Hola once again, Sailor fans! Yep, I finally got around to finishing chapter three. I never meant to send it, but I did. What does this say about me? I'm a ditz at times, all right? It's why I sympathize with Serena. Let's see, what disclaimers do I...oh, first, I must say this whole series sprung out of me reading "Soul Mates" by lady. (It's good, go read it after this.) Any parallels are to be strictly ignored, because I'm crediting her for inspiring the idea, so NAHH! *raspberry* Okay, enough immaturity--onto the disclaimers! All of them from part one still remain effective. Nitpickers, this story contains scenes you could jump down my throat on...please don't. I try to do this right, I really do. *puppy dog eyes at the Nitpickers* Also, F-E-E-D-B-A-C-K!!!!!!! I CRAVE it. So, send all your "stuff" to jkc1984@niia.net, and I'll send replies and promise I won't faint. Special stuff: Lianne and Bunny mentioned me, so I get to mention them. Their stories are great, go enjoy them at your leisure. Also, Marchesi sent me an e-mail...THANKS!! *bright grin* All right, sorry this is SOOOOOO long...onto it now!!! THE FOUR LOVERS: STRANDED NINX ((Note: this is a carryover of chapter three)) "SHUTUP!!" Kunzite felt the headache begin as Venus, once again, tried to quiet Mars. However, the girl just wouldn't quit. She hadn't in the past ten minutes when everytime they'd tried to propose to propose a plan, she'd balk at it. It was really, sincerely, pissing him off; Venus as well, he could see. She kept muttering the words "VENUS CRESCENT..." then stopping. He assumed it was one of her attacks, and smiled to himself. This girl-- he corrected--took about as much flak from her Senshi as he did from his Generals. That is, next to nothing. It had seemed all right to begin with, just about a half-hour ago. Using his powers, along with Venus and Mars, to clear the fog, they'd seen that their two ships were about fifty yards apart. His Generals had eagerly taken up the idea to move the two ships closer together, and take advantage of the protection that would offer. After all, Mercury had pointed out that this was a moon of Saturn, and the moons of this planet were reknowned for their danger. So they'd moved the ship, and then, seeing that the day was far from done, decided to have a meeting about the Prince and Princess. he mused, remembering how Jupiter and Mars had glared at Jaedite and Nephrite across the tent. His Generals, obviously unimpressed, easily returned their glares. Mercury had arrived with Zoicite, still healing from his wound, and while the other two gave her an odd look she greeted Jaedite and Nephrite very kindly and asked how they felt. They responded cordially, much to his delight. He'd already had enough of Senshi vs. Generals; now he just wanted cooperation. Then there was Venus. She showed up last, flashing a smile at him as she dusted herself off, and checked out the Senshi. Finally, very drily she'd said, "They don't bite, you know." Both pairs in conflict flinched just a hair, and Jade (as they called him), said, "Of course not, Lady Venus. We just prefer to stand over her." "As do we," Mars replied, a bit more ice in her voice than Jade had. "Let's get down to buisness, now," Kunzite had broken in. "Any ideas on how we could find them?" "I could try a star reading, my liege," Nephrite had immediately spoken up. "I could do a fire reading," Mars said. He looked to Venus, and she nodded. "Go ahead, Mars, Nephrite," she said. Then, "Mercury, do you think you could patch into these ship's computers and get a working map of this area?" The Senshi looked pensive for a bit, then responded, "I could try, Venus." "Zoicite, assist her as much as possible," Kunzite added. "And what are you two fearless leaders going to do?" Jade broke in, voice razzed with sarcasm. He and Venus looked at each other, barely surpressing a grin. "Do what all leaders do," Venus said. "What?" "Supervise," Kunzite replied. Yes, it had all seemed to work out then. However, both Mars and Nephrite's readings failed miserably; Mercury and Zoicite had very little luck as well, though they were able to explain why the readings failed. "This is a moon of Saturn, Lady Mars," Zoicite said. "SO! What does that mean?" the frustrated warrior replied. "It means, Mars, that your powers will be blocked somewhat. Powers do strange things in the Outer Planets, but especially around Saturn," Mercury filled in. "No one knows why, but they think it's because of the rings," Zoicite finished. Still, the two had been frustrated, Mars the more so because secretly she wanted to show up the Generals. She couldn't believe they'd joined with them; Venus was usually smarter than this. So she lashed out at everyone, becoming a nuisance. Now, this. Venus and Mars stared coldly at each other, until finally Mars said, "I've had enough of this craziness. We can find the Princess by ourselves, with no help from these weakling creeps." She turned and walked to the flap of the tent they scavenged from their ship and set up. "Venus, if you need me, I'll be out searching." She walked through the flap. Venus let out an exasperated sigh and bit her inner lip, drawing out salty blood from one of the many wounds there. "Please excuse Lady Mars," she said quietly. "She is usually much more..er, friendly. I believe the double stress of losing the Princess and her usual skills not working right have caused her to forget herself." Nephrite calmly smiled. "She has a temper just like her planet, doesn't she. Fiery and red. And a reputation for being as....warm....as the planet she comes from." He sighed, gloved fingers rubbing together in an odd gesture, and added, "It's the name, I think. It needs to be changed. Perhaps Sailor Hissy Fit? Sailor Vain? Oh, I got it--Sailor Wench!" Kunzite nearly groaned outloud, and his jaw tightened abruptly; Zoicite looked death at the overly rude general; Jaedite looked back at his friend, amazed that he would dare be so out and out NASTY about Mars. It wasn't Nephrite; usually he was quieter, softer spoken, and the best schemer and liar a man could know. And he wondered what his friend would actually say if he knew what happened to Jaedite when he saw Mars.... The Sailor Senshi, meanwhile, had all gwacked at the crude general. "That was in very bad taste," Mercury finally spoke up, looking as severe as she could. "I'd always heard you Earth generals were nicer than that," Venus said. "My sources always remarked on you politeness." Jupiter talked--actually, exploded--last. Her anger had built from the first words out of his mouth; at first, she'd tried to tamp it down, hoping to be civil about this. Then, though, he'd given a snobby look to Venus at her remarks, and seemed about ready to say something. So she took her turn. "You pompous, arrogant, no good fool!" she shouted. "What the hell is wrong with you? Couldn't you see Mars was upset?" She took a step forward, eyes flashing emerald as if tiny chips of the precious jewel were implanted in them. "Venus is right-- she's just concerned about the Princess. Hell, I'm a nervous wreck, and I bet you are too! It's not every day you lose your liege and get stranded." "Nervousness is for the weak," Nephrite said. Actually, he was downright scared for Endymion, but he wouldn't let this Senshi see that. he thought sourly. Sudden confusion scattered his thoughts to the wind as his body reacted to something he wouldn't understand, couldn't understand until many, many years later. The anger left his face, and in its place came a faint pinkish color. "Then you're the weaklings," Jupiter snarled. "Well, maybe only you; these other Generals seem man enough to accept their emotions!" Jade thought. Zoicite thought, eyes flicking quickly to see Mercury. "And besides, Nephrite, Mars is not a Wench, or as you implied, a Slut. In fact, I think you owe her an apology. Now!" Jupiter demanded. It was only after she finished the statement that she caught the change in expression, which sent her own mind into spirals.... Not too unlike Nephrite, her anger began to bleed away, turning into something almost entirely different. Confusion filled her green eyes, not unnoticed by Nephrite; it only served to set off a secondary wave of emotions between them, as if their minds communicated what their bodies didn't. he thought bitterly as he stared at her. Suddenly he turned, made a short bow to Kunzite, and vanished out of the tent flap, leaving everyone confused. Jaedite, sensing there was something more to his friend's distress than just Jupiter's harsh tone, followed him. "Nephrite! Where are you going?" The older and most spiritually centered of the generals stopped, turned, and looked at his best friend with anguish in his eyes. "I have to get away," he said softly. "I have to think...and apologize. Tell Lady Jupiter she was right, I was wrong." His cape swirled around him, and he spat in finality, "Leave me be, Jade." Mystified, Jaedite turned back to deliver the message, only to find Lady Jupiter gone. "She left shortly after you did--to go check on Mars, she said," Zoicite filled in. Jaedite shook his head and walked out then. He found that, like the others, he needed to get away. The others watched him leave with a peculiar emotion inside of them, as if they'd just entertained melancholy among them. "I hope this isn't an omen," Kunzite finally said, breaking the silence. He turned slightly toward the remaining Senshi. "My pardon, Ladies, for the behavior of Nephrite. He has never been really adept at disguising emotions, and when he tries, it comes out wrong." "If you must apologize for him, then I offer an apology for Mars," Mercury spoke up quickly. "Yes," Venus added. "She is the most frustrated of all of us right now. Her house and planet are in fiercly devoted to the Moon Kingdom's family. There are stories about her mother that would make you cringe, and she seems hell bent on following her footsteps." A small smile alighted on her lips as the memories came back to her, and it touched and cleared her eyes of all the frustration of the day. Zoicite let a smile as small as hers flash back at her. "I'd like to hear them sometime, Lady Venus." "As would I," Mercury said primly. "I'm not much for the court gossip or history, Venus." "Too caught up in the latest medical texts, I know. Lately those odd computer texts as well," Venus replied with a dramatic note of hopelessness her voice. As if she was whispering to a confidante, she whispered to Kunzite, "Mercury has a court reputation of being brainy and cold..." "Venus!" she cried, blushing a faint blue. "...though you shouldn't believe it," the leader finished, eyes sparkling at Mercury, whose blush had spread and turned darker. "Ah yes, I know the feeling," he replied, his voice becoming conspiritorial. "Zoicite almost NEVER leaves the library, and we have to nearly always pull him away from a book when it comes time to train and practice." It lowered to a raspy whisper, tickling Venus' ear with his breath. "His reputation is of scholarly indifference--to everything." He added something else that made Venus whirl, eyes sharpened to two blue flecked silver points of blue light. "Really??" she asked. "Kunzite, please," Zoicite pleaded, also blushing a reddish color. Suddenly, a petal swirled around his head, and he spoke up, "Kunzite, it's getting rather late, and we don't want to be out there after dark." "That's right, it's dangerous," Mercury added. The two leaders sighed. "Always looking out for their leader," Kunzite said drily. "Like mother hens," Venus added. "Cluck, cluck, time to go, Venus!" Mercury said, walking to and tugging insistently on her arm. With a light sigh and a wave, she was pulled out of the tent. Outside, they heard a small mumble, and then there was a ball of light, like a will- o-wisp, floating outside. It quickly moved away. "They're certainly nice," Zoicite said. "Yes, yes they are," Kunzite said, a little grimace coming over his face. "Do you think those four will ever get their minds straight and be able to work together?" "Hard to say, Kunzite. We all usually work together, but never with anyone else--we're Earth's top guard! Well, except for the Sea Four, but I don't even want to think of them." "Neither do I. Petty little monsters." "Yes, yes." A sigh. "I'm sure they will eventually get used to working with us." "I suppose so." "Though I doubt they'll ever be friends. There's too much friction." Kunzite shook his head. "I believe you're right, Zoi." His fingers curled around his cape, and in a motion he disappeared in a blue sizzle. Zoicite let out another, heavier sigh. "Unfortunatly, so do I," he said soberly, then whispered "Zoi!" and vanished in a whirl of petals.