*instead of a nice visual to start this out, it's just a girl coming up to you* Hello. My original intro was LONG and such, but I think I can shorten it up here. This story starts a series of stories called "The Four Lovers" and is based upon the pic I saw entitled "4lovers.jpg" which is in the Pic archive at the A Sailor Moon Romance site. Anyway, I'm attempting to track the relationship of the Generals and the Inner Senshi as well as give my interpretation of Serenity's and Endymion's relationship. My goal is to also change continuity, so no yammering about what the original story says. *grin* This series shouldspan about six, maybe seven stories, depending on reader response. Which comes to YOU, the reader. FEEDBACK. I CRAVE IT. Send it all to jkc1984@niia.net, and I will respond, no matter if it's flames or questions or praise. DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon, all the other Sailor Senshi and other names and terms associated with the series are copyrighted by Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha, Bandai, DIC and all the other companies (which I can't remember right at this moment). I would like to say that a bunch of my ideas came from other people, and I will give credit at the end of stories for this. Small Disclaimer: I must say this now--I hate writing about SIX characters with blue eyes. Doesn't work! So, for now, there are changes in their looks, as well as some retooling (expansion) of their characters. smaller disclaimer: I'm used to the English dub, and though I use the Japanese names, please keep in mind I may slip. There's a new character that appears here, who is mine and who plays a role. No flames about him! Also, PLEASE do not yell at me about which planets and moons support life and which don't; this is set in the Silver Millenium, and things were just BETTER back then, okay? Now, unto it. Enjoy. The Four Lovers: Stranded by Ninx CHAPTER ONE THE FRIGIDNESS OF SPACE "Endymion?" The voice was Kunzite's; he knew it by it's deep, slightly harsh tone. He didn't turn from the viewport, though, merely answering, "Yes, Kunzite?" "My Prince, there's a ship approaching from the planet Pluto requesting to speak with you." Now Endymion turned, slightly surprised. "About?" "It's a ship of the Moon Family, m'lord." Now his attention was firmly caught. "What is a ship of the Moon doing out here? I thought they usually stayed close to home," he asked out loud. "Apparently it was an ambassadorial trip, m'lord, by Princess Serenity." "Princess Serenity? I thought the Queen kept her sequestered on the moon." "I don't have all the answers, my Prince," Kunzite answered with a slight grin. Endymion grinned back, then started through the door. "Oh Kunzite?" "Yes, m'lord?" "Drop the 'my lord', okay? You aren't at the Palace." Kunzite's faint smile appeared again. "Yes, m'lord," he replied as Endymion strode toward the bridge. Endymion's personal ship was small; he arrived on the bridge in little time to find Zoicite at the controls. "Reply to the hail," he said. "Yes sir," Zoicite replied quietly. His calm face surronded by a mass of blond hair didn't break its serene pose as he touched the controls. "Responding." "Visual, please." The screen in front of him lit up with another bridge, this one well lit as opposed to his own preference of dim lightning. A soft, white face with large and expressionate blue eyes came into view, and he knew this had to be Princess Serenity. "Hello, Earth vessel. This is Princess Serenity of the Royal Vessel Sunrise," she said softly. "Please state your designation." "This is Prince Endymion of the personal ship Peregrine," he replied. "Greetings, Prince Endymion. May I request your buisness in this sector?" Endymion thought. It didn't make the exchange feel less cold to him. "A cruise to Saturn and back, Princess Serenity." "Thank you, Prince Endymion, for your co-operation. Princess Serenity closing channels," she replied, and her face blinked off. "Close channel," Endymion ordered roughly. "Channel closed," Zoicite replied. "Congratulations, Endymion. You performed flawlessly." He sighed heavily. "Thank you, Zoicite. Somehow, that doesn't make me feel any better," replied the Prince, and he swiftly exited through the doors. Nephrite and Jaedite, who had arrived in time to see the Prince exit, turned to Zoicite. "Something troubling the Prince?" asked Jaedite, his voice as youthful as his face, blue eyes concerned. "I'm not sure," Zoicite replied. "He just completed a flawless exchange with Princess Serenity, and then left." "Flawless?" Nephrite asked, looking at Jaedite. "No warmth at all, then." "As usual," Jaedite said. He shook his head, his short yet shaggy blond hair tickling his ears. "Protocal is protocal, after all, and as royalty, he must follow it to the letter. Even if he disagrees with it." Nephrite seemed about to reply when Zoicite yawned loudly, startling both. "Excuse me," he said in a small voice. "It seems I've been at my station too long." "That's for sure. You've been on the bridge since we started out," Nephrite pointed out. "Maybe you should take a break." "Perhaps I should," Zoicite replied, standing, green-grey eyes shining. "After all, how can one be fully useful if they don't get some rest?" With that, he quickly stepped off the bridge. "He's devoted, that's for sure," Jaedite said as he slid into the seat abandoned by Zoicite. "Of course," said Nephrite, sitting in one of the chairs at the front of the bridge, which was sized to its ship. "We all are." "Yes, we are," Jaedite said, his voice trailing off in a note of melancholy. "Now what's bothering you?" "I was just thinking about our lives, Lyte," he said, using the nickname he had given him long past in their friendship. "We serve the Prince of Earth, Endymion, as personal guards. Doesn't give us much time for the other things in life, does it?" "Such as what, Jae?" "Love," he replied wistfully. "Think of it just for a second. When our Prince gets married, we will doubtless go with him and serve as his personal guard for his family. Yet when will we have the chance to marry, or have families?" Nephrite laughed then. "It's funny, I've been thinking about the same things recently." "Really?" "Uh-huh. I was worried about it as well, until I remembered.." he lowered his voice, "that the stars control everything. So I asked them." "Not that I believe that, but what did they reveal?" Jaedite asked. "That we soon will find our love, but the events surronding it will be twined with great disaster," he said ominiously. Jaedite laughed again. "I'll believe it when it happens." "Never mock the future, Jae. It can mock back," Nephrite cautioned. Jaedite shook his head. Nephrite may have been his best friend, but he would never agree with him about this star thing. he told himself as he started to check on the ship's systems. "She was so expressionless, Kunzite," Endymion said. "It was like I was talking to a robot spitting out nothing." They were sitting in the spacious cabin of the Prince, staring at the stars through the large window in his room. The rings of Saturn could be seen faintly from it, glittering dust against the shining stars. It was a spectacular sight rare to those of Earth; yet Endymion could see no beauty, but only cold, dark space. "My Prince, you cannot let this worry you," Kunzite assured. "Why not, Kunzite?" he asked. "It was probably because I'm from Earth. You know how people on the Moon feel about us. They think we're all losers just because we aren't quite as 'perfect' as they are. Just because we don't bow down and worship their feet." "That's a very harsh accusation to make against the Princess, Endymion," Kunzite warned. "They've made equally harsh accusations against us," he spat back. Kunzite sighed; the Prince was being unusually unreceptive tonight. "My Prince..." "I told you not to do that." He sighed. "Endymion," he said, "you cannot judge the Royalty of the Moon because of the way its people are. I assure you, a ruler is not always the composite of his people. Queen Selenity treats all races fairly no matter where they come from." "Then why do they hate us!" "The royalty doesn't hate anyone on Earth, Endymion, but they need precautions. You know the only uprisings against the Moon Kingdom have come from Earth." Seeing the black look on the Prince's face, he added, "And you two went by protocal, did you not?" "Flawless." "I know the rules of Protocal, and they don't include cordiatlity, Endymion. Don't judge the Princess because of her reception; she was doing what she was taught. Being Selenity's daughter, I'm sure she is just as warm and friendly as her mother." the Prince thought. Suddenly, the white light in the Prince's room turned red; moments later, Zoicite's footsteps came down the hallway. He entered the room, hair tied back and looking half awake. Both took notice, and Endymion said, "Yes, Zoicite?" "Endymion, we need you to get to safety." "What....what's going on?" the Prince protested, standing. "The ship hit the tail of an ion storm, and all the systems have been disrupted," he replied. "It's too much for the ship to take. We're going down." * * * * "I hate protocal sometimes," Serenity said as Venus shut off the screen. "It makes me feel like such a louse." "Oh, my Princess, how would you like to greet the other ships? 'Hey good looking, whatcha doing out there?' " Venus replied. "You're royalty, you have to act like it." "He's royalty, too, Venus," she replied. "It's not like I couldn't be a little more familar." She looked back to the screen. "He looked so lonely and hurt." "Actually, he was quite handsome, Serenity. I don't think he lacks for companionship at all," Venus chuckled back. "Besides, he has four constant guards and a land FULL of people that love him. I doubt he's ever heard the word 'lonely'." "I have four guards, and a kingdom that loves me, and yet lonlieness still touches me, Venus," said the Princess softly, rising and gazing out the viewscreen at the sweet whiteness of the stars. "Oh my Princess," Venus replied, sweeping down from her controls to give her charge a hug. "We'll be home soon, my dear." She giggled a bit. "Have you made your decision regarding engagement Priam?" "I have, dear Venus," she replied. "I just hope it's the right one." "Oh, Serenity! The Prince of the Sea is just wonderful for you. He's kind, and handsome, and he's heir to the Earth's oceans when King Pontus dies. It's a beautiful match," Venus replied. "I know, Venus, I know. I just can't help wondering if my engagement to him would be to please me or my mother. After all, he's only my second suitor," she replied. "But I suppose you're right." She looked at her guardian and smiled a little. "How about some hot chocolate and you can tell me the gossip you picked up on Pluto?" "I'd thought you'd never ask," Venus replied "I'm bored," Mars said suddenly. Jupiter stopped punching the water bag, and put out a bare fist to hold it still. She looked down at her raven/purple haired companion, shook her head, and asked, "Why? This mission has hardly been exciting, I know, but it's better than nothing." "Nothing. That's all we ever see on the Moon," she groused. "We're trained warriors, and we never use it!" She held a fireball between her hands, idly rotating it. "Come on, Mars! We're the Court Guard. It's the highest honor any trained warrior can get in the Moon Kingdom, next to Kingdom General," Jupiter replied. "Right. Court Guard. Just a fancy title for nursemaid to the Princess," Mars spat out bitterly, fireball disappearing. "MARS! You don't believe that, do you?" Jupiter questioned. "No," she sighed. "But I just don't see the point anymore, you know? Why are we even there? The Millenium is ALWAYS at peace." She stood, and feebly kicked at the water bag. "We aren't really even needed." "I'll agree that peace is a bit disconcerting," Jupiter said. "And it seems like we have nothing to do. We're Princesses, though, and Representatives of the Inner Planets, and those are just as important duties." She stopped. "It's better than dying." "Yea," Mars echoed. "Better than dying." Just then, the exercise room turned flashing red, and both Senshi immediately came to alert. Soft footsteps ran down the hall, and Mercury's blue head appeared in the door. "Trouble," she pronounced. "What?" Mars asked, following her out into the hallway, Jupiter a step ahead. "The Earth ship," Mercury said, moving toward the command center. "It's going down." "Is there any assitance we can offer?" Jupiter jumped in quickly. "No," Mercury replied. "Because we're going down with it." CHAPTER TWO ROYAL GUARDS SANS ROYALTY Destiny never has, nor is, or ever will be, a fun master. Just when life seems to take the high road, it causes an earthquake. Just when things are going right, and it seems that you are secure, Destiny cracks the whip and spooks the horses. Yet, for some reason, it always has a Reason, which you may not see until the situation has passed. Princess Venus of the Court Guard, the family guardians of all Moon Kingdom Royalty, wasn't thinking of Destiny when their ship began to loose altitude. Nor did she ponder why this was happening to both ships as she harnessed Serenity in a life pod and threw in several emergency kits. In fact, when the ship finally crashed into the dust, the reason for this whole calamity never even dwelled in her mind. Especially when she'd found that the life pod that held her Princess was gone. "Great. Just great," she replied as she stepped outside the ship. "What's the call, Mercury? Can we get this hunk off the ground?" "I'm sorry Venus, but the hull damage is just too great," replied the girl, standing. "And the distress beacon seems to be nonfunctioning." "And it was such a good day," Jupiter sighed. "Venus, we searched the perimeter and didn't see a thing." "We could barely find our hands in front of our faces in this," Mars added, waving a hand at the thick, dusty fog around them. Venus sighed, and felt the usual leader-in-a-crappy-situation headache pang in the center of her forehead. "Mercury, did you manage to rescue your computer?" "Yes, I did," replied Mercury. "And it works," she added, answering the next question. "Can you use it to figure out where we are?" "I'm not sure," replied Mercury, kneeling and producing her computer. She tapped a few keys, then began to rapidly type, fingers clacking over the keys as if she were in a race. "I can't pinpoint our exact location, but it seems we're on one of Saturn's moons." "Can you send out a distress beacon?" "No," came the quick reply. "But why..." she started to ask, when a groan came from the fog. Suddenly, the Senshi were all at attention, listening. The groan repeated itself again, along with a feeble cry of unintelligable words. "Mercury, what is that?" Mars hissed. "It's another life form....human being....and its hurt!" Mercury replied, then stood up. Quickly, she caught up the emergency kit that Venus had placed near her, and then vanished into the fog. "No, Mercury, WAIT!" Venus yelled, but the girl's blue bow disappeared in the yellow dust. She took off after her. "Great," Mars said, turning to Jupiter. "Should we follow?" "Someone has to stay here and hold down the fort," Jupiter replied. "I'm sure they'll find each other." "In that? You'd have better luck finding a boyfriend, Mako," said Mars, turning back to the hunk of ship she could see and searching for the door. "Don't call me that!" Jupiter replied. "You know we can't let our truenames slip!" "Who's going to hear us? There's no one else around," Mars replied. It was then, right on cue, that they heard the crunch of gravel signaling footsteps. Heading toward them. "This is wonderful, Nephrite," Jaedite groused. "We lost the Prince, Zoicite, Kunzite and the Peregrine all in one day. The King is going to throw a fit." "Don't worry, Jaedite, everything will be okay," Nephrite responded. "Have you gone deaf, Lyte? WE LOST THE PRINCE. If I didn't think he was probably wandering around, searching for us, I would have said my prayers and ritualy killed myself by now," struck back. "No you wouldn't have. You lost your knife, remember?" "I would've borrowed yours." "Always the optimist." "Not right now," Jaedite sighed. "Like we're ever going to find anything in this stupid fog." He sighed, looking around in the swirling cloud of yellow mist. "And it's dusty, too." "Could be worse," Nephrite said, touching his friends shoulder. "It could be..." "NO! No, don't you dare say it, Nephrite! The minute you do, it'll happen. I know it," Jaedite replied, turning quickly and brushing his friend's hand off his shoulder. "All right, all right!" replied the taller man, and they resumed their walking. "But you're probably right. We won't find anything in this fog. It feels like we've walked for hours and..." He stopped as the silver hull of a ship came into view, and Jaedite groaned beside him. he thought to himself, "That isn't our ship," Nephrite said. "It's much bigger." "But what other ship could it be?" Jaedite asked. "And where are the people?" "HOLD IT!" The two Generals spun around and assumed fight positions, as did Mars and Jupiter. And time froze as they gazed across the gap at the strangers in front of them. was the first thing Nephrite thought as his eyes set upon Jupiter. They ran once up her figure...then back down, and up again. he added, admiring the thick thatch of brown hair tied up in a ponytail, revealing her deep, emerald eyes; he also took in the long, long legs that extended from her short skirt into black boots. Jupiter thought as she gazed at him, taking in his rich brown eyes and deep brown hair highlighted in auburn, the strong, serious face, as well as the slim grey uniform that enclosed, but didn't hide, his body. Across from Jupiter, Jaedite felt a lump in his throat as he stared at Mars. he thought as his eyes carelessly ran down her purple-black hair and into her violet eyes, barely noticing the sailor outfit she wore. Mars, the only one who noticed the gaze, couldn't help but returning the admiration, admiring the trim lines of his grey uniform, the careless way his hair was cut around his head, and the sweet, light blue eyes that had widened upon seeing her. She felt something touch her then, a sweet sensation of floating on a cloud; Jaedite was surprised to find his heart soften toward her immediately. Then, time defrosted. "Who are you?" Mars demanded. "Where is our Princess?" "Where is our Prince?" Jaedite shot back. "I don't know what your talking about!?" Nephrite yelled to Mars. "What Prince?" Jupiter answered Jaedite. "You lie!" "You know!" They carried on meaninglessly, amazing, thirty more seconds before Mars lost her temper. The fight was on. "Ooohhghfh...." Mercury thought as she followed the sound again, treading lightly through the fog she was used to. "OOHghgh!" The groan was from right beside her, and she turned and nearly tripped over Zoicite. The man didn't notice, though, too preoccupied with the pain coming from his right shoulder. He again tried to sit up, but managed only to groan and wince again. "Stay still!" The voice surprised him, and he looked around feverishly to find it. Then, sweeping out of the fog like an angel from heaven, came Mercury. She quickly knelt by him and opened a computer; as she typed, he studied her. he said. "Princess Mercury?" he asked weakly. "Are you Princess Mercury?" "Yes, I am. How did you..." she asked, stopping her scan of him to look up. Involuntarily, she gave him a quick once over----before finishing, "...know me?" "I saw the emblem on your tiara," he replied. "My name is Zoicite. I'm one of the Four Generals, and personal guard to Prince Endymion." He moved again, and a shock of pain elicited a surprised grunt from him. "Don't move! You have a piece of metal in your shoulder," she replied. "But I think I can patch that up pretty quickly." She opened the kit she'd brought with her, and found a pain spray; pressing it against his neck, she explained, "I'm going to take a look at it. This will dull the pain." "Thank you, Princess." "Call me Mercury, Zoicite," she replied, moving around him and seeing the torn place on his uniform. "Now lay back so I can see this clearly." He complied, noting the dulled pain, before asking, "How...how is it that you're here?" "We crashed," she replied. "You as well? Did the ion storm disrupt your systems too?" "No," Mercury said, looking thoughtful. "Actually, I'm not quite sure WHY we crashed. One minute I was sitting in my cabin, reading over the latest medical research, when the alarms went off. I ran to the command center and saw you were going down; then, suddenly, something hit us as well, and we started our descent. I warned the others, and then tried to pull up...but the controls froze. Next thing, we'd crashed here and lost the Princess." "You lost the Princess?" he asked, chuckling a little. "It's not funny," she replied primly, ripping more of his uniform to see the bloody wound. Quickly, before he could object, she used an instrument to probe it. she thought, turning back to her kit to look for bandages. "Of course not," he said, still chuckling. "It's just that we lost the Prince." She looked down at him, eyes unbeliving. "You have to be kidding." "No, unfortunatly, I'm not," he replied. "I don't joke about those kind of things." She found what she thought we be a good bandage, though she wished she had better, along with an antiseptic wipe. She carefully cracked open the wipe and slowly sponged his shoulder; he winced. "I'm sorry for you, Zoicite," she said softly. "I know how you feel." "Of course you do, Mercury. You are her protectors; we're his. Although I must say, I fear more for Serenity than for Endymion. He's a hunter, and he had his sword on him, but the Moon Princess..." he let loose a half-sigh, half-grunt as she mopped at his wound some more. "She is very protected, Zoicite, but you're right. It's something to worry about," she replied as she cracked open the sterile package and arranged the bandage over the wound. Quickly she taped it in place, then sat back and admired her work. "There. That's finished." "How....what did you do to my shoulder?" he asked, straining to see it. "I bandaged it." "How? Do you care a package of bandages beneath that pretty suit of yours?" he asked, grinning. He knew--KNEW--that he must have lost enough blood to make him witty. Otherwise, he would have NEVER even considered talking with Lady Mercury like this, with such familiarity that, for him, would have been born of close contact over years. He rarely was like this with his friends, though of course they understood why. But with one look into her shimmering, sweet blue eyes, as beautiful as the Palace Lake, and he was suddenly very warm inside. he thought to himself. Mercury was surprised on the lack of blood loss, and even more surprised by his question. A coral blush brushed her cheeks, and she replied, "No. I heard you from our ship, and came to investigate, bringing something just in case you were injured." "Oh, I see...." he started, but it was then that the sounds of the near old scuffle finally hit their ears, followed by harsh footsteps on the ground. Both were mildly shocked to see Venus and Kunzite dash out of the fog, Kunzite only seeing them when Venus did and latched her arm onto his, swinging him back to around toward the two. "Zoicite!" he gasped. "Are you hurt, my friend?" "It's not too bad, thanks to Lady Mercury," he replied with a short smile. "But I may need some help up...." Kunzite wasted no time in helping the injured general to his feet, the Princess Mercury following slowly. He and Venus scowled simultaneously, scaring the other two well-trained warriors in a funny way, especially since they were oblivious to their matching expressions. Finally, Venus lost it and said, "Listen, we have to go now! They're going to kill each other!" When Venus had run into the fog after her friend, she really had expected to find her. Even though she was one of the oldest of the Senshi and their leader, she'd never lost that thread of optimism, even in the bleakest moments. So when she failed to encounter her in the first minutes of the chase, she'd been puzzled and had stopped, letting the dust that had risen with her footsteps settle a bit. she thought to herself as she looked through the greyish-yellow fog. However, it was the silencing of her footfalls that allowed her to hear the sounds of voices, and then the tremendous zap! of power that accompanied the attacks of her troops. Cursing their recklessness and the fog, she began to follow the sounds of the fight...and ran right into Kunzite. He'd looked down at her and was surprised, though his stern, cloud grey eyes gave no sign of it. She gazed back, equally surprised, yet with a stare equally as brisk. Standing barely a foot from each other, they analyzed one another, trying to place why they seemed so familar to each other. thought Venus. She grimaced at allowing the last thought to run through her mind so easily. he thought first. He nearly sneered at his last thought, and squelched it so fast it could barely choke out a sound of protest. "Who are you?" he demanded in his command voice, a harsh and low tone. "I see we want the same thing. How about a mutual exchange?" she spat back, her tone also in the command range. he added, then straightened himself and glared down at her. "I am General Kunzite, Leader of the Royal Guard of Prince Endymion of Earth. And what are you doing?" he said, then asked as she extended three slim fingers as he spoke. "Counting your 'of's' and seeing if I have more," she replied with a hint of a smile. "I am Princess Venus, Leader of the Court Guard of the Royal Moon, also Personal Guard to Princess Serenity." "Only two," he said in a measured tone, having tallied them as he listened. "Oh drat," she replied, then visibly flinched at the sound of a something hard crunching against the dirt. Then,"If you'll excuse me, I must go find my Princess." "...I must find my Prince," he was saying. Their sentances hung in the air for moments before each realized what the other had said. "You don't know where your Princess is?" Kunzite gasped out. "We lost her in the crash," Venus replied, face tightening in near pain. "And you lost Prince Endymion in the crash as well, I suppose." A dry smile appeared on her face. "This is just not a good day." "Yes, we did. And you're right. This day has sucked," he replied, face softening just a smidge. Then it tightened back up again as he heard a cry and a gasp, and he added, "I bet Jaedite and Nephrite have something to do with that." "Mars and Jupiter, too," she affirmed. "Mercury ran off, and she's somewhere in this pea soup crud." "I have no idea where Zoicite is as well," said Kunzite. "It seems we are in similar situations." "Yes, it seems we are," Venus replied, that sly slip of smile touching her lips again. Kunzite found that somehow that expression thrilled him in a very low, dark place; he quashed that as well. "What do you propose?" "That we..." he grimaced a little, "collaborate to find our respective leaders." "Work together?" "Uh-huh." She let a little disappointment show to appease his sense of honor--and partially hers as well--before replying, "As Leader of the Inner Senshi, I accept your proposal. Now let's get cracking." They'd both ended up sprinting toward the fight, and had come upon Mercury and Zoicite in the process. Now the four of them half-walked, half-moved- really-impatiently toward the battle noises, their progress slowed slightly due to an injury Zoicite had found when he tried to move. Mercury was carefully assisting him, which caused her interest to peak; the Princess Mercury she knew rarely would be in such close contact with a man, especially such a handsome one with curling blond hair and green-grey eyes. The battle sounds seemed like they were nearly on top of them when Kunzite stopped. "Time to get their attention," he said, and a whirling black-blue power swirled in his hands. In response, she raised her hands and called out "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM." Immediately, powerful light exploded in her hands, and she aimed it upward, focusing it outward to create a huge explosion of light over the whole area. Kunzite also let loose with his power, making a loud thunderous noise as he blew most of the fog around them clear. The fighting stopped immediately, and the four were amused to see how. Nephrite held Jupiter against the ship with a forcefield, and power sparks radiated from her antenea. Nearby, Mars held Jaedite at bay with a slender hand that stopped in the middle of a karate chop. "SENSHI!!" Venus called. "GENERALS!!" Kunzite roared. The two pairs quickly seperated, and both leaders were proud to note that none of their troops looked even reasonably sheepish. Rather, they seemed like a cat caught in the act of something wrong, giving it a sensous brush off. "Now hear this," Kunzite said. "These are the Inner Senshi, the Princesses of the planets Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Mars and guardians of the Royal Court." "And these are the Four Generals, guard of Prince Endymion of Earth," Venus stepped in. "There is no need for anymore fighting--we are allies." "Venus! They probably know where the Princess is!" Mars roared. "Kunzite! What about the Prince?" Nephrite answered. The two leaders looked unimpressed and a little bemused. "They don't know of the Prince, for they have lost their Princess," Kunzite answered. "And they have no clue about the Princess, for they have lost their Prince," Venus said smugly. The stunned looks on their faces managed to crack the first smiles out of the two leaders all day. CHAPTER THREE MEETINGS Serenity stared at the river, it's liquid silver curves calming her fragile nerves slightly. she thought, rather calmly in her opinion. She shivered slightly at the last part, wondering how she was going to protect herself out here without her Guard. she laughed to herself, gazing upon the battered emergency kits. Two had survived her crash, even though the pod had been nothing but makeshift metal by the time she crawled from it, bruised but alive. She let her eyes roam to the river again, sighing, trying to calm herself enough to get moving. She knew that the days out in this part of the System were shorter than those on the Moon, but only by a few hours; she also knew that they were mostly uninhabited. She'd decided that they must have landed upon a moon, though she didn't know if it was Saturn's or Jupiter's; it had to be a moon, though, because otherwise they would've been found already. Something in her mind also told her that more than the Senshi would be looking for her, since they'd gone down after the Prince's ship. She sighed to herself, and wondered if she'd EVER get to meet Endymion. Her mother handled all the negotiations with Earth, claiming that they were "tricky" and not for the inexperianced Princess. However, Serenity always thought there had to be something more behind the story, and there was, only it wasn't as scandal ridden as the Princess would've expected. It was the fact that Selenity KNEW the people of Earth weren't happy with the Moon Kingdom--too simple, they said. And this made it dangerous for the young girl, though an engagement to Priam would most likely brighten relations with the Blue Planet. As to why she'd never met Endymion.....certain advisors on the Moon had spread rumors of the trail of hearts he'd left in his wake, briskly taking what he wanted and moving on. These were NOT true, but Selenity couldn't be too careful when it came to her daughter. Still, that morning's image of Endymion was etched upon her mind: hair a shade of the starless night, skin tanned and naturally darker than her own, and eyes like dark blue sapphires, twinkling at her. She'd gone on autopilot for the conversation, and surprisingly had remembered everything she was supposed to say. she thought to herself. She looked to the river some more, then decided she'd better get moving if she wanted to find shelter and food and possible comfort before the day ended. Slowly she stood, and softly began to arrange the two kits so that one was strapped across her and hung at her hip and the other sat on her back. It was then that she heard a soft crack. she asked herself immediately, feeling panic flare through her. She looked to the river again, trusting its reflective surface to give her a clue to what had made that noise, if anything. When there was no follow up noise, she finished adjusting the straps and leaned down to pick up the small, mostly ornamental dagger Venus had given her. It had been a gift from her people, who having nothing better to do with their time, manufactered weaponry, specializing in swords and daggers. As her fingers clutched the hilt, she heard another distinct crack....at which point she truly felt the panic rise in her. she whispered to herself, and tried to believe it...until she looked to her right and swallowed a gasp as a figure emerged from the rushes barely a yard from her. It, he, it, HE was tall, with a black cape lined in red flapping back from his armored body. He knelt by the stream and slowly began to splash water on his face, then cup it in his hands and drink it, still not noticing her. His hair was midnight black and plastered to his skull, only faint traces of the normal blue sheen showing. She stared at him as a deer stares into headlights, paralyzed and fascinated, unable to look away. He rubbed his face once more with the water and looked in the river again; his posture changed slowly as he realized that someone else was there, and in an instant his sword flashed in his hand and he was pointing it at her, demanding, "Who are you?" She screeched and fell back, frightened, as he advanced. His dark blue eyes pulsed with heat, and his skin was darkened by the shadow cast by his hair across his forehead. Her eyes widened, and she managed a whisper of, "Prince Endymion?" The words shocked him, and he stepped back a pace or two, and finally let the clear light of day fall over her. She had white-blond hair that right now fell in a heap around her body from two large balls on her head, and clear, softly shaded blue eyes, now in a wide eyed expression of fear. Her skin was white and looked soft; a crescent moon shone from her head. "Princess Serenity?" he asked. She nodded, and he felt a pang of idiocy go through him. "Princess, I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you..." he stammered out. "No, no, Prince Endymion, it's all right," she replied quickly, trying to ease his fears. she thought. "Did you get seperated from your guard?" "Why yes, Princess," he replied, then did a double take. "Don't you have a guard as well? The Senshi, if I recall?" "Yes, you're right. But unfortunatly, in the crash, we were seperated," she replied, getting to her feet and dusting off her long, white dress, noting that it wouldn't be white for too much longer. "You crashed as well?" he asked. "I'm here, aren't I?" she said, smiling gracefully. He seemed a little taken aback at her informal tone, and wondered if the crash had jarred her brain too much. She saw his look, and laughed, giggles bubbling from inside her like a cool spring. He stared at her some more, unsure of what to make of it, and wondering if she was crazy. "Oh no, Prince Endymion, I'm not crazy," she giggled. "Just friendly!" "Friendly?" he said, more to himself then to her. "Yes, Prince of Earth. Friendly. I'm not much for protocal, you know. So hard to keep straight," she said. He grinned at that; if Kunzite hadn't drilled him again and again, he wouldn't know a thing either. "You performed flawlessly on the ship, though..." he trailed off. "I practiced a lot, all right?" she replied, stubborn, and he felt a laugh coming on at her defensiveness. "Yes, Princess," he said, sheathing his sword. "Formally, I am Prince Endymion, of Earth." He gave a short bow. "Formally, I am Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom," she replied, curtseying. "As the Prince of Earth, I would like to make a formal request," he asked. "Go ahead, Prince of Earth," she replied. "I would request the company of the Princess of the Moon Kingdom in my travels to find the guard. I would act as her protection," he said. "Request granted, Prince of Earth," she said. "As the Princess of the Moon Kingdom, I have a request to make." "Go ahead, Princess of the Moon Kingdom," he said, wondering privately what request she was going to make of him. "I would request that we cut the formal chit-chat before I forget what I'm supposed to say," she replied, somehow holding a straight face. The grin he gave her brightened her day instantaneously, and her heart fluttered inside her a little at the warmth of his eyes. "Request granted happily, Princess Serenity," he replied. "Just call me Serenity," she said softly, grinning happily at cheering him up. "Then call me Endymion," he said. "Endymion," she said, twirling the name around her tongue. "I like it. Long, but I like it." "Thank you Princess..uh...Serenity," he replied. "Now, if you don't mind, I think we should be moving. The days are shorter on these moons, and we really must find shelter before dark." She nodded, and they moved off.