Blueeyeddevil06 thank you for going through and editing this.

Chapter 10 – Rolling Stones

Darien heard a knock at his door, but he ignored it. No one he wanted to see had knocked on his door in just over a year. Actually, it has been longer than that since Serena used to have a key. At that memory, he raced to the door, hoping it was her. It wasn't. Four men he recognized stood in the hall, and he didn't know what to make of them. They were the defeated, dead Dark Generals, but they looked very alive and more like their old selves. The old selves they used to be when they were Endymion's closest friends.

Nephrite spoke up, "Are you going to invite us in? We aren't going to hurt you. Well, maybe we aren't. We do have a lot to say that can't be said in the hall."

A still angry Jadeite spoke up, "Speak for yourself. I'm definitely going to hurt him. I just won't be evil when I do it."

Zoisite chuckled and said, "For once, I agree with Jadeite."

Darien invited them in, focusing on the "we are not evil" part of the conversation while he was confused by the threats. He figured it was worth listening to and finding out how they were back.

Kunzite looked around and said, "It figures your apartment would look so cold."

Darien invited them all in to sit down and found a seat for himself. He ignored Kunzite's statement since he didn't know how to respond to it. "How are you all here? I thought you were all dead. I even have what I thought were your stones tucked away in my bedroom closet."

Jadeite spoke next, "So, if it was up to you, we would just be a rock collection."

Kunzite laughed and said, "Hey, we were almost a necklace." That had all four of them laughing while Darien knew he was missing the joke.

Jadeite shifted forward in his seat. "I guess I will tell the story. To make a long story very short, Serena is amazing, and you're an asshat." The other three chuckled.

Nephrite tried to fill in a little more of the story, "To flesh out that story a bit, it starts with Serena stealing your stone collection and deciding she wanted to give you the best gift she could think of. She wanted to give you your generals back free of dark energy and protected from turning again. So, here we are."

Darien looked at them wide eyed, "Serena did this? How?"

Zoisite shook his head, "From the beginning again. While you and Serena were still together, she pulled us out of your closet and brought us to her house. About a week later, maybe less, you broke up with her, and she never wavered from the idea of restoring us to our original forms for you. So, here we are untainted by dark energy and in full possession of our minds." He smiled. "She just didn't plan on one thing."

Jadeite broke in, "That thing being us realizing you're an asshat."

Kunzite sighed, "Seriously, Jadeite, you hear that phrase one time on a TV, and now you have been saying 'asshat' for a week!" He sighed, irritated with Jadeite. He then focused on Darien again, "What she didn't plan on was our loyalty to Endymion and our oaths. We don't serve any form of Endymion that doesn't adore every form of Serenity. We made an oath to preserve their love, and we still hold to that."

Zoisite filled in, "We have been back for a while. Now that you will have a chance to see us around town, we wanted you to know we are back to our old selves and pose no danger to Serena. She is under our protection. Even if we have to protect her from you."

Darien looked stricken, "I would never hurt her."

Jadeite said, "You already did, asshat. In fact, you're the biggest danger she faces in this city, and that's saying something with all of the youma popping up."

Nephrite sighed, "Can we just move on from asshat?!" He looked to Darien. "We're back, and we're living with Serena and her uncle. You need to know that and the fact that we were present at every youma fight she has come to since you broke her heart. Let the girls know we are alive, back, and that we aren't a danger. Tell them that when we are ready to see them, we will. We aren't too happy with any of them right now. Although, Jadeite makes us all look soft compared to his anger at you and Raye. Don't worry. He's mostly angry at you."

"Asshat," Jadeite muttered and the other three groaned. "What!? It is that or punch him, and it would be hard for him to listen if he were unconscious. Nephrite, you specifically said, and I quote, 'Don't knock him out before we talk to him.'"

Darien got nervous over the word 'before.' "I know I have no right to say this, but thank you for taking care of her. Also, I'm glad you're back."

Jadeite looked livid after the first part of Darien's statement.

Jadeite asked, "Please, tell me we are done talking." Zoisite nodded. "Asshat."

The next thing Darien knew was intense pain, and then there was darkness. He woke up a while later and got up from his new position on the rug. He noticed his head hurt, and he had a massive bruise on his face. He also noticed that the guys were gone.

He went to the freezer, got an ice pack for his face, and proceeded to call the scouts. He had a message to pass on now. It registered as strange to him that it was the first time he was excited by anything in over a year. He knew it had to do with Serena and her having four loyal friends with her right now. He chuckled over the fact that he liked Jadeite even better after he punched him.

The girls and the cats arrived, and Amy immediately checked him for a concussion. She then declared Darien "dumb for not going in to get a cat scan," and then they all moved on.

What the girls heard next shocked them. Somehow, Serena had brought the generals back all by herself.

"Oh!" Luna said shocked. "That is what Serena was so secretive about. She told me she was working on a gift for you, one that no one could top. She even mentioned it would sort of be for all of us. How nice for you to have your friends and the girls to have their loves back."

There, Darien shifted nervously. "Actually, Jadeite is the one who punched me. I don't know if we really have them back. Right now, it is more like Serena has four men to protect her." He noticed he wasn't being clear with them. This was getting to the part he dreaded. The one where he would have to tell the girls how they had all disappointed the guys. "They're furious that a form of Endymion could ever break her heart. They're here but protecting her, not me. They had vowed to protect the love between Endymion and Serenity. They're protecting Serena because they see me as a threat to that vow." And here, he took a deep breath. "They aren't pleased with you girls either, and they aren't ready to see you. That's why I'm passing along their message. They're disappointed in you all."

Raye sighed. "Surely you're being dramatic. They will all come and see us tomorrow. You'll see."

Darien replied, "Actually, Raye, Jadeite is the angriest of any of them. I think you will have the hardest time reconciling with him."

He left it at that so that the girls would have time for the new revelations to sink in. It had hurt them that the guys were angry at them. Yet, three of the four understood why.

The cats let everything sink in as well, and Luna looked dejected. "There I was, lecturing her on her duties, and she was trying to bring back the generals. Oh, Serena. I'm so sorry."

Lita spoke next, "Serena had no problem talking to us at the Arcade. Surely we'll all be able to make things right with her. That's what is most important right now. The rest will follow."

Darien stayed quiet. He and Serena haven't spoken in over a year. He felt hopeless. Stupid dreams.