Hey all! Sorry it took so long; future parts

should NOT follow the same schedule.

 DISCLAIMERS:

1) I don't own Sailor Moon or any of the other

Sailors, nor the Generals, nor Tux, nor the

Crystal, etc. etc.  They belong to people with

lawyers straight from the Negaverse, so no creative

infringement is intended.  I do own the villians;

Paramount Studios has a slight interest in Wes.

2) Most of the lyrics this week that are foreign

are Spanish, and though it's a beautiful language,

it sometimes translates weird.  Forgive us!

3) The last line is: "I want to make you mine,

no matter what."  I would have it on my page,

'cept for technical difficulties.

4) This takes place nearly directly after part

ten; you may want to review the last part of

it to understand.



    The Four Lovers: Air On a Cosmic String



XI. Unmasked



 You're still the one...

 You're still the one I run to

 The one that I belong to

 You're still the one I want for life

 You're still the one

 You're still the one that I love

 The only one I dream of...

   --"You're Still The One"



 I know that you take advantage of my absence

 To tell her tales about the Moon

 And one thousand sweet things

 I know, that she holds your hand

 Just as a good friend's hand

 But you caress it

 And crush it....

   --"Pobre Diablo" (Poor Devil)

      Credit to Alys and Marisol for finding it

      and the translation



 On the island of pain

 I remember your heat

 I would wish to die

 Close to you

   --"Bella Maria de mi Alma"

     (Beautiful Maria of My Soul)

     My trans



 Yes, maybe, you'll understand

 That I don't know how to express myself well

 Yes, maybe, you'll be able to see

 That there's no other women

 Better than you

 For me

   --"Te Quiero" (I Love You, a duet)

      My trans



Quiero hacerte mia, cueste lo que cueste

   --Demando



 Twist...turn...

 <No, please, no!>

 A blanket crumpled around a heated body, slick sweat painting

a high forehead...

 <I don't want to see...>

 And a voice that whispered a continuous refrain, so low he

could never make it out, but yet he knew...

 >It is too late.<

 >It is TOO late.<

 >I have always been too late...<

 "NO!"

 The cry wasn't much of a cry, more of a bark as Kevin launched

himself up from the couch, eyes unseeing but filled to the brim

with gray pain and strife, striated coloring reflecting a soul

besieged.

 "no," he whispered again, and suddenly his vision was clear,

the air was cool, and he was safe again.

 He immediately surpressed a sob.

 Safe.

 What a relative word.

 His body automatically sucked in air for him, heart rate

steadily returning to normal as oxygen filled his lungs and

carbon dioxide left, as his pituitary gland squeezed out the

"relax" hormone signals, ordering his adrenal glands to shut

off their production along with other things.  Mentally,

though, his brain would just not shut down.  In his spirit, he

felt like someone had just slashed him with a poisoned knife.

 He sighed again, and his body tingled slightly, like he was

exhaling more than just air.  Tension cramped his muscles

again, then slowly wound out as he continued to breath; yet, at

the same time, this icy, harsh pain crackled on the edges of

his heart, of his soul.

 He wasn't sure what to make of it.  Not his body's reaction,

but the...that...

 His legs swung over, and his head fell between his hands,

palms contacting and covering his mouth as his fingers felt a

trace of a tear near his eye.  He took a deep, shuddering

breath and scrunched his eyes tight, trying to remember, trying

to forget...

 >Too late.<

 He moaned softly then, unable to understand the words, for

they came so fast! But he knew they were...pained, to say the

least.  A soul condemned to eternal torment, a damned voice

crying for water, for redemption as it damned itself again.

The wound in his soul seeped and bled more, weeping eternal

tears for such a voice...

 "Kevin."

 His head shot up, hands still cupped, pain evaporating to the

back of his mind as his fierce eyes scanned and strafed the

room.  He knew that voice...God, it had called his name every

day for one summer! A single, short--too short...--summer,

ending in a wash of power and adding another slit to his soul.

 He'd almost given it up for illusion when another whisper

slanted sharply across his ears: "Kevin."

 <I'm not going crazy, I'm not!> his mind cried out as he

looked around again, eyes finding every corner of the room,

darting over the cats and the corners, the rough patches in the

carpet, the slightly worn table.  He even examined the ceiling,

slightly stained from smoke.  And still, there was nothing

there.  NOTHING...

 A sparkle whispered into his vision, shyly, hesitantly, before

exploding into a firework of sparkles that transmuted--<ha ha,

good one Kevin>--swiftly into a figure.  A slight figure,

outlined in deep green, hunter-forest green, exactly as he

remembered her.  Deep, deep black hair with its unusual green

highlights, sweet, soft, and emotional eyes, green diamonds

that sparkled and shone in contrast to her pallor, in contrast

to the small, dark, heart shaped mouth.  She seemed unsure for

a moment, just a moment, before she fixed him with a look he

remembered well.

 He would not allow her name to sear his brain, though.  What

did she represent to him, besides a summer full of memories?

No memories, actually--some pain, a bit of loss, a sparkle of

jealously, a rose of love.  She paled doubly next to Mina, but

she was, for a summer, a smoldering danger...

 His eyes widened.  She WAS danger, as they suspected, as had

been proven as the days cooled into fall.  And she always would

remain danger, a sharp, icy, panther-in-the-shadows danger.

 So this image conjured...danger.

 "mina," he breathed.

 The image of...her flickered briefly, and suddenly, in the

time it would take one to blink, there was another image in its

place.  A raw, bloody, dying image, an image that would cram

its way into his brain and sear itself on his eyes, an image

that he wished...

 /the blond hair drank blood/

 "no."

 /the whiteness stained crimson/

 He tried to turn away, but firm hands seemed to grip his head;

if he twisted away, he'd break his own neck.

 /one hand, reaching.../

 His eyes couldn't, wouldn't shut, even as he tried.

 /loving eyes gone flat, gone cold/

 He looked.

 It was gone.  In its place was Lord Kunzite.

 He wasn't happy, to say the least.

 The hands at the side of his head, the fingers under his

eyelids that propped them open--they all disappeared as he

gaped at his elder self.  Hazy and dishelved, he looked angry

enough to toast his younger self, or at least beat him about

the head and shoulders with an unabridged dictionary.

 >Ignoring my warning?<

 "Wha...?"

 >A sensible, sensitive man would've been up already, but you

are too stubborn.<

 "I'm also very tired, thank you," he retorted harshly.  He

didn't regret the words right away.

 That is, until Lord Kunzite exploded in flurries and sketches,

arches, seething power all directed at him.

 <Oh shi...>

 His thought was cut off by the sudden jerking forwards of his

body, and the flashing, glowing curves of gray meeting his.  A

glove hand smacked him across the face angrily before shifting

around to grab the scruff of his neck.  A hissing voice

penetrated his ears, so close it sounded real, except for the

fact that there was no warmth breath to shrivel his insides.

 >You think that I joke?! It'll be a joke when she wakes up and

runs to the bathroom and you find her in a pool of crimson too,

right?!  IS that what you think?!<

 He was tossed across the room to the couch again, rolling in

his flight so that he could face himself again.  He was scared,

a little afraid, and now, bizarrly angry.

 "What do you mean?" he asked, low voice sounding like a snarl.

 >What do I mean?  How can you ignore the symbols?  The

nightmares, your particular view of danger, and...<

 "Oh, great!" Kevin laughed softly.  "Something's wrong, and

you chose to tell me SYMBOLICALLY?"

 >It's the only way I can, idiot!< the Elder snapped, eyes

blazing steel gray like two strips of tiny neon lights.  >And

you're lucky, damn lucky, I can speak with you at all!  I've

had enough patience with you!<

 "Why are you doing this?  Why do you hate me?" ripped from his

mouth, and in unison both backed away in surprise.  The timing

was almost comical in a way, but the room was so potent with

emotion that a laugh would've shriveled instantly away.

 >I don't hate you.<

 "I know."

 The light show spreading from the Elder's body dissipated, and

he appeared old and weary.  >There's just so little time left.

And I have...always been...late.  Too late.<

 The words hit him like a shock wave, slapping into his face

with the blindness of an ocean wave.  "Mina," he whispered

again.

 He didn't know he moved, he just did.  Seconds later he found

himself staring into Mina's bedroom, an arc of moonlight barely

making it through her bedroom window to illuminate bits and

pieces of him.  He regained his sense of where he was, and

softly padded over to her.  For a moment he watched her, rolled

into her blanket, blond hair to him, face away, more moonlight

slanting over him, minting his white hair and casting his face

in soft, moody light.  There was a nearby chair; he pulled it

up to sit near her and just look at the bulk of blond.

 /stained crimson/

 He reached over and touched it lightly, running his hands down

the silken steel wool, together so soft, individually tiny,

sharp threads.  She stirred softly under his touch, and he

backed off, wondering if he might awaken her.  Instead, she

just turned, rolling over so he could see her face, slightly

strained but otherwise blissful, light turning her skin peach

as it glinted off her tiara.

 Wait a minute--a tiara?  He moved closer, and studied the

patch of gold that slanted across her brow.

 Mina slept as Sailor Venus?

 <This is weird,> he thought softly.

 <Ding ding ding, you won the Grand Prize for Best Statement of

the Obvious!> crowed another part of his mind, and he had to

agree.  Yet...what else could he think?  She was wearing her

tiara, and...

 Could it be an illusion, an enemy trick?  If so, where was

Mina?  Did they have Setsuna, too?  Anger began to pool inside

him, a cool, quiet anger, and inside that he acted.  He reached

over, and firmly planted his fingers on her tiara.  With a

brisk, quick motion, he pulled it off her head.

 And found out what happens when you do such a thing to a

sleeping Senshi.

 He had watched Mina de transform, seen the shimmering oranges

play across her form for a moment before becoming clothing.

However, he hadn't reckoned that this was a conscious action,

that the Senshi had to actually be awake for the clothes to

form.  So when he pulled off her tiara, as it snapped into a

flutter of light and disappeared, as she briefly glowed orange,

he expected to see some sort of night wear reform around her.

 It didn't.

 He didn't know what to do then, especially as Mina's eyes

snapped open, head smacking into her pillow as she turned

towards him.  And they were afraid.

 Very afraid.

 He instinctively slid from the chair down to his knees, his

own eyes coming about level with hers.  She stared at him,

frozen, without blinking, pupils stretched wide and stuck,

silver gone from her eyes.  They were completely flat, non

placid, slightly frenzied pieces of blue, stamped into her

sockets and called "eyes", though he couldn't see a soul there.

 It was then that she opened her mouth, and began to whisper.

And these weren't anything defined, nothing but words,

syllables, strung together in a hopeless attempt to

communicate.

 "it was his tongue, I guess," she whispered in a tiny, clear

voice with not the slightest hint of a hiss.  "small, wiped

over...whipped my brain.  I could feel it, you know.  feel

every inch of it, tiniest pores..." she leaned forward and

back, emphasizing something.  "touch, touch, touch...taste,

taste, taste.  see, see, see, oh look! disturb memory, private

memory, love me, love me, no i don't want to!" She shuddered

violently.  "he saw it all...no, he licked it all!"

 "Mina," he said gently.

 She began to cry, very soft, mewling sobs.

 "Mina," he repeated, feeling helpless.

 "Kevin!"

 <Huh?> "Yes?"

 That wasn't what she meant.

 "he even saw Kevin! he liked that...liked to lick...taste,

feel, see! he wanted to take it all, all of Kevin...my Kevin!"

She snatched at her blankets fiercely.  "mine! all mine!"

 His eyebrows rose, but he refused to leave her side just so he

could puzzle over that.  Instead, he moved closer, leaning on

his arms on the side of the bed, saying softly, "It's all right

Mina.  I'm here."

 "here?  not taken!" She sat up partially in the excitement,

covers drifting down over her body, proving that, indeed,

Senshi got VERY naked under their fuku.  Almost absentmindedly,

as if remembering some minute detail, she pulled up the covers,

barely covering herself with what she held, bunched in her

hand, shoulders golden and bare, hair shielding what she

forgot.

 "Not taken," he said softly, moving closer.  "Never taken."

 Her eyes softened mysteriously, and a little silver crept back

into them, even if they still were mostly those hard planes of

blue glass.  "never?"

 He swallowed, but repeated quietly, "Never."

 She stared at him, eyes flattening again.  "not there," she

whispered.  "wasn't there...not never.  never never....always

left there."  She grinned humorously, plopping back down on her

bed, staring up at the ceiling as her hair flopped listlessly

around her.  "me and my kiitty," she sang softly; her face

changed, becoming more and more heartbroken, until despair was

written all over it, and tears trickled lifelessly from her

eyes.  She didn't know why she cried; she just did.

 Kevin backed off then, trying to puzzle this out.  Why had she

been Sailor Venus?  Why had taking her tiara off made her

(naked) crazy?  What in the HELL was going on here?

 As she cried, he slid all the way to the floor, legs

protesting as he pulled them up beneath him.  After a little

rearranging, he was able to look back at her, frustrated, mad,

and softly scared.

 It was then that he had a glimmer of an idea.

 He squinted a little, just a bit, and read the currents of

energy around her.  And was completely blown away when he saw

the after marks of dark energy about her.  In fact, it was the

exact same dark energy he'd seen when...

 Serena.

 Same as around her.

 The anger built quietly, forcing itself to the surface, and he

had to stand up, to back off a little, before he went and got

Setsuna up to...

 Setsuna.  Where in the world was Setsuna?  Had she been...no,

she hadn't!

 <When she gets back, we're going to have a LONG talk!> his

mind raged, but he shook it off.  He need to get this dark

energy out of Mina's system; he knew that she was more fragile

than she looked.  EKunzite's remarks about the sink made

definite sense now.

 He walked out to the kitchen--<yep, no Setsuna>--and got a

glass of water.  Returning to the bedroom, he found Mina

starting to get up, fist clenched about the covers, dragging

them across her as she swung her legs about.  Momentarily

stunned--even if he wasn't seeing anything more than her fuku

revealed, it seemed so much more with so much more there to

show--he recovered and hurried over to her, setting down the

glass and softly saying, "Mina, don't get up."

 "noo..." she whimpered.  "noo...hafta...hafta!"

 "Mina, no.  It's better for you to stay in bed," he said ever

so softly, ever so gently.

 "Hafta!" she demanded, pushing against him as she pushed up,

attempting to fight him off.  As part of him busily wove his

magic, the other part of him rebounded off her push, trying to

gently get her back into bed.

 She wouldn't stand it.

 "Pluto...Pluto need me...let me go, Pluto needs me! he wants

to take her...take her and...let me go!" she yelled, voice

breaching that whisper barrier it had so long held.  The sound

seemed to shock her, and she gasped, but then she urgently

added, "Now!"

 "Mina, no!" His voice was firm.  "You need to stay in bed.

You're not feeling well.  You NEED to stay here."

 At this point, he was holding both of her wrists slightly

apart, her right one holding the blanket, which cut across the

slope of her breast and up to her shoulder, falling delicately

to the floor at that angle.  There was a fierce, tense heat

between them, as Sanity struggled against Insanity, one trying

to subdue the other for their own good as the other tried to

subdue the one for another's good.  Unnoticed but not

unnoticeable was another sticky heat that broke between them,

an intangible tangibility that scored her wrists where his skin

touched them and splashed between them any time their eyes met.

 "need?"

 The word slipped between them softly, and spore-like,

shattered betwixt, ending the battle.  He still held her wrist,

tendons and muscles straining as she pushed against him; the

blanket was slowly slipping away as her grip was needed to

fight him.  Both hands were fisted loosely as if ready to beat

him, and as the word was breathed out her face was cracked with

violence, a near snarl to match the fierceness of his eyes.

 Yet with one word, it all softened.  He loosened his death

grip on her wrists, and their eyes met slowly and sheepishly.

He resisted the urge to scrub a hand through is hair.  "Mina,"

he said.  "I'm sorry, but you aren't yourself, and you NEED to

go to bed."

 "you need?" she repeated softly, in a voice that propelled

Kevin back to the days of his first dates, and those uncertain

moments on front stoops.  He avoided her eyes but could not

resist coming back to them, even if they still were mostly flat

and without silver.  However, the look she gave him, the

inquisitiveness in her words, caught him completely off guard.

He bit his lip, wondering what to say.

 "Uhh, well, uhm...yes, Mina, I need you to get back to bed as

well.  You're not yourself," he decided on, mentally laying

down the last touch on his spell.

 She didn't respond, but unsurely came closer, looking up at

him with those flat, soft eyes.  The blanket was slipping; he

could see that as well, but something about those eyes was just

compelling.  <I really should swing that around her shoulders,>

he thought softly as their faces hovered inches apart.  <She

needs to be covered--I sure as hell need her to be covered!--so

I should just do that and go back to bed.  Yea, that's what...>

 "i need you," she murmured.

 His eyes widened, and he gasped for air.  "Wha..."

 "i need you," she said again, and for a moment he completely

forgot it wasn't really Mina, the true, as-sane-as-possible

Mina, and it shocked him completely.

 <Come on, it's not...>

 <She can't be really...>

 <What did she mean...>

 "kevin," she murmured, and now, for a blissful few seconds,

her eyes were curved and full of blue and silver, a calming

touch of sanity on his scarred skin.  "i need...you."

 With that, she closed the gap between them, and just as her

lips touched his, he dropped the spell on her.

 The effect was instantaneous.  One moment, their lips were

lightly pressed together, and then she froze.  Calmly he pulled

her into his arms, and for a few, hot moments stroked her hair

as her body twitched between him.  Finally, she settled

smoothly against him, breathing regularly, and, to his

knowledge, completely out cold.  Easily he maneuvered her into

bed, covering her with a blanket, and then picked up the glass

of water he'd set aside and drank most of it in one long gulp.

He feverishly rubbed his lips into the back of his hand, trying

to erase her momentary touch and failing, even as he

rationalized his actions.  <I had to,> he thought as sipped his

water again, swishing it around her mouth and letting some

spill onto his lips in order to cool them.  <She was...anyways,

I need to get to bed.  Talk to Setsuna, get to bed...>

 However, the moment he sat on the couch, he felt wrong.  He

looked around for any sign, scanned the room twice with both

sets of vision, and saw nothing...but still, there was

something, someplace else he was supposed to be.

 Which is why, five minutes later, Kevin was curled up on the

floor of Mina's room, position mirroring that of her on her

bed.  He slept well.

*       *       *       *

 Shock raced through her, even as her feet barely touched the

floor.  Eyes wide, she stared at him, but the angle of his mask

now shielded his midnight eyes.  She stepped away from him, and

her mouth would've dropped if it wasn't for her mask.

 <SERENA, CALM DOWN! Honestly, you dropped enough hints,>

whispered her cavalier mind, but her hands still shook as she

unwound her mask from her face and shook out her blond hair.

She was able to say clearly, "I don't need THIS anymore," and

dropped it to the floor, a shiver washing up her spine.  In a

swift and fading moment of courage, she managed to cross into

his space and take his mask as well.  She tossed this to the

floor with the rest of the heap.

 "No, I guess we don't," he replied evenly.  Though Darien

Chiba had long been accustomed to holding himself in check, he

could barely reign the urge to gawk.  The Serena that stood

before him with hair that cascaded down a little past her butt

was a mature beauty, and so much more than he'd ever dreamed

about.  He felt a thousand different things, urges tearing him

to pieces, but the strongest held him fast to floor, two feet

away but so far from her.

 "When did you know?" she questioned, accusing and wondering in

one breath.  Despite the hissed accusations that were being

mentally put forth, she really did want to know.

 He swallowed--<here comes something you didn't really want to

face, eh Chiba?>--and shifted his weight, thinking for a

moment.  "When you mentioned Jade, I guess...I've been

wondering about you since you showed up with the Generals,

and," he swallowed again and mustered himself to get through

with it without cracking, "and when you mentioned me, and how I

didn't love you.  How only destiny bound us with its string."

He gestured minutely, and in a soft blue sizzle the whole red

string appeared.  "And you were right..."

 She let out a soft moan and felt herself start to sink; she

wanted to die, right there, to crumple against the wall and lay

there until her tears froze her to it.  Though she said it to

everyone, voice laced with conviction, she never really

believed it...never could.  But he had to go and...say it was

true.

 He caught the look on her face, and cursed himself.  "No,

Serena...Usako."  He hesitantly took a step forward, and she

moved back automatically, back grazing the inner side of one of

the boxes.  His voice lowered to a silky, hesitant whisper.  "I

didn't finish.  You WERE right...but only in a way.  Destiny

may have triggered our love, but..." his voice rose now, "it

was MORE than that.  Serena, please...you have to believe."  He

stepped closer to her, eyes trembling as much as she did.  "I

love you.  Can you...?" His voice dropped off as her eyes

solidified in a look that was so peculiar...<Hell, Chiba, you

tried.  You tried and failed.  No shame in failure.  Just a

broken heart...and a lonely soul...>  His head drooped, and he

wished vainly for his mask.

 He didn't catch the light in her eyes turn from realization to

absolute euphoria, or the sudden brilliance that leapt to her

face.  She felt like turning pirouettes in glee, or slumping in

a corner and just breaking down.  She snapped, she healed; she

flew, she crashed; she was stripped, she was covered; and all

of it at once.  So, for some brief pico-moments, she was

completely unaware of Darien.  However, it swiftly dawned on

her that she was, for some reason, alone in her orgasmic

joy...and she saw him.

 <One minute of agony passed,> chimed his internal clock, and a

tear beaded at the corner of his eye.  It hesitantly crept from

the duct, as if afraid to continue on its way, but then crawled

out a little further and softly slid down the cold, soft skin

of his darkened cheek.  It was a tear of no hope, no chance for

redemption, a glossy drop from the duct of a damned soul...

 Until soft fingers reached up, and gently brushed the droplet

away.

 His head came up as if a lit match had been thrust against his

cheek; his eyes were wide and wondering.  Serena stood there

and just looked at him, her own tears welling up as if touching

him had made her a conduit for his personal pain.  His eyes

softened and questioned now, not daring to hope that she could

ACTUALLY mean something in this--nothing besides pity, anyway--

but why did she...why did she look like she was about to cry?

 "Don't cry, Serena," he whispered hoarsely.  "I...I understand

if you can't..."

 "No, no," she replied in a feathery voice.

 "No, please...I don't WANT your pity.  I...I..."

 "Darien..."

 "No, Serena!" He stepped away, out of her touch, and turned

his back on her.  "You've been away for so long, how could you

still love me! It's impossible!"  His voice dipped.  "I'm not

the kind of man a woman holds onto.  Let's face it, Serena, I'm

not right for..."

 "Shutup."

 He stopped, blinking, eyes swiveling away from the riot of

Mountain Dew colors to look at her.  "What?"

 "Shut...up."  Her voice was still soft, but the tone was that

of a gong ringing an execution.  Her eyes glowed softly; her

stance was unfriendly.

 "No, Serena.  I...can't..."

 "I do."

 "What?" Confusion rioted within him.

 "I do...believe you, Darien."  Glassy tears spilled out her

eyes.  "That you love me."

 He stood, stock still, eyes wide...and then stepped forward,

arms opening.  "Come here, then."

 She slid into his arms gracefully, tab A finally finding slot

B.  Tightly, so tightly, he held her, arms trembling not from

the strain, but because...it was her.  It was HER.  Tears

streamed from her eyes as he rocked her slightly; pulling back

to look at him, drink him in, she noticed tears of his own.

"Oh Darien," she whispered, one hand gently brushing them

before leaning up to kiss them away.  He turned her a whisper

in his arms, and their lips touched.

 Morgenstern of "The Princess Bride" once wrote that there are

five kisses everyone considers to be the greatest; however, one

exchange between his characters, "left them all behind."

 If Morgenstern had been present in the cooler as Darien and

Serena kissed once more, he would've had to revise his book.

Seconds, minutes, hours--time was nothing for these two.  Not

anymore, and not so long as either of them drew breath.

 When they paused, his hand delicately stroked her hair, face

and watery eyes, as if he was trying to affirm, truly affirm,

that she was really there.  "Please...please tell me I'm not

dreaming," came his soft, desperate voice.

 "Does a dream feel this," she leaned up to gently kiss him

again, "real?"

 A low shudder went through his body, and in a low whisper he

replied, "It has for five years."

 "Darien," she said softly, a wry grin on her face, "I'm real."

 His eyes seemed to burst as she looked at him, and quietly he

said, "I love you, Serena.  I love you."  Years of unspilt,

painful tears began to flow from his eyes, and she gently

pulled him to her, stroking his back and his head as the

barriers inside him faltered and crumbled, the tremendous

passion locked behind them poured out.  Slowly they reached the

floor, and for a time she cradled him, whispering to him

sweetly in all of three tongues to remind him she was here for

him.  It was as if Juliet had awakened before Romeo poisoned

himself.  It was of love, fore love.

 "Harsh," he whispered some time later, the words prying a soft

grin from Serena.

 "I don't think I'll ever be dry again," she whispered dryly,

then shivered.  "Or warm."

 In reply, he encircled her with his arms, and together once

more they nestled together, the combined warmth of body heat

and their hearts gently lulling them to sleep.



*       *       *       *

 Destiny is the damnedest thing in the world.  One touch of its

hand on the strings of Fate, and a mental freakout can turn

into a passionate romance, or vice versa.  One can never be

sure what's going to happen when this strange force is

involved.

 In some cases, though, the results aren't pretty.

 "Wesley," Pluto breathed, a tear dropping out of her eye to

splatter gently on him.  Her hand stroked his face again, and

his hand came up to touch hers.  "Wesley, are you all right?"

 "Fine, Lady.  Hell, better than fine," he replied softly, hand

grasping hers.  "I didn't think you would remember me! This is

incredible!"

 "Incredible is right," she replied, smiling softly.  "I have

no memories of you at all.  That's..."

 "Impossible?  A famous woman once said, 'Impossible is a word

humans use much too often.'  I tend to agree with her."  He

smiled now, the happiness lighting his eyes.  "Nothing is

impossible when you set your mind to it."

 "You wanted me to forget you?" she questioned, brow furrowing

a bit.

 "Why would I want to do that?" he replied quietly.  "I'd much

rather die than face such a thing."  A moment of pain flickered

over his face, but it disappeared so quickly one could barely

notice it.  "But this is not the time to talk about such

things, Setsuna."  He slowly sat up, her hand falling away from

his face.

 But it wasn't because of his movement.

 She was seeing things in her Mind's Eye...disturbing

images...images of pain...

 "Wes," she whispered, paling.

 "Sets...Lady Setsuna, my God, are you all right?" he asked,

quickly standing up.  She remained kneeling, grip hard around

her staff, eyes straight ahead but unseeing.  "Setsuna!"

 She didn't look up.

 <What did he do to her?> he thought.  <Could this be residual

effect?>  Quietly he set to examining her, fishing around his

clothing for the penlight he kept there, and shining it quickly

into her eyes.  The pupils contracted, but she remained frozen.

<Not normal,> his mind whispered, and quickly he sent a soft

mental probe to check her defenses.  Nada.  Worry built within

him, and he was about to scan her with the head of his staff

when suddenly she blinked.

 "Oh, you're back," he said, relieved.

 She nodded, and slowly climbed to a stand.  He straightened as

well, and said, "You know, we'd better get back to check on..."

 **CRACK**

 Wesley reeled backwards, hand flying to his cheek where she'd

connected, mind wondering briefly if she'd broken his jaw.

 "You...left...me," she whispered, her voice that of a thwarted

Fury.  "You swore you loved me, but you LIED to me."

 "Setsuna..."

 "I am SAILOR PLUTO!" she roared, Time Staff crackling with

energy.  "And if you don't haul you ass out of here RIGHT NOW,

I'm going to reduce you to time dust."

 "I had to do it, Setsuna."  His voice was quiet and pained,

but his eyes bled with honesty.

 "You HAD to stun me, block my memories, and knot the time

currents so much around any event dealing with you that I would

never pick them?  Do you KNOW what that did?" she roared.  "I

TRUSTED you...and you used me! Worst of all,

you...stole...my...HEART!"

 "That's not true," he replied quietly.  "I read the currents,

and the knots I placed in the time stream were nothing more

than bumps in the road."

 "Your bumps in the road may have derailed the Moon Kingdom!"

 He seemed surprised, and she quickly took advantage of it.

"Get out of here, Wes," she said quietly, a ring of purple

energy forming about the Garnet Orb.  "I never want to see you

again."

 "Setsuna!"

 "Never, Wesley."  She turned away from him, and walked to the

next room.

 For the longest time, all he could was stare after her, her

words ringing in his head.  <Derailed...no way! I knew how to

read the currents before I came to her, and I would never...oh

God, she's gone.  She's gone...>

 Before he would break down, he vanished.

 Shortly afterwards, Sailor Pluto became Setsuna once more.

And she couldn't stop herself from wrapping herself in her

comforter and crying in harsh, wracking sobs for the rest of

the night.

*       *       *       *

 Soft sunlight diffused through glass was something Darien was

used to, and therefore the spill of golden beams that managed

to invade his space and touch him bothered him not.  However,

Serena had slept shaded most of the time, and therefore the

softest touch of light usually stirred her from sleep.

 It took her less than three seconds to determine where she

was.  Blissfully she enjoyed the warmth of his embrace, mind

echoing the peace and joy of it, almost sighing contentedly

just because.

 That was, until she heard the voice of Kevin outside.

 Immediately she determined not to wake up Darien from his

sober sleep; using the careful art of sneaking out she was able

to slide away from him, and stand.  Quietly, she made her way

to the racks and softly shouted, "Kevin!"

 The voice swayed slightly in reply, but there was no reply.

<Doors are shut, stooge,> she thought, and fought off a bought

of helplessness.  Concentrating on his voice, she attempted to

use her untapped mental powers to try and force contact between

their minds.  However, a shocking and searing resistance met

her, the force so strong it swept her back a foot or so,

leaving her shaky.

 <Perhaps a passive try?> she wondered, eyes wandering down the

rows to the milk stash.  Quickly she began to concentrate on

it, and was rewarded a minute or so (and a customer or so)

later with Kevin's voice saying quietly, "All right, Artemis,

what milk should we get?"

 "Mina models, remember?  No choice but skim..."

 "Yes!" she whispered, and scampered down to the end.

"Kev...Kevin...please say you can hear me! Kevin!" she called

softly, tone urgent, his head not more than half a foot from

her.  "Kevin, come on!"

 He didn't say anything, though, just agreed with Artemis and

reached for the skim.  Frustrated, she reached for his hand,

and it smacked against something that warbled around the room.

His hand stopped for a second, and she could see his gray eyes

scrutinize the inside for a moment, looking around slyly.

"Kevin!" she hissed.  "Come on, it's Serena! 'Member me?  I

first pointed Mina out to you!" She banged her hand against the

field, and it spat at her, tingles shooting up her arms.

"Kevin!"

 Either he was tired and dense, or the field was incredible,

because, for once, he shook off his paranoia, grabbed the milk,

and walked away.

 "Crud," she said, sitting back in a huff.  Her eyes quickly

slipped around the room, thinking, <At least I know there's a

field now...that could've been painful!> She glanced at Darien,

somewhat shadowed and still asleep.  <But we have to get out of

here...and that means I have to find out what this is.>  With

that, she reached into the deep folds of her outfit and

produced her broach.  Concentrating slightly, she was able to

remove the pinkish ISC, legacy of the Moon Kingdom.

 *Silver Crystal,* she sent softly.

 >Hello, my child,< the Crystal replied in a tinkle of chimes.

 *I need to ask a favor.*

 >Ask away, my dear.  I have nothing better to do.<

 *I need your help in reading these fields around us.  If we're

going to get out of here, I'd like to know what I have to

break.*

 A short, sharp burst of white was the reply, and soon it rose

from her hands, floating in a shady luminescence.  She stood as

it moved, and kept her hands near to it, just in case Darien

happened to awaken.  Even though they'd reunited, and he had to

know she'd taken it with her, she felt she had to "break him

in" slowly when it came to her newly acquired power.  After

all, it still was somewhat of a shock to her to think that she

was steps closer to understanding the Crystal than even

Serenity had been.  She wondered briefly as the Crystal

prepared itself why she was so apprehensive about it; yet,

somehow, she knew she needed to wait.

 Then the Crystal let out a beam of moonlight, striking the

field.  The shield seemed to tense for a moment before

rippling, layers peeling away under the soft light.  A small

beam split from the main one and bounced back to the Crystal,

and immediately information cascaded into Serena's mind.

 Now she had information about the field, and it was an

impressive piece of work.  It was in three layers--psionic,

dampening, and dark powereach more reactive as they went

inward.  <That explains why trying to speak to Kevin threw me

back,> she thought.

 Of course, now that she had the info, she wondered if she

could break it.  <Why not try?> she thought, and readjusted

herself, hands now coming up to cup underneath it, power

warming her skin.

 *Silver Crystal, let's break this field.*

 The crystal flashed in response, a small chime sounding in her

mind just in case she didn't catch the affirmative, and then

began to spin within her hands.  Quickly she turned herself and

focused on the wall behind her, sensing the thinnest layers

were here, and therefore hoping it'd be easier to break.  It

was just in time, too, for the Crystal then struck out with a

beam of white, snarling energy about four inches wide.  The tip

of it narrowed abruptly, and it cascaded against the dark

energy field, producing jolts of feedback that pulsed in

Serena's hands with a soft thrum.  Slowly, as she merged

herself more and more to fight the field, it crept up her hands

as an ice cold purple-blue; her teeth began to chatter, but she

fought it, kept her mind focused on the job ahead of them.

Just when she thought she'd get through--<tough shield, but

nothing compared to the ISC!>--the field locked on her,

producing a massive shock wave that rippled up the beam and

into Serena.  This energy was just too much, and with a cry she

was blown back against the other field.  This, not in the mood

to be friendly, slammed her forward against the boxes; the

Silver Crystal, contact broken, floated to the ground near her.

 For minutes she was dazed, lying there; finally she stirred,

and picked up the Silver Crystal.  She thought about placing it

back into the folds of her uniform, but balked; a sense of

foreboding filled her when she thought of it.  After all, if

one of the Trio members caught and...searched her...she would

be in deep trouble.

 <Never keep all your eggs in one basket, Ren.>  Jade's voice

flitted through her mind, and she sighed, missing him, fearing

for him, and threatening some SERIOUS payback should anyone

touch him.

 <'Sides Mars,> she added, looking about.  Quickly, her eyes

settled on her head wrap, and in moments the crystal was

wrapped within and safely tucked away among some boxes.  Taking

the Dark Crystal from her arm, she whispered, "Vacuum."

Immediately, a soft glow encircled it, and she swung it back

and forth as it absorbed all the energy traces around them.  It

also provided her with some odd news: there were life forms

close to the outer edge of the wall with high energy

signatures.  <The Senshi?> she wondered as she pushed herself

off the ground.  <Maybe the Gens, too.  They don't seem to mind

mixing the sexes.>  Stealthily she crept back to Darien,

quietly settling near him, watching him breath just because she

could.  She missed this view, she reflected, though she

couldn't quite chalk it up to any one feature.  His handsome

face was charming, but his blue eyes were absolutely

captivating, and his black hair completed a perfect picture.

Speaking of which, one hair had drifted over his face, and just

looking at it made her ticklish; carefully, she brushed it

back, smoothing it into its place.

 A hand suddenly reached up and took her, rubbing it softly

before bringing it to his mouth, lips slightly touching the

palm.  She shivered and pulled it back, both due to the

tickling feeling and the deep nerve he touched; his eyes opened

then, and she cheerily chirped, "Good morning!"

 "Morning, Usako," he replied.  "Been up long?"

 "Not too long," she replied with a grin, and he grinned back,

sitting up.

 "Good," he said.  "Cold?"

 "Nope," she replied.  "Hungry, though.  What's for breakfast?"

 He smiled at her, thinking quietly, <Same old Serena.>



 A disquieting feeling touched on Kevin as he rounded up the

rest of his purchases--cereal, bread, butter, and tea--and went

up to the counter.  He wondered if it was the fact that Setsuna

hadn't come back to the house this morning, or that Mina had

awoken early, refreshed and energetic, not remembering a single

thing that had happened since she'd gone to bed.

 <Good thing,> he thought quietly.  He wasn't sure if he

would've been able to handle it if she had remembered.  There

were too many...oddities about their close encounter the night

before, things he couldn't quite get around.  Mostly what she'd

said, actually.  In fact, it'd bugged him so much that he could

barely meet her eye this morning; everytime he did, he flashed

back to those soft sobs and her insistent words.  He wondered

if his avoidance even touched her; she seemed oblivious, and

the cats were too preoccupied with Sets' disappearance to care

much.

 Well, that's not exactly true, because Artemis noticed.  It

was the reason he'd accompanied Kevin, just to see if he could

pierce that shell of his and find out what could've happened.

However, he found the man pensive and uncommunicative, which

wasn't too extraordinary for Kevin, but not well within

ordinary, either.  It was puzzle, and Artemis was not too found

of puzzles, especially before cream.  <And we still have to

move, too,> he thought.

 Kevin didn't notice the cashier for the longest time as he

stacked the merchandise on the counter and fished for his

wallet, listening for the amount.  It took so LONG, though,

that he looked up to see an elderly woman trying impatiently to

run the loaf of bread through the scanner.  She had thinning

gray hair and long, slim and wrinkled hands; her eyes he

noticed quickly, their intense green color blighting out most

of her facial features.  His own eyes narrowed, wondering where

he'd seen that intense green before...urgh, why couldn't he

remember?  True, he hadn't had his morning coffee, but he was

better than that...he softly shook his head and flicked away

the emotion, something Artemis caught and processed.

 After the loaf, all other items went through rather quickly,

and the cashier made up for lost time by rapidly counting out

change and handing it to him.  As he turned away, she smiled

and said, "Have a nice day."

 The voice was ancient, but there was a chord underneath it

that struck him hard, and he knew he'd heard it before,

recently.  But again, the memory fumbled and slipped away

before he could identify it.  In this haze he walked out the

door, trying to remember, and furious at himself for not.

 Behind the counter, Katarina watched him curiously.  <Did he

know?> she wondered.  <I sensed great power from him...could he

be another General?>  She smiled to herself.  <The Master would

LOVE to hear of this.>

*       *       *       *

 The Master summoned Hielo late in the morning, his psionic

call tense and pained.  When Hielo arrived, he was shocked.

"Master..." he called out.

 "It's better than it looks," the Master replied, voice tightly

suave.  He had no shirt on, and only a robe was thrown casually

over his legs, revealing his carefully kept feet.  The rest of

his body was streaked with blue and red marks, some colliding

in a purple bruise, all faded but painful looking.  "I've set a

healing spell on it all night, but chronal attacks are

notoriously bad healers."  He managed a weak smile, eyes still

dark and heavy.  "I could've passed for a Shellmouth/Rigelian

mix before."

 Hielo was in no means waylaid by the banter.  "May I...?" he

asked, tapping his forehead.

 The Master shrugged.  "If you feel you must..." he replied,

and closed his eyes.

 Immediately, a sensuous warmth surged over the link between

the two, and the Master cooed softly.  He let the connection

hold for five or so minutes, and then without warning snapped

it off.  Hielo stumbled a little, going down to both knees, but

quickly recovered.

 He wasn't the only one to recover.  Most of the streaks that

lined the Master's body had dissolved away, and only a few of

the softer torso bruises remained.  The best part was the

resulting euphoria of the connection; he almost seemed to glow.

"Thank you, Hielo," he whispered softly, a smug smile appearing

on his face.  "That was...nice."

 "You are welcome, Master," Hielo replied.  He barely felt the

drain; Mars was an ample supplier.

 The Master stood up then, and the robe fell to the ground,

leaving him naked for a few moments.  Like this, he strode

across the room and picked up a single, multi-faceted crystal,

a riot of colors when the light touched it.  As a second

thought he threw on the robe, then presented it to Hielo.

"Take this to Katarina, and have it analyzed.  It contains all

the info I gleaned from that...man's...attack on me last

night."  Rage seethed in his dark eyes, and a snarl appeared on

his face.  "The trickery of that fool...I felt his surpressing

of Lady Pluto last night! How dare he trifle with such

nobility?  If it had not been for his mental impressment, I

would've had her last night."  A dark glint swam through his

eyes for a moment.  "She would be most suitable company for the

Princess, wouldn't you say?"

 "Yes, my Master," Hielo replied, palming the crystal.  He felt

himself hollow out in fear, but then decided that he must go

through with this.  After all, the fields never lied, and if

what he read was true..."Master...about the Princess..."

 "Ahh! Thank you for bringing that lovely creature up!"  He

smiled.  "I want you to bring her here tonight."

 "Master?!"

 "Oh, I'm only going to have dinner with her, make up for that

dreadful occasion."  He sighed softly.  "Have you ever felt

that urge come upon you, Hielo, when you see such a woman?  I

know I shouldn't have pushed her so hard, but there are

urges...ah well.  I will just have to beg her apology."

Another gleam entered his eyes.  "And you know how well I do

that, eh Hielo?"

 "Yes, my Master," he said.  "And what of Tuxedo Mask?"

 Instantly the Master's visage darkened, and the snarl

reappeared.  "Give him to Selene.  He deserves it, that under

brained brute."

 "Yes, Master."  A pause.  "Shall I leave now to retrieve the

Princess?"

 "Yes, yes, go ahead.  Oh, take Katarina as well."

 "Yes, Master."

 He began to rise, when the Master stopped and turned.

 "One last thing," he said slowly.  "I want to see the

Princess, not the Crystal Knight.  I do not want a fight in my

dining room, understand?  Also, be careful how you handle her."

His eyes flashed.  "I do not want to have to punish you, Hielo.

However..."  Momentarily, his bare hand crackled with foamy

energy, and a wave of fear swept over him.  "Understand?"

 "Yes, my Master."

 With that, he vanished.

The two slowly finished a modest breakfast of snatched food

products and Mountain Dew, savoring their meal with the two of

them reunited.  Each moment seemed to be one of bliss, the best

seconds of their lives endlessly stretched.  Afterwards, they

debated on whether to de transform or not, and decided to do

it.  After all, their captors hadn't returned since they'd

dumped them here; just in case, though, they moved the boxes

about to form a sort of barricade, so they'd have time to

transform.  It only took seconds...besides, they had to break

the door seals anyway, and it was so much nicer to hold a loved

one when they were them.

 For the time being, though, they cuddled there behind their

barricade, oblivious to anything but each other.  They fell

back in love again, totally in love, as if breaking that

identity barrier had snapped the chain on their lives.  They

snuggled and talked, exchanging gossip and words of love in an

atmosphere of sweet unreality, completely off this plane of

living.  It was the Serena-Darien dimension, belonging to them

alone.

 That lasted until Hielo and Katarina appeared, two sides of a

power scale.  Fresh from his "encounters" with the Senshi, he

was full of roiling, ready energy.  Katarina, on the other

hand, was literally starving.  The Master had not responded to

her queries to see him, even with the valuable information she

had, nor had he called her in to freshen her low reserves.  Not

that it mattered; even a under powered Dark Trio member could

do some serious damage.

 "Lovebirds?" she cooed, and the two froze, mid-kiss.  Fear

took them, and they clung to each other now as reality bashed

them over the skull, reeling inside at any prospect of

separation.  Furtively, Serena began to reach for the Dark

Crystal.

 "There you are!" trumpeted Hielo, and the boxes that shrouded

them in shadows were knocked aside.  Before Serena could even

touch the Crystal and get out the words, she was snatched from

Darien's arms.

 "No!" he cried, Tuxedo Mask appearing instantly, rose in hand

as he leapt to a stand and jumped for him.  Serena herself

scrambled to summon the Crystal's power; she had a sickening,

sudden feeling that she knew where she was being taken, and she

couldn't appear before him defenseless!  Whoever he was, she

feared him greatly, and as Hielo's grip attempted to hold her

steady she managed to get a grip on the Dark Crystal.

 "Uh-uh," he murmured, and ripped the chain from her neck,

tossing it across the room as Katarina deflected Tux.  He

flipped to his feet and came again, bouncing off the corners of

the walls in such a flurry of motion she could barely track

him.

 "DARIEN!" Serena screamed as the energy in Hielo built.

 "SERENA!" he cried back.

 "Ahh, little Princess..." Hielo murmured as he vanished.

Moments later, Tux crashed through the vanishing apparition,

barely conscious of his body slamming into the door.  He came

to his feet quickly, not caring about anything anymore but

drawing a bead on that Dark Trio WENCH and...

 He was picked up easily and tossed across the freezer, coils

of Dark force plying him for energy and...ooh...the waves of

emotion that crumpled over him!  He skittered across the floor,

hand unconsciously palming the Dark Crystal as he reached for a

grip, the gem lashing out at his palm in a black heat.  He

managed to roll up and fly at her again, only to smash against

a purple field that she'd easily erected.  Tendrils of energy

appeared, bleeding off of her in purple lightning that sliced

out to the corners of the room, especially into his shield.  He

staggered back, eyes wide, gloved hands up as if to ward her

off.

 She smiled at him in a grimly pitying way, arcs of purple

swinging through her pure blond hair and cascading in her neon

eyes, then pressed her hands against the shield.  "I feel it,

Prince," she whispered softly, lovingly, fingers caressing the

shield as her voice tickled his ears.  "We Dark Trio, we feel

things.  'Cept Selene...she makes her things feel."  Her eyes

snapped with philosophical luminance, pupils purple-black.

"Right now, I feel you loneliness, your imprisonment...it calls

to me...it tastes like honey, sweet grapes, chocolate to me."

She smiled at him, a smile for the dying.  "I can only taste it

shortly, for Selene will kill me...but taste it...I must!"  Her

voice slipped on the edge of tears. "Understand...I must..."

 She moved through the field with the impatience of a cat...and

exited five minutes later, trying to ignore the soft, mewling

sobs behind her.  She stopped for a moment, just a moment, to

shift the field strength down a notch--maybe it would help.

Her body was completely energized, but her head felt like she'd

blasted a hole in it.

 "Ware my sister, young Prince," she whispered.  "What she

wants..." she trailed off, and in a spiral of energy, was gone.

 Darien Chiba looked up from his crouched position,

transformation completely stripped away, tears stinging his

eyes.  The Dark Crystal in it silver setting was clutched in

his hand, leaving a dark impression upon it; he could barely

look at the thing, the pain was so great.

 The pain...

 "Serena," he murmured.  "Serena..."



*       *       *       *

 Hielo and Serena materialized in an opulent room, one of

extravagance and glory that apparently was a waiting room.  Or

at least, Hielo seemed to refer to it that way.  All of the

soft, cool pastels it was decorated in seemed to curl towards

one door, a dark, solid oaken thing that looked like it could

withstand just about anything.

 As soon as he let her go, she took one step, and crumpled.

Darien's mental anguish was calling to her heart faintly, like

a cry over a cliff, and she needed to adjust.  Hielo watched

her curiously as she silently cried, asking mechanically, "Are

you all right?"

 "How can you do this?" she whispered back, eyes darting to

him, flinty blue and unpitying.  "How can you take me from him

now!" She sniffed softly, and lasered him with her eyes again.

 /Taking Lady Mars.../

 /He had Lady Mars.../

 Jade's view struck her hard, and she momentarily bent down,

unfocused abilities absorbing the vision, and then looked up at

him with refined hatred in her eyes.  "You," she murmured.

"Hielo, YOU took Lady Mars and..."

"Please, calm yourself, Princess.  The Master does not want you

agitated," he said soothingly.

 She rose to her feet slowly, drawing herself up like a mummy

rewrapping himself in his bandages.  Her face was fierce and

intense, eyes a pair of blisteringly hot ice crystals--cracked,

pointy ice crystals--hair flowing around her in a frenzy.

Avenging goddesses and cackling Furies struck his mind, but he

dared not leave her alone here; he was already troubled enough

by the fact that she and Tux had been placed together.

 "Calm down?" she murmured thunderously.  "Calm DOWN!?  I don't

know your position in the Dark Trio, but it can't be..."

 The door opened, and the Master appeared, dressed suavely in a

suit of clothes Hielo had never seen before.  He paused

slightly, then smiled a darkly charming smile.  "The Princess

is here, then," he said softly.

 "Yes, my Master," Hielo replied, quickly turning from her,

head bowing.

 "Good job, Hielo," the Master smiled; three shafts of blue

energy were dispatched, sliding into his head and shoulders.

He then turned to Serena, who stood completely frozen, eyes

wide and a watered down blue, all heat melted away.

 "You again," she whispered.

 He held up his hands and again smiled that overly charming

smile, eyes flickering darkly.  He did not have that peculiar

smell, she noted; it must have been perfumed out, because now

he smelt...good.  Refreshing, light...and her acknowledgment of

that frightened her, as did her observation that he was REALLY

good looking.

 "I'm not dangerous to you, lovely Princess," he said calmly.

 "My name is Serena," she replied, trying to keep her voice

from shaking.

 "I prefer Serenity, dear lady," he said.  "Your true and

proper name."

 "Serenity..." she took a breath.  "Serenity is dead."

 He smiled, then circled her once, stopping with his face close

to hers.  "For a dead woman, you breath well," he murmured.

"Also the most beautiful corpse I've ever seen."

 She froze under his gaze, all replies instantly shattering

under his warmly cold eyes.  Finally, she asked in a voice that

nearly trembled, "What do you want?"

 His eyes twinkled merrily as he backed away, smile finally

vanishing.  "Be careful when you ask me that, Sere," he said,

one of his coolly charming smiles appearing on his face.

"However, at this time of night, I'd like to ask you to dine

with me."

 "Dinner?" she blinked.  "You brought me here to EAT?"

 "Is there a problem, Princess?" he asked, brow furrowing

slightly.

 "It's unexpected," she admitted.  "And..."

 "Ahh, yes, your attire," he said, scrutinizing her.  She wore

the informal clothes--soft colored cotton shirt and casual

pants--she'd been wearing the night she was taken; now, they

were smudged with dirt and the slight dampness of a person who

has been in a cooler for awhile.  His face turned cold, and his

eyes raked over her again.  "Well, this can be fixed," he

murmured, and a wash of pastel green enveloped her.  When she

reappeared, her hair was in odangos and she wore the usual

Princess Serenity fare.  As the magic dissipated, she looked

down, and nearly blanched.  <The donut dress!> she though

ruefully; light, clean, airy fabric with those odd

yellow...well, the guys called them donuts when they first saw

them.  It wasn't just that, though, but the sudden

vulnerability that accompanied this change.  Normally, she was

strong like this, but now she was without her Silver Crystal--

both of them, in fact!--and she hadn't been apart from either

in a long, long time.

 "Much better," the Master said.  "Come my dear," he added,

offering his arm.  She barely flicked a glance at it before

striding past him into the room, or at least mincing her way,

for her feet were encased in dainty little slippers that

squelched her toes.  The Master stared for a moment at his

empty arm, then chuckled softly and followed her in.

 The fair was sumptuous, of course; no less than the best for

his Princess.  They sat relatively close together, though,

which kept Serena so on edge that she picked at her food,

eating only small section and swallowing every bite as if it

were stuck in her throat.  He found this to be alluring, like

she was playing shy; he knew she could eat like a bird if she

wanted to.  During the meal, Hielo consistently served them,

and well; Katarina even appeared once to help the both of them

as well.

 "The Trio is very loyal," she commented.

 "Of course they are," he replied, stabbing an olive.  "I would

expect nothing less."

 "It must have been hard to earn their trust," she said.

 "Earn their trust?" he replied, then chuckled softly.  "Woman,

I command their trust.  They owe me it."  He chuckled again.

"Besides, I am bonded with them intimately."

 "Intimately?" she questioned.

 "Of course," he replied.  "I slept with them all."

 She paled immediately, easily matching the color of her dress.

"You...Hielo?"

 He smiled senuously.  "He wasn't the most cooperative, or

enjoyable, but yes."  He wound a piece of leafy, long plant

around his fork, adding, "It's a binding ritual of my people

that works permanently; perhaps only the Silver Crystal could

break it."  He stopped.  "You aren't wearing it."

 "I...I left it at home before the battle when I was taken,"

she  They ate in semi-silence for bit, and then she asked, "How

do you know about the Silver Crystal?  And me?"

 "I know everything about the Silver Millennium."

 "How?"

 "Contact."

 "But...but..." she stared at him again, eyes wide.  "Who are

you?" she whispered, blue eyes wide against a starkly pale

face.

 "Ahh...yes, I forgot."  A gloved hand brushed away a strand of

his light hair, eyes flashing.  "You don't remember me, do

you?"

 "No."

 "Then..." he stood.  "My Lady Serenity, allow me to introduce

myself.  I am..." and title upon title began to fall from his

mouth.  These titles pinched her, bugged her, and even though

it seemed impossible, her eyes widened more.  Her lips opened,

and a soundless word fell from her mouth.

 "...Prince Priam of the Sea Kingdom," he finished, then

smiled.  "Well...glad to see me again, love?"