Sorry, no time for intros/explanations.
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Comments to the usual.  Song files to
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 The Four Lovers: Air On a Cosmic String

III. Conversations
  He's near to you...
  Near to you...
  Though you think he's far away
  He is near to you
  So near to you
  As near as April is to 
  May...
For its just as though...
 He was standing as close as I..
I know its hard to imagine...
  ..but try....
                  "Near To You"
                 A 3-part song from
                 "Damn Yankees"

 Serena stared at the connecting ramp between plane and 
gate, and licked her lips nervously.  <This is it, 
Serena,> she whispered to herself.  <I'll finally get to 
go home.>
 <You sound SOO eager,> Serenity giggled inside her 
head, and she smiled to herself.  Serenity seemed to be 
almost a perpetual optimist, and it was nice to find 
such a sunny side inside her.  It wasn't as if she'd 
lost her own, but it just FELT like she had.  Ever since 
that dream, that STUPID dream.
 She barely moved her head, but in her mind she 
vigorously shook off the thought.  She NEEDED to keep an 
open mind, no matter what was going to happen.  She 
needed to be focused on the fact that she was going to 
see her Senshi and...and Darien again.  She needed to 
keep in mind that this wasn't a dream.  
 She also needed to remember she had four great brothers 
now, and that no matter her old loyalties, she loved 
them too.
 Jade and Nate appeared on the edge of her vision, and 
she looked expectantly at them.  While Kevin stood guard 
at the gate and Zach went searching for ample snacks, 
the two of them had the information on...well, 
everything.  Departure times, scheduled arrival, 
captain's name, who was meeting them at the 
airport...all of that necessary stuff.  After her first 
flight here, when she hadn't known where she was going 
or who would be there for her, or what was going to 
happen to her period, it was nice to know.  
 "So, how long am I going to be stuck in the plane?" she 
asked cheerfully when they approached.
 "Quite awhile, Princess," Nate replied with a grin.  
"Twelve to fifteen hours, depending when we can get off 
the runway and how the weather's going to be."
 "I'm surprised they don't know," she said.
 "Frankly, Princess, so was I," Jade popped in.  "I 
think Zach should check it out when he gets back."
 She raised an eyebrow as if to say, <Right here, right 
now?>
 He nodded.  "Better safe than sorry.  After all, we 
can't get to Japan if bad weather causes the plane to 
crash."
 She shuddered.  "Thanks, Jade.  Something more for me 
to dread." 
 He sat next to her and slung an arm over her shoulder.  
"Relax, princessa," he crooned at her.  "Nothing is 
going to happen to you on this trip.  That, at least, is 
waiting until we get to Japan." 
 She had to smile at that one; always a sense of humor.  
"Have you boys figured out what you're going to do with 
me while you fight for your women?" she asked.
 "Stash you in a bush," Nate replied, utterly serious.
 "In other words, no," Jade whispered.  
 "I see," she said, fingering her crystal.  
 "Have you figured out what to do with us?" he asked 
now.  
 "I have some ideas...but I think Kunzite's are better," 
she replied.
 The mention of his name brought the gray haired General 
jogging over to them.  "Perhaps, Lady, perhaps," he 
muttered. "All quiet on the western front, by the way."
 "I hate to break it to you, Kev, but that corner faces 
south," Nate said.
 "I was looking to the left.  That's west," he tossed 
off easily.  "Any news about the plane?"
 "We should be leaving soon.  Seen Zach?"
 "Yea, he'll be back here in a minute or two.  Looking 
for the elusive cheese and nachos."  
 "Good luck to him!"
 It was then that Kevin noticed Jade's arm casually 
around Serena, and coughed a little.  The blond General 
hastily retracted it, startling Serena away from the 
edge of dozing.  
 "Who's meeting us?" she asked wearily.
 Jade hurriedly adjusted his clipboard, flipping through 
the pages.  "Hmmm...doesn't give a name here.  Wait! 
Some Heidi character."
 "Heidi?  I don't remember the name 'Heidi' among the 
people who were hired."
 "Maybe she's a newbie brought in by one of the others," 
Kev suggested.
 "Or a secretary," Serena chimed in.
 "Or a Negaverse agent," Jade said darkly.
 "Whatever it is, we'll have to keep on our toes," Nate 
said, and Jade muttered darkly beneath his breath before 
putting away his clipboard. 
 Serena really didn't notice, though.  She'd been tired 
all day--they'd had to get up at a mangy 6:00 in the 
morning--and the wait just sent her closer and closer to 
sleep.  Without realizing it, she laid her head on 
Jade's shoulder, and as her mind shut down, she had a 
brief impression of...jealousy?
 And then it was gone.

 She awoke to the shuffling of people, and as she raised 
her head, she was quickly aware that her feet no longer 
touched the ground.  In fact, none of her touched the 
ground; instead, it was cradled by long arms, one hooked 
around her neck, and the other under her knees.  There 
was a moment when the jostling stopped, and then it 
began again.
 <I wonder who...Nate?  Jade?  Probably Jade.  He's done 
this once or twice before,> she thought, snuggling 
deeper into the arms of her holder.  
 Suddenly, she was dropped...into a fairly comfortable 
seat.  She opened her eyes, looked up...and saw Kevin 
rubbing his arms.
 "You're heavier than you look," he said.
 "YOU!" she gasped.
 "We drew straws," he said with a shrug before choosing 
a window seat.
 "Straws?" she asked.
 Nate and Zach appeared in the cabin, each carrying a 
small duffel bag.  "Munchies," Zach said ecstatically, 
grinning at her.  
 "Are you sure you brought enough?" Kevin asked drily.
 "Depends on how much Serena eats," Zach replied, voice 
equally as dry.  Serena blushed a little; she thought 
she'd grown out of her appetite! 
 Just then, Jade popped into the cabin and took a seat 
next to Serena.  "Everyone grab a seat!" he called.  
"We're about to jet out of here."
 As they buckled themselves into the nice seats--<Much 
nicer than what I got coming out here,> Serena 
thought--the captain came onto the speakers.  "The seat 
belt light is coming on, so if you folks would please 
take your seats..."
 Everyone looked at Jared, and Serena began to giggle.  
"Lucky guess?" she teased.
 He shrugged.  While Kev had occupied the window seat, 
Nate and Zach had chosen two inner seats, one right 
behind her, one behind Jade, who was next to her.  In 
fact, he was looking down on her right then.
 "Are you ready for this?" he asked softly.
 "Why wouldn't I be?" she retorted playfully, but his 
blue eyes were serious.  She nodded then, turning her 
face away, a strand of blond hair falling across it.
 "All right, Princess," he said.  "But if..."
 "There's no if's anymore, Jared," she said softly.  Now 
she looked up at him again.  "I'm going home, and that's 
all that needs to be said."
 "Good," he said, smiling.  
 The weariness she'd felt in the terminal descended on 
her again, and as the plane taxied down the runway, she 
left her eyes close and her mind drift off into dreams.

 The man in the terminal watched the plane go, his dark 
eyes snapping from under his hood.  Still, he smiled.  
<Good Princess,> he thought.  <I'll be waiting for you.>

 Serena awoke about three hours into the flight to a 
relaxed atmosphere.  It turned out that they were some 
of the only people on the flight--though none of the 
guys would tell her why--and so they nearly had the 
whole thing to themselves. Nate and Kev were doing 
something behind her seat, Zach was sketching, and Jade 
was rummaging through his bag when she came to.  
Noticing the seatbelt sign was off, she unbuckled 
herself and looked over her seat.
 "Evening, Serena," Nate called as he set down his nine.  
Kev calmly flipped over an eight, and grimaced.  She 
smiled; he hated to lose.  "Sleep well?"
 "Uh-huh," she said.  "Who's winning?" 
 "Me," Kev growled as they flipped over their cards.  
This time he collected, a six to a two.  
 "Got any food?"
 "Give me a second," Jade called, before hoisting a 
water bottle to her.  "Take it...I only had a sip."
 "Are you sure?"
 "Zach's got a thousand of them down here, Serena.  It's 
no problem."
 "Are we ever going to call a meeting, Kev?" Zach called 
from across the way.
 "As soon as I'm finished kicking Nate's butt!" Kev 
called back.
 "Let me guess--about the disguises?" Serena asked, 
swallowing a sip of the water.  She looked at the 
bottle: NAYA(tm).  <Pretty good, for water,> she 
thought, swigging again.  
 "Astute guess, Princess," Kev replied.
 "Why is EVERYONE calling me PRINCESS!?" she burst out. 
"My name...is Serena.  Not Sailor Moon.  Not Serenity.  
And NOT PRINCESS!"
 They all looked up at her; she could feel Zach's eyes 
on her from across the aisle, and Jade's beside her.  
She didn't care, though.  This HAD to stop. 
 "You call us Generals," Zach whispered.  He'd moved 
into the aisle now, his sketchpad forgotten.
 "Jokingly, teasingly...and certainly not as often as 
you four have in the past coupla hours," she replied, 
her eyes shining with a pale light.  The crystal seemed 
to pulse on her chest; as she had become more sensitive 
to it, it had become more sensitive to her emotions.
 They all stared at her in silence, and then Nathan 
looked to Kevin, and vice versa.  "You won," he said, 
picking up the cards.  "Let's call this meeting--now."
 Kevin moved out of his seat, and back a row, where he 
fiddled with the seats for a bit.  Then, moving into the 
aisle, and with a Kunzite-like glow around him, he 
called, "Assemble!" 
 Immediately the other three had taken positions close 
by; Serena, used to the call and what it meant, had also 
jumped at it.  She ended up in the row Kevin had 
prepared, marveling at how all the arm rest were up, and 
the seats pulled down.  A marvelous little meeting area.  
 The others quickly took up spots around her, she and 
Kevin (as the senior members of the team) nearest to the 
direct center.
 "All right, this meeting about disguises..."
 "...MAD..." Jade cackled to Nate.
 "...comes to order," Kevin finished, his eyes sweeping 
around them.  "First of all, we have a new item to 
address: why do we consistently call Serena Princess?  
She seems to dislike it."
 "Never did before," Zach popped up.  
 "It's a way of preparing us for what's ahead in Japan," 
Nate said.  "She will be the Princess there, in her home 
country, and we'd better get used it."
 "Plus, it may help with the Senshi," Jade added. 
 In spite of herself, she smiled.  "I'm afraid, mi 
amigos..." she stopped and looked at Zach.  "Is that 
right?"
 "Mis, actually," Zach said with a gentle smile.  "But 
continue."
 "Mis amigos, in Japan, I'll still be Serena.  The 
Princess Serenity...well, she isn't destined to show up 
until the next major battle, and maybe not even then."  
She fingered her crystal.  "Now that I'm better at using 
this, maybe she won't ever appear."  She took a breath, 
and another sip of water.  "So please, there's no need 
to call me Princess.  Besides, it just may make some 
people suspicious."
 The guys nodded--Zach and Jade smiled--and then Kevin 
called out, "Next order of business--what are we going 
to do about Sailor Moon?" 
 A series of looks circled her, and secretive smiles 
appeared on their faces--and then they expectantly 
looked at Zach.  He was still smiling at her in that 
secret way, and did until Nate nudged him.
 "Oh yes.  My turn.  Sailor Moon, Princess, our dear 
Serena, you gave us the gift of our memories.  Then, the 
gift of our powers.  Lastly, you gave us your love, when 
you had all right to be scared to death of us."  His 
eyes gleamed, turning a brighter green under the grayish 
tint.  "Now, we have a gift for you."
 He held out his hand, and immediately it became gloved, 
the sign that he held the power of Zoicite.  A shimmer 
appeared on each of his fingertips, and swirled in, the 
spiral twisting itself in his hand.  Petals joined the 
bright white sparks, and suddenly there was a tiny 
'pop!' and everything vanished.
 Except for the purple-black crystal that lay in his 
hands.
 She stared it for a moment, recalling the last time 
she'd seen one of those: in the hand of Nephlyte as he 
stood over Molly, and constantly around Zoycite.  
However, she sensed no evil here, but power; a different 
power than that of the Silver Crystal, she realized, but 
just as good.
 "Take it," he whispered, entranced by the look on her 
face.  
 She touched its many faceted length, and hefted it into 
her hand.  It was surprisingly heavy for something so 
small--which confirmed her thoughts on its power.  Zoi 
had shared with her that it was only the light on its 
inside that kept the Silver Crystal from dragging like a 
brick around her neck.  "What does it do?" she asked 
softly.
 The men around her drew a breath, and she noticed they 
had all changed.  "It will tell you," Nephrite whispered 
to her.  "Just try it."
 *Crystal?* she called out to it.
 >Princess?< came back the chimes of the Silver Crystal.
 *How can I use this crystal?* she asked, rolling it 
about in her hand, catching the light.
 <It's not going to work,> Neph thought.  <We attuned it 
to her, but our skills are so rusty...I'll weave a 
shield around her, just in case.>
 <Work, come on, work,> Zoi silently pleaded.
 <You have to work.  YOU have to work!> Jade demanded.
 <Come on...come on!> Kunz thought impatiently.
 Suddenly Serena whispered, "Dark crystal, reform!" 
 Immediately a glow surged from the two tips of the 
crystal, and suddenly it turned into an exact mirror of 
the Silver Crystal, only in dark purple.  The boys 
immediately released the air they'd been holding in, and 
Serena clutched the crystal in awe.  "How did you do 
this?" she whispered.
 "Kunz tapped the power of the Luna Pen, and Zoi and I 
combined our powers," Neph answered.  "Jade was able to 
help us tune it to you, so it should work for you and 
only you."
 "I feel...that's there's more to it.  What else?" 
 "The power within will allow you to disguise yourself 
as virtually anything, thanks to the Luna Pen, but there 
is also a specific way to use it as a weapon," Zoicite 
explained.  "You must become the Crystal Maiden Knight."
 "The what?" she asked.
 "Remember how you told us about the Moonlight Knight, 
Tuxie's brave soul come to help you?" Jade popped in.  
"That's where we got the idea."
 "So how do I become this...Crystal Maiden Knight?" 
Serena asked, letting the words roll about on her 
tongue.  It was kinda geeky, and then kinda cool, too.  
<Of course, Sailor Moon isn't exactly the coolest 
thing,either,> she reminded herself.  <It's a good thing 
you like sailor outfits and short skirts.>
 "We aren't exactly sure," Kunz admitted slowly.  
 >Child,< the crystal called out, >how do you become 
Sailor Moon?<
 *Yelling "Moon Crystal Power, makeup!"  But what does 
that have to do with this?  It's a powerful crystal, but 
not THAT powerful!*
 >As it is attuned to you, so am I attuned to it.  I 
will boost its power, young one--don't fear.<
 *I trust you,* she replied to it.
 >Good.  Don't try it now, though--there's still some 
work to be done.  Keep it close, though,< the Crystal 
admonished, it's voice a set of wind chimes slowly 
dangling in the wind.  
 *I will,* she said, then concentrated on it.  Slowly, 
it shrunk into her hand, until it was no bigger than the 
stone a girl would wear in her ring.  Removing her 
broach--which was more heart shaped and bolder all the 
time--she studied it carefully. Then, she touched the 
Dark crystal to the Silver crystal; a setting appeared 
on the purplish crystal, which allowed her to slip it on 
the silver chain the boys had given her for her 
eigtheenth birthday.
 "So," she asked, bringing the boys away from their 
conversation, "what happened to my disguise pen?"
 "It..."
 "Uh..."
 "Well..."
 "Spit it out," she commanded.
 "It busted," Zoi admitted, voice miserable.  "We think 
because all of its power is in the Dark crystal now." 
 "I see," she said.  "Well, now I need to...wait! I got 
it!" She plucked off her broach again, and held it up at 
them.  "Silver Crystal," she called out, "Alter!" 
 The laughter of wind chimes tinkled in her head as a 
beam of the pure light touched on Zoi.  Immediately some 
subtle changes happened to his uniform--really, the 
Crystal had a fine touch--as he could only watch, 
amazed.
 "I see you found a way to deal with us," Jade said.
 "Yep," she replied cheerily.  "And you're next."  
 With a groan, he stepped into the light.

*       *       *       *
 After she finished with the four of them, they all 
changed back to their normal forms, and the fun began.  
First, they taught her how to play several card games--
poker, gin rummy, hearts, war--and then supper was 
served.  Each of them chose to taste one food, and if it 
was good, all of them ate it.  If not, it was dutifully 
dusted by the taster.  Next, each one tried to find the 
bathroom in under a minute--Kevin won, as usual.  Some 
turbulance later on sent them to their seats, and they 
calmly watched the a piece of the inflight movie while 
munching on Zach's snacks (he had found the nachos).  
Slowly, the night wound down, with Zach and Serena 
sketching the others--and each other--in various poses.  
Finally, each of them drifted off to sleep.
 Serena awoke with a pang in her bladder, and removing 
her head from Nate's shoulder (as he volunteered to be 
her pillow for the evening), she trundled off towards 
the bathroom.  The cabin was slightly colder than 
normal, she noted, and the moonlight was bright in the 
darkened room.  On the way out, she noticed a bench next 
to the last window, and stopped to sit on it and look 
outside.  Something about its light seemed to penetrate 
to her depths, to her soul, she shivered again.  There 
were more reasons she never...
 "You're up?" asked a rough voice.
 "Uh-huh," she replied, still staring out the window.  
She was slightly surprised that HE would be up at this 
hour--she'd seen him snoozing when she'd walked back--
and even more s that he hadn't chose to be solitary.  
She and Kunzite...Kevin...were friends, and nearly 
close...but in a group like this, close meant different 
things.  They'd always mantained a distance, a 
separation, though she didn't know why. "Why are you 
up?"
 "I..I couldn't sleep.  I have goosebumps."
 She smiled softly.  "It is a touch cold in here," she 
replied, before turning to the window once more.
 There was something about her shrug off of his presence 
that worried him, and he cautiously asked, "What's 
wrong, Serena?"
 She turned back to look at him, ice blue meeting soft 
gray eyes.  She held the stare for a few moments, as if 
unsure that he was asking her.  "I'm...I'm not sure..."
 "Serena, you can tell me...listen, we're going to have 
to trust each other.  I know I haven't always been the 
nicest guy, or the friendliest," he said quietly.
 She nodded, then returned to the window.  After a 
minute, she quietly began,"I never really wanted to go 
back to Japan, and now I feel strange knowing I am.  I 
wrote my letters like wills, Kevin...and I meant to keep 
my word, and stay away--forever."  She let out a small 
sigh.  "But now, and even before due to the 
Crystal..I've never been away from them.  Somehow, I've 
always been there...somehow."
 "Are you scared?"
 She smiled, and glanced up at him.  "Only an idiot 
wouldn't be.  I still, even after all these years, 
sometimes wish to be boring 'ole Serena."
 "You too?"
 "YOU wish to be normal?" she asked.
 He grinned.  "Yea, then I could've dated you."
 "Me?  But you're so...serious," she replied, half 
jokingly.
 "Serena...the four of us...well, you've always been so 
beautiful.  Always have been, always will be."
 She modestly blushed...a little.  "But you've always 
been so accepting, and a fantastic leader.  It's just 
hard to see you doubt."
 He nodded.  "It's always been easier for me to accept 
than doubt, to stride forward instead of meandering 
about, wallowing in the mire of overthought."
 "Poetic..."
 A small smile glimmered on his face.  "My other hidden 
talent."  Then, "But I am only human.  And sometimes the 
thought of never truly beiing normal...bugs me."
 His face fell a little, and something in his gray eyes 
and voice begged a question from her.  "But that's not 
all, is it?" 
 He seemed uneasy for a moment, as if wresting the 
anseer from himself.  "Minako...Nako...Mina."
 "Huh?"
 "Mina.  She...I...well, I'm worried about meeting her."
 "Why?" All she had ever seen from the Generals was 
anticipation in meeting their Senshi, even with the 
obstacles ahead of them.  After all, hadn't the other 
Generals tried for their deaths?  Still, this was the 
first worry she'd ever head of.
 "Do you remember Kunzite and Venus of the Moon 
Kingdom?"
 She pondered the question, then said, "A little.  I 
didn't see much of you two together.  But what I 
remember...you two were always so close...and always so 
warm towards each other.  It was...beautiful."
 He nodded.  "Yes, it was.  My memories speak of times 
in the past in which we literally thought along the same 
lines.  We were bound by understanding and love; we 
clicked perfectly." He sighed, trying to clear the 
bitterness from his voice.  "But now, we're going back, 
and I'm going to face her, try and win her...and I have 
to ask myself, can I do it?  Can I care for someone so 
deeply?  Will I be able to care for her so deeply?  Can 
I make Kunzite's lover, Kevin's?"
 Serena, slightly taken aback, had no answer for the 
man; instead, she simply thought about what he said.  
He, too, became lost in thought, eyes wandering to the 
window that she stared out of.  
 The hair prickled on the back of his neck, and a sense 
of forebooding filled him.  Was it just him, or was 
there a face in the window?  A man's face with dark eyes 
surronded by a swirl of a lighter color?  Yes--yes there 
was! Staring at Serena!
 "Princess!" he cried out abruptly, sharply, and she 
looked to him.  
 "What?" she asked quickly.
 "There was someone staring at you through the window 
and it gave me the creeps," he replied quickly.
 She didn't ask stupid questions--the tone of his voice 
seemed to warn her not to--but she did ask, "What did he 
look like?"
 "Dark eyes, light hair, interesting face."
 "Nothing else?"
 "Nothing else.  He vanished...are you all right?"
 She stared at him as if she'd seen some gorgeous.  
"Kevin, remember what you asked earlier?"
 "Which one?"
 "Could you care for Mina?"
 "Yes."
 "I think you just answered your question," she said 
slightly.  "You see, if you can care for her as much as 
you care for me, I don't think she'll ever complain..."
 He stopped her there by scooping her up into a big hug.  
"Thank you, Serena," he whispered.
 "Anytime, Kev.  Anytime," she whispered back.

*       *       *       *
 Fast forward now, to Japan, and to what awaits the 
Princess and her Generals there.  A tall, square 
building, friendly and sinister, standing on a shadowed 
corner.  Inside, three people sit, each bathed in an 
earthly glow that rivals their deep, emerald eyes.
 "I'm tired of this!" snarled one, a man.  His face was 
roughly handsome, his hair the deep black of space, 
which set off his glowing eyes.  "We cannot afford to 
feed anymore on just these...these humans!"
 "I agree," simpered the woman across from him.  She was 
curvy as a mountain road with the same deep black hair 
as the man; however, the set of her face, her skintight 
clothes, and the touch upon her eyes marked her evil.   
"They never survive long enough."
 "Where else to go, though?" remarked the last woman.  
She was taller, a little less curvy, with fair skin and 
pure red hair.  Her eyes glowed no less than the others, 
but there was something markedly different in them.
 "Senshi," hissed the man.  "They've been talked about 
enough."
 "Calm your lusts, Hielo," snapped the blond.
 "No, no, Kat...it's perfect! Those little snips are 
more than human, and should have enough energy to supply 
to...all of us," the raven haired woman remarked.
 Suddenly a stark blue light fell on them, and they 
relaxed as the energy crawled through their veins and 
replenished them.  "Master," Kat whispered.
 "You will soon hunt the Senshi, my minions," the smooth 
voice said.  "Soon.  The Princess has returned home, and 
then we will have them all--and she will be mine!" 
 The laughter rang through the building as the light 
touched upon the dozens of bodies that lay sprawled 
around them.

*       *       *       *
 "Time to get off," Zach remarked as he gently shook 
Serena awake.  She uncurled herself off of Nate, who 
yawned fiercly.
 "Already?" he murmured.  "It feels like I just got to 
sleep." 
 "Silly," Serena remarked sleepily.  
 "Come on," Kev tugged tiredly.  "We've got to get off." 
 So the five of them trudged tiredly from the plane, 
hauling their half filled duffels with about as much 
energy as a quintet of ICU patients.  It didn't help 
that the airport was bustling and crowded, hordes of 
happy Japanese awaiting their flight or boarding or 
waiting for others to disembark.  
 "So where's Heidi?" Nate yawned.
 "Maybe we're early," Kev suggested.
 "Maybe not.  There seems to be someone coming this 
way," Serena sleepily mentioned.
 Indeed, a tall woman with dark hair was coming toward 
them, though her eyes and face were hidden.  It wasn't 
until she stepped into their space that she looked to 
them.
 Gasps echoed around them, and she smiled slightly.  
"Hello, and welcome to Japan," she said in smart 
English.
 It was only Serena who could get in the words.  "Pluto?" she whispered.