell sounded in his head
then, and he juiced his composure up a little.  Behind him,
Mars trembled slightly then steadied herself.  
 "Hello, people of the Sea," he called.  "How is your day?"
 "Is that the Lady Mars?" said the women quietly, but just
loud enough for them to hear.  "Do you think...."
 "Hush."
 It was just enough for the two to wonder just a little more
exactly what these two HAD seen.
 "We're fine, Lord Jaedite, Lady Mars," replied the man. 
"Just enjoying a day in the Gardens."  A soft laugh. 
"Romantic, isn't it?"
 "Yes, sir," Mars called.  "It is the best place to meet a
loved one.  Or to chat with a friend, as I do."
  he thought, almost wishing she could be
reassured by his thought.  
 "Are you two...close friends?" the women asked, her pearly
hair catching the sunlight as they stopped within a few feet
of the two.  Now Jaedite could see they held hands, and that
each had a tiny article from the other: a small shell on the
man, a thread of gold for the women. 
 Mars, also noticing the exchange of items, began to wonder
who these two really were.  Very rarely did ANYONE from the
Sea visit the Moon; even though they were the prominent power
on Earth, they were much more subdued than their cousins. 
However, it didn't make them less passionate when they needed
to be, nor less dangerous and sly.  In fact, they tended to be
the more cunning of the two.  She also noticed some other
subtle oddities; for instance, what was the trick of light
that turned the pale green of the man's hair white?  Or the
shade that made it seem, for a fleeting instant, that the
women's eyes were in fact blue?
 "Close as normal friends can be," Jaedite replied, seeming to
relax a little.
 The women tittered; the man did as well.  "Then how did you
know that Lady Mars had an affinity for silk?" asked the man,
the words passing his lips with only a slight smile curving
them.
 Immediately, crimson flooded their faces, as deep red as the
fire Mars controlled.  The Sea couple laughed aloud now, the
women trying to politely cover her mouth, the man letting out
bellowing bursts of laughter.
 Suddenly, the lines of their images wavered, and the image
itself collapsed.  Momentarily, the two people snapped into
nothing, before being replaced by the still laughing images of
Venus and Kunzite, holding hands.
 "Kunzite?" Jaedite asked, blinking.  
 "How in the..."
 "You slime!" Jaedite roared, cutting off Mars.
 "Venus, how..." 
 "It was this," Kunzite said, finally withdrawing his hand
from Venus's, holding up her crystal pen.  
 "We were experimenting with my powers, and seeing if they
could be enhanced by his..."
 "...so we tried her 'Venus Crystal Disguise' power, and
turned ourself into ordinary Sea people..."
 "...and we couldn't resist seeing if it would work on you,
since we had to meet you here anyway..."
 "...we'd thought there be more here, though," Kunzite
finished.
 Mars and Jade exchanged a glance at the two.  Three months
had passed since their seperate ill-fated expeditions which
had led to them joining forces and eventually becoming
'lovers'.  (This even though the strict definition seemed only
to apply to Mars-Jaedite, Jupiter-Nephrite pairings; Venus and
Kunzite had decided to wait until a more proper time, and
nobody could even suspect Mercury and Zoicite.)  In that time,
it was a rare occurence for a pair to meet a pair.
 "Do you two do that often?" Mars asked, Jade's arm slipping
unconciously around her, now sure that the danger was past.
 "What?" Kunzite asked.  "Trick people?"
 "No, Zit, talk for each other," Jade replied, grinning
boyishly.  "Now, let's sit down.  The others should--if they
don't dally--be here soon."
 The four sat, Mars noticing that, for once, Venus was not
garbed in a Senshi uniform, but in the simpler of the two
"Princess of Venus" dresses she kept in her closet.  She look
stunning, and happy, and best of all, relaxed, her hand still
clasped in Kunzite's.  She herself sat against Jade, who'd
snugged up against the tree again.
 "I wonder why Queen Selenity allowed this," Kunzite murmured.  
 "Allowed?" Venus tossed back. "She ordered US.  Told us we
needed to 'discuss' things in a more casual atmosphere."
 "Told you, Venus," Mars shot back.  "Besides, Selenity is not
a dumb women.  She probably knows; she always manages to find
out somehow."
 "Except about why we keep visiting, eh?" Jaedite teased in
her ear.
 "To see us.  I'm sure she knows." Mars replied.
 Jade made eye contact with Kunzite, and he laughed.  "Not at
all, Lady Mars.  We usually visit with Endymion, remember?"
 "And it's not like the Prince just wants a chance to use the
Silver Medallion," Venus said. 
 Mars' face grew serious, and she opened her mouth to say
something, only out came, "HO, Generals and their ladies!"
 "Nephrite, keep it down!" Jaedite spat.
 "How many times have I told you that, Jade?" Nephrite
replied, small smile on his face.  "You couldn't have picked a
more isolated spot, could you have, Jade?  We're on the edge
of the lunar plain!"
 "You said in the back," replied his friend with a crooked
smile.  "Where's Jute?"
 "Right here," replied the women, lugging a picnic basket
along.  "He insisted we walk single file, just in case."
 "And he made you carry the basket?" Mars asked, increduluous
 She hauled it over and set it down, brushing off her hands
and smiling at him.  "He said it'd look awfully suspicious.
After all, he's the one most opposed to our politics."
 "I have to keep my reputation in the mud, after all," he
added, then reached over and took her face in his hands,
kissing her softly.
 "NEPHRITE, GENERAL OF EARTH!" 
 He jumped, nearly bashing Jupiter's nose, and turned to watch
Mercury and Zoicite file out of the forest.  Well, Zoicite
file out carrying Mercury, who looked rather sheepish and
embarrased to be caught in such a precarious position.  
 "Sorry, always wanted to say that," Mercury said quietly as
they passed, Zoicite eventually sitting down, arranging her so
that she was just close enough to him, hand in his.  It was so
serene that Jupiter wanted a picture of it, "The General and
his Senshi," but at the same time also wanted to shoot
Mercury.
 "Lady Mercury, please, could you practice yelling some other
time?  Like in the privacy of your own room?  Or Zoicite's own
room?  Or somewhere when I am not kissing my love?" Nephrite
admonished, rubbing his forehead nervously.
 "Of course, General," she replied cheerfully.  "Sit.  I'm
starved."
 He and Jupiter sat, close but no intense physical contact;
the two rarely shared space like the others did.  The basket
was opened, and a tablecloth was retrieved, along with black
plates, black silverware, and black linens.  The drinks were
served in black cups with green-blue lids, and all food was
stored in black containers with blue-green lids.  They passed
around food and took their servings quietly, with mumbled
manners constituting their conversation until everything was
ready.  Of course, the meal was a sum of delicious parts, from
apples to some delicate sandwiches to a secret dessert,
chocolate chip cookies, using the recipe Nephrite had brought
her from Earth.
 It was only as the meal dwindled down that they began to
talk, Jaedite starting with a raised eyebrow at Jupiter and
asking, "Are you in mourning?"
 "Yes.  What clued you in?" she replied, sipping the warm
punch.
 "Black, blue-green, green-blue?  Trying for obvious?" Zoicite
asked in his low voice.
 "It was partially my idea," Nephrite replied, his eyes on his
plate.
 "I'd figured Kunzite's," Jaedite replied.  
 "I did drop a hint," the man replied quietly, exchanging a
smile with Venus.  "After Venus had a talk with Serenity."
 "How did that go, Venus? How does she feel toward our
Prince?" Zoicite asked.
 Venus's mouth set in a hard line. "She's nearly silent on the
manner," she reported heavily. "In fact, it's almost as if
addressing what she truely feels for Endymion is a taboo
question.  And that was two weeks ago."
 "Think of it now, the day before her wedding," Mars murmured. 
"Incidently, how did you get her talking, Venus?"
 A rueful smile now.  "I didn't, Mars.  Weren't you there?"
 "I'd returned home for a short stay," Mars replied, a subtle
glance at Jaedite.  "There were family matters to attend to."
 "Private matters, I'd bet," Jupiter spoke up, and Mars fixed
her with a cool violet eye.
 "It was a near argument, the first one I can remember since
Serenity and Venus disagreed on..." Mercury paused, eyes
clouding.  "Blast, I can't even remember, if that indicates
how long ago it was.  Serenity ordered Venus out in order to
stop the conversation."
 Mars' widened in shock.  "She ORDERED you out?  Amazing.  The
Princess will usually eventually crack under the pressure of
Venus--she's a ruthless interrogator..."
 "Don't I know it," Kunzite muttered beneath his breath, and
she muttered something back at him, causing his hair to
flutter upwards.  
 "I was shocked as well," Mercury confessed.
 "Not as shocked as I was.  I even tried a little subterfuge
on the subject, and she responded well--until I hit upon it,
and she turned to stone."
 "I'd say that's a pretty sure sign that she has some sort of
feelings for him," Jaedite said.  
 "I'll second that," Nephrite seconded.
 A chorus of seconds went around then, all of them in
agreement.
 "What about the Prince, Kunzite?" Mars asked.
 He shook his head.  "It has been obvious to me since the day
of the announcement..."
 "It took you that long?" Zoicite asked.  "I could see it when
we returned with the injured Princess!"
 "I had my eyes on other things, especially after the Prince
rejected my aid," he said cooly, his eyes freezing for an
instant to blue ice, signalling the touchy point.
 "Needless to say, we've all known of the concern he shows for
her," Jupiter pointed out.
 "I remember vividly when he sat with Serenity...just before
she awoke.  He was so different, so concerned, as if seeing
her this way was painful to him," Mars said, voice turning
strangely wistful.  "There's something more there then any of
us can see.  I feel it."
 "If I understand what Mars is hinting at," Nephrite said,
voice growing heavier, "then tomorrow will truly be a sad
day."
 "Why?" Mercury asked, voice of wonder for the rest.
 "Yes, Nephrite, why? If you'll excuse my ignorance, I didn't
catch the deeper meaning of what Mars said," Zoicite added.
 Nephrite's brown eyes took on a troubled, trembling quality
as he explained, "If Lady Mars can _FEEL_ it as well as see
it, it hints at Soulmates."
 "SOULMATES?!" Kunzite exclaimed.
 "And the Earth orbits the moon," Venus added.  "Come now,
truly, what did you perceive?"
 "That is what I hinted at, Venus," Mars answered, defending
herself.
 "Pardon me, Mars," Jaedite whispered from behind her, " but
aren't those almost as rare as, say, non arrogant Sea People?"
 "Or Mercury not reading a book?  If Zoi wasn't here, she'd be
immersed in one," Venus joked.
 "So there are exceptions," Mars pointed out.
 "Rarely," Mercury answered.
 "There's a point we're missing here," spoke up Jupiter, eyes
worried.  "If they are as Mars and Neph say, then this
marriage to Priam is going to tear one of them apart."
 The sudden dark look in Kunzite's eyes gave all of them a
clue as to who would suffer the most.
			*	*	*	*
  Endymion thought as
he agily clambered onto the top railing of the smooth wooden
fence.  
  he replied to himself, adjusting his seat and
shading his eyes.  He sat on the simple pasture fence, a rare
ornament of nonornamentation, that seperated the regular lands
from those of pasture.  The Moon was nearly self-sufficent,
but it still engaged in trade, and the animals it kept here
provided for this trade.  It had also served as the place
where, over the last month or so, Endymion had trained the
Princess.
  he thought, interrupted by hoofbeats. 
Immediately, his eyes trained on the spot where she'd appear;
as always, he was just a hair off...well, four hairs off.  He
wasn't quite sure what it meant, but it troubled him in a
deep, dark way.
 The red bay cantered around the visible pasture, Serenity's
white blond strips of hair flying back like two tails in the
wind.  He loved the way she looked when she rode; it seemed as
if she let everything go to enjoy the feel of the sport.  Even
now, her eyes were a glistening, bright blue, a sign he'd come
to know as enjoyment.  When she finally pulled up to the
fence, a bright, rapturous smile glistened on his face, and he
once again admired the beauty that radiated from her eyes, her
face, even her hair and the way her slim fingers held the
reings.
 "How is he today, Princess?" he asked, that half-smile she
adored creeping over his face.
 "Wonderful, Prince.  He rides better every day," she replied.
 The Prince--had it been only some months ago?  it seemed
ages--had nearly fainted upon learning that the Princess had
never been taught to ride.  It was, she'd explained in her
way, not considered especially proper for the Moon Princess to
ride.  However, she'd always been fascinated by it, when she'd
watched the Senshi and the Knights do it.  He'd given her a
sly smile, and then went off and used his abundant charm on
her mother, citing reasons pulled from thin air.  In the end,
it'd been approved, and he'd been her consistent teacher since
then.  He was proud to say that she was his best...
  he yelled at himself.    
 Serenity, still feeling exhilirated from the ride she'd just
taken, noticed his smile slip a little.   she wondered to herself.    
 "Put him through the paces, Nity," Endymion finally said.  "I
want to see you do it one last time."
 "One last..." she asked, puzzled.  "OH! Tomorrow! Why, Ion, I
could always go riding with you at your home."
 He smiled.  "Yes, I guess you could," he replied glibly,
thinking in tune to his words, 
 She moved away with one last thrown back smile, and began to
walk the horse.  He sighed, slumping slightly, and again
wondered how his cousin had ever won her.  Why she hadn't
waited around...for him.
  rambled his mind. 

  he
replied grouchly.
  A pause.  
 He didn't reply to himself, just laughed an internal, bitter
laugh.  These conversations he had with himself were his means
of trying to deal with what he saw as the loss of a great
friend, someone who had a unique insight into the true soul of
Endymion, Prince of Earth, and not the public image.  However,
they really weren't helping much, if he wanted to be honest
with himself.  
 It all, he supposed, kept coming back to Priam.  He just
couldn't figure it out! The whole planet knew that his mother
had to have been a bottom-dwelling piece of slime; one had to
be to mate with the piece of rotting red algae he called Dad. 
Truthfully, no one, not even Priam, knew who his mother was.
 "Cousin!"
  he told
himself dryly, turning away from the trotting horse and
Serenity to see his cousin hover up.  There was no doubt as to
his good looks; it ran, after all, with the blood.  Nor was
their any doubt that he was charming, suave, and cultered as a
Prince could be.  In fact, he was more refined than Endymion;
the fact that he preferred to lean against the fence instead
of sit on it in order not to muss himself was quite a contrast
to the Earthy prince.  
 "Salutations, Prince of the Sea," Endymion replied quietly,
eyes on Serenity, now in a restrained gallop.
 "You don't have to be formal with me, Endymion.  I'm blood,"
replied Priam in his low, smooth voice; like his people, he
seemed to sing his words instead of say them.
 "Reflex," the Prince grunted.  
 They watched in silence as Serenity went past them, eyes
apparently not catching her fiancé's presence; she rounded the
corner and then spurred her mount into a wild gallop, riding
away from them, hair two streaks of white-gold in the
sunlight.
 "Isn't that dangerous for her, Endymion?" Priam asked, his
voice not quite worried.
 He laughed.  "Not at all, Priam.  She's an excellent rider."
 "I will soon find out, no?" he replied, voice lowering.  "But
really, Endymion, is it safe?"
 "Of course, Priam," the Prince said, exasperation dancing
tight steps in his voice.
 "Touchy today, aren't we?"
 He sighed.  "Must be the weather."
 Again that laugh, low and strong and grating on his ears. 
"You know the weather's nearly perfect around here.  I think
what's eating you," and here he lowered his voice, "is the
wedding."
 "What do you mean, Priam?" he asked, looking at his cousin
now.  The man refused his gaze non-interestedly for some time,
before he finally gave him a foxy look.  "I'm happy for her--
she's getting married."
 "To me."
 "I can't fault her taste in public, can I?" he quipped in
reply.
 "Don't be moody, cuz, just because the BETTER man won."
 "Ha! I wasn't invited to that particular party, remember?"
 "Of course I remember," Priam sighed.  "Why would they invite
the lowly Prince of Earth when they can have the reigning
Prince of the Sea?"
 "Wow.  I'd be so proud to be apart of a political match, I'd
just burst," he replied sarcastically.
 "It's not political, cuz.  I asked, she accepted.  She LOVES
me, you know," replied Priam, his hair shifting ever so
slightly as Serenity rode past them, oblivious to their
conversation.
 "And you love her?" he said, eyes narrowing ever so slightly,
a smouldering blue flame in the sun.
 "Of course I love her."
 To say Endymion was shocked was a tragic understatement; he
took a step back and nearly keeled over.  
 "I love her smile, I love her eyes, I love her body, and most
of all, I'm going to love her tomorrow night until she forgets
she even knew you," he finished, eyes looking directly through
Endymion and laughing gleefully at him.  
 "I should have known.  But then again, I thought you had some
dignity and tact and..."
 "I use up all my good traits in public, cuz.  You SHOULD've
known that," Priam said with a dismissive tone.  
 It was then, before Endymion could totally lose his the
fraying threads of his control and explode into a rage, that
Serenity stopped.  If her eyes had lit before from the
euphoria of riding, then tiny atomic bombs suddenly went off
in them until they glowed from her sockets. "Priam!" she
called, scrambling down from the saddle and over the fence and
into his embrace, not noticing Endymion's fury suddenly jump a
notch before simmering down.
 "Hello, Serenity," he said gently as he hugged her tight, his
eyes on Endymion and radiating a smug, cat-got-the-canary
look.  Releasing her, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and
asked, "Where have you been?  I've been looking for you
everywhere!"
 "Out riding with I..Endymion," she said, smiling, the tiny
thoughts nagging at her sucked away by the look in his eyes. 

 "Well, your mother sent me out after you.  She wants to talk
to you about the Senshi," he said.
 "All right.  Must she see me now?"
 "It is urgent, Princess."
 With a sigh, she pulled herself from him to Endymion.  "I'm
sorry, my friend," she said quietly, "but Mother calls."
 "I'll put him away," replied the Prince quietly.  She took
his hand for an instant and smiled her thanks, then turned
away, feeling suddenly cold without the warm current that ran
between them.
--------------------------------------------
My apologies to those who thought this would be out last week.

PREVIEW: Chapter Two, Deja Vu
 Serenity's doubts still gnaw at her, and so she goes to the
place that quiets her most, the Gardens.  Unbeknowest, Endymion 
also seeks refuge there.  However, things don't exactly go right,
as a strange force seeks to do away with the Princess.....

    Source: geocities.com/tokyo/shrine/1721