I am trying to make longer chapters because I have more time but it is still really hard since I am going to be out of the house almost all day for a week, even on Spring Break.
The Terrans sat around talking about random things, such as the girls and the Lunar scenery. They were tired but too excited to go to sleep. They were talking about the Senshi themselves for the fifth time when they heard a creak and looked around to see one of the windows open when it hadn't been before.
Once they examined it, they dismissed it as a broken spring but when they turned around they nearly jumped a foot off the floor. The Senshi were sitting on the arms of their chairs, when they should be across the palace, sleeping.
"They really need to fix that window," Venus commented, examining her nails. She smirked, thinking about why it was broken. Sharing covert glances with the other girls, they formulated a plan.
"Why is it broken?" Zoicite asked, wary of their innocent expressions and wide eyes.
"Because this is the default room for royal suitors and we planned tricks for each one," Mercury giggled, the corners of her mouth turning up as they remembered the first trick they had ever played.
"We have decided to actually be nice, as you are the only people besides other Silver Alliance royalty to know the secret of the Senshi. You are the very first Terrans to know about us," Sailor Mars announced, her purple eyes glinting with amusement.
"We came to see whether you wanted to go for a swim. The night is the best time to swim in the Mare Serenitatis because the water is very beautiful in the light of Earth," Jupiter explained as she leaned back in the chair. Nephrite grinned, knowing that she preferred him. That made him happy.
A few minutes later, they had already gone the mile through the woods to reach the Mare Serenitatis. The men held their breath as the Senshi de transformed into their bathing suits. Their bikinis were the color of their elements, the hues seeming to come alive in the light. Without waiting, they dove into the cool water and quickly swam out a few feet to stand on the ocean floor.
The Shittenou and Endymion quickly stripped down to their boxers, walking into the surprisingly cool water after the girls. They swam around the lake before splitting up into couples.
Zoicite watched, gently stroking through the water, entranced by the sight of Ami slicing through the water smoothly, her lithe body stretching and coiling. She turned back to ask him something and blushed at his intense stare. He quickly flushed at being caught watching her like that.
Rei beckoned Jadeite over and laughed as he swam straight into the patch of water she had heated to just below boiling point. He quickly swam over into the cooler recesses of the lake and was promptly splashed in the face by Rei.
When Jadeite splashed Rei in retaliation, he accidentally splashed Nephrite who quickly splashed both him and Rei. The water fight began in earnest when Ami swamped everyone in a huge tidal wave and was soon dunked under by Makoto who was then dunked by Serenity. When they all admitted defeat, they glided back to shore to rest before they collapsed.
As they relaxed and chatted, four shapes jumped over them and arced into the lake. Michiru flipped her wet aquamarine tresses back as Setsuna flicked her green hair out of her eyes. Then the Outers looked at the Inners and started laughing.
"Are you coming back in, or will we have to drag you?" Hotaru asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief. She grabbed Serenity's foot, meaning to drag her in but was surprised when Serenity flipped, dove, and dragged Hotaru down under the water by the hand attached to her leg. Hotaru then began to chase Serenity but when splashed by Mina, chased her around the lake.
"You know," Rei gasped as they flopped down on the beach again after another group swim, "I'm exhausted, and it's nearly dawn. You know Luna's going to kill us if we're not in bed when she comes around." The rest of the Senshi jerked upright, the fairytale spell broken.
After hasty goodbyes in front of the palace, the teens used their powers to dry themselves off so that their guardians would not suspect anything. They all breathed sighs of relief that morning when they managed to trick Luna and Artemis with their act.
At noon, the group left with a picnic basket, headed for a special clear in the woods. They had found it on their way to the lake and decided to go back there the next day. To the men, it seemed that the vibrant tones of the surrounding foliage accented the beauty of the Senshi.
Just when they began eating, a young man with green eyes and brown hair jumped down to land next to Setsuna.
"Who are you?" Endymion asked, taking in the new arrival's regal bearing and good looks.
"This is Daiki, the Sednan prince and my betrothed," Setsuna said, flipping to her feet to hug Daiki who kissed her quickly before hugging her back tightly.
The Inner Senshi took great delight in introducing the men to new fruits and vegetables that grew only on the moon. All of them laughed uproariously when Jadeite, not listening to Rei, ate a very spicy vegetable and ran around like a chicken with its head chopped off, looking for something sweet or something to drink.
Jadeite was neatly tripped by another teen arriving on the scene who then helped Jadeite up, his blonde bangs hiding his dancing blue eyes. As soon as the man let go of Jadeite, Hotaru crashed into him full force, knocking him over completely.
Michiru grinned and pointed out Prince Koichi of Hygeia, the betrothed of Hotaru and the perfect match for their shy soldier of destruction. He brought her out of her shell and in exchange she taught him the needed lesson of self-control.
Pretty soon, they were all engaged in a discussion about Elysian and the Golden Crystal. Endymion explained that the priest of Elysian maintained the Golden Crystal until the prince came of age. The same thing happened on the moon, except that the queen kept the Ginshizou safe.
"I received the Ginshizou on my 16th birthday, in June," Serenity said, talking to Endymion while the Senshi educated the men about traditional Lunar customs and protocols so they would not end up making fools of themselves. The Shittennou were soon practicing the dances with the Inners as their partners and were joined by everyone else.
As they twirled, Jadeite and Rei discussed the Great Fire of Mars and how fire-reading was different from regular fortune telling. Discovering his interest in it, she promised to show him the fire if he would visit the temple on Mars with her someday.
Zoicite and Ami debated about a book they had read on the founders of the planetary lines, the gods themselves. Ami maintained that the gods really had existed and they were the reason for the powers of the Senshi while Zoicite argued that the gods could not exist since the gods could not die. He quickly relinquished the victory to Ami when she revealed that the gods used all their power to seal Chaos in the human mind so it could not destroy the universe.
Makoto explained the formations and tactics of the planetary armies to Nephrite who had always wondered about the way they had moved in the wars he had read about.
"Do you know who commands the armies?" Nephrite asked, his curiosity still hungering for more information.
"Yes, there are nine commanders, and they're all in this clearing," Mina trilled, her movements bringing her close to Neph and Mako. "The Senshi were trained for leadership of their planets and their armies from their seventh birthday. We trained for a year on each planet, our training concluded on our sixteenth birthday. We all share the same birthday, amazingly."
"I am never looking at you the same way again," Kunzite said. "You are just as strong as me if not stronger, you command a whole planetary army, you are part of the Sailor Senshi, and soon you will rule your planet. You women are amazing."
"Just wait till you hear about our grandparents," Ami said, waving a hand at Kunzite. "They were gods."
"Kuso!" Serenity suddenly swore, her eyes widening.
"What's up, Sere?" Haruka asked, slightly concerned.
"I totally forgot that I promised Mother I'd be there at the ball tonight. And I wanted to miss it so bad."
"Kuso is right. If she has to be there, so do we," Setsuna said sighing and disentangling herself from Daiki to start running towards the palace.
Rei grimaced and kissed Jadeite on the cheek before joining Setsuna on her way back to the palace. The rest of the Senshi followed her move with their partners before jumping off.
"Ah, I feel so wonderful," Jadeite said, looking at the other dazed men before shaking it off. "We need to get back too if we are going to be there on time." This brought a chorus of lazy assent that soon faded away.