AN: Weeeell, I didn't mean for this to take so long, but real life interfered with my stories in a BIG way this past semester. I had way too much to do, including a writing class that stole most of my creative energy. For those of you who keep up with the TTT series, I'm trying to get the next chapter of that done right now and it should be ready within a few days. Fingers crossed, knock on wood and all that.

Disclaimer: While my collection of memorabilia has expanded, my ownership of the series as a whole has not. Sad face.

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Nephrite frowned. "I thought you said you knew your parents, Jade."

"I do. We met a few months after I arrived, but they were unapologetic about having sent me away. They were probably upset at the time, but it was so long ago. They moved on. Besides, they had other kids. I wasn't needed. I see them when I go to China, but I prefer Lasa Castle."

"Instead, you are the heir to the entirety of the eastern kingdom. If anything, you should have been more valued, not less," Zoisite commented.

"Oh, it's not that they don't value me. I'm good for their image. They just don't really care about me as a person. It's better that I'm here; I have a home now."

"And you always will. You belong with us," Endymion promised. "I think I already knew most of your stories, but I haven't heard yours, Nephrite."

"I haven't discussed it with anyone but Kunzite," the second general replied. "It wasn't horribly traumatic or anything like that. I probably had the most normal childhood among us."

"Most likely," Zoisite agreed, thinking of his days spent training with magic and studying every subject under the sun. The others nodded.

"So what did you find here?" the prince pressed. "What made you stay?"

"Besides having a chance to be with others liked me?" Nephrite asked. "Well, that's easy enough. I can do something meaningful here. It gives me purpose."

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Nikolas came from a family of Vikings. They had arrived in a new land after an arduous journey long before he was born, and while most elected to return to their home his parents and a few others chose to build a new life. They settled among the natives but held themselves at a slight distance, not wanting to mix beyond trade and other simple tasks needed for survival.

Nikolas was the youngest of his very large family. There were eight children total, though the eldest had already left home by the time Nikolas joined them. He had two sisters and five brothers, but with all the work that had to be done he got very little attention from any of them. He spent his formative years walking in the woods, listening to voices no one else could hear and enjoying the beauty around him.

By the time he was ten, everyone knew he would never really belong. Nikolas was a dreamer and could barely be trusted with the most rudimentary tasks – he often wandered away for no apparent reason and coming back with the occasional rare object. Matters only worsened when he started announcing dark tidings. He successfully predicted the death of a native woman and her infant three days before it happened, and when it continued he found himself even more alone. It wasn't that people feared him. Rather, they were superstitious folks and believed knowing the whims of the gods could be dangerous. Since there were so many other members of his family, they just took on a few more chores and essentially left the boy with nothing to do.

Not long after thirteen, he was done. He approached his parents at dinner one night, determined to heed the voice he'd been hearing all his life.

"There's something different about me," he announced.

His parents didn't even react. His mother Ingrid kept knitting while his father, Ragnar, couldn't be bothered to look up from the boot he was polishing. Unsure if they'd heard him, he said it again a little louder.

"Well, obviously," was his father's eventual brusque reply. "You know stuff to come before it's anyone's business to know it."

"Can anyone tell me why?"

"These things happen sometimes," his mother said placidly. "It's nothing to fret over, boy. Ignore it long enough and it'll go away."

Nikolas frowned. "But I don't want it to go away. The voices are very helpful. They want me to follow them."

Ragnar finally turned to face his youngest son. "Follow them?"

"Apparently there's somewhere I'm supposed to go. Someone needs me."

The older man chuckled. "A fine time they'll have with you, then. You can't even handle the simplest chores on your own."

The boy bristled indignantly. "I could so! You just don't let me do anything!"

"Now, now," Ingrid chided, eyes still on her handiwork. "You aren't a child anymore, so you should know there's a right and wrong way to talk to your father."

"Mother, you must realize that I may be easily distracted, but I'm not useless!"

"I never said you were useless, Nikolas, and neither has your father. You're just of most to use when you're not underfoot."

"You mean when I spend all my time doing nothing!"

"You've shown no interest in any craft," his father said gruffly. "You can't make a ship and no one can get you to focus enough to steer one. When asked to weed the garden, we found you with a bare handful and no idea the day had gone. Whatever this voice of yours needs help with, they may want to consider finding someone else."

Nikolas scowled again, running his hands through his rich brown hair. "But it's the voice that makes it so hard to focus! Maybe if I listen to it I'll have a chance to really do something!"

"All right," his mother said unexpectedly. "You're old enough to know your own mind. If you want to go and see what this voice wants, you can. Just don't expect any help from us. We still have your brothers and sisters to think about. If you need a boat, you can take old man Ottar's, but that's all we can do."

"Thank you, Mother!" Nikolas said enthusiastically. "I'll prove what I can do; you'll see! Someday you'll wish you'd believed in me more!"

His previous lack of industry made the sudden burst after his mother's proclamation all the more surprising. The boat they'd given him was old and barely floating, yet within a matter of days he had the thing as sea-worthy as the day it was made despite the fact he'd never learned to be a shipwright. He stocked the hold with all manner of things, some obvious and others obscure, clearly intending a long voyage.

Nikolas set out a week later, taking comfort in the voices that promised he was doing the right thing. It looked clear and beautiful, and he sailed day and night. Everything went wrong when the next evening brought an awful storm.

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"Endymion! Jadeite!"

Nikolas blinked and struggled to sit up, but a delicate looking boy pressed him back down. "Where am I?"

"This is Elysion, the capitol of Terra. My name is Lord Zoisite; I found you washed up on shore a few minutes ago. What is your name?"

"Nik-" His answer was cut off as the need to cough up seawater trumped talking. He had to turn to the side to avoid spewing it onto the tiny lord. The spell ended after a few minutes, leaving him wrung out and exhausted. He thought he would pass out when a sudden burst of strength spread through his body.

"Do not worry," Zoisite said gently. "That sensation was a simple healing charm. I cannot undo whatever damage you took in the wreck, but I can ease it until we get you to someone stronger. Prince Endymion will help too."

Two more boys ran into sight. One was dark haired and taller than his blond companion, but they both had sparkling blue eyes. Nikolas wondered if they were related. The black-haired boy, presumably the prince Zoisite mentioned, crouched over Nikolas and sent a second burst of power through him.

"Where did he come from?" Endymion asked Zoisite.

"I think he was caught in the storm last night. There is enough broken wood to suggest a wreck, but I did not see signs of any others. Either he was alone or they are all lost, and I doubt the wisdom of allowing someone so young to travel unaccompanied."

"Here, help me get him up. Can you take him to the palace, Zoi?"

The smaller boy shook his head. "I am not strong enough to carry another person yet. We would need Kunzite. I think the three of us could manage it the old-fashioned way, though."

The second blond ducked down and looped Nikolas' arm over his shoulders. Despite being the same size as Zoisite, he was clearly stronger and managed to get the taller boy almost all the way up. "Give me a hand, Endy?"

"Oh yeah." The prince stood and took the other side, sharing the weight with his friend. "Zoi, can you go ahead and get Kunz? He needs a doctor."

Despite the bolsters he'd gotten from the two healing spells, Nikolas lost consciousness as they struggled to carry him up the beach.

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"Do not move just yet."

The voice was so strong and commanding Nikolas never thought about challenging the instructions. He did, however, manage to pry his eyes open. "What happened?"

"Prince Endymion and Lords Jadeite and Zoisite found you washed up on the far shore. Zoisite came to me and I brought you here. I have been looking for you for a long time, young man. I was beginning to think you did not exist."

Nikolas sat up quickly and nearly collapsed, but a large hand caught his arm and held him steady until the dizziness passed. "What do you mean, you were looking for me? Are you the voice I've been hearing?"

"No. My name is Lord Kunzite; I am the commander of the Shitennou and the prince of the middle kingdom. I have been searching for magical children since I was brought to the palace seven years ago."

"You mean I have magic? Is that what causes the voice?"

"I do not yet know about your voices, but yes, you do have magic. I can feel it. Master Hyperion will be able to tell us more when he returns from the Moon Kingdom tomorrow. What is your name and where are you from, young man?"

"Nikolas. My family used to live in Norway, but they sailed to a strange new land before I was born and settled there."

"You are of Viking stock?" When Nikolas nodded, he continued. "Well, that explains why I have not found you despite my extensive searching. I never thought to check the western continents, and I should have. We will need something new to call you as well, but that can wait until Master Hyperion's arrival." He raised his voice slightly. "Boys, you may come in now."

The door to the spacious bedchamber opened and the three children who'd found him on the beach poured through. "How did you know we were there?" the blue-eyed blond asked, annoyed. "We were being so quiet!"

"You are not difficult to anticipate." He gestured them over, and they formed a line at the edge of the bed. "This is Zoisite, the youngest of our little family. He is the Shitennou of the northern kingdom. You may remember him already, since he is the one who found you. The other blond is Jadeite, prince and Shitennou of the eastern kingdom. The black-haired rascal is Prince Endymion, heir apparent to the Golden Kingdom and the master of the group."

"It is very nice to meet you," Zoisite said politely. "I hope you are feeling better."

"Yeah, thanks."

Jadeite studied him intently. "So you're the last one? You don't look like much."

"Be polite, Jadeite," Kunzite chided.

The younger boy just shot him an impish smile. "What are you talking about? I'm an angel, Kunz." He held out a hand to Nikolas. "It'll be nice not being the new guy anymore. You'll have to catch up to the rest of us."

Nikolas shook his hand, suddenly wondering what he'd gotten himself into by following the voices' instruction. Noticing his reticence, Kunzite sent the boys back to the nursery wing before facing the teen.

"They can be a bit much if you do not know what to expect, I am told, and you are still recovering. Thankfully Zoisite and Prince Endymion were able to get the water out of your lungs. Master Hyperion will handle the rest tomorrow."

"How long have you been here?"

"I came to Elysion for boarding school when I was eight and joined the prince four years later. I am now nineteen. And you?"

"Thirteen. No one needed me at home, and the voice kept saying there was somewhere I needed to go. I fixed up a boat and went looking before I ran into the storm."

"I am not an expert in the subject, but I would suppose that you may be a sort of Seer. Have you ever predicted something before it happens, perhaps due to this voice of yours?"

Nikolas nodded. "I'm really easily distracted though, so no one wanted me to handle important work. I just sat around not doing anything, so no one cared when I decided to leave."

"I am only surprised that you came to us and not the other way around. Zoisite and Jadeite were both brought to court after I located them. I never imagined fate would lead you here, and so much older than the others."

"You were twelve when you got here."

"I did not mean myself. I am substantially older than the rest of you, and it stands to reason that I would have been found at a later age when it was discovered that a group of unusual magic users had been born into the population. Would you like to learn a few tricks?"

Nikolas smiled eagerly. "That sounds amazing."

"Have you ever experienced more than the premonitions? No? Well, we can start small." He held out a closed hand, then opened it slowly to reveal a ball of fire. It twined around his hand as he tilted it one way and another. "You may not have much affinity for fire. We will find out over the course of your training. Zoisite particularly struggles with this element; he has a much stronger grasp of water and ice. My strength is in earth and metal. Jadeite is the one who excels in flames; perhaps it is because he claimed this life after an inferno nearly killed him."

"How do you do that?" he asked, amazed.

"Hold out your hand and think of the feel of flame against your skin. Remember the way it looks as it moves. Ah, there you go."

The teen gaped at the new flame coming to life in his palm. "I… I did it. I did it! I can do magic! This is unbelievable!"

"This is only the beginning. Now that you have begun, they will only grow. We do not yet know how your ability will measure against the rest of ours. Jadeite's power is particularly potent while Zoisite's is more limited but highly specialized. I possess more raw ability but it is all very general. I do not have the special gifts they have already demonstrated."

"I just wanted to find a place where people needed me. I never imagined something like this when I left home."

"No one ever knows what to expect when they move on. Each of our journeys has been different. Rest assured when I say that you are needed here. Magic has become worryingly rare in the kingdoms. The five of us are the only powerful users left, and such magic does not appear needlessly. It is my opinion that something important is coming, and the king agrees with me."

"Are you telling him about me already, Kunzite?" Tarin asked from the door.

The general immediately stood and bowed. "Majesty. This is Nikolas; he was searching for answers when a storm wrecked his ship on our shores."

"Nikolas? Not quite in keeping with our theme, is it? Tell me, lad, how do you feel about Nacrite? Nelenite? Nitranite?"

"Nephrite," Kunzite said unexpectedly. "His name should be Nephrite."

"Nephrite. What a splendid suggestion; thank you. How does that sound?"

"Why do I need a different name?" Nikolas asked, puzzled.

The older teen glanced at the king before explaining. "I was told that traditionally users of great power such as ours are given names corresponding to the components of our world. Jadeite and I each have a private name but were given titles in accordance with this belief."

"And Zoisite?"

"He was so young when he was brought here that Zoisite is the only name he knows."

"All right…" he said slowly. "I guess Nephrite works."

"It will feel more natural in time," Kunzite told him.

The king nodded, looking satisfied. "We can handle the formalities once you've settled in, Nephrite. For now you just need to recover. Kunzite, you'll look after him, won't you?"

"Of course."

Tarin left the room, and the newly dubbed Nephrite stared at Kunzite. "What did I just get myself into?"

"It is a lot to deal with at once, I know, but you will do well. You were born for this." He walked to the door, but turned and offered the younger boy a thin smile. "You wanted a place where you were needed, and you found it. If anything, you might find yourself wishing you were somewhere they needed you less."

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AN: Initially I was going to end the story with the four stories, but instead I'm probably going to keep going and actually address the Senshi/Shitennou love stories and their lives before the world fell down around them. What does everyone think of that? Anyway, as always, please read and review. Till next time!