THE FOUR LOVERS
INTERIM
CHAPTER THREE
BLOND REVELATION
The four of them blankly stared at the blond
that blankly stared back at them. For a
moment a spark seemed to flash in her eyes,
then faded, like it'd never really been
there.
Jared ran his eyes over her form again,
trying to remember where he'd seen her
before. He had no idea, yet this particular
image...was so familiar. he wondered; though the boys knew
what they were, they still automatically
distinguished themselves from that other,
hidden part of them. he quickly
corrected.
He was so lost in his stare, in trying to
make those enigmatic connections, that he
didn't hear Mr. Niendor calling them until he
barked at them in Japanese.
"Gomen nasai," he murmured, walking up to
the front of the class. He could feel the
others finally stir behind him, breaking the
hold the stare had over them, and slowly pace
behind him. Still, he was the first to get
there; it was almost as if his comrades were
trying to overcome some unknown fear of her.
"Jared Gold," he said thickly. Up close,
the details of her seemed to etch themselves
on his mind. Hair of golden blond, hung in a
thick, high ponytail that still trailed most
of the way down her back. Sapphire blue
eyes--well, perhaps a shade lighter--gazed
blankly out of her cute little face. The
sailor type outfit of the Japanese student
clung to her loosely, and he noticed the
broach that hung on it, a strange,
diamond-like jewel that twinkled at him
within. "Pretty cute" was his sum conclusion
about her.
The force of the thought made his eyes
widen, and lock suddenly with Serena's. For
the first time, he saw a great deal of PAIN
moving around her expression, as if she
wasn't sure how to channel...because she
never had felt it. He was automatically
angry--though he wasn't sure why.
He heard, but didn't really register, the
other boys giving their names. In fact, it
wasn't until Mr. Niendor caught Serena's
attention that the gaze was broken.
"These are my four best Japanese students
out of any class," he said slowly in English.
She seemed puzzled, but nodded anyway.
"Her English skills are somewhat lacking
right now," the woman said swiftly. "She's
also...jet lagging. That's why I requested
some of your best students to help tutor her
until she's up to speed."
"It also helps that she'll be living with
Jared," Mr. Niendor added.
his mind shrieked. He looked at
the woman, and softly asked, "What?"
She blinked, quizzically comical, and Mr.
Niendor said quickly, "It's all been arranged
with your mother, Jared. Serena is going to
stay at your house while she goes to school
here."
"Oh," Jared said. "For how long?"
"About three years."
He swallowed suddenly. He understood the
choice of his home; his mom was a home school
teacher, plus she was well-respected, plus
she had quite a few languages under her belt.
They'd been her passion as a child, and she
seemed to have a natural gift for them.
Kinda like him.
"What does this mean for the four of us,
though?" Kevin asked, his voice tuned to be
not demanding, but not taking any BS, either.
"Actually, boys, there are going to be very
few changes. When Serena's had enough
tutoring to come to school, you four will
leave class early in order to help her get
from class to class. You will also help Mrs.
Gold to tutor her in English and high school
basics. Otherwise..." and he shrugged to
indicate that whatever else there was would
be up to them.
The four boys glanced at each other, and
shrugged themselves. "This can't be too much
trouble," Nathan chimed in, a small smile on
his face.
"Thank you," Serena suddenly said, voice
soft and high, a touch of...well, Valley Girl
accent in her voice.
"Your welcome Serena," they replied in
unison, with a short nod of the head.
A radiant smile broke out onto Serena's
face, and they smiled back. Jade
thought,
* * * *
Jared
thought, frowning to himself. He and Serena,
after a hectic (for him, at least) school
day, had been dropped off by Nathan on his
way home. It wasn't unusual; Nate was a busy
person. Also, Serena needed to start
learning her way around, or so his mother
said. He personally thought it was a but
harsh for someone who was going to be around
for the next coupla years.
Her stole a glance at her, and was surprised
to find sadness in her face. He would've
understood homesickness, excitement,
weariness...but not this sadness, or the pain
he'd witnessed this morning. he thought to himself.
|Are you all right?| he asked in careful
Japanese.
She jerked from whatever thoughts she was
having, and a false smiled appeared on her
face. |Fine, fine,| she replied.
|Serena...don't lie.|
She seemed to jump, shocked, and he grinned
to himself. |What do you mean?| she asked.
|I..|
|I can read you, Serena. It's a gift I have
with people. And you seem sad,| he replied
matter-o'-factly.
Her step faltered, and her head went down.
|I am sad,| she whispered back. |Shouldn't I
be?|
|Homesick, I guess. Worn out, sure. But
you don't seem the type to be sad,| he said,
his unspoken thought
barely held back. It unnerved him how much
he felt himself melding, meshing with her--
they just CLICKED. He thought her beautiful,
but not...for him.
She was quiet for a little bit, then asked,
|Uh...so, I'm living at your house?|
|Yep. It'll be you, me, mom, and my
thousand or so cats.|
|Cats?| She almost flinched. |You have
cats?| A short pause, and then quietly, |Any
plain black, or plain white?|
He smiled to himself. |Nope. I strongly
dislike black cats for some reason, and the
white ones are too hard to care for. Most of
them are some mixture of colors, and I don't
think ANY of them are purebred.|
|You don't have any brothers or sisters,
Jared?|
|None at all, Serena.| he thought.
She sniffed a bit, then said, |I had a
brother at home. Really annoying.| She
paused to sniff again, and he wondered if she
had a runny nose or was fighting back tears.
|I miss him.|
He stopped and turned to face her, putting a
hand on her shoulder. She stopped as well,
head down. "Serena," he said softly, and she
looked at him. He opened his arms, and she
rushed into them to give him a HUGE hug that
nearly knocked him into the street. He
stumbled, regained his balance, and closed
the circle.
|I miss them all, so much! But I had to
go...and leave my family,| she sobbed against
him. |Oh...|
|Serena, if you want, I'll be your brother,|
he whispered to her as she shook against him.
|We will be your family now, mom and me and
my friends.|
She pulled away abruptly, and looked at him
with eyes that shone almost as fiercely as
the gem in her broach. |You will?| she
asked, voice soft and believing.
He smiled and nodded. |Of course, Serena.|
She smiled again, that radiant, wonderful
smile, and suddenly before him flashed
another picture, another person...but then it
vanished, leaving only Serena once more.
"You...okay?" she asked, her English musical
in a stammering sort of way.
"Yes," he replied. "Ready?"
She nodded, and they resumed their course
towards home. Already her mood seemed to
have brightened, and with it came a sort of
glow to her features, the kind that only came
with true happiness.
Before he could ponder, she broke into his
thoughts by saying, |You know what?|
|What?|
|I'm STARVING.|
He grinned. |I'm sure my mom has some food
at home, just waiting for...|
|Let's go then!| she squealed, and soon they
were both running towards his home, grinning,
smiling, as Serena's blond hair billowed in
the breeze.
|This is your room, Serena,| Jared said,
gesturing to the fake oak door. He had been
trying to get over how much she'd eaten--
--when
his mother had noticed the sleep creeping
into her face, and had asked him to
show her to her room. The two of them had
really hit it off, especially when Serena
found out she could cook like a whirlwind and
his mom found someone to appreciate her food.
She always complained that Jared never ate
enough; now, he hoped, she'd be satisfied
with Serena and leave him alone.
|Thank you, Jared,| she said. Looking
around, she asked, |And where do you sleep?|
He couldn't help the smile as he replied,
|The other end of the house.|
She giggled, and then said in a proper tone,
|Well, I shall try not make your mom
suspicious so that she moves you out to the
garage. It looks cold.|
He nodded, then smiled. |Well, I'd love to
stay and chat, but I have to go study,| he
replied, noticing the face she made at that.
|Get used to it, Serena--you're over here to
go to school.|
|Doesn't mean I have to like it, Jade!| she
grimaced.
He grinned. |Go to bed, Serena,| he said,
then turned and walked down the hallway
towards his room. He heard her open the
door, and then a few moments later close it;
satisfied, he raced through the house to get
to his room. Upon entering, he closed the
door and locked it, then took a flying leap
onto his bed, bouncing agilely to land on his
feet on the other side.
he
thought, falling back to land on the dark
blue blanket and stare at the fresh white
ceiling. A sigh escaped his lips; with
Serena here now, they wouldn't have as many
chances to explore the MYSTERY surrounding
them.
he
thought. He
sighed.
Ever since that day at Nathan's when who
they were had come totally to the surface,
they'd been trying to get in contact with
their powers. They knew that they HAD them,
but they just couldn't REACH them for some
reason. They'd been trying to figure it out
even as they'd tried to reach for the
untapped power within themselves. It was
incredibly frustrating for the four of them,
especially since hard things like school and
social graces had come so easily to them.
Even Zachary, who really didn't care for
anyone besides the company of his friends,
was always civil. They could get good
grades, interact well with people, stand
their ground if they had to--but they
couldn't touch the power they'd been born to
use.
he thought. He
grinned to himself at the thought, then
rolled over to check the clock. Almost 4:00
He had plenty of time to try to reach inside
before he started his homework; after all,
the guys weren't due until five.
He closed his eyes.
Serena decided as she
lay on her bed, the Luna Pen in her fingers.
Her suitcase lay open in front of her, the
things she'd packed neatly rummaged through.
She had, for some reason, wanted to hold this
piece of her past right then.
she thought in a dry, sunny room. A
tiger striped cat with glowing green eyes had
snuggled up to her, and she let her free hand
stroke its fur. It purred contentedly, and
she felt that it would soon be asleep.
She sighed.
She swallowed, feeling the tears rise in
eyes, knowing that the hot drops would pour
down her face in seconds.
her mind ordered.
She touched her broach, and sat up,
disturbing the cat. Instead of the yowl she
was used to, it only tossed her a sharp look
before padding over to another part of the
bed to lay down. She tossed the Luna Pen in
her suitcase and shut it, pushing it towards
the closet. Her room was small, but not TOO
small, and was a very happy harmony of colors
that she liked a lot. Her bed was soft, and
her comforter fluffy and warm; she had ample
storage space, and Mama Gold had already
talked about going shopping. The love that
had radiated from the woman had surprised
her, but then again, it hadn't. Her own
mother..
"Mother," she whispered as she unhooked her
broach. She lay on the bed on her stomach,
and fingered the broach carefully. The
Imperial Crystal shined at her from within,
and she traced the ribbon design on the front
of it. "Mother," she whispered again. "Are
you there, Mother?"
The crystal shimmered, and suddenly an image
of a beautiful lady appeared, her hair in
odangos and gossamer fairy wings coming out
of her back.
"Oh Mother, why is it so hard?" she cried
out softly, slumping on the broach.
the glowing crystal
replied.
"Setsuna?"
Queen Selenity chuckled.
"My time here?" she asked, looking up. "But
mother, I'm never going back!"
Selenity
replied. She smiled.
"No Mother, I couldn't. I just suddenly
knew."
The tiny woman grew serious. She smiled.
"And mine with you, Mother," she replied
softly. The crystal began to glow once more,
and then Queen Selenity vanished, and it
returned to just a sparkle, a hint of its
inner light.
Serena started to clip it back onto her
uniform, but stopped herself. Instead, she
set it aside, crawled under the covers, and
cradled it in her hands as she fell asleep.
Jared's eyes popped open. he
thought to himself, gritting his teeth.
* * * *
The boys had been tutoring Serena for almost
two weeks when Zachary fell sick again. Now
Miss Maley was being totally rude about
anyone coming to see them, and they all
sheered away, despite Serena's protests.
She'd somehow found something of a kindred
spirit in Zachary, probably because they both
liked to draw, and really wanted to go see
how he was doing. That was before Nate took
her aside and explained what Miss Maley was
like, leaving Serena to mutter something
about "youma" and "dusting."
Kev's place had been chosen for the next
tutoring session. Serena had been moving
along fairly fast with the double help, and
most thought she'd be in school fairly soon.
Of course, she'd have to take summer school
to make up the credits she'd missed, but with
their tutoring and her hungry mind, she would
probably test out of freshman year classes.
Serena grinned whenever they talked about
her progress. They never would've suspected
what kind of student she'd been back home.
However, without the distractions of
a)Youma, b)the Senshi, c)Reenie, and
d)Darien...
she reminded herself.
Nate was the last to stumble in just as they
were drilling Serena on prepositions. Jade's
mom had given them a strict outline to follow
with her, featuring a lot of structural
grammar and pronunciation exercises. He
looked almost dishelved, but he was grinning
wildly and happily.
|Hello everyone,| he said sweetly, sitting
down. Then, |Serena, what did you do to your
hair?|
She looked up, uneasily fingering one of the
long streamers of hair that fell from her
odangos. She hadn't worn her hair like this
since she'd left Japan, but seeing her clips
last night...she'd figured, why not? Jared
and Kevin had both reacted the same way.
"Like it?" she asked slowly.
"Yes, I do," he replied as slowly. "Nice
'l', Serena."
She nodded thankfully, a soft blush on her
face. Most Japanese people had some trouble
with pronouncing the letter "l"; he'd read
about it during his research on the campaign
against the Japanese during W.W.II. They
used to give any spy they caught long, "l"
filled words in order to catch them on it.
It had been one of the things they drilled
Serena on slowly, and she was doing fine with
it now. In fact, the Valley Girl piece of
her voice was starting to slowly replace her
Japanese one.
They set to work, going over all the preps
they knew. Serena watched gleefully as the
boys challenged each other to recall them,
and they all laughed when Kevin bewilderedly
tried to remember what came between "with"
and "without." After the fun, they drilled
Serena slowly on them and their grammatical
usage, as the outline said to do.
Next came the review of synonyms and
antonyms. |Pick any word, and we'll
explain,| Jared said.
|Peace,| she replied softly, a glint in her
eye. Again, a picture seemed to flash in
Jared's inner eye, but the details and
memories would not work themselves out, so he
ignored it.
"The lady chooses 'peace,' men," he
affirmed, pronouncing the word for her, then
turning to the others. "Is this in English
or Japanese, Kevin?"
"English."
"Cool!" he said. To Serena, he explained,
"Antonyms, as you probably know, are words
with the opposite meaning to the word you
just picked. We're going to name some for
you."
She nodded, and they began to spin words
around the circle. She studied them all
closely, how they shaped their lips, how the
sounds came out, but another picture kept
intruding on her mind. It visited her often
during these study sessions; it was one of
four older men, looking somewhat like these
guys she saw here, talking with each other.
Smiling at her, laughing with her. She
sensed a protective emotion towards her in
these memories, though she didn't know why.
The pictures flashed in and out, but she
couldn't make sense of what her mind was
trying so hard to tell her.
"All right, Serena, your turn," Kevin said,
and slowly she repeated the antonyms of
"peace" back to the three of them. They
nodded or corrected her softly until she got
through the whole list.
"Now for synonyms," Jared said.
"These are words that mean about the same as
your word, Serena," Nathan explained.
"Understand?"
She nodded.
"All right, I'll go first," he said.
"Tranquillity."
"Harmony," Kevin said.
"Oh, take all the good ones," Jared groused.
"I guess that leaves me with Serenity."
Serena's eyes widened, as did Jared's. They
both stood suddenly, and Jared repeated
"Serenity," then |Serenity!|
And between them, unseen, passed a current
of red energy.
And then their eyes widened more, and they
began to hug each other crazily.
"What's so big about Serenity?" Kevin asked
Nate...yet suddenly a thought crept into his
mind, and he slowly stood as well, and stared
at her. |Serenity?| he said haltingly, his
voice unsure.
She and Jared stopped hugging, and she
looked over at him. Their eyes locked, and
something slipped to the surface of his mind
as a current of grayish energy touched him...
"Serenity!" he cried out, and picked her up
in a fantastic hug, whirling her around. She
grinned widely when he set her down, and he
grinned back happily.
Nathan was totally confused. "All right,
what's the deal with this 'Serenity' thing?"
A minute later he held her in a tight hug,
smiling, eyes almost watering in happiness.
"It's good to see you again, Princess," he
said softly.
"I..yes, it's good to see you as well," she
replied.
"How did we not remember...wait, your
Highness, you're speaking in English!" he
said.
"No, no, we're not," she said. "It's the
common language of Sol." She smiled. "I can
not believe I forgot you! And poor Zoicite!"
"We didn't remember you either, Princess,"
Jade said. "In fact, we didn't really
remember much of anything--just who we were
and our oaths. How odd."
"Does this mean we can use our powers now?"
Nate asked.
"Couldn't hurt to try," Kev said, and the
three of them formed a line in the room, feet
a shoulder length apart, arms behind their
backs, heads down. Serena watched them
visibly tense for awhile...but nothing
happened.
Finally, they relaxed. "Not yet," Jared
said.
"Something's still blocking us," Kevin
growled.
"Calm down, Kev! We can't get everything all
at once, and now that we've got the Princess
back, it should be anytime now," Nathan
admonished.
"You're right," Kevin said, and he nearly
smiled.
"GROUP HUG!" Jared yelled suddenly, and
Serena swiftly found herself squashed between
the three men. She started to giggle, and
then laughed outright; the boys followed her,
and by the time they separated the whole room
was filled with laughter.
When it'd died down, and it was time to get
back to work, Kevin looked her straight in
the eye and asked softly, "Serena...when do I
get to meet Minako again?"
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