A/N: This is a first fanfic. Flame all you want. No clue when I'm gonna finish this, but this chapter is long! Reviews are appreciated. So is 'constructive criticism' (aka the stupid word flames).

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters.


Love and Loss

Ch 1 - First Day


"Serena!" Raye hissed. "Wake up! It's the first day of class, how can you sleep?"

"5 more minutes, Luna," she muttered incoherently. Serena shifted slightly in her seat.

"Oh boy," Lita mumbled. "Wake her up fast! Setsuna's coming soon!"

"WAKE-UP CALL, SERENA!" Raye shouted in her ear. She didn't budge.

"Have you caused any cerebral damage?" Amy wondered. "She still has to take dance, magic, martial arts, weapon master, self-defense, gymnastics, and cosmetology. I'm predicting that she'll need her brain intact."

"Don'tcha think that's enough!" Serena screamed, looking up. "When am I supposed to sleep! I'm gonna be taking stupid classes all the time and when I DO manage to get some rest, someone always reminds me why I shouldn't be sleeping! A princess needs her beauty sleep, ya know!"

"You more than others," Darien smirked. "And that, dear princess," he said sarcastically, "is why you shouldn't stay up 'til 3 at night gossiping."

The girls all looked at him in surprise.

"How did you know we were up 'til 3 innocently talking?" Mina inquired.

"We could hear you? It's 3 at night. It's silent! Or at least, it's supposed to be. There were some rather distinguishable voices resounding though," Jedite smirked. "It's nice to know you think I'm hot, Raye."

"Ooh, you…" Raye blushed but still managed to be angry. "I"ll teach you! Mars fireball…"

"Children!" The teacher shouted as she entered the room. "I'm a little late and this is what happens?"

"Sorry Setsuna," they chanted in unison. "It won't happen again."

"Okay. Now. Let's start with a simple question. Can anyone besides Amy and Zoicite tell me what planets are currently in the Silver Alliance?" Setsuna asked.

"Earth!" Darien shouted. He grinned arrogantly since he was the first to answer.

"The Moon!" Serena retorted back, directing her answer more towards him than Sailor Pluto.

"Mercury," said Amy.

"Mars," Raye continued.

"Jupiter," Lita offered.

"Venus, of course," Mina stated.

The small class all looked at the 4 future generals.

"Uhh… Earth?" Nephlite hopefully interjected.

"Already been said," Setsuna gently reprimanded him.

"Saturn," Zoicite quietly said.

"Umm, oh yeah, Neptune," Jedite barely managed to say. He was suppressing a wide yawn.

"Uranus," Malachite seriously stated.

"Only one more. Nephlite?"

"It's not Earth now, is it?" He asked stupidly, hoping to provoke a laugh that never came.

"I'll give you a hint. It's my home planet," Sailor Pluto offered.

Nephlite looked at her blankly. "Right." He said nothing else.

"Well?" Setsuna demanded impatiently after a long pause. Serena had gone back to sleep. "The answer, Nephlite?"

"I just told you."

"No, you didn't."

"Your home planet."

"Which would be?"

Nephlite looked at her strangely. "It's your home, why are you asking me? Miss Meio, excuse me for saying so, but you probably shouldn't be teaching current events if you don't know all the planets in the Silver Alliance and have forgotten which planet you belong to."

"For people who will strongly influence the world one day, it's sad to see how little you know about your own environment," Pluto icily said. Her staff began to glow.

"Alright!" Class dismissed!" Pluto exclaimed and sighed in frustration. Since her teaching period was over, she disappeared in a swirl of maroon smoke, relieved to get away.

"That was a relatively short period," Amy commented to Zoicite as they both gathered their things.

"SERENA! GET UP! CLASS IS OVER!" Raye shouted at the sleeping form.

"What decibel was that?" Zoicite asked.

"A very high one," Amy said. They both nodded at each other and headed out the door, determined not to be late for their next class. They trusted their other friends to escort their charges safely to dancing lessons.

"Oh come on Raye, is that any way to treat a princess?" Mina dramatically asked while batting her eyelashes. "Why if you treat your Moon Princess in such a manner, I'd faint at the way you'd treat me!" With that said, Mina put the back of her hand against her forehead and pretended to swoon. However, she tripped backwards on a desk and began to fall.

"Ahh!" She screamed, until she felt someone catch her. She opened her eyes to see Malachite above her, regarding her with a strange look on his face. One of his eyebrows was arched.

She blushed, remembering what she had said about him in last night's gossip session and got up quickly. She scurried out of the classroom.

"My life is so horrible that I dream about it and it turns into a nightmare," Serena mumbled into her desk. Her face was buried in her arms. "I swear I just heard a harpy scream. Someone please do NOT tell me that harpies have now joined the Silver Alliance too." She was referring to the recent addition of many planets, including the Outer Planets and Earth, home of the 4 generals and Darien, their Prince.

"Aww, cheer up Meatball Head," Darien laughingly remarked. "At least your nightmares aren't as bad as mine. I mean, I dream about you!" He paused. "Wait, no, that came out wrong," Darien muttered then scampered out of the classroom too.

Serena looked up at Raye and Lita. "You guys, I swear I just had the scariest nightmare where Darien tells me he dreams about me. Thank Serenity that dreams on Mercury don't come true, right?"

"Actually Serena, on Mercury, dreams are usually premonitions," Lita sheepishly said. "Although that's not true in this case. You weren't having a nightmare. Darien DID say he dreamt about you. Although I'm sure that it just came out wrong."

Serena began to bang her head on her desk. "Why me, why me, why me?" She kept asking herself.

"I thought you said he had a 'delicious' face," Raye remarked, then laughed at her friend's horrified expression.

"Yeah, maybe on a stick!" Serena yelled then stomped off. "Weren't YOU the one who thought he was cute?" She threw back over her shoulder before disappearing.

"What Raye? Being disloyal now?" Jedite asked in mock offense. "I thought you liked me. Why, whatever will I do without your fiery love?"

"Oh yeah? You want fiery love! Mars fire ignite!" Raye had since transformed and began to chase Jedite out of the room, shooting flames at his back.

"No, I don't want it, I don't want it! I can do fine without your love and DEFINETELY without your fire!" They could hear him say as the two retreated down the hallway, occasionally, literally, lighting up the sides as they ran to ballroom dancing.

Lita shook her head at her friends then looked around and realized that she and Nephlite were the only ones still left in the room. She hurried out, not wanting to be alone with him. She had also said a few things at yesterday's gossip session.


"Now, tell me why ballroom dancing is necessary?" Luna asked.

"So that you don't look stupid like Jed did when he tried to dance last fall?" Nephlite teased his friend.

"Hey! For your information, she was stupid enough to think that she kept tripping over her own feet. You would think a girl would know which limbs belonged to her," Jedite said. "I swear, some Earth girls are so ditzy they wouldn't notice if Raye set them on fire."

"Hey!" Raye interjected. "My fire is legendary! Don't insult my art or I'll set your back on fire again." She smirked. "Besides, what does that say about you, dating stupid girls like that?"

"Who said I dated them? I had to dance with them since his royal highness over there was sulking and rejected every lady that came his way," Jedite replied.

Luna sighed. She opened her mouth to begin instructing the class but was interrupted by "his royal highness's" comment.

"You would reject them too, if they looked like Pokemon gone bad," Darien mumbled.

The others looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"Uhh… never mind," he said then looked away. 'Sheesh, have these people never watched Pokemon before? Where have they been?' He thought to himself.

Luna raised her voice and spoke before she could be interrupted again. "Now children! You will all need dancing partners since it's impossible to dance alone. Pair up."

"Stop calling us children," Serena mumbled. "We're kinda 14 now."

"Hah, you may be 14," Darien whispered back. "We're 17."

"It IS possible to dance alone," Jedite interrupted the hushed conversation. "Remember, Nephlite?" Jed guffawed at the memory. He had caught his love-struck friend dancing with an imaginary partner a week ago. He had no clue who Neph was daydreaming about, but he was determined to find out.

"I was practicing for this class! Practice makes perfect, haven't—" Nephlite began, blushing slightly, but was cut off by another masculine voice.

"Enough! Pair off! Now!" They turned to see a man walk into the room. "Sorry I'm late Luna. Serenity had something she needed me to take care of." Artemis bent down to kiss Luna, who blushed a crimson shade of red.

The youth all looked at each other warily, unsure of how to follow directions without embarrassing themselves.

"Since you find me hot and all, would you care to dance with me Raye, Princess of Mars?" Jedite bowed dramatically and unnecessarily low.

"Sure thing!" Raye clapped him on the back, sending him toppling to the ground. "But be warned, I'm smart enough to know which limbs belong to me. Step on me once and we'll see if you're smart enough to know whether or not I set you on fire." She had a dangerous glint in her eyes.

Jedite got up and rubbed his aching, scorched back. However, his eyes now burned with the light of competition too. "You're on." And the two walked out to the dance floor.

"Ahh, love," Mina sighed and smiled goofily at Jed and Raye. "Don't you miss it?"

"Mina, we're only 14. You talk like we're grandmas." Lita laughed at her blonde friend.

"I know, but don't you miss dancing arm-in-arm with a handsome stranger who'll hold you all night and look into your eyes and tell you that you're beautiful and he'll never leave you?" Mina gazed starry-eyed towards the heavens.

"I can't miss it if it never happened," Lita said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah Mina, I think you're confusing dreams with reality," Serena said, patting her friend on the back.

"You were doing that just last period," Lita innocently said to Serena. She shot daggers out of her eyes at the Princess of Jupiter.

Oblivious as always, Mina began humming to herself and twirled slightly. However, not being very graceful, she stumbled on her long orange dress and tripped right into Malachite.

"Oof," was her mumbled reply, buried in his chest. He looked at her amusedly, shrugged, picked her up off the floor, then carried her unceremoniously to the dance floor.

Amy and Zoicite walked off together without further prompting. Neither was keen on watching one of Serena and Darien's infamous fights.

"Oh no, I'm not dancing with him," Serena began. "No, no way, I refuse, absolutely not, no, no way, no how." She crossed her arms.

"I didn't think you'd be so opposed to me," Nephlite said, pretending that her comment was directed towards him.

"Oh no, Nephlite, you see I—" Serena began but was cut off.

"Since you're the Moon Princess, I must abide by your wishes. M'lady Lita, may I have the honor of enjoying this dance with you?" Nephlite bowed slightly, extending a hand.

"Uhh, but Nephlite we—" Lita said but was also cut off by Nephlite pulling her towards the dance floor. She blushed at the prospect of dancing with the brown-haired general-in-training, but felt guilty at leaving Serena to dance with Darien.

"Luna, there has to be another dance partner. I'm NOT dancing with him!" Serena pointed at Darien who stood looking at the scene in amusement. He wore a 'who, me?' look on his face. Serena's back was facing him so she missed all his ridiculous facial expressions. "Do you KNOW the torture he puts me through?" Darien pointed at Serena then at himself, nodding, indicating that she tortured him. "Do you know how ARROGANT he is?" Darien balled up his fists and put them on his head, mocking Serena's hairstyle. He turned up his nose and haughtily demonstrated how Serena supposedly treated him. Still pretending to be Serena, he kicked an imaginary person on the floor. Then, he pointed to himself and covered his head with his arms, representing his meager defense in her haughtiness and arrogance. "And dear Serenity, do you know how much he LIES!" Serena finished. Taken aback, Darien stopped in surprise, frozen in a silly pose of mocking Serena's hairstyle yet again.

Luna laughed, having viewed all of Darien's antics. "Well Princess, I'm sorry I can't help you. There's no one else available and no matter what the others say, you cannot dance with yourself."

"Aghh! Fine! Come on, baka!" Serena stomped off to the dance floor, not stopping to get Darien on her way. Darien looked over to Luna and made the cuckoo sign around his ear then followed Serena.

"They'll be great rulers someday," Luna said then smiled.

"Although I must say I feel quite sorry for their kingdom," Artemis said, also smiling yet dreading the disarray he could see clearly in his mind.

"You mean kingdoms. They're both royalty," Luna absentmindedly said.

"No, I mean kingdom," Artemis stated.

"Yes, of course you're right. Kingdom," Luna finished and they both smiled at each other.


"I don't understand why I have to have all my classes with you," Serena said, glaring at Darien.

"Hey! Like this is any choice of mine!" He shouted back at her. "If this was up to me, I'd be back on Earth, without you!"

"Pshh, yeah, back on Earth doing what Darien? Sitting around bored while women come to admire you? Like always, ehh?" Jedite nudged his friend and Prince and grinned.

"Well, I…" Darien stopped, puzzled. "I guess there's really nothing I want to do on Earth. Isn't that kind of sad?"

"No, actually, I don't like the Moon so much either," Serena said. Everyone was surprised at her civility and rare personal comment. "It's beautiful, sure, but it is kinda boring."

Darien simply nodded, too engrossed in contemplation to argue with his favorite Meatball Head.

"Well, lighten up guys! This is one of the best classes! We get to practice on the boys," Mina evilly said. The girls all turned to look at the scared future generals.

"Should we run?" Zoicite asked worriedly.

"No, hunters only pursue their prey with more vigor if they show signs of resistance. In situations like this, you are not to show signs of struggle unless your life depends on it," Malachite stoically said.

"Our lives might depend on it," Jedite said, hiding behind Malachite's taller form. "Can we run now?"

Malachite simply shrugged, not expecting any of them to actually sprint away. However, not only did Jedite run, he also tried to find a place to hide.

"Hah! You think you can run so easily? You can run, but you can't hide!" Raye shouted, running after him. "I'll burn the whole place down if I have to! My 'fiery love' will not be stopped by physical boundaries!" As if to prove her point, fire shot out of her finger, engulfing the brush where Jedite was crouching. Invariably, he leapt out of the burning woods, scampering for some other shelter.

"Raye! You set the woods on fire!" Serena was horrified and began to panic. "Now what do we do? Oh no, oh no."

"Neptune deep submerge!" An aquamarine blast flew towards the fire, dousing it in water energy.

"Sailor Neptune!" They all cried in surprise. As if on cue, 2 sailor-clad figures dropped down from the roof.

"We'll be teaching your magic class," Neptune said with a smile.

"And try not to set the woods on fire, okay Raye?" Uranus tiredly asked. Raye just nodded, still shocked at her teachers.

"Umm, Neptune, Uranus, not that it isn't great to see you two, but why are you teaching our magic class?" Serena asked curiously.

"Well you see Princess, with all known planets currently in the Silver Alliance, there is no more enemy threat. We weren't needed to guard or patrol the outskirts of space anymore. So Queen Serenity decided to put us to use and ordered us to teach your magic class," Neptune explained.

"Yeah, ordered, or I wouldn't be here," Uranus grumbled.

"Oh, lighten up Haruka, this should be a fun experience," Neptune said lightly.

"You mean magic like spells like from Harry Potter?" Darien asked.

The others looked at him blankly.

"I guess I'm the only one who knows about anything other than Sailor Moon," he grumbled to himself.

"What was that?" Lita asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Darien said then addressed Neptune. "So if you look like that, why does she," he pointed at Serena, "look like that? Seems kinda unfair, dontcha think? You're serving an immature Princess who doesn't get enough beauty sleep."

"Hey, watch your mouth!" Uranus said. "First of all, Neptune is your teacher, you're not supposed to be talking about her that way! Second of all, Serena is OUR Moon Princess, that includes you too. She may be immature and grouchy from lack of sleep, but she's a big-hearted girl that will rule our kingdom someday. Third of all, Michiru is mine!" Uranus finished, then glared at the Earth Prince.

"Uhh… I'm sure he didn't mean lack of sleep. He meant lack of beauty," Jedite clarified for Uranus.

"Oh, did he now?" Uranus had a dangerous glint in her eyes as she pulled out her space sword.

"Darien now would be a good time to run. I'm sure your punishment won't be lessened by submission," Malachite turned and told his Prince.

"I'm not scared of her," Darien defiantly said. However, he moved back a few steps to stand next to Serena, who scooted away. He followed her and told her, "Princess, did I ever tell you how delectable your hair was? It makes me crave spaghetti and meatballs."

"You are such a jerk!" Serena screamed, then slapped him across the face.

"I like spaghetti and meatballs!" Darien shouted back, holding his stinging cheek. "It was meant to be a compliment!" 'So that Uranus doesn't kill me,' he added silently.

"Whatever, jerk wad. You're always calling me meatball head when you know I hate it," Serena said indifferently. "But okay fine, since I need someone to practice my magic on, which happens to be the most powerful out of all the girls by the way, I will accept your comment as a compliment."

"Good, now that that's settled, pair up and the girls will practice their magical powers," Uranus said.

"But what about us?" Nephlite asked. "We don't have magical powers."

"I thought that was decided long ago. You're gonna be our practice dummies," Lita declared.

"No, I'm not pairing up with Raye this time! She's dangerous," Jedite whispered, "especially when she's SUPPOSED to use her magic."

"Too bad lover boy, 'cause no one else can stand the heat of my fire," Raye said then pulled Jedite over to the side. 'That sounded so weird,' Raye thought in her head. 'I gotta make sure I never say that again.'

One look from Uranus and Jedite allowed himself to be led to his demise.

"I guess we're pairing off the same as last time," Mina said. "But Malachite, this time, could you not—" Mina was cut off when he picked her up again. "No, I like my feet on the ground!" This time, he slung her over his shoulder, not bothering to conceal his amused smile. She beat on his back with her hands. "You know, just for this, I'm gonna make my attacks extra powerful and extra sharp. I've got it in for you!"

"That's alright Princess, because when it comes to weapon master, I've got it in for you," Malachite said dangerously, still smiling. Mina stopped pounding his back and opened her eyes wide.

"You don't mean that," she said softly, so that only he could hear.

"As I'm sure you don't mean what you said," Malachite replied. He set her down on the ground then gave her his most charming smile.

"Well, let's just walk off together next time like normal people," Mina gushed. She gazed into his eyes and thought to herself, 'I don't care if he did hear me last night, he has got the most gorgeous smile!'

Malachite bowed in mock respect.

'She's lucky,' Lita thought to herself. 'He seems to like her. Nephlite, on the other hand, doesn't seem to like me too much. Everyone else has hit it off really well and it seems like we've paired up into unofficial partners for the rest of our time in training school here. But he acts like he only pairs with me because everyone else is taken,' she finished, slightly sad. She cast her eyes down to the floor. 'Maybe I should try to switch partners now, while it's still early. But who else could I pair with?' She looked around. 'There's only Zoicite, Darien, and Nephlite left. Zoi and Amy go together really well. Their usual intellectual talk would drive everyone else insane. Darien maybe...?'

"Hey Darien, I'll save you from Serena's wrath. Pair with me," Lita half-joked.

"Oh, no Lita, I have a score to settle," Serena said venomously. She then naively asked, "What's wrong with Nephlite?"

Lita blushed and stammered, "Oh, nothing, nothing's wrong. I just thought you wouldn't want to be with Darien, that's all. But that's okay. I guess I'm with Nephlite then," she finished dejectedly.

Nephlite looked at her curiously. He had observed her while she had been thinking to herself and saw the way she looked at the ground, sad eyes filled with unshed tears. 'What's wrong with her?' He asked himself. 'I didn't do anything to her yet, why does she not want to be with me? Woah, that sounded weird. Why doesn't she want to be my partner? Still weird, but a little bit better. Why doesn't she like me? Totally weird. Why is she sad at being my partner for magic class? Oh yeah, there we go.'

"Lita, come on, I promise I'll let you have as many free shots as you like," Nephlite kindly offered.

"What?" Lita asked, looking up. "No, no way. I couldn't do that to you," she added. "Besides, it's no fun training with a dummy. I have to practice with a moving target if I want to get better."

"Okay then, I promise I'll move around as much or as little as you want me to," Nephlite said. "I'll be your puppet. You can control my every move." 'That was really, really weird. Note to self: never offer to be anyone's puppet,' he reminded himself.

"Well… thanks I guess," Lita blankly said. She was shocked at how nice and gentlemanly he was. She had only known him 2 weeks. He had moved into the Mercurial training school with the scouts and Serena along with his friends. He had always seemed mysterious and moody, not talking nearly so much as Jedite, not so serious as Malachite, and not as intellectual as Zoicite. He had his moments of Jed behavior, Malachite behavior, and Zoi behavior, but for the most part, Nephlite kept to himself, often gazing into space. He treated everyone cordially, but was not particularly friendly to anyone. There were times when he and Jed joked around together. However, other than that, Nephlite remained mysteriously aloof. That was what Lita found so attractive.

Nephlite bowed and said, "My pleasure." They then walked over to the open field, joining the scouts and Serena and Darien who had since also left, bickering along the way.


"Boy am I glad they had some flame retardant pads around," Jedite said. However, his clothes were blackened and scorched lightly. "I'm gonna be shedding ashes for a week."

"Well that's what you get for running away!" Raye shouted at him. "If you would only have stood still, maybe I wouldn't have needed to conjure such a large flame."

"There's really no logic in that," Zoicite said. "If he would only have stood still, you probably would have hurt him more."

"Yeah well, same to you," Raye retorted back apathetically.

"Raye, that makes no sense either," Amy quietly interjected.

"Jedite, you're supposed to be defending me," Raye commanded. "Why are you just standing there laughing?"

"Because it's funny," Jedite replied stupidly. A tiny part of his hair was immediately scorched. "I mean, Raye is smart and powerful and commanding and evil and sadistic," he angelically finished.

"Right," Raye added. She hadn't paid attention to what he said. She was too busy straining to look at the massive dojo that was beginning to emerge from behind the trees.

"I didn't know there were schools like this on Mercury," Lita said.

"There normally aren't, but since this is a training school for royalty and royal court, these grounds must contain all the equipment and environment we may need to fulfill our duty," Amy explained. "There's even a holographic machine for battle simulations, but I'm not sure where it is."

"Do you know how long training school lasts?" Nephlite asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think that training school is designed for individual needs. We probably won't graduate as a class, but individually, depending on how much we know," Amy said.

"I hate walking to classes though," Mina grumbled. "It takes half of forever even with a trail through the woods and these stupid trees—" She tripped over a root that seemed to raise itself in her path. Once again, Malachite caught her before she fell.

"Be careful what you say about nature Mina, some trees are sentient here," Zoicite explained. Impressed at his knowledge, Amy widened her eyes and agreed.

"You coulda told me that before I opened my big mouth," Mina complained. "And by the way, thanks Malachite, for catching me."

"It is a gentleman's duty to help damsels in distress," Malachite said. "Besides, my hunter's reflexes won't let me let you fall."

"Are you saying it's involuntary?" Mina asked incredulously. "Because all this time, I was hoping that maybe you liked me and—" She paused. "Oops. Whatever. If it is involuntary, you'll still have to catch me anyways." She then walked on, not noticing Malachite's obvious blush and nod.

"Ahh!" Serena cried. She tripped to the ground. "Hello? Where are your hunter reflexes when I need them?" She asked Malachite. He stared back at her blankly.

"I can't believe Meatball Head fell!" Darien laughed loudly. "That was priceless."

"Argh, why didn't you catch me? What happened to being a gentleman?" Serena asked, glaring at him. "Or don't they teach you manners and etiquette on Earth?"

"Sorry Meatball Head, I only have to be a gentlemen to ladies," Darien said cruelly.

"Why… are you so mean to me?" She whispered softly. Then, she began wailing, burying her face in her hands. "All I wanted was for you to like me, but since you've gotten here, all you've done is tease me! Do you know how much it hurts me to see how nice you are to everyone else? Why do you hate me so?"

"Uhh, Serena, I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt your feelings," Darien said confusedly. 'She wanted me to like her? She has an odd way of showing that,' he thought to himself. "I tease you about your hair because… I really like it?" He finished and looked at his friends for some type of support. They all shrugged at him. The girls looked on amusedly at the awkward scene.

"Not only my hair, Darien, ME! You think I'm ugly, you keep saying so," Serena whispered, her face still buried in her hands.

"No of course not Serena, I don't REALLY think you're ugly," Darien said. 'Is she forgetting all the things she said about me in the ballroom?'

"Then… do you think I'm beautiful, Darien?" Serena asked hopefully. Her words were slightly muffled.

"Sure…" Darien said uncomfortably. He had never had a girl break down on him like this before. They usually tried to impress him other ways. "Now come on, Serena, let's get to class." He reached down to help her up.

She quickly grabbed his arm and flipped him backwards.

"HAH! That's what you get for being such an IDIOT!" Serena shouted triumphantly. She revealed that her face held no tear streaks and that she was a superb actress.

Everyone laughed, knowing that Darien had deserved his punishment.

'Sheesh, the girl really knows her martial arts,' Darien thought, rubbing his sore back. She had slammed him into a tree. Thankfully, it wasn't a sentient one and hadn't hit him back. 'But boy does she get on my nerves! She made me say all those things!' Darien blushed, remembering. 'I'll get her back for this. In martial arts class, I'll definitely get her back for this.'

"Well guys we finally made it to the dojo," Mina said. "And I only tripped once!"

"Serena tripped for you, Mina," Lita said, chuckling. "Maybe they are right about blondes."

"HEY!" The 4 blondes shouted at her. Jedite and Zoicite were also indignant about the remark.

"Just kidding," she said. 'Gotta watch what I say around these people,' Lita thought.

"So Nephlite, are you gonna be my partner here too?" Lita asked. Nephlite was slightly shocked at her bravery to ask such a question so forthright. It gave him no choice but to agree, although he would have voluntarily done so anyways.

"Of course. This time I promise to go easy on you," he said quite haughtily.

"Oh no, you think Lita is some kind of pushover?" Mina gaped at him. "She'll kick your butt from here back to Earth! I'll let you know that Lita is a very well trained and talented martial artist. She meditates everyday and gets up early to practice many different forms of fighting. I once caught her practicing in her nightdress. It was a very strange situation. You know how martial arts go. There are some forms and poses that just aren't meant to be done in a nightgown, if you know what I mean. So Malachite, if you even think of picking me up again, she'll defend her good friend and pound your sorry butt into the beautiful Mercurial ground!" Mina finished, completely forgetting their previous agreement.

Malachite laughed, a rare sight. He then easily picked up a kicking Mina in his arms. Try as she might, he held on to her without any difficulty whatsoever

"Lita! What happened to defending your good friend?" Mina screamed indignantly.

"What good friend?" Lita innocently asked. "You mean the one who still expects her friend to help her even though she revealed some very private information about her supposed friend in front of a bunch of guys?" She smiled angelically, clasping her hands in front of her. "Why, no, I'm sure you can't mean that friend."

Nephlite also began to laugh. 'I like her,' he thought to himself. 'Of course, only as a friend. Nothing more. Yes, I only like her as a friend. I can't be unfaithful. Even if she doesn't think we're together, I'll prove my love for her. I'll show her.' He shot a melancholy gaze towards the direction he believed Earth to be. 'I'm still waiting for you.'

Lita regarded him curiously, wondering why he suddenly stopped and stared into space. 'Maybe he misses Earth,' she thought. 'He'd be the only one, though. Everyone else, including Darien, no, especially Darien, seems to like being away from home.'

Nephlite's nostalgic mood dissipated as quickly as it had set on. "Hi, Lita," he said, smiling at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He reached up to feel the top of his head. "Did Jed put another frog on me? I remember the last time he did that. Just between you and me, I was the one who put that same frog back into his bed," Nephlite said, then winked as if they now shared an important secret.

A loud crash resounded throughout the dojo, causing everyone to look around. A muscular man had fallen down from the rafters above.

"Confounded things!" He cursed. "Wood never was strong enough. Hah! Why, I could break wood with my pinky!" He looked up, noticing the group staring at him. "Ahh, you're here!"

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Lita asked, staring at the man blankly.

"Well, they didn't know who was supposed to teach you girls martial arts," the King of Jupiter said. "Serenity's first choice was Uranus and Neptune, but she had already drafted them into teaching you magic and they weren't too keen on seeing you more than once a day. Don't be offended, they're busy too you know. Serenity's next choice was Sailor Pluto, but she wanted current events and with all that time business, she couldn't teach more than one class. Serenity then opted for Sailor Saturn, but she wanted weapon master. That scythe of hers, whoo boy lemme tell you, you don't wanna get a mile near that thing! If she got the class though, then you're gonna see her tomorrow, first thing in the morning. Yeah, I was supposed to tell you that Serenity gave you block schedule so you wouldn't come home tired out." Serena muttered some sort of praise to her mother. "So wake up alert tomorrow morning! I'd like my daughter with her limbs intact, please," the King said seriously. "So anyway, she ran out of choices and called me so here I am. Now, I wasn't too happy at first. There are lots of responsibilities that come with being King," he said pompously. Lita rolled her eyes.

"Dad, you wake up, eat a bowl of cereal, then sit around your throne room waiting for something to happen," Lita said. She turned to the rest of the group. "When nothing happens, he 'initiates' things. He gets really grumpy and he walks around, strutting like an inflated peacock." Serena giggled. "Then, he'll pick fights with whatever poor noble comes to see him next." Lita rolled her eyes again.

"Ahem, now Lita, don't portray me in such a bad light," the King said gruffly. "You know as well as I do that most of those nobles deserve it. Dagnab it, most of those young men are there to seek out your hand! What stupid fools! They should know that if they asked me, I would crush their insignificant dreams! No one's good enough for my daughter unless he redeems himself in my eyes first."

"You never give anyone the chance!" Lita told him loudly.

"Lita, if your dad doesn't let you date, how'd you get so many exes?" Mina whispered.

"Secret of the trade."

"Tell me later, okay?"

"Sure thing," Lita whispered back.

"Who are you talking to? Is that a boy? Why are you talking to a boy in my dojo?" the King demanded. "Oh Mina, it's just you. How have you been my dear? You're looking as radiant as always. And Serena and Amy are with you! Right, you're all in my class to prepare to be part of the Moon Court! Now I can keep an eye on all of you," the King chuckled.

All 5 boys began backing away slowly towards the door. The King immediately whirled around.

"Who is that that's trying to sneak out of my dojo?"

"Dad, it's not your dojo."

"It is when I teach here."

"You're so stubborn! Why aren't we learning anything? And dad, these boys, yes BOYS, are also part of your class. You're supposed to be training them too.

"Then why are they trying to leave?"

"Good question," Lita said evilly, turning to the generals and their Prince. "Oh boys! My dad wants to meet you." They looked at each other reluctantly then slowly inched towards the massive, hulking man.

"You there," the King said, pointing to Nephlite, "what is your name and how old are you and are you dating my daughter?"

"Uhh… no sir, I am not dating your daughter. My name is Nephlite and I'm 17," Nephlite mumbled.

"Bah! 17! Much too old for her! I strictly forbid you from dating my daughter!"

"But sir, I just said I wasn't dating your daughter."

"Oh, so she's not good enough for you now? Is that it?"

"No sir, I was just trying to say that—"

Lita, mad and embarrassed at her father's questions, stepped up to him and shouted in his ear. "Dad! You're embarrassing me! Why are you acting like this!"

"But dear, this is how I always act."

"Yes, at home, but now, you're a teacher and you're supposed to be teaching. So far, all we've been doing is arguing with one another," she stated.

"Too true, too true. This world is becoming such a sad place. Why, did you know that when I was younger I—" The King was cut off by a punch to the jaw from his daughter. "LITA! I DEMAND TO KNOW WHY YOU PUNCHED ME!"

"Because Dad, you're not acting like a teacher and right now, I'm only interested in starting class."

The rest of the group nodded their heads enthusiastically, thanking Serenity that they had been spared one of the King's infamous 'when I was younger' speeches.

"Fine, fine. Pair off! I guess since you're teenagers, you're gonna pair off boy-girl," he grumbled. "But no touching!"


"Yes! I can go home and take a nice, long bath and then sleep!" Serena shouted for joy, skipping and dancing on the return trip. It had been a long first day for everyone.

"Make sure you actually sleep this time," Darien smirked. "I don't want to be woken up at 3 o' clock in the morning by loud laughter coming from one of your rooms."

"Hah! You act like we don't hear what you say about us," Serena said maliciously. 'I hope they said something. I'd look so stupid if I was wrong.'

Fortunately for her, the Earth Prince blushed. Since he was embarrassed, he felt a need to redeem himself in front of his friend's eyes and once again, began to relentlessly tease Serena.

"Oh yeah? Well at least we talk some sort of politics. Your conversations are always immature and meaningless. 'Darien is so hot! I wonder if he likes me? I'd give up my royal position for one look from him!'" Darien batted his eyelashes.

"I'd give up my royal position if he would shut up and never bother me again," Serena said. "You must have heard wrong because none of us said anything like that. My other guess is you were dreaming because something like that can only happen in your wildest dreams," Serena huffed.

"It seems like Darien dreams about Serena a lot," Mina giggled. "Just earlier in current events, he already admitted to dreaming about her. But again?"

Amy and Zoicite looked quite shocked to hear the news. They looked at each other in mock horror.

"NO! I DID NOT DREAM OF THIS STUPID MEATBALL HEAD! She said I dreamt about her because she WISHES I'd dream about her!" Darien lamely argued. "Besides… her hairstyle is funny! Why would I dream about girls who try to look like bunny rabbits? That's just… lame," he finished dejectedly.

"Yeah, no one cares," Serena said over her shoulder, walking with the rest of the group who had since left Darien behind in his humiliation. His face turned a bright red. Serena couldn't tell whether he was angry or embarrassed. Frankly she didn't care. 'I just really want to go home and sleep,' she thought tiredly. Too exhausted to argue or walk anymore, she slumped to the ground. "You guys, I'm really tired. I didn't sleep at all last night and for some reason I've just been feeling really, really drained lately."

"Are you okay?" Mina asked, concerned.

"Grow up," Raye said, rolling her eyes. "We've all suffered the same fate as you." She returned to Serena who was curled up on the ground, not a care in the world. Her lips were spread in a small smile. Raye bent down to lift the princess from the grass. "Oof! Serena, you need to… lose… some… weight," Raye huffed with effort. She hastily dragged the blonde along the ground. "Okay, I give up, good night Serena." She released her hold and walked off.

"Serena, you can't sleep here," Amy said. "Be reasonable and let's return to our rooms." Zoicite nodded in agreement although Serena couldn't see. She had squinted her eyes shut together and put her hands over her ears, intent on ignoring her friends.

'Well, I guess I owe her this much,' Darien thought. He squatted on the ground and picked her up, throwing her over his back piggyback style. She still didn't open her eyes but instead wrapped her arms around his neck. 'I'm surprised she isn't suffocating me.' She squeezed tighter. 'I thought too soon. I wonder if she knows I'm carrying her? She actually looks kind of cute when she's sleeping like this. If only I could breathe, I might be able to enjoy this.'

Raye had come back to witness the strange spectacle.

"Hey Darien, why are you carrying her?" She asked curiously.

"I studied psychology back on Earth and I happen to know that when people act like Serena did back in the woods… Well, it's kinda long, see," Darien said, adjusting her on his back, "when she said all those things, I know she was acting but there was some truth in them. Otherwise she would have picked different wording. I guess I felt bad that I might actually have hurt her feelings. It's just a good thing she's asleep right? She would freak out so bad if she knew who was carrying her," he laughed.

'Says you,' Serena thought. 'Thanks Darien, I guess I do owe you one. You might not be the cold, heartless jerk wad I thought you were. I wonder if there was some truth in what I said today…? Oh well, I'm too tired to think.' Then, she nodded off to sleep.


A/N: Ahh... how's that for a first attempt? LONG and POINTLESS and SLOW i know but stay with me here. It's supposed to get interesting later.