Notes: Thanks to all of you who have reviewed. Sorry that it has taken so long. I've been busy with work, and had major writer's block. The same goes with Lonely Hearts. For that story, I know how it ends, it's just getting there. Again, I do apologize for this story not being updated for quite sometime. Thanks for being patient.

Chapter 10

Lita watched silently as she watched Serena walk quietly back to her room without saying how the mission went. Infact, Serena didn't even talk at all. Her emerald eyes closed as she heard the click of the door being shut and felt her heart was heavy. Taking out her pony-tail while walking to her room, she noticed Mina was flipping through the tv channels, Trista left shortly after they got back from their first mission, and as far as Amara and Michelle she didn't know. Shaking her head and feeling her hair loose from its constraints, she walked over to her bed and sat down. Laying down, reflecting back on the past few days, and her current position. Unaware, she had drifted off to sleep.

~ Dream ~
"How dare you!" Jupiter said as she watched Hephaestus spar by himself. Balling up her fists, "Are you even listening to me!"
Hephaestus stopped for a minute to look at Jupiter, "What did I do, Onna?"
"Calling me weak in front of my friends!"
Snorting at her reason for interrupting his precious training, "You interrupted me, because the truth hurts?" Rubbing his cheek and glaring at her, "What in Mars' name did you do that far, you damn onna?"
"To prove to you that I AM NOT WEAK!"
Pushing back the pain as he saw lightening flicker in her eyes, "Just because you are Zues's daughter, doesn't make you strong. You'll always be weak. All onnas are weak."
Hephaestus barely dodge another punch heading towards his nose. As he heard Jupiter's voice boom with anger. "I'll show you weak!"
Before the two could exchange anymore words, a spar began. One trying to prove she was not weak, while the other tried to protect his pride. Jupiter managed to knock Hephaestus on his back and smirked, "I win." Saying what she said, she turned around and began to walk towards the Moon palace. Spitting out some sand as she saw the sand from the lake staring at her, turning her head, she saw Hephaestus on top of her.
Hephaestus turned her around on her back, strands of his hair falling into his eyes as he stared down into emerald eyes blazing with anger. "Never turn your back on the enemy." Hephaestus brushing particles of sand off of Jupiter's cheek and lips, leaned down, and kissed her.
~out side of dream~

Mina turning off the tv as she looked outside and saw a bolt of jagged lightening shoot across the night sky, "Stupid weatherman. It's not supposed rain until Saturday." Yawning as she stood up and stretched her muscles, and walked to her room. Mina stopped briefly at Serena's door and felt guilty for not doing anything to stop the pain that was inflicted on her princess. Sorry, Serena. Looking at Lita's closed door and back to Serena's, Some leader and friend I am.

~ dream ~
Jupiter sitting up and holding her uniform close to her as she looked at Hephaestus, "I hate you."
Hephaestus sat up and looked at her, "Now what did I do?"
"For everything. I broke a promise to myself, and not only that," looking out at the lake, "I became another victim."
"Victim?" Looking at her with rage, "What do you mean, victim?"

Jupiter
looked
back at
him with
frustrati
on in
her
eyes,
"To your
little
games."

"What games?"
"Oh, don't you give me that, Hephaestus. Another girl that got played with."
Anger and frustration swimming in Hephaestus eyes, "What, you think I'm a player?"
"Yes."
"What?"
Jupiter looked at him, hurt swimming in her eyes, "You know its true. You play the girl with all they're worth and toss them to the side." Standing up and putting her uniform back on, "I'm not a toy, Hephaestus."
Hephaestus grabbed a hold of her wrist and pulled her back down, "That is not true. Shingnami, yes, but not me." Placing a hand on her face an looking directly into her eyes, "Jupiter . . ." he couldn't finish what he had to say; his lips were kissing hers.

~ end of dream ~

"How are you feeling, Master Aires?"
Heero opening his eyes, still clutching his chest as he heard his guardian speak. "Like something was torn out of my chest." Sitting up in bed and looked to his left to see a worried Helios looking at him, "What happened?"
Helios smiled faintly at his prince, "The crystal reacted to that of the Imperium crystal."
Heero looking at him, "That would only happen . . ." his voice trailing off as the realization dawned on him, "Serenity."
Helios gave Heero a nod as he looked out the window as he saw a bolt of lightening and heard a clasp of thunder, "Yes."
Heero looking out the window as well, remembering how the strange girl was acting inside the base, What happened to you, Rena? Laying his head against his headboard, "Helios, she was like another person."
Helios remembering seeing Serenity when she first showed up and how she looked. He knew something terrible had happened to her, what Pluto never did say. Sighing as he noticed Heero was asleep. "Get some sleep, Master Aires." He vanished.

Wufei pulling the covers back on his bed as he got in bed he couldn't help but think back to the mission and meeting that new girl. How could an onna crawl under his skin like her? He was upset what took place during P.E. and remembering the look she was giving him, those eyes seemed so foreign yet familiar - like he should know her. Closing his eyes to sort through his thoughts, but soon was asleep. ~ Wufei's dream ~
Jupiter looked at him, hurt swimming in her eyes, "You know its true. You play the girl with all they're worth and toss them to the side." Standing up and putting her uniform back on, "I'm not a toy, Hephaestus."
Hephaestus grabbed a hold of her wrist and pulled her back down, "That is not true. Shingnami, yes, but not me." Placing a hand on her face an looking directly into her eyes, "Jupiter . . ." he couldn't finish what he had to say; his lips were kissing hers.

~outside of dream~

Duo looked at the closed curtain, "I thought it wasn't supposed to rain." Looking up to see Trowa and Quatre in a serious games of chess; he stood up and walked down the hall. He noticed Heero didn't come out of his room and looked at Wufei's closed door. Grinning evilly as he grabbed the door knob. Yelping in pain and blowing profusively as he glared at the knob, "My hell that's hot."
Quatre held back his snickers as he looked at Duo, "It looks like Wufei out-smarted you this time, Duo."
"Funny." Holding his burnt hand, he walked to the bathroom and ran cold water over it. He could hear Quatre and Trowa quietly chuckle at the incident. Scowling he looked back to his hand seeing no blisters, Even if Wufei did want to get back at me, it's something Wufei wouldn't do.

~Wufei's Dream ~
Hephaestus laying in the grass with Jupiter in his arms as he ran his fingers through her soft brown hair. His coal eyes looking at the night sky, seeing his home planet twinkle in the distant atmosphere, and looking back down to the girl that captured his heart as he heard, "Am I still weak?"
Chuckling as he sat up to look at her, "No." Kissing her on the forehead, "You are not weak."
"Then why do you call me weak?"
"I had to see if the rumor was true."
"Rumor?" She said hotly, "What rumor?"
"If you really did break Mars' top solider's nose." Chuckling as he saw a red hue brush her cheeks, "I guess it is."
"Hey, it's not my fault he came on to me and wouldn't back off." Her eyebrows furrowing together as she looked up at him, "But how would you know? I never saw you when I was visiting Mars."
"I saw you. I was out training the soldiers while Mars was walking around and showing you around our home planet. Even during your stay, I saw you. You just didn't recognize me."
"What do you mean?" Her eyes widening as she looked at him, "You were that guard that kept eyeing me after I punched that creep in the nose, weren't you!" She said poking him in the bear chest.
Hephaestus chuckled as he placed his hand over her's, "Yes."

~ end of dream ~
A lone figure stood in the pouring rain as they looked at a mansion. Letting go a sigh, they walked up to the building and knocked. Shielding their eyes from the bright light as the door opened to reveal an elder man looking up, "May I help you?"
"I'm here to see Millardo Peacecraft."
The elder man stepped aside for her to walk in, "Does he know that you were coming, Miss?"
"No." The voice was hushed, as if afraid the person she was seeking would hear her.
"Alright, I'll go and inform Mr. Peacecraft that you are here."
She smiled kindly at the man. She watched as the old man walked up the stairs, she turned around to see pictures of Millardo, his sister, and a little girl. Walking up to the pictures, she couldn't help but smile. She saw a picture of a little girl sitting on Millardo's shoulders, eating icecream, and Millardo looking up as some icecream dropped on his forehead. Chuckling as she looked to see another picture of the same little girl swinging on a swing wearing a maroon sundress. "How you have grown . . ." her eyes noticing another picture of Millardo and the girl sitting next to each other with a puppy on her lap. Picking up the picture, she just stared at the little girl.

"Mister Peacecraft?"
"Pegan, can't you see I'm busy?" A man said in his early forties while looking at some papers with light (almost white) blonde hair hanging loosely over his shoulders.
"Yes, Sir. I am sorry for interrupting you, but there is a young woman here asking for you."
Millardo looking up at the butler, "Did she give a name?"
"No she did not." Chuckling at his forgetfulness, "I'm sorry sir, I didn't even ask her for her name."
Millardo stood up and rubbed the tiredness from his eyes, "This better be good." Following Pegan downstairs, his footsteps dragged as his light blue eyes captured dark olive green hair - half of it pulled up into a bun. Clearing his throat as he made it to the bottom step and felt his heart stop as the person turned around and held a picture frame. Slowly walking up to the guest, he looked at Pegan, "Thank-you, Pegan." He walked up to her smiled at her, "Trista . . ." her name just barely escaped his mouth, but loud enough for her to hear.
Smiling slightly at him as she placed the picture frame back, "Meisha has grown, hasn't she?"
Nodding his head in agreement as he watched her gently set the picture frame down, "Why don't we step into my office so we can talk."
Trista gave him a nod and followed him to his office. How long has it been? Her garnet eyes looking around the darkened room, "This doesn't look like your office . . ." her voice trailing as she saw Millardo close the door behind her and walked up to her.
"Pluto." Wrapping his arms around her waist as he kissed her lips.
Trista pulled back to look into his loving eyes, "Apollo," feeling his fingers brush the lonely tear that rolled down her cheeks, "I've-"
"Sh." Kissing her lips again and enjoying to have her within his arms.

"Amara," Michelle asked as she stepped into their bedroom and looked at her quiet lover. She felt torn with the events that has happened. Whatever happened to Serena and the thought of Amara not being able to protect their princess.
Amara stood by the window to watch the thunder storm and glanced back to see Michelle walk up to her. "Michelle."
Michelle wrapping her arms around Amara's waist from behind and rested her head on Amara's back. "Trista's not back yet, Hotaru is in her room, and Serena is asleep." She could feel Amara's body tighten as she mentioned Serena's name. "Amara . . ."
Amara turning around and smiled slightly at her, "So many things has happened since we arrived in this world."
"Hai." Michelle taking a hold of Amara's hands, "But that's not what's bothering you, is it Amara?"
"Iie."
"Serena?"
"Hai." She said quietly.
Michelle smiled faintly at her, knowing how protective Amara was with their princess. "She'll come around, Amara. You'll see."
"When?" Amara took a step away from her, "When will she come around? As far as I know, she's been beaten, and something else that bastard did to her that no one will tell me. Trista knows what happened, Lita, Mina, and even Hotaru knows what happened before we left our world." By now her voice was on the rise, "You say she'll come around? As far as I can tell Michelle, she's doing the opposite! That's my hime in there, and I couldn't do a damn thing to protect her!" Rage was overwhelming her, and as the events that took place in their world was eating her up inside, "So when you see her smiling, laughing, and being the innocent Koneko that she was, then you inform me!"
Michelle closed her eyes as she heard the venom in Amara's words and looked up to see Amara grab her jacket, "Where are you going?"
"Out!" With that being said, Amara left the room, and slammed the door.
Michelle sat numbly on the bed as she watched Amara leave. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she replayed the words that were spoken a moment before, "She's my princess too . . ." Breaking down with heart wrenching sobs as Amara's words stung, "Amara . . ."

Trista looked to her side to see Millardo asleep. Slowly and quietly she slid out of bed and wrapped a sheet that had fallen to the floor around her form. She walked over to the window and stared out to watch the rain fall. She could feel the turmoil back at their mansion and knew what happened to Serena was tearing them apart. Jumping as she felt arms wrap around her and finding herself relaxing as she looked back to see Millardo standing behind her, "Everything okay?"
"Iie." She said softly as she kept her eyes on the window, "The Gods are against me."
"Why?"
"I wasn't able to protect Serenity-hime from Endymion. I had the power and I did nothing." Turning around into his arms and looking up at him, "I don't know what's worse, knowing you have to the power to stop time, or not being able to see in time what would happen to the person you care for."
Millardo looking at her, "Tell me what happened and why you think the Gods would be against you?"
Trista looking away the pain and event were still fresh in her mind. Feeling a lump in the back of her throat, she replied, "She was raped."
Millardo felt his jaw tighten as he heard the answer he didn't want to hear. How could Prince Endymion do something like that to his niece? Then he remembered something else that Trista said earlier, "Pluto . . ."
Trista welcoming his warmth as she cried, "I didn't see it. It was like something beyond my power was blocking me, until it was too late. The Gods are against me because I couldn't protect her, Apollo."
Millardo lifted Trista's head up and smiled at her, "Iie. The Gods are not against you. I stopped at the Time Gates just shortly after you arrived in this world and saw your father. I asked where you were." Chuckling even though the mood was dark, "Your father told me it was time you were released from the Gates to be with your family, Pluto."
Pluto buried her face in his chest as she heard his words, "Then why am I not able to see into the future or past?"
"Maybe its time for you to live the present." Kissing the top of her head, "Pluto, even you should be allowed to be with your loved ones."
"But . . ."
"About what happened with Serenity, I am angry that Endymion would hurt her the way he did, but it was something none of us could stop." Pushing her away to have a better look at her and wiping away her tears, "He will get his punishment." Leading her back to the bed, and noticing the time, "Lets get some rest. Seven o'clock will be here before we know it."