"To what do we honor the pleasure of your presence your Grace?" Serenity giggled lightly.
"Call me Sere Trowa, you know I don't like that formal junk. Anyway, I heard that you guys were training with your abilities and had an idea. You know that Quatre can't utilize his full capabilities unless there's a lot of energy nearby, right?" The boys all nodded. "Well if you create a barrier of lightning as you were just now, and allow him to tap into that energy, don't you think there will be a big result?" Trowa thought for a moment before nodding. He wasn't much for expression or words.
"Yes, I believe it should work. What do you say Quatre?"
"Uh…um, sure. Let's give it a shot." Giddy at the thought that she might have actually done something right, Serenity ushered Hiiro and Wufei away so as to give them ample room.
Standing in the center of their court Trowa began to summon the lightning as he had before. A cloud of shimmering light danced dangerously around him as he concentrated. Quatre shut his eyes as Trowa began to build his energy, causing the sky above them to blacken with the energy he was creating. Outstretching his hands Quatre bent his knees, preparing for the force of the blow that might hit him. Serenity watched anxiously as a green ball began to form in Quatre's hands, growing steadily with each passing second. Hiiro and Wufei watched in amazement as individual bolts of lightening began to fly into Quatre's hands, strengthening the power of the energy being held in his hands. Suddenly Quatre's knees buckled and he fell to the ground, the energy flying from his hands and into the sky as he used the last of his strength to push it away. With a burst of light the ball exploded, throwing the group of adolescents to the ground. Once the dust had cleared Quatre found himself being helped up by Trowa.
"I guess I gave you a little too much for our first try." Quatre grinned.
"No problem." Serenity rushed over to them and threw herself upon them, overflowing with joy.
"It worked! It really worked!" Wufei was soon by Quatre's side as well, helping him regain his balance.
"Princess, what happened to your hand?" Trowa glanced worriedly at her scorched and blistered hand. Hurriedly she hid it in the folds of her gown, smiling impishly.
"Oh, it's nothing, really." Her hand was suddenly thrust into the open as Hiiro began to examine it. Flushing she tried to pull away but was stopped as his fingertips became as cold as ice, soothing her burning hand.
"It seems to me that you underestimated the power of Trowa's defense." A soft smile came to his face as the group began to make their way inside.
"Apparently we all seem to be doing that today." They chuckled to the Princess' half-hearted reply. Once in the palace they went into Quatre's private room, where they were able to hang out and not be disturbed by the attendants in the palace.
As they sat Wufei quizzed them on numerous things they were required to know for their upcoming exams. The entire royal guard, including the senshi, was required to take a test given by Queen Selenity in the upcoming months and was therefore required to study. Quatre and Trowa played a few rounds of chess in order to relax their fried nerves from the power needed to perform the move they had just attempted. Hiiro and Usagi sat on a sofa nearby, answering as many questions as they could. Hiiro still held onto her injured hand, emitting a chilling sensation that eased the pain. Serenity inwardly enjoyed the feeling and welcomed it for as long as it would last. It wasn't often that the hard, stern young man allowed himself to show affection or feeling towards others.
In the months to follow Serenity would often find herself in the company of the young men, avoiding her own senshi at all costs. She would spend time training with Hiiro and Wufei while Quatre and Trowa worked to improve their own techniques. There were times when she would train with them individually, learning to prepare herself against any and all attacks they had to offer. On certain days Setsuna would come by and train them as a group, never questioning Serenity's presence as she taught them the formalities of battle and martial arts. When it came to training with her own senshi Serenity could not allow herself to use the new moves she had learned for fear that she might be forbidden to train with the boys. It was obvious that she was stronger for she often pinned even Makoto in the most awkward positions. Out of all her inner senshi Makoto was the strongest and most skilled. For her to be able to surpass her really said something.
During that time Serenity found herself spending more and more time with Hiiro, even when they weren't training. He treated her with a respect that not even Minako and Quatre did. The kindness he showed her made her feel like a precious gem. Of course Trowa also treated her much the same way, but it was different. He was too timid to actually request to spend time with her. There were times when he would pull her away from the group and just take a quiet stroll with her. He was kind and considerate yet just too quiet for her. With Hiiro she could laugh and not be afraid of the silence. Often he would either be the one who caused the laughter or would laugh with her. She found his company most enjoyable. Especially since he seemed to genuinely care for her.