Thanks for all your reviews guys!! Please keep reading and reviewing-

and remember, if something bugs ya, say so. This is a little on the

long side, but enjoy!! Oh, and an important note: the PoV (point of

view) changes in this chapter so watch out and pay attention!! If ya

skim, ya might miss it, so like Serena--- constant vigilance!! (Hmm,

isn't that reminiscent of someone from yet another fantasy, with a magic

eye??)

But to more pressing matters, I still had to figure out a specific way

to make Darien realize that I played to win, too- he seemed to think

he'd get away with his snide remarks and I'd be helpless and unable to

dish out anything to match his barbs. How to convince him that even a

"little princess" a foot shorter than him could fight right back? How?

How??

Well, whoever it was that said you can fix any problem with enough

concentration needs a good slap upside the head- the harder I

concentrated, the more impossible it seemed that I could come up with

any victory, how ever short-lived, against someone as sharp as him.

And then, epiphany! It is quite amazing, really, how the strangest

things can give you inspiration. In my case, it was the dinner bell.

I quickly changed my plain gray gown for one that Luna always sighed

over and complimented me fervently. It was very cheery and attracted

attention while allowing me to retain my modesty- a light shade of pink

with sunshine yellow ruffles and a neckline that, while not plunging,

hinted at my assets just enough for...well....I think you get the general

idea. I figured I might as well catch Mr. I'm-too-cocky-and-handsome-

for-my-own-good Shields' eye while playing my games, though just why I

wanted that sort of attention from him, I didn't quite know. Just keep

telling yourself that, darling, you know perfectly well why you want it,

and more. Ugh, that voice- what I would not do to simply stamp it out

for good! And yet, like a thorn in my side, it popped up with annoying

exuberance whenever I tried to deny what I really thought. I firmly

shoved it back to the far recesses of my mind, where it belonged,

straightened the pink bows around my two buns, and walked downstairs

with all the pomp and grace of a queen.

THUD!

Perhaps I should have been a little more specific. Perhaps I should

have said- "and walked downstairs with all the pomp and grace of a

queen until I tripped over the broken stair half way down and rolled

the rest of the way down after trying to regain my balance and failing

miserably."

I landed at the foot of the staircase on my rear with the skirt of my

gown completely over my head and my petticoats revealed for all and

sundry. Oh please, I'm sorry I stuck my tongue out at Richard last

Sunday at church, God, truly sorry, but please, do know I believe in

you with all my heart, especially right now, and with that in mind,

please do not let...

"Well, hello Serena. You certainly look stunning this evening, well

that is, your undergarments look stunning, and I'm sure your lovely

countenance does as well, although it is hard to be certain, what with

that skirt covering it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't skirts

meant to be worn on your lower half, not your upper? Ah well, probably

just the latest fashion- it's so hard to keep up with fashions of today."

...him see me like this. Lovely, just wonderful. And if it's not too

much to ask right now, God, with all my other pending requests- DO YOU

THINK YOU COULD REQUEST A REDWOOD COFFIN ON MY BEHALF? I'd do it myself,

but seeing as I'm currently dying of humiliation...

"Hello yourself, Darien. I agree, it is definitely very hard to keep

up with modern fashion- no wonder you're 50 years behind it.," I replied

vehemently, as I violently pulled my skirt down and stood up, gathering

the shreds of my dignity together.

"The soul of wit, even under the most pressing of circumstances. Need

some help there, princess?" he asked, grinning.

"I'm quite alright, thank you. Had you simply helped me up without

shoving your foot in your mouth, like any other man would do in your

situation, I might have reconsidered my intense dislike for you. But

you went right ahead and forced your entire leg in that gaping maw of

yours, and now have my certified hate. Congratulations!" I finished

with false cheer, and stormed into the dining room.

How dare he! And to think I could have wanted the attentions of such

a boor! I sat down in my usual seat at the dining table, taking care

to first knock Sammy on the head for that oh-so-satisfying "Serenaaaaaa!!"

Ah, the glory of having a younger brother who was old enough to beat up

on without being called a bully, and yet young enough so that said

beatings-up were still effective. The way I saw it, I needed some sort

of concession for the disaster that had just occurred. As it was, I

doubted I would be forgetting the humiliation of falling down the

staircase anytime soon. And all this before I could even get my plans

into action! With this thought I looked up expectantly at the doorway,

having assumed that Darien would follow me into the dining hall for

dinner.

But, mysteriously enough, he was nowhere to be found.

Why do I care? I thought agitatedly. Why should I give a damn where he

is or why he suddenly disappeared? I crashed into him yesterday, met

him formally today, I hardly know him, and I must say, what I've seen

of him already isn't exactly working in his favor...Ah well, who cares?

Yes, here's dinner- TOTAL YUMMINESS! And with it, come my lovely

plans...

He chuckled a little at her retreating figure as she stomped out of the

hall and into the dining room, but as soon as her enchanting figure had

disappeared, he sobered. With a few brisk and graceful steps, he had

shut the door behind him and walked into the dark night outside.

Waiiiiiittt, enchanting???

Where in hell had THAT come from? Good lord, what in God's name was

the matter with him? She grated on his nerves, and that was about all

the effect she had, or would ever have on him. He'd always prided

himself on his ability to remain entirely unfazed by anything and

everything, and more specifically, every chit that he came across,

pretty or not.

Anyway, forget her...there were more important things to be dealt with

right now. Like his mission, and what he could possibly tell the King

that night when they all met up at the tavern to discuss updates on the

situation. The other four would be there too, he expected, with updates

on their own missions, all the same as his:

Take on a job at one of the five ruling estates in the Scarletvale

province, a job that would allow each to figure out the truth, and

if something was going on at that estate that shouldn't be.

It had been a month ago, Darien mused, as he quietly saddled a horse

from the estate stables, mounted it, and galloped quickly off onto

Crescent Moon Road. The sun was dying by fire, and it lit the sky with

a dazzling splash of pink and purple as it slowly descended behind the

far off mountains.

One month ago almost exactly, that King Diamond had called the five of

them together with the news that something was amiss in Scarletvale- or

to put it bluntly, the taxes coming in from that area were virtually

nonexistent, according to his chief accountant, Zoicite. He smelled a

rat, the King said, and he was putting his five most trusted advisors

in charge of the investigation.

Reaching into one of the inner pockets of his coat, he pulled out his

brass watch-chain. Perfect, he could reach the tavern in about an hour.

He allowed the horse to move at a slow gallop, and as his eyes took

in the sights about him, his mind traveled back to that day that now

seemed so long ago.

Diamond had said he could literally feel the corruption coming from the

province, and he just knew something sinister was afoot there that was

keeping the taxes from coming in as they should. So, without further

ado, he had assigned them to separate and work subtly but keenly, as

he knew only they could, to reveal the truth and restore justice. It

had taken the rest of that month to formulate plans.

As he traveled on, he appreciatively looked about him; so much perfect

greenery, flowers everywhere; this was, he'd found out from Tsukino,

was entirely due to Serena. She loved the outdoors, having a great

affinity for natural beauty, and made every effort to create a colorful

tapestry of various blossoms, trees and grass on their property, with

the aid of their hired help. It was Serena, too, who had decided on

the name of their estate- Lunaria...

There were five estates to be investigated, and they decided finally

that Kunzite would go to Venutia, Nephrite to Thunder Forest, Jadeite

to Tranquil Waters, Zoicite to Sacred Flame Hill, and Darien would go

to Lunaria. They had split up and left for their respective estates,

and tonight would be their first meeting at the tavern where the roads

to the five estates met, to discuss progress and methods of inspection.

The regal sun had completely disappeared past the mountain, and the moon

in all its mysterious splendor now gazed down at him. Bright but gentle,

beautiful past words, it was so much like Sere...ahem, enough distractions.

What to say tonight? He'd met Tsukino that morning, and had to say, he

liked the man, whose cheery demeanor he could already identify in his

daughter, Serenity. He smiled wryly at this thought. He'd observed her

even before they'd bumped into each other the day before, and was

astonished at the sunshine that radiated from her constantly. So much

energy, so much vivacity, such an unrestrained love for life!

Her passion was entirely alien to Darien. An orphan since soon after

his birth, he'd never really cared for anyone or anything- existence

was a day-to-day affair for him, and he had very little value for even

his own life. Undoubtedly, Kunz, Jed, Neph, and Zo were the best

friends a man could have, and had reached out to him since childhood

when he lacked the family and love everyone else seemed to have in

abundance. The five were really more like brothers and their easy

companionship was evident in every gesture and word to one another.

Nevertheless, he did not understand love, and he certainly didn't

understand how Serena could give it out so freely, to even little

sparrows, like the one with a broken wing he had seen her tenderly

caring for earlier the previous day. And another thing- why was she

so different from every other young woman he'd met?

The other young women, who fawned over him enough to cause temporary

asphyxiation, the ones that flirted shamelessly with every fellow under

sixty, the ones Jed strung up with two-edged compliments and fake

smiles, while laughing uproariously at their stupidity later in private

with Darien and the others. Whereas Serena, and he smirked at the

mental image this conjured up, had unhesitatingly told him exactly how

much she despised him, and he'd seen her slap a youth of about her age

who, apparently, had incurred her wrath by 'shoving his foot in his

mouth' in much the same way Darien had.

What a girl!

Ah, but he was going off about her AGAIN! He had to stop this

ludicrous behavior- how Jed would laugh if he caught wind of it! Now,

to the matter at hand. Before and after she'd come in for her first

meeting with him alone, he had surreptitiously looked through the bills,

documents and ledgers that cluttered the top of Tsukino's desk and filled

the drawers. As far as he could see at first glance, nothing was amiss,

and while giving the impression of being quite unorganized, the estate

owner's records were in perfect order.

Upon further scrutiny, they might reveal something else, however...so

he'd have to watch out. With that thought, he jumped off the horse,

giving it a gentle pat, and tied its reigns to a stake behind the

tavern.

The tavern keeper had been bribed into complete silence and was more

than willing to provide his underground room for the meeting. All

virtue was a matter of price, Darien thought sardonically, and one

could get a person, man or woman, to do just about anything if tempted

with a bit of gold.

He entered and walked towards the counter, subtly gestured to a flash

of silver in the side pocket of his coat, to which the tavern keeper

nodded and nodded his head towards the back of the dimly lit room.

Without any indication that he had seen the man, Darien moved so

imperceptibly to the right that it seemed he had simply disappeared

into the shadows.



He silently stepped down the steep, dingy stairwell, remembering only

too vividly a certain odangoed-creature's, ahem, encounter with one

just a little earlier...enough! Ah, there they were, all five. Wait,

what was the matter with Zo?

"Oy there, Dare, now that's a first! Never thought we'd have to wait

for you, of all people," Jed remarked with his trademark smirk.

Darien grinned at the thought of what had kept them waiting- a broken

stair and furious maiden. "Yes, well, I got a little sidetracked...

say, Zo, why the pained look? What's the matter with your head?"

At this, Jadeite and Nephrite exploded into laugher, while Kunzite

and King Diamond desperately tried to keep a straight face, though

they seemed on the verge of losing it, the corners of their lips

shaking with suppressed mirth. Zoicite looked even more miserable

and let out a completely uncharacteristic whine.

"It is not funny! I'm in severe agony here!"

"Oh, gasp, sorry, Zo, we're not, wheeze, laughing at you, cough

cough, it's just that...oh, hell, gasp, maybe we are, but the

thought of you, Sir Brainiac, with an IQ the size of Earth, chuckle

beaten and brought to your knees by a snicker mere woman!" Jadeite

finished, desperately trying to catch his breath, and holding on to

Nephrite for support.

"And I thought I had interesting news! This story certainly sounds

far more fascinating. Care to share, Zo?" Darien asked, raising an

eyebrow at the scene surrounding him.

"Not particularly..." grumbled the man with a cold, wet cloth atop

his forehead.

"Oh, come on, Zo, you know perfectly well, you'll split your britches

laughing over this whole incident...just...maybe...not...today,"

Nephrite finished shakily, upon receiving a death-glare from the target

of their laughter.

"Anyway, if you won't tell it, we will."

"NO, NO! Absolutely not! As much as I enjoy being the object of your

ridicule, I'd much rather save myself the obvious humiliation of having

YOU tell, and probably exaggerate wildly, my encounter with Sacred Flame

Hill, and its mistress." At this last word, he shuddered visibly, and

Jadeite and Nephrite predictably sniggered.

Zo took a deep breath and began.

"Well, I set off two days ago, like the rest of you, but due to, ahem,

complications, I only got there last night. And yes, I suppose you

louts will expect me to explain what the main complication was. I was

so preoccupied with getting something to drink- and what do you expect?

it was so hot!- that I sort of, uh, forgot to tie my horse's reins up

properly and so when I realized and ran out to get it, it was already

galloping away, but not before splashing muddy sludge all over me.

So, I basically lost the horse and was covered head-to-toe in filth.

Oh and did I mention that my entire provisions & clothes bag was tied

to the horse's saddle? Well, it was. So, really, I lost the horse,

my attire and supplies and had to walk the remaining 12 miles up Hikawa

Lane. And you think, 12 miles, Zo, you pansy, that's nothing to

complain of. Oh, is that so? Well, try walking it when said 12 miles

are on a G'DAMNED SLOPE! Note, it's called Sacred Flame HILL! And

when they say hill, they're not bloody joking!"

By this time, Jadeite and Nephrite had decided to start in on their

second roar fest for the evening- the image of their unfailingly mild-

mannered comrade swearing like this all the way up the mountain was

simply too much for them.

"But was that all? Of course not. I thought 'What else can possibly

happen to make this worse?' Had I been thinking clearly, Murphy's Law

would have brought me in for a reality check, but I wasn't in much of

a state to figure that out. So I finally made it to the Hill by the

next afternoon, and as I stopped to catch my breath, this, er,

attractive woman looks up from her garden."

"Attractive? Are you saying YOU found a woman beautiful, Zo? That

bump on your forehead must be worse that I thought." interjected Darien.



"Oh, shut up. She was- longest black hair I've ever seen- it almost

looked violet, like her eyes. Anyhow, God alone knows what she must

have thought when she saw my disgustingly disheveled state, but she

simply invited me in, gave me a delicious dinner of rolls, soup and

roast mutton, and offered me a place to stay overnight. I didn't

quite mention why I was there, but she didn't seem to care.

So I slept there, and when I woke up in the morning, I found her

praying in front of a fire in a nearby room of her mansion, if it can

be rightfully called that. I tiptoed in, not wanting to interrupt her,

but she sensed my presence immediately, and gently asked if I needed

anything.

I told her I needed a job, and she said she was terribly sorry and

there wasn't really much I could do. And this is where my inimitable

brilliance makes its entrance. I ventured to mention that maintaining

such a huge estate must be such entirely difficult for one person, and

at that, a woman like herself, to accomplish. BIG MISTAKE. She got

this look on her face like she was going to have a conniption or-"

"Zo, if it isn't too much to ask, you think you could continue speaking

English here?" Nephrite interrupted.

"Good lord, read a book, man! Fine, then, she looked like she was

ready to kill something, or someone rather. She just hollered at me.

Said something to the effect of how dare I question her abilities,

and why couldn't a woman do anything her censored-possessing counterpart

could. I don't quite remember the details of her tirade because then

she did this crazy kick, back-flip thing and before I even knew what

was going on, I was flat on my back, which might have cracked with the

impact had I been any less physically strong, and some sort of long

paper was stuck to my forehead.

She yelled at me to get off her property before she did even worse,

and I, well, I..."

"You basically scampered. Bravo, Zo! What a masterful presence!"

Darien remarked, grinning widely.

Jadeite and Nephrite, at this point, were rolling on the floor, laughing

wordlessly, tears streaming from their eyes.

"Gentlemen, as amusing as Zoicite's, ahem, little adventure is, we DO

have some business to discuss, that is, believe it or not, a little

more important than some madwoman's antics."

"Gah! Honestly, Kunz, you wouldn't even be putting on this farce of

propriety and calm if His Majesty weren't here," Jadeite jeered,

regaining his composure, and rising from his position curled up on the

floor.

"Well, at least Kunzite thankfully has enough sense to realize that

there is a time and place for everything, Jadeite," King Diamond noted

in his typically cool, emotionless tone. "What news do you bring, men?"

"Well, I, for one, found my first encounter with Tranquil Lake to be

singularly boring. Tranquil indeed! Everything about the place is

completely horrific!"

"In the context of what you said, I think you mean 'soporific,' Jed,"

Zoicite corrected patiently.

"Well, I mean both! It's so soporific it IS horrific! Granted, the

young lady, Ami I think her name was, is a hell of a looker, but so

damn shy! She barely spoke six words to me in the entire time I was

there! Actually, no, seven- 'it is my pleasure to meet you.'"

"Jed, anything with legs, long eyelashes and a pair of lips is 'a

hell of looker' to you,'" Darien observed dryly.

"Perhaps, but at least I'm honest about it," the blonde muttered,

casting a rather obvious glance in Kunzite's direction.

Darien chuckled, while Kunzite chose to ignore that statement and

instead asked, "Well, Nephrite, what about you? What of your journey

to Thunder Forest?"

Nephrite shrugged and replied, "It was alright. Very peaceful place,

actually. Just one woman living in the main establishment." And what

a woman she is, he added silently, remembering the brown-haired

Amazoness he'd met the day before and the way her green eyes sparkled

with energy and strength. Aloud, he said, "It shouldn't be much of a

problem to figure out if there's anything going on over there."

"Excellent," replied Diamond, "but nevertheless, keep a sharp eye out,

Nephrite. Leave no stone unturned- woman or not, she might be up to

something."

"Say, what about you, Kunz, you haven't said anything about your trip

to Venutia. I can only presume you're upset 'cause you weren't lucky

enough to find an estate with a lovely dame on it, like us?" Jadeite

taunted cheerfully.

"One-track mind," murmured the object of his mockery, shaking his head.

"But since you insist, I'll tell you what I found. It's a pretty big

place for a small family- Lord and Lady Aino and their daughter Mina.

I decided to follow Darien's example and play tutor to the girl- I

suppose it will be all right, though she'll talk my head off if I allow

her to.

Chatter, chatter, chatter- about this cotillion and that, this 'handsome

fellow' and the other ones, all of whom are desperately in love with

her," he groaned, although secretly he knew exactly why they would all

be desperately in love with her.

The curtain of golden silk that was her hair, and those deep, laughing

blue eyes were enough to drive any...ahem, yes well, enough of that.

"Ugh, a flirtatious, self-important chatterbox. What could be worse?

You poor Kunzite," Jaedite said sadly, shaking his head.

"Interesting you should say that, Jed, considering how remarkably that

description of Mina fits you. Anyway, I'll be able to conduct the

investigation well- her parents seem to trust me well enough..." Kunzite

finished, taking a sip of ale from the mug in front of him, and firmly

resolving to keep his own observations about the "lovely dame" of

Venutia to himself.

"Heck, it's no wonder they do, Kunz. I'm willing to bet they wouldn't

even hesitate to leave their only daughter, however curvaceous she

might be, entirely in your care for a year- it'd be like entrusting her

to the pope!" laughed Jaedite, receiving a murderous glare from the

other man.

"There's no such word as- ah, forget it, Jed," Zoicite ended rather

lamely, realizing the futility of his attempt, and going back to

massaging his bruised forehead.

"You have to admit it's quite true, Kunz- you haven't made any vows of

celibacy, but you might as well have," Darien added.

"You're one to talk, Dare- I've never see YOU give a female a second

glance, aside from the trademark 'Leave me the hell alone' one."

So, what have you got to say about Lunaria?"

"It's a great place. So many trees and the central mansion's

architecture is just incredib-"

"Sakes alive, man, that bad? What happened? It couldn't have been

worse than...well..." Nephrite trailed off, looking over at Zoicite

who was still wincing every time he touched his forehead.

"No, Serena's not violent like that, well, at least, not in my experience.

Although I did see her give a resounding slap to some fellow unfortunate

enough to incur her wrath. Gods, she's so...so...so..." he was at a

complete loss for words, something that never, ever happened to him.

The others glanced at one another, sensing, as always, hidden

feelings behind their friend's inability to express himself.

"ANNOYING! She's a walking disaster, I swear! And she hates school,

which is why her parents hired me in the first place, she's completely

unruly and, what's more, she doesn't even realize it! Her behavior is

completely out of line, as it's obvious she's been spoiled silly all her

life, but you can bet I'll change that. If ever I saw an uppity

creature who's in desperate need of a good lesson, she's it and I'm

lucky enough to be in the position to give it to her," he said,

stopping to catch his breath after that tirade, but not possessing half

as much conviction as his words did.

"Alright, then, you do that, Dare," Jadeite said quietly, a little

unnerved despite himself at the unabashed display of emotion that was

virtually unheard of coming from Darien. This Serena must be some girl

if she had already had such an effect on his permanently calm and

collected friend. Then he turned to Zoicite.

"Say, Zo, seeing as how you're REALLY not cut out for confrontations,

and with, gasp women, no less, what say I go to Sacred Flame Hill

instead and try my hand at making that nutty dame see things my way?

You can go to Tranquil Waters, that place is far too boring for me,

anyhow, " Jadeite suggested.

Despite his repeated jokes at Zoicite's expense, he couldn't help but

feel very sorry for the poor fellow. A gentle, quiet chap like Zoicite

didn't deserve such trouble, and besides, he was rather intrigued by

his friend's, ahem, attacker, and her black hair that "almost looked

violet, like her eyes."

Zoicite agreed gratefully, believing that Tranquil Waters would suit

him much better- and even if it didn't, it still HAD to be an

improvement over that...that...hellcat and her temper.

The six agreed to meet a few weeks later to discuss progress and

findings- once again, for half an hour lest they arouse suspicions

as to their whereabouts. After saluting their disguised King Diamond,

they all set off in their separate directions, but not before Jadeite

taunted Zoicite a few more times for good measure, and exchanged a

significant glance with Kunzite as they watched Darien jump onto his

horse and ride off onto Crescent Moon Road once again. Something was

up with him and that girl Serena, and eventually, they would have to

find out what it was.

Darien sped his horse on, though just why he was so eager to return to

Lunaria and that annoying girl, he did not want to consider. He

looked inside his coat pocket, and upon ascertaining that his journal

was still there, he rode on. He had decided to keep track of all

his actions, where the mission was concerned, in the leather-bound

book, to remember all important details for future meetings in the

tavern. Finally, he saw the telltale brilliance of the alabaster

white mansion under the moonlight, and remembered the platinum hair

and impossibly huge cerulean blue eyes of a certain little princess

therein.