Serena tapped her pencil listlessly on her desk. She glanced at Autumn's empty desk and sighed. This was the last place she wanted to be - now or ever. She could only think of Atia. Where was she right now? Was she okay?

"Ms. Tsukino!" Serena jumped. "Can you please tell us the order of the planets in the solar system?"

"Er..." She'd learned this when she was little, but she had long since forgotten. Suddenly words began spilling out of her mouth. "There's the sun...Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars...Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune...then Pluto."

Ms. Haruna looked only a little surprised. "Very good." She finished her lecture.

Wow, she thought, impressed with herself. I didn't know I knew that.

"Now, class, please take your literature books. We will return to our study of proverbs."

Serena did so unhappily. Only three of the proverbs had been prophetical; the others were meaningless. Her heart caught, however, when she saw the first line.

One is trapped away, caught
The fate of many lay in her decisions.
The fifth seeks a return,
The Seekers seek the answer,
The Guardian seeks the others.

The end is drawing closer...

-*-

"Ohmygosh. Just how many people are there in the Negaverse?" Atia whispered, ducking back behind the curtain. "There's enough people here to fit every square inch of the sun." Her heart was hammering in her chest. She did not mind making public appearances or banquets, but she did mind this amount of people! It had been so many years since she'd last done something like this...

Sebradon's loud voice reached her ears. He made a few joking comments to get his crowd silent, then went on about...her. Her grip on her staff tightened. "Well, you all know I've been tracking down a very special person. It was not until recently that I found her. And now, my friends, my loyal subjects...now she is here." There was cheering loud enough to deafen a person. He glanced over at her. "Please welcome the Protector of a faraway land - Princess Atia!"

-*-

Trista stared into the mirror, willing her two friends to return. But they did not. She took a shuddering breath and watched ThunderClaw walk up to her and put his nose in her hand. The Guardian knelt to the ground and hugged him. She'd never known him to be so friendly before.

"Trista, I...that...you..." Darien stammered, staring at her incredulously. "That was the most amazing singing I'd ever heard!"

She smiled. "Thanks."

"Wow. Just...wow."

Perfectly remarkable, SunChaser agreed, hauling herself up from the heat vent and walking to stand beside Darien.

"You should hear all five of us," Trista said quietly.

Darien could only smile.

Suddenly stars of pain exploded in Trista's head. The black wolf was the only thing holding her up. Something that felt like what she figured to be a heart attack made her chest hurt beyond any normal reasoning. Then, just as suddenly, it was gone.

The insistent pain that had held her captive since the previous night vanished. The loneliness that had made her cry was gone, the silence replaced by the soft, melodious beating of two hearts. Two of the abandoned links around her heart surged back to life. Tears of relief and joy ran down her face as the pain vanished.

Darien was beside her, hand on her shoulder. "Trista?"

"It worked, Darien. It worked."

*

Atia could see his expression of uncertainty as he eyed her dress. The uncertainty turned to almost puzzled anger when he saw her staff. But the expressions were only in his eyes, and only she could see them. As she walked up to him, oblivious of the crowd, she smiled sweetly.

"Where'd you get that?" he growled, eyes eying the staff.

"Your powers aren't the only strong ones in this place," she whispered, standing on tiptoe and kissing him, as was customary. Then she turned and faced the crowd. There were various forms of welcoming - cheers, clapping.

For a second, she was back on Saturn. For a second, she was staring over the courts of the planets. For a second, she was with her love. For a second, her friends and parents were beside her. For a second, she was home.

She blinked and tried not to wobble.

Sebradon grabbed her shoulder and indicated her to sit. She did so, feeling numb. Releasing her staff, it stood upright on its own accord beside her. She glanced up at Sebradon. He was calling orders and making comments, but she didn't hear him. She could only feel the biting pain of her memories from a time long past. Was this his plan? Did he intend to make her homesick on purpose in an attempt to make her stay? She clutched a fist on her dress, willing her face to be blank and expressionless, as she had learned on Saturn.

The feasting began, but Atia tasted nothing. The food felt like ashes in her mouth and had a similar taste.

"Are you alright?" Sebradon asked quietly. She gave him a little glare. He smirked. "You've got food on your chin." Atia rolled her eyes and wiped it with her napkin. He studied her for a moment. "Ah, I see. You miss your home, don't you? This reminds you of it. Hm. Interesting."

Atia remained silent for a moment, poking at her food. "Sebradon? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Do you even feel even the slightest bit of remorse for killing Lia?"

His fork stopped halfway to his mouth. He didn't look angry, only thoughtful. He lowered the fork back to his plate. "Good question." He paused. "Truthfully, Atia? I'd have to say no." She watched him, and his eyes lightened for a split second, then clouded back over. "Nope."

The woman turned her gaze back to her plate. A single tear ran down her cheek.